Bearizona Wildlife Park cited by USDA after mountain lion kills sheep
Bearizona Wildlife Park in Williams was cited by the feds after a mountain lion jumped onto the premises, killing a Dall sheep, ABC15 has learned.
According to an Aug. 23 inspection from the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the sheep was found dead "outside of its enclosure" back in May.
The agency notes that all outdoor housing facilities must be enclosed by a perimeter fence, of sufficient height, to keep animals and unauthorized people out. The lion jumped over an eight-foot fence to get to the sheep.
New Research Sheds Light on Snake Vision
Researchers have long known that snakes have highly variable sets of rods and cones – the specialized cells in the retina that an animal uses to detect light. But until now, most modern studies of vision in vertebrates have concentrated on mammals, birds and fish.
“There are more than 3,500 living species of snakes, with very diverse lifestyles,” said study senior author Dr. David Gower, an evolutionary biologist at the Natural History Museum, London, UK.
“Most modern work on the genetics of vision has been done on mammals, birds and fish. But studying snakes’ eyes is important for a more accurate and complete understanding of how vision functions and has evolved in vertebrates more generally.”
To investigate snake visual evolution, Dr. Gower and his colleagues from the United Kingdom, India and Australia examined the genes involved in producing visual pigments in 69 different species of snakes – as the genes vary from species to species so does the exact molecular structure of the pigments and the wavelengths of light they absorb.
They discovered that most snakes express three visual opsin genes (rh1, sws1, and lws) and are likely dichromatic in daylight – seeing two primary colors rather than the three that most humans
Sadness as founder of Twycross Zoo dies
One half of the partnership who created Twycross Zoo, has died. Nathalie Evans, who along with her lifetime business partner, Mollie Badham, founded the Leicestershire zoo, died on September 9, aged 98.
A spokesman for Twycross Zoo said: "Natalie will be sadly missed throughout the zoo world and by all those who were fortunate enough to count her as a friend."
Sarah Nathalie Evans, who was known as Nathalie, discovered her love for animals breeding dachshunds before eventually selling them worldwide. This experience led her to finance her next business venture, a pet shop in Sutton Coldfield.
The rival pet shop in the town was run by Molly Badham, and it was in the window of Nathalie's shop in 1949 that Molly saw her first monkey. The encounter lead to a unique partnership between Molly and Nathalie and their joint and enduring passion with primates began, and legendary association was born.
Zoo creates rain storms to help lemur leaf frog breed
Keepers have bred a critically endangered colour-changing frog by using artificial rain storms.
It is the first time the lemur leaf frog, found mainly in the rainforests of Costa Rica and Panama, has been bred at Paignton Zoo in Devon, England.
A team from the zoo prepared a rain chamber using a water pump and timer system to make it rain every few hours during the day.
The rainfall and humidity helped replicate the kind of conditions the frogs would encounter at the start of the wet season, when they breed.
Andy Meek, a keeper from the zoo's lower vertebrates and invertebrates department, said: "We have a total of 18 tadpoles, a number of w
Guangzhou mall rejects offer to transfer polar bear to UK zoo
A shopping mall in Guangdong province, which raised an international outcry for keeping a polar bear in its facility allegedly in miserable conditions, has turned down an offer by a British zoo to give a new home to the arctic mammal.
A petition to remove the bear, named Pizza, from its current location at the Grandview shopping center in Guangzhou gained more than half a million signatures in a campaign launched by animal rights group Animals Asia, The Independent reports.
Photos published online by the Hong Kong-based group show Pizza living in a small, prison-like room without windows, looking distressed as tourists gathered around to take pictures.
The campaign gained traction after various media outlets such as CNN, the BBC and Al Jazeera reported Pizza’s plight, dubbing it “the world’s saddest bear”.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster, England, confirmed it was willing to take care of the bear.
The park maintains a facility established spe
We know exactly how the Vietnamese Javan rhino went extinct
In the dense, hilly jungles of southwest Vietnam, a lone rhino once wandered. She was the last of her subspecies and this was her home.
Cat Loc, a northern sector of Cat Tien National Park, is a part of the world once ravaged by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Today it is better known as a wildlife conservation area – but also a place where some of those efforts have failed.
The last rhino spent her days roaming across thousands of hectares, a much wider range than was thought natural for these herbivores. But then again, she had the run of the place. There were creeks and rivers where she could wallow and there was also plenty of food – like rattan, a woody climbing plant found all over the area.
But one day, a hunter peered at her through the sights of a semi-automatic weapon – and pulled the trigger. We do not know if the rhino saw her killer and we do not know how many times she was shot. But as that gunshot cracked out in echoes across the forest, the extinction of Javan rhinos in Vietnam was sealed. However, it did not h
BELFAST WELCOMES EUROPE’S BIGGEST GATHERING OF ZOO PROFESSIONALS
This week Northern Ireland’s capital city is swarming with zoo professionals attending the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) conference at Belfast Waterfront.
Regarded as the biggest annual gathering of the European zoo and aquarium community and arguably the most important event in the industry’s calendar, the 4-day conference kicks off today with a jam packed programme focused on promoting biodiversity and wildlife conservation.
Belfast’s honey pot of fantastic conference facilities, excellent choice of hotels and an active European and international breeding programme to help protect endangered species, were key to attracting 700 delegates from 44 countries to the city, and generating an estimated £1.4m for the local economy.
Dr Thomas Kauffels, the chair of European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) is thrilled to bring their annual conference to Belfast for the very first time, and comments: “Belfast Zoo and the city have designed a 4-day programme guaranteed to excite, engage and enable us to explore the region’s rich culture as well as the local ecosystems.
“Having a conference centre that is flexible and able to adapt helped create the winning proposal and the perfect setting for this year’s conference. Belfast Waterfront’s fantastic conference facilities are even better than some UK centres. Its city centre location and convenience to the region’s two airports have proven extremely beneficial to our international delegates – members can fly in and go straight to a meeting,
BANNERGHATTA NATIONAL PARK : GIRAFFE FROM CYPRUS ZOO? A TALL ORDER
Bannerghatta Biological Park's efforts to add giraffe to its menagerie is proving to be a test of its resilience. After four years and two failed attempts, it has finally struck a deal with Pafos Zoo in Cyprus: Two female elephants in change for two pairs of giraffe. But the issue now is how will it foot the $250,000 transportation cost? The animal will have to be brought in a special chartered flight.
And so, the biological park is now on the lookout for other zoos in India that might also be interested in an exchange with the Cyprus zoo so that the expenses can be shared.
The park will soon submit a detailed plan in this regard to the State government for its approval. Santosh Kumar, executive director, BBP, confirmed the news with Bangalore Mir
SIKKIM’S SCHOLAR MAKES SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH , DISCOVERS A NEW SPECIES OF PIKA
A new study based on genetic data and skull measurements has identified a new species of mammal high up in the Sikkim Himalaya.
Reported in the Journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, the new pika species, O. sikimaria is an important part of the ecosystem, and sensitive to the impacts of climate change.
Sikkim’s Daughter Nishma Dahal, the first author of the paper and a Sikkim native has been studying pikas since 2010. Little did she know on her first trip to East Sikkim that she was handling a new species of pika.
The research conducted by the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) with support from the Department of Biotechnology shows that though the species is morphologically similar to the Moupinpika, it is actually very distinct from the former from a genetic and ecological perspective.
Such discordance between genetics and morphology has never been reported in pikas, although such cases have been reported in many organisms like butterflies, arctic plants and f
Snail mail: RZSS reintroduces rare Partula snails to Tahiti
Conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) has provided hundreds of critically endangered Partula snails to be reintroduced to their native habitat of French Polynesia. Most species of the tree snails became extinct as a result of predation by the introduced rosy wolf snail; however, thanks to the combined conservation efforts of RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and its partners, a number of the species were rescued from complete extinction.
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo has sent off five different species of Partula snail to be returned to the wild this September, with further reintroductions planne
Measuring the relationship…
I’m always wondering how far having a relationship goes in the eyes of us trainers. I mean do we value relationships the same as what we have between each other? If this is the case we might need to reconsider what having a good relationship means with the animals we work with. Working with killer whales in various facilities made me understand much better how important it is to build up a relationship, because this was depending on your own safety. The theory was if the relationship is strong enough then the safety is on a higher standard for the animal and yourself. There for we did a lot of relate sessions with the animals.
SEAWORLD CUTS DIVIDEND AS FINANCIAL WOES CONTINUE
SeaWorld announced this week that it would be cutting the dividend paid to its shareholders for the current quarter and stop paying dividends altogether for the foreseeable future.
Instead the company will focus on repurchasing shares with $190 million set aside to pay for this.
SeaWorld's share price has slumped over 60% during the past three years since the release of the award-winning film Blackfish, and amid ongoing criticism over its continued display of orc
Tapirs Are Surprisingly Well Endowed
Taxonomy
In the distant past, orangutans existed throughout southeast and southern mainland Asia, but their populations are currently only found in northern Sumatra (Indonesia) and in Borneo (Indonesia and Malaysia). Throughout much of their history in captivity, there has been debate about the degree to which the orangutans living on these two islands differ genetically. Until the latter part of the 20th century, most zoological collections managed the apes as a single species, regardless of individual origin, thereby creating a large hybrid population. Significant genetic studies performed in the 1980s and 1990s demonstrated that the orangutans from the two islands are indeed genetically distinct and classifiable as separate species – Pongo pygmaeus (Bornean orangutan) and Pongo abelii (Sumatran orangutan).
Bird flu poses threat to penguins - scientists
Scientists are warning of new threats to penguins on Antarctica from diseases spread by migratory birds.
A modern strain of bird flu has been found in penguins living on the snowy continent, although it does not seem to be making them ill.
Conservationists say penguins need better protection through monitoring for new diseases and safeguarding their breeding and fishing grounds.
Bird flu is an infectious disease of poultry and wild birds.
Scientists found an unusual strain of bird flu among penguins on Antarctica a few years ago.
A second strain has now been discovered, suggesting viruses are reaching the continent more often than previou
Wildlife Crime Bulletin
Extinction looms for the once-ubiquitous hornbills of Belum Temengor
We are in danger of losing another iconic wildlife, writes Elena Koshy “LANGIT terus tak ada — dilitupi oleh burung ni,” (couldn’t even see the sky for the birds...) the weathered face of the “Batin” or village headman of the Orang Asli village of Chiong in Temengor looks wistful as he stares off into the distance, recalling the long past days where the skies were once filled with thousands of Plain-Pouched Hornbills making their migratory journey across the still waters of the Temengor Lake. Flocks of hornbills covering our skies were common sight in the deep forests of Belum Temengor in the 1990s and up to the early 2000s. However, in recent years and from the recent Hornbill Survey undertaken by the Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY) at the Royal Belum State Park late last month, there’s an alar
Forced to pose for selfies with crowds after performing in portable chlorine pools: Sad life of dolphins captured for Indonesia's traveling circuses
Pictures from one of Indonesia's popular travelling dolphin circus have revealed the cruel conditions the sea creatures are being being kept in.
More than wild 72 dolphins have been caught from the ocean and kept in captivity as part of travelling circuses that perform across Indonesia, according to The Black Fish.
In Semarang, west of Jakarta, crowds pay very little to watch a man command dolphins to do tricks with balls, jump through hoops and perform flips.
It's part of the furniture but without a Dutchman and Bertie, Dublin Zoo could have shut forever
DESPITE BEING A staple of Dublin and one of the most popular visitor attractions in Ireland, there was a time when the capital was faced with the possibility of losing Dublin Zoo.
The organisation was nearly on its last legs financially at the turn of the millennium and if it wasn’t for government intervention in 2006, the zoo may well have been forced to close its doors for good.
“I walked in 15 years ago and I scratched my head,” says Leo Oosterweghel, the Dutchman who joined as director of Dublin Zoo from Melbourne Zoo in 2001 to try and reinvigorate the organisation.
On a worldwide basis, state backing in zoos is quite rare, according to Oosterweghel, who says Dublin Zoo has one man in particular to thank for ring fencing the €18 million in funding that has helped bring the organisation back fr
Exmoor Zoo staff left heartbroken after all 10 penguins die
Exmoor Zoo staff have been left heartbroken after all its penguins died.
The zoo reported today that all 10 of the birds had died from a quick and devastating outbreak of avian malaria.
There have been penguins at the zoo, near Bratton Fleming, since it opened in 1982, and some of the birds that died today are children of the original birds.
Hunting Mudpuppies: On the Trail (and in the River) with Herpetologist Stephen Nelson
The Hiwassee River ripples like a slippery salamander, reflecting the flinty color of the sky. Then Stephen Nelson’s head breaks the smooth surface, and he rises from the chill water with a gasp, holding a gallon Ziploc bag. His scuba mask and labored walk toward shore give him a robotic look as water pours off his wetsuit.
Nelson yanks off his mask with a smack, revealing eyes pinned to the bag. It’s half full of water in which swims a sleek, shadowy creature normally accustomed to hiding in dark, wet corners. It’s small for an animal, but big for a salamander.
“It’s a common mudpuppy,” says Nelson, a herpetology keeper at Zoo Knoxville. The salamanders supposedly got their common name from making high-pitched whines when distressed, rather like a puppy’s bark.
But Nelson has never heard one utter a sound.
This animal both is, and isn’t, what he was seeking. Although he’s sampling for mudpuppies and this one will add to the genetic database he is buildi
Cheetah is now 'running for its very survival'
Pitiful scenes of cheetah cubs lying emaciated and bewildered highlight one of the cruellest but least-publicised examples of illegal wildlife trafficking.
Baby cheetahs are so prized as exotic pets that entire litters are seized from their mothers when they may only be four to six weeks old.
Each tiny animal can fetch as much as $10,000 on the black market and end up being paraded on social media by wealthy buyers in Gulf states.
But the trade exacts a terrible toll on a species that claims a superlative status as the fastest land animal on the planet but which now faces a serious threat to its survival.
Chinese Malls Are Filled With Sad Animals
Want to see something on a grand scale? Don’t head into nature—head to a Chinese mall. The country’s shopping obsession has taken the indoor shopping center concept to a new level, packing each mall with amenities and entertainment designed to lure in customers. But while the thought of a shopping spree might sound fun, the mall is anything but enjoyable for some of its residents: exotic animals. As Echo Huang Yinyin writes for Quartz, thousands of wild animals call Chinese malls home, living in a state of captivity for the sake of selfies.
Yinyin tracks the fate of animals like Pizza, a three-year-old polar bear held in captivity in The Grandview mall in Guangzhou. Pizza is stuffed into Grandview Mall Ocean World, an aquarium and zoo that features everything from Arctic wolves and foxes to walruses, beluga whales and other species. The animals’ keepers have been accused of everything from killing animals in transit to storing animals in filthy, too-small tanks. Pizza the polar bear gained international fame when he became the subject of a petition to release him from his isolated conditions. Outside experts claim that Pizza’s behavior—pacing, listlessness and staring—while mall
Half of Niabi Zoo’s animal handlers resign
Major changes are underway at the Niabi Zoo.
According to zoo director, Lee Jackson, five of the 10 animal handlers at the zoo have resigned. Three of the handlers have already left the zoo. Another two will leave in the next month.
Jackson says some of the employees have been looking for other jobs for months and it is a coincidence they received job offers close together. He also says some employees are leaving because they are unhappy with so
Niabi Zoo in 'crisis'
Five of the 10 animal handlers at Niabi Zoo have resigned, leaving the new director scrambling to find qualified, temporary help.
Two of the handlers have accepted jobs at larger zoos, director Lee Jackson said Tuesday. They gave notice and are working their final days at Niabi, located in Coal Valley.
Three others resigned this month, including assistant director and former interim zoo director Dan Meates. His wife, Leisje Meates, also a handler, has resigned as well. One keeper, Bryan Pohlmeier, simply "threw his keys down" on a desk, he said.
In about a week, an animal handler on loan from the National Zoo is to arrive to help temporarily, and Niabi is advertising for permanent replacements for all five positions.
"I've also reached out to several other zoos closer to home to see if they can help us out," Jackson said.
"We have nothing to hide out there," said Jeff Craver, director of the Rock Island County Forest Preserve Commission, which is Niabi's governing body. "We have lost staff. Are we trying to get staff out there to cover the crisis? Yes."
Pohlmeier, who has worked for the zoo since January, was not bashful about listing his compl
