Tag: Wildlife health

San Diego Zoo mourns deaths of three beloved animals in less than a week

It has been a challenging time for the San Diego Zoo, where three beloved animals — a polar bear, giraffe and gorilla — died within days of each other.

The latest death occurred Monday, when Maka, a 30-year-old Western lowland gorilla, suffered a cardiac event, according to zoo officials.

His sudden death came four days after Kalluk, a 24-year-old male polar bear; and Nicky, a 28-year-old Masai giraffe, were euthanized on the same day to minimize suffering as they neared the end of their lives.

“That week was hard. We were like: ‘We just can’t catch a break right now,’” said Nicki Boyd, curator of mammals, ambassadors and applied behavior at the zoo.

The three animals were longtime residents of the zoo, capturing the eyes and hearts of visitors while helping promote conservation efforts for their species.

Kalluk, a 24-year-old polar bear at the San Diego Zoo, was euthanized on Aug. 14.

(Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)

The woeful week began on Aug. 14, when a wildlife health and care team conducted a medical examination of Kalluk. They had noticed a change in his behavior for the past few weeks.

“Getting the call that he was in kidney failure was just a gut punch,” Boyd said.

Kalluk arrived at the San Diego Zoo as a cub in 2001 after being orphaned along with his sister, Tatqiq. Zoo officials said he was inquisitive, gentle and smart.

“His presence in Polar Bear Plunge helped foster bonds with his sister and Chinook, another orphaned female polar bear,” zoo officials said in a statement. “Through caring for Kalluk, the zoo has supported a large number of polar bear conservation projects over the years that aid in the protection of polar bears around the world.”

Kalluk had exceeded the typical lifespan of a male polar bear in the wild, which is about 18 years, according to zoo officials.

The same day Kalluk’s life was coming to an end, so was Nicky’s.

Nicky was not only the matriarch of her herd, but was believed to be the oldest giraffe in North America, according to zoo officials.

She helped show other first-time mothers how to care for their calves. Her son was also the bull of the herd.

At 28 years old, Nicky was believed to be the oldest Masai giraffe in North America, and was the matriarch of her herd at the San Diego Zoo.

(Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)

“She just had a grandson born and to see her go up to that new mom and that new giraffe calf and nuzzle that baby, she’s always been a great leader in that giraffe herd,” Boyd said. “ She’s always been a fan favorite from guests to the employees.”

The wildlife care team was able to have quality time with Nicky, spoiling her with leaves from her favorite tree and allowing former staffers to visit and say goodbye.

“That’s what makes us feel better that her last day is not her worst day,” Boyd said.

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance staff members were still grieving when they were further rocked by Maka’s death this week.

Maka was born at the zoo and became leader of the zoo’s bachelor troop, officials said in a statement.

“He was the oldest, most experienced member and patiently guided his younger brothers, Ekuba and Denny,” the statement read.

Zoo officials said that Maka was 5 when he was diagnosed with chromosomal abnormalities and had been receiving treatment throughout his life.

“Recently, he began experiencing brief seizures, prompting our team to monitor his wellness closely and schedule ongoing comprehensive evaluations,” zoo officials said on a recent Instagram post about his death. They said he experienced a cardiac event during this week’s exam.

“Despite the heroic and sustained efforts of our wildlife health and care teams, we lost our gentle giant,” zoo officials wrote on the social media post.

Boyd, who has been working at the zoo for more than 30 years, said it was the first time three animals had been lost in such a short period.

She said the zoo is home to more than 12,000 animals, each with its own lifespan.

While death is inevitable, it’s always difficult for the wildlife health and care teams who spend years forming bonds with the animals.

Boyd said there’s some comfort in knowing the animals lived long good lives, which spoke to the attention and care they received from the staff.

Maka, who was born at the San Diego Zoo and became the leader of the zoo’s bachelor troop, died on Aug. 18.

(San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance)

“But you know, finality and letting go is always hard,” she said.

As a way to help with the grieving process, Boyd said they’ve made stickers of Nicky and Kalluk and plan to make some of Maka that will get distributed to staff.

Zoo officials have notified the public about the losses on their Instagram. Hundreds of people as well as other zoos across the country, have responded with empathy, expressing their love and support.

Boyd said the responses have helped her and the staff with their own healing processes.

“I’m so sorry! You guys have had to deal with so much loss these past two weeks, I’m so sorry! My heart goes out to you and all of the staff and volunteers,” one user commented on Instagram.

“Sending you and your teams our thoughts during this time! Be proud of the powerful conservation work you continue doing each and every day,” wrote the account for the Toronto Zoo.

Ruben Vives

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August 23, 2025
Tagovailoa, Zaporizhzhia make list of most mangled words

BOSTON — “Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa explained the significance of the Chicxulub impact crater to actor Domhnall Gleeson over a drink of negroni sbagliato in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia,” is the kind of sentence that just might tie your tongue up in knots.

It contains five examples from this year’s list of the most mispronounced words released Wednesday by The Captioning Group, which since 1991 has captioned and subtitled real-time events on television in the U.S. and Canada.

The Captioning Group has compiled the list since 2016 by surveying the words and names most often mangled on live television by newsreaders, politicians, public figures and others. It is commissioned by Babbel, the online language learning company based in New York and Berlin.

Yes, the list is a little humorous, but it’s also educational and highlights how some of the biggest international news events of the year have entered the North American consciousness, said Esteban Touma, a senior content producer and language teacher at Babbel.

“It really shows the ways we interact with other languages and really gives a good grasp of what’s going on in the world and how we connect with people abroad,” he said.

Don’t be intimidated by tough-to-pronounce words, he said. It is an opportunity to learn. After all, even professionals sometimes have problems.

“People want to get the right pronunciation but it’s hard to do so,” he said.

Just ask Joe Biden.

New British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was infamously referred to as “Rasheed Sanook” by the U.S. president, but he wasn’t the only one to stumble over the name, which should be pronounced REE-shee SOO-nahk.

Then there’s Grammy-winning singer Adele, who informed the world in October that her fans have for years been mispronouncing her name. It’s not “ah-DELL” but “uh-DALE.”

The other words on the list, with phonetic pronunciations provided by Babbel, were:

— Chicxulub (CHICK-choo-loob) — The crater in the Gulf of Mexico caused by the asteroid that scientists say likely caused the extinction of the dinosaurs was in the news recently.

— Domhnall Gleeson (DOH-null GLEE-sun) — The Irish actor called out talk show host Stephen Colbert for mispronouncing his first name.

— Edinburgh (ed-in-BRUH) — American news anchors faced criticism for mispronouncing the Scottish capital during coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s memorial in September.

— Negroni sbagliato (ne-GRO-nee spah-lee-AH-toh) — The alcoholic beverage was introduced to the world by actor Emma D’Arcy, whose social media mention of the drink received more than 14 million views.

— Novak Djokovic (NO-vak JO-kuh-vich) — The Serbian tennis star was in the news in January when he was barred from competing in the Australian Open and deported for failing to comply with the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination rules.

— Ohtani rule (oh-TAHN-ee) — Major League Baseball’s rule named after 2021 AL MVP Shohei Ohtani allows a starting pitcher to remain in a game as the designated hitter even after leaving the mound.

— Tuanigamanuolepola (Tua) Tagovailoa (TOO-uh-ning-uh-mah-noo-oh-LEH-po-luh TUNG-o-vai-LOH-uh) — The Miami Dolphins quarterback became the center of discussion about NFL concussion protocols after suffering injuries in consecutive games.

— Zaporizhzhia (zah-POH-reezha) — The Ukrainian city is the location of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which was shut down in September as the nation’s war with Russia raged in the area.

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December 6, 2022
Bird flu prompts slaughter of 1.8M chickens in Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska agriculture officials say another 1.8 million chickens must be killed after bird flu was found on a farm in the latest sign that the outbreak that has already prompted the slaughter of more than 50 million birds nationwide continues to spread.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture said Saturday that the state’s 13th case of bird flu was found on an egg-laying farm in northeast Nebraska’s Dixon County, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of Omaha, Nebraska..

Just like on other farms where bird flu has been found this year, all the chickens on the Nebraska farm will be killed to limit the spread of the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says more than 52.3 million birds in 46 states — mostly chickens and turkeys on commercial farms — have been slaughtered as part of this year’s outbreak.

Nebraska is second only to Iowa’s 15.5 million birds killed with 6.8 million birds now affected at 13 farms.

In most past bird flu outbreaks the virus largely died off during the summer, but this year’s version found a way to linger and started to make a resurgence this fall with more than 6 million birds killed in September.

The virus is primarily spread by wild birds as they migrate across the country. Wild birds can often carry the disease without showing symptoms. The virus spreads through droppings or the nasal discharge of an infected bird, which can contaminate dust and soil.

Commercial farms have taken a number of steps to prevent the virus from infecting their flocks, including requiring workers to change clothes before entering barns and sanitizing trucks as they enter the farm, but the disease can be difficult to control. Zoos have also taken precautions and closed some exhibits to protect their birds.

Officials say there is little risk to human health from the virus because human cases are extremely rare and the infected birds aren’t allowed to enter the nation’s food supply. Plus, any viruses will be killed by properly cooking poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

But the bird flu outbreak has contributed to the rising prices of chicken and turkey along with the soaring cost of feed and fuel.

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November 27, 2022
Bird flu prompts slaughter of 1.8M chickens in Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. — Nebraska agriculture officials say another 1.8 million chickens must be killed after bird flu was found on a farm in the latest sign that the outbreak that has already prompted the slaughter of more than 50 million birds nationwide continues to spread.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture said Saturday that the state’s 13th case of bird flu was found on an egg-laying farm in northeast Nebraska’s Dixon County, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of Omaha, Nebraska..

Just like on other farms where bird flu has been found this year, all the chickens on the Nebraska farm will be killed to limit the spread of the disease. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says more than 52.3 million birds in 46 states — mostly chickens and turkeys on commercial farms — have been slaughtered as part of this year’s outbreak.

Nebraska is second only to Iowa’s 15.5 million birds killed with 6.8 million birds now affected at 13 farms.

In most past bird flu outbreaks the virus largely died off during the summer, but this year’s version found a way to linger and started to make a resurgence this fall with more than 6 million birds killed in September.

The virus is primarily spread by wild birds as they migrate across the country. Wild birds can often carry the disease without showing symptoms. The virus spreads through droppings or the nasal discharge of an infected bird, which can contaminate dust and soil.

Commercial farms have taken a number of steps to prevent the virus from infecting their flocks, including requiring workers to change clothes before entering barns and sanitizing trucks as they enter the farm, but the disease can be difficult to control. Zoos have also taken precautions and closed some exhibits to protect their birds.

Officials say there is little risk to human health from the virus because human cases are extremely rare and the infected birds aren’t allowed to enter the nation’s food supply. Plus, any viruses will be killed by properly cooking poultry to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

But the bird flu outbreak has contributed to the rising prices of chicken and turkey along with the soaring cost of feed and fuel.

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November 27, 2022
Symbol of reunion with China, panda Tuan Tuan dies in Taipei

Tuan Tuan, one of two giant pandas gifted to Taiwan from China as a symbol of hoped-for reunion between the sides, has died

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Tuan Tuan, one of two giant pandas gifted to Taiwan from China, died Saturday after a brief illness, the Taipei Zoo said.

No cause of death was immediately given, but earlier reports said the panda was believed to have a malignant brain tumor, prompting China to send a pair of experts to Taiwan earlier this month to help with his treatment.

Tuan Tuan did not respond and after a series of seizures Saturday was placed in an induced coma, according to Taiwanese news reports.

Tuan Tuan and his mate, Yuan Yuan, were gifted to the zoo in 2008 during a time of warming relations between China and Taiwan, which split amid civil war in 1949. Both were born in China in 2004 and succeeded in having a pair of cubs in Taiwan.

The average life span for pandas in the wild is 15-20 years, while they can live for 30 years or more under human care.

Ties between Beijing and Taipei have declined sharply in the year’s since the pair’s arrival, with China cutting off contacts in 2016 following the election of independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen, who was reelected in 2020.

China sends pandas abroad as a sign of goodwill but maintains ownership over the animals and any cubs they produce. An unofficial national mascot, the animals are native to southwestern China, reproduce rarely and rely almost exclusively on a diet of bamboo.

An estimated 1,800 pandas live in the wild, while another 500 are in zoos or reserves, mostly in Sichuan, where they are a protected species but remain under threat from habitat loss.

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November 19, 2022
Bird flu infects Iowa egg farm with 1 million chickens

FILE – Chickens walk in a fenced pasture at an organic farm in Iowa on Oct. 21, 2015. Iowa agriculture officials said Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, that another commercial egg farm in the state has been infected with bird flu, the first commercial farm case identified since April when a turkey farm was infected. The latest case is in Wright County in north central Iowa, housing about 1.1 million chickens. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

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October 31, 2022
Bird flu case prompts Omaha zoo to close several exhibits

OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium has closed several exhibits and taken other precautions after one of its pelicans died from the bird flu.

The zoo said one of its pink-backed pelicans that died on Thursday tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza. A second pelican became ill Friday and was euthanized.

As a precaution, the zoo has closed its Lied Jungle, Desert Dome and Simmons Aviary exhibits to the public for at least 10 days.

The Omaha zoo was one of many across the country that closed down its aviaries and moved birds inside whenever possible to help protect them from avian influenza that is primarily spread by the droppings of wild birds.

The zoo reopened its aviary in June after bird flu cases waned, but some cases continued to be reported across the country throughout the summer, and the outbreak has started to make a resurgence this fall.

More than 47 million chickens and turkeys have been slaughtered in 42 states to limit the spread of bird flu during this year’s outbreak. Officials order entire flocks to be killed when the virus is found on farms. More than 6 million chickens and turkeys were slaughtered last month to limit the spread of the disease.

The Omaha zoo also took precautions to protect its birds by limiting staff access to them and requiring workers to clean their shoes before entering areas where the birds are kept.

The zoo said its pelicans live outside, so they do come into contact with wild birds. But the pelicans don’t come into contact with other zoo birds and no other birds in the zoo’s collection have shown symptoms of bird flu.

“It is very important that Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium immediately tighten our protocols to protect our birds and guard against any potential spread of avian influenza,” Sarah Woodhouse, the zoo’s director of animal health, said in a statement. “This is important both to prevent infection of other zoo birds, and to prevent the virus from being dispersed off zoo grounds.”

Unlike on farms, zoos are generally allowed to isolate and treat an infected bird as long as they take precautions to protect the other birds in their collections.

Health officials emphasize that bird flu doesn’t jeopardize food safety because infected birds aren’t allowed into the food supply and properly cooking meat and eggs to 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill any viruses.

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October 16, 2022
NFL’s concussion protocol modified after Tagovailoa review

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to modify the league’s concussion protocol following a joint investigation into the league’s procedures after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered an injury against the Buffalo Bills last month.

The league and players’ union said in a joint statement Saturday that the Dolphins followed the league’s protocol after the injury, but the outcome of the Tagovailoa case “was not what was intended when the Protocol was drafted.” As a result, language addressing abnormality of balance/stability was added to the league’s protocol list of symptoms that would keep a player from returning to action.

In the first half of the Sept. 25 game against Buffalo, Tagovailoa took a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano, which caused him to slam to the ground. He appeared disoriented afterward and stumbled as he tried to get to his feet.

Tagovailoa was immediately taken to the locker room and taken through the NFL’s concussion protocol, after which he was cleared of any head injury. He started the third quarter, drawing criticism from viewers about why he was allowed to return to the game.

The NFL and NFLPA said they reviewed video and jointly interviewed members of the Dolphins’ medical staff, the head athletic trainer, the Booth ATC Spotter, the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant and Tagovailoa.

They found that Tagovailoa did not show any signs or symptoms of a concussion during his locker room exam, during the rest of the game, or throughout the following week. But immediately after he took the hit from Milano, gross motor instability was present.

After the game, Tagovailoa and Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said the quarterback had suffered a back injury earlier in the game on a quarterback sneak.

The review said Tagovailoa told the medical staff that he aggravated his back injury on the play in question and that his back injury caused him to stumble. It also said the medical staff determined that the gross motor instability was not due to a concussion.

In their statement Saturday, the NFL and players’ union said there was not examination of the QB’s back during the concussion examination, but that they “instead relied on the earlier examination conducted by other members of the medical staff.” The conclusion then was that the back injury was the cause of Tagovailoa’s instability.

As a result of the joint investigation, the league and union agreed to change the league’s concussion protocol to include the term “ataxia.” In the statement, they defined ataxia as “abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination or dysfunctional speech caused by a neurological issue.”

Ataxia replaced the term “gross motor instability” and has been added to the list of symptoms that would prohibit a player from returning to the game. The others are confusion, amnesia and loss of consciousness.

“The Protocol exists to establish a high standard of concussion care for each player,” the league and union’s statement said, “whereby every medical professional engages in a meaningful and rigorous examination of the player-patent. To that end, the parties remain committed to continuing to evaluate our Protocol to ensure it reflects the intended conservative approach to evaluating player-patients for potential head injuries.”

On Oct. 1, the union fired the Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant who handled Tagovailoa’s situation during the game.

Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president overseeing health and safety, said in a virtual news conference Saturday that he believes this is the first time a UNC has been fired, and that the NFL did not support the decision to fire him.

Less than a week after the injury, Tagovailoa started against the Cincinnati Bengals in a Thursday night game. He suffered a concussion in the first half after taking a hard sack, and displayed the fencing response after the scary hit. He was stretchered off the field and immediately taken to the hospital. He remains in the concussion protocol and will miss Sunday’s game against the Jets.

Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer, said that under the league’s amended protocol, Tagovailoa would have been diagnosed with a concussion on Sept. 25 under the ataxia term, thus making him ineligible to come back into that game.

Sills said there’s no exact timetable for return for a player diagnosed with a concussion, but it would be “extremely unlikely” for a player diagnosed with ataxia to be able to play on Thursday night. The median time out with a concussion is nine days, he added.

Sills also alluded to how difficult it is to definitively diagnose concussions. He mentioned that blood and saliva tests could help make concussion examinations more accurate.

Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a fan forum in London Saturday that the NFL will make a “change or two” to its concussion protocol.

McDaniel, asked repeatedly in the days following the incident about the decision to allow Tagovailoa to return, emphasized his confidence in the team’s handling of the situation.

“This is a player-friendly organization that I make it very clear from the onset,” McDaniel said last week, “that my job as a coach is here for the players. I take that very serious, and no one else in the building strays from that.”

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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP—NFL

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October 8, 2022
Goodell: NFL to make ‘change or two’ to concussion protocol

LONDON — The NFL is prepared “to make a change or two” to its concussion protocol, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at a fan forum in London on Saturday as the league faces questions about how the Miami Dolphins handled quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s recent injuries.

Responding to a fan’s question about concussions and “recent incidents,” Goodell outlined the league’s “intensive focus” on the issue over the past 15 years and said its medical protocols have served as templates for other sports.

“Our job really is to continue to modify those as medical experts or other experiences tell you this is something you can do differently,’” he said.

The commissioner took questions only from fans in London ahead of Sunday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He wasn’t made available to the media Saturday. The league did not elaborate on what the potential protocol changes are or when they could come into effect.

Earlier this week, the NFL Players Association fired the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who evaluated Tagovailoa after he stumbled off the field against Buffalo on Sept. 25 following a hit. The quarterback was evaluated for a concussion, but he quickly returned to the game and the Dolphins said a back injury had caused his wobbly gait.

The quarterback subsequently suffered a concussion four days later at Cincinnati and is out indefinitely.

Goodell, without citing Tagovailoa by name, said there’s “more chatter now” about concussions.

“We understand some of that chatter, but the reality is the protocols are really important. We follow that strictly. We see no indication that that didn’t happen in this case. There’s an ongoing investigation, ” he said. “We’re really focused on doing that. But we’re also prepared to make a change or two in the protocols because we think we can actually add another element that would make it even safer.”

On Friday, the NFL Players Association urged the league to implement changes in time to protect players in this weekend’s games. In its own statement, the NFL said it was working on updates to the protocol but did not commit to implementing them before Sunday’s games.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate’ was also injured last Sunday when he collided with a teammate near the end of the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs and was initially allowed to re-enter the game. He then sat out the second half with a concussion.

NFL players “are getting the most extraordinary care and better than they ever have in the history of the NFL, but they deserve that, and that’s our obligation, and that’s what we need to do,” Goodell said.

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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP—NFL

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October 8, 2022
Dolphins’ Tagovailoa has concussion, no timetable for return

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Friday there is no timetable for the return of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a concussion when he hit his head against the turf a day earlier against the Cincinnati Bengals.

McDaniel also defended the team’s handling of Tagovailoa’s injury last Sunday in a win over the Buffalo Bills, when the QB took a hit from linebacker Matt Milano late in the first half and appeared to hit his head on the turf. Tagovailoa stumbled when he got up and was taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion, then returned to the game at the start of the third quarter.

McDaniel reiterated Friday that Tagovailoa was cleared by several layers of medical professionals during last Sunday’s game and said the QB did not have a head injury.

“My job as a coach is here for the players. I take that very serious,” the first-year coach said. “And no one else in the building strays from that.”

Many observers questioned why Tagovailoa was allowed to return to the field against the Bills. He was not in the concussion protocol leading up to Thursday’s game.

“There was no medical indication from all resources that there was anything regarding the head,” McDaniel said Friday. “If there would have been, of course, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I prematurely put someone out there.”

Tagovailoa had an MRI on Friday in addition to the X-rays and CT scans that were taken the night before at a hospital in Cincinnati. He had a headache Thursday night and Friday morning, McDaniel said.

“I’m not even really thinking about timetables or anything regarding him as a player right now,” McDaniel said. “It’s all about Tua the person.”

Tagovailoa was sacked by Bengals defensive tackle Josh Topou late in the first half of Thursday night’s loss to the Bengals. On the play, he spun awkwardly and was thrown to the turf. While on the ground, Tagovailoa appeared to display the fencing response, with his fingers frozen in front of his face.

He remained down for more than seven minutes before being loaded onto a backboard and stretchered off the field.

The Dolphins later said he was conscious and had movement in all of his extremities. He was discharged from the hospital Thursday night and flew back to Miami with the team.

McDaniel said Tagovailoa was interacting with teammates on the flight home. He sat next to McDaniel and talked to him about the game.

“His personality was normal Tua,” McDaniel said.

Before the injury, Tagovailoa was having a breakout season, highlighted by throwing a career-high six touchdown passes in a Week 2 win over Baltimore.

Now the former Alabama star faces another obstacle in what has been an up-and-down career.

The Dolphins, amid a rebuild in 2020, drafted Tagovailoa No. 1 overall to be a franchise-altering player following a college career that included a 2018 national championship.

But when that didn’t happen as quickly as Miami anticipated, questions arose about whether to stick with the young quarterback or go in another direction.

Tagovailoa seemed to be answering those questions through the first three weeks of the season, efficiently utilizing the weapons that Miami surrounded him with during the offseason, including star receiver Tyreek Hill, to lead the Dolphins to a 3-0 record heading into Thursday’s game.

Including his 110 passing yards before leaving Thursday’s game, Tagovailoa is second in the league in passing yards (1,035) and he has thrown 10 touchdowns with three interceptions.

Tagovailoa has dealt with several injuries, including a dislocated right hip in 2019 at Alabama.

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October 1, 2022