31Oct2006

Jaguar escape gives park fright
The new owners of a Devon wildlife park faced a serious challenge
four days after arriving, when a jaguar escaped.
Big cat Sovereign found a way out of his pen and into a tigers'
enclosure at the Dartmoor Wildlife Park before it was sedated by
keepers.
Campaign group, the Captive Animals' Protection Society (CAPS), said
the escape was "not acceptable".
The escape, believed to have been caused by human error, is being
investigated by South Hams Council.
It threw us in the at the deep end
Duncan Mee, 46, whose brother Ben, 41, and mother Amelia moved to
the Dartmoor Wildlife Park last weekend, praised staff for the
handling of the situation on Wednesday night.
"We were really impressed with the way they worked," he said.
"Their response was
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/devon/6090206.stm

Last stand of the hippo as rebel militia slaughter hundreds a week
HIPPOS are facing annihilation from an African nature reserve that
once boasted their greatest concentration, wildlife experts said
yesterday.
The animals are the victims of a Congolese militia group that has
helped to slaughter half of their number since setting up a base in
the Virunga National Park two weeks ago, according to
conservationists at the Zoological Society of London.
During the past fortnight, more than 400 hippopotamuses have been
killed as well as a number of buffaloes, elephants and other
animals.
The main cause of their calamitous decline is the behaviour of the
rebel group, known as the Mai Mai. The rebels eat and sell hippo
meat and ivory found in the hippos' canine teeth. Other poachers
include former Hutu rebels, poorly paid Congolese soldiers and local
militia groups.
The sale of hippo meat is illegal, but black-market sales are
difficult to track and the trade is very lucrative. The rebel group
has also attacked a number of conservation rangers and their
families.
Years of conflict have already had a devastating impact on the hippo
population. Warnings were first posted after the war in neighbouring
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2410757,00.html

Young Mother Goes Missing in Taif Zoo
Police have launched a search for a 21-year-old mother of one who
went missing inside a zoo in Taif, Al-Jazirah newspaper reported
yesterday. The woman, an Arab expatriate, was visiting the zoo with
her husband and four-year-old daughter. According to the husband,
the woman went to a bathroom after the Maghreb
http://www.arabnews.com/?
page=1&section=0&article=87413&d=29&m=10&y=2006

Test-tube koalas revealed
AUSTRALIAN scientists unveiled three test-tube koala joeys today as
part of an artificial insemination programme to preserve the
vulnerable mammal.
The scientists said the programme would lead to the creation of the
world's first koala sperm bank, which will enable researchers to
screen out koala diseases.
Scientists from the University of Queensland said a total of 12
koala joeys were produced using test-tube insemination.
The koalas were conceived using a new breeding technology that uses
sperm mixed with a special solution to prolong the sperm's shelf-
life, said Dr Steve Johnston, the project leader and University of
Queensland reproductive biologist.
"Eight of the 12 current test-tube joeys were born following the
artificial insemination of freshly diluted sperm
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20670156-
5001028,00.html

Zoo with a view
The BMC has allocated Rs 25 crore this year to give the city抯
only zoo at Byculla a complete makeover ?cages and shackled animals
will be replaced by wildlife enclosures and botanical gardens like
the pictures shown below
The BMC抯 budgetary provision for the city抯 only zoo is
all set to turn Veermata Jijabai Udyan into a tourist attraction of
international standards.
BMC抯 annual budget for 2005-06 has a provision of Rs 25 crore
for the modernisation of the zoo and the administration plans to
spend around Rs 100 crore over the next three years for the same.
揥e not only want the zoo to be a safe haven for animals but
also a centre of entertainment as well as awareness and education
about wildlife,?said R A Rajiv, additional municipal commissioner.
In July this year, the BMC
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?
sectid=2&articleid=1029200622251150010292006222345640

Cameroon wildlife sanctuary awaits "Taiping Four"
An animal sanctuary in Cameroon, home to dozens of primates
endangered by the illegal bushmeat trade, is preparing to welcome
some famous guests: the "Taiping Four" gorillas smuggled to Malaysia
four years ago.
Felix Lankester, director of the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon's
main port city of Douala, said the centre had gone to great lengths
to be ready for the return of the western lowland gorillas,
currently held in Pretoria Zoo in South Africa.
Taiping Zoo in Malaysia acquired the animals, smuggled out of the
West African country via Nigeria, in 2002 but Cameroon has been
lobbying for their return ever since.
"We have constructed a quarantine facility as an annex to our
existing gorilla facility," Lankester told Reuters at the weekend,
dismissing earlier suggestions by Pretoria zoo that his centre did
not have the right facilities to host the gorillas.
"In 2005, the construction of a new 2,500
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29870379.htm

Zoo matchmakers get male chimps from Germany
After years of waiting, two female chimpanzees at the Indian
capital's zoo will soon meet their matches, news reports said on
Friday.
Two male chimpanzees - Marius and Manni - from the Krefeld Zoo in
Germany are prospective mates for female chimps Reeta and Ruby, the
Times of India newspaper reported.
"Talks were on for some time to get these chimpanzees from Germany,"
said zoo director DN Singh. "We finally got them on Wednesday after
completing all requisite clearances."
Visitors will have to wait for some time before they can see the
German attractions.
"We have quarantined the two chimps
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?
set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=qw1161936181393B253

Study Suggests Evolutionary Link Between Diet, Brain Size In
Orangutans
In a study of orangutans living on the Indonesian islands of Borneo
and Sumatra, scientists from Duke University and the University of
Zurich have found what they say is the first demonstration in
primates of an evolutionary connection between available food
supplies and brain size.
Based on their comparative study, the scientists say orangutans
confined to part of Borneo where food supplies are frequently
depleted may have evolved through the process of natural selection
comparatively smaller brains than orangs inhabiting the more
bounteous Sumatra.
The findings "suggest that temporary, unavoidable food scarcity may
select for a decrease in brain size, perhaps accompanied by only
small or subtle decreases in body size," said Andrea Taylor and
Carel van Schaik in a report now online in the Journal of Human
Evolution.
Taylor is an assistant professor at Duke's departments
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061023192505.htm

Two researchers off to Indonesia to study primates
Serge Wich had to halt his research on Sumatra after a tsunami
smashed the island two years ago.
A visiting scientist at Great Ape Trust of Iowa, a Des Moines
primate research center, is headed for Indonesia today to resume
orangutan studies suspended since before a huge tsunami hit the
island of Sumatra in 2004.
Serge Wich will spend three weeks on Sumatra, which took the brunt
of the tsunami damage. The wild orangutans he studies were spared
because they occupy inland treetops. This is his first trip to
Sumatra since 2000, mainly because civil unrest had made it
difficult
http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20061020/NEWS03/610200383/1001/NEWS

Wellington Zoo turns 100
Wellington Zoo is celebrating its 100th birthday.
The zoo is the oldest in New Zealand and is now headed by Australian
Karen Fifield who says there will always be a place for zoos.
"Utopia would be that we could all see animals in the wild
but...most people can't get to those wild experiences," says Fifield.
Research shows zoos to be the most popular form of family
entertainment
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411365/873499

London Zoo hires Whitewater to boost donations
London Zoo has hired Whitewater without a pitch to handle direct
marketing activity for its fundraising campaigns and specifically
boost the number of legacies and donations from individual
supporters.
The Zoological Society of London, which runs London Zoo and
Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, in Bedfordshire, has briefed the agency
to develop legacy marketing strategies and launch its first
supporter appeal, to raise £500,000 for a new gorilla exhibition.
Teague Flannery, ZSL development executive, said: "We know that
there is a high potential for ZSL to increase income from individual
donors and legators
http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/dm/article/601011/london-zoo-
hires-whitewater-boost-donations/

TV reality show to help animals facing extinction
TELEVISION chiefs have come up with a new idea for a reality show –
to save endangered animals.
Eight creatures teetering on the brink of extinction will be the
focus of the new ITV programme Extinct.
The show – hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald and Zoe Ball – will see
celebrities put the case for their own chosen species.
The animals to be featured are the polar bear, mountain gorilla,
giant panda, leatherback turtle, Asian elephant, Bengal tiger, orang-
utan and hyacinth macaw.
Viewers will then vote for the cause they most prefer – much the
same way as in highly popular talent shows like Pop Idol – and 50
per cent of the money raised will go to the WWF wildlife charity
http://express.lineone.net/news_detail.html?sku=615

Wgtn Zoo defends cheetah experience
Wellington Zoo officials are dismissing claims their programme
allowing cheetahs out to attend public functions is dangerous.
For $2,500 people can have the zoo's two adult cheetahs, with
trainers, at their function for around 40 minutes.
The zoo's copped criticism from animal rights groups, and now two
Dutch zoos have condemned the programme, calling it dangerous and
uneducational.
Wellington Zoo's acting CEO Mauritz Basson says cheetahs are timid
animals, posing little threat to humans.
He says several other top zoos around the world allow their cheetahs
out, including San Diego, Taronga Zoo in Sydney and Melbourne Zoo.
Basson says getting people involved with the animals first
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/871003

Owner denies 'monkey suffering'
Police officers seized a baby monkey at a motorway service station
after its owner had advertised it for sale for £4,000, a Swansea
court has heard.
Jason Allen, 33, from West Cross in the city drove to the rendezvous
in June 2005 believing he was meeting a buyer for the black capped
capuchin.
Instead, it was seized following the undercover RSPCA operation.
He denies causing unnecessary suffering to the baby monkey by
forcing its separation from its mother.
A judge sitting at Swansea magistrates court heard that the RSPCA
spotted an advert
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/6077270.stm

Fort Wayne Zoo Orangutan Dies After Giving Birth
A 22-year-old orangutan died an hour after giving birth at the Fort
Wayne Children's Zoo.
The 4?pound male baby was the first orangutan born at the zoo, and
officials said the mother, Sayang, seemed to have a normal labor and
delivery.
"Everything was proceeding normally. It was exactly what we would
expect," zoo veterinarian Joe Smith said. "She took the baby in her
arms and held it to her chest and was cleaning it off and showed all
the natural maternal instincts that she should."
Zookeepers watched but left Sayang alone during her labor Sunday.
Smith said the orangutan had made herself a bed on a shelf and lay
on it during her labor and until about 45 minutes after giving
birth. Then
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=5587710&nav=menu31_3

MPP wants zoo law with teeth
Animals in some small Ontario zoos are being housed in barren cages
and without adequate drinking water, says a Liberal backbencher who
introduced new legislation yesterday to ensure the facilities are
better regulated by the province.
Toronto Liberal David Zimmer introduced the private member's bill to
establish minimum standards for the estimated 50 small "roadside"
zoos in Ontario.
"It's the right thing to do," said Zimmer, noting that Ontario lags
far behind provinces like Alberta and Newfoundland when it comes to
regulating the treatment of animals in small zoos.
"We should be a leader in this area, not a follower."
In a report released earlier this month, Ontario's environmental
commissioner recommended greater regulation of
http://ottsun.canoe.ca/News/National/2006/10/24/2114298-sun.html

24Oct2006

16Oct2006

Foundation apologizes for Zamboanguita zoo controversy
THE Animal Foundation, Inc., through its official Greg Quimpo,
apologized to the management of Zoo Paradise World in Zamboanguita,
Negros Oriental for the nationally-televised report of the zoo's
alleged practice of feeding live animals to crocodiles in the facility.
Provincial Board Member Marcelo Adanza, former Zamboanguita mayor,
claimed Quimpo sent recently a text message to zoo manager Sister
Dominga Responso offering the help of the foundation.
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dum/2006/10/15/news/foundation.apologizes.for.zamboanguita.zoo.controversy.html

An Elephant Crackup?
"We’re not going anywhere,’’ my driver, Nelson Okello, whispered to me
one morning this past June, the two of us sitting in the front seat of
a jeep just after dawn in Queen Elizabeth National Park in
southwestern Uganda. We’d originally stopped to observe what appeared
to be a lone bull elephant grazing in a patch of tall savanna grasses
off to our left. More than one ‘‘rogue’’ had crossed our path that
morning â€" a young male elephant that has made an overly strong power
play against the dominant male of his herd and been banished,
sometimes permanently.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08elephant.html?ex=1161057600&en=de01e1b63f67e413&ei=5070&emc=eta1

SLAUGHTER OF THE APES
EXCLUSIVE The Cairo Connection: How this vile smuggling trade is
allowed to flourish
THE chainsaw slices through the base of yet another huge tree in the
African forest. We cannot hear it. But we know it happens every day.
A few weeks later, a man fires his shotgun in the new clearing. Again,
it is unheard.
The hunter's first cartridge kills a female gorilla. His second slays
the male he knows will try to charge.
The hunter relaxes, reloads and searches for the young who will be
nearby. He has killed the family's elder offspring for bushmeat. The
babies he may keep for sale.
Logging. Hunting. Death. Profit. And the looming extinction of
humanity's closest relatives, the African great apes - chimpanzees,
bonobos and gorillas.
http://www.mirror. co.uk/news/ tm_headline= slaughter-of-the-apes-&method=full&objectid=17923627&siteid=94762- name_page. html

Belize Zoo Director to Dicuss Wildlife Conservation on Oct. 18
Sharon Matola, director of the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education
Center and an internationally renowned conservation biologist, will
discuss her current animal and habitat preservation efforts on
Wednesday, Oct. 18, at SUNY Cortland.
Matola’s talk, titled “Feathers and Fungi: The Importance of Saving
Tropical Nature,� begins at 7 p.m. in Bowers Hall, Room 109. The
lecture is free and open to the public.
http://www.cortland.edu/news/article.asp?ID=222

Zoo owner pleads guilty; most charges dismissed
The owner of a private zoo pleaded guilty this week to one of five
misdemeanor charges as part of an apparent agreement in which the
other four were dismissed.
Steven Andrew Macaluso, 48, of 4400 Cook Road, Rockwell, appeared
before District Court Judge Kevin Eddinger Tuesday, where he was found
guilty of possessing an animal classified as "protected" without the
proper permit.
http://slspublish.bits.baseview.com/area/314511775011379.php

More Rare Animals in Central Zoo
Pyongyang, October 12 (KCNA) -- Rare animals are growing in number in
the Central Zoo in Pyongyang. Kim Jong Il, who always pays a deep
attention to the cultural and emotional life of the people, has sent
some 1,000 rare animals of tens of species including pigeons, parrots,
wild ducks and white bears to the Central Zoo in recent years.
Researchers and keepers of the zoo are trying to acclimatize the
animals to the local climate in a scientific and technological way,
thus increasing them in number.
Lemur catta native to the southern part of Madagascar brought forth
nine kitties, following Equus przewalskii of Mongolia, a reserve
animal, and Grus japonensis.
http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2006/200610/news10/13.htm#10

New finch discovered in Andes
A colourful bird new to science has been discovered in a remote Andean
cloud forest, spurring efforts to protect the area, conservation
groups have announced.
The bright-yellow and red-crowned Yariguies brush-finch was named for
the indigenous tribe that once inhabited the mountainous area where it
was discovered and which committed mass suicide instead of submitting
to Spanish colonial rule.
The discovery, published in the Bulletin of the British
Ornithologists' Club, comes at a crucial time for conservationists.
The Colombian go
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1160430612437&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home

Mighty mouse! Rare discovery in Europe
Using DNA testing, scientists have discovered what is believed to be
the first terrestrial mammal found in Europe in decades: a mouse with
a big head, ears, eyes and teeth that lives in a mountainous area of
Cyprus.
The mouse was native to the eastern Mediterranean island, survived the
arrival of man on Cyprus and could be considered a "living fossil,"
experts said.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/science/10/12/new.mouse.ap/index.html

National Zoo's land 'gift' comes with strict Govt conditions
The ACT Government will have a say over what animals are brought to
the National Zoo and Aquarium under strict conditions attached to its
planned expansion.
The territory is effectively giving the zoo 50ha of land, which will
allow it to become Australia's first urban open-range zoo.
The operators also must resolve water issues to the Government's
satisfaction, address bushfire risks and set up evacuation plans and
refuge areas for animals.
The zoo's parent company, Sridate, must lodge a bond of up to $350,000
to cover animal welfare costs. Any land the zoo does not use will be
returned to the ACT.
http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&ned=uk&q=zoo&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&start=10

Finally, Byculla zoo is recognised
The Jijabai Bhosle Udyan at Byculla has finally received conditional
recognition from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) as a “medium
category� zoo until December 31, 2007.
Giving strict guidelines for animal enclosures, veterinary facilities
and staff patterns, the CZA has directed the zoo to immediately
transport a male rhino from the zoo to the Bhagwan Birsa Biological
Park in Ranchi and move a male elephant to another zoo at the earliest.
The Central Zoo Authority has also asked civic officials to prepare
and submit the master plan, including a layout plan for developing the
whole zoo.
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1058258

Zoo could go out of business without car park, warns Gill
DAVID Gill says his Furness zoo will be out of business by May if it
cannot keep its controversial asphalt car park.
The outspoken boss of Dalton’s South Lakes Wild Animal Park issued the
warning after town hall chiefs rejected revised plans for the parking
area.
Officials at Barrow council had urged members to approve a new design.
The officials saw the revised scheme as an improvement to the existing
car park which Mr Gill asphalted
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=422709

Controversial zoo plan gets backing
A new Cromer zoo could be open by May next year, if it gets its final
planning permission next week.
There are still opponents of the new tourist attraction, but planning
officials are recom-mending that councillors back the scheme.
The man behind the project, Ken Sims who already runs the Thrigby Hall
Wildlife Gardens, says work should start before Christmas and be
finished by the spring.
He was aware that there were objectors but was confident their fears
would be allayed once the zoo was open.
The attraction is on farmland near
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED12%20Oct%202006%2021%3A47%3A55%3A323

Dublin zoo of the future
DUBLIN ZOO management has unveiled an ambitious five-year plan for the
Zoo. In a document entitled 멇 Vision For Dublin Zoo? which was
launched by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, last week, extensive plans for
the future of the Zoo are detailed. They include the development of a
stunning new space for Asian elephants. This area will be like nothing
ever seen previously in the zoo and will be open for visitors in the
spring of 2007.
http://www.dublinpeople.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1739&Itemid=52

Say hello to hornbill who's a UK first
'Fantastic achievement for Whipsnade'
This tiny tarictic hornbill chick was born at Whipsnade Wild Animal
Park â€" and he is the first of his kind to be bred in the UK.
The little bird, called Tomini, is the offspring of Sulawesi tarictic
hornbills which came to Whipsnade from San Diego Zoo last year.
In the spring, Whipsnade keepers created a nest in the bird garden
aviary, to entice the birds to mate.
The birds were offered a range of material to help make the nest â€" and
their choices included dung from Whipsnade's elephants.
Senior keeper Jamie Graham said: "The nest box simulates a hole in a
tree, which is what they would use in the wild."
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=543&ArticleID=1814595

Sealions will feel the benefit of Down Under trip
Alex returns from New Zealand exchange
Sea lions at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park have a lot to feel happy about
now that one of their keepers is back from an exchange visit to New
Zealand.
Alex Pinnell, 24, spent six months at Auckland Zoo on the country's
north island, and she says it's been a fantastic learning experience.
She's now back to continue her work managing the daily shows in the
sea lion enclosure at Whipsnade, and she thinks she can put what she's
learned to good use.
"I picked up some great techniques to enrich these animals, which I
can pass on to Whipsnade for the benefit of our sea lions here," she said.
Alex said she loved the scenery and the plantations that she saw
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=543&ArticleID=1814590

Maryland Zoo to Get 3 More Elephants
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is getting three more African elephants
next year.
The three elephants, 50-year-old Petal, 24-year-old Kallie and
23-year-old Bette, are expected to move to Baltimore from the
Philadelphia Zoo in late spring 2007. A fourth elephant from the
Philly Zoo will go to a sanctuary in Tennessee.
The three coming to Maryland will join Dolly and Anna, the zoo's
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=938623

Reproductive world first for zoo
A miracle of science has occurred at Western Plains Zoo. A group of
Berlin reproductive experts and Western Plains Zoo veterinarians have
performed a world first by successfully harvesting eggs from a black
rhinoceros for the purpose of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). During
their fourth visit to Dubbo the leading international authorities
decided to take a different approach in their attempt to preserve the
genetic potential of 'Musi', an infertile black rhinoceros at Western
Plains Zoo.
http://dubbo.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=general&story_id=516009&category=General&m=10&y=2006

Q: How Much Stronger Than Humans Are Chimpanzees?
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/10/12/083715.php

Zoo saved through efforts of its director
Mount Notre Dame grad returns to tell her story
As director of the Alabama Gulf Shores Zoo, Patti Hesse Hall received
nationwide attention in 2004 when she evacuated nearly 300 zoo animals
to her own home, protecting them from Hurricane Ivan.
The story of the evacuation, damage to the zoo from hurricanes and
rebuilding is the subject of an Animal Planet series, "The Little Zoo
That Could."
On Monday, she brought her story to Mount Notre Dame High School in
Reading where she graduated in 1966. The 58-year-old Reading native
was in town for her high
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061010/NEWS01/610100370/1056

Stop breeding animals in zoos: SC
Alarmed over overcrowding of zoos, the Supreme Court on Monday
directed the authorities to stop breeding of animals till they comply
with the required infrastructure.
"We direct that no zoo will permit any further breeding of animals in
their respective custody," a Bench comprising of Chief Justice Y K
Sabharwal and Justice C K Thakker said.
The Bench, which had sought response from the Centre, the Central Zoo
Authority (CZA) and various state governments asked them to ensure
that an experienced curator, veterinarian, laboratory assistant and
compounder are appointed in each zoo along with a full-fledged
veterinary unit.
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1057652

9Oct2006

SAFARI PARK PLAN FOR NITON DOWNLAND
A £7 million safari park is being planned on more than 300 acres of
land near Niton, creating up to 200 jobs and boosting the Island's
ailing farm industry by providing an abattoir.
Leisure consultant Colin England, backed by the millions of an
anonymous Middle Eastern royal family, said he would take on planners
who oppose the scheme because it is in an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty (AONB).
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1252&ArticleID=1808480

After 73 years, Catskill Game Farm shuts its doors
Wet-nosed, woolly and hungry, the Catskill Game Farm sheep formed a
tight scrum around Ann Marie Enright and her grown daughter at the
sight of crackers in their hands.
"You can't really go anywhere else and interact with animals,"
Enright said with a smile as the sheep nibbled away. The Westchester
County woman said two grandchildren, ages 2 and 7, were still cooing
about their visit the day before. "That's all they're talking
about, 'the moo animals."'
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--gamefarmcloses1006oct06,0,2383637.story?coll=ny-region-apnewyork

Philadelphia Zoo to Elephants: Pack Your Trunks, You're Outta Here
The Philadelphia Zoo says it will close its elephant exhibit and
transfer the four animals to other facilities, ending nearly a year
of uncertainty about the elephants' future.
http://www2.abc27.com/news/stories/1006/366929.html

Hear what zoo visitors had to say about the elephants' relocation
plans...Hear what zoo visitors had to say about the elephants'
relocation plans at http://go.philly.com/zooelephants

Elephants pass crucial quarantine checks
Eight Asian elephants on their way to new homes in Australia have
passed crucial quarantine checks, paving the way for their arrival in
December.
The elephants began their controversial journey from Thailand in June
and have been held in quarantine on the Cocos Islands, 2,750km north-
west of Perth, in the Indian Ocean.
Four female elephants and one male will be housed at Sydney's Taronga
Zoo, while the remaining three elephants will go to Melbourne
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=76344

Chimpanzees Set To Leave Jacksonville Zoo After 67 Years
For the first time in more than 60 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and
Gardens has decided to say goodbye to its chimpanzees. Records show
chimps have been a part of the zoo's exhibits since a pair arrived
back in 1941.
As he presses close to the glass of his habitat Wednesday, there's a
lot of emotion in the eyes of Jackson, the zoo's only male
chimpanzee. There's also plenty of feeling in the eyes looking back
at him. Those belong to the zoo's Supervisor of Mammals, Tracy
Williams.
"The ones that, I guess, will suffer the most over the decision are
the humans, who are attached to the animals," Williams said.
The zoo's management has decided that Jackson, Cindy, and Baby Face
all need
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=66275

Anglesey mission for Norfolk's squirrels
Red squirrels from Norfolk could hold the key to keeping the species
alive thanks to a project being set up on a Welsh island.
Red squirrels from the Pettitts animal park in Reedham and others
from Banham Zoo are among dozens to be released into woodland on
Anglesey.
http://new.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/News/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=enonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED06%20Oct%202006%2009%3A55%3A47%3A830

Yorkshire squirrels to fly the red flag in Wales
Island sanctuary to provide refuge for native population in battle
against invading American greys
THEY may be under threat from their grey American cousins, but help
is on its way for Britain's endangered red squirrels with the
creation of a modern-day Noah's Ark.
A refuge to protect the threatened species is being set up on the
Welsh island of Anglesey and Yorkshire conservationists are helping
the scheme by boosting numbers.
Red squirrels from Kilnsey Park, near Grassington, will be released
on the island through the Anglesey Red Squirrel Project, co-ordinated
by the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay.
http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1808798

Saigon Zoo in shambles without solution
The Saigon Zoo in Ho Chi Minh City appears to be falling apart as the
number of visitors continues to dwindle. Authorities have no renewal
plans and instead want to build a new park.
The animal's poorly maintained living environments make the zoo a
generally gloomy place to visit.
Many of the cages' foundations have deteriorated but no one has
bothered to remedy them. Moss grows densely in the animals' homes.
Insufficient safety conditions have also discouraged visitors as a
seven-year-old girl reportedly fell into the crocodile lake last year.
The zoo turnout this month was thin as management failed to provide
exciting activities and left visitors to watch dull and
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=20903

It's the great London coral reef
A HUGE coral reef comprising living colonies from the Indian and
Pacific oceans is to be installed in an £85m aquarium in London.
Marine specialists from London Zoo are "growing" the reef which will
be the centrepiece of the Biota aquarium designed by Sir Terry
Farrell.
The Biota project, the size of five football pitches, will form part
of a £1.5 billion scheme to redevelop part of the London Docklands.
The "living reef" project is thought to be the biggest of its kind to
be grown in Britain.
When completed in 2009 it is expected to fill a sloping wall 9ft high
by 24ft long. Placed in a tank with tropical fish, the wall will be
one of five exhibits in which visitors will be immersed as they pass
through the aquarium.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2393720,00.html

Big cat goes on walk-about in zoo
Tiger's outing on grounds of Hesperia Zoo prompts excitement, crowd
With a freeroaming tiger and dozens of fascinated people lining the
streets on foot and in their cars, it looked like the circus had come
to town.
But despite the crowd, the mood was anything but lighthearted at the
Hesperia Zoo in the 19000 block of Willow Street when a 500-pound
Bengal tiger escaped from its cage just after 1 p.m. Friday.
The tiger is said to have attacked a nearby donkey, biting its neck
and the back of one of its legs after it escaped from an unlocked
cage while the tiger's cage was being cleaned, city officials said.
The donkey is expected to recover from its minor injuries.
"The tiger … attacked the donkey and another female there fired a
shot (into the air) to distract the tiger from attacking the donkey
and the handler, fearing for her own safety, jumped into a van," said
Roxanne Walker, spokeswoman for the Hesperia station. "Later, we were
able
http://www.vvdailypress.com/2006/116023177742125.html

The Best Little Zoo in Bolivia
The best place to observe Bolivian family life is without doubt a
Sunday at La Paz zoo. It is also the most incredible zoo I have ever
visited.
The taxi from downtown La Paz cost less than £2 and was an experience
in its own right. During the twenty-minute drive our driver pointed
out President Evo Morales house complete with gun toting guards. As
we drove out of the valley, leaving sprawling La Paz behind, he
showed us where Bolivia's richest residents live in a chic compound
reminiscent of the OC set. "These people grew rich by corruption", he
said.
http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/travel/2006/10/the_best_little_zoo_in_bolivia_1.html

Why the Frogs Are Dying
Climate change is no longer merely a matter of numbers from a
computer model. With startling swiftness, it is reordering the
natural world.
Draped like a verdant shawl over Costa Rica's Tilarán Mountains, the
Monteverde cloud forest has long been a nature lover's idyll. Hidden
birds flirt to the whisper of rushing streams and epiphytes tumble
from the mist, while delicate flowers bloom impossibly from the
jungle's maw. With luck you might even catch the iridescent flash of
the resplendent quetzal, the elegant symbol of the Central American
rain forest.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15176444/site/newsweek/

Mountainside man travels to Pakistan to rescue leopard cub
Patrick Thomas has been the curator of mammals at the Bronx Zoo for
27 years, but recently embarked on the adventure of his life to
rescue a snow leopard cub.
The behind-the-scenes beginning of his adventure took place last year
in Pakistan, when a shepherd found two abandoned snow leopard cubs
estimated to be 2 months old.
The snow leopards, an endangered species, were turned over to the
Pakistani government. Unfortunately, one of the cubs died soon after
being found, and the Pakistani government wanted to give the second
leopard cub its best chance for survival.
"We received a call saying that the Pakistani government had a 13-
month-old snow leopard cub," said Thomas. "He was getting too old for
them to handle safely and asked if we could go get the animal and
bring it back to the Bronx Zoo until they could build a suitable
facility to house it."
The United Stated Fish and Wildlife
http://www.localsource.com/articles/2006/10/06/the_observer/news/local/doc451acb9526be5825840771.txt

Fury over Di mementos removed for royal zoo tour
A ROW erupted after it emerged that mementos of Princess Diana were
removed from Chester Zoo before a visit by the Duke of Kent.
Two items - a portrait and a commemorative plaque - were taken down
before the guided tour.
Royal officials denied they asked the zoo to remove the items du
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/224/224985_fury_over_di_mementos_removed_for_royal_zoo_tour.html

Singapore Zoo introduces enrichment courses for animals
Enrichment courses take on a new dimension - this time, animals at
the Singapore Zoo undergo enrichment activities.
Find out more about how the Zoo designs its enrichment programs for
animals in Business Ideas this week with me, Melanie Yip.
Just like humans who sign up for enrichment courses to improve their
psychological and physical well-being, animals too need that tender
loving care from their keepers.
It's especially important for animals held in captivity. Living in
environments different from their natural habitats, the Singapore Zoo
embarked on innovative methods to bring nature back to the animals'
living quarters.
Mr Kumar Pillai is Assistant Director of Zoology at the Night Safari,
and he tells me more about how animals can benefit from enrichment
activities.
http://www.rsi.sg/english/businessideas/view/20061006232554/1/.html

Another fine mesh
THE open-air aviary at Sydney's new boutique zoo has raised fears
about the noise impact on birds - with the State Government even
considering demanding a soundproof blanket is used to protect them.
Two weeks after opening, the aviary of Sydney Wildlife World remains
empty, with zoo management saying extra health checks have been
needed on birds before they can be released into the mesh-roof
enclosure.
But the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20524204-5006009,00.html

Elephants' charm drew her to job at zoo
Martina Stevens, 27, is the Houston Zoo's elephant manager. A
graduate of Western Michigan University, where she majored in biology
and minored in chemistry, she is an animal lover who owns three dogs
and a bunch of frogs. She has worked
at the zoo for four-and-a-half years, always with elephants. Since
the arrival of the zoo's new elephant calf Oct. 1, Stevens has been
one of the keepers watching over the delicate bonding process between
Shanti, a 15-year-old Asian elephant, and the calf.
Between her late-night shift and heading home for some much-needed
sleep, Stevens sat down to talk with Chronicle reporter Salatheia
Bryant about her job.
Q: Martina, how did you get into elephant care?
A: In college, I
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4243485.html

Elephant kills British honeymooner in Kenya
An elephant trampled and killed a British man on his honeymoon in
Kenya, officials said Monday.
Patrick Smith, 34, was killed in front of his wife, Julie, in the
Masai Mara National Reserve on Sunday, officials said. His wife
managed to leap out of the way.
"He was trampled by an elephant while on a nature trail with his
wife," said Connie Maina, spokeswoman for the Kenya Wildlife
Service. "This is a terrible accident.''
The couple had been married for just a week, Maina added.
They had arrived in Kenya for
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1159783988123&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News

Couple rescue baboons from firing squad
A triumphant couple who run an animal sanctuary are celebrating today
after successfully saving a group of baboons from the firing squad.
The Welsh sanctuary and a local vet teamed up this summer in a bid to
save five adult baboons languishing in a former Portuguese zoo.
Time was running out for the primates after the authorities imposed a
deadline: re-house them or they will be put to death.
Now after flying in from Portugal they are finally settling into a
new life at the Cefn-yr-Erw Primate Rescue Centre, at Abercrave, in
the
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_headline=couple-rescue-baboons-from-firing-squad%26method=full%26objectid=17889744%26siteid=50082-name_page.html

Call of the wild: reserve reopens
A far north Queensland zoo reopened its doors today after years of
turmoil, a number of animal escapes and a change of ownership.
The Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve, formally the Mareeba Wild Animal
Park, was officially opened by Mareeba Shire Mayor Mick Borzi in a
small ceremony that included a number of local dignitaries.
Cr Borzi complimented new owners Udo and Jenny Jattke for the speed
at which the new park had been reopened and thanked them for the
investment they had made in the Mareeba Shire.
"I want to compliment Udo, Jenny and their staff, because what
they've achieved in the past 8 or 9 weeks is nothing short of
amazing," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/farnorth/stories/s1751710.htm?backyard

NEW TWIST IN CAR PARK SAGA
ZOO boss David Gill looks set to win his fight over a controversial
car park.
Barrow Borough Council planning officers are recommending a U-turn on
the authority's attitude to an area Mr Gill asphalted without
permission.
On March 21 the planning committee refused a retrospective planning
application for the car park, saying it would spoil the countryside.
Councillors also agreed to take legal action against South Lakes Wild
Animal Park because the work was started without permission.
But Mr Gill vowed the
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=421246

Raging bulls: Endangered & dangerous
Why would a five-ton elephant kill a British tourist? And why are
such attacks increasing?
The bull elephant is staring at us. Five and a half tons of murderous
animal, with stubby yellow tusks and beady eyes, pushing against the
metal fence between us with his chest as if to heave it over. His
trunk is high in the air, swaying like a snake.
"Watch out for the ears," says Dave, his keeper, very quietly. "If
they go out wide he is really angry." What if there were no
fence? "He would kill me. He would make no bones about it."
Jums the bull is the same size as the one that trampled an English
tourist in Kenya a week ago. Patrick Smith, a 34-year-old from
Purley, was on a safari honeymoon when huge flat feet like the ones
that are being lifted and set down again slowly in front of us
crushed the life out of him.
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article1819647.ece 1Oct2006

Zoo inmates enjoy changing weather
WHILE THE citizens are facing the mosquito induced fatal diseases in
the city, the zoo inmates are enjoying the transitory season. For them
the season is a `healthy one' and they relish it very much.
The zoo veterinary doctor UC Srivastava told Hindustan Times that the
existing weather conditions were very congenial to the zoo inmates. The
weather was disease free for the animals. Very seldom, the inmates fell
sick or suffered from stomach disorders during this season.
He said, "Though it is the breeding season for several kinds of
mosquitoes and other insects, which thrive amidst filth. But since at zoo
we take extra precautions to keep it neat and clean the scope of healthy
breeding of non-friendly insects dies out. We do not allow the night soil
to remain in the enclosures. It is the duty of the enclosure
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_1810270,0015002500030000.htm

New Atlanta panda cub a healthy female
The baby panda born earlier this month at Zoo Atlanta is a girl.
In a statement posted Monday on the zoo's Web site, officials said the
female cub appears to be healthy.
Zoo staff members had removed the tiny cub from its birthing den for
the first time on Monday, 19 days after panda Lun Lun gave birth, and
determined its gender during a 10-minute checkup.
With Lun Lun in an adjacent den, zoo veterinarian Maria Crane gently
lifted the baby and began the examination. Because the newborn is so
small and Lun Lun often held it close to her body, zoo officials have not
known until now whether the newborn was male or female.
Crane also weighed the cub, listened to her heart and checked her
pulse. She weighed nearly 1 1/2 pounds and was a little more than 12
inches long.
The 9-year-old Lun Lun gave birth September 6 after a 35-hour labor.
It's the fifth giant panda born at a U.S. zoo in the last six
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/09/25/panda.cub.ap/index.html

Tigers face extinction, experts warn
Inaction by India, China worsening problem, environmentalists say
The tiger population of India will vanish within a handful of years, and
governments in India and China have not done enough to stem the rapid
decline, environmentalists warned today.
Markets for tiger skins and other pelts are flourishing in Chinese-
controlled Tibet a year after they were first exposed, said
representatives of two environmental agencies who secretly filmed the
trade there.
Pictures taken in Tibet and shown at a news conference today featured
dozens of tiger and leopard skins openly on sale, while in others,
Chinese police officers laugh and pose with people wearing illegal
costumes made of tiger skins.
The groups — the Wildlife Protection Society of India and the
international Environmental Investigation Agency, a nonprofit British-
based group — laid the blame at the hands of the Indian and Chinese
governments for failing to stop the trade.
"In China the police have decided to turn a blind eye to the slaughter of
tigers in India," said Belinda Wright, the director of the Wildlife
Protection Society of India.
India, meanwhile, has not put together an effective force to combat
poaching after 12 years of talking
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1159353727931&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News

Zoo Paradise World hits foundation's croc feeding
THE management and staff of Zoo Paradise World in Zamboanguita,
Negros Oriental denied any responsibility for the televised report
showing the feeding of live animals to their crocodiles in the zoo.
Sr. Dominga Responso, manager of the Zoo Paradise World of the late
Fr. Eleuterio Tropa's Spaceship 2000 E.T., was referring to a
September 22 ABS-CBN TV Patrol World report accusing the zoo
management of feeding live animals
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dum/2006/09/28/news/zoo.paradise.world.hits.foundation.s.croc.feeding.html

OHSU researcher, biochemist Rasmussen dies at 67
Elephant advocate - L.E.L. "Bets" Rasmussen discovered how
pachyderms use secretions to communicate
L.E.L. "Bets" Rasmussen, an Oregon biochemist renowned for her
discoveries of how elephants chemically communicate, died Sunday in a
Seattle hospital. She was 67.
Rasmussen, a research professor with the OGI School of Science and
Engineering at OHSU, was being treated for myelodysplastic syndrome,
a bone marrow disorder. She was diagnosed with the disease in
January.
A decade ago, Rasmussen gained international attention when she
reported in the journal Nature her discovery of the sex pheromone that
female elephants secrete in their urine to let bulls know they're ready
http://www.oregonlive.com/science/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/science/115871556329530.xml&coll=7

Qalqilia Zoo protecting animals against Israeli occupation attacks
Even zoo animals are not spared Israeli occupation attacks on World
Day of Tourism. Wildlife living outside in the trees, wetlands, and lands
overtaken and attacked by Israeli forces are killed or end up with no
where to go.
However, even within the Qalqilia Zoo, which the Israeli authorities have
helped to maintain with Israeli veterinarians assisting Palestinian vets
when necessary.
The garden was opened in the mid-1980s, the era of government land
north of the town of Qalqilia, an area estimated at 30 dunums. The
animals were brought from the animal parks in Israel, which has helped
with the garden at the outset. The Department of Civil Administration of
the Israeli authorities aided until 1994. Based
http://www.aljazeerah.info/News%20archives/2006%20News%20Archives/September/27%20n/Qalqilia%20Zoo%20protecting%20animals%20against%20Israeli%20occupation%20attacks.htm

Stainton vows to make Irwin's zoo bigger
Thursday Sep 28 09:01 AEST
Australia zoo will only get bigger and better, Steve Irwin's former
manager John Stainton says.
Mr Stainton said he had discussed expansion plans with the Crocodile
Hunter's widow Terri Irwin.
He said Mrs Irwin planned to carry on Steve's legacy, including
implementing research programs for sharks, crocodile's and Hairy
nosed wombats.
""All the things he wanted to achieve in his
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=142045

24Sep2006

Scottish Green activists demand zoo and circus ban
THE chances of the Scottish Greens entering government next year have
been reduced after it emerged activists want a series of radical
measures included in the party's Holyrood manifesto.
Members have tabled motions to the party's annual conference
demanding a ban on zoos, circuses and horse whipping.
Senior activists will also risk angering the Muslim community by calling
for the stunning of all animals ready for slaughter. Others believe the
Greens should refuse to strike a deal with any party at Holyrood unless
a commitment to abandoning road-building projects is secured.
The ideas are contained in the party's draft agenda for its November
conference in Edinburgh.
Much of the gathering will focus on the Greens' approach to entering a
coalition at Holyrood, a goal which many commentators believe is within
the their grasp after next year's Scottish Parliament poll.
An internal working group is expected to unveil a menu of options for
party members to vote on.
Insiders believe the group will back the "confidence and supply" model,
which would allow the Greens to influence the political make-up of the
Scottish Executive while staying out of a formal coalition.
One motion, which was seconded by Mark Ruskell MSP, urges the
conference to prepare for the possibility of holding the balance of power
next
http://www.sundayherald.com/58121

Just tears from Terri
The widow of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin today made her first public
appearance since her husband's shock death as thousands turned out
for his memorial service at Australia Zoo.
But the occasion was still too upsetting for American-born Terri Irwin to
speak to the masses at the family's wildlife park and the hundreds of
millions of people watching on TV around the world.
Mrs Irwin was greeted by a standing ovation and rapturous applause
when she entered the zoo's Crocoseum along with her children Bindi,
eight, Bob, two, and father-in-law Bob.
Only Bob senior and the bubbly Bindi spoke, the young girl who could
one day take over from her father as a TV wildlife warrior stealing the
show with a tribute to her "hero".
But her Mum was doing it tough.
Sunglasses shielded her eyes but the tears flowed as Steve appeared
larger than life on the big video screen and his special friends, among
them movie stars, paid their respects.
She looked distraught when Australia Zoo director and Steve's close
friend Wes Mannion told of his time working for the Irwins since he was
a teenager.
Tears poured as Mannion spoke of how Irwin let him feed a big croc for
the first time and how he would "never forget his (Steve's) beaming
smile that day".
"It did not matter if I was catching crocs in northern Australia or
venomous snakes in Africa, if Steve Irwin was nearby I felt I could
achieve anything," Mannion
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/833194

Animals at Singapore Zoo benefit from enrichment programme
SINGAPORE: Elephants and orang utans are among the animals getting
a mental lift at the Singapore Zoo.
The keepers at the zoo are running a programme to help the animals
stay sharp and experience situations that they would in the wild.
Polar bears Sheba and Inuka are residents at Singapore Zoo, but life
can get a bit boring in their small enclosure, so keepers have been
feeding the bears food in blocks of ice, so that they have to use their
wits to break the ice and get at the food.
The idea of the enrichment programme is to stimulate the animals
brains.
For the orang utans, the keepers have designed a task for them to get
fruit out of a box.
The apes have to push the fruit through a tunnel to the other
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060922/5/singapore231832.html

The lion king
THE thought of shooting a majestic lion made Tim Husband sick in the
stomach.
But as he stalked the 130kg cat that had escaped from its pen at a north
Queensland wildlife park, the zookeeper was prepared to use his rifle.
"Every animal is sacred – there was no way I wanted to shoot. But if he
was going to jump the fence I would have have dropped him," Mr
Husband said.
Fortunately the stand-off ended happily for Mr Husband and Goldie, the
mature male lion that had squeezed through a hole in his enclosure at
the Out of Africa Lion and Animal Reserve, near Mareeba.
Staff, locals and the media hailed the head curator a hero after he
boldly confronted Goldie nine days ago, coaxing the lion back through a
hole that had been accidentally gouged open by a steel-bladed
brushcutter.
After barricading about 30 staff in the park's restaurant, Mr Husband
relied on his wits and a pocketful of rocks to capture the rogue lion.
He yelled at the big cat and threw rocks to herd Goldie back into the
enclosure.
"You've got to keep the pressure on and be the dominant animal," Mr
Husband said.
"I knew it was dangerous but that's the job. I'm not a hero. All that talk
was a bit embarrassing, actually
http://www.news.com.au/sundaymail/story/0,23739,20457474-3102,00.html

Coup delays apes' trip home
Orangutans' flight to Indonesia suspended
The return to Indonesia of dozens of endangered orangutans currently
in Thailand has been indefinitely delayed by the coup in Bangkok, Thai
and Indonesian forestry officials said yesterday.
Forty-eight of the 53 smuggled primates were due to be repatriated
tomorrow via military aircraft, but the plans have been suspended after
Tuesday's coup, said the Indonesian Forestry Ministry's director of
conservation, Adi Susmianto.
''There is no reason except the uncertainty of the political situation in
Thailand,'' Mr Susmianto said.
''The temporary government in Thailand has frozen [operations of] the
cabinet so there is no person in charge to continue our planning for the
repatriation of the orangutans,'' he said.
He said the coup leaders had suspended operations at the military base
in Bangkok so the Hercules transport plane that was supposed to take
the orangutans home tomorrow could not be used.
''We hope that after everything in Thailand is okay politically, then we
will continue with the repatriation,'' Mr Susmianto
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/22Sep2006_news96.php

WB centre takes up vulture conservation
Alarmed by the dwindling vulture population, West Bengal has recently
set up a breeding and conservation centre.
The Jalpaiguri Centre where the birds will be bred in captivity is being
touted as the second largest project after Pinjore in northern
http://www.ndtv.com/environment/wildlife.asp?id=92951&callid=1

Panda bites man, man bites him back
A drunken Chinese migrant worker jumped into a panda enclosure at
the Beijing Zoo, was bitten by the bear and retaliated by chomping
down on the animal's back, state media said Wednesday.
Zhang Xinyan, from the central province of Henan, drank four jugs of
beer at a restaurant near the zoo before visiting Gu Gu the panda on
Tuesday, the Beijing Morning Post said.
"He felt a sudden urge to touch the panda with his hand," and jumped
into the enclosure, the newspaper said.
The panda, who was asleep, was startled and bit Zhang, 35, on the
right leg, it said. Zhang got angry and kicked the panda, who then bit his
other leg. A tussle ensued, the paper said.
"I bit the fellow in the back," Zhang was quoted as saying in the
newspaper. "Its skin was quite thick."
Other tourists yelled
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060920/ap_on_re_as/china_man_bites_panda

City's zoo feud
SYDNEY'S two biggest animal attractions are at war, with Taronga Zoo
claiming it needs a $2 million taxpayer-funded bailout because of the
expansion of Sydney Aquarium.
But the aquarium says the zoo simply can't stand the competition from
its new animal displays, which are aimed at giving tourists a one-stop
encounter with a marsupial after they enjoy seeing our ocean creatures.
With Sydney Wildlife World opening its doors to the public in Darling
Harbour this Thursday, Taronga Foundation governor Bradley Trevor
Greive said Sydney could not support two zoos.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20433973-5006009,00.html

Exotic beasts at large in Britain
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18092006/344/exotic-beasts-large-britain.html

Anonymous $1 million donation given to zoo
If the Peoria Zoological Society receives four more gifts equal to the one
it announced Thursday, its fundraising campaign for expansion plans at
the Glen Oak Zoo will be over.
An anonymous donor gave $1 million to the society's capital campaign,
bringing the total amount raised to $21.3 million of the $25 million it
needs to expand. The donation came from an unnamed area family.
"We were so excited we broke into the gibbon dance," said
Jan Schweitzer, director
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/092206/TRI_BB1DS6MO.005.shtml

Turtle Conservation Centre In Penang Open To Public Soon
The Pantai Keracut Turtle Conservation Centre (TNPP) will be opened to
the public in a month or two.
State Tourism Development and Environment Committee chairman
Teng Chang Yeow said visitors would get to see two turtle species, the
Chelonia mydas and the Lepidoshelys, which landed and laid eggs on
Pantai Keracut, Teluk Ketapang and Teluk Kampi located within the
TNPP.
Speaking to reporters after a visit to the turtle landing
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/state_news/news.php?
id=219453&cat=nt

ZOO MISSES OUT ON 25M GRANT
Bristol Zoo has been refused a £25 million lottery grant for its planned
National Wildlife Conservation Park at Cribbs Causeway.
The money would have met half the cost of setting up the eco-zoo,
which is due to open in five years' time.
Samantha Mant, head of development for the project, said the decision
by the Big Lottery Fund was a blow.
But the zoo has vowed it will not hold up the proposals for the
conservation visitor attraction - and has been told it may still be able to
win a grant from another lottery fund.
Ms Mant said: "Obviously, we are disappointed after being invited to bid
for the Living Landmark cash not to have received it. But it will not make
as much difference as you might expect.
"We had not originally counted on this money so we will simply go back
to our original fund-raising strategy."
Rachael Quilton, a spokeswoman for the Big Lottery Fund, said: "It was
a really competitive programme. There were 346 applications for 23
awards.
"But there is no reason why the zoo can't apply for other funding to
other lottery distributors."
Ms Mant said that
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=15498370&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

ZOO SADDENED AT GORILLA DEATH
A silverback gorilla that was one of Twycross Zoo's most enduring
attractions for the past 30 years has died.
Mamfe moved to Twycross when he was three and became the founder
member of the zoo's first group of breeding gorillas.
He fathered three young - Asante, Mambie and Ozala - and bosses at
the zoo said he was an exceptionally patient parent.
Mamfe was born at Jersey Zoo on September 11, 1973, the son of
Jambo, who famously saved a small boy who fell into the gorilla
enclosure there.
At Twycross, he became known for his cheeky attitude to the public and
would bang on the glass of his enclosure, which he shared with three
females, to show visitors his authority.
He died in his sleep at Twycross on Wednesday. His death was
unexpected
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=132935&command=displayContent&sourceNode=132702&contentPK=15496427&folderPk=77465&pNodeId=13239

Ê

17Sep2006

Tiny, innumerable, threatened (read the last paragraph first!! then click
on the link and read the full story)
Antarctica has deservedly been called the last great wilderness on
Earth, home of not only majestic icy vistas but a unique animal kingdom
all its own - a kingdom whose food chain rests primarily on a tiny ocean
creature now facing a threat that could ripple all the way through
penguins, seals, whales and on up to humans.
Only prompt and strong action by the international body responsible for
Antarctic species can avert the danger.
The frigid but biologically rich Southern Ocean harbors not only large
marine mammals but also is home to the Antarctic krill. And while this
shrimp- like creature may only grow to the weight of a paper clip, krill
make up for their small stature with sheer numbers, sometimes
covering kilometers, with as many as 30,000 krill per cubic meter.
Antarctic krill serve as the "bread and butter" for hundreds of species.
For many marine mammals and seabirds, from the blue whale to the
albatross, krill are by far the most important food in their diet.
The highest krill concentrations also tend to be within easy reach of
land-based breeding colonies of birds and mammals, such as penguins
and seals, providing accessible food for adults and their offspring born
during the Antarctic summer.
New research has found that these amazing little critters are also allies
in combating global warming. In daylight, they feed on phytoplankton
near the ocean surface.
When darkness falls they sink down, sending waste - which includes
large amounts of carbon dioxide from the Earth's atmosphere - toward
the sea floor and thereby removing the equivalent annual carbon dioxide
emissions of 35 million cars.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/09/15/opinion/edcurtis.php

Lions dying in Indian zoo after failed experiment
Twenty-one lions are dying in a zoo in north India after a cross-
breeding experiment to boost the park's attractions went disastrously
wrong.
In the 1980s officials at the Chhatbir Zoo in the northern city of
Chandigarh, bred captive Asiatic lions with a pair of African circus
animals, resulting in a hybrid species.
Within a few years it became obvious it had not worked.
The offspring found it hard to walk, let alone run, because their hind
legs were weak. And by the mid 1990s the big cats -- which live for up
to 20 years in captivity -- showed symptoms of failing immune systems.
But it wasn't until 2000 that the breeding program was ended, and the
male lions given vasectomies, by which time the zoo had 70 to 80 such
lions.
Their number dwindled slowly, with disease killing some and some
dying of wounds inflicted by other lions.
Authorities say they are waiting for the population
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-09-17T073001Z_01_DEL339433_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-INDIA-LIONS.xml&archived=False

Stingrays mutilated after `Croc Hunter' death
Late TV host's animal charity `disgusted and disappointed' after rays
killed
At least 10 stingrays have been slain since "Crocodile Hunter" Steve
Irwin was killed by one of the fish, an official said Tuesday, prompting a
spokesman for the late TV star's animal charity to urge people not take
revenge on the animals.
Irwin died last week when a stingray barb pierced his chest as he
recorded a show off the Great Barrier Reef.
Slain stingrays since have been discovered on two beaches in
Queensland state on Australia's eastern coast. Two were discovered
Tuesday with their tails lopped off, state
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14795639/

Employee Performance Management: What's Gnu at the Zoo
The San Diego Zoological Society, which employs 2,600 people, this
year introduced an employee performance management system whose
ratings will determine managers' pay raises. It's part of an emphasis on
employee accountability outlined in the organization's strategic plan.
For years, employee performance evaluations were a low priority at the
Zoological Society of San Diego, with no uniform metrics and no
consequences for ignoring appraisal paperwork sent by the human
resources department.
Different versions of the one-page form were used. Managers didn't
judge subordinates on goals, but on a nebulous sense of how they were
doing. Some employees hadn't been reviewed in years—a few of them
had waited decades.
"It wasn't taken seriously, and it didn't hold any credence because there
was not a pay-for-performance system here," says Tim Mulligan,
director of human resources for the not-for-profit Zoological Society,
which operates the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal
Park and the Conservation and Research for Endangered Species
scientific center. Managers received annual raises, which were
essentially cost-of-living increases not linked to their performance,
Mulligan says. "HR would send out a form, say, `This review is due,' but
then would never follow up to see that it was turned in."
That is changing. The Zoological Society, which employs 2,600 people,
this year introduced an employee performance management system
whose ratings will determine managers' pay raises. It's part of an
emphasis on employee accountability outlined in the organization's
strategic plan, which was being finalized when the nonprofit
organization hired Mulligan two years ago.
Like an increasing number of organizations, the Zoological Society,
whose revenues in 2005 reached $176
http://www.workforce.com/section/09/feature/24/50/31/index.html

Memorial service planned at Crocodile Hunter's zoo
A public memorial service for "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin will be held
at Australia Zoo next Wednesday, the ABC reports.
Mr Irwin died last week when a stingray barb struck him in the chest
while diving off Far North Queensland.
In a written statement, Mr Irwin's widow, Terri, says it is her wish that
the ceremony be held in the zoo's crocodile arena, because that is
where her husband would have wanted it to be.
Tickets will be available by donation to the nature charity Wildlife
Warriors, but there will only be room for 5,500 people.
Ms Irwin says she would
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200609132151/memorial_service_planned_at_crocodile_hunters_zoo

Vilas Zoo at forefront in saving frogs
New exhibit displays, protects
The bodies lay motionless over the forest floor. It was unlike any
murder case researchers had ever seen before.
The victims fit no single profile. They were from different parts of the
world and were even different species. Their only major link is that they
are all victims of a worldwide murder case 20 years in the making. The
suspected killers are habitat destruction and disease caused
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=98507&ntpid=6

Steve Irwin Privately Buried At His Australia Zoo
'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin was buried at a private funeral service at
his Australia Zoo on Saturday (10.09.06).
The wildlife expert - who was killed last Monday (04.09.06), aged 44, by
a stingray - was laid to rest in a campfire service attended by friends
and family who shared their favourite stories of his life.
Steve's father, Bob Irwin, said: "It was what he would have wanted and
it put some final closure to his life."
Wes Mannion, director of the Australia Zoo, paid tribute to Steve, who
he described as a "100 miles per
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/entertainment/tittletattle/article_21238798.shtml

Zoo closes after 38 years
IT was the of an era on Sunday as Wellplace Zoo closed after 38 years.
Owners Pip and Hazel Horton have retired after almost four decades
running the zoo at Ipsden, near Wallingford, and hundreds turned up
over the weekend for a final look.
Although the animals will go to new homes, Mr and Mrs Holton will
continue to live in the house in the grounds, which were once a farm
before being developed into a zoo in the heart of the south Oxfordshire
countryside.
Mrs Holton, 69, said she and her husband were very sorry to be leaving
the business.
"We want to say a big thank you to the people who have visited us over
the past 38 years," she said. "Our aim when
http://www.didcotherald.net/display.var.915722.0.zoo_closes_after_38_years.php

Small Ozarks zoo big player in breeding endangered elephants
A small Missouri zoo is playing a national role in saving one of the
planet's biggest animals.
Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo, recognized by experts for pioneering
work in breeding Asian elephants, celebrated its latest success by
unveiling a name Tuesday for its first baby elephant since 1999.
The 320-pound female calf will be known as Nisha (pronounced NEESH-
ah), an Indian word for "night," a reference to her birth at 1:35 a.m. on
July 18, the zoo announced after a public competition to pick a name.
The zoo, with just over 200,000 visitors a year, is not nearly as big as
the San Diego or Bronx zoos. But the Springfield zoo's small staff of four
to five elephant keepers plays a key role in a wider race to halt a
decline in captive Asian elephant numbers when wild elephants are also
endangered.
Mike Keele, chairman of the Asian and African
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/15501945.htm

Polar bears drown, islands appear in Arctic thaw
Polar bears are drowning and receding Arctic glaciers have uncovered
previously unknown islands in a drastic 2006 summer thaw widely
blamed on global warming.
Signs of wrenching changes are apparent around the Arctic region due
to unusual warmth -- the summer minimum for ice is usually reached
between mid-September and early October before the Arctic freeze
extends its grip.
"We know about three new islands this year that have been uncovered
because the glaciers have retreated," said Rune Bergstrom,
environmental adviser to the governor of Svalbard, a Norwegian
archipelago about 1,000 km (600 miles) from the North Pole.
The largest is about 300 by 100 meters, he told Reuters.
On a trip this summer "We saw a
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060915/sc_nm/enviroment_arctic_dc

Gorillas bound for Cameroon
The four Taiping Zoo gorillas that were smuggled into Malaysia four
years ago and later relocated to South Africa, will now be heading back
to their home country of Cameroon.
The Cameroon authorities had started a relentless campaign to have
the African great apes, aged five to seven years old, returned to them.
The gorillas are now at the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria,
South Africa.
The Malaysian authorities, which confiscated the animals, had decided
to deliver them to South Africa in 2004 while Cameroon made a bid for
the apes.
Early this month, it was reported that South Africa was informed by the
Malaysian Government of the decision to relocate the four gorillas to the
Limbe Wildlife Sanctuary in Cameroon.
"Malaysia as the confiscating authority has the jurisdiction in this regard.
"They have initially okayed South Africa and I have no idea why they
changed their minds," Willie Labuschagne, the executive director of
South Africa's National Zoo, was quoted as saying in the report.
However, it is unclear when the
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/16/nation/15397585&sec=nation

Pizza Hut to serve up $10,000 Zoo donation
Pizza Hut said Friday that it plans to present the St. Louis Zoo with a
$10,000 donation, which it raised through a two-month community
initiative.
The check presentation is scheduled for Sept. 23 at 11 a.m. at the
South Gate Entrance to the Zoo, One Government Drive. The money is
to help celebrate the annual fall festival
http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2006/09/11/daily64.html

Is Taronga an endangered species?
When the Premier, Morris Iemma, opens Sydney's newest tourist
attraction next week, a handful of official guests will be smiling through
clenched teeth. Managers of Taronga Zoo have been invited to Darling
Harbour to celebrate the opening of Sydney Wildlife World, but it's a day
they've been dreading for years.
Compared to Taronga's 28 hectares, Wildlife World is a pocket zoo in
which a single cassowary is the only creature weighing much more than
10 kilograms. Devoid of the big animals, the tigers and lions that
storybook zoos are filled with, the new place hardly seems a threat to
anyone, but that's not the way Taronga sees it.
Documents obtained from a freedom-of-information request show
Taronga expects the new zoo to start chomping into its revenue from
the day it opens.
It's the location of Wildlife World that has Taronga worried. It's plonked
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/09/15/1157827160838.html

Kauffman gives $1.75M to zoo, art institute
The Kansas City Zoo will receive a $1 million grant to support its $35
million fund-raising campaign. The zoo is raising money to build a more
convenient entrance, create a penguin exhibit, expand the children's
area, enlarge the tropical forest and build an up-close giraffe feeding
area.
http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2006/09/11/daily29.html?surround=lfn

Dalton Zoo Boss Told To Stop Animal Escapes
Zoo boss David Gill has been told to contain his animals or face
disciplinary action after two escapes last month.
At a meeting on Thursday, Barrow Borough Council's licensing
committee warned Mr Gill he has three months to review the design of
the enclosures and perimeter fence at South Lakes Animal Park
to `deter future escapes'.
Gary Ormondroyd, the chief environmental health officer, told the
council he had received a significant number of complaints from the
public and the issue could not be ignored.
He said: "We are coming under considerable pressure to be seen to be
taking action regarding escapes, even if, as Mr Gill says, they are
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=412968

Anheuser-Busch party closes St. Louis Zoo for a day
The St. Louis Zoo, usually closed just two days a year, agreed to shut
its gates to all but select visitors this Sunday in an unprecedented
revenue-raising move.
For a fee neither side would disclose, Anheuser-Busch Cos. confirmed it
rented the zoo for the entire day for its annual "Family Day" company
party. Thousands of people are expected to attend.
The zoo has never before closed for a private party, although it shut the
gates on a Friday in June 2005 for a private, black-tie fundraiser that
raised $600,000.
Sunday's event is expected to net the zoo somewhere between that
amount and the $80,000 it would be forgoing in revenue from a typical
Sunday in September, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
The zoo is one of five St. Louis institutions that receive funding through
a special property tax district established in 1971. The zoo got about
$19
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/15536351.htm

Ê

3Sep2006

Aging Milwaukee Zoo elephant put down
Lucy, the Milwaukee Zoo's beloved 46-year-old African elephant, was
put down Friday after she could no longer manage to stand up.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Saturday said the elephant, a long-time
fixture at the zoo, was euthanized in keeping with a plan formulated in
the weeks since the beloved pachyderm fell and was unable to right
herself in the elephant yard on June 16.
Early Friday, the 9,000-pound Lucy was down for the third time in
recent months, a bad sign, and zoo officials sadly realized that her time
had come.
Lucy was believed to be the fourth-oldest African
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060902-012544-7388r

Zoo Employee Fired Amid Animal Abuse Allegations
El Paso city officials were informed Thursday that El Paso Zoo's
collections supervisor, Allan Seidon, was fired for allegedly failing to
follow animal handling policies and procedures.
An anonymous source at City Hall told KFOX a city investigation found
the incident happened on Aug.1 and was reported by a zoo volunteer.
The report found that Seidon made a request of Juno and she was not
cooperative. He allegedly struck her with a wooden stick and broke it on
her. No details were available on where Juno was hit or how many
times.
"They are in a situation where they are totally at the mercy of the
people who are in control of them," Marilie Sage, a local animal rights
activist, said.
Sage said it's reprehensible that this is the second abuse allegation at
the zoo in fewer than seven years, and the second involving Seidon.
Sources told
http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/9780449/detail.html

Zoo plans glass enclosure for gorilla
Zoo officials plan to build a glass-walled enclosure to display Little Joe, a
gorilla who escaped three years ago and mauled a 2-year-old girl.
The new enclosure, with a mesh cap of woven steel and triple-layer
glass walls, is part of $2.3 million renovation of the exhibition space
inside the Franklin Park Zoo's Tropical Forest building.
The renovation will display all seven of the
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Gorilla_Returns.html

Trouble at wild-animal parks? Study cites lax US regulations for private
exhibitors.
The grainy picture, taken at a private wild-animal park, shows a girl
reaching out to pet, or grab, the tail of a full-grown leopard. How will
the leopard react?
As the debate over private ownership of exotic pets intensifies in the
US, attention is also beginning to fall on private wildlife exhibits that
display "big cats" like lions, tigers, and leopards.
Licensed by the US government, these parks are required to
put "significant barriers" between visitors and big cats. But there's
enough gray area in the law so that some facilities permit close contact
with the animals, including touching them - sometimes with tragic
results.
In the year since 17-year-old Haley Hilderbrand was fatally mauled
while posing for her senior photo with a leashed tiger at a Kansas wild-
animal park, pressure has grown at federal and state levels to explicitly
ban public contact with big cats at facilities that are licensed and
regulated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In April, Kansas became the first state to ban direct contact between
humans and potentially dangerous animals at wildlife exhibits. It also
joined 21 states that prohibit private ownership of certain big cats.
Last month, Rep. Jim Ryun (R) of Kansas introduced legislation in
Congress to beef up the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which governs
animal safety at USDA-regulated facilities. His bill would prohibit direct
contact between big cats and the public and require the USDA to write
public-safety regulations for exhibitor licensees.
Activists say AWA rules are too weak to ensure that the animals are
securely kept and well maintained - or to protect humans from the
animals on display. "We're not even that critical of the USDA because it
doesn't really have the authority it needs to deal with the public-safety
problem," says Greg Wetstone of International Fund for Animal Welfare
(IFAW), a Yarmouth Port, Mass., animal rights group.
About 5,000 lions, tigers, and other big cats are kept by nearly 700
USDA big-cat licensees in the United States. Someone seeking a license
to exhibit tigers is subject to requirements similar to those for someone
seeking a goat license, IFAW reported last week, after a year-long
investigation of such facilities.
As a result, in states where private
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0831/p02s01-usgn.html

Lion falls sick, zoo in pain
LUCKNOW Zoo is sad nowadays. The reason is 18-year-old lion Ramu
who isn't well these days. He may die any moment.
And that's the cause of agony among zoo caretakers. Ramu's end is not
just a lion on the deathbead, but the end of an emotional bonding with
his caretakers. His pranks always drew vistors' attention.
Mubarak Ali, Ramu's cartaker, says, "I have been looking after him since
the time he came to the zoo. Now that he is not well I am not being
able to live in peace.
He is like a family member to me. I feed him with my own hands. I visit
him at night just to see if he is doing fine." Mubarak cannot eat when
Ramy doen't have a bite. "He is more like my child," he says. Similarly,
a sweeper Chotte Lal says, "We are very attached to all the animals. In
fact, we develop a mother-like
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_1781928,0015002500010002.htm

Ban would hurt zoo, chief says
The director of the Fort Worth Zoo has taken a stand on horse
slaughter -- opposing a bill that would outlaw the industry that provides
meat for its big cats, vultures and alligators. Substitutes would be less
nutritional and more
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/15405796.htm

Zoo chief opposes measure outlawing slaughter of horses
In an unusual move, the director of the Fort Worth Zoo has taken a
stand on horse slaughter, stating his opposition to a congressional bill
that would outlaw the industry that provides inspected meat for the
zoo's collection of big cats, vultures and alligators.
"Like other zoos, the Fort Worth Zoo uses horse meat as our carnivores'
primary source of protein due to its leanness," Michael Fouraker wrote
former U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm, now a lobbyist for Fort Worth-
based Beltex and the country's two other horse plants, located in
Kaufman and DeKalb, Ill.
"If forced to employ a substitute product, the zoo would have to
increase its annual expenses by $18,000, so it is both nutritionally and
economically beneficial for the zoo to use horse meat rather than any
other beef product," said the Aug. 18 letter, released to the news media
as part of the effort to defeat the House bill, which comes up for a vote
Sept. 7.
Bills to outlaw horse slaughter were blocked
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/15405418.htm

Elephant goes berserk, zoo shut
AN ELEPHANT at Kamla Nehru Zoo, which went berserk this morning
and threw off its Mahout injuring him severely, broke open the shed
where he was locked at about 7.30 pm and started wandering around
its open paddock, trumpeting loudly.
The elephant, Moti, had to be given three tranquiliser shots to calm him
down, but he seemed unaffected and went about eating grass.
After Moti broke the shed, the zoo authorities called in Forest
Department officials for help. The district administration and police also
came in for support.
The first two tranquiliser shots were fired from the top of the shed,
which Moti had broken. Later, the shooter climbed down and fired at
Moti from a hole in the boundary wall. All the three tranquiliser could be
seen embedded in Moti's body.
District administration officials including Collector Vivek Aggrawal, IMC
Commissioner Vinod Sharma, Additional SPs Rajesh Hingankar and
Dharmendra Chaudhary and Forest Department officials stood atop the
shed to monitor Moti's condition.
Collector Vivek Aggrawal said that 12 cc
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/5922_1781237,0015002100020000.htm

More Than $3.5 Million In Conservation Grants Go To 54 Countries To
Help Conserve The World's Imperiled Wildlife
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will award more than $3.5 million in
international conservation grants to 54 countries to help conserve
imperiled wildlife throughout the world, Interior Secretary Dirk
Kempthorne announced today.
Matching funds and in-kind contributions from nearly 100 partners,
including American and international not-for-profit organizations and
foreign governments, will raise the total to nearly $9 million.
"Partnership is the key to addressing the serious and persistent threats
faced by hundreds of species of wildlife throughout the world, just as it
is the key to conservation here at home," Kempthorne said. "These
grants, coupled with the contributions of our partners, will make a huge
difference in conserving habitat and reducing the threats of species
around the globe." Near the top of the list are grants of nearly $2 million
under the Great Ape Conservation Fund, with matching funds of more
than $2.3 from 20 partners, that will promote the conservation of
chimpanzees and gorillas in Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo,
Gabon and Rwanda, and gibbons in Vietnam and Bangladesh, and
orangutans in Sumatra and Indonesia.
"People and wildlife compete for the same living space," said Service
Director Dale Hall. "The challenge for us is to identify ways to
accommodate the needs of people as well as the needs of wildlife."
Grant support for Cameroon, the Congo, Gabon and Rwanda will help
improve law enforcement designed to protect gorillas, aid in research,
and promote a system to reintroduce gorillas to their natural habitat in
the Congo and Rwanda.
Gorillas remain severely endangered throughout all of their range and
have suffered from intense poaching, a loss of habitat and catastrophic
disease outbreaks.
Under the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund, the Service is
awarding grants to promote a program in Malaysia
http://communitydis patch.com/ artman/publish/ article_6280. shtml

Surabaya zoo suffers from Rp2 bln dificit annually
The Surabaya zoo suffers a deficit of Rp2 billion to Rp3 billion annually,
its director said.
"Every month our deficit is Rp200 million. Our targeted income is Rp11
billion annually, but the realization is Rp8 billion," Soetojo
Soekomihardjo said here on Thursday.
The zoo celebrated its 90th anniversary on Wednesday
http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=19256

Zoo owner takes on dinosaurs
The Dinosaur Adventure Park has been bought by the owners of
Banham Zoo for an undisclosed sum.
After negotiations between Anglian Leisure and Goymour Properties,
both the dinosaur park, near Lenwade, and Weston Park Golf Club, near
Norwich, will be taken over by October.
The company already owns Banham Zoo and the Africa Alive! Wildlife
Park at Kessingland, Lowestoft.
Both the park and the golf club were bought by Anglian Leisure after the
death of Roy Benton in 1996.
He created the park in a wooded area of the Wensum Valley to the west
of Norwich.
Martin Goymour, managing director of Goymour Properties,
said: "Eleven years ago, when these businesses previously came on the
market, I was very interested in them.
"However, at the time I had my hands full with the then-recent purchase
of Suffolk Wildlife Park, now Africa Alive! so it was
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/content/News/story.aspx?brand=ENOnline&category=News&tBrand=enonline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED30%20Aug%202006%2014%3A30%3A49%3A970

Dalton Zoo sets new visitors record
POPULAR: Crowds have flocked to South Lakes Wild Animal Park
DALTON Zoo has enjoyed a bumper summer after the hot weather
helped trade soar up to 30 per cent.
South Lakes Wild Animal Park is reporting its best summer ever with
visitors from across the north of England and Scotland helping it smash
all previous attendance records.
People came through the gates of South Lakes Wild Animal Park in their
thousands, breaking every record set in the park's 12-year history.
Endangered species across the globe also reaped the rewards with
donations to the zoo's conservation charities at a record high.
Although the zoo is reluctant to divulge exact figures for fear of tipping
off competitors, education and marketing manager Karen Brewer said
this summer was the "best ever".
She said:
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=406294

PETA URGES IRVINE PARK ZOO TO CLOSE EXHIBIT FOLLOWING DEATH
OF BOBCAT
This morning, in the wake of a cougar's deadly attack on a bobcat at the
Irvine Park Zoo, PETA sent an urgent letter to Chippewa Falls Mayor
Daniel Hedrington and the City Council urging them to permanently close
the zoo's bobcat exhibit and to send the remaining bobcat to a
sanctuary.
The incident marks the second time that a bobcat has died at the zoo in
the past year. In May, a 3-day-old bobcat was apparently killed and
eaten by her mother after a keeper failed to recognize signs of rejection.
Forced to spend their entire lives in barren enclosures, animals in zoos
are deprived of all that is natural and important to them, including the
opportunity to run, climb, forage for food, and live in natural social
groups. Many animals go insane from the confinement and the lack of
physical exercise and mental stimulation.
"Wild cats require a tremendous amount of
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=8897

Groundbreaking Discovery Of Chimpanzee Tool-Use Reported By Cres
Scientist In Cameroon, Africa
Field scientists working in the Ebo forest of Cameroon, Central Africa
recently made a groundbreaking discovery when they witnessed
chimpanzees using stone hammers to crack open hard-shelled nuts to
extract the edible interior. Although scientists have long known that all
studied chimpanzee populations use various tools, there is significant
cultural variation in tool-use, and this socially transmitted tradition of
hammer use to crack nuts was previously believed to only exist in
populations living west of the N'Zo-Sassandra river in Ivory Coast,
hundreds of miles away from where it was recently observed.
This unique and unexpected behavior uncovered by Bethan J. Morgan,
Ph.D., from the San Diego Zoo's center for Conservation and Research
for Endangered Species (CRES), and her senior research assistant
Ekwoge E. Abwe will be reported in the August 22 issue of the scientific
journal Current Biology.
"This observation challenges the existing model of the cultural diffusion
of nut-cracking behavior by implying that it has been invented on
multiple occasions," explained Morgan. "Alternatively, if nut-cracking is
an ancient trait in the western chimpanzee populations then there have
been extinctions of the behavior in areas between the N'Zo-Sassandra
River and the Ebo forest."
According to Morgan, this observation raises many interesting questions
that deserve further research, such as why this behavior is absent in
many wild populations that have access to crackable nut species and
suitable tools. What is the rate of invention, and what causes extinction
of learned behaviors within populations?
Morgan first presented the findings in late June at the International
Primatological Society biannual conference in Uganda. According
http://www.womanmotorist.com/index.php/news/main/5490/event=view

An enriching experience-enrichment at Zoo New England
Imagine yourself in a room. The walls are stark white and, except for
very basic furnishings, it is completely empty - no games, television, or
books. Every day at the same time, someone brings you the same bland
meal. Now, while all this might be enough to nourish your body, what
about your mind?
This is what life was like for zoo animals in the 1960s.Exhibits were
unimaginative and unnatural. They were constructed of steel bars and
concrete and designed solely to allow the best view to zoogoers. In the
1970s, as more studies were conducted on wild animal behavior and
people learned more about animal care standards, there was a
movement towards building exhibits that mimicked the natural
environment of a species. In today's zoos, visitors find themselves
exploring "landscape immersion" exhibits - which are designed to make
http://www2.townonline.com/stoneham/opinion/view.bg?articleid=564610

Odesa: Leopard attacks zoo worker
On Monday a leopard in Odesa attacked a worker at the zoo in the port
city.
The man had entered the cage to feed the big cat. He is currently in a
local hospital with 30 stitches on one of his arms. Doctors say that his
life is not in danger. Officials say the man may have failed to follow
security procedures prior to feeding the leopard.
http://5tv.com.ua/eng/newsline/230/0/30084/

Signage with message of conservation
Did you know that the male Horn Bill during the breeding season has to
feed not only itself, but also the entire family? You could probably find
out why and more about this on a casual stroll in the Coimbatore Zoo.
Some of the zoo's new entrants, the peacock, parakeets, and Horn Bills
have got spanking new interpretive boards, with a little more than just
basic information about the birds.
Unlike the conventional signage boards, these would also describe the
animal's or bird's relationship with the environment and what one could
do to conserve it. "Most of the visitors to the zoo do not even have a
clear knowledge of the animals' name and their habitats, let alone
understand its relationship with the environment," says N.Ramjee,
Scientist - In - Charge, Centre for Environment Education, the
organisation that has developed the boards for the zoo.
"Each animal contributes to sustain the ecological balance. The boards
will be particularly helpful for children visiting the zoo to learn more
about rare species of birds and animals," he added.
"Interpretive boards have been provided for all animals in the zoo,
which has information on the habitat and eating habits. The new boards
will be more educative," said S. Thirukumaran, Zoo Director. The
boards have been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Coimbatore North,
as a part of their Silver Jubilee Year celebrations. N. Prakasam,
president
http://www.hindu.com/2006/08/25/stories/2006082520730200.htm

`Amazon' zoo plan denied lottery cash
A charity behind plans for a world-class animal attraction on the Clyde
has failed to secure a £250,000 lottery grant.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland hopes to build a £35m artificial
Amazonian swamp near Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire to house
examples of some of the world's endangered animals.
However, the charity yesterday confirmed it had failed to secure a grant
that would have enabled it to draw up a detailed feasibility study for the
project.
Its chief executive, David
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/69031.html

Elephant hurt at zoo
Loses part of trunk in 'freak accident'
After 20 centimetres of an elephant's trunk was torn off in a "freak
accident" at the Valley Zoo, a national animal watchdog is calling for an
end to elephant captivity in Edmonton.
"To me it's like somebody already in jail losing a hand," said Rob
Laidlaw, executive director of Zoocheck Canada.
"I would urge the zoo and the
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Edmonton/2006/08/30/1785942-sun.html

`Poison did not kill Delhi Zoo lions'
While the autopsy reports of the eight-year-old lion and two-year-old
lioness that died at Delhi Zoo here in August are still awaited from the
Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) at Bareilly, a verbal
communication from the Institute has ruled out death due to poisoning.
The zoo authorities had earlier suspected that the lions could have died
of poisoning.
http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/02/stories/2006090204560200.htm

Hyderabad zoo to get white-backed vultures
The Nehru Zoological Park here will soon become a permanent host of
white-backed vultures, an endangered species of birds whose
population has gone down drastically over the years.
The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in principle has accepted the proposal
of the wildlife authorities of the State to transfer a flock of the vultures
to the zoo and use technology to increase their numbers.
The success of the artificial insemination technique used to produce a
spotted deer by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB)
has encouraged the authorities to chalk out a proposal of this nature.
Depending on the initial success of the project, the authorities point out
that these vultures could be introduced to their natural
http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/02/stories/2006090204430200.htm

Byculla zoo still awaits recognition
While zoo officials at the Jijamata Udyan and the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC) have plans to modernise the zoo and
provide better infrastructure for the animals, the Central Zoo Authority
(CZA) remains unconvinced.
In fact, the CZA, which has stipulated stringent guidelines for zoos to
follow, is yet to recognize Byculla zoo. It was reported that the London
Society of Zoo, Bernard Harrison & Friends Ltd, along with a company
based in the US and one in Haryana had shown an interest to partner
the BMC in upgrading the zoo. The project was estimated to cost Rs130
crore and a budgetary provision of Rs25 crore had already been made
this year.
Zoo officials in the city, however, claim that they had already applied to
the CZA, which had given a one-year recognition to the Byculla Zoo that
would be up for review next year.
Speaking to DNA from Delhi, Brij Kishore Gupta, Senior Scientist, CZA,
said that although Byculla Zoo had applied for recognition, it had been
suspended. "The CZA has certain norms that zoos have to fulfil and
follow. The Byculla Zoo has not been doing the same, and hence its
recognition has been suspended," revealed Gupta. Officials from the
CZA, including CZA member secretary BR Sharma
http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1050627

Poachers kill 100 elephants in Chad-survey
The remains of 100 African elephants killed for their tusks have been
found in Chad not far from Sudan's troubled Darfur region,
conservationists said on Wednesday.
The discovery was made earlier this month by a team led by Mike Fay,
a renowned conservationist and explorer with the Bronx Zoo-based
Wildlife Conservation Society and National Geographic.
"... his team discovered five separate elephant massacre sites totaling
100 individuals during a survey made August 3-11 from their small
plane," Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said in a statement.
WCS said most of the animals had their tusks removed and more than
50 of them appeared to have
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060830/sc_nm/environment_elephants_poaching_dc_2

Proof sought of endangered leopard in wild
When Ahmet Caliskan shot a 143-pound leopard that had attacked his
neighbor in the western Turkish village of Bagozu in January 1974,
many assumed it was the last of its kind.
Conservation biologist Emre Can thinks that's not true. But he knows
time is short if Turkey's biggest cat -- listed on the World Conservation
Union's "Red List" as critically endangered -- is to be documented in the
wild.
A specialist on big carnivores, Mr. Can began hearing rumors of
Anatolian leopards -- slightly bulkier than their African cousins -- while
working on a countrywide study of the wolf population in 1998.
Since then, he says, the leopard has been driven close to extinction.
"Two wild boar kills I investigated in the Taurus Mountains in 2001
were almost certainly the work of a leopard," he said. "After that,
nothing."
But that wasn't the end of sightings. In 2003, one of Mr. Can's
colleagues photographed the pelt of a leopard a hunter had shot near
Lake Van, in Turkey's mountainous
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20060824-101025-7322r.htm

New Zookeeper Impressed Staff Before Tiger's Escape
A rookie zookeeper told a state wildlife investigator that he is distraught
and embarrassed and worries that the media will release his name.
Lowry Park Zoo officials have said the unidentified keeper failed to latch
the cage of Enshalla, a 6-foot-long, 200-pound Sumatran tiger. The
tiger escaped into a construction area Tuesday evening and was shot to
death after a tranquilizer dart didn't have an immediate effect.
The keeper worked at the zoo for about a month and with the tiger for
about two weeks before the escape. Previously, the keeper spent two
years at the Teaching Zoo at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville
and a few months at Lubee Bat Conservancy, where he handled fruit
bats.
"He's upset," said Lt. Steve De Lacure, of the Florida Fish and Wildlife C
http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBZK39Y9RE.html

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