Zoos

Near-Escapes Plague SF Zoo
Posted Jan 12, 08 10:11 AM CST in
(newser) – Two animals have nearly escaped from enclosures at the San Francisco Zoo since a fatal mauling Dec. 25, the Chronicle reports. A 600-pound polar bear—whose movements are so unpredictable it's kept away from the zoo's other polar bears—tried to scale an enclosure wall Jan. 3; a 100-pound snow leopard got a paw and part of its head out of a mesh cage yesterday.
Two zoo employees told the Chronicle they feared for their own safety and that of visitors following the new incidents. A teenager was killed Christmas Day when a Siberian tiger leapt from its enclosure; two companions were injured before police shot the animal to death. The zoo was closed at the time of the polar bear incident, open during the snow leopard's attempt.

http://www.newser.com/story/16195.html?rss=y



Lawyers say city, zoo on shaky legal ground if tiger victims sue
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, January 13, 2008
In the eyes of the law, keeping a caged tiger is like hauling dynamite or storing uranium - an activity so dangerous that even the most careful proprietor is responsible for any injuries to bystanders.
That's the general rule that will apply to any lawsuits over the Christmas Day attack at the San Francisco Zoo, in which a tiger escaped from its outdoor grotto, killed a 17-year-old visitor from San Jose and injured two of his friends. But, as usual in these situations, there's an asterisk, and it dates back to 1952, when a state appeals court ruled on a suit by a man who was attacked by a polar bear at the same zoo.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/13/BAKDUD50Q.DTL


Sanctuary given to retired, rescued tigers
By PATRICK MAY
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
last updated: January 13, 2008 02:58:11 AM
SAN ANDREAS -- After years of mugging for photos at backyard zoos and feline freak shows, the arthritic performers now live out their lives in hushed obscurity. The daily ritual consists of gentle calisthenics, five-pound rabbits for breakfast and the occasional scoop of Jelly Belly beans.
For the 33 tigers rescued from America's love affair with beasts behind bars, life at the Ark 2000 wildlife sanctuary, part of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, is a mixed bag. Their 10-acre world is kept under lock and key. Yet the bucolic Gold Country retreat also features bathing pools and straw beds. Sometimes the keepers even spritz cheap perfume, which the cats find stimulating, around the paddocks.

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/178724.html


Polar bear cub is a website hit
23 hours ago
The German city of Nuremberg launched a web page dedicated to the country's latest celebrity polar bear and visitors have already inundated the site's operators with name suggestions for the four-week-old cub.
The site - www.eisbaer.nuernberg.de - provides details on the cub's health and has a photo gallery.
"We're getting 15 emails with name suggestions every minute," city spokesman Robert Hackner said.
He did not give examples. But for now, the zoo's keepers have dubbed the cub, thought to be female, Flocke - German for flake, as in snow flake - because of its brilliantly white and fluffy fur.
Flocke was taken from its mother, Vera, on Tuesday amid concerns she could harm or even kill the newborn, and will not be returned to her.
The decision was made after keepers saw Vera carrying the cub around in her jaws and tossing it around her enclosure.
The cub is the first in Germany to be hand-raised by its keepers since Knut, who became a celebrity after being rescued in late 2006 when his mother rejected him.

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5hizQ8iXFcX8QS9_or2ale-xZ1e3A



St. Paul Como Zoo: Baby orangutan leaves zoo staff speechless
BY RICHARD CHIN
Pioneer Press
What’s the hardest thing about holding a newborn baby orangutan? Not talking to it.
That’s what zookeepers at Como Zoo learned when Markisa, one of the zoo’s orangutans, gave birth Dec. 13 via Caesarean section, the first primate C-section at the zoo and one of only a handful of orangutan C-sections worldwide.
The yet-to-be-named baby, reunited with his mother, made his public debut Thursday. He is on exhibit on a limited basis.

http://redapes.org/news-updates/st-paul-como-zoo-baby-orangutan-leaves-zoo-staff-speechless/



Rare Lions Born at the Belfast Zoo
Staff at Belfast Zoo are celebrating the birth of two endangered Barbary lions

http://content5.clipmarks.com/content/127FC2B3-B31A-448A-A129-23C6AF9C9595/


Nation
San Francisco Zoo officials detail two animal security incidents since Christmas tiger attack
The Associated Press
Tucson, Arizona Published: 01.12.2008
SAN FRANCISCO — Since a tiger escaped its pen and killed a person, a snow leopard has ripped a small opening in its wire cage and workers have had to dart a polar bear to goad it into its night enclosure, San Francisco Zoo officials said Friday.
A nearly 100-pound snow leopard managed to rip a 4-inch hole in its wire mesh cage Thursday afternoon and got part of its head and paw out, zoo officials said. The zookeeper could have been harmed if she had not secured the cage, but visitors were never threatened because the cage was in a larger, secured enclosure, zoo spokesman Sam Singer said.
"Even if (the leopard) had escaped, he would have been in another cage so he would never have come in contact with the public," Singer said.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/85631/220207.php



Columbus Zoo pays $35,000 to keep big snake
Published on Saturday Jan 12, 2008
A 24-foot python at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, billed as the largest snake in captivity, is staying put.
The zoo paid $35,000 to the snake's breeder in Oklahoma to keep the snake on permanent display. While on loan last year, the python helped draw 1.53 million visitors, just under the zoo's attendance record of 1.56 million set in 2006, said zoo Associate Director Pete Fingerhut.
The reticulated python, named Fluffy, is about as long as a moving van and thick as a telephone pole.
Bob Clark, the breeder from Oklahoma City who raised the python from a hatchling, initially resisted the zoo's purchase offer but said he's happy with the outcome.
"I really love that snake; I think it's a special animal," he said. "It's so big and tame and wonderful. But I have to deal with the realities of life like everyone else. I like to have the money, and I know she's got a great place to live there."
The Columbus Zoo doesn't buy animals very often, said Executive Director Jerry Borin. Its animals generally come as exchanges from other zoos or through breeding loans or donations, he said.

http://www.ohio.com/news/ap?articleID=336492&c=y



Meerkat at the Zoo - PAD #1009
By Drew January 12, 2008
Today Allison and I took Eva over to the Capron Park Zoo. I also got to use a real camera again so I was able to get some decent photos at the zoo. I love photographing the animals at the zoo. I also met a zoo volunteer who does many of the photos for the zoo and promotional materials.
I wonder if he would like any of these photos that I took.
I am very happy to be back home and to have access to my cameras again. I had a great time using my macro lens around the zoo. My favorite animals to photograph are the lions. The zoo is working on getting a White Lion cub. I can’t wait to see it and photograph it.
Next month Allison and I are headed to Florida for a vacation and we will be down near Miami, I saw a TV show today where the people on the show were talking about many locations in Florida and the Miami area specifically where families can go to see animals. I didn’t know that there was a zoo there and I hope that we can go. I want to go to Butterfly world again as it was an amazing place to go and take photos. Some of my favorite photos of 2007 were from there. This time I am going to get even more of them.

http://www.benspark.com/meerkat-at-the-zoo-pad-1009.html



Pasig zoo faces closure
THE Arc Avilon zoo in Ortigas Center, Pasig City faces closure after Mayor Robert Eusebio threatened to revoke its permit to operate for not following safety guidelines to protect its patrons.
Eusebio issued the statement after learning that a child was bitten by an Albino King snake during a visit at the zoo last January 5.
The zoo, which is located at Frontera Verde in Pasig City, started its operation on Nov. 30, 2007.
The child’s father, Jerry Liao, circulated a “hate e-mail” against the Arc Avilon zoo after the incident.
Liao said there was no doctor available at the zoo.
He said he brought his daughter to a hospital just to make sure that the snake is non-venomous.

“Thank God that the king snake was a non-venomous one. But the doctors wanted to be sure so they gave my daughter an anti-tetanus drug and asked her to take anti-biotics,” Liao said.
He identified the owners of the zoo as Jake and Tina Gaw.
People’s Journal tried to contact the owners of the zoo to get their comment but to no avail.
Alvin Murcia

http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?issue=2008-01-13&sec=5&aid=45661



What happened to ... The polar bear cubs
Anushka Asthana
Sunday January 13, 2008
The Observer
The Observer reported last week on the fate of a tiny polar bear that was being left to starve to death in Germany's Nuremberg zoo after its mother neglected it.
Zoo workers had taken the controversial decision not to rear the cub by hand, even though the new mother, Vera, was ignoring the hungry cries of her babies. Meanwhile, another mother bear, Vilma, was showing signs of treating her two cubs well.
The story was similar to that of Knut, a polar bear cub who shot to fame a year ago after being abandoned by his mother. The decision by keepers at Berlin zoo to save the male cub led to a media frenzy branded 'Knutmania'.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,2239915,00.html



San Francisco Zoo in new animal escape alert: reports
Fri Jan 11, 5:36 PM ET
SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - A leopard and a polar bear came close to escaping from enclosures at San Francisco Zoo, reports said Friday, less than three weeks after a visitor was mauled to death by a tiger at the facility.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported on its website that zookeepers told the paper a female polar bear climbed the wall of its enclosure on January 3 while a snow leopard chewed through a temporary enclosure on Thursday.
The incidents come after the Christmas Day escape of a Siberian Tiger from its enclosure at the zoo. The tiger killed a teenager and mauled two men before being shot dead by police.
Zoo officials initially said they were baffled at how the tiger managed to escape from its enclosure, which was ringed by a moat and a wall.
However they later admitted the protective wall was only 12.5 feet high -- four feet lower than the 16.4 feet recommended as standard for a tiger exhibit by the US Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
San Francisco Zoo officials were not immediately available for comment on the reports Friday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080111/ts_alt_afp/usanimals_080111223659



In Defense of Animals (IDA) Announces the "Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants in 2007"
List demonstrates AZA-accredited zoos are failing elephants nationwide
San Rafael, Calif.— Zoos are increasingly under the microscope following the San Francisco Zoo tiger tragedy and a continuing nationwide debate about the welfare of elephants in zoos. Amidst the heightened controversy, In Defense of Animals (IDA) today released its fourth annual list of the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants in 2007.
Compiled for the first time with public input through Internet voting, the 2007 list reflects a year that zoos would prefer to forget. Of seven elephants who died at Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoos in 2007, at least four suffered from arthritis and chronic foot disorders, caused by lack of space and inadequate, unnatural zoo exhibits. Among the worst cases: Clara at the St. Louis Zoo and Carol at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Both elephants were euthanized after becoming crippled and debilitated by excruciating foot and joint disease. A deadly infectious disease that is spreading through the U.S. zoo population claimed the lives of two more young elephants in zoos in 2007. The deaths of Hansa (age 6) at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and Nisha (age 16 months) at the Dickerson Park Zoo in Missouri prompted IDA to demand that zoos stop breeding Asian elephants and adopt strict limits on transfers between zoos.
2007 also saw the transfer of three elephants from archaic and inadequate zoo exhibits to natural habitat sanctuaries: Ruby from the Los Angeles Zoo, Dulary from the Philadelphia Zoo, and Maggie from the Alaska Zoo. The latter two zoos are shuttering their elephant displays, bringing to 17 the number of zoos that have closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits.
"The Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants listdraws attention to the fact that elephants are needlessly suffering and dying prematurely from inadequate and inhumane zoo conditions," said IDA president Elliot M. Katz, DVM. "The problems such as aberrant behaviors, lethal joint and foot disorders, and premature death chronicled in this list speak loudly to the mammoth changes that are needed to improve the lives of elephants in zoos."

Top Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants in 2007
1. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, Calif.) - Discovering the cruelty. For the fourth consecutive year, Six Flags lands on the list thanks to its history of terrible elephant care and disregard for the health and well-being of seven elephants forced to live in the shadow of roller coaster rides, amidst noisy, rowdy crowds. Nine elephants have died at the amusement park since 1995, including five elephants who were euthanized as a direct result of the same foot and joint disorders that afflict at least two elephants currently, painful ailments caused by the elephants' cramped and barren exhibit. An IDA investigation revealed that elephants with diseased feet and joints are forced to stack 600-pound logs and perform in shows for the public, despite their afflictions. To force the elephants to perform and give rides, Six Flags coercively controls elephants through force and physical punishment with a bullhook, a device similar to a fireplace poker that keepers use to poke, prod and stab the elephants into compliance.

http://www.idausa.org/news/currentnews/nr_080109.html



Talk Back: Woe for Captive Wildlife
Readers responded to the recent escape of Tatiana, a Siberian tiger who attacked three men at the San Francisco Zoo, and shared their concerns about the treatment of captive wildlife by zoos, circuses and private owners. Among the comments we received:
There have been reports that Tatiana might have been teased by the men that she attacked. Aren’t there people overseeing such things at the zoos? Why should animals have to live in such conditions! Also, why didn’t they "dart" Tatiana? Why was she killed? Where were Tatiana’s keepers? It wasn’t her fault that she got out if the wall wasn’t high enough! And if she had been teased or rocks thrown at her why didn’t anyone stop it! If zoos don’t want to spend money on adequate habitats and protection for the animals they shouldn’t be allowed to put animals on display. Animals should not be for our entertainment! —Deborah

http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2008/01/zoo-wildlife.html



Zoos count their animals in annual audit
2 days ago
LONDON (AFP) — Zookeepers across the country are Friday carrying out the challenging task of counting all their animals in a stock-taking exercise that will list every aardvark to zebra in their collection.
The annual head count of animals in Britain's zoos and aquariums, which falls under the Zoo Licensing Act, helps keepers update their records.
The updated inventories are then kept on a database through which zoos can run scientifically based breeding programmes.
British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Biaza) director Miranda Stevenson told the BBC: "This annual stock-take, although time-consuming and sometimes quite difficult, is just one of the many ways which zoos and aquariums in this country demonstrate their professionalism and attention to detail."
Although it is simple for zookeepers to keep track of the number of gorillas or giraffes in their collection, it's somewhat trickier trying to account for every single insect or tiny fish.
To make this easier, keepers use clicker counters, they count the animals in their collection several times, and some insects are counted as a single colony rather than individuals.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5glbtoPOXTY-sWpO3_EBel99vD3ig



As zoo post stays open, speculation emerges
By Greg Latshaw
Staff Writer
SALISBURY -- The Salisbury Zoo offers a salary higher than the industry average, but still can't fill its top vacancy eight months into the search process.
Two candidates declined offers. A third, Lisa Tate, 43, of Zoo Boise in Idaho, accepted a $66,640 yearly salary, but resigned Tuesday, weeks before her start date, because of health problems.
Following Tate's unexpected resignation -- just five days after her hire -- speculation surfaced that either low salary offers or a Web log critical of the zoo has warded off candidates.

http://www.dailytimesonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080111/NEWS01/801110303/1002



Zoo, arboretumin get state grants
Jan 11, 2008 @ 12:26 PM
Observer-Dispatch
The Hamilton College Arboretumin in Clinton and the Utica Zoological Society will receive grants from the state’s Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums Program.
The arboretumin will receive $5,000 while the zoological society will get $40,775. The grants are among the $8 million to be distributed.
The ZBGA funding is administered by the state Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation. It is available to public or nonprofit organizations that own, care and interpret for the public living or preserved collections of biological specimens.
The organizations, referred to as Natural Heritage Institutions, include zoos, botanical gardens, arboretums, aquariums, bird sanctuaries, natural habitat preserves and sciences museums, and nature and environmental centers.
Under the agency’s program, ZBGA provides a minimum award of $5,000 and no more than 30 percent of the organization’s operating budget.

http://www.uticaod.com/homepage/x1925660864



Bongo born at Louisville Zoo
Business First of Louisville
The Louisville Zoo experienced its first birth of the year on Jan. 6.
Mahdi, a bongo, was born to Kaya and Forest. It was Kaya's second calf and Forest's first offspring.
Bongos are the largest of the forest antelopes. They have deep chestnut coats with white stripes on their sides.
Mahdi's birth was planned and is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, according to a news release. The plan works to improve the genetic diversity of managed animal populations.
There currently are five bongos at the zoo -- four females and one male. The last bongo birth was last year, on Jan. 11, when Kaya had her first calf, Nailah.
Mahdi will be on exhibit daily depending on weather and other circumstances, the release said.

http://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2008/01/07/daily30.html



Chattanooga Zoo Celebrates Year Of Frog At 2 February Events
posted January 11, 2008
The Chattanooga Zoo will host Cocktails for Conservation - Kiss a Frog Day on Friday, Feb. 15, from 6-8 p.m.
The ticket price is $20 per person and may be purchased by calling 697-1339. Guests must be 21 years of age or older to attend.
Zoos around the world are uniting to raise money for Amphibian Ark, a non-profit organization working to keep threatened amphibian species afloat.
Then on Leap Day, Friday, Feb. 29, from 3-7 p.m. visitors to the Chattanooga Zoo will enjoy froggy fun activities and light refreshments and learn what it means to be a friend to frogs. The Chattanooga Zoo and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums - zoos from around the world, will be joining to learn about saving amphibians from extinction.
For Leap Day admission is $6 adults, $3 for children (ages 3-15).
For more information on either event call 697-1339.
The Chattanooga Zoo is a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is working with more than 200 other zoos and aquariums to raise awareness about the global amphibian crisis.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_119924.asp



State announces $8 million grants for zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums
Associated Press - January 12, 2008 3:15 AM ET
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - State officials yesterday announced $$8 million in grants awarded under the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums Program.
State Parks Commissioner Carol Ash says the grants support development of educational, cultural and recreational programs based on New York's heritage.
The funding is available to public or not-for-profit organizations which own, care for and maintain for the public collections of living or preserved biological specimens.
Recipients of the largest grants include the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium, The New York Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and the New York Botanical Gardens.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=7614461&nav=menu183_15_14_8



Des Moines zoo develops technique to grow jellyfish
By MELISSA WALKER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DES MOINES — What does a zoo do when it runs short of jellyfish?
It grows its own.
Officials at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines have developed a method for restocking their supply of jellyfish for a 2,500-gallon exhibit and providing replacements for other U.S. zoos in the process.
It involves a bathtub and a little patience.
The zoo’s exhibit, which opened in 2002, had dwindled in January to 13 moon jellyfish, senior aquarist Kirk Embree said.
The jellyfish were able to release fertilized eggs, called planulae. But the baby jellyfish, called ephyra, were too often sucked into the tank’s filter before they could mature.
‘‘We couldn’t get any more jellies’’ from other zoos, Embree said. ‘‘There was a real shortage.’’
Embree, who earlier worked at Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, was convinced that a system could be created to safely collect the fertilized eggs. The problem was Blank’s limited budget. Everything had to be built from scratch. A fiberglass tub would cost $600, which was more than zoo officials wanted to spend.
A student intern provided the answer. Why not use a bathtub?

http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/501535.html


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