Denver, CO
Smuggled cat finds home at Denver Zoo
DENVER — The Denver Zoo’s latest feline resident has been waiting in the wings for more than a year — first smuggled through the Denver International Airport on a commercial flight, then held as evidence in a federal investigation.
In April 2022, a video went viral when a cat escaped its carrier on a United flight to Denver, reportedly scratching and biting other passengers as it attempted to flee the flight.
What passengers didn’t know is that this wasn’t a regular, domestic cat — it was a wild Geoffroy’s cat and the person transporting it had no idea what they’d gotten themselves into.
Geoffroy’s cats are small, wild cats native to southern and central regions of South America. Although they have a similar size and appearance to domestic cats, they are a wild species and should not be considered a pet, according to a release from the Denver Zoo.
“[The cat] was flying with a person who didn’t know what they had,” said Rebecca McCloskey, carnivore curator at the Denver Zoo. “She wasn’t the owner, just someone who was transporting what she thought was a regular, domestic cat from point A to point B, from a breeder to a buyer.”
McCloskey said the person wasn’t originally scheduled to end their trip in Denver, but she lived in an apartment in the city. After having a difficult and painful flight trying to wrangle the cat, she decided to go home for the night and skipped the connecting flight.
That’s when she called the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, who reached out to both Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Denver Zoo for assistance.
Zoo employees, including McCloskey, attempted to help identify the cat through photos, relying on its shorter-than-normal tail, distinct color patterns and white spots on the back of its ears to peg it as a wild Geoffroy’s cat, McCloskey said.
The cat was fondly named Dia after the airport it was smuggled through and a play on the word diabolical from the viral video, McCloskey said.
Together, McCloskey and other zoo and CPW employees worked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife staff to wrangle Dia from the apartment bathroom into a crate, where she was taken to CPW’s wildlife rehabilitation center pending an investigation into her previous owner.
After several months of harboring the wild cat, CPW reached out to the Denver Zoo for assistance in housing Dia while the lengthy investigation dragged on, the zoo stated in a social media post Thursday.
“Dia came to stay with us in December of 2022, but at that point she was still evidence in both a federal and state investigation so we had to keep her under wraps,” McCloskey said.
The zoo’s Animal Health and Care teams immediately jumped into action to make sure Dia had everything she needed at the zoo, including an appropriate diet, expert care and a safe home.
It wasn’t until September 2023 when the case finally resolved and the zoo was able to talk about their newest visitor, now on track for permanent residency.
At 71/2 pounds, Dia is smaller than the average housecat but just as lively.
“She just has the most confidence and the most personality,” McCloskey said.
The Denver Broncos are in the market for a running back.
Just two days after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Denver wants to have the running back position addressed before the draft, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported that the Broncos are “poised to make a splash” at running back during NFL free agency.
“Denver is the reason why the Jets used the franchise tag on Breece Hall rather than the transition tag, according to sources, making sure Denver wouldn’t get the opportunity to put together an offer the Jets would refuse to match,” Jones wrote for CBS Sports.
Jones said the Broncos would be an obvious potential landing spot for Kenneth Walker, and he noted that Travis Etienne could be a cheaper alternative. The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider also reported this week that Denver is expected to “closely examine” the RB market, and he name-dropped Walker, Etienne and Rico Dowdle.
The Broncos also have an in-house free agent at RB in J.K. Dobbins, who has expressed his desire to remain in Denver. The Broncos can begin negotiating with pending free agents from other clubs on March 9, but no deals can become official until the new league year begins on March 11. In-house free agents can be re-signed at any time.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X! Did you know: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — The Class 5A Sweet 16 has arrived, and both Grand Junction and Palisade are still standing with trips to the Great Eight in Denver on the line.
At The Jungle, the No. 2 seed Grand Junction Tigers set the tone early against No. 18 Golden. Defense carried the Tigers from the opening tip as they held the Demons to nine first quarter points while scoring 16 of their own.
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Grand Junction added eight points in the second quarter while Golden managed six, sending the Tigers into halftime with a nine point lead.
Golden responded in the third quarter, outscoring Grand Junction 16 to 11 to cut the deficit to five entering the fourth. The Tigers answered in the final period, attacking the rim and converting key shots to win the quarter 19 to 10. Grand Junction secured a 54 to 41 victory to protect its home court and advance to the Great Eight in Denver.
Top seeded Palisade also defended its home floor with a trip to Denver at stake. The Bulldogs opened with nine straight points to energize a packed gym, but Frederick settled in and closed the first quarter on a run to tie the game at nine.
Frederick continued to respond in the second quarter and took an eight point lead into halftime.
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Palisade shifted momentum after the break. The Bulldogs tightened defensively, holding Frederick to 21 points in the second half while scoring 39 of their own. Palisade completed the comeback to advance to the Great Eight.
Colorado Mesa University Women Deliver Historic RMAC Tournament Win
In collegiate action, the top seeded Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team defeated Colorado School of Mines 96 to 51 in the RMAC Tournament, marking the largest margin of victory in the tournament this century.
Olivia Reed-Thyne led the Mavericks with 34 points on 11 of 15 shooting, her third 30 point performance this season. Mason Rowland added 22 points and Hallie Clark contributed 10 as Colorado Mesa matched a program record with its 31st win. The Mavericks will host the semifinals Friday with a berth in the championship game at stake.
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Colorado Mesa University Men Survive Overtime Thriller
The Colorado Mesa University men’s basketball team faced New Mexico Highlands University for the third time this season. The Mavericks scored 36 first half points and led by four at the break.
New Mexico Highlands shot 50 percent in the second half, received 21 bench points and outscored Colorado Mesa 43 to 39 to force a late push. With the season in the balance, Ty Allred hit a game tying 3 pointer to make it 75 and send the game to overtime. Allred scored seven points in the extra period as Colorado Mesa earned a 91 to 90 victory to advance to the next round.
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