Zoo News Digest 24th September - 1st October 2011 (Zoo News 788)
Peter Dickinson
Dear Colleague,
So now they want to move the big croc to Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife compound in Quezon City. We all know why. Well unless there has been a lot of money spent there since my last visit I reckon this to be a most unsuitable choice. Whilst the level of care there is excellent the facilities are truly bad. I am surprised that there has not been a big cash offer from the Davao Crocodile Park Roadshow. Or perhaps there has...I'd hate it to go there.
The Rhino sale went ahead today (see last Zoo News Digest). I wonder who bought them? Once again this was the legal sale of horn on the hoof. I can fully understand the dispersal of surplus stock for conservation purposes and whilst I do I hope that is just where the animals went. It should be real conservation too and not something decked out in conservation 'tinsel' and there are dozens of those out there. It gets a bit complicated when horn is old. Next Tuesday sees a sale in Ireland:
"While international trade in rhino horn has now been outlawed - for conservation reasons - these pieces are worked specimens acquired before June 1st, 1947 and thus exempt from the ban. A Chinese Qing dynasty rhino-horn libation cup is estimated at €30,000-€40,000, while a horn carved with images of a man and child by a flowering lotus tree is €20,000-€30,000."
An interesting one to watch. See who makes the purchase and what was paid.
So yet another 'Tiger Nip'. I wonder just how many nips it takes before the crunch? I have said it so many times before that this is an accident waiting to happen. The two Australian collections which persist in this pointless Tiger Handling activity really should cease, why wait till somebody is killed? Perhaps if they stop then others in other parts of the world would too. Better for tigers all round.
It makes a nice story "Cats roar as Lion Man returns to Zion". I don't think that anyone who works with big cats in zoos will take it seriously though. I know that big cats in zoos I have never visited before will greet, follow and speak to me. It just a case of knowing the language.
Perhaps it is because some of my best friends in the world are Thai Bar Girls that I object to the terminology used in the story 'Smuggled rhino horns: The Thai connection'. Not the first time I have seen it either. I wonder what these girls would say if actually asked what their work was. Besides it is not the work you do that makes you a person. It is what is in your heart and soul.
The unfortunate deaths of the lion cubs in Karachi Zoological Gardens is still getting press. I do think the whole investigation is barking up the wrong tree. Sadly perhaps some innocents are going to be hung out to dry.
Could I ask you to do me a favour please. When you have read this, and any future edition of Zoo News Digest to scroll to the bottom and click the share on Twitter and Facebook buttons. Any of the others too. Thank you. I appreciate it.
So now they want to move the big croc to Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife compound in Quezon City. We all know why. Well unless there has been a lot of money spent there since my last visit I reckon this to be a most unsuitable choice. Whilst the level of care there is excellent the facilities are truly bad. I am surprised that there has not been a big cash offer from the Davao Crocodile Park Roadshow. Or perhaps there has...I'd hate it to go there.
The Rhino sale went ahead today (see last Zoo News Digest). I wonder who bought them? Once again this was the legal sale of horn on the hoof. I can fully understand the dispersal of surplus stock for conservation purposes and whilst I do I hope that is just where the animals went. It should be real conservation too and not something decked out in conservation 'tinsel' and there are dozens of those out there. It gets a bit complicated when horn is old. Next Tuesday sees a sale in Ireland:
"While international trade in rhino horn has now been outlawed - for conservation reasons - these pieces are worked specimens acquired before June 1st, 1947 and thus exempt from the ban. A Chinese Qing dynasty rhino-horn libation cup is estimated at €30,000-€40,000, while a horn carved with images of a man and child by a flowering lotus tree is €20,000-€30,000."
An interesting one to watch. See who makes the purchase and what was paid.
So yet another 'Tiger Nip'. I wonder just how many nips it takes before the crunch? I have said it so many times before that this is an accident waiting to happen. The two Australian collections which persist in this pointless Tiger Handling activity really should cease, why wait till somebody is killed? Perhaps if they stop then others in other parts of the world would too. Better for tigers all round.
It makes a nice story "Cats roar as Lion Man returns to Zion". I don't think that anyone who works with big cats in zoos will take it seriously though. I know that big cats in zoos I have never visited before will greet, follow and speak to me. It just a case of knowing the language.
Perhaps it is because some of my best friends in the world are Thai Bar Girls that I object to the terminology used in the story 'Smuggled rhino horns: The Thai connection'. Not the first time I have seen it either. I wonder what these girls would say if actually asked what their work was. Besides it is not the work you do that makes you a person. It is what is in your heart and soul.
The unfortunate deaths of the lion cubs in Karachi Zoological Gardens is still getting press. I do think the whole investigation is barking up the wrong tree. Sadly perhaps some innocents are going to be hung out to dry.
Could I ask you to do me a favour please. When you have read this, and any future edition of Zoo News Digest to scroll to the bottom and click the share on Twitter and Facebook buttons. Any of the others too. Thank you. I appreciate it.
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This blog has readers from 153+ countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, 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, Haiti, 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, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Montenegro, Montserrat, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territories, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, 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, Yemen, Zambia.
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White rhino auction draws mixed reaction
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has once again drawn mixed reactions from conservation bodies on the eve of its annual white rhino auction tomorrow, where the group plans on selling 30 of the animals.
The auctions, which have been held since 1989, stirred controversy after Musina-based game farmer Dawie Groenewald (who was later found to be facing charges of poaching rhinos and trading in rhino horn) had bought some of his animals through these auctions.
Yolan Friedmann, chief executive of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, said they did not have a problem with the practice.
“Ezemvelo has a policy of selling game and unfortunately, for financial reasons, they will have to keep doing it.
“We request that they really scrutinise where the animals are going. They must make sure that the buyers have no outstanding criminal litigations or permit irregularities against them,” he said.
Chris Galliers, conservation project manager at the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (Wessa), said: “Spreading rhino populations is a good thing – it ensures that there is diversity in terms of breeding. It is also bridging the rift between public and private ownership.”
He also said Ezemvelo should offer buyers support to make sure the animals were being looked after adequately.
Animal Action founder Ethel Horsman said her organisation placed animals in homes and didn’t sell them.
"I don’t like the idea of selling and auctioning animals. If it means that the rhinos will be protected, then I guess they have to do it,” she said.
One of the aims of the 22nd auction at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi
http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/white-rhino-auction-draws-mixed-reaction-1.1148289
Tiger 'nip' hospitalises Dreamworld handler
A Dreamworld employee remained in hospital overnight after being bitten by the same Bengal tiger responsible for biting another handler earlier this year.
Kato, the 160 kilogram Bengal tiger which bit handler Daniel Jans on the leg at Dreamworld in May, yesterday ‘‘nipped’’ another handler while being led through his enclosure about 9am.
The tiger handler, who is said to be in good spirits, was taken to Pindara Private Hospital on the Gold Coast with two puncture wounds to the lower right calf.
Dreamworld spokeswoman Melinda Lloyd said yesterday’s incident occurred in similar circumstances as the previous one when the impatient adult Bengal tiger gave his handler a ‘‘hurry up nip’’.
‘‘Today, the handler was leading the tiger through the enclosure behind Tiger Island and had stopped to open a gate when the tiger bit him,’’ she said yesterday
Ms Lloyd said handlers at the theme park would closely monitor 10-year-old Kato’s behaviour in light of the latest incident.
‘‘We will need to look at his behaviour
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/tiger-nip-hospitalises-dreamworld-handler-20110925-1kreb.html
The September 2011 issue of ZOO’s PRINT Magazine (Volume XXVI, Number 9) is online atin a format that permits you to turn pages like a regular magazine.
If you wish to download the full magazine or certain articles click on
ISSN 0973-2543 (online)
September 2011 | Vol. XXVI | No. 9 | Date of Publication 24 September 2011
CONTENTS
Obituary
J.C. Daniel
Pp. 1-2
K.C. Jayaram
P. 3
Malcolm Whitehead
Pp. 4-6
Press Release: Collateral damage: Western Ghats freshwater species in peril Gland, Switzerland, September 22, 2011 (IUCN)
Pp. 7-10
Support for another war torn zoo organised by CNN, WAZA, and other organisations and individuals. Tripoli zoo animals gets help
Pp. 11-12
DUBLIN ZOO : An Illustrated History
Pp. 13-16
A Rare Occurrence – a Zoo History Symposium -- From Royal Gifts to Biodiversity Conservation: The History and Development of Menageries, Zoos and Aquariums
Pp. 17-18
Zoos of India by Dr. J.H. Desai, Reviewed by S. Walker
Pp. 19-22
Japanese Wartime Zoo Policy : The Silent Victims of World War II Review by Sally Walker
P. 23
New Website for primates: All The World’s Primates
P. 24
Some historical information about Zoo Associations – all over the World
-- Sally Walker, Pp. 25-30
The Spy From Outer Space Sally Walker, THE ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY OF INDIA, JULY 16, 1989, Part I of III
Pp. 31-34
Announcement
Twenty-first International Conference on Bear Research and Management
P. 35
Recent advances in animal welfare science III: UFAW Animal Welfare Conference
P. 36
Education Reports
World Environment Day Education Workshops in India
Click HERE
Minnesota Zoo's dolphins on break, but training in public view
Taijah, the 14-month-old, is mischievous and distractible. Her mom, Allie, 24, is a bit nervous but still playful. Dad Semo, a senior citizen at age 47, can do plenty of tricks, but trainers have to be careful about working him too hard.
For these reasons, a dolphin show as many people might think of it - synchronized "dancing" and leaps, animals jumping through hoops and doing flips in the air - has been out of reach for the Minnesota Zoo's small pod.
The zoo discontinued the shows a few years ago, after Allie became pregnant with what would be a stillborn calf. Since then, another pregnancy and the various life stages of the animals kept shows from happening.
But the creatures still work with trainers, who teach them to leap, dance and dive. So this summer, zoo officials quietly began scheduling training sessions in the dolphin auditorium, sprinkling in some music and education, so visitors could see what the animals can do.
"This is us," marine mammal supervisor Diane Fusco said. "This is who we are right now."
Judging by the gasps and "ahhs" of delighted parents and preschoolers at a recent weekday session, visitors don't seem to mind a less flashy alternative.
The session starts with an introduction of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
Though he's one of the oldest dolphins in human care, Semo thrusts his craggy
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_18965371?nclick_check=1
Cats roar as Lion Man returns to Zion
Craig "The Lion Man" Busch has returned to the pride of big cats at embattled Zion Wildlife Gardens.
Sunday News can reveal Busch recently visited the 36 lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopard at the Northland tourism attraction for the first time in two years.
The big cat handler has submitted an "unconditional cash offer" to receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers to regain control of the wildlife park.
Busch took legal action in late 2009 to be allowed back into Zion. He was dismissed from the park by his mother, Patricia Busch, in November 2008.
He was granted the right to visit Zion once a month, for a period of about two hours.
But until recently, Busch hadn't taken up the option, partly because of lengthy stays in South Africa, where he was involved in wildlife rescues. It is understood he was also concerned a temporary return would upset the big cats, many of whom he hand-raised from cubs.
A legal agreement prevents Busch from talking publicly a
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/news/5678816/Cats-roar-as-Lion-Man-returns-to-Zion?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Zion Wildlife Park receiver's warning to creditors
The receiver for Northland's Zion Wildlife Gardens is in talks with interested parties looking to buy the land and animals, though there probably won't be enough money to pay unsecured creditors.
Receivers Colin McCloy and David Bridgman of PwC had begun the sale process and were "working with a number of interested parties in this respect,'' they said in their first report.
The park, which houses 36 big cats including lions, tigers, cheetahs and a leopard, is still running pre-booked tours but is otherwise closed to the public.
Since their appointment, the receivers have stressed in their updates that they are doing their best to maintain the welfare of the animals.
The park called in receivers after defaulting on its loans in July, and owes some $2.7 million to Rabobank as first ranking secured creditor and $292,000 to owner Patricia Busch
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10755257
http://www.zoolex.org/ in September 2011
~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~
Hello ZooLex Friend,
We have worked for your enjoyment!
~°v°~
NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
The 'Navajo Trail' is a semi-natural facility for Canadian timber wolves and North American black bears at Woburn Safari Park. More than 11 hectares of woodland, scrub and grass areas on varying topography with two ponds, climbing trees and dens are accessible for the two dozens animals day and night. The bears can retreat from the wolves into trees and nesting areas. The wolves can retreat from the bears through creep gates into a separate yard.
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=998
~°v°~
SPANISH TRANSLATION
Thanks to Eduardo Diaz Garcia we are able to offer a Spanish
translation of a previously presented exhibit:
Osos bezudos y macacos rhesus
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=972
~°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
NGO cries foul over ill-treated orangutans
An international conservation group has ripped into the Malaysian government for turning a blind eye to the plight of eight abused orangutans.
In a press statement today, Nature Alert said that it had investigated the disappearance of the eight from the A’Famosa Resort in Malacca after the orangutan show was banned last April.
The animals were recently discovered at an undisclosed location hunched inside cages with little hair left, malnourished and suffering from severe depression.
“For the last 18 months we’ve been asking Perhilitan (the Department of Wildlife and National Parks) to investigate where and under what conditions these eight orangutans were
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/09/21/ngo-cries-foul-over-ill-treated-orangutans/
Smuggled rhino horns: The Thai connection
Local prostitutes conscripted by gangs to pose as hunters are at the centre of an alleged Southeast Asian smuggling network that South African authorities are scrambling to stop
Fetching US$2,500 (76,700 baht) for 100g in some Southeast Asian countries, it comes as no surprise to the man tasked with trying to stem the international illegal trade in rhino horns that it is now a major organised crime.
"At the moment rhino horn is worth a lot more than heroin or cocaine," says John Sellar, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) chief enforcement officer based in Geneva.
Some estimates put the price of rhino horns as high as 2.85 million baht per kilogramme, but many conservation bodies are unwilling to quote prices for fear of increasing trade in the endangered species.
At the centre of the criminal networks are Thai and Vietnamese gangs accused of taking advantage of provisions in South African wildlife laws to harvest rhino horns under the guise of legitimate big-game hunting.
According to the South African Revenue Service (Sars) the biggest scalp so far is smuggling "kingpin" Chumlong Lemthongthai, a 43-year-old Thai national, who was arrested in July at a home he leased in Edenvale, Johannesburg.
The allegations against Mr Chumlong, whose trial has been set for Nov 8, make for colourful reading. He reportedly recruited Thai sex workers and bar girls to pose as hunters and legally kill the animals for trophies, in this case their horns, which are usually mounted on pieces of wood. He is facing multiple breaches of the South African Customs and Excise Act.
Under South African wildlife laws and the oversight of Cites, which permits export of rhino hunting trophies, one hunter is allowed to hunt one rhino every year under supervision of conservation officers after providing a passport and being fingerprinted by police.
In an interview with the South African news programme Carte Blanche, one of the Thai "hunters" _ identified as Lee _ says she was promised a relaxing holiday and was not aware there would be any hunting. She denied killing any rhinos herself.
Lee: Not shoot anything, yes. Sit down, wait, drink, eat, anything.
Interviewer: Then you take a picture with the rhino?
Lee: Yeah, big money for me: 5,000 rand [18,800 baht].
Interviewer: You get paid 5,000 rand?
Lee: Yes, the man he pay me 5,000 [rand].
Interviewer: Who paid you?
Lee: The Thai man - name (is) Chumlong.
The programme then showed pictures of smiling Thai women posing beside dead rhinos, but Lee said most of them were sad the animals had been shot.
Lee: Some people cry for the rhino.
Interviewer: Some of the ladies were crying?
Lee: Cry, yes ... yes, really.
In documents submitted to the Kempton Park
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/258181/smuggled-rhino-horns-the-thai-connection
Dafoe hopes Tassie Tiger still exists
Actor Willem Dafoe feels like a kid again saying it, but he hopes the Tasmanian Tiger still exists.
In his latest film, The Hunter, Dafoe plays a mercenary sent to Tasmania by a pharmaceutical company to hunt for the last surviving Tasmanian Tiger.
In reality, the 'tiger' is believed to have been hunted to extinction by Australian settlers, with the last known one dying at Hobart
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/dafoe-hopes-tassie-tiger-still-exists-20110927-1kv53.html
Coral thefts hit 2 Jacksonville aquarium stores
Live coral, clams and other aquarium items valued at $31,200 are gone following a Sunday smash-and-grab burglary at Bio Reef.
It is the second time this month that a business that specializes in saltwater aquariums has been burglarized in Southside Jacksonville, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The latest burglary was captured on a security camera at the 3653 Regent Blvd. business in an office/warehouse park with a fence and security gate off Beach Boulevard. Police said someone broke through the fence, then the video shows three men breaking in after a chunk of concrete was used to smash a window just after 4 a.m.
A 5-gallon fish tank, 300 live coral pieces and a dozen saltwater clams were stolen along with three coral growth light systems, according to the police report.
On Sept. 6 someone broke into Coral Logic at 7860 Gate Parkway, but no report was written, according to police. But the officer investigating the Bio Reef burglary spoke with Coral
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-09-26/story/coral-thefts-hit-2-jacksonville-aquarium-stores
‘Criminal negligence’ and starvation behind lion cubs death
Suggesting major penalties against zoo officials whose “wilful negligence” caused the death of three lion cubs at the Karachi Zoological Gardens more than a month ago, the officer investigating the case with the assistance of a technical team has recommended that the “whereabouts of the fourth missing cub needs to be ascertained with the help of local police” as no evidence was found suggesting that the lioness had eaten her baby.
These remarks are part of the much-awaited inquiry report that has been submitted to the DCO by Ghanwer Khan Leghari, executive district officer (EDO), revenue, city district government, last week after a gap of 45 days. The inquiry was supposed to be completed within 15 days.
The inquiry report states: “The death was due to the wilful negligence on the part of zoo staff. The birth of cubs and their rearing was taken too casually, as it was caring for pye-dogs. There was no 24-hour monitoring of cubs to ascertain the behaviour of captive lioness towards her cubs. There was no effort to bottlefeed the cubs or take care of them.
“As a matter of routine, the staff taking care of the cubs used to leave for homes at 3pm. It is very strange that the zoo authorities claim that the lions were seized and it is not their responsibility if the cubs expired.”
Two pairs of lions were confiscated at Karachi airport by customs authorities last year as the animals were being imported on an expired permit. The big cats were handed over to the Sindh wildlife department which shifted them to the zoo, saying the department did not have any facility to keep wild animals.
While the matter is still pending in court, a lioness gave birth to four cubs last month. The cubs could hardly survive for five days — three of them were found dead while another was found missing the same day on Aug 12. Reacting to the news, the minister for local government suspended the zoo chief.
Two inquiries were subsequently launched to investigate the matter. The Karachi administrator appointed Ghanwer Khan Leghari, EDO, revenue, as inquiry officer while the minister for local government appointed Shazia Rizvi, special secretary to the minister, as inquiry officer.
The samples taken from animal bodies were sent for an analysis to the chemical examiner and the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS). Ms Rizvi was not available for her comments on the matter.
Findings of lab tests
According to the findings of the chemical examiner, no traces of chemicals/poison were found in the samples. The DUHS report, which was handed over to the city government officials after the submission of the inquiry report to the DCO, also does not mention any specific cause of death.
The report says that veterinary experts believed that “starvation, lack of mismanagement and negligence” caused the babies’ death.
The report expresses surprise as to how all the cubs died and one went missing the same day. Regarding death by starvation, it says that there is a strong possibility of death by starvation as at the time of post-mortem, the cubs’ lungs and stomach were filled with air and it seems that they died because of lack of care.
Quoting the suspended official in charge of the zoo, the report states that “even Mansoor Qazi, district officer zoo, agreed that the cubs were not properly fed by the lioness.”
About the ‘missing cub’, the report declares that samples taken from the spot provide ample evidence that the fourth cub had not been eaten up by the lioness, but rather went missing.
“This is what the zoo authorities should explain that as to how the cub went missing. Had the cub been eaten up by the lioness, then there would have been pieces of skin or hair of the cub in the cage. But, no such thing could be found during investigation.”
Further highlighting the flaws on the part of the zoo administration, the report says conversations with the zoo staff responsible for the upkeep of lions revealed that none of the doctors or staff had entered the cage or even tried to handle the cubs. All they did was see the cubs through the two small holes.
“No arrangement was made to bottlefeed the cubs in case the lioness was not feeding the cubs properly,” the report points out. The lion keepers never saw the lioness feeding her cubs, according to the report.
During the investigation it also came to light that there was no practice to keep the record of birth, death, diet and medication at the zoo. The inquiry team found that there was no livestock assistant or staff to maintain accounts. The number of zoo keepers was much below the sanctioned vacancies.
Many species are without a pair at the zoo which also lacks an emergency plan, the report further says.
Recommendations
“There was criminal negligence on part of Mr Mansoor Qazi, district officer zoo, Dr Aamir Ismail, assistant district officer zoo and Mr Farooq Aslam, the overseer. It is recommended that major penalty be imposed on the above designated officials as they did their duties too casually and failed to take any pre-emptive measure for the pre and post-natal care of the cubs.
“The head of the community development, Ms Rehana Saif, also needs to be taken to task as she was so irresponsible that she did not even know when the lioness had conceived. This indicates her callous attitude and the way she ignored the welfare of the cubs,” the report says.
Though minor penalties against the zoo keepers have been recommended, the report also points out that “the lower staff did whatever they could” and it was only because of a lack of foresight and focused attitude of the superiors that the cubs died.
The report also suggests action against Sindh wildlife department officials as they “made no attempt to inquire about the welfare of lions after their confiscation”.
The report recommends that the zoo needs an independent body and not a subservient one to a non-technical department like the community development department.
It also suggests the creation of an environment closer to animals’ natural habitat at the zoo, appointment of trained staff, initiation
http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/27/criminal-negligence-of-zoo-staff-starvation-behind-lion-cubs-death-report.html
Zoo cries foul over 'loss' of bears
A private animal park in Lanchang here has been suffering losses because its main attraction -- three Malayan sun-bears -- were taken away by the state National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) last week.
The animals, two males and one female, had been at the Deerland Park since it opened in 2004, luring hundreds of visitors every week.
Of the three bears, 13-year-old Muda had been drawing the largest crowd as it was very friendly and would allow visitors to rub his big belly while he enjoyed the milk and nuts offered to him.
However, the mini zoo was affected by the newly-implemented Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which required private zoo owners who could not meet the specifications to surrender their endangered animals to the department.
Zoo owner Abdullah Ahmad Mahmood is upset with Perhilitan's decision.
He told the New Straits Times yesterday that after the bears were taken away, the park had lost its appeal and suffered a drop in visitors as tour agents said the animals were the main attraction.
"Some tourists who visited the zoo claimed they had been cheated.
"Tourists claim that the brochures and the websites shown by the tour agents included feeding and taking pictures with Muda as part of the activities, but none of the bears are here."
Abdullah said the mini zoo, which was just a stone's throw from Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary near here, attracted some 70,000 visitors every year, including ministers and even members of the Pahang royal family.
The 4ha park at the edge of the Krau Forest Reserve was also home to several other animals, including a herd of deer -- ranging from full-grown ones to fawns, an albino python and various birds, including peacocks and peahens.
State Perhilitan director Khairiah Mohd Shariff said
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20110927-301721.html
Film for chimps premieres in Liverpool
Giving chimpanzees television to watch is not new: chimps in captivity all over the world are often shown TV as form of environmental enrichment. To make 'Primate Cinema: Apes as Family', Los Angeles-based artist Rachel Mayeri collaborated with comparative psychologist Dr Sarah-Jane Vick to explore issues around cognition and communication in research primates.
The duo tested different styles and genres of film on chimps in captivity to gauge their responses and to see whether chimps 'lose themselves' in what they are watching as readily as humans.
The resulting film is a dual-screen installation juxtaposing a chimp-centred social drama, enacted by humans in the guise of apes, with mesmerising footage of the reactions of an ape audience at Edinburgh Zoo.
Rob LaFrenais, curator at The Arts Catalyst, who commissioned the work, explains: "As the watchers of the watching chimps, we perceive - or we imagine - fascination, puzzlement, and flashes of anger in their responses. Sited in different spaces in Los Angeles and Edinburgh we are never sure whether we are seeing a lab, zoo, wildlife park, rumpus room or post-apocalyptic landscape inhabited by half-chimp/half-humans.
"Mayeri's intriguing and amusing story-and-response structure contains dark undercurrents in its contemplation of the lives of our captive close relatives."
Mayeri was an awarded an honorary mention for 'Primate Cinema: Apes as Family' at Prix Ars Electronica, the leading electronic arts festival, in May 2011.
'Primate Cinema: Apes as Family' was commissioned
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2011/News/WTVM052865.htm
Foreign crocodile experts studying Agusan crocs
Foreign crocodile experts from the non-government organization World Conservation Union (WCU) are now studying the origins of saltwater crocodiles found in the Agusan Marsh and swamps in Del Carmen town here.
American Peter Webb Graham, a member of the WCU’s Crocodile and Wildlife Conservation Project, recently visited the swamps of Del Carmen and Bunawan in Agusan del Sur, where the 21-foot crocodile “Lolong” was captured last month.
Graham said they are studying the similarities of Lolong with another 19-foot crocodile known as “Kibol” that was captured at the swamps of Del Carmen in Siargao Island in 1992.
He said both Lolong and Kibol are saltwater crocodiles.
Lolong is being kept in a fenced pond at the remote Barangay Consuelo in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, while Kibol, which means amputated in English because the animal’s tail had been cut, is now at the Palawan Crocodile Farm in Puerto Princesa City.
Graham said they are studying the possibility that the species of Lolong and Kibol have the same origin even though the two animals thrived in different places.
He said both Kibol and Lolong have the same features and have attacked humans and animals alike.
The American expert said the study would also include how saltwater
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=731664&publicationSubCategoryId=63
Bristol Zoo gorilla statues raise £427,000 for charity
Sixty life-sized gorilla statues have raised £427,000 at a charity auction after being on display around Bristol throughout the summer.
Each Wow! Gorilla sculpture was painted by a local artist as part of Bristol Zoo's 175th birthday celebrations.
Gorisambard - a gorilla modelled on Isambard Kingdom Brunel - was the highest selling statue, going for £23,000.
Auctioneer Andrew Morgan said the gorillas were a "spectacular success".
Wow! Gorilla was a public art trail which saw 60 gorilla sculptures spending 10 weeks at many of the city's landmarks, such as Clifton Suspension Bridge, Ashton Gate Stadium and Bristol Bus Station.
More than 500 people attended the
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-15113820
Chimps move into new $7 million home at Taronga Zoo in Sydney (Great photo...they don't look thrilled)
STUNNING views of Sydney Harbour, cascading water features and towering palm trees - who wouldn't want to live here?
Add some climbing ropes and you've got the perfect abode for 17 lucky Taronga Zoo chimpanzees, who officially moved into their new $7 million home today.
And the chimps aren't the only winners.
The state-of-the-art interactive complex also allows members of the public get up close and personal with the primates.
With 12-metre high towers, a network of climbing ropes and a 180kg hammock made out of fire hoses, there's always something to keep the chimps entertained.
The makeover began in 2009 after the chimps were moved to a temporary exhibit.
Six families now make up the 17 animals at the new chimpanzee sanctuary. The eldest is 59-year-old Lulu and the youngest Sule, who was born in 2008.
Senior primate keeper Allan Schmidt said the new enclosure would meet the changing needs of the chimps, including a population of m
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/chimps-move-into-new-7-million-home-at-taronga-zoo-in-sydney/story-e6frf7jx-1226154060875
Eagle ruffles feathers at Santa Barbara Zoo
A hungry bald eagle spent two weeks hanging around the Santa Barbara Zoo earlier this month, bothering birds and forcing employees to relocate some animals and guard others.
Zoo spokeswoman Sheri Horiszny told the Los Angeles Times ( http://lat.ms/mTV3yj) for a story Thursday that the toucans noticed the bald eagle first.
Keepers moved 16 macaws, 13 otters, four chuckwallas, four rabbits, two meerkats, two cranes, two ground hornbills and a black-necked swan from open-air enclosures to eagle-proof shelters.
Zookeepers applied for a permit to catch the
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/29/3948367/eagle-ruffles-feathers-at-santa.html
Newsletter 6 - English version - Nouvelles du Zoo d'Abidjan - rapport de septembre Simone Ban Dagui
http://associationducalaoasbl.solidairesdumonde.org/
An individual has been fined $40,000 for engaging in the illegal trade of an endangered species
The Quebec component of an investigation into the illegal trade of Queen Conches, initiated in October 2006 by Environment Canada, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and fisheries officers from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ended in a guilty verdict and a fine totalling $40,000 for Michael Angelakis. This investigation was conducted in Quebec by Environment Canada's Wildlife Enforcement Directorate from several regions in the country.
Angelakis, 31, from Laval, was found guilty on Monday, September 26, in Montréal Provincial Court. Angelakis was accused of importing a shipment of Queen Conches (Strombus gigas) into Canada without an export permit under the Columbia Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Not having a CITES permit is a violation under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act.
Following a joint declaration of facts, Angelakis was given a $40,000 fine payable to the Environmental Damages Fund. In consideration of this, Angelakis was given an absolute discharge by the court.
The Queen Conch, also known as the pink conch, is a large local mollusc—the flesh of which is highly sought after—found in the waters of 36 Caribbean countries. The species is protected under the CITES.
Operation Shell Game, which began in 2006, required the participation of wildlife officers
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2011/28/c7402.html
Animal Games hit for cruelty
THIS year's Animal Games, already under way at the Shanghai Wildlife Park, have prompted a round of protests, with people concerned about the welfare of the animals.
The Olympic-like games feature sports competition between animals or between animals and people.
The games opened last Friday, and more than 200 animals - including 30 different kinds - are expected to participate in more than 40 events.
In the opening ceremony, a bear named Whinny, an elephant named Mary and a chimpanzee named Xiao Xiao lit the torch of the "Olympics." The event is scheduled to last for more than a month.
Audience members shot video of the opening ceremony and it spread fast on the Internet.
"It looks exciting, but I don't want to imagine how the animals were treated when they were trained to do all the stuff," said Wei Yin, a visitor to the park.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare said the event is cruel and violates Chinese law.
A regulation issued by the State Forestry Administration makes it illegal from this year to use animals in performances in zoos and wildlife parks. This includes the use of animals to pose for photographs with visitors.
But the park argued the performances are for the animals' own good, maintaining their vitality. Officials from the park said that animals aren't kept in
http://english.eastday.com/e/110929/u1a6129634.html
Beware the blenny's bite!
It’s smart and normally peaceful — but don’t threaten the Striped poison-fang! Dave Wolfenden explains why Meiacanthus grammistes deserves respect.
The Striped poison-fang blenny (Meiacanthus grammistes) is commonly available. Growing to some 10cm/4", the species is widely distributed around the western Pacific, from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia northwards to southern Japan, and from Papua New Guinea westwards to the Gulf of Thailand.
It is part of a specialised group of fang blennies, poison-fang blennies or sabre-tooth blennies consisting of a few dozen species over a handful of genera, all with fascinating behaviour and unique defensive adaptations.
Meiacanthus grammistes is very attractive, with a white ventral surface, often with a brilliant blue hue in some regional variations and yellow and black longitudinal stripes, believed to be a form of aposematic or warning coloration.
The striped markings terminate in black spots on the tail, which is much less lyre-shaped
http://www.blogger.com/goog_702447956
Museum for world's largest fish
http://youtu.be/u8CMrvFe924
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A Letter From Dina Zulfikar - Good News From Cairo Zoo
Dear Peter
Finally, after a year and a half, there will be no more chimps in solitary confinement, all would be grouped, made families. Elephants too, will soon enjoy movement and bath in lakes.
Jane Goodall Institute and Phoenix Zoo Arizona , mandate Hilda Tresz, the behavior specialist arrived to Cairo on the 16th according to pre set arrangements with General Organization of Veterinary Services and Central Zoos, which was coordinated by civil society, which I had the honor to represent according to the manasterial decree #804 year 2011. (remember it was AWAR group who made the first call to revitalize the Giza Zoo, since 2007, AWAR group members and supporters helped and held various projects for enrichment in Giza Zoo and Central Zoos in general).
Good news is:
No more chimps in solitary confinement
. for the first time the 3 baby chimps Mish, Bobo, Loza were introduced to adult chimps Ingi and Prince, and now we have mother, father and children.
. Kuku the chimp which was sent to solitary confinement to Fayoum May 2010 to vacant space for the Orangutans is back to Giza Zoo and is grouped with Mouza, the tumor chimp who was also held in solitary confinement since March 2010.
. Oscar and Fatouta which were sent to Alex Zoo, were grouped today with the single chimp in Alex zoo Meshmesh, forming a bachelor group.
. A sign would be made outside the enclosure of Kuku and Mouza stating the meaning of: chimps are just like humans, this chimp Mouza had benine tumor and is being treated, she should see the light and be displayed and have a mate, a chimp, as chimps live in groups.
. The Elephants: it was agreed to implement the following: bringing one meter sand in all elephant enclosures, walking them, taking them to bath in the lake, food hang up in a puzzle way and not in the floors and from keeper to the elephants trunk! Many substrates!!!!
Families and groups are being made successfully thanks to Hilda Tresz and Zoo
Management and Staff.
Complete recommendations were agreed on for the elephants at Central Zoos.
Orangutans enclosure will be completely finished within 3 days from today.
Presentations and workshops subject: Basic Husbandry and behavioral enrichment was held at the Cairo Opera House, Cultural Center on the 26th and 27th of September, from 6-8pm.
All serious advocates and members of AWAR attended, .
Facilities (licensed) which hold wild animals in captivity attended too, and learnt how to improve the conditions of animals in captivity.
All the teams of experts and volunteers who share in the regular awareness programs attended.
Thank you to the Egyptian Federation of Animal Welfare for hosting these workshops.
Huge thank you to sincere AWAR members who supported the cause.. yes, we have
waited long, but have always kept the pressure on, and, finally here we are.
Huge thank you to Chairperson of General Organization of Veterinary Services Military General and Doctor Osama Selim, for making this happen.
Huge thank you to Director of Central Zoos, Dr. Fatma Tammam, and the management and staff of Central Zoos for making this happen and for cooperating with Jane Goodall Institute and Phoenix Zoo Mandate Hilda Tresz.
The Orangutans enclosure is about to be finished, final touches are taking place, vegetation, etc..
Dina
Dina Zulfikar
*******
September issue of Wildlife Crime Bulletin - Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV)
The main features in this issue are:
+ Wildlife farming without effective monitoring leads to abuse of the law
+ Bear farm defies ban on tourism
+ Enforcement advisor:
- Need to focus on bringing down major players
- Crocodile farming - a good model?
Further more details please see the attached files or see at the link below:
http://envietnam.org/library/Wildlife TradeBulletin/ENV_Wildlife_Crime_Bulletin_September_2011_(Sept_28_2011).pdf
*****
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******
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Zoo gets donation for animal artic exhibit
The Jacobs family and Delaware North Companies presented a $250,000 donation to to the Buffalo Zoo Friday morning.
The donation will go towards financing an arctic animal exhibit scheduled for completion in 2014.
Zoo president Donna Ferandes said she looks forward to the updates.
"There will be a lot more interpretation on what's happening now to polar bears in the wild with climate change, so it will be a much much better experience for our visitors but more importantly a much nicer habitat for the bears' quality of life," said Fernandes.
Ferandes is thrilled by the Buffalo-based company's generosity.
"Well it's great because, you know they've been a real stand out corporation in this community for a long time, and I think a
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wbfo/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1858857/WBFO.News/Zoo.gets.donation.for.animal.artic.exhibit.
Vietnam to dispel rhino horn myths
A meeting between Vietnamese and South African government delegations in Johannesburg this week revealed that the Vietnamese were completely unaware of the scale of the horn-smuggling racket on its soil, a senior South African government official said after the encounter.
The Vietnamese had even cited statistics showing that illegal trafficking in rhino horn in Vietnam was decreasing, said South Africa's deputy director general of biodiversity and conservation in the department of water and environmental affairs, Fundisile Mketeni.
Last week the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) revealed that South Africa had lost 297 rhinos to poachers this year. Of the 165 people arrested in connection with the crime, many were Vietnamese nationals.
Last month a South African magistrate sentenced two Vietnamese citizens to eight and 12 years in prison, respectively, for attempting to smuggle rhino horn out of the country. Vietnam's deafening silence on the issue has drawn strong criticism from conservation bodies. Traffic, an international wildlife-trade monitoring network, is deeply concerned about the role of Vietnamese nationals in driving the illegal selling of horns. The network sponsored this week's meeting between South Africa and Vietnam.
The role of Vietnamese crime syndicates in
http://mg.co.za/article/2011-09-30-vietnam-to-dispel-rhino-horn-myths/
Mayor rejects offer to have giant crocodile transferred to QC park
Mayor Edwin Elorde of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, rejected on Saturday the suggestion of Environment Secretary Ramon Paje to transfer Lolong, the one-ton saltwater crocodile captured in the Agusan Marsh last month, to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife compound in Quezon City.
“Personally, I don’t agree with that plan,” Elorde told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone from Bunawan. “We are capable of taking care of the crocodile. The provincial government, as well as prominent personalities, has promised to help us.”
But Elorde said he could not do anything if the people of Bunawan supported Paje’s idea, which was made since Lolong’ has refused to eat anything since his capture.
“I cannot decide on my own. I’m just their representative,” Elorde said.
He said the local government was striving hard to make Lolong at home in the wildlife park being put up in Bunawan.
“The first phase [of the park’s construction] covers at least 20 hectares,” Elorde said, as he tried to illustrate how big Lolong’s new environment would be.
Paje said the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife compound was large and would be more comfortable for Lolong.
Elorde also rejected reports that the captive reptile had become lethargic.
“Experts who visited us said the reptile is in good condition although still not eating since September 3,” he said.
Elorde said he would be the saddest man in Bunawan if Lolong’s health was deteriorating as reported.
“I’m so attached to Lolong. I spend most of my time with the crocodile. I consider him my son now,” he said.
The 21-foot monster was ensnared in the Agusan Marsh after authorities and volunteers hunted down a crocodile blamed for the death in July of a Bunawan resident.
Lolong is being touted as the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity although that claim has yet to be validated by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The current record for the largest crocodile in captivity is held by Cassius,
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/68523/mayor-rejects-offer-to-have-giant-crocodile-transferred-to-qc-park
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has once again drawn mixed reactions from conservation bodies on the eve of its annual white rhino auction tomorrow, where the group plans on selling 30 of the animals.
The auctions, which have been held since 1989, stirred controversy after Musina-based game farmer Dawie Groenewald (who was later found to be facing charges of poaching rhinos and trading in rhino horn) had bought some of his animals through these auctions.
Yolan Friedmann, chief executive of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, said they did not have a problem with the practice.
“Ezemvelo has a policy of selling game and unfortunately, for financial reasons, they will have to keep doing it.
“We request that they really scrutinise where the animals are going. They must make sure that the buyers have no outstanding criminal litigations or permit irregularities against them,” he said.
Chris Galliers, conservation project manager at the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (Wessa), said: “Spreading rhino populations is a good thing – it ensures that there is diversity in terms of breeding. It is also bridging the rift between public and private ownership.”
He also said Ezemvelo should offer buyers support to make sure the animals were being looked after adequately.
Animal Action founder Ethel Horsman said her organisation placed animals in homes and didn’t sell them.
"I don’t like the idea of selling and auctioning animals. If it means that the rhinos will be protected, then I guess they have to do it,” she said.
One of the aims of the 22nd auction at Hluhluwe-Imfolozi
http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/white-rhino-auction-draws-mixed-reaction-1.1148289
Tiger 'nip' hospitalises Dreamworld handler
A Dreamworld employee remained in hospital overnight after being bitten by the same Bengal tiger responsible for biting another handler earlier this year.
Kato, the 160 kilogram Bengal tiger which bit handler Daniel Jans on the leg at Dreamworld in May, yesterday ‘‘nipped’’ another handler while being led through his enclosure about 9am.
The tiger handler, who is said to be in good spirits, was taken to Pindara Private Hospital on the Gold Coast with two puncture wounds to the lower right calf.
Dreamworld spokeswoman Melinda Lloyd said yesterday’s incident occurred in similar circumstances as the previous one when the impatient adult Bengal tiger gave his handler a ‘‘hurry up nip’’.
‘‘Today, the handler was leading the tiger through the enclosure behind Tiger Island and had stopped to open a gate when the tiger bit him,’’ she said yesterday
Ms Lloyd said handlers at the theme park would closely monitor 10-year-old Kato’s behaviour in light of the latest incident.
‘‘We will need to look at his behaviour
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/tiger-nip-hospitalises-dreamworld-handler-20110925-1kreb.html
The September 2011 issue of ZOO’s PRINT Magazine (Volume XXVI, Number 9) is online at
If you wish to download the full magazine or certain articles click on
ISSN 0973-2543 (online)
September 2011 | Vol. XXVI | No. 9 | Date of Publication 24 September 2011
CONTENTS
Obituary
J.C. Daniel
Pp. 1-2
K.C. Jayaram
P. 3
Malcolm Whitehead
Pp. 4-6
Press Release: Collateral damage: Western Ghats freshwater species in peril Gland, Switzerland, September 22, 2011 (IUCN)
Pp. 7-10
Support for another war torn zoo organised by CNN, WAZA, and other organisations and individuals. Tripoli zoo animals gets help
Pp. 11-12
DUBLIN ZOO : An Illustrated History
Pp. 13-16
A Rare Occurrence – a Zoo History Symposium -- From Royal Gifts to Biodiversity Conservation: The History and Development of Menageries, Zoos and Aquariums
Pp. 17-18
Zoos of India by Dr. J.H. Desai, Reviewed by S. Walker
Pp. 19-22
Japanese Wartime Zoo Policy : The Silent Victims of World War II Review by Sally Walker
P. 23
New Website for primates: All The World’s Primates
P. 24
Some historical information about Zoo Associations – all over the World
-- Sally Walker, Pp. 25-30
The Spy From Outer Space Sally Walker, THE ILLUSTRATED WEEKLY OF INDIA, JULY 16, 1989, Part I of III
Pp. 31-34
Announcement
Twenty-first International Conference on Bear Research and Management
P. 35
Recent advances in animal welfare science III: UFAW Animal Welfare Conference
P. 36
Education Reports
World Environment Day Education Workshops in India
Click HERE
Minnesota Zoo's dolphins on break, but training in public view
Taijah, the 14-month-old, is mischievous and distractible. Her mom, Allie, 24, is a bit nervous but still playful. Dad Semo, a senior citizen at age 47, can do plenty of tricks, but trainers have to be careful about working him too hard.
For these reasons, a dolphin show as many people might think of it - synchronized "dancing" and leaps, animals jumping through hoops and doing flips in the air - has been out of reach for the Minnesota Zoo's small pod.
The zoo discontinued the shows a few years ago, after Allie became pregnant with what would be a stillborn calf. Since then, another pregnancy and the various life stages of the animals kept shows from happening.
But the creatures still work with trainers, who teach them to leap, dance and dive. So this summer, zoo officials quietly began scheduling training sessions in the dolphin auditorium, sprinkling in some music and education, so visitors could see what the animals can do.
"This is us," marine mammal supervisor Diane Fusco said. "This is who we are right now."
Judging by the gasps and "ahhs" of delighted parents and preschoolers at a recent weekday session, visitors don't seem to mind a less flashy alternative.
The session starts with an introduction of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
Though he's one of the oldest dolphins in human care, Semo thrusts his craggy
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_18965371?nclick_check=1
Cats roar as Lion Man returns to Zion
Craig "The Lion Man" Busch has returned to the pride of big cats at embattled Zion Wildlife Gardens.
Sunday News can reveal Busch recently visited the 36 lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopard at the Northland tourism attraction for the first time in two years.
The big cat handler has submitted an "unconditional cash offer" to receivers PricewaterhouseCoopers to regain control of the wildlife park.
Busch took legal action in late 2009 to be allowed back into Zion. He was dismissed from the park by his mother, Patricia Busch, in November 2008.
He was granted the right to visit Zion once a month, for a period of about two hours.
But until recently, Busch hadn't taken up the option, partly because of lengthy stays in South Africa, where he was involved in wildlife rescues. It is understood he was also concerned a temporary return would upset the big cats, many of whom he hand-raised from cubs.
A legal agreement prevents Busch from talking publicly a
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/news/5678816/Cats-roar-as-Lion-Man-returns-to-Zion?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Zion Wildlife Park receiver's warning to creditors
The receiver for Northland's Zion Wildlife Gardens is in talks with interested parties looking to buy the land and animals, though there probably won't be enough money to pay unsecured creditors.
Receivers Colin McCloy and David Bridgman of PwC had begun the sale process and were "working with a number of interested parties in this respect,'' they said in their first report.
The park, which houses 36 big cats including lions, tigers, cheetahs and a leopard, is still running pre-booked tours but is otherwise closed to the public.
Since their appointment, the receivers have stressed in their updates that they are doing their best to maintain the welfare of the animals.
The park called in receivers after defaulting on its loans in July, and owes some $2.7 million to Rabobank as first ranking secured creditor and $292,000 to owner Patricia Busch
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10755257
http://www.zoolex.org/ in September 2011
~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~
Hello ZooLex Friend,
We have worked for your enjoyment!
~°v°~
NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
The 'Navajo Trail' is a semi-natural facility for Canadian timber wolves and North American black bears at Woburn Safari Park. More than 11 hectares of woodland, scrub and grass areas on varying topography with two ponds, climbing trees and dens are accessible for the two dozens animals day and night. The bears can retreat from the wolves into trees and nesting areas. The wolves can retreat from the bears through creep gates into a separate yard.
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=998
~°v°~
SPANISH TRANSLATION
Thanks to Eduardo Diaz Garcia we are able to offer a Spanish
translation of a previously presented exhibit:
Osos bezudos y macacos rhesus
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=972
~°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
NGO cries foul over ill-treated orangutans
An international conservation group has ripped into the Malaysian government for turning a blind eye to the plight of eight abused orangutans.
In a press statement today, Nature Alert said that it had investigated the disappearance of the eight from the A’Famosa Resort in Malacca after the orangutan show was banned last April.
The animals were recently discovered at an undisclosed location hunched inside cages with little hair left, malnourished and suffering from severe depression.
“For the last 18 months we’ve been asking Perhilitan (the Department of Wildlife and National Parks) to investigate where and under what conditions these eight orangutans were
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/09/21/ngo-cries-foul-over-ill-treated-orangutans/
Smuggled rhino horns: The Thai connection
Local prostitutes conscripted by gangs to pose as hunters are at the centre of an alleged Southeast Asian smuggling network that South African authorities are scrambling to stop
Fetching US$2,500 (76,700 baht) for 100g in some Southeast Asian countries, it comes as no surprise to the man tasked with trying to stem the international illegal trade in rhino horns that it is now a major organised crime.
"At the moment rhino horn is worth a lot more than heroin or cocaine," says John Sellar, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) chief enforcement officer based in Geneva.
Some estimates put the price of rhino horns as high as 2.85 million baht per kilogramme, but many conservation bodies are unwilling to quote prices for fear of increasing trade in the endangered species.
At the centre of the criminal networks are Thai and Vietnamese gangs accused of taking advantage of provisions in South African wildlife laws to harvest rhino horns under the guise of legitimate big-game hunting.
According to the South African Revenue Service (Sars) the biggest scalp so far is smuggling "kingpin" Chumlong Lemthongthai, a 43-year-old Thai national, who was arrested in July at a home he leased in Edenvale, Johannesburg.
The allegations against Mr Chumlong, whose trial has been set for Nov 8, make for colourful reading. He reportedly recruited Thai sex workers and bar girls to pose as hunters and legally kill the animals for trophies, in this case their horns, which are usually mounted on pieces of wood. He is facing multiple breaches of the South African Customs and Excise Act.
Under South African wildlife laws and the oversight of Cites, which permits export of rhino hunting trophies, one hunter is allowed to hunt one rhino every year under supervision of conservation officers after providing a passport and being fingerprinted by police.
In an interview with the South African news programme Carte Blanche, one of the Thai "hunters" _ identified as Lee _ says she was promised a relaxing holiday and was not aware there would be any hunting. She denied killing any rhinos herself.
Lee: Not shoot anything, yes. Sit down, wait, drink, eat, anything.
Interviewer: Then you take a picture with the rhino?
Lee: Yeah, big money for me: 5,000 rand [18,800 baht].
Interviewer: You get paid 5,000 rand?
Lee: Yes, the man he pay me 5,000 [rand].
Interviewer: Who paid you?
Lee: The Thai man - name (is) Chumlong.
The programme then showed pictures of smiling Thai women posing beside dead rhinos, but Lee said most of them were sad the animals had been shot.
Lee: Some people cry for the rhino.
Interviewer: Some of the ladies were crying?
Lee: Cry, yes ... yes, really.
In documents submitted to the Kempton Park
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/investigation/258181/smuggled-rhino-horns-the-thai-connection
Journal of Threatened Taxa
ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)
September 2011 | Vol. 3 | No. 9 | Pages 2033-2108
Date of Publication 26 September 2011 (online and print)
Dafoe hopes Tassie Tiger still exists
Actor Willem Dafoe feels like a kid again saying it, but he hopes the Tasmanian Tiger still exists.
In his latest film, The Hunter, Dafoe plays a mercenary sent to Tasmania by a pharmaceutical company to hunt for the last surviving Tasmanian Tiger.
In reality, the 'tiger' is believed to have been hunted to extinction by Australian settlers, with the last known one dying at Hobart
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/dafoe-hopes-tassie-tiger-still-exists-20110927-1kv53.html
Coral thefts hit 2 Jacksonville aquarium stores
Live coral, clams and other aquarium items valued at $31,200 are gone following a Sunday smash-and-grab burglary at Bio Reef.
It is the second time this month that a business that specializes in saltwater aquariums has been burglarized in Southside Jacksonville, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The latest burglary was captured on a security camera at the 3653 Regent Blvd. business in an office/warehouse park with a fence and security gate off Beach Boulevard. Police said someone broke through the fence, then the video shows three men breaking in after a chunk of concrete was used to smash a window just after 4 a.m.
A 5-gallon fish tank, 300 live coral pieces and a dozen saltwater clams were stolen along with three coral growth light systems, according to the police report.
On Sept. 6 someone broke into Coral Logic at 7860 Gate Parkway, but no report was written, according to police. But the officer investigating the Bio Reef burglary spoke with Coral
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2011-09-26/story/coral-thefts-hit-2-jacksonville-aquarium-stores
‘Criminal negligence’ and starvation behind lion cubs death
Suggesting major penalties against zoo officials whose “wilful negligence” caused the death of three lion cubs at the Karachi Zoological Gardens more than a month ago, the officer investigating the case with the assistance of a technical team has recommended that the “whereabouts of the fourth missing cub needs to be ascertained with the help of local police” as no evidence was found suggesting that the lioness had eaten her baby.
These remarks are part of the much-awaited inquiry report that has been submitted to the DCO by Ghanwer Khan Leghari, executive district officer (EDO), revenue, city district government, last week after a gap of 45 days. The inquiry was supposed to be completed within 15 days.
The inquiry report states: “The death was due to the wilful negligence on the part of zoo staff. The birth of cubs and their rearing was taken too casually, as it was caring for pye-dogs. There was no 24-hour monitoring of cubs to ascertain the behaviour of captive lioness towards her cubs. There was no effort to bottlefeed the cubs or take care of them.
“As a matter of routine, the staff taking care of the cubs used to leave for homes at 3pm. It is very strange that the zoo authorities claim that the lions were seized and it is not their responsibility if the cubs expired.”
Two pairs of lions were confiscated at Karachi airport by customs authorities last year as the animals were being imported on an expired permit. The big cats were handed over to the Sindh wildlife department which shifted them to the zoo, saying the department did not have any facility to keep wild animals.
While the matter is still pending in court, a lioness gave birth to four cubs last month. The cubs could hardly survive for five days — three of them were found dead while another was found missing the same day on Aug 12. Reacting to the news, the minister for local government suspended the zoo chief.
Two inquiries were subsequently launched to investigate the matter. The Karachi administrator appointed Ghanwer Khan Leghari, EDO, revenue, as inquiry officer while the minister for local government appointed Shazia Rizvi, special secretary to the minister, as inquiry officer.
The samples taken from animal bodies were sent for an analysis to the chemical examiner and the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS). Ms Rizvi was not available for her comments on the matter.
Findings of lab tests
According to the findings of the chemical examiner, no traces of chemicals/poison were found in the samples. The DUHS report, which was handed over to the city government officials after the submission of the inquiry report to the DCO, also does not mention any specific cause of death.
The report says that veterinary experts believed that “starvation, lack of mismanagement and negligence” caused the babies’ death.
The report expresses surprise as to how all the cubs died and one went missing the same day. Regarding death by starvation, it says that there is a strong possibility of death by starvation as at the time of post-mortem, the cubs’ lungs and stomach were filled with air and it seems that they died because of lack of care.
Quoting the suspended official in charge of the zoo, the report states that “even Mansoor Qazi, district officer zoo, agreed that the cubs were not properly fed by the lioness.”
About the ‘missing cub’, the report declares that samples taken from the spot provide ample evidence that the fourth cub had not been eaten up by the lioness, but rather went missing.
“This is what the zoo authorities should explain that as to how the cub went missing. Had the cub been eaten up by the lioness, then there would have been pieces of skin or hair of the cub in the cage. But, no such thing could be found during investigation.”
Further highlighting the flaws on the part of the zoo administration, the report says conversations with the zoo staff responsible for the upkeep of lions revealed that none of the doctors or staff had entered the cage or even tried to handle the cubs. All they did was see the cubs through the two small holes.
“No arrangement was made to bottlefeed the cubs in case the lioness was not feeding the cubs properly,” the report points out. The lion keepers never saw the lioness feeding her cubs, according to the report.
During the investigation it also came to light that there was no practice to keep the record of birth, death, diet and medication at the zoo. The inquiry team found that there was no livestock assistant or staff to maintain accounts. The number of zoo keepers was much below the sanctioned vacancies.
Many species are without a pair at the zoo which also lacks an emergency plan, the report further says.
Recommendations
“There was criminal negligence on part of Mr Mansoor Qazi, district officer zoo, Dr Aamir Ismail, assistant district officer zoo and Mr Farooq Aslam, the overseer. It is recommended that major penalty be imposed on the above designated officials as they did their duties too casually and failed to take any pre-emptive measure for the pre and post-natal care of the cubs.
“The head of the community development, Ms Rehana Saif, also needs to be taken to task as she was so irresponsible that she did not even know when the lioness had conceived. This indicates her callous attitude and the way she ignored the welfare of the cubs,” the report says.
Though minor penalties against the zoo keepers have been recommended, the report also points out that “the lower staff did whatever they could” and it was only because of a lack of foresight and focused attitude of the superiors that the cubs died.
The report also suggests action against Sindh wildlife department officials as they “made no attempt to inquire about the welfare of lions after their confiscation”.
The report recommends that the zoo needs an independent body and not a subservient one to a non-technical department like the community development department.
It also suggests the creation of an environment closer to animals’ natural habitat at the zoo, appointment of trained staff, initiation
http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/27/criminal-negligence-of-zoo-staff-starvation-behind-lion-cubs-death-report.html
Dominican Republic Owl Conservation Project
Zoo cries foul over 'loss' of bears
A private animal park in Lanchang here has been suffering losses because its main attraction -- three Malayan sun-bears -- were taken away by the state National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) last week.
The animals, two males and one female, had been at the Deerland Park since it opened in 2004, luring hundreds of visitors every week.
Of the three bears, 13-year-old Muda had been drawing the largest crowd as it was very friendly and would allow visitors to rub his big belly while he enjoyed the milk and nuts offered to him.
However, the mini zoo was affected by the newly-implemented Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which required private zoo owners who could not meet the specifications to surrender their endangered animals to the department.
Zoo owner Abdullah Ahmad Mahmood is upset with Perhilitan's decision.
He told the New Straits Times yesterday that after the bears were taken away, the park had lost its appeal and suffered a drop in visitors as tour agents said the animals were the main attraction.
"Some tourists who visited the zoo claimed they had been cheated.
"Tourists claim that the brochures and the websites shown by the tour agents included feeding and taking pictures with Muda as part of the activities, but none of the bears are here."
Abdullah said the mini zoo, which was just a stone's throw from Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary near here, attracted some 70,000 visitors every year, including ministers and even members of the Pahang royal family.
The 4ha park at the edge of the Krau Forest Reserve was also home to several other animals, including a herd of deer -- ranging from full-grown ones to fawns, an albino python and various birds, including peacocks and peahens.
State Perhilitan director Khairiah Mohd Shariff said
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20110927-301721.html
Film for chimps premieres in Liverpool
Giving chimpanzees television to watch is not new: chimps in captivity all over the world are often shown TV as form of environmental enrichment. To make 'Primate Cinema: Apes as Family', Los Angeles-based artist Rachel Mayeri collaborated with comparative psychologist Dr Sarah-Jane Vick to explore issues around cognition and communication in research primates.
The duo tested different styles and genres of film on chimps in captivity to gauge their responses and to see whether chimps 'lose themselves' in what they are watching as readily as humans.
The resulting film is a dual-screen installation juxtaposing a chimp-centred social drama, enacted by humans in the guise of apes, with mesmerising footage of the reactions of an ape audience at Edinburgh Zoo.
Rob LaFrenais, curator at The Arts Catalyst, who commissioned the work, explains: "As the watchers of the watching chimps, we perceive - or we imagine - fascination, puzzlement, and flashes of anger in their responses. Sited in different spaces in Los Angeles and Edinburgh we are never sure whether we are seeing a lab, zoo, wildlife park, rumpus room or post-apocalyptic landscape inhabited by half-chimp/half-humans.
"Mayeri's intriguing and amusing story-and-response structure contains dark undercurrents in its contemplation of the lives of our captive close relatives."
Mayeri was an awarded an honorary mention for 'Primate Cinema: Apes as Family' at Prix Ars Electronica, the leading electronic arts festival, in May 2011.
'Primate Cinema: Apes as Family' was commissioned
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2011/News/WTVM052865.htm
Foreign crocodile experts studying Agusan crocs
Foreign crocodile experts from the non-government organization World Conservation Union (WCU) are now studying the origins of saltwater crocodiles found in the Agusan Marsh and swamps in Del Carmen town here.
American Peter Webb Graham, a member of the WCU’s Crocodile and Wildlife Conservation Project, recently visited the swamps of Del Carmen and Bunawan in Agusan del Sur, where the 21-foot crocodile “Lolong” was captured last month.
Graham said they are studying the similarities of Lolong with another 19-foot crocodile known as “Kibol” that was captured at the swamps of Del Carmen in Siargao Island in 1992.
He said both Lolong and Kibol are saltwater crocodiles.
Lolong is being kept in a fenced pond at the remote Barangay Consuelo in Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, while Kibol, which means amputated in English because the animal’s tail had been cut, is now at the Palawan Crocodile Farm in Puerto Princesa City.
Graham said they are studying the possibility that the species of Lolong and Kibol have the same origin even though the two animals thrived in different places.
He said both Kibol and Lolong have the same features and have attacked humans and animals alike.
The American expert said the study would also include how saltwater
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=731664&publicationSubCategoryId=63
Bristol Zoo gorilla statues raise £427,000 for charity
Sixty life-sized gorilla statues have raised £427,000 at a charity auction after being on display around Bristol throughout the summer.
Each Wow! Gorilla sculpture was painted by a local artist as part of Bristol Zoo's 175th birthday celebrations.
Gorisambard - a gorilla modelled on Isambard Kingdom Brunel - was the highest selling statue, going for £23,000.
Auctioneer Andrew Morgan said the gorillas were a "spectacular success".
Wow! Gorilla was a public art trail which saw 60 gorilla sculptures spending 10 weeks at many of the city's landmarks, such as Clifton Suspension Bridge, Ashton Gate Stadium and Bristol Bus Station.
More than 500 people attended the
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-15113820
Chimps move into new $7 million home at Taronga Zoo in Sydney (Great photo...they don't look thrilled)
STUNNING views of Sydney Harbour, cascading water features and towering palm trees - who wouldn't want to live here?
Add some climbing ropes and you've got the perfect abode for 17 lucky Taronga Zoo chimpanzees, who officially moved into their new $7 million home today.
And the chimps aren't the only winners.
The state-of-the-art interactive complex also allows members of the public get up close and personal with the primates.
With 12-metre high towers, a network of climbing ropes and a 180kg hammock made out of fire hoses, there's always something to keep the chimps entertained.
The makeover began in 2009 after the chimps were moved to a temporary exhibit.
Six families now make up the 17 animals at the new chimpanzee sanctuary. The eldest is 59-year-old Lulu and the youngest Sule, who was born in 2008.
Senior primate keeper Allan Schmidt said the new enclosure would meet the changing needs of the chimps, including a population of m
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/chimps-move-into-new-7-million-home-at-taronga-zoo-in-sydney/story-e6frf7jx-1226154060875
Eagle ruffles feathers at Santa Barbara Zoo
A hungry bald eagle spent two weeks hanging around the Santa Barbara Zoo earlier this month, bothering birds and forcing employees to relocate some animals and guard others.
Zoo spokeswoman Sheri Horiszny told the Los Angeles Times ( http://lat.ms/mTV3yj) for a story Thursday that the toucans noticed the bald eagle first.
Keepers moved 16 macaws, 13 otters, four chuckwallas, four rabbits, two meerkats, two cranes, two ground hornbills and a black-necked swan from open-air enclosures to eagle-proof shelters.
Zookeepers applied for a permit to catch the
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/09/29/3948367/eagle-ruffles-feathers-at-santa.html
Newsletter 6 - English version - Nouvelles du Zoo d'Abidjan - rapport de septembre Simone Ban Dagui
http://associationducalaoasbl.solidairesdumonde.org/
An individual has been fined $40,000 for engaging in the illegal trade of an endangered species
The Quebec component of an investigation into the illegal trade of Queen Conches, initiated in October 2006 by Environment Canada, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and fisheries officers from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, ended in a guilty verdict and a fine totalling $40,000 for Michael Angelakis. This investigation was conducted in Quebec by Environment Canada's Wildlife Enforcement Directorate from several regions in the country.
Angelakis, 31, from Laval, was found guilty on Monday, September 26, in Montréal Provincial Court. Angelakis was accused of importing a shipment of Queen Conches (Strombus gigas) into Canada without an export permit under the Columbia Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Not having a CITES permit is a violation under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act.
Following a joint declaration of facts, Angelakis was given a $40,000 fine payable to the Environmental Damages Fund. In consideration of this, Angelakis was given an absolute discharge by the court.
The Queen Conch, also known as the pink conch, is a large local mollusc—the flesh of which is highly sought after—found in the waters of 36 Caribbean countries. The species is protected under the CITES.
Operation Shell Game, which began in 2006, required the participation of wildlife officers
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2011/28/c7402.html
Animal Games hit for cruelty
THIS year's Animal Games, already under way at the Shanghai Wildlife Park, have prompted a round of protests, with people concerned about the welfare of the animals.
The Olympic-like games feature sports competition between animals or between animals and people.
The games opened last Friday, and more than 200 animals - including 30 different kinds - are expected to participate in more than 40 events.
In the opening ceremony, a bear named Whinny, an elephant named Mary and a chimpanzee named Xiao Xiao lit the torch of the "Olympics." The event is scheduled to last for more than a month.
Audience members shot video of the opening ceremony and it spread fast on the Internet.
"It looks exciting, but I don't want to imagine how the animals were treated when they were trained to do all the stuff," said Wei Yin, a visitor to the park.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare said the event is cruel and violates Chinese law.
A regulation issued by the State Forestry Administration makes it illegal from this year to use animals in performances in zoos and wildlife parks. This includes the use of animals to pose for photographs with visitors.
But the park argued the performances are for the animals' own good, maintaining their vitality. Officials from the park said that animals aren't kept in
http://english.eastday.com/e/110929/u1a6129634.html
Beware the blenny's bite!
It’s smart and normally peaceful — but don’t threaten the Striped poison-fang! Dave Wolfenden explains why Meiacanthus grammistes deserves respect.
The Striped poison-fang blenny (Meiacanthus grammistes) is commonly available. Growing to some 10cm/4", the species is widely distributed around the western Pacific, from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia northwards to southern Japan, and from Papua New Guinea westwards to the Gulf of Thailand.
It is part of a specialised group of fang blennies, poison-fang blennies or sabre-tooth blennies consisting of a few dozen species over a handful of genera, all with fascinating behaviour and unique defensive adaptations.
Meiacanthus grammistes is very attractive, with a white ventral surface, often with a brilliant blue hue in some regional variations and yellow and black longitudinal stripes, believed to be a form of aposematic or warning coloration.
The striped markings terminate in black spots on the tail, which is much less lyre-shaped
http://www.blogger.com/goog_702447956
Museum for world's largest fish
http://youtu.be/u8CMrvFe924
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A Letter From Dina Zulfikar - Good News From Cairo Zoo
Dear Peter
Finally, after a year and a half, there will be no more chimps in solitary confinement, all would be grouped, made families. Elephants too, will soon enjoy movement and bath in lakes.
Jane Goodall Institute and Phoenix Zoo Arizona , mandate Hilda Tresz, the behavior specialist arrived to Cairo on the 16th according to pre set arrangements with General Organization of Veterinary Services and Central Zoos, which was coordinated by civil society, which I had the honor to represent according to the manasterial decree #804 year 2011. (remember it was AWAR group who made the first call to revitalize the Giza Zoo, since 2007, AWAR group members and supporters helped and held various projects for enrichment in Giza Zoo and Central Zoos in general).
Good news is:
No more chimps in solitary confinement
. for the first time the 3 baby chimps Mish, Bobo, Loza were introduced to adult chimps Ingi and Prince, and now we have mother, father and children.
. Kuku the chimp which was sent to solitary confinement to Fayoum May 2010 to vacant space for the Orangutans is back to Giza Zoo and is grouped with Mouza, the tumor chimp who was also held in solitary confinement since March 2010.
. Oscar and Fatouta which were sent to Alex Zoo, were grouped today with the single chimp in Alex zoo Meshmesh, forming a bachelor group.
. A sign would be made outside the enclosure of Kuku and Mouza stating the meaning of: chimps are just like humans, this chimp Mouza had benine tumor and is being treated, she should see the light and be displayed and have a mate, a chimp, as chimps live in groups.
. The Elephants: it was agreed to implement the following: bringing one meter sand in all elephant enclosures, walking them, taking them to bath in the lake, food hang up in a puzzle way and not in the floors and from keeper to the elephants trunk! Many substrates!!!!
Families and groups are being made successfully thanks to Hilda Tresz and Zoo
Management and Staff.
Complete recommendations were agreed on for the elephants at Central Zoos.
Orangutans enclosure will be completely finished within 3 days from today.
Presentations and workshops subject: Basic Husbandry and behavioral enrichment was held at the Cairo Opera House, Cultural Center on the 26th and 27th of September, from 6-8pm.
All serious advocates and members of AWAR attended, .
Facilities (licensed) which hold wild animals in captivity attended too, and learnt how to improve the conditions of animals in captivity.
All the teams of experts and volunteers who share in the regular awareness programs attended.
Thank you to the Egyptian Federation of Animal Welfare for hosting these workshops.
Huge thank you to sincere AWAR members who supported the cause.. yes, we have
waited long, but have always kept the pressure on, and, finally here we are.
Huge thank you to Chairperson of General Organization of Veterinary Services Military General and Doctor Osama Selim, for making this happen.
Huge thank you to Director of Central Zoos, Dr. Fatma Tammam, and the management and staff of Central Zoos for making this happen and for cooperating with Jane Goodall Institute and Phoenix Zoo Mandate Hilda Tresz.
The Orangutans enclosure is about to be finished, final touches are taking place, vegetation, etc..
Dina
Dina Zulfikar
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September issue of Wildlife Crime Bulletin - Education for Nature - Vietnam (ENV)
The main features in this issue are:
+ Wildlife farming without effective monitoring leads to abuse of the law
+ Bear farm defies ban on tourism
+ Enforcement advisor:
- Need to focus on bringing down major players
- Crocodile farming - a good model?
Further more details please see the attached files or see at the link below:
http://envietnam.org/library/Wildlife TradeBulletin/ENV_Wildlife_Crime_Bulletin_September_2011_(Sept_28_2011).pdf
*****
International Orangutan Caring Week
November 12-20, 2011
Reaching Out Far and Wide
We want you to participate in this worldwide awareness event. Help build a "critical mass of concerned voices" this November to focus attention on the species through your efforts and those of other supporters.
We would like people to come to understand that the habitat of the orangutan, the tropical rain forest, is vital to not only orangutans but to other wildlife and to all of us on this planet. Rainforests and related ecosystems provide important services from climate moderation, to water quality and erosion control, to storehouses of genetic, species and ecological biodiversity. Rainforests need to be sustainably managed to maintain these services.
We want to inform citizens in our own communities of this connection and continue to enlighten local people in areas near orangutan habitat.
For more information visit:
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The Zoos Of The World
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Chimpanzee Skeletal Digital Atlas (Pan troglodytes)
Large Zip File
************
Zoo gets donation for animal artic exhibit
The Jacobs family and Delaware North Companies presented a $250,000 donation to to the Buffalo Zoo Friday morning.
The donation will go towards financing an arctic animal exhibit scheduled for completion in 2014.
Zoo president Donna Ferandes said she looks forward to the updates.
"There will be a lot more interpretation on what's happening now to polar bears in the wild with climate change, so it will be a much much better experience for our visitors but more importantly a much nicer habitat for the bears' quality of life," said Fernandes.
Ferandes is thrilled by the Buffalo-based company's generosity.
"Well it's great because, you know they've been a real stand out corporation in this community for a long time, and I think a
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wbfo/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1858857/WBFO.News/Zoo.gets.donation.for.animal.artic.exhibit.
Vietnam to dispel rhino horn myths
A meeting between Vietnamese and South African government delegations in Johannesburg this week revealed that the Vietnamese were completely unaware of the scale of the horn-smuggling racket on its soil, a senior South African government official said after the encounter.
The Vietnamese had even cited statistics showing that illegal trafficking in rhino horn in Vietnam was decreasing, said South Africa's deputy director general of biodiversity and conservation in the department of water and environmental affairs, Fundisile Mketeni.
Last week the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) revealed that South Africa had lost 297 rhinos to poachers this year. Of the 165 people arrested in connection with the crime, many were Vietnamese nationals.
Last month a South African magistrate sentenced two Vietnamese citizens to eight and 12 years in prison, respectively, for attempting to smuggle rhino horn out of the country. Vietnam's deafening silence on the issue has drawn strong criticism from conservation bodies. Traffic, an international wildlife-trade monitoring network, is deeply concerned about the role of Vietnamese nationals in driving the illegal selling of horns. The network sponsored this week's meeting between South Africa and Vietnam.
The role of Vietnamese crime syndicates in
http://mg.co.za/article/2011-09-30-vietnam-to-dispel-rhino-horn-myths/
Mayor rejects offer to have giant crocodile transferred to QC park
Mayor Edwin Elorde of Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, rejected on Saturday the suggestion of Environment Secretary Ramon Paje to transfer Lolong, the one-ton saltwater crocodile captured in the Agusan Marsh last month, to the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife compound in Quezon City.
“Personally, I don’t agree with that plan,” Elorde told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone from Bunawan. “We are capable of taking care of the crocodile. The provincial government, as well as prominent personalities, has promised to help us.”
But Elorde said he could not do anything if the people of Bunawan supported Paje’s idea, which was made since Lolong’ has refused to eat anything since his capture.
“I cannot decide on my own. I’m just their representative,” Elorde said.
He said the local government was striving hard to make Lolong at home in the wildlife park being put up in Bunawan.
“The first phase [of the park’s construction] covers at least 20 hectares,” Elorde said, as he tried to illustrate how big Lolong’s new environment would be.
Paje said the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife compound was large and would be more comfortable for Lolong.
Elorde also rejected reports that the captive reptile had become lethargic.
“Experts who visited us said the reptile is in good condition although still not eating since September 3,” he said.
Elorde said he would be the saddest man in Bunawan if Lolong’s health was deteriorating as reported.
“I’m so attached to Lolong. I spend most of my time with the crocodile. I consider him my son now,” he said.
The 21-foot monster was ensnared in the Agusan Marsh after authorities and volunteers hunted down a crocodile blamed for the death in July of a Bunawan resident.
Lolong is being touted as the largest saltwater crocodile in captivity although that claim has yet to be validated by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The current record for the largest crocodile in captivity is held by Cassius,
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/68523/mayor-rejects-offer-to-have-giant-crocodile-transferred-to-qc-park
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