Animals

"The Last of Us" fans are talking about a new stand-out actor in the season finale -- a giraffe from the Calgary Zoo might be shopping for an agent after making its acting debut!

TMZ has learned the giraffe used in the episode is a 13-year-old bull Masai giraffe who normally resides in the Canadian zoo, where goes by "Nabo" ... and his big moment on camera came in a pivotal scene.

Diehard fans of the post-apocalyptic series will recognize the scene as a recreation from the original video game -- Joel played, by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, stumble upon the beautiful creature, and it becomes a moment of pure bliss.

We're told Nabo is one of many giraffes at the Calgary Zoo, but he is the tallest resident to roam the establishment ... so, maybe that's why he got the nod.

He seemed to be a star in the making because his birth was well-documented and celebrated back in 2015 at the zoo.

Our sources say the scene was actually filmed at the zoo, which makes sense, considering the show is mainly filmed in Alberta, Canada.

We can assume their new costar made it a breeze for Pedro and Bella to get into character for the scene.

Kiska, known to many as the world's loneliest orca whale, has died.

The mammal's death was announced Friday by Marineland in Niagra Falls, Ontario where she's been living for the past several decades. The theme park said in a statement, "Marineland's marine mammal care team and experts did everything possible to support Kiska’s comfort and will mourn her loss."

Kiska was captured back in 1979 when she was only 3 years old ... living with a few orcas at an aquarium in Iceland before being sold to Marineland. While in Iceland, she was a tankmate with an orca named Keiko -- future star of the hit film, "Free Willy."

During her time at Marineland, Kiska gave birth to 5 calves, but they all tragically died at a young age before her. She's been by herself since 2011, hence the sad nickname -- and studies have shown orcas are social mammals, and isolation like this is considered torture.

Marineland has been criticized for mistreatment of its animals since the '70s, but a viral video of Kiska banging her head against the glass picked up steam in 2021, and an investigation into the facility was held ... although prosecutors later said they wouldn't pursue animal cruelty charges.

Another clip from earlier this year showed her doing constant circles in her tank ... still swimming solo after over a decade of solitude.

Joe Exotic says the hit Netflix series surrounding his life is the worst thing that's happened to him, because it made the public believe he tried to kill Carole Baskin -- and yet, he's forgiven everyone, including Carole, as he faces the possibility of dying in prison.

We spoke to Joe Friday, he called in from federal prison in Fort Worth, TX ... and said what "Tiger King" became is what ruined his life. He says all the content he filmed was for a separate project -- years before 'TK' -- and after that producers used his interview, and added everyone else in the series to create a fake "conspiracy to kill Carole."

He says it was all done to get TV ratings, and he maintains he's the innocent victim of that production plot.

As we reported, Joe's currently battling cancer that's believed to have spread from his prostate to his bladder ... and as he faces his own mortality -- he recently signed a do-not-resuscitate order -- he says he's found a way to forgive Carole and even Jeff Lowe.

When it comes to Carole, Joe chalks their rivalry up to good business maneuvers -- he says it's common in the animal rescue industry -- and admits both he and CB benefitted from going after each other.

Joe gave us some insight into his day-to-day behind bars -- saying depression is yet another struggle for him. He also says he's shacked up with some interesting characters over the years ... including cartel leaders and Ted Kaczynski, AKA the Unabomber.

As for what's next, he says he's still holding out hope he'll be released from prison, and wants to tie the knot with his fiancé Seth Posey. He also talked about the fact he's officially running for President in 2024 as a Libertarian, and told us why he's the man for the job ... even though he's behind bars.

Siegfried & Roy's former Sin City estate is changing hands ... the palace where they famously lived alongside their tigers and lions is being sold to circus owners.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the new owners went under contract Wednesday on the Las Vegas mansion, which is going for the full $3 million asking price.

Brett Carden, owner of the Carden International Circus, tells us he and his father George are the folks buying the property ... and they've got big plans for the estate known as the "Jungle Palace."

Brett says he met Siegfried & Roy back in the day in Las Vegas when their circus was in town, and when he saw the home on the market he grew concerned someone might purchase the property and tear it down ... so he and his father swooped in.

We're told the Cardens view the home as an investment ... and they're thinking about turning the property into a tourist attraction or short-term vacation rental.

Remember ... the late Roy Horn lived on the property and raised the magic act's jungle cats there, even swimming with the animals in the estate's biggest pool and sleeping with them in the same bed.

The Moroccan-themed compound was built way back in 1954 before Siegfried & Roy bought it in 1982 ... and it includes an 8,750-square-foot main house, three guest houses, three pools, two detached studios and a jacuzzi.

There are amenities fit for a circus owner too ... the home also includes several animal enclosures and a bird sanctuary.

The "Cocaine Bear" has company -- a wild big cat found and captured far from its natural habitat of Africa ... has cocaine in its system!!!

In a scene that sounds like a sequel script ... officials in Ohio say they responded to reports of a "leopard" stuck in a tree, and when they got there they found an African serval cat, which is illegal to own in the state.

Cincinnati Animal Care took in the animal for DNA and narcotics testing, and it tested positive for cocaine exposure!!!

The wild big cat, now known as Amiry, is getting treatment at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Unlike the big screen bear now in theaters ... there are no reports of the cat killing anyone.

The zoo says trainers are going to work with Amiry, and if things go well the zoo is going to keep him ... though he won't be visible to the public, at least not yet. Perhaps a rehab stint is in order?

Unclear how the cat got into cocaine, but authorities say they've found the animal's owner, who is cooperating with the investigation.

Joe Gatto was a knight in shining armor to a woman who was being berated over a fur coat ... he's on camera coming to her defense and calling her foe a "piece of s***."

The heated exchange played out north of the border in Montreal ... and the video picks up with a woman in a fur coat being shamed over her fashion choice as she waits to cross a busy intersection with her two dogs.

Joe, the former "Impractical Jokers" star who is currently on a comedy tour ... walks over and asks the woman if she needs help, telling the anti-fur activist to quit harassing her and "stop being a piece of s***."

Joe was Johnny-on-the-spot here ... the woman's clearly flustered and is trying to explain why the fur coat doesn't make her a terrible person, and the guy's being pretty combative.

The fur debate doesn't seem to be the issue for Joe -- it's snowing out and he's not wearing a fur coat to stay warm himself -- rather, he didn't like the way the man was going after the woman.

Frankly, in this day and age, ya never know what these folks are gonna do.

The anti-fur activist Len Goldberg tells TMZ... "I'm saddened that Joe Gatto, who represents himself publicly as an animal lover, would call me a "piece of s***" when all I did was repeatedly ask this woman why she supports skinning beaver but not dogs for a status statement, instead of letting her change the subject as all fur-wearers do when I pose this question. I'm sad Joe doesn't regard these beaver, who were crushed to death for a fur coat, as being the real victims."

Joe is a big advocate for adopting dogs, at one time boasting 12 of his own ... so it's not like he's necessarily pro-fur -- he just didn't like the way the lady was treated.

American actress Cozi Zuehlsdorff was just 12 years old when she was first cast as Hazel Haskett -- the bubbly and talkative little girl who works at her father's aquarium -- in the family/adventure movie "Dolphin Tale" back in 2010.

Zuehlsdorff shared the big screen with Harry Connick Jr. as Cozi's protective father and the owner of Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Clay Haskett, Nathan Gamble as the animal-lover and bestie of the dolphin Winter, Sawyer Nelson, and Morgan Freeman as the doctor who creates a prosthetic dolphin tail, Dr. Cameron McCarthy.

Cozi reprised her role as Hazel for "Dolphin Tale 2" in 2014.

Siegfried & Roy's former Las Vegas estate is on the market ... the same palace where they famously lived alongside their lions and tigers.

The 8-acre estate is known as the 'Jungle Palace' ... and it's where the late Roy Horn raised the jungle cats for the magic act's Sin City show. Roy even slept in the same bed as the lions and tigers and swam with them in one of the home's 3 pools.

Listed for $3 million, the compound features an 8,750-square-foot main house, plus 3 guest houses, 2 detached studios, 6 electric gates, 3 pools and a jacuzzi.

It's not called a Jungle Palace for nothing ... the estate also includes a bird sanctuary and several animal enclosures.

The home hit the market this week and Murray The Magician, who has a residency at the Tropicana in Vegas, tells us he's already taken a tour.

Murray tells us he's a potential buyer and while he hasn't made an official offer, he's interested in buying the famous magic house to preserve its rich history.

Built way back in 1954, Siegfried & Roy bought the Moroccan-themed compound in 1982 ... and it's where Roy lived until his May 2020 death from COVID complications.

The property reportedly changed hands a year ago, with the current owner snapping the place up for $1.87 million.

When you gotta go, ya gotta go ... and that's exactly what one adorable pooch did while performing during the halftime performance at a college basketball game!!

The whole bathroom break was caught on camera by one of the hoop fans in the stands -- showing the cute canine doing tricks with a frisbee for the Virginia Tech-Louisville game on Tuesday.

But the show eventually started to stink -- literally -- when the dog walked up to its trainer near the baseline to do another move ... when out of nowhere, it pops a squat and lets it all out!!

The trainer quickly reacted and grabbed the dog, but the doo doo still remained ... and the crowd's reaction was priceless.

To add to the crappy night, the Cardinals lost again, making it their third consecutive loss. They currently hold a 4-26 record under new head coach Kenny Payne.

FYI, this ain't the first time a dog has dropped a deuce at a sporting event ... Klay Thompson's dog did it at Dodger Stadium in 2016, and a Philadelphia Police Department K-9 handled its business right on the Flyers' center-ice logo in 2021.

The Montana hunter who killed and skinned a husky -- apparently thinking it was a wolf -- is getting off easy after copping a plea.

Amber Rose Barnes just pled no contest to misdemeanor animal cruelty ... and the judge gave her a 6-month deferred sentence, meaning the whole case will go away if she meets a few requirements.

Part of her checklist to get this wiped from her record -- Barnes will have to take an online hunter safety class, and she's not allowed to use her hunting rifles for half a year.

As it turns out, that's not much of a punishment when you consider hunting season doesn't come until the fall ... so, it's not like she's missing out.

Remember, Barnes was hit with the animal cruelty charge back in October after the horrific September incident. At the time, she bragged on social media she'd taken down a wild wolf ... but it was just a domesticated husky that was out in the woods.

Not only did she shoot and kill it, but Barnes also took the dog's hide as a trophy ... which she also posted on social media, drawing the ire of the public. Barnes insisted the animal was acting aggressively when she encountered it and claimed self-defense.

More alligators have been removed from the Florida retirement community where an elderly was attacked and killed ... with additional searches underway.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission rep tells TMZ ... two additional gators have been yanked from water at Spanish Lakes Fairways in Fort Pierce since last week's deadly incident ... and not just that, but we're told they'll probably be killed.

The FFWCC rep notes there've been a total of 5 gator complaints that a licensed nuisance alligator trapper (NAT) is currently working at the community.

The way they gauge which ones they'll go after and which ones they'll leave be is based on the public safety risk these animals might pose ... and, for now, only three of them have been taken out.

Remember, we'd been told by a neighbor at Spanish Lakes that ALL of the gators were being fished out of the surrounding lakes and ponds there ... and it certainly sounds like they're on the hunt for more.

Paul Rudd's still king of the (ant) hill in movies -- beating out a coked-out CGI bear ... but the weekend win isn't quite what it seems, considering a huge drop-off his flick endured.

We're talking about "Ant-Man: Quantumania" -- which came out last week with windfall box office numbers ($106 million) and which once again secured the top spot these past 3 days with another $32.2 million in domestic ticket sales against newcomer, "Cocaine Bear."

The goofy horror-comedy, directed by Elizabeth Banks, came in 2nd behind PR and co. ... raking in $23.1 mil domestically and $28.4 mil globally -- which is pretty good considering it only cost about $35M to make it. So, it's sure to make its money back and then some.

Not exactly the hit that "M3GAN" was for Universal -- but the studio's killing it lately with original ideas and relatively low investment. 'Ant-Man,' however, took a historical plunge.

Going from $106M to $32M in just one weekend is actually the biggest dip a Marvel movie has fallen into ... like, ever. As Variety noted, that's about 69%, more or less ... beating out the previous lowest record-holder in "Black Widow," which came in at a 67% drop-off in '21.

Rihanna is getting a new addition to her wardrobe ... PETA is sending her a faux fur coat after the pregnant singer appeared to wear real fur to dinner.

Here's the deal ... Rihanna was photographed this week in a full-length fur coat, which PETA tells us is almost certainly made of the real deal ... and now the animal rights org wants RiRi to make some fashion changes.

PETA fired off a letter, obtained by TMZ, to Rihanna's team ... saying they noticed her fur coat, then pled their case for switching to faux fur and offered up a faux fur coat.

In the letter, PETA's senior vice president Lisa Lange cites Rihanna's growing family, writing ... "As a mother, you know what it's like to feel protective and to want to make sure no harm comes to your family. Please understand that this desire -- this instinct even -- is shared by the minks, foxes, and rabbits who are torn away from their families and killed for their fur."

PETA then asks Rihanna, "Won't you please help create a kinder world for your children to grow up in by deciding today that you'll no longer wear fur?"

The org offers to take any of Rihanna's fur clothes off her hands and donate them to survivors of the recent earthquakes in Syria and Turkey ... PETA says those folks truly have an excuse to wear real fur because they lost everything and now have to survive winter.

PETA also tells Rihanna they're sending her a faux fur coat from Unreal Fur, which they say will help her "stay warm and fashionable while making the cruelty-free switch."

Former Univ. of Georgia stars Knowshown Moreno and Tavarres King are firing back at PETA ... telling TMZ Sports the animal rights org. should kick rocks for demanding their live bulldog mascot be removed from its role.

PETA initially took aim at the school after the National Championship Game earlier this year -- requesting the university retire Uga for good ... calling the dog's position as team mascot cruel to the animal.

But, when we talked with Moreno and King about the situation earlier this month, they both said Uga is living better than some students do!

"I feel like those pets live the best lives!" said Moreno, who played at UGA from 2006 to 2008. "Uga live the life!"

"I don't think folks know how good of a life Uga lives," added King, a receiver for the Bulldogs from 2008 to 2012. "Uga lives a good one."

FYI -- Georgia has used a live mascot since the 1950s ... starting with Uga I. The current mascot is Uga X.

Both Moreno and King said they've personally seen the dogs be treated like royalty, telling us the pups get fed regularly -- and even have first-class seats on team planes.

King also said the mascot's dog house has air conditioning!

In a truly stunning lawsuit, the woman charged in connection with the theft of Lady Gaga's French Bulldogs, says the singer never delivered on her promised $500,000 reward ... and now she wants a court to force the singer to cough it up.

Jennifer McBride says Gaga made it very clear, she'd pay the $500k "no questions asked" when she announced the reward back in February 2021 after her dogs Koji and Gustav were stolen from her dog walker at gunpoint.

McBride says she returned the dogs to Gaga at the LAPD Olympic Community station on February 26 ... 2 days after they were taken.

Here's the thing ... McBride was charged in connection to the theft with receiving stolen property and being an accessory to the crime after the fact.

As for her relation to the criminals, she was allegedly dating the father of one of the men responsible for assaulting Gaga's dog walker.

She later pled no contest to one count of receiving stolen property and got 2 years probation.

TMZ broke the story ... Gaga's dog walker, Ryan Fischer, was walking 3 of Gaga's pups in Los Angeles on February 24, 2021 when several men pulled up in a car, jumped out and stole the two dogs ... also shooting Fischer in the process.

Fischer was left on the sidewalk pleading for help when neighbors came to his aid, he survived his injuries.

James Howard Jackson, who cops say was the trigger man, pled no contest to a count of attempted murder and was sentenced to 21 years in prison.

Not only does McBride want the $500,000 ... she wants the court to triple the damages to $1.5 million for allegedly posting the misleading reward.

The retirement community where 85-year-old Gloria Serge was killed by an alligator had a reptile clear-out, TMZ has learned ... getting rid of any more potential threats to residents.

Judy Murray, the next-door neighbor of Gloria, tells TMZ ... the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was in her backyard Thursday, and told her they were removing all gators from the community's lakes.

She tells us there are about 5-6 lakes at the Spanish Lakes Fairways in Fort Pierce, but isn't sure what the department's doing with all the alligators after their removal.

Judy mentions she wasn't afraid of the reptiles, and still isn't ... adding they'd normally just lay on the bank. She tells us what happened with Gloria was horrible ... saying she might've been having a "senior moment," as she normally wouldn't walk her dog along the water.

FYI -- Judy says Gloria's family took the dog with them after her passing, and it's now living up north.