Zoos
Search for New Birds of Paradise Also Yields Strange Frogs and Giant Flowers
By CORNELIA DEAN
More than 25 years ago, Bruce Beehler, an expert on birds of paradise, started planning a trip to the Foja Mountains of western New Guinea. Last November, he finally got there — and the trip was worth the wait.
In a monthlong expedition, what biologists call a rapid assessment field trip, or RAP, he and his colleagues discovered what they described as evidence of dozens of previously unreported plants and animals. Their finds included more than 20 new frogs, 4 butterflies and a number of plants, including 5 new palms and rhododendrons with the largest flowers on record.
Dr. Beehler did not discover a new bird of paradise. But he did discover what he thinks is a new bird species, a honeyeater. And the expedition found the breeding ground of a species of bird of paradise that had been collected more than 100 years ago — not very scientifically, Dr. Beehler says — and then more or less lost to science.
"This is the richest place I have even been in New Guinea for birds," Dr. Beehler said of the Foja (pronounced FOY-ya) Mountains. "That's saying a lot."
Colin Poole, director of the Asia Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the organization that runs the Bronx Zoo, said it was not surprising that previously unreported species would be identified in the region, which he described as "a massive area of forests that in scientific terms has only been engaged in relatively recently."
He added, "The fact that scientists can still find new species means there are still wild areas out there with things we do not yet understand."
Over all, Dr. Beehler said, the RAP team, also led by Stephen Richards of the South Australia Museum in Adelaide, counted 215 species of birds in the mountains, in the Mamberamo Basin on New Guinea's north coast. The area is part of Indonesia, and the expedition was sponsored by the Indonesian Institute of Science and Conservation International, a research and conservation organization for which Dr. Beehler is vice president for Melanesia. The expedition was financed by several other organizations, including the National Geographic Society.
The region is a great "generator of biodiversity," he said, and the researchers hope their survey will help scientists learn how species developed there. Dr. Beehler said the researchers were preparing their work for submission to journals so that other authorities could evaluate it. Only then will he learn, for example, whether ornithological authorities agree that the honeyeater bird he found is a new species. (If they do, he said, he will name it for his wife.)
Meanwhile, he said, the researchers will work with scientific colleagues and government officials in Indonesia to set up another expedition. "We'll get a new set of people with different strengths, go back and have another look," he said. Dr. Beehler said the study area was almost lost in the mid-1990's, when a proposal was put forward to dam the Mamberamo River and flood the entire basin. The Asian financial crisis doomed the plan, he said.
He says it is important to work with communities in the region so that they can conserve the resources they rely on while bringing sustainable development to the area. "A lot of what we provide is information, but it's their future," he said. "We are trying to empower them to be the long-term stewards of their mountain range. Is it going to be difficult? You bet."
People like Mr. Poole agree. When it comes to new species, he said: "The challenge is not finding them but working out how to protect them. When we find them, that's when our job begins, working with the government to say, 'How can we help you protect these areas?' "
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2006/02/07/science/07spec.html&tntemail0=y
'Snow Day' comes to Sequoia Park Zoo
The Times-Standard
EUREKA -- Animals at the Sequoia Park Zoo will get to frolic in the snow on Feb. 19.
Even though we have seen more sun in the past week than we have in the past few weeks, zoo keepers say there will be snow in Eureka next Sunday.
”Snow Day” at the Sequoia Park Zoo is an annual event in which the animals are provided with some frosty entertainment. Snow and ice are delivered to each animal's exhibit, sometimes with additional forms of enhancement. In some cases food is hidden in the snow so that the animal must dig through the snow to reach it.
”Each animal responds differently to snow,” says Gretchen Ziegler, the zoo's curator. “The bear and primates are especially fond of snow
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because it is such a novelty experience for them.”
Visitors will have an opportunity to watch Bill the chimp and the other zoo animals search through piles of snow for food and treats.
Following is a schedule of when special enrichments will be provided to the zoo residents: noon, black bear; 12:20 p.m., Bill the chimp; 12:40 p.m., spider monkeys and white-handed gibbons;
1 p.m., Barnyard animals; 1:20 p.m., golden lion tamarins; 1:40 p.m., river otter.
For more information, contact Amber Neilson at 441-4217.
http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3501921
Zoo programs enrich children's experience of the animal world
The Times-Standard
EUREKA -- This winter, children will have the chance to get “behind the scenes” experiences with some of the animals at the Sequoia Park Zoo.
The zoo will offer Junior Zoo-keeper and Zookeeper Apprentice Training programs for youth ages 8 through 15. These programs offer students an educational enrichment opportunity.
The Junior Zookeeper program will focus on exploring animal families, while the Apprentice Training program will introduce advanced concepts of zoology.
Classes start on
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Feb. 25 and will run every other Saturday through April 22. Registration can be done at the zoo's gift shop, which is open 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. For registration forms, call the zoo's education coordinator at 441-4217.
http://www.times-standard.com/lifestyle/ci_3501914
Bob Barker comments about LA zoo elephants stirs debate
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - The director of the Los Angeles Zoo on Saturday said that game show host Bob Barker's remarks to the City Council about the mental and physical health of the zoo's three elephants were incorrect.
Barker on Friday pleaded with the City Council to close the zoo's elephant exhibit, saying that the pachyderms lived in misery and that two of the three elephants were ill.
"His information was wrong," said John Lewis, the zoo's director. "He was making statements that were just factually untrue."
Two of the zoo's elephants, Billy and Ruby, are healthy physically and mentally, Lewis said. Gita has been recovering from October surgery for a foot injury and has been behaving normally, he said.
A fourth elephant, Tara, died in 2004.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/13850498.htm
Denver Zoo offers free Valentine's Cards, Day
Written by Denver Zoo
Sunday, 12 February 2006
Go ape over your loved one this year by sending a free downloadable Denver Zoo Valentine’s Day card. Children and adults alike will swoon over these free cards available at www.denverzoo.org.
Whether downloaded for printing or emailed to friends, these cards are grrrreat!
These unique cards showcase some of the zoo’s most lovable and popular animals including an adorable lion cub, African wild dog puppy, baby giraffe and more! This year also features an anti-Valentine’s Day card, send this card to the person who prefers to call this holiday Single’s Awareness Day and put a smile on their face.
These cards are perfect for children who exchange Valentine’s at school. Kids can download these cards and print them out to exchange with school friends. These irresistible cards can also be downloaded and attached to email message to send to friends and loved ones.
In additional to the annual holiday cards, Denver Zoo also offers a free day on Valentine’s Day. Thanks to voters who approved the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) tax back in 1994, Denver Zoo will host a free admission day on Tuesday, February 14, 2006. Residents of the state of Colorado, with proof of residency, will receive free daytime admission to the zoo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Even the most unbearably practical people can be courted with this sweetheart of a deal!
Visit www.denverzoo.org and show your animal attraction with five different free Valentine’s cards today!
http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/388/74/
Eats Shoots, Leaves and Much of Zoos' Budgets
By BRENDA GOODMAN
Published: February 12, 2006
ATLANTA, Feb. 11 — Lun Lun and Yang Yang have needs. They require an expensive all-vegetarian diet — 84 pounds a day, each. They are attended by a four-person entourage, and both crave privacy. Would-be divas could take notes.
But the real sticker shock comes from the annual fees that Zoo Atlanta must pay the Chinese government, $2 million a year, essentially to rent a pair of giant pandas. Giant pandas are also on loan to zoos in Washington, San Diego and Memphis.
The financial headache caused by the costly loan obligations to China has driven Dennis W. Kelly, chief executive of Zoo Atlanta, to join with the directors of the three other zoos to negotiate some budgetary breathing room. If no agreement with China can be made, Mr. Kelly said, the zoos may have to return their star attractions.
"If we can't renegotiate, they absolutely will go back," Mr. Kelly said. "Unless there are significant renegotiations, you'll see far fewer pandas in the United States at the end of this current agreement."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/12/national/12panda.html>
What a Zoo
February 11, 2006 - Fluffy, a 14-foot python, which is only going to get bigger, is at the Toledo zoo!
It is considered the largest type of snake in the world it holds the record for being about 33 1/2 feet in length
Found in Thailand, the reticulated python has made its home at the Toledo zoo, and shares a cage with a Burmese python.
Tori Schneider, the reptile keeper at the Toledo Zoo, explains what the difference between the two pythons are, "The reticulated python has the net like pattern. It's kind of a lighter beige color, the Burmese is a much darker brown color."
At fourteen feet the snake is only expected to get bigger.
"She's probably about 14 years old now she's going to grow hopefully pretty fast. We're going to try to pump her up a little bit since she can get so large."
Just what is on the menu for a python? Well, "They constrict their prey, so their going to coil around it and constrict it. A snake that would be 33 1/2 feet could eat a deer a pig no problem."
Maybe her dinner doesn't sound very appetizing, but her home in the reptile house has its own appeal.
"Its nice and warm in here so if it's chilly outside you can come in, warm up, and look at all the amazing animals we've got."
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=3897606
Youngsters get up-close glimpse of hippos' world
(It has an interesting photo gallery)
"It is so cool!"
That was the phrase of the day for Emily and Trevor Scott and other children on Saturday after their close encounter with baby hippo Niles.
The children won a behind-the-scenes tour of The Zoo Northwest Florida for having their suggestions chosen among more than 400 entries at a "Name the Hippo" contest last month.
Trevor Scott stared at the 70-pound baby, while Niles' 3,500-pound mother tried to hide the calf.
He called out to see if the young hippo would respond.
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060212/NEWS01/602120332/1006
Zoo union: Management change sorely needed
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 11
The Zoo Negara and Aquarium Tunku Abdul Rahman Employees Union believes that a new management for the zoo will resolve fund wastage and inefficient management which have plagued it for the last few years.
It claims that workers were unfairly treated and deserved better, like their counterparts in the Taiping and Malacca Zoos.
The union also hopes that the authorities would influence the Malaysian Zoological Society’s (MZS) council members to voluntarily relinquish their positions and make way for new members at its annual general meeting slated for May.
http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Saturday/National/20060211095744/Article/index_html
Rare reptile lays four eggs at Ellen Trout Zoo
By CHRISTINE S. DIAMOND, Cox East Texas
Saturday, February 11, 2006
One of North America's most endangered snake species may soon increase its population by four.
That's how many 4-inch eggs were laid by a 4-year-old female Louisiana pine snake Friday morning at Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin. Each egg weighs about 75-80 grams.
The larger the egg, the more likely the snake is to be hatched alive.
"The eggs are big because the babies are usually big, because in the wild they exclusively eat pocket gophers," Charlotte Henley said. "Babies have to be 1½-2 feet long when they hatch out because their food source is large."
http://www.dailysentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/02/11/20060211NDSsnake.html
Barefoot in the Caribbean? Not on These Hikes
By STEFANI JACKENTHAL
Published: February 8, 2006
THERE is more to a Caribbean vacation than lounging on the beach with a cool colada in hand. Some of the world's best rain forest and volcanic hiking can be found within the lush canopied Caribbean trail systems. Chock-full of waterfalls and hot springs, bright-colored birds and howling monkeys, flora-lined trails cut through thick, fragrant forests and up cloud-covered mountains. Hard-packed paths wend past tropical gardens, and steep, rocky routes climb through multiple ecosystems revealing stunning island views at the top. Here are six terrific hiking destinations with something to please everyone from the casual to the serious hiker.
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2006/02/08/travel/12journeys.html&tntemail0=y
Executive Severance Is a Focus at Getty
By RANDY KENNEDY and CAROL VOGEL
Published: February 11, 2006
Amid a broad state inquiry into the finances of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles, the nation's third-largest private foundation, questions are being raised about whether excessive severance packages were paid to two senior executives who resigned recently, former Getty officials with knowledge of the trust's finances said yesterday.
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2006/02/11/arts/design/11gett.html&tntemail0=y
Pressured, Director of Getty Trust Steps Down
By RANDY KENNEDY and CAROL VOGEL
Published: February 10, 2006
The president of the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles, one of the world's richest art institutions, resigned under pressure yesterday amid growing questions about his improper use of the trust's money.
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2006/02/10/arts/design/10gett.html&tntemail0=y
Blaze at Temperance petting zoo claims lives of dozens of animals
Rick Evola, co-owner of Nature’s Creek Petting Zoo, surveys the remains of a building that was destroyed by a blaze that killed a third of the animals in the privately owned zoo.
( THE BLADE/ALLAN DETRICH )
By LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE
BLADE STAFF WRITER
TEMPERANCE - Fire retardant foam still dripped from the charred walls of a barn at Nature's Creek Petting Zoo yesterday morning, but Peggy Evola could not yet bring herself to walk inside.
"They were friends. They all had names," Mrs. Evola said of the scores of exotic birds, primates, reptiles, fish, and mammals that perished early yesterday in a blaze that killed a third of the animals in Mrs. Evola's privately owned zoo.
Blackened and misshapen cages and fish tanks poked out from above the devastation. Inside, the remains of between 50 and 100 monkeys, alligators, tortoises, foxes, parrots, and other animals lay exposed to the cold Michigan air that ultimately may have contributed to their deaths.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060210/NEWS07/602100343
Zoo Invites You -- Visit Genny C For Free
(Rochester, NY) - 02/10/06 - It’s time to mourn at the Seneca Park Zoo because Rochester’s favorite elephant, mother-to-be Genny C, lost her calf Thursday.
The zoo invites families to visit free, Saturday and Sunday, February 11 and 12.
The area around the elephant exhibit has been designated as a place where kids can leave drawings, handmade cards, poems, stories and other heartfelt messages.
http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=F8A4723B-A7BB-4CB9-95FF-A682A61E1255
Where Cheetahs Roam in Deepest California
By PATRICIA LEIGH BROWN
Published: February 10, 2006
IT was a misty, rainy afternoon in Sonoma County, Calif. As we sipped hot chocolate beneath a thatched roof, our midday reverie was punctured by the sounds of Radar and Momma, two black-and-white ruffed lemurs who were having a hissy fit somewhere between the bathroom painted in rhino motifs and the cage holding Buba, the African serval cat, who was pacing and marking his territory with urine.
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2006/02/10/travel/escapes/10safari.html&tntemail0=y
Men's zoo arrives
February 10, 2006 - 5:17PM
Women-loving, rev-head, sports fans will be targeted by a new Australian men's weekly magazine.
Zoo Weekly hits news stands on Monday with the launch of Australia's first ever men's weekly magazine title.
"We are aiming at guys who like girls, football, cars, sport, gadgets, funny stuff and just enjoy life," said Zoo Weekly editor Paul Merrill.
"Zoo is giving blokes a weekly dose of pub ammo, stuff to talk about with their mates."
Zoo Weekly is aimed at males aged 18 to 34, said Merrill.
An Emap Australia publication, the Zoo Weekly format has been modelled on the British title of the same name, which sells more than 260,000 copies each week.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/mens-zoo-arrives/2006/02/10/1139542392899.html
Pittsburgh zoo probing deaths of 10 sharks
By Anita Srikameswaran
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Feb. 9, 2006
PITTSBURGH — Human error might be to blame for the ozone-poisoning deaths of all 10 of the black-tip reef sharks at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.
Zoo officials were investigating the accident and will decide later when the sharks might be replaced, said spokeswoman Connie George. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which sets accreditation standards, will be notified, she said.
The deaths occurred after the zoo closed Saturday, during a routine, weekly backwash procedure that puts purified water into the 90,000-gallon open-ocean aquarium, a two-story exhibit.
http://espn.go.com/outdoors/general/news/2006/0209/2324972.html
Ten sharks die in ozone mix-up at Pittsburgh zoo
2/7/2006, 12:30 a.m. ET
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ten sharks died when water containing ozone gas was accidentally pumped into their tank at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, zoo officials said Monday.
The incident is the latest in a series that have plagued the shark tank since the exhibit opened nearly six years ago.
The sharks and a puffer fish were affected Saturday. Staffers noticed the problem almost immediately, but weren't able to save the animals, zoo officials said. There were about 100 animals in the tank that were not affected.
Ozone is used to purify water, but was accidentally introduced into the tank with the sharks and other fish in it.
"We are in the process of conducting a thorough investigation into the incident and any necessary changes will be made immediately," said Barbara Baker, the zoo's president and chief executive officer.
"The initial investigation indicates that human error is likely to have played a part in the accident," the zoo said in a statement.
In October 2002, six bonnethead and two black-tip sharks died from a variety of causes at the aquarium.
Five sharks died in separate incidents in April and December of 2000 when an ozone machine malfunctioned and a vendor accidentally put cyanide in their tank.
http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-35/1139275750184660.xml&storylist=
Regulators say zoo must pay fine
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) _ The federal government has rejected a request by the Rosamond Gifford Zoo to use a proposed $10,765 fine to make its elephant yard safer.
In a letter to Rep. James Walsh, the U.S. Department of Agriculture insisted the fine is "fair and appropriate" and that it be paid as soon as possible.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--elephantbaby0209feb09,0,2029568.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork
Baby orangutan greets the keepers at Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
It's a boy!
Friday, February 10, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Meet 'Little G': Mother orangutan Ember cradles her new baby, Jiwa Hati, who was born last month at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. Jiwa's nickname is "Little G" in honor of his father, called "G" or Gimpy, who died in August at the age of 40.
By Anita Srikameswaran
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The stork paid a call to the orangutans at Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium three weeks ago.
When primate keeper and trainer Michelle Farmerie arrived at work on the morning of Jan. 21, she was delighted to discover 25-year-old Ember cradling a baby boy in her long, hairy arms.
The loving mom, who also has a daughter, another biological son and a foster son, has long been trained to show her infants to keepers for checkups.
So "she brought him right over," Ms. Farmerie said. "It was so wonderful!"
The keeper spread the word to her colleagues, who rushed over to have a look and comment on the newborn's cuteness. It took longer to decide on the name Jiwa Hati, which is Indonesian for "loving heart and soul."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06041/653247.stm
Tranquil and Teeming Tarutao Park
contributed by Liz Price
We were going on holiday to a place which used to be a haven for pirates and more recently a penal colony and place of detention for political prisoners. The name of our destination means "old, mysterious and primitive". Despite its dubious history and name it turned out to be a stunning place, a beautiful tropical island with golden sands, green seas and wonderful sunsets. We were on Ko Tarutao.
Ko Tarutao is a small island in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of Satun, the southernmost province of Thailand. It is part of Ko Tarutao National Marine Park, which is a large archipelago of 51 islands approximately 30 km from Pak Bara in La-Ngu district, 60 km northwest of Satun town. The islands are north of Langkawi and form part of the same geological group. In fact the main island of Tarutao is only 5 km from Langkawi. These islands are formed of granite and allied rocks, and there is also much limestone. This means caves. The limestone on these islands is the oldest cave bearing limestone in Malaysia, some 450 million years old.
http://www.wildasia.net/main/article.cfm?articleID=255
Matilda Cruises ‘Zoo Express’ adds more services to Taronga Zoo
Matilda Cruises has now made it more convenient and extra fun for you and your family to get to Taronga Zoo with the Matilda Zoo Express increasing its daily services from eight to sixteen. Departing from Darling Harbour and Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo, the Zoo Express leaves every half hour between 9.30am and 16.55pm daily.
The Matilda Zoo Express not only provides a more relaxing and fun alternative to getting to the Zoo, but it also provides an excellent scenic cruise on the harbour. On the 35 minute cruise experience all of Sydney Harbour’s famous sites including the Opera House, Luna Park, Darling Harbour and the Harbour Bridge.
“Taronga Zoo is delighted to have the extra services supplied by Matilda Cruises,” explains Annette Stevens, Marketing Manager for Taronga Zoo.
“The Zoo Express is not only providing extra trips for the public to Taronga Zoo, but also complements the long-established services of Sydney Ferries from Circular Quay and the benefit of services from Darling Harbour”, adds Annette.
A return fare on the Zoo Express is: Adults $37, Concession $27, Children (5-14 years) $20 or a Family pass (2 adults + 3 children) $110. This includes your cruise to Taronga Zoo, entry to the Zoo and your return cruise.
Taronga Zoo’s remarkable wildlife and spectacular position make it one of Sydney’s most popular overseas and local attractions with visitors in excess of 1.3 million annually. It is located on one of the world’s most spectacular harbours, providing one of the most beautiful sites in the world for the Zoo’s 2000 Australian and exotic animals. You can explore Taronga Zoo with the help of Close Encounter Tours or simply enjoy the day on your own.
For further information or the Zoo Express timetable please contact T: 02 9264 7377 or www.matilda.com.au
http://www.traveldaily.com.au/News/tabid/236/ctl/Detail/mid/755/xmid/1309/xmfid/10/Default.aspx
Rare baby possum set to debut at Fort Wayne zoo
Associated Press
FORT WAYNE, IND. -- A rare striped possum born this fall at a city zoo is expected to emerge from its mother's pouch in the next week.
The 3 1/2-inch baby, which is not yet named, was born sometime between Sept. 27 and 29. Officials announced the birth this month in the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo newsletter.
"It's a squirmy little baby," zoologist Elaine Kirchner said Tuesday.
Zoo officials think they might be among the first to pinpoint _ within a day _ a birthdate for that breed of possum. Zoologists and scientists often have trouble finding the exact birthdate of marsupials, including kangaroos, because they do not often see the tiny babies crawl into their mother's pouch after they are born, said Cheryl Piropato, the zoo's education director.
Tracking the striped possum's growth will help researchers study the species, which is nocturnal and lives high atop rain forest trees in Australia and New Guinea.
The species takes its name from the black and white stripes that run the length of its body.
The baby, born to parents Alkira and Bardin, was about half-inch long when it was discovered nestled in Alkira's stomach pouch. The newborns, nursing in their mothers' pouches, are so small that zoologists usually do not discover them for months.
The Fort Wayne joey _ the second born at the zoo in about a year _ has developed fur and whiskers, officials said.
Kirchner said zoo keepers believe the baby is male, but it could take several months to know for sure. The striped possum, which will grow to be about 9 inches long, will be on display April 22, when the zoo reopens to the public
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060208/NEWS01/60208001/1006
National Zoo Welcomes New Addition
Baby Porcupine Born At The Zoo
POSTED: 6:22 pm EST February 8, 2006
UPDATED: 6:45 pm EST February 8, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The National Zoo welcomed a new baby porcupine Wednesday.
Veteraniarians said the mother gave birth to the healthy baby early Wednesday morning.
The new baby is certainly cute, though not as cuddly as some of the other babies born at the zoo.
It is still too early to tell whether the baby porcupine is male or female.
The newborn is the fourth prehensile-tailed porcupine at the National Zoo.
You can see it at the zoo's small mammal house, along with its parents and older sister.
http://www.nbc4.com/news/6847630/detail.html
Warm January boosts Nashville Zoo attendance
Unusually warm weather in January boosted attendance at the Nashville Zoo by nearly 36 percent.
A total of 13,947 people visited the zoo, up from 10,263 in January of 2004. The zoo has an attendance goal for 2006 of 550,000 visitors.
According to National Weather Service data, the average high temperature in January was 56.5 degrees, nearly 11 degrees above the average high temperature for the month.
The zoo is scheduled to open several exhibits this year, including a giraffe habitat scheduled to open in April as well as habitats for alligators and ocelots (a small cat native to South America) this summer.
http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2006/02/06/daily22.html?jst=b_ln_hl
Despite votes in Congress, USDA says horse slaughter will continue
WASHINGTON -- Horse slaughter for meat will continue in the United States, despite votes in Congress to halt the practice, the Agriculture Department announced Tuesday.
American horse meat is sold mostly for human consumption in Europe and Asia, although some goes to U.S. zoos.
Congress didn't ban horse slaughter outright. Instead, lawmakers last year used a tactic that is common in spending legislation. Horses must pass inspection by department veterinarians before they are slaughtered, so lawmakers voted to yank the salaries and expenses of those inspectors.
Department officials maintain the law requires inspections regardless. They announced Tuesday they will pay for live horse inspections by charging the slaughter plants for inspections.
'Thumbing its nose at Congress'
Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.), denounced the decision, saying, ''Commerce and greed have ruled the day.''
''To end this practice, Congress, with widespread public support, passed this amendment by a landslide vote in both the House and the Senate,'' said Sweeney, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee. ''This action is a direct defiance of congressional intent.''
The department ''is thumbing its nose at Congress,'' said Michael Markarian, an official of the Humane Society of the United States. ''The lives of America's horses, which have served us faithfully and provided us with companionship, are at stake.''
The department acted on requests from slaughter plants, two in Texas and one in Illinois, that said their communities could be facing $41 million in losses.
Compared with the huge beef, pork and poultry industries, horse meat is a tiny business. Last year, plants slaughtered about 88,000 horses, mules and other equines, according to the USDA.
Defenders say it's a low-cost, humane way of ending a horse's life. By law, horses and other livestock must be unable to feel pain before they are killed.
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-horse08.html
His Subject: Highly Evolved and Exquisitely Thirsty
By CARL ZIMMER
Published: February 7, 2006
The tub full of leeches sat on a table in Mark Siddall's office at the American Museum of Natural History. The leeches, each an inch long and covered in orange polka dots, were swimming lazily through the water.
One leech in particular attracted Dr. Siddall's attention. It had suddenly begun undulating up and down in graceful curves, pushing water along its body so that it could draw more oxygen into its skin.
"This is beautiful. Look at that," Dr. Siddall said. "It's a very complex behavior. The only other animals that swim in a vertical undulating pattern are whales and seals."
For Dr. Siddall, leeches are a source of pride, obsession and fascination. His walls are covered in leech posters and photographs. He owns a giant antique papier-mâché model of a leech, with a lid that opens to reveal filigrees of blood vessels and nerves. His lab is filled with jars full of leeches that he has collected from some of the most dangerous places in the world.
He considers the risks well worth it, because he can now reconstruct the evolutionary history of leeches — how an ordinary worm hundreds of millions of years ago gave rise to sophisticated bloodsuckers that spread across the planet.
This was not a case of love at first sight. As a boy growing up in Canada, Dr. Siddall was disgusted by the leeches that attacked him when he went swimming in forest ponds. Their biology began to intrigue him as an undergraduate at the University of Toronto, where he became interested in how leeches spread parasites among frogs and fishes.
"It was hard for family conversations," he said. "You couldn't exactly talk about it over Thanksgiving dinner."
No one knew whether the parasites that leeches carry could hop from species to species or they were restricted in their choice. Knowing that required knowing how leeches are related to one another, something that Dr. Siddall found was an open question.
In the late 1990's, scientists were developing methods that could shed light on the evolution of leeches like sequencing animal DNA and computer programs that could use the sequences to reconstruct evolutionary trees.
By the time Dr. Siddall joined the museum in 1999, the evolution of leeches had become his chief obsession.
There was just one catch. To chart the entire tree, Dr. Siddall had to obtain species from all of its major branches. That required a series of expeditions to places like South Africa, Madagascar, French Guyana, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.
To collect leeches, Dr. Siddall and his colleagues take off their shoes, roll up their pants and wade into the water, even if its waist-high muck full of electric fish.
"You can't set traps for leeches," Dr. Siddall said. "We are always the bait. You can turn over rocks. You can turn over branches. But ultimately the interesting stuff is going to come to you."
Turning himself into bait is paying off. Dr. Siddall's research has shown that the ancestors of leeches were probably freshwater worms that fed harmlessly on the surface of fish or crustaceans, as the closest living relatives of leeches do. Not only do these worms have the most leechlike DNA of any animal, but they also grow the same sucker on the base of their tail that leeches use for crawling.
The leech evolutionary tree suggests that the earliest land vertebrates may have been the first hosts for leeches. Dr. Siddall has identified several major innovations that early leeches evolved as they became blood feeders. They acquired a proboscis they could push into their hosts to drink blood. Later, some leeches evolved a set of three jaws to rasp the skin.
Leeches also needed chemicals that could keep their host's blood thin so that it would not clot in their bodies.
Leeches have evolved many different molecules for that work that interfere with different stages in clotting, along with other molecules that prevent inflammation. Pharmaceutical companies have isolated some of these molecules and sell them as anticoagulants.
Blood is a good source of energy, but it does not make for a balanced diet. Mosquitoes and other blood feeders have evolved a symbiosis with bacteria that can manufacture the vitamins and amino acids necessary for life.
Leeches appear to have evolved their own partnerships, even producing special chambers in their throats where bacteria can live.
It is particularly tough to study these bacteria, because scientists need to find leeches with big bacteria-housing organs to dissect. It turns out that some of the biggest are in a species that lives just on the rear end of the hippopotamus. So Dr. Siddall has traveled to South Africa in recent years to wade into crocodile-infested waters to look for them.
"Obviously, we didn't wrestle hippos to the ground," Dr. Siddall said. Instead, he hoped to attract a few leeches that had dropped off the hippos. He failed to find any.
But fortunately for him, a game warden remembered him when a hippo was shot after raiding backyards. He sent Dr. Siddall a leech from the hippo's hindquarters.
"It turned out to harbor a completely unique lineage of bacteria," Dr. Siddall said.
After the original leeches had evolved the basic equipment to feed on blood, they moved into new habitats. Dr. Siddall's research suggests that they first evolved in fresh water and later moved to the ocean and to dry land. Terrestrial leeches became particularly adept at ambushing hosts, using their keen senses to detect carbon dioxide and heat.
They have 10 eyespots on their heads that they can use to detect moving objects. "They've got incredible vision," Dr. Siddall said. "You move your hand across their field of view, and they'll track the movement."
In his office, as he waxed poetic about leeches, one in the tub on his table crawled out. "Oh, jeez, this guy is getting away," he said. "Well, that's an interesting story."
He plucked up the leech and let it suck on his finger for a moment before putting it back in the water.
The leeches in the tub, Dr. Siddall explained, belong to the species Macrobdella decora, the North American medicinal leech. They are part of a lineage of leeches that returned from dry land to live in fresh water. But they still like to come out of the water to lay their egg cases.
After the eggs hatch, the young leeches have to crawl to the water.
Dr. Siddall has been making a careful study of North American medicinal leeches in recent years, figuring out which genes do the best job of revealing the variations between different populations of leeches. It turns out that some populations may actually represent entirely new species.
"We think we've found a new species in Harriman State Park here in New York," he said. But the biggest surprise came when Dr. Siddall applied the new techniques to the best-known leech of all, the European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis.
In ancient Rome, physicians used that species to bleed patients to treat maladies like headaches and obesity. The tradition continued for 2,000 years. In the 1860's, London hospitals used seven million medicinal leeches a year.
Although physicians no longer bleed their patients, Hirudo medicinalis has been enjoying a renaissance. Surgeons reattaching fingers and ears find that patients heal faster with the help of leeches. By sucking on blood and injecting anticoagulants, leeches increase the flow through the reconnected blood vessels.
In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration approved Hirudo medicinalis as a medical device, and a number of companies do a brisk business importing them from Europe to the United States.
Working with Peter Trontelj at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, Dr. Siddall began collecting the leeches from across Europe and ordered them from supply houses. When they analyzed the leech DNA, they received a big surprise. "The European medicinal leech is not one species at all," Dr. Siddall said. "It's at least three."
Dr. Siddall and Dr. Trontelj are trying to determine the ranges of the three species and their differences. He expects his discovery will lead to changes in F.D.A. regulations.
More important, he hopes it will draw attention to the plight of European leeches. Overharvesting and habitat destruction have cut their numbers drastically.
"The situation for the true European medicinal leech may be a lot more dire than we thought," Dr. Siddall said.
To understand the true condition of all three species, Dr. Siddall plans to go to Europe. He will have to work the trip into a schedule filled with other expeditions.
"There are all sorts of things out there like Dinobdella ferox, which means the terrifying and ferocious leech," Dr. Siddall said. "It lives in eastern Bengal, and it will literally crawl up your nose and lodge in the back of your throat."
Dr. Siddall knows that the notion of leech conservation may strike some people as an odd pursuit.
He points out how many medical surprises leeches have yielded. New species will presumably yield new surprises. But he also thinks people should be concerned about leeches simply because they are leeches.
"Don't you think the world would be a colder, darker place without leeches?" he asked. He raised his tub with a smile. "Especially ones with orange polka dots?"
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2006/02/07/science/07leec.html&tntemail0=y
Auckland zoo concerned by at staffing shortage
Posted at 9:22am on 8 Feb 2006
There are concerns a shortage of experienced staff at the Auckland Zoo could stall important projects.
The zoo is yet to find someone to manage its reptiles and birds despite a 18-month search.
The zoo's curator, Maria Finnigan, says the shortage is putting pressure on resources.
She says staff have been forced to carry the extra workload, meaning they have less time to devote to their own areas of expertise.
Ms Finnigan says the zoo needs people who are experienced in setting up aviaries and displays, and breeding reptiles and birds.
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/bulletins/radionz/200602080921/22e900ad
Bronx Zoo Plans to End Elephant Exhibit
By JOSEPH BERGER
Elephants have never lost the capacity to astonish and delight. But in New York City in the not-so-distant future, they will not be doing their astonishing and delighting at a zoo.
The Bronx Zoo, the only zoo left in the city that keeps elephants, said yesterday that it planned to shut down its exhibit after the death of two of its three elephants, or even one.
The current generation of children need not despair: The zoo's three elephants — Patty, Maxine and Happy — are in their mid-30's and could live for decades more. But if one elephant dies, the remaining two may not get along. And if two die, officials say it would be inhumane to sustain an exhibit with a single elephant.
In either case, the zoo will not replenish the group. And then, except for the occasional circus visit, the five boroughs will be without a resident elephant for the first time in more than 100 years.
"I'm happy for the elephants. I'm sad for me," said Peter Rhall of Valley Stream, N.Y., as he clutched his 2-year-old daughter Sophie in yesterday's frigid wind at one of the zoo's entrances.
It's a shift occurring around the country. While once every zoo worthy of the title would boast an elephant, facilities in San Francisco, Detroit, Santa Barbara, Calif., and Lincoln Park in Chicago have either closed their elephant exhibits or decided to phase them out. The Philadelphia Zoo's board, citing financial reasons, has abandoned plans to build a $22 million, 2.5-acre savanna for its four elephants, and is mulling what it will do about a current corral that critics have called cramped, said Andrew Baker, senior vice president for animal programs. In New York, the Central Park and Prospect Park Zoos stopped exhibiting elephants in the 1980's.
The reasons behind the shift are complex and involve both the distinctive personality traits of pachyderms and America's changing standards when it comes to confining animals.
Keeping elephants happy in captivity can be a delicate balancing act, said Steven Sanderson, president and chief executive of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the Bronx, Central Park, Prospect Park and Queens Zoos as well as the New York Aquarium. Elephants prefer living in herds at least a half-dozen strong, need a lot of space to roam, are prone to arthritis and foot diseases, and can become distressed when new elephants are introduced into their enclosures.
The Bronx Zoo, Mr. Sanderson said, has a two-acre corral in which the elephants can move about, and its zookeepers monitor the stumpy feet of its elephants daily, but he would prefer to give them more company. Elephants may show their discomfort with a new arrival by the equivalent of a hunger strike.
"These are really social animals built around a matriarchy," he said. "The senior females have a lot to say about the size of the group, reproduction, etc. They do a lot of communication and are not open to newcomers."
The zoo has kept elephants for more than a hundred years. In 2002, Tuss, the matriarch and pot-stirrer of its Asian elephant group, died in her 50's, leaving the other elephants without a leader and an institutional memory. Last week a fourth female elephant, Samuel R., who had been named after a benefactor's father, died at 14 of kidney failure. Rather than replenish the herd, the zoo decided to close the exhibit.
Breeding elephants in captivity has proved difficult; not even artificial insemination or the introduction of a bull has been helpful. The Bronx Zoo has not had a live birth in more than 20 years. Laws intended to clamp down on the illegal trade in animals have also made it more cumbersome for zoos to import elephants from the wild. Given those factors, Mr. Sanderson said, the society would rather steer its money toward preserving elephants in the wild in Africa and Asia, where it already spends $2 million a year.
Animal-rights groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have been trying for years to close down zoos. "PETA opposes captivity in zoos for all wild animals. However, there can be no doubt that some species are less suited for captivity," said Lisa Wathne, a specialist in captive exotic animals for PETA. "Elephants are suffering horribly."
She said that half of the 45 elephants that have died since 2000 in the 210 accredited American zoos did not live to reach 40.
But Mr. Sanderson denied that animal activists played a role in the decision. "We were on this issue 20 years ago," he said.
Yesterday morning, Patty and Maxine (yes, they and a third elephant who died, LaVerne, were named after the Andrews Sisters, though Maxine's name does not quite match her namesake's, Maxene) lumbered around their dirt pen. Patty, roughly 10,000 pounds and identifiable by her smaller head, scratched the hide of her skull against a tree trunk while Maxine, at 11,000 pounds, sprayed dirt on her back. Both swallowed apples and bananas that Joseph Mahoney, the zoo's supervisor of mammals, lobbed at them.
Mr. Mahoney, who has worked with elephants for 25 years, has gotten to know their personalities. "Patty is more of a planner, and Maxine carries out the plan," Mr. Mahoney said, looking sad. "Patty will lead Maxine to a log, and Maxine will push it around."
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2006/02/07/nyregion/07elephants.html&tntemail0=y
Spy cams to watch over zoo elephants
Sarah Wotherspoon
07feb06
MELBOURNE Zoo will welcome three Asian elephants this year after a tribunal yesterday approved their entry.
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal imposed 18 conditions.
The three female elephants -- Num-Oi, Dokkoon and Kulab -- will join cow Mek Kapah and bull Bong Su in the zoo's $13.5 million Trail of the Elephants enclosure.
Five other Thai-reared elephants will go to Taronga Zoo in Sydney. The Sydney Zoo has been told the elephants will be moved to Dubbo if 22 conditions are not met.
The elephants have spent the past 15 months in quarantine in Thailand.
Conditions imposed by the AAT include installing closed circuit televisions and testing different natural bedding such as sand, building two outdoor earth mounds and a minimum of two mud wallows of 6m long and 4m wide.
The zoo must also report to the Department of Environment and Heritage on the elephants' progress within 12 months.
The decision follows months of arguing between the Federal Government and animal welfare groups, who contested the Government's approval last July of the imports.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18061936%5E2862,00.html
Coos Bay-area bear in zoo
By The Associated Press
MEDFORD, Ore. — A bear taken from a Coos Bay-area man and his son is doing well at a California zoo.
Authorities took Windfall the bear from Rocky Perkett and his son Jonathan after they'd raised her from a cub.
The Perketts found the orphaned bear while they were logging and took her home — where she sometimes even slept on the bed.
The Coos County district attorney said wild animals can't be kept as pets and last month cited Rocky Perkett.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002787025_bear06m.html
Red River Zoo seeking to breed red pandas
Associated Press
FARGO, N.D. - The Red River Zoo has received a donation to finish construction on a red panda breeding facility.
The zoo has two of North America's 47 endangered red pandas. Chang Tan, a 3-year-old male, and Jiao Mei, a 5-year-old female, will mate later this month with an expected birth in late June, zoo director Paula Grimestad said.
The Fargo Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau donated $15,000 to complete two of four holding areas at the breeding facility, which is a separate building in back of the zoo. A private donor who wished to stay anonymous previously donated $40,000 for the facility.
Grimestad said zoo officials plan to install a video system to record the birth of the pandas' offspring. A red panda birth has never been captured on video, she said.
"We've been one of only three zoos that have successfully been breeding ... red pandas for the past five years," she said.
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/state/13805732.htm
Inspections Begin for Chaffee Zoo Accreditation
February 6, 2006 - Inspectors with the American Zoo and Aquarium Association are in Fresno to begin looking over the Chaffee Zoo.
The AZA will decide whether to give the zoo national accreditation, which would help bring new animal exhibits to the zoo.
Late last month, the zoo closed for two weeks for a huge clean-up to get ready for the visit.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=3881504
Zoos get go-ahead to import Asian elephants
The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has given Sydney and Melbourne Zoos the okay to import a group of Asian elephants into Australia.
In its final decision published today, the tribunal has given conditional approval for both zoos to import eight elephants currently in quarantine in Thailand.
The approval carries a number of conditions, including the elephants being monitored by 24-hour CCTV, regular exercise for the animals and specialist training for the animal handlers.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1563310.htm
Zoo planners likely to be OK'd for conference
By Roman Gokhman
San Joaquin News Service
First published: Monday, February 06, 2006
Last updated: Monday, Feb 06, 2006 - 06:46:51 am PST
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors Tuesday is expected to approve sending planners from the Micke Grove Zoo to attend a conference in Florida where they will hope to get the zoo nationally re-accredited; and to approve a subdivision in the town of Clements, east of Lockeford.
Micke Grove is up for re-accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association at the end of March. If the zoo is not accredited, it would stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants and the ability to house some endangered species, zoo Director Ken Nieland said.
"The accreditation process is the standard by which the top zoos in the country are identified," he said. "It's a standard of excellence."
The zoo was scheduled to be re-accredited last year, but an AZA committee visited Micke Grove and recommended that the re-accreditation be postponed until the county made several changes.
http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2006/02/06/news/4_zoo_060206.txt
Zoogoers will pay 75 cents more
By CHRIS VAUGHN
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH - Hit by increasing fuel, utility and insurance costs, the Fort Worth Zoo is raising its prices 75 cents for every visitor beginning Monday.
The increase is the first for the zoo since February 2004, when prices also went up 75 cents.
“The last two years we’ve been subject to the same thing people have in their households,” said zoo Director Michael Fouraker. “We’ve made all the efforts we can to keep from raising them until this point.”
Prices are now $10.50 for adults, $8 for children ages 3 to 12, $7 for seniors 60 and older and free for children 2 and younger. Parking remains $5 per vehicle.
For regular zoogoers, the annual membership is a better financial option. A membership for two adults and two children costs $122.50.
In the past two years, the zoo’s liability and workers’ compensation insurance has gone up 13 percent, utility costs have risen 18 percent and fuel costs have increased, Fouraker said. Higher fuel prices have made even the animal food cost more, he said.
The Fort Worth Zoo, which attracts an average of 1 million visitors a year, is the most expensive in the state, with ticket prices $2 to $3 more than at the zoos in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/13801241.htm
When work feels more like a zoo
CHICAGO, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Fifty-three percent of U.S. workers say they feel like they work with a bunch of animals from the zoo, a survey finds.
"If your boss acts like Tarzan and your workplace is a zoo, it may be time to join these workers in moving on to a better job opportunity," said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources, CareerBuilder.com.
The survey by CareerBuilder.com of more than 2,050 workers nationwide also revealed some prime examples of what makes work seem more like a zoo including:
-- The co-worker who constantly e-mails the person who is sitting right next to her.
-- The co-worker who sits in a crowded cubicle area and puts every conversation on speaker phone, including his exploits of the night before.
-- The boss who cut his fingernails while standing in his employee's cubicle.
-- The boss who swears at the top of his lungs and occasionally throws his chair or phone down the hall.
-- The co-worker who was caught sleeping on the job more than once and would insist he was praying.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060205-014833-9562r
Meet Zoo Negara’s baby anaconda
Story and pix by STEPHEN FRANCIS
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6:
This bright yellow sticker pasted on the dimly-lit glass enclosure of Zoo Negara’s reptile house (picture) must have caught the attention of many a visitor.
Somehow, the handwritten label helps one to figure out what’s inside — a baby anaconda.
But the writer, who visited the place with his family recently, had a hard time explaining to his nine-year-old daughter how such English could have appeared at the nation’s venerable zoo.
At least the name of the feared giant South American snake is correctly spelt.
http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Monday/Hotline/20060206114708/Article/index_html
Health Recovery Week" planned at Audubon Zoo for human patients
February 6, 2006
Complete physicals, along with health assessments, eye examinations and dental services are being offered this week, from Monday, February 6 through Sunday, February 12 at Audubon Zoo.
The services, which can accommodate 1,000 patients per day, are being made available by the City of New Orleans Health Department in conjunction with Remote Area Medical (RAM), an international mobile relief force of volunteer doctors, nurses, technicians and veterinarians who provide general medical, surgical, eye, dental and veterinary care for almost 30,000 people a year in some of the most remote areas of the world.
In addition to free medical care, participants will be given the opportunity to create their own electronic personal and portable health care record. Each patient's personal medical history will be digitally recorded and, in the first effort of this size, the information will then be transferred to thumbdrives or CD discs that the patient can take with them after completion of treatment.
"Thousands of paper medical records were destroyed along with the files in doctor's offices and hospitals," said Colin Evans of Intel's Digital Health Group. "Digital technology can provide people with their own personal electronic health records that are private and portable; they can't be washed away, and they can be accessed from anywhere."
Services will be provided daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Sunday when it will close at 12 noon.
http://www.louisianaweekly.com/weekly/news/articlegate.pl?20060206k
New zeal at the zoo
Almost as soon as she officially assumes her duties as the Toledo Zoo's new executive director on April 1, Anne Baker will have to convince the community that the zoo deserves passage of two levies proposed for the May 2 ballot.
If the outgoing executive director of the Syracuse, N.Y., Rosamond Gifford Zoo succeeds, she will have gone a long way toward restoring public trust in a local institution damaged by controversy.
Ms. Baker comes to the task with sterling credentials, not the least of which is her 13-year record of running the 51-employee Syracuse facility.
Besides overseeing an institution smaller but similar to Toledo's, the PhD primatologist has an extensive animal background, impressive body of published work, and a history of research at the Smithsonian.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060205/OPINION02/602050306
Zoo staff complain of bullying
By Melissa Fyfe
February 6, 2006
STAFF at Victoria's three zoos have had anti-bullying training after a survey found many felt "harassed, discriminated against or bullied in their job".
Human resources consultants PeopleSuite recommended the training after its survey of staff found low morale, particularly at the Healesville and Melbourne zoos.
In its report, obtained by The Age, PeopleSuite found:
■14,000 words or comments made in the survey suggested conflict between long-term employees and managers over the zoos' direction.
■There was scope for conflict due to the passion about working in a zoo, but this did not dilute the "potentially serious nature" of the responses.
■A majority of staff would not recommend Zoos Victoria as a good place to work.
■A majority of staff did not agree that changes at Zoos Victoria "are helping us become more successful".
■The zoos did not match a benchmark for encouraging "creative thinking and innovation".
The Age sought access to the specific suggestions of conflict, under freedom-of-information legislation, but was refused.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/zoo-staff-complain-of-bullying/2006/02/05/1139074108654.html
After Toni, What's Best for the Animals
Saturday, January 28, 2006; Page A20
My husband and I are saddened by the news that Toni, one of the National Zoo's Asian elephants, required euthanasia [Metro, Jan. 26]. What saddens us more, however, is that at the eleventh hour, so many "experts" weighed in on Toni's condition and what was best for her.
My husband and I visit the zoo frequently. We are not elephant experts, but Toni's decline was obvious. So was the elephant keepers' care and concern for the animals under their supervision.
Should elephants be in zoos? Should any animals be in zoos? We have zoos for entertainment and, I hope, as educational tools. Perhaps by seeing these animals we will learn more about their plight both in zoos and in their natural environments.
Toni's life wasn't easy. The elephant house at the National Zoo is undoubtedly much smaller than is necessary for such magnificent, large animals, although the people involved with Toni's care did everything they could to make her life as comfortable and fulfilling as possible.
Where were the experts 17 years ago when Toni needed someone to take her in when the zoo in Scranton closed? Where were they throughout the 17 years with the suggestions and opportunities that might have made a difference? And how could they suggest that Toni be taken from the elephant family that she had known for all that time? That would have been cruel.
Before anyone passes judgment on the National Zoo and its staff, please visit a few times. The zoo is not perfect, and it has made mistakes. But it can be made better, and it needs our support rather than criticism to provide the best setting it can for the beautiful animals in its care.
Toni's premature death is sad and unfortunate. But my dream is that it will spur support for the zoo so that it can move forward quickly with plans for a large preserve for elephants, where they might roam more freely in a natural setting.
COLLEEN B. GOODWIN
Dumfries
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701453.html
Project to conserve three species of vultures
Bindu Shajan Perappadan
NEW DELHI: Select zoological parks in Gujarat, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar and Hyderabad have been chosen for the country's first national level conservation project aimed at netting the sharp decline in the population of three species of vultures in the subcontinent.
Getting ready to put into gear the massive rescue operation, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has invited proposals from these select zoos asking them about their capability to carry out an operation of this nature and scale.
India has one conservation/rescue centre for vultures at Pinjore in Haryana and this latest series of facility across zoos is expected to not just house and breed vultures but also work towards providing an environment that is safe for the birds.
"Ornithologists and environmentalists have pointed to the sharp decline in the number of vultures and this also has an enormous implication for the ecosystem.
The Subcontinent is very rich in bird life and of the 15 species of old world vultures found in different regions, eight species are found in India. This latest proposal to bring in breeding and conservation centres across Indian zoos is a follow-up to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests-initiated study on `The Status and Distribution of Vultures India' in the year 2000 done along with the Bombay Natural History Society,'' said CZA member-secretary B. R. Sharma.
The proposal to have breeding and conservation centres in Indian zoos was announced at the two-day International Conference on Vulture Conservation this past week.
"While work is on at coming up with a regional action plan, India needs a plan where in it can takes adequate steps to protect the few vultures that it has left. While we are not sure about how exactly the plan is going to work, we are doing our ground work by inviting information from various zoos about enclosure designs and their capability of starting and maintaining a world standard rescue and conservation centre,'' said Dr. Sharma, adding that while the CZA would finance the project hundred per cent it was still collecting the blueprint required to carry out a project on this scale.
CZA is also working closely with the Government to completely phase out diclofenac — the veterinary drug known to kill vultures — and bring in cheaper and safer alternatives.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/02/05/stories/2006020503460700.htm
Windfall makes herself at home in a California zoo
Bear cub illegally adopted by Coos County men adjusts to new surroundings
By MARK FREEMAN
Mail Tribune
No longer terrified of the nearby raccoons nor the target of apple-throwing monkeys, Windfall the bear is settling into her new home at a California zoo while prosecutors are close to settling the case against the Coos County logger who raised her from a cub.
The bear has shed many of the internal and external parasites discovered when she came to the Applegate Park and Zoo in Merced two months ago, after spending 1½ years of free rein in the house of self-described "mountain men" Rocky and Jonathan Perkett outside of Coos Bay.
She’s gone cold-turkey off the Dr. Pepper and pizza she shared with the Perketts, and has gained 20 pounds on a diet big on dog food and fruit, head zoo keeper Donna McDowell said.
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2006/0204/local/stories/08local.htm
An early Valentine's Day at zoo
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
When Rusti met Violet, the big orangutan spat in her face. Being an assertive female, she spat right back.
"It's been love ever since," said zookeeper Malia Davis. "That was all it took."
That's the inside story from the Honolulu Zoo, where the pair of great apes spent the past few days mingling in the big, privately funded $700,000 display. After years in a small cage — alone — Rusti got a mate and a chance to roll in the grass all in the same week.
Today is the first time the two will be on public display.
After a lifetime in captivity — mostly spent in concrete and chain link — Rusti is luxuriating in the grass, gazing at the sky and cruising in a series of hammocks woven from fire hoses. The new enclosure is 20 times bigger than the old cage.
Violet moved from the San Diego Zoo in December to become Rusti's companion in the big new digs. She was in quarantine for the first month, then the two were getting acquainted gradually.
Davis — who has helped care for Rusti for more than nine years — said Rusti is living large. "He can't believe what kind of place he has — he has a castle now," she said.
Davis fed the two apes frozen strawberries while they charmed their way through their latest photo opportunity at the zoo yesterday afternoon. At one point, Rusti just sat and watched Violet as she finished her snack.
"He's totally enamored of her," Davis said.
Zoo director Ken Redman said he was surprised that neither Rusti nor Violet has tried to climb the exhibit's banyan tree. Violet, who lived with several orangutans in California, is the more active of the two, roaming the exhibit constantly since they moved in Tuesday.
The two have been neutered, but that hasn't stopped them from developing a relationship.
Davis said she's become very fond of Rusti. But she could see how Violet might find him a bit pushy. "If he was a real man, I wouldn't want to hang around him," Davis said.
Rusti became one of the zoo's most popular residents even when he lived in a cramped cage. But now he's hanging out under a banyan tree, eating papayas and chasing Violet.
"We're all really happy for Rusti. He finally got his American dream," Davis said.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060204/NEWS01/602040334/1001/NEWS
Illinois zoo worker killed by bear
FLORA, IL, United States (UPI) -- An 80-year-old worker at a shuttered Illinois petting zoo died after being mauled by one of the zoo`s black bears, authorities said.
Even though the Spotted Acres farm and petting zoo just outside Flora, Ill., about 100 miles east of St. Louis, was closed to the public a couple of years ago, Tom Phillips worked there most days, the Chicago Tribune said.
He cleaned cages and fed a menagerie of animals that included bears, camels and ostriches, said Deb Phillips, a daughter-in-law.
Summoned to the zoo because one of the black bears had escaped, Phillips approached the animal with a bag of food. The bear took the food and attacked Phillips, fatally injuring the man.
Sheriff`s deputies were called and shot the bear.
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1094545.php/Illinois_zoo_worker_killed_by_bear
Rusti's New Home Opens Saturday
Colette P. Fox - cfox@kgmb9.com
"Rusti" the orangutan is finally ready to show off his new home and you're invited.
Private donors pitched in most of the $650,000 to build the permanent exhibit at the Honolulu Zoo. Rusti has come a long way in the past decade, from a cramped "cell" on the mainland to his cage in the zoo to a brand new facility, complete with a friend.
http://kgmb9.com/kgmb/display.cfm?storyID=7184
Zoo's orangutan picks Seahawks to win Super Bowl
Courtesy of an Oregon Zoo press release
PORTLAND, Ore. - Inji, the matriarch of the Oregon Zoo's orangutans, has made her choice, and it's her prediction that the Seattle Seahawks will win Super Bowl XL. In the past she has predicted the winner of two Civil War games and four Super Bowl games, and her overall record is six and one.
"Kutai, Inji's grandson has inserted himself into the tradition, and caused some delays this year and last by taking all the T-shirts," said Oregon Zoo senior primate keeper Dave Thomas. "Eventually when he walked away, she saw her opening and chose the Seahawk T-shirt."
http://www.katu.com/sports/story.asp?ID=83045
Steelers capture Super Bowl XL title, 21-10
NFL.com wire reports
DETROIT (Feb. 5, 2006) -- Paint this Super Bowl black and gold. With a whole lot of satisfaction for Jerome Bettis, Bill Cowher and his Pittsburgh Steelers.
The final Bus stop featured a little trickery starring MVP Hines Ward, a bunch of help from the Seattle Seahawks and a huge boost from the Terrible Towels, a handful of football fortune that added up to "One for the Thumb."
http://www.superbowl.com/gamecenter/recap/NFL_20060205_SEA@PIT
Orangutan born at Phoenix Zoo
From Staff Reports
February 3, 2006
A Bornean orangutan born last week at the Phoenix Zoo will soon be ready to meet the public.
Zoo staff announced the birth Thursday and said the baby will bond with its mother under veterinary care for two or three more weeks before moving to a public exhibit on a limited basis. Veterinarians will not know the baby’s gender until a post-natal exam is completed, but zookeepers suspect the animal is female and probably weighs about four pounds.
The mother, Bess, is a 26-yearold first-time parent who was born at the Phoenix Zoo in 1979 and still shares a home there with her mother, Duchess. The father is Michael, an 18-year-old male orangutan that came from Utah’s Hogle Zoo in October 2000.
Bornean orangutans are endangered and live in the wild only on the island of Borneo in southeast Asia, where their habitat includes lowland swamps and forests. The species’ typical lifespan is about 40 years in the wild and 50 years in captivity.
Name the baby
The Phoenix Zoo will give the public a chance to name the baby orangutan. Details of a contest will appear soon at www.phoenixzoo.org.
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=58357
Cheerleading teams prepare for Zoo contest
Geri Koeppel
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 3, 2006 12:00 AM
PHOENIX - More than 700 male and female cheerleaders from around Arizona will be at the Phoenix Zoo on Saturday afternoon for "Spring It On," a competition featuring perform stunts and routines like those seen on ESPN.
Arizona All-Stars Tumbling and Cheer, in Tempe , is hosting the event. Owner Jennifer Huot said spectators will see "lots of people flying around, people getting caught, getting thrown; a lot of pyramids. People will see a lot of flipping."
She added that she chose the zoo for the venue so youths can stay busy all day seeing the animals and participating in an educational "scavenger hunt."
"If it's your first time, it's fun" to watch other teams, she said. "By the second or third time, you want to go do something else."
The 85 girls on the five competition teams at Arizona All-Stars will help with setup, cleanup, seating, admission and working with participants to keep everything moving smoothly. Huot's teams won't compete because they're the hosts, which eases a lot of pressure. But that means they get to do more complex routines.
"You can do lots of stunts; show off," said Tessa Patterson, 11, of Tempe.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0203phxcheer0203.html
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