Toka is believed to be from Mozambique. The least dominant of the three elephants, she gets pushed out of the way by Iringa, who usually wants to get out the door first. A pretty elephant with long tusks. (June 14, 2009)
STEVE RUSSELL/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTOTusk! Tusk! Toronto is on worst zoo list
Critics slam Toronto Zoo's treatment of elephants, but councillor says they have 'gold-standard' lives
Published On Wed Jan 13 2010Elephants do not get jelly beans on the African savannah. Or the services of recreation directors. They also don't get freezing temperatures that confine them to a 37-square-metre space for part of the year.
But those are all part of life for the Toronto Zoo's elephant herd, whose fast-dwindling numbers present a dilemma for their keepers: Bring in fresh blood, or retire Toka, Thika and Iringa to some southern pachyderm haven?...
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/750009--tusk-tusk-toronto-is-on-worst-zoo-list?bn=1Penguin exhibit planned at zoo
Jan. 8th, 2010 at 8:30 AM
Thursday, 07 January 2010
by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers
Penguins will be waddling their way to the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley in the coming year.
Scheduled to open in 2011, the “Penguins of the African Coast” exhibit is one of several projects planned as part of the Heart of the Zoo project, according to a report recently released by the Minnesota Zoo Foundation.
The penguins exhibit will include underwater views, sandy beaches and a rocky shoreline to recreate the wild South African coast where black-footed penguins feed, nest and swim, zoo officials said.
The first phase of Heart of the Zoo also calls for a new education center – the Cargill Environmental Education Center, scheduled to open in 2011 – as well as a new indoor theater.
The zoo’s old whale tank, empty for more than 15 years, will be transformed into an indoor theater for lectures and educational programs, and will play host to the zoo’s bird show, the popular KAYTEE World of Birds free-flight show, in the winter months.
Zoo director Lee Ehmke said the improvements are part of the push to make the Minnesota Zoo one of the top 10 zoos in the country.
http://bombalurina.livejournal.com/134491.html
San Diego Zoo’s giant panda cub, Yun Zi, debuts to the public
Jan 8th, 2010
By mervi
January 7, 2010 | 11:57 am, Source Los Angeles Times, Photos by Lenny Ignelzi/AP
Yun Zi, the San Diego Zoo’s 5-month-old giant panda cub, was apparently determined to be as cute as physically possible in his debut to the media Wednesday. Photographers were on hand to document the cub in advance of his debut to the public this morning. As of today, he can be seen in a special outdoor exhibit zoo workers have dubbed “the classroom” for a few hours a day….
http://knutisweekly.com/2010/01/san-diego-zoos-giant-panda-cub-yun-zi-debuts-to-the-public/
San Diego Zoo’s Baby Panda Becomes A Web Sensation
Posted 1/08/2010 7:30 am by Ron Hogan
The world famous San Diego Zoo has one of the most successful captive breeding programs in the world. When it comes to pandas, nobody does it better. Their giant panda enclosure is celebrating their fifth live birth during the 12-year history of the program. Their newest resident also happens to be their biggest star, as the adorable baby panda Yun Zi is front and center in the zoo’s new Pandacam! It’s live streaming video from the panda habitat, where you can see Yun Zi, his mother Bai Yun, and all the other pandas in San Diego from your very own home!
If you want to see a cute baby animal, they don’t come any cuter than a fuzzy little baby panda. There’s no guarantee that Yun Zi is doing anything while the cameras are on him, but even if he’s just laying around sleeping he’s adorable.
http://www.popfi.com/2010/01/08/san-diego-zoos-baby-panda-becomes-a-web-sensation/
posted 01/08/10 03:59 PM | updated 01/09/10 07:50 PM
Fans try to save zoo's Nocturnal House; zoo indicates there's no hope
PostGlobe reporter
More than 9,000 people in just a few days have joined the "Save the Woodland Park Nocturnal House" Facebook group in hopes of keeping bats and other animals at Seattle's beloved zoo. Yet money-crunched Woodland Park Zoo maintains that closing the exhibit will save $300,000 annually and there's next to no hope the zoo will change course.
"We cannot accept gifts restricted to keeping the Night Exhibit open," states the zoo's new Frequently Asked Questions page dedicated to this topic.
Fans of the 61 critters that live at the Nocturnal House -- including three armadillos and several bats -- plan to gather from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the exhibit, partly as a fundraiser for their cause. See our earlier story here.
Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo plans to close Nocturnal House
The Nocturnal House at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo has always been in the dark. But now the zoo plans to turn the lights off. Because of budget troubles, the zoo plans to close the popular Nocturnal House, which houses 61 animals, from bats to sloths and even armadillos. The closure date hasn't been set but is expected to be announced in the next month.
CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Peter Ramberg holds up a plastic bat he brought to protest the closure of Woodland Park Zoo's Nocturnal House.
The Nocturnal House at the Woodland Park Zoo has always been in the dark.
But now the zoo plans to turn the lights off.
Because of budget troubles, the zoo plans to close the popular Nocturnal House, which houses 61 animals, from bats to sloths and even armadillos. The closure date hasn't been set but is expected to be announced in the next month.
Michael Chen was lined up at the exhibit Sunday with his family because he heard the Nocturnal House was closing. "It's one of our favorites," he said. "It's a really unusual exhibit. You never know what you're going to see."
About a dozen people gathered near the entrance to the exhibit Sunday to protest its closure. Organizer Scott Gifford posted the closure on Facebook….
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010761277_nocturnalhouse11m.html
$15.6M zoo funding to prevent layoffs, exhibit closures
By Laura Bollin, lbollin@mysuburbanlife.com
Posted Jan 11, 2010 @ 03:36 PM
Last update Jan 11, 2010 @ 03:37 PM
Brookfield, IL —
Although not resting in its coffers yet, Brookfied Zoo has been promised $15.6 million in state funding to prevent exhibit closures and dozens of layoffs.
The funding, part of a state-wide job creation program, will go toward repairs and upgrades at the zoo, and is intended to create 370 construction jobs. The work will likely take place over the course of six years.
Gov. Pat Quinn announced the funding at the zoo Sunday, Jan 10.
Stuart Strahl, the CEO and president of the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages Brookfield Zoo, said the zoo would be using the money to improve maintenance in many of its aging structures.
“With the funding, the elephant facility will be able to get a new roof,” Strahl said. “The HVAC system in the barn and in the children’s zoo will be replaced, and the stainless steel mesh in the snow leopard exhibit will be replaced. Four roofs total will be repaired in 2010, and another 14 are set to be repaired in 2011. We have about 80 structures in the park, and some of the roofs are original. We’ll also be replacing old boilers and electrical systems. There are a host of capital maintenance issues with a 75-year-old facility.”
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's 2010 Landscaping for the Homeowner Series Starts Jan 20
By Tiffany Barnes
Cincinnati, OH - Looking forward to spring? Well, back by popular demand is the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s 2010 Landscaping for the Homeowner Series, beginning January 20. Presented by the Zoo’s Director of Horticulture Steve Foltz, this 10-class series is one of the most informative and complete landscape series for homeowners in the Tri-state area. Offering insight on design, preparation and plant selection, the classes can be taken separately or as a complete series building upon one another.
If you are considering new additions to your garden, these classes provide good insight on soil preparation, maintenance and plant selection that you will need to be ready to create a thriving and beautiful garden in the spring.
All classes meet every Wednesday evening from 7-9 p.m. starting January 20 for 10 weeks. Cost for the complete series is $70 for Zoo members; $90 for non-members. Individual classes are $10 for Zoo members; $12 for non-members. For additional information or to register for the 2010 Landscaping for the Homeowner Series, please call 513-559-7767.
January 20 -¬ Design Your Own Landscape¬ Part 1--The focus of this class is the simple steps that every designer takes when evaluating a new landscape or renovating an existing landscape. Basic design principles will be discussed….
Fatal attacks highlight lack of animal welfare in zoos
2010-01-09 08:53:00
ZHENGZHOU, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese experts and wildlife activists are calling for improved animal welfare in zoos after two deadly attacks on keepers by hungry beasts in central Henan Province last month.
On Dec. 31, a zookeeper surnamed Ming was savaged to death by an adult African lion while he was sweeping the cage at the NanhaiPark in Henan's Zhumadian City. Local authorities are investigating the incident.
On Dec. 2, keeper Xie Jian, at the Songyang Park in Dengfeng City, was killed by a black bear while feeding the animal. The zoo was ordered to suspend operations and the victim's family was given 120,000 yuan (17,647 U.S. dollars) in compensation.
In both cases, zoo managers blamed human error for the attacks, saying the keepers had not followed usual procedures to drive the animals to neighboring cages to be tightly locked up before entering the first cage.
"That is commonsense for animal keepers. We have offered training, but Ming did not abide by the rules," said Zhao Yanmei, a manager of the Zhumadian zoo….
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2010-01/09/content_12780000.htm
Student Stories: Alumna caring for animals at the National Zoo
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
We all have heard someone refer derogatively to their workplace as a zoo, but for Rebecca Miller, it really is. And that's a good thing.
The 2005 graduate of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences works at The Smithsonian National Zoological Park -- commonly known as the National Zoo -- in Washington, D.C.
"Each day I get to work with some amazing creatures," she said. "I look forward to each day, and I’m excited to come to work."
Miller, a wildlife and fisheries science major who minored in biology, became interested in zookeeping after completing an internship at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, Penn State's nature center in Huntingdon County, Pa.
"It was the best choice I have ever made in my life," she said. "There, I applied what I had learned from my major. Spending time with the raptors, amphibians and reptiles became the highlight of my days. I was really able to get a feel for what I wanted to do with my life."…
http://live.psu.edu/story/43681
Detroit Zoo attendance rises 14 percent
Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News
Royal Oak -- Attendance at the Detroit Zoo last year jumped 14 percent over the previous year, zoo officials said.
There were 1,271,633 visitors in 2009, compared to the 1,114,221 people who visited in 2008, zoo officials said in a press release. It was the fourth consecutive year-to-year increase for the zoo.
Officials credit the zoo's "Vitamin Z -- Part of a Complete Childhood" advertising campaign as well as offerings such as the Dinosauria exhibit for the increase in visitors. Dinosauria attracted about one-third of the zoo's visitors between mid-May and Labor Day, zoo officials said.
This year, the zoo plans to makeover the lions' habitat to include viewing panels that will allow visitors a closer view of the big cats, officials said.
For more information about the zoo, call (313) 852-4056.
sesparza@detnews.com (313) 222-2320
New Giraffe Born At Zoo
Naming Contest Will Be Held For Baby
POSTED: 10:08 am EST January 13, 2010
UPDATED: 4:32 pm EST January 13, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Louisville Zoo started the new year with a newborn giraffe.
The calf was born Monday at 1 p.m.
The baby was the ninth born to 22-year-old Mariah. The male calf was 130 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall at birth.
The new baby is the 20th born in the Louisville Zoo's 40-year history.
The calf hasn't been named. Zoo officials said they plan to hold a naming contest. Contest details will be announced at a later date.
Mariah and the baby are currently off exhibit inside. Zoo officials haven't said when the new addition will be on display for visitors.
Last February, 11-year-old Malaika gave birth to her third offspring, a 150-pound, 6-foot-2-inch male giraffe whom the staff named Bakari, which means "hopeful."
http://www.wlky.com/news/22225155/detail.html
2-year-old giraffe found dead at zoo
The Lufkin Daily News
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A 2-year-old male giraffe was found dead of unknown causes Tuesday at Ellen Trout Zoo.
A keeper had just let Jumaane, his little brother and their mother out into the exhibit at 9:30 a.m., and when she went to check on them at 11:30 a.m., Jumaane was "gone," Charlotte Henley, director of Educational Services, said Wednesday morning.
Michael Nance, staff veterinarian, performed a necropsy on the giraffe, but didn't find anything conclusive that would indicate a cause of death. He took a number of tissue samples, which have been sent off for further testing.
"He asked for them to be expedited, so we can try to find out what happened as soon as possible," Henley said.
Jumaane had his second birthday less than a week ago. He was born Jan. 8, 2008….
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/hp/content/news/stories/2010/01/13/giraffe.html
Jan 12, 2010 7:02 pm US/Central
Leefy, Weedy Sea Dragons In New Zoo Exhibit
The Minnesota Zoo has a new and very unusual exhibit of "Leefy" and "Weedy" sea dragons.
"We have two species in here, we have weedy sea dragons and leafy sea dragons," said Dan Peterson, of the Minnesota Zoo. "
The dragons are close relatives to seahorses, and you can find them in a new home inside Discovery Bay at the zoo.
"They come from southern Australia, from the colder waters," Peterson said. "Everybody thinks Australia is warm, the Great Barrier Reef area, but southern Australia is cooler waters, kind of like our Pacific Northwest."
The animals cost around $25,000, making them one of the more expensive animals the zoo has in the aquarium department, he said.
http://wcco.com/pets/sea.dragons.zoo.2.1421956.html
Escaped zoo hippo still roaming free
By PREDRAG MILIC
The Associated Press
PLAVNICA, Montenegro — A 2-ton hippo who escaped from a flooded private zoo in Montenegro was roaming free Wednesday but returning to the zoo owner's restaurant to eat bread and hay.
Officials disagreed over whether to kill the hippo, considered one of the world's most dangerous species. Nikica, 11, escaped this week as heavy rains sent water flooding through the zoo, raising the water level in her pen and allowing her to swim over the top of the cage surrounding it.
A spokesman for Montenegro's natural disasters commission, which responds to floods, said law required animals that can endanger human lives. But state veterinary authorities said they were not entitled to kill animals.
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/escaped-zoo-hippo-still-274016.html
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Heart-y! My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
Award-winning designer Michael Hall's first picture book effort, My Heart Is Like a Zoo
(HarperCollins, 2009)constructs a menagerie of charming animals from overlapping shapes, principally hearts, set forth appealingly against solid-color double-page spreads. Although some of his text lines, all similes which compare heartfelt feelings to animal activities, work better than others, the illustrations of the zoo folk are clever enough in their construction to hold the attention of preschool listeners and adult readers through this book which offers both graphic eye candy and solid content…. v:shapes="_x0000_i1025">
http://booksforkidsblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/heart-y-my-heart-is-like-zoo-by-michael.html
Polars apart, Zero and mate breaking up
Posted: Jan. 13, 2010
Heaping indignity on top of captivity, the Milwaukee County Zoo has announced that Zero the polar bear is bad in bed.
So inept, in fact, that he'll be making the walk of shame to a different zoo. That's right. Zero has so literally lived up to his name sexually that he's being kicked out of Milwaukee. Think it can't happen to you? Don't push your luck.
Polar bears apparently run the same risk as place-kickers. If you can't split the uprights, people may want you gone.
Middle-aged Zero failed to impregnate or even put many moves on our zoo's female polar bear, Snow Lilly, over the past four years. So off he goes to the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, N.Y., where a hot number named Aurora is already applying her makeup.
"Maybe he just needs the right partner," said that zoo's spokeswoman, Pam Cowan.
If it doesn't work out, Zero can try the zoo in Viagra Falls….
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/81290367.html
Heat convectors keep tigers warm at Ludhiana Zoo
From ANI
Ludhiana, Jan 13: Tigers at the Tiger Safari Zoo in Ludhiana have been provided with blowers to keep them safe from the biting cold.
The measure was taken due to a tiger falling sick after being exposed to the chill.
Plastic sheets and straw mats have also been used to cover the cages to keep the tigers warm.
"It is very cold and we have provided the cages with blowers to protect them from the cold. We have also covered the cages with plastic sheets to keep the chill out," said Narendra Pal, Incharge, Tiger Safari Zoo, Ludhiana.
There are around 17 Bengal tigers and one white tiger in Punjab.
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/354282.php
Volunteers needed at Alexandria Zoo
January 13, 2010
The Alexandria Zoological Park is looking for volunteers 18 and older to help with education, animal care, grounds maintenance and landscaping, construction, summer camp, public relations, office work and other activities.
Requirements are: Applicants must be at least 18 years old and possess a high school diploma or GED. Volunteers also pay a $25 program fee for training, and must be members of FOTAZ, Friends of The Alexandria Zoo.
Training sessions are scheduled for Feb. 9, Feb. 23, Feb. 25 and March 2, all from 6 to 8 p.m. Applicants will be interviewed prior to training. Deadline for registration is Friday, Feb. 5.
For details, call (318) 441-6818 or check online at www.thealexandriazoo.com.
http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20100113/LIFESTYLE/301130014
Zoo's white rhino gives birth to stillborn calf
Posted: January 13, 2010
Zoo staff was disappointed when a pregnant white rhino, Gloria, gave birth to a stillborn calf Tuesday night.
"We were all really looking forward to the calf," said Karen Burns, senior vice president for external affairs at the zoo….
Zoo cited for records, sanitation
Created January 13, 2010 at 5:07pm
Updated January 14, 2010 at 12:54am
With the still-to-come findings of an intense, independent review hanging over the Topeka Zoo, its interim director is working to address separate concerns raised by federal officials during an unannounced inspection this week.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's two-day walk-through, which concluded Tuesday, cited the facility for seven noncompliance issues, including records that "were not sufficiently detailed to meet generally accepted veterinary professional standards." It also said mulch on the floor of a porcupine enclosure hadn't been changed in more than four months and was producing numerous flies, which could transmit diseases to the animals.
Interim zoo director Dennis Taylor said the USDA's team reported in a post-inspection debriefing Wednesday morning it was generally satisfied with the zoo's operations but wanted more documentation. On the matter of the flies, Taylor said a staff member had noticed the problem and orally notified a superior….
http://cjonline.com/news/local/2010-01-13/zoo_cited_for_records_sanitation
Dubai Zoo
Taken at the Dubai Zoo.
All photos taken through wired fences so made it difficult. Was amazing to be so close to such beautiful creatures but sad to see them living in confined areas and not in the wild….
http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/nature-wildlife/190254-dubai-zoo.html
Twycross Zoo keepers start annual animal stock take
January 8th, 2010
Leicester Mercury
From the ant to the elephant, staff at Twycross Zoo have begun the mammoth job of counting their animals.
Along with zoos up and down the country, workers at the Leicestershire attraction are beginning their annual stock take.
New arrivals at Twycross in 2009 included elephant Ganesh Vijay, woolly monkey Branco, tufted deer Ying Xiong and marmoset monkeys Tabatinga and Maramimga.
Last year, the zoo was home to 809 animals. Officials expect this year’s count to take two or three weeks to complete.
Andy Moore, manager of the Pets at Twycross section of the zoo, looks after domesticated animals, including the six alpacas.
He said: “We need to take account of the animals we have – for example we’ve got a leaf-cutter ant colony of about 300,000. We can’t count them all so we count them as one being.
“We need to keep a record of which animals are in which enclosures….
http://www.worldzootoday.com/2010/01/08/twycross-zoo-keepers-start-annual-animal-stock-take/
Rare Zebra Born At Denver Zoo
Less Than 2,000 Grevy's Zebras Left In Wild
POSTED: 8:28 am MST January 8, 2010
UPDATED: 4:48 pm MST January 8, 2010
DENVER -- The endangered Grevy's zebra population got a little boost with the birth of a new foal at the Denver Zoo.
Lakota is a male Grevy's zebra that was born at the zoo Nov. 27, local affiliate KMGH-TV reported.
Zoo officials said Lakota is "very shy and tends to remain at his mother's side." However, he has been known to venture out on his own from time to time. His mother, Topaz, is said to keep "a watchful eye over the young colt."…
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/22183011/detail.html
North American Zoos Support Worldwide Elephant Conservation
Jan 6, 2010
Contact:
Debi Olson, IEF, 817. 237.9034
Steve Feldman, AZA, 301.562.0777 x 252
Linda Cendes, AZA, 301.562.0777 x236
Silver Spring, MD – The International Elephant Foundation (IEF) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) today announced their support for 16 elephant conservation projects for 2010.
IEF-supported projects help to mitigate human-elephant conflict, combat poaching, protect habitat, prevent disease, advance research and educate people. IEF grants for 2010 total about $200,000 adding to the $1.6 million total since its founding in 1998.
“Elephants need our help,” said IEF Executive Director, Deborah Olson. “Essential elephant conservation work will continue thanks to the elephants here in North America that inspire support for the International Elephant Foundation. In addition, protecting elephants and their habitat also safeguards many other species big and small who share the same territory and migration routes.”…
http://www.aza.org/PressRoom/detail.aspx?id=10842
Animal lovers' calendar: Weekend of Jan. 9-10 and beyond
January 8, 2010
This Weekend:
Saturday, Jan. 9, local rescue organization spcaLA invites potential "foster parents" to learn about its fostering program from 10 a.m. to noon at its South Bay Pet Adoption Center, 12910 Yukon Ave., Hawthorne. "Foster parents" are needed to care for puppies and kittens that are too young to be adopted, as well as older dogs and cats with special needs. More information at spcaLA.com. (The L.A. Department of Animal Services offers a similar program for underage puppies and kittens; more information on that program is available at the department's website.)
Saturday, Jan. 9, the L.A. Department of Animal Services holds mobile pet-adoption events at downtown pet store Pussy & Pooch, 564 S. Main St., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; at Fred Hesse Jr. Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, 29301 Hawthorne Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and at AHF Pharmacy in West Hollywood, 8212 Santa Monica Blvd., from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. See photos of adoptable pets at the department's website….
Kids can find out why this giant African tarantula is important and totally cool. (Provided photo)
Hug a Bug classes at Seneca Park Zoo (click here)
January 13, 2010 Thursday and Friday: Seneca Park Zoo Hug a Bug. Thursday from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and Friday from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Classes for kids 4, 5 and 6 years old. Come meet some misunderstood creatures: the bugs! Kids learn who these little guys are and why they are so incredibly important and totally cool!In addition, classes include visits from live animals, biofact discoveries and 
