Phoenix judge spares life of dog that mauled child

Judge spares life of dog in mauling

A judge in Phoenix on Tuesday spared the life of a pit bull that mauled a 4-year-old boy last month and touched off a polarizing Internet debate on mercy, blame and animal violence. Municipal Court Judge Deborah Griffin ruled that the dog named Mickey must be neutered, defanged and microchipped. She also ruled the dog must remain in a facility for the rest of its life and can't be adopted. An animal rights group is the trustee and has 30 days to find a rehabilitation center or shelter for the dog. Griffin said several adults shared some responsibility for the attack.

Green Revolution father recognized

The father of the so-called Green Revolution has a permanent home in the U.S. Capitol. Lawmakers unveiled a statue of Norman Borlaug on Tuesday in a ceremony on what would have been his 100th birthday. The Iowa native and University of Minnesota graduate is credited with saving as many as 1 billion people from hunger by creating a type of wheat that was disease resistant and high-yielding. Borlaug died in 2009.

Fox identified as flamingo killer

The Frankfurt Zoo said Tuesday that it had identified the culprit in the death of 15 Chilean flamingos, some of which were beheaded as they slept. It said tests show the killer was a fox. Officials had feared humans were involved. The zoo plans to lock the birds up at night and set fox traps.

Associated Press