The five spot: 5 animal tales

Five animal stories that touched Tacoma recently:

1. New litter of clouded leopard cubs born at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. You might think they'd make cute house pets, but wait til they discover the drapes. (See also: Ivan. No. 3, below.)

2. Two Tacoma pit bulls rescued from trash bag as pups celebrate first birthday with a party. They also sign deal with HarperCollins to publish their memoirs.

3. Home movies of Ivan the Gorilla growing up in a Tacoma home are restored. They contain most sought-after images from the 1960s since the Zapruder film.

4. Ringling Brothers elephants perform last shows. Sad circus clowns hope activists will rally to liberate them next.

5. Jaya the tiger dies at Point Defiance. So does Kaladi the sea otter. A good teaching moment for the children. It's the circle of life, kiddos. Hakuna matata.

This story was originally published May 8, 2016 at 2:38 PM with the headline "The five spot: 5 animal tales."