Some Zoo News
Zoo's big cats get new home
Associated Press
Published: Saturday, June 03, 2006
PHILADELPHIA -- Thirteen big cats -- from a rare black jaguar to a trio of young snow leopards -- are enjoying spacious new digs in the city after some time away "vacationing" at other zoos.
The Philadelphia Zoo has formally opened its new $20 million US habitat, which is designed to give the animals a more natural setting and visitors a more intimate experience.
The exhibit also preaches conservation, using interactive games, video clips and other tools to describe the threats humans pose to big-cat species around the world.
Exhibits describe the human encroachment that has largely driven jaguars from the southwestern United States into Mexico and pumas -- also called mountain lions or cougars -- from the eastern United States.
The zoo also offers information on a program in Kenya it supports that teaches ranchers how to build lion-proof corrals for their herds, so they don't shoot the endangered lions.
Big Cat Falls is likely to be a summer blockbuster for the zoo, which attracts as many as 13,000 visitors on a weekend summer day and 1.2 million visitors a year. It is the first new exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo since 1999, spokeswoman Ginette Meluso said. For more information: http://www.philadelphiazoo.org.
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/travel/story.html?id=845dd9b5-c6a9-4b2c-87a9-c1eb538d0306
Delhi Eye in sight
7.20am Wednesday June 7, 2006
Tourism authorities in New Delhi are planning a new amusement park with a giant Ferris wheel that would give visitors a bird's-eye view of India's capital, with its historic tombs and forts.
The Great Delhi Wheel, similar to the London Eye, is awaiting approval by the city's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit.
The 150m- diameter wheel would be installed at Millennium Park, being developed by Yamuna River.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385345
Elephant activists hold up jumbo load
8.00am Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Jan McGirk
BANGKOK - The controversial shipment of eight young elephants from Thailand to Australia was temorarily abandoned yesterday after animal rights activists blockaded the roads in Kanchanaburi, forming a human chain around the animals' quarantine site.
The protests, a last-ditch attempt to prevent the animal-exhange project, succeeded in delaying the departure of the elephants, which were due to be loaded onto cargo planes at Bangkok airport last night.
It was to have been the first stage of a swap between Thailand and two zoos in Australia.
In exchange, more than a hundred kangaroos and other marsupials were to be shipped to the new Chiang Mai night zoo in northern Thailand, where bush meat features heavily on the menu.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385377
Zoos seek Thai elephant assurances
By Paul Carter
June 07, 2006
AUSTRALIAN zookeepers were seeking assurances that the transfer of eight Asian elephants from Thailand would proceed, after it was delayed by protests.
Sydney's Taronga Zoo and Melbourne Zoo, which have offered to take the animals, today approached the Thai Government for confirmation the elephant export would go ahead.
Protesters who yesterday blocked the path of a convoy of trucks carrying the elephants were today calling for them to be DNA tested, in order to prove they qualified for export.
Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an elephant is only eligible for export if both its parents are bred in captivity.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19395480-1702,00.html
Zoos pool funds to rescue monkeys from South Africa
Thirty-three orphaned primates, left behind by poachers, are distributed to six parks in the U.S.
By Tony Perry
LOS ANGELES TIMES
SAN DIEGO - It started with a shocking phone call from a man in South Africa to a monkey expert at the San Diego Zoo: How much should he charge for young monkeys caught in the wild?
To Karen Killmar, associate curator of mammals, the idea of selling monkeys was repellent.
"In this profession, you get some strange calls, but this was a first," Killmar said, adding in a chilly tone, "We do not put a price tag on our animals."
Still, Killmar was intrigued. She started asking the caller questions. The more she learned about the monkeys, the more she thought they should be rescued rather than sold as exotic pets.
The monkeys had been caught in the Democratic Republic of Congo and brought to South Africa.
They were leftovers from the illicit traffic in "bush meat" that is pushing some monkeys and other species to the brink of extinction.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/politics/14759629.htm
Fire at zoo kills 43 animals
Investigators search for cause of after-hours blaze at Stanback Petting Barn in Salisbury Stanback
Petting Barn in Salisbury
jvick@charlotteobserver.comslyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Rowan County authorities are investigating the cause of a Sunday fire that destroyed a popular petting zoo and killed 43 of its animals.
No people were injured in the fire, which destroyed the Stanback Petting Barn at Dan Nicholas Park on Bringle Ferry Road in Salisbury.
The fire was reported about 8 p.m., two hours after the park closed, said Rowan County Fire Marshal Arthur Delaney. The staff was out of the park by 7 p.m., said manager Don Bringle.
Park officials said they were saddened by the loss of animal life and of the teaching opportunities the barn provided.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/14147955.htm
Russia Vaccinates Birds At Moscow's Zoo Against Bird Flu
MOSCOW (AP)--Authorities vaccinated birds at Moscow's Zoo Tuesday as part of a program to protect domestic fowl in Russia against the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.
For the workers tasked with giving the injections, however, catching up with the birds proved a challenge. Some zoo workers were forced to chase after uncooperative birds with nets.
"We put the vaccine in the syringe and inject it into the bird's chest," said Nataliya Istratova, the zoo's spokeswoman. "It's stressful for (the birds), but better to be in the hands of a doctor than in death's grip."
Russia's lower house, the State Duma, heard testimony Tuesday from the country's top sanitary official on measures being taken to deal with the spread of bird flu. Gennady Onishchenko told deputies the country had sufficient supplies of vaccine and had set up a nationwide monitoring headquarters.
"The situation is under control," Onishchenko assured lawmakers.
Some 50,000 doses of vaccine have been provided to inoculate fowl in Moscow, the Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement.
Cases of bird flu have been detected in eight regions in southern Russia that are in the path of migratory birds, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
No cases of bird flu in humans have been registered so far in Russia. However, Onishchenko has called for border controls to be tightened. In a recent letter to health officials, he proposed preparing medical facilities at ports, airports, railway stations and other border crossings to hospitalize people suspected of carrying the disease.
Source: Dow Jones Newswire
http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=24363>
MDE Wraps up Zoo Investigation
03/21/2006
SALISBURY, Md. (AP)- The Maryland Department of the Environment says it has completed its investigation of the Salisbury Zoo.
Two animal pens had been draining directly into the Wicomico River. There was also a possibility that sewage could back up and overflow through a grate in the bison area.
The MDE says those problems have been fixed and the city will learn if will be penalized sometime this week.
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4662064&nav=MXEF
Lion, Dog Become Pals At Zoo
Lioness Abandoned As Cub
POSTED: 10:42 am PST March 21, 2006
JINJOO, South Korea -- A female lion that was abandoned as a cub and a dog have become good friends at a South Korean zoo.
The lioness is named "Soonee," which means "tame" in Korean.
Her friend is a South Korea Jindo dog called "Tang-Chil," after a popular cartoon character.
After she was abandoned by her mother, Soonee was lonely, but rejected all male lions.
Then Tang-Chil came along. After letting the dog live near Soonee's cage for a month, zookeepers let him enter the cage under supervision.
The two animals became friends, and now they look after each other, zookeepers said.
http://www.nbc4.tv/irresistible/8165481/detail.html
Some of this is dated, but, still of interest.
Cool cats rule Auckland Zoo these school holidays
Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 10:22 am
Press Release: Auckland Zoo
MEDIA RELEASE
22 March 2006
Cool cats rule Auckland Zoo these school holidays!
Race to Auckland Zoo these Easter school holidays (Friday 14 - Tuesday 25 April) and catch up with all our cool cats - the new cheetah boys, servals, lions, tiger and more. Brought to you by Newstalk ZB, the fur will fly if you miss out!
The newest cats to spot at the zoo are ten-month-old cheetah males, Anubis and Osiris. Arriving from South Africa in mid-April, they are the first cheetah to be exhibited at the zoo in its 84-year history. The fastest land mammal on the planet, and Africa's most endangered cat, they will be helping us spread the word about their plight. These brothers will need some serious cat-napping for their first few days, to get over their jet lag, and settle into their new home. But following this quiet time, visitors will soon be able to see these magnificent felines in the flesh.
Be a cool cat yourself, and come learn more about these fascinating felines. Unfortunately, not all cats have nine lives. Find out why the endangered cheetah, tiger, golden cats and others are at risk, and need everyone's help to ensure they have a future.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0603/S00129.htm
'Art Museum by the Zoo'
Though a 'small' film, it's one that deserves attention
Darcy Paquet (internews)
Yet another film by a first-time director/screenwriter, "Art Museum by the Zoo" is the only film in this list directed by a woman (Lee Jeong Hyang). It debuted a week before Christmas and was extremely well received by audiences and critics alike. It stars a very popular actress in Shim Eun Ha ("Christmas in August") together with first-time actor Lee Sung Jae. Of all the films I saw in 1998, I think this one may be my favorite.
The story is reportedly based on events from the director's own life. On leave from the military, a man named Chul Soo arrives at his fiancee's apartment and finds her not at home. He cleans the apartment and prepares dinner for her, only to discover that she has moved out, and another woman is now renting the apartment. When a few days later his fiancee tells him she is marrying another man, he has nowhere to go, and ends up staying at the apartment.
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=318088&no=280695&rel_no=1
Air Zoo exhibits WMU Sunseeker
By Jordan White
News Writer
March 23, 2006
Visitors to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo will be able to view the product of the hard work of a group of Engineering students from Western Michigan University’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences until April 9.
A solar powered car, known as the Sunseeker, will be on display at the request of the air museum, according to Abraham Poot, a lab supervisor at the CEAS and an advisor to the team that built the car.
As the car will be on display during the local public school’s Spring Break, Poot said that he and the team hope for added exposure to their efforts and to provide answers to any questions visitors may have.
http://www.westernherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/03/23/44220bf76bbfc
A Coyote Is Spotted Roaming Near the Zoo in Central Park
By THOMAS J. LUECK; MICK MEENAN CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FOR THIS ARTICLE. (NYT) 493 words
Published: March 22, 2006
It started on Monday with reports of a strange, wolf-like creature in Central Park. The mystery deepened before dawn yesterday, when it was seen loping across the 65th Street transverse road.
By late last night, the mystery was solved, but the hunt continued. There was a coyote loose in the park.
''It didn't look the least bit worried,'' said Adrian Benepe, the city's parks commissioner, who spotted the coyote about 3 p.m. in the Hallett Nature Sanctuary, near the southeast corner of the park. Nearby were the feathery remains of a duck or pigeon.
''He leaped over the fence and disappeared in the park,'' he said.
Coyotes, though not normally a threat to humans, can pose a threat to small animals.
As a result, Mr. Benepe said, until the coyote is captured or determined to have left, the department is warning people to keep their dogs on leashes in the park at all times, even after 9 p.m., when the leash law is generally not enforced.
Last night, the coyote managed to evade a formidable search party, including dozens of police officers and parks workers with a police helicopter searching overhead. Police sharpshooters shot tranquilizer darts, but it was not known if any had found their mark.
Mr. Benepe said the darkness rendered dart guns too dangerous, and the focus shifted to warning dog walkers. The full search was to resume early this morning, he said. ''Either the police will catch it, or it will find a way to leave on its own accord,'' he said.
About 10:30 p.m. a reporter spotted what appeared to be the coyote -- a tawny, furry animal that resembled a German shepherd -- on the steps leading to the parks department headquarters, at 64th Street off Fifth Avenue. It leveled a distinctly blank stare from black eyes as it was approached.
For the next half hour it darted in and out of the bushes. It was last seen around 11 p.m. on the stone wall that borders the park at 63rd Street. It stared back briefly, jumped back into the park and disappeared.
The police were notified, but the coyote had not been caught by 12:30 a.m.
How the coyote, which parks staff members have named Hal, arrived in the park may never be known. But the species has became common in parts of Westchester County, and has often been spotted in the Bronx.
In April 1999, a coyote was seen in the same section of the park, tracked down, and tranquilized, and has since resided at the Queens Zoo.
Mr. Benepe said Hal may have wandered south, perhaps swimming across the Harlem River and making its way into Manhattan.
''People shouldn't feel threatened,'' he said, but suggested that no one get close. ''Treat it like a strange dog,'' he said. ''He's probably more frightened of you than you are of him, but never pet a strange dog.''
http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0617FA3D540C718EDDAA0894DE404482
You don’t know Jack? Visit zoo’s new penguins
By BERTRAM RANTIN
News Columnist
What do a Gentoo penguin at Riverbanks Zoo and the lead singer of the rock band White Stripes have in common?
The name Jack.
Amy Butler of Columbia suggested the name after she researched the penguins online and learned that one of their distinguishing features is the white stripes on their heads.
“So I immediately thought about the band,” said Butler, who works at Continental American Insurance Group.
The Columbia resident is among several people from across the state who soon will be getting an up-close and personal visit with the 10 new Gentoo penguins at Riverbanks Zoo.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14156082.htm
Trip to zoo is big deal
By Kathy Williams
Herald Democrat
Before our grandson Jacob could speak human, he could mimic nearly every animal. He had a special voice for mama and papa and baby animals.
Once in a while, we’d ask, just to be mean in the good-hearted grandfolk sort of way, what sound does an aardvark make or what does a rabbit say? He understood it was a joke after he searched his memory banks and came up empty or developed an impressive attempt at wiggling his nose bunny-esque.
Several trips to small zoos were marred by an unexpected surge of fear about birds visiting him in the night.
On a recent visit to Austin, we went to the San Antonio Zoo for Jacob’s third birthday. “These would be the big zoo animals,” Jacob had talked about incessantly for weeks.
http://www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/2006/03/22/good_morning/good01.txt
Reid Park Zoo no longer trying to breed African elephant Shaba
By Rob O'Dell
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona Published: 03.23.2006
The Reid Park Zoo will no longer attempt to breed its 26-year-old African elephant Shaba.
The zoo announced Wednesday, that the decision was made last week despite the fact that Shaba is a healthy elephant of breeding age. The decision was based on new research that older first-time elephant mothers have a lower success rate and a greater chance for complications, said zoo administrator Susan Basford.
http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/121352
Baby swans, just weeks old, draw fans to S.A. Zoo
Web Posted: 03/23/2006 12:00 AM CST
Vincent T. Davis
Express-News Staff Writer
Joe and Kay Hott guided their grandchildren, Austin and Jazman, to gaze at the newest additions to the San Antonio Zoo's swan family Wednesday afternoon.
The Hotts, on vacation from Bella Vista, Ark., reassured their grandchildren that they were indeed at the Australian black swan habitat.
Austin, 8, leaned on a metal foot rail, asking where the quartet of young swans was. "Right there," Joe Hott said, pointing at four stone-colored fowl that hatched Feb. 14, sporting what looked like crew-cut feathers.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA032306.08B.black_swans.d35172c.html
Zoo welcomes agouti babies
Visitors to the Minnesota Zoo's exhibit "Creatures Beneath the Canopy" who look carefully and are patient may catch a glimpse of the Zoo's newest additions.
Two agouti, large rodents that live near water, were born at the zoo on Tuesday. The male and female were about the size of a baby bunny when born. They are typically curious and independent creatures which means they'll venture into the exhibit area within the next few weeks.
Agoutis are native to Central and South American forests where there is thick brush and water.
They are not an endangered species, but their numbers are dwindling in the wild because of they are hunted for food.
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=121425
131 yrs later, Adwaita leaves empty shell at Alipore Zoo
Sharmi Adhikary
Kolkata, March 23: AFTER 131 years, Adwaita is no more with the Alipore Zoo. Two days after the death of the nearly 300-year-old tortoise, the zoo’s oldest occupant, its dusty enclosure lies empty.
Brought from Latbagan in Barrackpore, the tortoise was a part of the zoo since its inception in 1875. The tortoise, or Geochelone gigantea as it is scientifically known, was estimated to be more than 260 years old.
The zoo authorities have decided to preserve its shell in the zoo museum which is being planned.
Incidentally, the shell had suffered a mild crack a few years back, but it was repaired. Zoo officials said Adwaita showed no signs of any illness, and the death was rather sudden. A post-mortem examination showed the tortoise had died of renal failure.
The tortoise, minus the shell, was cremated at the zoo hospital. The shell is being processed in the veterinary zoo hospital for preservation. ‘‘The processing work is going on. We will preserve the shell, but the sit of exhibit is yet to be finalised,’’ informed Dr Subir Chaudhuri, director of Alipore Zoo.
‘‘The animal had shown no symptoms of kidney or liver failure. It ate its usual quota of vegetable diet in the morning,’’ said Dr Chaudhuri. Adwaita died on Tuesday night.
‘‘Biswanath Ram, the caretaker who attended to the tortoise for years is really going to miss it,’’ said Chaudhuri. ‘‘When one takes care of an animal for so long, there is bound to be a bonding. And ever since Ram joined here, he was responsible for Adwaita,’’ he added.
After Adwaita’s death, the zoo’s oldest inmate is a 75-year-old Red and Blue Macaw. ‘‘The bird is well taken care of. But it must be mentioned that Adwaita was the oldest of its type in the whole of India. We have no immediate plans to replace it,’’ said Chaudhuri.
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=175003
Zoo launches Experience Great Things campaign
3/24/06
In response to the outpouring of sympathy, the Seneca Park Zoo is honoring the memory of Genny C's unborn calf. Experience Great Things will pick up where the Bucks for Baby campaign left off. Genny C's calf died last month during the delivery process. Seneca Park Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Wyatt says Genny C is doing well, eating and drinking normally and even playing. The zoo’s veterinary staff is monitoring Genny C on a daily basis.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Seneca Park Zoo officials announced Friday that they will continue to raise money to support a new elephant exhibit, specifically a new pool. The goal is to raise $250,000.00 by the fall of this year. “We are going to be calling a future fund raising campaign, "experience great things" and we are going to transform the Bucks for the Baby campaign into this new campaign that is Experience Great Things. The money raised will still support the new elephant exhibit will specifically help fund a pool for our elephants, and if you’ve ever watched Genny C and Lilac play out in the yard in the new area, a pool would be a perfect addition for these two elephants.”
Zoo officials also announced the zoo’s sox Spokeskids will continue to serve as ambassadors for the zoo and the new elephant exhibit.
http://www.10nbc.com/news.asp?template=item&story_id=18209
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