Zoo News Digest 27th October - 30th November 2013 (ZooNews 881)
Dear Colleagues,
We have had two tiger 'incidents' this week. In both cases the keeper was bitten in the neck. In both cases the injured were hospitalised and remain so at the present time. In both cases I wish and hope that the injured make a speedy and full recovery.
Whereas there have
been a number of updates from Australia we have heard nothing from Korea as
yet. I have contacted Seoul Zoo but have had no reply as to how Mr. Shim is
doing.
In both these
incidents it was down to keeper error. In Seoul somebody left a cage door open.
In Australia Zoo it was because the keepers were stupid enough to be in a cage
with the tigers in the first place. I must have said it a hundred times….hands
on with big cats it is always an accident waiting to happen. The really sad
part of it is that it is never necessary to be in a cage with one of these
animals in the first place. We really need to do away with the title 'big cat
handler' once and for all.
I've heard all the
arguments. I've read all the blurb and excuses and hype and rubbish. It really
does need to stop. I don't doubt that the Australia Zoo staff acted
appropriately and full credit to them. I also don't doubt that what they were
doing was within the Australian zoo accreditation guidelines. Guidelines and
accreditation for this unnecessary activity need to change. I also do know that
there is a huge faction within Australian zoos who look upon this hands on
activity in Australia Zoo and Dreamworld with disdain. I don't expect everyone
to agree with me and no doubt I will have several anonymous emails as a result
of what I have just said. I only ask that they use a spellchecker and cut out
the curse words.
The wolf escape at
Colchester was a real tragedy. No doubt we learn a lot more when the zoo
completes its investigation. Having to shoot the wolves was sad but the zoo
took the correct action. It is never an easy thing to do. I know, I have been
in the same position. It is a funny thing about wolves though. There is a large
number of people out there who think they have some sort of communion of the
souls with these magnificent animals and when they get together with the
nutters who claim to be experts there is no end of nonsense spouted forth.
Daktari has a lot to answer for.
My surface mail mail box is just not working out. Mail is going astray. Even lost my last but one passport for a while. So for now please send all paper mail, books for review etc to :
Peter Dickinson
10 Cheshire View
Appleyards Lane
Handbridge
Chester
UK
CH4 7DD
Bear in mind it is NOT where I live. My mail will be forwarded to me to wherever I am from there. My contact phone number remains the same:
00971 (0)50 4787 122
00971 (0)50 4787 122
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Finance minister rules out Exploris aquarium aid
The Department of
Finance has ruled out giving any financial assistance to help a County Down
aquarium stay afloat.
Finance Minister
Simon Hamilton made a brief response to a request from the Northern Ireland
Assembly enterprise committee to help with an assistance package.
"Aquariums are
not the responsibility of the DFP," he said.
Exploris, in
Portaferry, has been threatened with closure over concerns about its running
costs.
Ards Borough Council
delayed a decision to vote on closing the attraction amid hopes that funding
could be secured from the Stormont Executive.
The chair of the
committee, Patsy McGlone, accused the minister of not taking the threat of
closure seriously.
After a visit to
Exploris, the DETI committee wrote to the minister asking if the Department of
Finance and Personnel could help find any alternative sources of income to help
rescue the threatened tourist attraction.
In a two-line
response the finance minister thanked the committee for its letter about the
proposed clos
East Oregonian: Pendleton-Born Zookeeper Writes Animal
Training Book
As a child in
Pendleton, Nicole Nicassio-Hiskey had every pet she could slip past her mother.
Turtles, rats, dogs and cats all roamed the Nicassio household.
As the senior marine
animal keeper at the Oregon Zoo, Nicassio-Hiskey’s animal interactions have
only broadened with age. She works with sea lions, polar bears, tigers and
leopards in the Portland zoo.
“I knew what I
wanted to do as a kid,” Nicassio-Hiskey said. “We didn’t have a zoo or aquarium
growing up in Pendleton, so I would go to the library and soak everything up I
could.”
After graduating
from Oregon State University in 1993, Nicassio-Hiskey worked with Keiko the
orca at the Oregon Coast Aquarium and in the city of Anchorage, Alaska’s animal
control department before landing at the Oregon Zoo.
After two decades of
training all types of species, the zookeeper wrote “Beyond Squeaky Toys” with
co-author Cinthia Mitchell about creating enriching environments for dogs and
cats.
“We figured this out
long ago with exotic animals but we have kind of gone backward with dogs and
cats,” Ni
Some Seemingly Harmless Snakes Possess a Secret Venom
Gland
Usually, we think of
snakes as falling into one of two groups—venomous and nonvenomous. But to the
surprise of herpetologists, a new group has emerged, which seems to fall into a
previously unknown grey area between venomous and not.
This discovery
occurred after victims who received bites from “harmless” snakes—Thrasops
flavigularis in Africa and green whip snakes in Europe—began showing suspect
symptoms, including problems with neuromotor skills. Upon closer examination,
herpetologists noticed that both of those culprit species possess something
called the Duvernoy’s gland. Researchers have long puzzled over what this
gland’s purpose is; some think it’s used for helping the snakes swallow and
digest food, while others believe it’s a primitive version of what scientists
consider true venom glands. With these latest findings, however, herpetologists
writing in the journal Toxin propose classifying it as a true venom gland.
Before nonvenomous
snakes become even more loathed than they largely already are, however, it’s
important to note two points the researchers make about these extremely rare
events. In all cases of these species causing harm, people were eithe
Exclusive Interview with Kim Ashdown, Former SeaWorld
Trainer
Kim Ashdown spent 12
years as an animal trainer at SeaWorld between 1994 and 2010. She worked with
whales, dolphins, sea lions, otters and birds of prey. Since leaving SeaWorld,
Kim has become outspoken about the realities of marine mammal captivity and is
an anti-captivity advocate for the animals she worked for. More recently, you
may have seen her the film “Blackfish.”
The Whale Who Would Not Be Freed
If there is a lesson
in this week’s Retro Report video about a famous whale, it’s mess with nature
at your own peril. In this case we are talking about the man-made peril that
comes from confining a wild killer whale in a theme park and the economic peril
of trying to recreate through nurture what, it turns out, can often be taught
only through nature.
Keiko the killer
whale was a movie star, the real-life whale featured in the 1993 film “Free
Willy.” It’s the story of a good-hearted boy and his whale and the brave humans
who returned him (Willy, that is) to the ocean and freedom.
The real-life story
was not so happy.
Keiko was a pup when
captured off the coast of Iceland in the late 1970s and trained to join a long
line of trick whales that performed at marine parks, in his case, one that was
in Mexico.
After the film
became a “heartwarming,” “truly inspiring” “unforgettable,” “smash hit” that
“kids and adults alike” would be “talking about for years,” the news media
discovered that the real whale was not free and was leading a pretty miserable
life.
As the video notes:
“Forced to swim in endless circle, his dorsal fin drooped. He was
Blackfish: Please Release Me Let Me Go
'The release of
Keiko demonstrated that release of long-term captive animals is especially
challenging and while we as humans might find it appealing to free along-term
captive animal, the survival and well being of the animal may be
severelyimpacted in doing so.'
On the back of the
ongoing debate regarding the film 'Blackfish' The New York Times' produced an
interesting video in its Retro Report stranding regarding the story of 'Keiko'
the killer whale entitled: "The Whale Who Would Not Be Freed".
The news items
conclusion seems to be that the project was a failure. This is even admitted by some of the supports
of the project on video like Naomi Rose - former scientist to the Humane
Society of the United States.
One has to question
what would (or could) happen to any other long term captive killer whales if
the animal rights supporters got their hands on them - as they are still trying
to do. In my opinion, the release of long-term captive animals is never justified
on welfare grounds as 'Keiko' demonstrates. Releasing animals for conservation
reasons is, of course, very different. It is acknowledge that animals could die
during this process and it is likely not to serve the welfare interests of
individual animals involved.
As stated, the
'Keiko' experiment was a failure. Those
who cannot grasp this are deluding themselves and showing contempt for the
welfare of this animal. Certainly, his
move to Oregon Coast Aquarium was right; there is a consensus regarding this
across all opinions. However, releasing
him to the wild was a grave and expensive mistake. Those such as Naomi Rose who voice that
'Keiko' was better off having a number of years in the wild (with him not
integrating and thus isolated from his conspecies) are sadly just expressing
their own self-serving and selfish interests against these animals being displayed
in aquaria and zoos.
Those who continue
to voice support for the release of animals suc
Rebuttal: A Stronger Case for SeaWorld
I would like to
thank those who took the time to comment on my previous blog post, as it allows
for scholarly debate. In regards to the comment that my earlier post sounded
like a public relations statement for SeaWorld, I would like to point to the
title of the article, in particular “A Case for SeaWorld“, and to the fact that
I am in no way affiliated with SeaWorld. This article was intended to provide a
different side of the story than that portrayed in the documentary film
Blackfish, which was an extremely one-sided piece of propaganda.
The death of Dawn
Brancheau was a true tragedy. The world lost a very passionate, and
accomplished woman who was a pioneer in the field of marine research and an
integral part of SeaWorld’s mission to bring the wonder and awe of marine life
to those who visit SeaWorld parks. After Dawn’s death, The Dawn Brancheau
Foundation was founded in memory of Dawn by her family. The Foundation’s
website provides a detailed outline of Dawn’s lifelong dream to become a whale
trainer at SeaWorld and that Dawn “left this world doing what she loved.”
Unfortunately, Blackfish exploits the death of this wonderful woman by
portraying Dawn’s work with orca whales as appalling and horrific, but this is
not the case
Anthony Kaufman, a
freelance journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Los Angeles
Times, and The Chicago Tribune, mocked Blackfish for its obvious
sensationalism. The one-sidedness of the documentary is exemplified when the
film “opens with a sensationalistic emergency call, which recounts how a
trainer was eaten by a killer whale…In one manipulative moment, trainers
recount an incident in which a mother orca was separated from her offspring,
and then emitted a kind of wailing sound. Her shrieking cries are then
simulated on the soundtrack for extra effect.” Kaufman further states that
“there’s also something unseemly in the tactics employed by Blac
African Painted Dog Conference
Animal Training Conference 2014
Online Zoo Nutrition Course
ONE DAY INCUBATION TRAINING COURSE
Primate Nutrition Workshop
Ape Symposium
Dog Bites, 14 Kangaroos Found Dead in Ragunan Zoo
As many as 14
kangaroos at Ragunan Zoo (TMR), South Jakarta, Thursday (11/28), are died after
being bitten by wild dogs. Previously, a giraffe was also found dead a few
months ago.
“Based on the
examination of post mortem from the veterinarians, the death is caused by dog
bites around neck, foot and abdomen,” said Head of Administrative Staff at the
zoo, Bambang Triyono, Thursday (11/28).
Triyono asse
Starving rebels eat lion from a Damascus zoo
Starving Syrian
rebels besieged in Damascus suburbs signalled their desperation yesterday by
killing and eating a zoo’s lion.
Pictures of men
butchering the visibly emaciated animal, said to have been taken from the
Al-Qarya al-Shama Zoo, were widely disseminated on websites sympathetic to the
rebels, although their authenticity could not be in
Leopardus guttulus: New Species of Wild Cat from
Brazil
According to a new
DNA analysis conducted by Brazilian researchers, a rare species of wild cat
called the oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) – one of the smallest wild cats in the
Americas – is actually two separate species.
24 South African giraffes arrive at Yunnan Zoo
Giraffes are known
to shy away from interacting with other animals and humans, earning them the
nickname "big cowards". But 24 of these "big cowards" have
made a brave journey from South Africa to southwest China's Yunnan Zoo. And CCTV’s
Wu Haojun found out how the zoo was welcoming its timid new residents.
Feisty and full of
energy.
24 giraffes from
South Africa landed at Yunnan Zoo on Tuesday to start their new lives.
"We want to
expand the number of giraffes here. Twenty four is a good size for
reproduction." Li Li, Yunnan Zoo deputy manager said.
The zoo prepared for
the giraffes’ arrival, building them a spacious new home -- measuring over a
thousand square meters, with six rooms and a hall. They’re also ready to handle
the big cowards’ big appetite.
"We have
prepared 20 tons of hay a
Mysore Zoo to get two chimps from Singapore
Two years after green anacondas arrived from
Sri Lanka, the Mysore Zoo is getting chimpanzees from Singapore on Saturday.
The two
chimps—Nikosi and Kimoni—will land at Chennai at 1.20 pm on November 30. The
two male chimps will be joined by a female chimp some 18 months later. Though
the plan was to get the three of them at a time, the female chimp has delivered
three months back.
Sources in the
Mysore Zoo on Tuesday told The Times of India that the two chimps will be
shipped to India from Singapore Zoo and are expected to arrive at the Mysore
facility around midnight. Animal keepers from the Singapore Zoo will accompany
them. While Nikosi is aged a little over thirteen years while Kimoni is six
years old. "They will be housed at an enclosure where we presently have
deer," they stated.
The zoo had got five
green anacondas in November 2011. Earlier, it had got four African hunting
cheetahs in March 2011 as part of an exchange programme
Three wolves shot dead in Essex after gang of five
escaped from Colchester Zoo
Police and zoo
keepers launched a frantic search to find the two escapees after they got out
of their enclosure through a hole in the fence
Three wolves have
been shot dead after a pack of five escaped from Colchester Zoo.
Zoo keepers
discovered the group had got out of their enclosure at around 8am this morning
through a hole in the fence.
One of the timber
wolves returned and another was captured.
But police and zoo
staff had to launch a frantic search to find the three remaining animals who
were on the loose in Essex.
Two were found and
shot dead within a few hours.
Colchester Zoo said
they were unab
Man mauled by tiger at Australia Zoo
An animal handler is
in a serious condition after being bitten twice on the neck by a tiger at
Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.
It is understood the
30-year-old man sustained two puncture wounds on his neck in the attack which
occurred at around 3pm (AEST) today.
RACQ CareFlight said
the patient has now been transferred to the Royal Brisbane Hospital where he
will undergo treatment for his injuries.
He is currently in a
serious but stable condit
Bitten Australia Zoo lion handler 'delusional'
The Sunshine Coast
trainer attacked by a Tiger at Australia Zoo was "delusional" and
asking for trouble, says a big cat expert.
Spectators watched
in horror as the tiger bit the man's neck. He was taken to hospital in a stable
condition.
Image: Channel Seven
news.
Carole Baskin, CEO
of Big Cat Rescue in Florida, told 3AW Breakfast tigers were "natural born
killers" who could never be tamed and should never be handled.
"Anybody who
walks in a cage and handles a lion or a tiger is obviously so delusional that
they should not be able to work near them, much less go in a cage with
them," Ms Baskin said.
LISTEN: The
straight-shooting Carole Baskin with Ross and John
"They're
natural born killers and it's just a matter of time before a tragedy like this
happens.
"They kill for
a number of reasons - sometimes just because they're playing and they're so
much bigger and stronger than us.
"It's not a
sexual thing. It doesn't matter if they're neutered or spayed ... it's just a
really bad idea to handle big cats."
Burnso asked if it
can help if yo
Australia Zoo tiger handler recovering after attack
Australia Zoo has
hit back at claims that it puts its staff at risk, after a tiger handler was
mauled at the Sunshine Coast zoo on Tuesday.
The handler,
33-year-old Dave Styles, was bitten on the neck and shoulder when a tiger
dragged him into a pool during a public show.
He remains in the
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a stable but serious condition after
undergoing surgery.
Australia Zoo in the right over tiger attack
The industry body
which regulates zoos across Queensland believes Australia Zoo staff acted
appropriately during this week's tiger attack.
A review of
Australia Zoo's risk assessment procedures have begun after one of its senior
staff was mauled by a Sumatran tiger.
The tiger turned on
30-year-old Dave Styles, biting into his neck and shoulder. He currently
remains in a serious but stable condition in the Royal Brisbane Hospital.
Queensland Zoo and
Aquarium Association president Al Mucci told ABC's Mary-Lou Stephens that
Australia Zoo acted correctly.
"With any
interactive programs be it a koala or a tiger, we want guests to get an
up-close experience and we want the best for animals and it's a balancing act
of providing strong procedures," he said.
"If you look at
that footage, Australia Zoo acted quickly and professionally when the tiger bit
the handler."
Mr Mucci says each
member of the association (which includes Australia Zoo) must go through full
accreditation.
"We have an
accreditation where industry colleagues go to the zoo and make an assessment
and go through the procedures to makes sure that the zoo is meeting best
practise.
"I'm confident
that Australia Zoo is well above what the minimum requirements are.
"The process
has a welfare and safety focus and if zoos aren't meeting those standards we
ask the reasons why and give them time to meet those standards."
Tiger attack or
tiger play?
Mr Mucci says if the
tiger really wanted to hurt the handler, the handler wouldn't be alive.
"If that tiger
really wanted to hurt that keeper, that keeper wouldn't be here today.
"Tigers are an
apex pr
Seoul zookeeper injured in tiger attack
A zookeeper was
seriously injured after being attacked by a tiger at Seoul Zoo on the southern
outskirts of the capital on Sunday, police and zoo officials said.
The ill-fated
employee, identified only as Shim, was taken to a nearby hospital and is in
serious condition after being mauled by a three-year-old Siberian male tiger,
which escaped from its indoor playground and was sitting in a corridor used by
zookeepers, the officials said.
The 52-year-old
Shim, who was bitten in the neck and found lying on the floor shortly after 10
a.m., still remains unconscious at the nearby Hallym University Medical Center,
they said.
No other injury was
reported, they added, as zoo officials rushed to the scene and managed to force
the tiger back into its indoor playground at 10:38 a.m., they said. All
ordinary zoo visitors were evacuated following the incident.
They didn't give any
ex
Zoo gives apes choice of action or romance films
Bonobo apes have
long been beloved by researchers for their matriarchal group structure and have
become famous for their use of sex as markers of social status.
Now the group in
Stuttgart is being offered five different films to choose from, so a researcher
can see what kind of things they like, and how the different members of the
group end up in charge of what they watch.
The bonobo enclosure
at the Wilhelma zoo and botanical garden in Stuttgart now has a modern
flat-screen monitor built into the wall. There is no remote control for them to
fight over, rather there are five buttons set into the wall under the screen.
Each button triggers
a different film - but the bonobos are not being offered a choice between
Pretty Woman or Die Hard - rather they can choose between short films featuring
other bonobos.
"They are short
films lasting between five and seven minutes," Karin Herczog, spokeswoman
at Wilhelma told The Local.
"There is one
featuring bonobos eating, one of them having sex, another featuring aggressive
behaviour, one about them
Why I Love To Work Holidays: Thanksgiving Edition
Knowing that
Thanksgiving is in a mere four days, I felt inspired to share one of the best
days ever to be a marine mammal trainer.
Don't get me wrong,
I know lots of people work on Thanksgiving.
I'm continually surprised at the sheer number of people who DON'T
realize people have to go to work on such a big holiday. The lack of logic is astonishing. I'm compelled to ask these people a series of
questions in the form of a Working During A Major Holiday Quiz:
Taronga Zoo: Marine expert says saving dolphins is not
enough
That familiar
dolphin sticker slapped on tuna cans for two decades worked. The global
dolphin-friendly campaign has seen the death rates of dolphins captured in
fishing gear plunge by 99 per cent, according to experts.
But in the ongoing
struggle to sustainably catch more fish and seafood, the success of the dolphin
campaign comes with a cautionary tale. Other marine species continue to be
scooped from the world's oceans in huge amounts, putting them under threat of
extinction.
Taronga Zoo's
technical adviser on sustainable seafood campaigns, Duncan Leadbitter, said
populations of sharks, sea turtles, and seabirds had been decimated by tuna
fishing.
''There have been
catastrophic declines in oceanic whitetip sharks because of long-line tuna
fishing, with some places down 98 per cent,'' he
Astana starts constructing Zoo in 2015
Astana is going to
start constructing a Zoo in 2015, Tengrinews reports citing the capital’s
Akimat (Municipal Authorities).
The administration
told Tengrinews that construction of the Zoo would start in 2015 and take 29
months (almost 2.5 years).
49 different species
of animals will be presented in the Zoo, mainly from North America, South
America and Africa. Each animal pavilion with have a special regulated climate.
The Zoo will occupy
an area of half a square kilometer, with various facilities for animals
constructed at the area of 28 square meters.
The Zoo's annual
capacity will make 60 thousand visitors. It will employ 287 people. The cost of
the project is estimated at $158.5 million.
LLP Project
Construction Company
Journal of Threatened Taxa
The International Journal on Conservation &
Taxonomy
ISSN
0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)
November 2013 | Vol. 5 | No. 15 | Pages 4913-5020
Date of Publication 26 November 2013 (online &
print)
Contents
CEPF Western Ghats Special Series
Raorchestes ghatei, a new species of shrub frog (Anura: Rhacophoridae)
from the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India
--
Anand D. Padhye, Amit Sayyed, Anushree Jadhav & Neelesh Dahanukar, Pp.
4913–4931
CEPF Western Ghats Special Series
Sahyadria, a new genus of barbs (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) from
Western Ghats of India
--
Rajeev Raghavan, Siby Philip, Anvar Ali & Neelesh Dahanukar, Pp. 4932–4938
CEPF Western Ghats Special Series
Meghamalai special section:
Meghamalai landscape: a biodiversity hotspot
--
Subramanian Bhupathy & Santhanakrishnan Babu, Pp. 4939–4944
Mammals of the Meghamalai landscape, southern Western
Ghats, India - a review
--
Santhanakrishnan Babu, Gopalakrishnan Srinivas, Honnavalli N. Kumara, Karthik
Tamilarasu & Sanjay Molur, Pp. 4945–4952
Status of reptiles in Meghamalai and its environs,
Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu, India
--
Subramanian Bhupathy & N. Sathishkumar, Pp. 4953–4961
Birds of Meghamalai Landscape, southern Western Ghats,
India
--
Santhanakrishnan Babu & Subramanian Bhupathy, Pp. 4962–4972
Anurans of the Meghamalai landscape, Western Ghats,
India
-- G.
Srinivas & Subramanian Bhupathy, Pp. 4973–4978
CEPF Western Ghats Special Series
Fishes of River Bharathapuzha, Kerala, India:
diversity, distribution, threats and conservation
-- A. Bijukumar, Siby Philip, Anvar Ali,
S. Sushama & Rajeev Raghavan, Pp. 4979–4993
Diversity of medium and large sized mammals in a
Cerrado fragment of central Brazil
--
Felipe Siqueira Campos, Alexandre Ramos Bastos Lage & Paulo Henrique
Pinheiro Ribeiro, Pp. 4994–5001
Sightings and behavioral observations of Indo-Pacific
Humpback Dolphins Sousa
chinensis (Osbeck, 1765) along
Chennai coast, Bay of Bengal
--
Rahul Muralidharan, Pp. 5002–5006
CEPF Western Ghats Special Series
Caralluma bicolor Ramach. et al., (Apocynaceae: Asclepiadoideae) -
a rare and little known endemic plant as a new record from Palakkad District,
Kerala State, India
--
K.A. Anilkumar, K.M. Prabhu Kumar & P.S. Udayan Pp. 5007–5009
A note on the occurrence of Cucumis sativus L.forma hardwickii (Royle)
W.J. De Wilde & Duyfjes (Cucurbitaceae) in peninsular India
--
Mandar N. Datar, Girish Pathak & Hemant V. Ghate, 5010–5012
Golden Langur Trachypithecus geei (Khajuria, 1956) feeding on Cryptocoryne retrospiralis (Roxb.) Kunth (Family: Araceae): a rare feeding
observation in Chirang Reserve Forest, Assam, India
--
Raju Das, Hilloljyoti Singha, Hemanta Kumar Sahu & Kushal Choudhury, Pp.
5013–5015
On the identification of Indian butterflies in the
book on Butterflies of the Garo Hills
--
Monsoon Jyoti Gogoi, Pp. 5016–5018
Final notes on the identification and
misidentification of butterflies of the Garo Hills
--
Krushnamegh Kunte, Sanjay Sondhi, Gaurav Agavekar, Rohan Lovalekar & Kedar
Tokekar, Pp. 5019–5020
Thanking
you
Sanjay
Molur
Founder
Editor, Journal of Threatened Taxa
Wildlife
Information & Liaison Development (WILD) Society / Zoo Outreach
Organization
(ZOO)
(ZOO)
96,
Kumudam Nagar, Vilankurichi Road, Coimbatore 641035 Tamil Nadu, India
Ph:
+91 422 2665298, 2665450, Fx: +91 422 2665472
www.zoosprint.org, www.zooreach.org, www.threatenedtaxa.org, www.southasiantaxa.org, www.pterocount.org, www.southasianprimatenetwork.org
Dolphin Research Center Completes 10-Year Master Plan
with PGAV Destinations
Enhanced Welcome
Center and facilities will increase both capacity and learning opportunities
(St.
Louis, MO) – PGAV Destinations is proud to announce the completion of a 10-year Master Plan in
association with Dolphin
Research Center (DRC) on Grassy Key, Florida.
DRC was founded as a nonprofit nearly 30
years ago, and today stands as a world leader in marine mammal care, research,
and education as they welcome more than 70,000 visitors per year. As DRC
continues its successful track record of growth and progress, the organization
hired St. Louis-based design firm PGAV Destinations to help steer a 10-year
master plan to facilitate that growth with new capacity and teaching
opportunities.
“We knew
we were growing and felt that [we] had come to the point where it was time to
bring in professionals and help us plan our future,” said Rita Irwin, president and CEO of
DRC on KeysNet.com.
The
master plan recognizes the strength of the existing dolphin programs and
focuses improvements on the guest facilities, elevating DRC’s unique message
and stories and the powerful, personal impact that guests experience. The first
phase of the master plan will be a renovation and expansion of the Welcome
Center. Other aspects ensure authenticity and aesthetic consistency throughout
the facility by leveraging the destination’s location, storied history, and
depth of research.
“For many
people, the DRC is truly a tremendous, life-changing place,” says John Kemper,
PGAV Destinations VP and project lead. “The research DRC conducts is invaluable
to the science and animal husbandry communities – and the guests who come and
interact with the dolphins are really touched – there are plenty that go
through a kind of epiphany and change their outlook and actions based on that
experience. We want to ensure that the entire facility has the infrastructure
and amenities to deliver that power and experience for many years to come.”
The
Welcome Center will undergo an operational transition, relocating admissions
and retail so that each is more effective, enhancing beautiful graphics, and
adding interpretive exhibits and easy to read signage that deliver DRC’s
history, mission, research, and on-site information.
Other
aspects of the master plan outline the steps for helping the center operate
more efficiently, including an observation station to introduce the dolphins as
individuals to the guests, and present a beautiful, incredible view of the
dolphins’ habitat.
PGAV
Destinations’ previous dolphin projects include work for the Indianapolis
Zoo, Georgia Aquarium, Discovery Cove, and SeaWorld properties including Orlando, San
Diego, San
About PGAV Destinations
PGAV
Destinations is a global leader in the planning and design of unique
destinations. Now in its fifth decade, the practice has evolved to become the
ideal destination-consulting partner, skilled at developing growth-oriented
master plans and translating those plans into successful projects. No other
firm offers such an integrated approach to destination planning.
PGAV’s
key clients include industry leaders such as SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment,
Universal Studios, the Biltmore Companies, Bass Pro Shops, Ameristar Casinos,
The Gettysburg Foundation, the St. Louis Zoo, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, and many
others. Recent assignments include planning and design at many of the world’s
“must see” destinations, including the Grand Canyon, Biltmore Estate, Hearst
Castle, the Georgia Aquarium, the Hoover Dam, and SeaWorld Adventure
Parks. www.PGAVDestinations.com
About Dolphin Research Center
Dolphin Research Center (DRC) was founded as a
nonprofit corporation in 1984 by Jayne
Shannon-Rodriguez and Armando
"Mandy" Rodriguez. Their goal was to ensure the dolphins had a
home there for life, and in doing so to establish a unique education and
research facility. DRC’s mission is “through
education, research and rescue, Dolphin Research Center promotes peaceful
coexistence, cooperation and communication between marine mammals, humans and
the environment we share with the well-being of DRC’s animals taking
precedence.”
The
Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and California sea lions presently living at DRC
provide a range of personalities and backgrounds. Some were born there; others
came to DRC from separate facilities for various reasons or were already living
there when Jayne and Mandy began managing the center. Over half of our family
was born at the Center, while the other members have either come from other
facilities or were rescued, rehabilitated, deemed unreleasable back into the
wild by the Government and now have a forever home at Dolphin Research Center. https://dolphins.org/
Red squirrels showing resistance to poxvirus
Researchers find
signs of immunity in Formby population that was nearly killed off by the deadly
disease transmitted by greys
The first case of a
wild red squirrel surviving the poxvirus carried by greys has been recorded by
researchers who have discovered encouraging signs of resistance to the deadly
disease.
An isolated colony
of red squirrels at Formby, Merseyside, were decimated by an outbreak of
squirrelpox in 2008, which saw the population crash by 85% to less than 200
squirrels.
The disease, which
is transmitted to reds by grey squirrels who remain unaffected by it, is
thought to be a significant factor in the precipitous decline of the much-loved
native mammal across Britain.
But scientists from
the University of Liverpool monitoring the population at Formby have identified
individual red squirrels which have contracted but survived the virus.
One animal was
captured with ulcers around its eyes, mouth and nose – common signs of
squirrelpox – and tested positive for the disease but after two months at a
nearby RSPCA centre, was found to be negative again so was released back into
the wild at Formby. The squirrel, nicknamed Clark because of its apparent super
powers, was tracked with a radio collar and recaptured in good health on two
further occasions.
Dr Julian Chantrey,
from the University of Liverpool's Institute of Integrative Biology, said that
while some individuals had survived by chance, blood tests of survivors from
Formby found that a small number – less than 10% – had antibodies which would suggest
they had recovered from infection in the past. But he warned that this was not
yet proof that squirrels were developing immunity
Future of African penguin worrisome
he South African
National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) says it's
worried about the future of the African penguin as the endangered species needs
protection.
Approximately 155
abandoned African penguin chicks have been admitted to centres in Tableview and
Cape St Francis since the beginning of the month.
These chicks were
abandoned at the end of the breeding season.
Every year during
summer the bird rehabilitation centre admits more than 300 abandoned African
penguin chicks from Stony Point, Boulders Beach and Robben Island.
Sanccob’s Francois
Louw says t
PETA attacks the Betta
Well, it finally
happened, says Nathan Hill. PETA, the champions of animal welfare issues across
the world, have donned their L-plates and stumbled into fishkeeping. They’ve
made a right hash of it too.
I’ll start off by
laying my cards on the table. I’m not personally anti-PETA. Animal rights and
welfare issues are central to my heart, to the point that I’ve invested
thousands upon thousands of pounds into my ongoing study of ethics. PETA have
their detractors, based around their often-perceived hypocrisy when it comes to
destruction of animals in their care, and, rightly, such issues are flagged up
by a concerned public.
Unfortunately, some
people equate failings within the system as systemic incompetence, which it is
not. So, for the record, I believe that much of what PETA hope to achieve is
ultimately geared for the reduction of suffering, and that can never be considered
a bad thing.
PETA haven’t exactly
done themselves any favours with this latest foray into what they consider the
cruel world of Betta keeping (or fishkeeping in general, pending which
anecdotal blog of theirs you read).
Betta, as you or I
will know, is a large genus, but PETA is using an American colloquialism that
refers specifically to Betta splendens, the Siamese fighting fish. Either fig
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