Zoo News Digest 1st July 2018 (ZooNews 1000)
Peter Dickinson
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
I suppose it should
be somewhat momentous, this the 1000th edition of Zoo News Digest. Sent out in
its present format since 1998….20 Years!!! But those who have followed along
the way will know that it existed in a different format for several years before
that but purely as an email newsletter. Sadly none of those earlier version
still exist as far as I am aware. I did keep them on floppy disks but when I
hit the road I ditched them along with my house and all of my possessions. I
have been living out of by backpack ever since. Still 20 years in the current
format is something to be proud of. Along the way Google made its first
appearance and then so did Facebook. The Facebook version of ZooNews Digest has
over 78,500 followers. Allied to Zoo News Digest is the Yahoo Group 'ZooBiology' which from its start in 1999 has continued to quietly flourish. It is
the longest established group of zoo professionals. It should be the first
place to visit for a professional answer. Zoo Biology has been a lifesaver to
zoos the world over.
Then there is 'Zoo Jobs' for those working in zoos. I try my best to make people within the field aware of what is available and have been doing so since 2008...so just 10 years in this format. Prior to that I posted out the vacancies on the Zoo Biology Group. It is always interesting to see what is available out there and which posts attract the most interest.
Still allied to all the above is Zoo Conferences,Meetings, Courses and Symposia. I started this 10 or so years ago with the vain hope that these events would get sorted out in such a way so they did not clash. It has never quite worked out that way. Though this year I am delighted to see that the WAZA conference in Bangkok is followed only shortly after by the SEAZA conference in Chiang Mai and so with a bit of luck I will be able to attend both.
All of the above are pulled together by myself in what little time I can scrape together on top of holding down a full time job, a private zoo consultancy and having a life. It doesn't make me a cent. The very rare donations I do get go towards paying internet bills.
I am very grateful to the one other moderator I have on Zoo Biology. It was essential I had one as I have ended up in places at times where it was impossible to access the internet.....and professional zoo people will usually need an answer quickly. As I said earlier this group has saved lives.
When I do get the odd five minutes I also write 'The Zoo Hubs' and on a variety of other subjects.
I wish India zoos
would stop using the word 'inmate'.
Many years ago I
read a statement attributed to Koko the Gorilla "I can hear a dog barking
but I cannot see it". That stuck with me because it was about the unseen
and not something in the here and now. But now she has gone the thing that
bothers me most is that she never had a proper Gorilla relationship. Okay she
had 'Ndume' but that never really came to anything…the chance was there though.
In a way then she was luckier than 'Lady' in Al Ain Zoo or 'Polo' in Mysore Zoo
or 'Bua Noi' in Pata Zoo.
Lady and Polo both
passed away after years of living alone and Bua Noi is still waiting.
The
death of nine Giraffes in Pakistani Zoos is as shocking as it is appalling but
at the same time not surprising. So now the dealer will blame the zoos and the
zoos will blame the dealers. I am willing to bet that at the end of it all that the dealers will not lose out financially….no the real losers are the poor giraffe.
The 'Keepers,Trainers and Wildlife Professionals of the Middle East' night out on the 29th
June went down very well. There were about forty in attendance all in but some
had already gone home by the time the last arrived. The party never really got
going till about 01.00 then moved location and did not finish till after 03.00. Keepers know how to party! Still it was a great chance to catch up and the venue
did allow for a flow of conversation. Probably the last time I will attend this
event unless it coincides with irregular visits to Dubai.
I am happy to see
that more interest is being shown in the export of the Virunga Gorillas and
Wildlife to China. There should not be just interest however there should be
action. At the very least there should be a statement from CITES and the World
Zoo Organisations and Associations. Has the story of the Taiping 4 been
forgotten already? There are CITES permits and CITES permits as is evidenced by
some of the animals held in Middle Eastern Zoos. It is almost as if eyes are
being averted and the odd back scratched here and there.
"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,
********
*****
***
**
*
Stop CITES and
Congolese Government from Exporting Virunga Gorillas and Wildlife to China
Multiple species of
highly protected/endangered wildlife will be shipped to China soon from the
DR-Congo. These include six gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), eight
Bonobos, eight chimpanzees, four manatees, and ten Okapis per zoo.
Stop this!
Organisations call for a halt to DRC-China wildlife bilateral move
It was recently
announced that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is soon to export
multiple species of protected but endangered wildlife. These include 12
gorillas, 16 booboos, 16 chimpanzees, 8 manatees and 20 Okapis.
According to press
reports, Chinese authorities made this request as part of the bilateral
agreement between the Institutions Congolais pour la conservation de la nature
(ICCN) and Chinese zoos.
Following the
request by executive director of Tianjin Junheng International Trade
Corporation, Mr. Liu Ming Heng to import these wildlife, DRC’s Minister for
Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development Mr. Amy Ambatobe
Nyongolo announced the arrival in China
DR Congo approves
oil drilling in Unesco World Heritage Sites that home endangered gorillas
The government of
the Democratic Republic of Congo has decided to open up parts of two protected
national parks, home to endangered species such as mountain gorillas, to oil
drilling.
The proposals to
allow oil exploration in Virunga and Salonga were met with fierce opposition
from environmental activists, who say drilling would place wildlife at risk.
They also fear it
will release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing
to global warming.
A Day in the Life of
an L.A. Zoo Elephant
There has been much
recent debate about the Los Angeles Zoo’s 32-year-old bull elephant, Billy,
with Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz authoring a motion in April
expressing concern that the elephant’s habitat is too small and suggesting he
be transferred to a sanctuary in Northern California. Meanwhile, the zoo has
maintained that these concerns are misguided and that the best thing for Billy
is to remain where he is.
Since the public
rarely gets a look behind the scenes, the Ledger spent a day shadowing elephant
keepers at the zoo’s Elephants of Asia exhibit to see what a day in the life of
Billy—and his fellow pachyderms Shaunzi, Jewel and Tina—is like.
A zookeeper’s day
starts early; rough
Putin toughens
punishment for online sale of rare animals
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a
bill on tougher punishment for illegal online sale and purchase of wild animals
and aquatic biological resources including those listed in Red Book into law.
The document’s version has been published on the official website of legal
information.
Under the law,
illegal selling and buying animals, their parts and derivates through the
Internet or mass media would be punishable by up to 4 years in prison with
fines ranging from 500,000 to 1.5 million rubles ($26,000). Punishment for
officials may reach as high as 6 years in prison and 3 million rubles ($48,300)
fine. If the crime is committed by an organized criminal group, the sentence
may reach 9 years.
This initiative was
drafted following increased cases of online sales of skin, bones and other
derivates of most valuable wild animals and aquatic biological resources, an
explanatory note to the bill reads.
The law is aimed to
improve efficiency of fighting against these crimes.
Previously, illegal
animal trade is punishable by fines of up to 500,000 rubles ($8,700) and
community service of up to 2 years.
In addition, the
document provides tougher punishm
California Trail: A
Conversation with Joel Parrott, President/CEO of the Oakland Zoo
For the past 33
years, Dr. Joel Parrott has led the Oakland Zoo. When he started there, the
Oakland Zoo was an antiquated zoo with grossly substandard exhibits and animal
husbandry practices. Project by project, Parrott and his team rebuilt the zoo
and established it as a leader in animal welfare. Currently, the Oakland Zoo is
on the cusp of doubling in size with the opening of California Trail.
California Trail also signals a strong commitment from the zoo to insitu
conservation, especially of California species and habitats. Here is his story.
Suspected smuggler
arrested at Heathrow with two vulture chicks hidden in a secret belt
A man has been
arrested at Heathrow after two rare vulture eggs were found concealed in a body
belt hatched while he was in transit.
The 56-year-old had
arrived on a flight from South Africa. When he was stopped and searched,
officers discovered 19 bird eggs as well as the two newly hatched vulture
chicks.
The eggs are from
rare and endangered South African birds of prey including vultures, eagles,
hawks and kites, th
SA’s wildlife
cryptotrade
A casual search of
some of South Africa’s biggest online marketplaces shows just how easily
endangered wildlife species are reduced to their parts – and how simple it is
to sell them online while retaining anonymity. It will take far more than just
a quick search to track down all the cryptotraffickers.
South African
wildlife is already facing enormous pressures: habitat destruction,
human-wildlife conflict, climate change and global trade. Increased access to
the Internet for wildlife trafficking is yet another concern to add to the
list.
Over a period of
approximately four weeks, from mid-April to mid-May 2018, we conducted a
small-scale investigation of three social media networks – Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter – and half a dozen online marketplaces – eBay, Gumtree, OLX, Public
Ads, Free Classifieds and Bidorbuy.
We focused on the
impact that increased access to the Internet has on pangolins, leopards, rhinos
and sungazer lizards, a family o
How do you evacuate
a zoo? Healesville Sanctuary found out the hard way
As the Black
Saturday bushfires raged towards Healesville Sanctuary, zookeepers were faced
with a terrible dilemma.
Either leave the
bulk of the world's remaining orange-bellied parrots to perish or risk the
birds dying of stress while evacuating them to safety.
South Korea Zoo
Lions that killed Keeper relocated to Colorado Sanctuary.
Ending a nearly
three and one-half year stand-off between South Korean zoo officials, a
deceased man's family and the Korean Animal Welfare Society (KAWA), The Wild
Animal Sanctuary in Colorado steps in to give three Lions slated for euthanasia
a life-long home at its Keenesburg, Colorado facility.
Inside the effort to
save the world’s most endangered marine mammal
As the sun crept
above the horizon, CBS News’ Don Dahler headed out in the Gulf of California
with a disparate group of volunteers, veterinarians and marine biologists on a
difficult — some would say impossible — mission to track the rarest of marine
mammals: the vaquita, a species of porpoise. It’s a mission two years in the
making.
“This is bigger than
vaquita. For conservation in general, for marine mammals, this is a big thing,”
said Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho who is directing the effort.
It’s been an uphill
battle against the odds, the cost — now in the $5 million range — and the
elements. The challenge is amplified by the fact that there are so few of the
diminutive porpoises left. Recent reports show the vaquita population has
dropped from almost 600 in 1997 to just 30 today, found only in the Gulf of
California.
The vaquita’s rapid
decline is an uninten
Zoo modernisation
still a far cry
The Coimbatore
Corporation officials flew down to New Delhi a couple of weeks ago after being
summoned by the Central Zoo Authority. The Authority, which is yet to renew the
Corporation’s license to run the zoo, wanted to know why the civic body had not
implemented any of its recommendation for improvement.
The Corporation
officials explained that the civic body had been taking steps to develop the
zoo and substantiated its claim by pointing out how it had handed over a few
domesticated and feral birds and animals to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department
and it planned to develop the zoo at ₹20 crore with Central Government’s fund
under the Smart Cities Mission, the Corporation sources said.
The Corporation
officials also pointe
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/zoo-modernisation-still-a-far-cry/article24250497.ece
Bringing back the
giants – The True Giant Clam
Tridacna gigas, also
affectionately known as the “True Giant Clam”, is the only truly gigantic
species in the subfamily Tridacninae! The species has an intermediate
geographic range, which spans from Myanmar (Burma) to the Republic of Kiribati
(but not Cook Islands), and the Ryukyus (southern Japan) to Queensland
(Australia).
I was very
privileged (and super excited) to get an opportunity to meet a wild individual
on a leisure dive trip around Malaysia recently. This individual is found
within a protected marine area in Sabah. Meeting a truly wild Tridacna gigas is
a rare treat, as natural stocks are widely locally extinct throughout its
geographic rang
$158m Ocean Wonders:
Sharks! to open at WCS’s New York Aquarium
The new exhibit
promises to raise awareness of the importance of sharks in the world’s
ecosystem.
The Wildlife
Conservation Society is hosting a grand opening of its New York Aquarium’s
Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit on June 30th. Donald Zucker and Barbara Hrbek
Zucker Ocean Wonders: Sharks! seeks to raise awareness of how vitally important
sharks are to the health of the world’s oceans.
“This exciting new
shark exhibit will inspire our visitors to help conserve these amazing animals
and awaken them to the reality that the city that never sleeps is surrounded by
the sea that never sleeps,” said Jon Forrest Dohlin, Director of the New York
Aquarium and VP of the WCS.
Visitors will move
through nine galleries, coming eye-to-eye with sharks, rays and other ocean
wildlife that live off the coast of New York.
In total, more than
115 marine species will be on show, including 18 species of sharks and rays.
The focus of the ex
Aurek Update: This
Big Beluga Is a Perfect Fit
Aurek, Shedd
Aquarium’s newest beluga whale, and largest animal, has fully integrated into
the dynamic social structure of our beluga pod. He’s also made his mark with
the people who care for these awe-inspiring marine mammals.
Pandanomics: What Is
Giant Panda Conservation Worth? Billions Every Year
A new analysis shows
that panda conservation provides great value for local people, culture and the
environment, generating 20 times more money than the cost to conserve and
maintain the cuddly bears
Nine newly-arrived
giraffes die in different zoos across Pakistan
Nine of the several
giraffes, brought from South Africa to different zoos of Karachi, Lahore,
Peshawar, Multan and Gujranwala have died in the past week.
One of the three
giraffes, who were brought to the Lahore Zoo a few days ago, died on Friday.
Lahore Zoo Director
Hasan Ali Sukhera said since they were recently brought to the facility they
were tired of
The only way is
ethics part 4: zoos
The black-furred
creature shifts and turns, and its brow furrows as it meets my gaze. Its deep
brown eyes seem to convey hidden depths and, for a moment, I am electrified
from a connection that reaches across millions of years of evolution. I’m awed
by the knowledge another mind is looking back at me, trying to understand me.
We stand in silence…
The doors of the ape
house bang open and two giggling toddlers run in, pursued by a harassed-looking
mum and a tall thin dad. The man points at the gorilla I have been quietly
watching and laughs.
“Look at his big fat
arse,” he says to his laughing children.
Confused by the fact
I had been filled with wonder by the closeness of another animal to humanity –
an alien being that may well be able to reason – but then filled immediately
wit
THE GIRAFFES OF
AFRICA – THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
It’s hard to comprehend that giraffe numbers have
plummeted by almost 40% in just three decades. This rapid slide now places them
amongst the most threatened species on the planet, with only approximately
98,445 individuals remaining across this massive African continent!
A population
collapse of this nature could conceivably be driven by that evil Far East cabal
of wildlife traffickers that perpetuate myths about how wild animal parts can
improve health, wealth and happiness. In this case though, it would appear that
the now familiar threats of habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation coupled
with human population growth and illegal hunting (poaching) are to blame.
I would imagine that
its large size makes it difficult for giraffes to pass through dangerous
human-occupied territory unnoticed, and surely the return for the effort of
killing a giraffe is high, what with all of that meat on the hoof.
“We do not have any
evidence of giraffe in traditional C
How You Can Hoof
Trim a Flock of Flight Animals
A month or so ago
one of the head keepers of the safari department in our zoo came to me and
asked me about what the options are for training fellow deer’s. She ultimately
wanted the hooves being trimmed. I thought this is possible but we have to put
a lot of hours into this idea. Even though this was my first thought we
discussed how we could do this with the least amount of time possible. The
fellow deer’s are a group of 27+ individuals on a 6 acre field. They share
their exhibit with 9+ European moose and their babies.
One of the first
questions I asked was what the reason was to do this at this point. The team
leader told me that because of the nutrition both animals need they sometimes
eat each other’s food. There is a particular part in the pellets what makes the
hooves grow faster and there for it would be good to keep them maintained so
there won’t be any problems on the long run. Fair enough, but where do we
start? One of the first things we do is look at the reinforcement choices, what
do the animals like and what fits in their nutrition plan. Is it bad to give
them particular reinforcers that do not fit in their nutrition plan there for
we have to see first what is possible. After this we make a training plan and
at the same time we look at the current status of the animals. How calm they
are when we come near them (10-20 meters). When we collected all this
information we started to figure out how to reach the goal of trimming all
these hooves.
Us zookeepers use a
lot of routines during the day. Routines reflect to classica
Cockatoo discovery
reveals flourishing medieval trade routes around Australia's north
Images of an
Australasian cockatoo have been discovered in a manuscript dating from 13th
century Sicily, now held in the Vatican library.
This finding reveals
that trade in the waters in and around Australia's north was flourishing as far
back as medieval times, linked into sea and overland routes to Indonesia,
China, Egypt and beyond into Europe.
The four images of
the white cockatoo feature in the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II of Sicily's
De Arte Venandi cum Avibus (The Art of Hunting with Birds), which dates from
between 1241 and 1248.
These coloured
drawings pre-date by 250 years what was previously believed to be the oldest
European depiction of a cockatoo, in Andrea Mantegna's 1496 altarpiece Madonna
della Vittoria.
Faculty of Arts
School of Historical and Philosophical Studies Honorary Research Fellow Heather
Dalton in 2014 published an article a
Those Cheating
Penguins Are At It Again, So Lincoln Park Zoo Renews Its Popular ‘All My
Penguins’ Drama
There’s drama,
drama, drama in the Lincoln Park Zoo’s African penguin exhibit.
So, fittingly,
there’s a new season of “All My Penguins,” the zoo’s tongue-in-cheek recap of
the happenings within its African penguin colony.
The zoo’s employees
use the blog to chronicle love triangles among the penguins while educating
readers about the birds. The first episode went up last week.
“‘All My Penguins’
is back not o
NEW GUIDELINES,
DESIGNS TO BE FOLLOWED WHILE SETTING UP ZOOS
The Union
Environment Ministry on Tuesday released a manual, containing guidelines and a
“first-of-its-kind in the world” on design parameters, to be followed while
setting up zoos in the country.
After releasing the
manual, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan asked the authorities
concerned to develop courses on zoo management too.
“Today, I released a
book - Design Guidelines for Zoos, the first of its kind in the world on design
parameters for zoo, jointly written by Prof
Rommel Mehta, a
well-known architect and Dr DN Singh, Member Secretary of
#CentralZooAuthority,” Vardhan said in a tweet. The Central Zoo Authority (CZA)
oversees all zoos in India.
The Minister added
“It will also help zoo authorities across the world as a manual. I have asked
the Central Zoo Authority to ensure, any redevelopment of Indian zoos should be
according to these guidelines.” These courses would help the personnel, trained
in zoo management, sensitise the visitors as regards various aspects of
environme
Experts say it is
time to save American flamingos
The American
Flamingo has been such an iconic image that has been used to represent Florida
for so long — from the Greetings From Florida postcards of the last century to
the opening credits of "Miami Vice" in the mid-1980s — one might be
excused for thinking the birds are classified as native species and protected.
But that isn't the
case of the only flamingo species native to the United States.
American Flamingos
have never been considered as a focal species for conservation, management or
monitoring in Florida, according to a group of researchers, including from Zoo
Miami, Cape Florida Banding Station and Big Cypress National Preserve. Zoo Miami's
Steven Whitfield led the research.
So Zoo Miami has
partnered with the Tropical Audubon So
Two Borneo pygmy
elephants die at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park
Two endangered
Borneo pygmy elephants including a calf is believed to have died at the Lok
Kawi Wildlife Park.
It is learned that
an adolescent elephant rescued 13 years ago from the Lahad Datu's Yapid
plantation died two days ago (June 27) while a four-year-old calf is believed
to have died on May 7.
However, Wildlife
Department officials remained tight-lipped over the deaths amid recent calls by
animal activists for improvements at the wildlife park which serves as a rescue
and rehabilitation centre for wildlife.
Sources said that
wildlife veterinarians are puzzled over the cause of the deaths of the two
elephants in captivity as post-mortem reports have not shown any indication for
the cause of the deaths.
It is understood
that the calf which was born in captivity was sick for a while before it died.
The incident of
deaths in captivity was worrying and needs to be addressed immediately, said
the sources, adding that w
Wildlife park where
pygmy elephants died to be restructured
A restructuring in management of the Lok Kawi
Wildlife Park where two endangered pygmy elephants have died will be
implemented within a month from now.
Sabah deputy chief
minister, Christina Liew, who is also Tourism, Culture and Environment
minister, said the restructuring would see more engagement and dissemination of
information between park and the public.
“This is so that the
park will be able to officially inform the public of any movements, activities
or incidences happening at the zoo, without them speculating and getting
unverified information from third parties,” she said.
Apart from that,
there will be a disciplinary committee and a council involving vets and
relevant stakeholders from the private sector.
Liew said the
council of vets and other private sector individuals would be able to help the
zoo management with suggestions and advice on how to better manage the zoo and
animals.
Doc Antle’s Myrtle
Beach Safari — “Greatest experience ever.”
As we got ready to
leave Doc Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari, my 9-year-old grandson Cooper could not
hide his smile or enthusiasm.
“Greatest experience
ever,” he told any staff member he saw after our 3 1/2 extraordinary hours at
this unique attraction that I knew nothing about until this year.
I had four
grandchildren ages 6-9 along with my wife, daughter and son-in-law with me. I
am not sure who had the best time — and it might easily have been me.
Where else could you
hold three tiger cubs and play with a wolf cub? Where else could you feed
apples to an elephant or sausage to a full-grown tiger? Where other than Myrtle
Beach Safari could a monkey sit on my lap with my three grandsons huddled around
me? How could you find another place where monkeys would sit with you as you
roasted hot dogs and s’mores? I might even have been able to
Citizen scientists
capture penguin breeding dynamics
Using data from
nearly 74,000 images, volunteer armchair scientists have helped Oxford
University researchers to capture and better understand, the breeding habits of
penguin breeding colonies across the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland
Islands and South Georgia.
9 million more ways
to save threatened species
The NSW Government
has put $9 million on the table to deliver more local projects to save
threatened species.
"This is the
first time this scale of funding has been available to the community from the
Saving our Species (SOS) program," Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton
said.
"The new grants
program is designed to maximise the number of species that can be secured in
the wild under the NSW Government's Saving our Species initiative.
"Saving our
Species is investing $100 million over five years to secure populations of
threatened species in the wild. Projects are currently in place for some 350
species. Applications open today and I encourage groups to apply for funding
for local projects," Ms Upton said.
"By creating
long-term partnerships between the NSW Government, community groups and other
organisations, more threatened plants and animals can be managed and supported.
All applicants are strongly encouraged to develop and deliver projects with other
collaborating partners."
Minister Upton
announced the grant
*********
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,
********
*****
***
**
*
Stop CITES and
Congolese Government from Exporting Virunga Gorillas and Wildlife to China
Multiple species of
highly protected/endangered wildlife will be shipped to China soon from the
DR-Congo. These include six gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), eight
Bonobos, eight chimpanzees, four manatees, and ten Okapis per zoo.
Stop this!
Organisations call for a halt to DRC-China wildlife bilateral move
It was recently
announced that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is soon to export
multiple species of protected but endangered wildlife. These include 12
gorillas, 16 booboos, 16 chimpanzees, 8 manatees and 20 Okapis.
According to press
reports, Chinese authorities made this request as part of the bilateral
agreement between the Institutions Congolais pour la conservation de la nature
(ICCN) and Chinese zoos.
Following the
request by executive director of Tianjin Junheng International Trade
Corporation, Mr. Liu Ming Heng to import these wildlife, DRC’s Minister for
Environment, Nature Conservation and Sustainable Development Mr. Amy Ambatobe
Nyongolo announced the arrival in China
DR Congo approves
oil drilling in Unesco World Heritage Sites that home endangered gorillas
The government of
the Democratic Republic of Congo has decided to open up parts of two protected
national parks, home to endangered species such as mountain gorillas, to oil
drilling.
The proposals to
allow oil exploration in Virunga and Salonga were met with fierce opposition
from environmental activists, who say drilling would place wildlife at risk.
They also fear it
will release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing
to global warming.
A Day in the Life of
an L.A. Zoo Elephant
There has been much
recent debate about the Los Angeles Zoo’s 32-year-old bull elephant, Billy,
with Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz authoring a motion in April
expressing concern that the elephant’s habitat is too small and suggesting he
be transferred to a sanctuary in Northern California. Meanwhile, the zoo has
maintained that these concerns are misguided and that the best thing for Billy
is to remain where he is.
Since the public
rarely gets a look behind the scenes, the Ledger spent a day shadowing elephant
keepers at the zoo’s Elephants of Asia exhibit to see what a day in the life of
Billy—and his fellow pachyderms Shaunzi, Jewel and Tina—is like.
A zookeeper’s day
starts early; rough
Putin toughens
punishment for online sale of rare animals
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a
bill on tougher punishment for illegal online sale and purchase of wild animals
and aquatic biological resources including those listed in Red Book into law.
The document’s version has been published on the official website of legal
information.
Under the law,
illegal selling and buying animals, their parts and derivates through the
Internet or mass media would be punishable by up to 4 years in prison with
fines ranging from 500,000 to 1.5 million rubles ($26,000). Punishment for
officials may reach as high as 6 years in prison and 3 million rubles ($48,300)
fine. If the crime is committed by an organized criminal group, the sentence
may reach 9 years.
This initiative was
drafted following increased cases of online sales of skin, bones and other
derivates of most valuable wild animals and aquatic biological resources, an
explanatory note to the bill reads.
The law is aimed to
improve efficiency of fighting against these crimes.
Previously, illegal
animal trade is punishable by fines of up to 500,000 rubles ($8,700) and
community service of up to 2 years.
In addition, the
document provides tougher punishm
California Trail: A
Conversation with Joel Parrott, President/CEO of the Oakland Zoo
For the past 33
years, Dr. Joel Parrott has led the Oakland Zoo. When he started there, the
Oakland Zoo was an antiquated zoo with grossly substandard exhibits and animal
husbandry practices. Project by project, Parrott and his team rebuilt the zoo
and established it as a leader in animal welfare. Currently, the Oakland Zoo is
on the cusp of doubling in size with the opening of California Trail.
California Trail also signals a strong commitment from the zoo to insitu
conservation, especially of California species and habitats. Here is his story.
Suspected smuggler
arrested at Heathrow with two vulture chicks hidden in a secret belt
A man has been
arrested at Heathrow after two rare vulture eggs were found concealed in a body
belt hatched while he was in transit.
The 56-year-old had
arrived on a flight from South Africa. When he was stopped and searched,
officers discovered 19 bird eggs as well as the two newly hatched vulture
chicks.
The eggs are from
rare and endangered South African birds of prey including vultures, eagles,
hawks and kites, th
SA’s wildlife
cryptotrade
A casual search of
some of South Africa’s biggest online marketplaces shows just how easily
endangered wildlife species are reduced to their parts – and how simple it is
to sell them online while retaining anonymity. It will take far more than just
a quick search to track down all the cryptotraffickers.
South African
wildlife is already facing enormous pressures: habitat destruction,
human-wildlife conflict, climate change and global trade. Increased access to
the Internet for wildlife trafficking is yet another concern to add to the
list.
Over a period of
approximately four weeks, from mid-April to mid-May 2018, we conducted a
small-scale investigation of three social media networks – Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter – and half a dozen online marketplaces – eBay, Gumtree, OLX, Public
Ads, Free Classifieds and Bidorbuy.
We focused on the
impact that increased access to the Internet has on pangolins, leopards, rhinos
and sungazer lizards, a family o
How do you evacuate
a zoo? Healesville Sanctuary found out the hard way
As the Black
Saturday bushfires raged towards Healesville Sanctuary, zookeepers were faced
with a terrible dilemma.
Either leave the
bulk of the world's remaining orange-bellied parrots to perish or risk the
birds dying of stress while evacuating them to safety.
South Korea Zoo
Lions that killed Keeper relocated to Colorado Sanctuary.
Ending a nearly
three and one-half year stand-off between South Korean zoo officials, a
deceased man's family and the Korean Animal Welfare Society (KAWA), The Wild
Animal Sanctuary in Colorado steps in to give three Lions slated for euthanasia
a life-long home at its Keenesburg, Colorado facility.
Inside the effort to
save the world’s most endangered marine mammal
As the sun crept
above the horizon, CBS News’ Don Dahler headed out in the Gulf of California
with a disparate group of volunteers, veterinarians and marine biologists on a
difficult — some would say impossible — mission to track the rarest of marine
mammals: the vaquita, a species of porpoise. It’s a mission two years in the
making.
“This is bigger than
vaquita. For conservation in general, for marine mammals, this is a big thing,”
said Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho who is directing the effort.
It’s been an uphill
battle against the odds, the cost — now in the $5 million range — and the
elements. The challenge is amplified by the fact that there are so few of the
diminutive porpoises left. Recent reports show the vaquita population has
dropped from almost 600 in 1997 to just 30 today, found only in the Gulf of
California.
The vaquita’s rapid
decline is an uninten
Zoo modernisation
still a far cry
The Coimbatore
Corporation officials flew down to New Delhi a couple of weeks ago after being
summoned by the Central Zoo Authority. The Authority, which is yet to renew the
Corporation’s license to run the zoo, wanted to know why the civic body had not
implemented any of its recommendation for improvement.
The Corporation
officials explained that the civic body had been taking steps to develop the
zoo and substantiated its claim by pointing out how it had handed over a few
domesticated and feral birds and animals to the Tamil Nadu Forest Department
and it planned to develop the zoo at ₹20 crore with Central Government’s fund
under the Smart Cities Mission, the Corporation sources said.
The Corporation
officials also pointe
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/zoo-modernisation-still-a-far-cry/article24250497.ece
Bringing back the
giants – The True Giant Clam
Tridacna gigas, also
affectionately known as the “True Giant Clam”, is the only truly gigantic
species in the subfamily Tridacninae! The species has an intermediate
geographic range, which spans from Myanmar (Burma) to the Republic of Kiribati
(but not Cook Islands), and the Ryukyus (southern Japan) to Queensland
(Australia).
I was very
privileged (and super excited) to get an opportunity to meet a wild individual
on a leisure dive trip around Malaysia recently. This individual is found
within a protected marine area in Sabah. Meeting a truly wild Tridacna gigas is
a rare treat, as natural stocks are widely locally extinct throughout its
geographic rang
$158m Ocean Wonders:
Sharks! to open at WCS’s New York Aquarium
The new exhibit
promises to raise awareness of the importance of sharks in the world’s
ecosystem.
The Wildlife
Conservation Society is hosting a grand opening of its New York Aquarium’s
Ocean Wonders: Sharks! exhibit on June 30th. Donald Zucker and Barbara Hrbek
Zucker Ocean Wonders: Sharks! seeks to raise awareness of how vitally important
sharks are to the health of the world’s oceans.
“This exciting new
shark exhibit will inspire our visitors to help conserve these amazing animals
and awaken them to the reality that the city that never sleeps is surrounded by
the sea that never sleeps,” said Jon Forrest Dohlin, Director of the New York
Aquarium and VP of the WCS.
Visitors will move
through nine galleries, coming eye-to-eye with sharks, rays and other ocean
wildlife that live off the coast of New York.
In total, more than
115 marine species will be on show, including 18 species of sharks and rays.
The focus of the ex
Aurek Update: This
Big Beluga Is a Perfect Fit
Aurek, Shedd
Aquarium’s newest beluga whale, and largest animal, has fully integrated into
the dynamic social structure of our beluga pod. He’s also made his mark with
the people who care for these awe-inspiring marine mammals.
Pandanomics: What Is
Giant Panda Conservation Worth? Billions Every Year
A new analysis shows
that panda conservation provides great value for local people, culture and the
environment, generating 20 times more money than the cost to conserve and
maintain the cuddly bears
Nine newly-arrived
giraffes die in different zoos across Pakistan
Nine of the several
giraffes, brought from South Africa to different zoos of Karachi, Lahore,
Peshawar, Multan and Gujranwala have died in the past week.
One of the three
giraffes, who were brought to the Lahore Zoo a few days ago, died on Friday.
Lahore Zoo Director
Hasan Ali Sukhera said since they were recently brought to the facility they
were tired of
The only way is
ethics part 4: zoos
The black-furred
creature shifts and turns, and its brow furrows as it meets my gaze. Its deep
brown eyes seem to convey hidden depths and, for a moment, I am electrified
from a connection that reaches across millions of years of evolution. I’m awed
by the knowledge another mind is looking back at me, trying to understand me.
We stand in silence…
The doors of the ape
house bang open and two giggling toddlers run in, pursued by a harassed-looking
mum and a tall thin dad. The man points at the gorilla I have been quietly
watching and laughs.
“Look at his big fat
arse,” he says to his laughing children.
Confused by the fact
I had been filled with wonder by the closeness of another animal to humanity –
an alien being that may well be able to reason – but then filled immediately
wit
THE GIRAFFES OF
AFRICA – THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
It’s hard to comprehend that giraffe numbers have
plummeted by almost 40% in just three decades. This rapid slide now places them
amongst the most threatened species on the planet, with only approximately
98,445 individuals remaining across this massive African continent!
A population
collapse of this nature could conceivably be driven by that evil Far East cabal
of wildlife traffickers that perpetuate myths about how wild animal parts can
improve health, wealth and happiness. In this case though, it would appear that
the now familiar threats of habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation coupled
with human population growth and illegal hunting (poaching) are to blame.
I would imagine that
its large size makes it difficult for giraffes to pass through dangerous
human-occupied territory unnoticed, and surely the return for the effort of
killing a giraffe is high, what with all of that meat on the hoof.
“We do not have any
evidence of giraffe in traditional C
How You Can Hoof
Trim a Flock of Flight Animals
A month or so ago
one of the head keepers of the safari department in our zoo came to me and
asked me about what the options are for training fellow deer’s. She ultimately
wanted the hooves being trimmed. I thought this is possible but we have to put
a lot of hours into this idea. Even though this was my first thought we
discussed how we could do this with the least amount of time possible. The
fellow deer’s are a group of 27+ individuals on a 6 acre field. They share
their exhibit with 9+ European moose and their babies.
One of the first
questions I asked was what the reason was to do this at this point. The team
leader told me that because of the nutrition both animals need they sometimes
eat each other’s food. There is a particular part in the pellets what makes the
hooves grow faster and there for it would be good to keep them maintained so
there won’t be any problems on the long run. Fair enough, but where do we
start? One of the first things we do is look at the reinforcement choices, what
do the animals like and what fits in their nutrition plan. Is it bad to give
them particular reinforcers that do not fit in their nutrition plan there for
we have to see first what is possible. After this we make a training plan and
at the same time we look at the current status of the animals. How calm they
are when we come near them (10-20 meters). When we collected all this
information we started to figure out how to reach the goal of trimming all
these hooves.
Us zookeepers use a
lot of routines during the day. Routines reflect to classica
Cockatoo discovery
reveals flourishing medieval trade routes around Australia's north
Images of an
Australasian cockatoo have been discovered in a manuscript dating from 13th
century Sicily, now held in the Vatican library.
This finding reveals
that trade in the waters in and around Australia's north was flourishing as far
back as medieval times, linked into sea and overland routes to Indonesia,
China, Egypt and beyond into Europe.
The four images of
the white cockatoo feature in the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II of Sicily's
De Arte Venandi cum Avibus (The Art of Hunting with Birds), which dates from
between 1241 and 1248.
These coloured
drawings pre-date by 250 years what was previously believed to be the oldest
European depiction of a cockatoo, in Andrea Mantegna's 1496 altarpiece Madonna
della Vittoria.
Faculty of Arts
School of Historical and Philosophical Studies Honorary Research Fellow Heather
Dalton in 2014 published an article a
Those Cheating
Penguins Are At It Again, So Lincoln Park Zoo Renews Its Popular ‘All My
Penguins’ Drama
There’s drama,
drama, drama in the Lincoln Park Zoo’s African penguin exhibit.
So, fittingly,
there’s a new season of “All My Penguins,” the zoo’s tongue-in-cheek recap of
the happenings within its African penguin colony.
The zoo’s employees
use the blog to chronicle love triangles among the penguins while educating
readers about the birds. The first episode went up last week.
“‘All My Penguins’
is back not o
NEW GUIDELINES,
DESIGNS TO BE FOLLOWED WHILE SETTING UP ZOOS
The Union
Environment Ministry on Tuesday released a manual, containing guidelines and a
“first-of-its-kind in the world” on design parameters, to be followed while
setting up zoos in the country.
After releasing the
manual, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan asked the authorities
concerned to develop courses on zoo management too.
“Today, I released a
book - Design Guidelines for Zoos, the first of its kind in the world on design
parameters for zoo, jointly written by Prof
Rommel Mehta, a
well-known architect and Dr DN Singh, Member Secretary of
#CentralZooAuthority,” Vardhan said in a tweet. The Central Zoo Authority (CZA)
oversees all zoos in India.
The Minister added
“It will also help zoo authorities across the world as a manual. I have asked
the Central Zoo Authority to ensure, any redevelopment of Indian zoos should be
according to these guidelines.” These courses would help the personnel, trained
in zoo management, sensitise the visitors as regards various aspects of
environme
Experts say it is
time to save American flamingos
The American
Flamingo has been such an iconic image that has been used to represent Florida
for so long — from the Greetings From Florida postcards of the last century to
the opening credits of "Miami Vice" in the mid-1980s — one might be
excused for thinking the birds are classified as native species and protected.
But that isn't the
case of the only flamingo species native to the United States.
American Flamingos
have never been considered as a focal species for conservation, management or
monitoring in Florida, according to a group of researchers, including from Zoo
Miami, Cape Florida Banding Station and Big Cypress National Preserve. Zoo Miami's
Steven Whitfield led the research.
So Zoo Miami has
partnered with the Tropical Audubon So
Two Borneo pygmy
elephants die at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park
Two endangered
Borneo pygmy elephants including a calf is believed to have died at the Lok
Kawi Wildlife Park.
It is learned that
an adolescent elephant rescued 13 years ago from the Lahad Datu's Yapid
plantation died two days ago (June 27) while a four-year-old calf is believed
to have died on May 7.
However, Wildlife
Department officials remained tight-lipped over the deaths amid recent calls by
animal activists for improvements at the wildlife park which serves as a rescue
and rehabilitation centre for wildlife.
Sources said that
wildlife veterinarians are puzzled over the cause of the deaths of the two
elephants in captivity as post-mortem reports have not shown any indication for
the cause of the deaths.
It is understood
that the calf which was born in captivity was sick for a while before it died.
The incident of
deaths in captivity was worrying and needs to be addressed immediately, said
the sources, adding that w
Wildlife park where
pygmy elephants died to be restructured
A restructuring in management of the Lok Kawi
Wildlife Park where two endangered pygmy elephants have died will be
implemented within a month from now.
Sabah deputy chief
minister, Christina Liew, who is also Tourism, Culture and Environment
minister, said the restructuring would see more engagement and dissemination of
information between park and the public.
“This is so that the
park will be able to officially inform the public of any movements, activities
or incidences happening at the zoo, without them speculating and getting
unverified information from third parties,” she said.
Apart from that,
there will be a disciplinary committee and a council involving vets and
relevant stakeholders from the private sector.
Liew said the
council of vets and other private sector individuals would be able to help the
zoo management with suggestions and advice on how to better manage the zoo and
animals.
Doc Antle’s Myrtle
Beach Safari — “Greatest experience ever.”
As we got ready to
leave Doc Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari, my 9-year-old grandson Cooper could not
hide his smile or enthusiasm.
“Greatest experience
ever,” he told any staff member he saw after our 3 1/2 extraordinary hours at
this unique attraction that I knew nothing about until this year.
I had four
grandchildren ages 6-9 along with my wife, daughter and son-in-law with me. I
am not sure who had the best time — and it might easily have been me.
Where else could you
hold three tiger cubs and play with a wolf cub? Where else could you feed
apples to an elephant or sausage to a full-grown tiger? Where other than Myrtle
Beach Safari could a monkey sit on my lap with my three grandsons huddled around
me? How could you find another place where monkeys would sit with you as you
roasted hot dogs and s’mores? I might even have been able to
Citizen scientists
capture penguin breeding dynamics
Using data from
nearly 74,000 images, volunteer armchair scientists have helped Oxford
University researchers to capture and better understand, the breeding habits of
penguin breeding colonies across the Antarctic Peninsula, South Shetland
Islands and South Georgia.
9 million more ways
to save threatened species
The NSW Government
has put $9 million on the table to deliver more local projects to save
threatened species.
"This is the
first time this scale of funding has been available to the community from the
Saving our Species (SOS) program," Environment Minister Gabrielle Upton
said.
"The new grants
program is designed to maximise the number of species that can be secured in
the wild under the NSW Government's Saving our Species initiative.
"Saving our
Species is investing $100 million over five years to secure populations of
threatened species in the wild. Projects are currently in place for some 350
species. Applications open today and I encourage groups to apply for funding
for local projects," Ms Upton said.
"By creating
long-term partnerships between the NSW Government, community groups and other
organisations, more threatened plants and animals can be managed and supported.
All applicants are strongly encouraged to develop and deliver projects with other
collaborating partners."
Minister Upton
announced the grant
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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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