Zoo News Digest 8th - 12th October 2009 (Zoo News 624)

Zoo News Digest 8th - 12th October 2009 (Zoo News 624)
http://zoonewsdigest.com/

http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

Peter Dickinson
peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk


Dear Colleagues,

It may seem odd but I feel let down and hurt as the list of zoos that the infamous Lion Man Craig Busch will visit in the UK comes to my attention. Can these collections really be serious? Is money more important to them than respectability within the world of zoos? Are they happy to condone malpractice?
Of course it may all be just rumour. I have not seen any advertising. Only Dartmoor posted the visit on their blog site but that now has disappeared. I hope it is because they have had a rethink.

I think johnstoni's quote that "its like advertising an audience with Mary Chipperfield..." was very apt.

The biggest story this week? Dyed donkeys in Gaza.

Sad to read of the stress problems for animals in Chinese zoos. All I can say is that not everywhere is the same....but then maybe they are during extended holiday periods. Al Ain was hell on such days and some of the UK zoos I worked in were not much better.

It is quite some time since I checked out how many countries the mail out version of ZooNews Digest reached (80+) but this week I have been monitoring this the blog and there have been readers from: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Eire, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lao, Latvia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, Wales.


The ZooNews Digest continues to be read more often by more staff in more zoos than any other publication.


Please consider advertising on this blog as I need the money but understand.... I am of stubborn principle and will not advertise products or services that I disagree with no matter how much you pay me.

Please feel free to use the comment section at the end of this Zoo News Digest.

Is your meeting/conference/symposium listed here?http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/
If not why not? ZooNews Digest is read by more zoo people than any other similar publication. I will advertise up till the event.

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

My Latest Hubs (unrelated to zoos):

Red Fanta

Pattaya to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport to Pattaya

Thai Girls on Top

I was flattered to have had a hub page written 'in my honour' and not for the first time either. You might want to take a look at Pattaya Girls.


Why not try writing on HubPages?

Write about what you know about or are interested in. You can post on line. Free to join and yet you can earn money continually. A passive income. Not much to begin with but it mounts up. It pays me enough to buy a cup of coffee every day...well nearly every day.


Imagine if you were to write one hub a week. That is 52 hubs per year. Each earning you a slowly increasing amount of money each week. In ten years you woulf have 520 hubs earning more. It is working towards a nice little extra source of regular income for your retirement.


Read how with my "Quick Guide to Hub Construction." http://ewerl.com/Ua92gJ I truly believe it will be worth your while.



Please visit the Zoo Professionals Book Store for more if you are looking for books for yourself or as gifts.


On with links:

Frog theft suspect acquitted
The Nakhon Ratchasima provincial court has acquitted a National Science Museum researcher accused of stealing three rare frogs from Sakaerat Environmental Research Station.The court cited insufficient evidence in its ruling for acquitting researcher Thanya Jan-art, 51, of the charge.The theft complaint was filed against Mr Thanya by Thaksin Atchawakhom, the director of the research station in Nakhon Ratchasima's Wang Nam Khieo district.Mr Thanya was alleged to have stolen the frogs from the research station.Mr Thaksin claimed the frogs in question were three of four frogs belonging to a new species called the "Khorat big-mouthed frog" discovered in the jungles of Sakaerat national park on June 27, 2003. The frogs
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/25280/frog-theft-suspect-acquitted


Six kangaroos arrive in Jakarta from Australia
Six female grey kangaroos arrived in Jakarta on Saturday evening after a 18-hour flight from Perth, Australia.The Indonesian Safari Park (TSI) in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java province, received the animals from the Australian Zoo.The kangaroos were accompanied by three Australian Zoo`s staff members, namely Dr Tim Potas, Lauire Pond and Kelsey, and were greeted by Cisarua TSI Director Tony Sumampau upon their arrival in Jakarta.They would be placed in a quarantine area for a week for adaptation
http://www.antara.co.id/en/news/1255231916/six-kangaroos-arrive-in-jakarta-from-australia


Tiger's victims charged
Two men who broke into the Calgary Zoo and got on the wrong side of a tiger have been charged. Trever James Wearmouth and Thomas Anthony Bryce-Hart, both 27, will appear in court to face one count each of trespassing. Two intruders scaled a 2.5-metre fence topped with barbed wire north of the zoo's west gate about 1 a.m. last Monday and headed to the tiger exhibit. Investigators believe the men jumped over a fence and approached the tiger enclosure, potentially sticking their arms inside the holes in the wire toward Vitali, a 150-kg male Siberian tiger. Zoo staff say two-year-old Vitali's paws are too large to reach through the gaps in the fence, so at least one of the men likely reached inside the cage, where the tiger is presumed to have grabbed the suspect's arm, pulled
http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/alberta/2009/10/10/11364906-sun.html

No criminal charges for after-hours zoo intruders
Two men accused of breaking into the Calgary Zoo after a night of drinking will not face criminal charges.Police said Friday the pair --identified as Trever James Wearmouth and Thomas Bryce-Hart, both 27 -- each face one count of trespassing, under provincial laws, related to the apparent prank that led to one of the men being mauled by a two-year-old Siberian tiger.A Criminal Code charge of trespassing only applies to homes, police said."We do know that the offenders had been drinking prior to this," said Staff Sgt. Rick Halford. "What's their state of mind before that and during that, we don't know."We know that they were intent on perhaps surprising somebody, but things got a little carried away."The injured man is the common-law husband of a zoo security guard whom they called immediately after
http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/criminal+charges+after+hours+intruders/2089058/story.html


Metroparks Zoo: Leopard briefly escapes from exhibit
At approximately 3:30 p.m. Friday, a 4-year-old male clouded leopard briefly got out of its exhibit in The RainForest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Officials say it appears that some harp wire in front of the clouded leopard exhibit broke and the animal was able to exit its exhibit.Once outside the exhibit, the clouded leopard worked at trying to get back into his exhibit but was unsuccessful. No one was injured or in danger during the incident, officials said.The exhibit is on the second floor of The RainForest.The Zoo's Animal Care and Veterinary Services staff immediately responded to secure the clouded leopard and tranquilize him so he could be moved to an off-exhibit holding area.Late Friday, the clouded leopard
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/article/20091010/UPDATES01/91010008


Honoring the impulse to heal
Jane Goodall knows the planet is in trouble. She's seen the damage with her own eyes, traveling the world in the name of wildlife preservation. The Earth's animals and plants are imperiled by pollution, by the loss of habitat, by poachers and by profit motive, by water shortages, by global warming, by the human population explosion. Goodall acknowledges the sober news, delivered in October 2008 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, that predicts at least one-quarter of mammal species "are headed toward extinction in the near future." She senses public despair. She senses public helplessness. And yet ... "There is still hope for animals and their world," writes Goodall, her tone upbeat, steadfast, almost cheerful. "Even when our mindless activities have almost entirely destroyed some ecosystem or driven a species to the brink of extinction, we must not give up. ... For the sake of our children we must not give up, we must continue to fight to save what is left and restore that which is despoiled." Goodall's latest book, "Hope for Animals and Their World," is at its core a testament of hope — an inspirational call to transcend our history of ignorance and neglect and to move in the direction of communal good will on behalf of nature. It illustrates through vivid, heroic examples how humankind's fundamental impulse to heal has already saved dozens of species
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/books/2009/10/11/1011goodall.html


Rare baby panda and koala bears in new BBC series
The ground-breaking work of pioneering programmes to protect some of the world's most threatened animals, including rare baby pandas and koalas, are explored in a new BBC One documentary. Nature's Miracle Babies shows how more miracle babies are being born through artificial insemination. The BBC series will look at how the Chinese breeding programme of the notoriously fickle giant panda is making some progress with new techniques learned from human fertility
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/6271853/Rare-baby-panda-and-koala-bears-in-new-BBC-series.html


Big cat working like a dog to entertain visitors at the zoo
The end of the Golden Week holiday is good news for zoo animals, many of which were overfed and overworked performing for tourists during the past eight days.Ai Ai, a female tiger at the Wuhan Zoo, Hubei Province, suffered from fatigue after performing seven shows daily to entertain visitors. She had to jump through hoops 21 times a day."The overwhelming number of visitors was a burden for the animals," Zoo Manager He Zhihua told the Global Times yesterday."We are so glad that the longest holiday has finally ended. I believe the tiger would think the same way," he said.The circus-type show requires Ai Ai to jump three times though two rings, measuring two meters high and one meter apart. Her act is a "must-see" performance for tourists.Manager He said that among the zoo's 20 performing tigers, Ai Ai is the only one with the athletic ability to jump that high. So the big cat was exhausted performing for an average 20,000 visitors a day.To help the tiger relax, zookeepers massaged her aching muscles, fed her live chickens as a special treat, and gave her hot showers every evening after the show.The zoo manager expressed worry over the tiger's health after Ai Ai refused to eat and became easily irritated due to
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/6778348.html


Final episode of BBC One's Wild Welsh Zoo filmed at Manor House Wildlife Park
A gorgeous gibbon has failed to lure her reluctant mate to freedom in time for the final frames of a BBC series. The final episode of Wild Welsh Zoo was filmed at Manor House Wildlife Park yesterday (Wednesday). The park was bought by TV star Anna Ryder-Richardson just over a year ago. Since then she has been on a mission to improve the life of 12-year-old Steve, the park's resident Siamang gibbon. "He's one of my favourites," said Anna. "We hold hands, I feed him through the bars. I just want to pick him up and give him a big squeeze." Steve had lived his whole life in a concrete cage with just a
http://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/4672561.No_branching_out_for_gibbon_at_Wild_Welsh_Zoo/


Monarto Zoo to offer safari tourism
Monarto Zoo, east of Adelaide, is seeking private investors to help fund a new eco-tourism resort.The zoo plans to offer visitors to the new facilities a wildlife experience similar to those provided by large African game parks."This presents a huge and exciting opportunity to do something totally new and authentic," said Zoos SA chief executive Chris West."It will combine eco-tourism and have a direct conservation benefit by featuring African animals in a natural setting and providing space and resources to help save native Australian species from extinction."The Monarto Zoo recently acquired another 500 hectares of land so it could offer four-wheel drive safari tours in what is now the largest reserve outside Africa.With the new development it will also offer overnight accommodation as well as a restaurant service.South Australian Tourism Minister Jane Lomax-Smith said there was a growing
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/monarto-zoo-to-offer-safari-tourism-20091009-gq74.html


Gaza zoo unveils a 'zebra' to dye for
You gotta give the folks at a Gaza zoo points for creativity.They didn't have the cash to bring a real zebra into the blockaded city through smuggling tunnels, so they did the next best thing. They took two white donkeys and gave them black stripes with hair dye, a paint brush and masking tape - and the kids who visited yesterday were none the wiser. "The first time we used paint but it didn't look good," said Nidal Barghouthi, whose father owns the Marah Land zoo. "The children don't know so they call them zebras and t
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2009/10/08/2009-10-08_gaza_zoo_unveils_a_zebra_to_dye_for.html


Zoo visitors cause stress for animals
The eight-day national holiday was relaxing and fun for many Chinese, but not for many of the animals in the Xiangjiang Zoo in Guangzhou.Some of the animals suffered stress due to the throngs that crowded the zoo nearly every day during the holiday, according to workers at the zoo.Visitors took thousands of photos, subjecting the animals to nearly constant flashbulbs. Many people tapped or banged on the cages, called at the animals and created noise from sunrise to sunset.Others fed the animals, in some cases food that the animals should not eat. Still others left behind trash that some animals tried to eat.Many animals were frightened and hid much of the day, refusing to come out, local newspaper New Express Daily reported.Koala bears from Australia covered themselves up in the grass. A panda crouched in a corner. A gibbon, irritated by a child's teasing, rushed to get out of the cage and nearly broke
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-10/09/content_8769289.htm


Rare pigeon hatches at London zoo
Curator praises 'fantastic accomplishment' as bird team engineers breeding despite falling numbers worldwideIt may be declining rapidly in the wild, but a colourful species known as the Victoria crowned pigeon is proving a welcome addition to the bird collection at London Zoo.One of the rare breed, which sports cyan blue feathers, an auburn chest, tall plume and orange eyes, hatched last month and is the first of its kind to have been bred at the zoo.It left the nest for the first time this week and has been exploring the surroundings of the Blackburn Pavilion exhibit.The Victoria crowned pigeon, renowned for its dedicated parenting, mates for life with both parents continuing to care for chicks up to three months after they fly the nest. At present
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/oct/08/rare-pigeon-species-breed-zoo


Cat burglar steals birds
TWO endangered birds worth almost $5000 have been stolen from a Far Northern wildlife park in a bizarre bird heist.Birdworld at Kuranda lost their two prized black lories some time between Saturday and Tuesday.Birdworld had traded a scarlet macaw, valued at about $14,000, for the lories, which sell for about $4500 a pair, to an exotic Victorian bird breeder in August.The birds, which inhabit Western New Guinea and associated islands, were the only ones of their kind in Far North Queensland. Less than 25 are resident
http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2009/10/08/68685_local-news.html


Vulture plans hatched for quarry
A disused quarry in the Borders could become one of Europe's largest aviaries to help save endangered vultures.The Eagle Gardens project has received a £637,000 grant from the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). It would see a bird of prey visitor and conservation centre built at Ancrum near Jedburgh. The proposals also include a "free-flight" aviary which could allow 50 vultures to nest in the rock walls of the near circular quarry. The scheme needs a total of £1.5m in order to proceed and fundraising is about to begin to secure the additional money required to top up the SRDP
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/8296552.stm


At Phnom Tamao, a Zoo of Rescued Wild Things
Cambodia’s Phnom Tamao zoo, with 1,200 animals and around 80 species, is a rare facility, populated mostly by animals indigenous to the country, many of them confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade.Nick Marx, an animal husbandry specialist for Wildlife Alliance in Phnom Penh, is director of the group’s wildlife rescue program at the zoo. In a recent interview with VOA Khmer in Washington, where he visited in September, Marx discussed some of the zoo’s characteristics. “There are a lot wild animals there, more than before,” he said. “We are helping the forest conservative administration to make cages for the animals. Phnom Tamao is under the supervision of Cambodian forest conservative, and we help them there.” In the US, Marx visited Washington, New York, Denver, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.“There are a lot of Cambodian wildlife [specimens] in Phnom Tamao, because the Cambodians confiscated those animals from being traded, then they freed them
http://www.voanews.com/khmer/2009-10-07-voa1.cfm

CHEETAHS are well named
CHEETAHS are well named, it emerged this week. With their stunning black eye markings, these temptresses of the savannah cheat on their mates as readily as they chase gazelles. A ­London Zoo study in Tanzania found that female cheetahs range far and wide to mate with as many males as they can find.But there is method in their nymphomania. Male big cats have a distressing habit of –eating the cubs of rival males. By mating with any male with a pulse, the mother boosts the survival prospects of her young. Well, that’s her story and she’s sticking to it.This tale of lust on the Serengeti is revealed in a beautifully illustrated book on wildlife mysteries by former Daily Expressman Lewis Smith.He tells how the sloth, a global byword for laziness, has had a bad press. In the wild, sloths only sleep nine hours a day (I wish…), spending the
http://www.express.co.uk/ourcomments/view/132915

Reptile zoo seeks law on exotic pets
The curator of Ireland’s only reptile zoo has called for urgent legislation in relation to the keeping of potentially dangerous exotic pets.James Hennessy, who runs the Reptile Village Zoo in Co Kilkenny, said he had been inundated with calls in the last year asking to rehouse crocodiles, poisonous snakes and turtles because their owners cannot look after them.“It has become pretty scary. We have to turn down animals because we are full up,” he said.“We’re here for conservation and education, but our role has changed in that we continuously get calls to rehome animals because their owners did not know what they were getting into.”Mr Hennessy is giving lectures on health and safety in relation to reptiles at the Pet Expo which started this evening and is running this weekend in the RDS Main Hall.“I will be stressing that people must do their research before buying these kind of animals. They are not like budgies or cats. I will be warning people about what can go wrong,” he explained.He blamed the internet for the easy access to animals such as spectacled caiman crocodiles which can grown to 10 feet, boa constrictors, cobras, which
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1009/breaking62.htm


Bulgaria's Environment Ministry orders Pazardjik zoo closed
The Pazardjik zoo has been ordered temporarily shut by the Bulgarian Environment Ministry, until it receives proper accreditation, Dnevnik daily reported on October 9 2009. The animals will be shipped to the zoo in Stara Zagora.The zoo is no longer allowed to admit visitors until its accreditation documents are approved by the ministry, contingent on the facility proving that it complies with the hygiene standards and that the animals are being offered proper veterinary treatment, which was not the case.The ministry has given the Pazardjik zoo six months to submit the appropriate application form in order to receive its license back, otherwise the facility is facing the grim prospect of having to close permanently.On September 4, another zoo in Bulgaria, in Haskovo, was in the spotlight for a similar reason, when the Haskovo regional veterinary inspectorate and the Chetiri Lapi (Four Paws) Foundation collaborated in the confiscation and relocation of a Bulgarian brown bear from the zoo. The animal was later shipped to the zoo in Pavlikeni.The drastic and unprecedented measure was deemed imperative after the bear's living conditions were branded "abysmal"."We've been monitoring the condition of the bear since the beginning of the year. He was in a terrible state, his health was very poor," said Dimitar Ivanov, director of the Dancing Bears Park in Belitsa.Haskovo zoo is notorious and made headlines in April 2009, when animal activists discovered the carcasses of more than 40 stray dogs in the zoo's waste containers. Eventually it transpired
http://sofiaecho.com/2009/10/09/797285_bulgarias-environment-ministry-orders-pazardjik-zoo-closed?ref=rss


Monterey Bay Aquarium attracts dollars, jobs
It wasn't expected, but Monterey Bay Aquarium is on pace to match last year's attendance. And considering what a big impact the aquarium makes on the local economy, that's good news for Monterey County as well. "It's flat out been a good year," said Ken Peterson, the aquarium's communications director. The aquarium had projected a drop of nearly 250,000 from last year's 1.9million attendance, Peterson said, based mainly on the weak economy. A key reason for the better-than-foreseen turnouts, Peterson said, has been the Secret Lives of Sea Horses exhibit. "It's been our most popular exhibition ever," he said, adding that it will stay on at the aquarium for several years. The recession may have helped attendance, Peterson said, because people may have made a trip to the aquarium rather than taking a vacation
http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_13538392?source=rss&nclick_check=1

***************************************************

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

*******************************************************************************

http://ctt-news.org/9GD-26BF-14110QE2E2/cr.aspx



Dear All,


I have been asked to circulate information on the below two events which will take place at ZSL on Tuesday 24 November to mark Nepal Nature Conservation Year in collaboration with the Government of Nepal:


The Nepal Conservation in Crisis seminar (10.30am–3.00pm) will address key conservation issues affecting Nepal’s diverse and highly threatened ecosystems. A range of speakers will share their experiences and achievements in natural resources conservation and the seminar will be chaired by the Minister of Forests and Soil Conservation and Director of National Parks Nepal. Seminar places are free but must be booked in advance. Please see here for full information and please email jane.loveless@zsl.org if you would like to participate.


A separate evening event, Fragile Nepal (6.30–11.00pm), will raise funds for the vital conservation work needed to safeguard this remarkable region and its fragile ecosystems. Full information can be found here and the evening includes a drinks reception, buffet dinner, presentations, Nepali entertainment, and a silent auction. Please email pippa.king@zsl.org to book your place.


I hope that these will be of interest; please contact Jane directly if you would like to participate in the Nepal Conservation in Crisis seminar or Pippa if you wish to book for the exclusive Fragile Nepal evening event.


Thanks and best wishes,

Joy :-)

Joy Hayward Scientific Meetings Co-ordinator,
ZSL,
London
NW1 4RY,
UK.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7449 6227.
Fax: +44 (0)20 7449 6411.
E-mail: joy.hayward@zsl.org.
Web: http://ctt-news.org/9GD-26BF-110QE2-1AIN9-1/c.aspx


*******************************************************************************
The Gabriel Foundation presents

LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR WORKSHOP FOR VETERINARY AND OTHER BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS

October 23-25, 2009 Elizabeth, Colorado, USAEarly Registration Rates extended to Oct 15th

REGISTRATION FEES:TGF Veterinary Member $610TGF Individual/Family Member $670Non Member $695Veterinary Technician $595Student Rate $495

A foundational and learning workshop designed for veterinary and other animal behavior professionals. This intensive three day workshop incorporates lecture, demonstration and hands on guided practice with parrots to improve the professional’s skills to :

• Prevent behavior problems• Resolve behavior problems• Train medical, husbandry and enrichment behaviors• Build your behavior practice

Class size is limited to ensure individual instruction

INSTRUCTORS:Susan Friedman, PhD http://www.behaviorworks.org/Barbara Heidenreich http://www.goodbirdinc.com/Susan Orosz DVM, PhD, Diplomate ABVP-AvianLynne Siebert, DVM, MS, PhD Diplomate ACVB Lilly Companion Animal Health

Visit http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/ to register. Phone: 303-629-5900 X215

Visit this link for more information http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/documents/VetWorkshopBrochure2009.pdf


*******************************************************************************
Howletts and Port Lympne Student Enrichment and Welfare Course in collaboration with AnimalConcepts.
27th – 29th January 2010



Instructors: Sabrina Brando and Mark Kingston Jones



Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks are pleased to announce a course on Enrichment and Welfare to be run by Sabrina Brando and Mark Kingston Jones.


Sabrina runs AnimalConcepts, an international consultancy company specialising in enrichment, behaviour and animal welfare. Sabrina has 17 years experience in the field and collaborates with many facilities, universities and research institutes.


Mark has been involved in the animal welfare field since 2004 and now works at Howletts and Port Lympne as the Enrichment and Research Officer for both parks organising workshops, talks and working with keepers to design and implement enrichment ideas. He has been involved in two ‘The Shape of Enrichment’ workshops, in the UK and Indonesia, and has presented 9 talks on topics relating to animal welfare at conferences, both nationally and internationally.



This course is designed specifically for college and university students (past or present) who do not currently work within a zoo setting but are looking to do so as a career. Over three days students will gain a background in animal welfare and working with different species, as well as providing practical skills in designing, building and testing enrichment within the settings of both Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks, in Kent. Our aim is to provide valuable experience and the addition of useful skills to a would-be keeper’s CV. Please note you must be 18 or over to attend this course.


Lecture topics include: An overview of welfare and enrichment, animal husbandry and learning, choice and control, enclosure design and breaking into the zoo world. Additionally there will be talks and practicals with keepers involving working with carnivores, primates, ungulates, elephant management, getting involved in in-situ conservation, rope splicing and fire hose weaving.


The workshop registration fee of £150 includes:
All workshop materials
Practical sessions
Lunches during the 3 days, as well as drinks and snacks during the scheduled tea breaks.


Information on discounted accommodation is available on request and the number of available places is limited, so please book early.



For further information and to request a booking form please contact:
Kim Guillot at Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks
Email: intern@totallywild.net


Final deadline for registration is: 31.12.09

*******************************************************************************

ZOO ADVERTS OF NOTE:





*******************************************************************************

Malagasy government’s decree for precious wood export will
unleash further environmental pillaging


Recently Madagascar’s transitional government issued two contradictory decrees: first, the exploitation of all precious woods was made illegal, but then a second allowed the export of hundreds of shipping containers packed with this illegally harvested wood.

Madagascar’s forests have long suffered from the abusive exploitation of precious woods, most particularly rosewoods and ebonies, but the country’s recent political problems have resulted in a dramatic increase in their exploitation. This activity now represents a serious threat to those who rely on
the forest for goods and services and for the country’s rich, unique and highly endangered flora and fauna.

Precious woods are being extracted from forests by roving and sometimes violent gangs of lumbermen and sold to a few powerful businessmen for export. Madagascar has 47 species of rosewood and over 100 ebony species that occur nowhere else, and their exploitation is pushing some to the brink of
extinction. Those exploiting the trees are also trapping endangered lemurs for food, and the forests themselves are being degraded as trees are felled, processed and dragged to adjacent rivers or roads for transport to the coast. No forest that contains precious woods is safe, and the country’s most prestigious nature reserves and favoured tourist destinations, such as the Marojejy and Masoala World Heritage Sites and the Mananara Biosphere Reserve, have been the focus of intensive exploitation.

Currently thousands of rosewood and ebony logs, none of them legally exploited, are stored in Madagascar’s east coast ports, Vohémar, Antalaha, and Toamasina. The most recent decree will allow their export and surely encourage a further wave of environmental pillaging.

Malagasy civil society, conservation and development organisations and the international community are united in lamenting the issue of the most recent decree, in fearing its consequences and in questioning its legitimacy. Consumers of rosewood and ebony products are asked to check their origin,
and boycott those made of Malagasy wood.

October 12, 2009

CAS California Academy of Science
CI Conservation International
DWCT Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
EAZA European Association of Zoos and Aquaria
ICTE Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments
MBG Missouri Botanical Garden
MFG Madagascar Fauna Group
The Field Museum, Chicago
Dr Claire Kremen, University of California, Berkeley
Dean Keith Gilless, University of California, Berkeley
Robert Douglas Stone, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
WAZA World Association of Zoos and Aquariums
WCS Wildlife Conservation Society
WWF World Wide Fund for Nature

Zoo Zürich
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Alex Rübel, Director Zurich Zoo
Tel. no. 044 254 25 00, medien@zoo.ch , http://www.zoo.ch/


*******************************************************************************

For Zoo Jobs and Related Vacancies please visit: http://zoowork.blogspot.com/

For notification of Zoo related Meetings, Conferences, Courses and Symposia go to: http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/

************************************************************************


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


Zoo News Digest Blog
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

ZooNews Digest Webpage
http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/

Zoo Vacancies Blog
http://zoowork.blogspot.com/

Hub Pages
http://u.nu/2kx

Follow me on Twitter at:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/PeterZoo

Howletts and Port Lympne Student Enrichment and Welfare Course in collaboration with AnimalConcepts

Howletts and Port Lympne Student Enrichment and Welfare Course in collaboration with AnimalConcepts

27th – 29th January 2010

Instructors: Sabrina Brando and Mark Kingston Jones

Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks are pleased to announce a course on Enrichment and Welfare to be run by Sabrina Brando and Mark Kingston Jones.

Sabrina runs AnimalConcepts, an international consultancy company specialising in enrichment, behaviour and animal welfare. Sabrina has 17 years experience in the field and collaborates with many facilities, universities and research institutes.
Mark has been involved in the animal welfare field since 2004 and now works at Howletts and Port Lympne as the Enrichment and Research Officer for both parks organising workshops, talks and working with keepers to design and implement enrichment ideas. He has been involved in two ‘The Shape of Enrichment’ workshops, in the UK and Indonesia, and has presented 9 talks on topics relating to animal welfare at conferences, both nationally and internationally.

This course is designed specifically for college and university students (past or present) who do not currently work within a zoo setting but are looking to do so as a career. Over three days students will gain a background in animal welfare and working with different species, as well as providing practical skills in designing, building and testing enrichment within the settings of both Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks, in Kent. Our aim is to provide valuable experience and the addition of useful skills to a would-be keeper’s CV. Please note you must be 18 or over to attend this course.

Lecture topics include: An overview of welfare and enrichment, animal husbandry and learning, choice and control, enclosure design and breaking into the zoo world. Additionally there will be talks and practicals with keepers involving working with carnivores, primates, ungulates, elephant management, getting involved in in-situ conservation, rope splicing and fire hose weaving.

The workshop registration fee of £150 includes:All workshop materialsPractical sessionsLunches during the 3 days, as well as drinks and snacks during the scheduled tea breaks.

Information on discounted accommodation is available on request and the number of available places is limited, so please book early.

For further information and to request a booking form please contact:Kim Guillot at Howletts and Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks

Email: intern@totallywild.net

Final deadline for registration is: 31.12.09

Craig Busch UK Zoo Tour

Craig Busch UK Zoo Tour

Craig Busch, the infamous 'Lion Man' is apparantly setting out on a UK Zoo Tour.

I am presently aware of only one UK Zoo (Dartmoor Zoo) who has agreed to host him in anticipation of having many of his numerous UK fans visit. They cite financial reasons for doing so. I am actually really disgusted at this point of view. It is a bit like selling your mother down the river.

No doubt other UK zoos have been approached and some are even considering it (I can actually guess at which ones they will be, but I won't).

I would point anyone in doubt to the article: Craig Busch and Zion Wildlife Gardens

Read it but DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. Research the facts yourself.

I don't suppose Dartmoor gives a damn as to what I think but until they cancel they have lost any respect I ever had for the place.

Elephant Birth - The Dramatic Struggle for Life

Elephant Birth - The Dramatic Struggle for Life
Elephant Safari Park, Taro, Bali

9th September 2009

Zoo News Digest 5th - 7th October 2009 (Zoo News 623)

Zoo News Digest 5th - 7th October 2009 (Zoo News 623)
http://zoonewsdigest.com/

http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

Peter Dickinson
peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk


Dear Colleagues,

So a couple of utter dipsticks got chewed up by a tiger in Calgary Zoo. They got what they deserved. Their minders should have kept hold of their leashes a bit tighter. If these two guys have the cheek to try and take things any further I would guess that it was a deliberate act just so they could proceed with legal action. Lock them up. Throw away the key.

Great article by Luke Hunter, please read it. A little fact to make some uncomfortable:

"Inevitably, the marketing behind these outfits is heavy on the C-word -- 'conservation.' Visitors are told relentlessly that, by handing over their cash to cozy up to tame lions, they are helping to save the species in the wild. There's little doubt that lions are in dire need -- they have been eradicated from over 80% of their range in Africa alone -- but don't believe their advertising. Churning out cubs for photo opportunities is a great revenue earner but none of those cubs are set free. They are too tame. If they were ever to wander into a village or farm looking for a belly rub or a feed, the surprised locals would, not unreasonably, reach for their rifles or spears. Even assuming there is someplace sufficiently wild and people-free, captive-raised lions simply don't have the skills and experience to survive. Many of the tame lions released by Joy and George Adamson (of 'Born Free' and Christian the Lion fame) starved to death, were killed by people and wild lions or, in some cases, killed people themselves and were shot."

I was delighted to read of the discussions in Nagpur, India amongst the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) officials and conservationists. I do despair though when I read statements like "end with all three cubs being condemned to a life in the zoo". If the zoo is a good one then there is no condemning anything but the statement.

Call me a barbarian if you like but I can find nothing in me that wants to preserve those ghastly Tecton buildings in Dudley zoo. I would bulldoze the lot of them. They are unattractive, hardly functional and of no interest to anyone other than students of architecture...and there are no too many of them about.

The Wildlife Conservation Society are being sued by two women after a small problem caused them to be stranded in the Skyfari for a few hours. They were not hurt, they were not at risk and maximum efforts were being made to rescue them from the start. These women are teachers for heavens sake. They should grow up and stop this stupid nonsense and just learn from life's lessons.

Then we have the Blessed Concerned Christians Canada complaining about a statue of Ganesh outside of Calgary zoo. I thought they were joking to begin with but no....they are serious! Have they really nothing better to do. Their chairman states "Whether you're a believer of any faith or an atheist or agnostic, if you're a non-Hindu, it's a god that does not represent your views." And who says so? Does he actually know anything about Ganesh? Ganesh is very popular here in Thailand....a Buddhist country! This is the statue of him at the end of my road. These are not Hindu's praying to him for luck.

And the one below is the statue outside Calgary zoo.

Not quite the same is it?

I thought it was a while since we had a green polar bear story. They come round as regular as clockwork.

My article on Craig Busch continues to generate flak. I am more than happy to take the criticism but I have yet to see evidence of any of the critics actually reading what I said. I tend to delete the truly abusive comments from which ever direction they arrive from.

Please feel free to use the comment section at the end of this Zoo News Digest.

Is your meeting/conference/symposium listed here?http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/
If not why not? ZooNews Digest is read by more zoo people than any other similar publication. I will advertise up till the event.

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

My Latest Hubs:

none

Why not try writing on HubPages? Write about what you know about or are interested in. You can post on line. Free to join and yet you can earn money continually. A passive income. Not much to begin with but it mounts up. It pays me enough to buy a cup of coffee every day...well nearly every day.

Imagine if you were to write one hub a week. That is 52 hubs per year. Each earning you a slowly increasing amount of money each week. In ten years you woulf have 520 hubs earning more. It is working towards a nice little extra source of regular income for your retirement.

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

I truly believe it will be worth your while.

Please visit the Zoo Professionals Book Store for more if you are looking for books for yourself or as gifts.

On with the links:

Tiger victim linked to security guard at Calgary zoo
The man mauled by a tiger at the Calgary Zoo is the common-law husband of a security guard who was working the night he and a friend scaled a fence and snuck up to the cat’s enclosure, according to a police source.Meanwhile, investigators said criminal charges will be laid soon, to the delight of many zoo visitors Tuesday who said the 27-year-old intruder deserves to be punished for the overnight escapade.“He should be charged for breaking into the zoo and for jumping the fence and for bothering the tiger,” said Lorita Sonnenberg.“He was asking for trouble and he obviously got it, but no one can blame the tiger, because he was following his instincts.”The man is recovering in hospital with serious claw and bite marks to both arms after being snared by a two-year-old Siberian tiger Monday shortly after 1 a.m. local time.The man’s friend, also 27, was not seriously
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Tiger+victim+linked+security+guard+Calgary/2073331/story.html


Recent incidents involving tigers in captivity
A man who suffered "significant" arm injuries after allegedly sneaking into the tiger enclosure of the Calgary Zoo appears to be the latest case of misadventure involving a big cat at a metropolitan zoo. As Monday's incident is not the first time that a member of the public -- or a zookeeper -- has been seriously injured, or killed, after getting too close to a big cat being held in captivity. Last year, a Scottish teenager was bitten by a white lion at the Zion Wildlife Park in New Zealand after she put her hands through a hole in the fence. And in the first half of this year, two zookeepers were mauled -- one fatally -- in separate incidents by the same white tiger at the same zoo. Last summer, a Japanese zookeeper was mauled to death while cleaning out the cage of a 150-kilogram male tiger. Police believed the zookeeper had failed to lock the door to the cage, which allowed the tiger to get inside the enclosure at the same time. Nearly two years ago, a teenager died at the San Francisco Zoo after he and his friends allegedly began taunting a Siberian tiger, while standing on the railing of its enclosure on Christmas Day in 2007. The tiger escaped her enclosure and mauled the teen the death, and injured two other people. The tiger, named Tatiana, was shot to death by police. The zoo has since upgraded its enclosures, but it hasn't stopped members of the public from trying to gain access to its larger animals. Only last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a man sneaked into the grizzly bear exhibit, but escaped injuries after zookeepers quickly saw what was happening and quickly took him into custody. And in May 2007, a 32-year-old woman died after being clawed by a tiger at a private zoo in British Columbia. Three months before, in February 2007, a six-year-old girl died at a zoo in China's Yunnan province after being bitten to death by a tiger. She was standing behind the tiger, posing for a pictu
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20091005/tiger_sidebar_091005/20091005?hub=SciTech


Walking with Lions: The Myth of Conservation
Barely a month goes by without news of someone getting into a tussle with a 'tame' big cat. A recent case in point showed a young lion in a South African resort roughing up a British journalist who thought it would make good copy to go into the animal's cage for a close encounter. It's easy to dismiss the stunt as journalistic nonsense (which it is) but dozens of operations across Africa sell similarly close encounters with lions to the average tourist. For a fee, just about anyone can play with cubs, take a stroll with young lions or pose for photos to show the folks back home.Inevitably, the marketing behind these outfits is heavy on the C-word -- 'conservation.' Visitors are told relentlessly that, by handing over their cash to cozy up to tame lions, they are helping to save the species in the wild. There's little doubt that lions are in dire need -- they have been eradicated from over 80% of their range in Africa alone -- but don't believe their advertising. Churning out cubs for photo opportunities is a great revenue earner but none of those cubs are set free. They are too tame. If they were ever to wander into a village or farm looking for a belly rub or a feed, the surprised locals would, not unreasonably, reach for their rifles or spears. Even assuming there is someplace sufficiently wild and people-free, captive-raised lions simply don't have the skills and experience to survive. Many of the tame lions released by Joy and George Adamson (of 'Born Free' and Christian the Lion fame) starved to death, were killed by people and wild lions or, in some cases, killed people themselves and were shot.The more sophisticated operations counter this by declaring that tame, tourist-friendly lions are not intended for release: rather, only later generations of captive-bred lions, not exposed to people, will be set free. Even setting aside the formidable obstacles in 'training' captive-bred lions to be wild, there simply isn't the need. In South Africa, there are now more than 500 reintroduced lions in 37 reserves -- the key difference being that all of them are wild born and bred. Starting back in 1992, South African biologists pioneered the process of translocating wild lions from marginal areas and reintroducing them into areas where people had wiped them out. It takes money and has risks, but considerably less of both than using captive lions. Wild lions captured in one place are already much better equipped to survive as wild lions in another place. But, of course, using wild lions to re-establish the species rules out charging gullible tourists for an up-close experience. Cue cub cuddling.
If all of this fails to convince you to think twice about paying for an 'encounter,' ask the handlers point blank how many of their lions have gone back to the wild? If they furnish you a figure, they are probably lying. As I write this, I do not know of one example. In fact, most of them never actually attempt releases. Which begs another question -- what really happens to their lions? When cubs grow up, they cost a lot to feed and maintain, and they need to pay their way somehow. No problem. There is a thriving market for lions, mainly in South Africa, among 'lion farmers.' They buy surplus cats, much as livestock producers buy new stock on auction, and they breed them. For hunting. As adults, the cubs that cavort with tourists often end up in the gun-sights of trophy hunters. It's quite legal provided you have the permits. If you don't believe me, have a look at this report from the excellent South African program Carte Blanche.The bottom line is, the 'lion encounter' industry is only that -- an industry. I'm the first to applaud businesses finding ways for wildlife to generate a profit when it actually helps protect that wildlife. The same tourists who spend $200 for an afternoon of walking with tame lions could instead visit nearby national parks and game reserves where the entry price and lodge fees truly do help to conserve wildlife. For my money, stick with the real thing: no matter what the glossy brochures and slick websites claim, it won't ever involve tame lions.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alan-rabinowitz/walking-with-lions-the-my_b_302752.html


Raccoons maul Fla. woman, 74, who shooed them away
A 74-year-old who was "filleted" by raccoons when she tried to shoo them away from her central Florida home was hospitalized for more than two days, authorities said Monday.Gretchen Whitted, of Lakeland, was in stable condition Monday, two days after she saw a family of raccoons near her back patio. She told rescue personnel she tried to wave the animals away; a few minutes later, she spotted them at her front door and tried to run them off again. Then they attacked.Whitted fell, and the five animals bit and clawed at her, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said."They enveloped her," the sheriff said."We're not talking about a lot of little bites here," Judd added. "She was filleted."A neighbor called for help after hearing the woman's
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j0cIqMcn2VyjVO2zyDjEy0ZlPpLgD9B54SKG1


Pet bear kills Pennsylvania woman
A 37-year-old Pennsylvania woman died Sunday after being mauled by her pet black bear, authorities said.Kelly Ann Walz was attacked when she entered the bear's cage to feed the 350-pound animal and clean its cage, according to Pennsylvania State Police. The bear lived in a 15-by-15-foot steel and concrete enclosure on Walz's property in Ross Township.The bear wasn't the only unusual animal living on the property, an official with the State Game Commission told CNN affiliate WFMZ-TV. The homeowner had a permit to keep a Bengal tiger and an African lion, and the property routinely passed inspection and had no
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/10/05/bear.attack/


Escaped red panda fatally injured
A red panda which survived for 19 months in the wild after escaping from a wildlife park has died.Isla was found injured by the roadside a few miles from the park last week and died later of a severe head injury.She and her mother Pichu escaped
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jxWoqB1B-OFoYTJrMX4dpMj62yQw


Zoos need to play vital role in wildlife conservation
We do not have any moral right to keep wild animals in captivity, believes every conservationist, unless it is for the welfare of the animal itself. But it's an unfortunate fact that we have, and need, zoos. Increase in human population has resulted in large-scale destruction of animal habitats, and in the changed scenario zoos have to change their roles and give something back to nature in the form of conservation efforts, say some experts, instead of simply taking animals away from their natural habitats and putting them on display. TOI spoke to a cross-section of people, including Central Zoo Authority (CZA) officials and conservationists, and discovered there are divergent views over the role of zoos in conservation. In view of the man-animal conflict in many regions, the CZA has a big role to play in rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals. However, except for a few successes, not much has been achieved since its inception in 1992 due to many factors. This has led to scepticism among conservationists that wildlife has no future in zoos, unless it is managed more scientifically. To prove their case, conservationists Prafulla Bhamburkar and Kundan Hate point to the three Junona tiger cubs that have landed in the city zoo. The cubs had a good chance of being trained and released in the wild. However, there is no hope now since the zoo lacks space and scientific research. The recent capture
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Zoos-need-to-play-vital-role-in-wildlife-conservation/articleshow/5094951.cms


Supervisors balk at pool closings, zoo privatization
Milwaukee County supervisors on Tuesday balked at County Executive Scott Walker's plans for pool closings and eventually privatizing operation of the Milwaukee County Zoo. Walker's 2010 budget plan seeks closure of indoor pools at Noyes and Pulaski parks and shutting down outdoor pools at Holler, Jackson, Kosciusko (Pelican Cove) and Washington parks. Those moves would save $650,000 next year and figure into Walker's
http://metro.onmilwaukee.com/articles/549837-supervisors-balk-at-pool-closings--zoo-privatization



Amarillo accepts grants for zoo
The Amarillo zoo will become larger as the city has renewed its commitment to its expansion. Thirty percent of the zoo's customers come from I-40 traffic. Grants are available to improve the educational experience of a zoo. Today, more than $100,000 was given to the zoo by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to help pay for a new education center. Amarillo Mayor Debra McCartt says, "We made the decision a few years ago that the zoo is really important to the city of Amarillo and we decided to put some dollars into it, some funding into it."October 24th will be the first day a fee will be collected for admission into the zoo. Three dollars for adults, one dollar for kids. The new Herpetarium will also open that day. Larry Offerdahl, the Director of Parks and Recreations says, "Well, we want to double the size of the zoo over the next ten to fifteen years, but charging a very modest fee, to come out to the zoo and they know that 100 percent of that fee is going into the zoo improvement fund."An Education Center will soon be built that will provide programs for kids all over the Panhandle. It's the next step toward getting accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Ultimately the zoo will have a permanent
http://www.newschannel10.com/Global/story.asp?S=11270322


Zoo Conference Continues This Week
This week over 200 zoo leaders from around the world are in the city to talk about preventing species from becoming extinct and other animal-related topics during a conference.The zoo officials are taking part in the Worldwide Association of Zoos and Aquariums forum at the St. Louis Zoo and the theme this year is "Zoos and Aquariums: Global challenges, opportunities and strategies." Keeping species biodiversity around the world, especially in rain forests, has been a big topic at the conference.Officials say the event is a good way for the
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=193761



Zoo-bred Asiatic lions for Madhya Pradesh jungles?
The king of the jungle may yet roam the forests of Madhya Pradesh, with the state now planning to borrow and breed zoo lions for the wild after Gujarat refused to part with its big cats of Gir.Madhya Pradesh wants to create a new population of Asiatic lions with the help of the Delhi and Hyderabad zoos, an Indian forest service official said. Efforts are on to get at least two pairs of Asiatic lions from zoos, use them for breeding and let loose their descendants in the Kuno-Palpur sanctuary in Sehore district. If the plan is successful, it will be India’s first population of Asiatic lions outside the Gir forest of Gujarat. “Once their numbers grow in the coming
http://www.sindhtoday.net/news/1/57576.htm


Dudley Zoo buildings 'need protection like Machu Picchu'
Animal enclosures at Dudley Zoo have been listed alongside world heritage sites such as Machu Picchu in Peru as in need of protection. The World Monuments Fund watch list for 2010 includes 93 sites considered to be at risk in 47 countries, ranging from the Merritt Parkway road in Conneticut to the ancient site of Machu Picchu. The watch list includes six sites from the British Isles, including the Sheerness Dockyard, in the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, and the Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church in Belfast. The 12 modernist Tecton buildings at Dudley Zoo, West Midlands, which include six animal enclosures, are also considered to be at risk, according to the latest biannual list. The Georgian dockyards in Kent, which include Grade I and II listed buildings and ancient scheduled monuments, are on the list because parts of the site are unused and
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6266544/Dudley-Zoo-buildings-need-protection-like-Machu-Picchu.html


Lawsuit Filed Over Bronx Zoo Skyfari Breakdown
Two women are suing the Wildlife Conservation Society because they spent five hours stranded on the Bronx Zoo's Skyfari one evening in July 2008. After a strong gust of wind knocked a cable car's wheel off track, stopping all cable car movement, some 37 zoo visitors were left with nothing to do but sit 100 feet above the ground (and lions and gazelles) alone with their thoughts—or, worse, other people. Robin Dean, 26, and her 27-year-old friend, Migdalia Arinegas, both teachers, have filed a lawsuit in Bronx
http://gothamist.com/2009/10/05/lawsuit_filed_over_bronx_zoo_skyfar.php


Indian god statue at Calgary Zoo offends Christian group
A dancing elephant statue at the Calgary Zoo has kicked up controversy after a Christian group condemned the figure as an inappropriate religious icon.Zoo officials say they have no plans to replace the Ganesh statue — which has stood near the elephant enclosure for at least two years — despite calls for its removal from Concerned Christians Canada.The group sent a letter to the zoo earlier this week, calling the statue an image of a Hindu god that has no place in the publicly funded zoo."The zoo is not a place of religious expression," said Concerned Christians' chairman Jim Blake."Whether you're a believer of any faith or an atheist or agnostic, if you're a non-Hindu, it's a god that does not represent your views."The issue first arose after the Concerned Christian group was approached by some zoo visitors upset over the elephant statue.Grahame Newton, the zoo's director of corporate services, says the Ganesh statue isn't a religious icon, rather a cultural symbol that shows the tie between the elephants and Asian culture."It was actually chosen more (as) a symbol of how animals and cultures tie closely together," he said.An anonymous donor supplied funds for
http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Indian+statue+Calgary+offends+Christian+group/2035391/story.html


Polar bear cub hitches a ride
Arctic waters are at best chilly and at worst close to freezing.Which may explain why a polar bear cub has recently been seen riding on the back of its mother as the bears swim across parts of the Arctic Ocean. The cub then briefly rode her back as she clambered out of the icy water, a unique event photographed by a tourist. Experts have rarely seen the behaviour, and they say the latest find suggests it may be a more common practice than previously thought. Dr Jon Aars from the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromso describes what happened in the journal Polar Biology. On the 21 July 2006, Mrs Angela Plumb, a tourist from the UK, was aboard a ship in the mouth
http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8284000/8284906.stm

Shark-attack survivor, animal advocates vie for zoo prize
The miracle survivor of one of the world's worst shark attacks, animal advocates and a celebrity known as the "public face" of conservation efforts in Rwanda are among 29 nominees for the Indianapolis Prize.The nominees, announced today, "dedicated their lives to saving the Earth's endangered species" and thus will compete for the $100,000 prize, according to a news release.The release says the nominees' work spans the globe, representing a range of species from insects to mammals, and includes amphibians, elephants, bats, wolves and sharks, among many others.A nominating committee will review the applications and select the six finalists next spring. A prize jury will then determine the winner, who will be announced in mid-2010 and honored at the next Indianapolis Prize Gala on Sept. 25, 2010, in Indianapolis.Most famous, perhaps, is
http://www.indystar.com/article/20091007/LOCAL/91007009/-1/NEWS/Shark-attack+survivor++animal+advocates+vie+for+zoo+prize


Keepers to Czech out foreign zoo
STAFF at Dudley Zoo are brushing up their language skills for a trip to the Czech Republic. Education presenter Caroline Parsons and primate keeper Kirsty Thornton have recently returned from the first visit to Zoo Dvur Kralove to recall tales before another four pairs get set to jet off. The Czech visits were organised as part of an ideas-swapping venture as the Castle Hill zoo looks for examples of good practice to bring back and try out over here. Funded by the European Leonardo da Vinci education exchange
http://www.halesowennews.co.uk/news/blackcountry/4668151.Keepers_to_Czech_out_foreign_zoo/


Ohio zoo python may be largest in captivity
A python sold to an Ohio zoo in 2008 by an Oklahoma City man is being checked to determine if it's now the longest snake in captivity. Fluffy is a more than 24-foot long reticulated python that raised from a hatchling by snake breeder and herpetologist Bob Clark. He sold the python to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio in January 2008 after first loaning it to the zoo in January 2007. The record-holding longest snake
http://www.wkyc.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=122832


Love for Animals Makes Emirati Man Set Up Zoo
An Emirati man’s passion for collecting exotic animals and birds has led him to opening the first private zoo in the UAE.Speaking to Khaleej Times, 35-year old Nasir Khalifa Al Shamsy who started his hobby six years ago, now has hundreds of rare animals, including crocodiles and baboons.The zoo he has opened is at a farm in the Bidaa Bint Saud area in Al Ain.“I received some animals as gifts from my relatives as well as my friends, however, I have bought the majority of the farm animals, reptiles, and birds,” he said. The private zoo contains 15 pelicans, 30 ostriches, 10 crocodiles, 10 deers, 20 kangaroos, 10 saluki dogs
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2009/October/theuae_October84.xml&section=theuae&col=


Algae-dyed polar bears puzzle Japan zoo visitors
Green polar bears are drawing questions from puzzled visitors at a Japanese zoo. Three normally white polar bears at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in central Japan changed their color in July after swimming in a pond with an overgrowth of algae. The sight of green polar bears has prompted many questions from visitors concerned about whether the animals are sick or carrying mold, zoo official Masami Kurobe said. "Visitors seem to be shocked by the color, and we are asked every day why they are so green," he said. High temperatures in July and August and less-frequent water changes because of the zoo's conservation efforts caused an algae growth in the bear pond and safety moat, Kurobe said. Algae that enters hollow spaces
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-152522-134-algae-dyed-polar-bears-puzzle-japan-zoo-visitors.html


***************************************************

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

*******************************************************************************

Advancing Bear Care '09 - Sold Out

THE BEAR CARE GROUP IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE ADVANCING BEAR CARE '09 CONFERENCE IS NOW SOLD OUT!!

WE HAVE REACHED OUR DELEGATE CAPACITY AND ARE SORRY TO SAY THAT WE WILL NOT BE EXTENDING THE SEPTEMBER 30TH DEADLINE.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT AND INTEREST.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO VISIT http://www.bearcaregroup.org/ FOR INFORMATION ON THE '09 PROCEEDINGS AND THE BEAR CARE CONFERENCE IN 2011.


*******************************************************************************
The Gabriel Foundation presents

LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR WORKSHOP FOR VETERINARY AND OTHER BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS

October 23-25, 2009 Elizabeth, Colorado, USAEarly Registration Rates extended to Oct 15th

REGISTRATION FEES:TGF Veterinary Member $610TGF Individual/Family Member $670Non Member $695Veterinary Technician $595Student Rate $495

A foundational and learning workshop designed for veterinary and other animal behavior professionals. This intensive three day workshop incorporates lecture, demonstration and hands on guided practice with parrots to improve the professional’s skills to :

• Prevent behavior problems• Resolve behavior problems• Train medical, husbandry and enrichment behaviors• Build your behavior practice

Class size is limited to ensure individual instruction

INSTRUCTORS:Susan Friedman, PhD http://www.behaviorworks.org/Barbara Heidenreich http://www.goodbirdinc.com/Susan Orosz DVM, PhD, Diplomate ABVP-AvianLynne Siebert, DVM, MS, PhD Diplomate ACVB Lilly Companion Animal Health

Visit http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/ to register. Phone: 303-629-5900 X215

Visit this link for more information http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/documents/VetWorkshopBrochure2009.pdf


*******************************************************************************

6th European Zoo Nutrition ConferenceBarcelona : 28-31st January 2010

A gentle reminder about this meeting, and in particular the deadlines for submission of scientific abstracts and diet change experiences. This has been extended to Friday 16 October, due to conference information being circulated later than expected. Please visit the website below to download the submission forms and once complete, they should be sent to me.

For more detailed information about the event, accommodation arrangements, registration and paper submission forms, please visit the dedicated page on the EAZA website:

http://www.eaza.%20net/activities/%20Pages/NutritionC%20onference.%20aspx

Kind regards,

Dr. Andrea Fidgett
Chair, EAZA Nutrition Group
a.fidgett@chesterzoo.org


*******************************************************************************

ZOO ADVERTS OF NOTE:






*******************************************************************************

For Zoo Jobs and Related Vacancies please visit: http://zoowork.blogspot.com/

For notification of Zoo related Meetings, Conferences, Courses and Symposia go to: http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/

************************************************************************


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


Zoo News Digest Blog
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

ZooNews Digest Webpage
http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/

Zoo Vacancies Blog
http://zoowork.blogspot.com/

Hub Pages
http://u.nu/2kx

Follow me on Twitter at:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/PeterZoo

Zoo News Digest 29th September - 4th October 2009 (Zoo News 622)

Zoo News Digest 29th September - 4th October 2009 (Zoo News 622)
http://zoonewsdigest.com/

http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

Peter Dickinson
peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk


Dear Colleagues,

There is not a week goes by that I do not get two or three emails saying how much they missed my travel journal. It has never actually stopped. I have recorded practically every day. My reasons for stopping making it public was that I was too revealing in some cases and hurt some people which was never my intention. One day I may pull it all together and publish...maybe, maybe.

The travel journal was born of the extended comments at the start of ZooNews Digest and the personal comments were as a result of the Digest having its roots in a personal email to friends. In its turn it became the most widely circulated zoo related publication in the world (which it still is). In effect I was blogging before it was ever invented.

I have decided to return partially to that original format and to re-include the 'travel' journal albeit in a slightly shortened form (I will just keep the really personal stuff to myself). No doubt it will longer on some weeks than others. I imagine I will continue to amuse some and to shock others. As before I will include my observations and critiques of various news stories. As zoos are my life such news overlaps into it anyway.

We had intended to go to Chonburi today for the Buffalo Races but did not wake till very late. Yesterday was my birthday and I drank far far too much. I only bought one drink (all I could afford really) and others brought the rest. It was all very lovely.

I had so many garlands of orchids placed around my neck that only the top of my bald head was exposed. Big bunches of roses too and bottles of whiskey. I was in a good mood because Monika had emailed me from the Philippines. I had not heard from her since the typhoon hit and was very worried. I always feel closer to disasters now when I have friends and lovers in the locations. The earthquake too in Indonesia. I have twice just 'missed' earthquakes on my travels and just missed a couple of of Tsunamis too. I recall the devastation the earthquake did to the zoo in Yogyakarta and the city itself.

The party was a lot of fun. New friends, old friends, working girls mostly. Thang told me she had quit her job at the internet café as they had changed her shift. She was on a fifteen hour day, seven days a week, for five thousand Baht a month. (this is just £95.00 or $151.00 a month of 15 hour days and no days off) Shocking! The price of respectability. She can earn the same in two nights if she goes on 'Rent a Date'.

Kheaow turned up with Mon. The poor little girl is a shadow of her former self. Whether it is Yaa Dong or something else I don't know. During a lull in the party she went for a massage next door and returned looking much better. She said it was a good massage but the woman who did it had suggested a herbalist for her condition. This is the same lady who did the cupping on Dao (and that worked) so the advice is probably worth following up.

There is a little bit on YouTube from last nights Birthday Party:

The Day before the party just to show that every night can be fun.

A bit of dancing.

A quieter part of the night.

In todays Bangkok Post comic section there is a contribution from 'Ripley's Believe it or Not' it states " To celebrate the birth of a Panda Cub at Thailand's Chiang Mai Zoo, Near Bangkok, keepers at the Royal Elephant Kraal in Thailand Painted their elephants to look like Pandas!".......No They Did Not!! It does not take much for a misinformed statement to metamorphose into a fact. For a start Chiang Mai is nowhere near Bangkok! And the elephants were painted in protest at all the attention and money being lavished on the Panda to the exclusion on the national animal of Thailand...the elephant.

The Panda is still being milked for all it is worth. There was a bit of a scandal last week when an actress was given special visiting priviliges while everyone else had to stand outside in the pouring rain. Pandas are being used for advertising. I even passed some huge edible ones in the Central Plaza last week.

Then there was a whole bunch of garden pandas outside a wholesaler that Dao and I visited a couple of days ago.

I note also that Chris Packham got himself into a bit of hot water over his Panda remark. He appears to have backed off very quickly which is a pity because I think he should have argued the point. I daresay some sort of political 'incident' may well have been the result though. The truth of the matter is that there are hundreds of species which are much rarer than the Giant Panda and they get scarcely a penny spent on them. Which gets me back to the subject of Chiang Mai Zoo who have some very special species in really crappy horrible enclosures whilst the Pandas wallow in luxury.

A chance remark on a talking chimpanzee in an article I was reading led me to research and write 'Mr Moke the Talking Chimpanzee'. An interesting little tale. I wish Mr Moke had been able to write too as it may have solved a few mysteries.

I share the sentiments expressed in the first link 'Comparison insults zoo'. I would go one further and bring in the commonly used phrases "behaved like an animal" or "acted like animals". I am not saying that animals do not behave like animals because they do but some people behave like lesser human beings.

I found the use of a taser and handcuffs being used on an escaped Emu to be disturbing.

The visitor duping Tiger Temple gets another bit of press this week. They state "The monks, however, insist that the tourist dollars and website donations will go towards deploying tigers in the forests of Thailand, where they number about 500 at most.". As if...let them say who their backers are. Let them open there accounts for all to see.

Please feel free to use the comment section at the end of this Zoo News Digest.

Many thanks to the 10 people who sent donations to the Digest this week. It really is very much appreciated....and needed. Thank you. It is safe, quick and so easy to do too. Just click on the donate button on this journal.

Is your meeting/conference/symposium listed here?http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/
If not why not? ZooNews Digest is read by more zoo people than any other similar publication. I will advertise up till the event.

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

My Latest Hubs:

An opinion on to pinion or not to pinion

The Chonburi Buffalo Races

Why not try writing on HubPages? Write about what you know about or are interested in. You can post on line. Free to join and yet you can earn money continually. A passive income. Not much to begin with but it mounts up. It pays me enough to buy a cup of coffee every day...well nearly every day.

Imagine if you were to write one hub a week. That is 52 hubs per year. Each earning you a slowly increasing amount of money each week. In ten years you woulf have 520 hubs earning more. It is working towards a nice little extra source of regular income for your retirement.

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

I truly believe it will be worth your while.

Please visit the Zoo Professionals Book Store for more if you are looking for books for yourself or as gifts.

On with the links:

Comparison insults zoo
I am tired of hearing that blight on Binghamton University, the men's basketball team, being referred to as a "zoo." The Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park has just received re-accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the industry's governing authority. We achieved this status by being in the top 10 percent of all the zoos in the country.Our animal care, safety, employees and educational and service standards are set high and met accordingly. Not one of our tigers has been arrested with cocaine. No otter knocks over old ladies to shoplift condoms. Our bear doesn't have temper tantrums and storm off his exhibit. You won't find any of our lemurs busted for smoking pot. So, please, stop insulting zoos by comparing those criminals to
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090929/VIEWPOINTS03/909290310/1120/Comparison+insults+zoo
Phu khieo: saving a species
Land of the plateau - pristine forest and hog deer haven in the Northeast On Thai wildlife day, December 26, 1983, Her Majesty Queen Sirikit released four hog deer made up of two mature males and two females of breeding age at "Thung Kamang" grassland in Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum. This was the beginning of what is now a successful introduction programme to save the speciesHRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn in 1987 introduced another four hog deer, and reintroduced several male and female sambar (Thailand's largest deer) in the same area. In 1992, Her Majesty the Queen once again released more hog deer to boost the numbers of the herd. She also released three Eld's deer (one male and two females). Unfortunately, this species has been difficult to monitor because of their preference for deep forest, unlike the hog deer that
http://www.bangkokpost.com/leisure/travelscoop/24675/phu-khieo-saving-a-species


Birth of rare black rhino has Texas origins
Baton Rouge Zoo is pleased to announce the first rhino birth at the Zoo. In this photo, mom and baby are enjoying their off-exhibit area. At this time, the mother and baby rhino are not on exhibit and cannot be viewed by the public. Gemstone, a 21-year-old black rhino, gave birth to a calf late yesterday evening or early this morning. This important birth is the only black rhino born in North America and one of only 3 black rhino births in the past 12 months, worldwide.According to Sam Winslow, assistant director and general curator, mother and
http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=11214092


Private funds to hire new zoo keepers
An influx of profits at the Henry Vilas zoo will be used to add needed staff, instead of asking Dane County government to fund the employment increase during tight economic times.Zoo officials said an increase from $237,000 to $350,000 will be used to support the hiring of three new zoo keepers. Officials said the money comes from zoo concessions and attractions. In addition, Zoological society officials said $558,000 will be committed to support zoo operating expenses in 2010.County executive Kathleen Falk said 2009 zoo attendance is on a record pace, nearing 700,000 visitors
http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11214248


CZA issues notices to zoos after they miss deadline to submit masterplans
The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has issued notices to four zoos in the state after they failed to submit their master plans explaining future development projects. Sources said all the zoos were asked to submit their plans till 2020, by March 31. But only two zoos — Indroda Park, Gandhinagar; and Kankaria Zoo, Ahmedabad — have submitted their plans. Sakkarbaug zoo in Junagadh; Sarthana Zoo in Surat; Sayajibaug Zoo in Vadodara; and Rajkot Zoo are yet to submit their plans. CZA Evaluation and Monitoring officer Brij Gupta said: “As most zoos in Gujarat have missed their deadlines, CZA has issued notices to them to submit their master plans as soon as possible. We have taken up this initiative to improve zoo
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cza-issues-notices-to-zoos-after-they-miss-deadline-to-submit-masterplans/522633/


163 NEW SPECIES FOUND IN MEKONG IN 2008
Fanged Frog, Other New Species Found in MekongA leopard-like gecko and a fanged frog are among 163 new species discovered last year in Southeast Asia's Greater Mekong region, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) announced Friday. But in its report, "Close Encounters," the environmental group also said that the species are at risk of extinction because of climate change. One of the new species, a tiger-striped pitviper (Cryptelytrops
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/JustOneThing/popup?id=8674714


RESEARCHERS TO MEET IN CHILE TO SAVE JUAN FERNÁNDEZ ISLAND BIODIVERSITY
Nearly 84 Percent Of Island Fauna Is In Danger Of Extinction, Say Scientists A team of about 50 international experts will meet next month in Region V’s Viña del Mar to analyze the endangered flora and fauna of Juan Fernández archipelago, located about 670 kilometers from mainland Chile in the Pacific Ocean and administratively belonging to Region V. Chilean authorities and environmental NGOs are currently working on a conservation plan for the territory. These plans are to be presented at the Viña del Mar summit and be put into effect as soon as possible. “What we need is a long-term strategy,” said Stephan Funk of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which two years ago highly listed the archipelago amongst the planet's 100 ecosystems that must be conserved. More than 400 different species of plants and animals have been classified throughout the country since 2005. Of 115 more closely examined samples, the ones existing on the islands are the most vulnerable and fragile. “Almost 84 percent of Juan Fernández's
http://www.valparaisotimes.cl/content/view/617/26/


All Dalton zoo traffic cleared from road under new £3.6m plan
ALL zoo traffic will be removed from Dalton under ambitious plans to expand the South Lakes Wild Animal Park, it can be revealed.Around 3,500 cars pass along Tudor Square and Broughton Road every two hours during present peak periods.However, the planned new entrance and car park area would run from the old bypass road at Melton Brow and completely avoid the current ‘bottleneck’ route.The question of access arose when Barrow Borough Council planning committee yesterday considered an outline sketch of the proposed new lay-out of the zoo which would treble in size.The £3.6 million scheme would see elephants introduced as well as more indoor and educational facilities and create more than 40 jobs.Councillor Eric Wood said people had talked about the expansion bringing more business to Dalton but it would mean less traffic going into the town.He said: “Don’t get me wrong
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/all_zoo_traffic_cleared_from_road_under_new_3_6m_plan_1_617955?referrerPath=news


Mississippi Police Taser, Handcuff Emu After Grueling Two-Day Battle Of Wits
Remember that legless wheelchair bound man from last week who got tasered by police twice, after which he politely and properly queried “how much resisting I’m going to do with no legs?”This is better. Apparently police in Forest, Mississippi needed a stun gun and handcuffs to subdue an emu after he outmaneuvered them for two days, leading them doggedly on a birdhunt across two freeways.Beyond the obvious “what the hell did they need handcuffs for,” this story is curious in at least one other respect. Emus, in addition to being slow and flightless, are visibly, notoriously, excruciatingly stupid. Mississippi’s
http://www.vagabondish.com/mississippi-police-taser-handcuff-emu-after-grueling-two-day-battle-of-wits/


2 kangaroos from Belgrade zoo killed
Two of the Belgrade Zoo's kangaroos died Wednesday, one of them a baby that got loose in downtown Belgrade and was killed by an apparent hit-and-run driver, police said.Witnesses spotted the baby kangaroo and called authorities, but by the time officers arrived it was dead, senior officer Zeljko Perosevic said. The baby kangaroo had apparently escaped from the nearby zoo, he said."Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do," Perosevic said.Perosevic said that the zoo then called to say that another kangaroo had been found dead there. He said an investigation, including autopsies, is under way to determine what happened.The zoo said later that someone had jumped into a kangaroo cage, killed the mother and stole its baby."This is a classic example of vandalism," visibly shaken zoo director Vuk Bojovic said. He appealed to the police to find and punish the culprits.A year ago, a kangaroo at the Belgrade zoo dropped
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jg2KerGwZaeYhH660rb8vwpXpJRgD9B1Q9K80

Argentine zoo to release 3 endangered eagles
An Argentine zoo plans to release three endangered crowned eagles back into the wild after several months of rehabilitation during captivity.The birds are to be taken to Catamarca, San Juan and La Pampa provinces Thursday for reintroduction into nature. Biologists will monitor them through tracking devices placed on their backs.Trainer Andres Capdevielle says the raptors are the most threatened species of eagle in South America — fewer than 1,000 exist in the wild, according to a 2004 estimate.Capdevielle said Wednesday that while at the
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jZJBe1a364FZOTuxgaQ6lmbZWmngD9B1U9TG0

Brookfield Zoo's Cookie the cockatoo has retired
Cookie, a cantankerous old showboating cockatoo that has delighted and sometimes tormented visitors to Brookfield Zoo since its opening 75 years ago, has retired from the stage, though he may still make an occasional bow to his adoring public.The 76-year-old Major Mitchell's cockatoo, a footlong, pink-feathered member of the parrot species noted for its ill humor, is the only animal left at the zoo that was there when it opened, coming there as a 1-year-old from his native Australia.From the start, he'd strut and whistle while bobbing his head, at times raising his dazzling crest of head feathers and spreading his wings. For those who called out his name, he'd squawk back "Cookie," "Cookie-coo" or a simple, shrill "Hi!""He gets fan mail all the time," said Tim Snyder, the zoo's bir
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-talk-cookie-the-cockatoooct01,0,1772111.story

Orangutans Under Threat http://www.time.com/time/audioslide/0,32187,1926657,00.html


SF Zoo Workers To Be Honored Over Grizzly Incident
State Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco/San Mateo, was set to honor San Francisco Zoo staff Wednesday for their roles in preventing two grizzly bears from attacking a man who climbed into the bear enclosure last weekend. Kenneth Heron, 21, has been charged in San Francisco Superior Court with unlawfully disturbing a wild and dangerous animal and trespassing, both misdemeanors, for Saturday's incident. District attorney's office spokesman Brian Buckelew has said it is still unclear how Herron got inside the bear exhibit, which is protected by high walls and a moat. One of the two bears in the exhibit came up to Herron and sniffed his foot, but zoo
http://cbs5.com/local/sf.zoo.grizzly.2.1218378.html


Tampa zoo uses vague ad to seek new CEO
Lowry Park Zoo has a $20 million annual budget, received national recognition for its quality experience and is held in high regard among community and business leaders.But when the chance came to fill the zoo's top job, the advertisement sought an executive director for a "West Central Florida non-profit committed to education and species conservation." It never mentions Lowry Park Zoo or even that the facility is a zoo.The ad, which ran in The Tampa Tribune and a national zoo association Web site, doesn't say anything about the zoo's reputation or offer any detail about the qualities sought in a new chief.Candidates are directed to send their application to directorsearch2009@gmail.com
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/30/zoo-uses-vague-ad-seek-new-ceo/news-breaking/


Circus Comes to Springfield; Zoo Employee Monitors
A traveling circus gets a little extra attention as it rolls into Springfield for shows Wednesday and Thursday. City leaders have sent an elephant handler to monitor how Carson and Barnes Circus" treats its pachyderms.PETA, the animal-welfare group, sent a letter to the city, urging council to ban the use of bullhooks and electric prods.In response, city manager Greg Burris decided to send an elephant handler
http://www.kspr.com/news/local/63010132.html


Investigation into state of Dehiwala Zoo
An investigation into the conditions that prevail in the Dehiwala National Zoo has been ordered by Sports and Public Recreation Minister Gamini Lokuge following the death of baby anacondas and the last tapir in the zoo last Monday.“We have to find out where we have gone wrong and correct it. I heard that two other animals have fallen sick and we do not know whether the fault is with the doctors or with the zoo employees. Therefore the Ministry has decided to carry out an investigation to prevent such incidents in the future and protect the animals in the zoo,” Minister Lokuge said.The Minister also said that the investigations are to be carried out by a civil official at the moment with the support of the veterinarian staff in the Livestock Development Department, Peradeniya, if necesssary.Last Monday afternoon the 15 year old male tapir died suddenly. He did not show any symptoms before and behaved normally even eating his breakfast, said the senior veterinary surgeon of the Dehiwala zoo, Dr. Ramani Jayalath. “The digestive tract of the animal had been blocked with polythene and
http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=63264


Roar and peace role for soldiers
Sappers are to help prepare the Highland Wildlife Park at Kingussie for the arrival of Edinburgh Zoo's polar bear.Mercedes, the only polar bear in a UK zoo, is to be relocated to a new enclosure at the park next month. The soldiers from 51 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers will build a road and car park for the bear site. They will also construct a viewing platform and bridge at the park's tiger enclosure. Dubbed Caledonian Thor, the exercise is to train the sappers in military aid and civil community tasks. Capt Dave Crosbie said: "The men have not done this type of engineering work for a while due to being on operations in Afghanistan, and are soon
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8282242.stm

Group may move some orangutans to Des Moines zoo
Officials at the Great Ape Trust are considering moving some of the group's orangutans and research work to Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo. Such a move could be part of the zoo's proposed $40 million expansion plan. Zoo CEO Mark Vukovich says it would cost about $6 million to pay for facilities to accommodate the orangutans and staff from the ape trust. Ape Trust spokeswoman Beth Dalbey says the group is considering the move, in part because flood-prone conditions at its southeast Des Moines location have made
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-apetrust-zoo,0,3666701.story


'Kanpur zoo deer didn't die of poisoning'
It was not nitrate/nitrite content in the food that killed 14 animals at Kanpur zoo on September 12. With the interim report from Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) ruling out the possibility completely, it is now the ‘‘sabotage’’ angle to the tragedy that needs a thorough probe. The IVRI report which came this week has negated nitration and hydrocyanic content in the viscera samples of the dead herbivores. It was in the morning of September 12 that 13 ‘cheetals’ and a swamp
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/lucknow/Kanpur-zoo-deer-didnt-die-of-poisoning/articleshow/5085978.cms


Toronto Zoo board approves $28,000 panda mission to China
Potential mayoral contender Giorgio Mammoliti will lead a delegation to China in the coming months in a bid to secure two giant panda’s for the Toronto Zoo –even though the Chinese consul has warned federal support is needed to seal the deal, Ottawa has been silent on any offer of help and Mayor David Miller, who visited Chongqing last year, has deemed the trip “excessive.”The board of the Toronto Zoo approved the $28,000 trip for up to four representatives at its monthly meeting today,while acknowledging the hope of getting panda’s will be “dead” if the federal government to get involved.That’s revised down from $63,000 to send nine zoo officials to China plus another $20,000 to hire a consultant on winning federal backing.Mr. Mammoliti (York West) said the trip is necessary to reiterate a commitment made in 2003 to supply Toronto
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2009/10/02/zoo-board-approves-panda-mission-to-china.aspx


Zoo releasing a "new species" back into western Canada
The Calgary Zoo is reintroducing a species to western Canada that went extinct in our country 75 years ago.The Black-Footed Ferret was believed to have been totally extinct from North America until a colony of them was found in Wyoming in the 1980's.It was at that point a international captive breeding effort was launched.The Ferrets will be released in Grasslands
http://www.660news.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20091002_175931_8976


Roar, Rumble and Snort: Growing Gorillas
Once upon a time, San Diego Zoo guests could watch baby gorillas grow up through the windows of the Children’s Zoo nursery. People would return again and again to watch the babies being bottle-fed and mark off the milestones of their growth. Now, instead of seeing Frank, the zoo’s 1-year-old western lowland gorilla, playing with zoo staff, guests watch him romping with his troop in a 6,000-square-foot gorilla exhibit.This is a story about how much things have improved in the 12 years since Frank’s mother, Azizi, was hand-raised in the Children’s Zoo.Azizi was taken to the nursery because her mother wasn’t able to nurse her. She was 2 years old before she was introduced to her new troop in the gorilla exhibit. Because Azizi didn’t know the body language or social structure of gorillas, they didn’t accept her. Paul Donn, the silverback and troop leader, even bit her when she did not respond to him as a normal gorilla would.“She couldn’t speak gorilla,” said Kim Livingstone, the zoo’s lead keeper for primates.It was about a year before Azizi began to learn her place within the troop.The San Diego Zoo’s primate keepers wanted to find a better way. Since then, they have taken several steps toward integrating bonobos, another
http://sandiegonewsroom.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36117:roar-rumble-and-snort-growing-gorillas&catid=43:wildlife&Itemid=59


Orphan bats get flight training
Construction work is under way at a wildlife park in Kent to provide a rehabilitation centre for orphaned and injured bats.The Kent Bat Group has been given £5,000 from the Big Lottery Fund to build a flight cage in an area of woodland at Wildwood, near Canterbury. The aim is to help return the bats to the wild after they have learned to fly and catch
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/8286391.stm


Rhino's death not knell for species
When a 21-year-old Sumatran rhinoceros named Emi died last month at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, the world lost its only such animal that has given birth successfully in captivity.But hope still remains for the survival of the species."It's not an ending point. She left us (three) great calves," says Terri Roth, the zoo's vice president of conservation and science and director of the Center for Conservation and Research
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091003/NEWS01/910030327/Hope+remains+for+rhinos

Anti-panda tirade of bat fan slammed
Experts against BBC host's statement of "let panda go"Who doesn't love pandas?Apparently, BBC wildlife expert and bat fanatic Chris Packham, that's who."I reckon we should pull the plug," Packham told Radio Times magazine in London on Monday."Here's a species that, of its own accord, has gone down an evolutionary cul-de-sac," he said."Unfortunately, it's big and cute and a symbol of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and we pour millions of pounds into panda conservation."Packham, who hosts Springwatch
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/6766196.html


Endangerment of elephants
With all the fuss about the giant pandas comes disgruntled voices from those committed to the welfare and conservation of our very own Thai elephants. News of troubled and injured elephants resurface alongside coverage of the developmental milestones of one baby panda. Mahouts are being targetted for bringing elephants into the city, but what alternatives do they have? 'Muse' asked you last week if the government should find ways to let the elephants and mahouts live with nature, and how? Here are your answers!"Only a small group of people are aware of the crisis concerning wildlife animals. Likewise, even fewer people know that Thai elephants are an endangered species. In the past, Thai elephants were taken from the jungle and trained to work in the forestry industry, but under a law to protect the forest. In effect, there is no more forestry work for elephants and their mahouts. Where should they go without a job? Luckily, with the booming tourism industry, elephants are employed once again; the ability of Thai elephants to use their charm and intelligence with some training can perform various tricks to entertain tourists. Still, many elephants work in the farming industry and carry loads of various heavy objects along the streets, even through a big city like Bangkok."So what should the government do to help Thai elephants have a better life? Firstly, all Thai elephants must be registered by the owners or organisations and also provide details of what elephant centre or group they belong to. This data will help the government to understand more so that they are able to make an informed decision on the issue correctly. Secondly, the government should...
http://www.bangkokpost.com/leisure/women/22928/endangerment-of-elephants


Panda-monium over star's special access
Zoological Park Organisation chief Sophon Damnui has apologised to the public for taking actress Siriam Pakdidamrongrit and her daughter into a restricted area to see the panda cub Lhinping.A waiting crowd was reported to have been angered when Siriam and her daughter were given preferential treatment.Mr Sophon said he allowed the pair to accompany him into Lhinping's inner quarters out of pity for Siriam as she had little time to spare.The actress was scheduled to assist the chief of the Chiang Mai provincial organisation administration in a campaign to promote the province's annual tulip festival, he said."So she really had only that much time to see Lhinping," Mr Sophon said.The ZPO chief said Siriam had often helped the organisation by promoting zoo activities.It was also reported Siriam http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/24694/panda-monium-over-star-special-access

Mellow yellow Tiger Temple
Thailand’s Tiger Temple this year marked its 10th anniversary. The attraction, complete with live tigers that you can pat, may not be in the best possible taste, but that’s set to change.
At the entrance, a guide resplendent in yellow nail varnish stuns onlookers with an announcement.
“I’ve been bitten — several times,” she says, immediately raising the question of where her scars and gashes are.
After all, she is not talking about toy dogs or tabbies, but tigers.
Well, baby tigers, she explains. Still, we are rattled because the selling point of Tiger Temple in western Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province is touchy-feely encounters with tigers, full-grown

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/9/26/lifetravel/4746453&sec=lifetravel


Zoo death highlights lack of wildlife breeding regulations
“There are no regulations on the management of tiger breeding nor safety criteria for cages to ensure the safety of workers and visitors,” said Tran Van Nguyen, deputy head of the provincial Forest Management Agency.
Do Quang Tung, head of Vietnam office of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), told Tuoi Tre newspaper that the central Forest Protection Department is preparing regulations on the breeding of dangerous wild animals.
However, it would take time and scientific research to issue safety regulations involving specific species, he said, adding that this was a new issue for other countries in the region as well.
Tung also said the Binh Duong Forest Management Agency had inspected three facilities that keep tigers in the province, including the Dai Nam Zoo where the accident happened.
Inspectors have ordered them to submit a tiger breeding plan within three months and strengthen the fences of tiger cages.
The accident
On September 10, an Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) at Dai Nam Zoo leapt from its enclosure into an unoccupied den where three men were planting trees.
According to other employees of the zoo, the tiger jumped over the two-and-half-meter concrete wall surrounding its enclosure and attacked the men.
Nguyen Cong Danh, 47, was killed on the spot while Nguyen Thanh Giau, 21, was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries to the head and neck. The third man escaped by diving into a moat.
The tiger, weighing more than 150 kilograms, was then forced back into its den.
Huynh Uy Dung, chairman of Dai Nam Joint Stock Company that manages the zoo, said the accident was a “sorrowful” affair for them. He said zoo workers
http://www.thanhniennews.com/features/?catid=10&newsid=52921

***************************************************

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

*******************************************************************************

Advancing Bear Care '09 - Sold Out

THE BEAR CARE GROUP IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE ADVANCING BEAR CARE '09 CONFERENCE IS NOW SOLD OUT!!

WE HAVE REACHED OUR DELEGATE CAPACITY AND ARE SORRY TO SAY THAT WE WILL NOT BE EXTENDING THE SEPTEMBER 30TH DEADLINE.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT AND INTEREST.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO VISIT http://www.bearcaregroup.org/ FOR INFORMATION ON THE '09 PROCEEDINGS AND THE BEAR CARE CONFERENCE IN 2011.


*******************************************************************************
The Gabriel Foundation presents

LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR WORKSHOP FOR VETERINARY AND OTHER BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS

October 23-25, 2009 Elizabeth, Colorado, USAEarly Registration Rates extended to Oct 15th

REGISTRATION FEES:TGF Veterinary Member $610TGF Individual/Family Member $670Non Member $695Veterinary Technician $595Student Rate $495

A foundational and learning workshop designed for veterinary and other animal behavior professionals. This intensive three day workshop incorporates lecture, demonstration and hands on guided practice with parrots to improve the professional’s skills to :

• Prevent behavior problems• Resolve behavior problems• Train medical, husbandry and enrichment behaviors• Build your behavior practice

Class size is limited to ensure individual instruction

INSTRUCTORS:Susan Friedman, PhD http://www.behaviorworks.org/Barbara Heidenreich http://www.goodbirdinc.com/Susan Orosz DVM, PhD, Diplomate ABVP-AvianLynne Siebert, DVM, MS, PhD Diplomate ACVB Lilly Companion Animal Health

Visit http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/ to register. Phone: 303-629-5900 X215

Visit this link for more information http://www.thegabrielfoundation.org/documents/VetWorkshopBrochure2009.pdf


*******************************************************************************

6th European Zoo Nutrition ConferenceBarcelona : 28-31st January 2010

A gentle reminder about this meeting, and in particular the deadlines for submission of scientific abstracts and diet change experiences. This has been extended to Friday 16 October, due to conference information being circulated later than expected. Please visit the website below to download the submission forms and once complete, they should be sent to me.

For more detailed information about the event, accommodation arrangements, registration and paper submission forms, please visit the dedicated page on the EAZA website:

http://www.eaza.%20net/activities/%20Pages/NutritionC%20onference.%20aspx

Kind regards,

Dr. Andrea Fidgett
Chair, EAZA Nutrition Group
a.fidgett@chesterzoo.org


*******************************************************************************

ZOO ADVERTS OF NOTE:






*******************************************************************************

For Zoo Jobs and Related Vacancies please visit: http://zoowork.blogspot.com/

For notification of Zoo related Meetings, Conferences, Courses and Symposia go to: http://zoosymposia.blogspot.com/

************************************************************************


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

Zoo News Digest Blog
http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/

ZooNews Digest Webpage
http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/

Zoo Vacancies Blog
http://zoowork.blogspot.com/

Hub Pages
http://u.nu/2kx

Follow me on Twitter at:
Twitter: http://twitter.com/PeterZoo

Be a Star ZooKeeper

Want a part in a Movie?

In the movie "The Zookeeper," the zoo animals are very fond of their kindly and caring keeper Andrew (Kevin James). Andrew is a nice enough guy but leads a somewhat lonely life because he has never quite found his life outside of work. He finds it much easier to relate to and get on with animals than women. After much though he decides to do something about it and leave the zoo.

The zoo animals get wind of his plan and are distraught at the idea of losing their friend and so break their code of silence and and let Andrew know they can speak! They set about teaching him the beastly rules of loving.

YOU CAN HAVE A WALK ON PART IN THIS MOVIE!!!!!!

See http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290355465789

And http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290355467200

And http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290355468004

THREE CHANCES!!!!!!!!