Thursday, April 18, 2019

Zoo News Digest 18th April 2019 (ZooNews 1018)

Zoo News Digest 18th April 2019  (ZooNews 1018)


(Sorry. I don't know the photo source)


Peter Dickinson

elvinhow@gmail.com

 

Dear Colleague,


I have always had a strong affection for old buildings. If historic I feel I know them for I will have visited them in books or movies if not in the flesh. They are like the tallest biggest trees in the forest and demand a sort of reverence regardless of what they represent. I have visited Notre Dame four times and I have an emotional attachment to it entwined with private personal memories and so I was both saddened and shocked to watch it burn on TV.
At the same time I am horrified at what is happening to our planet on a daily basis. A 'new' Notre Dame will be there, standing looking beautiful long after my ashes have grown cold. What of the rest of our world? Forests felled, Species gone forever, forever, forever!

I am not against hunting. It has its place. I have hunted for food, for pest control and for culling. I was satisfied by a good clean quick kill. I see more often the need to cull out certain animals or even entire families for the benefit of the environment and other species. I also see nothing wrong in someone paying to cull an animal that would be killed anyway out of necessity. If that money truly goes back into conservation then it has to be a good thing. There is so little true wild anymore it has to be managed. I can foresee the necessity to cull tigers in some Indian forests in the not too distant future. It is already overdue for leopards in some.
My problem is when animals are killed for pleasure. Canned hunters are in serious need of psychiatric assessment. There is something wrong with them. Which is where I am against the import of hunting trophies. By all means let hunters get their jollies and contribute to conservation (which canned hunting doesn't) but allowing them to take bits of animals back home so they can get their rocks off again and again makes the bile rise in my stomach.


"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

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Did You Know?
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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,
not DYSFUNCTIONAL zoos.
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The cheap and shady business of taking selfies with tigers
Tinder realized it had a tiger problem in the summer of 2017. Too many of its users were featuring photos of themselves crouched next to big cats like tigers and lions, animals that, had a random Tinder user approached them under normal circumstances, would probably try to eat them.

That is what tigers and lions do when they are living in the wild and going about their business. But the tigers “posing” with Tinder users weren’t roaming free; their handlers at zoos and entertainment venues had made them available for pics through sedation or other harmful practices. Over the course of the 2010s, taking a selfie cuddling a tiger became easier and cheaper than ever.
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/4/12/18306590/tiger-selfie-thailand-tiger-kingdom



FAECAL ATTRACTION...
Pertinax is one of the elder statesmen of Paignton Zoo in Devon. The 37-year-old Western lowland gorilla has long been dogged by constipation; animal experts decided on this move after oranges and even a course of tinned prunes failed to bring relief.

There are some good scientific names for the technique: microbiome restorative therapy; faecal transplant; transfaunation. It’s used on humans, on farm animals and is even being used to help save endangered species. Call it what you will, it’s still not something you want to dwell on at mealtimes…

Pertinax weighs-in at a healthy 200 kilos, achieved on a vegetable diet. The old boy is effectively retired and living separately from the Zoo’s three boisterous youngsters, Kiondo, Kivu and N’Dowe. One of his keepers, Gemma, says: “He’s always had a problem with constipation. He eats the same diet as the others and lives in the same environment, but they poo normally and he doesn’t.”



An Enduring Conservation Legacy: The San Diego Zoo Panda Team
Successful and enduring conservation inherently demands that a cross-disciplinary team approach be implemented. So, when I look back at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Conservation Program, I can say without hesitation that when—more than 25 years ago—San Diego Zoo CEO Doug Myers and, former giant panda program head, Don Lindburg forged a team-centric strategy for our efforts, they set us up for success. Through the persistent efforts of scientists, animal care, and public outreach specialists, the San Diego Zoo Giant Panda Team dedicated itself to improving the plight of giant pandas through the application of scientific findings to panda management, and engaging the public in the plight of this once-endangered conservation icon.
https://institute.sandiegozoo.org/science-blog/enduring-conservation-legacy-san-diego-zoo-panda-team



Developing a Metric of Usable Space for Zoo Exhibits
The size of animal exhibits has important effects on their lives and welfare. However, most references to exhibit size only consider floor space and height dimensions, without considering the space afforded by usable features within the exhibit. In this paper, we develop two possible methods for measuring the usable space of zoo exhibits and apply these to a sample exhibit. Having a metric for usable space in place will provide a better reflection of the quality of different exhibits, and enhance comparisons between exhibits.




Connecting spots, connecting cultures through Persian leopard conservation in Turkmenistan
The Ustyurt Nature Reserve is a spectacular place. The Ustyurt plateau was once the bottom of the Tethys ocean. As you walk on it you come across relics that are as far as 100 million years old: shell traces in the limestone, and ferromanganese nodules of different size. And shark teeth. The terrain broken by chalk deposits in the form of rocks and random cracks looks like Mars. Steep cliffs called chinks tower over the plains, used by goitered gazelles. Its muddy and salty portions, called salanchak, are the gazelles’ refuge from wolves, as their heavy paws sink into them, giving a breather to these lanky ungulates who can then safely escape. The chinks have dee



How birders helped pinpoint hotspots for migratory bird conservation
Many bird populations are crashing, largely because they migrate such long distances and are at risk from human influence at every link in their migratory chain.

One favourite, the tiny Canada warbler, is among those that find themselves in trouble. Although this bird weighs only as much as a AAA battery, each spring it flies more than 5,500 kilometres from its winter home in South America to breed in Canada, stopping in Mexico, Texas and Michigan along the way. The Canada warbler makes this incredible journey as many as eight times over the course of its life.



No sightings of Sumatran rhinos in key areas of Sabah, extinction likely
No Sumatran rhinoceros have been detected in Sabah by the latest surveys, indicating that the species may have become extinct.

However, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew expressed optimism that these habitats remained suitable for this species during the question-and-answer session in the state assembly sitting on Wednesday (April 17).

"My ministry, through the Wildlife Department, has in the past collaborated with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like Borneo Rhino Alliance and WWF Malaysia to conduct rhino population surveys at the forest reserves of Ulu Segama and Ulu Malua as well as Tabin Wildlife Reserve, and identified as the key areas for this species.



Ethical considerations on Parrots in presentations and current recommendations by the EAZA Parrot Taxon Advisory Group




Arrival of Belugas Postponed
The arrival of two beluga whales from Shanghai, scheduled for Keflavík International Airport tomorrow, has been postponed, Morgunblaðið reports. The reason: inclement weather in Iceland this week and the fact that Landeyjahöfn harbor, from where the whales were supposed to sail to Vestmannaeyjar islands, is yet to open for the season.

Merlin Entertainments and the charity Sea Life Trust, organizers of the project, do not believe the belugas would survive the three-hour ferry ride from Þorlákshöfn harbor to Vestmannaeyjar islands. The ferry ride from Landeyjahöfn harbor, located about 80 km (50 mi) farther east and open only part of the year, takes only half an hour.



Competing conservation ideologies: Troubled times for reporting on Namibian wildlife
Two competing ideological narratives have emerged in African wildlife conservation. The one is based on so-called ‘compassionate conservation’, aligned with the mostly Western animal rights movement, the other based on the human rights of the owners of the wildlife, the local people who live with wild animals. In Namibia, wildlife is thriving under the second narrative, which endorses consumptive use of wildlife.



It's science: Viewing zoo animals reduces your stress levels
Imagine a beautiful day checking out the animals at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, feeling a bit calmer and happier. There's actually some science to that.

The results of a recent wellness study conducted by the Detroit Zoological Society and Michigan State University researchers found that viewing animals reduces stress levels.

According to a news release, study participants were hooked up to electrodes in a lab, given a verbal math test and then asked to deliver a speech off-the-cuff.

Then the participants were separated into three groups and showed a video of either a plain white screen, Detroit traffic or animals at the Detroit Zoo.

MSU scientists measured stress indicators, like heart rate, skin conductance, and facial reaction. The results showed that stress levels were lowest in the group who were shown animals.



Stop feeding the animals, says zoo
Shanghai Zoo is urging visitors to stop feeding the animals, saying that swans, wild geese, bears and tortoises are suffering health problems as a result.

The number of visitor has been rising this spring, along with an increase in the number of animals with intestinal obstruction and digestion problems, the zoo said.

The zoo is taking measures including enhanced patrols, more signs and more leaflets. It is also organizing activities to drive home the message that unnecessary feeding is not welcome.

Swans, wild geese and ducks are particularly vulnerable, said keeper Zhang Zhihao.

"Many tourists bring bread and biscuits to attract swans, wild geese and ducks at the water platform," he said. "However, swans, wild geese and ducks never eat these foods in the wild.



Importance of Zoo Animal and Wildlife Research



Chick hatches on Sado Island from egg of crested ibis gifted to Japan by China
A chick has hatched from an egg laid by a crested ibis, an internationally protected species, which was given by China to a conservation center on Sado Island off Niigata Prefecture, the facility said Monday.

The Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center confirmed that one of the eggs laid by 3-year-old Guan Guan had hatched for the first time since she arrived in Japan last October.



Conditioning Animals With A Social Structure
Since starting my career, I’ve worked with a huge amount of animals with different social structures, from Killer whales and dolphins, to Chimpanzees, Takins, Bush dogs, Lions, and even Elephants. I’ve also worked with a lot of humans, perhaps the most complex of all but we can agree all of these species have a completely different type of social structure. Because of the often complex relationships these animals have with each other when training social animals there are a few things to remember.

Often for our blogs and Facebook group we are constantly searching for interesting training/enrichment videos to share on social media. These videos often inspire me and others here at Zoospensefull, to think about what can b



400,000 African pangolins are hunted for meat every year – why it’s time to act
Pangolins, a group of unique African and Asian scaly mammals, are considered to be one of the most heavily trafficked wild mammals in the world. They are hunted and traded for their meat, scales, and other body parts, and used as traditional medicines in parts of Africa and Asia.

Of the eight pangolin species, four are found in Africa. These are the white‐bellied, black‐bellied, giant, and Temminck’s ground pangolin. Three of these species live in Central African forests. The tree-dwelling white-bellied and black-bellied pangolins, weighing approximately 1.5 to 3kg (comparable to a small rabbit), and the ground-dwelling giant pangolin can weigh up to 33kg (the weight of a small Labrador dog).



Tree dens play a critical role in panda lifestyle
In a paper recently published in the journal Biological Conservation, an international team of conservationists highlights the importance of tree dens for pandas raising infants in native habitats. The study, conducted in Fengtongzai and Foping Nature Reserves in China, analyzed the difference in microhabitats of cave dens and tree dens used by female pandas. The result of the research suggests that conservation efforts need to take into account key resources, such as large old trees that provide important microhabitats that support rare and endangered wildlife.

"Pandas are found in different kinds of forests in China," said the study's lead author, Wei Wei, an associate professor at China West Normal University. "Old growth forests provide large tree cavities for den sites, but pan




Network ensured Kumamoto zoo's survival during 2016 quake crisis
The night the Kumamoto quake struck three years ago, veterinarian Atsushi Matsumoto, 46, was working overtime at the Kumamoto City Zoological and Botanical Gardens, when everything around him, himself included, began shaking violently.

First, he checked the safety of the zoo's ferocious animals. All five, including a tiger, a snow leopard and a lion, were safe and sound. But phone calls started pouring in from worried local residents, asking, “Has a lion escaped?”



Lions rescued from 'Europe's worst zoo' have been stranded in tiny pens in Albania over bureaucratic red tape preventing them from leaving the country to finally start a new life
Three lions rescued from 'Europe's worst zoo' are stranded in Albania – held in bare, tiled pens just a few metres square.

Twelve-year-old Zhaku and his eight-year-old sons, Boby and Lenci, are caught in a bureaucratic wrangle over documents allowing them to leave the country to start a new life.

Since October they have been held at Tirana Zoo after being released from a private animal park in southern Albania where they were malnourished and kept in shocking conditions.



How Dangerous Are Cassowaries, Really?
Today, it’s time to revisit the Tet Zoo archives, and post this (now very old) section of text on cassowaries. It first appeared here (at Tet Zoo ver 2) back in May 2007. I haven’t finished on the Mesozoic maniraptorans, by the way (for parts published so far see part 1, part 2, part 3).



South African police seize 167 rhino horns after tipoff
South African police have seized 167 rhino horns believed to have been destined for Asia.

Two suspects were arrested in the sting operation in the North West province on Saturday, which followed a tipoff. Police said it was one of the biggest hauls of rhino horns in the country.

“We arrested them on Saturday in the Hartbeespoort dam area. They were driving in a vehicle and they were intercepted,” said Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the Hawks, an elite police unit. “It was an intelligence-driven operation that led to the arrest of the two. They were found in possession of those 167 rhino horns.”

The suspects, aged 57 and 61, are expected to appea



Massive haul of ivory seized in anti-smuggling crackdown
China customs recently seized 2,748 ivory tusks weighting a total of 7.48 metric tons after cracking down on a major smuggling case in a joint operation.

Tusks are illegally transferred from African countries and imported into China under the guise of "wood", officers from the General Administration of Customs said on Monday.

The smuggling case was cracked on March 30 after a joint operation lasting three months. The action was conducted under the cooperation of police forces from several cities including Hefei, Nanjing, Beijing, Fuzhou and Qingdao.




KILLER CASSOWARY: World's most dangerous bird kills Florida owner
A large, flightless bird native to Australia and New Guinea killed its Florida owner when it attacked him after he fell, authorities said Saturday.

The Alachua County Fire Rescue Department told the Gainesville Sun that a cassowary killed the man Friday on his property near Gainesville, likely using its long claws. The victim, whose name was not released, was apparently breeding the birds, state wildlife officials said.

“It looks like it was accidental. My understanding is that the gentleman was in the vicinity of the bird and at some point fell. When he fell, he was attacked,” Deputy Chief Jeff Taylor told the newspaper.

Cassowaries are similar to emus and stand up to 6 feet (1.8 metres) tall and weigh up to 130 pounds (60 kilograms), with black body feathers and bright blue heads and necks.



Petting zoos harbour nasty bugs – research
Wash your hands extra carefully next time you visit a petting zoo.

New research presented at this year's European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands this weekend has shown that petting zoos can create a diverse reservoir of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, which could lead to highly virulent drug-resistant pathogens being passed on to visitors.

The study, by Professor Shiri Navon-Venezia of Ariel University, Ariel, Israel and colleagues, explores the prevalence, molecular epidemiology, and risk factors for animals in petting zoos becoming colonised by MDR bacteria.

Petting zoos are a popular attraction around the world, allowing direct and indirect exposure of both children and adults to a diverse range of animal species.



After Columbia Theatre show, what's really best for the tigers?
A national debate over the plight of tigers came into local focus last week when Montana-based illusionist Jay Owenhouse brought two rare Bengal tiger cubs to perform at Longview’s Columbia Theatre on Thursday.

The theater received thousands of emails after “Big Cat Rescue,” a Florida animal sanctuary, took opposition to Owenhouse’s show. No protesters appeared to show up, and Owenhouse’s show debuted without a hitch to about 350 attendees.

The conflict raised an elemental question: What is the best way to ensure tigers and other endangered animals have a future on this planet? And what role do zoos and other forms of captivity or management have in preserving them?



SeaWorld lays off undisclosed number of employees
SeaWorld has laid off an undisclosed number of employees around the country in a move it says is aimed toward improving efficiency.
SeaWorld Entertainment spokeswoman Suzanne Pelisson-Beasley told the Orlando Sentinel on Saturday that the layoffs occurred Friday. She declined to say how many employees were let go or where or how much the company is saving.



Consommé of cane toad, anyone? MONA puts a feral feast of invasive species of the menu
Cane toad, sea urchin and fermented weeds aren’t on most people’s dinner plates.

But that’s exactly what is being served up at Hobart’s controversial Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) over the next few months.

The ‘delicacies’ are part of an exhibition dubbed Eat the Problem, which aims to challenge ideas of conventional eating and sustainability.

“Invasive species are a problem but we can re-frame them; how are they actually a resource?,” artist and curator Kirsha Kaechele said.




When Cleethorpes was home to a two-ton killer whale named Calypso
From the tropical creatures at The Jungle Zoo to the sea lions that used to perform at Pleasure Island, Cleethorpes is no stranger to amazing animals from around the world.

However, there was a time when the resort was home to one of the most impressive and recognisable mammals to have ever existed, a species whose captivity has provoked fierce controversy ever since they were first plucked from the oceans to entertain theme park guests – the killer whale.


The black and white predators, also called orcas, have been a source of fascination to people for centuries, and are known for their highly social behaviour and striking intelligence, not to mention their awe-inspiring size with some growing to more than 30 feet (9.8m) in length and weighing up to 6 tons.



Vulnerable smooth-coated otters face poaching threat



China devours Asia’s wildlife
There is a monster chewing its way through the wildlife of its smaller, weaker Southeast Asian neighbours. The monster can change forms – like a shape-shifter – but it goes by one name: China. The region’s wildlife is rapidly disappearing, being sucked into the vortex of the illegal wildlife trade that leads to China.

In the Myanmar border town of Mine Lar, Shan State, everything from tree-dwelling civets to clouded leopards, from tiger claws to elephant skin, and from pangolin scales to bear gall bladder is on sale, with the vast majority of customers coming over the border from Yunnan. In its September 2018 issue, National



Giant turtle faces extinction as last known female dies in a Chinese zoo
The Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) may become an extinct species after the only captive female, and one of only four known living individuals, died at a zoo in Suzhou City yesterday, April 13.

The turtle, a member of the largest freshwater turtle species in the world, died after an attempt to artificially inseminate the more than 90-year-old specimen by a team of scientists, Friday, April 12.

Chinese language media reports say that the turtle, which is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, showed abnormal signs after the procedure, and died after a 24 hour rescue attempt.




‘Panda Diplomacy’: A $24 Million Zoo Enclosure Angers Some
It was designed by Bjarke Ingels, the renowned Danish architect, and cost $24 million to build. It was inaugurated by Queen Margrethe II, Denmark’s reigning monarch. And it now accommodates a celebrity couple with peculiar eating habits and an almost year-round animosity toward each other.

Welcome to Copenhagen Zoo’s new panda house.

Officials at the zoo estimate that the combination of adorable animal starpower and innovative Danish design will draw an additional 400,000 visitors per year.

“For such an iconic animal, we needed an iconic setting,” said Bengt Holst, the zoo’s director. “You wouldn’t put the Mona Lisa in an ugly frame.”



Critically Endangered Echidna among wildlife menagerie seized in Philippines
A large seizure of 450 live wild animals from the island of New Guinea has been made in the southern Philippines, comprising hundreds of birds, dozens of reptiles, and a single Critically Endangered Western Long-beaked Echidna Zaglossus bruijni.



Former SA Zoo employee says nighttime themed events traumatize animals
A former San Antonio Zoo employee is blowing the whistle on what she describes as routine trauma for animals.

Her concerns stem from the popular themed attractions being held at night.

The former employee says she raised the same concerns to management during her time here but nothing was done.

"I was not fired, I quit," said Marjorie DeRusha-Morris. "I am disgruntled there is no question about that. I am disgruntled because of the treatment of the animals and the treatment of staff that stood up for the animals."



First sighting of gaur in Surin wildlife sanctuary in 15 years
For the first time in 15 years, a gaur has been spotted inside a wildlife sanctuary in Surin's Kap Choneg district, a wildlife official said on Saturday.

Wutthikul Ngampanya, chief of Huay Thapthan-Huay Samrarn Wildlife Sanctuary, said the gaur, which appeared to be around 10 years old, was spotted on Tuesday and Thursday.

The motion sensor camera, mounted on a tree near a small pond where wild animals come to drink, captured monochrome pictures of the gaur.

Wutthikul said it was the first time that a gaur has been seen at the spot in 15 years.



Verify: Are there more tigers in Texas than in the wild?
Texas is a national leader in a lot of obvious ways like energy, technology and construction. But have you ever heard there are more tigers in Texas than in the wild? Sounds crazy enough that I needed to verify it.

I first read that claim in a new book by Pulitzer Prize winning author Lawrence Wright in his new book “God Save Texas. Here’s what he wrote: “The Humane Society of the United States estimates there are more tigers living in captivity, in Texas, then the 3000 that are thought to be living in the wild.”



The big cat con: Inside Africa's shocking battery farms for lions
The growing appetite for 'conservation holidays' has shone a light on the dark – and poorly regulated – industry of lion farming, where felines are destined not to be 'released into the wild' - but to be shot by trophy hunters and their bones exported to Asia for use in traditional medicine.

Beth Jennings, 25, is mad about animals. After leaving school she worked for Dogs Trust, and then opted to spend a holiday looking after lion cubs rather than lying on a beach. Though it was called ‘volunteering’ she had to pay to do it: £1,500 for two weeks working at a game park in South Africa, plus £1,000 for flights and jabs. But she knew the wild lion population was in crisis, and this was her chance, according to the UK agency that sold it to her, to prepare orphaned cubs ‘for their eventual release into the wild’. She saved for more than a year, using her 21st-birthday money.



What it's like to visit the largest bat house colony in the world
Without bats, there’d be no tequila.

So, with Cinco de Mayo less than a month away, you might consider toasting the world’s only flying mammal on April 17, which is National Bat Appreciation Day.

You might also consider a trip to see these incredible creatures – roughly 500,000 of them! – as they emerge from the bat houses at Gainesville’s University of Florida, the largest colony in the world living in purpose-built structures.

Paul Ramey is the assistant director of marketing and public relations (and bat advocate, his e-mail signature states!) for the Florida Museum of Natural History – also on the UF campus – and he fields countless inquiries from local and out-of-state visitors eager to watch the nightly show.

And what a show it is.



Japan's otter and owl cafes are Instagram hotspots, but experts warn of 'a lifetime of cruelty'
It's not every day you get to sip a latte and snap a selfie with an otter, an owl or a hedgehog — and an increasing number of cafes in Asia are cashing in on the novelty.



Penguin hatched through artificial insemination growing quickly
The world’s first king penguin conceived through artificial insemination is growing so quickly that he's now as big as his parents.

The fluffy brown-feathered Kamogawa Sea World resident was born in September 2018.

In July 2018, the theme park, working with a U.S. research team, artificially inseminated several female king penguins. One of them deposited eggs, and the male chick was hatched.




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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' and writes about these in his blog http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/Hubpages http://hubpages.com/profile/Peter+Dickinson
Peter earns his living as an independent international zoo consultant, critic and writer. Until recently 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"


photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant








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