Zoo News Digest 24th July 2016
(ZooNews 932)
(ZooNews 932)
Peter Dickinson
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
Sadly yet another Tiger Attack. What was the woman thinking? We will probably never know.
The Dartmoor Lynx story rolls on. I have a feeling now that it is not going to end well. It has sparked of debates and stories everywhere of big cats living in the wild in the UK. I could add my own stories....perhaps one day.
Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 25,000 'Like's' on Facebook and has a weekly reach often exceeding over 250,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 800 Zoos in 153+ countries? That the subscriber list 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.
Dear Colleague,
Sadly yet another Tiger Attack. What was the woman thinking? We will probably never know.
The Dartmoor Lynx story rolls on. I have a feeling now that it is not going to end well. It has sparked of debates and stories everywhere of big cats living in the wild in the UK. I could add my own stories....perhaps one day.
The Dartmoor Lynx story rolls on. I have a feeling now that it is not going to end well. It has sparked of debates and stories everywhere of big cats living in the wild in the UK. I could add my own stories....perhaps one day.
Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 25,000 'Like's' on Facebook and has a weekly reach often exceeding over 250,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 800 Zoos in 153+ countries? That the subscriber list 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.
How a secret location near Sydney is helping save the
Tasmanian devil
It's a little bit of
Tasmania tucked away three hours north of Sydney.
Here 180 Tasmanian
devils live free from the cancer that has wiped out more than 70 per cent of
the wild population.
But Tim Faulkner,
general manager of Devil Ark in the Barrington Tops, is worried that there
aren't enough devils in captivity to ensure the long-term survival of the
species.
"The Tasmanian
devil is facing extinction with no cure for devil face tumour disease," he
said. "There is a real ris
Woman mauled to death by a tiger in front of her
family after ignoring warnings and jumping out her car at Chinese safari park
A woman was eaten
alive and another seriously injured after they jumped out of a car in a tiger
enclosure at a Chinese safari park.
The middle-aged
woman was killed instantly after she followed the younger woman out of the car
at the Badaling Wildlife World, near the Great Wall of China.
Both had ignored
repeated warnings to stay inside the vehicle, according to local media.
Sohu reported that
the family - one older woman, a younger woman, a child and a man - were in the
park, just over an hour north-west of Beijing, on Saturday.
The younger woman
and the man are understood to have had an argument, at which point she stormed
out of the car.
The older woman then
followed her out - and was instantly attacked by the Siberian tiger.
Beijing zoo, where tigers attacked 2 people, has been
closed
A BEIJING wildlife
zoo, where a tiger mauled a visitor to death and left another seriously
injured, has been closed.
The incident
happened on Saturday in the tiger enclosure at the Badaling Safari World, where
visitors can drive in their vehicles, but they are warned not to get out of the
vehicles.
But two of them did
not heed the warning, the publicity department of Yanqing District said.
Sources told the
Legal Evening News that the car was carrying a family of four — a middle-aged
woman, a young woman, a man and a child.
Reportedly, the
young woman had a quarrel with the man, and got out of the car at which point a
Siberian tiger pounced on her and dragged her away. The older woman got out of
the car and tried to drag her back, but was attacked by another tiger, the paper
reported.
The family was
rescued when zoo workers rushed to chase off the tigers. The older woman died
on the spot,
Animals at 'world's worst zoo' in Gaza to get new
homes
A news life awaits
for 16 lucky animals who will be rescued from the Gaza Strip's Khan Younis zoo,
which has earned the unfortunate moniker of “world's worst zoo.”
International animal
welfare organization FOUR PAWS announced Friday that they will be shutting down
the zoo and have arranged new homes for the zoo's remaining animals.
2016: So Far, Another Deadly Year for Pangolins –
Especially African Species
Just one day
following the release of our infographic showing the shocking volume of
pangolin scales seized during the first 193 days of 2016, we received the
dreadful news that an additional 7,300 kg of pangolin scales were seized today
in Hong Kong.
Now, the year’s
total of pangolin scales seized stands at a staggering 14.5 tonnes.1
To date, we have
confirmed 51 pangolin trafficking incidents spanning 19 countries. Scales from
African pangolin species *seized in Asia* currently account for a minimum of
78% of the 14.5 tonnes of pangolin scales intercepted this year. Pangolin
scales comprise approximately 20% to 30% of the animal’s weight, depending on
the age and species, according to pangolin expert Lisa Hywood of Tikki Hywood
Trust in Zimbabwe.
In addition to the
14.5 tonnes of pangolin scales, 345 kg of unidentified pangolin bodies (“meat”)
and 413 live pangolins have been confiscated this year2 as law enforcement
authorities grapple with the pangolin trafficking crisis.
However, Annamiticus
notes a disappointing lack of prosecutions following these seizures. In
particular, there is a glaring absence of arrests and investigative activity
regarding the large container shipments intercepted in China, including Hong
Kong.
All eight pangolin
species are at risk of extinction, and are currently listed in CITES Appendix
II, which allows for regulated legal commercial trade only if such trade is not
a threat to wild populations. Asian pangolins are supposed to be further protected
by a zero export quota for wild-caught individuals. Unfortunately, the CITES
Appendix II listing provides a loophole for using legal trade as a cover for
illegal trade, as well as leaving wild African pangolins vulnerable to
collection for zoos (which is already happening).
In September of this
year, the Parties to CITES will vote on proposals to transfer all eight
pangolin species to CITES Appendix I – the strongest protection possible under
internati
Baby orangutan caught under influence of drugs to be
‘deported’
A baby orangutan is on the verge of being
deported after it was caught under narcotic influence. It has been referred to
the Kuwait Zoo in preparation for deportation, reports Al- Rai daily quoting
sources from the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources
(PAAAFR).
Revealing that the
orangutan was referred to PAAAFR by Ministry of Interior, the sources explained
that its owner was arrested following a traffic accident two months ago after
he and his pet baby orangutan appeared under the infl uence of drugs. The owner,
who was referred to the General Department of Drug Control, admitted that he
used to share drugs with his pet for fun.
PAAAFR kept the
orangutan in its custody for some time before sending it to the zoo.
Reportedly, PAAAFR
has contacted the Embassy of Indonesia and has requested to send the orangutan
to Indonesia because it is the place of origin of the
Report Finds Circus Animal Welfare Is Awful
Life under the big
top might seem fun and exciting, but a recent report commissioned by the Welsh
Government shows that circus animals don’t lead a “life worth living.” The
report, titled “The Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses” and
conducted by Professor Steve Harris from Bristol University in the United
Kingdom, consulted 658 experts and organizations from around the world. These
experts included 138 circus trainers, 206 lawyers and veterinarians, 107 NGO
employees, 144 animal scientists, and 58 zoo and government officials. The
report found that most of the 12 welfare criteria used in the European Welfare
Quality Project are compromised and minimum recommended enclosure sized for
animals in circuses are just over 25 percent of the recommended size for
animals in zoos. Harris says, “The available scientific evidence indicates that
captive wild animals in circuses and other travelling animal shows do not
achieve their optimal welfare requirements, a
TARZAN BELONGS ON SCREEN; IRL APES DO NOT
The internet is an
endless portal into thousands of cute wildlife videos – but what do these
videos show and tell us about the animals they depict, and the reality of their
lives? How does the way media represent these animals, particularly chimpanzees
and other apes, impact their well being and efforts to save them in the wild?
The Appreciated, Appreciative Zookeeper
I shouldn't
complain. It's pretty awesome we get an
entire week of appreciation. Some
professions only get a day.
Others...nothing at all.
And frankly, we get
a lot of personal satisfaction from working at zoos and aquariums who put their
animals first. But like any career,
there are times it feels like a job. There
are times we feel unappreciated. This
Appreciation Week is a good shot in the arm, but also a reminder that we get to
do some really, really cool and meaningful stuff.
But what are some of
the challenges that typically leave us feeling unappreciated? Usually, it doesn't have to do with the
animals. In fact, interacting with
animals is the highlight of our day*.
But a lot of our job takes us away from happy animal encounters and into
situations that make us wonder if maybe we should just sort packages for UPS.
Bizarre moment an ELEPHANT is put on a raft to prove
that feeding crocodiles at the world's most terrifying tourist attraction is
SAFE
A terrifying tourist
attraction which allows guests to feed meat to crocodiles from a raft has tried
to prove it is safe - by floating an elephant on it.
Last last week
pictures emerged of Chinese tourists dangling lumps of beef into the jaws of
the killer reptiles at the Utairatch crocodile farm and zoo near Pattaya,
Thailand.
The images, posted
by a local taxi driver, sparked a safety frenzy with police and officials
rushing to the facility to close it down.
ARABIAN SHARKS
My Experience At The Tiger Temple Sanctuary In
Thailand
I stood in line,
restlessly shifting from left foot to right as little rivulets of sweat ran
down the nape of my neck. The Bangkok heat was not meant for standing.
Outdoors. To take a selfie with a tiger. A tiger that’s chained to the ground.
What was I doing here again?! That thought ran through my mind in spurts but I
kept reminding myself, the objective was to spend some time with my cousins,
whom I was traveling with on a short Thai holiday, so if we were bonding over
tigers, then hey, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.
I’m not usually a
bus tour sort of traveler. I think early on in my travel life, I recognized my
desire for doing things on my own without being carted around like cattle from
one sight to another with 50 other tourists oohing and aahing at something. So
it was kind of surprisin
San Francisco man singlehandedly revives a rare
butterfly species in his own backyard
The California
Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies used to flutter about San Francisco aplenty,
but their populations declined in the 20th century as more areas were
developed. Now in the early 21st century, they’re incredibly rare in the city,
so one resident decided to do something. California Academy of Sciences aquatic
biologist Tim Wong built a butterfly home in his own backyard, and around three
years later is seeing the colorful blue butterflies slowly return.
How a secret location near Sydney is helping save the
Tasmanian devil
It's a little bit of
Tasmania tucked away three hours north of Sydney.
Here 180 Tasmanian
devils live free from the cancer that has wiped out more than 70 per cent of
the wild population.
But Tim Faulkner,
general manager of Devil Ark in the Barrington Tops, is worried that there
aren't enough devils in captivity to ensure the long-term survival of the
species.
"The Tasmanian
devil is facing extinction with no cure for devil face tumour disease," he
said. "There is a real ris
Woman mauled to death by a tiger in front of her
family after ignoring warnings and jumping out her car at Chinese safari park
A woman was eaten
alive and another seriously injured after they jumped out of a car in a tiger
enclosure at a Chinese safari park.
The middle-aged
woman was killed instantly after she followed the younger woman out of the car
at the Badaling Wildlife World, near the Great Wall of China.
Both had ignored
repeated warnings to stay inside the vehicle, according to local media.
Sohu reported that
the family - one older woman, a younger woman, a child and a man - were in the
park, just over an hour north-west of Beijing, on Saturday.
The younger woman
and the man are understood to have had an argument, at which point she stormed
out of the car.
The older woman then
followed her out - and was instantly attacked by the Siberian tiger.
Beijing zoo, where tigers attacked 2 people, has been
closed
A BEIJING wildlife
zoo, where a tiger mauled a visitor to death and left another seriously
injured, has been closed.
The incident
happened on Saturday in the tiger enclosure at the Badaling Safari World, where
visitors can drive in their vehicles, but they are warned not to get out of the
vehicles.
But two of them did
not heed the warning, the publicity department of Yanqing District said.
Sources told the
Legal Evening News that the car was carrying a family of four — a middle-aged
woman, a young woman, a man and a child.
Reportedly, the
young woman had a quarrel with the man, and got out of the car at which point a
Siberian tiger pounced on her and dragged her away. The older woman got out of
the car and tried to drag her back, but was attacked by another tiger, the paper
reported.
The family was
rescued when zoo workers rushed to chase off the tigers. The older woman died
on the spot,
Animals at 'world's worst zoo' in Gaza to get new
homes
A news life awaits
for 16 lucky animals who will be rescued from the Gaza Strip's Khan Younis zoo,
which has earned the unfortunate moniker of “world's worst zoo.”
International animal
welfare organization FOUR PAWS announced Friday that they will be shutting down
the zoo and have arranged new homes for the zoo's remaining animals.
2016: So Far, Another Deadly Year for Pangolins –
Especially African Species
Just one day
following the release of our infographic showing the shocking volume of
pangolin scales seized during the first 193 days of 2016, we received the
dreadful news that an additional 7,300 kg of pangolin scales were seized today
in Hong Kong.
Now, the year’s
total of pangolin scales seized stands at a staggering 14.5 tonnes.1
To date, we have
confirmed 51 pangolin trafficking incidents spanning 19 countries. Scales from
African pangolin species *seized in Asia* currently account for a minimum of
78% of the 14.5 tonnes of pangolin scales intercepted this year. Pangolin
scales comprise approximately 20% to 30% of the animal’s weight, depending on
the age and species, according to pangolin expert Lisa Hywood of Tikki Hywood
Trust in Zimbabwe.
In addition to the
14.5 tonnes of pangolin scales, 345 kg of unidentified pangolin bodies (“meat”)
and 413 live pangolins have been confiscated this year2 as law enforcement
authorities grapple with the pangolin trafficking crisis.
However, Annamiticus
notes a disappointing lack of prosecutions following these seizures. In
particular, there is a glaring absence of arrests and investigative activity
regarding the large container shipments intercepted in China, including Hong
Kong.
All eight pangolin
species are at risk of extinction, and are currently listed in CITES Appendix
II, which allows for regulated legal commercial trade only if such trade is not
a threat to wild populations. Asian pangolins are supposed to be further protected
by a zero export quota for wild-caught individuals. Unfortunately, the CITES
Appendix II listing provides a loophole for using legal trade as a cover for
illegal trade, as well as leaving wild African pangolins vulnerable to
collection for zoos (which is already happening).
In September of this
year, the Parties to CITES will vote on proposals to transfer all eight
pangolin species to CITES Appendix I – the strongest protection possible under
internati
Baby orangutan caught under influence of drugs to be
‘deported’
A baby orangutan is on the verge of being
deported after it was caught under narcotic influence. It has been referred to
the Kuwait Zoo in preparation for deportation, reports Al- Rai daily quoting
sources from the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources
(PAAAFR).
Revealing that the
orangutan was referred to PAAAFR by Ministry of Interior, the sources explained
that its owner was arrested following a traffic accident two months ago after
he and his pet baby orangutan appeared under the infl uence of drugs. The owner,
who was referred to the General Department of Drug Control, admitted that he
used to share drugs with his pet for fun.
PAAAFR kept the
orangutan in its custody for some time before sending it to the zoo.
Reportedly, PAAAFR
has contacted the Embassy of Indonesia and has requested to send the orangutan
to Indonesia because it is the place of origin of the
Report Finds Circus Animal Welfare Is Awful
Life under the big
top might seem fun and exciting, but a recent report commissioned by the Welsh
Government shows that circus animals don’t lead a “life worth living.” The
report, titled “The Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses” and
conducted by Professor Steve Harris from Bristol University in the United
Kingdom, consulted 658 experts and organizations from around the world. These
experts included 138 circus trainers, 206 lawyers and veterinarians, 107 NGO
employees, 144 animal scientists, and 58 zoo and government officials. The
report found that most of the 12 welfare criteria used in the European Welfare
Quality Project are compromised and minimum recommended enclosure sized for
animals in circuses are just over 25 percent of the recommended size for
animals in zoos. Harris says, “The available scientific evidence indicates that
captive wild animals in circuses and other travelling animal shows do not
achieve their optimal welfare requirements, a
TARZAN BELONGS ON SCREEN; IRL APES DO NOT
The internet is an
endless portal into thousands of cute wildlife videos – but what do these
videos show and tell us about the animals they depict, and the reality of their
lives? How does the way media represent these animals, particularly chimpanzees
and other apes, impact their well being and efforts to save them in the wild?
The Appreciated, Appreciative Zookeeper
I shouldn't
complain. It's pretty awesome we get an
entire week of appreciation. Some
professions only get a day.
Others...nothing at all.
And frankly, we get
a lot of personal satisfaction from working at zoos and aquariums who put their
animals first. But like any career,
there are times it feels like a job. There
are times we feel unappreciated. This
Appreciation Week is a good shot in the arm, but also a reminder that we get to
do some really, really cool and meaningful stuff.
But what are some of
the challenges that typically leave us feeling unappreciated? Usually, it doesn't have to do with the
animals. In fact, interacting with
animals is the highlight of our day*.
But a lot of our job takes us away from happy animal encounters and into
situations that make us wonder if maybe we should just sort packages for UPS.
Bizarre moment an ELEPHANT is put on a raft to prove
that feeding crocodiles at the world's most terrifying tourist attraction is
SAFE
A terrifying tourist
attraction which allows guests to feed meat to crocodiles from a raft has tried
to prove it is safe - by floating an elephant on it.
Last last week
pictures emerged of Chinese tourists dangling lumps of beef into the jaws of
the killer reptiles at the Utairatch crocodile farm and zoo near Pattaya,
Thailand.
The images, posted
by a local taxi driver, sparked a safety frenzy with police and officials
rushing to the facility to close it down.
ARABIAN SHARKS
My Experience At The Tiger Temple Sanctuary In
Thailand
I stood in line,
restlessly shifting from left foot to right as little rivulets of sweat ran
down the nape of my neck. The Bangkok heat was not meant for standing.
Outdoors. To take a selfie with a tiger. A tiger that’s chained to the ground.
What was I doing here again?! That thought ran through my mind in spurts but I
kept reminding myself, the objective was to spend some time with my cousins,
whom I was traveling with on a short Thai holiday, so if we were bonding over
tigers, then hey, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.
I’m not usually a
bus tour sort of traveler. I think early on in my travel life, I recognized my
desire for doing things on my own without being carted around like cattle from
one sight to another with 50 other tourists oohing and aahing at something. So
it was kind of surprisin
San Francisco man singlehandedly revives a rare
butterfly species in his own backyard
The California
Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies used to flutter about San Francisco aplenty,
but their populations declined in the 20th century as more areas were
developed. Now in the early 21st century, they’re incredibly rare in the city,
so one resident decided to do something. California Academy of Sciences aquatic
biologist Tim Wong built a butterfly home in his own backyard, and around three
years later is seeing the colorful blue butterflies slowly return.
Troubled Highland zoo finds loophole to stay open
without licence… By letting people in for free
A troubled Highland
zoo has found a loophole allowing it to remain open without a licence – by
scrapping admission charges from today.
It will mean several
months of asking customers for donations to help feed the animals.
Black Isle Wildlife
Park had its zoo licence withdrawn by councillors last month (JUN) after a
series of inspections exposed basic failings in animal welfare.
Visitors had
complained of dead animals, inadequate feeding standards and cages in poor
condition.
Subsequent
inspections found the zoo, at Drumsmittal, North Kessock, was “seriously below
the standards required for operators to be in possession of a zoo licence.”
The 50-acre park’s
owners, Eric and Maureen Maxwell, had until today to appeal but have instead
decided to rebrand the place as a “petting zoo” for domestic species only which
requires only a “public entertainment” licence.
It means all its
exotic creatures must go. Most have already been rehomed elsewhere.
The couple have
invited critics to visit the place to review the changes.
Family friend and
spokeswoman Alison Gallagher confirmed that they would not appeal the loss of
their zoo licence.
She said: “It will
be free admission and a request for dona
Man arrested for trafficking cheetah in Qatar
An “Arab national”
has been arrested for trying to sell a cheetah in Qatar, the Ministry of
Municipality and Environment (MME) has announced.
According to QNA,
the person violated the provisions of Law No. 5 of 2006 for regulating trade of
wildlife, animals of rare species threatened with extinction and their
products.
Welcome to the Avian Scientific Advisory Group (ASAG)
The mission of the
Avian Scientific Advisory Group is to support Zoo and Aquarium avian programs,
conservation of bird species and to serve as a resource on avicultural
knowledge.
ESA Announces Finalists for the 2016 YouTube Your
Entomology Contest
Since 2009, the
Entomological Society of America (ESA) has held a contest called “YouTube Your
Entomology,” which invites entomologists to showcase their talents and
creativity through video. The popular contest has been featured in the New York
Times and other media outlets, and the videos often focus on research,
teaching, outreach, and other areas.
For the 2016
contest, 43 videos were submitted, and the ESA judges recently selected five
finalists. A winner and a runner-up will be announced in September at the 2016
International Congress of Entomology in Orlando, Florida. All finalists will
receive a Stinger Award. In addition, the winner will receive $400 and the
runner-up will receive $200.
The five finalists
and their videos are:
Severe Coagulopathy after Ingestion of "Snake
Wine"
BACKGROUND:
This report
describes a patient who developed coagulopathy after ingesting snake wine,
which is an alcoholic libation containing an entire venomous snake.
CASE REPORT:
A 68-year-old man
was admitted to the hospital 19 h after ingesting snake wine. The laboratory
features upon admission included unmeasurable activated partial thromboplastin
(aPTT) values, prolonged prothrombin time (PT) values, increased fibrinogen
levels, modestly elevated fibrin degradation product and D-dimer values,
uncorrected aPTT and PT values after a mixing test, and normal levels of
aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase. No pesticides, warfarin, or
superwarfarin in the patient's blood or urine were detected. His coagulation
profile normalized on the 6(th) day after admission after antivenom treatment.
He was discharged 10 days later without sequelae. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY
PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: The physician should be aware that ingesting snake
wine may lead to systemic envenomation. As for coagulopathy, which may develop
by ingesting snake
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme - Zoo Songs
Forms of HIV carried by chimpanzees can infect HUMANS:
Study supports theory AIDS epidemic started in primates
The first strain of
a virus considered the ancestor of HIV - the virus that causes AIDS - may have
been passed to humans through a bite wound or scratch from a hunted chimpanzee
whose blood seeped into a small cut.
Experts believe it
was passed to humans in the early 1900s, somewhere near a West African
rainforest.
Now a study has
backed up this theory, by proving forms of HIV can cross between chimps and
humans.
Bowmanville Zoo co-owner Michael Hackenberger’s
pretrial on animal cruelty charges slated for Sept. 15
A pretrial date has
been set for the case against Bowmanville Zoo co-owner Michael Hackenberger,
charged with animal cruelty.
Sept. 15 is when the
Crown and defence lawyer David Elmaleh will return. The case was carried over
from a judicial pretrial conference Thursday, July 21 to allow more time for
the lawyers to prepare their arguments.
Mr. Hackenberger did
not make an appearance at the provincial offences court in Whitby on Thursday.
His lawyer appeared on his behalf.
A publication ban is
in place.
The Ontario Society
for the Pr
Dr Fidgett’s A-Z of Zoo Animal Nutrition
Would you like to
own a strictly-limited edition children’s book ‘Dr Fidgett’s A-Z of Zoo Animal
Nutrition‘ and create a better climate for women in science? Designed to
inspire the zoo nutritionist in everyone, the book includes 26 original and
beautiful illustrations of wildlife, donated by wonderfully generous and
talented friends. Your purchase includes the option to add a personal
dedication in the book for someone you love!
Cheers to All of the Zookeepers
Cheers to the
zookeepers among you.
To the people who
wake up early, long before the sun rises to begin preparing the animals’ diets
in the always-clean commissary. To the ones that rinse lettuce and kale for the
sulcata tortoises, roll raw meatballs for the Sumatran tigers, and load bales
of hay and alfalfa into wheelbarrows and trucks for the Grevy’s Zebras, white
rhinoceroses, and Thomson’s gazelle that all share the same sprawling exhibit.
Cheers to you who cut up squash and sweet potatoes just the way that the picky
eleven-year-old three-toed sloth prefers. To those who hand feed the Magellanic
penguins individual capelin to make sure each of the fourteen birds gets their
fill.
AKF Dedicated Issue – Gorillas
Gorillas are managed
as intensively as any species in the zoo industry. This issue highlights some
of the outstanding and innovative work being performed by AAZK members to
conserve the sustainability of gorilla populations both in situ and ex-situ.
A World Like No Other for Flamingos
There are alien
landscapes that change as quickly as the altitude ranging from the lowland
rainforest of Bolivia’s Madidi where new species are being discovered regularly
to the 250-mile-wide salt desert where islands are covered in 30-foot-tall
cacti.
My field trip in
early April started in the altiplano, the high plains, where airplanes don’t
need to descend, they just land. The adventure included a few cab rides, a
puddle jumper, and a six-hour off road drive that brought us close to 15,000
feet above sea level to Laguna Colorada at the top of Bolivia. This location is
one of the world’s largest breeding sites for three of the six flamingo species
– Chilean, Andean, and Puna. They congregate in the tens of thousands each year
to feast on the phytoplankton and look like a sea of crimson pink in the
mid-day sun. Researchers and many local people came together to identify, band,
catalog, and release over 1000 yearlings (year-old flamingos) in just a few
hours.
It was amazing to be
part of the effort to help save these
MSc Zoo Conservation Biology induction information
2016/17
Wild birds 'come when called' to help hunt honey
New findings suggest
that the famous cooperation between honeyguide birds and human honey hunters in
sub-Saharan Africa is a two-way conversation.
Honeyguides fly
ahead of hunters and point out beehives which the hunters raid, leaving wax for
the birds to eat.
The birds were
already known to chirp at potential human hunting partners.
Now, a study in the
journal Science reports that they are also listening out for a specific call
made by their human collaborators.
Experiments
conducted in the savannah of Mozambique showed that a successful bird-assisted
hunt was much more likely in the presence of a distinctive, trilling shout that
the Yao hunters of this region learn from their fathers.
"They told us
that the reason they make this 'brrrr-hm' sound, when they're walking through
the bush looking for bees' nests, is that it's the best way of attracting a
honeyguide - and of maintaining a honeyguide's attention once it starts guiding
you," said Dr Claire Spottiswoode, a researcher at the University of
Cambridge, UK, and the University of Cape Town, South Africa, w
** ***
** **
***
*
Troubled Highland zoo finds loophole to stay open
without licence… By letting people in for free
A troubled Highland
zoo has found a loophole allowing it to remain open without a licence – by
scrapping admission charges from today.
It will mean several
months of asking customers for donations to help feed the animals.
Black Isle Wildlife
Park had its zoo licence withdrawn by councillors last month (JUN) after a
series of inspections exposed basic failings in animal welfare.
Visitors had
complained of dead animals, inadequate feeding standards and cages in poor
condition.
Subsequent
inspections found the zoo, at Drumsmittal, North Kessock, was “seriously below
the standards required for operators to be in possession of a zoo licence.”
The 50-acre park’s
owners, Eric and Maureen Maxwell, had until today to appeal but have instead
decided to rebrand the place as a “petting zoo” for domestic species only which
requires only a “public entertainment” licence.
It means all its
exotic creatures must go. Most have already been rehomed elsewhere.
The couple have
invited critics to visit the place to review the changes.
Family friend and
spokeswoman Alison Gallagher confirmed that they would not appeal the loss of
their zoo licence.
She said: “It will
be free admission and a request for dona
Man arrested for trafficking cheetah in Qatar
An “Arab national”
has been arrested for trying to sell a cheetah in Qatar, the Ministry of
Municipality and Environment (MME) has announced.
According to QNA,
the person violated the provisions of Law No. 5 of 2006 for regulating trade of
wildlife, animals of rare species threatened with extinction and their
products.
Welcome to the Avian Scientific Advisory Group (ASAG)
The mission of the
Avian Scientific Advisory Group is to support Zoo and Aquarium avian programs,
conservation of bird species and to serve as a resource on avicultural
knowledge.
ESA Announces Finalists for the 2016 YouTube Your
Entomology Contest
Since 2009, the
Entomological Society of America (ESA) has held a contest called “YouTube Your
Entomology,” which invites entomologists to showcase their talents and
creativity through video. The popular contest has been featured in the New York
Times and other media outlets, and the videos often focus on research,
teaching, outreach, and other areas.
For the 2016
contest, 43 videos were submitted, and the ESA judges recently selected five
finalists. A winner and a runner-up will be announced in September at the 2016
International Congress of Entomology in Orlando, Florida. All finalists will
receive a Stinger Award. In addition, the winner will receive $400 and the
runner-up will receive $200.
The five finalists
and their videos are:
Severe Coagulopathy after Ingestion of "Snake
Wine"
BACKGROUND:
This report
describes a patient who developed coagulopathy after ingesting snake wine,
which is an alcoholic libation containing an entire venomous snake.
CASE REPORT:
A 68-year-old man
was admitted to the hospital 19 h after ingesting snake wine. The laboratory
features upon admission included unmeasurable activated partial thromboplastin
(aPTT) values, prolonged prothrombin time (PT) values, increased fibrinogen
levels, modestly elevated fibrin degradation product and D-dimer values,
uncorrected aPTT and PT values after a mixing test, and normal levels of
aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase. No pesticides, warfarin, or
superwarfarin in the patient's blood or urine were detected. His coagulation
profile normalized on the 6(th) day after admission after antivenom treatment.
He was discharged 10 days later without sequelae. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY
PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: The physician should be aware that ingesting snake
wine may lead to systemic envenomation. As for coagulopathy, which may develop
by ingesting snake
John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme - Zoo Songs
Forms of HIV carried by chimpanzees can infect HUMANS:
Study supports theory AIDS epidemic started in primates
The first strain of
a virus considered the ancestor of HIV - the virus that causes AIDS - may have
been passed to humans through a bite wound or scratch from a hunted chimpanzee
whose blood seeped into a small cut.
Experts believe it
was passed to humans in the early 1900s, somewhere near a West African
rainforest.
Now a study has
backed up this theory, by proving forms of HIV can cross between chimps and
humans.
Bowmanville Zoo co-owner Michael Hackenberger’s
pretrial on animal cruelty charges slated for Sept. 15
A pretrial date has
been set for the case against Bowmanville Zoo co-owner Michael Hackenberger,
charged with animal cruelty.
Sept. 15 is when the
Crown and defence lawyer David Elmaleh will return. The case was carried over
from a judicial pretrial conference Thursday, July 21 to allow more time for
the lawyers to prepare their arguments.
Mr. Hackenberger did
not make an appearance at the provincial offences court in Whitby on Thursday.
His lawyer appeared on his behalf.
A publication ban is
in place.
The Ontario Society
for the Pr
Dr Fidgett’s A-Z of Zoo Animal Nutrition
Would you like to
own a strictly-limited edition children’s book ‘Dr Fidgett’s A-Z of Zoo Animal
Nutrition‘ and create a better climate for women in science? Designed to
inspire the zoo nutritionist in everyone, the book includes 26 original and
beautiful illustrations of wildlife, donated by wonderfully generous and
talented friends. Your purchase includes the option to add a personal
dedication in the book for someone you love!
Cheers to All of the Zookeepers
Cheers to the
zookeepers among you.
To the people who
wake up early, long before the sun rises to begin preparing the animals’ diets
in the always-clean commissary. To the ones that rinse lettuce and kale for the
sulcata tortoises, roll raw meatballs for the Sumatran tigers, and load bales
of hay and alfalfa into wheelbarrows and trucks for the Grevy’s Zebras, white
rhinoceroses, and Thomson’s gazelle that all share the same sprawling exhibit.
Cheers to you who cut up squash and sweet potatoes just the way that the picky
eleven-year-old three-toed sloth prefers. To those who hand feed the Magellanic
penguins individual capelin to make sure each of the fourteen birds gets their
fill.
AKF Dedicated Issue – Gorillas
Gorillas are managed
as intensively as any species in the zoo industry. This issue highlights some
of the outstanding and innovative work being performed by AAZK members to
conserve the sustainability of gorilla populations both in situ and ex-situ.
A World Like No Other for Flamingos
There are alien
landscapes that change as quickly as the altitude ranging from the lowland
rainforest of Bolivia’s Madidi where new species are being discovered regularly
to the 250-mile-wide salt desert where islands are covered in 30-foot-tall
cacti.
My field trip in
early April started in the altiplano, the high plains, where airplanes don’t
need to descend, they just land. The adventure included a few cab rides, a
puddle jumper, and a six-hour off road drive that brought us close to 15,000
feet above sea level to Laguna Colorada at the top of Bolivia. This location is
one of the world’s largest breeding sites for three of the six flamingo species
– Chilean, Andean, and Puna. They congregate in the tens of thousands each year
to feast on the phytoplankton and look like a sea of crimson pink in the
mid-day sun. Researchers and many local people came together to identify, band,
catalog, and release over 1000 yearlings (year-old flamingos) in just a few
hours.
It was amazing to be
part of the effort to help save these
MSc Zoo Conservation Biology induction information
2016/17
Wild birds 'come when called' to help hunt honey
New findings suggest
that the famous cooperation between honeyguide birds and human honey hunters in
sub-Saharan Africa is a two-way conversation.
Honeyguides fly
ahead of hunters and point out beehives which the hunters raid, leaving wax for
the birds to eat.
The birds were
already known to chirp at potential human hunting partners.
Now, a study in the
journal Science reports that they are also listening out for a specific call
made by their human collaborators.
Experiments
conducted in the savannah of Mozambique showed that a successful bird-assisted
hunt was much more likely in the presence of a distinctive, trilling shout that
the Yao hunters of this region learn from their fathers.
"They told us
that the reason they make this 'brrrr-hm' sound, when they're walking through
the bush looking for bees' nests, is that it's the best way of attracting a
honeyguide - and of maintaining a honeyguide's attention once it starts guiding
you," said Dr Claire Spottiswoode, a researcher at the University of
Cambridge, UK, and the University of Cape Town, South Africa, w
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New Meetings and Conferences updated Here
New Meetings and Conferences updated Here
If you have anything to add then please email me at elvinhow@gmail.com
I will include it when I get a minute. You know it makes sense.
Recent Zoo Vacancies
Vacancies in Zoos and Aquariums and Wildlife/Conservation facilities around the World
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About me
After more than 47 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 writes about these in his blog http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/
or on Hubpages http://hubpages.com/profile/Peter+Dickinson
Peter earns his living as an independent international zoo consultant, critic and writer. Currently 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, a people watcher, a lover, 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"
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant        |
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