http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/
Peter Dickinson
peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk
Dear Colleagues,
There were several links to the lion cubs being born in London Zoo. The one I chose had some especially nice photographs but also one of the most interesting headings: "First Lion Cubs Born at London Zoo in Ten Years". The article does not elaborate but gives a suggestion that breeding lions must be quite difficult to do. I would like to have seen more of a mention of the fact that London Zoo with their deliberate and responsible conservation attitude has purposefully not bred lions for ten years in lines with established protocols. These lion cubs have their future mapped out. They will never be sold. They will be moved to other collections and paired in accordance with the recommendations of the species coordinator. So different from some other collections, for instance Sri Racha Tiger Zoo, who produce cubs simply so they have them available for hand rearing for photography sessions. I keep trying to impress on people that not breeding is often more important than breeding. It is an uphill struggle. Note too that the London Zoo cubs are MOTHER reared and not pulled for some pitiful excuse.
The Creationism Controversy has been resurrected once again. As a non-believer I would be very interested in seeing such an exhibition within a zoo. In fact I would go out of my way to visit such a zoo because I have have an open mind and like to see different things. In spite of being open minded I would take a lot of convincing....and then I reckon it would fail.
Lucknow Zoo gets this weeks award for NON contribution to conservation. Utter stupidity.
The Komodo situation seems to be getting even more confusing. I have yet to see even a hint of an argument that is making any sense. There is though news now that the transfer of animals from the islands will be cancelled. I find it slightly worrying that the four animals at Bali Marine and Safari Park are to be returned. It would appear that removal did not recieve the approval of officialdom in the first place. I do hope that somebody does some serious work before re-introduction.
Good news (I think) on the Chiang Mai Panda. There was a photo of it meeting the two year old girl who won the 'name the panda' competition. The girl won a million baht, a car and a trip to China. Meanwhile the panda looked well, much bigger and...yet again in the arms of a carer. I wonder if it has ever met its mother. I am slowly developing this theory about the difficulties of panda breeding. It is because they are pulled at birth and lose out on something vital.
I did like the Penguin in a wetsuit story. Having been faced with a similar dilemma before I can vouch for the fact that penguins do get sunburn.
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This Weeks Books of Interest to the Zoo Professional
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or visit the Zoo Professionals Book Store for more:
On with the links:
Mother's pride: First lion cubs born at London Zoo in 10 years make their debut
Two rare lion cubs who were born at London Zoo took their first steps in their new enclosure today, as their mother looked on with pride.The 10-week-old un-named cats are the son and daughter of Lucifer, six, and Abi, 10, who was the last Asian lion to be born at the zoo.Malcolm Fitzpatrick, curator of mammals at ZSL London Zoo, said the little lions have already started to form their own personalities
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206327/Mothers-pride-First-lion-cubs-born-London-Zoo-10-years-make-debut.html
Conservation programme launched for 70 critically endangered species
The Central Zoo Authority has initiated a coordinated conservation breeding programme for 70 critically endangered species in Indian zoos, an official statement Saturday said.
"The Central Zoo Authority has initiated a planned coordinated conservation breeding programme for critically endangered species in Indian zoos. Around 70 such wild animal species have been taken up under the programme," a statement of the
http://www.newkerala.com/nkfullnews-1-93194.html
First bees, now bats are disappearing. What's next?
Look at these two pictures. Both are endangered species. But one looks cute and cuddly, and one – doesn't.So, naturally, The U.S. Department of Interior is focusing on the polar bear.Don’t get me wrong, I like polar bears as much as the next guy. I don’t want to see them go extinct. Their extinction will mean a significant change of lifestyle for several northern peoples. But, thanks to Global Warming, it is likely that – except for zoos – polar bears are going to go the way of the dodo.But polar bears don’t directly impact our environment. Bats do. And the bat extinction that appears imminent is not getting anywhere near the attention, or research dollars, that it needs.Last year, it was reported that bats in the Northeast were dropping like flies due to a mysterious illness known as “white-nose syndrome.” If you were one of the millions who put their heads under the covers and hoped problems like this would go away, this is your wake-up call: It did not go away, it has spread.Over the past year, white-nose syndrome has spread to New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia, killing hundreds of thousands of bats. Kentucky, Tennessee and Northern Alabama hold some of the largest colonies of hibernating bats in the world. If/when the disease spreads
http://www.examiner.com/x-17373-Phoenix-Signs-of-the-Times-Examiner~y2009m8d14-First-bees-now-bats-are-disappearing-Whats-next
Polar bear project moves forward
Plans to move the only polar bear in a UK zoo to a new home in the Highlands could be completed by the autumn.Mercedes has been at Edinburgh Zoo since 1984 after being rescued from Canada where she was due to be shot. In June, a campaign was launched to raise £75,000 to create a new enclosure for her at the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig. The appeal has so far raised £48,000, including an individual donation of £10,000. Mercedes has been preparing for her move to the Highlands by familiarising herself with a new transport crate that will be used to take her on the journey. Since the crate was placed at her enclosure a couple of months ago, keepers have been working to make her feel comfortable in it. 'Positive reinforcement'Alison Maclean, head keeper of carnivores at the zoo, said: "It is quite risky to sedate a large mammal so we have been training Mercedes to walk into the transport crate. "We've been doing this using positive
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/8202072.stm
Zoo, forest dept in line of fire
The theft of the eight Common Marmosets from Alipore zoo has caused much flurry in Delhi too. While the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), which is the umbrella body that sets guidelines for zoos in the country, has shot off a grim letter to the state forest department and the Alipore zoo authorities, seeking an explanation, wildlife activists have decided to inquire into the "woeful" incident on their own. In the letter, CZA has demanded separate explanations from the state and the Alipore zoo authorities about the "reported theft" of the marmosets. The letter also mentions a deadline, within which time both the state and
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/kolkata-/Zoo-forest-dept-in-line-of-fire/articleshow/4879525.cms
Zoo director suspended over theft of monkeys
The countrywide furore over the theft of eight rare Brazilian monkeys from Alipore zoo led to the suspension of its director, S K Chaudhuri, on Monday. Two security guards have been arrested and the state government and the zoo authorities showcaused by the Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA). The detective department took over the case on Monday even as CZA sent the government a notice saying it was “certain of an insider hand”. After preliminary investigation, police believe the gang had negotiated with a buyer before carrying out the theft. “It is much easier for the thieves to have a specific buyer rather than go around carrying the animals
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/kolkata-/Zoo-director-suspended-over-theft-of-monkeys/articleshow/4879728.cms
Zoo turns to TDC for funds, lest it close
A decision to close The Zoo Northwest Florida could be made in coming weeks if the Santa Rosa Tourist Development Council does not decide to contribute funding to the struggling facility.Representatives from The Zoo attended Monday’s Santa Rosa County Commission meeting in hopes the board would approve a $125,000 contribution to the facility, which has struggled financially for years. The contribution would have matched the amount the board appropriated to The Zoo last year.Instead, commissioners decided against continuing its support for The Zoo and as an alternative voted to recommend the Santa Rosa Tourist
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/turns-19588-close-zoo.html
Newborn elephant suffers setback
A baby elephant, whose mother was the first elephant to conceive via artificial insemination at Twycross Zoo, has suffered a setback.A press conference to show off the elephant, who was born on Thursday at the Leicestershire zoo, has been cancelled as he has become unwell. The 100kg (220lb) elephant is being closely supervised by vets but is not thought to be in a serious condition. Staff have said he just needs more time alone with mother Noorjahan. Noorjahan was inseminated from a bull elephant based at Whipsnade Wildlife Park in Bedfordshire. The procedure was carried out artificially as moving elephants between zoos for mating can
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/leicestershire/8193792.stm
Mayoral Candidate Mary Falling Wants Creationism Exhibit
A mayoral candidate has resurrected a controversy over Creationism at the Tulsa Zoo. A push to exhibit the Christian story of creation at the Tulsa Zoo failed four years ago. Republican candidate for Tulsa mayor, Anna Falling, is bringing the issue front and center.It's the same exhibit and the same arguments, but now it is given from the bully pulpit of a candidate running for mayor."Some may ask why this issue during a Mayoral campaign? And I say why not?" said candidate Anna Falling.For Anna Falling, the road to city hall runs through the Tulsa Zoo. She's made her Christianity central to her platform and now the exhibit depicting the Christian story of Creationism is her first campaign promise."Today we are announcing that God will be glorified in this city. He shall not be shunned. Upon our election, we hereby commit to honoring Him in all ways that He has been dishonored," said Anna Falling.Falling says God was dishonored four years ago, when the Tulsa Parks Board rejected an exhibit which borrows heavily from the
http://www.newson6.com/Global/story.asp?S=10888260
'Alien scene' of tadpoles' feast
"Alien-like" scenes of tadpoles feasting on eggs emerging from their mother have been caught on camera.The footage marks the success of a captive breeding programme for the critically endangered mountain chicken frog, one of the world's largest frogs. In April, 50 of the amphibian giants were airlifted from Montserrat after a deadly fungus swept through the island, devastating the population. Now several breeding programmes are under way to save the frogs. Once numbers have been boosted in captivity, researchers hope to reintroduce the frogs back into the wild within the next two years. Bizarre sightThe remarkable footage was recorded at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, in Jersey, which took in 12 of the rescued frogs. Twenty-six others went to Parken Zoo in Sweden, and 12 are now housed in ZSL London Zoo.So far, four pairs of mountain chicken frogs have started to breed - which could result in hundreds of frogs. And this has given researchers an insight into the way that these unusual amphibians care for their offspring. Professor John Fa, director of Durrell, said: "Mountain chickens have very peculiar breeding habits because they form foam nests in burrows in the ground." The females lay their eggs in these nests, which eventually hatch into tadpoles. But as the nests are underground, food is scarce - so the frogs need to find a way to provide nutrition for their young. Professor Fa explained: "In the case of mountain chickens, we have discovered that the female comes into the nest and starts laying a string of infertile eggs.The tadpoles feast on the unfertilised eggs "We thought that the eggs would come out and drop to the bottom of the nest and then the tadpoles would start eating them. But the footage shows about 40 tadpoles congregating around the female and eating the eggs as they come out of the
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8185125.stm
Gabonese Orphan gorillas set free on an island
Six young gorillas, rescued from the illegal bush meat trade, have begun new independent lives on a lagoon island just outside LoangoNational Park in Gabon.Staff at the Société de Conservation et Développement (SCD) are celebrating after announcing the successful transfer of the six juvenile western lowland gorillas (a species deemed critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List (IUCN)) onto
http://www.greatapeproject.org/en-US/noticias/Show/2245,gabonese-orphan-gorillas-set-free-on-an-island
Brookfield Zoo Gets A New Elephant
Joyce, 26, is a busybody who loves to play in the mud, according to her handlers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/10/brookfield-zoo-gets-a-new_n_255980.html
March of the Penguins
Ready ... Set ... Waddle!In what's become an annual tradition at the San Francisco Zoo, four adolescent Magellanic penguins will graduate Wednesday from the equivalent of avian finishing school with a parade from their classroom to the 54-member penguin colony on Penguin Island.Born earlier this year, the three adolescent females and one young male will become the newest members of the largest, most prolific Magellanic penguin colony in captivity.During their summer stay at the zoo's Avian Conservation Center, the baby penguins learned to swim, eat herring from keepers' hands and socialize with
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/cityinsider/detail?entry_id=45237
The End of the Northern White Rhino
The white rhino is the second largest land mammal, and as a species, it is the only rhinoceros species that isn’t considered endangered or critically endangered by IUCN. That said, only one subspecies of white rhino has relatively healthy numbers. That would be the subspecies known as the southern white rhinoceros, which has an estimated population of over 17,000 individuals. Its range is in southern Africa.The other subspecies is not so well-off. Indeed, it might be safe to say that this subspecies is functionally extinct. The other subspecies is the northern white rhinoceros, which has (or had) a range in Central and East Africa.The best estimate of the population of the northern white rhinoceros is 8 in captivity and 4 in the wild. Now, take this with a caveat, because those four wild white rhinos haven’t been seen since 2006. Those four were living in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Park of Congo, which is not the
http://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/the-end-of-the-northern-white-rhino/
More than 350 species, including world's smallest deer, discovered in Himalayas in past decade
The world's smallest deer, a flying frog and catfish that stick to rocks — as well as more than 350 other species — have been discovered over the past decade in the Himalayas, making it one of the world's most biologically rich regions, an environmental group said Monday.But researchers warn that the effects of climate change, as well as development, threaten the diverse habitat that supports these species."This enormous cultural and biological diversity underscores the fragile nature of an environment which risks being lost forever unless the impacts of climate change are reversed," said Tariq Aziz, the leader of the World Wildlife Fund's Living Himalayas Initiative, a regional conservation program that covers India, Nepal and Bhutan.The WWF is calling on the countries to develop a conservation plan for the region — which also includes parts of Myanmar and Tibet — and for governments to give local communities
http://www.dailypress.com/news/world/sns-ap-as-himalayas-new-species,0,6655259.story
Raid leaves zoo with £2,500 bill
A ZOO is out of pocket by more than £2,500 after a break-in.Thieves snipped their way through the perimeter fence of Shepreth Wildlife Park and headed straight for the dodgems, which they drilled for around
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=441024
World's Oldest Polar Bear Dies At Indy Zoo
The world's oldest-known polar bear died Wednesday at the Indianapolis Zoo at the age of 35.Tahtsa, the zoo's smaller polar bear, was euthanized Wednesday morning after complications of aging left her no longer able to stand, zoo officials said.Tahtsa was born in 1974 at the Denver Zoo, and spent 30 years at the Louisville Zoo, before coming
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/20374021/detail.html
Jellyfish explosion batters Monterey Bay Aquarium's plumbing
A swarm of jellyfish are causing plumbing problems at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Hundreds of thousands of Chrysaora jellyfish feeding in the bay waters Monday damaged a filter screen on the aquarium's water intakes, said Eric Quamen the aquarium's facilities systems supervisor. "From an operations standpoint, it's a big deal. From the aquarium standpoint, it's a minor inconvenience," Quamen said. "The public would never notice." A four-person dive team spent part of Tuesday repairing the damaged screen on the end of the quarter-mile-long intake system, he said. The pipes pump about 2,000 gallons of water per minute from the bay into the aquarium for the exhibit tanks. Quamen said the screens on the ends of the pipes are designed to act as filters, but there has been a recent explosion in the number of jellyfish
http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_13043129?source=rss
Indian Zoo Breeds Endangered White Tigers
India’s Lucknow Zoo in Uttar Pradesh has initiated a program to breed white tigers and to take them off on the endangered list. So tiger Aryan and tigress Sona are being tended with utmost care. [Renu Singh, Director, Lucknow Zoo]:"As you know in India, the population of tigers has reduced. They are a highly endangered species, especially the white tigers. White tigers are not found in the wild (except the Rewa region in Madhya Pradesh). They can only be found in zoological gardens. Our zoo's objective is to breed these
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2009-08-11/820839445490.html
Minister to form team to study komodo dragon transfer plan
The forestry ministry will set up a team of experts to study its plan to transfer 10 komodo dragons to Bali, a spokesman said.The formation of the team was recommended by a meeting of various stakeholders in the matter, chaired by Forestry Minister MS Kaban on Wednesday (Aug 12), the ministry`s information officer, Masyhud, said in a press statement on Thursday. Present at the coordinating meeting were representatives of the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) administration, the Environmental Affairs Ministry, the Indonesian Safari Park, the Tourism and Culture Ministry, the West Manggara District Head, the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) officials, the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) and the University of Gadjah Mada.The meeting recommended the setting up of the study team to formulate preventive measures related to the forestry ministry`s decree issued on May 13, 2009 regarding the plan to move 10 komodo dragons to the Indonesian Safari Park located in Serongga Kelod, Gianyar subdistrict, Bali Province. The transfer was aimed at promoting komodo dragon genetic purification.The plan is in line with the demand of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) which recommends a studbook system of genetic purification for endangered species.IUCN recommends a national studbook keeper on komodo dragons in Flores because the habitat of komodo dragons is not in Flores, but on Rinca and Komodo Islands, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) which are part of the Komodo National park (TNK). Flores is not part of the TNK. Komodo dragons (varanus komodoensis) are found in Komodo Isl
http://www.antara.co.id/en/news/1250162769/minister-to-form-team-to-study-komodo-dragon-transfer-plan
transfer of 10 komodo to bali eventually canceled
Plan the transfer of 10 komodo from Komodo Island Flores to Bali eventually canceled. That said, the Governor of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Frans lebu Raya said that the Minister of Forestry MS Kaban agree not to do so.“Basically forrest ministry understand action NTT rejection from the community to move as many as 10 tails Komodo to Bali,” said Governor dust Raya in Kupang, Wednesday (5 / 8). According to the
http://daydaily.com/2009/08/15/transfer-of-10-komodo-to-bali-eventually-canceled/comment-page-1/#comment-326
VISA'S ZOO AND AQUARIUM ADS MISLEAD ABOUT ITS PHILANTHROPY
Recently, as part of its GO global advertising campaign, Visa ran an ad showing a father taking his daughter to a public aquarium. The commercial was very well done and should have great appeal to young families with children, especially those who regularly visit zoos and aquariums. The tag line asks "When was the last time you took your daughter to an aquarium on a Tuesday?" There are many branding messages implied by Visa being associated with a family visit to a public aquarium. The most prominent message is "Visa enables your visit." Visa wants to be thought of as synonymous with a visit to a public animal attraction. There is a very good reason for Visa doing this as a component of their global ad campaign. Each year more than 200 million Americans visit animal attractions. Worldwide attendance is close to 800 million. The image of a parent taking their child to an aquarium is very positive, and there are a lot of good connotations associated with this industry. Today's animal attractions in the United States are associated with conservation, wildlife preservation, environmental education, and the overall "green" image every company desires. There are many brands that take an active role working with animal attractions
http://www.american-reporter.com/3,746W/76.html
Vulture Restaurants: Serving Up Clean Carcasses, Free of Charge
For the small number of vulture lovers the world over, good news comes this summer from Sindh, Pakistan. In June, a new "vulture restaurant" opened to provide safe food for the endangered birds — no reservations needed, but it's always a fierce fight for the flesh. Similar vulture ventures have already been successful in South Africa, India and Nepal, where one region in which a restaurant started to provide vultures with clean carcasses saw a doubling of nesting pairs in just two years, according to Bird Conservation Nepal.Alas, uplifting news is rare in the vulture world: the big picture is that the birds, commonly portrayed as harbingers of death, are themselves facing doom, particularly in the eastern hemisphere. Three species in South and Southeast Asia were placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's critically endangered list 10 years ago — to little effect. The oriental white-backed vulture population has declined a catastrophic 99.9% in the past 15 years; once estimated at 40 million, the global number now sits below 11,000. The long-billed and the slender-billed vulture populations have also fallen nearly 97%, according to a 2007 study published in the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. Though the West's vulture populations have not been hit as hard, the case of the quickly disappearing vultures is an alarming example of how difficult it can be for animals to find their place in our modern world. The advent of 20th century farming replaced wild herd animals, whose carcasses are the staple diet of vultures around the world, with heavily medicated livestock. Diclofenac, a frequently administered anti-inflammatory veterinary painkiller comparable to ibuprofen, has proven to be particularly deadly to the vultures
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1916445,00.html?xid=rss-world
Time to be zoo-logical?
A FATHER and son are aiming to prove that there’s nothing funny about their monkey business — as an eight-year battle with residents comes to a climax next week.Don and Anthony Walser, who hope to open Newport’s Owl and Monkey Sanctuary to the public in a matter of weeks, have suffered countless setbacks along the way.Now their best ally in a bid for a zoo licence renewal application is a noise diary, detailing decibel readings of the mating calls of the gibbons.And for the Walsers, at least this time the application — due to be heard on Monday — has more letters of support than objections from the locals surrounding the project at Five Acres Farm, off Staplers Road.It took the pair more than four years to get planning permission. They were turned down by the Isle of Wight Council’s planning committee, against officers’ recommendation, but won at appeal.The committee famously trooped off to Hampshire’s Marwell Zoo to use noise monitoring equipment — without success — to record
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/time-to-be-zoological-27860.aspx
Islamabad zoo to buy 34 animals and 27 birds
The Capital Development Authority, which has the responsibility of maintenance of Pakistani federal capital Islamabad, will purchase 34 animals and 27 birds for the city’s Murghzar Zoo after the completion of a ‘Development of Murghzar Zoo Islamabad’ project under an approved project concept-I (PC-I). The National Assembly was told yesterday to a question raised by Tasneem Siddiqui, the CDA would add to the zoo 34 new animals, including brown and black bears, yak, ibex, Suleman markhor, leopard, wolf, jackal, barking deer, grey goral, urial, stripped hyena, rhesus monkey, grey langur, Sind wild goat, leopard cat, palm civet, yellow-throat marten, Bengal tiger, samber, jungle cat, Asiatic lion, cheetah, rhinoceros, African elephant, rhino and lion, black panther, hippopotamus, giraffe, kangaroos, chimpanzee, baboons and gorilla. A CDA official said the authorities would buy for the zoo 27 birds, including chukar partridge, koklas ph
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Pakistan+%26+Sub%2DContinent&month=August2009&file=World_News2009081473451.xml
Humane Society Pres. Questions SD Zoo's Animal Loans
The San Diego Zoo has a fantastic reputation for treating animals the right way. Even the Humane Society of the United States said the zoo is an example for others to strive for.However, the group is questioning the San Diego Zoo's decision to send some animals away.Pictures taken during an investigation into conditions at the Las Vegas Zoo captured Niya, a 3-year-old lynx on loan from the San Diego ZooOne animal expert is heard giving her opinion on the conditions at the Las Vegas Zoo."This zoo should be closed immediately, and people who care about animals should never give them their money and go to that zoo," said the expert.The San Diego Zoo has loaned at least four animals to Las Vegas, but the Humane Society of the United States' president has a problem with that.In a letter to San Diego Zoo Director Doug Myers, he wrote:"We are writing to ask the San Diego Zoo to consider ending its practice of sending animals to the Southern Nevada Zoo and to reclaim those currently on loan.""We believe the conditions observed in Las Vegas are conditions that the San Diego Zoo itself would not allow …"Conditions he wrote that include, "Animals without shade" living in "small, barren enclosures" without "any meaningful stimulation."The San Diego Zoo asked 10News to use an interview from July to explain its position."We are comfortable that the Las Vegas Zoo is taking care of our animals very well," said San Diego Zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons. "We were just there (Las Vegas) two weeks ago and our top animal care people were comfortable with the situation the animals are in."San Diego Zoo officials told 10News they loan animals to the Las Vegas Zoo so staff there could get training and make it a better place for the animals living there.The Humane Society president wrote:"We applaud this effort, but it appears this facility has an awfully long way to go."He cited the case of a leopard on loan from San Diego that "died within weeks of arriving."The Humane Society president ended the letter by saying:"The current situation appears unacceptable. We hope the
http://www.10news.com/news/20403957/detail.html
Why flamingoes stand on one leg
It is one of the simplest, but most enigmatic mysteries of nature: just why do flamingoes like to stand on one leg?The question is asked by zoo visitors and biologists alike, but while numerous theories abound, no-one has yet provided a definitive explanation. Now after conducting an exhaustive study of captive Caribbean flamingoes, two scientists believe they finally have the answer. Flamingoes stand on one leg to regulate their body temperature, they say. Matthew Anderson and Sarah Williams are comparative psychologists based at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, US who are interested in the studying the evolution of behaviour. "Flamingoes captured my attention for a variety of reasons," says Anderson. "Scientifically speaking, their highly gregarious nature makes them an ideal species for investigating social influences on behaviour. "Aesthetically speaking, they are large, beautiful, and iconic. "Perhaps most importantly, I was very surprised to discover how little systematic, hypothesis-driven empirical research had been conducted on flamingoes." Lateral thinkingAnderson and Williams's research began by studying laterality in flamingoes: whether they
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8197000/8197932.stm
Bald penguin dressed in wetsuit
A bald penguin has been fitted with a custom-made wetsuit to protect him from the elements.Bill Hall of Marwell Wildlife Park told the BBC that the penguin, named Ralph, needed the suit to stop him getting sunburnt during the day and chilled in the evenings.Hall said: "This time of year is moulting time for penguins and the classic way to do things is to grow your new set of feathers under your old set, lose the old set - there's your brand new suit."Ralph doesn't bother with the growing the new, he just loses the old and goes bald for a couple of weeks. His feathers will come through, but
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/odd/a171521/bald-penguin-dressed-in-wetsuit.html
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ZOO BIOLOGY
The Zoo Biology Group is concerned with all disciplines involved inthe running of a Zoological Garden. Captive breeding, husbandry,cage design and construction, diets, enrichment, man management,record keeping, etc etc
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zoo-biology
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Animal Training for Professionals
Natural Encounters, Inc. (NEI) is pleased to announce the next “Animal Training for Professionals” workshop will be held at the San Diego Zoo.
This workshop is designed for animal care and animal training professionals who want to learn the most current and effective techniques for shaping and influencing the behavior of animals in their care and establishing a successful behavior management program.
Steve Martin will lead the workshop and several members of the Natural Encounters, Inc. training team will provide personal coaching as attendees work with various animals from the NEI animal collection.
The workshop will involve lectures, hands-on work with animals, and observation of various training sessions around the San Diego Zoo.
Two workshops are currently offered: Nov 16- 20, and Feb 15-19.
The cost of the workshop is $1,500 per person, which includes transportation to and from the hotel, continental breakfast, lunch, workshop note guides and handouts. For more information visit the Natural Encounters, Inc. website at:
http://www.naturalencounters.com/ Or, call Kevin at: 407-938-0847.
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Here is a brilliant site which was just referred to on the Zoo Biology Group. I joined up straight away. Having a couple of hiccups but it may sort itself out in a day. Thanks to Antoine Leclerc, DVM for referring to this site.
THE FORAGERS SOURCE
The Foragers Source is a non-profit group of zoologists dedicated to improving the nutritional care of captive wild animals. The goal of this website is to provide a platform for the exchange of experience and knowledge in order to improve the health and quality of life for captive wild animals throughout the world.
Food for Thought
While the nutritional needs of captive wild animals are very complex, there is limited knowledge on the nutrient composition and potential dangers of specific food sources currently being used in most zoological institutions.
The scientific literature contains some information on these food sources, but many of these articles are found in relatively unknown journals or conference proceedings that are difficult to obtain by most zoo personnel.
Additionally, the fact that seasonal and geographic factors influence the nutritional properties of food sources, makes the task of harvesting them even more daunting.
Improving the Situation
The Foragers Source hopes to improve the state of captive wild animal nutrition by providing zoological professionals access to the following resources:
- research article archive
- plant sample datebase
- plant species identification database
Take a look at: http://www.foragerssource.org/content/view/3/7/
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For Zoo Jobs and Related Vacancies please visit: http://zoowork.blogspot.com/
For notification of Zoo related Meetings, Conferences, Courses and Symposia go to: http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/
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ZooNews Digest is an independent publication, not allied or attached to any zoological collection. Many thanks.
Kind Regards,
Wishing you a wonderful week,
Peter Dickinson
Zoo News Digest Blog
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/
ZooNews Digest Webpage
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Zoo Vacancies Blog
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