Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Zoo News Digest 27th - 30th November 2010 (Zoo News 707)

Zoo News Digest 27th - 30th November 2010 (Zoo News 707)
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

Crocuta crocuta - Jyllands Park Zoo
Photo by: Jonas Livet
Courtesy: http://www.leszoosdanslemonde.com/




Dear Colleagues,

Earlier in the week I was answering a couple of queries on Yahoo Answers. I don't go on there very often. I certainly don't go on to abuse the system or cause trouble, simply to answer questions. It makes me think and gives me ideas and lets me spot trends. I had been busy for literally minutes before a warning flashed up saying I was suspended for abuse. I could not figure it. I had done nothing wrong. I have had similar 'suspensions' before from both Facebook and a couple of Social Bookmarking sites for entering too much information too quickly. There I was automatically re-instated usually an hour later. Yahoo Answers was different. Two days later I checked and I was still locked out. There was an email address to write to if I thought it was wrong so I wrote. A little later I had a reply to say the address I had written to was no longer in use and that I should check out the small print. I did. There is a lot of it. I waded through it and could still find no reason for a suspension. There was a choice of contact subjects to email to but not one for my problem. I chose the nearest equivalent and emailed that. To my horror I had a reply which said that they had looked into my case and I was to be completely suspended and would lose everything on Yahoo associated with me. This included Zoo Biology, Zoo News Digest etc. Needless to say, I panicked. Big time and sent out a warning message to group members. I had literally hundreds of emails of support along with suggestions and offers of aid. I am going to try and answer them all but it will be a struggle to do it in a day of so. Especially so as messages keep coming in. If I miss anybody I apologise but thank you one and all.
The good news is that the answer to the problem was amongst the suggestions. This was simply to change over the Group ownership. This I have done. So nothing will change. You don't have to do anything. Everything will work as before. There will be no interruption of services.
I wondered whether it would be a good time to change over to something different. We know it isn't perfect but it does work. The Zoo Biology Group and Zoo News Digest have been on Yahoo for ten or so years now, they were on egroups previously and on my own system before that. There has never been a problem whilst on Yahoo up till the other day. I have decided to stay with it for now. I can review again later. So, as I said the Panic is over. Thank you one and all.

After I posted the message out to the group members I got to thinking that perhaps I had done nothing wrong at all. If I had then it can be only a very minor infringement of the rules. I have been with Yahoo for years. I pay them money every month. I have my photographs stored on their affiliate. One little wrong could surely not mean a ban?
So perhaps, just perhaps it is something I have said here in my editorial. I am outspoken on certain issues because I can be. I do upset people in high places. It is not as if I have not had the threats. So someone powerful has a word with someone powerful and something happens. Does it sound like I am barking up the conspiracy tree or barking mad?

Perhaps not. In my messages of support there were more than one who suggested that as a possibility and one stated:

"Well done! Keep it up and keep your tone! I like the fact that you say what you think whatever others may think. It's crucial. Thanks for everything you do."

I like that word 'crucial'. Rest assured that I remain 100% committed to supporting good zoos but where I see wrong I will say it.

I covered the story about the 'Gay' vultures a couple of weeks ago with a link but I did not comment. Today I am just going to comment on the title of the latest link "German Zoo Forces Gay Vultures to Mate With Females". Ridiculous. Anyone who knows vultures will know you cannot force them to do anything they don't like.

So how much did the Russian Tiger Summit decide to commit towards Tiger Conservation? I know Mr. Di Caprio donated $1 million. I know the summit stated they need $350 million for the first five years but who actually gave what? Just putting things into perspective here. The Detroit Tigers Baseball team have just signed a $50 Million four year deal with Victor Martinez (one man!). The jungle Tigers don't need money, they need action. There seems to have been an endless succession of back slapping meetings. I wonder that the summit has done any good at all. I hope so. As a little man sitting on the outside I believe that the only thing they really need to do is implement all the current protection that tigers have and should enjoy. Root out the corrupt, prosecute to the full extent of the law. That would work. Protect the forests and the tigers will sort themselves out. We really don't need to be talking about doubling the population. We can't even sort our own out.

You will note from the links that there are also plans afoot to protect the Giant Squirrel habitat. Here the Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) M.K. Rao said "A healthy forest is needed to support the squirrel, which sustains itself on..." This is exactly what the Tiger needs. A Healthy Forest!

I wondered what possibly could be new news on the 2007 San Francisco Tiger incident. 'Nachos!'... what a way to sell a paper.

I was delighted yesterday to see that there are plans for a facelift to the the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center. It is about time. I am sure the people who work there will be jumping with joy. They have been striving to do a very worthwhile job whilst being let down with wholly inadequate facilities. But before everyone starts jumping up and down for joy one must think back to July 7th 2009 because that was the last time they announced that they would be doing this. You can read part of that newspaper article in my hub on Ninoy Aquino Park and Wildlife Nature Center in Manila in the Philippines

I dare say that we could all come up with examples but, just because something is the law does not make it right. As Mr Bumble said in 'Oliver Twist', "The law is an ass". How on earth could any law allow two mistreated and starved lion cubs to be returned to their idiotic owner after they had been nursed back to health. Yes the law is an ass. I dread to think what the keepers in Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort think as it was they who did the nursing.



Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort The Orangutans are waiting, the chimpanzees are waiting and the rest of the zoo world are waiting to see what will happen next


PHOTO
Do you have an animal/zoo/wildlife photo that you would like to see included at the start of Zoo News Digest? Sorry I can't afford to pay for it but I will credit you and link back to a website if you wish. Sadly I cannot guarantee when I will get round to including as this will depend on the level of response. If you are interested please email the photo to me. Use 'Photo' as your subject heading. Please give your full name, the name of the species and where the photo was taken. I look forward to hearing from you.


Some Stories You May Have Missed:

Vietnam cannot have both Bears and bear bile


 
Remember that the festive season and the new year are just around the corner. You are never stuck for a gift by giving a Calendar or a book. Check out:

2011 Wildlife Calendars


Don't miss anything. If you are on Facebook
 please click Like on
 Zoo News Digest Facebook page
and be kept regularily updated.

Looking for a job?   
See new vacancies posted in recent days. Take a look at:
Got one to advertise? email me  



This blog has readers from 147 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eire, England, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lapland, Lao, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Wales, Zambia.


The ZooNews Digest continues to be read more often by more staff in more zoos than any other publication.

Please feel free to use the comment section at the end of this Zoo News Digest.

Is your meeting/conference/symposium listed here?http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/
If not why not? ZooNews Digest is read by more zoo people than any other similar publication. I will advertise up till the event.
Please visit the
if you are looking for books for yourself or as gifts.

****************************************************************************

On with links: 

Kanpur zoo part of global network for animal exchange programmes
As the forest cover is gradually depleting in the country, a threat of extinction is looming large over the endangered species. At this point of time, the zoos are proving to be the pioneers of the effort to breed endangered animals. It is in this regard that the animal exchange programme is given due importance by the authorities of various zoos across the country. But the exchange programme is not an easy task as it requires comprehensive pool of knowledge before going ahead with it.
Thus, to make this task simpler, the Kanpur Zoo sometime ago became a member of the International Species Information System (ISIS), a global organisation that provides world-standard zoological data collection and a sharing software called ARKS (Animal Record Keeping System), enabling the various
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Kanpur-zoo-part-of-global-network-for-animal-exchange-programmes/articleshow/6996314.cms





German Zoo Forces Gay Vultures to Mate With Females
German zookeepers are forcing two male vultures who prefer nesting together to mate with females, sparking outrage from gay rights activists who accuse the zoo of discriminating against birds of a different feather.
The trouble began back in March, when Guido and Detlef, two Griffon vultures, decided to move in together. The lovebirds began crafting a two-man nest out of stray twigs in a communal birdcage at their zoo in the town of Munster, in northwest Germany.
Both birds are predatory males, but seemed to enjoy one another's company more than that of any female. They spent their days grooming one another with their beaks and fortifying their nest -- though other vultures occasionally stole their building materials, as if to spite them.
"They always sat so closely together. They defended their nest from the other vultures," the zoo's curator, Dirk Wewers, told The Daily Telegraph of Australia.
But Wewers explains their preference for one another as second-best. "A suitable female was missing and in such a case vultures look for companionship from
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/german-zoo-forces-gay-vultures-to-mate-with-females/19734614




Singapore Zoo




Governments Commit to Save Tigers
The International Tiger Summit held this week in St. Petersburg approved a wide-ranging program with the goal of doubling the world’s tiger population in the wild by 2022, backed by governments of the 13 countries that still have tiger populations: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and Russia.
Tigers’ habitats are being destroyed by deforestation and construction, and the animals are a valuable trophy for poachers who want their skins and body parts, which are prized in Chinese traditional medicine. Only about 3,200 tigers remain in the wild — a dramatic plunge from an estimated 100,000 a century ago.
The Global Tiger Recovery Program estimates the countries will need about $350 million in outside funding in the first five years of the 12-year plan. The summit was seeking donor commitments to help governments finance conservation measures.
The program aims to protect tiger habitats, eradicate poaching, smuggling, and illegal trade of tigers and their parts, and also create incentives for local communities to engage them in helping protect the big cats.
Leape said that along with a stronger action against poaching, it’s necessary to set up specialized reserves for tigers and restore and conserve forests outside them to let tigers expand.
“And you have to find a way to make it work for the local communities so that they would be partners in tiger conservation and benefit from it,” Leape said.
“To save tigers you need to save the forests, grasslands and lots of other species,” he added. “But at the same time, you are also conserving the foundations of the societies who live there. Their economy depends very much on the food, water and materials they get from those forests.”
About 30 percent of the program’s cost will go toward
http://www.times.spb.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=33031





Polar Bear Cubs






Scotland's beaver-trapping plan has wildlife campaigners up in arms
Scottish National Heritage's plan to catch 20 beavers highlights problem of animals escaping from private collections
An urgent campaign has been launched to capture up to 20 beavers that have colonised rivers and lochs and are freely breeding in the wild.
The unpublicised project has been authorised by Scottish Natural Heritage, the government wildlife body, after it emerged that a large number of beavers had taken root following a series of escapes from private collections in Angus and Perthshire over the past decade.
Some wildlife experts believe that more than 50 beavers could be roaming free: families of beavers, and evidence of their lodge building, have been regularly seen by villagers and naturalists around Invergowrie on the outskirts of Dundee, Forfar in Angus, Glamis in Perthshire, and Tentsmuir near the mouth of the river Tay.
The animals will be trapped and given to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which houses beavers at its Highland wildlife park and is closely involved with the UK's only official beaver reintroduction scheme at Knapdale forest in Mid-Argyll.
But pro-beaver campaigners have furiously attacked the trapping exercise, accusing the conservation agencies of bowing to political pressure from landowners and urging the protection of the Knapdale project to avoid it being damaged by rows over illegal releases.
Sir John Lister-Kaye, a former president of the Scottish Wildlife Trust who keeps beavers at his Aigas wildlife sanctuary near Inverness, said the animals were once native to the UK and should be given protection under European conservation directives if they were breeding successfully.
"I think this is quite simply professional jealousy. Scottish Natural Heritage and the zoo have been quite hostile to those of us who have private collections or who know quite a lot about beavers," he said. "I think the public needs to be in on this debate; they've voted 59% in favour of the beaver."
His criticisms were shared by Paul Ramsay, who owns captive beavers at Alyth near Dundee. He admitted some of his animals had previously escaped but said that wildlife laws were clear: if a previously native species had re-established itself and was healthy, then it could be legally protected. "I think it's extraordinary that they should take this hostile view," he said.
SNH said the trapping operation, which is being supported by Tayside police, was a matter of urgency because beavers were spreading so rapidly. A spokesman said: "The longer we leave it the greater the task will be. We are also urging all owners of animal collections to take greater care in keeping their animals captive."
The controversy highlights a long-standing but rarely discussed problem across the UK, with persistent escapes from private beaver collections and wildlife reserves over the past 20 years, many of which have been covered up or gone unreported.
The Guardian has established that at least 20 beavers are known to have escaped from collections across southern England, the Midlands and Scotland. In some cases, the beavers were either quickly trapped and returned to captivity or believed to have been killed. However, naturalists are convinced they have now established colonies in the wild in the Scottish Highlands, particularly on Loch Tummel and on the Tay and its tributaries, but also potentially in southern England.
In parallel, conservationists in Wales and south-west England have been planning their own legally sanctioned beaver reintroduction projects, but these were being drafted before last month's deep cuts in government spending on environment programmes.
In Knapdale, there are now four beaver families living and breeding on a network of remote lochs in an uninhabited
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/nov/25/beavers-scotland-conservation





Forest dept faces stiff opposition on relocation
With the state forest department waiting for the dust to settle at Sariska before initiating any step in relocating another big cat to the reserve, it's a race against time. For if the department is keen on relocation, a strong opposition is building up to halt it.
Sources said: "A big lobby, whose members are into conservation and tourism, do not want more relocation. They have always been against relocation of tigers from Ranthambore fearing it would take away tourists from the national park. And now that they have a good enough reason, they are not willing to let it go."
However, Union minister of forest and environment Jairam Ramesh, chief minister Ashok Gehlot and the state forest department have insisted on continuing with the relocation in a bid to re-establish a tiger population.
After the death of first male tiger relocated to Sariska ST-1, the state has got into a massive exercise of overhauling the administrative machinery of the park. Relocation of villages from within the park is another top priority for the state after poisoning has been reported as a possible cause of tiger death.
During his recent visit to Sariska, Ramesh had urged the state forest department to speed up relocation . "I am under tremendous pressure in New Delhi," he said. Ramesh had advised the chief of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Rajesh Gopal to imm
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Forest-dept-faces-stiff-opposition-on-relocation-/articleshow/6966232.cms





Thailand wants to keep panda
THAI authorities are considering asking China to let Lin Ping, the first female panda born in Thailand, to stay in Thailand's Chiang Mai Zoo for two more years.
Prasertsak Boontrakulpuntawi, head of the zoo's panda-research project, said the contract to keep Lin Ping is going to expire in another six months, after which they have to send her to China.
Following talks to keep Lin Ping longer, Thai officials will have another talk in Thailand with senior Chinese wildlife conservation officials on December 20. Hopeful for a green light from China, the zoo planned the panda section expansion and requested Bt28.5 million from the Zoological Park Organisation or the government for the 2012 fiscal year.
On Saturday morning the 61.2kg cub was let out to the open-air display section for the first time. Its caretakers provided it with an 'Ice Cake' of fruits
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_608246.html






Examiner Uncovers New "Development" in 2007 Tiger Attack Case: Nachos
The Examiner reported on Thursday night that they obtained a never-before-released police interview with the Brothers Kulbir and Amritpal “Paul” Dhaliwal regarding the 2007 Siberian tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo, which resulted in the death of 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr.. This exclusive report, released just in time for the third anniversary of the incident, promised a "tasty treat" in its headline, which turned out to be the fact that the three victims were eating nachos at some point before Tatiana the tiger escaped her enclosure and attacked them.
This revelation hardly has much relevance, as the article states: "The taped interviews, however, still do not reveal what happened that day, when police had to shoot the tiger to death after the attack." Inspector Valerie Matthews, who headed the investigation, questioned the brothers about whether
http://sfist.com/2010/11/27/examiner_uncovers_new_development_in_2007.php





Plans afoot to protect giant squirrel habitat
A conservation plan for the endangered giant squirrel is being chalked out which inhabits the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary near Pune
Forest Department officials have teamed up with Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to chalk out a conservation plan for the endangered giant squirrel, which inhabits the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary near here.
A peculiar animal known for its shyness and lightning pace, the Ratusa Indica species or the Indian giant squirrel is an attraction for the wildlife enthusiasts visiting the Bhimashankar forest, which also happens to house a famous Shiv temple, one of the 12 “Jyotirlignas“.
In coordination with IISc, we are working out a Geographical Information System (GIS) map to identify threats to the existence of the squirrel to know whether the forest area occupied by it is shrinking or not,” Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) M.K. Rao said.
At present, a census of the animal is being carried out by counting of its nests in the forest and the proposed GIS map is also expected to denote the human disturbance index.
“A healthy forest is needed to support the squirrel, which sustains itself on just leaves and fruit,” Mr. Rao said.
The IISc experts would interact with the forest field staff to enhance their technical skills for a better understanding of the ecology of giant squirrel, which leaps from one tree to another but never
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article917240.ece?homepage=true








Geriatric animals pose challenges for zoos
On an overcast Friday at the Salisbury Zoological Park, Poopsie the Andean bear could not be found in her hammock, where she spends most of her time.
Instead, she kept warm in a burrow in her den, which she has called home for nearly 37 years. When she finally emerged, she did so slowly. As the light hit her gray fur, which was once brown, it became evident Poopsie is no spring chicken.
"She's 37? No wonder she's not too active," said Jennifer Cross of Easthampton, Mass.
Poopsie isn't the only animal at the Salisbury zoo who might qualify for a senior discount. According to Director Joel Hamilton, the zoo's female sloth is nearing 37, a few of the alligators are in their mid-30s and one of the flamingos is 42.
Animals tend to live longer while in captivity because "their lives are much easier," said General Curator Ann Konopik, who has been with the zoo for nearly 27 years.
"They don't have to hunt for food or worry about predation, hunters and poachers," she said. "Also, their medical needs are met."
The zoo will celebrate Poopsie's birthday Dec. 27. After she passed the age of 35 1/2, Poopsie became the oldest-living Andean bear on record and "she's
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-11-28-geriatric-animals-zoo_N.htm





International designer for India's first night safari
Renowned zoo designer Bernard Harrison, who has designed the famous Singapore night safari, will be designing the upcoming Greater Noida night safari, according to an official.
The Greater Noida night safari will be India's first and the world's fourth - the others being in Singapore, China and Thailand.
According to a Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority official, who didn't wish to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media, Harrison had recently met officials to discuss the project. He is expected to arrive in India next week to present the digital project report (DPR) to officials.
The night safari, to be set up on over 222 hectares of land, will be located along the Yamuna Expressway near Gautam Budh University, around 40 km from New Delhi. The zoo will have animals like leopards, tigers, crocodiles, gibbons and crocodiles. Only lions will be brought from Africa.
It will also have casinos and restaurants to attract visitors. The land for the project
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/International-designer-for-Indias-first-night-safari/articleshow/7005098.cms





Lions await trip to US refuges
The last of Bolivia's rescued circus lions — 12 females and five males — are now in the hands of animal rights activists, who say the big cats will be sent to wildlife refuges in the United States.
An Associated Press photographer visited the lions on Wednesday.
The felines, though still caged, were under the care of Animal Defenders International. ADI obtained them from circuses that gave them up in compliance with a pioneering Bolivian law that took effect in July prohibiting the use of all animals, domestic and wild, in circuses.
In May, ADI sent four lions to a sanctuary in California. In September, a baboon was sent to a primate center in Britain.
ADI is feeding the lions red meat and vitamin supplements — a big improvement
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101124/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_bolivia_liberated_lions





Edinburgh Zoo penguin cam snowed under with Twitter hits
Zoo closed but penguin snow antics still a hit online
Edinburgh Zoo is closed today due to the weather making it too dangerous for public access. But with hundreds of animals needing fed, most of the staff are still there.
When the attraction's marketing assistant Claire Richardson arrived at work this morning she noticed the penguin webcam was down. She could see the Gengtoo penguins were more active than ever, sliding around in the fresh snow, so rebooted the camera.
Richardson - who also looks after the zoo's Twitter account - sent out a tweet to let people know that, even though the zoo was shut, they could still tune in to see the penguins in action. Within just two hours, Edinburgh Zoo was trending in the UK's top Twitter searches. Richardson's link to the penguin cam was
http://www.guardian.co.uk/edinburgh/2010/nov/29/edinburgh-zoo-penguin-cam-webcam-gentoo-snow





Zoo Society offers scholarship
The Fort Wayne Zoological Society is accepting applications for the Lawrence A. Ackerman Scholarship, which bestows a one-time $2,000 award to a college-bound high school senior pursuing an animal-related career.
The scholarship award is based on an applicant’s character, commitment to the stewardship of animals, financial need and scholastic achievement. Graduating high school seniors in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties are eligible to apply.
The Fort Wayne Zoological Society established the scholarship in 1992 to honor the the late Dr. Larry Ackerman, who served as the zoo’s veterinarian for 25 years.
Interested students can download an application at the zoo’s website, www.kidszoo.org. Students may
http://www.fwdailynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9566:Zoo-Society-offers-scholarship&catid=51:latest&Itemid=6





DENR plans P500-M facelift for QC wildlife park
The Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center in Quezon City will get a P500-million facelift to turn the place into an ecological tourist attraction and a respite from the urban jungle.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is leading the transformation of the 22.7-hectare park, which houses an assortment of Philippine plants and animals confiscated from illegal traders or turned in by the public.
Urban planner Palafox and Associates was behind the master plan for the park’s redevelopment.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said he was looking for partners in the private sector to finance the project since his department’s budget could not shoulder the cost of the facelift.
“Our resources are very limited, whereas the private sector has the much-needed
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20101129-305931/DENR-plans-P500-M-facelift-for-QC-wildlife-park





European cheetahs spearhead drive back into wild
Two European-bred cheetahs are set to take part in a pioneering program to release their young back into the wild in an attempt boost their declining numbers.
As part of the program the hand-reared cheetahs Boumani and Zina will soon be swapping their green fields in Kent, south east England, for the arid Savannah of Kenya early next year.
It is hoped the pair will breed there in a 500-acre enclosure and that their offspring will be taught to hunt by their mother Zina during extended excursions into the adjoining Tsavo national park.
This method of reintroducing captive-bred cheetahs into the wild has never been attempted, says their keeper Jonathan Ames.
"My dream is to prove that captive-bred cheetahs can be successfully placed back in the wild, it is something that has been very unsuccessful [in the past]," Ames told CNN.
"There is no point in breeding cheetahs in captivity if they can't go back into the wild," he adds.
Cheetahs are more vulnerable than many other large predators in Africa -- they are designed for speed and they prey on a relatively small numbers of species, needing vast tracts of land in which to hunt and breed. They are also vulnerable to attack from lions, hyenas and leopards.
The cheetah has three main threats to its survival, according to the Namibia-based Cheetah Conservation Fund: A loss of habitat to farming and urban development; persecution by farmers who think they are a threat to their livestock and poaching for their skins.
Boumani -- his name means warrior in Malawi -- is a three-year-old male weighing just over 13-stone (85kg) who was hand-reared by Ames at the family-run Eagle Heights Wildlife Park in Kent.
The early stages of Boumani's training
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/11/26/uk.cheetah.kenya/index.html?hpt=Mid





Center plans to build wildlife corridor for pandas in Sichuan Province
A green group said Sunday it will build a wildlife corridor in Sichuan Province to protect wild pandas.
Beijing-based Shan Shui Conservation Center, will use a 1 million yuan gift ($149,981) from a private enterprise for the corridor. The center said Sunday that it will build a 1,000-mu (66.67 hectares) forest of carbon sequestration in Mamize Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, located at 28 north latitude.
Sun Shan, from the center, told the Xinhua News Agency that pandas in that area are scattered. Based on figures from the third panda census, there are 120 pandas in the area.
"It's the most southern area for panda habitat, and it is vulnerable to climate change," Sun said, adding that the habitat for wild pandas has shrunk due to years of deforestation in the area.
She said 2,000 mu of forest for 20 corridors are needed to protect wild pandas. The 1,000-mu forest of carbon sequestration will absorb 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide over the next 30 years, which equals to emission from 7,500 cars in a year.
"Protecting pandas is not about protecting the pandas kept in the cages of the zoos. It is more about those in the wild area and
http://china.globaltimes.cn/society/2010-11/597250.html





Former zoo veterinarian charged with molest
A former senior veterinarian at the Singapore Zoological Gardens has been charged with four counts of molest.
Fifty-two year-old Oh Soon Hock allegedly outraged the modesty of a 21-year-old ex-colleague at their former workplace between January and March last year.
Oh was known to combine both Western veterinary practices and Chinese traditional medicine when treating animals at the zoo. Once, he even used acupuncture to treat a lame elephant.
Oh, who looked visibly worried as he appeared
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1096185/1/.html





University of York in educational link-up with Flamingo Land zoo
A PARTNERSHIP between the University of York and Flamingo Land, near Malton, is helping to enhance conservation education in the region.
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership draws on expertise in the university’s environment department to promote scientific excellence in the education system at Flamingo Land.
The scheme will enhance conservation education by modernising the range of programmes, and incorporating scientific theory as well as aspects of the National Curriculum. A new research associate will undertake a range of marketing activities and develop educational events, building on the park’s recently-attained “Learning Outside The Classroom” Quality Badge.
This role will also further
http://www.gazetteherald.co.uk/news/8708345.University_of_York_in_educational_link_up_with_Flamingo_Land_zoo/





Breeding trouble at zoo leaves vets brooding
It could be their home away from home. But for some exotic avian residents of the Mysore Zoo, there’s a catch when it comes to hatching.
The ostrich, the emu, the peahen and a few pheasants at the Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Garden have been laying less and infertile eggs in the past two years, leaving the vets “brooding.”
The only female ostrich here’s too young to lay eggs. There are two male and another female bird which are around three years old. This is not the right age for breeding either, say zookeepers.
But all hope is not lost yet. An ostrich normally lives up to 17-18 years. And there’s always the next breeding season. “We expect fertile eggs in the coming season,” said the zookeeper.
As for emus, there are eight - three males and five females. Since they are large birds, they were recently moved in to a spacious new enclosure. But the giant avians chickened out. No eggs, no chicks.
“Although emus here are mature enough to lay fertile eggs, their relocation seems to be a hindrance. The vets even tried incubation, but in vain. It has been two years since they laid fertile eggs,” adds the zookeeper. Their life span is seven -eight years.
And the zoo’s peahen and peacock don’t see eye to eye. “The females are not ‘co-operating’ with the males. There are a total of 25 peafowls in the zoo and in the neighbouring Karanji Lake. The authorities are trying to change the grouping among white peafowls to encourage mating and successful breeding.”
The pheasants are old. There is only one Reeves pheasant; one male green and Monal pheasant and only females in the other varieties. The zoo plans to bring in mates through an ‘animal exchange programme’.
According to a health advisory committee which visited the zoo in August last, the breeding problems among the birds could be the lack
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/116535/breeding-trouble-zoo-leaves-vets.html



Seized lion cubs returned to owner

Under the law confiscated animals are to be given back when medical costs are repaid
The UAE animal welfare officials returned two lion cubs to the same Egyptian owner they charged with animal mistreatment.

The travelling circus which brought the animals to the UAE has now taken them to Bahrain while it is believed the owner has returned to Egypt, a ministry of environment and water official said.
For Dh35,000 each, Mamdouh Al Helw, an Egyptian lion trainer in his 50s offered the cubs for sale to Gulf News in an undercover investigation into the illegal animal and luxury pet trade in the UAE in March, this year.
Posing as potential buyers, Gulf News obtained access to the cubs and was taken to a location between Dhaid and Ras Al Khaimah where four adult lions and one tiger were also caged, and two elephants were tied up.
The cubs, both male, were lame from a bad diet and poor living conditions. They had to receive injections
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/seized-lion-cubs-returned-to-owner-1.716189



***

*******************************************************************************

Dear friends of the rain forest,


the Swedish transnational home wares giant, IKEA, sells huge amounts of candles and tealights made of palm oil. But can you enjoy the cosy glow of candles knowing that to produce palm oil rain forests are irretrievably razed, appalling crimes are perpetrated on people living there and the world climate is ruined?

Please take part in our campaign to save the rain forests by writing to IKEA, demanding they stop selling palm oil products.

http://www.rainforest-rescue.org/

Heartfelt thanks and best regards


Klaus Schenck
Rainforest Rescue
22391 Hamburg
49 -40 - 4103804
http://www.rainforest-rescue.org/

http://www.facebook.com/StopAgroenergy




*******************************************************************************

Act Now to Fully Protect Polar Bears






*******************************************************************************




Zoo Animal Enrichment on Facebook


Carnivore Enrichment: www.facebook.com/carnivoreenrichment

Zoo Enrichment: www.facebook.com/zooenrichment

Primate Enrichment: www.facebook.com/primateenrichment

Enrichment Shape UK and Ireland: http://www.facebook.com/carnivoreenrichment#!/group.php?gid=27267684390

The Shape of Enrichment, Inc: http://www.facebook.com/carnivoreenrichment#!/shapeofenrichment

Avian Enrichment:
http://www.facebook.com/1AvianEnrichment?ref=ts&v=wall


*******************************************************************************


International Journal of Primatology

Volume 1 / 1980 - Volume 31 / 2010

Special Tarsier Edition






*******************************************************************************

The 24th issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa
 is online at





November 2010 | Vol. 2 | No. 12| Pages 1309-1348 | Date of Publication 26 November 2010

ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)

Contents

Description of a new species of Netomocera Bou ek (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae) from Arunachal Pradesh, India, with a key to world species

-- P.M. Sureshan, Pp. 1309-1312



New records of potter wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from Arunachal Pradesh, India: five genera and ten species

-- G. Srinivasan & P. Girish Kumar, Pp.1313-1322



Bheemamyces, a new genus of the family Asterinaceae (Ascomycetes)

-- V.B. Hosagoudar , A. Sabeena & M.C. Riju, Pp.1323-1324



On a collection of praying mantids (Insecta: Mantodea) from Goa, India, with new distribution records

-- M.C. Vyjayandi, R.S. Rajeesh, P. Sajin John & M.M. Dhanasree, Pp.1325-1329



A checklist of freshwater fishes of the New Amarambalam Reserve Forest (NARF), Kerala, India

-- Fibin Baby, Josin Tharian, Anvar Ali & Rajeev Raghavan, Pp.1330-1333



Species persistence: a re-look at the freshwater fish fauna of Chennai, India

-- J.D. Marcus Knight & K. Rema Devi, Pp.1334-1337



Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus stranded at Devbagh beach, Karwar, western coast of India

-- U.G. Naik, J.L. Rathod & S.B. Haragi, Pp.1338-1341



Distribution and status of Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis aurea I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1830) in Bangladesh

-- Md. Kamrul Hasan & Mohammed Mostafa Feeroz, Pp.1342-1344



Sighting of Tibetan Wolf Canis lupus chanko in the Greater Himalayan range of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand, India: a new record

-- T. Bhattacharya & S. Sathyakumar, Pp.1345-1348



*******************************************************************************

Amphibian Livefood Survey


Dear readers,

I am a PhD student working on the husbandry of ex-situ amphibian populations at Manchester University. I am interested in the effect of captive environmental variables, including prey items offered, on captive amphibian populations.

There is a huge variety of live food species available to feed to captive amphibians, available from both commercial breeders and as stock to culture in-house. Making use of this variety may help to promote amphibian health through the provision of a varied diet, in terms of nutritional completeness and adaptation to captivity, and so it is important to get a good picture of what live-food species different institutions are using to feed their animals.

If anyone working with captive populations of amphibians could fill in the ‘doodle poll’ questionnaire at http://doodle.com/fg8rni2ym3ad6kk5  I would be very grateful. The survey will take less than a minute of your time – just fill your name or your institution’s name in the box on the left hand side, underneath ‘Chester Zoo’, and tick the boxes for the livefoods you use. Then click save and you’re done.



Many thanks

Christopher Michaels
Michael Smith Bdg.
Faculty of Life Sciences
University of Manchester
M13 9PT

christopher.michaels@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk



**************************************************************************


Nominations are now open for the 2012 Indianapolis Prize






*******************************************************************************


Zoo Conferences, Meetings, Courses and Symposia
click HERE 

*******************************************************************************


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




**********************************************


Join Zoo News Digest Facebook Page
updated daily



*******************************************************************************


For Zoo Jobs and Related Vacancies please visit: http://zoowork.blogspot.com/


************************************************************************


ZooNews Digest is a private and completely independent publication, not allied or attached to any zoological collection. Many thanks.
Kind Regards,

Wishing you a wonderful week


"These are the best days of my life"


Please Donate to Zoo News Digest in order to keep it going



Saturday, November 27, 2010

Vietnam cannot have both Bears and bear bile

Photo by: Jonas LivetHelarctos malayanus - Zoo Taiping & Night Safari



Twenty-two percent of Vietnamese people said that they have used bear bile in the past, according to the findings of the study by Education for Nature-Vietnam (ENV) on attitudes associated with bear bile use in Vietnam .

A total of 3,032 people were surveyed in three cities in Vietnam : Hanoi (north), Da Nang (central) and Ho Chi Minh City (south). The participants were randomly selected and interviewed by telephone to analyze the motivation behind bear bile consumption and evaluate demographic differences between respondents in their attitudes toward the use of bear bile.

The survey results suggested that:

· Bear bile is considered as a magic medicine that can cure a range of health problems including muscle complaints, bruises, digestive problems or even cancer. Bear bile is mainly used to treat specific health problems (73%). Bear bile is also used for general health improvement (24%) and entertainment purposes (14%).

· Hanoi has a much higher percentage of bear bile users than Da Nang or Ho Chi Minh City . Thirty-five percent of survey participants in Hanoi claimed that they have used bear bile in the past, while only 16% of those in Ho Chi Minh City and 15% in Da Nang said that they have used bear bile.

· The percentage of men using bear bile is higher than the percentage of women in all three cities. Almost 1/3 of all male survey participants (29%) claimed to have consumed bear bile in the past compared to 17% of all women surveyed.

· People with higher education levels (college degree or higher) are more likely to use bear bile than people with lower education levels (high schools or lower levels). Bear bile consumption also rises with age and the use of bear bile is different between age groups.

Vietnam is home to two species of bears, the Asiatic Black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus). Both species are being pushed to the edge of extinction, mainly due the illegal hunting and trade to support the demand for bear bile used as a traditional form of medicine. Bears are usually captured as cubs in the wild and sold to bear farms where they are raised and used to extract bile from the gall bladder. Currently, there are about 3,500 bears in farms in Vietnam , most of which originated from the wild.

“ Vietnam ’s bears are in trouble,” says Ms. Vu Thi Quyen, founding director and the author of the report. “Urgent and tough measures are needed to put an end to bear farming and trade in Vietnam .”

Based on the findings from this study, ENV recommends following actions:

· A long-term and sustained awareness campaign must be carried out in order to dispel the belief that bear bile is a form of magic medicine. The campaign should promote medical alternatives to bear bile (both herbal and western medicine) and highlight its perceived ineffectiveness as reported by former users.

· Stronger laws and more effective law enforcement are critical to efforts to phase out bear farming and eliminating bear bile consumption. All unregistered bears discovered by authorities should be confiscated and the owners appropriately punished.

· Studies should be carried out to identify major wild populations of bears in Vietnam where protection and recovery efforts should be prioritized; an analysis of commercial farming of bears and other endangered species and its impact on species conservation should be conducted.

The results of ENV’s study will help authorities and conservation organizations to develop more effective measures to address bear bile consumption and trade in Vietnam and enhance protection for what may be Vietnam ’s last remaining bears in the wild.

“We need to face a tough choice,” says Ms. Quyen, “ Vietnam can’t have wild bears and bear bile too.”

The full results of the study have been compiled in a report, An Analysis of Attitudes and Bear Bile Use in Vietnam (Vietnamese and English version). ENV wishes to thank the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) for supporting this important study.

For further info Contact person:
Tran Viet Hung
Communication and Public Awareness Manager
Education for Nature – Viet Nam (ENV)
Email: viethung.env@gmail.com
Phone: +84 4 35148850
Mobile: +84 9 78462159




***
For Books on Zoo Management and more please visit
***
For regular updated Zoo News, Views, Reviews and Vacancies please visit
 Zoo News Digest on
Learn More About Zoos and Aquariums by visiting
and subscribe to the largest and longest established zoo related ezine
by clicking

'No Mirrors Involved'
Snow Leopards
Photo supplied by Peter Litherland of the


 

To advertise on Zoo News Digest please click

Friday, November 26, 2010

Zoo News Digest 23rd - 26th November 2010 (Zoo News 706)

Zoo News Digest 23rd - 26th November 2010 (Zoo News 706)
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/


Black Palm Cockatoo Probosciger aterrimus
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Photo by: Lakshminarasimha R  





Dear Colleagues,

So nice to read of a Rhinoceros celebrating its 40th birthday. In a zoo you will note, and on a week that the hornless remains of no less than 18 Rhino were found in the wild in Limpopo. None of these were recent. Some believed to have been killed as long ago as 2005. Questions are being asked as to how this could have been overlooked for so long. The whole thing stinks of corruption.

The story '75 tigers died in zoos in last three years' is one of those statistical games. As Benjamin Disraeli once said, "There are lies, damned lies and statistics". Why I wonder was it that three years were chosen and not one, two or five. Further down the article you will see that "least 32 tigers have died in the wild so far since January"...so going by that it is easy enough to say, if we are going to play with figures that 'at least 96 tigers have died in the wild during the past three years'. It doesn't make the zoo side of things sound so bad does it? Everything dies eventually. It is the one thing in life we can be sure about. True enough there has been a mixture of bad luck and bad management in some Indian Zoos these past three years. It would have been nice to have had a statistical breakdown of which of the 54 zoos lost tigers. How many of the 75 tigers died of old age and how many of them cubs under a month?

There is some real codswallop in the press. The story 'International Tiger Forum Important In Efforts To Protect Tigers' http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=544626  states "Russia was selected as host for the International Tiger Forum as the country with the largest number of tigers in the world (450 individuals)" As I said. Rubbish. Don't believe everything you read in the press.

I hope that all zoos keeping Amphibians will help with the 'Amphibian Livefood Survey' which you will see details of further down this Zoo News Digest. Quick and easy to do and fun too. It won't take five minutes out of your busy day. Thanks.

Santa Ana Zoo continues to defend its elephant rides. Good. I hope it generates a lot more discussion. I had a look at one of the petition sites which are trying to get this stopped. The level of ignorance in the comments is disturbing. Perhaps they will be considering banning horse riding next.

"The average life span of a white tiger"... this from a story of a Chinese Zoo trying to pair up an animal they own. Such a statement suggests recognition of the White Tiger as a separate species or subspecies. It got me thinking though. Just what is the average life span of a white tiger? Do we count in the deformed cubs that don't make it past the first week, those culled when the deformations are first noted. Surely those from the criminal brother/sister pairings will have more 'life' problems than those subspecific crosses with Amurs. I do wonder. I doubt anybody knows or is prepared to admit.

Two interesting links discussing the pro's and cons of Tiger Farming


http://news.mongabay.com/2010/1114-hance_conrad.html

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/1118-hance_cameron.html

I don't quite know what to say about the rabbit and kitten crushers (I am not supplying links) other that I am disgusted and just a bit horrified. I wonder though is it really any different to those people who shoot living creatures for pleasure? Some people do get their jollies in the oddest ways.


Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort The Orangutans are waiting, the chimpanzees are waiting and the rest of the zoo world are waiting to see what will happen next


PHOTO
Do you have an animal/zoo/wildlife photo that you would like to see included at the start of Zoo News Digest? Sorry I can't afford to pay for it but I will credit you and link back to a website if you wish. Sadly I cannot guarantee when I will get round to including as this will depend on the level of response. If you are interested please email the photo to me. Use 'Photo' as your subject heading. Please give your full name, the name of the species and where the photo was taken. I look forward to hearing from you.


Some Stories You May Have Missed:

Don't Expect To Grow Old In The Zoo

Bristol Zoo Gardens appoints new head vet

Giza Trouble For The Al Ain Orangutans

Rwanda Returns Gorillas To The Congo



 
Remember that the festive season and the new year are just around the corner. You are never stuck for a gift by giving a Calendar or a book. Check out:

2011 Wildlife Calendars


Don't miss anything. If you are on Facebook
 please click Like on
 Zoo News Digest Facebook page
and be kept regularily updated.

Looking for a job?   
See new vacancies posted in recent days. Take a look at:
Got one to advertise? email me  



This blog has readers from 147 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eire, England, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lapland, Lao, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Wales, Zambia.


The ZooNews Digest continues to be read more often by more staff in more zoos than any other publication.

Please feel free to use the comment section at the end of this Zoo News Digest.

Is your meeting/conference/symposium listed here?http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/
If not why not? ZooNews Digest is read by more zoo people than any other similar publication. I will advertise up till the event.
Please visit the
if you are looking for books for yourself or as gifts.

****************************************************************************

On with links: 
Black rhino celebrates 40th birthday at Port Lympne
A critically endangered black rhino believed to be the oldest in the UK has celebrated her 40th birthday in Kent.
To mark the event, keepers at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park treated Rukwa to a rhino-friendly birthday cake.
Born in 1970, Rukwa has five children and ten grandchildren, two of whom have been returned to protected areas of the wild in Africa by the park.
Head rhino keeper, Paul Beer, said she had played a major role in helping to secure the future of black rhino.
"She is starting to show her age a bit now, her eyesight is going slightly, but she is still full of beans and we hope that she will celebrate many more birthdays to come," he said.
Her birthday cake was made
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-11804390






75 tigers died in zoos in last three years
Zoos do not seem to be safe for the royal Bengal tigers with infighting, disease and old age taking the toll on at least 75 big cats in zoological parks across the country in the last three years.
The highest number of deaths in captivity - 28- took place during 2009-10, while in the previous two years the figure stood at 25 and 22 respectively.
Though the data for this year is not available, the situation does not seem to be very encouraging given that as many as seven felines have died last month in Bannerghatta zoo in Karnataka, two due to old age while rest due to infection of salmonella bacteria reportedly after consuming stale meat.
The rest of the infected tigers, who are showing recovery, are being kept in strict observation and isolation in the Zoo, which has to its credit the highest number of big cats - 36- in captivity among the country's 54 zoological parks housing tigers.
Besides the tigers, two lions, a nilgai (blue bull) and a sloth bear also died in the park recently.
In all, there are 275 tigers housed in 54 zoological parks with Bannerghatta Zoological Park topping the list followed by Nandkanan Biological Park (16) in Orissa and Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (14) in Andhra Pradesh.
"Deaths due to old age is a natural process in any zoo or for that matter in the wild. But infighting and diseases are certainly a cause of concern. Zoo managers are i
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/75-tigers-died-in-zoos-in-last-three-years/articleshow/6969266.cms





Saving the birds
While many lamas stay within the confines of their temples to study Buddhism or pursue spiritual enlightenment, 40-year-old Tashi Sange has turned his attention to ecological protection and the plight of one extremely rare local bird.
Documentary Bird Whisperer from Shanshui Conservation Center's (SCC) Geng Dong, reveals the very interesting life of a man who has dedicated himself to saving the lives of Qinghai's wildlife.
A kanbu (top scholar) in Tibetan Buddhism, Sange is the founder and director of Nianbaoyuze Conservation Association, recording changes in the local Qinghai environment and protecting ecological systems.
Geng spent three weeks living with Sange after meeting him two years ago. "I was quite moved when I heard his story. He spends nine months a year traveling and observing birds," Geng told the Global Times. "Local people call him the lama of birds."
Sange's hometown is a small village beside a lake under Nianbaoyuze
http://life.globaltimes.cn/life/2010-11/595723.html





Putin offers Russia's tigers to revive species
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has offered to share his country's growing tiger population with other countries to help save the big wild cat from extinction.
“Tiger families from Russia could start the process of reviving tiger populations where they have completely disappeared, in such countries as Kazakhstan and Iran,” said Mr. Putin, addressing the “Tiger Summit” in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.
Stressing the importance of saving the tiger, Mr. Putin said: “The great humanist Mahatma Gandhi once said: ‘A country that is good for the tiger is good for everybody. This is very sharp and deep thought.”
He recalled his country's successes in restoring the tiger population. “Over the past 60 years the number of Amur tigers, whose habitat is almost exclusively in Russia, has increased more than 10 times over and today amounts to about 500,” whereas across the world the tiger
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article907818.ece





Recipe to save the world's tigers
World leaders seeking to save tigers from extinction at the International Tiger Conservation Forum in St Petersburg, Russia, this week should give them more prey to hunt.
Chris Carbone of the Institute of Zoology in London pulled together population data for 11 carnivores and examined how they were affected by changes in numbers of their prey. Fewer prey always meant fewer predators, but for large carnivores the effect was five times as great.
"For large predators, it's more important to protect their prey," agrees Guillaume Chapron of the Grimsö Wildlife Research Station in Sweden. Ecologist Nick Isaac at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford, UK, adds that we need to know whether a lack of food is as big a threat as poaching.
In St Petersburg, money rather than food
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19761-recipe-to-save-the-worlds-tigers.html






Island orangs descend from small group
Bornean apes went through a genetic bottleneck during ancient glaciation
Orangutans on the island of Borneo descend from a relatively small number of ancestors who apparently squeezed through a rough patch about 176,000 years ago, according to the broadest genetic analysis to date of their species.
The genetic data suggest an ancient population bottleneck , says anthropological geneticist Natasha Arora of the University of Zurich, in which animal numbers shrink but eventually expand again when conditions improve.
A serious chill gripped the planet roughly 190,000 to 130,000 years ago, Arora and her colleagues point out in a paper posted online November 22 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Borneo itself wasn’t iced over, but rain forests where orangutans live might have shrunk during this time, constraining the orangutan population within it. Such work, she says, “is important to
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/66319/title/Island_orangs_descend_from_small_group





World leaders meet at tiger summit in Russia, pledge protection and cooperation
For three days, forestry officials from Nepal and Burma, wildlife officials from Laos and Malaysia, and environmentalists from Bangladesh and Thailand roamed the gilt halls of czarist-era palaces here, talking of tigers and searching for the political will to save them.
That resolve was pronounced found Tuesday by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who shared a dais at the International Tiger Forum with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick, among others.
"We have put the tiger on the agenda of the international community," Putin said, adding that when heads of government take the time to meet on behalf of a big cat, they are serious indeed.
At a news conference convened as the delegates set off for a concert where Naomi Campbell and Leonardo DiCaprio were the major attractions, no questions were taken. The final words came from Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
"The world is looking at us to act boldly," he said. "We need less conversation and more conservation."
Tigers are in desperate straits. Their numbers have dwindled to 3,200 from about 100,000 a century ago, and they are expected to become extinct unless there is a concerted
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/23/AR2010112303245.html





Rhino left with no place to hide
After the first attack, her horn was removed to dissuade poachers. Still, they came back for the stump. Her only refuge is a zoo.
She has a bullet in her face, another in her leg and every reason not to trust humans.
But when Johannesburg Zoo rhino keeper Alice Masombuka calls her name, the wild black rhino flutters her ears delicately and stands alert, gazing in the direction of the voice.
"Hey Phila, Phila! Hey big girl, good girlie. Phila!" says Masombuka, leaning against the fence, her singsong voice floating irresistibly in Johannesburg's damp
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-south-africa-rhino-20101124,0,5923555.column






German experts to help in animal conservation
Sabah Wildlife Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu hoped that with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Leipziq Zoo (LZ) and the state government, it would further enhance the progress to prevent the loss of biodiversity in the state.
He said the department would be working hand-in-hand with the experts from IZW and LZ from Germany to prevent extinction of Asian mammals, particularly rhinos.
“With the expertise from Germany, we hope the reproduction of rhinos could be managed properly,” he told reporters after the signing of the MoU with the IZW and Leipzig Zoo at the Wildlife Department office yesterday.
He added that they had been cooperating with the IZW for several years to conduct research on the conservation needs of the threatened Bornean carnivores.
This initiative has raised international attention through
http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=76571





Rhino shot dead
A rhino has been found shot dead on a game farm in the Thabazimbi area, Limpopo police said on Tuesday.
“People heard gunshots on Monday night and when they went to the place where the sound came from they found the dead rhino... the horn was not cut off,” said spokesman Senior Superintendent Motlafela Mojapelo.
“We think they tried to poach the rhino for it's horn but (the attackers) were scared off.”
He said police were still on the
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/rhino-shot-dead-1.875826





Zoo tries to find match for proud white tiger
A white tiger rests at Jiufeng Forest Zoo in Wuhan, the capital of Central China's Hubei province, Nov 20, 2010. The 8-year-old animal still has no female mate. Tigers are known to be proud animals. In order to ensure the survival of the species, zookeepers are trying to make a match between the white tiger and a female tiger named Qiqi at the zoo. The average life span of a white tiger is about
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90783/91300/7208914.html





Amended Legislation To Facilitate Zoo Polar Bear Centre
The Manitoba government is bringing forward a proposed amendment to its Polar Bear Protection Act that would formally establish the International Polar Bear Conservation Centre at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. It would also create an advisory committee to provide recommendations
http://www.cjob.com/News/Local/Story.aspx?ID=1316255





Swiss hippo finds refuge in South Africa
Farasi, a male hippo born at Basel Zoo two years ago, has found a new home in South Africa.
Baby pictures published after his birth in 2008 made him a national darling, yet he made headlines again when the zoo announced that he would likely become food for other animals.
As the zoo explained at the time, there simply was not enough space for another male hippo at the zoo. Yet the appalled public called for another solution.
The idea now is that he will become a breeding bull at a nature reservation – something that would not have been possible at the zoo.
According to zoo officials, Farasi is now getting settled in the Tschukudu nature park after last week’s 40-hour journey. Upon arrival he
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news_digest/Swiss_hippo_finds_refuge_in_South_Africa.html?cid=28859270





Battle to save tiger intensifies
FORGET the whales and the koalas.
It is the battle to save the real “world’s most popular animal”, the tiger, which will ultimately determine all future crusades, according to a Sunshine Coast big cat specialist.
Australia Zoo conservation manager Giles Clark claims there is little hope of turning the tide on other critically endangered flora and fauna if the tiger cannot be brought back from the brink.
Mr Clark’s comments came during the current international tiger summit in Russia this week.
Wildlife activists and officials from 13 nations where tigers live in the wild arrived in St Petersburg this week at the
http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/story/2010/11/24/tiger-battle-save-intensifies-whales-sharks/





A Lion's Tale
Shameem Faruque narrates the touching story of a lion that was born handicapped, and abandoned by his mother
"Life's greatest adventure is finding your place in the circle of life" thus goes the tagline of the 1994 movie Walt Disney's 'The Lion King'. The movie gifted us the animated but adorable little lion prince Simba, son of King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi, of Pride Rock. And a few years later was born in our Trivandrum city, to be precise, in our very own Trivandrum zoo, a little lion cub, soon to be named Simba. This is his tale.
He was no prince but on the contrary, abandoned by his mother soon after he was born probably because he was born handicapped, a genetic disorder that left him with weak limbs and a malformed vertebrae making him shorter than an actual lion but no less majestic. His journey from a lost little cub, nervously standing at a corner of his dingy and dark century-old cage, to a grown up lion standing his ground in
http://www.yentha.com/news/view/4/1948




New Software Training For Vets
A five-day hands-on training on new software for veterinarians and biologists began at B.S. Abdur Rahman University, Vandalur, here on Monday.
K.S.S.V.P. Reddy, Chief Conservator of Forests and Vandalur Zoo Director, said Single Population Analysis Record Keeping System (SPARKS) and Animal Record Keeping System (ARKS) were the new software. SPARKS would deal with single species available in all zoos across the country and the second one would deal with many animals in a particular zoo.
Two resource persons from International Species Information System would conduct the training programme. The new software would help in keeping and maintaining proper record of animals, genetic diversity, demographical profile, stud book data validations, captive population management, editing records groups and reports.
Laurie Bingaman Lackey, Wildlife Biologist from the International
http://www.c2clive.com/latestnewsdetail.php?id=3908





China Has 312 Captive-bred Pandas
China said on Tuesday that the number of human-bred panda has hit 312, due to breakthroughs in breeding and raising methods.
Captive-bred pandas gave birth to 38 panda cubs this year, of which 31 survived, the State Forestry Administration said.
Of the total, 17 pandas were born at Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, while 12 were born at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, also in Sichuan. The other two were born at Beijing Zoo.
In 2009, captive-bred pandas gave birth
http://english.cri.cn/6909/2010/11/23/1821s606703.htm





Big cat owner cited on charges of violating County Code
Although Lyon County gave Pete Renzo 45 days to obtain a Restricted Animal Permit to house five Siberian tigers and one black panther at his large cat compound on Cougar Street, the Silver Springs man ultimately has not complied with that request, and was cited by county officials for not having such a permit.
http://www.rgj.com/article/20101123/FERNLEY01/11230411/1306/fernley





75 percent of Spanish zoos at risk of exotic animals escaping
Lions, bears, monkeys, crocodiles, parrots and iguanas may seem inoffensive at first glance when they're behind bars in zoos. But some exotic species can escape and become invasive species. This has been confirmed by a scientific team that has checked 1,568 animal houses in 63 Spanish zoos. Birds are the animals most likely to escape.
"As zoos house a large number of exotic (non-indigenous) species, they could become an entry channel for these species if they escape, with the potential environmental risk that this implies", María C. Fàbregas, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Ethology and Animal Welfare Unit of the Cardenal-Herrera University (UCH) in Valencia, tells SINC.
The study, which has been published in the journal Biological Invasions, reviewed the security of animal housing against creatures escaping, and 75% of the zoos studied were found to be problematic, while 14% of the animal housing was evaluated as "insecure" against the possibility of escape.
"Species that could pose a danger to public health are usually housed in secure accommodation, but those that could represent a danger to the environment if they escaped (invasive species) tend to be in insecure housing", points out Fàbregas. According to the research, birds are the group most likely to be in insecure housing.
Based on a report produced in 2003 by the Ministry of the Environment, Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM), the research team studied 30 animal houses in each of the 63 zoos. The MARM is currently completing the first inventory of zoos and aquaria in Spain.
"Of the 1,568 animal houses studied, 221 were insecure against the threat of the species housed in them escaping, 167 housed non-indigenous species (potentially dangerous to the environment), and of these 21 housed invasive
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-11/f-sf-7os112310.php






Zoo reopens gorilla enclosure
For the first time in many months gorillas may be seen at the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria. Not a sound came from the gorilla enclosure yesterday as spectators anxiously waited for the primates to make their appearance.
The Home for Gentle Giants was officially reopened after its previous tenants had to be returned to their country of origin, Cameroon, because of complications with their permits about three years ago.
The gorillas, Bonsi, Binga, Louie and Asali, are part of an international breeding plan.
According to Dr Albert van Jaarsveld
http://www.iol.co.za/news/science/zoo-reopens-gorilla-enclosure-1.876130



Six Critically Endangered Birds Hatch At Queens Zoo
The Queens Zoo is proud to announce the hatching of six critically endangered thick-billed parrots this past week. This is a major event for this extremely rare species whose population has declined significantly in recent years.
“Being that thick-billed parrots are extinct in the United States, the arrival of these chicks marks a significant step in the conservation of this animal,” said Dr. Scott Silver, Director of the Queens Zoo.
Seeing these cute and colorful chicks exploring their nests and waiting for their parents to present the next meal of fruit and berries is an extremely rare sight. According to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, it is estimated that 5,000 to 10,000 thick-bills
http://www.longislandpress.com/2010/11/24/six-critically-endangered-birds-hatch-at-queens-zoo/





Santa Ana Zoo defends elephant rides
The Santa Ana Zoo is one of only a handful in the nation that still offer elephant rides.
For more than 25 years, children - and some grown-ups - have turned out by the hundreds to ride on the back of an 8,000-pound Asian elephant as it trudges around a shaded, circular enclosure near Monkey Row.
Although others have bowed to pressure from animal welfare advocates who oppose once-popular elephant rides as cruel to the animals and dangerous to the public, zookeepers in Santa Ana are rushing to their defense.
Animal activists set their sights on the zoo last year and have intensified their opposition since the ride opened for the season last month. Since Oct. 8, they have picketed outside the city zoo on weekends and urged visitors to boycott the old-school attraction.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals raised the stakes this month by enlisting stage performer Charo, who wrote to Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, asking him to ban the rides. The group contends that the rides are not possible without cruel training methods.
"I have spent my career entertaining people, but there is nothing remotely entertaining about hurting elephants," Charo wrote.
Zoo Director Kent Yamaguchi brushed aside activists' claims that the rides are abusive or unsafe and said they will continue because he is confident the animals are well cared for and that care givers use the strictest safety guidelines and most humane training methods. If there were any evidence of mistreatment, he said, he would end the rides immediately.
Besides, he said, the rides are such an educational
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F11%2F24%2FBAPR1GFOM4.DTL





ASSE Stresses the Importance of Zoo Safety
With nearly 300 zoos in the United States and more than 1,000 worldwide, zoos represent a form of entertainment and educational activity that has been around for centuries. From the design of animal habitats to procedures for fall protection, fire plans and more, a zoo safety professional’s work is critical to the success of the park, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) pointed out.
During the past decade, multiple animal escapes have been featured in the news, ranging from the small and seemingly harmless to the much larger and dangerous animals such as tigers. To prevent animal escapes, several important elements of zoo construction and procedures must be in place, ASSE members stressed.
Habitat Design
Animal escapes can be prevented through habitat design. U.S. zoos are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act and nonprofit organizations such as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) strive to provide support and guidance for successfully managing zoos to ensure the safety and health of employees, guests and the animals.
“Zoos are unique because zoos have a wide range of issues to consider. Animal health and safety is important, and the health and safety of employees and guests are also very important,” explained Mary Ciesluk, former assistant director of public safety at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Ill. “Animal enclosures are designed very carefully to meet all regulations and ensure that our guests are never endangered during their visit to the zoo. Enclosures are designed to appear as though animals are close to spectators, when in reality, there are fences, moats and many other tactics used to create this visual illusion.”
In May of 2010, Ciesluk saw months of work come to fruition when the Brookfield Zoo opened a new, completely renovated enclosure for its polar bears, grizzly bears, bison, wolves and eagles. The new, 7.5-acre enclosure recreates the North American wilderness to provide animals with realistic habitats. Additionally, this exhibit adheres to Manitoba Standards, the set of regulations for the best possible housing of polar bears in a controlled environment.
ASSE Vice President of Professional Development Trish Ennis, the director of workplace safety for the Denver Zoological Foundation, added: “Challenges to safety professionals working in zoos are directly related to both exhibit design and the age of many zoo facilities. Retrofitting older exhibits
http://ehstoday.com/safety/news/asse-stresses-zoo-safety-5423/





Zoo breeds fried egg-like jellyfish
A Switzerland zoo has successfully bred a type of jellyfish that remarkably resembles a fried egg.
The cotylorhiza tuberculata, or fried egg jellyfish, is relatively common in certain parts of the Mediterranean but has only recently been bred in captivity by staff at Basel Zoo.
The jellyfish require a huge amount of sunlight to survive, making breeding difficult in the zoo's aquarium, the Daily Mail reported.
But dedicated staff managed to recreate the creature's natural habitat, a spokesperson said.
"The young jellyfish are tiny, just a few centimetres, but they take the egg shape right away," the staff member said.
"We keep them away from the lights at first in case they toast."
The species measure
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/8169891/zoo-breeds-fried-egg-like-jellyfish





Rare rhino horns seized from auctioneers
THE DEPARTMENT of the Environment has seized a quantity of rare and valuable black rhino horns from the premises of Mealy’s fine art auctioneers.
The horns were listed in a catalogue for a two-day sale of fine and decorative art scheduled to take place next week.
However, following an advertisement in last Saturday’s Irish Times, which featured a photograph of “antique trophy rhinoceros horns”, staff from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) visited Mealy’s galleries at Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny last Monday.
Auctioneer George Gerard Mealy said he was “interviewed under caution” and told that the family firm was committing “an offence”.
Trade in rhino horn is prohibited by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to which Ireland is a signatory.
The Department of the Environment, which is responsible for the NPWS, said that the owner could apply for a certificate which mig
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1124/1224284022100.html






***

*******************************************************************************

ANNOUNCEMENT
Wildlife Middle East News Vol 5 Issue 2
September 2010
PDFs can be downloaded from:
Request for articles for future issues:
We are looking for contributions of articles from colleagues within the Middle East region for the next issue. Please contact the editors with any ideas that you may have.

Vol 5 Issue 2 Contents
1. Editorial

2. Preliminary studies of diurnal time activity of captive Arabian oryx

3. 2010: A year for the endangered Persian leopard

4. First hawksbill turtles satellite tagged in Kuwait

5. Sharkwatch

6. Mugger crocodile in Iran

7. Mortality patterns and husbandry management in Idmi (Gazella gazella) and Yemeni (Gazella gazella cora) gazelles at AWWP

8. News and reviews

9. News and reviews


*******************************************************************************



Hello ZooLex Friend,
We have worked for your enjoyment!

~°v°~

NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION

Realm of the Giants at Dierenpark Amersfoort Zoo is an exhibit for a group of up to 10 Asian elephants. Elements of reversed landscape immersion, an abundance of tree trunks and plants indoors and outdoors create high complexity in a relatively limited space.

http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=1243

~°v°~

The idea of reversed landscape immersion was introduced in Amersfoort Zoo more than 10 years ago. This design uses elements of the visitor environment also in the animal space in order to blurr the barriers between the two areas. Two previous presentations of exhibits at Amersfoort Zoo were recently updated:

Ancient City's Baboons
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=317

Ancient City's Ibisses
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=184

~°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




*******************************************************************************

Amphibian Livefood Survey


Dear readers,

I am a PhD student working on the husbandry of ex-situ amphibian populations at Manchester University. I am interested in the effect of captive environmental variables, including prey items offered, on captive amphibian populations.

There is a huge variety of live food species available to feed to captive amphibians, available from both commercial breeders and as stock to culture in-house. Making use of this variety may help to promote amphibian health through the provision of a varied diet, in terms of nutritional completeness and adaptation to captivity, and so it is important to get a good picture of what live-food species different institutions are using to feed their animals.

If anyone working with captive populations of amphibians could fill in the ‘doodle poll’ questionnaire at http://doodle.com/fg8rni2ym3ad6kk5  I would be very grateful. The survey will take less than a minute of your time – just fill your name or your institution’s name in the box on the left hand side, underneath ‘Chester Zoo’, and tick the boxes for the livefoods you use. Then click save and you’re done.



Many thanks

Christopher Michaels
Michael Smith Bdg.
Faculty of Life Sciences
University of Manchester
M13 9PT

christopher.michaels@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk



**************************************************************************


Nominations are now open for the 2012 Indianapolis Prize






*******************************************************************************


Zoo Conferences, Meetings, Courses and Symposia
click HERE 

*******************************************************************************


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




**********************************************


Join Zoo News Digest Facebook Page
updated daily



*******************************************************************************


For Zoo Jobs and Related Vacancies please visit: http://zoowork.blogspot.com/


************************************************************************


ZooNews Digest is a private and completely independent publication, not allied or attached to any zoological collection. Many thanks.
Kind Regards,

Wishing you a wonderful week


"These are the best days of my life"


Please Donate to Zoo News Digest in order to keep it going