Zoos
Healthy Kids: It's at the zoo
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Something new is happening at the zoo. It could mean a lot for children, their knowledge of the wild and even their health.
Woodland Park Zoo today opens an exhibit that introduces children to animals and environments in an active way. Zoomazium is pretty amazing.
Children of various ages will be able to walk and climb through a series of realistic mountain, forest and grassland exhibits. They can participate in plays and puppet shows or use interactive exhibits.
For a generation raised on TV, iPod and computer games, this is a healthy move. As Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder," told a P-I reporter during a zoo visit this year, "They really understand that it is very, very important within the zoo to offer a hands-on experience beyond a petting zoo."
As Louv has observed, today's children get relatively few opportunities for any kind of physical activity, especially in nature. (Zoomazium is indoors; the past week's weather notwithstanding, this is still Seattle.) Despite the mania for cramming children full of facts, their mental development is harmed by lopsided experiences.
Other groups are trying to help. Seattle Audubon has a number of efforts to connect kids with nature. The National PTA has launched a campaign to save recess, which is most shortchanged in poorer neighborhoods.
The trends are stacked against active kids. Zoomazium is a promisingly countercultural institution.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/270782_zoomed.html
Zoo director cleared of bylaw charges
Elephant-sized inconvenience for zoo and judicial system, said Justice of the Peace
May 18, 2006
By Jennifer Stone
More from this author
TORONTO -- It's not easy to miss an 8,000 lb. elephant.
But that, argued well-known Toronto lawyer Clayton Ruby, is exactly what a Toronto bylaw inspector did last October, when he laid charges against Bowmanville Zoo and its director and part owner Michael Hackenberger for having elephants Caesar and Limba in the city.
The work of the inspector, Peter Freeman, left a lot to be desired, said Mr. Ruby.
"I describe his actions as being like the quality of inspection you'd expect of Inspector Clouseau," said Mr. Ruby. "This is a man who managed to overlook an 8,000-pound elephant. This is a man who, when there were five (four-by-six-foot green information) signs, could only see one ... It's hard to lose an elephant of 8,000 pounds."
http://www.durhamregion.com/dr/regions/clarington/story/3502761p-4047447c.html
Rogue elephant escapes in Rwanda
Mutware has been rampaging through farms since the weekend
Rwandan wildlife officials have admitted that the infamous elephant, Mutware, has escaped from Akagera National Park - terrifying villagers.
Conservation officer Fidel Ruzigandekwe said trackers were trying to find him.
The bull elephant's fearsome reputation was further fuelled last year by a US security warning about his temper.
"We can no longer move; we are in fear of Mutware, who has destroyed our gardens," one resident told Rwanda's New Times newspaper.
"He has destroyed crops but so far no-one has reported any damage to infrastructure," Mr Ruzigandekwe, who works for Rwanda's Tourism and National Parks Office, told AFP news agency.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4993574.stm
Six Pack
May 18, 2006
TONIGHT
ZOO PARTY: Zoo Brew
WHEN: 5:30 tonight
WHERE: Blank Park Zoo, 7401 S.W. Ninth St.
Here's something for the real party animal.
Blank Park Zoo's Zoo Brew returns.
Tonight's season inaugural celebrates the zoo's 40th anniversary and will feature beers that were available 40 years ago.
Split Second, a rock/variety band, will perform, appetizers from Baratta's Restaurant will be available and zoo exhibits will be open until 8 p.m.
Zoo Brew occurs every third Thursday of every month during the summer. Each event is themed.
Proceeds benefit Blank Park Zoo operations and other national animal emergency funds.
Admission for the Zoo Brew is $10 or $5 for members, at the door. Zoo Brew is a 21-and-older event.
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060518/ENT/605180357/1046/ENT
Ontario is the WILD WEST in the zoo business
The WSPA calls for zoo standards that address public safety and animal welfare
Attention: City Editor, Media Editor, News Editor, Travel/Tourism Editor
TORONTO, ONTARIO, MEDIA RELEASE--(CCNMatthews - May 18, 2006) - With the long weekend approaching, people will be out exploring Ontario zoos. But what they don't know could hurt them. Ontario is the worst in Canada when it comes to public safety and the welfare of animals. The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) wants the government to implement standards to make it safer for the public and ensure proper care of animals.
There are currently no standards in place for zoos. So, it is not surprising there are more roadside zoos in Ontario than any where else in the country. More than 40 zoos are known to exist in Ontario and the majority are substandard, roadside facilities. By implementing standards it will force zoos to improve the conditions for the animals, and to make it safer for people to view these animals.
http://www.ccnmatthews.com/news/releases/show.jsp?action=showRelease&searchText=false&showText=all&actionFor=595425
Young monkeys sold in meat market adopted
By Elizabeth Fitzsimons
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
May 17, 2006
Last week, an Allen's swamp monkey sat in his new home: an enclosure in the Ituri Forest exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, which has a running stream and an adjoining house where he and his friends spend their nights. The animals, about 2 years old, are the size of cats.
Their parents were killed for meat, and the young monkeys seemed destined for a similar fate.
Instead, zoos across the United States, including the San Diego Zoo, united to rescue the “bushmeat orphans.”
Last year, a South African businessman found them crammed into wire cages in the markets of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He bought 34 and arranged to take them back to his country.
He planned to sell them as pets. But what should he charge? The businessman called the San Diego Zoo asking to give him advice. “I refused to do that,” said Karen Killmar, associate curator of mammals at the zoo. She kept the man talking, though.
Now, all but one of the monkeys are living in U.S. zoos. Six zoos rescued them, and in doing so, added genetic diversity to their existing populations.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060517-9999-7m17monkeys.html
Dodge Van Promotion Partners with Cereal Company
In a campaign that begins this weekend, the Chicago-based breakfast cereal company Cereality Cereal Bar and Cafe will brand a 2006 Dodge Sprinter - complete with a mobile kitchen - which will tour major zoos, writes Brandweek.
The Cereality campaign is also part of the Sprinter's own "Dodge Zoo Adventure" campaign this summer and Dodge Drive for the Kids events mobile tour coming this fall.
"We wanted to create a cereal-based version of the much-loved neighborhood ice cream truck, where we could take our 'Always Saturday Morning' experience right to our customers where they live, work and play at any time of day or night - showing up at special events, schools, office parks and sporting venues," David Roth, Cereality CEO, said (pdf).
Related topics: Branding, Buying, Creative Issues, Demographics, Media Department, Outdoor, Planning, Promotions...
http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/2006/05/17/dodge_van_promotion_partners_wi/index.php
Beastly rain keeping zoos’ animals wet, wild
By Kristin Erekson
Tuesday, May 16, 2006 - Updated: 10:07 AM EST
If you think the stench of a damp dog stinks, try sniffing a dozen soggy Mexican wolves and wet wildebeests.
Animals at Dorchester’s Franklin Park Zoo and Stoneham’s Stone Zoo are struggling to stay dry during torrential downpours. “For the most part they are holding up well,” said Fred Beall, Zoo New England’s general curator. “Animals experience rain in the wild, so during prolonged showers they will seek out some sort of shelter,” he said. “They’ll head to trees or some sort of protection from the wind and driving rain.”
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Due to the flooding of walkways and a water-logged barn that houses goats and sheep, the Stone Zoo has closed its doors until water levels recede.
Animals who don’t like to get their coats wet have the option to cover up in shelters temporarily placed on exhibit property.
But the zoos’ Mexican wolves and wildebeests don’t mind the drizzle. “The animals are just hunkering down and bearing it,” said Beall.
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=139455
PETA seeks court ruling on poor state of zoos
Mumbai: An animal rights group has moved the Supreme Court against the substandard state of zoos across the country and the alleged inhumane treatment of the captives.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India, said in a statement that after conducting investigations of more than 30 zoos, it found that officials are "almost always not properly trained in the care of animals, veterinary doctors do not have adequate wildlife training and some zoos do not have veterinary doctors".
http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=57146
Zoos Rescue Monkeys From Pet Trade
San Diego Zoo Takes In 5 Monkeys
POSTED: 9:00 am EDT May 8, 2006
UPDATED: 9:03 am EDT May 8, 2006
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SAN DIEGO -- Zoos across the country have taken in a group of African monkeys that were rescued from the exotic pet business.
The San Diego Zoo has taken in five of the more than 30 monkeys.
The animals' parents were killed for food in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A South African native had rescued them from the illegal bushmeat market and intended to sell them as pets.
But several United States zoos have rescued the monkeys again in order to preserve the species.
The rest of the monkeys are in zoos in Denver; San Antonio; Houston; Tampa, Fla.; and Arizona.
http://www.nbc6.net/news/9175192/detail.html
Bush-meat monkeys saved by US zoos
May 8, 2006, 18:23 GMT
Los Angeles - Six US zoos have paid some 400,000 dollars to buy 33 monkeys orphaned when their parents were killed by poachers for bush meat in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
The monkeys are aged 2 to 5 and come from five different species.
Poachers are believed to have killed their parents for the illicit traffic in bush meat, which is pushing some species towards extinction.
The baby monkeys, who did not have enough meat to be valuable as food, were sold as exotic pets to a South African businessman who contacted the San Diego Zoo about a year ago to see if it would be interested in buying them.
Together with five others US zoos, San Diego decided to pay for the monkeys' purchase, quarantine and transport. Almost all of the primates are now on public display.
http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1162278.php/Bush-meat_monkeys_saved_by_US_zoos
Going wild for wildlife
Jack Hanna supports park benefit
By K.O. Jackson
The Journal Gazette
“Jungle” Jack Hanna, host of the TV program, “Animal Adventures,” is shown here with a baby rhinoceros. Hanna will be in Fort Wayne on Sunday at a fundraiser to benefit the Black Pine Animal Park.
Remove the talk show appearances, international TV shows, wildlife nicknames and khaki clothing and no one can confuse “Jungle” Jack Hanna with crocodile hunter Steve Irwin.
Oh yeah, while you are at it, go ahead and remove Hanna’s Tennessee twang and Irwin’s Australian accent.
True, both men have managed zoos and provided educational information about wildlife conservation; however, don’t expect to see Hanna get his clothing wrinkled by wrestling animals.
“No, I don’t touch the animals that way,” says Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo and Aquarium, during a recent phone interview.
“(Irwin) has his own way of doing things and I have mine. He is a very bright guy, but you don’t touch animals in the wild. You observe them.
“I’ve been doing this for 36 years and I am not going to change now. My style is ‘don’t touch.’ Like I said, he’s a very bright guy who knows a lot about reptiles. We just go at it in a different way.”
At 3 p.m. Sunday at the Scottish Rite Center, people can see how Hanna has spent his career handling animals at a fundraiser for the Black Pine Animal Park in Albion.
The event, “Jack Hanna: Going Wild for Wildlife,” is sponsored by WISE-TV, Channel 33 – Hanna’s show is seen every Saturday morning on the station – and WAJI-FM Majic 95.1.
Lori Gagen, a Black Pine spokeswoman, says Hanna’s visit will serve as the park’s official fundraising kickoff for relocating the center this fall.
She said several properties in Albion have been explored for the relocation, but nothing has yet been decided.
“We are very excited to have Jack coming here,” says Gagen, estimating the center needs to raise several hundred thousand dollars to make the transition. “We know Jack is fond of Fort Wayne and it’s good to bring him back here for the community to enjoy.”
Black Pine is a non-profit animal sanctuary housing displaced exotic pets and retired performing animals. Gagen said there are more than 90 animals located on the site and all will need new homes.
As a result, Hanna, who began working with animals at age 11 at a Tennessee veterinarian office, is pleased to be in Fort Wayne to assist the center.
In addition to the Columbus Zoo and hosting his own TV show for the past 20-plus years, Hanna has appeared regularly on “Good Morning America” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.” He has also written seven books about animals.
“Black Pine is one of the finest, magnificent parks in the country,” says Hanna, who will be accompanied by a cheetah as well as mountain gorilla videos he recently filmed in Rwanda.
“Last year, more than 146 million people visited zoos and aquariums in America. That’s more than baseball and football games. We are looking forward to being in Fort Wayne and helping them out.”
kjackson@jg.net
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/living/14508310.htm
Claws out: rumble in urban jungle
A two-storey open-mesh atrium will bring some animals in closer contact with the harsh cityscape … Taronga's rival zoo, which is being built at Darling Harbour.
Photo: Adam MacLean
By Bellinda Kontominas
May 6, 2006
AS THE city's newest animal attraction prepares to open, conservationists say there is no room in this town for two zoos.
Bradley Trevor Grieve, governor of Taronga's fundraising arm, said the zoo at Sydney Aquarium would severely affect Taronga's revenue.
"Suddenly here is this upstart attraction stealing a lot of the audience for an inferior experience," Mr Greive said.
"The core costs of any zoo remains the same - the animals have to be fed and the staff have to be paid. Ultimately it's going to [affect] the number of programs and the number of quality trained staff, [which] are going to end up being cut."
Just a few kilometres separate Taronga Zoo from the controversial Sydney Wildlife World in Darling Harbour, due to open in September.
The $50 million wildlife attraction will exhibit only native animals in an effort to capture the lucrative international tourist market and to distinguish itself from Taronga.
"We're meant to complement each other," said Ravini Perera, marketing director of Sydney Attractions Group, owner of Sydney Wildlife World, Sydney Aquarium, Oceanworld Manly and the Sydney Tower Skywalk.
Taronga zoo management opposed the rival attraction in its planning stages on grounds that it did not comply with the Exhibited Animals Protection Act.
Sydney Attractions Group predicts about 1 million people will visit the wildlife park in its first year.
This has prompted criticism by animal conservationists, who argue that large numbers of people on the site - and the surrounding entertainment area, which is the venue for loud music and regular fireworks displays - will expose the animals to inappropriate conditions.
Also under fire is the building's two-storey open-mesh atrium, which will bring some animals in closer contact with the harsh cityscape.
"This development takes us back 100 years to one of those horrible little exhibition zoos that we still see in the dark corners of Europe and Asia," Mr Greive said.
Entry to Sydney Wildlife World is expected to cost about $27.50.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/claws-out-rumble-in-urban-jungle/2006/05/05/1146335930406.html
Big cats need protection from exploitation
A friend recently brought something to my attention that, if you understand animals, was very emotionally disturbing. She was at a popular local flea market hunting for bargains when she saw a sign that said, "Get your photo taken with a baby tiger!"
"Isn't that illegal?" you may be asking yourself. It is true that the average Michigan citizen cannot own a tiger.
Unless, of course, you have a USDA Class C Exhibitors license, which allows zoos, circuses and self-proclaimed "educators" to exhibit their animals to the public. That's bad enough, but the license also allows whoever has one to breed and sell their offspring, which inevitably will end up in the wrong hands.
In fact, the Humane Society of the United States estimates that only 10 percent of the 15,000 tigers in the United States are in professionally-regulated zoos and sanctuaries.
http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060505/LIFE/605050347/1111/NEWS18
Bears get home to roam in Kendalia
Web Posted: 05/06/2006 12:00 AM CDT
Scott Huddleston
Express-News Staff Writer
As two American black bears stretched out in their new home north of San Antonio, they felt grass under their paws and sunshine on their furry faces.
After years in cages in a darkened barn, it might have been just a bit overwhelming.
The two female bears are among 16 wild animals — 11 bears, two tigers, two feral hogs and a macaw — seized April 20 in Gonzales County. Besides a tiger sent to a North Texas sanctuary, the bears are the only ones in a permanent home.
Lynn Cuny, executive director of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Kendalia, offered to take one bear. Officials of the Houston SPCA, which helped Gonzales County with the seizure, talked her into two.
"They were in such horrendous living conditions that we couldn't say no," Cuny said.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA050606.01B.Bears.3503fd9.html
Pair of Syracuse elephants to head north
SYRACUSE, N.Y. A Syracuse zoo will loan two of its Asian elephants to a privately-owned Canadian wildlife park.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo will send 22-year-old Targa and her 9-year-old daughter Mali to African Lion Safari in Cambridge, Ontario next week. The park currently boasts the continent's most prolific Asian elephant breeding program, with a herd of 13 elephants that includes three newborn calves.
Zoo officials say it will be a wonderful opportunity for Mali to breed, and for the elephants to help their species, in captivity and in the wild. The move comes amid a national debate about whether elephants should be kept in zoos and wildlife parks, particularly in colder northern climates.
http://www.wstm.com/Global/story.asp?S=4868307&nav=2aKD
Mountain lion kittens split up - female sent to zoo in Oregon and male released into wild
By Tom Lawrence, Black Hills Pioneer
May 18, 2006
RAPID CITY - The mountain lion siblings that were captured in Rapid City this week have been split up.
The female lion was shipped to a zoo in Portland, Ore., this morning; the male was released back into the wild later in the day.
The eight-month-old lions were orphaned when their mother was tracked, treed and killed Tuesday morning. The 40-pound female kitten was darted and captured Sunday; the 60-pound male kitten was trapped and darted Wednesday morning.
The local lion adventure started Sunday when a local resident spotted the female kitten in a tree. He alerted authorities, who darted and captured the young female cougar.
Game, Fish & Parks big-game biologist John Kanta then spotted a mule deer carcass nearby that was being watched by the mother lion. It ran off when efforts were made to capture or kill it.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16660335&BRD=1300&PAG=461&dept_id=156925&rfi=6
Replacement Erie Zoo Gorilla Dies En Route
Tumai, the 21 year old lowland gorilla enroute to the Erie Zoo, on Thursday, May 18th, has died. The gorilla was being delivered from a zoo in Memphis, Tennessee, when zoo officials say his heart simply "stopped beating." He was onboard an airplane scheduled to land in Cleveland when he died. This is the second time a gorilla expected to arrive at the Erie Zoo has died. In November 2005, Kuba, a 16 year old gorilla from Topeka, Kansas died of a heart attack, just prior to his arrival. Both Tumai and Kuba were to be mated with Samantha, Erie's female gorilla. Erie Zoo spokesman Scott Mitchell said in a phone conference with Newswatch that the zoo is devistated by the loss, and it's too early to tell what the zoo's next step will be. A necropcy will be performed to determined Tumai's exact cause of death.
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35WSEE News Room at wseenews@35wsee.com
http://www.35wsee.com/news2a.cfm?more=8748&category=1&news=fullstory
JackHammers team up with Brookfield Zoo
05/18/06 - Northern League (NL) Joliet JackHammers
JOLIET-The Joliet JackHammers have announced a unique partnership with the Brookfield Zoo in conjunction with the Junior JackHammers Pepsi Kids Club. Members of the Junior JackHammers Kids Club will receive two vouchers to the Brookfield Zoo along with their Kids Club membership. The Brookfield Zoo will also hand out free zoo vouchers to kids at JackHammers home games on May 31, July 6, and August 8.
The Junior JackHammers Pepsi Kids Club includes an official Pepsi Kids Club T-Shirt, a monthly newsletter during the JackHammers season, and seven vouchers good for single game general admission tickets, as well as seven vouchers for free regular Pepsis at Silver Cross Field. The children will also take part in a special baseball camp at Silver Cross Field during the summer months. The cost for membership is just 25$.
"The Brookfield Zoo is proud to partner with the Joliet JackHammers on summer fun!" said Amy Walgren, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Brookfield Zoo. "During select dates in June, July and August, Brookfield Zoo guests will enjoy having their photo taken with Jammer, the Joliet JackHammers' mascot and players from the team. This promotion gives Brookfield Zoo and the Joliet JackHammers' an opportunity to share family fun."
Loose Gravel: The 2006 regular season opens up for the JackHammers on May 19 at Winnipeg. As always, you can catch every regular season game on 1340 WJOL.
The JackHammers have full season tickets, mini-plan ticket packages, individual tickets and a variety of group ticket packages available for the 2006 season. The 2006 home season begins May 26 at Silver Cross Field. For additional information, call 815-726-BALL (2255), visit the team's website at www.jackhammerbaseball.com, send an e-mail to info@jackhammerbaseball.com or visit the team offices at Silver Cross Field.
http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3312693
Birmingham Zoo's new resident sure to become the mane event
Friday, May 19, 2006
NIKI DOYLE
News staff writer
Proud family members gather around their newest addition while flashes snap and footprints are made.
Doctors examine the youngster. Someone brushes his head full of caramel-colored hair.
He's weighed and measured, and the numbers are proudly announced - 230 pounds and 3 feet tall.
Meet Kwanza, the newest member of the Birmingham Zoo family.
Kwanza, an African lion cub, was born in Waco, Texas, on Dec. 24, 2004, and was added to the Birmingham Zoo on Feb. 15. He was quarantined pending a veterinary exam. His name tells the story of his heritage - he was born just days before the start of Kwanzaa, the cultural holiday.
Once he's familiar with his new home, Kwanza will be the only male in the what the zoo hopes to become a lion pride where Kwanza will be used for breeding. Sheba, an 18-year-old lioness, was the only lion in the zoo before Kwanza arrived.
"This is a particularly good-looking animal, and that's part of why we're so pleased to have him," zoo Director Bill Foster said.
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/114803068148470.xml&coll=2
Zoo Bears Test 'Bear-Proof' Trash Cans
Number Of Bears In N.J. Skyrockets
LACEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- If you want to make sure your trash can is bear-proof, give it to some bears to test.
That's what the Bear Education and Resource Group did recently at a zoo in Lacey Township, N.J.
Four bears went after trash cans the group bear-proofed and filled with snacks.
They bears barely made a dent in the trash cans after 30 minutes.
The number of bears in New Jersey has skyrocketed and the group wants homeowners to keep their property safe.
http://www.wesh.com/news/9239988/detail.html
Photo in the News: Elephant Shuns Jumbo Treadmill
May 19, 2006—You can lead an elephant to a treadmill, but you can't make her walk.
That's the lesson zookeepers are learning in Anchorage, Alaska, where they have been struggling to get the zoo's resident elephant to exercise.
Maggie, a 23-year-old African elephant (pictured here on May 16), is the only pachyderm at the Alaska Zoo, where she is kept indoors much of the time to protect her from the cold.
Critics have charged that Maggie should be moved to a zoo in a warmer climate, where she can enjoy the outdoors and the company of other elephants.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060519_elephant.html
Giraffes added to Zoo's Africa exhibit
And then there were three.
Two male giraffes are the third species to arrive at the Minnesota Zoo's special summer exhibit called Africa: Summer on the Savanna.
Zawadi and Sweta join ostriches and gazelles that are already in the exhibit. Zebras will be added next week.
The two giraffes are on loan to the Minnesota Zoo for the length of the exhibit, after Labor Day they'll go back to their home zoo.
Tony Fisher, Animal Collection Manager for the Zoo, said this exhibit will only be open from May 24 to Labor Day. He said the idea is to create an environment as close to an African Savanna as possible, given the climate differences.
All of the animals will interact as they would in Africa.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=125215
'Hood Tour' sets dates for events at zoo, park
Jazz singer Kathy Wade's "Hood is Bigger Than You Think Tour" will make stops this summer at the Cincinnati Zoo and Eden Park before wrapping up in August with a "Crown Jewels of Jazz" gala featuring Eartha Kitt.
The 12-year-old event will feature a Kids, Cultures and Crafts Festival at the zoo June 23. For the first time in its history the zoo will open its gates for free at noon that day. Among the performers during the day will be Tracy Walker, Robin Lacey & DeZydeco and Grammy-nominated children's artist Zak Morgan.
The Hood music festival, which traditionally brings together a diverse group of artists, is July 22 at the Seasongood Pavilion, Eden Park, featuring R&B artist Midnight Star, blues singer Sheryl Renee, hard rockers Bluf, Boston singer-songwriter Vance Gilbert and the Afro-Rican Ensemble.
The concert will officially kick off what the CincinnatiUSA Regional Tourism Network is billing as Music Fusion Week, which concludes the next weekend with the Cincy Blues Fest and the Macy's Riverfront Stadium R&B festival.
Wade had previously announced Eartha Kitt would be the headliner of this year's gala Aug. 26 at Music Hall Ballroom. The event is the main fund-raiser for Wade's "Learning Through Art" educational programs.
For ticket information: (866) 242-3252; www.learningthroughart.com.
http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060519/LIFE/605190363/1005
John Ball Zoo uncovers Stingray Lagoon
Saturday, May 20, 2006
By Troy Reimink
The Grand Rapids Press
Remember how your mother used to say, "look, but don't touch"? If you visit John Ball Zoo this summer, you can forget about that.
The zoo's theme for the coming months is "World of Treasures," and its key exhibit is the Stingray Lagoon, an interactive display containing two species of stingrays that opens today.
"They're gorgeous, really unique, beautiful animals," zoo director Bert Vescolani said. "We're very excited about this."
The Stingray Lagoon -- an outdoor pool alongside the aquarium that houses about two dozen rays -- is the "crown jewel" of a series of attractions and improvements at the zoo this summer. Among them:
An expanded enclosure for the wallabies, the Australian creatures that have proven popular since their debut last summer
A bigger aviary for the budgies, the cheerful birds from last year's Australian exhibit
Improvements to the herpetarium/nocturnal building
An outdoor habitat for Precious, the zoo's Komodo dragon
Six swan paddleboats available for $5-per-hour rentals on the pond in John Ball Park.. But the stingrays are stars of the show, allowing hands-on interaction. Visitors can touch and, at certain times, participate in their feeding. There's no risk of getting stung.
http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grpress/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-1/1148106110259460.xml&coll=6
Zoo hopes to get $6M in state money
Associated Press
Asheboro Officials with the North Carolina Zoo want $6 million in state money for six projects, including an interactive center for children.
The N.C. Zoological Park Council moved its spring meeting to Raleigh to meet Wednesday with state legislators. The money would be the zoo's first capital funding in 14 years.
The meeting at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences was attended by 22 legislators and 10 members of the zoo council.
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060519/NEWS/605190370/-1/State
Philadelphia Zoo's big cats have new grounds to prowl
Saturday, May 20, 2006
By APRIL HELMER
Courier-Post Staff
The Philadelphia Zoo opens a new home for a carnivorous cavalcade Thursday. The $20 million Big Cat Falls will house lions, Amur leopards, jaguars, pumas, snow leopards and tigers.
The zoo hopes the black jaguar from the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama currently in the exhibit soon will be joined by a male spotted jaguar, Frankie, from a zoo in Belize and a female from La Aurora Zoo in Guatemala.
The Philadelphia zoo's much-loved pride of four lions, male Merlin and females Vinkel, Jezebel and Zenda, has returned from the Columbus Zoo in Ohio.
A new male Amur tiger, Dmitri, arrived from the zoo in Little Rock, Ark., and female tiger Kira will return home this fall from Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, N.Y.
Krepki, the zoo's male Amur leopard, and Katia, the zoo's female Amur leopard, will split time on exhibit with three playful new snow leopard cubs, who will be arriving in the next few weeks from zoos in Cleveland and Denver.
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060520/LIVING/605200322/1004
Go directly to zoo, game voters say
Zoo was top pick among local images for Monopoly-style game.
From staff reports
The voters have spoken, and the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is near and dear to their hearts.
That’s the top vote-getter among more than 1,000 people who made their choices for images for Fort Wayne On Board, a Monopoly-style game that is being created by Leadership Fort Wayne as a fundraiser.
Instead of Park Place and jail, players will see city buildings, statues and scenes, some of them painted by local artist Terry Ratliff for the game.
The leadership development group wants to sell 3,500 games and raise $100,000 after production costs. Fort Wayne businesses paid for squares on the board. Fort Wayne Newspapers, which serves as business agent for The News-Sentinel and The Journal Gazette, is one of the media sponsors of the project.
Here is a list, in alphabetical order, of what voters chose:
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/14628495.htm
What a zoo!
May 20, 2006 - An orangutan gets physical therapy
Physical therapy isn't just for humans anymore, the Toledo Zoo has now been successful in rehabilitating one of its orangutans.
MJ, is an orangutan in physical therapy. She is recovering from a shoulder injury she got last October while monkeying around with her half brother.
Primate keeper, Suzanne Husband, says, "He tries not to hurt her but she picks fights with him. He tries to reprimand her to let her know he's not trying to attack her. She dislocated her arm when he got a hold of her wrist as she was pulling away."
Keepers noticed MJ's arm was swelling; they called on vets and orthopedic surgeons and they had to operate.
"When they originally tried to set it, it popped back out, so we ended up just having to put a pin in it and a cast on her arm."
She was in her cast for six weeks, then it was time for physical therapy, orangutan style.
"With the tubes we actually had to get the strength back in her hands because she had a cast on for so long, she'd lost a lot of the muscle. First we just worked with her, pulling on the tubes to get her strength back in the individual fingers."
The staff worked with MJ up to three times a day.
"Luckily their intelligent enough that they understand the concept that we have to work with them. It's something that has to be fixed, so she cooperated quite nicely with us, so we got very lucky with her."
Right now, her injury keeps her in isolation. But don't feel bad for her; she's got plenty to do!
"If people see her by herself now, she's actually extremely content, she's spoiled. When she is by herself, she has a TV and videos that she can watch. She likes to play and she gets a lot of attention inside."
MJ's keepers are pleased with her progress and hope that soon she will be able to join her orang family, as long as she doesn't pick on her half-brother!
"She might not be 100% with that arm, but she can move it enough that she can get along fine!"
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=4189711
Zoo granted power to refuse funds, aid
By James Fisher
Daily Times Staff Writer
SALISBURY -- The City Council strengthened the Salisbury Zoo's ability to decline the offer of volunteer time and fund-raising dollars from anyone whose "past, present and future conduct does not support the goals, purposes and operation of the Salisbury Zoological Park."
The council passed the resolution Monday night after hearing from zoo staffers and directors who supported the change to the Zoo Commission's bylaws. Mayor Barrie Parsons Tilghman also spoke up in favor of the change.
"There are occasional times when individuals seek to be members of the zoo when they are not, in fact, friends of the zoo," Tilghman said. "The important thing is to get some standards in place so that we don't, in the future, seem arbitrary."
The change is at least in part a reaction to efforts by a former zoo employee, Jennifer Albero, and her husband, Joe Albero, to buy zoo memberships in January, although local government officials did not refer to them. The Alberos, who frequently clash with zoo officials and the Salisbury government, said in an interview Monday that their application had been rejected.
"They're making this personal," Joe Albero said. "This is about animals we're keeping tabs on."
Zoo officials have said that Joe Albero, who often visits the zoo looking for violations of pollution and animal welfare laws, often interferes with zoo employees' work. Complicating the Alberos' ties to the zoo is a sexual harassment lawsuit Jennifer Albero filed against zoo Director Jim Rapp in 2003.
Rapp, in support of the change approved Monday, said it would help zoo employees and volunteers make the attraction, located in Salisbury, a welcoming place for visitors.
City attorney Paul Wilber said the language regarding "future conduct" was intended to allow the city to revoke zoo memberships that had already been granted, if warranted.
Individual zoo memberships cost $25 and provide free admission to some events, gift shop discounts and other benefits.
Reach James Fisher at 410-845-4655 or jfisher@salisbury.gannett.com.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060314/NEWS01/603140318/1002
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