{"id":2505128,"date":"2025-10-31T07:26:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T11:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukrainian-train-stabbing-victim-iryna-zarutska-honored-with-new-species-named-after-her\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T07:28:22","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T11:28:22","slug":"ukrainian-train-stabbing-victim-iryna-zarutska-honored-with-new-species-named-after-her","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukrainian-train-stabbing-victim-iryna-zarutska-honored-with-new-species-named-after-her\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukrainian Train Stabbing Victim Iryna Zarutska Honored with New Species Named After Her"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fukrainian-train-stabbing-victim-iryna-zarutska-honored-with-new-species-named-after-her%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2505128&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/suspect-in-fatal-subway-stabbing-jailed-on-2-million-bail\/\" title=\"Suspect in deadly subway stabbing held on M bail.\">tragic stabbing<\/a> and death of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in North Carolina deeply affected many people. In response, Harry Pavulaan, president and director of the International Lepidoptera Survey, honored her memory by naming a newly identified butterfly species &#8220;Iryna&#8217;s Azure&#8221; (taxonomically Celastrina iryna) after her. This butterfly, first spotted in 1985 and studied over several years, is known for its light blue wings with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/butterfly-species-named-after-north-carolina-stabbing-victim-iryna-zarutska\/\" title=\"... named after North Carolina stabbing victim ...\">violet-blue tint<\/a> and can be found in the spring in South Carolina. Pavulaan was moved to dedicate the butterfly to Iryna after witnessing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-year-old-girl-pepper-sprayed-during-interaction-with-rochester-police\/\" title=\"9-Year-Old Girl Pepper Sprayed During Interaction With Rochester Police\">disturbing footage<\/a> of her death, hoping the living tribute will immortalize her name and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/6-arrested-and-charged-for-changing-iconic-l-a-sign-to-read-hollyboob\/\" title=\"6 Arrested And Charged For Changing Iconic L.A. Sign To Read \u2018HOLLYBOOB\u2019\">raise awareness<\/a> about situational safety, especially for young women.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The violent train car stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee living in North Carolina, stirred the heart of millions last month.<\/p>\n<p>As the nation reckoned with the runaway urban crime and broken justice system that enabled her alleged murderer, one scientist took an unusual step to honor her and provide a way to remember the beauty she brought into the world.<\/p>\n<p>Harry Pavulaan, the president and director of the International Lepidoptera Survey, named a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/teen-dies-agony-bizarre-interaction-butterfly-social-media-challenge-potentially-blame\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">butterfly<\/a> species after Zarutska.<\/p>\n<p>The insect will be called &ldquo;Iryna&rsquo;s Azure,&rdquo; according to an Oct. 24 <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/amp\/US\/charlotte-light-rail-stabbing-victim-immortalized-butterfly-species\/story?id=126833848\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from ABC News.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This will outlast most other tributes because it&rsquo;s a living organism. Her name will be immortalized as a butterfly,&rdquo; Pavulaan said.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> console.log(\"A\/B Test Video Player\"); \/\/ Helper function to set a cookie function setVideoCookie(name, value, days) {     var expires=\"\";     if (days) {         var date=new Date();         date.setTime(date.getTime() + (days*24*60*60*1000));         expires=\"; expires=\" + date.toUTCString();     }     document.cookie=name + \"=\" + (value || \"\")  + expires + \"; path=\/\"; }  \/\/ Helper function to get a cookie function getVideoCookie(name) {     var nameEQ=name + \"=\";     var ca=document.cookie.split(';');     for(var i=0; i <ca.length; i++) {         var c=ca[i];         while (c.charAt(0)==' ') c=c.substring(1,c.length);         if (c.indexOf(nameEQ)==0) return c.substring(nameEQ.length,c.length);     }     return null; }  \/\/ Function to determine or retrieve the split test group function assignSplitTestGroup() {     var group=getVideoCookie('splitTestGroup');     if (group===null) {         var rand=Math.random(); 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            if (!container) return;              const script=document.createElement(\"script\");             script.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\";             script.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\");             script.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");              \/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot             container.appendChild(script);         }         function findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) {             const targetElement=document.querySelector(selector);             if (!targetElement) {                 console.warn(\"Target element not found.\");                 return null;             }              \/\/ Get all \n\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document             let paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));              \/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element             let targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING); 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        observeElement(paragraphToObserve);     }); }  \/\/ stn function stnPlayer() {     \/\/ may want to pass in         document.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() {         function loadScript(src) {             const script=document.createElement(\"script\");             script.src=src;             script.async=true;             document.body.appendChild(script);         }         function findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) {             const targetElement=document.querySelector(selector);             if (!targetElement) {                 console.warn(\"Target element not found.\");                 return null;             }              \/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document             let paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));              \/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element             let targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);              if (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) {                 console.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\");                 return null;             }              return paragraphs[targetIndex - x];         }          \/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver         function observeElement(element) {             if (!element) return;              const observer=new IntersectionObserver(                 (entries)=> {                     entries.forEach(entry=> {                         if (entry.isIntersecting) {                             console.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim());                             loadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\");                             observer.disconnect();                         }                     });                 },                 { threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed             );              observer.observe(element);         }          \/\/ Add custom styles for STN player         const style=document.createElement('style');         style.textContent=`         #videoPlayer {             min-height: 460px;             margin-bottom: 10px;         }         @media only screen and (max-width: 780px) {             #videoPlayer {                 min-height: 200px;             }         }         `;         document.head.appendChild(style);          \/\/ Add needed div for STN player         const stnDiv=document.createElement(\"div\");         \/\/ add data-stn-player attribute         stnDiv.setAttribute(\"data-stn-player\", \"s28Az7AY\");         document.getElementById(\"videoPlayer\").appendChild(stnDiv);           \/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #videoPlayer and observe it         let paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#videoPlayer\", 2);         observeElement(paragraphToObserve);     }); }  \/\/ Assign user to a group window.adUserGroup=assignSplitTestGroup(); let isSubbed=getCookie( 'ff_subbed' );  \/\/ Example usage if (isSubbed) {     console.log('User is subscribed, not running a player'); } else if (window.adUserGroup==='A') {     console.log('Running Aditude player for group A');     aditudePlayer(); } else if (window.adUserGroup==='B') {     console.log('Running Anyclip player for group B');     anyclipPlayer(); } else {     console.log('Running STN player for group C');     stnPlayer(); } <\/script> <\/p>\n<p>ABC News noted that the butterfly can be spotted in the springtime in South Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>It has light blue dorsal wings and can also have a &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >distinct violet-blue tint<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Iryna&rsquo;s Azure&rdquo; was first spotted in 1985 by researcher Ronald Gatrelle, but it was Pavulaan who took samples of the insect in 2018.<\/p>\n<p>ABC News reported that Pavulaan had already picked a name for the butterfly, but changed course when he saw footage of Zarutska&rsquo;s death on the Charlotte light rail, allegedly at the hands of career criminal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/federal-grand-jury-indicts-man-suspected-murdering-iryna-zaruska-death-penalty-tablefederal-grand-jury-indicts-man-suspected-murdering-iryna-zarutska-death-penalty-table\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Decarlos Brown Jr<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When I saw the story break,&rdquo; Pavulaan said, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m 70 years old and I&rsquo;m still driven to tears.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The butterfly will receive the taxonomic name &ldquo;Celastrina iryna,&rdquo; according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/azure-butterfly-species-named-charlotte-stabbing-iryna-zarutska-tribute-10940888\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> from Newsweek.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Celastrina iryna was under study for several years now,&rdquo; Pavulaan said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But when I saw the horrific video of Iryna being stabbed and then people ignoring her as she lay dying, that hit a nerve with me,&rdquo; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was the most disturbing thing I ever saw and it now haunts me daily. It&rsquo;s something you cannot unsee.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Pavulaan remarked that he &ldquo;decided that she should be honored with a timeless tribute so that she is never, ever <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/heartless-dem-gov-refusing-sign-irynas-law-cracks-repeat-criminals-protects-women-like-iryna-zarutska\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">forgotten<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;People will know this butterfly hundreds of years from now, by Iryna&rsquo;s name,&rdquo; the researcher said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;But most importantly, I hope people will remember Iryna as a case study of situational awareness for young women. That is why it is important to honor her,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The brutal stabbing death of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a train in North Carolina deeply moved millions last month. While the country confronted rising urban crime and a failing justice system that allowed her alleged killer to act, one scientist chose a unique way to pay tribute to her and preserve her memory. Harry Pavulaan, president and director of the International Lepidoptera Survey, named a newly identified butterfly species after Zarutska. The butterfly, called &#8220;Iryna&#8217;s Azure,&#8221; was reported by ABC News on October 24. Pavulaan explained that this living tribute will endure far longer than most others, immortalizing her name through the butterfly<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2505129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Michael-Featured-Image-250.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[62829,66230,66229],"class_list":["post-2505128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-iryna-zarutska","tag-new-species-named","tag-ukrainian-train-stabbing"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Michael-Featured-Image-250.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2505128"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2505132,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505128\/revisions\/2505132"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2505129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2505128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2505128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2505128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}