Miami Herald

A new baby creature lives at Zoo Miami

- BY DEVOUN CETOUTE dcetoute@miamiheral­d.com Devoun Cetoute: 305-376-2026, @devoun_cetoute

If you want to see the cutest little wild ass in South Florida, you’ll have to drive to South MiamiDade, Zoo Miami Ambassador Ron Magill says.

Around sunrise Friday morning, an endangered

Somali wild ass was born at the zoo, the ninth foal to be born at Zoo Miami. The foal doesn’t yet have a name, but it and its mother, Lisha, are now on exhibit, Magill said.

Lisha, 23, is the oldest Somali wild ass to give birth in North America, Magill said.

The foal will undergo a neonatal exam this weekend to determine its sex and conduct other medical exams, he said.

Somali wild asses are among the world’s most critically endangered equids, with fewer than 1,000 believed to still exist in the wild. It is the last remaining ancestor of the modern donkey.

They are characteri­zed by their smooth gray coat and striped legs, indicative of their close relation to zebras.

Zoo Miami began exhibiting the endangered Somali wild ass in 2011 as part of the Species Survival Plan, which is a captive breeding program designed to maintain healthy population­s of extremely rare animals for generation­s to come.

Queen Bey is close to sitting on her Grammys throne: The singer won her 26th Grammy on Sunday, almost matching, and on track to surpass, Alison Krauss’ 27-win record.

Beyoncé, this year’s leading contender with nine nomination­s, won two honors during the pre-ceremony including best rap performanc­e for “Savage” with Megan Thee Stallion and best music video for “Brown Skin Girl.”

She shares the latter with daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who is also having a historic night: At 9 years old, she’s the second youngest to win a Grammy.

Beyoncé’s other nomination­s, including song and record of the year, best R&B performanc­e and best rap song, will broadcast during the live show, which kicked off with host Trevor Noah telling jokes about the coronaviru­s pandemic and the year that was 2020.

He was live from downtown Los Angeles, with attendees wearing masks and sitting, socially distanced, at small round tables.

That was followed by performanc­es from Harry Styles, who is competing for his first Grammys this year, and Billie Eilish, who won five Grammys last year and picked up her sixth honor during the pre-show.

Bruno Mars celebrated Little Richard, Lionel Richie honored Kenny Rogers and Brandi Carlile paid tribute to John Prine during an in memoriam segment on the Grammy Awards that featured an especially long list of names after a year of the coronaviru­s pandemic.

And Carlile sang “I Remember Everything” for Prine, one of the artists lost in 2020 to the coronaviru­s, along with Charley Pride, K.T. Oslin, Adam Schlesiner, Trini Lopez and many others.

The performanc­es were interspers­ed between montages of the names and faces of the dead.

 ?? Zoo Miami ?? The newborn endangered Wild Somali Wild Ass and its mother Lisha at Zoo Miami. They are now on exhibit at the zoo.
Zoo Miami The newborn endangered Wild Somali Wild Ass and its mother Lisha at Zoo Miami. They are now on exhibit at the zoo.
 ?? CHRIS PIZZELLO Invision/AP ?? A select group of audience members practice social distancing while watching a performanc­e by Billie Eilish on screen outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday.
CHRIS PIZZELLO Invision/AP A select group of audience members practice social distancing while watching a performanc­e by Billie Eilish on screen outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday.

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