Zoos

It must be something in the water
By Zafrir Rinat
Israelis' fondness for hikes in the country appears to be exacting a high price from rare fish populations in the Jordan River basin. Researchers at Tel Aviv University believe that the bodily excretions of women hiking in Hakibbutzim Stream, in the Beit She'an Valley, are causing sexual changes in the Acanthobrama Lissneri, a species that is unique to the area. Another interesting discovery from the same area is that the Astatotilapia Flaviijosephi, which is also found only in Israel, eats mainly stones from the riverbed.
As part of a comprehensive survey of the state of the fishes in the Jordan River basin that was supervised by Dr. Menachem Goren of the TAU Zoology Department, Yaron Krotman examined the fish population in various locations, including the Astatotilapia Flaviijosephi, which lives in an area filled with springs and pools that are popular with day-trippers.
In one of the sites examined by Krotman, he found a disproportionately high number of females - more than twice the number of males. In other sites, the numbers were nearly equal. Tests of the water at the sites revealed high levels of the female hormone ethinylestriadol, which is used in contraceptive pills and is excreted with the urine into the environment.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/722927.html



Lahore Zoo takes U-turn on giraffe purchase
By Shoaib Ahmed
LAHORE: The Lahore Zoo seems to have gone back on its decision to buy a pair of giraffes, officials in the Punjab Wildlife Department told Daily Times on Thursday.
Officials said that the zoo had decided to buy the giraffes from a private company, Multiple Distributors and Manufacturers Private Limited. They said that the Department’s Zoo Maintenance Committee had even approved the purchase in an official announcement, which permitted the purchase of a pair of “southern giraffes” (found in southern Africa) for Rs 4,788,000.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C06%5C02%5Cstory_2-6-2006_pg7_31



TV hippo's zoo charged
SPCA alleges Telus star was kept in poor conditions
By CP
VANCOUVER -- The star of a series of Telus TV commercials that saw stuffed toy hippos flying off the shelves last Christmas is at the centre of a zoo scandal over her treatment.
The Greater Vancouver Zoo is facing a charge of cruelty to animals for its treatment of the two-year-old hippo.
Two counts have been laid against the zoo under a B.C. statute on recommendations from the SPCA, carrying maximum penalties of $2,000 fines, six months in jail or both.
The SPCA alleges the zoo kept Hazina alone in a windowless shed with a pool so shallow she couldn't float, which could cause health complications.
The zoo got Hazina in October 2004 and promised a new enclosure would be ready in June.
But SPCA officials say Hazina has waited too long and adequate care should have been provided from the start.
Vancouver Humane Society spokesman Peter Fricker said he is delighted charges have been laid.
"It's unconscionable that a baby hippo has been kept alone for so long," he said.
Zoo marketing manager Jody Henderson vigorously defended the zoo.
"We've said from day one we're not happy with where (Hazina) is," Henderson said.
Henderson said "a celebration party" was planned for June 24 after completion of the new $500,000 hippo facility.
Fricker criticized Telus for using Hazina in its ads.
Telus spokesman Shawn Hall said the company stipulated its $10,000 fee go directly toward a new enclosure and also helped establish a fundraising campaign.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2006/06/01/1609549-sun.html


Take Dad to the zoo for free
Celebrate Father's Day at Dickerson Park Zoo, 3043 N. Fort Ave., where fathers receive free admission from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 18.
Admission for others: $6; $4 for children 3-12, $5 for seniors 65 and older, free for children 2 and younger. Call 864-1800 or visit www.dickersonparkzoo.org.

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/ENTERTAINMENT04/606010318/1005/ENTERTAINMENT


'Baby shower' to be held at zoo
Friday, June 2, 2006
The Franklin Park Zoo is hosting "The Baby Shower" on June 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event will benefit the Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund.
Patrons who bring new baby essentials for donation receive $1 of the admission price. Essentials for donation include diapers, sippy cups, bottles, baby lotion, pacifiers, wipes, formula and onesies for donation to the Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund for distribution to needy families throughout the Commonwealth.
New animals born just in time for the zoo's 2006 season include a gorilla, zebra, giraffe and tiger cubs.
Ticket prices at the Franklin Park Zoo are $9.50 for adults; $5.50 for children 2-12; Children under 2 are free. For more information, call 617-541-LION or visit zoonewengland.com.

http://www2.townonline.com/framingham/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=508622



ST. LOUIS ZOO NEEDS DOCENTS: VOLUNTEER EDUCATORS
Docent Open House Planned for Monday, June 12
Wanted: Animal lovers to help teach about the wonders of the natural world at the St. Louis Zoo. A Docent Open House will be held at The Living World on Monday, June 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. for those interested in applying for the 2006 basic training session starting September 5 at the Zoo.
Docents are volunteer environmental educators dedicated to helping school children, Zoo visitors and the public understand and enjoy wildlife, ecosystems and conservation. These specialized volunteers generate enthusiasm about the natural world by conducting classes at the Zoo and in the community, leading educational tours, interpreting animals and more.
No experience necessary! The Zoo offers a 13-week basic training course, which includes information about the Zoo, zoology, the basics of interpretation, conservation and more. The program also provides mentoring with experienced docents, hands-on training and continuing education.
The Zoo provides this training free of charge; however, docents must be at least 18 years old, interview and be accepted into the training program. Docents are required to volunteer a minimum of 62 hours per year. Flexible scheduling is available year-round.
For more information, contact Rachel Arbogast at (314) 781-0900, ext. 313 or arbogast@stlzoo.org, or check the Zoo website at www.stlzoo.org/education.

http://www.scanews.com/2006/06/s823/82310/



Serve and sip at Toledo Zoo
In its fifth year, the wine tasting event has gained local support
By: Matt Manning
Wine tasting has seen rising pop-ularity and is now a recognizable hobby across the country. People are simply enjoying the luscious taste of the juices from grains, grapes and other types of fruit.
Toledo has found their own wine lovers, and they tend to conjugate wherever wine tasting events are held.
The Toledo Zoo has hosted numerous events that center on wine tasting, with the most recent "Vineyard Adventure" held last Friday in the Arctic Encounter portion of the zoo with the theme of the "African Adventure."
It was a night of wine, finger foods and live music all while observing the delicate state of the sleeping polar bears and swimming seals.
This is the fifth year the "Vineyard Adventures" has been held and it shows no signs of slowing down.

http://www.bgnews.com/media/storage/paper883/news/2006/05/31/Pulse/Serve.And.Sip.At.Toledo.Zoo-2015108.shtml?norewrite200606060453&sourcedomain=www.bgnews.com



Al Ain Zoo denies report on taking in sick animals, says Noor is a liar
By Lana Mahdi
2 June 2006
AL AIN — The sensational story broadcast on Abu Dhabi Arabic Radio's Studio 1 regarding an Asian man, referred to as Investor Noor, who claimed he had sold sick animals to the Al Ain Zoological Park and Aquarium (Aazpa), was categorically denied by the Zoo Director Mark Craig yesterday.
Craig said the Asian man told a false story. The Al Ain Zoo only receives animals from international organisations, government organisations within and outside the UAE, in addition to other zoos in the Emirates and abroad, but not from private individuals.
The 50-year old Asian man who was nicknamed Investor Noor by the programme's presenter has been living in Al Ain for many years and works as a livestock salesman.
Speaking to your favourite No 1 newspaper Khaleej Times, Craig asserted the Asian man told a fabricated story as every single word he said regarding the supply of sick animals by him to the zoo was false .
Noor, on the other hand, had claimed in the Studio 1 radio broadcast that he had sold “somewhat sick animals” to different customers in Al Ain, including Al Ain Zoo, various local eateries and restaurants, and individuals.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Al Ain Food Control Center told Khaleej Times that he could not comment on the case.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2006/June/theuae_June63.xml&section=theuae


Runaway lion brought back to zoo
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-06-02 12:04
Three animal trainers pull a female lion back to a zoo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 31, 2006. The lion escaped to a road outside the zoo during a performance. More than 100 policemen and zoo staff were deployed to capture the lion and bring it back to the zoo. No injuries was reported. [Xinhua]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-06/02/content_607248.htm


Wildebeests join zoo exhibit
Eight wildebeests will join the African savanna exhibit next week at the Minnesota Zoo. The animals arrived Tuesday morning on loan from the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas, said zoo spokeswoman Kelly Lessard. The year-old herd includes five males and three females.
It's the first time wildebeests have been on exhibit at the zoo. With the addition, there will be 22 animals in the "Summer on the Savanna" exhibit, including two giraffes, two ostriches, five zebras and five gazelles. The exhibit features a 6-acre habitat designed to simulate the animals' environment in the grasslands of East Africa.
Zoo employees expect the wildebeests to join their fellow African creatures early next week after they get acquainted with their new surroundings, Lessard said.
The three-month exhibit opened Saturday to 7,182 visitors — 1,515 more than a year ago on the same day. Overall attendance for Memorial Day weekend totaled 3,500 fewer than last year, likely because of the heat.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/14720418.htm



For zoo, follow the exit signs
Councilman aids ‘family-friendly’ route from I-69
By Benjamin Lanka
The Journal Gazette
Out-of-town guests should have an easier – and hopefully better – path to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo thanks to numerous projects just completed, a Fort Wayne city councilman said Thursday.
Councilman Tom Didier, R-3rd, announced the completion of a new traffic signal at Wells Street and Franke Park Drive and a newly designated route to the zoo from Interstate 69.
Didier said he campaigned on wanting to make Fort Wayne a destination. Making it easier to get to one of the city’s top attractions was a good starting point, he said.
The intersection project cost the city $241,400, paid in part from income tax revenues allocated by Didier and other councilmen. The intersection includes a new traffic signal and new turn lanes.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/14721079.htm



Petting zoo open to all
The Barnyard Buddies Petting Zoo invites community members to get up close and personal with some of their favorite farm animals. Children will love petting the rabbits, pigs, goats, llamas, donkeys and more. The cost is $2 and pony rides cost $3. Hand-washing stations are available, and Barnyard Buddies is USDA licensed. Barnyard Buddies is located in the lot just west of Archibald's Restaurant at Gardner Village, 1100 W. 7800 South in West Jordan. It's open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting. For more information, call 801-455-5679 or visit www.gardnervillage.com.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635211599,00.html



Zoo guard charged with stealing from donation boxes
From Press staff reports
Published: Friday, June 2, 2006
Updated: Friday, June 2, 2006
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP — An overnight security guard at the Cape May County Park & Zoo was charged with stealing money from donation boxes, according to Middle Township police.
Police charged Allen B. Smith, 32, of the Villas, with theft, burglary and official misconduct, police Capt. Scott Webster said.
Webster said park supervisors uncovered evidence that a security guard had access to donation boxes, which are located at four spots throughout the grounds.
Police said Smith allegedly took money from donation boxes while on his rounds as a security guard.
The theft occurred during a one-year period, police said.
Police said Smith has been suspended without pay from his position. Police have not said how much money may have been taken.
“At this point, it's still being tabulated, because basically you're talking donations. So the amount varies on a day-to-day basis,” Webster said.
County park employees cooperated with Middle Township police detectives in the investigation.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/capemay/story/6404201p-6257690c.html



PETA calls for end to cat program at Cincinnati Zoo
Animal rights group challenges captive breeding
BY QUAN TRUONG ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Cincinnati Zoo's small cat conservation program is "breeding and callously disposing of domestic cats," an animal rights group charged Thursday.
In a letter to Gregg Hudson, president of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called on the zoo to stop the breeding program and allow PETA to help put the cats up for adoption.
The program breeds domestic cats and conducts reproductive research.
Hudson was not available Thursday night, but John Dillon, the zoo's director of animal conservation programs, disputed the charges and said PETA "has an anti-research agenda. Whether it (research) will save lives, they don't care."
Mary Beth Sweetland, senior vice president for PETA, said the zoo's program is "consigning domestic cats to a life of loneliness and misery" at what PETA characterizes as an "animal experimentation business."
Dillon said the zoo puts the cats up for adoption after research. But he confirmed that the zoo also has donated cats to Summit Ridge Farms, which the zoo calls a nutritional research business. The zoo did a background check on Summit Ridge and found that the Susquehanna, Pa., facility is credible and well run, he said.
"We have a moral responsibility for their (the cats') well-being and we do everything in our power to take care of the animals from cradle to grave," Dillon said.
PETA asked the zoo to use other conservation measures, such as habitat protection, to help endangered species.
Dillon said captive breeding is only a part of the zoo's comprehensive approach to wildlife conservation. "Is it the be-all and end-all? No. Is it an integral part? Of course," he said.
The zoo program is registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and undergoes periodic, unannounced inspections, said zoo spokesman Chad Yelton.
The zoo began its small cat conservation program in 2001 and uses the research to help save endangered cat species.
E-mail qtruong@enquirer.com

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/NEWS01/606020393/1056



Zoo receives state grant, hopes for future funding
BY J.L. BARDELLINE
STAFF WRITER
ROYAL OAK - A $4 million grant from the state to the Detroit Zoo will assist the transfer of zoo operations and provide funding for the year. But the zoo will need more funding from Detroit and the state, and possibly a regional tax, to keep up its budget.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill last week giving the zoo $4 million. State funding was part of the agreement for transferring the zoo's operation from Detroit to the Detroit Zoological Society, the zoo's fund-raising entity, earlier this year.
The Detroit City Council had taken the zoo out of the city's budget because it was costing the city about $5 million a year. Under the transfer, the city still owns the property and assets, but the society is responsible for running and operating the zoo.
The original offer of $4 million from the state expired when the Detroit City Council rejected the first transfer plan. The council approved a revised transfer plan in March and the state Legislature re-approved the funding last week.
"We have asked both the city (of Detroit) and the state for funding for next year," said zoo spokeswoman Patricia Mills. "With regard to the state, we will go back for at least $4 million."
Detroit has pledged to give the zoo about $5 million a year for two years for capital expenses.
Other than city and state funding, Mills said, the zoo is looking at other funding sources, such as private donations and a regional tax. How much of a tax would be needed, though, had not been decided, she said.
(248) 546-4900 ext. 230 jbardelline@hometownlife.com
Originally published June 2, 2006

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/NEWS/606020306/1024/NEWS07




Phoenix Zoo plans summertime after-hours activities
By Michael Grady, Tribune
June 2, 2006
Zoos can be a little frustrating come summertime. In midafternoon, the wildlife you see is often limited to the hindquarters of exotic creatures as they crawl under shade or dive into their habitats for relief. And who can blame them?
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Lifestyle
The hearty few who venture outside will stare across their enclosures at the sun-baked patrons, as if to say, “I work here. What’s your excuse?” But the Phoenix Zoo has come up with a Friday-night cure for the summertime zoos.
STARRY SAFARI
The zoo is bringing on the night shift to give East Valley families a little hot-weather relief.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=66918



Zoo expect African elephant calf
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville Zoo is expecting a new attraction come next spring. Homegrown, of course.
Mikki, a 20-year-old African elephant, is pregnant by artificial insemination. Zoo officials have not determined the 150-to 200-pound calf's gender and believe the insemination last June did the trick.
"We've been working on this for years," said Zoo Director John Walczak.
This was the zoo's second try at artificial insemination. The zoo verified Mikki's pregnancy by sonogram last November.
Mikki, born in Africa, came to Louisville at age 2. She lives in the zoo's newest elephant habitat with roommate Punch, an older female Asian elephant.
Deborah Olson, American Zoo and Aquarium Association's North American African elephant studbook keeper, said Mikki and four other elephants in U.S. zoos are pregnant.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/14716863.htm


World in one place at revamped zoo
THE Johannesburg Zoo has begun an ambitious five-year upgrade to create a unique experience for visitors, recreating the diverse eco-zones of the planet.
January 12, 2005
By Tabisa Mntengwana
SOON Joburg residents will be able to walk the spice route or explore the Amazon without even leaving the city.
The Johannesburg Zoo has embarked on an ambitious five-year plan to upgrade and renovate its facilities.
"We are not only going to rebuild the old buildings, there will also be new walkways, buildings and trees," says Johannesburg Zoo's CEO Jenny Gray.
Forest floor for the Amazonia section. A boardwalk has been completed and trees planted
While mammoth changes are planned, "some of the buildings will stay as they are" as part of the zoo's heritage, adds enrichment coordinator Mathew van Lierop.
The zoo is planning to create seven distinct zones - the Spice Route, Heart of Africa, Southern Safari, Extreme Environments, Amazonia, a farmyard and an entertainment area - bringing different parts of the world to Joburg.

http://www.joburg.org.za/2005/jan/jan12_zoo_plan.stm



Joburg Zoo celebrates 100 years
March 24, 2004
By Bontle Moeng
A HAVEN for endangered and exotic animals, a venue for musical concerts, or a pleasant park for a family picnic, the Johannesburg Zoo has served the residents of the city for 100 years.
And on 10 July the zoo will hold a centenary birthday party.
The Johannesburg Zoo has come a long way since it first opened in 1904, when 200 acres of land was officially accepted by the town council of the day and signed over to the people of Johannesburg as a recreational venue.
Elephant rides
The animals housed at the zoo in the early days were: one male lion, one male baboon, one female leopard, a pair of Indian apes, two male Sable antelopes, one Golden eagle, one African wild cat, a pair of porcupines, and one female giraffe.

http://www.joburg.org.za/2004/march/mar24_zoo.stm




Four Tiger Cubs Debut At Argentinean Zoo
Pups Still Feeding From Mother
POSTED: 9:58 am CDT June 2, 2006
UPDATED: 10:07 am CDT June 2, 2006
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Four new additions to an Argentinean zoo are making quite a roar.
Four tiger cubs born last month are the latest attraction at a zoo east of Buenos Aires.
The pups -- two females and two males -- are still feeding from their mother, but made their public debut on Thursday.
The zoo is considering giving local students the chance to name the baby tigers.
Zookeepers said the new cubs are spending much of their days alongside their mother.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9311562/detail.html



SF Zoo opens new elephant seal pup exhibit
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - They're known as "weaners," but the San Francisco Zoo's new elephant seal pups have adult-sized appetites.
Four orphaned pups, who were emaciated and suffering from various wounds when they were rescued along the San Luis Obispo County coast, each devoured about five pounds of herring in one sitting Thursday at the zoo's new elephant seal exhibit and rehabilitation center.
The pups, who are each around three months old, will stay at the zoo for a month honing their swimming skills, building muscle and coordination, and loading up on herring before they are released back into the Pacific Ocean.
They were the first guests at the zoo's new exhibit.
The zoo is partnering with Sausalito's Marine Mammal Center, which has agreed to provide volunteers to help feed and monitor the seals.
Their new home is a 75-foot long pool that has been empty for more than a year since the departure of two harbor seals to Miami, said Bob Jenkins, the zoo's director of animal care and conservation.
A full house is expected as more injured seals are rescued and admitted.
"One in seven of our patients at the center is there as a result of human interaction," Merrill Magowan, the Marine Mammal Center's chairman of the board. "It's time we must let seals be seals."

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/14726795.htm



Zoo exhibit's bugs make kids grin and parents cringe
Zoo exhibit allows kids to get up close and personal with tarantulas, grasshoppers and some bugs parents won't find so disgusting
By J.M. Baról
Tribune Reporter
June 2, 2006
If 21-month-old Gracie Garrison could speak in complete sentences, she probably would have said something like: "Ooo, cool! Millipedes!"
But at the Rio Grande Zoo's Backyard Bug exhibit last week, it was Gracie's mom who did the talking.

http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/features/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19849_4743207,00.html



Endangered bird population taking off thanks to unique breeding technique
By TODD SAELHOF, CALGARY SUN
That’s thanks to a program — featuring artificial insemination, incubation and egg transportation — which has taken flight to boost the worldwide whooping crane population.
Researcher Keith Gibson said the zoo’s contribution has helped the species grow from only 21 worldwide in 1945 to 480 populating the planet today.
“It’s really turned into one of our signature conservation efforts,” said Gibson of the program at the Calgary Zoo’s Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre.
“People want these birds around and understand their value.”
The zoo’s crane keeper, Dwight Knapik, said the program’s key is in artificial insemination, which has worked for three years to produce more fertile eggs.
In the wild, each female lays just two eggs a year, but zookeepers can coax more by removing them from the mother so she’ll lay a second — and sometimes a third — clutch.
Knapik then places the eggs — each one long, oval and barely fitting in the keeper’s palm — in an incubator, which provides them the proper humidity, temperature and movement.
After up to 28 days in the incubator, Knapik bundles eggs ready to hatch in a transport box — a heated carrier much like an organ transport cooler but powered by battery packs — and takes them by air to a wildlife research centre in Maryland.
There, the eggs hatch and the young cranes are introduced to the wild by training to fly — by sight and sound — behind a modified ultralight aircraft on a migration route to Florida.
“Before they hatch, the eggs are played sounds of an ultralight motor so they know what to follow,” Knapik said.
“We measure success by how many chicks we get flying and released into the wild, and that’s been 16 since 1996.”
Funding for the program is helped by sponsorship, including a recent $5,000 grant from Shell Canada’s Environmental Fund and a 50-cent donation from each bottle sold by Banrock Station, an Australian wine producer.
The zoo currently has two whooping cranes on display, while 24 more live at the conservation centre south of Calgary.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2006/06/02/1612173.html



Dustin Block - End of the free zoo a symptom of an underlying problem
By Dustin Block
Like many people, I was sad to hear about the Racine Zoo's decision to charge admission. I admired the zoo's long-standing tradition of opening its gates, and can't help but feel we have failed in our responsibility as a community to provide for children and families.
Charging $4 for adults and $2 for children will further restrict who can attend the zoo. (I say further because even a free zoo comes with the costs of finding the time to go and figuring out a way to get there - two obstacles that prevent many hard-working families from enjoying even a free activity.) Charging 1 cent for admission will keep more people away; charging $12 for a family of four cuts out many more.
Any fee is a simple solution, backed by a simple argument: Charge the people who use the zoo. Why should anyone who never goes to the zoo pay their hard-earned taxes so others can go free? It's un-American. A fee is the only reasonable way to manage a community resource.

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/06/03/local/columns/iq_4047943.txt


Zoo outing provides escape from reality of serious illness
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Sarah Crump
Plain Dealer Reporter
Elizabeth Griffin doesn't look like she belongs at 2006 DreamNight. The free private evening Friday at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo was only for children who live with chronic illnesses or disabilities and their families.
She bounces from giant koala to kangaroo to tiger, hugging the furry costumed critters while other children ride past in wheelchairs. Dressed in jeans and a pink jacket with "Princess" embroidered on it, she seems as healthy as any 6-year-old.
Being sick isn't on Elizabeth's mind. Not tonight.
Seeing the elephants -- her favorite -- and getting her face painted are at the top of her list. A just reward for wrapping up a year of kindergarten at Our Lady of Angels School in Cleveland.
Elizabeth and her family were among about 600 people attending DreamNight in Cleveland.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/114932357748340.xml&coll=2



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



Thai activists block elephant transport
By Grant Peck, Associated Press Writer June 5, 2006
BANGKOK, Thailand --Animal rights activists Monday blocked trucks from transporting eight elephants bound for Australian zoos, saying the animals would suffer.
The elephants were in separate trucks at a quarantine station in the western Thai province of Kanchanaburi, waiting to be driven to Bangkok airport for a flight to Australia late Monday night.
But Soraida Salwala, founder of the Thai group Friends of the Asian Elephant, and a local environmentalist stepped in front of the lead truck, blocking its way. Television footage showed the truck stopping barely a foot in front of them.
The standoff continued into the night, Soraida said by phone. She and her colleague remained inside the university compound that houses the quarantine station, while a fence had been erected to keep others out. About 100 supporters were outside the fence, she said.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2006/06/05/thai_activists_block_elephant_transport/



To Stem Widespread Extinction, Scientists Airlift Frogs in Carry-On Bags
ATLANTA, June 5 — Of all the things airport security screeners have discovered as they rifle through travelers' luggage, the suitcases full of frogs were a first.
In a race to save amphibians threatened by an encroaching, lethal fungus, two conservationists from Atlanta recently packed their carry-ons with frogs rescued from a Central American rain forest — squeezing some 150 to a suitcase — and requested permission from airlines to travel with them in the cabin of the plane.
The frogs, snuggly swaddled in damp moss in vented plastic deli containers big enough for a small fruit salad, were perhaps the last of their kind, collected from a pristine national park that fills the bowl of El Valle, an inactive volcano in Panama.
In many parts of the world, habitat loss is thought to be the biggest driver of amphibian extinctions, but the frogs in El Valle are facing a more insidious threat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/science/06frog.html


concluding …