Zoo News Digest 21st January 2018 (ZooNews 980)
Peter Dickinson
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
I was greatly saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Michael Hutchins. Although we had never met face to face we had known each other for years. I looked forward to his daily Facebook postings as there was always something of interest or amusement. I know I will miss him every day as will his family who he clearly loved very deeply. RIP Michael.
So the Penguins on the beach WAS fake news. I thought so. Amusing though.
Lots of interest follows.
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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,
********
*****
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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,
********
*****
***
**
*
Thai cops arrest
alleged kingpin in illegal wildlife trade
THAI police have
arrested an alleged kingpin in Asia's illegal trade in endangered species,
dealing a blow to a family-run syndicate that smuggles elephant ivory, rhino
horns and tiger parts to Chinese and Vietnamese dealers.
Boonchai Bach, 40, a
Vietnamese national with Thai citizenship, was arrested yesterday evening over
the smuggling of 14 rhino horns worth around US$1 million (RM4 million) from
Africa to Thailand.
His downfall follows
the December 12 arrest of Nikorn Wongprachan, a Thai National Parks and
Wildlife Conservation official, at Bangkok's main airport as he attempted to
smuggle the rhino horns from the quarantine section to a nearby apartment.
The horns were
smuggled into Bangkok by a Chinese man, who was arrested a day before on
arrival from Johannesburg, South Africa.
Beloved zookeeper
and Jackson teen identified as victims in Scott St. double homicide
Jackson police are
investigating a double homicide that happened Friday afternoon on Scott Street.
One of the victims
has been identified as Percy King. 57-year-old King was a beloved zookeeper at
the Jackson Zoo from 1997-2011 and served as a member of the Jackson Zoo Board
starting in 2017.
The Jackson Zoo sent
this statement on the tragedy:
Penguin attraction:
Byculla zoo's earnings sees 12-fold increase
Revenue of Veer
Jijamata Udyan – popularly known as Byculla zoo - increased 12 times on monthly
basis thanks to Humboldt Penguins brought from South Korea, reports Hindustan
Times. The zoo authorities, who had hiked the entry fee after putting up the
penguins on display, recorded earning up to Rs 70 lakh per month in the second
half of 2017, equivalent to its annual income before the fee hike.
The zoo had put the
penguins on display in March 2017. In following August, the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC) reportedly
Celebrating a Life
Devoted to Saving Species: A Conversation with the late Dr. Michael Hutchins,
former Chair of Conservation and Science for the Association of Zoos and
Aquariums
As the zoo and
conservation community mourns the untimely passing of Dr. Michael Hutchins, I
thought it would be appropriate to share an interview I conducted with him this
past fall. Hutchins was a true warrior for zoo conservation, as evidenced by
his influence as William Conway Chair of Conservation and Science for the
Association of zoos and Aquariums. Additionally, he wrote and edited over 200
publications including the influential texts Second Nature and Ethics on the
Ark, created the AZA’s Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs), led the Elephant Planning
Initiative, launched the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force and served on the Disney’s
Animal Kingdom Advisory Council. Hutchins was a mentor and friend to me and I’m
very grateful for his time and generosity. Here is his story.
January 2018
CAPTIVE BRED
CHEETAHS – AN EPIDEMIC IN SOUTH AFRICA?
Since 1975, we have
lost half of our cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) population worldwide with only an
estimated 7,100 cheetahs left in the wild, confined to just 9% of its
historical distributional range. Cheetahs are now predominantly found in
Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique. For this
reason, scientists are calling for a reclassification of the IUCN cheetah
status from Vulnerable to Endangered.
Southern Africa is
considered a regional stronghold for cheetah, with an estimated population of
4,500 adults, however its numbers are rapidly dwindling too. In South Africa,
its status is classified as Vulnerable, mostly due to environmental pressures, such
as habitat loss and fragmentation, and human-wildlife conflicts. The latter
often leads to landowners illegally killing so-called “problem” animals.
Bird flu prevention
zone extended to cover whole of England
A bird flu
prevention zone has been declared across the whole of England, Chief Veterinary
Officer Nigel Gibbens has confirmed today.
This means it is a
legal requirement for all bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures.
It comes as 13 dead wild birds were confirmed to have the virus in
Warwickshire.
Last week 17 wild
birds tested positive in Dorset and a total of 31 infected birds have now been
identified at that site. Defra took swift action to put a local prevention zone
in the area on Friday (12 January). However, as these latest results show the
disease is not isolated to a single site the decision has been taken to extend
the prevention zone across the country on a precautionary basis.
Testing of the birds
found in Warwickshire is ongoing, however, it is highly expected that this will
be the same H5N6 strain of the virus which has been circulating in wild birds
across Europe in recent months. Public Health England have advised th
The Value of the
Desert: A Conservation with Karen Sausman, Retired Director of The Living
Desert
The Living Desert in
Palm Desert, California is dedicated to connecting visitors with wildlife and
plants from deserts around the world. It all began with the vision of Karen
Sausman, who served as the facility’s director from its inception in 1970 to 2010.
She began as director in a time when women were not supposed to be keepers much
less directors and is regarded as one of the field’s legendary directors. Here
is her story.
Little-known
Orange-fronted Parakeet Nearing Extinction
The Critically
Endangered Orange-fronted Parakeet faces extinction if conservation and
education efforts do not catch up to the rapidly declining population.
Rarer than the Kiwi
but far less recognized, the Orange-fronted Parakeet is facing extinction. This
and many other little-known New Zealand native birds are at risk of extinction
due to the threat of invasive predators such as rats and stoats. It’s not that
these birds are less in need of conservation, it’s just that some charismatic
species receive more attention that others.
The Orange-fronted
Parakeet is one species that has suffered from a lack of direct conservation
interventions. The species was once spread throughout New Zealand but hunting
and invasive species have brought the population to 150-200 adults found only
in Canterbury.
Squirrel Sex is
Complicated
Only 35 Mount Graham
squirrels remain in the wild, but five captive squirrels could hold the key to
their long-term survival—if we can get them to breed
It began with a bolt
of lightning on June 7 and ended with a fire that eventually encompassed a
staggering 48,000 acres of southeastern Arizona. By the time the blaze had been
extinguished this past July, thousands of trees had been lost or damaged, impacting
the already degraded habitat for the critically endangered Mount Graham
squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis). Surveys conducted this past
September in the high-elevation forests of the Pinaleño Mountains, about three
hours east of Phoenix, revealed that the squirrels’ population had fallen to an
estimated 35 animals and that at least 80 percent of their habitat had been
damaged by the fires.
Could this be the
end of the Mount Graham squirrel, which was already once thought to be extinct
and has bee
Hotels, resorts
threaten rare primates
Recent rapid
construction of more than 20 hotels and resorts in Sơn Trà Nature Reserve is
threatening the survival of highly endangered langurs and other wildlife. Human
activities, such as illegal logging and hunting, also continue to badly affect
the lives of the primates and wildlife in the reserve.
The 4,400ha Sơn Trà
Nature Reserve, known for its rich biodiversity, is home to more than 1,300
red-shanked douc langurs and more than 1,000 plants and 370 animal species.
The langurs were
declared endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) in 2013, but this was recently redefined as critically endangered –
nearly extinct.
Six of the monkeys
were killed by motorcyclists in 2015-17, and two cases of illegal hunting were
uncovered. Two red-shanked douc langurs were reportedly killed for eating. And
about 10ha of forest have been illegally logged between 2014-16.
Thousands of traps
and tonnes of r
Vancouver Aquarium
will no longer keep whales and dolphins
The Vancouver
Aquarium has made a major revelation today. They will no longer display
cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium.
The Aquarium made
the announcement Thursday, noting that they are opting to put an end to the
program, despite it having “overwhelming support” year after year.
This is not to say,
however, that the Aquarium’s rescue and rehabilitation arm will no longer care
for whales and dolphins. As the Aquarium notes, they will do so for short-term
cases, and then seek other venues for transferring cetaceans that need long-term
care.
The Aquarium
explains: “Rescued animals are transferred to the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre –
located outside Stanley Park – for critical, short-term care, with the aim to
rehabilitate and release back to the wild. Should a rescued cetacean need
ongoing care, the animal care team will identify an appropriate long-term
facility and work to arrange for a transfer of the patient.”
The Aquarium
acknowledges that this is quite a shift for the organization, however, it is “a
move that is in line with our commitment to our community, country, and to the
world’s oceans.”
Additionally, the
Vancouver Aquarium
AZA Statement on
Cetacean Announcement by Vancouver Aquarium
VANCOUVER AQUARIUM —
OUR FUTURE
Life in the
information age is both exhilarating and challenging. We’re more plugged into
technology and instant info than at any time in our history … but we’re also
far less connected to our natural world.
The understanding
and inspiration fostered in the galleries, exhibits and habitats at Vancouver
Aquarium has never been more important; and our role as an interpreter of the
natural world never as critical.
Despite independent
polling, year over year, that clearly shows overwhelming support for our
cetacean program, we have made the difficult decision to no longer display
cetaceans at Vancouver Aquarium, with the exception of doing what is best for
Helen and any need to use the Aquarium for the temporary accommodation of a
rescued cetacean. Moving forward, we will focus on raising awareness of the
many ocean issues impacting other vulnerable marine animals.
The ongoing
discussions about whales and dolphins in our care have been a distraction from
real threats to the ocean and have sidelined the critical work we lead. We aim
to inspire people in every corner of the planet to participate in creating
healthy oceans, and it’s time to get on with it.
The launch of Ocean
Wise in 2017 as the parent global ocean co
Former research
chimps at North Georgia sanctuary go outdoors for the first time
With reactions
ranging from excitement and curiosity to fear and trepidation, 15 former lab
chimps took their first steps outdoors this week at the Project Chimps
sanctuary in North Georgia.
The 236-acre
sanctuary is currently home to 31 chimpanzees who have spent their entire lives
in captivity as subjects used in biomedical research.
On Tuesday, with the
completion of the Peachtree Habitat -- a six-acre, forested habitat at the
sanctuary-- nine females and six males ranging in age from 11 to 27 ventured
out in two gender-separated groups to frolic and forage for food just as they
would in the wild.
It was the first
time they had the chance to exercise their free will with regard to their
environment, said Ali Crumpacker, executive director of Project Chimps.
“Imagine never
having stepped outside your own home and only knowing carpet or your porch
under your feet. That’s
Concerns raised
about ice-cream-eating bear at drive-thru in Alberta
Concerns are being raised about a video of a
Kodiak bear from a central Alberta zoo being taken through a fast-food
drive-thru and being hand-fed ice cream by the restaurant's owner.
The video, posted on
social media by the Discovery Wildlife Park in Innisfail, shows a one-year-old
captive bear named Berkley leaning out the driver's side of a truck's window
for her treat at the local Dairy Queen.
"We've got
Berkley in the drive-thru testing out some ice cream so she can pick out her
birthday cake," says a man identified as Mark in the video. "We've
added some peanuts to this batch and she seems to like it -- so I think we've
got a winner here."
Hope rises for
critically endangered monkey thanks to conservation efforts
The Myanmar
snub-nosed monkey may survive because of work by communities, NGOs and the
Myanmar and Chinese governments.
In 2010, a scientist
working for Fauna & Flora International (FFI) discovered a new primate
species in Myanmar, the following year scientists in China confirmed the same
species in the neighbouring forests of Yunnan province. Two years later,
Rhinopithecus strykeri, the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey AKA the
"snubby," was declared critically endangered – becoming one of the
most endangered primates on the planet due to small population size and threats
from hunting and habitat loss.
Eight years on and
now scientists have released a new report revealing how the primates are
faring. Remarkably, things are looking relatively up. While the species remains
in critical status, joint action by communities, governments and NGOs have
resulted in a dramatic improvement in the outlook for the beloved snubby..
"Straddling the
border lands of the Eastern Himalayas between Kachin state in Myanmar and
Yunnan pro
Use of primate
'actors' misleading millions of viewers
More needs to be
done to educate audiences, including viewers at home and filmmakers, on the
unethical nature of using primates in the film industry, says a leading expert
in a new study.
Brooke C. Aldrich,
trustee at the charity Neotropical Primate Conservation, highlights serious
concerns around the wider implications of using primate "actors" in
films, including the trivialization of their conservation and welfare needs and
representing them as suitable pets to viewers.
The new study,
published in the peer-reviewed journal Anthrozoös, analyzed two decades of
English-speaking film trailers from the period 1993-2013 to understand the
modern use of primate "actors" in the film industry. Primate
"actors" have been featured in major Hollywood films such as The
Hangover Part II, The Wolf of Wall Street and Babe: Pig in the City.
Results indicated
that primate "actors" in more than half the cases studied are shown
amongst humans and performing "human" actions the vast majority of
the time. The study also found that these individuals were shown "smiling"
- which in most primate species can surprisingly indicate fear or submission.
Of further concern
is how the use of primates as actors in films may misrepresent their
conservation needs. A previous study by Steve Ross and colleagues found that
35% of respondents mistakenly thought chimpanzees were not endangered due to
their frequent appearances in film an
New light on the
mysterious origin of Bornean elephants
How did Borneo get
its elephant? This could be just another of Rudyard Kipling's just so stories.
The Bornean elephant is a subspecies of Asian Elephants that only exist in a
small region of Borneo. Their presence on this southeastern Asian island has been
a mystery. Scientists have discovered that elephants might have arrived on
Borneo at a time of the last land bridge between the Sunda Islands in Southeast
Asia.
How 200,000 antelope
suddenly died
Scientists have
finally solved the mystery of the antelope mass extinction event which killed
60% of the animal's population.
The world's
scientists were baffled in 2015 when 200,000 antelope suddenly dropped dead in
Kazakhstan.
More than 60% of the
global population of saiga antelope died in just three weeks in May 2015, with
entire herds mysteriously collapsing across the Betpak-Dala region of
Kazakhstan.
Saiga antelopes are
already a critically endangered species, and despite being a cousin species to
the springbok and gazelle, is on the cusp of extinction.
BIAZA NEWS - Winter
2018
Rhino mating attempt
at Assam zoo turns fatal
A rhino mating
attempt turned fatal at the Assam State zoo here after the female succumbed to
injuries, zoo officials said on Monday.
Gaobura, the
two-year-old male rhino, seriously injured Shanti, the one-and-half-year old
female rhino, during a mating attempt on Friday. Shanti was left with backbone
injury, including several bruises on her body. She succumbed to injuries on
Saturday.
Wolf escapes
wildlife sanctuary near Reading
A wolf has escaped
from a wildlife sanctuary near a school in Berkshire
Police were called
at 8am on Thursday with reports from a member of the public that the animal had
escaped from the UK Wolf Conservation Trust in Reading.
The wolf, called
Torak, was captured early in the afternoon and is on its way back to the
sanctuary.
Teresa Palmer, 62,
who founded the park, helped to encourage the 12-year-old animal into a trailer
around eight miles away from the park.
Gibbons from
Howletts Wild Animal Park, Canterbury, returned to wild Java
Cheeky gibbons have
finally been released into the wild after travelling more than 7,000 miles to
the Indonesian jungle.
Six gibbons made the
journey back to their native homeland in Java, Indonesia, after they spent
their entire lives at a wild animal park in Canterbury.
The apes were flown
over 7,300 miles to a primate rehabilitation center near Bandung, Indonesia,
where they were released into enclosures.
The power of
partnership: could animal rights organsiations and zoos/aquariums join forces?
I spoke with several
AZA (The Association of Zoos & Aquariums) members who were outraged that
the association was extending an olive branch. From what I understand, many
members protested by not attending the conference at all. Some even threatened
to cancel their AZA membership. This got me to thinking about the potential
power of partnerships; of keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer.
In conversations
with zoos and aquariums in recent years, it seems the (excuse me for this)
elephant in the room has been the focused, laser-like attention on our
community from anti-marine and zoological park activists. We’ve all seen the
many articles unfairly finger-wagging, the extremist commentaries and
editorials, and the mainstream promotion of proposed, “frankly sophomoric” (to
quote a colleague’s description) self-proclaimed “industry-changing” zo
Canine distemper
confirmed in Far Eastern leopard, world's most endangered big cat
Russian Federation
(Jan. 17, 2018) - The Far Eastern or Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)
is already among the rarest of the world's big cats, but new research reveals
that it faces yet another threat: infection with canine distemper virus (CDV).
A new study published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases describes the first
documented case of CDV in a wild Far Eastern leopard.
The case involved a
two-year-old female leopard that was found along a road that crosses the Land
of the Leopard National Park, in the Russian territory of Primorskii Krai.
"The leopard
was extremely sick when she was brought in, and had severe neurological
disease" said Ekaterina Blidchenko, veterinarian with the National Park
and the TRNGO Animal Rehabilitation Center. "Despite hand-feeding and
veterinary attention, her condition worsened, and a decision was made to
euthanize her for humane reasons."
Although CDV is well
known in
It Is Not the Animal
That Would Kill You, Its WORSE!
At this point I’m
working with animals for my 13th year. It has been quite a ride and learned a
lot on the way. Even today I learn new things all the time, or about people or
about the animals we work with. In the blog I would like to talk about the most
dangerous part with working animals and believe it or not its not that lion or
that elephant you work with.
Imagine you have a
sales job. Your job is selling phones, phone contracts, accessories etc. You
are that person that wants to reach every target or even more. You are very
successful in what you do and keep have the number 1 place in the company.
Everything works out for you and you seem to grow fast. Not having failures and
a team that’s likes you, you feel like needing some more challenges. After 3 years you decide to move on because
you think you can’t learn more at the place you are. You find a company that
sees your achievement and decides to take you in. Because you are so confident
and believe in yourself you jump in.
Than it happens you
think you can and you believe in yourself so much that you fail completely and
you get fired. This actually happens failry often, this person is complacent
with his current situation. He gets used to how good he is and is not aware of
changing it. He gets to comfortable with this and thinks he can rule the world.
That part
How three monkeys
staged a daring escape at Dublin Zoo during Storm Ophelia
Three cheeky monkeys
staged a daring escape at Dublin Zoo after Storm Ophelia blew the roof off a
section of their enclosure last October, newly released records have revealed.
The three juvenile
Sulawesi crested macaques jumped a staggering 20 feet from a climbing frame in
their habitat onto an electric fence overhang, before making their way around
zoo grounds.
The zoo was closed
at the time of the incident, meaning there were no visitors on site. A
zookeeper noticed that the monkeys were missing when he checked the enclosure
at 9am and raised the alarm.
An emergency team
immediately responded and located the three fugitives hanging out in a tree
close to their habitat, around 65 feet off the ground. The area around the tree
was secured and a cherry picker was deployed to the site.
Staff attempted to
shoot the macaques with tranquiliser darts from the cherry picker, but this
proved unsuccessful due to hig
Hello ZooLex Friend,
We have worked for your enjoyment!
~°v°~
NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
Himalayan Mountains is a themed area at the Karlsruhe Zoo in Germany
with snow leopards and the previously presented red pandas. The snow
leopard exhibit is a renovation of a former bear exhibit and allows very
flexible management of the cats. Karlsruhe Zoo takes successfully part
in the European conservation breeding program for snow leopards.
Here is the German original version:
We would like to thank Jonas Homburg from ZooLex for preparing this
presentation and Eva Kaltenbach from Zoo Karlsruhe for editing.
~°v°~
SPANISH TRANSLATION
Thanks to Eduardo Díaz García we are able to offer the Spanish
translation of the previously published presentation of "Stoat Heat" at
Otter Zentrum in Germany:
~°v°~
We keep working on ZooLex ...
The ZooLex Zoo Design Organization is a non-profit organization
registered in Austria (ZVR-Zahl 933849053). ZooLex runs a professional
zoo design website and distributes this newsletter. More information and
contact: http://www.zoolex.org/about.html
A SAFE Haven
In the midst of an
ongoing extinction crisis, Dan Ashe, president and chief executive officer of
the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, believes the conservation work of AZA
members is more important than ever.
“As modern zoos and
aquariums, nobody cares more about animals than the people who work at these
facilities,” he said. “As facilities
that exhibit animals, we have an obligation to take care of those animals in
our facilities and provide exceptional care for them. But we also have an
obligation to care for them in nature.”
Taipei Zoo considers
closing for 12 days every year
Taipei Zoo said it
is mulling closing the park for 12 days per year for renovations and is
inviting the public to vote on the possible measure using the city’s i-Voting
Web site.
The zoo welcomes 3
million visitors per year and only closes on Lunar New Year’s Eve, zoo
officials said on Saturday, adding that closing the park from June 19 to June
30 each year would allow it to improve facilities.
People can vote
online from 9am on Feb. 13 to 5pm on March 12, the zoo added.
The
zoo uses a rotation system to close different exhibits every Monday for
maintenance work, zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said.
The need to stagger
work on different enclosures and facilities extends maintenance time, which
increases costs and prolongs disturbances to animals, Tsao said.
The idea of closing
the park for a specified period every year was proposed after looking at the
operations of zoos in other countries, he said, citing Japan’s popular
Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido, which closes for three weeks every year at the end
of winter.
“Zoo workers would
still need to be at the park every day while it is closed to the public to take
care of the animals. We could allow special groups to visit
Bill to ban orca
breeding filed in House faces pushback from SeaWorld
A bill that would
outlaw the breeding and performing of killer whales in Florida has cleared the
initial hurdle that kept it off the table last year: getting a lawmaker to file
it in the first place.
In an effort to
solidify a voluntary policy change SeaWorld made two years ago, Rep. Jared
Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, introduced in the House of Representatives the
Florida Orca Protection Act. It moved to the Natural Resources & Public
Lands Subcommittee on Friday, but Moskowitz said he anticipates a fierce
blowback from the marine park that could hinder progress.
"They had been
out there trying to prevent the bill from getting filed by any
representative," he said. "If they hear the bill, members will vote
for this, so (Sea World) is going to work to prevent it from being heard."
Former Rep. Alex
Miller, R-Sarasota, was interested in filing the bill in 2016 but changed her
mind after meeting with SeaWorld officials, she confirmed. Representatives from
the marine park met with Rep. Ben Diamond, D-St. Petersb
Tiger out of cage,
visitors in panic
A male tiger cub
fled from the security enclosure of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Safari Park in Chakoria upazila of Cox's Bazar on Friday.
The 2-year-old tiger
cub could not be captured till Sunday, causing panic among the visitors to the
safari park.
Authorities of the
park said that the number of visitors has decreased after the incident.
Local sources said,
on Friday morning the security workers went into the enclosure for maintenance
work. As soon as the door of the cage opened, the tiger cub escaped into the
nearby forest.
Rejecting claims of
panic, Mazharul Islam Chowdhury, an o
USDA says Topeka
Zoo’s elephant program passes inspection
Following the death
of Shannon the elephant, a Veterinary Medical Officer of the Animal Plant
Health Inspection Service of the USDA began a focused inspection on the Topeka
Zoo’s elephant program.
The inspection began
on Jan. 3 and ended Tuesday, Jan. 16. The zoo was presented with a report
showing there were not any non-compliant items found during the inspection.
“I think the USDA
was very impressed with our preparedness to address a down elephant situation,”
said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Significant time was spent during the
inspection to identify whether or not key staff were appropriately involved
during the 24-hour period before Shannon passed.”
The actual cause of
death for Shannon still has not been determined.
A gross necropsy was
performed on Dec. 11. and tissue samples were collected for a histopathology
evaluation. That is being done by th
Emergency rescue
training for elephants at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
On Wednesday, staff
at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo were preparing for the worst case scenario:
helping a fallen elephant get back on its feet.
Crews were
practicing with two-ton sand bags and hoisting them up with a specialized crane
system.
This equipment had
to be used in early January. It was to save Malaika, a 32-year-old elephant who
had fallen asleep and fell over.
Malaika is just one
of several older elephants at the zoo. Staff members say as these animals get
older they have a hard time standing up. They can only be sitting for a few
hours before it becomes dangerous.
President & CEO
Bob Chastain said, "Three hours, four hours, maybe slightly more, and if
they don't get up they'll start having serious compl
Wildest dreams a
reality for zoos chief Elaine Bensted
ild African-style
adventures, birds of prey flying overhead and tourists sleeping to the chilling
laugh of hyenas – South Australia is set to have it all.
Two of the state’s
best tourist attractions, Adelaide and Monarto zoos, are set for big changes on
the back of rising visitor numbers which hit more than half a million in
2016/17.
At the helm of the
plan is Zoos SA CEO Elaine Bensted who officially opened Monarto’s latest
heart-stopper, Lions 360, in November 2017.
Retiring caretaker
to part with elephant
Kaohsiung’s
Shoushan Zoo has said that long-time elephant caretaker Chang Yung-hsing (張永興) is to
retire next year and part with an African elephant named A-li (阿里) that he
has cared for over the past 39 years.
Chang
was 23 when first started caring for the then-five-year-old female elephant,
zoo director Chuang Hsuan-chih (莊絢智) said.
“The man and the
elephant share a profound rapport,” Chuang said.
Now 44, A-li is one
of three African elephants in Taiwan and the only one in Shoushan Zoo. The
other two are in Taipei Zoo.
Shoushan Zoo
officials are concerned that Chang’s retirement could depress A-li and they
have been familiarizing the elephant with her new caretaker over the past three
years, Chuang said.
Captive elephants
can become attached to their human caretakers a
MAZPA Wants Zoo
Employees To Improve Animal Handling Skills
The Malaysian
Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (MAZPA) wants zoo employees to get
training and improve animal handling skills so that the animals are well cared
for besides avoiding persecution and bringing harm to the caregivers.
Its chairman, Dr
Kelvin Lazarus said the training included nutritional aspects, zoo management,
animal handling and appropriate environment.
The training could
improve their level of competence and understanding of proper methods of
handling animals and wildlife which was necessary to avoid any risks to either
the handler or the animal itself.
“The welfare of
animals is a matter of priority, so one of the most important means is to
ensure that animal handlers receive adequate and appropriate training, MAZPA
assists and fully supports this endeavour,” he told a press conference here,
today.
Earlier, he
officiated the 10-day MAZPA Field Work Course here beginning today to train and
improve the quality of professional services in the industry jointly organised
by the Melaka Zoo and Night Safari.
Fifty participants
from zoos in the country, and
Flamingo Land CEO
Gordon Gibb on wild animals, wilder rides and a new resort in Scotland
Though many come for
its rides, Flamingo Land also boasts what is technically the country’s second
most-visited zoo, behind Chester but ahead of ZSL London Zoo.
“The animal
collection is my passion,” says Gibb. “It’s more rewarding than any of the
commercial success we have had and complements the theme park well. There are
no queues, no height restrictions, no reason to split the family group up. The
zoo offers a welcome gear change to the visitor experience.”
Setting Zoos in
Motion: A Conversation with Anne Baker, Retired Director of the Rosamond
Gifford and Toledo Zoos
Dr. Anne Baker served as Director of the
Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse from 1993 to 2006 and Executive Director/CEO
of the Toledo Zoo from 2006 to 2012. Renowned for her excellent leadership,
commitment to animal science and sensitive, thoughtful management of staff, she
served as the first female president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
in over fifty years. Baker helped elevate the stature of the Rosamond Gifford
Zoo and brought profound cultural change while at the Toledo Zoo. Since
retiring in 2012, she has served as Executive Director of Amphibian Ark. Here
is her story.
Chicago Zoological
Society Takes Lead on Multi-Institutional Cetacean Study
The Chicago
Zoological Society (CZS), which manages Brookfield Zoo, is taking the lead in
the largest-ever, multi-institutional study of how physical habitat,
environmental enrichment, and animal training impact the welfare of cetaceans
in zoos and aquariums worldwide. This study will take place across 44
accredited facilities in seven countries where scientists will gather data
regarding approximately 290 common and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, 20
beluga whales, and eight Pacific white-sided dolphins.
Asia’s appetite for
Africa’s animals causes concern
An unquenched Asian
taste for wine and herbal medicine laced with extracts of wild animals is
driving poaching of rare species in Uganda and across Africa, conservationists
have said.
Thousands of animals
have been stolen and exported to China, Indonesia and Philippines for use in
traditional medicines in recent years.
“For example in
South Africa, people export lion bones to China, where they use them as Chinese
traditional medicine. Africa is losing
lions to Chinese industries which make wine mixed with lion bone powder,” Edith
Kabesiime, the wildlife campaign manager for Africa from World Animal
Protection (WAP), told The Observer.
“These industries
crush lion bones into fine powder and mix it in wine to make people feel tough
like a lion after taking it,” she said.
She said, a few
years ago, the Chinese used extracts from Asian tigers, but when animals
dwindled, a ban on the use of tiger bones was enforced.
“In South Africa,
they legally export lion bones to Asia. Part of our campaign will focus on
convincing the South African government to put a hold on exportation of lion
bones to Asia since China has put a ban on use of their tigers. Why are they
using our lions? It will be a problem in future when all of them have been
destroyed,” she sai
Saudi Wildlife
Authority: Vulture population threatened by human impact
Scientific studies
by researchers from the Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA) show that a huge number
of vulture deaths are a result of poisoning, which will eventually threaten the
wildlife ecological balance.
In a study on how
vultures are facing threats, Dr. Mohammed Shobrak from the SWA in Taif said
that vultures were one of the most threatened families of birds in the world
and their decline had been shockingly rapid.
Some species in
Africa and the Indian subcontinent have declined by more than 95 percent in the
past few decades, a rate faster than that of the passenger pigeon or the dodo.
The biggest driver
of these declines is human impact, either by poisoning (intentional or
otherwise) or from maltreatment. As a result many Old World, vultures are now
critically endangered, meaning they are at risk of beco
Thai cops arrest
alleged kingpin in illegal wildlife trade
THAI police have
arrested an alleged kingpin in Asia's illegal trade in endangered species,
dealing a blow to a family-run syndicate that smuggles elephant ivory, rhino
horns and tiger parts to Chinese and Vietnamese dealers.
Boonchai Bach, 40, a
Vietnamese national with Thai citizenship, was arrested yesterday evening over
the smuggling of 14 rhino horns worth around US$1 million (RM4 million) from
Africa to Thailand.
His downfall follows
the December 12 arrest of Nikorn Wongprachan, a Thai National Parks and
Wildlife Conservation official, at Bangkok's main airport as he attempted to
smuggle the rhino horns from the quarantine section to a nearby apartment.
The horns were
smuggled into Bangkok by a Chinese man, who was arrested a day before on
arrival from Johannesburg, South Africa.
Beloved zookeeper
and Jackson teen identified as victims in Scott St. double homicide
Jackson police are
investigating a double homicide that happened Friday afternoon on Scott Street.
One of the victims
has been identified as Percy King. 57-year-old King was a beloved zookeeper at
the Jackson Zoo from 1997-2011 and served as a member of the Jackson Zoo Board
starting in 2017.
The Jackson Zoo sent
this statement on the tragedy:
Penguin attraction:
Byculla zoo's earnings sees 12-fold increase
Revenue of Veer
Jijamata Udyan – popularly known as Byculla zoo - increased 12 times on monthly
basis thanks to Humboldt Penguins brought from South Korea, reports Hindustan
Times. The zoo authorities, who had hiked the entry fee after putting up the
penguins on display, recorded earning up to Rs 70 lakh per month in the second
half of 2017, equivalent to its annual income before the fee hike.
The zoo had put the
penguins on display in March 2017. In following August, the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC) reportedly
Celebrating a Life
Devoted to Saving Species: A Conversation with the late Dr. Michael Hutchins,
former Chair of Conservation and Science for the Association of Zoos and
Aquariums
As the zoo and
conservation community mourns the untimely passing of Dr. Michael Hutchins, I
thought it would be appropriate to share an interview I conducted with him this
past fall. Hutchins was a true warrior for zoo conservation, as evidenced by
his influence as William Conway Chair of Conservation and Science for the
Association of zoos and Aquariums. Additionally, he wrote and edited over 200
publications including the influential texts Second Nature and Ethics on the
Ark, created the AZA’s Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs), led the Elephant Planning
Initiative, launched the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force and served on the Disney’s
Animal Kingdom Advisory Council. Hutchins was a mentor and friend to me and I’m
very grateful for his time and generosity. Here is his story.
January 2018
CAPTIVE BRED
CHEETAHS – AN EPIDEMIC IN SOUTH AFRICA?
Since 1975, we have
lost half of our cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) population worldwide with only an
estimated 7,100 cheetahs left in the wild, confined to just 9% of its
historical distributional range. Cheetahs are now predominantly found in
Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, and Mozambique. For this
reason, scientists are calling for a reclassification of the IUCN cheetah
status from Vulnerable to Endangered.
Southern Africa is
considered a regional stronghold for cheetah, with an estimated population of
4,500 adults, however its numbers are rapidly dwindling too. In South Africa,
its status is classified as Vulnerable, mostly due to environmental pressures, such
as habitat loss and fragmentation, and human-wildlife conflicts. The latter
often leads to landowners illegally killing so-called “problem” animals.
Bird flu prevention
zone extended to cover whole of England
A bird flu
prevention zone has been declared across the whole of England, Chief Veterinary
Officer Nigel Gibbens has confirmed today.
This means it is a
legal requirement for all bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures.
It comes as 13 dead wild birds were confirmed to have the virus in
Warwickshire.
Last week 17 wild
birds tested positive in Dorset and a total of 31 infected birds have now been
identified at that site. Defra took swift action to put a local prevention zone
in the area on Friday (12 January). However, as these latest results show the
disease is not isolated to a single site the decision has been taken to extend
the prevention zone across the country on a precautionary basis.
Testing of the birds
found in Warwickshire is ongoing, however, it is highly expected that this will
be the same H5N6 strain of the virus which has been circulating in wild birds
across Europe in recent months. Public Health England have advised th
The Value of the
Desert: A Conservation with Karen Sausman, Retired Director of The Living
Desert
The Living Desert in
Palm Desert, California is dedicated to connecting visitors with wildlife and
plants from deserts around the world. It all began with the vision of Karen
Sausman, who served as the facility’s director from its inception in 1970 to 2010.
She began as director in a time when women were not supposed to be keepers much
less directors and is regarded as one of the field’s legendary directors. Here
is her story.
Little-known
Orange-fronted Parakeet Nearing Extinction
The Critically
Endangered Orange-fronted Parakeet faces extinction if conservation and
education efforts do not catch up to the rapidly declining population.
Rarer than the Kiwi
but far less recognized, the Orange-fronted Parakeet is facing extinction. This
and many other little-known New Zealand native birds are at risk of extinction
due to the threat of invasive predators such as rats and stoats. It’s not that
these birds are less in need of conservation, it’s just that some charismatic
species receive more attention that others.
The Orange-fronted
Parakeet is one species that has suffered from a lack of direct conservation
interventions. The species was once spread throughout New Zealand but hunting
and invasive species have brought the population to 150-200 adults found only
in Canterbury.
Squirrel Sex is
Complicated
Only 35 Mount Graham
squirrels remain in the wild, but five captive squirrels could hold the key to
their long-term survival—if we can get them to breed
It began with a bolt
of lightning on June 7 and ended with a fire that eventually encompassed a
staggering 48,000 acres of southeastern Arizona. By the time the blaze had been
extinguished this past July, thousands of trees had been lost or damaged, impacting
the already degraded habitat for the critically endangered Mount Graham
squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis). Surveys conducted this past
September in the high-elevation forests of the Pinaleño Mountains, about three
hours east of Phoenix, revealed that the squirrels’ population had fallen to an
estimated 35 animals and that at least 80 percent of their habitat had been
damaged by the fires.
Could this be the
end of the Mount Graham squirrel, which was already once thought to be extinct
and has bee
Hotels, resorts
threaten rare primates
Recent rapid
construction of more than 20 hotels and resorts in Sơn Trà Nature Reserve is
threatening the survival of highly endangered langurs and other wildlife. Human
activities, such as illegal logging and hunting, also continue to badly affect
the lives of the primates and wildlife in the reserve.
The 4,400ha Sơn Trà
Nature Reserve, known for its rich biodiversity, is home to more than 1,300
red-shanked douc langurs and more than 1,000 plants and 370 animal species.
The langurs were
declared endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) in 2013, but this was recently redefined as critically endangered –
nearly extinct.
Six of the monkeys
were killed by motorcyclists in 2015-17, and two cases of illegal hunting were
uncovered. Two red-shanked douc langurs were reportedly killed for eating. And
about 10ha of forest have been illegally logged between 2014-16.
Thousands of traps
and tonnes of r
Vancouver Aquarium
will no longer keep whales and dolphins
The Vancouver
Aquarium has made a major revelation today. They will no longer display
cetaceans at the Vancouver Aquarium.
The Aquarium made
the announcement Thursday, noting that they are opting to put an end to the
program, despite it having “overwhelming support” year after year.
This is not to say,
however, that the Aquarium’s rescue and rehabilitation arm will no longer care
for whales and dolphins. As the Aquarium notes, they will do so for short-term
cases, and then seek other venues for transferring cetaceans that need long-term
care.
The Aquarium
explains: “Rescued animals are transferred to the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre –
located outside Stanley Park – for critical, short-term care, with the aim to
rehabilitate and release back to the wild. Should a rescued cetacean need
ongoing care, the animal care team will identify an appropriate long-term
facility and work to arrange for a transfer of the patient.”
The Aquarium
acknowledges that this is quite a shift for the organization, however, it is “a
move that is in line with our commitment to our community, country, and to the
world’s oceans.”
Additionally, the
Vancouver Aquarium
AZA Statement on
Cetacean Announcement by Vancouver Aquarium
VANCOUVER AQUARIUM —
OUR FUTURE
Life in the
information age is both exhilarating and challenging. We’re more plugged into
technology and instant info than at any time in our history … but we’re also
far less connected to our natural world.
The understanding
and inspiration fostered in the galleries, exhibits and habitats at Vancouver
Aquarium has never been more important; and our role as an interpreter of the
natural world never as critical.
Despite independent
polling, year over year, that clearly shows overwhelming support for our
cetacean program, we have made the difficult decision to no longer display
cetaceans at Vancouver Aquarium, with the exception of doing what is best for
Helen and any need to use the Aquarium for the temporary accommodation of a
rescued cetacean. Moving forward, we will focus on raising awareness of the
many ocean issues impacting other vulnerable marine animals.
The ongoing
discussions about whales and dolphins in our care have been a distraction from
real threats to the ocean and have sidelined the critical work we lead. We aim
to inspire people in every corner of the planet to participate in creating
healthy oceans, and it’s time to get on with it.
The launch of Ocean
Wise in 2017 as the parent global ocean co
Former research
chimps at North Georgia sanctuary go outdoors for the first time
With reactions
ranging from excitement and curiosity to fear and trepidation, 15 former lab
chimps took their first steps outdoors this week at the Project Chimps
sanctuary in North Georgia.
The 236-acre
sanctuary is currently home to 31 chimpanzees who have spent their entire lives
in captivity as subjects used in biomedical research.
On Tuesday, with the
completion of the Peachtree Habitat -- a six-acre, forested habitat at the
sanctuary-- nine females and six males ranging in age from 11 to 27 ventured
out in two gender-separated groups to frolic and forage for food just as they
would in the wild.
It was the first
time they had the chance to exercise their free will with regard to their
environment, said Ali Crumpacker, executive director of Project Chimps.
“Imagine never
having stepped outside your own home and only knowing carpet or your porch
under your feet. That’s
Concerns raised
about ice-cream-eating bear at drive-thru in Alberta
Concerns are being raised about a video of a
Kodiak bear from a central Alberta zoo being taken through a fast-food
drive-thru and being hand-fed ice cream by the restaurant's owner.
The video, posted on
social media by the Discovery Wildlife Park in Innisfail, shows a one-year-old
captive bear named Berkley leaning out the driver's side of a truck's window
for her treat at the local Dairy Queen.
"We've got
Berkley in the drive-thru testing out some ice cream so she can pick out her
birthday cake," says a man identified as Mark in the video. "We've
added some peanuts to this batch and she seems to like it -- so I think we've
got a winner here."
Hope rises for
critically endangered monkey thanks to conservation efforts
The Myanmar
snub-nosed monkey may survive because of work by communities, NGOs and the
Myanmar and Chinese governments.
In 2010, a scientist
working for Fauna & Flora International (FFI) discovered a new primate
species in Myanmar, the following year scientists in China confirmed the same
species in the neighbouring forests of Yunnan province. Two years later,
Rhinopithecus strykeri, the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey AKA the
"snubby," was declared critically endangered – becoming one of the
most endangered primates on the planet due to small population size and threats
from hunting and habitat loss.
Eight years on and
now scientists have released a new report revealing how the primates are
faring. Remarkably, things are looking relatively up. While the species remains
in critical status, joint action by communities, governments and NGOs have
resulted in a dramatic improvement in the outlook for the beloved snubby..
"Straddling the
border lands of the Eastern Himalayas between Kachin state in Myanmar and
Yunnan pro
Use of primate
'actors' misleading millions of viewers
More needs to be
done to educate audiences, including viewers at home and filmmakers, on the
unethical nature of using primates in the film industry, says a leading expert
in a new study.
Brooke C. Aldrich,
trustee at the charity Neotropical Primate Conservation, highlights serious
concerns around the wider implications of using primate "actors" in
films, including the trivialization of their conservation and welfare needs and
representing them as suitable pets to viewers.
The new study,
published in the peer-reviewed journal Anthrozoös, analyzed two decades of
English-speaking film trailers from the period 1993-2013 to understand the
modern use of primate "actors" in the film industry. Primate
"actors" have been featured in major Hollywood films such as The
Hangover Part II, The Wolf of Wall Street and Babe: Pig in the City.
Results indicated
that primate "actors" in more than half the cases studied are shown
amongst humans and performing "human" actions the vast majority of
the time. The study also found that these individuals were shown "smiling"
- which in most primate species can surprisingly indicate fear or submission.
Of further concern
is how the use of primates as actors in films may misrepresent their
conservation needs. A previous study by Steve Ross and colleagues found that
35% of respondents mistakenly thought chimpanzees were not endangered due to
their frequent appearances in film an
New light on the
mysterious origin of Bornean elephants
How did Borneo get
its elephant? This could be just another of Rudyard Kipling's just so stories.
The Bornean elephant is a subspecies of Asian Elephants that only exist in a
small region of Borneo. Their presence on this southeastern Asian island has been
a mystery. Scientists have discovered that elephants might have arrived on
Borneo at a time of the last land bridge between the Sunda Islands in Southeast
Asia.
How 200,000 antelope
suddenly died
Scientists have
finally solved the mystery of the antelope mass extinction event which killed
60% of the animal's population.
The world's
scientists were baffled in 2015 when 200,000 antelope suddenly dropped dead in
Kazakhstan.
More than 60% of the
global population of saiga antelope died in just three weeks in May 2015, with
entire herds mysteriously collapsing across the Betpak-Dala region of
Kazakhstan.
Saiga antelopes are
already a critically endangered species, and despite being a cousin species to
the springbok and gazelle, is on the cusp of extinction.
BIAZA NEWS - Winter
2018
Rhino mating attempt
at Assam zoo turns fatal
A rhino mating
attempt turned fatal at the Assam State zoo here after the female succumbed to
injuries, zoo officials said on Monday.
Gaobura, the
two-year-old male rhino, seriously injured Shanti, the one-and-half-year old
female rhino, during a mating attempt on Friday. Shanti was left with backbone
injury, including several bruises on her body. She succumbed to injuries on
Saturday.
Wolf escapes
wildlife sanctuary near Reading
A wolf has escaped
from a wildlife sanctuary near a school in Berkshire
Police were called
at 8am on Thursday with reports from a member of the public that the animal had
escaped from the UK Wolf Conservation Trust in Reading.
The wolf, called
Torak, was captured early in the afternoon and is on its way back to the
sanctuary.
Teresa Palmer, 62,
who founded the park, helped to encourage the 12-year-old animal into a trailer
around eight miles away from the park.
Gibbons from
Howletts Wild Animal Park, Canterbury, returned to wild Java
Cheeky gibbons have
finally been released into the wild after travelling more than 7,000 miles to
the Indonesian jungle.
Six gibbons made the
journey back to their native homeland in Java, Indonesia, after they spent
their entire lives at a wild animal park in Canterbury.
The apes were flown
over 7,300 miles to a primate rehabilitation center near Bandung, Indonesia,
where they were released into enclosures.
The power of
partnership: could animal rights organsiations and zoos/aquariums join forces?
I spoke with several
AZA (The Association of Zoos & Aquariums) members who were outraged that
the association was extending an olive branch. From what I understand, many
members protested by not attending the conference at all. Some even threatened
to cancel their AZA membership. This got me to thinking about the potential
power of partnerships; of keeping your friends close, and your enemies closer.
In conversations
with zoos and aquariums in recent years, it seems the (excuse me for this)
elephant in the room has been the focused, laser-like attention on our
community from anti-marine and zoological park activists. We’ve all seen the
many articles unfairly finger-wagging, the extremist commentaries and
editorials, and the mainstream promotion of proposed, “frankly sophomoric” (to
quote a colleague’s description) self-proclaimed “industry-changing” zo
Canine distemper
confirmed in Far Eastern leopard, world's most endangered big cat
Russian Federation
(Jan. 17, 2018) - The Far Eastern or Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)
is already among the rarest of the world's big cats, but new research reveals
that it faces yet another threat: infection with canine distemper virus (CDV).
A new study published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases describes the first
documented case of CDV in a wild Far Eastern leopard.
The case involved a
two-year-old female leopard that was found along a road that crosses the Land
of the Leopard National Park, in the Russian territory of Primorskii Krai.
"The leopard
was extremely sick when she was brought in, and had severe neurological
disease" said Ekaterina Blidchenko, veterinarian with the National Park
and the TRNGO Animal Rehabilitation Center. "Despite hand-feeding and
veterinary attention, her condition worsened, and a decision was made to
euthanize her for humane reasons."
Although CDV is well
known in
It Is Not the Animal
That Would Kill You, Its WORSE!
At this point I’m
working with animals for my 13th year. It has been quite a ride and learned a
lot on the way. Even today I learn new things all the time, or about people or
about the animals we work with. In the blog I would like to talk about the most
dangerous part with working animals and believe it or not its not that lion or
that elephant you work with.
Imagine you have a
sales job. Your job is selling phones, phone contracts, accessories etc. You
are that person that wants to reach every target or even more. You are very
successful in what you do and keep have the number 1 place in the company.
Everything works out for you and you seem to grow fast. Not having failures and
a team that’s likes you, you feel like needing some more challenges. After 3 years you decide to move on because
you think you can’t learn more at the place you are. You find a company that
sees your achievement and decides to take you in. Because you are so confident
and believe in yourself you jump in.
Than it happens you
think you can and you believe in yourself so much that you fail completely and
you get fired. This actually happens failry often, this person is complacent
with his current situation. He gets used to how good he is and is not aware of
changing it. He gets to comfortable with this and thinks he can rule the world.
That part
How three monkeys
staged a daring escape at Dublin Zoo during Storm Ophelia
Three cheeky monkeys
staged a daring escape at Dublin Zoo after Storm Ophelia blew the roof off a
section of their enclosure last October, newly released records have revealed.
The three juvenile
Sulawesi crested macaques jumped a staggering 20 feet from a climbing frame in
their habitat onto an electric fence overhang, before making their way around
zoo grounds.
The zoo was closed
at the time of the incident, meaning there were no visitors on site. A
zookeeper noticed that the monkeys were missing when he checked the enclosure
at 9am and raised the alarm.
An emergency team
immediately responded and located the three fugitives hanging out in a tree
close to their habitat, around 65 feet off the ground. The area around the tree
was secured and a cherry picker was deployed to the site.
Staff attempted to
shoot the macaques with tranquiliser darts from the cherry picker, but this
proved unsuccessful due to hig
Hello ZooLex Friend,
We have worked for your enjoyment!
~°v°~
NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
Himalayan Mountains is a themed area at the Karlsruhe Zoo in Germany
with snow leopards and the previously presented red pandas. The snow
leopard exhibit is a renovation of a former bear exhibit and allows very
flexible management of the cats. Karlsruhe Zoo takes successfully part
in the European conservation breeding program for snow leopards.
Here is the German original version:
We would like to thank Jonas Homburg from ZooLex for preparing this
presentation and Eva Kaltenbach from Zoo Karlsruhe for editing.
~°v°~
SPANISH TRANSLATION
Thanks to Eduardo Díaz García we are able to offer the Spanish
translation of the previously published presentation of "Stoat Heat" at
Otter Zentrum in Germany:
~°v°~
We keep working on ZooLex ...
The ZooLex Zoo Design Organization is a non-profit organization
registered in Austria (ZVR-Zahl 933849053). ZooLex runs a professional
zoo design website and distributes this newsletter. More information and
contact: http://www.zoolex.org/about.html
A SAFE Haven
In the midst of an
ongoing extinction crisis, Dan Ashe, president and chief executive officer of
the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, believes the conservation work of AZA
members is more important than ever.
“As modern zoos and
aquariums, nobody cares more about animals than the people who work at these
facilities,” he said. “As facilities
that exhibit animals, we have an obligation to take care of those animals in
our facilities and provide exceptional care for them. But we also have an
obligation to care for them in nature.”
Taipei Zoo considers
closing for 12 days every year
Taipei Zoo said it
is mulling closing the park for 12 days per year for renovations and is
inviting the public to vote on the possible measure using the city’s i-Voting
Web site.
The zoo welcomes 3
million visitors per year and only closes on Lunar New Year’s Eve, zoo
officials said on Saturday, adding that closing the park from June 19 to June
30 each year would allow it to improve facilities.
People can vote
online from 9am on Feb. 13 to 5pm on March 12, the zoo added.
The
zoo uses a rotation system to close different exhibits every Monday for
maintenance work, zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said.
The need to stagger
work on different enclosures and facilities extends maintenance time, which
increases costs and prolongs disturbances to animals, Tsao said.
The idea of closing
the park for a specified period every year was proposed after looking at the
operations of zoos in other countries, he said, citing Japan’s popular
Asahiyama Zoo in Hokkaido, which closes for three weeks every year at the end
of winter.
“Zoo workers would
still need to be at the park every day while it is closed to the public to take
care of the animals. We could allow special groups to visit
Bill to ban orca
breeding filed in House faces pushback from SeaWorld
A bill that would
outlaw the breeding and performing of killer whales in Florida has cleared the
initial hurdle that kept it off the table last year: getting a lawmaker to file
it in the first place.
In an effort to
solidify a voluntary policy change SeaWorld made two years ago, Rep. Jared
Moskowitz, D-Coral Springs, introduced in the House of Representatives the
Florida Orca Protection Act. It moved to the Natural Resources & Public
Lands Subcommittee on Friday, but Moskowitz said he anticipates a fierce
blowback from the marine park that could hinder progress.
"They had been
out there trying to prevent the bill from getting filed by any
representative," he said. "If they hear the bill, members will vote
for this, so (Sea World) is going to work to prevent it from being heard."
Former Rep. Alex
Miller, R-Sarasota, was interested in filing the bill in 2016 but changed her
mind after meeting with SeaWorld officials, she confirmed. Representatives from
the marine park met with Rep. Ben Diamond, D-St. Petersb
Tiger out of cage,
visitors in panic
A male tiger cub
fled from the security enclosure of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Safari Park in Chakoria upazila of Cox's Bazar on Friday.
The 2-year-old tiger
cub could not be captured till Sunday, causing panic among the visitors to the
safari park.
Authorities of the
park said that the number of visitors has decreased after the incident.
Local sources said,
on Friday morning the security workers went into the enclosure for maintenance
work. As soon as the door of the cage opened, the tiger cub escaped into the
nearby forest.
Rejecting claims of
panic, Mazharul Islam Chowdhury, an o
USDA says Topeka
Zoo’s elephant program passes inspection
Following the death
of Shannon the elephant, a Veterinary Medical Officer of the Animal Plant
Health Inspection Service of the USDA began a focused inspection on the Topeka
Zoo’s elephant program.
The inspection began
on Jan. 3 and ended Tuesday, Jan. 16. The zoo was presented with a report
showing there were not any non-compliant items found during the inspection.
“I think the USDA
was very impressed with our preparedness to address a down elephant situation,”
said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “Significant time was spent during the
inspection to identify whether or not key staff were appropriately involved
during the 24-hour period before Shannon passed.”
The actual cause of
death for Shannon still has not been determined.
A gross necropsy was
performed on Dec. 11. and tissue samples were collected for a histopathology
evaluation. That is being done by th
Emergency rescue
training for elephants at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
On Wednesday, staff
at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo were preparing for the worst case scenario:
helping a fallen elephant get back on its feet.
Crews were
practicing with two-ton sand bags and hoisting them up with a specialized crane
system.
This equipment had
to be used in early January. It was to save Malaika, a 32-year-old elephant who
had fallen asleep and fell over.
Malaika is just one
of several older elephants at the zoo. Staff members say as these animals get
older they have a hard time standing up. They can only be sitting for a few
hours before it becomes dangerous.
President & CEO
Bob Chastain said, "Three hours, four hours, maybe slightly more, and if
they don't get up they'll start having serious compl
Wildest dreams a
reality for zoos chief Elaine Bensted
ild African-style
adventures, birds of prey flying overhead and tourists sleeping to the chilling
laugh of hyenas – South Australia is set to have it all.
Two of the state’s
best tourist attractions, Adelaide and Monarto zoos, are set for big changes on
the back of rising visitor numbers which hit more than half a million in
2016/17.
At the helm of the
plan is Zoos SA CEO Elaine Bensted who officially opened Monarto’s latest
heart-stopper, Lions 360, in November 2017.
Retiring caretaker
to part with elephant
Kaohsiung’s
Shoushan Zoo has said that long-time elephant caretaker Chang Yung-hsing (張永興) is to
retire next year and part with an African elephant named A-li (阿里) that he
has cared for over the past 39 years.
Chang
was 23 when first started caring for the then-five-year-old female elephant,
zoo director Chuang Hsuan-chih (莊絢智) said.
“The man and the
elephant share a profound rapport,” Chuang said.
Now 44, A-li is one
of three African elephants in Taiwan and the only one in Shoushan Zoo. The
other two are in Taipei Zoo.
Shoushan Zoo
officials are concerned that Chang’s retirement could depress A-li and they
have been familiarizing the elephant with her new caretaker over the past three
years, Chuang said.
Captive elephants
can become attached to their human caretakers a
MAZPA Wants Zoo
Employees To Improve Animal Handling Skills
The Malaysian
Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria (MAZPA) wants zoo employees to get
training and improve animal handling skills so that the animals are well cared
for besides avoiding persecution and bringing harm to the caregivers.
Its chairman, Dr
Kelvin Lazarus said the training included nutritional aspects, zoo management,
animal handling and appropriate environment.
The training could
improve their level of competence and understanding of proper methods of
handling animals and wildlife which was necessary to avoid any risks to either
the handler or the animal itself.
“The welfare of
animals is a matter of priority, so one of the most important means is to
ensure that animal handlers receive adequate and appropriate training, MAZPA
assists and fully supports this endeavour,” he told a press conference here,
today.
Earlier, he
officiated the 10-day MAZPA Field Work Course here beginning today to train and
improve the quality of professional services in the industry jointly organised
by the Melaka Zoo and Night Safari.
Fifty participants
from zoos in the country, and
Flamingo Land CEO
Gordon Gibb on wild animals, wilder rides and a new resort in Scotland
Though many come for
its rides, Flamingo Land also boasts what is technically the country’s second
most-visited zoo, behind Chester but ahead of ZSL London Zoo.
“The animal
collection is my passion,” says Gibb. “It’s more rewarding than any of the
commercial success we have had and complements the theme park well. There are
no queues, no height restrictions, no reason to split the family group up. The
zoo offers a welcome gear change to the visitor experience.”
Setting Zoos in
Motion: A Conversation with Anne Baker, Retired Director of the Rosamond
Gifford and Toledo Zoos
Dr. Anne Baker served as Director of the
Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse from 1993 to 2006 and Executive Director/CEO
of the Toledo Zoo from 2006 to 2012. Renowned for her excellent leadership,
commitment to animal science and sensitive, thoughtful management of staff, she
served as the first female president of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
in over fifty years. Baker helped elevate the stature of the Rosamond Gifford
Zoo and brought profound cultural change while at the Toledo Zoo. Since
retiring in 2012, she has served as Executive Director of Amphibian Ark. Here
is her story.
Chicago Zoological
Society Takes Lead on Multi-Institutional Cetacean Study
The Chicago
Zoological Society (CZS), which manages Brookfield Zoo, is taking the lead in
the largest-ever, multi-institutional study of how physical habitat,
environmental enrichment, and animal training impact the welfare of cetaceans
in zoos and aquariums worldwide. This study will take place across 44
accredited facilities in seven countries where scientists will gather data
regarding approximately 290 common and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, 20
beluga whales, and eight Pacific white-sided dolphins.
Asia’s appetite for
Africa’s animals causes concern
An unquenched Asian
taste for wine and herbal medicine laced with extracts of wild animals is
driving poaching of rare species in Uganda and across Africa, conservationists
have said.
Thousands of animals
have been stolen and exported to China, Indonesia and Philippines for use in
traditional medicines in recent years.
“For example in
South Africa, people export lion bones to China, where they use them as Chinese
traditional medicine. Africa is losing
lions to Chinese industries which make wine mixed with lion bone powder,” Edith
Kabesiime, the wildlife campaign manager for Africa from World Animal
Protection (WAP), told The Observer.
“These industries
crush lion bones into fine powder and mix it in wine to make people feel tough
like a lion after taking it,” she said.
She said, a few
years ago, the Chinese used extracts from Asian tigers, but when animals
dwindled, a ban on the use of tiger bones was enforced.
“In South Africa,
they legally export lion bones to Asia. Part of our campaign will focus on
convincing the South African government to put a hold on exportation of lion
bones to Asia since China has put a ban on use of their tigers. Why are they
using our lions? It will be a problem in future when all of them have been
destroyed,” she sai
Saudi Wildlife
Authority: Vulture population threatened by human impact
Scientific studies
by researchers from the Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA) show that a huge number
of vulture deaths are a result of poisoning, which will eventually threaten the
wildlife ecological balance.
In a study on how
vultures are facing threats, Dr. Mohammed Shobrak from the SWA in Taif said
that vultures were one of the most threatened families of birds in the world
and their decline had been shockingly rapid.
Some species in
Africa and the Indian subcontinent have declined by more than 95 percent in the
past few decades, a rate faster than that of the passenger pigeon or the dodo.
The biggest driver
of these declines is human impact, either by poisoning (intentional or
otherwise) or from maltreatment. As a result many Old World, vultures are now
critically endangered, meaning they are at risk of beco
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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
*****
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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