Zoos
An Elephant Crackup?
By CHARLES SIEBERT
Published: October 8, 2006
"We’re not going anywhere,’’ my driver, Nelson Okello, whispered to me one morning this past June, the two of us sitting in the front seat of a jeep just after dawn in Queen Elizabeth National Park in southwestern Uganda. We’d originally stopped to observe what appeared to be a lone bull elephant grazing in a patch of tall savanna grasses off to our left. More than one ‘‘rogue’’ had crossed our path that morning — a young male elephant that has made an overly strong power play against the dominant male of his herd and been banished, sometimes permanently. This elephant, however, soon proved to be not a rogue but part of a cast of at least 30. The ground vibrations registered just before the emergence of the herd from the surrounding trees and brush. We sat there watching the elephants cross the road before us, seeming, for all their heft, so light on their feet, soundlessly plying the wind-swept savanna grasses like land whales adrift above the floor of an ancient, waterless sea.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08elephant.html
Baron's monster prize stag just a chocolate-loving softy
Wednesday October 4, 2006
By Tony Paterson
BERLIN - For Baron Eberhard von Gemmingen-Hornberg, it was a trophy hunter's dream come true.
Deep in the Bulgarian countryside last year a single shot from the German aristocrat's rifle brought a giant stag of unprecedented proportions toppling stone dead to the forest floor.
The magnificent beast weighed more than 300kg and bore a huge crown of tree-like antlers on its head made up of no fewer than 37 branches.
The trophy was enough to enable the Baron to claim that he had achieved a new world hunting record.
But yesterday it emerged the trophy was no roaring wild stag but a tame, chocolate-loving red deer raised in an Austrian game reserve and deliberately fed calcium tablets to enhance the growth of its antlers.
"The stag's name was Burlei, he was completely tame and children liked to feed him chocolate," the animal's former owner, Rudolf Pottinger, said.
Pottinger sold Burlei to two game dealers last summer for £13,5000 ($38,678) and within a month the stag was roaming Bulgarian hunting estate forests.
The Baron's triumph was shattered after photographs of Burlei grazing in his former home appeared on the internet.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10404149
Lions’ den to begin zoo revamp
Dudley Zoo has been given the go-ahead for a new £120,000 lions enclosure. The scheme has won approval from council planning chiefs and is the first stage of a major £100 million redevelopment at the Castle Hill attraction.
The work will allow visitors to get closer to the animals and could be built by the end of the year
Zoo chief executive Peter Suddock, said the development should prove the “mane” attraction.
“We’re obviously very pleased - and so are the lions,” he said.
“It is part of a series of moves and will allow us to move on to the many other exciting developments we have in the pipeline.
“It will also benefit the tigers, who will move into the old lions enclosure. We’re hoping it will become the pride of the zoo.”
The new enclosure is around one-and-a-half times the size of the existing pen and will see the zoo’s tigers relocated into the current lion’s den.
That will allow a new building for the zoo’s orang utans to be constructed in keeping with its famous Tecton buildings, some of which date back to 1937.
The major redevelopment of the zoo and Dudley Castle site will see the creation of Siegecraft, an exhibition setting out the area’s history and medieval life in Dudley.
The revamp is also set to include a spectacular 20 metre high rainforest dome and the creation of dinosaur exhibition “Origins”.
http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2006/10/05/lions-den-to-begin-zoo-revamp/
Zoo decides to close its elephant exhibit
Philadelphia Business Journal - October 5, 2006
The Philadelphia Zoo said Thursday it will close its elephant exhibit, saying it has insufficient capital funding to build a new, larger habitat.
Three African elephants will be moved to an expanded habitat at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, while a fourth, an Asian elephant, will be relocated to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn.
The transition will be made by spring.
"The zoo leadership -- guided by our animal experts and independent resources -- has consistently said it will do what is right for our elephants, even if that means finding them new homes," said the zoo's board chairman, Peter Gould. "There is no question that this plan is the right thing to do."
The board, which last year concluded that the zoo lacked the necessary capital funding for a new elephant exhibit, concluded that it was in the best interests of the elephants to move them.
The elephants range in age from 23 to 50 years old.
The Philadelphia Zoo, with an annual budget of $25 million, has undergone a massive capital campaign in recent years, raising $60 million for new exhibits, including the $20 million, Bank of America Big Cat Falls.
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2006/10/02/daily32.html
Philadelphia Zoo Relocating Its Elephants
First Reported by Action News and 6abc.com
by Vernon Odom and Bob Monek
PHILADELPHIA - October 5, 2006 - As first reported by Action News on 6abc.com, the Philadelphia Zoo has decided to part ways with its elephants.
The announcement that the elephant exhibit would be closed came at a news conference this afternoon.
"The Zoo leadership, guided by our animal experts and independent resources, has consistently said it will do what is right for our elephants, even if that means finding them new homes," said Zoo Board Chairman Peter Gould. "There is no question that this plan is the right thing to do."
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=4630710
Zoo backs "rude" Walters
Sydney Confidential
October 06, 2006 12:00
STEVE Irwin's close friend and manager John Stainton has leapt to the defence of Barbara Walters after the TV news queen was attacked in an email claiming she was a ``mean, angry, old dragon'' when she visited Australia Zoo last month.
The email, sent to New York media site Gawker, was from an unknown person purporting to be an employee at the late Irwin's zoo at Beerwah. It claimed Walters was "rude and nasty'' to staff while there to interview the Crocodile Hunter's widow, Terri.
But Stainton yesterday rejected the claim, saying Walters was ``fantastic''. ``No one from the staff would have said that, I can assure you,'' Stainton said.
``She was a lovely, charming woman. I thought it was amazing she flew all that way out and turned up that morning and did an interview. I was really taken by it and so was Terri.''
The email claimed Australia Zoo staff would have told 78-year-old Walters ``where to go'' if the legendary journalist had been younger. ``Never in my life have I seen someone as rude, mean and nasty as Walters,'' the email said.
``I would never want to work with her as she is just a mean, angry, old dragon.''
The person claiming to be a staff member said Walters spoke to her own crew and zoo staff like ``slaves'' from the moment she arrived. ``She would never ask a question, she would just yell it and expect you to know that she was talking to you,'' the person wrote.
A spokesman from Channel 9, who shared equipment and crew with Walters' entourage on her first day in Beerwah, described the 78-year-old as ``pleasant'' and ``polite''.
But another insider on set the following day said Walters (left, pictured with Terri) was everything the person who wrote the email claimed. ``I think the jet-lag set in,'' the insider said.
Confidential also hears the talkshow host had a spray at a Qantas liaison officer who was walking too fast at Brisbane airport, with Walters shouting: ``Person, person, wait.''
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20531372-5006002,00.html
Zoo Dedicates Education Center
Reported by: 9News
Web produced by: Laura Hornsby
Photographed by: 9News
First posted: 10/5/2006 2:53:45 PM
The Cincinnati Zoo has dedicated the largest project it has ever undertaken.
After a vine cutting ceremony, the Harold C. Schott Education Center officially opened in Thursday.
With a price tag of $8.4 million, the 33,000 square foot center features a tropical rain forest, a 250 seat theater and ten classrooms.
Zoo officials hope the center will inspire passion for nature and a desire to save wildlife for future generations.
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/10/05/zoo.html
Diana storm over zoo visit
Oct 6 2006
EXCLUSIVE by Deborah James Daily Post Staff
MEMORIES of Princess Diana were removed from Chester Zoo in preparation for a Royal visit yesterday
Staff took down a photograph of Diana and a plaque commemorating her visit to the zoo's chimpanzee house before the Duke of Kent arrived for an official tour.
The zoo last night insisted the decision was not influenced by any perceived rift between the Royal Family and Diana, who was formerly Countess of Chester.
understands the photograph and plaque were removed on advice from the office of the Queen's representative in the region, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire William Bromley Davenport.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_headline=diana-storm-over-zoo-visit&method=full&objectid=17882141&siteid=50061-name_page.html
Local Zoo Pushing Hard for Funding Vote
Oct 6, 2006 06:52 AM EDT
With just a month left before election day, the zoo issue is part of a big campaign push. Lansing's Potter Park Zoo wants Ingham County voters to vote yes on their millage. With little money and even less time, Potter Park Zoo supporters are trying to convince Ingham County voters to support the zoo millage.
Mark Pischea, The Rossman Group: "November seventh is our deadline, and so we have between now and then to communicate to as many voters as we possibly can."
On election day, voters will decide whether or not they want the county to take over the cost of paying for the zoo. Mark Pischea is in charge of zoo's campaign push, and says they have their work cut out for them.
http://www.wlns.com/Global/story.asp?S=5505355&nav=0RbQ
The Best Little Zoo in Bolivia
The best place to observe Bolivian family life is without doubt a Sunday at La Paz zoo. It is also the most incredible zoo I have ever visited.
The taxi from downtown La Paz cost less than £2 and was an experience in its own right. During the twenty-minute drive our driver pointed out President Evo Morales house complete with gun toting guards. As we drove out of the valley, leaving sprawling La Paz behind, he showed us where Bolivia’s richest residents live in a chic compound reminiscent of the OC set. “These people grew rich by corruption”, he said.
Outside the zoo families milled around. At ten o’clock the ticket booth opened and we paid the four Boliviano entrance fee (25p). We had been told that feeding time was imminent and, eager not to miss out, we asked a zookeeper which animals were not to be missed. The big cats were apparently the big ticket. Racing through the zoo we came upon some small, empty enclosures. Coming from the rooms attached we heard all sorts of ferocious growls. Something was hungry. A zookeeper appeared, pushing a wheelbarrow of meat. We knew we were just in time for the show.
http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/travel/2006/10/the_best_little_zoo_in_bolivia_1.html
Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection Fact Sheet
Product Overview: The "Zookeeper Collection" provides the ultimate zoo experience with three of the most popular titles from the award-winning "Zoo Tycoon" franchise, allowing players to step into their zoo where they will be face to face with 70 animals, hundreds of building objects and guests in a completely 3-D world. In "Zoo Tycoon 2", enhanced building options and more management choices allow players of all ages and skill levels to be even more creative in building and managing habitats and zoo attractions so that guests are happier and animals are more entertaining. With "Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species", players will come face to face with some of the world's rarest animals while doing their part to bring these unique species back from the brink of extinction. Going on safari takes on a whole new meaning with "Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure", where gamers of all ages will experience firsthand the biodiversity of the African continent and the animals that live there.
http://home.nestor.minsk.by/game/news/2006/10/0613.html
Get the Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania demo off WP (270mb)
A. System Requirements
Zoo Tycoon 2 and Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania require a personal computer with the following minimum system requirements:
- 1-gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor.
- Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista.
- 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM or 512 MB of RAM if using Windows Vista.
- 600 MB of available hard disk space (plus space for Zoo Tycoon 2).
- 4× CD-ROM drive. The game CD must be inserted in the CD-ROM drive to play.
- Graphics card with 32 MB Hardware T&L (plus support for DirectX 9.0c or later, which is included on the CD).
- Microsoft keyboard and mouse or Microsoft-compatible keyboard and pointing device.
- Installed version of Zoo Tycoon 2.
- Sound card and speakers or headphones for optional audio.
· Internet access for optional Zoo Tycoon 2 downloadable content.
B. Installation
This section describes how to manually install the software components necessary to play Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania in the event that they are not installed automatically.
NOTE: We recommend you uninstall earlier Beta, Trial, and OEM versions of the game before you install the Retail version.
To uninstall earlier versions of the game on a computer running Windows XP or an earlier operating system
On the Windows taskbar, click Start, click Settings and Control Panel (or just Control Panel, depending on your operating system), and then click Add or Remove Programs.
http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=37704&mode=thread&order=0
Painting Competition at Patna Zoo to Mark Wild Life Week
Patna: October 6, 2006
Nearly a thousand young students from 16 schools in Patna participated in a drawing and painting competition at Patna's Sanjay Gandhi Botanical and Zoological Garden on Thursday to mark the national Wild Life week (October 2 to 8) and develop awareness of wildlife conservation among the children.
The competition was held in two phases comprising four groups. Children studying in class III formed Group A, Group B with children studying between class IV to VI, Group C consisted of children from class VII to IX, and Group D had children studying in class X through XII.
The contestants were not charged entry fee at the door and at the conclusion of the contest, they were allowed to enjoy train and boat ride to their hearts content.
Winners will be declared and awarded on Sunday, October 8 during a cultural function organized by the district officials. The event will feature dance and songs and a quiz contest, zoo officials said.
http://www.patnadaily.com/news2006/october/100606/painting_contest_at_zoo.html
The Lake Superior Zoo's Accreditation Has Escaped
(AP) Duluth, Minn. The American Association of Zoos and Aquariums says it won't renew the zoo's five-year accreditation after a recent inspection. It's the first time the zoo has lost the status since getting it in 1985.
The zoo has been the object of city belt-tightening in recent years.
The most costly improvement called for probably is replacing an antiquated water-cooling and circulation system for the Polar Shores exhibit, home to polar bears Bubba and Berlin.
Current zoo director Ryan Gulker says many problems cited by inspectors can be easily fixed by reorganizing staff or updating policies. He says the loss of accreditation doesn't mean much to visitors now, but might make it harder to raise private money.
http://wcco.com/local/local_story_279084042.html
Zoo adds elephants as part of swap
The Business Journal of Jacksonville - October 6, 2006
The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has added two female African elephants from a Kansas zoo as part of a transfer of breeding animals.
A pair of 24-year-old elephants recently arrived at the zoo from Lee Richardzon Zoo in Garden City, Kan. The animals had been at the Kansas zoo since 1986.
The Jacksonville Zoo will in turn send two of its female elephants to Kansas later this year after Lee Richardson Zoo doubles the indoor space available to its elephants.
The transfer is part of the AZA African Elephant Species Survival Program to help boost reproduction and enhance the population -- and ultimately the long-term sustainability -- of elephants held in accredited zoos. Jacksonville Zoo has one of only a few reproductive-age African bull elephants in North America.
To help with the transfer of its elephants, Lee Richardson Zoo sent its lead elephant keeper to Jacksonville to help settle the animals, which will not be exhibited at the zoo while they undergo a month-long quarantine and adjust to their new surroundings.
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2006/10/02/daily36.html?jst=b_ln_hl
Zoo collects record number of eggs from endangered butterflies
Friday, October 06, 2006
PORTLAND - The Oregon Zoo has collected more than 8,000 eggs from 32 rare Oregon silverspot butterflies - by far the most it has ever collected during eight years of involvement in a captive-rearing program to help save the delicate creatures from extinction.
Previously, the most eggs collected had been 5,200. After a year of care, the zoo will release the endangered butterfly pupae at the Nature Conservancy's 280-acre Cascade Head Preserve, north of Lincoln City, where they will emerge as butterflies.
This year, female silverspot butterflies were collected from Mt. Hebo and induced to lay eggs at the Oregon Zoo's butterfly breeding facility. The butterfly eggs are collected daily and put into petri dishes where they hatch into tiny larvae.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/1160152425178600.xml&coll=6
Taronga Zoo marks 90th birthday
Sydney's Taronga Zoo is celebrating its 90th birthday today with new displays, cake and treats for the animals.
The zoo has declined to comment on whether its visitor numbers have been affected by the opening of a rival zoo at Darling Harbour.
But it says it continues to grow and look to the future.
Taronga spokesman Mark Williams says the zoo has always been popular and it has gained a new relevance in recent times.
"People are starting to recognise in these modern times particularly that the zoos - modern zoos - provide an island of space in which people can reconnect with the natural world, which we're increasingly separated from by the lifestyles that are brought to us by technology," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200610/s1757787.htm
Something to Squeal About at Mesker Park Zoo
Oct 6, 2006 04:06 PM EDT
Two new Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs have arrived at Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden.
The 12-week-old pigs are both females and are on exhibit near the Gibbon exhibit, across from the entrance of the Children's Enchanted Forest.
The pure black pig is Miss Truffles and the pig with some white on her is Lily. Eventually, Zookeepers and Docents will take Miss Truffles and Lily off exhibit and around Zoo grounds to interact with visitors.
http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=5507535&nav=3w6o
Don’t feed the animals in Canada’s parliamentary zoo
By Harvey Dorval
Oct 06 2006
Our Parliament reconvened recently but I don’t think I’m ready for it. Let me say right up front that I’m trying to avoid the temptation to slip into a rant about the shortcomings of parliamentary democracy as practiced in Canada.
If I had to choose one thing, one image that erases any respect I might have for our elected representatives, it’s the sight and sound of adults (well paid adults, by the way) behaving like the animals in the zoo at feeding time. I’m referring to the daily Question Period which is nothing more than a degradation of what parliament is supposed to be: a place for reasoned debate of issues of national importance. Instead, many of our MPs carry on like howling, giggling Neanderthals at best and chattering, screeching inmates of the monkey cage at worst.
http://www.pqbnews.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=50&cat=48&id=744512&more=
Zoo Mourns Stillborn Baby
Oct 6, 2006 11:05 PM EDT
Sad news from the Cincinnati Zoo's gorilla population as a much anticipated addition didn't make it.
The zoo reports that Samantha, a 36-year-old female, gave birth to a full term stillborn on Thursday. Samantha, a lowland gorilla, was one of the zoo's mothering veterans giving birth to six and a grandmother of 11 offspring.
The zoo staff said that everything looked normal for the full term pregnancy and are conducting a necropsy to find out what happened to the baby gorilla.
The news comes shortly after another birth was celebrated in the zoo's lowland gorilla population, considered on of the most prolific breeding programs in the country. On August 13th, Bakari was born to 24-year-old mother Muke.
http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=5509208&nav=0zHF
Saigon Zoo in shambles without solution
The Saigon Zoo in Ho Chi Minh City appears to be falling apart as the number of visitors continues to dwindle. Authorities have no renewal plans and instead want to build a new park.
The animal’s poorly maintained living environments make the zoo a generally gloomy place to visit.
Many of the cages’ foundations have deteriorated but no one has bothered to remedy them. Moss grows densely in the animals’ homes.
Insufficient safety conditions have also discouraged visitors as a seven-year-old girl reportedly fell into the crocodile lake last year.
The zoo turnout this month was thin as management failed to provide exciting activities and left visitors to watch dull and inactive animals, caged and sulky in a stagnant environment.
Time for refurbishment
At a conference held in HCMC last September, Jorg Adler, vice head of the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Animals and Populations, strongly criticized the way monkeys at the Saigon Zoo were being kept in small, damp, and dark cages. He said such methods were unscientific and unacceptable.
Attendants at the meeting proposed that zoo management refurbish the place for the sake of the animals as the small cages are simply unhealthy.
In 2005, the HCMC administration began plans with the Saigon Zoo to build a new Safari Park in the city’s Cu Chi District to create a more attractive zoological destination.
But to date, the mammoth project, totaling trillions of dong (16,000 dong worth around one USD), has yet to be implemented as it is still waiting for the go-ahead from the government.
The revitalization of the Saigon Zoo and the construction of a new zoo will be massive undertakings.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=20903
Md. zoo awaiting arrival of elephants
Metro Digest
Originally published October 6, 2006
Elephants Dolly and Ana have long reigned as a major attraction at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.
In 2003, when dire financial straits at the zoo threatened to send the elephants packing, the public rallied and donations poured in. And Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. - a Republican whose party mascot happens to resemble them - forked over millions in state aid.
The big girls were saved from extinction (at the zoo anyway). Now, plans are being made for a trio of heavyweights from Philly to join them. Three female African elephants are slated to make the Maryland Zoo their new home late this spring, zoo officials announced yesterday.
Petal, 50, Kallie, 24, and Bette, 23 - who reside at the Philadelphia Zoo - will join Dolly, 30, and Ana, 32, in an effort to ramp up breeding possibilities at the zoo, an important aspect of the zoo's missions of conservation and ecology. The species has dwindled in recent years.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.briefs06oct06,0,2401862.story?coll=bal-local-headlines
Mishap temporarily unleashes tiger at private SoCal zoo
Associated Press
HESPERIA, Calif. - A tiger escaped his cage at a private high desert zoo Friday, attacking a donkey before animal officials shot the big cat with tranquilizers and lassoed him back into his pen.
The animal left his cage after a new cleaning crew at the Cinema Safari Zoo mistakenly left the gate open, said Steve Matarano, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game.
After escaping, the tiger "decided to go after a donkey at the facility" and bit it in the neck, Matarano said. The donkey did not suffer any life-threatening injuries, he said, adding the tiger was declawed.
The tiger was seen by helicopter cameras pacing, and sometimes just sitting, near an open cage for several hours as Fish and Game wardens, a veterinarian technician and others cautiously surround the animal.
It continued to pace after being shot with tranquilizers. Shortly after a rope was lassoed around its neck, the tiger appeared to willingly return to the cage.
The tiger's escape didn't pose a threat to the public since it stayed within the fenced zoo, Matarano said.
A call to the zoo after business hours Friday was not immediately returned.
The zoo has a menagerie of wild and domestic animals, including many trained to appear on television and in the movies, according to its Web site.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/15701136.htm
Night Spots
Haunted zoo and melting earth: Now that's scary
Sarah D'Esti Miller
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your first warning that October is getting jam-packed with activities, so plan accordingly.
Next weekend, it's time once again for Boo at the Zoo, from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday (rain date Oct. 20 and 21) at the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park, 60 Morgan Road, Binghamton.
Traditionally, there are two events going on here -- one for the little kids and one for the older kids. Youngsters can decorate pumpkins in the Education Center and then take them home. They can listen to some Halloween storytelling, have their faces painted, make masks, bob for apples and dive for doughnuts. In short, there is plenty to keep the little gremlins busy. And of course, they can go trick-or-treating inside the zoo.
The upper zoo is a different story. Here it is, point blank: if your child is scared by such things as demons, ghouls and various creatures jumping out at them, do NOT take them to the upper zoo. The upper zoo is for the "big kids" and adults who want to get scared, plain and simple. Also, every child will get a goody bag (and don't worry, frazzled parents, it isn't all sugar; Frito Lay has donated thousands of bags of chips to the zoo).
Admission for nonmembers is $7 ($5 for ages 3-12 and seniors); members are $6 ($4 for ages 3-12 and seniors).
http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061007/COLUMNISTS10/610070317/1004/LIFESTYLE
Petting zoo returns to the Fair
By Ayanna McPhail
TELEGRAPH STAFF WRITER
PERRY - The names of many of the animals at the Georgia National Fair's free petting zoo are unpronouncable, and certainly not recognizable, to many visitors.
Some of the animals are endangered, or are exotic species from Africa, Australia and South America - but not untouchable.
Eudora Farms Petting Zoo, making a first-time appearance at the fair, is drawing curious families who are glad they stopped to see and pet the rare animals.
"You actually get to pet the animals and feed them instead of just watching them," said nine-year-old Bryant Thompson from Albany.
"My favorite animal is that cat thing over there," said the aspiring zoo keeper. "It had cool spots."
Bryant was referring to Bailey the Bear Cat, an endangered species from Indonesia that is featured in an educational show that visitors can catch three times a day.There are also a coatimundi, a first cousin to the raccoon, a Burmese python and a cavy, which is related to the guinea pig, among many others.
"A lot of these animals here are animals that people don't even get to see at the zoo. That's why we are glad to bring them here to the Georgia National Fair," said Kim Nisbet, co-owner of Eudora Farms.
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/local/states/georgia/counties/houston_peach/15697299.htm
Stringer cares for exotic animals at zoo
By Tom Hintgen
After Fergus Falls native Betsy Stringer graduated in 2005 as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota, she knew that her career would likely include some interesting scenarios. But even she did not predict assisting with the birth of an elephant — something that became reality on Aug. 30.
“I worked for one year in Colorado as a small animal vet and then moved to start my internship at the Indianapolis Zoo,” said Stringer, a 1997 graduate of Fergus Falls High School and the daughter of Judy Stringer and the late Judge Thomas Stringer. “Zoo medicine is one of the most difficult fields of veterinary medicine to get into. Since there are so few jobs, it’s a very competitive field.”
Dr. Stringer had been following the pregnancy of an elephant through regular testing and ultrasounding of the cow (named Ivory).
http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/articles/2006/10/09/news/news06.txt
Local zoo launches campaign for new exhibit
The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo recently launched a $7 million capital campaign to transform its 30-year-old African veldt exhibit. To date, more than $5 million already has been pledged by local foundations, individuals and corporations, including $1.1 million from Lincoln Financial Group Foundation. The African Journey is the zoo's largest project since the 1994 construction of the $5.5 million Indonesian Rain Forest.
http://www.frostillustrated.com/news/2006/1011/News/012.html
Order on breeding of animals in zoos
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and all big and small zoos not to undertake breeding of animals beyond the number specified by the CZA in a directive in 1995.
A Bench, comprising Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice C.K. Thakker, gave the direction on a petition filed by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals.
The petitioner, bringing to the court's notice overcrowding of animals in zoos, said that at present there were 159 recognised zoos, comprising 19 large, 12 medium, 27 small and 101 mini ones. As on March 31, 2004, the total animal population in these zoos was 28,607 and as on March 31, 2005 the figure went up to 41,235.
The CZA issued a direction to all zoos on February 7, 1995 on the number of prolific breeding species animals but it was not followed. The petitioner submitted that in view of the overcrowding of animals, five tigers and one leopard died of infection in the Ranchi zoo. While seeking not to permit any further breeding in zoos, the petitioner sought a direction to appoint experienced curator, veterinarian and laboratory assistant as stipulated in the Recognition of Zoo Rules, 1992.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/10/stories/2006101015511500.htm
Zoo makes plans for holiday
JAKARTA: The management of Ragunan Zoo has asked the city administration to wrap up roadwork between Warung Buncit and Ragunan in South Jakarta before the Idul Fitri holiday.
"We want the project finished soon, as promised in the (administration's) proposal," Marzuki, the zoo's public relations manager, said Monday.
He said tens of thousands of vehicles passed the road every day during holidays and the continuation of roadwork could cause major traffic problems.
"All we want is for people coming to the zoo from Greater Jakarta and other provinces to have an enjoyable trip," he said as quoted by Antara.
Bad traffic on the way to Ragunan is a major deterrent for drivers.
For the holiday period, the zoo's management has created additional parking spaces for thousands of cars, buses and trucks near the zoo's main gates and a sports hall adjacent to the zoo. --JP
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20061010.C08&irec=7
Trip to prepare for zoo's polar bear exhibit
By Sheldon S. Shafer
sshafer@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
Louisville Zoo Director John Walczak will lead a group to northern Canada this week to learn more about polar bears, which will be featured in an exhibit opening in 2009.
The zoo’s $20.3.million Polar Run exhibit will have polar bears, sea otters, sea eagles, seals and sea lions, with a companion sanctuary opening in 2010 to have arctic fox, reindeer, snowy owls and other creatures that comb the frigid climes.
In preparation for Polar Run’s construction, demolition of the zoo’s existing seal and sea-lion exhibit will begin in a month or so, with demolition of the polar bear exhibit to follow next year. Both date to the early 1970s and their infrastructures have deteriorated.
The zoo will move two gray seals, Linus, 17, and Chuck, 18, along with a 32-year-old female polar bear, Tahtsa, to the Indianapolis Zoo within a month.
Aquila, the zoo’s 14-year-old male polar bear, will remain on exhibit here into next year, or until demolition of his habitat begins, said zoo spokeswoman Diana DeVaughn. His new home hasn’t been determined.
Decisions on which animals, if any, might return to live in the new Glacier Run will be decided later.
Meanwhile, about a dozen people will travel with Walczak to Hudson Bay.
Among the Louisville delegation to Churchill, Manitoba, a small town on Hudson Bay, will be 77-year-old Shirley Burwinkle, a longtime regular zoo visitor. She said her favorite animals are polar bears and giraffes.
Polar bears, she said, “are rather exotic, and I like to watch their playfulness,” adding that “I am absolutely not scared. I hope to get a better understanding of their habitat and eating habits and to see where they live.”
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061009/NEWS01/61009048
Zoo awarded $100K federal grant for lighting
The Detroit Zoological Society was recently awarded a $100,000 federal special project appropriation to install lighting in the Detroit Zoo’s Ford Education Center Theater.
The announcement was made this weekend at the zoo by U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg (Bloomfield Hills), a member of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee and chair of a subcommittee on the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The funds will go toward materials and labor to install a dimming and control system, light fixtures, two follow spots and a chain motor lift set in the Ford Education Center Theater. The zoo plans to hold concerts and theatrical performances in the theater.
The Ford Education Center opened in October 2005 and includes four themed classrooms, a humane science lab, an arts and crafts studio, an exhibit gallery and the “Wild Adventure Simulator.”
http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061009/NEWS18/61009001/1035
Stop breeding animals in zoos: SC
PTI
Monday, October 09, 2006 20:17 IST
NEW DELHI: Alarmed over overcrowding of zoos, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the authorities to stop breeding of animals till they comply with the required infrastructure.
"We direct that no zoo will permit any further breeding of animals in their respective custody," a Bench comprising of Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice C K Thakker said.
The Bench, which had sought response from the Centre, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and various state governments asked them to ensure that an experienced curator, veterinarian, laboratory assistant and compounder are appointed in each zoo along with a full-fledged veterinary unit.
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1057652
Stu Bykofsky 'Bitterwseet' elephant tale with a twist
THE BEST word is "bittersweet."
Philadelphia Zoo president Vikram Dewan used the word to express how he feels about sending the zoo's four elephants to new homes, a move that will be made sometime next spring.
The word expresses how Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants leader Marianne Bessey feels about the fate of Petal, 50; Kallie, 23, and Bette, 22, who will go to quarters that are being expanded to six acres at Baltimore's Maryland Zoo. "They are relocating the problem, not removing it," she says.
For Dulary, the fourth elephant, the resolution is all sweet, not bitter at all. The 42-year-old Asian elephant will be moved to the 11-year-old, 2,700-acre Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., home to 19 elephants - 16 Asians and three Africans. The Asians and Africans live in separate herds.
Elephant Sanctuary Executive Director Carol Buckley is awaiting Dulary with open arms and predicts Dulary will be well-received by her peers.
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/local/15714048.htm
Cobra still hiding in apartment
When a saw-scale viper bit a 26-year-old Barrie man on the thumb last month, a massive operation was launched to get antivenin from a New York zoo to his hospital.
Involved were the OPP, Health Canada, the Toronto Zoo, Air Canada and a curator from the Bronx Zoo, who flew to Canada with several ampoules of the antidote on the first flight he could find.
Now officials have torn apart a Weston rooming house looking for a cobra that appeared out of the blue Sept. 27 and has posed a major headache ever since for an innocent landlord and his displaced tenants.
Such are the costs of reckless exotic pet owners who own and trade venomous snakes despite municipal bylaws that make them illegal, said Bob Johnson, curator of reptiles at the Toronto Zoo.
"Some irresponsible person has caused this hardship for so many people ... There are breeders in Ontario who are breeding venomous snakes right now who are passing them on to young kids," he said.
http://torontosun.com/News/Canada/2006/10/09/1985159-sun.html
That hissing may be a snake, not radiator
TORONTO, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Boarders in a Toronto rooming house may recall Indiana Jones' snake phobia as they try to evict a slithering and unwanted guest.
Animal control officers visited the house regularly since Sept. 27, when a tenant first spotted the reptile coiled behind a refrigerator, the Toronto Sun said. The discovery meant the building's owner had to house the tenants elsewhere after the critter, thought to be a python or cobra, forced them out.
Beyond being evacuated, the building also had its basement ceiling ripped out and officials requested anti-venom -- just in case -- from New York officials, the Sun said. The situation also prompted visits by police, fire, paramedics, the Toronto Zoo, animal control and Toronto Public Health, which shut the building down.
The snake is estimated to be about 7 feet long and apparently travels the building inside the walls, the Sun said. Officials said they think it came from next door, where -- neighbors said -- a man connected to an exotic pet shop is a tenant, the Sun said.
If searches, traps and a heat lamp fail to lure the reptile into captors' hands, the Sun said, one choice remains: Fumigate.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061008-063933-9909r
Awesome elephants belong in better place than a freezing zoo
Posted Sunday, October 8, 2006
OUR VIEW
The elephants at the Philadelphia Zoo have fascinated kids and former kids around here for generations. Many of us remember staring in awe at the magnificent animals, waiting for them to lift their trunks and trumpet. They were our wide-eyed introduction to the wonders of wildlife.
But times and attitudes change.
The Philadelphia Zoo announced last week that it is closing the exhibit. Its four elephants will be shipped elsewhere by spring. The zoo was unable to raise the $22 million to expand their habitat.
It is a story that is being repeated across the country. As more was learned about these great creatures, it became clear quarters were too small and the indoor cement floors of northern zoos can lead to foot infections that can kill elephants.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061008/OPINION11/610080306/1112/OPINION
concluding ...
