Morning Papers - continued ...

Some Zoo News

Zoo's big cats get new home
Associated Press
Published: Saturday, June 03, 2006
PHILADELPHIA -- Thirteen big cats -- from a rare black jaguar to a trio of young snow leopards -- are enjoying spacious new digs in the city after some time away "vacationing" at other zoos.
The Philadelphia Zoo has formally opened its new $20 million US habitat, which is designed to give the animals a more natural setting and visitors a more intimate experience.
The exhibit also preaches conservation, using interactive games, video clips and other tools to describe the threats humans pose to big-cat species around the world.
Exhibits describe the human encroachment that has largely driven jaguars from the southwestern United States into Mexico and pumas -- also called mountain lions or cougars -- from the eastern United States.
The zoo also offers information on a program in Kenya it supports that teaches ranchers how to build lion-proof corrals for their herds, so they don't shoot the endangered lions.
Big Cat Falls is likely to be a summer blockbuster for the zoo, which attracts as many as 13,000 visitors on a weekend summer day and 1.2 million visitors a year. It is the first new exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo since 1999, spokeswoman Ginette Meluso said. For more information: http://www.philadelphiazoo.org.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/travel/story.html?id=845dd9b5-c6a9-4b2c-87a9-c1eb538d0306



Delhi Eye in sight
7.20am Wednesday June 7, 2006
Tourism authorities in New Delhi are planning a new amusement park with a giant Ferris wheel that would give visitors a bird's-eye view of India's capital, with its historic tombs and forts.
The Great Delhi Wheel, similar to the London Eye, is awaiting approval by the city's chief minister, Sheila Dikshit.
The 150m- diameter wheel would be installed at Millennium Park, being developed by Yamuna River.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385345


Elephant activists hold up jumbo load
8.00am Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Jan McGirk
BANGKOK - The controversial shipment of eight young elephants from Thailand to Australia was temorarily abandoned yesterday after animal rights activists blockaded the roads in Kanchanaburi, forming a human chain around the animals' quarantine site.
The protests, a last-ditch attempt to prevent the animal-exhange project, succeeded in delaying the departure of the elephants, which were due to be loaded onto cargo planes at Bangkok airport last night.
It was to have been the first stage of a swap between Thailand and two zoos in Australia.
In exchange, more than a hundred kangaroos and other marsupials were to be shipped to the new Chiang Mai night zoo in northern Thailand, where bush meat features heavily on the menu.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385377


Zoos seek Thai elephant assurances
By Paul Carter
June 07, 2006
AUSTRALIAN zookeepers were seeking assurances that the transfer of eight Asian elephants from Thailand would proceed, after it was delayed by protests.
Sydney's Taronga Zoo and Melbourne Zoo, which have offered to take the animals, today approached the Thai Government for confirmation the elephant export would go ahead.
Protesters who yesterday blocked the path of a convoy of trucks carrying the elephants were today calling for them to be DNA tested, in order to prove they qualified for export.
Under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, an elephant is only eligible for export if both its parents are bred in captivity.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19395480-1702,00.html



Zoos pool funds to rescue monkeys from South Africa
Thirty-three orphaned primates, left behind by poachers, are distributed to six parks in the U.S.
By Tony Perry
LOS ANGELES TIMES
SAN DIEGO - It started with a shocking phone call from a man in South Africa to a monkey expert at the San Diego Zoo: How much should he charge for young monkeys caught in the wild?
To Karen Killmar, associate curator of mammals, the idea of selling monkeys was repellent.
"In this profession, you get some strange calls, but this was a first," Killmar said, adding in a chilly tone, "We do not put a price tag on our animals."
Still, Killmar was intrigued. She started asking the caller questions. The more she learned about the monkeys, the more she thought they should be rescued rather than sold as exotic pets.
The monkeys had been caught in the Democratic Republic of Congo and brought to South Africa.
They were leftovers from the illicit traffic in "bush meat" that is pushing some monkeys and other species to the brink of extinction.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/politics/14759629.htm


Fire at zoo kills 43 animals
Investigators search for cause of after-hours blaze at Stanback Petting Barn in Salisbury Stanback
Petting Barn in Salisbury
jvick@charlotteobserver.comslyttle@charlotteobserver.com
Rowan County authorities are investigating the cause of a Sunday fire that destroyed a popular petting zoo and killed 43 of its animals.
No people were injured in the fire, which destroyed the Stanback Petting Barn at Dan Nicholas Park on Bringle Ferry Road in Salisbury.
The fire was reported about 8 p.m., two hours after the park closed, said Rowan County Fire Marshal Arthur Delaney. The staff was out of the park by 7 p.m., said manager Don Bringle.
Park officials said they were saddened by the loss of animal life and of the teaching opportunities the barn provided.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/14147955.htm


Russia Vaccinates Birds At Moscow's Zoo Against Bird Flu
MOSCOW (AP)--Authorities vaccinated birds at Moscow's Zoo Tuesday as part of a program to protect domestic fowl in Russia against the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu.
For the workers tasked with giving the injections, however, catching up with the birds proved a challenge. Some zoo workers were forced to chase after uncooperative birds with nets.
"We put the vaccine in the syringe and inject it into the bird's chest," said Nataliya Istratova, the zoo's spokeswoman. "It's stressful for (the birds), but better to be in the hands of a doctor than in death's grip."
Russia's lower house, the State Duma, heard testimony Tuesday from the country's top sanitary official on measures being taken to deal with the spread of bird flu. Gennady Onishchenko told deputies the country had sufficient supplies of vaccine and had set up a nationwide monitoring headquarters.
"The situation is under control," Onishchenko assured lawmakers.
Some 50,000 doses of vaccine have been provided to inoculate fowl in Moscow, the Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement.
Cases of bird flu have been detected in eight regions in southern Russia that are in the path of migratory birds, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
No cases of bird flu in humans have been registered so far in Russia. However, Onishchenko has called for border controls to be tightened. In a recent letter to health officials, he proposed preparing medical facilities at ports, airports, railway stations and other border crossings to hospitalize people suspected of carrying the disease.
Source: Dow Jones Newswire

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=24363>


MDE Wraps up Zoo Investigation
03/21/2006
SALISBURY, Md. (AP)- The Maryland Department of the Environment says it has completed its investigation of the Salisbury Zoo.
Two animal pens had been draining directly into the Wicomico River. There was also a possibility that sewage could back up and overflow through a grate in the bison area.
The MDE says those problems have been fixed and the city will learn if will be penalized sometime this week.

http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4662064&nav=MXEF



Lion, Dog Become Pals At Zoo
Lioness Abandoned As Cub
POSTED: 10:42 am PST March 21, 2006
JINJOO, South Korea -- A female lion that was abandoned as a cub and a dog have become good friends at a South Korean zoo.
The lioness is named "Soonee," which means "tame" in Korean.
Her friend is a South Korea Jindo dog called "Tang-Chil," after a popular cartoon character.
After she was abandoned by her mother, Soonee was lonely, but rejected all male lions.
Then Tang-Chil came along. After letting the dog live near Soonee's cage for a month, zookeepers let him enter the cage under supervision.
The two animals became friends, and now they look after each other, zookeepers said.

http://www.nbc4.tv/irresistible/8165481/detail.html


Some of this is dated, but, still of interest.

Cool cats rule Auckland Zoo these school holidays
Wednesday, 22 March 2006, 10:22 am
Press Release: Auckland Zoo
MEDIA RELEASE
22 March 2006
Cool cats rule Auckland Zoo these school holidays!
Race to Auckland Zoo these Easter school holidays (Friday 14 - Tuesday 25 April) and catch up with all our cool cats - the new cheetah boys, servals, lions, tiger and more. Brought to you by Newstalk ZB, the fur will fly if you miss out!
The newest cats to spot at the zoo are ten-month-old cheetah males, Anubis and Osiris. Arriving from South Africa in mid-April, they are the first cheetah to be exhibited at the zoo in its 84-year history. The fastest land mammal on the planet, and Africa's most endangered cat, they will be helping us spread the word about their plight. These brothers will need some serious cat-napping for their first few days, to get over their jet lag, and settle into their new home. But following this quiet time, visitors will soon be able to see these magnificent felines in the flesh.
Be a cool cat yourself, and come learn more about these fascinating felines. Unfortunately, not all cats have nine lives. Find out why the endangered cheetah, tiger, golden cats and others are at risk, and need everyone's help to ensure they have a future.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK0603/S00129.htm


'Art Museum by the Zoo'
Though a 'small' film, it's one that deserves attention
Darcy Paquet (internews)
Yet another film by a first-time director/screenwriter, "Art Museum by the Zoo" is the only film in this list directed by a woman (Lee Jeong Hyang). It debuted a week before Christmas and was extremely well received by audiences and critics alike. It stars a very popular actress in Shim Eun Ha ("Christmas in August") together with first-time actor Lee Sung Jae. Of all the films I saw in 1998, I think this one may be my favorite.
The story is reportedly based on events from the director's own life. On leave from the military, a man named Chul Soo arrives at his fiancee's apartment and finds her not at home. He cleans the apartment and prepares dinner for her, only to discover that she has moved out, and another woman is now renting the apartment. When a few days later his fiancee tells him she is marrying another man, he has nowhere to go, and ends up staying at the apartment.

http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?at_code=318088&no=280695&rel_no=1


Air Zoo exhibits WMU Sunseeker
By Jordan White
News Writer
March 23, 2006
Visitors to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo will be able to view the product of the hard work of a group of Engineering students from Western Michigan University’s College of Engineering and Applied Sciences until April 9.
A solar powered car, known as the Sunseeker, will be on display at the request of the air museum, according to Abraham Poot, a lab supervisor at the CEAS and an advisor to the team that built the car.
As the car will be on display during the local public school’s Spring Break, Poot said that he and the team hope for added exposure to their efforts and to provide answers to any questions visitors may have.

http://www.westernherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/03/23/44220bf76bbfc



A Coyote Is Spotted Roaming Near the Zoo in Central Park
By THOMAS J. LUECK; MICK MEENAN CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FOR THIS ARTICLE. (NYT) 493 words
Published: March 22, 2006
It started on Monday with reports of a strange, wolf-like creature in Central Park. The mystery deepened before dawn yesterday, when it was seen loping across the 65th Street transverse road.
By late last night, the mystery was solved, but the hunt continued. There was a coyote loose in the park.
''It didn't look the least bit worried,'' said Adrian Benepe, the city's parks commissioner, who spotted the coyote about 3 p.m. in the Hallett Nature Sanctuary, near the southeast corner of the park. Nearby were the feathery remains of a duck or pigeon.
''He leaped over the fence and disappeared in the park,'' he said.
Coyotes, though not normally a threat to humans, can pose a threat to small animals.
As a result, Mr. Benepe said, until the coyote is captured or determined to have left, the department is warning people to keep their dogs on leashes in the park at all times, even after 9 p.m., when the leash law is generally not enforced.
Last night, the coyote managed to evade a formidable search party, including dozens of police officers and parks workers with a police helicopter searching overhead. Police sharpshooters shot tranquilizer darts, but it was not known if any had found their mark.
Mr. Benepe said the darkness rendered dart guns too dangerous, and the focus shifted to warning dog walkers. The full search was to resume early this morning, he said. ''Either the police will catch it, or it will find a way to leave on its own accord,'' he said.
About 10:30 p.m. a reporter spotted what appeared to be the coyote -- a tawny, furry animal that resembled a German shepherd -- on the steps leading to the parks department headquarters, at 64th Street off Fifth Avenue. It leveled a distinctly blank stare from black eyes as it was approached.
For the next half hour it darted in and out of the bushes. It was last seen around 11 p.m. on the stone wall that borders the park at 63rd Street. It stared back briefly, jumped back into the park and disappeared.
The police were notified, but the coyote had not been caught by 12:30 a.m.
How the coyote, which parks staff members have named Hal, arrived in the park may never be known. But the species has became common in parts of Westchester County, and has often been spotted in the Bronx.
In April 1999, a coyote was seen in the same section of the park, tracked down, and tranquilized, and has since resided at the Queens Zoo.
Mr. Benepe said Hal may have wandered south, perhaps swimming across the Harlem River and making its way into Manhattan.
''People shouldn't feel threatened,'' he said, but suggested that no one get close. ''Treat it like a strange dog,'' he said. ''He's probably more frightened of you than you are of him, but never pet a strange dog.''

http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0617FA3D540C718EDDAA0894DE404482



You don’t know Jack? Visit zoo’s new penguins
By BERTRAM RANTIN
News Columnist
What do a Gentoo penguin at Riverbanks Zoo and the lead singer of the rock band White Stripes have in common?
The name Jack.
Amy Butler of Columbia suggested the name after she researched the penguins online and learned that one of their distinguishing features is the white stripes on their heads.
“So I immediately thought about the band,” said Butler, who works at Continental American Insurance Group.
The Columbia resident is among several people from across the state who soon will be getting an up-close and personal visit with the 10 new Gentoo penguins at Riverbanks Zoo.

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/14156082.htm



Trip to zoo is big deal
By Kathy Williams
Herald Democrat
Before our grandson Jacob could speak human, he could mimic nearly every animal. He had a special voice for mama and papa and baby animals.
Once in a while, we’d ask, just to be mean in the good-hearted grandfolk sort of way, what sound does an aardvark make or what does a rabbit say? He understood it was a joke after he searched his memory banks and came up empty or developed an impressive attempt at wiggling his nose bunny-esque.
Several trips to small zoos were marred by an unexpected surge of fear about birds visiting him in the night.
On a recent visit to Austin, we went to the San Antonio Zoo for Jacob’s third birthday. “These would be the big zoo animals,” Jacob had talked about incessantly for weeks.

http://www.heralddemocrat.com/articles/2006/03/22/good_morning/good01.txt



Reid Park Zoo no longer trying to breed African elephant Shaba
By Rob O'Dell
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona Published: 03.23.2006
The Reid Park Zoo will no longer attempt to breed its 26-year-old African elephant Shaba.
The zoo announced Wednesday, that the decision was made last week despite the fact that Shaba is a healthy elephant of breeding age. The decision was based on new research that older first-time elephant mothers have a lower success rate and a greater chance for complications, said zoo administrator Susan Basford.

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/121352



Baby swans, just weeks old, draw fans to S.A. Zoo
Web Posted: 03/23/2006 12:00 AM CST
Vincent T. Davis
Express-News Staff Writer
Joe and Kay Hott guided their grandchildren, Austin and Jazman, to gaze at the newest additions to the San Antonio Zoo's swan family Wednesday afternoon.
The Hotts, on vacation from Bella Vista, Ark., reassured their grandchildren that they were indeed at the Australian black swan habitat.
Austin, 8, leaned on a metal foot rail, asking where the quartet of young swans was. "Right there," Joe Hott said, pointing at four stone-colored fowl that hatched Feb. 14, sporting what looked like crew-cut feathers.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA032306.08B.black_swans.d35172c.html



Zoo welcomes agouti babies
Visitors to the Minnesota Zoo's exhibit "Creatures Beneath the Canopy" who look carefully and are patient may catch a glimpse of the Zoo's newest additions.
Two agouti, large rodents that live near water, were born at the zoo on Tuesday. The male and female were about the size of a baby bunny when born. They are typically curious and independent creatures which means they'll venture into the exhibit area within the next few weeks.
Agoutis are native to Central and South American forests where there is thick brush and water.
They are not an endangered species, but their numbers are dwindling in the wild because of they are hunted for food.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=121425



131 yrs later, Adwaita leaves empty shell at Alipore Zoo
Sharmi Adhikary
Kolkata, March 23: AFTER 131 years, Adwaita is no more with the Alipore Zoo. Two days after the death of the nearly 300-year-old tortoise, the zoo’s oldest occupant, its dusty enclosure lies empty.
Brought from Latbagan in Barrackpore, the tortoise was a part of the zoo since its inception in 1875. The tortoise, or Geochelone gigantea as it is scientifically known, was estimated to be more than 260 years old.
The zoo authorities have decided to preserve its shell in the zoo museum which is being planned.
Incidentally, the shell had suffered a mild crack a few years back, but it was repaired. Zoo officials said Adwaita showed no signs of any illness, and the death was rather sudden. A post-mortem examination showed the tortoise had died of renal failure.
The tortoise, minus the shell, was cremated at the zoo hospital. The shell is being processed in the veterinary zoo hospital for preservation. ‘‘The processing work is going on. We will preserve the shell, but the sit of exhibit is yet to be finalised,’’ informed Dr Subir Chaudhuri, director of Alipore Zoo.
‘‘The animal had shown no symptoms of kidney or liver failure. It ate its usual quota of vegetable diet in the morning,’’ said Dr Chaudhuri. Adwaita died on Tuesday night.
‘‘Biswanath Ram, the caretaker who attended to the tortoise for years is really going to miss it,’’ said Chaudhuri. ‘‘When one takes care of an animal for so long, there is bound to be a bonding. And ever since Ram joined here, he was responsible for Adwaita,’’ he added.
After Adwaita’s death, the zoo’s oldest inmate is a 75-year-old Red and Blue Macaw. ‘‘The bird is well taken care of. But it must be mentioned that Adwaita was the oldest of its type in the whole of India. We have no immediate plans to replace it,’’ said Chaudhuri.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=175003



Zoo launches Experience Great Things campaign
3/24/06
In response to the outpouring of sympathy, the Seneca Park Zoo is honoring the memory of Genny C's unborn calf. Experience Great Things will pick up where the Bucks for Baby campaign left off. Genny C's calf died last month during the delivery process. Seneca Park Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Jeff Wyatt says Genny C is doing well, eating and drinking normally and even playing. The zoo’s veterinary staff is monitoring Genny C on a daily basis.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Seneca Park Zoo officials announced Friday that they will continue to raise money to support a new elephant exhibit, specifically a new pool. The goal is to raise $250,000.00 by the fall of this year. “We are going to be calling a future fund raising campaign, "experience great things" and we are going to transform the Bucks for the Baby campaign into this new campaign that is Experience Great Things. The money raised will still support the new elephant exhibit will specifically help fund a pool for our elephants, and if you’ve ever watched Genny C and Lilac play out in the yard in the new area, a pool would be a perfect addition for these two elephants.”
Zoo officials also announced the zoo’s sox Spokeskids will continue to serve as ambassadors for the zoo and the new elephant exhibit.

http://www.10nbc.com/news.asp?template=item&story_id=18209

continued ...

As promised

Zoo section to follow.

A current picture from Gulfport, Mississippi. So much for millions and billions for rebuilding.

June 3, 2006.

Photographer states :: What's left of a beachfront resort in Gulfport

Obviously the photographer considers this a once favorite retreat.

The Dust Storm rolling into Pheonix, Arizona. Kindly note the weather overhead. Turbulent. Winds that reached the ground.

June 6, 2006

Morning Papers - continued ...

The Calgary Herald

One year later families remember water's deadly toll
Four lives lost in June 2005
Renata D'Aliesio, Calgary Herald
Published: Tuesday, June 06, 2006
It had been raining for five days straight in much of southwestern Alberta when last June's first big storm arrived a year ago today.
As heavy rain pelted the Foothills and prairie, flood warnings were issued. Twenty-one rivers, creeks and streams from Pincher Creek to Claresholm and Calgary threatened to spill their banks.
The three floods of 2005 swamped basements, mangled bridges and tore apart roads, pathways and parks.
In their wake, they also swallowed four lives.
The deaths of 21-year-old Jason Shantz, 15-year-old Caitlin Sharpe and 59-year-old Rick James Petrie have served as lessons about the dangers of walking and working near raging rivers.
The death of 44-year-old Tim Guicheteau of Kelvington, Sask., offers a different lesson.
On April 28, in a provincial courtroom in Drumheller, a couple from the small Alberta town of Morrin were convicted on Traffic Safety Act charges related to Guicheteau's death.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=eda08530-6b2b-4176-8fcc-69e5996087bf&k=28603



O'Connor skips NATO meeting in case of confidence vote
Mike Blanchfield, CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, June 07, 2006
OTTAWA - When NATO defence ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss a major decision to almost double troops in Afghanistan a question with direct impact on Canada one key player will be missing: Canada's defence minister, Gordon O'Connor.
CanWest News Service has learned that O'Connor will forgo the meeting because he doesn't want to be responsible for missing a House of Commons vote that could topple the minority Conservative government, although no confidence votes are scheduled for Thursday.
''We wanted to go,'' said a senior Defence Department official, but added: ''Our minister will not be the one responsible for bringing down the government.''
Instead, Canada will be represented at Thursday's meeting by the unelected senior bureaucrat in the Defence Department: assistant deputy minister Ward Elcock.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=e54bd24c-2915-4f9b-a049-00c1ed9b0fcf



Tory budget passes thanks to opposition 'error'
Allan Woods, CanWest News Service
Published: Wednesday, June 07, 2006
OTTAWA - The Conservative government's first budget passed with unanimous consent Tuesday thanks to a ''procedural error'' that has allowed Prime Minister Stephen Harper to survive the biggest test he is likely to see this parliamentary session.
The House of Commons had what is known as a ''voice vote,'' where those opposed to a particular law cry out ''nay'' and those in favour cry ''yea.'' It appears the Liberals and the New Democratic Party did not realize they were voting on the budget at third reading and sat quietly through the vote.
''Nobody on the Liberal side added their voice,'' Liberal Leader Bill Graham admitted to reporters. ''It was an unfortunate error, but it doesn't change anything ... We're opposed to the budget. I don't think anybody thinks that we're not.''

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=2020da87-6173-4566-add3-4e6771c71330&k=3631



Kobasew cheers Carolina 'friends'
Jean LeFebvre, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, June 07, 2006
For Chuck Kobasew to flat-out declare he wants the Edmonton Oilers to fall on their collective mushes would be petty. A little gauche, even.
Instead, the Calgary Flames right-winger has a much more tasteful way to express his team of choice in the Stanley Cup final tussle.
"Having some friends on Carolina," Kobasew chuckled, "just gives me a great reason to cheer for them."
Said pals would be former colleagues from the Lowell Lock Monsters, the American Hockey League outfit with which Kobasew spent the lockout winter. Lowell at that time was a shared Flames/Hurricanes affiliate, which means Kobasew played alongside current Carolina players Eric Staal, Chad Larose and Cam Ward, not to mention Flame-cum-'Cane Mike Commodore.
"They're good guys," said Kobasew, whose new two-year contract with the Flames was announced Tuesday. "I enjoyed playing with them, so I guess I'm cheering for them. You know what? If the last game is a taste of what's to come, it should be an exciting series."

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=653a5a23-a67a-4a6e-a968-29b7e77e5963&k=44526



Teenage schoolgirl fights off male attacker
Gwendolyn Richards, Calgary Herald
Published: Wednesday, June 07, 2006
A teen girl grabbed by a male youth as she walked from school to her Deer Run home Tuesday afternoon handled the incident properly, police say.
The 14-year-old was returning home around 4:15 p.m. when a 15- or 16-year-old male walking the same way approached her.
"He ran up to her, grabbed her and appeared to try to remove her pants," said Calgary Police Service duty Insp. Luch Berti.
Although local residents were out in their yards or returning home from work at the time of the incident, they may not have realized anything criminal was happening, said Berti.
"Sometimes people don't understand what they're seeing," he said.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=82d94af5-4425-4f19-8448-8522a11b922b&k=25642



$10,000 reward offered for turning in Nazis
Laura Payton, CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, June 07, 2006
OTTAWA - An international organization focusing on the history of the Holocaust has stepped up efforts to catch suspected Nazi war criminals living in Canada.
The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center announced Tuesday that it will give rewards of up to $10,000 for tips leading to convictions of Nazi war criminals.
The strategy falls under a campaign known as Operation Last Chance, a program formerly in use only in countries where Nazi crimes were committed.
"Obviously, the name reflects the urgency of the situation," said Efraim Zuroff, a director of the Israel office of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
"We're almost at the last possible opportunity to bring these killers to justice and we decided that we have to be a little more proactive."
A Justice Department representative said Canada is unwilling to be a safe haven for war criminals, and that the government is willing to investigate the tips collected by Operation Last Chance, as well as tips about anyone suspected of committing atrocities.

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=4e4ccddd-2e8a-4b7d-a1bb-9746659e2425&k=89054


Billing Gazette

Gazette Opinion: In new storm season, FEMA must not fail
No one could have predicted how badly the Federal Emergency Management Agency would perform in responding to Hurricane Katrina.
The ineptitude of America's response to this horrific natural disaster compounded the suffering of thousands. This was a man-made tragedy piled on top of Mother Nature's destruction.
On Thursday, officials noted the official start of the 2006 hurricane season with promises of a better performance in the face of these violent storms to come.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says FEMA, an agency that falls under his department's umbrella, is "much more prepared than we were last year or any previous year."
They'd better be. The National Hurricane Center predicts that as many as 16 tropical storms could pound the Atlantic coastline and Gulf Coast this season. Forecasters say eight to 10 of the storms could become hurricanes.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/06/07/opinion/gazette/50-gazetteopinion.txt


Tester routs Morrison, will challenge Burns
Embattled incumbent beats Keenan by 3-to-1 margin
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON
Gazette State Bureau
HELENA -- Jon Tester, a populist farmer, won a decisive victory over John Morrison in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday and will face three-term Republican incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns, who won his primary handily, in November.
Tester, outspent by Morrison by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, led almost from the start of the vote counting Tuesday evening. He ended up defeating Morrison, the state auditor, by about 25 percentage points in the five-way primary.
Although Tester was considered an underdog in the five-candidate Democratic Senate race, he gained momentum in closing weeks of the campaign through an extensive grass-roots effort.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/06/07/news/state/20-tester-burns.txt



Voters split on 2 sex-related ordinances
Obscenity ban fails; zoning plan OK'd
By TOM HOWARD
Of The Gazette Staff
Yellowstone County voters Tuesday defeated a proposed ordinance that sought a countywide ban on obscenity. But a companion ordinance that uses the county's zoning regulations to restrict the operations of strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses was approved by a narrow margin.
In unofficial results, voters rejected the obscenity ordinance by a 56 to 44 percent margin, with 15,314 voting no and 12,064 in favor.
The sexually oriented business ordinance, which would affect businesses outside the city of Billings, was approved by a 425-vote margin, with 13,612 in favor, 13,187 opposed.
"We have a very educated group of voters, and it appears that the obscenity ordinance is something that they didn't want," said John Ostlund, chairman of the Yellowstone County commissioners.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/06/07/news/local/20-ordinances.txt



Lindeen wins chance to run against Rehberg
By JENNIFER McKEE
Gazette State Bureau
HELENA -- It's official: Billings-area state lawmaker Monica Lindeen will square off against three-term incumbent Rep. Denny Rehberg in the race for Montana's lone congressional seat this fall.
With 80 percent of precincts reporting as of press time, Lindeen enjoyed a handy 72 percent to 28 percent lead over dark-horse challenger Eric Gunderson of Frenchtown.
The Associated Press declared Lindeen the winner just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
At just before midnight Tuesday, Lindeen had 52,325 votes, compared with Gunderson's 20,503. Lindeen claimed 83 percent of the vote in Yellowstone County. Lindeen carried 79 percent of the vote in Lewis and Clark County.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/06/07/news/state/25-lindeen.txt



2 GOP incumbents lose in House bids
By MIKE DENNISON
Gazette State Bureau
HELENA -- Incumbent Republican House members in Missoula and Kalispell went down to defeat in primary elections Tuesday, while another Republican House member lost his bid to defeat an incumbent state senator.
In Kalispell, Rep. Bernie Olson, a Republican moderate targeted by members of his own party, lost to challenger Mark Blasdel, also of Kalispell.
And in Missoula, one-term Republican Rep. John Balyeat lost to Missoula businessman Bill Nooney.
The races are some of several high-profile primaries statewide, as Democrats and Republicans prepare for a showdown this fall over control of the Legislature.
Democrats have a 27-23 edge in the Senate now, and the House is tied 50-50 between the parties.
Several other important legislative races were too close to call late Tuesday.

http://www.billingsgazette.net/news/state/45-incuments.txt



New Haven Register

ACLU takes on telecom spying
Robert Varley, Register Staff
05/25/2006
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut joined a national effort Wednesday calling on attorneys general and utility commissions in 20 states to investigate whether telecommunications companies broke laws by allowing the National Security Agency to spy on their customers.
"It’s time for this illegal invasion of privacy, that could affect everyone in this country, to be unveiled," said Roger C. Vann, executive director of the state chapter.
The civil rights organization wants the state Department of Public Utility Control to conduct a formal investigation into the possibility that AT&T and Verizon disclosed information on their customers in Connecticut to the NSA.
In total, 20 ACLU affiliates are involved in an attempt to stamp out what they termed "illegal government spying."
President Bush and other administration officials have neither confirmed nor denied a USA Today report that the NSA is collecting the calling records of ordinary Americans in its effort to detect the plans of al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations. Bush has said the administration’s anti-terrorism surveillance programs are legal and constitutional.
"We do not seek to obstruct legitimate law enforcement activities, but we are determined to stand up for the fundamental privacy and due process rights of people whose telephone records have been divulged without a warrant, notice or consent," said Vann.
Connecticut DPUC spokeswoman Beryl Lyons said the department’s commissioners and legal staff have not gone through the unprecedented complaint yet. "This has to do with terrorism, so no . . . I’ve never had anything like this in here," she said.
The nationwide "Don’t Spy on Me" campaign urges the public to go to an ACLU Web site to add their names to the complaints about allegations that telecommunications companies illegally cooperated with the NSA to collect calling information on Americans.
"We are prepared to investigate vigorously and aggressively with other attorneys general whether there have been disclosures of consumer telephone records that violate state or federal law," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. "We welcome views from the ACLU and other groups or individuals who may have information indicating lawbreaking in connection with release of information."
Verizon said that the company "cannot and will not confirm or deny whether it has any relationship to the classified NSA program. . . . (Helping protect the country from terrorist attack and ensuring customers’ privacy) are not in conflict. When asked for help, we will always make sure that any assistance is authorized by law and that our customers’ privacy is safeguarded," the company said.
An AT&T statement said the company will "vigorously protect our customers’ privacy. If and when AT&T is asked by government agencies for help, we do so strictly within the law and under the most stringent conditions. Beyond that, we can’t comment on matters of national security."
ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero said Congress has been "curiously silent" on the spying issue. He wanted to pressure the Federal Communications Commission and its chairman, Kevin Martin, to investigate the telephone records program even though Martin has said the agency does not have the power to review classified information.

Pasted from <http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16690057&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=566835&rfi=6



Neighbors fight methadone clinic
William Kaempffer, Register Staff
06/07/2006
NEW HAVEN — Judith Oliveras-Colon spent most of her life in Trowbridge Square and watched it deteriorate from a proud Italian neighborhood to a crime-ridden slum and then reclaim its streets in what residents described as something of a renaissance.
She and her neighbors had considerable angst when they just recently learned of a long-planned proposal to open a methadone clinic near their homes.
"We’ve worked so hard to have this come in," she said, waiting outside Sacred Heart Church for a meeting to start with clinic representatives Tuesday night.
"There’s no answers. Who lives here? We do. They don’t live here. We’ll have to deal with what’s left over."

http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16748391&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=566835&rfi=6



DeStefano pushes for ‘working wage’
Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics Editor
06/07/2006
-NEW BRITAIN — Standing in front of a popular deli, gubernatorial hopeful John DeStefano Jr. Tuesday called for a "moral minimum wage" that would be tied to the consumer price index and increase automatically.
"Today in Connecticut, people are working their way into poverty," DeStefano said as he stood outside Angelo’s Catering.
"If you work, you ought to get paid a working wage," he said of the 40,000 people in the state now earning minimum wage, largely single women heads of household. "It’s important to do it in a state with the highest cost of living."
DeStefano, New Haven’s mayor, is running against Stamford Mayor Dannel P. Malloy for the Democratic Party’s nomination for governor in an Aug. 8 primary.

http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16748387&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=566835&rfi=15



New Zealand Herald


Axe attack on PM's office 'symbolic gesture', court told
4.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
The man involved in an axe attack on the Prime Minister's electoral office told a jury today the act symbolised the Government's broken promises on the foreshore and seabed legislation.
Timothy Selwyn, 31, has admitted to conspiring to commit wilful damage when an axe was planted in the window of Helen Clark's office in Mt Albert, Auckland, on November 18, 2004.
Selwyn denied two other charges of being party to a seditious conspiracy and publishing statements with seditious intent.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10385470



Canada plot suspect accused of plan to behead PM
1.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Cameron French and Jonathan Spicer
BRAMPTON, Ontario - One member of an alleged al Qaeda-inspired terror ring arrested in Canada last weekend faces the accusation that he sought to behead Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his lawyer has said.
The man, Steven Chand, 25, was among 15 members of the alleged ring who appeared in a heavily guarded courtroom northwest of Toronto on Tuesday local time to set dates for bail hearings.
"There's an allegation apparently that my client personally indicated that he wanted to behead the prime minister of Canada," Chand's lawyer, Gary Batasar, told reporters.
Canadian police arrested 17 Muslim men, five of whom are under the age of 18, on Friday and Saturday in Canada's largest counterterrorism operation.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385456



Some 6000 corpses taken to Baghdad mortuary this year
4.20pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Jerome Taylor
The bodies of 6000 people, many of whom died violently, have been brought to Baghdad's main mortuary this year, officials from Iraq's Health Ministry said.
In May, one of the bloodiest months in the city so far this year,­ 1400 bodies were received by the mortuary.
According to health ministry officials who spoke anonymously to the BBC, the vast majority of victims brought to the morgue were the victims of sectarian killings, which have increased dramatically since the bombing of a Shia shrine earlier in the year.
The statistics were released just hours after police made the gruesome discovery of nine severed heads which had been stuffed into a cardboard box in a volatile area north of Baghdad.
Police in Baquba said they found the heads in the al-Hadid district, just three days after suspected sectarian attackers beheaded seven cousins from one family and a Sunni Arab imam in the same region.
Baquba, the capital of Diyala province, is a religiously mixed province that has seen large numbers of inhabitants flee the area because of killings and assassinations based solely on ethnicity.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385469



Iran sees positive signs in nuclear proposals
1.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Parisa Hafez
TEHRAN - Proposals by six world powers to end a dispute over Iran's nuclear fuel enrichment had positive points but also some "ambiguities" that must be removed, Tehran's chief negotiator has said.
The proposals, which have not been made public but include incentives and penalties, seek to persuade Iran to give up enriching uranium, which the West fears will be used to build atomic bombs. Tehran says its nuclear aims are purely civilian.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana on Tuesday presented Iran's chief negotiator Ali Larijani with the package, agreed by the United States, Russia, China and the "EU3" - Britain, France and Germany.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385422



UN fails to convince Khartoum to allow Darfur force
1.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
KHARTOUM - UN Security Council members have failed to convince Sudan's President of the need for a UN peacekeeping mission in the violent Darfur region, diplomats have said.
Since 2003, at least 200,000 civilians have died in the region through fighting, hunger and disease, and more than 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes.
Representatives of the 15-nation UN Security Council were visiting Sudan to try to convince the Khartoum government the UN did not intend to send an invasion force to the western region or dispatch troops without Sudan's consent.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385449



Jordan to urge Israeli PM to resume peace talks
1.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Suleiman al-Khalidi
AMMAN - Jordan's King Abdullah will use talks in Amman on Wednesday to urge Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to revive stalled Arab-Israeli peace talks through international mediation, Jordian officials have said.
They said Jordan would focus on lobbying its western neighbour to return back to talks sponsored by Middle East peace brokers under the "road map for peace", drafted in 2003 which seeks a negotiated two-state solution.
It is the first visit to Jordan by an Israeli prime minister in six years. Olmert's office said in a statement his meeting with King Abdullah would take place in Amman at 1.30pm (10.30pm NZT) on Wednesday.
"The visit comes as part of Jordan's efforts to revive the peace process by a commitment to the road map and its implementation through direct talks," government spokesperson Nasser Joudeh told the state news agency Petra.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385414



Spain's opposition withdraws support for Eta talks
1.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
MADRID - Spain's opposition party has withdrawn its support for the Socialist government's plans to start peace talks with Basque guerrillas Eta, another hurdle in a process to end 38 years of separatist violence.
The conservative Popular Party (PP) threatened to break its backing for Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero last week when the Basque Socialists said they would open talks with Batasuna, a party banned for its links to Eta.
"The PP cannot stand silent while things like this are happening and so breaks all relations with the government," opposition leader Mariano Rajoy told parliament.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385410



US says data on 2.2 million troops may have been stolen
1.20pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
WASHINGTON - Personal information on about 2.2 million active-duty, National Guard and Reserve troops may have been stolen in a burglary at a government employee's house in January, US officials have revealed.
The Department of Veterans Affairs said the information, including names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth, may have been stored in the same stolen electronic equipment that contained similar personal data on 26.5 million US military veterans.
In the wrong hands, such data can be used in credit-card fraud and other crimes.
The government disclosed on May 22 that unidentified burglars on May 3 had broken into the Maryland residence of a Veterans Affairs employee who was not authorized to take the data home, and stole equipment containing the veterans' data.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385462



US senators urge Bush to act on Haditha probe
Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Sue Pleming and Vicki Allen
WASHINGTON - US senators have demanded the Bush administration swiftly establish what happened in Haditha, where US Marines are suspected of killing 24 unarmed Iraqis.
The senators said only rapid action could salvage the image of the military and US international relations.
The Senate Armed Services Committee plans to soon begin hearings on last November's incident in the western Iraqi town and determine whether the military tried to cover it up.
One senator, from President George W. Bush's own Republican Party, insisted US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld should be brought to account.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385467



Killings linked to 6-6-6 belief, Colombian police say
12.20am Wednesday June 7, 2006
BOGOTA - Six members of the same family who were murdered on Tuesday may have been victims of a satanic cult carrying out a ritualistic killing because of the date, Colombian authorities have said.
"It seems to have been related to today's date," Jorge Gomez, a human rights official in the town of Barrancabermeja, in Colombia's northern Santander Province, where the murders took place, told reporters.
Tuesday's date was June 6, 2006, or 6-6-6, a set of numbers taken by some to be the mark of the devil. Police said that, plus the fact that there were six victims, raised their suspicion that there could be a ritualistic angle to the crime.
Three family members in the house at the time of the attack were being questioned by police and a suspect not related to the victims has been detained, authorities said.
"These are demonic things. The devil did this," a neighbor of the family told local television.
For days Colombian media have been filled with stories about 6-6-6, and worries in this mostly Catholic country of 41 million people that the Antichrist could appear.
In chapter 13, verse 18 of the King James version of the Bible's Book of Revelations, 666 is the number of "the beast."
The number has a long association in both occult literature and popular culture with Satan, the fallen angel in Christian doctrine also known as "the devil," Lucifer and "the beast."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385439



Beijing police make first raid on male escort nightclub
3.20pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
BEIJING - Beijing police have made their first ever raid on a male escort nightclub, the China Daily said on Wednesday, part of a crack down on 46 bars and other places suspected of various vices.
"Police officers found 98 male escorts and dozens of women customers when they raided the nightclub in April," the newspaper said in its online edition, quoting the Beijing Morning Post.
"To the astonishment of police officers, a man was performing a striptease on top of a table in front of some female audience." Most of the male escorts come from northeastern China and were in their early 20s, the newspaper said.
"Many of the female customers were off-duty escorts, some of the male escorts said. Businesswomen were also found mingling in the crowd, who, police believe, patronise the club quite frequently."
Prostitution was virtually wiped out in the years after the Communist Party swept into power in 1949, but along with pornography and other perceived western vices has staged a comeback in the wake of reforms over the last three decades.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385474



NZer 'on rape charges in Vanuatu'
3.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
A New Zealand yachtie is being held in Vanuatu on rape and assault charges, it has been reported.
The alleged victim, allegedly with her legs tied, was rescued from his boat off the coast of the Pacific island.
Local newspaper The Independent reported that Tony Vivian was bailed after appearing in court in the capital Port Vila.
The drama was said to have begun when the 21-year-old Solomon Islands woman on board the yacht Sea Camp attracted the attention of a passing vessel.
The newspaper said the crew of the vessel investigated and discovered she had her legs tied to the boat and appeared to have been almost drowned.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385468



Watchdog warns blood diamond trade continuing
11.20am Wednesday June 7, 2006
UNITED NATIONS - A deadly trade in blood diamonds persists, three years after the launch of an initiative to prevent illicit gem sales from fuelling African wars, a watchdog group has said.
African governments and the diamond industry launched the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme in January 2003 to provide guarantees that participating nations were not dealing in diamonds financing local conflicts.
The scheme has helped stem the flow of blood diamonds but millions of dollars in illicit stones are still entering the world market, Global Witness said.
"The Kimberley Process has definitely improved the situation but there are serious loopholes," said Corinna Gilfillan, a spokeswoman for the London-based advocacy organisation that investigates the links between natural resource exploitation and conflicts.
"There is still a problem of diamonds fueling human rights abuses."
Under the scheme, participants exporting rough diamonds, diamonds that are straight from the ground and not yet cut, issue a certificate stating the stones are conflict-free.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385435



Taxi firm ordered off road
3.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
A taxi company with a fleet of around 300 cabs has been ordered off Auckalnd's roads.
Economy Taxis has had its licence revoked as of yesterday, Land Transport NZ said.
An investigation had found uncovered several serious breaches of the regulations which apply to cab firms.
These included the existence of false rosters for drivers, false entries for driving hours in drivers' logbooks, taxis operating with expired Certificates of Fitness and without Passenger Service Licences, and drivers with expired passenger endorsements and/or suspended driver licences, Land Transport NZ said.
"There was a general lack of control by company management over its members and drivers," said John Doesburg, Land Transport NZ's national manager for commercial road transport.
"The operating standards of this company were simply not up to scratch. We've given them opportunities to make improvements – they haven't done so and as a result their ATO status has been revoked."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10385476



Tasers judgment on hold
1.00pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
Readers' Views: Click on the link at end of story.
The Police Minister has declined to give her view on Taser guns until trials of the weapons are completed.
The stun guns are due to be trialed in police districts in the Auckland and Wellington regions this month, despite opposition from civil liberties advocates who have formed a group -- Campaign Against the Taser (CATT).
Police can embark on trials without the approval of the minister, Annette King, and she said today she was waiting for the outcome of the trials before she formed a final opinion.
Her spokesman said she was concerned police had adequate protection without having to use firearms.
But the purpose of the trials was to see whether they could or should be used in New Zealand as they were in other countries.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10385446



Police hunting armed man with terminal cancer
1.35pm Wednesday June 7, 2006
An armed man with a drug habit who has terminal cancer is being hunted by south Auckland Police.
Tifiga Atanoa is wanted in relation to numerous violent offences committed to feed his P habit, Detective Senior Sergeant Neil Grimstone of Papakura CIB said.
He said Atanoa, whose cancer has left him a large growth on the side of his neck, was not taking any medication and had "an extremely short life expectancy".
Mr Grimstone said Atanoa was considered extremely dangerous, unpredictable and volatile, and should not be approached.
"It is known by police that he is in possession of a number of firearms and that he is committing crime to feed a massive P habit," he said.
"He has made a number of statements to other criminals and other associates which are of a huge concern to the police."
Atanoa was described as a male Polynesian, 33 years of age, about 183cm tall and of solid build.
Police are appealing to the public, and particularly the criminal fraternity, to contact them on (09) 295 0220 if they have any information on his whereabouts.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10385464



Gibraltar vote will show it is not a colony, minister says
10.20 Wednesday June 7, 2006
UNITED NATIONS - An upcoming referendum on a new constitution for Gibraltar will show it is no longer a colony, the territory's Chief Minister Peter Caruana has said.
"Our new constitution has been negotiated by us and agreed with the United Kingdom.
"We shall soon put it to the people of Gibraltar in a referendum, which is an act of self-determination," Caruana told a UN committee on decolonisation on Tuesday local time.
The rocky outcropping on Spain's south coast has been at the centre of a long sovereignty dispute between Britain and Spain. Britain seized Gibraltar nearly three centuries ago and calls it a British colony but Spain contests its rule.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385409



Indonesia evacuating thousands from volcano area
9.20am Wednesday June 7, 2006
JAKARTA - Indonesia has evacuated about 2000 people from areas at risk from a volcano spewing hot gas and lava, and expects to move thousands more amid signs of increased activity from Mount Merapi.
The volcano, on Indonesia's main island of Java and about 450km east of the capital Jakarta, has been sporadically belching out toxic gases and lava for many weeks, with experts saying a major eruption might come at any time.
"The lava has spread out in various directions. The lava domes are weakening," Edi Purwanto of the Mount Merapi evacuation post told Reuters by telephone.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385369



US cash support for Somali warlords 'destabilising'
Wednesday June 7, 2006
WASHINGTON - The United States is destabilising Somalia by funnelling more than US$100,000 ($160,000) a month to warlords battling Islamist militia in Somalia, a former US intelligence expert has said.
The US operation was seriously set back yesterday when an Islamic coalition claimed control of Mogadishu.
Former intelligence officials said the funding was aimed at stopping leaders who could provide al Qaeda with a haven in the country.
The policy had led to dissent within the US Administration, and the defeat of the warlords showed, said critics, that it was fundamentally flawed.
Officials refused to discuss any possible involvement in Somalia, but a US expert on the country said an operation to support the secular warlords involved the CIA and US military.
John Prendergast, who monitors Somalia for the think-tank International Crisis Group, said he learned during meetings with alliance members in Somalia that the CIA was financing the warlords with cash.
Prendergast estimated that CIA-operated flights into Somalia have been bringing in US$100,000 to US$150,000 per month.
The flights remained in Somalia for the day, he said, so that US agents could confer with their allies.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385312



Taleban bomb US coalition convoy
8.20am Wednesday June 7, 2006
A Taleban suicide car bomber rammed a US coalition convoy in the southeast Afghan province of Khost last night, wounding some troops, but there were no immediate reports of deaths, a US military spokeswoman in Kabul said.
A Taleban spokesman said the bomber killed six soldiers and three Afghans.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385344



Dream homes turn into nothing but a nightmare in Russia
Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Christian Lowe
MOSCOW - Irina Tarasenko owns an apartment at No 42 on Moscow's Bolshaya Ochakovskaya Street, but the nearest she can get to it is the children's playground 14 floors below.
She paid US$50,000 ($80,000) for her one-room property when the building was still on the drawing board.
It was finished last year, but no one could move in because, it turned out, the developer had sold the same apartments to two or more buyers.
"I still cannot believe it," said Tarasenko, standing next to the swings in the playground. The pregnant 34-year-old aid worker is staying with her sister.
"I would like to have my own home," she said. "But the money I paid disappeared, as did the company I dealt with."
Pressure groups say there are up to 100,000 people across Russia who have lost their money in similar schemes - the developer either swindled them or went bankrupt before finishing the job.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10385307



Polygamy tax for Bangladeshi men
5.20am Wednesday June 7, 2006
Bangladeshi men wishing to have more than one wife will have to pay a polygamy tax from next month in Rajshahi city.
Husbands taking a second, third or fourth wife will have to pay 10,000 taka ($230) for the first additional bride, $695 for the second and $925 for the third.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385347



Iraq to free 2500, but no 'Saddam loyalists'
8.00am Wednesday June 7, 2006
BAGHDAD - Iraq's new prime minister announced he would release 2500 prisoners in an apparent bid to shore up his own authority amid signs of tension in his ruling Shi'ite Alliance.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who has pledged to heal sectarian wounds and crush a Sunni Arab insurgency, said the prisoner release would free those who had no clear evidence against them or had been mistakenly detained.
Initially, 500 people will be released on Wednesday, he said, but did not give details. Many of those in prison are from ousted President Saddam Hussein's once dominant Sunni community.
"Those who will be released will be people who are not Saddam Hussein loyalists or terrorists or anyone who has Iraqi blood on their hands," said Maliki, who took office on May 20 at the helm of a US-backed government of national unity.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385372



Thousands urge removal of Timor Prime Minister
8.00am Wednesday June 7, 2006
DILI - Some 2000 protesters rallied in Timor's violence-stricken capital yesterday demanding the removal of Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, blaming him for the unrest that has left parts of the city in ruins and burning.
Protesters in trucks, buses and on motorbikes shouted "bring down Alkatiri" and voiced support for President Xanana Gusmao as they entered Dili escorted by international peacekeepers.
Protest spokesman Major Augusto de Araujo Tara read a petition calling on Gusmao to "disband the national parliament now and topple the Mari Alkatiri government".
The petition called for a transitional government in the world's youngest nation, led by Gusmao as military commander, to hold new parliamentary elections this month. Elections are not due until May 2007.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385370



Kiwi helps get Timor's police back on beat
Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Greg Ansley
East Timor's Police Academy sits on the western edge of Dili, close to some of the worst rioting and looting in the tiny nation's capital in the past three weeks.
Inside, heavily protected, are members of what used to be the Policia Nationale de Timor Leste (PNTL). The streets outside are far too deadly for them: 10 were killed and 25 injured when the Army opened fire on a column of men surrendering under United Nations protection.
Within the force itself, factions and rivalries tore the PNTL apart as law and order disintegrated. A volatile brew of former senior officers drawn from the pre-independence Indonesian police force, disgruntled former guerillas and the barely-trained were set loose with frightening firepower.
Now, looking beyond the violence that still rages in Dili, Jakarta-based New Zealand Police Superintendent Athol Soper sees a huge task ahead in putting police back on the beat.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385286



Goff to take first-hand look at Dili troubles
Wednesday June 7, 2006
Defence Minister Phil Goff will visit East Timor today to meet Government leaders and New Zealand Defence Force personnel struggling to bring law and order to the capital, Dili.
Mr Goff will discuss the problems that led to the crisis and the role the international peacekeeping force is undertaking.
His visit takes place as New Zealand considers sending police to help military peacekeepers restore order.
Two New Zealand police officers will visit East Timor to assess the situation.
The commander of the Australian peacekeepers, Brigadier Mick Slater, said yesterday that more police were needed, not troops.
"It is about getting criminals off the streets, and police do that better than soldiers," he said in Dili.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385320



Tycoon plans to name coastal town after himself
Wednesday June 7, 2006
By Terri Judd
LONDON - When considering extravagant purchases, most millionaires might settle for a fast car or large mansion - but not Scott Alexander.
The irrepressible tycoon has bought an entire town, which he plans to rename after himself.
The 31-year-old has bought the Bulgarian coastal resort lock, stock and barrel for £3 million ($8.9 million) and insists that its 1000 residents are "quite excited".
Alexander, an entrepreneur who has devoted one wall of his Manchester penthouse to a £10,000 portrait of himself, spent £55,000 on a new set of teeth and was recently dubbed "Britain's vainest man", has laughed off suggestions it is a tad egotistical to name an entire town (the identity of which he refuses to disclose) after himself.
"I've decided to call it Alexander, which I suppose is quite cheeky. It is just a bit of fun," he said. "The reason behind it is that the Bulgarian name is difficult to pronounce."
The lifestyle and property tycoon is certainly no stranger to extravagance.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10385277

continued …

Recovering Sea Turtle in Corpus Christi, Texas

June 3, 2006. All the pictures below are from the same date.

Photographer states :: Sea Turtle recovering after being found barely alive on the beach with a piece of its right front fin torn off. Apparently a group of careless shrimpers threw him overboard after finding him tangled in their nets.

Albino Python at Temeuzen, Netherlands. The Python is 4 meters long.

 

Penguin at the St. Louis Zoo

 

The Lahore Zoo in Pakistan has not had a giraffe in 14 years.

 

Zoos

It must be something in the water
By Zafrir Rinat
Israelis' fondness for hikes in the country appears to be exacting a high price from rare fish populations in the Jordan River basin. Researchers at Tel Aviv University believe that the bodily excretions of women hiking in Hakibbutzim Stream, in the Beit She'an Valley, are causing sexual changes in the Acanthobrama Lissneri, a species that is unique to the area. Another interesting discovery from the same area is that the Astatotilapia Flaviijosephi, which is also found only in Israel, eats mainly stones from the riverbed.
As part of a comprehensive survey of the state of the fishes in the Jordan River basin that was supervised by Dr. Menachem Goren of the TAU Zoology Department, Yaron Krotman examined the fish population in various locations, including the Astatotilapia Flaviijosephi, which lives in an area filled with springs and pools that are popular with day-trippers.
In one of the sites examined by Krotman, he found a disproportionately high number of females - more than twice the number of males. In other sites, the numbers were nearly equal. Tests of the water at the sites revealed high levels of the female hormone ethinylestriadol, which is used in contraceptive pills and is excreted with the urine into the environment.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/722927.html



Lahore Zoo takes U-turn on giraffe purchase
By Shoaib Ahmed
LAHORE: The Lahore Zoo seems to have gone back on its decision to buy a pair of giraffes, officials in the Punjab Wildlife Department told Daily Times on Thursday.
Officials said that the zoo had decided to buy the giraffes from a private company, Multiple Distributors and Manufacturers Private Limited. They said that the Department’s Zoo Maintenance Committee had even approved the purchase in an official announcement, which permitted the purchase of a pair of “southern giraffes” (found in southern Africa) for Rs 4,788,000.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C06%5C02%5Cstory_2-6-2006_pg7_31



TV hippo's zoo charged
SPCA alleges Telus star was kept in poor conditions
By CP
VANCOUVER -- The star of a series of Telus TV commercials that saw stuffed toy hippos flying off the shelves last Christmas is at the centre of a zoo scandal over her treatment.
The Greater Vancouver Zoo is facing a charge of cruelty to animals for its treatment of the two-year-old hippo.
Two counts have been laid against the zoo under a B.C. statute on recommendations from the SPCA, carrying maximum penalties of $2,000 fines, six months in jail or both.
The SPCA alleges the zoo kept Hazina alone in a windowless shed with a pool so shallow she couldn't float, which could cause health complications.
The zoo got Hazina in October 2004 and promised a new enclosure would be ready in June.
But SPCA officials say Hazina has waited too long and adequate care should have been provided from the start.
Vancouver Humane Society spokesman Peter Fricker said he is delighted charges have been laid.
"It's unconscionable that a baby hippo has been kept alone for so long," he said.
Zoo marketing manager Jody Henderson vigorously defended the zoo.
"We've said from day one we're not happy with where (Hazina) is," Henderson said.
Henderson said "a celebration party" was planned for June 24 after completion of the new $500,000 hippo facility.
Fricker criticized Telus for using Hazina in its ads.
Telus spokesman Shawn Hall said the company stipulated its $10,000 fee go directly toward a new enclosure and also helped establish a fundraising campaign.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2006/06/01/1609549-sun.html


Take Dad to the zoo for free
Celebrate Father's Day at Dickerson Park Zoo, 3043 N. Fort Ave., where fathers receive free admission from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 18.
Admission for others: $6; $4 for children 3-12, $5 for seniors 65 and older, free for children 2 and younger. Call 864-1800 or visit www.dickersonparkzoo.org.

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060601/ENTERTAINMENT04/606010318/1005/ENTERTAINMENT


'Baby shower' to be held at zoo
Friday, June 2, 2006
The Franklin Park Zoo is hosting "The Baby Shower" on June 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The event will benefit the Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund.
Patrons who bring new baby essentials for donation receive $1 of the admission price. Essentials for donation include diapers, sippy cups, bottles, baby lotion, pacifiers, wipes, formula and onesies for donation to the Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund for distribution to needy families throughout the Commonwealth.
New animals born just in time for the zoo's 2006 season include a gorilla, zebra, giraffe and tiger cubs.
Ticket prices at the Franklin Park Zoo are $9.50 for adults; $5.50 for children 2-12; Children under 2 are free. For more information, call 617-541-LION or visit zoonewengland.com.

http://www2.townonline.com/framingham/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=508622



ST. LOUIS ZOO NEEDS DOCENTS: VOLUNTEER EDUCATORS
Docent Open House Planned for Monday, June 12
Wanted: Animal lovers to help teach about the wonders of the natural world at the St. Louis Zoo. A Docent Open House will be held at The Living World on Monday, June 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. for those interested in applying for the 2006 basic training session starting September 5 at the Zoo.
Docents are volunteer environmental educators dedicated to helping school children, Zoo visitors and the public understand and enjoy wildlife, ecosystems and conservation. These specialized volunteers generate enthusiasm about the natural world by conducting classes at the Zoo and in the community, leading educational tours, interpreting animals and more.
No experience necessary! The Zoo offers a 13-week basic training course, which includes information about the Zoo, zoology, the basics of interpretation, conservation and more. The program also provides mentoring with experienced docents, hands-on training and continuing education.
The Zoo provides this training free of charge; however, docents must be at least 18 years old, interview and be accepted into the training program. Docents are required to volunteer a minimum of 62 hours per year. Flexible scheduling is available year-round.
For more information, contact Rachel Arbogast at (314) 781-0900, ext. 313 or arbogast@stlzoo.org, or check the Zoo website at www.stlzoo.org/education.

http://www.scanews.com/2006/06/s823/82310/



Serve and sip at Toledo Zoo
In its fifth year, the wine tasting event has gained local support
By: Matt Manning
Wine tasting has seen rising pop-ularity and is now a recognizable hobby across the country. People are simply enjoying the luscious taste of the juices from grains, grapes and other types of fruit.
Toledo has found their own wine lovers, and they tend to conjugate wherever wine tasting events are held.
The Toledo Zoo has hosted numerous events that center on wine tasting, with the most recent "Vineyard Adventure" held last Friday in the Arctic Encounter portion of the zoo with the theme of the "African Adventure."
It was a night of wine, finger foods and live music all while observing the delicate state of the sleeping polar bears and swimming seals.
This is the fifth year the "Vineyard Adventures" has been held and it shows no signs of slowing down.

http://www.bgnews.com/media/storage/paper883/news/2006/05/31/Pulse/Serve.And.Sip.At.Toledo.Zoo-2015108.shtml?norewrite200606060453&sourcedomain=www.bgnews.com



Al Ain Zoo denies report on taking in sick animals, says Noor is a liar
By Lana Mahdi
2 June 2006
AL AIN — The sensational story broadcast on Abu Dhabi Arabic Radio's Studio 1 regarding an Asian man, referred to as Investor Noor, who claimed he had sold sick animals to the Al Ain Zoological Park and Aquarium (Aazpa), was categorically denied by the Zoo Director Mark Craig yesterday.
Craig said the Asian man told a false story. The Al Ain Zoo only receives animals from international organisations, government organisations within and outside the UAE, in addition to other zoos in the Emirates and abroad, but not from private individuals.
The 50-year old Asian man who was nicknamed Investor Noor by the programme's presenter has been living in Al Ain for many years and works as a livestock salesman.
Speaking to your favourite No 1 newspaper Khaleej Times, Craig asserted the Asian man told a fabricated story as every single word he said regarding the supply of sick animals by him to the zoo was false .
Noor, on the other hand, had claimed in the Studio 1 radio broadcast that he had sold “somewhat sick animals” to different customers in Al Ain, including Al Ain Zoo, various local eateries and restaurants, and individuals.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Al Ain Food Control Center told Khaleej Times that he could not comment on the case.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2006/June/theuae_June63.xml&section=theuae


Runaway lion brought back to zoo
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-06-02 12:04
Three animal trainers pull a female lion back to a zoo in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, May 31, 2006. The lion escaped to a road outside the zoo during a performance. More than 100 policemen and zoo staff were deployed to capture the lion and bring it back to the zoo. No injuries was reported. [Xinhua]

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-06/02/content_607248.htm


Wildebeests join zoo exhibit
Eight wildebeests will join the African savanna exhibit next week at the Minnesota Zoo. The animals arrived Tuesday morning on loan from the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas, said zoo spokeswoman Kelly Lessard. The year-old herd includes five males and three females.
It's the first time wildebeests have been on exhibit at the zoo. With the addition, there will be 22 animals in the "Summer on the Savanna" exhibit, including two giraffes, two ostriches, five zebras and five gazelles. The exhibit features a 6-acre habitat designed to simulate the animals' environment in the grasslands of East Africa.
Zoo employees expect the wildebeests to join their fellow African creatures early next week after they get acquainted with their new surroundings, Lessard said.
The three-month exhibit opened Saturday to 7,182 visitors — 1,515 more than a year ago on the same day. Overall attendance for Memorial Day weekend totaled 3,500 fewer than last year, likely because of the heat.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/14720418.htm



For zoo, follow the exit signs
Councilman aids ‘family-friendly’ route from I-69
By Benjamin Lanka
The Journal Gazette
Out-of-town guests should have an easier – and hopefully better – path to the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo thanks to numerous projects just completed, a Fort Wayne city councilman said Thursday.
Councilman Tom Didier, R-3rd, announced the completion of a new traffic signal at Wells Street and Franke Park Drive and a newly designated route to the zoo from Interstate 69.
Didier said he campaigned on wanting to make Fort Wayne a destination. Making it easier to get to one of the city’s top attractions was a good starting point, he said.
The intersection project cost the city $241,400, paid in part from income tax revenues allocated by Didier and other councilmen. The intersection includes a new traffic signal and new turn lanes.

http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/14721079.htm



Petting zoo open to all
The Barnyard Buddies Petting Zoo invites community members to get up close and personal with some of their favorite farm animals. Children will love petting the rabbits, pigs, goats, llamas, donkeys and more. The cost is $2 and pony rides cost $3. Hand-washing stations are available, and Barnyard Buddies is USDA licensed. Barnyard Buddies is located in the lot just west of Archibald's Restaurant at Gardner Village, 1100 W. 7800 South in West Jordan. It's open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., weather permitting. For more information, call 801-455-5679 or visit www.gardnervillage.com.

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,635211599,00.html



Zoo guard charged with stealing from donation boxes
From Press staff reports
Published: Friday, June 2, 2006
Updated: Friday, June 2, 2006
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP — An overnight security guard at the Cape May County Park & Zoo was charged with stealing money from donation boxes, according to Middle Township police.
Police charged Allen B. Smith, 32, of the Villas, with theft, burglary and official misconduct, police Capt. Scott Webster said.
Webster said park supervisors uncovered evidence that a security guard had access to donation boxes, which are located at four spots throughout the grounds.
Police said Smith allegedly took money from donation boxes while on his rounds as a security guard.
The theft occurred during a one-year period, police said.
Police said Smith has been suspended without pay from his position. Police have not said how much money may have been taken.
“At this point, it's still being tabulated, because basically you're talking donations. So the amount varies on a day-to-day basis,” Webster said.
County park employees cooperated with Middle Township police detectives in the investigation.

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/local/capemay/story/6404201p-6257690c.html



PETA calls for end to cat program at Cincinnati Zoo
Animal rights group challenges captive breeding
BY QUAN TRUONG ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Cincinnati Zoo's small cat conservation program is "breeding and callously disposing of domestic cats," an animal rights group charged Thursday.
In a letter to Gregg Hudson, president of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals called on the zoo to stop the breeding program and allow PETA to help put the cats up for adoption.
The program breeds domestic cats and conducts reproductive research.
Hudson was not available Thursday night, but John Dillon, the zoo's director of animal conservation programs, disputed the charges and said PETA "has an anti-research agenda. Whether it (research) will save lives, they don't care."
Mary Beth Sweetland, senior vice president for PETA, said the zoo's program is "consigning domestic cats to a life of loneliness and misery" at what PETA characterizes as an "animal experimentation business."
Dillon said the zoo puts the cats up for adoption after research. But he confirmed that the zoo also has donated cats to Summit Ridge Farms, which the zoo calls a nutritional research business. The zoo did a background check on Summit Ridge and found that the Susquehanna, Pa., facility is credible and well run, he said.
"We have a moral responsibility for their (the cats') well-being and we do everything in our power to take care of the animals from cradle to grave," Dillon said.
PETA asked the zoo to use other conservation measures, such as habitat protection, to help endangered species.
Dillon said captive breeding is only a part of the zoo's comprehensive approach to wildlife conservation. "Is it the be-all and end-all? No. Is it an integral part? Of course," he said.
The zoo program is registered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and undergoes periodic, unannounced inspections, said zoo spokesman Chad Yelton.
The zoo began its small cat conservation program in 2001 and uses the research to help save endangered cat species.
E-mail qtruong@enquirer.com

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/NEWS01/606020393/1056



Zoo receives state grant, hopes for future funding
BY J.L. BARDELLINE
STAFF WRITER
ROYAL OAK - A $4 million grant from the state to the Detroit Zoo will assist the transfer of zoo operations and provide funding for the year. But the zoo will need more funding from Detroit and the state, and possibly a regional tax, to keep up its budget.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill last week giving the zoo $4 million. State funding was part of the agreement for transferring the zoo's operation from Detroit to the Detroit Zoological Society, the zoo's fund-raising entity, earlier this year.
The Detroit City Council had taken the zoo out of the city's budget because it was costing the city about $5 million a year. Under the transfer, the city still owns the property and assets, but the society is responsible for running and operating the zoo.
The original offer of $4 million from the state expired when the Detroit City Council rejected the first transfer plan. The council approved a revised transfer plan in March and the state Legislature re-approved the funding last week.
"We have asked both the city (of Detroit) and the state for funding for next year," said zoo spokeswoman Patricia Mills. "With regard to the state, we will go back for at least $4 million."
Detroit has pledged to give the zoo about $5 million a year for two years for capital expenses.
Other than city and state funding, Mills said, the zoo is looking at other funding sources, such as private donations and a regional tax. How much of a tax would be needed, though, had not been decided, she said.
(248) 546-4900 ext. 230 jbardelline@hometownlife.com
Originally published June 2, 2006

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060602/NEWS/606020306/1024/NEWS07




Phoenix Zoo plans summertime after-hours activities
By Michael Grady, Tribune
June 2, 2006
Zoos can be a little frustrating come summertime. In midafternoon, the wildlife you see is often limited to the hindquarters of exotic creatures as they crawl under shade or dive into their habitats for relief. And who can blame them?
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Lifestyle
The hearty few who venture outside will stare across their enclosures at the sun-baked patrons, as if to say, “I work here. What’s your excuse?” But the Phoenix Zoo has come up with a Friday-night cure for the summertime zoos.
STARRY SAFARI
The zoo is bringing on the night shift to give East Valley families a little hot-weather relief.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=66918



Zoo expect African elephant calf
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville Zoo is expecting a new attraction come next spring. Homegrown, of course.
Mikki, a 20-year-old African elephant, is pregnant by artificial insemination. Zoo officials have not determined the 150-to 200-pound calf's gender and believe the insemination last June did the trick.
"We've been working on this for years," said Zoo Director John Walczak.
This was the zoo's second try at artificial insemination. The zoo verified Mikki's pregnancy by sonogram last November.
Mikki, born in Africa, came to Louisville at age 2. She lives in the zoo's newest elephant habitat with roommate Punch, an older female Asian elephant.
Deborah Olson, American Zoo and Aquarium Association's North American African elephant studbook keeper, said Mikki and four other elephants in U.S. zoos are pregnant.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/14716863.htm


World in one place at revamped zoo
THE Johannesburg Zoo has begun an ambitious five-year upgrade to create a unique experience for visitors, recreating the diverse eco-zones of the planet.
January 12, 2005
By Tabisa Mntengwana
SOON Joburg residents will be able to walk the spice route or explore the Amazon without even leaving the city.
The Johannesburg Zoo has embarked on an ambitious five-year plan to upgrade and renovate its facilities.
"We are not only going to rebuild the old buildings, there will also be new walkways, buildings and trees," says Johannesburg Zoo's CEO Jenny Gray.
Forest floor for the Amazonia section. A boardwalk has been completed and trees planted
While mammoth changes are planned, "some of the buildings will stay as they are" as part of the zoo's heritage, adds enrichment coordinator Mathew van Lierop.
The zoo is planning to create seven distinct zones - the Spice Route, Heart of Africa, Southern Safari, Extreme Environments, Amazonia, a farmyard and an entertainment area - bringing different parts of the world to Joburg.

http://www.joburg.org.za/2005/jan/jan12_zoo_plan.stm



Joburg Zoo celebrates 100 years
March 24, 2004
By Bontle Moeng
A HAVEN for endangered and exotic animals, a venue for musical concerts, or a pleasant park for a family picnic, the Johannesburg Zoo has served the residents of the city for 100 years.
And on 10 July the zoo will hold a centenary birthday party.
The Johannesburg Zoo has come a long way since it first opened in 1904, when 200 acres of land was officially accepted by the town council of the day and signed over to the people of Johannesburg as a recreational venue.
Elephant rides
The animals housed at the zoo in the early days were: one male lion, one male baboon, one female leopard, a pair of Indian apes, two male Sable antelopes, one Golden eagle, one African wild cat, a pair of porcupines, and one female giraffe.

http://www.joburg.org.za/2004/march/mar24_zoo.stm




Four Tiger Cubs Debut At Argentinean Zoo
Pups Still Feeding From Mother
POSTED: 9:58 am CDT June 2, 2006
UPDATED: 10:07 am CDT June 2, 2006
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Four new additions to an Argentinean zoo are making quite a roar.
Four tiger cubs born last month are the latest attraction at a zoo east of Buenos Aires.
The pups -- two females and two males -- are still feeding from their mother, but made their public debut on Thursday.
The zoo is considering giving local students the chance to name the baby tigers.
Zookeepers said the new cubs are spending much of their days alongside their mother.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9311562/detail.html



SF Zoo opens new elephant seal pup exhibit
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - They're known as "weaners," but the San Francisco Zoo's new elephant seal pups have adult-sized appetites.
Four orphaned pups, who were emaciated and suffering from various wounds when they were rescued along the San Luis Obispo County coast, each devoured about five pounds of herring in one sitting Thursday at the zoo's new elephant seal exhibit and rehabilitation center.
The pups, who are each around three months old, will stay at the zoo for a month honing their swimming skills, building muscle and coordination, and loading up on herring before they are released back into the Pacific Ocean.
They were the first guests at the zoo's new exhibit.
The zoo is partnering with Sausalito's Marine Mammal Center, which has agreed to provide volunteers to help feed and monitor the seals.
Their new home is a 75-foot long pool that has been empty for more than a year since the departure of two harbor seals to Miami, said Bob Jenkins, the zoo's director of animal care and conservation.
A full house is expected as more injured seals are rescued and admitted.
"One in seven of our patients at the center is there as a result of human interaction," Merrill Magowan, the Marine Mammal Center's chairman of the board. "It's time we must let seals be seals."

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/state/14726795.htm



Zoo exhibit's bugs make kids grin and parents cringe
Zoo exhibit allows kids to get up close and personal with tarantulas, grasshoppers and some bugs parents won't find so disgusting
By J.M. Baról
Tribune Reporter
June 2, 2006
If 21-month-old Gracie Garrison could speak in complete sentences, she probably would have said something like: "Ooo, cool! Millipedes!"
But at the Rio Grande Zoo's Backyard Bug exhibit last week, it was Gracie's mom who did the talking.

http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/features/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19849_4743207,00.html



Endangered bird population taking off thanks to unique breeding technique
By TODD SAELHOF, CALGARY SUN
That’s thanks to a program — featuring artificial insemination, incubation and egg transportation — which has taken flight to boost the worldwide whooping crane population.
Researcher Keith Gibson said the zoo’s contribution has helped the species grow from only 21 worldwide in 1945 to 480 populating the planet today.
“It’s really turned into one of our signature conservation efforts,” said Gibson of the program at the Calgary Zoo’s Devonian Wildlife Conservation Centre.
“People want these birds around and understand their value.”
The zoo’s crane keeper, Dwight Knapik, said the program’s key is in artificial insemination, which has worked for three years to produce more fertile eggs.
In the wild, each female lays just two eggs a year, but zookeepers can coax more by removing them from the mother so she’ll lay a second — and sometimes a third — clutch.
Knapik then places the eggs — each one long, oval and barely fitting in the keeper’s palm — in an incubator, which provides them the proper humidity, temperature and movement.
After up to 28 days in the incubator, Knapik bundles eggs ready to hatch in a transport box — a heated carrier much like an organ transport cooler but powered by battery packs — and takes them by air to a wildlife research centre in Maryland.
There, the eggs hatch and the young cranes are introduced to the wild by training to fly — by sight and sound — behind a modified ultralight aircraft on a migration route to Florida.
“Before they hatch, the eggs are played sounds of an ultralight motor so they know what to follow,” Knapik said.
“We measure success by how many chicks we get flying and released into the wild, and that’s been 16 since 1996.”
Funding for the program is helped by sponsorship, including a recent $5,000 grant from Shell Canada’s Environmental Fund and a 50-cent donation from each bottle sold by Banrock Station, an Australian wine producer.
The zoo currently has two whooping cranes on display, while 24 more live at the conservation centre south of Calgary.

http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2006/06/02/1612173.html



Dustin Block - End of the free zoo a symptom of an underlying problem
By Dustin Block
Like many people, I was sad to hear about the Racine Zoo's decision to charge admission. I admired the zoo's long-standing tradition of opening its gates, and can't help but feel we have failed in our responsibility as a community to provide for children and families.
Charging $4 for adults and $2 for children will further restrict who can attend the zoo. (I say further because even a free zoo comes with the costs of finding the time to go and figuring out a way to get there - two obstacles that prevent many hard-working families from enjoying even a free activity.) Charging 1 cent for admission will keep more people away; charging $12 for a family of four cuts out many more.
Any fee is a simple solution, backed by a simple argument: Charge the people who use the zoo. Why should anyone who never goes to the zoo pay their hard-earned taxes so others can go free? It's un-American. A fee is the only reasonable way to manage a community resource.

http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/06/03/local/columns/iq_4047943.txt


Zoo outing provides escape from reality of serious illness
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Sarah Crump
Plain Dealer Reporter
Elizabeth Griffin doesn't look like she belongs at 2006 DreamNight. The free private evening Friday at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo was only for children who live with chronic illnesses or disabilities and their families.
She bounces from giant koala to kangaroo to tiger, hugging the furry costumed critters while other children ride past in wheelchairs. Dressed in jeans and a pink jacket with "Princess" embroidered on it, she seems as healthy as any 6-year-old.
Being sick isn't on Elizabeth's mind. Not tonight.
Seeing the elephants -- her favorite -- and getting her face painted are at the top of her list. A just reward for wrapping up a year of kindergarten at Our Lady of Angels School in Cleveland.
Elizabeth and her family were among about 600 people attending DreamNight in Cleveland.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/114932357748340.xml&coll=2



Zoo's big cats get new home
Associated Press
Published: Saturday, June 03, 2006
PHILADELPHIA -- Thirteen big cats -- from a rare black jaguar to a trio of young snow leopards -- are enjoying spacious new digs in the city after some time away "vacationing" at other zoos.
The Philadelphia Zoo has formally opened its new $20 million US habitat, which is designed to give the animals a more natural setting and visitors a more intimate experience.
The exhibit also preaches conservation, using interactive games, video clips and other tools to describe the threats humans pose to big-cat species around the world.
Exhibits describe the human encroachment that has largely driven jaguars from the southwestern United States into Mexico and pumas -- also called mountain lions or cougars -- from the eastern United States.
The zoo also offers information on a program in Kenya it supports that teaches ranchers how to build lion-proof corrals for their herds, so they don't shoot the endangered lions.
Big Cat Falls is likely to be a summer blockbuster for the zoo, which attracts as many as 13,000 visitors on a weekend summer day and 1.2 million visitors a year. It is the first new exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo since 1999, spokeswoman Ginette Meluso said. For more information: http://www.philadelphiazoo.org.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/travel/story.html?id=845dd9b5-c6a9-4b2c-87a9-c1eb538d0306



Thai activists block elephant transport
By Grant Peck, Associated Press Writer June 5, 2006
BANGKOK, Thailand --Animal rights activists Monday blocked trucks from transporting eight elephants bound for Australian zoos, saying the animals would suffer.
The elephants were in separate trucks at a quarantine station in the western Thai province of Kanchanaburi, waiting to be driven to Bangkok airport for a flight to Australia late Monday night.
But Soraida Salwala, founder of the Thai group Friends of the Asian Elephant, and a local environmentalist stepped in front of the lead truck, blocking its way. Television footage showed the truck stopping barely a foot in front of them.
The standoff continued into the night, Soraida said by phone. She and her colleague remained inside the university compound that houses the quarantine station, while a fence had been erected to keep others out. About 100 supporters were outside the fence, she said.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2006/06/05/thai_activists_block_elephant_transport/



To Stem Widespread Extinction, Scientists Airlift Frogs in Carry-On Bags
ATLANTA, June 5 — Of all the things airport security screeners have discovered as they rifle through travelers' luggage, the suitcases full of frogs were a first.
In a race to save amphibians threatened by an encroaching, lethal fungus, two conservationists from Atlanta recently packed their carry-ons with frogs rescued from a Central American rain forest — squeezing some 150 to a suitcase — and requested permission from airlines to travel with them in the cabin of the plane.
The frogs, snuggly swaddled in damp moss in vented plastic deli containers big enough for a small fruit salad, were perhaps the last of their kind, collected from a pristine national park that fills the bowl of El Valle, an inactive volcano in Panama.
In many parts of the world, habitat loss is thought to be the biggest driver of amphibian extinctions, but the frogs in El Valle are facing a more insidious threat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/science/06frog.html


concluding …