Zoo News Digest 22nd March 2019 (ZooNews 1011)
Peter Dickinson
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
So sorry to learn about Chester Zoos Elephant. I don't pray but I do send my most sincere hopes and wishes that something positive is learned and there is a full recovery.
We really need to catch these last Vaquita, regardless of the consequences. If we don't then by this day next month there will probably be none left. Gone forever
I was wondering about Jakarta allocates Rp 1 billion for zoo renovation design competition and whether any sort of preservation order will be in place. The big cat enclosures here were designed, built and paid for by John Aspinall. The rest of the zoo really could do with a makeover. Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta is among the most visited in the world. On New Years Day 2016 182,061 visitors were recorded. That's just one day!!!
"good zoos will not gain the credibility of their critics until they condemn the bad zoos wherever they are." Peter Dickinson
Lots of interest follows.
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Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 109,000+ Followers on Facebook( and over 109,000 likes) and has a weekly reach often exceeding over 350,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 900 Zoos in 155+ countries? That the subscriber list for the mail out reads like a 'Zoos Who's Who?'
If you are a subscriber to the email version then you probably knew this already. You would also know that ZooNews Digest pre-dates any of the others. It was there before FaceBook. It was there shortly after the internet became popular and was a 'Blog' before the word had been invented. ZooNews Digest reaches zoo people.
I remain committed to the work of GOOD zoos,
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Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 109,000+ Followers on Facebook( and over 109,000 likes) and has a weekly reach often exceeding over 350,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 900 Zoos in 155+ countries? That the subscriber list for the mail out reads like a 'Zoos Who's Who?'
If you are a subscriber to the email version then you probably knew this already. You would also know that ZooNews Digest pre-dates any of the others. It was there before FaceBook. It was there shortly after the internet became popular and was a 'Blog' before the word had been invented. ZooNews Digest reaches zoo people.
I remain committed to the work of GOOD zoos,
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This Elusive Marine Creature Is Going Extinct Before
Our Eyes, With Barely 10 Left Alive
In the Gulf of California, an
innocent, once-flourishing animal is on the verge of disappearing from the
world forever: a victim of nets, and the humans who lay them.
The vaquita, the world's
smallest and most endangered cetacean, is almost gone. Last week, scientists
announced only about 10 of these porpoises are left in the ocean, with their
best estimates ranging between 6 and 22 individuals.
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-world-s-most-rare-marine-mammal-is-down-to-10-left-make-that-9Jakarta allocates Rp 1 billion for zoo renovation design competition
The
Jakarta administration is set to hold a design competition for the renovation
of Ragunan Zoo. The city has allocated Rp 1 billion (US$70,000) for three
winners.
Zoo
management head Widodo said the revitalization would be aimed at making the zoo
a conservation center and recreational site.
Chester Zoo's baby elephant Indali tests positive for
killer disease
Worrying news to report from
Chester Zoo where two-year-old Asian elephant calf Indali Hi Way is receiving
treatment after testing positive for killer disease Elephant endotheliotropic
herpesvirus (EEHV).
The zoo’s baby elephants
Nandita and Aayu tragically died in October last year from EEHV.
On a positive note, Indali
has shown no outward signs of illness or symptoms, indicating the test result
from the zoo’s new on-site research facility has detected the virus at the earliest
possible moment.
World's smallest bears' facial expressions throw doubt
on human superiority
It is the first time such
exact facial mimicry has been seen outside of humans and gorillas.
The research, by Dr. Marina
Davila-Ross and Ph.D. candidate Derry Taylor, both at the University of
Portsmouth, is published in Scientific Reports.
The researchers studied sun
bears—a solitary species in the wild, but also surprisingly playful—for more
than two years.
They found bears can use
facial expressions to communicate with others in a similar way to humans and
apes, strongly suggesting other mammals might also be masters of this complex
social skill and, in addition, have a degree of social sensitivity.
Dr. Davila-Ross said:
"Mimicking the facial expressions of others in exact ways is one of the
pillars of human communication. Other primates and dogs are known to mimic each
other, but only great apes and humans, and now sun bears, were previously known
to show such complex
The Chester Zoo William Oliver Philippine Champion
Award 2019
honours the legacy of William
Oliver (1947 – 2014); a dedicated champion for the wildlife of the Philippines.
Application deadline: 31st
March 2019
Training dates: 10-30th
October 2019
Contact more more details: conservation@chesterzoo.org
Documents show
animal welfare concerns at Henry Vilas Zoo, harassment complaints against
director
Documents
released by Dane County this week in light of an ongoing dispute over the
operations of the Henry Vilas Zoo show a zoo accreditation agency had concerns
with animal welfare around the same time complaints were raised against the
zoo's director.
Lions, other
animals to be saved from Gaza zoo: welfare group
Forty
animals including five lions are to be rescued from squalid conditions in the
Gaza Strip, an animal welfare group said Wednesday.
The
animals would be taken out of a zoo in the Palestinian enclave and relocated to
sanctuaries in Jordan next week, the Four Paws organization said.
Among
the other animals to be taken out are a hyena, monkeys, wolves and porcupines,
the organization said in a statement.
Rafah
Zoo in southern Gaza confirmed the agreement, saying they weren’t receiving any
funds for the animals and couldn’t provide proper care for them in the strip.
33-Pressures of
the Koala Conservation Sector
Planning
for the future: Thinking outside the box!
The
word "accountability" is relevant in the conservation sector, where
there's no real accountability if something goes wrong. Conservationists work
in an open environment which is why various non-profit organisations are
unwilling to take full control or responsibility: because there is no fencing
in national parks (or areas where koalas generally exist), and because of this,
no one can be totally to blame.
Saving the last
population of 'Pitihi'
'Pitihi'
is the local name for Ultramarine Lorikeet – a real jewel of nature, daintily
sporting a dazzling array of feathers in varying shades of blue. Like many
other species native to oceanic islands, the wild population of this exquisite
lorikeet has diminished to the edge of extinction. It is endemic to the
Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, where it used to occur on at least six
islands, but it is now almost certain to remain on just one – Ua Huka.
The
progressive reduction in Pacific island lorikeet populations and current patterns
of distribution are closely related to the presence or absence of Black Rats,
as these invasive, non-native agile climbers predate the eggs and chicks.
Additionally, all islands have been seriously impacted by high levels of fire
and grazing by goats and horses, while much of the original dry forest has been
reduced to grassland. Even upland forests have sustained extensive damage.
Other invasive species established on Ua Huka that could pose a threat include
exotic birds that may transmit diseases, and an increasing number of feral
cats, Yellow Crazy Ants and Singapore Ants. Some areas of habitat are also
still cleared to plant crops and to produce wood carvings for tourism. As a
result, Ultramarine Lorikeet appears in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
as Critically Endangered.
Metro defends zoo
policy
The
profile of the campaign to close East London zoo has been raised by
world-renowned conservationist and documentary filmmaker John Varty playing a
series of concerts in the city this week, but BCM has implored the public to
get a first-hand experience of the facility in order to be better informed.
East
London Zoo has come under fire from political and civil groups insisting
conditions are unacceptable and the animals’ enclosures are too small.
Varty
and his band, the Wildlife Warriors, arrived in the city at the weekend and
have linked up rights group Ban Ani
Peaceable Kingdom
in the South of Jakarta
The
legendary Ragunan Zoo in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, can be too quiet about
its achievements. Not many people know that the 140-hectare zoo, first opened
in 1864 when Indonesia was still known as the Dutch East Indies, is a
successful breeder of the rare Bali myna (Leucopsar rothschildi) and Pangolins.
Earlier this year, the zoo cured a siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) from a
severe influenza. And have you seen the fat, healthy, huge silverback gorillas
at their often-overlooked Schmutzer Primate Center? All of this is the
handiwork of its hard-working and often unappreciated zookeepers.
The
Jakarta Globe visited the zoo on Wednesday (20/03) at lunchtime to see how the
zookeepers interact with giraffes, birds, gorillas and pangolins in their
conservation areas.
Every
zookeeper in Ragunan lives and breathes with the animals, and knows all their
habits and quirks. The giraffe keeper knows the magnificent African animals get
hungry every 10 minutes and demand to be brought fresh leaves. The gorilla
keepers of
Eternal shell:
Sacred turtle embalmed in Hanoi
A
sacred giant turtle that died in Hanoi's storied Hoan Kiem lake has been given
a new lease on life by city authorities who have embalmed the beloved creature
for posterity -- and tourist visits.
Hanoians were shocked by the death of the
critically endangered Swinhoe softshell turtle in 2016, believing its passing
was a sign of ominous times ahead. The
reptile is believed to be the last in a long line of large turtles in the
city's central Hoan Kiem lake, revered as symbols of Vietnam's independence
Whipsnade Zoo
welcomes two ‘rare’ baby wolverines
A
rare addition to UK species has been captured on camera at Whipsnade Zoo
following the birth of two wolverines.
The
pair are the first to be born at the zoo as part of a European-wide breeding
programme, with the numbers of wolverines in the wild decreasing.
The
gender of the kits, currently nicknamed Logan and Hugh, is not yet known.
They
were born to three-year-old mother Fi and 10-year-old father Puff on February
18.
Sick Lions Mean
Tough Decisions For Pakistani Zoo
For
zoos across the globe, keeping animals healthy is a top priority. However, not
every zoo has the tools and medical staff needed. The failing health of a pair
of lions may force the Lahore Zoo Safari to euthanize these magnificent animals.
VOA’s Zia-Ur Rahman filed this report from Lahore, Pakistan narrated by Bezhan
Hamdard.
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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 50 years working in private, commercial and National zoos in the capacity of keeper, head keeper and curator Peter Dickinson started to travel. He sold house and all his possessions and hit the road. He has traveled extensively in Turkey, Southern India and much of South East Asia before settling in Thailand. In his travels he has visited well over 200 zoos and many more before 'hitting the road' (many more before that) 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, an introvert, a people watcher, a lover, a storyteller, a thinker, a cosmopolitan, a writer, a hedonist, an explorer, a pantheist, a gastronome, sometime fool, a good friend to some and a pain in the butt to others.
"These are the best days of my life"
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
*****
About me
After more than 50 years working in private, commercial and National zoos in the capacity of keeper, head keeper and curator Peter Dickinson started to travel. He sold house and all his possessions and hit the road. He has traveled extensively in Turkey, Southern India and much of South East Asia before settling in Thailand. In his travels he has visited well over 200 zoos and many more before 'hitting the road' (many more before that) 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, an introvert, a people watcher, a lover, a storyteller, a thinker, a cosmopolitan, a writer, a hedonist, an explorer, a pantheist, a gastronome, sometime fool, a good friend to some and a pain in the butt to others.
"These are the best days of my life"
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