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CNN 5 Good Things
Saturdays are for sunshine — especially for your ears. With another election, ongoing wars and natural disasters, we know the news can be a lot to take in and we’re determined to share the bright side of humanity. Every Saturday, take a breather from the headlines and hear all the uplifting happenings across the world with 5 Good Things from CNN.
Move Over Moo Deng: Meet Scotland’s New Baby Hippo
CNN 5 Good Things
Nov 16, 2024
A legendary freedom fighter is honored for her military service 160 years later. We tell you why a 19-month-old bloodhound is the ultimate hero. A library book is finally returned over five decades late. A tall, stinky flower draws a huge crowd in Australia. Plus, the official Moo Deng anthem just dropped, just as another baby pygmy hippo makes her debut.
Episode Transcript
Krista Bo
00:00:00
Hey there. Here's your weekly dose of feel good stories. Hear how a library book that was checked out for decades made its way back to where it belongs. Plus, move over Moo Deng.
Jonny Appleyard
00:00:12
So she's two weeks old now, getting a little bit of an attitude. She's now following mom. So let's just say she when she wants to get somewhere, it's very hard to persuade her not to go there.
Krista Bo
00:00:20
Another super cute baby hippo's been born. From CNN, I'm Krista Bo and this is Five Good Things.
Krista Bo
00:00:29
'A scout, a spy, a nurse, a cook. All titles used to describe civil rights icon, Harriet Tubman. Well, now, over 110 years after her death, you can add one more -- One Star General.
Gov. Wes Moore
00:00:44
This is a person who is one of the greatest Marylanders we've ever known and someone who was willing to risk her own freedom, her own safety, her own life in order to to help others. I mean, that is that is patriotism. That's heroism. And so it's only appropriate that we now have a General Harriet Tubman.
Krista Bo
00:01:00
'On Monday for Veterans Day, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and the state's National Guard posthumously honored her with the prestigious title. From escaping slavery to becoming America's Moses through her work with the Underground Railroad, Tubman's story continues to inspire. She was the first African-American woman to serve in combat for the U.S. military, leading missions that freed over 700 slaves. Now, nearly 160 years after her military service, she's being recognized. At the ceremony, the commanding officer of the Maryland National Guard placed the symbolic rank around the neck of Tubman's great, great, great grand niece, Tina Wyatt.
Tina Wyatt
00:01:38
She came into the Civil War, into the bowels of slavery, after having freed herself to be able to free others and to be able to fight for the Union to attain democracy for all.
Krista Bo
00:01:57
Fun fact about me. My first pet was a German shepherd named Jager. He was training to be my uncle's police dog until he failed one of the final tests to be a canine officer. Jager was the best, but he didn't have as good of a nose as Bo the bloodhound does from North Carolina.
Sgt. David Rowland
00:02:18
I love Bo, just like he's one of my children. He is 100 pounds and he is a gigantic dog, but he's a gigantic goofball. But he's a good dog.
Krista Bo
00:02:27
'Sergeant David Rowland and his 19-month-old canine partner have been working together at the Gastonia Police Department since last April. And Bo's made such a big impact, he's been crowned as the dog hero of 2024 by American Humane. The national competition from the animal welfare organization recognizes exceptional canines from all over the country. This includes service and guide dogs, military dogs and dogs who work with law enforcement and first responders.
Sgt. David Rowland
00:02:55
I was in complete shock, did not think we were going to win. Truly just full of emotions, proud and just excited and just it really left me speechless.
Krista Bo
00:03:06
David said bo passed his canine certification course with flying colors in October of 2023, and his first assignments involved finding missing kids and adults and reuniting them with their families. Bo's affectionate personality shines through when he finds them.
Sgt. David Rowland
00:03:22
When we find missing persons, especially dementia patients and stuff like that, they're confused, they're scared, and Bo's there to comfort them. And he likes to give them kisses.
Krista Bo
00:03:31
He's also been able to track down robbery suspects, even in areas where there are all kinds of smells going on that could distract him from his target. David says he and Bo have a special bond and his fellow officers love having him around too.
Sgt. David Rowland
00:03:44
We see a lot of police officers. We don't really like to talk about it a lot. And Bo has basically been a therapy dog for our department.
Krista Bo
00:03:52
The four legged hero is not even two yet, but David said his future is bright as a canine.
Sgt. David Rowland
00:03:58
'His nose will fully mature until he's about three-years-old. So he's not even in his prime yet and he's done so much already. So I expect him to have a great career.
Krista Bo
00:04:12
A library book that was a way overdue was recently returned. We're talking over 18,000 days overdue. Jason Homer said In July of 1899, the early work of Aubrey Beardsley, who was an English illustrator and author, was added to the collection of the Worcester Public Library. He's the library's executive director.
Jason Homer
00:04:34
This book was checked out in May of 1973, and it was due on May 22nd of 1973. So it has been checked out for over 51 years. And so we assumed that book was never coming back. We assume it was lost to time and it was thrown away.
Krista Bo
00:04:52
'Well, turns out it was about to be, until a Bostonian noticed it in a dumpster and returned it to the Cambridge Public Library, thinking it might be theirs. They got in touch with Worcester and sent the book back with a handwritten note that read, returning it to its rightful home 51 years later. If the library still issued late fees, the book's borrower would have had to pay almost $2,000. They don't know who borrowed it because it was loaned pre-Internet. But it's amazing the book came back in good condition after all these years.
Jason Homer
00:05:22
Especially a book that speaks to the desire for and human nature to promote art and to share art. And so the book felt timely.
Krista Bo
00:05:33
Jason says it's a reminder of the importance of physical media in a digital world. And he couldn't help but think about the journey it must have had.
Jason Homer
00:05:41
This one book has lived a lifetime, 125 years since publication, and I can't help but think what cool things this book might have been witness to.
Krista Bo
00:05:55
I think we can all agree that stopping to smell the roses is a great idea. But what about a stinky corpse flower? That's exactly what thousands of people in the Australian city of Geelong did this week. They flocked to the city's Botanic Gardens to see and sniff the giant plant in rare bloom.
Visitor 1
00:06:12
I think I heard someone say it was a mix between vomit and maybe some dog feces.
Visitor 2
00:06:19
A little bit of a foot stench.
Visitor 3
00:06:22
Something you'd see on an alien movie maybe, but yeah, really good.
Krista Bo
00:06:26
So why would people go through that? You might ask? Well, a corpse flower bloom is pretty unpredictable. It might happen once every ten years or so, and last only about 24 to 48 hours. The stinky flower native to Indonesia is also quite the sight to behold. It can grow to be about eight feet tall. Only a few hundred of these endangered plants are estimated to be left in the wild. So botanic gardens worldwide grow them to support its conservation.
Krista Bo
00:06:57
The internet sensation from Thailand, Moo Deng has some competition after another super cute baby hippo was born. We'll tell you all about it after we take a quick break.
Krista Bo
00:07:07
'But before we go, we want to hear from you. Do you have any personal good news to share? Maybe you accomplished a big goal or you felt good about a random act of kindness. It doesn't matter if it's big or small. We want to hear about it. So give us a call. Tell us your name and the good news you're excited about. The number is (404) 981-2293. We'll be right back.
Krista Bo
00:07:34
You've probably heard about Moo Deng, the adorable pygmy hippo in Thailand with such a large following, she's even got an official song. It was released this week by the Thai music group GMM Music.
Krista Bo
00:07:51
Well, now there's a new baby pygmy hippo on the scene in Scotland, to be exact. And her name is Haggis.
Jonny Appleyard
00:07:59
The birth of haggis is great news. She's doing really well. So she's two weeks old now, weighing in at 10.4 kilos at the moment, which is just over 22 pounds.
Krista Bo
00:08:08
Jonny Appleyard is the hoof stock team leader at the Edinburgh Zoo who helps take care of little Miss Haggis, who's already got quite the personality.
Jonny Appleyard
00:08:16
Getting a little bit of an attitude. She's now following mum. Let's just say she when she wants to get somewhere, it's very hard to persuade her not to go there. It's all part of the wonderfulness of working with a pigmy hippo.
Krista Bo
00:08:26
Why the name Haggis?
Jonny Appleyard
00:08:28
I think it was chosen because of Moo Deng translates to bouncy pork. Thought it would be a nice connection to name it after a Scottish dish.
Krista Bo
00:08:37
Jonny said there are only about 2000 pygmy hippos left in the wild, which are native to West Africa.
Jonny Appleyard
00:08:43
The main threat that they face is habitat loss, and they are also one of the species that's hunted illegally as well for food. One of our aims is to promote the species that we've got, but also to kind of conserve and protect species that are endangered.
Krista Bo
00:08:58
Jonny said he expects Haggis' home will be fully open to the public in a week, give or take. So will Haggis come for Moo Deng's throne?
Jonny Appleyard
00:09:06
Once she gets a proper hippo big head, I think she'll probably give anybody a run for money.
Krista Bo
00:09:16
All right. That's all for now. Join us tomorrow for the next edition of One Thing. Host David Rind speaks to CNN's Rosa Flores about President elect Donald Trump's mass deportation plan of undocumented immigrants and how those that could be impacted are preparing.
Krista Bo
00:09:32
Five Good Things is a production of CNN Audio. This episode was produced by Eryn Mathewson and me, Krista Bo. Our senior producers are Felicia Patinkin and Faiz Jamil. Matt Dempsey is our production manager. Dan Dzula is our technical director, and Steve Lickteig is the executive producer of CNN Audio. We got support from Joey Salvia, Haley Thomas, Alex Manasseri, Robert Mathers, Jon Dianora, Leni Steinhardt, Jamus Andrest, Nichole Pesaru and Lisa Namerow. Special thanks to Katie Hinman and CNN affiliates WJLA and Nine News for the reporting and tape. And thank you for listening. Take care. Until next time.
