Zoo News Digest 21st June 2019 (ZooNews 1033)
Can you see the tree?
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
I know it has only been just over two weeks since I had my stroke but I am impatient to recover. It is so limiting to what I can do and achieve. My left leg is now working. I am glad about that because people no longer think I am drunk when I walk out. The left arm is still next to useless though with almost continuous exercise and massage it is slowly regaining function. I am assuming the extreme lethargy I feel is down to the medication. I find the urge to sleep every two hours too strong to resist.
Top this off with my WiFi on go slow it does not do a lot for my mood. Trying to keep on top of things. It can only get better...I hope.
I find that asking an Elephant Kraal FAD issues eviction order for historic elephant kraal established for 200 years being given just 30 days to move a bit hard to understand. Finding homes for one or two elephants is difficult enough. But this.
Top this off with my WiFi on go slow it does not do a lot for my mood. Trying to keep on top of things. It can only get better...I hope.
I find that asking an Elephant Kraal FAD issues eviction order for historic elephant kraal established for 200 years being given just 30 days to move a bit hard to understand. Finding homes for one or two elephants is difficult enough. But this.
"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 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,
********
*****
***
**
*
*********
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,
********
*****
***
**
*
Walking the Talk of Animal
Welfare: The Story of Cincinnati Zoo and Ndume the Gorilla
They say, “If you’re going to
talk-the-talk, then be prepared to walk-the-walk.” Talk is cheap and easy, but
progress and accomplishment requires investment of talent and treasure, and a
willingness to accept the risk of falling short or failure. Well, our
colleagues and friends at Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden have just shown
us what it looks like to walk-the-talk of animal welfare.
Victory! Ndume the Gorilla
Arrives at Accredited Cincinnati Facility
Victory! Ndume, a gorilla who
was being held in solitary confinement inside a trailer at an unaccredited
California pseudo-sanctuary called The Gorilla Foundation, has been returned to
the Cincinnati Zoo—where he was born and where he can have the opportunity to
live and interact with other members of his species. PETA and more than 68,000
compassionate people took action in support of moving him, and now he’s finally
going to receive expert care in the best possible captive conditions, with a
multigenerational social group.
Of Whales and Man: A
Reflection
It was just another hot,
humid, and sunny day at SeaWorld San Antonio in August of 2010 when my
counselor led our camp group to Shamu Stadium to watch an afternoon presentation
of the show, Believe. Although the trainers were no longer doing any water
works with the orcas at that point, they were still interacting with them
during the show, and doing the regular behaviors they would often do during the
show, regardless if there were waterworks, or not. After the show ended, and
everyone left to see the other animals at the park, our group stayed behind at
the stadium to watch baby orca Sakari interact with her mother Takara, and
paternal half-sister, and “foster” aunt Unna, and talk to the traine
The big cat in the room:
The problems with European rules on exotic pets
New research could lead to
a pregnancy test for endangered marsupials
Many women realise they are
pregnant before they’ve even done the test – perhaps feeling a touch of nausea,
or tender, larger-than-usual breasts.
For a long time, biologists
had thought most marsupials lacked a way to recognise a pregnancy.
But new research published
today shows a marsupial mum knows – in a biological sense – when she’s carrying
a young one before they make their journey to the pouch.
Endangered rhinos ready to
be sent from Europe to Rwanda
Five critically endangered
eastern black rhinos from wildlife parks in three European countries are ready
to be transported back to their natural habitat in Rwanda, where the entire
rhino population was wiped out during the genocide in the 1990s.
How to Find a More Ethical
Zoo
It wasn’t that long ago when
Harambe, a gorilla, was shot and killed after a three-year-old boy fell into
his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo—giving rise to a particularly dark meme in
recent history. It’s incidents like these, and problems of overcrowding, that
have called into question the general treatment and welfare of zoo animals
everywhere.
This elephant’s plight
sparked outrage. Here’s an update
LAST JUNE, BEHIND a stadium
in the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, I stood in front of a young elephant
that was chained to a pole. His leg was swollen and bent unnaturally. He had a
bloody sore at his temple from lying on the hard ground. His eyes wouldn’t
focus.
500 vultures die in
Botswana after eating poisoned elephants
More than 500 endangered
vultures died of poisoning after eating the carcasses of three elephants killed
by poachers in Botswana, the government said in a statement.
A total of 537 vultures,
along with two tawny eagles, were found dead at the site in the north of the
African country.
FAD issues eviction order
for historic elephant kraal
The Fine Arts Department
(FAD) has issued an order to relocate the famous Elephant Kraal of Ayutthaya,
as it comes under increasing pressure to clean up the historical precinct that
has been listed as a World Heritage site by Unesco.
Provincial governor Sujin
Chaichumsak confirmed the relocation order has been issued, and said the plot
on which famed kraal stood for more than two centuries must be cleared within
30 days.
15 Frogs Saved by the
Global Zoo and Aquarium Community
Frogs are an integral part of
the ecosystems they evolved in, serving as prey for some species and predators
for others. Additionally, they are an indicator species for environmental
health due to their skin’s indiscriminate absorption of everything in their
habitat’s water. This characteristic makes amphibians especially vulnerable to
global warming and the chytrid fungus outbreak, thrusting them into their own
amphibian extinction crisis amidst the ongoing 6th mass extinction event.
Pakistan struggles to save
pangolins from poachers
Despite efforts of local
conservationists, demand from China for scales, meat and traditional medicine
has made the endangered pangolin the world's most trafficked animal.
On a Sunday evening last
month, Masood Akhter, a 45-year-old government worker
Narlugas Are Real
In the late 1980s, an Inuit
subsistence hunter named Jens Larsen killed a trio of very strange whales off
the western coast of Greenland.
He and his fellow subsistence
hunters would regularly catch two species: narwhals, whose males famously have
long, helical tusks protruding from their snouts; and belugas, with their
distinctive white skin. But Larsen’s new kills were neither. Their skin wasn’t
white, nor mottled like a narwhal’s, but uniformly grey. The flippers were
beluga-like, but the tails were narwhal-esque. In all his years of hunting,
Larsen had never seen anything like them. He was so struck that he kept one of
their skulls on the roof of his toolshed.
Belugas Fly in Tomorrow
Two beluga whales from
Shanghai, China, will arrive at Keflavík International Airport tomorrow
morning, mbl.is reports. Their arrival, originally scheduled for mid-April, was
delayed until it was certain they could be transported to Vestmannaeyjar
islands from Landeyjahöfn harbor, which
opened unusually late for the season, due to weather, which prevented
the annual dredging work. The belugas were not believed to be able to survive
the much longer journey from Þorlákshöfn harbor.
Trafficked: How Exotic Pet
Trade Funds International Crime | Complex News Presents
Owning an exotic animal has
become a status symbol of the rich and famous. But the cost of having an
unconventional pet goes far beyond the bank.
In the latest episode of our
Complex News Presents docuseries, we take a look at the multi-billion dollar
exotic animal trade and explore the harm caused by this illegal operation and
the organizations trying to combat it. To get a better grasp of the situation,
Complex News' Speedy Mormon visited Southern California's Animal Tracks Inc.,
an animal sanctuary that houses exotic pets.
Pretoria Zoo strikers hope
to pick up tools again tomorrow
Pretoria Zoo employees, still
demonstrating and demanding the immediate payment of unpaid benefits, yesterday
said they were hopeful they would be returning to work tomorrow.
Employees affiliated to the
National Trade Union Congress, who have been on strike since last week, said
union representatives had given positive feedback from discussions held in
collaboration with the Department of Environmental, Forestry and Fisheries and
zoo management.
Should zoos exist?
The high-profile death of the
gorilla Harambe, who was shot dead in 2016 at the Cincinnati Zoo after a young
boy fell into his enclosure, sparked a massive outcry—and conversation—about
what is still one of the most hotly contested debates involving animal welfare.
Just this past weekend, activists turned up at the Bronx Zoo to demand the
release of Happy the elephant, chanting in unison that “Happy is not happy.”
Indeed, the idea that keeping animals in captivity is morally acceptable has
long been questioned by those who argue that zoos infringe upon animals’
freedom. In recent years, an increase in research on the ethics of captivity
has helped to dispel the
Dan Ashe
In the last two years, the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has undergone significant changes.
By adopting a member-driven
model, the organisation has enjoyed significant growth, which has included the
expansion of its primary conservation initiative, resulting in investments of
more than US$200m a year by its members.
The AZA also enhanced its
already rigorous accreditation standards to reflect the latest in scientific
research and animal welfare assessments, as well as acquiring the Wildlife
Trafficking Alliance, which works to reduce the purchase and sale of illegal
wildlife and wildlife products.
Alternate Reality in the
Koala
The term, “go back to the
Reality”, refers to the movie “Back to the Future”, starring Michael J Fox and
Christopher Lloyd who play the characters of Marty McFly and Doc-Brown. Doc
discovered in a fictional story how to go back in time, and right the wrongs of
the past, to set Marty and his family’s life back on track. But, of course,
there’s always the drama in between, which makes for good entertainment. So
much so that there are three movies based on the journeys backward and forward
in time.
Flying into extinction:
Understanding the role of Singapore’s international parrot trade in growing
domestic demand
South-East Asia’s bird trade
is of global conservation concern as it has massively depleted wild populations
of many species. Parrots (Order Psittaciformes) are especially vulnerable
because they are the most heavily traded group of birds globally under the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) appendices.
Singapore’s involvement in the global pet bird trade as a transhipment hub is
well documented, particularly for parrots. Yet, much less is known about the
links between its domestic and international trade. We attempt to quantify this
relationship by comparing bird trade data on the CITES database with past
market surveys of pet shops, complemented with semi-structured interviews with
30 parrot owners in Singapore. We report a decline in total imports and exports
of CITES-listed birds in Singapore from 2005 to 2016, consistent with global
trends after the European Union trade ban on wild bird imports. However,
parrots continue to make up the majority of total imports; and there was a
yearly increase in the percentage of parrot imports out of total imports. In
addition, we report a difference in imports and exports of 54,207 CITES
Conservation charity
launches ten-year action plan to protect sun bears
The wildlife conservation
charity Free the Bears has just released a ten-year action plan to ensure the
survival of the world’s least-known bear species, the sun bear.
The new Global Status Review
and Conservation Action Plan is the first ever range-wide conservation action
plan for a terrestrial bear species. It sets out an ambitious strategy and
details priority actions to be taken up to 2028.
~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~
Hello ZooLex Friend,
We have worked for your enjoyment!
~°v°~
NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
The Africa Exhibit at Zoo Landau In der Pfalz in Germany is an upgrade
of outdated single species ungulate enclosures into a mixed species
exhibit that allows breeding blue wildebeest and red duikers and shows
them together with a bachelor group of Hartmann's mountain zebras:
https://www.zoolex.org/gallery
~°v°~
ZOO DESIGN CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Proceedings from the 2017 zoo design conference in Wroclaw, Poland, can
be orderd from Wroclaw Zoo, Lidia Przybylska: l.przybylska@zoo.wroc.pl
The price is 50PLN (about 11,6 Euro) plus postage (about 5 Euro).
Please provide details for an invoice if you which one to be issued.
~°v°~
We keep working on ZooLex ...
The ZooLex Zoo Design Organization is a non-profit organization
registered in Austria (ZVR-Zahl 933849053). ZooLex runs a professional
zoo design website and distributes this newsletter. More information and
contact: https://www.zoolex.org/page/ab
In Thailand, You Can Ride an Elephant. But Should You?
More than half of Thailand’s
7,000 elephants live in captivity. It’s been that way ever since 1989, when the
country suspended almost all of the commercial logging that had employed them
for generations. Jobless elephants, often with their keepers, ended up on the
streets, wandering across farmlands or taking shelter in dangerous spots like
highway underpasses.
Today almost all of the
captive animals work to ent
Tick that box: penguin
parasites pose no potential problems
The first comprehensive study
on African penguin parasites has just been completed, and the results raised no
red flags - for now.
Marcela Espinaze of
Stellenbosch University spent four years studying the ticks, fleas and internal
parasites that live off SA’s flippered friends to learn how they might affect
penguin colonies.
But the types and levels of
parasites recorded were of no surprise, as they were consistent with the common
pests associated with African penguins, according to the 36-year-old Chilean
veterinarian.
Zoo Authority no to
minister’s giraffe plans
Though state tourism minister
Gautam Deb planned to release a pair of giraffe (camelopard) to attract more
tourists in the North Bengal Wild Animal Park, popularly known as Bengal Safari
in Siliguri, the Central Zoo Authority of India objected to the same, it is
learnt.
Interacting with reporters at
Gazoldoba near Siliguri recently, the minister said: “I wished to bring a pair
of giraffe for the Bengal Safari, but I could not do so as the Zoo Authority of
India is allowing us to keep only birds and animals that belong to the
Himalayan range.”
Captive breeding plan
sheds light on saving endangered pangolin
A captive-bred baby Sunda
pangolin is expected to be born in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region later
this month - a milestone in artificial propagation that might save the
critically endangered species from extinction.
The baby pangolin will be the
third generation of captive-bred Sunda pangolins at the Pangolin Research Base
for Artificial Rescue and Conservation Breeding in Guangxi.
Next year, the base will
cooperate with wildlife experts from Beijing Forestry University and conduct
further research on pangolins' physiological conditions to gain a better
understanding of the species.
Alternate Reality in the
Koala
The term, “go back to the
Reality”, refers to the movie “Back to the Future”, starring Michael J Fox and
Christopher Lloyd who play the characters of Marty McFly and Doc-Brown. Doc
discovered in a fictional story how to go back in time, and right the wrongs of
the past, to set Marty and his family’s life back on track. But, of course,
there’s always the drama in between, which makes for good entertainment. So
much so that there are three movies based on the journeys backward and forward
in time.
Conditioning For A Transport Box
How do you move an animal from an enclosure to
the other? From a backstage are to a presentation area? To the veterinarian or
to another zoo?
A transport box would be the answer. But how
do you train such a behaviour is a question we often get here at Zoospensefull.
It’s not as difficult as one might think but often, certain important details
are overlooked.
No animal cruelty at Phuket Zoo, say officials
Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana ordered
inspection in response to National Geographic posting on its official Instagram
account a photo of a tiger chained on a podium, pacing back and forth in only
metres of space. (See here.)
The National Geographic post on Instagram,
without alleging that Phuket Zoo had conducted the practice, also noted,
“Tigers are often declawed and/or drugged to make them safer for interacting
with tourists.”
Lynx in Turkey: Noninvasive sample collection
provides insights into genetic diversity
A team of scientists collected data and
samples (feces, hair) from the Caucasian Lynx (Lynx lynx dinniki), in a region
of Anatolian Turkey over several years. The results of the genetic analyses
indicated an unexpectedly high genetic diversity and lack of inbreeding despite
the recent isolation of the study population.
Why Canada Got it Wrong:
Bill S-203 (“Ending the Captivity of Whales
and Dolphins Act”) is Bad Policy Based on Bad Information
On June 10, 2019, the Canadian Parliament
passed a bill to ban the public display of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) in
Canada. Groups opposed to zoos and aquariums had lobbied for this bill for
several years, and finally convinced enough legislators that this would be good
policy.
Dogs' eyes evolve to appeal to humans
If a dog has eyes that seem to be telling you
something or demanding your attention, it could be evolution's way of
manipulating your feelings.
Researchers have found that dogs have evolved
muscles around their eyes, which allow them to make expressions that
particularly appeal to humans.
A small facial muscle allows dog eyes to mimic
an "infant-like" expression
What Canada's icy relations with China could
mean for the Calgary Zoo's pandas
With experts saying China-Canada relations are
colder than they’ve been since the two countries began a diplomatic
relationship, the four giant pandas at the Calgary Zoo are a reminder of
positive ties between the countries.
The zoo’s panda cubs — Jia Yueyue and Jia
Panpan — will make the journey home to China in the fall as part of the
partnership agreement with the Chinese government. However, Charles Labrecque,
the research manager of Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said if relations
continue to deteriorate, while it’s unlikely, it isn’t unprecedented that China
could threaten to demand the return all four of the black-and-white bears.
Hunting the Elusive Rhino-Horn Cartel of
Thailand
From an outpost in northeastern Thailand, a
couple of shadowy men have for years been running the world's most elaborate
poaching ring—earning an enormous fortune by destroying some of the planet's
most exotic creatures. Now can an enterprising vigilante finally bring down an
untouchable smuggling syndicate?
Woman Who Fatally Injured Greek Tortoise at
Budapest Zoo Caught and Appeared at Court
The woman who is suspected of fatally injuring
a Greek tortoise with a stone at the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden last
Wednesday afternoon, was caught by the police last week and her preliminary
hearing took place at a Budapest court on Sunday.
The preliminary hearing of the 20-25-year-old
woman from Ózd was closed to the public, so it is still unknown what she said
in court about her motives. However, the woman
The tragic great ape
escape
Over his 22-year lifetime, a
chimpanzee named Reuben ran free just once, in 2005. His brief liberty did not
end well.
For two decades, Reuben was
top attraction at a quirky little zoo in Royal, a gone-to-seed hamlet in the
sticks of northeast Nebraska.
Animal maulings and horror
on rides ...blood and gore at Southend’s Kursaal
“There was a young lady from
Rayleigh who went to the Kursaal quite Gayleigh. When the dancing began. She
met a young man who said that his name was Bill Bayleigh”
This was the winning entry
back in 1906 when bosses at the Kursaal held a competition to find the best
limerick about the Southend attraction. Over the years it’s fair to say the
Kursaal inspired many a limerick, poem and story.
12 incredible facts about
jellyfish
As beach season gets
underway, reports are already emerging of jellyfish sightings and stings.
Lion's Mane jellyfish were spotted in Dublin, Ireland; several beaches in
Mexico's Sinaloa state were closed after hundreds of reported stings; and
several Portuguese man-of-wars (a jellyfish relative with a painful sting) have
washed ashore in South Carolina.
Kakapo Threatened by
Fungal Infection! Know Interesting Facts About World’s Fattest Parrots
Dubbed as the world’s fattest
parrot, Kakapo is very unusual of its kind that is mostly found in New Zealand.
The researchers are mounting a monument effort to save it from extinction.
However, recent news has worried the scientist, as the world’s plumpest parrots
are dying as they are being killed by a fungal infection
Fancy bears: Russia's
animal cruelty problem and the sexy bears of Instagram
Pets with their own social
media following are nothing new.
However as an eight-foot,
domesticated Russian bear, Stepan Panteleenko stands out from the usual crowd
of pug dogs and miniature pigs.
Often pictured with aspiring
social media stars in the woods surrounding his native Moscow, Stepan is
something of a heartthrob.
The furry 300kg hunk appears
in regular photo shoots accompanied by lingerie models and has over a dozen
film credits to his name.
2 arrested inside zoo
after gunfire, crash
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo was
put on lockdown Friday while police officers arrested two men in front of zoo
visitors.
According to Sofia
Rosales-Scatena, spokeswoman for the Fort Wayne Police Department, the two men
had crashed a black Chrysler 300, reported stolen at 1:12 p.m., into a utility
pole across from the Nestle Dreyer’s plant in the 3400 block of Wells Street
while they were being pursued by the car’s owners.
Colchester Zoo pays
tribute to Rajang the orangutan on his 51st birthday
COLCHESTER Zoo has paid
tribute to one of its best-loved residents on what would have been his 51st
birthday.
Rajang the orangutan had to
be put to sleep late last year following a period of worsening health.
He had spent more 35 years at
the Maldon Road attraction, becoming a particular favourite of both visitors
and keepers alike.
On Friday, the zoo posted a
message about the great ape on its social media channels.
NSPCA calls for boycott of
facilities that host wild animals
The National Council for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) has called for a boycott of all
facilities that host wild animals.
This comes in the wake of the
announcement that the Joburg Zoo acquired 2 elephants this week to keep its
lone elephant, Lammie, company.
Connect&GO explores
how zoos & aquariums can use RFID to increase engagement
In a newly published
whitepaper, Connect&GO has been examining the benefits of RFID technology,
and how it can be used to increase visitor engagement for zoos and aquariums.
This type of attraction has always been a popular pick for a day out, and now
many are integrating RFID solutions to ensure guests get even more out of the
experience. RFID wristbands not only replace a paper ticket, but they can also
offer extra services and opportunities for guests. Facility operators can also
use them to learn more about their visitors.
Manila Zoo employees
experience calm, loneliness after closure
These days, animal keeper
Weng Iloseo is able to devote most of his time looking after the cubs.
It has been more than four
months since Manila Zoo was closed to visitors, shortly after it was discovered
that the facility was dumping untreated sewage into Estero de San Antonio de
Abad, which flows into Manila Bay.
But because of the May
elections, it will take a while before the necessary purchases and
installations are made. The Manila Zoo management is hoping that they can
re-open within the year.
No doc for animals at Bir Talab zoo as
hospital lying locked
The veterinary hospital at Bir Talab zoo has
been locked for over a year. As a result, whenever any animals and birds
require treatment, the zoo authorities have to take help of other veterinary
hospitals situated in the city.
This hospital houses
**********************************************************************
** ***
** **
***
*
For Updated Conferences and Meetings Please Click
HERE
For Recent Zoo Vacancies Please Click
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"
|
No comments:
Post a Comment