Morning Papers - continued ...

Zoos

LEFT HOMELESS: By Hurricane Katrina, rescued dogs and cats arrive at Popcorn Park Zoo, ready to be adopted
Refugee pets find home at Lacey zoo
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 03/16/06
BY JOHN VANDIVER
MANAHAWKIN BUREAU
LACEY — Marcello, a mild-mannered mixed-breed dog, was in jeopardy this time last week.
At an animal shelter in Louisiana, which teemed with other pets left homeless in Hurricane Katrina's wake, time was running out.
In the New Orleans area, Fridays are a time when scores of abandoned pets are euthanized, said Garo Alexanian, an animal rescuer.
"There's such a quantity of dogs out there. But people there aren't interested in adopting a dog off the street. They're trying to rebuild their lives," said Alexanian, executive director of the Companion Animal Network.
Marcello's date with death was March 3. But the dog who survived the hurricane eluded death once again. Several days before Marcello was to be killed, Alexanian was working on a rescue. The sleek, short-haired hound, along with 24 other one-time pets, would soon be bound for a shelter at the Popcorn Park Zoo in Lacey.
On Tuesday, Marcello, 19 other dogs of various breeds and four cats arrived at the Associated Humane Societies shelter on the zoo's site after a journey from Louisiana.
"They'll stay here until they're adopted," said John Bergmann, the zoo's general manager.
Last week, officials with the Companion Animal Network visited the Lacey shelter, which is known for taking in abandoned animals, to make arrangements.
"They came and looked our place over," Bergmann said. The Lacey zoo was quickly deemed a good home, he said.
Late Friday, Alexanian and a helper loaded up a truck in Louisiana with 42 animals, 18 of which are now at a shelter in New York.
The group departed New Orleans at midnight, traveling nonstop to Lacey — almost. The trip was stalled by repeated pit stops, each lasting five hours — the time it took to walk all the animals and clean all 42 cages.
"It's such an enormous job. It went phenomenally well, but the logistics and wear and tear on your body. . . . It's a lot," Alexanian said.
Many of the animal groups that initially helped with rescues after Katrina hit Aug. 29 have since departed the region, Alexanian said.
Now, with people returning to the city and surrounding parishes, dogs that spent months roaming the streets are being delivered to shelters.
The need for rescues is as strong as ever, Alexanian said.
Marcello now has a chance at life in New Jersey, though the caged journey took a toll.
"He was totally bewildered. It wasn't easy for him. He had the hardest time of the bunch," Alexanian said.
But by Tuesday, the strain seemed to have faded as Marcello bounced about in his spacious cage at the Popcorn Zoo.
"He's an adorable dog," Alexanian said. "He obviously belonged to someone."
Bergmann said he was confident that Marcello and all the other Katrina pets would find new owners.
"These are all good dogs," he said. "And we have good adoption rates."
John Vandiver: (609) 978-4584 or jvandiver@app.com

http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060316/NEWS02/603160467/1070/SHORE



Theft Charges Filed Against Ex-New Zoo Employee
(AP) SUAMICO, Wis. The NEW Zoo's former operations manager has been charged with stealing $94,000 from the zoo over four years.
Wendy Johnson, 42, of Green Bay, faces up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines if convicted of a felony criminal charge of business theft.
Johnson, an employee of the zoo for nine years, told investigators she took the money to keep her beauty business in De Pere operating, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brown County Circuit Court on Wednesday.
According to the complaint, Johnson admitted to the thefts to keep her business going but replaced the stolen money at the end of each year until last month.
The complaint said that, in order to reconcile the zoo's accounts with the treasurer's office, Johnson allegedly fabricated a receipt from the office. But a county employee spotted it and an audit then revealed the zoo was missing about $62,000.
Sara Perrizo, the county's internal auditor, said Johnson had too much authority over the zoo's money. Johnson was able to receive and cash checks, disburse funds, make deposits and prepare a bank reconciliation, Perrizo said. The Brown County Board has since adopted a rule that no one person should perform more than one of those tasks.
Johnson's initial court appearance is scheduled for April 12.
"Most zoo employees are passionate about their work," zoo director Neil Anderson said. "When you see someone take advantage of that, boy, that hurts."

http://wfrv.com/topstories/local_story_075085432.html


County Tags New Zoo Boss
General curator Chuck Doyle promoted to director
Thursday, March 16, 2006
By Mark Weiner
Staff writer
Onondaga County officials didn't have to look far when it came to finding a new director for the Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park.
County Executive Nicholas Pirro said Wednesday he will promote the zoo's general curator, Chuck Doyle, to take over leadership of the Syracuse zoo when Anne Baker leaves April 1.
Doyle is a 28-year zoo employee who has served as interim director since January.
With a specialty in elephants, Doyle helped develop the zoo's international reputation for its Asian elephant breeding program, one of the most successful in North America.
Pirro said Doyle has all of the qualities officials were looking for in a zoo director - "genuine compassion" for animals, and experience that will provide continuity with zoo staff and the zoo's fundraising group, Friends of the Zoo.
Doyle, 56, of Elbridge, said Wednesday he has no immediate plans to alter how the zoo operates.
"I worked very closely with Anne Baker, the Friends of the Zoo and the county for the last 13 years, so I don't see any major changes," Doyle said. "There might be some small changes, but otherwise it is business as usual."
Doyle will be the zoo's third director since Onondaga County took over its operations from the city of Syracuse in 1979.
The director's job will pay Doyle $61,303 per year, county officials said.
Baker, who is leaving for the top job at the Toledo Zoo, was paid about $75,000 per year in her dual role as director of the zoo and Friends of the Zoo.

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-3/114250294455130.xml&coll=1



Ore. Zoo offers behind-the-scene tours
05:07 AM PST on Wednesday, March 15, 2006
By TERESA BELL, kgw.com Staff
The Oregon Zoo is offering up-close and personal experiences for visitors who want to get an insider's view into the lives of the animals.
Guests can explore areas not normally accessible to the public and learn about the animals directly from zoo staff. Some encounters even offer hands-on activities with the animals, according to Marketing Director Bill LaMarche.
"Enrichment activities are designed to keep animals moving and thinking - and they're a blast to watch," says Charis Henrie, education program coordinator.
The 90-minute tours will be led by zookeepers, and prices are $85 for zoo members and $100 for nonmembers. VIP Encounter participants must be 14 or older.
The following is a list of upcoming behind-the-scene events:
Elephant VIP Encounter, Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Giraffe VIP Encounter, Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Steller Cove VIP Encounter, Saturday, June 10, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Penguin Encounter, Sunday, April 30, 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
Bear Encounter, Saturday, May 13, 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
FAMILY ENCOUNTERS:
Behind the Scenes Family Encounters allow children ages 8-13 accompanied by an adult) to go behind closed doors and meet zoo staff.
During the hour-long tours, children and their parents discover the rewards and challenges of caring for wild animals. Member prices for family encounters are $25 per person; nonmember prices are $30 per person. There is a two-person minimum for family encounters, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Grizzly Family Encounter, Saturday, March 18, 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
Sea Otter Family Encounter, Sunday, May 7, 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
Elephant Painting Family Encounter, Sunday, June 4, 10 a.m.-11 a.m.
Amazon Flooded Forest Family Encounter, Saturday, June 24, 10 a.m.-11
For more information, folks are urged to contact the Oregon Zoo at 503-220-2781.

http://www.kgw.com/lifestyle/stories/kgw_031506_animal_oregon_zoo.710280d7.html


Master Birder to Speak
PORTLAND, Oregon - Anyone who has been to the Oregon coast has seen them: shorebirds gathered on rocky cliffs or dancing together in the surf as they peck at the wet sand. They are as much a part of the seascape as the distant waves. Renowned shorebird expert Dr. Dennis Paulson speaks at the Oregon Zoo on March 28 at 7 p.m. as part of the zoo's 2006 Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series.
Paulson's lecture, Travelers on the Wind: The Coming and Going of Shorebirds, is the second in a four-part series, focusing on Pacific Northwest conservation efforts.
Paulson, director emeritus of the University of Puget Sound's Slater Museum of Natural History, talks about the behavior and distribution of sandpipers, plovers and related species, their role in the coastal ecosystem and threats to their survival.
"I'm an avid birder myself," says Oregon Zoo Director Tony Vecchio, "and anyone who is interested in birding will be very interested in this lecture. Dr. Paulson is one of the leading experts on shorebirds."
Paulson has published numerous books and academic articles on shorebirds, including his most recent guidebook, Shorebirds of North America: The Photographic Guide, published by Princeton University Press in 2005. Paulson also taught vertebrate zoology at the University of Puget Sound for more than a decade and currently leads the Seattle Audubon Society's Master Birder program.
The Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series is presented by Pro Photo Supply and receives additional support from New Belgium Brewing, Southwest Airlines, Portland General Electric and Shiels Obletz Johnsen.
Hosts for the series are the Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon Zoo and the World Forestry Center. Lectures will be held in the Oregon Zoo's Banquet Center and begin at 7 p.m. Cost for each lecture: $10 for nonmembers; $8 for members of host organizations, students or seniors.
The motivation for this series is the hope that community knowledge will be raised in the areas of wildlife conservation, environmental problems and ecological systems.
The Wildlife Conservation Lecture Series continues with lectures in April and May. Upcoming lectures include:
On April 25, bear biologist Chris Morgan shares his many adventures in a lecture titled "Grizzly Bears of the North Cascades." Morgan discusses the history and recovery process of the grizzly bear population in the North Cascades, highlighting bear behavior and safety issues in bear country. He also tackles human misperceptions of bears.
The series concludes on May 30, when conservation biologist Dennis Sizemore presents his lecture titled "The Taku River: A Generation With the Taku River Tlingit First Nation." Sizemore talks about the importance of establishing mutual trust with native peoples when working on conservation projects, and how large-scale wilderness preservation and community development is not always mutually exclusive.
To learn more about the Oregon Zoo, go to http://www.oregonzoo.com/AboutZoo/main.htm

http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=328761&cp=10997



Fort Worth Zoo Sets All-Time Attendance Record
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Fort Worth Zoo says it set an all-time daily attendance record Wednesday as 16,233 people visited.
The previous attendance record was 14,697, set in March 2004.
The zoo said half-price Wednesday during spring break, good weather, and the Zoo’s two-week-old giraffe, who made his public debut on Tuesday, helped set the record.
Approximately 1 million people visit the nearly 100-year-old zoo each year.
On The Net:
Fort Worth Zoo Online

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/8062121/detail.html


Zoo "parse()" File Name Handling Buffer Overflow
Secunia Advisory:
SA19250
Release Date:
2006-03-16
Last Update:
2006-03-21
Critical:
Impact:
Privilege escalation
Where:
Local system
Solution Status:
Unpatched
Software:
zoo 2.x
Select a product and view a complete list of all Patched/Unpatched Secunia advisories affecting it.
CVE reference:
CAN-2006-1269
Description:
Josh Bressers has reported a vulnerability in zoo, which potentially can be exploited by malicious, local users to gain escalated privileges.
The vulnerability is caused due to a boundary error within the "parse()" function in parse.c when creating an archive from a file with an overly long pathname. This can be exploited to cause a stack-based buffer overflow and may allow arbitrary code execution.
Successful exploitation requires that the user is e.g. tricked into adding a file that is located in directories with overly long names into an archive.
The vulnerability has been reported in version 2.10. Other versions may also be affected.
Solution:
Do not add files located in non-trusted directories into an archive.
Provided and/or discovered by:
Josh Bressers
Changelog:
2006-03-21: Added CVE reference.
Original Advisory:
Red Hat Bugzilla:
Please note: The information, which this Secunia Advisory is based upon, comes from third party unless stated otherwise.
Secunia collects, validates, and verifies all vulnerability reports issued by security research groups, vendors, and others.

http://secunia.com/advisories/19250/


Friendly Shani earns her stripes
By Peter Trute
17mar06
ZEBRAS are by nature a nervous breed, a character trait that doesn't hurt when they have to stay on the lookout for lions and hyenas.
But Shani the zebra is a little more laid back - and a lot friendlier - than most of her stripey relatives.
The 13-month-old has just arrived at Taronga Zoo from Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo and spent yesterday getting to know her new neighbours.
She has joined resident zebras Zuri and Mara and the zoo's giraffes in their enclosure and, despite her youth, is taking everything in her stride.
"We are all extremely impressed with the way Shani is adapting to her new environment," Taronga exotic species manager Chris Hibbard said.
"Shani is a very calm zebra. She has a lovely temperament and was at ease with her first encounter with the giraffes, which share the zebra exhibit."
The little zebra is still quite friendly with people, too - which is rare in zebras once they get older.
She is happy to follow her trainers around, something she will soon grow out of.
Shani is a plains zebra, a species which is native to eastern, southwestern and southern Africa.
Standing about 1m tall, she will grow to approximately 1.3m and could weigh up to 300kg.
For at least the next year Shani will live at Taronga Zoo before being moved to another zoo in the Australasian region as part of a breeding program.

http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,18496452%5E421,00.html


Gorilla Baby Boom Under Way At Zoo
POSTED: 5:46 pm PST March 16, 2006
UPDATED: 6:15 pm PST March 16, 2006
SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Zoo is having a gorilla baby boom.
For the first time in the zoo's history, two gorilla babies were born in the same troop within less than two weeks. One was born on March 5, and the other on March 14.
Visitors got their first look at the babies on Thursday. Keepers at the zoo have determined that one of the babies is a boy but do not know the gender of the other one yet.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/8071871/detail.html



Madagascar coming to Chahinkapa Zoo
By Anna Jauhola, Daily News
Some new animals are in route to Chahinkapa Zoo at Wahpeton. The zoo is acquiring two reindeer, two fossa and five new lemurs. Kathy Diekman, zoo director, said with the fossa and lemurs zoo staff will do a Madagascar and predator-prey theme.
“Lemurs are exclusive to Madagascar, that is the only place they are,” Diekman said. “They are their own science project.” There are more than 60 species of lemurs. Because they are limited to Madagascar, lemurs interbreed and create new species.
The zoo will have three different types of lemurs living in one habitat. Two crowned lemurs are coming to Chahinkapa from the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Tangayika Wildlife Park in Kansas is sending two ring-tailed lemurs. The zoo already has one black and white ruffed lemur and will obtain one from another facility.

http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/articles/2006/03/16/news/news01.txt



Buttonwood Park Zoo honors two volunteers for service
Patricia Burke and Sharon Smialek, both of Dartmouth, recently were honored by the Buttonwood Park Zoological Society for their volunteer efforts.
At its annual meeting earlier this month, the Buttonwood Park Zoological Society honored two volunteers for their outstanding service to the Buttonwood Park Zoo.
Patricia Burke and Sharon Smialek, both of Dartmouth, were given awards for volunteering on behalf of the Zoological Society. For the past four years, Ms. Burke and Ms. Smialek have been the lead volunteers for the society's numerous events, including Zoobilation, Boo at the Zoo, Holiday Lights at the Zoo and the society's annual fundraising gala.
"Pattie and Sharon have been the heart and soul of our events over the last four years," executive director David M. Prentiss said. "Through their efforts, more than $300,000 has been raised at the society's special events to support our educational programs at the zoo. These educational programs have benefited more than 50,000 schoolchildren during this time."
The society's board of directors presented Ms. Burke and Ms. Smialek with crystal elephants on a plaque, tokens of appreciation and a round of applause.
The Buttonwood Park Zoological Society is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support educational programs, family events and conservation projects at the Buttonwood Park Zoo. The society operates the Bear's Den Cafe, North Woods Gift Store, and train and pony rides, as well as manages the zoo's membership program, fundraising and marketing.
To learn more about the society, visit www.bpzoo.org or call (508) 991-4556, Ext. 10.
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-06/03-17-06/01neighbors.htm


Zoo offers classes on gators, snakes
Staff Report
SANFORD -- For new Floridians nervous -- or simply curious -- about which of the state's many dangerous reptiles they might encounter in their yard, the Central Florida Zoo is offering snake and gator awareness classes.
The gator class, from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at the zoo, involves a small alligator for participants to handle "and a lot of PowerPoint," said John Thompson, the zoo's senior keeper of reptiles. The presentations will be heavy on habitat, letting participants know where they're most likely to spot the creatures.
The snake class will be from 7 to 9 p.m. March 29.For registration, call (407) 323-4450, Ext. 123. Zoo members, $10; non-members, $15. Those attending must be 12 years or older. Zoo directions are at www.centralfloridazoo.org/

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/WestVolusia/wvlWEST04031706.htm


Seminar set for Marwell Zoo
The next BECA seminar will be held on 23rd May 2006, in the conference centre at Marwell Zoo, Colden Common, near Winchester, Hampshire.
Note: Readers of the Editor’s free email newsletter will have read this news when it was announced. Send us a blank email now to join the circulation. It’s free!
BECA, the British Electrostatic Control Association, was formed in 1987 and is the national body representing those concerned with the electrostatic control industry. The aim of the association is to promote awareness of the need for effective electrostatic monitoring and control within industry. BECA encourages good technical and commercial electrostatic practice and actively supports interaction between members.
BECA representatives participate in BSI committees in development of national and international standards.
The association has just introduced a membership pack that details the benefits of full membership while also offering the new additional Associate Membership level.
This is open to individuals working within companies in order to widen their knowledge and understanding of electrostatic discharge (ESD).
They could be working as ESD co-ordinators, test engineers, technicians, design engineers, or in other roles.
Associate Members will enjoy a number of benefits including concessionary prices for BECA seminars, discounts on copies of BSI standards, an email newsletter and chat line and e-mail forums when available, to name just a few, and will be able to participate and contribute to BECA's activities.
The next BECA seminar will be held on 23rd May, in the conference centre at Marwell Zoo, Colden Common, near Winchester, Hampshire.
Full details will be posted on the association's website and registration forms will also be available on its stand at Nepcon.

http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/bec/bec111.html


Junior Museum and Zoo undergoes unsettling change
NON-PROFIT GROUP COULD TAKE OVER OPERATION FROM CITY
By Deborah Lohse
Mercury News
``Let's Go,'' the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo's new exhibit about motion, won't have its debut until April 1. But there's been plenty of motion behind the scenes at the 72-year-old museum.
The director of 10 years departed a few weeks ago. A key creator of the interactive exhibits was let go last summer. And a program to subsidize classes for hundreds of East Palo Alto youngsters has been discontinued.
The changes come as the non-profit fundraising arm of the museum, the Friends of the Junior Museum and Zoo, is discussing the possibility of taking over operations from the city of Palo Alto. The group and city officials say the arrangement could give the museum greater flexibility and assist with fundraising.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14121759.htm


Build-A-Bear hopes its animals will escape zoo
There should be warning signs for diabetics in the new Build-A-Bear Workshop at the St. Louis Zoo because all that sweetness could kill them.
If the cute animals don't get them, the cute little kids clutching the animals will. Or they might be done in by the darling accessories.
The new zoo store, which sells stuffed animals like the ones you can see at the zoo, seems a natural when you think about it. From what I saw Thursday, resistance is futile.
Although Build-A-Bear has more than 200 stores worldwide, this is the first one in a zoo, said Maxine Clark, founder, chief executive bear and chairman of the board of the St. Louis-based company.
But likely it will soon have company.
"We've talked to other zoos. This will be a great example," Clark said, squeezing her way through a pack of people inside the store.
"We're selling only special animals here. We had them made special for the zoo with special clothes," she said, pointing out zoo railroad outfits and zoo shirts
Children, parents and grandparents filed past bins in the store across from the Lakeside Cafe in the center of the zoo to make selections.
The bins were filled with snow leopards, giraffes, polar bears, penguins, chimpanzees, elephants, tree frogs, tigers, koalas, ring tail lemurs and brown bears ranging in price from $10 to $22.
There was a variety of outfits available from zoo ranger jackets to vet outfits to zoo vests, costing up to $10. Shoes, hats, sunglasses and other accessories also were available such as a $2 banana, fish and steak to keep your animal from becoming hungry.
The children also could have sound added to the bears, either pre-recorded or record-your-own for an extra charge.
Then it was time to stuff the bear and have it stitched up. But not until after adding a heart and taking a test hug to make sure the stuffing was just right.
Adeline Holden, 6, and her mom, Tammy of Cassville, Mo., watched carefully as her new elephant she said she was going to name Elly was finished. Then it was time to list Elly in the company's registry (in case Elly ever runs away from home or gets lost) and print out a birth certificate.
Build-A-Bear is the first retail vendor at the zoo other than food companies. Clark said the company believes the store will prosper even in winter, when zoo attendance drops off.
Zoo officials said it was a neat way to make kids happy and maybe sneak in some lessons on animals and conservation.
Build-A-Bear also is opening a store with a baseball related theme to build Fredbirds and some other creatures in the new Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis.
Clark said the company also has stores in stadiums in Philadelphia, Cleveland and Cincinnati and will be opening this year in San Francisco.
Wally Spiers' column runs five days a week. Have a column idea? Call Wally at 239-2506 or (800) 642-3878; or e-mail: wspiers@bnd.com

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/columnists/14120778.htm


Species survival: More to the zoo than the view
By Sherry Lucas
slucas@clarionledger.com
Brian Albert Broom/The Clarion-Ledger
Though barely visible, each of these cotton-top tamarins has a 2-week-old baby clinging to their necks.
HOW TO HELP
The public can donate to the flamingo fund online at www.jacksonzoo.org. Boxes also will be set up in the gift shop and docents will be selling buttons. There also will be a donation area at the Zoolympics March 25-26. Zoolympics, with kids participating in animal-themed games, is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 25 and 1-4 p.m. March 26.
New arrivals are enlivening the Jackson Zoo, some already on display and others on the way.
"Oh Mom, it's a little baby!" 8-year-old Alexys Ellis of Jackson said as she pointed to the cotton-top tamarin and the tiny creature clinging to its neck.
"Ooh, it's two babies!" She'd just spotted the baby on the back of the other tamarin parent.
Zoo babies are welcome additions to the collection, particularly when they're endangered species, as with these small South American monkeys.
Brian Albert Broom/The Clarion-Ledger
Jackson Zoo curator Dave Wetzel holds a young orphaned beaver that soon will be housed in the Mississippi Wilderness Exhibit at the zoo.
"Obviously, it helps attendance," director Beth Poff said of baby animals. It also helps patrons realize the animal collection is changing constantly and that there's more to the zoo than the view. "We're also making a contribution back to the gene pool."

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060317/FEAT05/603170316/1023


Zoo, museum officials can identify snakes
By Jack Sunn
jacksunn@jackson.gannett.com
Q: I'm a Yankee and have lived in Mississippi for five years. I recently found two snakes mating in my azalea bushes. I don't know anything about the snakes native to the area and I was wondering who could help me identify them. All the people at work said, "Who cares what kind of snake they are, kill them!" I'm concerned that they may be poisonous. - Medusa
A: Odds are they aren't poisonous, said Dave Wetzel with the Jackson Zoo and Terry Majure with the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. The state has 55 species and only six are poisonous.
But don't take a chance. Call Wetzel or Willie Bennett at the zoo to make an appointment to bring them in (live) or better yet, bring a picture of the snakes or e-mail a shot to the zoo's snake men at info@jacksonzoo.com and put "snake identification" in the subject field. "We would prefer them not to kill the snakes until they know what they are," Wetzel said. "A lot of them are helpful to the environment."
Or call Majure at the museum, (601) 354-7303, and he'll try to help. He also suggests looking at the Web site: enature.com. Mississippians also can go by the museum at Riverside Drive and pick up a poster which depicts the state's six poisonous snakes. They're free, but the museum does accept doantions.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060317/COL0205/603170302/1152/FEAT05


Group finds fault with zoo on elephants
By CHERYL WITTENAUER, Associated Press Writer
Friday, March 17th, 2006 04:10 PM (PST)
Related Information
ST. LOUIS (AP) - An animal rescue and protection group says the Saint Louis Zoo is violating the federal Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide elephants adequate space and proper conditions for healthy joints and feet, and socialization.
The complaint, filed this week, is part of a larger petition the group submitted last month to the Department of Agriculture seeking clarification and enforcement of regulations for zoo elephants' environment.
California-based In Defense of Animals, citing zoo medical records obtained through Missouri's public records law, said Saint Louis Zoo elephants suffer from foot and joint disease that it attributes to improper housing.
The group said six of the zoo's seven elephants suffer from lameness, joint problems and chronic foot abscesses, and that one elephant's foot infection is so severe she wears sandals on her back feet.
The zoo disputed the claims and said the group "grossly misinterpreted" its medical records.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/24hour/healthscience/story/3232800p-11973923c.html


Tsavo The Lion Euthanized At National Zoo
Written By The Associated Press
Created:3/17/2006 5:45:44 PM
Last Updated:3/18/2006 4:09:50 PM
The National Zoo has euthanized a 17-year-old African lion.
Zoo officials say veterinarians spent more than a year treating the animal for a degenerative spinal condition that is common in older, large cats. The lion also had been treated for skin cancer.
Tsavo was born at the National Zoo in 1988 and was one of the zoo's most popular animals throughout his life. The zoo says he often delighted visitors with a roar at dinnertime.
The National Zoo now has one female African lion, but plans to acquire more lions this year.
Male African lions rarely live longer than 12 years in the wild, but can live up to 20 years in captivity.

http://wusa9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=47751



Detroit Zoo to add space to sell coffee, animal-themed goods
ROYAL OAK, Mich. The Detroit Zoo is hoping that a new 24-hundred-square-foot animal-themed market will bring the struggling attraction a little more money.
The Zoofari Market gift shop will sell animal-related merchandise as well as fudge prepared in the store, homemade muffins, sandwiches and specialty coffees.
An education and family center was also expanded, with more animal-themed books, interactive toys, games and puzzles.
The store is set to open Wednesday.
Officials say it is more than twice size of the building it replaces.
The zoo, located in Royal Oak, avoided closing earlier this year after Detroit announced it could no longer afford to pay five (m) million dollars a year for operations.
The Detroit Zoological Society has since taken over.

http://www.woodtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4648374&nav=menu44_2



Houston Zoo welcomes newborn giraffe
Associated Press
The newest big bundle of joy at the Houston Zoo formally went on display today.
The male giraffe was 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 102 pounds at birth on Wednesday, zoo officials said.
A contest will be held to name the Masai giraffe, whose father is named Kiva and mother is Noel, officials said. Both parents are 10 years old.
"He has been on exhibit since his birth, but we had kind of kept the public at a distance until today, to give mom and baby a little peace and quiet and a little opportunity to get to know each other," zoo spokesman Brian Hill told The Associated Press.
The calf was born at approximately 9:40 a.m. Wednesday and stood about two hours after birth.
The arrival of the newborn giraffe follows the successful birth of another Masai giraffe, Binty, whose name means daughter in Swahili, in August 2004.
Assistant Curator Phil Coleman said Masai giraffes are not threatened, however there are only 63 of them in North American zoos.
Experts say an average male giraffe can grow to a towering 17 feet and weigh 3,000 pounds.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3731327.html


Harmon's and Hogle Zoo Enlist Penguin to Raise Money For Charity
LAST UPDATE: 3/17/2006 7:29:53 PM
It's not everyday you see a penguin shopping in the frozen food section, however Hardy the penguin waddles the aisle looking for frozen fish sticks. She knows frozen is the next best thing to fresh, but during the month of March it's even better, because Harmons is donating a percentage of all its frozen food sales to the Utah Special Olympics.
Dozens of curious shoppers, old and young alike, put their carts aside to say "hello" to Hardy. Shes the perfect spokes-bird for national frozen food month, even though Hardy is actually a South African warm weather penguin.
"It's kind of ironic that our first year we tied in with Hogle Zoo and we built an exhibit for them for the penguins. And we've kind of gone full circle and 11 years later now they're coming to our store," comments Harmons Vice President, Randy Harmon.
Hogle Zoo has 14 penguins. Brandy Vonweissenstein, a member of Hogle Zoo's Animal Care Staff explains that Hardy had to pass some pretty tough criteria to make her St. Patricks Day appearance at the Taylorsville Harmons, "She was the only one wearing a green ribbon. So we picked her out. That's how it goes on St. Patty's Day. She was very excited."
And Harmon's Vice President Bob Harmon, is excited to surpass last year's $107,000 donation to the Utah Special Olympics, "We have the most wonderful, giving community, honestly. I think everyone knows that."
Every Friday and Saturday through the end of March, Special Olympians will be at all Harmon's locations to greet customers and sell root beer floats, treats and bracelets to raise money for their individual teams. Harmon's customers can also buy Special Olympics icons at every check stand for a dollar donation.
Harmons hopes to raise $110,000 this year, all of which will subsidize Special Olympics Utah educational programs, athletes and athletic events including the first Special Olympics USA National Games in Iowa this summer.
Story by Angie Larsen
angie@abc4.tv

http://www.abc4.com/local_news/featured_websites/story.aspx?content_id=0A4A9446-E2CF-4C9C-807D-18AF75E0FFA0


The Topeka Zoo comes to you
12 p.m. Friday, March 17, 2006
49 News tells you about the African bullfrog, the anteater and all sorts of things to see at the Topeka Zoo.

http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2006/mar/17/topeka_zoo_comes_you/



Mexico City: Aztec Temples, Feathered Serpents and a Zoo
A child-size perch in the Frida Kahlo Museum.
The bloody story of the Spanish conquest, along with the Aztecs' predilection for violent spectacle (you will run across many accounts of both in museums and guidebooks) will satisfy any child's desire for gore. And Mexican kitsch, like papier-mâché skeletons and bags decorated with sequined figures of the Virgin of Guadalupe, will please the most discerning 11-year-old shopper.

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/03/19/travel/19kids.html



Zoo to be big attraction, says Chong
18 March, 2006
Kota Kinabalu: The 280-acre Sabah Zoological and Botanical Park in Lok Kawi is set to become another main tourism attraction for Sabah with its unique setting that is virtually in the wilderness.
The park, which has incurred a cost of about RM28 million so far, may only be opened to the public later this year as it still needs some improvement on the facilities and is awaiting some of the exotic animals to arrive from overseas.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat during a working visit to the park on Friday noted that a lot of improvement needs to be done there.
At the same time, the park is waiting for the acquisition of exotic animals from abroad to join animals that are found in Sabah.
"I'm sure when it is open it will be a big attraction because seldom can you see a zoo in a forested area as it is normally in the city area. Here it is in its natural setting," he said when met after the visit.
According to him, a meeting would be held with the management of the park to sort out what other areas can be improved.
Personnel from the park are also being sent on attachment under exchange programmes to other zoos. Presently, two personnel from Kensington Zoo, UK are on a six-month attachment at the park.
The zoo section is being managed by the Sabah Wildlife Department while the botanical side is managed by the Forestry Department.
Among the animals already there are a pair of bear cats or binturong, pygmy elephants and Asian elephants, tigers, Proboscis Monkey, orang utan, mouse deer, barking deer, bali cattle (bearing resemblance to the Tembadau), ostriches and various species of birds in the aviary.
A white Rhino, is among the animals which still have not arrived from Singapore.
Chong who is also a Deputy Chief Minister said he wanted the children's section of the zoo where several pygmy elephants, ponies and goats are exhibited to be expanded.
The botanical garden, which is to be managed by the Forestry Department using the technology at its world-class research centre in Sandakan, covers about 200 acres.
Chong was briefed that the botanical garden would see a 1.4km walking trail and another cycling trail for visitors to see the flora at the park.
Also planned are orchid exhibitions, fernarium, butterfly farm, insecterium as well as exhibits of medicinal plants, nephentes (Periuk Kera) and ginger, among others.
Accessible via the old road to Papar from Penampang and from Lok Kawi, the park would provide visitors a close-up view of wild animals in their natural settings.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=40851



Expanded Akron Zoo enjoying new popularity
Saturday, March 18, 2006
April McClellan-Copeland
Plain Dealer Reporter
Akron -- The Akron Zoo's new jaguars, dragons and bats have sent the park's attendance into orbit.
New animal exhibits, including Legends of the Wild and Komodo Kingdom, boosted last year's attendance to 223,918, a 41 percent increase over 2004's record-breaking attendance of 158,681.
"We've increased the animal population from 400 to 700," said David Barnhardt, the zoo's director of marketing and guest services.
"This was the largest expansion in our history. There is more to see and more to do."
Akron's attendance boom last year bucked a downward slide in visits to Ohio's other big zoos. Zoos in Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo each lost more than 100,000 visitors between 2004 and 2005.
Jane Ballentine, director of public affairs for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, said many zoos are combating attendance declines with new exhibits.
"Many zoos are in the middle or beginning of growth," said Ballentine, whose association accredits the zoos in Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati. "They are redoing exhibits with the latest technology and state-of-the-art equipment."
At the entrance of Akron's Legends of the Wild exhibit, which opened last May, there is a 25-foot waterfall. The exhibit uses Mayan architecture and "ancient legends" to introduce new animals, including Chack (pronounced "shock"), a male jaguar who recently fathered three cubs with female jaguar Naom.
There is a bat cave with simulated moonlight where varieties of bats hang around and Penguin Point, where people can watch Humboldt penguins swimming underwater.
Last October, the zoo opened the 35,000-square-foot Komodo Kingdom Education Center, home to a Komodo dragon, Galapagos tortoises and Chinese alligators. The facility has interactive exhibits, a restaurant and classrooms.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/summit/1142674269192320.xml&coll=2



Zoo board: Community support is critical
By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA - The Billings Gazette - 03/18/06
BILLINGS (LEE) — Julliette Kurtz spent her lunch break last week strolling the paths at ZooMontana, and she wishes more people would do the same.
“I love going there,” said Kurtz, who served as the zoo’s last marketing director. “We need to communicate to the public the changes with the seasons, and that the cold-climate animals are more active in the winter.”
Kurtz only worked at ZooMontana for four months, leaving her position last October.
But her brief role there represents both the assets and the challenges that the zoo has faced since day one in 1995.
Kurtz, like other zoo employees, has a passion for animals, but her passion was tempered by frustration.
“My mission was to get back to where it was when it first opened,” she said. “I wanted so much to do that. But I couldn’t do that without the tools.”

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/03/18/montana/c01031806_01.txt



What a zoo
March 18, 2006 - There is a new exhibit at the Toledo zoo.
Its located in the Diversity of Life building and it houses one of the rarest creatures on earth. It's time to meet the Kahanzi Spray toad in today's what a zoo.
Tim Herman, a herpetologist at the Toledo Zoo, says, "They're probably extinct in the wild. They live only below waterfalls in a single river gorge in Tanzania the Kahanzi river gorge. In the year 2000 a hydroelectric dam was build upstream which cut off flow to the waterfall and their habitat dried up."
Around 500 Kahanzi Spray toads were rescued and sent to several zoos around the country.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=local&id=4003842



Zoo struggles to tame its finances
By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA
Of The Gazette Staff
Julliette Kurtz spent her lunch break last week strolling the paths at ZooMontana, and she wishes more people would do the same.
"I love going there," said Kurtz, who served as the zoo's last marketing director. "We need to communicate to the public the changes with the seasons, and that the cold-climate animals are more active in the winter."
Kurtz only worked at ZooMontana for four months, leaving her position last October. But her brief role there represents the zoo's assets and the challenges it has faced since Day One in 1995.
Kurtz, like other zoo employees, has a passion for animals, but frustration tempered her passion.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/03/18/news/local/20-zoo.txt



Lucas County residents can register at zoo to vote
Lucas County residents visiting the zoo this weekend can register to vote, in between visits to the animals.
The Board of Elections will be at the Toledo Zoo from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. today and tomorrow to register residents. The board will be set up near the Arctic Encounter exhibit. Regular admissions will apply to get in the zoo.
Those needing to register to vote or fill out any change of address must do so before April 3.
The zoo has a 1-mill, 10-year capital levy on the May 2 ballot to pay off debt while allowing the zoo to improve its elephant housing and other areas. The zoo also has a 0.8-mill, five-year operating levy on the same ballot.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060318/NEWS09/60318005/-1/NEWS



Brevard Zoo welcomes newborn giraffe
By JOHN TORRES
FLORIDA TODAY
VIERA--Shhhhh.
There’s a brand new addition at the Brevard Zoo – a 3-day-old Masai Giraffe that still needs lots of sleep and one-on-one time with its mother.
Officials at the zoo today confirmed the Wednesday night birth but have released no information about the baby giraffe.
“It’s very crucial that the mother and baby spend the weekend bonding,” said zoo spokeswoman Andrea Hill. “This is our first big birth and we want to do it right.”
Hill said an official announcement with photographs would be coming next week if the animal is doing all right. Hill said she would not be able to comment on the giraffe’s condition until a Sunday afternoon Animal Department meeting takes place.
The first of the zoo’s giraffes for its popular Expedition Africa exhibit arrived on April 3, 2003. The exhibit opened three months later and continues to draw large crowds. Kids especially relish watching the 17-foot-high animals snatch crackers from their hands with their 18-inch-long tongues.
“Contingent on how things go, the giraffe will not be on exhibit for two to three more weeks,” Hill said.

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060318/BREAKINGNEWS/60318005



Detroit Zoo to add space to sell coffee, animal-themed goods
3/17/2006, 3:20 p.m. ET
The Associated Press
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Zoo is hoping that a new 2,400-square-foot animal-themed market will bring the struggling attraction a little more money.
The Zoofari Market gift shop, set to open Wednesday inside the zoo admission gates, will sell animal-related merchandise as well as fudge prepared in the store, homemade muffins, take-out salads and sandwiches, and specialty coffees.
The shop also will feature jackets, T-shirts and other clothing, stuffed animals and toys depicting species from all over the globe. There also will be an African section with masks and musical instruments.
An education and family center was expanded, with more animal-themed books, interactive toys, games and puzzles.
The zoo narrowly avoided closing earlier this year after Detroit announced it could no longer afford to pay $5 million a year for operations.
The Detroit Zoological Society, the zoo's nonprofit fund-raising arm, has taken over operations and is waiting to see whether the state Legislature will come through with $4 million in funding.
Zoo officials say the $4 million is necessary for the takeover plan to work.
Zoo spokesman Patricia Mills said the store is more than twice the size of the building that it replaced.
It will be open to zoo visitors during normal zoo hours, she said.
There are no plans at this time to open the store to people who don't pay zoo admission, she said.
On the Net:
Detroit Zoo: http://www.detroitzoo.org
Information from: The Daily Tribune, http://www.dailytribune.com

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-32/1142627384198790.xml&storylist=mibusiness



Baby (elephant) boom at Indy zoo
INDIANAPOLIS, March 18 (UPI) -- The Indianapolis Zoo is enjoying something of a baby boom among the elephants with a 5-month-old learning the ropes and a new arrival expected soon.
Kedar, who weighed about 200 pounds when he was born in October, has more than doubled his weight to 482 pounds. He is still nursing, although the staff have started him on solid foods, the Indianapolis Star reports.
While workers enjoy him, they are also trying to teach him discipline and good manners. An African bull elephant, Kedar will weigh something on the order of 15,000 pounds when he is full-grown.
"We want our interaction to be nice and positive," Jill Sampson, the head elephant keeper, said. "But we also want him to know that we're not playthings."
Ivory, who already has a 5-year-old named Ajani, is expecting her next in September. The baby has been monitored on ultrasound but zoo staff are not yet sure of its sex.
The zoo is home to seven elephants, including the two young ones. The adults are Sophi, 38; Kubwa, Kedar's mother, 30; Tombi, 29; Ivory, 24, and MacLean, a 24-year-old bull on loan to the zoo.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060318-112616-2617r



Guyana jaguars get new home at Jacksonville Zoo
Sunday, March 19th 2006
Two female jaguars from Guyana have been sent to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardensin the United States on permanent loan in exchange for which the US zoo will make financial and technical contributions towards in-country conservation projects.
The negotiations for the jaguars between the Govern-ment of Guyana and the Jacksonville Zoo were facilitated by the Iwokrama International Centre.
The Jacksonville Zoo's director of animal programmes Delfi Messinger, and its senior veterinarian Nick Kapustin brought the animals to their new home at the zoo from two separate homes outside of Georgetown in mid-January, a press release from the zoo said.
The jaguars have been added to the award-winning exhibit, Range of the Jaguar, and brings the zoo's collection to six, one male and five females, the largest collection in the United States.
The Guyana jaguars are currently known as Xena and Jaws, and the release said the right to rename the cats would be auctioned off at the upcoming ExZOOberation fundraiser on April 22. The two Guyana jaguars will be exhibited on a rotating basis with the other four currently at the zoo.
The statement said that the Jacksonville Zoo was a non-profit organization and was an accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. For more information on this zoo, log on to www.jacksonvillezoo.org.

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article_local_news?id=48383153


Bill seeks acres for elephants
Calif. zoos could lose pachyderms; group slams lawmaker's effort to mandate room to roam.
Peter Hecht / Sacramento Bee
SAN ANDREAS, Calif. -- Winky, a 9,500-pound Asian elephant, savors her retirement with seven other elephants on a sprawling range in California.
Her arrival at the Ark 2000 sanctuary of the Performing Animal Welfare Society in April 2005 was arranged because of Winky's aching feet and pointed acknowledgments by two zoos -- the Sacramento Zoo, where Winky was the featured attraction for 36 years, and the Detroit Zoo, where she moved in 1991-- that their artificial elephant habitats were ill-equipped to meet the needs of the animals.
Winky's Detroit Zoo friend, Wanda, moved with her.
Now a California state lawmaker is pushing legislation, called the Elephant Protection Act, which could force some of the state's leading zoos to give up their elephants if they don't significantly expand acreage for them.
"These highly intelligent and highly social creatures should live in a way that doesn't promote suffering," said the bill's sponsor, Assemblyman Lloyd Levin.
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association is charging that the bill sets arbitrary acreage requirements for zoo elephants that are unsupported by science.
"We believe that these changes are another attempt by animal rights activists to effectively ban elephants from zoos today and then ban other species from zoos tomorrow," the organization said in a statement.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060319/NATION/603190315/1020


Phoenix Mail: What To Do With Little Ones
Phoenix Blog
March 19, 2006
Phoenix Mail: What To Do With Little Ones
I was hanging around the mail room over here at About Phoenix the other day. Boy, these folks are busy! Anyway, we received an email from Jean:
My husband and I, our two daughters and their husbands, along with our 5 grandkids will be together for only a few days during one week's time. The grandkids are ages 3, 18 mos., 8 months (twins) and a 4 month old. Besides the Zoo, do you have any other suggestion for a family with such young little ones? Thanks, Judy, for your help!
Well, that sounds like quite a vacation, Jean. Five children ages three and under? Well, at first, I thought about just getting some big boxes and crayons and a few videos and staying in, but after I thought about it, I suppose there really are some neat places to take the teeny ones.
Jean also told me that she was staying on the west side of town during her visit, on a Wednesday and Thursday in March. So that took care of attending any weekend festivals, and the splash pads aren't open yet.
Here are some of the recommendations I made:
All over town you'll find teeny trains to ride with the kids. If you go to Encanto Park, there's a carousel.
Dugan’s Dairy Farm in Chandler has a hay ride tour of the dairy farm, a petting zoo and lots more. It isn't on the west side, but I think its' worth the drive. There won't be dairy farms in town much longer, as more and more of that land is giving way to luxury condo development and such. Anyway, I just love Dugan's, but call first to make sure they aren’t closed for a big school event or something.
Another place that would be a bit of a drive for you is the Arizona Museum for Youth in Mesa. They have a program designed for children up to 4 years old called ArtVille. I'd give them a call first, and make sure it will be happening on the day you plan to go (Mesa's had some cutbacks to public programs).
Easy and free, there's a play area at Arrowhead Mall. While you're there, stop at the bookstore and pick up a few books about the desert that you can read to the little ones, even after you've gone home. Maybe there are a few things at the mall you'd be interested in, too.... ;-)
If you want to do a zoo closer to where you'll be staying, try Wildlife World Zoo.
Finally, I'm sure you know how to find local parks and playgrounds. Since you will be here during the week, you might even be able to catch some storytime sessions at the local libraries.

http://phoenix.about.com/b/a/253101.htm



Baby marmosets among exotic animals stolen from Devon zoo
By Thair Shaikh
Published: 20 March 2006
A colony of rare, black-eared marmosets and a collection of exotic birds worth £10,000 have been stolen from a Devon zoo.
The animals, which included vulnerable baby marmosets the size of a human thumb, were taken from Exmoor Zoo, Barnstaple, early yesterday.
Zoo keepers believe the animals were stolen to order - the thefts of the monkeys is the latest in a series from small zoos across Britain.
The marmosets, the only breeding colony in the UK, were in danger because of their size, especially the four-week-old babies, said Danny Reynolds, 45, a curator at the Zoo.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article352404.ece



Aviary, zoo have plans to fight bird flu should outbreak occur here
Monday, March 20, 2006
By Linda Wilson Fuoco, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The people who care for animals at the zoo and birds at the aviary in Pittsburgh have plans for dealing with the avian flu when -- and if -- it spreads to the United States.
Their goal is to protect the animals and the people who come in contact with them and to prevent the disease from spreading.
At the National Aviary in Pittsburgh during the past year, "We have made a contingency plan and we are vigilantly tracking the movement of the virus," said Dr. Pilar Fish, the veterinarian who treats more than 600 birds at the North Side facility.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06079/673365.stm



Zoo, golf may be hit as Lansing cuts $11M
Mayor considers county control of Potter Park
By Tom Lambert
Lansing State Journal
Selling one of the city's four golf courses and giving control of Potter Park Zoo to Ingham County are being considered as possible ways to trim Lansing's record $11 million deficit this year.
"Everything is on the table as far as cuts go," said Mayor Virg Bernero, who added that raising taxes or dipping into the city's $12.5 million reserves are not options.
"Everything we are considering cutting has a constituency. We will have to make some tough choices, there's no doubt about it."

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060320/NEWS01/603200341/1001/opinion



Dredging, zoo personnel changes before council
The Times-Standard
EUREKA -- The City Council will look Tuesday at accepting a dredging expenditure report related to special conditions imposed by the California Coastal Commission when the board voted to allow the muck and sediment collecting around marinas and dockside areas of Humboldt Bay to be removed.
Those conditions include developing several plans and reports prior to permits being issued and five years of post project monitoring, according to the agenda. Staff is also requesting authorization to submit a $10,000 change order for work needed to obtain the required Coastal Development Permits.
Dredging is expected to begin in November, with the first contract being awarded in July.
The California Coastal Commission did approve permits to pipe the dredge spoils on a Samoa beach, something that has been done several times in recent decades but recently drew criticism from environmental groups.
But the commission also told the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District and the city of Eureka to plan to dispose of the material somewhere else in the future. The district and city were also directed to show that the project follows the federal Ocean Dumping Act and to post signs on the beach during dredging.
In other business, the council will look at making budget adjustments for personnel changes at the Sequoia Park Zoo in response to several concerns raised by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association during an accreditation visit.
Those include upgrading the zoo curator/supervisor to zoo manager with day-to-day administrative responsibilities, creating a head zoo keeper/vet tech position to oversee the zoo keeper staff and assigning a facilities maintenance technician to the zoo on at least half-time basis.
The changes are estimated to cost an additional $36,121.
In other business, the council will consider purchasing three Honda Civic hybrid sedans for the city's fleet from Mid-City Motorworld for $70,800. The cars will allow for “significant fuel savings,” the agenda summary states.
Also under consideration is entering into an agreement with Redwood Community Action Agency to provide labor standards management services for the new Alzheimer's center project.
The 6:30 p.m. regular meeting takes place in City Hall, 531 K Street.

http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_3621063



4 neelgai die in Nehru zoo
Staff Reporter
Stray dog entry into deer enclosure proves fatal Stray dog's entry into enclosure leads to tragedy
One of the antelopes had a dog bite on its rump
Entire periphery of the 380-acre zoo is being scanned
Security personnel told to shoot `unwelcome visitors' HYDERABAD: A stray dog that sneaked past the much-hyped security network at the Nehru Zoological Park put in place after the killing of tigress Sakhi ended up causing the tragic death of four neelgai. A dog strayed into the deer enclosure late on Thursday night and apparently wounded a male neelgai (known as blue bull). The scared animal triggered off a melee in the display area. Three more deer were present in the area and in the melee, all of them jumped into the moat.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/20/stories/2006032018870300.htm


Babies Usher In Spring At The Minnesota Zoo
(WCCO) You might call it a baby boom at the Minnesota Zoo. The older animals have spent the winter mating and the fruits of their labor are beginning to show.
Zoo attendant, Dawn Walker said it’s always crazy this time of year with all the births and babies.
Monday she helped deliver some pygmy kids. The mother goat had just broken her water when Walker stepped in to assist. The kids were born just before noon.
The stork "dropped off" a 45-pound Jersey calf a week ago. The brown calf was born during last week’s snow storm. Zoo officials joke they were thinking about naming the cute calf “Blizzard.”
Three 4-day-old Shetland lambs are also a must see. The trio is just getting used to their legs and often like to practice skipping.
The "Big Mamma" around the barn, however, is a porker. The mother pig gave birth to 12 piglets, six boys and six girls, just a few days ago. One of the piglets is small and looks like “Wilbur” from "Charlotte’s Web."
The new zoo babies will be on exhibit to the public March 31.

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_079202117.html



Study finds petting zoos can spread E. coli
Mon Mar 20, 2006 6:42 PM ET
ATLANTA (Reuters) - Animals at petting zoos can transmit the potentially deadly E. coli bacteria, underscoring the need to lather up after visiting these facilities, health researchers said on Monday.
A study of people who visited Florida petting zoos in March 2005 concluded that the bacteria, which kills 60 people annually in the United States and causes diarrhea and other ailments, can be transmitted through contact with animals.
Another study conducted in South Carolina suggested many visitors are not taking the most basic steps to guard against illness. Researchers in South Carolina who watched visitors at a petting zoo there last year found that 28 percent of people who left the zoo did not wash their hands at faucets provided by the zoo, researchers said.
"The major takeaway is to wash your hands after visiting the zoo, wash your hands before eating after a zoo visit and inform yourself," said Daniel Chertow, a Florida Department of Health official who discussed the Florida study at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases in Atlanta.
Chertow said E. coli transmission from animals was a growing concern. The first human E. coli outbreak tied to animals was reported to the CDC in 1996, and 10 more animal-related cases were chronicled by 2002, he said.
The most common types of contact that contributed to E. coli infection in the Florida study were feeding cows and touching or feeding goats.
But the study also showed humans don't have to touch animals to get sick. Indirect contacts that transmitted E. coli included stepping in manure and touching soiled clothing after washing hands at the zoo, the study said.
Those most likely to stave off illness lathered their hands with soap upon leaving the petting zoo, and washed up again before eating, the study found.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-03-20T234152Z_01_N20282712_RTRUKOC_0_US-ZOO.xml&archived=False



Prince heads for Dubbo zoo
Tuesday, 21 March 2006. 10:48 (AEDT)
The Western Plains Zoo will be the only place to catch a glimpse of Prince Edward when he visits Dubbo tomorrow.
The Earl of Wessex will be taken on a brief tour of the zoo and a civic reception will be held at the Zoofari Lodge.
While security measures are being kept tightly under wraps, the zoo has confirmed it will remain open during the visit.
General manger William Garton says it will be business as usual.
"We expect the impact of the visit ... as far as general operations, to be very, very minimal. In fact, I would dare say for most of us who'll come to the zoo on that day you wouldn't even know it's happening," he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200603/1596865.htm?centralwest



RIVERSIDE ZOO
3/20/2006 - 04:46:01 PM
THE RIVERSIDE ZOO RELEASED A RED TAILED HAWK AFTER IT HAD BEEN REHABILITATED. IT HAD BEEN FOUND NEAR THE WILD CAT HILLS APPARENTLY SHOT BY A SHOT GUN. A GREAT HORNED OWL WAS RELEASED AFTER DARK BECAUSE IT IS A NOCTURNAL ANIMAL. THE OWL HAD BEEN HIT BY A CAR. BOTH ANIMALS WERE TAKEN TO A REHAB CENTER IN FORT COLLINS AND BROUGHT BACK HERE TO BE RELEASED.

http://www.kduhtv.com/viewStory.php?id=4739



Woodland Park Zoo: Elephant debate
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
Woodland Park Zoo officials have made a compassionate decision to bring back an elephant from a placement in Tacoma. The change of plans announced Monday offers the zoo a chance to engage the public in decisions about the returning elephant, Bamboo, and the popular elephant exhibit.
Officials said two other elephants in Tacoma had refused to accept Bamboo despite efforts to integrate them. Recent conversations with officials at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium indicated the officials and keepers had become very fond of Bamboo, who moved last year after troubles with the liveliness of the Seattle zoo's young Hansa.
Woodland Park officials said they can keep Bamboo indefinitely while looking for options at other accredited zoos. Among animal rights groups and some former zoo staff, the change will renew calls to move Bamboo to a sanctuary in Tennessee. But this doesn't have to be just a debate among zoo officials, activists and experts.
Everyone visiting a zoo is there for the animals. Decisions about Bamboo's future home and overall elephant care offer Seattle's zoo a chance to involve the public in something more meaningful than a parking plan tussle. People have cared about elephants for centuries. In a well-documented Roman scene, recently recounted by University of Chicago Professor Martha Nussbaum, an arena crowd jeered Pompey for a staged combat in which doomed elephants' trumpeted and gestured pathetically to the assembly. Resolving Bamboo's saga deserves public help and a happy outcome.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/263669_zooed.html



Booze and zoo don't mix
21 March 2006
By CHARLOTTE COX
Auckland Zoo officials are considering banning bring-your-own booze at next year's Zoomusic concerts, after a music fan was seen trying to feed beer to a hippo.
More than 13,000 people raised about $100,000 for animal conservation at this summer's series featuring acts like Che Fu and Pluto.
Jaime Courtney says she went to the Black Seeds concert and was disgusted to see someone pouring beer into the hippo exhibit.
"When we were looking at the hippos there was a very young, drunk boy. He poured some beer into the water," she says.
"He was like `oh here have a drink' and poured in about quarter of a bottle of beer.
"It really made us angry."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3611325a4560,00.html



Zoo Negara union puts picketing on hold: IRD holds pow-wow today
PAULINE ALMEIDA
KUALA LUMPUR, March 21
Employees of Zoo Negara did not picket over the weekend, thanks to the intervention of the Industrial Relations Department (IRD) of the Human Resources Ministry.
The IRD advised the Zoo Negara and Aquarium Tunku Abdul Rahman Employees Union against picketing to allow it to negotiate a settlement of their employment grouses, including the collective agreement (CA), today.
"IRD sought our co-operation against picketing at the zoo in view of our meeting with them today," zoo union president Shukor Mohamed told The Malay Mail yesterday.
"Subsequently, we consulted the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and decided to put the picketing action on hold.
"However, if the meeting ends in a deadlock we will continue picketing during our lunch break on Sundays."

http://www.mmail.com.my/Current_News/MM/Tuesday/National/20060321111045/Article/index_html



1 MINUTE BRIEFING
(The Sunday Herald Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)What's all the fuss about pandas then?
Zoos in the US are asking China to reduce the loan fees they pay in order to have giant pandas on display in their facilities.
My panda maths is a little off . . .
what's the deal at the moment?
Well, the four US zoos with pandas essentially rent them from China at a cool dollars-1million (GBP580,000) a year . . . per panda . . . so it's getting pricey.
So, essentially they want a discount on pandas?
Yup. As endangered mammals (and also terribly cute) the pandas do pull in the crowds at the various zoos, but only when there are cubs to coo at, not fat grown-up ones.
Grown-up pandas don't sell a lot of merchandising then?
It seems not . . .
stuffed toys and baseball caps seem to fly out the door when there are little 'uns, but the rest of the time the pandas are a big drain on the coffers of your average zoo. Plus, every time they do reproduce, China gets another whack of cash.
How good are pandas at making babies?
Not very, and there are only 1600 left in the wild. San Diego Zoo however has been lucky (and unlucky) in that it has had three panda births since 1999 . . . which it's had to pay China for.
Panda baseball caps didn't make up the shortfall?
Put it this way . . .
Atlanta's two pandas are also sponsored by telecoms firm BellSouth and Coca-Cola.
Seriously.

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/13/1452725.htm



Giant pandas too expensive for U.S. zoos
WASHINGTON, March 11 (UPI) -- Giant pandas are the most popular attraction in several U.S. zoos but may be too expensive as officials try to renegotiate their annual fee with China.
China has loaned the pandas to zoos in Washington, D.C., San Diego, Atlanta and Memphis for $1 million a year.
The BBC reports zoo officials recently met with officials in China, saying they can't afford the price anymore.
Visits and merchandise profits aren't offsetting the cost, even during peak times such as after a birth of a cub.
Washington National Zoo spokesman John Gibbons said they are waiting for a response from China.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060311-114948-1465r



Proposed law would require zoos to expand elephant exhibits
By: ANDREA MOSS - Staff Writer
Zoos throughout the state would have to expand their elephant enclosures or close them by 2009, under a proposed state law that would set standards for the treatment of elephants housed in zoos.
The San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park just outside Escondido are among the facilities that would be affected by the proposal, Assembly Bill 3027. Assemblyman Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) introduced the bill in the Legislature Feb. 24.
The Wild Animal Park and zoo are operated by the Zoological Society of San Diego and have three elephant enclosures between them. After Levine held a press conference this week to promote his bill, the Zoological Society released a statement saying the organization believes decisions about the size of elephant exhibits are best left to animal care experts.
"Although basic animal welfare standards are useful and of great value, it is important to recognize that detailed restrictions regarding animal care and husbandry may serve to create situations where the care of individual animals (bearing unique medical, psychological or social needs) is compromised," the statement said.

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/03/04/news/inland/22_01_453_3_06.txt



Zoo fundraiser puts animal lovers behind the scene
By AMELIA NIELSON-STOWELL
Deseret Morning News
[oas:casperstartribune.net/news/regional:Middle1]
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- While gently petting a giraffe's muzzle, Lyn Hargis reached her arm to the creature's mouth, holding a carrot in her palm for a lunchtime treat.
"Wow, your tongue's nice and soft," she said as giraffe Daphne licked her hand for the snack.
Hargis watched Hogle Zoo's five giraffes as they observed their new friendly guest. "They all have different personalities," she said.
It was an experience usually reserved for trained zookeepers, but now the Salt Lake zoo is letting the public get a behind-the-scenes look at the beautiful -- and often dirty -- work of zookeepers.
As part of a fundraiser for the zoo's conservation efforts and the Utah chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers, a member of the public can pay $225 to participate in the Keeper for a Day program. The guest spends the day side-by-side with a zookeeper, participating in enrichment activities, cleaning cages, preparing diets and even getting up close to some of the zoo's friendliest beasts.

http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2006/03/04/news/regional/f5ce239a486dd5b08725712600628f85.txt



US to review treatment of zoo elephants
Sat Mar 4, 2006 1:24 AM GMT
By Christopher Doering
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government plans to look into possible changes in laws protecting zoo elephants after an animal welfare group complained that many were kept in cramped conditions that caused arthritis and foot disease and could be deadly.
The Agriculture Department said on Friday it would seek public comment on a petition filed last month by the group, In Defense of Animals, accusing U.S. zoos of violating the Animal Welfare Act by keeping elephants in small, unnatural pens.
The decision came amid a growing debate in the United States over whether it is humane for zoos to keep elephants, which in the wild walk miles (km) a day.
The animal welfare group, which has targeted such places as the U.S. National Zoo in Washington, estimated that half of all captive elephants suffered from arthritis and foot infections, ailments it said were the leading cause of euthanasia.
The group said it hoped USDA, which is responsible for inspecting American zoos, would take action to stop abuse of elephants. It urged zoos where elephants were suffering ailments to give them more space or move them to sanctuaries.
"The USDA is acknowledging the gravity of concern over the poor conditions for elephants in our nation's zoos," said Elliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals.
USDA said it would publish a notice in the Federal Register on the petition giving members of the public 60 days to make their opinions known. "There are a lot of people interested in this," USDA spokesman Darby Holladay said. "We'll review those comments and see if there needs to be any changes in the Animal Welfare Act."
USDA conducts annual and unannounced reviews of zoos and other animal exhibits, with those deemed in "noncompliance" receiving additional inspections, Holladay said.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, urged the National Zoo in January to send its three remaining Asian elephants to an animal sanctuary and close its exhibit.
The appeal came after the zoo put down an arthritic Asian elephant said to have been in worsening pain. The elephant named Toni was 40. Elephants can live to be 60 or older. The zoo said the enclosure had not been the cause of Toni's death.
PETA said zoo elephants were dying decades short of their expected life span from illnesses directly related to the large animals' lack of space.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-03-04T012447Z_01_N03239696_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-LIFE-ELEPHANTS-DC.XML



Zoo artificially inseminates Asian elephant
Sat Mar 4, 2006 1:23 AM GMT
By Patricia Wilson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five weeks after the U.S. National Zoo put down one of its elephants, veterinarians artificially inseminated another, hoping to add one more notable birth at an institution hit by high-profile deaths.
Shanthi, a 30-year-old 9,000-pound (4,000-kg) Asian elephant stood in a training chute -- a contraption with bars to restrain her gently -- and a keeper fed her treats while the zoo's experts and a team of German veterinary scientists used ultrasound and a catheter for the 45-minute procedure.
It will be four months before they know if it was successful, but the zoo is taking no chances.
"We've got another semen sample that's being flown in from Tulsa (Oklahoma) so we'll be doing another one tonight," spokeswoman Peper Long told Reuters in a telephone interview on Friday.
Hormonal analysis will determine if Shanthi has conceived. The gestation period for elephants is about 22 months.
Toni, a 40-year-old Asian elephant stricken with arthritis was euthanized in late January, about two decades short of the typical expected life span.
Her death set off a debate over whether the species belonged in zoos. Animal rights groups complained that close confinement and hard floors in zoos were unsuitable for elephants and had urged the Smithsonian Institution's National Zoo to move her to a sanctuary in Tennessee.
The zoo has lost dozens of large animals since 1998, including an elephant in 2000, two red pandas mistakenly killed by rat poison, a lion, a zebra, a cheetah and a giraffe.
An investigation by the National Research Council found problems with staff training, workplace culture and strategic planning.
But the zoo has experienced some remarkable successes, most importantly the birth last summer of giant panda Tai Shan who has attracted huge crowds and worldwide media attention.
The flagship institution also has bred nine cheetah cubs in the past two years as well as rare clouded leopards and red pandas.
Shanthi was successfully artificially inseminated once before and gave birth to a male elephant, Kandula, in 2001.
Five other attempts to artificially inseminate an elephant at the National Zoo failed due to poor semen quality and timing.
"A successful artificial insemination depends on accurately predicting the time of ovulation," Long said. "Shanthi's hormone range has told us that we're at the far end."
The procedure was planned before Toni's death.
"We've been wanting to do this for a while," Long said. "One of the reasons is because Shanthi is a natural mother and breeding is a very natural, normal part of an elephant's social fabric."
In addition to Shanthi and Kandula, the zoo has a third elephant, Ambika, a female in her 50s.

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-03-04T012409Z_01_N03117801_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-LIFE-SHANTHI-DC.XML



Granholm: Detroit Zoo is "cultural gem"
March 3, 2006
By DAWSON BELL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she was confident Friday that a state pledge of $4 million in aid for the Detroit Zoo will be renewed following this weeks approval of a new management agreement by Detroit City Council.
Granholm said the outpouring of support for the zoo in recent weeks - when it was threatened with closure as the city council balked at an earlier version of the deal - shows that the zoo is an important cultural gem for the whole region.
She said she would work with lawmakers on legislation to restore a state grant of $4 million for the zoo that was approved last year but expired after 60 days.
It was contingent on approval of a deal for the Detroit Zoological Society to assume control of zoo operations, which the council did on its second attempt Wednesday.
Some legislators said this week the combative rhetoric from the council that accompanied the debate damped prospects for the zoo subsidy. But Granholm called for everyone to work together and get the money re-authorized.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060303/NEWS11/60303017


Wolf at Brookfield Zoo now missing a leg
March 3, 2006
BY ANDREW HERRMANN Staff Reporter
Advertisement
Brookfield Zoo keepers got an unpleasant surprise this week: One of its wolves was missing a limb.
Zoo officials don't know how the wolf's front right leg was torn off but they say it doesn't appear the animal got into a fight. The unnamed male Mexican gray wolf is recuperating after surgery and should be able to function on three legs, Tom Meehan, director of veterinary services, said Thursday.
'Hard to say' how it happened
Keepers discovered the injured wolf in his exhibit early Wednesday. Meehan said the accident likely occurred shortly before the zoo opened.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-wolf03.html


Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is celebrating 130 years

http://www.btimes.com/News/article/article.asp?NewsID=66943&sID=4


Sydney Morning Herald

Larry bill as high as $1bn: Katter
The repair bill for homes, businesses and farms devastated by Cyclone Larry could top $1 billion, Independent MP Bob Katter says.
Mr Katter, whose sprawling electorate of Kennedy covers the worst hit area of north Queensland, said the federal government must contribute at least $250 million to the devastated agriculture sector.
He said the regions around the hardest-hit towns of Innisfail and Tully, south of Cairns, were still without water and power supplies, and the sewerage system was collapsing.
"The cost, I would think, would run to hundreds of millions in Powerlink and Ergon (electricity distributors)," he told Southern Cross Radio.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/larry-bill-as-high-as-1bn-katter/2006/03/21/1142703331229.html


Bush offers help to Larry victims
March 21, 2006 - 4:36PM
President George W Bush has offered US help for cyclone-devastated far north Queensland.
Mr Bush made the offer in a personal phone call to Prime Minister John Howard this morning, after category five Cyclone Larry crossed the coast early yesterday morning.
Larry's 290kph winds have left hundreds of people homeless, damaged thousands of buildings, and wiped out banana and sugar cane crops in and around the hardest-hit town of Innisfail.
American hurricane victims have also called Australia's embassy in Washington DC to offer help and support to Queenslanders recovering from Cyclone Larry.
One of the callers, a survivor of killer Hurricane Katrina that devastated Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama last August, said he did not have much money, but wanted to offer Australians what he could.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/bush-offers-help-to-larry-victims/2006/03/21/1142703325975.html


Larry's trail of destruction
A reader captures the devastation across Innisfail on March 20.

http://www.smh.com.au/ftimages/2006/03/21/1142703353043.html


Home movies capture Larry
A still from 11-year-old Abbie Gulliford's video of Cyclone Larry hitting her home in Cairns.
Related coverage
By David Braithwaite
March 21, 2006 - 12:58PM
When Cyclone Larry slammed into Cairns yesterday, 11-year-old Abbie Gulliford woke up, grabbed her digital camera and started shooting video.
"I woke up because of the winds, saw the roof blowing off and thought it's not going to get much more exciting than this," she said this morning.
Home video documenting the fury of Larry and the ensuing devastation has started being sent around the globe via email and appearing on the internet.
Video hosting websites such as http://www.youtube.com have allowed users to post videos of the cyclone and describe their experiences.
YouTube user Justin Cook, 17, went out after the winds had died down yesterday morning to film scenes around Cairns on his digital camera.
He said he spent 90 minutes editing the video on an Apple computer, adding a heavy metal soundtrack, before posting it about 3.30am this morning.
"I went for a drive and thought I may as well make some videos to tell people around the world about the cyclone," he said.
"Not many people have lived through a cyclone of this severity and I thought they would find it pretty interesting.
"I've still got tonnes of footage I didn't use, but I kept it about five minutes long so it was short and interesting.
"I used [the heavy metal music] because as we were driving around filming I had that song on my iPod and I thought 'that fits perfectly'."
Abbie said she took about nine videos of the cyclone from inside her family home.
"I took the videos myself - mum and dad were just worried about what they'd do to get the roof back on my brother's flat in the backyard" she said.
Did you shoot a video of Cyclone Larry? Contact smh.com.au editor David Higgins at dhiggins@smh.com.au.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/home-movies-capture-larry/2006/03/21/1142703333846.html



The Australian

Cyclone smashes into the north
Ian Gerard and Annabelle McDonald
March 21, 2006
THE most powerful cyclone in nearly a century has left thousands of people in northern Queensland homeless, reduced the town of Innisfail to a "bomb site" and destroyed about $300 million worth of banana and sugar crops.
As the region between Cairns and Tully began cleaning up after Cyclone Larry, the weather bureau began monitoring a second threat in the Coral Sea and warned that some rivers may face flooding.
Cyclone Wati was last night 1400km east of Cairns and moving slowly westward. The weather bureau said it would know tomorrow if it would present a similar threat to the coast.
Larry, a category five cyclone, left one in every two houses in Innisfail damaged. Eighty per cent of houses in Babinda, north of Innisfail, were damaged and Mission Beach, to the south, was also battered.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18543700%255E601,00.html



Damage to crops destroys 4000 jobs
Asa Wahlquist and Annabelle McDonald
March 21, 2006
UP to 4000 people will lose their jobs across north Queensland after Cyclone Larry ripped through the region's $350 million produce industry.
The cyclone destroyed as much as 90 per cent of the nation's banana crop - 200,000 tonnes - meaning Cavendish bananas will be more expensive at the checkout within two weeks.
"There's going to be 3000 or 4000 unemployed within the next week," Australian Banana Growers Council president Patrick Leahy said yesterday.
"There's going to be a flow-on through to the towns and the supermarkets, people are going to move away, and your transport operators - they're going to be out of production for six, seven months, the same as us," Mr Leahy said. "For the region ... it's going to be quite devastating."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18543556%255E601,00.html



Not even safe up on the Tablelands
Tony Koch
March 21, 2006
AN Atherton Tablelands resident last night said she and her husband leaned against the glass windows of their home to prevent them being smashed by the fury of Cyclone Larry.
Lara Wieland, who lives at the tiny township of Tarzali, 15km south of Atherton, said she was "terrified" when the cyclone struck.
"It was terrifying, then there was silence and then torrential rain," she said.
Dr Wieland said the storm left a path of destruction as it passed through.
"This area depends on dairying and there will be problems as the power lines have been rooted out and tangled," she said.
As soon as the storm passed, chainsaws started up everywhere to clear trees from roads.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18543559%255E601,00.html


'Disgrace' to leave Iraq now
Geoff Elliott, Washington correspondent
March 21, 2006
THE Bush administration marked the third anniversary of the Iraq war yesterday by arguing that US troops must remain in Iraq, with Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld warning that to abandon the divided country would be the equivalent of leaving postwar Germany to the Nazis.
Mr Rumsfeld, who is bearing the brunt of criticism about post-invasion planning in Iraq, joined President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney in mounting an aggressive political defence of the war and its importance on the fight against international terrorism.
"Turning our backs on postwar Iraq today would be the modern equivalent of handing postwar Germany back to the Nazis," Mr Rumsfeld wrote in the Washington Post yesterday.
"It would be as great a disgrace as if we had asked the liberated nations of eastern Europe to return to Soviet domination because it was too hard or too tough or we didn't have the patience to work with them as they built free countries."
Mr Cheney, in a rare TV interview, maintained that his comments last May that the Iraq insurgency was in its last throes, along with his prewar view that the US would be greeted as liberators in Iraq, were "basically accurate, and reflect reality".

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18536859%255E601,00.html



Torture as American as apple pie
Australia is complicit in the widespread abuse of countless detainees in the war on terror says Phillip Adams
March 21, 2006
HAVING volunteered for active duty in Iraq, we are complicit in what happened in Abu Ghraib. Having left Australians to the tender mercies of US interrogators in Guantanamo Bay we're complicit in what has happened there. As an uncritical supporter of George W. Bush's war on terror, we are complicit in the widespread torturing of countless detainees.
But for the purpose of today's column, based on Alfred McCoy's A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation from the Cold War to the War on Terror (Metropolitan Press) and on conversations with the author through several years, let us focus on Abu Ghraib.
We've been assured that the abuses in Saddam Hussein's favourite prison were isolated incidents by bad apples. In The New York Times William Safire blamed them on creeps. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld talked of "a few people on the night shift". Or the perpetrators are dismissed as recycled hillbillies from Maryland. But when McCoy saw those infamous photos, he recognised the hoods and the eerie poses as "textbook trademark CIA interrogation techniques; self-inflicted pain and sensory deprivation".
He starts his story in the 1950s, when the CIA ran a large research effort, "a veritable Manhattan Project of the mind", spending a billion a year to crack the code of human consciousness. "They tried LSD, electroshock, sodium pentothal, mescaline, and they didn't work. Then they outsourced the research to Yale, Harvard and Princeton, but the breakthrough came from McGill [Canada]."
A Donald Hebb found a form of torture far more effective than drugs or beatings. He could induce a state of psychosis within 48 hours, even in the healthy, well-adjusted students who volunteered to be guinea pigs. "By sitting them in a cubicle with goggles, gloves and headphones, cut off from their senses and sensory stimulation, they soon suffered hallucinations and then breakdown."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18538972%255E601,00.html

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