discontent in China. In spite of this, Chinese netizens urged authorities to bring Yaya back home to avoid tripping over the same stone. Incidents On January 8, 2008, a stray dog entered the Memphis Zoo through a service door and leapt into the tiger exhibit before officials could apprehend it. Zoo staff distracted the tigers, allowing the dog to walk out of the exhibit and survive with several injuries. In May 2009, a zoo keeper was bitten by a Bengal tiger after failing to close two internal safety doors, allowing a tiger to enter an unsecured hallway. The tiger, named Kumari, was sedated and safely placed back in her exhibit. In 2019, a man entering the Memphis Zoo shot himself in the upper thigh with a handgun hidden in his pocket. This incident brought attention to the zoo's firearm policies and zoo officials stated that they would look into it. Other features Landscaping Landscaping plays a key role in each of the zoo's three zones, both within exhibits and along the interconnecting trails. Water features, such as ponds, waterfalls, fountains, and streams, are dominant elements of the overall design, in addition to artificial rock formations which blend into the containment walls of the animals' enclosures. Other key elements of the landscaping are a diverse mix of trees, shrubs, and seasonal herbaceous plants. Most of the larger trees are native species, which include sweetgum, sycamore, tulip poplar and a host of different oaks and hickories. Common shrubs include colorful native species, such as American beautyberry, oakleaf hydrangea, southern bayberry, and witch hazel, plus numerous exotic shrubs selected for their individual merits. Some exhibits feature plants that support the exhibit's theme, such as the Chinese fringetrees and Chinese snowball viburnums in the China Exhibit and several species of western conifers, maples, and birches in the Northwest Passage and Teton Trek Exhibits. Several gardens are maintained within the zoo, where the plants are the featured items. In addition, tropical plants are grown in several areas during summer months; species include banana plants, elephant ears, hibiscuses, and oleanders growing above a groundcover of coleus and ornamental sweet potato. Events The Memphis Zoo sponsors a wide variety of special events with the overall theme—Always Something To Do. These include: Horticultural Tours (periodic), Plant Sale (April), Zoo Boo with its Haunted Forest (October), Zoo Lights with over 1 million holiday lights, Santa, live reindeer, and magic