Zoo News Digest 28th - 31st May 2012 (Zoo News 818)

Zoo News Digest 28th - 31st May 2012 (Zoo News 818)

http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

Peter Dickinson

peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk 

Dear Colleague,

Apologies. Yes I am aware that I have a lot of email to answer and I will get round to it. As you are aware I have been battling with some weird virus and I have thought a time or three that I had beaten it. Right now, this minute, I feel fine. I am going out on the town and looking forward to it big time. Then I have to settle down and complete the assignment for the course I did the week before last. Then I will start wading into the email. Patience please. Thank you so much for the donations which keep Zoo News Digest going. I am extremely grateful. Thank you too for those who donate for the inclusion of adverts in the Zoo Vacancy blog. It is far reaching and worthwhile.

As always, some interesting news. Dolphins and Whales. Plenty of space for debate.
What do I think? Well I do not believe we should be indiscriminately taking Dolphins, Whales or fish from the wild. We should have self sustaining captive populations. I remember only too well dolphin set ups in the sixties and the hidden losses. It was wrong. The problem is it is still going on in some places. Preaching conservation when you have dirty secrets really makes it worthless in my eyes. Aquariums should/must be pioneers in education and breeding high on the Agenda. I have no problems with the captivity issue if the accommodation and care meet the highest standards. As to swimming with Whales. That should be personal choice. I have and I would again.

So Peter Worthington writes in the Toronto Sun "However concerns have been raised about the possibility of TB being rampant at the PAWS sanctuary. The zoo, apparently, doesn’t want to give up its elephants. Although Toronto is not a comfortable environment for them, some zoo people insist it’s the elephants’ welfare that concerns them – which I’d argue is unlikely. Rather, its pride and bureaucratic intransigence."....Really? He is another one blinkered as to the true story here. I don't think he has a clue and cares even less.


Giza Zoo....what is going on? I have previously drawn attention to the Orangutans. Surely their new accommodation should be ready by now? What are the excuses? And what about the Chimpanzees? There are a lot of people wanting answers. Please expect to get some flak because unless the petty in house politics stops and we get a statement soon you will be getting a mention every week....

****

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SeaWorld Must Separate Killer Whales From Trainers After Tragic Death, Judge Rules
"Are the emotions inspired by the grandeur of humans interacting with killer whales worth the dangers created by the interactions?"
That was the question, in his own words, with which Judge Ken Welsch grappled in a closely watched case probing worker safety at SeaWorld.
His answer came Wednesday: No.
In a decision that could reshape the theme park's world-famous whale shows, Welsch, an administrative law judge for the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, mostly upheld the safety citations issued against SeaWorld following the tragic death of a whale trainer in Orlando, Fla., in 2010.
The judge also affirmed an OSHA recommendation to which SeaWorld officials had strongly objected: that trainers be separated from killer whales by a physical barrier if the two are near each other in the water. It's a change that will likely alter the whale-trainer dynamic during performances.
OSHA head David Michaels praised the judge's decision on Wednesday, saying his agency's only intent was to "ensure the safety and health of employees who work with SeaWorld’s killer whales" during performances. The judgment, Michaels said in a statement, "is a win for the employees of SeaWorld, because within 10 days after the Judge's order becomes final, SeaWorld must abate the hazards and provide documentation to OSHA's Tampa Area Office that the hazards have been corrected."
SeaWorld officials could not be reached for comment after business hours on Wednesday.
The case stems from the Feb. 24, 2010, death of Dawn Brancheau, a whale trainer at SeaWorld's Orlando park. Brancheau was killed during a live performance when a six-ton, 29-year-old killer whale named Tilikum grabbed her by her ponytail and pulled her underwater. After the highly public drowning, OSHA investigators performed workplace safety inspections of the Orlando park, ultimately accusing the company of not sufficiently protecting its trainers from the killer whales.
Judge Welsch held a two-week hearing on the violations in November, during which SeaWorld argued, unsuccessfully, that the close proximity between whale and trainer was worth the risks. Six months later, he has issued his
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/seaworld-whales-trainer-death-osha-ruling_n_1557597.html



Dolphin ban has zoos worried
Parliament’s decision to ban the import of dolphins and whales has been welcomed by supporters of animal rights, but zoos are concerned that the change to Switzerland’s animal protection law could lead to arbitrary legislation.
When the issue was previously voted on in March, the House of Representatives opted for a ban on the keeping of dolphins in addition to the import ban. The chamber has now aligned itself with the more moderate Senate position.
Veteran animal rights lawyer Antoine Goetschel welcomed the decision. “It’s a good starting point. In this case an import ban has about the same consequences as a ban on keeping dolphins,” he told swissinfo.ch.
“It’s a good measure as well because it complies with the Swiss constitution, which is unique in protecting animals’ dignity,” he added.
Double death
The debate about the dolphins’ destiny was sparked by publicity surrounding the deaths of two of the animals in the space of a week at the Connyland theme park in northeastern canton Thurgau last November.
The cause of the mammals’ deaths has not been clearly established, although antibiotics were thought to have played a role. In total eight dolphins died at Switzerland’s only dolphinarium within three years.
The news of the dolphins’ deaths last year came as a revision of the animal protection law was before parliament.
Amongst other amendments to the law, parliament had already voted on changes to include a ban on the trade in dog and cat fur.
Referendum?
Earlier this month, Connyland issued a press release saying the park would launch a referendum against any import ban. But realistically it would need the support of the Swiss Zoo Association to attempt to rally popular support.
The association has previously objected to the “Connyland law” and is considering its position in the light of Tuesday’s developments.
Alex Rübel, director of Zurich zoo said the dolphin import ban marked the beginning of “arbitrary legislation”.
Rübel said his objection had nothing to do with showing solidarity with Connyland.
“The fixation on Connyland is exactly our problem.” Zoos are not about dolphins but about principles, he told Bern’s Der Bund newspaper on Wednesday. “With the import ban the basis of the law is reversed.”
“Swiss animal protection law is based on the quality of the keeping practices. The zoo keeping requirements are laid down specifically for each species of animal,” Rübel said.
With an import ban [..] the discussion in parliament about special regulations becomes a “purely emotional thing”, Rübel argued.
Ethics
Goetschel said the new law again raised the question about the ethics of keeping wild animals in captivity.
“Should we keep elephants, giraffes and so on just for people to look at them? When you consider dolphins live in schools of 300 to 400, using their sonar system to communicate, then even a spacious pool is obscenely small.”
“The new point of view is to look at hu
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Dolphin_ban_has_zoos_worried.html?cid=32798214



California elephant sanctuary official says no to second planned site visit by Toronto Zoo officials
The co-founder of the California sanctuary that’s supposed to be taking our three remaining elephants says she’s so fed up with the way transfer negotiations are going, she’s saying no to a second inspection visit to her facility by Toronto Zoo officials.
Earlier this month after a closed-door meeting at city hall, city councillors Giorgio Mammoliti, Michelle Berardinetti, and zoo CEO John Tracogna told reporters they’d be taking a trip to PAWS “as quickly as possible’’ as part of a due diligence process.
But Pat Derby, a former Hollywood animal trainer who started PAWS in 1984 with a partner, said in an interview this weekend she’s furious, and “sick’’ of the zoo’s “witch hunt’’ and won’t be agreeing to another visit.
Councillor Berardinetti went to PAWS in December, as did some zoo staff including keepers and two top veterinarians. The councillor has given PAWS the thumbs up, but several Toronto zookeepers and senior staff have deep concerns including reports of tuberculosis at the facility
“They’ve been here (done that) . . . I’m not entertaining any delegation from the Toronto Zoo,’’ Derby said in a telephone interview from California.
Tracogna, the zoo CEO, said it’s the first he’s heard of Derby’s decision.
PAWS acknowledges that some of its elephants have tested positive for exposure to TB, but says there are no active cases.
But the zoo keepers have launched an aggressive campaign, including on Facebook, circulating reports they say confirm the presence of the disease at PAWS. They want the trio of African elephants Toka, Thika and Iringa, sent elsewhere.
The latest documents the keepers point to include a USDA report from last year on two PAWS elephants Rebecca and Sabu, who, PAWS says, died in the last year and a half from arthritis.
The USDA necropsy reports say specimens taken from the two Asian elephants showed mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB. The Star has called the USDA for comment on the case, but it has declined citing confidentiality.
Derby says PAWS tests its elephants every three months for TB, and none have had positive cultures for the illness.
Some of its Asian elephants have shown exposure to TB, PAWS says, but none of its Africans have. The two breeds are housed at the facility separately, thus Toka, Thika and Iringa
http://www.parentcentral.ca/parent/article/1201433--california-elephant-sanctuary-official-says-no-to-second-planned-site-visit-by-toronto-zoo-officials



Vintage Zoo Guidebook, 1895 
http://newsdesk.si.edu/snapshot/vintage-zoo-guidebook


Tens of thousands of elephants likely killed last year, experts say
Providing the grimmest count yet on Africa's wildlife crisis, the global body tracking endangered species reported Thursday that tens of thousands of elephants likely were slaughtered last year by poachers after their tusks. Rhinos, while fewer in number, also saw mass slaughter as poachers went after their horns.
Prices for both have skyrocketed due to demand in Asia, where tusks are used for ivory ornaments and horns as a traditional medicine.
The illegal trade is escalating and "pushing these species toward extinction," John Scanlon, secretary-general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, said in testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In the case of rhinos, just 25,000 of which are estimated left in the wild, extinction could come "during the lifetime of our children," he added.
In South Africa alone, he noted, 448 rhinos were killed last year -- up from 13 in 2007.
The Senate hearing on the rapid rise in smuggling came as Kenya said that 359 elephant tusks smuggled in shipping containers and confiscated by Sri Lanka had come from its ports.
Scanlon said a report coming out later this year on Africa's elephants will show that "the levels of illegal killing exceed what can be sustained in all four African sub-regions in 2011, with elephant populations now in net decline."
"We have slid into an acute crisis with the African elephant that does not appear to be on many people’s radar in the U.S.," added Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants. "What’s happening to the elephants is outrageous, and the more so since we have been through these ivory crises before and should have found solutions by now."
Even before the most recent escalation, Africa's elephant population had shrunk from an estimated 1.3 million in 1979 to 450,000 in 2007, Douglas-Hamilton noted.
He urged the United States to
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/24/11864661-tens-of-thousands-of-elephants-likely-killed-last-year-experts-say?lite


Execution by Elephant
Elephants have long been used as a executioners. They were ideal for the gruesome job due to their ability to be trained, indeed they could even be taught in what manner they should execute; kill fast by crushing or to slowly torture the prisoner. Weighing the same as a couple of cars and having the ability to push trees over with their heads was also said
http://www.eversostrange.com/2012/05/29/execution-by-elephant/





National Grid Polar Bear http://youtu.be/1P-0LHH5ETo


Bureaucracy stymies moving Toronto Zoo elephants
We all know that bureaucracy has its own rules, and if it is ordered to do something with which it disagrees, there are innumerable ways to frustrate  achievement.
This is evident in government ministries. Sometimes the minister can order that something be done that the bureaucracy, or “system,” disagrees with, and often the minister is hung out to dry while nothing is done to further his wishes.
That was evident when the late Cliff Wenzel, a multi-decorated WWII bomber pilot, fought for 30 years to get his reduced pension corrected. The bureaucracy stymied all efforts until finally a defence minister more stubborn and adamant than predecessors, forced financial compensation for Wenzel.
Even then, the bureaucracy got even by getting most of the money back through taxes. But Wenzel felt vindicated — thanks largely to the persistence of Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor, who was also a retired Brigadier-General and knew the system.
A case right now of the “system” foiling those who make decisions, concerns the proposed and agreed upon plan to send Toronto Zoo’s three remaining African elephants – Iringa, Thicka and Toka – to an elephant sanctuary in California run by PAWS.
Former TV game-show host, Bob Barker, who has affection for elephants has offered to pay nearly $1 million in moving expense.
City Councilor Michelle Berardinetti, some zoo staff and a couple of veterinarians visited the PAWS sanctuary last December, followed by council voting to send the elephants to PAWS.
However concerns have been raised about the possibility of TB being rampant at the PAWS sanctuary. The zoo, apparently, doesn’t want to give up its elephants. Although Toronto is not a comfortable environment for them, some zoo people insist it’s the elephants’ welfare that concerns them – which I’d argue is unlikely. Rather, its pride and bureaucratic intransigence.
Council wants to send another delegation
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/29/bureaucracy-stymies-moving-toronto-zoo-elephants?

                                                 http://indianbears.com/



Zoos’ Bitter Choice: To Save Some Species, Letting Others Die
With fluorescent yellow eyes and tufts of hair sticking straight up behind their ears, Bonner and Etienne look like slightly crazed old men.
These riotous and chatty lemurs — known for elaborate rituals that include grooming and braying — once ranged across eastern Madagascar.
Now scores of these black-and-white ruffed lemurs are being bred here at the St. Louis Zoo and at other zoos across the United States as part of a broader effort to prevent their extinction.
But Ozzie, a lion-tailed macaque, will never father children. Lion-tails once flourished in the tops of rain forests in India, using their naturally dark coloring to disappear into the height of the jungle. Though there are only about 4,000 remaining in the wild, not one among Ozzie’s group here in St. Louis will be bred. American zoos are on the verge of giving up on trying to save them.
As the number of species at risk of extinction soars, zoos are increasingly being called upon to rescue and sustain animals, and not just for marquee breeds like pandas and rhinos but also for all manner of mammals, frogs, birds and insects whose populations are suddenly crashing.
To conserve animals effectively, however, zoo officials have concluded that they must winnow species in their care and devote more resources to a chosen few. The result is that zookeepers, usually animal lovers to the core, are increasingly being pressed into making cold calculations about which animals are the most crucial to save. Some days, the burden feels less like Noah building an ark and more like Schindler making a list.
The lemurs at this zoo are being saved in part because of a well-financed program to rescue rare fauna of the island nation of Madagascar. By contrast, although St. Louis has kept lion-tailed macaques since 1958, other zoos started getting rid of them in the 1990s because they can carry a form of herpes deadly to people. With only an aging population left in captivity in the United States, a species advisory group to North American zoos is expected to put the animals on a phaseout list soon.
If there are criticisms, they are that zoos are not transforming their mission quickly enough from entertainment to conservation.
“We as a society have to decide if it is going to be ethically and morally appropriate to simply display animals for entertainment purposes,” said Dr. Steven L. Monfort, the director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, part of the National Zoo in Washington. “In my opinion, that model is broken. There needs to be an explicit role for zoos to champion species.”
Dr. Monfort wants zoos to raise more money for the conservation of animals in the wild and to make that effort as important as erecting fancier accommodations for their captive collections. Zoos, he said, should build facilities — not necessarily open to the public — that are large enough to handle whole herds of animals so that more natural reproductive behavior can occur. And less emphasis should be placed on animals that are popular attractions but are doing fine in the wild, like African elephants and California sea lions, Dr. Monfort said, adding that they should be replaced with animals in desperate need of rescuing.
Many zoo directors say that such a radical reordering is not called for and that each zoo does valuable work even if conserving just a few species.
But Dr. Monfort is not satisfied. He wants all zoos within the Association of Zoos & Aquariums to aim higher on conservation efforts. “I am comfortable with raising the standards for zoos so that eventually it will be harder and harder to be accredited unless you are doing that,” he said in an interview. “If you can’t keep up, then you probably need to be dropped off the bottom.”
Established in 1910 and built on 90 acres, the St. Louis Zoo is in many ways archetypal of institutions struggling to adapt from a late-19th-century concept to a 21st-century crisis management center.
In their first century, American zoos plucked exotic animals from the wild and exploited them mainly for entertainment value, throwing in some wildlife education and a touch of preservation. When wilderness began disappearing, causing animals to fail at an accelerating pace, zoo officials became rescuers and protectors. Since the 1980s, zoos have developed coordinated breeding programs that have brought dozens of animals, like the golden lion tamarin of Brazil, back from the brink.
The increasingly difficult challenge is to be a force for conservation while continuing to put on a show.
Under Pressure
Jeffrey P. Bonner, president and chief executive
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/28/science/zoos-bitter-choice-to-save-some-species-letting-others-die.html

Journal of Threatened Taxa
ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)

May 2012 | Vol. 4 | No. 5 | Pages 2553–2616
Date of Publication 26 May 2012 (online & print)

Contents

Herpetofauna of Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, India
-- Abhijit Das, Dhruvajyoti Basu, Laurel Converse & Suresh C. Choudhury, Pp. 2553-2568

An overview of fish fauna of Raigad District, northern Western Ghats, India
-- Unmesh Katwate, Rupesh Raut & Sahir Advani, Pp. 2569-2577

The genus Cyrtoptyx Delucchi (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae) from India, with a description of a new species from the southern Western Ghats of Kerala
-- P.M. Sureshan, Pp. 2578-2581

Report of two medicinal and aromatic gingersfrom Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
-- M. Venkat Ramana, Johny Kumar Tagore & Avishek Bhattacharjee, Pp. 2582-2586

Rediscovery of Uniyala multibracteata (Gamble) H. Rob & Skvarla (Asteraceae) from the southern Western Ghats, India
-- E.S. Santhosh Kumar, P.E. Roy, S.M. Shareef & S.S. Usha, Pp. 2587-2589

Range extension of Alysicarpus naikianus Pokle (Fabaceae) in western India
-- S.Y. Chavan & M.M. Sardesai, Pp. 2590-2592

Exormotheca ceylonensis Meijer - a threatened liverwort in India, rediscovered in Palni Hills, Tamil Nadu
-- Afroz Alam, Sharad Vats & Kambaska Kumar Behera, Pp. 2593-2595

New records of Tubulifera (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) from the state of Karnataka, India
-- Kaomud Tyagi, Pp. 2596-2602

Synanthropic acarine population associated with bird nests
-- Sudipta Chaudhury, Salil K. Gupta & Goutam K. Saha, Pp. 2603-2608

Occurrence of Mesostoma tetragonum (Müller) (Turbellaria) in the Deepar wetlands of Assam, India
-- Girindra Kalita & M.M. Goswami, Pp. 2609-2613

Diversity and abundance of nematodes in the sewage of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
-- Razia Sultana & Padma Bohra, Pp. 2614-2616
www.threatenedtaxa.org




Kim Jong Un Visits Pyongyang Central Zoo
Kim Jong Un first went round the monument erected to convey the undying leadership exploits of the three commanders of Mt. Paektu down through generations.
He recollected with deep emotion the glorious course covered by the zoo, noting that it had the honor of receiving on-the-spot guidance of President Kim Il Sung and leader Kim Jong Il dozens of times and has creditably fulfilled its mission as a place for joyful rest making visitors laugh and pleasing them and a center for education imbuing them with wide knowledge about animals over the last more than five decades since it was established.
Going round different places of the zoo, he learned in detail about the management and operation of it.
He dropped in at the aquarium to learn about its operation. He asked workers there if there is any problem arising in breeding fish, what measures are taken to provide food and water to it and what species of sea fish are raised.
He was satisfied to hear officials of the zoo say that thorough measures are taken to provide food and the completion of the Nampho-Pyongyang seawater pipe helped settle the issue of seawater, a difficulty in breeding sea water fishes.
He visited the pool for seals and the reptile house. What is important for sprucing up animal houses is to create friendly natural environment to help visitors see animals clearly and learn about their true habitation and provide them with sufficient living conditions, he said.
He went to the gift animal house to watch with keen attention rare animals including Indian constrictor, lemur and flying fox which Jonas Whalstram, director of Skansen Aquarium in Sweden, presented to leader Kim Jong Il.
He dropped in at a shed of wild animals. He met Kim Sun Ok, head of the wild animal work team who has worked at the zoo for 45 years, and Myong Su Il who has tended bears for nearly 30 years and appreciated their efforts.
He also moved to a veterinary hospital built on the initiative of Kim Jong Il. Kim Jong Un underlined the need to take efficient veterinary, anti-epizootic and treatment measures for animals.
He highly praised the officials and other employees of the zoo for having taken good care
http://nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com/2012/05/27/kim-jong-un-visits-pyongyang-central-zoo/

Attwater's Prairie Chickens Hatch - Time Lapse http://youtu.be/ov2zC4_OnEs

May 2012 | Vol. XXVII | No. 5 | Date of Publication 25 May 2012

CONTENTS

Regional response to the Vulture crisis : A Symposium
-- B.A. Daniel, Pp. 1-4

Efforts To Make Kanpur Zoo Polythene Free
-- K. Praveen Rao, Pp. 5-7

Mixing (Zoo) business with pleasure in Buenos Aires, Argentina
-- Sally Walker, Pp. 8-9

Budapest - Ivy Zoo Symposium, May 2012
-- Sally Walker, P. 10

Education reports
Animal Welfare Fortnightly 2012.... Education Reports
Pp. 11-17

World Forestry day celebrated by OASIS Mumbai
P. 18

Technical articles
Selection and Shifting of Sleeping Sites by Hanuman Langurs in Morni Hills of Haryana, India
-- Girish Chopra, Madhu Bala Bhoombak & Parmesh Kumar, Pp. 19-23
PDF 848Kb

New plant records for Jharkhand
-- C.R. Magesh, P. Lakshminarasimhan and P. Venu, Pp. 24-25

First record of Baillon’s Crake Porzana pusilla from Tumariya Reservoir in the Corbett landscape of District Nainital, Uttarakhand
-- Anushree Bhattacharjee, P. 26

Announcements
Bats in Captivity - Volume 4: Legislation and Public Education
P. 27

The 4th International Congress on Zoo Keeping 9-13 September 2012, Singapore
P. 28

International Aquarium Congress, 9-14 September 2012, Cape Town
P. 32

www.zoosprint.org


Comfort in captivity
Baba Dioum contemplated, “In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand.” Perhaps that's the reason the greatest conservators of all times have been hunters like Jim Corbett.
Nature depletion to most of us has been reduced to threats of global warming. Our country's education system has succeeded only to paint a doomsday scenario and has failed to form a bond between the young and the great outdoors. With the forest cover depleted to a minimum, animals poached to extinction and holidays in wildlife sanctuaries the interest (or the privilege) of a few — to link with nature seems like a distant possibility. Zoos and zoological parks remain the only places for the multitudes to connect with wildlife and be sensitised towards it.
Traditionally, zoos have provided an economic form of recreation for people from various strata of society, income and educational levels, ages and socio-economic backgrounds. They offer a large vista of possibilities to educate and sensitise people. According to CEE India, “In India there are more than 150 zoos, and they attract as many as 50 million visitors annually. Zoos' potential for making people of all ages aware of the threats to the global ecology is unlimited.”
It's difficult to spot animals in the wild. Many villagers living on jungle fringes pass their lives without seeing a wild animal. The largest chunk of visitors to small town zoos like Udaipur's Gulab Bagh is rural.
Jerry Mander wrote that after sometime, when you ask a child “Where do oranges grow?” He'll reply, “In the supermarket.”
Disconnect with the real
Today, children have a wide disconnect with Nature. An attractive place is required for nature education that is sure to stimulate interest and provide a competition to internet, television and playstations. No one can remain unmoved after seeing an animal at close quarters. Zoos are a place where children get to see the animals, which they've heard of in the stories. It gives form to their imagination and opens a new world of curiosity. Many grow up to become crusaders of wildlife protection.
Colombo's Dehiwela Zoo inspires awe and displays the delightful marvels of Nature. It has a thumping selection of animals including albino cobras, black jaguars and an albino crow! The vast compound with towering tropical trees is complete with a bird aviary, butterfly garden, aquarium, serpentarium, museum and zoo library. There are education programmes, performances of animals and provision for kids' birthday parties. The zoo hospital does research and provides veterinary training.
In India, Reuben David, a champion of wildlife, created the Ahmedabad zoo. People came from near and far to see this man who could go inside the cages of lions and tigers. During his time, Ahmedabad zoo became one of the most remarkable zoos of India and contributed substantially to conservation and research.
Animals are exchanged between zoos of the world. The Maharaj of Rewa in Madhya Pradesh made history when he captured a white tiger in the wild. In time, generations of this white tiger have spread across the world.
The government has failed to implement wildlife laws and provide proper enforcement response. Political commitment to prevention of wildlife crime, human encroachment in protected areas and habitat
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article3451613.ece



Seven big cats seized from Indiana wildlife sanctuary
Seven big cats were seized from a White County wildlife sanctuary and rescue center Tuesday, effectively clearing out the facility’s inventory in the process.
Four tigers, a lion, a bobcat and a mountain lion being housed at Great Cats of Indiana, 10471 E. U.S. 24 in Idaville, were taken Tuesday by state conservation officers.
Lt. Dan Dulin with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources said conservation officers began their investigation about a week ago after an anonymous tip raised concerns about the facility’s licensing.
Great Cats director Rob Craig of Idaville has permits from the state to keep the animals, but Cpl. Todd Pekny
http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20120530/NEWS06/120530007



Edinburgh Zoo visitors have to take shelter as pigs escape from their enclosure
VISITORS to Edinburgh Zoo had to run for cover after four pigs broke free from their enclosure.
The red river hogs escaped their pen at around 8.30am as they were being moved into a vehicle.
The hogs - two adults and two youngsters - made their dash for freedom when one of the pigs broke through a barrier being used to guide them.
Visitors took refuge in one of the park's monkey enclosures as staff battled to get the pigs back in their pen.
The animals were being moved from the zoo permanently to a private collection.
Darren McGarry, head of animals at the zoo, said: "Our keeping staff are highly-trained for eventualities like this and handled the incident quickly and efficiently, recapturing the animals in a short period of time.
"Select areas of the park were closed, with visitors being moved into internal areas where necessary.
"All of the pigs remained on
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2012/05/28/edinburgh-zoo-visitors-flee-as-four-pigs-escape-enclosure-and-run-amok-86908-23876942/



Efforts to Save Endangered Hawaiian BirdsOne of the great pleasures of learning bird songs comes in the drowsy predawn twilight. Through the window comes the voice of the first bold male offering up his species’ diagnostic song. From my bed in a friend’s cabin 30 miles north of Hilo this morning, the first sound to break the silence is the emphatic, repeated “whit-cheer!” of the northern cardinal, a bird I grew up hearing in southern Michigan. Next comes the soft cooing of Asian spotted and zebra doves, followed by the occasional harsh notes of the common myna, an import from India. Finally, I hear the slurred warbles of the Japanese white-eye. Later, with a cup of coffee, looking out over the pasture and woodlots spreading down to the sea, I hear and see a rich and complex ecosystem, almost none of which belongs here.
It is quite conceivable that a casual visitor to Hawaii could spend a pleasant holiday of a week or two and not see a single native Hawaiian species. Nearly all native lowland ecosystems in Hawaii have been replaced by nonnative species, including nearly all plants, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. Human residents and tourists concentrate themselves in these areas near the ocean, so it is even possible to grow up in many parts of Hawaii thinking that mynas, doves, papaya, eucalyptus, geckos and even mosquitoes have always been here.
To see, hear and smell native Hawaiian forests, you need to get away from the beaches and go up in elevation where most of the exotic birds disappear. Our research in these kipuka forests is aimed at understanding how kipuka size and introduced rats influence kipuka food webs and the native birds. But if the birds in these kipuka are imperiled, some listed and others being considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act, Hawaii is also home to a few bird species even
http://scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/efforts-to-save-endangered-hawaiian-birds/

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Zoo News Digest 20th - 27th May 2012 (Zoo News 817)

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Dear Colleague,

Delighted to learn of the capture of the escaped Penguin. After 82 days on the run it appears to have been having a relatively good time. Better back in the zoo though and I am sure it will be happier with its own kind and a sure source of food. No doubt the zoo will now have surge of visitors to see the re-captured bird. They say "every dog has its day"...well this is the penguins day. 'The return of the Penguin'. Recaptured animals are always a draw for visitors, especially if they remain in the press. I know of one zoo that used to use this as a tool to draw in visitors. Animals 'escaped' with relative frequency, a wolf and a sealion amongst others. The recapture caused a big spike in attendance. The thing is the animals never escaped at all. They were simply boxed and hidden away for a week. A few phone calls of sightings was all it took for other people to 'see' it too and the press to get excited. This all was more than 35 years ago. I thought it was very wrong then and I still do today. To this day I am sceptical of any reported escape. This Penguin though....no I am sure that was a real runaway.

Gay Penguins in the news again. Will these stories never go away?

Surabaya Zoo getting flak once again. This time from the Independent. New news? No way just another rehash of the trash that is being put out by corrupt big business.

The Truth About Surabaya Zoo
http://peterdickinson.hubpages.com/_BL29/hub/The-Truth-About-Surabaya-Zoo

So the Mystic Monkeys and Feathers Wildlife Park have a couple of White Tiger Cubs. If anything is set to irk me it is statements such as "A new goal for the park is to start a breeding programme with the white Bengals." What??? Which then convinces me that the cubs were deliberately pulled for hand rearing. How on earth did they know the mother did not have enough milk? Worried about the male? Have they never heard of a cubbing den?

Hand Rearing Lion Cubs and Other Carnivores
http://peterdickinson.hubpages.com/_BL29/hub/Hand-Rearing-Big-Cats-and-Other-Carnivores

White Tiger Breeding is Not Conservation
http://peterdickinson.hubpages.com/hub/White-Tiger-Breeding-is-Not-Conservation

The 'Sanctuary or Scamtuary?' story makes an interesting read. It is not one that I particularily agree with. I am not in favour of any Sanctuary that does not take part in official breeding programmes. Besides to me Good, Officially Accredited Zoos are the Real Sanctuaries. The others all have alternative agendas, some of which I am very much against.

Is It A Zoo?
http://peterdickinson.hubpages.com/_BL29/hub/Is-it-a-Zoo

"Unlike the other three, Monroe’s zoo is not accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, but LaFleur said, “It’s a goal that they have in mind. Their philosophy is pointed in the right direction.” "  I like that...  Their philosophy is pointed in the right direction. There are some out there who need to think about that... the right direction, not one which allows indiscriminate breeding of hybrids, deliberate hand rearing and so on. Yes USA the American Zoo and Aquarium Association is the way to go.

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Japan's escaped penguin recaptured after 82 days on the run
Penguin 337 returns to Tokyo Sea Life Park after zookeepers were told it was on a river bank in the city
First, there was a daring breakout up a sheer rock wall and through a barbed wire fence. Then there were weeks on the run, in which the fugitive eluded capture and at times appeared to taunt his pursuers with carefree frolics in the sea. But now, Japan's most-wanted escapee is back behind bars.
More than two months after it slipped out of an aquarium in Tokyo, Japan's fugitive penguin is back in captivity following its capture in the capital on Thursday night.
Two keepers picked up the Humboldt penguin after receiving reports that it had been seen swimming in a river earlier the same day day. The capture ended 82 days of freedom, during which it briefly achieved celebrity status around the world.
The keepers, who seized the penguin after it ventured on to the riverbank, said the animal did not appear to have been harmed and had been eating enough to keep its weight stable.
Officials at the sea park had feared that the animal – known simply as Penguin 337 – would struggle to survive outside the aquarium's confines. But their fears proved unfounded after it was filmed swimming in Tokyo Bay, apparently content in its unfamiliar
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/25/japan-escaped-penguin-recaptured-run?newsfeed=true

Madrid Zoo’s ‘Gay’ Penguins Given Egg of Their OwnA “gay” penguin couple in a Madrid zoo has been given an egg of their own to care for after six springs of building nests together and being disappointed their nests were empty.
Inca and Rayas, the Gentoo penguins at Madrid’s Faunia Park have been inseparable for six years, according to the U.K.’s Telegraph. This year, the zoo gave them an egg to take care of.
“We wanted them to have something to stay together for — so we got an egg,” zookeeper Yolanda Martin told the Telegraph.  “Otherwise
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technology/2012/05/madrid-zoos-gay-penguins-given-egg-of-their-own/




Denver Zoo employee bitten by rabid batA wild bat that bit a Denver Zoo employee Sunday has tested positive for rabies, and the state health department wants patrons to come forward if they had any contact with a bat while visiting the zoo.
Parents who took their children to the zoo Sunday also should ask whether their child had contact with a bat.
Anyone who touched a bat should contact their local health department or call the state health department at 303-692-2700.
"People can be exposed to rabies when they assist, feed or handle wild animals," said state veterinarian Elisabeth Lawaczeck. "While some people visiting the zoo were in the vicinity of the bat, it is not known whether anyone other than the zoo employee had contact with the bat."
The Denver Zoo said it vaccinates its animals for rabies, and officials do not have any concern that animals have been infected. The bat was not part of a zoo exhibit.
"We will maintain our diligence but want to ensure our community protects themselves and their pets," wrote Tiffany Barnhart, spokeswoman
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20695479/denver-zoo-employee-bitten-by-rabid-bat



'Zooisiana' provides Monroe's zoo statewide exposure
What started as a meager collection of local wildlife at Forsythe Park eventually became a collection of lions, a tiger, a hippo, giraffes, ostriches and baboons at Monroe’s Bernstein Park.
Monroe’s Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo will be one of four zoos featured on “Zooisiana,” a Louisiana Public Broadcasting program that will air at
7 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on June 6 and again at 5:30 p.m. June 10. The program is produced by Donna LaFleur and filmed by Rex Q. Fortenberry.
LaFleur said the program’s intent is to introduce different concepts of modern zoo-keeping, that is, the purpose that zoos serve aside from education and entertainment
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20120526/NEWS01/120526005/-Zooisiana-provides-Monroe-s-zoo-statewide-exposure?odyssey=nav%7Chead




Zoo faces another legal woe USDA files complaint, seeks to revoke license
Legal troubles for the owners of the Collins Zoo aren't over yet.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed a complaint before the secretary of agriculture, seeking numerous fines and the revocation of the zoo's USDA exhibitor license.
But, after battling government agencies for nearly 25 years over animal confiscations, hundreds of alleged violations and a civil lawsuit, zoo owners Gus and Betty White aren't ready to give up yet.
"That's what's wrong with America now," Betty White said. "People don't stand up for what they
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120527/NEWS01/205270344/Zoo-faces-another-legal-woe-USDA-files-complaint-seeks-revoke-license?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE




Mamata sets up state zoo authority
The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to refurbish all zoos in the state and bring them under one umbrella - the state zoo authority. Chief secretary Samar Ghosh is the chairman - he has asked all zoos to submit masterplans so that renovation can be started soon. Under the apex body, uniform rules and guidelines have been formulated for all state zoos.
Forest secretary Subesh Das told TOI, "By bringing the zoo under the state zoo authority, there will be smooth functioning in the zoological gardens." The government has also set up a technical committee under the authority. The committee, headed by the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) has been empowered to decide on the medical treatment requirement of the zoo inmates, their diet and if and
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-05-23/kolkata/31827430_1_alipore-zoological-gardens-zoo-authority-tigers-and-lions




Tourism Malaysia promotes country using Frankfurt zoo
As a rare gesture, Tourism Malaysia's Frankfurt office has been allowed to profile Malaysia's wildlife and nature at the reputed Frankfurt International Zoo which has a combined population of 18 orang utans.
The strategy of arousing public interest in Malaysia's wildlife, using the zoo as a vehicle for promotion of tourism, has been lauded by tourism promotion experts here. 
Indeed, there is tremendous public interest in the orang utan, which cand help further enhance the level of interest and, thus, also boost tourism traffic to Malaysia.      The pitch will be made to children who, accompanied by their parents, are a common sight at the zoo, particularly on weekends.
Tourism Malaysia will make a presentation today, enticing children, helped by their parents, to participate in a quiz game called "Discover Malaysia and its Fascinating Nature," said Syed Yahya Syed Othman, the director of the Frankfurt office of Tourism Malaysia in an interview with Bernama.
The quiz will include questions about Malaysia's wildlife and its natural environment; the questions will be posed to
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/tourism-malaysia-promotes-country-using-frankfurt-zoo-1.88176




White tiger cubs get all touchy-feely at zooWHAT are white, have stripes and blue eyes? The two white Bengal tiger cubs born recently at a private zoo north of the city.
The two male cubs, Spirit and Zeus, and their orange-coloured Bengal brother, Apollo, were born almost two weeks ago and are the newest attraction at the Mystic Monkeys and Feathers Wildlife Park outside Pretoria.
“People love to interact with them (the cubs) and the cubs like the touch,” said the park’s marketer, Ilse van Aardt. The cubs made their first public appearance on Friday when visitors could play with them and take photographs.
The cubs are the second set of white tigers born in the park. These tiger cubs are not albinos, as true albino tigers do not have stripes. Two orange tigers carrying the recessive mutant gene for white colouration can produce white offspring.
Their mother, Tiffany, and father, Alex, are both orange-coloured Bengal tigers.
The cubs were taken from their parents because their mother does not have enough milk to feed all three brothers and the father is a threat to the cubs’ safety.
“He (will) eat them,” said Maria Manganye, the primary caregiver and “new mother” of the cubs.
Manganye, who has been working at the park for 17 years, takes care of the cubs and feeds them each a bottle of milk every three hours.
“They irritate (you sometimes),” she said amid loud wails from the cubs.
The cubs drink a special milk for cats, but in three months their diet will change to meat, preferably chicken.
A new goal for the park is to start a breeding programme with the white Bengals.
“Bengals are almost extinct and they breed easier in captivity,” said van Aardt.
She said the cubs were perfectly healthy.
But with so many males around, they first have to find a new bloodline and a few female tigers before they can start breeding.
Apart from the white tigers, the park also has white lions, cheetahs and ocelots.
http://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/white-tiger-cubs-get-all-touchy-feely-at-zoo-1.1301342




Oryx 'must be saved by setting up wildlife reserve'
A vast international wildlife reserve must be set up in the Rub' Al Khali desert to secure the future of the Arabian oryx, says one wildlife expert.
The oryx is a type of antelope that once roamed across the Arabian Peninsula but became extinct in the wild in 1972, largely due to over-hunting. The animal's distinctive white coat stands out in the desert, and this made it easy prey for hunters following the introduction of 4x4s and automatic weapons. The species was saved by captive breeding programmes in the UAE and elsewhere.
The idea put forward by Dr Reza Khan, Dubai Municipality's wildlife and zoo specialist, is for a sanctuary that would stretch across the Empty Quarter to include UAE, Saudi and Omani territory, allowing
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/oryx-must-be-saved-by-setting-up-wildlife-reserve




Animals left for dead in Indonesian zoos Neglected, cramped, and now fatally ill-kept – the animals in these zoos are dying. Where are they? Indonesia, a nation famous for its wildlife and wilderness. Kathy Marks reports from Jakarta
In a remote corner of Jakarta's Ragunan Zoo, a Malayan sun bear is pacing back and forth, shaking its head in an agitated manner. There is no shade or shelter in the tiny, dilapidated enclosure – just a stagnant pond full of rubbish. The bear, which is riddled with mange, rears up against a concrete wall and howls.
It's a scene that is not uncommon in Indonesia, where zoos have come under scrutiny following the death of a giraffe in Surabaya, East Java – later found to have a 40-pound wad of plastic in its stomach. In a country known for its rich biodiversity, many rare and threatened native creatures – such as the honey-eating sun bear – are kept in squalid and cramped conditions that appal animal welfare experts.
Conservationists, who have been lobbying for standards to be raised, were horrified by a recent announcement that Indonesia and China plan to exchange emblematic animals as a mark of friendship. The former will receive some endangered pandas, the latter some rare Komodo dragons.
At Surabaya, dubbed the "zoo of death" by The Jakarta Post newspaper, more than 700 animals died prematurely – mainly from disease and malnutrition – between 2008 and mid-2010. While the mortality rate has decreased since Tony Sumampouw, secretary of the Indonesian Zoo and Aquarium Association, was drafted in, Surabaya – where the giraffe swallowed plastic packaging thrown into its enclosure –remains chronically overcrowded.
According to Mr Sumampouw, enclosures have not been updated for 50 years. "We have 167 pelicans in a 40-metre by 20-metre cage, so they can't even open their wings," he says. "We have more than 20 lions and tigers, and most of them never see the sunlight, they never enjoy the fresh air, they never exercise." One rare white tiger, a gift from the Indian government, has been outside so rarely that, as a result of back problems, it can barely stand up.
Across the country – particularly in zoos owned and run by municipal governments – listless and unhealthy animals are kept in ageing pens,
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/animals-left-for-dead-in-indonesian-zoos-7771373.html




QuestionnaireHow and when can alternative livelihood projects be most effective in improving the sustainability of bushmeat hunting in Africa?
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2a648714f89bd919aa28ee022&id=81e9eae55a&e=0cd39c2a1b




Sanctuary or Scamtuary?You have probably received fundraising appeals from animal “sanctuaries” claiming that they have just rescued a starving tiger living in deplorable conditions in the basement of someone’s home. The appeal urges you to pledge money to help pay for the rehabilitation of this desperate tiger. By your simply contributing $25 or more, the sanctuary says it can provide the tiger with the proper care and treatment necessary to live out her life in comfort, and be able to rescue more animals in the future.
Your heart goes out to this poor tiger and your hand reaches for your checkbook. But wait…before you send your hard-earned money to save this animal you must ask whether you are contributing to a sanctuary that is actually helping to reduce the wild and exotic animal trade by rescuing animals and providing a true haven, or to a “sanctuary” that in fact facilitates the trade by breeding more animals and displaying rescued animals for profit.
There are “sanctuaries” out there that claim to help rescued animals. However, many also breed the animals or support breeding programs, exhibit the rescued animals for entertainment purposes, and/or support the keeping of exotic animals as “pets.” These facilities—also known as “scamtuaries” or pseudo-sanctuaries—play on people’s desire to help abused, abandoned, or neglected animals.
A True Sanctuary
A sanctuary is a nonprofit organization described in Section 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code 1986, and its subsequent amendments, that operates a place of refuge where abused, neglected, unwanted, impounded, abandoned, orphaned, or displaced exotic animals are provided care for their lifetime or released back to their natural habitat. Before donating money, it is important to do a little investigating into the organization, keeping in mind the qualities of a true sanctuary:
• No commercial activity involving animals occurs (including, but not limited to, sale of animals, animal parts, by-products, offspring, or photographic opportunities; no public events for financial gain and/or profit);
• No propagation or breeding of animals occurs in the facility for financial purposes;
• No unescorted public visitation is allowed; no direct contact between the public and wild and exotic animals is allowed; animals are not to be taken from their enclosures or off sanctuary grounds for exhibition or education; and
• No activities are conducted that are in conflict with the animals’ inherent nature.
If you find yourself deciding whether or not to make a donation to a sanctuary, do some research on the Internet and call to determine whether it: (1) breeds its animals for profit, (2) supports private possession of exotic animals, (3) sells its animals to other facilities, (4) provides lifetime care for the animals (i.e., Do its animal residents live out the remainder of their lives at the sanctuary or do some or all of them get transferred or sold to other facilities?), or (5) allows for photographic opportunities or public events for financial profit, or uses the animals in any other type of entertainment activity that is not inherent to the animal’s nature (i.e. forcing an animal to perform tricks, jump through a hoop, etc). If the “sanctuary” answers yes to any of these questions, you should consider finding a different facility that does not profit from or support the wild and exotic animal trade as the recipient of your money.
In addition, before you donate, ask the facility to send you information, such as an annual report or evaluations that have been conducted by any of the nationally recognized charity watchdog services. These “watchdog” organizations’ purpose is to help donors make informed giving decisions. Their independent evaluations assure the public that a nonprofit organization, such as a sanctuary, is properly governed, that its program is consistent with its statement of purpose, that its funding is sound, and that the bulk of its annual expenses is Don’t be fooled by a sanctuary’s claim that it is a be returned to the wild. However, since they are being bred in mass numbers in the U.S. and are kept as pets, exhibited to the public, and housed in facilities that do not properly care for them, there is a desperate need for true sanctuaries that are able to provide lifetime care for these animals. The problem lies in the definition of the term “sanctuary.” Be mindful of the differences between actual rescue organizations and “scamtuaries,” and be sure only to support genuine sanctuaries.
Nicole Paquette, Esq. is the Director of Legal and Government Affairs for the Animal Protection Institute.
http://web.archive.org/web/20080320212046/http://www.satyamag.com/nov04/paquette.html




Kenya: A Contrarian ViewAfrica's wildlife is being loved to death. Kenya's much-praised ban on hunting, in fact, has had an impact opposite to its intent: wild animals are disappearing at an accelerating rate. "Charismatic megafauna" -- elephants, lions, rhinos, the larger antelopes -- are in a true death spiral.
 When Kenya's hunting ban was passed in 1977 in response to the "Ivory Wars" that were ravaging the nation's elephants, it was hailed as a new and progressive paradigm for wildlife management. With the hunting pressure off, animal lovers opined, the game would bounce back. And it's true that elephants did recover modestly over the ensuring two decades.
 But now the slaughter has begun anew, driven by an unrelenting demand from a prosperous Asia for ivory objets d'art. Meanwhile, everything else is going down the tubes, including carnivores and antelopes. By best estimates, Kenya's wildlife has declined by more than 70 percent over the past 20 years.
 What happened? While the ban played well in the developed world, it was catastrophic for the people who lived in the rural hinterlands of Kenya -- the places where wildlife actually exists. Basically, folks out in the bush had the responsibility for maintaining wildlife on their lands, but they were deprived of any benefit from the animals. Such a situation is intolerable for subsistence pastoralists and farmers.
 Subsequent to the ban, they could not respond -- legally -- when an elephant raided their maize and stomped their goats, or when a lion killed a cow. But laws made in Nairobi are seldom if ever applied with rigor in the Kenyan bush. Even as animal rights groups lionized Kenya's no-kill policy and urged its adoption across Africa, the killing has continued unabated. Carnivores are poisoned, antelope snared, elephants speared and shot: Crops can thus be raised and the livestock grazed in peace.
 Michael Norton-Griffiths, who has served as the senior ecologist for Tanzania's Serengeti National Park and the manager of the Eastern Sahel Program for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, likened the situation to owning a goat.
 Assume, says Norton-Griffiths, that you're a poor pastoralist in
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glen-martin/kenya-a-contrarian-view_b_1542148.html




Problems for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard
A small, sandy-colored lizard you've probably never seen before could cost the schoolchildren of Texas hundreds of millions of dollars if the Federal government pushes forward with its plan to list it as endangered.
In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the sand dune lizard as an endangered species. No mention is made in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposal on the potential impact to Texas school children if the sand dune lizard is listed as endangered.
The proposed listing was prompted after environmental groups - such as New Mexico-based WildEarth Guardians - filed lawsuits against the federal government.
The sand dune lizard is about as big as your hand, with bright yellow eyes, a blunt-nose and a rounded head. Beneath its wide mouth, it has a faint yellow under-lip.
Formally known as the dunes sagebrush lizard, the sand dune lizard is a habitat specialist who can only live under the shade of the shrub-like shinnery oak that grow in isolated areas of southeast New Mexico and West Texas. A particularly picky lizard, it can only nest in dunes with medium-sized grains of sand.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the sand dune lizard separated from its cousin, the sagebrush lizard, about 15,000 years ago. The split occurred during the Pleistocene era when the area became warmer and dryer, creating the shinnery oak sand dune habitat the lizard depends on to survive.
This same habitat is also home to the hottest oil patch in Texas, the state that produces the most domestic oil and gas in the nation. Roads and oil well pads cut through the shinnery oak dune habitat, according to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The booming growth of oil and gas production in the sand dune lizard's limited habitat earns hundreds of millions of dollars for public education in Texas. Both the Permanent School Fund, which helps pay for the state's share of public education, a
http://www.glo.texas.gov/glo_news/hot_topics/articles/dunes-sagebrush-lizard.html




Researchers film rare striped rabbit in Sumatra (w/ Video)With cameras set up in Sumatra looking for medium- and small-sized wild cats, such as leopards, a research group involving the University of Delaware's Kyle McCarthy, found images of something else entirely -- a rabbit. Not just any ordinary rabbit, but a Sumatran striped rabbit, one of the world's rarest species and one that had been captured on film only three times before.
http://phys.org/news/2012-05-rare-striped-rabbit-sumatra-video.html




'Khus' mats being placed in cages to make zoo inmates coolWith mercury crossing the 43 degrees mark, the Kanpur zoo authorities have made arrangements to keep inmates cool. The zoo has over 1,100 animals.
The zoo officials have taken steps like changing the water in the enclosure of hippopotamus, placing of green nets that reduce the sunrays that fall inside the enclosures and putting 'khus' mats to save the inmates.
Green nets have been placed in the enclosure of monkeys and sarus birds. Exhaust fans have been placed in the enclosure of tigers. The zoo authorities are in the process of placing the nets in the enclosure of leopards. They are in the process of changing the damaged water pipelines. The supply of water to the enclosures would also become better. The inmates are being given cucumber to keep them cool.
"The green nets would be placed over the cages of lion and tiger to ward o
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Khus-mats-being-placed-in-cages-to-make-zoo-inmates-cool/articleshow/13506167.cms




A virtual Al Ain Zoo Twitter tour through the eyes of vet MajidIn an hour round of tweets a key vet of Al Ain Zoo took the hot seat to answer all kinds of questions from twitter users yesterday in what was called the first tweet up of this zoo.
Between 6 to 7 pm, the Emirati Majid Al Qassimi dedicated his social media attention to answer questions about the newborn baby Rhino, the summer heat and about keeping exotic animals as a pet.
Tweeters were updated on the latest animal news, such as the addition of two new Kori Bustards, which he told is the heaviest bird capable of flying, and the development of the baby rhino, which is now getting used to living in a group.
A tweeter under the name @Skaikha IM asked: "Why don't u have an elephant at the zoo?" to which he answered: "Since our last elephant passed away, we are waiting for the new development to finish before looking into this."
The summer heat was a topic of concern for some tweeters. One tweeter under the name @Lailaabuladeeb asked how Al Ain Zoo was planning to attract the public in summer, to which Majid explained that the zoo would only be opened from 4 to 10 pm.
He further explained that all animals have air-conditioned cages, however some animals are more adapt of the heat than others. This is one of the reasons that there
http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/a-virtual-al-ain-zoo-twitter-tour-through-the-eyes-of-vet-majid-2012-05-25-1.460173


Welcome to the Zoofari 2012 Auction! - Knoxville Zoo
https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?auctionId=168027511

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Zoo News Digest 15th - 19th May 2012 (Zoo News 816)

Zoo News Digest 15th - 19th May 2012 (Zoo News 816)

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Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/protoflux/748120891/

Peter Dickinson

peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk 

Dear Colleague,

I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of my friend and colleague, London Zoo Curator, John Ellis. It was not so many months ago that he showed me round the new ZSL Penguin Pool and gave me access to the library to do some research. In fact it feels just like yesterday. I first met John in a zoo related chat room on the internet something like fifteen years ago. I liked the guy then and my opinion has never changed. I have never heard a bad word said about him and I know of his dedication and commitment to his work. He will be sadly missed by many. John passed away just the other day. He was taken ill whilst attending a conference in Germany in April and had remained in hospital ever since. My condolences to friends and family.

I was interested to see that the escaped penguin (no 337) is still flourishing in Tokyo Bay. I can imagine 'Penguin Watching' boat trips springing up before too long if they are not already. I would love to see a photograph of the 13ft wall or fence this little bird was said to have scaled to escape. Whereas I have great admiration for the intelligence of Penguins, I just don't believe it.

I included the link to "Student: Zoos Not Protecting the Animals" to remind you of the ignorance that we are up against. Like so many of these well meaning people this young lady has been indoctrinated by the malicious and ignorant who have an alternative agenda. All zoos are not the same.

"Pumas may be on the loose in Scotland as cat corpse is discovered". Wow this is a bit different. They have a body. A black puma cub. Black? Now that would be unusual. I can't work out how the article is about a Puma and then goes on about Leopards and Jaguars. It is just all more hogwash. Of course you can disagree.

****

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***OFFICAL VIDEO*** Stacy NC Alligator Attack Caught On Camera!
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How To Sex A Crocodile

Japan's fugitive penguin 'living quite happily' in Tokyo Bay
One-year-old Humboldt penguin scaled 13-foot fence to escape Tokyo aquarium in March
After Penguin Number 337 made a daring bid for freedom from a Tokyo aquarium and vanished into the waters of Tokyo Bay two months ago, many feared the worst for the adventurous feathered fugitive.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47457051/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/





Operators of dolphin show seek new probe of cruelty raps
The operators of a dolphin show are asking a Quezon City court to order a new investigation of charges they were cruel to animals, saying they had obtained the necessary government permits for a series of shows they mounted during the Christmas season of 2010.
Operators of the Angels of the Sea Dolphin and Sea Lion Show said they were not afforded a chance to answer the charges before being indicted and asked the court to quash the warrants it had issued for their arrest and to suspend all court proceedings in the case.
This was after the summons from the Quezon City prosecutors’ office was purportedly served at the wrong address.
Jose Avelino and Ma. Carla Mamburam, key officials of Indophil Sea Wonders Co. Ltd., operator of the marine mammal show, said they were unable to respond to the initial complaint against them or attend the preliminary investigation because the Quezon City Prosecutor’s office had sent the summonses to the wrong address.
“Contrary to private complainants’ accusations, the accused did not commit cruelty to animals,” they said in their pleading, which was filed lawyers Shirley Alinea and Michael Thor Singson at the sala of Judge Caridad Walse-Lutero of the Metropolitan Trial Court’s  Branch 34.
Avelino and Mamburam were charged with violating Republic Act 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act on the strength of a complaint filed against them by the Philippine Animal Welfare Society and Earth Island Institute.
The complaints alleged that the animals were subjected
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/195733/operators-of-dolphin-show-seek-new-probe-of-cruelty-raps

Of interest to some
‘THE RHINO HUNTERS’
Make a Doco With David
http://www.davidadamsfilms.com.au/projects/make-a-doco-with-david/

Goa Zoo to have aviaries for wetland, terrestrial birds
Goa's lone zoo tucked in Bondla wildlife sanctuary will soon have birds on display in two aviaries, designed for wetland and terrestrial birds.
Deputy Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) D N F Carvalho said the aviaries are planned as a part of the zoo's infrastructure upgradation, which is prominently funded by Union government's Central Zoo Authority (CZA).
This would be for the first time that this facility would be displaying birds, since its inception in 1969.
Bondla Zoo, situated 60 kms away from Panaji, has been housing only wild animals and reptiles, with no separate enclosure for birds, except Peacock.
The zoo is tucked inside Bondla wildlife sanctuary, one of the smallest sanctuaries in the state.
Carvalho said the wetland and terrestrial birds would be kept in two separate sophisticated aviaries in the zoo, creating a near natural living condition for them.
The state forest department will be studying a model of aviaries from other zoos in the country, which could be emulated here.
The exhibits here would be of the same climatic condition, he said, adding that the migratory birds would not be displayed in the aviary.
The wetland bird will have aviary with the water body inside while terrestrial bird will be in the aviary replicating
http://www.business-standard.com/generalnews/news/goa-zoo-to-have-aviaries-for-wetland-terrestrial-birds/10909/



Sumatran orang-utans delay puberty to build up strength

ANY teenage boy will confirm that older boys make it impossible to get the girls. Young male orang-utans with the same problem have a unique and unexpected solution: they don't grow up until they are strong enough to challenge the dominant males.

Male orang-utans can reproduce from around age 15, but in order to attract a mate they also have to develop secondary sexual characteristics - the equivalent of men growing chest hair. These include conspicuous cheek flanges. Yet Sumatran orang-utans often delay acquiring flanges, sometimes for over 10 years. No other primates do this, not even Bornean orang-utans.

Gauri Pradhan of the University of South Florida in Tampa and colleagues noted another difference between the species: unlike Bornean males, Sumatran males can monopolise females for weeks at a time. Pradhan built mathematical models of orang-utan populations from decades of field data, and varied the extent to which males could monopolise females. She found that males that could delay maturation did better when

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21428654.400-sumatran-orangutans-delay-puberty-to-build-up-strength.html





Student: Zoos Not Protecting the Animals
Zoos. The places where you can see wild animals. The kind of place you might enjoy, but do you know what’s happening behind the bars or fences? There is a whole life of cruelty hidden with little space, no care and “money—makers.”
Yes, it’s true—zoos don’t provide animals with enough place to live. The animals will get zoochosis as a result. Zoochosis is a term which is used to refer to a range of psychological problems associated with animals kept in captivity. Also, after conducting a study, the Born Free Foundation found that animals spend most of their time showing symptoms of stress as a result of captivity. Plus, in Milwakee County Zoo, elephants are kept in pairs or even isolated. Believe it or not, the enclosures are incredibly small.
It's not a lie that animals are not cared about in most zoos. In fact, a former director of the Atlanta Zoo said he was too removed from the animals and they were the last thing he cared about. Did you know that in most zoos, only 1/15 of the money
http://bridgewater.patch.com/articles/student-zoos-not-protecting-the-animals


And the below is one zoo which is not protecting animals:


G.W. Exotic Animal Park Lets Kids Play With Tigers, Humane Society AccusesThe Humane Society of the United States is accusing an Oklahoma exotic animal park of allowing children to handle and pose for photographs with juvenile tigers in what they called "a petting zoo for carnivores."
Joe Schreibvogel, owner of the G.W. Exotic Animal Park, 65 miles (100 km) south of Oklahoma City, denies the allegations, and he said on Thursday that the humane society simply wants to bankrupt him.
Wayne Pacelle, head of the animal rights organization, contends that allowing visitors to handle the unpredictable felines placed the visitors at risk.
The Humane Society sent an undercover operative to work at the park last year to videotape what he saw, including children mingling with exotic cats that are too old to be safe playmates. The investigator witnessed or heard about six incidents in which tiger cubs bit or scratched park visitors, Pacelle
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/17/gw-exotic-animal-park_n_1526266.html





Carol McCasland: Accredited zoos save the lives of animals
Seldom do I agree with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The letter in last Friday's Daily Camera (May 11) from PETA Representative Jennifer O'Connor was correct on two points: 1) people should not taunt animals in captivity. The video of the lioness trying to get at a baby on the other side of the glass was disgusting. 2) Children's playgrounds and other attractions do not belong in zoos.
However, as a volunteer docent at Denver Zoo, the other points the PETA rep made were totally inaccurate and very out-dated. Accredited zoos today have done much to build exhibits that provide enrichment and a positive experience for the animals they house.
Yes, there are some older exhibits that could use some updating. In time and with more money, that will happen. But never doubt that the mission of zoos today is to educate people about the animals in their care, to provide excellent physical and mental care, to research how to take care of animals left in the wild, to increase the chance the animals will have enough habitat left to live in their natural home, to work with humans in the areas where
http://www.dailycamera.com/letters/ci_20655393/carol-mccasland-accredited-zoos-save-lives-animals





Minnesota Zoo dolphins exhibit will end
The Minnesota Zoo's popular dolphin program will end this fall.
The facility's two remaining dolphins will not return after repairs are made to their pool, officials said.
Dolphins, which have been exhibited at the zoo since it opened in 1978, are difficult to acquire, and the zoo would need at least one more animal to ensure proper socialization for the marine mammals, Director Lee Ehmke said Monday, May 14.
"It's a difficult decision, but it doesn't seem to be possible to create the kind of social situation we would need to have," Ehmke said.
The Minnesota Zoo recently received $4 million in the state Legislature's bonding bill to repair the aging tank.
Allie and Semo will be sent to other accredited facilities sometime this fall, and repairs to the tank will take place after
http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_20619782/minnesota-zoo-dolphins-exhibit-will-end




Indonesia Denies NGO Allegations Of Dolphin, Whale Hunting
Environment officials came out on Wednesday to deny accusations that whales and dolphins were being actively killed and hunted down in Indonesian waters, despite laws prohibiting the activity.
The statement was made in response to a video and photos posted online by US-based nongovernmental organization Earth Island Institute alleging they were evidence of the killing of whales and dolphins in Indonesia.
“It is not true. How could that be? I have never heard of dolphins being hunted before,” Agus Apun Budhiman, director of fish resources at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“Local people consider them [dolphins] as man’s best friends, so they would not go after them, let alone eat or use their meat as bait,” he added.
If ever there were any whales or dolphins captured, Agus said, it would have been accidental, not deliberate.
The video posted on the NGO’s Web site showed an interview with a local fisherman in Flores describing how dolphins are captured using home-made bombs. He said the captured
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesia-denies-ngo-allegations-of-dolphin-whale-hunting/441745





Giraffes die from stress as vandals terrorise Polish zoo
Two giraffes at a zoo in central Poland's Lodz died of stress after unidentified vandals went on a night-time rampage, the zoo's management said Monday.
The vandals broke in overnight Saturday to Sunday, destroying benches, signs and sculptures and hurling pieces of the debris at the animals.
One of the giraffes died within hours of the incident and the second was found dead Monday morning.
"The autopsy of the first giraffe, three-year-old female, found a ruptured heart valve and bruising, a sign of a severe stress reaction," the zoo's deputy director Wlodzimierz Stanislawski told AFP.
"The second, a six-year-old female, was slightly ill before the incident. The stress likely aggravated the illness and finished her off.
"Giraffes are extremely timid. Stress causes a flight response in them. They react the same way to every unusual noise," said
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gwKt___V5A9LK9TV4nsx_EAcoSvA?docId=CNG.e2e54aa5b44f9d99e0dc6a6da2435057.321





Pumas may be on the loose in Scotland as cat corpse is discovered
A DOG walker has stumbled upon the corpse of an animal experts believe may have been a puma near a Scottish beauty spot.
John Robertson, 50, was walking his two dogs along a rural path in Cullen, Moray, with his wife Pauline, on Monday when he found the remains of what appeared to be a cat the size of a large dog.
Just metres from the rotting corpse were the remains of what may have been its last meal – half a dozen mauled seagulls.
Mr Robertson, from Drybridge, Moray, said yesterday: “I was walking my two dogs on Monday morning when we came across all these dead birds scattered about everywhere.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes. I have never seen so many dead birds in one area. They were completely mauled, they had their guts totally ripped out of them lying on the ground.
“Then a little further on we came across a horrible rotting smell which was this big cat.
“It looks like it has feasted on the seagulls and maybe it has fallen down the cliff nearby, injured itself and just lay there till it died.”
But despite its 18-inch-long tail and its sharp teeth, Mr Robertson claimed the animal was
http://www.scotsman.com/news/odd/pumas-may-be-on-the-loose-in-scotland-as-cat-corpse-is-discovered-1-2305128

Big Cats In Britain

Guzoo wolves allegedly poisoned at private Alberta zoo
The owners of Guzoo are waiting for a necropsy to find out how two wolves died but suspect they were poisoned.
Seven wolf pups are now being bottle fed since their parents were found dead in their pens on Tuesday morning.
The private zoo near Three Hills, Alta., has been a battleground between the Gustafson family and animal rights activists for years.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/05/18/calgary-guzoo-wolves-poisoned.html




Interview with Greenpeace Head Kumi Naidoo 'We Are Losing the Planet'
The environmental movement is losing momentum and governments around the world are ignoring their responsibility for slowing climate change. Greenpeace head Kumi Naidoo, however, remains optimistic. In an interview, he explains his new vision for a sustainable world -- and how the pope can help.
Politicians and business leaders are fond of talking about the new era of the green economy. But in reality, the exploitation of nature is on the rise. The Brazilian parliament is seeking to weaken laws protecting the rain forest. At the climate conference in Durban, South Africa, no agreement could be reached on limiting CO2 emissions. And in developing economies such as China and India, dozens of new coal-fired power plants are in the works.
One government after another is ducking its responsibility when it comes to the fight against climate change. Meanwhile, environmental activists around the globe have proven unable to reverse, or even slow, the trend. Indeed, the green movement seems to have lost momentum. Now, the head of Greenpeace has begun pursuing a new strategy. Kumi Naidoo is shifting his organization's focus to the developing world. He is linking the fight against global warming with the fight against poverty and is increasing Greenpeace's cooperation with large companies.
Critics have accused Naidoo of weakening the Greenpeace brand name. SPIEGEL ONLINE caught up with Naidoo at the
 http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/greenpeace-head-naidoo-and-the-new-strategy-against-climate-change-a-832709.html



The Story of an orphan bat - Trailer - Divo
http://youtu.be/Tv7kZPQNgM4



Safari Park to get $9 million gift for new tiger exhibit
An entirely new home for San Diego Zoo Safari Park's Sumatran tigers could open by 2014, thanks to the park's largest pledge ever of $9 million.
Park officials announced Friday that the planned $19.5 million Tiger Trail attraction is assured of the donation as long as an additional $2 million is raised by the end of the year.
A couple who has chosen to remain anonymous pledged to contribute $9 for every $2 in donations to finance the new attraction, designed in part to draw attention to the dwindling Sumatran tiger population. The gift, at most, would be $9 million if the park succeeds in attracting $2 million in donations.
The anonymous donors do not live in the county but for the last six years have supported projects at the zoo, Safari Park and the
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/may/18/safari-park-to-have-new-home-for-tigers-thanks-to/


'It was only a matter of time' - killer elephant's former owner
Mila the elephant most likely intended to kill her keeper at Franklin Zoo, says her former owner.
Robin Ratcliffe, brother of Mila's former handler Tony Ratcliffe, said they warned officials that someone would get hurt if her transition to the zoo was not handled correctly.
"This tragedy was in the making," he said. "We didn't have any doubt. It was only a matter of time."
That time came on the afternoon of April 25, when keeper Helen Schofield, a vet who lived on site at Franklin Zoo and Wildlife Sanctuary, was crushed to death by the elephant.
It is understood Schofield, 42, was killed when Mila picked her up with her trunk before bringing her down, crushing her.
Robin Ratcliffe, founder of Hamilton engineering firm Modern Transport Engineers, said it was likely Mila knew what she was doing.
"Mila possibly had a motive to kill her," he said.
"We won't conclusively be able to say that until we actually see evidence of how it happened, but we've got a strong belief that the elephant more or less set her up.
He said the killing would have been linked to prolonged separation from her former handler, Tony Ratcliffe.
Her transition to Franklin Zoo should have taken at least two years with Tony Ratcliffe's assistance, but instead, she
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/only-matter-time-killer-elephant-s-former-owner-4883645

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Zoo Conferences, Meetings, Courses and Symposia

click

HERE 

*******************************************************************************

ZOO BIOLOGY  

The Zoo Biology Group is concerned with all disciplines involved in the running of a Zoological Garden. Captive breeding, husbandry,cage design and construction, diets, enrichment, man management,record keeping, etc etc

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zoo-biology 

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For

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please visit:

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************************************************************************

ZooNews Digest is a private and completely independent publication, not allied or attached to any zoological collection. Many thanks.

Kind Regards,

Wishing you a wonderful week

Peter Dickinson

"These are the best days of my life"

Please Donate to Zoo News Digest in order to keep it going

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