Zoos

Thousands at New Orleans zoo for reopening

Denise Martin, left, touches a snake along with Connor Tageant, 10, right, and Hayden Tageant, 8, center, at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, La., Friday Nov. 25, 2005. The zoo opened Friday for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
November 25, 2005
NEW ORLEANS --Thousands of people, some in tears, streamed into the Audubon Zoo on Friday, the first day it was open since Hurricane Katrina.
"It's a city without kids and families, and a city without kids and families is a city without soul and heart," said Ron Forman, president of Audubon Nature Institute, which operates the zoo. "So we just thought it was critical to get the thing open for Thanksgiving weekend."
The reopening was so emotional for many visitors that the zoo decided to post huggers at the front gates, Forman said.
"As people walk in, they're crying," he said. "This is a time of sadness in this city."
Like much in the city, the zoo has struggled to regain its footing after the hurricane. Most of the animals are fine, although two otters and a raccoon did not survive, and about 2,000 trees were destroyed. The zoo laid off about 600 workers.
Audubon also operates the Aquarium of the Americas in the French Quarter, where about 10,000 animals died because of the hurricane. The aquarium and its Entergy IMAX Theater will open next summer at the earliest, Forman said.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/11/25/thousands_attend_new_orleans_zoo_reopening/


Armed robbers snatch lion cub from Palestinian zoo
28.11.05 3.20pm
JERUSALEM - Armed robbers made off with a lion cub and two Arabic-speaking parrots in a recent raid on Gaza's zoo, Palestinian police chief and newspapers said.
Suod al-Shawwa, the zoo's chairman of the board, told Palestinian newspapers four masked gunmen used blankets to try and snatch a pair of lion cubs, but only managed to capture one.
"They wrapped the lion cub in a blanket and took him away," Shawwa said.
He said the Kalashnikov-toting gang first tied the zoo keeper up in a cafeteria and then made their way to the cages, where they also seized the parrots.
Palestinian police chief Ala Husni said forces were investigating the theft and believed the cub and parrots were being concealed in a Gaza hide-out.
Shawwa promised a US$1000 (NZ$1437) reward to whoever managed to track the animals down.
The small zoo opened last month in the crowded, poverty-stricken coastal strip and is also home to squirrels, monkeys, an ostrich, and some household pets.
Lawlessness in Gaza has increased since Israel completed its pullout in September, ending 38 years of occupation.
Rival armed groups have been trying to stake a claim to power in Gaza ahead of key parliamentary elections in January.
- REUTERS

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10357428


Report: Gunmen steal lion, two parrots from Gaza zoo

By DPA
In a daring and apparently well-planned operation, masked gunmen kidnapped a lion from the Gaza Zoo, Palestinian media reported Sunday morning.
Zoo manager Saud al-Shawwa has offered a reward of 1,000 U.S. dollars for the return of the lion and of two Arabic-speaking parrots which were also stolen in the 30-minute heist.
According to the reports, four gunmen armed with Kalashnikov semi-automatic rifles broke into the zoo and overpowered the guard.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/650458.html


Lights at zoo always leave visitors glowing

By ALLYSON BIRD
Staff Writer
The Riverbanks Zoo has learned a few things putting on the Lights Before Christmas the past 18 years, said public relations manager Rachel Beanland.
First, it might look like millions and millions of lights covering the trees and shaped into zoo animals, but when you count them — as the zoo did last year — it’s only 600,000.
Second, when you try to figure out why people come back every year, the biggest response is: “We always come to the lights,” leaving the marketing department wondering whether it’s the marshmallow roast, the 3-D movie or the fake snow that draws the most people.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/13272267.htm


Zoo seeks elite status
The Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley is aiming for larger crowds — and the dollars that come with them. Its leaders hope new investment will turn the park into a top attraction.
BY MEGGEN LINDSAY
Pioneer Press
To Lee Ehmke, the Minnesota Zoo is a canvas on which to paint a world-class institution.
The existing palette has grown dreary, the zoo's director admits, but he hopes to lead a $100 million effort to splash on new color.
The public and private dollars — which are both in-hand and being sought — would pay for a temporary African savanna exhibit this summer that zoo leaders expect to eventually make permanent.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/13271267.htm


Rare Pigs Join Virginia Zoo

There's something to squeal about at the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk.
Five four-month old piglets joined the zoo family Saturday.
Two of the pigs are mulefoot hogs, one of the rarest of American Swine breeds.
The other three are Guinea Forest Hogs. Originally from Africa, the breed was once common in the southern United States, but are now practically unknown.
The Virginia Zoo is open daily from 10:00am to 5:00pm. The new piglets are housed in the barnyard exhibit.

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=4169743&nav=23ii


A Sunday at the zoo—not fun for the animals

Security is beefed up at Jijamata Udyan after recent visit by civic official, but animals still being fed, poked, harassed
Anumeha Yadav
Mumbai, November 27: FOR thousands of children from across the city who spent Sunday afternoon at Jijamata Udyan, Byculla, the visit might have left them with scores of tales of the wondrous lions and hyenas they saw.
The animals, if they
could speak, would perhaps tell a very different story. The rhinoceros, of the stones hurled at it. The blackbucks, of the chapatis they chewed. And the hornbill, of the paan stain on its glass closure.
‘‘We deployed 10 more guards, what else can we do? Close the zoo to the public?’’ asked Chief Veterinarian Dr M V Wani.
He was referring to the beefing up of security on holidays after Assistant Municipal Commissioner Subrat Ratho found heaps of plastic waste in some of
the enclosures during a visit last fortnight. But the problems continue.
Scores of vendors still sell eatables and knick-knacks on the 40-ft ‘hawker-free’ zone at the entrance. And the food wrappers littering the inside of the zoo testify to the way these continue to be smuggled inside the plastic-free zone.
But above all, the animals still suffer from the insensitivity or ignorance of the visitors—and there’s usually no one around to help. ‘‘I didn’t know we aren’t supposed to feed the animals,’’ Thaneite Namita Poorie said, when asked why she was letting her four-year-old son Amit feed the monkeys.
Around her, others watched as their children jumped over the storks’ outer enclosure ‘‘for a better look’’ or made loud, startling noises at the birds.
‘‘The authorities are adopting a very lazy attitude and are doing nothing to protect the animals from the visitors. And they don’t even maintain the enclosures properly,’’ said Anuradha Sawhney of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, pointing to the duckweed covering the alligators’ pond and the absence of greenery in the glass cages of the macaw and African parrots.
‘‘The zoo authorities really need to be more vigilant about how visitors treat the animals. It’s important for people to be aware of the dos and don’ts involved,’’ added Col (Dr) J C Khanna, secretary of the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. ‘‘Maybe activists should also volunteer to help keep vigil.’’
anumehayadav@expressindia.com

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=159105


Chameleons uncovered at Auckland Zoo

Monday, 28 November 2005, 10:16 am
Press Release: Auckland City Council
MEDIA RELEASE
28 November 2005
Best in disguise: Chameleons uncovered at Auckland Zoo
Five classroom created chameleons go on display at Auckland Zoo in whats believed to be a New Zealand first.
These stunning and unique reptiles will remain on view to the public throughout the summer.
Originating from Tauranga, Wanganui, Rotorua, and Auckland, they are the five winning artistic creations of the Zoo's 2005 'Chameleons are Cool' Banner Competition, which was open to primary and secondary school students throughout New Zealand.
Over 600 entries from budding artists from Kaitaia to Stewart Island were received by the Zoo's Education Service. The competition was run to spark children's creativity and interest in wildlife and the environment, and also encourage students to reach for excellence.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0511/S00193.htm


Midstate briefs: Metro police officers to collect toys at zoo

DAVIDSON
Metro police officers to collect toys at zoo
Metro police officers will be collecting unwrapped toys for children ages 12 and younger next weekend at the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. The initiative is part of the 44th annual Christmas Basket Program to benefit families in need during the holidays. Police officers will deliver the toys on the morning of Dec. 24.
Donations will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 3 and 4 at the zoo. Those who contribute will receive zoo tickets, which can be used anytime during regular zoo hours until the end of the year.
Call 833-1534 or go to www.nashvillezoo.org for more information.
— NATALIA MIELCZAREK

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051127/NEWS01/511270353/1006/NEWS


U.S. and China study giant pandas

XIAN, China, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A team of Chinese and U.S. zoologists Sunday began a joint study of wild giant pandas in northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
The researchers will use high and low-technolgy to study mating and sexual behavior, environmental influences on behavior and influences on hereditary structure posted by the movement modes and bonding system of giant pandas.
The three-year program will be jointly carried out by zoologists from the Animals Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Zoological Society of San Diego in the Foping Nature Reserve for Giant Pandas in Shaanxi.
There is believed to be one giant panda per square half-mile inside the heavily forested reserve.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20051127-08343800-bc-china-pandas.xml


Mani the hawk back at zoo after abduction

November 25, 2005
SPRINGFIELD -- Mani the hawk made it home for Thanksgiving.
The red-tailed hawk had been missing since Oct. 6, when two men are accused of stealing the bird from his cage at Henson Robinson Zoo and setting him free.
Mani was found alive and well Wednesday night when a couple spotted him in their backyard about 16 miles from the zoo. The bird, raised by humans, has lived at the zoo for 25 years and officials were concerned he may not have enough hunting skills to survive out of captivity.
''He looks good. He's very thin, but other than that, he seems to be fine,'' said zoo director Talon Thornton, who called the homecoming ''a huge relief.''
The zoo's assistant director, Jackie Peeler, went to the home of Bob and Michelle Cain on Wednesday night to verify the bird they had seen was Mani.
When Peeler approached the tree the hawk was in, she found him asleep.
When Peeler called Mani's name, ''he raised his head up, looked at her and gave a few squawks,'' Thornton said.
AP

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-hawk25.html


Zoo owner will fight county regulations

By DAKOTAH M. DAVIS
Special to the Traveler
The owner of an exotic animal zoo in Burden is ready to fight for his right to exhibit lions, tigers and bears, despite the county's interest in regulations after the August tiger attack that killed a 17-year-old Altamont girl.
"I've spent a fortune getting set up, and I'm not just going to give up," said Vernon Roberts, a transplant from Florida who now lives one mile outside of Burden. "One accident shouldn't set a precedent for the whole state."
Commissioners here have been mulling animal regulations for the past few months, especially since Haley Hilderbrand's death. Cowley County currently has no exotic animal regulations.

http://www.arkcity.net/stories/112505/com_0003.shtml


Zoo's little brown Kiwi returns to the wild

27 November 2005
It will have been a long journey from the nest to the wilds of her ancestors, but Aroha the kiwi should soon be fighting fit after making a surprise return to Auckland Zoo for a spot of surgery.
The North Island brown kiwi was raised at the zoo from an egg retrieved from a burrow in Northland's Purua forest as part of Operation Nest Egg three years ago.
That programme is designed to boost the number of kiwis making it past infancy, because 95% are normally eaten by stoats, weasels and other predators.
Auckland Zoo vet John Potter said after hatching at the zoo and dining on chopped heart, liver and silverbeet for a month, Aroha had been transported to the sanctuary island of Moturoa, south of Kawau Island. But four weeks ago, when Department of Conservation staff retrieved her and other kiwis due to make their return journey to the open forest, they found Aroha was under weight and had a long open wound on her neck.
"The wound was probably caused by a wire or a bit of old fencing equipment or possibly a branch that caught her. Luckily no vital organs were hurt but she would probably have died if we had done nothing," Potter said.
She was identified by a microchip that all Operation Nest Egg kiwis have implanted beneath their feathers and Potter said they thought she had probably avoided being captured on the island before but this time was weaker because she was hurt. Aroha was brought back to the zoo, her sore was cleaned, and she was put on antibiotics and fed until her weight was at a safe level to put her under anaesthetic to stitchthe wound.
Potter said he removed the 12 stitches a week ago and tomorrow Aroha would make the journey north to finally be released in the forest where she was laid. He said if she could avoid falling victim to a dog, she should live for 40 years.
The North Island brown kiwi population stands at 25,000 but is dropping all the time. Potter said Auckland Zoo, which received 18-20 eggs each season, had released 130 kiwis for Operation Nest Egg.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3492763a11,00.html


Zoo chimps adjust to death of alpha male

Thursday, November 24, 2005
By Barton Deiters
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- It has been a sad couple of weeks for primates at John Ball Zoo.
Jo Mendi, the alpha male among the zoo's six chimpanzees, died unexpectedly Nov. 11 following what was supposed to be a rather routine bit of dental work.
The 26-year-old male just stopped breathing after the broken tooth had been removed, and there is no autopsy report yet from Michigan State University on the cause.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-26/1132847581133160.xml&coll=6


Fernandes had issues with board at Fresno zoo

By TOM BUCKHAM
After Donna Fernandes complained about their actions, two people resigned from the Fresno zoo board.
When Donna M. Fernandes quit Fresno's Chaffee Zoo earlier this month to return to the Buffalo Zoo, she downplayed reports of friction between her and members of the California zoo's board during her four months there.
She acknowledged that there had been "some tension on the board," adding that the nine-member group "just works in a different way. The members are much more involved with day-to-day operations than I was used to."
At her final board meeting Monday night in Fresno, Fernandes had a great deal more to say - and it wasn't pretty.
In what the Fresno Bee described as an emotional session attended by 100 citizens, Fernandes said she was leaving because of "irregularities in the way the board operated that made me feel uncomfortable."
She said the tone was set shortly after she was hired this summer, when Chairman Jay Weed and board members David Cowin and Mike Woods inferred that they alone ran the zoo. Other board members were not invited to the meeting with Fernandes in a Fresno restaurant.
Subsequently, Cowin, who is treasurer of the nonprofit zoo corporation, changed meeting minutes without approval of the board and kept financial records to himself, Fernandes alleged.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20051124/1058485.asp

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