Zoo News Digest 23rd June 2019 (ZooNews 1034)
Photo by Alexander Sliwa
elvinhow@gmail.com
Dear Colleague,
The other day a message appeared on one of the Facebook Groups (now deleted) asking "What zoos should I visit in X area because I don't want to visit a Bad Zoo?"
This is not an unusual Post and you will see similar posted every single day. There may be a twist on the question and it may be "What is the best zoo to visit in X area?"
I replied to that first question with "Zoo professionals need to visit Bad zoos to educate themselves" to which the poor girl took offence. Anyhow who says it is a Bad Zoo? Peta? ZooCheck? Born Free? TripAdvisor? or or or?
One persons best movie is another persons worst.
As zoo professionals we owe it to ourselves to visit all the zoos we can. We can learn from each and every one of them. I have worked in some bad zoos and tried to improve them...but I knew they were bad.
Back in circa 1974 I was staying on Grand Bahama and had the opportunity to visit Florida for half a day. I could have gone to Miami Seaquarium but I chose to visit the Seminole Indian Village and Zoo. It was awful... but I learned a lot.
I have visited a bunch of really terrible zoos since and I daresay I will visit a lot more. There are more bad zoos out there than good ones...but that's just my opinion.
I recall doing an Inspection on a certain zoo. It passed. It dropped into the good category. A couple of years later I went to work there. Within a fortnight I learned that it was all a lie and it was probably the worst facility I had ever worked in. In spite of being in a senior role there was nothing I could do about it so I resigned. It is amazing what a bit of window dressing can do....hence I am in favour of impromptu zoo inspections...and talking to staff is critical.
TripAdvisor and its ilk are not a valid measure of what is bad or good. We have had a new Dolphinarium open in Pattaya recently. This apparently has "the best dolphin show in Southeast Asia" Who says? Their website says. Who pulls together the websites for zoos? The zoos do.
It really is up to you to visit places off the grid. You may discover some gems but there again you will find horrors but you will learn.
Thank you for all the kind messages related to my health. Taking each day as it comes.
Thank you for all the kind messages related to my health. Taking each day as it comes.
"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 110,400+ Followers on Facebook( and over 110,500 likes) and has a monthly reach often exceeding over 1000,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 900 Zoos in 155+ countries? That the subscriber list for the mail out reads like a 'Zoos Who's Who?'
If you are a subscriber to the email version then you probably knew this already. You would also know that ZooNews Digest pre-dates any of the others. It was there before FaceBook. It was there shortly after the internet became popular and was a 'Blog' before the word had been invented. ZooNews Digest reaches zoo people.
I remain committed to the work of GOOD zoos,
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Did You Know?
ZooNews Digest has over 110,400+ Followers on Facebook( and over 110,500 likes) and has a monthly reach often exceeding over 1000,000 people? That ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 900 Zoos in 155+ countries? That the subscriber list for the mail out reads like a 'Zoos Who's Who?'
If you are a subscriber to the email version then you probably knew this already. You would also know that ZooNews Digest pre-dates any of the others. It was there before FaceBook. It was there shortly after the internet became popular and was a 'Blog' before the word had been invented. ZooNews Digest reaches zoo people.
I remain committed to the work of GOOD zoos,
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ELEPHANT ATTACKED MAN IN
THE ZOO ON (PHOTOS)
The trainer African Lion
Safari was seriously injured after it was attacked the elephant. It is reported
by the police. Now the man is in hospital in Hamilton.
The ambulance had to drive
through wildlife Park in the countryside of Hamilton, which is about 30 km from
the city centre. The incident occurred today, Friday afternoon.
Trainer seriously injured
after elephant attack at Ontario's African Lion Safari
A trainer at African Lion
Safari has suffered serious injuries after police say he was attacked by an
elephant.
Emergency officials were
called to the drive-through wildlife park in rural Hamilton, about 30
kilometres from the city centre, Friday afternoon.
Phuket Opinion: Cruelty is
in the eye of the beholder
Officials this week clearing
Phuket Zoo of any allegations of animal cruelty hardly came as a surprise. They
have been cleared before, and not just in the death of three-year-old baby
elephant Jumbo just last month.
Phuket Zoo never faced any
charges for the highly-publicised death of Milo the orangutan in 2016 – even
though the zoo never had a permit for her and even dumped her in the jungle
near the Khao Phra Thaew Non-Hunting Area Conservation Centre in Thalang before
officials “had the chance” to find her being kept at the zoo.
In fact, Phuket Zoo has never
faced any harsh action for any impropriety whatsoever.
A key factor in the
inspecting officials’ attitudes this week was probably best summed up by Natawon
Jumlonggard, Chief of the Phuket office of the Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environment (MNRE).
FCCT The Plight of the
Tiger – Commodification of a Giant Panel Discussion
VIDEO
Excellent Articles
FOLLOW THE LINK
Keeping elephants in
captivity - are zoos educational, useful?
From their very beginnings,
zoos and aquariums have evolved into the establishments we know today. Some
would applaud the incredible transformations these facilities have gone through
over the years.
Others would say these
changes are not nearly enough and that the animals are better off in the wild.
If this is the case, then one
needs to ask: “Do we have a ‘wild’ that is able to support the diversity of the
animal kingdom?”
Joe Exotic Built a Wild
Animal Kingdom. He Was the Most Dangerous Predator of Them All.
Joe Exotic said kill her and
do it soon.
The “gay, gun-toting cowboy with
a mullet,” as he liked to call himself, stood on the front porch of his
Oklahoma zoo around midnight, speaking to the man he’d decided would kill his
arch-rival. He proposed $5,000 upfront and a few thousand more after the deed,
to be financed by selling off a rare lion-tiger hybrid—not a difficult task for
North America’s most notorious big-cat breeder.
Tribals to hold protest
against zoo on Sunday
Members of the tribal
community settled in Aarey Milk Colony will be protesting on Sunday against
handing over of 120 acres of land to the
Brihammumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a proposed zoo.
Former Mumbai Congress chief
Sanjay Nirupam along with tribal leader Shiva Gavit will be organising the
protest at the proposed site of the zoo. The protest is expected to begin at
noon.
ZSL London Zoo trials
world’s first plant selfie
ZSL scientists have laid the
groundwork for the world’s first plant selfie at ZSL London Zoo, in a
technological feat that could transform animal conservation – with a little
help from the Zoo’s visitors.
Work has begun on a
pioneering scientific trial in ZSL London Zoo’s Rainforest Life exhibit that
will see microbial fuel cells power a plant to take its own picture - with the
ultimate aim of using plants to power camera traps and sensors in the wild,
allowing conservationists to monitor habitats remotely.
The Zoo is now calling on
people to show their support for Pete - a maidenhair fern with delicate leaves
and shiny stalks - by cheering him on as he grows in strength and prepares to
snap his own selfie in the name of science.
No, a gorilla did not
swallow N6.8m in a Nigerian zoo. Here’s how the false story got out
If a viral story in Nigeria
is to be believed, a very hungry gorilla swallowed N6.8 million at a zoo in
Kano state. But we visited the zoo -- there’s no trace of a gorilla there, and
managers say it has never housed a gorilla in its 47-year history. Umar Yusuf,
the manager of the zoo, said the N6.8m ($18,862) was stolen by armed robbers.
This post by BBC Pidgin,
shared over a thousand times, and archived here, quoted a local privately-owned
radio station as repoorting that an unnamed zoo official claimed the money was
swallowed by a huge gorilla. The BBC, however, said in its report that it could
not independently verify the claim.
https://factcheck.afp.com/no-gorilla-did-not-swallow-n68m-nigerian-zoo-heres-how-false-story-got-out
Animals That Died At
Marineland Are Allegedly Being Used To Promote The Park And People Are Not
Happy
Last week, we wrote a story
about how Marineland was "exempt" from Canada's new ban on whale and
dolphin captivity, a bill that passed in the House of Commons last week.
The reality is, Marineland is
being held to the same standards as any other marine animal facility under the
new law. The "exemptions" they mentioned were just stipulations of a
grandfather clause that is allowing facilities to maintain ownership of animals
they already have.
In fact, Marineland can no
longer breed or import any more whales, porpoises or dolphins, and they can no
longer export animals (which was practiced by way of animals trades) unless
that animal is being moved somewhere that is in the animal's "best
interest."
Rise of the Extinction
Deniers
Extinction’s not a
problem, right?
That’s actually a point made
quite a bit lately by a group of “extinction deniers”—people who use the
relatively low number of confirmed extinctions to say there’s no such thing as
an extinction crisis. These industry shills came out of the woodwork in the
wake of the recent Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services report that predicts the world faces up to one million
extinctions in the coming decades due to human activity.
The Real Reason Aquariums
Never Have Great White Sharks
The reason that you never see
great white sharks in aquariums seems obvious, right? You might assume it’s
because they’re dangerous… except that’s actually not the reason why (although,
they’re just one of the animals out there that aren’t as dangerous as we all
think). Throughout the years, many aquariums have actually attempted to
showcase a captive great white alongside the other sharks that you may find on
display, but it never ends well for the great white shark.
Emaciated polar bear found
in Russia taken for treatment
An emaciated polar bear seen
roaming around an industrial city in Russia far south of its normal sea ice
hunting grounds is being transported to a zoo for examination and treatment.
The bear was spotted earlier
this week in Norilsk, a city of 175,000 people that above the Arctic Circle but
400 kilometers (250 miles) inland from the sea ice polar bears normally hunt
on.
SE Asia’s tigers hit hard
by tourism, captive breeding
ainland Southeast Asia has a
tiger problem. Numbers are going in completely the opposite direction that
officials and animal lovers want – plunging in the wild and soaring in
captivity.
Rampant mass tourism and use
of tiger bone and parts in products boasting Chinese medicinal “benefits” has
put a high price on these iconic animals. Never has this magnificent animal
been so threatened and exploited.
A panel of experts outlined
the status of tigers at a forum in Ba
Lion keeper at Oaklawn
Farm Zoo has unique bond with big cats
Maria Weinberg says she is a
dog lover. But cats — large cats — are her passion.
Weinberg looks after a pride
of five lions at Oaklawn Farm Zoo and enters their enclosure several times
every day.
"They are very friendly
with me and they love to be groomed," said Weinberg, who has worked at the
zoo for 14 years. "But there are times when they want to be left alone,
which is normal and understandable."
Moreno wants more animals
in Manila Zoo
MANILA Zoo will stay.
This was assured yesterday by
Manila Mayor-elect Isko Moreno, after he rejected the idea of turning the zoo
into a mall or a casino.
Instead, Moreno said the
botanical aspect of the zoo will be further enhanced, which is consistent to
its name “Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden”.
“Andun pa rin ‘yung mga hayup
pero dadagdagan ko, ‘yung something na puwedeng mapag-aralan ng mga estudyante
para maging mas kapaki-pakinabang,” Moreno said. “Nakakaawa na kasi ‘yung
elepante. Tsaka kailangan merong bago like plants, birds, flowers,” he added,
saying that the elephant named “Mali” might be older than him.
Moreno also said that plans
to privatize the zoo last year had been rejected by the Manila City Council.
Lipsi Sanctuary to Offer
Rescued Dolphins a Safe Home
The Dodecanese island of
Lipsi will soon be home to dozens of dolphins rescued from captivity on the
initiative of the Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation (AIMC).
According to the AIMC, the
Lipsi refuge is the world’s first permanent sanctuary for dolphins rescued from
captivity offering safety and care to stranded, injured and formerly captive
dolphins as well as other marine animals.
ETHICAL ECOTOURISM IS GOOD
FOR CONSERVATION
As summer brings longer and
warmer days, it also ushers in long-awaited vacations and global adventures.
Traveling to faraway places can allow us to marvel at nature and wildlife––but
how we choose to appreciate it has more impact than most realize.
Vol 34, No 6 (2019): June
Full Issue
| View or download the full issue https://www.zoosprint.zooreach.org/index.php/zp |
BMAC
BARBARY MACAQUE AWARENESS
& CONSERVATION
Annual Report – 2018
Death of mother prompts
adolescent chimps to look after their siblings
Adolescent chimpanzees adopt
their younger siblings if their mothers die. The older siblings keep a close
watch on the youngsters, protect them from threats, and give them lots of
comforting snuggles.
The finding adds to the
evidence that chimpanzees can understand when others are suffering, and to some
extent can help them. In line with this, a second study shows that chimpanzees
have a strong emotional response when they see that another chimp, or a familiar
human, is injured.
Court Ruling Could Save Petting
Zoo Wolves From Being Killed for Their Fur
A troubling facility in
Minnesota that bizarrely operates as both a petting zoo and fur farm is now
facing legal action for killing federally protected gray wolves.
Fur-Ever Wild in Lakeville
invites visitors to play with wolf pups, but what many people may or may not
realize is that once they get too big they’re killed and skinned for their fur
and other parts.
How Social Media Often
Supports Animal Cruelty and the Illegal Pet Trade
Whether you find it
fascinating or disquieting, people recognize the inherent similarities between
us and our closest primate relatives, especially the great apes. As a
primatologist I regularly field questions ranging from how strong gorillas and
chimpanzees are (very) to whether monkeys throw poop (not yet observed in the
wild) to how smart they are (let's just say I can't compete with their
puzzle-solving abilities).
Interspersed with the fun and
interesting facts I share
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After more than 50 years working in private, commercial and National zoos in the capacity of keeper, head keeper and curator Peter Dickinson started to travel. He sold house and all his possessions and hit the road. He has traveled extensively in Turkey, Southern India and much of South East Asia before settling in Thailand. In his travels he has visited well over 200 zoos and many more before 'hitting the road' and writes about these in his blog http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/Hubpages http://hubpages.com/profile/Peter+Dickinson
Peter earns his living as an independent international zoo consultant, critic and writer. Until recently working as Curator of Penguins in Ski Dubai. United Arab Emirates. He describes himself as an itinerant zoo keeper, one time zoo inspector, a dreamer, a traveler, an introvert, a people watcher, a lover, a storyteller, a thinker, a cosmopolitan, a writer, a hedonist, an explorer, a pantheist, a gastronome, sometime fool, a good friend to some and a pain in the butt to others.
"These are the best days of my life"
"These are the best days of my life"
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