September 4, 2012: We've scoured the Web to find the best and most compelling animal stories, videos and photos. And it's all right here.

A file photo shows Gober the orangutan with her babies.

After Surgery, Once-Blind Orangutan Mom Can See Babies

Gober, a critically endangered Sumatran orangutan, gave birth to twins in early 2011 — but after surgery on her cataracts, she’s now seeing her little ones for the first time.

The surgery, the first of its kind in Indonesia, was performed on the 40-year-old ape by doctors at the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program. — Read it at AP via Huffington Post

Dog Travels Nearly 500 Miles Home

Mark Wessells of Myrtle Beach, S.C., took his dog, Bucky, to stay with his father in Virginia while he was in the process of moving. But Bucky had other plans. In January, the 3-year-old Labrador Retriever mix disappeared from Wessells’ father’s property. Two weeks ago, Bucky turned up in the Myrtle Beach area in a residential neighborhood, and was taken in by a family who already had a yellow Lab. When his rescuer took Bucky to the vet to be examined, they discovered that Bucky was microchipped and were able to contact Wessells. No one is sure how Bucky made the long journey or what he was doing for 8 months. “I’m just glad he’s back,” Wessells said. — Read it at Carolina Live

Stranded Whales Saved in Florida

Several agencies worked together to save five out of 22 pilot whales who were stranded at a St. Lucie County beach on Saturday. The surviving whales will undergo long-term care at SeaWorld Orlando with the goal of being returned to the ocean once they’ve been rehabilitated.

Maru appears in an Uniquo commercial

Maru Stars in New Ad

One of the Internet’s biggest feline stars, Maru, has a new commercial for Uniqlo, a Japanese fashion brand that’s opening a new branch in San Francisco. (Don’t get too excited — they only make clothes for humans.) Maru, who never met a box he didn’t like, jumps into one in the ad. This is just the Scottish Fold’s latest professional appearance — he’s appeared in an ad for the kitty-litter brand Fresh Step in the past. — Read it at Time

Rescued Sea Turtle Lays Eggs

Days after being flown to the Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys from the U.S. Virgin Islands for treatment, an endangered hawksbill sea turtle laid six eggs. The eggs have been placed in an incubator, and any hatchlings will be taken to the same St. Croix beach where mom was found with deep wounds to her shoulders, likely from fishing gear. Wildlife officials said she was probably washed ashore by Tropical Storm Isaac. American Airlines gave the turtle a free flight to Miami, and she was transported by ambulance to the hospital. — Read it at AP via ABC News

Cat From China Says Hello to a New Home

There’s happy news for a kitten we told you about in July. Now 5 months old, the kitten who survived a 3-week-journey in a container on a ship traveling from Shanghai, China, to Los Angeles is healthy, and ready to leave the animal hospital he’s been staying in for a home with a family in Redondo Beach, Calif. Named “Ni Hao,” which means hello in Mandarin, officials with Los Angeles County animal control said the new home for the former stowaway was selected from more than 80 candidates. — Read it at AP via Fosters Daily