Zoos

Together again: Haifa Zoo reunites Littermate lionesses
By Zafrir Rinat
tags: Haifa Zoo, Ramat Gan Safari
Not many people saw the moving reunion yesterday in Haifa between sisters Gaia and Gov. Even though they had been living only 100 kilometers apart, the two heavyweights had not seen each other in a year. That's because Gov was living in the lion cage at Haifa Zoo and Gaia at the Ramat Gan safari.
Gaia, a young lioness, was transferred to Haifa from Ramat Gan because her native pack at the safari had rejected her.
To give Gaia a chance to reintegrate into a another pack, the safari and the zoo decided to move her sister up north with her.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/921115.html



A handful of funders for zoos
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We will constantly update this post with more potential sources of funding for zoos. As potentially zoos and botanic gardens from all around the world may access ( and contribute to…?) this forum, we will try and reference funders with a relevance to different parts of the world.
Obviously “zoo projects” can mean lots of different things ( capital on site projects, educational programmes, in situ conservation projects, etc), and the following funders all fund different kinds of needs. So this is quite a rag-bag of opportunities, and it is up to you to sort through it.
For some of the large international funders, I really think it is also worth considering the virtues of inter-zoo collaborations for many of these sources of finance, as well as looking for highly innovative (even risky?) approaches amenable to eventual replication. The whole idea of changing the zoo paradigm through international co-operation could be very appealing to funders.

http://zoofunding.wordpress.com/2007/11/07/a-handful-of-funders-for-zoos/



Rare bears' mating efforts fail to produce cubs, so science steps in
By PATRICIA YOLLIN
San Francisco Chronicle
Spike comes from Omaha, and Kaika from Honolulu. Maybe that fact alone is enough to doom their prospects. For whatever reason, they've had sex hundreds of times at the Oakland Zoo but have never produced offspring.
They're not the only ones going through the motions. For the past 10 or 15 years throughout zoos in Europe and North America, captive mainland sun bears like Spike and Kaika have had trouble breeding.
And that is a problem.
"If we keep going this way, there won't be any sun bears left in captivity," said their keeper, Cathy Keyes.
As a result, breeding of sun bears from the mainland of Southeast Asia has been halted at North American zoos, and the focus has shifted to a subspecies of sun bear from the island of Borneo. And the two Oakland bears, both born in captivity, now have a new role to play: They're being studied to figure out how the Borneans, through artificial insemination, can multiply.

http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/articles/2007/11/07/news/special/3cf9419cf31871458725703c005b2ea6.txt



Stolen exotic animals seized in Flint, Mundy townships
69 animals recovered, including wallaby, parrots, several foxes
By Matt Franklin
GENESEE COUNTY (WJRT) - (11/07/07)--Raids at homes in Flint and Mundy townships have turned up several stolen exotic animals. Investigators say they believe the animals were taken from zoos and pet shops across the state.
In all, investigators say they recovered about 69 animals ranging from a wallaby, parrots and several foxes. Police arrested three people Tuesday in connection to the case.
A tip lead Livonia police to a rental home on Dyewood Road in Flint Township. Inside they found a home full of exotic animals and birds.
Police recovered six toucans worth about $30,000 apiece. There were also tortoises and snakes in the home.
Flint Township police say a search warrant also was executed at a home on Crystal Lake Drive in Mundy Township. They also recovered animals in that home as well.
Investigators suspect the suspects stole the animals from pet shops and zoos around the state, including in Mid-Michigan.
An official with Wilderness Trails Animal Park in Birch Run says their fennec foxes were returned Tuesday.
Investigators arrested three people -- a couple from Flint Township and a Mundy Township man. All are believed to be in their 20s.
The three suspects are in jail in Livonia. They are expected to be charged later this week.
Investigators say they believe the three sold some of the animals and planned to use the animals in an educational show for children.
Copyright 2007 ABC12 and ABC

http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=local&id=5748733



Dine with Jack Hanna on Friday
Brevard Zoo hosts fundraising dinner with conservationist
BY CHRIS KRIDLER
FLORIDA TODAY
World traveler. Jack Hanna, director emeritus of Columbus Zoo, spends a great deal of time in Rwanda. Rick Prebegg, World Class Images
Jack Hanna
What: Conservation fundraising dinner featuring food from Florida, Latin America and Africa
Where: Brevard Zoo on Wickham Road east of I-95
When: 5:30 p.m. Friday
Tickets: $250, must be reserved by today
Call: 254-9453, ext. 234
Jack Hanna talks a mile a minute, and he leads his life at least that fast.
The director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, known nationally for his TV show "Into the Wild" and appearances on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "Good Morning America," will be the guest of honor at a dinner Friday at the Brevard Zoo. The $250 tickets will raise money for conservation projects.
Hanna's favorite conservation cause of late has taken him far from home, and to a new home -- he's built a second home in Rwanda, where he's worked to help its people and wildlife recover from the genocide of 1994.
"Rwanda is now considered the safest, most democratic, cleanest country in Africa," he said in a phone interview, crediting President Paul Kagame's anti-corruption policies.

http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/LIFE/711080310/1005



Animal Welfare Groups Denounce Roadside Zoos
Nov, 08 2007 - 6:20 AM
ALBERTA - Animal welfare groups are crying foul at more than 150 instances of filthy conditions and safety hazards they claim they found at two roadside zoos in Alberta.

They are demanding the province clean the facilities up or shut them down. But provincial officials says both zoos have passed recent inspections.
Officials with Zoocheck Canada and the World Society for the Protection of Animals held a news conference Wednesday.

They said they found 126 health and safety violations this summer at the Guzoo Animal Farm in Three Hills, 130 km northeast of Calgary, and 50 at the Discovery Wildlife Park in Innisfail, 120 km north of Calgary, more than a year after the province implemented new zoo standards.

Guzoo owner Lynn Gustafson and Discovery Wildlife Park owner Doug Bos both denied the violations outlined in the reports.
(JMA)
- Canadian Press

http://www.630ched.com/news/news_local.cfm?cat=7428327912&rem=78919&red=80132723aPBIny&wids=410&gi=1&gm=news_local.cfm



A compelling (and touching) argument for the existence of zoos
November 8, 2007
By Dr. Cheryl Cullion DVM
Director of Veterinary Services
Animals are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prison­ers of the splendor. HENRY BESTON, The Outer Most House
As a member of the zoo com­munity and a veterinarian, I sometimes question the justifi­cations for maintain­ing exotic animals in captivity. I am cer­tainly familiar with the often extolled reasons for Zoo’s existences. Certainly educating the public to become better stewards of the world or serving as a modern day Noah’s ark are lofty and wor­thy goals, but for me these reasons can sometimes seem intan­gible or unrealistic.
However, on May 5 of this spring I discov­ered a different and more powerful reason for keeping many of these magnificent ani­mals in close prox­imity to us “human kind.” It is a reason that is indeed greater then both human and animal kind. Some­thing that reminds us that as Henry Beston says, not only are we “fellow prisoners of the splendor,” but of life’s difficul­ties and challenges. I, along with hundreds of other people at Roger Williams Park Zoo, witnessed a miracle.
...And finally the most powerful and unex­pected testimony for the exis­tence of zoos came not from the animals but the human spectators themselves. This small drama provided an op­portunity to express our most human of qualities, our human­ity. And I believe that it is this quality that will be indispensa­ble in saving not just the gi­raffes, or wildlife but ourselves, “the fellow prisoners of life’s splendor.”

http://rwpzoo.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/a-compelling-and-touching-argument-for-the-existence-of-zoos/



Group Calls for Transfer, Permanent Closing of Exhibit After Elephant's Death
For Immediate Release:
November 8, 2007
Contact:
Lisa Wathne 757-622-7382
San Antonio - Holding signs that read, "Lucky Deserves Sanctuary" and "Elephants Need Room to Roam," PETA members will gather outside the San Antonio Zoo to call on the facility to retire its only remaining elephant--47-year-old Lucky--to a sanctuary where she can spend the rest of her life in an environment that more closely resembles life in the wild. The push comes after the November 2 death of Alport, Lucky's elephant companion. Other PETA members will hand out leaflets explaining why zoos are unfit and too small to properly house and care for elephants. Elephants are very social and crave the company of their own kind.

http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=10451



Rainbow Beach - Noosa - Australia Zoo
Well our next stretch of the East Coast was to take us to Noosa via Rainbow Beach and then on for a day of 'Crikeys' at the late Mr Irwins Australia Zoo.
The brief stop and walk along Rainbow beach was well worth the little detour due to the beautiful beach and the multi coloured cliffs that give the beach its name. It also has a huge sand dune called Carlos Sandblow overlooking the beach which is quite a sight.
After this it was on down to Noosa for a nightly stopover. Noosa is a very attractive little place that is built around the many waterways leading out into the sea. It has become a bit of a playground for Australias wealthy and has been touted as the Australian 'Nice'. The beach was very pretty but not the best we have seen and it had more people than we have been used to seeing on it!!

http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/Australia/Queensland/blog-216232.html



Dallas Zoo Looks at Waste-To-Energy Plan
Nov 1, 2007
DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Zoo officials are moving forward with a plan to turn animal droppings, cardboard and tree limbs into power for several buildings and irrigation for the zoo's landscaping.
The waste, including Jenny and Keke's elephant poop, will go into a biogas generator. The gas that is created will help with heating, water and electric power.
"When you're in the zoo business, poo and pee is our bread and butter," Chuck Siegel, the zoo's deputy director for animal management, said in Thursday's online edition of The Dallas Morning News.
"It's really exciting that rather than taking this waste material and just adding to a landfill or throwing it out, we're able to use it for something positive. The zoo first and foremost sees itself as not only as a fun place for families, but as a conservation organization."
Talks with BDS Technologies about the first phase of the project began more than a year ago. Zoo officials hope that the design phase is complete next year.
The project could cost up to $1 million. But Doug Dykman, the zoo's deputy director of operations, said it should pay for itself within 10 years with the savings on trips to the landfill and in-house power.
The biogas generator would add oxygen to the waste and heat it to very high temperatures to create the gas.
"Gasification from waste products is not new. We're talking about taking that technology and using it on a small scale," Dykman said.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gNpUo6bWhL8JInaMVsch1_q8H3SAD8SL9I881




Hippo Driver Denies Any Wrongdoing in Zoo Transfer
By BILL KAUFMANN, SUN MEDIA
CALGARY -- The professional animal mover who transported Hazina the hippo on her ill-fated trip from Denver to Calgary says he did nothing wrong.
And the Calgary Zoo yesterday announced it was conducting an independent review of what led up to the animal's death last Saturday, headed by a Montreal-based veterinarian.
Chris Danhauer said he checked regularly on the six-year-old female hippo during the drive that saw the animal spend about 29 hours in a five-metre-long, nearly two-metre-wide shipping crate.

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Alberta/2007/11/02/4624790-sun.html



Phila. lawyer opposes elephants’ move
By VICKI ROCK
Daily American Staff Writer
Friday, November 2, 2007 12:00 AM EDT
A member of the Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants is opposed to those elephants being moved to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium’s International Conservation Center near Fairhope.
The first three African elephants to be brought to Somerset County will be the three females from the Philadelphia Zoo — Pedal, 53, and Kallie and Bette, both 24. The Philadelphia Zoo is closing its elephant exhibit. The zoo’s Asian elephant, Dulary, was sent to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.
Marianne Bessey, a lawyer who lives in Philadelphia, said Pedal, Kallie and Bette could be sent to the Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary in California.
“The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in California has offered to take Kallie, Bette and Petal free of charge,” she said. “This sanctuary would give the elephants free access to more than 75 acres, and does not use an ankus (bullhook) to dominate the elephants. In addition, the elephants would not be subject to breeding attempts, which in many cases in captivity has resulted in harm or even death to the mother, particularly for elephants bred for the first time at age 25 or over — like Kallie and Bette. And the largest U.S. zoo elephant exhibit is less than eight acres, woefully inadequate for the world’s largest land mammal, who roam up to 30 miles a day in their native habitat.”

http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2007/11/01/news/news109.txt



Eco news in brief
Budding scientists and explorers aged 18 to 23 are urged to join an expedition to the Arctic by the British Schools Exploring society.
The three-month trip in spring next year will focus on looking at evidence of climate change. Outdoors experience is not crucial as training is provided. Enthusiasm and determination is more important.
For more information, or to apply, visit bses.org.uk or email info@bses.org.uk
Electronics store Comet has launched a competition encouraging children to build a model of an eco-friendly gadget for the future.

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/green/greenguardian2007/display.var.1804515.0.eco_news_in_brief.php



Zoos, wildlife parks serve great purpose
Saturday, November 3, 2007
I continually read negative opinions from organizations and individuals condemning zoos and wildlife parks.
Some consider the idea of elephants in West Texas ridiculous and cruel. Fossils found in this area indicate otherwise. West Texas and South Africa are extremely similar in climate and vegetation. Both have wide open spaces. However, there is no war going on in Texas, no culling operations, no poaching for ivory, no black markets selling animal artifacts for drugs/money, no severe draught conditions (thank God) crippling the wildlife populations, no disease epidemics, no massive starvation and no hunting safaris for wealthy tourists.
Whether some people find it entertaining, or some people find it educational, or some people have an appreciation for wildlife because of the childhood experience of watching animals in a zoo, there is a side-effect that can not be denied or ignored: species are being rescued from extinction.
Zoos are constantly improving to preserve the integrity, health and future of the animals. If anyone does not like the conditions in a zoo, they should help that zoo improve those conditions. Self-righteous condemnation of zoos and wildlife parks also has a side-effect that can not be denied or ignored: wildlife extinction.
Patty Stowbridge-Gough
Abilene

http://reporternews.com/news/2007/nov/03/zoos-wildlife-parks-serve-great-purpose/



Compatriots excite new giraffes
LAHORE: A large crowd that had gathered at the zoo to look at three giraffes that arrived late on Friday night from South Africa was amused to see them break into the zebras’ enclosure. Zebras share habitats with giraffes in Africa.
Although quite young, the giraffes were too tall for the fence to stop them. Several zookeepers, visibly nervous, repaired the fence after
guiding the newcomers back to their enclosure.
“It is a routine matter. The giraffes are all right,” said Lahore Zoo director Yousaf Pal, “We will invite schoolchildren to install the nameplate on the revamped enclosure.” He said the zoo would announce a “cake cutting ceremony” on November 10.
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums fact book says giraffes can be kept in mixed exhibits with various species of antelopes, zebras, ostriches, birds, and even white rhinos.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C04%5Cstory_4-11-2007_pg13_9

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