28Feb2006

48 different gorilla cultures thrive at American zoos
"Behavioral surveys of the roughly 370 gorillas in U.S. zoos showed
48 variations in how individual groups of the apes make signals, use
tools and seek comfort, said Tara Stoinski of Zoo Atlanta and the
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International."
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-gor20.html

A Life Sentence: The Sad and Dangerous Realities of Exotic Animals in
Private Hands
Across the United States, millions of exotic animals are kept captive
in private homes and in roadside zoos and menageries. The trade in
exotic animals is a multi-billion dollar industry, and exotic animals
are bred, sold, and traded in large numbers.
But these animals — including, among other species, lions, tigers,
cougars, wolves, bears, monkeys, alligators, and venomous snakes and
other reptiles — pose grave dangers to human health and safety. By
their very nature, exotic animals are unpredictable and are incapable
of being domesticated or tamed.
In many states, people are allowed to keep exotic animals in their
homes and backyards without restrictions or with only minimal
oversight. Every year, people are attacked and injured by
exotic "pets" or exotic animals in roadside zoos; some of the attacks
are fatal, and children have too often been the victims. In recent
years, people have been mauled by tigers, attacked by monkeys, and
bitten by snakes, just to name a few of the tragic incidents
involving exotic "pets" and incidents involving exhibited animals.
Compounding the risk to the public, many exotic animals are carriers
of diseases, such as
http://www.api4animals.org/a3b_exotic_pets.php

Legal claws set to strike at Lion Man
Legal problems are piling up for Craig Busch, star of the Lion Man
television show.
Auckland builder and property developer Rob Reece said yesterday the
High Court in Auckland had set a date in May to hear his civil claim
that he had received no return on more than $400,000 he had put
toward Mr Busch setting up his high-profile Zion Wildlife Park at
Whangarei.
The Herald on Sunday has reported former friends and associates of Mr
Busch are claiming he owes them a total of more than $120,000
relating to business deals he made going back to 1992.
And yesterday the Sunday newspaper said that Mr Busch's former
partner, Karen Greybrook, who set up the wildlife park with him, has
filed a claim to the property under the Property (Relationships) Act
1976.
Land Information New Zealand documents show several legal orders have
been taken out to prevent the sale of the wildlife park and adjoining
land owned by Mr Busch's company Country Developments Ltd.
He had plans to sell 18ha alongside the cages where he keeps
http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3673318&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=

Swim with Sharks at the Siam Ocean World Aquarium
Two guest divers accompanied by a dive instructor (R) from Planet
Scuba dive through the recently opened Siam Ocean World aquarium.
Qualified and no-certified divers can take part in swimming with
sharks and other marine annimals in the
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\02\17\story_17-2-2006_pg9_5

Zoo talks continue; a new deal headed to council today
Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's administration this afternoon plans to send
the Detroit City Council a revised plan for the Detroit Zoo in the
hopes that they will reconsider their previous vote to reject a
proposal that would have kept the more than 75-year-old institution
running.
Deputy Mayor Anthony Adams said the administration will send the
council a final proposal to turn the daily operations of the Detroit
Zoo over to the Detroit Zoological Society.
The council voted down the proposal Saturday night by a 7-2 vote.
On Tuesday morning, six of the seven members who voted no held a
press conference to explain their actions, saying they had a v
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200660221007

My opinion Jim Kiser: Readers agree with me: Let our elephants go
People have big hearts for elephants. I say that with some authority
after seeing the response to my Feb. 12 column, in which I suggested
Tucson's Reid Park Zoo should give up its two elephants, for humane
and financial reasons, and concentrate instead on improving
conditions for its other animals.
Since then, I have received more than 40 e-mails and voice mails, and
the Star has received more than 32 letters to the editor on the
column.
In my experience, that response is extraordinary. Not one of the
http://www.azstarnet.com/dailystar/dailystar/116948.php

Job gone wild
For Andi Kornak, everyday life is literally a zoo.
Kornak is the curator of collections at the Binder Park Zoo, where
she has worked the past 14 years.
Kornak began as a zookeeper at Binder Park Zoo immediately after
graduating from Michigan State University in 1994. By 2000, she was
named head zookeeper. In 2002, she became curator of collections,
where she oversees the zookeeping staff and the welfare of 632
animals.
Kornak said her job is challenging, but rewarding. On Wednesday, she
will speak to the local Woman's League about her job.
"No day is ever the same at my job," Kornak said. "I can do anything
http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060221/LIFESTYLE08/602210318/1032

48 different gorilla cultures thrive at American zoos
Captive gorillas actually are a cultured bunch.
Genetics or environment alone cannot explain variations in the
behavior of different groups of the apes, a study found.
Behavioral surveys of the roughly 370 gorillas in U.S. zoos showed 48
variations in how individual groups of the apes make signals, use
tools and seek comfort, said Tara Stoinski of Zoo Atlanta and the
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
''What became very obvious is there is a very distinct pattern of
similarities and differences between groups,'' Stoinski said.
That suggests the gorillas pass along the different traits socially,
not genetically, which is a hallmark of culture. Results were
presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-gor20.html

MFS Living and Leisure plans AUS$150m takeover of Oceanis group
Australia-based MFS Living and Leisure Group has announced it has
entered an agreement worth in excess of AUS$150m (£63.5m, US$110.6m,
93m euro) to acquire Melbourne-based Oceanis Group, one of the
world's largest aquarium owners and operators.
The privately-owned Oceanis Group owns and operates aquariums in
Melbourne and Mooloolaba in Australia, Busan in South Korea, Shanghai
in China and Bangkok in Thailand and is currently overseeing the
construction of an aquarium for the Dubai Mall development in Dubai,
UAE.
The company is being purchased from a small group of shareholders
including founder and managing director Peter O'Brien, who will
remain in a management role and become an investor in MFS Living and
Leisure.
Craig White, director of MFS Living and Leisure, said the Mooloolaba
and Melbourne aquarium sites offered significant property development
opportunities and that the company planned to expand Oceanis Group's
existing sites as well as building new aquariums.
http://www.health-club.co.uk/newsdetail.cfm?codeID=13908

He added that MFS Living and Leisure i
Red tape risks female gorilla exchange
The four male gorillas at the Schmutzer Primate Center in Ragunan
Zoo, South Jakarta, could soon have some female company if an
exchange with Howletts Zoo in the UK goes ahead.
Ragunan Zoo head Sri Mulyono said over the weekend the Jakarta
administration and Howletts Zoo, which is owned by the John Aspinall
Foundation, reached an agreement last week.
"We will get female gorillas in exchange for several primates, such
as the Javan Langur and the Javan Gibbon," he said.
Sri said the habitat for the new gorillas in the 13-hectare Schmutzer
Primate Center would be discussed later.
After the meeting at City Hall, Howletts Zoo director Damian Aspinall
said he hoped the exchange would go smoothly.
"Sure, we will send female gorillas (but) only if there are no
bureaucratic problems (in the exchange) in Indonesia," he said.
The zoo has not decided how many females to send.
"I hope the exchange goes through in the next 12 months," Sri said.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso has promised red tape will not be a issue
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20060221.G03&irec=2

LABOUR UNREST AT THE POLAR BEAR HABITAT
http://www.headsupcochrane.ca/pdf%20files/feb3-4-06.pdf

Critics say climate here isn't healthy for elephants
The recent death of Genny C's baby during labor not only has
generated criticism from animal rights activists, but also comes at a
time when some zoos are rethinking whether to keep elephants.
The Bronx Zoo, for example, has decided not to take any new elephants
and will instead focus on helping elephants in their natural habitat.
In Chicago, the Lincoln Park Zoo has put on hold a decision to get
any new elephants to replace the three that died over the past two
years.
"There is a lot to talk about," said Lincoln Park Zoo spokeswoman
Kelly McGrath. Specialists at the zoo will team up with researchers
to study such issues as whether the problems that elephants encounter
in zoos are also prevalent in the wild.
The Detroit Zoo concluded that confinement in a cold climate
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006602190349

New zoo exhibit could be tough to bear
Like pilots and barbers, zookeepers hold a position of great trust in
our society -- we expect them to excel at jobs which, in most hands,
would end in total disaster.
That's why the continuing controversy over bringing polar bears and
whales to the Calgary Zoo's new Arctic Shores exhibit has this writer
pacing like a tiger in a concrete cage.
On one hand, I want to trust the experts who run the Calgary Zoo,
when they promise world-class care for any and all animals living in
the $100-million exhibit, due to open in late 2009.
But, having witnessed the zoo's last foray into polar bear husbandry,
part of me questions the wisdom of enclosing an animal with a range
of several hundred kilometres in a small enclosure, when one the size
of Calgary would seem constrained.
The debate has been raging since the zoo
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Columnists/Platt_Michael/2006/02/19/1451302-sun.html

Joyce Pool = Elephant Letter
http://www.savezooelephants.com/pdfs/Joyce%20Poole%20Report%20on%20Toni.pdf

Malaysia to build its biggest zoo in Kelantan
The Malaysian government plans to build its biggest zoo in the
northern Kelantan state under the ninth national plan (2006-2010),
local authorities said Saturday.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has identified a40-
hectare site in Machang county for the project worth 25
millionringgit (6.64 million U.S. dollars), said the ministry's
Parliamentary Secretary Sazmi Miah.
He said the construction of the new zoo was scheduled to start in the
middle or at the end of this year, adding the zoo would be three
times the size of the national zoo in
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-02/26/content_4227644.htm

3 zoo employees dismissed for poisoning animals
The Karnataka Zoo Authority has dismissed three employees for their
involvement in the unnatural deaths of the Asiatic elephants.
The dismissed employees are T. Mahadeva, L. Mahadeva and Venkate
Gowda working in the Sri Chamrajnedra Zoological Gardens from Feb 21,
2006.
The accused were permanent employees working from 1985 and 1992,
respectively.
The departmental inquiry conducted by a retired civil judge had
proved their involvement in the unnatural deaths
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060225035702&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+-+Karnataka&Topic=0

Council to review zoo plan
The Detroit City Council postponed until Monday a discussion on the
future of the Detroit Zoo.
On Friday afternoon, the council received a revised version of a plan
presented by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's administration to turn the
daily operations of the zoo over to the nonprofit Detroit Zoological
Society.
Council members decided to take the weekend to review the changes.
The council had rejected the original plan last Saturday by a 7-2
vote, saying the proposal left too many open questions, but several
council members who voted no said they would be receptive to the plan
the second time around.
Kilpatrick administration and council staff spent Thursday and Friday
incorporating suggestions by council members into the revised
document.
Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins said the reworked plan she read was
100% improved, and Councilwoman Martha Reeves said she wants to
approve the plan with the changes submitted by the
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060225/NEWS06/602250375/-1/BUSINESS07

Zoo growth plan enrages animal welfare groups
ANIMAL welfare organisations have condemned Edinburgh Zoo's plans to
add elephants and manatees to its collection and continue keeping
polar bears.
The zoo, which is one of Scotland's top tourist attractions,
announced the £58 million expansion plan this week, which will see
the park divided into four "biome" zones, joined by a railway.
Included in the redesign are plans to introduce new animals,
including several endangered species, and to continue keeping polar
bears, which the zoo previously admitted were unsuited to living in
captivity.
Conservation groups including the RSPCA, the Born Free Foundation,
Marine Connection, Animal Concern and the Orangutan Survival
Foundation all expressed concern about the plans unveiled by the zoo.
Green MSP Mark Ballard, who has asked parliamentary questions about
the
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=291552006

Mother and daughter finally bonding at zoo
Call it the Head Start program for orangutans.
Months of training - including learn-to-crawl classes - from Hogle
Zoo staff have paid off as 9-month-old Acara is finally back together
with her mother Eve.
On Valentine's Day, the mother-daughter pair for the first began
living with each other full time. The cohabitation marks vast
progress from a time when Eve could not even recognize the gangly
bundle of brown fur as her own offspring.
Acara entered the world on Mother's Day via Caesarean section, which
disrupted the typical bonding process. For weeks afterward, Eve
appeared threatened by her offspring.
But faux fur vest-wearing
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3541190

National group says Garden City zoo's elephants need of more space
A national animal rights group has cited Garden City's zoo as one of
six zoos nationwide that need to make major changes in how they house
elephants.
In Defense of Animals, based in Mill Valley, Calif., charges
widespread evidence of chronic foot and joint problems among captive
elephants. The group singles out the condition of the animals in six
zoos, including Garden City's Lee Richardson Zoo, and seeks change in
pertinent federal rules.
The group filed its complaint with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, which oversees zoo animal treatment. Agriculture
department spokesman Jim Rogers said a preliminary response could be
a couple of months away. In Defense, a non-profit group, focuses on a
range of animal issues, through protest, grassroots
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/13961818.htm

Zoo says 70% of task force's goals are met
Toledo Zoo officials told Lucas County commissioners yesterday that
the zoo has acted on nearly 70 percent of the goals set for it by the
commissioners-appointed task force that reviewed its operations last
year.
But members of the public, including some who served on the Special
Citizens Task Force, were hard-pressed to evaluate the zoo's
accomplishments because no copies of the zoo's status report were
available to the public at the meeting.
Commissioners said they received a copy of the zoo report Thursday
evening. The report was posted on the zoo's Web site,
www.toledozoo.org, after the meeting.
"I just wish [the zoo] could have had the task force and the
commissioners a little more prepared so we could have asked questions
from the report," said Marty Skeldon, task force co-chairman.
The commissioners created the task force last year after controversy
erupted over the zoo's firing of its long-time veterinarian.
The meeting explored more issues than the zoo's first quarterly
report to the commissioners in October, which included
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060225/NEWS38/602250471/-1/NEWS

Cheetah Escapes at San Antonio Zoo
`Olivia' the cheetah managed to get out of her cage Friday afternoon
at the San Antonio Zoo. The facility was shut down and all visitors
were put into buildings until the cheetah was tranquilized.
Eden Belk was inside Rift Valley where the cheetahs are kept when she
saw the female cheetah on the loose.
"They were like, `Leave! Get out right now!" Eden told WOAI. "They
were like, `We ne
But that was only after she snapped a picture Eden explained with a
smile.
The cheetah climbed a portion o
http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=748D6DAB-3210-4285-9BBB-53579AE711A6

DALTON ZOO PARKING SCHEME SET FOR GREEN LIGHT
PLANNING officials are urging councillors to approve car parking
improvements at Dalton zoo.
South Lakes Wild Animal Park boss David Gill is set to get the thumbs
up — despite work without permission threatening to start.
Barrow Borough Council officials have said in the past that plans to
tarmac a grassed parking area at the zoo should be turned down.
Officials claimed the effect of proposed asphalting measures at the
tourist attraction, which is visible from the A590, would spoil the
landscape.
But council officers are now advising
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=335614

Animal Rights Activist Barred From Philly Zoo
An animal-rights activist has been barred from the Philadelphia Zoo
for remarks she made in an online chat room.
Marianne Bessey, an attorney and leader of the group Friends of
Philly Elephants, wrote that the zoo's director should
have "nightmares every night until you die, which should be very
soon."
The Philadelphia Daily News reports that zoo officials regularly
monitor the chat room and filed a police complaint after seeing the
message about zoo director Pete Hoskins.
Bessey says her posting was not a threat but stemmed from anger over
Hoskins' failure to send an elephant to a sanctuary
http://kyw.com/topstories/local_story_054112538.html

Woods to protect zoo property
The Huntington Woods City Commission took some steps to ensure that
zoo property within the city's limits will be regulated in the city's
best interest, should the zoo close.
The commission passed two resolutions at its regular meeting Tuesday
night that would protect approximately 85 percent of zoo property,
which is located in Huntington Woods.
City Manager Alex Allie clarified to the commission that while
reports say the zoo is in Royal Oak, the majority of the land is in
Huntington Woods. The zoo's mailing address and entrance is in Royal
Oak, but most of the zoo itself and the administration building is in
Huntington Woods.
The first resolution passed Tuesday night r
http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060223/LIFE/602230579/1099/NEWS07
 

20Feb2006

MFI heir continues to assemble wildlife park
A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE landowner is ploughing ahead with plans for a
£500,000 enclosure for wild animals on his Highland estate, despite
having no planning permission.
MFI furniture heir Paul Lister plans to turn his 23,000-acre Alladale
Estate in Sutherland into an African-style safari park complete with
wolves and bears - to attract wildlife tourists to northern Scotland.
The first phase of the ambitious project to return the estate and its
animal population to conditions that prevailed after the last Ice Age
is due to go ahead this spring with the fenced enclosure of 1,200
acres, stocked with wild boar, European elk and two species of deer.
Construction of the four-and-a-half mile timber and wire fence and an
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=259152006

Aussie animals for troubled Thai zoo
Zoos in Sydney and Melbourne have agreed to send 40 Australian native
animals to a safari park in Thailand at which it is alleged many
animals have died, Fairfax newspapers report.
In exchange Melbourne Zoo and Taronga Zoo will import eight Asian
elephants.
The plan is detailed in a memorandum of agreement between the Thai
government and the Victorian and NSW government signed in June 2004,
the newspapers are reporting.
It was tabled in the Sydney Administrative Appeals Tribunal during a
recent attempt by animal welfare groups to stop the elephant import.
One Thai activist told the Fairfax newspapers birds in the Chiang Mai
Night Safari were dying every day, three
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/02/18/1140151839171.html

Skippy for elephants: alarm at zoo wildlife trade
In the wake of the Asian elephant import saga, it can be revealed that
the deal involves a troubling exchange: Australian native species will
be sent to a Thai safari park where many fauna have died, according to
animal welfare groups.
Sydney and Melbourne zoos will send native animals to the new Chiang
Mai Night Safari, where the management has had to scrap plans to offer
exotic species on its restaurant menu.
The Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, had boasted the safari
park would be "like Disneyland, but more focused on nature".
However, Kenya suspended a planned gift of 175 African animals to the
park after learning of its restaurant plans last November. The Night
Safari's project director, Plodprasop Suraswadi, had told reporters:
"The zoo will be outstanding, with several restaurants offering
visitors the chance to experience exotic foods such as imported horse,
kangaroo, giraffe, snake, elephant, tiger and lion meat."
But about 40 animals of eight species are expected to be sent from
Australia, according to the Thai Department of Foreign Af
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/02/17/1140151818711.html

Deputy Superintendent of zoo suspended
Deputy Superintendent of Veer Jeejamata Bhosle Zoo in Central Mumbai M
B Wani was today suspended for "utter" negligence for the death of
black bucks and deer yesterday.
"We have suspended Wani based on the preliminary reports of the
Committee headed by Deputy Municipal Commissioner V N Kalam-Patil and
this would enable proper inquiry," Municipal Comm
http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=9861

Finally, a facelift for city zoo
Unnatural deaths of animals may soon become a thing of the past at the
Veer Jijamata Udyan zoo. International consultant firm McKinsey & Co,
which was asked by the BMC last February to study the feasibility of
modernising the zoo, has given the plan a green signal.
McKinsey has proposed that the BMC float a special purpose vehicle
(SPV) to undertake the Rs120 crore plan in four phases to revive the
zoo spread over 50 acres at Byculla.
The BMC is set to announce next week an allocation of Rs35 crore in
its annual budget.
McKinsey has suggested that the BMC appoint an international
consultant to guide the SPV in carrying out the work because the civic
body lacks the necessary
expertise. Besides civic officials, the SPV will have animal activists
and professionals on its board.
The model for the makeover is the open Singapore zoo, which has
similar climatic conditions and the same area. This means no more
enclosures. At the same time, the zoo will get an underwater world, a
marine stadium, a bird park and a simulation theatre.
Congress leader Raj Shroff, who played a key role in pushing the
project, told DNA, "There is a consensus across party lines that the
BMC must redevelop the zoo
itself. It will be a major tourist attraction, which Mumbai
http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1013565

Locking the zoo doors after deer have `bolted'
BETTER PLANS? Environmentalist and Editor of Sanctuary magazine, Bittu
Sehgal says he met with Johny Joseph and Subrato Ratho..
wo more deer have died, the medical superintendent has been suspended,
Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for upgradation of the zoo and a
four-member committee has been appointed to look into the proposed
renovations. Does this mean the end of problems for the zoo authorities?
Hopefully yes, said environmentalist Bittu Sahgal who is one of the
four people appointed by court. "I met with Johny Joseph and Subrato
Ratho and yes, we are aware that the zoo is overcrowded. It's too
congested. Firstly, we need to do away with the cages by constructing
dry or wet moats and turn it into a place where human beings can
commune with nature. Other zoos in the country have already been
intimated and when required, the animals can be sent."
By now, the changes should have been implemented. I just feel that the
functionaries haven't been very well guided. There are some wonderful
people working
http://www.cybernoon.com/DisplayArticle.asp?section=fromthepress&subsection=inbombay&xfile=February2006_inbombay_standard8994

Worker hurt in lion attack at Birmingham Zoo
A worker at the Birmingham Zoo was treated for scalp wounds Wednesday
after being attack by a 19-year-old lion.
Dr. William Foster, director of the zoo, said Melissa Wright was taken
to UAB Hospital, but details of her injury were not immediately available.
"She was conscious and talking," Foster said.
The attack happened as zoo workers fed
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/local/13879769.htm

Wildlife park accused of making liquor from tiger bones
An investigation has been launched to examine allegations that a
Chinese wildlife park has been selling a health tonic made of tiger bones.
However, a representative from the Shanghai Wild Animals Park has
denied the accusations.
The News Times newspaper claimed Friday that the park had been
offering an illegal drink said to alleviate the symptoms of arthritis
and other complaints.
A reporter had called the park, pretending to be a businessman
interested in purchasing the special potion.
A manager of the park, surnamed Xue, assured the caller that "jian gu
jiu" literally meaning liquor for bone health, is made of tiger bones.
However, a park spokesperson from
http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=7979

Zoo leads rhino charge
EDINBURGH Zoo has launched a Save the Rhinos campaign as its annual
conservation project.
Over the next year or so, the zoo will be hosting events and
activities surrounding the rhino to raise money for the cause and
awareness of the threats the animals face. The zoo has one male white
rhinoceros called Samson, who arrived from Knowsley Safari Park in 2004.
Darren McGarry, head keeper, said: "We are pleased to be involved in
this important fundraising, and
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=256052006

Third giraffe dies after zoo fire
Paddy the giraffe, injured in a fire which claimed the lives of his
mate and a week-old calf at Paignton Zoo in Devon, has died.
Paddy was suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation and despite
intensive treatment, he collapsed and died early on Saturday.
Vets had prescribed antibiotics and steroids to counter the effects of
shock and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4727274.stm

Private zoo with lots to offer
In a private zoo in Johor live two rather unlikely friends, a small
two-year-old macaque and an old retired racing horse.
According to Pak Sakur, one of the workers at the Saleng Zoo in Kulai,
it was love at first sight for little Mary, a female berok, when she
first set eyes on staid old Sandang.
He said Mary would follow the horse around everywhere it went, and
insisted on riding Sandang as the horse went on its walks.
"If Sandang didn't want her on its back, Mary would kick up a fuss
until Sandang gave in," he said laughingly.
Mary and Sandang are just two of the animals to be found in this
private zoo, about 37km from
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/2/18/southneast/13353758&sec=southneast

Bird flu fears will ruin swans' sex lives, Swiss zoo warns
As Europe frets about a possible bird flu pandemic that could kill
millions of humans, Swiss zookeepers worry that measures imposed to
stem the virus will ruin their swans' sex lives.
Swiss swans have just one more weekend to have a fling before a
government ban on keeping birds in the open air comes into effect on
Monday.
Forcing the birds to stay indoors will disrupt their behaviour just as
they are getting ready for reproductive action in the mating season
which is about to start, a leading Swiss zoo said Friday.
Locking them up could increase their stress levels, raising the risk
of infection, increased aggression and loss of appetite, Robert Zingg
of Zurich
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060217/od_afp/healthfluswitzerland;_ylt=A0SOwlCBMfdDo_8A6QQPLBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--

Belfast Zoo to receive award
Belfast Zoo, in partnership with Queen's University's Scholl of
Psychology, has today received a prestigious ward from the British and
Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums' for `Best Research Project'.
This is the highest award given by the BIAZA, and was given for the
innovative research on `Auditory Enrichment for Zoo-housed Gorillas'.
Belfast Zoo, and the School of Psychology also received a commendation
for their research on `Camouflaging Gorillas', which is used at their
enclosure to prevent the animals from feeling that visitors are
constantly watching them.
Dr Deborah Wells, from Queen's School of Psychology, said: "These
exciting projects are part of a long-term partnership between the Zoo
and Queen's University, and these significant awards underline the
outstanding work that has been generated by this exciting collabo
http://www.4ni.co.uk/industrynews.asp?id=48426

Animal rights group takes aim at Seneca Park Zoo
A national animals rights group is calling for the end of elephant
breeding at the Seneca Park Zoo.
The group called "In Defense Of Animals" says breeding elephants in
zoo conditions endanger their lives.
Last week, Genny C lost her baby during delivery after 21 months of
pregnancy. Genny C is doing fine.
The Seneca Park Zoo says it takes pride in its animal treatment and
says this group has a much larger agenda, shutting down zoos altogether.
"We provide excellent care for our elephants. We don't have any of
the problems that they ci
http://www.wroctv.com/news/story.asp?id=21776&r=l
 

6Feb2006

Illinois zoo worker killed by bear
An 80-year-old worker at a shuttered Illinois petting zoo died after
being mauled by one of the zoo`s black bears, authorities said.
Even though the Spotted Acres farm and petting zoo just outside Flora,
Ill., about 100 miles east of St. Louis, was closed to the public a
couple of years ago, Tom Phillips worked there most days, the Chicago
Tribune said.
He cleaned cages and fed a menagerie of animals that included bears,
camels and ostriches, said Deb Phillips, a daughter-in-law.
Summoned to the zoo because one of the black bears had escaped,
Phillips approached the animal with a bag of
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1094545.php/Illinois_zoo_worker_killed_by_bear

Bronx Zoo's John Behler dies
John Behler, whose love of animals took him around the globe and as
close as the ponds near his Westchester County home, died Tuesday at
age 62.
Behler, curator of the Bronx Zoo herpetology department since 1976,
was a leader in the development of captive breeding programs for
endangered and threatened crocodilians, tortoises and freshwater
turtles. He had done studies of the tortoises of Madagascar and of
North American spotted and bog turtles. He wrote more than 40
scientific articles and five guidebooks and co-authored "Frogs: A
Chorus of C
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/387659p-328964c.html

Zoo hails its best January
CHESTER Zoo has had it busiest January ever in records going back 70
years.
More than 30,000 people visited the zoo during what is normally one of
the quieter months of the year.
A combination of fine winter weather and competitive prices has helped
the Zoo achieve these record figures.
Chester Zoo's Marketing Manager Sharon Leeson said the zoo is a
"year-round attraction" and the recently introduced off-peak admission
rate had proved popular.
She said: "The winter visit to the zoo
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=16656174%26method=full%26siteid=50061%26headline=zoo%2dhails%2dits%2dbest%2djanuary-name_page.html

Lions displayed at Mexican discotheque transferred to zoo following
protests
Two lions displayed behind an acrylic panel at a discotheque near the
Gulf coast port city of Veracruz were transferred to a zoo in the
nearby state of Tlaxcala on Wednesday, after activists protested the
conditions in which the animals were being held.
The owner of the disco ''Paradisse,'' Mariano Cisneros, claimed the
lions were well treated and had an air-conditioned, separate sleeping
area, but decided to donate the lions to the zoo following three weeks
of protests by environmentalists and animal welfare activists.
Activists set up picket lines outside the disco on weekends
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=564675108909613057

RESIDENTS BITING BACK OVER ROADS AT NEW 'ECO-ZOO'
The new 'eco-zoo' at Cribbs Causeway will cause road chaos, it was
claimed. Two parish councils are angry at plans to get thousands of
visitors into and out of the £50 million complex.
Members of Almondsbury Parish Council and Pilning and Severn Beach
Parish Council say a proposed roundabout close to junction 17 of the
M5 will cause major traffic snarl-ups.
They have no complaints about the national wildlife conservation park
which Bristol Zoo wants to create at the Hollywood Towers estate.
But they fear major road problems unless an access system proposed by
the zoo is changed.
Yesterday, people living near the estate held a protest at the
entrance to Hollywood Towers to highlight their fears, a day after the
two parish councils held a joint meeting to discuss the zoo's masterplan.
Peter Maggs, an Almondsbury parish councillor, said: "Both councils
are united in their concerns that the zoo's proposal to build a
roundabout on the B4055 within 100 yards of Junction 17 of the
motorway, giving priority to traffic from both the new zoo development
and Bristol Golf
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=13940613&folderPk=83726

Zoo elephant tramples boy to death
A 13-year-old boy who entered an elephant's open-air cage to feed it a
mango was crushed to death on Tuesday.
Guillermo Gonzalez got past a rock wall and two metal fences to reach
the 4 1/2-ton elephant, named Maia, but the animal reacted violently,
stomping the teenager to death before a trainer could intervene.
"Maia understood that its territory had been invaded by a stranger,
which is why the elephant trapped Guillermo with the trunk, taking him
by the legs and then crushing him with one of its front feet," said
Carlos Britos, a veterinarian and director of the zoo.
He described the 35-year-old elephant as docile and obedient with him a
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/02/01/zoo.death.ap/index.html

Sofia Zoo Eldest Elephant Dies Aged 58
One of the symbols of Sofia's Zoo the elephant Sivitri passed away
Monday morning aged 58, which is equal to 100 human years.
The elephant named after an Indian goddess was first transported to
Sofia from India at the age of 7. Sivitri was first transported to
Sofia back in 1955. In India she "worked" at a school for lumbermen.
Sivitri was the eldest animal at Sofia Zoo.
Now Sofia's Zoo is left with only one elephant
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=58507

Swiss zoo animals live the good life
Pampered zoo animals in the Swiss city of Zurich gobbled up 500 tonnes
of fresh food prepared by a dedicated gourmet chef last year,
including 21 tonnes of meat, 714 garlic bulbs and 11 135 kiwi fruit.
More traditional dishes were also on offer for the 4 000 animals,
including about 155 tonnes of hay, nearly four tonnes of leeks and
more than 30 tonnes of apples or carrots, zoo management said in a
press release on Monday.
The Zurich menagerie displayed a definite sweet tooth, licking up 145
litres of maple and raspberry sirup, and 250 kilo-pots of honey.
About 6 000 tea bags helped with digestion and
http://www.mg.co.za/articledirect.aspx?area=&articleid=262758

Group wants to redo survey of zoo workers
A group that calls itself Citizens for a Responsible Toledo Zoo says
it wants to hear from zoo employees that the zoo has truly changed.
The spokesmen for the group said yesterday the zoo needs to survey
employees again and release the raw data from an employee survey taken
in May.
The second survey should ask employees if the zoo is on the right
track, if employees feel more likely to have their concerns taken
seriously, and if they are more likely to face retaliation for voicing
concerns than they were a year ago, the citizen's group said.
But the zoo has begun discussions with a psychologist in Bowling Green
to design an employee survey for late this summer, said Mike Burns,
the zoo's director of administration.
"The last survey was done on a very tigh
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060131/NEWS38/601310346/-1/NEWS

Group Says Zoos Are Abusing Elephants
In Defense of Animals filed the petition with the U-S Department of
Agriculture. The animal advocacy group wants to compel the USDA to
enforce federal law pertaining to the care of elephants in captivity.
Suzanne Roy with In Defense of Animals says her group cited the
Detroit Zoo in its petition.
The Detroit Zoo situation was used as an example of a zoo actually
complying with the Animal Welfare Act, by recognizing that the
arthritis and foot problems their elephants suffered from would be
terminal unless the conditions were changed.
The petition claims that arthritis and foot
http://www.wdetfm.org/article.php?id=950&cat=9

AZA Elephant Care and Conservation Speak Louder than Extremist Hype
The Citizen Petition filed today with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture by an animal rights group is yet another transparent
attempt to generate controversy where there is none, said the American
Zoo and Aquarium Association.
These extremists have targeted elephants as the first, but not the
last, species they want to ban from zoos. In fact, they have plainly
stated that their goal is to close all zoos.
"Elephant care in AZA-accredited zoos is based upon advanced science
and husbandry knowledge, plus an unparalleled commitment to providing
the best care for the animals," said Kristin L. Vehrs, AZA's interim
executive director. "While animal rights extremists have launched an
orchestrated public campaign using distorted information to serve
their own agenda, AZA elephant experts have continued to use science,
research and their years of direct animal care expertise to
continually improve elephant care and conservation, both in zoos and
in the wild."
In the past year alone, the AZA-accredited zoos that care for
elephants have taken the following actions, demonstrating their
dedication to and caring of these magnificent animals:
-- Accredited zoos demonstrated their enormous commitment to elephants
and to the public who love elephants by opening at least six new or
expanded elephant habitats, with dozens more planned in the next five
years.
-- Accredited zoos supported more than 80 elephant-related
conservation and associated research and educational projects in 2005.
-- AZA brought together some of the world's foremost veterinarians,
virologists, biologists, and conservationists from Europe, Asia,
Australia and North America to expand research and improve treatment
and prevention methods for endotheliotropic herpes
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=60449

Frank Batten Sr. to donate $7 million to Virginia Zoo
Frank Batten Sr., a media executive and philanthropist, has donated $7
mil­lion to the Virginia Zoo, the largest single gift to a municipal
project in the city’s history.
The $7 million grant will be combined with $6.2 million from the city
and an additional $1 million in private donations to help finance the
first phase of the zoo’s new master plan, which would bring
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=98969&ran=200775
 

30Jan2006

US National Zoo Puts Down Arthritic Elephant
The US National Zoo said it put down an arthritic elephant on
Wednesday in the latest in a series of high-profile deaths at the
flagship institution, which has also marked notable births.
The Asian elephant, Toni, was 40 and had been in worsening pain, the
zoo said. Elephants can live to be 60 or older.
"We increased her (painkiller) dosages and did not get any
satisfactory response," National Zoo director John Berry told a news
conference. "We concluded that there were no options remaining to
us ... At first light today Toni left us."
The zoo has lost dozens of large
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/34688/story.htm

Memorial Planned For National Zoo's Euthanized Elephant
Animal Rights Group Organizes Event
A memorial service will be held outside the National Zoo Saturday to
mourn an Asian elephant.
Toni, a 40-year-old Asian elephant, was euthanized Wednesday, after
suffering for years from a leg injury and arthritis.
Monks from the Wat Thai center in Silver Spring will offer a Buddhist
blessing. Event organizers will hand out stickers that read
http://www.nbc4.com/news/6506504/detail.html

Where Do Zoo Animals Go When They Die?
To the lab, the museum, and the education department.
Veterinarians at the National Zoo put down two animals this week: an
arthritic, 40-year-old elephant named Toni and a 13-year-old cheetah
with kidney problems named Wandu. What happens to zoo animals when
they die?
First, a necropsy is performed, and then the remains are cremated.
The carcasses of all animals that die at the National Zoo—including
those that wander into the park from outside—are brought to an on-
site pathology lab for thorough examination. Zoo staffers identify
the cause of death (if it isn't already known) and preserve tissue
samples that might be important for research or education. (The zoo
maintains an archive of formalin-soaked specimens from every animal
that's died there since the 1970s; the Bronx Zoo has tissue samples
dating back to 1920.) After the necropsy, Toni's carcass—which weighs
thousands of pounds—was shipped to a lab in College Park, Md., where
it will be incinerated starting
http://www.slate.com/id/2134941/fr/rss/

Up close and personal with zoo's gentle giants
They towered over little Jana Gleeson but the sheer size of these
gentle giants didn't seem to phase the two-year-old as she took part
in a new giraffe feeding program at the National Zoo and Aquarium
yesterday.
Mesmerised by their beautiful eyelashes and long tongues, the
Deniliquin toddler was only too happy to hand feed two of the zoo's
biggest residents - Ketanga and his older brother Hummer.
Watching Jana's first giraffe encounter was her father Leon who was
also amazed by the giant animals. "This is the first time she has
ever seen a giraffe and it is also the first time I have seen them so
close," Mr Gleeson said.
"They are amazing animals when you get so close."
From today, members of the public will have the chance
http://canberra.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=local&story_id=454923&category=General%20News&m=1&y=2006

At US Zoo, Breeding Rare Leopards Means Breaking Rules
Zoe purrs and grunts when she hears women talking. Just like any
house cat wanting her ears scratched, she rubs against the chain-link
fence invitingly.
But Zoe, who lives at the Smithsonian National Zoo's Conservation and
Research Center in Front Royal, Virginia, is no kitty cat; she's a
rare clouded leopard. And the specialists at the centre are among the
few animal experts in the world who have been able to get clouded
leopards to breed without literally killing one another.
Since the zoo started its captive breeding
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/34695/story.htm

Mexico zoo couples two gorillas
She's a dark haired 24-year-old, and he's ten years her junior.
But matchmakers are hoping that love will conquer the age gap and
bring Arila and Bantu together.
The two lowland gorillas have been living in Mexico's Chapultepec Zoo
for six months now, and up until Tuesday (January 24), their cages
were separated by a barrier erected to ensure that the two got to
know each other before consummating their budding relationship.
But the barriers have finally been lifted, and, under the watchful
eyes of a group of experts, Arila and Bantu
http://today.reuters.com/tv/videoStory.aspx?isSummitStory=false&storyId=b705b437b38a4c172fa975d54fd604ca98f75119

Stolen: A trailer full of zoo poo
THIEVES stole a trailer loaded high with manure - and were chased
through the countryside by an angry worker.
The raiders broke into Shepreth Wildlife Park, hooked up the trailer
and its eye-watering contents to a van and made their getaway.
One of the staff saw them and drove after them towards the M11, but
they gave her the slip. The muck was only destined for a farmer's
manure heap but the trailer was worth £4,000.
A spokeswoman for the park said: "The Ifor Williams galvanised silver
trailer, worth £4,000, has high sides that can hold a vast amount of
manure.
"On the night it was stolen it was piled high with animal excrement
and ready to be emptied - it is believed the thieves eyed up the
trailer
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/city/2006/01/26/e91f627f-6f60-4cfa-96cc-8cca00acee47.lpf

'People dentists' examine zoo animals
Cecil, like many 7-year-olds, has to be carried to the dentist: It
took three zookeepers and some anesthesia to bring the 130-pound
Western Lowland gorilla in for a checkup.
Cecil snoozed as his teeth were cleaned, scraped and examined for
problems Wednesday. The treatment Cecil received is part of a course
at the University of Louisville that brings in future "people
dentists" to examine the zoo's animals.
"We don't know of any other program in this country that's like it,"
said Dr. Thomas Clark, a dentist and professor at the university who
started the course, now in its seventh year. "I guess it's just off-
the-wall enough to appeal to people."
The class is the most popular elective at the dentistry school, Clark
said. Students are brought in to work on ferrets, tigers, lizards and
even elephants.
Lauren Millican, a 23-year
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/01/26/zoo.dentists.ap/index.html

Ex-zoo vet's sister named to panel
New watchdog group to review data surrounding upcoming levies
A newly formed group demanding more details of efforts to fix
problems at the Toledo Zoo has appointed the sister of the zoo's
former veterinarian as one of its spokesmen.
Debra Reichard Klein, the sister of Dr. Tim Reichard, who was fired
in February as the zoo's chief veterinarian, is a spokesman of
Citizens for a Responsible Zoo, a group of about 10 local citizens
and zoo volunteers formed in December.
Dr. Reichard's firing triggered a controversy that, in turn, sparked
the creation of a Lucas County task force to examine zoo operations.
The task force issued a report in July
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060127/NEWS38/601270342/-1/NEWS

Zoo sells poo to save rhinoceros
A zoo is donating funds from the sale of Rhinoceros poo in a bid to
help save the endangered species.
Colchester Zoo in Essex plans to make a £1 donation to Save the
Rhinos for every pot of the excrement sold.
A zoo spokeswoman said: "We have four white rhinos which produce up
to 20 wheel barrows of poo each day which is then freshly potted
ready for sale."
The zoo has an endless supply of the environmentally friendly poo
which is a good garden
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/4654280.stm

RESORT ZOO AWARDED INVESTOR STATUS
Newquay Zoo has achieved Investors in People status. Operations
manager Adrian Hare said: "Over the last two years the zoo has been
transformed and developed a wealth of ongoing training and appraisal
systems throughout all the departments.
"One of the overwhelming points to come out from the report was how
much the staff enjoy working at the zoo. We are delighted and
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=147201&command=displayContent&sourceNode=147172&contentPK=13907130&folderPk=83293

Shanghai Zoo Takes Steps to Protect Wild Wolves
The Shanghai Zoo hopes to be home to the largest pack of wolves in
the country, in order to save the species from extinction in China.
Five wolves from Xi'an, Shaanxi Province arrived in the city on
Tuesday. They, and four wolves already living at the zoo, will be on
public display during the Spring Festival, which starts on Sunday.
The new arrivals are currently undergoing physical examinations.
According to the zoo, over hunting has put the nation's wolf species
in jeopardy.
Several months ago, the zoo sent researchers to search for wild
wolves around the country, but they couldn't find any sign of large
wolf packs.
"We've searched Anhui, Zhejiang, Hebei and Henan provinces," said
Xiong Chengpei, director of the Shanghai Zoo. "But there were no big
packs of wild wolves anywhere."
The zoo plans to import several more wolves as well as breeding them,
to ensure it has a pack of 20 wolves by the end of this year. Several
of them will eventually be returned
http://www.china.org.cn/english/environment/156411.htm

British zoo considers penguin name contestDEREK KRAVITZAssociated
PressLONDON - Zookeepers in southern England said Tuesday they were
considering a contest to name a chick expected by the parents of a
juvenile penguin stolen just before Christmas.
Dozens of well-wishers sent Amazon World congratulatory e-mails after
news spread that the mother had laid a new egg, said Derek Curtis,
owner of the zoo on the Isle of Wight. The kidnapped 3-month-old
jackass penguin, named Toga, is presumed dead.
Curtis urged caution, saying he would wait three weeks to assure the
chick is healthy before going ahead with the contest.
"We don't want to count our chickens before they hatch, so to speak,"
he said.
If all goes well, the penguin chick is expected in February.
Toga was stolen from his pen last month
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/breaking_news/13701939.htm
 

23Jan2006

Bear in Ukraine Zoo Bites off Boy's Hands
A brown bear in a Ukrainian zoo has bitten off both hands of a 12-
year-old boy who entered his open-air cage and tried to treat the
animal to crackers, Ukrainian News reported.
Two boys and a girl from a nearby village came to see the animals at
the zoo in the town of Mena, north-central Ukraine. When they reached
the bear's cage one of the boys jumped over a fence and approached
the animal, offering him some food, but the animal attacked him.
With his hands bitten
http://mosnews.com/news/2006/01/16/bearhands.shtml

Wildlife park avoids closure over VAT
A Norfolk wildlife park visited by thousands of families was given an
11th-hour court reprieve from a closure threat after being landed
with a £30,000 VAT bill.
About 600 animals, including endangered wolves and wildcats, had
faced being left homeless when Revenue and Excise officers issued a
winding-up order for the Norfolk Wildlife Centre, at Great
Witchingham, near Norwich, over the back-dated tax demand.
It related to amounts owed over improvements made to the centre
between 2001 and 2003.
On Wednesday, centre director Stephen Bealey found himself at the
Royal Courts of Justice in London fighting for the park's survival.
He managed to secure a 28-day
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED13%20Jan%202006%2020%3A31%3A33%3A670

CHARITY UNVEILS BEAR SANCTUARY PLANS
A Sussex animal charity that works to rescue dancing bears in India
has today unveiled plans to create a second sanctuary for the animals
in the south of the country.
International Animal Rescue (IAR) already has one sanctuary in Agra,
in the north of India, which is home to 166 rescued bears.
The new facility will be established within the Bannerghatta Safari
Park, just outside Bangalore, which is already home to antelope,
elephants, tigers, crocodiles and wild birds.
Under the initiative, the Indian authorities have pledged to set
aside a 37-acre area of woodland for any bears rescued by the charity.
Twenty-six ex-dancing bears are already at the park but are kept in
terrible conditions
http://services.press.net/pressnet/communitynewswire/index.jsp?story_id=1454129&setStyle=mlStory&returnStyle=heading.cnw

Drought puts Kenya's wildlife at risk
A severe drought which has left millions of people hungry across East
Africa is now threatening Kenya's famous animals, which are straying
out of protected areas in search of water, wildlife officials said on
Wednesday.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) says as watering holes and rivers
run dry, elephants are straying out of national parks close to human
settlements, risking conflict with villagers.
"Already elephants are migrating out of the parks to the periphery
near villages to hunt for water," KWS spokeswoman Connie Maina said.
"Our biggest concern is that there will be more human and wildlife
conflict as more elephants go into these
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L17128606.htm

Jackson's 'cruel' zoo
Michael Jackson has been accused of animal cruelty at his all-but
abandoned Neverland ranch.
Animal rights activists have demanded an urgent probe into conditions
at the sprawling estate.
They claim giraffes, elephants and other creatures are imprisoned in
squalid and cramped surroundings.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/articles/21436823?source=Daily

Dogs kill rare animal at city zoo
Stray dogs have killed a vicuna, the smallest member of the camel
family, at Belfast zoo.
Four dogs gained access to the vicuna paddock at the north Belfast
zoo on Wednesday and attacked two of the animals before staff could
intervene.
One of the animals, Emma, died as a result of the attack and a six-
month old calf sustained severe injuries
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4628912.stm

Zoo animals fed vodka as temperatures plunge past -30C in Russia
Animals at zoos across Russia were being given shots, or in some
cases buckets, of vodka, to keep them warm yesterday as temperatures
in the European part of the country plunged towards an exceptional
minus 40 degrees Celsius.
In the ancient town of Yaroslavl a travelling circus there said it
had been forced to start giving its trio of Indian elephants vodka
mixed with water in buckets as the mercury dipped.
In Lipetsk, where meteorologists recorded temperatures of minus 32,
the zoo's contingent of macaques was being fortified with cheap
French table wine three times a day and in other zoos camels, wild
boars and reindeer were being given regular shots of vodka to stave
off the chill.
People who clutched their mobile phones to their ears for too long
had to be taken to hospital with frostbite, homeless people froze to
death where they slumped and some of Moscow's famously bright lights
had to be temporarily turned off as the city consumed record amounts
of electricity and moved to selective rationing.
With the temperature hovering around minus 30 Celsius yesterday
Moscow, a city of 12 million, seemed eerily quiet with l
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10364408

Russia: Veterinary Specialist Says Cold Zoo Animals Don't Need
Alcohol
Russia continues to experience record-low cold, with temperatures
dipping to minus 30 degrees and beyond. The cold has paralyzed life
in much of Russia, bursting water pipes, breaking down automobiles,
and even freezing automatic cash machines. There have also been
numerous reports about zookeepers who are trying to keep their animal
charges warm by adding vodka and table wine to their water. It's a
time-honored strategy for humans -- but does it work for animals?
RFE/RL spoke with Dr. David Taylor, a founding member of the
International Zoo Veterinary Group, which since 1976 has worked on
animal-care issues at zoos, safaris, and marine parks all over the
world.
RFE/RL: What do you think about these reports of Russian zoo animals
being given vodka and table wine to keep warm?
David Taylor: I am not particularly enamored of this. Giving alcohol
to these animals will not warm them up. In the end, they have to
spend more energy getting rid of the alcohol. It's not
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/01/1be2538d-ee6b-4332-ba80-9aa3e7e1ba62.html

Zoo set to sell off 12 acres for new homes
EDINBURGH Zoo is planning to sell off a massive chunk of its land for
housing to help fund a £58 million redevelopment of the attraction.
Zoo chiefs have earmarked 12 acres of land on its site in
Corstorphine as surplus to requirements in the hope of ploughing the
expected £15m proceeds from a sale into its plan for the site.
Up to 100 new homes will be built on a huge swathe of zoo property to
the west of its 90-acre site under the plans.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs the attraction,
has struck a deal in principle with EDI, the development firm set up
by the city council.
lthough the land, off Corstorphine Road, lies on green belt in the
west of the city, council officials have given their backing to the
proposed sell-off because they are seen as a crucial part of the
zoo's blueprint for the future.
Zoo chiefs today warned that the attraction
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=97242006

Zoo director passionate about care of animals
The surgery table in the veterinary hospital makes a nice bed when
you can't get home from the zoo, says Anne Baker, the Toledo Zoo's
new executive director.
She's an expert at sleeping in zoos. Another time Ms. Baker — who is
completing 13 years as executive director of the Syracuse, N.Y.,
Rosamond Gifford Zoo — slept in the front seat of a golf cart,
waiting for the birth of an Indian elephant
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060121/NEWS38/60121002/-1/NEWS

New building opens at private Al-Dosari zoo, game reservePublished:
Saturday,
A NEW building, housing statues of various birds, animals and marine
life was inaugurated at the privately-owned Al-Dosari zoo and game
reserve yesterday.
Situated in Al Shahaniya, about 40km from Doha, the private zoo owned
by Mohamed al-Dosari is open to the public on Fridays free of cost.
The zoo, which is home to 300 animals, was started 20 years ago with
about 30 animals. Spread over an area of 100,00sq m, it is a popular
picnic spot.
"The new building will help give families a lot more activities to
enjoy," said al-Dosari, 38.
The newly building includes a lecture
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=69434&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

New home for red squirrels at zoo
A children's zoo in Cheshire is helping to save the endangered red
squirrel with its own conservation project.
Walton Hall and Gardens' children's zoo in Warrington is setting up a
breeding programme with the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
The squirrels' new home at Walton will be in a conservation area with
a large, outdoor house and play house.
Any new arrivals will go back to the Welsh Mountain Zoo for its
captive breeding programme or to be released in closed sites.
Councillor Jeff Richards, executive
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/4621682.stm

Latvian zoo closes doors to birds
Riga zoo stopped offering shelter to wild birds in need as a
precaution against bird flu.
The Riga zoo has been a sanctuary for wild birds with wounds. But the
threat of bird flu has changed this, and the zoo has recently closed
its door to wild birds.
The zoo said it cannot put at risk its own animals -- some 448 birds
from 95 species, including rare ones.
In the absence of healthcare structure for wild birds, inhabitants
took the habits of bringing up wounded animals to the zoo.
"The regular 'clients' for the zoo could be, for example, white
storks -- or black ones -- lagging behind their mates
http://today.reuters.com/tv/videoStory.aspx?isSummitStory=false&storyId=f9da45aa07723d614a99a8d29394655f8cbb8de9

Shoot to Kill
Inside the hidden links between American big-game hunters and
Zimbabwe's Mugabe dictatorship.
Jocelyn Chiwenga is not a woman to be taken lightly. The wife of Gen.
Constantine Chiwenga, commander-in-chief of Zimbabwe's army, Mrs.
Chiwenga has earned a reputation in her own right as a vicious
enforcer for President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zimbabwe African
National Union-Popular Front (ZANU-PF). In April 2002 she reportedly
showed up at a farm outside Harare, the capital, with an armed gang
and ordered the farm's white owner to turn over his property to her
or be killed, according to documents filed in a Zimbabwean court. One
year later, Chiwenga accosted Gugulethu Moyo, an attorney for a pro-
opposition newspaper, and beat her so severely that she had to seek
medical attention. "Your paper wants to encourage anarchy in this
country," Chiwenga reportedly shouted as she punched and slapped the
28-year-old lawyer on a Harare street. "Chiwenga is as close to the
center
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10841107/site/newsweek/

Kenya may bring back hunting
KENYA may lift a three-decade ban on sport hunting as part of a
broader revamp of its wildlife policies, a senior official said
yesterday.
Such a move could see foreign hunters target Kenyan lion, buffalo and
antelope species, but would provoke resistance from animal welfare
groups.
Julius Kipng'etich, the director of Kenya Wildlife Service, said: "We
started a policy review in September last year on our entire wildlife
policy, looking at a range of issues. The ban on hunting is one of
those up for review and discussion. Hunting is one way of utilising
wildlife, but there are others.
"Much of our wildlife is
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=62652006

Myanmar faced with tiger extinction threat
Myanmar's wildlife department plans to step up the fight against
poaching of tigers, alarmed by the decline in the big cat population
to about 150 from over 3,000 in 1980.
Myanmar was estimated to have over 3,000 Bengal and Indo-China tigers
in 1980, the second in Asia after India.
However, according to the latest figures by the forestry department,
only about 150 tigers remain in the Hukuang Tiger Reserve, claimed to
be the world's largest.
The tiger data collection of the forestry department was jointly
carried out with the co-operation of the New York-based Wildlife
Conservation Society (WCS) since 1998 with the use of a camera trap
as well as modern scientific methods, the local
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1367630.cms

Pittsburgh Zoo to spend $2.2 million on elephant breeding facility
Center will occupy 724 acres in Somerset County
African elephants will live and breed at a 724-acre International
Conservation Center in Somerset County in the not-so-distant future.
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is acquiring the land in Fairhope
and Allegheny townships with $2.2 million from The Conservation Fund,
an environmental nonprofit organization headquartered in Arlington,
Va.
Elephants could be moved to the land in about two years, "but there
will always be elephants at the zoo," said Dr. Barbara Baker, zoo
president and chief executive officer.
Conservation, breeding and education will be the mission of the
Somerset County facility. While the focus will be on African
elephants, "the center also will expand the zoo's work in support of
other endangered species, such as cheetahs, black rhinoceroses,
African wild dogs and Grevy's zebras," according to a news release
issued yesterday.
There are six elephants at the Highland Park facility. As many as 20
elephants could
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06010/635362.stm

Area gets zoo center
A Somerset County hunting preserve will become the first breeding
grounds for endangered African elephants in North America.
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium unveiled plans Monday for the
multimillion-dollar International Conservation Center on Glen Savage
Ranch just off Route 31 east near Fairhope.
Eventually, the center could expand to breed cheetahs, black
rhinoceros, African wild dogs and Grevy's zebras, all endangered
species, zoo officials said.
"There is no facility like this in the country," said Barbara Baker,
the zoo's president and chief executive officer.
She said the zoo will buy the 724-acre ranch from Jerry and Iris
Leydig for $2.2 million. The preserve – popular for whitetail deer,
elk, wild boar, buffalo and black bear – will close.
"It's an excellent fit for our county," county Commissioner Chairman
Jimmy Marker said, pointing out the ranch's proximity to Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Zoo owns one of only three breeding African bulls in
the country, along with two of eight calves.
Breeding at the center is expected to begin in about two years.
Willie Theison, the zoo's elephant manager, said bulls and cows from
other zoos in the United States
http://www.tribune-democrat.com/homepage/local_story_009235040.html?keyword=leadpicturestory

From farms to zoo, Turkey reels from bird flu
Workers cover cages at Ankara's zoo as Turkish poultry industry
complains of huge losses.
ANKARA, Turkey — From the capital's main zoo to a reeling national
poultry industry, the effects of a deadly bird flu outbreak continued
to ripple across Turkey on Saturday.
Authorities nationwide continued to slaughter thousands of chickens,
turkeys and geese as a precaution against the H5N1 strain, which has
killed at least 79 people
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/world/01/15birdflu.html

Actress against elephant imports (just who is Jessica Napier? And
does being an MP bestow expertise on Lee Rhiannon - Peter)
Taronga Zoo's $40 million rainforest enclosure should be home to
retired circus elephants - not wild Asian beasts, says actor Jessica
Napier.
The former McLeod's Daughter and current The Alice star has joined
the fight to prevent five Asian elephants being imported from
Thailand to Sydney.
Napier said the zoo's new purpose-built enclosure should be used as a
retirement home for Australia's six ageing circus elephants.
"If the Thai elephants are imported they will be taken out of their
natural habitat and will have to be cruelly domesticated before they
arrive in Australia," she said today in a statement.
After months of wrangling, the RSPCA and International Fund for
Animal Welfare last month lost an appeal to overturn a decision to
import the animals.
The zoo's success in winning approval for the imports rested mainly
on the fact it has established a breeding and conservation programme
for the endangered elephants.
But Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said the import plan was more about
boosting revenues and attracting visitors to the zoo.
"The Greens strongly support elephant breeding programs, but these
are best conducted in their natural habitat," she said.
"We have not been able to find any
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/649824

Cincinnati Zoo lags in humane elephant care
Your voice: Les Schobert
The Cincinnati Zoo's approach toward elephants is about as outdated
as its elephant building, which was built in 1906 ("Elephant exhibit
poses care issues," Jan. 2). The zoo ignores the wealth of scientific
knowledge gained about elephant behavior and biology over the past
several decades that should guide the care of elephants in captivity
today.
Field studies show that elephants are highly intelligent and complex
individuals who live in tightly knit extended family groups, with
mothers and daughters staying together for life. We have discovered
that elephants
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060115/EDIT02/601150310/1021/EDIT

Elephant exhibit poses issues
Some challenge expansion at Cincinnati Zoo
Elephants have been a major draw at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical
Garden for nearly a century.
As the zoo embarks on a $2.6 million campaign to expand its elephant
exhibit, a plan that includes bringing in a bull elephant so it can
begin a captive breeding program, several other zoos have closed
exhibits under public pressure after animal deaths or mistreatment
allegations.
Five U.S. zoos have closed elephant exhibits in 2005. Others, like
the Philadelphia Zoo, have put on hold plans to expand their exhibits
and bring in more elephants.
Only the Detroit Zoo, which ended its 81-year-old elephant exhibit in
May, admitted it could not adequately care for the animals
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060102/NEWS01/601020337/-1/all

Malaysia's zoo under fire for snake abuse comments
Malaysia's national zoo is under fire after its snake handlers told
visitors to hit any stray snakes they found on the head and throw
them on roads to be run over by cars, a report said on Tuesday.
Members of the public have complained over the comments, which Zoo
Negara said were made in jest during a show featuring the zoo's
snakes.
"It was just a joke so that the viewers would be wary of snakes," the
zoo's director, Mohamad Ngah, was quoted as saying in the New Straits
Times.
"They do explain the right method of handling the
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/188560/1/.html

Sana'a Zoo: Animals on the hill
Birds of prey, predators, domestic birds, etc. await the visitor of
Sana'a Zoo. Located in the southeastern zone of the capital city, the
zoo, the first of the kind in Sana'a, drew in huge crowds of people
during the Eid time who wanted to enjoy their holiday.
Cages were scattered on the hilly area exhibiting a variety of
different types of animals. Children and adults alike gathered to
acquaint themselves with the exotic appearance of creatures they
might have viewed their pictures or just heard about them. Amusement
was discernable in their faces.
You may smile or even laugh when you see the playful baboons swinging
or making funny gestures in the spacious roofless cage. You can
contemplate the beauty, magnificence and majesty of the peacocks
swaggering on green meadow. You can hear the menacing roar of lions
incumbent among barren crags.
You can view the vulture, rock hyrax, and spiny tailed lizard, not to
mention the python, sea tortoise, crocodile, hyena, and many others.
Less room to roam
Eng. Adel al-Mujahid who particularly appreciated the inclusion of
the Nile crocodile and the Australian ostrich to the group of animals
was happy to see the improvements made to the zoo which makes
it "visitor-catching." He complained, however, that it is "small-
sized with no optimal use of its area." accompanying his family, he
couldn't find a suitable place to sit. "More services should be
provided and more bare areas should be grassed," he added.
Abdu Abu al-Ghaith, who came with his 9-member family, showed his
surprise at the huge number of visitors. "When we visited it the
other day, we could see only a few people." At the reptiles section,
one with difficulty can make his way through the crowd to see the
animals displayed inside glass boxes.
Because of overcrowded space, they were obliged to take just a quick
tour and leave. He wished the zoo could be enlarged but that is
unlikely as houses surround it.
People crammed in the relatively limited space of the zoo do not only
create an inconvenience for visitors. Jamil al-Juma'i, a zookeeper,
expressed his dissatisfaction at the fact that, due to the high
intake of visitors, trees, iron barriers, and other stuff get
damaged. "People don't find suitable places in the zoo to spend a few
minutes before they exit. They may sit wherever they can manage to
and this results in damage to our stuff," he said.
Mohammed al-Bayadhi, 22, expressed his happiness at the current
status of the zoo in terms of contents, cultivation and
organization. "Because it lies in the vicinity of our house," he
said, "I have visited it tens of times. There was negligence in the
past perhaps because it was in its infant stage. Now it is organized
with lots of animals like tigers. Now I am pleased with its shape and
it is worth visiting."
Concerning overcrowdedness, Al-Bayadhi admitted that he couldn't
comfortably see all the animals, attributing the inconvenience
to "randomness." He, however, imparted his wish for establishing a
larger zoo for the residents of the capital city.
Zoo's sections
The zoo is divided into a number of sections such as those for
predators, reptiles, birds of prey, and domestic birds in addition to
a section for monkeys.
A wide range of herbivorous, carnivorous and omnivorous animals can
be seen including wolves, foxes, ostriches, squirrels, honey badger,
mongooses, larks, cobras, etc.
The predators are fed the flesh of donkeys, cows and goats. By
procreating enough rabbits, mice, and chicks for nourishing flesh-
eaters, the zoo will be covering quarter of the feeding cost. The
rest of the animals are given vegetables, fruits and grains as well
as honey.
Concerning the absence of some animals such as the elephant, and
giraffe, Eng. Ali Humaid, director of the zoo, responded that the zoo
is considering the procurement of elephants from Africa as they did
the pythons. However, he pointed out the difficulty in the case of
the giraffe. "The giraffe cannot live in Sana'a because the local
climate doesn't fit it,"
This zoo was established on May 30, 1999, on
http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=912&p=culture&a=1

County: We won't pressure zoo boss
Onondaga County officials said Monday they will not stand in the way
of Rosamond Gifford Zoo Director Anne Baker if she chooses to leave
the post she has held since 1993.
"The last thing we want to see is for her to leave Syracuse," said
county Parks Commissioner Robert Geraci. "But we would never hold
anyone back. Anne is a fantastic director, and we're lucky to have
her."
Geraci said the county has not tried to influence Baker, who is one
of two finalists to become director of the larger Toledo Zoo in Ohio,
regarded by some as one of the top zoos in the
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-2/113749088886520.xml&coll=1

B.C. Minister wants to find good home for Alberta grizzly cubs
B.C.'s environment minister vowed Tuesday to find a good home in the
province for two orphaned grizzly bear cubs from Alberta.
The two cubs, whose mothers died last year in separate tragic human-
caused accidents, appear more suited for some form of captivity but
life in the wild could be an option, Barry Penner said.
"We have not made a determination about where the bears will go,''
Penner said. ``My goal is to find the best and most appropriate place
for these bear cubs to live out their days.''
The two male cubs are currently living together at the Calgary Zoo
and are conditioned to human contact to the point they expect to be
fed whenever they hear the zookeeper's keys jingle, he said.
One of the cubs also appears to have a serious vision problem, Penner
said.
"If the bear cub is unable to see clearly, it's quite possible it
won't survive long
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=e5908ce5-a52b-4337-a5cf-97c88ad302e7&k=87083
 

16Jan2006

Zoo to start ambulance service for sick animals
Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, which has emerged as one of finest
zoos in the country to breed a wide range of animals in captivity,
has embarked on a new venture to set up a state-of-the-art Rescue and
Rehabilitation Centre.
The zoo has prepared a Rs 5.5-crore plan to establish the centre and
forwarded the same to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for approval.
The plan envisages procuring a, emergency mobile ambulance for the
animals.
The zoo would become the first in the country to have an emergency
mobile service to rescue animals fighting for life and cater to
animals in and around
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEK20060114225509&Page=K&Title=Southern+News+%2D+Karnataka&Topic=0&

People decry entry fee in municipal zoo
The forced recovery of entry and parking fees in Municipal Zoo by
contractor of fun land led to a protest by a large number of visitors
on first and second days of Eid-ul-Azha. The contractor's employees
were charging Rs5 as entry fees from the visitors in the fun land,
located in Municipal Zoo although no such fee had been levied by the
Taluka Municipal Administration (TMA) Qasimabad.
People were being handed over receipts of play land hill park,
Karachi, in lieu of Rs5 as entry fee.
The UC-2 Nazim Mehboob Abro protested with the manager of fun land,
Imtiaz Abbasi and also talked with the district nazim and taluka
nazim. A large
http://www.dawn.com/2006/01/15/nat43.htm

Nashville Zoo attendance set record
A record number of people visited the Nashville Zoo last year with
attendance rising 4 percent from 2004 totals.
A total of 513,561 people visited the zoo and its membership of
financial supporters increased 26 percent to 78,000.
New to the zoo in 2005 was the Cal Turner Family Foundation African
Elephant Savannah and Lorikeet Landing which features a collection of
Australian parrots and other avian species. Lorikeet Landing is
sponsored
http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2006/01/09/daily10.html?from_rss=1

Zoo Hopes To Save Elephants From Extinction
Elephants will be making their way to Somerset County in about two
years.
KDKA's Jennifer Antkowiak reports that at least 20 elephants will be
moving in to a big ranch.
Elephants are critically endangered in the wild and in captivity. The
Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium hopes to turn things around by
banking on their own world renowned success with the care and
breeding of African elephants. The zoo is ready to set up a
conservation center on a 724 acre ranch off of Route 31 in Somerset
County.
"It's already fenced," said Dr. Barbara Baker, President and CEO of
the Pittsburgh Zoo. "It has very well-done facilities on the property
already, already has paddocks with frost-free waters and areas for
the animals."
Dr. Baker was excited to show off pictures of the area that she
describes as some
http://kdka.com/local/local_story_009200619.html

Big-hearted Angus dies a month before returning to South African home
Angus, the world's biggest captive elephant, has died only a month
before he was to be flown from Canada to South Africa, his homeland,
and set free in a game reserve.
The 27-year-old elephant, who weighed more than seven tonnes, or as
much as six small cars, was found dead on the floor of his heated
barn on Sunday evening by his trainer and owner, Michael Hackenberger.
Angus was the star attraction of the Bowmanville Zoo, just east of
Toronto, where he had lived for 20 years and given rides to thousands
of children.
He died about 30 hours after being given a sedative called Xylazine.
The goal was to test the animal's reaction to the drug in case
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20060110/ANGUS10//Email

Top 10 AZA Elephant Success Stories: 2005 a Banner Year for Elephants
in AZA Accredited Zoos
Exciting things have been happening for elephants in zoos since
January 2005. That's when directors of the 78 American Zoo and
Aquarium Association (AZA) accredited zoos that exhibit elephants
endorsed an aggressive new elephant conservation vision. Progress
since that meeting includes new babies, new elephant habitats and
more conservation programs. These and other advancements made
the "AZA Top 10 Elephant Success Stories" list for 2005.
"We are proud of the success AZA zoos are having in their elephant
programs. Members are making great progress building upon AZA's
strategic vision that ensures elephants are in the world's future
forever, both in zoos and in the wild," said Kristin L. Vehrs, AZA's
interim executive director. More than 290 Asian and African elephants
live in AZA accredited zoos, where programs are based upon advanced
science and husbandry knowledge, plus an unparalleled commitment to
providing the best care for the animals.
Despite campaigns waged by animal rights extremist groups that
targeted a few zoos and called for closing all elephant exhibits in
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/20060109/pl_usnw/top10_aza_elephant_success_stories_2005_a_banner_year_for_elephants_in_aza_accredited_zoos124_xml

Shipment of sand helps save zoo lizards Jan 12 2006
STAFF from Chester Zoo were sent on a mercy mission to collect sand
from Waterloo beach to save an endangered species.
The zoo's "Merseyside" sand lizards - the rarest in the UK - require
nutrients found only on the Sefton coast to stay alive.
Animal experts filled a lorry with 10 tonnes of sand before driving
back to Chester to top up the reptiles' habitat..
Herpetologist Isolde McGeorge, who looks after the zoo's reptiles and
amphibians, said: "We have a simulated dune system at the zoo and
because the
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100regionalnews/tm_objectid=16575029&method=full&siteid=50061&headline=shipment-of-sand-helps-save-zoo-lizards-name_page.html

Zoo Penguins Undergo Cataract Surgery
We`ll never know just how well, but three nearly blind penguins at
the Detroit Zoo can see again thanks to a morning of cataract surgery
at a local veterinary center.
The penguins were moved a few miles from the zoo to the Michigan
Veterinary Specialists in Southfield, where each underwent an
operation on one eye that took about an hour Wednesday morning,
Carter said.
Two of the penguins are more than 20 years old, and one is over 30,
zoo officials said. Penguins seldom live past 35. Experts say
penguins in the wild have a hard time surviving with cataracts
because
http://www.leadingthecharge.com/stories/news-00123470.html

Gene Logic hires Bronx Zoo vet
Gene Logic, which conducts clinical trials for drug companies,
including those using lab animals, has hired at top veterinarian from
the Bronx Zoo.
Tracey McNamara, previously the zoo's head of the department of
pathology, will join Gene Logic Laboratories as veterinary
pathologist. She achieved renown for her work in the identification
of the West Nile Virus outbreak in 1999.
"I'm certain [Dr. McNamara] will add immeasurably to the studies we
conduct for our pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients," says Gene
Logic Labs General Manager V.W. Brinkerhoff in a statement. "Her work
on
http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2006/01/09/daily22.html

Polar bear cub to make debut at Tennoji Zoo
A male Russian polar bear cub is to take up residence at Tennoji Zoo
in Tennoji Ward, Osaka, courtesy of a food manufacturing and sales
company in the city.
Due to the Osaka municipal government's financial difficulties, the
zoo has been without a bear since Yukiko, its popular female polar
bear, died at age 24 in May 2004. The cost of a new bear is about 7.5
million yen, leading the zoo to seek sponsors for the project.
The 1-year-old bear, to be donated by Horai Co., weighs
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/culture/20060109TDY18002.htm

Wellington Zoo investigates lion mauling
An unlocked door allowed two lions to get into an enclosure at
Wellington Zoo while their keeper was laying out their food.
When keeper Bob Bennett tripped trying to escape, they mauled him as
patrons watched.
Zoo chief executive Alison Lash said the investigation had so far
established the lions were not in the enclosure when Mr Bennett, 54,
went in to feed them on Tuesday. Standard procedure is to clean the
enclosure while the lions are locked up, leave the food behind, exit
and lock up before letting the lions in.
"They got in there accidentally, but it's not clear how. But they
managed to get the slide [door] open."
Ms Lash said the door was presumably
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=1&ObjectID=10363344

Lion tamer suggests zoo at fault (Peter Comment "Mr Tony Ratcliffe
sounds like a complete idiot!"
A circus owner who has brushed with death working with lions claims
sloppy procedures may have led to a Wellington Zoo keeper's mauling.
The claims are rejected by zoo management who say it is offensive to
compare zoo training to that used for circus animals.
Whirling Bros circus owner Tony Ratcliffe has survived close brushes
with lions
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3538439a11,00.html

Big cats on loose in Cumbria
CUMBRIA could be home to big cats including pumas, panthers and lynx
according to police records.
Police have been called out to a string of claimed wild cat sightings
in recent years – including reports of mystery monster moggies close
to Carlisle and Keswick, and even one claimed sighting of a lion.
Records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show there have
been nine reported sightings of big cats in Cumbria in the last six
years.
These include claims of a large straw-coloured
http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=318952

Killer twins worked at local zoo
EVIL twins, facing life behind bars for robbing and killing their
step-grandmother, were working at Paradise Wildlife Park in
Broxbourne just a few months before the wicked crime.
But even then, brothers Robert and Jonathan Maskell, 18, together
with their friend and accomplice Dwane Johnston, 19, showed their
utter disdain for the law by speeding off in one of the park's
company vans while they were supposed to be working.
The Maskell twins and Johnston were convicted at the Old Bailey of
the manslaughter of frail Angelica Hallwood.
Five months before committing their
http://www.herts-essex-news.co.uk/news/mercury/hoddesdon_mercury/2006/01/13/killer%20twins%20worked%20at%20local%20zoo.lpf

Group ranks zoo poor
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park has landed on a list of the
10 worst zoos for elephants, compiled by a national animal rights
group.
In Defense of Animals, based in Mill Valley, Calif., ranked the
Syracuse zoo fifth on its annual "dishonorable" list.
IDA cited the zoo's handling of the 4-day-old elephant, Kedar, who
died Aug. 4 a few hours after falling into a pool.
Sarah Fedele, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said the staff is more
concerned about the opinions of organizations that accredit zoos and
monitor animal welfare, such as the American Zoo and Aquarium
Association.
"They're entitled to their opinion," Fedele said of IDA. "We stand
behind our elephant program. Animal welfare is our top concern, and
other zoo organizations say we're doing a fine job. We don't worry
too much about this."
The U.S. Department
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/city/index.ssf?/base/news-1/113697254442750.xml&coll=1

Singapore zoo breeds first giant anteater baby
Singapore has bred a giant anteater baby, the first time that an
animal from the threatened species has been born in captivity in
Southeast Asia, zoo officials said Monday.
The baby was born on November 18 and has been riding on its mother's
back with the help of its small claws, venturing down only to suckle,
Wildlife Reserves Singapore said in a statement. Its nose is only a
few centimetres long at this stage, but will get much longer.
Wildlife Reserves is the parent company of Singapore Night Safari, a
zoo that has focused on breeding rare, endangered animals such as
giant flying squirrel, Malayan flying fox, spotted hyena and greater
mousedeer.
Chris Furley, director of zoology and veterinary services at Night
Safari and the adjacent Singapore Zoo, attributed the birth to good
husbandry techniques and said it was significant because the
creature "represents
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200601/13/eng20060113_235148.html

AQUARIUM EXHIBIT WILL 'MIX FUN AND LEARNING'
A leading marine aquarium based in the Westcountry has started the
new year in style with the arrival of the first exhibit for a new
£3.6 million science and technology centre.
The new centre at Plymouth's National Marine Aquarium is expected to
be pioneering, providing a topical look at climate change,
exploration and other issues involving the aqua world.
The centre - ExplorOcean - is expected
http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=143632&command=displayContent&sourceNode=142719&contentPK=13799811&folderPk=91672

Bringing back the quagga (Nice write up-nice pictures - Peter)
Extinction is forever - or is it? On 12 August 1883 the last living
quagga died at the Amsterdam zoo, and the world believed this unusual
type of zebra had gone the way of the dodo. But for the last 20 years
a team of South Africans have been working to bring the beast back
from the dead, with the third generation of specially bred foals now
being born.
The quagga lived in the Karoo and southern Free State, and differed
in appearance from other zebras: it was striped on the front half of
its body only and was a creamy, light brown on its upper parts and
whitish on its belly and legs.
The quagga was long thought to be a fourth species of zebra, and
given a unique taxonomic name: Equus quagga. The other - still
living - species are southern Africa's plains zebra (Equus burchelli)
and mountain zebra (Equus zebra) and the East African Grevy's zebra
(Equus grevyi). If the quagga was a separate species, then its
disappearance was an extinction: the animal was gone for ever.
But in the middle of the 20th century, some experts began to wonder
if the quagga was perhaps a subspecies or local type of the plains
zebra. If that were the case, then its genes were still around. With
the right breeding programme it might be possible to bring back the
quagga.
Aggressively hunted
The indigenous Khoi people of the Cape named the quagga - with the
double "g" pronounced as a guttural "ch", as in the Scottish
word "loch" - for its bark-like call, similar to that of the plains
zebra.
Like other members of the horse family, the animals fed on a variety
of wild grasses. With sparse grasslands in the Karoo and southern
Free State, food was probably in short
http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/fauna_flora/quagga.htm

Zoo's special delivery
SOME brown toads are more important than other brown toads, so
experts say.
And the six baby Puerto Rican Crested Toads that emerged from their
breeding tank at Chester Zoo on New Year's Day are about as special
as brown toads get.
As their name suggests, these toads occur only on the island of
Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, where they are now critically
endangered in the wild. It is now believed that there are less than
250 wild crested toads left
http://www.standardnow.co.uk/ihome3/detail.asp?
storyid=782&catid=News&officeid=6

Scientists Narrow The Time Limits For The Human And Chimpanzee Split
A team of researchers has proposed new limits on the time when the
most recent common ancestor of humans and their closest ape
relatives -- the chimpanzees --lived. Scientists at Arizona State and
Penn State Universities have placed the time of this split between 5
and 7 million years ago -- a sharper focus than that given by the
previous collection of molecular and fossil studies, which have
placed the divergence anywhere from 3 to 13 million years
http://news.biocompare.com/newsstory.asp?id=113534

Zoo puts seal pups on road to recovery
FOUR grey seal pups are recovering at the Welsh Mountain Zoo after
being rescued off the Isle of Man.
Two of the seals were flown by private airplane to North Wales after
their discovery on the island.
The young seals were found on beaches either malnourished or bloodied
after being
http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/regionalnews/tm_objectid=16571379%26method=full%26siteid=50142%26headline=zoo%2dputs%2dseal%2dpups%2don%2droad%2dto%2drecovery-name_page.html

Mexican zoo plans to borrow giant panda from China
Mexico City's Chapultepec Zoo is trying to borrow a male giant panda
from China and breed him with three females, Fernando Gual Sill,
general director of MexicoCity's public zoos told Xinhua on Tuesday.
Chapultepec Zoo, the largest in Mexico and the only one in Latin
America to have pandas, places a high priority on the rare species,
Gual said.
Mexico has made arrangements with China through diplomatic channels
to get a male panda under the "reproductive lending" formula, he
added.
Mexico first owned pandas on Sept. 10, 1975, when
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-01/11/content_4037780.htm

Jacko sued by zoo vet
CASH-strapped Michael Jackson is being sued for unpaid bills at his
private zoo.
His vet claims the singer owes him £51,800 for treating his exotic
animals including flamingos, giraffes, elephants and orang-utans.
The beasts are housed in Jacko's Neverland Ranch — which he fled for
Bahrain shortly after he was acquitted of child molestation in June.
Since then food for the animals ran short and the
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006010268,00.html
 

9Jan2006

Wildlife expert's horror at mutilation of orang-utans by rainforest loggers WELSH wildlife expert Iolo Williams is to reveal the true horrors of the ill-treatment of orang-utans in some of the most remote jungle in the world. The broadcaster, who lives near Newtown, Powys, has just returned from a two-week visit to the island of Borneo, south-east Asia, where he took a film crew from S4C as part of a wildlife series called Illegal Nature (Natur Anghyfreithlon). Iolo visited a rescue centre near the Kalimantan Rainforest where he saw 400 orang-utans - many of them babies - that had been tortured, abused and degraded beyond belief.
He was shown:  Pictures of an orang-utan that had been shaved and physically abused; A male orang-utan that had been covered in petrol and burnt alive while a crowd of people
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid=16507382&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=wildlife-expert-s-horror-at-mutilation--of--orang-utans-by-rainforest-loggers---name_page.html

'Rogue' African elephant gets reprieve
Tembo was a killer who faced the death sentence for his "crimes".
But the six-ton bull elephant won a second chance at life after a vet approached animal trainer Rory Hensman and asked him if he could mend Tembo's wild ways.
Now tourists are taking rides on Tembo's back in the bush at Dinokeng Game Reserve 60 miles northeast of Johannesburg -- proving
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/12/28/elephant.rehab.reut/

Rhinos fitting in: Zoo moves pair into $200K home Yebonga and Zibulo, the African white rhinoceroses at the Reid Park Zoo, are adapting well to their new home, which provides a tasty new
treat: grass.
"These guys have never been on grass before. This is kind of new to them," said animal keeper Bruce Eneboe, 50. "They are really enjoying the enrichment of having grass out there, and they are mowing it like a lawn mower."
Yebonga, a 33-year-old female, and Zibulo, a 34-year
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/news/local/122905a4_rhinoWBOX

Bail after theft of zoo tortoise
A man arrested by police investigating a tortoise being stolen from a Devon zoo has been released on bail.
The Leopard tortoise was taken from Paignton Zoo sometime during the past four weeks.
Inquiries led officers to a house in the resort's Pembroke Road where, after a search, the missing tortoise was found in a dog basket.
The creature has been returned to its keepers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4565326.stm

Zoo workers keep digging in search of prairie dogs in collapsed exhibit Workers kept digging through a collapsed prairie dog exhibit at the Virginia Zoo on Wednesday in search of more rodents that may still be alive.
Zoo officials initially feared all of the prairie dogs had been killed last
http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/virginia/dp-sou--prairiedogs1228dec28,0,2699873.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia

Zoo says no more chimps after escape, killing of three others Zoo Nebraska will no longer house chimpanzees after the escape and subsequent killing of three of the primates from the small-town zoo during the fall, the zoo director said.
Ken Schlueter Jr. said the board
http://www.kctv5.com/Global/story.asp?S=4326958

Town zoo offers nursery education
Animal-loving children in Lancashire can now get closer to some of nature's biggest beasts - at nursery.
Blackpool Zoo is opening a day nursery in a former office building for up to 66 children aged three months to four-years-old.
The A-Zoo Nursery, which overlooks the elephant paddock, is thought to
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/4583266.stm

Zoo To Add Five New Positions
The Great Plains Zoo is making some major changes in 2006. As we told you last night, Zoo President Elizabeth Whealy released her budget for the upcoming year, which included pay raises for employees and money for repairs.
The City Council doesn't have to vote on the zoo's budget because
$1.6 million was already set aside for Zoo operations last summer, when it was unclear who would manage the facility.
Tuesday, the City Council extended the partnership between the City and Zoological Society to manage the Zoo as a team. And since it's asking the City for less than what was originally set aside, changes at the zoo are ready to move forward.
In 2006, the Great Plains Zoo's total operating budget will be about
$2.7 million dollars. That's close to $700,000 more than last year.
Zoo President
http://www.keloland.com/News/NewsDetail5440.cfm?Id=0,44995

Zoo to get $2M gift, two sculptures
The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens will announce a $2 million gift and unveil a pair of life-size, bronze elephant sculptures Thursday.
The $2 million gift is from Ann and Ted Baker and Florida Rock Industries and will go toward the Gardens at Trout River Plaza. Ted Baker is the chairman of Florida Rock Industries.
The sculptures, by Peter Woytuk, are 7,000 and 10,000 pounds each.
They will be delivered Thursday around noon from West Palm Beach.
Woytuk will arrive with the sculptures to supervise their placement.
They will be temporarily
http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2006/01/02/daily12.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Zoo back to being a roaring success Jan 3 2006 DUDLEY Zoo has clawed its way back to success after overcoming a number of setbacks.
The Castle Hill complex had been hit by various problems over the past five years, including the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease which led to weeks of closure.
Financial difficulties also saw a major upheaval in management.
Chief executive Peter Suddock said today 2005 had seen a major turnaround in fortunes, with changes to the animal collection, a boost in on-site shopping and increased http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/mail/news/tm_objectid=16542326%26method=full%26siteid=50002%26headline=zoo%2dback%2dto%2dbeing%2da%2droaring%2dsuccess-name_page.html

Zoo scientist leads charge
In the name of conservation, biologist Rich Reading has drawn blood from panicking and sharp-toothed wild animals, suffered rare stomach parasites and spent months away from his Denver home every year.
The Denver Zoo scientist's newest target: a type of Argali sheep found in Uzbekistan, of which only about 500 are left.
Last year, Uzbek poachers shot and killed ranger Akhmetov Omar, with whom Reading was working closely in the Nuratau Mountains nature preserve.
As a warning, the men first killed the ranger's dogs.
Reading, nevertheless, plans to head back to the former Soviet republic this spring to continue trying to make the preserve a place where the critically endangered Severtzov Argali http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_3365790

American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, 581705 White Oak Road, Yulee, FL 32097; Telephone: (904)225-3275