Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Zoos
Grrreat!, says PB Zoo about expected tigers
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park is receiving two rare Malayan tigers, a rare occurrence among zoos in the United States, the zoo has announced.
The new tigers (Panthera tigris malayensis) are named Mata and Rimba and are 16 months old. They will reach the zoo in mid-November.
Only 47 of these endangered tigers are in captivity in the United States and fewer than 800 are known to be alive in the wild.
The zoo was designated to receive the cats based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Tiger Species Survival Plan. The young tigers will be transferred from the San Diego Zoo where they were born in June 2005.
Logistics for receiving the tigers are complicated, said zoo president and chief executive officer Terry L. Maple.
During the first week of November, key members of the zoo's animal care team traveled to San Diego and supervised the shipping preparation. Special care is required for the shipping containers and environment for the big cats during their cross-country trip.
After their arrival in West Palm Beach, an observation and quarantine period will be observed before they can be seen by the public.
The zoo plans to hold a celebration for the tigers when they are introduced to patrons in late November or early December.
The new tigers will make their home next to the Townee the Tiger attraction.
"Townee is 19 years old, making him one of the oldest tigers in captivity," Maple said.
Ken Lovett, director of living collections, who supervised the transfer of the cats from San Diego to the Palm Beach Zoo, said the zoo "is ready to take an active role in the conservation of the Malayan tigers.
"The zoo will endeavor to educate guests on these magnificent animals and garner a greater appreciation of the need to protect this important species in the wild."
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/BriefZooNow1112.html
Pig Nurses Tiger Cubs
Visitors at a zoo in Thailand witness the bizarre sights of tiger cubs suckling a sow and piglets playing with a fully grown tiger. Sriracha Zoo in Chonburi, is Thailand's most successful tiger-breeding zoo largely due to the discovery that tiger cubs nursed by pigs grew up calm, un-aggressive and more suited to life in captivity. Now all of the zoo's 300 bengali tigers are raised this way.
Thailand, Asia, Quirky, Odd, Zoos, breeding, mothers, Families, Animals, Cute, bizarre, tigers, pigs, babies, weird, acceptance, Love
http://www.websfunniestvideos.net/2006/11/13/pig-nurses-tiger-cubs/
Associated Content
Extinction of the Giant Panda
The Giant Panda has captured the hearts of people around the world and become an enduring symbol of conservation efforts to save endangered species. One of the favourite attractions at zoos, the panda is extremely rare.
It is difficult to calculate exactly how many pandas are left, but an estimated 800 live in the wild and roughly 100 live in captivity, mostly in zoos, breeding centres and special reserves in China. Yet despite all the attention to its plight and international efforts to save the panda, there is a real risk that it will become extinct.
Once the Giant Panda roamed mountain lowlands from Myanmar through northern Viet Nam and much of eastern and southern China; but farming, development and clear-cutting have destroyed the bamboo forests that make up their natural habitat.
More than 50 per cent of these forests have been lost in the past few decades alone - and they are not easily replaced. Bamboo flowers only every 80 to 100 years, and takes 20 years to grow enough to sustain a panda population.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/85320/extinction_of_the_giant_panda.html
House OKs bill aimed at animal activists
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Animal rights advocates who threaten scientists conducting animal research or companies funding or affiliated with it could be fined and imprisoned under a bill the House passed Monday and sent to President Bush.
Current federal law makes it illegal for activists to damage animal research organizations, farms, zoos, pet stores and other similar operations.
The legislation extends those prohibitions to interfering with third-party organizations such as insurance companies, law firms and investment houses that do business with so-called animal enterprises. Supporters said the bill is aimed at protecting people and companies from animal rights terrorists.
Violators could be sentenced up to a year in jail for economic damages of less than $10,000, and up to five years in prison if a threat produced a "reasonable fear" of bodily harm. Prison sentences of up to 10 years could result if someone is actually injured.
Although the bill specifically condones peaceful animal rights protests, critics said it comes close to infringing on advocates' constitutional rights.
"I am not for anyone abusing their ... rights by damaging another person's property or person," said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. "But I am for protecting the First Amendment and not creating a special class of violations for a specific type of protest."
The bill passed the House on a voice vote. The Senate passed it in September.
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/16004312.htm
Mother of all Mothers
Mother of the year
In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, due to complications in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, they died shortly after birth. The mother tiger, after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve. After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something tha t had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The only orphans" that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger. Would they become cubs or pork chops?? Take a look........ you won't believe your eyes!!
http://joyouslybecoming.blogspot.com/2006/11/mother-of-all-mothers.html
City providing hay, grown in biosolids, to zoo
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.
Hay for the zoo is being grown at the Chattanooga wastewater treatment plant.
City solid waste resources director Jerry Stewart says the city is now using solids, left over after wastewater has been treated, as fertilizer. The plant has about 90-thousand tons of it a year.
It's applied to 15 acres of land near the plant in a demonstration project. The "biosolids" add nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the soil.
Stewart says the hay will be cut this weekend and baled next week.
It will be sent to the zoo to be used for animals such as camels.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5662411
U.S. zoo tries to help wild deer with head stuck in plastic pumpkin
The Associated Press
Published: November 10, 2006
CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Michigan: A plastic jack-o'-lantern meant for collecting Halloween candy is threatening the life of a small deer that frequently visits a gated community.
The fake pumpkin has been stuck on the animal's snout for at least several days. It appears to be snagged on the young buck's ears or horn buds.
Ironically, the container that resembles a feed bag is instead keeping the animal from eating and possibly drinking.
Officials from a Grand Rapids zoo could not get close enough to the animal Friday to shoot it with a tranquilizer. They planned to try again Saturday.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/11/america/NA_GEN_US_Deer_Pumpkin_Head.php
I debated to include this video here, but, it teaches a very hard learned lesson. Zoo animals are real, have instincts and act on those instincts. This is a very difficult video to watch. The end does not show a man dead but one lying still. I just don't understand how this could have happened except to realize people take liberties on their own when they shouldn't.
http://www.wowozanga.com/2006/11/10/hungry-lions-kill-man-at-zoo.htm
Hungary Lion Kills Man at Zoo
This truly is a cautionary tale, a stern warning to you. A stupid father actually dies tragically here. This was taken in an animal safari… with clear sign posts everywhere saying, “Do not stop your vehicle. Do not open windows. Do not leave your vehicle… Maximum Penalty - A slow and painful death.” That’s why the audio was removed.
Thai zoo to teach panda to mate with "porn" videos
Sat Nov 11, 2006 3:01 AM GMT
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai zoo, which has hosted a couple of pandas for four years, will play "porn" videos for the male next month to encourage them to breed in captivity, the project manager said on Saturday.
The pair -- living chastely together at the zoo in the northern city of Chiang Mai since arriving from China in 2003 -- would be separated in December, but stay close enough for occasional glimpses of each other, said panda project chief Prasertsak Buntrakoonpoontawee.
"They don't know how to mate so we need to show the male how, through videos," Prasertsak told Reuters.
He said Chuang Chuang, the six-year-old male, would be shown the videos on a large screen when he might be feeling amorous.
"We'll play the video at the most comfortable and intimate time for him, perhaps after dinner," Prasertsak said, hoping Chuang Chuang would then use the techniques on Lin Hui, a five-year-old female.
The zoo is hosting a four-day international panda conference that starts on Monday, drawing 200 wildlife and panda specialists from around the world.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-11-11T030117Z_01_BKK165281_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-LIFE-THAILAND-PANDA-DC.XML
Jane's New York: The Bronx Zoo
POSTED: 11:39 am EST November 10, 2006
UPDATED: 12:09 am EST November 11, 2006
NEW YORK -- Jane Hansen writes about an experience unlike any other.
The Bronx zoo is exhilarating and fascinating, with 5,000 animals living happily in the middle of the biggest city in the country.
It's not just any zoo, but a place renowned for putting animals in their natural habitats.
I even slept overnight there, after we finished shooting, in the gorilla house (separated by a wall of glass) and woke up in the morning to see the gorillas in action. There was even one gorilla who sat so completely like us all he needed was a remote control in his hand and I'd think he might be human.
Feeding the animals is a full time occupation. Think about all of those different diets, from the smallest of reptile to the very large mammals.
All have to be fed in way that does not compromise their natural needs, yet gives them all the nutrition they need to even prevent human diseases from affecting them.
I was in the bird kitchen, where mealworms and crickets and even mice are part of the menu.
Just think of how much food is consumed: truck-fulls arrive on a daily basis.
Because the zoo is run by the wildlife conservation society, a great focus is on teaching about the animals, and getting kids early on to learn about conservation.
Their hospital is renowned around the world. Animals are shipped in from all over the world when they need surgery or special care.
We watched as zookeepers brought in an alligator for its regular checkup. Think about every animal getting a physical every year: that's a lot!
It's a 24-hour, 365 day a year operation, and you won't believe what happens behind the scenes!
http://www.wnbc.com/janesny/10290579/detail.html
Zoo to adopt over-sized pooches
Updated: 2006-11-11 16:23
Hefei dog owners fretting over the future of larger hounds, which are to be banned by a new regulation, applauded news that the local zoo will adopt the dogs they will have to give up.
Zoo director Jiang said there is more than 60 square metres of land at the zoo available for the dogs. The zoo will provide staff to specifically look after the dogs, free of charge to their former owners.
The only thing the owners are required to do is visit their old best friend regularly, bringing dog food.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-11/11/content_730630.htm
Zoo director plans to use millage to cover basics
By Tom Lambert Lansing State Journal
Potter Park Zoo admission fees for Ingham County residents likely will decrease and exhibits will be spruced up at the Lansing zoo after a countywide millage passed overwhelmingly this week.
Within the next couple of months, county, city and zoo officials will form a new board that will map out the zoo's future. The county will take over the zoo and its 18-member staff on July 1.
The new tax, which would last for five years, might allow the zoo to improve its eagle exhibit and expand its rhinoceros yard, among other things, said Gerald Brady, the zoo's director.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/NEWS01/611110338/1001/news
Captive breeding of storks in zoo
M. Sai Gopal
Project to start in three months
WHAT NEXT! A stork captured in a contemplative mood
HYDERABAD : The Nehru Zoological Park here is all set to become a permanent centre for captive breeding of four varieties of storks, the numbers of which are going down drastically in the State.
Works related to the construction of special enclosures to house White, Long, Black and Open Billed varieties of storks at the zoo are already under progress. In another three months, officials are expecting stork breeding to take off. Zoo officials revealed that in addition to the storks project, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) also agreed to release Rs. 83 lakhs for captive breeding of white-backed and long-billed vultures in the Hyderabad zoo.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/11/stories/2006111118440200.htm
Zoo to Provide Life Jackets to Boat Riders
Patna : November 12, 2006
Visitors at Patna's Sanjay Gandhi Botanical and Zoological Garden from now on will be able to take joy boat rides without any fear of drowning in the lake as the zoo administration will start providing life jackets to the fun-seekers, zoo director Rakesh Kumar said on Saturday. The zoo has purchased 28 life jackets from a firm in Kolkata and though the plan was to be implemented from last month, defects in some of the life jackets delayed the implementation by a few weeks, Kumar said.The director also said that due to the large popularity of boat ride at the zoo lake, five new boats were being purchased to accommodate the visitors.Currently the zoo owns eight boats but four of them are about to be retired due to their old age and concern about riders' safety, Kumar said.
http://www.patnadaily.com/news2006/nov/111206/zoo_to_provide_life_jackets.html
Chattanooga Zoo Reopens
The Chattanooga Zoo reopened today after 13 animals died in this week's fire.
Workers took time to collect drive through donations, asking for supplies and cash to help the Zoo get back to full speed.
"We just encourage folks to come on out, drop off a few items," said Robin Derryberry. Blankets especially are extremely important right now. We have temporary trailers set up to house these animals that are now homeless."
The Zoo is also in need of cedar bedding, reptile sand, and reptile bark. You can drop off the donations during regular zoo hours.
The blaze ran through the Education building; workers were able to save most of the animals. Some are in Knoxville getting specialized treatment, some are in Chattanooga animal hospitals and some are back at home in the zoo.
http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=4512
Animal acts: Too shy to make the first move
PANDAS are notorious for their reluctance to breed, and the zoos of the world are notorious for trying desperate measures. Chiang Mai zoo in Thailand has arrived at the last resort. Next month it will show what we can only describe as porn videos on a big screen to its six year old male Panda, Chuang Chuang, to give him an inkling of what to do. He has been reluctant to form a relationship with Chaing Mai's five year old female, Lin Hui, since they arrived from China in 2003. The two live sexless lives, platonically munching their bamboo shoots side by side.
"They don't know how to mate so we need to show the male how, through videos,'' said the zoo's panda project chief Prasertsak Buntrakoonpoontawee. "We'll play the video at the most comfortable and intimate time for him, perhaps after dinner.''
(In the US, at the National Zoo in Washington , the giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, have had better luck. They are the focus of a research and breeding program - and last year their first cub, Tai Shan, was born. Perhaps they will feature in the videos to be shown to Chuang Chuang)
http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2006/11/animal_acts.html
Zoo welcomes elephantine arrival
Zookeepers are celebrating the birth of their latest addition - after waiting 23 months for its arrival.
A baby male elephant was born at Chester Zoo on Sunday morning weighing just under 100kg (15st 10lbs).
The Asian calf is about a metre tall and brings the total number of elephants at the zoo to ten.
His arrival means the zoo now boasts three generations of elephant but despite the long pregnancy, the youngster has yet to be given a name.
Mick Jones, Chester Zoo's Elephant team leader, said: "It's a long wait so we are very excited to finally meet our new addition.
"He is settling in well and the females of the herd are taking great care of him."
Medical experts from the Countess of Chester Hospital were able to predict the baby elephant's birth by monitoring his mother's hormone levels.
He is the third elephant calf to be born at the zoo in two years.
The elephant is on view inside the newly-built enclosure - which was opened in July - but is not yet allowed outside.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/6141522.stm
Darwin at the Zoo
Did humans invent right and wrong, or are these feelings part of the inheritance from our primate ancestors?
By Jonathan Weiner
Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved by Frans de Waal. Edited by Stephen Macedo and Josiah OberPrinceton University Press, 2006
It was not until a year and a half after his voyage on board the Beagle that Charles Darwin first came face to face with an ape. He was standing by the giraffe house at the London Zoo on a warm day in late March of 1838. The zoo had just acquired an orangutan named Jenny. One of the keepers was teasing her--showing her an apple, refusing to hand it over. Poor Jenny "threw herself on her back, kicked & cried, precisely like a naughty child," Darwin wrote in a letter to his sister.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=D25A15F4-E7F2-99DF-3238208B0D11D7AB&colID=12
The Kansas City Zoo
Contest goes round
Guess how much the hippo — or the chimp or the rhino — weighs and win a prize.
That's the game the Kansas City Zoo is playing with the first three hand-carved animals that have arrived for a carousel that is to debut next year. Eventually, there will be 36 endangered animals to ride on the old-fashioned merry-go-round.
Visitors can see the three animals in the zoo's main gift shop and submit a weight guess for each one until Dec. 31. Winners will each receive a free 2007 carousel pass.
Matt Campbell, mcampbell@kcstar.com
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/15998373.htm
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT
LOCATION: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1787593.htm
Broadcast: 13/11/2006
Zoos under fire for elephant breeding plans
Reporter: Mark Bannerman
KERRY O'BRIEN: Asian elephants are big, they're smart and they're endangered. For Taronga and Melbourne zoos, the answer to their threatened survival is simple, import eight of them from Thailand and breed them. But animal activists say elephants have no place in a zoo. They claim the best decision Taronga ever made was to send its ageing elephants to a bush zoo and carry on without the loveable giants. Until now, zoo insiders have stayed out of the debate but one former Taronga Zoo employee has decided to speak out about the decision to display and breed elephants, pointing out the zoo doesn't have a great track record when it comes to breeding endangered species. Mark Bannerman reports. MARK BANNERMAN: It was the moment zoo officials had waited so long to see elephants returning to Taronga Zoo.GUY COOPER: Well, I'm truly delighted the way they have already settled into the exhibit. They felt so comfortable that they immediately climbed into the water body there. So that was really great.
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1787593.htm
Baby anteater at Dallas Zoo has Mom's eyes, Dad's nose
08:00 AM CST on Monday, November 13, 2006
By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News
Alert the relatives! There's a new anteater in town.
A baby giant anteater was born to ant-eating parents Punkin and Hoover at the Dallas Zoo about a month ago, and it's the first the zoo's had. The baby was an unexpected surprise for zookeepers, who didn't even know their anteaters were expecting.
"Punkin was getting a little round, but she's young and we thought she was still filling out," said zookeeper Jennifer Stefaniak. "She's always been a good eater."
The surprises haven't stopped there.
http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou061113_jj_babyanteater.322fc8c6.html
Sacramento Zoo's New Veterinary Hospital Opens (video)
(CBS13) SACRAMENTO After almost 5-years in the making, the Sacramento Zoo is opening a new veterinary hospital this morning.The complex includes a surgery center, MRI equipment and recovery rooms for up to 40 animals. Half of the money for the two million dollar facility came from private donations. The other half from a city bond measure. It will be able to handle all of the zoo's animals except for the giraffes.But, a new facility is being built for the giraffes and will include a medical stall.
http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_317101504.html
Trumpet the news: Elephants are staying at the zoo
By MARK DAVIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 11/13/06
Victoria, Zambezi and Starlet, don't pack those trunks just yet. You're not leaving as originally planned to mate up with some handsome bull.
Instead, you'll be treated Tuesday to a pachyderm pile of produce to celebrate two decades' worth of heavyweight entertainment at Zoo Atlanta.
That's right, 20 years. Tuesday marks the 20-year anniversary of the day the three African elephants came together at the zoo. With luck, they'll stay here years longer, said Susan Elliott, the zoo's spokeswoman.
"We're real happy we'll be able to keep them," she said. "This is good news for us."
Not as good news, perhaps, for the elephants, each about 24 years old. They were bound early next year for the North Carolina Zoo for a date with C'sar, the zoo's big bull. Or, if that didn't work, they might have been artificially inseminated to help create a larger herd of Loxodonta africana born in this country.
Those plans changed a few weeks ago when officials at the Asheboro, N.C., facility decided to go after some younger females.
After studying the three Zoo Atlanta elephants, specialists decided not all of them were good candidates for breeding, said Rod Hackney, a spokesman for the N.C. Zoo. Studies indicate that captive female elephants at that age do not breed as easily as younger cows. Elephants can live to 60 or longer.
Rather than break apart the group, they decided to leave the Atlanta trio intact and keep looking for Ms. Right(s). They notified Zoo Atlanta officials that the date was off.
That was fine with Adam Stone, assistant curator of large mammals at the Atlanta zoo. The zoo would have accepted two other elephants from Florida, but Stone likes the girls he's got here.
"They've closely bonded," he said, "They've been together 20 years."
They were born in the wild — Starlet in South Africa, Zambezi and Victoria at a national park in Central Africa. Starlet came to Atlanta in March 1986, a squeaker who had yet to grow into her ears. On Nov. 14, 1986, youngsters Zambezi and Victoria — purchased, in part, by the donations of school children — joined Starlet.
Tuesday afternoon, the zoo plans a celebration of elephantine proportions for the three — with some condolences tossed in, perhaps.
C'sar, according to all reports, is one fine-looking fellow.
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2006/11/13/1114lvelephants.html
Kolkata kids visit zoo on Children's Day
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 (Kolkata):
A popular belief that children only see animals in the zoo and don't observe their surroundings is proven wrong by NDTV's child reporter.Meher Roy, NDTV's child reporter, an animal lover, was at the New Alipur Zoo in Kolkata. Meher was quite saddened and distressed when she saw that some of the animals did not even have clean water to drink.The family in the New Alipur Zoo is getting bigger. In the last two years, the zoo has recorded the birth of three baby Giraffes and the first baby Hippopotamus. The baby hippo was born on September 1, the first since the zoo was started in 1875. "There are 380 mammals 1350 kinds of birds and 80 reptiles," said B Chaudhuri, Director, Alipur Zoo.But the baby Hippo's waterbed did not look very clean. Hippos like flowing water but the baby was enclosed in a pond. Not just the Hippo, but other animals and birds in the zoo need clean water. It's just as well that Chimpanzees are not fond of swimming. Other visitors to the zoo also felt sorry for the ape."I definitely think that water here should be more clean," said a visitor. While the zoo is still a great place for families to spend time we still need to learn to keep our surroundings clean.
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?category=National&template=Childrensday%20&slug=Kolkata+kids+visit+zoo+on+Children's+Day&id=96328&callid=1
Memorial to 175yo tortoise unveiled
A MEMORIAL to one of the oldest animals ever to have lived will be unveiled tomorrow at Australia Zoo on what would have been Harriet the Tortoise's 176th birthday.
The Giant Galapagos Land Tortoise died of a suspected heart attack on June 23 this year at age 175 and holds the Guinness Book of Records title as the oldest living animal in captivity.
Plans for a permanent memorial at her last home will be revealed tomorrow in celebration of Harriet's amazing life which will include a giant tortoise-shaped cake decorated with Harriet's favourite treat of Hibiscus flowers – a Harriet birthday tradition.
Australia Zoo director Wes Mannion today said Harriet had been a significant part of the Australia Zoo family.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20756706-29277,00.html
Thai zoo finds gold in giant pandas' dung
Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:12 AM GMT
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai zoo has discovered a way to utilise unwanted dung from a couple of pandas by using it to make paper for souvenirs, the country's panda project manager said on Tuesday.
The zoo had improvised a traditional way of making paper from mulberry trees in the northern city of Chiang Mai by using bamboo pulp that the pair of pandas could not digest, Prasertsak Buntrakoonpoontawee said.
The pandas, who are fed chopped bamboo, excrete about 23 kg (50 lb) of the pulp a day, he said.
"We know that any kind of pulp can be used to make paper, so we have applied the 2,000-year techniques of making paper from mulberry tree in this rural neighborhood to bamboo pulp from panda dung," Prasertsak said. The zoo had earned 300,000 baht (4,309 pounds) a year from selling fans, greeting cards, key chains, book marks -- all with panda faces and made from panda excrement paper -- and dried panda dung, enough to fund the project, he said.
The project would be presented at a four-day international panda conference in Chiang Mai that started on Monday, drawing 200 wildlife and panda specialists from around the world.
The zoo would also start to separate the pair -- six-year-old male Chuang Chuang and five-year-old female Lin Hui -- in December in a bid to breed them in captivity as Chaung Chaung would be shown frank videos of how to mate, Prasertsak said.
($1=36.50 baht)
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-11-14T081205Z_01_BKK124735_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-LIFE-THAILAND-PANDAS.XML&WTmodLoc=HP-C13-Oddly-3
China says record number of giant pandas born in captivity this year
BEIJING : A record 28 pandas have survived so far this year after being born using artificial insemination techniques, state media reported Tuesday.
A total of 31 panda cubs were born, including 11 pairs of twins and one born to Lun Lun at the Atlanta Zoo of the United States, Zhang Zhihe, director of the China Giant Panda Breeding Technical Committee, was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency.
Despite the three deaths, it is the biggest baby boom for the endangered species since China's first began artificially breeding giant pandas in the 1960s, Zhang said.
"We expected to get 10 cubs this year, but, as you can see, we were too conservative," he said.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/14/asia/AS_GEN_China_Panda_Births.php
Little Rock Zoo To Make Big Announcement
Today's THV and Arkansas Business both report that the zoo is about to receive a lot of money, but who's donating those funds and what they'll finance remains a mystery. Tuesday morning, Susan Altrui from the Little Rock Zoo talked with Tom Brannon about the gift. She says, yes, it does concern a donation but the details surrounding that gift will remain a secret until 11 a.m.Susan brought along Kristen Silvers from the Ft. Worth Zoo and Jackie the African Penguin for the interview. Watch it by clicking the THVideo icon.
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=36952
Two de Seroux horses found with steroids in system
By: JEFF NAHILL - Staff Writer
DEL MAR ---- Trainer Laura de Seroux, one of the most outspoken critics of drug use in the sport of thoroughbred racing, was fined $500 by Del Mar stewards Sunday for having two horses test positive for the steroid Trenbolone. The drug positives for Royal Copenhagen and Johnny Red Kerr occurred last month at Hollywood Park and are a Class VI violation, the second-lowest violation in the state. Trenbolone is a therapeutic steroid that can be used on horses, but the horses must be clear by the time a post-race urine sample is taken.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/08/08/sports/delmar/8705194725.txt
Board: close zoo by '07
By VANESSA McCRAYRecord-Eagle staff writer
TRAVERSE CITY - The city should close the bayfront Clinch Park Zoo by no later than July 1, 2007, but seek out a private group to construct a new zoo on another site.
So says a draft recommendation to the city commission from a 15-member zoo board. The city commission charged the group to give direction regarding the zoo's future.
The zoo board Thursday was largely supportive of a draft recommendation prepared by chairman Ralph Cerny that asks the city to "announce its intent to close the Clinch Park Zoo no later than July 1, 2007."
It also states the city should "solicit proposals" from private groups to pay for a new zoo or wildlife center in another location. The city also should provide a "nominal transitional subsidy" for the new facility's operations "to end no later than three years after its opening."
"I think it's pretty much right on target," said zoo board member Ross Biederman.
Cerny said the board could finalize the recommendation at its next meeting in October, months before the January deadline given by the city commission.
The draft, greeted with support by most of the board, was opposed by two members, both of whom belong to the Grand Traverse Zoological Society. The society staunchly supports the zoo's downtown location.
"I would have to concede that it represents a consensus, but speaking personally, not a unanimous decision," said society president Richard Miller.
Miller brought to the board the society's own recommendation: To submit a millage proposal to city residents to fund zoo operations at the current location. Residents would fund the zoo at its present spot if given the choice, Miller said.
But that proposal gained little traction with other zoo board members.
"This is, in my view, a way of stalling and delaying the inevitable," Biederman said.
http://www.record-eagle.com/2005/sep/30zoo.htm
Przewalski's horse back from the brink
Holly Kirkwood
27 December, 2005
A working group from London Zoo has recommended that the Mongolian Przewalski's horse should be reclassified from "extinct" to "endangered"
The Przewalski's horse has made an incredible recovery in the wild, according to scientists from London Zoo, and should be taken off the "extinct" list, and reclassified as "endangered."
In 1945 the horse was all but extinct — they numbered 45 — but following a sustained programme to breed them in captivity there were more than 1500 Przewalski's horses by the early 1990s. Work then began to slowly reintroduce them to their native Mongolian habitat.
The programme has now been heralded as a fantastic success. The scientists responsible have applied to have their project results officially noted by The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), by the reclassification. .
"This finding is significant as it shows reintroductions can work," said Sarah King, the project manager in Mongolia. "The status change is exiting because it illustrates that the horses haven't been weakened by captivity, which was an initial worry."
"There were some concerns," agreed Nick Lindsay of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). "However, there are now 248 free-ranging Przewalski's horses in the wild, which is an incredible achievement."
"If the application is accepted by the IUCN, this reclassification is set to be a milestone for large mammal conservation," he added.
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/72569.html
Killer dragon the superstar of Shedd show (It's a guy thing.)
By William MullenTribune
staff reporter
March 30, 2006
Even with his bad table manners, smelly breath and lethal bite, Faust, the first Komodo dragon ever to take up residence in Chicago, has become the darling of his keepers at the Shedd Aquarium.
At 7 feet 10 inches long, 129 pounds and growing, Faust is a member of the monitor lizard species Varanus komodoensis, which happen to be the biggest lizards in the world, up to more than 10 feet long and weighing more than 300 pounds after a good meal.
As a representative of the Komodos, which have been known to eat the occasional human, Faust is the star of a temporary lizard exhibit that will open April 8 at the Shedd. It features more than 25 species of lizards from around the world, ranging in bulk from the sleek, muscular, lime-green beauty of Faust down to tiny geckos the size of a pinky finger.
In between lies an impressive array of green tree monitors, caiman lizards, Gila monsters and the world's longest lizard, the crocodile monitor, which can be as long as 15 feet.
Crocodile monitors may grow longer than Komodos, but they are no match for them in bulk or strength. A full-grown Komodo lizard, with its rancid, razor-sharp teeth, can pull down a 1,000-pound water buffalo and kill it.
The Komodo is also one of nature's great gluttons, able to eat up to 80 percent of its body weight in a single sitting, so that a mature, 200-pound male might balloon out to 360 pounds in a matter of hours.
"Isn't he a beauty?" marveled Ray Owczarzak, a senior keeper at the Shedd who hours earlier had given Faust his first Chicago meal: six large, dead white rats--fur, tails and all."
He wolfed each one down in a gulp," Owczarzak said. "I figured it would take half an hour or so, but he was done in 7 minutes."
Owczarzak flew to Chicago with Faust a week ago from the Ft. Worth Zoo, which lent the big lizard to the Shedd for the duration of the exhibit. His impressively appointed, 1,000-square-foot habitat, separated from the public by a panoramic, half-inch-thick window of laminated glass, takes up a third of the lizard exhibit.
Faust is 13 years old, having hatched in captivity at the San Diego Zoo in 1993, and has resided in Texas since 1994. As he pulls his bulk from one heated lounging rock to another, his huge tail leaves furrows in the habitat's 20-inch-deep floor of sand.
His benign, placid appearance doesn't conjure up much sense of fear, but Komodos can be extremely dangerous, Owczarzak said."
When we go in with him to clean out his area in the morning, we always have to keep in mind his potential speed and temperament. We try to go in fairly early, when he is still slow and waking up," Owczarzak said. "
The Ft. Worth Zoo worked with him for a long time so that he would be friendly and connected to people. When I was in with him this morning, he followed me all around, checking out what I was doing and licking my ankles. It tickles."
Endangered in the wild, Komodos live on only a few small, hot volcanic islands in Indonesia, including Komodo Island, from which the giant lizard gets its name.
The area is so remote that the lizard first was described to science fewer than 100 years ago, in 1912. In the U.S. it first became known popularly through a 1927 National Geographic article that marveled at its size, strength and foot-long, flickering, flame-yellow tongue. The magazine called it a "dragon," a name that stuck.
In the wild, it is a fierce killer, patiently hiding along forest trails for passing prey, especially deer. It waits until the animal passes, then rushes out in a 12 m.p.h. burst, its powerful jaws snapping at the prey's rear legs.
It then will go for the stomach, using its teeth to open the animal up and let it bleed to death. If the animal's skin was broken by the Komodo's bite, it usually dies even if it manages to escape."
There is always a lot of lot of rotting flesh stuck in their teeth from their last meal, so their bite is full of deadly bacteria," said Owczarzak, "and anything it bites usually dies from infection."
The Komodo eats every part of its prey--hooves, fur, teeth, everything except for the contents of the prey's stomach and intestines. But it vigorously shakes those organs until they are emptied so that it can eat the organ tissue.
It takes a week or more for a Komodo to digest its enormous meal, aided by colonies of bacteria in its guts. The well-fed Komodo seeks out hot, flat rocks to lie upon, and the warmth encourages the heat-loving bacteria inside to go to work.
Shedd officials said they mounted the $750,000 temporary lizard show after they saw how fascinated visitors have been by their permanent lizard exhibits elsewhere in the building. Faust is undoubtedly the focal point of the show. "
He is a very impressive, charismatic animal," Owczarzak said. Only 78 Komodo dragons are in captivity in North America, he added. "There is nothing in the works to bring Komodos here permanently, so come see him while you can."
Enter the Komodo
The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard. It can grow to more than 10 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds.
Lives in tropical savanna forests on volcanic islands in Indonesia.
Can detect prey from as far away as 2 miles with its yellow forked tongue.
Can devour any kind of meat as well as bones, hooves and hide--even a 1,000-pound buffalo.
Can eat up to 80 percent of its body weight in a single sitting. Has serrated teeth containing deadly bacteria that can kill a victim within a week.
If you go
WHAT: "Lizards and the Komodo King," featuring 25 species of lizards, including basilisks, caimans and chameleons.
WHERE: Shedd Aquarium.
WHEN April 8 to Feb. 28, 2007
HOW: "All Access" tickets cost $23 for adults, $16 for seniors and kids ages 3-11. Discounts available to Chicago residents.Source: Smithsonian National Zoo and Shedd Aquarium
http://www.sheddaquarium.org/
continued …
Grrreat!, says PB Zoo about expected tigers
Sunday, November 12, 2006
The Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park is receiving two rare Malayan tigers, a rare occurrence among zoos in the United States, the zoo has announced.
The new tigers (Panthera tigris malayensis) are named Mata and Rimba and are 16 months old. They will reach the zoo in mid-November.
Only 47 of these endangered tigers are in captivity in the United States and fewer than 800 are known to be alive in the wild.
The zoo was designated to receive the cats based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Tiger Species Survival Plan. The young tigers will be transferred from the San Diego Zoo where they were born in June 2005.
Logistics for receiving the tigers are complicated, said zoo president and chief executive officer Terry L. Maple.
During the first week of November, key members of the zoo's animal care team traveled to San Diego and supervised the shipping preparation. Special care is required for the shipping containers and environment for the big cats during their cross-country trip.
After their arrival in West Palm Beach, an observation and quarantine period will be observed before they can be seen by the public.
The zoo plans to hold a celebration for the tigers when they are introduced to patrons in late November or early December.
The new tigers will make their home next to the Townee the Tiger attraction.
"Townee is 19 years old, making him one of the oldest tigers in captivity," Maple said.
Ken Lovett, director of living collections, who supervised the transfer of the cats from San Diego to the Palm Beach Zoo, said the zoo "is ready to take an active role in the conservation of the Malayan tigers.
"The zoo will endeavor to educate guests on these magnificent animals and garner a greater appreciation of the need to protect this important species in the wild."
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/content/news/BriefZooNow1112.html
Pig Nurses Tiger Cubs
Visitors at a zoo in Thailand witness the bizarre sights of tiger cubs suckling a sow and piglets playing with a fully grown tiger. Sriracha Zoo in Chonburi, is Thailand's most successful tiger-breeding zoo largely due to the discovery that tiger cubs nursed by pigs grew up calm, un-aggressive and more suited to life in captivity. Now all of the zoo's 300 bengali tigers are raised this way.
Thailand, Asia, Quirky, Odd, Zoos, breeding, mothers, Families, Animals, Cute, bizarre, tigers, pigs, babies, weird, acceptance, Love
http://www.websfunniestvideos.net/2006/11/13/pig-nurses-tiger-cubs/
Associated Content
Extinction of the Giant Panda
The Giant Panda has captured the hearts of people around the world and become an enduring symbol of conservation efforts to save endangered species. One of the favourite attractions at zoos, the panda is extremely rare.
It is difficult to calculate exactly how many pandas are left, but an estimated 800 live in the wild and roughly 100 live in captivity, mostly in zoos, breeding centres and special reserves in China. Yet despite all the attention to its plight and international efforts to save the panda, there is a real risk that it will become extinct.
Once the Giant Panda roamed mountain lowlands from Myanmar through northern Viet Nam and much of eastern and southern China; but farming, development and clear-cutting have destroyed the bamboo forests that make up their natural habitat.
More than 50 per cent of these forests have been lost in the past few decades alone - and they are not easily replaced. Bamboo flowers only every 80 to 100 years, and takes 20 years to grow enough to sustain a panda population.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/85320/extinction_of_the_giant_panda.html
House OKs bill aimed at animal activists
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Animal rights advocates who threaten scientists conducting animal research or companies funding or affiliated with it could be fined and imprisoned under a bill the House passed Monday and sent to President Bush.
Current federal law makes it illegal for activists to damage animal research organizations, farms, zoos, pet stores and other similar operations.
The legislation extends those prohibitions to interfering with third-party organizations such as insurance companies, law firms and investment houses that do business with so-called animal enterprises. Supporters said the bill is aimed at protecting people and companies from animal rights terrorists.
Violators could be sentenced up to a year in jail for economic damages of less than $10,000, and up to five years in prison if a threat produced a "reasonable fear" of bodily harm. Prison sentences of up to 10 years could result if someone is actually injured.
Although the bill specifically condones peaceful animal rights protests, critics said it comes close to infringing on advocates' constitutional rights.
"I am not for anyone abusing their ... rights by damaging another person's property or person," said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio. "But I am for protecting the First Amendment and not creating a special class of violations for a specific type of protest."
The bill passed the House on a voice vote. The Senate passed it in September.
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/16004312.htm
Mother of all Mothers
Mother of the year
In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, due to complications in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, they died shortly after birth. The mother tiger, after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression. The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve. After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning mother. The veterinarians decided to try something tha t had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The only orphans" that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger. Would they become cubs or pork chops?? Take a look........ you won't believe your eyes!!
http://joyouslybecoming.blogspot.com/2006/11/mother-of-all-mothers.html
City providing hay, grown in biosolids, to zoo
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.
Hay for the zoo is being grown at the Chattanooga wastewater treatment plant.
City solid waste resources director Jerry Stewart says the city is now using solids, left over after wastewater has been treated, as fertilizer. The plant has about 90-thousand tons of it a year.
It's applied to 15 acres of land near the plant in a demonstration project. The "biosolids" add nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to the soil.
Stewart says the hay will be cut this weekend and baled next week.
It will be sent to the zoo to be used for animals such as camels.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5662411
U.S. zoo tries to help wild deer with head stuck in plastic pumpkin
The Associated Press
Published: November 10, 2006
CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Michigan: A plastic jack-o'-lantern meant for collecting Halloween candy is threatening the life of a small deer that frequently visits a gated community.
The fake pumpkin has been stuck on the animal's snout for at least several days. It appears to be snagged on the young buck's ears or horn buds.
Ironically, the container that resembles a feed bag is instead keeping the animal from eating and possibly drinking.
Officials from a Grand Rapids zoo could not get close enough to the animal Friday to shoot it with a tranquilizer. They planned to try again Saturday.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/11/america/NA_GEN_US_Deer_Pumpkin_Head.php
I debated to include this video here, but, it teaches a very hard learned lesson. Zoo animals are real, have instincts and act on those instincts. This is a very difficult video to watch. The end does not show a man dead but one lying still. I just don't understand how this could have happened except to realize people take liberties on their own when they shouldn't.
http://www.wowozanga.com/2006/11/10/hungry-lions-kill-man-at-zoo.htm
Hungary Lion Kills Man at Zoo
This truly is a cautionary tale, a stern warning to you. A stupid father actually dies tragically here. This was taken in an animal safari… with clear sign posts everywhere saying, “Do not stop your vehicle. Do not open windows. Do not leave your vehicle… Maximum Penalty - A slow and painful death.” That’s why the audio was removed.
Thai zoo to teach panda to mate with "porn" videos
Sat Nov 11, 2006 3:01 AM GMT
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai zoo, which has hosted a couple of pandas for four years, will play "porn" videos for the male next month to encourage them to breed in captivity, the project manager said on Saturday.
The pair -- living chastely together at the zoo in the northern city of Chiang Mai since arriving from China in 2003 -- would be separated in December, but stay close enough for occasional glimpses of each other, said panda project chief Prasertsak Buntrakoonpoontawee.
"They don't know how to mate so we need to show the male how, through videos," Prasertsak told Reuters.
He said Chuang Chuang, the six-year-old male, would be shown the videos on a large screen when he might be feeling amorous.
"We'll play the video at the most comfortable and intimate time for him, perhaps after dinner," Prasertsak said, hoping Chuang Chuang would then use the techniques on Lin Hui, a five-year-old female.
The zoo is hosting a four-day international panda conference that starts on Monday, drawing 200 wildlife and panda specialists from around the world.
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-11-11T030117Z_01_BKK165281_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-LIFE-THAILAND-PANDA-DC.XML
Jane's New York: The Bronx Zoo
POSTED: 11:39 am EST November 10, 2006
UPDATED: 12:09 am EST November 11, 2006
NEW YORK -- Jane Hansen writes about an experience unlike any other.
The Bronx zoo is exhilarating and fascinating, with 5,000 animals living happily in the middle of the biggest city in the country.
It's not just any zoo, but a place renowned for putting animals in their natural habitats.
I even slept overnight there, after we finished shooting, in the gorilla house (separated by a wall of glass) and woke up in the morning to see the gorillas in action. There was even one gorilla who sat so completely like us all he needed was a remote control in his hand and I'd think he might be human.
Feeding the animals is a full time occupation. Think about all of those different diets, from the smallest of reptile to the very large mammals.
All have to be fed in way that does not compromise their natural needs, yet gives them all the nutrition they need to even prevent human diseases from affecting them.
I was in the bird kitchen, where mealworms and crickets and even mice are part of the menu.
Just think of how much food is consumed: truck-fulls arrive on a daily basis.
Because the zoo is run by the wildlife conservation society, a great focus is on teaching about the animals, and getting kids early on to learn about conservation.
Their hospital is renowned around the world. Animals are shipped in from all over the world when they need surgery or special care.
We watched as zookeepers brought in an alligator for its regular checkup. Think about every animal getting a physical every year: that's a lot!
It's a 24-hour, 365 day a year operation, and you won't believe what happens behind the scenes!
http://www.wnbc.com/janesny/10290579/detail.html
Zoo to adopt over-sized pooches
Updated: 2006-11-11 16:23
Hefei dog owners fretting over the future of larger hounds, which are to be banned by a new regulation, applauded news that the local zoo will adopt the dogs they will have to give up.
Zoo director Jiang said there is more than 60 square metres of land at the zoo available for the dogs. The zoo will provide staff to specifically look after the dogs, free of charge to their former owners.
The only thing the owners are required to do is visit their old best friend regularly, bringing dog food.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-11/11/content_730630.htm
Zoo director plans to use millage to cover basics
By Tom Lambert Lansing State Journal
Potter Park Zoo admission fees for Ingham County residents likely will decrease and exhibits will be spruced up at the Lansing zoo after a countywide millage passed overwhelmingly this week.
Within the next couple of months, county, city and zoo officials will form a new board that will map out the zoo's future. The county will take over the zoo and its 18-member staff on July 1.
The new tax, which would last for five years, might allow the zoo to improve its eagle exhibit and expand its rhinoceros yard, among other things, said Gerald Brady, the zoo's director.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/NEWS01/611110338/1001/news
Captive breeding of storks in zoo
M. Sai Gopal
Project to start in three months
WHAT NEXT! A stork captured in a contemplative mood
HYDERABAD : The Nehru Zoological Park here is all set to become a permanent centre for captive breeding of four varieties of storks, the numbers of which are going down drastically in the State.
Works related to the construction of special enclosures to house White, Long, Black and Open Billed varieties of storks at the zoo are already under progress. In another three months, officials are expecting stork breeding to take off. Zoo officials revealed that in addition to the storks project, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) also agreed to release Rs. 83 lakhs for captive breeding of white-backed and long-billed vultures in the Hyderabad zoo.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/11/11/stories/2006111118440200.htm
Zoo to Provide Life Jackets to Boat Riders
Patna : November 12, 2006
Visitors at Patna's Sanjay Gandhi Botanical and Zoological Garden from now on will be able to take joy boat rides without any fear of drowning in the lake as the zoo administration will start providing life jackets to the fun-seekers, zoo director Rakesh Kumar said on Saturday. The zoo has purchased 28 life jackets from a firm in Kolkata and though the plan was to be implemented from last month, defects in some of the life jackets delayed the implementation by a few weeks, Kumar said.The director also said that due to the large popularity of boat ride at the zoo lake, five new boats were being purchased to accommodate the visitors.Currently the zoo owns eight boats but four of them are about to be retired due to their old age and concern about riders' safety, Kumar said.
http://www.patnadaily.com/news2006/nov/111206/zoo_to_provide_life_jackets.html
Chattanooga Zoo Reopens
The Chattanooga Zoo reopened today after 13 animals died in this week's fire.
Workers took time to collect drive through donations, asking for supplies and cash to help the Zoo get back to full speed.
"We just encourage folks to come on out, drop off a few items," said Robin Derryberry. Blankets especially are extremely important right now. We have temporary trailers set up to house these animals that are now homeless."
The Zoo is also in need of cedar bedding, reptile sand, and reptile bark. You can drop off the donations during regular zoo hours.
The blaze ran through the Education building; workers were able to save most of the animals. Some are in Knoxville getting specialized treatment, some are in Chattanooga animal hospitals and some are back at home in the zoo.
http://www.wrcbtv.com/news/index.cfm?sid=4512
Animal acts: Too shy to make the first move
PANDAS are notorious for their reluctance to breed, and the zoos of the world are notorious for trying desperate measures. Chiang Mai zoo in Thailand has arrived at the last resort. Next month it will show what we can only describe as porn videos on a big screen to its six year old male Panda, Chuang Chuang, to give him an inkling of what to do. He has been reluctant to form a relationship with Chaing Mai's five year old female, Lin Hui, since they arrived from China in 2003. The two live sexless lives, platonically munching their bamboo shoots side by side.
"They don't know how to mate so we need to show the male how, through videos,'' said the zoo's panda project chief Prasertsak Buntrakoonpoontawee. "We'll play the video at the most comfortable and intimate time for him, perhaps after dinner.''
(In the US, at the National Zoo in Washington , the giant pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, have had better luck. They are the focus of a research and breeding program - and last year their first cub, Tai Shan, was born. Perhaps they will feature in the videos to be shown to Chuang Chuang)
http://blogs.smh.com.au/sit/archives/2006/11/animal_acts.html
Zoo welcomes elephantine arrival
Zookeepers are celebrating the birth of their latest addition - after waiting 23 months for its arrival.
A baby male elephant was born at Chester Zoo on Sunday morning weighing just under 100kg (15st 10lbs).
The Asian calf is about a metre tall and brings the total number of elephants at the zoo to ten.
His arrival means the zoo now boasts three generations of elephant but despite the long pregnancy, the youngster has yet to be given a name.
Mick Jones, Chester Zoo's Elephant team leader, said: "It's a long wait so we are very excited to finally meet our new addition.
"He is settling in well and the females of the herd are taking great care of him."
Medical experts from the Countess of Chester Hospital were able to predict the baby elephant's birth by monitoring his mother's hormone levels.
He is the third elephant calf to be born at the zoo in two years.
The elephant is on view inside the newly-built enclosure - which was opened in July - but is not yet allowed outside.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/6141522.stm
Darwin at the Zoo
Did humans invent right and wrong, or are these feelings part of the inheritance from our primate ancestors?
By Jonathan Weiner
Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved by Frans de Waal. Edited by Stephen Macedo and Josiah OberPrinceton University Press, 2006
It was not until a year and a half after his voyage on board the Beagle that Charles Darwin first came face to face with an ape. He was standing by the giraffe house at the London Zoo on a warm day in late March of 1838. The zoo had just acquired an orangutan named Jenny. One of the keepers was teasing her--showing her an apple, refusing to hand it over. Poor Jenny "threw herself on her back, kicked & cried, precisely like a naughty child," Darwin wrote in a letter to his sister.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=D25A15F4-E7F2-99DF-3238208B0D11D7AB&colID=12
The Kansas City Zoo
Contest goes round
Guess how much the hippo — or the chimp or the rhino — weighs and win a prize.
That's the game the Kansas City Zoo is playing with the first three hand-carved animals that have arrived for a carousel that is to debut next year. Eventually, there will be 36 endangered animals to ride on the old-fashioned merry-go-round.
Visitors can see the three animals in the zoo's main gift shop and submit a weight guess for each one until Dec. 31. Winners will each receive a free 2007 carousel pass.
Matt Campbell, mcampbell@kcstar.com
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/15998373.htm
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
TV PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT
LOCATION: http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1787593.htm
Broadcast: 13/11/2006
Zoos under fire for elephant breeding plans
Reporter: Mark Bannerman
KERRY O'BRIEN: Asian elephants are big, they're smart and they're endangered. For Taronga and Melbourne zoos, the answer to their threatened survival is simple, import eight of them from Thailand and breed them. But animal activists say elephants have no place in a zoo. They claim the best decision Taronga ever made was to send its ageing elephants to a bush zoo and carry on without the loveable giants. Until now, zoo insiders have stayed out of the debate but one former Taronga Zoo employee has decided to speak out about the decision to display and breed elephants, pointing out the zoo doesn't have a great track record when it comes to breeding endangered species. Mark Bannerman reports. MARK BANNERMAN: It was the moment zoo officials had waited so long to see elephants returning to Taronga Zoo.GUY COOPER: Well, I'm truly delighted the way they have already settled into the exhibit. They felt so comfortable that they immediately climbed into the water body there. So that was really great.
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1787593.htm
Baby anteater at Dallas Zoo has Mom's eyes, Dad's nose
08:00 AM CST on Monday, November 13, 2006
By KATIE MENZER / The Dallas Morning News
Alert the relatives! There's a new anteater in town.
A baby giant anteater was born to ant-eating parents Punkin and Hoover at the Dallas Zoo about a month ago, and it's the first the zoo's had. The baby was an unexpected surprise for zookeepers, who didn't even know their anteaters were expecting.
"Punkin was getting a little round, but she's young and we thought she was still filling out," said zookeeper Jennifer Stefaniak. "She's always been a good eater."
The surprises haven't stopped there.
http://www.khou.com/news/state/stories/khou061113_jj_babyanteater.322fc8c6.html
Sacramento Zoo's New Veterinary Hospital Opens (video)
(CBS13) SACRAMENTO After almost 5-years in the making, the Sacramento Zoo is opening a new veterinary hospital this morning.The complex includes a surgery center, MRI equipment and recovery rooms for up to 40 animals. Half of the money for the two million dollar facility came from private donations. The other half from a city bond measure. It will be able to handle all of the zoo's animals except for the giraffes.But, a new facility is being built for the giraffes and will include a medical stall.
http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_317101504.html
Trumpet the news: Elephants are staying at the zoo
By MARK DAVIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 11/13/06
Victoria, Zambezi and Starlet, don't pack those trunks just yet. You're not leaving as originally planned to mate up with some handsome bull.
Instead, you'll be treated Tuesday to a pachyderm pile of produce to celebrate two decades' worth of heavyweight entertainment at Zoo Atlanta.
That's right, 20 years. Tuesday marks the 20-year anniversary of the day the three African elephants came together at the zoo. With luck, they'll stay here years longer, said Susan Elliott, the zoo's spokeswoman.
"We're real happy we'll be able to keep them," she said. "This is good news for us."
Not as good news, perhaps, for the elephants, each about 24 years old. They were bound early next year for the North Carolina Zoo for a date with C'sar, the zoo's big bull. Or, if that didn't work, they might have been artificially inseminated to help create a larger herd of Loxodonta africana born in this country.
Those plans changed a few weeks ago when officials at the Asheboro, N.C., facility decided to go after some younger females.
After studying the three Zoo Atlanta elephants, specialists decided not all of them were good candidates for breeding, said Rod Hackney, a spokesman for the N.C. Zoo. Studies indicate that captive female elephants at that age do not breed as easily as younger cows. Elephants can live to 60 or longer.
Rather than break apart the group, they decided to leave the Atlanta trio intact and keep looking for Ms. Right(s). They notified Zoo Atlanta officials that the date was off.
That was fine with Adam Stone, assistant curator of large mammals at the Atlanta zoo. The zoo would have accepted two other elephants from Florida, but Stone likes the girls he's got here.
"They've closely bonded," he said, "They've been together 20 years."
They were born in the wild — Starlet in South Africa, Zambezi and Victoria at a national park in Central Africa. Starlet came to Atlanta in March 1986, a squeaker who had yet to grow into her ears. On Nov. 14, 1986, youngsters Zambezi and Victoria — purchased, in part, by the donations of school children — joined Starlet.
Tuesday afternoon, the zoo plans a celebration of elephantine proportions for the three — with some condolences tossed in, perhaps.
C'sar, according to all reports, is one fine-looking fellow.
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2006/11/13/1114lvelephants.html
Kolkata kids visit zoo on Children's Day
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 (Kolkata):
A popular belief that children only see animals in the zoo and don't observe their surroundings is proven wrong by NDTV's child reporter.Meher Roy, NDTV's child reporter, an animal lover, was at the New Alipur Zoo in Kolkata. Meher was quite saddened and distressed when she saw that some of the animals did not even have clean water to drink.The family in the New Alipur Zoo is getting bigger. In the last two years, the zoo has recorded the birth of three baby Giraffes and the first baby Hippopotamus. The baby hippo was born on September 1, the first since the zoo was started in 1875. "There are 380 mammals 1350 kinds of birds and 80 reptiles," said B Chaudhuri, Director, Alipur Zoo.But the baby Hippo's waterbed did not look very clean. Hippos like flowing water but the baby was enclosed in a pond. Not just the Hippo, but other animals and birds in the zoo need clean water. It's just as well that Chimpanzees are not fond of swimming. Other visitors to the zoo also felt sorry for the ape."I definitely think that water here should be more clean," said a visitor. While the zoo is still a great place for families to spend time we still need to learn to keep our surroundings clean.
http://www.ndtv.com/template/template.asp?category=National&template=Childrensday%20&slug=Kolkata+kids+visit+zoo+on+Children's+Day&id=96328&callid=1
Memorial to 175yo tortoise unveiled
A MEMORIAL to one of the oldest animals ever to have lived will be unveiled tomorrow at Australia Zoo on what would have been Harriet the Tortoise's 176th birthday.
The Giant Galapagos Land Tortoise died of a suspected heart attack on June 23 this year at age 175 and holds the Guinness Book of Records title as the oldest living animal in captivity.
Plans for a permanent memorial at her last home will be revealed tomorrow in celebration of Harriet's amazing life which will include a giant tortoise-shaped cake decorated with Harriet's favourite treat of Hibiscus flowers – a Harriet birthday tradition.
Australia Zoo director Wes Mannion today said Harriet had been a significant part of the Australia Zoo family.
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20756706-29277,00.html
Thai zoo finds gold in giant pandas' dung
Tue Nov 14, 2006 8:12 AM GMT
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A Thai zoo has discovered a way to utilise unwanted dung from a couple of pandas by using it to make paper for souvenirs, the country's panda project manager said on Tuesday.
The zoo had improvised a traditional way of making paper from mulberry trees in the northern city of Chiang Mai by using bamboo pulp that the pair of pandas could not digest, Prasertsak Buntrakoonpoontawee said.
The pandas, who are fed chopped bamboo, excrete about 23 kg (50 lb) of the pulp a day, he said.
"We know that any kind of pulp can be used to make paper, so we have applied the 2,000-year techniques of making paper from mulberry tree in this rural neighborhood to bamboo pulp from panda dung," Prasertsak said. The zoo had earned 300,000 baht (4,309 pounds) a year from selling fans, greeting cards, key chains, book marks -- all with panda faces and made from panda excrement paper -- and dried panda dung, enough to fund the project, he said.
The project would be presented at a four-day international panda conference in Chiang Mai that started on Monday, drawing 200 wildlife and panda specialists from around the world.
The zoo would also start to separate the pair -- six-year-old male Chuang Chuang and five-year-old female Lin Hui -- in December in a bid to breed them in captivity as Chaung Chaung would be shown frank videos of how to mate, Prasertsak said.
($1=36.50 baht)
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-11-14T081205Z_01_BKK124735_RTRIDST_0_OUKOE-UK-LIFE-THAILAND-PANDAS.XML&WTmodLoc=HP-C13-Oddly-3
China says record number of giant pandas born in captivity this year
BEIJING : A record 28 pandas have survived so far this year after being born using artificial insemination techniques, state media reported Tuesday.
A total of 31 panda cubs were born, including 11 pairs of twins and one born to Lun Lun at the Atlanta Zoo of the United States, Zhang Zhihe, director of the China Giant Panda Breeding Technical Committee, was quoted as saying by Xinhua News Agency.
Despite the three deaths, it is the biggest baby boom for the endangered species since China's first began artificially breeding giant pandas in the 1960s, Zhang said.
"We expected to get 10 cubs this year, but, as you can see, we were too conservative," he said.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/14/asia/AS_GEN_China_Panda_Births.php
Little Rock Zoo To Make Big Announcement
Today's THV and Arkansas Business both report that the zoo is about to receive a lot of money, but who's donating those funds and what they'll finance remains a mystery. Tuesday morning, Susan Altrui from the Little Rock Zoo talked with Tom Brannon about the gift. She says, yes, it does concern a donation but the details surrounding that gift will remain a secret until 11 a.m.Susan brought along Kristen Silvers from the Ft. Worth Zoo and Jackie the African Penguin for the interview. Watch it by clicking the THVideo icon.
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=36952
Two de Seroux horses found with steroids in system
By: JEFF NAHILL - Staff Writer
DEL MAR ---- Trainer Laura de Seroux, one of the most outspoken critics of drug use in the sport of thoroughbred racing, was fined $500 by Del Mar stewards Sunday for having two horses test positive for the steroid Trenbolone. The drug positives for Royal Copenhagen and Johnny Red Kerr occurred last month at Hollywood Park and are a Class VI violation, the second-lowest violation in the state. Trenbolone is a therapeutic steroid that can be used on horses, but the horses must be clear by the time a post-race urine sample is taken.
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/08/08/sports/delmar/8705194725.txt
Board: close zoo by '07
By VANESSA McCRAYRecord-Eagle staff writer
TRAVERSE CITY - The city should close the bayfront Clinch Park Zoo by no later than July 1, 2007, but seek out a private group to construct a new zoo on another site.
So says a draft recommendation to the city commission from a 15-member zoo board. The city commission charged the group to give direction regarding the zoo's future.
The zoo board Thursday was largely supportive of a draft recommendation prepared by chairman Ralph Cerny that asks the city to "announce its intent to close the Clinch Park Zoo no later than July 1, 2007."
It also states the city should "solicit proposals" from private groups to pay for a new zoo or wildlife center in another location. The city also should provide a "nominal transitional subsidy" for the new facility's operations "to end no later than three years after its opening."
"I think it's pretty much right on target," said zoo board member Ross Biederman.
Cerny said the board could finalize the recommendation at its next meeting in October, months before the January deadline given by the city commission.
The draft, greeted with support by most of the board, was opposed by two members, both of whom belong to the Grand Traverse Zoological Society. The society staunchly supports the zoo's downtown location.
"I would have to concede that it represents a consensus, but speaking personally, not a unanimous decision," said society president Richard Miller.
Miller brought to the board the society's own recommendation: To submit a millage proposal to city residents to fund zoo operations at the current location. Residents would fund the zoo at its present spot if given the choice, Miller said.
But that proposal gained little traction with other zoo board members.
"This is, in my view, a way of stalling and delaying the inevitable," Biederman said.
http://www.record-eagle.com/2005/sep/30zoo.htm
Przewalski's horse back from the brink
Holly Kirkwood
27 December, 2005
A working group from London Zoo has recommended that the Mongolian Przewalski's horse should be reclassified from "extinct" to "endangered"
The Przewalski's horse has made an incredible recovery in the wild, according to scientists from London Zoo, and should be taken off the "extinct" list, and reclassified as "endangered."
In 1945 the horse was all but extinct — they numbered 45 — but following a sustained programme to breed them in captivity there were more than 1500 Przewalski's horses by the early 1990s. Work then began to slowly reintroduce them to their native Mongolian habitat.
The programme has now been heralded as a fantastic success. The scientists responsible have applied to have their project results officially noted by The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), by the reclassification. .
"This finding is significant as it shows reintroductions can work," said Sarah King, the project manager in Mongolia. "The status change is exiting because it illustrates that the horses haven't been weakened by captivity, which was an initial worry."
"There were some concerns," agreed Nick Lindsay of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). "However, there are now 248 free-ranging Przewalski's horses in the wild, which is an incredible achievement."
"If the application is accepted by the IUCN, this reclassification is set to be a milestone for large mammal conservation," he added.
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/72569.html
Killer dragon the superstar of Shedd show (It's a guy thing.)
By William MullenTribune
staff reporter
March 30, 2006
Even with his bad table manners, smelly breath and lethal bite, Faust, the first Komodo dragon ever to take up residence in Chicago, has become the darling of his keepers at the Shedd Aquarium.
At 7 feet 10 inches long, 129 pounds and growing, Faust is a member of the monitor lizard species Varanus komodoensis, which happen to be the biggest lizards in the world, up to more than 10 feet long and weighing more than 300 pounds after a good meal.
As a representative of the Komodos, which have been known to eat the occasional human, Faust is the star of a temporary lizard exhibit that will open April 8 at the Shedd. It features more than 25 species of lizards from around the world, ranging in bulk from the sleek, muscular, lime-green beauty of Faust down to tiny geckos the size of a pinky finger.
In between lies an impressive array of green tree monitors, caiman lizards, Gila monsters and the world's longest lizard, the crocodile monitor, which can be as long as 15 feet.
Crocodile monitors may grow longer than Komodos, but they are no match for them in bulk or strength. A full-grown Komodo lizard, with its rancid, razor-sharp teeth, can pull down a 1,000-pound water buffalo and kill it.
The Komodo is also one of nature's great gluttons, able to eat up to 80 percent of its body weight in a single sitting, so that a mature, 200-pound male might balloon out to 360 pounds in a matter of hours.
"Isn't he a beauty?" marveled Ray Owczarzak, a senior keeper at the Shedd who hours earlier had given Faust his first Chicago meal: six large, dead white rats--fur, tails and all."
He wolfed each one down in a gulp," Owczarzak said. "I figured it would take half an hour or so, but he was done in 7 minutes."
Owczarzak flew to Chicago with Faust a week ago from the Ft. Worth Zoo, which lent the big lizard to the Shedd for the duration of the exhibit. His impressively appointed, 1,000-square-foot habitat, separated from the public by a panoramic, half-inch-thick window of laminated glass, takes up a third of the lizard exhibit.
Faust is 13 years old, having hatched in captivity at the San Diego Zoo in 1993, and has resided in Texas since 1994. As he pulls his bulk from one heated lounging rock to another, his huge tail leaves furrows in the habitat's 20-inch-deep floor of sand.
His benign, placid appearance doesn't conjure up much sense of fear, but Komodos can be extremely dangerous, Owczarzak said."
When we go in with him to clean out his area in the morning, we always have to keep in mind his potential speed and temperament. We try to go in fairly early, when he is still slow and waking up," Owczarzak said. "
The Ft. Worth Zoo worked with him for a long time so that he would be friendly and connected to people. When I was in with him this morning, he followed me all around, checking out what I was doing and licking my ankles. It tickles."
Endangered in the wild, Komodos live on only a few small, hot volcanic islands in Indonesia, including Komodo Island, from which the giant lizard gets its name.
The area is so remote that the lizard first was described to science fewer than 100 years ago, in 1912. In the U.S. it first became known popularly through a 1927 National Geographic article that marveled at its size, strength and foot-long, flickering, flame-yellow tongue. The magazine called it a "dragon," a name that stuck.
In the wild, it is a fierce killer, patiently hiding along forest trails for passing prey, especially deer. It waits until the animal passes, then rushes out in a 12 m.p.h. burst, its powerful jaws snapping at the prey's rear legs.
It then will go for the stomach, using its teeth to open the animal up and let it bleed to death. If the animal's skin was broken by the Komodo's bite, it usually dies even if it manages to escape."
There is always a lot of lot of rotting flesh stuck in their teeth from their last meal, so their bite is full of deadly bacteria," said Owczarzak, "and anything it bites usually dies from infection."
The Komodo eats every part of its prey--hooves, fur, teeth, everything except for the contents of the prey's stomach and intestines. But it vigorously shakes those organs until they are emptied so that it can eat the organ tissue.
It takes a week or more for a Komodo to digest its enormous meal, aided by colonies of bacteria in its guts. The well-fed Komodo seeks out hot, flat rocks to lie upon, and the warmth encourages the heat-loving bacteria inside to go to work.
Shedd officials said they mounted the $750,000 temporary lizard show after they saw how fascinated visitors have been by their permanent lizard exhibits elsewhere in the building. Faust is undoubtedly the focal point of the show. "
He is a very impressive, charismatic animal," Owczarzak said. Only 78 Komodo dragons are in captivity in North America, he added. "There is nothing in the works to bring Komodos here permanently, so come see him while you can."
Enter the Komodo
The Komodo dragon is the world's largest lizard. It can grow to more than 10 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds.
Lives in tropical savanna forests on volcanic islands in Indonesia.
Can detect prey from as far away as 2 miles with its yellow forked tongue.
Can devour any kind of meat as well as bones, hooves and hide--even a 1,000-pound buffalo.
Can eat up to 80 percent of its body weight in a single sitting. Has serrated teeth containing deadly bacteria that can kill a victim within a week.
If you go
WHAT: "Lizards and the Komodo King," featuring 25 species of lizards, including basilisks, caimans and chameleons.
WHERE: Shedd Aquarium.
WHEN April 8 to Feb. 28, 2007
HOW: "All Access" tickets cost $23 for adults, $16 for seniors and kids ages 3-11. Discounts available to Chicago residents.Source: Smithsonian National Zoo and Shedd Aquarium
http://www.sheddaquarium.org/
continued …
Do I have to say it? It's not good news. This is however 12:00 PM (click to animate)
The movement of heat ONTO Antarctica is coming from the high latitudes to the bottom of the world. The wind animation clearly illustrates the winds influence on the temperatures over the ice (click 0n).
This is mostly true over the Wedell Sea and the Ross Ice Shelf. However, that makes sense. The cooling effects of the ice is what this is all about. So the spike in temperatures with some abatement will clearly indicate an air movement with a cooling of it and causing a change to cooler air causing a sinking of the air over the ice. The Peninsula is continually hot but not sustaining the highest of temperatures either. That is because of the substantial air movement TOWARD the top of the Blue Ice.
What is very much a surprise is the sustained high temperatures over the east continent, specifically, from Enderby Land to the Emery Ice Shelf to the Shakelton Ice Shelf and to the inner continent to Mac Robertson Land. This was never estimated to be a place where heat would accumulate causing a sublimation of the ice over Eastern Antarctica. This is the three mile Blue Ice.
What is of greatest concern is the edging closer to a sustained heat mass over Antarctica and evidently even the Eastern Ice Mass. If one examines the temperature closely there is some abatement of the heat when the solar radiation sets to dusk with a cooling trend in darkness but it never completely resolves back to solidly cold temperatures.
The surface temperatures across the entire of the continent are rising. There are far more temperate areas (freezing or above) and much, much higher humidity rates. This week places normally stable are experiencing warming even in subfreezing temperatures.
Cape Ross -12 degrees C with 38% humidity at 2:38 PM with winds at 11 km/hr
McMurdo - 12.9 degrees C with 41% humidity at 5:15 AM with winds calm
Vostok - 42 degrees C with 41% humidity at 6:00 PM with winds at 17 km/hr
The surface temperatures do not reflect the air temperatures over the ice continent because as the air cools it sinks and at the surface is cooler than aloft.Sea level rise should be considered a global emergency.
The weather in Antarctica (crystal ice chime) is:
Scott Base
Conditions : Clear
Temperature : -10.0 C
Updated Wednesday 15 Nov 3:15AM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (crystal ice chime) is:
Elevation : 13 ft / 4 m
10 °F / -12 °C
Light Snow
Humidity : 79%
Dew Point : 5 °F / -15 °C
Wind : 15 mph / 24 km/h from the WNW
Wind Gust : 22 mph / 35 km/h
Pressure : 29.36 in / 994 hPa
Wind Chill : -6 °F / -21 °C
Visibility : 2.5 miles / 4.0 kilometers
UV : 0 out of 16
Clouds : Overcast 1600 ft / 487 m
(Above Ground Level)
Scott Base
Conditions : Clear
Temperature : -10.0 C
Updated Wednesday 15 Nov 3:15AM
The weather at Glacier Bay National Park (crystal ice chime) is:
Hopefully this is an indication the Arctic Ocean is having a better fall and winter than it did spring and summer.
Elevation : 13 ft / 4 m
10 °F / -12 °C
Light Snow
Humidity : 79%
Dew Point : 5 °F / -15 °C
Wind : 15 mph / 24 km/h from the WNW
Wind Gust : 22 mph / 35 km/h
Pressure : 29.36 in / 994 hPa
Wind Chill : -6 °F / -21 °C
Visibility : 2.5 miles / 4.0 kilometers
UV : 0 out of 16
Clouds : Overcast 1600 ft / 487 m
(Above Ground Level)
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