World Zoo Today

Volunteers Needed at Zoo

Sara — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:49:34 +0000

BY: Tom Gillespie
Jan. 06, 2009

ASHEBORO, N.C.— The North Carolina Zoo is currently recruiting volunteers to serve as exhibit interpreters, wildlife rehabilitation volunteers and zoo hosts.

Additionally, the zoo needs volunteers to assist in retail shops, host special events, and to plant and maintain gardens. There are many opportunities available to make the N.C. Zoo a fun and exciting place at which to volunteer.

There are also opportunities for schools, businesses or groups to volunteer for special projects.

Minimum age for volunteers is 16, but there are some opportunities for parents and children (minimum age of 12) to volunteer together.

The next volunteer orientations are in mid February and early March. To learn more about volunteering at the zoo, visit www.nczoo.org/volunteer and complete an on-line application or contact the zoo’s Volunteer Coordinator, Toy Jarrett, at 336.879.7712.

Volunteers are an integral part of the N.C. Zoo and serve the zoo in a variety of ways, sharing their knowledge, skills and talents. Volunteer benefits including training, free zoo admission, behind the scene tours and more.

Regardless of whether you want to volunteer for a day, the summer or a lifetime, the N.C. Zoo has something for everyone.

The zoo is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment & Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor.Similar Posts:

The Bronx Zoo funding endangered

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:27:05 +0000

BY DORIAN BLOCK
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The Bronx Zoo wants to know: How do you lay off a bear or furlough a sea lion?

Gov. Paterson’s budget proposal would eliminate the zoo’s state funding in two years, along with living museums across the state — including the New York Botanical Garden and Wave Hill in the Bronx.

With their city funding already snipped and private donations down, the proposal has left the institutions reeling.

“We don’t understand. It’s a complete elimination of the program,” said John Calvelli, vice president for public affairs for the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the city’s zoos and aquarium.

Calvelli said the cut is equivalent to 30 staff positions between the zoo and New York Aquarium in Brooklyn.

If passed, the 2009 budget for zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums across the state, most of which goes to New York City programs, will be cut from $9 million to $4 million. Funding will be eliminated entirely in 2010 under the proposal.

A snow leopard enjoys the seasons first snow storm at the Bronx Zoo.

A spokesman for the state’s budget division said the governor has chosen to focus the state’s more than $200 million of environmental funding on “critical capital initiatives that provide ongoing environmental benefits” rather than “annual operating support” to organizations.

“These institutions tend to have diverse revenue streams, including patron revenue, philanthropy and other sources which we hope will mitigate the impact of these reductions,” said spokesman Jeffrey Gordon.

The New York Botanical Garden says it will have to cut its educational programming and/or lay off employees if cuts go through.

“These will have a catastrophic impact,” said garden spokesman Karl Lauby, who noted that it has added a link to its Web site urging patrons to write letters to their legislators to prevent the cuts.

The zoo’s leadership, along with thousands of supporters, have already sent 10,000 protest letters to the governor’s office.

“The cultural institutions and living collections that abound in this state are precisely what make living in New York so desirable,” said Claudia Bonn, Wave Hill’s executive director.

“Here is where our communities seek the solace, the serenity, the beauty, the fresh air and the refuge that gardens and living museums offer.”

Calvelli said the zoo may be forced to send some of its animals out of state.

“Is this the message we want to send, that the state can’t care for the animals in our zoo? Or at the garden are they just going to let the flowers die?”Similar Posts:

Palm Beach Zoo to call its jaguar cub Maya

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:16:51 +0000

Public chose name for 2-month-old cub

By C. Ron Allen | South Florida Sun-Sentinel

The youngest jaguar at the Palm Beach Zoo now has a name.

After more than 1,900 suggested names in an online naming contest, zoo officials and a panel of judges Monday selected Maya as the cub’s official moniker.

Officials narrowed the list of names to five and the public chose Maya over Akantha, Suma, Tula and Jasmine.

Maya received 1,219 of the 2,459 votes cast, according to the zoo’s Web site.

“Everyone wanted that name for her,” said Claudia Harden, the zoo’s marketing manager.

David Lipps, a nurse from Stuart, suggested the name. He will receive dinner for six — valued at $600 — at the zoo catered by the Ritz-Carlton and goodies including a one-year membership to the Big Cat Society.

“They will not be able to touch [the cub] but they will meet mom and dad and older sister,” Harden said. Nabalam, an endangered jaguar at the zoo, gave birth to Maya on Oct. 28.

With the jaguar population in Central and South America depleted by hunting and loss of habitat, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the species as endangered in 1992.

You must come to website to view video.

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Pink iguanas unseen by Darwin offer evolution clue

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:08:08 +0000

By Michael Kahn

LONDON (Reuters) - Pink iguanas unknown to Charles Darwin during his visits to the Galapagos islands may provide evidence of species divergence far earlier than the English naturalist’s famous finches, researchers said Monday.

The findings also for the first time describe the black-striped reptiles — first seen in 1986 and only a few more times since — as a new species, said Gabriele Gentile of the University Tor Vergata in Rome, who led the study.

They also add to understanding of the evolution of species on the remote islands, which remain much as they were millions of years ago and which inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Many of its species are found nowhere else.

“Despite the attention given to them, the Galapagos have not yet finished offering evolutionary novelties,” Gentile and colleagues wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“So far, this species is the only evidence of ancient diversification along the Galapagos land iguana lineage and documents one of the oldest events of divergence ever recorded in the Galapagos.”

During Darwin’s visit to the Galapagos in 1835 his observations of finch varieties with different-shaped beaks scattered across the archipelago’s some 100 islands were a key element in his formulation of the principles of evolution.

His studies on how one type had evolved into several after a probable chance migration thousands of years earlier from the Latin American mainland lay at the heart of his major work “On the Origin of Species,” published in 1859.

As the finches spread around the islands and their populations became cut off from each other, the birds adapted to the food locally available by developing beaks of a shape most suitable to harvest it, his research showed.

Darwin did not visit areas inhabited by the pink land iguana and so missed the species, whose existence suggests diversification in the Galapagos happened some five million years ago. That is far earlier than attributed to most other Galapagos species like the finches, Gentile said.

“We were not the first to see this form but we were the first to say what it is and that it is a new species,” Gentile said in a telephone interview.

A genetic analysis showed that the pink reptile likely originated in the Galapagos and split from other iguana populations some five million years ago when the archipelago was still forming, the researchers said.

The creatures only seem to live near a single volcano at most 350,000 years old, which means the reptiles that grow longer than a meter and up to 12 kilograms must have at one time existed elsewhere in the Galapagos, Gentile said.

The researchers documented fewer than 40 of the iguanas over two years and Gentile said conservation efforts and funds are urgently needed to keep the species from dying off.

“We think the population is very small and there is a great risk of extinction,” Gentile said.

(Reporting by Michael Kahn; editing by Jon Boyle)

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Orangutan Video Blog

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:04:20 +0000

By Zoo Blog Keeper

Here is a little video of the Sacramento Zoo Sumatran orangutans foraging for seeds around their exhibit.

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Ocean Conservancy Applauds Administration’s Action to Create the Largest Ocean Conservation Area in History

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:56:38 +0000

Area almost fifty percent larger than all U.S. National Parks combined to be protected

Washington, DC - Tomorrow, the Bush administration will officially designate three new marine monuments in the Pacific Ocean that will protect pristine ecosystems from industry uses. The new marine protected areas will be located in the tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean surrounding the Northern Mariana Islands, several Central Pacific islands and the world’s smallest Atoll in American Samoa. The administration will designate a total area of 195,000 square miles an area 50 percent larger than all U.S. National Parks combined for a historic decision that will help ocean ecosystems build resiliency in the face of climate change.

Vikki Spruill, President and CEO of Ocean Conservancy, issued the following statement in anticipation of the Bush administration’s announcement about the newly protected ocean areas:

Coconut crabs are among the species inhabiting one of the newly proposed marine preserves. Photo: Mila Zinkova via Wikipedia

“Ocean Conservancy is pleased with the administration’s decision to protect such a vast and sweeping area of our ocean’s most pristine treasures, including spectacular corals and the deepest canyon in the world. President Bush has acted on the opportunity to carry on for the ocean what President Theodore Roosevelt began when he created the National Park system.

“Our ocean is under a great deal of pressure from extractive and destructive activities. Areas like these that are protected from stress can more easily adapt to larger threats, such as climate change and the acidification of ocean water caused by excess carbon dioxide. In the face of all these challenges nations, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and thousands of scientists have called for ten to twenty percent of the world’s oceans to be fully protected before it is too late.

“In 2006, the president designated the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. These new monuments protect 40 percent more area than his previous designation. While this is an historic action to create more resilient ocean ecosystems, we view tomorrow’s announcement in the context of the last eight years, including a lack of action on climate change which impacts the ocean first and foremost and the lifting of the 27-year offshore oil drilling moratorium. What one hand giveth the other hand taketh away, but with this action, we are optimistic that we are turning a page for the health of the ocean.

“We look forward to working with President-Elect Obama to deliver on this bold act of conservation by the Bush Administration in its final days. Obama is putting the right team in place to fulfill on this promise and set us on a forward course to rebuild the resiliency of the ocean and the planet,” concluded Spruill.

Potential Monuments

U.S. Pacific Remote Islands - Palmyra, Kingman, Johnston, Jarvis, Howland and Baker Islands
This uninhabited island chain, sometimes called the “Line Islands”, contains large numbers of coral reefs, five times as many species as found in the Florida Keys. They are home to vast numbers of migrating seabirds, including frigate birds and sheer waters, that use the islands for forage and breeding.

Northern Mariana Islands
The Mariana Island chain rests upon the meeting of two tectonic plates. This chain includes diverse coral reefs and the Mariana Trench - the deepest canyon in the world (five times deeper than the Grand Canyon). The northern islands in this chain (where the monument is proposed), are uninhabited, with pristine ecosystems, active volcanoes and undersea vents (smokers).
This system of coral reefs, seamounts and deep canyons are the home to over two dozen seabirds, several species of endangered and threatened sea turtles, a wide range of marine mammals and giant coconut crabs (the largest land based arthropod in the world). This ecosystem also contains diverse and largely unexploited fish populations.

Rose Atoll (American Samoa)
Rose Atoll is one the smallest and most pristine atolls on earth. Protection for this ecosystem was requested by the Governor of Samoa.

Ocean Conservancy is the world’s foremost advocate for the oceans. Through science-based advocacy, research, and public education, we inform, inspire and empower people to speak and act for the oceans. Ocean Conservancy is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has offices in New England, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Pacific, with support from more than half a million members and volunteers. To learn more about Ocean Conservancy visit www.oceanconservancy.org.Similar Posts:

Sheepdogs shepherd endangered penguins in Australia

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:54:02 +0000

Sydney - Sheepdogs have proved such perfect guardians for a colony of fairy penguins on a small south-coast Australian island that conservationists are confident the caring canines can be recruited to safeguard other endangered animals from being savaged by foxes and wild dogs. “We are now starting to see some great results,” said Middle Island Maremma Project manager Ian Fitzgibbons. “We have had our best penguin count since we began in 2006 with over 80 birds counted in one night and I think we have about 26 chicks on the island too.”

Maremmas are a breed of sheepdog from Italy that bond with flocks and protect them from predators. They live with their flocks and will lay down their lives for them. Until a couple of Maremmas were recruited to guard the fairy penguins on Middle Island four years ago, conservationists had despaired of saving the colony. Numbers had fallen from 5,000 to just 100. “We have seen the Maremmas barking when other animals come into the area,” Fitzgibbon told Australia’s AAP news agency. “And we have seen foxes visiting the area less frequently as a result of the Maremmas being on the island. They can smell them and sense that there’s another dog on the island and they basically stay right away.”He said the project had sparked interest around the globe. “Because no one else in the world has done it, no one has used Maremmas for conservation management, we are the pioneers and learning as we go and I guess it’s a step by step process,” Fitzgibbons said.Similar Posts:

Belfast Zoo takes stock

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:43:15 +0000

A stock take is more readily associated with the retail business, than the zoological. But keepers at Belfast Zoo are starting the biggest job of their calendar — counting each animal in their care for the New Year stock take.

This mammoth task is performed every January in compliance with legislation which requires zoos to keep precise records of every animal birth, death, arrival and departure.

Belfast Zoo currently houses 140 species of animal, including 62 types of mammals, 55 species of birds and 15 species of reptile or amphibian. In 2008, there were 44 births on Cavehill, including an Eastern bongo, Red river hogs, California sea lions, Spider monkeys and penguins.

Pictured above, top, is Andrew Hope feeding some Gentoo penguins and some of the other animals at the zoo.

The stock take data is submitted to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), which offers guidance on all aspects of zoo management and animal welfare.

Curator Andrew Hope feeds some Gentoo penguins at Belfast Zoo

Mark Challis, zoo manager, said: “It’s important that zoos ensure their figures are correct so they can best manage conservation. Some species in captivity, such as Socorro doves, are now extinct in the wild. Therefore, when zoos submit data to these databases, it means we can run scientifically-based breeding programmes to safeguard them.”

The conservation and educational wildlife charity, founded in 1966, represents 80 member organisations.

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‘Mermaid’ rescued in Philippines

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:53:59 +0000

Manila, Philippines - Two brave fishermen from the Philippines began the year by saving the life of a trapped dugong or sea cow, the ancient sea mammal generally credited with being the origin of the mermaid myth.

On the afternoon of 1 January Henry Barlas, from the coastal barangay of Maruyogon in Puerto Princesa, noticed something unusual as he gazed at the shallow lagoon fronting his home. Less than 10 metres from shore a 2.6m long dugong lay trapped and weakened by the tide, clearly fighting for life.

Without hesitation he called his colleague Paquito Abia and with the aid of volunteers pushed the refrigerator-sized animal to safety. Since the creature was too weak to fight the ebb tide, the two fishermen fastened a rope around its midriff - it was to survive the swells that drove it ashore the animal needed to recuperate in waist-high water.

In the morning Barlas immediately notified both local officials and WWF-Philippines of the stranding before heading off to check on the dugong. When WWF assessed that the animal was fit enough for release, its ropes were untied and the animal was gradually coaxed out of the lagoon. Cheering onlookers flocked ashore to bid farewell to the wondrous creature brought in by the tide.

WWF Project Manager Mavic Matillano said: “The best part was that we barely needed to do anything. Both Henry and Paquito acted out of instinct and for this we are doubly proud. It seems that the long years of conducting dugong awareness campaigns have once again paid off.”

Trapped under similar conditions, another dugong was rescued by a 15-year old boy in 2007. “Marine mammal strandings are uncommon occurrences but they do happen,” said resident WWF dugong expert Sheila Albasin. “Fortunately it seems people know what to do when a stranding does take place.”

The gentle dugong or sea cow inhabits shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, wherever seagrass is most abundant. It is the fourth member of the order Sirenia, alongside the three manatee species. A fifth, the gigantic eight-metre long steller’s sea cow, was completely wiped out in 1768, just 30 years after being discovered.

Sizeable herds of dugong - the source of popular mermaid lore - once plied the Philippine archipelago until hunting and habitat degradation reduced overall numbers. When seen from above, the top half of a dugong can appear like that of a human woman. Coupled with the tail fin, this produced an image of what mariners often mistook for an aquatic human.

Thriving populations are now protected in Isabela, Southern Mindanao and Palawan, keeping seagrass meadows cropped, healthy and productive. Dugongs are thought to live up to 70 years, but give birth to a only single calf every three to five years. They are classified by the IUCN as vulnerable and it is one of the flagship species that WWF protects in the Philippines.

In the last decade WWF helped establish a Roxas-based marine-mammal rescue network which has been monitoring strandings and spearheading rescues of dugongs accidentally entangled in fishing gear. Awareness drives to protect not just dugongs, but dolphins and whales, are still conducted regularly.

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photo credit: Adonis ChenSimilar Posts:

Four diesel-run vehicles on rails for Vandalur

Sara — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:26:44 +0000

CHENNAI: The Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Vandalur, will run four diesel-operated vehicles on rails for visitors to the safari in the park from January 14. This will be in addition to the five battery-operated vehicles for the lion safaris.

“This is good news. The new vehicles will be a boon to senior citizens like us,” said B Malhota, a businessman from Gujarat who is presently visiting tourist and pilgrim places in South India along with his family.

Works on laying the rails is expected to be completed in 2-3 days. Then, there will be a trial run before the official launch. Initially, these vehicles will be part of the fleet for the lion safari. Later, they could be used to go round the zoo.

The new vehicles have more seating capacity each can accommodate 25 persons including the driver. The battery-operated vehicles can only carry 12 including the driver. The fee will be the same Rs 20 for an adult and Rs 10 for a child. However, these vehicles are less environmental-friendly than the battery-operated ones.

However, zoo authorities opted for these vehicles, not by choice, but because of frequent power-cuts. Officials are finding it difficult to re-charge the batteries. They are also finding it tough to maintain a certain temperature for a few rare species. Recently, a rare Indian cobra died because of the frequent changes in the temperature of its air-conditioned glass enclosure. “It has been very difficult for us to recharge the batteries as there is a severe power shortage. So, we opted for the diesel-run vehicles,” zoo director and chief conservator of forests P L Ananthasamy told TOI.

The 1,300-acre zoo, about 31 km from the city, houses hundreds of deer species such as barking deer, sambar, blackbuck, nilgai, sangai, hog and spotted deer. About 500 deer species along with an equal number of jackals roam in the free range zone while around 30 deer are in the enclosures. The park also has elephant and deer safaris.

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