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27Apr2006 Sydney zoo delays Safari Park plan (good! I hope they take a look at the place first - Peter) The Taronga Zoo in Sydney may scrap plans to send kangaroos, koalas and other native Australian animals to the Chiang Mai safari park unless the park can disprove claims that more than 100 animals have died, The Australian newspaper reports this morning. Australia considers that the decision could create diplomatic tension, because the park is a hallmark for Thaksin Shinawatra's government, the newspaper said. Erna Walraven, senior curator at Taronga, told the newspaper the zoo would not be swayed. "We are not in the business of succumbing to political pressure of any kind by sending animals where their welfare may be impacted," she said. "On animal welfare, we have to http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=91191 Orangutan to go home soon Animals may return to Indonesia next week More than 50 orangutan seized from a private zoo in Bangkok two years ago will be sent back to Indonesia, probably as soon as next week, senior wildlife officials said yesterday. Schwann Tunhikorn, deputy director-general of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Department, said the animals will leave sooner than earlier expected. According to Mr Schwann, DNA tests will be carried out on the animals, believed to have been smuggled from Sumatra and Borneo, but they will not have to wait for results. The process will be complete in a week. Mr Schwann said the quick return means Thailand would not have to shoulder further the cost of animal care. Indonesian and Thai wildlife officials and experts met on Friday to discuss the return of the animals, which were rescued when police raided Safari World in Bangkok in 2004. They are being cared http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/23Apr2006_news05.php Monkeys Apply For Citizenship In Zoo Advertisement The San Diego Zoo has pulled a controversial ad off the air. The ad depicts a monkey applying for U.S. residency, and comes as the debate over immigration rights is heating up. But the zoo's director of marketing said the campaign has been in effect for over a year. The concept behind it is fairly simple. The new Monkey Trails exhibit is so nice that monkeys around the world are doing whatever they can to get there. Several people visiting the zoo agreed that the timing is poor. "I don't think they should have used that application for American residency," said one http://www.kfmb.com/stories/story.47429.html Police Hunt for Chimps After Fatal Attack Police hunted Monday for chimpanzees that escaped from a Sierra Leone preserve and mauled a group of American and local sightseers, killing one man and injuring four people. The Sierra Leonean driver died as the chimps ripped his body apart, and three Americans were treated at a hospital http://www.leadingthecharge.com/stories/news-00180618.html Zoo's success GROUP visits to Chester Zoo are at an all-time high, with bookings up 54% on last year. Groups have been taking full advantage of the benefits they get and the zoo's tourism co-ordinator, Julie Benn, has been inundated with inquiries and bookings for the summer. More than 100,000 people visit Chester Zoo each year as part of a group of 15 people Adelaide Zoo signs conservation deal with FFI Adelaide Zoo in Australia has signed a memorandum of understanding with Fauna and Flora International (FFI) to support its ongoing conservation programme. To coincide with the signing of the agreement, the Zoo is holding a public talk on Sumatran Tiger conservation on 26 April, given by FFI's Debbie Martyr. The talk is part the zoo's in situ conservation programme, called South East Asian Rainforest Program, which attempts to motivate local http://www.health-club.co.uk/newsdetail.cfm?codeID=14906 WMN ROLLS UP TO HELP ENRICH THE LIFE OF ZOO ANIMALS The Western Morning News has teamed up with scientists and keepers to help enrich the lives of animals at a Westcountry zoo. The WMN provided surplus end-of-roll paper from its presses in Plymouth for use at Paignton Zoo, South Devon. The paper was recycled at the zoo and turned into papier- m??ch?? pi?? atas for animals including meerkats and baboons. Zoo volunteers helped to make the pi??atas which were filled with food and given to the animals to play with, investigate and rip open. The zoo has won awards for its environmental enrichment work with animals. Spokesperson Phil Knowling said: "The pinatas are Orang-utan seriously injured zoo-keeper A Swedish zoo keeper was treated for serious bite wounds Sunday after being attacked by an orang-utan that escaped from its enclosure, the Aftonbladet newspaper reported. The 50-year-old female zoo keeper, who worked at Boras zoo near the Swedish city of Gothenburg, sustained arm and leg wounds in the attack. The woman was reportedly attacked after suddenly coming face-to- face with the animal as he roamed the zoo. Attendants who rushed to the scene http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=qw1145795403198B235 Preliminary DNA tests on gorillas in South Africa show they may be of Cameroonian origin. Cameroon's Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Egbe Achuo Hillman has disclosed that the first DNA tests carried out to determine the country of origin of the four gorillas currently http://www.crtv.cm/index2.php?link=actu_detail&code=1998 Race to raise £3 million for Wildlife Park A RACE against time to save lions, tigers and other exotic animals at a threatened zoo is being spearheaded by a Bolton-born entrepreneur. Danny Bamping, the brains behind the Bedlam Puzzle Company, has just one week to raise £3 million to buy and upgrade the Dartmoor Wildlife Park before it closes. If he fails, many of the older exotic animals, which are unable to be rehomed, will have to be destroyed at the Plymouth-based park. The possible closure of the park was brought about by the retirement of the zoo's owner, Ellis Daw, who opened it in 1968. A potential buyer pulled out of a deal several weeks ago and unless someone comes forward before Sunday, 77-year-old Mr Letter: Study finds zoo visitors spend little time viewing animals, even nearly extinct species Editor, Zoos tout their educational endeavors, but like the person who visits Sunset Zoological Park to "get out of the house," zoos are little more than easy distraction. Dale Marcellini, a curator at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., conducted a study of zoo visitors in which he and several colleagues watched, tracked and listened to more than 700 people over the course of a few summers. His study concluded that zoos are little more than backdrops for people's other preoccupations. The visitors' conversations dealt not with the http://www.kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=9994 Off to help A FORMER Kirkcudbright Academy pupil is embarking on a journey to magical Madagascar, to take part in a ten-week charity expedition. In order to help raise funding for her trip, 18 year-old Verity Flett will be dressing up in a lemur suit last worn at the premier of Disney's `Madagascar' and hanging out with the real thing at the lemur enclosure at the Galloway Wildlife Conservation Park, Kirkcudbright, during the Easter weekend. She will also be helping to educate Australian koalas to find way into South China Thursday Six Australian koalas will be flown by a charter plane to the Xiangjiang Safari Park in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, Thursday. Donated by the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland, Australia, the six koalas will be able to meet tourists after undergoing quarantine tests, said a spokesman with the safari park. The donation is part of the global koala protection plan agreedupon by Australia and China and the Guangzhou-based safari park has been chosen by the Australian government as a new ideal habitat of the cuddly koalas for its climatic environment, supply http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-04/23/content_4462421.htm Those interested in setting up a Dolphin Center in Phuket are invited to a Founding Committee meeting. A marine Biologist from Denmark, Judith Kongsted, together with Phuket Marine Biological Centre, Director, Wannakiat Thubthimsang, recently proposed to the Phuket Governor, to build a new dolphin park project at Cape Panwa, near the Aquarium, for research on dolphin behaviour, therapy for ill patients and swimming with dolphins for visitors. The dolphins would come from those found stranded on beaches, and willing to interact with humans. Some of the building funds may come from Denmark and donations. Judith told Andaman News she is now inviting anybody interested in this project, who would like to participate in a Founding committee meeting, to come to the Pearl Hotel on Saturday 29 April from 3-6pm. All speeches and papers will be in http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=169876 ZOO STAFF BID TO OUST PLANNERS IN ELECTIONS ZOO staff plan to hit the campaign trail during May's local elections. They aim to oust planning committee members who ordered David Gill to rip up his new car park. The 100 employees at South Lakes Wild Animal Park will work out which planning committee members are up for re-election and target those seats on May 4. Workers say if Mr Gill is forced http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=356869 Two zoo tigers now at heaven's door Two tigers suffering from trypanosomosis died at the Lahore Zoo on Wednesday and another Bengal Tiger is critically ill. Daily Times had reported on Wednesday that the tigers were in critical condition because of the epidemic blood paradise that recently hit South Asia and killed 200 animals in India. The tigers had been in the Lahore Zoo for the last 10 years. Their bodies have been sent to the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI), Lahore Zoo Director Yousaf Pal told Daily Times. Pal confirmed the tigers' death and said the brown tiger died late on Tuesday night and the white tiger died early on Wednesday morning. Daily Times had reported that the zoo lacked medical http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\04\20%5Cstory_20-4-2006_pg13_5 Los Angeles zoo elephants to get costly enclosure The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday brushed aside complaints that the money could be better spent on the homeless and approved a $39 million project with water holes and lush forest to house elephants. The 13-2 vote to build one of the biggest and most costly elephant enclosures in the nation came after months of debate about whether the animals should be kept in captivity at all. The 3.7-acre exhibit is to be constructed during the next three years at the zoo, which now has three elderly elephants and hopes to get more once the enclosure is done. Several zoos have closed their elephant exhibits because of concern over odd behavior and arthritis among animals, which have strong social instincts and roam widely in the wild. Last month the U.S. government said it would seek public comment on possible changes in laws protecting Boxing orangutans smuggled to Thailand may finally return home More than 50 orangutans which were smuggled to Thailand to perform in kickboxing matches may finally return to their home countries two years after the government seized them, an official said Tuesday. Thailand will hold talks with Malaysia and Indonesia later this week to determine where they should go, the deputy chief of Thai national parks told AFP. "During the meeting we will finally decide which country the 54 orangutans will return to," Chawann Tunhikorn said. Officials from Malaysia and Indonesia http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read.html?id=7945 Finally, some good news for animals at Byculla zoo Panel's ideas adopted. Animals get bigger enclosures, more guards MORE than two months after the death of 10 black bucks and a chausingha due to the entry of a stray dog in the antelopes' enclosure, the steps taken by the Byculla zoo authorities indicate that the animals' deaths have served as a wake-up call. ``After the February incident, we wanted to avoid a mishap at all cost,'' said Superintendent of Gardens P A http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=179621 Islamabad zoo to be relocated to Zone V The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has decided to relocate Marghazar Zoo to the Zone V of Islamabad Capital Territory. Capital Development Authority Chairman Kamran Lashari told 'The News' Monday that the current site of the zoo is not suitable for extension. He said that he has given one-week time to the concerned officials of the CDA to identify the new site in Zone V. The total cost of the project is Rs1.1 billion. The PC-1 of the mega project was discussed at a meeting presided over by CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari. "The PC-I has been submitted to the CDA Development Working Party and it is likely to be taken up for approval in the next meeting," the sources said. The CDA had engaged former http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=141724 Heat hits Chiang Mai zoo Chiang Mai zookeepers sprayed down cages and handed out ice creams and frozen meat to their animals on Tuesday as the mercury topped 40 degree Celsius in the northern capital. When the temperature hit 38C, five water trucks were quickly despatched and zookeepers rigged up temporary shade screens, drew extra water supplies and installed sprinklers in some cages housing animals particularly prone to heat stress. And today is tipped to be even hotter. Zoo public relations chief Rossukhon Juikhamwong said constant sprays were set up in the panda viewing zone and the roof of their enclosure periodically soaked with water. Zoo veterinarian Kwanreun Duangsaard said the animals were being given special foods, such as frozen tuna for the penguins, frozen meat for tigers, ice cubes for elephants and icecream for the orangutans. Everyone at the zoo was on the lookout for telltale signs of frustration among the animals, so they could be separated if need be, said Kwanreun. Meteorological Department officials had http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/25/headlines/headlines_30002492.php Snow forecast for Chiang Mai Thailand's Zoological Park Organisation gave a greenlight to construct an artificial snow building for a pair of pandas, ambassadors of friendship from China, now living at the Chiang Mai Zoo. The planned artificial snow habitat is designed to encourage the pandas to produce baby pandas. Zoo director Thanapat Pongphamorn said that the planned structure was proposed by the zoo to make a new home for Chuang Chuang and Lin Hui similar to their natural habitat in China. The 50-million-baht project will support natural mating conditions for the panda couple. It is expected to begin next year and to be completed in 2009. The new building will extend up to two rai (1 acre = 2.5 rai) from http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php+id=92419 ZOO CAR PARK - HOW THEY VOTED Councillors are at the centre of a huge planning row likely to dominate next week's local elections. They were at the planning committee meeting that turned down South Lakes Wild Animal Park's application for an asphalt car park. Councillors also agreed to legal action against zoo boss David Gill because he had already started the work without permission. Barrow Borough Council issued Mr Gill with an enforcement notice demanding the removal of the offending surface. He vowed to defy the order. And zoo staff are targeting planning committee members at the borough council election on May 4. They want the councillors blocking the car park plan to be unseated. The council kept no record of how individual councillors voted. But it said http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=359031
16apr2006 Zoo clueless about missing bear IT'S big, black and dangerous and could be roaming about the Indian capital. New Delhi zoo would like to hear urgently from anyone who spots a Himalayan bear missing since February. The story is embarrassing zoo authorities who today declined to comment officially. But one official, who asked not to be named, scoffed at explanations offered so far to the Indian media that the female bear may have tried to tunnel her way to freedom. The zoo official said the bear may have been poached or died from carelessness. An unidentified keeper told the Indian Express the bear - weighing between 90 to 110kg - had been missing since February 22. A couple of days http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,18789804-5001028,00.html Thailand's Booed Zoo Some environmentalists, and many animal rights advocates, believe zoos are inherently inhumane; others argue that if zoos use kind practices, they're valuable to society and help preserve wildlife. But in the case of the Chiang Mai Night Safari in northern Thailand, there's been widespread outrage from many observers. The "night safari" is a zoo in which animals are kept in spacious, landscaped enclosures that are thought to simulate natural habitat, while guests visit at night. But according to Chiang Mai-based Joe Cummings, the long-time author of the Lonely Planet Thailand guidebook: "It's a project that seems to be more reviled than loved," noting that at first there was "a furor over the land use" that infringes on an important watershed for locals and is near a sacred temple. Another persistent issue has been where and how the animals were obtained and if they have been procured legally, as there has been no public record. When asked if the roster of the animals' origins was available, a Night Safari spokesperson questioned the necessity for "details," adding there was "no need to clarify for the public since we already have the internal control office to check on us." This cryptic reaction isn't surprising given the zoo's recent controversies. The driving force behind the safari, Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (who is originally from Chiang Mai), went to Kenya in December to secure 175 animals—including giraffes http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3072 How Your Shopping List is Hurting These Orang-Utans EMERGING warily from the forest's cover a male orang-utan listens for danger. Believing he is safe, he leads his mate and their baby into the clearing. Suddenly all hell breaks loose. A dozen men spring from their hiding places, hurling a net over the family. The gang quickly club the male to death, rip the terrified baby from her mother's arms, then douse her in petrol and set her alight. The baby orang-utan will be sold on for a pittance as a pet. This is happening each day in Indonesia and Malaysia. And we're all unwitting accomplices, because each time we buy chocolate, margarine or toothpaste, it's likely we're driving the orangutan to extinction. In 15 years, South-East Asia's orang-utan population has halved to fewer than 60,000 and there could be none left in just 12 years. The reason is palm oil - now the world's favourite vegetable oil, used in thousands of products and consumed by a billion people a year. One in 10 products on supermarket shelves contains it. It's cheap, versatile and, with no cholesterol, very healthy. For the end consumer, at least... Britain imports 914,000 tonnes S.F. Zoo Hatches 100th Bald Eagle Chick The San Francisco Zoo has successfully hatched its 100th bald eagle chick for reintroduction into the wild. This comes 15 years after the Zoo hatched its first bald eagle. The San Francisco Zoo established the California Bald Eagle Recovery Program in 1985, the objective of which has been to assist the recovery of bald eagles in California by providing stock for reintroduction to the wild. The program is the only large-scale captive breeding program for bald eagles in the western United States and remains a major focus of the Zoo's Avian Conservation Center. Eagles at the Avian Conservation Center this year laid a total of 18 eggs, 14 of which were fertile. So far, 12 have hatched, including the most recent one on April 10. The last remaining egg is http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_103171704.html TTD to take over Tirupati zoo park Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Board of Trustees has decided to take over the maintenance of the Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park (SVZP) here and a proposal will be sent to the State Government. The TTD Board decision is expected to be a boon to SVZP, the second largest (area-wise) zoological park in Asia. TTD Chairman T Subbirami Meet to evolve zoo master plan There are only two gharials in the wild in Orissa despite hundreds of the reptile having been successfully bred at the Tikarpada sanctuary. Keeping this in mind, there is not only a need for captive breeding of endangered species, but to re-introduce them to the wild, said Dr B.C. Chaudhuri, head of department of endangered species management, Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Otherwise, the gharials may soon find a place in the list of highly endangered animals of IUCN, he feared. Chaudhuri, who is here to attend the training programme for zoo directors for evolving a master plan for zoos, said a nationally coordinated breeding plan of tigers was started two years ago , of which the Nandankanan zoo was a part. "Under this, all the zoos act like nodes and there is exchange of animals and data-sharing to conserve the endangered animals." Such programmes are also underway in certain southern zoos for conservation of Gours and in Himalayan zoos for pheasants, he added. The wildlife expert said most of the 250 zoos in India are unplanned. Some of these are royalty zoos set up by monarchs for amusement while some others were established after independence. Owing to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, areas of some zoos are also getting shrunk. And this needs to be checked. The meet will help the zoo officials evolve a master plan for renovation and http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060413/asp/jamshedpur/story_6090925.asp Beloved Zoo Gorilla Colossus Dies At 40 Years Old A beloved gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden died Tuesday morning during a medical procedure, zoo officials told 9News. Colossus, a 40 year old silverback gorilla, died at 9:30 a.m. He went into cardiac arrest while under anesthesia, zoo officials said. He was undergoing a root canal at the time for a broken canine tooth. A team of veterinarians had also planned a routine exam and cardiac evaluation during the medical http://wcpo.com/news/2006/local/04/11/colossus.html ZOO CLOSURE LEAVES ANIMALS HOMELESS A menagerie of dangerous and exotic animals face being put down after one of the Westcountry's wildlife parks announced its closure. Ellis Daw, 77, owner of Dartmoor Wildlife Park at Sparkwell, near Plymouth, has announced he is to hand his zoo licence back to South Hams District Council (SHDC) on April 23, after failing to find a buyer for the visitor attraction - 18 months after it was put on the market. The collection of tigers, ostriches, bears, monkeys, wolves and birds of prey are now in desperate need of being rehomed. Last night Mr Daw told the WMN: "My love is for the animals - but where are we going to dispose of them now?" After announcing that he was on the verge of selling up and retiring, Mr Daw had a couple of potential buyers but a final sale is still yet to be agreed. In January this year, Mr Daw said the park was on the brink of being sold after he dropped the asking price so it could remain a wildlife HOPES OF A BID FOR ZOO PARK Dartmoor Wildlife Park may be saved from closure after new bidders came forward with plans to buy the attraction. Founder Ellis Daw revealed last week that he was planning to close the site at the end of this month after failing to find a buyer for it. But since announcing the closure of the Sparkwell park Mr Daw says there has been renewed interest. Mr Daw said he was in talks with four new bidders who wanted to keep the park going. He said: "There's still hope. Since we were in the Evening Herald we've had four new people come along and say they're interested." There have been five failed attempts to sell the park in the last 18 months, costing Mr Daw £50,000. Mr Daw plans to hand back his zoo licence on April 23 if none of the new bids comes through, and will be sitting down today to see $1.8 million zoo expansion approved The elephants, birds and giraffes at the Topeka Zoo may be living in more spacious surroundings within the next few years. The Topeka City Council on Tuesday night voted 8-1 to approve a $1.8 million project to expand the Animals and Man building at the Topeka Zoo. Zoo director Mike Coker said the additional 3,500 square feet of space will be used to house elephants, birds and giraffes. Council members also heard widely varying opinions while discussing two proposed agreements between the city and the Friends of the Topeka Zoo, which is offering to mount a capital campaign to raise $2.5 million for the zoo. Council members Brett Blackburn and Lana Kennedy questioned whether the city should sever its relationship with FOTZ. But consultant Jane Mackey said she thought FOTZ was capable http://cjonline.com/stories/030806/loc_zooapprove.shtml Bindi goes global BINDI Irwin has been on camera since she entered the world; now the daughter of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is to have her own television show. Seven-year-old Bindi will perform live song and dance shows every day at Australia Zoo from today in preparation for her own television show, on Discovery Channel USA, due to premiere later this year. "She's been around her Mum and Dad filming since she was born and she's actually really keen and enthusiastic to do entertainment stuff," Steve Irwin's manager John Stainton said. "With kids you really http://entertainment.news.com.au/story/0,10221,18803773-10229,00.html Study: Weather affects lion manes A study of zoo lions across the United States suggests weather conditions are responsible for differences in manes, not just genetics. The study by Bruce Patterson of The Field Museum in Chicago indicates up to one-half of the length and density of a zoo lion`s mane can be attributed to temperature. Other factors include nutrition, social differences, individual history and genetics. 'Many variables interact to affect mane development in wild lions,' said Patterson, the museum`s curator of mammals and lead author of the research. 'Several of these variables, including http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1154942.php/Study_Weather_affects_lion_manes Endangered species thrive at Topeka Zoo Cute and cuddly, the Bornean Orangutans at the Topeka Zoo are quite the site to see, especially with a new baby, one- year-old Rayma. "An Orangutan is a large red ape. They are Great Apes. They are found in South East Asia. You have some found on the Island of Borneo and the Island of Sumatra," said Director of the Topeka Zoo Mike Coker. The Topeka Zoo has had orangutans since the early 1970s and now have five of the majestic animals. Along with the baby and her mom, Rudy, there's Lena, Daisy and Mawas. Coker says the orangutans are endangered, so it's important to learn more about them. He says orangutans are http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2006/apr/07/endangered_species_thrive_topeka_zoo/ London Zoo: Did we leave anyone in the tiger's den? London Zoo is raising money with a new scheme allowing members of the public to care for wild beasts, as keepers for a day. But it's not easy to keep on the right side of a penguin or a big cat, finds Peter Conchie At the end of the working day, depending how you earn a living, you might expect to be in a greater or lesser state of dishevelment. You may have a crumpled shirt or scuffed shoes. You may be a bit sweaty, but there's nothing a hot shower wouldn't remedy. One day last week I arrived home with straw in my hair and a vivid bruise on my calf where I'd been pecked by a penguin. But most alarmingly, I smelt of tigers. I'd just spent the day at London Zoo, where five of us had taken part in a dry run for the forthcoming Keeper For a Day scheme. Our guide, mentor and protector was the enthusiastic and energetically Amazonian Jane Harvey, one of London Zoo's senior keepers. Our first stop was the giraffe enclosure where Dawn and Crackers seemed pleased to see us. Our duties came at either end of the digestive process and involved sweeping the giraffes' enclosure and feeding them breakfast. Only close up do you appreciate quite what extraordinary creatures giraffes are. Their tongues are deep, dark blue, to protect them from sunburn, and their coats are a beautiful yellow and brown patchwork of squares and hexagons. Most peculiar of all, given their size, their droppings are relatively tiny, the size of http://travel.independent.co.uk/uk/article356774.ece Pigeon crash Topeka Zoo director Mike Coker said a Victorian crowned pigeon flew into an acrylic panel that was more than 30 years old in the dome of the zoo's Tropical Rain Forest Monday, breaking the panel and enabling the pigeon to escape before being caught soon afterward. The collision occurred during a round-up of birds in the building. The pigeon was examined and placed in a holding area while members of the Topeka Fire Department's technical http://cjonline.com/stories/032806/loc_zoo.shtml Giraffe euthanized because of leg woes Desha, a 7-month-old female giraffe at the Topeka Zoo that had suffered since birth from painful leg problems, was euthanized Monday after zoo staff concluded that was the most humane thing to do, said zoo director Mike Coker. Desha was born Sept. 4 at the zoo as the third offspring of 21-year- old Dolly and 15-year-old Jesse. She became the 18th reticulated giraffe born at the zoo since 1970. Reticulated giraffes are found in Africa, ranging from northeastern parts of Kenya and eastern Sudan. Coker said Desha was born with congenital http://cjonline.com/stories/041106/loc_giraffe.shtml Teenage death inspires dangerous animal legislation Last August, a Kansas teenager was having her senior pictures taken. In one of the photos, she decided to pose with a full grown tiger. The tiger had spent most of its life around humans and had never attacked anyone before. But this time it did attack, killing 17-year- old Haley Hilderbrand. Her parents and grandparents came to the statehouse to watch lawmakers debate the bill they believe could have saved Haley's life. "We just don't want this to happen with any other child or adult in the state or any place. So that's http://www.49abcnews.com/news/2006/mar/29/teenage_death_inspires_dangerous_animal_legislatio/ Zoo ordered to rip up car park ZOO boss David Gill is being told to rip up the car park he built without planning permission. Town hall chiefs are threatening Mr Gill with prosecution because he pressed ahead with unauthorised surfacing work at South Lakes Wild Animal Park in Dalton. Barrow Borough Council planning bosses turned down proposals for an asphalted car park at the popular tourist attraction last month. They said it would spoil the countryside. After the rejection zoo staff said they feared for their future. http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=354551 Dusit Zoo puts red pandas on parade Bangkok's Dusit Zoo will today receive the country's first pair of red pandas from South Africa and they will be kept in a display space worth Bt2 million, the deputy director of the Zoology Park Organisation Thanong Natheepithak said yesterday. The pandas, given to Dusit Zoo from Pretoria Zoo as a token of Thai- South Africa bilateral relations, will arrive early today, Thanong said. The red panda is classified as a member of the racoon family. They are known to be shy and solitary as well as excellent climbers. They have http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/04/13/national/national_30001617.php Bristol Zoo Protest Bristol Animal Rights Coaltion writes: A campaign has been launched to oppose Bristol Zoo's plans for expansion in their creation of a 'wildlife park' near Cribs Causeway, as well as to raise awareness thatanimals are not ours to use for entertainment. 15 year-old Lloyd Graham from South Gloucestershire, has helped launch the campaign with the Western Animal Rights Network. Lloyd, having already started his own animal rights group - SGAR (South Gloucestershire Animal Rights), is working with activists in Bristol to stop the new attraction from being built. Lloyd says, "Animals are not ours for entertainment in any way. The park portrays itself as an 'eco-zoo' as a centre for endangered species and for http://www.bristol.indymedia.org/newswire.php?story_id=24857 Delhi zoo: It's a jungle out there What's ailing Delhi zoo? Close on the heels of a female Himalayan black bear 'disappearing' from its enclosure and a dead sambar deer being reportedly left to rot in the open, a female hippo is on the verge of death allegedly due to negligence on the part of zoo authorities. The hippo got severely injured after a fight with its fellow inmates some time back. According to a zoo-keeper who did not want to be named, the authorities were well aware of the fact that this particular hippo was prone to attack by the others, owing to its unfriendly nature. "But they did not bother to take any precautions. Instead of separating the animals now, they should http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1486721.cms $39M Elephant Exhibit To Be Built At L.A. Zoo A 3.7-acre, $39 million elephant exhibit is one step closer to being built at the Greater Los Angeles Zoo, under a plan approved Monday by two City Council committees. Dozens of people spoke both for and against the proposed exhibit during a joint meeting of the council's Budget and Finance and Arts, Parks, Health and Aging committees. The full City Council is scheduled to consider the matter on April 19. "I'm going to push for this (3.7) acres to be even bigger," according to Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose 4th District includes the zoo. "I want to do this for the children of Los Angeles who visit our zoo, and all the people who come to study http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_100194450.html 2 Council Panels Back Plans for New L.A. Zoo Elephant Exhibit The nearly $39-million facility would be built on 31/2 acres. But critics say it's not enough space. The Los Angeles Zoo is one step closer to building a $38.7-million elephant exhibit that would take up more than 3 acres and could stir up more controversy. At a joint meeting of two City Council committees Monday, members voted to recommend that the project be approved by the full council this month; that vote is scheduled for April 19. The new exhibit would give the L.A. Zoo's three elephants one of the larger pachyderm spreads in a North American zoo. But that's far from large enough, according to a dozen animal-rights activists who spoke Monday before council members at the joint meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee. "This plan is destined Interim director of Zoo Montana steps down ZooMontana will operate into the foreseeable future without a director and with management duties handled by two longtime employees, a zoo official said Monday. Karen Fagg, vice chairwoman of the zoo's board of directors, said the board will not replace Art Westwood, who resigned as the zoo's interim director at the end of March. "It didn't come as a surprise," Fagg said of Westwood's departure. "He has a business in town. He found he was spending more time away from his business than at his business." Westwood, who owns the Rimview Inn, could not be reached for comment. He served as interim director beginning in December, when former director Mike Carter left to accept a job in Arizona. ZooMontana's living collections supervisor, Clark Bosch, and operations http://www.helenair.com/articles/2006/04/11/montana/a50041106_01.txt Tiger that killed woman was 100 lbs. underweight The big cat's attack was brutal; a Humane Society investigator said hunger triggers "survival of the fittest." Preliminary results from an examination of the tiger that attacked and killed Cynthia Gamble at her Pine County animal farm last week showed it was about 100 pounds under its normal weight, a Sheriff's Office investigator said Monday. Gamble died Thursday afternoon when a 10-year-old male tiger named Tango attacked her in its cage about 16 miles east of Sandstone. An autopsy by the Ramsey County medical examiner's office showed that Gamble died of crushing injuries to her throat and significant blood loss, said Chief Deputy Steve Ovick. The 400-pound tiger bit off her right foot and portions http://www.startribune.com/462/story/363434.html Orang-utans set to go home The final fate of 54 orang-utans that were illegally smuggled into Thailand nearly two years ago will be decided at a meeting of Thai, Indonesian and Malaysian wildlife officials this month. The two-day talks, which begin on April 21 in Bangkok, are expected to produce a comprehensive agreement that will pave the way for the primates to be returned to either Indonesia or Malaysia, once http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,25689-2127923,00.html Pakistan wildlife surveys Indus Blind dolphin Pakistan's wildlife authorities and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are combing the country's Indus River to assess the population, behavioral changes and other relevant data for one of the most 'docile, rare and shy' mammals, the Indus Blind Dolphin. At the time of the first survey in 2001, the dolphins, which are endemic to Pakistan and already listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a 'most threatened' species, had a population of only 1,100. These dolphins do not have a crystalline eye lens and so are blind. They navigate underwater entirely by a sophisticated 'echo-location system.' This blindness is one of the reasons Bird flu testing for swan found in field A DEAD swan found in a Northamptonshire field is undergoing tests at a laboratory in the wake of the deadly H5N1 bird flu discovery in Scotland. The decomposing bird was found last Thursday, the same day that it was confirmed that a swan found dead in Fife had the lethal strain of the disease. The bird was discovered by farmer Vacey Pocklington in a wheat field near Yardley Hastings. He contacted the Department of Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) who immediately came out and collected the bird for tests at its Surrey laboratory, where all checks on dead birds are being carried out. He said: "Because of the bird flu scare I decided it would be the best idea to contact DEFRA and they came out and took it away. "It looked like it had been dead for a few days but as it was a swan I thought I should do something about it. "Somebody from DEFRA came out, put http://www.northamptontoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=255&ArticleID=1435542
8Apr2006 Wolf kills young boy at zoo in Russia A wolf killed an eight-year-old boy in an attack at a zoo in eastern Russia, the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. A preliminary investigation showed two boys had approached the wolf enclosure in the zoo in the city of Nakhodka. One of the boys stretched out his hand to stroke the animals, a local police spokesman was quoted as saying. One wolf bit the boy, and another seized hold of his leg. Although the child broke free, he was http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=178394198&p=y783949x4 City councilors accused Taipei Zoo of maltreating chimpanzee Taipei city councilors yesterday lashed out at the Taipei Zoo for maltreating a male chimpanzee by jailing him for nine years. Councilors Lee Chien-chang and Hsu Chia-ching of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) launched the criticism during a fact-finding tour of the Taipei Zoo yesterday morning. They said there are now five male chimpanzees in small cages, and they cannot play and act freely like female chimpanzees. One of them, nicknamed "Little Chiang," has been caged for nine years, the longest period among the five. When visiting "Little Chiang," the two councilors found that the 24- year-old male chimpanzee helplessly repeating the practice of eating and vomiting http://www.chinapost.com.tw/i_latestdetail.asp?id=37166 Zoo experts coming to City for helping directors master plans Zoo experts from across the globe are converging in the City on April 11 to train zoo directors of India the art of devising master plans. State's very own Nandankanan Zoo would be highlighted as a success story during the programme. Nandankanan Zoological Park which has devised and is implementing its master plan will host the programme. Directors of 35 large and medium zoos of India would take part in the programme. Top officials of Central Zoo Authority and Ministry of Environment and Forests would also participate. Renowned zoo master planners like John Coe of Australia and Bernard Harrison, who heade http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEQ20060408023942&Page=Q&Title=ORISSA&Topic=0 Tiger carcass burnt without supervision of top zoo officials The city zoo has violated a directive of the Central Zoo Authority relating to disposal of carcasses in the case of a tiger, which died on March 26. As per a letter, 24-2/95-CZA, from the authority, dated January 24, 1996, carcasses of leopards, lions and tigers must be disposed of by burning in the presence of zoo directors. "Special care has to be taken in respect of carcasses of leopards, lions and tigers. These should be disposed of by burning in the presence of zoo directors themselves, so that the possibilities of skeleton/trophies being smuggled into illegal trade can totally be ruled out. Skinning of animals and processing their skins for making trophies leads not only in wastage of government money but also involves the risk of some of these trophies being smuggled into clandestine trade ... " the letter reads. However, zoo director P.N. Unnikrishnan was not present when the tiger carcass was burnt on the evening of March 26 after a post- mortem. The explanation of zoo http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/04/stories/2006040421140300.htm Mass vaccination plan for Edinburgh Zoo PENGUINS and other rare birds at Edinburgh Zoo could be given flu jabs to protect them from the bird flu outbreak, staff confirmed yesterday. Strict biosecurity measures have already been put in place to protect the zoo's collection of 300 birds, which include species which are otherwise extinct in the wild. More than 150 penguins, rare Socorro doves and cassowary or Himalayan monal are some of the species closely monitored by vets as part of the zoo's contingency plans. Iain Valentine, of http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=531942006 Zoo rabbit cruelty man sentenced A 20-year-old man who took a zoo's rabbit and threw it to an alligator has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence. Damien French took the rabbit from a petting section of the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay, north Wales, then dropped it into the alligator pool. The rabbit was savaged by Albert - a large male alligator. French from Colwyn Bay, was found guilty of animal cruelty at Llandudno Magistrates' Court last month. The prosecution http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/4879636.stm Zoo association dismisses PETA call for end to breeding at zoos Animals orphaned by the closure of the Quebec City zoo could still find homes elsewhere in Canada even if zoos continue regular acquisitions and animal breeding, the association representing Canadian zoos said Tuesday. The association was responding to calls from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which said stopping breeding and acquisitions would allow the association to send some 750 birds and animals from the Quebec City zoo to similar facilities elsewhere in the country. Bill Peters, national director of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said the other 23 Canadian zoos could probably take the birds and animals in a worse-case scenario. "But we're a long way from that at this point,'' Peters said in an interview Joburg zoo gorilla dies Max the gorilla's mate Lisa has died, the Johannesburg Zoo announced on Wednesday. "We regret to announce that she passed away today (Wednesday) while under anaesthetic at 3.30pm," the zoo said in a statement. Lisa had been undergoing surgery to examine a lump next to her breast. The zoo said surgery http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=14&art_id=qw1144249921521B212 Charest, former minister threaten slander suit over zoo comments Quebec Premier Jean Charest and a former minister threatened to sue a Parti Quebecois member Tuesday for defamation over comments about the closing of the Quebec City zoo. Charest and Marc-Yvan Cote wrote to Agnes Maltais on Tuesday asking her to retract her comments last week in which she charged the government held discussions with Groupe Roche through Cote to sell the zoo property. "Sullying reputations is not a political game,'' Charest said in the legislature. PQ member Stephane Bedard responded that the Liberal's were simply trying to ``intimidate'' Maltais. In his letter to Maltais, Cote's lawyer never intervened in any way to close the zoo. "To the contrary, he always promoted the revival of this institution,'' wrote Eric Blouin. Cote denied on Tuesday that he ever met Charest or regional minister Micke Grove Zoo suffers setback The San Joaquin County-run Micke Grove Zoo has been denied reaccreditation, a move that could ban its keeping endangered species and limit the amount of federal money it receives. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums denied the county's request at a conference in Jacksonville, Fla., in March. "I don't think it was shocking," zoo Director Ken Inland said. "It was disappointing but it's an opportunity for us to take stock at the actions of the accreditation commission and keep working on our improvements." The zoo is building http://www.tracypress.com/local/2006-04-05-Zoo.php
2Apr2006 Quebec zoo closes as governments pass the buck One of Canada's oldest zoos closed Friday, throwing the fate of nearly 800 rare and exotic animals up in the air. "We've been bounced around like a political ball for 10 years, and more recently the past three months," said Robert Patenaude, veterinarian at the Jardin zoologique du Québec. "We're victims of this whole political game." But Patenaude and his staff vowed to keep the animals alive, one way http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=cbc/canada_home&articleID=2215840 Taiwan Rejects Offer of Pandas Taiwan on Friday declined to accept a goodwill gift of two giant pandas from the mainland, a decision that has met with criticism from across the Taiwan Straits. One mainland expert on Taiwan described the decision as "an unwise and short-sighted move" that will only increase Taiwan people's dissatisfaction with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The island's "council of agriculture" announced late on Friday that Taiwan was unable to accept the animals because they would not receive proper care in http://china.org.cn/english/2006/Apr/164220.htm Yoga classes for zoo keepers to stay alert DELHI Zoo is turning to yoga to improve the alertness of its animal keepers following the death of two jaguar cubs which drank cleaning fluid that had been left behind in their cage. Meanwhile, a committee of the Central Zoo Authority is reviewing procedures at the zoo and will submit its report next week. Zoo director D N Singh says hour-long yoga classes will be held for keepers from next week onwards. The classes, to be held two or three times a week, will be held in the afternoons before keepers step out for their second round of checks. The zoo director feels the classes are needed because "if you are going to do the same thing day after day, mistakes will take place". The classes, he says, are being held because "we... want to do something more to make our men alert". Singh adds: "In this way we will revitalise http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=176016 A taste of city life for the world's rarest cat LONG considered the most endangered feline species in the world, the Iberian lynx is rarely seen outside zoos. But Spanish scientists believe that this elusive creature may be prowling the hills near Madrid. DNA samples taken from faeces found in a nature park on the fringes of the Spanish capital prove, they assert, that the Iberian lynx is alive and well. If true, the discovery would do much to calm fears that the Iberian lynx will become the next dodo, the flightless bird that became extinct in the 17th century. At present the animal's distinctive brown and yellow striped coats are only occasionally glimpsed on mountains in the Guadalquivir http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2109968,00.html Chaffee Zoo Accreditation DelayedMarch 31, 2006 - It was a very disappointing decision Friday for Fresno's Chaffee Zoo. The zoo has been told it will not get its stamp of approval from the American Zoo Association renewed, at least not now. At a meeting in Florida with zoo board members, the AZA decided to wait another year before voting to accredit the Fresno zoo. Inspectors from the AZA visited the zoo last month. They delayed the accreditation because of concerns about the organization http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=local&id=4043870 Gorilla born in Swedish zoo A zoo in Sweden said on Saturday that it had become the first in Scandinavia to succcessfully deliver a baby gorilla. "Both mother and baby are doing well," Magnus Nilsson, spokesman for the Kolmården Animal Park in Norrköping, told AFP. The public should be allowed to see the baby, born early Saturday, when the zoo opens for the summer on May 6th, Nilsson added. It was too early to determine the baby's gender. Between five and 10 gorillas http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=3446&date=20060401 FRUSTRATED: Zoo boss David Gill ZOO staff fear for their jobs after town hall chiefs rejected plans for a safer car park. Barrow Borough Council's planning committee last week turned down proposals for an asphalt car park at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, in Dalton. Staff fear the rejection will reduce visitor capacity and believe their jobs could be threatened as a result. A online petition to gauge the strength of public opinion has already attracted more than 260 hits on the zoo's official website. The panel of councillors rejected proposals on the grounds they were more ambitious than previous plans for the car park, which the planning committee refused earlier this year on the basis it would spoil the landscape. They also agreed to legal action last week after officials claimed work was carried out without http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=349855 Elephants saved by food donation A pair of elephants that were once part of the private zoo of Yugoslavia's former dictator, Tito, have been saved by a food donation from Croatia's top tennis player, Ivan Ljubicic, who made his offer after the national park revealed it might not have the means to feed the voracious elephants to the end of the year. The pachyderms, Sonia and Lanka, are the zoo's biggest financial burden because http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=284&fArticleId=3180566 Judge Throws Out Lawsuit Filed by Former Salisbury Zoo Employee A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against the City of Salisbury and its zoo director. Jennifer Albero filed a lawsuit in August 2003, claiming that Zoo Director Jim Rapp sexually harassed her while she was working as a senior zookeeper. The suit also alleged that Rapp presided over a hostile work environment; and that her supervisors retaliated when Albero filed harassment claims. But on Wednesday, Chief Judge Benson http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=4702279&nav=MXEF Zoo buying hippo, rhino and ostrich The Lahore Zoo is buying a pair of giraffes, a hippopotamus, an African white rhino, an ostrich and monkeys, said Lahore Zoo Director Muhammad Yousaf Pal on Saturday. Yousaf said the wild animals would be bought through open tenders in a transparent manner according to government procedure. He said some rare species of birds would be arranged for under the mutual exchange programme for zoos. The zoo would be upgraded in accordance with international standards at a cost of Rs 200 million to offer visitors various facilities, the director said, adding that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had laid the foundation stone of the http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\04\02\story_2-4 Scores of animals die in Md. zoo fire Scores of exotic reptiles, birds and monkeys perished Wednesday morning in a fire at a privately owned zoo. About 75 firefighters spent four hours battling the blaze and carrying squirming creatures from the building where the fire broke out at the Tri-State Zoological Park near Cumberland. You can imagine the chaos," said Deputy Chief State Fire Marshal Allen Gosnell. The fire's cause hadn't been determined. Zoo owner Robert Candy said 70 to 100 animals died and the fire heavily damaged http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_BRF_Zoo_Fire.html Huge sigh of relief as S.F. Zoo is accredited Anxious San Francisco Zoo officials learned Wednesday afternoon that they won't turn into lone wolves or be banished from the herd -- the powerful American Zoo and Aquarium Association has given the facility its accreditation blessing once again after keeping it in limbo for the past year. "We are a fully accredited zoo," said an overjoyed Manuel Mollinedo, the zoo's executive director, shortly after hearing the news. "I don't have to go through this process again for another five years." In a phone interview from Jacksonville, Fla., where the AZA is holding a regional conference, Mollinedo described accreditation as "extremely important and extremely significant." It opens many doors, such http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/29/MNGSUI002J34.DTL Zoo Atlanta Artificially Inseminates Panda Again For the third breeding season in a row, the pandas at Zoo Atlanta failed to mate naturally, so the staff artificially inseminated Lun Lun last night and again today. Zoo officials are hoping that the semen taken from Yang Yang will lead to a cub produced by the two eight-year-old pandas. The zoo won't know until later this summer if Lun Lun is pregnant. The procedure was performed by specialists from the San Diego Zoo, the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine, along with staff at Zoo Atlanta. The new panda cub at the National Zoo in Washington http://www.wsbtv.com/news/8365548/detail.html I SAW BIG CAT ROAMING FREE - ZOO EXPERT BREAKS SILENCE A Local zoo manager has broken a 15-year silence to admit that he has seen a black leopard roaming free in the area. Robin Roberts (60), who has worked with black cats for more than 40 years this week told the Herald how he and former colleague, the late John Foden, saw the creature in a local village. He said: "This farmer phoned us to see if we had lost one of our panthers. We checked and we hadn't, so went up to this farm. The farmer told us that the panther had walked through his yard and into the woods beyond. We went out and we saw a black leopard, it was definitely living there in the woods. "We said nothing at the time Zoo's closing has Quebec City growling Quebeckers are furious Conservatives aren't acting on election pledges to save a key educational and economic attraction Canada's oldest public zoo is set to close tomorrow, the result of broken political promises that will leave Quebec City without one of its prime educational and economic attractions. Zookeepers say they have not been told how long their services will be needed and there is no plan from the provincial government, which owns the money-losing park, on what to do with its nearly 800 animals. "We are all in a holding pattern," said the zoo's veterinarian, Robert Patenaude. "The zoo's closure has become such a hot political issue, no one http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060330.wxzoo30/EmailBNStory/National/home I am Mr Lonely... Lonesome and sans companion, residents of the Hyderabad zoo have been hit hard as exchange programmes designed to find them mates have fallen through. A multi-coloured macaw, Sun Conure, is not as happy as the colours of his plumes. "He is an unhappy bird without a mate,"says Rajan Kumar, the keeper of bird enclosures in the Nehru Zoological Park. His friend was to come all the way from Prague, Czech Republic, last month but as V Kishen, director, Nehru Zoological Park, explains, "It took months http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1464899.cms New name for wildlife park Lions, giraffes, zebras and a group of Zulu warriors are not exactly what you would expect to find in a quiet north Suffolk village. And for the last 15-years management at the African-themed Suffolk Wildlife Park have fought a marketing battle to convince visitors that their zoo at Kessingland, near Lowestoft, contained more than, well, Suffolk wildlife. But today, after more than a decade of scratching their heads searching for a name that captured the essence of the 100-acre park, zoo director Martin Goymour officially renamed it Africa Alive. It is hoped the new name will kick-start start a new era in the park's history, as well as attracting more visitors. Mr Goymour said: "We offer an African experience and Suffolk Wildlife Park didn't really fit the bill. Primate Center offers inhabitants for research There is no monkey business about the Schmutzer Primate Center at Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta as it welcomes students and researchers to use their primate collections as objects of study, free of charge. The center's education and communications manager, Kuswandono, said Saturday that those who were interested in studying the behavior or other aspects of primates could just send a letter with their study proposal to the center. At least 200 primates of many types were available to study, Kuswandono said. "They are great apes, gibbons, long gray-tailed monkeys and macaques," he said on the sidelines of a public lecture at the center. "It's all free of charge. What we want is the researchers to respect our primates and treat them well," he said, adding there were limits to what kind of research could be done with the center's primates. The primate center was built on 13 hectares inside Ragunan Zoo and was named after its beneficiary, the late Pauline "Puck" Schmutzer from Germany. Since it was opened http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailcity.asp?fileid=20060327.G01&irec=0 Jaguar cubs die after drinking disinfectant Two hand-reared cubs, part of big cat programme, tipped over bottle their keeper forgot to remove. TWO hand-reared jaguar cubs died yesterday in Delhi Zoo, after consuming a large quantity of disinfectant that had been used to clean their cage. Top zoo officials, who confirmed the deaths, told Newsline that the four-month-old cubs died after drinking disinfectant from a bottle their keeper Ram Lal ``forgot to remove'', after cleaning their cage minutes before. The cubs tipped over the bottle before consuming the disinfectant, the http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=175179 Malaysia to Send Expedition Into Rainforests to Find Bigfoot Malaysia's Johor state government is mounting a scientific expedition next month to track down a gap-toothed Bigfoot, or ape man, in the 248 million-year-old rainforests near Singapore. The hunt was sparked by reports last year of three strange creatures spotted walking beside a river by workers in Johor, which revived tales of Bigfoot sightings in the jungle among the indigenous people who live in the forests. Discussions on the Internet including the Web site of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization fueled the hype. ``Myths do not leave footprints,'' said Vincent Chow, a member of the Malaysian Nature Society, who has measured and photographed large footprints at the sites of reported Bigfoot encounters in Malaysia. Tales of Bigfoot from the Sasquatch in the U.S. to the Himalayan Yeti haven't yielded concrete proof of the creature's existence. In http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000080&sid=aQK7tFR8AHoI&refer=asia Attack of the `toman' Prized birds at Zoo Negara have been falling prey to an unlikely predator in its lake – the ikan toman (giant snakehead fish). Zoo Negara Reptile House and Veterinary Department supervisor Jamsari Mohamad said the fish, considered the dominant species in the lake, were becoming increasingly unmanageable and were endangering the bird population in the zoo. He said the fish attacked in the morning and afternoon, with the birds sustaining injuries in the feet and neck, while http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/3/25/nation/13758602&sec=nation DENTISTS TO TREAT BEARS WITH SORE HEADS A Sussex charity that rescues dancing bears in India has today revealed it will carry out pioneering dental surgery on the animals, many of whom are suffering from excruciating toothache. Two specialist dentists have already treated some of the bears at the International Animal Rescue's (IAR) sanctuary in Agra, in the north of India, and were today preparing to return to carry out further surgery, including root canal work. Dancing bears have their teeth smashed out with hammers when they are cubs to make them easier to control and to prevent them from biting their handlers. This causes inflammation and infection of the roots and gums, but the wounds are often left to fester by the Kalandar nomads who use the bears to beg money from tourists. Dentist and IAR trustee Paul Cassar and dental vet Lisa Milella are aiming to help ease the bears' pain and also to train Indian vets at the sanctuary to enable them to treat more animals with similar problems in future. Mr Casser has carried out research http://www.communitynewswire.press.net/article.jsp?id=267713 Elephant plans 'a big mistake' ONE of the world's leading animal rights campaigners has hit out at Edinburgh Zoo's plans to bring elephants back into captivity. Will Travers, chief executive of the Born Free Foundation which he set up with his parents Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna - stars of the film Born Free - said he was appalled that the zoo's £58 million expansion vision considered reintroducing elephants. The last elephant left Edinburgh Zoo nearly 12 years ago after her companion died. Since then, the only elephant on the site has been a fibreglass model, which until recently bore a sign saying it was the only one there because the conditions for looking after elephants could "not be met" at Edinburgh Zoo. Mr Travers, 47, pictured http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=460652006 Jurong Bird Park sees a bumper crop of births There has been a bumper crop of births at the Jurong Bird Park where for the first time, two of its bird species laid a record number of eggs. The king penguins usually produce a maximum of three eggs a year. But this time Jurong Bird Park welcomed 6 eggs early in February, a rare feat for these creatures when bred in captivity. The park has bred 100 king penguins since the Penguin Parade started in 1990. Another species that took the park by surprise were http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060326/5/singapore199876.html Australia's threatened species Even though many species in Australia have become extinct since European settlement, there are also success stories such as the recent propagation of the Wollemi pine. http://www.science.org.au/nova/010/010key.htm Monkeys may visualise in response to calls Monkeys may visualise a predator or food in response to calls from other monkeys, US researchers say. Alex Martin and colleagues at the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland, US, played coos and screams recorded in the wild to captive rhesus monkeys - held stationary - and used a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner to monitor their brain activity. The calls elicited increased activity in areas of the brain associated with vision, visual memory and movement in humans - the posterior visual-processing regions and the middle temporal and medial superior temporal areas. Screams also activated parts of the brain which in humans are linked to emotion. Although it is not certain this http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6760 Detection kit battles trade in bear parts Customs officers will soon be armed with bear detection kits in a bid to halt the burgeoning illegal trade in bear parts such as gall bladders and bear bile. The kit, being developed by the London-based World Society for the Protection of Animals, can detect products containing bear derivatives within minutes. Despite being prohibited by the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), bear bile and gall bladders are popular ingredients in traditional medicines. They are used to treat ailments ranging from arthritis to liver disease. Gall bladders can fetch up to 18 times their weight in gold, says Eric Chivian, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard, US. Because of this, bear poaching and farming are rife in parts of south-east Asia such as China, Vietnam and Korea. In China, as many as 9000 bears are farmed http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6739
26Mar2006 Quebec zoo set to close March 31 after deal to save institution fails The Quebec City zoo is set to close its doors March 31 after the province said it will no longer help save the financially strapped institution. Michel Despres, minister responsible for the provincial capital, had presented a plan to Quebec Mayor Andree Boucher that required financial assistance from regional businesses and the federal and municipal governments. But municipalities in the Quebec Metropolitan Community declined to participate. "The Quebec government until now has been the only one to finance this project," Despres said Tuesday, adding the province had been seeking partners to defray costs. "There won't be a rescue. The file is closed." Boucher said she believed saving the zoo http://www.cp.org/english/online/full/family/060321/U032136AU.html JACKO JUMBO SALE Skint sells Neverland zoo animal MICHAEL Jackson is selling off the zoo animals from his Neverland Ranch. The troubled singer is desperately trying to raise funds by letting his menagerie of exotic beasts go at bargain-basement prices. Jackson has been frantically phoning round Hollywood trying to offload his collection of elephants, tigers, orangutans and giraffes. He's so skint that he's willing to sell the expensive creatures for as little as a quarter of their true value. A source close to the King http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16861536%26method=full% Tails of the unexpected . . . (more hogwash - Peter's note) THE phenomenon of the big cat thriving in the wilds of the UK has been making headlines for the past 40 years. The first conference on big cats, taking place in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, this weekend will give enthusiasts the chance to share footage and theories - and Mid-Anglia's very own Fen Tiger is very much on the agenda. The conference comes as a newly released police report reveals a lynx was shot by a gamekeeper in 1991 near Norwich, after it started chasing his gun dog. Officers found the lynx stuffed in a freezer during a raid. It must have escaped illegal ownership of a zoo, they concluded. Some people believe big cats roaming http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/newmarket/2006/03/25/a8b8f017-8a65-435a-ad9e-6825c5fd4e86.lpf Beasts on the prowl (and yet more hogwash - Peter's note) THEY have become known as the Shrews-bury Panther, the Beast of Burford and the Tamworth Tiger. A startling 365 big cats have been spotted in fields, forests and even disused railway lines across the Midlands in the last 15 months. Experts believe the prowling animals could be pumas, panthers or even lynxes - freed by their owners when it became illegal to keep them in the 1970s. And Danny Bamping, founder of the British Big Cat Society, says the Midlands is the country's Yangtse dolphin becomes a victim of China's success A team of scientists is to scan 1,000 miles of China's Yangtse River to see if its unique species of dolphin is the first member of the family of porpoises, dolphins and whales to have become extinct. Using binoculars and underwater microphones, experts from Britain, the United States and China will spend eight weeks this autumn surveying the newly industrialised habitat of the white river dolphin. A pilot project that began a week ago has failed to find one, leading to fears that the dolphin, or baiji as it is known in Chinese, has succumbed to the country's rapid economic growth. f a few are found, there are plans to move them to a nature reserve in the middle stretches of the river. This is the first full survey for nearly 10 years," the British project manager, Leigh Barrett, said. "We don't know if we will find any baiji, or even if it is safe to move them, but we are hoping that Chimpanzee dies of heart attack, not suffocation Tests show a chimpanzee that died after being taken from Ohio State University to Texas suffered a heart attack. Officials originally believed the 250-plus-pound chimp, named Kermit, suffocated when his head fell forward after he was tranquilized on March second. He was sedated while being moved from a traveling cage to living quarters at a Texas animal sanctuary. Kermit was one of nine chimpan http://www.wkrc.com/news/state/story.aspx?content_id=0BC0A0CA-C481-4AAC-93BD-0951BD323BF2 Safari park success as risk to rare deer breed averted A CENTURY ago, there were just 18 of a rare species of deer in the world, having been wiped out in a great flood or eaten during the Boxer rebellion of 1900 in China. Now Knowsley Safari Park has successfully bred so many of the Pere David's deer they are being exported to a wetland trust in Kent. The park, owned by Lord Derby, is even involved in an ambitious project to re-introduce ZOO BOSS FACES CAR PARK LEGAL BATTLE FIGHT: David Gill TOWN hall chiefs plan to take legal action after work began on a South Lakes zoo car park without planning permission. Barrow Borough Council's planning committee yesterday snubbed new proposals for a car park at South Lakes Wild Animal Park. The fresh plans were for a asphalt car park with areas of landscaping. They were more ambitious than previous proposals for the car park which were refused earlier this year, because, the committee said they would have an "unacceptable" impact on the landscape. Council officials yesterday claimed work was carried out on the car park without permission and they plan to take action. Colin Phillips, the council's development control and enforcement manager, said asphalt had not been put down but a hardcore base had been made which was "clearly ready" http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=344957 Zoo steps up wild-animal preservation Opens $1 million outreach and conservation center From endangered Rote Island snake-necked turtles to the world's last Jamaican iguanas, the Fort Worth Zoo's new Animal Outreach and Conservation Center will soon become home to some of the rarest species on the planet. Tarren Wagener, director of conservation and science at the zoo, said the new 10,000-square-foot, $1 million facility will vastly improve the zoo's services. When construction was completed March 10 the first animal resident moved in. "To have a space specifically dedicated to breeding efforts for endangered species as well as a training and exercise room is a tremendous addition to the zoo," she said. "It's stunning, for example, to think that 200 of the 300 turtle and tortoise species in the world are threatened in some way. With this facility, we will take on seven of the top 25 most endangered turtles and tortoises, breeding them so their species doesn't disappear – that's a worldwide effort that will happen locally." The indoor/outdoor outreach facility, which http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=4701 STEFANIE USES POWERS FOR ANIMAL WELFARE Hollywood star Stefanie Powers went heart to heart with animal lovers yesterday to launch a £1 million fund for endangered species. The actress - famous for TV's Hart to Hart - was at Twycross Zoo to launch a conservation programme. Zoo bosses have set up the Conservation Welfare Fund which aims to help some of the world's most endangered species. Interest on the fund will be channelled into schemes to protect habitats and rehabilitation programmes. It will also allow the zoo staff to respond to disasters at short notice. About 150 VIPs were at Twycross Zoo - recently rebranded the World Primate Centre - yesterday to hear about the fund programme. Stefanie was invited to launch Study launched to monitor dolphin's health The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department recently began a two-year study to monitor the number of Chinese white dolphins in Hong Kong and their distribution. They will take tissue samples from live dolphins to investigate the long-term impacts of environmental contaminants on the mammals' health. The department's Senior Marine Conservation Officer Joseph Sham said monitoring the Chinese white dolphin has been an important part of the conservation of marine mammals in Hong Kong. Mr Sham said the department has been studying the population and biology of this rare animal for http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/environment/060316/features/txt/060316en04001.htm A Hundred Thousand Fish, Behind a Pane 2 Feet Thick Here, in fact, the marvels are immediate and apparent. A wall in a darkened gallery reveals a Pacific coral reef curving overhead, the water's surface bubbling with waves from invisible machinery; the effect must be comparable to that in 1866 Paris, where a new aquarium's dim halls were lighted with projected sea images, creating an almost oceanic atmosphere. Here, too, there is a 100- foot-long tunnel through the 33-foot-deep ocean tank that captures the almost mystical sensations of submersion that those Parisians may also have sensed when transparent tanks were mounted over their heads. In Atlanta, too, river fish are glimpsed in an atmospheric, jungle- like path with rippling light and water — a latter-day variation on aquariums' once-standard grottos. And perhaps most dramatically, there is the sight of a small school of golden trevallies, swimming in perfect formation, inches from the grim mouth of a 17-foot whale shark. Yet to discover that those fish are trevallies, I had to search. Labels are either nonexistent or uninformative. One is often meant to browse through http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/23/arts/23aqua.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin Cairo Zoo declares war on bird flu (horrible story - Peter's note) Rhinos, ibises, peacocks sprayed with Virkon disinfectant to stop bird flu from turning zoo into animal graveyard. Masked men shrouded in white protective clothing spray rhinos, ibises and peacocks with disinfectant in a mad dash to stop the bird flu virus from turning Cairo Zoo into an animal graveyard. The paunchy men, clad in white, carry a hose that shoots out the watery Virkon disinfectant meant to save the menagerie from the lethal flu that doctors fear could be the world's next great health pandemic. Egypt is on high alert after the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus was believed to have claimed the nation's first human victim last weekend and infected three other people. Since being discovered in mid-February http://195.224.230.11/english/?id=16058 Bird flu poses fresh threat to endangered species The deadly bird flu virus may pose a fresh threat to endangered mammal species including big cats such as tigers and leopards, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) said on Wednesday. UNEP said it was especially concerned about countries like Vietnam, which is home to both a rich variety of wild species and a large poultry industry that has been hit by avian flu outbreaks. "A far wider range of species, including rare and endangered ones, may be affected by highly virulent avian flu than has previously been supposed," UNEP said in a statement. It said experts at the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) conference in Brazil said "there is growing evidence that the H5N1 virus can infect and harm big cats like leopards and tigers, small cats such as civets and other mammals like martens, weasels, badgers and otters." Since late 2003, the H5N1 strain of avian flu has killed more than 100 people and in recent weeks has spread with alarming speed into Africa, Europe and Asia. It has killed or led to the culling of some 200 million birds globally. It also has been detected in a marten, a weasel-like mammal, in Germany, and there have been reported infections in cats in Germany and a dog in Azerbaijan. In December 2003, two tigers and two leopards, fed on fresh chicken carcasses, died unexpectedly at a zoo in Thailand. Subsequent investigation identified H5N1 in tissue samples. FEEDING ON WILDLIFE? UNEP said avian flu could also pose an indirect threat to rare animals http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L22367371.htm Dyer man 'lives' with the fishes Jeff Mitchell stands over a sink, peeling shrimp that aren't destined to encircle cocktail sauce on an appetizer tray. The shrimp are the main course for animals in the tide pools at the Shedd Aquarium. The pools are saltwater recreations of aquatic life found in the Pacific Northwest, and Mitchell cares for the habitat. The Dyer resident is a senior aquarist and diver at the Shedd. More than 80 percent of his day is spent doing animal husbandry, which means he cares for the animals. Mitchell, who grew up in Griffith, always loved animals, but he didn't know he had a passion for fish until his early 20s. He was in college at the time, bouncing around in math- and science-related majors. He bought a fish tank, became intrigued and settled on a major in biology. Mitchell, 35, has worked at the Shedd for 11 years. His responsibilities include checking the animals, doing water changes, feeding the animals and maintaining the habitats. His favorite time of day is from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. "because it's peaceful, relaxing," he said. "It's just a really cool time to be at the aquarium." Mitchell's favorite place is beside http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/03/25/news/top_news/f9c8ad5f27abdfe38625713c00096c9c.txt A return to the wild for rare forms of deer Release to take place at Huay Kha Khaeng Several species of animals native to the country's forests and thought to have been close to extinction have successfully been bred in captivity and will be released back into the wild by the middle of the year at Huay Kha Khaeng wildlife sanctuary, according to experts. Hog deer and Eld's deer, which have not been seen in the country for decades, were brought in from neighbouring countries and have successfully been bred in captivity under a project which was approved by the cabinet in October 2005. The project is being carried out by the Wildlife Conservation Office in collaboration with scholars from Kasetsart University, the Zoological Park Organisation and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Thailand. Vinij Phu-anurak, director of the Wildlife Conservation Office, said 20 Hog deer and 30 Eld's deer would be released into the wild by the middle of the year during the first phase of http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/26Mar2006_news02.php You Scratch My Back, I'll Scratch Yours: Chimps Point To Spot They'd Like Groomed It was once thought that only humans gestured to direct another person's attention, but such "referential" gesturing was recently observed in wild chimpanzees. John Mitani, University of Michigan anthropology professor, and colleague Simone Pika, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at University of St. Andrews in Scotland, observed male chimps habitually using "directed scratches" to request grooming of specific areas on the body. The findings suggest that our closest living relatives may be capable of mental-state attribution, making inferences about the knowledge of others. Up until now, scientists saw directed scratching http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060322141904.htm Tiger Bites Man At County Fair In Florida Sister Says Trucker Was Drunk Authorities said a trucker who transported a tiger to a county fair in Florida was treated at a hospital after the animal bit his arm. The Putnam County Sheriff's Office said 25-year-old Jason Hardin of Westville apparently stuck his arm into the tiger's cage early Sunday morning. Hardin's sister said her brother was drunk at the time of the incident. A spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said Hardin was treated for severed tendons. Officials said the incident http://www.click2houston.com/news/8135411/detail.html Threatened tiger, sickly dragon In an ominous trend that threatens to undo three decades of conservation efforts, populations of the Indian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) are once again dwindling, with some wildlife experts even predicting extinction in the wild. The main reason is increased poaching, driven by demand for tigers in East Asian economies, particularly China, where tiger parts are consumed for their supposed medicinal and aphrodisiac properties. Ironically - given that prosperity should free up resources for wildlife conservation - economic growth in East Asia has actually exacerbated the problem, because it has enabled more people to afford the high cost of tiger-based preparations. In a vicious cycle, increased demand has in turn led to a steep hike in the prices of tiger remedies, making the trade even more profitable. Urgent action is required to reverse the trend and secure the survival of the Indian tiger (also known as the Bengal tiger). The sorry state of the tiger population in India came into focus after revelations about the Sariska http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HC21Df01.html New rodent is 'living fossil' A squirrel-like rodent discovered in Laos is the sole survivor of a group that otherwise died out 11 million years ago, according to fossil data. The animal made headlines in 2005 when it was hailed as the only new family of living mammals to be found in 30 years. But scientists now believe it is a "living fossil", the relic of a group of prehistoric rodents once widespread in South East Asia and Japan. Writing in Science magazine, they say efforts must be made to conserve it. The rodent, Laonastes aenigmamus, was found http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4782352.stm A Remarkable Life: Tortoise Dies at 250 One of the world's oldest creatures, a giant tortoise believed to have been about 250 years old, has died in the Calcutta zoo where it spent more than half its long life. Addwaita, which means "the one and only" in the local Bengali language, was one of four Aldabra tortoises brought to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/24/AR2006032400365.html Lioness gets her share of attention; Zoo evacuated after escape concerns Who left the door open? That's a question Racine Zoo officials probably will be asking today after an open door in a lion exhibit prompted the precautionary evacuation of the zoo on Thursday. There was never any immediate danger of Elsa, a female African lion, escaping onto the zoo grounds, according to zoo officials. The door in question led between the off-exhibit lion's den and the animal care staff's secure work area. But zoo officials didn't take any chances. Upon discovery of the door at 11:30 a.m., the less than 10 people visiting the zoo on the chilly Thursday morning were escorted to the exits and the Racine Police Department was called, according to Stephanie Kratochvil, marketing and http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/03/24/local/iq_3967790.txt Researchers pinpoint mammal extinction hotspots Conservationists have created a map of potential extinction hotspots, highlighting where humans are set to trigger dramatic declines in animal populations over coming decades. The map pinpoints 20 areas, ranging from the Siberian tundra to the Patagonian coast, where mammals are particularly at risk from human activity, such as deforestation and hunting. The survey was designed to reveal areas where land mammals are thriving but are expected to suffer disproportionately from expected increases in the local human population and changes in habitat. The arc of fertile islands that runs from Indonesia to the South Pacific, the Bahamas, and the vast expanses of Greenland were among the most fragile regions http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,,1725197,00.html Microchips Boost Monkey Business Behind Bars Improving the life of captive animals in zoos may be easy as microchipping them and automating individual care routines. Scientists from The University of Queensland are developing an enrichment and husbandry system that can dispense food, toys and medicine depending on the needs of individually microchipped animals. Lead researcher UQ Gatton PhD student Julia Hoy said the system consisted of the microchips linked with scanners and other automated equipment that zoo keepers could set to release items at random times. Miss Hoy said this unpredictability would help enrich caged life. "The automated system involves microchipping animals so when they come to a scanner it will recognise each animal and then release food, sounds, smells, medications, toys or open a door controlling access to various parts of the enclosure," Miss Hoy said. "This has great potential for improving welfare which in turn increases breeding rates and possibilities for reintroduction to the wild." USQ researchers Mark Dunn and Professor John Billingsley are helping develop the enrichment system. Miss Hoy has surveyed zoo staff about using the system with captive mammals but believes it will work with a wider range of animals. She said the idea for the enrichment system stemmed from her honours project and wanting to give primates http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060306093200.htm Beastly tales scripted by us Last week a news channel carried a story done by PETA, India, volunteers on the zoos of eastern India. It was shocking to say the least. Visitors in the Shillong zoo were seen drinking and then assaulting animals. One even gave a lit cigarette to a fox. No zoo- keeper was around to stop them. In the Guwahati zoo, a bear infested with ticks was seen crying and begging for food from the visitors. In the same zoo, a one-horned rhino has been living alone in his enclosure for 36 years. He has developed a wound above his horn from banging his head on the wall of the enclosure in frustration. Such is the deplorable state of zoos not just in eastern India but throughout the country. According to the reports by PETA volunteers, there is a slaughterhouse on the premises of the Jodhpur zoo. In the Veermata Jijabai Udyan zoo in Mumbai, a male elephant has been chained for over six months without being released even once to roam his enclosure. Zoos claim that they exist for education and conservation but what, pray, is to be learned by watching tigers, monkeys and other intelligent animals walk in endless circles in pitifully tiny cells? A worldwide study of zoos conducted by the Born Free Foundation revealed that zoochosis, a psychological disease caused by stress is rampant in confined animals. Zoo animals are known to display zoochosis by engaging http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060326/asp/calcutta/story_6012091.asp
22Mar2006 Zoo to be big attraction, says Chong The 280-acre Sabah Zoological and Botanical Park in Lok Kawi is set to become another main tourism attraction for Sabah with its unique setting that is virtually in the wilderness. The park, which has incurred a cost of about RM28 million so far, may only be opened to the public later this year as it still needs some improvement on the facilities and is awaiting some of the exotic animals to arrive from overseas. Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat during a working visit to the park on Friday noted that a lot of improvement needs to be done there. At the same time, the park is waiting for the acquisition of exotic animals from abroad to join animals that are found in Sabah. "I'm sure when it is open it will be a big attraction because seldom can you see a zoo in a forested area as it is normally in the city area. Here it is in its natural setting," he said when met after the visit. According to him, a meeting would be held http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=40851 Baby monkeys stolen in raid on zoo Mar 20 2006 A PAIR of baby marmoset monkeys the size of a human thumb were amongst a haul of rare animals and birds stolen during a zoo burglary. The tiny primates were amongst an entire colony of the threatened black-eared marmosets stolen along with a number of exotic birds from Exmoor Zoo, in Bratton Fleming, Barnstaple, Devon. Curator Danny Reynolds said he Group faults St. Louis zoo's care of elephants Exhibit area called 'improper'Associated PressST. LOUIS - An animal rescue and protection group says the St. Louis Zoo is violating the federal Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide elephants adequate space and proper conditions for healthy joints and feet, and socialization. The complaint, filed this week, is part of a larger petition the group submitted last month to the Department of Agriculture seeking clarification and enforcement of regulations for zoo elephants' environment. California-based In Defense of Animals, citing zoo medical records obtained through Missouri's public records law, said St. Louis Zoo elephants suffer from foot and joint disease that it attributes to improper housing. The group said six of the zoo's seven elephants http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/14129703.htm Buttonwood Park Zoo honors two volunteers for service At its annual meeting earlier this month, the Buttonwood Park Zoological Society honored two volunteers for their outstanding service to the Buttonwood Park Zoo. Patricia Burke and Sharon Smialek, both of Dartmouth, were given awards for volunteering on behalf of the Zoological Society. For the past four years, Ms. Burke and Ms. Smialek have been the lead volunteers for the society's numerous events, including Zoobilation, Boo at the Zoo, Holiday Lights at the Zoo and the society's annual fundraising gala. "Pattie and Sharon have been the heart and soul of our events over the last four years," executive director David M. Prentiss said. "Through their efforts, more than $300,000 has been raised at the society's special events to support our educational programs http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-06/03-19-06/01neighbors.htm Theft Charges Filed Against Ex-New Zoo Employee The NEW Zoo's former operations manager has been charged with stealing $94,000 from the zoo over four years. Wendy Johnson, 42, of Green Bay, faces up to 10 years in prison and $25,000 in fines if convicted of a felony criminal charge of business theft. Johnson, an employee of the zoo for nine years, told investigators she took the money to keep her beauty business in De Pere operating, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brown County Circuit Court on Wednesday. According to the complaint, Johnson admitted to the thefts to keep her business going but replaced the stolen money at the end of each year until last month. The complaint said that, in order to reconcile the zoo's accounts with the treasurer's office, Johnson allegedly fabricated a receipt from the office. But a county employee http://wfrv.com/topstories/local_story_075085432.html Woodland Park Zoo: Elephant debate Woodland Park Zoo officials have made a compassionate decision to bring back an elephant from a placement in Tacoma. The change of plans announced Monday offers the zoo a chance to engage the public in decisions about the returning elephant, Bamboo, and the popular elephant exhibit. Officials said two other elephants in Tacoma had refused to accept Bamboo despite efforts to integrate them. Recent conversations with officials at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium indicated the officials and keepers had become very fond of Bamboo, who moved last year after troubles with the liveliness of the Seattle zoo's young Hansa. Woodland Park officials said they can keep Bamboo indefinitely while looking for options at other accredited zoos. Among animal rights groups and some former zoo staff, the change will http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/263669_zooed.html Fire kills animals at Rowan petting zoo Investigators are trying to determine the cause of a fire that destroyed a Rowan County petting zoo and killed more than 40 animals Sunday. The fire was reported just before 8 p.m. at the T.M. Stanback Petting Barn in Dan Nicholas Park. Security guards left for the night about 45 minutes earlier. "We had goats, sheep, rabbits, chinchillas, several reptiles that were in the building that we did lose," said Don Bringle, the park's manager.Bringle said the only survivors were http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/?AC=&ArID=115919&SecID=2 Gorilla Baby Boom Under Way At Zoo Visitors Get Look At Babies The San Diego Zoo is having a gorilla baby boom. For the first time in the zoo's history, two gorilla babies were born in the same troop within less than two weeks. One was born on March 5, and the other on March 14. Visitors got their first look at the babies on Thursday. Keepers at the zoo have determined that one of the babies is http://www.nbc30.com/news/8078722/detail.html Côte d'Ivoire zoo looks to South Africa for help Once one of West Africa's most stunning zoos, Abidjan's menagerie became a sad victim of the country's political turmoil but help from South Africa could give it a facelift and its animals a new lease on life. Boasting more than 200 animals from about 50 different species, the zoo suffered from lack of attention and funding during the crisis years that the former jewel of West Africa has gone through, losing out on international tourism. "Since its creation very few shelters and cages have been built, putting at risk the lives of animals exposed to bad weather," deplored the zoo's director, Ayekoue Yapo. About 100 animals died in three years, said Yapo, lamenting the fact that the establishment has to make do with a €50 000 annual budget, which is insufficient to feed, look after and protect the inmates. Elephants, lions, chimpanzees and crocodiles live in delapidated shelters mainly built in the 1930s. The enclosing wall and its fence are in ruins and risk collapsing. The only vehicle available, that is supposed to do the 50km round trip of the zoo delivering food to the animals, breaks down daily. To give the inmates a new lease of life, Yapo intends to establish "true relations" with a Pretoria zoo, and re-energise his project thanks to financial support from South Africa. A €150 000 rehabilitation programme of the Côte d'Ivoire zoo was launched in 2001 but never implemented because of the political crisis. Two South African veterinary surgeons http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__africa/&articleid=266625 Apology over millionaire zoo fiasco THE Northern Territory Government will pay $100,000 to millionaire Warren Anderson after wrongly accusing him of neglecting two southern white rhinoceroses and other rare animals at his private zoo two years ago. Former Local Government Minister John Ah Kit has also apologised "unreservedly" to the West Australian property developer, as part of a defamation settlement agreed by the pair. The settlement ends a bizarre and bitter legal wrangle between Mr Anderson and the NT government over the welfare of his former collection of rare and exotic animals at Tipperary, 200km south of Darwin. "In late 2003, on the basis of information provided to me in my capacity as the NT Minister responsible for animal welfare, I made public statements to the effect that Mr Warren Perry Anderson had left animals for which he was responsible on Tipperary Station to http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18475581%5E1702,00.html Madagascar coming to Chahinkapa Zoo Some new animals are in route to Chahinkapa Zoo at Wahpeton. The zoo is acquiring two reindeer, two fossa and five new lemurs. Kathy Diekman, zoo director, said with the fossa and lemurs zoo staff will do a Madagascar and predator-prey theme. "Lemurs are exclusive to Madagascar, that is the only place they are," Diekman said. "They are their own science project." There are more than 60 species of lemurs. Because they are limited to Madagascar, lemurs interbreed and create new species. The zoo will have three different types of lemurs living in one habitat. Two crowned lemurs are coming to Chahinkapa from the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Tangayika Wildlife Park in Kansas is sending two ring-tailed lemurs. The http://www.wahpetondailynews.com/articles/2006/03/16/news/news01.txt Zoo employees continue to picket against MZS The Malaysian Zoological Society (MZS) says members of the Zoo Negara and Aquarium Tunku Abdul Rahman Employees Union cannot picket over matters (link missing - search Malay Mail archives may find story) Plodprasop denies animal deaths at zoo Chiang Mai Night Safari Park director Plodprasop Suraswadi angrily denied reports that over 100 wild animals at the zoo have died, saying there were only (link missing - search Bangkok post archives for full story) Relax, no one took a Shedd penguin home The parents of a Chicago area child who recently visited the Shedd Aquarium got a shock when they discovered their son in his bedroom with a live.... "Not the penguin thing, again," said Shedd spokeswoman Melissa Holland. Yes. The "penguin thing." Every few years the fictional yarn makes the rounds, via e-mail mostly, but also through word of mouth. As sent to reporters, it's usually a friend-of-a-friend kind of thing. It goes like this: A kid on a school trip to the Shedd grabs a baby penguin and shoves it under his coat or into his backpack. He's extra-quiet on the school bus, secretive at home. When his parents investigate, the boy is found in his closet (sometimes he's in the bath) playing with his new black-and-white buddy. Bottom line: it's bogus, said Holland. "There's no way you could get them," she said, noting that the animals are behind glass at the Shedd http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-penguin20.html Villagers hunt rare species of leopard Villagers hunted a leopard of rare species (pantherar pardus) at Chakaria upazila in Cox's Bazar on March 7 night. A forest official said a local union parishad chairman incited the villagers to kill the leopard, which is now on the verge of extinction. "No such act of human insensibility on wildlife without any reason did take place in the last few decades since independence," said divisional forest officer Dr Tapan Kumar Dey, also project director of Dulahazra Safari Park. He said they might seek government permission to sue the chairman for his act. The leopard, seven-foot long, 2.5 feet height and weighing 60 kgs, fell victim to the attack of villagers when it emerged a shrimp enclosure at Pashchim (west) Baro Bheola village under Chakaria upazila from the neighbouring forest on March 7 night. As news of the leopard's appearance spread hundreds of villagers had encircled the shrimp enclosure and beat it dead before the forest officials came the spot, sources said. Local people said they were forced to kill the http://www.thedailystar.net/2006/03/15/d603153503120.htm Endangered lemurs leave Wales for Scotland A bittersweet farewell took place at Folly Farm, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire, as zoo staff said goodbye to six of their beloved ringtailed lemurs. The lemurs were picked up by staff from Scotland's Blair Drummond Safari Park, where they will begin a new life with another group of lemurs. Said Folly Farm's Tim Morphew, "It's very sad to say goodbye to such charismatic animals- but really we're very happy to see them go. Their breeding here at Folly Farm has been so successful that their enclosure was reaching capacity and it was time for some of the group to move on." According to Tim, the lemurs' departure is great for the species, and great for Folly Farm. "It's a mark of the success of our zoo's breeding programme for this endangered http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Tourism&F=1&id=8529
13Mar2006 Malaysian zoo job promises to be animal magic for Nick A Chessington World of Adventures (CWA) zookeeper has left the UK for the rain forests of Malaysia to help its government set up the country's first major zoo. In what can rightly be described as a dream secondment, Nick Simpson- Eyre flew out on Sunday and was due to start work there on Monday. While there he will train staff, head research projects, raise public awareness, develop educational programmes and generally help make Lok Kawi a world class establishment. The 29-year-old, who has been at CWA for eight years, said: "It really is such an exciting project that they are doing there. I have seen a handful of photos and it looks impressive. I'm expecting to find a world class attraction, albeit in the early stages. "I will be doing a whole range of things really, from the basics of animal husbandry to general health and safety. "We have all the records and research to do as well." oos have plenty of detractors, people who http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/localnews/display.var.704440.0.mal aysian_zoo_job_promises_to_be_animal_magic_for_nick.php Polar bear triplets born at zoo A zoo in the Netherlands is celebrating the birth of polar bear triplets. The three-month-old cubs made their debut appearance in front of the public on Friday, when the mother bear came out of their hut with them in tow. It's thought to be the first time that polar bear triplets have ever been born in captivity. It's not unusual for three cubs to be born in the wild, but only the two strongest cubs usually http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4790000/newsid_4796800/4796876.stm Knoxville Zoo euthanizes ailing elephant Mamie A 45-year-old African elephant named Mamie was put down by veterinarians at the Knoxville Zoo Friday because of declining health. amie had suffered arthritis and foot problems for 15 years, and she developed neurological problems in recent weeks that left http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=4619288 Take a night-time stroll at Dusit Zoo Dusit Zoo is to open at night, its director said yesterday. Known locally as Khao Din, the zoo, which is Thailand's oldest, plans to stay open until 9pm every day instead of 6pm previously. It will also change its morning opening time from 8am to 10am. "The night opening will be offered soon," said director Visit Vichasilp. The extended hours were scheduled to be start this Sunday, but due to the current political situation the plan was temporarily postponed, he said. Under the banner, "Take a Sunset Walk in Khao Din", the night-time opening will allow people to enjoy the zoo's attractions at sunset, Visit said. As well as being able to savour the zoo's peaceful atmosphere, visitors will be able to enjoy the sight of the Parliament building at sunset. Night visitors will tour the zoo in trailers http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/03/13/national/national_20002569.php Award for Dubai Zoo chief for research works on UAE's wildlife and birds Head of Dubai Zoo, Dr Reza Khan, has recently won two awards for his outstanding research works on birds and wildlife in the UAE and Bangladesh. The Environment Ministry of Bangladesh Government and the Jahangir Nagar University pf Dhaka has conferred on him the 'Bird Fair Award 2006' in recognition of his extensive research works on birds in Bangladesh. The award is one of the two awards instituted by the government body as part of its annual Bird Fair (Pakhi Mela). The other award is given to individuals who contribute towards conserving birds in their natural habitats. A Bangladesh citizen and former Professor of Zoology at Dhaka University, Dr. Khan makes several visits to the country every http://www.ameinfo.com/79827.html Man fed rabbit to alligator 'because it was hungry' A man who stole a rabbit from a zoo then fed it to the alligators is facing jail. Damien French, now 20, dropped the large white rabbit into the alligator pond at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay, north Wales. He laughed hysterically as the animal - which he had pulled from the petting section of the zoo - was eaten by a large male alligator, named Albert. Llandudno Magistrates Court heard French broke into the zoo in October last year with two friends, aged 14 and 15, by climbing over a wall. Once inside the alligator house French, unemployed, read a sign explaining that alligators eat small mammals. He said to his friends "He must be hungry" before entering the petting area, grabbing http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/03/09/urabbit.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/03/09/ixportaltop.html Cat Comforts Grieving Orangutan in Panama City Beach Zoo Tondalayo, a 45-year-old Sumatran orangutan, and T-J, a stray tabby cat, became an inseparable duo after a zoo employee introduced them late last year. Zookeepers at the Education Director at Zoo World in Panama City Beach say Tondalayo was depressed since losing her mate two years ago. Her age prevented her from moving to another zoo or taking another mate. The ducks and turtles swimming in a moat around her island were n http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=53460 SA cheetahs relocated to Indonesian zoo A pair of cheetah (Acinonyx jabutus) have departed for their new home at the Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia aboard a Cathay Pacific flight bound for Indonesia via Hong Kong. The animals are expected to arrive in Indonesia approximately at noon tomorrow. The two cheetah were sent as part of the co-operation agreement and exchange of animals between the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa and the Surabaya Zoo. On January 31, 2006, the National Zoo received a pair of Komodo dragons from this Indonesian zoo. Mr Willie Labuschagne, the executive director of the national zoo, says it he is proud that such an iconic animal of South Africa will now be on display in one of Asia's zoos. "Africa has some unique animal species and the cheetah is undoubtedly one of these. We trust that the Surabaya Zoo's visitors will get as much pleasure from viewing these big cats as we have presenting them to the people of Indonesia". The male is presently five-years-old and the female is four-years-old. Both animals were bred at the Hoedspruit Research and Breeding http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/general/0,2172,123389,00.html No More Elephants in Chicago's Zoos? Read the tragic stories of Chicago's beloved elephants Ziggy and Mame Chicago's 48th Ward Alderman Mary Ann Smith has introduced an ordinance requiring Chicago zoos to provide each of its elephants a minimum habitat of 10 acres. Many people think that if the ordinance passes, it will signal the end of elephants in Chicago's zoos. Beth Stevens, PhD, president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Board of Directors and vice president of Disney's Animal Kingdom and animal programs, has said that "This ordinance is not just about elephants in Chicago. It is an attempt by animal rights activists to make Chicago a national example of getting elephants out of zoos today, and getting other species, such as giraffe, lions and gorilla, out of zoos tomorrow." Other people think that it's not just American http://chicago.about.com/od/attractionsentertainment/a/031006_ziggy.htm
5Mar2006 Why zoo's survival is a bear necessity |
American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, 581705 White Oak Road, Yulee, FL 32097; Telephone: (904)225-3275 |