WASHINGTON — From D.C.’s iconic pandas to Cincinnati’s storied gorilla, here are the top animal stories of 2016.
(WTOP collage)
WTOP collage
Harambe
On May 28, a lowland gorilla known as Harambe was shot and killed at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 3-year-old boy had fallen into its enclosure. Zoo workers made the decision to kill the 17-year-old gorilla in order to protect the boy.
The internet soon latched onto Harambe’s death with calls for justice that were either earnest — calling for the parents, or some party, to be held responsible in a petition — or derisive, attempting to mock social justice movements, as The New York Times wrote. The memes soon spiraled out of control, spreading into the summer and rolling right into Election Day.
(Jeff McCurry/Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden via The Cincinatti Enquirer via AP, File)
Dogs working in mental health sector
WTOP introduced Yogi, a then-4-month-old corgi who lived and worked with Gregory Jones, a psychologist in D.C., to readers on Aug. 2. Through training, Yogi has helped out in sessions with patients.
“Oftentimes, he is very grounding for people that need to talk about things that are traumatic, difficult, anxiety provoking,” Jones told WTOP in August.
(Courtesy Gregory Jones)
Courtesy Gregory Jones
Animals up for adoption after several natural disasters
This year saw a slew of natural disasters with major flooding in Louisiana, Hurricane Matthew and Hermine — a weather event that had become a hurricane at one point — that brought hardship to people as well as animals.
Volunteers from a Maryland animal rescue group drove to Tennessee to pick up about 80 animals from the Louisiana flood zone, holding adoption events in the D.C. area in August.
Animals evacuated from a South Carolina animal shelter before Hurricane Matthew were up for adoption in the D.C. area in October.
(WTOP/Michelle Basch)
WTOP/Michelle Basch
Beaver caught in aisles of Maryland dollar store
St. Mary’s County Sheriff Office got a call about a destructive customer, rummaging through the Christmas aisle of a Dollar General.
Turns out, it was a beaver.
There wasn’t serious damage — just a few items knocked off. The beaver was safely captured and released to a wildlife rehabilitation.
(Courtesy St. Mary's County Sheriff's Department)
