Zoos

Alameda Park Zoo first ever to host White Sands Pup Fish display
Alamogordo Daily NewsBy Jeff Stevens, Assistant Editor
Article Launched: 12/28/2006 12:00:00 AM MST
Alamogordoans drive by their own local treasure trove of the wild every day and it's likely very few know all the treasures contained within the walls of the Alameda Park Zoo.
There's 265 animals covering some 70 different species. There's Miss Kitty, the 16-year old mountain lion. There's Elliot the North American otter, myriad monkeys, flocks of fowl and a gaggle of geese gamboling the grounds.
And as of Dec. 21, Alameda Park Zoo is the first and only zoo in the world to have a White Sands pupfish display.
The White Sands pupfish is native to southern New Mexico, and nowhere else in the world. Placed on the Endangered Species list in 1975, it now only exists in the wild in two springs, a small stream on White Sands Missile Range and another smaller stream on Holloman Air Force Base.

http://www.alamogordonews.com/features/ci_4911244


$6 million anonymous gift to fund new digs for zoo's penguinsRecord donation to help revamp habitat, entrance
By KATHY MULADYP-I REPORTER
Woodland Park Zoo received a $6 million Christmas gift earlier this month from an anonymous donor who asked that the money be used to help build a new west entrance and an expanded Humboldt penguin exhibit, which will greet visitors as they arrive at the zoo.
The donation, announced Tuesday, was the largest in the zoo's 107-year history, a zoo spokeswoman said.
The bigger penguin exhibit and entry are part of the zoo's long-term strategic development plan. Zoo officials hope the sight of the frolicking and popular penguins will become a signature exhibit and dramatic "first animal" as visitors enter the zoo and the last they see as they leave.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/297363_zoogift27.html


Zoo director sees signs of comeback Janis pushes upgrades; attendance soars in '06
BINGHAMTON -- If all the squirrel-sized tamarin monkeys got it in their heads to push on the wall of their exhibit at the same time, the building would fall down, Michael Janis joked last week.
"During the flood, I had visions of the whole building floating down the stream," said Janis, executive director of Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park.
The aging building, he said, should finally be replaced this winter. It's one project in a long list of renovations, repairs and additions that combined Janis hopes will mark a new era for the Binghamton zoo.
A year into Janis's tenure, members of the zoo's board of directors are already praising his vision while cautiously celebrating mounting signs of success.
"This is the first year that we've seen an upward swing of community pride," said Ron Greene, vice president of the zoo's board of directors. "That's really something Mike (Janis) has been able to accomplish."

http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061227/NEWS01/612270323/1006


Zoo's Raja marks 14th birthday
A crowd of several hundred gathered Wednesday at the St. Louis Zoo to wish Raja a happy 14th birthday and sing the Birthday Song.
Raja, the first Asian elephant born at the zoo, has sprouted from 39 inches high and 275 pounds at birth to nearly 10 feet high and 8,900 pounds and still growing.
The zoo celebrates Raja's birthday each year but this year they decided to do something a little different. They had him perform some of his daily exercises before giving him his traditional birthday presents.
"The purpose is to stimulate muscles and check on his health," said Becky Kryko, an elephant keeper who talked to the crowd. "These are all things animals would do in the wild."

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/columnists/16333890.htm


Special events: Frozentoesen beginning at Toledo Zoo
The Toledo Zoo will open its Frozentoesen celebration Tuesday, with two months of reduced-price admissions and special activities in the works. Unlike previous years, the zoo will not hold over its Lights Before Christmas display for the first weekend of Frozentoesen. The holiday-light display ends Sunday.
The Broadway tour of The Phantom of the Opera opens Wednesday and continues through Jan. 28 in the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd.
The musical Cats will be staged at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Crouse Performance Hall of the Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center, 7 Town Square, Lima, Ohio.
FLATLANDERS FEATURES : Two solo exhibits are on display through Feb. 4 in Flatlanders Art Galleries, 11993 East U.S. 223, Blissfield, Mich. Ken Thompson’s show, Heavy Metal, features 12 works fabricated from scrap steel left from a nearly completed largescale sculpture being created for the city of Canton, Mich. Shown here is a piece from Judith Greavu’s Tidal Forces, an exhibit of bronze sculptures inspired by marine creatures and environments. Hours at the gallery are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The gallery is generally open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, but it is closed this week. Information: 517-481-4591.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061228/ART03/612280306/-1/ART


Zoo Gives Free Admission For Donation Of Christmas Trees
If you are planning to get rid of your Christmas tree soon, the folks at DeYoung Family Zoo in Wallace say they will gladly take it. If you donate it, they will give you a free admission ticket in return.
The zoo is in need of foliage for their canine and cat exhibits. The animals use the trees for shelter and recreation during the winter months. Since the weather has been relatively warm, zoo owners hope people will take advantage of the offer.
They have received some trees already, which have been placed in the Canadian lynx exhibit, the coyote habitat, and timber wolf area. But the zoo hopes to get more before the weather gets colder.

http://www.wluctv6.com/Global/story.asp?S=5865582&nav=81AX


Unsold Christmas trees become food, toys at the zoo
Web Posted: 12/27/2006 10:20 PM CST
Scott HuddlestonExpress-News
Christmas finally came Wednesday for Alport and Lucky, but not in the form of gifts under the tree.
The two full-grown elephants at the San Antonio Zoo got the tree itself. Several trees, in fact.
Using their trunks to smell, then lift, the girls began munching — not mulching — the firs and pines in their enclosure.
The holidays are a time for indulging. When you're weighing in at around 8,000 pounds, what's a little extra roughage?
In recent years, Holiday Hills Christmas Trees has donated unsold trees as a form of enrichment, or stimulation, for zoo animals. This year, the Salem, Ore., tree dealer sold about 15,000 trees in South Texas. It gave 200 unsold trees to the zoo, which will use them as a treat for its animals for about 10 days.
"That's a Christmas tree! She's picking it up," Jaylen Hart, 6, said as Alport, an African elephant, lifted an entire tree to her mouth.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA122806.01B.Trees.Zoo.2e116e7.html


Hunting habits on display
By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
Al Ain: A series of rapid improvements has transformed Al Ain Zoo into a modern zoological park and wildlife sanctuary of international standard.
The zoo had been undergoing a renovation programme for the last eight months and has built several new exhibits, underwent redesigning and landscaping aimed at enhancing the overall ambience, said Majid Ali Ebrahim Al Mansouri, Secretary General of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD).
He said the development plan of the zoo would be complete in four years, for which a huge amount would spent.
"A budget of Dh35 million was approved for zoo development last year [2006]," he noted.
The EAD aims at transforming Al Ain Zoo into an educational centre and a roll model wildlife sanctuary in the region, said Al Mansouri who is also Chairman of the Al Ain Zoo Development Committee.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/06/12/29/10092815.html


Atlanta zoo employs bamboo hunters to keep picky pandas well-fed
FAYETTEVILLE, Georgia: If you think kids are picky, try feeding a giant panda.
It takes four full-time bamboo hunters at Zoo Atlanta to satisfy the palates of the zoo's Chinese panda pair, Lun Lun and Yang Yang. And they are not always successful.
The animals' diet consists almost entirely of bamboo, but they will eat only about 20 of the 200 or so species that grow in Georgia. What type they like also varies by the time of year. Sometimes the pandas will eat nothing but one variety for a week, then refuse to eat it anymore.
And the bamboo has to be fresh — the pandas turn up their noses at dry or wilted leaves and discolored stalks.
So the zoo relies on a bamboo hunting team to find and harvest local patches of the plant. The bamboo cannot be grown with pesticides or near polluted waterways. Most important, it must be appetizing.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/28/america/NA_GEN_US_Bamboo_Hunters.php


Effort to revive rare oryx breed
Kansas City, Missouri - Ten scimitar-horned oryxes from zoos in North America and Europe, including two from the Kansas City Zoo, are being re-introduced in Tunisia, where they have been wiped out from their native scrubland, according to a media report.The two animals from Kansas City were among 23 that have been raised at the local zoo. They will be part of a new herd that conservationists hope will revive the breed in the wild, The Kansas City Star reported.The scimitar-horned oryx, a member of the antelope family, has been pushed to extinction by a combination of automatic weapons and all-terrain vehicles, killed for sport because of their long, slender horns."When something as large as a scimitar-horned oryx can slip from the face of the earth without so much as a whimper or an outcry, things have gone terribly wrong," Bill Houston, who as assistant general curator at the St Louis Zoo is heavily involved in the re-introduction programme, told the newspaper.The 10 animals will be mixed with some oryxes that were relocated to a Tunisian national park in the 1980s.The new herd will initially be fenced in Dghoumes National Park, where they will be protected by the Tunisian government.Conservationists hope to eventually remove the fences so the oryx population can migrate.Tunisia supports the re-introduction, and neighboring Algeria also is interested in re-establishing the breed, the paper reported. Conservationists also hope to work out protection agreements with Libya, Niger and other north African countries. - Sapa-AP

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=iol1167728228458B226


Sealion Settles in at Zoo
A SEALION weighing 24 stone has joined Dudley Zoological Gardens mammal collection.
Shirley, a 19-year-old Patagonian sealion, has now settled into the site's moat pool.
Deputy curator Matt Lewis said: "Shirley moved to us from Drayton Manor Wildlife Park a few weeks ago and is gradually settling in with our other two females and male.
"She is quite a shy girl, but is getting used to everyone and enjoying taking part in our daily feeds and poolside creature features."
The species originates from South American coastal waters and is threatened in the wild due to pollution and over fishing of food stocks.
Matt added: "Shirley is part of our newly introduced breeding programme for this species, and hopefully, will breed with DZG's male, Orry."
The heart and circulatory system of a sealion is adapted to conserve oxygen when diving. The heart rate falls by one tenth of its surface rate and circulation continues only to vital organs.
A thick layer of blubber beneath the skin gives added insulation, while coarse fur and dense underfur provide waterproofing via a chemical secreted in the skin glands.
(c) 2007 Evening Mail; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
Source: Evening Mail; Birmingham (UK)

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/785276/sealion_settles_in_at_zoo/?source=r_science


Smithsonian National Zoological Park

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/MakeDonation/GivingTree.cfm


A 'Dear Santa' From the Zoo
Slides, Seesaws and Other Human-Style Toys Make Animal Wish List
By Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post Staff WriterSaturday, December 30, 2006; Page B01
Zookeepers want Frisbees for the pandas. They want feather dusters for birds. They want nature CDs for the zebras and a Double Decker Super Slide for the otters.
Like little kids everywhere, the animals at the National Zoo have wish lists this time of year. But their wants, which are posted on the zoo's Web site and can be donated through January, aren't just for fun. They are specifically designed to make life in captivity more stimulating, more wildlife-like, zoo officials say. They are meant to help animals feel more a part of their species and less a part of a display.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/29/AR2006122901413.html


Zoo set to reopenUpdated: 12/29/2006 7:22 AMBy: Staff
A spokesman for the Thompson Park Zoo in Watertown zoo said they got their accreditation back and will reopen Saturday. The zoo was forced to close last week after its Animal Welfare Act license with the US Department of Agriculture lapsed.They have since gotten the paperwork filed and approved. The zoo will reopen Saturday morning with an open house to celebrate.

http://www.news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=90665


Columbus zoo planning big new polar bear exhibit
Monday, January 01, 2007
Associated Press
Columbus- Years after getting rid of its polar bears, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is on the hunt for more, for an $18 million exhibit it plans to open in 2008.
Last summer, zoo officials solicited bears from two dozen zoos, and so far have secured one, at least temporarily. The Louisville Zoo will lend a 14-year old male named Aquila while it creates its own arctic exhibit, expected to open in 2009.
Randi Meyerson, mammal curator for the Toledo Zoo and in charge of the American Zoological Association's polar bear species-survival plan, says polar bears are one of the few species where demand is expected to outstrip the number of animals available over the next few years.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1167652518178730.xml&coll=2


Mill Mountain Zoo gets facelift from Boy Scout
Mill Mountain Zoo is getting a facelift and it's not costing them a dime.
The new look was made possible thanks to Parker Vacik, a Cave Spring High School student, who decided to take on the zoo as his Eagle Scout Project.
With the help of his fellow boy scouts, Parker spent several days this week completely remodeling the Bald Eagle Exhibit.
The entire project came up to $1200. Parker was able however to get all the materials donated.
While the work was going on, the bald eagle was moved to Ruby the tiger's old exhibit.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=5876651&nav=S6aK


Party animals get in early at the zoo
More than 3000 revellers at Auckland Zoo celebrated an early New Year last night with a roar.
The zoo opened its gates for a New Year Jungle Party, a chance for children and their parents to enjoy the last day of 2006 without struggling to make midnight.
Parents were asked to put their watches forward three hours to see in the New Year at 9pm.
Zoo events manager Jackie Sanders said the idea was adopted from Australian zoos.
"If the kids had to stay up until midnight they'd be too tired and wouldn't be able to enjoy themselves."
She said some proceeds from last night would go to a Sumatran tiger breeding project.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10417407


Colors of the Southwest
Cape zoo adopts birds featured on Mexico flag
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Sunday, December 31, 2006
CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE — The Cape May County Park & Zoo recently received the two caracaras — one male and one female — this year from a bird rehabilitation program at the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The caracaras — the national symbol of Mexico — were injured in the wild.
The female bird was presumably struck by a passing car and suffered serious injuries. A wing had to be amputated.
The male caracara also had a wing injury, although not as severe as the female's.
When the birds were mended, the Texas facility called the zoo and asked if they were interested in the animals, said Hubert Paluch, the zoo's director.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/story/7060644p-6918419c.html


Watertown Zoo back open after weeks of controversy
It was a welcome sight for the Thompson Park Zoo.No, not the snow. But the cars in the parking lot.Saturday was the first time in more than a week the zoo was open after it was closed for failing to file the U.S.D.A paperwork that allows them to have and show animals.And zoo spokesman Greg Couch says, it's a great feeling.
"It's fantastic," he said. "We've got so many people here today enjoying the zoo."
"We packed a lunch. We stopped and ate on the way. We had to take out time because of the weather of course," added Laura Crowley, a Norwood resident.
"I hope I can pet the llamas," added Crowley's grandson Phillip North Jr.
"I was very disappointed, very upset. I actually did at one time cry. I love my animals and I didn't know how stressed out they would be," added Bobbi LaFountain, a Watertown resident.

http://www.news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=90810


Is it a moose or a yak?
WINNIPEG -- There were some puzzled looks at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg as it unveiled its newest animal attraction.
Upon seeing Quentin, the three-year-old Sichuan Takin (pronounced Talk-inn), zoo visitor Carlos Dhabhar said it looked like a moose crossed with a yak.
Recently delivered from Minnesota, the Takin is a species of cattle native to western China, which regards the animal as a national treasure, much like Panda bears.
Zoo curator Bob Wrigley says it's a real coup for Winnipeg to be home to one of the golden-fleeced endangered animals.
He says fewer than ten zoos in North America have them.
There are only about five-thousand Takins left in the wild, making them an endangered species.
Winnipeg's zoo was selected as part of a special program to help establish a healthy breeding population.

http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=ea6f9ae7-c912-4826-aeed-2b9caaba3f37


Sichuan Takin has zoo visitors takin' another look
He looks like a muskox, moose and wildebeest rolled into one — but this burly addition to Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo is an endangered species called a Takin.
The rare male Sichuan Takin currently taking up residence beside the zebras at the zoo has people and fellow beasts alike doing a double-take.
Quinton, a male Sichuan Takin at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo, should welcome a female breeding partner next year.(CBC)
The 295-kilogram animal, which zoo staff have named Quinton, is native to the Himalayan mountains of China and Nepal. Takins are part of the goat and antelope families and graze on the same bamboo forests as giant pandas.
Quinton comes to Winnipeg via the Minnesota zoo, curator Bob Wrigley said Wednesday. A female Takin is expected to arrive next year as part of a special breeding program.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2006/12/27/zoo-animal.html


Landscape changes at zoo
Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006
Dubai
The Al Ain Zoo is set to become a benchmark for all zoos within the Middle East region, said a top official.
His remarks came as the zoo management announced a major renovation programme that includes changes to the landscape and infrastructure, and the introduction of several new exhibits that are aimed at significantly improving the overall ambience of the existing zoo to offer visitors a unique and memorable experience. With the goal of transforming Al Ain Zoo into a major tourist wildlife attraction, with tremendous support from the Abu Dhabi Government, it is set to become a major tourist wildlife attraction in the region.
A series of rapid improvements, both physical and operational in nature, have been undertaken over the last eight months, significantly improving visitor satisfaction while striving to achieve best practices in all areas of zoo management.

http://www.tradearabia.com/tanews/newsdetails_snINT_article116908.html


Zoo to release small rabbits into the wild
PORTLAND - The Oregon Zoo says it will release Washington pygmy rabbits back into the wild this spring for the first time since it started an emergency breeding program.
kgw.com/Oregon Zoo
Meadow, the pygmy rabbit nominated for Zoo Mother of the Year.
The zoo has spent six years breeding the endangered rabbits. They say the efforts paid off and may have brought North America's smallest rabbit back from the brink of extinction.
The zoo had a record number of births this year with 32 kits.
The rabbits will be released in March near unoccupied, existing burrows or artificial burrows.

http://www.nwcn.com/statenews/oregon/stories/NW_122906ANBpygmyrabbitsEL.58b27bcf.html


Zoo wants to buy Jaycees' Zoo Choo
The Jaycee's president said she can't see the organization selling the train.
By Cody Lowe 981-3425
After more than 50 years circling atop Mill Mountain, a route change could be in store for Roanoke's Zoo Choo.
The Roanoke Jaycees-owned ride at Mill Mountain Zoo has been a fixture for the region's children since the zoo opened in 1952, but now the zoo board says it wants to take over ownership of the miniature train and the profits it generates.
For her part, however, Jaycees President Melissa Oefelein said, "I just can't see us moving the train, and I can't see us just giving in and selling it" after what she termed a "rather hostile offer" to buy it.
Two weeks ago, zoo officials proposed a five-year lease-purchase agreement to the Jaycees, according to Sean Greene, the zoo's executive director.
In light of its continuing financial difficulties, "the zoo is looking at all its contracts, with the city and everything else," Greene said.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/wb/xp-97994


Zoo pushes for Arctic exhibit
December 29, 2006(CP)
Officials at the Calgary Zoo say a U.S. government recommendation on polar bears proves the need for an Arctic exhibit at the facility. The zoo’s “Arctic Shores”—an exhibit currently under development and expected to open in 2009—has been criticized for a plan to house polar bears and beluga whales. But zoo spokesman Graham Newton said Wednesday’s announcement by U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne proposing to list polar bears as a threatened species is exactly why the exhibit’s needed. “There’s major climatic changes in the north and those changes, because of global warming, are putting at risk the actual habitat of the polar bear,” he said. “This really re-enforces the importance of us doing an Arctic exhibit.” He said it could help the plight of the polar bears by “exposing people to these animals, live and up close.” “That is the most effective way you can stimulate people to take steps to preserve the environment,” Newton added. Earlier this year, the animal-rights organization Zoocheck Canada protested the $120-million plan, saying it is cruel, misguided, outdated, and unnecessary. The group put up billboards and bus shelter ads depicting a whale and polar bear in a fish bowl.

http://www.fftimes.com/index.php/3/2006-12-29/28938


Bonobo Dies at Columbus Zoo
Dec 29 2006 4:40PM
Reported by Kevin Landers
A respiratory illness killed a bonobo at the Columbus Zoo and made at least one other sick. On Sunday, Mambo, a 15-year-old bonobo, died from what the zoo calls a serious respiratory illness. The animals death came as a surprise to staff and regular visitors to the zoo. "It's likely that the type of viruses that cause colds [like the ones] that humans get probably played a role in this," says Director of Animal Health Dr. Michael Barrie
Why couldn't zoo officials catch the respiratory illness before it became fatal? The zoo says in this case, the virus simply overpowered the chimps immune system so fast they couldn't stop it in time.
Dr. Barrie says, "The infection just became so severe that his immune system just overreacted and he developed pneumonia."
Mambo isn't the only bonobo who got sick; the zoo is caring for a 4-year-old who came down with the same virus. She's expected to make a full recovery.
With the way bonobos act, they do resemble humans. In fact, their DNA is 98 percent identical to human DNA.
The bonobo exhibit at the zoo is one of 10 in North America. It is still open to the public.

http://www.10tv.com/?sec=news&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200612/895938281.html


Polar attraction
Columbus Zoo among venues warming up to bears again
Marla Matzer Rose
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Polar bears are white-hot.
The Arctic bears are in vogue again, a decade after many zoos, including the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, decided it was too costly to keep the giant carnivores happy and healthy in firstrate habitats.
The Columbus Zoo is finding it tough to acquire the bears as it prepares to break ground on its $18 million Polar Frontier attraction. The exhibit opens in 2008, 14 years after polar bears last resided at the zoo.
The Columbus Zoo, like many others, decided in the early 1990s that other needs took precedence over building a costly habitat for its polar bears. Its two female bears were sent to the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico, while the male bear went to Rochester, N.Y.

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/30/20061230-D1-04.html


San Francisco Zoo Probes Tiger Attack
SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Zoo has closed its Lion House, an put on view where the public could even watch the big cats eat a meal, while officials inspect the injury of a keeper by a Siberian tiger.The woman, who has worked at the zoo since 1997, was rushed into operation Friday night to save her slash limb. Her family requested that her identity and state not be released, zoo and San Francisco General Hospital officials said.


Life back to normal for tiger that mauled trainer
SAN FRANCISCO - Pacing her pen, basking in the attention of thousands and brushing off the advances of her companion, life continues as normal for the tiger that mauled a trainer at the San Francisco Zoo last week.
A week after Tatiana, a 3-year-old Siberian tiger, lacerated her trainer’s arms after a public feeding demonstration, the rare, 350-pound beast lives as normal in her enclosure with her companion, Tony, a 14-year-old vasectomized male Siberian tiger.
Tatiana came to the zoo almost exactly a year ago as part of a national breeding program. She is being kept at the zoo as a companion for Tony until she is needed for breeding. On Wednesday, Bob Jenkins, the zoo’s director of animal care, said Tatiana will remain in the program. He said she is not being considered a dangerous animal.

http://www.examiner.com/a-482091~Life_back_to_normal_for_tiger_that_mauled_trainer.html


UAE zoo to set benchmark
Posted: Saturday, December 30, 2006
Dubai
The Al Ain Zoo is set to become a benchmark for all zoos within the Middle East region, said a top official.
His remarks came as the aoo Management announced a major renovation programme that includes changes to the landscape and infrastructure, and the introduction of several new exhibits that are aimed at significantly improving the overall ambience of the existing zoo to offer visitors a unique and memorable experience. With the goal of transforming Al Ain Zoo into a major tourist wildlife attraction, with tremendous support from the Abu Dhabi Government, it is set to become a major tourist wildlife attraction in the region.
A series of rapid improvements, both physical and operational in nature, have been undertaken over the last eight months, significantly improving visitor satisfaction while striving to achieve best practices in all areas of zoo management.
Majed Ali Ibrahim Al Mansouri, secretary-general at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD), and the chairman of the Al Ain Zoo Development Committee, said:
“The Al Ain Zoo is set to become a benchmark for all zoos within the Middle East region.

http://www.tradearabia.com/tanews/newsdetails_snENV_article116909_cnt.html


Russian zoo closes after two geese found dead
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - One of Russia's main zoos has closed down after the deaths of two geese sparked a bird flu scare, but the top sanitary official said on Tuesday that tests had not confirmed the outbreak of the disease.
"Samples taken from the dead geese did not test positive for bird flu," chief sanitary expert and head of Russia's consumer rights watchdog Gennady Onishchenko told Interfax news agency.
Zoo staff had also been given health clearance after examination, he added.
The zoo in St Petersburg, one of Russia's oldest, officially refused to explain its unscheduled closure on Monday night, but health officials linked it to the discovery of the two dead birds.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=globalNews&storyid=2006-12-19T144658Z_01_L19134178_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-RUSSIA-ZOO.xml&src=rss


Horse meat, kale and crickets on menu at Bronx zoo
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shopping list: 750,000 pounds (340,000 kg) of grain; 100,000 pounds (45,000 kg) of meat; 10,400 cases of mixed fruits and vegetables; bees.
These are just a few of the ingredients for a year's meals to feed the elephants, big cats, bats, birds, and other beasts at New York's zoos.
More than 4,500 animals from more than 500 species are on display at the 265-acre (104-hectare) Bronx Zoo, the largest metropolitan zoo in the United States. It is the flagship of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs most of the city's zoos.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2007-01-01T222623Z_01_N28211300_RTRUKOC_0_US-ZOO-FOOD.xml&WTmodLoc=USNewsHome_C2_domesticNews-3


Dolphins And Animal Assisted Therapy
Some scientists who work with dolphins believe that these sea-dwellers show a sense to the disability and physical trauma associated with function and pain in humans, therefore making the cranio-sacral therapy possible. Dolphins, with their internal sonar or echo-location can feel where the person hurts the most and are able to gently nudge and play without hurting the person.
Once, two dolphins saved a writer while he was swimming far off the coast of California. The man was a good swimmer and swimming had become his daily routine. One day, far away from the shore, he felt very tired, too tired to lift his arms or kick. Suddenly, two dolphins came to his rescue. They swam with their bodies touching him and they propelled him forward by fastening their nose under his arms to keep him afloat, until they came close to the shore where there were other people. By this time, the writer had regained enough strength to swim a few more yards to safety. He says the dolphins didn't leave immediately. They kept leaping off shore to make sure he made it to land safely.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Dolphins-And-Animal-Assisted-Therapy&id=112480


Columbus zoo trying to find polar bears for new exhibit as demand for the animals increases
COLUMBUS, Ohio: Years after getting rid of its polar bears, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is on the hunt for more of the bears for an $18 million (€13.67 million) exhibit it plans to open in 2008.
The move comes after the Columbus zoo, as well as other zoos, decided about a decde ago that the polar bears and their habitats, were too costly. The Columbus zoo sent its two female bears to the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico and the male bear to Rochester, New York.
But with the public increasingly interested in the bears, the zoos revamped their exhibits. Multimillion dollar arctic habitats also have been added recently in Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
Polar bears are one of the few species where demand is expected to outstrip the number of animals available over the next few years, said Randi Meyerson, the Toledo Zoo's mammal curator who is also in charge of the American Zoological Association's polar bear species-survival plan.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/31/america/NA_GEN_US_Polar_Bears_Zoo.php


When animals in Jaipur zoo had a special New Year bash
Jaipur, Jan 2: While the world celebrated the New Year with friends and relatives in restaurants or roof tops of houses, the zoo authorities in Jaipur arranged a feast for its inmates that day. A special menu for the animals was prepared for the occasion that included boiled eggs, dates, sweetmeat and honey.The event intended at making the day equally special for its animal residents fascinated a host of curious animal lovers."The aim of the event was to realise that there should be New Year celebrations for animals too, just the way all of us celebrate at home. So we prepared a special menu for them today. For the deer family, we have carrots, lions are being given a special mutton soup and monkeys are getting boiled eggs," said Mohan Singh, Veterinary Doctor at the Jaipur Zoo.Watching the bears slurp a special treat of honey on New Year's Day left animal lovers overjoyed."If you and me can celebrate the New Year, I think the animalstoo deserve something special today. They will also feel that it is a special day today," said a visitor Ram Satvani.Zoo authorities across India often organize special treats for animals in captivity, which generally includes naming ceremonies and birthday celebrations. As the cold wave conditions in several parts of the country are making life very difficult for all, the animals on the street can be easily found searching for a warm hideout and food to survive.


Columbus Zoo tops attendance records
COLUMBUS (AP) — Attendance has been roaring at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, which has set an annual record with more than 1.5 million visitors during 2006, officials said.
The boom in zoo-going can be attributed to several factors, including more aggressive public relations and the zoo’s new Asia Quest exhibit, said Manny Gonzalez, chief operating officer.
The new attendance mark breaks the old record of about 1.45 million visitors during 1992, when the zoo exhibited two giant pandas for several months, said zoo spokesman Jeff Glorioso.The zoo expects to reach 1,535,000 visitors before 2006 ends, Gloriosa said.The 1.5 million milestone was reached Dec. 22 when Lavonna Allen from suburban Gahanna passed through the gates. She was awarded a membership and a gift bag.The zoo also logged a new single-day attendance record Dec. 16 with 22,619 guests, officials said.


Anonymous donor gives $6 million to Woodland Park Zoo
SEATTLE - An anonymous donor has given $6 million to Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo to help build a new penguin exhibit and zoo entrance.Zoo spokeswoman Wendy Hochnadel said the donation was the largest in the zoo's history. The money was earmarked for the Humboldt penguin exhibit, which will house 10 breeding pairs of the endangered animal.Zoo President and CEO Dr. Deborah Jensen said the new exhibit will include beaches and rocky tide pools, and that guests will be able to see the penguins swim underwater."This gift demonstrates how cherished the zoo is by our community and underscores the importance of the zoo's efforts to educate our visitors about conservation and how each and every person can make a difference," Jensen said.More than 1 million people visit Woodland Park Zoo each year.

http://www.komotv.com/news/5010016.html


Zoo announces New Year's resolutions
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Since the thought of having to write "Lose 10 pounds" on the New Year's resolutions list - again - can make anyone see red, the Oregon Zoo offers an alternative: See green.
While the zoo recycles 68 percent of its waste, well above the national average of 30 percent, there is still room for improvement. The zoo's Green Team encourages the organization to do better every year. By setting higher standards for the zoo, the team hopes to challenge individuals and businesses to consume less and conserve more.
"Because we exist to help protect wild animals and their habitats, the zoo must walk its talk and set a good example," said Tony Vecchio, zoo director. "By publishing the list, the zoo hopes to give other businesses ideas about how they can "green" their operations."

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/argus/index.ssf?/base/news/116715730643780.xml&coll=6


Zoo concerts raise big money for wildlife
When you head to the Oregon Zoo for one of those terrific summer concerts, you go expecting to hear great tunes from artists like Pink Martini (pictured during one of last August's sold-out shows), Etta James, Chris Isaak and an array of world beat stars. What you may not realize is how much those concerts raise money to help endangered species. On Tuesday, the zoo released its final numbers for this year's shows. 61,255 concertgoers helped generate $409,345, with proceeds going to conservation programs helping local wildlife, like western pond turtles, Washington pygmy rabbits and Oregon silverspot butterflies. Of course, when the music ends, there are still all sorts of ways to help endangered wildlife. Just going to the zoo furthers its efforts to restore California condors to the wild, as well as ongoing programs to aid black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats. The zoo is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. daily, 4001 S.W. Canyon Road. General admission is $9.50 (ages 12-64), seniors $8 (65 plus), children $6.50 (ages 3-11), and infants 2 and under are free. A parking fee of $1 per car is also required.


Zoo has new cubs
The Little Rock Zoo has two new additions, a pair of baby sloth bears born to their resident sloth bear Nocona on Dec. 21, according the Susan Altrui, the zoo's director of marketing.
Sloth bears are an endangered species. The Little Rock Zoon is taking part in the Species Survival Plan to ensure the long-term survival of the sloth bear.
Altrui reports that the mother and cubs are doing well. Nocona also gave birth to twin cubs Tasha an d Thor on Dec. 27, 2004, and they are located in the zoo. Nocona likes those holiday babies.
The new cubs will still need a few months before they can be on exhibit, so for now Nocona and the cubs ae in a private den.
Meanwhile, in other Zoo news, the facility is presenting a black-tie New Year's Eve party. Call 666-2406.


Animals starve in debt-ridden Chinese zoo
By XinhuaUrumqi (China), Dec 27 (Xinhua) More than 30 wild animals, including an endangered Siberian tiger, are starving in a debt-ridden zoo in China's Xinjiang Uygur region.
The private Kuytun City Zoo is facing a financial crisis as few people visit the northern outback of Xinjiang in the bitter winter, when the mercury falls below zero even at midday.Life is particularly tough for Siberian tiger San Mao, African lion Dong Dong, brown bear Tian Tian and 30 other wild animals and birds who suffer cold and hunger, zoo managers told Xinhua.The zoo has had difficulties in making ends meet shortly after it opened to the public in May 2005.Located in the outlying Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture in the far north, the zoo is largely unfrequented for eight months of the year. Even in the best of season in summer and early autumn, it receives no more than 50 visitors on a week day. Entry costs only 10 yuan (about $1).The zoo's ticket revenues often fall short of its operating costs as the animals' food alone costs at least 15,000 yuan (about $2,000) a month.This week, a newly opened supermarket in Kuytun donated 2,000 yuan (about $250) worth of chicken, beef and mutton to the zoo. 'We hope more people will lend a helping hand,' said Cai Guocheng, manager of Red Flag Supermarket.Cai has set up a donation box in his store encouraging the customers to chip in for the starving animals.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/97139.php/Animals-starve-in-debt-ridden-Chinese-zoo


The St. Louis Zoo adopts restricted smoking policy
The St. Louis Zoo has made a New Year's resolution to cut back on smoking. Starting Tuesday, it will limit smoking to four designated areas. The Zoo already prohibits smoking in the Children's Zoo and buildings but permits smoking along paths, near exhibits and at outdoor cafes. "We've heard from visitors who have complained that they have endured smoke while standing in queuing lines and while walking behind smokers who are holding their cigarettes right about at face level of their children," said Wyndel Hill, human resources director. "We've heard from school groups who have sent us letters. We've collected all their comments and decided, in an effort to serve all of our visitors, to change our policy."The Zoo will establish the smoking areas near its corners: near the Living World; west of the Safari Gift Shop near the Zoo's south entrance; east of the antelope area; and south of Big Cat Country. The Zoo will notify visitors of the new policy as they enter the park and will provide maps to the smoking areas.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/8E95728BB55A5261862572510000C5D7?OpenDocument


Monkey business breeds results at Canberra zoo
Two endangered South American monkeys are the latest additions to Canberra's National Zoo and Aquarium.
The baby cotton top tamarins were born two weeks ago as part of a regional breeding program to boost the dwindling population of approximately 2,000 across the world.
Trent Russell, from the National Zoo, says it is the second time they have successfully bred the endangered species in Canberra.
"We do those things so that we can reintroduce them into the wild at some point," he said.
"However the problem is with several of these species and these guys are certainly one of them is that the forests where they naturally occur is disappearing that there's not much point putting them back into the forest at this point in time."


At Zoo, night time is the right time
Imagine yourself on a cool, mysterious night, without a moon or star to guide you, while you walk through exotic paths, listening to the sounds of the wild; knowing you are surrounded by lions, panthers, hyenas, apes and many other fearsome animals.The good news is that you've got a night-scope, a tour guide, and the wild animals are all secured in their cages. You are actually taking the Night Eyes Tour at Caribbean Gardens Naples Zoo. "We cover about 90 percent of the zoo exhibits in our night tours," explained the Zoo's executive director, David L. Tetzlaff. "We provide something that can't be offered during daylight: the after-dark life of our animals. It makes visitors realize animals are alive and require care 365 days of the year, 24/7."The night-vision monocular night-scopes allow visitors to have clear images of the animals in near-darkness situations, without disturbing them. "We try to schedule the tours away from the full moon," noted Tetzlaff. "So it is really dark out there."

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17633321&BRD=2605&PAG=461&dept_id=523946&rfi=6


Zoo offers discount on admission for children.
ROYAL OAK -- Snow day? Nah, make it a zoo day. With mild weather expected and tens of thousands of school children home for holiday break, the Detroit Zoo is offering a discount this week.
The admission price will be $5 each for 2-12-year-olds through New Year's Eve, a discount of $2 per child. Zoo staffers say a day at the popular attraction is the perfect way for parents to get children to take a break from the X-Box Santa put under the Christmas tree.
The holiday discount is meant to pack the zoo during a traditionally slow season. Because of Detroit's budget problems, the zoo has to make ends meet with proceeds from the price of admission, grants and the Zoological Society, the zoo's nonprofit fundraising arm.
"I do want to go to the zoo," said Tika Pritchett of Detroit, who works in downtown Royal Oak. The mother of Guylan, 6, and Jordan, 4, Pritchett said if the weather holds she would love to make a visit to the zoo this week.
"My kids are so hyper right now. They go back to school Jan. 3 ... until then, oh, Lord, they're hyper," Pritchett said.

http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/122706/loc_20061227003.shtml


Books come alive with chinchillas and doves from the zoo
Allen Howard
Books, along with a little knowledge about chinchillas and ring-necked doves, made for a good holiday festival for children in a Head Start program at Jordan Crossing last week.
John Taylor, president of PNC Bank Ohio/Northern Kentucky Region, and Thane Maynard, interim co-director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, delivered the books.
The books were collected Dec. 8-10 at the Zoo's PNC Festival of Lights as part of PNC's Grow Up Great Program.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061227/NEWS0105/612270329/1061/NEWS01


Columbus Zoo breaks annual, daily attendance records
Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Attendance has been roaring at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, which has set an annual record with more than 1.5 million visitors during 2006, officials said.
The boom in zoo-going can be attributed to several factors, including more aggressive public relations and the zoo's new Asia Quest exhibit, said Manny Gonzalez, chief operating officer.
The new attendance mark breaks the old record of about 1.45 million visitors during 1992, when the zoo exhibited two giant pandas for several months, said zoo spokesman Jeff Glorioso.
The zoo expects to reach 1,535,000 visitors before 2006 ends, Gloriosa said.
The 1.5 million milestone was reached Dec. 22 when Lavonna Allen from suburban Gahanna passed through the gates. She was awarded a membership and a gift bag.
The zoo also logged a new single-day attendance record Dec. 16 with 22,619 guests, officials said.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/16321263.htm


Hippo's birth is Xmas gift for zoo
The healthy baby hippo weighed 22kg and is kept with the mother in a separate partition to avoid possible harm from its father and sister. A baby hippo died earlier this year when the sister attacked and killed it. The newborn hippo is the third offspring of 25-year-old father Duke and 15-year-old Kibu. The baby hippo has a six-year-old sister named Chombi.The baby hippo has yet to be named as Zoo Negara is looking for sponsors to adopt it.Its director, Dr Mohamad Ngah, said yesterday that RM27,000 was needed annually to maintain a hippo, including food and veterinary upkeep. "We hope that companies would come forward to support Zoo Negara." He said the sponsors would be given the privilege of naming the baby hippo.The hippopotami are the largest semi-aquatic mammals that feed on a vegetarian diet. Although a plant eater, they are known to be more dangerous than crocodiles. Despite their big size, they swim well, dive and walk underwater on riverbeds.

http://www.nst.com.my/Wednesday/National/20061227074805


Live digital feed from zoo

http://www.livedigital.com/content/1346691/rss

Penguins at Osaka Kaiyoukan.


Manatee hurt in Citrus is treated at zoo
By TIMES WIRESPublished December 28, 2006
TAMPA
A manatee that was believed to have been struck by a boat in Citrus County is in very serious condition at the Lowry Park Zoo veterinary hospital.
The male manatee was spotted in distress Tuesday afternoon in Kings Bay. It was taken by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to Lowry Park Zoo, where zoo spokeswoman Rachel Nelson said the manatee was being treated for severe trauma.
The manatee could not surface to breathe at the zoo, so it is being kept in shallow waters, she said. More tests and X-rays will be performed today.


1. Stop Export of Elephants to Foreign Zoos
Urge Thai Officials Not to Send Young Elephants to Australia In an effort to help stop the export of elephants from Thailand to zoos in Australia, IDA's colleagues Friends of the Asian Elephant and other animal rights activists in Thailand are physically blocking the transfer with a sit-in at the gate of the center where the elephants have been quarantined. The elephants are being sent to Taronga Zoo, in Sydney, Australia and Melbourne Zoo in the southern state of Victoria, as part of a captive breeding program. Soraida Salwala, founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant, said the protesters were concerned that the animals will suffer in the Australian zoos. It is well documented that elephants kept in captivity have problems reproducing, and Australia has a particularly unsuccessful history of breeding elephants. Faced with early deaths, unsuccessful captive breeding programs and the prospect that their elephant "collections" will die out over the next 50 years, zoos around the world have launched a major effort to restock by importing young elephants from Africa and Asia. While zoos say they are helping to save endangered species, exporting wildlife from their native habitats is not "conservation." Zoos condemn these elephants to a life of captivity under conditions that are a far cry from life in the wild for these complex and intelligent animals. As a result, they develop serious and life-threatening psychological and physical health problems. What You Can Do: Please http://ga0.org/campaign/StopElephantExport to urge Thai officials stop the export of elephants from Thailand to Australia. Please also share this message with a friend and consider donating to IDA to help us continue our important work for animals.

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/06/07/18275381.php


Protest puts elephants 'under stress'
Animal rights protesters who blocked the transfer of eight Asian elephants from Thailand to Australia placed the animals under "horrific stress," Environment Minister Ian Campbell said yesterday.
He said it could be some weeks before the animals are brought to Australia.
A group of protesters stopped trucks carrying the elephants from leaving a quarantine station in the western Thai province of Kanchanaburi late Monday, bound for Bangkok's airport.
The standoff continued into Tuesday, when about 15 villagers gathered outside the station to protest the move. Officials eventually removed the animals from the trucks and took them back to their quarters.
The protesters claim the animals will suffer in the Sydney and Melbourne zoos that have purchased them.
"The elephant transfer was halted by the deplorable actions of a small handful of protesters, people who say they care about animal welfare but who clearly don't," Campbell told reporters in Perth.
How two women stopped eight elephants
IT WAS a done deal, signed, sealed, but undelivered — at least as far as eight Australia-bound elephants are concerned.
And now, unless they sprout wings, it may be some time before they take off.
On Monday, two women, one with a walking stick, rested their arms against the front of the convoy of trucks ready to carry the elephants from their quarantine station two hours west of Bangkok, to the waiting cargo plane at Bangkok airport.
The tableau remained frozen for more than 24 hours until finally an order came from the highest level of the Thai Government to unload the elephants.
It took one elephant activist, Soraida Salwala, and her friend Phinun Chotirojseranee, of the Kanchanaburi environment group to stop the trucks and derail an 18-month deal between the two governments.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/how-two-women-stopped-eight-elephants/2006/06/09/1149815316463.html


Census Finds Mountain Gorillas Increasing : Virunga Volcanoes Gorilla Population Grows by 17 Percent Since 1989
A recent census of the Virunga Volcanoes mountain gorilla population has found that the great apes have increased their numbers by 17 percent, according to conservation authorities in Uganda, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other groups. The results indicate a total of 380 gorillas, up from 324 individuals in 1989, the last time conditions were stable enough to conduct such a census.
Facing the threats of sporadic insecurity and poaching, the mountain gorillas of the Virungas have climbed back from a low of approximately 260 individuals in 1978, when many believed the mountain gorilla would become extinct. When considered against the backdrop of regional instability during the past decade, the increase seems even more encouraging for conservationists.

http://www.wcs.org/353624/192030


Close Encounters of the Animal Kind WCS' Lecture Series Continues In Collaboration with the 92nd Street Y
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in partnership with the 92nd Street Y introduces another lecture series on the incredible world of wildlife. The third lecture in the series – Saving Tigers in Asia’s Forbidden Wilderness – highlights the amazing career of Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, whose work in Thailand resulted in the first field research on Indochinese tigers in what was to become the region’s first World Heritage Site.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz has overcome tremendous obstacles – personal and professional – to save wildlife on a global scale. And saving wildlife is what Rabinowitz does best – Director of Science and Exploration at WCS, he has protected some of the biggest cats in some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes. His work in Belize resulted in the world’s first jaguar sanctuary – his efforts in Taiwan, Thailand and Myanmar also produced crucial conservation victories. Learn about his experiences and find out what it took, mentally and physically, to accomplish these and other historic achievements.

http://www.wcs.org/353624/218010


Metro Briefs
DISTRICT
Tiger cubs undergo first medical exam
Veterinarians got their first look yesterday at three tiger cubs born May 24 at the National Zoo. During a quick medical exam, the vets checked the cubs' sex, weight and general health and said all the cubs are doing well. The two females and one male are the sixth litter of Sumatran tiger cubs born at the zoo in its 117-year history. The cubs will not be on public exhibit for several months. The male cub weighs 6.8 pounds and the female cubs weigh 5.8 pounds and 4.8 pounds. The tigers do not have names, but the public will be asked to vote on names later this summer. Fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers are thought to exist in the wild and 210 live in zoos around the world. The National Zoo now has five Sumatran tigers.

http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20060608-115825-8643r.htm

concluding ...