Zoos
An article from July worth looking at again.
Advice for staying healthy at local county fairs
(OTTUMWA) Animals are fun to look at and even fun to pet. But petting animals could be bad for your health.
Every year people get sick because of visits to animal exhibits.
"The animals, sometimes you don't realize the hair, the skin can carry bacteria, and then if you consume food or any kind without washing your hands, you can contract some very nasty diseases that will make you very ill," said Lynelle Diers with Wapello County Public Health.
But getting diseases from animals is preventable.
"When you leave the barn, they need to find a sink with soap and water and wash their hands good, sing the Happy Birthday song, whatever to make sure you rub your hands together," said Diers.
It's also important to get good friction when washing your hands.
If you don't have immediate access to soap and water, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are also effective until you reach a sink.
But the threat of illness shouldn't keep anyone from enjoying this summer's county fairs or petting zoos.
"It's absolutely safe to go to the fairs, the petting zoos or whatever. Enjoy the animals thoroughly, but just make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before eating any type of food," said Diers.
Parents with young children should make sure they wash properly and don't touch their mouth or eyes before washing.
--Danielle Wagner , Reporting.
http://www.ktvotv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=3614517&nav=1LFscK9p
Audubon Zoo weathers Katrina's fury
By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON
mmillhollon@theadvocate.com
Capitol news bureau
Advocate staff photos by Patrick Dennis
Marsha Fernandez, assistant curator for mammals at the Audubon Zoo, points to debris in the black bears' habitat. Hurricane Katrina knocked down trees in the exhibit.
NEW ORLEANS -- Jean was feeling frisky after getting her first bath in 13 days.
The Asian elephant was playfully slinging sticks Sunday from her pen at the Audubon Zoo. Behind her, a waterfall cascaded into a pool that's pristine for the first time since the hurricane hit two weeks ago. Zoo officials got word during the weekend that the water supply is now safe for the animals.
"We had an elephant pool cleaning party yesterday," said Marsha Hernandez, assistant curator of mammals.
http://2theadvocate.com/stories/091205/new_zoo001.shtml
Meet Your Best Friend at the Detroit Zoo!
ROYAL OAK, Mich., Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/
The Detroit Zoo is againteaming up with the Michigan Humane Society to find new loving homes forhundreds of adoptable animals from local shelters. The 13th annual Meet YourBest Friend at the Zoo will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 24and 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak. The event isheld outdoors under tents in the Detroit Zoo front parking lot at 10 Mile Roadand Woodward Ave. There is no charge for event admission or parking. Thepresenting sponsor is VCA Animal Hospitals. Other sponsors are The CatPractice, Pfizer, Pet Suite Retreat and Krispy Kreme.
Because new puppies are the most popular adoptable pets, this year 25"puppy passes" will be given each morning to guests looking specifically toadopt a new puppy. Those with puppy passes will be allowed to enter the eventat 9:45 a.m., with the remainder of the guests allowed to enter at 10:00 a.m.Allowing the "puppy rush" to happen before general admittance will ensure thatall guests have a wonderful time choosing their pet. A dog walk area willalso be available to give guests an opportunity to spend time with theirchosen animal before adopting it.
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-12-2005/0004105201&EDATE=
Bird in hand
Zoo's errant eagle turns up in West Allis
By GEORGIA PABST
gpabst@journalsentinel.com
Posted: July 19, 2005
The eagle has finally landed.
(image placeholder)
Dewey, the Bateleur eagle that escaped from the Milwaukee County Zoo, was captured without incident at 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, zoo officials reported.
"She looks perfect," said zoo spokeswoman Jennifer Diliberti.
The multicolored bird with a wing span of 6 feet and an orange face was taken at W. Lincoln Ave. and S. 90th St. in West Allis, she said.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/jul05/342202.asp
Roo death prompts tighter zoo security
Security at the Rockhampton Zoo in central Queensland will be upgraded after a horrific attack on a kangaroo at the weekend.
Parks and recreation director Tom Wyatt says the council has employed extra security staff with dogs to patrol the area at night.
He says they are also looking at closed circuit cameras.
"We've put extra security precautions in place immediately and see if we can overcome this problem and get these offenders caught," he said.
"Obviously they are a danger to society."
Shane Towers-Hammond from the RSPCA says the kangaroo had been decapitated and has appealed for information about the attack.
"Well in this particular case it's obvious the animal has suffered and whoever has perpetrated this certainly didn't have any regard for what the animal's going through," he said.
"It's just a horrible situation that we want to see stamped out in any form and in any way.
"If anyone does have any information that they can contact the RSPCA, who are only too happy to take any information, whether it's anonymous or not."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200507/s1418178.htm
Stray Dogs Ravage Indianapolis Zoo Birds
United Press International
Employees of the Indianapolis Zoo were mourning the loss Monday of all the birds in the Australian exhibit to a pack of wild, stray dogs.
At least six dogs managed to get into the exhibit around 6 a.m. Sunday. An employee called for help, but by the time police arrived, the dogs had killed two black swans, three magpie geese and three emus, which are flightless.
Police used shotguns to kill four -- three male Labrador-chow mixes and a female terrier mix -- after efforts to corral them failed. An adult male pit bull was captured with a wire noose, and a sixth dog had not yet been captured late Sunday, the Indianapolis Star reported.
http://www.13wham.com/news/weird_news/story.aspx?content_id=177361D1-606F-42CC-AE7E-22B905C2CAE6
Coyle to seek eminent domain options for zoo land
By LAURA LAYDEN
September 21, 2005
A month ago, Collier County Commission Chairman Fred Coyle said he wasn't likely to consider taking land underneath the Naples Zoo by force.
But now that negotiations have hit the wall with the landowners, he plans to ask staff to examine whether eminent domain should be used to save the landmark attraction.
http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_4096180,00.html
Avian flu suspected in Jakarta zoo workers
Sep 20, 2005 (CIDRAP News) – Three workers from Jakarta's Ragunan Zoo have been hospitalized with suspected H5N1 avian influenza, increasing the number of suspected human cases in Indonesia to as many as seven, according to news services.
The zoo was closed yesterday after 19 captive birds tested positive for the H5N1 virus. The ailing zoo workers include a 28-year-old guide and a 39-year-old vendor, the Associated Press (AP) reported in a statement attributed to I Nyoman Kandun, Indonesia's director general of communicable disease control. A Reuters report today said a third person from the zoo, also a food worker, was hospitalized late last night.
The latest cases apparently bring the number of suspected case-patients in Indonesia to seven. But Reuters quoted Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari as saying only six people have been hospitalized.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/news/sep2005avflu.html
Now you can trade places with the zoo animals
September 20 2005 at 10:50AM
Zagreb - A Croatian zoo is offering visitors "the complete animal experience" by locking them up in cages.
The move is to allow visitors to empathise with the animals by viewing the world from inside a cage.
The head of Zagreb Zoo, Mladen Anic, said: "We have set two cages aside for Homo Sapiens so people can experience how an animal perceives their cage."
But the project also has an environmental message with one ecologically themed cage using environmentally friendly furnishings and the other demonstrating the worst of man's disregard for nature - complete with a note above a mirror reading: "The most dangerous beast on the planet."
"We wanted to inform people about the ecological problems for which humans are responsible," Mr Anic said.
"I hope this will make people think about the fate of ourselves and our planet." - Ananova.com
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=iol1127222021695A551
Zoo Armed Robbery Suspect Remains At Large
Someone Tied Up Three Clerks, Stole Money
POSTED: 6:01 pm EDT September 20, 2005
UPDATED: 7:24 pm EDT September 20, 2005
BALTIMORE -- Someone tied up three gift shop workers and robbed the store early Monday evening at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Lisa Robinson reported police have not made any arrests as they continue to investigate.
Officers have increased patrols at the northwest Baltimore zoo campus after an armed robbery at the zoo's gift shop, Wild Things, shortly after closing.
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/4998756/detail.html
Something about and for those computer fans !
Aspyr ships Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection
By Peter Cohen pcohen@maccentral.com
Aspyr Media Inc. on Monday announced that it’s shipping Zoo Tycoon Complete Collection for the Macintosh — a compendium that includes the original Zoo Tycoon, as well as its Dinosaur Digs and Marine Mania expansion packs. The US$49.99 collection is rated “E” for Everyone by the ESRB.
Zoo Tycoon puts you in the role of the owner of a zoo. You must create habitats and environments that are healthy, safe and well suited for your animals, plus you need to staff your zoo and plan enough exhibits, attractions and facilities to keep your customers happy and coming back for more. More than 200 animals are featured. Marine Mania enables you to build a zoo featuring water attractions like killer whales, manta rays and other marine animals. Dinosaur Digs adds a Jurassic Park-style twist, as you build a zoo that features more than 20 different prehistoric creatures, using 100 new building materials and testing your mettle in six different scenarios.
System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.2.8 or later, G3/233MHz or faster, 128MB RAM, 1.2GB hard disk space, video system with at least 16MB VRAM and CD drive.
http://www.macworld.com/news/2005/09/12/ztcc/index.php
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