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Pair of rare Amur tiger cubs debut at Minnesota Zoo
Amur tigers Andrei and Amaliya got to venture outside and feel the grass of their new home under their paws Wednesday for the first time.
APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — A pair of rare Amur tiger cubs are making their public debut at the Minnesota Zoo, raising hopes for preserving an endangered species that’s native to far eastern Russia and northern China.
Andrei and Amaliya got to venture outside and feel the grass of their new home under their paws Wednesday for the first time since their 12-year-old mother, Dari, gave birth on May 23.
“They’ve done quite well since then,” zoologist Trista Fischer said. “We’ve monitored them very closely. Dari’s been fantastic. She’s provided outstanding maternal care. And so today we’ve reached the point where they’re fully vaccinated and they’re now about 40 to 45 pounds (18-20 kilograms).”
Scientists estimate the Amur tiger population is just around 400 to 500 in the wild. They were near the brink of extinction in the 1930s and 1940s but have recovered somewhat since then. It’s tricky to breed them, and around one in four Amur cubs don’t make it to adulthood, whether it’s in the wild or in captivity, she said. Poachers are another major threat.
But the Minnesota Zoo, located in Apple Valley, has a long history of conserving tigers. Its Amur tigers have produced 57 cubs, 46 of which survived for at least 30 days. Of those 46, 21 have gone on to produce litters of their own, amounting to another 86 cubs. The births of Andrei and Amaliya raised the zoo’s population to seven Amur tigers, including their sire, Luka.
Fischer is the leading coordinator for the Tiger Species Survival Plan, a breeding program in the United States with facilities in other countries that works on a global level to preserve the big cats. The plan manages three groups of tigers: Sumatran, Malayan and Amur.
“This litter is so valuable to the population right now,” she explained, saying the genetic diversity of healthy tigers in human care could someday be used to help support populations in the wild.
Zoo spokesperson Zach Nugent said the cubs will remain housed together with their mom for about 18 months, before Andrei, the male, is moved to separate housing, around the same time a male cub in the wild would start venturing out on his own. Amaliya, the female, may spend a little more time with Dari, up to 24 months. Then Fischer will determine whether either cub should be bred, and potentially moved for that to another accredited zoo, which typically happens after the cubs are 2 years old.
“Aww, I love when they get their little Yoda ears,” Fischer said referring to the pointy ears of the Star Wars character as she watched Amaliya and Andrei explore the new terrain of their enclosure. She said it was an emotional, exciting and proud moment for her and her team.
“Our work’s not over, but all that work so far is really paying off in how well that these cubs are acclimating to a new surrounding, pretty much immediately,” she said as the little tigers roamed outside with their mother. “They’re showing a lot of resiliency, which is something that we work hard for in human care. We want these animals to have a lot of confidence and be able to adapt to new environments just as they’re doing today.”
Democratic Representative Brad Rabke leads Republican challenger Aaron Paul by only 14 votes in Shakopee’s District 54A race.
SHAKOPEE, Minn. — A recount has officially been requested for the closest election in any Minnesota legislative district this cycle after the Scott County Canvassing Board certified the election results Wednesday afternoon. Democratic Representative Brad Rabke leads Republican challenger Aaron Paul by only 14 votes in Shakopee’s District 54A race.
This Scott County Canvassing Board meeting garnered a lot of attention not only because of how close the 54A race is, but because of 20 ballots in Shakopee precinct 10, that would directly impact the 54A race.
“We had 329 people check in to absentee vote, we received 309 ballots back,” said Scott County election official Julie Hanson.
Hanson says they will continue to audit and investigate the situation, but at the end of the day, the canvassing board’s job is to certify the ballots that they have received. Now that results have been certified by the county canvassing board, they will be sent to the Secretary of States Office to be certified there on Nov. 21.
“This is the system working the way it’s supposed to work,” said Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon. “The public and the political parties and the candidates can look and see and touch and feel and ask questions, and that’s exactly what we want.”
The state will cover the recount since the margin of victory is lower than .5%. That recount of 22,000 ballots will begin also on Nov. 21.
“There’s high degrees of transparency, and high degrees in terms of security in this process here,” said Hamline University Political Science Professor David Schultz.
Although Schultz feels recounts are important, he acknowledges they don’t have a history of actually changing the outcome.
With Democrats and Republicans tied at 67 seats a piece in the State House, if the recount were to flip the district 54A race in Republican Aaron Paul’s favor, it would change the entire balance of power in the State Legislature.
The House District 14B race is Sherburne County is also headed for a recount. Democratic incumbent Dan Wolgamott leads Republican Sue Ek by 191 votes. Due to an issue with results on election night, Sherburne County says they will cover the cost and hand recount the voters so there is complete transparency.
Two sessions will be held this week to allow residents to ask questions about a 4-year police and city reform plan released in September.
MINNEAPOLIS — In March last year, the City of Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights reached a court-enforceable agreement to reform city and police conduct after investigators found both entities engaged in practices violating the Minnesota Human Rights Act.
Effective Law Enforcement For All was selected to oversee the consent decree as an independent body in February this year, and in September released a nearly 90-page, 4-year plan on police cameras, trainings, how reports are taken and other policy changes.
ELEFA president David Douglass says the nonprofit organization will host two sessions this week to bring community up to speed on the plan. The first is set to begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Sabathani Community Center.
The second session will be held 6 p.m. Thursday at North Community High School.
“We also want to explain how we do what we do … and how to engage the Minneapolis community in this process because that was central to the agreement,” Douglass told KARE 11 ahead of the meeting. “Perhaps most important, our goal is to promote understanding so we want to hear back and have plenty of time for people to ask their questions.”
Douglass says ELEFA will issue a semiannual report in the coming weeks and will hold another community session in four months.
This all stems from George Floyd‘s murder, and a similar settlement is pending with the U.S. Department of Justice after its investigators found city and police conduct violated the constitution and federal law. Both parties agreed to resolve the findings through a court-enforceable consent decree with an independent monitor.
But former President Trump opposed federal consent decrees in his first term, calling them “a war on police,” and terminating one in Chicago. It’s unclear what will happen in his second term, but Minneapolis is still promising reform.
The Office of Community Safety sent the following statement in response to KARE 11 inquiry:
“While negotiations with the Department of Justice have continued without pause, tonight’s community engagement session hosted by ELEFA is their first opportunity to talk with the people of Minneapolis since their selection as the Independent Evaluator for the MDHR settlement agreement and the release of their Evaluation Plan. This engagement goes to highlight the work well underway to implement the Settlement Agreement with the State. City leadership has been and will remain committed to reforming policing in Minneapolis and building a more just, equitable approach to community safety – regardless of who sits in the White House.”
-Commissioner Todd Barnette, Office of Community Safety
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights shared a similar message:
“The state consent decree between the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and the City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Police Department is here to stay regardless of what happens at the federal level.”
-Spokesperson, Minnesota Department of Human Rights
Community members say the tight results reflect changing opinions in their communities.
MINNESOTA, USA — Scott County certified the election results in a very close race in Shakopee, where incumbent democrat Brad Tabke beat Republican Aaron Paul by just 14 votes.
Paul has officially requested a recount in 54A, and now that process will begin.
That race is one of two Minnesota House races headed for recounts.
“It’s been up and down,” Paul said. “We’re preparing.”
The razor-thin margin falls within the threshold for an automatic recount under state law.
“I think people are just waiting to see what happens,” said Shakopee resident Collin Duff.
Duff says a lot of folks at Turtle’s Bar and Grill have been talking about it.
“I think everybody is tired of the way the world’s running, and we have to, we have to do it slowly,” said patron, Kathy Hoffman, who said these results show her community is looking for change
Meanwhile, in District 14B, DFL Rep. Dan Wolgamott now leads Republican Sue Ek by 191 votes after initial confusion on election night.
At one point, unofficial results showed Ek winning by four votes. Wolgamott later led by 28.
Sherburne County officials attributed the discrepancy to a memory card malfunction, but said no votes were lost or found. The county plans to conduct a hand recount at its own expense.
“There’s a huge effort to be sure that the votes counted were accurate, because it makes a big difference,” Ek said.
If current results hold, the Minnesota House would be evenly split between DFL and Republican members.
Buddy King, a District 14B resident, says the tight races reflect the state’s changing demographics,
“I’m not just talking racially, but just socially, economically, everything is growing,” King said. “And so I think what we’re seeing is the results of that.”
King’s wife, Keshia Anderson-King, hopes the DFL maintains its lead, citing concerns about education and support for LGBTQ and immigrant communities.
“Whether it be DFL or Republic, I just want it to be for the people,” she said.
