Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Morning Papers - concluding

Zoos

Pit bulls kill three animals at kids' zoo

One of the dogs is shot dead after the facility loses goats and rooster; nine other animals hurt.
Associated Press
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SAGINAW -- Three children's zoo animals are dead and nine others injured after a pair of pit bulls burrowed under a fence and attacked goats, sheep, cattle and roosters.
Two goats and a rooster were killed in the petting area of the Children's Zoo at Celebration Square. The dogs got into the zoo sometime before 6:30 a.m. Monday.
"It is a sad day at the zoo," director Nancy J. Parker said.
http://www.detnews.com/2005/metro/0508/18/B07-284582.htm


White alligator at World Zoo a 1st in Arizona

Rachel StultsNorthwest Valley RepublicNov. 9, 2005 12:00 AM
Carrie Beletz took a step forward as a 4½-foot white alligator approached her through
mucky water. But this sixth-grader was not afraid.
Instead, Carrie, a student at Sahuaro Elementary School in Phoenix, pressed her face to
the glass at Wildlife World Zoo to get a better look at a creature she had never seen
before.
"That's cool," she said. "But I wouldn't want to feed it." advertisement
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/1109swv-alligator05Z1.html


Zoo Elephants Enjoy Pumpkin Treat

UPDATED - Tuesday November 08, 2005 12:34pm eVideo: Zoo Elephants Enjoy Pumpkin Treat
Washington D.C. (AP) - Children visiting the National Zoo are getting a post-Halloween
treat, and so are the elephants.
Zookeepers gave the elephants pumpkins Tuesday as part of the annual Pumpkin Stomp.
Kandula was the first elephant to discover a beach ball sized pumpkin, which he kicked
like a soccer ball before smashing and eating it.
Zoo nutritionist Mark Edwards says the pumpkins are a good source of beta-carotene and
fiber.
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/1105/275847.html


Clinch Zoo to close Commission is unanimous in its decision

By VANESSA McCRAYRecord-Eagle staff writer
TRAVERSE CITY - The zoo is on the move. City commissioners unanimously cemented a decision Monday night to close the
downtown Clinch Park Zoo to the public by Labor Day 2007. At the same meeting, a
citizen-led group called Citizens for a Wildlife Education Center announced it has begun
planning for a new facility in a new location. The vote to close the zoo caps years of divided opinion on whether to shutter the
bayfront attraction that opened at its present site in 1956. "Even though we are talking about moving, we should end up with an even better
zoo," city commissioner Anne Melichar said.
http://www.record-eagle.com/2005/nov/08zoo.htm


Kanpur Zoo awaits migratory birds' arrival

Kanpur November 08, 2005 5:40:45 PM IST
After a long gap, Kanpur Zoo is once again ready to welcome the seasonal guests in
migratory birds by the month end.Talking to UNI today, Zoo Director Hemanth Kumar claimed the authorities had been making great efforts to make the Zoo lake water clean and eco-friendly for foreign visitors.
He said, last year very few birds came here as they did not get eco-friendly atmoshphere
including clean water, food and safety.
''This year, a lake containing clean water has been constructed from the funds provided
by the Rajkiya Nirman Nigam.'' About 10,000 fisherlings (small fishes) have been put in
the lake to attract the migratory birds. Besides a number of fruit bearing trees have
been planted for the birds.
Mr Kumar claimed the lake spread over 17 hectares had already attracted migratory bird
including leaser whistling teal, painted storks, grey heron, pond heron, night heron,
snake birds, egret, carmorant, moorhen and wagetail.
Birds such as bar-heated goos, open bill stork, brahminy duck, spoonbill, and kingfisher
would probably be coming by month end.
He said a survey last year by the Asian Waterfall Census under the Mumbai Natural
History Society pointed out that 85 painted storks had visited the Kanpur Zoo. ''But,
this year more than 150 painted stork are expected to arrive here,'' he added.


About Mogo Zoo

Wednesday, 9 November 2005
Privately owned, Mogo Zoo is committed to the survival of endangered animals and
provides for over 100 animals 35 of which are rare and exotic species. They are also
actively involved in many global breeding programs. Mogo Zoo evolved when Bill and Sally Padey along with their small collection of buffalo,
pheasants, peacocks, deer and kangaroo, began to welcome visitors to the then named
Somerset Wildlife Sanctuary over 14 years ago. Their dream was to develop their
sanctuary into an animal park that contributed to the conservation of threatened
species. Bill and Sally's studies in husbandry and the management of carnivores and
primates at Sydney's Taronga Zoo eventually led to them obtaining other zoo's surplus
animals. Today Mogo Zoo is the home of many wonderful animals from around the world
including African lions, alligators, Bengal tigers, giraffes, jaguars, snow leopards,
Sumatran tigers, Syrian brown bears, water buffalo, white lions and zebras.
Open daily
Mogo Zoo is open 9am to 5pm daily and closed on Christmas Day only.
Feeding time is daily at 10.30am and 1.30pm.
Admission fees are adults $16.50; children $9; seniors $12; family (two adults and two
children) $45, extra children $5.
Enter now and win a family pass to Mogo Zoo valued at $45
To celebrate the birth of Mogo Zoo's African Serval kitten the Narooma News, in
conjunction with Mogo Zoo, has four free family passes to Mogo Zoo, valued at $45, to
giveaway to readers.
To be eligible to win, all you have to do is write your name, address and phone number
on the back of an envelope and send it to the Mogo Zoo Giveaway, Narooma News, Shop 2,
Midtown Arcade, Narooma 2546.
This week's lucky winner
The competition now moves into its second week, and a winner is announced each week in
the Narooma News, with the final winner announced on Wednesday, November 30.
This week's lucky winner is Cody Bond, of Narooma.


Zoo Donors Get Sneak Peek At Panda

(CBS/AP) In Washington, it's not who you know or who you are so much as how much money
you gave to the right causes.
At least, if you want to get a glimpse of the National Zoo's panda cub Tai Shan
(pronounced "ty shawn").
The zoo has distributed some 600 timed entry tickets to members of the its booster
organization, Friends of the National Zoo, and ticket holders were starting to view the
cub on Monday.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/11/07/entertainment/main1018453.shtml


Newborn squirrel monkey, mother doing well at zoo

The Arizona RepublicNov. 8, 2005 12:00 AM
PHOENIX -The Phoenix Zoo's Monkey Village has a new resident.
A squirrel monkey born last week is now on display in the walk-through village. The
gender of the baby is not yet known, but zoo officials report that it looks healthy and
is being well cared for by its mother.
The baby monkey is the third born in the zoo's newest exhibit, which opened in late 2004
and is unique in that it offers zoogoers a chance to get up close and personal with the
monkeys as they walk through nearly 10,000 square feet of enclosed space where the
animals roam free.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/1108phxmonkey08.html


Zoo Has New Leadership

They've been searching since January. But now officials at the Great Plains Zoo have
found someone to replace the retiring president, Ed Asper. Elizabeth Whealy grew up in
Colton. She attended South Dakota State University and eventually made her way to Alaska
to work as CEO of the Alaska Raptor Center. But now she's returned to KELOLAND to serve
as the Great Plains Zoo's newest president.
There's a new king of the jungle at the Great Plains Zoo. But this one's of the human
variety. And she's got big ideas about how to get the zoo back in shape.
http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail5440.cfm?Id=0,43767


Elephant naming contest at the Zoo

Let the voting begin! The 3-week-old African elephant calf born at Tampa’s Lowry Park
Zoo needs a name, and starting today, the public is invited to visit the zoo’s website
at
http://www.lowryparkzoo.com/ and vote for their favorite.
The zoo invited schools in a 7-county area of Greater Tampa Bay to submit names for
consideration. The zoo challenged classrooms to select an African name with a special
meaning. Hundreds of schools participated, proposing nearly 600 names over a two-week
period. From those, a team of zoo staffers reviewed each entry and selected five names
to be posted online for a public vote.
http://www.tampabays10.com/aroundthebay/aroundthebay_article.aspx?storyid=20863


‘Jungle Jack’ goes on NEW Zoo safari

Animal expert Hanna visits area for tour, fund-raiser By Terry Anderson
tanderso@greenbaypressgazette.com
SUAMICO — Jack Hanna doesn’t preach conservation solely for the sake of animals. Rather,
he is convinced that conserving wildlife is essential for humankind.
Touring Brown County’s NEW Zoo on Monday, before an appearance at the Rock Garden/
Comfort Suites in Howard as a fund-raiser for the NEW Zoological Society, “Jungle Jack”
said his trips around the globe have convinced him that when the natural world is
diminished, so is the standing of the people living in that place.
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/news/archive/local_23301489.shtml


Zoo Director Sets 10-Year Goal Sunday

November 06, 2005 10:40am Washington (AP) - A month after taking charge at the National Zoo, the new director is
determined to move the zoo past its problems from the past.
Zoo director John Berry says he's made it clear to the staff that they're working to
become the best zoo in the world within the next ten years. Berry says that he's gotten
a good reaction from the zoo staff.
Management problems and a number of animal deaths at the zoo sparked scrutiny from
Congress and an investigation by the National Academies' National Research Council.
Berry started as director October first after a search process that lasted more than a
year. He says he visited the zoo as a child and still finds it an inspiring place.
Next month the zoo's giant panda cub is expected to go on display, and Berry says
they're expecting large crowds for the new attraction.


'The Zoo' wins People's Choice Award Again

Monday, 7 November 2005, 3:07 pm
Press Release: Auckland City Council 7 November 2005'The Zoo' wins People's Choice Award fifth year running
'The Zoo' television series has once again been voted 'Best Reality Documentary'
programme in The TV Guide's People's Choice Awards.
This is the fifth year the show has won the accolade, which is one of the Guide's 'Best
on the Box People's Choice Awards'. Auckland-based Greenstone Pictures produces the
family/factual series, which is now in its seventh year.
"It's a fantastic effort from both Greenstone Pictures and all the keepers involved, and
marvellous to know that New Zealanders love it so much," says Auckland Zoo Director,
Glen Holland.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0511/S00047.htm


Art for tiger's sake at zoo

07nov05
PAINTING'S hard yakka for a tiger.
That's the message Ramalon, one of the Melbourne Zoo's sumatran tigers, seems to be
giving carnivore keeper Sam Cooper. The zoo's two tiger stars -- Ramalon and Binjai -- have just started painting classes as
part of a push to give the zoo's animals new and interesting challenges.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17158656^2862,00.html


Micke Grove Zoo faces big challenges

Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer Published Sunday, Nov 6, 2005
LODI -- The county-run Micke Grove Zoo suffers from a lack of funding and staff, and
consideration should be given to making it a privately run operation, according to an
accreditation report released Friday.
The zoo's effort to renew its accreditation was suspended earlier this year by the
American Zoo and Aquarium Association. The watchdog group analyzed more than 200 facets
of zoo management and found four "unacceptable" and 33 "questionable" conditions and
practices at Micke Grove.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051106/NEWS0102/511060325


State zoos aid cleanup effort at Naples siteOfficials target Thanksgiving reopening

By Andrea Stetsonspecial To The News-press
Originally posted on November 05, 2005
ANDREA STETSON/Special to news-press.com
Ernie Estrada, senior animal care specialist from Busch Gardens, helps remove fallen
trees at the Naples Zoo.
HOW TO HELP• What: To volunteer to help clean up the zoo• How: Contact: Douglas Rickenbach, volunteer coordinator• Where: 239-262-5409 ext. 127 or e-mail
douglas@napleszoo.com
To give: Tax-deductible donations are being accepted at
http://www.napleszoo.com/ payable to Naples Zoo, 1590 Goodlette-Frank Road, Naples FL 34102

A week after Hurricane Wilma tore through the Naples Zoo, huge trees still need to be
chopped up and removed and animal enclosures still need to be repaired. Still it's a lot
better than a week ago, when zoo officials couldn't even get down the paths that lead
around the zoo.
Zoo director David Tetzlaff said the zoo won't open until Thanksgiving. This is the
longest the zoo has been closed since it first opened in 1969. The zoo closed for a week
in 1992 after Hurricane Andrew and four days last year after Hurricane Charley. But this
closing will be for about a month.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051105/NEWS0102/511050445/1075


Federal inspectors say zoo mishandled baby elephant that died

SYRACUSE, N.Y. Federal inspectors say the Rosamond Gifford Zoo improperly handled a baby
elephant that died in August and should pay more than 10-thousand dollars in civil
penalties.
Zoo Director Anne Baker told the Syracuse Post-Standard she was stunned that the
proposed penalties cite the zoo for failing to have a barrier to keep four-day-old Kedar
from falling into a swimming pool.
http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=4078404&nav=4QcS


Zoo Sees Increase in Donations with Panda Birth

Updated: Saturday, Nov. 5, 2005 - 10:56 AM
WASHINGTON - The popularity of the National Zoo's giant panda cub has led to an spike in
donations through the zoo's Adopt-a-Species program. Participation in the program has grown from 691 in 2003 to more than 1,100 this year.
Donations range from $40 to $1,000.
Those donations account for about $82,000 of the zoo's nearly $18 million annual budget.
The zoo uses the extra money for animal care and research work.
Dawn Rogers tells The Washington Post she contributed to the program as a gift to her
teenage children who have been closely tracking the panda's progress.
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=613652


What to do with our zoo?Add your voice to debate about its future.

By REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD
November 5, 2005
The Madagascar hissing cockroaches were resting. The giraffes were put away for the
winter. The flamingos were huddled in a group, and the northern lynx was eyeing the few
Homo sapiens visiting Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo on Wednesday afternoon.
Zoo officials are considering ways to transform the zoo into a larger entertainment
attraction, and they're asking for public input. What did some of Wednesday's visitors
say they wanted in their zoo?
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article


Students bearing up under duties at zoo

Program puts them behind the scenes
Zenas House-Wilson, an eighth-grader at Wildwood Environmental Academy, feeds Mystic,
the zoo's Arctic fox.
By IGNAZIO MESSINABLADE STAFF WRITER
Rebecca Maniak started her day yesterday with a kick.
Too bad it was from an alpaca trying to get more food from her hands.
"When I was feeding Amigo, that's the alpaca, he kicked me," Rebecca, 13, said. "Not
enough to break anything, but I'll have to look and see if I get a bruise."
The eighth-grader is in a group of Wildwood Environmental Academy students who visit the
Toledo Zoo once a week for behind-the-scenes and hands-on experience.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051105/NEWS17/511050391


Vandalur Zoo gets new inmates

Search for More News Chennai, Nov 5: The suburban Vandalur zoo has acquired new inmates.
Two pairs of chimpanzees and a pair of South American jaguars were among the animals
that the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur acquired recently from Singapore Zoo
Authority in an exchange programme, zoo director K P M Perumal said today.
Besides chimpanzees and jaguars, the zoo had also obtained a wolf, a female American
alligator in exchange for two barking and spotted deer, besides a pair of Indian rock
pythons, he told reporters here.
http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B9C26FDC3-DC91-4726-8CEA-15239EEA36CE%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Chennai


Zona Zoo policies revamped

By Zach ColickArizona Daily WildcatSeptember 8, 2005 Print this
If students want to sit on the sidelines at Saturday's game, they had better have a Zona
Zoo pass, after ASUA spirit leaders
revamped the ticket policy because passes sold like hotcakes.
More than 7,000 Zona Zoo passes have been sold since the first two weeks of school, in
comparison to the 9,522 passes sold in 2004, said Amber Harryman, Associated Students of
the University of Arizona spirit director.
http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/98/173/01_2.html


Zoo, botanical garden unite to save frogs from fungus

By TOM SABULISPublished on: 09/09/05
Atlanta is fast becoming an E.R. for the frog world as researchers from two local institutions try to halt a mysterious and deadly fungus threatening to send all amphibians the way of the dinosaurs.
For the last few months, curators from Zoo Atlanta and the Atanta Botanical Garden have been flying to Panama — ground zero for their research — and carrying back as many frogs as possible, transported in little black roller bags outfitted with Tupperware tubes.
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/living/0905/09frogs.html


Artists to zoo keepers get to work on new A-level resources

More than 30 employers, from sectors as diverse as architecture, engineering, film production and healthcare, have collaborated on the production of a new multimedia resource to help teachers with new A-level subjects being introduced this month.The CD-ROM, produced by the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), is part of its support services to teachers in schools and colleges.
http://www.ngfl.gov.uk/news.jsp?sec=5&cat=99&res=88302


Baby Giant Anteater On Display At St. Louis Zoo

There is a new bouncing bundle of joy at the world-famous St. Louis Zoo.
"Zsa Zsa" the baby giant anteater was born July 8th at the zoo.
She's the first female anteater born at the zoo.
She was named by ZZ-Top guitarist Billy Gibbons, who was in St. Louis earlier this year.
Her full name is "Zsa Zsa Top."
She will stay with her mother in the River's Edge exhibit for up to two years, and will grow to more than fifty inches long.


Plague and primates at human zoo

Debra J. Saunders
Thursday, September 1, 2005
THE "Human Zoo," a four-day exhibit last week at the London Zoo, was designed, zoo spokeswoman Polly Wills told the Associated Press, to get the public to see "people in a different environment, among other animals" and teach "that the human is just another primate."
Bunk. If the human were just another primate, other primates -- like monkeys -- would make zoos. Ditto gorillas. Fact is, humans are the only primates that create zoos, which means humans are not just another primate.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/01/EDGLIEFLNK1.DTL


Detroit Zoo Polar Bear Cub Loves to Swim!

Thursday September 1, 10:36 am ET Swim lessons now every morning at the Arctic Ring of Life
ROYAL OAK, Mich., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The newest member of the Arctic Ring of Life, the polar bear cub Talini, is so excited about swimming that the Zoo has increased her time in the exhibit's large pool. Accompanied by her mother, Barle, the cub is now spending time every day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. practicing her swimming, after which she can be seen in the grassy tundra portion of the exhibit.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050901/deth017.html?.v=20


Former San Diego Zoo panda gives birth to two cubs in China

BEIJING An American-born panda has given birth to a pair of cubs in southwest China.
One of Hua Mei's (hwa mayz) cub is male, but the second has been with its mother so the gender is unknown.
Six-year-old Hua Mei is the first surviving panda to have been born in the United States. She moved from the San Diego Zoo to China in February 2004 under an agreement between the two countries.
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=3794422


KC Zoo patrons can peek at lion cubs

Four lion cubs at the Kansas City Zoo can be viewed beginning today through a fence opening into their behind-the-scenes nursery.
The cubs, born June 28, will be introduced to the lion exhibit in late September or early October. The three males and one female recently began eating meat but still are nursing from their mother.
They weighed 10 to 12 pounds in mid-August and will grow to 300 to 400 pounds.


Plague and primates at human zooDebra J. Saunders

Thursday, September 1, 2005
THE "Human Zoo," a four-day exhibit last week at the London Zoo, was designed, zoo spokeswoman Polly Wills told the Associated Press, to get the public to see "people in a different environment, among other animals" and teach "that the human is just another primate."
Bunk. If the human were just another primate, other primates -- like monkeys -- would make zoos. Ditto gorillas. Fact is, humans are the only primates that create zoos, which means humans are not just another primate.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/01/EDGLIEFLNK1.DTL


Detroit Zoo Polar Bear Cub Loves to Swim!

Thursday September 1, 10:36 am ET Swim lessons now every morning at the Arctic Ring of Life
ROYAL OAK, Mich., Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The newest member of the Arctic Ring of Life, the polar bear cub Talini, is so excited about swimming that the Zoo has increased her time in the exhibit's large pool. Accompanied by her mother, Barle, the cub is now spending time every day from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. practicing her swimming, after which she can be seen in the grassy tundra portion of the exhibit.ADVERTISEMENT The cub was introduced to the large, 300,000 gallon chilled saltwater pool in the Ice Pack portion of the exhibit last week. Since then, she has made great progress in her swimming abilities and strength.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050901/deth017.html?.v=20


New gorilla's ready for monkey business

By Jim KnippenbergEnquirer staff writer
The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is about to get back into the business of breeding gorillas, thanks to the arrival of Jomo, a 14-year-old, 400-pound silverback on loan from the Toronto Zoo.
He'll meet the media today at a 10 a.m. press conference in the zoo's Gorilla World, then meet his quintet of bachelorettes - Samantha, Madge, Muke, Mlinzi and Kweli, all proven breeders with 19 offspring among them.
The zoo's gorilla breeding program, once the most successful in the United States with 47 births in 28 years, has been stalled since 1998 because Colossus, the zoo's only male, has shown no interest. Still, it ranks third worldwide behind zoos in London and Chicago.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050901/NEWS01/509010408



City zoo celebrates new arrivals

Vicunas were almost hunted to extinction in the 1970s Belfast Zoo is celebrating two new arrivals following the births of baby vicunas. Vicunas, which are originally from the Andes in South America, were almost hunted to extinction in the late 1970s for their very valuable fleece.
However, with conservation efforts and careful management the animals are now reasonably safe, but are still classed as an endangered species.
Keepers at the zoo have not yet been able to get close enough to the animals to find out what sex they are, so the two baby vicunas are still without names.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4200060.stm


Zoo stops rides after pony dies

, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- A Washington state zoo is temporarily stopping a 90-year tradition of pony rides after one died, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.
On Monday, Bonnie, a 9-year-old pony, died and the zoo decided to put the rides on hold.
Zoo officials haven't found the cause of Bonnie's death but said she had diarrhea and a small appetite for a few days leading up to it.
No other ponies are sick.
The zoo is also stopping the Trailside Chats where a caretaker talks about the ponies as visitors are up close with the herd.


Editorial: Naples ZooAppraising value, history

By The Naples Daily NewsAugust 31, 2005
The experts seem to talk in a language all their own.
Three professional appraisers look at the 166 acres that comprise the Naples Zoo — formerly Caribbean Gardens — and surrounding area and talk as if it were three different places. They talk about usable area, developable units, gross density, wetland and water areas, etc.
No wonder their bottom lines swing wildly from $46 million to $67.5 million.
Two points strike us about a story published in this newspaper on Monday about the situation — as well as the fourth appraisal to be done in the wake of a November 2004 referendum granting voter/taxpayer approval to buy the landmark.
First, the appraiser for the property owner, the Fleischmann family, seems lofty in comparing the potential on this land to sales at Naples Bay Resort, which is on prime, recreational waterfront.
Second, amid all the gobbledygook, come these words from the same appraiser. "We are twiddling our thumbs while Rome burns," Thomas Hanson is quoted as saying.
"The market is up and up and up, while nobody is getting this done."
That is something on which everyone can agree.
Most would agree on this too: The 13 acres comprising the original gardens, with plantings up to 85 years old, should be exempted from the zoo's long-range redevelopment plans. Those acres are the soul of Caribbean Gardens. They host a special kind of historical roots. West Nile virus kills zoo owl, four loons
HEALTH: Tests confirm disease in a snowy owl at the Duluth zoo.
BY JOHN MYERS
NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
A family of loons in central Minnesota and an owl at the Lake Superior Zoo are the latest Minnesota victims to perish from West Nile virus.
The four loons, from a Sherburne County lake, are the first in Minnesota confirmed to die from West Nile, said Carrol Henderson, director of nongame wildlife for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/news/local/12521358.htm


Park expert will talk to zoo committee
FROM STAFF REPORTS
TRAVERSE CITY - The group charged with studying the future of the Clinch Park Zoo will hear next from a wildlife park expert. Dick Grant, director of the Howell Conference and Nature Center, will give a presentation to the group at its 5:30 p.m. Thursday meeting at the Governmental Center in Traverse City. He will talk about what it takes to create a wildlife park, one of the options suggested for the zoo.
New baby Siamang for zooWednesday, 31 August 2005
Life's laid back for a furry four-week-old - apart from the occasional upside down dangle from a five metre-high rope. Western Plains Zoo's newest arrival - a tiny Siamang ape - swung into the world on July 30 and has been clinging tight to its mum's belly ever since.
http://dubbo.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&category=general%20news&story_id=420148&y=2005&m=8


LaSalle Bank Run Wild For the Detroit Zoo Coming

September 10Tuesday August 30, 4:49 pm ET Annual Event Includes Fun for the Whole Family; Proceeds to Benefit Animal Health Complex
ROYAL OAK, Mich., Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of Detroit Zoo supporters will lace up their running shoes and head over to the Zoo on Saturday, September 10, 2005, for the ninth-annual LaSalle Bank Run Wild for the Detroit Zoo (Standard Federal Bank will become LaSalle Bank on September 12). LaSalle Bank is in the second year of a five-year agreement to be the title sponsor for the event. Proceeds from the Run Wild event benefit the Zoo's Animal Health Complex.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050830/detu021.html?.v=20


Zoo officials have made lion match

NORFOLK, Va. She's a pussycat of a gal who likes guys with lots of facial hair, enjoys rock climbing and isn't shy about tearing into a hunk of steak.
Virginia Zoo officials have spent many months searching for a girlfriend for Mramba, a two-year-old lion, and believe they have found a match.
Zola, a one-year-old African lioness, was donated by the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. She was transported to Norfolk last month and quarantined for a month.
Zookeepers are giving Zola time to become accustomed to her new home, and estimate it will be two weeks before the pair spend time together.
But zoo officials are hopeful, because Mramba was spotted recently licking Zola's face through the bars separating their indoor dens.
The zoo's third lion, six-year-old Kalisa, does not get along well with other animals.
All three lions will be on public display individually on a rotating basis, at least until Zola and Mramba can be together.
Munson: More cash essential to run zooMayor wants $800,000 to put employees on city payroll
bshouse@argusleader.com
Article Published: 08/30/05
Mayor Dave Munson is proposing that Sioux Falls take over management of the Great Plains Zoo on Jan. 2 at an additional cost to the city of $800,000.
The Zoological Society of Sioux Falls announced in June that it would stop running the zoo on Oct. 1. Munson, at the City Council informational meeting Monday, said he wants to extend the society's contract through the end of the year, then put zoo employees on the city payroll.
http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050830/NEWS/508300326/1001


Men in Zoos: London Gone LoonyOne more manifestation of cosmic war being waged over question: “What is Man?”

CommentaryBy John J. Jalsevac
The final and strangely beautiful song from the most recent album of the popular rock group Nine Inch Nails asks an interesting question. “See the animal in his cage that you built,” it begins, “are you sure what side you're on?... / Are you sure what side of the glass you are?”
On a certain level this is actually a question worth pondering in some depth. For instance, in our highly regulated, leisureless modern lives, how much like caged beasts have we allowed ourselves to become? Or perhaps, in our search for fulfillment in pleasure have we denied our human nature and become instinct-enslaved brutes? This is thought provoking stuff, at least much more so than song-writer Trent Reznor’s typically crude and profanity laden lyrics.
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/aug/050829a.html


Animal activists in terror threat against zoo

ANIMAL rights activists are threatening to launch a terror campaign against staff at Edinburgh Zoo.
Fanatics from the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) are planning to use scare tactics, including fire-raising and criminal damage of property belonging to people who work for the zoo and the zoo's contractors.
The group forced the closure of a Staffordshire guinea pig farm last week after a long campaign against staff.
Now ALF have threatened to move their campaign to Edinburgh after zoo bosses announced plans to house polar bears in a new enclosure.
http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1860952005


Zoo's Future Remains Unclear
The city of Sioux Falls is preparing take over management of the Great Plains Zoo. But there are still many questions about the acquisition and it's been under review by the city for the past year.
It's still unclear exactly who will be running the Great Plains Zoo by the end of the year. Today's discussion between the mayor and city council members revolved around funding issues.
"I really have serious doubts as to the ability of any fundraising partner to be able to receive the contributions from the community that they have in the past, knowing this is a city run operation," said city council member Kevin Kavanaugh.
The city estimates it will cost between $800,000 and $900,000 a year to run the zoo. That's as much as the city already gives the zoo as a subsidy, bringing the new funding total to about $1.6 million.
"We're putting a powerful lot of money into it no matter where they cut it and I want to make sure the city is having an involvement in this whole process," said Sioux Falls Mayor Dave Munson.
The mayor's proposal would focus the zoological society's efforts on fundraising. He says any money the board raises would go into improving the zoo, not operational costs. But some city council members still aren't convinced the city is the best choice.
"This is a major policy shift and I think as a council we need to look at that policy change," said council member Vernon Brown.
Another point brought up at the meeting was that no matter who manages and funds the zoo, it will be hard for the facility to operate if people don't visit it. The council decided to let the public services committee examine that issue further before making any decisions. That has to be made by the end of the September unless both parties agree to an extension.


Philadelphia Zoo looking for state funds to keep elephants

The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Zoo may have to send some of its resident elephants packing if it can't secure millions of dollars from the state for a new elephant exhibit.
The zoo's herd currently occupies a quarter-acre yard with an 1,800-square-foot barn, built in the 1940s. While the enclosure meets the current standards of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, some say it doesn't give the elephants the ability to forage or roam.
Now, the zoo is urging the state to come forward with $7.2 million in capital-projects money to help pay for a $22 million elephant savanna exhibit.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-08282005-533621.html


Philadelphia Zoo looking for state funds to keep elephants

The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Zoo may have to send some of its resident elephants packing if it can't secure millions of dollars from the state for a new elephant exhibit.
The zoo's herd currently occupies a quarter-acre yard with an 1,800-square-foot barn, built in the 1940s. While the enclosure meets the current standards of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, some say it doesn't give the elephants the ability to forage or roam.
Now, the zoo is urging the state to come forward with $7.2 million in capital-projects money to help pay for a $22 million elephant savanna exhibit.
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-08282005-533621.html


Animals in the News-People in our Zoos ?
Posted by mrmeangenes on Friday August 26, 2005 at 4:52 am MST [ Send Story to Friend ]Link to story:
http://mrmeangenesnews.blogspot.com/
By now, I suppose everyone has heard about the misguided gentleman from New Jersey - said to be a PETA volunteer - who decided a (venomous) copperhead “needed help” in crossing the road.
The snake, which had not been consulted in the matter, bit its “helper” three times ---- (by way of expressing his opinion of PETA volunteers ?)
New York: A raccoon decided to visit The Big Apple , so he stowed away on a charter bus : somehow managing to escape the notice of the 50 paying passengers.
Shortly after the passengers were dropped off, the driver glanced in his mirror, and saw the raccoon strolling down the center aisle towards the front of the bus.
http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=24554


Water baby, big and furry at the zoo

August 26, 2005
HOW TO WATCH TALINI The swimming bear can be seen at the Detroit Zoo on Sundays. Zoo hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (until 8 p.m. Wednesdays). Admission is $10.50; $8.50 for people 62 and older; $6.50 ages 2 to 12; children younger than 2 are admitted free. The zoo is at I-696 (10 Mile) and Woodward in Royal Oak. FREE PRESS STAFF REPORT
Top five reasons to come to the Detroit Zoo on Sundays to watch baby polar bear Talini take swimming lessons from mom:
5. It's better than reality TV! Her mom, Barle, taught her to swim by biting her between the eyes and pulling her in the water. Tough love or not, you feel sorry for Talini.
http://www.freep.com/news/metro/bearchat26e_20050826.htm


Councillors support Cromer zoo plan

ADAM GRETTON
25 August 2005 17:48
A host of exotic mammals, reptiles and birds will soon be drawing visitors to a quiet corner of the North Norfolk coast after plans for a Cromer zoo were given the green light today.
Proposals for zoological gardens on the edge of the seaside resort, almost 20 years after the last one closed, received firm support from North Norfolk District Councillors, despite countryside and highway concerns.
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED25%20Aug%202005%2017%3A48%3A41%3A003


San Diego Zoo panda cub is a girl

Associated Press
SAN DIEGO - The giant panda cub born at the San Diego Zoo three weeks ago is a girl.
Veterinarians suspected as much but waited to make the final call until their weekly exam Wednesday, keeper Kathy Hawk said.
The female cub appears healthy, gaining 9 ounces in one week. She now weighs 22 ounces and is 11.8 inches from the tip of her nose to the base of her tail.
"She's doing what babies typically do - eat and sleep," Hawk said Thursday.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/12477121.htm


Zoo looks for dog nanny for lion cub
http://www.chinaview.cn/
2005-08-26 10:54:00


The lion cub
BEIJING, Aug. 26 -- A zoo in east China's Nanchang City is searching for a dog nanny for its newly born lion cub.
The babe lion was born only five days ago. His mother, somehow, didn't want to feed the babe herself and always carried him walking around.
Workers in the zoo have taken the lion away from his mother for fear that he might be hurt.
They say the little lion is very naughty and eats a lot. And they have to seek a dog nanny to feed him.
China hunts runaway crocodiles A Chinese zoo has set up a telephone hotline to find 13 rare crocodiles that escaped during floods two weeks ago. The Benxi Shuidong Crocodile Park, in Liaoning province, is worried the Siamese crocodiles might die from the cold, the China Daily newspaper said.
But they could also turn aggressive to humans if they have been unable to find food, the newspaper warned.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4184612.stm


Scientist: Chicago Not Suitable Home For ElephantsOrdinance Would Require More Space For Animals

POSTED: 5:36 pm CDT August 25, 2005UPDATED: 8:07 am CDT August 26, 2005
CHICAGO -- An animal behaviorist who has studied elephants for 30 years in Africa told a City Council committee Thursday she believes no zoo can adequately care for elephants without providing several miles of space for them to roam.
Alderwoman Mary Ann Smith (48th) has introduced legislation that would require any zoo or other stationary animal exhibit to provide a minimum of 10 acres of space -- five acres indoors and five outdoors -- per elephant. Meanwhile, circuses or other traveling exhibits would have to provide a minimum 1,800 square feet indoors and outdoors for a single elephant, with an additional 900 square feet indoors and outdoors per additional elephant.
http://www.nbc5.com/news/4897813/detail.html?z=dp&dpswid=2265994&dppid=65193


Zoo makes koalas' life in Scotland bearable

MICHAEL BLACKLEY
TWO male koalas were unveiled at Edinburgh Zoo yesterday - the first time that the marsupials have been seen in Scotland.
Chumbee and Jannali, two males, moved into their new surroundings, a self-contained Australian-themed enclosure, complete with an aviary that houses Australian species of birds and beetles. There has not been a koala in the UK for over a decade, since a three-year stay at London Zoo came to an end.
This is because they are extremely difficult to keep - requiring twice-weekly shipments of fresh eucalyptus, and strict rules and regulations on space, storage, food, and how to look after and handle them.
http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1826722005


Life returning to normal at the zoo since Kedar's death

Tuesday, August 23, 2005By Emily Kulkus Staff writer The days that followed the death of Kedar, the 4-day-old elephant at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park who died hours after falling into a pool, were marked by an outpouring of emotion.
Feelings of sympathy, anger and outrage swirled around the zoo's staff, who had waited 22 months for the 345-pound baby to arrive July 31. The zoo's director of public relations, Sarah Fedele, answers a few questions about life at the zoo during the last few weeks.
http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/112452699586041.xml&coll=1


Dodge Answers the 'Call of the Wild' During Zoo Adventure Tour at the Denver Zoo

Monday August 22, 3:05 pm ET * Twelve-city tour to showcase Dodge vehicles and their family-friendly features visits the Denver Zoo on August 27, 2005 * Each two-day event includes six Dodge Zoo Adventure activity areas, featuring animal-themed Dodge vehicles
DENVER, Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A herd of Dodge vehicles will be coming soon to a zoo near you. Dodge will unleash its "beasts" at the Denver Zoo on August 27, 2005, as part of the Dodge Zoo Adventure Tour, a four-month tour of 12 zoos throughout the country. The vehicles will be the main attraction, featuring the all-new 2006 Dodge Charger and appearances by the Dodge Magnum, Grand Caravan, Durango, Ram and Dakota.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050822/dem019.html?.v=19


Jaipur zoo to get heritage look:- Jaipur

August 23, 2005 8:25:05 AM IST Keeping up with the old world charm of heritage buildings, forts and palaces, the Jaipur zoo too is going for a heritage look.This will come from the Rs.12 million the Rajasthan government has sanctioned for the zoo's renovation. Its old museum will also be developed.
"To give it a heritage look we will not only develop the old museum but also raise a huge and royal gate at the main entrance of the zoo," said Gopal Bihari Jhalani, the zoo superintendent.
In the initial phase of renovation, the focus will be on improving the rudimentary infrastructure.
"Our primary focus will be on improving the basic and primary living condition of animals. Roads in the zoo premises would be replaced by the new cement block roads, which will be in accordance with a high quality drainage system specially designed to do away the problem of water logging during rains," said Jhalani.
Improving the living condition of the animals and construction of the roads will cost about Rs.2.6 million, while another Rs. 500,000 will be spent on cells housing lions, white tigers and leopards.
As part of the renovation, the authorities are also planning to install garden benches and sheds for visitors.


Idaho Falls Looking at Increasing Zoo Fee

August 22, 2005
Soon it may cost more to go to the Tautphaus Park Zoo.
That’s if the Idaho Falls City Council approves a mix of fee increases for the 2005-2006 budget.
For Rick Mitchell and his family, a day at the Tautphaus Park Zoo costs about $12, but that could be changing.
The city is proposing to increase fees by 25 cents for children and 50 cents for adults and seniors.
http://www.localnews8.com/home/1790907.html


What a zoo! (12 pictures we took on Third Line)

By Tyler SimpsonSooToday.comSunday, August 21, 2005
Madison Tyynela took some time out this week to hang out with Kitty the Goat at Spruce Haven Zoo at 2016 Third Line West.
All though Madison says the goats and pigs are nice, her favorites are the ponies.
The family attraction has been open since 1988.
It's a 24-7 job for Helen Marshall and her family, who've operated the zoo since its opening.
School groups are the most frequent visitors, but over the summer months the zoo hosts more than 6,000 tourists and other visitors.
On site are cougars, Arctic wolves, an African lion, Canadian lynx and the rare ibex mountain goats.
For more information on Spruce Haven Zoo call 779-2423 or click here.
View Photo Gallery for this Story


For Zoo curator, animals are never-ending puzzle

Ken Kawata is retiring at the end of this year after 46 years in the field Sunday, August 21, 2005
By STEPHEN HART ADVANCE STAFF WRITER After 46 years in the field, you'd figure that Ken Kawata would have this animal stuff down pat.
Guess again.
"Each species is a surprise -- they're a puzzle and you don't have all the pieces. After so many years, they continue to throw me off altogether," said Kawata, set to retire as the general curator of the Staten Island Zoo at the end of December. "I'm finally beginning to recognize the vastness and depth of the field. I've just started to scratch the surface after 40-50 years."
http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/112463025112061.xml&coll=1


New reality TV show is the panda lifeAug 21, 2005, 15:10 GMT

WASHINGTON, DC, United States (UPI) -- The Animal Planet Web site has gotten a new type of reality show -- this one involving giant pandas at the National Zoo in Washington.
The Animal Planet site is one of many now showcasing a feed from the Friends of the National Zoo. A new Web cam at the zoo`s Panda House has people enthralled with the up-close view one gets of the panda life since the panda cam launched July 11, two days after a cub was born to Mei Xiang, The Washington Post reports.
The cam features the two in all stages of life, including one that captured Claudia Tejada Riley`s heart. Both mother and cub sleeping, the mother licking it in slow motion.
"It`s so intimate," said Riley, a legislative advocate working with wildlife protection groups.
The panda cams are run by volunteers of Friends of the National Zoo and fed to computer screens around the World Wide Web via the National Zoo`s Web site as well as that of Animal Planet.
This is the only way to view the pandas until Panda House reopens in October.
http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1042756.php/New_reality_TV_show_is_the_panda_life

Cincinnati Zoo manatees take step toward ocean release

Associated Press
CINCINNATI - Two manatees at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden are headed to SeaWorld Florida, where they will be prepared for release into the wild.
The goal is to help them to relearn after years in captivity the migration route from waters off the Carolinas to Florida. Manatees head south every year when the water starts turning cold.
The Cincinnati manatees, named Stoneman and Rodeo, are to be flown to Orlando, Fla., by cargo jet on Aug. 27.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/12434911.htm


L.A. mayor wants elephant study

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The mayor of Los Angeles wants an independent review of the elephant quarters at the Los Angeles Zoo, to help determine the future of the animals.
Related Headlines 10,000 elephants may be destroyed

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(August 16, 2005) -- Six elephants went on a rampage in the Zimbabwean resort town of Kariba, trampling gardens, damaging homes and forcing people to flee. The ... > full story

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(June 17, 2005) -- An animal rights group has filed a lawsuit to stop the transfer of four elephants from Illinois to an Oklahoma group it says is affiliated with a ... > full story

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who promised to improve conditions at the Los Angeles Zoo during his campaign, has noted that some zoos across the nation have closed their exhibits in a growing movement to send elephants to accredited sanctuaries, reported the Los Angeles Daily News Saturday.
"I have been reviewing the elephants' situation at the Los Angeles Zoo and have concerns that warrant an independent review and analysis," Villaraigosa wrote in an Aug. 12 letter to Chief Administrative Officer Bill Fujioka. "I want an insightful study on the whole issue so we can do what is best for the zoo and, especially, for the elephants."
One plan for the elephants is to build a two-acre pachyderm exhibit, but some wildlife activists said elephants walk some 30 miles a day in the wild and would be best suited to a 100-acre elephant sanctuary.


Carter Lake alligator doing fine

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa The Carter Lake gator is doing just fine.
That's the word from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, where the two and a-half foot alligator was taken after it was trapped this summer.
The gator was caught in the lake near Council Bluffs twice. It escaped the first time in June -- with its mouth taped shut. It was caught again in July, and turned over the zoo.
The zoo's Jessi Krebs says the gator suffered wounds from the tape around its snout, had some fungal growth on its belly, and was very thin.
Krebs says the snout wounds have almost healed and fungus is gone.
As for the gator's appetite - "he's eating like a champ."
Krebs says the alligator will remain in quarantine for several more months so it gain weight to be put on display.
To zoo animals from kids: Get wellFriday, August 19, 2005JEREMIAH STETTLERTHE SAGINAW NEWS Days after a traumatic attack that left three animals dead and others wounded at Saginaw's Children's Zoo at Celebration Square, the survivors are getting "get well" mail.
Director Nancy Parker has received a half-dozen cards -- each hand-drawn and colored -- wishing the surviving sheep, goats and cattle a speedy recovery.
http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1124461236170170.xml&coll=9


2 panda birthdays celebrated at Zoo By: North County

Times wire services
SAN DIEGO - It was "pandamonium" at the San Diego Zoo Friday, where one giant panda celebrated his second birthday, while his 2-week-old sibling continued to attract attention.
Mei Sheng celebrated his second birthday with two iced cakes topped with bamboo candles and filled with carrots and other goodies, zoo officials said.
Mei Sheng tore into his presents -- prepared by young zoo summer campers -- filled with some of his favorites, including apples and biscuits.
One of the cakes was decorated with a panda face replicated in eggplant.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/08/20/news/sandiego/15_19_498_19_05.txt


National Zoo: Panda Cub Doing Well

August 19, 2005 8:04 a.m. EST
Hector Duarte Jr. - All Headline News Staff Reporter
Washington, DC (AHN) - Veterinarians say The National Zoo's six-week old panda cub is making serious developmental strides.
The toothless, nameless cub was born July 9. In two weeks, vets found the panda had more than doubled its weight and grown from 12 to 17 inches.
“It’s gone from this pink hairless glob into this white-and-black striped adorable cub,” says Suzan Murray, the zoo’s chief veterinarian. “It’s amazing that anything could grow so large so fast.”
The panda is the nation's fourth, and the National Zoo's first, panda cub to live more than a few days after being born in captivity. As a result, few veterinarians know what milestones to look for as the cub matures.
Checkups, like the one conducted Thursday, serve the purpose of gauging the cub's health, while adding to veterinary knowledge of the panda's development.
Panda handlers are now waiting to see how long it takes for his eyes and ears to open, as well as its teeth to grow. It will then report this information to other zoos nationwide.


To zoo animals from kids: Get well

Friday, August 19, 2005JEREMIAH STETTLERTHE SAGINAW NEWS Days after a traumatic attack that left three animals dead and others wounded at Saginaw's Children's Zoo at Celebration Square, the survivors are getting "get well" mail.
Director Nancy Parker has received a half-dozen cards -- each hand-drawn and colored -- wishing the surviving sheep, goats and cattle a speedy recovery.
http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-16/1124461236170170.xml&coll=9


Specialty zoos pose unique challenges
Balancing needs of animals and visitors requires strategy

By Liz Clayton - Business EdgePublished: 08/18/2005 - Vol. 1, No. 16
If Dave Bishop were to write a book, it might be called All I Need to Know I Learned From My Wolf Enclosure.
Bishop, who manages the Haliburton Forest Wolf Centre, has learned as much about business from his unusual job as he has about life.
Communication, Bishop says, and the ability to work together are two of the key things his wolf pack has taught him that translate into important business skills. For Bishop's facility, and other small specialty zoos across Ontario, keeping an eye on the bottom line goes hand-in-hand with keeping the animals in good care.
http://www.businessedge.ca/article.cfm/newsID/10278.cfm


Enjoy the day at the NC Zoo

8/18/2005 5:55 AMBy: Gloria Medlock & Web Staff
Are you looking for that perfect mix of education and fun? Well the North Carolina Zoo may be your best bet.
Chatting with the chimps, kicking back with the kangaroos or how about mingling with a "meerkat"? Sounds unusual, but it's all perfectly normal at the North Carolina Zoo.
It's a place where the young and the young at heart are all up for a good time.
http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=73429&SecID=2


Alipur zoo celebrity christened
Express News Service Kolkata, August 17: One of the most popular denizens of Alipur Zoo, the giant tortoise, was christened today — believe it or not, for the first time.
Formally known as the ‘‘Aldabra giant tortoise’’, ‘‘Adwaita’’ happens to be the oldest one in any Indian zoo.
The naming of the 250 -yr-old reptile, accompanied by much fanfare and even the presence of a minister, marked a departure from tradition for the zoo authorities. ‘‘Till now we have only named mammals at this zoo. This was the first time that we chose to name a reptile,’’ said Dr Subir Kumar Chaudhuri, director of the Zoological Gardens. Chaudhuri said that it was appropriate that the giant tortoise should be the first to be chosen. ‘‘It is the oldest-known animal in India, and there is not another example of such an animal in the country,’’ he said.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=144269


Susan Tedeschi, Blind Boys Of Alabama Perform At Oregon Zoo

August 26
Portland, Oregon - What do Susan Tedeschi and the Blind Boys of Alabama have in common? In addition to being two Grammy-recognized acts, both will light up the concert lawn starting at 7 p.m. on August 26 to conclude the Oregon Zoo's "Premium" portion of the Wells Fargo Summer Concert Series.
"I can't think of a better way to end our Premium concert lineup," said Krista Swan, event coordinator for the Oregon Zoo. "With two such masterful and inspiring performers taking the stage on the same night, guests are in for a real treat."
Three-time Grammy nominee Susan Tedeschi has a voice frequently compared with Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Etta James and a guitar sound influenced by Johnny Guitar Watson, Magic Sam and Freddie King. She broke onto the music scene with her national debut album Just Won't Burn in 1998 and has since won numerous W.C. Handy Blues Awards, the highest honor given to artists by the blues industry.
http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=309372&cp=10997


Roger Williams Park Zoo holds dinosaur spelling bee today

PROVIDENCE, R.I. A different kind of spelling bee is taking place today at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.
Contestants will attempt to correctly spell the names of dinosaurs or dinosaur-related words. Dozens of children who have completed grades three through six are expected to compete. The winner from each of two divisions will receive a 250 dollar college starter account.
The competition begins at 10:30 am.
The zoo has a dinosaur exhibit with 18 lifelike robotic dinosaurs.

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