Zoos
Vandalur Zoo gets one more hippopotamus
P. Oppili
CHENNAI: A six-year-old hippopotamus, Soundarya, acquired from the Mysore Zoo, is the latest addition to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), Vandalur.
It arrived on Tuesday afternoon in a specially-designed crate. The vehicle with the animal left Mysore on Monday evening.
At present the zoo has one hippo pair, Kala (37) and Vamburi (6). Kala is one of the oldest inmates of AAZP, living there since the park was opened in 1986. Vamburi came from Basel Zoo, Switzerland, in 2002.
So far the zoo had received three hippos under animal exchange programme within the country and also abroad.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/01/stories/2006020116000300.htm
Zoo Introduces Baby Giraffe
Giraffe Named For Fundraising Hero
BOSTON -- Boston's Franklin Park Zoo proudly showed off a new addition Wednesday -- a baby giraffe.
The most genetically valuable giraffe couple in North America, NewsCenter 5's Mary Saladna reported, has just become a threesome. Beau and Jana had a baby girl on Jan. 7.
"For the long-term conservation of giraffes, their production of an offspring was critically important to the genetic health of the population in captivity. We are just so excited by this," said John Linehan, of Zoo New England.
For now, the newborn is being sheltered from visitors. But the zoo made a special exception Wednesday for Autumn Faucher, 10, of Pelham, N.H. About a year ago, Faucher came to the rescue of 7-year-old Beau. He has a rare disease known as "giraffe wasting syndrome." It stripped 300 pounds from his 1,800-pound frame. But with cutting-edge care, zoo staffers have helped Beau beat the odds.
"Beau has outlived every other giraffe with this syndrome. He is setting new records every day and still gaining weight," Linehan said.
Faucher has raised more than $6,000 to help with Beau's costly care. On Wednesday, she brought the zoo another check for $1,000.
"I collected cans; I did a fundraiser at school. I gave him my birthday money and my allowance because I love animals and he was sick, so I wanted to help him," she said.
The giraffe's caretakers have named the baby Autumn.
Beau probably won't pass the disease onto the baby because there is no genetic link, experts said. The giraffe family will be on display to the public in the spring.
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/6660550/detail.html
Paedocypris progenetica
Abstract - Paedocypris is a new genus of paedomorphic cyprinid fish from highly acidic blackwater peat swamps in Southeast Asia.
It includes two new species, one of which (Paedocypris progenetica) appears to be the smallest fish and vertebrate known, with the smallest mature female measuring a mere 7.9 mm.
Paedocypris has many 'larval' features typically associated with paedomorphic fish (e.g. narrow frontals that leave the brain unprotected dorsally by bone and a precaudal larval-fin-fold), but, uniquely among fishes, males also possess highly modified pelvic fins with hypertrophied muscles and a keratinized pad in front of the pelvic girdle, which, we hypothesize, function together as a clasping or holding device, thereby suggesting an unusual reproductive mode.
Unfortunately, habitat destruction jeopardizes the survival of these fishes and thus opportunities for further research.
http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/news/index.php?entry=/pub/20060125-Paedocypris.txt
http://budak.blogs.com/the_annotated_budak/2006/01/paedocypris_pro.html
Elephant tramples teenager to death at zoo in Paraguay
Associated Press
ASUNCION, Paraguay — A 13-year-old boy who entered an elephant's open-air cage to feed it a mango was crushed to death on Tuesday.
Guillermo Gonzalez got past a rock wall and two metal fences to reach the 4 1/2 -ton elephant, named Maia, but the animal reacted violently, stomping the teenager to death before a trainer could intervene.
"Maia understood that its territory had been invaded by a stranger, which is why the elephant trapped Guillermo with the trunk, taking him by the legs and then crushing him with one of its front feet," said Carlos Britos, a veterinarian and director of the zoo.
He described the 35-year-old elephant as docile and obedient with him and other handlers.
The elephant's caretaker, Maximo Ramos, said he has intervened with commands before to protect visitors who got to close. He said he did the same on Tuesday, after he saw the boy had passed the barriers.
"She obeyed and let go of the child, but he was already dead," he said.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/3627350.html
Zoo Adds New Sculpture
Some sculptures at the North Carolina Zoo are designed to invoke thought and introspection. Some benefit the sight-impaired by helping them identify the animals through their sense of touch; some are there simply to delight the visitor. The latest piece, now installed at the zoo, is designed to teach visitors about “green” energy.
Titled “Spalanzani’s Generator,” the sculpture is a large-scale, participatory, kinetic sculpture by Pete Beeman, a Portland, Ore., artist with expertise in engineering and art. The sculpture focuses on and is designed for a strong visual impact. Two alternative energy sources, a solar panel and three bicycles, link the sculpture to “green” technology and the sustainable use of resources, thereby supporting the zoo’s conservation focus.
Three stationary bicycles (small, medium and large) that can be “ridden” by visitors, send power to the sculpture, enabling it to move.
The sculpture is designed to engage visitors in learning about alternative energy in a way that is fun and interactive. Visitors can turn the sculpture’s solar panel to “track” the sun and either increase or slow down the movement of the 4-bar mechanism of the sculpture.
The materials and methods used in the sculpture were designed to meet the needs of visitor accessibility, public safety and long-term durability.
The name of Beeman’s sculpture, Spalanzani’s Generator, comes from an opera by Jacque Offenbach, “The Tales of Hoffmann,” in which the hero is duped by a mad scientist/inventor named Spalanzani into falling in love with a robot woman.
Beeman sees his sculpture as one of Spalanzani’s mad inventions.
Beeman was selected for this $75,000 commission by a panel of five: N.C. Zoo Chief of Staff and Environmental Manage-ment Systems Coordinator Mary Joan Pugh; Zoo Curator of Education Joy Hamlin; Zoo Curator of Design Ellen Greer; Jim Hirschfield, professor of sculpture, UNC-Chapel Hill; and sculptor Dempsy Calhoun from Mocksville.
The sculpture commission was made possible by a gift to the North Carolina Zoological Society by an Eastern North Carolina couple who wishes to remain anonymous.
http://www.thepilot.com/features/020106zoo.html
Museum Uncovers an Ancient Fossil in Storage
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
A toothless, two-legged crocodile ancestor that walked upright and had a beak instead of teeth was discovered in the basement of New York's American Museum of Natural History, according to a report published Wednesday.
The 210-million-year-old fossil had sat in storage at the museum for about 60 years and was found only by accident, according to the report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a British science journal.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-sci-briefs28.4jan28,0,6206657.story?coll=la-news-a_section
Zoo's lone fishing cat dies after eating toy
Surgeries removed portion of its intestine, rubber ball
Lansing State Journal
Potter Park Zoo's lone fishing cat died Saturday from complications after swallowing what was believed to be a toy football.
"The real sad part of this was that she was going to go to the Cincinnati Zoo this month," said Tara Harrison, Potter Park's veterinarian and curator. The cat was scheduled to become part of the Cincinnati Zoo's breeding program.
About 25 pieces of the rubber ball were found and removed from the animal's stomach Jan. 9.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060201/NEWS01/602010349/1001/news
Woman killed by hippo 'not warned'
A woman was caught up in the excitement of her first visit to Africa when she took risks which led to a fatal hippopotamus attack, a coronial inquiry has been told.
Two days after arriving at Lake Naivasha in the south west corner of Kenya on February 28 last year, Vicky Elizabeth Bartlett, 50, a psychiatric nurse, was attacked, flipped and trampled by a hippo when she came between it and its calf.
A Melbourne coroner today found that Ms Bartlett had taken a risk by going off unescorted on a late night hippo-spotting expedition.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/woman-killed-by-hippo-not-warned/2006/01/30/1138469640448.html
Jack the dog settling in at Sequoia Park Zoo?
by Heather Muller, 1/31/2006
When 5-year-old Jack first arrived at the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka, he chased the chickens around the barnyard.
“It wasn’t at all aggressive,” said Frances Stinson, a caretaker at the zoo. “It’s like he thought they were toys, and it was a game to make them run around.”
But now Jack seems satisfied just making the chickens cluck, which they do each time he wanders into their pen and eats their food.
Stinson moved the food out of reach Monday, but it didn’t seem like a long-term solution.
Jack’s residence at the zoo is also somewhat provisional. Curator Gretchen Ziegler said he’s a wonderful dog, but he has some training issues that still need to be addressed.
“We’re working to train him to stay in the barnyard rather than wandering around the zoo,” Ziegler said.
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=7996
Group wants to redo survey of zoo workers
By JENNI LAIDMAN
BLADE STAFF WRITER
A group that calls itself Citizens for a Responsible Toledo Zoo says it wants to hear from zoo employees that the zoo has truly changed.
The spokesmen for the group said yesterday the zoo needs to survey employees again and release the raw data from an employee survey taken in May.
The second survey should ask employees if the zoo is on the right track, if employees feel more likely to have their concerns taken seriously, and if they are more likely to face retaliation for voicing concerns than they were a year ago, the citizen's group said.
But the zoo has begun discussions with a psychologist in Bowling Green to design an employee survey for late this summer, said Mike Burns, the zoo's director of administration.
"The last survey was done on a very tight time schedule," Mr. Burns said.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060131/NEWS38/601310346
Mammoth foresees no early break from bad weather
Sunday, Jan 29, 2006 - 12:00 AM
SALTVILLE - Woolly the mechanical pachyderm nodded her head up and down, and moans of disappointment echoed through the crowd.
“It’s bad weather ahead,” Mayor Jeff Campbell said.
Woolly’s biggest crowd – more than 200 people – showed up at Northwood High School to see whether Woolly would predict good or bad weather for the remainder of winter.
“We (were) just hoping for pretty weather all the way through,” Benita Smith said. “She’s our woolly girl. She’s been here for 10,000 years, and she knows the weather here.”
Most of the people in the crowd agreed with Smith, but Jeb Clark, 9, Drew Robertson-Gouge, 9, and William Clark, 6, jumped into the air when they heard Woolly’s prediction.
“Bad weather means no school,” they shouted.
Woolly, the mascot of The Museum of the Middle Appalachians, stands as tall as her Ice Age counterpart – 12 feet.
She represents part of Saltville history. An abundance of salt deposits attracted Ice Age animals like the woolly mammoth and mastodon to the area where Saltville now lies, and their remains have been found here for years.
Woolly, covered in bailing twine and mounted on a truck chassis, has predicted the weather accurately for the past 12 years, so the mayor sees no reason not to believe her.
“Woolly is a much more sophisticated animal than a groundhog,” he said, comparing her to Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil.
It was the first time the Slate family from Salisbury, N.C., had come to the annual Woolly Mammoth Day festival.
“The groundhog is national, but we don’t have anything like this at home,” said Taylor, 12.
Her siblings predicted what Woolly would say while they ate a prehistoric breakfast of scrambled Ice Age eagle eggs, ground sloth gravy and biscuits, bison bacon, mammoth sausage and paleo-pancakes.
“We’ll get more winter because she’s a woolly mammoth,” said Laney, 7. “Elephants predict warm weather; woollies predict ice ages.”
For those who want a second opinion, Punxsutawney Phil will be out on Thursday to make his annual prognostication.
ON THE WEB: Museum of the Middle Appalachians
www.museum-mid-app.org
ssieber@bristolnews.com (276) 791-0701
http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/living.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2006-01-29-0010.html
Forecasting pachyderm predicts rough weather ahead
SALTVILLE, Va. (AP) — Punxsutawney who?
Fred DeBusk poses for a family photo with his pride and joy, Wooly the Mammoth.
McKee, AP
Residents of this small town in southwest Virginia don't need a groundhog to forecast the weather for them. Not when they have Woolly, the 12-foot tall mechanical pachyderm that also serves as the mascot of The Museum of the Middle Appalachians.
On Saturday, Woolly predicted rough weather ahead, drawing groans from many of the crowd of about 200 people at Northwood High School, and cheers from three elementary school students who reasoned: "Bad weather means no school!"
The crowd figures Woolly would know what's ahead better than anyone, or anything. The mechanical mammoth has correctly predicted the weather for the last 12 years.
"We (were) just hoping for pretty weather all the way through," resident Benita Smith said. "She's been here for 10,000 years, and she knows the weather here."
Woolly, covered in bailing twine and mounted on a truck chassis, represents part of Saltville history. An abundance of salt deposits during the Ice Age attracted woolly mammoths and mastadons to the area, and their remains have been found here for years.
Residents are also partial to Woolly over Punxsutawney Phil, the more famous groundhog from Pennsylvania who will make his forecast for the rest of winter Thursday.
"Woolly is a much more sophisticated animal," Mayor Jeff Campbell said.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2006-01-29-woolly-forecast_x.htm
Bad weather dampens eagle count
By:Colleen Redmond
01/27/2006
As part of a national census, volunteers across the country took part in a one-day effort to count the number of bald eagles in each region, and to determine whether the numbers of birds has increased or decreased.
On Jan. 14, volunteers joined with the Quinnipiac River Watershed Association to participate in the count for this area. And while there were no viewings of the large birds of prey on that rainy day, sources say the number of eagles that migrate to Connecticut in the colder months appear to be on the rise.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16015878&BRD=1638&PAG=461&dept_id=9364&rfi=6
New Attractions At Zoo Negara
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 (Bernama) -- Zoo Negara is looking forward for another bumper year this year with the addition of new attractions and animals to its stable.
Its Public Relations and Marketing Department head Selena Zahiruddin said the biggest attraction would be the Tunku Abdul Rahman Freshwater Fish Aquarium which displays local fishes and river habitats.
"Renovation work on the aquarium is nearly completed. We will consult the Fisheries Department soon on what to be put on display," she told Bernama.
Unlike the KLCC Aquaria, which displays sea water fishes from foreign countries, the TAR Aquarium will bring visitors through a journey from the upstream of a local river and its habitats until the very end where the river meets the ocean, she said.
Selena described the journey, a nearly 200m walk-through, as very promising, exciting and educational for everyone.
Besides the aquarium, Zoo Negara would also be displaying its new-born animals which is an African baby Zirafah, two baby Zebras and a baby Sable Antelop.
"The new animals will be displayed when they are several months older and no longer fear the human presence, she said.
She said Zoo Negara, run on government grant, corporate sponsorships and ticket sales, would not be raising its ticket price from the current RM10 for adults.
Instead, it would be scouting for more corporate sponsorships for the animals, she said.
"We are hoping to increase corporate sponsorships from RM500,000 we received last year," she said.
Zoo Negara wooed more than 800,000 visitors last year, making it the country's biggest attraction, she added.
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=178291
Al Qaeda in Pakistan. No Surprise. I am sure they thought this was good sport. If you look at the symbolism in Iraqi society one will readily find lions and bears. The illness of these animals relay a great deal of symbolism to the people that frequent the zoo. Enforcing civil order al Qaeda style.
Zoo administration at odds over animals’ diagnosis
LAHORE: A male lion and female bear at Lahore Zoo have suffered severe paralysis attacks, sources told Daily Times on Tuesday.
Sources said both animals had been attracting wildlife enthusiasts for more than two decades. The 20-year-old lion called Leo suffered the attack a month ago, paralysing its hind legs, while the 25-year-old black bear suffered the attack on Saturday, which paralysed its left side.
Lahore Zoo Deputy Director Saleem Nasir told Daily Times that the lion had recovered a bit, but the recovery of both animals would take some time.
Saleem said there could have been several reasons for the attacks and cited fats blocking blood vessels as an example. He said both animals were under treatment and experts from the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAC) and Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) had visited the zoo several times to examine them.
Lahore Zoo Director Yousaf Pal, however, contradicted the deputy director’s statement saying Leo had never suffered a paralysis attack. “Leo has been at the zoo for more than 22 years and he has completed his average age,” Pal said, adding that the female bear was suffering from a minor problem and was recovering.
Wildlife experts told Daily Times that the zoo management could provide medical facilities to animals, but they were non-existent at the moment and no arrangements had been made to provide basic medical facilities on a priority basis.
The zoo lacks an emergency, operation and x-ray rooms and special vehicles to transport animals to the UVAC or VRI in case of an emergency. Experts said the veterinary officer’s post had been vacant for more than a year and the zoo had only one veterinary assistant, Saleem Nasir who held the dual charge of the deputy director and veterinary officer’s post. shoaib ahmed
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C02%5C01%5Cstory_1-2-2006_pg7_15
New animals, free tours in city zoo plan
LAHORE: New animals and birds will be brought to Lahore Zoo and free tours will be arranged for special and underprivileged children in a Rs 200 million ‘master plan’ inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi on Wednesday.
He said a picnic park and a restaurant would be made for wildlife enthusiasts and animals’ cages would be remodelled. The chief minister said that 500 to 700 children visit the zoo every day and 70,000 to 75,000 visit on Eids. Elahi said that Bahawalpur’s Lal Suhanra Park would be improved to meet international standards.
Punjab Wildlife Secretary Major (r) Iqbal Ahmed praised the plan. Lahore Nazim Mian Amer Mehmood and Chief Secretary Salman Siddique were also present on the occasion.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C01%5C26%5Cstory_26-1-2006_pg7_25
National Zoo euthanizes ailing elephant
By MYRA LOPEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
WASHINGTON -- The National Zoo euthanized a 40-year-old Asian elephant Wednesday following what officials called a dramatic decline in her physical condition and quality of life.
The elephant, named Toni, had a long history of arthritis resulting from a leg injury she suffered before arriving at the zoo in 1989.
John Berry, the zoo's director, and his staff decided the time was right to euthanize her.
"Her discomfort outweighed her happy moments, and there was nothing more we could do for Toni," said Berry.
Assistant Curator Tony Barthel said Toni appeared unsteady in recent days and was leaning on her trunk and rocking back to take weight off her front legs.
"It was evident to me that even with additional pain relief this was an animal that was in significant discomfort," Berry said. The decision to euthanize her was difficult, he said.
The elephant underwent a necropsy Wednesday.
"They obviously have confirmed the presence of arthritis, significant and serious and debilitating arthritis. Other tests could take many weeks," Berry said.
The zoo now has three elephants: Kandula, a male born in 2001, and two females, Shanthi age 31, and Ambika, nearly 60.
The Elephant House will be closed through Sunday
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501AP_Zoo_Elephant.html
Black bear at Eureka zoo put down
EUREKA, Calif. The Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka has lost a long-time resident. Maxine the black bear has died.
Maxine died over the weekend after a tough battle with a debilitating spinal injury.
Maxine was undergoing treatment for bone deterioration when one of her vertebrae ruptured in November. That partially paralyzed her back legs.
Zoo staff made euthanized Maxine on Saturday.
Maxine was born at the park along with her sister Rosemary in 1982.
http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=4410134&nav=9qrx
Two animals killed at petting zoo
SANFORD J. SCHMIDT, The Telegraph
EDWARDSVILLE -- Some schoolchildren might be shocked to learn that their favorite petting zoo residents are dead at the hands of a criminal wielding a high-caliber weapon.
A rural Edwardsville couple is offering a $1,000 reward for information about the gunman who shot and killed a pet sheep and a pet goat at a petting zoo and exotic animal farm operated in connection with the Bilbrey Farms bed and breakfast, 8724 Pin Oak Road.
The sheep was named Stitch. It had made friends with a big dog named Lilo. The two were called Lilo and Stitch after the characters in a children’s movie.
"That little sheep was bottle-fed from Day One, because its mother had rejected it," Bilbrey said.
The children also were particularly fond of the goat named Thelma.
"Everybody knew that fat mama goat," she said.
Bilbrey said she and her husband, lawyer Mike Bilbrey, left the house about 6 p.m. Friday to go to a funeral. The animals last were reported seen alive at 3:30 p.m. Friday.
On Saturday morning, a man who works on their farm noticed the goat’s body on the shoreline of a small lake on the property. The sheep’s body later was found in the lake.
"I was shocked. Someone had to have shot them in their pen, then dragged the bodies down to the lake," Linda Bilbrey said. "They used a high-caliber weapon."
Bilbrey said she is mystified as to who would do something so cruel. She said she and her husband have good relations with her neighbors.
"We’re all good neighbors here," she said.
Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call the Madison County Sheriff’s Department at (618) 692-0871, (618) 692-4433 or the anonymous tip line at (618) 296-3000.
sanfordjschmidt@hotmail.com
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15993801&BRD=1719&PAG=461&dept_id=25271&rfi=6
Where Do Zoo Animals Go When They Die?
To the lab, the museum, and the education department.
By Daniel Engber
Posted Friday, Jan. 27, 2006, at 6:02 PM ET
Download the MP3 audio version of this story here. The Explainer now has its own free daily podcast; click here to learn more.
Veterinarians at the National Zoo put down two animals this week: an arthritic, 40-year-old elephant named Toni and a 13-year-old cheetah with kidney problems named Wandu. What happens to zoo animals when they die?
First, a necropsy is performed, and then the remains are cremated. The carcasses of all animals that die at the National Zoo—including those that wander into the park from outside—are brought to an on-site pathology lab for thorough examination. Zoo staffers identify the cause of death (if it isn't already known) and preserve tissue samples that might be important for research or education. (The zoo maintains an archive of formalin-soaked specimens from every animal that's died there since the 1970s; the Bronx Zoo has tissue samples dating back to 1920.) After the necropsy, Toni's carcass—which weighs thousands of pounds—was shipped to a lab in College Park, Md., where it will be incinerated starting Friday. The process should take about 24 hours.
Toni, like other elephants, is part of a national conservation program that has its own protocol for necropsies, as well as an updated list of which body parts should be saved. Instructions for elephant necropsies, for example, suggest a "chain saw, axe, or reciprocating saw to cut through the cranium" and "carts on rollers to move heavy parts." (Click here for a document that describes the procedure.) The elephant parts now in demand for research purposes include intact brains, eyes, and "two whole large thoracic ribs."
http://www.slate.com/id/2134941/
Tulsa Zoo Fundraiser For Its Sea Lion Exhibit
It's a first in Tulsa, the Sea Lion Splash.
The Tulsa Zoo and the Rotary Club is sponsoring a miniature rubber sea lion race at the lagoon at RiverWest Festival Park. You can buy numbered tickets that correspond to numbers on the rubber sea lions.
On April 1st, 10,000 sea lions will splash into the water, and then dock dogs will dive in and retrieve the winners. Prizes range from zoo memberships to a trip for four to the San Diego Zoo. All of the money raised will go towards building a new California Sea Lion Exhibit.
Tulsa Zoo director Stephen Walker: "We will have a new facility that will be larger, have salt water that will be more healthful for the animal; we'll have a renovated holding area for these animals.”
And the new exhibit will also be able to house more sea lions. Tickets are $10 and they go on sale starting Wednesday. You can get them by calling 669-6637 or you can get them online at the Tulsa Zoo's website.
http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=98016
Zoo considers contest to name baby penguin
LONDON -- Zookeepers in southern England said Tuesday they were considering a contest to name a chick expected by the parents of a juvenile penguin stolen just before Christmas.
Well-wishers sent Amazon World congratulatory e-mails after news spread that the mother laid a new egg, said Derek Curtis, owner of the zoo on the Isle of Wight. The kidnapped 3-month-old jackass penguin, named Toga, is presumed dead.
Curtis urged caution, saying he would wait three weeks to ensure the chick is healthy before conducting the contest.
"We don't want to count our chickens before they hatch, so to speak," he said.
If all goes well, the penguin chick is expected in February. Toga was stolen from his pen last month. Zoo officials said they believed someone may have stolen him to give as a Christmas gift, inspired by the popular film "March of the Penguins."
Zoo officials have installed closed circuit television cameras and motion sensors to make sure that Toga's expected sibling remains safely with his parents, who are a rare breed of penguin found on the southern coast of Africa.
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060125/NEWS06/601250422/1012
Baby rhino makes debut at California zoo
LOS ANGELES - A "darling girl" named Lali stuck close to her mom but greeted other adults with curiosity during her first public outing this week.
The two-month-old rare Indian rhinoceros made her debut at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park Thursday after spending her first eight weeks in a private enclosure to allow bonding time with her first-time mother, Gari.
"She immediately was exploring meeting the other Indian rhinos, but most of the time she kept close to mom," said park spokeswoman Yadira Galindo.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11064218/
Des Moines zoo plans expansion
Published: 01/27/2006 10:59 AM
By: Associated Press - Associated Press
DES MOINES, IA - The Blank Park Zoo is planning an expansion project that officials hope will make it one of the region's top tourist attractions.
Zoo officials on Thursday announced they will conduct a feasibility study for an adjacent park that would more than double the 22-acre zoo.
"Our board is committed to making this zoo the best it can be," said Terry Rich, head of the Blank Park Zoo Foundation. "Our next step will be presenting the ideas to neighbors and community leaders to determine our direction."
Officials said the zoo will likely expand into Fort Des Moines Park, though they did not elaborate on specific ideas for the land.
The announcement came after the foundation heard a presentation Thursday from Bassett and Associates, a firm hired to study the zoo's possible expansion.
Jim Bassett, the firm's president, told zoo officials that the zoo can't continue its success without expanding. He said the plan could include moving, or upgrading some of the zoo's older facilities.
The zoo, built in 1966, still has some of its original infrastructure.
"You have done well with one of the smallest zoos in America, in terms of acreage," said Bassett, who has endorsed the zoo's expansion request to the Polk County Conservation Commission. "But next door is one of the most beautiful zoological sites in the nation. You could easily become a world-class zoo at a very affordable cost."
No cost estimate was provided for the project.
The foundation took over management of the zoo in 2003 and has launched several attractions and programs that have boosted attendance by almost 28 percent.
Bassett said an expansion would draw even more visitors.
"You have great growth potential and this is a vision of national significance," said Bassett, noting that zoos are visited by more people than the NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball. "The zoo is a natural attraction for all demographics, from young families to senior citizens."
In October, the foundation announced it had hired Bassett to help formulate a 20-year plan for the zoo, which may incorporate golf, camping, hotels and restaurants into the area.
The foundation has scheduled two public hearings for the issue: Feb. 16 and 22.
http://www.crgazette.com/2006/01/27/Home/News/desmoineszooplansexpansion.htm
Baby Anteater Debuting at Chaffee Zoo
January 27, 2006 - A baby anteater at the Chaffee Zoo is meeting the rest of the world for the first time.
The Chaffee Zoo has a new baby anteater.
It's only a couple weeks old and the zoo still doesn't know if it's a male or a female.
The newest addition to the Chaffee Zoo will make his public debut this weekend, if the sun is shining.
Zoo keepers don't want the little one to catch a chill.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=3853405
Zoo sells poo to save rhinoceros
A zoo is donating funds from the sale of Rhinoceros poo in a bid to help save the endangered species.
Colchester Zoo in Essex plans to make a £1 donation to Save the Rhinos for every pot of the excrement sold.
A zoo spokeswoman said: "We have four white rhinos which produce up to 20 wheel barrows of poo each day which is then freshly potted ready for sale."
The zoo has an endless supply of the environmentally friendly poo which is a good garden fertiliser, she added.
The rhino excrement looked and smelt very similar to hay, the spokeswoman said.
"Because rhinos are herbivores their faeces' smell's musty, a bit like hay, and isn't as offensive as carnivore faeces," she added.
Poaching and habitat loss has reduced the total world's rhino population from about 70,000, 30 years ago, to less than 18,000, according to the World Conservation Union.
The zoo's campaign will run until September
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/essex/4654280.stm
concluding …
