7 animals with unusual professions

Do you think that working like a dog or getting tired like a horse is only accessible to humans? Many animals find work to their liking in a variety of fields - from science and politics to sports and show business. And some even make good money on it!

Ferret cleaner in a science lab

In 1971, scientists at the National Accelerator Laboratory (NAL) had a problem: the new NAL Meson Laboratory was almost completed, but its pipeline through which subatomic particles were supposed to fly was dirty. Tiny particles of steel, dust and debris from the inside of the pipes accumulated there. At first, scientists wanted to create a mechanical cleaner, but it was too expensive. Instead, another idea came to the British physicist Robert Sheldon: the ferret!

Photo: FERMILAB / U.S. DEPT. OF ENERGY

Ferrets are small, curious creatures that love to dive into holes and burrows, just to see what's there. Sheldon recalled how ferrets were put into rabbit holes in Britain to fight rodents.

During her tenure at NAL, Felicia made 12 pipe passes. But physicists are physicists: after that it was replaced by a mechanical ferret.

Dog model

How does a Japanese shiba inu dog named Bodhi make 15 thousand dollars a month? Bodhi is known as a talented model working under the pseudonym Menswear Dog. The owners of the dog, fashion designers Yena Kim and David Fung, first stylishly dressed him in 2013 "for fun." But Bodhi liked wearing fashionable clothes, and he happily posed for photographs. The couple posted photos on social networks, instantly making Bodhi a superstar.

Photo: MENSWEAR DOG

Today, Menswear Dog has a Facebook page with more than 200,000 followers, more than 254,000 followers on Instagram and almost 10,000 followers on Twitter, as well as a very busy schedule. The dog often participates in campaigns of brands such as Coach, Victorinox Swiss Army, American Apparel, Hudson Shoes and Purina. Also, his photo shoots were published in the magazines GQ, Time, Esquire and Fast Company, and the dog himself spoke at New York Fashion Week.

Bodhi also tries himself as a writer: his first book was published in 2015, called Menswear Dog and presents a new classic: a fresh look at modern man.

Weather Marmot

Groundhog Phil in Pennsylvania knows everything. He and his predecessors have predicted the duration of winter since 1886. But not everyone has heard of Phil rival from San Prairie, Wisconsin. His name is Jimmy, and he also whispers on February 2 to the mayor of the city what to expect for the Americans from the remaining winter month.

The first Jimmy began to perform his duties in 1948 in honor of the centenary of Wisconsin. The life expectancy of a groundhog in captivity is from nine to fourteen years, so Jimmy constantly recruited new groundhogs to the post. And everything went well until February 2, 2015, the groundhog, apparently not very pleased that he had been awakened so early, instead of whispering a prediction, bit the mayor's ear.

As a result, the rowdy commander, Jimmy XII, gives his predictions through the cage.

Capybara-educator

Capybara Cheesecake is a great nurse and teacher for dogs. She settled in the Rocky Range, an animal shelter in Arkansas, run by Janice Wolf in 2010. Capybara immediately began to serve as a surrogate mother for puppies who were brought there or who were born there.

Capybaras that live in Central and South America are a bit like hairy pigs without tails and spots. Rodents reach about 60 centimeters in height, have slightly webbed legs and, as a rule, are quite social. Therefore, the cheesecake immediately began to play, eat and sleep with dogs. When the puppies appeared, the maternal instincts of the capybara earned in full force: she did not leave the babies a single step, she watched them during the day and taught them manners. It is interesting that even if the puppies were in the shelter with their mothers, they calmly trusted their babies with a capybara.

Rehab Master Horse

Magic - a miniature horse with a height of only 86 centimeters. But she has a very important and respected mission: she is a therapist. Magic visits children and adults in hospitals and shelters, including helping with the rehabilitation of Alzheimer's patients, and even happens to be in high crime areas with law enforcement officials. And Magic really does pure magic.

Photo: ELIZABETH W. KEARLEY / GETTY IMAGES

One of the patients did not leave her room for six months. But after meeting with Magic, she went out into the lobby to wait for the horse on the next planned day of the visit. Another woman did not say a word in three years, but she began to talk with the horse on the first day of the meeting and has not stopped speaking since then. Thanks to these and many other stories, Time magazine ranked Magic among the 10 most heroic animals in history. And this is just one award received by a small horse with a great talent for caring. Magic is part of a group of more than a dozen miniature horses that provide therapeutic services in Florida to approximately 45,000 people per year.

Dog Mayor

Sometimes animals turn out to be good politicians. At least the residents of the small town of Sanol in the state of California are sure of this. There are fewer than 1000 people living in it, and in 1981, two of them nominated for mayor, which would allow the election winner to represent Sanola at district meetings.

Photo: ROGER RESSMEYER / CORBIS

The closer the elections got, the more voters became disillusioned with the candidates who fought unfairly. Once a local resident Brad Leber jokingly said that his dog Bosco would be able to defeat these two if his name appears on the ballot. The townspeople appreciated the humor, and since they all knew and loved the good-natured dog, they entered the name on the ballot and elected a new mayor.

The Sanola election resonated, and the Chinese media wrote about it as evidence of the decline of American democracy. But no decline in Sanola occurred. The mayor liked to walk around the town and enjoyed talking with voters, sometimes running into a tavern for a bite to eat. Bosco was in office for 13 years, and when the dog died in 1994, grateful residents erected a monument to him.

Squirrel-water skier

Twiggy is a gray squirrel that skillfully waterski. In fact, there are many such squirrels, and they organize the show 9 months of the year, not only delighting the audience, but also promoting safety on the water.

Photo: STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR VIA GETTY IMAGES

The first Twiggy was the squirrel, which in 1978 was found by the couple Chuck and Lou Ann Best. Chuck just recently bought a daughter a remote control boat and taught the squirrel how to stand water skiing for fun. Twiggy showed great talent in this sport, and the Best began to stage a show. Twiggy's popularity grew, and squirrel skiers began to be invited to film, advertisements and music videos. Twiggy's most famous screen appearances are in the comedies Bouncers and TV Host: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

Unfortunately, Chuck has already died, but Lou Ann continues to save and rehabilitate the orphaned squirrels, training new Twiggy.

Based on materials from HowStuffWorks.com