Zoo News Digest 10th - 13th September 2010 (Zoo News 688)
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/
On with links:
$300,000 Needed to Help Save Last of Javan Rhinos
An international partnership is seeking to raise $300,000 in a race against the clock to ensure the survival of the last estimated 48 Javan rhinoceroses in Indonesia — all found within Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten.
Operation Javan Rhino started on June 21 and is an initiative of the International Rhino Foundation and Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI).
Its goal is to create 4,000 hectares of expanded habitat to encourage population growth in the national park, a rare patch of wilderness on the western tip of one of the world’s most densely populated island.
“Having all the eggs in one basket isn’t a good thing for any species,” Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, told
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/300000-needed-to-help-save-last-of-javan-rhinos/395327
A fly-past not seen for 400 years: How the first flock of British cranes since the 16th century were set free
Its piercing cry echoed over our marshes and wetlands - until it was hunted to extinction.
But 400 years on, the crane is making a comeback.
Experts who want to return the species to its former habitat have hatched eggs from Germany and are reintroducing a flock of 20.
The fledglings, which were brought up in a Wildfowl and Wetland Trust centre in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, in the spring, were given their first taste of the wild last month.
In ten years, it is hoped their population will flourish, just as nature intended.
Breeding cranes vanished from Britain in the 16th century, the victims of hunting and draining of the wetlands.
Since then, practically the only birds seen in the UK were those passing through to breeding grounds overseas.
And although a small colony was
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1309977/A-fly-past-seen-400-years-How-flock-British-cranes-16th-century-set-free.html
Marine conservation groups call for end to bluefin tuna fishing
Can Hollywood help Devon's Dartmoor Zoo survive?
A Devon zoo is hoping a windfall from Hollywood will help ease its financial problems.
The story of how a family bought Dartmoor Zoological Park is set to be made into a film starring Matt Damon.
BBC Spotlight's John Henderson went to meet the zoo's owner Ben Mee to find out how the money from the film rights
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8983000/8983658.stm
Compassionate Conservation Finally Comes of Age: Killing in the name of conservation doesn't work
A forward-looking and long overdue symposium called Compassionate Conservation will be held from September 1 - 3, 2010 in Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford. The meeting, sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and the Born Free Foundation, will focus on major themes including animal welfare and the conservation of wild animals, captive animal welfare and conservation, conservation consequences of wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release, and the international trade in live
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201008/compassionate-conservation-finally-comes-age-killing-in-the-name-conserv
Conservation and compassion: First do no harm
BLACK-footed ferrets were once widespread across the Great Plains and the inter-mountain west of North America. Then decades of habitat loss and disease pushed them to the brink of extinction. In the mid-1980s, with only 18 individuals left in the wild, the entire population was taken into captivity to establish a captive breeding programme. Reintroductions into the wild began in 1991, and the population is now around 750.
Some consider the black-footed ferret recovery programme to be a conservation success story. But that success has come at a heavy price. Captive-bred ferrets need to be taught to hunt before they can be released into the wild. This is done by feeding them golden hamsters and black-tailed prairie dogs. In 2008 and 2009, captive ferrets were fed 7300 golden hamsters, 5100 of them offered alive, plus 2466 black-tailed prairie dogs, 1480 offered alive, according to figures supplied by the programme. The hamsters are bred solely to be practice prey.
Some defend the use of hamsters and prairie dogs as prey on the grounds that they are not endangered
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727750.100-conservation-and-compassion-first-do-no-harm.html
The Polar Bear Commercial
Constricted by boas – the fall of Anson Wong?
“I don’t want to go to jail again.” -- Those were the words uttered by Anson Wong slightly over a year ago to me.
I was confident that he said that with full knowledge that he is untouchable in Southeast Asia – one of the regions which had become a safe playground for the flamboyant wildlife trafficker.
There is an undoubted air of cockiness in Wong. His underlying message was: Catch me if you can!
From his Toshiba laptop, he nonchalantly showed photographs of him holding a Malagasy ploughshare tortoise purportedly in a market in the neighbouring Zanzibar island off Tanzania. He claimed that he was on holiday there, and declared that he has remained clean since returning from the United States sometime in 2004.
Now, what are the chances of a person who has been convicted of running a wildlife smuggling ring that specialises in rare reptiles like the endangered ploughshare tortoise
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/comment/10099-constricted-by-boas--the-fall-of-anson-wong
Dogs kill six deer in China zoo
Four dogs – “well-fed and trained to kill” – hunted down and killed six protected deer in a zoo in China’s Yunnan province, officials said Friday.
The dogs got into the zoo and killed four spotted deer and two fallow deer. Another two deer and an emu were injured, Tang Yangchun, head of the Yunnan Wildlife Zoo’s animal management department, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Tang said some miscreants might have been behind the attack.
“The gates are guarded round the clock. And the dogs couldn’t have climbed over the 2.5-metre zoo fence by
http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/2/174631.htm
Flamingos help Nashville Zoo set single day attendance record of 9,957
Flamingos helped the Nashville Zoo set an attendance record Sept. 4.
The zoo said in a news release that 9,957 people attended the zoo that day, breaking the old record of 9,754 set earlier this year during its annual egg
http://www.whnt.com/news/sns-ap-tn--zoorecord,0,4727687.story
Great Plains Zookeeper's keep distance from animals
Take a look at this video captured at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, a lion bit one of the keepers inside the lion exhibit. You see the lion grabbing onto the leg of one of the keepers as he try's to fight the lion off.
Now, after that trainer was attacked it prompts the question how safe are these captive wild animals? KSFY Action News Reporter Jake Iversen spoke with a zookeeper at the Great Plains Zoo about what they do to prevent accidents like what happened in Las Vegas from happening here.
Lisa Smith has been a zookeeper for fifteen years and is now the Director of Animal Programs at the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum. When she saw the MGM Grand Casino lion turn on its trainer she said it was shocking but it is something that would not happen at this zoo.
"We try to ensure the safety of our keepers at all times and we limit that risk whenever we can."
"Lisa says the best way to prevent accidents is to keep zookeeper's out of animal exhibits and respect that these animals really are wild."
"All animals at the zoo are potentially wild animals so we respect that nature that wild nature and we're going to limit our risk and not go in with dangerous animals."
The animals at the Great Plains Zoo are always kept separate from their keepers and when they need to be moved they use positive reinforcement such as treats and rewards
http://www.ksfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=13130048
The following video contains some excellent photographs and footage of the Philippine Tarsier. Sadly the commentary is not in English but it is still a very interesting watch.
Product Description
Born Wild is a story of passion, adventure and skulduggery on the frontline of African conservation. Following Tony Fitzjohn's journey from London bad boy to African wildlife warrior, the heart of the story is a series of love affairs with the world’s most beautiful and endangered creatures – affairs that so often end in pain, for to succeed in re-introducing a lion or leopard to the wild is to be deprived of their companionship. Tony tells of his twenty years in Kenya with George Adamson of Born Free fame - a time of discovery, isolation and frequent danger living far from civilisation. And when he was prevented from re-introducing any more animals into the wild and made unwelcome in the country he loved, Tony had to start anew in Tanzania.
Mum's 142kg baby battle at Melbourne Zoo
Although I am unsure as to how much good it will do it is well worth giving it a go.
Please Vote To Ban The Bear Bile Farms
Click HERE . The site you will reach is all in Chinese but all you need to do is scroll down a little and on the left hand side of your screen you will see:
click on the clapping hand sign once and your vote will be registered. Each computer is allowed one vote.
Tasmanian Devil Pouch Check at Taronga
Zoo body takes up jumbo survey
Concerned about the condition of zoo premises, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has formed a committee to carry out field appraisal of elephants in large zoos, including the Delhi Zoo. The committee will evaluate if the zoo premises are hygienic and spacious enough for the pachyderms to lead a healthy life.
The committee was formed by the CZA after it received requests from large zoos across the country to re-consider the zoo regulating body’s November 2009 circular. The circular had proposed shifting all elephants in zoos to national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves. “Elephants are large animals, they require more open areas and therefore, need to be shifted,” the circular had said.
“The committee, comprising four members, has been formed as per the Ministry of Environment and Forest's directions. It has been asked to submit its report as soon as possible,” Dr Brij Kishor Gupta, CZA’s Evaluation and Monitoring Officer told HT.
The committee will evaluate zoo facilities and arrangements with respect to animal health and also take a look at whether the elephants’ accommodation was adequate enough. “The
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Zoo-body-takes-up-jumbo-survey/Article1-599085.aspx
Terri irwin wins management award
TERRI Irwin added another item to her trophy cabinet on Friday night when she was named the region's best business owner/manager.
The widow of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was honoured at the 2010 Sunshine Coast Management Excellence Awards for her management and development of Australia Zoo at Beerwah.
In a glowing tribute, awards organisers said Ms Irwin managed her organisation with a shared vision of becoming the ultimate, global zoological destination.
“She works with senior management and all 604 staff to continue to grow
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/09/12/Terri-irwn-management-award-australia-zoo-steve/
Second dolphin born at Mediterraneo Park
The Mediterraneo park at Bahar Ic-Caghaq has announced the birth of the second dolphin to be delivered at its tanks in as many months.
It has also announced a competition where it is inviting children to give names to the two newborns.
The second calf , a male, was born on August 8 to Estrella, which, like Onda, which gave birth to a male on July 20, was brought to Malta from the waters around Cuba several years ago. The proud father in both cases is Lucas.
Paulo Pedroli park manager, said the park had put off the announcement of the birth because the first month was crucial and ‘mother and baby' needed to be closely monitored by experts. They were separated from other dolphins during that period and only put in the same tank as the other mother and calf a few days ago.
Marineland Ltd, the company that runs the Mediterraneo Marine Park, has been following a species propagation programme. Veterinary surgeons, trainers, biologists, voluntary workers and the staff at the park had been closely followed the gestation of Onda and Estrella, for whom these were the first births. No other births are planned for the near future.
Mr Pedroli said the park would be reducing the frequency
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100911/local/second-dolphin-born-at-mediterraneo-park
Penguin Blog
In the video we posted earlier, you may have noticed me taking some notes. That's how we keep track of how much each bird eats at each feeding.
The plastic tablet is a handy way to do that. Next to each penguin's name, we use a pencil to mark how many fish they eat. We transcribe this information to official paper copies, once we are dry, along with any observational notes that should be part of each penguin's personal records. The
http://penguins.neaq.org/2010/09/whats-happening-feeding-notes.html
Mysore Zoo's one day revenue crosses Rs 9 lakh
Ahead of Dasara, tourists are milling Mysore.
On Sunday, the Mysore Zoo's single day revenue crossed Rs 9 lakh, a first this season. Such is the mad rush in Mysore that there has been bumper-to-bumper traffic in the city known for its slow pace of life.
The Dasara season is starting on a big note: While extended holiday is the reason for flocking of visitors, it is also taken as an indicator of the tourists' renewed interest towards Mysore.
Last year, the Dasara season was hit by H1N1 scare that had plummeted tourist numbers. Cut to present: The city is relatively free from the bird flu scare and insulated from dengue deaths.
During the weekend, the tourists are coming in hordes and it's chock-a-block like at the parking lot of the Mysore Palace. Since the parking lot could not accom
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Mysore-Zoos-one-day-revenue-crosses-Rs-9-lakh/articleshow/6542265.cms
Killer whale dies at SeaWorld in San Diego; orca shows canceled
Sumar, a 12-year-old killer whale, died mysteriously Tuesday at SeaWorld in San Diego, forcing cancellation of the orca shows at Shamu Stadium, officials at the park said.
The male orca began acting lethargic on Monday and was given antibiotics by park veterinarians. But his condition worsened and he died at about 1:45 p.m. A necropsy is planned.
The show will resume Wednesday.
Sumar, approximately 15 feet long and 5,300 pounds, had been at the San Diego park since 1999. He was born at the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Fla., on May 14, 1998, and spent some months at the SeaWorld park in Ohio before being transferred to San Diego.
While still a calf, Sumar's mother, Taima, attacked him during a show at the Orlando park. The two were separated permanently, and other female orcas acted
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/09/killer-whale-dies-at-seaworld-in-san-diego-shamu-show-cancelled.html
Gazans Desert Their Donkey-Zebra
"We haven't had a single visit yet through Ramadan, what kind of zoo doesn't get visitors during holidays?" asks Mahmoud Barghoud, 22, co-creator of the Marha zoo.
The Marha Land zoo and children's park lies halfway between Gaza and Deir al-Balah on the main north-south highway running Gaza's length, waiting for customers to visit. In the peak of summer, the park gets a handful of visitors on a good day. During the month of Ramadan and since, there have been none.
Of Gaza's roughly ten scattered zoos and animal parks, the Marha zoo has gained the most fame for its creativity: in 2009, using women's hair dye and a donkey, they created Gaza's first 'zebra'.
But in the face of its ingenuity, the zoo has suffered financial and physical losses.
"When we returned to the zoo after the Israeli war on Gaza stopped, the first thing we saw were the dead monkeys. We'd had six of different types and they were all sprawled out dead," says Barghoud.
"The lioness was dead. The two camels were dead. The two hyenas were dead. Our gazelles, the foxes, the wolves, the caribou, the deer, the ostriches...90 percent of our animals and birds were dead."
The zoo became an area Israeli soldiers and tanks occupied during the 23- day Israeli war on Gaza in 2008-2009. Barghoud says the family tried twice
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52796
30 Reasons Why Man Is Not Descended from Apes
The Noah's Ark Zoo Farm in the UK has a presentation about 30 reasons why man is not descended from apes. Given the establishment believes in creationism, that presentation is no surprise. But that school children would attend the place has some educators alarmed. Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, near Bristol, was recently awarded a "quality badge" by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom.
The council's deputy chief executive defended the decision, the Guardian reports: "An important aim of learning outside the classroom is allowing children and young people access to education that challenges assumptions and allows them to experience a range of viewpoints."
That's a tactic known as "teaching the controversy" — a controversy scientists say does not exist. Evolution is a well-founded theory — among the most solid and important theories in all of science, and among
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/etc/100912-reasons-why-man-not-descended-from-apes.html
A Safe Haven
A wildlife refuge in Phetchaburi may change your attitude about wild animals forever
Stepping into a wildlife sanctuary in a remote corner of Phetchaburi's Tha Yang district, I was a little frightened after being greeted with the loud screeches of gibbons and monkeys.
I quietly walked around, finding myself surrounded by wild animals. The gibbons screeched louder, while in their large cages, frightened dusky langurs jumped up to higher branches. A huge hornbill in the cage flew towards me and looked into my eyes.
Edwin Wiek, founder and director of the Wildlife Friends Foundation, approached the hornbill's cage to greet it and pet it. "Come on. Are you Okay?"
And the large bird and the man played together like close friends.
This is the Wildlife Rescue Centre, a modest refuge run by the Wildlife Friends Foundation where rescued wild animals can be rehabilitated and wait to be released back into the forest.
"We have a number of gibbons here. When young, they're so cute and often become pets. People love to carry them around. But when they grow up their fangs grow long, and most are left and forgotten in their cages," Mr Wiek said.
In the wild, gibbons never leave their babies. So, if you see a baby gibbon, you can assume that its mother is dead.
Located in a remote corner of Tha Yang district of Phetchaburi, only a short drive from Cha-am and
http://www.bangkokpost.com/feature/environment/195834/a-safe-haven
Alicante Safari Park closes down
The Vergel Safari Park has been operating for 33 years
One of Spain’s pioneering zoological parks, the Vergel Safari Park in the Marina Alta, Alicante, closed its doors on Friday after 33 years.
Inside a group of workers and vets will continue to work for at least five months until the 460 animals which live in semi-freedom inside are found new homes.
The closure comes because of purely
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_27149.shtml
Polar bear pen ready near Churchill
The Manitoba government says the final round of structural upgrades to the holding facility for polar bears that persistently wander into the northern coastal town of Churchill is now complete.
Bears that make their way back into the community after being chased away need to be isolated in the facility until they can be safely transported out of town or until Hudson Bay ices over, said Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie.
He said the holding facility provides safety for both the people of the north and the bears.
The end walls of the building have been refitted with metal siding and a new kiosk has been built with a display outlining facts about the bears, polar bear management in Manitoba, the bear alert program and polar bear safety.
Reports indicate polar bears came off the ice very early this season.
As of July 20, almost all of the bears were off the ice along the Hudson Bay coastline.
A tundra buggy takes tourists across the ice in Churchill to see polar bears. (Travel Manitoba)
This year's preliminary survey results showed an unusually high number of polar bears north of Churchill, especially in the Hubbard Point area approximately 90 kilometres south of the Nunavut-Manitoba boundary.
All polar bears sighted appeared to be in very good condition. A total of 258 bears
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/09/08/mb-polar-bear-pen-churchill.html#ixzz0zI85w3bo
Dolphinarium in SW Turkey closed after NGO campaign
A dolphinarium in southwestern Turkey that attracted controversy due to concerns about the living conditions of the venue’s dolphins has been closed and the park’s mammals freed following efforts from civil society organizations.
“This has been an intense but effective campaign but we will only feel truly happy when the [dolphins] are finally back in the wild. This shows how much can be achieved by a collaborative effort and people working together across the world with one collective aim: a real testament to the power of the people. With modern communications and clear aims, we have shown what can be achieved,” Nichola Chapman of Dolphin Angels, one of the nongovernmental organizations that fought to secure the release of the park’s two dolphins, said over the weekend.
Dolphin Angels, along with NGOs Born Free and SAD/DEMAG, fought for many months to close the dolphinarium and free its dolphins.
Businessman Alexandr Kuznetzov and a group of investors rented land in the resort of Hisarönü from Ölüdeniz Municipality in the southwestern
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=tom-and-misha-the-two-bottle-nosed-dolphins-finally-heading-back-to-the-sea-2010-09-05
Dr. Suzan Murray: Chief Veterinarian, National Zoo
As a five year-old watching a National Geographic television program on Jane Goodall, the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Suzan Murray instantly knew she had found her calling.
As the National Zoo's chief veterinarian since 2001, Murray has been able to live out her childhood dream on a daily basis. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring that the zoo's 2,000 animals from 400 different species receive the highest level of health care.
"Every day I come to work, I know I'm responsible for providing health care to our extremely valuable collection of animals consisting of some of the world's most endangered species, Murray said. "Not only can we make a difference in an individual animal's life, but by caring for that individual, we can literally affect the entire population of a species."
A typical day for Murray and her team of four clinical veterinarians can range from giving a pregnant giant anteater an ultrasound to developing a treatment program to inserting a pacemaker to regulate the heartbeat of gorillas.
Trying to understand and adapt the treatment of each species can be a challenge, according to Murray, but it is also the greatest reward.
"Every time we diagnose and treat a different species, it's an incredible rush," Murray said.
To help her team manage the health of so many diverse species, Murray has established partnerships with medical colleagues in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including dentists, surgeons and cardiologists who routinely donate their time and expertise on cases.
Kurt Newman, the surgeon-and-chief at Children's National Medical Center
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091201260.html
GRRR... it hurts!
In a pioneering effort, a five-member team of surgeons performs a six-hour dental surgery to ease the pain on two tigers from Bannerghatta National Park
Ateam of five surgeons needed close to six hours and plenty of courage to complete a root canal on a patient.
They exchanged hi-fives, sported wide grins and were thrilled. What’s the big deal, you may ask. Well, their patient was tigress Menaka and tiger Mohan, residents at the Bannerghatta Biological Park.
Dr A Sha Arun, a wildlife veterinary surgeon who conducted the surgery, revealed the operation was not an easy
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/1/201009112010091100045837829527e83/GRRR-it-hurts.html
African Cheetah to be translocated in MP''s sanctuary next year
The Cheetah became extinct from India after the last one died in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh in 1947. It will be brought from Africa under Project Cheetah prepared by Union ministry of environment and forest. Wildlife Institute of India and wildlife trust of India will offer assistance
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/african-cheetah-to-be-translocated-in-mps-sanctuary-next-year/315438.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
China to dispatch team to probe panda death: state media
China will send a team to Japan this week to probe the death of a giant panda on loan to a Japanese zoo and could seek 500,000 dollars in compensation for the loss, state press said Monday.
Kou Kou died Thursday of cardiac arrest after failing to recover from an anaesthetic at the Oji Zoo in the western port city of Kobe.
Veterinarians had sedated the 14-year-old male as part of a programme to impregnate his partner Tan Tan, and were seeking to extract semen from the male panda when he died.
China's forestry administration has called on the Japanese zoo to seal up the corpse of the animal and will dispatch a team to Japan to investigate the case, state media said.
Chinese experts believe Kou Kou could have died from an overdose of sedatives and were questioning why Japanese veterinarians were extracting semen outside the animal's mating period, the Oriental Morning Post said.
According to the China Wildlife Conservation Association, a breeding agreement with Japan includes a stipulation for 500,000 dollars in compensation should a panda die, the paper said.
Giant pandas, a highly endangered species native to parts
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/44823
Deepwater doom: Extinction threat for world's smallest sea horse
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill this year and subsequent cleanup efforts could drive the world's smallest sea horse into extinction, warns the Zoological Society of London and its marine conservation organization Project Seahorse.
The tiny dwarf sea horse (Hippocampus zosterae), which grows to a maximum length of 2.5 centimeters, can be found only in the ocean waters off the Gulf Coast.
"All of the sea horse populations in the area will be affected, but the dwarf sea horse is at greatest risk of extinction because much of its habitat has been devastated by the spill," Project Seahorse director Amanda Vincent said in a prepared statement.
According to Project Seahorse, the dwarf sea horse is particularly vulnerable due to its small size, limited habitat, inability to migrate great distances, and low birth rate. The fish also mate for life, so the loss of even one breeding parent is doubly
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=deepwater-doom-extinction-threat-fo-2010-09-08
Fearsome snow leopard is portly family moggy
After numerous reports of a mystery beast spotted lurking in a woodland, a local resident has come out to claim the creature as her pet cat Machui.
Jill Downie and her family, from Hampshire, were devastated when their silvery Bengal feline went missing from nearby Boyatt Wood, Eastleigh, eight months ago, just as the first
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4490969
Mali: Thirst kills 20 elephants in Malian reserve
About 21 elephants died of thirst and exhaustion in May in an extension area from the dried Lake Korarou to Aougoundou - 100 km apart - located in the rural district of Gourma, eastern Mali, the National Water and Forestry Directorate disclosed in a report.
According to the report, the 21 elephants, including 13 young males, were part of a herd of 181 elephants in search of water and favourable ecological area.
The document stated that 13 of the elephants died on their way to a favourable area, while eight died around the Aougoundou Lake.
Protected and considered as ecological and cultural heritage, elephants of Gourm a survive decades of uninterrupted drought cycles with the drying up of ponds and lakes resulting from the shortage of rains, while the elephant population increased.
Elephant population has been estimated at 550 between 1972 and 1974, according to a survey conducted by reconnaissance aircraft and the number was brought to between 354 and 654 a
http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/mali:-thirst-kills-20-elephants-in-malian-reserve-2010090855791.html
More than 500 red lionfish caught in Keys
More than 100 divers collected 534 Indo-Pacific red lionfish during the first concerted effort to reduce the population of the invasive species in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
The first of three Keys-based lionfish derbies Saturday attracted 27 teams, which competed for cash and prizes to collect the most, largest and smallest lionfish. The winning group captured 111 lionfish.
Lad Akins, of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, says unsuspecting pet owners are releasing the nonnative fish into the Atlantic, where they have no natural predators.
On July 9, researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute found two juvenile red lionfish in deep water 99 and 160 miles off Marco Island — the 2.5-inch fish were the first specimens documented in the Gulf of Mexico north of the Keys.
"I felt this was inevitable," institute biologist Ed Matheson said. "They're all around, in the Yucatan, the Tortugas, the Keys, and they've moved all the way up the
http://www.news-press.com/article/20100912/GREEN/100912009/1075/More-than-500-red-lionfish-caught-in-Keys
Seaworld receives 40 oil impacted turtles from New Orleans
SeaWorld Orlando’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is coming to the rescue of forty New Orleans green sea turtles affected by the oil spill Thursday.
Oil was cleaned off of the turtles at Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans and SeaWorld's experts plan to provide daily care for the creatures before reintroducing them into the wild.
Seaworld has received 77 gulf disaster impacted turtles since June, and the
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/seaworld-receives-40-oil-impacted-turtles-from-new-orleans
Jumbo the elephant leaves a big legend in southern Ontario
Circus hero died here, but the details are up for debate
Jumbo is much bigger and stronger than the 46 plow horses competing at the International Plowing Match here next week, but he’s ineligible.
That’s because Jumbo is an African elephant—a dead African elephant. He died here 125 years ago on Sept. 15.
Still, Jumbo will be a star at the 98th annual plowing match, which takes place Sept. 21-25 and attracts competitors from England, the United States
http://www.thestar.com/travel/ontariooutings/article/857896--jumbo-the-elephant-leaves-a-big-legend-in-southern-ontario
NSPCA urges public to boycott East London Zoo until it shapes up
THE country’s chief zoo inspector says the public should boycott the East London Zoo to force Buffalo City Municipality to address what residents are calling “atrocious” conditions at the tourist attraction.
Vonny Strachan, national inspector for the wildlife unit of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), who visited the East London Zoo about three weeks ago, said: “They (the public) should boycott the zoo. It’s the power of the purse.
“The public shouldn’t go there because they are creating business for the zoo. The public has the power to demand improvements in this way.”
Strachan’s inspection comes after numerous public complaints of overgrown, weed-infested enclosures or bare and pitiful cages, a lack of cleanliness, dirty water, rubbish and animals not being tended to properly and not having enough stimulation and “toys”.
Visitors have also complained of a lack of staff visibility or supervision of the public on weekends. They have also pointed out that the animals are being fed sweets and crisps by the public.
Strachan added that a committee had been set up to improve conditions at the zoo.
“We gave the municipality an ultimatum, saying they must improve the situation.”
She said although there was no overcrowding at the zoo, the
http://www.weekendpost.co.za/article.aspx?id=604646
Monarch butterflies migrating from Grand Rapids to Mexico
About 250 Monarch butterflies are on the way to Mexico from Grand Rapids.
"It takes them months," says John Ball Zoo education director Andy McIntyre.
The butterflies were released from John Ball Park Zoo Sunday so they can begin the 2,500 mile migration. They are completing the yearly cycle that began last spring when the Monarchs in Mexico started moving north. The release at the zoo was an opportunity for children to learn about the butterfly's life cycle and launch the insects on their long journey south.
"It kept on tickling me and it wouldn't get off my hand," says 10 year old Emauri Tolbert,
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=130883&catid=14
It’s recovering but not hungry - Officials check jumbo health
It has not yet developed an appetite, but the critically injured baby jumbo getting treated at Tata Steel Zoological Park seems to be out of danger.
But forest officials are undecided whether to let the calf stay at the Tata zoo or shift it to the veterinary hospital at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda zoo. Today, a team comprising regional conservator of forests A.K. Gupta, conservator of forests S.B. Gaikwad and divisional forest officer A.T. Mishra, directed by principal chief conservator of forests A.K. Singh, visited Tata zoo to review the calf’s condition and check if it needed better treatment.
Forest officials from Ichagarh block in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district had rescued the two-and-half-year-old elephant on September 2, after villagers had grievously injured the animal separated from its herd. After 10 days of medical attention, the 6-inch deep wounds inflicted by spears and
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100913/jsp/jharkhand/story_12928862.jsp
***
Dear Colleagues,
Crap sticks and has the tendency to get all over the place. In the links below you will find that in the latest story of Kyiv Zoo that it is "recognized as one of the world’s worst". By whom exactly? Just where has this crap come from? I refer you back to the article 'Top 10: world's worst zoos', a link which I first posted in Zoo News Digest 679 and my subsequent breakdown and comments in Zoo News Digest 680. This uninformed list is the shitty stick which has smeared this collection. It has been baked on as the story was covered and merely copied by so many newspapers internationally. I admit, I have never visited and all I really know about the place is what I have read from the press but it does not make me recognise it as one of the world's worst.
The display of "30 Reasons Why Man Is Not Descended from Apes" at The Noah's Ark Zoo Farm is bound to stir up more controversy and a lot more press interest. I must admit I would visit specifically to see these thirty reasons presented in a zoo setting (if I were in the locale that is). It would not change my mind one iota though as I firmly believe in the 'fact of evolution'. Seeing the presentation from the other side would be a harmless enough theory to read about though.
Delighted to read of the CZA carrying out field appraisals of elephants in zoos. This is how it should be.
Elephants are special amongst animals as their needs as individuals need consideration. What may be good for one may be exactly the opposite for others. Good elephant keepers know this for a fact.
Crap sticks and has the tendency to get all over the place. In the links below you will find that in the latest story of Kyiv Zoo that it is "recognized as one of the world’s worst". By whom exactly? Just where has this crap come from? I refer you back to the article 'Top 10: world's worst zoos', a link which I first posted in Zoo News Digest 679 and my subsequent breakdown and comments in Zoo News Digest 680. This uninformed list is the shitty stick which has smeared this collection. It has been baked on as the story was covered and merely copied by so many newspapers internationally. I admit, I have never visited and all I really know about the place is what I have read from the press but it does not make me recognise it as one of the world's worst.
The display of "30 Reasons Why Man Is Not Descended from Apes" at The Noah's Ark Zoo Farm is bound to stir up more controversy and a lot more press interest. I must admit I would visit specifically to see these thirty reasons presented in a zoo setting (if I were in the locale that is). It would not change my mind one iota though as I firmly believe in the 'fact of evolution'. Seeing the presentation from the other side would be a harmless enough theory to read about though.
Delighted to read of the CZA carrying out field appraisals of elephants in zoos. This is how it should be.
Elephants are special amongst animals as their needs as individuals need consideration. What may be good for one may be exactly the opposite for others. Good elephant keepers know this for a fact.
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$300,000 Needed to Help Save Last of Javan Rhinos
An international partnership is seeking to raise $300,000 in a race against the clock to ensure the survival of the last estimated 48 Javan rhinoceroses in Indonesia — all found within Ujung Kulon National Park in Banten.
Operation Javan Rhino started on June 21 and is an initiative of the International Rhino Foundation and Indonesian Rhino Foundation (YABI).
Its goal is to create 4,000 hectares of expanded habitat to encourage population growth in the national park, a rare patch of wilderness on the western tip of one of the world’s most densely populated island.
“Having all the eggs in one basket isn’t a good thing for any species,” Susie Ellis, executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, told
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/300000-needed-to-help-save-last-of-javan-rhinos/395327
A fly-past not seen for 400 years: How the first flock of British cranes since the 16th century were set free
Its piercing cry echoed over our marshes and wetlands - until it was hunted to extinction.
But 400 years on, the crane is making a comeback.
Experts who want to return the species to its former habitat have hatched eggs from Germany and are reintroducing a flock of 20.
The fledglings, which were brought up in a Wildfowl and Wetland Trust centre in Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, in the spring, were given their first taste of the wild last month.
In ten years, it is hoped their population will flourish, just as nature intended.
Breeding cranes vanished from Britain in the 16th century, the victims of hunting and draining of the wetlands.
Since then, practically the only birds seen in the UK were those passing through to breeding grounds overseas.
And although a small colony was
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1309977/A-fly-past-seen-400-years-How-flock-British-cranes-16th-century-set-free.html
Marine conservation groups call for end to bluefin tuna fishing
Can Hollywood help Devon's Dartmoor Zoo survive?
A Devon zoo is hoping a windfall from Hollywood will help ease its financial problems.
The story of how a family bought Dartmoor Zoological Park is set to be made into a film starring Matt Damon.
BBC Spotlight's John Henderson went to meet the zoo's owner Ben Mee to find out how the money from the film rights
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/devon/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8983000/8983658.stm
Compassionate Conservation Finally Comes of Age: Killing in the name of conservation doesn't work
A forward-looking and long overdue symposium called Compassionate Conservation will be held from September 1 - 3, 2010 in Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford. The meeting, sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) and the Born Free Foundation, will focus on major themes including animal welfare and the conservation of wild animals, captive animal welfare and conservation, conservation consequences of wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and release, and the international trade in live
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201008/compassionate-conservation-finally-comes-age-killing-in-the-name-conserv
Conservation and compassion: First do no harm
BLACK-footed ferrets were once widespread across the Great Plains and the inter-mountain west of North America. Then decades of habitat loss and disease pushed them to the brink of extinction. In the mid-1980s, with only 18 individuals left in the wild, the entire population was taken into captivity to establish a captive breeding programme. Reintroductions into the wild began in 1991, and the population is now around 750.
Some consider the black-footed ferret recovery programme to be a conservation success story. But that success has come at a heavy price. Captive-bred ferrets need to be taught to hunt before they can be released into the wild. This is done by feeding them golden hamsters and black-tailed prairie dogs. In 2008 and 2009, captive ferrets were fed 7300 golden hamsters, 5100 of them offered alive, plus 2466 black-tailed prairie dogs, 1480 offered alive, according to figures supplied by the programme. The hamsters are bred solely to be practice prey.
Some defend the use of hamsters and prairie dogs as prey on the grounds that they are not endangered
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20727750.100-conservation-and-compassion-first-do-no-harm.html
The Polar Bear Commercial
Constricted by boas – the fall of Anson Wong?
“I don’t want to go to jail again.” -- Those were the words uttered by Anson Wong slightly over a year ago to me.
I was confident that he said that with full knowledge that he is untouchable in Southeast Asia – one of the regions which had become a safe playground for the flamboyant wildlife trafficker.
There is an undoubted air of cockiness in Wong. His underlying message was: Catch me if you can!
From his Toshiba laptop, he nonchalantly showed photographs of him holding a Malagasy ploughshare tortoise purportedly in a market in the neighbouring Zanzibar island off Tanzania. He claimed that he was on holiday there, and declared that he has remained clean since returning from the United States sometime in 2004.
Now, what are the chances of a person who has been convicted of running a wildlife smuggling ring that specialises in rare reptiles like the endangered ploughshare tortoise
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/opinion/comment/10099-constricted-by-boas--the-fall-of-anson-wong
Dogs kill six deer in China zoo
Four dogs – “well-fed and trained to kill” – hunted down and killed six protected deer in a zoo in China’s Yunnan province, officials said Friday.
The dogs got into the zoo and killed four spotted deer and two fallow deer. Another two deer and an emu were injured, Tang Yangchun, head of the Yunnan Wildlife Zoo’s animal management department, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Tang said some miscreants might have been behind the attack.
“The gates are guarded round the clock. And the dogs couldn’t have climbed over the 2.5-metre zoo fence by
http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/2/174631.htm
Flamingos help Nashville Zoo set single day attendance record of 9,957
Flamingos helped the Nashville Zoo set an attendance record Sept. 4.
The zoo said in a news release that 9,957 people attended the zoo that day, breaking the old record of 9,754 set earlier this year during its annual egg
http://www.whnt.com/news/sns-ap-tn--zoorecord,0,4727687.story
Great Plains Zookeeper's keep distance from animals
Take a look at this video captured at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas, a lion bit one of the keepers inside the lion exhibit. You see the lion grabbing onto the leg of one of the keepers as he try's to fight the lion off.
Now, after that trainer was attacked it prompts the question how safe are these captive wild animals? KSFY Action News Reporter Jake Iversen spoke with a zookeeper at the Great Plains Zoo about what they do to prevent accidents like what happened in Las Vegas from happening here.
Lisa Smith has been a zookeeper for fifteen years and is now the Director of Animal Programs at the Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum. When she saw the MGM Grand Casino lion turn on its trainer she said it was shocking but it is something that would not happen at this zoo.
"We try to ensure the safety of our keepers at all times and we limit that risk whenever we can."
"Lisa says the best way to prevent accidents is to keep zookeeper's out of animal exhibits and respect that these animals really are wild."
"All animals at the zoo are potentially wild animals so we respect that nature that wild nature and we're going to limit our risk and not go in with dangerous animals."
The animals at the Great Plains Zoo are always kept separate from their keepers and when they need to be moved they use positive reinforcement such as treats and rewards
http://www.ksfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=13130048
The following video contains some excellent photographs and footage of the Philippine Tarsier. Sadly the commentary is not in English but it is still a very interesting watch.
Howzzat... Cricketers stumped by wild animals
Did you know what bonds cricketers, of course, off field? Their love for wildlife.
Former Indian cricketer Srinath, popularly known as Mysore Express, and his 23 friends have adopted 34 animals from Mysore Zoo. Indeed a big boost for the zoos animal adoption scheme. While Srinath has adopted a jaguar for one year at Rs 35,000, pace bowler Zaheer Khan adopted a tiger for the same period at Rs 1 lakh.
Adoptions by Srinaths other friends have given the zoo a revenue of Rs 2.35 lakh. This apart, the zoo got Rs 3.65 lakh from 51 other adoptions in two weeks. In all, 85 animals were adopted in 12 days. Another cricketer, who has signed in for the scheme is Anil Kumble. In May, he adopted a giraffe named Khushi at Rs 25,000.
Presenting the adoption certificates during an animal adoption awareness programme at Mysore Zoo on Saturday, Srinath urged people to chip in for conservati
Criticism rises as zoo deaths mount
A government investigation into numerous deaths at the Kyiv Zoo, recognized as one of the world’s worst, has been criticized by animal rights activists as a whitewash.
A government investigation into numerous deaths at the Kyiv Zoo, recognized as one of the world’s worst, has been criticized by animal rights activists as a whitewash.
The investigation, which also looked into alleged financial irregularities, absolved the zoo’s director, Svitlana Berzina, and the zoo administration of wrongdoing.
Several prominent members of the zoo industry refused to sign the investigation report, compiled by an expert commission for the Ministry of Environmental Protection, as they said it was an attempt to hush up zoo management’s responsibility for the high number of animal deaths.
Meanwhile, zoo deaths continue to mount. Johnny the chimpanzee
Moffit announces plans for aquarium research center
Building a world-class aquarium in Rhode Island has been a major campaign platform for republican gubernatorial candidate Victor Moffit.
On Thursday in Coventry, he announced plans for the Oceans Aquarium Research and Science Center, which would include a main fish tank and a marine and science research center.
Also announced were proposed locations for the facility.
They proposed locations were Allens Avenue in Providence
To order please click
Product Description
Born Wild is a story of passion, adventure and skulduggery on the frontline of African conservation. Following Tony Fitzjohn's journey from London bad boy to African wildlife warrior, the heart of the story is a series of love affairs with the world’s most beautiful and endangered creatures – affairs that so often end in pain, for to succeed in re-introducing a lion or leopard to the wild is to be deprived of their companionship. Tony tells of his twenty years in Kenya with George Adamson of Born Free fame - a time of discovery, isolation and frequent danger living far from civilisation. And when he was prevented from re-introducing any more animals into the wild and made unwelcome in the country he loved, Tony had to start anew in Tanzania.
Mum's 142kg baby battle at Melbourne Zoo
THE birth of Melbourne Zoo's newest elephant came close to ending in disaster.
The 142.2kg boy arrived at 10.30am after a long, hard labour for first-time mum Kulab. The bundle of joy was stuck in her birth canal for four hours in the breech position, his hind legs caught.
Zoo staff feared they could lose both and were dangerously close to considering surgery, which would have cost the calf his life.
"In Kulab's case she was working very, very hard and we could see things weren't progressing at the rate we would have really expected," Zoos Victoria senior vet Dr Helen McCracken said.
Zookeepers moved
New park to protect goanna
The rare Heath Goanna will be one of several species given better protection in SA’s newest conservation park. Simpson Conservation Reserve, a unique parcel of land on the south-western part of Dudley Peninsula, and adjacent previously unproclaimed land, have together become the 980ha Simpson Conservation Park.
“The declaration of the Simpson Conservation Park reinforces the State Government’s commitment to preserving our natural environment for future generations and means we can better care for the diverse range of plants and animals of State and regional significance located in this area,’’ he said.
“The Heath Goanna’s population on Kangaroo Island is extremely important for the conservation of this species which has suffered significant declines on the mainland of South Australia.
“By proclaiming the Reserve as a Conservation
Panda in Japan zoo dies during breeding
A male giant panda in a Japanese zoo had died after it was sedated so it could donate semen in an artificial insemination program, a zoo official said on Friday.
Kou Kou, or Xing Xing in Chinese, died on Thursday of cardiac arrest after failing to recover from an anaesthetic at the Oji Zoo in the western port city of Kobe.
Veterinarians had sedated the 14-year-old animal as part of a program to impregnate his partner Tan Tan, or Shuang Shuang in Chinese, also 14.
The zoo has set up a site for floral tributes and a message board.
Giant pandas, a highly endangered species native to parts of China, are notoriously
Please Vote To Ban The Bear Bile Farms
Click HERE . The site you will reach is all in Chinese but all you need to do is scroll down a little and on the left hand side of your screen you will see:
RSPCA in strife over Animal Rescue
The RSPCA has been told to review its agreement with Channel 7 reality TV program Animal Rescue following a New South Wales Government inquiry into a raid on a wildlife park.
The RSPCA removed eight koalas from Gunnedah's Waterways Wildlife Park after inspectors found the animals to stressed, dehydrated and malnourished.
The raid in February was filmed by an Animal Rescue television crew, raising questions over whether the RSPCA's actions were motivated by self interest.
While the organisation was cleared of any wrongdoing, the inquiry found the presence of cameras inflamed emotions about the incident.
Nancy Small, one of the owners of the park, says the presence of the film crew made a difficult situation worse.
"To me it was just setting up the whole scene for a TV program just to get an expose for the film crew. And really on the day I just couldn't understand the whole thing," she said.
Greens Member of the New South Wales Parliament Ian Cohen, who chaired the inquiry, says the incident raised a number of concerns about the RSPCA's involvement with the TV series.
"There has been a lot of concern... that the RSPCA came in with more interest in creating a situation so that the filming became a part of a process," he said.
The inquiry also scrutinised the financial relationship between the RSPCA and Imagination Television, which produces the series.
Mr Cohen says while it was not illegal for the film crew to be on the property, there was some confusion over whether the property owners were actually asked before filming was undertaken.
The inquiry has recommended
Tasmanian Devil Pouch Check at Taronga
Safari park offers special offers for 'heroes'
MEMBERS of the emergency services can have a wild day out this month, in celebration of their achievements.
This month, heroes from the police, ambulance, fire and lifeboat service, along with the armed forces, doctors, nurses, paramedics and coastguard are all invited to West Midland Safari Park during their Hero Month.
Members of the services will benefit from reduced admission and wristband prices. Admission for heroes will cost £7 for adults, £6.50 for children and senior citizens every day in September (with the exception of September 18, when the park is fully booked).
Children under three
Fearless honey badger escapes from Prague zoo
Prague zoo said Thursday one of its fearless honey badgers is on the run.
Zoo spokeswoman Jana Ptacinska Jiratova said the female honey badger named Kaca escaped earlier this week, when she probably climbed over a fence around two meters (six feet) high.
Pavel Brandl, in charge of mammals at the Prague zoo, said the honey badger is considered the most fearless animal in the world.
He said the small, furry creature — which weighs about 17 pounds (eight kilograms) and loves honey — is unlikely to survive in the wild.
Ptacinska Jiratova says the zoo has received a number of tips from Prague citizens about Kaca's possible whereabouts, but so far the search has been fruitless.
She said the animal, which lives in the wild in Africa, is not dangerous but could become aggressive if she feels threatened.
Prague zoo is one of the few in the world
World first as British museum breeds Indian beetle in captivity
A museum in Liverpool has achieved a world first by successfully breeding an Indian ground beetle in captivity.
Last year India sent Liverpool's World Museum Bug House eight of the ground beetles (Anthia sexguttata) with the intention of breeding them, something never successfully achieved before.
Seven of the beetles died leaving only one female left who staff believed would not survive for very
Xiamen Seven-colour Valley Safari Park to open to public in 2012
Xiamen Seven-colour Valley Safari Park will introduce
over 40 rare animals from South Africa next year
In the next two years, the Xiamen Seven-colour Valley Safari Park will introduce over 40 rare animals from South Africa, reports Xiamen Business Daily.
The Seven-colour Valley Safari Park, which predecessor is the Haicang Wildlife Zoo, is a cooperation project between Xiamen and South African investors. The park will integrate exhibits, scientific research, science popularization, catering, recreation and leisure. Once completed in 2012, the park will become the largest and the most comprehensive safari park in Fujian Province.
The park will be located at Dongshaowei Village (东烧尾村) in Xiang'an District. It will cover about 187 hectares (2,800 mu), more than seven-fold of the current one. The park will be divided into 5 areas – Dinosaur Park, Insect Park, Bird Park, Wild Animal Park and Night Animal Park. Tourists will be allowed to enter all five parks with an all-in-one ticket.
The first batch of South African herbivorous animals, including antelopes, giraffes and zebras, are expected to arrive in Xiamen by October, 2011.
Also, a large amusement park and a holiday
Zoo vows to give bears necessities
EDINBURGH may be trying to bring Giant Pandas to the city, but a small zoo in West Lothian is negotiating its own bear coup.
The Five Sisters Zoo in West Calder is in discussions to rehome two brown bears which were rescued from a travelling circus in Germany.
Zoo owner Brian Curran has made a formal bid to secure their transfer from their current home in France, while an area of woodland in the zoo's grounds has already been identified as ideal for an enclosure.
Mr Curran said: "I am determined to bring the bears here and we'll be pulling out all the stops to make it happen.
"The fact that they have been rescued from a circus makes me
Whale of a horror story
A three-minute video filming of the killing of a whale shark on a Philippine beach has started changing the palate and taste of Hong Kong. Simon Parry reports.
It is a pathetic, heart-rending sight. A bloodied whale shark lies motionless on a beach in the Philippines after suffering a painful death and a gaggle of fishermen and tourists stroll casually around its crumpled corpse.
The shark was captured by hunters who hacked its fins and then dumped it back in the sea to die. For the fishermen, who towed it to shore to give it a mercifully quicker death, it was all too common a sight in the waters of the Pacific Ocean where impoverished fishing communities value sharks for their fins.
This death was different, however.
A group of tourists from Hong Kong, who were witness to the horror scene and captured the act of cruelty on their video cameras, have lent a loud voice to the campaign against the culture of shark's fin consumption.
The three-minute footage has become an Internet fodder for activists, joined in by tens of thousands on YouTube and other sites. A hugely popular campaign has been launched on Facebook calling for cutting gift money for Hong Kong couples who serve shark's fin at their wedding banquets.
Some 19,000 people have signed up for the Chinese-language Facebook page titled Say No to Shark's Fin Soup.
For those Hong Kong tourists, who filmed the whale shark's painful death, as well as the countless Facebook campaigners, the message is the same: "I'll never eat shark's fin again."
Now, six months after the video started circulating, there are signs of a sea-change in people's opinion about the shark's fin trade in Hong Kong, which according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), accounts for half the global business. An estimated 73 million sharks are slaughtered a year.
The massive demand is driven by the tradition of serving shark's fin soup at wedding banquets and corporate functions as a display of ostentatious generosity that has until now been impervious to the cries of environmentalists.
As far as newly-wed Constance Ching was concerned, shark's fin soup was never even a consideration when it came to choosing the menu for her wedding banquet as she tied the knot with investment fund executive Allen Tan in June.
"We had a small dinner with relatives and family and we didn't
Freshwater turtles face 'bleak future'
Freshwater turtles are in catastrophic decline, according to a new analysis by Conservation International (CI).
The group says more than a third of the estimated 280 species around the world are now threatened with extinction.
The unsustainable collection of turtles for food and to supply a lucrative pet trade are the key drivers behind the fall in numbers.
Habitat loss as a result of river-damming for hydro-electricity is another major concern.
Dr Peter Paul van Dijk, the director of Conservation International's Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Conservation Programme, said the outlook was bleak.
"These are animals that take 15-20 years to reach maturity and then live for another 30-40 years, putting a clutch of eggs in the ground every year. They play t
Former tiger tamer convicted for lion cub possession
The private zoo owner whose fiancée was killed in a tiger attack three years ago is the first person to be convicted under new legislation that makes it illegal to own certain exotic animals.
Conservation officers removed two African lion cubs from Kim Carlton's Bridge Lake, B.C., private zoo on Wednesday. Carlton pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled alien species without a permit, according to Environment Minister Barry Penner. He was fined $500 and conservation officers relocated the cubs to an undisclosed wildlife facility located outside B.C.
"It's very ironic the same person who in many ways triggered this legislation that now requires you to have permits and follow rules when you're handling dangerous animals, turns out to be the first person charged and convicted under this very legislation he helped create in the first place," Penner told CTV News.
Prior to the legislation, Carlton had kept three Bengal tigers in an enclosure on his Bridge Lake property, called the Siberian Magic Farm.
Carlton's fiancée Tanya Dumstrey-Soos, 32, was killed in 2007, when a tiger swatted at her legs, severing an artery. According to reports, Dumstrey-Soos was petting the tiger good night, as she did every night, when the tiger attacked and killer her, as a group of children watched.
With recommendations from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other animal welfare groups, the ministry quickly amended the B.C. Wildlife Act and developed regulations to make it illegal to own certain foreign animals. The new legislation was passed last year. Provinces usually only regulate wildlife species native to the
Former zoo director, snakebite survivor, animal tamer dies at 89
The Des Moines man who gained national attention in the late 1960s and ’70s for his wild publicity stunts to aid the fledgling Blank Park Zoo died this week.
Charles “Bob” Elgin passed away Tuesday after he suffered a stroke last month. He was 89.
Elgin was named director of the zoo in its second year in 1967 — when it was the Des Moines Children’s Zoo — and was perhaps best known for the venomous snakebites he endured to draw spectators. He was director for 15 years.
People swarmed the zoo after Elgin survived a cobra bite during a snake show. He used two subsequent snakebites and three faked bites to drive attendance if it slowed.
“Whenever the zoo attendance would go down, I’d inject myself with cobra venom, my arm would swell up, word would ‘leak’ out to the press and people would come
Expert rejects injury claim to iconic turtle
An expert is discounting rumours that the giant turtle living in Ha Noi's Hoan Kiem Lake was wounded recently by a fisherman.
The rumour became widespread after an internet website began running a video clip in which a young man appeared to be casting a fishing line towards the giant turtle when it surfaced on the lake on March 12.
Though the video clip did not make it clear that the hooks had hit the turtle, the fishing line became taut and broken. The young man could then be seen rewinding the remainder of the line with his fishing rod.
News about the giant turtle being attacked has recently hit the headlines in the local print media, with a least one paper putting an image on its front page of the turtle laying inside the Tortoise Tower, with a caption suggesting the wounded turtle had taken shelter there out of the sun. The photo was allegedly taken on August 1.
Turtle expert Ha Dinh Duc affirmed that illegal fishing had been a danger to the giant turtle for years as the turtle's shell was already deeply scarred. But he
Haiti's fragile ecosystems facing disaster
While the eyes of the world have followed the effect of Haiti's devastating earthquake on Port-au-Prince, an ecological disaster has been quietly unfolding elsewhere in the country.
The mountainous forests of Haiti's Massif de la Hotte region have more critically endangered species than anywhere else on earth, according to Alliance for Zero Extinction, a global initiative of 52 conservation organizations.
The area has 42 mammals, birds, reptiles, plants and amphibians on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Globally Threatened Species.
More importantly, 13 species of frog on the verge of extinction live only here. The Alliance for Zero Extinction reports nowhere else on Earth has more than nine such
Pandering to Nature
The much-anticipated arrival of Giant Pandas at Adelaide Zoo in South Australia called for the creation of a special eco environment, including a Giant Panda Forest. Also recently unveiled were ‘living roofs’ as well as vertical gardens adjoining the panda enclosure, which require the use of specialised hydroponic systems.
South Australia’s Adelaide Zoo is home to more than 1,800 animals and almost 300 species of exotic and native mammals, birds, reptiles and fish exhibited in over 8 hectares of magnificent botanic surroundings, the result of more than 125 years of care and attention.
The zoo is also now home to Wang Wang and Funi, two Giant Pandas, recently sent from the People’s Republic of China as part of an exchange program, whereby several zoos around the world have been selected to breed panda pairs. It is envisaged that any resulting offspring will eventually be returned to China and released back into the wild.
The arrival on 13 December 2009 of Wang Wang and Funi at Adelaide Zoo – officially welcomed by Australia’s Governor General Quentin Bryce – was the first time that pandas have been loaned to an Australian Zoo for any significant period of time.
Following a quarantine period during which they were seen behind plate-glass windows, the pandas were confined to day rooms and of
Woman v cheetah - who'll be the fastest?
One is the fastest land animal, another a contender for the fastest creature on Earth.
But when put to the test against one of Britain's fastest female rally car drivers, the question on everyone's lips was could nature's quickest beat a motoring machine.
Bomani the cheetah, Atom the peregrine falcon, Nelson the marshal eagle and Louise Cook in her Fiesta ST all took to the starting line last Sunday at Eagle Heights Wildlife Park in Eynsford, near Dartford, to see who could be the ultimate speed demon.
With cheetahs known to reach speeds of up to 70mph in three seconds and peregrine falcons having been recorded at 240mph, it was anyone's guess which one would cross the finish line in the quickest time.
But Bomani stormed to victory, pipping the 23-year-old racing driver to the post by completing the 100 metre course
Plight of animals at Bangkok's rooftop zoo above department store
Animal welfare groups face a battle to close Pata zoo, where more than 200 species live out their days in appalling conditions
The ground floor of the Pata department store has cheap clothing: the polyester slacks for 200 baht (£4.20), the polo shirts for half that. Higher up is the electronics department: the fake Rolexes and the cheap TVs. On the seventh floor is the gorilla.
There are no trees in "King Kong's" 15 x 10 metres concrete enclosure, just a tyre and a few ropes hanging from the low ceiling. He moves little, spending long hours sitting at the front of his pen, gripping the iron bars.
Ten metres away, a lone penguin stands in an air-conditioned pen, next to a pool of water, which is smaller than a bath and nowhere near deep enough for him to swim in. A few years ago, there were a dozen penguins, but only this one survives.
Bangkok's Pata zoo sits atop the department store that shares its name, on a busy road in the northern suburbs of Bangkok. Crammed into cages and pens across the sixth and seventh floor of the ageing building are more than 200 species: a menagerie of pythons, turtles, flamingos, monkeys, leopards, tigers, bears, and even a Shetland pony. From the rooftop enclosures, you can see the advertising billboards and office blocks next door, while traffic roars past below.
The director of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, Edwin Wiek, wants the zoo closed: "Basically, it is an animal prison on top of a shopping mall. The space is too small, the animals have very little room, there is very little sunlight, the enclosures are dirty, they smell bad, and people are coming past all day, getting far too close to the animals, which makes the animals extremely stressed. In 200 steps you can see 50 different species. Most people know that this is not an acceptable way to keep animals. It is a hell for animals."
Thailand, like much of south-east Asia, faces myriad animal welfare issues: cockfighting remains a popular, hardly-underground spectator sport, elephants are still put to work on the traffic-choked streets of Bangkok, and the city remains a hub for smuggling animals across the world. Last month a sedated tiger cub was discovered in a bag at Suvarnabhumi airport disguised amongst soft animal toys.
But Pata zoo reflects the fundamental problem: a lack of legislation regarding animal welfare. The zoo is breaking no laws. The animals were all obtained legally, and the zoo's licence was recently extended.
All the same, staff don't like the animals being filmed or photographed in their cages. The Guardian visited twice to obtain its footage, and both times we were encouraged to move on if we stayed too long at one enclosure.
"There are no rules or regulations to say how much space each animal needs," said the director, Kanit Sermsirimongkol. "It's not about space, it's about the way in which you treat the animals. The space that we provide to the animals is enough for them
Tylenol-loaded mice dropped from air to control snakes
Dead mice packed with acetaminophen, strapped to pieces of cardboard and dropped from helicopters may help control one of the big headaches for the Pacific island of Guam – the brown tree snake.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week began dropping the expired rodents packed with 80 mg of the generic equivalent of Tylenol on the forests of Naval Base Guam.
Since scientists discovered that the household pain reliever was deadly to the brown tree snakes, they’ve been trying to figure out how to get it to where many of the serpents live in the canopies of the island’s forests, according to a report in Stars & Stripes. The Tylenol-loaded mice are attached to two pieces of cardboard joined by paper streamers that snake exterminators hope will catch on tree branches, providing deadly snacks for snakes at those heights, according to the Stripes report.
The aerial attack on the tree snakes is designed to augment current trapping systems, which are placed around ports and airports to prevent the snakes from hitching rides to other Pacific islands such
Zoo body takes up jumbo survey
Concerned about the condition of zoo premises, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has formed a committee to carry out field appraisal of elephants in large zoos, including the Delhi Zoo. The committee will evaluate if the zoo premises are hygienic and spacious enough for the pachyderms to lead a healthy life.
The committee was formed by the CZA after it received requests from large zoos across the country to re-consider the zoo regulating body’s November 2009 circular. The circular had proposed shifting all elephants in zoos to national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves. “Elephants are large animals, they require more open areas and therefore, need to be shifted,” the circular had said.
“The committee, comprising four members, has been formed as per the Ministry of Environment and Forest's directions. It has been asked to submit its report as soon as possible,” Dr Brij Kishor Gupta, CZA’s Evaluation and Monitoring Officer told HT.
The committee will evaluate zoo facilities and arrangements with respect to animal health and also take a look at whether the elephants’ accommodation was adequate enough. “The
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Zoo-body-takes-up-jumbo-survey/Article1-599085.aspx
Terri irwin wins management award
TERRI Irwin added another item to her trophy cabinet on Friday night when she was named the region's best business owner/manager.
The widow of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was honoured at the 2010 Sunshine Coast Management Excellence Awards for her management and development of Australia Zoo at Beerwah.
In a glowing tribute, awards organisers said Ms Irwin managed her organisation with a shared vision of becoming the ultimate, global zoological destination.
“She works with senior management and all 604 staff to continue to grow
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/09/12/Terri-irwn-management-award-australia-zoo-steve/
Second dolphin born at Mediterraneo Park
The Mediterraneo park at Bahar Ic-Caghaq has announced the birth of the second dolphin to be delivered at its tanks in as many months.
It has also announced a competition where it is inviting children to give names to the two newborns.
The second calf , a male, was born on August 8 to Estrella, which, like Onda, which gave birth to a male on July 20, was brought to Malta from the waters around Cuba several years ago. The proud father in both cases is Lucas.
Paulo Pedroli park manager, said the park had put off the announcement of the birth because the first month was crucial and ‘mother and baby' needed to be closely monitored by experts. They were separated from other dolphins during that period and only put in the same tank as the other mother and calf a few days ago.
Marineland Ltd, the company that runs the Mediterraneo Marine Park, has been following a species propagation programme. Veterinary surgeons, trainers, biologists, voluntary workers and the staff at the park had been closely followed the gestation of Onda and Estrella, for whom these were the first births. No other births are planned for the near future.
Mr Pedroli said the park would be reducing the frequency
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100911/local/second-dolphin-born-at-mediterraneo-park
Penguin Blog
In the video we posted earlier, you may have noticed me taking some notes. That's how we keep track of how much each bird eats at each feeding.
The plastic tablet is a handy way to do that. Next to each penguin's name, we use a pencil to mark how many fish they eat. We transcribe this information to official paper copies, once we are dry, along with any observational notes that should be part of each penguin's personal records. The
http://penguins.neaq.org/2010/09/whats-happening-feeding-notes.html
Mysore Zoo's one day revenue crosses Rs 9 lakh
Ahead of Dasara, tourists are milling Mysore.
On Sunday, the Mysore Zoo's single day revenue crossed Rs 9 lakh, a first this season. Such is the mad rush in Mysore that there has been bumper-to-bumper traffic in the city known for its slow pace of life.
The Dasara season is starting on a big note: While extended holiday is the reason for flocking of visitors, it is also taken as an indicator of the tourists' renewed interest towards Mysore.
Last year, the Dasara season was hit by H1N1 scare that had plummeted tourist numbers. Cut to present: The city is relatively free from the bird flu scare and insulated from dengue deaths.
During the weekend, the tourists are coming in hordes and it's chock-a-block like at the parking lot of the Mysore Palace. Since the parking lot could not accom
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Mysore-Zoos-one-day-revenue-crosses-Rs-9-lakh/articleshow/6542265.cms
Killer whale dies at SeaWorld in San Diego; orca shows canceled
Sumar, a 12-year-old killer whale, died mysteriously Tuesday at SeaWorld in San Diego, forcing cancellation of the orca shows at Shamu Stadium, officials at the park said.
The male orca began acting lethargic on Monday and was given antibiotics by park veterinarians. But his condition worsened and he died at about 1:45 p.m. A necropsy is planned.
The show will resume Wednesday.
Sumar, approximately 15 feet long and 5,300 pounds, had been at the San Diego park since 1999. He was born at the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Fla., on May 14, 1998, and spent some months at the SeaWorld park in Ohio before being transferred to San Diego.
While still a calf, Sumar's mother, Taima, attacked him during a show at the Orlando park. The two were separated permanently, and other female orcas acted
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/09/killer-whale-dies-at-seaworld-in-san-diego-shamu-show-cancelled.html
Gazans Desert Their Donkey-Zebra
"We haven't had a single visit yet through Ramadan, what kind of zoo doesn't get visitors during holidays?" asks Mahmoud Barghoud, 22, co-creator of the Marha zoo.
The Marha Land zoo and children's park lies halfway between Gaza and Deir al-Balah on the main north-south highway running Gaza's length, waiting for customers to visit. In the peak of summer, the park gets a handful of visitors on a good day. During the month of Ramadan and since, there have been none.
Of Gaza's roughly ten scattered zoos and animal parks, the Marha zoo has gained the most fame for its creativity: in 2009, using women's hair dye and a donkey, they created Gaza's first 'zebra'.
But in the face of its ingenuity, the zoo has suffered financial and physical losses.
"When we returned to the zoo after the Israeli war on Gaza stopped, the first thing we saw were the dead monkeys. We'd had six of different types and they were all sprawled out dead," says Barghoud.
"The lioness was dead. The two camels were dead. The two hyenas were dead. Our gazelles, the foxes, the wolves, the caribou, the deer, the ostriches...90 percent of our animals and birds were dead."
The zoo became an area Israeli soldiers and tanks occupied during the 23- day Israeli war on Gaza in 2008-2009. Barghoud says the family tried twice
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52796
30 Reasons Why Man Is Not Descended from Apes
The Noah's Ark Zoo Farm in the UK has a presentation about 30 reasons why man is not descended from apes. Given the establishment believes in creationism, that presentation is no surprise. But that school children would attend the place has some educators alarmed. Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, near Bristol, was recently awarded a "quality badge" by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom.
The council's deputy chief executive defended the decision, the Guardian reports: "An important aim of learning outside the classroom is allowing children and young people access to education that challenges assumptions and allows them to experience a range of viewpoints."
That's a tactic known as "teaching the controversy" — a controversy scientists say does not exist. Evolution is a well-founded theory — among the most solid and important theories in all of science, and among
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/etc/100912-reasons-why-man-not-descended-from-apes.html
A Safe Haven
A wildlife refuge in Phetchaburi may change your attitude about wild animals forever
Stepping into a wildlife sanctuary in a remote corner of Phetchaburi's Tha Yang district, I was a little frightened after being greeted with the loud screeches of gibbons and monkeys.
I quietly walked around, finding myself surrounded by wild animals. The gibbons screeched louder, while in their large cages, frightened dusky langurs jumped up to higher branches. A huge hornbill in the cage flew towards me and looked into my eyes.
Edwin Wiek, founder and director of the Wildlife Friends Foundation, approached the hornbill's cage to greet it and pet it. "Come on. Are you Okay?"
And the large bird and the man played together like close friends.
This is the Wildlife Rescue Centre, a modest refuge run by the Wildlife Friends Foundation where rescued wild animals can be rehabilitated and wait to be released back into the forest.
"We have a number of gibbons here. When young, they're so cute and often become pets. People love to carry them around. But when they grow up their fangs grow long, and most are left and forgotten in their cages," Mr Wiek said.
In the wild, gibbons never leave their babies. So, if you see a baby gibbon, you can assume that its mother is dead.
Located in a remote corner of Tha Yang district of Phetchaburi, only a short drive from Cha-am and
http://www.bangkokpost.com/feature/environment/195834/a-safe-haven
Alicante Safari Park closes down
The Vergel Safari Park has been operating for 33 years
One of Spain’s pioneering zoological parks, the Vergel Safari Park in the Marina Alta, Alicante, closed its doors on Friday after 33 years.
Inside a group of workers and vets will continue to work for at least five months until the 460 animals which live in semi-freedom inside are found new homes.
The closure comes because of purely
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/news/publish/article_27149.shtml
Polar bear pen ready near Churchill
The Manitoba government says the final round of structural upgrades to the holding facility for polar bears that persistently wander into the northern coastal town of Churchill is now complete.
Bears that make their way back into the community after being chased away need to be isolated in the facility until they can be safely transported out of town or until Hudson Bay ices over, said Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie.
He said the holding facility provides safety for both the people of the north and the bears.
The end walls of the building have been refitted with metal siding and a new kiosk has been built with a display outlining facts about the bears, polar bear management in Manitoba, the bear alert program and polar bear safety.
Reports indicate polar bears came off the ice very early this season.
As of July 20, almost all of the bears were off the ice along the Hudson Bay coastline.
A tundra buggy takes tourists across the ice in Churchill to see polar bears. (Travel Manitoba)
This year's preliminary survey results showed an unusually high number of polar bears north of Churchill, especially in the Hubbard Point area approximately 90 kilometres south of the Nunavut-Manitoba boundary.
All polar bears sighted appeared to be in very good condition. A total of 258 bears
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/09/08/mb-polar-bear-pen-churchill.html#ixzz0zI85w3bo
Dolphinarium in SW Turkey closed after NGO campaign
A dolphinarium in southwestern Turkey that attracted controversy due to concerns about the living conditions of the venue’s dolphins has been closed and the park’s mammals freed following efforts from civil society organizations.
“This has been an intense but effective campaign but we will only feel truly happy when the [dolphins] are finally back in the wild. This shows how much can be achieved by a collaborative effort and people working together across the world with one collective aim: a real testament to the power of the people. With modern communications and clear aims, we have shown what can be achieved,” Nichola Chapman of Dolphin Angels, one of the nongovernmental organizations that fought to secure the release of the park’s two dolphins, said over the weekend.
Dolphin Angels, along with NGOs Born Free and SAD/DEMAG, fought for many months to close the dolphinarium and free its dolphins.
Businessman Alexandr Kuznetzov and a group of investors rented land in the resort of Hisarönü from Ölüdeniz Municipality in the southwestern
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=tom-and-misha-the-two-bottle-nosed-dolphins-finally-heading-back-to-the-sea-2010-09-05
Dr. Suzan Murray: Chief Veterinarian, National Zoo
As a five year-old watching a National Geographic television program on Jane Goodall, the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Suzan Murray instantly knew she had found her calling.
As the National Zoo's chief veterinarian since 2001, Murray has been able to live out her childhood dream on a daily basis. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring that the zoo's 2,000 animals from 400 different species receive the highest level of health care.
"Every day I come to work, I know I'm responsible for providing health care to our extremely valuable collection of animals consisting of some of the world's most endangered species, Murray said. "Not only can we make a difference in an individual animal's life, but by caring for that individual, we can literally affect the entire population of a species."
A typical day for Murray and her team of four clinical veterinarians can range from giving a pregnant giant anteater an ultrasound to developing a treatment program to inserting a pacemaker to regulate the heartbeat of gorillas.
Trying to understand and adapt the treatment of each species can be a challenge, according to Murray, but it is also the greatest reward.
"Every time we diagnose and treat a different species, it's an incredible rush," Murray said.
To help her team manage the health of so many diverse species, Murray has established partnerships with medical colleagues in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including dentists, surgeons and cardiologists who routinely donate their time and expertise on cases.
Kurt Newman, the surgeon-and-chief at Children's National Medical Center
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091201260.html
GRRR... it hurts!
In a pioneering effort, a five-member team of surgeons performs a six-hour dental surgery to ease the pain on two tigers from Bannerghatta National Park
Ateam of five surgeons needed close to six hours and plenty of courage to complete a root canal on a patient.
They exchanged hi-fives, sported wide grins and were thrilled. What’s the big deal, you may ask. Well, their patient was tigress Menaka and tiger Mohan, residents at the Bannerghatta Biological Park.
Dr A Sha Arun, a wildlife veterinary surgeon who conducted the surgery, revealed the operation was not an easy
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/article/1/201009112010091100045837829527e83/GRRR-it-hurts.html
African Cheetah to be translocated in MP''s sanctuary next year
The Cheetah became extinct from India after the last one died in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh in 1947. It will be brought from Africa under Project Cheetah prepared by Union ministry of environment and forest. Wildlife Institute of India and wildlife trust of India will offer assistance
http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/african-cheetah-to-be-translocated-in-mps-sanctuary-next-year/315438.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
China to dispatch team to probe panda death: state media
China will send a team to Japan this week to probe the death of a giant panda on loan to a Japanese zoo and could seek 500,000 dollars in compensation for the loss, state press said Monday.
Kou Kou died Thursday of cardiac arrest after failing to recover from an anaesthetic at the Oji Zoo in the western port city of Kobe.
Veterinarians had sedated the 14-year-old male as part of a programme to impregnate his partner Tan Tan, and were seeking to extract semen from the male panda when he died.
China's forestry administration has called on the Japanese zoo to seal up the corpse of the animal and will dispatch a team to Japan to investigate the case, state media said.
Chinese experts believe Kou Kou could have died from an overdose of sedatives and were questioning why Japanese veterinarians were extracting semen outside the animal's mating period, the Oriental Morning Post said.
According to the China Wildlife Conservation Association, a breeding agreement with Japan includes a stipulation for 500,000 dollars in compensation should a panda die, the paper said.
Giant pandas, a highly endangered species native to parts
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/44823
Deepwater doom: Extinction threat for world's smallest sea horse
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill this year and subsequent cleanup efforts could drive the world's smallest sea horse into extinction, warns the Zoological Society of London and its marine conservation organization Project Seahorse.
The tiny dwarf sea horse (Hippocampus zosterae), which grows to a maximum length of 2.5 centimeters, can be found only in the ocean waters off the Gulf Coast.
"All of the sea horse populations in the area will be affected, but the dwarf sea horse is at greatest risk of extinction because much of its habitat has been devastated by the spill," Project Seahorse director Amanda Vincent said in a prepared statement.
According to Project Seahorse, the dwarf sea horse is particularly vulnerable due to its small size, limited habitat, inability to migrate great distances, and low birth rate. The fish also mate for life, so the loss of even one breeding parent is doubly
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=deepwater-doom-extinction-threat-fo-2010-09-08
Fearsome snow leopard is portly family moggy
After numerous reports of a mystery beast spotted lurking in a woodland, a local resident has come out to claim the creature as her pet cat Machui.
Jill Downie and her family, from Hampshire, were devastated when their silvery Bengal feline went missing from nearby Boyatt Wood, Eastleigh, eight months ago, just as the first
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4490969
Mali: Thirst kills 20 elephants in Malian reserve
About 21 elephants died of thirst and exhaustion in May in an extension area from the dried Lake Korarou to Aougoundou - 100 km apart - located in the rural district of Gourma, eastern Mali, the National Water and Forestry Directorate disclosed in a report.
According to the report, the 21 elephants, including 13 young males, were part of a herd of 181 elephants in search of water and favourable ecological area.
The document stated that 13 of the elephants died on their way to a favourable area, while eight died around the Aougoundou Lake.
Protected and considered as ecological and cultural heritage, elephants of Gourm a survive decades of uninterrupted drought cycles with the drying up of ponds and lakes resulting from the shortage of rains, while the elephant population increased.
Elephant population has been estimated at 550 between 1972 and 1974, according to a survey conducted by reconnaissance aircraft and the number was brought to between 354 and 654 a
http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/mali:-thirst-kills-20-elephants-in-malian-reserve-2010090855791.html
More than 500 red lionfish caught in Keys
More than 100 divers collected 534 Indo-Pacific red lionfish during the first concerted effort to reduce the population of the invasive species in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
The first of three Keys-based lionfish derbies Saturday attracted 27 teams, which competed for cash and prizes to collect the most, largest and smallest lionfish. The winning group captured 111 lionfish.
Lad Akins, of the Reef Environmental Education Foundation, says unsuspecting pet owners are releasing the nonnative fish into the Atlantic, where they have no natural predators.
On July 9, researchers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute found two juvenile red lionfish in deep water 99 and 160 miles off Marco Island — the 2.5-inch fish were the first specimens documented in the Gulf of Mexico north of the Keys.
"I felt this was inevitable," institute biologist Ed Matheson said. "They're all around, in the Yucatan, the Tortugas, the Keys, and they've moved all the way up the
http://www.news-press.com/article/20100912/GREEN/100912009/1075/More-than-500-red-lionfish-caught-in-Keys
Seaworld receives 40 oil impacted turtles from New Orleans
SeaWorld Orlando’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Center is coming to the rescue of forty New Orleans green sea turtles affected by the oil spill Thursday.
Oil was cleaned off of the turtles at Audubon Nature Institute in New Orleans and SeaWorld's experts plan to provide daily care for the creatures before reintroducing them into the wild.
Seaworld has received 77 gulf disaster impacted turtles since June, and the
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/seaworld-receives-40-oil-impacted-turtles-from-new-orleans
Jumbo the elephant leaves a big legend in southern Ontario
Circus hero died here, but the details are up for debate
Jumbo is much bigger and stronger than the 46 plow horses competing at the International Plowing Match here next week, but he’s ineligible.
That’s because Jumbo is an African elephant—a dead African elephant. He died here 125 years ago on Sept. 15.
Still, Jumbo will be a star at the 98th annual plowing match, which takes place Sept. 21-25 and attracts competitors from England, the United States
http://www.thestar.com/travel/ontariooutings/article/857896--jumbo-the-elephant-leaves-a-big-legend-in-southern-ontario
NSPCA urges public to boycott East London Zoo until it shapes up
THE country’s chief zoo inspector says the public should boycott the East London Zoo to force Buffalo City Municipality to address what residents are calling “atrocious” conditions at the tourist attraction.
Vonny Strachan, national inspector for the wildlife unit of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), who visited the East London Zoo about three weeks ago, said: “They (the public) should boycott the zoo. It’s the power of the purse.
“The public shouldn’t go there because they are creating business for the zoo. The public has the power to demand improvements in this way.”
Strachan’s inspection comes after numerous public complaints of overgrown, weed-infested enclosures or bare and pitiful cages, a lack of cleanliness, dirty water, rubbish and animals not being tended to properly and not having enough stimulation and “toys”.
Visitors have also complained of a lack of staff visibility or supervision of the public on weekends. They have also pointed out that the animals are being fed sweets and crisps by the public.
Strachan added that a committee had been set up to improve conditions at the zoo.
“We gave the municipality an ultimatum, saying they must improve the situation.”
She said although there was no overcrowding at the zoo, the
http://www.weekendpost.co.za/article.aspx?id=604646
Monarch butterflies migrating from Grand Rapids to Mexico
About 250 Monarch butterflies are on the way to Mexico from Grand Rapids.
"It takes them months," says John Ball Zoo education director Andy McIntyre.
The butterflies were released from John Ball Park Zoo Sunday so they can begin the 2,500 mile migration. They are completing the yearly cycle that began last spring when the Monarchs in Mexico started moving north. The release at the zoo was an opportunity for children to learn about the butterfly's life cycle and launch the insects on their long journey south.
"It kept on tickling me and it wouldn't get off my hand," says 10 year old Emauri Tolbert,
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=130883&catid=14
It’s recovering but not hungry - Officials check jumbo health
It has not yet developed an appetite, but the critically injured baby jumbo getting treated at Tata Steel Zoological Park seems to be out of danger.
But forest officials are undecided whether to let the calf stay at the Tata zoo or shift it to the veterinary hospital at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda zoo. Today, a team comprising regional conservator of forests A.K. Gupta, conservator of forests S.B. Gaikwad and divisional forest officer A.T. Mishra, directed by principal chief conservator of forests A.K. Singh, visited Tata zoo to review the calf’s condition and check if it needed better treatment.
Forest officials from Ichagarh block in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district had rescued the two-and-half-year-old elephant on September 2, after villagers had grievously injured the animal separated from its herd. After 10 days of medical attention, the 6-inch deep wounds inflicted by spears and
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100913/jsp/jharkhand/story_12928862.jsp
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Blog Posts:
Look to the right within the blog and see and click on blog postings. Some of these have not been mailed out by email. Most will have been posted on the Facebook Page however.
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http://www.zoolex.org/ in September 2010
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Hello ZooLex Friend,
We have worked for your enjoyment!
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NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
The Nature Experience Walk at Vienna Zoo immerses visitors in the native
flora and fauna of the local environment. The first part of the Nature Experience Walk 'In the Forest' includes a tree canopy walk that is accessible for all visitors and provides spectacular views of the surrounding forest and the city of Vienna.
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=1199
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SPANISH TRANSLATION
Thanks to Eduardo Diaz Garcia we are able to present the Spanish translation of a previously published Edinburgh Zoo exhibit presentation: Recinto de las nutrias de garras pequeñas.
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=971
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We keep working on ZooLex ...
The ZooLex Zoo Design Organization is a non-profit organization registered in Austria (ZVR-Zahl 933849053). ZooLex runs a professional zoo design website and distributes this newsletter. More information and contact: http://www.zoolex.org/about.html
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Celebrating Plants and the Planet:
Zoos and aquariums are about hope and wonder. They couldn't exist and we couldn't do what we must if hope and wonder were lost. This month's links at http://www.zooplantman.com/ (NEWS/Botanical News) are about plant news either good or amazing:
· Spotted salamanders have been discovered to have algae in their very cells and to benefit from photosynthesis. (This is the Wonder part.)
· While hurricanes can seriously damage freshwater marshes, they hardly scratch saltwater marshes. (And the Hope part.)
· It has been theorized that carnivorous sundews try to protect their pollinators from being eaten. It turns out that they don't care. (Maybe more Wonder then Hope.)
· Can carnivorous plants be employed to protect people in the African bush from malaria? A Ugandan researcher thinks so. (And back to Hope.)
· When the world discovered the cosmetic and health value of a cactus common to Morocco, local women's cooperatives created an economic miracle. (OK, clearly Hope.)
You've already heard of the man who had a pea plant growing in his lung, so here's a man who had a fir tree growing inside! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1169861/Shocked-Russian-surgeons-open-man-thought-tumour--FIR-TREE-inside-lung.html
Please share these stories with associates, staff, docents and -- most importantly -- visitors! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PlantWorldNews - a new story every day!
I am at the annual AZA conference in Houston this week. If you are there, I hope to see you.
Rob
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The 31st Annual Elephant Manager’s Association Conference hosted by the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, could very well be one of the most important to date. In today’s internet age, elephant management is now a global effort, and this conference will feature presentations on elephant conservation and management partnerships and collaborations in the US and worldwide. Accomplishments and developments in breeding, husbandry and research, as well as challenges on many fronts, have laid the groundwork for interactive and information-rich sessions. The conference will commence on Thursday, Sept. 30, with an icebreaker at the hotel, and conclude on Sunday evening, Oct. 3, with the “elephant olympics”, and a savory barbecue and bonfire at the zoo’s 724-acre International Conservation Center. More details will follow in the EMA newsletter and web site, Connect, on Facebook, and via email. Contact Terry Deluliis at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, 412-365-2500, with questions. Visit http://www.internationalconservationcenter.org/ for more information and to register.
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Now accepting papers
Please write to: Orga-Team ZooKunft, Office@zookunft.info
By 15 October 2010.
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Following positive feedback and high demand for places, Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks are pleased to announce their fourth student course on Environmental Enrichment to be run by Mark Kingston Jones and Chris Hales, in collaboration with keepers from both institutions. The course is specifically designed for college and university students (past and present) who do not currently work within a zoo setting, but are looking to do so as a career. Over the 3.5 days students will gain a background in animal welfare and enrichment, dealing with welfare needs of different species, as well as providing practical skills in designing, building and testing enrichment within the settings of both Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks, in Kent. Our aim is to provide valuable experience and an overview of additional useful skills to your CV as a would-be keeper. Please note you must be 18 or over to attend this course. Places are limited so please register early to avoid disappointment.
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Look to the right within the blog and see and click on blog postings. Some of these have not been mailed out by email. Most will have been posted on the Facebook Page however.
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http://www.zoolex.org/ in September 2010
~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~
Hello ZooLex Friend,
We have worked for your enjoyment!
~°v°~
NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
The Nature Experience Walk at Vienna Zoo immerses visitors in the native
flora and fauna of the local environment. The first part of the Nature Experience Walk 'In the Forest' includes a tree canopy walk that is accessible for all visitors and provides spectacular views of the surrounding forest and the city of Vienna.
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=1199
~°v°~
SPANISH TRANSLATION
Thanks to Eduardo Diaz Garcia we are able to present the Spanish translation of a previously published Edinburgh Zoo exhibit presentation: Recinto de las nutrias de garras pequeñas.
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=971
~°v°~
We keep working on ZooLex ...
The ZooLex Zoo Design Organization is a non-profit organization registered in Austria (ZVR-Zahl 933849053). ZooLex runs a professional zoo design website and distributes this newsletter. More information and contact: http://www.zoolex.org/about.html
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Celebrating Plants and the Planet:
Zoos and aquariums are about hope and wonder. They couldn't exist and we couldn't do what we must if hope and wonder were lost. This month's links at http://www.zooplantman.com/ (NEWS/Botanical News) are about plant news either good or amazing:
· Spotted salamanders have been discovered to have algae in their very cells and to benefit from photosynthesis. (This is the Wonder part.)
· While hurricanes can seriously damage freshwater marshes, they hardly scratch saltwater marshes. (And the Hope part.)
· It has been theorized that carnivorous sundews try to protect their pollinators from being eaten. It turns out that they don't care. (Maybe more Wonder then Hope.)
· Can carnivorous plants be employed to protect people in the African bush from malaria? A Ugandan researcher thinks so. (And back to Hope.)
· When the world discovered the cosmetic and health value of a cactus common to Morocco, local women's cooperatives created an economic miracle. (OK, clearly Hope.)
You've already heard of the man who had a pea plant growing in his lung, so here's a man who had a fir tree growing inside! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1169861/Shocked-Russian-surgeons-open-man-thought-tumour--FIR-TREE-inside-lung.html
Please share these stories with associates, staff, docents and -- most importantly -- visitors! Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/PlantWorldNews - a new story every day!
I am at the annual AZA conference in Houston this week. If you are there, I hope to see you.
Rob
*******************************************************************************
31st Annual Elephant Managers Association Conference and Workshop
September 30th - October 4th 2010
The 31st Annual Elephant Manager’s Association Conference hosted by the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, could very well be one of the most important to date. In today’s internet age, elephant management is now a global effort, and this conference will feature presentations on elephant conservation and management partnerships and collaborations in the US and worldwide. Accomplishments and developments in breeding, husbandry and research, as well as challenges on many fronts, have laid the groundwork for interactive and information-rich sessions. The conference will commence on Thursday, Sept. 30, with an icebreaker at the hotel, and conclude on Sunday evening, Oct. 3, with the “elephant olympics”, and a savory barbecue and bonfire at the zoo’s 724-acre International Conservation Center. More details will follow in the EMA newsletter and web site, Connect, on Facebook, and via email. Contact Terry Deluliis at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, 412-365-2500, with questions. Visit http://www.internationalconservationcenter.org/ for more information and to register.
2011 ZooKunft
26 February 2011
Kronberg, Opel Zoo
On the theme of
Animal Presentation
Now accepting papers
Please write to: Orga-Team ZooKunft, Office@zookunft.info
By 15 October 2010.
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The fourth Student Environmental Enrichment Course (SEEC):
September 20th - 23rd
Following positive feedback and high demand for places, Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks are pleased to announce their fourth student course on Environmental Enrichment to be run by Mark Kingston Jones and Chris Hales, in collaboration with keepers from both institutions. The course is specifically designed for college and university students (past and present) who do not currently work within a zoo setting, but are looking to do so as a career. Over the 3.5 days students will gain a background in animal welfare and enrichment, dealing with welfare needs of different species, as well as providing practical skills in designing, building and testing enrichment within the settings of both Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks, in Kent. Our aim is to provide valuable experience and an overview of additional useful skills to your CV as a would-be keeper. Please note you must be 18 or over to attend this course. Places are limited so please register early to avoid disappointment.
To Learn More Please Click
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Nominations are now open for the 2012 Indianapolis Prize
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Private Zoo For Sale
please see link for details
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Zoo Conferences, Meetings, Courses and Symposia
click HERE
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ZOO BIOLOGY
The Zoo Biology Group is concerned with all disciplines involved in the running of a Zoological Garden. Captive breeding, husbandry,cage design and construction, diets, enrichment, man management,record keeping, etc etc
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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
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