Zoo News Digest 22nd May 2019 (ZooNews 1026)
Cheryl Crowley at https://www.deviantart.com/silvercrossfox
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
Around 25 years ago a young girl visited the zoo on two weeks work experience. It was obvious from day one that she really didn't want to be there but as she was shy nobody pressurised her and just made her feel welcome. Two days into her placement she admitted to me that she hadn't want to come to the zoo. She liked animals and so that was where her school had told her she must go. She went on to say that she was 'Animal Rights' and had hated zoos but in just a couple of days had completely reversed her opinion. It was the keepers who changed her. She saw how much they loved and cared for the animals in their charge. This too was the start of her zoo career and all these years later she is still working in zoos.
Unique? Well no actually because I can think of two others off the top of my head who were Animal Rights but reversed their opinions having encountered good keepers who took the time to explain the work of good zoos.
One of our biggest problems with the Animal Rights Groups is that they really don't know what the work of Good zoos entails. They listen to their Fuhrers and only read the dogma put out by their anarchistic groups.
We need to educate them, to win them over to the truth... but how?
Next time they have a protest outside your zoo gate then let them in for a free tour. You are then in a position to educate them, to explain, to answer questions and if necessary condemn those bad zoos which sully our name. Good, well trained and honest keepers are in a position to change people. Truth will win out in the end.
"good zoos will not gain the credibility of their critics until they condemn the bad zoos wherever they are." Peter Dickinson
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Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 110,400+ Followers on Facebook( and over 110,500 likes) and has a monthly reach often exceeding over 1000,000 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 110,400+ Followers on Facebook( and over 110,500 likes) and has a monthly reach often exceeding over 1000,000 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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Is
This the Future of Aquariums?
Some of my fondest memories as a child were
family trips from home in Rhode Island down to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.
A fan of fantasy fiction, beluga whales always seemed to be more out of a fairy
tale than real life. Over the years, I’ve made my way to world-class aquariums
in Osaka, Baltimore, Monterey, Atlanta, and Medellin. And while I often feel
conflicted about the creatures trapped behind the glass, I also always
appreciate the educational value that comes along with the wonder they inspire.
Zoos
in the CYBER activism age
Javier Almunia is director of Loro Parque
Fundación, an NGO that funds and implements wildlife conservation projects in
over 40 countries around the world. The mission of Loro Parque Fundación is to
conserve wild species and their habitats. They do this through education,
applied research, responsible breeding programs, and community-based
conservation activities that use parrots and cetaceans as ambassadors for
nature. He has formerly been responsible for the environmental education and
marine conservation and research projects.
GRANT PROPOSALS
RECOVERY
OF SPECIES ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION
The mandate of the IUCN Species Survival
Commission (SSC) is to “stimulate, promote and support conservation actions for
halting biodiversity decline, preventing species’ extinctions, and restoring
and conserving intact habitats and ecosystems, both on the ground and in the
water”. In partnership with the IUCN SSC and Fondation Segré, the goal of this
request for funding is to halt further biodiversity decline by implementing
conservation plans for species and groups of species. We will support
priorities of IUCN SSC Species Conservation Plans as well as conservation
actions that are endorsed by the relevant IUCN SSC Species Specialist Group.
Currently, we are not supporting biodiversity assessments or conservation
planning activities.
Dutch
Political Party Targets Zoos and Aquariums
From the outside, DierAnimal may look like any
environmental-based political party that works to find methods that are aimed
at improving the environment and help troubled animals. After all, any cause
that is aimed at helping animals, and the planet are noble causes that we can
all agree to on so many levels, However, what some supporters and zoo and
aquarium professionals may now know is that DierAnimal has its very own hidden
agenda that they should all need to look out for. What is that agenda you may
ask? They target zoos and aquariums with the aim at “phasing” them out.
Isko
Moreno vows Arroceros Forest Park, Manila Zoo won’t be sold
Manila mayor-elect Francisco “Isko Moreno”
Domagoso has assured that Arroceros Forest Park and Manila Zoo will not be
sold.
“I made a commitment before election and even
yesterday when I was being interviewed by another outfit, na we will protect
and we will not sell. We will develop Arroceros Park because that’s the only
breathing space for Lawton sa Manila,” Domagoso said Sunday during an interview
with dzMM.
Bonobo
sex study finds apes set up with lovers by own MUMS
Mums have been found to be encouraging their
sons to be in close proximity to ovulating females and preventing other males
from hooking up with other females.
They have also been observed protecting their
sons from other males during copulation, according to a team from the Max
Planck Institute in Germany.
Association
of Zoos and Aquariums Selects Ten Outstanding Candidates for 2019 Professional
Development Program
Ten talented aquarium and zoo professionals
were selected for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Executive
Leadership Development Program (ELDP), now in its sixth year. Based on a survey
of directors at AZA aquariums and zoos, it is estimated that there will be
approximately 20 zoo or aquarium director openings per year for the next 10
years at facilities accredited by AZA. Knowing this, the AZA is proactively
providing development opportunities for next generation leaders of
AZA-accredited zoological facilities through the ELDP. AZA has announced the
2019 class, which consists of the following ten individuals:
Five
endangered kākāpō die in month from fungal disease
First it was crusty bum, now the rare and
endangered kākāpō is falling victim to a fungal disease called aspergillosis,
with five dead over the last month and another not expected to live.
Thirteen of the flightless parrots - the
heaviest in the world - are being treated in Auckland Zoo for the disease,
which is very difficult to treat.
At
'nonprofit' Global Wildlife Center, who's getting rich? 'For the animals' line
called a sham
But the park's wholesome, family-friendly
reputation is under fire. Former employees are criticizing the care given to
the animals, saying accidents with the wagons are common and the injured
animals are often killed with rifles, hammers or baseball bats rather than
getting veterinary care.
A
CLOSER LOOK AT JAPAN'S OWL CAFÉS
There is no denying that the Japanese love
animals. Animal-themed items can be found everywhere (from on clothing to saké
cans), and cute animals are enormously loved within Japanese culture. This is
not unexpected given that cuteness is a well-established and very prevalent
part of the country’s culture. But loving animals doesn’t necessarily equate to
animals having a good quality of life, and in the case of animal cafés, they
can cause a deprivation in even basic daily needs, as a result of people’s
desire to get up close to the cute and cuddly.
Chhatbir
zoo all set to get exotic animals from Africa
Apart from this, it is also going to get a
pair of Asiatic l ..
How
Zoos and Aquariums Are Harnessing Empathy to Save Species
Zoos and aquariums inspire wonder and forge
connections to nature, but that emotional journey may be more powerful than we
imagine. Most people can recall, in vivid detail, a time they experienced an
emotional connection to an animal—whether visiting a zoo or aquarium or in your
own backyard—we call that connection empathy.
Canada
zoo owner charged with animal cruelty
A Canadian zoo owner has been charged with
criminal animal cruelty and the animals on the premises are being seized by
authorities.
The owner of the St-Édouard Zoo in Quebec
faces two counts of cruelty and neglect covering over 100 animals at the zoo.
They include lions, tigers, zebras, bears,
wolves, kangaroos and primates.
Authorities say their relocation to other
facilities is expected to take "a number of weeks".
The Montreal SPCA were following up on a
complaint from the public when it launched an investigation into the zoo after
a visit to the facility last August.
Highland
Wildlife Park captive breeding rare hoverflies
A Scottish captive breeding programme aims to
boost numbers of one of the UK's rarest insects.
The pine hoverfly Blera fallax is currently
known to only inhabit one forest site in the Cairngorms National Park.
Conservationists estimate there are fewer than
50 flies at the location.
The Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, near
Aviemore, is raising hoverflies in old jam jars and hummus pots. The first
adult flies have just hatched.
The
Philippines Rallies Behind a “Feisty” Dwarf Buffalo
On a Filipino island about half the size of
New Jersey, there lives a species of shaggy, black dwarf buffalo that’s
slightly taller than a yardstick. The animal is known as the tamaraw, and while
it looks a bit like a water buffalo, you can easily distinguish this species by
its backward-facing set of horns that resemble an open-mouthed Pac-Man.
Oh, and the tamaraw will also be the species
charging at you from the underbrush if you get too close. The animals have a
reputation for, let’s say, standoffishness.
As
other zoos phase out elephant exhibits, Milwaukee County bets future on theirs
The Milwaukee County Zoo is betting millions,
and much of its future, on its new elephant exhibit at a time when many other
zoos are getting out of the elephant business entirely.
The zoo's new 20,000-square-foot habitat will
be a new home to elephants Brittany and Ruth.
Rome's
Bioparco faces closure
City owes Rome zoo arrears of €3 million in
public funds.
Rome's Bioparco is "at risk of
closure" due to the non-payment of €3 million by the city, which provides
one third of the zoo's funding, according to Bioparco president Francesco
Petretti.
The public funds, of which €1 million is owed
from 2018 and €2 million from this year, have yet to be paid despite being
included in the municipal investment plan up to 2020, according to Italian
daily newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Petretti says the financial uncertainity,
which has resulted in the zoo stalling plans for upgrading works, has been
hampered further by Rome's cold and rainy spring.
Beluga
surgery at Marineland an international effort
A beluga whale named Tank is recovering at
Marineland after a successful surgery to remove an abscess, a surgery which was
aided by a team of international experts.
An abscess was discovered on the whale's back
during a routine weekly medical checkup earlier this month.
While abscesses occur in mammals naturally,
they require treatment to prevent serious health complications or even death.
Following a full examination, including an
ultrasound, Marineland's veterinary care team and its animal welfare committee
reached out to an international institution for assistance.
WHAT'S
NEW AT BASEL ZOO - ZOO BASEL DISAPPOINTED BY OZEANIUM’S DEFEAT IN REFERENDUM
Zoo Basel has acknowledged that the Basel
electorate voted against the Ozeanium today. In spite of this result, Basel Zoo
will continue to promote nature and species conservation as well as marine
conservation.
Zoo Director Oliver Pagan is disappointed with
today’s outcome: ‘For over ten years, we have poured our heart and soul into
the Ozeanium project, and I would be lying if I said that I was not
disappointed.’ He added: ‘It is even more of a shame because we are pursuing
the exact same aim that many of our adversaries claim is also very close to
their own hearts: marine conservation.’
https://www.zoobasel.ch/en/aktuell/detail.php?NEWSID=1211&fbclid=IwAR0XSP42L7Y8Zr3I04CtxcUb7_hHZaA25cETpOTxq4ZACzvjmwkxkpAnemg
Rare
prewar photos showing sea lion hunt on Takeshima found
Prewar photos documenting the hunting of sea
lions on the Takeshima islets in the Sea of Japan have been discovered,
providing a rare glimpse into the now-extinct industry.
Thirteen photographs were taken in June 1934
when an Asahi Shimbun reporter and a photographer joined fishermen in Shimane
Prefecture in their hunt for sea lions at Takeshima off Shimane Prefecture.
Rikinobu Funasugi, an associate professor of
geography at Shimane University who researches sea lion hunting on Takeshima,
hailed the cache as a significant find.
Martin
Clunes elephant ride: Is animal tourism always exploitative?
This week Martin Clunes was dropped as a
patron of an animal charity for climbing on an elephant in Nepal. From swimming
with dolphins to cuddling lion cubs, wildlife tourism is a mammoth industry but
what is the impact on the animals we claim to adore?
Whether it’s swimming with dolphins in the
Florida Keys, riding an elephant on a remote Thai island or bottle-feeding a
lion cub at a South African petting facility, the bucket lists of many UK
holidaymakers are likely to feature at least one animal-based experience.
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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"
"These are the best days of my life"
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