Zoos
Naples Zoo has much to be grateful for, and much work to do.
Overall, the animals weathered the storm safely. The large trees in the historic botanical garden did not fare as well.
Up to half of the botanical collection is uprooted or damaged in some way. Tree trunks, roots, and limbs currently cover the grounds.
Meanwhile, zoo staff are completing the return of many animals to their exhibits from their storm-secure buildings. The days and weeks ahead present many challenges, but with a resolve hardened by the long efforts to save the zoo's land, Naples Zoo staff is moving forward. Zoo staff is very thankful for the safety of the animal collection. While no animals were lost during the storm, one female Parma wallaby and a tiny joey in her pouch died of stress prior to the storm. One demoiselle crane in a secure building injured a wing while the hurricane came through. Given the potential of a storm like this, the Zoo's hurricane plan was successful. These emergency procedures are regularly updated and reviewed during the zoo's accreditation process by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15467874&BRD=2256&PAG=461&dept_id=455823&rfi=6
Zoo Takes Measures to Prevent Flu Outbreak
The Moscow Times
The Moscow Zoo has introduced a set of precautionary measures to protect its feathered population from contracting the deadly bird flu virus, its chief veterinarian said Thursday.
The move follows last week's discovery of the lethal H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus roughly 350 kilometers to the south of Moscow.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/10/28/045.html
DaimlerChrysler to Host 1,750 Students at Indianapolis Zoo
-- DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund Sponsors Garden City and Stout Elementary School Visit-- Indianapolis Foundry Remains Committed to Indianapolis CommunityAUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On Friday, Oct. 28,the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund and the Indianapolis Foundry are hosting a field trip for 1,750 Indianapolis students and their 100 adult chaperones atthe Indianapolis Zoo. The DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund will provide a grant to the Zoo for the students' admission and lunch for the students. The Company's Indianapolis Foundry will underwrite the transportation. "This is another way that the Company supports the community," said Brian Glowiak, Vice President of the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund. "This fun,yet educational program reaches Indianapolis-area students who might not otherwise have this opportunity. And, of course, it's important to support institutions such as the Indianapolis Zoo that enrich the community."
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-27-2005/0004197324&EDATE=
Baby Penguins Introduced At The Baltimore Zoo
(WJZ) Baltimore, MD There are some new residents at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
Today zoo officials introduced four baby penguins to the public.
The penguin chicks were born in late September and early October.
The four chicks are now being raised in special chick boxes at Rock Island -- home to the Zoo's colony of African, or black-footed, penguins. The chicks are fed three times a day. They currently feast on smelt, but will be introduced to larger fish as they get older.
Although the chicks are very entertaining to watch now, zoo officials say the real excitement will come when they start learning how to swim at eight to 12 weeks of age.
http://wjz.com/local/local_story_300125927.html
Tweety's free as a bird
Tweety was saved, but it almost wasn't to be, as a washing basket tripped up Cyclops, the $120,000 rescue and bomb disposal robot.
For two days the bird had been holed up alone and on the precipice of oblivion after its owners were awoken at 2am and evacuated from their flat when a gaping chasm opened up in the ground under their apartment block - the result of a subsidence in a section of the Lane Cove Tunnel under construction.
For Karen Bruce, 31, and her fiance Robert Colquhoun, 32, the roller-coaster ride of the previous days was forgotten when police rescue officers emerged with the cage containing the cockatiel.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/tweetys-free-as-a-bird/2005/11/04/1130823373550.html
Zoo hosts zoo conference
11/3/05
The Seneca Park Zoo played host Thursday for the 2005 Upstate Zoo Conference. Professionals from across the state and Pennsylvania attended this year's conference themed Partners for Progress.
The zoo directors shared information on marketing, healthcare for the animals and faculty improvements. The group then toured the new interactive tiger exhibit at the Seneca Park Zoo. “It a great opportunity for zoos of similar concerns, basically similar sizes, to get together and share knowledge, be able to interact with each other and in some instances for the staff to actually get to know their counterparts at other zoos,” said Seneca Park Zoo Director Larry Sorel.
Representatives from the Buffalo Zoo, Erie Zoo and the New York City Zoo took part in the conference.
http://www.10nbc.com/news.asp?template=item&story_id=16673
Rare Twin Gorillas Born At Atlanta Zoo
Twins' Sex Still Unknown
POSTED: 12:37 pm PST November 3, 2005
UPDATED: 12:41 pm PST November 3, 2005
ATLANTA -- Rare twins were born Monday to a western lowland gorilla at the Atlanta Zoo.
It's too early to tell whether the babies are fraternal or identical. It's also too early to tell their sex, as the mother is holding them close to her body.
It's only the sixth time a twin gorilla birth has occurred at a zoo in North America since 1966.
Only three sets of those twins survived.
http://www.nbc4.tv/irresistible/5243587/detail.html
Zoo and forest preserve to implant transponders into walleye
BROOKFIELD, Ill. The Brookfield Zoo and Cook County Forest Preserve staff plan to surgically implant transmitters into 12 walleye in an effort to track and study the fish.
The fish will be studied over a two year period in hope of determining their habitat needs and migration patterns.
Brookfield Zoo staff are scheduled to implant transponders tomorrow morning. First they will sedate the walleyes and then implant the transponders. The zoo says the fish will be out of the water for about 30 minutes.
Once the fish recover from the surgery, they will place them in Busse Lake in Elk Grove Village. The zoo says people who catch one of the tagged fish should not eat them.
http://www.kwqc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4069674&nav=7k7NJ1IJ
Taking Stock / Train to the zoo, anyone?
By Guy Rolnik
Have you taken the train to the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem yet?
It is a highly recommended outing, according to treasury clerks who live in Tel Aviv and took their kids to see the lions Saturday.
Advertisement
Why are they telling us about the trip? Because it's turned into an inside joke at the Finance Ministry. Except for going to the Biblical Zoo, the train doesn't have much to offer.
How do we reach that hasty conclusion? Easy - from conversations with Israel Railways officials, who admit that the line is bereft of customers on weekdays. A few hundred people take it, that's all.
Why does the upgraded line connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem come to mind? Because it's budget season, and the one for 2006 was submitted to the Knesset this week. As always, the government is preening about its heavy investment in infrastructure.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/641593.html
Dutch Zoos Ready Bird Flu Vaccinations for Penguins, Flamingos
Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- John de Hoon estimates more than a third of the 3,000 birds at his wildlife park south of Amsterdam are at risk of catching bird flu. In the next couple of weeks, he hopes the European Union will grant him the right to do something about it.
``We will vaccinate our birds when we get permission to do it,'' De Hoon, the park's director, said in a telephone interview. Rounding up and injecting more than 1,000 birds from penguins and hornbills to cranes and flamingos will take ``a few days,'' he estimates.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000085&sid=awufnQXTT9fE&refer=europe
Park, zoo workers asked to clam up
Some in training program protest rule
The Associated Press
FRANKFORT - A state environmental education program says the people who work in places like parks and zoos should keep their opinions to themselves.
Some students in the program say the gag rule violates free speech.
"I feel it's ridiculous," said Karen Cairns, a Louisville resident who is taking the certification course.
Cairns has a doctorate in environmental education and is on leave from a job as a project assistant at the University of Louisville's Center for Environmental Policy and Management.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051102/NEWS0103/511020404/1059/NEWS01
Diwali treat for zoo inmates
[ Tuesday, November 01, 2005 02:11:40 am
TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
LUCKNOW: Inmates of Lucknow Zoological Garden are all set to have a cracker of a time this Diwali. Zoo authorities plan to make the festival of lights a special one for the animals by serving all sorts of culinary delights to them.
On the menu card is special fare which will spice up proceedings for the zoo inmates. Come Diwali and the king of the jungle with his army of carnivores including the big cats, wolves and hyenas will be able to sink their teeth into tender chicken along with their usual dose of red meat.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1281574.cms
Friends of the zoo get first peek at baby panda
WASHINGTON Some lucky friends of Washington's National Zoo will get the first public look at the baby giant panda.
The zoo has distributed some 600 timed entry tickets to members of the its booster organization, Friends of the National Zoo. Ticket holders can begin viewing Tai Shan (ty shawn) on Monday.
The cub is expected to make his official public debut in early December but no date has been set.
Officials hope that this limited viewing will help the cub and his mother get used to having crowds parade through their house. The Panda House has been closed since Tai Shan was born July ninth.
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=4062564&nav=5D7l
Fresno City Council cuts back zoo subsidy
FRESNO, Calif. The looks like the city of Fresno is getting out of the animal business.
The Fresno City Council last night approved a 30-year lease agreement with Fresno's Chaffee Zoo Corporation that will officially end the city's management of the Roeding Park institution come January first.
The city is also reducing its current one-point-two (m) million-dollar annual zoo subsidy by 20 percent each year over the next five years.
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4065865&nav=9qrx
Fresno City Council cuts back zoo subsidy
FRESNO, Calif. The looks like the city of Fresno is getting out of the animal business.
The Fresno City Council last night approved a 30-year lease agreement with Fresno's Chaffee Zoo Corporation that will officially end the city's management of the Roeding Park institution come January first.
The city is also reducing its current one-point-two (m) million-dollar annual zoo subsidy by 20 percent each year over the next five years.
The chairman of the nonprofit zoo corporation says the city-owned zoo has struggled and had its accreditation threatened before voters approved the tax.
Now the zoo wants to become more self-sufficient.
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4065865&nav=9qrx
Czech zoo apes reality TV with gorilla show
November 02 2005 at 11:13AM
Prague - Czechs tired of watching humans monkeying around in reality shows will soon be able to witness the private primate life of gorillas as an alternative, the Prague Zoo has announced.
For the next two months, starting on November 7, live Web casts of one male gorilla, two females and a young gorilla will be shown on a public radio Internet site with scenes from the daily life of the apes also screened on public television.
"It is a meaningful alternative to "people" reality shows," the zoo said in a statement. Humans would also be given an insight into great ape behaviour, added zoo spokesperson Vit Kahle.
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=qw1130949720645B222
Zoo's baby panda crawling, getting teeth
SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES
3:08 p.m. November 2, 2005
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Zoo's 3-month-old giant panda cub is crawling around her den and veterinarians expect she will likely be walking soon, zoo officials announced Wednesday.
The 8.8-pound cub had to be transferred from the examination table to the floor during a check-up because she is moving around more.
Zoo veterinarian Julio Mercado said the as-yet-unnamed cub's teeth are also growing in, and he could feel canines just under her gums.
Based on Chinese tradition, the cub will be named on Nov. 10 when she reaches 100 days old. The name will be announced at 11 a.m. on that day at the zoo's Giant Panda Research Station.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20051102-1508-panda.html
China's Panda Pair in Political Limbo as Taiwan Zoos Lobby
Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Taipei Zoo is building a $5.9 million residence and looking for a two-hectare bamboo patch to feed two giant pandas, gifts from the government in Beijing. Problem is, the pandas may never arrive.
``We really hope the pair can come,'' said Associate Researcher Chao Ming-chieh, who is looking for a bamboo grove to provide the 30 kilograms of plant matter the animals eat a day.
Unfortunately for Chao, the endangered black-and-white bears have become political pawns in the diplomatic tussle between Beijing and the island it claims as part of its territory. In Taiwan, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party has described the gift as an unwelcome ploy.
``The panda pair may get caught up in the cross-Straits politics,'' said James Hsiao, the deputy mayor of Taichung, a city competing with Taipei to house the animals, currently being chosen at the China Research Center for the Protection of Giant Pandas in Wolong, southwest China.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=akxxI7O3FKPs&refer=asia
Zoo's Baby Elephant Gets Name
Nov 1, 2005, 10:47 AM EST
The new baby elephant at the Indianapolis Zoo is nameless no more.
The male African elephant born a few weeks ago will be known as Kedar. The name is derived from an Arabic word meaning “powerful.”
The zoo's staff chose the name from over 7,500 entries. The winning entry was submitted by 13-year-old Kristina Steigerwald, a sixth-grader at IPS Longfellow Middle School in Indianapolis.
For her prize, Kristina gets to see Kedar in person and have lunch with the zoo's elephant staff.
http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4057000&nav=0Ra7
Des Moines zoo may grow
Published: 11/01/2005 09:57 AM
By: Associated Press - Associated Press
DES MOINES, IA - Blank Park Zoo officials are considering expanding its grounds to attract more visitors.
Officials will meet Tuesday to discuss a 20-year plan that could include utilizing nearby buildings as education centers and transforming nearby land into a habitat preserve.
The 22-acre zoo could more than double if it adds the parkland north of the main site, said Terry Rich, head of the Blank Park Zoo Foundation.
The foundation is also considering incorporating golf, camping, hotels and restaurants into the area. Zoo officials have hired a planner and hope to have their strategy set by January, Rich said.
"It's a quality-of-life issue," Rich said. "It's my job to figure out how our zoo figures into that quality of life."
http://www.crgazette.com/2005/11/01/Home/desmoineszoo.htm
County may pay $47M for part of Naples Zoo land
By LAURA LAYDEN, lllayden@naplesnews.com
November 2, 2005
The long-awaited number may be $47 million.
On Tuesday, Collier County commissioners gave the county manager the go-ahead to spend that much money to rescue the Naples Zoo and surrounding land.
At $47 million, the purchase price would be $7 million more than Collier County voters agreed to pay for the land a year ago. But it would be less than the asking price of $67.5 million.
The county would get to $47 million by giving up nearly 28 acres owned by the Fleischmanns in the heart of Naples.
http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_4204188,00.html
Collier still likely to buy Wilma-damaged zoo
By Denes Hustsy Iii
dhusty@news-press.com
news-press.com October 31, 2005
Extensive damage caused to the Naples Zoo shouldn't interfere with Collier County's plans to buy the place, officials said Monday.
In fact, county commissioners may be asked by their staff today to approve short-term borrowing to help seal the deal, commission Chairman Fred Coyle said.
"I don't see that the damage caused to the zoo should have any affect on our plans," Coyle said.
The county is negotiating to buy the zoo site and some surrounding property from The Trust For Public Land, which recently bought the site for $67.5 million to save the landmark Southwest Florida Attraction from development.
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051031/NEWS0102/51031007/1075
Added attractions at Zoo during Eid
Published: Monday, 31 October, 2005, 11:49 AM Doha Time
By Arvind Nair
People will have an added reason to visit Doha Zoo this Eid - festival attractions and new birds. Hamad Saleh al-Yazeedi, head of the facility, told Gulf Times yesterday that the zoo would be co-hosting some of the Eid festival programmes for the first time, in coordination with Qatar Tourism Authority.
There will be three activities - by illusionists, cartoon characters and live statues. They will entertain visitors all the five days of Eid, from 1.30pm to 8pm.
For the first two days, it will be open to the general public but the following three days, only “families” and women will be allowed entry.
Reserving the facility only for families is also being done for the first time, said Hamad Saleh, who was appointed the head of zoo just nine months ago.
The ticket rates are QR5 for adults and QR2 for those below 18 years. Once inside, all the attractions are free.
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=58937&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
Zoo animal killed, others stolen
Nov 1, 2005, 08:12 AM EST
A local zoo is short several animals tonight after a weekend robbery and murder. The incident happened in the 5800 block of Carolina Beach Road at the Tregembo Animal Park.
When owner Robert Tregembo came in to do his morning chores on Sunday he found his property wrecked, six snakes stolen, and one prairie dog beaten to death. Tregembo is calling whoever did this a "sick criminal."
"Someone killing a helpless animal? A little prairie dog wouldn't kill anybody. It's about like a big guinea pig. And to beat it with a stick and then throw it in a lion's pen is just, there is no excuse for it," Tregembo said.
http://www.wwaytv3.com/Global/story.asp?S=4053065&nav=menu70_2
Bus stop at zoo bears an animal rights group advert
ANDREW PICKEN
A POSTER calling for better treatment of Edinburgh Zoo's polar bear Mercedes has appeared on a billboard outside the front door of the top tourist attraction.
The Edinburgh-based pressure group Advocates for Animals has splashed out £300 to place the advert on a bus stop opposite the zoo on Corstorphine Road.
The poster, which will be in place for the next two weeks, features a picture of Mercedes, who is the only polar bear in captivity in the UK, in her enclosure.
The advert claims the zoo has reneged on a promise not to replace the 24-year-old polar bear when she dies.
Campaigners say Mercedes' enclosure is too small and she should be retired from public display.
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=2173292005
Blank Park Zoo considers upgrades
DES MOINES, Iowa Blank Park Zoo officials are considering expanding its grounds to attract more visitors.
Officials with the zoo foundation will meet tomorrow to discuss a 20-year plan that could include transforming nearby parkland into a habitat preserve.
The 22-acre zoo could more than double if it adds the parkland north of the main site.
The foundation is also considering incorporating golf, camping, hotels and restaurants into the area. Zoo officials have hired a planner and hope to have their strategy set by January.
The foundation took over the zoo in 2003 and has launched several attractions that have boosted attendance by almost 28 percent.
Des Moines, Polk County, and the Des Moines school district will help formulate the 20-year-plan.
http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4054185&nav=2HAB
Review: Zoo Tycoon 2 Endangered Species
Dean Takahashi, 05:03 AM in Dean Takahashi, Gaming
By Dean Takahashi and Tanya Takahashi
The latest kid game we've played is "Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species" for the PC. My daughter Tanya has been a big fan of this series ever since it debuted in 2001. She loves how you can build your own zoo and learn how to take care of different kinds of animals.
You don't just put them in cages. You build exhibits with their natural habitats. You create an operational zoo complete with ice cream vendors, rides, sidewalks, garbage cans, and customers. You hire maintenance workers, tour guides and zookeepers. The success of your zoo is measured by how well the crowds like it and how happy the animals are. You also get awards for how well you do. Ah yes, this is the nice way to keep animals in captivity.
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2005/11/review_zoo_tyco.html
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