Zoos

Conservation Snapshots
Lake Victoria Cichlid
(Haplochromis spp.)
The Lake Victoria Basin is the most important freshwater fishery in Africa, home to a tremendous number of unique species of cichlids. Due to pressures from pollution, the build-up of algae, and an introduced fish called the Nile perch, the cichlids are going extinct faster than all the species can be described.
A major goal of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan® (SSP) for Lake Victoria cichlids is to develop captive breeding programs at AZA zoos and aquariums to preserve many of these species for the future. AZA's 2006 Conservation Endowment Fund grant to the Toronto Zoo and New England Aquarium has also provided over $15,000 to support the Lake Victoria Cichlid SSP's conservation education work with the local National Museums of Kenya and Fisheries Resources and Research Institute in Uganda.

http://www.aza.org/Snapshots/Snapshot_Cichlid/



Caring for Hoofed Stock
Posted at 2:41 pm July 17, 2007 by Adam Ruble
July 15-21 is National Zoo Keeper Week. This is one in a series of blogs written by our keepers sharing a “typical” day. Check back often for new postings!
To begin the day, I checked our red book (log) to find out what has happened the previous days in my assigned area, called a “string,” which contains five exhibits and two holding pens. I then went and checked every animal: nine Cuvier’s gazelle, three red-flanked duikers, one southeast crowned duiker, three steenbok, one secretary bird, six scimitar-horned oryx; three Javan banteng (a banteng is pictured above), two European wild boars, and seven Bactrian wapiti, as well as one Siberian musk deer and two lowland anoas in holding.
I have a pregnant Cuvier’s gazelle that is ready to give birth any day now; one of the flanked duikers has lameness and she holds up her right front leg when she runs; and one of the European wild boars went to the hospital yesterday for a dental and hoof trim, so I wanted to make sure he was doing okay after the anesthesia.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/caring-for-hoofed-stock/



Giant Squid Appears in Australia
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 11, 2007
Filed at 7:49 a.m. ET
HOBART, Australia (AP) -- A squid as long as a bus and weighing 550 pounds washed up on an Australian beach, officials said Wednesday.
''It is a whopper,'' said Genefor Walker-Smith, a zoologist who studies invertebrates at the Tasmanian Museum.
Giant squid live in waters off southern Australia and New Zealand -- where a half-ton colossus, believed to be the world's largest, was caught in February. They attract the sperm whales that feed on them.
The dead squid, measuring 3 feet across at its widest point and 26 feet from the tip of its body to the end of its tentacles, was found early Wednesday by a beachcomber at Ocean Beach on the island state of Tasmania's west coast, the museum said.
The squid was expected to be taken to the museum, where DNA and other scientific tests would be carried out before it is preserved and possibly put on public display.
For anyone thinking of a calamari feast, Walker-Smith said giant squid contain high levels of ammonia in their bodies as a buoyancy aid.
''It would not taste very nice at all,'' she said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Australia-Big-Squid.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


Lion needs the vet after catfight
New 5:00AM Saturday July 14, 2007
A lion at a Rotorua wildlife park needed veterinary treatment after apparently being caught in a fight between jealous lionesses in his enclosure.
Vets examining the sedated Zack at Paradise Valley Springs found he had scratches on his shoulder that had probably caused a general infection.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10451506



Home of flamingos at risk from pollution
5:00AM Saturday July 14, 2007
By Michael McCarthy
Seventy-five per cent of the world's breeding population of lesser flamingos nest at Tanzania's Lake Natron. Photo/ Photolibrary
One of the world's great wildlife spectacles, the colossal gathering of flamingos in East Africa, is now directly threatened by industrial development, conservationists are warning.
Lake Natron in Tanzania, home to half a million bright-pink, long-legged and long-necked lesser flamingos, faces the prospect of a huge soda ash plant being built on its hitherto-unspoiled shores, which is likely to destroy the birds' breeding habitat.
The development is being pushed by Lake Natron Resources, part of Indian company Tata Chemicals.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10451403



Zoo office to get further study
City to decide whether to raze admin building
By Vanessa McCray
vmccray@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY — City commissioners want more data before they decide if there's something worth saving in a bulbous, boulder-clad building near the bayfront.
They've ordered up an architectural assessment to help figure out if the former zoo administration office should be spared from demolition.
The structure, located on the waterfront side of the former Clinch Park Zoo site, is covered in cartoonish rocks meant for animals to climb. Some leaders fear the faux stone will encourage unsafe scaling and increase liability and should be removed if the building is preserved.
The city is engaged in a years-long effort to create a plan for its two-mile stretch of bayfront, which includes the abandoned zoo site. The National Cherry Festival requested short-term use of the facility as its headquarters.
City commissioners toured the facility Monday and later agreed to have an architect assess its value and roof, walls, energy efficiency, needed code upgrades and plumbing. The city will ask those who bid on a contract to demolish other buildings in the zoo area to include a price for razing the old office building. The city also will ask bidders to figure out what it would cost to remove the fake boulders from the facade but leave the building behind it intact.
Commissioner Ralph Soffredine said those numbers are needed to determine if the structure is "worth saving.”
This year's budget includes $100,000 to pay for demolition at the zoo site, work that could start this fall, said city Manager Richard Lewis. That schedule means the zoo site would be converted largely to open space by next summer. Lewis said the city plans to keep the historic Con Foster building and the concession stand, which includes public restrooms. What to do with the zoo's aquatic building and a barn remains to be determined.
The administration building features a kitchen area where food was prepared for the animals, an infirmary for the creatures, office space and some strong odors dating back to its former use.
It's worth considering ways to remodel the structure, while reminding visitors of its original zoo use, said Mayor Linda Smyka.
"It has a lot of creative possibilities,” she said. "It's a zoo building. It's kind of cool.”

http://www.record-eagle.com/2007/jul/11zoo.htm


Common Florida birds are in decline
It is not your imagination: There really are fewer birds.
The National Audubon Society reports that our ''common birds'' are losing ground. And, in Florida's case, they're losing it literally.
Audubon combined 40 years of Christmas bird counts with the U.S. Geological Society's breeding bird survey data to discover that such birds as the eastern meadowlark, the loggerhead shrike and the greater scaup are losing numbers slowly but steadily across the country.
While the losses have not yet produced a silent spring, the findings point to ecosystem declines and dysfunction. Loss of native grasslands and wetlands, urban sprawl and even acid rain are among the causes of bird declines, in Florida and nationwide, says John Fitzpatrick, director of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, N.Y.

http://www.miamiherald.com/884/story/169245.html



Missing macaw found 80 miles from home
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLIFFSIDE PARK, N.J. -- A pet macaw that flew away from its owners and went missing last weekend turned up alive and well in a most unlikely place - 80 miles away at the Jersey shore.
Robert Daly, 25, said he was driving near his home Thursday night when he spotted the large blue and gold bird sitting quietly by the side of the road.
He called police, who captured the bird and put it into a box. Officers who had seen news reports about the bird's disappearance notified the owner, Rosalie O'Hara, and the two were reunited Friday.
"I knew it was Sophie," O'Hara told The Record of Bergen County. "She did some little shakes and gestures, and I knew it was her."
Sophia had vanished last Saturday after O'Hara's husband lost his grip on the bird while the couple were out for a walk.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120AP_ODD_Missing_Macaw.html?source=mypi



Jen and Violet Hit The Zoo In Style
Fri, 07/13/2007 - 2:05pm by PopSugar
It looks like Manjoyment Friday has been put on hold in favor of Celebrity Baby Friday this week - first we had adorable Suri and now we have cute Jen and Violet at the zoo! Both of Ben's ladies were looking sweet in their fashionable summer dresses, even though we wish Jen would ditch her trusty backpack. It looks like Jen got caught in an unfortunate gust of wind - immediately inducing pregnancy rumors of course - but we know Jen's been toning up, not to mention making no attempts to hide her belly. Guess pregnancy rumors are the price some have to pay to look trendy.

http://popsugar.com/393988



Stick your neck out for close encounter
METRO RICHMOND ZOO GET UP CLOSE, PERSONAL
By KIM BAER
A month ago, neither my husband nor I had heard of the Metro Richmond Zoo.
We visited and found it to be well worth a trip.
The zoo is in Chesterfield County, about 20 minutes outside of Richmond's city limits. The drive to Chesterfield was traffic-jam free.
Don't visit with National Zoo expectations.
Richmond's zoo is smaller with a more rustic feel. The River City's zoo lacks Washington polish. But it does offer an easy day trip for families with young children.
We petted and fed giraffes, and admired the zoo's lions and tigers and bears from afar. The zoo's more docile animals are separated from zoo-goers by split rail fences.
No elbowing for viewing room was required: We easily got close-up views of camels, prairie dogs and dozens of other animals.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2007/072007/07142007/298837



Pygmies housed in Congo zoo
Posted Sat Jul 14, 2007 7:25pm AEST
Human rights activists in the Congo Republic have accused organisers of a Pan-African music festival of mistreating a group of pygmy musicians by housing them in tents at the city zoo instead of in hotels.
While other invited African artists to the July 8-14 FESPAM event have been given accommodation in hotels in the riverside capital, Brazzaville, the group of around 20 Congolese pygmy performers have been put up in tents inside the enclosure of Brazzaville zoo.
The executive-director of the Congolese Observatory of Human Rights, Roger Bouka Owoko, says the pygmies, from Congo's north-east Likouala forest region, have been gathering wood daily in the zoo to prepare fires to cook their food.
"It's not normal for human beings to be treated like this..." he said.

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/14/1978710.htm?section=world



Outrage As Pygmy Musicians Kept In Zoo
Updated: 05:31, Sunday July 15, 2007
A group of pygmy musicians visiting the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo for a festival were housed not in hotels - but in a zoo.
The move prompted outrage from human rights organisations and a flurry of newspaper and radio stories.
Pygmy children in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authorities have now moved the musicians to a Brazzaville school dormitory, where they are being housed with musicians from elsewhere in the DRC.
Their presence in a tent on the zoo grounds had attracted tourists, who had come to stare and take pictures, the Congolese Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1275259,00.html?f=rss



Pygmies move from zoo after outcry
Posted Sun Jul 15, 2007 0:32am AEST
Congo authorities say a troupe of pygmy musicians made to live at the zoo while performing at a music festival in the country's capital have been given accommodation in a local school.
The plight of the 22 pygmies, whose tents became an attraction for curious Brazzaville zoo visitors, provoked outrage among civil rights groups in Congo.
All the other musicians playing at the July 8-14 pan-African FESPAM festival were provided with hotel rooms.
The pygmies, from Congo's north-east Likouala forest region, had been gathering wood daily in the zoo to prepare fires to cook their food, often with tourists snapping photos of them.
The Congo Government says it ordered the relocation of the pygmies late on Friday.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/15/1978766.htm



Zoo to remain closed for another week
Staff Reporter
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city zoo will remain closed for another week to enable authorities to ensure that the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) that claimed the lives of 19 animals has been brought fully under control.
The technical committee set up by the Government to help the zoo manage the FMD situation will meet again on July 20 to discuss the reopening of the facility to the public. These were among the main decisions taken at a meeting of the committee here on Friday.
“The committee felt that undue haste should not be shown in trying to reopen the zoo. If the zoo is reopened and there is another outbreak of FMD, it might prove to be uncontrollable,” zoo director Elcy George said.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/14/stories/2007071462790300.htm



PETA activists stage protest
Staff Reporter
Against alleged laxity of city zoo in following Central Zoo Authority guidelines
— Photo: S. Mahinsha
For Better treatment: Activists of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals staging a protest in front of the city zoo on Wednesday against the recent death of animals there.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Activists of the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) held an hour-long protest in front of the city zoo on Wednesday against the death of animals there as a result of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
While one activist, dressed up as a blackbuck, stood inside a ‘coffin’ with a wreath in his hands, two others were dressed up in ‘bio-hazard’ suits and held placards that read ‘Zoos are Deathtraps’ and ‘Zoos are Hazardous for Animals.’

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/12/stories/2007071258490300.htm



County cash boosts creature comforts at Potter Park Zoo
From penquin pool to police patrols, changes are afoot
Christine Rook
Lansing State Journal
With fewer than two weeks before an inspection that could determine Potter Park Zoo's ability to keep big-draw animals such as its tigers and rhino, the zoo's new manager is in a spending mood.
Ingham County plans to pay out nearly $2 million over six months. That's more than one and a half times what the previous owner - the city of Lansing - spent in a year.
The zoo transferred management to the county on July 1, giving it access to about $3.1 million in tax money. Voters in November approved a new county zoo millage that amounts to about $15.5 million over five years.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070714/NEWS01/707140338/1001/news



Panda poop sells like hot cakes at Thai zoo
Jul 14, 2007, 4:03 GMT
Bangkok - Thailand's Chiang Mai Zoo has been has been raking in the profits over the last three years since China loaned it two giant pandas, which have proven so popular among visitors that even their faeces is selling like hot cakes, media reports said Saturday.
As a good will gesture to the kingdom, pandas Lin Hui and Xuang Xuang were loaned in October, 2003 to the state-owned Chiang Mai Zoo, 600 kilometres north of Bangkok.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1329903.php/Panda_poop_sells_like_hot_cakes_at_Thai_zoo



Zoo horticulturist pairs plants with animal habitats
Saturday, July 14, 2007
By Susan Banks, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Frank Pizzi is used to being upstaged by elephants, lions and tigers. Let's face it, you don't go to Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium to see plants.
But don't be fooled -- what the curator of horticulture and grounds and his staff do has a profound effect on how visitors view the zoo.
Gone are the days when the animals were stuffed behind iron bars in antiquated buildings. Now the goal is to present the animals in outdoor habitats that closely mimic where they originate, be it an African savannah, an Asian forest or an Alaskan seacoast. And plants play a prime part in that scenario.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07195/801536-47.stm



New exhibit lets visitors spot leopards up close
By Jennifer Sutcliffe
Originally published — 7:45 a.m., July 14, 2007
Updated — 2:49 p.m., July 14, 2007
Summer Ertel looked the fierce black leopard straight in the eyes. She giggled.
“Rawr! Rawr!” the 6-year-old growled.
She turned to her mother, who was also just a step away from the animal.
“I can see his teeth!”
Summer pressed her face against the glass separating her from the leopard. From a distance, it appeared that she could reach out and touch it.
At the premiere of the Naples Zoo’s new Leopard Rock exhibit today, members lined up to get the first up-close encounters with the big cats.
The exhibit is unique in that the layer of glass that cages the animals runs all the way to the concrete floor.
It creates the illusion that there is no separation between you and the leopard.
“Safe danger,” the park calls it.
Nearly 600 people came for the inaugural vine-cutting at 8:30 a.m., said Tim Tetzlaff, director of conservation and communications at the Naples Zoo off Goodlette-Frank Road in Naples.
“We hoped folks would want to get up on a Saturday morning for this,” Tetzlaff said. “Looks like they do.”

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2007/jul/14/naples_zoo_set_open_new_leopard_exhibit_today/



Toddler Dies from Head Injury at Greenville Zoo
Saturday, Jul 14, 2007 - 07:11 AM
Updated: 10:01 AM
The little girl injured when a tree branch fell on her at the Greenville Zoo has died.
A spokesperson for Greenville Hospital System tells us 3-year-old Mackenzie Van Dorn died late friday night. Doctors say her brain was severely injured in the accident a little over a week ago.
Mackenzie and her family were looking at the lemurs when they heard a crack. Her aunt tried to pull the little girl out of the way but didn't make it on time.
The family issued a statement saying they 'thank the community for their prayers and extraordinary support during a very difficult time.

http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/news.apx.-content-articles-SPA-2007-07-14-0001.html



San Diego, Long Beach & Los Angeles zoo sleepover programs
By Hugo Martín, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 14, 2007
SLEEPOVER PROGRAMS
San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park's Roar & Snore, 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido; (760) 747-8702, http://www.sandiegozoo.org/calendar/wap_roar_and_snore.html . $89 to $209 per person per night, depending on age, tent choice and time of year. Also, "Serengeti Sleepover: A Night With the Maasai" on Wednesdays now through Aug. 15; $109 to $199 per person per night, depending on age and tent.
San Diego Zoo's Safari Sleepover, 2920 Zoo Drive, San Diego; (619) 718-3000, http://www.sandiegozoo.org/calendar/zoo_safari_sleepover.html . $89 for children, $109 for adults, per person per night.
Los Angeles Zoo's Zoopendous Family Overnights, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles; (323) 644-4200, http://www.lazoo.org . $45 for members, $55 non-members per person per night.
Aquarium of the Pacific's Family Sleepover, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach; (562) 590-3100, http://www.aquariumofpacific.org . $50 for members, $60 for non-members, per person per night.
San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum's Family Overnight Program, 910 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego; (619) 398-8247, http://www.midway.org . $100 for members, $125 for non-members per person per night. Only three programs this summer, with space available for Aug. 18.
Family Sleepover on Board the Star of India, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego; (619) 234-9153, Ext. 124, http://www.sdmaritime.com . $45 for members, $65 nonmembers per person, per night. Only the Sept. 15 program has space available.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County's Group Overnight Adventures (minimum of 10 people), 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles; (213) 763-3466, http://www.nhm.org/calendar/goa_sleepover.html . Price: $43, per person per night.

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-roarandsnorebox15jul15



Another tiger dies at zoo
LAHORE: A tigress that was suffering from trypanosomiasis and was 15 years of age, died at the Lahore Zoo on Saturday.
Similarly, another Bengal tigress of age 14 died a day before on Thursday at the Lahore Zoo because of the same disease. This tigress had given the zoo 19 cubs.
Trypanosomiasis is a blood parasite transmitted from infected individuals by vectors like mosquitos, fleas and ticks. The parasite attacks the nervous system through blood causing drowsiness, sleepiness, fever, weight loss and ultimately death. The incubation period of disease ranges between one to four weeks.
The Bengal Tiger or Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is a subspecies of tiger primarily found in Bangladesh and India and also in Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and in southern Tibet.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C07%5C15%5Cstory_15-7-2007_pg13_8



UPDATE: Incident shuts San Antonio Zoo
Web Posted: 07/14/2007 07:57 PM CDT
Vianna Davila
Express-News Staff Writer
The San Antonio Zoo was closed Saturday after a zookeeper was critically injured in an incident involving a Sumatran Tiger.
The 28-year-old male employee, identified as Jeff Tierney, was taken to University Hospital in an Air Life helicopter following the incident about 2:25 p.m., zoo officials and a hospital spokeswoman said. He was taken into surgery late this evening, said University Hospital spokeswoman Leni Kirkman.
The zookeeper sustained traumatic injuries near the exhibit area, officials said, but details were not immediately available. Tierney's family asked that details of his injuries remain private, Kirkman said.
Visitors were then asked to leave the zoo.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA071407.zookeeper.EN.7557e28b.html



Big-eared African fox keeps zoo on its toes
Tiny 'Todd' adapting after being confiscated from Edmonton home
The Edmonton Journal
Published: Sunday, July 15
EDMONTON - A native of North African deserts that combines tiny stature with enormous ears has taken up residence at the Valley Zoo.
But while Todd, the fennec fox, has an exotic lineage, his personal history is decidedly domestic.
He was delivered to the zoo about two months ago, after fish and wildlife officers confiscated him from an Edmonton household, where he was being kept as a pet.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=b1df9b9c-37dc-4b1c-82e9-0e7e0f5ec77b&k=49999



Valley Zoo keeper Jesse Popowicz holds Todd, an African desert fox, on Saturday.
Wildlife officers removed him from a local house months ago.
Ed Kaiser, the Journal
The smallest of the fox family, an adult fennec weighs a slight 1.5 kilograms, stretches a mere 40 centimetres from its little black nose to the end of its fluffy tail and stands just 20 centimetres at its sand-coloured shoulder.

http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/story.html?id=b1df9b9c-37dc-4b1c-82e9-0e7e0f5ec77b&k=49999



Coming this fall: Zoo expansion plans
Sunday, July 15, 2007
STAN DIEL and WALTER BRYANT
News staff writers
Mona, the elephant beloved by her fans but pitied by animal rights activists before her death last month, will not be the Birmingham Zoo's last elephant.
An ambitious zoo expansion plan to be unveiled in the fall will include a "much bigger" elephant exhibit, said Dr. Bill Foster, the zoo's chief executive officer.
Foster declined to disclose specifics about the greater plan, but in broad strokes painted a picture of a zoo that puts animals in larger, more realistic habitats and focuses more on conservation and education.

http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/118448795870490.xml&coll=2



The Virginia Zoo's new red panda escapes - again
"She's just testing every limit that might be in the exhibit," said zoo director Greg Bockheim of Yin, seen here (on a good day) in her exhibit. THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT FILE PHOTO
By DIANA D'ABRUZZO, The Virginian-Pilot
© July 15, 2007
NORFOLK
She did it again.
Yin, the Virginia Zoo's new red panda, was discovered missing from her exhibit Saturday morning - the second time she's escaped since her debut less than a month ago.
"She's a character," said Alison Till, the zoo's director of development, echoing an opinion shared by other zoo staff, who reacted to the furry fugitive's latest disappearance with sly grins and references to their "escape artist."
"She's just testing every limit that might be in the exhibit," said zoo director Greg Bockheim, who found himself literally up a tree Saturday to coax little Yin home.

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=128479&ran=159169



Oakland Zoo animals eat their fill at fancy feast
Families bring fresh produce for annual event
By Angela Hill, STAFF WRITER
Article Launched: 07/15/2007 02:46:43 AM PDT
OAKLAND
IF WE learned anything from the Feast for the Beasts event at the Oakland Zoo Saturday, it was that elephants aren't pigs.
(Sorry, pigs, but c'mon. Look in the mirror.)
You see, elephants are much more tidy and methodical in their dining habits than some other creatures, including some humans, who have been known to cram 66 hot dogs down their gullets at one sitting. Yikes.
But pachyderms are proud, their great trunks probing deftly around rocks and boulders Saturday morning in their hilly 6-acre enclosure to discover special treats left on the ground. A fresh apple here. Some celery there. Carrots. Lettuce. Watermelons.
One might have thought a salad bar exploded. Instead, this was the once-a-year opportunity for regular animal-loving people to come to the zoo bearing fresh fruits and veggies and actually enter the elephant habitat, leave the food, then clear out before the hungry herd came stomping out for breakfast.

http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/ci_6381351



Biptah on US zoo management course
Sunday, July 15 2007
In preparation for its development through reconstruction, the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago is pursuing overseas training for its staff at The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Nirmal Biptah, acting curator of the Emperor Valley Zoo and Society member Laura Tardieu are both at the National Aquarium pursuing internships in the fields of zoo management and animal husbandry.
Biptah is a curatorial intern in the Australian Exhibits Department on a one-month training programme focusing on zoo management, exhibitry and safety. Tardieu is on a three- month internship pursuing animal husbandry.

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,60619.html



Funk, jazz and soul come to the Portland Zoo
Associated Press - July 15, 2007 12:15 PM ET
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - For one night, the horns of Tower of Power and David Sanborn eclipse those of the Oregon Zoo's mighty rhino, Pete.
When the first clear notes drift from the amphitheater stage to the rhino enclosure just behind it, even Pete will agree that these men know something about horns.
Tower of Power and David Sanborn perform August 12th at 7 pm as part of the Wells Fargo Summer Concert Series presented by Fred Meyer.
Tower of Power is a band that has been around for nearly four decades. Emilio Castillo and Stephen "Doc" Kupka formed the band in 1968 with Mic Gillette, who has since left the group. Castillo still leads the band and is the primary songwriting force along with Kupka.

http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=6790900



Galaxy Zoo!
Risa at 2:24 am, July 12th, 2007
So, I’ve been in the throes of grant proposal writing, which as far as I can tell is the worst part of becoming a professor. As such, I’ve been ignoring as much of my email as humanly possible for the past week. Until I got an email from David Weinberg this afternoon, announcing to the SDSS (Sloan Digital Sky Survey) mailing list the arrival of a new web-based galaxy classification project, Galaxy Zoo. The project was started by some scientists with SDSS, including Alex Szalay and Bob Nichol, and others. They had a press release today, and it’s already been covered by the BBC and was picked up by AP, so I think the website has gotten a bit hammered in the first day.
The basic idea here is to harness the collective eyes and brains of the internet to visually classify galaxies by morphology. It turns out that galaxy mophologies are in some ways a lot easier to classify by eye than by computer, just like faces and other complex images. This is one reason that now that surveys include millions of galaxies, morphology studies have not been as popular as other classification schemes based on colors or spectral types. Apparently, galaxy zoo to the rescue!
Here’s the first thing I learned: looking at pictures of galaxies is a lot more fun than writing proposals to the NSF to get funding to think about galaxies.

http://cosmicvariance.com/2007/07/12/galaxy-zoo/



Republic of Congo government apologizes for putting pygmies in zoo
The Associated Press
Published: July 15, 2007
BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo: The Republic of Congo's government formally apologized Sunday for housing a group of visiting Pygmy musicians at a zoo while fellow festival performers were housed in schools and hotels.
Authorities had said they were trying to provide familiar surroundings to the indigenous musicians — used to living in thick, remote forests. But local papers and a human rights group denounced the zoo set-up as discriminatory — noting that tourists were gathering around the pygmies' tents on the zoo grounds to stare and take pictures.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/15/africa/AF-GEN-Republic-of-Congo-Pygmies-in-Zoo.php



Des Moines zoo keepers raise motherless wallaby
DES MOINES (AP) — There’s no place for an infant wallaby quite like its mother’s pouch.
Or in the case of Sheila — an 8-month-old joey at Des Moines’ Blank Park Zoo — a small, hand-crafted bag.
The zoo’s animal keepers use the bag to simulate the natural nook Sheila lost a little more than a month ago. Her mother had a host of dental problems that left both wallabies malnourished.
Zoo officials decided to remove the joey from her mother’s pouch in an effort to save both of their lives. The mother briefly rebounded, then got worse.
The mother wallaby was euthanized to end her suffering, said Kevin Drees, the zoo’s animal care director.

http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2007/07/15/latest_news/doc46999c00e04ca540867719.txt



Horror of the terrified bears forced to box in Chinese zoo
Last updated at 22:12pm on 15th July 2007
Tethered at the muzzle and paraded in front of a jeering crowd of visitors, two terrified bear cubs are forced to box each other.
Dressed in garish capes, shorts and boxing gloves, their heads are yanked back by their handlers to make them stand on their hind legs. As parents with young children cheer them on, the bears are encouraged to land punch after punch on each other.
The sickening spectacle is played out at a zoo in North West China's Shaanxi province.
Scroll down for more...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=468654&in_page_id=1811



Baby panther adopted by dog in Belgrade zoo
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Man's best friend helped save a tiny cat.
A 15-day-old female panther named Milica has been adopted by a Rhodesian Ridgeback after the cat's mother refused to feed her and tried to kill her in the Belgrade zoo.
"The mother panther has killed all her cubs since 1999," zookeeper Dragan Jovanovic said.
"We believe she has been traumatized by the sound of NATO bombs" during air strikes in the Serbian capital that year, he said.
Now Milica fights with several newborn puppies over milk from her adopted mother. She also appears to enjoy every bit of attention she gets from her new family.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2007/07/15/4342642-ap.html



Detroit Zoo director's retention stirs fight
Leader's integrity gone
The Detroit Zoo director did not make a "mistake." He out and out lied about his credentials ("Zoo board will keep Kagan," July 2). Doesn't anyone have any integrity nowadays? Sure, Ron Kagan has done a great job at the Detroit Zoo, but he is supposed to be in a leadership position.
Julie Kennedy Carpenter
Rockwood
Lying pays
So Ron Kagan gets to keep his six-figure Detroit Zoo director's job, though he lied about having a doctorate degree on his resume. Smells and sounds like fraud. I guess I've been wrong all these years. Lying does pay and very well at that.
Joshua Burton
Livonia

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070716/OPINION01/707160316/1008



Fatal fall from festival ride under investigation
Police and federal investigators tried Sunday to determine why a teen fell from a festival ride and died.
Elizabeth K. Mohl, 16, of Neenah, was killed Saturday after falling 40 to 50 feet from a ride called Air Glory.
Winnebago County Deputy Coroner Chuck Hable said the ride hoists people in a sling, then at the top someone inside pulls a ripcord. That drops the riders, who swing back and forth.
Witness Brian Childers of Kenosha said two people went up in the ride, and that when the release was pulled he heard a snapping sound. One person fell, and the other remained swinging, he told the Oshkosh Northwestern.
Mohl died in surgery several hours later, Hable said. She was attending Lifest, a Christian music festival that features rides and sports. Workers shut down the ride after the afternoon accident.
A prayer service was held before the festival resumed about 7:30 p.m.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003791127_ndig16.html



Body found near zoo; no foul play suspected
UNION-TRIBUNE
July 16, 2007
The body of man believed to be a transient was found yesterday in an area near Park Boulevard and the San Diego Zoo.
Police said the man appeared to have been dead of natural causes for about two days. Neither police nor the Medical Examiner's Office would give any information about the man's age or other details.
– L.S.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070716-9999-1m16body.html



Chinese zoo condemned over boxing bears
By Martin Beckford
Last Updated: 2:58am BST 17/07/2007
Animal rights campaigners have condemned a Chinese zoo at which bear cubs are forced to fight each other for the entertainment of laughing visitors.
The Captive Animals’ Protection Society said the spectacle was “horrific” and urged holidaymakers to boycott the shows as well as lobbying the Chinese Government to outlaw them.
Pictures taken at the zoo in Xi’an, in the Shaanxi province of north west China, show two bear cubs being encouraged to box each other while a crowd of parents and children look on and laugh.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/16/wbear116.xml



A 'Great Year' For Zoo
Blue skies, new creatures attract Syracuse Zoo goers
Monday, July 16, 2007
By Meghan Rubado
Staff writer
"Yay! Elephant," squealed Sky Colon, 2, as she leaned in to touch the big gray backside of an elephant at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo Sunday.
Sky and her mother, Anya Colon, 25, of Rome, came to Syracuse to visit the zoo at Burnet Park for the first time.
They were among about 200 people watching the 2 p.m. elephant demonstration, and among thousands more who toured the zoo's exhibits and trails.

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/news/index.ssf?/base/news-11/1184578648125490.xml&coll=1



Animal petting zoo will be featured at FdL County Fair
For The Reporter
Animal Specialties Petting Zoo will be part of the 156th Fond du Lac County Fair that runs July 17 through 22 at the Fond du Lac County Fairgrounds.
Animal Specialties, represented by Bunky and Connie Boger, will be bringing a petting farm, pony rides, a giant pig and hands-on educational displays. A dairy cow exhibit will feature a milking cow where fairgoers can milk a cow. Baby chick hatching will also be taking place.
The petting zoo will include several types of sheep, goats and a variety of other farm animals. Children will be able to pet and feed all the animals.

http://www.fdlreporter.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070716/FON0101/707160346/1985/frontpage



Not Your Grandma's Petting Zoo
Sometimes kids can be so frustrating that parents might want to throw them to the sharks. Well, on July 29th and 30th they'll get the chance to do just that. In celebration of Shark Week, the Adventure Aquarium is hosting a unique event at its Delaware Waterfront location.
Breakfast With the Sharks serves up a hot buffet breakfast from 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM, followed by a scavenger hunt, a 'meet and greet' with aquarium mascot Chum (not to be confused with the mixture of fish parts and blood that is used to attract, well, sharks, and goes by the same name) and the main event: a hands-on visit with all sorts of sharks.
Also, we're not entirely certain what a 40-foot shark tunnel entails (we have fond memories of 1999's Deep Blue Sea) but it sounds really cool. And if that's not enough for you, how about over half a million gallons of shark-infested aquarium water? Phillyist thinks the game show they'll be producing for the children, "Fish Factor," is a bit over the top, considering it will be hosted by (and we quote) "Bob Sharker and Briny Seacrest."

http://phillyist.com/2007/07/18/not_your_grandm.php



Zoo's new arrival
18 July 2007 15:27
Michelle with her baby
COLCHESTER Zoo is today celebrating the birth of a new baby.
The Cherry-Crowned Manngabey, who has not been named yet, was born on Monday.
He is the third baby that his mum, Michelle, has given birth to since she came to the zoo in April 2004.
A spokeswoman for the zoo said: “Keepers and curators are amazed at the size and strength of the baby who seems to be very strong and healthy and is already doing very well.
“Michelle is a very experienced parent, as is Sputnik, the father, and they are both very calm and relaxed with the baby.”

http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/content/eveningstar/news/story.aspx?brand=ESTOnline&category=News&tBrand=ESTOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=IPED18%20Jul%202007%2015%3A27%3A29%3A860



Leopards rock at zoo's newest exhibit
By: Carla Meekins
07/18/2007
Eight-year-old Katlyn Reynolds gets up close for a personal encounter with a spotted African leopard in the Naples Zoo’s newest exhibit, Leopard Rock.
The leopards were leaping in their new, enclosed playground at the Naples Zoo on Saturday, July 14.
It was an early-morning, grand opening celebration of Leopard Rock, the zoo's newest exhibit where visitors encounter the big cats on equal footing, separated only by one-inch thick heavy-duty glass.
After a ceremonial "vine-cutting," nearly six hundred zoo members crowded around the glass partition for a turn to view the cats in a naturalistic setting that took 15 months of planning and construction.
Neapolitan Nancy Neumeyer has been visiting the park since 1969. She said, "We used to see the leopards from a distance, walking back and forth. But this is wonderful, to see them in their own place."

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18595581&BRD=2605&PAG=461&dept_id=523946&rfi=6



Sam the giraffe dies at zoo
Michael Stewart
mstewart@pnj.com
More sad news for The Zoo Northwest Florida.
Sammy, The Zoo�s 10-year-old giraffe was found dead Tuesday morning in his exhibit where he had been a major attraction for the past eight years.
The news comes less than a week after Zoo officials announced the death of Niles, a baby hippopotamus killed by his father, Kiboko.
Zoo officials said a necropsy performed by The Zoo�s veterinarian, Dr. Gus Mueller, revealed evidence of trauma to the upper neck of the giraffe and believe he may have bolted into a post with enough force to causing bruising and possible collapse.

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070718/NEWS01/70718008/1006



Smelly flower to bloom in days at Cleveland zoo
Associated Press
CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has a new exhibit with a smell that may rival elephant dung.
Sometime between Thursday and Sunday the zoo's rainforest exhibit is expecting its first-ever bloom of a 13-year-old plant from Indonesia.
Fewer than 50 have ever bloomed in zoos or botanical gardens. When the flower opens up, it only stays that way for a day or two.
It gives off an unpleasant smell described as something like rotting flesh. The plant is sometimes called the corpse flower.
Officially the plant is known as the titan arum (or Amorphophallus titanum).

http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/17509669.htm




Zoo light: animals watching over you
I'm the first to admit that this light doesn't exactly conform to my usual taste, but there's just something about it that has stuck in my mind. Is it the fluid lines? The almost abstract quality of that giraffe's neck, rising up from the base? The silhouettes it would throw on the wall? I don't know, but maybe it has actually changed my taste.

http://www.babygadget.net/2007/07/zoo_light_animals_watching_ove.php



Zoo's focus on 'living heritage' helps land award
EDINBURGH Zoo has claimed a prestigious award for educating visitors about the natural world.
The attraction has become only the second zoo in the UK to receive the Sandford Award for the quality of its educational programmes.
The accolade is usually reserved for historic and heritage properties.
However, judges decided that Edinburgh Zoo's focus on "living heritage" meant it should receive the recognition.

http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1119952007



'Zoo Hospital' (NDS) - Facts & FeaturesAunt Lucy, a veterinarian at a world-famous zoo, invites you to intern for the summer. With her help, you’ll treat a variety of exotic animals from around the world as you learn how to read body language, soothe animals, perform thorough examinations and treat them so they can return to their zoo habitats healthy!

http://www.worthplaying.com/e3_2007.php?op=viewarticle&artid=1798



Cat fight occurs outside the zoo
ST. PAUL, Minn., July 17 (UPI) -- Two women got into a physical fight over a parking space in a crowded lot at a Minnesota zoo.
The problem started Sunday afternoon when a 22-year-old Scandia woman and her friend spied a spot someone was leaving at the Como Zoo in St. Paul. Although a minivan was queued up to take the spot, the woman got out and stood in the space to reserve it until her friend could park there.
While the woman was standing there, the minivan driver moved closer, threatening to run her down, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Tuesday. When she stood her ground, a woman passenger allegedly got out of the minivan and attacked the woman, allegedly shoving, punching and scratching her, as well as ripping her shirt.
The minivan driver separated the two and they took off, police said.
Tom Walsh, a spokesman for St. Paul police, said both women have important lessons to learn, like waiting your turn and not behaving badly because someone else has. As it turned out, the first woman's provocative behavior was for nothing, since her friend found another space while she was standing there.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/07/17/cat_fight_occurs_outside_the_zoo/7714/



Calgary Zoo scales back expansion plans
Suzanne Zwarun
correspondent
Calgary
Construction costs, not controversy, have put paid to a large part of the Calgary Zoo’s ambitious Arctic Shores exhibit.
With the original $120 million budget blown up to $200 million, the zoo has tanked the whale tank, restaurant and banquet facilities in Arctic Shores.
It is pinning its hopes of building polar bear, penguin and sea otter facilities on the generosity of the federal government.
The pool for belugas was to have been a whale of a construction project that would rival American attractions such as Sea World.

http://www.journalofcommerce.com/article/id23652



Rare gibbon survives at Perth Zoo
By Graeme Powell
Posted Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:33pm AEST
Updated Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:52pm AEST
Li-Lian was abandoned by its mother and has survived thanks to around-the-clock care by veterinary staff at Perth Zoo. (AAP Image: Tony McDonoough)
A rare baby gibbon born at Perth Zoo seven weeks ago and abandoned by its mother has survived thanks to around-the-clock care by veterinary staff.
The tiny White-cheeked Gibbon, weighing 500 grams at birth, has been named Li-Lian, which is Chinese for clever and free.
Li-Lian is being bottle fed baby milk formula eight times a day and now weights 800 grams.
Perth Zoo's Curator of Exotic Mammals, Clare Campbell, says the White-cheeked Gibbon is a critically endangered species on the brink of extinction.

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/18/1981895.htm?section=australia



Zoo's hippos get cranky with uninvited guests
By MEGAN ROLLAND and MATT CAMPBELL
The Kansas City Star
For the Kansas City Zoo’s two female hippos, life was more normal on Tuesday after they had charged at two boys who allegedly invaded their enclosure Monday.
So you want to jump into an animal exhibit at a zoo. That’s pretty stupid.
And you’ve chosen the hippo pit. Really, really stupid.
Hippos may look docile, but they are among the most dangerous animals in Africa, capsizing boats on rivers and charging humans who invade their territory.
And yet two boys allegedly climbed into the hippo exhibit at the Kansas City Zoo and threw rocks Monday, becoming the latest episode of Man Versus Beast played out in zoos throughout the country.
A witness has said the hippos became angry and charged the boys. They survived without injury, but security guards caught them.

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/194436.html



Good evening. I'm Ron Burgundy and here's what happening in your world tonight”
Scott and I went to the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park for our first day in San Diego. The pictures tell the store it is first of all a HUGE zoo but there is a lot to see. As alway I recommend the panda exhibit (so cute). There is a tram that goes around but you miss a lot of the exhibits so put on your shoes and walk it.
We went to Balboa Park for lunch and it was so beautiful it is full of museums with a few restaurants. We went to Prado for lunch I am not sure how the food was because I was distracted by the beautiful view. We also spied on a wedding that was going on in the courtyard area.

http://realtravel.com/san_diego-journals-j5071637.html



PICTOPIA.COM POWERS PHOTO SITE FOR AWARD-WINNING WOODLAND PARK ZOO
Photography of Endangered Species Now Available
Emeryville, CA, July 17, 2007 – Pictopia.com www.pictopia.com announced today that consumers may now purchase photos from Seattle’s famous award-winning Woodland Park Zoo at: http://pictopia.com/perl/gal?provider_id=543. One of the oldest zoos on the west coast, Woodland Park Zoo has six national award-winning exhibits, including African Savanna, Elephant Forest and Northern Trail. It is home to more than 1,000 animals, such as gorillas, elephants, snow leopards, and red-crowned cranes.

http://press-releases.techwhack.com/11165/pictopia/



Attendance at N.C. Zoo Achieves 10-Year High
Spurred by enhanced marketing efforts and a new children's exhibit, the North Carolina Zoo's annual attendance reached its highest mark in a decade for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007.
Final figures for the 2006-2007 fiscal year showed 746,650 visitors had passed through the zoo gates, an increase of more than 63,000 or 9.3 percent over the previous fiscal year. The most recent fiscal year saw the zoo record its highest annual attendance since the 1997 fiscal year, when the total reached 782,016.
Overall, the 2006-2007 fiscal year also ranks as the fourth highest annual attendance mark in the zoo's 33-year history.
The single year record of 934,455 was set during the 1994-1995 fiscal year and was largely due to the grand opening of the zoo's second continental region, North America, with a large number of new exhibits.

http://www.thepilot.com/stories/20070718/news/local/20070718zooattend.html



Ditched!
Staff Report
LAHORE: The Lahore zoo witnessed a strange situation on Tuesday when an African lioness refused to exit the ditch she entered 13 days ago.
Supervisor Kamran Ahmad said that food was dropped in the ditch to feed the as she just would not get out of it. He said no staff member went close to the ditch to help her out. He said the lioness had not had water since she had been in the ditch because there was no arrangement of water down there. He added that lions needed moderate temperature in their surroundings. He fretted that the lion was under threat because of the level of heat in the ditch.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C07%5C18%5Cstory_18-7-2007_pg13_7



Central Virginia's Own Zoo in Richmond
Richmond, VA is only three hours away from the D.C. Zoo but there is the traffic and large crowds to deal with once you get there. And though the D.C. Zoo is great, it is a very long drive for small children and the crowds can make even the calmest parents want to pull out their hair.
A closer and much less crowded option is Richmond's own zoo, the Metro Richmond Zoo located in Chesterfield County just off of Rout 360 (Hull Street Road). Thanks to the new highway 288, the zoo is now even easier for those that live north of the James River to get there.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/306869/central_virginias_own_zoo_in_richmond.html


Our trip to the National Zoo
Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
Last Friday we went to the National Zoo in Washington, DC. The pics have been up on my flickr page but I hadn’t posted about it because there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
My parents accompanied the kids and I and we took the Metro which the kids love because that is how “daddy goes to work.” It was hot and humid, like it is now and usually is in DC in July, but I had never been to the National Zoo and was determined to go and not waste such a national treasure.

http://firmlyplanted.wordpress.com/2007/07/17/our-trip-to-the-national-zoo/



It's Not Your Average 9 to 5 Job
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo celebrates National Zoo Keeper Week
How many jobs offer the chance to work with exotic animals, make a difference in global conservation projects and serve as a caretaker to endangered species? The job of a zoo keeper is not your average 9 to 5 desk job, and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, in conjunction with The American Association of Zoo Keepers, is celebrating National Zoo Keepers Week from July 15 to 21 in honor its outstanding Animal Care staff.
Through Saturday, visitors will have a chance to meet the folks who care for their favorite Zoo animals. Meet-the-Keeper sessions are scheduled throughout the day, everyday through the end of the week. Zoo guests will have a chance to find out exactly what it takes to care for an elephant, koala or grizzly.
"Professional animal keepers form the backbone of the zoo and aquarium industry," said Geoff Hall, General Curator at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. "Their passion and dedication in caring for animals ranging from tiny frogs to gigantic elephants is truly remarkable. They have some of the most challenging yet rewarding jobs at the zoo."

http://www.clemetzoo.com/pressroom/index.asp?action=details&pressrelease_id=1253



Woodland Park Zoo loses popular snake
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEATTLE -- An 18-foot-long female reticulated python, estimated to be 20 years old, has died at Woodland Park Zoo.
The snake died Friday, a day after undergoing surgery for removal of retained eggs.
Preliminary necropsy findings pointed to possible complications of heart disease as the cause of death, zoo spokeswoman Gigi Allianic said.
Strikingly patterned and weighing as much as 185 pounds, the python "drew many 'oohs and aahs' from visitors," said Dana Payne, zoo animal curator. "Monthly programs during which we fed the snake for visitors were very popular. She will be missed."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_BRF_Python_Dies.html



SF: ZOO LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER GPS VISITOR GUIDE
07/16/07 7:45 PDT
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)
Beginning today, visitors of the San Francisco Zoo will have the option of carrying around an electronic device that can explain how zoo veterinarians keep a 400-pound grizzly bear's teeth healthy.
The brand new device, called Zoo Ranger, is a hand-held multimedia Global Positioning Satellite visitor guide and is now available for guests to rent at the San Francisco Zoo.
The Zoo Ranger allows visitors to learn unusual facts about animals, watch videos of animals engaging in behind-the-scenes activities and walk through the park with an audio guide.
In addition, the Zoo Ranger allows users to engage in animal trivia questions and utilize a zoo map via a touch screen.
"(The Zoo Ranger is) definitely going to give visitors a whole different experience," Paul Garcia, a spokesman for the San Francisco Zoo, said.

http://cbs5.com/localwire/localfsnews/bcn/2007/07/16/n/HeadlineNews/ZOO-RANGERS/resources_bcn_html



Zoo's python dies after surgery
By Brian Alexander
Seattle Times staff reporter
RYAN HAWK / WOODLAND PARK ZOO
The 20-year-old reticulated python died after undergoing surgery.
Woodland Park Zoo's 18-foot python has died after surgery, the zoo reported Monday.
The 20-year-old reticulated python died Friday morning after undergoing surgery for removal of retained eggs.
The snake did well during the surgery and was recovering when it died, according to a zoo press release. A preliminary necropsy pointed to heart disease as a possible cause of death.
Prior to the surgery the snake had stopped eating so veterinary staff ordered x-rays and an ultrasound, which showed retained eggs within the python's body cavity.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003792122_webpython16m.html



German zoo workers sell animals as meat
7.07, Wed Jul 18 2007
A German mayor has filed charges against zoo workers in his town for shooting animals and selling them as meat.
The mayor's spokesperson said deer were amongst animals which had been killed and sold without permission by workers at Erfurt Zoo.
She said: "The case is now with the state prosecutors".
The German Animal Protection League has demanded a review of controls at Erfurt Zoo and all institutions housing animals in the state of Thuringia.

http://www.itv.com/news/world_d7dafc6b4b81a1659c5fe9efa4fbb886.html



Sierra Zoo spotlights unusual addition
KRISTIN LARSEN
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 7/18/2007
Modified: 7/18/2007
Most 5-month-olds don't hold news conferences.
But young Kyla, a baby kinkajou born recently at Sierra Safari Zoo, was the center of attention at a gathering Tuesday morning. She will have to get used to a life in the spotlight
as one of the animal ambassadors that will be taken to schools and functions.
"Everybody is fascinated with her," said Jimmie Martin, Sierra Safari Zoo co-founder. "She's unusual. A lot of people have never seen such a thing. She's so cute you can't stand it."
House cat-sized Kyla (pronounced Kee-aa) is a sight to be adored, with a small bear-like face, giant eyes, fur-covered body and 5-inch tongue.
She is one of many babies recently born at the zoo including a miniature Brahma bull, vervet monkeys, a baboon and soon-to-arrive red-tailed boa babies.

http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070718&Category=NEIGHBORHOODS02&ArtNo=707180394&Ref=AR



Fresno funding of Roeding amusement areas could depend on merger with zoo
By Marc Benjamin / The Fresno Bee
07/18/07 04:44:25
Fresno city funds for Storyland & Playland may hinge on whether the Rotary Club amusement areas in Roeding Park pursue merger talks with the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.
The issue surfaced Tuesday as Fresno City Council members discussed whether to provide Storyland/Playland with $100,000 for upgrades such as paint, concrete repairs and new rides.
Mayor Alan Autry vetoed the money from the city budget, saying he would rather put that money toward cleaning up Lake Washington, between the two parks. The council was weighing whether to override the veto, which would require five council votes.
The council deferred a decision until next week to allow both groups to meet.
The zoo and the amusement parks discussed a possible merger in the past year, but the talks didn't get far. The two groups did agree to collaborate with the city on a master plan for Roeding Park.

http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/88630.html

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