Zoos
The Wildlife Can Be So Distracting Up Here!
Posted at 7:37 pm October 3, 2007 by Ronit Abramson
Ronit is the San Diego Zoo’s 2007 Arctic Ambassador. She and other teens from around the world are in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to partipate in Polar Bears International’s Polar Bear Leadership Camp.
Today’s weather stands in stark contrast to the rain from yesterday. The sun is high in the sky and horizon is lined with clouds, framing the clear blue sky elegantly. We took advantage of the beautiful weather to take two gorgeous trips out in the tundra buggies.
We left this morning to spend a couple of hours on the tundra. We saw a polar bear as well as several species of birds. We returned to the buggy to listen to a presentation by Michael Goodyear from the Northern Studies Research Center regarding the ringed seals, which is the primary prey of the polar bear. He described the natural habits of the seals and their reliance on the ice for birthing. Their “livelihood” is supporting the polar bear population and the Inuit community so their presence is crucial in the arctic biome.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/1460/
Animal Day debate: Should Manila Zoo be shut down?
By Allison Lopez, Tina Santos
Inquirer
Last updated 06:48am (Mla time) 10/04/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- As the world observes Animal Day on Thursday, a debate rages on whether the Manila Zoo should be shut down.
With more than 700 creatures crammed inside the facility, the country’s oldest and one of the region’s first, rights groups are calling for its closure and protesting the alleged mistreatment of the creatures penned inside.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said the zoo animals should be returned to the wild -- their natural habitat -- because most of them exhibited “zoochosis,” a condition where animals are driven “mad” by captivity.
As concern for the residents of the Manila Zoo mounts, animal lovers elsewhere celebrate this day with fund-raising and information campaigns and other special events.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view_article.php?article_id=92417
Louisville Zoo - World's Largest Halloween Party
Location:Louisville Zoo
Start Date: Thursday, October 18, 2007
End Date: Sunday, October 21, 2007
Time: Varies - See Event Details
Event Details:
If scary is no fun for your little one, then don’t miss the sweetest party in town. Join the Louisville Zoo for an evening of not-too-scary Halloween fun for the whole family with costumed characters and fanciful storybook scenes all over the Zoo.
Plus there’s trick-or-treating for kids 11-and-under, the Halloween Express Train ride and more!
Time:
- Thursdays and Fridays - 5 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- Saturdays and Sundays - 4 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
For Additional Information:
Call 459-2181 or visit:
http://www.louisvillezoo.org/events/halloween.htm
Zoo to celebrate 100-year anniversary this weekend
by Ashley Bailey, The Eureka Reporter, 10/3/2007
Morgan Millard brought her 10-month-old son, Michael, to the Sequoia Park Zoo on Wednesday, as her mother brought her many times while growing up in Humboldt County.
As with many other area residents, trips to the zoo became a tradition for Millard and her family.
This weekend will mark 100 years since the zoo opened its doors to the public in 1907.
“It’s unique that such a small community has such a quality zoo,” said Gretchen Ziegler, Sequoia Park Zoo manager.
The Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation will host events this weekend for the centennial celebration.
Melinda Booth, development director of the Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation, said proceeds from the celebration will benefit new improvements to the zoo.
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=29119
Binghamton Zoo to open a new coral reef exhibit
The Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park will formally open its newest attraction this week: a coral reef exhibit will open this Saturday.
Representatives of the Southern Tier Reef Society will be on hand to discuss the exhibit along with information about the conservation of this vanishing habitat, as well as offer tips on how to develop and maintain your own salt water aquarium in your home.
Coral reefs are made up of millions of tiny animals and many of the other animals living in and around these reefs look much more like plants or rocks. Found in tropical waters around the world, coral reefs are under serious threat by pollution, changing water levels, rising ocean temperatures and illegal harvesting. All of the residents of the zoo's tank were raised in captivity. There are dozens of species of coral and other invertebrates along with several species of fish that inhabit the coral reefs around the world in this active new exhibit.
http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071004/LIFESTYLE/710040308/1004/LIFESTYLE
Special notice
EDITORIAL
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
THERE ARE two public institutions in Pueblo which rate special notice, the Pueblo Zoo and the City-County Library District.
The zoo once again has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The zoo operation first earned AZA accreditation in 1992.
Accreditation is granted by the AZA after a rigorous investigation of all aspects of a zoo’s operation, including everything from animal care and conservation efforts to financial stability and educational programs.
Accreditation enables the Pueblo Zoo to acquire animals, especially endangered species, that are on display and attempt to breed - species like the lesser slow loris, African black-footed penguins and Asian wild horses. The AZA support also gives the local zoo more credibility when it applies for grant money.
http://www.chieftain.com/editorial/1190960703/1
I’ve seen them in zoos in San Diego
http://rantsand.blogspot.com/2007/09/glo…
I got braced by a global warming alarmist on the street the other day, who wanted to know if I liked polar bears.
“Uh, not in my neighborhood.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said I don’t want polar bears in my neighborhood. They eat people.”
“Oh but I mean in the Arctic. Global warming is destroying their habitat and they’re in danger of extinction.”
“How is global warming going to threaten polar bears? I’ve seen them in zoos as far south as San Diego and they looked just fine to me.”
She on the other hand, looked upset. “Global warming is threatening all life on earth!” she said accusingly, as if it were somehow my fault…
“Listen, I’m a little busy right now but I’d be happy to speak to you at length another time - if you can answer me a few questions.”…
Hoo-ah!
http://tjic.com/?p=7285
Polar Bear on the Beach
Posted at 8:36 pm September 30, 2007 by Ronit Abramson
Ronit is the San Diego Zoo’s 2007 Arctic Ambassador. She and other teens from around the world are in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to partipate in Polar Bears International’s Polar Bear Leadership Camp. See her previous blog, My International Polar Bear Adventure Begins.
Hello, (finally!) from Churchill, Manitoba-
Today we flew as a group to Churchill. For some this was incredibly exciting as it was their first plane ride of the whole trip (namely the students from Manitoba), and for some it was their first plane ride in which they didn’t lose their luggage, miss a connection, or didn’t have to fly solo. So it was a good flight!
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/polar-bear-on-the-beach/
My International Polar Bear Adventure Begins
Posted at 6:38 am September 29, 2007 by Ronit Abramson
Ronit is the San Diego Zoo’s 2007 Arctic Ambassador. She and other teens from around the world are in Churchill, Manitoba,
Canada, to partipate in Polar Bears International’s Polar Bear Leadership Camp.
Greetings from Canada! Everyone is finally here, and Polar Bear Leadership Camp has officially begun. The jitters about meeting everyone are long gone, and although conversations were halting and unsure at first, we now talk about everything from politics to sports at a mile a minute…or 1.609 kilometers a minute, now that we are in Canada. I have to admit that the biggest culture shock for me has been the switch to the metric system. I really appreciate the ease of measuring with metrics because we use it in science classes in the USA, but I am still somewhat unsure about measuring temperature in Celsius. For example, the temperature here in Winnipeg has been around 27 degrees, which I expected to be cold, forgetting that in Celsius, 27 degrees is hot! But I am adjusting; I am beginning to do all my measurements in metrics, now that I have been here for three days. The majority of the camp is in metrics so I am learning quickly and I hope to be completely “fluent” by the end of camp!
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/an-international-polar-bear-adventure-begins/
Satch Krantz began his career at Riverbanks in 1973 and has served as its executive director since 1976, making him one of the longest serving zoo directors in the nation.
During his career, Krantz has served as president of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Krantz is one of only three American zoo directors that has served as president of both of these organizations. He is currently slated to once again serve as AZA president in 2008, making him the first zoo director to serve two presidential terms since WWII.
Krantz has been heavily involved in the community Riverbanks serves. He is a past president of the board of Palmetto Richland Children's Hospital and the Columbia Rotary Club. He has also served as president of the Clemson University Board of Visitors and the University of South Carolina University Associates and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the River Alliance, the Children’s Hospital and the AZA.
In 1995 he received the Woodrow Wilson Award for Regional Cooperation from the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce and in 2002 he was given the International Ambassador of the Year Award by the Committee of 100. He received the Global Vision Award by the World Affairs Council in 2005.
Throughout his career, Krantz has traveled extensively, including thirteen safaris to six different African countries. In February 2002, he walked 120 miles across Tsavo National Park in Kenya, which was only the second time anyone had ever walked the Park's entire length.
Krantz is a native of Columbia, South Carolina and a graduate of Clemson University. He and his wife Becky are the proud parents of two grown sons.
http://www.riverbanks.org/mediacenter/includes/execbio_satch.htm
Award: Zoo praised for its iguana breeding program
The Indianapolis Zoo's efforts to raise and care for rare Jamaican iguanas has earned it an Edward H. Bean Award.
The zoo has used artificial incubation and other efforts to ensure the success of its captive breeding program, which so far has produced more than 20 iguanas.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums presents the Bean Award annually, according to a news release, in recognition of efforts in long-term management and husbandry of various animal species in accredited zoos and aquariums.
The award was established in 1956, honoring Edward H. Bean, the first director of the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.
-- Star report
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/LOCAL/709300365/1196
Preserve parks
Chicago has the Field Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute, as well as two zoos plus myriad other institutions and museums. This begs the question: Why have a children's museum at all? Why not expose children to the real thing in the hope it will inspire them?
Mayor Richard M. Daley has considered a congestion tax similar to the one in London and the one New York City is considering. A children's museum in Grant Park will only add to congestion as children will need to be driven there in school buses or cars.
The mayor hasn't been paying too much attention because he seems unaware of the antiquated CTA and the unbridled growth in the Loop. Public transportation simply doesn't serve parts of the city.
Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) is correct in trying to preserve green space; if there must be another museum, don't place it in Grant Park (perhaps there is space in the Cultural Center?). Our parks are the crown jewels of Chicago and need to be preserved.
Peter W. Broido
Chicago
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/news_opinion_letters/2007/09/preserve-parks.html
Panda Politics
China Makes Endangered Animal More Difficult to Obtain
For decades China has given or loaned highly endangered pandas to foreign countries as goodwill gestures, but now the Chinese quietly have ended the tradition.
Even though the panda population is larger than what it was in the 1970s, the Chinese government is more protective than ever of its national treasure.
Now, zoos are paying a hefty price to borrow the cuddly creatures. The giant panda has become a cash cow for the Chinese government.
China now offers 10-year giant panda loans to zoos that meet certain standards and can contribute to panda research. Zoos in the United States have paid as much as $1 million annually for the adorable attractions.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3671210
BRONX ZOO'S FIRST BABY PANDA BRED IN CAPTIVITY
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x33q8k_bronx-zoos-first-baby-panda-bred-in_fun
ADI: Zoo chimpanzee shooting raises questions.
Monday, 01 Oct 2007 13:46
On Saturday 29th September, two chimpanzees, Coco and Jonnie, escaped from their enclosure at Whipsnade Safari Park. Neither animal was believed by the zoo to be dangerous. There was a pursuit. Coco was recaptured. Jonnie was shot. A zoo spokesman stated: “No staff or members of the public were injured. But in the interests of public safety Jonnie was shot. That is normal practice if a chimp cannot be recaptured. But at no stage was the safety of our visitors at risk.”
It gives a chilling take on the war movie cliché “Anyone caught trying to escape will be shot.”
Tim Phillips, Campaigns Director Animal Defenders International: “Chimpanzees are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, sharing over 98% of our DNA. Some scientists have even proposed that chimps be included in the same genus as us humans – that they be reclassified as Homo troglodytes.
http://www.politics.co.uk/press-releases/opinion-former-index/animal-welfare/adi-zoo-chimpanzee-shooting-raises-questions-$479172.htm
Clean Water Maze opens at Hands On
Monday, Oct 01, 2007 - 01:48 PM
By Special Contribution
Hands On! Museum will open a new feature exhibit, the Clean Water Maze, Saturday, Oct. 6.
Museum visitors will enter the maze, be transformed into a drop of water, and journey through different watershed habitats. At each decision point within the maze, they will spin a wheel to determine their next destination. Clean selections lead to new rooms featuring rivers, lakes, streams, wetlands, estuaries, bays, and oceans within the water cycle, while landing on pollutants will send them to an urban storm drain and an unhealthy ocean. But the journey doesn’t end there. These "water drops" can evaporate, condensate, precipitate and start again.
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news/education.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-10-01-0033.html
Must be something in the air as fourth baby Bongo arrives at zoo
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
By Linda McKee
Belfast Zoo's baby boom continues with the birth of four Eastern Bongos - an unusual striped antelope.
Three of the babies were born in August and September, but keepers arrived at the zoo yesterday to discover that a fourth infant had made its debut.
The babies were born to mothers Holly, Winnie, Willa and Fern after their nine-month pregnancies and all four were fathered by Embu, the resident male, who is on loan from Chester Zoo. The four new arrivals bring the zoo's bongo population to eleven.
The animals can be recognised by their striking reddish brown coats, white stripes and long, slightly spiral horns, which appear in both males and females. The animals can grow up to 250cm, with a shoulder height of 130cm.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3019111.ece
Wildlife Safari hangs onto accreditation following evaluation
Wildlife Safari has retained its accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums after questions had been raised about whether the Winston park could maintain its status with the Maryland-based organization.
Dan Van Slyke, Wildlife Safari’s executive director, and other park officials met last week with the association’s 12-member accreditation commission during the group’s annual conference in Philadelphia. They answered questions and discussed improvements made at Wildlife Safari since an AZA evaluator visited the park a couple of months ago.
Van Slyke said he was pleased and relieved that Wildlife Safari retained its accreditation through the end of the current 5-year period, which expires in September 2010.
“That’s a big statement, coming from them,” Van Slyke said. “Losing our accreditation would have been a big setback.”
http://www.oregonnews.com/article/20071002/NEWS/71002007
Zoo's most recent penguin chicks are males
Posted by Pedro Ramirez III October 02, 2007 11:27AM
Categories: Breaking News, City News, Entertainment News
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo announced today that the two penguin chicks that hatched in August are males. The zoo staff has named the chicks Sergio and Cuzco.
Zoo officials say Sergio and Cuzco could help provide mates for several captive female penguins at other zoos across the country.
"The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is poised to make an extremely positive impact on the Humboldt penguin population," says Ted Fox, curator.
The two chicks hatched on August 7 and August 10. The chicks are expected to join the rest of the colony in the main exhibit in early November.
http://blog.syracuse.com/news/2007/10/zoos_most_recent_penguin_chick.html
The lucky devils: Safe haven for an island icon
They're vicious, ugly and smelly – and endangered by a mysterious disfiguring disease. But that hasn't deterred Australians from rushing to the aid of the Tasmanian devil, in an ambitious project that has been compared to Noah's Ark. Kathy Marks reports on a extraordinary evacuation
Published: 03 October 2007
Less cuddly than the koala, less quirky than the kangaroo, the Tasmanian devil is not everyone's cup of tea. But the rare carnivorous marsupials, known for their blood-curdling yowls and their insatiable appetite for wombat carrion, may not be around for much longer.
A mysterious facial tumour disease is devastating the devil population, found only in Tasmania, the island state off the Australian mainland. Numbers have halved in a decade, and the fierce black furry creatures face extinction in the wild within 10 to 20 years unless a cure is found. There may be as few as 20,000 left.
Scientists are trying to preserve the species by sending a "Noah's Ark" population of healthy animals to zoos and sanctuaries on the mainland. Institutions in Europe and the US are also expected to play a part in Project Ark, aimed at conserving the creatures and, if possible, releasing them back into the wild if and when the disease is eliminated.
A total of 48 devils have been relocated to zoos around Australia, and four devils have been born at a Queensland wildlife park participating in the project. The size of a grain of rice at birth, they were the first babies produced under the captive breeding programme.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article3021346.ece
Wildlife Safari accredited and stands among elite 25 zoos in the nation
By Warren Wells
Wildlife Safari is among the top 25 zoos in America as it retains its accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The process of being accredited happens every five years and after the last go-around, the AZA found some potential problems at the park but they were all addressed and the Winston drive-through park passed with flying colors.
Wildlife Safari Executive Director Dan Van Slyke says, ''But what's really significant is, with this new accreditation being re-established, we're able to move forward now and get a lot of the excess baggage behind us and really move forward with the confidence that we have this entire association behind us.''
The new animal curator at the safari, Dan Brand, says they went through a detailed process.
http://www.kpic.com/news/local/10209786.html
UK Travel
Half term fun on the Isle of Wight
Oct 03, 2007
Want to pack your vacation with a lot of fun and robust activities of your choice? The best way to do this is to set out on a trip to one of UK's Islands. For an involved family holiday, no other place than UK has so much to offer for every taste and budget, especially during half term. Each one of UK's Islands are packed with walks and zoos, theme parks and manor houses to get the best of your holiday.
During this October half term between 22nd and 28th of October, Isle Wight can provide gardens, Historic homes, Halloween themed events like Harry-potter themed wizard, steam train rides, zoos and aviaries besides a range of family events like fancy dress.
Fans of history can visit the Needles Old Battery to explore some of the age-old defence techniques from this famous Victorian military base.
On October 25th, National Trust's Mottistone Manor Garden is to provide family outdoor explorations with garden trails and fun activities.
Between October 22nd and 27th, Appuldurcombe is to provide Halloween adventures at 18th-century baroque house boasting of owl centre, falconry, landscape gardens, and self-catering accommodation.
The historic theme park, Blackgang Chine, is to organize gruesome story telling and ghost walks on 25th and 26th of October. The other attractions at the park are hedge maze, hall of mirrors, roller coaster, and 100-meter boat slide. Visitors are surely to get a real good time here.
http://news.ebookers.com/news/half-term-fun-on-the-isle-of-wight/160/
Baby croc prompts zoo sex shock
A zoo in Lancashire was surprised to find a new addition to their reptile collection - a tiny baby yacare caiman.
The keepers at Blackpool Zoo had thought the two 10-year-old animals in the enclosure were both female - but nature proved them wrong.
It is notoriously difficult to identify the gender of the yacare caiman - a South American member of the crocodile family - a zoo spokeswoman said.
Staff at the zoo have not yet named the eight-inch youngster.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/lancashire/7017580.stm
Limassol zoo needs facelift, Ecozoo ideal solution for Cyprus
28/09/2007
COMMENT: By Patricia Radnor Kyriacou
Last week’s Opinion dealt with the archaic restrictions imposed on The Mall of Cyprus (and on other shopping outlets) with regard to opening hours. The situation has parallels with another outdated way of thinking that still prevails in Cyprus: the mindless habit of importing large exotic animals and incarcerating them in cages for the rest of their lives in Limassol Zoo, a loss-making, unlicensed entity that leaks away taxpayers’ money.
The Mall of Cyprus is a first for the island. The proposed Ecozoo for Limassol would be the first of its kind anywhere. Limassol zoo has been operating without a license, in breach of the EU Zoos Directive 22/1999 for the past four years. Former Agriculture Minister Timis Efthymiou acknowledged this. The Ministry agreed that the facilities could never comply with the Directive and must therefore, in accordance with the legislation, be closed down.
This breakthrough, achieved by a lobbying campaign conducted by the NGO Animal Responsibility Cyprus (ARC/Kivotos) was followed by the much publicised airlifting of the two long-suffering brown bears to a Hungarian sanctuary. This humane move was funded by the World Society for the Protection of Animals – a global charity that works with more than 800 member organisations, including ARC, in over 147 countries to raise the standards of animal welfare throughout the world. The bears went with the blessing of the mayor, the Ministry and the government Veterinary Services, and good publicity was generated for Limassol with Sky News covering the event and broadcasting it widely.
http://www.financialmirror.com/more_news.php?id=8410&nt=Politics
Sep 28, 2007
Riverside students visit the Bronx Zoo butterfly exhibit
Jackson Rubich and Nicholas Plants study types of butterflies at the Bronx Zoo.
The Riverside School second grade class recently visited the Bronx Zoo on a field trip to see the Butterfly Exhibit.
The field trip complemented the first science unit of the year in which the students studied the lifecycle of the Monarch Butterfly in class. The students, supervised by teachers and parent chaperones, were also able to have free time to see other areas of the zoo, have their brown-bagged lunch, and ride the Bug Carousel.
“The students all enjoyed themselves and the exhibit at the zoo was the perfect culmination for this science unit,” said Jennifer Prieto, a second grade teacher. “Many of the students also saw the reptiles, which we will be studying later in the year.”
The day was also a cost effective outing for the four sections of 80 students in the second grade; every Wednesday, admission to the Bronx Zoo is free.
http://www.acorn-online.com/news/publish/greenwich/23238.shtml
Two zoo cubs captured after brief escape
By ANTIGONE BARTON
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 28, 2007
Black bear cubs Kiona and Tehya worked both hard and smart to earn their brief foray into freedom, but the world outside their exhibit at the Palm Beach Zoo was daunting.
The sisters were discovered on top of their exhibit around 8:30 Thursday morning, after they squeezed their hundred-pound bodies through a gap they created by painstakingly stretching the cable holding two sides of the enclosure together.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/09/28/s9b_cubs_0928.html
Video Profile of Bronx Zoo’s Green Restrooms
Posted on September 28th, 2007 in Green Building, New York City, The Bronx by Stephen
Earlier this summer, host Vanessa Rae and RiverWired’s Pulse profiled the Bronx Zoo’s new eco-friendly restrooms, which we’ve written about previously at gbNYC. The video does a great job of presenting the details behind the restrooms- which, according to Crain’s, feature eighteen composting toilets that cost $250,000 each- and describing exactly how the fixtures function, conserve energy, and interface with an adjacent graywater garden. As Ms. Rae points out, the U.S. quietly flushes 100 billion tons of solid waste and 32 billion gallons of water daily. Though not the sexiest of green building measures, efficient wastewater management is a powerful ally in the battle against environmental degradation.
http://www.greenbuildingsnyc.com/?p=315
It's All Happening at the Zoo
The Zoological Society of San Diego redefined its corporate culture with its new employee performance management system.
Appraisals are consistently completed on time.
Managers are more motivated and accountable.
The organization is focused and goal driven.
Retention and recruiting of skilled employees is improved.
Implementation won praise and recognition from the board of trustees.
Company Profile
The not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego operates the 100-acre San Diego Zoo, the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park and the department of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES). The Zoological Society, dedicated to the conservation of endangered species and their habitats, engages in conservation and research work around the globe.
The Society has existed for 90 years as a not-for-profit organization. However, in 2006 the Society will bring in approximately 100 million dollars in revenue for the first time. This level of revenue drove the society to re-evaluate its old practices and to create a new strategic plan that would modernize their way of doing business. One of the key elements of the new plan was a focus on employee accountability. To achieve accountability, the Society made use of Halogen eAppraisal, the latest employee performance management (EPM) technology, to establish consistent reviews containing individual goals that were aligned with those of the organization and to build a pay-for-performance culture.
http://www.halogensoftware.com/customers/case-studies/services-manufacturing/study_sandiegozoo.php
Zoo wins plaudits for education, conservation
By MARK DAVIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/28/07
A program with roots in China recently won accolades in Philadelphia for Zoo Atlanta. At the same time, the zoo's turtle expert was also recognized for his work.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, meeting earlier this month at its annual convention, gave the zoo's education team the 2007 Education Award. It was the first time the zoo won the award.
Also, Dwight Lawson, the zoo's senior vice president of collections, education and conservation, won the International Conservation Award for his work in Asian turtle conservation.
The zoo won the education prize for its role in creating the Academy for Conservation Training, a China-based program that teaches representatives of Chinese zoos the best ways to promote wildlife awareness and conservation in China, home of the giant panda.
Since its creation in 2006, the academy has graduated specialists from 27 Chinese zoos. The nation has 218 accredited zoos.
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/09/28/zoo_0928.html
Rare tiger cub on show at Fuengirola zoo
By: thinkSPAIN
Visitors to Fuengirola zoo can now view a female Sumatra tiger cub that was born three months ago. It and its mother are being exhibited in a compound designed to resemble the ruins of Angkor Temple in Cambodia.
According to a zoo spokesman, the birth was the result of one of 35 European captive reproduction schemes currently being undertaken at the centre, the aim of which is to safeguard species in extreme danger of extinction.
The Sumatra tiger is the smallest of the six surviving species of tiger still in existence and is included on the Nature Conservation Union's Red List of Endangered Species, classified as "critically threatened."
It is estimated that fewer than 400 Sumatra tigers exist in the wild and their future is being threatened by illegal poachers owing to the growing demand for their bones, which are used in traditional Asian medicine, while their natural habitat and hunting grounds are being lost to deforestation.
http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/13824
Zoo Vet:Endangered Animals Roars Into Retail For The Holiday
Authored by Surida on 2007-09-29 01:04:24 AM
This interactive exploration of veterinary medicine is the follow-up to 2005’s Zoo Vet, which earned the Parent’s Choice Seal of Approval, sold more than 250,000 copies and inspired the Washington Times to note: “Zoo Vet provides the perfect balance of learning, interaction in real-life situations and honing logic skills to make it one of the best animal-care simulations on the market.”
“We’re proud to announce that a portion of the proceeds from sales of Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals will benefit the African Wildlife Foundation, which supplied some incredible content, including more than 80 gorgeous photos for the Andrew’s Album feature of the game,” says Legacy Interactive CEO Ariella Lehrer. The leading international conservation organization focused solely on Africa, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has played a major role in ensuring the continued existence of some of Africa’s most rare and treasured species. “We are very happy to be associated with Zoo Vet: Endangered Animals and Legacy Interactive,” notes AWF CEO Patrick Bergin.
http://www.spawnpoint.com/feature/656/Zoo_Vet:Endangered_Animals_Roars_Into_Retail_For_The_Holiday
Animals at the zoo gain weight from eating processed foods
Posted: Sep 28th 2007 10:07PM
by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Health in the MediaHeavily processed foods have been blamed for the ever-expanding waistlines of the human population, as well as a number of health problems. But humans aren't the only ones affected by how our food is made. According to this article, animals at the zoo in Seoul, Korea, have become so overweight from their diet of processed foods that they are going on a strict diet.
I think this is very unfortunate -- it's one thing for humans to cause their own health problems by giving into their cravings, but it's another when harmless animals are being fed junk food when they're helpless to do anything about it -- especially because it probably boils down to the zookeepers being too frugal to purchase real foods for the animals.
http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/09/28/animals-at-the-zoo-gain-weight-from-eating-processed-foods/
Addax an important addition to zoo and to the species' existence
Published 9/28/2007
The birth of a critically endangered antelope calf at the zoo last Saturday has staff and visitors smiling.¬ The newborn, an addax, is native to the Sahara Desert in Africa.¬ The parents of the 17-pound male youngster are a 10-year-old male owned by Lee Richardson Zoo and a female on loan to us from the St. Louis Zoo.¬ The pairing was recommended by the Addax Species Survival Plan committee, which oversees breeding programs for this critically endangered species.¬ The parents both arrived at the zoo late last year, and judging by the nine-month gestation within the 10 months they have been together, hit it off right away.
http://www.gctelegram.com/News/140958
New Dubai Zoo project not scrapped, clarifies official
By Joy Sengupta
29 September 2007
DUBAI — The Dubai Municipality has categorically declared that the new Dubai Zoo project at DubaiLand has not been scrapped. Rashad Bukhash, Director of the General Projects Department at the Dubai Municipality, said the project, which boasts of the construction of the biggest zoo in the region with all facilities and different features, is very much in the pipeline.
Earlier, there have been reports that the project is being scrapped. The present zoo is situated in Jumeirah and houses around 1,200 animals, raising
concerns that it is overcrowded. It has also been under the scanner of prominent animal welfare groups like PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals).
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2007/September/theuae_September745.xml§ion=theuae&col=
continued...
Thursday, October 04, 2007
N.C. Zoo expanding elephant herd
Media Credit: Courtesy of Tom Gillespie
Zookeeper Jackie Buck gives a cool drink of water to Samantha, an African elephant who arrived at the N.C. Zoo on Sunday evening.
Zookeeper Jackie Buck gives a cool drink of water to Samantha, an African elephant who arrived at the N.C. Zoo on Sunday evening.
The N.C. Zoo in Asheboro welcomed the latest addition to its elephant herd on Sunday.Samantha, 19, arrived shortly after sunrise. She was trucked from the Valley Zoo in Edmonton, Canada, to participate in the N.C. Zoo's captive breeding program.Communications Director Rod Hackney said the N.C. Zoo is one of the few in the country that is actively expanding its elephant herd.Although the N.C. Zoo is expecting an additional three elephants during the next month, Hackney said that many zoos, such as the Bronx Zoo, are choosing to discontinue their elephant programs.He explained that the reductions are a result of updated regulations from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, intended to ensure the welfare of elephants.The N.C. Zoo reaction was to undergo an $8.5 million expansion of its rhinoceros and elephant enclosure. The upgrade will expand the area from 3.5 acres to 7 acres and will include a $2.5 million elephant barn, complete with heated floors, an in-roof sprinkler system for showering the animals and closed-circuit TV systems to monitor them remotely....
Morning Papers - continued...
Zoos
House Bonding Committee Tours DECC, Lake Superior Zoo
Lawmakers rounded out their tour of Northland projects at the Lake Superior Zoo. Last year, $400,000 with a $200,000 matching side was appropriated, to update the polar bear exhibit. But not, in light of Bubba the polar bear dying, and the dire need to get the zoo back to its national accreditation, the city is requesting the same money to be used to improve the entire zoo.
Before that stop, the group ate lunch at the DECC, and was briefed on the importance of the expansion there. The request for the 2008 bonding bill is over $40 million, which is up from last year's, due to construction inflation. They also heard about millions for the state's ports, at the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S209994.shtml?cat=10349
Fresno's Chaffee Zoo Celebrating Successful Season
Despite the death of several stingrays
By Corin Hoggard
09/28/2007 - Attendance is up 28% this summer over last summer. They credit better weather, better marketing and the visiting stingray exhibit for the jump. But there's now a problem with that exhibit.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5680947
Dutch zoo breeds own jellyfish
by MT Bureau - September 29, 2007 - 0 comments
Arnhem,
Netherlands -- Marine biologists at a Dutch zoo say they have succeeded in the difficult task of breeding jellyfish in captivity.
Max Janse, head of the marine area inside Burgers' Zoo, said adult jellyfish have a very short lifespan and are almost impossible to import.
Breeding jellyfish is also very difficult. The process developed at the zoo involves a series of breeding tanks for different stages of the life cycle. Janse said creating a real ocean environment is also crucial.
The jellyfish start out as small polyps, then change into red larvae and finally become small transparent jellyfish.
"When you keep jellyfish you have to keep 'reading' the animals," he told Radio Netherlands. "You also have to have a lot of patience and be willing to continually adapt your strategy."
http://www.themoneytimes.com/news/20070929/dutch_zoo_breeds_own_jellyfish-id-1010357.html
Fiberglass caterpillar joins other bugs in zoo garden
By LAURA STEVENS
lstevens@journalandcourier.com
Lafayette Columbian Park Zoo now proudly displays an 11-foot-long fiberglass caterpillar sculpture in the center of its Wal-Mart Butterfly Garden.
The caterpillar joins existing butterfly and ladybug sculptures, all donated by the Wal-Mart Supercenter on County Road 350 South.
"The caterpillar completes the trio," Claudine Laufman, zoo director, said of the new addition to the garden.
The long-awaited molding posed a challenge for donors. This is the second caterpillar created for the zoo.
The first caterpillar broke in half before its arrival.
http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070929/NEWS/709290327/-1/RSS
Zoo welcomes millionth visitor
By Staff reporter
MILESTONE: Mark was the millionth visitor this year
ONE family had a million reasons to celebrate when they visited Chester Zoo.
Dad Andrew Hawkins was overjoyed when son Mark, became the one millionth visitor to pass through the zoo gates this year.
Characters from this year's forthcoming zoo Frost Fair were on hand to welcome the family and present Mark, from Ormskirk, Lancashire, with a cuddly toy and animal adoption.
The milestone also caused celebrations for the zoo as the number of visitors reached the millionth visitor mark a month earlier than last year.
http://www.thisiswirral.co.uk/display.var.1722490.0.zoo_welcomes_millionth_visitor.php
Both pandas now on show at Madrid zoo
By: thinkSPAIN
The female of the pair of pandas loaned by the Chinese government to Madrid Zoo Aquarium is now ready to deal with the huge crowds expected this weekend to see the two bears together since their arrival two weeks ago.
Hua Zui Ba (Coloured Mouth) has taken a bit longer than Bing Xing (Ice Star) to adapt to her new environment, mainly because she is a bit younger, explain keepers at the zoo, who went on to say that "we've been gradually opening up the enclosure to the public during this week and she has reacted very well."
The two pandas will stay in Madrid for at least ten years and it is hoped that Hua Zui Ba, who is four years old and at peak fertility, will be persuaded to mate with Bing Xing (photo) and reproduce. The problem, however, is that female pandas are only in heat once every spring and the ovulation period, only during which is it possible for them to conceive, lasts barely two days.
There have been no pandas in Madrid since the death of Chu Lin in April 1996.
http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/13829
Hummingbirds join zoo's display
September 29, 2007
BY BILL LAITNER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Hummingbirds are back at the Detroit Zoo.
After a 6-year absence, the tiny birds again are streaking through the Butterfly House.
They can fly as fast as 50 m.p.h., and the zoo's five new ones made a speedy hit with visitors Thursday.
Colleen Schroeder, 33, of Royal Oak, with her children Weston, 3 1/2 , and Anna, 18 months, peered through a maze of foliage and flitting butterflies for the birds.
"Look up," said zoo gallery guide Sue Tower of Huntington Woods, a retired elementary school teacher.
So mother and kids craned their necks to spot the high-speed aerialists. The Schroeders are zoo regulars, and Weston already knows several types of butterflies, "but now he can learn about the hummingbirds," his mother said.
The Detroit Zoo's last hummingbird died in 2001. The newcomers, natives of Peru, arrived last month by way of Quebec.
They had lived in cages at an aviary that has closed, and they're loving their new freedom to fly, said Tom Schneider, curator of birds at the zoo. .
"We were concerned about their stamina, but they're doing really well," Schneider said.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070929/NEWS05/709290336
Ailing Elephant Left in Isolation at Edmonton Zoo - Write City Council visit site
Animals
Yesterday, the Valley Zoo sent Samantha to a US zoo on a minimum 5 year breeding loan. The move has left Lucy, a wild-caught Asian elephant alone at the Valley Zoo. This leaves Lucy to languish alone, contrary to accredited zoo standards and Albert
http://www.care2.com/news/member/525884267/495671
Free Pregolja-Lonely Elephant Imprisoned in Russian Zoo vi
Pregolja is a female Asian elephant who lives at the Kaliningrad Zoo in Russia. She was born in this zoo in 1970 and has lived there ever since. She has spent 37 years of her life inside the same small and barren enclosure surrounded by rusty steel and
http://www.care2.com/news/member/525884267/495161
From The Sunday Times
September 30, 2007
London Zoo in the good old days: historic archive goes online
THE photographic archive of London Zoo, one of the world’s most important such collections, is to be published for the first time, with the pictures offered for sale to fund conservation, writes Holly Watt.
From tomorrow, the Zoological Society of London will place photographs on its website. These will include elephants walking through docks in Camden, north London, and a tiger cub pictured in 1914 with a disgruntled-looking peccary, a pig-like animal from South America.
In another photograph, two zookeepers trim an elephant’s feet and, from 1920, there is a snapshot of a llama pulling a cart holding a family of three.
In one image, almost 140 years old, a seal is lying sleepily on the lap of a zookeeper, while another from the 1860s shows an orangutan sitting on a stool.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2558257.ece
Needle in body for over six months, rhino dies in city zoo (Lots of Pop-Ups with this site)
Tenzing Lamsang
Posted online: Sunday , September 30, 2007 at 12:00:00
Updated: Sunday , September 30, 2007 at 12:36
New Delhi, September 29 Goyana, a seven-year-old female rhino at Delhi zoo, died on Saturday from heart infection eventually caused by a needle lodged in its body for over six months.
Zoo authorities blamed the death on a sedating attempt that went wrong when Goyana was at the San Diego zoo in the US, from which they obtained the animal through an exchange programme. It was brought to Delhi zoo this April.
Dr N Paneer Selvam, a vet at Delhi zoo, said the needle broke off from a drug-loaded dart San Diego zoo staff used on the rhino and lodged itself in a soft region of the neck. Vets there tried to remove it but failed.
Because of muscle movements, the needle made its way from the neck to the abdomen and caused infection in the anterior two of the rhino's four stomach bags, said Dr Selvam. He said that moving about in the stomach bags the needle pierced the heart and this led to pericarditis, or infection of the membrane surrounding the heart, from which the rhino died.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Needle-in-body-for-over-six-months-rhino-dies-in-city-zoo/222695/
San Diego Zoo is clearing way for $44 million project that also will be home to lions and jaguars
Source & © Jeanette Steele
The result will be a bigger home for the zoo's three elephants, plus a relocation of six Asian elephants from the zoo-owned Wild Animal Park near Escondido. Together, the nine elephants will have a 2.5-acre space with see-through barns that will allow vi
2007-09-29 - San Diego, United States
The San Diego Zoo has started demolishing 7 acres of old exhibits there to make way for Elephant Odyssey, the blockbuster $44 million project that will house elephants, lions and jaguars. In total, 10 percent of the zoos display area is off limits while bulldozers take out 50-year-old exhibits that once held giraffes, zebras and antelope. Construction will start early next year and last 18 months.
http://www.elephant-news.com/index.php?id=2794
Zoo talk to discuss jaguars, expanding Sonora reserve
Kate Nolan
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 29, 2007 07:56 AM
NORTHEAST VALLEY - Only four or five jaguars have been seen in Arizona in this century, according to Arizona Game and Fish biologist Bill Van Pelt.
Arizona is on the periphery of the range of the endangered Sonoran jaguar, but Arizonans can play a role in its recovery, Van Pelt said.
One way is to learn about them and contribute to their support at an Oct. 7 Phoenix Zoo event.
The fundraiser will be held 5-7 p.m. at the zoo's Stone House Pavilion in Phoenix.
Jaguar experts will talk about the need to expand the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sonora, Mexico.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0928sr-jaguar0929ON.html
The Jedi returns to Binghamton zoo
9/30/2007 5:47 PM
By: Web Staff
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- It was the Return of the Jedi-- well sort of.
Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2 and other characters from "Star Wars" joined the usual list of attractions at the zoo on Sunday. Fans from all across upstate New York came to Binghamton to help raise money for the zoo.
Though the "Star Wars" epic began in the '70s, the recently released movies have created a new generation of fans.
http://www.news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=121594
Lion goes crazy at the Naples Zoo
Samba the the Male lion at the Naples Zoo responds to the growl of a Tiger in a neighboring cage.
http://www.livevideo.com/video/trigirl/50B5581EE6664BC2BD08CB1FE50129BC/lion-goes-crazy-at-the-naples-.aspx
National Zoo Scientists Working to Save One of the World's Microscopic Species
The Smithsonian's National Zoo recently acquired 12,000 new animals-microscopic Elkhorn coral larvae harvested by National Zoo scientists in Puerto Rico. As part of an international collaborative program to raise the threatened species, National Zoo scientists hope to one day return the animals, once they are grown, to their wild ocean habitat.
In August, Zoo Reproductive Scientist Dr. Mary Hagedorn and Invertebrates Keeper Mike Henley traveled to Puerto Rico with marine scientists involved with SECORE (SExual COral REproduction) to collect and artificially inseminate coral. Hagedorn is pioneering the cyropreservation (freezing, storing and thawing) of coral sperm and eggs. Working in collaboration with SECORE, she is trying to create a genome resource bank, which will help preserve the genetic diversity of coral.
http://newsblaze.com/story/20070930165714tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html
Melbourne in worldwide fight to save the tiger
Steve Butcher
October 1, 2007
IMAGINE this tiger being trapped, shot or poisoned, then skinned, boned, chopped, broiled or ground to dust, simply for profit.
The tiger is rapidly facing extinction because of human appetite for its body parts and the forests that support it.
Melbourne Zoo's five Sumatran tigers, including its three cubs — now almost a year old — are a family crucial to an international captive breeding program and efforts to save the subspecies in the wild.
The zoo supports Fauna and Flora International in conservation efforts in Sumatra to preserve habitat for tigers, of which about 400 survive. Indonesia's other tigers — the Balinese and Javan — have become extinct. All funds, including $1000 raised by zoo staff who rattled tins outside the MCG after AFL club Richmond joined the fight, support efforts in Sumatra, where illegal logging and poaching are causing constant pressure.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fight-to-save-the-tiger/2007/09/30/1191090945543.html
Home-school children get zoo program
Starting Tuesday, Nashville Zoo will offer a new series of education programs designed for home-school children.
The programs are grouped into three age-appropriate programs and will be offered on the first Tuesday of each month (January 2008 will be offered on the second Tuesday).
These engaging programs encourage home-school students to learn about the importance of conservation by exploring the world of animals through animal presentations and artifacts.
* Animal Wrappers (for ages 4 to 8) features fur, feathers, skin, scales, exoskeletons and an overall introduction into animal classification.
* Surviving the Wild (for ages 9 to 13) explores diverse survival mechanisms in the animal kingdom. Kids will discover why turtles have shells, why bird beaks are so different, and more.
* Working With Wildlife (for ages 14 to 18) addresses animal-related careers and is designed specifically for middle school students. All programs are aligned with Tennessee State Standards.
The 45-minute programs cost $6 per student and include one chaperone with each group of students (one or more). Additional chaperones are $7 each.
Admission to Nashville Zoo is included with the program cost, putting the price in line with the zoo's education group rate policy.
For more information about the home school programs, please call the education department at (615) 833-1534 extension 142 or visit the zoo's Web site at www.nashvillezoo.org/homeschool.
Submitted by Jim Bartoo, public relations, Nashville Zoo.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/COMMUNITY/709300321
Family zoo package, New York City
Experience fall in New York City with Buckingham Hotel's Central Park Zoo package.
The family package includes a two-night stay for four in a deluxe suite, four tickets (two adults, two children) to the Central Park Zoo, two collectible stuffed animals from the zoo gift shop, and a family pack of afternoon snacks to take on your zoo trip.
The package costs $379 per night based on a two-night minimum and is subject to availability.
Book online at www.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/203572
Rare gator Mardi to 'treat' zoo visitors through Halloween
By MARGIE KACOHA
Daily News Staff Writer
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Being an alligator, Mardi is not likely to perform any tricks, but the rare reptile will remain at the Palm Beach Zoo through Halloween, looking like a huge white-chocolate treat.
The 9-foot, 250-pound alligator, visiting the Palm Beaches since June, was due back at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans at the end of September. But renovations continue at his Big Easy home, extending his stay at the bayou digs constructed just for him in West Palm Beach.
"He's very popular," zoo spokeswoman Gail Eaton said. "People ask for him. He's a rock star. School kids are crazy about him."
According to Eaton, the number of zoo visitors is up this summer compared with last year. August figures showed an increase of 46 percent over the same period in 2006. As the end of September approaches, figures indicate a 67 percent increase in attendance compared with September 2006.
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/Mardi0930.html
Foreign experts want to help TT zoo
Sunday, September 30 2007
The Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ZSTT) was represented at the recently convened Association of American Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) annual conference by the President, Gupte Lutchmedial and First Vice President, Ben de la Rosa.
The conference which saw representatives from all the member zoos and aquariums of the AZA from across the USA and Canada ran from the 17th to the 21st of September 2007. Attendees also included affiliates from institutions such as the ZSTT and the Cheetah Conservation Fund of Kenya and many other zoos and aquariums around the world.
In addition to the wealth of information transfer on modern zoo and aquarium management attendees were afforded the unique opportunity of meeting with and networking with most of the leaders in modern research and development of wildlife conservation and husbandry.
The ZSTT representatives took advantage of the occasion to forge alliances with key proponents of modern zoo construction and management. This will be critical to ensuring that the upgrade of the Emperor Valley Zoo benefits from new strategies and innovations in the housing and care of its collection of animals at the facility.
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,65103.html
Looking for Little Joe
Finding education, dedication at Franklin Park Zoo
By Sam Allis, Globe Columnist September 30, 2007
I'm looking through triple-pane glass at Little Joe. He was born in captivity, like virtually all zoo animals today, but I'm convinced he gets subliminal bursts of something more. Some vast somewhere he can't quite see. Call it a nostalgia for something that never was.
Joe sits inert, then lopes slowly across to another spot in the gorilla quarters. Chews on a piece of straw. Lies on his back and holds his ankles and stares up at the new roof and beyond. Locks eyes with you to take your measure and make you ponder, ever so briefly, the whole concept of zoos.
You know zoos are invaluable tools to educate us about the richness of life on earth. You see the delight of kids taking a gander at their first camel, which remains one of the damnedest looking things I've ever seen.
But despite the best efforts of excellent staff at the Franklin Park Zoo to provide a great environment for these guys, you can't miss the claustrophobia of it all for a great ape. Little Joe, remember, flew the coop because he wanted breathing room. He wanted more.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/30/looking_for_little_joe/
Oregon Zoo elephant Rose-Tu is pregnant
Posted by The Oregonian October 01, 2007 12:23PM
Rose-Tu is eating for two.
The Oregon Zoo announced today that its 13-year-old Asian elephant, Rose-Tu, is pregnant and should deliver a calf between Sept. 4 and 24, 2008.
Zookeepers figure she conceived between Dec. 4 and 6, 2006, when she was allowed to roam the elephant yard with Tusko, a 36-year-old bull the zoo acquired on a breeding loan in 2005.
"A baby," said Mike Keele, "signifies a major impact on the life of the herd. It's incredibly enriching."
Keele, the zoo's deputy director and a former elephant keeper, said visitors may not notice subtle changes in Rose-Tu as her pregnancy progresses. Mammary glands near her front legs have grown a little, but otherwise she looks about as she always does.
Rose-Tu was the last elephant born at the zoo. Since 1962, when Packy was born, the zoo has has added 27 calves to the dwindling population.
In the past few years, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has encouraged its members, including the Oregon Zoo, to step up breeding programs to balance a captive population that is aging and declining.
If all goes well with Rose-Tu, Keele said, the zoo may try next spring to breed Tusko with Chendra, also 13.
--Katy Muldoon
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/10/oregon_zoo_elephant_rosetu_is.html
'Unseen' images found in London Zoo archive -
Monday 1st October 2007
Chris Cheesman
An historic album of London Zoo photographs, which has been digitally restored for online viewing, contains images 'never seen' before, a spokeswoman has revealed to Amateur Photographer.
http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Unseen_images_found_in_London_Zoo_archive_news_146811.html
Zoo World Celebrating Customers With $1 Admission
Posted: 6:38 AM Oct 1, 2007
Last Updated: 7:47 PM Oct 1, 2007
Reporter: Elyse Molstad
Email Address: elyse.molstad@wjhg.com
Zoo World is lowering admission prices this weekend to say thanks to all its' supporters.
More than 7,500 people came out Saturday for this weekend's annual Zoobilee.
The event drops the zoo's admission price to only a $1, regular admission starts at $9.95.
This year visitors got to try their hand at the dunking booth and get photographed with some of the zoo's most exotic animals.
Zoo World is a non-profit educational facility. Zoobilee will continue Sunday from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m
http://www.wjhg.com/news/headlines/10141471.html
3rd polar bear arrives in Pittsburgh from Ohio zoo
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - Koda Rogers and Nuka McFeely have a new friend.
Marty, their fellow polar bear, has moved in.
Marty made the trip from the Toledo Zoo in Ohio on Thursday, joining the other two furry white males at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
But visitors will have to wait to see the latest addition to Pittsburgh's polar bear population.
Zoo officials say animals often become stressed when moved around. To reduce the tension, Marty will stay behind-the-scenes for about a month getting to know his new digs and caretakers.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20071001_ap_3rdpolarbeararrivesinpittsburghfromohiozoo.html
Zoo shows off amazing animal pics
Lots of amazing pictures of some really cute animals are being shown off by the bosses of London Zoo.
The London Zoological Society has put lots of photos online for the first time, and is hoping to raise money by selling copies of them.
Among the pics people can look at is one from 1914 when a tiny tiger cub and a baby bear met each other.
There are also some very strange images of zebras and llamas pulling people around in carriages.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7020000/newsid_7021500/7021565.stm
Chahinkapa Zoo prepares for winter
When winter is on its way in North Dakota, everyone can feel it and have winter coats, scarves and hats ready. When the snow and bitter cold temperatures arrive, everyone can throw coats on or take refuge in a warm place. The animals at Chahinkapa Zoo aren't much different.
The Chahinkapa Zoo will be open to the public until the end of October and only open by appointment after that. With only a month left, zoo staff is beginning to prepare animals for the onset of winter.
"We don't send our animals away," said Chahinkapa Zoo Director Kathy Diekman. "We keep them here, they're ours."As it gets cooler, there are several animals that won't be on exhibit, but others are native animals or from countries with colder climates and can handle the cold winter.
http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/articles/2007/10/01/news/news02.txt
Wildlife still fascinates zookeeper after 40 years
By Marc Ramirez
Seattle Times staff reporter
Not many people have had a Japanese macaque jump on their heads, but Wally English has.
One of about 60 zookeepers at Woodland Park Zoo, English is celebrating his 40th year on staff, which puts him at Woodland Park — and in the path of many a wild animal — longer than anyone.
Well, almost anyone — there's Gertie, a 43-year-old hippo. "She's the only one on the grounds with more seniority than me," says English, 65.
When he started at the zoo in 1967, you could have mistaken English for Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider," and though his hair these days is wispy and gray-blond, the soft-spoken Seattle native is as fascinated with wildlife as he was at 5 years old. For about a decade, he's assisted with the zoo's pond-turtle conservation effort and taken care of endangered birds.
He's seen his job change as zoos themselves have been transformed from circuslike menageries to conservation-minded environments.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003915568_zookeeper01.html
Zoo's lemurs more spunky than spooky
By TOM GALUSHA
SPECIAL TO THE CHIEFTAIN
The Romans feared lemures, the spirits of the dead. Lamenting plaintively, lemures wandered by night in search of light, glaring at the living with glowing eyes. French researchers on Madagascar noticed animals that reminded them of these ghosts with loud calls and eyes glowing red at night, so they called them "lemurs."
Actually, the German name, halb-affen, "half-apes," better describes these unique primates belonging to a group called prosimians, for they occupy a stage between ancient, tree-shrew-like insectivores from which true monkeys and apes sprang and supplanted the once worldwide lemurs.
http://www.chieftain.com/life/1191218682/3
continued...
House Bonding Committee Tours DECC, Lake Superior Zoo
Lawmakers rounded out their tour of Northland projects at the Lake Superior Zoo. Last year, $400,000 with a $200,000 matching side was appropriated, to update the polar bear exhibit. But not, in light of Bubba the polar bear dying, and the dire need to get the zoo back to its national accreditation, the city is requesting the same money to be used to improve the entire zoo.
Before that stop, the group ate lunch at the DECC, and was briefed on the importance of the expansion there. The request for the 2008 bonding bill is over $40 million, which is up from last year's, due to construction inflation. They also heard about millions for the state's ports, at the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
http://www.wdio.com/article/stories/S209994.shtml?cat=10349
Fresno's Chaffee Zoo Celebrating Successful Season
Despite the death of several stingrays
By Corin Hoggard
09/28/2007 - Attendance is up 28% this summer over last summer. They credit better weather, better marketing and the visiting stingray exhibit for the jump. But there's now a problem with that exhibit.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5680947
Dutch zoo breeds own jellyfish
by MT Bureau - September 29, 2007 - 0 comments
Arnhem,
Netherlands -- Marine biologists at a Dutch zoo say they have succeeded in the difficult task of breeding jellyfish in captivity.
Max Janse, head of the marine area inside Burgers' Zoo, said adult jellyfish have a very short lifespan and are almost impossible to import.
Breeding jellyfish is also very difficult. The process developed at the zoo involves a series of breeding tanks for different stages of the life cycle. Janse said creating a real ocean environment is also crucial.
The jellyfish start out as small polyps, then change into red larvae and finally become small transparent jellyfish.
"When you keep jellyfish you have to keep 'reading' the animals," he told Radio Netherlands. "You also have to have a lot of patience and be willing to continually adapt your strategy."
http://www.themoneytimes.com/news/20070929/dutch_zoo_breeds_own_jellyfish-id-1010357.html
Fiberglass caterpillar joins other bugs in zoo garden
By LAURA STEVENS
lstevens@journalandcourier.com
Lafayette Columbian Park Zoo now proudly displays an 11-foot-long fiberglass caterpillar sculpture in the center of its Wal-Mart Butterfly Garden.
The caterpillar joins existing butterfly and ladybug sculptures, all donated by the Wal-Mart Supercenter on County Road 350 South.
"The caterpillar completes the trio," Claudine Laufman, zoo director, said of the new addition to the garden.
The long-awaited molding posed a challenge for donors. This is the second caterpillar created for the zoo.
The first caterpillar broke in half before its arrival.
http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070929/NEWS/709290327/-1/RSS
Zoo welcomes millionth visitor
By Staff reporter
MILESTONE: Mark was the millionth visitor this year
ONE family had a million reasons to celebrate when they visited Chester Zoo.
Dad Andrew Hawkins was overjoyed when son Mark, became the one millionth visitor to pass through the zoo gates this year.
Characters from this year's forthcoming zoo Frost Fair were on hand to welcome the family and present Mark, from Ormskirk, Lancashire, with a cuddly toy and animal adoption.
The milestone also caused celebrations for the zoo as the number of visitors reached the millionth visitor mark a month earlier than last year.
http://www.thisiswirral.co.uk/display.var.1722490.0.zoo_welcomes_millionth_visitor.php
Both pandas now on show at Madrid zoo
By: thinkSPAIN
The female of the pair of pandas loaned by the Chinese government to Madrid Zoo Aquarium is now ready to deal with the huge crowds expected this weekend to see the two bears together since their arrival two weeks ago.
Hua Zui Ba (Coloured Mouth) has taken a bit longer than Bing Xing (Ice Star) to adapt to her new environment, mainly because she is a bit younger, explain keepers at the zoo, who went on to say that "we've been gradually opening up the enclosure to the public during this week and she has reacted very well."
The two pandas will stay in Madrid for at least ten years and it is hoped that Hua Zui Ba, who is four years old and at peak fertility, will be persuaded to mate with Bing Xing (photo) and reproduce. The problem, however, is that female pandas are only in heat once every spring and the ovulation period, only during which is it possible for them to conceive, lasts barely two days.
There have been no pandas in Madrid since the death of Chu Lin in April 1996.
http://www.thinkspain.com/news-spain/13829
Hummingbirds join zoo's display
September 29, 2007
BY BILL LAITNER
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Hummingbirds are back at the Detroit Zoo.
After a 6-year absence, the tiny birds again are streaking through the Butterfly House.
They can fly as fast as 50 m.p.h., and the zoo's five new ones made a speedy hit with visitors Thursday.
Colleen Schroeder, 33, of Royal Oak, with her children Weston, 3 1/2 , and Anna, 18 months, peered through a maze of foliage and flitting butterflies for the birds.
"Look up," said zoo gallery guide Sue Tower of Huntington Woods, a retired elementary school teacher.
So mother and kids craned their necks to spot the high-speed aerialists. The Schroeders are zoo regulars, and Weston already knows several types of butterflies, "but now he can learn about the hummingbirds," his mother said.
The Detroit Zoo's last hummingbird died in 2001. The newcomers, natives of Peru, arrived last month by way of Quebec.
They had lived in cages at an aviary that has closed, and they're loving their new freedom to fly, said Tom Schneider, curator of birds at the zoo. .
"We were concerned about their stamina, but they're doing really well," Schneider said.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070929/NEWS05/709290336
Ailing Elephant Left in Isolation at Edmonton Zoo - Write City Council visit site
Animals
Yesterday, the Valley Zoo sent Samantha to a US zoo on a minimum 5 year breeding loan. The move has left Lucy, a wild-caught Asian elephant alone at the Valley Zoo. This leaves Lucy to languish alone, contrary to accredited zoo standards and Albert
http://www.care2.com/news/member/525884267/495671
Free Pregolja-Lonely Elephant Imprisoned in Russian Zoo vi
Pregolja is a female Asian elephant who lives at the Kaliningrad Zoo in Russia. She was born in this zoo in 1970 and has lived there ever since. She has spent 37 years of her life inside the same small and barren enclosure surrounded by rusty steel and
http://www.care2.com/news/member/525884267/495161
From The Sunday Times
September 30, 2007
London Zoo in the good old days: historic archive goes online
THE photographic archive of London Zoo, one of the world’s most important such collections, is to be published for the first time, with the pictures offered for sale to fund conservation, writes Holly Watt.
From tomorrow, the Zoological Society of London will place photographs on its website. These will include elephants walking through docks in Camden, north London, and a tiger cub pictured in 1914 with a disgruntled-looking peccary, a pig-like animal from South America.
In another photograph, two zookeepers trim an elephant’s feet and, from 1920, there is a snapshot of a llama pulling a cart holding a family of three.
In one image, almost 140 years old, a seal is lying sleepily on the lap of a zookeeper, while another from the 1860s shows an orangutan sitting on a stool.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2558257.ece
Needle in body for over six months, rhino dies in city zoo (Lots of Pop-Ups with this site)
Tenzing Lamsang
Posted online: Sunday , September 30, 2007 at 12:00:00
Updated: Sunday , September 30, 2007 at 12:36
New Delhi, September 29 Goyana, a seven-year-old female rhino at Delhi zoo, died on Saturday from heart infection eventually caused by a needle lodged in its body for over six months.
Zoo authorities blamed the death on a sedating attempt that went wrong when Goyana was at the San Diego zoo in the US, from which they obtained the animal through an exchange programme. It was brought to Delhi zoo this April.
Dr N Paneer Selvam, a vet at Delhi zoo, said the needle broke off from a drug-loaded dart San Diego zoo staff used on the rhino and lodged itself in a soft region of the neck. Vets there tried to remove it but failed.
Because of muscle movements, the needle made its way from the neck to the abdomen and caused infection in the anterior two of the rhino's four stomach bags, said Dr Selvam. He said that moving about in the stomach bags the needle pierced the heart and this led to pericarditis, or infection of the membrane surrounding the heart, from which the rhino died.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Needle-in-body-for-over-six-months-rhino-dies-in-city-zoo/222695/
San Diego Zoo is clearing way for $44 million project that also will be home to lions and jaguars
Source & © Jeanette Steele
The result will be a bigger home for the zoo's three elephants, plus a relocation of six Asian elephants from the zoo-owned Wild Animal Park near Escondido. Together, the nine elephants will have a 2.5-acre space with see-through barns that will allow vi
2007-09-29 - San Diego, United States
The San Diego Zoo has started demolishing 7 acres of old exhibits there to make way for Elephant Odyssey, the blockbuster $44 million project that will house elephants, lions and jaguars. In total, 10 percent of the zoos display area is off limits while bulldozers take out 50-year-old exhibits that once held giraffes, zebras and antelope. Construction will start early next year and last 18 months.
http://www.elephant-news.com/index.php?id=2794
Zoo talk to discuss jaguars, expanding Sonora reserve
Kate Nolan
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 29, 2007 07:56 AM
NORTHEAST VALLEY - Only four or five jaguars have been seen in Arizona in this century, according to Arizona Game and Fish biologist Bill Van Pelt.
Arizona is on the periphery of the range of the endangered Sonoran jaguar, but Arizonans can play a role in its recovery, Van Pelt said.
One way is to learn about them and contribute to their support at an Oct. 7 Phoenix Zoo event.
The fundraiser will be held 5-7 p.m. at the zoo's Stone House Pavilion in Phoenix.
Jaguar experts will talk about the need to expand the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sonora, Mexico.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0928sr-jaguar0929ON.html
The Jedi returns to Binghamton zoo
9/30/2007 5:47 PM
By: Web Staff
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- It was the Return of the Jedi-- well sort of.
Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2 and other characters from "Star Wars" joined the usual list of attractions at the zoo on Sunday. Fans from all across upstate New York came to Binghamton to help raise money for the zoo.
Though the "Star Wars" epic began in the '70s, the recently released movies have created a new generation of fans.
http://www.news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=121594
Lion goes crazy at the Naples Zoo
Samba the the Male lion at the Naples Zoo responds to the growl of a Tiger in a neighboring cage.
http://www.livevideo.com/video/trigirl/50B5581EE6664BC2BD08CB1FE50129BC/lion-goes-crazy-at-the-naples-.aspx
National Zoo Scientists Working to Save One of the World's Microscopic Species
The Smithsonian's National Zoo recently acquired 12,000 new animals-microscopic Elkhorn coral larvae harvested by National Zoo scientists in Puerto Rico. As part of an international collaborative program to raise the threatened species, National Zoo scientists hope to one day return the animals, once they are grown, to their wild ocean habitat.
In August, Zoo Reproductive Scientist Dr. Mary Hagedorn and Invertebrates Keeper Mike Henley traveled to Puerto Rico with marine scientists involved with SECORE (SExual COral REproduction) to collect and artificially inseminate coral. Hagedorn is pioneering the cyropreservation (freezing, storing and thawing) of coral sperm and eggs. Working in collaboration with SECORE, she is trying to create a genome resource bank, which will help preserve the genetic diversity of coral.
http://newsblaze.com/story/20070930165714tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html
Melbourne in worldwide fight to save the tiger
Steve Butcher
October 1, 2007
IMAGINE this tiger being trapped, shot or poisoned, then skinned, boned, chopped, broiled or ground to dust, simply for profit.
The tiger is rapidly facing extinction because of human appetite for its body parts and the forests that support it.
Melbourne Zoo's five Sumatran tigers, including its three cubs — now almost a year old — are a family crucial to an international captive breeding program and efforts to save the subspecies in the wild.
The zoo supports Fauna and Flora International in conservation efforts in Sumatra to preserve habitat for tigers, of which about 400 survive. Indonesia's other tigers — the Balinese and Javan — have become extinct. All funds, including $1000 raised by zoo staff who rattled tins outside the MCG after AFL club Richmond joined the fight, support efforts in Sumatra, where illegal logging and poaching are causing constant pressure.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fight-to-save-the-tiger/2007/09/30/1191090945543.html
Home-school children get zoo program
Starting Tuesday, Nashville Zoo will offer a new series of education programs designed for home-school children.
The programs are grouped into three age-appropriate programs and will be offered on the first Tuesday of each month (January 2008 will be offered on the second Tuesday).
These engaging programs encourage home-school students to learn about the importance of conservation by exploring the world of animals through animal presentations and artifacts.
* Animal Wrappers (for ages 4 to 8) features fur, feathers, skin, scales, exoskeletons and an overall introduction into animal classification.
* Surviving the Wild (for ages 9 to 13) explores diverse survival mechanisms in the animal kingdom. Kids will discover why turtles have shells, why bird beaks are so different, and more.
* Working With Wildlife (for ages 14 to 18) addresses animal-related careers and is designed specifically for middle school students. All programs are aligned with Tennessee State Standards.
The 45-minute programs cost $6 per student and include one chaperone with each group of students (one or more). Additional chaperones are $7 each.
Admission to Nashville Zoo is included with the program cost, putting the price in line with the zoo's education group rate policy.
For more information about the home school programs, please call the education department at (615) 833-1534 extension 142 or visit the zoo's Web site at www.nashvillezoo.org/homeschool.
Submitted by Jim Bartoo, public relations, Nashville Zoo.
http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070930/COMMUNITY/709300321
Family zoo package, New York City
Experience fall in New York City with Buckingham Hotel's Central Park Zoo package.
The family package includes a two-night stay for four in a deluxe suite, four tickets (two adults, two children) to the Central Park Zoo, two collectible stuffed animals from the zoo gift shop, and a family pack of afternoon snacks to take on your zoo trip.
The package costs $379 per night based on a two-night minimum and is subject to availability.
Book online at www.
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/203572
Rare gator Mardi to 'treat' zoo visitors through Halloween
By MARGIE KACOHA
Daily News Staff Writer
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Being an alligator, Mardi is not likely to perform any tricks, but the rare reptile will remain at the Palm Beach Zoo through Halloween, looking like a huge white-chocolate treat.
The 9-foot, 250-pound alligator, visiting the Palm Beaches since June, was due back at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans at the end of September. But renovations continue at his Big Easy home, extending his stay at the bayou digs constructed just for him in West Palm Beach.
"He's very popular," zoo spokeswoman Gail Eaton said. "People ask for him. He's a rock star. School kids are crazy about him."
According to Eaton, the number of zoo visitors is up this summer compared with last year. August figures showed an increase of 46 percent over the same period in 2006. As the end of September approaches, figures indicate a 67 percent increase in attendance compared with September 2006.
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/Mardi0930.html
Foreign experts want to help TT zoo
Sunday, September 30 2007
The Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago (ZSTT) was represented at the recently convened Association of American Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) annual conference by the President, Gupte Lutchmedial and First Vice President, Ben de la Rosa.
The conference which saw representatives from all the member zoos and aquariums of the AZA from across the USA and Canada ran from the 17th to the 21st of September 2007. Attendees also included affiliates from institutions such as the ZSTT and the Cheetah Conservation Fund of Kenya and many other zoos and aquariums around the world.
In addition to the wealth of information transfer on modern zoo and aquarium management attendees were afforded the unique opportunity of meeting with and networking with most of the leaders in modern research and development of wildlife conservation and husbandry.
The ZSTT representatives took advantage of the occasion to forge alliances with key proponents of modern zoo construction and management. This will be critical to ensuring that the upgrade of the Emperor Valley Zoo benefits from new strategies and innovations in the housing and care of its collection of animals at the facility.
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,65103.html
Looking for Little Joe
Finding education, dedication at Franklin Park Zoo
By Sam Allis, Globe Columnist September 30, 2007
I'm looking through triple-pane glass at Little Joe. He was born in captivity, like virtually all zoo animals today, but I'm convinced he gets subliminal bursts of something more. Some vast somewhere he can't quite see. Call it a nostalgia for something that never was.
Joe sits inert, then lopes slowly across to another spot in the gorilla quarters. Chews on a piece of straw. Lies on his back and holds his ankles and stares up at the new roof and beyond. Locks eyes with you to take your measure and make you ponder, ever so briefly, the whole concept of zoos.
You know zoos are invaluable tools to educate us about the richness of life on earth. You see the delight of kids taking a gander at their first camel, which remains one of the damnedest looking things I've ever seen.
But despite the best efforts of excellent staff at the Franklin Park Zoo to provide a great environment for these guys, you can't miss the claustrophobia of it all for a great ape. Little Joe, remember, flew the coop because he wanted breathing room. He wanted more.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/09/30/looking_for_little_joe/
Oregon Zoo elephant Rose-Tu is pregnant
Posted by The Oregonian October 01, 2007 12:23PM
Rose-Tu is eating for two.
The Oregon Zoo announced today that its 13-year-old Asian elephant, Rose-Tu, is pregnant and should deliver a calf between Sept. 4 and 24, 2008.
Zookeepers figure she conceived between Dec. 4 and 6, 2006, when she was allowed to roam the elephant yard with Tusko, a 36-year-old bull the zoo acquired on a breeding loan in 2005.
"A baby," said Mike Keele, "signifies a major impact on the life of the herd. It's incredibly enriching."
Keele, the zoo's deputy director and a former elephant keeper, said visitors may not notice subtle changes in Rose-Tu as her pregnancy progresses. Mammary glands near her front legs have grown a little, but otherwise she looks about as she always does.
Rose-Tu was the last elephant born at the zoo. Since 1962, when Packy was born, the zoo has has added 27 calves to the dwindling population.
In the past few years, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has encouraged its members, including the Oregon Zoo, to step up breeding programs to balance a captive population that is aging and declining.
If all goes well with Rose-Tu, Keele said, the zoo may try next spring to breed Tusko with Chendra, also 13.
--Katy Muldoon
http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/10/oregon_zoo_elephant_rosetu_is.html
'Unseen' images found in London Zoo archive -
Monday 1st October 2007
Chris Cheesman
An historic album of London Zoo photographs, which has been digitally restored for online viewing, contains images 'never seen' before, a spokeswoman has revealed to Amateur Photographer.
http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/news/Unseen_images_found_in_London_Zoo_archive_news_146811.html
Zoo World Celebrating Customers With $1 Admission
Posted: 6:38 AM Oct 1, 2007
Last Updated: 7:47 PM Oct 1, 2007
Reporter: Elyse Molstad
Email Address: elyse.molstad@wjhg.com
Zoo World is lowering admission prices this weekend to say thanks to all its' supporters.
More than 7,500 people came out Saturday for this weekend's annual Zoobilee.
The event drops the zoo's admission price to only a $1, regular admission starts at $9.95.
This year visitors got to try their hand at the dunking booth and get photographed with some of the zoo's most exotic animals.
Zoo World is a non-profit educational facility. Zoobilee will continue Sunday from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m
http://www.wjhg.com/news/headlines/10141471.html
3rd polar bear arrives in Pittsburgh from Ohio zoo
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - Koda Rogers and Nuka McFeely have a new friend.
Marty, their fellow polar bear, has moved in.
Marty made the trip from the Toledo Zoo in Ohio on Thursday, joining the other two furry white males at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
But visitors will have to wait to see the latest addition to Pittsburgh's polar bear population.
Zoo officials say animals often become stressed when moved around. To reduce the tension, Marty will stay behind-the-scenes for about a month getting to know his new digs and caretakers.
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20071001_ap_3rdpolarbeararrivesinpittsburghfromohiozoo.html
Zoo shows off amazing animal pics
Lots of amazing pictures of some really cute animals are being shown off by the bosses of London Zoo.
The London Zoological Society has put lots of photos online for the first time, and is hoping to raise money by selling copies of them.
Among the pics people can look at is one from 1914 when a tiny tiger cub and a baby bear met each other.
There are also some very strange images of zebras and llamas pulling people around in carriages.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_7020000/newsid_7021500/7021565.stm
Chahinkapa Zoo prepares for winter
When winter is on its way in North Dakota, everyone can feel it and have winter coats, scarves and hats ready. When the snow and bitter cold temperatures arrive, everyone can throw coats on or take refuge in a warm place. The animals at Chahinkapa Zoo aren't much different.
The Chahinkapa Zoo will be open to the public until the end of October and only open by appointment after that. With only a month left, zoo staff is beginning to prepare animals for the onset of winter.
"We don't send our animals away," said Chahinkapa Zoo Director Kathy Diekman. "We keep them here, they're ours."As it gets cooler, there are several animals that won't be on exhibit, but others are native animals or from countries with colder climates and can handle the cold winter.
http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/articles/2007/10/01/news/news02.txt
Wildlife still fascinates zookeeper after 40 years
By Marc Ramirez
Seattle Times staff reporter
Not many people have had a Japanese macaque jump on their heads, but Wally English has.
One of about 60 zookeepers at Woodland Park Zoo, English is celebrating his 40th year on staff, which puts him at Woodland Park — and in the path of many a wild animal — longer than anyone.
Well, almost anyone — there's Gertie, a 43-year-old hippo. "She's the only one on the grounds with more seniority than me," says English, 65.
When he started at the zoo in 1967, you could have mistaken English for Peter Fonda in "Easy Rider," and though his hair these days is wispy and gray-blond, the soft-spoken Seattle native is as fascinated with wildlife as he was at 5 years old. For about a decade, he's assisted with the zoo's pond-turtle conservation effort and taken care of endangered birds.
He's seen his job change as zoos themselves have been transformed from circuslike menageries to conservation-minded environments.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003915568_zookeeper01.html
Zoo's lemurs more spunky than spooky
By TOM GALUSHA
SPECIAL TO THE CHIEFTAIN
The Romans feared lemures, the spirits of the dead. Lamenting plaintively, lemures wandered by night in search of light, glaring at the living with glowing eyes. French researchers on Madagascar noticed animals that reminded them of these ghosts with loud calls and eyes glowing red at night, so they called them "lemurs."
Actually, the German name, halb-affen, "half-apes," better describes these unique primates belonging to a group called prosimians, for they occupy a stage between ancient, tree-shrew-like insectivores from which true monkeys and apes sprang and supplanted the once worldwide lemurs.
http://www.chieftain.com/life/1191218682/3
continued...
New Hope for Exotic Parrots on Cook Islands
One of 27 Rimatara lorikeets reintroduced to Atiu.
Photo Phil Bender
Hunted to local extinction nearly 2 centuries ago, the Rimatara lorikeet has been re-established to Atiu, one of the Cook Islands with the aid of the islands’ royalty and funds raised at last year’s British Bird Watching Fair....
Rehabbed American plover will migrate to Columbus Zoo
(By John Terhune/Journal & Courier)
Carol Blacketer holds an American golden plover at her residence Wednesday in Lafayette. The plover was found injured in Benton County in May. Blacketer and volunteers at the Wildcat Wildlife Center nursed the bird back to health.
By BOB SCOTT
An injured American golden plover, a migratory bird found last May in Benton County, is headed to an aviary at the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo.
"We're so excited," said Carol Blacketer of the Wildcat Wildlife Center near Delphi. "Jack Hanna and Columbus Zoo are members of the center.
"We have many of the same beliefs about animals that are unreleasable."
Hanna is the director emeritus at the Columbus Zoo and has gained fame from late-night television appearances with animals from the zoo.
The male plover was found on Nature Conservancy of Indiana property near Fowler. It couldn't fly because an injured left wing did not heal properly.
"This is a tough little bird," Blacketer said Wednesday at her Lafayette home.
A shorebird, the American golden plover also can be found in pastures and open ground. The bird has one of the longest migrations in nature -- 2,500 miles. It breeds on the arctic tundra of Alaska and in Canada and winters in the grasslands of South America.
"These birds only go through Indiana in the spring," Blacketer said.
Volunteer Katie Hrdy, a student at Ivy Tech Community College, helped take care of the bird, which consumed 10,000 meal worms and 1,000 crickets a month.
"People think we just put birds in a cage and feed them," she said. "We had this bird in a big aquarium with special grass so it was like a marshy area."
Last spring, the Wildcat Wildlife Center also donated a cedar waxwing to the Columbus Zoo.
Blacketer said the bird, which is on the threatened list, will be taken this morning from her Lafayette home to Indianapolis.
Jeremy Carpenter of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will meet her to take the bird back to Ohio. He is the assistant curator of the North American area at the zoo.
"This is our only American golden plover," he said. "Our aviary has about 60 birds and roughly 30 different species. About 40 birds are rehab birds.
"We are giving them a second chance at life," Carpenter said.
He said the aviary is a popular site for visitors taking nature photos.
"They stay a long time," he said.
Consumer Protection often is linked to phenomena in nature
Everyone that has a cell phone doesn't want to do without it. They increase safety margins many times, speed business along and provide nightmares to manage for parents. They have become so popular households do without conventional land lines. I doubt seriously cell phones will ever disappear from the landscape in more ways than one, HOWEVER, just as power lines can cause cancers, will having frequently occurring cell phone towers prove to have the same problem?
I am confident the telecommunication companies need to provide funding for INDEPENDENT investigation to insure the well being of consumers as well the songbirds that greet people every morning.
The concern with cell phone emissions is they use microwaves very similar to the kind microwave ovens use.
At one time, the late Johnnie Cochran was believed to have died of a brain tumor. His daughter, at the time of his death, brought this forward but because this issue is so heavily invested through huge companies, such as Carlyle, the subject is never really discussed in the media.
A link to the CNN interview is here.
I firmly believe this is a subject that should not go away. One way of overcoming an objection to a product or industry is to make it so common place it would be a political nightmare to deal with, but, in this case and if there continues to be more and more cell towers built, the users of cell phones and wireless technology may not be the only victims of choice. There needs to be a legislated agenda in every state as to where cell towers can be built (INCLUDING areas where they don't exist.) whom maintains them and CONTINUES to fund research to insure the safety of the public and public lands such as National and State Parks. There is something to be said for Citizen Band Radio (click here) It operates on a different frequency.
As noted from the link to the title of this entry, there appears to be difficulty in obtaining funds for much needed research. The industry needs to provide it without tacking on still another surcharge to the consumers they should seek to protect.
The American Cancer Society is misleading the public (click here)
http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/american_cancer_society.htm
...Further evidence of this was seen two years ago. When renowned California attorney Johnnie Cochran died of a brain tumor that his surgeon, Dr. Keith Black from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and Johnnie's family believed was caused by his long-time heavy use of cell phones, CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta covered it with a story that attempted to paint Johnnie's family and surgeon as emotional outliers. The industry did not even offer a spokesperson to appear on camera. Instead they offered a doctor from Emory University to say there was no link between brain cancer and cell phones -- a doctor with no history of any work on cell phones and cancer and who was part of the industry's litigation expert team coordinated through a law firm in Atlanta, Georgia where Emory University is located. Further, the industry submitted a written quote that was pasted on the screen: "The American Cancer Society has determined that cell phones and brain cancer is one of the top ten cancer myths". The American Cancer Society for many years now, has been doing the bidding of the mobile phone industry. The question is why. The answer is money....
The problem with Cell Phone Towers and Birds? Let's start here !
Metallicus pinus var. celltowerabscondium
America's Songbirds At-Risk: Help Keep Deadly Towers Out of Their Way (click here)
Earthjustice has long been working to protect America’s wildlife and diverse bird populations, including:
Calling on the FCC to protect millions of birds killed annually in collisions with communications towers nationwide; and
Working to protect two imperiled birds -- the Newell's Shearwater, or 'A'o, and Hawaiian Petrel, or 'Ua'u -- from fatal collisions at seven large communication towers in Hawaii.
Bird kills from collisions with towers have been well documented for over five decades. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has reported that at least five million migratory birds are killed each year from collisions with cell phone, radio, and digital television towers in the United States alone, but estimates that a more realistic estimate may be as high as 40-50 million bird deaths per year.
Birds die when they collide with towers, their guy wires, or related structures. With over 85,000 communication towers currently scattered across the country and an average of almost 20 new towers built each day, migratory birds have an increasingly good chance of meeting a tower during their long journeys....
Earthjustice has long been working to protect America’s wildlife and diverse bird populations, including:
Calling on the FCC to protect millions of birds killed annually in collisions with communications towers nationwide; and
Working to protect two imperiled birds -- the Newell's Shearwater, or 'A'o, and Hawaiian Petrel, or 'Ua'u -- from fatal collisions at seven large communication towers in Hawaii.
Bird kills from collisions with towers have been well documented for over five decades. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has reported that at least five million migratory birds are killed each year from collisions with cell phone, radio, and digital television towers in the United States alone, but estimates that a more realistic estimate may be as high as 40-50 million bird deaths per year.
Birds die when they collide with towers, their guy wires, or related structures. With over 85,000 communication towers currently scattered across the country and an average of almost 20 new towers built each day, migratory birds have an increasingly good chance of meeting a tower during their long journeys....
...from New Jersey Audubon...
Birds and Tower Kills
..."An estimated 5,000 to 10,000 birds, mostly Lapland Longspurs, were killed on the night of January 22, 1998, at a 420 foot tall communications tower in western Kansas. Apparently a heavy snowstorm sent the birds up looking for bare ground. Dense fog caused the tower's aviation-safety lights (required on structures over 200') to reflect off water in the air and form an illuminated space, causing the birds to switch to their diurnal (visual) mode of navigation. The flock circled the lighted tower and collided with its guy wires. Some birds were impaled by wheat stubble, suggesting they were so disoriented that they couldn't tell which way was up and flew into the ground at full force. The tower had three white strobes. This is interesting because it has been suggested that flashing lights cause less mortality than steadily illuminated lights. Evidence suggests that continent-wide, communications towers kill 2 to 4 million songbirds each year." (American Bird Conservancy, Bird Calls, March 1998)....
...This issue is both local and hemispheric, since migratory birds are involved. NJAS urges community groups to promote awareness of this tower lighting-bird kill problem among their congressional representatives, mayors and councils and commissions, and to urge the upholding of zoning and environmental regulations and state conservation laws. NJAS also urges an expanded program of monitoring of tower kills. Even though this rule permitting the override of local zoning and state conservation laws is not currently in effect, it could become standard operating procedure under pressure from communications companies seeking to beat the competition. Vigilance is the price of conservation.
Richard Kane, Vice President
Conservation and Stewardship
Copyright © 2007 New Jersey Audubon SocietyAll rights reserved.
Morning Papers - continued...
Zoos
4-year study examines cell phone towers’ toll on birds
BY DEBRA HALE-SHELTON
Posted on Monday, October 1, 2007
CONWAY — Leo Koch wades among tall grass, thorny cacti and shrubs, not to mention chiggers, ticks and fire ants. He climbs along a rugged hill and takes care not to step on any snakes.
It’s barely sunrise, and Koch’s eyes focus on the ground. His job is to scour the rugged field surrounding a cell-phone tower just northeast of Conway for bird carcasses, all in the name of science.
The tower is one of 15 in Arkansas where searchers are hunting for the carcasses of Neotropical migratory songbirds such as warblers and sparrows. It seems millions of these birds, which migrate at night, are crashing into some of the nation’s more than 85, 000 communications towers, at least 2, 000 of which are in Arkansas. Neotropical migratory birds breed in North America and spend their winters in warmer climates such as Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
The American Bird Conservancy noted last year that the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated 5 million to 50 million birds are killed in tower collisions in this country each year. Most are songbirds whose navigation systems seem to be confused by tower lights, especially in bad weather, the Virginia-based conservancy said.
On a recent cool morning after more than two hours in the wet field, Koch had found just three feathers but not a single bird killed the night before.
“It looks like we’ve had some lucky birds,” he said, smiling.
Koch, 25, of Conway is participating in the third year of a four-year study aimed at assessing the extent of the problem in Arkansas and determining what types of towers — tall ones, short ones; towers with red lights, towers with white ones; towers with guy wires, towers without them — are more likely to have bird strikes.
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/203054/
Help the zoo name baby panda
October 1, 2007
SAN DIEGO – Step right up and name the baby panda. The San Diego Zoo is asking visitors to suggest names for the female panda born Aug. 3.
Starting Sunday, Oct. 5, zoo guests have 10 days to submit names for the newborn. Suggestions should be in Chinese (using the English alphabet, not Chinese characters), have an English translation and be symbolic in meaning.
The zoo's panda team will choose several names from those suggested and the semi-finalists will be reviewed by the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association.
The approved finalists will be posted later this month on the zoo's Web site, www.sandiegozoo.org, for a final vote by the public, zoo officials said.
This is a new twist on naming pandas. In 1999, China named the zoo's first cub Hua Mei, or “China USA.” San Diego zoo officials named the second cub, born in 2003, Mei Sheng or “Born in the USA.” In 2005, five names were posted on the Internet for public voting. Su Lin, or “A little bit of something very cute,” was the winning name.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071001-1648-bn01panda.html
Monkeys Treated With Accupuncture At N.C. Zoo
Asheboro, N.C. - The North Carolina Zoo is using some age-old medicine to help treat some of their elderly patients.
Veterinarians are using acupuncture to treat osteoarthritis in some aging Patas monkeys.
Dr. Christine Eckermann-Ross, an avian and exotic animal vet from Raleigh performed the treatment on the anesthetized monkey this morning. This is the first time the procedure has been used on any animal at the North Carolina Zoo.
Veterinarians at the zoo are hoping the treatment helps to alleviate the pain caused by the monkey's arthritic condition.
WFMY News 2 /
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=53832
Work on zoo master plan finally begins today
Zoo director says Rs 50m project work will take two years to complete
By Hina Farooq
LAHORE: Work on a master plan to restructure the Lahore Zoo will start today (Tuesday) after a delay of more than three years. Some zoo officials said the plan’s implementation had been delayed because of the “laziness of senior officials, lack of funds and lack of manpower”.
Zoo director Yousaf Pal told Daily Times on Monday that some flaws in the initial design and space problems had caused the delay. He said the initial plan had suggested a double-storey Reptile Building, but it was redesigned as a single-storey building because of a space shortage and because the two-storey building would have ‘looked weird’.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C10%5C02%5Cstory_2-10-2007_pg13_7
Stingrays on exhibit die, but Fresno zoo calls it a success
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 10/01/2007 02:23:30 PM PDT
FRESNO, Calif.—More than half of the stingrays on temporary display at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo died, but officials still qualified the zoo's first new exhibit since 2001 a success.
Membership increased overall since the stingrays' arrival and attendance numbers jumped nearly 30 percent over last year, said Lewis Greene, the zoo's director.
"People were waiting for something new," Greene said. "Given the response we have had, we may have a stingray exhibit in the future."
Zoo officials paid about $500,000 to bring in the delicate fish for the Stingray Bay exhibit.
Seventeen of the 19 original fish died after a filter malfunctioned and power outage allowed pool temperatures to soar, officials said. An 18th died after getting trapped in a skimmer in September, leaving just 10 stingrays in the final exhibit, which closed Saturday.
In July, the board approved an $80 million master plan to upgrade the zoo by 2014. Additional temporary exhibits will be funded by Measure Z, a Fresno County sales tax measure approved by voters in 2004 to pay for zoo improvements, Greene said.
Information from: The Fresno Bee, http://www.fresnobee.com
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7053964?nclick_check=1
Anger after escaped chimp shot dead at zoo
ANGUS HOWARTH
AN ANIMAL-welfare campaign group criticised zoo bosses yesterday for shooting dead a chimpanzee that escaped from its enclosure.
Two chimps - Jonnie and Coco - broke free from their enclosure at Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire, over the weekend.
Coco was quickly recaptured, but Jonnie was killed. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which runs the attraction, said it was in the interests of public safety.
Tim Phillips, campaigns director with Animal Defenders International, criticised ZSL and said holding chimps in captivity should be reconsidered.
He said: "It will be said that Jonnie was shot because he was dangerous, but this just further raises the question: how suitable are these animals as a source of entertainment? The sad fate of Jonnie reminds us that we urgently need to re-evaluate the way that we treat these, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom."
http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1571802007
Prize Pachyderm Pregnant At Oregon Zoo
PORTLAND - The zoo's "Love Connection" paid off; prize pachyderm "Rose-Tu" is 10 months pregnant.
Tusko, a 13,500-pound, 36-year-old elephant, is the father.
Both Rose-Tu and Tusko are Asian elephants. Zookeepers introduced them in the fall of 2006, in hopes the two would create that "Love Connection". Apparently, it worked. With a gestation period of 20 to 22 months, Rose-Tu will likely give birth in September or October of 2008.
"We were confident that when we introduced Tusko to the girls, sparks would fly," said zoo Deputy Director Mike Keele. "From what we saw that day, Tusko was a true gentleman, a real 'lady's elephant' - a true Casonova."
http://www.koin.com/Global/story.asp?S=7153812
Brookfield tiger cubs maimed in attack
Two 4-month-old Amur tiger cubs made their debut on September 13, 2007 at Brookfield Zoo. The cubs, a male and a female, spent their first months in an off-exhibit area. (Tribune photo by José M. Osorio / September 13, 2007)
By William Mullen Tribune staff reporter
10:29 PM CDT, October 1, 2007
A federal zoo inspector visited Brookfield Zoo Monday to investigate a bloody incident in an animal holding area last week in which a 4-month-old tiger cub lost his right foreleg and both he and a twin sister lost much of their tails.
Though nobody witnessed the incident Thursday morning, zoo officials said the male cub's father apparently bit off the leg when the cub extended his right front paw between the bars of a gate separating the two. The cubs' frantic mother then apparently chomped on the tails of both cubs to try to drag them out of reach of the gate, biting off large sections.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-tigers_weboct02,0,898094.story?coll=chi-navrailnews-nav
Zoo not a player in ballpark move
BY C. DAVID KOTOK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Shamu the killer whale splashing in a pool in place of Rosenblatt Stadium's outfield. A pair of pandas munching bamboo where the ping of aluminum bats once sounded.
Henry Doorly Zoo officials have heard it all the past four months. The whale theory is among the most original, said Dr. Lee Simmons, the zoo's longtime director.
Interesting ideas, Simmons said Monday, but the zoo has no plans — and no money — for the Rosenblatt property if a new home for the College World Series is built downtown.
"Whether the stadium stays here or goes north of downtown," he said, "we are staying very neutral."
Simmons and members of the zoo's board are "absolutely not" behind the effort to move the stadium downtown, he told The World-Herald.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10147444
Honolulu Zoo Meerkat Missing For A Week (Video)
Officials Say It Is Unlikely Someone Stole Animal
POSTED: 7:58 pm HST October 1, 2007
UPDATED: 9:49 am HST October 2, 2007
HONOLULU -- One of the Honolulu Zoo's African meerkat named Hulu has disappeared.
For about a week now, Kapa the meerkat has been missing his only partner. Kapa seemed overcome by the loss, zoo officials said.
The meerkat exhibit is popular at the zoo, especially after a meerkat starred in The Lion King, which opened on stage in Honolulu just about the time Hulu disappeared. Meerkats are also featured in one of cable television's popular shows "Meerkat Manor."
http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/14248989/detail.html
St. Louis Zoo works to preserve endangered zebras
Julie Bierach, KWMU
ST. LOUIS (2007-10-02) The St. Louis Zoo is working with communities in Africa to try to preserve the Grevy's zebra. Unlike plains zebras, which are plentiful, the Grevy's zebras are endangered.
Martha Fischer is the curator of mammals at the St. Louis Zoo; she also manages the Species Survival Plan for the animal. KWMU's science reporter Julie Bierach spoke with her about her recent trip to Africa where the zebras are facing numerous challenges.
© Copyright 2007, KWMU
http://publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1157999§ionID=1
Zoo to open 4-D theater
Business Courier of Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden will be the first zoo in the country to open a 4-D Special FX Theater, the zoo said Tuesday.
The theater, being developed by Toronto-based SimEx-Iwerks, will open in October. It will offer 3-D visual effects and other in-seat effects, including wind and scents.
The zoo will offer a daily double feature in October: "Dino 4-D" and "Funhouse 4-D." That will coincide with its HallZOOween celebration, which runs on Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 13-28.
"The Polar Express 4-D Attraction" will be shown during the 25th Anniversary PNC Festival of Lights, which begins Nov. 16, the zoo said in a news release.
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/10/01/daily22.html
Zoo Animals to Feast on Seized Undersized Crabs
Undersized crabs seized recently from Crisfield seafood wholesalers will be fed to zoo animals Wenesday at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
The crabs were donated to the zoo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Zoo staff will feed the crabs to their two North American river otters. The first of three companies involved in the federal investigation, MeTompkin Bay Oyster Company, pleaded guilty last month to federal charges to purchasing and selling undersized crabs.
MeTompkin was fined $50,000 and forfeited more than 3,200 dozen undersized crabs.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1007/460250.html
Baltimore Zoo Otters Get Crisfield Treat
By KEIRA BENSON -- WMDT 10/2/2007
Some zoo otters in Baltimore got a special treat Tuesday compliments of Crisfield waters. Maryland Natural Resource Police say they donated thousands of crabs to the zoo for a feeding that happened Tuesday morning.
They say the crabs were undersized and were seized from Crisfield Seafood Wholesalers. In Maryland, it's illegal to take undersized crabs.
http://www.wmdt.com/topstory/displaystory.asp?id=6660
Undersized Crabs Fed To Maryland Zoo Animals (Video)
Ron Matz
Reporting
(WJZ) BALTIMORE How would you like some soft shell crabs? Well, the otters at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore enjoyed some Wednesday.
Ron Matz reports on the feeding frenzy, which began with an investigation on Maryland waterways.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Natural Resources Police donated the crabs to the zoo's North American otters.
"It's actually the first time we think they've had soft shells. They usually eat fish and a prepared meat diet," said Rebecca Gullott, mammal collection manager.
http://wjz.com/seenon/local_story_275101426.html
Head-sized pumpkins can earn chance in zoo drawing
People donating pumpkins bigger than their heads for Dickerson Park Zoo�s Spooktacular will be eligible to register for a drawing for three prizes.
Donations between Monday and Oct. 18 will be eligible for a one-year zoo membership, a behind-the-scenes tour or a chance to see pumpkin activities with the zoo�s Asian elephants.
People who leave pumpkins at the zoo admission gate also receive recognition on the �pumpkin board� and a coupon for a free hot drink during Spooktacular.
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071002/BREAKING07/71002033/-1/rss
Horse latitudes
Outsourcing horse slaughter makes cruelty worse.
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Attuned to humans, a horse in this country heading for slaughter can't guess what awaits it. In recent years, state laws have banned horsemeat production in the United States. The result in 2007 has been 30,000 horses jammed into low-ceilinged box cars and taken to Mexico. There, in unregulated factories, workers stab the horses' spines until the animals are paralyzed.
What happens next, according to Sunday's story by Chronicle Austin Bureau reporter Lisa Sandberg, is worse. Because state laws recently outlawed horse slaughter at the three U.S. plants that did it, the number of horses sent to Mexico has skyrocketed: 369 percent since this time last year. The answer is not restoring horse slaughter in the United States, but to ban its export.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/5176847.html
Settling Into Life on the Tundra
Posted at 7:27 pm October 2, 2007 by Ronit Abramson
Ronit is the San Diego Zoo’s 2007 Arctic Ambassador. She and other teens from around the world are in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to partipate in Polar Bears International’s Polar Bear Leadership Camp. Read her previous blog, Hey! There’s a Caribou! And a Polar Bear! And More Polar Bears!
This morning we commenced with our “buggy chores.” Today my group was assigned “cooking crew” and considering all I can confidently make are grilled cheese sandwiches, it was an adventure making pancakes and sausages for breakfast. But guess what we had for lunch?! (Hint: it goes well with tomato soup.)
It began to rain early this morning, waking me up with a pitter-patter on my window. We decided not to go out on the Tundra Buggy today because of the rainy weather; the bears and other wildlife tend to hunker down behind rocks and seek refuge from the cold rain and wind. Instead, we started working on practice presentations on various topics suggested in our required reading, Impacts of a Warming Arctic. We chose an audience in addition to our presentation topic. My team focused our presentation about the observations, consequences of, and responses to a warming arctic to engage a civic group of businesspeople. Other groups focused their talks to engage elementary school kids, senior citizens, and corporate leaders.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/settling-into-life-on-the-tundra/
The Great Zoo Boo is new and improved
Submitted by Binder Park Zoo
Crisp autumn air, crunchy leaves under foot, hot apple cider, and walks through decorated trick-or-treat trails are just some of the many ways to describe Binder Park Zoo's ALL NEW Great ZooBoo. Fun for all ages, the Great ZooBoo offers an abundance of reasons to make this an annual must visit event, with some new twists this season. This year's ALL NEW Great ZooBoo begins October 12th and runs through October 30th.
This year will mark the 21st season of The Great ZooBoo for Binder Park Zoo and bringing with it are some significant changes. Remaining the same, is the Merry-Not-Scary charm that the Zoo has been steadfast in providing to the community. The newness, however, can be found in the ALL NEW dedicated trick-or-treat trail, more animals on exhibit, nightly entertainment venues like magicians, storytellers, and pirate shows and rides such as the Binda Conservation Carousel. All this adds up to tons of fun for the entire family!
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071003/LIFESTYLE08/710030303
Pittsburgh Zoo to get 250K from state
By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium announced this morning that it will receive $250,000 from the state on Thursday to support its new Water's Edge exhibit and new Animal Health Center.
According to the zoo, state Sen. John Pippy, R-Moon, secured the money through the Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program, which funds programs throughout Pennsylvania that create jobs and spur economic development.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_530725.html
Montgomery Zoo Rhinocerous Gives Birth
Wednesday, Oct 03, 2007 - 08:45 AM
By Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The stork dropped by the Montgomery Zoo today.
Jetta, the zoo's seven-year-old rhinoceros, gave birth to a new Indian Rhino calf. The mother and calf are doing well and are bonding. No name has been chosen yet for the calf.
The calf wasn't weighed right away, but Indian Rhino calves generally weigh about 150 pounds when they are born.
Jetta was already pregnant when she arrived from the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
Zoo officials say visitors should watch for an announcement soon on when they can see the mother and baby.
http://www.nbc13.com/gulfcoastwest/vtm/news.apx.-content-articles-VTM-2007-10-03-0005.html
Check Out Our Live Zoo Cam!
LIVE ZOO CAM:
Start Watching Our New Zoo Cam Now! (Powered by Nauticom Internet Services)
Watch the polar bears by day (until 4:30pm) and the tigers by night (after 4:30pm)!
(KDKA) PITTSBURGH The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is showing off its two Amur Tigers and the polar bears at the Water's Edge Exhibit -- and you can get a live look inside their habitat to see what they do for fun!
Mara and Petya, two Amur Tigers, were born on August 8, 2006 – and they've literally grown up before our eyes!
Meanwhile, Marty the polar bear moved to Pittsburgh on September 28th -- and will share his new digs with “Koda Rogers” and “Nuka McFeely.”
Marty came to the Water’s Edge from the Toledo Zoological Gardens, where three cubs born over the past year have put the zoo over its polar bear capacity.
Now, visitors to the zoo can now get up close and personal with the Amur Tigers and the polar bears; but you may be able to see what they're up to right now -- with a live look inside their habitat thanks to KDKA's exclusive live webcam!
The Zoo Cam will display the polar bears by day (until 4:30 pm) and the tigers by night (starting at 4:30pm).
LIVE ZOO CAM:
Watch Our New Zoo Cam Now! (Powered by Nauticom Internet Services)
Learn more about Amur (Siberian) Tigers at
PittsburghZoo.com.
Learn more about Polar Bears at
PittsburghZoo.com.
http://kdka.com/local/local_story_307114439.html
knut @ berlin zoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8PdpGhXtJQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvinnysa1store%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F2007%2F10%2Fknut%2Dbear%2Dat%2Dberlin%2Dzoo%2Dvideo%2Ehtml
Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - 2:37 PM CDT
Envision donates sculpture to zoo
Wichita Business Journal - by Wichita Business Journal
Envision dedicated a sculpture of a Humboldt penguin to the Sedgwick County Zoo Wednesday
The ceremony took place in front of the Cessna Penguin Cove, which opened in the spring. Present were zoo Executive Director Mark C. Reed, Great Plains Venture Executive Director Susayn Brandes and Envision CEO and President Linda Merrill.
For the past 15 years, Envision has regularly donated a sculpture to the zoo's touchable art exhibit. These sculptures allow individuals who are blind or have low vision the joy of seeing an animal that is on display at the zoo, by using the sense of touch to see and learn about an animal.
An accompanying plaque in both print and Braille educates all visitors about the animal. Great Plains Ventures funded the 2007 sculpture.
Envision is a Wichita-based not-for-profit agency that provides employment, job training and vision rehabilitation services to individuals who are blind or low vision.
http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2007/10/01/daily13.html
Lincoln Park Zoo welcomes dwarf crocs (Video)
October 3, 2007 - It took a long while for R-1 and Maggie to have five little crocs.
The dwarf crocodiles hatched successfully at Lincoln Park Zoo last month. The babies don't have names yet, so they're numbers 21,982 to 21,986.
"They look fabulous. They're growing very well. They have all gained in length and they have all gained in weight and we're getting ready to put them on exhibit now," said Diane Mulkerin, curator, Small Mammal and Reptile House.
The little critters are now swimming around in a guppy filled pool. While they're pretty cute, the real star of the show here is their father, R-1, who lives in the zoo's African Journey. R-1 arrived at the zoo in 1940. That's right- 67-years ago. And, these hatchlings are his first offspring.
In 1999, ABC7 shot video of R-1 being introduced to a young Maggie, the hatchling's mother. But, at that time, it didn't work with her- or any other girlfriends.
"He was shy and laid back and not aggressive enough," said Mulkerin.
But, Maggie is not. The result- five babies. And, one proud papa.
"He could live to be a hundred," said Mulkerin.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=5688912
Honey prodcution down across country
09/11/2007 08:32 PM
By: Jennifer Moxley
Honey production is down and prices are up across the country as honey farmers fight a mysterious problem that is making their bees disappear.
STATESVILLE, N.C. -- Honey production is down and prices are up across the country as honey farmers fight a mysterious problem that is making their bees disappear.
North Carolina is one of 25 states in the country to experience what's called Colony Collapse Disorder. It's where the honey bees leave the hive, become disoriented, and never return.
“It's estimated that 75 percent of your produce department would be removed from a supermarket if all honey bees were lost. That’s how important they are to the food chain,” explained honeybee farmer Tommy Woodfin.
Bees are so important to the food chain, red flags raise when honeybee farmers across the country say they are losing their bees.
A disease is killing the country's honey bee population.
“What happens in this CCD is that the bees disappear. It’s sometimes called the Disappear Disease, by the way,” Woodfin said.
Honey farmers like Woodfin are paying attention to reports of the CCD problem.
“The bees for some reason, they go out and they become disoriented and they can't find their way back and the end result is that you end up with maybe a handful of bees where there should be 10-12 pounds of bees,” he said.
North Carolina is one of the 25 states reporting cases of CCD. Incidents here aren't high, but bee farmers here have other problems, like the spring freeze that killed a lot of the honeybee flowers.
Because of the spring freeze, Woodfin Farms only got about 60 percent of their honey crop this year. Woodfin held back raising prices.
“We just didn't think the market would bear another price increase so we held the line,” he explained. He says he’s holding onto his bees while scientists try to find out why the bees are leaving the comb.
North Carolina is said to be the state with the most hobbyist honey beekeepers. September is National Honey Month. This is the time of year when most of the honey harvesting has wrapped up and the fresh honey hits the stands.
For more information about the honey industry, recipes, or to find a local farmer, log onto ');
http://news14.com/content/headlines/587091/honey-prodcution-down-across-country/Default.aspx
Exec Pays Up with Smelly Bet
CHICAGO, IL -- A Chicago zoo executive is making good on a Super Bowl bet.
Lincoln Park Zoo CEO Kevin Bell spent Friday shoveling manure at the Indianapolis Zoo.
The hard day's work was part of a bet that officials at the two zoos made before last year's Super Bowl.
"I thought this was a sure bet for Chicago at the time," Bell said. "The Bears were playing well and I though 'Okay, we'll take this, no problem,' and the Bears let me down."
Bell added that the great weather and beauty of the Indianapolis zoo made paying off the debt a pleasure.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=92365
Among tools for zookeepers: prudent use of contraception
By DIANE COCHRAN
Of The Gazette Staff
Breeding programs in zoos help maintain genetic diversity in animal populations and can even keep some species from becoming extinct, an expert in animal contraception said Friday.
Black-footed ferrets, Channel Island foxes, Mexican wolves and Mongolian wild horses all exist in the wild today at least in part because of captive breeding programs, said Dr. Cheryl Asa, director of the AZA Wildlife Contraception Center at the St. Louis Zoo.
"Zoos are holding these animals," said Asa, who was visiting the Science and Conservation Center at ZooMontana. "These animals wouldn't exist if zoos hadn't done captive breeding to make them available again."
Contraception is an important tool used by breeding programs, Asa said. Zoos rely on it to protect the genetic diversity of species and to maintain manageable numbers of animals.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/09/29/news/local/35-lionabstinence.txt
continued...
4-year study examines cell phone towers’ toll on birds
BY DEBRA HALE-SHELTON
Posted on Monday, October 1, 2007
CONWAY — Leo Koch wades among tall grass, thorny cacti and shrubs, not to mention chiggers, ticks and fire ants. He climbs along a rugged hill and takes care not to step on any snakes.
It’s barely sunrise, and Koch’s eyes focus on the ground. His job is to scour the rugged field surrounding a cell-phone tower just northeast of Conway for bird carcasses, all in the name of science.
The tower is one of 15 in Arkansas where searchers are hunting for the carcasses of Neotropical migratory songbirds such as warblers and sparrows. It seems millions of these birds, which migrate at night, are crashing into some of the nation’s more than 85, 000 communications towers, at least 2, 000 of which are in Arkansas. Neotropical migratory birds breed in North America and spend their winters in warmer climates such as Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
The American Bird Conservancy noted last year that the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has estimated 5 million to 50 million birds are killed in tower collisions in this country each year. Most are songbirds whose navigation systems seem to be confused by tower lights, especially in bad weather, the Virginia-based conservancy said.
On a recent cool morning after more than two hours in the wet field, Koch had found just three feathers but not a single bird killed the night before.
“It looks like we’ve had some lucky birds,” he said, smiling.
Koch, 25, of Conway is participating in the third year of a four-year study aimed at assessing the extent of the problem in Arkansas and determining what types of towers — tall ones, short ones; towers with red lights, towers with white ones; towers with guy wires, towers without them — are more likely to have bird strikes.
http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/203054/
Help the zoo name baby panda
October 1, 2007
SAN DIEGO – Step right up and name the baby panda. The San Diego Zoo is asking visitors to suggest names for the female panda born Aug. 3.
Starting Sunday, Oct. 5, zoo guests have 10 days to submit names for the newborn. Suggestions should be in Chinese (using the English alphabet, not Chinese characters), have an English translation and be symbolic in meaning.
The zoo's panda team will choose several names from those suggested and the semi-finalists will be reviewed by the Chinese Wildlife Conservation Association.
The approved finalists will be posted later this month on the zoo's Web site, www.sandiegozoo.org, for a final vote by the public, zoo officials said.
This is a new twist on naming pandas. In 1999, China named the zoo's first cub Hua Mei, or “China USA.” San Diego zoo officials named the second cub, born in 2003, Mei Sheng or “Born in the USA.” In 2005, five names were posted on the Internet for public voting. Su Lin, or “A little bit of something very cute,” was the winning name.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071001-1648-bn01panda.html
Monkeys Treated With Accupuncture At N.C. Zoo
Asheboro, N.C. - The North Carolina Zoo is using some age-old medicine to help treat some of their elderly patients.
Veterinarians are using acupuncture to treat osteoarthritis in some aging Patas monkeys.
Dr. Christine Eckermann-Ross, an avian and exotic animal vet from Raleigh performed the treatment on the anesthetized monkey this morning. This is the first time the procedure has been used on any animal at the North Carolina Zoo.
Veterinarians at the zoo are hoping the treatment helps to alleviate the pain caused by the monkey's arthritic condition.
WFMY News 2 /
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=53832
Work on zoo master plan finally begins today
Zoo director says Rs 50m project work will take two years to complete
By Hina Farooq
LAHORE: Work on a master plan to restructure the Lahore Zoo will start today (Tuesday) after a delay of more than three years. Some zoo officials said the plan’s implementation had been delayed because of the “laziness of senior officials, lack of funds and lack of manpower”.
Zoo director Yousaf Pal told Daily Times on Monday that some flaws in the initial design and space problems had caused the delay. He said the initial plan had suggested a double-storey Reptile Building, but it was redesigned as a single-storey building because of a space shortage and because the two-storey building would have ‘looked weird’.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C10%5C02%5Cstory_2-10-2007_pg13_7
Stingrays on exhibit die, but Fresno zoo calls it a success
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 10/01/2007 02:23:30 PM PDT
FRESNO, Calif.—More than half of the stingrays on temporary display at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo died, but officials still qualified the zoo's first new exhibit since 2001 a success.
Membership increased overall since the stingrays' arrival and attendance numbers jumped nearly 30 percent over last year, said Lewis Greene, the zoo's director.
"People were waiting for something new," Greene said. "Given the response we have had, we may have a stingray exhibit in the future."
Zoo officials paid about $500,000 to bring in the delicate fish for the Stingray Bay exhibit.
Seventeen of the 19 original fish died after a filter malfunctioned and power outage allowed pool temperatures to soar, officials said. An 18th died after getting trapped in a skimmer in September, leaving just 10 stingrays in the final exhibit, which closed Saturday.
In July, the board approved an $80 million master plan to upgrade the zoo by 2014. Additional temporary exhibits will be funded by Measure Z, a Fresno County sales tax measure approved by voters in 2004 to pay for zoo improvements, Greene said.
Information from: The Fresno Bee, http://www.fresnobee.com
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_7053964?nclick_check=1
Anger after escaped chimp shot dead at zoo
ANGUS HOWARTH
AN ANIMAL-welfare campaign group criticised zoo bosses yesterday for shooting dead a chimpanzee that escaped from its enclosure.
Two chimps - Jonnie and Coco - broke free from their enclosure at Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire, over the weekend.
Coco was quickly recaptured, but Jonnie was killed. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which runs the attraction, said it was in the interests of public safety.
Tim Phillips, campaigns director with Animal Defenders International, criticised ZSL and said holding chimps in captivity should be reconsidered.
He said: "It will be said that Jonnie was shot because he was dangerous, but this just further raises the question: how suitable are these animals as a source of entertainment? The sad fate of Jonnie reminds us that we urgently need to re-evaluate the way that we treat these, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom."
http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1571802007
Prize Pachyderm Pregnant At Oregon Zoo
PORTLAND - The zoo's "Love Connection" paid off; prize pachyderm "Rose-Tu" is 10 months pregnant.
Tusko, a 13,500-pound, 36-year-old elephant, is the father.
Both Rose-Tu and Tusko are Asian elephants. Zookeepers introduced them in the fall of 2006, in hopes the two would create that "Love Connection". Apparently, it worked. With a gestation period of 20 to 22 months, Rose-Tu will likely give birth in September or October of 2008.
"We were confident that when we introduced Tusko to the girls, sparks would fly," said zoo Deputy Director Mike Keele. "From what we saw that day, Tusko was a true gentleman, a real 'lady's elephant' - a true Casonova."
http://www.koin.com/Global/story.asp?S=7153812
Brookfield tiger cubs maimed in attack
Two 4-month-old Amur tiger cubs made their debut on September 13, 2007 at Brookfield Zoo. The cubs, a male and a female, spent their first months in an off-exhibit area. (Tribune photo by José M. Osorio / September 13, 2007)
By William Mullen Tribune staff reporter
10:29 PM CDT, October 1, 2007
A federal zoo inspector visited Brookfield Zoo Monday to investigate a bloody incident in an animal holding area last week in which a 4-month-old tiger cub lost his right foreleg and both he and a twin sister lost much of their tails.
Though nobody witnessed the incident Thursday morning, zoo officials said the male cub's father apparently bit off the leg when the cub extended his right front paw between the bars of a gate separating the two. The cubs' frantic mother then apparently chomped on the tails of both cubs to try to drag them out of reach of the gate, biting off large sections.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-tigers_weboct02,0,898094.story?coll=chi-navrailnews-nav
Zoo not a player in ballpark move
BY C. DAVID KOTOK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Shamu the killer whale splashing in a pool in place of Rosenblatt Stadium's outfield. A pair of pandas munching bamboo where the ping of aluminum bats once sounded.
Henry Doorly Zoo officials have heard it all the past four months. The whale theory is among the most original, said Dr. Lee Simmons, the zoo's longtime director.
Interesting ideas, Simmons said Monday, but the zoo has no plans — and no money — for the Rosenblatt property if a new home for the College World Series is built downtown.
"Whether the stadium stays here or goes north of downtown," he said, "we are staying very neutral."
Simmons and members of the zoo's board are "absolutely not" behind the effort to move the stadium downtown, he told The World-Herald.
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10147444
Honolulu Zoo Meerkat Missing For A Week (Video)
Officials Say It Is Unlikely Someone Stole Animal
POSTED: 7:58 pm HST October 1, 2007
UPDATED: 9:49 am HST October 2, 2007
HONOLULU -- One of the Honolulu Zoo's African meerkat named Hulu has disappeared.
For about a week now, Kapa the meerkat has been missing his only partner. Kapa seemed overcome by the loss, zoo officials said.
The meerkat exhibit is popular at the zoo, especially after a meerkat starred in The Lion King, which opened on stage in Honolulu just about the time Hulu disappeared. Meerkats are also featured in one of cable television's popular shows "Meerkat Manor."
http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/news/14248989/detail.html
St. Louis Zoo works to preserve endangered zebras
Julie Bierach, KWMU
ST. LOUIS (2007-10-02) The St. Louis Zoo is working with communities in Africa to try to preserve the Grevy's zebra. Unlike plains zebras, which are plentiful, the Grevy's zebras are endangered.
Martha Fischer is the curator of mammals at the St. Louis Zoo; she also manages the Species Survival Plan for the animal. KWMU's science reporter Julie Bierach spoke with her about her recent trip to Africa where the zebras are facing numerous challenges.
© Copyright 2007, KWMU
http://publicbroadcasting.net/kwmu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1157999§ionID=1
Zoo to open 4-D theater
Business Courier of Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden will be the first zoo in the country to open a 4-D Special FX Theater, the zoo said Tuesday.
The theater, being developed by Toronto-based SimEx-Iwerks, will open in October. It will offer 3-D visual effects and other in-seat effects, including wind and scents.
The zoo will offer a daily double feature in October: "Dino 4-D" and "Funhouse 4-D." That will coincide with its HallZOOween celebration, which runs on Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 13-28.
"The Polar Express 4-D Attraction" will be shown during the 25th Anniversary PNC Festival of Lights, which begins Nov. 16, the zoo said in a news release.
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/10/01/daily22.html
Zoo Animals to Feast on Seized Undersized Crabs
Undersized crabs seized recently from Crisfield seafood wholesalers will be fed to zoo animals Wenesday at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
The crabs were donated to the zoo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Natural Resources Police. Zoo staff will feed the crabs to their two North American river otters. The first of three companies involved in the federal investigation, MeTompkin Bay Oyster Company, pleaded guilty last month to federal charges to purchasing and selling undersized crabs.
MeTompkin was fined $50,000 and forfeited more than 3,200 dozen undersized crabs.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1007/460250.html
Baltimore Zoo Otters Get Crisfield Treat
By KEIRA BENSON -- WMDT 10/2/2007
Some zoo otters in Baltimore got a special treat Tuesday compliments of Crisfield waters. Maryland Natural Resource Police say they donated thousands of crabs to the zoo for a feeding that happened Tuesday morning.
They say the crabs were undersized and were seized from Crisfield Seafood Wholesalers. In Maryland, it's illegal to take undersized crabs.
http://www.wmdt.com/topstory/displaystory.asp?id=6660
Undersized Crabs Fed To Maryland Zoo Animals (Video)
Ron Matz
Reporting
(WJZ) BALTIMORE How would you like some soft shell crabs? Well, the otters at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore enjoyed some Wednesday.
Ron Matz reports on the feeding frenzy, which began with an investigation on Maryland waterways.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Natural Resources Police donated the crabs to the zoo's North American otters.
"It's actually the first time we think they've had soft shells. They usually eat fish and a prepared meat diet," said Rebecca Gullott, mammal collection manager.
http://wjz.com/seenon/local_story_275101426.html
Head-sized pumpkins can earn chance in zoo drawing
People donating pumpkins bigger than their heads for Dickerson Park Zoo�s Spooktacular will be eligible to register for a drawing for three prizes.
Donations between Monday and Oct. 18 will be eligible for a one-year zoo membership, a behind-the-scenes tour or a chance to see pumpkin activities with the zoo�s Asian elephants.
People who leave pumpkins at the zoo admission gate also receive recognition on the �pumpkin board� and a coupon for a free hot drink during Spooktacular.
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071002/BREAKING07/71002033/-1/rss
Horse latitudes
Outsourcing horse slaughter makes cruelty worse.
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
Attuned to humans, a horse in this country heading for slaughter can't guess what awaits it. In recent years, state laws have banned horsemeat production in the United States. The result in 2007 has been 30,000 horses jammed into low-ceilinged box cars and taken to Mexico. There, in unregulated factories, workers stab the horses' spines until the animals are paralyzed.
What happens next, according to Sunday's story by Chronicle Austin Bureau reporter Lisa Sandberg, is worse. Because state laws recently outlawed horse slaughter at the three U.S. plants that did it, the number of horses sent to Mexico has skyrocketed: 369 percent since this time last year. The answer is not restoring horse slaughter in the United States, but to ban its export.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/5176847.html
Settling Into Life on the Tundra
Posted at 7:27 pm October 2, 2007 by Ronit Abramson
Ronit is the San Diego Zoo’s 2007 Arctic Ambassador. She and other teens from around the world are in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, to partipate in Polar Bears International’s Polar Bear Leadership Camp. Read her previous blog, Hey! There’s a Caribou! And a Polar Bear! And More Polar Bears!
This morning we commenced with our “buggy chores.” Today my group was assigned “cooking crew” and considering all I can confidently make are grilled cheese sandwiches, it was an adventure making pancakes and sausages for breakfast. But guess what we had for lunch?! (Hint: it goes well with tomato soup.)
It began to rain early this morning, waking me up with a pitter-patter on my window. We decided not to go out on the Tundra Buggy today because of the rainy weather; the bears and other wildlife tend to hunker down behind rocks and seek refuge from the cold rain and wind. Instead, we started working on practice presentations on various topics suggested in our required reading, Impacts of a Warming Arctic. We chose an audience in addition to our presentation topic. My team focused our presentation about the observations, consequences of, and responses to a warming arctic to engage a civic group of businesspeople. Other groups focused their talks to engage elementary school kids, senior citizens, and corporate leaders.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/settling-into-life-on-the-tundra/
The Great Zoo Boo is new and improved
Submitted by Binder Park Zoo
Crisp autumn air, crunchy leaves under foot, hot apple cider, and walks through decorated trick-or-treat trails are just some of the many ways to describe Binder Park Zoo's ALL NEW Great ZooBoo. Fun for all ages, the Great ZooBoo offers an abundance of reasons to make this an annual must visit event, with some new twists this season. This year's ALL NEW Great ZooBoo begins October 12th and runs through October 30th.
This year will mark the 21st season of The Great ZooBoo for Binder Park Zoo and bringing with it are some significant changes. Remaining the same, is the Merry-Not-Scary charm that the Zoo has been steadfast in providing to the community. The newness, however, can be found in the ALL NEW dedicated trick-or-treat trail, more animals on exhibit, nightly entertainment venues like magicians, storytellers, and pirate shows and rides such as the Binda Conservation Carousel. All this adds up to tons of fun for the entire family!
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071003/LIFESTYLE08/710030303
Pittsburgh Zoo to get 250K from state
By Allison M. Heinrichs
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium announced this morning that it will receive $250,000 from the state on Thursday to support its new Water's Edge exhibit and new Animal Health Center.
According to the zoo, state Sen. John Pippy, R-Moon, secured the money through the Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program, which funds programs throughout Pennsylvania that create jobs and spur economic development.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_530725.html
Montgomery Zoo Rhinocerous Gives Birth
Wednesday, Oct 03, 2007 - 08:45 AM
By Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The stork dropped by the Montgomery Zoo today.
Jetta, the zoo's seven-year-old rhinoceros, gave birth to a new Indian Rhino calf. The mother and calf are doing well and are bonding. No name has been chosen yet for the calf.
The calf wasn't weighed right away, but Indian Rhino calves generally weigh about 150 pounds when they are born.
Jetta was already pregnant when she arrived from the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
Zoo officials say visitors should watch for an announcement soon on when they can see the mother and baby.
http://www.nbc13.com/gulfcoastwest/vtm/news.apx.-content-articles-VTM-2007-10-03-0005.html
Check Out Our Live Zoo Cam!
LIVE ZOO CAM:
Start Watching Our New Zoo Cam Now! (Powered by Nauticom Internet Services)
Watch the polar bears by day (until 4:30pm) and the tigers by night (after 4:30pm)!
(KDKA) PITTSBURGH The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is showing off its two Amur Tigers and the polar bears at the Water's Edge Exhibit -- and you can get a live look inside their habitat to see what they do for fun!
Mara and Petya, two Amur Tigers, were born on August 8, 2006 – and they've literally grown up before our eyes!
Meanwhile, Marty the polar bear moved to Pittsburgh on September 28th -- and will share his new digs with “Koda Rogers” and “Nuka McFeely.”
Marty came to the Water’s Edge from the Toledo Zoological Gardens, where three cubs born over the past year have put the zoo over its polar bear capacity.
Now, visitors to the zoo can now get up close and personal with the Amur Tigers and the polar bears; but you may be able to see what they're up to right now -- with a live look inside their habitat thanks to KDKA's exclusive live webcam!
The Zoo Cam will display the polar bears by day (until 4:30 pm) and the tigers by night (starting at 4:30pm).
LIVE ZOO CAM:
Watch Our New Zoo Cam Now! (Powered by Nauticom Internet Services)
Learn more about Amur (Siberian) Tigers at
PittsburghZoo.com.
Learn more about Polar Bears at
PittsburghZoo.com.
http://kdka.com/local/local_story_307114439.html
knut @ berlin zoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8PdpGhXtJQ&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvinnysa1store%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F2007%2F10%2Fknut%2Dbear%2Dat%2Dberlin%2Dzoo%2Dvideo%2Ehtml
Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - 2:37 PM CDT
Envision donates sculpture to zoo
Wichita Business Journal - by Wichita Business Journal
Envision dedicated a sculpture of a Humboldt penguin to the Sedgwick County Zoo Wednesday
The ceremony took place in front of the Cessna Penguin Cove, which opened in the spring. Present were zoo Executive Director Mark C. Reed, Great Plains Venture Executive Director Susayn Brandes and Envision CEO and President Linda Merrill.
For the past 15 years, Envision has regularly donated a sculpture to the zoo's touchable art exhibit. These sculptures allow individuals who are blind or have low vision the joy of seeing an animal that is on display at the zoo, by using the sense of touch to see and learn about an animal.
An accompanying plaque in both print and Braille educates all visitors about the animal. Great Plains Ventures funded the 2007 sculpture.
Envision is a Wichita-based not-for-profit agency that provides employment, job training and vision rehabilitation services to individuals who are blind or low vision.
http://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/stories/2007/10/01/daily13.html
Lincoln Park Zoo welcomes dwarf crocs (Video)
October 3, 2007 - It took a long while for R-1 and Maggie to have five little crocs.
The dwarf crocodiles hatched successfully at Lincoln Park Zoo last month. The babies don't have names yet, so they're numbers 21,982 to 21,986.
"They look fabulous. They're growing very well. They have all gained in length and they have all gained in weight and we're getting ready to put them on exhibit now," said Diane Mulkerin, curator, Small Mammal and Reptile House.
The little critters are now swimming around in a guppy filled pool. While they're pretty cute, the real star of the show here is their father, R-1, who lives in the zoo's African Journey. R-1 arrived at the zoo in 1940. That's right- 67-years ago. And, these hatchlings are his first offspring.
In 1999, ABC7 shot video of R-1 being introduced to a young Maggie, the hatchling's mother. But, at that time, it didn't work with her- or any other girlfriends.
"He was shy and laid back and not aggressive enough," said Mulkerin.
But, Maggie is not. The result- five babies. And, one proud papa.
"He could live to be a hundred," said Mulkerin.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=5688912
Honey prodcution down across country
09/11/2007 08:32 PM
By: Jennifer Moxley
Honey production is down and prices are up across the country as honey farmers fight a mysterious problem that is making their bees disappear.
STATESVILLE, N.C. -- Honey production is down and prices are up across the country as honey farmers fight a mysterious problem that is making their bees disappear.
North Carolina is one of 25 states in the country to experience what's called Colony Collapse Disorder. It's where the honey bees leave the hive, become disoriented, and never return.
“It's estimated that 75 percent of your produce department would be removed from a supermarket if all honey bees were lost. That’s how important they are to the food chain,” explained honeybee farmer Tommy Woodfin.
Bees are so important to the food chain, red flags raise when honeybee farmers across the country say they are losing their bees.
A disease is killing the country's honey bee population.
“What happens in this CCD is that the bees disappear. It’s sometimes called the Disappear Disease, by the way,” Woodfin said.
Honey farmers like Woodfin are paying attention to reports of the CCD problem.
“The bees for some reason, they go out and they become disoriented and they can't find their way back and the end result is that you end up with maybe a handful of bees where there should be 10-12 pounds of bees,” he said.
North Carolina is one of the 25 states reporting cases of CCD. Incidents here aren't high, but bee farmers here have other problems, like the spring freeze that killed a lot of the honeybee flowers.
Because of the spring freeze, Woodfin Farms only got about 60 percent of their honey crop this year. Woodfin held back raising prices.
“We just didn't think the market would bear another price increase so we held the line,” he explained. He says he’s holding onto his bees while scientists try to find out why the bees are leaving the comb.
North Carolina is said to be the state with the most hobbyist honey beekeepers. September is National Honey Month. This is the time of year when most of the honey harvesting has wrapped up and the fresh honey hits the stands.
For more information about the honey industry, recipes, or to find a local farmer, log onto ');
http://news14.com/content/headlines/587091/honey-prodcution-down-across-country/Default.aspx
Exec Pays Up with Smelly Bet
CHICAGO, IL -- A Chicago zoo executive is making good on a Super Bowl bet.
Lincoln Park Zoo CEO Kevin Bell spent Friday shoveling manure at the Indianapolis Zoo.
The hard day's work was part of a bet that officials at the two zoos made before last year's Super Bowl.
"I thought this was a sure bet for Chicago at the time," Bell said. "The Bears were playing well and I though 'Okay, we'll take this, no problem,' and the Bears let me down."
Bell added that the great weather and beauty of the Indianapolis zoo made paying off the debt a pleasure.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=92365
Among tools for zookeepers: prudent use of contraception
By DIANE COCHRAN
Of The Gazette Staff
Breeding programs in zoos help maintain genetic diversity in animal populations and can even keep some species from becoming extinct, an expert in animal contraception said Friday.
Black-footed ferrets, Channel Island foxes, Mexican wolves and Mongolian wild horses all exist in the wild today at least in part because of captive breeding programs, said Dr. Cheryl Asa, director of the AZA Wildlife Contraception Center at the St. Louis Zoo.
"Zoos are holding these animals," said Asa, who was visiting the Science and Conservation Center at ZooMontana. "These animals wouldn't exist if zoos hadn't done captive breeding to make them available again."
Contraception is an important tool used by breeding programs, Asa said. Zoos rely on it to protect the genetic diversity of species and to maintain manageable numbers of animals.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/09/29/news/local/35-lionabstinence.txt
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