September 30, 2006.

Jane Goodall and Washo Shadowhawk in a Peace Day march at the zoo.

The Madagascar Teal

August 27, 2006.
Harbin Northeast China, Heilongjang Province.

Distress for Marine Mammals are slightly less considering the waters are maintained at a tolerable temperature, but, there has to be some residual effects in places like Florida.

Polar Bears in Distress at Warm Climate Zoos.

Morning Papers - concluding

Zoos

A 'Spooktacular' event at Zoo
Saturday, September 30, 2006
ADVANCE STAFF REPORT
Tricks and treats are on their way to the Staten Island Zoo, where the Halloween Spooktacular will be held in late October.
Tickets become available Monday for Zoo members and Oct. 10 for non-members.
Families and lurking beasties enjoy creepy exhibits, carnival games, shows, crafts and rides at the Spooktacular, to be held in the West Brighton Zoo on Oct. 21 from 6 to 9:30 and Oct. 22 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. This year's attractions include a haunted lantern walk, an Egyptian mummy dig and the sugary Candy Land stroll.
Entry to the autumnal wonderland costs $12 for members and $15 for non-members, with free admission for children younger than 3.
Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are sold from the Zoo's Kids' Korral booth near the Clove Road entrance. Callers with credit cards should contact the Zoo after 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 718-815-0242. Tickets must be picked up by 2 p.m. on Oct. 19.

http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1159622144162350.xml&coll=1



Zoo wins two major awards
JASON HAGEY; The News Tribune
Published: September 30th, 2006 01:00 AM
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium won two of the four major awards given out annually by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, the zoo announced Friday.
The zoo’s sea horse exhibit received the Munson Aquatic Conservation Exhibitry award, which comes with a $25,000 cash prize. The Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater’s live animal program received the association’s top education award.
Both awards were announced Friday at the annual conference in Tampa, Fla.
“The really important thing is these were both done by Point Defiance staff,” rather than outside contractors, said spokeswoman Susan Hulbert. “It’s really the people right here in Tacoma that won this award.”
The awards often go to much larger institutions, Hulbert said. For instance, the Bronx Zoo and Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo took the education awards last year.
“Once Upon a Tide: A Seahorse Odyssey,” follows a character named Potbelly Seahorse through a series of adventures that teach visitors about sea horse habitat, threats to sea horses and the work of Project Seahorse.
Zoo staff members conceived, created and built the exhibit, which combines traditional storytelling with claymation.
Lehrman Cameron Studio of Seattle and TPN Inc. designed the graphics and displays.
The Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater is a 30-minute show that includes a mix of human and animal characters.
Presenters model outdoors activities such as mountain biking, snowshoeing and bird watching. Animals make surprise appearances, including several birds that swoop just above the heads of the audience.
More than 400,000 visitors have see it since its 2004 debut, officials said.
Like the sea horse exhibit, it also was an in-house effort that zoo workers conceived. They trained the animals and wrote the script, Hulbert said.
The awards are especially notable for a zoo that only six years ago was put on probation by the same organization because of shaky finances. Since then, the zoo has turned around its situation with the help of voters and donors.
The Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater was funded through the $35 million voter-approved 1999 bond measure for improvements at the zoo.
Major funding for the sea horse exhibit came from the Ben B. Cheney Foundation, the D.V. & Ida McEachern Charitable Trust and The Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation, the zoo said.
Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542
jason.hagey@thenewstribune.com

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/6131580p-5369148c.html



Zoo story
By Alon Hadar
Adar Fundaminsky had a great feeling for animals, though her fastidious parents didn't connect with four-footed creatures at all. Adar received her first pet, a Dalmatian puppy, as a present from her brother, Amir, after she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, a cancer that attacks the lymph nodes. The disease was discovered after Adar returned from a backpacking trip to India with her boyfriend, whom she met during her army service as a logistics officer in the Golani infantry brigade. Her body, which was accustomed to tough treks and hair-raising adventures across the globe, grew progressively weaker. At first she thought she had caught a local virus. Back in Israel, the disease was diagnosed….
….A new cub
Two weeks ago, Smith arrived at the zoo as usual. Max was making noises such as he had never made before; the lions watched him in astonishment through the window and refused to move. The other animals were also uptight. Smith sensed that something was wrong, but didn't know what. The last time the zoo animals were so overwrought was when a fairly strong earthquake struck the city about a decade ago.
At 3 P.M. an alert was sounded. One of the zoo staff had spotted a cat in the leopards' compound. Smith rushed over. He was flabbergasted to discover a newborn leopard cub in one of the corners. Adar was standing a few meters from it, licking the dried blood on her fur. She refused to approach the cub. The next few minutes were critical. Without the mother by its side, the cub would not stand a chance. In a general consultation it was decided to follow them for four hours via the video cameras and see whether the mother would agree to protect her son. The time passed, Adar stayed in her corner, and Smith isolated the bleeding cub and held it in his hand. Another cub, lifeless, was also discovered in the exhibit.
The view in the zoo was that the pressure Adar experienced as a result of the flight had made her abandon her cubs. The death of the second newborn is attributed to the fact that during the flight the mother received anesthetics that were liable to harm the fetuses. When Shnior saw the new baby he asked that it be named Roo, after his daughter's spotted dog. The zoo staff could not refuse.
A few days before the unexpected birth, Smith broke his hand while riding his bike, and so the handling of the small cub was transferred to one of the zoo veterinarians, Beverly Burge. Like other devoted employees of the zoo, who often prefer the company of animals to that of humans, Burge too is an unusual character. She came to Israel from the United States, attended an intensive course to learn Hebrew and looked for work at one of Israel's zoos. She chose the old zoo in Jerusalem precisely because of its wretched state and the joyless life of its animals. In recent years she has been living alone in the working-class Kiryat Menahem neighborhood.
Tiny Roo was taken to the clinic and placed in a large plastic box, along with a few stuffed leopards to provide company. He became attached to one of the dolls, which is three times his size, and with half-closed eyes he locates its head, curls up pleasurably under its neck, and falls asleep. Burge feeds the cub every four hours from a bottle containing powdered milk for kittens. She then cleans him with gauze, as though it is the tongue of a loving mother. Roo is weighed every day, and by the tenth day of his life had already doubled his weight to one kilogram….

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/768548.html



Nine panda cubs in Chengdu
Updated: 2006-09-29 13:35
Chinese care takers display nine panda cubs, from two-week-old to two-month-old, as they prepare to feed them at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center in Chengdu, China's Sichuan province Thursday, Sept. 28, 2006. The nine panda cubs, which were born this year, will be part of the attractions that tourists coming to the center will be able to enjoy in Chengdu during the upcoming National Day holidays. [AP]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-09/29/content_699660.htm


Kid behaves like a goat
(chinanews.cn)
Updated: 2006-09-29 10:39
Many people heard of stories about kids raised by wolves or bears, but never by goats. In the Wangjiahe village in Yulin, Shaanxi, there is a kid that behaves like a goat, CCTV International Channel reported.
The kid, named Shuanshuan, had been neglected by his family for many years. Ever since he learned to walk, he was tied to a tree with no one to look after him. Only a goat accompanied him.
A year ago, a reporter saw Shuanshuan for the first time. At that time, he was already six years old. However, he could not speak but baa to express what he wanted.
Shuanshuan's mother died when he was four months old. His father is mentally retarded and Shuanshuan's grandmother, now 74, is the only person capable of doing housework in the family. Granny said she had no other choices. Although she was well on in years, she had to take care of all the field work and household chores and had no time to look after her small grandson. She could not let Shuanshuan go out of the courtyard because their house was located on a steep cliff skirting the Yellow River.
Asked why she couldn't let Shuanshuan play with other kids, granny said she was afraid her grandson might fall into the Yellow River.
So, everyday, before granny went to work on the land, she would tie Shuanshuan to a tree in the courtyard. In the evening, when granny finished all the work, she would untie him and let him go to bed.
The reporter saw that Shuanshuan could only move about in an area less than three square meters. With nobody teaching him, he couldn't take care of himself at all. He had to be fed and dressed.
Since no kids but a goat in his house had ever played with him, Shuanshuan was intimate with the goat, but cold to humans. Villagers thought that he was a deaf-mute as well as a mentally retarded boy, and called him an idiot or a mute.
With someone's help, Shuanshuan walked out of his house at the end of last year and went to the Shaanxi Yulin Language Rehabilitation School to learn to speak.
So far, he has studied in the school for almost a year. He still can not communicate with people and whenever he wants something, he will yell. A teacher in the school raises a goat and Shuanshuan likes the goat very much.
School teacher Liu Chengde said Shuanshuan still likes to play with goats, not humans. He can't speak, but has made great progress. There is nothing wrong with his mind. He just behaves more like an animal.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-09/29/content_699516.htm



Big snake joins couple in bed
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-09-28 08:56
A rare Myanmar python snuck into a seventh-floor apartment in Quanzhou of Fujian Province on Monday and awakened the male dweller with three kisses on the face.
The 4-metre-long python awakened You and his wife at about 3 am. Judging by its appearance, You was relieved as he knew it was not poisonous. He boldly touched the python, which lay on the ground and seemed to enjoy his stroking.
About two hours later, police came and took the 30-kilogram python away. However, they were puzzled as to where the python was from, as it was worth at least 100,000 yuan (US$12,500) and is rarely seen even in zoos.
The Straits Metropolis News

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-09/28/content_698526.htm


It's a girl for Zoo Atlanta's panda
ATLANTA — The new baby panda at Zoo Atlanta is a girl. Zoo staff members removed the tiny bear from its birthing den Monday for the first time, 19 days after Zoo Atlanta's panda Lun Lun gave birth to the new cub, and determined its sex during a 10-minute medical checkup.
With Lun Lun in an adjacent den, zoo veterinarian Maria Crane gently lifted the baby and began examining it shortly after 10 a.m. Because the newborn is so small and Lun Lun often held it close to her body, zoo officials have not known until now whether the newborn cub was male or female.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4212513.html



'Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania' Goes Gold
From Blue Fang Games, LLC, this new, E10+ rated expansion pack introduces 20 new marine animals into the “Zoo Tycoon 2” experience, including green sea turtles, black tip reef sharks and West Indian manatees, for $29.99. Watch an orca breach the surface of its tank, while dolphins teach each other new tricks. In addition to building new captivating tanks, gamers can also customize their own aquatic shows, teaching animals to entertain zoo guests and increase their zoo ratings.
New scenarios and challenges allow players of all ages and skill levels to test their aquatic expertise, such as rescuing marine animals, restoring their health and releasing them back into the wild. Children and parents alike can broaden their knowledge of the animal kingdom with the exclusive Zoopedia feature, with excerpts from Encarta®, that educates gamers on the dietary and habitat needs of the animals.
Also available at retailers on Oct. 17 will be the “Zoo Tycoon 2: Zookeeper Collection” featuring three franchise favorites: “Zoo Tycoon 2,” “Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species” and “Zoo Tycoon 2: African Adventure.” Available for $39.99, this ultimate “Zoo Tycoon” experience allows players to step directly into their zoo, where they will come face-to-face with 70 animals and hundreds of building objects to customize their zoo.

http://www.worthplaying.com/article.php?sid=37370&mode=thread&order=0



Mill Mountain Zoo must fix expensive problems
by Denise Eck / WSLS NewsChannel 10
Sep 25, 2006
Mill Mountain Zoo has work to do. The zoo must make expensive improvements or lose accreditation.
The American Zoo and Aquarium Association typically awards accreditation for 5 years. At its meeting Sunday in Florida experts decided to give Mill Mountain Zoo one year to fix what's wrong.
“The clock is ticking,” said Mill Mountain Zoo Executive Director Sean Greene.
Greene said the zoo had “significant issues” to resolve, including improving its financial stability, upgrading its animal health and quarantine facility, and increasing staff.
“It’s something that really, at times, keeps me up at night,” Greene said, “because you want to find solutions for this but it all comes down to finding money to make these things happen.”
Greene said that, despite the need for more money, there is enough money for food and medical care for the animals.
“Regardless of what our situation is, we're going to take care of the animals to the highest level that we possibly can,” he said.
Mill Mountain Zoo gets $28,500 from the city of Roanoke each year. Greene said the zoo’s total budget is $650,000, making the city’s contribution less than 4 and a half percent of the zoo's total budget.
NewsChannel 10 has learned that the zoo sent a letter to the city on September 11 asking for more money. City spokeswoman Melinda Mayo said a decision is expected after a public hearing on October 2.
Greene said the zoo will not raise admission prices. At $6.75 for adults and $4.50 for kids, he said people in this community might not be able to afford higher admission prices.
“We don't want to let the community down,” Greene said. “We don't want to let the city down, but we know that we are going to need strong support to do this.”
Besides giving money, Roanoke city gives the zoo a break on rent. The zoo pays $10 a year.
If it loses accreditation, rent jumps to $5000 a year.

http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSLS%2FMGArticle%2FSLS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149190816876&path=!news!localnews



The Cub Foods Zoo Boo at the Como Zoo : October 21, 22, 27, 28 & 29
Updated: 09/25/2006 04:44:22 PM
October 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29
ZooBoo is a non-scary Halloween festival for families and young children. For this unique fall event, the grounds of Como Zoo transform into a world of fairytales and fun! Over 200 live costumed characters interact and entertain children. This magical event offers families a safe trick-or-treating alternative plus many Halloween surprises.
Enjoy live entertainment including puppet shows, storytelling, dancing, and a Scarecrow Search sponsored by Star Tribune. Children are encouraged to come in costume and should dress appropriately for this outdoor event.
The Cub Foods ZooBoo will take place October 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29. Gates are open from 5 - 7:30pm each evening. ZooBoo is an outdoor event and is held rain or shine.
Advance tickets for the Cub Foods ZooBoo are $5 per person and available at Como’s Garden Safari Gifts and all metro-area Cub Foods stores beginning in October. Tickets may also be purchased at the gate each evening for $6 per person. Tickets are good for any night of the event.
This year also includes a pumpkin coloring contest sponsored by Subway. Stop by any participating Subway location to pick up the official pumpkin contest entry form.
ZooBoo guests are encouraged to park at Bandana Square and take the free shuttle to and from the Zoo grounds. Bandana Square is located at 1021 Bandana Blvd., just off Energy Park Drive.
Proceeds from ZooBoo benefit two of Minnesota's most treasured year-round attractions, Como Zoo and Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. For more information, please log on to http://www.comozooconservatory.org

http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S18977.html?cat=36



Pakistani snow leopard at Bronx zoo
By Masood Haider
NEW YORK, Sept 25: First Lady Sehba Musharraf visited Bronx zoo on Monday afternoon to officially hand over a Pakistani snow leopard cub on loan to the zoo authorities.
At the handing over ceremony, Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Science Claudia Mcmurray welcomed Mrs Musharraf after the Cub known as Leo was handed over officially to the facility.
The 16-month-old cub was found in the mountains last year after his mother had been killed.
Mrs Musharraf said that Leo would be returned to Pakistan where a centre would be set up for rehabilitation of endangered species.
She pointed out that Pakistan attached great importance to conservation of wildlife.

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/26/top7.htm



‘A great day for the zoo’: Niabi gets accreditation
By Kurt Allemeier, kallemeier@qconline.com
Five years of hard work has paid off for Niabi Zoo, which learned Sunday it has been awarded accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
With praise for a community that has embraced Niabi and its improvements, zoo director Tom Stalf discussed Sunday's meeting with the AZA's accreditation commission in Tampa, Fla.
"It is a great day for the zoo," Mr. Stalf said by phone Monday. "We are very proud of our zoo. It was an intense process, but it was smooth for us because we worked very hard."
During the application process, new buildings were built for animal exhibits and for care and treatment of zoo animals. The zoo has been raising money for the projects, including a giraffe exhibit and a new home for the calubus monkeys.
The ranks of volunteers have grown. Mr. Stalf said the recent escape of two gray wolves, which resulted in the fatal shooting of one, had no bearing on the accreditation process.
Mr. Stalf; Ted Davies, president of the Rock Island County Forest Preserve Commission, which oversees the zoo; Scott Lohman and Dan Palmer, president and vice president of the Niabi Zoological Society; and two other staff members traveled to Tampa for the accreditation commission meeting.
"It has been a long time coming, and everyone has worked hard for this," Mr. Davies said.

http://qconline.com/archives/qco/sections.cgi?prcss=display&id=307540



Teals can't duck attention at zoo
Rare hatchlings from Madagascar find safe home in Akron aviary
By Connie Bloom
Beacon Journal staff writer
No one knows for sure how the enigmatic Madagascar teal slipped into obscurity, but the Akron Zoo is playing a vital role in returning the species from the brink of extinction.
Three of the rare brown ducks hatched amid the trees and swaying grasses in the aviary Aug. 25. They and their doting parents appear oblivious to the whorl of excitement surrounding them and have become a quiet ballet on the surface of the pond.
Natives of the island of Madagascar, their numbers are estimated at fewer than 500 birds, said David Barnhardt, director of marketing.
``People say, `Ah, there are some ducks,' but they're not just ducks,'' he said. ``When you tell people they are endangered, the rarest and least understood waterfowl in the world, they look at them differently. They are playing a vital role in the animal spectrum.''
The Akron Zoo is the first accredited zoo in the United States to successfully hatch the species, named teal after a stripe of color on their wing feathers. They were believed extinct in the '60s and rediscovered in the '90s, said Doug Piekarz, vice president of collections and conservation programs.
The zoo arranged in January to have a group of teal imported from Europe as part of a program led by the Durrel Wildlife Conservation Trust on the Isle of Jersey and the government of Madagascar. They are found in ponds, shallow inland streams and noncoastal waters.
The new parents were introduced to their lush neighborhood this spring and settled contentedly, dabbling for plants and juicy insects.
The parents took a tour of the hatching boxes zookeepers provided for them and chose one near the aviary entrance. The female laid five eggs; three were fertile.
The staff has kept a close eye on the family since the hatching because the mortality rate can be high with first-time parents.
``They are protected from predators and have their own doctor,'' Piekarz noted.
The zoo now houses 19 teals, (all but five are off-exhibit), which is approximately 80 percent of the U.S. population. The other 20 percent are in a breeding facility in North Carolina.
As the species is established, the zoo will distribute teals to other accredited zoos and the Barrow Biological Field Station at Hiram College. The zoo-college partnership will provide students and faculty with the unique experience of managing an endangered species.
The unnamed ducks will remain on exhibit while temperatures remain moderate.
The zoo is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Admission is $5 to $8 and parking is $1 to $1.50.
Connie Bloom is an Akron Beacon Journal staff writer. Call her at 330-996-3568 or e-mail her at cbloom@ thebeaconjournal.com.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/15610210.htm



Sequoia Park Zoo receives accreditation from AZA Commission
by Wendy Butler, 9/26/2006
The Association of Zoo and Aquariums Accreditation Commission doesn’t grant accreditation to a large number of American zoos; however, the city of Eureka’s Sequoia Park Zoo is, again, one of them, the zoo announced on Sunday.
Fewer than 10 percent of American zoos and aquariums are AZA-accredited, the zoo said in a news release. The Sequoia Park Zoo has been accredited since 1995.
“Zoos and aquariums in North America are continually evolving and reaffirming their commitment to animal care, professionalism, ethics, conservation and education,” Jim Maddy, AZA president and CEO, stated in the release.
Accreditation is granted for five years. At the end of that time, an institution must undergo investigation again demonstrating industry standards in collection care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and safety.
“This is a major step forward for the zoo and ensuring the future of the zoo,” City Councilmember Chris Kerrigan said, during a phone interview on Monday.
It has taken two years to achieve this latest accreditation, Zoo Manager Gretchen Ziegler said, during a phone interview on Monday from the hearing’s location in Tampa, Fla.

http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=15399



Cruelty-prevention group probes zoo
Investigation spurred by tiger's escape from trailer after accident
JANE ARMSTRONG
VANCOUVER -- A tiger that sprang loose from a trailer on a busy B.C. highway last week caught conservation officers off guard. But the big cat's unexpected appearance in northeastern B.C. also raised alarm bells with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which has begun an investigation.
An SPCA investigator was dispatched yesterday to Taylor, about 55 kilometres north of Dawson Creek, to inspect the Outback Zoo, which recently reopened under a new name and new owners.
On Friday, the three-year old female tiger found itself in the wilds of B.C. after the pickup truck that was hauling the animal in a trailer collided with a gravel truck on the Alaska Highway between Dawson Creek and Fort St. John.
When the trailer landed in a ditch, its door opened and the tiger escaped to a nearby roadside pasture. A passenger in the pickup truck was killed in the collision.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060926.BCTIGER26/TPStory/National



Zoo to announce construction plan
Largest project since ’94 rainforest
The Journal Gazette
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo officials plan to announce a major construction project and capital campaign today in the zoo’s African Veldt but would not provide details Monday.
A written statement said the project will be the zoo’s largest undertaking since constructing the $5 million Indonesian Rainforest in 1994. Zoo Director Jim Anderson will make the announcement and will be surrounded by representatives from organizations that “have pledged significant funds to the project.”
Anderson would not provide any further information Monday.
The zoo has undergone three major expansions since it opened 41 years ago. The original 11-acre zoo tripled in size when the African Veldt was added in 1976.
The Australian Adventure was added in 1987, followed by the three phases of the Indonesian Rainforest in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Recent building projects have focused on upgrading older exhibits such as the Indiana Family Farm in 2001, Sea Lion Beach in 2002 and the expanded Wild Things Gift Shop in 2006.
The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is northeast Indiana’s leading tourist attraction, drawing about 500,000 visitors annually, according to the statement.
The zoo receives no tax dollars, and all improvements are made through donations. The zoo was named one of the country’s 10 best zoos for children by Child magazine in 2004.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/15610685.htm



Oregon Zoo Gives Endangered Turtles A Chance To Grow Before Returning Them To The Wild
PORTLAND, Oregon - The Oregon Zoo recently rounded up 46 western pond turtle hatchlings from nests near White Salmon, Wash., in the Columbia River Gorge, moving the endangered creatures to a safer environment for their "head start" program.

http://www.medfordnews.com/articles/index.cfm?artOID=332630&cp=10997



Zoo Receives $1.5 Million
The North Carolina Zoo has been awarded more than $1.5 million in state funds for improvements and repairs to a number of facilities around the zoo.
Among the zoo projects that will receive funds are: $779,242 for the design and planning of a new Children's Discovery Center that will replace the Australian Walkabout exhibit slated to close at the end of September and $141,000 to design major renovations to the zoo's African Amphiteater.

http://www.thepilot.com/stories/20060926/news/local/20060926zoo.html



Zoo's sea lion paints for her supper
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
A painting by Maggie has an abstract layout with more paint on the right side of the canvas. Each successful brush stroke earns Maggie a fish.
As she guides the brush up the canvas in a series of smooth strokes, it is clear Maggie has moved out of her "dot" phase and into a more evolved painting style.
But unlike most artists who change technique, Maggie isn't motivated by a desire to create a more visually compelling work of art.
Maggie is compelled by her desire for dead fish.
Maggie, 11, is a California sea lion at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Last year Kesha Phares, a trainer at the zoo in Highland Park, started teaching Maggie to paint, and the 200-pound carnivore caught on quickly.
"It's, in a way, enriching," Phares said. "Sea lions are very smart animals, and painting keeps their minds active."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_472360.html



Residents bond on zoo day trip
More than 350 Erewash residents spent a day at the Zoo recently, courtesy of Sandiacre-based Three Valleys Housing.
The residents, who all live in homes managed by Three Valleys Housing, enjoyed a trip to Twycross Zoo, famed for its collection of primates. The housing association subsidised the trip so residents only paid a reduced fee to cover the cost of the bus trip and entrance to the park.
Kev Haslam, Community Development Officer for Three Valleys Housing, said, “These trips are an ideal way to bring people together. They get to know their neighbours better and that helps us to build stronger communities on our estates”.
Here is what some of the residents had to say:
“My son loved it. It was a great day; first one we’ve been on and we would love to go again” - Miss Parkins, Ilkeston
“A great family day out – cheap as well!” – Mr Haywood, Breaston
“The children enjoyed it. A good community trip and good value for money” – Miss Towle, Sandiacre
Kev Haslam continued, “Overall the day was a big success. The residents obviously enjoyed it as they gave the day 9 out of 10. We’re planning our next trip to Lincoln Christmas market so residents should keep an eye open for details”.

http://www.24dash.com/content/news/viewNews.php?navID=1&newsID=10943



Blank zoo plans would move offenders
A community correctional facility at Fort Des Moines could relocate if the Des Moines zoo grows.
By WILLIAM PETROSKI
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
September 27, 2006
About 275 criminal offenders may have to be relocated in the Des Moines area because of Blank Park Zoo's expansion plans.
The convicts, many of whom are sex offenders or drunken drivers with multiple arrests, are now housed at the Fort Des Moines community correctional facility, just north of the zoo on the city's south side.
The existing zoo, at 7401 S.W. Ninth St., covers 22 acres, but has acquired additional land so the zoo can keep growing.
It now manages or owns a total of 80 acres, surrounding the correctional facility on three sides, said Terry Rich, the zoo's chief executive officer.
"We have been neighbors and have worked with each other for years, but we feel that if we can work with them to relocate, then that might be in everyone's best interests," Rich said.

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060927/NEWS10/609270383/1001/NEWS



Baby elephant at Indianapolis Zoo gets name
Sep 27, 2006 12:08 PM EDT
Indianapolis - She's almost a month old, and now the baby elephant at the Indianapolis Zoo has a name. It is Zahara, which means flower.
21-year-old Ashlee Kestler, a senior at IUPUI, submitted the winning idea. She says her six-year-old nephew inspired her to come up with a name.
Channel 13 and the Indianapolis Star received more than 5,500 suggestions. Zookeepers narrowed it down to 20, and picked Zahara.
"We think it's very representative of her. She's beautiful and her personality seems to blossom every day," said senior elephant trainer Jill Sampson.
You can see Zahara every day at the zoo between 11:30 and 1:30. She goes out on the elephant grounds with her mother, Ivory.

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=5463981&nav=9Tai



Zoo Paradise World hits foundation's croc feeding
By Victor L. Camion
THE management and staff of Zoo Paradise World in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental denied any responsibility for the televised report showing the feeding of live animals to their crocodiles in the zoo.
Sr. Dominga Responso, manager of the Zoo Paradise World of the late Fr. Eleuterio Tropa's Spaceship 2000 E.T., was referring to a September 22 ABS-CBN TV Patrol World report accusing the zoo management of feeding live animals to crocodiles.
The report featured a live goat thrashing to escape from the mouth grip of a large crocodile. The video was reportedly shot at the Zamboanguita Zoo Paradise World.
If there was anyone responsible, Responso said, it was the Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc.
"Sila ang nagpakain, hindi kami," the zoo manager said. (They were behind that feeding, not us.)
Responso narrated during a press conference Monday at the VIP lounge of Lorenzo Teves Memorial Aqua Center that several weeks before the incident, one of the zoo's guests introduced himself as Regie de Asis and had twice insisted on buying a live dog to feed to the crocodiles.
But the zoo management denied his request.
She said that because de Asis could not find and buy a live dog, he allegedly bought a live cat and fed it to the crocodiles in her presence.
Last August 27, Responso said de Asis returned to the zoo again as a guest and handed over P500 to buy a dog to feed to the crocodiles.
The zoo manager said they did not allow him to do so. The guest later left the zoo.
She said she was surprised that when de Asis came back bringing with him a police team from Zamboanguita to investigate her for alleged violation of the Animal Welfare Act.
Responso said she later received a letter from Greg Salido Quimpo of the Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc. informing the zoo management to bring the matter to the attention of the Animal Welfare Division Bureau of the Bureau of Animal Industry for appropriate action.
She said she later discovered while watching TV Patrol World that de Asis was in fact Greg Quimpo.
Responso said she has no idea what Quimpo's motive is.
Even before the passage of the Animal Welfare Act, the Zoo Paradise World had already been promoting animal welfare and this is proven by how it manages its zoos nationwide, she said.
The caretaker said the late Fr. Tropa's vision was to prove his dedicated mission to love animals.
She assured the zoo feeds its crocodiles mostly with butchered chicken, meat, and bones of cows and pigs from the market.
Once in a while, Responso admitted that the zoo feeds the crocodiles with dogs and cats or any animals accidentally killed on the road by fast running vehicles and brought to the zoo by the owners.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dum/2006/09/28/news/zoo.paradise.world.hits.foundation.s.croc.feeding.html



African Hog Exhibit Opens Tuesday at Zoo
Hog heaven has come to the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere.
A permanent habitat of Red River hogs opens at the Zoo Tuesday.
The hog habitat is located next to the Zoo's African Elephant Savannah. The hogs have plenty of room to dig, sleep and wallow in the mud.
May marked the groundbreaking for the project which includes a 600 square foot building and an outside viewing area.
Right now, only two adult Red River hogs are on display, but the exhibit could hold young offspring.
Red River hogs can weigh up to 250 pounds. The animals are native to Africa, can run fast and are reportedly excellent swimmers.
Ray Bell construction Company donated building materials and a crew of 20 to work on the four-month project.

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5467005



Tiny Baby Turtles Growing Strong At Zoo
PORTLAND - Nearly 50 new babies are calling the Oregon Zoo home.
The tiny western pond turtles hatched up the Columbia River Gorge near White Salmon, Wash., and are now being raised by zookeepers.
They will live there until they're big enough to fend for themselves. Next summer, they'll be released back into the wild.
The western pond turtle used to be a common sight in this area. The zoo's conservation program is part of an effort to boost their numbers.

http://www.koin.com/Global/story.asp?S=5466488



Irwin's zoo 'will get bigger, better'
September 28, 2006
AUSTRALIA zoo will only get bigger and better, Steve Irwin's former manager John Stainton said.
Mr Stainton said he had discussed expansion plans with the Crocodile Hunter's widow Terri Irwin.
He said Mrs Irwin planned to carry on Steve's legacy, including implementing research programs for sharks, crocodile's and Hairy nosed wombats.
""All the things he wanted to achieve in his life, Terri will continue that work," he told Channel 9 today.
"The zoo is going to expand, it's already on an expansion plan over the next 10 years and it's going to get bigger and better.
In an emotional interview aired on Nine last night, Mrs Irwin said she would focus her efforts toward her children and the zoo.
"I have to cope, I'll be here for my kids and I'll make Australia Zoo bigger...I'll make it bigger," she said.
Mr Stainton described Mrs Irwin as a "rock" who balanced out Steve's larger than life persona.
"Terri was a very level-headed, sensible girl, as you know from Steve he was very gung-ho and larger than life, but you need somebody there to balance that in the background.
"She is the rock of the family and she will continue to be the rock of the family."
Mr Stainton said since the Crocodile Hunter's death, he had spent time with Terri each day reflecting on Steve's life and believed she was getting her life back on track.
"Each day she is getting a little better and she's been able to get more into thinking about the future with the zoo and I think in the next week she will be probably back on top I hope."
Mr Stainton said despite the criticism of some psychologists, Steve's youngest daughter Bindi understood the ramifications of her father's death.
"She's been acclimatised to death, she has lost a lot of close animal friends in the zoo and I think the fact that her mum and dad have been very upfront with her about death have made it much easier for her."
He said Bindi and Bob had been able to spend more time with their dad than most kids.
"He'd spend probably three, four hours a day with the kids, not many dads can do that ...
"He gave them an awful lot of time."

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20490002-1702,00.html



Zoo will take your tropical plants
BY ANNIE CALOVICH
The Wichita Eagle
As temperatures start to dip into the 40s at night, tropical plants need to find a harbor inside for the winter or become compost.
People who don't have a place to keep such plants or who hadn't planned on keeping them anyway can donate them to the Sedgwick County Zoo.
After a week of quarantine and spraying with Safer soap for bugs, the plants "go right into our general exhibit," says Pete Logsdon, the zoo's tropical horticulturist. Big ficus trees, for example, go into the bird barn for perching, and smaller tropicals go into the jungle.
People can deliver their plants to the zoo or call Logsdon at 316-266-8313 and he'll pick them up. The earlier you call the better, because Logsdon will stop the pick-ups when the greenhouse fills up.
Logsdon got his first-ever donation of a pitcher plant recently and is looking for the perfect spot at the zoo for it.
"The only thing I can't really use in the jungle are hibiscus," he says. "I just don't have the light for them. They survive but they never really thrive, and they never bloom."
The plant donations are tax-deductible.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/15626448.htm



Bear birthday for party panda at Chiang Mai zoo
CHIANG MAI, Sept 28 (TNA) - Zoo officials in the northern city of Chiang Mai on Thursday threw a birthday party for one of the two pandas Thailand has borrowed from China as ambassadors of friendship.
Lin Hui, a female panda, turned five years old Thursday. She was given a giant ice cube bearing the number '5' which contained sugar- and frosting-free vegetables and fruits, in lieu of a more conventional
birthday cake.
From outside the party pandas' pen, more than a hundred young students invited as special 'panda party' guests looked on with excitement as Lin Hui shared her birthday treat with her prospective mating partner
Chuang Chuang.
Lin Hui bears the Thai name of ''Devi'' or ''goddess'',. Her photographs have been on exhibition to demonstrate her physical development since she arrived at Chiang Mai zoo nearly three years ago.
Chiang Mai Zoo's officials said almost two million tourists have visited the pandas, helping the zoo to generate some Bt83 million (US$2.2 million) in revenue.
Zoological Department Chief Sophon Damnui said during Lin Hui's birthday party that the two pandas have already reached their age of fertility and that they should be ready to mate in November.
He said zoo officials would separate the two pandas ahead of the mating month as a tactic to stimulate their mating instinct.
He said the temporary separation would reduce their feeling for each other as brother and sister and urge them to reproduce when they return to the same pen. (TNA)-E110

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=25081



Long-time zoo resident dies
Last Update: 09/28/2006 9:59:39 AM
By: Reed Upton
Workers at the Rio Grande Zoo are mourning the passing of one of the facility’s longest residents after Moko the lowland gorilla succumbed to old age earlier this week.
“Everyone was very sad this morning,” gorilla keeper Lynn Tupa said on Wednesday morning. “A few of us were crying because it was like losing a family member. You do build bonds with these animals, they trust you. We all go through a grieving process.”
Moko was born in Africa and came to the Rio Grande Zoo in 1965. He fathered Huerfanita, who is now at the Bronz Zoo, who in turn had eight babies. Moko had at least one great granddaughter, Suki, when he died.
“He had his own personality,” said Tupa, “and every morning he’d grumble and say hello to you.”
“Everybody spoiled him because he was everybody’s favorite because he was so calm and big and you kind of wanted to give him a big hug,” she added.
Zoo keepers suspect that Moko died from age-related heart failure. He was the fifth oldest living male gorilla in captivity.

http://www.kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&id=28024&cat=NMTOPSTORIES



Denver Zoo Shows Off Newest Lion Cubs (video)
(CBS4) DENVER Visitors to the Denver Zoo can now check out the new lion cubs born Aug. 2.
Razi, which is Swahili for "secret," and Zuri, which is Swahili for "beautiful," spent time with mom and dad on Thursday in their public exhibit.
The 8-week-old cubs were weighed and given their shots before heading back to be close to mom, Baby.
The two African lion cubs recently were given a clean bill of health from zoo veterinarians after their first wellness checkup and immunization shots at the Denver Zoo's hospital.
Zoo vets also weighed the cubs during the exam. Razi weighed 18.3 pounds and Zuri weighed 16.7 pounds
The cubs can be seen in the Predator Ridge exhibit.
The cubs' dad, Krueger and Baby are both eight-year-old African lions on breeding loan to Denver Zoo from Columbus Zoo. The newborn cubs are highly valued in North America for their genetic uniqueness.

http://cbs4denver.com/pets/local_story_271174228.html


Cleese donates time to zoo
EMILY WHEELER
Friday, 29 September 2006
The great John Cleese's normal going rate is between $90, 000 and $120, 000 US, but the legendary actor, comedian, and conservationist is coming to Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo for free.
In a brief visit to Dubbo yesterday to finalise plans for the fundraiser on October 20, Bradley Trevor Greive ("BTG" to his friends and himself a famed author) announced that Mr Cleese is donating his time.
The internationally renowned actor "fell in love" with Taronga Zoo during a visit earlier in the year, when founding governor of the Taronga Foundation and good friend BTG insisted he wouldn't see the full picture until he visited the Western Plains Zoo.
"To book him in America he's worth from 90, 000 to 120, 000 dollars. He lowered that to between 20 and 30 thousand when he went to Taronga, and he's not earning a cent by coming here," BTG said.
It is hoped that Mr Cleese, famous for his comic genius in Monty Python and other films, will raise funds for the $750, 000 cost of expanding facilities in the Western Plains Zoo's Wild Asian Wetlands for the greater one-horned rhino breeding program.
Greater one-horned rhino Kua is expected to arrive from the US early next year as a mate for the male rhino Dora, who is already at Western Plains Zoo.
"We will be one of the few places to have a breeding program running for three rhino species at once, and we have the capacity to put captivity-bred rhino's back into the wild when they're endangered. John has been a wildlife devotee all his life and he's very excited about coming," BTG said.
emily.wheeler@ruralpress.com

http://dubbo.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=general&story_id=513462&category=General&m=9&y=2006



Jacksonville Zoo Gets Unwelcomed Visitors
Sep 29, 2006
Pest Control Buzz Online Newsletter
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — According to a report from First Coast News in Jacksonville, Fla., the Caribbean Crazy Ant has made its way to Florida.
More specifically, the ants have found a home at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
"There are ants that were imported into Florida through cargo ships and freighters," said Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Senior Veterinarian, Nick Kapustin. "They're not harmful to the animals, they're not a problem for our guests, they're just literally, a nuisance.”
The Caribbean Crazy Ant, called that because they don't move in any real direction, isn't just new to this country. It's new to the world.
And unlike many other species, these ants don't usually eat food we leave behind. In fact, some of their favorite food is stuff we'd rather not have around.
"They eat other insects. They've been known to eat fire ants," said Kapustin.
And don't mistake them for fire ants, even though they look a little like them.
"They're a reddish brown to yellowish brown," said Kapustin.
And Kapustin says you might as well get used to them, because just like many people who come to Florida for the weather, these ants probably won't want to leave.

http://www.pestcontrolmag.com/pestcontrol/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=376088



At last, zoo gets green light for rain forest
County gives its OK to borrow $4 million
By PHIL FAIRBANKS
News Staff Reporter
9/29/2006
"This is a great project. We do not want to hold up your work any longer." Legislator Michele M. Iannello, D-Kenmore
The Buffalo Zoo will break ground this fall on a $16 million South American rain forest attraction with a two-story waterfall and exotic exhibits of crocodiles, vampire bats and anacondas.
The Erie County Legislature gave the go-ahead Thursday to borrowing $4 million, ending a stalemate that threatened to kill the zoo project.
"Excited and relieved," zoo President Donna M. Fernandes said.
The rain forest, centerpiece of the zoo's $75 million reconstruction program, seemed in danger just a week ago when several lawmakers questioned the wisdom of borrowing money at a time when the county is recovering from a fiscal crisis.
In the end, 14 of the Legislature's 15 members voted for the borrowing. Legislator Thomas A. Loughran, D-Amherst, voted against it.
The vote came hours after zoo supporters made one last pitch for funding, reminding legislators of the need to act quickly because of skyrocketing construction costs and the possibility that $6.75 million in matching state funds and $5.25 million in private donations might be lost.
The project also got an eleventh-hour boost from Anthony J. Baynes, chairman of the Erie County Fiscal Stability Authority. Baynes sent a letter indicating that the control board supported the rain forest project.

http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20060929/1058602.asp



Prague Zoo celebrates 75th birthday
[29-09-2006] By Patrick Ryan
The Prague Zoo celebrated its 75th year in style this week, with festivities coinciding with the national holiday of St Wenceslas Day on September 28th. As Patrick Ryan reports it was well worth the visit.
St Wenceslas Day 2006 at Prague Zoo was a fun and exciting event - in short it's not everyday you get to celebrate such a grand birthday. The zoo has a rich history and on Thursday viewers were able to get a sense of it through a number of exhibitions. Events included special shows for children and adults, music, and a chance to see three recently acquired South American wild pigs. There was also a "1931" theme, with free admission for zoo goers who dressed in period costumes. One man even arrived in a vintage 1930s Rolls Royce as things were just getting started. He was an actor portraying the first director of the Prague Zoo, Jiri Janda, says Vit Kahle spokesman for the Prague Zoo:Attendance on Thursday reached near record levels with more than 14,000 arriving by mid afternoon. I spoke with a number of visitors, asking them what they'd seen.
Many of these attractions are new or improved in recent years - not least because a good part of the zoo underwent reconstruction. On the banks of the Vltava River, lower parts of the zoo were badly hit by flooding in 2002, suffering extensive damage. Spokesman Vit Kahle again:
"There have been a lot of changes. Especially we succeeded in reconstructing the lower part of Prague Zoo which was completely flooded four years ago. So we have new pavilions, new exhibitions, and new enclosures here. Now we have nine pavilions, 150 exhibits and a total of more than 6,000 animals in more than 600 species."
Still, Prague Zoo is not stopping there: there are many plans to further improve pavilions and facilities for visitors in the future. There will, for example, be a new pool for the sea lions as well as enclosures for birds and crocodiles, and a new restaurant with an African theme.

http://www.radio.cz/en/article/83666



MEMBER EXCHANGE: Zoo sends baby gorilla to Ohio
DEEDEE CORRELL
The (Colorado Springs) Gazette
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - First, Umande's mother rejected him.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's other female gorillas also refused to care for the little guy.
After a failed last-ditch effort to bond the 7-month-old to his father, zoo officials are resigned to sending Umande away.
"We've done the best we could do for him, and this is a continuation of that," said Dina Bredahl, area supervisor of primates and conservation at the zoo. "We're taking his future into account. It's a sacrifice on our part, but he's ready to be with gorillas."
Next month, Umande will go to the surrogacy program at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, where he'll hopefully get the parenting he's only found at human hands in Colorado.
He probably won't return, Cheyenne Mountain spokesman Sean Anglum said. But Umande's years there were numbered anyway; the zoo already has one male.
Umande's life got off to a rocky start Feb. 18 when his mother, Kwisha, refused to touch him. Reared by humans after her own mother rejected her, she didn't seem to know what to do, Bredahl said.
Parenthood doesn't always come naturally to gorillas. Even though they are intelligent animals, if they lack experience with parenthood, they "have no clue how to do any of those things," she said.
Zookeepers then tried to coax another western lowland gorilla, Asha, into caring for Umande, but she was reluctant. The next two were equally uninterested.
Kwisha, his mom, didn't mind playing with him, but made it clear she didn't want the responsibility of raising him. So did his father, a 470-pound silverback named Rafiki.
So Umande stayed in a separate exhibit space, where employees and volunteers have cared for him 24 hours a day. But he'll need a parent until he's 3 or 4 years old - hence the decision to move him to a zoo where a gorilla is likely to adopt him.
The repeated rejection doesn't appear to have harmed Umande, Bredahl said.
"He seems really well-adjusted," she said, adding that his humans are careful to discipline him when he behaves inappropriately. Otherwise, she said, he could act like a spoiled brat and other gorillas might punish him severely.
Umande seems to be developing normally, she said. He's starting to scamper alongside his caregivers, instead of constantly riding on their backs.
"He'll have one hand on their arm, and he's moving along with them," Bredahl said.
The zoo will place a "Farewell Registry" at Umande's Primate World exhibit for visitors to leave goodbye messages for the young gorilla. The zoo also will host a farewell party for Umande the first week of October. A date has not been scheduled.
ON THE NET
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo: http://www.cmzoo.org/

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/15640231.htm



Purring with pride
By Larissa Cummings
September 30, 2006 12:00
THEY are extinct in their native Africa - but a NSW zoo has successfully bred Australia's first pair of white lion cubs.
The snowy-coated 10-week-old cubs, Purr and Joe, made their social debut yesterday at Mogo Zoo, about 10km south of Batemans Bay on the South Coast, under the protective watch of their mother Nkungwe.
It was the first time Nkungwe had introduced the cubs to their father Tim (short for Timbavate) and the other lioness in the privately-owned zoo's pride of white lions.
"Like in the wild, the mum has to take the babies back to the pride and everyone has to get used to each other,'' zoo director Sally Padey said.
"Joe took a few steps out and sat looking at everything. Then he let out three meows and his mum came back for him and they all went out together. It's been a great success.''
Ms Padey said the bouncy cubs were constantly playing together and clamouring for mum's attention.
"They've spent the past 10 weeks bonding and they're playful with each other,'' she said.
Nkungwe was imported by the zoo with Tim and the other lioness three years ago from Timbavati in Africa, as part of a global breeding program to save the species from extinction.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20500527-5006009,00.html



Baby Gorilla To Go To Ohio Zoo After Parents Reject Him
Zoo Hopes Surrogacy Program Will Link Baby To Gorilla With Parenting Skills
POSTED: 1:48 pm EDT September 29, 2006
UPDATED: 1:52 pm EDT September 29, 2006
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- A baby gorilla in need of nurturing is headed for Columbus.
After Umande was born seven months ago at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado, his mother rejected him. The zoo said that's not entirely unusual.
But its other female gorillas also wanted nothing to do with the little fellow, and he was unable to bond with his father.
So, Umande will arrive at the Columbus Zoo next month in hopes its surrogacy program can link him up with a gorilla with parenting skills.
In Colorado, zoo employees and volunteers have been caring for Umande around the clock, but it's a job that really needs to be done by a member of his own species since he'll need a parent until he's 3 or 4 years old.

http://www.newsnet5.com/family/9964823/detail.html



Zoo wants you to name the twin polar bears
Saturday, September 30, 2006
What would you call something that's almost 10 feet tall, weighs 1,500 pounds and is white all over?
That's what Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and National City would like to know. They're holding a contest to name the polar bear twin brothers who arrived at the zoo in June.
The bears were named Koda and Nuka when they were born at Denver Zoo on Thanksgiving Day 2004.
To enter the contest, go to www.nationalcity.com/polarbear or pick up a form at any bank branch. All entries must be submitted by Nov. 10. Winners will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06273/726303-85.stm



Lifecooler.PT Marks Out the Best Zoo in Portugal
NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Lisbon, Portugal, 09/30/2006 - Outing wildlife in Portugal. Find the best zoos for the most enjoyable moments.
At any zoo, entertainment is always guaranteed for both the young ones and the old ones. Here you can get to know animals from all over the planet, from birds to reptiles, to fish and mammals. At one of the parks you can even do a Safari like as if you were in Africa.
To get to know all the interesting parks in Lifecooler.pt, the tourism and good life site in Portugal we will give you a glimpse of some of the places that are worth visiting.
One, is of course the Lisbon Zoo. Located for 120 years in the centre of the city, in Quinta das Laranjeiras, this area has one of the best animal collections in the world (over 2000 animals from some 400 different species). Amongst the Zoo’s attractions is the Dolphins’ Bay, where these friendly animals stage an original and fun show. You can also visit the park from high above in a cable car or visit the habitat of a great variety of reptiles at the “Reptilário”. You an also watch a lovely bird show. The park is open from 10:00 to 20:00 (May to September) and from 10:00 to 18:00 (October to April).
Down south in the Algarve, the famous park Krazy World offers true moments of entertainment. Krazy World is both a zoo and an amusement park. It features two distinct areas of animals: "Amazónia", where you can find the crocodiles, the snakes and the tortoises and watch various shows; and the “Quinta dos Animais Exóticos”, home to the llamas, deers, kangaroos and camels.
The amusement park features two mini-golf circuits, the Krazy Golf with 18 “crazy” holes around a lake, and the Jungle Golf is an invitation for a trip back in time to the age of the dinosaurs that accompany the 18 holes of this Jurassic mini-golf circuit. At the Funfair there is a merry-go-round, bumping cars, a ghost train and an enormous big wheel that affords a spectacular view of the park and of the region.
In the Alentejo why not go on an African safari with lions and giraffes on the loose? Badoca Safari Park, near Santiago do Cacém, features an important and rich animal collection with African species (such as buffalos, deers, zebras, giraffes, tigers, amongst others), and various infrastructures like restaurants and picnic areas inspired by the African continent.
There are daily safaris that last one hour where you can observe loose animals and there are two shows with birds of prey.

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/8959/



New cubs the pride of Mogo Zoo
Megan Doherty
Saturday, 30 September 2006
Meet Purr and Joe. The first white lion cubs born in Australia are roly-poly, cute as a button and a triumph for Mogo Zoo on the South Coast.
The 10-week-old cubs were born at the zoo, making a large contribution to a global breeding program to keep the rare white lions of South Africa alive.
The cubs made their first public appearance yesterday with their protective mother Nkungwe keeping a watching eye.
Their dad, Magigwana, met his progeny for only the second time and seemed just a little startled as feisty Joe had more than one go at him.
And when Purr and Joe were all tuckered out by their public debut, they flopped with their parents and aunt Jubulani in the shade of a gum tree, the family of white lions making a truly impressive sight.

http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=general&story_id=513577&category=General&m=9&y=2006



Akron Zoo's old lioness dies
Norma, 26, had arthritis, liver, kidney problems and was elderly for species
By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal staff writer
The familiar roar that could be heard throughout the bottom part of the Akron Zoo has been silenced.
Norma -- the oldest lioness in an accredited zoo -- was euthanized Friday after zoo veterinarian Gary Riggs determined her arthritis, liver and kidney conditions had worsened.
``She was a real icon and I know I will never forget her,'' Riggs said. ``It's never easy to make a decision like this but when animals get to the point that they can't maintain a good quality of life, you have to do what's best.''
Riggs had been treating Norma for arthritis and geriatric related diseases and had prescribed medication to manage her condition for several years. Earlier this week, during an exam and fluid therapy treatment for her kidneys, Riggs discovered abnormalities in Norma's liver and kidney.
After treatment attempts failed and another exam determined that her condition had worsened, the decision was made to euthanize.
Norma, 26, was the oldest lion in a zoo, according to international animal records. The average life expectancy for an African lion is 18 to 20 years.
The 400-pound lioness was brought to the Akron Zoo in 1994 with her mate, Simba -- who was euthanized last year. Simba, who was 22, suffered from a number of ailments including chronic spinal arthritis, disc disease and kidney problems.
The pair came to Akron from the Cincinnati Zoo and returned there for two years in 1996 while their new home, Tiger Valley, was constructed at the local zoo.
``It's always sad when an animal that has been very popular with zoo visitors and the staff. She was a favorite and it's just like losing a friend,'' said Linda Troutman, spokeswoman for the zoo. ``This is a sad day for the zoo staff because Norma was part of our family.''
The lion exhibit in Tiger Valley will be temporarily closed until a pair of young lions are received from the Lion Species Survival Plan.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/15646757.htm



Runaway crocodile shot dead
By MATT PHINNEY, mphinney@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8253
September 30, 2006
Nolan, the Nile crocodile, is dead.
The animal's owner, Zach Rabon, said the reptile was killed Wednesday by a Mason landowner who owned the stock tank where the runaway Nile crocodile was living. Earlier reports from people who lived in Mason indicated the animal was a caiman, a member of the alligator family, but Rabon said it was a crocodile.
Nolan escaped his tank at Rabon's house about a month ago when heavy rains around Mason raised the water level, Rabon said. The crocodile was spotted last week in a tank owned by Jerry Kothmann, Rabon said.
Kothmann did not return a call from the Standard-Times.
Initial attempts to catch the crocodile were unsuccessful, but the local animal control officer played a waiting game, hoping the crocodile would resurface so it could be captured.
Rabon said the landowner told him he would notify animal control if he saw the crocodile.
''I'm appalled by the way it went down,'' Rabon said.

http://www.sanangelostandardtimes.com/sast/news_local/article/0,1897,SAST_4956_5033180,00.html



Sugarless gum deadly for dogs
Monday October 2, 2006
ILLINOIS - Keep those sugarless treats out of Fido's reach.
Veterinarians have warned that a commonly used sweetener might cause liver failure in dogs, and perhaps even kill them.
Their report in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association appears to strengthen the suspected link between the sugar substitute xylitol, thought to make dogs sick, and possible liver failure. Xylitol is found in many sugar-free chewing gums, candies and baked goods.
Researchers Sharon Gwaltney-Brant and Eric Dunayer with staff at a poison unit of the ASPCA in Urbana, Illinois, collected information on eight dogs treated between 2003 and 2005 after eating products with xylitol.
Each dog became ill, and five died or had to be put down because of liver failure. One dog, which had to be euthanased, had eaten four large, chocolate-frosted muffins containing about 0.5kg of xylitol.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10403818



Zoo Atlanta Offers Free Admission
Last Modified: 9/30/2006 11:57:53 PM
Five thousand Atlanta residents will get the chance to visit Zoo Atlanta for free Sunday.
City officials teamed up with Zoo Atlanta to offer free admission to 5,000 residents on Saturday and another 5,000 on Sunday.
To qualify, residents must bring proof of residency such as a state issued driver’s license, ID card or a utility bill that shows an address within the city.
Each ID is good for two adults and up to four children.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=85445



Childs' paint 'frightened monkeys'
Press Association
Sunday October 1, 2006 3:58 AM
Children wearing blue face paints have been ordered out of a zoo's monkey house after staff discovered they were scaring the animals.
Keepers of the small Geoffroy's marmosets at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire were baffled when certain visitors made the monkeys sound warning calls and run up and down their branches.
As an experiment, one of the zoo's management volunteered to have her face painted blue and was shrieked and stared at by the monkeys as she walked through the tropical exhibit.
Human resources manager Barbara Chawner said she was glad the mystery of the marmosets' strange behaviour had been solved.
She said: "On occasions I have had a red face, but I have never been blue before.
"When I heard of the strange behaviour of the marmosets I was concerned and volunteered to have my face painted in the interest of public safety."
Keepers said the marmosets would not attack anyone, but have banned blue faces from the tropical house to avoid causing the animals stress.
A zoo spokeswoman said the attraction's face painter now has to warn children who want the blue tiger design that they must visit the monkeys before having their faces painted.
She said experts could not explain why blue face paint in particular was scaring the small squirrel-like monkeys.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6117227,00.html



Goodall Talks Primates and Peace in L.A. Visit
By Carla Hall, Times Staff Writer
October 1, 2006
"The first thing I'm going to give you is a chimpanzee greeting, because it sounds lovely in a place like this," said Jane Goodall while looking out from a stage in Griffith Park across a meadow containing 1,000 people.
Her voice started off soft and low: "Oooo, oooo, oooo…." Then her voice rose: "Hooo, hooo, HOOO! HOOO!"
She finished with a smile, leaving her audience stunned for a second before they burst into applause.
Goodall, arguably the world's most famous primatologist, was in Los Angeles this weekend combining two of her passions — world peace and chimpanzees — in one locale: Griffith Park. Today she will address the ChimpanZoo conference being held at the Los Angeles Zoo, on protection of captive chimps. Later, at 12:30 p.m., she will speak at the zoo as part of its Ape Awareness Day.
On Saturday, she presided over the annual Day of Peace in Griffith Park, which was organized by volunteers and various chapters of the Jane Goodall Institute's youth service program, Roots & Shoots. Similar events were planned throughout the world, Goodall said.
A procession of giant white peace dove puppets, mostly constructed of recycled materials such as bedsheets and carried aloft on poles by youngsters, made its way down a forested hill and around the meadow. The parade has become the event's hallmark, and this year there were 57 puppet doves.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-chimps1oct01,1,3259939.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california



Japanese zoos set to breed rare wildcats
TOKYO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Tokyo's Inokashira Park Zoo and the Yokohama Zoo in Yokohama, Japan, are set to begin artificially breeding two pairs of endangered Tshushima wildcats.
The Mainichi Daily News reported the two Japanese zoos will breed the rare animals, whose wild brethren are only found in the Nagasaki Prefecture city of Tsushima, in an attempt to increase the species' dwindling numbers.
As part of the plan from Japan's Ministry of the Environment, both the Tsushima Wildlife Conservation Center and Fukuoka Zoo will offer up a pair of the wildcats for the breeding project.
To date, the total number of Tshushima wildcats alive in the wild is estimated to be between 80 to 110, and numbers continue to fall due to traffic accidents, diseases such as the feline AIDS virus and the ongoing development of neighboring forest areas.
The Daily News said the ministry previously engaged in such breeding endeavors in 1999 when the Fukuoka Zoo breed 20 new Tshushima wildcats, eight of which were later released into the wild.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20061001-035334-5909r



Zambo zoo incident: A wake up call, says Adanza
By Syril G. Repe
PROVINCIAL Board Member and former Zamboanguita mayor Marcelo Adanza said the issue on the televised live goat feeding of a crocodile at the Zoo Paradise World in Sitio Salngan, Barangay Mayabon must serve as a wake up call for all agencies and people concerned to promote animal welfare.
Adanza's comment came as Sr. Dominga Responso, manager of the zoo of the late Fr. Eleuterio Tropa's Spaceship 2000 E.T., denied any deliberate attempt by her staff to feed live animals to their crocodiles.
If there was anyone responsible, Responso said, it was Regie de Asis who turned out later to be Greg Salido Quimpo of the Animal Kingdom Foundation, Inc.
"Sila ang nagpakain, hindi kami," the zoo manager said.
Adanza said that instead of focusing on who was to blame, agencies must do something.
But personally, he said, Animal Kingdom's desire to promote animal welfare had questionable motives because de Asis who came to the zoo as a visitor did not identify himself and make known his intention.
Board Member Arturo Umbac described the televised footage "an assault to the sensitivity of the people," saying it reminded him of ancient Rome when people were entertained by watching people kill each other.

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dum/2006/10/03/news/zambo.zoo.incident.a.wake.up.call.says.adanza.html



Too warm for polar bears
Adapted to cold environments, two polar bears were hardly prepared for the ‘warm hospitality’ at Singapore Zoo, HILARY CHIEW reports.
VISITORS to Singapore Zoo might think the polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the glass-fronted enclosure are luxuriating in the cold pool water but in fact, the Arctic creatures are suffering from overheating.
A four-month investigation by an animal welfare group found sub-standard living environment that provides only a tiny part of a polar bear’s natural home range. The nomadic bear home range in the wild can reach 80,289 sq km but the zoo’s outdoor enclosure is a mere 391sq m.
In the report What’s a polar bear doing in the tropic? released early this month, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) found, in its undercover work between September and December last year, mother bear, Sheba and her male offspring Inuka, exhibiting signs of severe heat stress. Both bears constantly pant, in efforts to cool down.
The bears pace and swim aimlessly, behaviour which indicates abnormal animal-environment interaction and a sign of psychological disorder. The bears also displayed high levels of inactivity, which researchers attributed to the environment failing to satisfy their natural inquisitiveness.


http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/10/3/lifefocus/15357193&sec=lifefocus



School's a zoo
Cincinnati Public Schools' Zoo Academy is different kind of animal
BY JIM KNIPPENBERG ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Come 8 a.m. Wednesday, "back to school" for most students means a quick stint in homeroom, then a sprint to English or algebra class.
But for students at the Zoo Academy, it means a sprint to give an elephant a bath. Or assist with a sonogram on a pregnant rhino. Or clean up a mound of dung.
The Zoo Academy is a fully accredited Cincinnati Public School in the zoo's new $8.4 million Harold C. Schott Education Center. At the southern edge of zoo grounds near the corner of Vine Street and Erkenbrecher Avenue, the state-of-the-art facility is the zoo's most expensive building project. Home of the Academy and several public attractions, it has its "soft opening" this week for students and for the public on Sept. 5, followed by a dedication and grand opening Oct. 5.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/LIFE/608220314/1086



These are 'dated' but interesting

I thought "Biodiversity Week" was a good idea.

Zoo celebrates biodiversity in Scotland
A WEEK of events to celebrate Scotland's biodiversity is to take place at Edinburgh Zoo next month.
The event will highlight the variety of plant and animal life across the country.
Workers at the zoo will hold a series of talks highlighting their conservation work and showing how people can get involved with this work.
The zoo holds some species deemed vital for biological diversity.
Biodiversity Week kicks off on May 27.

http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=595712006



Writer stages zoo stay for play
Norbert Aboudarham would not talk to visitors
A French playwright has spent a week inside a cage at a zoo to gain an insight into how pandas live for a theatre project he is developing.
Norbert Aboudarham, 57, stayed in the cage at Amiens Zoo for up to 10 hours a day writing The Panda's Flea.
He said the reason was "about the universe, you have to put yourself in a cage smaller than the universe."
Although there were no other animals sharing his cage, he was surrounded by other zoo creatures.
His cage had straw and a log for him to perch on, while his neighbours included red pandas, wolves and racoons.
He had his laptop inside to work on but he refused to talk to visitors, communicating only using messages passed through the bars.
"This experiment magnifies characteristics. For example aggressive visitors become a bit more irascible," said Aboudarham.
"I am exhausted because I get a lot of requests. It is much more tiring than I thought."
Christine Morrier of Amiens Zoo said the experiment was a way of "questioning man about his belonging to nature".
Aboudarham has already written two plays about animals since 2002.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4926280.stm



Zoo's pachyderm palace set to debut
Greg Livadas
Staff writer
(April 20, 2006) — The zoo's new $4.4 million elephant exhibit is scheduled to open to the public next Thursday, despite the death of a baby elephant that was expected to be the main attraction this year.
"It is bittersweet," said Larry Sorel, director of the Seneca Park Zoo. "We did expect to be unveiling a baby at this point, too. This is still going to be a wonderful addition for the zoo."
The calf died during birth Feb. 9. Its mother, Genny C, then underwent risky surgery to remove the baby. She is recovering well but has been spotted only at a distance by zoo patrons since then.
Their yard is next to a walking trail along an abandoned rail line that connects lower Seneca Park to the zoo. Joggers or people walking their dogs can come close to the elephants, and Lilac, the other African elephant based at the zoo, has been seen running along with those visitors.
"They've been away from visitors for a while," Sorel said.
On Wednesday, the new building, Genny C and Lilac were shown off to the media. Masonry workers were pouring and leveling cement next to the 11,000-square-foot barn as the two elephants were playing in their sun-filled yard, which is about five times as large as their previous field.
Inside the barn, the elephants will be washed and weighed (Genny C weighs about 8,200 pounds; Lilac is a svelte 7,200). They'll stay there at night or in bad weather.
And they'll stand on heated, padded floors with a non-slip surface. Elephants standing on concrete will develop joint problems as they get older, Sorel said. Outside, the elephants will stand on ground covered in clay and sand.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060420/NEWS01/604200362/1002/NEWS



Don't muzzle zoo officials on deaths of animals
The Virginian-Pilot
Crikey.
Somebody get that man a safari suit.
If the mayor of Norfolk wants to act like a wildlife expert, he might as well look like one, too.
As if Paul Fraim didn't have enough on his plate - what with the Ford plant pulling out of town and the vice mayor telling citizens to moonlight if need be to pay their taxes - Norfolk's mayor suddenly seems to be channeling the Animal Planet's Steve Irwin.
When news broke Monday that a zebra had drowned in the Virginia Zoo's moat, the mayor seemed to bristle at questions about the tragic event.
"We have hundreds of animals at the zoo," he told Pilot reporter Debbie Messina. "They die in the wild, they die in captivity. There's no evidence that the zoo is not performing appropriately."
Thank you, Marlin Perkins.
As a matter of fact, most of us already knew that animals die. But when there's a rash of drownings - and I'd call three in 20 months a "rash" - you can forgive folks for wondering if there's something amiss at the Virginia Zoo.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=103282&ran=77939



Bear at Delhi Zoo disappears into tunnel
IANS
Thursday, April 20, 2006 10:22 IST
NEW DELHI: Officials believe a female black Himalayan bear at the Delhi Zoo, which has not been spotted for almost two months, has gone into a tunnel it made to deliver its cubs.
The animal has not been seen since Feb 22 at the enclosure it shared with two other bears. Officials now claim it has tunnelled its way out of the enclosure and is somewhere underground.
The bear was apparently seen mating before it disappeared and is perceived to have gone into the tunnel for the duration of its pregnancy.
"This is a normal situation which occurs in case of this species," said DN Singh, director of the zoo.
"This is a female bear according to our records and we have seen them mating. Their normal gestation period is seven months. Around that period it entered the tunnel," said Singh.
But media reports have hinted at carelessness on the part of the zoo or even the possibility of the animal having been poached.
Certain reports claimed that Himalayan black bears were not diggers like the sloth bears.
According to reports from other zoological parks in the country, female Himalayan bears stay in isolation for 30 days and avoid food during pregnancy. They stay in isolation till the time the newborn cub opens its eyes, which could take another 25-30 days after delivery.
"Till that period it stays in isolation and avoids food," said Singh. A newborn bear cub is usually hairless and sticks to the mother's belly till it opens its eyes.
“After 45 days we tried to find out the reason and we observed the cave. If the female bear had died, either a foul smell or flies would have been there, but we have not experienced that,” said Singh, hoping the bear would emerge with its cub.
Such incidents have occurred twice before in Delhi Zoo. In the first instance, the bear came out with two cubs after 90 days. However, in the second case, the bear came out after 45 days without any cubs.
Some bears eat their own cubs if they feel the newborn are not going to survive. “If we dig it up now the cub may die. There is no other chance of escape. We have consulted a book by John Prater on animals, which says that the Himalayan bear goes into a cave and stays isolated," Singh maintained.
"Every day we are monitoring the situation. We are trying to use other methods also which we cannot disclose right now."

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1025124

concluding …