Pets and their owners can breathe easier in the city of Windsor, and county of Essex, Ontario, as the Essex County Veterinary Association donated ten animal-friendly oxygen mask sets to the various fire departments in Windsor and the county on March 21.

The sets (which contain three pet masks, three sets of tubes, and a bag to carry them in) cost around CA$150 each.

April and May 2011 were record-breaking in terms of tornado outbreaks and casualties, with hundreds killed across the southern and mid-western states of the United States.  On May 25, an EF5/T11 tornado devastated the city of Joplin, Missouri, severely damaging one of its two hospitals, and killing over 145 people.

It just so happened that the Picadilly Circus was in town when the tornado struck.  With so much devastation around the city, and construction equipment being used, the Circus decided to assist in disaster relief, by using their elephants to clear away destroyed automobiles and other heavy debris from the streets, so emergency vehicles could get through. The circus also ran a fundraiser this weekend in aid of the relief efforts.

Recovery will take months and will be filled with hard work, but this is exactly the type of morale boost the city of Joplin needs.

Another Japanese dog has survived the terrible earthquake and tsunami — this time, by clinging to the roof of its floating home after it was swept out to sea. The dog (named Ban) was rescued by the Japanese Coast Guard (with some assistance from nearby American disaster relief workers and the JSDF) during a search for survivors after its house was washed away three weeks ago. Thomson Reuters had reported that the dog was found on the roof of its home, floating 1.8 km (1.1 miles) off the coast of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, in northern Japan. See also: Japanese dog stays by injured canine comrade after disaster

Twenty-five lions have been rescued from circuses in Bolivia by animal rights activist group Animal Defenders International. The thirteen males and twelve females were taken from what were called "deplorable conditions" after Bolivian lawmakers prohibited animals from being used in performances.

Television personality and former The Price is Right host Bob Barker helped finance a jetliner to fly the lions to Denver at a cost of US$200,000, in what was called "Operation Lion Ark". When rescued, most of the lions suffered from dehydration, as well as foot and eye infections.