Peter Dickinson
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
Penguins on a British beach? Fake news? Seemingly not. I will be very interested to learn more of this story. It surely must be a deliberate introduction. There is the suggestion they were stowaways on a container ship. I reckon this is highly unlikely...have you seen how high those ships are? Isolated penguins do turn up huge distances from their home waters but a group?
Of course sightings of penguins around the British coast are not unusual. I have followed up on at least a dozen of these in years gone by. Invariably they turn out to be Guillemots.
Lots of interest follows.
Of course sightings of penguins around the British coast are not unusual. I have followed up on at least a dozen of these in years gone by. Invariably they turn out to be Guillemots.
Lots of interest follows.
*********
Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 73,000 Followers on Facebook( and over 73,000 likes) and has a weekly reach often exceeding over 350,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 823 Zoos in 154+ countries? That the subscriber list for the mail out reads like a 'Zoos Who's Who?'
If you are a subscriber to the email version then you probably knew this already. You would also know that ZooNews Digest pre-dates any of the others. It was there before FaceBook. It was there shortly after the internet became popular and was a 'Blog' before the word had been invented. ZooNews Digest reaches zoo people.
I remain committed to the work of GOOD zoos,
********
*****
***
**
*
Wasted Millions of
Animal Rights Group Exposed
This is a re-post of
an article by the Animal Activist Watch – be aware NOT to DONATE your hard
earned money to organisations that use emotions to solicit funds for their own
gain.
Hollywood’s famous
Sunset Boulevard is the focal point of a new hard-hitting campaign which
exposes how PETA is raking in millions but brutally killing thousands of pets
in the name of animal rights.
A giant billboard on
the iconic route depicts a cartoon of the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe and
looming over defenceless puppies accompanied by the wording: “72% kill rate for
pets.”
More than two
million motorists and pedestrians will see the graphic image which exposes
PETA’s hypocrisy over the holiday season and New Year.
The billboard is a
stark reference to PETA’s appalling record for putting to sleep stray and
rescued animals because it believes animals should not to be kept as pets.
The portrayal of
PETA as the Grim Reaper and not Guardian Angel in the home of the world’s
biggest stars is a bitter blow to PETA which openly courts celebrities to
further its aims.
It was erected by
AnimalActivistWatch.com, a new team of
Why Chinese demand
for ‘red ivory’ dooms helmeted hornbill bird to extinction unless poaching can
be stopped
The international
trade in illegal wildlife parts has another victim. Over the past five years,
there has been an explosion in demand for the “red ivory” of an Asian bird –
the helmeted hornbill.
Helmeted hornbill
products sell for three to five times the price of elephant ivory. Their value
has triggered a boom in poaching, sending the bird plunging towards extinction.
Although it has been listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on the International
Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) since the 1970s –
which means the trade is illegal – the helmeted hornbill is much sought after
on the black market, and Post Magazine has discovered that Hong Kong plays a
key role in the unfolding tragedy.
The helmeted
hornbill lives in remnant pockets of lowland rainforest in Indonesia,
Malaysia, southern Thailand and the sou
Why We Should
Rethink How We Talk About “Alien” Species
The USDA’s “tick
riders,” as they are called, are tasked with keeping infected cattle from
straying deeper into Texas, where the deadly fever poses a serious threat to
the beef industry. Whenever they find a stray or infected cow, they track it
down and dip it in pesticide to kill the ticks and prevent them from spreading.
Yet despite their best efforts, the tick riders’ challenge has recently
increased, as more and more of the hardy ticks find their way across the
border.
A large part of the
problem is that cattle fever ticks also have another host: Nilgai antelope, a
species native to India that was imported to North America in the 1930s as an
exotic target for game hunters. These antelope, like the ticks themselves, and
the pathogen
Five penguins set up
home on Felixstowe beach
A group of penguins
has set up home on Felixstowe beach, the first to ever settle naturally in the
UK, it has emerged.
The five Magellanic
penguins – all adults and apparently healthy – have been spotted over recent
days on the pebbled beach close to the Spa Pavilion.
Experts say the
flightless seabirds normally live in South America, and they are curious about
how they came to be splashing around on the Suffolk coast.
It is likely they
hitched a ride on a container ship from the Falkland Islands to Felixstowe
Port, which arrived last week – and liked it so much they decided to stick
around.
“From the
photographs we have seen, the group seem healthy and happy enough,” said
zoologist William Spence, from Cambridge University.
He added: “It’s
certainly nice and cold at the moment, so they are quite at home in the
conditions, and are likely to be finding ple
Don’t Believe the
Hype: Giant Pandas Are Still Endangered
In September 2016
the International Union for the Conservation of Nature made a huge
announcement: the giant panda, previously listed as an endangered species, had
been downgraded from endangered to vulnerable. This news, covered by media
around the world, was based in part on 2015 data presented by the Chinese State
Forestry Administration that panda populations had risen to an estimated 1,864
wild individuals. While this action was lauded as an example of bringing a
conservation icon back from the brink of extinction, we argue that the
downlisting was premature and ill-advised.
Giant pandas
(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) now occupy only small fragments of their historic
range, fragments left in the wake of human population expansion, attendant
land-use change and road construction. Other threats include natural disasters
such as earthquakes and landslides and ongoing climatic change, which is
shifting the range of pandas’ preferred bamboo species, accelerating the
flowering and aging of bamboo and simultaneously enhancing outbreaks of
herbivoro
Leopard escapes from
private zoo in Cornwall and 'lives in a barn'
A leopard escaped
from a private zoo in Cornwall just after Christmas, police have confirmed.
The animal was
recaptured following reports that sheep had been killed in the area.
Cornwall Live
reports that the wild cat, which is usually kept at a private property in Great
Treverran, near Par, ran off in late December.
A "weather
incident" is reported to have been blamed for its vanishing act.
The clouded leopard
is apparently kept as part of a private collection also including other
interesting animals.
The 'private zoo' in
Cornwall that a leopard has escaped from
This is the
enclosure on a Cornwall estate where neighbours claims leopards and flamingos
are living at a man's 'private zoo'.
Parents in the area
say they are scared for their children's safety after one of the leopards
escaped last month - and apparently began living in a barn on a farm a mile
away.
The authorities have
confirmed the animals are being kept properly, with all the correct licenses in
place.
Neighbours named
Todd Dalton, who famously won a legal battle to keep meat-eating animals in his
London garden 12 years ago, as the man who keeps the animals.
Police confirmed the
escaped leopard was recaptured after vanishing from Great Treverran, near Par,
on Boxing Day.
‘Not your typical
zoo’
When does a “pet
lover” commit animal cruelty? When they start to think it is “cool” to buy
nondomesticated wildlife for a pet, keep them in a cage or tie them to a tree
with a chain, or worse, dispose of them later on.
So-called hobbyists,
or lovers of special pets, risk being slapped with fines or jail time for
violation of Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and
Protection Act, especially if their pets, most probably undocumented wildlife,
sustained serious injuries.
RSPCA ends probe at
'improved' South Lakes Safari Zoo
The RSPCA has closed
an investigation into a troubled zoo where hundreds of animals and a keeper
died.
In 2013, keeper
Sarah McClay was killed by a tiger at South Lakes Safari Zoo and last year a
council report revealed 486 animals had died in four years.
In a statement the
charity said its decision was based on changes to the zoo's management and
better conditions.
The Zoo's website
said it had "made changes" for the better and continued to improve.
Inside the cruel
world of illegal chimp trading: How apes are stolen to order, crammed into
crates then smuggled across the world to satisfy the whims of the ignorant and
wealthy
The crate flown in
from Istanbul was filled with exotic creatures for collectors: tantalus and
patas monkeys, golden and ring-necked pheasants, scores of parrots and several
dozen pigeons.
The cargo quickly
cleared customs and quarantine checks –thanks to a £4,400 bribe, say
investigators – and was collected by a pair of local bird dealers in Kathmandu.
Little did they know
they were being observed by a special squad of Nepalese police investigating a
major international wildlife smuggling ring.
For also inside the
crate – stuffed into a secretive middle section – were two infant chimpanzees,
cowering in fear after being ripped from their slaughtered families in an
African forest.
The traumatised
animals had been transported thousands of miles from their native lands and
were at risk of dying of suffocation. They could barely be detected hidden
among the more humdrum birds and monkeys.
For these terrified
chimps, barely a year old, suffering severe dehydration and shedding body
weight inside their grim
Plans for renowned
bird conservation centre revealed
Plans for a
world-renowned conservation and breeding centre for endangered birds have been
revealed.
Birds Gardens
Scotland has submitted proposals for a 200 square foot visitor centre made from
straw and lime morter at its site in Oxton, near Lauder.,
The building - which
is part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Scottish
Borders LEADER 2014 – 2020 Programme and Scottish & Southern Energy - will
provide a classroom, conference facilities, a resource area, library, coffee
shop, and outdoor play area.
African Lions: Born
Free? No, Born Captive to Be Killed
South African lion
farmer Tienie Bamberger could not escape the blow to business from America’s
ban on hunters importing trophies from captive lions. “The effect of the ban
showed immediately, of course, from the moment the first hunter canceled a
hunt,” says Bamberger, who runs Warthog Safaris. “I would say that roughly 80
percent of my clients were Americans, at least of those hunters coming to hunt
lions.”
Bamberge says the
number of foreigners booking lion hunts drastically declined and the business
“shrank significantly” as many of his American clients—who make up 80 percent
of his business—stayed away.
“It’s just our
American clients, many of whom have become cherished friends, who are denied
the opportunity to stalk and hunt the apex predator of the African continent,”
says Bamberger.
But the hunting
world is fraught with confusion these days.
In November, Trump
reversed an Obama-era ban on Americans importing elephant trophies from
Zimbabwe and Zambia. A barrage of criticism followed and the Trump boys’ own
dabbling in trophy hunting came under the spotlight, with critics, including
celebrities, recirculating photos of the president’s sons posing with elephant
and leopard
Barrow MP wins
support for life-time ban on failed zoo directors
BARROW and Furness
MP, John Woodcock, has today (January 10) taken part in a first meeting of a
new inquiry into deaths and cruelty in zoos.
John joined Labour’s
backbench animal welfare committee to launch a review into how zoos are
regulated and inspected following severe shortcomings in inspection practices
exposed by the tragedies at South Lakeland Safari Zoo and other establishments
across the country.
At the first session
of the inquiry, MPs heard evidence from campaigners pushing to create a new
national office for zoo welfare to replace the regulatory system which is
currently managed by individual local authorities like Barrow council.
The inquiry will
also consider the prospect of imposing a lifetime ban on individuals who held
senior management positions in regimes that allow cruelty and neglect to occur.
Currently, only the named license holder faces future restrictions if a zoo is found
to be failing in its animal welfare and safety obligations.
Following today's
meeting, Mr Woodcock said a strong case had been made for
In defence of zoos
Oftentimes, zoos and
aquariums are perceived as businesses that capture and exploit animals for
personal gain. But if you look closer into the actions taken by these
institutions, you will find that zoos and aquariums can be extremely beneficial
in their conservation efforts and public education, as well as providing
excellent care to their animals.
First of all, it
should be emphasized that not all zoos are created equal. Yes, there are zoos
that have very little credibility and low standards of animal care. But these
aren’t the zoos I’m focusing on right now. The institutions that I’m talking
about are the 214 zoos and aquariums across the United States that have an
accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This accreditation
means that the institution provides top quality animal care, emphasizes
education, and funds conservation and research efforts to benefit wild species.
When you walk into a
zoo or aquarium, a large percentage of the animals you see can’t be released
into the wild. Whether it be that they were born under human care, imprinted on
humans, have injuries or don’t have the necessary survival skills to succeed in
the wild, they are deemed by the federal government as non-releasable. They
Primate Problem
Solving and Reintroduction: A Conversation with Dr. Ben Beck, Retired Associate
Director and General Curator of the Smithsonian National Zoo
For decades, Dr.
Benjamin Beck has been one of the leading authorities on animal behavior in
zoos, particularly of primates. “Animal behavior research produces fundamental
understanding of, for example, feeding behavior and of social systems and
social behavior,” he stated. “Two examples in the social realm come to mind. In
the 60s and early 70s, golden lion tamarins were kept in zoos like macaques, in
multimale/multifemale groups. The results were disastrous: fighting, lethal
wounding and poor reproductive success. Devra Kleiman discovered that golden
lion tamarins were monogamous and should be kept as adult pairs and their
offspring. When implemented, this insight led to a rapid growth in the zoo
population, which of course provided individuals for the later golden lion
tamarin reintroduction to Brazil, one of the finest examples of zoo
conservation efforts.”
Captive orca Lolita
can stay at Miami aquarium: U.S. appeals court
By a 3-0 vote, the
11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Miami rejected claims by People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and others that keeping Lolita in captivity
violated the federal Endangered Species Act.
“The evidence,
construed in the light most favorable to PETA, does not support the conclusion
that the conditions of her captivity pose a threat of serious harm to Lolita,”
the court said.
Friday’s decision
upheld a lower court ruling. The lawsuit began in July 2015, two months after
the National Marine Fisheries Service recognized wha
Swedish zoo kills
nine healthy lion cubs over six years
A zoo in Sweden has
put down nine healthy lion cubs since 2012 because they could not afford to
keep them.
Borås Djurpark
resorts to the controversial practice if the animals cannot be moved to other
zoos or if they are rejected by their group.
The zoo’s CEO Bo
Kjellson told Swedish broadcaster SVT: “I think they were killed after two
years."
“At that time we had
tried to sell or relocate them to other zoos for a long time but unfortunately
there were no zoos that could receive them, and when the aggressions became too
big in the group we had to remove some animals. And then it had to be them.”
Of the thirteen cubs
born in three litters at the zoo since 2012, only two have survived. Two of
them died of natural causes, but the rest were put down.
Borås Zoo was
founded in 1962. It looks after 600 an
*********
Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 73,000 Followers on Facebook( and over 73,000 likes) and has a weekly reach often exceeding over 350,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 823 Zoos in 154+ countries? That the subscriber list for the mail out reads like a 'Zoos Who's Who?'
If you are a subscriber to the email version then you probably knew this already. You would also know that ZooNews Digest pre-dates any of the others. It was there before FaceBook. It was there shortly after the internet became popular and was a 'Blog' before the word had been invented. ZooNews Digest reaches zoo people.
I remain committed to the work of GOOD zoos,
********
*****
***
**
*
Wasted Millions of
Animal Rights Group Exposed
This is a re-post of
an article by the Animal Activist Watch – be aware NOT to DONATE your hard
earned money to organisations that use emotions to solicit funds for their own
gain.
Hollywood’s famous
Sunset Boulevard is the focal point of a new hard-hitting campaign which
exposes how PETA is raking in millions but brutally killing thousands of pets
in the name of animal rights.
A giant billboard on
the iconic route depicts a cartoon of the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe and
looming over defenceless puppies accompanied by the wording: “72% kill rate for
pets.”
More than two
million motorists and pedestrians will see the graphic image which exposes
PETA’s hypocrisy over the holiday season and New Year.
The billboard is a
stark reference to PETA’s appalling record for putting to sleep stray and
rescued animals because it believes animals should not to be kept as pets.
The portrayal of
PETA as the Grim Reaper and not Guardian Angel in the home of the world’s
biggest stars is a bitter blow to PETA which openly courts celebrities to
further its aims.
It was erected by
AnimalActivistWatch.com, a new team of
Why Chinese demand
for ‘red ivory’ dooms helmeted hornbill bird to extinction unless poaching can
be stopped
The international
trade in illegal wildlife parts has another victim. Over the past five years,
there has been an explosion in demand for the “red ivory” of an Asian bird –
the helmeted hornbill.
Helmeted hornbill
products sell for three to five times the price of elephant ivory. Their value
has triggered a boom in poaching, sending the bird plunging towards extinction.
Although it has been listed in Appendix 1 of the Convention on the International
Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) since the 1970s –
which means the trade is illegal – the helmeted hornbill is much sought after
on the black market, and Post Magazine has discovered that Hong Kong plays a
key role in the unfolding tragedy.
The helmeted
hornbill lives in remnant pockets of lowland rainforest in Indonesia,
Malaysia, southern Thailand and the sou
Why We Should
Rethink How We Talk About “Alien” Species
The USDA’s “tick
riders,” as they are called, are tasked with keeping infected cattle from
straying deeper into Texas, where the deadly fever poses a serious threat to
the beef industry. Whenever they find a stray or infected cow, they track it
down and dip it in pesticide to kill the ticks and prevent them from spreading.
Yet despite their best efforts, the tick riders’ challenge has recently
increased, as more and more of the hardy ticks find their way across the
border.
A large part of the
problem is that cattle fever ticks also have another host: Nilgai antelope, a
species native to India that was imported to North America in the 1930s as an
exotic target for game hunters. These antelope, like the ticks themselves, and
the pathogen
Five penguins set up
home on Felixstowe beach
A group of penguins
has set up home on Felixstowe beach, the first to ever settle naturally in the
UK, it has emerged.
The five Magellanic
penguins – all adults and apparently healthy – have been spotted over recent
days on the pebbled beach close to the Spa Pavilion.
Experts say the
flightless seabirds normally live in South America, and they are curious about
how they came to be splashing around on the Suffolk coast.
It is likely they
hitched a ride on a container ship from the Falkland Islands to Felixstowe
Port, which arrived last week – and liked it so much they decided to stick
around.
“From the
photographs we have seen, the group seem healthy and happy enough,” said
zoologist William Spence, from Cambridge University.
He added: “It’s
certainly nice and cold at the moment, so they are quite at home in the
conditions, and are likely to be finding ple
Don’t Believe the
Hype: Giant Pandas Are Still Endangered
In September 2016
the International Union for the Conservation of Nature made a huge
announcement: the giant panda, previously listed as an endangered species, had
been downgraded from endangered to vulnerable. This news, covered by media
around the world, was based in part on 2015 data presented by the Chinese State
Forestry Administration that panda populations had risen to an estimated 1,864
wild individuals. While this action was lauded as an example of bringing a
conservation icon back from the brink of extinction, we argue that the
downlisting was premature and ill-advised.
Giant pandas
(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) now occupy only small fragments of their historic
range, fragments left in the wake of human population expansion, attendant
land-use change and road construction. Other threats include natural disasters
such as earthquakes and landslides and ongoing climatic change, which is
shifting the range of pandas’ preferred bamboo species, accelerating the
flowering and aging of bamboo and simultaneously enhancing outbreaks of
herbivoro
Leopard escapes from
private zoo in Cornwall and 'lives in a barn'
A leopard escaped
from a private zoo in Cornwall just after Christmas, police have confirmed.
The animal was
recaptured following reports that sheep had been killed in the area.
Cornwall Live
reports that the wild cat, which is usually kept at a private property in Great
Treverran, near Par, ran off in late December.
A "weather
incident" is reported to have been blamed for its vanishing act.
The clouded leopard
is apparently kept as part of a private collection also including other
interesting animals.
The 'private zoo' in
Cornwall that a leopard has escaped from
This is the
enclosure on a Cornwall estate where neighbours claims leopards and flamingos
are living at a man's 'private zoo'.
Parents in the area
say they are scared for their children's safety after one of the leopards
escaped last month - and apparently began living in a barn on a farm a mile
away.
The authorities have
confirmed the animals are being kept properly, with all the correct licenses in
place.
Neighbours named
Todd Dalton, who famously won a legal battle to keep meat-eating animals in his
London garden 12 years ago, as the man who keeps the animals.
Police confirmed the
escaped leopard was recaptured after vanishing from Great Treverran, near Par,
on Boxing Day.
‘Not your typical
zoo’
When does a “pet
lover” commit animal cruelty? When they start to think it is “cool” to buy
nondomesticated wildlife for a pet, keep them in a cage or tie them to a tree
with a chain, or worse, dispose of them later on.
So-called hobbyists,
or lovers of special pets, risk being slapped with fines or jail time for
violation of Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and
Protection Act, especially if their pets, most probably undocumented wildlife,
sustained serious injuries.
RSPCA ends probe at
'improved' South Lakes Safari Zoo
The RSPCA has closed
an investigation into a troubled zoo where hundreds of animals and a keeper
died.
In 2013, keeper
Sarah McClay was killed by a tiger at South Lakes Safari Zoo and last year a
council report revealed 486 animals had died in four years.
In a statement the
charity said its decision was based on changes to the zoo's management and
better conditions.
The Zoo's website
said it had "made changes" for the better and continued to improve.
Inside the cruel
world of illegal chimp trading: How apes are stolen to order, crammed into
crates then smuggled across the world to satisfy the whims of the ignorant and
wealthy
The crate flown in
from Istanbul was filled with exotic creatures for collectors: tantalus and
patas monkeys, golden and ring-necked pheasants, scores of parrots and several
dozen pigeons.
The cargo quickly
cleared customs and quarantine checks –thanks to a £4,400 bribe, say
investigators – and was collected by a pair of local bird dealers in Kathmandu.
Little did they know
they were being observed by a special squad of Nepalese police investigating a
major international wildlife smuggling ring.
For also inside the
crate – stuffed into a secretive middle section – were two infant chimpanzees,
cowering in fear after being ripped from their slaughtered families in an
African forest.
The traumatised
animals had been transported thousands of miles from their native lands and
were at risk of dying of suffocation. They could barely be detected hidden
among the more humdrum birds and monkeys.
For these terrified
chimps, barely a year old, suffering severe dehydration and shedding body
weight inside their grim
Plans for renowned
bird conservation centre revealed
Plans for a
world-renowned conservation and breeding centre for endangered birds have been
revealed.
Birds Gardens
Scotland has submitted proposals for a 200 square foot visitor centre made from
straw and lime morter at its site in Oxton, near Lauder.,
The building - which
is part-financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Scottish
Borders LEADER 2014 – 2020 Programme and Scottish & Southern Energy - will
provide a classroom, conference facilities, a resource area, library, coffee
shop, and outdoor play area.
African Lions: Born
Free? No, Born Captive to Be Killed
South African lion
farmer Tienie Bamberger could not escape the blow to business from America’s
ban on hunters importing trophies from captive lions. “The effect of the ban
showed immediately, of course, from the moment the first hunter canceled a
hunt,” says Bamberger, who runs Warthog Safaris. “I would say that roughly 80
percent of my clients were Americans, at least of those hunters coming to hunt
lions.”
Bamberge says the
number of foreigners booking lion hunts drastically declined and the business
“shrank significantly” as many of his American clients—who make up 80 percent
of his business—stayed away.
“It’s just our
American clients, many of whom have become cherished friends, who are denied
the opportunity to stalk and hunt the apex predator of the African continent,”
says Bamberger.
But the hunting
world is fraught with confusion these days.
In November, Trump
reversed an Obama-era ban on Americans importing elephant trophies from
Zimbabwe and Zambia. A barrage of criticism followed and the Trump boys’ own
dabbling in trophy hunting came under the spotlight, with critics, including
celebrities, recirculating photos of the president’s sons posing with elephant
and leopard
Barrow MP wins
support for life-time ban on failed zoo directors
BARROW and Furness
MP, John Woodcock, has today (January 10) taken part in a first meeting of a
new inquiry into deaths and cruelty in zoos.
John joined Labour’s
backbench animal welfare committee to launch a review into how zoos are
regulated and inspected following severe shortcomings in inspection practices
exposed by the tragedies at South Lakeland Safari Zoo and other establishments
across the country.
At the first session
of the inquiry, MPs heard evidence from campaigners pushing to create a new
national office for zoo welfare to replace the regulatory system which is
currently managed by individual local authorities like Barrow council.
The inquiry will
also consider the prospect of imposing a lifetime ban on individuals who held
senior management positions in regimes that allow cruelty and neglect to occur.
Currently, only the named license holder faces future restrictions if a zoo is found
to be failing in its animal welfare and safety obligations.
Following today's
meeting, Mr Woodcock said a strong case had been made for
In defence of zoos
Oftentimes, zoos and
aquariums are perceived as businesses that capture and exploit animals for
personal gain. But if you look closer into the actions taken by these
institutions, you will find that zoos and aquariums can be extremely beneficial
in their conservation efforts and public education, as well as providing
excellent care to their animals.
First of all, it
should be emphasized that not all zoos are created equal. Yes, there are zoos
that have very little credibility and low standards of animal care. But these
aren’t the zoos I’m focusing on right now. The institutions that I’m talking
about are the 214 zoos and aquariums across the United States that have an
accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This accreditation
means that the institution provides top quality animal care, emphasizes
education, and funds conservation and research efforts to benefit wild species.
When you walk into a
zoo or aquarium, a large percentage of the animals you see can’t be released
into the wild. Whether it be that they were born under human care, imprinted on
humans, have injuries or don’t have the necessary survival skills to succeed in
the wild, they are deemed by the federal government as non-releasable. They
Primate Problem
Solving and Reintroduction: A Conversation with Dr. Ben Beck, Retired Associate
Director and General Curator of the Smithsonian National Zoo
For decades, Dr.
Benjamin Beck has been one of the leading authorities on animal behavior in
zoos, particularly of primates. “Animal behavior research produces fundamental
understanding of, for example, feeding behavior and of social systems and
social behavior,” he stated. “Two examples in the social realm come to mind. In
the 60s and early 70s, golden lion tamarins were kept in zoos like macaques, in
multimale/multifemale groups. The results were disastrous: fighting, lethal
wounding and poor reproductive success. Devra Kleiman discovered that golden
lion tamarins were monogamous and should be kept as adult pairs and their
offspring. When implemented, this insight led to a rapid growth in the zoo
population, which of course provided individuals for the later golden lion
tamarin reintroduction to Brazil, one of the finest examples of zoo
conservation efforts.”
Captive orca Lolita
can stay at Miami aquarium: U.S. appeals court
By a 3-0 vote, the
11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Miami rejected claims by People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and others that keeping Lolita in captivity
violated the federal Endangered Species Act.
“The evidence,
construed in the light most favorable to PETA, does not support the conclusion
that the conditions of her captivity pose a threat of serious harm to Lolita,”
the court said.
Friday’s decision
upheld a lower court ruling. The lawsuit began in July 2015, two months after
the National Marine Fisheries Service recognized wha
Swedish zoo kills
nine healthy lion cubs over six years
A zoo in Sweden has
put down nine healthy lion cubs since 2012 because they could not afford to
keep them.
Borås Djurpark
resorts to the controversial practice if the animals cannot be moved to other
zoos or if they are rejected by their group.
The zoo’s CEO Bo
Kjellson told Swedish broadcaster SVT: “I think they were killed after two
years."
“At that time we had
tried to sell or relocate them to other zoos for a long time but unfortunately
there were no zoos that could receive them, and when the aggressions became too
big in the group we had to remove some animals. And then it had to be them.”
Of the thirteen cubs
born in three litters at the zoo since 2012, only two have survived. Two of
them died of natural causes, but the rest were put down.
Borås Zoo was
founded in 1962. It looks after 600 an
The Good Zoo and Euthanasia
New hope for
critically endangered Myanmar snub-nosed monkey
Scientists and
conservation teams from Fauna & Flora International (FFI), Dali University
and the German Primate Center just published a comprehensive conservation
status review of one of the world's most threatened primate species, the
critically endangered Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (also known affectionately as
the 'snubby' by scientists, and as the black snub-nosed monkey in China),
Rhinopithecus strykeri.
The species was
discovered in Myanmar in 2010 by Ngwe Lwin, a local scientist working for FFI.
The following year, scientists in China confirmed that these primates are also
found in the neighbouring forests of Yunnan province. In 2012, research by FFI
and partners led to the species being formally designated as critically
endangered due to its small population size and threats from hunting and
habitat loss.
Eight years after
its discovery, the conservation status review sought to uncover how the species
is faring. The report confirms that while the status of the snub-nosed monkey
remains critical due to its fragmented, small population and ongoing threats, positive
actions by communities,
The latest on the
fight to save Sumatran rhino Iman
In the Asia Pacific,
the news continues to be grim on the island of Borneo, where experts from one
country’s wildlife department are desperately trying to save the life of an
extraordinarily rare, critically endangered animal – one of only nine in captivity
anywhere in the world; we’ve followed her story for weeks and have an update.
In Malaysian Borneo,
since mid-December, wildlife officials have struggled to save the life of Iman
the Sumatran Rhino. Iman is one of two of the critically endangered animals
living at a wildlife reserve under the care of the nonprofit Borneo Rhino Alliance
and Malaysia’s Sabah Wildlife Department. Captured in the wild in 2014, she has
suffered from medical complications relating to a uterine tumor. The tumor
burst, causing heavy bleeding from her uterus starting December 14. Iman
initially refused to come into her indoor night quarters, remaining in her
preferred space, a mud wallow, where she refused food and treatment for da
ARTIS Griffon
vultures return to the wild
Today two young
griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) from ARTIS will be sent to Sardinia where they
will be released into the wild later this year. The birds hatched in ARTIS in
April and May of last year. One of the chicks was raised by a pair of male
griffon vultures. The other griffon vulture is the offspring of two vultures in
Spain that were wounded in the wild and subsequently housed in ARTIS after
their initi
LAWSUIT SEEKS TO
UNCOVER WHY GOVERNMENT IS ALLOWING SEAWORLD TO HIDE ORCA NECROPSIES
The Animal Welfare
Institute (AWI) filed a lawsuit this week against the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
related to the agencies’ refusal to enforce requirements for SeaWorld Parks and
Entertainment (SeaWorld) to submit necropsy results of three SeaWorld orcas who
died last year.
Specifically, AWI is
suing NOAA/NMFS for failing to respond to its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request for documents on the agencies’ decision. The agencies claim that an
obligation under pre-1994 public display permits to provide necropsy results and
clinical histories (complete veterinary records) is no longer in effect due to
1994 changes in the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), but have offered no
legal justification for the claim.
The three deceased
whales (Tilikum, who was featured in the documentary Blackfish; Kyara,
Tilikum’s granddaughter, who was just 3 months old at the time of her death;
and Kasatka, who, along with Tilikum, was one of the last remaining wild-caught
whales at SeaWorld) were the subject of MMPA public display permits issued
prior to 199
China's ban on ivory
trade comes into force
China has long been
one of the world's biggest markets for ivory, but as of 2018 all trade in ivory
and ivory products in the country is illegal.
The move is being
hailed as a major development in efforts to protect the world's elephant
population.
Wildlife campaigners
believe 30,000 African elephants are killed by poachers every year.
State media said
there had already been a 65% decline in the price of raw ivory over the past
year.
There had also been
an 80% decline in seizure
Cumbria Zoo Company
faces being 'struck off' by Companies House
THE company behind
Dalton zoo faces being struck off after bosses failed to submit legal documents
on time.
A compulsory strike
off notice has been issued against Cumbria Zoo Company Limited after the firm
failed to submit its confirmation statement by the deadline of October 25 of
last year.
Documents registered
with Companies House also reveal three directors of the private limited company
- Yasmin Walker, Katherine Black and Jayne Birkett, have all resigned from
their positions in the last three months.
Five directors
remain - Kim Banks, majority-shareholder and chief executive Karen Brewer, Anna
Gillard, Stewart Lambert and Adam Steel.
Chief executive
Karen Brewer said t
The Answer On Your
Animals Failure
Working in the
position I have today at Kolmårdens Zoo I visit every department once a week to
help with their behavioural challenges. The departments we have are, Kolosseum,
Apehouse, South Amerika, Birds of Prey, Carnivore, Hoofstock, Marine World and the
Petting Zoo. Quite some departments to talk about many different topics. All
departments have their own level of growth in the animal training topic. All
with their own ideas and achievements.
At the kolosseum
they use more and more choice and control with their elephants. While at the
birds of prey department they get creative with recalls and stations. Slowly
together we change the way we work with our animals. But there is one thing all
departments have in common… communication issues!
Many challenges we
have are based on poor communication. If we narrow down the unwanted behaviour
an animal shows 9 out of 10 times somebody in the team has been reinforcing it
one way or another and didn’t communicate this to the team. Could
10 Worst Zoos for
Elephants 2017
2017 was a landmark
year of progress for captive elephants in North America. The infamous Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus called it quits, Illinois and New York
State passed prohibitions on the use of elephants for entertainment, and New York
City banned the use of all wild animals in circuses. In the U.S. and Canada,
more than 100 jurisdictions now have partial or full bans on wild animals used
in performances. At least 44 zoos around the world have closed their elephant
exhibitions, including 29 in the U.S. And now, the first ever lawsuit on behalf
of captive elephants has been filed, arguing for their legal personhood.
Globally, over 40 countries have legislated against the use of wild animals in
circuses and similar forms of entertainment.
Perceptions about
elephants, and the times, are truly changing. But while public awareness of the
cruelty of exhibiting elephants for entertainment is increasing, elephants in
zoos are suffering under the radar. Most zoos are trying to cling to respectability
by misleading the public with conservation lies. Zoo tickets fund a c
Study examines
obesity and reproductive status of zoo elephants
With low birth
rates, the sustainability of a zoo African elephant population is in question.
A new study from University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers reveals that
there is no relationship between how fat a zoo African elephant is and her
reproductive cycling status.
While obesity has
been linked to abnormal ovarian cycles in other large mammals, the new findings
suggest there is not an association between body fat and reproductive cycling
in zoo elephants.
Daniella Chusyd, a
doctoral candidate in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, recently published
new research in Obesity highlighting data she and her team collected from zoo
African elephants. Chusyd and colleagues quantified, for the first time, total
fat mass in African elephants. Rather than a direct measure of
Former Zoo employee
files lawsuit, says CEO called women ‘hens’
It might not be
unusual at a zoo to talk about a cat fight or even hens.
But this complaint
filed by a former employee claims the zoo CEO wasn't talking about animals when
he used those words.
"When you look
at the complaint the things you see, there does appear to be some animosity
between both parties," said attorney Claiborne Ferguson.
Ferguson, who is not
involved in the gender discrimination lawsuit filed by former Memphis Zoo
employee Dr. Kimberly Terrell, said these kinds of lawsuits can be hard to
prove.
Terrell even tweeted
about her lawsuit filed in federal court last month. The tweet featured a photo
of Memphis Zoo CEO Chuck Brady the man she says discriminated and retaliated
against her.
A conservation
biologist, Terrell was hired by the Zoo in August 2015 as Director of Research
and Conservation.
In the complaint,
Terrell said she
Saving Tigers: A
Conversation with Dr. Tara Harris, Vice President for Conservation at the
Minnesota Zoo
The Minnesota Zoo
has long been known in the zoo field for its immense conservation work with
tigers. In fact, it is where the Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP) was started.
Today, the SSP is run by Dr. Tarra Harris, the Minnesota Zoo’s Vice President
for Conservation. She started the Tiger SSP’s Tiger Conservation Campaign to
raise awareness for the plight of the felines and funding for on-the-ground
projects to save them. Additionally, Harris has increased the zoo’s involvement
in the conservation of native Minnesota species. This is her story.
The case for (and
against) the tiger living on LSU’s campus
Visitors unfamiliar
with a Louisiana icon are often shocked to hear there’s a gargantuan cat
roaming just outside the Louisiana State University student parking lot. But
supporters (and most locals, it seems) view the presence of Mike the Tiger not
as nefarious captivity, but rather a charitable model for endangered species
conservation.
Over the years, the
university has sparked debate for declining to name any of its buildings after
Civil War Union General William T. Sherman, the first head of the school. But
newer questions have arisen over its feline mascot. Since 1937, seven Bengal tigers, all so far named “Mike,”
have inhabited a sanctuary just yards between the school's football stadium and
basketball stadium.
Coral is Dying
Globally. But We Can Save Some Reefs From Total Destruction.
At the current
restoration rate, it would take 550 years to remove the Staghorn coral, which
peppers the coasts of Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Islands and the Great
Barrier Reef, from the list of endangered species. “What we are trying to
achieve is to dramatically scale up restoration if we are going to get
anywhere,” Scott Graves, director of the Florida Aquarium’s Center for
Conservation, told Futurism.
To do so, the team
is importing a technique developed in the U.K. by Jamie Craggs, a researcher at
the Horniman Museum in London, who has been studying how to artificially boost
the natural spawning cycle of corals by reproducing specific climatic conditions
in the lab. Corals naturally reproduce once a year when a fine balance of water
temperature, lunar cycle and
Woburn Safari Park
fire: Thirteen patas monkeys killed
Thirteen monkeys
have died in a fire at Woburn Safari Park.
The roof of the
patas monkey house, within the African Forest drive-through enclosure,
collapsed as a result of the blaze.
Fire crews arrived
at 02:37 GMT to find the outbuilding "well alight", and spent two
hours extinguishing the flames.
"Devastatingly",
the park said, none of the animals could be saved despite the efforts of staff
and crews.
In a statement, the
park said all the ot
PETA calls for ban
on caged animals following Woburn Safari Park blaze
A leading charity
has reiterated its call for a ban on animals being kept in cages following this
morning’s fire at Woburn Safari Park, which killed 13 monkeys. PETA, People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals Foundation, is a UK-based charity dedicated to
establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. It made the call
following the blaze which broke out in the patas monkey house in the the park’s
African Forest drive-through area. PETA director Elisa Allen said: “The second
fatal British zoo fire in two weeks shows that caging animals results in
EAZA Group on Zoo
Animal Contraception
We are the EAZA
Group on Zoo Animal Contraception, a group formed to gather knowledge on the
use of contraception in captive wildlife within Europe.
We are an active
part of the European zoo community, producing contraceptive guidelines for individual institutions, as well as
working with breeding programme coordinators and studbook keepers.
What is animal
contraception?
Prior to the
introduction of contraception, zoos had three main options when it came to
managing populations: separate males and females, struggle to care for animals
exceeding available resources, transfer animals to new institutions, or in some
cases, cull unwanted young. The advancements of contraception now provide
another tool for the management of captive populations as well as a baseline
for managing free-living wildlife.
Contraception allows
animal managers to maintain sustainable population numbers while minimizing
inbreeding within family groups. They can be applied therapeutically,
preventing certain behaviours such as excessive egg laying or feather plucking
in birds. In primates, contraception can also be used to mediate undesirable
sexual behaviours and to manage escalated aggression in large social groups.
Animal contraception
is not only used in zoos, but has also been applied in animals in reserves and
in the wild. For exmaple in managing aggression in bull elephants going th
A Human, Welfare
Case!
With the last days
of the year in my mind something popped up what I wanted to share through my
blog. I’ve been talking with my brother and other close friends about this
particular thought what I find very interesting. At the moment im with my
family in Malmedy. A nice village in the Ardenne of Belgium close to the German
border with beautiful nature and stunning views. Yesterday I did a 15km hike in
the hills of the Ardenne what was beautiful on its own. Not just the walk, the
nature and the fresh air but also the company that I had. I was just with my
brother. We walked for around 4 to 5 hours so plenty to talk about.
Both of us find
psychological motivation very interesting, him in people and sales and me with
animals. We came to a point that every book we read every piece of knowledge we
try to gather to extend our knowledge is not completely based on facts. Many are
thoughts based on test done on an x amount of people or animals. This gives me
the focus of what if you fall outside the general audience that does not
respond too a typical way being tested in the psychological books. We came to a
point in our talk that we both agreed in that people want to have an answer on
anything. Of course, it’s understandable, but is it? I mean why do we want to
know everything all the time? You know what wanting to know everything is
actually ok but accepting that we can’t know or do everything is the main issue
we humans have developed. Same is accountable for the degree of agree to
disagree but this might be a topic for another day.
The 10 Best Biology
Books Of 2017
Polar bear cub in
Berlin Tierpark zoo dies after 26 days
Officials at
Berlin's Tierpark zoo said that the young polar bear, which was born in
December, was found dead when the zoo re-opened on Tuesday.
The cub had appeared
to be healthy when it was last seen with its mother on New Year's Eve and
appeared to have died of natural causes, the zoo said.
The zoo in the
German capital had been closed between New Year's Eve on Sunday and Tuesday.
Born to an
eight-year-old polar bear called Tonja, the cub had not yet been named and was
only 26 days old when it died.
The zoo said in a
statement that staff found the cub's lifeless body on a surveillance camera
when they ch
A view on the new
zoo
When news broke last
month that Thailand's oldest zoo, Dusit Zoo, will be relocated from its present
location in inner Bangkok to a new home in Pathum Thani province, it sent shock
waves through the hearts...
The Landscape and
Biodiversity of the American Southwest: A Conversation with Craig Ivanyi,
Executive Director of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Since 2010, Craig Ivanyi has been Director of
the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, a zoo that focuses exclusively on animals
from the Sonoran Desert region. However, it is much more than a zoo and
represents the region in a holistic way. “The blessing and curse of the Desert
Museum is that it’s a combination of many things- zoo, aquarium, art museum,
aquatic arena, botanical garden, natural history museum and research
institute,” Ivanyi remarked. The Desert Museum is one of the most
well-respected zoological institutions in the world and Ivanyi has kept it
cutting edge and innovative. Here is his story.
Panther rips out
man’s throat in private Moscow zoo
A man, said to be an
animal keeper, fell victim to a horrific attack in a private Moscow zoo, as a
panther ripped his throat open and escaped from its cage. The owner of the
predator has reportedly refused to euthanize it.
The attack took
place in a village near Istra in Moscow on Tuesday, the Russian Investigative
Committee said. The man’s body was found with deep wounds in a cage where wild
animals were being kept.
Cheetah gives birth
to record-making litter at Saint Louis Zoo
The Saint Louis Zoo
announced Wednesday that a cheetah named Bingwa gave birth to a litter of eight
cubs — twice the size of an average litter — on Nov. 26.
The first few months
of a cheetah cub’s life is critical, according to a release from zoo officials.
Bingwa, who is four years old, and all eight of her cubs have been closely
monitored and are all reported to be healthy.
German activists to
sue Attica zoo over dolphin display
A German animal
rights group said on Wednesday that it plans to file a lawsuit against the
Attica Zoological Park in Spata, east of Athens, over its alleged “criminal”
treatment of dolphins.
ProWal’s managing
director, Andreas Morlok, said on the group’s Facebook page that the dolphins
are forced to perform unnatural acts like jumping over cement walls outside
their pool, while their accommodation facilities are lacking.
The privately-owned
zoo issued a statement dismissing the claims made by Morlok and accused him of
“systematic misinformation.”
It said that the aim
of ProWal, “
Omaha zoo scientist
works to save the black-footed cat, one of the world's smallest felines
An Omaha zoo
scientist is among a dozen or so in the world striving to protect one of
Earth’s smallest cats.
You won’t find these
scrappy, 4-pound kitties emblazoning conservation posters, like an elephant or
a lion. You won’t even see them on display — the Henry Doorly Zoo &
Aquarium moved the species from its home near Red Barn Park to an off-exhibit
space in the Desert Dome years ago.
Only about 45 of
these cats are in American zoos, and only 15 females are considered quality
candidates for breeding. The captive population has suffered from a high
incidence of kidney disease, and the wild population is declining, now
classified as “vulnerable,” one step closer to the International Union for
Conservation of Nature’s “endangered” designation.
In the fight against
extinction, the black-footed cat goes relatively unnoticed. But Dr. Jason
Herrick, th
Employment rights
and pay for interns
Why I pity Britain’s
latest polar bear cub to be born in captivity
icture the scene.
Every weekday, between 9am and sunset or 7pm, whichever is the earlier, people
stand in solid blocks. More often than not, they seem to be staring at nothing.
Then somebody shouts, “She’s getting up!” The throng presses forward. “And there’s
the baby!” Whereupon one hears that curious, thin shriek that also happens when
the bride appears at a film star’s wedding.
First polar bear cub
born in the UK for 25 years at Scottish park
Read more
This could well
become reality in a couple of months when a fluffy white child star makes their
public debut at the Highland Wildlife Park. But it’s actually the Observer’s
1950 report of the crowds that thronged for Brumas, the first baby polar bear
successfully reared in Britain. Brumas inspired such passion that London Zoo’s
annual attendance rose from one million to three million. Celebrated in books,
postcards and toys, she died aged just nine, about half the average life
expectancy in the wild.
If the currently
nameless cub tucked in its private den in Scotland could open its gorgeous dark
eyes, it might want to look away now: the life of an extravagantly adored baby
polar bear is unlikely to be l
The Pride of
Chicago: A Conversation with Kevin Bell, President and CEO of the Lincoln Park
Zoo
For the past twenty
five years, Kevin Bell has served as President and CEO of the Lincoln Park Zoo,
a 35-acre free zoo located in urban Chicago. Bell's vision and leadership has
been credited with revitalizing the zoo and making it a leader in research, animal
welfare, education and conservation. He has also been a leader in the broader
zoo profession by serving as Chair of the Board of the Directors of the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums and on the Council for the World Association
of Zoos and Aquariums. Here is his story.
Man climbs into
lions’ den, lives to tell about it
Indore resident
Kailash Verma's resolve to carry out a "divine command" led to high
drama in Indore zoo on Thursday afternoon. The 38-year-old got into the lions'
den "to teach them a lesson" — and came out without a scratch.
But for the macabre
possibility of what-could-have-been, Verma's day turned out to be bizarre, even
clownish — but a heart-stopping one for zoo staff. He leisurely munched on
snacks in the lion den as foresters chewed their nails in agony.
Verma, who lives in
Veer Sawarkar Nagar, arrived at Kamla Nehru
Elephant calves
exported from Zimbabwe as China bans ivory trade
China is reportedly
importing more than 30 wild-caught elephant calves from Zimbabwe following its
decision to ban the sale of ivory.
According to a
Zimbabwean government official who asked to remain anonymous for fear of
reprisal, 31 wild elephants recently captured in Hwange National Park in
Zimbabwe have been air-freighted abroad.
The shipment was
confirmed by the Zimbabwean Conservation Task Force.
The official said
the elephants are between the ages of 3 and 6, adding that two of them were
particularly fragile.
“One female calf is
struggling to stand and has open sores on her body. She has been weak since she
was captured.
"Another
elephant, noticeably small, is quiet and reserved. When approached by other
elephants, she moves away. She is suffering from trauma and is possibly being
bullied,” the official said.
The elephants were
captured from Hwange on August 8 and footage of the operation was secretly
released to
Environmental
crusaders risk their lives to save Philippine paradise
ata gives hand
signals for his men to drop to the rainforest floor as the searing whine of a
chainsaw fades, their mission to save a critically endangered piece of paradise
in the Philippines suddenly on hold.
Former paramilitary
leader Efren “Tata” Balladares has been leading the other flip flop-wearing
environmental crusaders up and down the steep mountains of Palawan island for
the past 15 hours in the hunt for illegal loggers.
One of them is
nursing a swollen left arm that was broken a few days earlier when he fell
during a reconnaissance trip. He has yet to see a doctor and it is just wrapped
in a bandage.
Having slept
overnight for just 30 minutes on a forest track, they should be exhausted from
the hike. They could also be forgiven for being frozen with fear: team members
have been murdered to stop their operations and others bear scars from the
razored teeth of the chainsaws they seek to confiscate.
But with their
targets so close, just a shor
A Day in the Life of
a Cheetah Conservation Station Keeper
Some of the most
endangered species on the planet can be found at the Smithsonian’s National
Zoo’s Cheetah Conservation Station. Get a glimpse behind-the-scenes at a day in
the life of keepers who work with animals, ranging from the graceful dama
gazelle to the speedy cheetah, from assistant curator Gil Myers.
Fears captive
breeding hastening extinction of western ground parrot
Plans to save a
critically endangered parrot from extinction are under scrutiny following the
revelation that most birds caught in the wild for a captive-breeding program
are dying in aviaries.
Eight of 12 western
ground parrots captured in Cape Arid National Park in Western Australia for the
program have died.
Attempts to breed
the species in aviaries at Perth Zoo have failed, with no successful hatchings
over four nesting seasons.
Captive-breeding
programs are a key strategy to try to bring endangered species in Australia
back from the brink of extinction. Birds are caught with the intention of
breeding them in aviaries so offspring can be liberated to boost wild
populations.
The fate of the
Perth Zoo program and failed attempts to rejuvenate another endangered species
— the orange-bellied parrot in Tasmania — have cast a shadow over the plans,
with indications that in some cases captive-breeding may be hastening instead
of preventing extinction.
Just 140 western
ground parrots survive in the wild. Almost 10 per cent of the population has
been caught in nets for the Perth Zoo program, which began in 2014. Six of the
eight dead parrots succumbed to respiratory infections. One died of injuries
sustained during capture and another was e
For bonobos, it pays
to have powerful allies
Never trust anyone
who is rude to a waiter, advice columnists say. For most people, acting nasty
is a big turnoff.
But while humans
generally prefer individuals who are nice to others, a Duke University study
finds bonobos are more attracted to jerks.
The researchers were
surprised by the findings because these African apes—our closest relatives in
the animal kingdom along with chimpanzees—have been shown to be less aggressive
than chimps.
The results support
the idea that a tendency to avoid individuals who mistreat others is one of the
things that make humans different from other species.
Even infants as
young as three months old show an ability to distinguish nice guys from creeps,
and prefer interacting with people they see helping others over those who are
mean, previous studies show.
To find out if our
closest relatives share the same social bias, Duke's Brian Hare, an associate
professor of evolutionary anthropology, and doctoral student Christopher
Krupenye studied adult bonobos at Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
In one series of
trials, they showed 24 bonobos animated videos of a Pac-Man-like shape as it
struggles to climb a hill. Then another cartoon shape enters the scene.
Sometimes it's a helpful ch
Southern Africa
rhino breeding programme roll-out takes off
The South
Africa-based world biggest rhino breeder, Mr John Hume has partnered with a
local NGO to implement a Southern Africa Community Rhino Breeding Programme
aimed reducing the rhino poaching crisis in the region, working together with
Southern African governments and private rhino breeders.
Currently, Southern
African rural communities; settled next to national parks and game reserves
suffer costs from wildlife human-wildlife conflict with no benefits from rhinos
and are inclined to collaborate with poachers to get ‘benefits’ from the rhino.
Therefore, the
decision to roll-out the Southern African Community Rhino Breeding Programme is
aimed at increasing the rhino population and in the process, create
opportunities for rural communities to benefit from rhinos and then stop
collaborating with poachers.
This month, the
Southern Africa Community Rhino Breeding Programme, the South Africa-based True
Green Alliance held a meeting with Mr Hume in which they agreed on a commonly
shared approach to introduce the Southern Africa Community Rhino Breeding
Programme.
Most rural
communities earn their living from cattle farming. The white rhino lives off
similar veld as do cattle and can therefore be kept and bred under the same
conditions as their cattle. The rural community members are good cattle
producers and can therefore prove to be good rhino keepers as well. Therefore,
they can breed rhinos by following the breeding programme set up by Mr Hume
that uses many similar principles already used for this style of farming. It is
hoped that the Southern African Community Rhino Breeding Programme that
involves Mr Hume giving free rhino breeding training to Southern Africa rural
communities could change the unwanted status quo; whereby the poor rural
communities are currently more inclined to work with poachers to get ‘benefits’
from the rhinos as opposed to working with their governments and environmental
NGOs to conserve the rhino. This community-poacher relationship is very harmful
to the rhino as poachers give villagers small amounts of money that finish
quickly and make the villagers wish that poachers return soon to poach again
and give them money and in the process more and more rhinos get poached. This
sad reality could potentially come to an end if the Southern Africa Community
Rhino Breeding Programme gets successfully implemented.
However, the success
of the Programme does not only depend o
Ragunan zoo objects
to e-ticketing system
Ragunan Zoo
management in South Jakarta has complained about a plan to implement an
e-ticketing system supported by the JakOne Card, an e-money mobile app from
city-owned Bank DKI.
Ragunan head Dina
Himawati has particularly objected to a point that requires the zoo to deposit
Rp 20 billion (US$1.49 million) to Bank DKI for the implementation of the
system.
"We have no
idea how the plan works. The money is deposited to the bank, in our account. We
feel like the Rp 20 billion is used for the operation of the card, including
for top-up funds," Dina said at the City Council building in Central
Jakarta as quoted by kompas.com.
Dina said the money
was needed by the zoo, particularly in an emergency when the city
administration suffered
The Evolution Into a
Modern Zoo: A Conversation with Larry Sorel, Director of the Seneca Park Zoo
Opened in 1894, the
Seneca Park Zoo is located in Rochester's Seneca Park, designed by Frederick
Law Olmsted. For the last twenty years, the zoo has been directed by Larry
Sorel. His immense animal knowledge, leadership and cooperation with Monroe
County and the Seneca Park Zoological Society has allowed the zoo to flourish
and grow. Currently, the zoo is undergoing a major expansion and renovation
that will bring species like giraffes, zebras, gorillas and red pandas to the
zoo and new habitats for species like orangutans, white rhinos, snow leopards
and lemurs. Here is his story.
SeaWorld CEO slams
activists who criticized the company for breeding killer whales in captivity
In 2016, SeaWorld announced it would end its
killer-whale-breeding program after years of scrutiny about the theme-park
company's treatment of animals. The decision was seen as a necessary refocusing
away from SeaWorld's iconic live killer-whale show.
However, according
to the CEO, the theme park has the whales necessary to continue a version of
what was for decades its most famous attraction. While SeaWorld began phasing
it out at some parks in 2016, its "signature killer-whale show" and
animal viewings continue at others.
"We will still
have the whales for 50 years," CEO Joel Manby said on Monday at the ICR
Conference. "They live a long time. This is a decision that is for the
immediate. But we get to keep the whales and have the experience yet hav
New hope for
critically endangered Myanmar snub-nosed monkey
Scientists and
conservation teams from Fauna & Flora International (FFI), Dali University
and the German Primate Center just published a comprehensive conservation
status review of one of the world's most threatened primate species, the
critically endangered Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (also known affectionately as
the 'snubby' by scientists, and as the black snub-nosed monkey in China),
Rhinopithecus strykeri.
The species was
discovered in Myanmar in 2010 by Ngwe Lwin, a local scientist working for FFI.
The following year, scientists in China confirmed that these primates are also
found in the neighbouring forests of Yunnan province. In 2012, research by FFI
and partners led to the species being formally designated as critically
endangered due to its small population size and threats from hunting and
habitat loss.
Eight years after
its discovery, the conservation status review sought to uncover how the species
is faring. The report confirms that while the status of the snub-nosed monkey
remains critical due to its fragmented, small population and ongoing threats, positive
actions by communities,
The latest on the
fight to save Sumatran rhino Iman
In the Asia Pacific,
the news continues to be grim on the island of Borneo, where experts from one
country’s wildlife department are desperately trying to save the life of an
extraordinarily rare, critically endangered animal – one of only nine in captivity
anywhere in the world; we’ve followed her story for weeks and have an update.
In Malaysian Borneo,
since mid-December, wildlife officials have struggled to save the life of Iman
the Sumatran Rhino. Iman is one of two of the critically endangered animals
living at a wildlife reserve under the care of the nonprofit Borneo Rhino Alliance
and Malaysia’s Sabah Wildlife Department. Captured in the wild in 2014, she has
suffered from medical complications relating to a uterine tumor. The tumor
burst, causing heavy bleeding from her uterus starting December 14. Iman
initially refused to come into her indoor night quarters, remaining in her
preferred space, a mud wallow, where she refused food and treatment for da
ARTIS Griffon
vultures return to the wild
Today two young
griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) from ARTIS will be sent to Sardinia where they
will be released into the wild later this year. The birds hatched in ARTIS in
April and May of last year. One of the chicks was raised by a pair of male
griffon vultures. The other griffon vulture is the offspring of two vultures in
Spain that were wounded in the wild and subsequently housed in ARTIS after
their initi
LAWSUIT SEEKS TO
UNCOVER WHY GOVERNMENT IS ALLOWING SEAWORLD TO HIDE ORCA NECROPSIES
The Animal Welfare
Institute (AWI) filed a lawsuit this week against the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
related to the agencies’ refusal to enforce requirements for SeaWorld Parks and
Entertainment (SeaWorld) to submit necropsy results of three SeaWorld orcas who
died last year.
Specifically, AWI is
suing NOAA/NMFS for failing to respond to its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request for documents on the agencies’ decision. The agencies claim that an
obligation under pre-1994 public display permits to provide necropsy results and
clinical histories (complete veterinary records) is no longer in effect due to
1994 changes in the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), but have offered no
legal justification for the claim.
The three deceased
whales (Tilikum, who was featured in the documentary Blackfish; Kyara,
Tilikum’s granddaughter, who was just 3 months old at the time of her death;
and Kasatka, who, along with Tilikum, was one of the last remaining wild-caught
whales at SeaWorld) were the subject of MMPA public display permits issued
prior to 199
China's ban on ivory
trade comes into force
China has long been
one of the world's biggest markets for ivory, but as of 2018 all trade in ivory
and ivory products in the country is illegal.
The move is being
hailed as a major development in efforts to protect the world's elephant
population.
Wildlife campaigners
believe 30,000 African elephants are killed by poachers every year.
State media said
there had already been a 65% decline in the price of raw ivory over the past
year.
There had also been
an 80% decline in seizure
Cumbria Zoo Company
faces being 'struck off' by Companies House
THE company behind
Dalton zoo faces being struck off after bosses failed to submit legal documents
on time.
A compulsory strike
off notice has been issued against Cumbria Zoo Company Limited after the firm
failed to submit its confirmation statement by the deadline of October 25 of
last year.
Documents registered
with Companies House also reveal three directors of the private limited company
- Yasmin Walker, Katherine Black and Jayne Birkett, have all resigned from
their positions in the last three months.
Five directors
remain - Kim Banks, majority-shareholder and chief executive Karen Brewer, Anna
Gillard, Stewart Lambert and Adam Steel.
Chief executive
Karen Brewer said t
The Answer On Your
Animals Failure
Working in the
position I have today at Kolmårdens Zoo I visit every department once a week to
help with their behavioural challenges. The departments we have are, Kolosseum,
Apehouse, South Amerika, Birds of Prey, Carnivore, Hoofstock, Marine World and the
Petting Zoo. Quite some departments to talk about many different topics. All
departments have their own level of growth in the animal training topic. All
with their own ideas and achievements.
At the kolosseum
they use more and more choice and control with their elephants. While at the
birds of prey department they get creative with recalls and stations. Slowly
together we change the way we work with our animals. But there is one thing all
departments have in common… communication issues!
Many challenges we
have are based on poor communication. If we narrow down the unwanted behaviour
an animal shows 9 out of 10 times somebody in the team has been reinforcing it
one way or another and didn’t communicate this to the team. Could
10 Worst Zoos for
Elephants 2017
2017 was a landmark
year of progress for captive elephants in North America. The infamous Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus called it quits, Illinois and New York
State passed prohibitions on the use of elephants for entertainment, and New York
City banned the use of all wild animals in circuses. In the U.S. and Canada,
more than 100 jurisdictions now have partial or full bans on wild animals used
in performances. At least 44 zoos around the world have closed their elephant
exhibitions, including 29 in the U.S. And now, the first ever lawsuit on behalf
of captive elephants has been filed, arguing for their legal personhood.
Globally, over 40 countries have legislated against the use of wild animals in
circuses and similar forms of entertainment.
Perceptions about
elephants, and the times, are truly changing. But while public awareness of the
cruelty of exhibiting elephants for entertainment is increasing, elephants in
zoos are suffering under the radar. Most zoos are trying to cling to respectability
by misleading the public with conservation lies. Zoo tickets fund a c
Study examines
obesity and reproductive status of zoo elephants
With low birth
rates, the sustainability of a zoo African elephant population is in question.
A new study from University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers reveals that
there is no relationship between how fat a zoo African elephant is and her
reproductive cycling status.
While obesity has
been linked to abnormal ovarian cycles in other large mammals, the new findings
suggest there is not an association between body fat and reproductive cycling
in zoo elephants.
Daniella Chusyd, a
doctoral candidate in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, recently published
new research in Obesity highlighting data she and her team collected from zoo
African elephants. Chusyd and colleagues quantified, for the first time, total
fat mass in African elephants. Rather than a direct measure of
Former Zoo employee
files lawsuit, says CEO called women ‘hens’
It might not be
unusual at a zoo to talk about a cat fight or even hens.
But this complaint
filed by a former employee claims the zoo CEO wasn't talking about animals when
he used those words.
"When you look
at the complaint the things you see, there does appear to be some animosity
between both parties," said attorney Claiborne Ferguson.
Ferguson, who is not
involved in the gender discrimination lawsuit filed by former Memphis Zoo
employee Dr. Kimberly Terrell, said these kinds of lawsuits can be hard to
prove.
Terrell even tweeted
about her lawsuit filed in federal court last month. The tweet featured a photo
of Memphis Zoo CEO Chuck Brady the man she says discriminated and retaliated
against her.
A conservation
biologist, Terrell was hired by the Zoo in August 2015 as Director of Research
and Conservation.
In the complaint,
Terrell said she
Saving Tigers: A
Conversation with Dr. Tara Harris, Vice President for Conservation at the
Minnesota Zoo
The Minnesota Zoo
has long been known in the zoo field for its immense conservation work with
tigers. In fact, it is where the Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP) was started.
Today, the SSP is run by Dr. Tarra Harris, the Minnesota Zoo’s Vice President
for Conservation. She started the Tiger SSP’s Tiger Conservation Campaign to
raise awareness for the plight of the felines and funding for on-the-ground
projects to save them. Additionally, Harris has increased the zoo’s involvement
in the conservation of native Minnesota species. This is her story.
The case for (and
against) the tiger living on LSU’s campus
Visitors unfamiliar
with a Louisiana icon are often shocked to hear there’s a gargantuan cat
roaming just outside the Louisiana State University student parking lot. But
supporters (and most locals, it seems) view the presence of Mike the Tiger not
as nefarious captivity, but rather a charitable model for endangered species
conservation.
Over the years, the
university has sparked debate for declining to name any of its buildings after
Civil War Union General William T. Sherman, the first head of the school. But
newer questions have arisen over its feline mascot. Since 1937, seven Bengal tigers, all so far named “Mike,”
have inhabited a sanctuary just yards between the school's football stadium and
basketball stadium.
Coral is Dying
Globally. But We Can Save Some Reefs From Total Destruction.
At the current
restoration rate, it would take 550 years to remove the Staghorn coral, which
peppers the coasts of Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Islands and the Great
Barrier Reef, from the list of endangered species. “What we are trying to
achieve is to dramatically scale up restoration if we are going to get
anywhere,” Scott Graves, director of the Florida Aquarium’s Center for
Conservation, told Futurism.
To do so, the team
is importing a technique developed in the U.K. by Jamie Craggs, a researcher at
the Horniman Museum in London, who has been studying how to artificially boost
the natural spawning cycle of corals by reproducing specific climatic conditions
in the lab. Corals naturally reproduce once a year when a fine balance of water
temperature, lunar cycle and
Woburn Safari Park
fire: Thirteen patas monkeys killed
Thirteen monkeys
have died in a fire at Woburn Safari Park.
The roof of the
patas monkey house, within the African Forest drive-through enclosure,
collapsed as a result of the blaze.
Fire crews arrived
at 02:37 GMT to find the outbuilding "well alight", and spent two
hours extinguishing the flames.
"Devastatingly",
the park said, none of the animals could be saved despite the efforts of staff
and crews.
In a statement, the
park said all the ot
PETA calls for ban
on caged animals following Woburn Safari Park blaze
A leading charity
has reiterated its call for a ban on animals being kept in cages following this
morning’s fire at Woburn Safari Park, which killed 13 monkeys. PETA, People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals Foundation, is a UK-based charity dedicated to
establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. It made the call
following the blaze which broke out in the patas monkey house in the the park’s
African Forest drive-through area. PETA director Elisa Allen said: “The second
fatal British zoo fire in two weeks shows that caging animals results in
EAZA Group on Zoo
Animal Contraception
We are the EAZA
Group on Zoo Animal Contraception, a group formed to gather knowledge on the
use of contraception in captive wildlife within Europe.
We are an active
part of the European zoo community, producing contraceptive guidelines for individual institutions, as well as
working with breeding programme coordinators and studbook keepers.
What is animal
contraception?
Prior to the
introduction of contraception, zoos had three main options when it came to
managing populations: separate males and females, struggle to care for animals
exceeding available resources, transfer animals to new institutions, or in some
cases, cull unwanted young. The advancements of contraception now provide
another tool for the management of captive populations as well as a baseline
for managing free-living wildlife.
Contraception allows
animal managers to maintain sustainable population numbers while minimizing
inbreeding within family groups. They can be applied therapeutically,
preventing certain behaviours such as excessive egg laying or feather plucking
in birds. In primates, contraception can also be used to mediate undesirable
sexual behaviours and to manage escalated aggression in large social groups.
Animal contraception
is not only used in zoos, but has also been applied in animals in reserves and
in the wild. For exmaple in managing aggression in bull elephants going th
A Human, Welfare
Case!
With the last days
of the year in my mind something popped up what I wanted to share through my
blog. I’ve been talking with my brother and other close friends about this
particular thought what I find very interesting. At the moment im with my
family in Malmedy. A nice village in the Ardenne of Belgium close to the German
border with beautiful nature and stunning views. Yesterday I did a 15km hike in
the hills of the Ardenne what was beautiful on its own. Not just the walk, the
nature and the fresh air but also the company that I had. I was just with my
brother. We walked for around 4 to 5 hours so plenty to talk about.
Both of us find
psychological motivation very interesting, him in people and sales and me with
animals. We came to a point that every book we read every piece of knowledge we
try to gather to extend our knowledge is not completely based on facts. Many are
thoughts based on test done on an x amount of people or animals. This gives me
the focus of what if you fall outside the general audience that does not
respond too a typical way being tested in the psychological books. We came to a
point in our talk that we both agreed in that people want to have an answer on
anything. Of course, it’s understandable, but is it? I mean why do we want to
know everything all the time? You know what wanting to know everything is
actually ok but accepting that we can’t know or do everything is the main issue
we humans have developed. Same is accountable for the degree of agree to
disagree but this might be a topic for another day.
The 10 Best Biology
Books Of 2017
Polar bear cub in
Berlin Tierpark zoo dies after 26 days
Officials at
Berlin's Tierpark zoo said that the young polar bear, which was born in
December, was found dead when the zoo re-opened on Tuesday.
The cub had appeared
to be healthy when it was last seen with its mother on New Year's Eve and
appeared to have died of natural causes, the zoo said.
The zoo in the
German capital had been closed between New Year's Eve on Sunday and Tuesday.
Born to an
eight-year-old polar bear called Tonja, the cub had not yet been named and was
only 26 days old when it died.
The zoo said in a
statement that staff found the cub's lifeless body on a surveillance camera
when they ch
A view on the new
zoo
When news broke last
month that Thailand's oldest zoo, Dusit Zoo, will be relocated from its present
location in inner Bangkok to a new home in Pathum Thani province, it sent shock
waves through the hearts...
The Landscape and
Biodiversity of the American Southwest: A Conversation with Craig Ivanyi,
Executive Director of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Since 2010, Craig Ivanyi has been Director of
the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, a zoo that focuses exclusively on animals
from the Sonoran Desert region. However, it is much more than a zoo and
represents the region in a holistic way. “The blessing and curse of the Desert
Museum is that it’s a combination of many things- zoo, aquarium, art museum,
aquatic arena, botanical garden, natural history museum and research
institute,” Ivanyi remarked. The Desert Museum is one of the most
well-respected zoological institutions in the world and Ivanyi has kept it
cutting edge and innovative. Here is his story.
Panther rips out
man’s throat in private Moscow zoo
A man, said to be an
animal keeper, fell victim to a horrific attack in a private Moscow zoo, as a
panther ripped his throat open and escaped from its cage. The owner of the
predator has reportedly refused to euthanize it.
The attack took
place in a village near Istra in Moscow on Tuesday, the Russian Investigative
Committee said. The man’s body was found with deep wounds in a cage where wild
animals were being kept.
Cheetah gives birth
to record-making litter at Saint Louis Zoo
The Saint Louis Zoo
announced Wednesday that a cheetah named Bingwa gave birth to a litter of eight
cubs — twice the size of an average litter — on Nov. 26.
The first few months
of a cheetah cub’s life is critical, according to a release from zoo officials.
Bingwa, who is four years old, and all eight of her cubs have been closely
monitored and are all reported to be healthy.
German activists to
sue Attica zoo over dolphin display
A German animal
rights group said on Wednesday that it plans to file a lawsuit against the
Attica Zoological Park in Spata, east of Athens, over its alleged “criminal”
treatment of dolphins.
ProWal’s managing
director, Andreas Morlok, said on the group’s Facebook page that the dolphins
are forced to perform unnatural acts like jumping over cement walls outside
their pool, while their accommodation facilities are lacking.
The privately-owned
zoo issued a statement dismissing the claims made by Morlok and accused him of
“systematic misinformation.”
It said that the aim
of ProWal, “
Omaha zoo scientist
works to save the black-footed cat, one of the world's smallest felines
An Omaha zoo
scientist is among a dozen or so in the world striving to protect one of
Earth’s smallest cats.
You won’t find these
scrappy, 4-pound kitties emblazoning conservation posters, like an elephant or
a lion. You won’t even see them on display — the Henry Doorly Zoo &
Aquarium moved the species from its home near Red Barn Park to an off-exhibit
space in the Desert Dome years ago.
Only about 45 of
these cats are in American zoos, and only 15 females are considered quality
candidates for breeding. The captive population has suffered from a high
incidence of kidney disease, and the wild population is declining, now
classified as “vulnerable,” one step closer to the International Union for
Conservation of Nature’s “endangered” designation.
In the fight against
extinction, the black-footed cat goes relatively unnoticed. But Dr. Jason
Herrick, th
Employment rights
and pay for interns
Why I pity Britain’s
latest polar bear cub to be born in captivity
icture the scene.
Every weekday, between 9am and sunset or 7pm, whichever is the earlier, people
stand in solid blocks. More often than not, they seem to be staring at nothing.
Then somebody shouts, “She’s getting up!” The throng presses forward. “And there’s
the baby!” Whereupon one hears that curious, thin shriek that also happens when
the bride appears at a film star’s wedding.
First polar bear cub
born in the UK for 25 years at Scottish park
Read more
This could well
become reality in a couple of months when a fluffy white child star makes their
public debut at the Highland Wildlife Park. But it’s actually the Observer’s
1950 report of the crowds that thronged for Brumas, the first baby polar bear
successfully reared in Britain. Brumas inspired such passion that London Zoo’s
annual attendance rose from one million to three million. Celebrated in books,
postcards and toys, she died aged just nine, about half the average life
expectancy in the wild.
If the currently
nameless cub tucked in its private den in Scotland could open its gorgeous dark
eyes, it might want to look away now: the life of an extravagantly adored baby
polar bear is unlikely to be l
The Pride of
Chicago: A Conversation with Kevin Bell, President and CEO of the Lincoln Park
Zoo
For the past twenty
five years, Kevin Bell has served as President and CEO of the Lincoln Park Zoo,
a 35-acre free zoo located in urban Chicago. Bell's vision and leadership has
been credited with revitalizing the zoo and making it a leader in research, animal
welfare, education and conservation. He has also been a leader in the broader
zoo profession by serving as Chair of the Board of the Directors of the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums and on the Council for the World Association
of Zoos and Aquariums. Here is his story.
Man climbs into
lions’ den, lives to tell about it
Indore resident
Kailash Verma's resolve to carry out a "divine command" led to high
drama in Indore zoo on Thursday afternoon. The 38-year-old got into the lions'
den "to teach them a lesson" — and came out without a scratch.
But for the macabre
possibility of what-could-have-been, Verma's day turned out to be bizarre, even
clownish — but a heart-stopping one for zoo staff. He leisurely munched on
snacks in the lion den as foresters chewed their nails in agony.
Verma, who lives in
Veer Sawarkar Nagar, arrived at Kamla Nehru
Elephant calves
exported from Zimbabwe as China bans ivory trade
China is reportedly
importing more than 30 wild-caught elephant calves from Zimbabwe following its
decision to ban the sale of ivory.
According to a
Zimbabwean government official who asked to remain anonymous for fear of
reprisal, 31 wild elephants recently captured in Hwange National Park in
Zimbabwe have been air-freighted abroad.
The shipment was
confirmed by the Zimbabwean Conservation Task Force.
The official said
the elephants are between the ages of 3 and 6, adding that two of them were
particularly fragile.
“One female calf is
struggling to stand and has open sores on her body. She has been weak since she
was captured.
"Another
elephant, noticeably small, is quiet and reserved. When approached by other
elephants, she moves away. She is suffering from trauma and is possibly being
bullied,” the official said.
The elephants were
captured from Hwange on August 8 and footage of the operation was secretly
released to
Environmental
crusaders risk their lives to save Philippine paradise
ata gives hand
signals for his men to drop to the rainforest floor as the searing whine of a
chainsaw fades, their mission to save a critically endangered piece of paradise
in the Philippines suddenly on hold.
Former paramilitary
leader Efren “Tata” Balladares has been leading the other flip flop-wearing
environmental crusaders up and down the steep mountains of Palawan island for
the past 15 hours in the hunt for illegal loggers.
One of them is
nursing a swollen left arm that was broken a few days earlier when he fell
during a reconnaissance trip. He has yet to see a doctor and it is just wrapped
in a bandage.
Having slept
overnight for just 30 minutes on a forest track, they should be exhausted from
the hike. They could also be forgiven for being frozen with fear: team members
have been murdered to stop their operations and others bear scars from the
razored teeth of the chainsaws they seek to confiscate.
But with their
targets so close, just a shor
A Day in the Life of
a Cheetah Conservation Station Keeper
Some of the most
endangered species on the planet can be found at the Smithsonian’s National
Zoo’s Cheetah Conservation Station. Get a glimpse behind-the-scenes at a day in
the life of keepers who work with animals, ranging from the graceful dama
gazelle to the speedy cheetah, from assistant curator Gil Myers.
Fears captive
breeding hastening extinction of western ground parrot
Plans to save a
critically endangered parrot from extinction are under scrutiny following the
revelation that most birds caught in the wild for a captive-breeding program
are dying in aviaries.
Eight of 12 western
ground parrots captured in Cape Arid National Park in Western Australia for the
program have died.
Attempts to breed
the species in aviaries at Perth Zoo have failed, with no successful hatchings
over four nesting seasons.
Captive-breeding
programs are a key strategy to try to bring endangered species in Australia
back from the brink of extinction. Birds are caught with the intention of
breeding them in aviaries so offspring can be liberated to boost wild
populations.
The fate of the
Perth Zoo program and failed attempts to rejuvenate another endangered species
— the orange-bellied parrot in Tasmania — have cast a shadow over the plans,
with indications that in some cases captive-breeding may be hastening instead
of preventing extinction.
Just 140 western
ground parrots survive in the wild. Almost 10 per cent of the population has
been caught in nets for the Perth Zoo program, which began in 2014. Six of the
eight dead parrots succumbed to respiratory infections. One died of injuries
sustained during capture and another was e
For bonobos, it pays
to have powerful allies
Never trust anyone
who is rude to a waiter, advice columnists say. For most people, acting nasty
is a big turnoff.
But while humans
generally prefer individuals who are nice to others, a Duke University study
finds bonobos are more attracted to jerks.
The researchers were
surprised by the findings because these African apes—our closest relatives in
the animal kingdom along with chimpanzees—have been shown to be less aggressive
than chimps.
The results support
the idea that a tendency to avoid individuals who mistreat others is one of the
things that make humans different from other species.
Even infants as
young as three months old show an ability to distinguish nice guys from creeps,
and prefer interacting with people they see helping others over those who are
mean, previous studies show.
To find out if our
closest relatives share the same social bias, Duke's Brian Hare, an associate
professor of evolutionary anthropology, and doctoral student Christopher
Krupenye studied adult bonobos at Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary in the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
In one series of
trials, they showed 24 bonobos animated videos of a Pac-Man-like shape as it
struggles to climb a hill. Then another cartoon shape enters the scene.
Sometimes it's a helpful ch
Southern Africa
rhino breeding programme roll-out takes off
The South
Africa-based world biggest rhino breeder, Mr John Hume has partnered with a
local NGO to implement a Southern Africa Community Rhino Breeding Programme
aimed reducing the rhino poaching crisis in the region, working together with
Southern African governments and private rhino breeders.
Currently, Southern
African rural communities; settled next to national parks and game reserves
suffer costs from wildlife human-wildlife conflict with no benefits from rhinos
and are inclined to collaborate with poachers to get ‘benefits’ from the rhino.
Therefore, the
decision to roll-out the Southern African Community Rhino Breeding Programme is
aimed at increasing the rhino population and in the process, create
opportunities for rural communities to benefit from rhinos and then stop
collaborating with poachers.
This month, the
Southern Africa Community Rhino Breeding Programme, the South Africa-based True
Green Alliance held a meeting with Mr Hume in which they agreed on a commonly
shared approach to introduce the Southern Africa Community Rhino Breeding
Programme.
Most rural
communities earn their living from cattle farming. The white rhino lives off
similar veld as do cattle and can therefore be kept and bred under the same
conditions as their cattle. The rural community members are good cattle
producers and can therefore prove to be good rhino keepers as well. Therefore,
they can breed rhinos by following the breeding programme set up by Mr Hume
that uses many similar principles already used for this style of farming. It is
hoped that the Southern African Community Rhino Breeding Programme that
involves Mr Hume giving free rhino breeding training to Southern Africa rural
communities could change the unwanted status quo; whereby the poor rural
communities are currently more inclined to work with poachers to get ‘benefits’
from the rhinos as opposed to working with their governments and environmental
NGOs to conserve the rhino. This community-poacher relationship is very harmful
to the rhino as poachers give villagers small amounts of money that finish
quickly and make the villagers wish that poachers return soon to poach again
and give them money and in the process more and more rhinos get poached. This
sad reality could potentially come to an end if the Southern Africa Community
Rhino Breeding Programme gets successfully implemented.
However, the success
of the Programme does not only depend o
Ragunan zoo objects
to e-ticketing system
Ragunan Zoo
management in South Jakarta has complained about a plan to implement an
e-ticketing system supported by the JakOne Card, an e-money mobile app from
city-owned Bank DKI.
Ragunan head Dina
Himawati has particularly objected to a point that requires the zoo to deposit
Rp 20 billion (US$1.49 million) to Bank DKI for the implementation of the
system.
"We have no
idea how the plan works. The money is deposited to the bank, in our account. We
feel like the Rp 20 billion is used for the operation of the card, including
for top-up funds," Dina said at the City Council building in Central
Jakarta as quoted by kompas.com.
Dina said the money
was needed by the zoo, particularly in an emergency when the city
administration suffered
The Evolution Into a
Modern Zoo: A Conversation with Larry Sorel, Director of the Seneca Park Zoo
Opened in 1894, the
Seneca Park Zoo is located in Rochester's Seneca Park, designed by Frederick
Law Olmsted. For the last twenty years, the zoo has been directed by Larry
Sorel. His immense animal knowledge, leadership and cooperation with Monroe
County and the Seneca Park Zoological Society has allowed the zoo to flourish
and grow. Currently, the zoo is undergoing a major expansion and renovation
that will bring species like giraffes, zebras, gorillas and red pandas to the
zoo and new habitats for species like orangutans, white rhinos, snow leopards
and lemurs. Here is his story.
SeaWorld CEO slams
activists who criticized the company for breeding killer whales in captivity
In 2016, SeaWorld announced it would end its
killer-whale-breeding program after years of scrutiny about the theme-park
company's treatment of animals. The decision was seen as a necessary refocusing
away from SeaWorld's iconic live killer-whale show.
However, according
to the CEO, the theme park has the whales necessary to continue a version of
what was for decades its most famous attraction. While SeaWorld began phasing
it out at some parks in 2016, its "signature killer-whale show" and
animal viewings continue at others.
"We will still
have the whales for 50 years," CEO Joel Manby said on Monday at the ICR
Conference. "They live a long time. This is a decision that is for the
immediate. But we get to keep the whales and have the experience yet hav
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New Meetings and Conferences updated Here
If you have anything to add then please email me at elvinhow@gmail.com
I will include it when I get a minute. You know it makes sense.
Recent Zoo Vacancies
Vacancies in Zoos and Aquariums and Wildlife/Conservation facilities around the World
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About me
After more than 49 years working in private, commercial and National zoos in the capacity of keeper, head keeper and curator Peter Dickinson started to travel. He sold house and all his possessions and hit the road. He has traveled extensively in Turkey, Southern India and much of South East Asia before settling in Thailand. In his travels he has visited well over 200 zoos and many more before 'hitting the road' and writes about these in his blog http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/
or on Hubpages http://hubpages.com/profile/Peter+Dickinson
Peter earns his living as an independent international zoo consultant, critic and writer. Currently working as Curator of Penguins in Ski Dubai. United Arab Emirates. He describes himself as an itinerant zoo keeper, one time zoo inspector, a dreamer, a traveler, an introvert, a people watcher, a lover, a thinker, a cosmopolitan, a writer, a hedonist, an explorer, a pantheist, a gastronome, sometime fool, a good friend to some and a pain in the butt to others.
"These are the best days of my life"
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant
If you have anything to add then please email me at elvinhow@gmail.com
I will include it when I get a minute. You know it makes sense.
Recent Zoo Vacancies
Vacancies in Zoos and Aquariums and Wildlife/Conservation facilities around the World
*****
About me
After more than 49 years working in private, commercial and National zoos in the capacity of keeper, head keeper and curator Peter Dickinson started to travel. He sold house and all his possessions and hit the road. He has traveled extensively in Turkey, Southern India and much of South East Asia before settling in Thailand. In his travels he has visited well over 200 zoos and many more before 'hitting the road' and writes about these in his blog http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/
or on Hubpages http://hubpages.com/profile/Peter+Dickinson
Peter earns his living as an independent international zoo consultant, critic and writer. Currently working as Curator of Penguins in Ski Dubai. United Arab Emirates. He describes himself as an itinerant zoo keeper, one time zoo inspector, a dreamer, a traveler, an introvert, a people watcher, a lover, a thinker, a cosmopolitan, a writer, a hedonist, an explorer, a pantheist, a gastronome, sometime fool, a good friend to some and a pain in the butt to others.
"These are the best days of my life"
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant
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