Zoo News Digest: January 2019

ZooNews Digest 20th - 26th January 2009 (Zoo News 574)

https://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

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Peter Dickinson elvinhow@gmail.com

Dear Colleagues,

Desperate to get this out...proving to be nearly impossible from my

at present, undisclosed location. Some will be pleased as I am having

to forego part of my usual rant.

The death of the Markhor in Calgary was a regrettable accident. Note

both those words 'regrettable' and 'accident'. Nobody planned it and

nobody was happy it happened. Nobody it would seem apart from the

California-based 'In Defense of Animals' who can then start spouting

off with after the event expertise on a cage fixture which had been

in place for several years. Such incidents are not helped at by

insane newspaper headings like "Goat Takes Own Life; Hanged Itself at

Zoo."....what is this? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

On with the links:

Zoo death called preventable

An animal rights group is upset with the recent death of a turkmenian

markhor at the Calgary Zoo, calling the incident preventable.

The large, wild goat died Friday afternoon after becoming entangled

in a play toy.

Catherine doyle, a representative with California-based in defense of

animals, commended the zoo for using play toys that provide

enrichment, but noted there is tubing and hosing available to cover

http://www.canada. com/calgaryheral d/news/story. html?id=f6d66257 -a24f-

4fe5-ba04-1694521c8 bab

Goat Takes Own Life; Hanged Itself at Zoo

The Calgary Zoo was unable to save an exotic wild goat after shocked

onlookers watched it hang itself accidentally when a rope used to

dangle a toy ball got tangled around its neck. One witness's attempt

to notify them was met with little concern.

"She said, 'Oh, they do that all the time,' and didn't really seem to

distressed about it," said Aubrey Williams, who felt help came too

slow. "It was quite a few minutes. It wasn't five. It was

http://www.shortnew s.com/start. cfm?id=76348

Zoo officials rescue leopard trapped in bathroom after 8-hour

operation

At 7 am on Sunday, panic gripped the residents the of GIDC colony

near Vallabh Vidyanagar after a male leopard in search of prey,

probably a dog, entered the area and injured a six-year-old boy in a

primary school.

The predator finally entered the house of a security officer and got

trapped in the bathroom. It took Sayaji Baug zoo officials nearly

eight hours and two tranquiliser shots to bring the leopard under

control. They were later cheered at by the 5,000-odd residents of the

area. It may be mentioned here that there is no forest circle in

Anand district.

This is the second such incident in two years. A similar incident had

occurred at Amitnagar Society of Karelibaug in Vadodara district,

when a young big cat had entered a bathroom and was rescued after a

five-hour long struggle. Another leopard had entered Mayo Hospital in

Vadodara, which was deserted several years ago.

Sapna Singh, a witness, said, "My husband, who works as a security

personnel with the Elicon Group of Industries, was out on duty at

8.30 am when this incident occurred." Singh, who is a tenant, was

washing clothes; and after she was alerted by her neighbour, she

rushed into her room. The other neighbour was so scared that she

refused to talk to the press. Singh, a mother of two children,

said, "I held my nerve, as I knew that the leopard is inside the

bathroom. I shut the entrance and waited for the rescuers to come."

Ilyas Multani, who is

http://www.expressi ndia.com/ latest-news/ zoo-officials- rescue-leopard-

trapped-in-bathroom -after-8hour- operation/ 412408/

Jaguars quarantined after zookeeper attacked

Two jaguars at the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo were in

quarantine Monday following an attack by at least one of them that

critically injured an animal care worker.

The woman was attacked around 11 a.m. Sunday while working in the

interior den area of the jaguar enclosure, the zoo said in a

statement.

When she called for help, staff moved the animals from the interior

den to the exterior exhibit area, the statement said. The woman was

given first aid by staff and emergency medical technicians before

being brought to Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore.

Zoo officials are investigating the attack. The zoo is in Thurmont,

about an hour outside Baltimore.

The worker suffered several bite wounds, according to Harold Domer,

Frederick County Animal Control director. There was never any risk to

anyone else, he said. The zoo is closed to the public for the season.

The attack occurred in an indoor area that has a steel door to the

outside exhibit area.

Domer said the worker was attacked by a male jaguar weighing between

180 and 200 pounds. He said animal control workers did not know for

sure if the second jaguar, a female, entered the indoor area or took

part in the attack.

According to Domer, an inspection Monday showed the door "has several

devices that allow the door to be locked." He called the safety

precautions "extremely adequate." I

http://www.wtop. com/?nid= 598&sid=1578525

Senior Ragunan Zoo curator speaks out for orangs

Ragunan Zoo senior curator Ulrike Freifrau von Mengden on December

30, 2008 for the second time in three years put her unpaid job and

her home inside the zoo at risk by speaking out on behalf of the

orangutans she has looked after ever since the zoo opened.

Prompting von Mengden's concern each time were the implications for

nearly 50 orangutans of a long-evolving deal whereby the Ragunan Zoo

is reportedly to acquire a female gorilla from the Howletts Wild

Animal Park in Britain in early 2009, in trade for 12 primates of

Indonesian species.

Brokered by Gibbon Foundation director Willie Smits, a Dutch-born

Indonesian resident, the exchange was disclosed in February 2006.

Five silvery gibbons and several Javan langurs were sent to Howletts.

Smits credited Howletts with curing the gibbons of diseases and

getting them out of small cages.

Preparations to receive the female gorilla are still underway,

Ragunan Zoo spokesperson Bambang Wahyudi recently told Mariani Dewi

of the Jakarta Post.

The female gorilla is expected to arrive after a Ragunan Zoo

veterinarian, a senior keeper, and a data base administrator complete

three months of training at Howletts. Their training started in

October 2008.

The series of animal swaps that are to culminate in the Ragunan Zoo

acquring the female gorilla began coincidental with the opening of

the Puck Schmutzer Primate Center in 2002, when Howletts sent four

young male gorillas to the Ragunan Zoo. Only three of the gorillas

have been mentioned in recent Ragunan Zoo announcements and media

coverage. The International Primate Protection League has

received a report that the missing

http://redapes. org/zoos/ senior-ragunan- zoo-curator- speaks-out- for-

orangs/

Southeast Asia's largest artificial sea inaugurated in Binh Duong

Dai Nam Sea is the largest artificial sea in Southeast Asia. It is

21.6ha, with a total water surface area of 20,000sq.m and coast of

1.4km long.

The artificial sea has beaches, with artificial waves up to 1.6m high.

The Dai Nam Sea will be opened for the public this lunar New Year.

The Lac Canh Dai Nam Van Hien project, which opened last September

after nearly ten years of construction, has become the largest-ever

tourism area in Vietnam. Located in Thu Dau Mot town, about 40km

northwest of HCM City, the sprawling complex includes man-made lakes,

rivers and mountains as well as a wide range of recreational

facilities.

The company has invested VND1,800 billion, or some US$110 million, in

the first phase of the project. Facilities now available include a 9-

hectare temple area, a square, food and game areas, and open zoo.

Upon arriving at the complex visitors first see the Dai Nam Van Hien

Temple, one of the most important structures in the park. The temple

contains historical exhibits and is used as a place of worship.

Exhibits from various Vietnamese dynasties are on display there.

The site also has a 12.5-hectare open zoo, which is home to rhinos,

white lions, tigers, elephants, bears, ostriches, chamois

http://english. vietnamnet. vn/lifestyle/ 2009/01/824732/

15 sharks die at Indianapolis Zoo

An entire species of shark has been wiped out at the Indianapolis

Zoo. The zoo says 15 sharks died overnight in their aquarium. They

say the cause was human error.

Bonnethead sharks used to live in an aquarium at the Indianapolis

Zoo. Now only two lone snapper are left after their 15 Bonnethead

neighbors died from too much ozone. The ozone is used to keep the

tank clean.

"It wasn't any kind of gross negligence or someone who didn't know

what they were doing. It was a real misunderstanding about the

location of a sensor," Paul Grayson with the Indianapolis Zoo said.

The zoo says on Monday, it had to shut down the ozone generator, and

a special sensor

http://www.wishtv. com/dpp/news/ local/region_ 1/15_sharks_ die_at_Indiana

polis_Zoo

Zoo Negara not ideal place to house pandas

SAHABAT Alam Malaysia (SAM) wishes to express its stand against the

proposed acquisition of giant pandas for Zoo Negara.

An astronomical sum of RM30mil for this exchange programme is

ridiculous and serious consideration should be given as to whether

Zoo Negara has the resources to sustain this animal for a long time.

Not forgetting that it has to maintain the services of the staff and

veterinarian and the pandas' special diet of bamboo.

After all, the zoo is always dependent on gate collections,

sponsorships and donations for the running of its large menagerie. So

should Zoo Negara spend such an enormous amount on acquiring the

pandas?

The zoo is already overstocked with over 5,000 animals from about 450

species, many of which are high-profile animals.

The money should instead be channelled to manage the resident animals.

It is no secret that the zoo is sorely in need of space, development

of naturalistic exhibits and environmental enrichment.

Head swaying, pacing in circles,

http://thestar. com.my/news/ story.asp?

file=/2009/1/ 21/focus/ 3061932&sec= focus

Jack Hanna announces his support for the L.A. Zoo's controversial

elephant exhibit

Celebrity zookeeper Jack Hanna weighed in today on the hot topic of

Billy, the sole elephant resident at the L.A. Zoo. In a letter to

the L.A. City Council, Hanna pledged his support to the

controversial "Pachyderm Forest" project, which will cost $42 million

if completed as originally planned.

There's been a great deal of debate over Billy's living

arrangements. As our colleague Carla Hall reported last month,

construction on the Pachyderm Forest has been halted over concerns

not just over cost but also Billy's well-being:

"Our zoo is trying to do the best job they can with the real estate

they have and the budget they have," said Councilman Tony Cardenas,

who conceived the motion to stop construction of the exhibit and move

Billy to a sanctuary. "Elephants don't fit in zoos; they have

ailments they don't get out in the wild. Whether it's an acre or

three to four acres, it's inadequate."

Hanna writes about a tour he took of the Pachyderm Forest

construction site last month:

"What I [found] was a project taking shape that will set a new

standard for the care of elephants at zoos, providing a home that

will be even larger than what Asian elephants enjoy at the San Diego

Wild Animal Park. Not only will Billy and any future residents have

a huge amount of space in which to roam, they will continue to enjoy

24-hour monitoring, state-of-the- art medical care, love, nurturing

and a level

http://latimesblogs .latimes. com/unleashed/ 2009/01/jack- hanna-

anno.html?cid= 144624096# comments

Slain Congolese ranger called 'exceptional'

Colleagues and bloggers are praising a park ranger shot dead last

week in Congo's Virunga National Park as a brave and committed

protector of gorillas.

Federal and local authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo

continue to probe the death Thursday night of Safari Kakule, who was

killed when Mai Mai rebels attacked a ranger station in the northern

section of the park -- a refuge for rare gorillas.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss," said Virunga National Park

Director Emmanuel de Merode.

In a tribute on a blog on the park's Web site, de Merode

wrote, "Safari was an exceptional ranger" who had worked with

gorillas for several years.

"Recently he had trained as a para-vet, and he was expected to play

http://edition. cnn.com/2009/ WORLD/africa/ 01/12/congo. slain.ranger/

Huge Population Of Endangered Asian Elephants Living In Malaysian Park

New data released by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Malaysia's

Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) reveals that a

population of endangered Asian elephants living in a Malaysian park

may be the largest in Southeast Asia.

WCS and DWNP researchers estimate that there are 631 Asian elephants

living in Taman Negara National Park – a 4,343 square kilometer

(1,676 square mile) protected area in the center of Peninsular

Malaysia. The new results confirm the largest-known population of

elephants remaining in Southeast Asia.

The WCS/DWNP team counted elephant dung piles to estimate population

size—a scientifically proven technique that produces accurate

figures. There were no previous scientific population surveys for

elephants in the park, according to DWNP and WCS.

"The surveys reveal the importance of Taman Negara in protecting

wildlife especially those species that need large home ranges. DWNP

will continue to safeguard this national park, which is the crown

jewel of Malaysia's protected areas system. The numbers of elephants

is testament to the importance of the park in protecting wildlife,"

said Dato' Rasid, Director-General of the Department of Wildlife and

National Parks.

"This new survey shows that Taman Negara National Park is one of the

great strongholds for Asian

http://www.scienced aily.com/ releases/ 2009/01/09011420 5447.htm

Hair Of Tasmanian Tiger Yields Genes Of Extinct Species

All the genes that the exotic Tasmanian Tiger inherited only from its

mother will be revealed by an international team of scientists in a

research paper to be published on 13 January 2009 in the online

edition of Genome Research. The research marks the first successful

sequencing of genes from this carnivorous marsupial, which looked

like a large tiger-striped dog and became extinct in 1936.

http://www.scienced aily.com/ releases/ 2009/01/09011220 1131.htm

Zoo has optimism for 2009

Director clarifies orangutan issue

After surviving a tumultuous 2008, The Zoo Northwest Florida begins

the new year with a renewed sense of optimism and determination.

The Zoo suffered several financial crises in 2008 that forced it to

rely on volunteer efforts, government grants totaling $275,000 and a

large private donation to remain open.

The private donation from an unnamed donor in Connecticut made The

Zoo a target of criticism from the Association Zoological Aquariums

(AZA) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The two organizations were concerned about The Zoo's intentions to

separate a 3- year-old orangutan, Indah, from her mother, Sara, in

return for a $100,000 loan to cover The Zoo's operating costs.

The AZA has developed Species Survival Plans (SSP) as guidelines to

manage the populations of endangered species in captivity. The

orangutan SSP recommends that a mother and child not be separated

until the child is seven or eight years old.

Danyelle Lantz, executive director of the animal park, explained that

the donor intends to be a long-term investor in The Zoo and that the

baby orangutan would only leave under a worst-case scenario.

"She has a private zoo herself, and she's very blessed in her

financial situation," Lantz said. "She has both the passion for

animals and the financial means to step in and help, so she is

working with the private owners of the zoo to try and get the debt

paid off.

"We worked out a loan that is set up with a demand note with the baby

orangutan as collateral. If she's able to work out the deal with the

owners, the baby orangutan will never leave the zoo, and that's what

we're really hoping for."

In a letter to Lantz, a representative of PETA urged The Zoo to

cancel the "heartless and immensely cruel plan." The letter went on

to say that separating the mother and child would "surely leave the 3-

yearold with lifelong emotional scars."

Lantz disagrees.

"Is it ideal? No, and my analogy is if you were 13 and your parents

sent you to a boarding school," Lantz explained. "Is it ideal? No,

but could you still end up at Harvard? Yes. It's kind of the same

thing. It's not the same love and care as being in mom's arms until

you're seven, but it's not detrimental to the baby, mother or the

father to separate them at this point."

Chuck Emling, owner of The Club Family Sports in

http://www.gulfbree zenews.com/ news/2009/ 0115/front_ page/001. html

UAE Helps Arabian Oryx Return to Natural Habitat

wenty Arabian Oryx will be released back into their natural habitat

in Jordan in March, as per the instructions of General Shaikh

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy

Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Arabian Oryx had disappeared from the area seven decades ago.

Eight Oryx males and 12 females will be released in Wadi Rum

Protected Area, as part of the sponsorship agreement that was signed

between the Environment Agency — Abu Dhabi (EAD), which chairs the

Coordinating Committee for Conservation of Arabian Oryx, and Al Aqaba

Special Economic Zone Authority in April 2007.

Fifteen were transferred to Jordan last weekend and five more will be

transferred in the next two weeks.

Fifteen animals were transferred to Amman in a military aircraft, in

coordination with the UAE Armed Forces, while Al Ain Wildlife Park

and Resort prepared the Oryx for release, by conducting medical

checkup and administering the necessary vaccinations.

The 20 animals, which are the first to be released in Wadi Rum, will

be placed in enclosures to allow them the opportunity to adapt to the

desert habitat.

Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary-General of EAD, said reintroducing the

Arabian Oryx into its natural habitats in Jordon is part of the UAE's

effort to conserve these species, which is not only endangered but

also an important part of the Arabian peninsula's heritage.

"All of these efforts are translation of the vision and wise

directives of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al

Nahyan, and inspired by the legacy of the Late Shaikh Zayed bin

Sultan Al Nahyan."

Al Mansouri also pointed out that the vision

http://www.khaleejt imes.com/ darticlen. asp?

xfile=data/theuae/ 2009/January/ theuae_January34 4.xml&section= theuae

Helpful rodents join Safari team

A PAIR of life-saving baby rats are the latest arrivals at Knowsley

Safari Park.

Desperate Dan and Independent Eddy are Giant Pouched Rats which can

grow up to three feet long and be trained to sniff out explosives and

a killer disease.

The pair are used to find land mines in Mozambique and test people

for tuberculosis (TB) in neighbouring Tanzania.

The rats can smell 150 samples of human saliva to test for TB in just

30 minutes, whereas a doctor can test only 20 samples a day.

Similarly they are trained to wear a harness and lead their trainers

to land mines buried in the earth

http://www.liverpoo lecho.co. uk/liverpool- news/local- news/2009/ 01/21/a-

pair-of-life- saving-baby- rats-are- the-latest- arrivals- at-knowsley-

safari-park- 100252-22741119/

Elephants pack trunks for zoo

Belfast Zoo is to become a "retirement home" for female elephants.

The zoo is already home to 44-year-old Tina, and she will soon be

joined by other elderly, non-breeding female elephants.

The zoo said it was likely that some of the elephants would be from a

circus background.

In preparation, international elephant expert Alan Roocroft is

spending four days with the elephant team at the zoo to advise on the

challenges of elephant retirement.

Mr Roocroft has over 46 years experience in managing elephants,

including 19 years in the world famous, San Diego Wild Animal Park

and Zoo.

"We want to create habitats for our elderly females. I am using my

knowledge to create an environment with more enrichment activity," he

said.

In 2008, the zoo implemented a form of contact with elephants known

as protective contact.

This gives elephant's complete freedom of movement within the

confines of the enclosure and means

http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 2/hi/uk_news/ northern_ ireland/7844447. stm

Fewer Mountain Gorillas Than Believed

Bad news from Uganda: the mountain gorilla population in the Bwindi

Impenetrable National Park is smaller than previously estimated.

Until recently, environmentalists believed 336 gorillas resided in

the park. Now it looks like the number has dropped to 302.

Why the change? The population numbers are usually collected by

counting nests and examining the dung left outside each site. Every

gorilla builds a nest and before leaving home in the morning,

defecates outside. It seemed like a good way to count the animals

with minimal human disturbance. But a new genetic method of counting

yields different numbers. A team from the Max Planck Institute for

Evolutionary Anthropology in Liepzig, Germany tested DNA samples from

each of the dung piles and found the number of gorillas dropped by

ten percent.

"We assumed that each individual constructs a single nest, but

genetic analysis shows that several individuals construct more than

one nest," says Katerina Guschanski, head of the German research

team. Like lowland gorillas

http://www.popsci. com/environment/ article/2009- 01/fewer- mountain-

gorillas-believed

Highland Wildlife Park to receive some new residents from Japan

The

Highland Wildlife Park is making room for some new arrivals from

Edinburgh Zoo.

The Highland Wildlife Park is making room for some new arrivals from

Edinburgh Zoo.

A family group of breeding Japanese serow, which is related to both

the mountain goat and antelope, are to be established at the popular

attraction by Kincraig.

These animals are found in the conifer forests in the highlands of

Japan, where humans encroaching on their habitat and the popularity

of hunting have made them an endangered species.

The Japanese Government intervened and has placed the serow on the

international endangered animal register to protect them.

Doug Richardson, head of animal collections at Kincraig, told the

Strathspey and Badenoch Herald: "We will be putting the serow in with

the Macaque monkeys.

"It will be a very interesting combination, and one that

http://news. stv.tv/scotland/ 71414-highland- wildlife- park-to-receive-

some-new-residents- from-japan/

Zoo's pride as lions that dodged missiles prepare for parenthood

Cowering in the toilets as the missiles fell, Saher and Sabrina

narrowly escaped becoming casualties of the 23-day conflict.

Nearly all their fellow inhabitants had died. This week the couple

were rescued, starving, afraid — and ready to become parents. "It is

a miracle they survived. Any day she will give birth and she is in a

very delicate state," said Abu Jameel Qassim, 42.

But although it was possible to discern yesterday that Sabrina was an

expectant mother, she was less than forthcoming about the details of

her ordeal. That was because Sabrina and her partner are the pride of

Gaza Zoo: lions.

The two are in a cage while their larger pen is repaired after a

missile tore a hole through its main fence. The cats had slipped

through and ate some of the other

http://www.timesonl ine.co.uk/ tol/news/ world/middle_ east/article5570 052

.ece

Zoo's penguin afraid of water

Keepers at a British zoo said a resident penguin with a fear of water

has become a hit with curious park visitors.

Staff at Blackbrook Zoological Park in Leek, England, said 11-year-

old Kentucky the Humbolt penguin developed a phobia of water because

he was born a runt and had problems with losing feathers too quickly,

making the water too cold for his comfort, The Sun reported Thursday.

"It's a bit too cold for him in the water, so he spends all his time

on the rocks just walking around," said Adam Stevenson, the zoo's

assistant bird keeper. "It's a bit of a pain having to go over

especially to him to feed him because he won't go in the water, but

he's a real character and everyone at the zoo loves him. W

http://www.upi. com/Odd_News/ 2009/01/22/ Zoos_penguin_ afraid_of_ water/UP

I-33331232667971/

Baby ape takes flight -- monkey business class

A baby ape born in the UK is settling into a new life in a German zoo

after flying from Birmingham to Frankfurt -- monkey business class.

The three-month old male bonobo -- who is to be fostered by a family

of German apes after being rejected by his natural mother -- was

considered too young and too fragile to travel cargo class, a

spokeswoman for the UK's Twycross Zoo told CNN.

Instead, the tiny ape named Bili checked in for the Lufthansa flight

with special travel documents -- including a fake passport in the

name of "Bili the Bonobo" -- before taking a seat in the cabin

alongside a handler from Frankfurt Zoo, who had flown over to

accompany him on his unusual journey.

"He was with his keeper

http://edition. cnn.com/2009/ TRAVEL/01/ 23/uk.ape. flight/?

iref=mpstoryview

Rare, endangered primate born at Houston Zoo

There's a new baby lemur at the Houston Zoo.

Zoo officials say the as yet unnamed baby Coquerel's sifaka was born

Jan. 6 and is doing fine. The Houston Zoo is one of only five in the

country that are home to the rare and endangered sifaka. It is the

first such birth for the zoo as well as for the proud parents, mom

Zenobia and dad Dean.

The large arboreal, acrobatic lemurs are found only in Madagascar, an

island nation off the southeastern coast of Africa in the India

http://www.usatoday .com/news/ nation/2009- 01-23-lemur_ N.htm

Wolf escapes from zoo by gnawing out of enclosure

A wolf escaped from a zoo after gnawing her way out of her enclosure

and was only discovered missing when a member of the public drove

past.

An investigation has been launched into how the wolf was able to

escape at Combe Martin Wildlife Park, Devon.

Zoo officials believe she had been outside the park perimeter for

around half an hour.

It is thought she may have become frightened and bit her way through

the thick wire enclosure in a fit of terror.

Combe Martin Wildlife Park spokesman Kat Whitehouse-Tedd

said: "During the incident, park authorities said at no time had the

wolf posed any sort of threat to humans or other animals and had not

been in any danger herself."

She added: "We think she'd been digging, trying to get out, but she

obviously couldn't because the wire goes right under the enclosure,

so she chewed her way through.

"We think something must have spooked her but we don't know what."

The two other wolves who lived in the same enclosure made no attempt

to escape, and Mrs Whitehouse-Tedd said the female wolf was pacing

the outside of the enclosure when staff found her, searching for her

way back in.

Mrs Whitehouse-Tedd said all the enclosures were checked last thing

on Sunday evening, and nothing was wrong with the wolves, so the

incident must have happened overnight on Sunday to Monday morning.

As soon as they became aware the wolf was

http://www.telegrap h.co.uk/news/ uknews/4318657/ Wolf-escapes- from-zoo-

by-gnawing-out- of-enclosure. html

Feeding time at Jakarta's Ragunan Zoo: What's on the menu?

In the Schmutzer Primate Center at Ragunan Zoo, two male orangutans,

six females and three babies share two hectares of land.

The 11 orangutans eat a breakfast of corn cobs, bananas, oranges and

other fruits at 8 a.m. The food is scattered about the enclosure.

At lunch, they are fed again. This time peanuts are added to the mix.

They return to their cage at around 4 p.m. to be given another

portion of mixed fruits.

The orangutans - Zidane, Putu, Pinky, Inah, Midah, Mada, Vonny, Bili,

Milo, Ziko and Olive - have three zookeepers caring for them.

The gorillas - Kimbo, Komu and Kihi - are even better-off.

They share a one-hectare island.

The gorillas are owned by Howletts Wild Animal Park of Canterbury,

England.

Four gorillas came to Ragunan in 2002. In early 2008, the youngest of

them, Kijoum, 11, died.

Mimi Utami, the zoo's general curator, says Kijoum died from a

stomach illness triggered by stress.

Kijoum, she says, was bullied by the dominant gorilla, Kimbo, who was

entering maturity with no female in sight.

The three remaining apes have four meals a day, says one keeper.

A typical breakfast for them is bread and milk. At 9 a.m, and 3 p.m.,

they eat fruit. And at 4 p.m, they devour a dinner of boiled eggs,

potatoes and broccoli, mixed with mint leaves or cilantro, to keep

them warm at night.

Mimi says each gorilla and orangutan receives about 10 percent of

their weight in food each day. An adult orangutan can weigh between

100 and 150 kilograms, she adds.

The primates living outside the center eat exactly the same menu,

depending on their species, she says.

But at lunchtime, there is no keeper in sight at the cages.

"I noticed that someone did not give them food throughout the day,"

Mimi says. "They were probably given the entire day's helpings in the

morning.

"It is not right and could cause illness. We have talked to the

[keepers], and will increase supervision. "

Some keepers, however, bring in special foods for certain individual

apes, Mimi says. "Some keepers love the animals so much they know

which food they prefer."

(From the Jakarta Post....no link working just now)

White tigers to be brought to Van Vihar Park from Orissa

A pair of white tigers was likely to be brought to the Van Vihar

National Park here from Nandan Kanan Zoo in Orissa soon.

Permission in this regard would likely be issued by the Central Zoo

Authority (CZA) soon under an exchange agreement with Nandan Kanan

Zoo, an official release quoting Madhya Pradesh Forest Minister

(Independent Charge), Rajendra Shukla said in Bhopal.

Under the agreement, the Van Vihar would give a tigress, Sara and a

pair of jackals to the Nandan Kanan Zoo while get tiger Bhagat and

tigress Lalita from it when the CZA approves the exchange offer, he

said.

Shukla said that Additional Chief Secretary (Forest), Prashant Mehta

and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF), P B Gangopadhyay

had gone to Orissa for a meeting recently where they also saw the

tiger pair at Nandan Kanan Zoo.

The Minister also instructed the departmental officials to develop a

Safari Park at Rewa which is the birth place of white tigers

http://www.zeenews. com/sci-tech/ eco-news/ 2009-01-26/ 501635news. html

Endangered Arabian leopard's hopes of survival get a boost

Crouching behind a rock, Hector, a four-year-old Arabian leopard,

eyes onlookers suspiciously.

Three months after arriving at Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort he is

still a little shy around visitors.

Hector was born in captivity at the Breeding Centre for Endangered

Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah. So far, his contact with humans has

mostly been limited to a keeper and veterinary staff.

If he settles well in Al Ain, Hector's caretakers plan to bring in a

female leopard from another centre in the Middle East for him to

breed with. The park is the newest member of a network of facilities

in the Middle East dedicated to boosting the endangered Arabian

leopard population by loaning each other animals for breeding.

The long-term aim of the facilities, which include a wildlife resort

in Saudi Arabia, two in Yemen and another in Muscat, is to

reintroduce the species to safe areas in the wild.

A senior official at the Al Ain park said staff tried to make sure

Hector's new home resembled the natural environment and landscape of

his original habitat.

"They are from hilly areas historically, " he said. "They once lived

here at Jebel Hafeet and in the north of the UAE, some areas of Oman,

Yemen and Saudi Arabia."

Hector has already been taking interest in his new home and seems to

be slowly gaining confidence.

"Before he was hiding all of the time but now we see him walking

around the area," said the official. "He collects his food from the

rocks and takes it into the back room, usually, to eat it."

There are only about 250 wild Arabian

http://www.thenatio nal.ae/article/ 20090125/ NATIONAL/ 793922534/ -1/NEWS

Fourteen die in storms across France and Spain as a million lose power

President Sarkozy sent troops to help to restore services to more

than a million homes in southwest France yesterday after the fiercest

storms in a decade killed 14 people in France and Spain.

Mr Sarkozy, who visited the scenes of destruction in Bordeaux, said

that the army would help electricity workers and emergency services

to get life back to normal after roads and railways were closed and

falling trees cut power supplies across the region.

The worst storm since December 1999 blew in from the Atlantic and

across southwestern France and northern Spain, ripping off roofs and

flattening thousands of trees. Hundreds of generators were being

delivered to retirement homes and other priority sites to tide them

over until power returned. The French weather agency Météo-France

asked residents to stay indoors.

The highest number of casualties was in Spain, where four children

were killed when part of a sports hall collapsed on them when they

sought shelter from 150km/h (93mph) winds on Saturday afternoon. They

had been pla

http://www.timesonl ine.co.uk/ tol/news/ world/europe/ article5586727. ece

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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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www.zoolex.org in January 2009

~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~ ~°v°~

Hello ZooLex Friend,

We have worked for your enjoyment!

~°v°~

NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION

In 2005 the Taronga Conservation Society Australia opened Wild Asia,

an exhibit area for the display of Asian rainforest animal species.

The fishing cat exhibit gives visitors the opportunity to observe

these cats from a shelter with under water viewing. The fishing cat

exhibit is next to the tapir exhibit in order to represent how the

species share similar habitats.

http://www.zoolex. org/zoolexcgi/ view.py?id= 881

~°v°~

SPANISH TRANSLATION

Thanks to Eduardo Diaz Garcia we are able to present the Spanish

translation of the previously published Malayan tapir exhibit at the

Taronga Conservation Society Australia:

http://www.zoolex. org/zoolexcgi/ view.py?id= 1007

~°v°~

ZOOLEX EDITORS

We are pleased to introduce a new ZooLex editor:

David McGuire, Vice President, Architecture and Planning,

Saint Louis Zoo, Missouri, United States of America

The quality of ZooLex publications is ensured by our editorial board

whose members edit and comment on all newsletters, gallery

presentations

and papers prior to publication and dissemination. We wish to thank

all

our editors for this valuable support.

http://www.zoolex. org/editors. html

~°v°~

We keep working on ZooLex ...

The ZooLex Zoo Design Organization is a non-profit organization

registered in Austria (ZVR-Zahl 933849053). ZooLex runs a professional

zoo design website and distributes this newsletter. More information

and

contact: http://www.zoolex. org/about. html

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PROTECTED CONTACT TRAINING AND ENRICHMENT WORKSHOP

May 10 - 14, 2009

Presented by Active Environments

Hosted by Performing Animal Welfare Society

Instructors: Gail Laule, Margaret Whittaker, Alan Roocroft, and Val

Hare

1Active Environments, Inc., 2Elephant Business, 3The Shape of

Enrichment

Active Environments is proud to present the fourth elephant Protected

Contact Training and Enrichment Workshop, hosted by the Performing

Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) at the ARK 2000 facility in San

Andreas, CA. This four and a half-day workshop is designed for

keepers, managers, supervisors, curators, and veterinarians working

with both Asian and African elephants.

Workshop curriculum will focus on the fundamentals and practical

application of protected contact as a comprehensive system for the

management of captive elephants through classroom instruction,

discussion, group activities, demonstrations with Asian and African

elephants (bulls and cows), and hands on training and enrichment

opportunities with the elephants. Workshop content will also include:

designing and sustaining an effective environmental enrichment

program; behavioral problem solving; foot care; exercise program

design; medical management through voluntary cooperation;

physical restraint and immobilization; and protected contact facility

design. Registration is limited to 25 participants. The Workshop

format is designed to maximize the value for each individual

participant and as much as possible to address specific situations,

needs, problems, and objectives.

Be prepared to interact, share, and participate to make the

experience as useful and relevant to you as possible.

The registration fee (TBD) includes the following:

* all workshop materials

* all breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and 3 dinners

* closing banquet

* transportation to and from the hotel to the PAWS

Sanctuary/Workshop location

* commemorative Workshop T-shirt

We have reserved a block of rooms at the Holiday Inn Express,

Jackson, CA.

The hotel is located about 20 minutes from PAWS' ARK 2000 facility,

and is about an hour from the Sacramento Airport. There are plenty of

fun things to do around Jackson, so it should be a great place to

spend free evenings.

For further information contact:

Active Environments' Office

7651 Santos Road Lompoc, CA 93436

Tel: 805-737-3700, Email: active.environments @earthlink. net

Or: Margaret Whittaker (Active Environments)

Tel: 832-428-9637, Email: indu22@earthlink. net

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Tourists claim Phuket zoo smuggled in orang-utans

By: APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

Published: 22/01/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

A wildlife conservation group has accused a Phuket private zoo of

smuggling in 10 young orang-utans and other wild animals.

The group has filed a complaint with the National Park, Wildlife and

Plant Conservation Department.

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand secretary-general Edwin Wiek

said he had received complaints from local and foreign tourists who

suspected the young orang-utans had been smuggled in.

He said the ape population had risen by just two in November, but

this month there was an increase of 10.

"We tried to check the import licences with the department and found

that there were none," Mr Wiek said.

"So we would like the department to urgently investigate the case."

He said other animals at the zoo that could not be accounted for

included gibbons, langurs and tigers.

The orang-utan is listed with the Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species (Cites) which only allows for the exchange of

animals for research purposes.

Orang-utans, an endangered species, are mostly found in Borneo and

Sumatra.

Mr Wiek said the illegal wildlife trade had expanded into many

tourist attractions such as Phuket and Ko Samui.

On Samui, many tourists pay to have their pictures taken with young

gibbons on the beach.

Chatchawan Pisdamkham, director of department's Wildlife Conservation

Office, said he would send a team to investigate the case soon.

"We can't say at the moment whether it is legal," he said. "Our

investigating team will travel to the zoo. If zoo officials have

conducted their business illegally, the animals will be confiscated. "

He said it was difficult to return confiscated animals back to the

jungle, saying there must be strong evidence to verify their original

habitat.

Most of confiscated wildlife will be sent to breeding centres around

the country.

In a bid to stop the illegal wildlife trade, the department has

introduced a programme which will use informants to notify officers

about the wildlife trade, especially in restaurants.

"It will be very useful for us to get new information from our

network," he said.

Meanwhile, wild elephant calves along the Thai-Burmese border run a

grave risk of being hunted for illegal sale overseas, according to

Alongkorn Mahannop, a veterinarian at Chitralada Palace.

Mr Alongkorn said there was no end in sight for the smuggling of wild

elephants, especially young calves along this border area.

Elephant calves can fetch 800,000 to a million baht locally, but the

value increased to between 10 million and 20 million baht on overseas

markets.

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7th International Penguin Conference

DATE: August 30 to September 3, 2010

LOCATION: Boston Massachusetts, USA

HOSTED BY: The New England Aquarium

Looking forward to seeing you in 2010 ~

Heather Urquhart

Penguin Exhibit and Collection Manager, New England Aquarium

Chair, International Steering Committee

7th International Penguin Conference

ipcboston@neaq. org

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International Conference on Environmental Enrichment

Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, Devon , UK

Sunday 31st May to Friday 5th June 2009

UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE

Talks and posters

You still have time to sign up to give a talk or present a poster.

Have you had an enrichment success? Have you had an enrichment

failure? Everyone can learn from your experiences, so share them at

ICEE9 .

Great hotel offers

Three Torquay hotels are offering excellent discounted rates for

people coming to ICEE9 . The Corbyn Head Hotel, Livermead House Hotel

and Livermead Cliff Hotel are all within walking distance of the

conference venue, the Riviera International Conference Centre.

ICEE9 delegate offer:

Bed & Breakfast £45 (normally £60)

Dinner, Bed & Breakfast £60 (normally £80)

NOTE – you MUST mention ICEE9 when booking to get these rates. Go to

www.corbynhead. com/, www.livermead. com/, or www.livermeadcliff. co.uk/.

Symposia filling up fast

Symposia topics which have been confirmed include:

· Realising the potential of plants in enrichment and animal

welfare (chaired by Kevin Frediani , Paignton Zoo Environmental

Park , UK )

· Reptile enrichment (chaired by Mike Bungard , Paignton Zoo

Environmental Park , UK and Richard Gibson, North of England

Zoological Society, Chester Zoo)

· Understanding predictability to improve animal welfare

(chaired by Hannah Buchanan-Smith, University of Stirling and Mark

Kingston Jones, Howletts and Port Lympne)

· Enrichment evaluation, does it matter? (chaired by Margaret

Hawkins, Taronga Conservation Society, Australia )

· Modern enrichment (chaired by Valerie Hare, Shape of

Enrichment).

Keynote speakers – latest news

We can announce that Gordon M. Burghardt, Alumni Distinguished

Service Professor, Departments of Psychology and Ecology &

Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee , will be one of

our guest speakers at ICEE9 . Gordon's distinguished academic career

has greatly increased our knowledge of reptiles - find out more at:

http://psychology. utk.edu/people/ burghardt. html

Louise Bauck from Brenau University , USA , has been selected for the

Shape of Enrichment travel grant. She is to present a paper on

budgerigar enrichment.

How to register

The registration fee of £225 includes refreshments and lunches during

the conference plus a free drink at the icebreaker and some of the

social events during the week.

Deadlines approaching

The deadline for submitting talks and posters is 31st January 2009 .

The deadline for early registration is 28th February 2009 .

The deadline for registration is 30th April 2009 .

Contact details

Tel. 44 (0)1803 697572, e-mail ICEE9@paigntonzoo. org.uk

Website http://www.reec. info/ICEE9. htm

Seeking to Invent new ways to Create opportunities for natural

behaviours, Enrich the lives of our animals and Evaluate the results.

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Zoo News Digest

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

ZooNews Digest 10 years ago