Two uncared for tigers rescued from a long-shuttered roadside vacationer attraction in Oklahoma are starting new lives greater than 1,000 miles away at California’s Oakland Zoo after receiving much-needed medical therapy.
The feminine tigers, now named Lola and Mia, have been rescued in June from an Oklahoma attraction that was closed in 2008 by the U.S. Division of Agriculture for a number of animal security and welfare violations.
Lola had a facial deformity attributable to an untreated contaminated tooth and underwent dental surgical procedure on Thursday on the Oakland Zoo.
Mia had been declawed as a cub, a painful course of that removes a part of the animal’s paws and it’s believed the large cat was used for taking footage with vacationers.
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A involved citizen alerted the Oakland Zoo that there have been underfed huge cats nonetheless dwelling in small cages on the Oklahoma drive-thru zoo that weren’t receiving correct care. The Oakland Zoo didn’t disclose the title of the roadside attraction enterprise as a result of it stated doing so might reveal the title of the tipster.
The tigers have been saved in enclosures that have been in all probability about 10 toes by about 15 toes and lived amongst piles of feces and soiled water dishes, stated Colleen Kinzley, Director of Animal Care, Conservation and Analysis, on the Oakland Zoo.
“These are simply atrocious circumstances for an animal to dwell in and obtain no medical care,” she stated. “We’re very completely satisfied to have the ability to present them with a endlessly residence and a superb high quality of life.”
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The animals are actually receiving medical care and regaining their energy earlier than they transfer to Oakland Zoo’s newly reworked tiger exhibit, which had been empty since their earlier rescued tiger handed away final yr.
“It will likely be very heartwarming to see them have the ability to stroll out on grass for in all probability the primary time ever. Tigers love water. The second they get to leap into the pool, I feel there’s going to be so many occasions once we actually will probably be so completely satisfied about this work that we’re doing,” Kinzley stated.
The proprietor of the Oklahoma attraction was recognized to commerce tigers with Joe Unique from the Netflix collection “Tiger King,” in accordance with the Oakland Zoo. However since there have been no information of the large cats’ historical past, it’s not recognized if both have been bred or raised by Joe Unique.
Joe Unique — whose actual title is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — is serving a 21-year jail sentence after being convicted of hiring two completely different males to kill animal welfare activist Carole Baskin.
The previous personal zookeeper was sentenced in January 2020 to 22 years in jail however after an attraction on his murder-for-hire conviction, a choose this yr lowered his sentence to 21 years.
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The Oakland Zoo says the therapy the tigers want factors to the necessity to go the federal Large Cat Public Security Act, which might regulate the possession, exhibition, or breeding of the animals and prohibit direct contact between the general public and the large cats.
The invoice has stalled since being launched within the Home final yr. Presently, the possession and breeding of unique animals is managed by state legal guidelines.
California has strict legal guidelines defending huge cats however different states like Oklahoma are extra lenient.
Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska
Oklahoma transfer linebacker Dasan McCullough has committed to Nebraska, he confirmed on Instagram Sunday afternoon.
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The 6-foot-5, 235-pound McCullough spent the past two seasons in Norman with the Sooners. He began his college football career in 2022 at Indiana, where he earned Freshman All-American status.
McCullough will come to Nebraska with one season of eligibility remaining.
McCullough, who played Oklahoma’s versatile hybrid linebacker/safety position called the Cheetah, suffered an injury before the start of Oklahoma’s fall camp this season and missed the first five games. He returned to the field in October and played in the final seven games, the last five of which he started. He recorded 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2024.
In 2023 at Oklahoma, McCullough played in 10 games and started seven while making 30 tackles with 3.5 TFLs and three pass deflections.
McCullough, who was a star recruit and ranked No. 61 nationally in the 2022 class, comes from a football family. His dad, Deland McCullough, played running back in the NFL and is currently Notre Dame’s associate head coach and running backs coach.
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While Deland spent three seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs’ running backs coach from 2018-20, Dasan played his high school ball at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. Deland became Indiana’s associate head coach and running backs coach in 2021, and Dasan, then an Ohio State verbal commit, flipped to Indiana not long after.
Dasan followed his father to Bloomington and made an impact right away. He played in all 12 games with four starts and racked up 51 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, four sacks and four pass deflections. He gained Freshman All-American honors and a Big Ten honorable mention selection.
— Steve Marik, Inside Nebraska staff writer,
Analysis
McCullough is a versatile backend defender that can play a variety of roles in Nebraska’s defense.
A rare blend of size and athleticism at 6-5, McCullough shows good speed and change-of-direction ability for his size. Has high-end instincts and IQ, which shows up in zone coverage and reacting against the run. Has had some intriguing flashes as a pass-rusher, but largely relies on athleticism to get into the backfield, still developing consistent pass rush moves.
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Technically sound tackler, though lean he’s got wiry body strength. Consistent aggression could improve as could hip fluidity. Athletic enough to hold his own in man coverage, technique can continue to improve, better in zone at this point in his career.
In Nebraska’s scheme, McCullough can play all three linebacker positions, rover or even safety if needed. He’s likely best at inside linebacker with a few pass-rush opportunities.
This addition provides Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler something of a chess piece to move around his defense.
— Tim Verghese, Inside Nebraska recruiting analyst
Additional analysis
McCullough is a versatile and sizable defender who played both a traditional linebacker position and Oklahoma’s “cheetah” spot, which is roughly equivalent to the nickel. He also saw some periodic snaps as an edge rusher for the Sooners during his two years in Norman.
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McCullough at his best against the run, as he takes good pursuit angles, fills gaps responsibly and is a reliable tackler. That said, he’s intelligent and instinctive in zone coverage and can generally be trusted to hold his own in man-to-man matchups against tight ends and running backs.
McCullough ought to be quite the chess piece in John Butler’s defense, and could truly thrive in Lincoln depending on the Huskers’ specific vision for his diverse skill set.
— OUInsider writer Parker Thune
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Central Arkansas Bears (3-8) at Oklahoma Sooners (11-0)
Norman, Oklahoma; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sooners -28.5; over/under is 145.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 14 Oklahoma hosts Central Arkansas after Jeremiah Fears scored 30 points in Oklahoma’s 87-86 victory over the Michigan Wolverines.
The Sooners have gone 6-0 at home. Oklahoma has a 2-0 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Bears are 0-6 on the road. Central Arkansas ranks fourth in the ASUN with 23.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Brayden Fagbemi averaging 4.6.
Oklahoma averages 82.0 points, 5.2 more per game than the 76.8 Central Arkansas allows. Central Arkansas averages 9.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.5 more made shots on average than the 6.5 per game Oklahoma allows.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Fears is scoring 17.9 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Sooners.
Layne Taylor is scoring 17.0 points per game and averaging 4.4 rebounds for the Bears.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sooners: 10-0, averaging 80.9 points, 29.3 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 10.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.5 points per game.
Bears: 3-7, averaging 73.0 points, 34.3 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 8.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 38.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.7 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a commercial fire near the area of NW 10th and N Western Avenue.
OKCFD were at the scene of a commercial fire around 7 p.m. Saturday night, when they arrived there was heavy smoke visible from multiple floors of a boarded up building.
One adult female was found in the building and taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
At this time no cause has been reported.
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