Sydney Morning Herald

Hamas claims responsibility
2008-03-08 08:49:20
Hamas Islamists say they staged the shooting attack at a Jewish religious school in Jerusalem that killed eight people.(01:45)

http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Breaking%20News&rid=36138


Myanmar rejects UN proposal for observers at referendum
March 9, 2008 - 1:53AM
Myanmar's military government has rejected a UN proposal for the regime to allow observers at its constitutional referendum planned for May, state television said Saturday.
The proposal was made by visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari during his talks with election officials on Friday, when he offered to help provide independent observers and UN technical assistance with the polls.
A member of the commission organising the balloting, Thaung Nyung, rejected the offer, saying the referendum was a domestic affair.

http://news.smh.com.au/myanmar-rejects-un-proposal-for-observers-at-referendum/20080309-1y4a.html


Putin warns West his successor to be just as tough
March 9, 2008 - 1:44AM
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday warned the West against expecting a thaw under his "nationalist" successor Dmitry Medvedev.
"Dmitry Medvedev will be free to demonstrate his liberal views," Putin said after talks at his Novo Ogaryevo residence outside Moscow with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"But he is no less a Russian nationalist, in the good sense of the word, than I am, and I do not think that with him the partnership will be more simple."
Putin issued the warning just before Merkel went to a separate meeting with Medvedev, the first between a Western leader and the new president-elect since his controversial election March 2.

http://news.smh.com.au/putin-warns-west-his-successor-to-be-just-as-tough/20080308-1y45.html

Serbian PM resigns
March 9, 2008 - 2:17AM
Serbian nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica resigned on Saturday following a government crisis over the independence of Kosovo and the country's EU future.

http://news.smh.com.au/serbian-pm-resigns/20080309-1y4b.html


Zimbabwe bans Western election observers
March 7, 2008 - 11:24PM
Zimbabwe's government will not invite observers from countries critical of President Robert Mugabe's rule to monitor a general election due later this month, a government official said.
The state-controlled Herald newspaper on Friday quoted Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi as telling diplomats in Harare that the government had selected 47 foreign observer teams, "on the basis of reciprocity, objectivity and impartiality in their relationship with Zimbabwe."
"Clearly, those who believe that the only free and fair election is where the opposition wins, have been excluded since the ruling party, ZANU-PF, is poised to score yet another triumph," Mumbengegwi said.
The southern African country - in the middle of a severe economic and political crisis - votes on March 29 in presidential, parliamentary and council elections.

http://news.smh.com.au/zimbabwe-bans-western-election-observers/20080307-1xyd.html

Thatcher 'stable' in hospital
March 9, 2008 - 1:22AM
Former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher was in a stable condition in a London hospital today after being admitted for tests, an official said.
The 82-year-old spent the night at St Thomas' Hospital where she was driven from her home in the capital late yesterday after complaining she felt unwell.
A spokeswoman for the hospital said: "Baroness Thatcher has remained stable overnight and we have nothing further to add at this stage."
Britain's first female prime minister, nicknamed "the Iron Lady" for her uncompromising stance on policy issues, has appeared in public less and less frequently after doctors banned her from addressing large audiences in 2002.
She has suffered a series of minor strokes which friends say have affected her short-term memory, leading her to occasionally lose track mid-conversation.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/thatcher-stable-in-hospital/2008/03/09/1204780143675.html

For women, love of labour's being lost
Anne Manne
March 8, 2008
On each International Women's Day there is a united chorus of concerned opinion over the barriers to women's advancement. We bemoan the absence of equal numbers of women in high-status professions such as politics, business, and the law.
And the solution offered? One book's title says it all: Get To Work: A Manifesto For Women Of The World. The author, Linda Hirshman, instructs women to put work first. Those caring for children live a "lesser life … bearing the burden of … work … associated with the lowest caste: sweeping and cleaning bodily waste … They have voluntarily become untouchables."
Hirshman is right on one thing - it does matter that our elites include fewer women than men. Women are now investing time, money and energy as never before in training and education. Our society needs their talents. But what exactly is the problem?
Our society is hoping to get something of immense value - talented women working at a time of increasing labour shortages - while making few concessions to women's needs. We are not doing even remotely enough to support them in combining child-rearing and work. Far more women, surveys show, want children than end up having them. Why? It is not just a lack of affordable child care or paid maternity leave. The problem is far deeper.
The Get To Work! program has a fatal flaw. The sanctification of paid work fails to challenge a crucial element in women's continued disadvantage: the ideal worker norms which make it difficult for women to combine motherhood and work. Our model for the ideal worker is based on the old male life cycle: training early, getting established in the professions, working long hours, taking no time out and competing against other men. The ideal worker has no family responsibilities to conflict with work. Someone else - a wife - takes care of all that.
The values surrounding the "proper" worker act as a subtle but pervasive form of covert discrimination. At one academic conference, the young women were advised to write several extra articles before motherhood, and to store them away. After giving birth, they could then submit them at regular intervals to conceal any gap children might create in their publication record.
It suits us to let mothers "manage like a man", wilfully blind to the extent of the change really needed. One publisher, encountering a mother breastfeeding a baby in the office, shouted furiously: "Breasts don't belong in the office!" But they do, of course, so long as they are sheathed beneath a silk blouse in a power suit, for male delectation, not lactation. When a young business executive feels anxious that if she takes more than one week's holiday she will lose her job, she is sent a powerful message about the possibility of combining work with family life. Yet if she opts out, or is childless, we claim airily: "Oh, it was her choice!" Our consciences are clear.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/for-women-love-of-labours-being-lost/2008/03/07/1204780063490.html

Keeping a Lo profile
Simon Webster
March 8, 2008
Authorities are too lenient with celebrities who have had babies, the United Nations has warned, calling for the sterilisation of anyone who has ever appeared in OK! magazine. Critics of the controversial proposal say it is unnecessary as the current fad for getting pregnant and giving birth won't last long and celebs will soon go back to hiring assistants to do that kind of thing for them.
Film star and pop icon J Lo (daughter of eccentric Australian supermarket multimillionaire Bi-Lo), set a new standard for glamorous celebrity weddings in 2004 when she donned a golden toga to marry the late Roman general Marc Anthony.
Despite Anthony having committed suicide in 30BC, following a passionate affair with troubled royal supermodel Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, Lo gave birth to twins last month. She scandalised America's jet set by giving them the names Max and Emme, becoming the first Hollywood mum since the silent movie era not to give her offspring a name that can only be pronounced correctly by the clicking Xhosa tribe of South Africa.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/keeping-a-lo-profile/2008/03/08/1204780123577.html

Harlem faces a new executioner
Ian Munro
March 8, 2008
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There is cold comfort for the unpopular and the just-not-good-enough at the Apollo Theatre's amateur night in Harlem: they are dispatched with some flair.
The one they call The Executioner, whose job it is to clear the stage when the booing reaches its peak, tap dances onstage and drives off the unfinished acts.
One of his predecessors did his work with a broom, sweeping the stage clean. Now, wearing a loud, checked suit, a police uniform or a white laboratory coat with an outsized syringe to put down a dud comedian, today's incarnation does it with style.
The Apollo, a Harlem landmark, central to the place that 125th Street has in black American culture, fostered the careers of Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder - but it has always been a tough room.
That much has not changed. Yet now the audience is as likely to be from Europe or Asia as from Morningside Heights.
While tourism may prove to be the Apollo's saviour, the future of the community that fostered the theatre is much less certain now that New York's planning department has proposed sweeping zoning changes for 125th Street.
The city's plan would allow the mostly low-rise street to accommodate office towers up to 29 storeys, and introduce 2000 private apartments and art galleries and hotels.
A New York City councillor, Inez Dickens, says African-Americans helped make Harlem "a black homeland, an international cultural destination … I have never lived anywhere else but Harlem and never wanted to."

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/harlem-faces-a-new-executioner/2008/03/07/1204780063511.html

Hopefully, the last person out remembers to turn off the Opera House lights
Richard Glover
March 8, 2008
DESPITE this week's headlines about the exodus from Sydney, there must be someone who wants to move to our town. For instance, David Hicks is quite keen. Yep, in order to enjoy living in Sydney, you just need the right point of comparison. For instance, five years being tortured at Guantanamo Bay.
For everyone else, the experience of living in Sydney can be a little underwhelming.
According to a poll this week, one in five Sydneysiders is considering leaving town, driven mad by the pure hassle of living here. The other 80 per cent are presumably just waiting for the F3 to clear so they get a fast run north. Hopefully, the last person out remembers to turn off the Opera House lights and to close down that stupid desalination plant.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/richard-glover/hopefully-the-last-person-out-remembers-to-turn-off-the-operahouse-lights/2008/03/07/1204780063098.html


Employers ignore value of older workers at their peril
Adele Horin
March 8, 2008
A friend is planning a career change. At 56, he has decided to become a fitter and turner and has applied for an apprenticeship. He has always been handy and has never much enjoyed his job as a primary school teacher. We had expected him to retire soon into a life of frugal leisure. We had imagined him pottering happily in the shed, but he wants to retrain and work on.
Not so long ago his chances of fulfilling his ambition would have been zilch. A 56-year-old embarking on an apprenticeship? Tell me another one. Now the idea is not so outlandish. Indeed it is ageing workers who may hold the key to solving the skills and labour shortage.
A study by the economic modelling company Econtech says it is the 55-plus workforce that is growing fastest, and employers must shift their focus from the young to the old to maintain productivity.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/employers-ignore-value-of-older-workers-at-their-peril/2008/03/07/1204780063496.html


US job cuts seen signalling a recession
March 8, 2008 - 10:13AM
US employers unexpectedly cut jobs in February at the steepest rate in nearly five years, a second straight month of employment losses that heightened fears the world's largest economy has skidded into recession.

``The question appears no longer to be are we going into a recession but how long and deep it will be,'' said economist Joel Naroff of Naroff Economic Advisors Inc in Holland, Pennsylvania.

The Labor Department on Friday said 63,000 nonfarm jobs were eliminated on top of an upwardly revised loss of 22,000 in January, sharply contrary to Wall Street economists' forecasts that 25,000 positions would be added in February.

The department also halved the number added in December to 41,000 from the 82,000 estimated a month ago, in a move that underlined the steady deterioration in the US labor market.

http://business.smh.com.au/us-job-cuts-seen-signalling-a-recession/20080308-1y0w.html



Jobs decline sends Wall Street lower
March 8, 2008 - 10:10AM
US stocks fell for a second straight day on Friday after the biggest drop in US jobs since 2003 sent energy and mining stocks lower. The slide eclipsed gains by banks spurred by a Federal Reserve plan to make more cash available to lenders.
Chevron Corp., Alcoa Inc. and Boeing Co. led declines that sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average below 12,000 for the first time in two months and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index to its lowest level since August 2006. Wells Fargo & Co. and CIT Group Inc. gained, helping spur a 2.5% advance in financial stocks during the final 90 minutes of trading.
The declines are likely to be echoed when Australian markets reopen on Monday. The March futures contract for the S&P/ASX 200 benchmark index was down about 1.8%, or 94 points, to 5176.
On Friday, the S&P/ASX 200 index slid 3.2%, or 171.5 points to close at 5,264 points. That drop shaved about $40 billion from the share value of the top 200 companies. The main finance sub-index is now 30% lower for 2008 compared with a 17% slide for the ASX 200 as a whole.

http://business.smh.com.au/jobs-decline-sends-wall-street-lower/20080308-1y0p.html


Wall St.'s kings getting by on $200,000 a day
''There seem to be two different economic realities operating in our country.''
March 8, 2008 - 11:28AM
Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the most profitable securities firm in Wall Street history, awarded $US67.5 million each to Co-Presidents Gary Cohn and Jon Winkelried, boosting their pay 27% from the prior year as the company evaded the mortgage losses spreading through the economy.
Cohn, 47, and Winkelried, 48, received 40% of their compensation in cash and 60% in restricted stock and options, New York-based Goldman said today in a proxy filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The payouts amount to $US185,000 ($200,000) per day, including weekends. The median annual income of US households was $US48,201 in 2006, the most- recent figures available from the Census Bureau.
The awards ''are not doing anything to take the focus off executive compensation,'' said Laura Thatcher, head of the executive pay practice at the Alston & Bird law firm in Atlanta. ''Those numbers innately are high.''

http://business.smh.com.au/wall-sts-kings-getting-by-on-200000-a-day/20080308-1y1e.html


US job losses send greenback lower
March 8, 2008 - 12:44PM
The US dollar dropped for a fourth straight week against the euro after a government report showed the US unexpectedly lost jobs for a second consecutive month in February.
The Australian dollar rose to as high as 93.72 US cents, before easing to close at 93.11 US cents.
The US currency earlier fell to the weakest ever against the euro and an eight-year low versus the yen as the government report bolstered speculation the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this month for a sixth time since September.
The US currency rose from the day's lowest levels as the Fed said it will boost loans to banks, leading traders to trim bets on a cut of as much as a full%age point at the central bank's March 18 meeting.
''There is the view that we're quickly sinking into recession and that the Fed only has a limited ability to offset that,'' said Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist in New York at the Bank of New York Mellon Corp. ''We will certainly see more dollar weakness from here.''

http://business.smh.com.au/us-job-losses-send-greenback-lower/20080308-1y1v.html


Volvo relocating US headquarters
March 8, 2008 - 1:07PM
Volvo Cars of North America LLC said it will relocate its US headquarters from Southern California to New Jersey, where customer service and other operations are based.
"The relocation will make North American operations more efficient by bringing everyone together in one location, as well as bringing everyone three time zones closer to the Swedish headquarters," the company said in a statement.
Volvo Cars of North America, a subsidiary of Volvo Car Corp. of Goteborg, Sweden, shifted its headquarters to Irvine in 2001.
The move from Irvine to Rockleigh, New Jersey, will affect fewer than 80 employees, the company said.
On Friday, it also named Doug Speck as president and chief executive officer, replacing Anne Belec, who became Ford Motor Co. director of global marketing.

http://news.smh.com.au/volvo-relocating-us-headquarters/20080308-1y22.html


US employers slashed 63,000 jobs in Feb
March 8, 2008 - 6:12AM
Employers in the US slashed jobs by 63,000 in February, the most in five years, the starkest sign yet the country is heading dangerously toward recession or is in one already.
The Labour Department's report, released on Friday, also showed that the US unemployment rate dipped to 4.8 per cent as hundreds of thousands of people - perhaps discouraged by their prospects - left the civilian labour force. The jobless rate was 4.9 per cent in January.
Job losses were widespread, with hefty cuts coming from construction, manufacturing, retailing and a variety of professional and business services. Those losses swamped gains elsewhere including education and health care, leisure and hospitality, and the government.

http://news.smh.com.au/us-employers-slashed-63000-jobs-in-feb/20080308-1xz9.html


European stocks fall on US fears
March 8, 2008 - 6:32AM
European shares ended the week on a downbeat note, led lower by mining stocks as disappointing US employment data raised more fears about the health of the world's largest economy.
The pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index fell 1.1 per cent to 307.98 - chalking up a second straight day of losses - with miners posting the biggest losses after the data.
Of mining firms, shares of BHP Billiton skidded 5.4 per cent and Rio Tinto shares fell 3.7 per cent. The losses came despite a big rise in gold futures after the employment data.
In the clearest sign yet of a recession, US non farm payrolls fell by 63,000 in February, the second straight decline in employment, the Labour Department reported.

http://news.smh.com.au/european-stocks-fall-on-us-fears/20080308-1xzg.html


SE Asian markets fall after US slide
March 7, 2008 - 11:12PM
Most Asian markets were battered on Friday as investors spooked by Wall Street's tumble sold blue chips.
Fears over the US economy's mortgage crisis re-emerged following news of a default at a high-profile US mortgage lender, dealers said.
Japan's Nikkei average fell 3.3 per cent to a six-week low on Friday, with investors dumping blue-chip exporters such as Honda Motor Co Ltd on a stronger yen and fears of a US recession, while silicon wafer maker Sumco Corp tumbled more than 10 per cent after predicting weaker profits.
In a broad sell-off tracking sharp falls on Wall Street, banks such as Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group took a beating after US mortgage lender Thornburg Mortgage Inc said it failed to meet a $US28 million margin call, the latest setback in the global credit crisis.

http://news.smh.com.au/se-asian-markets-fall-after-us-slide/20080307-1xy8.html

New Zealand Herald

Lasting effects from blows to head
5:00AM Thursday March 06, 2008
A blow to the head that knocks a person unconscious can result in widespread loss of brain tissue, Canadian researchers say, explaining why some people who suffer head injuries are never quite the same.
The more severe the injury, the more brain tissue is lost, they said.
"There is more damage and it is more widespread than we had expected," said Dr Brian Levine of the Rotman Research Institute and the University of Toronto, whose study appears in the journal Neurology.
Dr Levine studied brain scans taken from 69 traumatic brain injury patients whose head injuries ranged from mild to moderate or severe. The researchers used high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging or MRI to study changes in brain volume a year after the injury. They ran a computer analysis of these images and found that even patients with mild brain injuries with no apparent scarring had less brain volume.
"When you have a blow to the head, it causes a neurochemical reaction in the brain cells that leads to cell death," Dr Levine said. "The more cells that die, the less tissue you have."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10496350


Rising metal costs may change size of Aussie coins
New 8:59AM Sunday March 09, 2008
SYDNEY - The size and composition of some Australian coins may have to change due to the soaring cost of copper and nickel.
This year the metal value of the 5c, 10c and 20c coins will overtake their face value for the first time, News Ltd reported today.
The metal content in 10c, 20c and 50c coins was now worth more than the metal in the $1 and $2 coins.
But melting down coins to make extra by selling the metal was illegal and heavy penalties applied.
The 5c coin has a current metal cost of A4.89c (NZ5.74c), the 10c coin 9.78c and the 20c coin 19.56c compared with the $1 coin on 8.3c and the $2 coin on just 6.1c.
But with copper and nickel prices up about 30 per cent this year, some new coins will cost more to make than their face value, New Ltd says.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10497033


Sweden demands boycott of Australian wool
5:00AM Sunday March 09, 2008
Australia's lucrative wool exports to Europe are under threat amid allegations of intimidation and bribery by Australian government and wool industry officials in Sweden, the Sydney Morning Herald reported yesterday.
The paper reported the Swedish government is urging consumers to boycott Australian wool, and retailers are banning it because of mulesing, the practice of cutting skin from the backsides of sheep, without pain relief, to prevent flystrike.
A Swedish current affairs show, Kalla Fakta (Cold Facts), is reported to have filmed a consultant for the Australian Wool and Sheep Industry Taskforce, and a man - said to be an Australian embassy official - offering a free trip to Australia to an anti-mulesing campaigner in exchange for not appearing on a TV show.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10496986


Clinton and Obama battle for superdelegates (+video)
2:27PM Friday March 07, 2008
Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are putting forth arguments to superdelegates that they should be the party's nominee.
The quality of wins argument may win Hillary Clinton the nomination, but there's a fear that it could divide the party - with supporters of Barack Obama staying home in the general election.
Although Barack Obama has a lead in pledged delegates - 1,366 to 1,227 - neither candidate is likely to gather enough delegates to reach the 2,025 votes needed to clinch the nomination without help from the superdelegates.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10496758


Swedish socialite jailed for hitman plot
4:02PM Friday March 07, 2008
A sentencing judge today warned Charlotte Lindstrom that she would spend her life "looking over her shoulder" after assisting police.
The 23-year-old Swedish socialite and model will be behind bars until May next year for soliciting murder, after she pleaded guilty to plotting in 2007 to wipe out two Crown witnesses who were to give evidence in drug case against her then Sydney boyfriend.
After her arrest last year, she agreed with detectives to testify against her former lover and others involved in the murder scheme. She is now in a protective custody in prison after a series of death threats.
Prosecutors accused her of trying to get an undercover police officer, posing as a hitman, to kill the witnesses.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10496780


Nuke talks raise fears for the 'lost'
Page 1 of 2 View as a single page 5:00AM Saturday March 08, 2008
By Anne Penketh
Japanese family members of the abducted protest against efforts to normalise relations with North Korea. Photo / Reuters.
A cruel, biting wind is blowing in from the Sea of Japan, as waves crash on to the breakwaters lining the shore of the Japanese fishing port of Niigata.
It was a day like this that 13-year old Megumi Yokota vanished 30 years ago, on her way home from badminton class in the school gym.
Her disappearance set off the biggest search for a schoolgirl ever launched in Japan.
Investigators have confirmed she was one of several Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in its revolutionary zeal to reunite the Korean peninsula. They were bundled on to ships to North Korea, where they were used as language teachers for North Korean spies, who then planned to infiltrate South Korea using Japanese identities.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10496823


From homeless to mayor in Paris (+video)
10:45AM Friday March 07, 2008
Jean-Marc Restoux is standing as a mayoral candidate in municipal elections in Paris's 6th district on Sunday.
The local vote will be the first electoral test for President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose poll ratings have fallen sharply since his election last May.
Some local politicians with allegiance to the president's party fear his unpopularity may rebound against them, to the benefit of outsiders such as Restoux.
From the streets to Town Hall - that is the dream of Jean-Marc Restoux, a 54-year-old Parisian who has spent half his life homeless. Restoux is standing for mayor in municipal elections in Paris's 6th district on Sunday. Disillusioned with modern politics, he says his electoral list is apolitical.(
"I want to gather a maximum of people from different horizons and open the people's eyes so they can realise that it's for them to get involved, that it's not only the State or the town hall that decides, but everyone together."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10496684

Mugabe woos voters with tractors, retire says rival
9:03AM Sunday March 09, 2008
By Cris Chinaka
HARARE - Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe handed out tractors and fuel on Saturday as he courted votes ahead of elections this month, and a leading opponent urged the veteran president to end decades of misrule and retire.
Mugabe handed out the farm equipment to blacks given land seized from whites, a reform his critics say has helped plunge Zimbabwe into economic crisis, and predicted an overwhelming victory that would confound Britain and other critics.
The 84-year-old Mugabe is seeking to extend his 28-year hold on power in presidential, parliamentary and local council polls set for March 29, and has blamed the West for Zimbabwe's economic crisis.
At a ceremony in the capital Harare, Mugabe provided farm equipment worth millions of dollars to thousands of new black farmers, machinery for women and youths to establish small businesses and buses to try to ease public transport problems.
He also gave traditional chiefs at the same ceremony thousands of litres of fuel, also in short supply.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10497035

British government pulls plug on bottled water
9:30AM Friday March 07, 2008
LONDON - Bottles of water will no longer be served at British government meetings under a "tap water only" policy announced on Thursday to protect the environment.
Britain's top civil servant, Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell, sent the order to all government departments, saying the policy would come into effect by the summer.
Britain has seen the stirrings of a public backlash against bottled drinking water, with politicians and public figures saying they never order it and newspapers calling on restaurants to stop serving it.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10496698

World Bank optimistic about Samoa's economy
4:14PM Friday March 07, 2008
By Cherelle Jackson
Vice President of the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Region remains positive about the future of Samoa's economy.
James Adams spoke about his hopes for the Samoan economy during a recent trip to Samoa.
"I'm quite optimistic," he said.
"I think the performance will continue to be solid. I think that the big challenge is the one that the Government effectively is addressing and thinking through and working on. That big challenge is, how does the Government mobilize additional investment in private sector, both foreign and domestic, where policies can improve."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10496784


Maori party warns against policies to abolish Maori seats
5:00AM Friday March 07, 2008
The Maori Party is warning that policies to abolish the Maori seats in Parliament could compromise post-election negotiations to form the next government.
National yesterday confirmed its intention to abolish the seven seats, linked with its goal of settling all historical Treaty claims by 2014.
Labour has never had a policy to abolish the seats, and has said that will happen only when Maori want an end to special representation.
Maori Party MP Hone Harawira did not specifically mention National, but he said other political parties should "tone down their rhetoric".
"We won't be doing deals with parties who plan to silence our peoples' views," he said.
"It took us 150 years for our voice to be heard in the halls of power and our people won't stand for anyone trying to take it away again," he said.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10496683


Key admits blunder over Treaty
5:00AM Thursday March 06, 2008
By Claire Trevett and Audrey Young
National leader John Key has admitted that he blundered yesterday over his party's Treaty settlements policy.
He said on breakfast television that National had not previously had a date by which it wanted settlements completed.
In fact, its position at the last election was that grievances be settled by 2010.
The party changed that in February last year, shortly after Mr Key became leader. The settlement target was extended to 2014 and tied to the abolition of the Maori seats.
Mr Key said then that instead of abolishing the seats as soon it became Government, it would start the process in 2014, when it believed historical Treaty settlements would be resolved.
He issued a statement last night saying that in trying to distinguish between the party's present position and the formal policy document that would follow later in the year, "I gave the impression that National did not have a date for the settlement of historic Treaty claims".

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10496419

Anthony Doesburg: Digital television, without the satellite dish
5:00AM Saturday March 08, 2008
By Anthony Doesburg
It's going to be a big year for digital broadcasting - starting next month, when Freeview begins terrestrial transmission of its dozen or so digital TV channels.
You could say the excitement kicks off sooner than that, on March 30, with the switching on of TVNZ 7 - the state broadcaster's second digital-only channel (TVNZ 6 went live about six months ago).
That means Freeview's fare will be TV One, TV2, TV3, C4, TVNZ Sport Extra, TVNZ 6, TVNZ 7, Maori Television, Stratos, Parliament TV, Cue and Radio New Zealand's National and Concert programmes.
And there's more. Last week, the Radio Broadcasters Association, representing commercial stations, agreed to join a digital radio trial in Auckland of DAB+, one of numerous options for moving radio out of the analogue era.
At the centre of all of this excitement is Kordia, the state-owned enterprise whose origins go back 60 years to when it built the national radio and television transmission network.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10496825

Bill Ralston: Face it, we're in deep doo-doo
5:00AM Sunday March 09, 2008
By Bill Ralston
Forget all the usual economic indicators, when Lotto suffers a 4.6 per cent drop in net profit you know the country is, to use a technical term, in deep doo-doo.
More traditional analysts might point to the $700 million shortfall in tax revenue, mostly from reduced GST takings, but the answer is the same. New Zealanders are spending less.
We are tightening our belts as the economy falters. In an election year this could prove the last nail in the coffin of the Labour government. Voters can be churlish and if they are suffering, they will make whoever is in power suffer with them.
A while ago, I wrote that we were entering a "perfect economic storm", with a high dollar, high interest rates, rising inflation, falling property values, a sagging share market and punitive tax rates.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10496955

continued...

Oakland Co. supports bill creating body to fund zoo

Commissioners rushed through a resolution supporting a bill in Lansing that would allow for the creation of a Zoological Authority, a quasi-governmental entity that would have the power to seek a tax millage to fund one of the area's most visited attractions.

Morning Papers - continued...

Zoos


It may as well have been a puppy !

Look. Everyone involved with Abu Ghraib got a slap on the wrist and the top brass got away with murder. No one is going to care about the mutilation and death of a puppy !

Viewer Discretion Advised: US Soldier throws puppy off a cliff in Iraq
Last Updated : March 6, 2008

http://www.7days.ae/showvideo.php?id=127


Animals have emotions too
5:00AM Saturday March 08, 2008
Crocodile mothers show their tender side by caring for their offspring.
When we talk about crocodile tears, dogged determination or laughing like a hyena we might not be that far off the mark, according to a visiting US biologist who says animals have emotions just like us.
Marc Bekoff, professor of biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, is in Australia to give a series of public talks on the emotional lives of animals.
Dr Bekoff says scientists have moved on from the presumption that the way animals act is the result of programmed behaviour.
"It's not a question of if they have emotions but why they have evolved," he says.
Animals also have personalities, he says.
Dr Bekoff says research has shown that elephants can experience grief, mice feel empathy, rats get excited about playing with a friend, sharks get mad and koalas have likes and dislikes.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10496820

CZA okays Byculla zoo makeover, says not a single tree can be cut
Mumbai, March 4 The Central Zoo Authority (CZA), while approving the Rs 434-crore Byculla zoo makeover plan on Tuesday, stipulated that no tree be felled and no heritage structure be disturbed in the process.
“We have studied the masterplan and have decided to approve it now. But in the interest of concerned citizens, we’ve maintained that not one tree be brought down during the modernisation of the zoo,” said B R Sharma, member secretary of the CZA.
Incidentally, the BMC had recently mentioned that only diseased trees would be uprooted. While the CZA had earlier shown reservation to this condition, Sharma now stated that they would allow the BMC to make internal decision as long as their main conditions are adhered to.

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/CZA-okays-Byculla-zoo-makeover-says-not-a-single-tree-can-be-cut/280457/

Elephant foot disease widespread in Riau province in Indonesia
2008-03-03 15:38:22
JAKARTA, March 3 (Xinhua) -- A mosquito-borne disease locally known as kaki gajah or elephant foot is ballooning out of control in Riau province in Indonesia recently, according to local media on Monday.
The disease gets its name for causing enlargement of the entire leg or arm of the sufferers.
The spacious peat land, rain forests and palm oil plantations in the province are safe havens for mosquitoes which transmit the tropical foot abscess disease filariasis, in addition to dengue and malaria.
According to a recent survey, of the province's all eleven regencies, only Kampar and Rokan Hulu remain free of filariasis, the major newspaper The Jakarta Post said.
"Riau has become an endemic area for the disease. Thousands of people have been infected," Burhanuddin Agung, head of the provincial health office, told the English daily.
Early symptoms include a high fever which recurs for about three days each month, red lines on swollen legs and feet and abscess on the feet.
"This disease can attack anyone, no matter their age or health condition," said Burhanuddin. 　

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-03/03/content_7709063.htm

Group upset zoo took out 139 trees to build Teton Trek
By Cindy Wolff (Contact)
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
A group of citizens has an answer for the graffiti scrawled on a construction screen in Overton Park.
Mark Andrews passes by the area of Overton Park that is being cleared by the zoo for a new exhibit. Various groups, angry over the destruction of the Old Forest, say the work should not have begun without public input. But zoo officials say the project was no secret -- it has been on their master plan since 1988.
Who will speak for the trees?
They will.
They are upset that the Memphis Zoo uprooted 139 trees to build the $13.5 million Teton Trek. They are mad that no one asked for their input or whether they wanted to trade a natural, local habitat for a manmade one that showcases an ecosystem that exists 1,500 miles away in Wyoming.
They wonder why public input wasn't invited like it is for development of Shelby Farms.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/mar/05/old-forest-04/

On the Zoo and the Trees
Interesting story in today's Commercial Appeal about work being done on a Memphis Zoo exhibit under construction. Even though the plan is twenty years old, people were surprised anyway....
...This is a very common thing. Governments go through lengthy, but low profile, processes to arrive at plans, then the plans are slowly implemented over time. People tend to forget about the plans until the next phase impacts their lives directly.
In the case of the Zoo, though, it's not like you have to go digging. You can find the Zoo's Master Plan online.
It's a place where the media can help, if the reporters and editors and producers also know what plans are out there and where they are kept on file. For that matter, do any newsrooms keep copies of the future growth plans for major attractions and institutions? Places like Shelby Farms and Forest, the University of Memphis, Beale Street Landing, Overton Park, the County's Master Growth Plan, etc. should -- it seems to me -- be kept in the newsroom as a resource for new and busy reporters. Does that happen?

http://mediaverse-memphis.blogspot.com/2008/03/on-zoo-and-trees.html

Author tells how tricks of Shamu's trainers work at home
By Ben Steelman
Staff Writer
ben.steelman@starnewsonline.com
Amy Sutherland was working on a book, Kicked, Scratched and Beaten, about exotic animal trainers who work with bears, orangutans and llamas for Hollywood or with orcas at Sea World. All at once, it dawned on her: The positive reinforcement techniques the trainers used could also work on "the human animal I married, Scott."
Sutherland dashed off a short piece, "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage," that became the most viewed and the most e-mailed article from The New York Times' online edition for 2006. She expanded that into a new book, What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love and Marriage.
In it (among other things), she outlined how she gently taught Scott not to leave his dirty clothes in a pile on the bathroom floor, not through nagging but through thanks, praise and the occasional "jackpot" reward.

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20080306/NEWS/803060333/1051

Baby Watch Underway At The Pittsburgh Zoo (Video)
LIVE ZOO CAM
Watch the polar bears by day (until 4:30pm) and the tigers by night (after 4:30pm)!
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― The cub watch is on at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, where officials are hoping a mating will enlarge one species family.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says zookeepers are keeping a close eye on rare Amur Tigers Globus and Toma.
They're hoping Toma is pregnant.

http://kdka.com/local/Amur.tigers.zoo.2.668951.html

Pittsburgh zoo hoping tigers' mating resulted in pregnancy
The Associated Press
PITTSBURGH - Toma and Globus mated in late January.
Now, Pittsburgh zookeepers want to know if the Amur tigers' loving session was productive.
Tiger pregnancy is determined by testing hormone levels in stool samples, which takes several weeks.
But there are always the unofficial signs.
The zoo's lead carnivore keeper, Kathy Suthard, says Toma is cranky and hungrier than usual, just as she was during her first pregnancy.
The zoo is encouraged because Toma already has 18-month-old cubs. Her mate, Globus, sired four cubs at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, S.C.

http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20080304_ap_pittsburghzoohopingtigersmatingresultedinpregnancy.html

Zoo boss wants permission for new boundary fencing
Published on 04/03/2008
APPLICATION: David Gill, owner of the South Lakes Wild Animal Park in Dalton, has applied to Barrow council for permission for a new perimeter fence SHEENAH ALCOCK
ZOO boss David Gill is seeking planning permission for a new boundary fence to stop his animals escaping.
Inspectors slammed the perimeter fencing at South Lakes Wild Animal Park when they visited the Dalton tourist attraction in October.
They concluded it would not “deter unauthorised entry” or help keep the creatures in.
Barrow Borough Council has since received a planning application from Mr Gill for a new security fence at his zoo.
The council’s planning committee – a panel of councillors – could decide whether to grant Mr Gill’s application on March 18 or April 8.
Council planning officials said a three-week consultation on the proposal was under way but they had not received any responses.
Michelle Grafton, administration officer at the zoo, said: “In the 2007 Defra zoo inspection and the 2006 inspection, it was concluded that the perimeter needed to be updated to reflect the change in species held at the park and to increase the protection level against escapes.

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=801899


Oregon Zoo to release 3 California Condors into Wild
Submitted by Sal Peralta on Tue, 03/04/2008 - 06:54.
The Oregon Zoo will soon release 3 captive-born California Condors into the wild, the Oregonian reports.
The Californian Condor is one of the most endangered birds in the world. In the 1980's, only 23 condors remained in the world. Breeding in zoos has helped increase the population to nearly 300, with 144 birds remaining in the wild.
The birds will be released near the Grand Canyon at the border of Arizona and Utah.
A total of 4 birds have been released by the program established at the Oregon zoo.

http://www.oregonindependent.com/node/180

Zoo visitor accused of tossing acorns at rhino
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, March 1, 2008
(02-29) 16:57 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- A man has been cited for misdemeanor animal taunting for allegedly tossing acorns at a rhinoceros at the San Francisco Zoo, police said Friday.
Juan Zuluaga, 26, was arrested, cited and released after the incident Thursday, authorities said.
The zoo has stepped up its warnings against harassment of animals after the Christmas Day tiger attack that left one young man dead and two others injured. Among other steps, it has posted signs telling patrons not to annoy the animals.
Police said they were summoned to the zoo at 3:30 p.m. Thursday after a patron reported to officials that Zuluaga was picking acorns off a branch and tossing them at the black rhino, a male named Mashaki. Zuluaga was with another man, who was not cited.
The animal appeared unfazed, police Sgt. Steve Mannina said.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/01/BA73VBNM1.DTL&tsp=1

Australia Zoo director denies rift
12:00a.m. 5 March 2008
By Carolyn Tucker
Australia Zoo director Wes Mannion yesterday denied suggestions of a rift between Bob Irwin and his daughter-in-law Terri.
This is the full transcript of his interview.
What do you feel about the statement Bob Irwin released over the weekend?
Answer: The most important thing is that we’re all in this for the same reason – we’re all into conservation.
Bob’s been a fantastic guy; he always will be. He’s moved on to a new job which is another conservation property which the zoo has funded, so really it’s exciting. I think it’s great for him to have a change.
As far as the politics involved and whatever else that people may or may not say, I never talk personally about family, but I will say that Bob would do great whatever he does and the great thing is that it’s another conservation property that will be focused on … it’s a property the zoo has helped him get so I think it’s a win-win for everybody.

http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2008/mar/05/australia-zoo-director-denies-rift/

Two teens shoot bear, tiger at N.J. zoo
By Sam Wood
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Two South Jersey boys charged with shooting exotic animals with pellet guns at a zoo in Cumberland County were released to their parents Monday after being held overnight at a juvenile detention center, authorities said.
A 17-year-old from Vineland and a 14-year-old from Bridgeton were arrested Sunday afternoon at the tiny Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton after witnesses saw and heard them shoot at a rare white tiger and a black bear, zoo officials said.
The boys, whose names were not released, were charged on multiple weapons counts, said Kenneth Pagliughi, first assistant prosecutor for Cumberland County.
In addition, the SPCA signed charges against both boys for tormenting an animal, Pagliughi said.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20080304_Two_teens_shoot_bear__tiger_at_NJ_zoo.html

Zoo's wolf game has thousands on prowl
The Minnesota Zoo's WolfQuest game has taken off -- and taught its users a few things along the way.
By TOM MORAN, Star Tribune
Last update: March 5, 2008 - 12:09 AM
Since the Minnesota Zoo's free educational video game, WolfQuest, launched late last year, it has attracted attention and gamers from across the globe.
More than 100,000 people have downloaded WolfQuest and it averages more than 1,000 new users every day, according to figures provided by the zoo.
Michelle Housenga, the WolfQuest project coordinator at the zoo, said downloads come in waves as new countries learn about the game. She said its popularity stems from extensive news coverage, including from National Public Radio's All Things Considered and Iran's Tehran Times newspaper.

http://www.startribune.com/local/south/16147192.html

Debt collectors sue Irwin widow
Posted Wed Mar 5, 2008 1:25pm AEDT
Sued: Terri Irwin with daughter Bindi (Getty Images : Bradley Kanaris)
A Victorian Court has ruled that a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the late Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo will be heard in Melbourne.
Debt collection agency Alyssa Treasury Services is suing the Queensland zoo for $2.5 million of debts which it acquired from several different firms, including offshore banks.
The agency demanded payment of the debt in May last year and is also suing zoo manager Terri Irwin, wife of the late Steve Irwin, for $600,000.
Despite lawyers for Australia Zoo arguing crucial witnesses in the case are based in Queensland, Judge Maree Kennedy has ruled the case should be heard in Victoria.
The trial is expected to be held in October.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/05/2180684.htm

L.A. Zoo to celebrate Earth Day
Wednesday, 03.05.2008, 02:04am (GMT-7)
LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Zoo is holding its annual Earth Day Expo to support ongoing conservation efforts and to continue educating the public about the importance of recycling and reusing material for the betterment of the earth.
The Los Angeles Zoo and K-EARTH 101 will hold Earth Day Expo 2008 with activities for the entire family.
The Zoo will offer information about recycling and conservation and will be celebrating California Wildlife. Species highlighted will be the brown pelican, harbor seal, desert tortoise, desert bighorn sheep, Channel Island fox and California condor*. *not exhibited This is the nation’s 38th Earth Day, themed "protecting our children’s health and future." The Earth Day Expo 2008 will be held on Saturday and Sunday, April 19 & 20 between 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Zoo is in Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State(5) Freeways.

http://indiapost.com/article/usnews/2230/

Cincinnati Zoo gets new 5-year levy worth $36.3 million
Associated Press - March 5, 2008 8:45 AM ET
CINCINNATI (AP) - The animals at the Cincinnati Zoo have scored a victory at the polls.
Hamilton County voters on Tuesday approved a tax levy that will raise a little over $36 million for the zoo over the next five years.
The issue that passed 59% to 41% will cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $1.78 per year.
The money will pay for care of the animals and plants and for maintenance.
Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

http://www.wdtn.com/Global/story.asp?S=7968066

Visitors flock to Chester Zoo
By Staff reporter
CHESTER Zoo is fast becoming one of the most popular leisure attractions in the country, with visitor figures to prove it.
New figures released by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) show that the award-winning zoo is the second most-visited tourist attraction in the UK where an entry charge applies.
Chester Zoo is already the most-visited wildlife attraction with more than 1.3 million visitors last year alone, and now the ALVA figures also reveal that the zoo is also the 15th most-visited of all UK attractions, including those where entry is free.

http://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/chesternews/Visitors-flock-to-Chester-Zoo.3841672.jp

CPS Levy Close, Zoo Wins Residents’ Votes
Last Update: 3/05 8:02 am
Reported by: Jessica Noll
Reported by: Bob White
Web produced by: Jessica Noll
Voters said yes to two hot Cincinnati issues on Tuesday, approving both a levy for Cincinnati schools and the zoo.
The Cincinnati Public Schools levy, Issue 10 passed narrowly with just over 50 percent in favor to 49 percent against.
The school levy was a five-year, 7.89-mill emergency levy to generate $51.5 million annually starting in 2009. School officials said the money would be used for salaries, textbooks and classroom needs and other learning services for students and their families and teachers.
It will cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $233 in annual property taxes.

http://www.kypost.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=5724cd8c-2559-4836-ad90-3ae0e65ab72e

Taronga Zoo celebrates baby female chimp
March 4, 2008 - 2:59PM
Advertisement
The birth of a chimpanzee at Taronga Zoo has added a much-needed female touch to the Sydney zoo's breeding program.
The chimp, who is yet to be named, was born in the chimpanzees' open enclosure last Wednesday after a 45-minute labour.
She is an important addition to the zoo's chimpanzee population of 19, Taronga Zoo spokesman Mark Williams says.
"We let it all happen naturally. We had a run of boys, that's fine but having another female opens up another genetic line," Mr Williams told AAP.
"That helps us manage the genetics ... so that in the long term we have a genetically sustainable group, one that is not inbred and is healthy and has the widest number of inputs from different chimpanzees."
Mother Shiba was very protective of her baby, tucking her safely under one arm as she feasted on nuts, yoghurt and dried fruit in front of photographers.
Shiba is the mother of three male chimps and this is her first girl.
The other chimpanzees had welcomed the new baby and she was settling in well, Mr Williams said.
"Shiba did everything right and the little baby started suckling pretty soon and doing everything right from a baby point of view," he said.
"So (they are) very, very happy and the group is very calm and very welcoming".
© 2008 AAP

http://news.smh.com.au/taronga-zoo-celebrates-baby-female-chimp/20080304-1wsk.html

World's smartest immigrant unearthed
5:00AM Friday March 07, 2008
An artist's impression of what the Teilhardina magnoliana may have looked like. Photo / Reuters
He was the Albert Einstein of his time - a long-extinct critter that weighed about 28g, measured 7.5cm long and munched on bugs and berries.
A US scientist has unearthed the remains of the earliest-known primate to live in North America.
In doing so, he figured out the path these ancient representatives of the mammalian group, which includes lemurs, monkeys, apes and people, may have taken to reach that part of the world.
Based on a group of teeth from a tiny primate unearthed in Mississippi dating to 55.8 million years ago, palaeontologist Christopher Beard, of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, said the species likely scampered over a now-vanished land bridge connecting Siberia to Alaska.
The tiny immigrant was called Teilhardina magnoliana, Dr Beard said in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10496576



Breaking the ice
5:00AM Saturday March 01, 2008
By Geoff Cumming
Sadie Mills and Niki Davey with giant starfish.
On the bridge of the Tangaroa, Stu Hanchet is surveying a pancake ice panorama. The Niwa research vessel is a curiosity for the penguins and seals watching it glide gingerly by. Black and white Antarctic petrels and the occasional giant petrel come and go, the ship's resident skua hovers.
Penguins, seals, even whales, have ceased to be a curiosity to the 26 scientists and 18 crew on the Tangaroa, which is undertaking the biggest ever biological survey of the Ross Sea - the perilous stretch of Antarctic water administered by New Zealand.
It's freezing, says Hanchet, who leads the science project. Ice and snow showers have been constant companions since the Tangaroa reached the Ross Sea, six days due south of Wellington. On deck, scientists and crew work in temperatures of - 12C or - 13C, deploying and retrieving unwieldy sampling equipment which, like the samples collected, can quickly freeze.
The scientists left New Zealand's once-in-a-blue-moon summer on January 31 with hopes of finding the Ross Sea largely free of ice. They had planned to venture further south than ever before, deep into the sea's southeastern corner, and to sample marine life on the continental shelf of Antarctica.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10495365&pnum=0

Scientists call for big cash injection for `blue-skies' research
6:00AM Tuesday March 04, 2008
Professor Jeff Tallon. Photo / Mark Mitchell.
A begging letter from nearly 500 senior scientists, seeking greater taxpayer funding of "blue skies" research, has been portrayed by the Government as a routine precursor to the coming budget round.
The 460 scientists want funding at least trebled for the Government's Marsden Fund which provides grants to researchers doing science not specifically tied to an economic application.
They have presented an open letter to Science Minister Pete Hodgson calling for the big boost for science for the sake of knowledge.
The letter was written by Professor Jeff Tallon, of Victoria University, who Mr Hodgson presented with the nation's top science award, the Rutherford Medal, in 2002.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10496094

Chris Barton: Clearing the storm clouds from NZ's `blue skies'
5:00AM Saturday March 08, 2008
By Chris Barton
To study a field of knowledge no holds barred, to explore freely without an end goal in sight, is a coveted privilege enjoyed by a select few in New Zealand.
But while most agree "blue skies" research is an essential component of scientific endeavour _ the path from which new knowledge comes _ it's a practice increasingly under threat.
So say 460 of the country's top brains in an open letter to the Minister of Science pleading for a trebling of the Marsden Fund dedicated to basic research.
The scientists are exercised by the large number of promising new researchers turned down year after year. The fund has a disheartening 90-93 per cent failure rate. In 2007 just 93 out of 910 proposals received a share of the $44 million dished out. A trebling to around $120 million would fund 20-25 per cent of applicants, and would attract back the disillusioned.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/466/story.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10496899

Sluggish tuatara fastest in DNA evolution
5:00AM Tuesday March 04, 2008
By Angela Gregory
Tuatara evolved significantly faster than animals such as the cave bear, lion, ox and horse. Photo / Greg Bowker
They are slow to grow, slow to reproduce and have a sluggish metabolism.
But tuatara have broken records for DNA evolution, a discovery that has astonished New Zealand scientists.
Tuatara, often referred to as living dinosaurs, have largely not changed physically over very long periods of evolution going back millions of years.
But analysis of their old bones in New Zealand has shown that their DNA has evolved faster than any other animal species yet studied.
Evolutionary biologist Professor David Lambert, of Massey University, and a team from the Massey-based Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution established through study of tuatara DNA that the reptiles evolved very quickly.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=82&objectid=10495940

It really is time for zoo animals to get new home
Last Updated : Wednesday 05 Mar, 2008 - 1 comments
Al Ain did it. Abu Dhabi are planning it. So, in the spirit of healthy competition between the Emirates, why doesn’t Dubai do it? I’m talking about the upgrades to the zoos in these Emirates. With all the mega projects on the go here in Dubai (Dubai world etc), it would seem as if the Dubai Zoo on Jumeirah Road looks seriously dated.But looks aside - let’s face it, keeping large animals confined in tiny spaces within a zoo is old school (not to mention cruel).

http://www.7days.ae/showstory.php?id=68275

Joburg Zoo fills its calendar
Written by Lesego Madumo
Wednesday, 05 March 2008
From the Zoo Trot to Moonlight Tours, a Myth Busters Tour and a Paddy's Day frog hunt, there are plenty of things to do at the Johannesburg Zoo.
Runners will be able to watch 200 species of animals at the zoo, instead of the usual morning jog dodging cars
TAKE a trot round the zoo, checking out its 200 species of animals, instead of the usual morning jog dodging cars.
With its regular Zoo Trots, the Johannesburg Zoo is helping people get fit, while enjoying the sights and sounds of nature. And it is all in the heart of bustling Joburg. The fun run or walk takes place around the zoo every second Sunday of the month throughout the year; it is open to everyone over the age of three.
It can be seen as complementary to the vision of Executive Mayor Amos Masondo to use sports as a way of forging relationships and bringing together a divided people. Over and above its ability to unite people, Masondo believes that sport encourages healthy lifestyles and keeps youngsters away from delinquency.
Keeping fit
"The Joburg Zoo supports a healthy lifestyle," confirms Sandra Hlungwani, the zoo's public relations and marketing officer. "If one of your new year's resolutions was to keep fit, this is an ideal opportunity for you."
It has partnered in the venture with the Rocky Road Runners Club, one of the most established running clubs in South Africa, which offers support for runners.

http://www.joburg.org.za/content/view/2253/168/

PETA to protest at Springfield zoo Thursday
A PETA member dressed as a kangaroo will be among a group planning to picket Dickerson Park Zoo Thursday.
The protesters will hold a banner declaring, �Dickerson Park Zoo: Rescue Dumped Animals Now� in response to the alleged transfer of animals from the zoo to dealers who provide animals to hunting ranches, according to a news release from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
PETA has urged the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to revoke the zoo�s accreditation over the alleged donations of kangaroos and giraffes to animal dealers and a hunting ranch.

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/BREAKING01/80305040


Animal Rights Extremists To Protest At Zoo
5 03 2008
According to our friends at KSPR, the animal rights extremist group PETA is planning to launch a protest over very questionable allegations against the Dickerson Park Zoo. PETA is claiming they have documents that prove the zoo donated a kangaroo and a greater kudu to a man that has been accused of selling animals to hunting ranches. However, the PETA website does not have these documents available for public viewing so there is no way to see if the documents actually exist or the source of this information. All of the PETA accusations thus far have not been backed with any credible evidence yet they’re going to rush out to draw attention to themselves on Thursday.

http://lifeofjason.com/2008/03/05/animal-rights-extremists-to-protest-at-zoo/

Hop To It – Binder Park Zoo’s Special Easter Adopt
Binder Park Zoo
Reader Submitted
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Arriving just in time for Easter Binder Park Zoo welcomes a new member to its animal family. This long eared, fluffy new addition hops around and can weigh up to 30lbs! It’s not your typical rabbit but rather a Flemish giant rabbit and he will be part of the Zoo’s education programs. Help welcome this new arrival and give a unique Easter gift by adopting this adorable bunny. Proceeds will go to help feed and care for Binder Park Zoo’s animals.
The special Easter bunny adopt package includes an official ADOPT certificate, a color picture of your adopted animal, an animal fact sheet, one free admission pass to visit Binder Park Zoo next season and the name of recipient displayed on the Zoo’s Adopt Honor Roll board for one year, all for just $30 per adoption!
Adoption is a special way to help Binder Park Zoo ensure the health and well-being of our animals. Adoptions are just one of the many ways you can become involved with Binder Park Zoo!
For more information or to purchase your Easter Bunny Adopt, please visit www.binderparkzoo.org, call Binder Park Zoo at (269) 979-1351, or stop by the Zoo office between 9:00 and 5:00 Monday through Friday.

http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NEIGHBORHOODS01/803050335

New Zoo Review: Going Strong After 20 Years
Tribune photo by Lenora Lake
Docent Linda Delaphena brought Angie, a llama born last March at the Lowry Park Zoo, to a ceremony celebrating the zoo's 20th anniversary as an independent nonprofit organization.
By Neil Johnson and Lenora Lake, The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 5, 2008
TAMPA - In the 1980s, Lowry Park Zoo was one of the worst in the nation, ready to be bulldozed, one of its attractions a three-legged bear.
Cages were cramped, exhibits few and a children's fairyland with a small train ride was more popular than the animals.
"The main problem was that is was a bad zoo," said former Florida Gov. Bob Martinez, Tampa's mayor at the time.
The city decided to close the place and knock it down, pledging $10 million toward a new zoo, Martinez said.
Today, the Lowry Park Zoological Society, the nonprofit organization that runs the zoo, marked 20 years since the new version of the zoo opened.
Between September 2006 and 2007, more than 1.1 million people came to the zoo.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/mar/05/new-zoo-review-going-strong-after-20-years/

Steady decline of animals at Bondla zoo
by Roque Dias
Ponda, March 5 The Bondla zoo that once boasted of having many species of animals is steadily losing its charm, with eyebrows being raised over the steady decrease of animals at the zoo.
Six animals, including a fox, a peahen, a jackal, and a leopard, have died in the last few months, according to zoo sources.
Visitors and sources alleged that most of the animals were not properly fed; though the range forest officer, Mr Pradeep Vernekar disputed this.
To make matters worse for the animals, there is only a lone visiting doctor who examines the animals, once a week.

http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=030612

Kyoto zoo visitors to view chimp research up close
The Yomiuri Shimbun
KYOTO--Visitors to the Kyoto City Zoo in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, will be able to observe researchers studying chimpanzees from fiscal 2008 as part of a collaborative program of the Kyoto municipal government and Kyoto University, which is known for its primate research.
The project is the first of its kind in the nation. Research on other animals, including elephants and giraffes, is also expected to be showcased in the same way, as the municipal government hopes to attract more visitors, and the university hopes to promote its research.
According to the plan, the municipal government will purchase four chimpanzees and build a 10-meter-tall tower in the animals' zoo environment. A laboratory with reinforced-glass walls will also be built so that visitors can closely observe the primates. The municipal government has set aside 125 million yen for the project in its draft fiscal 2008 budget.

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080306TDY16001.htm

Oakland Zoo's renovation grows, draws opposition
East Bay Business Times - by Mavis Scanlon
The last big component of the Oakland Zoo's plan to expand into a major East Bay attraction has grown more elaborate - and more costly - than envisioned in a master plan completed more than a decade ago, and has as a result generated new opposition.
The zoo is embarking on the final, $42 million element of its expansion, which will transform an undeveloped piece of the city's Knowland Park into a California animal exhibit and support facilities for the zoo.

http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2008/03/10/story1.html?b=1205121600%5E1602343

continued...

National Zoo Sends Oryx to Repopulate its Native Africa

Oryx are a type of desert antelope that are mostly white with reddish-brown necks and marks on the face and a long, dark, tufted tail. They stand up to 4 feet and 6 inches tall at the shoulder, and both male and female oryx have curved horns that grow to be several feet long.

...The animal used to have a healthy population in its native land of Africa, until hunters cut their numbers down to nearly nothing. The National Zoo's oryx was living at the Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va., and will join others sent from zoos around the world to a conservation center in Tunisia, in order to create a diverse gene pool....

These four scimitar-horned oryx are among the nine (click here) that were returned in December 2007 to Tunisia, where they have been extinct since the late 1970s. A male oryx from the Smithsonian's National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va., was included in the group. The animals will eventually be reintroduced into the wild...

Lehigh Valley Zoo adds to area's sustainability
By Greg Marzano
March 7, 2008
It has been more than three years since the Lehigh County commissioners and administration partnered with the Lehigh Valley Zoological Society to keep the zoo at the Trexler Nature Preserve open. On Saturday, the zoo will recognize some of the leaders in our community that had the vision and passion to say, ''I love the Lehigh Valley and I love the Zoo -- keep it open!''
These leaders ranged from government officials to everyday folks. A group of very passionate local residents formed the Lehigh Valley Zoological Society and poured their time and personal resources into starting a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, hiring the staff, creating infrastructure for the business, and soliciting support. Over 300 people signed on as Founder's Club members.

http://www.mcall.com/news/opinion/anotherview/all-marzano3-7.6296682mar07,0,1361405.story


Zoo denies accusation that it dumps animals
Linda Leicht
News-Leader
The group of a half dozen animal lovers, including one dressed up like a kangaroo, stood in the cold Thursday to register their concern that zoo animals could end up on hunting ranches.
Local supporters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals held up a banner declaring, "Dickerson Park Zoo: Rescue Dumped Animals Now."

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080307/NEWS01/803070404/1007/NEWS01


New tapir at Denver Zoo gets welcome party
Provided by: Denver Zoo
Contributed by: Denver Zoo on 3/6/2008
Denver Zoo staff is welcoming one of its newest residents, a Malayan tapir, who came from the Belfast Zoo in Ireland. Named Bengkulu, after a province in Indonesia (a part of this species' habitat), zookeepers fondly call the new arrival Benny. To get into the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, and to celebrate Benny's Irish origin, zookeepers gave the 2-year-old male some of his favorite green treats, broccoli, kale and cabbage.
Benny has been spending some time behind-the-scenes getting used to his new surroundings, but can now be seen exploring his new digs in the Pachyderm building. Zookeepers say he is doing well adjusting to life in Denver and they will eventually introduce him to the zoo's resident female tapir, Maggie. Although Benny just turned 2, he is already almost full grown, weighing in at approximately 675 pounds!

http://denver.yourhub.com/Denver/Stories/News/General-News/Story~437937.aspx


Birth bonanza enhances zoo honour
- Mortality rate dips in nandan kanan, several born
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Bhubaneswar, March 6: If recent figures are any indication, Nandan Kanan Zoological Park could be the best place for endangered species.
The zoo, of late, has been teeming with newborn animals much to the delight of visitors and officials.
The authorities state that they have not seen so many births in a single year before. Twenty young ones, including two tiger cubs and Indian pangolins, were born last month.
Till the first week of March there has been 144 births, including 72 mammals, 58 birds and 12 reptiles, in the zoo. One of the two new pangolins was born on Wednesday. “The birth of so many animals certifies Nandan Kanan as a progressive zoo. Reproductive health is a good indicator of the overall health of a species in captivity. Nandan Kanan has been promoting itself as an institution that can conserve species and it has been doing so,” said the zoo director, Ajit Pattnaik.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080307/jsp/nation/story_8988390.jsp


Akron Zoo leaps into Year of Frog with new exhibit
3/6/2008 - West Side Leader
By Kathleen Folkerth
WEST AKRON — The Akron Zoo celebrated Leap Year Feb. 29 by opening a new exhibit on a national effort to increase awareness about the plight of amphibians.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has declared 2008 the Year of the Frog and the Akron Zoo is doing its part by putting some of its frogs on display and highlighting the crisis facing the species.
“It really is a major crisis when you talk about one-third of all amphibians are threatened,” said David Barnhardt, the zoo’s director of marketing and guest services.

http://www.akron.com/akron-ohio-entertainment-news.asp?aID=1828


Zoo expecting big day
Officials say pregnant elephant Felix will give birth very soon
By Frank D. Roylance sun reporter
March 6, 2008
For millions of years, female elephants have managed to give birth successfully without being poked, prodded and worried over by humans.
But at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, keepers and veterinarians are posting a close and anxious watch over Felix, who is poised to deliver the first elephant ever born at the 132- year-old zoo.
Their 7,490-pound patient, whom they describe as "kinda petite," is due any day now. So her vets and handlers have stepped up their maternity preparations.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.elephant06mar06,0,4011666.story


Zoo Beefs Up Animal Fencing
Tiger Able To Get Out Open Gate 2 Weeks Ago
POSTED: 6:18 pm HST March 5, 2008
UPDATED: 7:53 pm HST March 5, 2008
HONOLULU -- Construction work began at the Honolulu Zoo to prevent another tiger escape.
Two weeks ago, the zoo's only male tiger walked out of his enclosure after a zookeeper left two gates open.
KITV's Keoki Kerr reported that the city is still adding up how much all this is going to cost. An emergency contract was quickly awarded for safety improvements to the zoo's tiger exhibit, officials said.

http://www.kitv.com/news/15508444/detail.html


Mayor Asks For Millions For New Zoo Exhibit
POSTED: 7:30 pm HST March 5, 2008
UPDATED: 7:54 pm HST March 5, 2008
HONOLULU -- Mayor Mufi Hannemann is asking for millions of dollars to finish a new elephant exhibit at the Honolulu Zoo that's been in the works for over a decade.
A large portion of the enclosure is finished and sits empty -- waiting for the funding to complete the job.
KITV's Keoki Kerr reported that in his budget proposal last week, Hannemann asked for about $7 million to complete an elephant breeding facility here at the zoo.

http://www.kitv.com/news/15508958/detail.html


Hogle Zoo gorilla to have cancer surgery
By Matthew D. LaPlante
Article Last Updated: 03/05/2008 10:11:51 PM MST
Posted: 10:12 PM- A 43-year-old Hogle Zoo gorilla will undergo surgery Wednesday morning for cancer - and zoo officials say it's possible that, if the cancer is too widespread, they may have to euthanize the elderly ape.
The African-born Muke came to Hogle in 1996 from the St. Louis Zoo. She has been paired with a male silverback, Tino, for most of the years since.
"They've never mated, but they're bonded," said zoo spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite. "He's been pacing around looking for her - he's acting concerned."

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_8469332


Frogs raise red flags on environmental hazards
By JEANNIE KEVER Houston Chronicle
© 2008 The Associated Press
HOUSTON — Frogs used to be slimy green things boys carted around in their pockets. Now they're environmental fortune-tellers, slightly mysterious creatures that tell us when we're headed for trouble.
And it's their year.
The Year of the Frog is an international campaign to remind people that frogs and other amphibians are in serious trouble. As many as half of amphibian species are in danger of disappearing.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5603657.html


2,500-pound patient: Ailing rhino Ebony gets medical care at zoo
Ryan Loew
Lansing State Journal
Ebony, the only surviving black rhinoceros at the Potter Park Zoo, got a visit from the doctor Friday.
Dozens of doctors, actually.
A team of 35 to 40 zookeepers, veterinarians, firefighters and others were on hand at the zoo Friday morning to X-ray the 2,500-pound rhino, as well as conduct an endoscopy, trim her toenails, clean a wound on her leg and conduct an ultrasound, said zoo Veterinarian Tara Harrison.

http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080308/NEWS01/803080331/1001/news

Zoo educator for 16 years finds it anything but boring
Erin Madden
Updated: March 8, 2008 at 12:40 AM CST
For the past 16 years, Trevor Alexander has had the inside scoop on what is going on at Assiniboine Park Zoo. From the opening of new exhibits to the arrival of new animals and all the exciting special events, the dedicated volunteer has been there to see it all, usually lending a hand to ensure that it all runs smoothly.
Now just 28-years-old, Alexander has been a volunteer with the facility since the age of 12, making coming to the zoo a major part of more than half his life. He said that in his 16 years as a volunteer with the zoo's education program, there isn't much he hasn't done.
"I've done tours, I've done animal talks, I've done classroom stuff in terms of presentations for school groups, and I've helped with sleepovers for other groups like cubs," said the St. James resident, adding that he also takes holiday time from his job in information technology to coincide with the zoo's largest annual event -- Boo at the Zoo.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/life/story/4139641p-4730483c.html


Making the most of a sad little zoo
Mar 08, 2008 04:30 AM
Oakland Ross
Middle East Bureau
GAZA CITY–People have called the Gaza Strip a great many things, but it's a fair bet no one has recently described the place as a great spot to take the family on a weekend outing.
There's a reason for that.
The Gaza Strip is not a great spot to take the family on a weekend outing, particularly nowadays when its 1.5 million people are burdened with the debilitating effects of a brace of economic sanctions imposed by Israel as punishment for the salvoes of homemade rockets that soar daily out of the territory, rarely with lethal consequences – it is true – but not for lack of trying.

http://www.thestar.com/World/Columnist/article/326366


San Francisco Zoo Welcomes Tiger Cub
9 hours ago
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Zoo, which lost a tiger on Christmas, is celebrating the arrival of a newborn cub.
The cub born Friday belongs to Leanne and George, two Sumatran tigers on loan from a zoo in San Antonio and an aquarium in Denver.
The tiger that was shot by police after killing a teenager and mauling his two friends was a Siberian tiger. Both species are endangered.
For now, zoo staff are keeping their distance from Leanne and her cub and are using a video camera and baby monitors to observe the pair. The zoo's chief veterinarian says the cub was seen nursing and the mother appeared to be "very attentive and gentle."
The cub's birth marks the first time since 1956 that a Sumatran tiger has been born at the San Francisco Zoo.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jkBdKnhndJXyA_3mzeEOwqHdNVxQD8V95SN80


Duluth zoo gets 3 new lion cubs
Patrick Garmoe Duluth News Tribune
Published Friday, March 07, 2008
Visitors to the Lake Superior Zoo should get to see some cute new lion cubs by the end of this month.
The zoo recently took in three cubs to fill the cage left empty when 19-year-old Nemo was euthanized in November. Nemo died after blood tests showed liver and kidney failure, common in elderly cats, the zoo’s veterinarian said at the time.
The cub trio — each weighing about 90 pounds — is quarantined out of sight right now. But people can watch them from a computer, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, at www.lszoo. org/lionwebcam.htm.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/articles/index.cfm?id=61886&section=homepage&freebie_check&CFID=12839736&CFTOKEN=23916221&jsessionid=8830f7680a3f487b254b


Heavy lifting helps John Ball Zoo's new lion exhibit take shape
Posted by Kyla King The Grand Rapids Press
March 07, 2008 09:03AM
GRAND RAPIDS -- Crews working on the new lion exhibit at John Ball Zoo opening in June kicked it up a notch Thursday when they installed four, 900-pound, 2-inch-thick glass panels.
The delicate task required eight to 10 workers for each piece of glass, armed with 16 to 20 giant suction cups.
The special three-ply panels arrived by trailer and were lifted by a boom as close to the exhibit as possible. The panels will separate viewers from lions.
Here are some project details:
Opens: June.
Cost: $4.1 million.
Who's paying? Private donors.
Size: One-third acre.
Location: Near the chimpanzee and African Veldt attractions.
How many? Will hold up to six lions. The zoo has recently acquired a male, Docha, and two females, Bakari and Abena. Docha has already been moved to his new digs. The females will be moved in the next couple of weeks, and introductions will begin.
Modeled after: The forested Lake Manyara area of Tanzania, where lions climb trees.
Special features: An artificial tree that can be cooled or heated; a rock that appears to pass through the glass, allowing visitors and lions to sit adjacent; a 24-foot open air viewing tower; an off-exhibit outdoor exercise yard and training room.
How's construction coming? The viewing deck is complete. Next week additional spray-on cement rock will be added. When the ground thaws, a green roof will be installed on the holding area. Plants looking like those found in Africa also will be installed. Exhibit graphics and signs are being designed and manufactured.
Will it increase zoo operating costs? No. New staff is not needed and energy costs will be lower than old 1970s exhibit.
E-mail Kyla King: kking@grpress.com

http://blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/03/heavy_lifting_helps_john_ball.html


Dated:

Another jumbo delivery
November 5, 2006 - 11:04AM
Four more elephants have arrived in Australia today, bound for local zoos after a controversial journey from Thailand.
The elephants touched down this morning in Sydney, where one will be transferred to the city's Taronga Zoo, before their chartered Russian plane heads to Avalon Airport near Melbourne, to drop off another three this afternoon for Melbourne Zoo.
The male elephant being taken to Taronga Zoo is called Gung - meaning "prawn" and will rejoin four females from his herd who arrived on Thursday.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/another-jumbo-delivery/2006/11/05/1162661538618.html


Thai elephants arrive in Melbourne
November 5, 2006 - 11:39AM
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Three elephants have arrived in Melbourne as part of an Australasian zoos' conservation breeding program after a controversial journey from Thailand.
The three female Asian elephants were among a group of four which touched down in Sydney after a 20-hour journey from the Cocos Islands.
One of the elephants, a male, was transferred to Sydney's Taronga Zoo, while the three females were flown to Melbourne on a chartered plane.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Thai-elephants-arrive-in-Melbourne/2006/11/05/1162661539605.html


RSPCA fears for imported Thai elephants
The RSPCA says it is disappointed that the first of a group of Thai elephants have arrived in Australia destined for zoos in Sydney and Melbourne.
Four females have arrived in Sydney after spending time in quarantine on the Cocos Islands with another four who are due to arrive in the next few days.
Animal welfare groups took legal action to stop them being imported and delayed their arrival for 18 months.
The RSPCA's Jane Speechley says the groups are not taking any further action, but are calling on the public to look for signs of stress when they are visiting the elephants in the zoos.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200611/s1779997.htm


Gorilla twins turn one
November 01 2006 at 10:42AM
By Dorie Turner
Atlanta - Three-year-old Cooper Lund's rendition of "Happy Birthday" included lines about living in a zoo and looking like a monkey, but the birthday boy and girl weren't insulted.
Kali and Kazi just romped about their African rain forest playground, chewing on fruit and swinging from vines. The twin western lowland gorillas' first birthday was celebrated at Zoo Atlanta on Tuesday, a significant hallmark in their young lives.
About 20 percent of gorillas do not live through their first year, especially as a pair. Kali and Kazi are the only gorilla twins in the world born in captivity to be raised solely by their mother.
'They have a good chance of making it to be healthy adults'
They are one of just seven sets of gorilla twins to be born in US zoos in the last 50 years. Four of the sets died before their first birthday; the other three were raised by zookeepers.
"The fact that they've survived and are so healthy means they have a good chance of making it to be healthy adults," said Tara Stoinski, manager of conservation partnerships for the zoo.

http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=272644


ADELAIDE'S giraffes have only two years left at the city zoo.
Picture gallery: animals in the zoo They then will move to Monarto where, a few years later, they may be joined by elephants in a growing, free-range, large animal environment. Bears, hippos and lions will remain in the city zoo and many new primates will arrive as the state's two zoos "reinvent" themselves. They have even coined a new name, Zoos SA, which encompasses Adelaide and Monarto. "We are all very excited about our new beginnings," said Kevin Evans, director of Conservation Programs for Zoos SA.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20690549-2682,00.html

how to fix the problems of empty zoos
hey guys
leading on from the going going gone report by arazpa, and the future collection projections of our zoos, i would like to know what you guys think about how our zoos will look in the time to come.
for example, with pygmy hippos in collapse, what animals do you think melbourne should replace them with. or taronga's wild asia, which represents alot of investment in a tapir exhibit that could be empty within a decade...
dont anyone say okapi, or babirusa, or bunyips. lets make practical proposals that would keep with the themes and actually be 'viable' species.
my suggestion would be perhaps porcupines in the hippo exhibit, (drained of course and relandscaped to suggest a 'forest-edge environment) and saltwater crocodiles in the malayan tapir enclosure at taronga, and perhaps a second grouping of otters.
id be interested to hear suggestions for adelaides asian habitat; what could go in there to replace the tapir?
i think maybe the future of australia's zoos could lie in the direction of perth. their current collection almost perfectly mimics the exotic 'potential' species.

http://www.zoobeat.com/2/how-fix-problems-empty-zoos-1519/


5-nov-2006
Sponsor animals through your mobile phone.
People who regularily read this blog know that my family loves to visit zoos. In some of the Belgian zoos people can become godfather of a certain animal. Depending on the animal they pay a certain fee and then their name or company name gets displayed, for a year, on the cage of the animal they are sponsoring.
Although we visit a lot of zoos I am not sponsoring one particular animal, but still I've been thinking about how I could implement a system that I call "godfather for a day". With this system people would be able to sponsor an animal they like, for a small amount of money. E.g. today I am passing the cages of the koala bears and I would like to sponsor them for 5 euros. On the cage you can find an RFID-tag, you swipe your GSM over it and 5 euros are taken from your account at your service provider. There is no hastle, and you don't have to type in a phone number are whatever. The only thing you have to is set the amount of money you want to give. And when I leave the zoo, I see my name appearing on a ticker tape above the exit gates: Jan godfather for one day of koala Chico. I think this would really give me a good feeling when going home.

http://janmoons.blogspot.com/2006/11/sponsor-animals-through-your-mobile.html


06 November 2006
Przewalski's Truly Wild Horse
A long winter is ending on the steppe grasslands of Mongolia. This is home to a wild animal the Mongolians know as takhi - the spirits. Westerners call them Przewalski's horses. They're the only true wild horses in the world. Other so-called wild horses are domesticated horses which have reverted to a feral existence.

http://nhnzimages.blogspot.com/2006/11/przewalskis-truly-wild-horse.html


Help Prevent Animal Suffering
By Gemma Quinn (gemma@theleader.info)
(Published: 06/11/2006 Edition No.: 134)
Last week we reported on the recent investigation by the Born Free Foundation (UK), DEPANA (Spain) and ANDA (Spain) which revealed that many zoos in Spain are not complying with the national law specific to the keeping of wild animals in zoos. Exposing Spain’s zoos as ‘the sick man of Europe’ the report said housing conditions for many of the animals are poor, inadequate and offer little in the way of environmental enrichment - allowing animals to express normal behaviour. Furthermore, it would appear many zoos are failing to meet requirements in the education of the public and the conservation of biodiversity.

http://www.costablancaleader.com/news/article.php?article_id=9668&article_section_id=1


After 132 Years, Philadelphia Will Send Off Its Elephants
By ROBERT STRAUSS
Published: November 5, 2006
PHILADELPHIA — When the Philadelphia Zoo, the nation’s first, opened in 1874, its curators bought an elephant from a traveling circus and chained it to a tree, delighting children and adults who had never seen such an animal up close.
Over the ensuing 132 years, elephants have been a big part of the zoo’s attraction. They have often been featured on advertising posters and commercials, and zoo administrators say visitors spend an average five to eight minutes gazing at them in their rather small habitat.
This spring, though, the zoo’s affair with elephants will end. Instead of expanding the space for the exhibit, the zoo’s board of directors has decided to put the money elsewhere. The herd of four elephants will be split between the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore and an elephant sanctuary in central Tennessee.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/05/us/05elephant.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

continued...

US government's decision on threatened status due Monday, or lawsuits will follow.

Yes, these are Polar Bears on a melting ice flow in the Arctic Circle.

Last days for US polar bear dithering?
Susan Brown
Melting sea ice is shrinking polar bears' hunting grounds.Getty
If the US Fish and Wildlife Service doesn't finally announce their long-delayed decision about listing the polar bear as ‘threatened’ under the Endangered Species Act by Monday, environmental groups are set to press them into action with a lawsuit.
But the threat of legal action may be helping to hold up the announcement. Whichever way it goes, at least one group will be unhappy and likely to challenge the science behind the decision. This has prompted a steady stream of questions for the science team as the recommendation wends its way through the approval process.
"The US Fish and Wildlife Service views this as a landmark decision," says Scott Schliebe, polar bear project scientist for the service, who is based in Anchorage, Alaska. It is the first decision about the potential fate of a species to be based on climate projections.
The World Conservation Union lists polar bears as ‘vulnerable’, which means they face a high risk of extinction in the wild. In Canada and Russia, they are listed as species of concern. The US decision could affect international deals over activities in the Arctic.
Officials at the wildlife service were originally due to make their decision on 9 January 2008, but said they needed more time to assess the situation (see US decision on polar bear status on hold).
After considering the science and more than 670,000 comments received from the public, Schliebe and colleagues sent a recommendation to higher officials at the central wildlife office in Washington DC, and a recommendation was then passed to the Department of the Interior more than a week ago; but no decision has yet been announced.
Ice watchers
The decision hinges on whether polar bears are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. The main threat is loss of sea ice, which the bears need to hunt seals. To predict the fate of the bears, the service asked the US Geological Survey (USGS) to help determine the likely extent of sea ice in the future, and how the bears might respond to changes.
The USGS predicted that two-thirds of the bears, including all those found in Alaska, could be lost by mid-century, and that late summer sea ice will probably be gone from most the Arctic by 2100. But the models they looked at varied in their predictions of ice retreat. "All models, by their nature, are uncertain," Schliebe says. That is the chink in the argument that opponents of the listing are prying open.
"Uncertainties compound," says Ken Taylor, Alaska's deputy commissioner for fish and game. The government in Alaska, the only US state to have any wild polar bears, opposes the listing. Their governor, Sarah Palin, has said she is concerned the listing would hamper development in her state, including drilling for gas and oil....

Polar Bears die because Republicans find them 'worthless' over oil and gas.

And you call them moral people?

Where?

A blast of navy sonar in the "SOFAR" channel can disaffect marine mammals globally

At approximately 1000 meters under the surface of the ocean lies a channel of 'water density' called the 'SOFAR' channel. It is a density of water that allows the transmission of sound globally at the same depth. The Navy is aware of this water layer as during WWII they used "Sofar Bombs" to deploy distress messages to other vessels in order to be rescued.

SOFAR (click here) - Acoustic pulses travel great distances in the ocean because they are trapped in an acoustic "wave guide". This means that as acoustic pulses approach the surface they are turned back towards the bottom, and as they approach the ocean bottom they are turned back towards the surface. The ocean conducts sound very efficiently, particularly sound at low frequencies, i.e., less than a few hundred Hz.

The novel The Hunt for Red October describes the use of the SOFAR channel in submarine detection.

In the case of whales, it isn't about 'distance' it's about 'frequency' and allowing the Navy a frequency that won't hurt or destroy the marine mammals that are already endangered. There is no such 'thing' as a safe distance to marine mammals, there is only operating sonar outside the frequency that damages them. When will the Navy get out of it's own way and develop sonar that protects and defends endangered marine mammals as well as the nation.

IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE !!!!

Federal court rejects Bush stance over Navy sonar use
5 days ago
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — A federal court has ruled against President George W. Bush's bid to exempt the Navy from environmental laws when it uses sonar equipment considered potentially harmful to whales and other marine life, according to court documents.
The three-judge panel in the federal appeals court upheld a lower court decision requiring the Navy to take safety precautions to reduce possible harm to whales and other marine mammals when it employs sonar for training exercises off the coast of California.
The court, which handed down its ruling late on Friday, gave the Navy 30 days to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.
Environmental groups that took the Bush administration to court over the matter welcomed the ruling as an important precedent.
"The court is saying that neither the President nor the US Navy is above the law," said Joel Reynolds, director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5goz_Z25ZPQRrtMIiy8YP0RX5FGsg

Navy Sonar Restricted Off Hawaii Coast
By SUDHIN THANAWALA – 6 days ago
HONOLULU (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the Navy to take additional precautions when conducting sonar exercises off Hawaii that environmentalists say can seriously injure or kill marine mammals.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra said Friday the Navy cannot conduct exercises within 12 nautical miles, or 13.8 miles, of the shoreline, where species that are particularly sensitive to sonar, such as the beaked whale, are found.
Among other requirements, the Navy must look for marine mammals for one hour each day before using sonar, employ three lookouts exclusively to spot the animals during sonar use and stop sonar transmission altogether when one of the mammals is within 500 feet.
It must also gradually increase its sonar power before beginning any exercise to allow animals to leave the area before they can be harmed.
The Navy faces a similar order in California, where a U.S. District Court judge in January issued an injunction that created a 12 nautical-mile no-sonar zone off Southern California.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLbXdcs-qiXUTGC3kWW8Atb7v_mwD8V4FE9O0

Navy Sonar Ban in Southern Calif. Upheld
By ROBERT JABLON – 5 days ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Navy must abide by limits on its sonar training off the Southern California because the exercises could harm dozens of species of whales and dolphins, a federal appeals court ruled.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday night rejected the Navy's appeal of restrictions that banned high-powered sonar within 12 nautical miles of the coast and set other limits that could affect Navy training exercises to begin this month.
Also on Friday, a federal judge in Hawaii issued a similar ban for that state's coastline.
In the California case, the appellate judges let stand most of a lower court injunction that set the limits, but altered two restrictions that the Navy argued could harm the readiness of its ships for combat.
Conservation groups that had sued to block the Navy's use of high-powered sonar said the decision was a victory for their side.
"The court is saying that neither the president nor the U.S. Navy is above the law," Joel Reynolds, director of the Marine Mammal Protection Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement Saturday.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jLbXdcs-qiXUTGC3kWW8Atb7v_mwD8V55AO00

Navy makes case for Atlantic sonar training
07:09 AM EST on Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Associated Press & 13News
VIRGINIA BEACH (AP) -- The Navy tonight will hold the first of several public hearings on the environmental impact of its Atlantic Fleet sonar training.
Click to watch video
The use of sonar has became a concern to many environmentalists, who worry about its effect on whales and other marine mammals.
The hearing comes days after the discovery of three dolphins on the shores of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
To weak to be saved, they were euthanized.
A U.S. Fleet Forces Command spokesman said the Navy hasn't conducted sonar tests within 200 nautical miles of the Virginia coast for more than a week.

http://www.wvec.com/news/military/stories/wvec_local_030408_navy_sonar_hearing_.1f36aeb3.html

CNN makes lame excuses for Navy

The Antarctica Ice Chime