Of Interest
Baby sign language being taught in south
Southern bubs are getting an early education that allows them to communicate with their parents before they can speak a single word.
Baby sign language was created in the United States and has become popular in Britain.
British woman Sarah Jagoutz has brought her Sign with Sarah workshops to Invercargill.
The technique allows parents to understand the demands of their babies through the use of sign language, which children can readily pick up long before they have formed verbal communication skills.
Three signs are initially introduced, "eat", "milk" and "more", and, if parents want, they can pick up other signs that allow children to show where they hurt, when they need to go to the bathroom and when they need help.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4046139a10.html
Zoos
Terrier dies trying to protect kids from pitbulls
A feisty Jack Russell terrier has given his life to save five children from a mauling by two savage pitbulls.
The tiny dog leapt to the defence of the children - aged between 4 and 11 - when the two rogue pitbulls threatened them on the way to a dairy in Manaia on Sunday.
The attack was the final straw for the South Taranaki District Council, which says it intends hunting down all dangerous and unregistered dogs and neuter them.
Richard Rosewarne (11), the oldest of the children, said the pitbulls came up behind them and were going for his brother Darryl Wilson (4).
"George tried to protect us by barking and rushing at them, but they started to bite him - one on the head and the other on the back.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4044905a11.html
Pittsburgh Zoo subs for Baltimore as home for elephants
The Philadelphia Zoo said its three African elephants will be moved to the Pittsburgh Zoo's International Conservation Center.
The fate of the three elephants had been hanging for more than six months, since the zoo said it did not have the money to upgrade its pachyderm house. The trio were originally supposed to go to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore,but last month Maryland officials said plans to build a new elephant exhibit had been delayed.
http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/provider/providerarticle.aspx?Feed=ACBJ&Date=20070427&ID=6809763
Missing Exotic Birds
by John Boyd
The Sedgwick County Zoo is looking for your help in finding two missing birds. Zookeepers noticed the two Scarlet Macaws were missing from the zoo's jungle exhibit Friday morning. Zoo officials believe someone broke into the building overnight and stole the two birds, named "Mac" and "Cheese"
The zoo is working with the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office which is investigating the incident. They believe the break-in happened between 11 o'clock Thursday night and 3:30am Friday.
http://www.kbsd6.com/Global/story.asp?S=6436515
Zoo's new lion exhibit draws big donations
Friday, April 27, 2007
By Kyla King
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- In a little over a year, a new lion exhibit at John Ball Zoo will allow visitors to sit on the same rock as the animals, thanks in part to a $1 million donation from Bissell Inc. and $500,000 from local philanthropists Peter and Pat Cook.
Those leading donations and additional exhibit details were expected to be revealed today at a groundbreaking at the Grand Rapids zoo.
The privately funded $4.1 million project is one of the largest lion exhibits in the country and will feature a unique forested setting with a hydroponic rock that appears to break through viewing glass and allows visitors and lions to share the same rock.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-35/1177685109242250.xml&coll=6
‘Green energy' sources promoted by Toledo Zoo program
By Duane Ramsey
Earth Day was celebrated last weekend with a special program at the Toledo Zoo that included exhibits that provide information about green energy products and environmental causes by numerous companies and organizations.
Green Energy Ohio, a nonprofit, environmental organization dedicated to promoting sustainable energy policies and practices, was distributing information about its causes and work.
http://www.toledofreepress.com/?id=5387
Reid Park Zoo giraffe euthanized
Tucson, Arizona Published: 04.27.2007
Yebo, a 17-year-old giraffe at the Reid Park Zoo was euthanized Friday.
The giraffe, who has been at the zoo since the 1980s, was no longer responding to medication for arthritis, zoo officials said in a news release.
"We have been treating him for symptoms of severe arthritis in multiple limbs, but otherwise he remained in good health for an older animal," James Stofft, the zoo's consulting veterinarian said in the release. "Over the past few days it was clear his quality of life necessitated humane euthanasia."
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/180430.php
Dutch Queen Pays Visit to Rotterdam Zoo
April 27, 2007 - Queen Beatrix
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands enjoyed a day out at the zoo this week. The 69-year-old royal visited Rotterdam Zoo to mark the tourist attraction's 150th anniversary.
During her tour, the queen met with local children dressed as giraffes in special animal costumes and face paint. Hello! website reports the sovereign was also shown a life-like mechanical giraffe, which she playfully stroked.
Earlier this month, the queen celebrated the birth of her latest grandchild, Princess Ariane.
The princess - who was born at The Hague's Bronovo Hospital on April 10 - is the third daughter of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his Argentinean-born wife Princess Maxima.
The prince told reporters: "She is an exemplary daughter, we're very proud. We had a relaxed night and the delivery went very well. We can't wait to show her to (her elder sisters) Amalia and Alexia."
The newborn royal is the fourth in line to the throne, behind her sisters Amalia, three, and 22-month-old Alexia.
http://www.exposay.com/dutch-queen-pays-visit-to-rotterdam-zoo/v/10369/
Maasai warriors to teach zoo visitors about life in Africa
By KATHY MULADY
P-I REPORTER
In sort of a reverse safari, four Maasai warriors are braving Seattle this summer to help visitors at Woodland Park Zoo understand the culture of people who live on the African Savanna, caring for goats and cows, moving every few days in the dry months to find water for their herds.
In the coming weeks, they'll tell visitors stories of their frightening encounters with lions and leopards, and of wielding spears to protect their animals.
But in Seattle, they have already encountered a different kind of extreme experience.
Think Costco. At dinnertime.
"People were pushing these big carts, and rushing in there looking like they were being chased," said Kakuta Ole Hamisi Maimai.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/313568_maasai28.html
With Return of Sea Lions, a Rebirth at Bronx Zoo
Having a home renovated is never easy. But at least Adrienne, Cleo and Indie, who normally live in the Bronx, were fortunate enough to have been on an extended vacation in Brooklyn during the noise and dust of their construction project.
In June, these three female sea lions will return from an 18-month sojourn at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island to their restored pool at the Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Park. The pool is one part of the $6.7 million renovation of Astor Court, which dates to the zoo’s early years. As a bonus, a new male suitor is expected to arrive a few weeks later.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/28/nyregion/28zoo.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion&oref=slogin
FAT CONTROLLER HITS THE BUFFERS AT ZOO
By Justine Smith
ZOO chiefs have been banned from advertising for a Fat Controller because it discriminates against thin people.
They were told by legal advisers they could not just look to hire a fat man to drive their new Thomas The Tank Engine train.
Managing director Laurence Smith said: "This is the most crazy of politically correct situations in a world that has gone mad."
Christine Smith, his co-director at Drusillas Park, in Alfriston, near Eastbourne, Sussex, added: "We have worked very hard to ensure the train and all the theming is an exact replica of the books and the TV programmes.
"Getting a Fat Controller is part of that."
And John Midgley, co-founder of the Campaign Against Political Correctness, said: "You couldn't make this up.
"I have never heard of any organisation called the Commission for Fat Equality."
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=fat-controller-hits-the-buffers-at-zoo--&method=full&objectid=18979307&siteid=66633-name_page.html
Indy Zoo plans gorilla exhibit
April 27, 2007 06:21 PM EDT
Mary Milz/Eyewitness News
Indianapolis - The Indianapolis Zoo is pursuing its next big exhibit. Zoo President Mike Crowther says it plans to open a great ape exhibit in 2013 with Lowland Gorillas, Bonobos and chimpanzees, all endangered species.
"I am absolutely committed to making this the best zoo exhibit ever created in the world," Crowther said.
Crowther travelled to Rwanda with a dozen other zoo supporters in March to see the Mountain Gorillas. That's the species Dian Fossey made famous during her research beginning in the 1960s. Highly endangered, there are an estimated 720 worldwide.
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6438786&nav=9Tai
Sheep found looking for new home at zoo
BRIDGEPORT — An attempted break-in at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo on Friday morning had officials looking sheepish.
While they managed to corral the culprit before she went back on the lam, zoo Director Gregg Dancho said they now are looking for a young woman with blond, curly hair, a frilly dress and shepherd's staff who goes by the moniker Little Bo Peep.
"This certainly was a first for us," Dancho said as he kept a wary eye on the intruder: a 4-foot-long, 3-foot-high, four-legged mound of wool. "We have our own sheep, but this is definitely not one of ours; it's a real mystery."
Beardsley Greenhouse worker Gary Jessop was preparing to open the park for the day when he spotted the sheep wandering outside the zoo fence.
http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_5768544
Zoo poo becomes works of art
'Dung Doodes' and paintings will be offered at a silent auction.
BY KATHY VAN MULLEKOM 247-4781
April 28, 2007
NORFOLK -- Never under estimate the value of elephant dung or the creative abilities of the mammoth creatures.On Saturday, elephant dung art called Dung Doodes and paintings the elephants created themselves will be sold during the Virginia Zoo's Rock 'n Roar Silent auction at 7 p.m. The zoo is located on Granby Street in Norfolk.Dung Doodes are dried elephant dung sculptures brightly colored with acrylic paint. The process of preparing and completing each dung doode takes more than a year, according to zoo spokeswoman Amber Ricles. Dung Doodes are created by Eric Easton and are prized by art and animal lovers throughout the Midwest.
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp-19078sy0apr28,0,460857.story?coll=dp-news-local-final
Jamshedpur zoo's bid to beat the heat!
By Girija Shankar Ojha, Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Apr 28 : As temperatures soar in different parts of the country, a zoo in Jamshedpur is taking extra care of to keep its inmates cool. With maximum temperatures hovering around 44 degree Celsius in the region, officials at the Tata Steel Zoological Park have installed fans, and gives special medicines and three baths a day to animals to bear with the rising mercury."We started taking precaution 15 days ago. Birds need lot of care. We have covered the top of the cages of the birds with chicks. We are taking even more care of the big animals or carnivorous animals. It is really difficult to keep them cool. We are giving them a medicine, which will strengthen their body to tackle the heat. We are giving them bath three times a day as well. Once in the morning before taking them out of the cage, once in after noon before letting them in the cage and once in the evening before taking them out of the cage again," said M. S. Jain, Director of Tata Steel Zoological Park.Intense heat wave conditions are prevailing over parts of northwest India, Madhya Pradesh and eastern parts of the country.
--- ANI
http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=23403
Bangladesh Zoo and Botanic Gardens
Today I went to the Zoo, and the Botanic Gardens which were right next door.
I had many a people looking at me with that “whaaa, a white man?!?!!!” look today. The zoo is a little out of the heart of town, and I guess the locals arn’t used to seeing white men there. Kept asking me where i was from, and as soon as I told them Australia, the cricket talk starts immediately. The people here love their cricket thats for sure.
http://graham.cassidy.id.au/?p=90
12 Deer Die of Pneumonia in Tripura Zoo
At least 12 spotted deer have died of pneumonia at the Sipahijala wildlife sanctuary-cum-zoo in Tripura, officials said Saturday.
A wildlife officer said the deer suffered from a bout of pneumonia as the state was lashed by thunderstorms and intermittent rains during the past week. "Inadequate sheds and enclosures in the zoo had forced the deer and other animals to remain under the open sky while it was raining heavily. The deaths occurred in the past one week," said Ranjit Das, the zoo's wildlife warden.
http://www.medindia.net/news/view_news_main.asp?x=20423
Ape at Zoo Boise rejected by its mother is being raised by humans
The Associated Press
The first ape ever born at Zoo Boise is being hand-raised by humans and is gaining weight, after being rejected by its mother.
The unnamed female baby - a type of ape called a gibbon - was born April 9 and weighed half a pound, but is now up to three-quarters of a pound, zoo director Steve Burns said. Her mother rejected her five days after she was born, Burns said.
Gibbons are the smallest member of the ape family and are part of the Species Survival Plan, in which zoos work together to try to make sure there is a viable population of specific species in captivity that could be used for reintroduction into the wild if necessary.
http://www.theolympian.com/130/story/92455.html
'Fugitive Penguin' Reportedly Taken To Hogle Zoo
(KUTV) SALT LAKE CITY - Utah’s ‘Hogle Zoo’ has received reports of a “fugitive” penguin in their midst – a bird stolen from California by a young boy, and taken to the Salt Lake City zoo.But is the story real – or merely a fish tale?Hogle Zoo has received several phone calls from people claiming that a young boy from Lehi stole a penguin while visiting the San Diego Zoo. The callers claim that penguin was later taken to Hogle Zoo and placed in its penguin exhibit.While it may sound like an intriguing story, it has its plot holes.
http://kutv.com/local/local_story_118212445.html
Injured eagle may remain at Watertown zoo
WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) -- A bald eagle that was shot and has been on the mend at the Watertown zoo may become a permanent resident there."We are sending a letter today (Wednesday) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to get permission to keep the bird," said John Gilman, zookeeper at Bramble Park Zoo. "We need permission to be able to put the bird on display."The eagle can't be returned to the wild because of its injuries."Right now the bird isn't using the injured wing at all. He won't stretch it out still. When the bullet went into his chest, a fragment went up into the shoulder of the wing. We think some tendon or nerve damage was done. He can use the wing but can't fly good enough to hunt," Gilman said.The USFWS and the state Game, Fish and Parks Department are investigating the shooting. It is a federal crime to shoot an eagle or to any way possess a portion of an eagle.The eagle was shot sometime in mid-March about six miles south of Ortley, in northeastern South Dakota. A landowner found the bird on the ground.The nest that the eagle was shot from is still being monitored because the female eagle is still using it.
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/04/29/news/south_dakota/a19ec0badde21bfd862572cc000a6c01.txt
Atlanta Zoo Breeds Endangered Turtle
ATLANTA, May. 1, 2007
(AP) Zoo Atlanta has hatched a rare Arakan forest turtle, a victory for researchers trying to save the endangered Asian species _ one shell at a time.The week-old turtle is the fourth of the brown-and-tan spotted reptiles born there in the last six years, zoo officials said Tuesday. Two of the hatchlings have died.The zoo is the only facility in the world successfully breeding the Arakan forest turtle, which is one of the planet's most critically endangered species. They were believed to be extinct for close to a century, but appeared in Asian food markets in the mid-1990s.Another baby could be on the way as zoo keepers wait to see if another egg will hatch.Scientists blame the rapid disappearance of the Arakan forest turtle _ much like other shelled reptiles _ on their popularity in Asia for cooking and medicinal purposes."For a species this close to extinction, it is simply not acceptable that they are being eaten," said Joseph Mendelson, curator of herpetology at the zoo.Captive breeding programs don't "solve the problem of them being overharvested in the wild. It does make sure they don't go extinct while we work to solve that problem," Mendelson said.The turtle, native to the Arakan hills of western Myanmar, has an abysmal survival rate. Hatchlings often die both in captivity and the wild, and Asian food traders are plundering the population of adult turtles that could keep the species going.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/01/ap/tech/main2749960.shtml
Zoo's sea lions get a big hand; bank becomes arena sponsor
By Tim O'Neil
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/02/2007
The adults announced a generous donation. The sea lions stole the show.Just ask the kids.Leaders of National City Bank and the St. Louis Zoo gathered at the sea lion show arena Tuesday morning to unveil a $500,000 refurbishing and underwriting, compliments of the banking company. The arena, near Big Cat Country on the Zoo's east side, has new backdrops, woodwork, landscaping, top-to-bottom repainting and five years of financial security.In the audience were 100 first-graders from Fairway Elementary School in Wildwood, there on a field trip. They sat politely through the ceremony, then cheered and giggled when three sea lions — Alex, Roby and Bennie — hit the stage with their antics.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/26631F7B765C3C77862572CF00136298?OpenDocument
Akron Zoo's new lions fall prey to young eyes
Magnolia Elementary School children among first to see majestic animals in Species Survival program
By Jim Carney
Beacon Journal staff writer
It didn't take long for African lions Tamarr and Shani to impress the children looking at them from outside of their cage at the Akron Zoo on Tuesday.
``I love when they growl,'' said Arianna Ott, 5, who was at the zoo with more than 120 children from Magnolia Elementary School in Stark County.
Arianna was one of the first to get a look at the zoo's two new lions on exhibit for the first time Tuesday.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/17166175.htm
Zoo's sea lions get a big hand; bank becomes arena sponsor
By Tim O'Neil
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/02/2007
The adults announced a generous donation. The sea lions stole the show.Just ask the kids.Leaders of National City Bank and the St. Louis Zoo gathered at the sea lion show arena Tuesday morning to unveil a $500,000 refurbishing and underwriting, compliments of the banking company. The arena, near Big Cat Country on the Zoo's east side, has new backdrops, woodwork, landscaping, top-to-bottom repainting and five years of financial security.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stcharles/story/26631F7B765C3C77862572CF00136298?OpenDocument
Tennessee sanctuary to get new elephant from Philadelphia Zoo
HOHENWALD, Tenn. (AP) — An Asian elephant that spent the last 40 years at the Philadelphia Zoo will soon start a new life at a sanctuary in rural Tennessee.
The elephant, a 43-year-old female named Dulary, was expected to arrive by trailer Tuesday at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, about 80 miles southwest of Nashville, said co-founder Carol Buckley.
"Her keeper is with her, her vet is with her and they are a great comfort for her," Buckley said.
http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index.ssf?/base/news-49/1178052291215790.xml&storylist=penn
Zoo's Training Tools Similar To Those Of Pet Owners
PITTSBURGH -- WTAE Channel 4 Action News anchor Sally Wiggin was at the zoo this week watching trainers use the same tools on zoo animals that some might use to get their dog to sit.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/13236591/detail.html
Cincinnati Zoo's Rhino Makes History With An Unprecedented Third Calf
Science Daily — Emi, the Cincinnati Zoo’s world-famous critically endangered Sumatran rhino has done it again! On Sunday evening, April 29, Emi became the first Sumatran rhino in history to produce three calves in captivity, breaking her very own record. Emi delivered a healthy, 86-pound male calf at 10:59 p.m. in her indoor stall. Emi’s legacy has grown as she continues to be the most prolific Sumatran rhino in history.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070501095539.htm
Bald eagle at Bloomington zoo lays eggs
May 1, 2007 BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - A wild bald eagle was spotted visiting others of his kind at Bloomington's Miller Park Zoo last week.
And now a female bald eagle who lives at the zoo has laid eggs for the first time in 13 years.
Zoo Superintendent John Tobias says the disabled male eagle who shares the eagle exhibit with the female has been seen incubating the eggs.
Angelo Capparella is an ornithologist at Illinois State University. He says the behavior doesn't mean the eggs are fertile, but it increases the likelihood.
The wild eagle was last seen at the zoo on Friday.
The zoo's two eagles can't fly because of injuries.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=5261410
Smithsonian’s National Zoo Has Selected New Fujifilm Curatorial Resident
Program to Build New Generation of Zoo LeadersUnderscores Fujifilm’s Commitment to Sustainability
VALHALLA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FUJIFILM is pleased to celebrate the selection of Erika Bauer, Ph.D., as the 2007-2009 Fujifilm Curatorial Resident in Animal Care at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, in Washington D.C.
Made possible by a grant from Fujifilm, a National Zoo partner in conservation education, this new, post-doctoral residency program builds on the Zoo’s tradition of training students in a variety of disciplines and inspiring them to pursue careers in animal care, conservation science and science education. Fujifilm recommended the creation of the curatorial residency as a way to celebrate the recent completion of the Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat and help to provide the best hands-on animal care education to tomorrow’s zoo leaders.
Dr. Bauer will spend two years working with a mentor at the National Zoo, developing and honing skills in animal collection research and management, exhibit design, animal-care staff management and budgeting. Also as part of the residency, she will complete a research project that will contribute to the understanding and improved management of zoo collections. The National Zoo has a long history of training young scientists in resident programs, most of whom have advanced to significant leadership and scientific positions. The program had been halted for several years due to lack of funding.
“The timing of this training opportunity couldn’t have been better for me as I’m at a critical juncture in my career where I can turn my focus toward applied work and use my knowledge and experience in animal behavior research to contribute substantively to the field and ultimately benefit the animals I study, “ said Dr. Bauer. “I’m grateful for Fujifilm’s support in reinstating the resident program.”
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070430005930&newsLang=en
Innovative ice cream keep zoo animals cool during summers
Pune, April. 30 (PTI): Keeping in mind the sweltering heat conditions, the municipal zoo authorities here have made certain changes in the diet of animals to increase their food intake.
An innovative ice cream is having the desired effect on some of the vexed animals whose food intake had deteriorated in last few days due to extreme heat with the mercury soaring above 40 degrees.
A bucketful of food mixed with fruit was kept in a big freezer overnight and the ice cream was offered to bears in the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park at Katraj near here to find out whether the cool recipe tickled their palate.
Zoo Director Neelamkumar Khaire told PTI that the bears which had earlier refused to eat their routine food, lapped up the frozen ice cream in no time resulting in an increase in their energy level.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200704301965.htm
Zoo again opens itsgates to bird lovers
This year the annual Sasol Birds and Birding Fair will be "bigger and better" say the organisers, with a March for Penguins one of the highlights.
April 30, 2007
By George Matlala
THIS week's Sasol Birds and Birding Fair at the Johannesburg Zoo promises to be a fun-filled and informative three days.
The birdwatching event is aimed at promoting an interest in birds and birding. It will run from Friday, 4 May until Sunday, 6 May, forming part of the Sasol BirdLife SA Bird National Week. The focus this year is marine, estuary and fresh water ecology. Activities during the bird fair range from music to school programmes to lectures.
In a bid to open the world of birds to more people, the zoo is cutting its entrance fee to R20 for everyone during the fair, which promises to be bigger and better than ever this year. Normally, adults pay R34 and children R20 to enter the zoo.
http://www.joburg.org.za/2007/apr/apr30_zoo.stm
Wolf and Cub play The Zoo
Supporting acts: Snowman and Yves Klein Blue
Adelaide group Wolf And Cub is one of Australia’s best up-and-coming talents.
The group released its debut self-titled EP in 2004, which featured Targets, Thousand Cuts, Poison Fangs, Spirals, Hands Go Down.
Since then, Wolf And Cub has toured constantly, playing gigs such as the Big Day Out, the Meredith Music Festival and Homebake. They’ve also toured nationally with Queens of the Stone Age, TV on the Radio, The Killers, The Music, Wolfmother, Hot Hot Heat, Futureheads and Death From Above 1979.
Wolf And Cub also toured the Japan and the UK last year, while their debut album – Vessels – was mixed in Scotland by the producer of Mogwai, Belle And Sebastian and The Mountain Goats.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/whatson/wolf-and-cub-play-the-zoo/2007/04/30/1177788035492.html
Dylan, Crow join concert lineup at zoo
Round two of the Toledo Zoo concert series will feature Bob Dylan and Sheryl Crow in separate July shows.
The venerable Dylan, who tours almost constantly and who was last in Toledo in 2004, will be at the zoo July 12. Tickets are $49.50, $59.50, and $79.50.
Crow, whose last CD was 2005's "Wildflower," will play at the Zoo July 30. Tickets are $43.50 and $53.50.
Tickets for both shows go on sale Friday at all Ticketmaster locations, www.livenation.com, www.ticketmaster.com, the Sports Arena box office, and by phone at 419-474-1333.
Dylan and Crow join a previously announced summer series that includes Steely Dan - which is sold out - the Moody Blues, and George Thorogood and Bryan Adams. The Tragically Hip have canceled their show.
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/ART10/704300318/-1/RSS05
Five spotted deer killed in open air zoo
Agartala, April. 30 (PTI): Five spotted deer died in the open air zoo inside Sipaheejala wildlife sanctuary in rain and thundershower on April 13, as per the post-mortem by the Guwahati Veterinary College.
Official sources said the initial post-mortem by local vets failed to identify the cause of the death of the deer and viscera was sent to Guwahati.
The forest department was considering releasing several deer in the open forest and introducing effective fertility control of the herbivores in the zoo area due to rapid increase of their population.
The sanctuary zoo was started with ten twelve deer but over the years the population has increased to more than 300 now, the sources added.
Karachi zoo losing animals
posted by Unaiza Nasim at 12:19 PM on April 30, 2007
Where many people die in road accidents or are murdered over disputes or shot by bandits, who really care about those innocent animals in the cage who are brought from their natural habitats just to entertain the public.The poor animals in the Karachi zoo are dying. Remeber the "Anarkali", the tiger and so many that we dont even remember...A report by "the Daily Dawn" caught my eyes.Where hundreds die in government hospitals due to lack of funds will anyone care for the animals of this city?
http://karachi.metblogs.com/archives/2007/04/post_18.phtml
SF: ZOO TO OPEN NEW HABITAT FOR GRIZZLY BEARS
05/02/07 2:35 PDT
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)
The San Francisco Zoo has announced that it will be opening up a new habitat this summer, the Hearst Grizzly Gulch, for the zoo's two female grizzly bears, Kachina and Kiona.
The new habitat will open on June 14, and includes a meadow, 20,000-gallon pool, herb garden, mountain stream and waterfall for the bears. The entire exhibit covers almost one acre, and is one of the largest naturalistic environments dedicated to grizzly bears in any zoo, according to zoo officials.
Visitors will be able to view the bears at eye level, as well as underwater, zoo officials reported. The $3.7 million Hearst Grizzly Gulch is the newest habitat to open at the zoo since 2004.
Kachina and Kiona are four-year-old sisters who were born in Montana and were originally slated to be euthanized. Montana ranchers considered the bears to be "problem'' animals, because they were getting to close to developed areas, according to the zoo. San Francisco Zoo Board member Fred Carroll notified the zoo of the bears' situation and with the cooperation of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department the sisters were moved to the zoo in the fall of 2004.
San Francisco Zoo is the only Northern California zoo to house grizzly bears.
http://www.nbc11.com/news/13243457/detail.html
Zoo breaks ground on elephants’ splash pool
Victoria E. Freile
Staff writer
(May 2, 2007) — Monroe County and Seneca Park Zoo officials today will break ground to build a wading pool at the zoo for African elephants Lilac and Genny C.A new 50,000-gallon pool will be at the south end of the elephant yard, about 15 feet away from zoo visitors at the zoo, 2222 St. Paul St., said zoo Director Larry Sorel. It will feature a sloping entrance that resembles a watering hole in the elephants’ native environment. The splash pool is the final piece of the zoo’s new $4.4 million elephant exhibit, which opened to the public last April.Today’s groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to take place at 10:30 a.m. As a result, Sorel said, about one-third of the elephants’ yard will be fenced off – with an “elephant-proof fence” – as workers construct the pool.Once completed, the pool will be filled with about 5 feet of water although plans call for pool walls to stand about 8 feet tall to create a sufficient barrier between visitors and the animal, and potentially water-filled trunks, Sorel said.The addition of the pool is partly the result of the zoo’s Experience Great Things Campaign, which last year raised about $250,000 to support the zoo. The campaign replaced the zoo’s original fundraising effort to support Genny C’s calf. After the baby died before delivery in February, zoo and county officials renamed the effort.Construction is expected to be finished by mid-fall, Sorel said.
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070502/NEWS01/70502006/1002/NEWS
Kakapo loving the taste of avian Viagra
Conservationists believe they may have discovered an avian aphrodisiac which could save the kakapo.
One of the world's most endangered birds, the kakapo number only 86.
The parrots are notoriously infrequent breeders, mating only once every three to five years.
But Auckland University nutritional ecologist David Raubenheimer hopes his new bird seed may pep up the birds' sex lives and boost their numbers.
Professor Raubenheimer is testing the feed developed with the Department of Conservation which aims to more closely resemble the nutritional make-up of rimu fruit.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=500834&objectid=10436177&ref=emailfriend
Endangered rhino fails to find love to save species
Andalas the rhino is on a special mission.
He's been sent from the Los Angeles zoo to the wilds of Sumatra to defend his male rhino honour and do what it takes to propagate his endangered species.
In other words, he's been taken to the rhino equivalent of a singles bar and instructed to have at it to his heart's content.
It sounds like a simple mission, but of course rhinos aren't quite like the lounge lizards who inhabit sleazy Hollywood pick-up joints.
The world's zoologists are, in fact, on tenterhooks.
A special rhino sanctuary set up in the wild in Sumatra has failed to produce a single rhino baby since it opened in 1995.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10436404&ref=emailfriend
Crackdown on India rhino poaching
By Wasbir Hussain, Associated Press Writer April 23, 2007
GAUHATI, India --Authorities in India's remote northeastern Assam state launched a crackdown on rhinoceros poachers on Monday, rushing in armed paramilitary soldiers to a sprawling game reserve, officials said.
The government action follows the killing of six rare one-horned rhinoceros at the Kaziranga National Park, 145 miles east of the state capital Gauhati, since January.
"We are bent on checking further poaching of rhinos and have therefore issued shoot orders to our rangers who can fire upon illegal trespassers inside Kaziranga," Assam's Environment and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain said.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2007/04/23/crackdown_on_india_rhino_poaching/?p1=email_to_a_friend
South Korean team claims world's first cloned wolves
SEOUL, March 26 (Reuters) - South Korean scientists, once led by disgraced stem cell researcher Hwang Woo-suk, said on Monday they had created the world's first cloned wolves, which were produced to help an endangered species.
A team at Seoul National University, which produced the world's first cloned dog in 2005 -- an Afghan hound named Snuppy -- showed off the the two Korean wolves named Snuwolf and Snuwolffy that were born a year and a half ago.
It took the team a while to publish its findings likely because of extra scrutiny due to being implicated in fraud, a member said.
"Normally, scientific periodicals would not ask for mitochondrial DNA verification but we needed to produce it due to previous problems," said Lee Byung-chun, a professor who heads the research team.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SEO169794.htm
Microsoft Penguin Adoption 2007
Sunday, April 01, 2007 12:01 AM by billhilf
Today, in a surprising move, Microsoft is highlighting the key role that community and economic support play in boosting the thriving worldwide penguin ecosystem. During a keynote that is yet to be scheduled, Bill Hilf, General Manager of Platform Strategy, will cite a potentially growing list of alliances that will deliver the benefits of community and economic growth to penguins everywhere. Most notably, Hilf will discuss the announcement of a new community program, Microsoft Penguin Adoption 2007.The Penguin Adoption program is critical to demonstrating this commitment. “A year ago, nobody would have expected Microsoft to have a penguin program in place. But my innovative and envelope-pushing work is changing all that,” adds an animated Hilf.
Community is a Key Driver to the Success of Penguins
The support of an aquatic and flightless species like the penguin - be it Emperor, Gentoo or Humboldt - requires the support of an active community. That’s why a key component to the new Penguin program will be the 2007 adoption of Seattle, WA-based Woodland Park Zoo’s Penguin Exhibit. With it, Microsoft will become an official 2007-2008 ‘ZooParent’ to the local Humbolt penguin exhibit.
http://port25.technet.com/archive/2007/04/01/microsoft-penguin-adoption-2007.aspx
Czech zoo's gorilla birth ends in tragedy
Prague - Fans of a Prague zoo gorilla named Kamba who earned nationwide fame in a 2005 mock radio reality show were mourning Wednesday after her offspring died during birth. The 35-year-old gorilla was brought to the zoo from Cameroon in autumn 2005 when Czech Radio opened its mock reality-style show focussed on the life of the zoo's gorilla family. While the new female's entry proved dramatic at first, calm Kamba soon became its darling. After the popular programme ended, the station continued live online broadcasts from the gorilla pavilion.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/50494.html
Hibiscus planted at Australia Zoo for Daniel
ONE hibiscus at Australia Zoo is strictly off-limits to the tortoises and iguanas.
While the reptiles are partial to munching down a bloom or two, the hibiscus planted yesterday holds special meaning – it is the first of a new breed, the Daniel Morcombe Hibiscus.
Created by Glasshouse Mountains breeder Allan Little, the plant was bought at the Dance for Daniel silent auction by Brisbane woman Kelly Shannon, who outbid Bindi Irwin.
In an amazingly generous gesture, Kelly then donated the $2500 plant to Australia Zoo to plant as a permanent memorial to Daniel.
Bruce Morcombe said the hibiscus, in a prominent position at the zoo entrance, would keep his son on people's minds.
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3729587&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=
Dated:
Zoo defends cheetah initiative
27/06/2006 7:12:02
Wellington Zoo is standing by its programme allowing cheetahs into the public arena.
For $2,500 the zoo's two adult cheetahs and their trainers will attend functions for around 40 minutes.
The zoo's acting CEO, Mauritz Basson says the zoo wants to get across the conservation message and he believes people will learn more if they can interact with the animals.
Mr Basson says there is really no problem with the programme and no risk to either the cats or the public. The zoo maintains the practice is perfectly safe and is not a fundraising exercise.
http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=98561
Leffler’s zoo campaign brings measurable results
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - In its first campaign for the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore since landing the account in October, Baltimore’s Leffler Agency is saying that the firm’s work has already made a significant impact on attendance at the longtime Baltimore institution.
During the zoo’s opening weekend, Heather Sable, an agency spokeswoman, said the zoo saw attendance of more than 21,000 people, compared with attendance of only 2,600 for the opening weekend in 2005.
Alyson Weinstein, the agency’s director of media and account services, said that a major focus of the campaign will be a year-round focus on events at the zoo, while the remainder of the media will center on branding. Campaign spending is expected to be between $300,000 and $350,000 annually.
http://www.examiner.com/a-160030~Leffler_s_zoo_campaign_brings_measurable_results.html
Jin the otter becomes marathon swimmer
June 26 2006 at 02:56AM
Wellington - Jin, an escaped otter from Auckland Zoo, has set a new record in her marathon bid for freedom, it was reported on Monday.Having swum 10km across the city's harbour after escaping 12 days ago from the zoo, she has since covered another 15km to Rangitoto Island in the Hauraki Gulf.A zoo official said the four-year-old, short-clawed Asiatic otter was seen coming out of the water on Sunday at the island by a man in a kayak, and Department of Conservation staff were preparing to set traps there.Zoo curator Marian Finnigan said last week: "While otters are good swimmers, we're absolutely stunned at the distance she has travelled."New Zealand navy boats have combed the harbour searching her for without success. - Sapa-dpa
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=qw1151276941777B252
Marine zoo needs 'new blood' for the sharks... it's for sale at £1.5m
Jun 24 2006
Sam Burson, Western Mail
THE estate agent's particulars would make interesting reading - one zoo for sale, including sharks, piranhas and sea horses - as one of Wales' most popular tourist attractions was put up for sale yesterday.
The owners of Anglesey Sea Zoo are hoping an investor with around £1.5m and a love of marine life can inject new momentum into the attraction.
It began as just a few tanks storing lobsters, but now draws tens of thousands of visitors each year, and has become a major draw for the island.
But David and Alison Lea-Wilson, who started the zoo in the early '80s, want to concentrate their energies into their burgeoning Halen M n sea salt business.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=17284686&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=marine-zoo---needs--new-blood---for-the-sharks------it-s-for-sale-at--pound-1-5m------name_page.html
Zoo defends its care of BambooGroup wants elephant moved to sanctuary in Tenn.
By KATHY MULADYP-I REPORTER
Woodland Park Zoo officials "vigorously dispute" claims that they are not providing sufficient care for Bamboo, a 39-year-old Asian elephant who grew up at the zoo, was transferred to Tacoma last summer and returned to Seattle this month.
Lawyers for Woodland Park Zoo announced Friday that they have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by an animal rights group that claims the elephant should be placed elsewhere.
"We are proud of the world-class care and treatment afforded all our zoo's animals, including Bamboo and our other elephants that reside and socialize in our award-winning Elephant Forest exhibit," zoo officials said in a statement.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/275216_bamboo24.html
Mormon youth group helps spruce up zoo
109 teenagers, their chaperons participate; list of groups aiding county parks expanding
By TOM HEINENtheinen@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 23, 2006
The camels and rhinos took it in stride, but Milwaukee County Zoo officials were happy as clams this week after chaperons and 109 youths from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spent four intensive hours painting benches, spreading mulch, building fences and uprooting garlic mustard at the zoo.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=440711
Zoo takes first step toward RussiaÃs Grizzly Coast
Gov. Tim Pawlenty joins zoo staff for groundbreaking event of a new major exhibit
Posted: 6/23/06
by Jeff AchenThis week Newspapers
With a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday June 22, the Minnesota Zoo’s newest and largest permanent exhibit in 10 years begins construction for its 2008 debut.
Russia’s Grizzly Coast promises to provide immersion exhibit experiences and interactive learning areas about animals native to the Eastern coast of Russia.
It Ãs one of the last great wildernesses of the world, Minnesota Zoo Director Lee Ehmke said. We want to create for our visitors a journey ... and take part in what the Minnesota Zoo is doing to save that part of the world.
The $23 million exhibit will feature grizzly bears splashing in a trout-filled stream, sea otters in a protected sea cove, Amur leopards in a rocky den, and roaming wild boar. Children will also be able to search for fossils in a paleontological dig site.
http://www.thisweek-online.com/2006/June/23tribzoogov.html
Animal thieves concentrate on stocking private 'Noah's Arks' with rare monkeys
June 26, 2006 Edition 1
London: Criminal gangs are targeting small zoos and safari parks to meet the demand from private collectors intent on amassing a "Noah's Ark" of exotic animals.
Rare primates are prime targets. The theft of five monkeys - three Silvery Marmosets and two Geoffroy's Spider Monkeys - taken from their cages in East Sussex has rekindled concern over the scale of the problem.
Until three years ago gangs concentrated on rare birds, reptiles and amphibians, but the incident at Drusillas Zoo near Eastbourne has brought the total number of stolen monkeys to 80.
http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=272&fArticleId=3310296
Black market for monkeys turns zoos into crime zones
By Jeffrey Stinson, USA TODAY
LONDON — Thieves who broke into the Drusillas Park Zoo on England's southeast coast last week weren't monkeying around.
They went straight for rare species of small monkeys and stole five animals: a pair of silvery marmosets and their 2-month-old baby, and a pair of Geoffrey marmosets.
"To break into a monkey house in the dead of night is dangerous and requires skill," says John Haywood, coordinator of the National Theft Register for Exotic Animals in the United Kingdom. "This is a specialist form of criminality and well-organized."
The break-in early June 18 was the most recent in a string of thefts of monkeys from British zoos and the latest in an alarmingly high number of thefts of exotic and even endangered animal species from zoos in Europe. Behind the thefts, Haywood says, is black-market demand from private collectors around the globe.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-25-monkey-theft_x.htm
Zoo on forefront of avian flu fight
Officials develop four-level protocol to combat outbreaks
By KATHARINE OTTkott@journalsentinel.com
Posted: June 26, 2006
While researchers in Alaska continue to monitor migratory bird flocks for evidence of avian flu, the Milwaukee County Zoo is one of the first zoos in the nation to develop its own response system to the virus.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=442572
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