Morning Roundup: Pittsburgh Zoo welcomes Amur leopard cubs
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Friday, April 28, 2023:
Pittsburgh Zoo welcomes 2 Amur leopard cubs
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium this week announced that two Amur leopard cubs were born at the zoo on March 18.
They have been “thriving under the care of their first-time mother Semba,” zoo officials said in a statement.
“Semba was born at the Pittsburgh Zoo herself, and we’re so glad to see the next generation join us. She’s such a good mom,” said Karen Vacco, assistant curator of mammals.
The cubs will remain away from public view until they are old enough to receive vaccinations and safety navigate their outdoor habitat, zoo officials said. In the meantime, zoo staff are monitoring them and allowing them to bond with their mother.
“Aside from digital monitoring of the denning area, we’re letting them bond,” Vacca said. “They’re doing well, the babies are nursing and growing just like they should.”
Amur leopards are considered one of the rarest subspecies of cats on earth, with about 100 individuals living in their native Russia and China. Their relatives, African leopards, are more numerous but also a threatened subspecies, zoo officials said.
Once the cubs receive their second of vaccinations in mid-June, they’ll be able to leave the den. Zoo officials said they can’t guarantee specific public viewing dates.
“It’s up to them,” Vacco said. “It will be up to Semba when she’s ready to leave the den, and also up to the cubs to follow their mom out into the habitat. We let them choose when they’re ready to explore.”
Until then, the public can get involved in a naming contest.
The zoo earlier this year saw nearly $5,000 donated during a naming contest for a female Western lowland gorilla, also an endangered species. The gorilla, who was born in February, was named Charlotte.
Based on the success of the earlier naming contest, zoo officials said they are launching a similar competition to name the new leopards. For a $5 donation, people can submit two names through the zoo’s website through May 31. The names will be vetted by keeper staff and go on for a final selection.
2 injured in Strip District shooting
Pittsburgh police are investigating after they said two men with gunshot wounds arrived at a hospital emergency room around 12:45 a.m. Friday.
Both are in stable condition.
Police said one victim was shot in the foot, and the other was shot in the arm and leg.
Officers said they located the crime scene at the 2000 block of Penn Avenue in the city’s Strip District neighborhood.
There are no arrests at this time, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Violent Crime Unit detectives at 412-323-7161.
2 hospitalized in crash on I-279
Two people were hospitalized after a crash early Friday morning on Interstate 279, according to Ross West View EMSA.
Ross West View EMSA, along with Pittsburgh EMS and fire crews, responded to a two-vehicle wreck on I-279 overnight.
Ross West View EMSA transported a patient in critical condition to the hospital, while Pittsburgh EMS took a second patient in stable condition to the hospital.
Police called to incident at McDonald’s in Coraopolis
Police responded to an incident at the McDonald’s on Fourth Avenue in Coraopolis early Friday morning, according to Tribune-Review news partner WPXI.
WPXI reported several Coraopolis and Moon Township police vehicles were seen in the restaurant’s parking lot, with officers going in and out of the building.
The incident occurred around 2 a.m.
Glass from one of the restaurant doors appeared to be broken, WPXI reported.
Additional details on the incident were not immediately available Friday morning.
Pitt to offer additional waste pickups in Oakland
The University of Pittsburgh is providing supplemental waste pickups through Republic Service throughout the Oakland neighborhood this Friday and next.
Oakland residents can put trash out for collection in a container with a tight-fitting lid or in sealed plastic bags or bundles at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before the refuse collection and no later than 6 a.m. the day of collection, university officials said.
This is in addition to regularly-scheduled trash pickup.
Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.
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