Zoo News Digest 25th March 2019 (ZooNews 1012)
Peter Dickinson
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
I posted this link this week 'Exposed: Black Jaguar–White Tiger'. I will frequently post out Peta links in ZooNews Digest, not because I am in agreement with them, because I am not, but to share what they are up to. Forewarned is forearmed as they say. There was the usually flurry of comments, emails and private messages telling me what I should or should not post. This time there were less, presumably because most knowledgeable people working in Good Zoos are totally against what Eddie Serio and his Petacub show are up to. Condemnation needs to be spread far and wide. It was noticeable this time that some of those who objected had an alternative agenda.
"good zoos will not gain the credibility of their critics until they condemn the bad zoos wherever they are." Peter Dickinson
Lots of interest follows.
*********
Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 109,000+ Followers on Facebook( and over 109,000 likes) and has a weekly reach often exceeding over 350,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 900 Zoos in 155+ countries? That the subscriber list for the mail out reads like a 'Zoos Who's Who?'
If you are a subscriber to the email version then you probably knew this already. You would also know that ZooNews Digest pre-dates any of the others. It was there before FaceBook. It was there shortly after the internet became popular and was a 'Blog' before the word had been invented. ZooNews Digest reaches zoo people.
I remain committed to the work of GOOD zoos,
********
*****
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Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 109,000+ Followers on Facebook( and over 109,000 likes) and has a weekly reach often exceeding over 350,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 900 Zoos in 155+ 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,
********
*****
***
**
*
New Observations of Meat Eating and Sharing in Wild
Bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Iyema, Lomako Forest Reserve, Democratic Republic of
the Congo
Bonobos (Pan paniscus)
consume a variety of vertebrates, although direct observations remain
relatively rare compared to chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We report the first
direct observations of meat eating and sharing among bonobos at Iyema, Lomako
Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo. We collected meat consumption data ad
libitum from June to November 2017 over 176.5 observation hours and conducted
monthly censuses to measure the abundance of potential prey species. We
observed 3 occasions of duiker consumption and found indirect evidence of meat
consumption twice (n = 5). We identified the prey species as Weyn’s duiker
(Cephalophus weynsi) in all 4 cases that we saw the carcass. This species was
the most abundant duiker species at Iyema, but other potential prey species
were also available. Meat sharing was observed or inferred during all 3
observations. However, the individual controlling the carcass frequently
resisted sharing, and aggressive attempts to take the carcass were observed.
This report contributes to a growing body of data suggesting that wild bonobos
consume meat at higher rates than previously thought, female control of
carcasses is frequent but not exclusive, and meat sharing in bonobos is
primarily passive but not without aggression.
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/496026
THE GREEN SCARE
JOE DIBEE’S 12 YEARS on the
lam came to an end last August, when Cuban authorities detained the 50-year-old
environmental activist during a layover in Havana and turned him over to the
United States.
More than a decade earlier,
police and FBI agents had arrested a dozen of Dibee’s associates in the Animal
Liberation Front and Earth Liberation Front within the span of a few months.
They were charged with conspiring to burn down factories that slaughtered
animals for meat, timber mills that disrupted sensitive ecosystems, government
facilities that penned wild horses, and a ski resort perched on a pristine
mountaintop. Dibee, a former Microsoft software tester known for his ingenuity,
had slipped away in the midst of it all.
Queensland Authorities faces strain to ban dolphin
breeding at Sea World Gold Coast for good
An international
not-for-profit animal welfare organisation is calling on the Queensland
Government to ban captive dolphin breeding at Sea World on the Gold Coast for
good.
World Animal Protection has
launched a public petition which will later be presented to the Queensland
Government.
“We want these dolphins at
Sea World to be the last generation kept captive in Queensland. The
acceptability of dolphin venues like this is on the way out,” Senior Campaign
Manager for World Animal Protection Ben Pearson told nine.com.au.
Wildlife Alliance Annual Report 2018
Dolphins’ psychological trauma after being hunted for
marine parks revealed in new research
Dolphins are being left
traumatised by cruel hunting practices used to supply the international trade
in marine mammals for water parks, scientists have warned.
As intelligent animals that
many experts believe are capable of complex thoughts and even grief,
conservationists say there is no place for the routine capture and slaughter of
dolphins in Japan.
In the drive hunts that take
place near the town of Taiji, dolphins and small whales are herded from the
open sea using a fleet of fishing vessels.
Black Jaguar White Tiger
Excellent, common sense 2019
article, about how Black Jaguar White Tiger gets their cubs for celebrities and
rich people to pet. Read it now.
The first thing Pappa Bear
fans need to know is why it is always cruel to post images of people petting
big cats or their cubs. See why here:
Cubs
May 2, 2018 When clueless celebrities post photos of
themselves posing with cubs, their fans let them know it’s a cruel, selfish and
ignorant thing to do. Katy Perry Angers
Fans With Tiger Cub Selfies At least Katy Perry got the message and immediately
removed the offending photo shoot she did at Eddie Serio’s Black Jaguar White
Tiger cub mill.
Why not even one company is on track to meet 2020
deforestation pledges
lot of leafy promises were
made this past decade. Declarations were signed. Celebratory headlines were
written. The world’s chainsaws, you could be forgiven for presuming, were going
to let up in unison by 2020 when hundreds of deforestation-free pledges would
finally kick in.
One year from that deadline,
UK-based non-profit Global Canopy had some less than laudatory news to share on
the International Day of Forests, March 21. Not a single corporation is on
track to deliver on their deforestation-free pledges.
There have been so many
forest-saving announcements over the years it’s hard to keep track of them all.
First came the big news of 2010 that 400+ companies in the Consumer Goods Forum
would ensure that all their soy, palm oil, beef and pulp and paper would be
zero net deforestation by 2020. Then, during a blue-sky day at a UN climate
summit in September 2014, over 190 governments, companies (including Nestle,
Kellogg’s and Cargill) and civil society organizations signed the New York Declaration
on Forests with the goal of halving the loss of natural forests by 2020,
striving to end it altogether by 2030. Amidst a lack of firm climate
commitments, the forest declaration – while voluntary – felt fairly concrete,
it felt good, it felt doable.
How 3-D Printed Smart Eggs are Saving the Kakapo
The Critically Endangered
Kakapo, a beloved parrot endemic to New Zealand, has seen renewed breeding
success thanks to innovative technologies.
The future of the vibrant,
forest green Kakapo has long been uncertain, due to human-introduced invasive
rats, stoats, and feral cats. However, thanks to 3-D printing technology, this
year’s breeding season has surpassed everyone’s expectations.
The Kakapo is one of the more
peculiar species within the avian world. In fact, it is referred to by some as
the owl parrot thanks to the owl-like and somewhat comical appearance of its wide
beak. It’s goofy and cute appearance aside, it is also the only species of bird
in the entire world which is both nocturnal and flightless. However, what makes
it unique also puts
China demolishing hydro dams to protect endangered
giant salamanders
Central China's Hunan
Province has stopped operation of 34 hydropower plants and demolished 10 dams
in the past two years in a key reserve of giant salamanders.
Municipal officials of
Zhangjiajie, a popular tourist destination, said they planned to demolish most
of the 88 hydropower plants, mainly small ones built before the establishment
of the National Giant Salamander Nature Reserve.
There are 3,000 kilometers of
rivers in the reserve, which was established in 1995 as a provincial level one
but upgraded to national level in 1996.
"More and most of the
dams will be demolished," said Hu Shenghu, head of the city's water
conservancy bureau. "Only those that have flood control, irrigation and
water supply functions will be retained."
Officials and
conservationists have blamed the hydropower plants for blocking
Kingut crowned as world's oldest tapir at the age of
41 – and he's still loving life
He has already far exceeded
his species' typical life expectancy of 25–30 years – and, according to his
keeper, is still very much "in good form" and "loving
life".
Europe's oldest moon bear has died at Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoo's oldest moon bear
died yesterday (21st March) at the grand old age of 38.
Inca continued to shock
keepers at the zoo because she outlived her typical life expectancy by more
than a decade.
She came to Dudley Zoo from
Cumbria in 1990 with her mum and older sister.
The siblings were moved to
Glasgow in 1997, before returning to Dudley in 2003 where they lived together
until her sister's death 10 years ago.
Curator Richard Brown said:
“As she got older she continued to astound keepers and veterinary staff year-on-year
as she flew through annual health checks."
Inca thrived on her own and
in her later year
Long-time zoo employee retiring after 30 years, leaves
legacy in cheetah conservation
Jack Grisham has a wealth of
knowledge when it comes to the St. Louis Zoo.
“St. Louis has a rich
tradition. At one time we had four zoos in St. Louis,” said Grisham, Vice
President of Animal Collections at the St. Louis Zoo. “After the World’s Fair
when the flight cage was built and the city bought that from the Smithsonian
Institution, that was the catalyst to start the zoo in Forest Park.”
Grisham has called the St.
Louis Zoo home for 31 years, so he knows a thing or two about the top tourist
attraction to town. He’s spent more than 50 years working at zoos in Oklahoma
City and the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C., but Jack has been
back in St. Louis for some time.
IUCN-TRAFFIC analyses of CoP 18 listing proposals
Sloths in the Water
Over and over again, animals
have dipped their toes in the ocean and stayed. Reptiles did it multiple times,
becoming majestic sea dragons like the ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and
mosasaurs. Whales are an even more celebrated example. How cetaceans went from
four-legged landlubbers to streamlined sea blubbers is an iconic example of
transcendent evolutionary change. And then there are the giant sloths.
Reconstructed in museum
fossil halls, the giant sloths of ages past look about as seaworthy as bricks.
Their bones are large, bulbous, and stout, a sturdy framework to hold the
immense weight of the herbivorous mammals that could weigh over four tonnes.
And yet, in Peru and Chile, in strata between seven and three million years
old, paleontologists have found a set of five sloth species, all from the genus
Thalassocnus, that together illustrate how gian
Rattlesnake roundups are a southern tradition. They're
also an ecological disaster.
Each year, Texas’s Sweetwater
Jaycees—“the world’s largest rattlesnake roundup”—begins with a rattlesnake
parade. There’s also a Miss Snake Charmer pageant, a snake eating contest, and
awards for the most snakes by weight and the longest snake in the show. But the
main event, held each year since 1958, is an guided hunt in pursuit of western
diamondback rattlesnakes, which can be charmed, judged, killed, and sold.
Int he south, such a pastime
is hardly peculiar: rattlesnake hunting dates dates back to the 1700s, when
colonists tracked down and killed the reptiles in the hope of protecting human
families from its venomous bite. Today, springtime round-ups are still held in
many states, including Texas, Alabama, and Georgia. But in the past few
decades, a growing body of evidence has shown that round-ups often do more harm
than good.
Exposed: Black Jaguar–White Tiger
As people turn their backs on
roadside zoos and circuses, captive-animal exhibitors are getting creative and
slapping comforting words such as “sanctuary,” “rescue,” and “foundation” onto
their names. But no matter how they dress it up, the cruelty and exploitation
are the same. The Black Jaguar–White Tiger “Foundation” is one of the best at
creating PR spin—and one of the worst at caring for animals.
Groundbreaking Study at Stanford Sequences Generic
Tiger Genome
Stanford University’s Hadly
Lab has been working with In-Sync Exotics in Wylie and additional Tigers In
America sanctuaries to gather genetic samples from a number of generic tigers
in order to understand and explore the relationship between the ‘pure’ genetic
tiger species and those from tigers which are rescued by sanctuaries like
In-Sync Exotics.
Pure sub-species are
exemplified by the AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP) tigers (Amur, Sumatran and
Malaysian) and the Bengal SSP which is managed by the Indian government. The
AZA, the Indian government, and TIA are partners and contributors to this
project.
From the Zoo to the Field: A Curator Charts Her Course
From the beginning of my
career, I have been fortunate to have women mentors who have helped cultivate
my interests and goals, and really shape the path that steered me to the
leadership role I now hold as Assistant Curator of Mammals at the Bronx Zoo.
I developed an interest in
primates at a young age, inspired by the work of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and
Birute Galdikas, who first demonstrated that women could make significant
contributions to conservation. I became determined to work with primates, and I
knew that there was one place that would allow me to connect with these
fascinating animals and provide me with the foundation necessary to pursue a
career in this field: the zoo.
Night parrot finding in Australia not backed up by
evidence
An Australian conservation
group has been forced to retract published research on the discovery of an
endangered bird.
In 2017, ecologist John Young
claimed to have found traces of the night parrot, one of the world's rarest
birds, in the state of South Australia.
His findings were published
by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).
But last year the evidence
was called into question by other scientists.
On Friday, AWC - one of the
largest conservation organisations in Australia - said it would retract his
published research, after a probe found flaws.
Mr Young denies any
wrongdoing, telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "I have no
interest in any criticism."
The night parrot had not been
seen in decades,
China plans ‘landmark’ biodiversity talks
In 2020, delegates from
nearly 200 countries will meet in the capital of Yunnan province, southwest
China, to agree on a new framework to halt biodiversity loss and protect
ecosystems. The talks will be crucial to restoring the planet’s health.
According to WWF, there has
been a 60% decline in mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian populations
over the past 40 years. Another recent study that reviewed the evidence on
biodiversity suggested that 40% of insects are threatened with extinction in
the coming decades from habitat loss, intensive agriculture, pesticide use and
climate change. In the Asia-Pacific region where fisheries are a key source of
food, there may be no exploitable fish populations left by 2048 if current fishing
practices continue.
In 2010, countries party to
the Convention on Biological Diversity approved a 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for
Biodiversity. As the talks were held in Aichi, Japan, the plan’s 20 overarching
goals to end biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems are known as the Aichi
targets.
It’s unlikely these targets
will be met by 2020 so the talks in Kunming must find a new way forward.
*****************************************************
Kingut crowned as world's oldest tapir at the age of
41 – and he's still loving life
He has already far exceeded
his species' typical life expectancy of 25–30 years – and, according to his
keeper, is still very much "in good form" and "loving
life".
Europe's oldest moon bear has died at Dudley Zoo
Dudley Zoo's oldest moon bear
died yesterday (21st March) at the grand old age of 38.
Inca continued to shock
keepers at the zoo because she outlived her typical life expectancy by more
than a decade.
She came to Dudley Zoo from
Cumbria in 1990 with her mum and older sister.
The siblings were moved to
Glasgow in 1997, before returning to Dudley in 2003 where they lived together
until her sister's death 10 years ago.
Curator Richard Brown said:
“As she got older she continued to astound keepers and veterinary staff year-on-year
as she flew through annual health checks."
Inca thrived on her own and
in her later year
Long-time zoo employee retiring after 30 years, leaves
legacy in cheetah conservation
Jack Grisham has a wealth of
knowledge when it comes to the St. Louis Zoo.
“St. Louis has a rich
tradition. At one time we had four zoos in St. Louis,” said Grisham, Vice
President of Animal Collections at the St. Louis Zoo. “After the World’s Fair
when the flight cage was built and the city bought that from the Smithsonian
Institution, that was the catalyst to start the zoo in Forest Park.”
Grisham has called the St.
Louis Zoo home for 31 years, so he knows a thing or two about the top tourist
attraction to town. He’s spent more than 50 years working at zoos in Oklahoma
City and the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington D.C., but Jack has been
back in St. Louis for some time.
IUCN-TRAFFIC analyses of CoP 18 listing proposals
Sloths in the Water
Over and over again, animals
have dipped their toes in the ocean and stayed. Reptiles did it multiple times,
becoming majestic sea dragons like the ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and
mosasaurs. Whales are an even more celebrated example. How cetaceans went from
four-legged landlubbers to streamlined sea blubbers is an iconic example of
transcendent evolutionary change. And then there are the giant sloths.
Reconstructed in museum
fossil halls, the giant sloths of ages past look about as seaworthy as bricks.
Their bones are large, bulbous, and stout, a sturdy framework to hold the
immense weight of the herbivorous mammals that could weigh over four tonnes.
And yet, in Peru and Chile, in strata between seven and three million years
old, paleontologists have found a set of five sloth species, all from the genus
Thalassocnus, that together illustrate how gian
Rattlesnake roundups are a southern tradition. They're
also an ecological disaster.
Each year, Texas’s Sweetwater
Jaycees—“the world’s largest rattlesnake roundup”—begins with a rattlesnake
parade. There’s also a Miss Snake Charmer pageant, a snake eating contest, and
awards for the most snakes by weight and the longest snake in the show. But the
main event, held each year since 1958, is an guided hunt in pursuit of western
diamondback rattlesnakes, which can be charmed, judged, killed, and sold.
Int he south, such a pastime
is hardly peculiar: rattlesnake hunting dates dates back to the 1700s, when
colonists tracked down and killed the reptiles in the hope of protecting human
families from its venomous bite. Today, springtime round-ups are still held in
many states, including Texas, Alabama, and Georgia. But in the past few
decades, a growing body of evidence has shown that round-ups often do more harm
than good.
Exposed: Black Jaguar–White Tiger
As people turn their backs on
roadside zoos and circuses, captive-animal exhibitors are getting creative and
slapping comforting words such as “sanctuary,” “rescue,” and “foundation” onto
their names. But no matter how they dress it up, the cruelty and exploitation
are the same. The Black Jaguar–White Tiger “Foundation” is one of the best at
creating PR spin—and one of the worst at caring for animals.
Groundbreaking Study at Stanford Sequences Generic
Tiger Genome
Stanford University’s Hadly
Lab has been working with In-Sync Exotics in Wylie and additional Tigers In
America sanctuaries to gather genetic samples from a number of generic tigers
in order to understand and explore the relationship between the ‘pure’ genetic
tiger species and those from tigers which are rescued by sanctuaries like
In-Sync Exotics.
Pure sub-species are
exemplified by the AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP) tigers (Amur, Sumatran and
Malaysian) and the Bengal SSP which is managed by the Indian government. The
AZA, the Indian government, and TIA are partners and contributors to this
project.
From the Zoo to the Field: A Curator Charts Her Course
From the beginning of my
career, I have been fortunate to have women mentors who have helped cultivate
my interests and goals, and really shape the path that steered me to the
leadership role I now hold as Assistant Curator of Mammals at the Bronx Zoo.
I developed an interest in
primates at a young age, inspired by the work of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and
Birute Galdikas, who first demonstrated that women could make significant
contributions to conservation. I became determined to work with primates, and I
knew that there was one place that would allow me to connect with these
fascinating animals and provide me with the foundation necessary to pursue a
career in this field: the zoo.
Night parrot finding in Australia not backed up by
evidence
An Australian conservation
group has been forced to retract published research on the discovery of an
endangered bird.
In 2017, ecologist John Young
claimed to have found traces of the night parrot, one of the world's rarest
birds, in the state of South Australia.
His findings were published
by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC).
But last year the evidence
was called into question by other scientists.
On Friday, AWC - one of the
largest conservation organisations in Australia - said it would retract his
published research, after a probe found flaws.
Mr Young denies any
wrongdoing, telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation: "I have no
interest in any criticism."
The night parrot had not been
seen in decades,
China plans ‘landmark’ biodiversity talks
In 2020, delegates from
nearly 200 countries will meet in the capital of Yunnan province, southwest
China, to agree on a new framework to halt biodiversity loss and protect
ecosystems. The talks will be crucial to restoring the planet’s health.
According to WWF, there has
been a 60% decline in mammal, bird, fish, reptile and amphibian populations
over the past 40 years. Another recent study that reviewed the evidence on
biodiversity suggested that 40% of insects are threatened with extinction in
the coming decades from habitat loss, intensive agriculture, pesticide use and
climate change. In the Asia-Pacific region where fisheries are a key source of
food, there may be no exploitable fish populations left by 2048 if current fishing
practices continue.
In 2010, countries party to
the Convention on Biological Diversity approved a 2011-2020 Strategic Plan for
Biodiversity. As the talks were held in Aichi, Japan, the plan’s 20 overarching
goals to end biodiversity loss and restore ecosystems are known as the Aichi
targets.
It’s unlikely these targets
will be met by 2020 so the talks in Kunming must find a new way forward.
*****************************************************
** ***
** **
***
*
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"
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"
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