Zoos
Microchip allows zoo animals to dispense own food, medicine
The World Today - Friday, 28 April , 2006 12:41:00
Reporter: Lisa Millar
EDMOND ROY: Scientists in Queensland are working on a new technology that could see the care and management of zoo animals determined by microchips inserted in their bodies.
They're about to test a prototype and have already had interest from zoos around the world.
The University of Queensland team is hoping the microchip, dispensing food, toys and medicine for individual animals, will make life behind bars that much more enjoyable.
Lisa Millar reports.
(Sound of a squirrel monkey squeaking)
LISA MILLAR: The small squirrel monkeys at Alma Park Zoo north of Brisbane look exactly alike.
JOHN LONG: They really, I think, only love us for the food that we bring in.
LISA MILLAR: But some of them have microchips inserted under their skin so Zoo Manager John Long can tell them apart.
Now a University of Queensland scientist, Julia Hoy, wants to take it a step further, using the microchips to activate scanners to manage the animals' care.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1626315.htm
Zoo aid: State should create regional authorities to back zoos
A Lansing State Journal editorial
Lansing's Potter Park Zoo is a regional asset in everything but name. Seventy percent of its more than 360,000 annual visitors come from outside Lansing.
But local governments - specifically Eaton and Clinton county governments - tend to view regionally used operations such as Capital City Airport and the zoo as somebody else's problem.
Appealing to their sense of fairness is unlikely to change the counties' mind-set. The Michigan Legislature, fortunately, has more potent tools available.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060428/OPINION01/604280331/1086/opinion
Where Family Trees Grow a Little Differently
By LAUREL GRAEBER
Published: April 28, 2006
"Are those your real children?"
I was reminded of this rude question while watching the new musical "They Chose Me!" It was posed, as I recall, to an American writer with children adopted overseas, and she had a perfect reply: "Yes. I leave my imaginary ones at home."
The children in "They Chose Me!" are imaginary, in that they are fictional. But the situations they talk and sing about are real and familiar. Portrayed by the young actors in TADA!, a company of 8- to 18-year-olds, these boys and girls represent a wide range of adopted children, and show what they encounter, including, yes, dumb questions. It is to the credit of the show's authors, Ned Paul Ginsburg and Michael Colby, that the material is not overly sentimental or relentlessly cheerful.
The characters, gathered at a meeting for adoptees, include a boy with gay parents, whose life is explored in a doo-wop-style song with the refrain "two moms," and a Chinese girl, Mei-Ling Moskowitz, whose blended heritage is explained in her rousing ballad as ranging from "King David to kung fu." Others identify with a country-flavored number called "Foster Care Square Dance," which might seem tasteless until you realize how apt a metaphor it is: constantly changing spaces and partners according to a pattern rapidly dictated by an outsider.
Directed by Janine Nina Trevens, with lively choreography by Joanna Greer, the hourlong show offers comedy, heartbreak and moments that are a little of both, like one character's fantasizing about being "the secret love child" of Derek Jeter and Serena Williams. Performed with sensitivity by its talented cast, "They Chose Me!" ends on the upbeat note its title implies, all the while reminding audiences that happy families really aren't all alike.
"They Chose Me!," through May 7 at TADA!, 15 West 28th Street, second floor, Chelsea, (212) 252-1619, ext. 28. Fridays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays at 2 and 4 p.m. Also next Friday at 10 a.m. and noon. Tickets: $18; children, $8.
Wild and Wooly Times
Barbering is generally not a spectator sport, but when the salons include the Queens Zoo and the Prospect Park Zoo, watching becomes irresistible. And that is what families can do tomorrow and Sunday, when sheep at both zoos will have more than a little taken off the top — and the back and the sides too.
"We've hired sheep shearers who will explain what's going on," said Kate McIntyre, a spokeswoman for the zoos. The objective is the animals' comfort as the weather grows warmer, although when it comes to submitting, they're a little, well, sheepish. "It's a lot like taking a little kid to the barber," Ms. McIntyre said. "They don't line up for it."
Children may, however, especially since they can pet the sheep (except during the shearing) and other farm animals, including goats and llamas in Queens and Aggie the cow in Prospect Park. "For kids who live in New York, a cow can be as exotic as a tiger," Ms. McIntyre said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/arts/28fami.html
Zoo to the rescue
Abandoned, injured wild animals start over at Prescott's Heritage Park
John Stanley
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 29, 2006 12:00 AM
The tiger was dying of malnutrition.
The bear cub's mother had been shot.
The gray fox's feet were badly burned in a forest fire.
None of them could ever live in the wild again.
But all found a home - and a second chance at life - at the Heritage Park Zoo, in Prescott.
Samson, the tiger, Shash, the black bear, and Aspen, the gray fox are just a few of the 170-some animals at the small community zoo.
Part nature center, part wildlife sanctuary, the zoo began in 1988, when a handful of local citizens planned a facility to hold the animals from a zoo in Payson that looked as if it was going to close. It didn't, but since the land and much of the financial support was already secured, they decided to forge ahead.
Unlike most wildlife rescue organizations, whose emphasis is on rehabilitation and release, Heritage Park Zoo serves as a facility for animals that can never be returned to the wild, either due to injuries or because they've been too strongly influenced by humans.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0429parkzoo0429.html
We have a resources bill; now, let's pass it
CHRIS NISKANEN
Dear Minnesota lawmakers:
After taking you to the woodshed these many years for failing our natural resources, I am happy to congratulate the House and Senate on passing a bill allowing Minnesota voters to decide on supporting a long-term dedicated funding source for our woods, wildlife and waters.
There are major differences in the Senate and House bills, differences we voters know will make for hair-raising Kabuki theater when Democrats and Republicans meet in a conference committee. The Senate Democrats want the money to come from a three-eighths of 1 percent increase in the sales tax, while House Republicans want three-sixteenths of 1 percent to come from existing taxes.
Frankly, I'll be happy when you sort out those fractions and I don't have to rehash them again.
While most of you understand the fundamental need to clean up our waters and protect wildlife habitat, you've got an impending fight over funding parks, trails, zoos, arts, humanities and public broadcasting.
The Senate approved a healthy portion of $276 million for two pots of money: 22 percent for parks, trails and zoos and 22 percent for arts, humanities and public broadcasting. The House was less generous: 5 percent each for those two pots.
I'm sure the arts and parks lobbyists already are knocking on your doors.
No matter. For the better part of eight years, the conservation and environmental communities have pleaded, cajoled and held two public rallies on the Capitol lawn to get this bill to this point.
Now, don't leave us at the altar.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/outdoors/14444673.htm
Md. poised to join exotic pets ban
By Kristen Wyatt
Associated Press Writer
ANNAPOLIS -- Thinking about getting a wolf or a little monkey to keep as an unusual pet? You have about a month left to legally acquire exotic pets such as those under a bill awaiting the governor's signature.
In the 2006 session that ended earlier this month, the General Assembly passed the legislation that would outlaw exotic pets, including wolves, primates and big cats. Lawmakers debated such a pet ban for more than a year. Amid opposition arguments that the ban could hurt responsible animal owners, the final version includes some additional exemptions.
If the governor signs the bill, Maryland would join a growing list of states with exotic pet bans pushed by the Humane Society of the United States.
http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/NEWS01/605010318/1002
LV Zoo Sneak Peek of New Exhibit
Story posted on 2006-05-01 23:18:00
Animal lovers were in for a treat today.
The Lehigh Valley Zoo gave members a sneak peek at a new exhibit , the Kangaroo Walkabout.
Guests checked out the walkabout , where they actually entered the exhibit and walked among the joeys.
They also took a look at the new Lorie Landing exhibit , where guests will be able to hand-feed rainbow lorikeets -- exotic birds native to Australia.
http://wfmz.com/cgi-bin/tt.cgi?action=viewstory&storyid=15565
Winery and zoo announce summer concert lineups
By GENE STOUT
P-I POP MUSIC CRITIC
Perennial concert favorites are popping up at different venues this summer.
Chateau Ste. Michelle winery in Woodinville and ZooTunes at the Woodland Park Zoo have announced lineups that include Lyle Lovett, Chris Isaak, Indigo Girls and Los Lobos -- popular acts at One Reel's Summer Nights concert series, which was canceled this year.
Chateau Ste. Michelle's 2006 concert series opens with Elvis Costello and the Imposters (with Allen Toussaint) June 25. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 9 a.m. at Ticketmaster; www.wineryconcerts.com
ZooTunes, Seattle's only major concert series this year, also boasts a strong lineup. The season kicks off with Arlo Guthrie June 28 and Indigo Girls July 2Tickets go on sale Monday at 8 a.m. at all Metropolitan Market locations. A $2 service fee is added, but 90 percent of the fee goes to the zoo. Information: 206-615-0076 or www.zoo.org
Here are the details:
Chateau Ste. Michelle
June 25, Elvis Costello & the Imposters (with Allen Toussaint)
July 3, Fiona Apple (with Damien Rice)
July 7-8, Lyle Lovett
Your browser does not support iFrames
July 13, Linda Ronstadt
July 15, Bruce Hornsby
July 21, "A Prairie Home Companion" (starring Garrison Keillor)
July 22-23, Pink Martini
July 27, Chris Isaak (with Allison Moorer)
Aug. 5, 98.9 Smooth Jazz Fest, (lineup includes Guitars & Saxes, Bobby Caldwell, Jeff Lorber and Chiele Minucci
Aug. 6, 98.9 Smooth Jazz Fest (lineup includes David Sanborn, Rendezvous All Stars, Earl Klugh and Eric Darius
Aug. 23, Styx
Aug. 25-26, Chicago
Sept. 3, Bonnie Raitt (with Keb' Mo')
Sept. 9, "Lord of the Rings" Symphony
Washington Mutual ZooTunes
June 28, Arlo Guthrie
July 2, Indigo Girls
July 5, Little Feat
July 19, Doc Watson
July 23, Leo Kottke (with Leon Redbone)
July 26, Shawn Colvin (with Dar Williams)
Aug. 2, Brandi Carlile (with Mat Kearney)
Aug. 9, Los Lobos
Aug. 16, Etta James
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/268643_concerts02.html
In concert: Indigo Girls at the zoo; Elvis Costello at winery
By Patrick MacDonald
Seattle Times music critic
Two of the area's most popular outdoor summer-concert venues have announced their seasons.
The Chateau Ste. Michelle 2006 Summer Concert Series at the Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery in Woodinville has one of its strongest lineups ever, featuring Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt.
Tickets go fast for the popular series, because of the charming, parklike setting and the availability of wines from the Chateau's wine shop, by the glass or bottle, as well as high-end catering. Free shuttles carry concertgoers from the nearby parking lots to the concert site and back.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002965460_chatzoo02.html
Classroom Principals Brought to Life at the Zoo
What mammal has one breeding female and behaves as a queen bee while all others serve her? What birds keep discourage offspring from leaving so that they can help parents rear siblings instead of breeding themselves? How do non-human primates carry infants? Is play important for non-humans?
On Monday April 3rd, Animal Behavior and Developmental Psychology students answered these questions during a trip to the Bronx Zoo, co-sponsored by the Division of Social Sciences and the Center for Leadership and Student Engagement (CLSE).
Teams of students lead by Psychology Professors Dr. Terry Glover, Dr. Denise Bane, and Dr. Carolyn Spies, along with Rutgers doctoral students Lauren Bergey, James MacDonald and Jess Reichmuth set out with a list of animals to systematically observe. The Animal Behavior class focused on observing principles of sexual selection, mating, parenting, aggressive displays and habitat selection, while Dr. Carolyn Spies, Developmental Psychology class focused on patterns of parenting and the role of play. Students saw the naked mole rat queen, African bee eater birds helping raise siblings, baboons showing aggression, mother gorillas carrying infants, monkeys playing and mongooses mating.
http://www.bloomfield.edu/news/article.asp?file=611
Zoo seeks levies for upgrades, operations
Zoo officials say baby elephant Louie may have to go if the levy does not pass.
( THE BLADE )
Toledo Zoo officials say they need voters to approve both tax issues on Tuesday's ballot if the zoo is to maintain its financial health.
The zoo has an 0.85-mill, 5-year operating levy and a 1-mill, 10-year capital-improvements levy before the voters.
"The biggest single threat to our levy is voter apathy. We know they love the zoo. That's what they tell us. But if they don't vote,…" said Stephen Staelin, zoo board president.
The operating levy is essential to meet the zoo's day-to-day needs. Projects funded by the capital levy will help take pressure off the zoo's operating budget too. It will pay for improved aquarium equipment to cut utility costs. It will allow an added parking lot, saving $65,000 in shuttling visitors from a distant lot on overflow days. It will wipe out a $13 million debt.
The debt will be paid out of the operating budget if the capital levy fails. Interest will cost the zoo $600,000 this year.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060430/NEWS09/604300335/-1/NEWS
Zoo babies charm visitors
BY JAIME INGLE
News-Democrat
Randi the ring-tailed lemur likes riding on its mother's back.
Heidi the bactrian camel is shy.
Jiao the takin likes to butt heads with its mother, just playful head-to-head contact.
They are three of the newest baby animals at the St. Louis Zoo.
Other new arrivals born earlier this year include three lesser kudus, a sifaka and two Speke's gazelles.
Don't worry about waking them during zoo hours. They're usually wide awake and ready to play while staying close to their mothers.
Lemurs and sifakas live inside the Primate House. The takins, camels, kudus and gazelles live outdoors in an area known as Red Rock.
A trio of Edwardsville High School ecology students noticed the camel lying down next to its mother.
"Look at the baby!" said junior Emily Wagner.
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/living/14430696.htm
"Naturally Naked" at the Knoxville Zoo
STRANGE CRITTERS
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 04/30/06
BY ELIZABETH A. DAVIS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Inside a small clear tube, a naked mole-rat decides to change direction.
Contorting its wrinkled, hot dog-shape body, the animal nearly somersaults over itself and pokes out its head on the other side. It shows off four big teeth, sniffs the air and turns around again.
Watch a naked mole-rat for a while, and you'll see this happen over and over. It's the nonstop movement and unusual characteristics — certainly not its beauty — that make mole-rats a hit with zoo visitors, especially children.
"They're so ugly, they're cute," said Knoxville (Tenn.) Zoo keeper Cathleen Wise. "You can't help (look at them)."
Tennesse's Knoxville Zoo has joined a handful of zoos across the country with the strange creatures when it opened the "Naturally Naked Mole-Rats" exhibit on March 31.
http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060430/LIFE02/604300309/1006/LIFE
University, zoo welcome new leaders with open checkbook
Seven bite-size Lemmon Drops to nibble on while waiting for Sweetnorthernsaint to break my 26-year drought in picking Kentucky Derby winners:
I have a pretty high threshold for dropping my jaw in disbelief, but this headline in Thursday’s paper triggered such a reaction: $385,000 salary is proposed for Jacobs.Dr. Lloyd Jacobs is in line to become president of the University of Toledo when the merger with the Medical University of Ohio takes effect. He currently is president of MUO.Dr. Jacobs is getting the best of both worlds: His proposed contract includes $300,000 in incentives from his present MUO contract. That is, he’ll receive a $150,000 bonus if he serves as president through 2008 and another $150,000 bonus if he stays through 2011.As if a $385,000-a-year salary isn’t a big enough carrot.UT’s current president, Dan Johnson, will go down as one of the best leaders in school history. He arrived at a time when the university was in disarray because of the disastrous tenure of Vik Kapoor. He healed those wounds and then went to work on taking UT to the next level — the merger with MUO being a giant step in that direction.Given that Mr. Johnson is being paid $254,616 annually, the proposed $385,000 salary for UT’s new president is highly disproportionate.
UT isn’t the only public institution with seemingly no sense of salary proportion. Take the Toledo Zoo, for example.See if you can follow me:1. The zoo’s executive director for the previous 24 years, William Dennler, had a base salary of $150,000.
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060430/COLUMNIST34/60429018/-1/NEWS
Bongo antelope dies at Toledo Zoo after breaking leg
Associated Press
TOLEDO, Ohio - A male bongo antelope that broke its leg when it jumped a fence into a rhinoceros exhibit has died, Toledo Zoo officials said.
The 650-pound African antelope, named Jo, died Saturday, a day after visitors saw him butting a low-voltage electrified wire within his enclosure and becoming entangled. He then bolted and jumped the fence, ending up in a moat.
To rescue the 2-year-old antelope, zoo workers drained the moat and rigged a forklift to operate like a crane.
The cause of death was tentatively attributed to "exertional myopathy," a condition that occurs when stress causes acid levels in a wild animal's blood to rise.
Bongos are large, chestnut-red antelopes with thin white stripes. They are considered endangered in Africa.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/14468288.htm
SF ZOO TO WELCOME PAIR OF BLACK SWANS ON TUESDAY
05/01/06 10:35 PDT
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)
The San Francisco Zoo will welcome two new additions on Tuesday, a pair of Australian black swans, and will showcase the newly restored Billabong area of the zoo, where the swans will live.
The zoo will hold an 11 a.m. event for news media on Tuesday to welcome the animals.
"Black swans are quite striking in appearance and are considered the most social of all swan species, so we believe our visitors will be thrilled by them," said Manuel Mollinedo, executive director and president of the San Francisco Zoo.
Black swans are mostly black with white wing tips and red beaks. The birds can weigh up to 20 pounds and can have wingspans of up to 6 feet, according to officials from the zoo.
The swans will live in a section of the zoo called the Billabong, which is an Australian word meaning a pool of standing water that is attached to a waterway.
"We're confident that our two swans will be quite happy in a setting such as our Billabong, which matches their Australian homeland," Mollinedo said.
The black swans were given to the zoo by Black Swan Vineyards, an Australian wine company named after the animals. Black Swan Vineyards has also financed the renovation of the Billabong area of the zoo.
"Black Swan Vineyards is proud to support the San Francisco Zoo, a leader in conservation as well as a vibrant community center for recreation and education," said Jennifer Chen of Black Swan Vineyards. "Bringing these elegant and distinctive birds to the zoo is a great opportunity to help people learn more about this unique species," Chen said.
Tuesday's event will be held in the Billabong area of the zoo. Members of the media who are interested in attending the event should meet at the service gate entrance to the zoo at the end of Herbst Road, near Skyline and Sloat Boulevards.
http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2006/05/01/n/HeadlineNews/BLACK-SWANS/resources_bcn_html
The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild lands through careful science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks. These activities change attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in sustainable interaction on both a local and a global scale. WCS is committed to this work because we believe it essential to the integrity of life on Earth.
http://www.wcs.org/zoos/
Better than a Mousetrap: Save the Forest
Banded Iguana
©Leoni Valentine
The Pacific paradise of Fiji is home to dolphins and whales, parrots and iguanas, fruit bats and seabirds. Travel brochures rarely mention its less spectacular but more numerous wild residents: invasive mongooses and rats. These non-native critters are decimating endangered species throughout the Pacific Islands.
A recent study by WCS and other groups, published in the journal Conservation Biology, found that these island-wreckers do, however, have their limits: The forest is a veritable no-scurry zone. Instead, rats and mongooses prefer to forage along forest edges. As a result, Fiji’s remaining jungles are havens for pink-billed parrotfinches, banded iguanas, and Fijian land snails. The researchers conclude that preserving these forest blocks should be more cost-efficient than trapping and removing the invasive species.
http://www.wcs.org/353624/fiji
Elephant programs fighting critics, space
BY DIANE JENNINGS
The Dallas Morning News
DALLAS - Jenny and Keke, two 30-something females, share a two-bedroom house with a 5,000-square-foot yard and a small pool. The digs were considered spacious, even elegant, when they opened in 1959. But today, the elephant house at the Dallas Zoo appears cramped and barren.
Officials hope to build a bigger, more attractive one soon. They'll have to if they want to retain accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association - not to mention Jenny and Keke.
The growing recognition that these large, majestic and intelligent animals require more space and improved living conditions led to new zoo standards that take effect in May. The new rules, which govern everything from yard, stall and herd sizes to exercise regimens, are forcing zoos across the nation to decide whether to expand or close their elephant exhibits.
"Keke may be the last elephant the Dallas Zoo receives unless we move ahead as a community ... to build a new elephant habitat," said Chuck Siegel, the zoo's deputy director for animal management.
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/14024320.htm
Pandas 'cute but costly' for US
Zoos say they want to pay China less for renting the animals
Zoos in the United States have told China they cannot afford to keep paying $1 million (£580,000) each year for the loan of Giant Pandas.
The endangered mammals are the A-list celebrities of the animal kingdom when it comes to pulling in the crowds.
Yet zoos in Washington, San Diego, Atlanta and Memphis say current loan deals are not viable in the long-term.
Officials recently made a joint trip to China to say they want to renegotiate fees when current contracts expire.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4795312.stm
Jack Hanna on Capitol Hill to Urge Protection of Endangered Species; AZA Announces 'Two Million for $2 Million' Petition Drive
3/8/2006 8:00:00 AM
To: National Desk
Contact: Jane Ballentine of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, 301-562-0777 ext. 252
WASHINGTON, March 8 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Nationally known wildlife conservationist Jack Hanna is in Washington D.C., where he attended a Capitol Hill reception hosted by The Honorable Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and sponsored by Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus Co-Chairs, The Honorable Julia Carson (D-IN) and The Honorable Spencer Bachus (R-AL). Hanna, who has long advocated an increase in funding for protection of endangered species, announced the launch of the AZA's "Two Million for $2 Million" nationwide petition drive. This drive seeks more than two million public signatures in favor of increasing the amount of federal dollars allocated to the Multinational Species Conservation Funds. The Multinational Species Conservation Funds have a 14-year track record of effectively helping protect endangered wildlife, with five separate funds dedicated to in- country conservation of African elephants, Asian elephants, rhinos and tigers, great apes, and marine turtles.
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=61998
Wild animals 'to face circus ban'
The days of performing bears in travelling circuses are numbered
The government is to ban certain wild animals from performing in travelling circuses, Animal Health Minister Ben Bradshaw has announced.
He said the use of some animals in circuses was "not compatible" with their welfare needs.
The RSPCA and Born Free Foundation have campaigned hard for a ban to be included in the Animal Welfare Bill.
An environment spokesman said deciding which species will be included will be "open to consultation".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4785734.stm
SPCA OPPOSES REPLACEMENT FOR AILING MARINELAND DOLPHIN
(New Zealand Press Association Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Wellington, March 9 NZPA - Replacing Marineland's ageing dolphins would go against worldwide trends to treat captive mammals more humanely, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) says.
Napier's tourist attraction faces doubts about its future as the health of one of its performing dolphins deteriorates.
SPCA national chief executive Robyn McDonald said the two dolphins were kept in a restricted area and in conditions highly contrary to what they would experience in the wild.
``It's just not done any more,'' she told NZPA.
``Dolphins are also highly intelligent, nurturing mammals which flourish in a pod, but do not so well if socially isolated.''
Just two together was an unnatural state, Ms McDonald said.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/08/1442264.htm
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