Zoos
Clouded Leopard Dies at National Zoo Research Facility
A 14-year-old male clouded leopard was found dead on Sunday morning, June 4, in its outdoor enclosure at the National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center (CRC) in Front Royal, Va. The animal was found entangled by its shoulders in a rope hammock, which the clouded leopards use as a perch.
Clouded leopards are mostly arboreal, and these hammocks have been used without incident in the outdoor enclosures for the past decade. A final pathology report may provide information on a cause of death or evidence of what may have precipitated the animal’s entanglement.
There is little known about clouded leopards, which are native to parts of Asia. They are excellent tree climbers and can hang upside down on tree branches. They have short legs, large paws and a long tail, which helps them balance while climbing. They have very long, sharp canine teeth, which are the longest of any cat in proportion to the body.
http://wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=49976
The big bear twins are heading to Pittsburgh Zoo from Denver
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
DENVER -- It is mid-week, mid-morning, and Koda and Nuka, twin 500-pound polar bears, are playfully bobbing around in a pond at the Denver Zoo's Northern Shores exhibit area, making the pond look small and attracting a large, cute-cooing crowd of preschoolers, parents and grandparents.
Nuka will likely be the star attraction at Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's new Water's Edge exhibit along with his twin, Koda. The 500-pound polar bear brothers are moving here this month from the Denver Zoo.
The bear brothers, just 11/2 years old, bat around a Pilates-sized rubber ball with their paddle-like paws for a while, dive underwater repeatedly, and push and wrestle like two sumo wrestlers. After the roughhousing, Koda -- or is it Nuka? -- gracefully rolls up onto and completely covers a Volkswagen-sized rock in the middle of the pond where he settles in for some sunning under a too-blue Colorado sky.
Nuka -- or Koda? -- takes the opportunity to swim over to an underwater window at the side of the pool where he blows bubbles and gnaws on a round rubber flotation ring the size of a small tractor tire, putting on a show for the three-deep crowd of kids jockeying for viewing space. Before long he is nosing the glass and licking at the small hands spread-palmed on the other side.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06158/696103-113.stm
Phoenix Zoo hoping to raise 70 (m) million for new facility
PHOENIX The Phoenix Zoo needs some sprucing up.
Officials hope to raise 70 (m) million to tear down the zoo and build a new one in its place.
Not only do officials want to design better, more interactive exhibits, they also want to condense them so they're more accessible.
Currently, visitors need to walk two and a-half miles to see the major exhibits. The new zoo will cut that walk to about a mile.
Zoo officials hope to replace aging infrastructure and create oasislike exhibits.
The zoo director says he intends to raise 20 (m) million in the next five years and 50 (m) million in the next ten years.
About one-point-three (m) million visitors pass through the zoo's gates every year.
http://www.kpho.com/Global/story.asp?S=4998016&nav=23Ku
Zoo all set for pachyderm party
By VIRGINIA SMITH
Staff Writer
SANFORD -- With her deep wrinkles, her tendency to drool and the slow, deliberate way she chews her food, Mary radiates a gentle geriatric charm.
Her trunk is speckled with gray and pink -- the pink being a sign of her very ripe age.
And like most oldsters, "she's a creature of habit," said Erin McCrea, one of Mary's keepers at the Central Florida Zoo. "She likes everything the same."
Her food must be just so. Now that she's on her last set of teeth (elephants get only six sets in a lifetime), she can't do things like crush coconuts in her mouth. She prefers mild mushy foods, like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and bread. Don't try to feed her something new and exotic -- she'll be mad.
On Saturday the zoo will throw Mary a 60th birthday party, complete with a hay cake and carrot candles (kids who come to celebrate with her will get real cake). At 60, which translates to something like 100 in humans, Mary is one of the oldest Asian elephants in captivity.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD02060706.htm
Zoo plan would bring visitors closer to animals
William Hermann
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 7, 2006 12:00 AM
Ashley Ritterby and her children, Camdon, 6, and Miaya, 4, stood in the leafy midst of the Phoenix Zoo's new Monkey Village and stared at a little squirrel monkey gazing back at them from a tree limb a mere 2 feet away.
The children laughed, smiled and hugged themselves with pleasure.
"Oooh, he's licking his hand!" Miaya said.
"Look, he's just right here, right with us!" Camdon said, with a little gasp.
That's exactly the reaction zoo officials want when visitors reach every corner of the zoo. And to get it, they plan to tear down the old zoo and build a new one with elaborate exhibits that will engender the same sense of wonder that Monkey Village now is giving to thousands of visitors each week.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0607zoorenew0607.html
Zoo revamp gives birds room to spread wings
The birds on the island in the middle of Johannesburg's Zoo Lake have been feeling the squeeze, but they now have their own jungle gym to play on.
A R40 000 rehabilitation programme was completed in time for World Environment Day, celebrated this week.
The logs for the gym, or roosting towers, as they are called, as well as a large number of trees, were pulled across the lake by boat.
Lucy Taylor, founder of the Zoo Lake Users' Committee, said that for 40 years the island had been one of the most important nesting and roosting sites for herons, egrets, ibises, cormorants and darters in the greater Johannesburg area because of the safety the barrier of water provided them.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=vn20060607002848826C756304
More than wildlife at the zoo
Come for the animals, but stay for Rouge Park's scenery
Peter Kuitenbrouwer, National Post
Published: Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Perhaps we can learn something about marital bliss from Sampson and Shintay (a.k.a Delilah) the grizzly bear couple at the Toronto Zoo.
Yesterday, day two of my walk across Toronto brought me to the zoo. I paid my $19 and vowed that this time I would make it to the Canadian Domain. Everybody always does the zoo clockwise, which means I have seen the western lowland gorillas in the African Rainforest Pavillion about 87 times, but the kids are always too tired to make it to Canada.
Speaking of things Canadian, at the zoo gate I met CBC Television reporter Craig Gibson coming out, lugging a camera.
http://www.canada.com/cityguides/toronto/story.html?id=e53e9e78-f815-49fe-b7ee-cd052d65584e&k=99944
5,000 to get free zoo tickets
Published on: 06/08/06
Five thousand city of Atlanta residents will get free admission to Zoo Atlanta on Saturday and Sunday, thanks to a partnership between the city, the City Council and the zoo to give city dwellers an opportunity to learn more about one of Atlanta's great cultural institutions.
During "City of Atlanta Family Days," residents can visit such exhibits as the rare giant pandas, Lun Lun and Yang Yang; the nation's second-largest collection of western lowland gorillas (look for Kuchi and twins Kali and Kazi); and a new interactive exhibit for kids, "Wild Like Me," the Wild Life Theatre Bird Show.
To qualify for free admission, attendees need to bring proof of residence such as a driver's license, state ID, voter ID or utility bill with a current address. One adult can accompany one additional adult and up to four children. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents will be admitted from 9:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. The zoo, 800 Cherokee Ave., closes at 6:30.
More information at 404-624-9453 or zooatlanta.org.
• Also, during the summer, the zoo is offering free admission to 1,200 youths participating in the city's Camp Best Friends program.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/0608bctxcitybriefs.html
Council approves $320,000 for new zoo exhibit
By Jason Miller, The News-Dispatch
Officials excited after contentious 6-3 vote appropriates money for carnivore facility
After weeks of wondering if it would happen, Washington Park Zoo officials Tuesday got the money they needed to make what many say is the biggest improvement in the zoo's history.
“We're very excited,” zoo director Johnny Martinez said. “This is the first stage of the zoo. This will be the first thing (visitors) see. It sets them up for the rest of the zoo.”
In a contentious vote, the council voted 6-3 Tuesday to give the zoo $320,000 needed to complete a North American Carnivore Exhibit, which will provide native habitats and better public viewing for grizzly bears, mountain lions and river otters.
Outspoken opponents to the appropriation - council President Ron Meer, Paul Przybylinski and Phil Jankowski - voted against it, arguing that more than $600,000 is too much to spend on a “bear cage,” Jankowski said.
Przybylinski has railed against the appropriation because the council, last year, gave the park department some $300,000 for the exhibit, the actual cost estimates for which came in much higher than officials expected.
The park department received a $130,000 donation from the estate of a New Buffalo man to be used specifically for the otter portion of the exhibit.
http://www.thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2006/06/07/news/n2.txt
Zoo Celebrates Elephant's 60th Birthday
POSTED: 2:17 pm EDT June 7, 2006
UPDATED: 3:41 pm EDT June 7, 2006
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The party at the Central Florida Zoo this weekend is going to be gigantic -- elephant-sized, in fact.
That's because the party is for a pachyderm: the zoo's elephant Mary, who is turning 60 years old.
So, what do you get an elephant for her birthday? The zoo is planning a hay cake with carrot candles. Kids who come to visit will get real cake.
Mary was brought to the United States from India in the 1950s to perform with a circus. She later moved to the Dallas Zoo before coming to Florida.
http://www.wesh.com/news/9335884/detail.html
Zoo plans risky surgery to remove fetus from pregnant elephant
SYRACUSE, N.Y. A special team will assemble today to perform tricky surgery on a pregnant elephant in hopes of helping her deliver her 300-pound calf.
A spokeswoman at Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse says there's still a small chance that the baby is alive. The 29-year-old Asian elephant has been stalled in labor for four days. The main priority is saving the mother at this point.
Last night the elephant, named Romani, still had normal vital signs and was receiving antibiotics and extra fluid. She has remained under 24-hour watch since veterinarians tried to induce labor with shots of drugs Sunday and Monday nights.
Romani had successful births in 1991, 1995 and 2002.
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5001906&nav=4QcS
Elephant Loses Calf at Syracuse Zoo
Last Update: 6/9/2006 5:50:14 AM
WSYR-TV (Syracuse, N.Y.) – Veterinarians operated on elephant Romani at a Syracuse zoo Thursday to remove a dead calf.
According to a Rosamond Gifford Zoo spokeswoman, the calf has now been removed from Romani's body, and will be taken to Cornell University for an autopsy.
Romani's vital signs are good.
On Monday, zoo staff gave her a drug to induce labor, because she was three weeks overdue. Romani’s contractions, however, were not strong enough to get the calf out of her body. The decision was made yesterday for her to undergo the episiotomy to help get the baby out.
Genny’s C’s calf died during birth at Rochester’s Seneca Park Zoo earlier this year. Doctors successfully performed surgery to remove the calf.
http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=D9D47479-3875-4529-96B5-8CC308D7C072
Zoo charged with cruelty to hippopotamus
Wednesday June 07, 2006
Hazina, the two-year-old hippopotamus featured in last Christmas’ Telus ads, is the subject of charges of cruelty leveled against a B.C. zoo. While we were singing along to "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas," and enjoying her so-ugly-it’s-cute mug on our TV screens, Hazina was languishing in "an inadequate facility with little access to sunlight, minimal stimulation and, most importantly, a pool that does not permit her to obtain the buoyancy that she needs," according to the B.C. SPCA.
A new habitat for the young hippo is due to be completed next month, but she has already spent 19 months in a dark shed and shallow pool. While zoo officials claim that Hazina is doing well, both the SPCA and Vancouver Humane Society disagree. Since 1983, four other hippos have died at the Greater Vancouver Zoo.
The larger issue is the cruelty inherent in keeping wild animals in captivity. Although zoos have come a long way in recent years, in their attempts to provide cages for their animals that approximate natural habitats, there is still a big difference between the African plains and any zoo enclosure.
The Calgary Zoo is going to build an exhibit, Arctic Shores, as large as a football stadium, to house polar bears and beluga whales. This replica of the north is part of a $120 million project. Reportedly, it is hoped that the exhibit will attract visitors to Calgary when Vancouver hosts the 2010 Olympic Games.
http://www.nantonnews.com/story.php?id=234627
Feds fine Columbus Zoo for animal deaths
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has fined the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium $3,250 for the accidental deaths of a giraffe and a red river hog, the zoo's director said Wednesday.
A hog belonging to the zoo died during shipment from Chicago's Brookfield Zoo in October, where it had been loaned for breeding, Columbus Zoo director Jerry Borin said.
A giraffe died in April 2005 when a zoo doctor mistakenly injected the animal with the wrong drug during an operation.
The zoo was told of the fine last month. Borin said the Agriculture Department has been issuing more fines to zoos across the nation in recent years. He could not recall the last time the Columbus Zoo had been fined.
The zoo did not have much experience transporting red river hogs, which are native to Africa and are prone to stress-related illnesses, Borin said. The hog's death was due to its poorly ventilated crate.
"There's no denying that it died while we had it," he said. "These were mistakes we made. We own up to them."
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/14764396.htm
Zoo chef goes gourmet
Flavor adventures await visitors to this wild kingdom
Kate Lawson / Detroit News Food Writer
When it's feeding time at the zoo, Chef Timothy Budzinski knows exactly what the crowd wants. No, not that crowd (the lions, tigers and bears have their own special diets) -- we're talking people.
If there are bananas or berries, they're found in a strudel or Danish; the fish are marinated and served with sun-dried cherry butter; and for carnivores, there's beef tenderloin with brandied spring morels and a sauti of fiddlehead ferns.
As executive chef and director of catering for the Detroit Zoological Institute, 38-year-old Budzinski says he's having the time of his life, whether it's offering more upscale sandwiches and salads in the Zoofari Market, planning for the annual Sunset at the Zoo event on June 16, or, as he did in April, preparing an elaborate eight-course dinner for 10 with the polar bears at the "Arctic Ring of Life" exhibit.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/LIFESTYLE05/606080432/1032/ENT
Alaska Zoo opens gates for six wolf pups
Their howls go 'ooooh'
Published: June 8, 2006
Last Modified: June 8, 2006 at 03:28 PM
Six wolf pups now living at the Alaska Zoo have a lot to learn. Less than 4 weeks old, they jutted their little chins into the sky Wednesday morning, apparently hoping to howl. What came out was just little hoots, zoo director Pat Lampi said.
"They put their chins up," he said. "Their little mouths open and made a little weak 'Oooooh.' "
But the young wolves will get the hang of it, Lampi said. They've got plenty of time. Most if not all will become permanent residents of the Alaska Zoo, roaming an enclosure of three-quarters of an acre.
If other zoos sometime come looking for wolves, the Alaska Zoo may part with one or two, Lampi said. But that's just a maybe.
"To this point, we plan on keeping all six," he said.
http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7813300p-7727531c.html
$70M project to raze, replace Phoenix Zoo
The Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona Published: 06.08.2006
PHOENIX — Officials hope to raise $70 million to tear down the Phoenix Zoo and build a new one in its place.
Not only do officials want to design better, more interactive exhibits, they also want to condense them so they're more accessible, which in turn keeps visitors engaged and coming back.
About 1.3 million visitors pass through the zoo's gates every year.
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/132745
A BRAND new Bristol attraction will provide plenty of opportunity for monkeying around this summer.
The Monkey Jungle, featuring Meet the Lemurs, is an impressive forest experience where primates will mingle with visitors to Bristol Zoo.
All the sights and smells of the forest will be combined with living roofs, creeping plants and natural daylight. Monkeys will scale branches and scamper across leaf-littered floors.
The new attraction will introduce visitors to the monkeys and lemurs of Asia, Africa and South America. Howler monkeys, lion tail macaques, red ruffed and ring-tailed lemurs and De Brazza's monkeys will be able to cross the Gorilla Island moat, using a log bridge to meet up with their bigger cousins.
http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/content/twm/whatson/story.aspx?brand=Westonmercury&category=whatsonMisc&tBrand=westonmercury&tCategory=zwhatson&itemid=WeED07%20Jun%202006%2017%3A15%3A05%3A433
Washington's Endangered Pygmy Rabbit Makes Comeback At Oregon Zoo
PORTLAND, Oregon - In recent weeks, 17 Washington pygmy rabbits have been born at the Oregon Zoo, and another 50 are expected by the end of summer -- a remarkable development in the story of a subspecies at the brink of extinction.
http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=331129&cp=10996
Zoo wants to tear down, start over
Staff reports, Florence Reminder
June 08, 2006
PHOENIX - Officials hope to raise $70 million to tear down the Phoenix Zoo and build a new one in its place.
Not only do officials want to design better, more interactive exhibits, they also want to condense them so they're more accessible, which in turn keeps visitors engaged and coming back.
About 1.3 million visitors pass through the zoo's gates every year.
Currently, visitors need to walk 2' miles to see the major exhibits. The new zoo will cut that walk to about a mile.
Zoo officials will need to raise $70 million to replace aging infrastructure and create oasislike exhibits. Director Jeff Williamson intends to raise $20 million in the next five years and $50 million in the next 10 years.
The privately owned zoo will kick off a major fund-raising campaign this winter.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16759134&BRD=1817&PAG=461&dept_id=222076&rfi=6
Zoo Fined For Deaths Of Giraffe, Red River Hog
Officials: Internal Investigation Conducted
POSTED: 12:00 pm EDT June 8, 2006
UPDATED: 12:09 pm EDT June 8, 2006
Email This Story Print This Story
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus Zoo is facing a fine in connection with the deaths of two animals.
A 13-year-old giraffe died in April 2005 after a mistake during a veterinary procedure, NBC 4 reported.
Then, in October 2005, a Red River hog died while being transported from Chicago to Columbus.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated both incidents and fined the zoo $3,250.
"It's always been our policy, since we are supported by the public, to let them know what happens. We have many successes, and when something like this happens, we have a responsibility to tell the public," said Executive Director Jerry Borin.
Zoo officials said they conducted their own investigation and have made changes to prevent similar incidents from happening.
Watch NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for additional information.
http://www.nbc4i.com/news/9341267/detail.html
Vets Get First Close-Up Look At Zoo's Tiger Cubs
Created:6/8/2006 2:37:03 PM
Last Updated:6/9/2006 3:22:19 PM
Veterinarians and animal-care staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo got their first look at the newest litter of Sumatran tigers Thursday. The two females and one male are the sixth litter of Sumatran tiger cubs born at the National Zoo in its 117-year history, and the third litter for mother, Soyano.
Zoo staff checked the cubs’ sex, weight and general health. National Zoo veterinarians say all the cubs are doing well and report that the male cub is the biggest, weighing 6.8 pounds; the two females weigh 5.8 and 4.8 pounds.
http://wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=50025
Dakota Zoo alligator dies
By Zachary Franz/Bismarck Tribune
One of Dakota Zoo’s newest residents has died. “Sherman,” a 50-year-old American alligator, died on Tuesday, said assistant zoo director Rod Fried.
Preliminary results from a necropsy performed by veterinarians Amy Reece and Jim Wheeler indicate the alligator’s death was probably age related. Further tests are pending. Alligators’ lifespans are similar to those of humans, and vary widely, Fried said.
Sherman moved to Dakota Zoo on April 13 from Reptile Gardens in South Dakota. Dakota Zoo has one other alligator, a 20-year-old female named Sandra. Based on the nature of the relationships between alligators, zoo personel do not expect Sandra to have psychological problems stemming from the death.
The zoo will likely get another alligator in the near future, as they like all animals to have a companion, Fried said.
http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2006/06/08/news/update/doc448851ddb81e1580585405.txt
Local zoo to build new home for North American animals
Michigan City, IN - Some Michiana zoo animals have a new home thanks to a boatload of funds.
Bears, mountain lions and otters will have a new home at the Michigan City Zoo, thanks to $320,000 in riverboat funds.
The Michigan City Council has approved funding for the zoo's North American carnivore exhibit. The city's park superintendent says the artificial rock, glass and masonry for the exhibit drove up costs.
The Michigan City Zoo is on the Lake Michigan shoreline.
http://www.wndu.com/news/062006/news_50453.php
'We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo . . .'
Friday, 9 June 2006, 3:09 pm
Press Release: National Library Of New Zealand
Friday 9 June 2006
'We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo . . .'
Memories and experiences of Wellington zookeepers, and others who have had strong connections with the Wellington Zoo, will be handed over to the Turnbull Library's Oral History Centre next week.
The Wellington Zoo Centenary Oral History Project was commissioned by the Wellington Zoo Trust, and funded by the Lottery Grants Board, in recognition of the Zoo's centenary, that is being celebrated this year.
The project, consisting of 15 interviews and including stories that reach back as far as the 1930s, was carried out by oral historian Susan Fowke.
'The interviews cover a wide range of experience, from elephant-keeping to breeding kiwi, to watching chimpanzees' tea parties, but the common denominator is always a love of animals,' Ms Fowke said.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0606/S00077.htm
AMENDMENT ALLOWS ALCOHOL AT LOCAL ZOO
Jun 8, 2006
A proposed amendment to the Idaho Falls city code would allow for the sale of alcohol at the Tautphaus Park Zoo. Tonight, the city council heard public opinion and voted on the amendment. Reporter Ty Perry was at the city council meeting.
Serving beer at the zoo for charitable events has become a hot button issue in Idaho Falls, and in tonight's meeting, both sides were passionate about their positions. During the public comment period of tonight's city council meeting, people both for and against the amendment were given a chance to make their opinions known. The council listened to the public and then briefly gave their own opinions on the issue of serving beer and wine at the zoo for two after-hours, adults-only, charitable events a year.
http://www.kpvi.com/index.cfm?page=nbcheadlines.cfm&ID=34074
Author explores magic of Moorpark training zoo
By Sylvie Belmond
LOVING LIONESS-Gary Wilson, a professor at the Moorpark teaching zoo, gets a roar of a reaction from Kiara, a lioness who knows him well. As soon as he came near the enclosure, Kiara started to show her appreciation.
Students who attend Moor-park College's Exotic Animal Training and Management program will inevitably end up with a few bruises but the overall experience is going to be enlightening, according to journalist Amy Sutherland, author of "Kicked, Bitten and Scratched," a book that uncovers the behindthe-scene action of the training zoo.
The book reads like a novel, but the story is real and Sutherland sheds light on the unassuming zoo nestled above Moorpark College.
The author spent about a year visiting the Moorpark Teaching Zoo and chronicled the personalities and adventures of students and the animals they work with. The faculty are also included.
http://www.moorparkacorn.com/news/2006/0609/Community/015.html
Indy zoo helps fill empty aquarium tanks
To The Indianapolis Zoo, a huge thank-you from the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans. The Audubon Aquarium reopened recently, an important milestone in the recovery of our city. This was due in large part to the assistance of zoos and aquariums across the country.
We will be forever grateful to our friends in Indianapolis. Immediately after the storm, your zoo offered assistance, resources and support to us. Through the generous donation of numerous species, including angelfish, green moray and yellowtail damsel, The Indianapolis Zoo helped us repopulate our empty tanks.
The outpouring of support for the Gulf Coast region has touched us deeply. Daily, in our post-Katrina lives, we are reminded of the importance of friendship. To our new friends in the Indianapolis area, we invite you to come visit New Orleans. To The Indianapolis Zoo, you will always have a friend in New Orleans.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060609/OPINION01/606090403/-1/ZONES04
Chimp dies in Lowry Zoo fight
Staffers are mourning Herman, who had lived there since 1965.
By REBECCA CATALANELLO, Times Staff Writer
Published June 9, 2006
TAMPA - Herman the chimpanzee, a beloved fixture at Lowry Park Zoo since 1965, died Thursday after a violent altercation with another male chimp in the zoo's primate display area.
The 42-year-old African-born alpha male underwent hours of surgery following the afternoon brawl and died shortly after 7 p.m., zoo spokeswoman Rachel Nelson said.
"Herman was a very, very well-loved animal at the zoo," Nelson said. "Our staff is just devastated, and he will be very dearly missed."
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/09/Hillsborough/Chimp_dies_in_Lowry_Z.shtml
Toledo Zoo impala dies
June 9, 2006 - For the second time in less than a month, an impala at the Zoo is dead.
Veterinarians at the Zoo had to euthanize a newborn impala due to complications during and after birth. The animal's mother, Christina, went into labor Friday night. That's when the staff noticed she had problems, because the calf was in the wrong position.
The vets were able to deliver the baby, but it never developed a strong nursing instinct and was euthanized.
The calf's mother is being kept off exhibit for now, but is in good health. Vets expect a full recovery.
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=4253285
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore capture the heart of two women
http://www.btimes.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=70178&sID=4
Reprieve for Beijing Zoo's residents
Just like death row: a cell for tigers.
Photo: Katharina Hesse
AdvertisementAdvertisement
Mary-Anne Toy, Beijing
June 10, 2006
WHEN the Beijing Zoo was created in 1906 as a pleasure garden for China's last empress, Ci Xi, it was known as the Ten Thousand Animal Garden. With its graceful weeping willows, mature gardens, picturesque lakes and Qing dynasty buildings, including the empress' European-style mansion, the zoo today enjoys iconic status among the ordinary people of Beijing.
Its collection of 6000 animals and birds, covering about 500 species, including the endangered giant pandas, set in 90 hectares of rare inner-city parkland, draws 5 to 6 million visitors every year.
But its reputation among Western visitors is far less complimentary. One visitor dubbed it a "Chinese prison camp for animals". The current Lonely Planet guidebook says all zoos are animal prisons "but Beijing Zoo seems like death row".
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/reprieve-for-beijing-zoos-residents/2006/06/09/1149815316466.html
New Animal Hospital At Cincinnati Zoo
WCPO.com neither endorses nor guarantees the content or availability of external links.
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Mark Sickmiller
Photographed by: 9News
First posted: 6/9/2006 3:08:58 PM
The Cincinnati Zoo is now better equipped to handle an animal emergency, thanks to its new state of the art animal hospital.
On Friday, zoo officials dedicated the new, 12,000 square food W. Rowell Chase Animal Hospital.
The new facility is three times larger than the old hospital and allows for more efficient and effective care of the animals.
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/06/09/zoo.html
SF Zoo Exhibit Has Birds At Your Fingertips (Video/Audio and Slide Show)
Admission Is $2
POSTED: 1:16 pm PDT June 9, 2006
UPDATED: 2:30 pm PDT June 9, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- A new exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo has visitors getting up close with exotic birds.
Visitors, armed with a feed stick, can pay a $2 admission fee to entry to the Binnowee Landing of Australia exhibit.
The exhibit contains more than 600 birds, including budgies, cockatiels, and rosellas, which will feed right off the stick.
"These are seed eaters. What they eat is very, very dry, so you don't end up with a lot of watery results. Basically, you can just brush it off," said Bob Jenkins, of the SF Zoo.
The exhibit is located across from Koala Crossing, past the Leaping Lemur Café.
Entry is $2, which includes one feed stick. Additional sticks are $1.
http://www.nbc11.com/news/9349111/detail.html
Zoo tries to remove stigma
Updated: 6/11/2006 9:04 AM
By: Staff
Three deaths of baby elephants in four years has animal activists up in arms.
The first baby calf to die was Pria, she passed in 2002 from elephant herpes.
Last year, 4-day-old Kadar drowned in the wading pool in what officials said was an unfortunate tragedy and now, Romani's calf -- a still born.
Former Zoo Director Anne Baker said outsiders need to recognize the team at the zoo is never out to harm any of the animals. And that Mother Nature is not something they can control.
http://news10now.com/content/all_news/central_new_york/?ArID=69078&SecID=86
Los Angeles Zoo says Asian elephant Gita has died
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - A 48-year-old female Asian elephant named Gita died Saturday at the Los Angeles Zoo, where critics had charged the huge animals were being kept in unhealthy conditions.
Gita, who was elderly by wild elephant standards, was found sitting down when keepers went to her yard.
Despite a "medical response," she died at 9:40 a.m., according to a news release from zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs.
A necropsy was planned to determine the cause of her death.
Gita, who came to Southern California in 1959, was one of three elephants at the zoo. She and another female called Ruby have been living out of the public view in adjoining yards.
Gita had arthritis and a history of foot problems and underwent surgery last year to remove portions of a toe from her left front foot.
The living conditions of the zoo's elephants were closely examined following the death of Tara, a 39-year-old African elephant who died of heart failure in 2004. Critics have long alleged that the zoo's elephant enclosures are too small for animals that can roam up to 10 miles in the wild and that the hardpacked soil and concrete are brutal on the animals' feet.
They have demanded that the elephants be sent to a sanctuary.
A city report released last year said the elephants are well-tended but need far more space.
In April, the City Council approved construction of a $39 million elephant exhibit for the zoo. The 3.5-acre exhibit would have a variety of natural walking surfaces besides concrete or packed earth.
It also would include trees and bathing waterholes.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/14789363.htm
Zoo event enthralls Sudanese
By DANA BOONE
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
June 10, 2006
Aboka Doud, 12, shouted and ran through Blank Park Zoo.
“Adorable pigs! Adorable baby pigs!” Aboka yelled to friends and relatives who trailed behind her. “Come on you guys!”
More than 100 Sudanese parents and their children visited the zoo today as part of a special outing organized by the Des Moines school district’s English Language Learner Program.
The trip was designed to help Sudanese families, who tend to be isolated in Des Moines because few people share their languages, bond and learn together.
“It’s kind of great looking at the animals and learning about them,” Aboka said.
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060610/NEWS08/60610009/1001/OBITUARIES03
All creatures great and small
SALLY RAIKES
COMING round from the anaesthetic, Steveo the parakeet is looking a little groggy after an operation on his broken wing. Outside in the corridor, a greyhound draped in a blanket is being led back from radiotherapy, and a few doors down the cat ward is filling up with blinking and slightly bewildered felines. In the waiting-room, a labrador, a golden retriever and a terrier eye each other warily as they await their call.
It's a typical day at the University of Edinburgh vet school, where animals from all over the country are referred for treatment by their local vets. Owners have been known to bring pets from as far afield as Leeds, Shetland, the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland for access to the school's state-of-the-art facilities.
http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=853962006
Zippity Zoo Day
It's "zippity Zoo Day." Children enjoyed carnival games, inflatables, and face painting. The zoo president said fewer people attended because of the weather, but those who showed up were prepared.
Elizabeth Whealy, the president and CEO of the zoo said, “Everybody kind of bundled up. People who wanted to come really mussled through and wore their coats and had some raingear and just enjoyed the day.”
Today's event was free to those who paid zoo admission.
http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail5440.cfm?Id=0,48670
Slick Foundation Pledges Funds to Zoo
The North Carolina Zoological Society announces that Slick Family Foundation of Winston-Salem has pledged $200,000 to "Project: Pachyderms," the N.C. Zoo Society's campaign to help fund a major expansion of the elephant and rhinoceros facilities at the N.C. Zoo.
Foundation funds will be earmarked to acquire and transport elephants and rhinoceroses, enlarging the Zoo's pachyderm breeding herds, ensuring that the zoo continues its work in species survival and protection, and providing zoo visitors educational and entertainment experiences.
News of the gift came from John Garrou, manager, Slick Enterprises of Winston-Salem and chairman of the Zoo Society Board of Directors. The gift brings total funding through "Project: Pachyderms" to $6,425,961 toward a $7 million goal that will be used to create Watani Grasslands Reserve at the N.C. Zoo.
http://www.thepilot.com/features/061106Slick.html
Zoo adopts 46 homeless gators
WENDY VICTORA
Northwest Florida Daily News
GULF BREEZE - How many alligators can fit in the back of a Chevy Suburban? That's a question most people will never have to figure out personally.
The answer is six, according to employees of The Zoo of Northwest Florida. They spent the better part of four days rounding up and transporting 46 gators that were being evicted from Sweetwater Creek Alligator Farm north of Panama City.
The gators' owners, David and Michele Dawe, lost their lease on the property and had spoken with zoo officials several months ago.
"Some inquiries were made as to whether we were interested in gators sometime in the near future," said Doug Kemper, The Zoo's executive director. "We said we were."
Kemper said a major alligator exhibit has been part of The Zoo's master plan. The addition of the Sweetwater Creek gators has been a welcome addition.
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/14789856.htm
Zoo festival to offer ton of pachyderm fun
It's a tusk job, but somebody's gotta do it.
It's the 15th annual Zoo Gala, taking place on Sept. 9, this year celebrating the building of a new elephant habitat.
Trish Exton-Pardner dropped by the CJAY92 studios last week with a heap of Chinese food, so guessing the theme of this year's gala wasn't too tough.
The evening includes a journey through Asia, upscale food and beverage sampling, behind-the-scenes tours and, of course, free entertainment featuring one of Alberta's best bands The Mocking Shadows.
The evening is called "A Party for Pachyderms" and the sponsorship this year is generously provided by the law firm of McCarthy Tetrault.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Forbes_Gerry/2006/06/11/1625116.html
Feeding giraffes no tall order for NEW Zoo visitors
New platform puts crowds within animals' nibbling range
By Paul Brinkmann
pbrinkma@greenbaypressgazette.com
SUAMICO — Hodari the giraffe uncurled his long black tongue, grabbed a small cracker out of Jim Bourdeau's hand and munched it down.
For the hundredth time that day, children squealed with delight. Parents laughed. And the hungry giraffes looked for more.
"My son always loved pictures of giraffes," said Bourdeau, of Escanaba, Mich. "This is great for us to see one up close. I like the way they have it set up."
The NEW Zoo's two giraffes are drawing crowds in their first summer. The most recent addition to the giraffe exhibit is a feeding platform that allows visitors to see the giraffes at the animal's eye level.
The zoo broke its single-day attendance record on June 3, with 10,818 visitors. The previous record was around 8,000, zoo director Neil Anderson said. It was a special day at the zoo, known as Family Day.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/GPG0101/606110590/1207/GPGnews
Editorial: Keeping the petting zoo open at Lakeside Park good decision
The e decision to keep the petting zoo at Lakeside Park open all summer long ranks among some of the best news people in this community were treated to in the past week or so.
It's a positive development for the community in general, for families that visit the popular park, youngsters, city officials and, of course, Whisper Hill Clydesdales Petting Zoo.
Tim Wiskow, owner/operator of the petting zoo operation, threatened to discontinue the petting zoo on June 7 as the upshot of a dispute with city officials about offering pony rides in the park. Wiskow said he wanted to provide pony rides on four weekends to raise money to help pay the cost of operating the petting zoo at Lakeside.
http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/FON06/606110711/1345
concluding …
