FIVE SPECIES IN THE NEWS

1 VIGIL HELD FOR GORILLA SHOT IN ZOO EXHIBIT

Dozens of animal rights advocates and others held a vigil at the Cincinnati Zoo in remembrance of a gorilla that was fatally shot to protect a 4- year- old boy who entered its exhibit.

The male western lowland gorilla named Harambe was killed Saturday by a special zoo response team that feared the boy’s life was in danger.

Video taken by zoo visitors showed the gorilla at times appeared to be protective of the boy but also dragged him through the shallow moat.

Anthony Seta, an animalrights activist in Cincinnati, called the death “a senseless tragedy” but said the purpose of Monday’s vigil wasn’t to point fingers. Rather, he said, it was a tribute to Harambe, who turned 17 the day before he was shot.

Kim O’Connor, who witnessed the boy’s fall, has said she heard the youngster say he wanted to get in the water with the gorillas. She said the boy’s mother was with several other young children.

“The mother’s like, ‘ No, you’re not. No, you’re not,’ ” O’Connor told WLWT-TV.

The zoo’s director, Thane Maynard, said its dangerous- animal response team, consisting of full- time animal keepers, veterinarians and security staff, made the right call to kill the gorilla.

He noted that the 400- pound-plus gorilla didn’ t appear to be attacking the child but was in an “agitated situation” and was “extremely strong.”

A tranquillizer wouldn’t have immediately felled the gorilla, leaving the child in danger, Maynard said. The Associated Press

2 CROCODILE VICTIM IGNORED WARNING SIGNS

A woman who was killed by a crocodile in Australia has been criticized for her “stupidity” in ignoring warning signs when she went for a nighttime swim on a notorious beach. Cindy Waldron, 46, from New South Wales, was swimming in waist-deep water with her friend Leeann Mitchell, 47, at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday when she screamed that she was being attacked by a crocodile, before disappearing under the water. Her body has not been found. The incident occurred at a beach in North Queensland where a five-metre crocodile had recently been spotted. Warren Entsch, the local MP, said Waldron was responsible for her own misfortune. “There are signs there saying ‘watch out for the bloody crocodiles.’ If you go swimming at 10 p.m., you’re going to get consumed.” The Daily Telegraph

3 KANGAROO JUMPS ON PASSING CYCLISTS

A woman says she and a friend were injured when they were jumped by a kangaroo while cycling in an Australian wine region. Sharon Heinrich, 45, said Monday that she and her friend Helen Salter, 47, were cycling side by side along a tourist route in the Clare Valley in South Australia on Wednesday when she saw a large kangaroo standing on a slight rise. As they passed, t he kangaroo bounded across the trail, landing on Heinrich’s left torso and then on Salter’s back. It knocked both from their bikes before hopping off, Heinrich said. “He looked peaceful. He didn’t look angry.” Heinrich said she broke three ribs and will undergo surgery on Thursday to replace ruptured breast implants. “They worked as airbags,” Heinrich joked. The Associated Press

4 NO MORE TIGERS IN THAI TEMPLE

Wildlife officials in Thailand on Monday began removing some of the 137 tigers held at a Buddhist temple following accusations that the monks were involved in illegal breeding and trafficking of the animals. The director of Thailand’s Wildlife Conservation Office, Teunjai Noochdumrong, said three tigers were tranquillized and transported Monday in an operation involving about 1,000 state personnel that is expected to continue for a week. The animals will be taken to three government animal refuges elsewhere in Thailand. The monks resisted previous efforts to take away the tigers, and impeded the effort again on Monday morning despite the massive show of force by the authorities. They relented after police obtained a court order. The Associated Press

5 POACHERS USE CYANIDE TO POISON ELEPHANTS

Zimbabwean officials say poachers killed five elephants by poisoning them with cyanide. Rangers discovered the carcasses of the elephants with their tusks removed in a western forest last week. No arrests have been made. A spokesperson said the poison was laced on salt licks, a method now regularly used by poachers to kill elephants in Zimbabwe.