Zoo News Digest July - August 2007

24Aug2007

First panda born in Europe zoo after 25 years
The giant panda Yang Yang, which came with another male panda Long
Hui to Vienna in 2003, on loan from China, gave birth to a cub in
the famous Austrian Schoenbrunn Zoo on Thursday, the zoo announced
Thursday morning at an impromptu press conference.
It's not only the first procreation of Yang Yang and Long Hui in
Vienna, but also Europe's first such event in 25 years, and the last
panda born in a European zoo was in 1982 in Madrid, the official
said.
Early in the morning, a caretaker heard whimpering noises from the
birth box where the 7-year-old female panda Yang Yang currently
lives, confirming the tiny cub came to the world.
"The young mother is now taking loving care of her
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-08/24/content_6595115.htm

Man's body found in bear cage in Belgrade Zoo
The lifeless body of a man was found in a bear cage Sunday in the
Belgrade Zoo, an official said.
Zoo employees found the body during a routine check of the cage,
which has no roof, Belgrade emergency service doctor Nada Macura
said, without giving details.
The Beta news agency, citing doctors, said the man was 22 years old
and had injured his head, abdomen and legs, but that it was not
immediately clear if the injuries were sustained from the fall or
were inflicted by the animals.
The Belgrade Zoo is located within the ancient Kalemegdan fortress
in the city center.
A restaurant is located just above the zoo, and
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/19/europe/EU-GEN-Serbia-Body-
in-Zoo.php

Zoo visitors watch bears kill, eat monkey
`They are and remain wild animals,' Dutch zoo says after incident
Bears killed and devoured a monkey in front of horrified visitors at
a Dutch zoo, officials and witnesses said Monday.
Visitors reported that the grisly scene began as several bears
chased the monkey, a macaque, onto a wooden structure at Beekse
Bergen Safari Park.
They said a bear tried unsuccessfully to shake the monkey loose,
ignoring attempts by keepers to distract it. The bear then
http://www.expressandstar.co.uk/2007/08/20/zoo-recalls-animal-antics/

Zoo-bred corncrakes go back to the wild
STAFF at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo are celebrating the news that more than
100 rare corncrakes have been bred there this year for
reintroduction into the wild.
In fact, a staggering 126 chicks have been successfully hatched and
raised to chicks by keepers at the zoo, well in excess of what was
hoped for and giving a massive boost to the reintroduction project
at the Nene Washes near Peterborough.
The project is managed jointly by Whipsnade and the RSPB who run the
http://www.leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?
sectionid=413&articleid=3122038

Expert calls for closure of zoo
The city zoo should be kept closed to visitors for three to four
weeks to allow for the complete elimination of the foot and mouth
disease (FMD) virus that has claimed the lives of many animals, head
of the medicine division Indian Veterinary Research Institute D.
Swaroop said here on Monday.
He was speaking to presspersons during an inspection of various
animal enclosures at the zoo. It can now be said that the FMD virus
is under control; otherwise there would have been more deaths of
animals. Resorting to vaccinating animals against the virus can only
have so much of an impact. The very act of giving vaccines can cause
stress in the animals. Better animal management and greater stress
on the hygiene front are what can help the zoo tide over the present
situation.
The FMD virus could have come into the zoo through people or through
vehicles used for transporting fodder or construction material. The
virus is highly sensitive to high temperature change in PH values.
After infecting an animal
http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/21/stories/2007082159090300.htm

Eight men get 11 years in jail for killing zoo tiger in Vietnam
A court has sentenced eight people who killed a tiger in a zoo in
Can Tho province, in southern Vietnam, to up to 11.5 years in
prison, local media said Tuesday.
The poachers, who also face a fine of about $28,000, broke into the
zoo last June and poisoned the tiger with cyanide. They then hurried
to cut and disembowel the 150-kilogram (300-pound) animal right in
the zoo so that the poison did not taint the tiger's meet and bones.
The man who bought the carcass for nearly $15,000 received a
suspended sentence of nine months.
Tiger bones, cooked into glue, are used as a traditional
http://en.rian.ru/world/20070821/72768895.html

Masked gunmen steal 52 monkeys in Cambodian heist
Masked gunmen made off with 52 macaque monkeys in a daring heist on
a Cambodian facility where the primates were being held, police said
Wednesday.
Pen Kheng, the deputy police chief of Kampong Svay district in
northern Kampong Thom province, said by telephone that the group of
five or six masked men burst into the grounds of the Angkor Bright
company last Sunday night and made off with the monkeys after
threatening a guard.
'This is becoming very common in this district and has happened to
Angkor Bright and another company, Chen China group, many times
lately. This time we acted after receiving a complaint from Angkor
Bright, but so far we have no suspects,' Kheng said.
He declined to say why the company had so many monkeys on its
premises, but wildlife officials have previously said they suspect
Cambodia is becoming a transit point for primates destined for China
and Vietnam, where
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1346118.p
hp/Masked_gunmen_steal_52_monkeys_in_Cambodian_heist

Emergency Gorilla-Protection Force Deployed in Congo
A temporary, 30-ranger gorilla-protection force has been deployed in
the troubled African park where at least five mountain gorillas were
killed, execution style, in July.

The emergency measure is intended to end the attacks on endangered
gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Virunga National
Park.
A permanent gorilla-protection unit, totaling some 50 rangers, is
also being established for the park.
That force is expected to be in place later this year, following
several months of ranger training.
"We are currently in a situation of high risk and enormous threat
since the killing of the gorillas last month," said Norbert
Mushenzi, the park official now in charge of the southern sector of
Virunga, where the attacks took place.
"We have now lost nine
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/070821-gorilla-
protection.html

Woodland Park Zoo staff is feeling fenced in
This year at Woodland Park Zoo has been, well, a zoo.
There was the tragic death of beloved (if no-longer baby) elephant
Hansa and the blame and accusations that swirled even as tears still
fell in the anguish of its aftermath.
Finger pointing by University of Washington professors and others
began earlier this month and continues over the new Maasai Journey
educational program, which includes actual Maasai as cultural
interpreters. Objectors claim it makes an insulting, even racist
exhibit out of living, breathing, thinking people of color.
Then, last week, animal rights activists pushing for a federal ban
on horses being slaughtered for meat, sank their hooks into Woodland
Park and Point Defiance zoos where horse meat is fed to carnivorous
captives.
"Sometimes I just wanted to scream, 'Leave the zoo alone! Don't
blame everything from global warming to the war in Iraq on the
zoo!,' " admitted the normally unflappable veteran zoo spokeswoman,
Gigi Allianic. In 16 years of deftly handling many ups and some
bumpy downs, this year has been her worst, by far.
President Deborah Jensen has been at the helm of the venerable but
inventive Woodland Park Zoo for just
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/paynter/328116_paynt20.html

Push for $65M zoo bond fails
Hogle Zoo's plan for an ambitious makeover will have to wait.
The Salt Lake County Council voted 5-4 on Thursday afternoon against
putting a $65 million bond on the fall ballot.
That money - combined with $20 million expected from private donors -
would have funded a massive overhaul of Salt Lake City animal
kingdom at the mouth of Emigration Canyon.
Plans called for an expansive polar bear exhibit, an updated
http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6700371

Taronga Zoo denies mistreatment of rhino
Sydney's Taronga Zoo says the RSPCA has cleared it of mistreating a
rhinoceros in the lead-up to its death.
Kua, a four-year-old single-horned female rhino, died on June 4
after arriving at the zoo from San Diego last October.
It was reported the rhino was "pregnant, emaciated and ulcerated"
when she died
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/rhino-death-no-
charges/2007/08/23/1187462416044.html

Zoo to Pay $7,500 Over Polar Bear Deaths
The Saint Louis Zoo has agreed to pay a $7,500 fine to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture over the deaths of two polar bears.
The USDA said in documents filed earlier this month that the zoo's
violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act resulted in the deaths
of Penny, a 20-year-old female polar bear, and Churchill, an 17-year-
old male, in May and June of 2005. Churchill had
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2007/08/22/AR2007082201233.html

19Aug2007

Plans to protect gorilla massacre survivors
Protection plans have been announced at a national park in the
Democratic Republic of Congo to protect the survivors of a gorilla
massacre which occurred last month.
The body of one silverback and three female gorillas were found on
July 22nd in Virunga national park; a mother and a baby gorilla are
still missing from the family.
Working with the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a coalition of
conservation groups is funding an action plan to ensure the safety
of the remaining six gorilla families living in the park.
Included in the plan is heightened protection from park ranger teams
with 24-hour surveillance of the remaining families.
A baby which was found hugging its brother after the massacre,
called Ndeze, is also being looked after by rangers at a village
near the park and ZSL is working on funding for the baby gorilla's
care.
Another orphan from a previous
http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/india/countries/democratic-republic-
congo/plans-protect-gorilla-massacre-survivors-$1123788.htm

7 injured in bear attack
Seven government employees received minor injuries while shifting a
captured bear cub in Poonch district on Saturday, officials said.
The bear attacked the workers injuring 7 of them, when it was being
shifted to Manda Wildlife Park here, they said, adding that
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200708190356.htm

Elephants head for zoo farm
Noah's Ark Zoo Farm has announced plans to introduce elephants,
lions, zebras and bears to its collection of animals.
In the next five years, the park in Wraxall also plans a new café,
improved facilities for disabled visitors and a conservation
building for teaching school children about local nature and global
wildlife.
"The elephant enclosure will comprise seven acres of rich grassland,
7000 sq feet of heated housing plus an
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2007/08/16/noahs_ark_fe
ature.shtml

Capybara dies in Florida zoo after hippo bite
Large aquatic rodent suffered severe injuries in rear end and stomach
A Capybara at a Florida Panhandle zoo died after it was attacked by
an adult hippopotamus, zoo officials said Thursday.
The Capybara, a large aquatic rodent, died last week at The Zoo
Northwest Florida, just a month after a baby hippo was fatally
attacked by an adult hippo. It is not known
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20325403/

The bear (and other creature) essentials of four Midwest zoos
Get a little wild
All quality big-city zoos have lots of animals, paved pathways,
strollers for rent, hot dogs to buy and stuffed critters to bring
home. Many have little trains that, for a little extra, haul people
around the grounds. Many have artists who will paint butterflies on
little girls' faces. Some have carousels.
And, we've learned, every one has something to treasure.
We visited four Midwest favorites. Here's what we discovered:
At the Indianapolis Zoo, children and their keepers are encouraged
to dip their hands, two fingers at a time, into a shallow pool and
tickle the topsides of sharks — yes, sharks, specifically, bonnet
head sharks.
Any reports of eaten fingers?
"They actually have flat teeth, and they're very tiny," said on-site
educator Will Bruner, who was talking about the sharks, not the
kids. "If they wanted to bite, they really couldn't do anything."
What the 3-foot beasties evidently will do when patience is tested
(as when abused by one undercautious tot) is skim madly on their
tails across the top of the water like something very scary out
of "Jurassic Park."
Milwaukee County Zoo has what it calls "Prey and Predator" exhibits.
Here, animals live side by side with other animals that, in the real
world, would tear them to pieces and digest them without regret.
One of these exhibits places a pair of cheetahs alongside a small
herd of impalas, the two groupings separated by an invisible (to us)
moat that doesn't stop the cheetahs from ogling the impalas nor the
impalas from keeping tabs on the precise whereabouts of the cheetahs.
This all looks reasonably benign — except to those of us who, on a
recent safari to East Africa, actually watched a pair of youthful
cheetahs pull down a youthful Thompson's gazelle and, with mom's
help, tear it to pieces.
Then there's Detroit. Ah, Detroit.
The smaller of the two magnificent grizzlies sharing outdoor space
at the Detroit Zoo lowered his backside over the swim pond and,
quite massively and with the sound of a modest avalanche, did what
free-range bears famously do in the woods.
Instantly, moms pivoted strollers in the opposite direction. Dads
shut off video cams. Little girls went "eeeeeuuuwww."
But one lad, likely in his mid-teens and with a ball cap backward on
a head in desperate need of a haircut, put it all in perspective
with a single shouted word: "Awesome!"
And as for the St. Louis Zoo (officially, the Saint Louis Zoo): It's
just a great zoo. Of course, the cooling fans help.
Each, we found, is worth the effort to get there, even with
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/aug/19/get-a-little-wild/

Wachula sanctuary for retired apes
You might not think that Hollywood types would be hanging around
Wachula. But they are. Dozens of them. Two of the newest to arrive
are Jona and Jacob, who starred in the Trunk Monkey commercials.
They live with more than forty other retired chimps and orangutans
at the Great Ape Sanctuary.
"When I see an ape in a commercial or movie, it kinda breaks my
heart because I know what the future for that animal is," said Patti
Ragan, who founded the 100-acre sanctuary ten years ago.
Apes can only be used in entertainment for six or seven years, then
they have to retire because they get so strong. They can't go back
to the wild, so they have to live the rest of their lives in
captivity. Many are sold to roadside zoos, or small circuses. Others
http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?
contentId=4099928&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Incessant rains make life of zoo animals hell in Patna
Incessant rains for the past few days have made the lives of the
animals of the Patna Zoological Garden miserable.
Director of the Sanjay Gandhi Zoo Rakesh Kumar told UNI today that
unidentified people broke parts of the boundry wall of the zoo to
clear waterlogging in the adjoining Gardanibagh colony resulting in
inundataion of some parts of its area.
'' We are trying to divert the water so that the problem could be
avoided, '' he said adding the repair works of the boundary wall
were being carried out on war
http://www.newkerala.com/july.php?action=fullnews&id=54534

Limbe Botanic Garden to Host Repatriated Gorillas
Officials from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife joined their
technical counterparts from South Africa in Limbe, Fako Division on
August 13, 2007, at the start of a week-long official working
session on the repatriation of the 4 Cameroonian gorillas currently
at the Pretoria National Zoological Garden in South Africa.
At the behest of the South African government, the government of
Cameroon, acting through it's Ministry of forestry and Wildlife
(MINFOF) has issued a permit of the convention on international
trade in endangered species of flora and fauna (CITES) to facilitate
the return of the gorillas to Cameroon which has been
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708170786.html

Python Kills 3 Parrots At Budapest Zoo
Python Smuggled Into Budapest Zoo Kills Three Rare Kea Parrots
Native To New Zealand Island
A python that apparently was smuggled into the Budapest Zoo has
killed three rare Kea parrots, officials said Friday.
It was unclear whether a visitor released the tiger python into the
Keas' cage or whether someone released the 6-foot, 6-inch snake
elsewhere in the zoo and it found the cage by itself, zoo spokesman
Zoltan Hanga said.
Hanga said the zoo owned several pythons, but they had implanted
microchips and all had been accounted for.
The Kea is a sharp-beaked parrot native to the high country of New
Zealand's South Island. It is considered a vulnerable species _ an
estimated 1,000-5,000 survive in the wild and another 140 in zoos.
The Keas _ a female and two males _ were very playful birds and came
to Budapest from zoos in Austria and Germany. They were each valued
at $7,800.
The zoo reported the incident to the police in the hope of finding
the python's owner.
"Clearly the python is not to blame," Hanga
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/17/ap/tech/main3179452.shtml

Councillor calls off trip too zoo conference
A Toronto city councillor changed his mind yesterday about a plan to
fly to Budapest next week for a zoo conference after newspapers,
including the Post, reported the upcoming trip.
The Post's Kelly Patrick reports:
Giorgio Mammoliti, a member of Mayor David Miller's executive
committee and of the Toronto Zoo board, called the National Post
yesterday to say he decided not to attend the World Association of
Zoos and Aquariums 62nd annual conference. Mr. Mammoliti said he
found out yesterday that he could cancel his Aug. 26 Czech Air
flight for a $250 penalty.
"This is just the right thing to do," Mr. Mammoliti said. "It would
have been a waste to give $2,000 to an airline for an empty seat,
but now that I can cancel, this is the right thing to do."
On Wednesday Mr. Mammoliti had said he planned to proceed with the
junket because Calvin White, the Toronto Zoo's chief executive
officer, told him his plane ticket was non-refundable.
Mr. White is still taking the $5,000 trip to Hungary, despite a city
budget crisis that has led the Mayor and senior city bureaucrats to
reduce litter pick-up, plant fewer trees, close some libraries on
Sundays and ban discretionary travel.
Mr. White defended going ahead with the trip. "There are important
things to be discussed. We should have someone at the meeting," he
said.
Mr. White admitted that prior to yesterday morning, he
http://communities.canada.com/nationalpost/blogs/toronto/archive/2007
/08/16/councillor-calls-off-trip-too-zoo-conference.aspx

Zoo plans low-key day for Irwin anniversary
AUSTRALIA Zoo will open on the anniversary of Crocodile Hunter Steve
Irwin's death, but efforts will be made to keep it a low-key day.
September 4 marks one year since Irwin was fatally speared by a
stingray barb while filming one of his famous nature documentaries
at Batt Reef, in far north Queensland.
Wife Terri and children Bindi, 9, and Robert, 3, will be on a family
camping trip for the anniversary.
Australia Zoo, the Sunshine Coast wildlife park established by Irwin
and his father Bob, will
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22260909-29277,00.html

ZOO BOSS ATTACKED IN MIDDLE OF NIGHT
INJURIES: Zoo boss David Gill was rushed to Furness General
HospitalDALTON Zoo boss David Gill is recovering after being
assaulted in a break-in at his home.
Police say an attacker broke into Mr Gill's home, in the grounds of
South Lakes Wild Animal Park, at 2.40am on Friday.
Mr Gill, 46, was rushed to Furness General Hospital with serious
injuries.
In a statement yesterday, afternoon Cumbra police said: "At around
2.40am on Friday, a 46-year-old man suffered serious, but not life
threatening, injuries after being assaulted at a property on the
outskirts of Dalton.
"Police and ambulance attended the scene. The injured male
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/viewarticle.aspx?id=533539

Khao Phaeng Ma gaur herd in jeopardy
The fate of the renowned Khao Phaeng Ma reforestation and wild gaur
rehabilitation project is uncertain following the abrupt closure of
its operator, Wildlife Fund Thailand (WFT). Once a ''bald
mountain'', Khao Phaeng Ma in Nakhon Ratchasima's Wang Nam Khieo
district is now covered with dense forest and is home to more than a
hundred wild gaur. The forest land is part of Khao Pu Luang forest
reserve and is located next to the world natural heritage site of
Khao Yai National Park.
http://archives.mybangkokpost.com/bkkarchives/frontstore/news_detail.
html?aid=210443&textcat=General%
20News&type=a&key=safari&year=2007&click_page=1&search_cat=text&from=
text_search

Fang & claw at Wildlife Fund
The news that former US vice president Al Gore will not be coming
here to give a talk on global warming - and hopefully to inspire
policy-makers and leaders in the country to care more about our
increasingly haywire ecosystem - is not as disturbing on the
environmental home front as the ongoing dispute at the local
conservation outfit, the Wildlife Fund Thailand (WFT).
http://archives.mybangkokpost.com/bkkarchives/frontstore/news_detail.
html?aid=209790&textcat=General%
20News&type=a&key=safari&year=2007&click_page=1&search_cat=text&from=
text_search

16Aug2007

Harvesting Flamingo Eggs (Peters note...great slide show)
http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_national/flamingo_eggs/
index.html?SITE=AP

Chessington zoo is hit by new foot and mouth scare
A children's petting zoo was at the centre of a suspected foot and
mouth outbreak last night.
Concern was raised over a sheep at Chessington World of Adventures
theme park in Surrey, where youngsters are encouraged to cuddle
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?
in_article_id=475417&in_page_id=1770

Smuggled crocodiles overwhelm Cairo zoo
A sudden influx of hundreds of baby crocodiles seized while being
smuggled out of Cairo airport has left a zoo in the Egyptian capital
struggling to deal with the tiny but rapidly growing reptiles. "We've
never seen anything like this before," says Ragy Toma, who heads the
government department in charge of dealing with seized contraband
animals and was standing in front of the 265 infant crocodiles now
housed at Giza Zoo.
They were brought here after customs officials on Sunday found them,
along with snakes and chameleons, in the
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?
edition_id=1&categ_id=4&Article_id=84537

Calgary Zoo rocked by Gorilla deaths
The deaths of four western lowland gorillas at the Calgary Zoo over
the past year are due to a series of unrelated illnesses and "horrible
circumstances" and won't affect plans to continue displaying and
breeding great apes, officials say
But animal protection groups are adamant the death of 22-year-old
female Donge late last week is the latest red flag for the zoo and
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.
20070814.wgorilla_deaths0814/BNStory/National/home

Monkey World gets approval for a home for 70 capuchins
A NEW home for 70 capuchin monkeys facing a death sentence in South
America can be built near Wool, planners say.
Monkey World applied to Purbeck District Council to replace a monkey
house which dated back to the early days of the centre in the
mid-1980s with a new 82sqm timber building.
The centre plans to rescue monkeys bred in captivity and currently
caged in cramped conditions at a research laboratory in Chile.
The aim is to airlift the monkeys over in groups.
The centre's director Dr Alison Cronin told the council the future for
the capuchins is bleak unless action is taken.
She said: "The monkeys are now surplus to requirements and will either
be retired or destroyed."
advertisement
But she said she was confident the capuchins could be successfully
rehabilitated after being brought to Dorset.
The application has now been approved, with a planner's report saying
the new building was suitable for the proposed purpose

(Peters note: Interesting to read the story along with the letter
below and attached link)

(((((In Chile, there's is a campaign to liberate these capuchin
monkeys and take them to a rescue and rehab center, one of the most
important in South America which is 45 minutes far away from the
Catholic University Primate Lab.
They don't want to take them to there because some animal right
activists work there.
Sending them to England when there's an apropriate place here in
Chile, it's stupid!
Please, don't support this and help us!
http://www.macacos.cl)))))

http://www.thisisdorset.net/display.var.
1599519.0.monkey_world_gets_approval_for_a_home_for_70_capuchins.php

Death of pregnant rhinoceros not zoo's fault
The RSPCA has cleared Taronga Zoo over any wrong-doing in the death in
June of a pregnant rhinoceros.
Brought to Australia last year from San Diego as part of an
international breeding program, Kua died from a blockage in her gut
caused by sand.
The four-year-old was more than half-way through her pregnancy, which
was not detected until autopsy.
The RSPCA decided to investigate following a complaint suggesting Kua
may not have received the best care.
"There were no breaches of the legislation (protecting animals),"
RSPCA chief inspecto
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22245948-949,00.html

Apes Draw Short Straw
But GONHS threatens its critics
Gibraltar's apes are one of the Rock's leading visitor attractions and
make a major contribution to the £3 million annual revenue generated
by tourists to the Upper Rock. Yet, according to the Gibraltar
Ornithological and Natural History Society (GONHS), the Government
spends less than 2 per cent of that income on maintaining the
creatures whose presence here, according to tradition, ensures that
the Rock remains British.
GONHS is contracted to care for the troops of Barbary macaques – a
duty which the Society describes as "ape managem
http://www.vox.gi/Local/Apes_Draw_Short_Straw.html

Zoo hires its president's husband
Dayton Baker will manage the new elephant breeding farm
The man in charge of mowing the grass, building elephant breeding
stalls and helping to raise a few million dollars for the Pittsburgh
Zoo's new Somerset County facility has close ties to top management.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07226/809223-53.stm

Sabah designates forest reserves for orangutan conservation
The Sabah state government has designated the whole of Ulu Segama dan
Malua forest reserves covering an area of about 240,000ha for an
orangutan conservation programme.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun
said the move proved that the Sabah government was committed to
preserving the state's wildlife and forest.
He dismissed claims that orangutan in the state were being threatened
by the clearing of forests for the development of the oil palm sector.
"We don't kill orangutan as the creatures are a very important
component of our tourism industry. Killing the orangutan is tantamount
to killing our tourism industry. And we won't do that," Masidi said.
He told reporters this afte
http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/wed/aug15b1.htm

KC Zoo to get $10 million overhaul
The entrance to the Kansas City Zoo will get a $10.75 million overhaul
to make it more convenient for visitors and bring animals to the front
door.
"This will change the entire complexion of the zoo," Director Randy
Wisthoff said today. "It will become one of the easiest zoos in the
United States to get into instead of one of the most difficult."
The project, be
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/story/226727.html

Headless walruses alarm Alaska officials
An unusually high number of walrus carcasses missing their heads and
ivory tusks have washed up on beaches this summer, alarming wildlife
officials.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesn't know whether the dozens of
walrus carcasses counted along a 40-mile stretch in Norton Sound are
part of a crime or whether sloppy hunters are responsible.
Pacific walruses are not considered endangered but can be hunted only
by Alaska Natives, who are required to use a certain amount of the
animal or face fines for being wasteful. The tusks are often carved or
used in native arts and crafts.
"There is no evidence that subsistence
http://www.mercurynews.com/healthandscience/ci_6631159?nclick_check=1

Apes belong in wild, zoo told
Animal protection groups say the fourth death of a western lowland
gorilla in the last year at the Calgary Zoo is proof that it should
not be keeping great apes in captivity.
The zoo said yesterday it was forced to destroy 22-year-old female
Donge late last week because she was rapidly losing weight and growing
sicker despite four surgeries this summer.
Two other females died
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2007/08/14/4416499-sun.html

Former zoo remains untouched, sale to town held up
It's been several years since the town agreed to buy the former
Benson's Wild Animal Farm, but the state-owned site remains untouched
while its historic buildings crumble.
The town's plan to buy the 165-acre parcel for recreation and open
space has been held up by a lawsuit against a contractor accused of
dumping asbestos on the property, environmental cleanup and debate
over how to restore the buildings.
The former zoo closed in 1987. The state paid $4
http://wbztv.com/newhampshirewire/NH--CrumblingZoo/resources_news_html

Calgary Zoo welcomes a bundle of elephant
Workers at the Calgary Zoo are hoping a 308-lb. baby elephant born
Thursday will be accepted and nurtured by its mother. In the cruel
elephant world, a mother assesses her young and decides if she wants
to make an investment in the offspring.
Seventeen-year-old elephant Maharani rejected her infant Keeyama just
three years ago. Workers hope the new baby won't suffer the same fate
Keeyama did -- a digestive infection. The infant died in December 2004.
"We're not quite handing out cigars yet, but as long as it's going in
the right direction, we're happy," said Kevin Strange, manager of
conservation and education at the zoo.
Mom and baby are secluded at the zoo's Elephant Crossing complex and
hopes are that Maharani will be better equippe
http://communities.canada.com/nationalpost/blogs/posted/archive/
2007/08/10/calgary-zoo-welcomes-a-bundle-of-elephant.aspx

Central Zoo under Reconstruction
The reconstruction of the Central Zoo is in progress in earnest in the
DPRK.
The zoo will remind the visitors of a natural reserve sooner or later.
More than 40 cages are coming into shape the exterior of which will be
built with stones, woods and rocks according to the animals'
physiological features.
The hippopotamus cage with walls built in the form of armful trees
stands on a lake side, the entrance of the bear cage looks like a
hollow trunk of a tree and the walls of singing bird cage No. 2 are
painted with natural pigments like fresh trees. All the animal cages
make people feel as if they were in natural forests.
The fierce animal cage has a vast playground with rocky zone, forest
and pond.
Visitors on an elevated bridge over the margin of the playground can
see in three dimensions the free life of wild beasts in a "thick
forest".
The open-air playgrounds for horse, cattle, giraffe and others were
expanded twice and moats are being formed around the cages instead of
iron fences.
Meanwhile, more and more trees are being planted in
http://www.kcna.co.jp/item/2007/200708/news08/13.htm#22

Tampering prompts alert at aquarium
A Vietnam veteran muttering about Agent Orange allegedly dumped a
small amount of liquid into the Beluga whale tanks at Mystic Aquarium
in Connecticut yesterday, prompting the temporary closure of the
marine exhibits and leading a hazardous materials team to descend upon
his East Providence home.
The three whales in the 750,000-gallon tank were not harmed, nor were
any of the animals in the other
http://www.projo.com/news/content/
MYSTICTANK_08-16-07_IU6OP4E_v1.326c09b.html

Palm oil demand puts orangutans at risk
The growing demand for bio-diesel fuel threatens the survival of the
orangutans of Borneo, the largest surviving population of the primate
in the wild.
Lone Nielsen, head of Borneo Orangutan Survival, said as more forest
is converted to palm plantations for palm oil the primates lose their
habitat and, in many cases, are beaten by workers. A rehabilitation
center run by the group is caring for 600 orangutans, most of them
young orphans.
"There are broken bones, cracked skulls, burns, internal injuries,"
Nielsen said. "The plantation workers beat them because they want to
catch them and the only way you can catch an orangutan is to knock it
unconscious."
In 2003, the Indonesian government announced plans to make the country
the world's largest producer of palm oil, which is essentia
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2007/08/14/
palm_oil_demand_puts_orangutans_at_risk/7574/

Vietnam to open zoo without cages
Vietnam's first "open zoo," where animals will not be kept in cages,
is set to open by the end of the year.
he zoo is part of Dai Nam Tourism World, a new theme park under
construction in the southern province of Binh Duong, 15km from Ho Chi
Minh City.
The open zoo, construction of which began in June last year, will be
home to rare animals that are not kept in typical caged enclosures,
said Tran Dang Trung, the zoo's CEO.
The zoo will be similar to other open zoos like Singapore's, where
animals are separated from the visitors by dry or wet moats. The
Singapore Zoo separates particularly dangerous animals
http://www.thanhniennews.com/entertaiments/?catid=6&newsid=29574

Tourists fuelling endangered wildlife trade
Coral, ivory and snakeskin souvenirs taken home by unwitting British
tourists are helping to push endangered species closer to extinction,
environmental group WWF said today.
Traditional Chinese medicines made from endangered tigers, rhinos and
seahorses also top WWF's blacklist of illegal holiday souvenirs.
"Although the latest figures indicate that some illegal wildlife trade
items are being brought in knowingly by wildlife criminals, the
majority of seizures appear to be items inn
http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/tourists-fuelling-endangered-wildlife-
trade/2007/08/16/1186857641080.html

Campaign launched to save 200 endangered birds worldwide
An international conservation group launched an ambitious plan on
Thursday to raise tens of millions of dollars to save 189 endangered
birds over the next five years by protecting their habitat and raising
public awareness about their plight.
UK-based BirdLife International is calling on environmental groups,
corporations and individuals to contribute the USD 37.8 million needed
for what it is dubbing the Species Champions initiative.
The campaign comes as the numbers of extinct birds is on the rise,
mostly due to poaching, habitat loss and over development. In the last
three decades, 21 species have been lost, including the
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/
Campaign_launched_to_save_200_endangered_birds_worldwide/articleshow/
2283948.cms

TV clip of zoo abuse slammed
Animal rights group Peta said yesterday it would protest to a
Hamas-run TV channel after a clip from a programme showing animals
being abused appeared on YouTube, prompting scores of complaints from
viewers worldwide.
"It's shocking and sickening," said Martin Mersereau, manager of the
domestic animal abuse division of US-based People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (Peta).
Speaking by telephone, he said Peta was drafting a letter of protest
to the Gaza-based Al-Aqsa television station, which aired the show —
aimed at teaching children not to abuse animals — last week.
A segment of the programme was posted on the YouTube video-sharing
website after being recorded and translated by pro-Israeli group
Palestinian Media Watch.
An official at the TV station declined immediate comment.
The YouTube clip shows an actor dressed as a bee mistreating a cat and
lions at Gaza Zoo. In the studio, he is reprimanded by the programme's
host, who cautions children against mimicking t
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?
cu_no=2&item_no=167046&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17

9Aug2007

China's white dolphin likely extinct
The Yangtze River dolphin is now almost certainly extinct, making it
the first dolphin that humans drove to extinction, scientists have
now concluded after an intense search for the endangered species.
The loss also represents the first global extinction of megafauna—
any creature larger than about 200 pounds (100 kilograms)—for more
than 50 years, since the disappearance
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-08/09/content_6018984.htm

White-Fin Dolphin Wiped Off Earth
When the last white-fin dolphin, or baiji, died, so too did a piece
of China's soul. This peaceful mammal was known as the Goddess of
the Yangtze and for millions of years, she ruled the waters of
China's longest river.
But breakneck development, over-fishing and a massive increase in
shipping traffic led to the animal's extinction within a few short
years.
The almost-blind, long beaked animal, one of the oldest mammals on
the planet at around 20 million years old, now officially becomes
the first big aquatic mammal to disappear since hunters killed off
the Caribbean monk seal in the 1950s.
Measuring up to 8'2" in length, the baiji is, or at least was, a
relative of other freshwater dolphins found in the Mekong, Indus,
Ganges and Amazon rivers. Local legend has it that the baiji is the
reincarnation of a princess who refused to marry a man she did not
love and was drowned by her father for shaming the family. The baiji
had no natural predators, except for man. The white-fin dolphin
shared its habitat on the rushing waters of the Yangtze with huge
river cruise ships, tugboats and fishing boats.
Despite a growing list of adversities, there were still 400 white-
fin dolphins or Lipotes vexillifer alive during the 1980's, but that
number dropped significantly, and alarmingly, to less than 150 in
the last decade. A survey in 1997 listed just 13 sightings, with the
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?
clid=3&theme=&usrsess=1&id=165641

Jungle of red tape snares biologist
Scientist runs afoul of Brazil's intent to guard natural treasures
Biologist Marc van Roosmalen built his legend in the Amazon jungles
by breaking the rules.
The enigmatic scientist with the long blond locks roamed the
landscape in bare feet, oblivious to the snakes, ants and spiders
below.
He became a research rock star for discovering unknown species of
primates, earning him royal honors from his native Netherlands and
the title of "Hero for the Planet" from Time Magazine. He often said
that the needs of his science took priority over Brazil's cumbersome
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-
manaus_avila_bdjul29,1,3430147.story

Chinese tigress kills zookeeper cleaning her cage
A tigress in a small city zoo killed a zookeeper who forgot to
remove her from her cage before cleaning it, Xinhua news agency said.
Police shot the tigress dead after discovering the zoo's only
tranquillizer gun was also inside the cage.
Zhang, a keeper in his 60s, drove a tiger into an inner cage before
entering the outer cage at the zoo in a park in Xinyi, in eastern
China's Jiangsu province, colleagues told Xinhua.
But he forgot about the tigress who shared the outer cage.
Police evacuated tourists and park workers
http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKPEK31639120070801

Los Angeles Zoo Faces Lawsuit for Elephant Abuse, Neglect
Actor Robert Culp and another man have filed suit against the Los
Angeles Zoo and the city, aiming to stop construction of a $40
million elephant exhibit and keep the zoo from having elephants on
the grounds.
The suit filed Thursday also alleges mistreatment of elephants going
back decades, saying that it has caused both direct and indirect
damage to the animals.
Over the past 33 years, 13 of the zoo's 31 elephants have died
prematurely, according to the lawsuit by Culp and real estate agent
Aaron Leider.
Among the alleged instances of abuse: a 1984 incident in which an
elephant was hit with a bull hook and one in 1986 in which an
elephant was electrically shocked by handlers.
"We want them to close the existing exhibits, acquire
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,292025,00.html

Orangutan learns how to take medicine by herself
An orangutan at Tama Zoological Park has surprised her minders by
willingly taking her medicine after ripping open the sachet herself--
just like a human would.
"It's rather rare for an animal to take medicine on its own," said
Hidetoshi Kurotori, who looks after the orangutan, named Gypsy, at
the zoo in Hino, Tokyo.
Gypsy, which is thought to be 51 years old, quite elderly for an
orangutan, became sick during the rainy season and was given
medicine similar to that for human use. She had taken the medicine
before, after a zoo employee tore open the sachet and poured the
powdered medicine into her mouth.
On June 27, Kurotori accidentally dropped the medicine
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070809TDY03003.htm

Boys charged over animal attacks
Two boys aged 11 and 13 have been charged over a zoo break-in which
saw dozens of animals attacked.
A total of 25 creatures were injured at the Camperdown Wildlife
Centre in Dundee last month.
A terrapin was killed, a deer was slashed with a craft knife, and
keepers said a snowy owl and a bear were left traumatised by the
incident.
Tayside Police said investigations were continuing to find out if
anyone else was involved.
A said: "Two youths have been
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/69365
88.stm

Ruling faults zoo in mauling
Police cleared the zoo of wrongdoing in a keeper's death, but OSHA
cites "unsafe working conditions." The ruling and $4,200 fine can be
appealed.
The federal government has cited the Denver Zoo for alleged unsafe
working conditions in the death of a zookeeper who was attacked by a
jaguar in February.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which monitors
workplaces, announced Thursday that the zoo "created unsafe working
conditions for failing to provide appropriate protocols to prevent
inadvertent contact with dangerous animals." It has proposed fines
of $4,200.
Officers of the Denver Zoological Foundation Inc., which operates
the zoo and which was named by OSHA as the defendant, declined to
meet with the media. Craig Piper, the foundation's executive vice
president and chief operating officer, released a statement: "We
welcome the opportunity to partner with OSHA to strengthen our
safety program."
The foundation has 15 days to appeal the ruling and proposed fines.
In a news release, zoo administrators said
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_6530597

Willy the bear is back in his pen
After roaming around a rural area near Fort Erie, Ont. for about 15
hours, Willy the bear is going home.
The five-year-old, 135-kilogram Syrian brown bear was caught on
Wednesday afternoon after an extensive search that included more
than two dozen members of the Niagara Regional Police Service, a
local veterinarian and staff from the ZooZ nature park in
Stevensville, Ont. — about 20 kilometres south of Niagara Falls .
The animal was spotted in a ravine
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=bdac7165-
3dd3-4cfa-9cb8-2d0a1ce947cd&k=71731

Thiruvanathapuram Zoo battles foot-and-mouth disease
For the second time in a month the Thiruvanathapuram Zoo is battling
the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease, which can be fatal.
After one wild boar died of foot and mouth the zoo authorities
decided to cull 19 others on Sunday but what they still don't know
is how many of the other animals in the zoo are infected.
Authorities say they are doing all they can but the big worry is
that they haven't
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070021708

Residents say yes to zoo tax despite tough times
Despite tough economic times, a majority of tri-county adults say
they support a proposal for a small property tax in Wayne, Oakland
and Macomb counties to help the Detroit Zoo, a Detroit Free Press-
Local 4 Michigan Poll shows.
About 56% of the adults surveyed said they could accept a proposed
regional property tax to aid the financially struggling zoo, which
is in Royal Oak. About 36%
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070806/NEWS06/708060366/1001&theme=MICHIGANPOLL022007

Strange zoo script for Thai tuskers
SYDNEY, BANGKOK A Thai might be baffled by the sign in front of the
Thai elephant enclosure at Taronga Zoo here, though most visitors
and zoo staff believe the strange letters to be Thai script.
"This is not Thai language, but rather a stylised script meant to
give Australians a feeling of the style of Thai writing," explained
Mark Williams, the zoo's media relations manager.
Williams was not clear about why the zoo couldn't simply use actual
Thai script for the same effect, and admitted that the Thai consul
in Sydney had also asked about the sign.
The sign has upset Soraida Salwala, secretary general of Friends of
the Asian Elephant Foundation. She has never visited the zoo but
heard about the sign several months
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/04/national/national_30043668
.php

Baghdad Zoo reopens aquarium
After more than eight months of being nothing more than an empty
building at the Baghdad Zoo in Zawra Park, the zoo's aquarium was
reopened July 23.
Reopening the aquarium was just one of several ongoing projects that
Soldiers with the 15th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat
Team, 1st Cavalry Division have been working on since March when
they began supporting the Zawra Park complex.
According to the battalion's projects manager, Capt. Amy Cronin,
this was one of the easier projects that the 15th BSB had taken on
because the only thing keeping the aquarium from being open was the
lack of a power source.
"It was just one of those low hanging fruit type projects because
the only thing we had to do was provide a generator," the Carlisle,
Pa. native explained. "They had the means to get the fish. They
had the contractor and paid for
http://www.blackanthem.com/News/toa/Baghdad_Zoo_reopens_aquarium8992.
shtml

Zoos kill healthy tigers for the skin trade
ZOOS are killing healthy tigers and other endangered species and
selling their skins to be stuffed and mounted as trophies for
private collectors, an investigation has found.
The skins are sold by the zoos to taxidermists who prepare them for
clients in defiance of attempts by the government to stifle the
trade in tiger products.
Last week undercover reporters from The Sunday Times were offered
the skins from two zoo tigers, which were both only a few years old
when they died, for £6,000. "There are too many of them and if they
are not put down they will die of old age, get incinerated and
thrown away," Andre Brandwood, a Hertford-shire taxidermist, told
them.
He said zoos had recognised there was a market and were placing
a "shelf life" on animals to cash in by having them stuffed before
they got old, suffered illness and
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2116179.ece

`For a price I can get you any animal'
JEAN-PIERRE GERARD walked between the ranks of elk antlers stacked
neatly against the walls of his taxidermy warehouse, past the folded
skin of an elephant and the remains of a crocodile before stopping
next to the mounted body of a gigantic roaring lion.
In front of him, spread out upon the floor under the baleful gaze of
a stuffed vulture on a nearby pedestal, was an array of beautiful
animal skins.
Three tigers, a cheetah and two lynx had recently died to provide
the colourful spectacle that Gerard now proudly unveiled to his
British guests.
The 49-year-old taxidermist believed them to be potential customers
looking for tiger and cheetah pelts to turn into stuffed curiosities
for a house in Scotland.
The "clients", who were actually undercover reporters for The Sunday
Times, had been referred to him through his British partner, Andre
Brandwood, who worked closely with Gerard to provide a list of elite
customers with stuffed examples of every species imaginable.
Nothing was off-limits, the "clients" were
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article2116207.ece

Taipei Zoo holding exhibition on bear conservation
The Taipei Zoo is holding a special exhibition to enhance public
awareness about the need to conserve the ursidae family, which
comprises eight species of bears.
http://www.cna.com.tw/eng/cepread.php?id=200708020022

San Diego Zoo Announces Giant Panda Pregnancy
Bai Yun was placed on a 24-hour "birth watch" after veterinarians
observed a fetus and fetal heartbeat through ultrasound images taken
on July 18, according to officials with the San Diego Zoo.
Members of the zoo's giant panda conservation unit did not announce
the news until additional ultrasound images confirmed that the fetus
was developing normally, according to the zoo.
"There is cur
http://www.10news.com/news/13790394/detail.html

Monkey unlocks pen, escapes, eludes zoo staff
Miss. officials: 'Oliver' can outrun horses, 'he will bite,'
susceptible to bait
The Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo asked residents Tuesday to help in
the recovery of a white-faced capuchin monkey that apparently
managed to unlock his pen and escape.
Oliver freed himself at about 8 a.m. and led park staff on a chase
through the park's trail system before eventually eluding them.
Park employee Ann Stewart said
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20059677/

Andy tries the best job in the zoo-niverse
I fear this could be my final report for the Wandsworth Borough News.
As charming as my colleagues are, to be honest they are struggling
to compete with my new friends SpongeBob the squirrel monkey and
Fatty Buddha the lemur.
After spending a day really getting to know some of the cutest and
cheekiest creatures you could hope to meet, I'm having to fight the
temptation to just quit the office and run off of into the wild.
I had never been to Battersea zoo before last week. However, despite
being quite openly obsessed with the animal world, I did not really
know what to expect from such an inner-city set-up lacking the
budget and scale of London Zoo.
But it soon became blindingly obvious why everyone's favourite
tagline for the Battersea establishment is "London's
http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/topstories/display.var.158618
3.0.andy_tries_the_best_job_in_the_zooniverse.php

Lashari briefed on upgrade plan for zoo
South African consultants on Wednesday briefed high-ranking CDA
officials on a plan to upgrade the Islamabad Zoo.
CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari chaired the briefing, the first one
since the commissioning of the consultants by the CDA. Lashari
emphasised the project should not harm the zoo's natural beauty. He
also directed CDA officials to ensure that no cemented construction
was done in the zoom, and sought suggestions from civil society
organisations on the project. He told the meeting that international
standards would be adhered to as the project got underway
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C08%5C02%
5Cstory_2-8-2007_pg11_2

Hialeah flamingos find new homes in zoos across U.S.
Darcy Henthorn can't wait to meet her little bundles of joy.
All 20 of them.
The Oklahoma City Zoo curator of birds recently claimed 20 flamingo
eggs in Miami to exhibit in her zoo. The zoo is now one of more than
a dozen wildlife parks across the county that have received the
popular pink birds from a former South Florida race track.
Hialeah Park hasn't held a horse race since 2001, but the 300
flamingos that once flew over the track still live inside its 1 1/8-
mile racing oval. The Miami Metrozoo now collects some of Hialeah's
flamingo eggs and distributes them across the country. Hundreds of
eggs have been collected here since the 1980s, wildlife officials
said.
The eggs, which are a little smaller than a soda
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5010011.html

Amanda Goes to the zoo
You don't know the definition of fear until you've stood a few feet
from the jaws of a ticked-off alligator with nothing between you and
the hulking reptile but a piece of plastic and a few other bodies.
Trust me — it's even less fun than it sounds.
I had my close encounter with the animal kingdom a little more than
a week ago, when I spent the morning at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
in Bridgeport.
Zoo director Gregg Dancho had talked me into making the zoo the
subject of my next "Amanda Goes " He told me I could hang out with
the zookeepers, help take care of the animals, and generally get a
feel for what it's like to work at a zoo.
It sounded like fun. I mean, who doesn't love animals?
I said yes, and asked if he had any idea what I might actually do at
the zoo.
He paused. "We could probably have you weigh the alligators," Dancho
said.
At first, I thought he was kidding. I could barely take care of our
family's Brittany spaniel when I was a teen. Manhandling a gator
seemed out of my league.
But Dancho was serious. Not only that, he seemed to think that
weighing the beast was a task with which I could easily assist.
Well, he was the professional. I decided to take his word for it, and
http://www.connpost.com/women/ci_6481308

Generate Support for the Captive Primate Safety Act
A bill that will protect primates from the perils of the
exotic "pet" trade is now pending in the House and the Senate. H.R.
2964/S. 1498 (The Captive Primate Safety Act) will amend the Lacey
Act Amendments of 1981 to include nonhuman primates as a prohibited
wildlife species under the Act. It will thus outlaw the interstate
and foreign commerce of these animals for use as "pets." This bill
will help reduce the number of animals that suffer from neglect and
abuse at the mercy of the exotic "pet" trade.
Please contact your federal legislators today
http://www.api4animals.org/actionalerts.php?p=1257&more=1

Panda joins outrage over Chinese food
A panda at a zoo in northwestern China, unimpressed with the food
offered at his new lodgings, erupted with rage and sunk his teeth
into a staff member's flesh instead, local media reported on Monday.
Lan Zai, a male panda at Wuquanshan zoo in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu
province, put zoo worker Xiao Zhang in hospital with multiple bite
and scratch wounds to his arms and legs after a fierce attack on
Saturday, according
http://africa.reuters.com/odd/news/usnPEK47551.html

30Jul2007

Relief for zoo animals by year-end
This will be the last summer that animals in Dubai Zoo will spend in
cramped conditions.
"Construction of a huge new zoo will start in August," said Rashad
Bukhash, Director of the General Projects Department at Dubai
Municipality.
He said all the animals at the existing Dubai Zoo in Jumeirah will
be moved by the end of this year to the new and much bigger zoo
being built in DubaiLand. "We have to speed up plans for the
construction of the new zoo and the core zoo will be built within
three months after construction starts in August," he said.
The civic body is building the zoo in cooperation with DubaiLand on
http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Leisure/10142902.html

Swiss zoo culls endangered lion cubs
A Swiss zoo has provoked public dismay by culling two endangered
Namibian lion cubs because it did not have space for them.
In June, Basel Zoo proudly announced that a five-year-old lioness,
imported from Namibia, had given birth to four cubs; three males and
one female. However, last week the zoo decided to put two of the
male cubs to sleep and feed their carcasses to other animals. It
explained that the lion enclosure was not big enough for them and
said it could not find another zoo to adopt them.
Thomas Jermann, a curator, said that if the cubs had been put in the
enclosure, they would have posed a threat to the leading male in the
pride, who would have killed them. "In nature, most of the cubs die
within the first year. This
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?
xml=/news/2007/07/29/wzoo129.xml

Zoo set for face-lift
IT will be fun and frolic for those visiting the Nehru Zoological
Park in the coming years.
The forest department is planning to renovate, reconstruct and
upgrade some enclosures, provide a facelift to the main entrance and
also improve the facilities for people visiting the fourdecade- old
zoo at a cost of about Rs 24.01 crore. The amount will be spent over
the next 10 years.
According to official sources, the Central Government requested the
authorities of all zoos in the country to
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?
ID=IEU20070728011811&Page=U&Title=Hyderabad&Topic=0&

Council chastises director of zoo
Personal apology sought from Kagan
Miffed that Detroit Zoo Director Ron Kagan has yet to express his
regret in person for falsely claiming on his résumé that he had a
doctorate in zoology, the Detroit City Council cast a vote of no
confidence in him Friday.
"He should have been at the door coming in here to apologize on his
own," said Councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins, who supported the no-co
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070728/NEWS01/707280318/1003/NEWS01

Zoo names new director
Thane Maynard, interim co-director of the Cincinnati Zoo and
Botanical Garden, was named executive director Friday, succeeding
Gregg Hudson, who left 11 months ago to manage the Dallas Zoo. The
appointment is effective immediately.
Maynard, 53, of Mason, has been with the zoo 30 years, except for a
two-year break (2000-01), when he was director of the Puget Sound
Environmental Learning Center. In his career here, Maynard has been
an interpretive naturalist, education director, vice president of
public information, interim co-director (with Dr. Terri Roth) and
now executive director, a job that puts him in charge of the zoo's
$23 million annual budget, 200 employees and 900 volunteers.
For many Cincinnatians, Maynard is the face of the zoo, thanks to
his TV and radio commercials and frequent appearances on local news.
Nationally, he's known for the "90 Second Naturalist," a National
Public Radio and Armed Forces Radio Network spot where he delivers
short stories about wonders of the natural world. Maynard's game
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070728/NEWS01/707280378/1077/COL02

Create nature park, not a bigger zoo
The letters page of any reputable newspaper is one of its most
important sections, important particularly in that in allowing free
commentary from citizens, true democracy can only be deepened. In
having their ideas or comments published many gain a sense of
belonging, if even their ideas may not be accepted.
The newspaper's role is therefore to give a wide spread to what it
publishes, even if the publisher may not agree with the views
expressed. Editors, however, have an extremely difficult task in
selecting what is published, as space is always a constraint. In
addition, editors naturally have to exercise care in light of the
libel laws of the country and occasionally may publish carefully
edited versions if the subject matter warrants it.
Readers of the Express will note we do place in the centre of our
letters page a highlighted "Letter of the day". This is usually to
guide the reader to a commentary that in the view of the Editor is
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_opinion?id=161182499

Manila Zoo will stay for as long as I am the mayor
Thus stressed Mayor Alfredo S. Lim to put to rest the hounding issue
of whether or not the zoo will really be transferred to give way to
the construction of a coliseum or anything else in its lieu.
In answering queries from students who were worried by the said
rumors of the zoo being moved elsewhere, Lim assured them that he in
fact intends to allocate additional funding to better feed and take
care of the animals being housed there.
Lim said the city takes pride in the fact that the Manila Zoo was
among the first to be built in the whole of Asia and if only for
this, there is a need to preserve it.
This early, Lim advised those floating the rumors to abandon the
idea of relocating anything to the present site of the Manila Zoo
`because this will not happen during my term.'
The mayor expressed surprise where the issue of the zoo being sold
to give way to the construction of a coliseum came from, adding that
even those reported to have broached the idea actually denied it.
http://news.balita.ph/html/article.php/20070727135556366

PETA wants zoo fined for Kangaroo death
Posted by Dan X. McGraw July 26, 2007 17:13PM
PETA is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to levy "harsh
penalties" against the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo after a 1-year-old
Kangaroo was struck and killed on Tuesday.
The kangaroo, which was born and raised at the zoo, was euthanized
after it suffered severe injuries from being hit by the train, a
children's ride that goes through the Australian Adventure exhibit.
In its letter sent today to Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyer, Eastern
Regional director of the USDA's animal care unit, People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals said the kangaroo's death is the latest
in a series of deaths and injuries at the zoo since the exhibit
opened in 2000.
"The corpse flower isn't the only thing that stinks at the Cleveland
Zoo. How many more animals have to suffer and die
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/07/peta_wants_zoo_fine_for_kanga
r.html

Experts Seek to Stop Turtles' Extinction
Close to 10 million turtles are traded each year in Asian food
markets despite global efforts to stem the practice that many
experts say is causing the rapid extinction of some species of the
shelled reptiles.
The centuries-old practice of using turtles for food and medicinal
purposes - particularly in China - is a $700 million industry,
Chinese conservationist Shi Haitao said during an international
turtle expert meeting Thursday.
The number of conservationists working in China pales in comparison
to the scope of the problem, he said.
"I realize there is a long road ahead, even though the situation of
turt
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/26/ap3957471.html

Gorilla Warfare
Even after 10 years of war, rangers are stunned by the mysterious
killings of great apes in Africa's oldest park.
The men huddled under billowing green ponchos and shouldered their
AK-47s nervously. Summer rains drenched the plains and canopied
jungle of Virunga National Park, a vast preserve along the eastern
border of the Democratic Republic of Congo that is home to an
estimated 60 percent of the world's surviving mountain gorillas. The
men allowed the rain to douse their cigarettes
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20012315/site/newsweek/

Zoo endangered by financial woes
A Panhandle zoo is struggling to survive after the deaths of two
popular animals and a $3 million debt exacerbated by back-to-back
hurricanes.
"A cookie sale is not going to save it," said Pat Quinn, one of four
founding members of The Zoo Northwest Florida. "We need corporations
and people in the community with the foresight and heart to
say, 'This zoo is
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070729/BREAKINGNEWS/70729014/1086

Designer home for zoo elephants
The Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (Cept) is
planning a brand new house for Ashok and Roopa. Like their friends
Ganesh, Raja, Seema, Danny and others, these two teenagers too will
be proud owners of a sprawling one-acre estate soon.
Ashok (17) and Roopa (15) are elephants at the Kamla Nehru Zoo in
Kankaria. Ever since they were brought to Ahmedabad from Banerghatta
National Park in Karnataka in 1992, they have lived separately in
modest houses of
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ahmedabad/Designer_home_for_zoo_el
ephants/articleshow/2234332.cms

Zoo chimps `cool' without cigarettes
The Emperor Valley Zoo would not have to invest in nicotine patches
to curb the chimpanzees' cravings for cigarettes because the monkeys
do not seem to mind the no-smoking rule.
The two chimps "Sudi" — meaning "good girl" and "Nujo" —
meaning "clown" have been at the zoo for almost 30 years. They are
well known for taking their occasional "smoke" since they developed
the habit from their original owners.
Officials at the zoo revealed since the decision was made to ban
smoking at the zoo the chimps
http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,61040.html

Eight mountain gorillas are shot dead in troubled national park
(Disturbing Photo - Peter)
At least eight rare mountain gorillas have been shot dead, striking
a blow to conservation efforts.
The animals were part of a 12-member troop known to researchers as
the Rugendo family and lived in a mountainous area straddling the
borders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo often visited
by tourists.
The killings, in the Virunga National Park in eastern Congo, may
have been intended as a warning to local conservationists who seek
to prevent the commercial destruction of the region's rainforests,
the natural habitat of gorillas. The Virunga mountains are closely
associated with Dian Fossey, the American zoologist, whose book,
Gorillas in the Mist, became
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article2155469.ece

Killings of mountain gorillas in Congo prompt U.N. probe
The shooting deaths of four mountain gorillas -- three females and
an alpha male silverback -- are prompting a United Nations agency to
send a mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Rangers made the gruesome find in the southern sector of Virunga
National Park earlier this week, said Flora and Fauna International,
an organization that acts to conserve threatened species and
ecosystems. The group said it is unclear who shot the gorillas or
why.
"Just over 700 mountain gorillas survive in the wild today, and none
exist in captivity," Flora and Fauna International
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/27/congo.gorillas/

Conservationists Promise "Strict Measures" to Protect Gorillas
Following the discovery of bodies of Gorillas after three females
and one male silverback had been shot to death in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has said it is
taking measures to ensure that does not happen again, RNA reports.
"The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and its partners are taking swift
action to protect critically endangered (the remaining) mountain
gorillas", the Fund said ye
http://allafrica.com/stories/200707270154.html

Activists: Palm oil workers
killing endangered orangutans
Workers on Indonesian palm oil plantations are deliberately killing
endangered orangutans on the island of Borneo to stop them eating
their seedlings, activists said on Wednesday.
Hardi Baktiantoro, director of the Center for Oran gutan Protection
(COP), said at least 1,500 orangutans perished in 2006, most as a
result of deliberate attacks but also due to their habitat
disappearing to make way for palm oil plantations.
"Orangutans have become the victims of torture by plantation workers
as they wander and eat palm oil seedlings for survival," Baktiantoro
told reporters.
As plantation workers had to pay
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/july/26/yehey/opinion/200707
26opi8.html

Asda Palm Oil Ban to Save Rainforests
Spreading plantations are blamed for a threat to wildlife
Two of the country's biggest retail names are to ban the sale of
palm oil from unsustainable sources because of fears that it is
leading to the destruction of rainforests. Palm oil has become one
of the world's biggest traded commodities and is now the
unidentified 'vegetable oil' in an estimated one in 10 of all
products sold in Britain, from chocolate to cosmetics to animal feed.
The booming demand in Europe and Asia has led to growing concern
that huge swaths of rainforest are being cut down to make way for
plantations - damaging important eco-systems on which animals and
local people depend - and
http://cockroachproductions.blogspot.com/2007/07/asda-palm-oil-ban-
to-save-rainforests.html

Sarawak carrying out wide-scope of research on orang utan
Sarawak, which has taken a lead role in orang utan conservation
work, is carrying out a wide-scope of research on the "wild man of
the forest'' in Borneo.
The recently established Conservation Centre of Excellence for
Orangutan Research is spearheading the comprehensive studies that
cover the endangered species' behaviour (reproduction, diet,
foraging, vocalisation and nesting), its ecology, population
enhancement, habitat improvement and rehabilitation programmes.
Other activities are to compile an inventory of orang utan
population, DNA studies, zoonotic diseases, visitors' impact study
and eco-tourism programme.
Sarawak Forestry said the Conservation Centre of Excellence set up
early this year in Nanga Delok, n the Batang Ai National Park in Sri
Aman Division, had a research adminstration station to provide
various facilities, like a research
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?
file=/2007/7/8/nation/20070708142534&sec=nation

Taiwanese Working to Save Rare Turtles
Mass killings have decimated the ranks of green turtles on the
offshore Taiwanese islands of Penghu, but now locals are working
hard to preserve the rare species from further devastation.
There are only about 200,000 of the creatures worldwide,
conservationists say, of which less than 20 females have been laying
eggs on Penghu, a collection of picturesque islets about 25 miles
off the western Taiwanese
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291108,00.html

Sierra Leone bans capture, killing of chimps
Sierra Leone outlawed the capture and killing of chimpanzees on
Wednesday, declaring a one-month amnesty for anyone holding a chimp
to hand it over to authorities in the war-ravaged West African
nation.
A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Marine
Resources read on national radio said anyone violating the new
regulations would face a fine of up to $1,000 or a prison sentence.
"It is now illegal by law to posses, capture, kill or keep
chimpanzees," said the statement.
"To provide the public sufficient time to surrender
http://uk.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUKL2579292020070725

Captive flamingos play a wild mating game
And you thought flamingos were flamboyant before.
Flamingo research under way at the Dallas Zoo is uncovering things
you might not know — or might not want to know — about this long-
legged pink beauty. Although captive flamingos tend to mate for
life, the birds flock together in ways you might not expect.
Sometimes two male flamingos pair up, and sometimes two females do.
They even have threesomes and - when the mood is right — foursomes.
But before you start saying some flamingos are philanderers, realize
that four pairs of the birds at the Dallas Zoo have been together
for a decade or
http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/129677.html

Lions to die in sub standard Romanian zoos
Romania's lions face a death sentence as the country's neglected
zoos lose the battle to implement European Union regulations aimed
at animal welfare.
Government inspectors have already condemned three lions in Bahusi
zoo, in Eastern Romania, to death by lethal injection and
campaigners estimate that hundreds of animals in up to 20 zoos are
at risk.
A BBC investigation has found that deformed, aged or sick animals
are to be killed as the cash-strapped authorities admit that many of
Romania's 41 zoos, often burdened with the legacy of the Communist
era, will fail to make the grade
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?
xml=/news/2007/07/30/wzoo130.xml

Saigon Zoo loses rare birds
According to Le Toan, Deputy Director of the HCM City Department of
Transport and Public Works, thieves took one male peacock, one white
and one South American parrot in the early morning on July 15 and 17.
According to a worker at the Saigon Zoo, the lost peacock was the
most beautiful one at the zoo. It was imported nearly one year ago.
The zoo has reported
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/2007/07/722554/

Agra zoo workers rescue endangered Pangolin
A highly endangered Pangolin, commonly called Anteater has been
rescued by zoo workers in Agra.
Discovered by villagers here, a few days ago, has been taken to a
rescue center for examination.
"We rescued the animal and brought it to rescue facility for
preliminary examination. Then, we found it to be Pangolin, also
called the Scaly Anteater," said Ilayaraja, a wildlife veterinary
officer.
The mammal was then treated by the center's doctors and declared fit.
"It is a quick animal. We are searching a suitable habitat for it.
Within two-three days, we will find out its origin and then take it
to its suitable habitat very soon," Ilayaraja said. he Pangolin eats
ants and termites and stays inside burrows, entire
http://www.dailyindia.com/show/160163.php/Agra-zoo-workers-rescue-
endangered-Pangolin

21Jul2007

Zoo Employees Killed Animals and Sold the Meat
Employees at a zoo in Erfurt illegally killed animals and sold them
as food. The zoo director has been fired as a result of the scandal.
Lots of people like looking at animals in zoos. Lots of people also
like eating meat. However the thought of the two things together
tends to turn most people's stomachs.
But not all apparently. Employees at the Erfurt zoo, it was revealed
Wednesday, have for years been killing animals and selling their meat
for zoo stew. Germany is outraged.
The city of Erfurt quickly stepped in to the growing scandal,
announcing on Thursday that zoo director Norbert Neuschulz
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,495419,00.html

Stance on Wanda and Winky brought trouble for Kagan
Wanda and Winky didn't just strike a nerve with their adoring public.
The debate in 2004 over where the Detroit Zoo's aging elephants
belonged got zoo Director Ron Kagan -- who said elephants shouldn't
be kept in cold-weather zoos -- into trouble with a national zoo
organization and with a colleague from another zoo who hit him during
a professional meeting, according to documents obtained by the Free
Press.
Kagan was suspended for three months for violating an ethics rule of
the American Zoo and Aquarium Association after he issued a news
release saying he intended to send the elephants to a sanctuary for
retired zoo and circus animals. The zoo, in Royal Oak, and various
staff members are members of the AZA.
Kagan said Thursday that he
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070721/NEWS03/707210334/1118/RSS

Zoo mourns death of ancient chimp
FIFI, one of the world's oldest chimpanzees and one of the most
popular attractions at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, died peacefully at the
zoo today.
Fifi, one of the most senior-ranked female members of the zoo's
chimpanzee group, celebrated her 60th birthday in May and had been in
good health in recent times, zoo spokesman Mark Williams said today.
"Apart from experiencing the normal age-related health problems such
as arthritis, Fifi had generally been fit in recent times," Mr
Williams said.
"However she decided not to venture outdoors this morning and keepers
provided fresh bedding
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22101192-1242,00.html

Studying various aspects of zoo management
Students from different educational institutions in Mysore are
enjoying the experience of tending to zoo animals as part of the
Youth Club activities.
Students belonging to the 14th Youth Club, constituted recently, had
the opportunity to not only feed elephants at the Mysore zoo, but
also bathe them as part of their practical classes.
The students, who gather on the zoo premises between 10 a.m. and 1.30
p.m. every Sunday, will have both field work as well as classes from
renowned biologists, resource persons and scientists.
Each Youth Club, comprising 60
http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/19/stories/2007071951290200.htm

Zoo Officials: Tiger Attack Blamed On Human Error
Human error led to a recent attack by a tiger on a keeper at the San
Antonio Zoo, officials announced Wednesday.
During a news conference, Zoo director Steve McCusker said Jeff
Tierney, 28, was leaving water inside a tiger's cage on Saturday,
when he left the area and accidentally left a door that leads to the
exhibit open.
Tierney quickly realized his error, and when he went to close the
door, Berani, a male
http://www.ksat.com/news/13705705/detail.html

Zoo loses Sammy the giraffe
Less than two weeks after the death of Niles, a baby hippopotamus,
The Zoo Northwest Florida near Gulf Breeze has lost another major
attraction.
Sammy, The Zoo's 10-year-old giraffe, was found dead Tuesday about 8
a.m. in the exhibit where he had lived for eight years.
Zoo officials said Sammy appeared healthy when he was last seen alive
about 9:30 p.m. Monday.
The Zoo's veterinarian, Dr. Gus Mueller, performed a necropsy on the
giraffe Tuesday and found evidence of trauma to the upper neck.
Mueller said the neck was not broken.
He believes Sammy may have run or been chased into a post or cable
surrounding his enclosure � which likely caused the neck
injury � and died from acute stress and increased body
temperature as a result.
Doug Kemper Jr., executive director of The Zoo, said no evidence was
found indicating that people or animals might have spooked the
giraffe.
"What has Sammy not experienced during his time here that would have
startled him?" Kemper said. "It's a mystery."
The Zoo needs to raise at least $1 million in donations by the end of
the year or face the possibility
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=2007707190324

Top Salisbury Zoo Instructor Resigns
The top instructor at the Salisbury Zoo will resign, joining the
former director and other top officials in leaving the zoo in recent
weeks.
Education Curator Carrie Samis said she is leaving to become
education coordinator for the Maryland Coastal Bays Program
http://www.wboc.com/Global/story.asp?S=6813276&nav=Losm

'Long overdue' zoo upgrade welcomed
Gupte Lutchmedial, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Zoological
Society, says an upgrade for the Emperor Valley Zoo in Port of Spain
is long overdue and they welcome Government's decision to finally
improve the facility, which is more than 50 years old.
Lutchmedial told the Express yesterday that the society had been
lobbying for an upgrade of the zoo for the past 12 years and he was
pleased with the announcement made by Tourism Minister Howard Chin
Lee.
Chin Lee said, on Thursday, that Government would spend $56.8 million
on a master plan to upgrade the zoo.
Lutchmedial said that while
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_news?id=161179234

$65M zoo bond moves closer to ballot
Hogle Zoo is about as risky to taxpayers as a stroll through its east-
side park, financial analysts say.
That's the conclusion of Salt Lake County's Debt Review Committee,
which determined Thursday that the zoo is a safe financial investment
if voters decide to feed $65 million into it for remodeling and
expansion.
Zoo officials now need the County Council's nod to put its tax
request - which will pay for the largest makeover in Hogle history -
on the November ballot.
If approved, property taxes would rise about $10 a year on a $250,000
home over the next two decades.
"It is clear to me that it is a viable plan," said Jon Bronson, a
committee member and manager of public finance at Zions Bank. "The
zoo's past performance
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_6415696

Poachers kill rhino in Kaziranga National Park
Poachers have killed a rhinoceros inside the Kaziranga National Park
in Assam, taking the total number of rhinos at the world heritage
site falling prey this year to nine.
Poachers from Karbi Anglong district shot dead a one-horned rhino
near Goroimari camp of Bagori range of park and escaped with its horn
Tuesday night, park authorities said.
The poachers fired two rounds and immediately
http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=80314

The first step to saving rhinos
The expedition team of 80 wildlife experts and researchers, WWF-
Malaysia officials and academics will be searching for tracks of the
Sumatran rhinoceros in seven blocks of forests in the Royal Belum
state park.
These blocks, measuring between 90 and 100 sq km, have been
identified as areas where the Sumatran rhinos could be found.
The team will spend six or seven days in Royal Belum under the
Sumatran Rhino Survey Expedition 2007, which began yesterday.
The five-year project, which focuses on rhino rescue, has Honda
Malaysia pledging RM5 million to WWF to enable it to strengthen
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/National/20070710080447
/Article/index_html

First Wreathed Hornbill breeding increases calls to protect Temengor
A team from the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) has established the
first confirmed nesting of a pair of Wreathed Hornbills Aceros
undulatus in Malaysia.
The discovery was made during a survey of hornbills in the Temengor
section of the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex at the end of May 2007,
by MNS Hornbill Conservation Project Field Officer Lim Kim Chye, Lim
Swee Yian and an indigenous tracker. The male bird was observed
feeding berries to its mate in a sealed hole with a chick inside.
The Wreathed Hornbill's range extends from North-east India and
Myanmar to South-east Asia to the greater Sundas and Bali. Although
Wreathed Hornbills are recorded in Malaysia, no
http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2007/07/malaysia_wreathed_hornbill.h
tml

Horror of the terrified bears forced to box in Chinese zoo
Tethered at the muzzle and paraded in front of a jeering crowd of
visitors, two terrified bear cubs are forced to box each other.
Dressed in garish capes, shorts and boxing gloves, their heads are
yanked back by their handlers to make them stand on their hind legs.
As parents with young children cheer them on, the bears are
encouraged
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?
in_article_id=468654&in_page_id=1811

PETA Blasts Fort Worth Zoo for New Money Partnership With Ringling
This morning, PETA fired off a letter to Fort Worth Zoo Director
Michael Fouraker urging him to immediately sever all ties with the
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The zoo has partnered with
Ringling--which has a long history of failing to comply with the
minimum standards of the federal Animal Welfare Act--on a fundraising
event. PETA points out that forward-thinking zoos long ago rejected
affiliations with the circus. Animal circuses are notorious for
separating baby elephants from their mothers in the wild, beating
elephants with metal bullhooks, and shackling and confining bears and
other animals
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=10020

Zoo wins welfare excellence award
Chester Zoo is to receive a prestigious animal welfare award for the
work it has done with its mandrills.
A team from the Cheshire zoo and Durham University carried out a
study on the behaviour of the vulnerable monkeys.
They found planting a barrier of small shrubs between the mandrills'
enclosure and the visitors' viewing area reduced their stress levels
by 54%.
They are to get the Universities Federation for Animal
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/merseyside/6897760.stm

Elephants escape from circus
What happened when the pachyderm packed up his trunk and left the
circus?
The punch line: Some late-night stroller had their tails scared off
and the York Region Police received one freaked out phone call.
Two female Asian elephants, performers at Newmarket's Garden
Brothers' Circus, broke free of their pen early yesterday and
wandered into greener pastures in the city located about 50
kilometres north of Toronto.
They were found around 3 a.m. nibbling on trees and foliage outside
some nearby homes by a group of friends who happened to be walking a
short distance away.
One elephant was munching on a tree, a witness said
http://www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=44476&sc=89

Mining giant to raze apes' forest home
THE world's biggest mining company, a supporter of the BBC's Saving
Planet Earth campaign to protect orang-utans, is planning to raze
some of the great apes' rainforest habitat.
Documents obtained by The Sunday Times reveal that the Anglo-
Australian group BHP Billiton plans to exploit mining rights across
swathes of Borneo's tropical forests in southeast Asia. It has
lobbied for the protected status of some of these areas to be lifted
so it can clear the trees and dig for coal.
Details of the proposed open cast mines in the region, known as the
Heart of Borneo, have outraged environmentalists
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2076562.ece

Wildlife park defends conservation record
THE Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig has defended its conservation
record in the face of strong criticism from a leading wildlife
organisation which slammed them for not doing enough to support
conservation projects in the wild.
The popular tourist attraction came in for criticism from the Born
Free Foundation in a paper on conservation commitment in the UK which
condemned 13 zoos across the UK, including the Highland Wildlife
Park, for their current commitment to conservation.
The report, 'Animal Ark or Sinking Ship?', focused on charitable
zoos, and does not paint an altogether favourable picture of their
spending on conservation effort.
The zoos involved range from the Zoological Society of London's
Regent's Park Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park
http://www.strathspey-
herald.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/1704/Wildlife_park_defends_conserv
ation_record.html

Crocodile eggs delight wildlife park
One of the world's most endangered crocodiles laid dozens of eggs at
the Cotswold Wildlife Park today, to the delight of her keepers.
Morticia, a Morelet's crocodile, a species listed as endangered by
the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural
Reserves, produced 39 eggs in her enclosure in the Reptile House.
Staff at the Burford park later removed the eggs from the nest and
transferred them to an incubator in front of a crowd of fascinated
visitors.
Iri Gill, who looks after the park's crocodiles, stressed the
importance of
http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1549222.0.crocodile_eggs_delight
_wildlife_park.php

Ibises in Sado being trained to return to wild
The Environment Ministry started on Tuesday a training program to
adapt Japanese crested ibises to nature at a facility of the Sado
Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center in Sado, Niigata
Prefecture.
It is the first time that such training has been held for the bird,
which had gone extinct in Japan's natural environment.
The ministry hopes to release the birds into the wild on Sado Island
as early as in autumn next year after a training period of about one
year, officials said.
Six crested ibises were moved from the conservation center to the new
facility on June 29. Of them, only five--three males and
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20070711TDY02007.htm

Two Thorold's deer calves born in Czech zoo
The herd of Thorold's deer, also known as white-lipped deer, in which
the zoological garden in Usti nad Labem, north Bohemia, prides has
been extended by two calves that were born in June, daily Pravo
writes today.
"Only very few zoos breed Thorold's deer. The Usti nad Labem zoo, the
only breeder in the Czech Republic, has had the animals since
http://launch.praguemonitor.com/en/130/prague_news/9709/

Teens Allegedly Taunt Hippos and Survive
The Kansas City Zoo plans to press charges against two teenage boys
who allegedly climbed into the hippo exhibit and threw rocks at the
two-ton mammals, zoo officials said.
A 14-year-old witness spotted the boys Monday as the hippos were
becoming angry and charging. The boys, whose identities were not
released, survived the encounter without injuries.
Randy Wisthoff, the zoo director, said the boys, both 14, are from
St. Louis and were apparently trying to impress a girl.
The massive hippos, which spend much of their days
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jul18/0,4670,ODDHippoTaunting,00.html

Zoo expedition team discovers long-lost species in Cyclops mountains
AN ANIMAL that many biologists thought was extinct has been
discovered by scientists from London Zoo.
The long-beaked echidna - also known as the Zaglossus attenboroughi
after Sir David Attenborough - is alive and kicking in the Cyclops
mountains of Papua New Guinea.
The egg-laying mammal is only known to scientists from a single
museum specimen dating from 1961.
But a Zoological Society of London Edge programme went to mountains
unexplored for more than 45 years to search for the creature.
There they found tribes that had recently seen them as well as the
burrows and
http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/content/camden/hamhigh/news/story.aspx?
brand=NorthLondon24&category=Newshamhigh&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategor
y=newshamhigh&itemid=WeED19%20Jul%202007%2010%3A47%3A25%3A070

How to save an elephant
City Beach woman Janet Thomas is launching a campaign to better the
lives of animals in a run-down zoo in Egypt.
She has already persuaded keepers to unchain an elephant, Kareema,
she says was tethered for show in a concrete cage for 35 years.
Janet, a teacher, said she was appalled by the state of the animals
and the conditions they lived in at the zoo in Alexandria.
She was teaching English at a language school when friends told her
about the zoo.
In its heyday, Janet said, the zoo
http://www.postnewspapers.com.au/20070721/news/001.shtml

13Jul2007

DNA could help Scottish wildcats
A genetic discovery could help save the Scottish wildcat from
extinction, scientists have suggested.
A genetic study found 26% of European wildcats shared DNA
characteristics with domestic and Near Eastern cats.
Cross-breeding with feral domestic cats has threatened the future of
Britain's most endangered carnivore.
Conservation experts will use DNA in their work with Scottish Natural
Heritage as they try to establish the number of wildcats in Scotland.
Comparison of genetic sequences
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/6255912.stm

Sand cats born in captivity
Al Ain zoo has successfully bred in captivity sand cats - an
endangered smallest member of the Arabian cats' family.
The new born sand cats are now over four weeks old, and growing
robust and active by the day.
The kittens are on display at the New Nocturnal House of the zoo with
visitors having the opportunity to view them and their parents at a
close range through a glass viewing area.
Majid Al Mansouri, Managing Director of Al Ain Zoo said the
conservation
http://www.gulf-news.com/nation/General/10138957.html

Sheriff's Deputies Now Protecting Potter Park Zoo
Residents of the Potter Park Zoo are sitting up and taking notice of
some new neighbors.
"It's my position to hire four new officers to patrol 24-7, 365,"
says Ingham County Park Patrol's Sgt. Dan Sump.
Since Ingham County took over the zoo, four new officers with the
Ingham County Sheriff's Office, including officer Dominic Johnson,
now bike and walk through the zoo all hours of the day, making sure
all is well and secure with humans and animals alike. They're
licensed officers, able to arrest and protect at
http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/8477087.html

On the brink: the case for zoos
When the renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall
visited Taronga's chimpanzee group last year, she was asked if she
thought chimps should be in the wild, rather than in a zoo.
Somewhat surprised by the question, Goodall said that Taronga's chimp
exhibit was one of the world's best and that "although it is my
preference for chimps to live in the wild, there are no places left
in the wild where they are fed and taken care of as well as at
Taronga".
A rising human population of 6.5 billion is undermining the
environment for animals and plants via pollution, expanding cities,
deforestation and global warming, leading to the current pace of
extinctions, which is 1000 times faster than historic rates.
Much of the world's megafauna doesn't have a short-term future in the
wild and unless zoos keep populations of endangered species ticking
over, fit, behaviourally healthy and genetically sound, it won't have
a long-term future. For at least 26 species, zoo animals are all that
are left; all that stand between their survival and extinction. This
number is rapidly rising.
A tremendous opportunity is before us. It's time for zoos, with
animal welfare and wildlife conservation groups, to join in close
partnership to combine their skills and resources to make a real
impact on the conservation of
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/on-the-brink-the-case-for-
zoos/2007/06/19/1182019118142.html?page=3

Beastly business: zoos under the microscope
Critics accuse Taronga and Western Plains zoos of putting
commercialism before animal welfare, writes Kelly Burke.
THE Sydney veterinarian Dr Tom Lonsdale has written to politicians
and protested to zoo directors. He has badgered zoo keepers, been
threatened with legal action and wrote about it in his 2001 book, Raw
Meaty Bones.
But 12 years after first seeing the sponsor's sign, the cheetahs at
Western Plains Zoo are still being fed Whiskas Milk Plus.
"They have assured me they draw the line at jelly-meat," he
says. "But the justification that they 'like' Whiskas milk is about
as absurd as saying nicotine addicts 'like' smoking."
While Uncle Ben's, according to its old sponsorship sign, said it was
supplying "an essential vitamin supplement" to the cats, Lonsdale
begged to differ. He still says a processed liquid food has no place
in any adult wild animal's diet.
It was a clear case, he argued, of zoo management placing their
sponsors' needs above the animals' wellbeing.
Uncle Ben's longstanding sponsorship of the cheetahs at Dubbo (and a
since deceased white tiger at Taronga) ended in 2005. But the wild
animals are still
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/beastly-business-zoos-under-the-
microscope/2007/06/22/1182019367532.html

The Zoo could be closing
Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis dealt The Zoo Northwest Florida what could
be a fatal blow.
Unless $1 million in donations is raised by year's end, there is a
good chance The Zoo, an area attraction the past 23 years, could
close.
"We're robbing Peter to pay Paul every month," said Jack Nobles, Gulf
Coast Zoological Society Board member. "We are scrambling just to
make the payroll."
The facility, located between Gulf Breeze and Navarre on
U.S. 98, lost significant revenue when it was forced to close for
several months after the 2004 and 2005 storms. Most of the damage The
Zoo sustained was not covered by insurance, putting it further in the
red.
As a result, a $250,000 shortfall
http://pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070707/NEWS01/707070310/1006

Infamous animal trader Riccardo Ghiazza dies in crash
The death of Riccardo Ghiazza, who became infamous after a 2003
conviction for torturing baby elephants, will help to raise awareness
about the wildlife trade in South Africa. This was the view of animal
rights activists on Monday. Ghiazza, believed to have been on his way
home, was killed on Saturday night when he crashed
http://www.elephant-news.com/index.php?id=2425

Pollution threat to flamingo
THE world's most important breeding site for a rare species of
flamingo could soon be destroyed by industrial pollution, wildlife
experts have warned.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said developers
want to build a huge soda ash plant on the internationally protected
Lake Natron in Tanzania, pumping salty water from the lake for the
production and export of sodium carbonate, also known
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1083162007

City zoo to be closed from today
Based on the recommendations of a committee of veterinary
specialists, the Government has, on Saturday, decided to close down
the city zoo till the foot-and-mouth disease situation subsides.
A review meeting will be held after five days to take stock of the
situation and to determine when the zoo can be reopened.
The decision came soon after three more black buck succumbed to the
foot-and- mouth disease on Saturday. Two other buck that showed signs
of having been infected with the FMD virus continued to be in
quarantine on Saturday.
The recommendation to close down the zoo was made after a meeting of
the technical committee set up recently to help the zoo authorities
manage the FMD situation
http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/08/stories/2007070860090300.htm

Captivity versus extinction: Is wildlife served by zoos?
The euthanization last month of Carol, a beloved 39-year-old Asian
elephant at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park, has reignited the
debate over whether zoos provide the care they should for wild
animals whose captivity zoo officials say ultimately may protect the
species from extinction.
Park officials said the injured and diseased elephant, which gained
fame when she appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson"
and had lived most of her life at the park, had to be killed to end
her suffering, but animal advocates lambasted the park's decision.
Advocates said in recent interviews that the pachyderm's death was
only the latest of many incidents of animal mistreatment at the
animal park through the years.
Zoos are built for human entertainment and don't seriously consider
the animals' quality of life, animal advocates said. They said the
elephant euthanized June 19 should have been sent to an animal
sanctuary instead and that the park's mistreatment of the animal was
what caused her foot problems and degenerative joint
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/01/news/top_stories/22_26_516_
30_07.txt

Wildlife park planning tiger feat
Highland Wildlife Park is proposing to expand its collection to
include some of the world's rarest animals.
The project has started with the introduction of a dozen Japanese
macaques, or snow monkeys.
Living in the mountainous areas of Honshu, they survive freezing
temperatures in naturally heated volcanic springs.
The monkeys are famous for washing their food and are often the
subject of Buddhist myths.
They are thought to be the inspiration
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6266
252.stm

Japan observes birth of first manta ray born in captivity
Breakthrough event at aquarium in Okinawa was on TV
How does a manta ray give birth to a baby with a 6-foot wingspan?
Now, scientists have the answer: The pregnant manta flaps her 13-foot
wings to swim to the bottom. She rubs her swollen belly on the sea
floor for a while. Then she gains a little altitude and, with a
forceful push, ejects her offspring as a rolled-up, burrito-like
tube, which promptly unfurls to begin its new life as one of the
strangest and least-understood marine animals on the planet.
Those are a few details that have come to light from the first birth
of a manta ray in captivity, on June 16 at the Okinawa Churaumi
Aquarium in Japan.
Japanese were enthralled with video coverage
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
file=/c/a/2007/07/08/MNG9CQR0GP1.DTL

A new home for red apes
TV presenter Nick Knowles faced a completed DIY project of a
different sort when he opened Europe's largest orang-utan enclosure.
Nick, who hosts DIYSOS, took time out to officially open Chester
Zoo's Realm of the Red Ape - a new home for critically endangered
Sumatran and Bornean orang-utans.
The official opening marked the end of two years' work developing the
orang-utans old enclosures into a state-of-the-art tropical home for
the orang-utans and a number of other Indonesian forest animals
including reptiles, birds, mammals.
The enclosure includes some 2,000 plants.
Nick recently returned from a trip to Borneo where he came face-to-
face with orang-utans to discover more about their plight in the wild.
The film is for the BBC's Saving Planet
http://www.thisiswirral.co.uk/display.var.1516396.0.a_new_home_for_red
_apes.php

Protest planned at zoo Friday
Members of Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants and the Northwest
Animal Rights Network will distribute information and demonstrate
outside the Woodland Park Zoo entrance during the annual Jungle Party
fundraiser Friday.
The zoo closes to the public at 3 p.m. for its biggest fundraiser of
the year, which raises over $1 million for animal care, conservation
and education programs.
Last year, animal rights activists were required to stay on the
sidewalk on the edge of the zoo grounds
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/323484_zoo13.html

ZOO WILL REOPEN THIS WEEKEND
Dartmoor Wildlife Park is set to reopen this weekend after being
granted its long- awaited zoo licence yesterday, The Herald can
reveal.
Revamped and renamed Dartmoor Zoological Park, the Sparkwell
attraction will open to the public at 10am on Saturday - more than a
year after it closed in April 2006.
South Hams District Council yesterday approved and sent the licence
to owners Ben and Duncan Mee, who bought the park from founder Ellis
http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?
nodeId=133464&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133158&contentPK=17721
272&folderPk=78031&pNodeId=133174

Zimbabwean game slaughtered
Most game in Zimbabwe's private reserves has been wiped out by
rampant poaching following President Robert Mugabe's controversial
farm seizures program, a wildlife conservation group says.
The organisation, which collected data from 62 game farmers over the
past seven years, said 91 per cent of game on private ranches had
been slaughtered.
Most farmers have been forcibly evicted under the land seizures.
About 42,000 animals were killed on the 60 farms studied, including
endangered species such as black rhinos and wild dogs, the Zimbabwe
Conservation Task Force said. It found that more than 965 kilometres
of fencing had been stolen.
"We based the estimations on the fact that we believe there were 620
private game farms prior to the land invasions and, according to our
records, there are only 14 left today," the group's chairman, Johnny
Rodrigues, said.
The study showed that on Debshan ranch, which had 17,394 animals, 51
per cent were gone by December 2002. Gourlays
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/zimbabwean-game-
slaughtered/2007/07/09/1183833431539.html

Hialeah Park is deemed `endangered'
Local activists looking to keep Hialeah Park from being dismantled
and developed into a condominium/shopping center complex won a
symbolic victory on Thursday.
The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation declared the
former racetrack as one of the nation's 11 Most Endangered Historic
Places. The organization, based in Washington, D.C., supports groups
seeking to preserve historic sites.
Trust officials first learned of the 220-acre park through Citizens
to Save Hialeah Park, a group founded by Hialeah resident Alex
Fuentes. Their application beat out 55 other similar requests
throughout the country.
''I hope that this will gather the national recognition and attention
a place like Hialeah Park deserves,'' Fuentes said. ``Hopefully this
will show the politicians that they need to work harder because this
is a place worth saving.''
The designation has no legal force, but it brings national attention
to efforts at preserving Hialeah Park as a part of history. The park
first opened in 1925.
''Hialeah Park is a jewel that can and should be saved,'' wrote
Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. ``All across the
country people are finding creative solutions that spur economic
development and commerce while preserving historic structures with
character. South Florida can't afford to lose another piece of its
heritage.''
The once-regal park hosted a parade of dignitaries that included
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and former presidents Harry
Truman and John F. Kennedy. Its famed horse stables housed the likes
of Seabiscuit, Citation and Seattle Slew.
Those days are long gone. The park has been on a steady decline since
2001 when
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/v-print/story/140272.html

National Trust Names Hialeah Park Race Course in Florida One of
America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
High Stakes for Legendary Race Track Threatened With Mega Development
Today, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named Hialeah
Park Race Course in Hialeah, Fla., to its 2007 list of America's 11
Most Endangered Historic Places.
It was, at one time, a drop-dead gorgeous racetrack where majestic
Mediterranean architecture provided the perfect backdrop for a day of
sunning, people-watching and betting on the ponies. Just outside
Miami, Hialeah Park -- famous for the imported pink flamingos that
shared perfectly manicured lawns with a who's who of world renown
celebrities -- was hailed as the world's most beautiful race course
when it opened in 1925. Citation, War Admiral, Seattle Slew – they
all raced here, and this is the place where the legendary Seabiscuit
made his debut in 1935. Never simply a race track, Hialeah is a 2-
acre sanctuary that includes two grand entrances, a magnificent
limestone-faced clubhouse
http://press.nationaltrust.org/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=136&Itemid=69

Why Sabah's rhino population may continue to decline
Kota Kinabalu: Fragmentation of the forest due to alienation of land
is believed to among the main reasons for the low reproduction rate
of the endangered Sumatran Rhinos in Sabah.
Wildlife Department Deputy Director, Laurentius Ambu said land
alienation for agriculture is creating pocket areas of the animal's
habitat and further isolating them, a solitary animal by nature.
Speaking to reporters when announcing the Fourth Sumatran Rhinoceros
Conservation Workshop to be held over two days beginning Thursday, he
said the known habitat of the rhinos in Sabah is huge, from Tabin
Wildlife Reserve (120 hectares) right up to the Danum Valley.
However, isolation from one another has decreased the chances for
these animals to mate, he said.
"Firstly, they are too little in numbers, secondly they are so
fragmented meaning these rhinos are located in several areas. So the
opportunity of mating is not that frequent. Due to that their
reproduction is slow," said Laurentius.
"It is nothing to do with human activities but more to land
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=51123

Zoo's death in the family
ON a cold Sunday night earlier this month, Taronga Zoo's veterinary
quarantine centre was open - the lights were blazing.
Most of the staff had been rostered to finish work several hours
beforehand, but there was no talk of anyone calling it an evening.
They sent out for pizza and when it arrived the unit supervisor, her
appetite forgotten, was cajoled into eating a quick meal before
returning to the dying animal in her care.
Twelve hours later, her voice was raw as she made the announcement
they had all been dreading – their efforts had been in vain and their
young charge was dead.
Today, the memory of that moment still brings Renae Zammit to tears,
although she has come to accept that the outcome was no reflection of
her own efforts.
By the time Kua, a three-year-old greater one-horned rhinoceros, was
exhibiting
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21990694-
5001021,00.html

Second whale shark dies at Ga. Aquarium
Norton, the largest whale shark at the Georgia Aquarium, was
euthanized Wednesday morning, the second whale shark to die at the
facility this year.
A team of specialists ended the ailing whale shark's life before
sunrise. Workers reported that the 23-foot-long fish sank to the
bottom of Ocean Voyager, the aquarium's largest display, about 3 a.m.
recover, aquarium officials said.
Norton had not been eating regularly for months, prompting the
aquarium to force-feed the fish with a PVC pipe. Despite his loss of
appetite, aquarium workers had noticed Norton occasionally
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/06/13/061
3norton.html

Swanagan letter to Georgia Aquarium ticketholders
Below is a letter from Georgia Aquarium president Jeff Swanagan to
aquarium ticketholders:
Dear Friends,
I am very saddened to announce that Norton, one of the Georgia
Aquarium's original whale sharks, died this morning.
During the last few months, Norton stopped eating and started showing
erratic swimming behavior. In response, exhaustive diagnostic tests
were conducted by our husbandry and veterinary staff. Supplemental
care was provided to Norton, and we were encouraged and hopeful his
condition would improve.
On Tuesday, our husbandry staff noted a marked decline in Norton's
swimming behavior. The Georgia Aquarium husbandry and veterinary team
moved to administer care, and his blood work confirmed his decline in
health. A 24-hour watch was put in place, and early Wednesday
morning, Norton stopped swimming and settled to the bottom. Divers
brought Norton to
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/living/stories/2007/06/13/0613aqlett
er.html

Opinions on captivity swirl as aquarium loses another huge fish
Another whale shark is dead at the Georgia Aquarium, but the issues
surrounding their captivity are very much alive.
As specialists prepared on Wednesday to perform a necropsy on Norton,
euthanized earlier that day, fans and critics of aquariums wondered
what had happened to the 23-foot-long fish.
to 40 feet — should be on display. Two whale sharks have died at the
aquarium since January.
"One has to wonder if it's appropriate to keep such an animal in
captivity," said George Burgess, director of the Florida Program of
Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History. "I think
probably the answer is no."
Another shark expert disagreed. Robert Hueter, director of the Center
for Shark Research at Satasota's Mote Marine
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/06/13/061
4lvnorton.html

Taiwan: Didn't know shark was ill
Aquarium denies withholding facts
When they were negotiating with Taiwan to get two more whale sharks,
representatives of the Georgia Aquarium didn't tell the Taiwanese
officials that Norton the whale shark was seriously ill, an employee
of the nation's fisheries agency said Thursday.
An aquarium spokesman disputed that. The Taiwanese were "made aware"
that Norton was receiving care, he said.
The aquarium, meantime, conducted a necropsy Wednesday on Norton, the
second whale shark to die at the facility. It had not released any
information about the procedure by late Thursday.
Word that Norton was dead spread Thursday through the Taiwan
Fisheries Agency, which last month approved the exportation of two
more whale sharks to the Georgia Aquarium.
Aquarium officials told the Taiwanese that Norton wasn't eating
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2007/06/14/061
5lvnortonfolo.html

WHAT KILLED RALPH AND NORTON?
The January death of Ralph the whale shark was attributed to
peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdomen. He also had perforations
in his stomach, possibly caused by a pipe used in force-feeding.
Another male, Norton, died Wednesday. The cause of death has not been
established. Both males lost their appetites after their tank had
been treated with an anti-parasite chemical. The aquarium won't name
the agent used, but said it is commonly used to treat aquariums. It
has since stopped the treatments.
Both whale sharks were force-fed in the last weeks of their lives. In
a statement released Wednesday, aquarium executive director Jeffery
Swanagan said, "Our husbandry and veterinary team are investigating
multiple theories for any links between the deaths of the two
animals." The aquarium's two female whale sharks were not exposed to
the tank treatment and appear healthy.
FEW DETAILS OF CARE
Since the whale shark Ralph died at the Georgia Aquarium in January,
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has repeatedly asked the private
nonprofit institution
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/news/stories/2007/06/14/lvnortonside
s0614a.html

The Return of the Lory
The island paradises of Atiu and Rimatara share many things: fine
tropical weather, abundant vegetation, wonderful cultures, and
hospitable communities. Most importantly, they once shared a common
bird. The Cook Island Maori on Atiu call the bird kura and the
Polynesians on Rimatara call the bird `ura. Western science calls the
bird Rimatara lorikeet or Kuhl's lory Vini kuhlii. The kura became
extinct on Atiu 200 years ago. The Maori royalty so coveted its
spectacular plumage for adornment that it was hunted to extinction.
But two weeks ago, we helped change this story, and now the bird can
once again be seen on
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/the-return-of-the-lory/

Beastly business: zoos under the microscope
Critics accuse Taronga and Western Plains zoos of putting
commercialism before animal welfare, writes Kelly Burke.
THE Sydney veterinarian Dr Tom Lonsdale has written to politicians
and protested to zoo directors. He has badgered zoo keepers, been
threatened with legal action and wrote about it in his 2001 book, Raw
Meaty Bones.
But 12 years after first seeing the sponsor's sign, the cheetahs at
Western Plains Zoo are still being fed Whiskas Milk Plus.
"They have assured me they draw the line at jelly-meat," he
says. "But the justification that they 'like' Whiskas milk is about
as absurd as saying nicotine addicts 'like' smoking."
While Uncle Ben's, according to its old sponsorship sign, said it was
supplying "an essential vitamin supplement" to the cats, Lonsdale
begged to differ. He still says a processed liquid food has no place
in any adult wild animal's diet.
It was a clear case, he argued, of zoo management placing their
sponsors' needs above the animals' wellbeing.
Uncle Ben's longstanding sponsorship of the cheetahs at Dubbo (and a
since deceased white tiger at Taronga) ended in 2005. But the wild
animals are still enjoying "sporadic" treats of Whiskas Milk Plus,
according to the director of Taronga and Western Plains zoos, Guy
Cooper.
The orang-utans at Mosman, on the other hand, have never eaten a
Happy Meal, even though
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2007/06/22/1182019367532.html

CCTV bid to find animal attackers
Police are examining CCTV footage in a bid to trace the people
responsible for an attack on animals during a break-in at a wildlife
park in Dundee.
A deer was slashed with a craft knife and a terrapin died after it
had its eyes poked out during the incident at Camperdown Wildlife
Centre.
Keepers discovered
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/626534
6.stm

Feature: Shoushan Zoo has uncertain future
EMBARRASSING: Several incidents, at times humorous, expose truths
about the government-run organization which the Kaohsiung City
government must deal with
Two camels lie in the sun at Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung City on April
13. Officials said that the zoo has been suffering from manpower and
funding shortages.
Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung has made national news at least four times
this year, all in a negative light.
In February, a chimpanzee bit off part of a three-year-old boy's
finger while his father was holding him close to the animal. Two
month's later, the zoo shocked the nation -- and subsequently drew
international attention -- when
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/07/08/2003368612

Baby Rhino Born at Sedgwick County Zoo
The Sedgwick County Zoo staff welcomed a rhinoceros calf into the
world on Friday. The female calf weighed approximately 60 lbs at
birth.
Mother, Bibi and calf, are doing fine and will be accepting visitors
in the indoor exhibit. You will also be able to see the proud father,
Eugene in the outdoor exhibit. During these first few months the male
is separated from the mother and calf.
However, the newborn calf does not yet have a name. J.J. and Jeff's
Friends of the Zoo Board adopted the rhinos at Zoobilee
http://www.kake.com/news/headlines/8414187.html

Stolen 2 years ago, lion returns to Gaza Zoo
Malnourished, de-clawed and missing some of her teeth and the tip of
her tail, Sabrina the lion was returned to the Gaza Zoo on Monday
after Hamas fighters rescued her from thieves who stole her two years
ago.
Hamas militiamen stumbled upon the 2-year-old lion - as well as drugs
and weapons - during a raid of a drug ring's hideout, said Abu Hamam
al-Deeb, a force commander.
Zoo officials said the animal's captors had been using her as a prop,
charging people 5 shekels, or about $1.20, to be photographed with
her.
Saoud al-Shawa, the zoo veterinarian, said
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/09/news/lion.php

Call to close zoo after attacks
Animal rights campaigners have called for the closure of Camperdown
Wildlife Centre in Dundee following an attack on a number animals.
They said the zoo should not stay open if the safety of exhibits and
the public could not be guaranteed.
Enclosures were tampered with and animals killed, injured and
traumatised during a break-in last week.
Masked campaigners have given a letter of concern to Dundee City
Council, which runs the visitor attraction.
Representatives from Advocates from Animals and Dundee Animal Rights
handed over
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/629142
4.stm

Activists say Tasmania too cold for zoo tigers
ANIMAL activists have got their claws into a Tasmanian zoo as it
awaits delivery of two Bengal tigers.
Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania (AACT) says it will protest the
importation of the female big cats to the ZooDoo wildlife park at
Richmond, northeast of Hobart.
The animals have been bred in captivity in Australia and will live in
a cage currently being built.
AACT spokeswoman Yvette Watt said the tigers would be unable to
perform their most basic natural behaviours and would not be suited
to Tasmania's cool climate.
"This would be imprisoning these animals for their entire lives for
the sake of entertainment, which
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22056121-421,00.html

Zoo has eight possible homes for Maggie; process complex
DECISION: Choice may be made within week but there are still
obstacles to move.
The next home for Maggie, the Alaska Zoo's lone elephant, may be
chosen this week but that's not quick enough for those who want her
moved out of Alaska
http://www.adn.com/front/story/9123561p-9038928c.html

Joburg Zoo earns world-class status
The Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquaria has recognised the
improvements at the Johannesburg Zoo, awarding it world-class status.
THE Johannesburg Zoo has earned world-class zoo status, after its
upgrades met standards set by the Pan African Association of Zoos and
Aquaria (Paazab).
Paazab members attended a celebration at the zoo on Friday, 6 July to
hand over a plaque that signified partnership between
http://www.joburg.org.za/2007/jul/jul10_zoo.stm

Malaysia: Sexual Problems Could Lead to Rhinos' Extinction
Low sperm counts and other reproductive problems are preventing
pregnancy among Malaysia's endangered rhinos, a worrying trend that
wildlife experts say could hasten the animals' extinction.
Experts meeting on Borneo island this week to discuss ways to save
the Borneo rhino said a major threat -- besides poaching -- was the
animals' own inability to reproduce.
"Maybe because they live in fragmented locations deep in the jungles
and because of that, they rarely get the opportunity to mate," the
New Straits Times newspaper on Thursday
http://forests.org/articles/reader.asp?linkid=79312

Next five years crucial for rhinos in Sabah
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah will end up as the graveyard of the Sumatran
rhinoceros in Malaysia if there is no breakthrough in conservation
efforts to save the remaining 30 to 50 in the wild within the next
five years.
It is a race against time, requiring money and efforts from all as
well as commitment from the State Government to ensure the unique
rhinos can thrive once again in the forests of Borneo.
Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said it
is the responsibility of all to save the Sumatran rhinos, the most
endangered specie in Sabah, from extinction.
"It is our gift to mankind. We should look upon it as a national
treasure," he said when launching the Fourth Sumatran Rhinoceros
Conservation Workshop at Pacific Sutera, Thursday.
The two-day workshop is jointly-organised by the State Wildlife
Department and SOS Rhino in collaboration with WWF Malaysia and
Universiti
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=51144

Zoo falls silent after FMD outbreak
Thiruvananthapuram zoo authorities say the virus is under control
The sprawling campus of the Thiruvananthapuram zoo has fallen silent
since Sunday. The strong smell of disinfectants that wafts across the
zoo's boundary walls is an indication that all is not well at the 56-
acre facility set up by the rulers of erstwhile Travancore in 1857.
After losing its entire stock of Mithun and eight blackbuck to the
foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) over the week, the zoo — for the first
time in its history — has shut its doors to visitors.
The first indication that something was seriously wrong at the zoo
came on July 3 when a Mithun — an ox-like animal endemic to the north-
eastern parts of
http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/10/stories/2007071056180100.htm

Reports: Shanghai zoo feeds garlic to penguins to ward of disease in
rainy season
As if fish-breath wasn't bad enough.
Keepers at Shanghai's zoo are feeding the penguins garlic to help
ward off respiratory problems and other illnesses during the Chinese
financial center's long, humid, summer rainy season, local media
reported Wednesday.
Penguins are highly sensitive to a mold that grows in their
enclosure, and in past rainy seasons some have
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/04/asia/AS-ODD-China-Penguin-
Garlic.php

Detroit Zoo director: 'I do feel badly about what happened '
Detroit Zoo Director Ron Kagan said today that he's grateful for the
chance to continue to lead the zoo after two weeks of turmoil over
his resume.
The Detroit Zoological Society Board voted Monday to dock Kagan a
month's pay, give him a written reprimand and have him publicly
apologize after he acknowledged that he never finalized the doctoral
degree that has appeared on his resume for
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070703/NEWS03/70703023/1001/NEWS

Sound and fury over wildlife welfare
Contemporary zoos exist to pursue a conservation agenda. This is
articulated in the World Zoo Conservation Strategy, which states that
modern zoos must actively and effectively pursue conservation to
justify their existence.
With the maintenance of wildlife in zoos for the pursuit of
conservation goals comes a moral obligation to ensure that the
physical and psychological wellbeing of wildlife in zoos is
optimised. This imperative informs the daily work of the zoo
veterinarians and zoo keepers at Western Plains and Taronga zoos.
Zoological medicine is one of the most rapidly expanding fields in
veterinary science. Over the past 30 years enormous advances have
been made in our understanding of wildlife disease, nutrition and
preventive medicine. These have been paralleled by advances in
standards of captive wildlife husbandry.
NSW's two public wildlife institutions, Taronga and Western Plains
zoos, administered by the Zoological Parks Board of NSW, are typical
of contemporary major zoos in their implementation of well-funded and
sophisticated
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/sound-and-fury-over-wildlife-
welfare/2007/06/29/1182624168789.html

Falcons in danger
The materialistic approach to resource utilisation often proves
harmful. Similarly, our natural resources are being exploited in such
a way that they are fast disappearing into nothingness. No different
is the case with some falcons in our part of the world.
The saker falcon, which is an endangered animal according to the IUCN
red list, is a bird of prey that inhabits steppes, sub-desert and
open terrain of East Europe, Central Asia, Russia, China and
Mongolia. For centuries falcons have been used in falconry. It is an
art of hunting wild prey with trained falcons and hawks. It is
practised in the Middle East and Asia.
Falcons are trapped in the autumn and are used for hunting in the
winter after receiving a special kind of training. In search of
better hunting prospects, falconers in the Middle East often come to
Pakistan or Iran in the hunting season.
Certain wild falcons are exposed to illegal trade at the hands of
those who try and fetch high prices for them. According to an
estimate of the Birdlife International, of these the majority (77 per
cent) is believed to be juvenile female falcons, followed by 19 per
cent adult females, three per cent juvenile males
http://www.wildlifeofpakistan.com/Features/falconsindanger.htm

ADVENTURE PARK GETS A BOOST IN ZOO LICENCE BATTLE
A Battle to save 15 deer at a family adventure park has been given a
boost.
John Douglas has been running Avon Valley Adventure and Wildlife Park
for 18 years but for the last five years he has been trying to
convince the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs that
he does not need a zoo licence.
Now Bath and North East Somerset Council has supported his campaign
by making an application that the park be made exempt from national
regulations.
Fallow deer and wallabies, both of which live in the park, are on a
list of non-native species drawn up by Defra. Anyone exhibiting such
animals, defined as 'not normally domesticated in Britain', must have
a zoo licence.
Mr Douglas said: "B &NES Council has resisted making the application
for five years, but since the change in councillors they have made an
about turn."
Mr Douglas has argued that fallow deer have lived in the UK since
Norman times and that he could not afford the £10,000 licence which
would be required.
He said he would be forced to slaughter the animals
http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?
nodeId=163490&command=displayContent&sourceNode=163316&contentPK=17811
320&folderPk=89126&pNodeId=163047

£10 MILLION RESTAURANT PLANS FOR ZOO
Feeding time at the zoo will take on a new meaning when Twycross Zoo
unveils a £10 million centre.
A 300-seater restaurant will give visitors the feeling of eating in
the middle of a jungle.
Managers reckon the state-of-the-art complex will bring the "wow
factor" to the zoo, which is already one of Leicestershire's top
tourist attractions.
Zoo director Suzanne Boardman said: "It would also showcase the zoo
as a world-class attraction.
"It is very exciting and, if we can
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?
nodeId=132935&command=displayContent&sourceNode=132702&contentPK=17787
819&folderPk=77465&pNodeId=132393

1July2007

American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, 581705 White Oak Road, Yulee, FL 32097; Telephone: (904)225-3275