Scout troop rallies 'round the zoo
A troop group effort gets the job done, above.
In July, the final phase of the new Crocodile Monitor Exhibit at The ZOO was completed. The new exhibit is part of Dragon World, which includes Ivan, the Komodo Dragon, and will grow to display species of lizards including Gila Monsters.
Gulf Breeze Boy Scout Josh Suelflow coordinated with Doug Kemper, Executive Director of The ZOO, Natalie Akin, The ZOO's Director of Visitor Services and Business Operations, and Terry Whitman, Director of Facilities, Operations, and Maintenance to build the exhibit for his Eagle Scout project.
The exhibit is divided into several sections for "Lars," a male, and "Hillary," a potential mate, and includes an enclosed winter viewing area. Crocodile Monitors are the longest monitors in the world and live on the island of New Guinea.

http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2007/0809/Community/014.html



Good news from the Edmonton Valley Zoo
Aug, 08 2007 - 6:00 PM
EDMONTON - A pair of rare red pandas are celebrating a critical milestone ... their "30-day health check".
Zoo officials are inviting local media to come take pictures of the so-far healthy endangered babies, who have been raised by zoo staff since being born there on June 26th.
The zoo reports that "the cubs' eyes are now open, they are learning to walk and are growing rapidly".
While they are still too young to determine the gender, the zoo is still holding a contest to name the fuzzy siblings.
According to some estimates, there are fewer than 2500 red pandas currently alive in the wild. (ccg)
Send Chris an Email now
- Chris Gardner

http://www.630ched.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428109912&rem=71897&red=80110923aPBIny&wids=410&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm



700-Pound Grizzly Bear Escapes From Canada Zoo
(CBS) STEVENSVILLE, Ont. Police were searching Wednesday morning for a 700-pound grizzly bear that escaped from a local zoo not far from a Lake Erie beach popular with Buffalo-area residents.
Residents called police about midnight to report seeing the bear from the Zooz Nature Park, about five miles from the popular Crystal Beach in Ontario.
Darlene Crosby told CHCH television she let her dogs out and saw the bear when they started barking. Police asked Crosby and her husband to leave their home as a precaution.

http://cbs2.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_220131618.html



A trip to Phuket Zoo
We have of course been to the zoo before, and I have blogged it before (see Phuket Zoo), but when you have kids you need to think of something exciting to do! With previous weekends either raining or taken up with birthday parties, we promised the little 'uns that we'd go on Saturday (if it was sunny). The sun duly shone, and so we could go to see the tiger, the elephants, the crocodiles and many other great and wondrous beasts...

http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com/2007/08/trip-to-phuket-zoo.html



Fossa Pup Update
Posted at 12:46 pm August 2, 2007 by Janet Hawes
On July 17, our fossa pups were six weeks old (see Janet’s previous blog, Our First Fossas). Vet techs arrived at the nursery to administer the first vaccinations. These injections were the first in a series of four (given four weeks apart) that protect the neonate against certain infectious diseases. It was decided that we would try training the fossa cubs as animal ambassadors, something that no one has ever attempted to do before.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/fossa-pup-update/



Wet weather gives zoo birds boost
The recent weather was bad news for a lot of the country, but proved a surprising success for London Zoo.
That's because two birds living there - called tawny frogmouths - laid their first eggs for nine years.
Keepers said: We think their arrival was triggered by the heavy rains here and we've called them Thunder and Storm in tribute to the dreadful weather."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6930000/newsid_6937100/6937194.stm



The lion king is dead
Apollo the lion, suffering kidney failure at the Honolulu Zoo, is put to sleep
By Susan Essoyan
The husky roar of Apollo the lion will no longer resound in Waikiki, as the longtime "king" of the Honolulu Zoo breathed his last yesterday, suffering from kidney failure. He was 21.
Apollo, an African lion, was 6 months old when he arrived in Hawaii in April 1986 from his hometown of Quebec. He quickly became a favorite, roaring to announce his presence every morning and evening. But his health had faded recently and he was euthanized yesterday.
"He's going to really, really be missed, not just by our staff but by the people who have seen him throughout the years," said zoo Director Ken Redman. "Male lions are really beautiful animals. Apollo was one of the most beautiful. When he posed, that was just a masterpiece."

http://starbulletin.com/2007/08/08/news/story04.html



Land At National Zoo Does Not Belong To Selangor Government
SHAH ALAM, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- The Selangor government cannot gazette the land occupied by the National Zoo at Hulu Klang because it is not the owner, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said.
However, he assured that the 10 hectare site would remain a zoo area and not developed for other purposes.
"The land was handed to the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank Corporation Malaysia Trustee Bhd (HSBC Trustee) in 1982, but the ownership form was not issued since full payment had yet to be made," he told reporters after chairing the weekly state executive council meeting here Wednesday.
He was reacting to a call by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid for the Selangor government to gazette the National Zoo area.

http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/state_news/news.php?id=278262&cat=ct



Honolulu zoo's old lion roars no more
By Eloise Aguiar
A mighty roar was silenced yesterday at the Honolulu Zoo.
Apollo, the African lion that had thrilled children and adults alike for 20 years, was euthanized after his failing health took a turn for the worse.
Visitors will miss the lion's majestic demeanor and beauty, said zoo director Ken Redman, but the zookeeper who greeted the king of the jungle every morning may feel the greatest loss.
"When Apollo was up and posing and surveying his country like the Lion King would, that's a chicken-skin moment, and I think regular visitors will miss that," Redman said.
"But (today) is going to be really tough for the (zookeeper) because he comes in the mornings and the first thing he would do is go see Apollo and get a greeting back and forth. That's a ritual they've been through 10-11 years."
Apollo suffered from kidney failure, arthritis and extreme weakness from muscle atrophy. When his condition worsened, "it was a fairly obvious decision because he was suffering pretty badly and deteriorating beyond recovery," Redman said.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Aug/08/ln/hawaii708080394.html



Zoological Society top donor to Prop. 2
By Keith Ervin
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Woodland Park Zoological Society, the nonprofit that runs the Woodland Park Zoo and stands to gain $3.2 million a year from King County Proposition 2, is the leading donor to the levy campaign.
The Zoological Society's $113,226 cash and in-kind contributions account for more than half of the $214,520 given by all donors through last week to the Parks and Recreation Coalition's campaign for two parks levies on the Aug. 21 ballot.
The society, founded in 1965 as the fundraising arm of the Seattle-owned zoo, has operated the zoo since 2002.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003826536_zoolevies08m.html



Zoo experts visit Bacolod City
Bacolod City (8 August) -- The deputy curator of birds for the Czech Republic's famed Prague Zoo, Antonin Vaidl, and the chief veterinarian of Liberec Zoo, Dr. Helena Zimova, visited the Negros Forests and Ecological Foundation's Biodiversity Conservation Center (NFEFI) in Bacolod City, recently.
Vaidl and Zimova have been visiting conservation sites throughout the Philippines.
The visiting experts had high praise for the way the animals were kept at the NFEFI compound, especially the plentiful vegetation in the aviaries that give the animals a natural habitat. (PIA)

http://www.pia.gov.ph/default.asp?m=12&fi=p070808.htm&no=41



Zoo is shipping coloring books to Madagascar
BY KYLE HARPSTER
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
In about three weeks, a ship will leave New York Harbor on a 10,000-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean and around the southern tip of Africa to the island of Madagascar.
Its cargo: about 15,000 coloring books from the Henry Doorly Zoo.
The coloring books, along with 15,000 boxes of crayons and 15,000 notebooks, are destined for elementary school children in five areas across the island. Four areas are home to some of the most endangered species of lemur in the world.
The books, which also include pages of educational activities, are intended to teach children about those animals and the value of conservation, said Dr. Ed Louis, head of the genetics department at the zoo's Center for Conservation and Research.
"We want to get the community involved to help protect these really critically endangered species," he said. "We're researchers, but we feel this is important because it will reach multiple generations."
Madagascar, which is about the size of Texas, lies about 200 miles off Africa's east coast and is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, some found nowhere else. Many are threatened or endangered because of deforestation.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=10100650



Louisville Zoo grants girl's wish
Photo 1 of 14
Next »
The Louisville Zoo helped the Make-A-Wish foundation fulfill the dream of 13-year-old Elaney Pickering of Eudora, Kan., whose wish was to meet Scotty, the Louisville Zoo's baby African elephant and be a zoo keeper for the day. Here, Elaney watched Scotty play with the zoo keeper's hand. (Photos by Pam Spaulding, The Courier-Journal)

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=B2&Dato=20070807&Kategori=NEWS01&Lopenr=708070821&Ref=PH



Council delays Hogle Zoo bond vote
By Jeremiah Stettler
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 08/07/2007 04:57:10 PM MDT
Posted: 5:01 PM- The Salt Lake County Council won't decide for a week, and maybe two, whether Hogle Zoo can seek $65 million from taxpayers to pay for a massive makeover of its east-side park.
Council members put off the vote Tuesday, noting several legal loose ends they must reconcile before deciding to put Hogle's request on the November ballot.
But the delay also could have something to with politics, according to Councilman Joe Hatch, who said he couldn't eke out a fifth vote from Republicans to support a zoo referendum.
So Hogle Zoo must wait - maybe until the Aug. 23 deadline - to find out whether it can proceed with plans to create more expansive, lifelike exhibits for polar bears, gorillas and giraffes. The money also would pay for more parking and an animal hospital.
Director Craig Dinsmore stands behind the zoo's request as a need, not a want, saying, "in today's world, there is no place for an OK zoo."

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6565867


Evan Almighty - Zoo Rescue
Kind of jump’n'run, pixel-art game. Yiou have to save all the animals. Right after the click.

http://haha.nu/interesting/evan-almighty-zoo-rescue/


Dated:

Leo’s debut at Bronx Zoo today
By Irfan Malik
KARACHI, Sept 24: Leo, the orphaned snow leopard cub who made headlines last month when he was flown from Pakistan to the US, will make his official debut today at New York’s Bronx Zoo, event organisers told Dawn.
First Lady of Pakistan Begum Sehba Musharraf will be the honoured guest on the occasion, according to programme details provided by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the administrators of the Bronx Zoo.
Leo and a female sibling that later died were rescued last year by a shepherd in Naltar Valley, Northern Areas, after their mother was reportedly killed by a landslide. In July 2005, little Leo was handed over to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) and was subsequently hand-reared by Mr Kamaluddin of the Northern Areas Forest and Wildlife Department.
“Leo was ill, very weak and weighed only 1.5 kilograms when he was given to me on July 14 last year,” Kamaluddin, a resident of Sust in upper Hunza, said at a handing-over ceremony in Islamabad on August 8, 2006. “I looked after the cub like my child and gave him goat’s milk.”

http://www.dawn.com/2006/09/25/top10.htm



Animal rights group critical of zoo
The Hamilton Spectator
(Sep 25, 2006)
Complaints about the conditions at the Killman Zoo have been filed with the province by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
The animal rights group said the animals are in cages the size of a single-car garage, which provides little room for exercise. The group also said the cages are littered with feces and that animals, who are social and usually live with others, are being housed alone. The WSPA did an audit in 2005 and gave the Caledonia zoo a failing grade. A recent investigation by the group has found little has changed since that audit.
The WSPA recently submitted complaints to the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159135811741&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815



Man-eater caught, but dies at Mysore zoo
24 Sep 2006, 2217 hrs IST
TNN
MYSORE: Failure of Mysore zoo authorities in providing timely medical care resulted in the death of a 12-year-old tigress on Saturday night. The tigress, which was giving sleepless nights to villagers and tribals on the fringes of Nagarahole National Park, was tranquillised and brought to the Mysore Zoo in an unconscious state.
The tigress was brought to the zoo at 11.30 pm on Saturday. From there, it was shifted to Aranya Bhavan and was brought back to the zoo on Sunday morning, where it died. Sources said despite advance information about the arrival of the tiger, zoo authorities failed to arrange for medical aid.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2023255.cms



Providence zoo plans major expansion
September 19, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. --Roger Williams Park Zoo is launching a $35 million renovation that will expand a polar bear exhibit and create a North America trail and a children's zoo, park authorities said.
Zoo Director Jack Mulvena said the goal of the five-year project is to have a more user-friendly zoo and increase the number of visitors to one of Rhode Island's most popular attractions.
Attendance has declined to about 650,000 patrons annually since hitting a record of 770,000 visitors in 1997.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/09/19/providence_zoo_plans_major_expansion/



Roger Williams Park Zoo plans major renovations
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Roger Williams Park Zoo is planning a 35 million dollar upgrade and renovation. Zoo officials say the five-year project will return polar bars to a North America exhibit and create a New England trail and children's zoo.
To pay for the improvements, zoo officials plan to borrow 15 million dollars and raise at another 20 million dollars through donations. Zoo director Jack Mulvena says the improvements are necessary because the zoo is not user friendly.
Most visitors see only about 60 percent of the 100-acre facility. The Providence zoo is one of Rhode Island's top tourist destinations.

http://www.eyewitnessnewstv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5426062&nav=F2DO



Zoo prepares for Irwin memorial
Final preparations are being made for the public memorial service for the "Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin.
The high-profile conservationist was struck in the chest by a stingray barb while diving off the north Queensland coast earlier this month.
The ceremony on Wednesday morning will be held at the family's Australia Zoo at Beerwah on the Sunshine Coast.
Friend and event organiser John Stainton says it will be an emotional day for Irwin's widow Terri and children, Bindi and Bob.
"Terri will be strong as ever," he said.
"I'm hoping tomorrow that it's not too stressful for her because just seeing Steve on the screen and hearing the people say the things they've said they're going to affect her really badly.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200609/s1744828.htm


Enough visitors or zoo few?
Article from:
By Peter Trute
September 20, 2006 12:00am
THE battle for the hearts and wallets of animal lovers began yesterday with Sydney's new boutique zoo opening its doors for inspection.
As Sydney Wildlife World offered the media a tour of its two-level waterside CBD facility, across the Harbour Taronga Zoo was reminding NSW it still ruled the animal world.
Taronga announced the hatching of four veiled chameleons, the first time the reptiles have been bred in captivity in Australia.

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20440466-5006009,00.html



Zoo Safari Challenge makes South Africa 'possible' as a top destination
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
On Tuesday, agents, wholesalers and operators alike gathered at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo to be immersed in all things South African. It was an event that allowed those in the travel industry to gather more knowledge of the area in order to be more able to tell their clients about how they can “Experience South Africa”.
The 100 travel agents, 4 South African operators and 7 wholesalers were told that a ‘surprise’ that awaited them at the zoo. As the sun was setting over Sydney Harbour, it was revealed that South African Tourism was sending everyone on a scavenger hunt, or more artfully termed, ‘Zoo Safari Challenge’ through the world-famous zoological park.

http://www.etravelblackboard.com/index.asp?id=56167&nav=83



Smithsonian National Zoo Exhibit To Open in October
Exhibit Will Feature Sloth Bears And Giant Pandas
POSTED: 2:37 pm EDT September 19, 2006
UPDATED: 4:00 pm EDT September 19, 2006
WASHINGTON -- The Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat and Asia Trail at the Smithsonian's National Zoo opens to the public on Oct. 17, according to zoo officials.
Over the next few weeks, National Zoo staff are helping the animals adjust to their new environments.
One of the animals featured in the exhibit is Balavat, a sloth bear cub born on Jan. 9, 2006

http://www.nbc4.com/news/9886446/detail.html


Panda bites man, man bites panda back at Beijing zoo
The Associated Press
Published: September 20, 2006
BEIJING A drunken Chinese tourist bit a panda at the Beijing Zoo after the animal attacked him when he jumped into the enclosure and tried to hug it, state media said Wednesday.
Zhang Xinyan had drunk four pitchers of beer at a restaurant before "stumbling to the zoo" nearby and stopping off at the pen holding a sleeping 6-year-old male panda, Gu Gu, on Tuesday, the Beijing Morning Post said.
"He felt a sudden urge to touch the panda with his hand" and jumped over a waist-high railing down into the enclosure, the newspaper said. "When he got closer and was undiscovered, he reached out to hug it."
Startled, Gu Gu bit Zhang in the right leg, it said. Zhang, a 35-year-old migrant laborer from central Henan province, got angry and kicked the panda, who then bit his other leg. A tussle ensued, the paper said.
"I bit the fellow in the back," Zhang was quoted as saying in the newspaper. "Its skin was quite thick."
Other tourists yelled for a zookeeper, who soon got the panda under control by spraying it with water, reports said. Zhang was hospitalized.
Newspaper photographs showed Zhang lying on a hospital bed with blood-soaked bandages and several seams of stitches running down his leg.
The Beijing Youth Daily quoted Zhang, a father of two who was visiting Beijing for the first time, as saying that he had seen pandas on television and "they seemed to get along well with people."
"No one ever said they would bite people," Zhang said. "I just wanted to touch it. I was so dizzy from the beer. I don't remember much."
Ye Mingxia, a spokeswoman for the Beijing Zoo, confirmed the incident happened but would not give any details. She said Gu Gu was "healthy and uninjured."
"We're not considering punishing him now," Ye said in a telephone interview. "He's suffered quite a bit of shock."
China has more than 180 pandas living in captivity. A 2002 government census found there were just 1,596 pandas left in the wild. But state media has said a new study by Chinese and British scientists has found there might be as many as 3,000.
In 2003, a college student trying to take a photo of a panda in the Beijing Zoo jumped into the enclosure and broke his bones in the fall, the Beijing Morning Post said.
It did not say which panda it was or if it attacked the student.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/20/asia/AS_ODD_China_Man_Bites_Panda.php



Zoo in northern India sets up old age home for dying lions
The Associated Press
Published: September 20, 2006
NEW DELHI Zookeepers in north India are watching mournfully as nearly two dozen lions slowly die after a breeding program left many cats sick, a wildlife official said Wednesday.
The program, which began in the late 1980s at the Chhatbir Zoo, tried to crossbreed Asiatic and African lions. It was discontinued in 2002 after many of the nearly 80 lions bred were struck by a mysterious disease aggravated by inbreeding and a weakened gene pool, said Kuldip Kumar, Punjab state's conservator of forests and wildlife.
The Chhatbir Zoo, near the city of Chandigarh, is in Punjab state.
When the program ended, all of the male lions were given vasectomies to prevent further breeding, Kumar said.
It will take about six years for the remaining 22 lions bred through the program to die of natural causes, he said.
Zoo authorities have decided to launch a new captive breeding project using "pure Asiatic lion stock from other zoos in the country but only after the last of the earlier crop of lions have been phased out," he said.
The zoo has recently built an enclosed area for the oldest and most infirm of the lions, so they are not attacked by the more robust cats.
"At any time the zoo has around four to five lions that are too old and weak to compete with the younger more aggressive lions. This enclosure for them separates them from the younger lot," Kumar said.
The lions are fed boneless meat and kept away from the zoo's immensely popular lion safari area, which is spread over 15 hectares (37 acres), he said.
Wildlife officials had originally hoped the hybrid cats could be introduced into the wild in an effort to bolster India's endangered wild lion population.
"But we decided to stop breeding them after the lions were struck by a mysterious disease and some 30 of them died in 1999 and 2000," Kumar said.
Since Indian wildlife laws prevent killing animals, a cull of the aging cats has been ruled out. Meanwhile, zoo authorities were trying to make life a little bit more comfortable for the beasts.
Wildlife experts say rampant poaching is driving the Asiatic lion to extinction, especially in the Gir forests in western India, the last wild refuge of the big cats.
The last lion census conducted in the Gir forests in 2000 put the number of Asiatic lions at 320. However, the animals' numbers have further dwindled due to poaching, open wells that act as death traps and human encroachment on the lions' habitat.
Lions are poached for their pelts and claws, both of which command a huge price in the illegal wildlife trade.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/20/asia/AS_GEN_India_Asiatic_Lions.php



Local student helps keep zoo promise
A Gresham teen helps Oregon Zoo keep its 23-year-old promise to chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall.
By Kelly Moyer-Wade
Keri Kestermont isn’t used to being in the spotlight.
The 17-year-old Gresham girl is modest and unassuming when asked about her personal life, but when the conversation turns to her work with the Oregon Zoo, Kestermont lights up.
“I love working with the pygmy goats!” Kestermont says. “They’re so round and cute … we call them ‘beer kegs with legs’ … they’re irresistible.”

http://www.theoutlookonline.com/features/story.php?story_id=115872144669473600



Zoo in India sets up old age home for dying lions
Associated Press
Last update: September 20, 2006 – 7:42 AM
NEW DELHI — Nearly two dozen crossbred lions are slowly dying in northern India from a mysterious disease afflicting the hybrid offspring of Asiatic and African cats paired in a discontinued experimental program.
Zookeepers are mournfully watching the results of the program, which began in the late 1980s at the Chhatbir Zoo and was ended in 2002 after many of the nearly 80 crossbred lions were struck by a mysterious disease linked to inbreeding and a weakened gene pool, said Kuldip Kumar, Punjab state's conservator of forests and wildlife.

http://www.startribune.com/722/story/689140.html



Two white tigers die in Punjab zoo
Punjab, India, 12:00 AM IST
Chandigarh - A pair of white tigers died at the Chhatbir zoological park in Punjab Wednesday.
Saurabh and Diya, the only ones of this species in the zoo, 15 km from here, were both three-and-a-half-years old and their sudden death remains a mystery.
Zoo officials remained tight-lipped saying only the post-mortem report could throw light on the exact cause of death. The post-mortem was conducted by experts and veterinarians here.

http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20060921/23094.htm



Rare tigers could boost Zoo attendance
Memphis Business Journal - September 20, 2006
by Andy Ashby
Staff writer
The Memphis Zoo's new inhabitants could raise the awe factor, and attendance figures, at the 100-year-old facility.
The zoo's Cat Country exhibit will begin displaying a female white Bengal tiger cub, Orissa, and two other Bengal tiger cubs, Kumari and Naryan, on Saturday.
All three cubs are about 6 months old. Orissa is from a private breeder, while Kumari and Naryan came from the Texas Zoo in Victoria, Texas.
The Zoo had temporary exhibits of white tigers in 1988 and 2000. White tigers are Bengal tigers with white fur, blue eyes and chocolate-colored stripes.

http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2006/09/18/daily28.html?jst=b_ln_hl



Zoo kicks off campaign for 1-mill, 10-year levy
The Toledo Zoo yesterday kicked off its campaign to win voter approval of a 1-mill, 10-year levy that will appear on the Nov. 7 general election ballot.
Passage of the levy would enable the zoo to preserve and maintain its current facilities and exhibits while continuing to meet standards for animal care, officials said.
The proposed levy would take the place of a capital improvement levy that expired in December, 2005. If approved, the capital levy would raise $8.6 million a year and cost $30.62 for a $100,000 home.
The kickoff occurred in front of the zoo’s aquarium building, one of the structures slated for updates. The levy also would help fund more space for the zoo’s elephants and rhinos, as well as pay for a new Children’s Zone. It would pay for more parking, five temporary exhibits, nearly $17 million in debt relief, and $10 million for basic maintenance.
At the kickoff event, officials unveiled the artwork for the levy campaign yard sign, which features the zoo’s hippo logo. Community leaders and local officials were on hand yesterday to rally support.

http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060921/NEWS38/60921007/-1/NEWS



5-week-old baby gorilla at Cincinnati Zoo is named Bakari
The Associated Press
Published: September 21, 2006
CINCINNATI The first gorilla born at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden since 1998 has been named Bakari, a Swahili word meaning "promise."
"Bakari is fitting as there is great promise for the future of gorillas in both zoos and the wild," said Ron Evans, spokesman for the zoo's primate center.
The male gorilla baby was born Aug. 13. His mother is Muke, the zoo's 24-year-old western lowland gorilla, and the father is Jomo, a 15-year-old silverback on loan from the Toronto Zoo.
Cincinnati Zoo gorillas have been some of the most prolific in captivity, with 48 births and another expected soon. The Bronx Zoo in New York City has had 57 gorilla births.
About 75,000 western lowland gorillas remain in the wild, and there are about 350 in captivity in North America, the zoo said.
On the Net: Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden: http://www.cincinnatizoo.org.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/21/america/NA_GEN_US_Gorilla_Baby.php



Carp may be converted into food for zoo animals
21 September, 2006 - SILVER carp – notorious for their dangerous jumping and ecological damage to rivers and lakes in the USA – are at the centre of talks to carry out new research. In a bid to “make good food of bad fish”, Rob Hayward, fisheries researcher at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Duane Chapman, a fisheries biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and a team of researchers, are looking to convert the fish into food for zoo animals.

http://www.fishfarmer-magazine.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/654/Carp_may_be_converted_into_food_for_zoo_animals.html



Zoo opening hog habitat
Nashville Business Journal - September 21, 2006
The Nashville Zoo has announced that its new red river hog habitat will open to the public on Sept. 27. The habitat will be located next to the zoo's African elephant savannah, and will feature several viewing areas.
In a news release, the zoo said red river hogs grow up to five feet in length and 250 pounds, with a red coat and contrasting black and white markings on their heads. Native to west and central sub-Saharan Africa, they have long pointed ears with tufts of hair at the tip which, according to the zoo, they sometimes shake to intimidate predators.

http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2006/09/18/daily32.html



Baby Panda Thrives at Zoo Atlanta
A baby panda born at Zoo Atlanta is now two weeks old and already showing the characteristics of a giant panda. The cub is developing dark colors around its eyes, ears, shoulders and hind legs.
The bear, which is hairless, won't open its eyes until it's about 75 days old. Its gender might not be known for weeks. At 100 days, the zoo is planning to hold a naming ceremony for it the cub.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=84998



September 22, 2006
Mill Mountain Zoo offers an adoption program
How many of you have paid a trip to the Mill Mountain Zoo and found a favorite animal?
Now, although you can't take one home, you can adopt an animal at the Mill Mountain Zoo and proudly call yourself a zoo parent.
It's a new program Mill Mountain has come up with to raise money and give the zoo a more interactive feel.

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=5447647



9/23/06-Tyler
Free Admission To Caldwell Zoo
East Texans of all ages got to go to the zoo today for free. This weekend, your admission to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler is not green cash, it's a yellow phone book.
This is the first year the zoo has offered free admission in order to collect and recycle used phone books. Zoo officials say they expected to collect 2,000 books today.

http://www.kltv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5449087&nav=1TjD



Wild night spent safely in Quebec zoo
Being a pushover for wildlife encounters, I found myself crawling into a tent and spending the night last fall with a herd of caribou -- inside the Zoo Sauvage (Wild Zoo), in Saint-Félicien in the northern part of Quebec, Canada. The zoo offers visitors overnight safaris on a regular basis.
During the day, guides took our group of six behind the scenes to areas where day visitors aren't allowed. We dropped by the animal clinic to see a lynx with an injured paw. In another part of the zoo, where most onlookers interact with playful polar bears through a heavy glass wall, we visited the bears' smelly nighttime quarters.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/24/TRGU8L98EL1.DTL



Zoo Atlanta close to determining gender of panda cub
The Associated Press - ATLANTA
The world won't have to wait much longer to find out the gender of the newest addition to Zoo Atlanta's panda family.
Zoo keepers say they should be able to have enough alone time with the cub in the next week to do a thorough examination, which will reveal the sex of the 19-day-old baby.
The mother, Lun Lun, has begun leaving her cub more frequently to eat bamboo in a room adjacent to where the baby is.

http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=80798



Zoo hopes for big cat litter
DESPITE dark skies, a shower of hailstones and temperatures of a less-than-tropical 10 degrees, Melbourne Zoo yesterday observed its fourth International Tiger Day in honour of the critically endangered Sumatran tiger.
The zoo is home to two captive-bred Sumatran tigers. The male, Ramalon, was born in Sydney in 1995 and was brought to Melbourne in 1999. The female, Binjai, came to Melbourne in 2004 from Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands, where she was born in 2002.
They have not yet produced a litter, although the pair have mated in recent weeks. The tigers have a gestation period of 92 to 110 days, so zoo officials say it is still too early to tell if Binjai is expecting.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/zoo-hopes-for-big-cat-litter/2006/09/24/1159036415343.html

continued...