Giraffes and bees give this week's Dallas news an animal planet theme

Animal stories were a top topic in Dallas, from a tragedy at the Dallas Zoo to bees on rooftops. Traditional city news was quiet, but that'll be back on track once the Dallas City Council returns from its summer break. Here's what happened in Dallas this week:

Kipenzi RIP
Another animal died at the Dallas Zoo: Kipenzi, the baby giraffe who drew international attention after her live birth was broadcast on The Animal Planet in April. The giraffe ran into the perimeter wall of her enclosure and died on July 28 after breaking three vertebrae in her neck. The Dallas Zoo said the death was a "fluke," not a staff error. Both the USDA and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums will look into the giraffe's death. In 2014, a lion at the zoo escaped its enclosure and attacked a staffer who was sent to the hospital; the incident was attributed to a staffer's mistake.

Rooftop bees
​An Austin group named American Honey Bee Protection Agency was in Dallas this week installing colonies of bees on two rooftops: one on the roof of the Omni Hotel in Dallas, and the other on the roof of Central Market. The group's founder, Walter Schumacher, told NBC that the plan was to place potted plants and a rooftop garden to provide food for the restaurants and a place for the bees. The group formed eight years ago and is expanding into Dallas; it has five bee removal crews in Austin, two in San Antonio, two in Houston and two in South Texas near the Rio Grande Valley.

Ellis County arrest
On July 23, the SPCA of Texas seized 68 cruelly treated dogs, three cats and one bird from a property in Ellis County. Approximately 20 dogs were also found deceased at the Waxahachie house where Gayle Justice ran a boarding business. The SPCA of Texas Rescue and Investigations team concurred that it was in the animal's best interest to remove the animals, and the Ellis County Sheriff's Office arrested Justice on a Class A Misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.

Spraying again
The city continues its controversial practice of mosquito spraying, this time closer to the city center, in the 75204, 75212, 75215 and the 75248 zip codes of Dallas. The areas delineated below are scheduled for spraying on Sunday August 2 and Monday August 3, between 9 pm and 5 am each night.

• 3400 block of Hugo: City Place West on the north, Cedar Springs Road on the west, Lucille Street on the east and Ann Williams Street on the south
• 2900 block of MLK: Robert Cullum Blvd on the north, Logan Street on the west, Dallas Street on the east and Atlanta Street on the south.
• 3400 Pondrom Street: S Malcolm X Blvd on the north, Park Row Avenue on the west, Oakland Cemetery on the east and Colonial Avenue on the south.
• 3700 block of Bickers: Canada Drive on the north, Pluto Street on the west, Westmorland Road on the east and Singleton Road on the south
• 6600 block of Duffield: Shell Flower Lane on the north, Preston Road on the west, Hillcrest Road on the east and Brentfield Drive on the south.