Daily Digest — Ottawa — 2026-02-14

Heartbreaking update — The Toronto Zoo says Kiko, a Masai giraffe, died earlier this year from cardiac failure linked to exertional myopathy after her head became trapped between a slide‑shift door and a vertical post; a full postmortem by the Ontario Veterinary College (University of Guelph) found no neck fractures and death was almost immediate. The zoo is reviewing staff training and habitat retrofits (especially hydraulic doors), has commissioned an independent human‑factors assessment and an AZA inspection, and continues to monitor Mstari, the pregnant female carrying Kiko’s calf.

A welcome break from the cold — Environment Canada says Toronto will see above‑seasonal temperatures over the Family Day long weekend: Saturday about 2°C, Sunday 4°C and Monday 5°C (the special weather statement has ended), with sunshine after a cold snap that brought wind chills down to −35°C and two major snowstorms in January–February. In other words, locals can expect milder, sunnier days — not patio weather yet, but a real relief after one of the longest cold snaps in more than a decade.

A clear heart‑health wake‑up call — The Heart and Stroke Foundation reports more than 8.2 million Canadian adults have been diagnosed with high blood pressure; 2025 guidelines now define hypertension as ≥130/80 mm Hg. Surgeons like Dr. Subodh Verma at St. Michael’s share striking cases — Katrina Sison, 38, had an almost 8‑cm ascending aortic aneurysm and needed urgent surgery, and Tom Scherbluk, 58, had a life‑threatening aortic dissection — to stress: know your risks, get checked, and act fast.