Zoos
Group Urges Association to Order Immediate End to Breeding at Member Zoos in Order to Make Room for Surplus Animals
For Immediate Release:April 4, 2006
Contact:Jackie Vergerio 757-622-7382
Québec City — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sent an urgent letter to Rob Purdy, president of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA), imploring him to take responsibility for the approximately 800 animals at the recently closed Québec City zoo and make sure that they are all transferred to accredited zoos and sanctuaries. PETA points out that CAZA’s failure to do so could mean suffering and death for many of the animals if they are expediently sold to exotic-animal dealers, who profit from buying, breeding, selling, and exploiting animals.
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=8124
Zoo association dismisses PETA call for end to breeding at zoos
MONTREAL (AP) - Animals orphaned by the closure of the Quebec City zoo could still find homes elsewhere in Canada even if zoos continue regular acquisitions and animal breeding, the association representing Canadian zoos said Tuesday. The association was responding to calls from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which said stopping breeding and acquisitions would allow the association to send some 750 birds and animals from the Quebec City zoo to similar facilities elsewhere in the country. Bill Peters, national director of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said the other 23 Canadian zoos could probably take the birds and animals in a worse-case scenario. "But we're a long way from that at this point," Peters said in an interview from Toronto on Tuesday. "I know a lot of our members have contacted the zoo people directly and offered to assist, if and when that assistance is required." Peters said the animals in Quebec City are still being fed and cared for even though the zoo closed last Friday after posting $5 million deficits in each of the last three years. PETA said it believes a refusal by the association to send the animals to member zoos will result in their death. - Gerard Kennedy to quit cabinet to clear way for Grit leadership bid: sources
Lehigh Valley Zoo joins facilities at top of their game
Animal park gets accreditation, nod as 'quality operation.' By Joanna Poncavage Of The Morning Call Pennsylvania now has one more zoo that meets industry standards. On Friday, the Lehigh Valley Zoo received accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, joining seven others that include the Philadelphia Zoo, ZooAmerica in Hershey, the Pittsburgh Zoo and the Erie Zoo.''It is indeed a great honor to be recognized among the top 10 percent of zoos in the country,'' Stephen Marks, a veterinarian and president and chief executive officer of the Lehigh Valley Zoo, said in a news release. Marks was in Florida last week for the zoo association's regional conference.
http://www.mcall.com/sports/college/all-5zooapr03,0,6922702.story?coll=all-sportscollege-hed
Scandinavia’s First Baby Gorilla
A baby gorilla was born at Sweden’s largest zoo Saturday. He is the first gorilla to ever be born in Scandinavia.
What to name the new baby? Sven? Anders? Perhaps Björn?According to the Kolmården Zoo, 150 kilometers south of Stockholm, a contest will be held to name the bouncing new baby boy.
Zoo officials say mother Naomi is acting as expected, keeping her pride and joy close at hand, but the public will be allowed to see mother and son when Kolmården opens for the summer May 6th.
http://www.sr.se/cgi-bin/International/nyhetssidor/artikel.asp?ProgramID=2054&Nyheter=&artikel=829513
Looming addition high-light for zoo
Excitement is rising as the long-awaited and planned pregnancy of one the city biggest residents reaches the halfway point, Calgary Zoo officials said yesterday.
Mardi the giraffe, a long-term Calgarian, became pregnant for the third time after zoo officials brought in a male giraffe they hoped would mate with Mardi and strengthen the gene pool of the giraffes' specific breed.
The 16-year-old's pregnancy, which will reach full term at the end of the year, was confirmed last October, said African Savannah keeper Mona Keith. "If everything goes smoothly, we should have a baby in November 2006," she said.
The father of the expected baby is Tenga, a 10-year-old African giraffe that was brought to Calgary from Ontario's African Lion Safari for breeding purposes, Keith said.
Zookeepers started noticing the signs of pregnancy last fall, and although Mardi has been pregnant for eight months, she's not yet showing, Keith said. But Mardi will give birth to a baby that will weigh 100 to 120 lb. and measure five- to six-feet tall.
Pandas too hot for Taiwan to handleBy Tsai Ting-I TAIPEI - If China's intention was to polarize opinion in Taiwan by offering a present of two pandas, it certainly succeeded. Ruan Ming, a national policy adviser and former special assistant to the late general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Hu Yaobang, said that Beijing's panda diplomacy had successfullyhighlighted divisions in society in Taiwan. Ruan obtained Taiwanese citizenship in 2002. On Friday, after months of debate, Taiwan's Council of Agriculture said Taiwan could not accept the pandas because they would not receive proper care on the island as required by animal-protection laws and international accords. According to a poll conducted by the pro-Beijing United Daily News, 50% of the Taiwanese interviewees endorsed the idea of accepting the pandas, 34% opposed the idea and 16% said they had no preference. Similarly, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and pro-Beijing media have campaigned hard for the pandas to be accepted, accusing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration of politicizing the offer. President Chen Shui-bian has said the mainland's offer was a propaganda ploy, as Beijing really wanted to attack Taiwan. Chen's party backs a separate identity for Taiwan, while the KMT supports eventual unification. The KMT's chairman and mayor of Taipei, Ma Ying-jeou, has argued that pandas are outstanding animals and the DPP should have taken them. "If the reason for rejecting the pandas is political, we regret it. We will try to get the government to reverse its ruling, because 23 countries have received pandas from China and it is stupid for Taiwan to reject them," Ma said.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HD04Ad02.html
Child killed in wolf attack in Russia's Far East
VLADIVOSTOK, April 2 (RIA Novosti) - An eight-year boy was killed by a wolf in an attack in a city-center zoo in Russia's Far East, a local police spokesman said Monday.
A preliminary investigation showed two eight-year-old boys had approached the wolf enclosure in the zoo in the city of Nakhodka, and one boy stretched out his hand to stroke the animals. One wolf bit the boy, and another seized hold of his leg. Although the child escaped, he was unable to run away. His friend escaped but told no-one.
The boy was found dead early in the morning.
An investigation is continuing, police said.
Lehigh Valley Zoo Gets Accreditation
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) - April 3, 2006 - The Lehigh Valley Zoo has received accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.
It joins seven other accredited zoos in Pennsylvania – zoos in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie and Hershey.
The 29-acre animal park is surrounded by the Trexler Game Preserve in Lowhill and North Whitehall townships. Officials had worked toward accreditation for more than five years.
Zoo spokesman Chris Keelty says most of what had to be fixed involved property issues and perimeter fencing. Keelty says most of the animals aren't dangerous, but two fences were required between the animals and the outside world.
The zoo, which has about 150 animals, also made improvements to its veterinary hospital.
Naples Zoo a new home for a dozen alligators
NAPLES, Florida (AP) — Add a dozen alligators to the Naples Zoo's collection.
The alligators have joined the nine other gators who already lived at the southwest Florida zoo.
The seven male and five female alligators, ranging from six to ten years old, were transported from St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park this weekend.
Naples Zoo officials say the expansion is part of the zoo's goal of educating the public on the official state reptile.
St. Augustine, which also provided three alligators to Naples Zoo six years ago, has more than 650 alligators at its zoo.
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=28117
City zoo reestablishment mulled
BAGUIO residents and tourists alike may soon be able to observe animals in a local zoo, just like other people did in the city during the mid-part of the 1900s. Nicolas Cawed, supervising head of the Baguio Botanical and Zoological Garden, said the closure of the park resulted when the animals kept there before started to die one after the other before the 1970s. Cawed said the former Baguio Botanical and Zoological Park was renamed Imelda Park, after former first lady Imelda Marcos appropriated funding for the place during the term of former mayor Luis Lardizabal. Councilor Leandro Yangot Jr., meanwhile, said that although Baguio remains to be one of the favorite destinations, "the city was wanting in new innovations in terms of tourist activities." "During this fast-paced global era, there is a need to put up tourist come-ons and one such idea is the erection of an animal zoo in the city," he said. Yangot proposed that the ordinance be known as the law providing for the creation of a family-oriented and child-friendly zoo in the city. "A zoo shall be put up at an appropriate place in the city to be identified by the City Environment and arks Management Office, and the operation and maintenance of the zoo shall be bid out in accordance with the mandate of Republic Act (RA) 9134," he said. "The terms of reference shall be prepared by the appropriate committee in the City Council so that the zoo shall contain all the necessary facilities, implements and animals of all sorts. The amount generated from the zoo's operation shall accrue to a trust fund, which shall be used for the preservation of the remaining parks in the city," he said. (ENO)
Erratic power supply affects water service
IRREGULAR POWER rostering in the city causes immense difficulties to the people in general and patients and zoo inmates in particular.
They all suffer from acute shortage of water due to KESCo’s erratic power supply. Sometimes the power supply is snapped at midnight for a period of five hours while on the other occasion from 3.30 am to 5.30 am. It is once again imposed from 8 am and continued till 2 in the afternoon.
It becomes very difficult for the hospital and the zoo authorities to store adequate water for the daily use. Storage of water in the zoo or in the hospitals is managed through tubewells, which could not be run for want of power.
Though these departments have generators but they do not have enough funds to run them.
Besides fixing of duty of the employees for storing water also becomes a tedious job. The departments have to incur overtime expense because often the employees had to stay after the duty hours to ensure storage of water.
In the hospitals, the attendants have to buy bucketful of water at high premium to meet the water requirements. But, in zoo it becomes impossible to meet the requirement of water for the animals during summer. The zoo authorities have to take tedious exercise to replace water in wet moats and in the ponds created for Rhinos, Hippos and bears.
For ordinary citizens who do not have facility of generators and tubewells, the water availability becomes very acute. According to KESCo the Jal Sansthan is exempted from the power rostering.
But, the storage tanks in different localities are run with the rostering-hit power lines and when the roistering starts, the water supply in the localities is also stopped.
Jal Sansthan supplies water in the fixed hours in the morning and evening.
It does not supply water during the day. Maximum period for water supply is two to three hours, which is quite inadequate to cater to the needs of millions of people of the city. Most of the roadside pumps are either lying dry or idle and are of no use to the citizens.
Animal attractions: Potter Park zoo pushes its surprises
Midday update
By Mike Hughes Lansing State Journal
A sort of pop-media star was greeting his public.
He was standing bolt-upright, to his full height of 12 inches or so. The public approved.
"There's a meerkat," Mike Maksymetz of Portland said. "Remember? From 'Lion King'?"
His kids, ages 4 and 7, seemed pleased by the encounter. It's one of the unexpected sightings at the Potter Park Zoo.
"People love meerkats," said Gerald Brady, the zoo director. "They're gregarious."
Such surprises are important now as zoos struggle to maintain their place in life and in Michigan. This winter:
The Detroit Zoo almost closed for budget reasons; it was saved by a late compromise. "I was really shocked by that," said Kevin Hile, who is writing a history of the Potter Park Zoo and has been a volunteer at both. "Detroit has a world-renowned zoo."
The Potter Park Zoo was tossed around during Lansing's budget talks. There are proposals to make it an Ingham County operation with a separate millage.
Find out more about the zoo and its surprises in Tuesday's Lansing State Journal Living section.
Mysore Zoo’s draft master plan ready
A draft of the master plan of the century-old Mysore Zoo is ready and it will be presented before the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA) for approval. The master plan will perhaps be the first exercise by any zoo in India to be done based on the guidelines of CZA.
A draft of the master plan of the century-old Mysore Zoo is ready and it will be presented before the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA) for approval. The master plan will perhaps be the first exercise by any zoo in India to be done based on the guidelines of CZA. A high-level delegation of CZA will be at Bhubaneshwar in Orissa for a national debate on the standards to be maintained by the zoos across the country for animals in captivity. Incidentally, Bhubaneshwar Zoo has done its master plan.
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/apr42006/state191016200643.asp
HIGHLIGHTS A scientifically-designed animal enclosure blue print for future.
Animal collection plan.
A guide for visitor friendly and systematic development.
Takes into consideration the projected visitor needs of 20 to 25 lakh annually, by 2020.
Better health care management and research programmes.
Breeding of selected endangered and exotic species in congenial atmosphere.
Envisages steps to introduce innovative education programmes for fulfilling conservation aims.
Development of Karanji Lake Nature Park.
Achieving self sufficiency by consolidation of additional revenue.
Cocoon -- Hair-Doo Zoo
Cocoon Branding, located in Winnipeg, Canada is a branding agency offering full service integrated product design. They have recently developed a playful new image for Canadian-based children's hair salon Hair Do Zoo's retail product line. The interactive bottles entice children with the notion of play, hopefully making bath time seem worthwhile enough to remove dirt, boogers, and other types of kid-sludge. The bright, colorfully branded bottles showcase the products' environmentally friendly water-based ingredients, appealing to both parents and their young'ns. Furthermore, the packaging extends its lifetime by staying in the user's possession after the product has run out. The building-block design is collectable and highly functional as a toy, benefiting both the user and the salon with the wonders of repeat-consumerism.
More info: www.cocoonbranding.com
http://www.core77.com/bullitts/2006/04/Cocoon-Hair-Doo-Zoo.asp?current_bullitt_id=434
Growing Pains at Fresno's Chaffee Zoo
April 3, 2006 - More is known about why the American Zoo Association decided to delay the Chaffee Zoo's bid for accreditation.
The outside agency that handles taxpayer's money is just now starting to gel with the people who run the zoo.
Nine days after the Zoo Corporation began running the Chaffee Zoo, a major cleanup was underway. Behind the scenes, the Zoo Corporation board was hiring a director, filling board vacancies, seeking budget approval from the county tax authority and being inspected by the AZA.
But its fledgling track record was just too short, says Chaffee Zoo Corporation Board Chair Shari Rainwater, "They were happy with what's been done. They just wanted to let the system get rolling."
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=4051399
Support the new Myrick EcoCenter
By GARY J. VAN DOMELEN / La Crosse
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In honor of the 100th anniversary of Rotary International and the opening of Myrick Park, the local Coulee Region Rotary clubs and Hixon Forest Board have begun a project to renovate Myrick Park Zoo.For many generations, the zoo has been a source of enjoyment and learning for children. Having a sense of history helps understand the importance of the zoo.Monkey Island was dedicated Aug. 26, 1929. A Tribune story announcing the opening stated “Big Crowd on Hand for Dedication.”The zoo was planned, built and funded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. A committee composed of common council members provided additional oversight, expertise and support. Having completed their service overseas in WWI, these veterans decided to do something outstanding closer to home.And, the result was truly spectacular. The city was handed the keys to a new zoo free of charge with exhibits, walkways and plans for lighting that exceeded everyone’s expectations. According to the chairman for the VFW, the project came in under budget due in large part to the generous contributions of local contractors and craftsman.Little did these veterans know in August 1929 that the country was about to plunge into a decade long depression followed by another world war.However, during those turbulent times the zoo provided a constant source of low-cost enjoyment in times when travel elsewhere was expensive and difficult. These veterans were truly visionary.Unfortunately today the zoo is in need of a major overhaul. The animals need dedicated care and better living conditions.Today we also can enhance the interaction and learning experience for the viewers by updating the exhibits, adding new animals and providing opportunities for students to observe zoo personnel and veterinarians care for and feed the animals. Left untended and without outside funding, Monkey Island will have to be closed.The new zoo will be called an EcoCenter because the mission is being broadened to include new environmental and other educational programs and expanded exhibits.By adding a nature center, and otter, aquarium and nocturnal exhibits, and by showcasing our natural assets like the bluffs, marsh and Hixon Forest trails, the combined park will have significantly more to offer than it does at present. It will attract school children and visitors from a 150-mile radius.When the zoo was dedicated, the VFW committee was quoted as having said “this is merely a start of what will eventually develop into an attractive display of all varieties of animals harboring in this section of the country.”Let’s continue the terrific work of these veterans and support the city, local Rotary clubs, the Hixon board, local businesses and the greater Coulee Region community in rebuilding the zoo into an EcoCenter we can be proud of for many generations to come.Gary J. Van Domelen is a member of Rotary East, and chairman of the Myrick Eco Park Building and Planning Committee.He is an attorney with Wagner, Falconer & Judd, Ltd., in La Crosse.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/04/04/opinion/02myrick0404.txt
Wells Under Montgomery Zoo Test Positive for TCE
City officials say they found a chemical known as TCE while testing ground water recently at the Montgomery Zoo. They had hoped to use the water in the zoo's new elephant exhibit, but the discovery forced a change in plans.
The underground wells in question are no longer in use. Instead, the water surrounding the elephant exhibit is coming from city pipes.
TCE is the same substance found in 2001 under several nearby subdivisions. The state department of transportation admitted to dumping the chemical years ago.
The TCE contamination in that area is referred to as the coliseum plume because it's located near the city coliseum. The department of transportation has since settled with homeowners and tests indicate the chemical does not pose a health threat.
"We are monitoring the health of the elephants on a regular basis," said city spokesman Michael Briddell. But he admits the elephants never came in direct contact with the chemical. Even if they had, Briddell says the concentration level would not have harmed them.
"You and I can go swimming in water that's 500 parts (of TCE) per billion. We can eat fish in water that's 70 parts per billion," Briddell explained. "The water that came from the well was 40 parts per billion and it dissipated in concentration once it hit the atmosphere."
http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4721245&nav=0RdE
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