Peter Dickinson
Dear Colleagues,
The news that China has 6,000 Tigers in captivity will no doubt be reassuring to some people. They will believe that the future of the species is assured. Less assuring will be the fact that the majority of these animals are held in Tiger Farms just waiting for the go ahead before they are processed into wine or some medicinal product. Happily or unhappily, depending on how you want to look at it these farmed tigers are of little or no importance to conservation. The origins of farmed tigers are lost in the mists of time. Brother has been bred with sister and mother with son. South China Tiger has been Crossed with Amur Tiger with Bengal with Sumatran. These are Heinz 57 Tigers, worhless for any future re-introduction scheme.
Subspecies of Tiger have been produced by natural selection over thousands of years to become suited to the environment in which they live. Their pelage, their size, their habits are as nature intended. The weak traits have been weeded out over the centuries so it is the strong who survive.
Within the farms we have the unnaturally selected animals. Like pigs, cows and other domestic animals they have been bred for bone, for larger litters, for fat, for blood and, like home domestics for pretty unnatural colours too.
It is not just the farms in China but many of the zoos are at fault too. One private zoo has two hundred White Tigers. An absolutely pointless collection. It has no merit at all. Then we have the recently produced Ligers in Haikou. Why one wonders?
I note that a group of collections on Bali have requested to import 59 elephants from Sumatra. I see that Bali Zoo Park has been included and is requesting 14 animals. Having visited this collection I wonder just where it is they intend to keep them. Four elephants would be a bit of a problem for any collection which had been struggling financially only recently but fourteen! I can understand why the zoo and these other places want elephants. It is to give rides which people seem to like too much. As the big boys on the island are making big bucks from the activity I believe that the permission for the importation will be unlikely. Money talks. There are already 93 elephants on Bali.
The photographs of the Giraffe pedicure at Chester Zoo are somewhat unsettling especially when they some close after the news of the death of the Giraffe in Langley (see last Zoo News Digest).
I note that the Komodos actually made it to Hungary. I think it is a good move. I am though somewhat surprised to learn that they were accompanied by a vet and a keeper who will remain for two months whilst the animals settle in. That in itself is a good idea and one which I am sure that so many keepers would like to go along with.
The 'Harry the Penguin' saga rumbles on. I have often wondered how long a single news story could be milked. Don't get me wrong...I am pro, not against it. I view and read hundreds of zoo news stories every week. Probably more than anyone else. As a result I can admire how publicity departments work. Besides the public love that sort of thing and it is they who pay the bills.
Talking of publicity I am not sure how I feel about the ordeal in the Qinling Safari Park. Clearly it was a popular idea with so many applicants so no doubt it will generate a lot of interest along the lines of big brother. I don't believe the words 'courage' and 'wilderness' are descriptive though. I would think that 'discomfort' and 'boredom' were a better choice. Still though, I would like to think that some awareness of the problems that tigers face in the wild would be generated along with cash to protect them....but I fear it won't.
Sometimes I feel sad and at other times angry that organisations and groups which I have unselfishly promoted over the years ignore me when they have made their mark. There is no reciprocal promotion. They have actually piggybacked their way up the ladder before jumping off. No doubt they stepped on a few other toes and backs along the way. I suppose it is the same in any 'business'. I find a similar situation exists in the various forums, discussion groups and comment sections. I am not rude and will generally only have anything to say when it is relevant. I follow the guidelines, am not promotional but....you would be surprised (or perhaps not) at the number of times I have been banned or/and had my posts removed. Why? Simply because the moderator or whoever does not agree with what I have said. Censorship is alive and well on the internet.
Meanwhile I am stuck in a limbolike state these past two months waiting for a hospital referral which just does not happen. It took me three months to summon up the courage to see a doctor in the first place and then I thought all would happen quick enough. It doesn't. I am far from bored but I really need to be getting on with other things and I cannot. When eventually I am seen I daresay there will be another wait. It is all so highly irritating.
Valentines Day soon. Something to look forward to Valentine's Day Tiger
The news that China has 6,000 Tigers in captivity will no doubt be reassuring to some people. They will believe that the future of the species is assured. Less assuring will be the fact that the majority of these animals are held in Tiger Farms just waiting for the go ahead before they are processed into wine or some medicinal product. Happily or unhappily, depending on how you want to look at it these farmed tigers are of little or no importance to conservation. The origins of farmed tigers are lost in the mists of time. Brother has been bred with sister and mother with son. South China Tiger has been Crossed with Amur Tiger with Bengal with Sumatran. These are Heinz 57 Tigers, worhless for any future re-introduction scheme.
Subspecies of Tiger have been produced by natural selection over thousands of years to become suited to the environment in which they live. Their pelage, their size, their habits are as nature intended. The weak traits have been weeded out over the centuries so it is the strong who survive.
Within the farms we have the unnaturally selected animals. Like pigs, cows and other domestic animals they have been bred for bone, for larger litters, for fat, for blood and, like home domestics for pretty unnatural colours too.
It is not just the farms in China but many of the zoos are at fault too. One private zoo has two hundred White Tigers. An absolutely pointless collection. It has no merit at all. Then we have the recently produced Ligers in Haikou. Why one wonders?
I note that a group of collections on Bali have requested to import 59 elephants from Sumatra. I see that Bali Zoo Park has been included and is requesting 14 animals. Having visited this collection I wonder just where it is they intend to keep them. Four elephants would be a bit of a problem for any collection which had been struggling financially only recently but fourteen! I can understand why the zoo and these other places want elephants. It is to give rides which people seem to like too much. As the big boys on the island are making big bucks from the activity I believe that the permission for the importation will be unlikely. Money talks. There are already 93 elephants on Bali.
The photographs of the Giraffe pedicure at Chester Zoo are somewhat unsettling especially when they some close after the news of the death of the Giraffe in Langley (see last Zoo News Digest).
I note that the Komodos actually made it to Hungary. I think it is a good move. I am though somewhat surprised to learn that they were accompanied by a vet and a keeper who will remain for two months whilst the animals settle in. That in itself is a good idea and one which I am sure that so many keepers would like to go along with.
The 'Harry the Penguin' saga rumbles on. I have often wondered how long a single news story could be milked. Don't get me wrong...I am pro, not against it. I view and read hundreds of zoo news stories every week. Probably more than anyone else. As a result I can admire how publicity departments work. Besides the public love that sort of thing and it is they who pay the bills.
Talking of publicity I am not sure how I feel about the ordeal in the Qinling Safari Park. Clearly it was a popular idea with so many applicants so no doubt it will generate a lot of interest along the lines of big brother. I don't believe the words 'courage' and 'wilderness' are descriptive though. I would think that 'discomfort' and 'boredom' were a better choice. Still though, I would like to think that some awareness of the problems that tigers face in the wild would be generated along with cash to protect them....but I fear it won't.
Sometimes I feel sad and at other times angry that organisations and groups which I have unselfishly promoted over the years ignore me when they have made their mark. There is no reciprocal promotion. They have actually piggybacked their way up the ladder before jumping off. No doubt they stepped on a few other toes and backs along the way. I suppose it is the same in any 'business'. I find a similar situation exists in the various forums, discussion groups and comment sections. I am not rude and will generally only have anything to say when it is relevant. I follow the guidelines, am not promotional but....you would be surprised (or perhaps not) at the number of times I have been banned or/and had my posts removed. Why? Simply because the moderator or whoever does not agree with what I have said. Censorship is alive and well on the internet.
Meanwhile I am stuck in a limbolike state these past two months waiting for a hospital referral which just does not happen. It took me three months to summon up the courage to see a doctor in the first place and then I thought all would happen quick enough. It doesn't. I am far from bored but I really need to be getting on with other things and I cannot. When eventually I am seen I daresay there will be another wait. It is all so highly irritating.
Valentines Day soon. Something to look forward to Valentine's Day Tiger
Please post in comments below if you feel so inclined.
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On with links:
Group Tries to Save the Last Parrot Species Indigenous to Mainland US
The thick-billed parrot, a pine seed-loving, social bird with a call like human laughter, has been on the federal Endangered Species List for 36 years, but the government has never developed a recovery plan for the bird, environmentalists say in Federal Court. It is one of two parrot species indigenous to the United States in historic times. The other, the Carolina parakeet, was hunted to extinction to get feathers for hats.
WildEarth Guardians sued Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to force the government to implement a recovery plan for the last surviving parrot species in the United States.
Scientists estimate that only 2,000 to 2,800 adult thick-billed parrots (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) remain in the wild, all of them in Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental. "Naturally occurring flocks" of the birds were last seen in Arizona in 1938 at the Chiricahua National
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/02/09/24517.htm
Four Bali Parks Hope To Draw Tourists With Imported Elephants
After last year’s failed attempt to ship in Komodo dragons, Bali now is looking at getting elephants from Sumatra to attract more tourists.
Four conservation institutions in Bali on Tuesday requested 59 elephants from Way Kambas National Park in Lampung: 10 for the Elephant Safari Park in Taro, Gianyar district; 14 for Bali Zoo Park, also in Gianyar; 15 for Kasian in Badung; and 20 for Bakas Zoo in Klungkung district.
The request was made at a meeting in Sanur, Bali, on elephants
and other wild animals in conservation institutions.
“We hope that this could be a new breakthrough for Bali tourism,” said Anak Agung Gede Putra, an official with Bali Zoo Park, explaining that the elephants would be used as ride attractions.
Nyoman Suweta, a representative from Bakas Zoo, said the elephants would not disrupt the environment as the province had about 402,000 hectares of idle land, some of which could be used to boost tourism.
“We don’t think that there is going to be a conflict between elephants and humans, because the elephants have been domesticated,” Nyoman said.
Hari Santosa, the director of forest protection and nature conservation at the Ministry of Forestry, said they would not disturb the balance
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/four-bali-parks-hope-to-draw-tourists-with-imported-elephants/357743
Ligers Normally Grow Much larger Than Both Lions and Tigers
Chinese tropical wildlife park authorities in Haikou, capital of China’s southernmost province of Hainan, said that they have been able to keep alive two small liger cubs since they were born 162 days ago.
The liger cubs appear to be healthy and spend most of their time eating, playing and sleeping.
The Liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion and a female tiger (tigress). The two have similar genes but are of two different cat subspecies. Ligers normally grow
http://www.hamsayeh.net/hamsayehnet_iran-international%20news887.htm
South Korea requests elephants
CAMBODIA is considering donating an elephant to a South Korean zoo that is short of fertile females, officials confirmed Monday. But conservationists are also alarmed at the prospect of sending a member of an already endangered species out of the country.
South Korean authorities have requested that Cambodia donate fertile females between the ages of 5 and 7 for breeding purposes, said Ty Sokhun, director of forestry and wildlife with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
But Ty Sokhun said authorities are unsure whether they can afford to spare such young specimens. Instead, Cambodia is considering donating a single, 20-year-old female elephant.
“Currently, we are considering their offer and discussing it,” Ty Sokhun said.
Though the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, prevents signatories from trading in endangered species, Cambodia views the potential transfer as a “donation”, Ty Sokhun said.
“It is not an elephant trade, but a donation, as the Korean government has requested it for their national zoo,” he said.
But Tuy Sariwathna, the Mondulkiri province director for the conservation NGO Fauna and Flora International, said he was concerned by the proposal.
“The government should not respond to the Korean request while elephants in Cambodia are endangered,” he said.
Dwindling numbers
Tuy Sariwathna said a 2009 survey found only 98 domesticated elephants in the country, down from a previous count of 162. He said rough estimates have suggested that there are between 500 and 600 elephants in the wild.
Nhek Ratanapech, director of the Phnom Tamao Zoo and Wildlife
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010020931819/National-news/south-korea-requests-elephants.html
Zoo report response submitted
Interim Topeka Zoo director Dennis Taylor said Tuesday that, as scheduled, he provided city manager Norton Bonaparte on Monday with his written response to a report made last month by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The city Tuesday wasn't publicly releasing the response, which Taylor said was "not formalized" and was made in bits and pieces.
Bonaparte had asked Taylor last month to prepare the response to a report released by the AZA, which serves as an accrediting body for zoos and aquariums.
The AZA sent a three-person inspection team to Topeka in early December at Bonaparte's request. That team in late January provided the city with a copy of its report, which was critical of the zoo. The city also received notification that the AZA would re-evaluate the Topeka Zoo's accreditation during its midyear meeting March 3 at Virginia Beach, Va.
Bonaparte announced Jan. 25 that he had asked Taylor to review the inspection findings and provide him a response by Feb. 8, which was Monday.
The city has until Feb. 15 to provide the AZA with a written response and will then meet with officials of the AZA at its midyear meeting. The city plans to send Taylor to the meeting, Bonaparte said at a news conference last week.
Meanwhile, more than 500 responses had been received by 5 p.m. Tuesday to an
http://cjonline.com/news/2010-02-09/zoo_report_response_submitted
China says it has 6,000 captive tigers
China said Tuesday it had nearly 6,000 tigers in captivity and could breed 1,000 more every year, amid international controversy over the benefits of farming the endangered species.
The numbers were announced by Yin Hong, vice head of the State Forestry Administration, according to a spokesman at the agency who refused to be named.
"There are close to 6,000 tigers that have been artifically bred and raised in China," the official China News Service quoted Yin saying.
"These tigers can breed over 1,000 baby tigers every year."
Yin's comments came as China prepares to ring in the Year of the Tiger, which begins February 14, amid mounting worldwide concern over dwindling numbers of the great cats.
Yin said there were just 50 to 60 wild tigers left in China. Conservation groups have said recently fewer than 50 still roam the country.
There are four varieties of wild tigers in China, and one of them -- the South China tiger -- has not been spotted in the wild since the late 1970s. In the 1950s, there were around 4,000 of the subspecies.
Degradation of the animal's habitat and poaching of the tiger and its prey are blamed for its rapid disappearance.
In the 1980s, China set up tiger farms to try and preserve the big cats, intending to release some into the wild.
But experts warn it will be difficult for captive tigers to re-adapt to the wild, and the sheer number of the endangered animals kept in farms now poses a challenge.
"The government now realises it's a problem but they haven't figured out how to deal with the existing tigers yet," Xie Yan, director of the China programme for the Wildlife Conservation Society, told AFP.
The existence of tiger farms in China and other countries has sparked international controversy.
In July, Keshav Varma, leader of the World Bank's Global Tiger Initiative, called for tiger farming to be phased out, saying there was a danger this could hasten the extinction of the endangered species.
"Would it create new markets and an even higher demand for wild tiger products -- for those who want a luxury good -- the 'real thing?'" he asked.
Xie said farms in China make little money, apart from tourists, and some are pushing for a 1993 ban on the trade in tiger parts and related
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iowjbaPC4NntIrGjBPnc1YDXCTkg
Giraffe receives pedicure at Chester zoo in Chester, N England
Thorn, a male giraffe, takes a reward from keeper Lizzie Bowen (L) as he receives a pedicure from another keeper at Chester zoo in Chester, northern England February 9, 2010. Keepers at the zoo are using a pioneering training technique that avoids the use of anaesthetic to treat the animal's
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/photo/2010-02/10/c_13170855.htm
Indonesia Sends Comodo Dragons to Hungary
Today, February 10, local zoo in Jakarta Ragunanhas sent a pair of Komodos to a zoo in Hungary Sosto. The rare animals from East Nusa Tenggara were flown from Soekarno-Hatta airport at 10am.
The Komodos are a male named Bagol (weighs 125 kg) and a female named Indri (weighs 80 kg). Both are 11 years old.
“The Komodos are being lent to the government of Hungaria as part of Indonesia’s program,” Ragunan Zoo Public Relation Officer Bambang Wahyudi told VIVAnews.
According to him, the term of loan has been agreed to be five years.
Based on the agreement, if anything happens to the Komodos, Indonesia has the
http://en.vivanews.com/news/read/128386-indonesia_sends_comodo_dragons_to_hungary
Clouded leopard: First film of new Asia big cat species
The Sundaland clouded leopard, a recently described new species of big cat, has been caught on camera.
The film, the first footage of the cat in the wild to be made public, has been released by scientists working in the Dermakot Forest Reserve in Malaysia.
The Sundaland clouded leopard, only discovered to be a distinct species three years ago, is one of the least known and elusive of all cat species.
Two more rare cats, the flat-headed cat and bay cat, were also photographed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8505000/8505785.stm
Alcala: Zoo should retire elephants
An animal advocacy group in Kansas and a city councilman are ramping up a push to retire the Topeka Zoo's elephants to a sanctuary in Tennessee.
Councilman John Alcala said conversations with Animal Outreach
of Kansas have convinced him the zoo doesn't have the physical space to humanely care for Sunda and Tembo. The indoor and outdoor elephant space is well within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation standards.
But Alcala said the space is minuscule compared to the Tennessee sanctuary where they would have hundreds of acres to roam.
"I'm not an expert in this, but I know when an animal is kept in the minimum space," he said.
Alcala said he will ask city manager Norton Bonaparte for a council work session to discuss the idea and is willing to author a resolution calling for the elephants' move to Tennessee.
Animal Outreach co-founder Judy Carman noted numerous zoos including the San Francisco Zoo, the Detroit Zoo and the Philadelphia Zoo have closed their elephant exhibits. The Topeka Zoo, she said, could help restore its recently damaged reputation by taking this "progressive step."
The AZA was quick to strike back at the claims of inadequate care. Spokesman Steve Feldman said the elephants share a strong bond, and disrupting their routine could be detrimental to their health.
"The notion that they need to be retired from the zoo is ridiculous," Feldman said. "They're living a comfortable life right now."
The zoo awaits a March 3 meeting in which an AZA panel will decide whether to pull Topeka's accreditation. Regulators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture criticized the zoo in August 2009 and September2009 inspection reports that cited noncompliance issues related to numerous animal deaths.
Zoo director Mike Coker retired in early December. Veterinarian Shirley Llizo's employment with the zoo also ended in the midst of the problems.
None of those issues raised last year related to the elephants. The USDA did cite the zoo in 2005 for deep cracks in several nails, flaps of pad overgrowth and a prominent bulge on the feet of the Asian and African elephants. Since
http://cjonline.com/news/local/2010-02-08/alcala_zoo_should_retire_elephants
Aquarium 'can be one of the best in Europe'
THE new boss of the National Marine Aquarium aims to make it one of the 'foremost aquariums in Europe' after revealing the attraction is now on a sound financial footing.
Dr David Gibson said he wants to re-establish the NMA's core charitable objectives of education, research and conservation and intends to create new facilities and bring in new fish.
But he stressed the Coxside attraction would be less about 'pretty fish' and more about conservation.
Dr Gibson this month took over as managing director at the NMA following Andrew Robertson's two-and-a-half years in charge.
Dr Gibson said during that period the Aquarium's financial fortunes had been revived and he was brought in by trustees to enhance its reputation.
"My brief is about the reputation of the NMA," he said "To increase our standing within Europe with regard to education, research and conservation.
"I believe the NMA can, and will, be one of the foremost public aquariums in Europe."
Dr Gibson, who has a degree in zoology and a PhD in fish health, worked at Hull's renowned charitable aquarium The Deep for eight years and joins the NMA after working as executive director at Fota Wildlife Park, in Ireland.
He described the NMA as "a great facility, the location is superb and the potential great".
And he said: "Plymouth is a vibrant, dynamic city with the marine sciences at its core and an ideal location for an aquarium. It's a real pleasure to be here."
The NMA has had a chequered history over its 12 years, being criticised in the past for the
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/business/Aquarium-best-Europe/article-1763537-detail/article.html
Coral seized at Manchester Airport sent to Blue Planet
Officials at Manchester Airport faced a "race against time" to save more than a tonne of live rock coral brought in illegally from Indonesia.
UK Border Agency officers made the discovery in a freight consignment after realising the coral had been wrongly described on the documentation.
The coral was transported to the Blue Planet Aquarium at Ellesmere Port to keep it alive.
The importation is under investigation, the UK Border Agency said.
Rock coral are protected under the Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species (CITES).
On display
A Border Agency spokeswoman said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8481907.stm
Galapagos fur seals head for Peru waters
A colony of fur seals has moved 1,500km away from the Galapagos Islands, a Peru-based organisation which monitors the aquatic mammals has said.
The Organisation for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals says the fur seals have swum to northern Peru because of rising temperatures.
It is the first time fur seals have set up a colony away from the islands, Orca says.
Average sea temperatures off northern Peru have risen, monitors say.
Measurements from the Peruvian Geophysics Institute indicate the sea surface temperature in the northern Peruvian provinces of Piura and Tumbes have consistently risen from an average of 17C to 23C over the last 10 years.
The temperature is much closer to the sea temperature around theGalapagos Islands, which averages about 25C.
Now that the conditions of the sea around northern Peru are so similar to the Galapagos, they say,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8503397.stm
Iowa zoo gets 20 tons of chicken wings
Hold the hot sauce and blue cheese, the big cats at the Cricket Hollow Zoo in Manchester like their chicken wings raw.
The zoo has scored about 41,000 pounds of frozen wings from a distributor that almost threw them out.
The wings, originally from the former Agriprocessors plant in Postville, couldn't be sold but were still OK for animal consumption. Iowa Waste Exchange kept the chicken out of the landfill and offered them to the zoo.
Exchange spokesman Ben Kvigne says it's his job to find ways to save byproducts and scrap materials from going into the ground, but 20 tons of chicken wings is a
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-chickenwingsforzo,0,1174205.story
Loch Lomond Aquarium turtle is a Scotland first
LOCH Lomond Aquarium has a new resident – Scotland’s first giant green sea turtle.
The adult female is settling in at the Balloch sealife centre following a 12 hour trip from an aquarium in Weymouth on Thursday night.
The seven-year-old adult female, who weights 70kg and has a shell span of almost three feet, has been rehomed in the centre’s 350,000 litre tropical ocean tank.
She was hatched at a Caribbean turtle farm on the Cayman Isles before travelling 5000 miles to the English turtle sanctuary where she has helped to raise awareness of the threats facing her species in the wild.
She has come to Loch Lomond to make way for five turtles left unable to dive after being hit
http://www.lennoxherald.co.uk/dunbartonshire-news/dunbartonshire-news/dumbarton-news/2010/02/05/loch-lomond-aquarium-turtle-is-a-scotland-first-114557-25745815/
Notorious penguin Harry survives infection
Fans of The City’s most famous penguins can breathe easy: Harry, who was struck by a life-threatening respiratory infection late last year, has convalesced enough to return home.
In December, Harry became ill with aspergillosis, a serious fungal infection that can be fatal for penguins. He and his partner, Linda, were moved from their island home at the San Francisco Zoo’s Magellanic penguin exhibit to the Avian Conservation Center, where Harry was tended to by veterinary staff and treated for the infection.
Harry gained international notoriety last summer when he left his longtime same-sex partner, Pepper, for recently widowed female Linda. Harry and Pepper had previously been one of the zoo’s devoted and stable avian partnerships, but after Harry left Pepper, the drama erupted into violence
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Notorious-penguin-Harry-survives-infection-83857467.html
Rain proves curse for endangered Arava lizard
In addition to the human toll of the flash flooding which came in the wake of last month's heavy rains, the swollen waters of southern Israel's Nahal Arava claimed another casualty: the already-threatened spiny-tailed lizard.
Veterinarians at the Ramat Gan Safari park's wild animal medical clinic are treating a 70-centimeter-long lizard that was found with broken ribs, muscle damage, and vision problems after the flooding. Advertisement
"The lizard was found by a farmer from the moshav of Eidan near Nahal Arava and they transferred him to me," said Harel Ben Shahar, an inspector with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. "He was covered in
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1148516.html
Singapore Zoo lets visitors get closer to white tigers
Remember the white tigers that made the headlines when a man went into their enclosure and got mauled to death at the zoo?
One year on, the Singapore Zoo is asking visitors to get to know these very same tigers.
For the first time to mark the Year of the Tiger, visitors will get the opportunity to go behind the scene to see how the white tigers are trained using operant conditioning to provide mental and behavioural stimulation for the animals.
Meet Omar — a 10—year—old Bengal tiger who resides at the Singapore Zoo. He is taught to respond correctly to stimulants and gets rewarded with a meaty treat.
Francis Lim, curator at Singapore Zoo, said: "In the past, we had to sedate the animal — that means we have to knock the animal down, let them sleep so we can do a close examination. But with this operant conditioning, we don’t have to do that. It’s safe for the animal, it doesn’t compromise the animal’s health."
For the zookeepers, it is part of a bond that has been built over seven years.
Mohamed Nasir, zookeeper at Singapore Zoo, said: "There was one time when Omar was really ill. He was really, really down because of his kidney. He was really sick, and you
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20100209/tap-215-singapore-zoo-lets-visitors-get-231650b.html
Zoo set to lose jumbo trio
A central circular that says zoos are not for jumbos has triggered a heavy-duty debate between animal rights activists rejoicing at and forest officials resisting the imminent departure of the city’s gentlest, and most-loved, trio of giants.
Elephants Mumtaz, Uttara and Phulwanti — the pride of Alipore Zoo — are soon to be shifted out of their enclosure and moved to a national park or a reserve forest far from “home” in accordance with the Central Zoo Authority’s notice.
As wildlife activists chant more power to elephant freedom, officials at the city zoo have raised doubts over whether Mumtaz, Uttara and Phulwanti can be safely transported and released in an alien — and hostile — habitat. A possible impact on footfalls in a zoo without elephants is also not far from their minds.
“The Central Zoo Authority’s circular is a major policy decision that will impact the future of elephants in the country. We are surprised that
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100209/jsp/calcutta/story_12080388.jsp
Campaign continues against zoo
A CAMPAIGN group has vowed to hold regular protests outside Noah's Ark Zoo Farm throughout its open season.
On Saturday, when the Wraxall attraction opened its gates to visitors for the first time this year, members of Bristol Animal Rights Collective held a demonstration outside.
This follows an investigation carried out last year that led to allegations that Noah's Ark was breeding tigers for a circus and that a tiger had been incorrectly buried after she died at the site.
Despite Noah's Ark consistently refuting the claims, campaigners
http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/content/twm/news/story.aspx?brand=Westonmercury&category=newsNorthSomerset&tBrand=westonmercury&tCategory=znews&itemid=WeED09+Feb+2010+09%3A06%3A09%3A663
Woman bites tiger! Amazing picture of maneater being nipped on the nose by animal trainer
Delivering a loving nip to the tip of a tiger’s nose, this woman proves the big feline is just a pussy cat as she prepares him for his performance in the upcoming Chinese Lunar Year festivities.
The trainer nuzzled with the animal at Dalian Forest Zoo, in Dalian, Liaoning province, where the troupe are putting in practice ahead of the celebrations, which start on February 14.
China has an estimated 50 or fewer tigers
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1249346/Trainer-tames-tiger-delivering-playful-nip-nose.html
Wild survival: China's young spend 73 hours with tigers
Two young men and a woman were testing their courage at a safari park in northwest China's Shaanxi Province through a 73-hour survival test with wild tigers.
Li Hang, Que Xiaotian and Meng Zihui stood out among 667 applicants to win the privilege to test their courage and experience the wilderness, said Ren Feixiang, manager of the Qinling Safari Park which is located in the suburbs of the provincial capital Xi'an.
The survival test which runs from 10 a.m. Sunday to 11 a.m. Wednesday, is aimed at gathering more support for protection and closer study of the wild cats, as well as to celebration the Chinese year of the tiger, which starts on Feb. 14.
The trio, aged from 24 to 25, are staying in a 10-square-meter cabin made out of a cage which has been placed at the center of the "tiger mountain area", the habitat of 48 wild tigers.
The cabin has no electricity, heating or furniture and is covered only with straw to protect the three from the cold.
The participates are expected to record with their cameras, computers and pens how wild tigers fight for territory, food and spouses, as well as figuring out what the big cats do during their day and collecting different noises the cats make.
The participants have each brought food, water, a tent, and a moistureproof
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/odd/2010-02/08/c_13168455.htm
Wildlife group, stars urge Indians to save the tiger
As China prepares to usher in the Year of the Tiger next week, a massive publicity drive has begun in neighbouring India, where the big cat is the national animal, to save it from extinction.
Conservation group WWF-India has enlisted the support of sports stars and celebrities to raise awareness of the threat, citing government estimates that there are just over 1,400 tigers left in the wild.
The campaign, fronted by India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and top footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, was launched at the end of January and has so far seen more than 75,000 people pledge their support on www.saveourtigers.com.
"Stripey", a cute tiger cub who features in the print, online and television advertisements, also has more than 70,000 fans on the Internet social networking site Facebook and over 2,500 followers
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20100209-252166/Wildlife-group-stars-urge-Indians-to-save-the-tiger
Ohio zoo providing aid for more than 1,000 parrots rescued from smugglers in Cameroon
A conservation group is caring for more than 1,000 African grey parrots with help from an Ohio zoo after the birds were rescued from smugglers who had stuffed them into crates bound for the Middle East.
At least 120 of the birds have died since they were saved last month. The remaining parrots have been transferred to a wildlife conservation centre in the West African nation, said Ofir Drori, director of a conservation group called the Last Great Ape Organization.
"The birds have been tied down for too long. They are very tired, many are sick," he said Tuesday.
The parrots are kept as pets, but they also are believed to possess special powers in countries such as India, China, Nigeria and Cameroon, where the birds are used by witch doctors for rituals.
Cameroonian officials found the parrots stuffed into poorly ventilated wooden crates at the airport. Drori said the crates were being ferried to a Kuwait-bound Ethiopian Airlines flight.
The birds will be released into their natural habitat in a few months after veterinarians complete treating them, Drori said.
The Columbus Zoo in the U.S. state of Ohio said it will provide
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/greenpage/environment/84002047.html
From The Blog -
The Controversy of Ecological Cleansing
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/2010/02/controversy-of-ecological-cleansing.html
Tenth Birth of Reintroduced Gorillas in the Congo
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/2010/02/tenth-birth-to-reintroduced-gorillas-in.html
14th ESVCN-CONFERENCE
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/2010/02/14th-esvcn-conference-2010.html
Group Tries to Save the Last Parrot Species Indigenous to Mainland US
The thick-billed parrot, a pine seed-loving, social bird with a call like human laughter, has been on the federal Endangered Species List for 36 years, but the government has never developed a recovery plan for the bird, environmentalists say in Federal Court. It is one of two parrot species indigenous to the United States in historic times. The other, the Carolina parakeet, was hunted to extinction to get feathers for hats.
WildEarth Guardians sued Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to force the government to implement a recovery plan for the last surviving parrot species in the United States.
Scientists estimate that only 2,000 to 2,800 adult thick-billed parrots (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha) remain in the wild, all of them in Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental. "Naturally occurring flocks" of the birds were last seen in Arizona in 1938 at the Chiricahua National
http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/02/09/24517.htm
Four Bali Parks Hope To Draw Tourists With Imported Elephants
After last year’s failed attempt to ship in Komodo dragons, Bali now is looking at getting elephants from Sumatra to attract more tourists.
Four conservation institutions in Bali on Tuesday requested 59 elephants from Way Kambas National Park in Lampung: 10 for the Elephant Safari Park in Taro, Gianyar district; 14 for Bali Zoo Park, also in Gianyar; 15 for Kasian in Badung; and 20 for Bakas Zoo in Klungkung district.
The request was made at a meeting in Sanur, Bali, on elephants
and other wild animals in conservation institutions. “We hope that this could be a new breakthrough for Bali tourism,” said Anak Agung Gede Putra, an official with Bali Zoo Park, explaining that the elephants would be used as ride attractions.
Nyoman Suweta, a representative from Bakas Zoo, said the elephants would not disrupt the environment as the province had about 402,000 hectares of idle land, some of which could be used to boost tourism.
“We don’t think that there is going to be a conflict between elephants and humans, because the elephants have been domesticated,” Nyoman said.
Hari Santosa, the director of forest protection and nature conservation at the Ministry of Forestry, said they would not disturb the balance
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/four-bali-parks-hope-to-draw-tourists-with-imported-elephants/357743
Ligers Normally Grow Much larger Than Both Lions and Tigers
Chinese tropical wildlife park authorities in Haikou, capital of China’s southernmost province of Hainan, said that they have been able to keep alive two small liger cubs since they were born 162 days ago.
The liger cubs appear to be healthy and spend most of their time eating, playing and sleeping.
The Liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion and a female tiger (tigress). The two have similar genes but are of two different cat subspecies. Ligers normally grow
http://www.hamsayeh.net/hamsayehnet_iran-international%20news887.htm
South Korea requests elephants
CAMBODIA is considering donating an elephant to a South Korean zoo that is short of fertile females, officials confirmed Monday. But conservationists are also alarmed at the prospect of sending a member of an already endangered species out of the country.
South Korean authorities have requested that Cambodia donate fertile females between the ages of 5 and 7 for breeding purposes, said Ty Sokhun, director of forestry and wildlife with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
But Ty Sokhun said authorities are unsure whether they can afford to spare such young specimens. Instead, Cambodia is considering donating a single, 20-year-old female elephant.
“Currently, we are considering their offer and discussing it,” Ty Sokhun said.
Though the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, prevents signatories from trading in endangered species, Cambodia views the potential transfer as a “donation”, Ty Sokhun said.
“It is not an elephant trade, but a donation, as the Korean government has requested it for their national zoo,” he said.
But Tuy Sariwathna, the Mondulkiri province director for the conservation NGO Fauna and Flora International, said he was concerned by the proposal.
“The government should not respond to the Korean request while elephants in Cambodia are endangered,” he said.
Dwindling numbers
Tuy Sariwathna said a 2009 survey found only 98 domesticated elephants in the country, down from a previous count of 162. He said rough estimates have suggested that there are between 500 and 600 elephants in the wild.
Nhek Ratanapech, director of the Phnom Tamao Zoo and Wildlife
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010020931819/National-news/south-korea-requests-elephants.html
Zoo report response submitted
Interim Topeka Zoo director Dennis Taylor said Tuesday that, as scheduled, he provided city manager Norton Bonaparte on Monday with his written response to a report made last month by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The city Tuesday wasn't publicly releasing the response, which Taylor said was "not formalized" and was made in bits and pieces.
Bonaparte had asked Taylor last month to prepare the response to a report released by the AZA, which serves as an accrediting body for zoos and aquariums.
The AZA sent a three-person inspection team to Topeka in early December at Bonaparte's request. That team in late January provided the city with a copy of its report, which was critical of the zoo. The city also received notification that the AZA would re-evaluate the Topeka Zoo's accreditation during its midyear meeting March 3 at Virginia Beach, Va.
Bonaparte announced Jan. 25 that he had asked Taylor to review the inspection findings and provide him a response by Feb. 8, which was Monday.
The city has until Feb. 15 to provide the AZA with a written response and will then meet with officials of the AZA at its midyear meeting. The city plans to send Taylor to the meeting, Bonaparte said at a news conference last week.
Meanwhile, more than 500 responses had been received by 5 p.m. Tuesday to an
http://cjonline.com/news/2010-02-09/zoo_report_response_submitted
China says it has 6,000 captive tigers
China said Tuesday it had nearly 6,000 tigers in captivity and could breed 1,000 more every year, amid international controversy over the benefits of farming the endangered species.
The numbers were announced by Yin Hong, vice head of the State Forestry Administration, according to a spokesman at the agency who refused to be named.
"There are close to 6,000 tigers that have been artifically bred and raised in China," the official China News Service quoted Yin saying.
"These tigers can breed over 1,000 baby tigers every year."
Yin's comments came as China prepares to ring in the Year of the Tiger, which begins February 14, amid mounting worldwide concern over dwindling numbers of the great cats.
Yin said there were just 50 to 60 wild tigers left in China. Conservation groups have said recently fewer than 50 still roam the country.
There are four varieties of wild tigers in China, and one of them -- the South China tiger -- has not been spotted in the wild since the late 1970s. In the 1950s, there were around 4,000 of the subspecies.
Degradation of the animal's habitat and poaching of the tiger and its prey are blamed for its rapid disappearance.
In the 1980s, China set up tiger farms to try and preserve the big cats, intending to release some into the wild.
But experts warn it will be difficult for captive tigers to re-adapt to the wild, and the sheer number of the endangered animals kept in farms now poses a challenge.
"The government now realises it's a problem but they haven't figured out how to deal with the existing tigers yet," Xie Yan, director of the China programme for the Wildlife Conservation Society, told AFP.
The existence of tiger farms in China and other countries has sparked international controversy.
In July, Keshav Varma, leader of the World Bank's Global Tiger Initiative, called for tiger farming to be phased out, saying there was a danger this could hasten the extinction of the endangered species.
"Would it create new markets and an even higher demand for wild tiger products -- for those who want a luxury good -- the 'real thing?'" he asked.
Xie said farms in China make little money, apart from tourists, and some are pushing for a 1993 ban on the trade in tiger parts and related
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iowjbaPC4NntIrGjBPnc1YDXCTkg
Giraffe receives pedicure at Chester zoo in Chester, N England
Thorn, a male giraffe, takes a reward from keeper Lizzie Bowen (L) as he receives a pedicure from another keeper at Chester zoo in Chester, northern England February 9, 2010. Keepers at the zoo are using a pioneering training technique that avoids the use of anaesthetic to treat the animal's
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/photo/2010-02/10/c_13170855.htm
Indonesia Sends Comodo Dragons to Hungary
Today, February 10, local zoo in Jakarta Ragunanhas sent a pair of Komodos to a zoo in Hungary Sosto. The rare animals from East Nusa Tenggara were flown from Soekarno-Hatta airport at 10am.
The Komodos are a male named Bagol (weighs 125 kg) and a female named Indri (weighs 80 kg). Both are 11 years old.
“The Komodos are being lent to the government of Hungaria as part of Indonesia’s program,” Ragunan Zoo Public Relation Officer Bambang Wahyudi told VIVAnews.
According to him, the term of loan has been agreed to be five years.
Based on the agreement, if anything happens to the Komodos, Indonesia has the
http://en.vivanews.com/news/read/128386-indonesia_sends_comodo_dragons_to_hungary
Clouded leopard: First film of new Asia big cat species
The Sundaland clouded leopard, a recently described new species of big cat, has been caught on camera.
The film, the first footage of the cat in the wild to be made public, has been released by scientists working in the Dermakot Forest Reserve in Malaysia.
The Sundaland clouded leopard, only discovered to be a distinct species three years ago, is one of the least known and elusive of all cat species.
Two more rare cats, the flat-headed cat and bay cat, were also photographed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8505000/8505785.stm
Alcala: Zoo should retire elephants
An animal advocacy group in Kansas and a city councilman are ramping up a push to retire the Topeka Zoo's elephants to a sanctuary in Tennessee.
Councilman John Alcala said conversations with Animal Outreach
of Kansas have convinced him the zoo doesn't have the physical space to humanely care for Sunda and Tembo. The indoor and outdoor elephant space is well within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation standards.But Alcala said the space is minuscule compared to the Tennessee sanctuary where they would have hundreds of acres to roam.
"I'm not an expert in this, but I know when an animal is kept in the minimum space," he said.
Alcala said he will ask city manager Norton Bonaparte for a council work session to discuss the idea and is willing to author a resolution calling for the elephants' move to Tennessee.
Animal Outreach co-founder Judy Carman noted numerous zoos including the San Francisco Zoo, the Detroit Zoo and the Philadelphia Zoo have closed their elephant exhibits. The Topeka Zoo, she said, could help restore its recently damaged reputation by taking this "progressive step."
The AZA was quick to strike back at the claims of inadequate care. Spokesman Steve Feldman said the elephants share a strong bond, and disrupting their routine could be detrimental to their health.
"The notion that they need to be retired from the zoo is ridiculous," Feldman said. "They're living a comfortable life right now."
The zoo awaits a March 3 meeting in which an AZA panel will decide whether to pull Topeka's accreditation. Regulators from the U.S. Department of Agriculture criticized the zoo in August 2009 and September2009 inspection reports that cited noncompliance issues related to numerous animal deaths.
Zoo director Mike Coker retired in early December. Veterinarian Shirley Llizo's employment with the zoo also ended in the midst of the problems.
None of those issues raised last year related to the elephants. The USDA did cite the zoo in 2005 for deep cracks in several nails, flaps of pad overgrowth and a prominent bulge on the feet of the Asian and African elephants. Since
http://cjonline.com/news/local/2010-02-08/alcala_zoo_should_retire_elephants
Aquarium 'can be one of the best in Europe'
THE new boss of the National Marine Aquarium aims to make it one of the 'foremost aquariums in Europe' after revealing the attraction is now on a sound financial footing.
Dr David Gibson said he wants to re-establish the NMA's core charitable objectives of education, research and conservation and intends to create new facilities and bring in new fish.
But he stressed the Coxside attraction would be less about 'pretty fish' and more about conservation.
Dr Gibson this month took over as managing director at the NMA following Andrew Robertson's two-and-a-half years in charge.
Dr Gibson said during that period the Aquarium's financial fortunes had been revived and he was brought in by trustees to enhance its reputation.
"My brief is about the reputation of the NMA," he said "To increase our standing within Europe with regard to education, research and conservation.
"I believe the NMA can, and will, be one of the foremost public aquariums in Europe."
Dr Gibson, who has a degree in zoology and a PhD in fish health, worked at Hull's renowned charitable aquarium The Deep for eight years and joins the NMA after working as executive director at Fota Wildlife Park, in Ireland.
He described the NMA as "a great facility, the location is superb and the potential great".
And he said: "Plymouth is a vibrant, dynamic city with the marine sciences at its core and an ideal location for an aquarium. It's a real pleasure to be here."
The NMA has had a chequered history over its 12 years, being criticised in the past for the
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/business/Aquarium-best-Europe/article-1763537-detail/article.html
Coral seized at Manchester Airport sent to Blue Planet
Officials at Manchester Airport faced a "race against time" to save more than a tonne of live rock coral brought in illegally from Indonesia.
UK Border Agency officers made the discovery in a freight consignment after realising the coral had been wrongly described on the documentation.
The coral was transported to the Blue Planet Aquarium at Ellesmere Port to keep it alive.
The importation is under investigation, the UK Border Agency said.
Rock coral are protected under the Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species (CITES).
On display
A Border Agency spokeswoman said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8481907.stm
Galapagos fur seals head for Peru waters
A colony of fur seals has moved 1,500km away from the Galapagos Islands, a Peru-based organisation which monitors the aquatic mammals has said.
The Organisation for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals says the fur seals have swum to northern Peru because of rising temperatures.
It is the first time fur seals have set up a colony away from the islands, Orca says.
Average sea temperatures off northern Peru have risen, monitors say.
Measurements from the Peruvian Geophysics Institute indicate the sea surface temperature in the northern Peruvian provinces of Piura and Tumbes have consistently risen from an average of 17C to 23C over the last 10 years.
The temperature is much closer to the sea temperature around theGalapagos Islands, which averages about 25C.
Now that the conditions of the sea around northern Peru are so similar to the Galapagos, they say,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8503397.stm
Iowa zoo gets 20 tons of chicken wings
Hold the hot sauce and blue cheese, the big cats at the Cricket Hollow Zoo in Manchester like their chicken wings raw.
The zoo has scored about 41,000 pounds of frozen wings from a distributor that almost threw them out.
The wings, originally from the former Agriprocessors plant in Postville, couldn't be sold but were still OK for animal consumption. Iowa Waste Exchange kept the chicken out of the landfill and offered them to the zoo.
Exchange spokesman Ben Kvigne says it's his job to find ways to save byproducts and scrap materials from going into the ground, but 20 tons of chicken wings is a
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-chickenwingsforzo,0,1174205.story
Loch Lomond Aquarium turtle is a Scotland first
LOCH Lomond Aquarium has a new resident – Scotland’s first giant green sea turtle.
The adult female is settling in at the Balloch sealife centre following a 12 hour trip from an aquarium in Weymouth on Thursday night.
The seven-year-old adult female, who weights 70kg and has a shell span of almost three feet, has been rehomed in the centre’s 350,000 litre tropical ocean tank.
She was hatched at a Caribbean turtle farm on the Cayman Isles before travelling 5000 miles to the English turtle sanctuary where she has helped to raise awareness of the threats facing her species in the wild.
She has come to Loch Lomond to make way for five turtles left unable to dive after being hit
http://www.lennoxherald.co.uk/dunbartonshire-news/dunbartonshire-news/dumbarton-news/2010/02/05/loch-lomond-aquarium-turtle-is-a-scotland-first-114557-25745815/
Notorious penguin Harry survives infection
Fans of The City’s most famous penguins can breathe easy: Harry, who was struck by a life-threatening respiratory infection late last year, has convalesced enough to return home.
In December, Harry became ill with aspergillosis, a serious fungal infection that can be fatal for penguins. He and his partner, Linda, were moved from their island home at the San Francisco Zoo’s Magellanic penguin exhibit to the Avian Conservation Center, where Harry was tended to by veterinary staff and treated for the infection.
Harry gained international notoriety last summer when he left his longtime same-sex partner, Pepper, for recently widowed female Linda. Harry and Pepper had previously been one of the zoo’s devoted and stable avian partnerships, but after Harry left Pepper, the drama erupted into violence
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Notorious-penguin-Harry-survives-infection-83857467.html
Rain proves curse for endangered Arava lizard
In addition to the human toll of the flash flooding which came in the wake of last month's heavy rains, the swollen waters of southern Israel's Nahal Arava claimed another casualty: the already-threatened spiny-tailed lizard.
Veterinarians at the Ramat Gan Safari park's wild animal medical clinic are treating a 70-centimeter-long lizard that was found with broken ribs, muscle damage, and vision problems after the flooding. Advertisement
"The lizard was found by a farmer from the moshav of Eidan near Nahal Arava and they transferred him to me," said Harel Ben Shahar, an inspector with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. "He was covered in
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1148516.html
Singapore Zoo lets visitors get closer to white tigers
Remember the white tigers that made the headlines when a man went into their enclosure and got mauled to death at the zoo?
One year on, the Singapore Zoo is asking visitors to get to know these very same tigers.
For the first time to mark the Year of the Tiger, visitors will get the opportunity to go behind the scene to see how the white tigers are trained using operant conditioning to provide mental and behavioural stimulation for the animals.
Meet Omar — a 10—year—old Bengal tiger who resides at the Singapore Zoo. He is taught to respond correctly to stimulants and gets rewarded with a meaty treat.
Francis Lim, curator at Singapore Zoo, said: "In the past, we had to sedate the animal — that means we have to knock the animal down, let them sleep so we can do a close examination. But with this operant conditioning, we don’t have to do that. It’s safe for the animal, it doesn’t compromise the animal’s health."
For the zookeepers, it is part of a bond that has been built over seven years.
Mohamed Nasir, zookeeper at Singapore Zoo, said: "There was one time when Omar was really ill. He was really, really down because of his kidney. He was really sick, and you
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20100209/tap-215-singapore-zoo-lets-visitors-get-231650b.html
Zoo set to lose jumbo trio
A central circular that says zoos are not for jumbos has triggered a heavy-duty debate between animal rights activists rejoicing at and forest officials resisting the imminent departure of the city’s gentlest, and most-loved, trio of giants.
Elephants Mumtaz, Uttara and Phulwanti — the pride of Alipore Zoo — are soon to be shifted out of their enclosure and moved to a national park or a reserve forest far from “home” in accordance with the Central Zoo Authority’s notice.
As wildlife activists chant more power to elephant freedom, officials at the city zoo have raised doubts over whether Mumtaz, Uttara and Phulwanti can be safely transported and released in an alien — and hostile — habitat. A possible impact on footfalls in a zoo without elephants is also not far from their minds.
“The Central Zoo Authority’s circular is a major policy decision that will impact the future of elephants in the country. We are surprised that
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100209/jsp/calcutta/story_12080388.jsp
Campaign continues against zoo
A CAMPAIGN group has vowed to hold regular protests outside Noah's Ark Zoo Farm throughout its open season.
On Saturday, when the Wraxall attraction opened its gates to visitors for the first time this year, members of Bristol Animal Rights Collective held a demonstration outside.
This follows an investigation carried out last year that led to allegations that Noah's Ark was breeding tigers for a circus and that a tiger had been incorrectly buried after she died at the site.
Despite Noah's Ark consistently refuting the claims, campaigners
http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/content/twm/news/story.aspx?brand=Westonmercury&category=newsNorthSomerset&tBrand=westonmercury&tCategory=znews&itemid=WeED09+Feb+2010+09%3A06%3A09%3A663
Woman bites tiger! Amazing picture of maneater being nipped on the nose by animal trainer
Delivering a loving nip to the tip of a tiger’s nose, this woman proves the big feline is just a pussy cat as she prepares him for his performance in the upcoming Chinese Lunar Year festivities.
The trainer nuzzled with the animal at Dalian Forest Zoo, in Dalian, Liaoning province, where the troupe are putting in practice ahead of the celebrations, which start on February 14.
China has an estimated 50 or fewer tigers
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1249346/Trainer-tames-tiger-delivering-playful-nip-nose.html
Wild survival: China's young spend 73 hours with tigers
Two young men and a woman were testing their courage at a safari park in northwest China's Shaanxi Province through a 73-hour survival test with wild tigers.
Li Hang, Que Xiaotian and Meng Zihui stood out among 667 applicants to win the privilege to test their courage and experience the wilderness, said Ren Feixiang, manager of the Qinling Safari Park which is located in the suburbs of the provincial capital Xi'an.
The survival test which runs from 10 a.m. Sunday to 11 a.m. Wednesday, is aimed at gathering more support for protection and closer study of the wild cats, as well as to celebration the Chinese year of the tiger, which starts on Feb. 14.
The trio, aged from 24 to 25, are staying in a 10-square-meter cabin made out of a cage which has been placed at the center of the "tiger mountain area", the habitat of 48 wild tigers.
The cabin has no electricity, heating or furniture and is covered only with straw to protect the three from the cold.
The participates are expected to record with their cameras, computers and pens how wild tigers fight for territory, food and spouses, as well as figuring out what the big cats do during their day and collecting different noises the cats make.
The participants have each brought food, water, a tent, and a moistureproof
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/odd/2010-02/08/c_13168455.htm
Wildlife group, stars urge Indians to save the tiger
As China prepares to usher in the Year of the Tiger next week, a massive publicity drive has begun in neighbouring India, where the big cat is the national animal, to save it from extinction.
Conservation group WWF-India has enlisted the support of sports stars and celebrities to raise awareness of the threat, citing government estimates that there are just over 1,400 tigers left in the wild.
The campaign, fronted by India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and top footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, was launched at the end of January and has so far seen more than 75,000 people pledge their support on www.saveourtigers.com.
"Stripey", a cute tiger cub who features in the print, online and television advertisements, also has more than 70,000 fans on the Internet social networking site Facebook and over 2,500 followers
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/world/view/20100209-252166/Wildlife-group-stars-urge-Indians-to-save-the-tiger
Ohio zoo providing aid for more than 1,000 parrots rescued from smugglers in Cameroon
A conservation group is caring for more than 1,000 African grey parrots with help from an Ohio zoo after the birds were rescued from smugglers who had stuffed them into crates bound for the Middle East.
At least 120 of the birds have died since they were saved last month. The remaining parrots have been transferred to a wildlife conservation centre in the West African nation, said Ofir Drori, director of a conservation group called the Last Great Ape Organization.
"The birds have been tied down for too long. They are very tired, many are sick," he said Tuesday.
The parrots are kept as pets, but they also are believed to possess special powers in countries such as India, China, Nigeria and Cameroon, where the birds are used by witch doctors for rituals.
Cameroonian officials found the parrots stuffed into poorly ventilated wooden crates at the airport. Drori said the crates were being ferried to a Kuwait-bound Ethiopian Airlines flight.
The birds will be released into their natural habitat in a few months after veterinarians complete treating them, Drori said.
The Columbus Zoo in the U.S. state of Ohio said it will provide
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/greenpage/environment/84002047.html
From The Blog -
The Controversy of Ecological Cleansing
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/2010/02/controversy-of-ecological-cleansing.html
Tenth Birth of Reintroduced Gorillas in the Congo
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/2010/02/tenth-birth-to-reintroduced-gorillas-in.html
14th ESVCN-CONFERENCE
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/2010/02/14th-esvcn-conference-2010.html
Plus there is even more on the Blog. Scroll down...added to daily. Just the zoo interest stuff
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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
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Wildlife Middle East News Vol 4 Issue 3 December 2009 PDFs can be downloaded from:
http://www.wmenews.com/phplist/lt.php?id=Y0wEAVEGCwBJVQlFUwUGUFU%3D
Apologies: Due to a number of unforseen circumstances the production of this issue has been severely delayed. We have unfortunately had to say goodbye to our long term friends at Brandbeat in Dubai who have assisted us in the production and printing of the Newsletter since its inception. We welcome, however, PaulMac Design who have taken over that responsibility for us. Volume 4 Issue 4 should be available on time in March.
Request for articles for future issues:
We are looking for contributions of articles from colleagues within the Middle East region for the next issue. Please contact the editors with any ideas that you may have.
info@wmenews.com
Vol 4 Issue 3 Contents
Editorial
Captive-breeding of Arabian Leopard Panthera pardus nimr in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Hunting: an extinction threat to Middle East's most threatened bird Summary of the monitoring of the efficacy of newborn treatments in ruminants at Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP) Changes in the distribution, abundance and status of Arabian Sand Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica) in Saudi Arabia: A review Haematology and Biochemistry Blood Parameters of juvenile Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Senyar: A rescue team for the marine environment of Kuwait What’s new in the literature AZA Gruiformes TAG 2009. Kori Bustard (Ardeotis kori) Care Manual Review - The UV Guide UK – Enthusiasts Further Scientific Understanding of the Role of UV Light in Reptile Husbandry
Wildlife Middle East News wishes to acknowledge the following groups for their continued assistance in the production and distribution of the Newsletter.
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Wishing you a wonderful week,
Peter Dickinson
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