...Connie Emert says people think they dyed the squirrel, but they insist that they "found it and it was purple." There is no definite cause for this particular squirrel's color, but scientist and some locals have their theories. One zoologist suggested that the creature may have fallen into a Porta-Potty, and some worried that the squirrel's tint could prove dangerous to humans. One professor says the purple tint could be from the squirrel drinking bromide-laced water from fracking in the area. Hydraulic fracking, which is common throughout Pennsylvania, is a controversial procedure of drilling for gas that environmentalists oppose because it can lead to ground water contamination from highly toxic radioactive wastewater ...
It would seem imperiling the public is a directive of the Kasich legislature. Perhaps the Ohio legislature and the governor don't realize Jack Hanna is a expert and that matters.
Feb. 11, 2012
Minus: We're deeply disappointed -- but not surprised -- that Ohio lawmakers have yet to introduce a bill to greatly limit, if not ban, exotic animals across Ohio after the October tragedy in Zanesville. As properly described by Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Thursday, "You are dealing with bombs. ... Does someone have to get killed?" The sticking point to even getting a bill introduced seems to be that the point man on the issue, state Sen. Troy Balderson, R-Zanesville, wants a less restrictive bill than proposed by the governor's task force, including provisions Hanna objects to. For our money, we trust Hanna's recommendations based on his lifelong experiences, including a tragedy involving a lion on his family farm decades ago. It's time for the Legislature to get a bill approved -- preferably this month.
February 11, 2012 7:42 AM
(AP) THOIRY, France — A count who operates a zoological park on the grounds of his chateau outside Paris says some of his animals just can't take the cold this winter.
Paul de la Panouse wasn't surprised to see his ostriches and giraffes prefer the indoors, given where they come from. But even the elephant couldn't take Europe's brutal cold snap, despite its thick hide.
So Parc de Thoiry has been closed for five days, even though the bears, hippos, tigers and zebras couldn't care less and are happily prowling the 370-acre (150 hectare) grounds, including its frozen lakes.
"Ice skating," he said, regarding his giraffes and ostriches, "it's not for them."...
It would seem as though austerity issues haven't hit the Panda exhibit. Homeless no, Pandas yes. It is probably all private money of one kind or another.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
...Edinburgh Zoo is paying £600,000 a year to hire the pandas, which have also cost a million quid a year each to insure.
Chuck in the £70,000 of bamboo they'll chew their way through each year, and the quarter of a million the zoo shelled out on building them a new home and you can start to see why grumbly people grumbled.
But the zoo needed to gamble. Visitor numbers are tumbling, and pandas are the A-listers of the zoo world....
Landing Sweetie and Sunshine – as they're conveniently also known – on a 10-year loan is a coup for the zoo, said David Tennant on his gentle voice-over. A coup for the zoo....
I suppose zoo attendance is down so selling endangered tigers seemed more profitable. Why are zoos not a healthy alternative for tigers?
- Published: 12/02/2012 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
Wildlife authorities are still convinced two male tigers slaughtered by a backyard butcher in Bangkok recently were supplied by a zoo.
The National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department last week cleared two zoos in Chon Buri province _ the Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya Crocodile Farm in Bang Lamung district and Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Si Racha district _ of being involved as they were able to account for all of the tigers in their possession.
When authorities found 400kg of tiger meat in a townhouse in Khlong Sam Wa district last Saturday, a suspect they arrested claimed the meat had come from a tiger zoo in Si Racha.
Saksit Simcharoen, chief of the Wildlife Department's protected area administration, said there was little chance the tigers had been slaughtered in a forest sanctuary, although this had happened in the past.
"It is difficult to transport the whole body of a tiger out from the deep forest because of its large size and heavy weight of hundreds of kilogrammes," he said.
Kanita Ouitavon, the senior scientist at the department's Wildlife Forensic Science Unit, said DNA testing would help determine whether the tigers were from a forest reserve or a zoo. The tests will take at least one month.
In forest reserves, the most common species is the Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti).
In zoos, most are Royal Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris). However, there has been some inter-breeding.
"If [the recovered remains] are identified as Royal Bengal tiger we will know it has come from a zoo," she said. "If not, it will be more complicated."...
The Chinese government needs to outlaw all food consumption of tiger meat in any cultural context.
Despite 20 years of international conservation efforts, we are losing ground to save the tiger as, on the endangered species list, all sub-species of tigers are considered critically endangered species.
Of the eight original subspecies of tigers, three have become extinct in the last 60 years, an average of one every 20 years.
The Bali tiger became extinct in the 1930's. The Caspian tiger was forced into extinction in the 1970's. And the Javan tiger followed in the 1980's.
It is known that all remaining tigers live in small, isolated populations in widely scattered reserves.
John King
Six weeks after his 15 minutes of fame, Banana Sam is back where he belongs: part of the skittering horde.
The 2-pound, 17-year-old squirrel monkey was the featured attraction Saturday at the San Francisco Zoo. There, in the same spacious cage from which he was abducted in late December, the moon-faced primate raced across beams and clambered up rope ladders - amid 17 of his brethren all doing pretty much the same thing, all of them looking pretty much alike.
Banana Sam was placed back in the faux-tropical landscape Wednesday after spending more than a month in the zoo's veterinary hospital. The isolation was imposed to monitor the monkey's health and make sure he hadn't picked up any communicable diseases during his 40 hours in the outside world....
Published: Sunday
February 12, 2012
Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor
Architect extraordinaire Evon Williams is used to designing exquisite homes, but of late, this member of the Hope Zoo Kingston Preservation Foundation is getting a lot of pleasure in his new challenge of creating the structures that will comprise the eventually refurbished national treasure - Hope Zoo.
Just over three months ago, Guardsman Group Chairman Kenny Benjamin told this reporter that in his role as head of the foundation, he would ensure that during this year there would be something new to see at the zoo every month. And there is.
By midday last Sunday, the parking lot had begun to fill up with patrons who came to laze about, study, feed the budgies or just enjoy the beautiful 60-acre property.
Ursa International, world-renowned creator of zoo designs and landscape specialists, conceptualised the original designs and Design Collaborative Architects and Town Planners have been working to bring them to life. The theme is unmistakably African-inspired and, when complete, will be a joy to behold.
But just what exactly is happening at the zoo?...
By JUSTIN GLAWE of the Journal Star
Posted Feb 11, 2012 @ 11:44 PM
Vivian is on birth control, and not by choice. The slender-faced creature has a problem with one of her legs, making reproduction out of the question. The condition can be passed on genetically.
“That doesn’t make (Taji) any less interested,” Jill Roderick, education director for the Peoria Zoo, said. “If for some reason she doesn’t get the birth control, we have to separate them for a few days.”
This factoid was one of hundreds handed out Saturday at “Romance at the Zoo,” a presentation and walking tour limited to visitors 18 and older.
It focused on the mating habits of a variety of animals. Those who attended the event walked away with a cornucopia of facts on the subject. It’s hard to tell exactly how useful they’ll be.
Quite a bit of the knowledge imparted Saturday would be impossible to print here. Let’s just say size matters, in varying ways. In the case of a silverback gorilla, an adult weight of 450 to 500 pounds is more than enough to make up for a certain body part that’s not quite to scale.
“He doesn’t have to impress with that,” Roderick said. “All he has to do is protect his territory, so size matters in different ways depending on what species you’re talking about.”
Male sea dragons carry eggs in their tail, male emus are wooed by females, one quarter of black swans raise children with two males instead of a male and female, and, most disturbingly, male black widow spiders sometime purposefully impale themselves on the fangs of their mate. Seriously.
“Studies have shown that when they do this, they produce more offspring than if they took off for their own safety,” Roderick said.
About 20 people were treated to a behind-the-scenes walking tour. That’s where they saw Vivian and Taji as well as rhinoceroses, zebras and lions....
Project aims to transfer animals from the old Dubai zoo to the new one
By Shveta Pathak, Staff Reporter
Published: 12:55 February 12, 2012
Dubai: The Dubai Municipality is planning to come up with a new zoo in the emirate. The civic body has already started to study the project and aims to transfer animals from the old zoo to the new one.
Hussian Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality said a consultant and an action team will come up with the final concept of the project, including the selection of a suitable site, required area and distribution of animals in line with the international standards.
The study is expected to be completed in two months.
The civic body was presented with the concept of a safari, as adopted in countries like Singapore and Thailand, and cages, by the consultant....
Press Association
Sunday, 12 February 2012, 10:08 ET
Calf born to parents Misha and Ryan is seventh to be born at same zoo in 11 years
A Brazilian tapir has been born at a Devon zoo. The new arrival, named Dexter, was born at Paignton zoo environmental park to parents Misha and Ryan. The zoo has enjoyed regular success with tapirs, breeding seven over the last 11 years.
Neil Bemment, the zoo's curator of mammals, said: "There are few zoo youngsters as endearing as a baby tapir.It is always good news to breed such a popular and charismatic species."
A single youngster is born after a gestation period of about 13 months. Dexter, born on 5 February, has a striped and spotted coat which he will lose as he grows older.
Brazilian or lowland tapirs are threatened because of habitat destruction and being hunted for food....
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- While your focus for Valentine's Day may be the loved ones in your life the Rosamond Gifford Zoo wanted to make sure that the animal kingdom wasn't feeling left out.
More than 15 species of animals at the zoo got special Valentine's Day treats Sunday. The heart-shaped treats included frozen foods and other treats. In the case of the lions, it was cardboard boxes that they can tear apart.
It's a fun event for zoo-goers to watch, but officials said it's also important for the animals.
Adrienne Whiteley, Animal Collection Manager said, “The food here's pretty easy for them, they don't have to do a lot of work for it and so they might get a little bored, so we make it a little more challenging which just keeps them active, keeps them happy. It's a little more natural behavior for them when they have to seek their food."
The event is part of a larger enrichment program at the zoo to encourage animals to use their natural behaviors....
TNN | Feb 13, 2012, 04.16AM IST
COIMBATORE: About twenty five tortoisesbelonging to the endangered Indian Flap-Shellvariety are attracting unusual curiosity among visitors to the city zoo with their carnivorous food habits.
They were recently discovered when zoo authorities were investigating why their manila ducks were disappearing. They found the culprits to be the tortoises, who were hiding in the pond located within the enclosure meant for the manila ducks, and ravenously feeding on their chicks. They have now been lodged in a separate enclosure and are fed mutton chops along with vegetables.
"I am curious as to how they managed to escape our notice. The zoo staff was clueless about why the chicks were disappearing," says K Asokan, director of the zoo. However, he feels that the rare tortoises are a blessing in disguise. "They are an endangered variety and I am glad to have the opportunity to conserve them. This is an added advantage to the zoo. Among the 25, 14 are adults and the rest are hatchlings," he said. It was the bigger ones that were eating the ducks, he informed....
The 10-month-old Great Pacific octopus Sea Monster changes her color and the texture of her outside "mantle," a membrane that is essentially her outer skin, to blend with her surroundings and hide from potential predators.
James Knox | Tribune-Review
Intelligent young Sea Monster makes her debut at zoo (click here)
By Jill King Greenwood, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, February 13, 2012
Like a lot of youngsters, Sea Monster loves playtime with Mr. Potato Head and stacking rings.
The 10-month-old Great Pacific octopus came to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in June but just made her public debut in the facility's 1,300-gallon tank. She was caught in a fisherman's net off the coast of Oregon and rescued by biologists at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, which transferred her to Pittsburgh, said Tracy Gray, zoo spokeswoman.
Marine aquarists must continuously provide mental stimulation for the 12-pound octopus because the cephalopods are intelligent mollusks and get bored easily, said Eric Kellar, a life-support systems aquarist who takes care of Sea Monster.
The water in her aquarium is kept at 46 degrees, and she would not survive in waters much warmer than 52 degrees, Kellar said. Her species of octopus is found along the Oregon coast up to Alaska and as far west as Japan.
"She takes in everything around her, and she recognizes people by what they wear and how they smell," said Kellar, who has been at the zoo for nine years. "She needs a lot of enrichment because she will literally go insane if she's just put into an aquarium with nothing to occupy her mind. I started calling her Sea Monster right away because she's quick and raring to go."
To work on Sea Monster's natural hunting instincts, Kellar hides shrimp and other treats inside the Mr. Potato Head, hamster balls and other toys and then coaxes the octopus to use her eight arms and 2,000 suction cups to get inside....
