Zoos

Families will be researchers in new zoo-based program
With a new $2.5 million award from the National Science Foundation, Miami University's Project Dragonfly and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden will invite families into the community of science and conservation via Wild Research, a national program to deepen public engagement at zoos. Wild Research seeks to revolutionize how zoos serve as public learning institutions. (Media-Newswire.com) - The Cincinnati Zoo will serve as the test bed for Wild Research, which allows families to move from being spectators to active investigators. Families will make observations and record data at a research center in the three-story, glass-enclosed Discovery Forest and at six Wild Research stations at popular zoo exhibits. Zoo visitors will share their findings, both on zoo grounds and on an interactive Wild Research Web site.
"We've discovered that zoos underutilize their potential to engage people in science and conservation," said Chris Myers, professor of interdisciplinary studies and principal investigator of Wild Research. "Where else can local kids get face-to-face with elephants or tigers or gorillas? Wild Research gives kids the tools they need to see themselves as investigators and to work to sustain life on earth."
The Wild Research stations - to be developed over the next three years - will connect zoo exhibits to global conservation efforts, according to Dave Jenike, vice president of education at the Cincinnati Zoo and co-principal investigator on the grant.

http://media-newswire.com/release_1040219.html


Abyssinian Lion Cubs to be Poisoned or Saved?
By Jon ShanksDec 12, 2006
Abyssinian Lion cubs have been poisoned in a cash-strapped zoo this year in Ethiopia. According to media reports the Lion Zoo in the impoverished nation's capital has been killing the endangered animals, poisoning six cubs this year because of lack of funding and space, zoo officials said.
Abyssinian Lion Cubs to be Poisoned or Saved?
So when an Italian aid group found two orphaned cubs near the Somali border, it took them to the Italian Embassy 500 miles away instead of the zoo to keep them from being killed.
Chantal Benaben, the wife of the Italian deputy ambassador, has been caring for them there and had them in a fenced compound while they were nursed back to health, reports AP writer Les Neuhaus.
She told the Associated Press, "They were on the verge of death when I got them, and now they have all of their vaccinations and they are healthy."

http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_272610403.shtml


National Zoo To Ban Smoking
Visitors to the National Zoo will have to leave their cigarettes at home starting December first. The zoo is banning smoking in outdoor areas, citing safety concerns.
Smoking was already prohibited in zoo buildings, and keepers were not allowed to smoke in animal areas. The new policy applies to public walkways, zoo golf carts and other vehicles and all areas of the Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia.
A zoo spokeswoman says the policy change was prompted in part by a couple of small mulch fires on zoo grounds during the past year that officials believe were connected to smoking.
The zoo will post "No Smoking" signs across the park, in parking lots and at pedestrian entrances. Disposal containers for smoking materials will also be installed.

http://www.wtkr.com/Global/story.asp?S=5723977&nav=menu78_3_5


World's tallest man saves plastic eating dolphins
BEIJING, China (AP) -- The long arms of the world's tallest man reached in and saved two dolphins by pulling out plastic from their stomachs, state media and an aquarium official said Thursday.
The dolphins got sick after nibbling on plastic from the edge of their pool at an aquarium in Liaoning province.
Attempts to use surgical instruments to remove the plastic failed because the dolphins' stomachs contracted in response to the instruments, the China Daily newspaper reported.
Veterinarians then decided to ask for help from Bao Xishun, a 7-feet-9 herdsman from Inner Mongolia with 41.7-inch arms, state media said.
Bao, 54, was confirmed last year by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest living man.
Chen Lujun, the manager of the Royal Jidi Ocean World aquarium, told The Associated Press that the shape of the dolphins' stomachs made it difficult to push an instrument very far in without hurting the animals.
People with shorter arms could not reach the plastic, he said.
"When we failed to get the objects out we sought the help of Bao Xishun from Inner Mongolia and he did it successfully yesterday," Chen said. "The two dolphins are in very good condition now."
Photographs showed the jaws of one of the dolphins being held back by towels so Bao could reach inside the animal without being bitten.
"Some very small plastic pieces are still left in the dolphins' stomachs," Zhu Xiaoling, a local doctor, told Xinhua. "However the dolphins will be able to digest these and are expected to recover soon."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/14/china.dolphins.ap/index.html


Moldy grain killed ducks, scientists say
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) -- Two thousand mallard ducks in Idaho likely died after they ate moldy grain and contracted a fatal infection, scientists said Thursday.
Paul Slota, a wildlife expert with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center, said a fungal infection known as aspergillosis was the likely killer.
"The results are certainly consistent with that diagnosis," Slota said.
Dave Parrish, regional supervisor for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, said further tests would be conducted.
The preliminary finding eased fears that the massive mallard die-off, which experts say is unprecedented in Idaho, was linked to bird flu.
Birds can contract aspergillosis after feeding on waste grain and silage pits during bad weather, according to the National Wildlife Health Center. Large-scale, rapid die-offs among waterfowl have chiefly affected mallards, it said.
An estimated 2,000 mallards died between Friday and Wednesday near the agricultural community of Burley, about 150 miles southeast of Boise.
State fish and game officers Wednesday retrieved carcasses from a stream clogged with dead and dying mallards.
The stream is surrounded by farmland and a cattle feedlot, potential sources of the moldy grain, officials said.
Concerns over the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu and an extensive national monitoring network prompted officials to submit samples from Idaho to labs specializing in detecting avian influenza and drew the U.S. Department of Homeland Security into the investigation.
A similar aspergillosis outbreak killed 500 mallards in Iowa in 2005, the wildlife health center said. Moldy grain was the culprit in that case. The disease is not contagious.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/14/ducks.reut/index.html


Holiday Hoorah at the Zoo
12/18/2006
A Holiday Hoorah at the Zoo will be held on Dec. 24 at the Sequoia Park Zoo in Eureka.
Community residents can watch the animals open their holiday presents and stockings filled with treats.
The event will begin when Bill the chimp receives his gifts at noon and will continue until 2 p.m., when Rosemary the bear receives her presents.
This event is free and open to community residents.

http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=18583


Queen of the zoo Colo, world’s first captive-born gorilla, is about to turn 50
Monday, December 18, 2006It’s early in the morning and Colo sits in her normal spot, the center of Cage 1. She is wedged between two concrete trees. A milk crate is on her right, and a rope dangles in front of her.
Her head is tilted back, her chin juts into the air, her eyes are half-closed and looking down.
A chute opens at the top of her exhibit area, and the world’s first captive-born gorilla stirs from her reverie at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. She grabs the rope with her curled, arthritic fingers and pulls herself up. She slowly makes her way up the tree, climbing toward breakfast: a banana, grapefruit, apple, sweet potato, cucumber and turnip, as well as iceberg lettuce, carrots and broccoli.
She would have taken these fake trees in bounds when she was younger, but they are steep and slippery and youth is fleeting, even for gorillas.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/18/20061218-A1-01.html


Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo Library
The mission of the Brookfield Zoo Library is to contribute to the education of the people, the studies of the conservation of wildlife, and the diversity of biological knowledge by providing research access to scientific ready reference materials, books and monographs, periodicals, and global information resources.

http://brookfieldzoolibrary.blogspot.com/2006/12/animal-coverings-educational-offerings.html


Tradition lives despite delay
Family enjoys annual Brookfield Zoo outing after Marine son missed it on Thanksgiving
By Manya A. BrachearTribune staff reporterPublished December 18, 2006
After earning the state police league's heavyweight boxing title, Daniel Elsner broke the news to his dad that he couldn't be around for the national championship--or the family's annual Thanksgiving celebration.
Inspired by the nation's struggle in Iraq, the 19-year-old Moraine Valley Community College student had enlisted in the Marines and would be in San Diego for boot camp during the competition and the holiday.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/north/chi-0612180010dec18,1,4358599.story?coll=chi-newslocalnorth-hed


Prague ZOO - one of the nicest Zoological gardens in Europe
Prague ZOO is said to be one of the best in Europe and could easily keep your kids busy for one entire day. The ZOO does its best to be a pleasant and interesting place for everybody and if you take a few minutes and organize your trip it can really be an unforgettable experience.
Be sure to take a look at the “Don’t miss” section, where you can find a timetable of the most important events that take place in the ZOO during the day.
One of the most appreciated pavilions are the Indonesian Jungle and the Monkey Island where you can have a look at the luxuriant flora and fauna of the jungle or practically play with the cute lemurs.
Another place that your kinds will definitely love is the Children Area and the Children ZOO, a special built farm, where kids are allowed to enter some enclosures and play with different domesticated animals (rabbits, sheep, pigs, ponies, hens, ducks, geese).There are also some slot machines, where kids can buy low calories granules and feed their favourite animals.

http://www.prague.net/prague-zoo


Changes planned for Davenport zoo
by Stella Shaffer
Big changes are planned for a small zoo at a Davenport city park. Dan Shermann is Davenport's parks director and says Fejervery Zoo has, in the past, taken just about any animal that was available. He says they had an expensive parrot that cost a lot of money to feed, but it was so foul-mouthed, no one could keep it in a home.
The zoo is getting a grant from Guardian Industries in DeWitt to help pay for renovations that will bring a new petting zoo to the Davenport facility. In the meantime, Shermann says the zoo is finding new homes for many of its other animals that don't fit into the plan. He says instead of North American species, they had snakes that outgrew people's capacity to keep them and all sorts of other cast-off creatures.
Now, they've developed a new collection policy at the zoo to improve the quality of animals that are accepted.

http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=51423EBC-9E0C-4334-86839A59C989AC13&dbtranslator=local.cfm


Zoo authorities plan a cold winter for some inmates
Tenzing Lamsang New Delhi, December 18: Delhi Zoo these days is facing the problem of plenty. After some successful breeding programmes, it’s time for checking the population explosion of some inmates like spotted deer, black buck, Nilgai, Sambar. The zoo authorities decided to keep males and females apart.
Zoo authorities say that they are forced to take such a step as the population of these animals has been increasing disproportionately and they have no choice. Delhi Zoo Director DN Singh said, “These animals mate and breed very often in the wild to maintain their numbers in the face of predatory attacks but in the zoo, there are no such threats and so we need to check their breeding.”

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=213659


Higher Zoo Prices Will Help Save Local Greenhouse
Updated: 6:21 PM Dec 18, 2006 Higher Zoo Prices Will Help Save Local Greenhouse Higher ticket prices at Potawatomi Zoo will help keep South Bend's Greenhouse and Conservatories open.
Monday, the South Bend Board of Park Commissioners approved a $1 ticket increase for the zoo.
The money will be used to subsidize operating costs for the greenhouse.
This means starting January 2nd, zoo tickets will be $7 dollars for adults and $5 dollars for children.
The conservatory will also raise its admission price from $1 dollar to $3 dollars.
From now on, if you buy a zoo ticket, admission to the conservatory will also be included.
The board unanimously approved the ticket increases.

http://www.wndu.com/news/headlines/4949287.html


Indianapolis Zoo changing ticket optionsAssociated Press
INDIANAPOLIS - The Indianapolis Zoo and the neighboring White River Gardens will combine their admissions beginning Jan. 1, meaning a $1 increase from the current basic zoo ticket for adults.
The new policy is an attempt to avoid a larger price increase in basic admission fees, said Michael Crowther, the zoo's president and chief executive officer. The zoo's board last week approved a $20.7 million budget that includes the new ticket prices.
Visitors previously had the option of buying tickets or memberships for the zoo only, the gardens only or a combination that covered both attractions in the city's downtown.
Under the new combined admission, adults will pay $13.50 for a one-day admission to the zoo and gardens from March through October, the same price as before. People older than 62 and children ages 2-12 will also still be charged $8.50 for a one-day pass covering the zoo and the gardens.
Off-season (November through February) combination single-day ticket prices will go up by 50 cents, from $8 to $8.50 for adults and $6 to $6.50 for seniors and children.
Until now, visitors also had the option, during regular season months, of buying tickets for only the zoo or for only the gardens. One-day adult tickets for only the zoo have been $12.50 and for the gardens, $7. During off-season months, gardens-only tickets for adults were $5. Zoo-only tickets were not offered.
Separate memberships for the zoo and gardens are also being eliminated, with a combined membership remaining at $99 for a family.
Crowther said the new structure simplifies ticket logistics and recognizes guest preferences. For instance, he said, only about 5 percent of people who have visited the White River Gardens did so with a gardens-only ticket. And fewer than 20 percent of zoo visitors had zoo-only passes.
Of the roughly 38,000 members of the attractions, fewer than 300 are members of only the White River Gardens, Crowther said.


Russian zoo closes after two geese found dead
ST PETERSBURG, Russia, Dec 19 (Reuters) - One of Russia's main zoos has closed down after the deaths of two geese sparked a bird flu scare, but a local health expert ruled this out as the cause of their deaths.
The zoo in St Petersburg, one of Russia's oldest, officially refused to explain its unscheduled closure on Monday night, but health officials linked it to the discovery of the two dead birds.
The zoo has about 800 birds in all. A notice at the zoo said it would remain closed until the end of the year.
"They did not die from bird flu," an expert on bird flu, who had knowledge of tests carried out on the dead geese, told Reuters. "The birds had been vaccinated against bird flu."
Bird flu remains essentially an animal disease but it has infected more than 250 people worldwide since late 2003, killing more than 150, according to the World Health Organisation.
Experts fear the virus could mutate into a form that is easily transmissible between humans and spark an influenza pandemic, killing millions of people.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L19134178.htm


Siberian tiger cub dies at Peoria zoo
By Azam Ahmed
Tribune staff reporter
Published December 12, 2006, 7:00 PM CST
Danya, a 14-month-old Siberian tiger cub, died of suffocation from a crushed windpipe over the weekend at the Glen Oak Zoo in Peoria, zoo officials said Tuesday.
The injury was likely inflicted by another tiger, which could have been the result of playing that grew out of hand, said Yvonne Strode, the director of the Glen Oak Zoo.The incident occurred sometime between 9:30 and 11 a.m. Saturday, according to Strode, who said the zoo's curator found Danya's body.
Danya, a 150-pound tiger cub on loan from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, had been sharing the enclosure with two tiger sisters, Kyra and Nika, both 17 months old.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-061212peoria-cub,1,70348.story?coll=chi-news-hed


Bob Barker pledges money to send LA Zoo elephant to sanctuary
Associated PressLOS ANGELES - Game show host Bob Barker will pledge $300,000 toward housing an elephant from the Los Angeles Zoo in an animal sanctuary, his publicist said Tuesday.
The pledge would match donations in support of sending Ruby, a 45-year-old African elephant, to a sanctuary in San Andreas in Northern California, publicist Henri Bollinger said.
Ruby is currently housed at the zoo, but animal rights advocates have raised concerns about the zoo's treatment of elephants, including a 48-year-old Asian pachyderm named Gita who died in June. Another elephant, Tara, died in 2004.
"Bob has been very concerned about the condition of elephants living in zoos, and particularly at the L.A. Zoo," Bollinger said. "He wants to do whatever he can to change that situation and get elephants placed in sanctuaries."
Zoo officials have maintained that they never mistreated the elephants. Zoo spokesman Jason Jacobs said officials were not aware of any offer from Barker and that Ruby's "ultimate destination is not a financial decision."

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/16225484.htm


Disability Rights Legal Center Gets Settlement in San Diego Zoo Suit
I just got this press release:
The Disability Rights Legal Center (formerly Western Law Center for Disability Rights) announced today that it has reached a settlement with the Zoological Society of San Diego to end what it alleged were discriminatory practices against people with mobility disabilities. The settlement was reached in the federal suit Kneeshaw v. Zoological Society of San Diego, Case No. 05-CV-2127-IEG DT (POR), and covers both the World Famous San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park.
As a result of the settlement, the Zoological Society will permanently discontinue its policy of asking people who use motorized mobility aids, such as motorized scooters and wheelchairs, to sign liability waivers or any document regarding their use of such aids in the Zoo or Wild Animal Park. As for previously signed waivers already on file under its prior entrance policy, the Zoological Society has agreed to void all such waivers and never enforce them. In addition, it will notify those who have signed or been deemed to have signed the waivers by putting a notice on its website, its maps, its accessibility guide, and via letters to those who had been subject to the previous policy.

http://disabilitylaw.blogspot.com/2006/12/disability-rights-legal-center-gets.html


Memphis Manatee's Body Recovered By Zoo Team
Last Update: 12/12/2006 8:04:36 PM
Posted By: Alexis Amorose
Print This Story Email This Story Watch This Video The missing Memphis manatee has been found, but not in time to save his life. On Tuesday, December 12, 2006, a recovery team from the Memphis Zoo finally brought “Manny” the manatee's body to shore. A fisherman found “Manny” on Monday in a channel off McKellar Lake. Zoo curator Matt Thompson said, “We haven't seen a lot of manatee in this area, so yeah, we're pretty sure it's the same one.” The zoo team loaded the misguided manatee into a boat and brought him to shore, only now he is much smaller. Scientists say manatees shrink after they die. The Memphis Police Department helped the zoo team with the recovery. MPD Lt. Ed Vidulich said, “I just can't believe it's been six weeks since we lost him, and as you can see, all these businesses, there's so much barge traffic back here, that nobody spotted him for six weeks.”
It seemed like all of Memphis was rooting for the sea cow to survive, but the cold water was too much, the food in this area; too little. Fisherman Steven Craig said, “I was hoping they would find him alive, but I looked at the news last night that said he was dead. They found him laying up on the shore, you know, I kind of hate that.”

http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=8acf75f3-87d9-4494-8ebe-8d0f0be773b6


Elephant tour
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Charlie Nye / The StarPhoto: 1/8Barre Fields (right), the Indianapolis Zoo's Plains Area manager, lets 6-year-old Daniel Kestler touch an elephant's tooth. Fields holds a cast of a full-grown elephant's tooth. Daniel and his aunt Ashlee Kestler, 21, (left) were treated to a visit to the zoo's elephant barn Dec. 12. Kestler submitted the name Zahara, chosen for the Indianapolis Zoo's baby female elephant, born Aug. 31. She won the name-the-elephant contest sponsored by The Indianapolis Star and WTHR (Channel 13) after the zoo's elephant staff selected the name from among more than 10,000 entries. Her entry was drawn from among 15 entries suggesting the same name.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=BG&Date=20061213&Category=MULTIMEDIA01&ArtNo=612130802&Ref=PH


Camels arrive looking for love
WINNIPEG -- Leave it to Kleaver.
Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo is sending three female Bactrian camels to an Alberta game farm in Innisfail for a romantic rendezvous with Kleaver, a male camel.


Object? Offspring.
Zoo curator Bob Wrigley said the three ladies are all handsome animals, so they're confident Kleaver can get the job done.
The Alberta road trip was necessary because the females aren't interested in a male camel in Winnipeg they have been spending time with, named Luther.
Wrigley said the four camels all get along well, but there's been no signs of romance.
"It's a purely platonic relationship and we need some results here," said Wrigley.


Animal welfare groups slam Winnipeg camels' new lovenest
Animal protection advocates are questioning a move by Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo to send three rare Bactrian camels to an Alberta private zoo criticized by at least two animal welfare groups.
The Winnipeg zoo announced earlier this week that it is sending three female camels to Doug's Exotic Zoo in Innisfail, near Calgary. There, zoo officials hope they'll breed with Kleaver, a male camel.
Three of the two-humped Bactrian camels from Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo are going to Doug's Exotic Farm in Alberta.(CBC) "Our animals are very healthy, they're very happy, they're very contented because we do a lot of hand-raising [so] they're not afraid of people," Doug's Exotic Zoo co-owner Debbi Rowland said Wednesday, adding that they describe the facility more as a wildlife park.
But the World Society for the Protection of Animals, Zoocheck Canada and the Voice For Animals Humane Society have accused the Alberta zoo of being a "roadside" operation that they allege lacks formally trained workers and uses its animals more for entertainment than education.
"Essentially, this facility is what would we describe as a roadside zoo," Julie Woodyer, campaigns director with Toronto-based Zoocheck Canada, said Wednesday.
"There's certainly safety problems with the public. There's also issues around food and just general care at the facility and lack of ability to properly meet the animals' basic biological and behavioural needs."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2006/12/13/zoo-camels.html


Zoo trip defended
Why camels, asks watchdog?
The Assiniboine Park Zoo is defending its decision to send a trio of rare camels to an Alberta facility in the wake of criticism from an animal welfare group.
The first of three Bactrian camels was sent to the Discovery Wildlife Park -- also known as Doug's Exotic Zoo -- in Innisfail, Alta., earlier this week.
It's hoped at least one of the camels will become pregnant during the course of a three-month visit.
"I think they just want more baby animals to attract people to the zoo," said Julie Woodyer of Zoocheck Canada. "There's no need to be breeding camels in Canada."
Woodyer claims the public is being mislead into thinking zoo breeding programs help endangered species.

http://winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2006/12/15/2805513-sun.htmlZoo tries out live-in for leopards


Pachyderm at play
Baby Zahara entertains visitors, including an IUPUI student who won a contest to name her Photo GalleriesElephant tour
By Diana Pennerdiana.penner@indystar.com
The Indianapolis Zoo's newest baby elephant's name, Zahara, means "flower," and the energetic and playful calf is indeed blossoming.
The winner: Ashlee Kestler, 21, a senior at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, was one of 15 people who submitted the name Zahara for the Indianapolis Zoo's baby female elephant, born Aug. 31. - Charlie Nye / The Star
Zahara's rate of growth stays a step ahead of Kedar's
Both of the Indianapolis Zoo's baby elephants are thriving, zoo staff said Tuesday.
Kedar, a male, was born Oct. 18, 2005. Zahara, a female, was born Aug. 31.
Adult male elephants are bigger than adult females, and Kedar, born to Kubwa, and Zahara, born to Ivory, will no doubt end up that way. But so far, Zahara, who was bigger at birth, is ahead of Kedar at the same age. Here's a comparison of measurements taken at birth for each of the African elephants:
• Trunks: Both were 12 inches long.
• Ears: Kedar, 183/4 inches; Zahara, 20 inches.
• Tail: Kedar, 15 inches; Zahara, 17 inches.
• Height at the shoulder: Kedar, 34 1/8 inches; Zahara, 351/2 inches.
• Circumference of the left front foot: Kedar, 18 inches; Zahara, 19 inches.
• Weight: Kedar, 192 pounds; Zahara, 260 pounds.
Zahara has continued to stay ahead of Kedar, by weight, at comparable ages: 1 month, Kedar, 269 pounds, and Zahara, 298 pounds; 2 months, Kedar, 334 pounds, and Zahara, 378 pounds; and about 31/2 months, Kedar, 363 pounds, and Zahara, 452 pounds.
The last measurement, taken Monday, is Zahara's current weight. At about 14 months, Kedar tips the scales at 824 pounds. Zahara was center stage Tuesday for Ashlee Kestler, a 21-year-old IUPUI senior who won a contest to name the baby, born Aug. 31 to Ivory. The private showing was Kestler's prize for coming up with the winning moniker.The rambunctious pachyderm was intensely curious about all of the visitors, kept 10 feet or so away and on the other side of massive bars. Zahara, it was clear, wanted to sniff and touch with her trunk. She managed to put one foot through the bars and stretched her nimble trunk for whiffs, but that's as far as she got.She made direct eye contact, though, unabashedly checking out the strange humans. In contrast, Ivory and Sophi, the zoo herd's matriarch, were less obvious about their inspections of the visitors.The adult elephants swayed, occasionally caressed the baby with their trunks and sometimes kept her in line. At one point, Zahara wanted to plunk her whole body down on a small pile of hay, but Sophi gently but firmly nixed that -- she wanted to eat the hay.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061213/LOCAL/612130437/-1/ZONES04


Stray crocodile `not from wild'
P. Oppili
City's outlying areas `have no habitat suitable for them'
HARDY SURVIVOR: The marsh crocodile that strayed into a house at suburban Peerkankaranai. — Photo: A. Muralitharan
CHENNAI : The marsh crocodile that strayed into a house in Peerkankaranai, near Tambaram, could not have been from the wild, says herpetologist, Romulus Whitaker.
The outlying areas of Chennai have no habitats suitable for crocodiles, though such habitats must have been there two centuries ago, even within what is now the city, he maintains.
The four-foot long crocodile entered a house of a transport department employee early on Monday frightening the residents.
It was caught by the Wildlife department officials and taken to the Vandalur zoo. The reptile is healthy and is being kept in an enclosure with other crocodiles, zoo officials said.
In the last 40 years there were no records of crocodiles straying from the wild into a human habitation, Mr Whitaker says, adding that nearly two decades ago a crocodile was sighted in the Otteri Nullah near Stanley Medical College.
However, the reptile was run over by a train when it tried to cross the railway track.
Explaining how the reptile could have strayed into a human habitation, Mr. Whitaker said a kite or a crow could have picked up a two or three-day old baby crocodile from captivity (in the zoo, which could have slipped and fallen into a water body. The baby crocodile could have gone undetected for years and come out now, he says.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/13/stories/2006121315300300.htm


Images From The Former Location Of The Los Angeles Zoo
The Los Angeles Zoo has a rich and colorful history, and this is where it all began. The zoo opened at this location (just south of the present one) in 1913 to little fanfare. Inadequately funded and maintained by the city, the zoo struggled for years with bad press and animal escapes alike. During the first world war, many of the animals died as a result of food rationing and improper care and housing. Finally, after years of neglect and scandal, the voters approved an eight million dollar bond to move the zoo to its present location.

http://www.marilyncarolyn.com/oldzoo1.htm


Dog owner to pay over zoo death
A man whose dogs killed a rare animal at Belfast Zoo in January has been ordered to pay £3,500 compensation. Emma, an adult vicuna (a member of the camel family), was killed and Boris II, a six-month-old calf, badly injured after being attacked by four dogs.
The dogs were uncontrolled and unaccompanied at the time.
John Hennessy, of Ben Madigan Heights, was found guilty on Tuesday of 11 charges arising from the incident. Two of the dogs are to be destroyed.
Belfast Magistrates Court ordered him to pay fines and compensation totalling £3,500 to Belfast City Council, which runs the zoo, as well as issuing destruction orders against two of the animals.
Speaking on behalf of the council's Dog Warden Service, which brought the prosecution, a spokesman said: "None of the dogs were covered by the Dangerous Dogs legislation but they were clearly dangerous.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/6177367.stm


Update: Atlanta Zoo's Baby Panda Has a Name
Atlanta -- A baby panda cub in Atlanta stood on all fours Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006, for the first time. Now she has a new name -- Mei Lan which roughly translates to "Atlanta Beauty" was the winning name selected by readers of an Atlanta newspaper.
On the day of her naming, Jay Pratte, one of the panda keepers at the zoo said on the Atlanta Zoo's Web site that the little panda "tried her darndest today to heave herself over the edge of her little nest box. With mom contentedly munching bamboo next door, and the keepers watching, she laboriously managed to haul her head, front right paw, and leg over the edge, well on her way to freedom (well, from the nest box, anyhow). Unfortunately, her developing baby muscles ran out of juice partway through, and she fell back onto the hay exhausted, but it's another great sign, on an all-around great day, that Mei Lan is progressing rapidly."
You can keep up with the progress of Mei Lan on the Zoo's Web site at

http://www.zooatlanta.org/animals_giant_panda_cub_updates.htm


Atlanta Zoo's Panda Cub
The video shot by officials at Zoo Atlanta shows the cub, who currently weighs almost 11 pounds, and is over 25 inches long.
And she's on quite a growth spurt! The week before her last appearance, the cub only had four teeth, but she now has 12.
You can also catch a glimpse with Panda Cam from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central by visiting this link

http://www.zooatlanta.com/animals_panda_cam.php4http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=5796876&nav=0RdE


Ruth shipped to Wisconsin
By LAURA B. MARTINEZ
The Brownsville Herald
December 14, 2006 — There are no elephants left in Brownsville.
Gladys Porter Zoo’s last elephant is expected to arrive at the Milwaukee County Zoo in Milwaukee, Wis., sometime today.
Ruth arrived at the zoo in 1988 and was recently the sole elephant in the zoo’s exhibit after her partner, Macho, died.
She left Brownsville shortly after 1 p.m. on Tuesday via a specialty truck used to transport large pachyderms, zoo officials said.
Jennifer Diliberti, public relations coordinator for the Milwaukee County Zoo, said once Ruth arrives at the Milwaukee zoo, keepers there will examine her before she is put on display with an elephant named Brittany.
“Hopefully, Ruth will be (on display) in the elephant exhibit within the next week or so,” Diliberti said.
The 28-year-old parchyderm was acquired from Peace River, Fla., where she was a ride animal.
Gladys Porter Zoo officials announced Ruth’s exit last week, citing new regulations by the Association of Zoo and Aquarium Standards for Elephant Management and care.
Ruth’s leaving also means the end of the zoo’s elephant exhibit, which had been an attraction for 35 years.
The removal of the exhibit was due to new regulations that would require the zoo to expand its exhibit area to house a herd of elephants.
The zoo is land locked, which means there is no room for expansion at its current location. The zoo is boxed in by residential neighborhoods, parks and a middle school.
A discussion of what to do with Ruth began in March last year following Macho’s death from a blood clot that month. Since then, Ruth had been the only elephant on display at the zoo.


Siblings make debut at zoo
Youthful newcomers from San Diego to divide time in habitat with veteran resident.
By MARGIE KACOHA
Daily News Staff Writer
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Daily News Photo by Jeffrey Langlois (enlarge photo) Eighteen-month-old Asa Rimba, a Malayan Tiger, cools himself in the water at the Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park Wednesday morning during the first day on display with brother Keemasan Mata. Daily News Photo by Jeffrey Langlois (enlarge photo) Five-year-old Sara Auerbach and 6-year-old Keely Saemmer, both of Royal Palm Beach, get their first look at the zoo's new arrivals. Daily News Photo by Jeffrey Langlois (enlarge photo) Asa Rimba and Keemasan Mata, Rimba and Mata for short, groom themselves in their new home. Mata and Rimba, the two new tigers at the Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park, welcomed visitors Wednesday morning with a kitty cat hiss and a modified roar.
The rare Malayan tigers arrived from the San Diego Zoo on Nov. 9, under special escort by Keith Lovett, director of living collections at the Palm Beach Zoo.
With the tigers tucked into special crates without any disorienting sedation, he flew with them on a 777 jetliner from Los Angeles to Miami.
The zoo kept them under wraps, allowing them to get accustomed to their new home before Wednesday's debut.
Rimba, the more active of the two male siblings, immediately prowled the perimeter of the Tiger Falls exhibit, stopping briefly at the double fence to show his formidable teeth and huff out a warning.
Otherwise, the two brothers went their own way, with the first order of business being a survey of the giant tortoises, black howler monkeys and llamas who live next door to the big cats' enclosure.

http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/tigersthree1214.html


Zoo construction to displace elephants
Thursday, December 14, 2006John C. KuehnerPlain Dealer Reporter This may be the last Cleveland winter for Martika, Moshi and Jo, the three African elephants at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
The popular pachyderms will be shipped to new homes next year when the zoo prepares for construction of a new elephant exhibit.
A model of the pen and yard, called African Elephant Crossing, will be unveiled Friday at the zoo's Exhibit Hall, where it will be displayed through next year.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1166089104132960.xml&coll=2


Zoo building for the future
Planned herpetarium to aid work against extinction
By CHRIS VAUGHNSTAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERFORT WORTH — The oldest building at the Fort Worth Zoo is a plain cinder-block box with a leaky roof, shaky plumbing and paper-thin walls that make the place deafening at times.
Yet the herpetarium — more often called the snake house — is also one of the most popular exhibits at the park, at least with one noticeable group.
“Young boys,” said Michael Fouraker, the zoo’s director of five years.
Snakes, lizards, frogs and turtles from around the world have emerged over the years as one of the park’s signature collections and form the heart of an ambitious, behind-the-scenes conservation program that hopes to save species from extinction.
After five years of talking about the need and receiving a get-busy warning from its accreditation agency, the zoo is raising money and drawing up plans for a more than $15 million herpetarium that will rival any other exhibit.
“We’re going to try to take it out of the old-style, jewel-box, aquarium-in-the-wall herpetarium,” Fouraker said. “We have searched the world trying to find an example to model. It looks like we’re going to have to build an example. We really want to set the bar high and make a real mark with this.”
Zoo officials, led by Fort Worth Zoological Association heavyweights Ramona Bass and Ardon Moore, have half of the money in pledges and expect to break ground on the new building by summer.

http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/16237696.htm


Ground broken for zoo's eagle exhibit
Lafayette city officials and representatives of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 347 were present Wednesday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Columbian Park Zoo's latest exhibit in its ongoing multimillion dollar renovation.
The Bald Eagle Exhibit will be one of several new exhibits ready when the zoo has its grand reopening ceremony sometime in summer 2007.
WHAT IT IS
The Bald Eagle Exhibit will be an open-air exhibit housing two rescued, flightless bald eagles.
The exhibit will have a Native American Pacific Northwest fishing village theme, including a fishing hut and a water feature with live fish for the eagles to eat.
The refurbished, original Columbian Park Totem Pole will be featured near the exhibit.
HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE
The exhibit will be ready to open along with several other exhibits during the zoo's grand reopening in summer 2007.
WHO'S PAYING FOR IT
The Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 347 in Lafayette is donating more than $30,000 for the project, which has a budget of $35,000. Any additional money will come from the Lafayette Parks Foundation.
OTHER ZOO PROJECTS
The $300,000 Clarian Arnett Family Farm is already under construction. A prairie dog exhibit, interactive fountain and possibly other exhibits should begin construction soon. All the projects are being at least partially funded by various companies, clubs and foundations.

http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/NEWS/612140327/1001/SPORTS06


Babies add to zoo's zebra family
Two Hartmann mountain zebras have been born at the Johannesburg Zoo this year, adding to the threatened species' numbers.
December 13, 2006 By Tabisa Mntengwana
THERE are two more Hartmann mountain zebras in the world; this year the Johannesburg Zoo celebrated the birth of two of the threatened species.
The babies - one male and one female - were born in July. "We are very excited to have these babies," says the zoo's educationist, Johan du Toit. "They are growing very well and we are proud that they have good eating habits."
Joburg zoo is home to two species of zebra, the Burchell's and its mountain zebras – the Hartmann and the Cape mountain zebra. The Hartmann mountain zebra is found mostly in Namibia and Northern Cape, and there are now five at the zoo - two mature females, one mature male and the two babies.

http://www.joburg.org.za/2006/dec/dec13_zebra.stm


Zoo plans to add better entrance, koalas, singing dogs
By MATT CAMPBELLThe Kansas City StarThe Friends of the Zoo board on Wednesday approved two contracts to begin work on a new, more convenient entrance to the Kansas City Zoo.
The board, which operates the city-owned animal park, hired PGAV Architects to do detailed designs for the entrance and J.E. Dunn Construction Co. to be the general contractor.
Zoo Director Randy Wisthoff said that more than $5.5 million in private money had been raised toward the $8.75 million-$10 million project and that he hopes to begin construction next summer or fall.
The new entrance will allow people to drive up to the zoo gate and will allow for a more immediate animal experience.
In other zoo news officials announced:
•The special summer attraction will be two female koalas on loan from the San Diego Zoo.
They will be exhibited in the Discovery Barn, and the zoo will have to have fresh eucalyptus flown in for them twice a week.
•New animals added to the collection this spring will include African black-footed cats, one of the smallest cats, and rare New Guinea singing dogs
•The zoo’s two Prevost’s squirrels have produced babies.
•A deal has been reached to keep the IMAX theater open until Labor Day.
New films will include the recent release “Happy Feet,” which opens at the zoo Dec. 22.
Sydney-off the Tourist path. A visit to the Zoo and MORE!!! Go see Mosman!If you are over visiting Taronga Zoo while visiting Sydney, don’t miss out on the lovely little village of Mosman. Believe it or not- you can turn your zoo visit either into a bush walk, a beach trip or some massively amazing boutique shopping.
From the zoo parking lot you can take a bus up into Military Road which is the main artery of the area. The shops start at a great little pub the Buena Vista and continue all the way up to Spit Junction. At Spit Junction- to complete your trip- you can catch a bus back into the CBD instead of trekking all the way back to the Ferry.
A taste of the shops on offer- an authentic Italian bakery, specialty cheese shop, boutique dress shops galore, handbags, French Jewelry, Homewares, Art, and pretty much anything high-end your little heart desires.

http://www.australiablog.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-off-the-tourist-path-a-visit-to-the-zoo-and-more-go-see-mosman.html


Does a bear hibernate in the zoo? Not right now, no
The mild autumn and the apparent reluctance of winter to make an appearance has been a talking point for several weeks among humans, but it is also having a distinct impact on the animal population as well. Anyone visiting Korkeasaari, Helsinki's island zoo, at this time of year, would normally expect the "Closed for the Season" sign to be up where the bears are concerned, but on Monday Sofia and her two cubs were outside, with the mother-bear - looking a little drowsy - watching as her children wrestled and ran around as though it were September rather than mid-December. Apparently Sofia had decided enough was enough last week and had prepared for the big winter sleep, but the cubs had had other ideas, and the staff had been forced to let the animals out once more. The same strange behaviour has been repeated among other animals at the northern zoo. Several creatures from exotic climes have extended the time when they venture outside as a result of the unduly warm weather. Even the kangaroos have been out sniffing the air. The flamingoes at Korkeasaari come originally from Chile's Andean areas, and so they are able to cope even in a chilly spell, but they, too, would normally be happier to stay indoors as Christmas approaches. Not this year.

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Does+a+bear+hibernate+in+the+zoo+Not+right+now+no/1135223789213


They're the p-p-pick of zoo's birds
LESLEY GARLAND PENGUINS are proving popular. Since the film March of the Penguins last year, the level of public interest in them has been ever increasing. We've had the all-singing, all-dancing Happy Feet and Five starts Penguin Week with Nigel Marven tonight. So why do we love penguins so much?
I think humans find penguins particularly fascinating because they walk upright like us. It is quite comical to see a penguin walking around but when they dive into the water they become powerful and graceful.
Each penguin has its own personality - at the zoo, we have one Gentoo who, rather than join the masses at feeding time, prefers to come up behind the keeper and tug their trousers to let them know he's there.
We also have a Rockhopper called Reuben who's a bit more playful than his fellows and prefers to hang around with the Gentoos. Another interesting aspect of penguins, which March of the Penguins and Happy Feet chose as the basis of their stories, is the unique rituals and the amazing journeys undertaken to breed.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1884122006


Zoo`s Gorilla to Undergo Tests
A host of animal specialists will be in Erie Friday to perform some tests on the zoo`s gorilla.43-year-old Samantha has reportedly been experiencing some female problems over the last few weeks.That`s why zoo officials have assembled a team of doctors to do some tests Friday afternoon.Scott Mitchell says while Samantha is sedated they`ll also make sure she`s in good overall health.If the doctors do find a problem she will be transported to Cleveland for treatment.

Erie Zoo's Gorilla Doing Well Following Testing
So far, so good at the Erie Zoo Friday night - where an examination of the zoo's 43 year old gorilla Samantha did not find any serious problems. A group of vets and human doctors worked on Samantha, after it was suspected that she might have gynacological problems. A thorough exam was given to the zoo's lone gorilla, and four teeth were removed. According to Zoo Spokesperson, Scott Mitchell, now it's time to wait and see. Samantha had to be sedated before the doctors could examine her. She was tranquilized with the use of a blow dart.


North Carolina Zoo Triplets

http://beachbum.homestead.com/NorthCarolinaZoologicalPark/Africa/AfricanLion.html

and

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24994443@N00/322317136/in/photostream/


Rare tiger cub born at Woodland Park Zoo
A baby Sumatran tiger cub, born early Tuesday morning, is the newest arrival at Woodland Park Zoo.
The zoo is giving the mom and baby some privacy, observing the new cub by closed-circuit monitor, so the gender of the new arrival isn't yet known.
It is the fifth cub for 14-year-old mother JoJo and 13-year-old father Rakata. The pair already produced two female and two male cubs.
The cub will remain off public view for at least three or four months. The Sumatran is especially rare, with only about 400 believed to exist in the wild.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/296063_tl115.html


Zoo tries out live-in for leopards
New Delhi: It’s not just humans who might want to try a live-in relationship before actually tying the knot.
With a little urging from humans, animals too, will be put in an environment where they can familiarise themselves with each other before they actually get to live together and mate.
It’s an experiment that the Lucknow zoo is trying out with two leopards, Diya and Raja, who have been paired for ‘marriage’.
Zoo officials are going to observe their behaviour towards each other, and check for a specific manner of pacing, growling, and other signs which could indicate their compatibility status.

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/zoo-tries-out-livein-for-leopards/28574-13.html


Wild ways win zoo top award
A HAMPSHIRE zoo is celebrating after walking off with a top award in a competition to highlight the vital conservation projects undertaken by UK and Irish zoos.
Marwell Zoo, near Winchester, took the honours in the best research project category for its work on the genetics of the scimitar-horned oryx.
The oryx is Marwell's flagship animal and the park has run the European endangered animal breeding programme since it became extinct in its native homeland - Africa's Sahara desert.

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/district/display.var.1077484.0.wild_ways_win_zoo_top_award.php


Baby deer newest arrival for Jackson Zoo
The Clarion-Ledger
The Jackson Zoo became home to a new arrival this week, with the birth of a 4-pound Reeves Muntjac deer.
Named Sarah, the baby deer arrived just before 9 a.m. Monday. Reeves Muntjacs are indigenous to southern China and Taiwan, and grow to only about 20 inches in height and up to approximately 20 to 30 pounds.
They eat grasses, leaves and shoots. In the wild, they’re usually found alone or in groups of fewer than four. Muntjacs are not endangered.
At the Jackson Zoo, the Muntjacs share space with Dana, the Red Panda — also indigenous to China.
The Zoo is located at 2918 W. Capitol St. It’s open year round, except Christmas and New Year’s Day. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays through Sundays.


Zoo needs more room or might move, official warns
BY JASON CLAYWORTHREGISTER STAFF WRITER
December 15, 2006 15 Comments
Blank Park Zoo will seek a new location — possibly outside of Polk County — if the facility is unable to expand on roughly 60 acres adjacent to the current site, zoo chief operating officer Terry Rich announced today.
“It boils down to a philosophical use of land but for us it boils down to we want to think ahead,” Rich said. “We’re trying to do a long-range plan for the zoo and trying to do something positive.” At the center of the issue is Fort Des Moines Park, a nearly 120-acre county-owned area adjacent to the zoo that contains forests, playground equipment and a popular fishing lake tucked away from a quickly growing urban area.
Zoo officials want about half of the park as part of a $50 million expansion, which Rich says is crucial for the long-term financial survival of the facility.
Some neighbors and members of at least one environmental group have expressed concern that the expansion would hamper the pristine image of the park and, possibly, shut the public out of a free recreational area.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061215/NEWS/61215015/1001/archive


Hyderabad Zoo
A must visit tourist spot for any traveller to Hyderabad in India is Nehru Zoological Park. It has nearly 1,500 species of animals, birds and reptiles. It is Situated in the Bahadurpura area on the way to the N G Ranga Agricultural University in Rajendranagar.
Apart from the animals, a nocturnal zoo, the pre-historic dinosaur park, a natural history museum, parks, a mini-train and animal rides make the place ideal for a picnic. The most interesting thing about the Hyderabad zoo is that there are many different butterfly species inside the enclosure.
A must visit Travel spot for all those who can walk around for 6-7 hours to cover the entire 300 acres of land. One Van is provided for use by tourists to go round the Zoo. Each trip duration lasts for (45min.).

http://tourism-talk.blogspot.com/2006/12/hyderabad-zoo-information-for-tourists.html


Residents Want Stinking Jeddah Zoo Gone, Management Unsure
Hasan Hatrash, Arab News JEDDAH, 16 December 2006 — The management of the Beautiful Creatures Zoo in Jeddah’s Al-Rihab district said that it hasn’t received any official notification from the authorities regarding the non-renewal of the zoo’s property lease.
The local press published reports this week that municipal authorities received instructions from the Makkah Governorate not to renew the lease after receiving complaints from local residents.
The zoo’s manager, Abou Nawaf, said that they haven’t received any official notification about the issue from the municipality.
“We cannot speculate what would happen (if they ask us to leave),” he said, adding that once the picture is clear actions would be taken.
Wasmi Al-Wasmi, the zoo’s owner, said he built the 20,000-square-meter zoo 20 years ago when the area was undeveloped. Today it sits in a heavily residential zone.
“The zoo cost over SR50 million to become what it is today,” he said, adding that such investment is not popular because of the narrow profit margin.
According to a Jeddah Municipality spokesman, the lease contract would end within seven months, which is enough time for the zoo’s investors to search for a new location. He said that many residents have complained about the smells and noises from the zoo.
Saad Al-Subhi, a Saudi resident in the neighborhood, said that he didn’t expect the noises of the animals or the smells to be so bad when he decided to move close by. “In fact, I was wondering why the real estate is cheaper on this block compared to a few blocks away from the zoo,” he said. “We really wish it would close down.”


Zoo Boise receives $500,000 grant
The Friends of Zoo Boise has received a $500,000 grant from
The ALSAM Foundation, located in Salt Lake City, to help build the African Plains exhibit at the zoo.
The zoo needs $2.8 million to build the exhibit, and has already raised $1.4 million. When the zoo has collected another $700,000, the ALSAM Foundation will release the $500,000 matching grant and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust will match another $200,000, to complete the zoo’s $2.8 million goal.
The African Plains exhibit will cover more than 3.5 acres and feature giraffes, lions, zebras, lemurs, rock hyrax and weaver birds. Visitors will view the animals from an African Village that will contain a schoolroom, ranger station, open-air market and an African house. In addition to the animals, visitors will learn about the culture, customs and traditions of a place half way around the world.

http://www.idahobusiness.net/archive.htm/2006/12/15/Zoo-Boise-receives-500000-grant


Polar bears in love at Alaska Zoo
FEATURED VIDEO
Students learn about polar bears, conservation Alaska man in charge of state’s brightest star Archived video of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act given to publi by Angela UnruhFriday, Dec. 15, 2006
Anchorage, Alaska - It only took four months and now Alaska's most famous polar bear is in a typical relationship. You know the one where they can't get enough of each other one day and then want privacy the next?
Ahpun has been sharing her exhibit at the Alaska Zoo with Luytyik, who goes by Louie, and came from Sea World Resort in Australia with the hopes to mate with Ahpun.
From necking to kisses on the forehead, Ahpun and Louie are no longer strangers.
"Lou sometimes will bring food to Ahpun, which is pretty amazing. We saw it for the first time a couple weeks ago in the dens where they eat side by side. He was pushing some fish underneath the door for her, trying to bribe her," said zookeeper Tina Ferrelli.
But some days bribes don't work -- some days like today, when Ahpun just wanted her space.
"I think she was saying, ‘Not this morning,'" said Ferrelli.

http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=5822784


Zoo says it needs to use park land Residents say move could hurt recreation
By JASON CLAYWORTHREGISTER STAFF WRITER
December 16, 2006 3 Comments
Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo will move - possibly out of Polk County - if it can't gain control of roughly 60 publicly owned acres needed for an expansion, a zoo official warned Friday.
"It boils down to a philosophical use of land, but for us it boils down to we want to think ahead," Terry Rich, the zoo's chief operating officer, said. "We're trying to do a long-range plan for the zoo and trying to do something positive."
At the center of the issue is Fort Des Moines Park, a nearly 120-acre area adjacent to the zoo that features wooded areas, playground equipment and a popular fishing lake tucked away from a quickly growing urban area.
Zoo officials want about half of the park as part of a $50 million expansion, which Rich says is crucial for the long-term financial health of the facility.
Some neighbors and members of at least one environmental group have expressed concern that the zoo expansion would have a negative effect on the park and could eliminate a free recreational area for the public.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061216/NEWS05/612160352/1001/RSS01


Polar bear twins migrate north from Rostock Zoo to Ranua
A cool dip in their new pool was the first thing that two female polar bears had when they reached the Ranua Zoo in the north of Finland on Thursday. At the age of just over one year, the twin sisters Valeska and Venus immigrated to Ranua from a zoo in the German city of Rostock. The polar bears travelled to Hanko by boat and from there to Ranua in an air-conditioned lorry designed specifically for animal transport. The bears were kept in separate cages for the duration of the two-day trip. "During the trip the smaller of the sisters, Venus, rattled the bars of her transport cage nervously, since the two have never been separated before", animal attendant Miia Varanka explained. The staff of the Ranua Zoo had been asking zoos around Europe for females to be companions for Manasse a 16-year-old male, whose previous partner, Martika, died three years ago. The new bears are much smaller and more playful than the ageing Manasse. The twins were moved into a large enclosure with a recently-renovated three-metre-deep pool, next to Manasse.

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Two+female+polar+bears+move+from+rostock+to+Ranua/1135220127422


Animal rights group bats for freedom of zoo creatures
WEARING prison suits and monkey masks and holding a banner and signs that read “Zoos: Cruel Animal Prisons,” members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) Asia-Pacific will protest outside the Manila Zoo. The protest comes as Filipinos prepare to mark their 108th year of independence from Spanish colonizers on June 12, and Peta is urging the first democracy in Asia to again lead the way by becoming the first zoo-free country in the region:
Why is Peta in an uproar? Animals in the wild spend their entire lives with their close-knit families. But animals in zoos are separated from their families as babies and are sentenced to an eternity of boredom, crippling loneliness, and even abuse, leading to self-mutilation and other abnormal and self-destructive behaviors, called “zoochosis.”

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/man/2006/06/06/feat/animal.rights.group.bats.for.freedom.of.zoo.creatures.html


Life of twice 'rescued' Cambodian orangutan hangs in balance
Phnom Penh - The life of a desperately ill orangutan 'rescued' by a wildlife group from a senior government official on its way to the vet hung in the balance and a legal storm over ownership loomed, officials on both sides said Tuesday.
The ape was 'rescued' by controversial non-government conservation group WildAid in a raid it said it coordinated with military police and forestry officials Monday as the animal was being transported via taxi across the capital.
WildAid said it could find no records of proper papers being filed for legal custody of the endangered species.
But senior government official Nhim Vanda, to whom the four-year-old primate turned out to belong to, says he had been given the unnamed animal as a gift by his son, whom he believed in turn had rescued it from captivity somewhere in Cambodia.

http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1170303.php/Life_of_twice_rescued_Cambodian_orangutan_hangs_in_balance


Poo To Make Money For Zoo
15/12/2006TVNZ
Wellington Zoo has ordered two new composting machines to help convert animal deposits into cash

http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,11964-6703585-56,00.html


Zoo animals manure-facture power in Germany
Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:10 PM GMT
BERLIN (Reuters) - Animals at a Munich zoo will create their own power supply from Friday when their manure is recycled to generate heat and electricity.
A biogas plant at the Muenchner Tierpark Hellabrunn will be fuelled by dung from elephants, rhinoceroses, buffaloes and antelopes, and any left-over animal food.
"Everything that animals with solid and cloven hooves eat which turns into manure goes into the plant," zoo director Henning Wiesner said on Wednesday.
"We'll also save ourselves a lot of lorry journeys we'd otherwise have had to make to get rid of the manure, so it's doubly environmentally friendly."
The plant, launched in co-operation with Munich city council, operates by fermenting the manure. This produces methane which is burnt to provide energy.
Wiesner said it was too early to say exactly how much of the zoo's heating needs would be met by the plant but it should be a significant proportion. Animals at the zoo produce roughly 2,000 tonnes of dung a year.

concluding ...