Zoo News Digest 6th May 2019 (ZooNews 1021)
Photo by Cotswold Wildlife Park
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
I was interested to see the story about introducing the Asiatic Lion back into Iran. At the same time it worries me greatly because they keep locking up their conservation scientists as spies. Methinks that success is unlikely.
Right now many US collections are congratulating themselves for making it to the Top Ten on USA Today's top 10 Best Zoo/Aquarium/Safari Park List. That's great, if the news picks it up then it is wonderful publicity. We should not however take it too literally. These lists may be drawn up by people with some zoo expertise but they are not the zoo community and they did not visit every zoo. I am willing to bet that there are some unrecognized gems out there that should be included. There are any number of organisations which put out best zoo lists. These include Reader’s Choice, Conde Nast Traveler, Fodor, and Trip Advisor amongst others. Each has it's own formula for what is 'best'. With Aquariums best nearly always means biggest and you and I know it 'ain't necessarily so'. Trip Advisor... what can I say? They have in the past included some of the worst zoos in the US. If any credibility is to be given to any of these then how are to discredit the worst zoos for elephants or whatever. If we are to measure zoos at all it should be based on what makes a GOOD zoo as against a zoo per se.
Another keeper error...another big cat attack. I do hope there is full recovery and a detailed report into exactly what went wrong.
"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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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 110,300+ Followers on Facebook( and over 109,700 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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How
long do dolphins live? Survival rates and life expectancies for bottlenose
dolphins in zoological facilities vs. wild populations
Survival rates and life expectancies are
commonly agreed upon indicators of well‐being for animals in zoological
facilities, but even the most recent survival statistics for bottlenose
dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in marine mammal parks and aquariums use data
that are now more than 25 yr old. The current study provides a comprehensive
assessment of life expectancy and survival rates for bottlenose dolphins in
U.S. zoological facilities from 1974 to 2012, utilizing three different
analyses (annual survival rate, age‐at‐death, and Kaplan‐Meier), examining
historical trends, and comparing to comparable data from wild populations. Both
survival rate and life expectancy for dolphins in zoological facilities
increased significantly over the past few decades, with a modern ASR of 0.972,
and mean and median life expectancies calculated via Kaplan‐Meier of 28.2 and
29.2 yr, respectively. Survival rates and life expectancies for
Will
recently returned Persian lion survive threats once pushed it toward
extinction?
Long-lost Persian lion is back to the country
to conserve the rare species by reproduction, the species which once gone
extinct due to excessive hunting and habitat loss, so the question arises, will
the endangered species survive the threats which once pushed it through
eradication?
Disappeared for 80 years, Persian lion once
prowled from the Middle East to India, while currently only a fraction of these
magnificent animals survive in the wild, which range is restricted to the Gir
National Park and environs in the Indian state of Gujarat.
2
Lions Maul 24-Year-Old in Zoo, Man Heroically Jumps In to Save Him
A fellow zookeeper rushed in to help a
24-year-old colleague after two lions attacked him when he entered their
enclosure in a north Germany zoo on May 4.
The 24-year-old went inside the lions’
enclosure in the Serengeti Park zoo in Hodenhagen in Lower Saxony on Saturday
morning when the incident happened, reported Daily Mail.
Half
of the Zoo Parks in Bulgaria have no Valid License
A check was started in the zoo in Haskovo
after the death of two newborn lions. They died hours after their birth due to
lack of care on the part of the staff. Against this background, the Ministry of
Environment and Waters shows that half of the zoos in the country - 10 out of
20 - are without a valid license. 6 of them have the final right to receive
one, one is being repaired, and three have to be closed, NOVA points out.
The zoo in Haskovo has no license since 2014
but has not stopped working. Soon the site expects its official document that
it meets the minimum requirements for livestock breeding. At least for now, the
death of newborn lions does not seem to stop the license.
Indore:
DRI officials raid zoo; rescue 134 foreign animals
Officials of the Directorate of Revenue
Intelligence (DRI) Saturday raided a zoo here and rescued 134 foreign animals,
allegedly brought into the country illegally. On a tip-off, DRI officials
raided the zoo located in Malharganj area, run illegally by the NGO Karuna
Sagar, an official release said.
Creatures found in the zoo included a South
American Marmoset, Australian Iguanas, a Persian cat, Red Eared Singapore
Slider Turtle, North American Alligator Gar, South American Guinea Pig and
South American Macaw. The rescu
Scientists
explore the evolution of animal homosexuality
Sphen and Magic, two male Gentoo penguins,
recently made headlines when they ‘adopted’ an egg. Gentoos are closely related
to Adélie penguins, the species Levick first observed in 1911. After the two
penguins bonded and began creating a nest, zookeepers at the Sea Life Sydney
Aquarium decided to give them an egg that had
SeaWorld
Abu Dhabi to help animals thrive off the emirate's coast
“One of our focuses is ‘R4’: rescue,
rehabilitation, release and research,” he said. “This will be dedicated for
marine animals.”
SeaWorld’s facilities, he added, will include
state-of-the-art research facilities in which large animals can be studied and
provided care.
Two
speakers share their views on to trade or not to trade rhino horns
To trade or not to trade in rhino horn? This
was the theme of an intense debate that took place between two prominent
conservationists, nature lovers and Wessa members last Wednesday in the Penryn
auditorium.
Colin Bell and Dr John Hanks did not need much
introduction for many of those present, since most of the audience were well
acquainted with the issue.
A
sad end for ASEAN’s tigers
Tigers once roamed wild and free across the
jungles of the world. As apex predators, life was good. Fast forward to today
and most of us already know that tigers around the globe are being threatened
by an even deadlier predator – humans. The case is no exception in Southeast
Asia which has already seen the extinction of two subspecies: the Bali tiger
(extinct since the 1930s) and the Javan tiger (extinct since the 1980s).
Nandankanan
Zoological Park closed for indefinite period
The Nandankanan Zoological Park located in the
outskirts of Bhubaneswar has been closed for an indefinite period following
extensive damage caused by cyclone FANI.
The extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani had
hit Odisha coast near Puri on Friday morning, causing widespread damage to
power infrastructure, thatched houses, and standing trees.
Kyoto
warns foreign tourists of danger of monkey attacks
Wild primates are monkeying around in Kyoto,
but tourists who have been attacked are not amused.
According to Kyoto officials, 30 people, most
of whom were foreign visitors, have been attacked by monkeys since February,
with many being bitten or scratched.
City officials are in a dilemma because they
are unable to use tranquilizer guns because the mischievous primates are
popping up in and around crowded sightseeing spots.
On a sidewalk near the Nanzenji temple in
Kyoto’s Sakyo Ward, a 10-year-old girl from Sweden was bit on her calf by a
monkey on April 4. She was watching a young monkey approach her when a larger
monkey, presumably the primate's parent, attacked her.
Marineland,
Vancouver Aquarium shipping beluga whales out of the country
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said it has
approved permits for Marineland to move two belugas from the Niagara Falls,
Ont., facility to Oceanografic in Valencia, Spain. The Vancouver Aquarium says
it owns the two marine mammals that are being cared for by Marineland, and
operates the Spanish park where they're being transferred.
"These two aquarium-born belugas will
receive exceptional care at Oceanografic, where they will join a small social
grouping of whales already in care there," Vancouver Aquarium said in a
statement, adding that the deal would not cost the Spanish facility any money.
Marineland has also applied to move five more
belugas to the United States, but neither Fisheries nor Marineland would
divulge where in the U.S. they're headed if the permits are approved.
Pandas’
share of protein calories from bamboo rivals wolves’ from meat
Giant pandas eat bamboo like a wolf in vegan
clothing.
In the wild, pandas devour massive amounts of
bamboo and digest it so efficiently that protein from the plants probably
supplies at least half of the animals’ calories, a study finds. That’s about on
par with measurements of how many calories from protein make up the carnivorous
diets of wolves and feral cats, conservation biologist Fuwen Wei of the Chinese
Academy of Sciences in Beijing and colleagues report May 2 in Current Biology.
Giant pandas, which evolved from om
Petition
claims MB Safari promotes illegal trade of wild animals
An online petition claims Myrtle Beach
Safari’s business practices encourage illegal trade in wild animals.
Wild
raccoon moves into German zoo, can't be thrown out by law
A wild raccoon has moved into Heidelberg Zoo
in Germany, and keepers can’t kick him out.
The German daily Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung reported
Friday that zoo staffers recently discovered the uninvited guest inside the
raccoon enclosure, where he seemed to be getting along fine with the seven
original residents.
The newspaper reported that the interloper —
nicknamed Fred — can expect free board and lodgings for life because European
Union rules forbid him from being released back i
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/05/04/world/offbeat-world/wild-raccoon-moves-german-zoo-cant-thrown-law/#.XM1lXegzY2w
Wildlife
dept gives nod to mercy killing of paralysed lions
Punjab Forest and Wildlife Secretary Captain
(retd) Mohammad Asif has approved the summary of mercy killing (euthanasia) of
an African lion and lioness who have been suffering from paralysis for the last
three years in Lahore Safari Park.
It is still unclear when will the decision of
mercy killing of the pair, who are in severe pain, will be executed. Sources
said the Lahore Safari Park administration and the wildlife officials were
afraid of the public reaction on social media if the procedure was adopted.
This is the reason why the decision of mercy killing was being delayed.
A
wolf in dog’s clothing? Chinese zoo brings fake wildlife exhibit claims to heel
But the zoo told Shanghai-based news portal
Thepaper.cn that there was no attempt to deceive visitors.
A staff member at the zoo said the dog was a
companion of the wolf, who happened to be taking a rest indoors when the
footage was shot.
‘We’ve
experienced a miracle’: German zoo bosses say injured keeper is recovering well
after two lions attacked him when he walked into their enclosure at feeding
time
German zoo bosses have said it was a 'miracle'
that a 24-year-old keeper survived being attacked by two male lions when he
entered their enclosure.
Directors Fabrizio Sepe and Frank Ahrens said
he is recovering well in hospital after sustaining serious injuries at
Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, north Germany.
Lahore
Zoo
The Lahore Zoo was recently gifted 18 big
cats, including African lions, white tigers and Royal Bengal tigers, by the
prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. While the transfer is
well-intentioned, as inbreeding of the cats that are already present in the
country is resulting in genetic mutations, so it is a cause of concern. Our
zoos are not well equipped to house these animals. They have small concrete
enclosures with metal bars, which are provided to all animals as their
permanent homes, without taking the a
Lawsuit
Launched Over Trump's Failure to Protect Emperor Penguins
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a
notice today of its intent to sue the Trump administration for failing to act
on a petition to grant the emperor penguin Endangered Species Act protection.
The notice follows news that the world’s second-largest emperor penguin colony
has nearly vanished because of sea-ice loss.
“Emperor penguins have needed protection for a
long time, but Trump’s fossil-fuel-first agenda has dialed up the urgency,”
said Shaye Wolf, the Center’s climate science director. “Chicks are drowning as
climate change melts their habitat. Further delay in slashing carbon pollution
could wipe out one of our planet’s most amazing birds.”
Emperor penguins need reliable sea ice for
breeding and raising their chicks. In parts of Antarctica where sea ice is
disappearing, emperor penguin populations are declining or have been lost
entirely.
Malaysia
minister lambasts Singapore’s ‘sad’ stance on palm oil
Kok singled out Singapore Zoo, saying that the
zoo had “sensationalised” the role that the palm oil trade has played in the
plight of orangutans in the messaging found at the animals’ exhibit.
Such messaging hurts the image of palm oil
producers like Malaysia, she said. “In this case, the Singapore Zoo acted
possibly in haste and reflected emotions expressed by many ill-informed
visitors.”
Eco-Business has approached Singapore Zoo for
comment.
Interpreting
People’s Behavior Toward Primates Using Qualitative Data: a Case Study from
North Morocco
People’s perceptions of primates vary across
and within cultures and may not be consistent with their behavior toward the
primates themselves. We used qualitative data from semistructured and
unstructured interviews with shepherds from 10 villages around Bouhachem oak
forest in Morocco to describe and discuss shepherds’ behavior when they
encounter Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). When macaques enter agricultural
fields to feed on crops, mature men trap, attach a marker to them (a hat or a
rattle), and release them. In contrast, young men and boys working as shepherds
hunt and kill macaques when they encounter them in the forest. We interpret
these findings in the context of the historical, social, and cultural factors
that underlie these cross-species encounters. We suggest the different ways men
behave toward macaques over their lives are related to t
Tuatara
survived for millions of years. Now climate change could wipe them out
n a low-roofed hut at the Auckland Zoo,
Richard Jakob-Hoff is staring at a lizard. The tuatara, a young female, is
staring straight back. With her head slightly cocked, claws splayed and an eye
for an angle, she looks unblinking over her shoulder, appraising the scientist
like a large bug. Then, with what passes for at least relative speed, she heads
for her burrow, disappearing headfirst in a scurry of dead leaves.
“Oh!” Jakob-Hoff says. “We’re lucky to see
that. They don’t move a whole lot.”
Jakob-Hoff is manager of conservation science
and research at Auckland Zoo, where
Vietnam’s
Empty Forests
Despite long and tragic wars with the
Japanese, the French, the Chinese and the United States during the last
century, Vietnam is a treasure house. It is one of the world’s hot spots of
biological diversity, according to the science research. There are 30 national
parks in a country a bit larger than New Mexico, and about as many kinds of
animals as in those pre-eminent safari destinations, Kenya and Tanzania.
In fact, hundreds of new-to-science species of
plants and animals have been discovered in Vietnam during the last three decades,
and more are recorded each year. The antelope-like saola, for example. Its
gentle, streaked face looks as if it has just escaped from a jungle-dream
painting by Henri Rousseau. Her
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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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