ZooNews Digest 5th - 11th June 2009 (Zoo News 600)

ZooNews Digest 5th - 11th June 2009 (Zoo News 600)


http://zoonewsdigest.com/


http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/



Peter Dickinson
peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk



Dear Colleagues,

Last week I pointed out the absolute stupidity of the practice of removing infant Orangutans from their mothers by Taman Safari in Indonesia. Actually, because I can I will repeat it....IT IS STUPID, it is bad management and has no place in the modern zoo.

But folks they are not alone. Look at link number two this week. Again an absolutely crazy daft mad stupid commercially greedy and hang any thought of the animals involved practice. Again this is not unique. Can anyone remind me of what is going on with Orangutan babies in Sabah, Malaysia?

White Tigers figure quite prominently in some of this weeks stories. Abilene has welcomed the animal palmed off by Busch Gardens. I really cannot see the point in keeping an animal that makes no useful contribution to conservation. White Tiger Breeding is Not Conservation
Whereas I am sure it is a lovely animal, the zoo world really has an important message to drive home.
Now Aschersleben Zoo has 'rescued' a white tiger cub? Already they are trying to put a nutty Knut type moniker on the story. Stupid. The cub should have been euthanased.
There are two 'real' tiger stories out there this week. Seoul Zoo has officially registered their Tigers in the International Studbook. Big deal you may think...but it is all the more important because breeding will be managed...and of course there is NO studbook for White Tigers...nor will there ever be.

Before you move on...a little light entertainment: http://whopooped.org/


Way back in 1972 I was offered the opportunity to go to the Faroe Islands to 'rescue' a couple of Pilot Whales for Oceanarium exhibition.

As things stood romance and job prospects were in the way and so a close friend of mine went instead. I recieved a detailed but horrifying account of things on his return. He and his colleagues thought all they need to do was jump and lie across a whale to claim it. After a very long wait for the whales to arrive they jumped. Around them the living whale was cut to pieces by children who stuffed pieces of living whale into their mouths.....I won't go on.

1972...wow...so long ago and yet this barbaric practice continues. How can we in the West condemn any country about what they are doing to their sea mammals whilst this is taking place on our own doorstep? The so called 'civilised' West...the European Union.

I include some links below. I am not a party to any of them and so not vetted in detail and would ask you not to part with cash unless you think it really is going to help: Watch...if you dare

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-223929 http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/denmarks-shame

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/denmark-whaling.shtml

http://www.nowpublic.com/environment/denmark-what-shame-what-does-eu-have-say-about

Before you condemn completely watch this video...you may get half an understanding.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oou3N5ylvdI

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Read my "Quick Guide to Hub Construction." http://ewerl.com/Ua92gJ

I truly believe it will be worth your while. This Weeks Books of Interest to the Zoo Professional
http://moourl.com/6rk1w

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On with links:

Peoria Zoo Ready For Africa Opening

It’s taken close to a decade to get to this point, but the Peoria Zoo’s new Africa exhibit officially opens on Saturday, and it’s been creating quite the buzz.“We've been getting nothing but compliments,” says Dawn Petefish, curator of collections for the Peoria Zoo. “I don't think people expected it to be quite as large as it is, with as many species as we have.”At seven acres, the new exhibit doubles the size of the zoo and provides many opportunities to see everything from rhinos and

http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=62521



Orangutan hospital draws flak

A MALAYSIAN orangutan sanctuary where baby apes wear nappies, sleep in cots and are cared for by nurses dressed in masks and starched uniforms has drawn the wrath of environmentalists. At Orangutan Island in Malaysia's north, tourists snap photos as they file past large windows looking onto a facility billed as the world's only rehabilitation and preservation facility for the endangered primates. Behind the glass, adorable baby orangutans like two-month-old Tuah lie swaddled in nursery sheets and cling to baby rattles. 'He is separated from the mother because his hands got entangled in the mother's hair and was unable to breastfeed,' says the facility's chief veterinarian D. Sabapathy. Tuah lies calmly in his cot with his eyes wide open and hands across his chest, hooked up to cables monitoring his heart beat and oxygen levels, ignoring the passing parade. But the care lavished on the animals, which are fed every two hours by a staff of seven nurses on duty round the clock, is lost on environmentalists who say this is no way to treat wild animals facing the threat of extinction. Managers of the 35-acre island, which is part of a resort hotel development, say they aim to return the animals to their natural jungle habitat, but so far none have been released. 'It is ridiculous to have orangutans in nappies and hand-raised in a nursery. How are they going to reintroduce the primates back in the wild,' said senior wildlife veterinarian Roy Sirimanne. Mr Sirimanne, who has worked in zoos in Southeast Asia and the Middle East over the past four decades, said baby orangutans need to be with their mothers to learn survival skills. 'Keeping the orangutans in captivity on an island is not a conservation programme. It amounts to desecration (of the species) as it is nearly impossible to reintroduce them back to the forest.' Experts say there are about 50,000

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/SE+Asia/Story/STIStory_384005.html




Product Description
In this book, James Murphy follows the changes in zoo and aquarium communities by looking at the development and expansion of the discipline, the evolution of ideas which led to greater conservation awareness and activity, vignettes of interesting historical moments, and pioneers in zoo herpetology. Portraits of a selected number of zoos and aquariums throughout the world are presented to show the chronology of herpetological discovery, people who worked at those places, and the breadth of the programs that were put in place.





Newborn and cranky, baby rhino conceived through artificial insemination debuts at Madrid zoo

Rare baby rhino debuted at Madrid’s zooOnly a month old and already in a bad mood, a baby white rhino conceived through artificial insemination is delighting keepers at a Spanish zoo.The male rhino was born in late April and unveiled this week, and is only the third in the world to be conceived with that technique, zoo veterinarian Enrique Saez said Thursday. The other two were in Budapest, Hungary, over the past two years.The animal weighed about 140 pounds (65 kilograms) at birth and now tips the scales at 220 pounds (100 kilograms). Its mother, named Marina, gave birth after a 509-day pregnancy.Artificial insemination is rarely attempted on rhinos because

http://blog.taragana.com/n/newborn-and-cranky-baby-rhino-conceived-through-artificial-insemination-debuts-at-madrid-zoo-71951/





Planning a tour of European Zoos? You NEED this book.






Further ibex from Czech zoo to be released in Alps

Four young Alpine ibexes, raised in the Chomutov zoopark were transported to the zoo in Innsbruck, Austria, last week in order to be later released in the wild in the Alps, zoopark spokeswoman Martina Pelcova told CTK Thursday.The first similar "ibex consignment," three male and three female ibexes, was delivered from Chomutov to Austria two years ago."The ibexes are part of the reintroduction programme that is to support their return to the wild and the preservation of their wild population," said Pelcova.Apart from ibexes, the Chomutov zoopark has been participating in the reintroduction of wisent, another endangered species.The first couple of wisents from Chomutov were

http://praguemonitor.com/2009/06/05/further-ibex-czech-zoo-be-released-alps



New bird found in Koshi Tappu

Ornithologists have found yet another species of bird in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve area in Sunsari. The new bird has been identified as Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus). According to a press statement issued by Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN), ornithologists Tika Giri and Barry McCarthy found the bird for the first time in the country in one of the islands of Koshi River on December 25, 2008. Since then Giri has seen this bird at least three times again. Giri has recorded around 750 bird species in the country -- more than any other ornithologists´ total for this country -- so far.The bird forms part of a large bird family known

http://myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=5039


Encyclopedia of the World's Zoos (Hardcover)



If you have been thinking of buying this three volume set and have been waiting for the price to come down...well it isn't. It is going up. If you have not even considered the purchase...then you should. This is more than an encyclopedia of zoos...it is much more than that. It is a valuable working reference. It should be on the bookshelf of every zoo and animal management college wherever.

I parted with all my books along with my house and all my possessions when I hit the road to travel. I have very few regrets but parting with my set of Encyclopedia of the World's Zoos is definitely one of them. Okay I know they went to a good home but for for a rock bottom bargain price. Buy yours now while you can.





White tiger at Abilene Zoo

A white Bengal tiger named Havar is ready to greet visitors at the Abilene Zoo.The 325-pound male tiger, which was donated to the zoo by Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Florida, arrived earlier this week. Havar is approximately 8 years old.The Abilene Zoo is located in Nelson Park


http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/jun/03/white-tiger-abilene-zoo/



Who's who in the zoo Head curator Paul Hamilton shows off some of the sea life on display at Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. (Video)

http://www.gulfnews.com/gntv/videos/10321131.html


Bird traders complain of receiving cold shoulder from govt

The Birds and Animals Business Association (BABA) has complained that the government continues to neglect the matter of the preservation of their businesses, while a letter has also been written to President Asif Ali Zardari to appeal for help in this regard, The News has learnt.BABA comprises breeders, local buyers and sellers, exporters and importers, carpenters engaged in making wooden crates, boxes, packers (skilled and unskilled labour), transporters, forwarding agents and (bird) feed sellers. Officials from the association alleged that the discouraging attitude of certain government officials and unnecessary propaganda has resulted in their businesses being ruined. “We have been repeatedly requesting the ministries and departments concerned to consider our request through various letters and reminders, but we have been unable to get a response from their side,” said the letter written to the president, which bears the signatures of BABA President Abdul Raheem and General Secretary Syed Airaj Ahmed. According to the letter, the export business of exotic birds was a source of foreign revenue till a few years ago, while thousands benefited from the employment

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=182247



Wildlife Conservation Society supports world's first study of egg-laying mammal

A Wildlife Conservation Society research intern working in the wilds of Papua New Guinea has successfully completed what many other field biologists considered "mission impossible"—the first study of a rare egg-laying mammal called the long-beaked echidna. The WCS-supported study—which consisted of thousands of hours of grueling field work in Papua New Guinea's Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area—took Muse D. Opiang, now of the Papua New Guinea Institute of Biological Research,

http://notepad.mail.yahoo.com/YYY,26f631/srt,0/?v=161&i=5962&SW=&PSW=&POS=0&CID=3



Zoo officials blame rubber ball for lion's death

A 10-year-old lion at the southern Nevada zoo has been euthanized after falling ill in the span of just a few days. Zoo director Pat Dingle says he believes the lion's illness was a result of eating a rubber football. The half-eaten ball was discovered last week in the lions exhibit. The animal, named Midas, was housed in an exhibit that borders a thrift store run by Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada. Dingle says store employees have a history of tossing

http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_12535688



Black Rhino Translocated from Czech Republic to Tanzania

On Friday last week, Tony Fitzjohn, the Field Director of the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust - who has been working with the Government of Tanzania for 20 years in Mkomazi National Park - took delivery of three black rhino from the Dvur Kralove Zoo, Czech Republic.The three rhino had earlier been crated at Dvur Kralove Zoo in Czech Republic and then carefully transported on a 1,000 km road trip to Amsterdam.They were accompanied by Dr. Pete Morkel (probably the best rhino vet in the world), ex Head Rhino Keeper of Port Lympne Berry White and the Dvur Kralove rhino keeper Honza were with them.The animals then rested for the day at Schipol Airport in a privately set-aside hangar.They were loaded that night and flew through the night to Kilimanjaro International Airport. The Martin Air agent advised us that the aircraft

http://www.coastweek.com/060609-03.htm


Handbook of Mammals of the World, Vol 1 - Carnivores (Hardcover)






Conservation team fear tigers under further threat

SOUTH Cumbrian animal conservationists fear that the rare breed of tigers they protect are now under even greater threat – with human lives also at risk.Paper manufacturers have got permission to clear an area of natural forest in Indonesia, which caused dismay at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, which funds the Sumatran Tiger Conservation Programme.Visitors to the Dalton zoo last year alone helped raise £100,000 to help protect the endangered species.However, a joint venture company of Asia Pulp & Paper/Sinar Mas Group recently got a licence to clear the largest portion of natural forest remaining outside the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park.David Gill, zoo owner and chairman of The Sumatran Tiger Trust, says the national park is vital for an estimated 100 of the last 400 critically endangered Sumatran tigers left in the wild.Mr Gill said: “Sumatran tigers are on the brink of extinction and Bukit Tigapuluh is one of the most important habitats remaining for them. Tigers already struggle to survive and

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow/conservation_team_fear_tigers_under_further_threat_1_564618?referrerPath=news







Racine zoo monkey celebrates record birthday

A monkey at the Racine Zoo is believed to be the oldest of her species in the world. Julie, a patas monkey, was born in May 1982 and has lived at the zoo her entire life. Jay Christie, president and CEO of the zoo, says zoo officials have concluded that she's the oldest in the world. He says it's unlikely that a patas monkey would reach age 27 in the wild. The zoo celebrated Julie's birthday last month by giving her a layer cake made of mashed primate biscuits layered with bananas and grapes and frosted

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-racinezoo-oldmonk,0,3201176.story



New manager: park will be open again in three months

Zoo troubleshooter Tim Husband has been hired to sort out the Zion Wildlife Gardens in Whangarei, where a keeper was killed by a tiger last month.He has a three-month contract to iron out safety concerns and get the place reopened for customers to see its 40 big cats.After keeper Dalu Mncube's death on May 27, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry closed the wildlife park until it was satisfied the place was well managed and the animals' welfare was not compromised.The Department of Labour has also served Zion management with two improvement notices; one requiring the park to meet MAF standards for fencing and the other concerning measures to protect staff where segregation from animals is not possible.Mr Husband was raised in Whangarei. He and wife Wendy have operated a New South Wales-based Zooworks business, doing consultancy work in Australian and Asian zoos.He has a reputation as a hard-headed administrator."I don't muck around. I was called the aggressive

http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/local/news/new-manager-park-will-be-open-again-in-three-month/3798566/



Chimp chomps Berlin zoo director's finger


Director was feeding walnuts to a male chimpanzee named Pedro
Doctors say the Berlin Zoo's director will likely lose the finger a chimpanzee nearly bit off as he tried to feed it.Director Bernhard Blaszkiewitz was feeding walnuts to a male chimpanzee named Pedro on Monday when it bit his right index finger almost completely off.Doctors say Blaszkiewitz underwent an eight-hour operation to reattach it, but it became infected. Surgeon Andreas

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31188936/



Baby tiger born prematurely, taken in by zoo director

Germany's Aschersleben Zoo is home to more than 100 animal species, but the flavour of the month is a two month-old white tiger cub. The cub has been making its debut appearance at the zoo this week. The cuddly animal which owes its striped white fur to a genetic condition was already compared to Germany's famous ice bear Knut. The director of Aschersleben zoo, Dietmar Reisky kept his new star secret for the first eight weeks, due to the low chance of survival. The tiger's mother gave birth prematurely to four tiger babies on April 5th, with each weighing 800 grams.That's less than half of the usual weight of a ne

http://www.3news.co.nz/News/InternationalNews/Baby-tiger-born-prematurely-taken-in-by-zoo-director/tabid/417/articleID/107560/cat/61/Default.aspx



Seoul Zoo Tigers Can Now Mate Worldwide

The tigers at Seoul Zoo have been listed on an international studbook. Seoul Zoo in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on Monday said it has registered 52 tigers on the international tiger studbook, a worldwide breeding register recognized by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and managed by Leipzig Zoo in Germany. Currently, 24 tigers live at Seoul Zoo. WAZA asks zoos around the world to register 148 species of wild animals which are in danger of extinction on the register supervised by the Committee for Inter-regional Conservation Coordination. Seoul Zoo became a full member of WAZA in 2000 and joined the International Species Information

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/06/02/2009060200552.html




Traveling? Take some of the worries away. Uses in a zoo situation? There are times I could have used one.




Anthony Browne: gorillas in his midst


The award-winning author and illustrator is the new Children’s Laureate — and his mission is to champion picture story-booksAuthors of children’s books can usually be relied on to promote their work with enthusiasm, but Anthony Browne is more game — some might say reckless — than most when it comes to getting his message across to young readers. His best known book is a modern classic, Gorilla, and primates crop up often in his work. Years ago, not long after two keepers had been killed by a tigress owned by the late John Aspinall at Howlett’s Wild Animal Park, a TV producer thought that it would be a good idea for Browne to talk about his books while sitting inside a gorilla enclosure. As he entered the cage Aspinall threw in some rose petals, which gorillas apparently regard as a treat. This seemed to excite them and one sank its teeth into Browne’s leg. “It was the most horrendous pain I have ever felt in my life.” The beast was kicked away and the cameras rolled. “I had jeans on and they were fairly tight and holding my muscle in place. I didn’t know what to do. I was terrified of the gorillas and I was


http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article6464248.ece




Check temperatures from a distance. Monitor your terrariums and tanks in an instance from the outside. Invaluable tool for keepers in a variety of settings. A 'must' for curators, reptile keepers and zoo inspectors.




African Safari picks zoo director

African Safari Wildlife Park, the Midwest's only drive-through safari, has named Everett Harris zoo director.Harris has more than 35 years of experience in the zoo community. Harris graduated from Indiana University, and started his career as a zoo keeper at the Indianapolis Zoo. He has managed several institutions, including Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Mich.; Hattiesburg Zoo, in Hattiesburg, Miss.; and most recently, Louisiana Purchase Zoo, in Monroe, La.African Safari, a 100-acre preserve

http://www.portclintonnewsherald.com/article/20090610/NEWS01/906100313



Perak's ambition to upgrade wildlife scene

The Perak Government wants to transform the wildlife centre here — currently the habitat of pheasants, deer and a few seladang — into a world-class conservation centre. Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said recently that he would discuss the possibility of enlarging the area with the Department of Environment.He said: “It's now used for breeding, but I see that there is great potential, because only 50 acres (20ha) of the 2,900ha of the forest reserve has been developed." On average, the centre recorded less than 200 visitors every month, with only 2,180 people visiting last year.National Parks and Wildlife Department state director Shabrina Shariff said yesterday it would take up to five years to upgrade the centre,

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/NewsBreak/20090610161249/Article/index_html




In the modern zoo with its walkie-talkies, mobile phones and similar people tend to forget the simple whistle. A whistle, to me, will always remain an absolutely essential part of a Zoo Keepers equipment. There are days that yours, and others lives could depend on it.




Chinese renege on promise of three rare monkeys for L.A. Zoo

After hiring a feng shui expert and spending more than $7.4 million on a special exhibit, Los Angeles will not be getting three rare golden monkeys from China promised in a 2002 trip led by former Mayor James Hahn, officials said Wednesday. "It was a decision by the Chinese government and we're disappointed," said Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose district includes the Greater Los Angeles Zoo. "But, it is not a waste. We have a beautiful facility and we will put other animals on display there." The agreement to bring in the golden monkeys, identifiable by their blue faces and long flowing blond hair, was developed by Hahn during his trip to China. He went to China hoping to win a panda exhibit for the zoo, but came back with what was seen as a consolation

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_12562751




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ZOO BIOLOGY

The Zoo Biology Group is concerned with all disciplines involved inthe 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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5th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON ULTRASOUND & ASSISTED REPRODUCTION IN ELEPHANTS,RHINOCEROS & GIRAFFES
October 20-23, 2009
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
For Registration please forward before Sept 1st 2009 to Charlie GrayAfrican Lion Safari, RR#1, Cambridge, Ontario N1R5S2, CanadaFAX: (001) 519- 623-9542Email: cgray@lionsafari.com

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To anyone concerned with California Condors and their conservation -- A pending proposal to develop a portion of California's massive Tejon Ranch is under public comment now. Several major conservation organizations, including the California Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and others have publicly celebrated the proposal, which protects in perpetuity approximately 90% of the property. A mitigation plan negotiated with the ranch owners by a panel of condor experts, including Pete Bloom, Lloyd Kiff and Robert Risebrough, has achieved additional benefits for condors on the remaining 10% of the ranch where development has been proposed. This includes altering development plans to preclude development on some significant foraging areas, the provision of new feeding stations to provide clean food for condors as long as the feeding stations are needed (or for fifty years, whichever comes first), the hiring of a full-time condor biologist on site to protect the interests of the local condors, the provision of $250,000 of satellite transmitters for condor tracking, enhanced measures by the ranch to ensure that no lead ammunition is used by hunters on the ranch, and other provisions that the condor panel believe more than offset the loss of a small percentage of the total condor habitat, including some designated "critical habitat" that will be altered by this development. Anyone can read the 70+ page mitigation plan and comment on it by visiting the website of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Ventura, CA. You can Google that information and reach a link to the draft environmental impact assessment. Or the following link may work (I am not sure if it will, but I did copy it from the subject line of my browser):
http://www.fws.gov/ventura/endangered/hconservation/hcp/hcfiles/TehachapUpland14_AppendixC_CondorPlan.pdf There has been some opposition to this plan by some condor biologists, which I would like to comment on in the near future. Right now I encourage interested parties to carefully review the plan itself as I am doing now. Stan MooreSan Geronimo, CA

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GREAT PICTURES - Don't miss
Pictured: The orangutans who overcame their fear of water (and crocodiles) to swim in search of food
According to the laws of nature, apes and water don't mix. But no one seems to have told these orangutans. Splashing gleefully in a muddy river, they have obviously overcome their natural fear of getting wet. And their deeply-held suspicion that crocodiles are lurking somewhere in the water.
Instead, they dived in at the deep end, paddled back and forth from the shore
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1191565/Pictured-The-orangutans-overcame-fear-water-crocodiles-swim-search-food.html

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ZooLex June 2009
Hello ZooLex Friend,We have worked for your enjoyment!
~°v°~
NEW EXHIBIT PRESENTATION
The white rhinoceros exhibit at Allwetterzoo Münster in Germany was expanded for more flexibility in combining or separating neighbouring enclosures. The new arangement provides more individual exercise and retreat opportunities for the animals and allows easier breeding:
http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=1087
The German original text is here:http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=1105
~°v°~
SPANISH TRANSLATION
Thanks to Eduardo Diaz Garcia we are able to present Spanish translations of previously published presentations of exhibits at Zoo Münster.
El sendero de los lemures:http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=941
El sendero de los colobos:http://www.zoolex.org/zoolexcgi/view.py?id=942
~°v°~
PUBLISHING IN ZOOLEX
When you open a new exhibit at your facility, please consider a presentation of this exhibit in the ZooLex Gallery.The best time for publishing is when the design brief, animal and plantlist, illustrative plan and press releases are still at hand. The ZooLex template makes it easy to prepare a presentation:http://www.zoolex.org/service.html
You can choose one of the languages offered. We will take care of thetranslation into English.
Publishing in ZooLex is for free. Submissions to the ZooLex Gallery can bedone by zoo staff, someone from the design team or a volunteer. We publish only in agreement with the institution hosting the exhibit to be presented.

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Les zoos dans le monde
http://www.leszoosdanslemonde.com/

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Life Net Newsletter
http://www.lifenetnature.org/acrobat/LifeNet-Networker-v03.pdf

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Be ready...see what the green blooded cabbage headed are up to.

International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos (IDAEZ)
June 20, 2009

http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/1164285

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Celebrating Plants and the Planet:

Humans have never known a time before flowers, and yet flowers can still delight and surprise us. (Can't say the same for iPods, let alone 8-tracks.)

June links at http://www.zooplantman.com/ (NEWS/Botanical News) highlight some unexpected floral news.

· Scientists have long noticed that the petals of some flowers have special cells shaped like little cones. They have only now recognized their function: Velcro for bees.
· If floral fragrance is to attract pollinators, then why would a wind-pollinated plant like grapes have a fragrance? Maybe there's more to this cologne.
· Orchids are the stars of "Weird Pollination Tricks." Now a previously unknown species has been discovered hedging its pollination bets with two strategies to attract two pollinators.
· What is the true worth of wildlife corridors? New studies show they can do more than help species get around. (This is more about seed dispersal than flowers, so I cheated.)
· Eight years ago wild maize species of northern Mexico were reported as having been pollinated by bioengineered crops and a controversy over such crops ensued. New studies aren't controversial, just tragic.

Now let's talk poop. The on-line video game from the Minnesota Zoo, promoting their summer African savanna exhibit is an instant classic. Stop what you are doing and go to http://www.whopooped.org/ . You'll thank me for it (all complaints go to Lee Ehmke though).

Please share these stories with associates, staff, docents and -- most importantly -- visitors! Remember, over a hundred other stories can be found in the archive section of the website.

Rob


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Endangered Species Recovery
20th July – 7th August 2009
A short-course for anyone with an active interest in animal conservation and a desire to learn how species can be saved. Lectures will be given by world class conservationists. Practical activities and behind the scenes experiences in Durrell’s animal collection will provide participants with first-hand exposure to the realities of endangered species recovery. On completion participants will be equipped with a fuller appreciation of the complexities of animal conservation and an ability to develop their personal or professional interests in the field.
For further information please visit http://www.durrell.org/ (get involved menu, select training)Or contact Catherine Burrows at: catherine.burrows@durrell.org

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Volunteering Opportunity
Elephantstay at the Royal Elephant Kraal Village, Ayutthaya Thailand
Please check http://www.elephantstay.com/ for additional information.


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Announcing the ASZK Des Spittall Scholarship for Keeper Research

Named in honour of the late Des Spittall, a life member of ASZK, the ASZK committee has launched the Des Spittall Scholarship for keeper research. This is open to people who have been a financial member of ASZK for 12 months or more. This is an annual scholarship up to the value of $2,000. Applications close 31st October 2009
Please forward ‘Des Spittall Scholarship for Keeper Research’ application to ASZK President no later than 31st of October each year at email eo@aszk.org.au

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PLEASE SEE LATEST UPDATED ZOO VACANCIES AT:
http://zoowork.blogspot.com/
PLEASE NOTE SOME VACANCIES ARE ONLY ADVERTISED ON:
http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/
Meetings

"First African Symposium on Zoological Medicine"
July 18th and 19th 2009.
Johannesburg Zoo, South Africa.
Financial assistance available for vets from other African countries.
For more details contact Teresa Slacke on vetadmin@jhbzoo.org.za



The 7th Annual Turtle Survival Alliance Symposium on Chelonian Conservation and Biology
August 5th - 8th, 2009
St Louis, Missouri
For details on membership, registration, program and events, please visit our website at http://www.turtlesurvival.org/




Professional Training Seminars at Shedd Aquarium
Animal Training Seminar with Ken Ramirez
Environmental Quality Seminar with Allen LaPointe
August 24 –28, 2009
Please contact the adult programs coordinator at
adults@sheddaquarium.org for more information



THIRD ORANGUTAN SSP© HUSBANDRY WORKSHOP
MONDAY, AUGUST 31 THROUGH WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Zoo Atlanta, USA
http://www.2009orangutanworkshop.org/



AZA 2009 Annual Conference
September 12-17, 2009
Oregon Zoo
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



26th EAZA Annual Conference
14 - 20 September 2009
Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark.


3rd International Congress on Zoo Keeping and the 36th American Association of Zoo Keepers National Conference
September 24th - 29th 2009 The Puget Sound Chapter of AAZK and WoodlandPark Zoo
See these websites for further information: http://www.iczoo.org/
http://www.pugetsoundaazk.org/



CBSG (Conservation Breeding Specialist Group)
1-4 October 2009
St. Louis, MO, USA (right before the WAZA Meeting)
For further information: ginger@cbsg.org
http://www.cbsg.org/cbsg/



64th WAZA Annual Conference
4 - 8 October 2009
St. Louis Zoo at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, St. Louis (MO), USA.
For more information, please visit http://www.waza.org/


Second Okapi Workshop
11 14 October 2009
Antwerp Zoo
For further details go to:
http://www.theokapi.org/nieuwsvolledig.asp?nieuws=15



2009 ZRA Annual Conference : Overview
October 21-25, 2009
Zoo Boise , Boise , Idaho
If you have questions about the 2009 ZRA Annual Conference Program, please contact the Program Chairman, Pam Krentz, Registrar for Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, at (216) 635-3361 or by email at pak@clevelandmetroparks.com




The Bear Care Group announces the second international bear care conference 'Advancing Bear Care '09.
SAN FRANCISCO NOVEMBER 6-8 2009
http://www.bearcaregroup.org/




The 6th European Zoo Nutrition Conference
Barcelona, 28-31 January 2010
Please send comments or suggestions for topics/speakers directly to me (a.fidgett@chesterzoo.org). Further announcements and information will be posted online via the nutrition area of the EAZA website (http://www.eaza.net/).



20th International Zoo Educators' (IZE) Biennial Conference
19 - 23 October 2010 Disney's Animal Kingdom, Florida, USA.
For more information, please visit http://www.izea.net/



Zoohistorica
International meeting of collectors of zoo literature and memorabilia
Internationales Treffen der Sammler zoohistorischer Literatur
Rencontre internationale des collectionneurs de documents en rapport avec les zoos
See here for more details: http://www.zoohistorica.org/



7th International Penguin Conference
DATE: August 30 to September 3, 2010
LOCATION: Boston Massachusetts, USA
HOSTED BY: The New England Aquarium
ipcboston@neaq.org



AZA 2010 Annual Conference
September 11-16
Houston Zoo, Houston , TX
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2011 Annual Conference
September 12-17
Zoo Atlanta , Atlanta , GA
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2012 Annual Conference
September 8-13
Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix , AZ
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2013 Annual Conference
September 7-12
Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City , MO
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html


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ZooNews Digest is an independent publication, not allied or attachedto any zoological collection. Many thanks.

Kind Regards,

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Peter Dickinson

http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/

http://www.geocities.com/peterd482001/ZooNews_Digest.html

Editor/Owner ZooNews Digest

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Owner/Moderator Zoo Biology

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

Tel: United Kingdom ++ (0) 750 3707 968

Mailing address:

Suite 201,

Gateway House,
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CH1 2HR

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"I may get hit by a bus tomorrow so I will live today"

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ZooNews Digest 31st May - 4th June 2009 (Zoo News 599

ZooNews Digest 31st May - 4th June 2009 (Zoo News 599)

http://zoonewsdigest.com/

http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/


Peter Dickinson
peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk


Dear Colleagues,

Sometimes (frequently) I read a story that makes me swear silently to myself. The madness, stupidity and cruelty there is in this world. Less often I swear out loud (and I am not a swearing type person) but todays first link made me so angry I wanted to shout out cuss words for the whole world to hear.

Just what the hell does Taman Safari think they are doing? Here is the chair collection of SEAZA removing Orangutans from their mothers to "separated the cubs from their mothers to speed up the growth of the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) population". Who are they trying to kid? You know I am actually shaking when I am writing this I am so very very angry. It borders on the insane.
I know there are excellent staff working in Taman Safari...it is not their fault....but this, this....what the bloody hell are they trying to do? Mass produce more baby Orangutans for their photographic sessions and 'monkey' shows or for shipping off to Bali or elsewhere. There are umpteen baby Orangutans need adopting in resue centres already!!! And which "conservation fund" is the Rp 3 million going into? I hope it is one ENTIRELY independent of Taman Safari. Or maybe, just maybe it is is for the rehousing the Orangutans in Ranugan Zoo....a situation they have now been 'looking into' for months.

Orangutans! Tigers! and all animals need to stay with their mothers!!!! Hand rearing like this borders on the....no sorry....IT IS criminal!!!!

Returning briefly to the situation with the PETA enrichment in Byculla Zoo (see last week). If you think the situation could not be any worse...well it could. I am reliably informed that PETA has hired two retired zoo veterinary surgeons as consultants on this project. So now these two 'professionals' (using the term loosely) are being hired to do something the failed to do whilst they worked in the zoo. I believe that is criminal too!

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This Weeks Books of Interest to the Zoo Professional

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On with the links:

Four baby orangutans await foster parents

Four baby orangutans at the Taman Safari Indonesia II Zoo in Pasuruan, East Java are waiting for foster parents to help them develop.Zoo manager Michael Sumampau said on Sunday that anyone could be a foster parent to the cubs.“The baby Kalimantan orangutans, which are around two to seven months old, are currently being taken care of in the zoo's animal hospital,” he said, as reported by Antara state news agency.Michael said by becoming a foster parent one will have the honor of naming the chosen baby and of visiting it at any time at the zoo.“Foster parents will also have responsibilities, including that of donating Rp 3 million (US$ 282) once every three months to the conservation fund,” he said.The zoo had separated the cubs from their mothers to speed up the growth of the orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) population.“By doing so however, the costs for nursing the orangutan babies increase, which is why we need foster parents for them,” he said.Environmentalists reported the population of Kalimantan orangutans in the wild was only around 54,000 in 2004 and warned that if no measures were taken to protect the animals, they would face extinction by 2015. There have been efforts to protect the orangutan species in the country since

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/05/03/four-baby-orangutans-await-foster-parents.html



Letters: Return orangutans to their mothers

I find the article about Taman Safari Indonesia safari park seeking adoptive parents for four baby orangutans (The Jakarta Post, May 3) very troubling and sad. There are enough orphaned baby orangutans in rescue and rehabilitation centers without the zoo artificially creating four more orphans. Orangutans share 97.5 percent of the same genes that humans have. Unfortunately, they lack the ability to speak a language that humans can understand, but it is well-known that female orangutans and their babies share the same intense bond that human mothers and babies have for one another. As in humans; the forced separation of a mother from her baby causes a great deal of anguish, a sense of loss, pain, longing and depression for both. An orangutan baby nursing from its mother gains, from her milk, a resistance to various illnesses and diseases that cannot be gained from being raised by humans. The intense bond between an orangutan and her baby lasts approximately eight years during which the mother teaches her baby invaluable lessons on surviving in the rainforest. Where to find food and when, what is safe to eat and what isn't safe, what branches will hold their weight and which ones won't, how to make a nest and how to react to and socialize with other orangutans are just a few of life's lessons that a mother orangutan teaches her baby. Humans make a very poor substitute for an orangutan mother, her love, attention and training. The safari park manager states that the baby orangutans have been separated from their mothers "to speed up the growth of the orangutan population." Orangutan rescue and rehabilitation centers are already overflowing with orphaned orangutans and orangutans ready to be released back into the rain forest but with no place to release them, so I see little purpose and little to gain from intentionally creating yet four more artificial orphans. The reason orangutans are endangered is not because of a breeding problem, but rather one of habitat loss. Speeding up the growth of the orangutan population as Taman Safari Indonesia would have us to believe they are doing, does nothing but contribute to the problem of more orangutans than there are places for them to live in the wild. The baby orangutans should be returned to their real mothers as soon as possible, not "adopted" by humans who will give them nothing that their own mothers can give them! Like human mothers, the orangutan mothers will recognize their own babies and be happy to have...Dave Weidman Jakarta

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/06/01/letters-return-orangutans-their-mothers.html

There are further letters re the above

Louisville Zoo train derails, injuring at least 20

At least one person was seriously injured and 19 others were taken to hospitals, including several children, after a train carrying Louisville Zoo visitors derailed Monday, an emergency official said.Kosair Children's Hospital chief nursing officer Cis Gruebbel said 16 children had various injuries.The open-air train, pulled by a small engine circles the zoo. It was carrying about 30 passengers when three cars and the engine fell off the rails near the gorilla exhibit. A person briefly trapped was able to be freed, said zoo spokeswoman Kara Bussabarger.Those injured were from 2 months old to senior

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jdYy6Xopz9IGfxL0Mh1fFzHuJ26gD98I7LH80



Oregon Zoo's elephant expert will be interim director

Veteran animal keeper, administrator and elephant expert Mike Keele has been appointed interim director of the Oregon Zoo. Keele, 56, will take over for Tony Vecchio on July 7. Vecchio is leaving to become director of the Jacksonville, Fla., zoo. Keele has worked at the zoo for nearly 38 years and was immersed in the zoo's successful elephant breeding program. He currently is deputy director of living collections, which includes overall supervision of animal health and care. Keele said he hasn't decided whether he'll seek the directorship, but said the interim position would give him a feel for the job. Metro, the regional government that operates the zoo, plans a national search for a new director. The job is likely to generate a lot of attention in the relatively small universe of zoo administrators, said Metro Chief Operating Officer Michael Jordan. The Oregon Zoo is considered a successful facility, having set attendance records nine of the past 11 years. The new

http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/06/oregon_zoos_elephant_expert_wi.html




Review
This text provides the first comprehensive account of the essential knowledge and the various activities that underpin a successful modern zoo or aquarium. The authors have addressed the challenges, philosophical and practical, that zoo professionals face as well as providing a detailed introduction to the science and management of zoological collections. The engaging style, clear diagrams and wellchosen examples ensure that this text will provide an extremely valuable resource for students and zoo professionals alike.
Dr John Eddison, University of Plymouth





Kids can monkey around at the zoo for FREE this summer

Phoenix Zoo is offering free daytime admission to kids 12 and under for the entire summer.The Zoo is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays so kids and parents can take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures.“We know that families are looking for fun and affordable things to do and we always want to be the best option,” said Executive Vice President Jim Brewer.The Yakulla Caverns is also

http://www.abc15.com/content/entertainment/localevents/story/Kids-can-monkey-around-at-the-zoo-for-FREE-this/lGOpTMm2hE6_vxotqXEiMA.cspx



Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort to Show Case Project at The Abu Dhabi Holiday and Travel Show - Seyaha 2009 Announces record increase in visitor numbers

Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort (AWPR) will be showcasing the unique and multi-faceted leisure and learning destination, the first of its kind in the region, at the Abu Dhabi Holiday and Travel Show (Seyaha 2009) which is set to take place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre from June 2nd to June 4th.Visitors will have the opportunity to view the master plan first hand, learn more about the project and the various initiatives being undertaken, including The Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Centre which is a premiere example of Estidama’s high environmental standards combining active and passive energy efficient systems. The AWPR animal conservation team will also be on hand to answer any questions relating to AWPR’s breeding and conservation programmes.AWPR also announced that visitor numbers to the park have increased exponentially over the past few years. Over 305,000 people from across the UAE have visited the park during the first five months of 2009, and AWPR predicts that this figure could go up to 800,000 by the end of the year.Established in 1968 by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan, the Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort will include more than 900 hectares of land and is home to 4,300 animals, 30% of which are considered to be endangered. Following

http://www.middleeastevents.com/site/pres_dtls.asp?pid=6805



The Zion Wildlife Gardens near Whangarei on Tuesday hosted the funeral of the zookeeper who was mauled by a rare white Bengal tiger.

Dalu Mncube, originally from South Africa, died when he was attacked while cleaning the animal's enclosure last Wednesday.The wildlife park was shut following Mr Mncube's death.About 300 people gathered for his funeral on Tuesday morning.Mr Mncube's body was greeted with a powhiri and a haka by local high school students.African dancers and members of Mr Mncube's family, including his brother and widow, also played a part in the service.Park spokesperson Sara Reid says there have been numerous messages of support despite the tragedy.Zion staff hoped to know by the end of the day

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/stories/2009/06/02/1245b532f95e



Red Panda leaves her island home

A two-year-old Red Panda that "touched the hearts of local visitors" has left her home on the Isle of Man.Maggie, who was orphaned when she was just one-month-old, has arrived at the Whipsnade Zoo in Luton so she can be paired off for breeding purposes. Hand-reared by a keeper at Curraghs Wildlife Park on the island, her only family have been the staff at the animal sanctuary. Wildlife park owner, Nick Pinter said she made a "big impact on the park". The panda, one of just 30,000 worldwide, was orphaned when her mother died of bone cancer just over two

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8079971.stm





Wild Mammals in Captivity, the first handbook of its kind, focuses on new approaches to the management of wild animals in captivity. In one comprehensive volume, the editors have gathered the most current information from field and captive studies of animal behavior, advances in captive breeding, research in physiology, genetics, and nutrition, and new thinking in animal management and welfare. Featuring contributions from dozens of internationally renowned experts, this book is a professional reference of immense practical value, surveying every significant scientific, technical, and management issue. This extraordinary book is an essential resource for administrators, keepers, veterinarians, and everyone who works directly with mammals or is concerned generally with their management and conservation. "This is the only up-to-date and comprehensive manual on the problems of and the solutions to keeping and handling wild mammals outside their natural environment. . . . A magnificent manual."
—Harry Miller, Times Higher Education Supplement





House Passes Bill Banning Ownership Of Dangerous Animals

The state House of Representatives today revived and approved a previously-stalled bill prompted by the Stamford chimpanzee attack that would ban private ownership of potentially dangerous animals as pets including gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.The measure, a scaled-back version of the original, is now headed to the Senate for possible final legislative approval before a midnight deadline. The action came a day after state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal decried the fact that "lawmakers failed to pass my proposal" in the wake of February's vicious attack on a woman in Stamford.House members this afternoon unanimously approved the bill in an unusual 151-0 vote, with all members in attendance. The measure was drastically pared back from an earlier version that would have added a much longer list of new animals to those already banned under existing law.The new bill would add only gorillas, chimps and orangutans to the list of wild animals already prohibited under an existing law: lions, leopards

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-web-chimp-bill-returns-0604jun04,0,3986413.story



Healthcare of zoo animals now a top priority

As captive creatures in America's zoos grow older, the need for regular and preventative healthcare, has become critically important. Timbo, 47, the Dallas zoo's oldest lowland gorilla, didn't get to be a senior citizen without good healthcare. Preventive medicine, in the zoo setting, used to involve a tranquilizer gun. "We would have had to shoot a very powerful and painful dart," explains Ken Kaemmerer, the zoo's curator of mammals. "[That would] knock the animal down. That process is stressful to the animal and the staff. And then [we would] take the animal to the hospital, just for a simple blood draw or x-rays, or anything like that." These days, that trauma and risk is no longer necessary. Without domesticating the animals, keepers are training zoo creatures to present their body parts, on demand, for examination. The animals are completely awake and perform the tasks voluntarily. "Every time [the chimpanzee) does what I ask him to do, we make that (clicking) noise and that just gets him to associate he did it right. And after that, he gets a reward," says mammal keeper Cristina Powers, who works with the chimpanzees. Building up to even a small touch takes a lot of practice and respect. The second step is pressing syringes and stethoscopes to the animal's body in a simulation of an examination. Cristina Powers used a paper clip tip to simulate the poke of a needle against 19-year-old Patrick's arm. Patrick is a lowland gorilla. The keepers eventually can perform a real exam, listening to an animal's pulse, drawing blood, giving vaccination, or even clipping fingernails - all without needing potentially dangerous anesthesia. "He has a root canal that was done, so we check that, too," says Powers, as Mookie, a male chimp opens his mouth. He received a frozen strawberry in return for completing the task. Trainers have ventured beyond mammal training. Flamingos and other birds have been taught to present their wings, or show their claws for an exam. Even tigers voluntarily participate. Batu, who weighs 370 pounds, willingly lets a keeper pull his tail and then poke it with a needleless syringe, for practice. "It's just mimicking what the vet would do - feeling for the vein and scrubbing on his tail with alcohol or whatever, just so he's used to those sensations," said mammal keeper Becky Wolf. Zoos committed to cradle-to-grave
http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa090603_lj_zoos.45b73488.html



Gay penguins rearing chick in German Zoo

A gay penguin couple living in a German zoo have hatched a chick which they are now rearing as if it were their own child. They're one of four gay couples living in the zoo. Z and Vielpunk were handed the egg by staff at the Bremerhaven zoo after it appeared to be rejected by its actual parents., northern Germany, says the adult males -t - were given an egg which was rejected by its biological parents. The baby penguin is now four weeks old is apparently doing well.In 2006, the zoo controversially imported four Swedish penguins to seduce three other gay penguin couples in order to test their sexuality.But the temptresses' advances were met with a frosty reception by both gay rights activists as well as the penguins themselves. One couple remain devoted to and nurse pebbles as if they were eggs.The gay males were separated from each other and one by one the females were introduced. The males pined for each other until they were reunited.In 2008, another pair of gay penguins in a zoo in China stole eggs from straight couples in an attempt to become 'fathers'.The three-year-old male penguins who are kept in Polar Land in Harbin, north-east China attempted to conceal their theft by placing stones at the feet of the parents before waddling away with their eggs.The deception however was noticed by the other penguins and the couple were soon ostracised from the group.Keepers have decided to segregate

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12697.html



New Research on Malaysia’s Odd, Elusive Tapir

In the Malaysian and Sumatran rain forests, tapirs are rarely glimpsed. Ponderous, powerful herbivores, weighing about 650 pounds, tapirs have faces like anteaters, with a incessantly sniffing mobile snout. In dim rain forests, smell and hearing are the important senses. The animals have black and white shape-disrupting camouflage and make a whistling noise, sounding almost more bird than mammal. The Malay tapir, the largest of the world’s four tapir species, remained largely invisible to science until recently. The other three species of these odd, endearing animals all live in South America. There was just one scientific study from the 1970s on the Malay tapir. Then, in 2002, the Malay Tapir Conservation Project was created, supported largely by the Copenhagen Zoo, and field biologists began filling in another blank page in zoology. Great swaths of the rain forest in Malaysia and Sumatra had been destroyed for palm oil plantations and through illegal logging, and scientists had begun to worry that the tapir could slip silently toward extinction. A conservation center was set up within the Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve, an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, and researchers like Carl Traeholt, a Danish-Malaysian biologist, began to gather

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/science/02tapir.html?ref=science



Blind tiger insists on feeding cubs herself

A female Siberian tiger insists on feeding its two cubs on her own although she's been blind for years.The tiger gave birth to the two cubs on May 13 in the Badaling Safari Park of the Great Wall in north Beijing but cannot produce enough milk for the cubs.When zookeepers took her cubs away for artificial feeding, the

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-06/04/content_8246123.htm




Exotic Animal Care and Management, provides students with a comprehensive and unique learning experience, focusing entirely on exotic animal care, and husbandry. This text book addresses behavior, habitat, husbandry and diet for each species, recognizing that the majority of medical problems in keeping exotics are due to a lack of species-specific information. Common diseases for each species are discussed at length, from the perspective of providing nursing care, and recognizing signs of health problems. This comprehensive text also covers essential information for anyone working with exotics in a clinical setting including: injection sites, administration of medication, anesthesia, restraint and handling. The companion student workbook provides actual case studies and study questions directly related to the text.





Wildlife busts down across region: ASEAN watchdog

IN the first three months of 2009, some 5,410 animal seizures and 38 arrests were made by wildlife law enforcement agencies across Southeast Asia - a sharp decline compared with last year, according to recently released statistics from ASEAN's Wildlife

http://www.jendhamuni.com/news/news.htm



Cooperation leads to Tanzanian arrests in VN’s biggest ivory seizure case

On 5 March this year Vietnamese customs authorities in Hai Phong port confiscated 6,232 kilograms of elephant tusks hidden in 114 boxes of plastic waste inside a container which had been transported from Tanzania via Malaysia.Vietnamese officials believe that the African elephant tusks, estimated to be worth $US10.5m (15 billion dong), were on route to China when they were intercepted in Hai Phong. The officials, from the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), were arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes from smugglers and

http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/2009/06/851203/



Snake-bite chicken 'off the menu'

China's health authorities are reported to be putting a stop to restaurants serving chickens which have been bitten to death by poisonous snakes.The dish, which is served by a small number of restaurants in Guangdong and Chongqing, is billed as detoxing. But it has generated a storm of controversy in the media and among bloggers after a video of its preparation was circulated online. The video shows a cook holding a snake and forcing it to bite a live chicken. A week of intense internet discussion has reached the near-unanimous decision that it is cruel to kill

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8076671.stm



'Crazy Turtle Woman' transforms graveyard into maternity ward

With its white sand and clear, blue water, Trinidad's Matura Beach looks like a postcard. It's a far cry from its recent past, when leatherback sea turtle carcasses littered the ground and kept tourists away. "Twenty years ago, this was a graveyard," Suzan Lakhan Baptiste said of the six-mile stretch of beach near her home. "The stench was horrendous. You could smell it for miles," she said.Saddened and frustrated, Baptiste launched a crusade to help end the slaughter of the gentle giants. Today, she and her group are succeeding: What was once a turtle graveyard is now a maternity ward -- one of the largest leatherback nesting colonies in the world.It hasn't been an easy fight for Baptiste or the turtles.For 100 million years, the creatures have traveled the world's oceans, outliving the dinosaurs. Over the last 30 years, they have become critically endangered worldwide

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/28/cnnheroes.suzan.lakhan.baptiste/index.html



The Consolation of Animals

When I’m heading off on assignment as a wildlife writer, to study spider webs in Costa Rica, or chase lemurs in Madagascar, people often say, “You’re going where? You’re going to do what?” Doubtfully, they add, “And somebody’s actually paying you for this?” Then they ask if they can come along. Secretly, my neighbors suspect that I am a hit man. Lately, though, I’ve been traveling less, because of a book deadline and also because the magazines that employ me are feeling the economic pain like everybody else. (Heck, even the murder-for-hire business has gone all wait-and-see.) So I’ve been thinking more about what used to be my stock reply: You don’t have to go anywhere to see animals do interesting stuff. Or rather, you just have to go outside. I live near Long Island Sound, and one day this past fall, a school of Atlantic menhaden swarmed in close along a rocky shoreline. Unless you get excited about fish oil, menhaden, also known as pogies, aren’t too sensational. A government agency once summed up their special charm in a pamphlet with the title “Menhaden: Soybean of the Sea.” But this little school was terrified, flashing across the shallows first one way, then another, their flanks breaking the surface like a silver cloudburst of second-place medals.I climbed out onto a rock, and right at my feet, I could see the source of their terror. The big dark bluefish came sharking in among them, their dorsal fins slicing the surface. A bloom

http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/the-consolation-of-animals/



New rainforest reserve protects more than 1,000 bonobos!

The Bonobo Conservation Initiative (BCI) joins the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in announcing the official establishment of the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, a community-managed protected area which harbors one of the largest known wild populations of the endangered bonobo. The Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is the pilot and model site for the Bonobo Peace Forest, a proposed constellation of community-based nature reserves supported by sustainable development. Larger than the state of Rhode Island, the 1,847 mi2 (4,875 km2) rainforest reserve delivers essential ecosystem services to the world, including biodiversity protection and carbon sequestration, and benefits the local people through training, employment and community development programs. These include sustainable agriculture, a health clinic, aid for local schools, a women's microcredit program and the first institute of higher learning in the region, the Djolu Technical College for Rural Development and Conservation, established in tandem with the reserve. "The Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve is a milestone for the protection of bonobos and their precious habitat in the Congo Basin," says Sally Jewell Coxe, president and co-founder of BCI. "What began as a grassroots, community initiative now exemplifies a new model for conservation that is proving to be effective

http://www.bonobo.tv/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=New-rainforest-reserve-protects-more-than-1-000-bonobos-.html&Itemid=1




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ZOO BIOLOGY

The Zoo Biology Group is concerned with all disciplines involved inthe 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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5th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON ULTRASOUND & ASSISTED REPRODUCTION IN ELEPHANTS,RHINOCEROS & GIRAFFES
October 20-23, 2009
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
For Registration please forward before Sept 1st 2009 to Charlie Gray African Lion Safari, RR#1, Cambridge, Ontario N1R5S2, CanadaFAX: (001) 519- 623-9542Email: cgray@lionsafari.com

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In Memoriam: Dr. Alecia Lilly, DFGFI Vice President of Africa Programs(http://www.gorillafund.org/about/alert_060209_alecia.php)

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Alecia Lilly, Ph.D., Vice President of its Africa programs. Dr. Lilly died in hospital in South Africa on May 29, after a sudden illness. She had been with the Fossey Fund for more than eight years, and had served as its vice president since 2006, guiding and expanding all of the Fund's programs in Africa, and directing the activities of more than 400 employees in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Dr. Lilly joined the Fossey Fund in 2001, with the initial objectives of initiating human health programs in Rwanda and neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. This "ecosystem health" program expanded to include basic health care projects, clean-water access programs, medical clinic rehabilitation, treatment and prevention of intestinal parasite infections..........

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Lincoln Park Zoo Enrichment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVn8AvnPpnA

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Good Afternoon Everyone,

It is hard to believe that it is June already and with that we are approaching another important workshop deadline! After June 15, 2009 all workshop registrations will have a late fee of $25.00 attached to them. The cost for just the workshop will become $150.00 and the cost of the workshop & the pre-workshop trip to the GA Aquarium with behind the scenes tours will be $165.00. If you have any questions about the late fee, or your facility is experiencing extreme financial difficulties which may limit your ability to attend the workshop if you have to pay the late fee and you already know you will not be able to register by the deadline, please contact me for assistance.

As the workshop approaches we are still in need of presenters! If you would like a list of topics people would like to see covered at the workshop please contact me via email. Additionally in an effort to build on what has been done over the past two years we are going to add several hands on activities and demos to this year’s workshop. At this time we will most likely have a day of presentations, a day of group activities and discussions, and a day that will be a combination of the two with demonstrations and activities that will take us out into Zoo Atlanta. It will also be during this time that you will have time to explore Zoo Atlanta which will include behind the scenes tours in the following areas:

-Orangutan Holding (including training & touch screen demos)
-Gorilla Holding
-Small African Primate Holding
-Lion Holding
- Bird Management Building
-Giant Panda Holding
-Hoofstock Barn
-Rhino Barn
-Elephant Barn with a chance to feed an elephant!

And you thought you were just going to get to see our orangutan area! We want to thank everyone who is already registered and those of you who will register! With each passing day we are growing more excited for the workshop and we hope you are as well. If you are going to be unable to attend the workshop but would like to help out we are still in need of silent auction items! Information about the silent auction can be found at http://www.2009orangutanworkshop.org/.

If you have any questions about anything related to the workshop please feel free to contact me at any time.

See you in Atlanta ,

Tom

Thomas Heitz
Keeper I
Primate Department
Zoo Atlanta
800 Cherokee Avenue, SE
Atlanta , GA 30315-1440
Phone: 404.624.5939
theitz@zooatlanta.org

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VETS BEYOND BORDERS - http://www.vetsbeyondborders.org/

Improving animal welfare and public health in developing communities

ABN 55 994 410 532

NEWSLETTER

CONTENTS

Updates on VBB Projects in India

New initiative, Bylakuppe Sarah Programme, Sikkim Project Vet-Train Leh Street Dog Sterilisation Project, Ladakh

News

Rabies Outbreak in Bali Victorian Bushfires Animal Law in Australasia

Volunteer Opportunities

Overseas Communications Portfolio positions Sikkim Project Manager

Attention all Members

Special General Meeting on 19 July 2009 VBB Volunteers asked to join VBB Membership renewals

Thank you

Latest book by David Darcy – ‘A Little Help for our Friends ‘ Secretariat



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FUNDING FOR ZOOS http://moourl.com/yzrkq

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Endangered Species Recovery
20th July – 7th August 2009

A short-course for anyone with an active interest in animal conservation and a desire to learn how species can be saved. Lectures will be given by world class conservationists. Practical activities and behind the scenes experiences in Durrell’s animal collection will provide participants with first-hand exposure to the realities of endangered species recovery. On completion participants will be equipped with a fuller appreciation of the complexities of animal conservation and an ability to develop their personal or professional interests in the field.
For further information please visit http://www.durrell.org/ (get involved menu, select training)Or contact Catherine Burrows at: catherine.burrows@durrell.org

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Volunteering Opportunity
Elephantstay at the Royal Elephant Kraal Village, Ayutthaya Thailand
Please check http://www.elephantstay.com/ for additional information.


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Announcing the ASZK Des Spittall Scholarship for Keeper Research

Named in honour of the late Des Spittall, a life member of ASZK, the ASZK committee has launched the Des Spittall Scholarship for keeper research. This is open to people who have been a financial member of ASZK for 12 months or more. This is an annual scholarship up to the value of $2,000. Applications close 31st October 2009
Please forward ‘Des Spittall Scholarship for Keeper Research’ application to ASZK President no later than 31st of October each year at email eo@aszk.org.au



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PLEASE SEE LATEST UPDATED ZOO VACANCIES AT:
http://zoowork.blogspot.com/

PLEASE NOTE SOME VACANCIES ARE ONLY ADVERTISED ON:
http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/

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Meetings

"First African Symposium on Zoological Medicine"
July 18th and 19th 2009.
Johannesburg Zoo, South Africa.
Financial assistance available for vets from other African countries.
For more details contact Teresa Slacke on vetadmin@jhbzoo.org.za



The 7th Annual Turtle Survival Alliance Symposium on Chelonian Conservation and Biology
August 5th - 8th, 2009
St Louis, Missouri
For details on membership, registration, program and events, please visit our website at http://www.turtlesurvival.org/




Professional Training Seminars at Shedd Aquarium
Animal Training Seminar with Ken Ramirez
Environmental Quality Seminar with Allen LaPointe
August 24 –28, 2009
Please contact the adult programs coordinator at
adults@sheddaquarium.org for more information



THIRD ORANGUTAN SSP© HUSBANDRY WORKSHOP
MONDAY, AUGUST 31 THROUGH WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Zoo Atlanta, USA
http://www.2009orangutanworkshop.org/



AZA 2009 Annual Conference
September 12-17, 2009
Oregon Zoo
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



26th EAZA Annual Conference
14 - 20 September 2009
Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark.


3rd International Congress on Zoo Keeping and the 36th American Association of Zoo Keepers National Conference
September 24th - 29th 2009 The Puget Sound Chapter of AAZK and WoodlandPark Zoo
See these websites for further information: http://www.iczoo.org/
http://www.pugetsoundaazk.org/



CBSG (Conservation Breeding Specialist Group)
1-4 October 2009
St. Louis, MO, USA (right before the WAZA Meeting)
For further information: ginger@cbsg.org
http://www.cbsg.org/cbsg/



64th WAZA Annual Conference
4 - 8 October 2009
St. Louis Zoo at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, St. Louis (MO), USA.
For more information, please visit http://www.waza.org/


Second Okapi Workshop
11 14 October 2009
Antwerp Zoo
For further details go to:
http://www.theokapi.org/nieuwsvolledig.asp?nieuws=15



2009 ZRA Annual Conference : Overview
October 21-25, 2009
Zoo Boise , Boise , Idaho
If you have questions about the 2009 ZRA Annual Conference Program, please contact the Program Chairman, Pam Krentz, Registrar for Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, at (216) 635-3361 or by email at pak@clevelandmetroparks.com




The Bear Care Group announces the second international bear care conference 'Advancing Bear Care '09.
SAN FRANCISCO NOVEMBER 6-8 2009
http://www.bearcaregroup.org/




The 6th European Zoo Nutrition Conference
Barcelona, 28-31 January 2010
Please send comments or suggestions for topics/speakers directly to me (a.fidgett@chesterzoo.org). Further announcements and information will be posted online via the nutrition area of the EAZA website (http://www.eaza.net/).



20th International Zoo Educators' (IZE) Biennial Conference
19 - 23 October 2010 Disney's Animal Kingdom, Florida, USA.
For more information, please visit http://www.izea.net/



Zoohistorica
International meeting of collectors of zoo literature and memorabilia
Internationales Treffen der Sammler zoohistorischer Literatur
Rencontre internationale des collectionneurs de documents en rapport avec les zoos
See here for more details: http://www.zoohistorica.org/



7th International Penguin Conference
DATE: August 30 to September 3, 2010
LOCATION: Boston Massachusetts, USA
HOSTED BY: The New England Aquarium
ipcboston@neaq.org



AZA 2010 Annual Conference
September 11-16
Houston Zoo, Houston , TX
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2011 Annual Conference
September 12-17
Zoo Atlanta , Atlanta , GA
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2012 Annual Conference
September 8-13
Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix , AZ
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2013 Annual Conference
September 7-12
Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City , MO
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html


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ZooNews Digest is an independent publication, not allied or attached to any zoological collection.

Many thanks.

Kind Regards,

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Peter Dickinson

http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/

http://www.geocities.com/peterd482001/ZooNews_Digest.html

Editor/Owner ZooNews Digest

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/zoonewsdigest/

Owner/Moderator Zoo Biology

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

Tel: United Kingdom ++ (0) 750 3707 968

Mailing address:

Suite 201,

Gateway House,
78 Northgate Street,

Chester,

CH1 2HR

United Kingdom

"I may get hit by a bus tomorrow so I will live today"

ZooNews Digest 30th May - 1st June 2009 (Zoo News 598)

ZooNews Digest 30th May - 1st June 2009 (Zoo News 598)
http://zoonewsdigest.com/

http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

Peter Dickinson
peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk


Dear Colleagues,

The rainy season is really upon us here in Thailand now with a deluge practically every day.

I fly off to the Philippines tomorrow to spend a couple of weeks. 'Wife' number two is getting married shortly and moving far away. This may be the last time I can be with her. I am very sad.

Back on the subject of Chiang Mai. The local papers are full of the Panda baby. I commented before on how it had been removed for weighing and measuring and how I thought that unwise. Not yet a week old and now they are taking milk samples from the mother just in case.
Do the Chinese not know the composition of Panda Milk? Does Chiang Mai Zoo with its long established Panda research station not have the information? Why don't they just leave mother and cub alone?
Now they are jumping up and down wanting to keep the cub for longer than the agreed 2 years. Why? What for? Commercial greed and nothing at all to do with considering the needs of a two year old Panda cub. It will have learnt all it could from its mother. It needs to move on. The Chinese know that. That is why the two year clause is implemented.

I do hope the cub draws in more visitors to Chiang Mai though. I hope that they then get their act together and use the money to start improving the accommodation for some of the other species there. They spent millions on an unnecessary aquarium whereas the caging for the gibbons (some probably rarer than Giant Pandas) is horrific and has been that way for years. Chiang Mai needs to do better.

The death of Zion Wildlife Park keeper continues to generate a lot of interest. I include a few links. All are interesting but do read through the numerous comments. It is important you do to realise the ignorance and misconceptions that the average Joe Public has. We have to educate our zoo visitors so we have to understand their thinking on these matters. Many of these comments suggest that people actually believe you have to go inside enclosures with these large cats. There is only one reason and that is to pander to the overinflated ego of whichever nutcase implemented such a nonesensical management system in the first place. Then there is the so often mistaken belief that White Tigers are rare. White Tigers, beautiful as they are, are junk tigers.

I am not sure how I feel about cabbage headed, green blooded PETA getting a greasy toe hold in the door of Byculla Zoo. Enrichment they say. Actually it sounds like what they are doing is installing cage furniture...this is enriching of course but only for a day or two after which it becomes a familiar object, part of routine. The distinction has to be made. Whatever, as long as it improves conditions. Maybe PETA will learn something too.


I have written two new hubs recently...neither are zoo related but someone out there might be interested:

The Oil Massage

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Visit my webpages at: http://hubpages.com/profile/Peter+Dickinson

Hubpages are brilliant, quick to create webpages which can earn you a small passive income from day one. Read my "Quick Guide to Hub Construction." http://ewerl.com/Ua92gJ I truly believe it will be worth your while.

This Weeks Books of Interest to the Zoo Professional

http://moourl.com/6rk1w

On with the links:


Kerre Woodham: They are wild animals

The death of Zion Wildlife Park keeper, Dalu Mncube, is a tragedy but so, too, is the killing of Abu the rare royal white tiger who mauled Mncube to death this week.I'm sure Mncube's colleagues thought they were doing their best to save him. The Whangarei area police commander has gone so far as to say they behaved bravely in trying to rescue the mortally wounded keeper.They tried to frighten Abu away with a fire extinguisher and sticks before resorting to firepower but surely an attack of this sort is an occupational hazard you must accept when you choose to work with wild animals.Even your average domestic moggie can turn feral in a heartbeat if it's frightened, enraged or just feels like taking a swipe.Abu may have been born and bred in captivity but if your DNA tells you

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10575528



Should Zion Wildlife Gardens in Whangarei be shut down?

Numerous comments of interest.

http://blogs.nzherald.co.nz/blog/your-views/2009/5/27/should-zion-wildlife-park-whangarei-be-shut-down/??c_id=1



Animal cruelty allegations made against Busch

Serious allegations, including claims of animal cruelty, have been made against TV's world famous Lion Man.ONE News has obtained documents, and spoken to workers at the Zion Wildlife Gardens, about occasions when big cats were hurt and people put at risk over a period of five years.The allegations surfaced after Craig Busch publicly criticised safety standards at Zion, following the fatal mauling of a keeper last week.ONE News has spoken to staff who claim Busch cruelly killed unwanted cubs.One worker claims he saw Busch put a cub down using a rock the size of a softball."He lay the cub on the ground...he was in a standing position and he threw the rock down on the ground onto the cub. It took three or four times before he was satisfied it was dead, cause he actually... semi missed&he clipped it cause I remember
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/animal-cruelty-allegations-made-against-busch-2764199




Review
This text provides the first comprehensive account of the essential knowledge and the various activities that underpin a successful modern zoo or aquarium. The authors have addressed the challenges, philosophical and practical, that zoo professionals face as well as providing a detailed introduction to the science and management of zoological collections. The engaging style, clear diagrams and wellchosen examples ensure that this text will provide an extremely valuable resource for students and zoo professionals alike.
Dr John Eddison, University of Plymouth


At Cape May Zoo, cages aren't the only safety measures

The skull and crossbones on the back of the cage say it all: Do not open under penalty of death.The Cape May County Zoo does not take any chances with its timber rattlesnakes or the other dangerous animals in its collection. Only the snake handlers have keys to the heavy-duty Master locks securing the viper exhibits.This is one of countless examples of security measures de-signed to keep staff, visitors and animals safe.Keepers work in teams whenever handling the Reptile House's venomous or constricting snakes or alligators, including a 400-pound brute named Oliver who can be moved only with the manhandling of eight staff.The zoo's no-nonsense security was on display last month when it relocated Rocky, its resident Siberian tiger, for the first time in nine years. A Cape May County Sheriff's deputy armed with a shotgun supervised the move of the tranquilized cat so its exhibit could undergo renovations.Keepers have to be adaptable

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/cape_may/article_5fa27b62-9804-5dbc-adcf-d6f5e25d6cb2.html




Govt will ask China to keep panda here longer

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has pledged to look for ways to negotiate with China to allow a new-born panda to stay longer in Thailand.He said he will look at the details of the country's 10-year panda loan deal with China first and raise the issue at an appropriate moment. Mr Abhisit will visit China late next month. "I will try to find out where in the deal China can relax regulations. But first, the government will organise activities to celebrate the birth of the baby panda," he said.Under the loan agreement, any panda cub born in Thailand must be returned to China within two years.China lent Lin Hui and her mate Xuang Xuang to Thailand six years ago.On Wednesday, Lin Hui gave birth to her first cub at Chiang Mai zoo after undergoing artificial insemination. This was the first successful artificial insemination of a panda by a Thai veterinarian team.Prasertsak Boontrakulpoonthawee, chief of the panda research project, said a team of vets yesterday took milk samples from Lin Hui to analyse and isolate essential nutrients to produce

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/17633/govt-will-ask-china-to-keep-panda-here-longer




Brothers receive $900,000 settlement for San Francisco zoo tiger attack

The two San Jose brothers whose friend was fatally mauled on Christmas Day 2007 by a tiger that escaped a closure at the San Francisco Zoo will receive $900,000 as part of a settlement in a civil lawsuit, according to a source.Kulbir and Amirtpal "Paul" Dhaliwal originally filed a lawsuit in November that blamed city officials and the zoo for their injuries sustained during the attack and also sought damages for defamation in the aftermath of the incident. The brothers amended their complaint two weeks ago to seek additional claims, alleging that the city was attempting to bully the Dhaliwals into not seeking a civil lawsuit by threatening to issue an arrest warrant for manslaughter in the death of their friend, Carlos Sousa Jr., who was mauled to death by a Siberian tiger.Los Angeles-based attorney Mark Geragos, who represented the Dhaliwals in their suit against the San Francisco Zoological Society, City and County of San Francisco and public relations

http://www.mercurynews.com/crime/ci_12480242



Zion Wildlife park closed by MAF - big cats won't be killed

The Zion Wildlife Gardens has been temporarily closed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF).The move comes after keeper Dalu Mncube was mauled to death by a 260kg white male tiger called Abu on Wednesday.MAF said the park will remain closed until it is satisfied the park is able to "consistently comply with the animal welfare and enclosure requirements for zoos and wildlife parks", in a statement this afternoon.There is no intention to euthaniase any of the animals.MAF has issued two primary notices, the first requiring the park to meet MAF standards for animal enclosures.The second requires the park to institute interim safety measures to protect staff where segregation from animals is not possible.MAF says it wants to ensure "the welfare of the animals is not compromised and the park is being well managed".Earlier today, the Lion Man, Craig Busch, questioned safety measures at the wildlife park where a game keeper was mauled to death by a tiger this week.Mr Busch, who is currently involved in a hearing before the Employment Relations Authority over his dismissal from the Zion Wildlife Gardens, gave a statement to media this afternoon. Mr Busch said Mr Mncube was the most experienced employee at the park to be dealing with the male tigers while he himself was not there."I think there needs to be more experience," Mr Busch said.In a halting and emotional voice Mr Busch said he wanted to say goodbye to his friends Dalu and Abu and was sad

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10575319



White tigers not endangered

Zion Wildlife Gardens says the tiger shot this week is not endangered. Keeper Dalu Mncabe was mauled to death on Wednesday by a male white tiger at the Whangarei wildlife park. Director Glen Holland says white tigers are a mutation and not a naturally occurring cat. He says they have been bred to satisfy people's need to see an unusual animal and are not endangered. Holland says white tigers in captivity have little to do with conservation of tigers in the wild. He says white tigers would never be released into the wil

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/white-tigers-not-endangered-2762948




Wild Mammals in Captivity, the first handbook of its kind, focuses on new approaches to the management of wild animals in captivity. In one comprehensive volume, the editors have gathered the most current information from field and captive studies of animal behavior, advances in captive breeding, research in physiology, genetics, and nutrition, and new thinking in animal management and welfare. Featuring contributions from dozens of internationally renowned experts, this book is a professional reference of immense practical value, surveying every significant scientific, technical, and management issue. This extraordinary book is an essential resource for administrators, keepers, veterinarians, and everyone who works directly with mammals or is concerned generally with their management and conservation. "This is the only up-to-date and comprehensive manual on the problems of and the solutions to keeping and handling wild mammals outside their natural environment. . . . A magnificent manual."
—Harry Miller, Times Higher Education Supplement



Zoo Offers Amnesty To Owners Of Exotic, Dangerous Pets

Owners of exotic, potentially dangerous or illegal pets can give them up at a "no questions asked" event held by the state Department of Environmental Protection and Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo."Exotic Animal Amnesty Day" is scheduled to take place July 25 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Zoo's Hanson Exploration Station. Reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, fish and invertebrates will be accepted.They will be examined on site and will become property of the DEP."We are looking for people to turn in exotic animals they own that may violate Connecticut's ban on possession of a range

http://www.courant.com/news/local/hc-web-animal-amnesty-0529may30,0,4455547.story



Dalton traders split over zoo plans

Yesterday plans were revealed to increase the size of South Lakes Animal Park in Dalton.The plans for the zoo will see it expand to three times its current size and house new species of animals, including elephants and jaguars.It will also improve its visitor facilities.Zoo owner, David Gill, said he intends to remove all traffic from Dalton. But some traders feel this may prevent passing trade to smaller shops in the town.Mark Rice, who owns Part-eze, in Market Street, Dalton said: “I’m not sure how it will effect businesses, but if it has a negative effect there will be uproar.“The park as it is now doesn’t really attract people into Dalton, so I don’t see how making it bigger will help.“A lot of businesses rely on local custom and don’t get too many tourists coming in from the wildlife park.”But other traders welcomed the n

http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/dalton_traders_split_over_zoo_plans_1_561525?referrerPath=news



Rare Madagascan tortoises stolen

Four of the world's rarest tortoises have been stolen from a captive breeding programme in Madagascar.The ploughshare tortoises were being raised by The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in a bid to bolster the wild population. The species is so rare that fewer than 500 are thought to survive in the wild. If the stolen tortoises are not recovered, conservationists believe they are destined for private collections in Europe, the US or Asia. The theft took place on the evening of 6 May. The thieves entered pre-release enclosures inside Baly Bay National Park, Madagascar, where eight ploughshare tortoises were being kept under quarantine prior to being released. These enclosures were at a secret location and not accessible to the public. All four stolen animals were nearly mature animals, which Durrell had spent years raising. The four were part of a group of 44 specimens that Durrell is attempting to release into the wild. The ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) of north-western Madagascar is the largest of Madagascar's tortoises. Adults reach about 45cm in length. The

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8072000/8072511.stm



Zoo breeding program saves wallaby from extinction

An Adelaide Zoo team has been instrumental in saving a native species from extinction. The team, headed by project veterinarian David Schultz, has brought back from the brink the Victorian brush-tailed rock wallaby - of which just 12 are known to exist. "There were so few," Dr Schultz said. "We knew of about six in the wild and half a dozen in captivity." Combined with an extensive baiting program to rid protected areas of foxes and wild dogs, the species' primary threat, the results have been remarkable. "We've ha

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25537868-2682,00.html



Monkey escapes from zoo, bites five

A seven-year-old ‘rhesus macaque’ that escaped from the Corporation Zoo at VOC Park was captured by the forest officials after a laborious five-hour effort. It is learnt that the monkey managed to escape by breaking a weak net around 3 p.m. The monkey crossed over the Central Prison campus and Dr. Nanjappa Road and strayed in to Ram Nagar and Kattoor areas. Five persons suffered bite injuries as the monkey ran amuck. Following information, District Forest Officer, I. Anwardeen, deputed a team led by Forest Veterinarian, N.S. Manoharan

http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/31/stories/2009053158850300.htm




Exotic Animal Care and Management, provides students with a comprehensive and unique learning experience, focusing entirely on exotic animal care, and husbandry. This text book addresses behavior, habitat, husbandry and diet for each species, recognizing that the majority of medical problems in keeping exotics are due to a lack of species-specific information. Common diseases for each species are discussed at length, from the perspective of providing nursing care, and recognizing signs of health problems. This comprehensive text also covers essential information for anyone working with exotics in a clinical setting including: injection sites, administration of medication, anesthesia, restraint and handling. The companion student workbook provides actual case studies and study questions directly related to the text.


'Iconic' Goat Passes Away At Audubon ZooMiguel Was Known For His Goatee

Miguel Hidalgo, or “Miguel,” as his many friends knew him, passed away Friday at Audubon Zoo at the age of 15. A registered Nigerian dwarf goat, he was born Sept. 16, 1993, at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas. He arrived at Audubon’s Children’s Zoo Jan. 23, 1994.Miguel was a favorite of keepers and visitors alike, zoo officials said. Well known for his “goatee,” he was always quick to nibble
http://www.wdsu.com/news/19605230/detail.html



New Animals Inhabit Central Zoo

New animals came to live in the Central Zoo, situated at the foot of Mt. Taesong in Pyongyang to delight the viewers.General Secretary Kim Jong Il, who had visited at the end of last year the zoo wonderfully reconstructed to suit the requirement of the new century, sent five rare tigers to it.They are three Korean tigers and two Bengal tigers.The Korean tigers are three years old, each of which weighs a hundred and tens of kilograms on an average.The tiger has conspicuous black pattern on the forehead
http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2009/200905/news28/20090528-07ee.html



Govt will ask China to keep panda here longer

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has pledged to look for ways to negotiate with China to allow a new-born panda to stay longer in Thailand.He said he will look at the details of the country's 10-year panda loan deal with China first and raise the issue at an appropriate moment. Mr Abhisit will visit China late next month. "I will try to find out where in the deal China can relax regulations. But first, the government will organise activities to celebrate the birth of the baby panda," he said.Under the loan agreement, any panda cub born in Thailand must be returned to China within two years.China lent Lin Hui and her mate Xuang Xuang to Thailand six years ago.On Wednesday, Lin Hui gave birth to her first cub at Chiang Mai zoo after undergoing artificial insemination. This was the first successful artificial insemination of a panda by a Thai veterinarian team.Prasertsak Boontrakulpoonthawee, chief of the panda research project, said a team of vets yesterday took milk samples from Lin Hui to analyse and isolate essential nutrients to produce
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/17633/govt-will-ask-china-to-keep-panda-here-longer



PETA to carry out enrichment activities in Byculla Zoo

After the death of a hippopotamus at the Byculla Zoo in South Mumbai, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has decided to work hand-in-hand with the authorities to improve the condition of the caged animals in the Zoo. "PETA along with the Zoo authorities will involve in enrichment activities for animals before the BMC-sanctioned Rs 430-crore plan is put to action," PETA's chief functionary Anuradha Sawhney told PTI here. A five-year-old hippopotamus, Shakti died recently in the Byculla Zoo after being diagnosed with a "skin infection". After Shakti's death in April, PETA had said that the enclosures are not designed to fulfill the biological needs of the animals as it does not resemble their natural habitat following which they joined hands with zoo authorities to carry out enrichment activities. Confirming the development, Dr Sanjay Tripathi, a Zoo Vet said, "we are working
http://www.mid-day.com/news/2009/jun/010609-peta-byculla-zoo.htm



Zoo keepers' study success

A STOURBRIDGE zoo keeper is well on his way to becoming fully trained after successfully completing the first phase of his studies in caring for zoo animals. Robert Kedian, aged 23, alongside fellow zoo keeper Darren Saddler, also 23, are both in the first year of a two-year course, studying for an Advanced National Certificate in Zoo Animal Management. As part of their qualification, the pair have recently returned from a week-long residential in Hampshire where they met with keepers from

http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/4402220.Zoo_keepers__study_success/



World's Tiniest Monkey is under threat

Video

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=13743847&ch=4226714&src=news



Jumbo job for city zoo couple

WHEN Boy the elephant needed a pedicure, matters were a tad more complicated than popping into his local beauty salon.When the massive mammal's nails grew too long for comfort, a saw and power grinders were more the order of the day than a simple pair of nail clippers.Plymothians Anna Westbury and her husband Steve Pilcher were among the staff who gave Boy the mammoth four-hour pedicure at Kiev Zoo in the Ukraine.The 39-year-old Asian elephant, who weighs in at 12,000lb, was sedated to allow the team to use tools including the saw and power grinders to clip his toenails.Anna and Steve spent two and a half years helping owner Ben Mee to set up Dartmoor Zoological Park in Sparkwell with their zoological expertise.Anna, who is now leading animal manager at Kiev Zoo, worked as the animal manager at Dartmoor Zoo while Steve worked as the
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/JUMBO-JOB-CITY-ZOO-COUPLE/article-1036637-detail/article.html

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ZOO BIOLOGY

The Zoo Biology Group is concerned with all disciplines involved inthe 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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5th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON ULTRASOUND & ASSISTED REPRODUCTION IN ELEPHANTS,RHINOCEROS & GIRAFFES
October 20-23, 2009
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada

For Registration please forward before Sept 1st 2009 to Charlie GrayAfrican Lion Safari, RR#1, Cambridge, Ontario N1R5S2, CanadaFAX: (001) 519- 623-9542
Email: cgray@lionsafari.com

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OPEN LETTER TO THE RSPB ( Royal Society for the Protection of Birds )

Sir, The RSPB is advocating in favour of more wind farms across the UK. Yet in the United States the State of Birds report, released by U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar last month, warns of the impact these installations are having on bird populations, which are already in sharp decline.

John Fitzpatrick, the director of the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology, helped draft the report along with nonprofit advocacy groups. Yahoo News reports : "Environmentalists and scientists say the report should signal the Obama administration to act cautiously as it seeks to expand renewable energy production and the electricity grid on public lands and tries to harness wind energy along the nation's coastlines."

This significant impact on biodiversity is corroborated by the Spanish Ornithological Society ( SEO-Birdlife ). In a new report commissioned by the Spanish government, they warn that the effect of wind farms on bird mortality has been grossly under-estimated. Entire species are at risk, and among other things they recommend that wind turbines not be erected closer than 15 kilometers from eagles' nests. Too many of these great birds have been killed by their blades already.
Yet, in Scotland, there is no setback regarding eagles’ nests : on the isle of Lewis, the John Muir Trust has approved the erection of 3 wind turbines as close as one kilometer away from an active golden eagle nest. The RSPB is not objecting to this practice, which threatens the survival of the UK’s eagles.

Several Scottish eagles have disappeared near wind farms already, a fact that your organisation has not publicised.

One may wonder why you would encourage the erection of more wind farms across the UK when there is so much evidence that many bird species, from eagles to song birds, are being killed by these machines in substantial numbers.

It is disturbing enough, but there is more : the RSPB has a financial interest in the development of wind farms. You contracted a business relationship with Scottish and Southern Energy, which sells a product called " RSPB energy " - a vector for renewable energy. The conflict of interest is evident.

You also have close ties with governments, working with them to reduce opposition to wind farm development. This was again evidenced by a recent annoucement : "Charities, voluntary organisations and NGOs are to team up with Government to look at ways to tackle climate change and other environmental issues in this sector. "

Politicians are enlisting the support of charities in their attempt to convince increasingly sceptical Britons that their landscapes and quality of life have to go - a highly controversial decision based on computer predictions about climate that hundreds of prominent scientists from around the world denounce as bordering on fraud.

The charities’ involvement appears to involve spin as well. Recently the BBC quoted the RSPB in its praise of Spain ( which has 16,000 wind turbines killing half a million birds a year ) : they said the country is producing 20% of its electricity from wind. Yet the figure is actually 11%.

Most people who form the one-million-plus membership of the RSPB think that wind farms do not harm birds significantly. But this is a perception they received from management. Reality proves otherwise in countries where bird mortality at wind farms is being investigated.

In the UK, very few wind farms are monitored for dead birds, and when they are the results are not published. The wind turbines at Blyth harbour are an exception : they were monitored for one year and low mortality was found. But the turbines being located on a warf, most birds that are hit fall at sea and many are never found.

We as dedicated conservationists, and this opinion is shared by many RSPB members and other bird lovers across the country, are increasingly worried by the wind farm policy of your bird society. It is bad enough to sacrifice the British landscape to produce small amounts of unreliable yet very expensive energy. But what are we to think of the RSPB making every effort to promote such destruction ? And why do you keep to yourselves most of the evidence of high bird mortality at wind farms around the world ?


The broad picture.


A report on wind energy claims that wind farm generating capacity in the world could reach 7,500GW by 2025.

Supposing an average of 2 MW per turbine, that's 3,750,000 wind turbines.

25 birds killed per turbine/year* ---> 25 x 3,750,000 = 93,750,000 dead birds/year ( conservative estimate ).

* As shown by studies not unduly influenced by their funding and performed by biologists Lekuona in Spain, Everaert in Belgium, and Winkelman in the Netherlands.

To this must be added the death toll of new high-tension power lines : 1) from each windfarm to the national grid, and 2) extensions of the grid itself.
Let’s say, conservatively, that this represents 10 km of new HT power lines per wind farm, and that a wind farm has an average of 50 turbines :

3,750,000 divided by ~50 turbines per windfarm = 75,000 windfarms x 10 km = 750,000 km of new HT power lines.

750,000 km x 200 birds per km/year* = 150 million dead birds/year

Total : 150,000,000 + 93,750,000 = ~250 million dead birds/year

* Average mortality according to a study in the Netherlands by Koops (1987) quoted by the American Wind Energy Association. However, in important areas of bird migration, mortality can exceed 500 birds per kilometer per year, says Birdlife International.

Bats are another matter : where bats are present, more are killed by wind turbines than birds. These flying mammals are attracted to the blades . A video has documented this fact.

The upshot of all this is : 1) many bat species are already on the endangered list, 2) migrating bird numbers are shrinking rapidly, and 3) another study from Birdlife found that most other birds species are also on the decline. And now wind farms and their power lines will be adding another 250 million killings per year. In the circumstances, is it reasonable for the RSPB to push for more wind farms ?

To put things into perspective : Germany has over 20,000 wind turbines, Spain 16,000, yet CO2 emissions have continued to increase in both countries. The need for back-up by conventional power stations practically makes redundant this form of intermittent, unreliable electricity.


Co-signed :

Professor David Bellamy Mark Duchamp
tel : 01388 488 554 (confidential ) tel : +34 679 12 99 97

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FUNDING FOR ZOOS
http://moourl.com/yzrkq

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Endangered Species Recovery
20th July – 7th August 2009

A short-course for anyone with an active interest in animal conservation and a desire to learn how species can be saved. Lectures will be given by world class conservationists. Practical activities and behind the scenes experiences in Durrell’s animal collection will provide participants with first-hand exposure to the realities of endangered species recovery. On completion participants will be equipped with a fuller appreciation of the complexities of animal conservation and an ability to develop their personal or professional interests in the field.
For further information please visit http://www.durrell.org/ (get involved menu, select training)Or contact Catherine Burrows at: catherine.burrows@durrell.org

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Volunteering Opportunity
Elephantstay at the Royal Elephant Kraal Village, Ayutthaya Thailand
Please check http://www.elephantstay.com/ for additional information.


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Announcing the ASZK Des Spittall Scholarship for Keeper Research

Named in honour of the late Des Spittall, a life member of ASZK, the ASZK committee has launched the Des Spittall Scholarship for keeper research. This is open to people who have been a financial member of ASZK for 12 months or more. This is an annual scholarship up to the value of $2,000. Applications close 31st October 2009

Please forward ‘Des Spittall Scholarship for Keeper Research’ application to ASZK President no later than 31st of October each year at email eo@aszk.org.au

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PLEASE SEE LATEST UPDATED ZOO VACANCIES AT:
http://zoowork.blogspot.com/

PLEASE NOTE SOME VACANCIES ARE ONLY ADVERTISED ON:
http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/

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Meetings

The 9th International Conference on Environmental Enrichment.
31st May – 5th June 2009.
Torquay, Devon, UK
Please go to http://www.reec.info/
For more information
julian.chapman@paigntonzoo.org.uk



"First African Symposium on Zoological Medicine"
July 18th and 19th 2009.
Johannesburg Zoo, South Africa.
Financial assistance available for vets from other African countries.
For more details contact Teresa Slacke on vetadmin@jhbzoo.org.za



The 7th Annual Turtle Survival Alliance Symposium on Chelonian Conservation and Biology
August 5th - 8th, 2009
St Louis, Missouri
For details on membership, registration, program and events, please visit our website at http://www.turtlesurvival.org/




Professional Training Seminars at Shedd Aquarium
Animal Training Seminar with Ken Ramirez
Environmental Quality Seminar with Allen LaPointe
August 24 –28, 2009
Please contact the adult programs coordinator at
adults@sheddaquarium.org for more information



THIRD ORANGUTAN SSP© HUSBANDRY WORKSHOP
MONDAY, AUGUST 31 THROUGH WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Zoo Atlanta, USA
http://www.2009orangutanworkshop.org/



AZA 2009 Annual Conference
September 12-17, 2009
Oregon Zoo
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



26th EAZA Annual Conference
14 - 20 September 2009
Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark.


3rd International Congress on Zoo Keeping and the 36th American Association of Zoo Keepers National Conference
September 24th - 29th 2009 The Puget Sound Chapter of AAZK and WoodlandPark Zoo
See these websites for further information: http://www.iczoo.org/
http://www.pugetsoundaazk.org/



CBSG (Conservation Breeding Specialist Group)
1-4 October 2009
St. Louis, MO, USA (right before the WAZA Meeting)
For further information: ginger@cbsg.org
http://www.cbsg.org/cbsg/



64th WAZA Annual Conference
4 - 8 October 2009
St. Louis Zoo at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, St. Louis (MO), USA.
For more information, please visit http://www.waza.org/


Second Okapi Workshop
11 14 October 2009
Antwerp Zoo
For further details go to:
http://www.theokapi.org/nieuwsvolledig.asp?nieuws=15



2009 ZRA Annual Conference : Overview
October 21-25, 2009
Zoo Boise , Boise , Idaho
If you have questions about the 2009 ZRA Annual Conference Program, please contact the Program Chairman, Pam Krentz, Registrar for Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, at (216) 635-3361 or by email at pak@clevelandmetroparks.com




The Bear Care Group announces the second international bear care conference 'Advancing Bear Care '09.
SAN FRANCISCO NOVEMBER 6-8 2009
http://www.bearcaregroup.org/




The 6th European Zoo Nutrition Conference
Barcelona, 28-31 January 2010
Please send comments or suggestions for topics/speakers directly to me (a.fidgett@chesterzoo.org). Further announcements and information will be posted online via the nutrition area of the EAZA website (http://www.eaza.net/).



20th International Zoo Educators' (IZE) Biennial Conference
19 - 23 October 2010 Disney's Animal Kingdom, Florida, USA.
For more information, please visit http://www.izea.net/



Zoohistorica
International meeting of collectors of zoo literature and memorabilia
Internationales Treffen der Sammler zoohistorischer Literatur
Rencontre internationale des collectionneurs de documents en rapport avec les zoos
See here for more details: http://www.zoohistorica.org/



7th International Penguin Conference
DATE: August 30 to September 3, 2010
LOCATION: Boston Massachusetts, USA
HOSTED BY: The New England Aquarium
ipcboston@neaq.org



AZA 2010 Annual Conference
September 11-16
Houston Zoo, Houston , TX
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2011 Annual Conference
September 12-17
Zoo Atlanta , Atlanta , GA
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2012 Annual Conference
September 8-13
Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix , AZ
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html



AZA 2013 Annual Conference
September 7-12
Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City , MO
http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html

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Kind Regards,

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Peter Dickinson

http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/

http://www.geocities.com/peterd482001/ZooNews_Digest.html

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