Zoo News Digest 15th July 2018 (ZooNews 1001)
Peter Dickinson
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
I am absolutely
delighted to learn that the Democratic Republic of Congo and China animal deal
is off. It has bothered me for weeks that this should have even be considered
to take place. That said what bothered me even more was that there was
practically zilch in the press condemning. Don't believe me? Do a search. In
fact practically the only condemnation I saw was by the infamous 'Born Free
Foundation'. There was nothing from any of the major zoo organisations. Okay I
do know that there were people beavering away behind the scenes and I thank
them for it but really what is wrong with standing up and being counted?
Zoos need a vet. Not
just any vet… but a vet with experience and someone trained with and an
understanding of exotics. Not for the first time do I see the "not enough vets" being the cause of
problems in certain zoos on the Indian
subcontinent. The truth of the matter is that the problem is the lack of
trained and qualified Zoo Keepers. One experienced Zoo Keeper is worth ten vets.
A good Zoo Keeper offers quality of care and can spot when something is wrong
long before it actually becomes wrong. There are zoos with many more animals
than Karachi Zoo that do not have a vet at all. They manage nicely with regular
or as needed visits. What they do have is Trained Zoo Keepers. 'Daily Wage'
non-permanent employees are never going
to solve the continuous problems these collections have. Looked down on by most
as nothing more than shit shovellers, the lowest of the low nothing is going to
get better anytime soon. Not knocking vets you understand but prophylactic
husbandry is the way forward.
The internet is
crazy. Facebook in its greater wisdom decided to hold back on putting out
ZooNews Digest number 1000 because of 'political content'. What political
content? Politics comes into everything these days. I ran through the links and
could not find anything objectionable so I objected and quickly it was
approved. I imagine some sort of artificial intelligence at work.
Then there was
YouTube the same week. I don't have much on there. A few personal bits and
pieces. Ten years ago I was at a party in Thailand for a two year old girl.
There was some dancing and some Thai music playing. Now somebody another is
putting claim to that. I took the video down. Easiest way out of the nonsense.
I am probably the
least politically correct person I know….and as I get older become even less
so. I wonder when all this ridiculousness will end.
Following a number of discussions online this week singing the praises of zoos. I sing very badly and would never sing such a song. I am in favour of Good zoos and not all zoos. I am 100% pro Good Zoo but, sadly imho most zoos are bad. I am talking worldwide here.
"good
zoos will not gain the credibility of their critics until they condemn the bad
zoos wherever they are." Peter Dickinson
Did you know that advertising your vacancy or product on ZooNews Digest can potentially reach 78,000 + people?
Lots of interest follows.
*********
Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 78,000 Followers on Facebook( and over 78,000 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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China-DRC wildlife
export deal off after worldwide pressure
The proposed deal
between the Democratic Republic of Congo and China where a number of wildlife
from DRC were to be taken to two Chinese zoos has been called off. This follows
after worldwide outrage against the deal led by different organizations including
Conserv Congo and Virunga Community Programs.
Confirming this,
Adams Cassinga of Conserv Congo in a private email message to Virunga Community
Programs said that he spoke to his contacts in the ministry concerned and
confirmed the deal has been called off.
“We are just pushing
for a written letter guaranteeing that it will never happen. Thank you so much
for your support. Other activists were very crucial in the success of this
endeavor. My sincere gratitude!” said Cassinga who has
26 rhinos gifted to
various countries from CNP
Twenty six
rhinoceros have been gifted to various countries so far from Chitwan National
Park (CNP).
Ved Prasad Dhakal,
the chief conservation officer at CNP, said six rhinos have been given to
America, four to India and two each to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar,
Japan, Germany, Britain and Austria.
The CNP record shows
that four rhinos were sent to Dudhuwa of India for the first time in 1985.
Lately, a pair of rhinos was gifted to Austria in 2006.
Two pairs of the
endangered wildlife are being gifted to China after 12 years. With this, the
number of rhinos sent to various countries as present reaches 30.
Elephants were
brought from India, Myanmar and Thailand in exchange of rhinoceros before this.
Former chief
conservation officer Ramprit Yadav said that 16 elephants have been brought so
far from India alone in exchange of rhinos. Accordi
World Association of
Zoos and Aquariums Annual Report 2017
Jaguar escapes
enclosure at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and kills 4 alpacas, an emu and a fox
A New Orleans zoo
remained closed on Saturday after a jaguar escaped its habitat and killed six
other animals.
Audubon Zoo said the
3-year-old male jaguar, named Valero, was spotted outside his enclosure by a
zoo employee around 7 a.m.
Valero attacked four
alpacas, one emu and a fox. The animals died.
Kyle Burks, vice
president and managing director for the zoo, said at a news conference that
Valero was sedated by a team of veterinarians and the animal was returned and
secured in his area. No humans were injured.
The zoo was closed
Saturday but said it will reopen Sunday.
"We care for
these animals every day," Burks said. "We closed the zoo today to
help our team mourn."
No explanation has
been given for the jaguar's escape, but the zoo said an "after-action
review" is taking place, as well as an investigation into
The Butterfly
Project
I was asked to
participate in a special project that I will refer to as the London Butterfly
Project. A botanical specialty group in the UK has built a large garden
designed to show the symbiotic relationship between plants and animals. Each
year this group sets up different gardens with different themes in different
parts of the United Kingdom. Their focus for 2015 is to demonstrate the role
that butterflies have in certain ecosystems. This project includes more than
10,000 butterflies of many different species that live in the garden, which is
hidden among the tall buildings of London. The garden occupies a space that is
larger than a football field.
Meet the koalas of Longleat: Six marsupials are making
conservation history by being flown 10,000 miles to safari park to become first
of their kind to live in England
Wrapped up securely,
the southern Australian koala looks very much at home in the arms of
Viscountess Weymouth.
As well he might,
for soon he will be flown 10,000 miles from his natural habitat in Australia to
the grounds of Emma Weymouth’s magnificent stately home at Longleat safari park
– in a pioneering conservation project aimed at protecting the survival of his
species.
While northern
koalas can be found at Edinburgh Zoo, this w
Connecting the dots
Part-5 of "What the funk"
To ensure the koala
can thrive into the 21st century, they must be part of society. With this in
mind, it is important to reference last week's announcement that koala milk
could provide society the protection of super bugs in the near future. Anything
is possible! The koala is the fourth marsupial to be genetically sequenced -
with the Australian Museum Research Institution finding over 26,000 genes.
As koalas numbers
drop off due to urbanization, Australian society needs a simplified approach to
include the koala in their d
Eight zoo staff quit
after probe into 'malicious campaign'
Eight staff have
quit the South Island's largest zoo following an internal investigation into a
"malicious" 14-month campaign alleging animal welfare and health and
safety breaches.
The zoo's chief
executive said while all allegations were found to be unsubstantiated, the
"constant attack", had taken its toll.
Orana Wildlife Park
initiated an internal investigation into the allegations after photos and
letters were sent to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), donors and
other external agencies.
Eight staff have
since resigned.
Report: Zoo
Discussed Wild Dog Exhibit Dangers Before Death
A newly released
report shows that Pittsburgh Zoo staff raised concerns about a child falling
through an opening into an African painted dog exhibit on at least six separate
occasions before a fatal mauling in 2012.
The Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette says the federal report was released this month more than four
years it filed a Freedom of Information Act request. The report found the zoo's
fencing around the wild dog exhibit was "not sufficient" to prevent
2-year-old Maddox Derkosh from falling into the exhibit.
Custodians: In
Defence of Zoos, Ambassador Animals, and Captive Breeding (Part II)
We’ll start this
article with a brief history of zoos and animal parks in general and then as
applies to South Africa. Even though zoos are historically common and
significant in human history, our understanding and ethical treatment of
animals has vastly evolved and what was acceptable even 50 years ago is no
longer considered now in many ecological circles. To that end, I do not condone
all zoos and, in fact, there are many that should be shut down immediately, but
there are several that are worth supporting. I will also be talking about the
organisations in place to keep check on such facilities, including animal
welfare groups, zoological associations, studbooks, and conservation permit
associations.
Let Mountain Lions
Eat Horses
The craggy mesas and
sagebrush valleys of the West have a wild horse problem. Too many horses, the
federal government says, are crowding the scraps of public land set aside for
them, and in places they are trampling the delicate desert springs and eating
the golden range to dust.
About 83,000 roam
the West — more than three times what federal managers say the land can
sustain. By next summer their numbers could grow to 100,000.
Late last month the
federal Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the management of wild horses
on its vast land holdings, gave Congress a range of options for cutting the
herds
Saving California
Condors — With a Chisel and Hand Puppets
Sometimes saving a
species from extinction requires a helping hand — or a jailbreak.
That may sound like
a mixed metaphor, but it’s actually the case for critically endangered
California condors (Gymnogyps californianus), North America’s largest birds.
Every once in a while, a condor chick needs a little help getting out of its
egg, and human caretakers need to step in to gently assist it on its journey
out of the shell.
Take the chick known
as OZ07, whose egg was laid this past February in Oregon Zoo’s condor
captive-breeding program, about 50 miles south of Portland. In April, as the
egg approached its hatch date, keepers could tell that the chick was active but
unable to break through the shell. Condor eggs only contain enough air for a
chick’s first breath, so keepers knew they needed to let in more air. They
chiseled a tiny hole in the shell, giving OZ07 a source of much-needed oxygen.
That wasn’t quite
enough, though. “Oz” w
'Kitty Litter'
Parasite Is Wiping Out One Of Earth’s Rarest Seals
In May, two
critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals were found dead on a beach on Oahu.
Both were female, and one was pregnant. After performing a necropsy,
veterinarians determined that both animals died of toxoplasmosis, a potentially
fatal disease that originates in domestic cats.
For veterinarian
Claire Simeone, the deaths of these seals confirmed a sobering suspicion about
the disease.
“Females seem to be
more likely to die from this disease, and from a conservation standpoint,
that’s very concerning,” says Simeone, director of the Ke Kai Ola hospital for
UV‐light and dietary
vitamin D and their effects on ionized calcium and 25‐OH‐D plasma
concentrations in captive gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua)
In this study, the
effect of ultraviolet (UV) light and dietary vitamin D on calcium metabolism in
permanently indoor‐housed gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) was investigated.
The study consisted of three periods, each completed with blood samples to analyse
plasma concentrations of 25‐OH‐D, 1,25‐(OH)2‐D, ionized (iCa) and total calcium
(tCa). During the first study period (D), animals were housed under routine
conditions without UV‐light and fed a diet of different fish species,
supplemented with 1,000 IU vitamin D per animal and day. The following study
period (Baseline) of 28‐day duration consisted of the same diet without any
vitamin D supplementation and without UV‐light. During the study period (UVB)
artificial UV‐light was added for 3 weeks. The vitamin D content of fish was
measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography. It varied between fish
species and between facilities, ranging from no measurable content in capelin
(Mallotus villosus) to 7,340 IU vitamin D/kg original matter (OM) in herring
(Clupea spp). The average dietary vitamin D content was 311 IU/kg OM at
facility 1 and 6,325 IU/kg OM at facility 2, resulting in a vitamin D intake
per animal and day without supplementation of 130 IU (25.5 IU/kg body weight
BW) and 2,454 IU (438.2 IU/kg BW) respectively. The supplementation of vitamin
D elevated significantly the plasma concentrations of 25‐OH‐D by an in
Cashing in on exotic
cubs: unlicensed Las Vegas businessman arrested
Animals illegally
kept in valley neighborhoods were forced to interact with the public so their
owner could make a profit. A Las Vegas man who cashed in on exotic cubs says
that what he's doing with dangerous animals is nobody's business.
Exotic cubs like
liligers are adorable to look at but they are not pets or playthings. They are
wild animals that can be dangerous and that's exactly what led their former
owner to get in trouble with the law. The events that led to Jeff Lowe's arrest
began when animal control and city marshals descended on his home on Natalia
Court.
When the City served
a search warrant in November, they impounded a tiger, a liliger and a
lemur. According to vet records, the two
cubs were sick. As part of the plea
agreement, Lowe had to surrender the animals and pay $10,000 in restitution for
their care.
He told us on the
phone that he bottle-feeds his big cats from birth and no one is more
knowledgeable about them than he is. When they get too big, he retires them to
his USDA-licensed Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma where he
says they live safe and healthy lives.
Video of Lowe on
Facebook contradicts what he told us. The video shot by a British media company
shows Lowe being mauled by one of his lions.
"I didn't think
he was gonna kill me, but you n
President, PM
House’s zoos fed food bought for Islamabad Zoo: report
The animals in the
mini zoos in the president and prime minister houses are fed the food procured
by Marghazar Zoo and not from the houses’ own budgets.
According to a
report in the local media, the mini zoo in President House was established in
2008 on the orders of the then president, Asif Ali Zardari, who is said to be
fond of animals. The animals in the zoo include some deer, shinkara, pheasants
and other birds such as grey parrots and pigeons.
On the other hand,
the zoo in the Prime Minister House is smaller with just a few peacocks and
pigeons.
According to a
senior official of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), a large
portion of food purchased for Marghazar Zoo is taken to the zoos in the
presidency and Prime Minister House as they do not spend on their zoos from
their own budgets and put the burden on MCI.
“The annual cost of
procuring food for the main Marghazar Zoo is Rs50 million of which Rs3 million
goes towards food for the other two zoos,” he said.
10 Important Things
a Zookeeper Needs to Know By Zookeepers.eu
Being a zookeeper is
a great opportunity for a lifelong learning process. It’s a profession that
requires continuing education every day. In general, people think that being a
zookeeper is just a job where one gets to hug animals all day, but in reality,
general work duties include feeding, cleaning enclosures, making enrichment
items, observing and recording the behavior of animals, training the animals,
educating zoo visitors and much more. Some zookeepers may work with more than
one species of animal while others may specialize in a group of animals such as
predators. Zookeepers spend a lot of time with the animals and always have to
pay special attention to safety requirements, as there are always risks of
bites or animal escapes. So as we can see, a zookeeper’s job is very
responsible and complex which requires job specific and transversal
competencies.These competencies and gained knowledge should be constantly
updated.
https://zoospensefull.com/2018/07/10/10-important-things-a-zookeeper-needs-to-know-by-zookeepers-eu/
Killer Whales: Bond
with These Clever Creatures at Kamogawa Sea World
Whoosh! Four killer
whales jump high in a pool, making a big splash.
Welcome to the
“Killer Whale” show, the most popular event in Kamogawa Sea World along the
coast of Chiba Prefecture.
Some of the killer
whales’ high jumps exceed five meters in height, and the animals are compelling
and believable. Children, keeping away from the flying spray from the pool,
shout for joy watching the aquarium.
Killer whales, a
member of the whales and dolphins family, are carnivorous. The largest killer
whales are over seven meters in length and weigh over five tons. They are said
to be the strongest among the creatures living in the ocean and they stand at
the summit of the whole biological system. Killer whales are the “Kings of the
Ocean” as they attack seals and other whales.
Fear in village as
more details emerge about where giant tarantulas were spotted
Residents living
near to where giant venomous tarantulas are thought to have been seen in
Derbyshire say they feel frightened and vulnerable - including an alarmed
cattery owner.
The bird-eating
spiders are thought to be on the loose after their babies were found abandoned
in a car park on Thursday.
The RSCPA say that,
if members of the public see the creatures, they should not try to handle them
or approach them.
Bird-eating spider
babies, which can grow to the size of a dinner plate, were found inside some
discarded pots at the side of a car park at Bateman's
Shortage of vets
spells misery for Karachi zoo animals
A white African
lioness stares blankly at the spectators crowded outside her small,
steel-barred cage, her extraordinary coat dotted with numerous spots, the
result of a fungal skin disease that has marred her once pristine fur.
The ailment is
curable -- or, rather, it should be. But at the Karachi Zoological Garden there
are not enough vets to give proper treatment to its more than 850 animals, many
held in cages built over a century ago.
"Here we have a
mere two veterinaries and three paramedics. They are not at all
sufficient," said the zoo's chief, Mansoor Ahmed Qazi.
Management have been
pushing the city council to approve a third veterinary position for the zoo's
population, including lions, tigers, elephants, chimpanzees, birds and
reptiles.
But the council has
usually focused more on sewage, roads, and garbage removal in the chaotic port
megacity of some 20 million people, which until recently had been rocked by
years of political and ethnic violence.
"This is
unfortunate, that the zoo is heavily understaffed and thus not able to take
good care of the animals," said Humaira Ayesha, an expert from the World
Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) in Karachi.
Unfortunately the
problem is not limited to Karachi.
Islamabad's zoo has
long been criticised for its treatment of its lone elephant, Kaavan, which
became the subject of a high-profile rights campaign backed by music icon Cher
in 2016 after it emerged the animal was being kept in chains.
And the zoo in
northwestern Peshawar, which opened in February, has admitted that 30 animals
so far have died while being transferre
Karachi's cruel
cages: African lions are ravaged by fungal skin disease at Victorian-era zoo in
Pakistan that can't afford vets to care for its 850 animals
A white African
lioness stares blankly at the spectators crowded outside her small,
steel-barred cage, her extraordinary coat dotted with numerous spots, the
result of a fungal skin disease that has marred her once pristine fur.
The ailment is
curable - or, rather, it should be. But at the Karachi Zoological Garden there
are not enough vets to give proper treatment to its more than 850 animals, many
held in cages built over a century ago.
'Here we have a mere
two veterinaries and three paramedics. They are not at all sufficient,' said
the zoo's chief, Mansoor Ahmed Qazi.
Management have been
pushing the city council to approve a third veterinary position for the zoo's
population, including lions, tigers, elephants, chimpanzees, birds and
reptiles.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5916199/Shortage-vets-spells-misery-Karachi-zoo-animals.html
The Fragile Songs of
the Sumatran Rhinos
At four o’clock in
the morning on May 12, 2016, Zulfi Arsan balanced himself on a tall fence post,
poised to jump into a pen with a rhinoceros.
As lead veterinarian
of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (srs) on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, he
watched as the rhino named Ratu gave birth to her second calf. The calf, who
later would be named Delilah, was coming out wrong—hind feet first. This meant
the umbilical cord could strangle her. Arsan was ready to try to help.
A minute passed.
Then, a breath. And another.
Thus was Delilah
born, the youngest Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, the smallest, oldest and most
endangered species of rhinoceros in the world. With fewer than 100 left of her
kind, her first breaths gave hope that Sumatran rhinos still could be saved
from extinction, largely than
Controversy over
rhino hybrid embryos
SCIENTISTS, for the
first time, have created hybrid embryos with DNA from the nearly extinct
northern white rhinoceros, an advance that could ultimately lead to the first
resurrection of a mega-mammal.
But while this could
provide a new way to produce future generations of endangered or extinct
animals, applying this approach to the white rhino does not meet with universal
approval among conservationists.
The international
team of researchers, led by Professor Thomas Hildebrandt from the Leibniz
Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, have used an existing assisted
reproduction technology developed for horses, and applied it to the white
rhino.
Eggs and sperm from
northern white rhino are in short supply, owing to the rarity of the
subspecies. So the team also used material from southern white rhino,
successfully fertilising southern
SMOKING ORANGUTANS
MIGHT NOT EVEN BE THE WORST THING HAPPENING IN MALAYSIAN SAFARIS.
Some time before, we
received a message from Upreshpal Singh, the Director of Friends of the
Orangutans Malaysia (FOTO), asking for Perhilitan as well as the NRE Minister
Dr Xavier Jayakumar to stop the transfer of two elephants from Perhilitan to a
recently-opened park in Langkawi, the Langkawi Nature Park (LNP).
Along with the
message, we’ve also received pictures and documents that allegedly depict the
state of abused animals at another safari park, the Bukit Gambang Safari Park
(BGSP) in Pahang. However, we couldn’t find any other mention of the depicted
cases of verify their truth, so we should probably take these with a pinch of
salt.
The challenges and
conservation implications of bear bile farming in Viet Nam
Legalized trade in
commercially farmed wildlife products is sometimes promoted as a conservation
strategy. In theory, flooding the market with cheaper or better quality
products will decrease the profitability of poaching. Bear bile is highly
sought-after for use in traditional medicine and overhunting to supply the
demand for bear parts has led to declining populations across South-east Asia.
Bear bile farming was established to help supply the high demand for bear bile.
In Viet Nam it is legal to keep registered bears, but illegal to extract or
sell bear bile. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 66 bear bile
farmers in Viet Nam to examine the conservation implications of bear bile
farming. The results show that demand for wild bear bile was not satisfied by
the widespread availability of farmed bear bile. Farmers report a strong
consumer preference and willingness to pay more for wild-sourced products. The
existence of bear bile farms presents considerable challenges to law
enforcement. The results suggest that bear bile farming in Viet Nam relies on
restocking from wild populations, and farmers openly admit to extracting and
selling bear bile, in clear violation of national legislation. T
Ohio emerges as
model on exotic animal rules
In the late
afternoon hours of Oct. 18, 2011, 62-year-old Terry Thompson opened the cage
doors that contained his lions, tigers, bears, wolves and more on his
Zanesville farm and set them free. Then he turned a gun on himself.
Reports of wild
animals running loose quickly started pouring into Muskingum County Sheriff
Matt Lutz’s office. He didn’t know how many animals Thompson kept on the
property or how much of a head start they had. But he did know this: Sunset was
90 minutes away.
Lutz quickly gave
the order to his deputies: Put down any animal off the property or close to
leaving the property.
“There is no way we
could have those types of animals loose in our neighborhoods,” Lutz said.
Melbourne zoos dump
Nestle products over palm oil controversy
Zoos Victoria has
dumped Nestle products from its kiosks and food carts after the company was
suspended from an international organisation that promotes the sustainable use
of palm oil.
The organisation,
which operates the Melbourne and Werribee zoos, has long campaigned for the
sustainable production of palm oil — an ingredient blamed for threatening the
critically-endangered Sumatran orangutan population.
OPERATION FAKE GOLD
– THE TOTOABA CARTELS AND THE VAQUITA EXTINCTION
The vaquita, the
world’s smallest and most endangered porpoise, is nearly extinct due to China’s
demand for the swim bladders, or ‘maws,’ from a giant Mexican fish called the
totoaba. By-catch from the Illegal fishing of totoabas with the use of gillnets
is killing vaquitas. In fact, the use of gillnets for illegal totoaba fishing
is endangering the entire marine ecosystem of the Upper Gulf of California. The
International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA) estimated that,
as of November 2016, no more than 30 vaquitas remained. Analysis of 2017
acoustic monitoring data showed that the decline of the vaquita has continued
unabated.
Voices of ZIMS:
Expert Advocate Zak Showell
ZIMS is more than
just a tool – it’s a movement. A movement started by our community more than 40
years ago to be better and do better. A movement that’s about collaborating and
sharing knowledge for the wildlife in our care. ZIMS belongs to our community –
a community that is passionate about what we are trying to accomplish. This
series features their voices. First up is ZIMS Expert Advocate Zak Showell, who
is also Director of Shaldon Wildlife Trust.
Curious Hobart: What
happened to the Beaumaris zoo?
Hobart's old zoo is
famous as the location where the last thylacine in captivity died, with the
species being classified as extinct in the 1930s.
The black-and-white
footage of the animals, pacing the confines of the wooden frame and wire
enclosures, is emblematic of the zoo, which closed down a year after the last
tiger's death.
Like many others,
Dave Abel had heard about the zoo and seen the ruins of old enclosures in the
fenced area in Queen's Domain.
"When I saw the
Curious Hobart articles, I was reminded of this question I had when I first
arrived in Hobart 11 years ago," Mr Abel said.
"I have seen
the plaq
Ending extinction
through conservation medicine, alum works with miniature buffalo, white rhinos
Earth is home to an
extensive web of incredibly complex and wildly diverse ecosystems. The
harmonious interaction among these ecosystems is what allows life to thrive at
Earth’s deepest depths and highest peaks. But one species has upset the
balance.
“It’s no secret that
humans have had an impact on Earth’s biodiversity,” said Molly Corder, a spring
2018 graduate of the Department of Biology’s Professional Science Master’s
(PSM) in Zoo, Aquarium and Animal Shelter Management. “Today’s scientists are tasked
with the race against time to save endangered species and bring back n
Inspection at
wildlife sanctuary following 'animals in distress' claims
AUTHORITIES will
carry out an inspection at Bahrain’s main wildlife sanctuary following claims
that animals were confined in small cages and exposed to the scorching summer
heat.
It comes after a
video and pictures of birds and animals at the Al Areen Wildlife Park and
Reserve were shared on social media.
Supreme Council for
Environment (SCE) senior environmentalist Ali Mansoor said a team would visit
the park today, while the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (BSPCA) carried out its own inspection yesterday.
“We have been
alerted to the videos, pictures and claims,” Mr Mansoor told the GDN.
Report
“We understand the
BSPCA visited the park and is also preparing a report.
“A team from the SCE
will visit the facility, inspect these claims and submit a report, based on
which further decisions will be taken.”
However, he said Al
Areen officials had reassured him that the images shared on social media did
not tell the full story.
“I personally spoke
to Al Areen officials who said the pictures presented only part of the story,”
he said.
The pictures and
footage were sh
Rare leopard born at
Highland Wildlife Park could be released into wild
A
critically-endangered leopard cub born in Scotland could be released into the
wild in Russia as a world first. News that Amur leopards Freddo and Arina had
become parents was confirmed recently at the Highland Wildlife Park near
Kingussie by the cub making a crying sound. It is hoped the cat will be moved
to Russia in future as part of conservation efforts and would be among only 100
which remain in the wild. If successful, it would be the first ever
reintroduction to the wild of a critically-endangered Amur leopard. Douglas
Richardson, head of living collections, said: “Our approach to managing this
highly-threatened cat is globally unique, with the zoo and conservation
community watching what we do with a view to following our lead. “Being able to
send captive-bred Amur leopards back to a part of their historic wild range in
Russia would repre
Boy who saw tapir
attack sister at Dublin Zoo awarded €25,000
A boy who witnessed
an attack on his toddler sister by a Brazilian tapir at Dublin Zoo, and saw his
parents injured while attempting to save the girl, has been awarded €25,000 in
the Circuit Civil Court.
Ruari Owens, who was
10 at the time of the incident, saw the female tapir lift his then two-year-old
sister, Katie, in its mouth and violently shake her, causing her serious injury
on August 8th, 2013.
Daragh Owens and
Patricia Frost, Katie’s parents, fought off the animal, which had earlier given
birth to a calf, and were also injured in the attack.
Francis McGagh,
counsel for the family, told Judge Francis Comerford that the children had been
in the tapir cage and Ruari had seen the sudden and violent attack up close.
Mr McGagh, who
appeared with Cath
Butterflies tagged
at OKC Zoo found in Mexico
Two Monarch
butterflies tagged at the Oklahoma City Zoo last fall were found in Mexico.
A male butterfly,
tagged on October 2, 2017, was found on February 20, 2018, in El Rosario, while
a female butterfly, tagged on October 5, 2017, was found on February 10, 2018,
in Sierra Chincua.
Last fall, OKC Zoo
Education and Horticulture teams dedicated sev
Cognitive Bias in
Zoo Animals: An Optimistic Outlook for Welfare Assessment
Cognitive bias
testing measures how emotional states can affect cognitive processes, often
described using the “glass half-full/half-empty” paradigm. Classical or operant
conditioning is used to measure responses to ambiguous cues, and it has been
reported across many species and contexts that an animal’s cognitive bias can
be directly linked to welfare state, e.g., those in better welfare make more
optimistic judgements. Cognitive bias testing has only recently been applied to
animals and represents a key milestone in welfare science: it is currently one
of the only accurate methods available to measure welfare. The tests have been
conducted on many farm, laboratory, and companion animal species, but have only
been carried out in zoo settings a handful of times. The aims of this review
are to evaluate the feasibility of cognitive bias testing in zoos and its
potential as a tool for studying zoo animal welfare. The few existing zoo
cognitive bias studies are reviewed, as well as those conducted on similar,
non-domesticated species. This work is then used to discuss how tests could be
successfully designed and executed in zoo settings, which types of tests are
most appropriate in different contexts, and how the data could be used to
improve animal welfare. The review closely examines the many variables are
present in the zoo whic
Hong Kong only has
47 Chinese white dolphins left
Just 47 of the pink
sea mammals were spotted from April 2017 to March 2018, according to the latest
report by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. That is the
same number as the local population sank to in 2016-17, the lowest since records
began in 2003.
There were 188 in
2003. That number plunged to 87 in 2014-15, and 65 in 2015-16.
“Although we did not
see a drop in numbers, it still is at a historic low. We are not optimistic,”
Taison Chang Ka-tai, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society,
said.
“I think we should
only
Captive population
of rare skink established
A secure population
of one of New Zealand’s rarest skinks, the critically endangered Chesterfield
skink has been established in captivity, with support from the Endangered
Species Foundation (ESF) and Auckland Zoo.
In 2017 the entire
population was estimated to be fewer than 200 individuals. However, the species
was seriously impacted in February 2018 when tidal surges created by Cyclone
Fehi destroyed almost half of their habitat.
With the threat of
coastal erosion increasing, DOC staff and volunteers caught 50 animals over the
following months and had them flown to Auckland Zoo where a captive population
has been established.
How Norwich
scientists are leading the fight to save the endangered koala
The researchers from
the Earlham Institute at Norwich Research Park have been working with an
Australian-led consortium to sequence the koala’s genome, and believe the work
to understand its genetic building blocks could ensure the species’ long-term
survival.
The koala is under
threat from a host of dangers including habitat loss, chlamydia and the koala
retrovirus, an immuno-deficiency that makes them more susceptible to disease.
Professor Rebecca
Johnson, director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, which led the
project, said: “The expert contributions from the teams at the Earlham
Institute were a critical component of this study.
“I’m so proud of the
work this great
5 Simple Reasons You
Should Use an Approximation Plan!
Within my career
I’ve developed a different way looking at behaviors animals have. Some
behaviors desirable some behaviors undesirable. Regardless of what behaviour it
is and in what box we should put it I started to see how these behaviors could
be solved or how they could be build up by building blocks or successive
approximations. How I got there was just making training plans for every single
behavior I was going to train. This allowed me to look different to the
behaviors animals perform. Breaking behaviour down into blocks allows you to
have a more problem solving view towards behaviours or even a better
understanding of what animals are able to do.
It’s a great tool to
have and even better, you will be very pro active. Here are some reasons why
you should do it to!
Lion kept in glass
case in café as customers sit just feet away in Istanbul
A café that kept a
lion in a narrow glass corridor for customers to watch while they drank has
sparked anger on social media.
Video footage showed
the big cat constantly pacing to and fro, as if in frustration at being
confined to a space less than a metre wide - barely broader than the animal
itself.
How Far Do We Go to
Save a Species?
Ask Thomas
Hildebrandt why he walks with a limp, and he will tell you with a quick laugh
that he had his arm up to his shoulder inside the back end of an elephant when
the elephant decided to sit down.
This boyish German
scientist is head of reproduction management at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo
and Wildlife Research in Berlin and the leading world expert in the artificial
insemination of giant mammals. He just made headlines by announcing the creation
of the first in vitro rhino embryo, and soon he will fly to Kenya for his most
challenging job yet. He will either go down in history as the hero who saved
the world's rarest large mammal—or as the idiot who accelerated its demise.
Last spring,
obituaries for Sudan, the last male white northern rhino, made the front page
of newspapers around the world. Before his guards at the safari park Ol Pejeta
in Kenya put the ailing Sudan to sleep at age 45 (an eternity in rhino terms),
a small army of bodyguards protected “the most eligible bachelor in the world”
in his last years around the clock with machine guns. At one point the wildlife
sanctuary opened a Tinder account for the 5,000-pound colossus, with the polite
intro, “I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of my species literally
depends on me.”
But no one swiped
right. Or rather, the only two females of his species left on the planet
weren’t available for dating: his 28-year-old da
White storks to
breed in Britain for the first time in 600 years
White storks are set to breed in the British
countryside for the first time in more than 600 years.
A reintroduction
scheme, which has been organised by a coalition of wildlife groups and is
currently being finalised, will release up to 40 birds each year in an effort
to restore the species.
The Durrell Wildlife
Conservation Trust and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation are both playing a
part in the programme, which aims to establish a self-sustaining population in
Sussex by 2030.
While around 20
migrant white storks are spotted in Britain every year, the last pair that were
recorded successfully breeding in the wild nested on St. Giles Cathedral in
Edinburgh in 1416.
Six birds have
already been released and more captive birds are currently being held at Knepp
Estate, a 1,400-hectare site that forms the headquarters of the Knepp Wildland
Project, which supports the reintroduction of British wildlife.
“We want to look at
whole ecosyst
Paws for Thought
The most important
justification for zoos is that the animals act as ambassadors for their wild
counterparts, by raising awareness and support for conservation. There is a
crisis for cats in the wild and my mission is to make a difference. We can’t
let these animals disappear.” So says Giles Clark, managing director of the Big
Cat Sanctuary and star of the recent BBC documentary Big Cats in the House, in
which he shares the limelight with Maya the jaguar and Willow the cheetah.
After watching the
documentary and becoming immersed in Clark’s world, it comes as something of a
surprise to hear his voice on the phone. There is a distinct Aussie twang to
it, legacy of his two decades of globetrotting, which helped him develop his big
cat expertise.
He says amazing
In a Race to Save
the Northern White Rhino, Scientists Have Succeeded in Creating Hybrid Embryos
Scientists say
they’re several steps closer to perfecting a method that could prevent the
extinction of northern white rhinos, of which only two animals are known still
to be alive.
According to a paper
published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers have
succeeded in creating embryos using frozen northern white rhino sperm and eggs
from a southern white rhino, a closely related sub-species.
It’s the first time
such hybrid embryos have been created and the scientists from Germany, Italy
and the Czech Republic say it could provide a pathway to saving the critically
endangered northern white rhino after the last male, called Sudan, died in March.
They plan to harvest
the egg cells of the two surviving female rhinos soon and use preserved sperm
to produce “pure” northern white rhino embryos. Since the females, a mother and
daughter called N
The lost royal ‘zoo’
at Windsor
Royal menageries
became homes for the many animals that were given in previous centuries as
political presents from their respective countries and thereby entered a life
of exalted captivity, the nature of any zoo now being a controversial one.
The oldest baroque
zoo was founded at the Austrian imperial summer residence of Schönbrunn, in
1760, just as there was a Royal Menagerie in the fabled gardens of Louis XIV’s
Versailles. Animals were often exchanged as diplomatic gifts to court the
friendship of the monarch. These ranged from the most exotic, such as the polar
bear given to Henry III by the King of Norway in 1252, to the more conventional
personal presents, such as the two lap-dogs which Henry VIII gifted in 1541 to
his fifth queen, Katherine Howard (this type of dog was the only one allowed at
court outside of the 1526 sumptuary set of rules to reform the Royal Household,
known as the Eltham Ordinances). Much less known is the fact that there was
once a Royal Menagerie at Windsor, or that it was once home to the first
giraffe ever to arrive in England.
Get flipping
excited! Penguins lay first egg
In 40 days, we may
have first penguin born in India; zoo officials say there won’t be any
interference.
Mr Molt and Flipper
have put an end to the did-they-didn’tthey conundrum. Flipper, the
four-and-a-half-year-old Humboldt penguin housed in Byculla zoo, la
Why I Put My
ZooKeeping Career On Hold..
For those of you
that know me personally, or professionally, you probably think I'm crazy for
taking a leave of absence from the Zookeeping field. After all, I did spend 2
whole years (about 720 days straight, seriously) attending the Exotic Animal
Training and Management Program in Moorpark, Ca. Then another 3 or so years
specializing in Educational Outreach Programs across Southern California, and a
few in New York City..
Peshawar zoo faces
outcry over animal deaths
A Twitter campaign
under the hashtag #ShutDownPeshawarZoo is giving animal-lovers a platform to
voice their concern.
However, Mohammed
Ali, the zoo’s director, said that steps are being taken to improve the
situation.
“Only a few animals
have died in Peshawar zoo, while in advanced zoos abroad, including those in
the UK, the animal mortality rate has been recorded in hundreds,” he said.
Ali said the zoo was
understaffed and its management was working to ensure animals received proper
care.
“Steps have been
taken to address the issue of animal care,” said Ali.
“We are focusing on
impr
Islamic Defenders
Front protest newborn camel at Surabaya Zoo they thought was named after
Prophet’s mother
Indonesia’s most
infamous religious hardliners, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), are primarily
known for their protests of everything from politicians and pluralism to porn
stars and Lady Gaga. But this is the first time we’ve heard of them protesting at
a zoo, and it’s all because of a newborn camel calf.
On May 15, a
single-humped camel was born at the Surabaya Zoo, which by some reports had
been named Aminah. She is the sixth calf born from the zoo’s camel couple, Okky
and Milo.
On July 1, the FPI
reportedly raided the zoo to protest the calf’s name, which they said is an
insult to the Prophet Muhammad because it contains half of his mother’s name,
Siti Aminah.
The matter was soon
resolved after the zoo clarified that there was a misunderstanding when the cal
Coimbatore zoo takes
precautionary measures against Nipah virus
The Coimbatore
Corporation Zoo has been taking special precautionary measures to prevent
spread of the deadly Nipah virus, as several bats travel between Kerala and
Coimbatore.
The director of
Coimbatore Corporation Zoo, S Natha, said, "We have asked workers in zoo
to clean floors to clear saliva and droppings that can spread the virus. We
also spray bleaching powder all around the area."
"We have
allotted three teams to identify it in dead bats but haven't got any
case," he said.
As many as 16 people
lost their lives in Kerala due to the out
Draft strategy
released by Aboriginal community to reintroduce dingoes into Victorian state
and national parks
Dingoes could once
again roam state and national parks in central Victoria if a land management
plan developed by the region's Aboriginal people — who hold native title rights
for the land — is approved.
Reintroducing
dingoes into the wild is one of the goals outlined in a draft strategy for the
joint management of six parks and reserves inside Dja Dja Wurrung Country.
The strategy would
involve shared management of the parks between the land's traditional owners
and Parks Victoria.
"Native apex
predators, such as the Gal Gal (dingo), provide an overall benefit to
biodiversity and ecosystem function, including through their intera
Parrots Use
Chemistry And Physics To Create Brilliantly Colorful Plumage
Parrots use the same
molecules to create magenta, red, orange and yellow plumage, but these
molecules create different colors based on how they are physically arranged
inside the feather structure
Paignton Zoo's lion
dies after contracting TB
“I don’t know yet
what the consequences might be. It’s even too early to say what sort of TB it
is with any great degree of certainty and where it might have come from.”
TB is a complicated
disease which comes in many forms, is hard to detect and harder to confirm.
The zoo has a strict
disease monitoring programme and preventative health system in place to
minimize the risk of any infectious disease spreading through the collection.
Guam Kingfisher
Hatches at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
A female Guam
kingfisher, a brightly colored bird and one of the most endangered bird species
on the planet, hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in
Front Royal, Virginia, May 17. The Guam kingfisher is the most endangered
species living at SCBI. There are about 140 Guam kingfishers in the world and
they all live in human care.
By June 13, she was
starting to get a hint of her adult plumage. When she is fully mature, the
feathers on her breast will be white, her body will be cinnamon-colored, her
wings will be greenish and her tail will be blue.
It has been four
years since the last chick hatched at SCBI. Guam kingfishers are notoriously
difficult to breed. They are territorial and it has been difficult to match
compatible breeding pairs. The chick’s mother and father moved to SCBI from the
Saint Louis Zoo in 2016 and 2014, respectively. This was the first fertile egg
they have produced together. However, since the pair did not display
appropriate parenting behaviors, keepers artificially incubated the egg and are
hand-raising the chick.
The incubation
period for Guam kingfishers is relatively short — only 21 to 23 days. The chick
hatched after 22 days. During the incubation, keepers candled — or shined a
light against the shell of the egg — to track the chick’s development. When it
hatched, the chick weighed 5.89 grams. For the firs
Wildlife park lions
poisoned, butchered
The poisoning of six lions at the Mystic
Monkeys & Feathers Wildlife Park north of Pretoria has been described as
cruel, inhumane and devastating.
Four of the animals
were butchered, their heads decapitated and some paws cut off.
Of the lions killed,
two were white males, another two brown lions - a male and female around the
age of 3 and 4 - and two still very young, at just 6 months old.
A manhunt is under
way for the culprits and Limpopo police and private security company Hi-Risk
Unit said it was hot on their trail.
“We are still
gathering information, but we have received a lot of leads. Th
Who Will Save the
Elephants?
There’s a Buddhist
proverb, later interpreted by the American poet John Godfrey Saxe, about people
and elephants that goes something like this: Six blind men encounter the
world’s largest land mammal and decide to investigate. They each arrive at a
different part. One runs his hands over its side: “It feels like a wall.” One
wraps his arms around a leg: “It feels like a tree!” One grips the trunk: “It’s
like a snake!” One knocks on a tusk: “No, it’s like a spear.” One fingers an
ear: “No, it feels like a fan!” One swings from the tail: “It feels like a
rope!” And they argue for hours, and in some versions even come to blows,
because each was sure of what he’d felt and what he understood an elephant to
be, and each was sure that they were right and the others were wrong. Saxe said
the elephant was god, and our fumblings religious certainism; the moral is
about certainty and truth and accepting alternate points of view. These days,
though, that parable could just as easily be about something else—namely the
seemingly inevitable human propensity to abuse and
Outrage over alleged
plan to export rare animals from Congo to China
Mountain gorillas
and other endangered species from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are at
risk of being taken from the wild and exported to Chinese zoos, conservation
groups have alleged.
A leaked letter from
the DRC’s environment minister to a Chinese company, apparently referring to a
request for a number of rare species, has sparked outrage from wildlife charity
Born Free and other organisations.
The correspondence,
posted on Twitter by an environmental activist, refers to a request for a dozen
mountain gorillas, 16 pygmy chimpanzees or “bonobos”, 16 chimpanzees, eight
African manatees and 20 okapi. The animals, all of which belong to species threatened
by extinction, were apparently requested for Taiyuan zoo, in the northern
province of Shanxi, and Anji Zhongnan zoo in eastern China.
The DRC has no
captive breeding programmes, so it is understood that any agreement would
necessitate the anim
Demand for big cat
parts fueling lion killings
A surge in demand
for big cat body parts on South Africa’s black market is endangering the future
of the country’s captive lion population, conservationists have warned.
A series of recent
attacks on predator parks, where hand-reared big cats are kept overnight in
zoo-like enclosures, has raised fears that the safety of lions held in
captivity can no longer be guaranteed.
Six lions died over
the weekend when pesticide-laced chicken meat is believed to have been thrown
into their enclosure at a wildlife park north of Pretoria over the weekend, the
third known mass poisoning in three months.
This Egyptian man
wrestles with deadly reptiles, extracts venom for sale
“I grew up in a
family that worked in hunting, selling animals and reptiles. Snakes lived under
our beds inside my grandfather’s house. This is how I became acquainted with
them and eventually let go of my fear,” says Salah Tolba, 51, explaining the
beginning of his reptile hunting career.
A 51-year-old man
with a heavy mustache dressed in a countryside robe, Tolba was cleaning the
lions’ cage as he began telling his story. The father of nine owns a garden
located in Abou Rawash, in the outskirts of Giza. He calls it “Africano Tolba”
and opens it to the public to visit his predators.
Tolba is a man of
extraordinary talent. He inherited his family legacy of reptile hunting, which
dates back 300 years and turned it into a full-time business. At first sight,
his park, a sanctuary for differ
Rethinking the
orangutan
The critically
endangered orangutan--one of human's closet living relatives--has become a
symbol of wild nature's vulnerability in the face of human actions and an icon
of rainforest conservation.
New research
published June 27 in the journal Science Advances indicates this view overlooks
how humans, over thousands of years, fundamentally shaped the orangutan known
today.
Ignoring this
obscures understanding of orangutans and impacts conservation efforts, said
lead author Stephanie Spehar, an associate professor of anthropology at the
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
"It was often
assumed that environmental factors like fruit availability were primarily
responsible for most features of modern-day orangutan
Endangered Species –
it’s all in the mind
Whenever
conservationists come together to discuss the future of endangered species, you
can be sure someone, sooner or later, will suggest that nothing will be
achieved unless one can ensure the humans living alongside, or sharing habitats
with, animals can be encouraged to value them.
The word ‘value’ can
be interpreted in a variety of ways. Some observers mean people ought to
appreciate animals for what they are, fellow species on planet Earth, which
contribute, in any number of ways, to biodiversity as a whole. Others are more
inclined to view animals, particularly exotic species, as a living resource
from which humans can benefit; through hunting, captive-breeding, eco-tourism,
or whatever. They take what might be regarded as a somewhat mercenary approach
to conservation, believing that fauna must contribute in some form to ensure
their o
PENGUINS DEBUT AT
INDOOR SNOW SLOPE AFTER FLYING IN TO EGYPT
flock of 10 penguins
which flew in to Egypt from Japan are to go on display in the country’s indoor
snow centre today, July 1st.
The group of 10
Gentoo penguins flew in to Egypt in February and have since been adapting to
their indoor snow habitat before being unveiled to the public. It is believed to be the first time that penguins have lived in Egypt.
*********
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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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*
China-DRC wildlife
export deal off after worldwide pressure
The proposed deal
between the Democratic Republic of Congo and China where a number of wildlife
from DRC were to be taken to two Chinese zoos has been called off. This follows
after worldwide outrage against the deal led by different organizations including
Conserv Congo and Virunga Community Programs.
Confirming this,
Adams Cassinga of Conserv Congo in a private email message to Virunga Community
Programs said that he spoke to his contacts in the ministry concerned and
confirmed the deal has been called off.
“We are just pushing
for a written letter guaranteeing that it will never happen. Thank you so much
for your support. Other activists were very crucial in the success of this
endeavor. My sincere gratitude!” said Cassinga who has
26 rhinos gifted to
various countries from CNP
Twenty six
rhinoceros have been gifted to various countries so far from Chitwan National
Park (CNP).
Ved Prasad Dhakal,
the chief conservation officer at CNP, said six rhinos have been given to
America, four to India and two each to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar,
Japan, Germany, Britain and Austria.
The CNP record shows
that four rhinos were sent to Dudhuwa of India for the first time in 1985.
Lately, a pair of rhinos was gifted to Austria in 2006.
Two pairs of the
endangered wildlife are being gifted to China after 12 years. With this, the
number of rhinos sent to various countries as present reaches 30.
Elephants were
brought from India, Myanmar and Thailand in exchange of rhinoceros before this.
Former chief
conservation officer Ramprit Yadav said that 16 elephants have been brought so
far from India alone in exchange of rhinos. Accordi
World Association of
Zoos and Aquariums Annual Report 2017
Jaguar escapes
enclosure at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and kills 4 alpacas, an emu and a fox
A New Orleans zoo
remained closed on Saturday after a jaguar escaped its habitat and killed six
other animals.
Audubon Zoo said the
3-year-old male jaguar, named Valero, was spotted outside his enclosure by a
zoo employee around 7 a.m.
Valero attacked four
alpacas, one emu and a fox. The animals died.
Kyle Burks, vice
president and managing director for the zoo, said at a news conference that
Valero was sedated by a team of veterinarians and the animal was returned and
secured in his area. No humans were injured.
The zoo was closed
Saturday but said it will reopen Sunday.
"We care for
these animals every day," Burks said. "We closed the zoo today to
help our team mourn."
No explanation has
been given for the jaguar's escape, but the zoo said an "after-action
review" is taking place, as well as an investigation into
The Butterfly
Project
I was asked to
participate in a special project that I will refer to as the London Butterfly
Project. A botanical specialty group in the UK has built a large garden
designed to show the symbiotic relationship between plants and animals. Each
year this group sets up different gardens with different themes in different
parts of the United Kingdom. Their focus for 2015 is to demonstrate the role
that butterflies have in certain ecosystems. This project includes more than
10,000 butterflies of many different species that live in the garden, which is
hidden among the tall buildings of London. The garden occupies a space that is
larger than a football field.
Meet the koalas of Longleat: Six marsupials are making
conservation history by being flown 10,000 miles to safari park to become first
of their kind to live in England
Wrapped up securely,
the southern Australian koala looks very much at home in the arms of
Viscountess Weymouth.
As well he might,
for soon he will be flown 10,000 miles from his natural habitat in Australia to
the grounds of Emma Weymouth’s magnificent stately home at Longleat safari park
– in a pioneering conservation project aimed at protecting the survival of his
species.
While northern
koalas can be found at Edinburgh Zoo, this w
Connecting the dots
Part-5 of "What the funk"
To ensure the koala
can thrive into the 21st century, they must be part of society. With this in
mind, it is important to reference last week's announcement that koala milk
could provide society the protection of super bugs in the near future. Anything
is possible! The koala is the fourth marsupial to be genetically sequenced -
with the Australian Museum Research Institution finding over 26,000 genes.
As koalas numbers
drop off due to urbanization, Australian society needs a simplified approach to
include the koala in their d
Eight zoo staff quit
after probe into 'malicious campaign'
Eight staff have
quit the South Island's largest zoo following an internal investigation into a
"malicious" 14-month campaign alleging animal welfare and health and
safety breaches.
The zoo's chief
executive said while all allegations were found to be unsubstantiated, the
"constant attack", had taken its toll.
Orana Wildlife Park
initiated an internal investigation into the allegations after photos and
letters were sent to the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), donors and
other external agencies.
Eight staff have
since resigned.
Report: Zoo
Discussed Wild Dog Exhibit Dangers Before Death
A newly released
report shows that Pittsburgh Zoo staff raised concerns about a child falling
through an opening into an African painted dog exhibit on at least six separate
occasions before a fatal mauling in 2012.
The Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette says the federal report was released this month more than four
years it filed a Freedom of Information Act request. The report found the zoo's
fencing around the wild dog exhibit was "not sufficient" to prevent
2-year-old Maddox Derkosh from falling into the exhibit.
Custodians: In
Defence of Zoos, Ambassador Animals, and Captive Breeding (Part II)
We’ll start this
article with a brief history of zoos and animal parks in general and then as
applies to South Africa. Even though zoos are historically common and
significant in human history, our understanding and ethical treatment of
animals has vastly evolved and what was acceptable even 50 years ago is no
longer considered now in many ecological circles. To that end, I do not condone
all zoos and, in fact, there are many that should be shut down immediately, but
there are several that are worth supporting. I will also be talking about the
organisations in place to keep check on such facilities, including animal
welfare groups, zoological associations, studbooks, and conservation permit
associations.
Let Mountain Lions
Eat Horses
The craggy mesas and
sagebrush valleys of the West have a wild horse problem. Too many horses, the
federal government says, are crowding the scraps of public land set aside for
them, and in places they are trampling the delicate desert springs and eating
the golden range to dust.
About 83,000 roam
the West — more than three times what federal managers say the land can
sustain. By next summer their numbers could grow to 100,000.
Late last month the
federal Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the management of wild horses
on its vast land holdings, gave Congress a range of options for cutting the
herds
Saving California
Condors — With a Chisel and Hand Puppets
Sometimes saving a
species from extinction requires a helping hand — or a jailbreak.
That may sound like
a mixed metaphor, but it’s actually the case for critically endangered
California condors (Gymnogyps californianus), North America’s largest birds.
Every once in a while, a condor chick needs a little help getting out of its
egg, and human caretakers need to step in to gently assist it on its journey
out of the shell.
Take the chick known
as OZ07, whose egg was laid this past February in Oregon Zoo’s condor
captive-breeding program, about 50 miles south of Portland. In April, as the
egg approached its hatch date, keepers could tell that the chick was active but
unable to break through the shell. Condor eggs only contain enough air for a
chick’s first breath, so keepers knew they needed to let in more air. They
chiseled a tiny hole in the shell, giving OZ07 a source of much-needed oxygen.
That wasn’t quite
enough, though. “Oz” w
'Kitty Litter'
Parasite Is Wiping Out One Of Earth’s Rarest Seals
In May, two
critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals were found dead on a beach on Oahu.
Both were female, and one was pregnant. After performing a necropsy,
veterinarians determined that both animals died of toxoplasmosis, a potentially
fatal disease that originates in domestic cats.
For veterinarian
Claire Simeone, the deaths of these seals confirmed a sobering suspicion about
the disease.
“Females seem to be
more likely to die from this disease, and from a conservation standpoint,
that’s very concerning,” says Simeone, director of the Ke Kai Ola hospital for
UV‐light and dietary
vitamin D and their effects on ionized calcium and 25‐OH‐D plasma
concentrations in captive gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua)
In this study, the
effect of ultraviolet (UV) light and dietary vitamin D on calcium metabolism in
permanently indoor‐housed gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) was investigated.
The study consisted of three periods, each completed with blood samples to analyse
plasma concentrations of 25‐OH‐D, 1,25‐(OH)2‐D, ionized (iCa) and total calcium
(tCa). During the first study period (D), animals were housed under routine
conditions without UV‐light and fed a diet of different fish species,
supplemented with 1,000 IU vitamin D per animal and day. The following study
period (Baseline) of 28‐day duration consisted of the same diet without any
vitamin D supplementation and without UV‐light. During the study period (UVB)
artificial UV‐light was added for 3 weeks. The vitamin D content of fish was
measured by high‐performance liquid chromatography. It varied between fish
species and between facilities, ranging from no measurable content in capelin
(Mallotus villosus) to 7,340 IU vitamin D/kg original matter (OM) in herring
(Clupea spp). The average dietary vitamin D content was 311 IU/kg OM at
facility 1 and 6,325 IU/kg OM at facility 2, resulting in a vitamin D intake
per animal and day without supplementation of 130 IU (25.5 IU/kg body weight
BW) and 2,454 IU (438.2 IU/kg BW) respectively. The supplementation of vitamin
D elevated significantly the plasma concentrations of 25‐OH‐D by an in
Cashing in on exotic
cubs: unlicensed Las Vegas businessman arrested
Animals illegally
kept in valley neighborhoods were forced to interact with the public so their
owner could make a profit. A Las Vegas man who cashed in on exotic cubs says
that what he's doing with dangerous animals is nobody's business.
Exotic cubs like
liligers are adorable to look at but they are not pets or playthings. They are
wild animals that can be dangerous and that's exactly what led their former
owner to get in trouble with the law. The events that led to Jeff Lowe's arrest
began when animal control and city marshals descended on his home on Natalia
Court.
When the City served
a search warrant in November, they impounded a tiger, a liliger and a
lemur. According to vet records, the two
cubs were sick. As part of the plea
agreement, Lowe had to surrender the animals and pay $10,000 in restitution for
their care.
He told us on the
phone that he bottle-feeds his big cats from birth and no one is more
knowledgeable about them than he is. When they get too big, he retires them to
his USDA-licensed Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma where he
says they live safe and healthy lives.
Video of Lowe on
Facebook contradicts what he told us. The video shot by a British media company
shows Lowe being mauled by one of his lions.
"I didn't think
he was gonna kill me, but you n
President, PM
House’s zoos fed food bought for Islamabad Zoo: report
The animals in the
mini zoos in the president and prime minister houses are fed the food procured
by Marghazar Zoo and not from the houses’ own budgets.
According to a
report in the local media, the mini zoo in President House was established in
2008 on the orders of the then president, Asif Ali Zardari, who is said to be
fond of animals. The animals in the zoo include some deer, shinkara, pheasants
and other birds such as grey parrots and pigeons.
On the other hand,
the zoo in the Prime Minister House is smaller with just a few peacocks and
pigeons.
According to a
senior official of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), a large
portion of food purchased for Marghazar Zoo is taken to the zoos in the
presidency and Prime Minister House as they do not spend on their zoos from
their own budgets and put the burden on MCI.
“The annual cost of
procuring food for the main Marghazar Zoo is Rs50 million of which Rs3 million
goes towards food for the other two zoos,” he said.
10 Important Things
a Zookeeper Needs to Know By Zookeepers.eu
Being a zookeeper is
a great opportunity for a lifelong learning process. It’s a profession that
requires continuing education every day. In general, people think that being a
zookeeper is just a job where one gets to hug animals all day, but in reality,
general work duties include feeding, cleaning enclosures, making enrichment
items, observing and recording the behavior of animals, training the animals,
educating zoo visitors and much more. Some zookeepers may work with more than
one species of animal while others may specialize in a group of animals such as
predators. Zookeepers spend a lot of time with the animals and always have to
pay special attention to safety requirements, as there are always risks of
bites or animal escapes. So as we can see, a zookeeper’s job is very
responsible and complex which requires job specific and transversal
competencies.These competencies and gained knowledge should be constantly
updated.
https://zoospensefull.com/2018/07/10/10-important-things-a-zookeeper-needs-to-know-by-zookeepers-eu/
Killer Whales: Bond
with These Clever Creatures at Kamogawa Sea World
Whoosh! Four killer
whales jump high in a pool, making a big splash.
Welcome to the
“Killer Whale” show, the most popular event in Kamogawa Sea World along the
coast of Chiba Prefecture.
Some of the killer
whales’ high jumps exceed five meters in height, and the animals are compelling
and believable. Children, keeping away from the flying spray from the pool,
shout for joy watching the aquarium.
Killer whales, a
member of the whales and dolphins family, are carnivorous. The largest killer
whales are over seven meters in length and weigh over five tons. They are said
to be the strongest among the creatures living in the ocean and they stand at
the summit of the whole biological system. Killer whales are the “Kings of the
Ocean” as they attack seals and other whales.
Fear in village as
more details emerge about where giant tarantulas were spotted
Residents living
near to where giant venomous tarantulas are thought to have been seen in
Derbyshire say they feel frightened and vulnerable - including an alarmed
cattery owner.
The bird-eating
spiders are thought to be on the loose after their babies were found abandoned
in a car park on Thursday.
The RSCPA say that,
if members of the public see the creatures, they should not try to handle them
or approach them.
Bird-eating spider
babies, which can grow to the size of a dinner plate, were found inside some
discarded pots at the side of a car park at Bateman's
Shortage of vets spells misery for Karachi zoo animals
A white African
lioness stares blankly at the spectators crowded outside her small,
steel-barred cage, her extraordinary coat dotted with numerous spots, the
result of a fungal skin disease that has marred her once pristine fur.
The ailment is
curable -- or, rather, it should be. But at the Karachi Zoological Garden there
are not enough vets to give proper treatment to its more than 850 animals, many
held in cages built over a century ago.
"Here we have a
mere two veterinaries and three paramedics. They are not at all
sufficient," said the zoo's chief, Mansoor Ahmed Qazi.
Management have been
pushing the city council to approve a third veterinary position for the zoo's
population, including lions, tigers, elephants, chimpanzees, birds and
reptiles.
But the council has
usually focused more on sewage, roads, and garbage removal in the chaotic port
megacity of some 20 million people, which until recently had been rocked by
years of political and ethnic violence.
"This is
unfortunate, that the zoo is heavily understaffed and thus not able to take
good care of the animals," said Humaira Ayesha, an expert from the World
Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) in Karachi.
Unfortunately the
problem is not limited to Karachi.
Islamabad's zoo has
long been criticised for its treatment of its lone elephant, Kaavan, which
became the subject of a high-profile rights campaign backed by music icon Cher
in 2016 after it emerged the animal was being kept in chains.
And the zoo in
northwestern Peshawar, which opened in February, has admitted that 30 animals
so far have died while being transferre
Karachi's cruel
cages: African lions are ravaged by fungal skin disease at Victorian-era zoo in
Pakistan that can't afford vets to care for its 850 animals
A white African
lioness stares blankly at the spectators crowded outside her small,
steel-barred cage, her extraordinary coat dotted with numerous spots, the
result of a fungal skin disease that has marred her once pristine fur.
The ailment is
curable - or, rather, it should be. But at the Karachi Zoological Garden there
are not enough vets to give proper treatment to its more than 850 animals, many
held in cages built over a century ago.
'Here we have a mere
two veterinaries and three paramedics. They are not at all sufficient,' said
the zoo's chief, Mansoor Ahmed Qazi.
Management have been
pushing the city council to approve a third veterinary position for the zoo's
population, including lions, tigers, elephants, chimpanzees, birds and
reptiles.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5916199/Shortage-vets-spells-misery-Karachi-zoo-animals.html
The Fragile Songs of
the Sumatran Rhinos
At four o’clock in
the morning on May 12, 2016, Zulfi Arsan balanced himself on a tall fence post,
poised to jump into a pen with a rhinoceros.
As lead veterinarian
of the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary (srs) on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, he
watched as the rhino named Ratu gave birth to her second calf. The calf, who
later would be named Delilah, was coming out wrong—hind feet first. This meant
the umbilical cord could strangle her. Arsan was ready to try to help.
A minute passed.
Then, a breath. And another.
Thus was Delilah
born, the youngest Dicerorhinus sumatrensis, the smallest, oldest and most
endangered species of rhinoceros in the world. With fewer than 100 left of her
kind, her first breaths gave hope that Sumatran rhinos still could be saved
from extinction, largely than
Controversy over
rhino hybrid embryos
SCIENTISTS, for the
first time, have created hybrid embryos with DNA from the nearly extinct
northern white rhinoceros, an advance that could ultimately lead to the first
resurrection of a mega-mammal.
But while this could
provide a new way to produce future generations of endangered or extinct
animals, applying this approach to the white rhino does not meet with universal
approval among conservationists.
The international
team of researchers, led by Professor Thomas Hildebrandt from the Leibniz
Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, have used an existing assisted
reproduction technology developed for horses, and applied it to the white
rhino.
Eggs and sperm from
northern white rhino are in short supply, owing to the rarity of the
subspecies. So the team also used material from southern white rhino,
successfully fertilising southern
SMOKING ORANGUTANS
MIGHT NOT EVEN BE THE WORST THING HAPPENING IN MALAYSIAN SAFARIS.
Some time before, we
received a message from Upreshpal Singh, the Director of Friends of the
Orangutans Malaysia (FOTO), asking for Perhilitan as well as the NRE Minister
Dr Xavier Jayakumar to stop the transfer of two elephants from Perhilitan to a
recently-opened park in Langkawi, the Langkawi Nature Park (LNP).
Along with the
message, we’ve also received pictures and documents that allegedly depict the
state of abused animals at another safari park, the Bukit Gambang Safari Park
(BGSP) in Pahang. However, we couldn’t find any other mention of the depicted
cases of verify their truth, so we should probably take these with a pinch of
salt.
The challenges and
conservation implications of bear bile farming in Viet Nam
Legalized trade in
commercially farmed wildlife products is sometimes promoted as a conservation
strategy. In theory, flooding the market with cheaper or better quality
products will decrease the profitability of poaching. Bear bile is highly
sought-after for use in traditional medicine and overhunting to supply the
demand for bear parts has led to declining populations across South-east Asia.
Bear bile farming was established to help supply the high demand for bear bile.
In Viet Nam it is legal to keep registered bears, but illegal to extract or
sell bear bile. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 66 bear bile
farmers in Viet Nam to examine the conservation implications of bear bile
farming. The results show that demand for wild bear bile was not satisfied by
the widespread availability of farmed bear bile. Farmers report a strong
consumer preference and willingness to pay more for wild-sourced products. The
existence of bear bile farms presents considerable challenges to law
enforcement. The results suggest that bear bile farming in Viet Nam relies on
restocking from wild populations, and farmers openly admit to extracting and
selling bear bile, in clear violation of national legislation. T
Ohio emerges as
model on exotic animal rules
In the late
afternoon hours of Oct. 18, 2011, 62-year-old Terry Thompson opened the cage
doors that contained his lions, tigers, bears, wolves and more on his
Zanesville farm and set them free. Then he turned a gun on himself.
Reports of wild
animals running loose quickly started pouring into Muskingum County Sheriff
Matt Lutz’s office. He didn’t know how many animals Thompson kept on the
property or how much of a head start they had. But he did know this: Sunset was
90 minutes away.
Lutz quickly gave
the order to his deputies: Put down any animal off the property or close to
leaving the property.
“There is no way we
could have those types of animals loose in our neighborhoods,” Lutz said.
Melbourne zoos dump
Nestle products over palm oil controversy
Zoos Victoria has
dumped Nestle products from its kiosks and food carts after the company was
suspended from an international organisation that promotes the sustainable use
of palm oil.
The organisation,
which operates the Melbourne and Werribee zoos, has long campaigned for the
sustainable production of palm oil — an ingredient blamed for threatening the
critically-endangered Sumatran orangutan population.
OPERATION FAKE GOLD
– THE TOTOABA CARTELS AND THE VAQUITA EXTINCTION
The vaquita, the
world’s smallest and most endangered porpoise, is nearly extinct due to China’s
demand for the swim bladders, or ‘maws,’ from a giant Mexican fish called the
totoaba. By-catch from the Illegal fishing of totoabas with the use of gillnets
is killing vaquitas. In fact, the use of gillnets for illegal totoaba fishing
is endangering the entire marine ecosystem of the Upper Gulf of California. The
International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita (CIRVA) estimated that,
as of November 2016, no more than 30 vaquitas remained. Analysis of 2017
acoustic monitoring data showed that the decline of the vaquita has continued
unabated.
Voices of ZIMS:
Expert Advocate Zak Showell
ZIMS is more than
just a tool – it’s a movement. A movement started by our community more than 40
years ago to be better and do better. A movement that’s about collaborating and
sharing knowledge for the wildlife in our care. ZIMS belongs to our community –
a community that is passionate about what we are trying to accomplish. This
series features their voices. First up is ZIMS Expert Advocate Zak Showell, who
is also Director of Shaldon Wildlife Trust.
Curious Hobart: What
happened to the Beaumaris zoo?
Hobart's old zoo is
famous as the location where the last thylacine in captivity died, with the
species being classified as extinct in the 1930s.
The black-and-white
footage of the animals, pacing the confines of the wooden frame and wire
enclosures, is emblematic of the zoo, which closed down a year after the last
tiger's death.
Like many others,
Dave Abel had heard about the zoo and seen the ruins of old enclosures in the
fenced area in Queen's Domain.
"When I saw the
Curious Hobart articles, I was reminded of this question I had when I first
arrived in Hobart 11 years ago," Mr Abel said.
"I have seen
the plaq
Ending extinction
through conservation medicine, alum works with miniature buffalo, white rhinos
Earth is home to an
extensive web of incredibly complex and wildly diverse ecosystems. The
harmonious interaction among these ecosystems is what allows life to thrive at
Earth’s deepest depths and highest peaks. But one species has upset the
balance.
“It’s no secret that
humans have had an impact on Earth’s biodiversity,” said Molly Corder, a spring
2018 graduate of the Department of Biology’s Professional Science Master’s
(PSM) in Zoo, Aquarium and Animal Shelter Management. “Today’s scientists are tasked
with the race against time to save endangered species and bring back n
Inspection at
wildlife sanctuary following 'animals in distress' claims
AUTHORITIES will
carry out an inspection at Bahrain’s main wildlife sanctuary following claims
that animals were confined in small cages and exposed to the scorching summer
heat.
It comes after a
video and pictures of birds and animals at the Al Areen Wildlife Park and
Reserve were shared on social media.
Supreme Council for
Environment (SCE) senior environmentalist Ali Mansoor said a team would visit
the park today, while the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (BSPCA) carried out its own inspection yesterday.
“We have been
alerted to the videos, pictures and claims,” Mr Mansoor told the GDN.
Report
“We understand the
BSPCA visited the park and is also preparing a report.
“A team from the SCE
will visit the facility, inspect these claims and submit a report, based on
which further decisions will be taken.”
However, he said Al
Areen officials had reassured him that the images shared on social media did
not tell the full story.
“I personally spoke
to Al Areen officials who said the pictures presented only part of the story,”
he said.
The pictures and
footage were sh
Rare leopard born at
Highland Wildlife Park could be released into wild
A
critically-endangered leopard cub born in Scotland could be released into the
wild in Russia as a world first. News that Amur leopards Freddo and Arina had
become parents was confirmed recently at the Highland Wildlife Park near
Kingussie by the cub making a crying sound. It is hoped the cat will be moved
to Russia in future as part of conservation efforts and would be among only 100
which remain in the wild. If successful, it would be the first ever
reintroduction to the wild of a critically-endangered Amur leopard. Douglas
Richardson, head of living collections, said: “Our approach to managing this
highly-threatened cat is globally unique, with the zoo and conservation
community watching what we do with a view to following our lead. “Being able to
send captive-bred Amur leopards back to a part of their historic wild range in
Russia would repre
Boy who saw tapir
attack sister at Dublin Zoo awarded €25,000
A boy who witnessed
an attack on his toddler sister by a Brazilian tapir at Dublin Zoo, and saw his
parents injured while attempting to save the girl, has been awarded €25,000 in
the Circuit Civil Court.
Ruari Owens, who was
10 at the time of the incident, saw the female tapir lift his then two-year-old
sister, Katie, in its mouth and violently shake her, causing her serious injury
on August 8th, 2013.
Daragh Owens and
Patricia Frost, Katie’s parents, fought off the animal, which had earlier given
birth to a calf, and were also injured in the attack.
Francis McGagh,
counsel for the family, told Judge Francis Comerford that the children had been
in the tapir cage and Ruari had seen the sudden and violent attack up close.
Mr McGagh, who
appeared with Cath
Butterflies tagged
at OKC Zoo found in Mexico
Two Monarch
butterflies tagged at the Oklahoma City Zoo last fall were found in Mexico.
A male butterfly,
tagged on October 2, 2017, was found on February 20, 2018, in El Rosario, while
a female butterfly, tagged on October 5, 2017, was found on February 10, 2018,
in Sierra Chincua.
Last fall, OKC Zoo
Education and Horticulture teams dedicated sev
Cognitive Bias in
Zoo Animals: An Optimistic Outlook for Welfare Assessment
Cognitive bias
testing measures how emotional states can affect cognitive processes, often
described using the “glass half-full/half-empty” paradigm. Classical or operant
conditioning is used to measure responses to ambiguous cues, and it has been
reported across many species and contexts that an animal’s cognitive bias can
be directly linked to welfare state, e.g., those in better welfare make more
optimistic judgements. Cognitive bias testing has only recently been applied to
animals and represents a key milestone in welfare science: it is currently one
of the only accurate methods available to measure welfare. The tests have been
conducted on many farm, laboratory, and companion animal species, but have only
been carried out in zoo settings a handful of times. The aims of this review
are to evaluate the feasibility of cognitive bias testing in zoos and its
potential as a tool for studying zoo animal welfare. The few existing zoo
cognitive bias studies are reviewed, as well as those conducted on similar,
non-domesticated species. This work is then used to discuss how tests could be
successfully designed and executed in zoo settings, which types of tests are
most appropriate in different contexts, and how the data could be used to
improve animal welfare. The review closely examines the many variables are
present in the zoo whic
Hong Kong only has
47 Chinese white dolphins left
Just 47 of the pink
sea mammals were spotted from April 2017 to March 2018, according to the latest
report by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. That is the
same number as the local population sank to in 2016-17, the lowest since records
began in 2003.
There were 188 in
2003. That number plunged to 87 in 2014-15, and 65 in 2015-16.
“Although we did not
see a drop in numbers, it still is at a historic low. We are not optimistic,”
Taison Chang Ka-tai, chairman of the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society,
said.
“I think we should
only
Captive population
of rare skink established
A secure population
of one of New Zealand’s rarest skinks, the critically endangered Chesterfield
skink has been established in captivity, with support from the Endangered
Species Foundation (ESF) and Auckland Zoo.
In 2017 the entire
population was estimated to be fewer than 200 individuals. However, the species
was seriously impacted in February 2018 when tidal surges created by Cyclone
Fehi destroyed almost half of their habitat.
With the threat of
coastal erosion increasing, DOC staff and volunteers caught 50 animals over the
following months and had them flown to Auckland Zoo where a captive population
has been established.
How Norwich
scientists are leading the fight to save the endangered koala
The researchers from
the Earlham Institute at Norwich Research Park have been working with an
Australian-led consortium to sequence the koala’s genome, and believe the work
to understand its genetic building blocks could ensure the species’ long-term
survival.
The koala is under
threat from a host of dangers including habitat loss, chlamydia and the koala
retrovirus, an immuno-deficiency that makes them more susceptible to disease.
Professor Rebecca
Johnson, director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, which led the
project, said: “The expert contributions from the teams at the Earlham
Institute were a critical component of this study.
“I’m so proud of the
work this great
5 Simple Reasons You
Should Use an Approximation Plan!
Within my career
I’ve developed a different way looking at behaviors animals have. Some
behaviors desirable some behaviors undesirable. Regardless of what behaviour it
is and in what box we should put it I started to see how these behaviors could
be solved or how they could be build up by building blocks or successive
approximations. How I got there was just making training plans for every single
behavior I was going to train. This allowed me to look different to the
behaviors animals perform. Breaking behaviour down into blocks allows you to
have a more problem solving view towards behaviours or even a better
understanding of what animals are able to do.
It’s a great tool to
have and even better, you will be very pro active. Here are some reasons why
you should do it to!
Lion kept in glass
case in café as customers sit just feet away in Istanbul
A café that kept a
lion in a narrow glass corridor for customers to watch while they drank has
sparked anger on social media.
Video footage showed
the big cat constantly pacing to and fro, as if in frustration at being
confined to a space less than a metre wide - barely broader than the animal
itself.
How Far Do We Go to
Save a Species?
Ask Thomas
Hildebrandt why he walks with a limp, and he will tell you with a quick laugh
that he had his arm up to his shoulder inside the back end of an elephant when
the elephant decided to sit down.
This boyish German
scientist is head of reproduction management at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo
and Wildlife Research in Berlin and the leading world expert in the artificial
insemination of giant mammals. He just made headlines by announcing the creation
of the first in vitro rhino embryo, and soon he will fly to Kenya for his most
challenging job yet. He will either go down in history as the hero who saved
the world's rarest large mammal—or as the idiot who accelerated its demise.
Last spring,
obituaries for Sudan, the last male white northern rhino, made the front page
of newspapers around the world. Before his guards at the safari park Ol Pejeta
in Kenya put the ailing Sudan to sleep at age 45 (an eternity in rhino terms),
a small army of bodyguards protected “the most eligible bachelor in the world”
in his last years around the clock with machine guns. At one point the wildlife
sanctuary opened a Tinder account for the 5,000-pound colossus, with the polite
intro, “I don’t mean to be too forward, but the fate of my species literally
depends on me.”
But no one swiped
right. Or rather, the only two females of his species left on the planet
weren’t available for dating: his 28-year-old da
White storks to
breed in Britain for the first time in 600 years
White storks are set to breed in the British
countryside for the first time in more than 600 years.
A reintroduction
scheme, which has been organised by a coalition of wildlife groups and is
currently being finalised, will release up to 40 birds each year in an effort
to restore the species.
The Durrell Wildlife
Conservation Trust and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation are both playing a
part in the programme, which aims to establish a self-sustaining population in
Sussex by 2030.
While around 20
migrant white storks are spotted in Britain every year, the last pair that were
recorded successfully breeding in the wild nested on St. Giles Cathedral in
Edinburgh in 1416.
Six birds have
already been released and more captive birds are currently being held at Knepp
Estate, a 1,400-hectare site that forms the headquarters of the Knepp Wildland
Project, which supports the reintroduction of British wildlife.
“We want to look at
whole ecosyst
Paws for Thought
The most important
justification for zoos is that the animals act as ambassadors for their wild
counterparts, by raising awareness and support for conservation. There is a
crisis for cats in the wild and my mission is to make a difference. We can’t
let these animals disappear.” So says Giles Clark, managing director of the Big
Cat Sanctuary and star of the recent BBC documentary Big Cats in the House, in
which he shares the limelight with Maya the jaguar and Willow the cheetah.
After watching the
documentary and becoming immersed in Clark’s world, it comes as something of a
surprise to hear his voice on the phone. There is a distinct Aussie twang to
it, legacy of his two decades of globetrotting, which helped him develop his big
cat expertise.
He says amazing
In a Race to Save
the Northern White Rhino, Scientists Have Succeeded in Creating Hybrid Embryos
Scientists say
they’re several steps closer to perfecting a method that could prevent the
extinction of northern white rhinos, of which only two animals are known still
to be alive.
According to a paper
published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications, researchers have
succeeded in creating embryos using frozen northern white rhino sperm and eggs
from a southern white rhino, a closely related sub-species.
It’s the first time
such hybrid embryos have been created and the scientists from Germany, Italy
and the Czech Republic say it could provide a pathway to saving the critically
endangered northern white rhino after the last male, called Sudan, died in March.
They plan to harvest
the egg cells of the two surviving female rhinos soon and use preserved sperm
to produce “pure” northern white rhino embryos. Since the females, a mother and
daughter called N
The lost royal ‘zoo’
at Windsor
Royal menageries
became homes for the many animals that were given in previous centuries as
political presents from their respective countries and thereby entered a life
of exalted captivity, the nature of any zoo now being a controversial one.
The oldest baroque
zoo was founded at the Austrian imperial summer residence of Schönbrunn, in
1760, just as there was a Royal Menagerie in the fabled gardens of Louis XIV’s
Versailles. Animals were often exchanged as diplomatic gifts to court the
friendship of the monarch. These ranged from the most exotic, such as the polar
bear given to Henry III by the King of Norway in 1252, to the more conventional
personal presents, such as the two lap-dogs which Henry VIII gifted in 1541 to
his fifth queen, Katherine Howard (this type of dog was the only one allowed at
court outside of the 1526 sumptuary set of rules to reform the Royal Household,
known as the Eltham Ordinances). Much less known is the fact that there was
once a Royal Menagerie at Windsor, or that it was once home to the first
giraffe ever to arrive in England.
Get flipping
excited! Penguins lay first egg
In 40 days, we may
have first penguin born in India; zoo officials say there won’t be any
interference.
Mr Molt and Flipper
have put an end to the did-they-didn’tthey conundrum. Flipper, the
four-and-a-half-year-old Humboldt penguin housed in Byculla zoo, la
Why I Put My
ZooKeeping Career On Hold..
For those of you
that know me personally, or professionally, you probably think I'm crazy for
taking a leave of absence from the Zookeeping field. After all, I did spend 2
whole years (about 720 days straight, seriously) attending the Exotic Animal
Training and Management Program in Moorpark, Ca. Then another 3 or so years
specializing in Educational Outreach Programs across Southern California, and a
few in New York City..
Peshawar zoo faces
outcry over animal deaths
A Twitter campaign
under the hashtag #ShutDownPeshawarZoo is giving animal-lovers a platform to
voice their concern.
However, Mohammed
Ali, the zoo’s director, said that steps are being taken to improve the
situation.
“Only a few animals
have died in Peshawar zoo, while in advanced zoos abroad, including those in
the UK, the animal mortality rate has been recorded in hundreds,” he said.
Ali said the zoo was
understaffed and its management was working to ensure animals received proper
care.
“Steps have been
taken to address the issue of animal care,” said Ali.
“We are focusing on
impr
Islamic Defenders
Front protest newborn camel at Surabaya Zoo they thought was named after
Prophet’s mother
Indonesia’s most
infamous religious hardliners, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), are primarily
known for their protests of everything from politicians and pluralism to porn
stars and Lady Gaga. But this is the first time we’ve heard of them protesting at
a zoo, and it’s all because of a newborn camel calf.
On May 15, a
single-humped camel was born at the Surabaya Zoo, which by some reports had
been named Aminah. She is the sixth calf born from the zoo’s camel couple, Okky
and Milo.
On July 1, the FPI
reportedly raided the zoo to protest the calf’s name, which they said is an
insult to the Prophet Muhammad because it contains half of his mother’s name,
Siti Aminah.
The matter was soon
resolved after the zoo clarified that there was a misunderstanding when the cal
Coimbatore zoo takes
precautionary measures against Nipah virus
The Coimbatore
Corporation Zoo has been taking special precautionary measures to prevent
spread of the deadly Nipah virus, as several bats travel between Kerala and
Coimbatore.
The director of
Coimbatore Corporation Zoo, S Natha, said, "We have asked workers in zoo
to clean floors to clear saliva and droppings that can spread the virus. We
also spray bleaching powder all around the area."
"We have
allotted three teams to identify it in dead bats but haven't got any
case," he said.
As many as 16 people
lost their lives in Kerala due to the out
Draft strategy
released by Aboriginal community to reintroduce dingoes into Victorian state
and national parks
Dingoes could once
again roam state and national parks in central Victoria if a land management
plan developed by the region's Aboriginal people — who hold native title rights
for the land — is approved.
Reintroducing
dingoes into the wild is one of the goals outlined in a draft strategy for the
joint management of six parks and reserves inside Dja Dja Wurrung Country.
The strategy would
involve shared management of the parks between the land's traditional owners
and Parks Victoria.
"Native apex
predators, such as the Gal Gal (dingo), provide an overall benefit to
biodiversity and ecosystem function, including through their intera
Parrots Use
Chemistry And Physics To Create Brilliantly Colorful Plumage
Parrots use the same
molecules to create magenta, red, orange and yellow plumage, but these
molecules create different colors based on how they are physically arranged
inside the feather structure
Paignton Zoo's lion
dies after contracting TB
“I don’t know yet
what the consequences might be. It’s even too early to say what sort of TB it
is with any great degree of certainty and where it might have come from.”
TB is a complicated
disease which comes in many forms, is hard to detect and harder to confirm.
The zoo has a strict
disease monitoring programme and preventative health system in place to
minimize the risk of any infectious disease spreading through the collection.
Guam Kingfisher
Hatches at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
A female Guam
kingfisher, a brightly colored bird and one of the most endangered bird species
on the planet, hatched at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in
Front Royal, Virginia, May 17. The Guam kingfisher is the most endangered
species living at SCBI. There are about 140 Guam kingfishers in the world and
they all live in human care.
By June 13, she was
starting to get a hint of her adult plumage. When she is fully mature, the
feathers on her breast will be white, her body will be cinnamon-colored, her
wings will be greenish and her tail will be blue.
It has been four
years since the last chick hatched at SCBI. Guam kingfishers are notoriously
difficult to breed. They are territorial and it has been difficult to match
compatible breeding pairs. The chick’s mother and father moved to SCBI from the
Saint Louis Zoo in 2016 and 2014, respectively. This was the first fertile egg
they have produced together. However, since the pair did not display
appropriate parenting behaviors, keepers artificially incubated the egg and are
hand-raising the chick.
The incubation
period for Guam kingfishers is relatively short — only 21 to 23 days. The chick
hatched after 22 days. During the incubation, keepers candled — or shined a
light against the shell of the egg — to track the chick’s development. When it
hatched, the chick weighed 5.89 grams. For the firs
Wildlife park lions
poisoned, butchered
The poisoning of six lions at the Mystic
Monkeys & Feathers Wildlife Park north of Pretoria has been described as
cruel, inhumane and devastating.
Four of the animals
were butchered, their heads decapitated and some paws cut off.
Of the lions killed,
two were white males, another two brown lions - a male and female around the
age of 3 and 4 - and two still very young, at just 6 months old.
A manhunt is under
way for the culprits and Limpopo police and private security company Hi-Risk
Unit said it was hot on their trail.
“We are still
gathering information, but we have received a lot of leads. Th
Who Will Save the
Elephants?
There’s a Buddhist
proverb, later interpreted by the American poet John Godfrey Saxe, about people
and elephants that goes something like this: Six blind men encounter the
world’s largest land mammal and decide to investigate. They each arrive at a
different part. One runs his hands over its side: “It feels like a wall.” One
wraps his arms around a leg: “It feels like a tree!” One grips the trunk: “It’s
like a snake!” One knocks on a tusk: “No, it’s like a spear.” One fingers an
ear: “No, it feels like a fan!” One swings from the tail: “It feels like a
rope!” And they argue for hours, and in some versions even come to blows,
because each was sure of what he’d felt and what he understood an elephant to
be, and each was sure that they were right and the others were wrong. Saxe said
the elephant was god, and our fumblings religious certainism; the moral is
about certainty and truth and accepting alternate points of view. These days,
though, that parable could just as easily be about something else—namely the
seemingly inevitable human propensity to abuse and
Outrage over alleged
plan to export rare animals from Congo to China
Mountain gorillas
and other endangered species from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are at
risk of being taken from the wild and exported to Chinese zoos, conservation
groups have alleged.
A leaked letter from
the DRC’s environment minister to a Chinese company, apparently referring to a
request for a number of rare species, has sparked outrage from wildlife charity
Born Free and other organisations.
The correspondence,
posted on Twitter by an environmental activist, refers to a request for a dozen
mountain gorillas, 16 pygmy chimpanzees or “bonobos”, 16 chimpanzees, eight
African manatees and 20 okapi. The animals, all of which belong to species threatened
by extinction, were apparently requested for Taiyuan zoo, in the northern
province of Shanxi, and Anji Zhongnan zoo in eastern China.
The DRC has no
captive breeding programmes, so it is understood that any agreement would
necessitate the anim
Demand for big cat
parts fueling lion killings
A surge in demand
for big cat body parts on South Africa’s black market is endangering the future
of the country’s captive lion population, conservationists have warned.
A series of recent
attacks on predator parks, where hand-reared big cats are kept overnight in
zoo-like enclosures, has raised fears that the safety of lions held in
captivity can no longer be guaranteed.
Six lions died over
the weekend when pesticide-laced chicken meat is believed to have been thrown
into their enclosure at a wildlife park north of Pretoria over the weekend, the
third known mass poisoning in three months.
This Egyptian man
wrestles with deadly reptiles, extracts venom for sale
“I grew up in a
family that worked in hunting, selling animals and reptiles. Snakes lived under
our beds inside my grandfather’s house. This is how I became acquainted with
them and eventually let go of my fear,” says Salah Tolba, 51, explaining the
beginning of his reptile hunting career.
A 51-year-old man
with a heavy mustache dressed in a countryside robe, Tolba was cleaning the
lions’ cage as he began telling his story. The father of nine owns a garden
located in Abou Rawash, in the outskirts of Giza. He calls it “Africano Tolba”
and opens it to the public to visit his predators.
Tolba is a man of
extraordinary talent. He inherited his family legacy of reptile hunting, which
dates back 300 years and turned it into a full-time business. At first sight,
his park, a sanctuary for differ
Rethinking the
orangutan
The critically
endangered orangutan--one of human's closet living relatives--has become a
symbol of wild nature's vulnerability in the face of human actions and an icon
of rainforest conservation.
New research
published June 27 in the journal Science Advances indicates this view overlooks
how humans, over thousands of years, fundamentally shaped the orangutan known
today.
Ignoring this
obscures understanding of orangutans and impacts conservation efforts, said
lead author Stephanie Spehar, an associate professor of anthropology at the
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
"It was often
assumed that environmental factors like fruit availability were primarily
responsible for most features of modern-day orangutan
Endangered Species –
it’s all in the mind
Whenever
conservationists come together to discuss the future of endangered species, you
can be sure someone, sooner or later, will suggest that nothing will be
achieved unless one can ensure the humans living alongside, or sharing habitats
with, animals can be encouraged to value them.
The word ‘value’ can
be interpreted in a variety of ways. Some observers mean people ought to
appreciate animals for what they are, fellow species on planet Earth, which
contribute, in any number of ways, to biodiversity as a whole. Others are more
inclined to view animals, particularly exotic species, as a living resource
from which humans can benefit; through hunting, captive-breeding, eco-tourism,
or whatever. They take what might be regarded as a somewhat mercenary approach
to conservation, believing that fauna must contribute in some form to ensure
their o
PENGUINS DEBUT AT
INDOOR SNOW SLOPE AFTER FLYING IN TO EGYPT
flock of 10 penguins
which flew in to Egypt from Japan are to go on display in the country’s indoor
snow centre today, July 1st.
The group of 10
Gentoo penguins flew in to Egypt in February and have since been adapting to
their indoor snow habitat before being unveiled to the public. It is believed to be the first time that penguins have lived in Egypt.
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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 50 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' (many more before that) 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 storyteller, 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 50 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' (many more before that) 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 storyteller, 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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