Zoos
A holly, jolly day for kids at zoo
By Amy Dalrymple, The Forum
Published Sunday, December 11, 2005
It was hard to tell Saturday who enjoyed Holly Jolly Zoo Days more – the children or the animals at Fargo’s Red River Zoo.
Mice nibbled on a gingerbread house placed in their cage for the occasion.
Stockings hung in the cage of the emperor tamarins.
Even cockroaches were treated to Christmas cookies.
But 8-year-old Ian Sander of Fargo had his own fun riding the carousel, feeding reindeer and meeting Santa.
A zoo member, Sander said he enjoyed visiting the animals, especially the bald eagle, his favorite.
“I like seeing the animals over and over,” said Sander.
His mom, Suzanne Sander, said it was fun seeing the animals in a different season. The zoo is closed during the winter except for special events.
Zoo Director Paula Grimestad said some animals live indoors during the winter, such as the waterfowl, but many of the animals are outdoors.
Although Saturday was the first day many visitors saw the male red panda that arrived last month, the highlight for most was visiting Santa and Mrs. Claus and feeding and petting two reindeer.
Luis Balderas Jr., 3, had been asking to see Santa and always wanted to visit the zoo, said his mom, Rosa Milera.
So the Grafton, N.D., family decided to accomplish both Saturday.
After meeting Santa, Balderas ran back over to him to hand him a picture he colored.
Milera’s 7-year-old niece, Julie Medina, said she had fun getting her picture taken with Santa and seeing the reindeer.
Medina also worked one of the craft projects offered at the zoo, making a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer out of a clothes pin.
Families can visit Holly Jolly Zoo Days next Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. The zoo is at 4220 21st Ave. S.W.
Santa, Mrs. Claus and the reindeer are indoors, as are several animal exhibits.
Cost is $5.50 for adults, $3.50 for children ages 2 to 14 and free for children under 2. Admission is free for zoo members. For more information, visit www.redriverzoo.org or call (701) 277-9240.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590
http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=111088§ion=News
Vet school, zoo hatch plan for turtles
Out-of-box thinking leads to egg harvest; shy reptiles slowly come out of shells
By AMY MCRARY, amymcrary@comcast.net
December 12, 2005
Eight tiny baby Eastern box turtles wintering at the Knoxville Zoo owe their lives to medical technology and good luck.
The turtles were hatched from eggs removed from two dead female turtles hit by cars in separate incidents. University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine doctors surgically removed the eggs after the females were bought to the school.
Six eggs were taken from a severely injured female that had to be euthanized in late June. Two were removed from a turtle that died overnight after being hit by a car in Knoxville in mid-July.
The box turtles weren't the only pregnant turtle traffic victims. Veterinarians in early June removed 14 eggs from a snapping turtle injured in a traffic accident. The adult animal later recovered and was released in an undisclosed Blount County location.
Summer is when the vet school sees the highest number of traumatized turtles. This June and July, 31 injured or sick wild turtles were brought to the school. Most are those that, attracted by the warmth of black asphalt, are hit by vehicles.
All the turtle eggs were sent to the Knoxville Zoo, where they were placed in damp vermiculite and incubated at about 80 degrees.
That's when the waiting began, said Bern W. Tryon, the zoo's director of animal collections/ herpetology.
Hatching eggs taken from a dead or injured turtle is uncommon, Tryon said. Success factors include the eggs' development when the mother died and the time between the adult's death and the eggs' removal and incubation.
Removing eggs from the box turtle that died overnight in July was "a stretch," said Dr. Cheryl Greenacre, the veterinary college faculty member who operated on the box turtles. "But we were willing to give it a try."
The waiting game began to end in late August. Eight snappers hatched after 83 days of incubation. The other six snapping turtle eggs proved to be infertile.
Days out of their shells, the 11/2-inch snappers gobbled crickets. Soon they were ready to be released near where their mother had been placed.
The eight box turtle eggs began to hatch in September. The shy turtles are living off exhibit at the zoo. In the spring, they'll be released in the wild.
"It was good that something good came out of something bad," said Dr. Greenacre.
Amy McRary may be reached at 865-342-6437.
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local_news/article/0,1406,KNS_347_4307835,00.html
Small group protests zoo's breeding of on-loan elephant
By BEN TINSLEY
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
FORT WORTH — A small group of animal rights activists — signs in hand, some sporting rubber elephant noses on their faces — gathered along University Drive on Sunday afternoon to protest the Fort Worth Zoo’s recent decision to breed an on-loan Asian male elephant with female Asian elephants currently housed there.
"They’ll kill elephants in parts of the world, saying there are too many of them by human standards, but they are breeding them here just to have a baby to attract more people to the zoo,” said protestor Jill Nielsen, 38, of Dallas.
The zoo announced its plan to breed the elephant on loan from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in June and increase reproduction rates. Protestors contend elephants have complicated needs for socialization and space and are much better suited to life in sanctuaries than in zoos.
The 12 protestors, holding signs saying "No Breeding For Bucks” and "A Life In Captivity Is No Life At All” were members of the Metroplex-based Animal Connection of Texas and the national group People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said Susan Oakey, ACT spokeswoman.
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/13385407.htm
Ringling Bros. Owner Sanctioned by Judge
By MATTHEW BARAKAT
Associated Press Writer
Published December 9, 2005, 8:08 AM CST
FAIRFAX, Va. -- A judge issued sanctions Thursday against the owner of Ringling Bros. circus for filing late and incomplete documents in a lawsuit that claims that the owner had established a spy operation against animal-rights groups.
The judge also ordered Kenneth Feld, chief executive and president of privately held Feld Entertainment Inc., to disclose his net worth and his most recent tax returns to PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
PETA sued Feld Entertainment more than four years ago, claiming that he ran an extensive corporate espionage campaign against it and other animal-rights groups. According to PETA, Feld -- which produces the Ringling circus, Disney on Ice and other shows -- went so far as to pay a former CIA operative to help run its spy operation.
The lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in February.
PETA attorney Philip Hirschkop said one of the documents was mostly blacked out before it was turned over.
Based on the portions of the 30-page document revealed during Thursday's hearing, it appears to spell out the company's plan for dealing with circus protests by animal-rights groups. The plan calls for efforts to discredit PETA and other animal-rights groups and to seek ways to undermine PETA's status as a nonprofit organization.
Circuit Judge David Stitt said Feld should have turned over the documents long ago. He ordered Feld to turn over an unredacted copy of the documents by Monday and to turn over any other documents related to the company's Animal Issues Department.
"Obtaining discovery (evidence) in this case has been like pulling teeth," the judge said Thursday. "It appears the defendant is resisting discovery by all available means."
The company, based in Vienna, Va., declined comment Thursday.
In August, Feld's lawyers were ordered to pay more than $50,000 in fines for what PETA says were obstructionist tactics Feld's lawyers had employed throughout the case.
On the Net:
http://www.peta.org/feat/rbsuit/
http://www.feldentertainment.com/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-circus-spy-lawsuit,1,7585440.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Holiday comes to life at zoo
Snow, carolers draw 1,000 to annual event
BY JUAN ORTEGA
FLORIDA TODAY
Nice and toasty. Marshmallow roasting is among the array of activities on tap at Brevard Zoo's "Holiday Nights." The event, which continues Saturday and Sunday, includes tons of snow for the kids to play in along with storytelling, crafts and carolers. An estimated 1,000 people attended the event Sunday. Almost 6,000 are expected over its entire run. Tim Shortt, FLORIDA TODAY
If you go
When: The final two nights of Brevard Zoo's Holiday Nights will be from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Cost: $12 for adults and $7 for children ages 2 to 12. Children under 2 enter free. Members receive $1 discount on all tickets, and pre-sale tickets are available at the zoo's front gate during regular business hours and at any branch of Space Coast Credit Union. Cost of pictures with Santa start at $5.
Where: Because the zoo parking lot can hold about 300 vehicles. When the lot fills, event-goers can park at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Viera and catch a park-and-ride shuttle that offers rides every 15 minutes.
Other: There is an additional cost for food and beverages, pictures with Santa and roasting smores. Marshmallows are free.
VIERA - Too bad Dane Beard lives in Florida, since he clearly loves playing in snow.
But the 9-year-old from Port St. John was full of glee Sunday night as he knelt in a heap of mushy ice and became a snowball-pelting machine. Meantime in the 60-degree weather, Richard Beard stood beside his son and kept "an eye out, keeping the ice fluffy so kids don't throw large chunks."
They were among an estimated 1,000 people who on Sunday attended Brevard Zoo's sixth annual Holiday Nights. The four-night event continues next Saturday and Sunday. Organizers expect a total attendance of 6,000, including 4,000 next weekend.
Cocoa-based All Star Village Ice provides about 16 to 24 tons of snow each night of the event, said Andrea Hill, the zoo's marketing director. Proceeds from the event go toward the zoo's operating budget.
Every five minutes, groups of 40 took turns playing in the snow area.
"We're going to be letting more people in, so make it good, make it worth it," zoo worker Audrey Smith announced.
That made children pick up their pace in grabbing ice.
Animals stayed out of sight, since they're placed in night houses with heat lamps. While the animals slept, families enjoyed the activities geared toward them such as roasting marshmallows, storytelling and time with Santa.
Three lighted piles of firewood, barricaded by four logs, allowed the Sumner family from Melbourne and others to roast marshmallows.
"I'm going to do another one, with chocolate," a sticky-fingered Burton Sumner Jr. told his father.
"You're doing good," Burton Sumner Sr. said. "You've got to keep turning it, buddy. Don't let it catch on fire. We need more Graham crackers for s'mores."
Elsewhere, children made crafts, including pasta necklaces, reindeer paper and Popsicle-stick decorations equipped with magnets for the fridge. Christmas carolers sang.
Children performed "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." Lighted Christmas trees lined the zoo. There's even a talking tree.
Event-goers can ride a four-car train that travels at 3 mph along a stretch of the zoo.
Photographer Kate Little asked 4-year-old Jameson Lombardy to smile before snapping a picture. His pants still damp from snowball fun, Jameson sat in a large wooden rocking chair with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
"Well, for my birthday, I want a boa constrictor," he said.
But Santa wondered about Jameson's Christmas wish, to which the Melbourne boy replied: "I want a remote-controlled flying saucer that has a squirter that shoots real water. That's about it."
Contact Ortega at 242-3632 or jortega@flatoday.net
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051212/NEWS01/512120338/1006
Scuba association dives into zoo's tree decorating celebration
Joseph Ruzich
Published December 11, 2005
BROOKFIELD -- While many don't associate the Midwest with scuba diving, the Chicago Aquanauts Scuba Association would disagree. They have been exploring the region's lakes, rivers and ponds for years.
Last month, the scuba association decorated a tree at Brookfield Zoo for the Holiday Tree Trim Celebration. The tree features more than 200 handmade wooden decorations, including a variety of fish, shark, dolphin, seahorse, whale, crab and sea turtle ornaments.
The tree will be on display during the holiday season at the east mall of the zoo.
Chicago Aquanauts Scuba diver Bill Leser and his wife, Debra, call the Great Lakes first-rate for diving, especially for shipwrecks, which, they said, don't decay as fast in fresh water.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-0512110457dec11,1,4402261.story?coll=chi-newslocalwest-hed
Toledo Zoo: Director's search narrowed down to 5 candidates
By TAD VEZNER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
The hunt for the Toledo Zoo's new executive director has been whittled down to five candidates - and officials involved in the search predict an offer will be made to one by the end of next month.
Larry Peterson, co-chairman of the zoo's search committee, refused to release the names of the candidates, saying that some had not informed their current employers of the interviews, and that no documents, including resumes, had been given to the search committee.
"This has all been done with word of mouth, every comment and issue," Mr. Peterson said. "We were very careful to do this in a way [the candidates] were comfortable with until the final selection process. … We don't want them to burn any bridges [yet]."
He said none of the candidates is local, and all the candidates were in top management positions at either zoos, aquariums, or nonprofit organizations. At least one candidate is a top executive at a zoo.
Two of the candidates were interviewed yesterday morning.
Mr. Peterson said all 18 members of the search committee, which is composed of zoo board members and staff and some members of the Toledo community, were present for the closed executive session.
He said the other three candidates will be interviewed Saturday in another closed session.
Mr. Peterson said he hopes to narrow the five candidates down to a lesser number and publicly present the smaller list to the zoo's full board of directors on Dec. 19.
Joel Epstein, of the executive search firm Waverly Partners' Toledo branch, which was hired to help with the search, said after Dec. 19 he will begin reference and background checks, and the candidates will again come to Toledo to meet with a wide range of zoo board and staff members as well as community members.
"By the end of January, I presume there will be an offer made to someone," Mr. Epstein said.
The zoo's top position has been vacant since its previous executive director, William Dennler, retired in early May amid a controversy triggered in February when he fired the zoo's popular chief veterinarian, Dr. Tim Reichard. The zoo's second-in-command, Chief Operating Officer Robert Harden, also resigned that month.
Mr. Dennler had served as the zoo's executive director for 24 years.
Since then, the institution has been run by a five-person leadership team of staff and zoo board members headed by Fred Bollin, an unpaid business consultant.
In July, the zoo paid $97,500 for a second senior manager to oversee several departments, including human resources, finance, marketing, and interpretive services, for a period of one year.
But Jeannie Hylant, co-chairman of the search committee, said zoo staff members are starting to get anxious.
"Right now, they're being run by a group of volunteers. They want some stability," she said. "They're not outwardly talking about it, but you can sense it - that thirst is growing in them for some leadership."
Mr. Peterson agreed.
"There are a lot of people who are wanting us to get this done yesterday," he said.
The search officially began in early August, and Mr. Epstein said between applicants and those his firm sought out on their own, they originally had between 100 and 150 candidates.
Contact Tad Vezner at: tvezner@theblade.com or 419-724-6050.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051211/NEWS38/512110371/-1/NEWS
Nicky a crowd puller at zoo
MALACCA: Visitors to the Malacca Zoo can now check on how Nicky, the female tiger cub saved from the cooking pot in August, is coming along.
Malacca Zoo director Mohd Nawayai Yasak said visitors could view Nicky, now seven months old and weighing more than 20kg, during weekends from 9am to 5pm.
“We will put her on public display on a trial basis and see how things go.
“This is also part of her familiarisation exercise before our tiger enclosure is ready early next year, where Nicky will be featured for public viewing on a permanent basis,” he added.
Mohd Nawayai said Nicky appeared tense initially, when she was put on public view from Dec 3 as she was not used to crowds.
This is Nicky four months on. The female tiger cub, which was saved from the cooking pot in August ( inset), is now seven months old and weighs more than 20kg. Visitors to the Malacca Zoo can now see how the cub is doing during weekends. Nicky has been put on public display from 9am to 5pm on a trial basis since Dec 3. This is also part of the cub's familiarisation exercise until the zoo's tiger enclosure is ready early next year. The public will then be able to see Nicky on a permanent basis.
Zoo visitors recognised Nicky, who has been adopted by The Star, and immediately gathered around the cub.
Yesterday, a modified cage with nettings was constructed to house Nicky.
Despite the nettings, people were seen snapping photographs of her and milling around the tiger cub's cage.
Children also called out to Nicky by name when they spotted her.
But a still apprehensive Nicky appeared less enthusiastic about her popularity, and was seen shying away from the crowd by staying put at the back of her cage.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/12/12/nation/12842851&sec=nation
Lion bites flower picker
From: AAP
December 12, 2005
A LION bit off – and then ate – the tip of a woman's finger after the woman climbed a barrier next to the animal's enclosure at Melbourne zoo to pick flowers.
Zoo director John Gibbons said today the woman, in her 20s, was picking agapanthus inside a barricade next to the enclosure when she was bitten by a young male lion.
She lost the top of her middle finger in the attack, which occurred last Thursday.
It is the second attack by a big cat at the zoo in a month, after a nine-year-old boy on a school excursion was badly scratched by a Persian leopard.
But zoo officials said such attacks were very rare, and it was disappointing that zoo patrons sometimes disregarded safety fences.
"We do ask all our patrons to stay behind the safety barriers here at the zoo and she explained at the time that she was picking some flowers," Mr Gibbons told ABC radio today.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17538326-1243,00.html
Windfall finds zoo to call her home
By MARK FREEMAN
Mail Tribune
The black bear seized from two Coos County loggers who were raising it illegally in their home will live out its days at a Central California zoo, where it will become a tool for teaching people about native wildlife.
The 2-year-old bear named Windfall was shipped Wednesday to the Applegate Park and Zoo, a Merced facility that will be its permanent home, authorities said. Merced is about 90 miles east of San Jose.
The bear was alone in the zoo’s large open-air bear exhibit when visitors began showing up Thursday.
"We couldn’t be happier to have her," says Norene Borba, a city of Merced recreation supervisor who helps run the zoo. "She seems to be doing fine, but in all fairness to her, she’s been through some big changes."
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/1209/local/stories/04local.htm
Love is in the air for Rusti
Things are looking up for Rusti, the disgruntled orangutan. Rusti has been sort of the Rodney Dangerfield of animal inmates at the Honolulu Zoo, forced to live alone in a small enclosure for many years while other animals luxuriate in African savanna-type spreads. If you wandered by his hovel, you might have heard him mumble, "I'm tellin' ya, I get no respect."
But now he's got a swanky 8,168-square-foot bachelor pad complete with bedrooms, a day room, an open sky cage and a banyan tree. The best thing is that the new digs come complete with a hot chick. That's right, Rusti's going to be shacking up with an orangutan babe.
http://starbulletin.com/2005/12/11/features/memminger.html
Is the state buying a zoo?
Saturday, December 10, 2005
If the people of Michigan are to take over the care and feeding of a zoo, they should have an above-board public explanation and airing of the idea. Neither has occurred so far, though a $4 million investment in the Detroit Zoo is well on the way to being a done deal.
A separate matter is why this funding and that of two other Oakland County projects are allowed to occur outside the state's cultural budgeting process. That structure was set up a decade ago to get rid of the arts pork barrel. Funding requests were to be submitted to a competitive peer-review process and decided on merit. The system is far from perfect, but it's better than plain political pillaging.
The zoo deal is part of the Legislature's Capital Outlay Budget, normally comprised of construction work funded by bonds and federal grants. This year's version has $236.7 million, most of it federal funding for airports, with a scattering of university, marina and dam projects as well. But also included is $4.3 million in general state funds, of which $4 million would go to the Detroit Zoo.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1134213340276500.xml&coll=6
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