Conservancy benefits all New York residents
First published: Tuesday, December 11, 2007
In regards to ``Cathedral, Slater among recipients of grants'' by Brian Nearing, Nov. 30:
It is always great to see Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) money being used for projects that protect natural and historic resources, as we did with the announcement of $23.5 million in grants awarded to communities and organizations throughout the state.
The Nature Conservancy is thankful to the Legislature and governor for agreeing during this legislative session to increase the funding available for EPF programs that protect open space, clean water, working farmland, urban and wilderness parklands; provide effective municipal recycling programs, breast cancer research; and support zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums and other environmental education centers in every corner of New York.
We are hopeful that they will implement the agreed-upon increase to $300 million in the upcoming budget so these programs can continue and expand, benefiting all New Yorkers.
JESSICA OTTNEY
Director, State Government Relations
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=646222&category=OPINION&newsdate=12/11/2007
Facing a healthy future, the latest in a new generation leads the giant panda revival
By SHÂN ROSS
WHEN a four-month old giant panda cub made its first public appearance at the maternity ward at Chongqing Zoo in southern China earlier this week, adoring visitors pushed forward eagerly to see the latest precious addition.
The healthy baby panda, who is helping one of the world's most endangered species make a comeback, had already escaped death after its mother Ya Ya rolled over in her sleep and flattened its twin when only two days old.
While the fate of the tiny baby panda was a massive setback for the zoo's breeding programme, it has not daunted the optimism of conservationists that the breed will survive.
Experts have recently described the panda breeding programme as entering a "golden age".
In 2006 a record 31 pandas were born in captivity in China, triple the number in 2000.
WWF, the animal conservation body, said a survey conducted in 2004 counted 1,600 giant pandas - 40 per cent more than were thought to exist in the 1980s.
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=3589432
GERMANY
VIDEO: Lion Cubs in Berlin Zoo
Two new boys in the lion kingdom make their debut in front of the cameras.
They're cute, and furry, and a little bit rough-and-tumble - so they're bound to be the latest attraction at Berlin Zoo.
These two cubs, both male, are the first to be born in the German zoo since their father was born nine years ago.
Already five weeks old before they first meet the cameras, the cubs are learning to live with their mother, and a sometimes aggressive aunt.
We are very lucky that the babies' mother and aunt are here together. They love each other very much and it would be dangerous to separate them. The only problem is -- and the babies will have to learn to live with it -- that the aunt gets a little aggressive from time to time. But that's a totally normal part of growing up, and so far, the cubs are doing fine - Detlef Liebschwager, zoo keeper says. Find out more in the NEWS FOOTAGE.
Published: December 09, 2007 16:
http://www.javno.com/en/lifestyle/clanak.php?id=105092
Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute
http://willienelsonpri.com/
Rare Colobus Monkey celebrates its 1st birthday at Oregon Zoo
Associated Press - December 9, 2007 3:15 PM ET
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The Oregon Zoo is celebrating the first birthday of its baby colobus monkey just a few days before Christmas.
Little Delu will have a party thrown by zookeepers. The birthday party and keeper chat will take place at 10:30 a.m. on December 21st.
Delu has crossed some major milestones recently, weaning herself from her mother's milk and loosing her pure-white baby coloring. She now looks a lot like her parents, with a black body and white shoulders, back and beard.
She is the fourth baby for 11-year-old Mali and her mate, 16-year-old Kiku, and the first female.
In fact, Delu's name means "only daughter" in Hausa, a prominent language in Western Africa.
http://www.ktvz.com/Global/story.asp?S=7472118
Horses back on show at Western Plains Zoo
Posted Mon Dec 10, 2007 3:00pm AEDT
Equine species at Dubbo's Western Plains Zoo, in central western New South Wales, have been allowed to return to exhibition after the horse flu outbreak.
Zebras, przewalski's horses and persian onagers have been kept in behind-the-scenes holding yards since September as a precaution.
A zebra foal which was born in October is now on exhibit for the first time.
The zoo is experiencing a baby boom, with a persian onager foal and giraffe calf also born last week.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/10/2114555.htm
Erie Zoo should keep special status
Published: December 10. 2007 6:00AM
A curious thing happened to the Erie Zoo as a committee led by Erie County Councilman Joe Giles debated a framework for spending $11 million in annual gaming revenues from Presque Isle Downs & Casino: The zoo was demoted.
In a meeting with the Erie Times-News Editorial Board, Giles disputed that word choice, arguing that he knew what the zoo's budget was and what the zoo needed.
But it's hard to dispute that the zoo, often named as the region's top regional asset, is no longer considered in a class by itself. Even in the original plan conceived by the Giles committee, the Erie Zoo was given special regional-asset treatment right along with Blasco Library and its branches. In the committee's final proposal, which County Council could vote on as early as Dec. 18, the zoo is listed with five other regional assets that will compete for a total of about $2 million each year.
http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071210/OPINION01/712100352
Baby flamingos offer hope at Detroit Zoo
Published: Dec. 9, 2007 at 1:11 PM
DETROIT, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The recent birth of three flamingo chicks at the Detroit Zoo has offered hope to animal groups trying to bolster the big pink birds' population.
Zoo officials have gone to great lengths to help the exotic baby birds, which for now go by the drab monikers of 31, 32 and 33, adapt to their captive environment, The Detroit Free Press reported Sunday.
Eventually, the birds will join the zoo's dwindling Chilean flamingo flock.
The zoo first took in a group of wild Chilean flamingos in 1980, but that group's population has since dwindled from 43 to 27 birds. The new babies offer zoo officials hope the flock's numbers will begin to climb and other experts have predicted the birds will have other key uses.
"Captive flocks of flamingos are not only interesting for the public to see," Wetlands International flamingo expert Brooks Childress said in an e-mail, "they also provide opportunities for behavioral and other research."
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/12/09/baby_flamingos_offer_hope_at_detroit_zoo/9736/
Help the Virginia Zoo pick a name for its new lion cubs
By Debbie Messina
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 10, 2007
The Virginia Zoo received more than 600 entries in the naming contest for the pair of lion cubs born in August.
The zoo staff narrowed the list down to three finalists for both the male and female (pictured above). They are Granby, Taavi and Tonga for the boy and Aza, Lulu, and Neka for the girl.
Now the public will choose the winning names. A $1 donation per vote is requested. Official rules and forms can be found at www.virginiazoo.org and at the zoo membership office.
Votes must be submitted by Dec. 31. The cubs are expected to go on exhibit early in 2008.
http://hamptonroads.com/2007/12/help-virginia-zoo-pick-name-its-new-lion-cubs
HCM City zoo welcomes two white rhinos from South Africa
The Sai Gon Zoo and Botanical Garden received two white rhinoceros on Wednesday, one female and the other male, its director, Nguyen Thi Hien Luong, said.
They were bought from South Africa. The 3 1/2-year-old male animal weighs 1.2 tonnes and the 2 1/2-year-old female about 800 kg.
They are expected to be let into their enclosures by the end of this month.
The zoo also plans to breed the endangered animal.
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01KAL091207
Brookfield Zoo’s holiday celebration under way
http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/marengo/homepage/x805326756
Programs for kids grow at Reid Park Zoo
what's on the menu
GABRIELLE FIMBRES
Tucson Citizen
A fishsicle might not be a preschooler's idea of a tasty snack.
But little ones recently learned about the eating habits of residents at Reid Park Zoo. And for an otter, a fishsicle - a fish encased in a chuck of ice - is a little slice of heaven.
What's on the Menu is one of the education programs for children at the zoo, 1100 S. Randolph Way.
The zoo is expanding its education program as construction nears completion on the $4 million, 10,000-square-foot education building, said Vivian VanPeenen, curator of education at the zoo.
"It's phenomenal,'' VanPeenen said of the building, financed through private and city funding. The building, scheduled to open early next year, replaces the old one that was 900-square-feet.
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/71120.php
Columbian Park Zoo Gets Two Bald Eagles
Updated: Dec 11, 2007 06:00 PM EST
Two bald eagles will call Columbian Park Zoo in Lafayette home. The eagles, one male, one female, were delivered to the zoo by the American Eagle Foundation's Eagle Mountain Sanctuary in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Both birds are considered non-releasable.
Zoo Director Claudine Laufman says both birds were injured several years ago, and can no longer survive in the wild. Laufman says both birds are adjusting nicely to their new home at Columbian Park.
"These particular birds have been housed together for several years at Dollywood which is located in Pigeon Force, Tennessee and we thought they would be a wonderful addition to our facility," said Laufman.
http://www.wlfi.com/Global/story.asp?S=7475830&nav=menu591_3
Commissioners set to approve zoo levy
Business Courier of Cincinnati
A five-year levy proposal that will raise $36.3 million for the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is headed for formal approval by the Hamilton County Commissioners.
Commissioner David Pepper said Monday that all three commissioners voiced their approval for the levy, which was given the go-ahead in late November by the Hamilton County tax levy review committee.
The $36.3 million is about $1.1 million more than the current levy, which generates more than $6 million annually for the Avondale-based zoo. A zoo spokesman said previously that higher expenses drove the need for an increase.
The commissioners will formally approve the proposed levy Dec. 19, Pepper said. It will appear on the March 2008 primary election ballot.
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/12/10/daily11.html
Reindeer Romp, Historic Carousel Rides and Ice Skating Part of San Francisco Zoo Holiday Celebration
There is plenty of fun for kids of all ages at the San Francisco Zoo this holiday season from ballet and puppet shows at the historic carousel to Santa's reindeer and ice skating. In addition to the carousel and reindeer, the zoo's 3rd Annual Reindeer Romp will feature the zoo's first-ever holiday ice skating rink where children, families and couples can glide and twirl to holiday music and twinkling lights.
During the Reindeer Romp, held through New Year's Day, you can meet Santa's reindeer, design antlers to wear (free, while supplies last), enjoy holiday entertainment on December weekends, and even watch other zoo animals enjoy their holiday treats. Various special pricing packages are available that include zoo admission, carousel rides and ice skating.
http://www.carouselnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=257
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