Zoos
Western exploitation of explicitly pristine forest is no surprise. Why do they even threaten the very areas of the world most important to protect? It's ludicrous already. Western profiteers have taken the posture their ability to exploit and profit has some kind of clout in a court of law over and above the integrity and value of Earth's balance and species survival. They need to get over it once and for all.
http://www.freewebs.com/epgorissa/niyamgiri.pdf
Court bans mining in Indian mountain forests
By Debabrata Mohanty
Published: 24 November 2007
India's Supreme Court has barred a British company from mining bauxite in forested hills in the east of the country that are home to some of the world's rarest animals, handing a victory to environmental activists and tribal people.
Vedanta Resources Plc had planned a £470m open-cast mining project that would rip through the plateau of the Niyamgiri mountain range in Orissa to feed an aluminium plant it has already built in the area.
But yesterday the court ruled: "Adherence to sustainable development is a constitutional requirement. We cannot risk handing over this important national asset to a company." Development had to proceed, "without compromising the needs of future generations".
There was a chance that the project could proceed in some form, however, after the court asked Vedanta's Indian arm, Sterlite Industries, to come back with a proposal on safeguarding the rights of local tribal people through a new investment firm. There was no comment from Vedanta on the ruling.
The hilly areas of the southern part of Orissa, one of the most underdeveloped regions of India, are bauxite-rich, and the British mining group's project in the Kalahandi district to produce one million tons of aluminium a year has been at the centre of a raging environmental controversy. The dense forests contain endangered animals, including the Bengal tiger, Asian elephants, giant squirrels, pangolins, four-horned antelopes and the very rare golden gecko.
The mountains, once considered for status as a wildlife sanctuary by the state government, is also home to about 8,000 Dongria Kondhs, one of India's most distinctive aboriginal peoples.
For Anil Agarwal, a 54-year-old former scrap metal dealer and now chief executive of Vedanta, mining the area is worth billions of pounds, owing to the booming export demand for aluminium, a major raw material in the global arms industry.
But opponents of the project warn it would open the floodgates of massive exploitation of Orissa's natural wealth.
"Niyamgiri is extremely rich in biodiversity and many rare species of flora and fauna have been recently discovered from there," the Indian environmentalist Biswajit Mohanty said. "Major rivers have their source on the slopes of these mountains, filtered through the bauxite, which has exceptional qualities for holding and channelling water."
The green campaigners claim 660 hectares (1,500 acres) of pristine forest with a level of biodiversity rare in south Asia would be destroyed, leading to the drying up of at least two rivers and the annihilation of several rare breeds of wildlife. Protests led to the arrest of scores of tribespeople who fear the refinery will spell their doom.
The court order drew mixed reactions from those opposed to Vedanta. Jubilant tribal people, armed with bows and arrows, rushed out of their houses in the Niyamgiri hills as reports of the order reached the region.
"The people of Kalahandi and tribals of Dongria Kondh community salute the verdict of the court," said Bhakta Charan Das, a former MP who is spearheading the anti-Vedanta campaign.
Voluntary groups that supported the protests were, however, cautious. "We are very apprehensive of this special purpose vehicle," said Babu Mathew, country director of ActionAid India, referring to the court's idea of a new company to take control of the project.
"There have been too many such arrangements that have failed in the past," he told Reuters.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article3191526.ece
British zoo work in Assam wins major wildlife award
London, Nov 24 : An innovative Chester Zoo project that uses smoke bombs comprising chilli powder to ward off marauding elephants from human habitation and crops in Asom was awarded the field conservation award at this year’s annual BIAZA awards on Wednesday evening.
Charles Walker, MP, presented the prestigious conservation and wild life awards at the Marwell Zoological Park in Hampshire on behalf of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).
BIAZA is a conservation, education and scientific wildlife charity organization founded in 1966 out of a mutual desire within the zoo and aquarium community to see sound principles and practices of animal management widely adopted in the British Isles and Ireland.
Called the Assam Haathi Project, Chester Zoo’s work in the State on elephant conservation helps to mitigate human-elephant conflict. This work supports the conservation of one of the last remaining large elephant population in the area and also the local people.
A BIAZA commendation went to Blackpool Zoo, also for elephant conservation, this time in Sri Lanka, involving habitat protection. Chester Zoo also received the best new enclosure award for their new forest area for Asian elephants.
Miranda Stevenson, director of BIAZA, said: “The award-winning programmes under the spotlight today demonstrate the huge investment of energy and resources made by our leading zoos to support habitat and species conservation. “Conservation within zoos and aquariums is a vital part of the work to protect threatened species and to help change public behaviour and ensure the future of Planet Earth. These awards recognise and celebrate the vital contributions that our members are making to conservation and education each year. Equally, they are standard bearers for excellence in animal husbandry and welfare.”
Chester Zoo teamed up with the Asom-based conservation organization, EcoSystems-India, and developed the “Assam Haathi Project”. The project works closely with local people, monitoring elephant movements and gaining a better understanding of their habits and needs in order to design practical solutions for the crop-raiding problem.
http://www.sinlung.com/Assam/British-zoo-work-in-Assam-wins-major-wildlife-award.html
Updated plan could curb Hawaii extinctions
STORY SUMMARY »
As efforts to conserve Hawaii's land to prevent further extinction of native plants and animals fall short, two Kauai researchers are introducing another method that bridges the old ways and the new.
This method, called "inter-situ," would reintroduce species in a pre-existing wild environment using the same efforts as in human-controlled environments, such as in botanical gardens and zoos.
The researchers say Hawaii's environment, what they call the "extinction capital of the U.S.," is worsening for most species, and conservationists need to take bold steps to curb the dire situation created by humans, new diseases and natural disasters.
http://starbulletin.com/2007/11/19/news/story03.html
New Wing at Honolulu Zoo is Dedicated to Sumatran Tiger Exhibit
By Carol Arnott, 11/19/2007 4:05:02 PM
HONOLULU, HI - The Honolulu Zoo Society and the City & County of Honolulu are proud to announce the dedication of the new wing of the Sumatran tiger exhibit on Monday, Nov. 19, 2007. The mayor will be on hand at 1 p.m. to formally unveil this exciting improvement to the Zoo and thank private donors from the 2006 “Tiger Moon” fundraiser, plus volunteers and staff whose labors have made it all possible.
The Honolulu Zoo is entrusted by the American Zoo & Aquarium Species Survival Plan, to breed the critically endangered Sumatran tiger pair, Berani and Chrissie, who arrived in Honolulu from the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo in Indiana in November 2005. The Honolulu Zoo Society answered the City’s call for help to raise funds to expand the existing facilities, which for the last two years have required that only one tiger may be out on exhibit at a time.
The new wing encompasses a 75’ x 45’ space, includes a 6’ x 8’ glass viewing area and pool, at a cost of $210,000. Tropical rainforest landscaping will provide a pleasing visitor experience and a naturalistic habitat for the tigers to thrive. Best of all, the new exhibit will enable each of the female tigers, Djelita and Chrissie to have their own territories.
The male, Berani, will rotate among the two enclosures for conjugal visits with Chrissie, with whom he has already produced a litter of cubs in Indiana.
Tiger gestation is 3 months, the same of as for domestic cats, and the average litter size is 2-4. Sumatran tigers are the smallest of the 5 tiger subspecies, and critically endangered. There are only 400-500 remaining in the wild and only 200 in zoos worldwide.
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?69b24ad0-f3c2-4e39-9b16-894795562505
Jack Hanna speaks in Gainesville to support SFCC Teaching Zoo
By KATIE EMMETS, Alligator Contributing Writer
Jack Hanna said he knew he wanted to be a zookeeper when he was 12 years old.
On Monday night, Hanna donated his time to raise money for the SFCC Teaching Zoo by discussing wildlife conservation and sharing his adventures with animals to a reception at the Best Western Gateway Grand.
Hanna has made regular appearances on the "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Good Morning America."
Hanna, who is the director emeritus at the Columbus Zoo, joked about how he was at the BCS National Championship Game in January and had to leave at halftime because his team was losing.
Hanna said that he could film anywhere in the world for this episode of his show, "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures," but he chose the SFCC Teaching Zoo.
http://www.alligator.org/articles/2007/11/20/news/sfcc/hanna.txt
Jack Hanna visits The SFCC Teaching Zoo
http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=1315743767
Presents to the Animals at the Queens Zoo
For the animals at the Queens Zoo, the holidays come early — and often! Visitors are invited to watch the animals devour special holiday treats each weekend in December.
Log In to add this event to your calendar.
http://www.nyas.org/snc/calendarDetail.asp?eventID=9687&date=12%2F2%2F2007
Trumpet the news: Elephant is going to be a mom
By MARK DAVIS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/19/07
Surely the folks at Zoo Atlanta must be tempted to talk about the "pitter-patter of little feet," but let's be realistic: When mom weighs four tons, the baby's going to have a set of stompers.
Dottie, one of the zoo's three African elephants, is pregnant. Expect the earth to move sometime around April 1, 2009.
Make room in the pool, a new baby elephant is coming to the zoo courtesy of mother Dottie.
Facts at a glance:
• Mother's name, age: Dottie, 25
• Father's name: Jackson or Ali; both donated sperm
• Gestation period: average 22 months
• Weight at birth: 225-320 pounds
• Height at birth: 3 feet
• Average labor: Can vary from nearly instantly to two days
• Losing the figure: Pregnant elephants gain about 500 pounds during their pregnancy
• Hungry youngster: Calves consume 2-3 gallons of milk per day for the first six months of their lives.
Yes, you read that correctly. If all goes as expected, the zoo's first newborn Loxodonta africana should arrive in less than two years. With Dottie will be her pals, fellow elephants Tara and Kelly.
Zoo officials have suspected for a month or more that Dottie was in a family way, and an ultrasound proves it.
"We're going to have to baby-proof the habitat," said Dennis Kelly, the zoo's president and CEO.
Making a pachyderm pregnant was no simple matter.
The zoo originally hoped to breed the elephant with C'sar, a handsome guy at the North Carolina Zoo. But Dottie stayed in Atlanta after officials at the Asheboro, N.C., facility decided last year to seek some younger females for their bull.
That left plan B, a procedure reminiscent of the 2006 impregnation of giant panda Lun Lun.
http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2007/11/19/elephant_1120.html
Ban on circus lions may be dropped
From The Times
November 21, 2007
Ban on circus lions may be dropped
A ban on the use of wild animals such as lions and tigers in performing circuses is to be reexamined by the Government.
Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, signalled the move yesterday after an 18-month official inquiry found no scientific evidence that the welfare of animals kept in circuses was “any better or worse” than those kept in zoos or on farms.
Mike Radford, chairman of the circus working group, told ministers that in the absence of sufficient knowledge about the welfare of wild animals in circuses any ban “is ultimately a political decision.”
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2910432.ece
Israeli Hippos Arrive to Sochi
21.11.2007
On Tuesday, November 20, four 8-month-old hippos from an Israeli safari-park arrived to the international airport of Olympics-2014 capital - Sochi. All animals, the total weight of which exceeds 2 tons, were sedated and delivered to Sochi with an additional flight.
From the airport the animals were brought to the city circus for having careful medical control and being in quarantine for some time, after which the hippos will permanently live at the new local zoological garden and will entertain Sochi citizens and guests of the Russian resort city.
Israel presented Russian with the hippos in the framework of world zoos programme of animal exchange. As the administration of the Israeli safari-park explains, at some zoos there is an excess of animals, and at other – their shortage. The Sochi zoo requested hippos and one of the Israeli safari-parks offered their animals.
Although Israel has taken no money for the hippos, the receiving side has paid for the transportation and work of the help staff.
http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/5208/
Japanese zoos look to 'match make' shy koalas
Nine zoos across the nation have joined forces to "match make" their koalas to help them breed amid declining numbers of the popular Australian mammal in Japan.
The unique program was launched last year and has so far resulted in the successful birth of four koalas.
According to Japanese zoo officials, the number of koalas kept at zoos in Japan declined from 91 in 1998 to 63 in 2006. The number of newly born koalas also decreased from 16 in 1996 to only four in 2005.
Since the death rate of koalas within a year of their birth is high, it appears difficult to maintain the number of koalas in Japan, officials said.
Hisashi Hashikawa, a koala specialist for the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, attributes the causes of the crisis to Australia restricting the number of koalas it allows to be sent abroad; koalas in Japan becoming more blood-related to one another, making it difficult to breed them; and the aging of female koalas.
The nine zoos across Japan, including Tama Zoological Park in Hino, Tokyo, have thus struck a deal to share their koalas for breeding.
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20071121p2a00m0na029000c.html
On the spot
DAVID WINDMILL: Chief executive, Edinburgh Zoo
How much of Edinburgh Zoo's funding comes from the public purse and how much from personal donations and commercial activities?
Jonathan P, by e-mail
We receive no public funding for running the zoo. The vast majority of our income comes from our commercial activities such as admissions, retail and catering. This currently pays for all the costs of running the zoo and our conservation, education and research work.
Is the zoo as popular now as it used to be - and do you have visitor figures to show how interest has changed?
Marjorie Currie, Edinburgh
The highest year ever was 714,091 in 1973. Last year we had 655,000 visitors, a figure only exceeded six times since the zoo opened in 1913.
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1819292007
Australia's Bindi Irwin says no to Hollywood: manager
5 days ago
SYDNEY (AFP) — Australia's pint-sized wildlife warrior Bindi Irwin has declined an offer to move to Hollywood and star in a feature film, her manager John Stainton said.
Stainton said the nine-year-old will stay at the Queensland zoo founded by her late father, "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, where she lives with her mother Terri.
"There has been lots of interest from lots of parties in the States," Stainton told The Sun-Herald.
"But it's one of those things we're not doing. While Bindi lives at the zoo in Beerwah, she has every chance of being a normal kid.
"I think the influences she would get from having to live in Hollywood, or do a movie in Hollywood, would be different."
Steve Irwin, who became internationally famous for his television shows which featured risky stunts with dangerous animals, was killed in September 2006 when a stingray barb pierced his chest.
At the time, he was filming his daughter's wildlife-themed television programme, "Bindi: The Jungle Girl", in far north Queensland.
Since her father's death, Bindi, who has vowed to continue his work in wildlife conservation, has launched a clothing line and a children's fitness DVD, appeared in a stage show and become an official Australian tourism ambassador.
She also helps out at the zoo.
Stainton said if Bindi were to make a film, she would do so without leaving Australia.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5inbSjBfMBgMiwmd4yd4QHcROVR3Q
Please adopt our baby elephant: Zoo
18 Nov 2007, 0017 hrs IST
Radha Sharma
AHMEDABAD: The Kamla Nehru Kankaria Zoo is looking for individual or corporate sponsors to fund the upbringing of this 75-kg newly-born baby elephant - a first in the western zone so far.
Zoo authorities told The Times of India they are thinking about inviting bids from corporates and individuals, who want to name the baby elephant.
“All over the world, corporates and individuals adopt zoo animals by paying for their annual upkeep. This public-private partnership has worked wonders abroad for the better upkeep of animals in zoos across the globe,” says zoo superintendent Dr R K Sahu.
In India, Mysore Zoo and Lucknow zoo haveinitiated the practice of public-private partnership for the upkeep of zoo animals. “In these zoos, nearly 20 per cent of the animals are now adopted by corporates or individuals,” Dr Sahu said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Please_adopt_our_baby_elephant_Zoo/articleshow/2549114.cms
British zoo's work in Assam wins major wildlife award
Posted : Thu, 22 Nov 2007 04:00:02 GMT
Author : Prasun Sonwalkar
London, Nov 22 - An innovative Chester Zoo project that uses smoke bombs comprising chilli powder to ward off marauding elephants from human habitation and crops in Assam was awarded the field conservation award at this year's annual BIAZA awards on Wednesday evening.
Charles Walker, MP, presented the prestigious conservation and wild life awards at the Marwell Zoological Park in Hampshire on behalf of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA).
BIAZA is a conservation, education and scientific wildlife charity organisation founded in 1966 out of a mutual desire within the zoo and aquarium community to see sound principles and practices of animal management widely adopted in the British Isles and Ireland.
Called the Assam Haathi Project, Chester Zoo's work in Assam on elephant conservation helps to mitigate human-elephant conflict. This work supports the conservation of one of the last remaining large elephant populations in the area and also the local people.
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/146125.html
Zoo keeper in celebration event
A KEEPER at Marwell Zoo near Winchester who overcame disability to land her dream job is having her story told in London.
Katy Beschizza is one of six people who will be saluted at the Shaw Trust's annual star awards.
The 31-year-old from Basingstoke has been profoundly deaf since contracting meningitis as a baby.
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She studied animal care at Sparsholt College and was later referred to the Shaw Trust, which helps to find jobs for the disabled.
http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/hampshirenews/display.var.1831617.0.zoo_keeper_in_celebration_event.php
Zoo career day gives students bird's-eye view
Event provides insights into caring for exotic animals
Hordes of students of all ages and their parents gathered at Utah's Hogle Zoo for its first career day Saturday.
Featuring lectures by the zoo's animal keepers, its senior veterinarian and representatives from local universities and conservation groups, the career day focused on providing a unique experience for students interested in working with exotic animals.
Suzanne Blockburger, a volunteer coordinator at the zoo, said the career day is a way for students to understand the amount of dedication required to work with animals and provide them with information to get a jump-start on their career.
"If you have an idea of what you want to do, you can get started earlier," Blockburger said. "Plus, a lot of animal-care jobs require experience — and we have volunteers (ages) 14 and up that work with animal care and education."
http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695228701,00.html
Baby gibbon at Zoo Boise is named
The Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho — The first ape born at Zoo Boise has been named.
The name for the gibbon is Li Bao, Chinese for "Beautiful Treasure."
Gibbons are the smallest member of the ape family.
Li Bao was born in April, but was rejected by her mother a few days later and was raised by humans.
A fourth grade class at Liberty Elementary School in Boise selected the new name.
On Friday, Li Bao made a surprise visit to the class.
Zoo Boise and the Idaho Statesman newspaper held a contest to pick a name.
More than 35,000 of the 53,000 votes were for Li Bao.
http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/275322.html
Hope for the Everglades
Published: November 10, 2007
Seven years ago, Congress and the Clinton administration set in motion the most ambitious environmental initiative on the planet: an $8 billion, 40-year project to restore South Florida’s ecosystem and, in particular, the Everglades, which had been punished by a half-century of uncontrolled development and starved of fresh water.
It was a 50-50 deal, and so far Florida has lived up to its share of the bargain, contributing more than $2 billion already. The federal response, crippled by an inattentive president and a divided, ineffectual Congress, has been pathetic — a mere $363 million — putting the whole enterprise way behind schedule.
Now, at last, comes some good news. Overriding a rare veto by President Bush, Congress this week approved a $22 billion water resources bill that has been hanging around for seven years. Like all big infrastructure bills, this one includes a little something for every member of Congress. But in addition to the pork, the bill also contains several necessary projects. Among them are coastal restoration in Louisiana and two big wetlands restoration projects in the Everglades.
For the Everglades, three tasks lie ahead. The first is to get the money. This water bill merely authorizes the necessary funds, which Congress must then appropriate. The second is to make sure that the Army Corps of Engineers, which is essentially running the Everglades project, spends it wisely and expeditiously. The water bill’s biggest shortcoming is the absence of far-reaching reforms of the corps’ operations that were proposed by Senator Russell Feingold but rejected by the House. The reforms sought to impose discipline on a notoriously dysfunctional agency.
The third task is to sustain the momentum. The departure of the Clinton administration and the retirement of Senator Bob Graham cost the Everglades many of its champions, and this is the kind of project that can fall by the wayside in time of war and massive deficits.
Meanwhile, as Congress dithered and the president left most of the responsibility for the project to his brother Jeb, then the governor of Florida, costs have gone up — for land acquisition, for water storage, for rejiggering canals and levees and for building the treatment systems necessary to clean up the polluted water that flows into the Everglades from the sugar cane fields.
It is thus reassuring to hear Barbara Boxer, the California Democrat who is chairman of the Senate’s environment committee, say that she will seek a new round of funding and, equally important, ride herd on the corps. It is also reassuring that the new Republican governor of Florida, Charlie Crist, seems fully committed. If we have learned anything over the last seven years, it is that the ecosystem cares little for noble intentions alone.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/10/opinion/10sat2.html?pagewanted=all
Atlanta Shudders at Prospect of Empty Faucets
By SHAILA DEWAN and BRENDA GOODMAN
Published: October 22, 2007
ATLANTA, Oct. 22 — For more than five months, the lake that provides drinking water to almost five million people here has been draining away in a withering drought. Sandy beaches have expanded into flats of orange mud. Tree stumps not seen in half a century have resurfaced. Scientists have warned of impending disaster.
And life has, for the most part, gone on just as before.
The response to the worst drought on record in the Southeast has unfolded in ultra-slow motion. All summer, more than a year after the drought began, fountains blithely sprayed, football fields were watered, prisoners got two showers a day and Coca-Cola’s bottling plants chugged along at full strength. In early October, on an 81-degree day, an outdoor theme park began to manufacture what was intended to be a 1.2-million gallon mountain of snow.
In late September, with Lake Lanier forecast to dip into the dregs of “dead storage” in less than four months, the state imposed a ban on outdoor water use. Gov. Sonny Perdue declared October “Take a Shorter Shower Month.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/22/us/23cnd-drought.html?pagewanted=all
Australia's Bindi Irwin says no to Hollywood: manager
6 days ago
SYDNEY (AFP) — Australia's pint-sized wildlife warrior Bindi Irwin has declined an offer to move to Hollywood and star in a feature film, her manager John Stainton said.
Stainton said the nine-year-old will stay at the Queensland zoo founded by her late father, "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, where she lives with her mother Terri.
"There has been lots of interest from lots of parties in the States," Stainton told The Sun-Herald.
"But it's one of those things we're not doing. While Bindi lives at the zoo in Beerwah, she has every chance of being a normal kid.
"I think the influences she would get from having to live in Hollywood, or do a movie in Hollywood, would be different."
Steve Irwin, who became internationally famous for his television shows which featured risky stunts with dangerous animals, was killed in September 2006 when a stingray barb pierced his chest.
At the time, he was filming his daughter's wildlife-themed television programme, "Bindi: The Jungle Girl", in far north Queensland.
Since her father's death, Bindi, who has vowed to continue his work in wildlife conservation, has launched a clothing line and a children's fitness DVD, appeared in a stage show and become an official Australian tourism ambassador.
She also helps out at the zoo.
Stainton said if Bindi were to make a film, she would do so without leaving Australia.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5inbSjBfMBgMiwmd4yd4QHcROVR3Q
One of the Chaffee Zoo's Sea Lions Has Died
11/18/2007 - Nadine was a 25-year-old sea lion who died unexpectedly Saturday after living at the zoo for 14 years.
Zoo Director Lewis Greene says it's unfortunate, but he's not worried about a sickness spreading to any of the other animals.
Nadine actually lived a little longer than the average life span of a sea lion. "The zoo has other elderly animals at the upper end of their life spans. It's one of those things that happen with any living collection. We take the best care of them that we can and when they do live as long as Nadine, then we know we did a good job," says Greene.
Zoo staff won't know what Nadine died of for a couple weeks. She didn't seem to be ill until Saturday and died a short time after exhibiting symptoms.
Copyright KFSN-TV, www.abc30.com, and myabc30.com. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without explicit written permission.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=5769106
Female elephant calf born at Montgomery Zoo
Monday, November 19, 2007
By Bill Rice, Sr.
On Friday, November 9, 2007 at approximately 8 p.m., a female African elephant was born at the Montgomery Zoo. The calf weighed in at 247 lbs. This birth marks the first African elephant born in the state of Alabama, ever; and the third known birth this year to U.S. Zoological facilities.
The gestation period was around 21 months. Both the dam (Tina) and sire (Sdudla) currently reside at the Montgomery Zoo. Sdudla is at the Montgomery Zoo on a breeding loan with Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida. Montgomery Zoo opened the elephant habitat on November 11, 2005 with plans to establish a successful elephant breeding program.
Zoo officials are excited about this successful elephant birth. The new female calf and her mother can be seen through the side glass viewing station at the elephant habitat.
http://www.al.com/news/independent/index.ssf?/base/news/119546733589670.xml&coll=4
Fort Worth Zoo Educates, Entertains Patients at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children
The Fort Worth Zoo Wild Wonders Outreach program returned to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) for the second time on October 23, 2007. The year-round traveling animal outreach program educates, entertains and inspires audiences, providing an up-close look at exotic wildlife. The Fort Worth Zoo Wild Wonders Outreach programs are interactive, providing an up-close experience with wildlife, including free-flight birds. The Wild Wonders Outreach team will bring the following animals to TSRHC for patients and families to enjoy: a penguin, a baby alligator, a kinkajou and a blue and gold macaw.
http://www.prleap.com/pr/103511/
Wildlife World Zoo kicks off Wild Winter Nights
Zoo hosts unique fare
Michael Senft
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 19, 2007 08:02 AM
The Wildlife World Zoo welcomes the holiday season on Friday with Wild Winter Nights.
More than 500,000 lights in the likeness of 60-plus animals will fill the Southwest Valley zoo throughout the holiday season.
However, that's not what makes Wild Winter Nights special.
"We have hundreds of thousands of lights, dozens of animated displays all like your favorite zoo animals, but unlike other zoo-light displays, you can actually see real animals at Wild Winter Nights," said Grey Stafford, director of conservation and communications.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/westvalley/articles/1119swv-zoonights1117-ON.html
Caged Bear Attacks Female Visitor At Woodland Zoo
POSTED: 8:16 am EST November 19, 2007
FARMINGTON, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Game Commission continues to investigate a bear attack that happened over the weekend at Woodland Zoo in Farmington, Fayette County.
One of the owner's relatives was taking some friends on a behind-the-scenes zoo tour on Saturday when the bear lunged at a woman and tried to claw at her, according to the local wildlife conservation manager.
The woman, who has not been identified, is being treated for an arm injury.
Officials said the bear was in a cage at the time of the attack.
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/sports/14636405/detail.html
New curator of herpetology appointed at zoo
By The Times-Union
The Jacksonville Zoo has appointed a new curator for herpetology, which is reptiles and amphibians.
Dino Ferri comes to Jacksonville from the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, where his nine-year tenure included his recent role as a curator. He is chairman of the American Zoological Association's Snake Taxon Advisory Group and was named to its Wildlife Conservation Management Committee last year.
The appointment to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens was announced Monday.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/111907/met_218928400.shtml
Meet the Meerkats
Posted at 1:18 pm November 19, 2007 by Laura Weiner
If you have ever stopped by Elephant Mesa at the San Diego Zoo, you have surely spent some time watching our playful meerkats. There is always something going on in their exhibit. We have a group of eight: four adults and four juveniles.
Meerkat society is quite complicated. There is a dominant female that is the only one breeding and having babies. Sometimes one of the subordinate females will also get pregnant, but usually her babies do not survive. We have dominant female Ngami, the male Ghanzi, and two subordinate females named Seronga and Kasane. They arrived from South Dakota over a year ago and have been digging ever since.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/meet-the-meerkats/
Angry mum rejects baby jumbo again
20 Nov 2007, 0118 hrs IST
AHMEDABAD: Efforts to kindle maternal love in Roopa for her new-born proved futile on Monday. The mother-elephant at Kankaria zoo once again rejected her five-day old baby and turned violent.
Meanwhile, children continued to throng the zoo and show concern for the baby jumbo. The baby, which is yet to be named, earned public sympathy when it was rejected by his mother. Zoo officials had to get cow milk to feed him and the baby, they say, has settled in nicely.
On Monday evening, the baby was taken to Roopa’s enclosure with a mahout. “Roopa started kicking around and became very violent. The behaviour was similar to the defence response generated by a pachyderm when it encounters a creature in the wild,” said a zoo official.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Angry_mum_rejects_baby_jumbo_again/articleshow/2554458.cms
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