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Baby zebra born on Christmas dies at Arizona zoo
A baby zebra at an Arizona zoo died Tuesday after she suffered a neck injury less than two months after her birth.
The zebra, named Tikiti Maji, was in her habitat at Tucson’s Reid Park Zoo on Tuesday when a gust of wind appeared to startle her mother, Anna, according to the zoo. Anna abruptly moved, but stopped short of a fence. Tikiti Maji, who had been running alongside her mother, did not stop and hit the fence. She died instantly due to the neck injury.
“My heart goes out to Anna, who was an attentive and watchful mother to Tikiti, as well as to the Zoo’s animal care professionals who give their all each day to ensure that every animal at Reid Park Zoo receives quality, loving, and uninterrupted care,” Reid Park Zoo President and CEO Nancy Kluge said in a statement. “We are absolutely heartbroken by the loss.”
The zebra foal was born on Christmas morning, according to the zoo. She became more adventurous and independent as she grew.
“In a very short time, Tikiti won everyone over with her playful nature and energetic spirit. The care team is taking the unexpected loss very hard. She will be dearly missed,” Reid Park Zoo Director of Animal Care Adam Ramse said.
Reid Park Zoo
The name Tikiti Maji means “watermelon” in Swahili, according to the zoo. Mom Anna had enjoyed eating watermelon while pregnant. The mother will get extra care from the zoo as she grieves. Her son Haroo had recently transferred to another zoo.
The zoo said zebra foals are “delicate newborns.” In July of 2020, another one of Anna’s foals died. Young zebras have a high mortality rate and, as a species, zebras can become easily startled, according to the zoo.
Before Tikiti’s birth, the zoo modified the zebra habitat to make the barriers more visible. The care team also gave the mom and foal increased access to the larger main zebra habitats and instituted a quiet zone surrounding the zebras’ behind-the-scene areas.
Tikiti was a Grevy’s zebra. The long-legged species is endangered, with under 2,500 remaining in the wild, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. Grevy’s zebras are the largest species of zebra, standing 4 yo 5 feet tall at the shoulder. They can weigh between 770 and 950 pounds when fully grown.
The species can live for 12 to 13 years, according to the African Wildlife Foundation.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.