Zoo News Digest 1st - 2nd June 2011 (Zoo News 756)
Dear Colleague,
Leopards are an endangered species in Paraguay (see link). I'll bet they are in the same league as the Arabian Tiger. I do wish that newspapers would get their facts right. So do they mean a Jaguar? All I can say is 'possibly'. Whilst on this subject I saw yet another reference this week (not included here) to the Cheetah being formerly found in Oman and the UAE. Is there anyone out there who has proof that this is the case? I'd appreciate it. If ever a Cheetah was found in either of these countries it was most likely an escape. We had one running around in Abu Dhabi last week and one jump off a Dhow and swim ashore a few months ago. Never endemic to the UAE is my understanding but there appears to be an effort to make it seem so.
I was delighted to learn that the idiot who intended to hack a lion to death in Egypt has now been arrested. Crazy and cowardly attempt at self promotion.
Just what was the point of the Wythenshawe Park massacre? Why do people do such things? It is all so very pointless. I do hope they catch those involved and lock them up. There is ample proof to suggest that people who are cruel to animals are not just bullies but people abusers too. So once this bunch of trash finish with animals it will be children or weak and defenceless adults next.
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo has gone green. Great move in the right direction...the direction which all zoos should be heading.
Bullhooks in the news and a "debate over whether elephant bullhooks are training tools or instruments of terror". Personally I prefer the word 'ankus' as it is the one used by most responsible elephant keepers...'Bullhook' is used by people to make the 'ankus' sound bad. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the ankus could be used as an 'instrument of terror' in exactly the same way that a screwdriver, garden fork, trowel, bottle, key or whatever could be if used incorrectly and in the wrong hands. Don't get me wrong I am not defending anyone abusing elephants. It must not and should not happen.
Thank you to those four people who sent donations this past couple of days. Most that I have had in a long while and a tremendous help. Thanks again.
Leopards are an endangered species in Paraguay (see link). I'll bet they are in the same league as the Arabian Tiger. I do wish that newspapers would get their facts right. So do they mean a Jaguar? All I can say is 'possibly'. Whilst on this subject I saw yet another reference this week (not included here) to the Cheetah being formerly found in Oman and the UAE. Is there anyone out there who has proof that this is the case? I'd appreciate it. If ever a Cheetah was found in either of these countries it was most likely an escape. We had one running around in Abu Dhabi last week and one jump off a Dhow and swim ashore a few months ago. Never endemic to the UAE is my understanding but there appears to be an effort to make it seem so.
I was delighted to learn that the idiot who intended to hack a lion to death in Egypt has now been arrested. Crazy and cowardly attempt at self promotion.
Just what was the point of the Wythenshawe Park massacre? Why do people do such things? It is all so very pointless. I do hope they catch those involved and lock them up. There is ample proof to suggest that people who are cruel to animals are not just bullies but people abusers too. So once this bunch of trash finish with animals it will be children or weak and defenceless adults next.
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo has gone green. Great move in the right direction...the direction which all zoos should be heading.
Bullhooks in the news and a "debate over whether elephant bullhooks are training tools or instruments of terror". Personally I prefer the word 'ankus' as it is the one used by most responsible elephant keepers...'Bullhook' is used by people to make the 'ankus' sound bad. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the ankus could be used as an 'instrument of terror' in exactly the same way that a screwdriver, garden fork, trowel, bottle, key or whatever could be if used incorrectly and in the wrong hands. Don't get me wrong I am not defending anyone abusing elephants. It must not and should not happen.
Thank you to those four people who sent donations this past couple of days. Most that I have had in a long while and a tremendous help. Thanks again.
Some Articles You May Have Missed
Marine Breeding Initiative Workshop 2011
AAZV 18th Annual Zoo and Wildlife Pathology Workshop 2011
Burying Zoo News in Google
Marine Breeding Initiative Workshop 2011
AAZV 18th Annual Zoo and Wildlife Pathology Workshop 2011
Burying Zoo News in Google
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Decision looming for controversial zoo
D-Day may be looming for the controversial GuZoo Animal Farm.
Following allegations of animal neglect, prompted by an Internet campaign featuring several pictures of animals in distress, GuZoo owner Lynn Gustafson was given a 60-day conditional permit while the province investigated operations at the property, about 140 km northeast of Calgary.
The conditional permit expires Wednesday and there is still no word on what the findings were, or what’s going to happen to Gustafson and his hundreds of exotic and domestic animals.
Gustafson said he hasn’t heard a word.
I blame them — why didn’t they get these inspectors six weeks earlier instead of waiting until the last week or two?” he said.
“It’s not my fault — I was here.”
But Gustafson predicts his licence will be renewed.
“Otherwise what are they going to do with all the animals? I’m not all that concerned.”
Communications for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development declined to comment about the conditional permit that was issued April 1 or the investigation before Wednesday.
“We hope to make some kind of announcement (Wednesday) — when that happens we will be providing people with information at that time ... there’s nothing more to
http://www.calgarysun.com/2011/05/31/decision-looming-for-controversial-zoo
Private Alberta zoo ordered to close
A controversial private zoo northeast of Calgary, Guzoo Animal Farm, has been ordered to close its doors after investigators found a long list of deficiencies at the business.
The zoo, which is near Three Hills, Alta., had been the target of an online campaign to have it closed over what its critics said were unsuitable living conditions for the 400 animals, which include tigers, mountain lions, lynx and a baboon.
On Wednesday the province announced it had issued a seven-day limited permit, during which time the zoo's owner, Lynn Gustafson, will be required to decommission his business, officials said.
The zoo is no longer allowed to receive visitors, they added.
Photos posted on Facebook in March
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2011/06/01/calgary-guzoo-closed.html
Security plea after yobs beheaded 27 birds, stabbed a frog and smashed 170 windows in Wythenshawe Park
Park volunteers say they are desperate for extra security following an horrific vandal rampage which left birds, frogs and fish dead.
The callous yobs broke into glasshouses within Wythenshawe Park and used nets to catch 27 tropical birds which they beheaded.
Around £3,500 of Koi carp were also killed during the spree. The thugs left a trail of carnage, smashing 173 panes of glass and wrecking a pond.
The break-in was the third at the park in just two weeks. Vandals previously wrecked 28 allotment plots on one occasion and broke-in and stole two parrots from the park's farm on another.
Volunteers say they have been pleading with park bosses for months to install more CCTV and fencing. Following the latest break-in, council chiefs have pledged to carry out a review.
Hilary Lloyd, secretary of volunteer group Park Watch said: "Every month at the Park Watch meetings we have been bringing this up with management. We
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1422365_security-plea-after-yobs-beheaded-27-birds-stabbed-a-frog-and-smashed-170-windows-in-wythenshawe-park
Great zoo escapes: confessions of a zookeeper
With a 40-year career, zookeeper Terry Boylan has just about seen it all, including some amazing escapes.
ANIMAL ESCAPES ARE RARE EVENTS at Taronga. Nonetheless, keepers are well prepared for this unlikely incident and a zoo team is equipped with various duties to carry out if the animal escape alarm is activated: veterinarians with anaesthetic dart guns, security marksmen with firearms and general keeping staff with nets and other paraphernalia.
Contrary to what you would reasonably assume, most zoo animals are very reluctant to leave the security of their enclosures. I found this out one day when, as a junior keeper, I was assigned on rotation from the reptile department to assist with the primates.
Monkeys are mischievous at the best of times and none more so than crab-eating macaques. My task was to hose out their exhibit, which consisted of a huge circular pit surrounded by a high wall.
I entered the enclosure via a locked outside door, short tunnel and a final bolted door opening into the monkey pit itself. I realised that I didn't have the right tap key to turn on the hose I had dragged in with me. I emerged again after carefully bolting the doors behind me and attached the hose to a garden tap outside the exhibit, foolishly throwing the end of it down into the pit.
Strolling nonchalantly back down to the outer door, I entered the exhibit again, just in time to see the last of our fifteen monkeys shinny up the hose and onto the concrete parapet encircling the pit.
From there it was just a hop, skip and a jump to having the run of the zoo grounds.
For a moment I couldn't quite take in what was happening; not two minutes ago the same monkeys were studiously ignoring my existence and lounging about in the sun. I raced back out the tunnel, bumping into Bruno, our Italian gardener, as I did so.
"Quick," I said. "Contact switch - tell them the macaques are out. Hurry!" I had no time to take in Bruno's quizzical reply as I clambered to the upper edge of the pit, where the hose still dangled accusingly.
"Hurry, Bruno!" I yelled down to the puzzled gardener. By this time the monkeys had run around the rim of the pit to the other side. Shouting and waving my arms in the hope
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/great-zoo-escapes-confessions-of-a-zookeeper.htm
Leopard stolen from zoo in Paraguay
A male leopard has been stolen from a zoo in Paraguay where authorities had put it after seizing it from animal traffickers.
Zoo director Carlos Miranda said the leopard is very attractive and has a good size and that could make its pelt worth between 6,000 and 10,000 US dollars on the black market.
The potential value is why zoo workers nicknamed the eight-year-old animal Sapphire, likening it
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/latest-world-news/2011/06/02/leopard-stolen-from-zoo-in-paraguay-91466-28807188/
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo Goes Green
"The Little Zoo That Could" in Gulf Shores is turning into "The Amazing Green Zoo" the first of it's kind, environmentally friendly animal park.
"The Little Zoo That Could" in Gulf Shores is turning into "The Amazing Green Zoo" the first of it's kind, environmentally friendly animal park.
It's been a rough go for the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.
"In 2004 the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo was completely destroyed by hurricane Ivan and battered again by hurricane Katrina," recalls Zoo Director Patti Hall.
But things are looking a lot better. "We're living proof that a cat has nine lives," she says.
After years of planning, the new zoo is ready to be built. And not just any zoo, the first planned, sustainable green zoo, in the world says Steve Jones. "We can sustain this 365 days a year and nature is going to sustain it for us with wind solar and
http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/the-alabama-gulf-coast-zoo-goes-green/1207146/May-25-2011_6-11-pm/
Jack Hanna's Into The Wild 2011 - Tapir Conservation Segment
"The Amazing Green Zoo!"
"It's not much more than red clay now, but the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo will be going completely green."
Solar energy, wind power, ultraviolet light, even the burning of animal waste...
That's what will power the new location of "the little zoo that could", making it the world's first environmentally sustainable zoo built from the ground up.
Clyde Weir/Donated land for the new zoo
"It's going to be very unique, probably the only one like it in the world. With everything trying to go green anyway in the country, we're kind of setting a good example I think."
The design includes power sources that overlap in case one goes down.
Dennis Thomas/Designer
"You don't design one system that may fail. You design 5 separate and they're all integral, so if one fails the other's can power the other."
In fact, they plan to produce so
http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_15731.shtml
Police investigating international smuggling ring after theft of rhino head
Police are investigating a suspected international smuggling ring after a gang of professional thieves broke into a museum and stole a rhinoceros head.
Officers are investigating whether the head was stolen to order for foreign clients due to the high price demanded by the rhino’s horn in alternative medicine.
The burglars broke into the Educational Museum in Haslemere, Surrey, in the early hours of May 27 before fleeing after setting off an alarm.
The rhino head was the only item stolen.
The price of horn has spiked in recent months and it has been particularly noticeable in auctions, where 19th century mounted rhino heads or even entire stuffed animals have been sold for much more than previously.
The rumours in the market were that Far Eastern buyers were purchasing the antiques simply to harvest
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8546374/Police-investigating-international-smuggling-ring-after-theft-of-rhino-head.html
Raising hellbenders at the Saint Louis Zoo
Delhi zoo water not fit for consumption
A year after nearly 20 blackbucks died in the Delhi zoo because of contaminated water, little has been done. A study by the central pollution control board reveals that the water in the zoo remains contaminated.
The report found high levels of dissolved solids - upto 16 times over the permissible limit of 500 milligrams per litre. This can lead to kidney stones and intestinal infections in mammals. High levels of Biological Oxygen demand were found upto 35 milligrams per litre way above the limit of 3 milligrams per litre, beyond which, fish don't survive. The total hardness of the water too was 5 to 8 times beyond the normal.
High levels of Total Dissolved Solids or the minute solid particles found in water ranged from 950 to 8000 mg/litre that is 2 to 16 times more than the permissible limit of 500 mg/L. This can lead to kidney stones and intestinal infections in mammals. High level of Biologial Oxygen Demand or the amount of oxygen required
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/delhi-zoo-water-not-fit-for-consumption/155828-3.html
Zoo tigress gives birth to two cubs
Trusha, a tigress in Kanpur zoo has given birth to two cubs. Her mate Abhay has been sifted to a new enclosure. The zoo authorities are providing a conducive environment to the tigress and her newly born cubs.
Senior zoo authorities were elated to learn about the birth of tiger cubs after a long time. It may be recalled that Trusha and Abhay were brought to Kanpur zoo from
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Zoo-tigress-gives-birth-to-two-cubs/articleshow/8671569.cms
New zoo plan gives park land reprieve
Opponents of the Auckland Zoo's plan to increase its elephant population have won a small reprieve, with plans to take part of Western Springs Lakeside Park off the agenda.
The Auckland Council's strategy and finance committee approved a revised plan to bring in two young elephants to keep the zoo's only remaining elephant Burma company.
Last year the zoo sought approval from the former Auckland City Council to introduce a herd of elephants, with land from Western Springs needed to provide enough space. But the revised plan means the zoo doesn't need the extra land, which is being welcomed by Western Springs residents.
"I'm very, very pleased. That land is very well used, especially before and after work, depending on the season," West View Rd resident Annette Isbey says.
"Some people who have just arrived in Auckland are surprised there's a bit of free bush in the middle of the city that is a great walk."
She says many native birds use the patch of land as a rest stop before continuing on to the Waitakere Ranges and it could be set up as a bird sanctuary.
However she's not convinced the zoo should be bringing in more elephants.
"It's cruel to keep elephants in zoos. They die young like Kashin."
Albert-Eden-Roskill councillor Cathy Casey is pleased the plan to take part of Western Springs for an elephant enclosure is off the table because it would have
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/central-leader/5084749/New-zoo-plan-gives-park-land-reprieve
Zoo Gardens Nursery
Alleged UAE animal smuggler escapes Thailand
A man who was arrested as he attempted to smuggle a luggage-load of live endangered animals on a first class flight out of Thailand has escaped from the country, immigration police said Tuesday.
Noor Mahmood, a 36-year-old citizen of the United Arab Emirates, was detained on May 13 by undercover officers at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport with the animals -- all aged under two months -- in his cases.
They included four leopard cubs, a Malayan sun bear, a baby marmoset and a baby red-cheeked gibbon, according to wildlife campaign group Freeland.
Mahmood was charged with smuggling endangered species out of the kingdom and released on a 200,000 baht ($6,600) bail, but he left Bangkok on a May 23 flight to the UAE, immigration police told AFP.
Freeland called for Thai and UAE collaboration to continue with the case.
"Thai police did a great undercover operation to nab Mr Mahmood just as he was about to board his first class flight to Dubai," said the group's director Steven Galster.
"But since he was caught red handed and charged, we want to know why he is not being prosecuted?"
If he had been convicted in Thailand, Mahmood faced up to four years in jail and a 40,000 baht ($1,300) fine, police earlier said.
Thailand is home to some of the world's largest
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4891642
Humboldt penguins, jaguars may move into Byculla zoo
Central Zoo Authority permits only three exotic species as against 15 proposed by the BMC
If you’ve been waiting to see a line-up of exotic animals at the city zoo, there’s bad news for you. The Central Zoo Authority has recently given the 150-year-old Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, Byculla the go-ahead to house only three species of exotic animals.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had sent a proposal to have at least 15 species.
The term ‘exotic animal’ is applied to those which are not found in our country.
So, perish the thought of seeing a kangaroo hop about with its joey in pouch at the zoo or watching a cheetah’s majestic gait. That’s because your city zoo has the sanction to house
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/2011060220110602024439570aa3e581b/Humboldt-penguins-jaguars-may-move-into-Byculla-zoo.html
Elephant assists in Joplin Tornado Clean Up
Decision time on biofuels
The UK-Government continues to increase the use of biofuels, ignoring evidence that they're harmful rather than helpful to the environment.
Harmful not helpful
Please take action as proposed by FoE
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/biodiversity/press_for_change/biofuels_uk_30778.html
and sign a petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/797/585/505/?z00m=19988299
Zoo visitors urged to contact doctor after bat tests positive for rabies
Health officials are warning anyone who had contact with a bat at Vilas Zoo’s Children’s Zoo Tuesday morning to contact their doctor after a bat found there tested positive Wednesday for rabies.
The wild bat, alive but unable to fly, was found at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the zoo’s Tree House and Adventure Play Area, sometimes called the “Big Tree,” the Madison-Dane County Health Department said in a news release. The bat was not a zoo animal.
The play area opened at 9:30 a.m., so the only potential exposure to the bat was from 9:30 to 11 a.m., health officials said.
Rabies is spread by a bite or a scratch, so only people who picked up, touched or handled the bat could have been potentially exposed, health officials said. Parents of children who had contact with the bat should consult their doctors right away about rabies shots. Rabies is fatal if not treated.
“Merely being in that area during that time frame does not
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/article_1632e1c2-8c8b-11e0-9f0d-001cc4c03286.html
Use of Positive Reinforcement Conditioning to Monitor Pregnancy in an Unanesthetized Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia) via Transabdominal Ultrasound
http://www.snowleopardnetwork.org/bibliography/Broder_2008.pdf
The Sun Bear: A Good Will Ambassador in Indonesia
As one of the world’s leading experts on the sun bear, Gabriella Fredriksson knows the importance of the sun bear to the forests of South East Asia. In an unprecedented effort to combine conservation, environmental education, and awareness, Gabriella has started an environmental education and recreation facility for the residents of the Balikpapan Municipality in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The Balikpapan Municipality, one of the largest towns in East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) with approximately 520,000 inhabitants, recently decided to make the sun bear its mascot and feature the bear on its’ district logo. Increased publicity of the sun bear has had a positive impact on conservation efforts and is largely due to on-going research projects in the area including projects conducted by Gabriella Fredriksson. The education/recreation center is the first of its kind in the region and will provide local residents with
http://en.beruangmadu.org/2011/03/the-sun-bear-a-good-will-ambassador-in-indonesia/
Native focus for $16m Zoo project
Some of New Zealand's most precious native plants and animals will soon be put on display in Auckland Zoo as part of its new $16 million project.
The Te Wao Nui precinct will attempt to recreate six different New Zealand habitats - the coast, the islands, the wetlands, the night, the forest and the high country - and will be inhabited by over 100 native plants and 60 animal species.
Encompassing nearly 25 per cent of the zoo's 17 hectares, the precinct is the largest project undertaken by the zoo in its 88-year history.
Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken said the precinct would give visitors an opportunity to see some of the country's rarest and most beloved species up close, as well as playing an important conservation role.
"A lot of our native flora and fauna is not immediately obvious and we want people to be able to take a little bit of time to see and appreciate some of the species that you might see flitting past you rather than large, obvious animals."
While the zoo had long been involved in breeding, raising and translocating native species, much of its work had been behind the scenes and the precinct would allow zoo staff to share their work with the public.
Te Wao Nui would also increase the zoo's capacity to help with breeding and rehabilitation programmes, he said.
Some of the animals to be put on display have never been in
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/5092894/Native-focus-for-16m-zoo-project
Endangered tortoise becomes mum at age 90
A Galapagos tortoise has become a first-time mum at age 90, bringing relief to zoo staff who have been trying to get the endangered creatures to breed for a decade.
The Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo successfully hatched its first tortoise in March this year, after nearly ten years of trying to breed the endangered creatures in captivity
Keeper Alice Walton told ninemsn the zoo was thrilled about the newest addition to the tortoise family.
"We're just so excited," she said.
"It's been a long process and challenging as we've been working for this for such a long time, every year we've got closer and closer and it's finally worked."
The mother tortoise, named T3, mated with a male tortoise aged around 40-years-old — more than half her age.
While the 90-year-old tortoise was slow to pursue parenting, with a life expectancy
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8256624/endangered-tortoise-becomes-mum-at-90
Fulton bans elephant bullhooks used by circuses, but Atlanta not included
Buckhead resident Anna Ware told Fulton County commissioners the debate over whether elephant bullhooks are training tools or instruments of terror was settled when she tried to bring one into their building Wednesday morning.
Security guards seized it as a weapon, and a police detective had to carry it into chambers so she could show what one looks like -- an instrument shaped like a fire poker, topped with a steel claw with two sharpened tips.
The point wasn't lost on the commission, which voted 4-1 to ban the use of bullhooks by circus elephant trainers. Fulton became the first Georgia jurisdiction to approve such a measure, following cities and counties in Florida, South Carolina, New York, Kentucky and Indiana.
The rule only covers unincorporated south Fulton, as that's the area the commission has direct governance over. It will not keep bullhooks out of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus' shows at Philips Arena in Atlanta.
Animal advocates said Atlanta will be their next battleground, as well as Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
"I see this as setting precedent and a stepping stone," said Ware, an Atlanta Humane Society executive board member.
It was the third time Commissioner Robb Pitts brought the issue forward, and he finally got his fourth vote from new Commissioner Joan Garner.
Twenty-two people spoke out Wednesday. A dozen of them opposing the ban were mostly employees or business associates of Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Brothers. On the other side were representatives of animal rights groups, carrying placards reading "Be an Elefriend" and a banner that said, "Circus Elephants Never Forget Beatings."
The commission also received a letter from actress Demi Moore, which cited findings by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that circus workers sink bullhooks into elephants' flesh and twist them until they scream in pain.
Thomas Albert, Feld Entertainment's vice president of government relations, characterized bullhooks as "guides" and "elephant husbandry tools" used by some zoos, though not by Zoo Atlanta, where Deputy Director Dwight Lawson said because staff is separated from elephants by a barrier at all times, "they do not employ a guide/ankus/bullhook in the course of their routine care and animal management."
But, Albert said, "without this tool, you cannot have elephants at the circus. Period."
Jackie Davis, executive vice president of Atlanta-based UniverSoul Circus, asked commissioners to postpone the vote so bullhook proponents could have more time to present their case. Several circus supporters complained that they were unaware the matter was being brought up again until the commission agenda went out Friday.
Atlanta City Councilman Michael Bond said he would need to do some research before taking a side. On the one hand, he said, no one wants to hurt defenseless animals, but Atlanta just lost the Thrashers and doesn't
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/fulton-bans-elephant-bullhooks-964106.html
ELEPHANT CARE
Well-Mannered Gorillas Hand Down Tradition of Dainty Eating
Gorillas daintily snack on stinging nettles in ways that depend on where they were raised — differences in table manners that point to unique customs, just as is true with chimpanzees, orangutans and humans.
In the wild, chimpanzee troops engage in practices specific to each group that altogether seem to form unique cultures, including various forms of tool and weapon use. Orangutans show these variations, too, with research showing how one orangutan group cracked open nuts with stones and branches, while a group
http://www.livescience.com/14383-gorillas-social-culture-humans.html
Man behind stuffed tiger police raid comes forward
WHEN he picked up a cuddly toy from a rubbish heap to play a game with his dog, Kevin Blunden had no idea of the chaos it would cause.
Hours later, armed officers and a helicopter swooped on a field – convinced that a live tiger was on the loose in the Hampshire countryside.
The nearby golf course was evacuated, a game at the Rose Bowl cricket ground was temporarily abandoned and emergency services put in place plans to close part of the M27 in case the ‘beast’ spotted near Charles Watts Way, Hedge End, wandered on to the motorway.
Now Mr Blunden, 53, from Exford Drive, Harefield, has admitted it was him that inadvertently sparked the massive police operation after picking up the abandoned toy from a derelict garage to play a game with his five-year-old border collie-cross Saski.
He said: “I was walking past some derelict garages where people dump rubbish and saw that in there, with some loft insulation, was this tiger.
“I thought it would be fun to play with my dog with it, so I drove down to the field in Hedge End.
“I was chucking it around and she was sniffing it and running away again.
“I was out there for some time, but got bored after a while and just left it there. I didn’t think any more about it.”
The father-of-three has since been hailed a hero on an Internet group called “The Legend who put a Stuffed Toy Tiger in Hedge End”, which has attracted more than 9,000 members.
Reports about the cuddly toy have gone round the globe and the story was even featured on BBC comedy panel show Have I Got News For You.
But Mr Blunden says he’s ‘embarrassed’ about what happened and thinks the police response
http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/9059619.Man_behind_stuffed_tiger_police_raid_comes_forward/
Cheetah owner has violated three UAE laws
Owner of injured cheetah will face charges under at least three federal laws
The cheetah found on an Abu Dhabi street on Sunday proves that the menace of wildlife smuggling is like drug trafficking — however hard the governments try to stop it, the smugglers find a new way, a senior official has told Gulf News.
The owner of the cheetah has violated at least three federal laws — the law prohibiting import of dangerous animals, the law related to Cites (Convention on the Illegal Trade of Endangered Species) for illegally importing or trading endangered animals and a law on animal welfare for ill-treating the animal, Abdul Rab Al Hameri, manager of the scientific authority office of Cites in Abu Dhabi, said in an interview on Monday.
However, he clarified that his office is working on scientific research and related aspects of Cites so he was not aware of the investigations into the violations and the move to trace the owner of the cheetah.
The laws are implemented by another Cites office, the management authority of Cites, which comes under
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/cheetah-owner-has-violated-three-uae-laws-1.815544
White rhino dies in Czech zoo, seven left worldwide
Death of northern white rhino in a North Bohemian zoo brings known population of the highly endangered mammal down to seven
One of the world’s last known northern white rhinoceroses died in the Dvůr Králové Zoo in Northern Bohemia. Nesari, a female, was 39 years old. The death leaves the zoo with only one northern white rhino, a female named Nabire, according to the Czech News Agency (ČTK), which cited a regional edition of daily Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD).
The zoo in December 2009 sent four other northern white rhinos to the Ol Pejeta reserve in Kenya in the hope that they would breed better in a natural environment. Nesari was not included in the group because of her age and disease. “At the time of the transport, veterinarians predicted she would live for no longer than six months. It was actually a miracle
http://www.ceskapozice.cz/en/news/society/white-rhino-dies-czech-zoo-seven-left-worldwide
Dinosaur keeper wanted for Chester Zoo
AS OCCUPATIONAL hazards go, they don’t get much worse than coming face to face with a Tyrannosaurus Rex – but someone’s got to do it.
Chester Zoo is looking for three lizard lovers to become Dinosaur Keepers.
The successful candidates will have their work cut out supervising 13 robotic dinosaurs from America as part of Chester Zoo’s summer exposition, Dinosaurs at Large!
They will patrol the area of the zoo that is to become the dinosaurs’ new home, taking questions from members of the public and ensuring the prehistoric guests keep any potentially dangerous antics to a minimum.
The new keepers will receive a salary of more than £6 per hour – but must first convince zoo chiefs that they
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2011/06/02/dinosaur-keeper-wanted-for-chester-zoo-92534-28805755/
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FEATURE ARTICLES
Oceanic Birds in Japanese Collections, 2006
Ken Kawata
California Sea Lion Development at Blackpool Zoo
Sarah Thomas and Khaled Fawzy
Reading the Tea-leaves: Zoos and Their Future Role in Conservation
Pauline Clegg
Some Notes on Orang-utan Captive History and Longevity
Richard Weigl
Book Reviews
Conservation
Miscellany
International Zoo News
Recent Articles
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Decision looming for controversial zoo
D-Day may be looming for the controversial GuZoo Animal Farm.
Following allegations of animal neglect, prompted by an Internet campaign featuring several pictures of animals in distress, GuZoo owner Lynn Gustafson was given a 60-day conditional permit while the province investigated operations at the property, about 140 km northeast of Calgary.
The conditional permit expires Wednesday and there is still no word on what the findings were, or what’s going to happen to Gustafson and his hundreds of exotic and domestic animals.
Gustafson said he hasn’t heard a word.
I blame them — why didn’t they get these inspectors six weeks earlier instead of waiting until the last week or two?” he said.
“It’s not my fault — I was here.”
But Gustafson predicts his licence will be renewed.
“Otherwise what are they going to do with all the animals? I’m not all that concerned.”
Communications for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development declined to comment about the conditional permit that was issued April 1 or the investigation before Wednesday.
“We hope to make some kind of announcement (Wednesday) — when that happens we will be providing people with information at that time ... there’s nothing more to
http://www.calgarysun.com/2011/05/31/decision-looming-for-controversial-zoo
Private Alberta zoo ordered to close
A controversial private zoo northeast of Calgary, Guzoo Animal Farm, has been ordered to close its doors after investigators found a long list of deficiencies at the business.
The zoo, which is near Three Hills, Alta., had been the target of an online campaign to have it closed over what its critics said were unsuitable living conditions for the 400 animals, which include tigers, mountain lions, lynx and a baboon.
On Wednesday the province announced it had issued a seven-day limited permit, during which time the zoo's owner, Lynn Gustafson, will be required to decommission his business, officials said.
The zoo is no longer allowed to receive visitors, they added.
Photos posted on Facebook in March
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2011/06/01/calgary-guzoo-closed.html
Security plea after yobs beheaded 27 birds, stabbed a frog and smashed 170 windows in Wythenshawe Park
Park volunteers say they are desperate for extra security following an horrific vandal rampage which left birds, frogs and fish dead.
The callous yobs broke into glasshouses within Wythenshawe Park and used nets to catch 27 tropical birds which they beheaded.
Around £3,500 of Koi carp were also killed during the spree. The thugs left a trail of carnage, smashing 173 panes of glass and wrecking a pond.
The break-in was the third at the park in just two weeks. Vandals previously wrecked 28 allotment plots on one occasion and broke-in and stole two parrots from the park's farm on another.
Volunteers say they have been pleading with park bosses for months to install more CCTV and fencing. Following the latest break-in, council chiefs have pledged to carry out a review.
Hilary Lloyd, secretary of volunteer group Park Watch said: "Every month at the Park Watch meetings we have been bringing this up with management. We
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1422365_security-plea-after-yobs-beheaded-27-birds-stabbed-a-frog-and-smashed-170-windows-in-wythenshawe-park
Great zoo escapes: confessions of a zookeeper
With a 40-year career, zookeeper Terry Boylan has just about seen it all, including some amazing escapes.
ANIMAL ESCAPES ARE RARE EVENTS at Taronga. Nonetheless, keepers are well prepared for this unlikely incident and a zoo team is equipped with various duties to carry out if the animal escape alarm is activated: veterinarians with anaesthetic dart guns, security marksmen with firearms and general keeping staff with nets and other paraphernalia.
Contrary to what you would reasonably assume, most zoo animals are very reluctant to leave the security of their enclosures. I found this out one day when, as a junior keeper, I was assigned on rotation from the reptile department to assist with the primates.
Monkeys are mischievous at the best of times and none more so than crab-eating macaques. My task was to hose out their exhibit, which consisted of a huge circular pit surrounded by a high wall.
I entered the enclosure via a locked outside door, short tunnel and a final bolted door opening into the monkey pit itself. I realised that I didn't have the right tap key to turn on the hose I had dragged in with me. I emerged again after carefully bolting the doors behind me and attached the hose to a garden tap outside the exhibit, foolishly throwing the end of it down into the pit.
Strolling nonchalantly back down to the outer door, I entered the exhibit again, just in time to see the last of our fifteen monkeys shinny up the hose and onto the concrete parapet encircling the pit.
From there it was just a hop, skip and a jump to having the run of the zoo grounds.
For a moment I couldn't quite take in what was happening; not two minutes ago the same monkeys were studiously ignoring my existence and lounging about in the sun. I raced back out the tunnel, bumping into Bruno, our Italian gardener, as I did so.
"Quick," I said. "Contact switch - tell them the macaques are out. Hurry!" I had no time to take in Bruno's quizzical reply as I clambered to the upper edge of the pit, where the hose still dangled accusingly.
"Hurry, Bruno!" I yelled down to the puzzled gardener. By this time the monkeys had run around the rim of the pit to the other side. Shouting and waving my arms in the hope
http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/great-zoo-escapes-confessions-of-a-zookeeper.htm
Leopard stolen from zoo in Paraguay
A male leopard has been stolen from a zoo in Paraguay where authorities had put it after seizing it from animal traffickers.
Zoo director Carlos Miranda said the leopard is very attractive and has a good size and that could make its pelt worth between 6,000 and 10,000 US dollars on the black market.
The potential value is why zoo workers nicknamed the eight-year-old animal Sapphire, likening it
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/latest-world-news/2011/06/02/leopard-stolen-from-zoo-in-paraguay-91466-28807188/
The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo Goes Green
"The Little Zoo That Could" in Gulf Shores is turning into "The Amazing Green Zoo" the first of it's kind, environmentally friendly animal park.
"The Little Zoo That Could" in Gulf Shores is turning into "The Amazing Green Zoo" the first of it's kind, environmentally friendly animal park.
It's been a rough go for the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.
"In 2004 the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo was completely destroyed by hurricane Ivan and battered again by hurricane Katrina," recalls Zoo Director Patti Hall.
But things are looking a lot better. "We're living proof that a cat has nine lives," she says.
After years of planning, the new zoo is ready to be built. And not just any zoo, the first planned, sustainable green zoo, in the world says Steve Jones. "We can sustain this 365 days a year and nature is going to sustain it for us with wind solar and
http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/the-alabama-gulf-coast-zoo-goes-green/1207146/May-25-2011_6-11-pm/
Jack Hanna's Into The Wild 2011 - Tapir Conservation Segment
"The Amazing Green Zoo!"
"It's not much more than red clay now, but the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo will be going completely green."
Solar energy, wind power, ultraviolet light, even the burning of animal waste...
That's what will power the new location of "the little zoo that could", making it the world's first environmentally sustainable zoo built from the ground up.
Clyde Weir/Donated land for the new zoo
"It's going to be very unique, probably the only one like it in the world. With everything trying to go green anyway in the country, we're kind of setting a good example I think."
The design includes power sources that overlap in case one goes down.
Dennis Thomas/Designer
"You don't design one system that may fail. You design 5 separate and they're all integral, so if one fails the other's can power the other."
In fact, they plan to produce so
http://www.weartv.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wear_vid_15731.shtml
Police investigating international smuggling ring after theft of rhino head
Police are investigating a suspected international smuggling ring after a gang of professional thieves broke into a museum and stole a rhinoceros head.
Officers are investigating whether the head was stolen to order for foreign clients due to the high price demanded by the rhino’s horn in alternative medicine.
The burglars broke into the Educational Museum in Haslemere, Surrey, in the early hours of May 27 before fleeing after setting off an alarm.
The rhino head was the only item stolen.
The price of horn has spiked in recent months and it has been particularly noticeable in auctions, where 19th century mounted rhino heads or even entire stuffed animals have been sold for much more than previously.
The rumours in the market were that Far Eastern buyers were purchasing the antiques simply to harvest
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8546374/Police-investigating-international-smuggling-ring-after-theft-of-rhino-head.html
Raising hellbenders at the Saint Louis Zoo
Delhi zoo water not fit for consumption
A year after nearly 20 blackbucks died in the Delhi zoo because of contaminated water, little has been done. A study by the central pollution control board reveals that the water in the zoo remains contaminated.
The report found high levels of dissolved solids - upto 16 times over the permissible limit of 500 milligrams per litre. This can lead to kidney stones and intestinal infections in mammals. High levels of Biological Oxygen demand were found upto 35 milligrams per litre way above the limit of 3 milligrams per litre, beyond which, fish don't survive. The total hardness of the water too was 5 to 8 times beyond the normal.
High levels of Total Dissolved Solids or the minute solid particles found in water ranged from 950 to 8000 mg/litre that is 2 to 16 times more than the permissible limit of 500 mg/L. This can lead to kidney stones and intestinal infections in mammals. High level of Biologial Oxygen Demand or the amount of oxygen required
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/delhi-zoo-water-not-fit-for-consumption/155828-3.html
Zoo tigress gives birth to two cubs
Trusha, a tigress in Kanpur zoo has given birth to two cubs. Her mate Abhay has been sifted to a new enclosure. The zoo authorities are providing a conducive environment to the tigress and her newly born cubs.
Senior zoo authorities were elated to learn about the birth of tiger cubs after a long time. It may be recalled that Trusha and Abhay were brought to Kanpur zoo from
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Zoo-tigress-gives-birth-to-two-cubs/articleshow/8671569.cms
New zoo plan gives park land reprieve
Opponents of the Auckland Zoo's plan to increase its elephant population have won a small reprieve, with plans to take part of Western Springs Lakeside Park off the agenda.
The Auckland Council's strategy and finance committee approved a revised plan to bring in two young elephants to keep the zoo's only remaining elephant Burma company.
Last year the zoo sought approval from the former Auckland City Council to introduce a herd of elephants, with land from Western Springs needed to provide enough space. But the revised plan means the zoo doesn't need the extra land, which is being welcomed by Western Springs residents.
"I'm very, very pleased. That land is very well used, especially before and after work, depending on the season," West View Rd resident Annette Isbey says.
"Some people who have just arrived in Auckland are surprised there's a bit of free bush in the middle of the city that is a great walk."
She says many native birds use the patch of land as a rest stop before continuing on to the Waitakere Ranges and it could be set up as a bird sanctuary.
However she's not convinced the zoo should be bringing in more elephants.
"It's cruel to keep elephants in zoos. They die young like Kashin."
Albert-Eden-Roskill councillor Cathy Casey is pleased the plan to take part of Western Springs for an elephant enclosure is off the table because it would have
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/central-leader/5084749/New-zoo-plan-gives-park-land-reprieve
Zoo Gardens Nursery
Alleged UAE animal smuggler escapes Thailand
A man who was arrested as he attempted to smuggle a luggage-load of live endangered animals on a first class flight out of Thailand has escaped from the country, immigration police said Tuesday.
Noor Mahmood, a 36-year-old citizen of the United Arab Emirates, was detained on May 13 by undercover officers at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport with the animals -- all aged under two months -- in his cases.
They included four leopard cubs, a Malayan sun bear, a baby marmoset and a baby red-cheeked gibbon, according to wildlife campaign group Freeland.
Mahmood was charged with smuggling endangered species out of the kingdom and released on a 200,000 baht ($6,600) bail, but he left Bangkok on a May 23 flight to the UAE, immigration police told AFP.
Freeland called for Thai and UAE collaboration to continue with the case.
"Thai police did a great undercover operation to nab Mr Mahmood just as he was about to board his first class flight to Dubai," said the group's director Steven Galster.
"But since he was caught red handed and charged, we want to know why he is not being prosecuted?"
If he had been convicted in Thailand, Mahmood faced up to four years in jail and a 40,000 baht ($1,300) fine, police earlier said.
Thailand is home to some of the world's largest
http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4891642
Humboldt penguins, jaguars may move into Byculla zoo
Central Zoo Authority permits only three exotic species as against 15 proposed by the BMC
If you’ve been waiting to see a line-up of exotic animals at the city zoo, there’s bad news for you. The Central Zoo Authority has recently given the 150-year-old Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, Byculla the go-ahead to house only three species of exotic animals.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had sent a proposal to have at least 15 species.
The term ‘exotic animal’ is applied to those which are not found in our country.
So, perish the thought of seeing a kangaroo hop about with its joey in pouch at the zoo or watching a cheetah’s majestic gait. That’s because your city zoo has the sanction to house
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/2011060220110602024439570aa3e581b/Humboldt-penguins-jaguars-may-move-into-Byculla-zoo.html
Elephant assists in Joplin Tornado Clean Up
Decision time on biofuels
The UK-Government continues to increase the use of biofuels, ignoring evidence that they're harmful rather than helpful to the environment.
Harmful not helpful
Please take action as proposed by FoE
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/biodiversity/press_for_change/biofuels_uk_30778.html
and sign a petition
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/797/585/505/?z00m=19988299
Zoo visitors urged to contact doctor after bat tests positive for rabies
Health officials are warning anyone who had contact with a bat at Vilas Zoo’s Children’s Zoo Tuesday morning to contact their doctor after a bat found there tested positive Wednesday for rabies.
The wild bat, alive but unable to fly, was found at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the zoo’s Tree House and Adventure Play Area, sometimes called the “Big Tree,” the Madison-Dane County Health Department said in a news release. The bat was not a zoo animal.
The play area opened at 9:30 a.m., so the only potential exposure to the bat was from 9:30 to 11 a.m., health officials said.
Rabies is spread by a bite or a scratch, so only people who picked up, touched or handled the bat could have been potentially exposed, health officials said. Parents of children who had contact with the bat should consult their doctors right away about rabies shots. Rabies is fatal if not treated.
“Merely being in that area during that time frame does not
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/article_1632e1c2-8c8b-11e0-9f0d-001cc4c03286.html
Use of Positive Reinforcement Conditioning to Monitor Pregnancy in an Unanesthetized Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia) via Transabdominal Ultrasound
http://www.snowleopardnetwork.org/bibliography/Broder_2008.pdf
The Sun Bear: A Good Will Ambassador in Indonesia
As one of the world’s leading experts on the sun bear, Gabriella Fredriksson knows the importance of the sun bear to the forests of South East Asia. In an unprecedented effort to combine conservation, environmental education, and awareness, Gabriella has started an environmental education and recreation facility for the residents of the Balikpapan Municipality in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The Balikpapan Municipality, one of the largest towns in East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) with approximately 520,000 inhabitants, recently decided to make the sun bear its mascot and feature the bear on its’ district logo. Increased publicity of the sun bear has had a positive impact on conservation efforts and is largely due to on-going research projects in the area including projects conducted by Gabriella Fredriksson. The education/recreation center is the first of its kind in the region and will provide local residents with
http://en.beruangmadu.org/2011/03/the-sun-bear-a-good-will-ambassador-in-indonesia/
Native focus for $16m Zoo project
Some of New Zealand's most precious native plants and animals will soon be put on display in Auckland Zoo as part of its new $16 million project.
The Te Wao Nui precinct will attempt to recreate six different New Zealand habitats - the coast, the islands, the wetlands, the night, the forest and the high country - and will be inhabited by over 100 native plants and 60 animal species.
Encompassing nearly 25 per cent of the zoo's 17 hectares, the precinct is the largest project undertaken by the zoo in its 88-year history.
Zoo director Jonathan Wilcken said the precinct would give visitors an opportunity to see some of the country's rarest and most beloved species up close, as well as playing an important conservation role.
"A lot of our native flora and fauna is not immediately obvious and we want people to be able to take a little bit of time to see and appreciate some of the species that you might see flitting past you rather than large, obvious animals."
While the zoo had long been involved in breeding, raising and translocating native species, much of its work had been behind the scenes and the precinct would allow zoo staff to share their work with the public.
Te Wao Nui would also increase the zoo's capacity to help with breeding and rehabilitation programmes, he said.
Some of the animals to be put on display have never been in
http://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/5092894/Native-focus-for-16m-zoo-project
Endangered tortoise becomes mum at age 90
A Galapagos tortoise has become a first-time mum at age 90, bringing relief to zoo staff who have been trying to get the endangered creatures to breed for a decade.
The Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo successfully hatched its first tortoise in March this year, after nearly ten years of trying to breed the endangered creatures in captivity
Keeper Alice Walton told ninemsn the zoo was thrilled about the newest addition to the tortoise family.
"We're just so excited," she said.
"It's been a long process and challenging as we've been working for this for such a long time, every year we've got closer and closer and it's finally worked."
The mother tortoise, named T3, mated with a male tortoise aged around 40-years-old — more than half her age.
While the 90-year-old tortoise was slow to pursue parenting, with a life expectancy
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8256624/endangered-tortoise-becomes-mum-at-90
Fulton bans elephant bullhooks used by circuses, but Atlanta not included
Buckhead resident Anna Ware told Fulton County commissioners the debate over whether elephant bullhooks are training tools or instruments of terror was settled when she tried to bring one into their building Wednesday morning.
Security guards seized it as a weapon, and a police detective had to carry it into chambers so she could show what one looks like -- an instrument shaped like a fire poker, topped with a steel claw with two sharpened tips.
The point wasn't lost on the commission, which voted 4-1 to ban the use of bullhooks by circus elephant trainers. Fulton became the first Georgia jurisdiction to approve such a measure, following cities and counties in Florida, South Carolina, New York, Kentucky and Indiana.
The rule only covers unincorporated south Fulton, as that's the area the commission has direct governance over. It will not keep bullhooks out of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus' shows at Philips Arena in Atlanta.
Animal advocates said Atlanta will be their next battleground, as well as Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
"I see this as setting precedent and a stepping stone," said Ware, an Atlanta Humane Society executive board member.
It was the third time Commissioner Robb Pitts brought the issue forward, and he finally got his fourth vote from new Commissioner Joan Garner.
Twenty-two people spoke out Wednesday. A dozen of them opposing the ban were mostly employees or business associates of Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Brothers. On the other side were representatives of animal rights groups, carrying placards reading "Be an Elefriend" and a banner that said, "Circus Elephants Never Forget Beatings."
The commission also received a letter from actress Demi Moore, which cited findings by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that circus workers sink bullhooks into elephants' flesh and twist them until they scream in pain.
Thomas Albert, Feld Entertainment's vice president of government relations, characterized bullhooks as "guides" and "elephant husbandry tools" used by some zoos, though not by Zoo Atlanta, where Deputy Director Dwight Lawson said because staff is separated from elephants by a barrier at all times, "they do not employ a guide/ankus/bullhook in the course of their routine care and animal management."
But, Albert said, "without this tool, you cannot have elephants at the circus. Period."
Jackie Davis, executive vice president of Atlanta-based UniverSoul Circus, asked commissioners to postpone the vote so bullhook proponents could have more time to present their case. Several circus supporters complained that they were unaware the matter was being brought up again until the commission agenda went out Friday.
Atlanta City Councilman Michael Bond said he would need to do some research before taking a side. On the one hand, he said, no one wants to hurt defenseless animals, but Atlanta just lost the Thrashers and doesn't
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta/fulton-bans-elephant-bullhooks-964106.html
ELEPHANT CARE
Well-Mannered Gorillas Hand Down Tradition of Dainty Eating
Gorillas daintily snack on stinging nettles in ways that depend on where they were raised — differences in table manners that point to unique customs, just as is true with chimpanzees, orangutans and humans.
In the wild, chimpanzee troops engage in practices specific to each group that altogether seem to form unique cultures, including various forms of tool and weapon use. Orangutans show these variations, too, with research showing how one orangutan group cracked open nuts with stones and branches, while a group
http://www.livescience.com/14383-gorillas-social-culture-humans.html
Man behind stuffed tiger police raid comes forward
WHEN he picked up a cuddly toy from a rubbish heap to play a game with his dog, Kevin Blunden had no idea of the chaos it would cause.
Hours later, armed officers and a helicopter swooped on a field – convinced that a live tiger was on the loose in the Hampshire countryside.
The nearby golf course was evacuated, a game at the Rose Bowl cricket ground was temporarily abandoned and emergency services put in place plans to close part of the M27 in case the ‘beast’ spotted near Charles Watts Way, Hedge End, wandered on to the motorway.
Now Mr Blunden, 53, from Exford Drive, Harefield, has admitted it was him that inadvertently sparked the massive police operation after picking up the abandoned toy from a derelict garage to play a game with his five-year-old border collie-cross Saski.
He said: “I was walking past some derelict garages where people dump rubbish and saw that in there, with some loft insulation, was this tiger.
“I thought it would be fun to play with my dog with it, so I drove down to the field in Hedge End.
“I was chucking it around and she was sniffing it and running away again.
“I was out there for some time, but got bored after a while and just left it there. I didn’t think any more about it.”
The father-of-three has since been hailed a hero on an Internet group called “The Legend who put a Stuffed Toy Tiger in Hedge End”, which has attracted more than 9,000 members.
Reports about the cuddly toy have gone round the globe and the story was even featured on BBC comedy panel show Have I Got News For You.
But Mr Blunden says he’s ‘embarrassed’ about what happened and thinks the police response
http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/9059619.Man_behind_stuffed_tiger_police_raid_comes_forward/
Cheetah owner has violated three UAE laws
Owner of injured cheetah will face charges under at least three federal laws
The cheetah found on an Abu Dhabi street on Sunday proves that the menace of wildlife smuggling is like drug trafficking — however hard the governments try to stop it, the smugglers find a new way, a senior official has told Gulf News.
The owner of the cheetah has violated at least three federal laws — the law prohibiting import of dangerous animals, the law related to Cites (Convention on the Illegal Trade of Endangered Species) for illegally importing or trading endangered animals and a law on animal welfare for ill-treating the animal, Abdul Rab Al Hameri, manager of the scientific authority office of Cites in Abu Dhabi, said in an interview on Monday.
However, he clarified that his office is working on scientific research and related aspects of Cites so he was not aware of the investigations into the violations and the move to trace the owner of the cheetah.
The laws are implemented by another Cites office, the management authority of Cites, which comes under
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/cheetah-owner-has-violated-three-uae-laws-1.815544
White rhino dies in Czech zoo, seven left worldwide
Death of northern white rhino in a North Bohemian zoo brings known population of the highly endangered mammal down to seven
One of the world’s last known northern white rhinoceroses died in the Dvůr Králové Zoo in Northern Bohemia. Nesari, a female, was 39 years old. The death leaves the zoo with only one northern white rhino, a female named Nabire, according to the Czech News Agency (ČTK), which cited a regional edition of daily Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD).
The zoo in December 2009 sent four other northern white rhinos to the Ol Pejeta reserve in Kenya in the hope that they would breed better in a natural environment. Nesari was not included in the group because of her age and disease. “At the time of the transport, veterinarians predicted she would live for no longer than six months. It was actually a miracle
http://www.ceskapozice.cz/en/news/society/white-rhino-dies-czech-zoo-seven-left-worldwide
Dinosaur keeper wanted for Chester Zoo
AS OCCUPATIONAL hazards go, they don’t get much worse than coming face to face with a Tyrannosaurus Rex – but someone’s got to do it.
Chester Zoo is looking for three lizard lovers to become Dinosaur Keepers.
The successful candidates will have their work cut out supervising 13 robotic dinosaurs from America as part of Chester Zoo’s summer exposition, Dinosaurs at Large!
They will patrol the area of the zoo that is to become the dinosaurs’ new home, taking questions from members of the public and ensuring the prehistoric guests keep any potentially dangerous antics to a minimum.
The new keepers will receive a salary of more than £6 per hour – but must first convince zoo chiefs that they
http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2011/06/02/dinosaur-keeper-wanted-for-chester-zoo-92534-28805755/
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INTERNATIONAL ZOO NEWS
A magazine for the exchange of news, information and ideas between the zoos and
aquariums of the world.
Published by Quantum Conservation e.V.,
Am Stadtrand 49 b, D-26127 Oldenburg,
Germany.
Editor: John Partridge, Glenavon Cottage,
Clifton Down, Bristol BS8 3HU, U.K.
IZN Office: 6 Winchester House, Bishops
Walk, Aylesbury HP21 7LD, U.K.
Tel.: ++44(0)121 288 7915
E-mail: office@izn.org.uk
Website: http://www.izn.org.uk/
International Zoo News is published six times a year; the approximate publication dates
are mid-February, mid-April, mid-June, mid-August, mid-October, and mid-December.
Annual Subscriptions 2011
U.K.: £45.00
Overseas, Surface Mail: £48.00, €75,00 or US$80.00
Airmail: £53.00, €80,00 or US$90.00
Subscription cheques (Sterling only) should be sent to the IZN office above and made
payable to ‘International Zoo News’ or ‘IZN’.
All subscriptions (free of charges) may be paid to IZN’s bankers: HSBC, 2 Walton
Road, Aylesbury HP21 7SS, U.K. Account number: 02032570; Bank sort code:
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Euro payments may be made to IZN at Commerzbank, Neue Straße, 26136 Varel,
Germany; Account: 310630901; BLZ: 29040090; IBAN: DE22290400900310630901;
BIC: COBADEFF.
Non-sterling payments may be made through PayPal (for credit cards or direct transfer)
to our account: office@izn.org.uk
We regret we cannot accept Dollar cheques
FEATURE ARTICLES
Oceanic Birds in Japanese Collections, 2006
Ken Kawata
California Sea Lion Development at Blackpool Zoo
Sarah Thomas and Khaled Fawzy
Reading the Tea-leaves: Zoos and Their Future Role in Conservation
Pauline Clegg
Some Notes on Orang-utan Captive History and Longevity
Richard Weigl
Book Reviews
Conservation
Miscellany
International Zoo News
Recent Articles
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Orangutan SSP Husbandry Workshop
October 16-20, 2011
Cameron Park Zoo, Waco TX
For more information please click HERE
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Avian Rearing Resource
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for international bear news please click
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Animals on Film
This is a call out to all enthusiastic wildlife photographers and zoo keepers out there!
Animals on Film is about to begin editing the Ratite & Macropod DVD programs if you have any photographic/Video/DVD footage that you think we could use in this series.
Please contact Jo Gosatti at jo@animalsonfilm.com
Both programs will cover capture and trapping procedures/equipment (Field and captive environments) ,safety equipment, animal husbandry and veterinary procedures specific for both Ratite & Macropod species. We will also be including a section on zoonoses too! If you have any photographs of injuries to yourself that demonstrates how potentially dangerous these animals can be, I think this would be also useful.
Each individual will be recognized in the credits and receive a copy of the program for their personal use. Please don't forget to get approvals from your organization that you work for prior to sending the footage in.
I would also like to give a big thank you to everyone who has been involved in developing this series as it could not have been done without you all.
General updates
The “Best Practice” Capture Handling and Restraint Programs are now been used in these existing course units:-
Universities
TV1200 Veterinary Professional Life 2.
NH002 Veterinary Science
VET631 Wildlife Medicine
VET530 Clinical Rotations (undergraduate program)
TAFES
RUV3410A “Capture, restrain and assist in moving animals
S441 Certificate III in Companion Animals Studies
Certificate II Animal Studies
RUV2103A Assist with general animal care
RUV3501A Provide advice on companion animal selection and care
RUV3506A Capture, handle and transport companion animals
RUV30304 Certificate III in Companion Animal Services
RUV30204 Certificate III in Captive Animals Management
39132QLD Native Animal Rehabilitation Certificate III
ACM20110 Certificate II in Animal Studies
RUV30204 Certificate III in Animal Studies
1085 Captive Animals
Wildlife Rehabilitation Organizations
Wildlife Rescue Training Courses (Zoonoses Vol 9)
Library information
IT Mediums–All three programs have now been successfully loaded onto The Black Board Learning Management System, called locally Learnline in Australia
AWARDS
2007 Highly Commended Institutional Award Presented by ASZK Australasian Society of Zoo keeping, Inc. to Animals on Film
2008 Nominated Pride of Australia – Environmental Category
2009 Heidi Hellingman Award - Professional Achievement Award Presented by ASZK Australasian Society of Zoo keeping, Inc. to Mrs Jo Gosatti for Animals on Film
This award is open to individual members of ASZK or institutions for outstanding achievement in the Zoo industry. This can be either within the past year or for individuals who have contributed to the industry over a long period of time. Examples of achievements include developing husbandry techniques, training, breeding programs, educational programs, facility development.
2011 Small Business Awards
Nominated for Best Home Business Award
Finalist for Employee of the Year (Mrs Jo Gosatti)
Thankyou again
Mrs Jo Gosatti (Cowie)
Technical Director
Animals on Film
Hm Ph: 08 9301 5862
Mobile: 0403648402
Email: jo@animalsonfilm.com
Address: 32 Woodlea Crescent
Joondalup, 6027
W.A, Australia
Website: http://www.animalsonfilm.com/
Animals on Film is about to begin editing the Ratite & Macropod DVD programs if you have any photographic/Video/DVD footage that you think we could use in this series.
Please contact Jo Gosatti at jo@animalsonfilm.com
Both programs will cover capture and trapping procedures/equipment (Field and captive environments) ,safety equipment, animal husbandry and veterinary procedures specific for both Ratite & Macropod species. We will also be including a section on zoonoses too! If you have any photographs of injuries to yourself that demonstrates how potentially dangerous these animals can be, I think this would be also useful.
Each individual will be recognized in the credits and receive a copy of the program for their personal use. Please don't forget to get approvals from your organization that you work for prior to sending the footage in.
I would also like to give a big thank you to everyone who has been involved in developing this series as it could not have been done without you all.
General updates
The “Best Practice” Capture Handling and Restraint Programs are now been used in these existing course units:-
Universities
TV1200 Veterinary Professional Life 2.
NH002 Veterinary Science
VET631 Wildlife Medicine
VET530 Clinical Rotations (undergraduate program)
TAFES
RUV3410A “Capture, restrain and assist in moving animals
S441 Certificate III in Companion Animals Studies
Certificate II Animal Studies
RUV2103A Assist with general animal care
RUV3501A Provide advice on companion animal selection and care
RUV3506A Capture, handle and transport companion animals
RUV30304 Certificate III in Companion Animal Services
RUV30204 Certificate III in Captive Animals Management
39132QLD Native Animal Rehabilitation Certificate III
ACM20110 Certificate II in Animal Studies
RUV30204 Certificate III in Animal Studies
1085 Captive Animals
Wildlife Rehabilitation Organizations
Wildlife Rescue Training Courses (Zoonoses Vol 9)
Library information
IT Mediums–All three programs have now been successfully loaded onto The Black Board Learning Management System, called locally Learnline in Australia
AWARDS
2007 Highly Commended Institutional Award Presented by ASZK Australasian Society of Zoo keeping, Inc. to Animals on Film
2008 Nominated Pride of Australia – Environmental Category
2009 Heidi Hellingman Award - Professional Achievement Award Presented by ASZK Australasian Society of Zoo keeping, Inc. to Mrs Jo Gosatti for Animals on Film
This award is open to individual members of ASZK or institutions for outstanding achievement in the Zoo industry. This can be either within the past year or for individuals who have contributed to the industry over a long period of time. Examples of achievements include developing husbandry techniques, training, breeding programs, educational programs, facility development.
2011 Small Business Awards
Nominated for Best Home Business Award
Finalist for Employee of the Year (Mrs Jo Gosatti)
Thankyou again
Mrs Jo Gosatti (Cowie)
Technical Director
Animals on Film
Hm Ph: 08 9301 5862
Mobile: 0403648402
Email: jo@animalsonfilm.com
Address: 32 Woodlea Crescent
Joondalup, 6027
W.A, Australia
Website: http://www.animalsonfilm.com/
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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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