Fulton County lion cub is ready for his closeup
Brown's Oakridge Zoo provides animal for upcoming Disney film
Monday, July 30, 2007
BY AMBER KROSEL
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
SMITHFIELD - A new addition to Hollywood came right from Fulton County recently.
He doesn't talk or walk on two feet, but is likely one of the cutest actors to be starring in a new Disney movie to be filmed this fall.
He came from a litter of five, and though he doesn't have a name yet from his new trainers, the owners of Brown's Oakridge Zoo in rural Smithfield are sure to remember this 3-week-old lion cub.
"I love being able to share them with other people," said Nancy Brown of the four lion cubs that remain - three female and one male. To date, she and her husband have raised 102 lion, tiger, leopard and other cubs.
But this is the first of Brown's animals to be famous. The Amazing Animals Production was retiring one of its lion actors and called the couple to arrange a pick-up time for one of the lions before the litter was even born.
"They had heard nothing but good about how healthy and docile they are," she said with a smile while feeding bottles of formula to other baby animals, bear and deer, at the zoo. "He's back in California now, safe and sound and doing fine."
Though the family-owned zoo has been open to the public since 1990, the Browns have been rescuing exotic animals for the last 25 years.
The zoo boasts all types of animals from big cats to bears to peacocks. It's also home to the only white Siberian tiger on exhibit in the state, Shadow, who was rescued in 1998 from Kansas.
The parents of the most recent lion litter, Kovu and Kiara, have been raised at the zoo since they were rescued as cubs in the late 1990s.
They've given the Browns 11 lion cubs over the years, and this litter was a surprising size of five.
"Two to three is usually normal," Brown said. "I'm just shocked to death they're all healthy and have been doing so well."
Recently, Brown's four remaining lion cubs were playing outside with Goliath, a 5-week-old Siberian tiger. Goliath already weighs about 18 pounds, which is twice the normal size for a tiger his age.
Goliath pounced around with his friends, who are about an arm's length in size.
Cubs also can't see until they reach about 6 to 8 weeks old, and until then they move based on sounds and vibrations. Members of the big cat family are born blind and with blue eyes.
Brown said she usually lets the cubs stay with their mother for a week or two after they're born, but then raises them herself because oftentimes the mother will stop caring for her young. She puts them on bottled formula to make sure they remain good-natured and lets them roam in playpens inside the house.
"The more mellow they are, the better they're going to be," she said.
On the weekends, Brown often takes the cubs to exhibits, nursing homes or children's camps. But she said she encourages anyone to visit during the week to get a chance to meet, hold and pet the cubs.
"The last thing (visitors will) see will be all the little cubs."
They can sit and play with them until they reach a certain age," Brown said. "That's one thing that's different about our zoo."
Amber Krosel can be reached at 686-3041 or state@pjstar.com.
http://www.pjstar.com/stories/073007/ REG_BDTF6P5T.017.php
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Two snow leopards born at Toronto Zoo
By ROSALYN SOLOMON, SUN MEDIA
Toronto Zoo has welcomed two new additions to the feline family.
Snow leopard cubs were born to dad Kota and mom Tiga last month.
As part of the zoo's initiative to save endangered species, Kota and Tiga were brought to Toronto Zoo to breed.
Dr. William Rapley, veterinarian and executive director of conservation, education and research at the zoo, said the attraction has bred 28 leopards over the years.
"It's really exciting, it's nice to be able to do this, to preserve this endangered species and support efforts in the wild as well," Rapley said.
Snow leopards can be found in high mountains stretching across Asia. The exact population of the species is unknown as it's hard for researchers to find the animals in their high-altitude habitats.
Toronto Zoo and a number of international zoos work with the organizations like Snow Leopard Enterprises, to help locals protect the animals and earn some money. The snow leopard population has dwindled because of hunting for their grayish-yellow pelts.
Rapley said more people are moving up into the mountains and hunters go after the animals' body parts for medicinal purposes. The new cubs will be kept at the zoo to breed while their genetics are monitored.
"The mother could be moved to other zoos in effort to preserve wild genes and avoid inbreeding because we don't want to change what they have in the wild," Rapley said.
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/ 2007/07/30/4379283-sun.html
Toronto Zoo has welcomed two new additions to the feline family.
Snow leopard cubs were born to dad Kota and mom Tiga last month.
As part of the zoo's initiative to save endangered species, Kota and Tiga were brought to Toronto Zoo to breed.
Dr. William Rapley, veterinarian and executive director of conservation, education and research at the zoo, said the attraction has bred 28 leopards over the years.
"It's really exciting, it's nice to be able to do this, to preserve this endangered species and support efforts in the wild as well," Rapley said.
Snow leopards can be found in high mountains stretching across Asia. The exact population of the species is unknown as it's hard for researchers to find the animals in their high-altitude habitats.
Toronto Zoo and a number of international zoos work with the organizations like Snow Leopard Enterprises, to help locals protect the animals and earn some money. The snow leopard population has dwindled because of hunting for their grayish-yellow pelts.
Rapley said more people are moving up into the mountains and hunters go after the animals' body parts for medicinal purposes. The new cubs will be kept at the zoo to breed while their genetics are monitored.
"The mother could be moved to other zoos in effort to preserve wild genes and avoid inbreeding because we don't want to change what they have in the wild," Rapley said.
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/ 2007/07/30/4379283-sun.html
Snow leopard dies in Indian nature park
Sunday 29th of July 2007 A snow leopard has died at a nature park near here, Himachal Pradesh wildlife officials said Sunday.
Sapna, a female, died Saturday at the Kufri nature park, 16 km uphill from here. A chronic stomach ailment is said to be the reason behind the death.
The leopard left behind her male mate. The pair was brought to Kufri from a zoo in Darjeeling some two years ago.
This is the second time the Kufri park has lost a snow leopard, a highly endangered species found in the high Himalayas.
http://newspostindia.com/report-9309
Sapna, a female, died Saturday at the Kufri nature park, 16 km uphill from here. A chronic stomach ailment is said to be the reason behind the death.
The leopard left behind her male mate. The pair was brought to Kufri from a zoo in Darjeeling some two years ago.
This is the second time the Kufri park has lost a snow leopard, a highly endangered species found in the high Himalayas.
http://newspostindia.com/report-9309
Thought to Exist in the Wild
Non-profit publisher releases new book exposing zoos
Contact: Diane Leigh or Marilee Geyer
831-440-9574
"Finally, someone has the courage to question zoos. Animals in zoos
are not ambassadors teaching us about the natural world, they're unwilling
prisoners, teaching us how we as humans seem to need to dominate every living being on
the planet. This is a brave book and a much needed voice on behalf of the animals."
- Bill Maher, Host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher
GROUNDBREAKING BOOK QUESTIONS
"How do zoos teach us to perceive nonhuman animals and our
relationship to them?"
As the summer season approaches, families across the country make
plans to visit a zoo. In fact, 45 million American adults and
children visit zoos each year, yet rarely does anyone ask the
fundamental question of what zoos really teach us about animals,
ourselves, and the natural world.
Combining stunning photos with a compelling essay, Thought to Exist
in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos is a passionate,
unflinching exploration of what zoos are and what they mean, both to
the animals inside the cages and to the animals—humans—watching
them.
Acclaimed writer Derrick Jensen, author ten books, including of A
Language Older Than Words and, most recently, Endgame Volume I and
II, uses his well-known lyrical style to range from the global to the
personal, the heartbreaking to the comical, and from horror to
beauty, examining the history of zoos and their place in our current
culture.
Karen Tweedy-Holmes' breathtaking and often haunting photos provide
the visual narrative, showing us the alienation and loneliness of
animals held in zoos around the world, but also showing us the innate
beauty and dignity of each individual animal.
Zoos are under ever-increasing public scrutiny, particularly for
their care of the intelligent and sensitive elephant. In 2006,
numerous elephants in zoos where found to be suffering from foot
ailments caused by inadequate conditions, and several zoos, under
public pressure, announced plans to phase out their elephant exhibits
and release the animals to the lifelong care of sanctuaries. The
questions raised by Thought to Exist in the Wild are timelier than
ever.
Thought to Exist in the Wild paints an unforgettable portrait of
zoos, and leads us toward a deeper understanding of animals,
ourselves, and our place on the planet. The book is available in
bookstores everywhere, or may be ordered direct from the publisher at
www.NoVoiceUnheard.org.
No Voice Unheard is a non-profit, tax exempt 501(c)3 independent
publisher whose books illuminate important social issues
and create unique voices on behalf of those who are unseen, ignored
or disregarded by society.
No Voice Unheard titles are distributed by Biblio Book Distribution.
phone 831-440-9574 / fax 831-479-3225
www.NoVoiceUnheard.org
5-year-old mauled by cougar at birthday party
5-year-old mauled by cougar at birthday party
Court documents show that Corinne Oltz is charged with first-degree misdemeanor culpable negligence and second-degree misdemeanor charge of keeping wildlife in unsafe conditions.
She operates Wild Animal World.
The girl, who is now five, was attacked in November at the home of Goya Foods president Francisco Unanue during a birthday party for his child.
Police say Oltz removed the leashed cougar from its cage to show it to the children, but the girl sneaked behind Oltz and startled the animal. The declawed cat took the child's head with her teeth.
State wildlife officials say Oltz failed to use a barrier to protect the children, as a judge had ordered her to do after a previous attack.
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=59977
Current comments below:
COMMENTS
Showing posts 1 - 11 of 11 Dapper Dave
Deadly combination: A jack@ss with money.
This fool thinks it's okay to have a cougar wandering around in the midst of little children.
We have too many people filing lawsuits over petty stuff, but I hope the family of this little girl lays a major lawsuit on the imbecile.
rachel
I dont understand why a pitt bull or any other dog can attack a child or grown up and would be put to sleep within 10 days but this animal can attack 2 different people and the owner still 1. not in jail 2.animal removed to a bigger area to run and what not.What about the 5 year old child who now has to suffer like that! and no punishment happening to the owner! as the law says if you cant handle the animal get rid of it....
Mary
I agree the owner is liable but what were the parents thinking, having this type of animal as entertainment at a party for small children? A pony or petting zoo, yes, but wildcats? Not a good idea.......
Rheabop
Mary wrote:
I agree the owner is liable but what were the parents thinking, having this type of animal as entertainment at a party for small children? A pony or petting zoo, yes, but wildcats? Not a good idea.......
The story didn't say the Cougar was there to entertain the kids at the party - the owner of the Cougar was having a party for their own child, then decided to take the Cougar out of its cage to show it to the kids - guess they thought it would be fun for the kids - duh! The little girls parents probably never realized this would even take place since "adults are supposed to be responsible human beings" and know what is safe and what isn't!! This person needs to be penalized greatly for what happened - especially since the same scenario has happened previously and a court order was violated in this case!!
Rheabop
Retraction to my previous comment - I re-read the story and now I understand that Oltz was NOT the person "having the party", so evidently she did in fact bring the Cougar to the party as part of the entertainment for the party, but she still violated a court order by removing the animal from the cage.
Bravo061
Mary wrote:
I agree the owner is liable but what were the parents thinking, having this type of animal as entertainment at a party for small children? A pony or petting zoo, yes, but wildcats? Not a good idea.......
Because your dealing with people that have way more money than brains!
Brenda
United States Friday Jul 27
But the child startled the animal by sneaking up behind it. Where was her parents? Why wait this long, since Nov to have the story. Guess this means lawsuit?
come on people
New Port Richey, Friday Jul 27
who in the hell would have a cougar at a kids party. who in the hell would have a cougar anywhere other than, say, south america? it's a wild cat, not some tame kitty cat. who would have thought that a wild animal would attack something small? don't they eat other small animals in the wild?
some people never use their brains.
scuba
i wonder how you sneak up on a cougar in the first place. my take is the women who owns the cougar should lose total rights to handle or poses any wild animals since she cant learn from past mistakes i guess ill wait to read when she lets one of her wild animals kill before the state decides she completely
incompetent to have such responsibilities.
tazgirl811
its not the cougars fault that the handler is a jackass and cant handle the animal. she deserves to never be able to handle any kind of wild anything anymor. thats just ridiculous having very little supervision over the cat during a party. the girl shouldnt have been allowed to get that close to sneak up on the cat anyway. where were the parents??? good question. big cat, little girl,oooops,bad combination especially when the cat is out of its elimant and being put out for show around tiny tots. go to the zoo next time for the party. at least there the animals are behind fences. parents, just dont understand some of them these days,especially when it comes to taking responsibility for anything that happens to their children.(like this)
Carole Baskin Tampa, FL 1 min ago
Gov. Crist just signed into law a bond requirement that will help stop some of this irresponsible activity. The new law requires that those who use big cats, bears, chimps, etc. must either post a 10,000 bond or carry 2 million in liabitly coverage to cover such incidents. The exotic pet owners aren't happy about it, but the law will at least give victims some sort of recourse. You can send a letter thanking the governor at CatLaws.com
Pro-Animal Groups Push Agenda on Capitol Hill
Pro-Animal Groups Push Agenda on Capitol Hill
Jeff Golimowski
Senior Staff Writer
Washington (CNSNews.com) - A woman with short hair and glasses stands on a chair in a small meeting room on the first floor of the
When she's through, most people listening leave to start their lobbying efforts. The rest converge on a table of food provided by the natural and organic grocery store Whole Foods.
Monday was the last day of the annual Taking Action for Animals Conference. After a weekend featuring speakers and group gatherings, this day is designated for lobbying.
"It's a very pragmatic and mainstream effort to encourage change in society to protect animals," said Nancy Perry, vice president of governmental affairs for the animal protection group, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
Conference attendees lobbied on behalf of four bills in particular: The House Agricultural Appropriations Bill, a provision of which would attempt to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption; the Pet Safety and Protection Act, which would restrict the sourcing of dogs and cats used in laboratory research; theDog and Cat Fur Prohibition Act, which would require all fur products to be labeled with the source of its fur; and the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act, which would stop the government from buying products derived from animals kept in inhumane conditions.
The HSUS has come under fire from conservative and industry groups as a "radical" animal rights organization, but Perry said the group's legislative agenda demonstrates its moderate credentials.
"These are just not radical ideas, they're mainstream ideas," she said. "It speaks volumes about where we are as an organization."
Perry and most of the groups represented at the conference went out of their way to distance themselves from extremist animal liberation groups that have resorted to violence to promote their cause.
Carole Baskin, director of two animal protection organizations, said extremists are making it more difficult for those wanting to help animals to work within the system.
"It is a challenge because when you have one bad person, you tend to all get painted with the same brush," she said. "That's like saying every Christian is a member of the KKK."
But National Animal Interest Alliance Director Patti Strand said the weekend's gathering in
"They wear business suits. They're articulate. They're fairly well-educated. They avoid the sort of in-your-face protests," said
David Martosko, director of research at the food industry funded Center for Consumer Freedom, was even less flattering to those attending the conference.
"They're entitled to lobby just like everybody else" he said. "But we trust our elected representatives to recognize the tinfoil hat brigade when they see it."
Martosko said the legislative agenda being pushed by the HSUS is anything but mainstream. He considers there to be little difference between the controversial People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the HSUS as far as their end goals.
"When they use the word 'humane,' that's code for vegetarianism," said Martosko. "They're not lobbying against dog fighting up there. They're lobbying to do away with hog agriculture and to outlaw veal and foie gras ."
For their part, the conference attendees see public opinion shifting their way. Christopher Heyde of the animal welfare group the Society for Animal Protective Legislation said the conference and lobbying day are examples of the animal welfare movement's power.
"We've got 10 million supporters but our physical presence isn't as strong," said Heyde. "[This conference] helps make us a realistic political force."
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/11549631/
Carole’s note to the reporter posted online:
Dear Jeff,
Thank you for covering this issue and for addressing the credibility issue head on. In a movement that asks that animals be treated kindly, there is overwhelming public support, and that is why we are successful in asking for laws to protect animals. Science is showing that animals have feelings and emotions and it is because we are advancing as a society that we discover our connectedness. The force behind this groundswell is the desire to treat animals and each other more compassionately.
Opposition to that has no legitimate argument. Their only reason for opposition is that they cannot make money from practices that are increasingly being viewed as barbaric or that they can no longer keep wild animals captive and call themselves animal lovers if society perceives that as selfish and inhumane.
Having no basis for their actions, they resort to name calling and trying to discredit those who believe animals should be treated kindly. As you mentioned, they will take the actions of one misguided soul and try to make that the face of all of their opposition. They will undoubtedly email you with many unfounded accusations because that has become their modus operandi. They have no case, so they resort to diversion. All of their accusations can be dispelled at BigCatRescue.org/AboutUs.htm Thanks again for covering this important issue.
P.S. It was standing room only in our House Committee briefing against dog fighting at 3:30 Monday.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Zoo Northwest Florida: Animal deaths, growing debt
NOTE: In a one-week period in November 2006, two cougars escaped from the zoo and a keeper was mauled by a leopard.
Michael Stewart
mstewart@pnj.com
If there were a list of endangered zoos, The Zoo Northwest Florida would be on it.
Deep in debt and facing an uncertain future, The Zoo has suffered a long line of setbacks that includes, most recently, the deaths of two of its most popular animals.
It remains one of the area's top attractions, but it still is reeling from more than $600,000 in damage inflicted by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005.
Three years into new ownership, it's $3 million in debt and needs $1 million in donations by year's end to avoid the prospect of closing.
In recent weeks, a bad situation has grown worse at the facility on U.S. 98 between Gulf Breeze and Navarre.
Just after Zoo board members went public with their financial concerns, a hippo and a giraffe abruptly died. The deaths brought renewed attention to allegations from some former employees and volunteers that many animals do not receive proper treatment, and to The Zoo's loss of accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Former docent Carol Mills and ex-employee Sandra Dempsey are among a small group who say flea infestations, bacterial infections and other illnesses among animals have gone untreated, even when Zoo administrators were warned.
"You would tell them about health problems with the animals, and they wouldn't do anything about it," said Dempsey, a six-year employee who left last year after working as head of animal stock at one time and head of cats at another.
Doug Kemper, an exotic animal veteran of 45 years who directs The Zoo, shrugs off his critics as "disgruntled former employees." He flatly denies mistreating any of the roughly 1,400 animals on exhibit.
"Unfortunately, we got kicked in face by the hurricanes and the (Association of Zoos and Aquariums), which opens you up to things like this," he said.
The Zoo provided a list of 44 animals that have died during the first seven months of this year from causes that include old age, fighting with other animals and diseases. Last year's deaths could not be compiled last week,
Kemper said.
The Zoo's death rates are not abnormal, he said.
Most zoos have an annual mortality rate of between 3 percent and 5 percent, and The Zoo's numbers are well within those parameters, he said.
However, Kris Vehrs, executive director of the AZA, could not confirm Kemper's contention and said no one tracks mortality rates.
"All zoos are different, and different animals have different mortality rates," she said.
Niles and Sammy
The deaths of Niles, the female adolescent hippopotamus, and Sammy, a 10-year-old giraffe, came at an inopportune moment as members of The Zoo board began soliciting money to save The Zoo.
The hippo was killed by her sire on July 7; Kemper didn't make the death public until July 12, even keeping the information from The Zoo board of directors, according to member Jack Nobles.
The giraffe's body was found early on July 17, and The Zoo made an announcement the next day.
Until Niles' death, it was believed the young hippo was male.
"Niles had been attacked by her father before and was aggressively treated for wounds," Mills said.
She said Niles should have been separated from the father but was not.
Kemper disputed that.
Niles' sire, 3,000-pound Kiboko, had shown aggression toward his offspring during feeding but had never attacked her before, he said. After the aggressive behavior, the animals were separated during feeding, he said.
Zoo veterinarian Gus Mueller said there was no reason to separate the two animals routinely.
Niles suffered a minor bite from Kiboko a month before she died, Mueller said.
"That kind of stuff goes on all the time with hippos," he said.
Sammy's death is more perplexing.
Kemper surmised the giraffe died after bolting and striking his neck on a post. However, a necropsy found no apparent cause of death, and lab results from a toxicology test are not yet complete.
Questions about care
Former employees and docents also point to instances of what they say was mistreatment of animals:
n Coyotes and New Guinea singing dogs were not treated for flea infestations until volunteers provided the medication.
n Reptiles went untreated for mite infestations.
n At least four kangaroos died of bacterial infections.
n Blood was taken from goats at The Zoo to feed vampire bats.
n Alligators and reptiles were housed for months inside a concrete building with no sunlight.
Mueller said the animals are receiving good care.
"There is no neglect of animals," he said. "That's just not true."
Many times, volunteers and employees become attached to the animals and bring in remedies of their own, but that does not mean the animals are not getting proper care, he said.
Mueller said animals are regularly treated for fleas and mites.
The kangaroos' bacterial infections were traced to a pipe used to water the animals, he said. The pipe was replaced, and a chlorine drop was added as an additional protection.
Blood samples were taken from goats to feed the bats when blood shipments couldn't get through after Ivan, Mueller said.
"What were we supposed to do?" he asked. "Let the bats die? The goats were not hurt."
As for the alligators and reptiles, Kemper said they were kept only temporarily in the education building after the damage caused by Hurricane Ivan.
Kemper said treatments are ordered when animals are sick.
When a clouded leopard was struck with a rare feline disease that causes inflammation of the internal organs, The Zoo spent some $15,000 to send the cat and an animal keeper to the University of Florida for a month for treatment, he said.
When the cat's condition worsened, Kemper authorized an expensive surgery even though the operation only had a 20 percent success rate. The cat died, but it wasn't from lack of trying, he said.
"Our primary concern is and always will be for the care of the animals," Kemper said.
Cougars and fruitcicles
Florida zoos are licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Jerry Shores, a Fish and Wildlife investigative specialist in captive wildlife stationed in Panama City, said he found nothing amiss during a recent walk-through inspection at The Zoo.
"There were no conditions that warrant investigation," he said. "The only thing we've handled over there in the past six months since I took over the position was when two cougars escaped. They've replaced the fencing and exceeded regulations for the cougar cage."
The cougars did not stray far from their compound and were quickly captured.
Some current Zoo docents also call the accusations of animal abuse "ridiculous."
"Everybody at The Zoo absolutely loves the animals," said docent Joann Von Brock.
Jerry Ellis spends five to six days a week at The Zoo and has accrued more than 3,000 volunteer hours. He said the animals are not only treated well but are pampered.
"One of the things I like to do is make the animals fruitcicles," he said. "It's made in cups of fruit with water poured over it and is frozen. The bears and orangutans love it. The male orangutan, Kerajaan, holds his hand out for one whenever he sees us and the female blows us kisses."
Accreditation loss
The Zoo's loss of accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums last year also is cited by critics.
The Zoo had been accredited since 1988. Out of the roughly 2,400 zoos and aquariums in the country, only 216 are association-accredited.
The Accreditation Commission, composed of zoological experts, spent days on site looking at things like animal management and care, veterinary practices, security, education programs and safety policies and procedures.
Kemper said the timing of the visit resulted in the loss of accreditation.
He said he told the accreditation commission that 600 trees were still down, exhibits had not been rebuilt and sidewalks still were torn up from the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.
The Zoo filed more than $600,000 in claims but received $59,000 in insurance money.
Kemper said he asked the association whether the facility should go through the process.
"They said they would take the hurricane damage into account during the inspection, but they didn't," he said.
Association of Zoos and Aquariums spokesman Steve Feldman said that's not true.
"We absolutely did consider the hurricane damage," Feldman said.
The final report of the Accreditation Commission contained both praise and criticism.
On the positive side, The Zoo was praised for its "survivor skills" following Ivan, its affiliation with Pensacola Junior College's zoo-education program, and its transition from a private to a not-for-profit public facility.
On the negative side:
n A second-year student was unsupervised while working with an adult Indian rhino in the Wildlife Preserve. Zoo officials said the situation was immediately corrected.
n The report cited "inadequate procedures for dealing with venomous animals," noting that there are two king cobras at The Zoo but no antivenin. Kemper responded that the cobras are not on display and are in a double-locked cage and he has the only key. In the unlikely event he was bitten, antivenin could quickly be flown in from Miami, he said.
n The report also questioned the staff's low salaries and the resulting inability to attract experienced zoo professionals.
Money problems
The panel also expressed major concern about the financial viability of The Zoo.
"How is that any of their business?" Kemper asked.
The Zoo has been operating at a loss since its inception, and finances were never a factor in past accreditations, he said.
In 2004, the Gulf Coast Zoological Society, a nonprofit agency, took over operation of The Zoo from Animal Park Inc., founded by four local businessmen.
Pat Quinn, former director of The Zoo, was one of the four founding members who subsidized The Zoo for years. Finally, they determined that a nonprofit group could do a better job of raising money to take the attraction to the next level.
Since the nonprofit took over, the businessmen have donated $500,000 or more to keep The Zoo running.
Although its 50-acre tract is probably worth $8 million or more, the founders asked only that the Gulf Coast Zoological Society pay off the $2.4 million mortgage.
The Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida estimates The Zoo pumps $6.5 million annually into the local economy.
For that reason, Quinn said, letting The Zoo close would not make financial sense.
"It would cost at least $20 million to build another zoo," he said.
The $3 million needed to eliminate The Zoo's debt is a small price to pay, Quinn said.
"A cookie sale is not going to save it," he said. "We need corporations and people in the community with the foresight and heart to say, 'This zoo is too important to let go.' "
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20070729/NEWS01/707290322/1006
Michael Stewart
mstewart@pnj.com
If there were a list of endangered zoos, The Zoo Northwest Florida would be on it.
Deep in debt and facing an uncertain future, The Zoo has suffered a long line of setbacks that includes, most recently, the deaths of two of its most popular animals.
It remains one of the area's top attractions, but it still is reeling from more than $600,000 in damage inflicted by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Dennis in 2005.
Three years into new ownership, it's $3 million in debt and needs $1 million in donations by year's end to avoid the prospect of closing.
In recent weeks, a bad situation has grown worse at the facility on U.S. 98 between Gulf Breeze and Navarre.
Just after Zoo board members went public with their financial concerns, a hippo and a giraffe abruptly died. The deaths brought renewed attention to allegations from some former employees and volunteers that many animals do not receive proper treatment, and to The Zoo's loss of accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Former docent Carol Mills and ex-employee Sandra Dempsey are among a small group who say flea infestations, bacterial infections and other illnesses among animals have gone untreated, even when Zoo administrators were warned.
"You would tell them about health problems with the animals, and they wouldn't do anything about it," said Dempsey, a six-year employee who left last year after working as head of animal stock at one time and head of cats at another.
Doug Kemper, an exotic animal veteran of 45 years who directs The Zoo, shrugs off his critics as "disgruntled former employees." He flatly denies mistreating any of the roughly 1,400 animals on exhibit.
"Unfortunately, we got kicked in face by the hurricanes and the (Association of Zoos and Aquariums), which opens you up to things like this," he said.
The Zoo provided a list of 44 animals that have died during the first seven months of this year from causes that include old age, fighting with other animals and diseases. Last year's deaths could not be compiled last week,
Kemper said.
The Zoo's death rates are not abnormal, he said.
Most zoos have an annual mortality rate of between 3 percent and 5 percent, and The Zoo's numbers are well within those parameters, he said.
However, Kris Vehrs, executive director of the AZA, could not confirm Kemper's contention and said no one tracks mortality rates.
"All zoos are different, and different animals have different mortality rates," she said.
Niles and Sammy
The deaths of Niles, the female adolescent hippopotamus, and Sammy, a 10-year-old giraffe, came at an inopportune moment as members of The Zoo board began soliciting money to save The Zoo.
The hippo was killed by her sire on July 7; Kemper didn't make the death public until July 12, even keeping the information from The Zoo board of directors, according to member Jack Nobles.
The giraffe's body was found early on July 17, and The Zoo made an announcement the next day.
Until Niles' death, it was believed the young hippo was male.
"Niles had been attacked by her father before and was aggressively treated for wounds," Mills said.
She said Niles should have been separated from the father but was not.
Kemper disputed that.
Niles' sire, 3,000-pound Kiboko, had shown aggression toward his offspring during feeding but had never attacked her before, he said. After the aggressive behavior, the animals were separated during feeding, he said.
Zoo veterinarian Gus Mueller said there was no reason to separate the two animals routinely.
Niles suffered a minor bite from Kiboko a month before she died, Mueller said.
"That kind of stuff goes on all the time with hippos," he said.
Sammy's death is more perplexing.
Kemper surmised the giraffe died after bolting and striking his neck on a post. However, a necropsy found no apparent cause of death, and lab results from a toxicology test are not yet complete.
Questions about care
Former employees and docents also point to instances of what they say was mistreatment of animals:
n Coyotes and New Guinea singing dogs were not treated for flea infestations until volunteers provided the medication.
n Reptiles went untreated for mite infestations.
n At least four kangaroos died of bacterial infections.
n Blood was taken from goats at The Zoo to feed vampire bats.
n Alligators and reptiles were housed for months inside a concrete building with no sunlight.
Mueller said the animals are receiving good care.
"There is no neglect of animals," he said. "That's just not true."
Many times, volunteers and employees become attached to the animals and bring in remedies of their own, but that does not mean the animals are not getting proper care, he said.
Mueller said animals are regularly treated for fleas and mites.
The kangaroos' bacterial infections were traced to a pipe used to water the animals, he said. The pipe was replaced, and a chlorine drop was added as an additional protection.
Blood samples were taken from goats to feed the bats when blood shipments couldn't get through after Ivan, Mueller said.
"What were we supposed to do?" he asked. "Let the bats die? The goats were not hurt."
As for the alligators and reptiles, Kemper said they were kept only temporarily in the education building after the damage caused by Hurricane Ivan.
Kemper said treatments are ordered when animals are sick.
When a clouded leopard was struck with a rare feline disease that causes inflammation of the internal organs, The Zoo spent some $15,000 to send the cat and an animal keeper to the University of Florida for a month for treatment, he said.
When the cat's condition worsened, Kemper authorized an expensive surgery even though the operation only had a 20 percent success rate. The cat died, but it wasn't from lack of trying, he said.
"Our primary concern is and always will be for the care of the animals," Kemper said.
Cougars and fruitcicles
Florida zoos are licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Jerry Shores, a Fish and Wildlife investigative specialist in captive wildlife stationed in Panama City, said he found nothing amiss during a recent walk-through inspection at The Zoo.
"There were no conditions that warrant investigation," he said. "The only thing we've handled over there in the past six months since I took over the position was when two cougars escaped. They've replaced the fencing and exceeded regulations for the cougar cage."
The cougars did not stray far from their compound and were quickly captured.
Some current Zoo docents also call the accusations of animal abuse "ridiculous."
"Everybody at The Zoo absolutely loves the animals," said docent Joann Von Brock.
Jerry Ellis spends five to six days a week at The Zoo and has accrued more than 3,000 volunteer hours. He said the animals are not only treated well but are pampered.
"One of the things I like to do is make the animals fruitcicles," he said. "It's made in cups of fruit with water poured over it and is frozen. The bears and orangutans love it. The male orangutan, Kerajaan, holds his hand out for one whenever he sees us and the female blows us kisses."
Accreditation loss
The Zoo's loss of accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums last year also is cited by critics.
The Zoo had been accredited since 1988. Out of the roughly 2,400 zoos and aquariums in the country, only 216 are association-accredited.
The Accreditation Commission, composed of zoological experts, spent days on site looking at things like animal management and care, veterinary practices, security, education programs and safety policies and procedures.
Kemper said the timing of the visit resulted in the loss of accreditation.
He said he told the accreditation commission that 600 trees were still down, exhibits had not been rebuilt and sidewalks still were torn up from the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.
The Zoo filed more than $600,000 in claims but received $59,000 in insurance money.
Kemper said he asked the association whether the facility should go through the process.
"They said they would take the hurricane damage into account during the inspection, but they didn't," he said.
Association of Zoos and Aquariums spokesman Steve Feldman said that's not true.
"We absolutely did consider the hurricane damage," Feldman said.
The final report of the Accreditation Commission contained both praise and criticism.
On the positive side, The Zoo was praised for its "survivor skills" following Ivan, its affiliation with Pensacola Junior College's zoo-education program, and its transition from a private to a not-for-profit public facility.
On the negative side:
n A second-year student was unsupervised while working with an adult Indian rhino in the Wildlife Preserve. Zoo officials said the situation was immediately corrected.
n The report cited "inadequate procedures for dealing with venomous animals," noting that there are two king cobras at The Zoo but no antivenin. Kemper responded that the cobras are not on display and are in a double-locked cage and he has the only key. In the unlikely event he was bitten, antivenin could quickly be flown in from Miami, he said.
n The report also questioned the staff's low salaries and the resulting inability to attract experienced zoo professionals.
Money problems
The panel also expressed major concern about the financial viability of The Zoo.
"How is that any of their business?" Kemper asked.
The Zoo has been operating at a loss since its inception, and finances were never a factor in past accreditations, he said.
In 2004, the Gulf Coast Zoological Society, a nonprofit agency, took over operation of The Zoo from Animal Park Inc., founded by four local businessmen.
Pat Quinn, former director of The Zoo, was one of the four founding members who subsidized The Zoo for years. Finally, they determined that a nonprofit group could do a better job of raising money to take the attraction to the next level.
Since the nonprofit took over, the businessmen have donated $500,000 or more to keep The Zoo running.
Although its 50-acre tract is probably worth $8 million or more, the founders asked only that the Gulf Coast Zoological Society pay off the $2.4 million mortgage.
The Haas Center for Business Research and Economic Development at the University of West Florida estimates The Zoo pumps $6.5 million annually into the local economy.
For that reason, Quinn said, letting The Zoo close would not make financial sense.
"It would cost at least $20 million to build another zoo," he said.
The $3 million needed to eliminate The Zoo's debt is a small price to pay, Quinn said.
"A cookie sale is not going to save it," he said. "We need corporations and people in the community with the foresight and heart to say, 'This zoo is too important to let go.' "
http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article? AID=/20070729/NEWS01/707290322/1006
Snow Leopard Trust photo contest is open for entries
Enter your snow leopard photos in this year's photo contest
Last year more than 1,000 supporters chose their favorite snow leopard photo from three finalists, and the photo below by Takahashi Hiroyoshi was selected as the winner of our photo contest.
We greatly appreciate Takahashi's beautiful photo, those from our other finalists Eric Ash and Kettsyan Rafael, and the many other photos from supporters around the world!
Take a super snow leopard photo of your own on your next visit to a zoo, and enter this year's photo contest!
Enter the photo contest by emailing your high resolution digital photo here [ photocontest@snowleopard.org ]
The entry deadline is August 31!
Note that we will not be returning your photo entries. The photos you submit for the photo contest will be considered property of the Snow Leopard Trust for use in our publications. If you have any questions, please contact us [ photocontest@snowleopard.org ].
http://www.snowleopard.org/news/currentnews/photocontest2007
Last year more than 1,000 supporters chose their favorite snow leopard photo from three finalists, and the photo below by Takahashi Hiroyoshi was selected as the winner of our photo contest.
We greatly appreciate Takahashi's beautiful photo, those from our other finalists Eric Ash and Kettsyan Rafael, and the many other photos from supporters around the world!
Take a super snow leopard photo of your own on your next visit to a zoo, and enter this year's photo contest!
Enter the photo contest by emailing your high resolution digital photo here [ photocontest@snowleopard.org ]
The entry deadline is August 31!
Note that we will not be returning your photo entries. The photos you submit for the photo contest will be considered property of the Snow Leopard Trust for use in our publications. If you have any questions, please contact us [ photocontest@snowleopard.org ].
http://www.snowleopard.org/news/currentnews/photocontest2007
Friday, July 27, 2007
Owner charged in S. Florida cougar attack
Posted on Thu, Jul. 26, 2007
BY DAVID OVALLE
dovalle@MiamiHerald.com
Corinne Oltz, a former Playboy video vixen who runs an exotic wildlife company, was charged Thursday in the November cougar attack on a 4-year-old girl at a Coral Gables birthday party.
Prosecutors charged Oltz with first-degree misdemeanor culpable negligence and a second-degree misdemeanor charge of keeping wildlife in unsafe conditions.
Oltz, 38, runs Kendall's Wild Animal World at 10495 SW 60th St. She has a history of citations for animal attacks, and the state is considering permanently revoking her licenses to work with animals.
On Nov. 18, Oltz was hired to show animals at a birthday party for the child of Francisco Unanue, president of Goya Foods.
The girl, now 5, sneaked up behind the 62-pound cougar named Georgia, which lashed out and gripped the child's face in her mouth. The girl suffered severe cuts to her eyelid, left cheek and ear. Doctors sewed back part of her severed ear.
She now has permanent scars and suffers psychological problems, said Dan Dolan, her family's attorney.
"This is recognition by the state attorney's office that her company is a public threat and her conduct is criminal," Dolan said Thursday.
Because the charges are misdemeanors, Oltz was not jailed and instead will be mailed a court date. The case is being prosecuted by Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Sasha Bardelas.
Reached by phone, Oltz accused the media of misconstruing the story.
"I choose not to comment," she said before hanging up.
Oltz's charges add another chapter to a saga that has infuriated South Florida's animal trainers. The attack also cast scrutiny on "edutainment" companies that showcase exotic animals at schools and birthday parties.
Oltz's company has long been criticized for unsafe practices.
In 1999, she was cited in a similar attack, also in Coral Gables. She received a conviction for a wildlife cage violation.
In 2001, a Wild Animal World leopard attacked a child at a company picnic in Broward County. Oltz received probation for wildlife possession violations.
"She's put a black eye on people who really do a good job. She's been, quite frankly, careless," Miami Metrozoo trainer Ron Magill, who testified against Oltz as an expert witness, said Thursday.
At the time, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission allowed her to keep showing certain cats.
Oltz is a former Hooters waitress who once posed as a police officer in the Playboy video Girls at Work. She joined the animal company of her then-boyfriend, Grant Kemmerer, and eventually took it over after he left.
On Nov. 18, she was hired to perform at Unanue's posh Coral Gables home. However, she failed to use a barrier to protect the children, the wildlife commission said.
After a previous feline attack, a judge had ordered Oltz to use barriers -- usually chain-link fences arranged in a semicircle.
Georgia the cougar was euthanized and tested negative for rabies.
Oltz's license, which allows her to exhibit animals such as cougars and serval cats, was suspended, although she can still exhibit raccoons, snakes and lemurs. A judge will decide in the fall whether she can keep her licenses.
"She's supposed to be a professional," said wildlife commission Lt. Pat Reynolds, who investigated the case. ``She's been in the business for 10 years or so and she has seen tragedies. She should have taken precautions and yet she did not."
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/183431.html
BY DAVID OVALLE
dovalle@MiamiHerald.com
Corinne Oltz, a former Playboy video vixen who runs an exotic wildlife company, was charged Thursday in the November cougar attack on a 4-year-old girl at a Coral Gables birthday party.
Prosecutors charged Oltz with first-degree misdemeanor culpable negligence and a second-degree misdemeanor charge of keeping wildlife in unsafe conditions.
Oltz, 38, runs Kendall's Wild Animal World at 10495 SW 60th St. She has a history of citations for animal attacks, and the state is considering permanently revoking her licenses to work with animals.
On Nov. 18, Oltz was hired to show animals at a birthday party for the child of Francisco Unanue, president of Goya Foods.
The girl, now 5, sneaked up behind the 62-pound cougar named Georgia, which lashed out and gripped the child's face in her mouth. The girl suffered severe cuts to her eyelid, left cheek and ear. Doctors sewed back part of her severed ear.
She now has permanent scars and suffers psychological problems, said Dan Dolan, her family's attorney.
"This is recognition by the state attorney's office that her company is a public threat and her conduct is criminal," Dolan said Thursday.
Because the charges are misdemeanors, Oltz was not jailed and instead will be mailed a court date. The case is being prosecuted by Miami-Dade Assistant State Attorney Sasha Bardelas.
Reached by phone, Oltz accused the media of misconstruing the story.
"I choose not to comment," she said before hanging up.
Oltz's charges add another chapter to a saga that has infuriated South Florida's animal trainers. The attack also cast scrutiny on "edutainment" companies that showcase exotic animals at schools and birthday parties.
Oltz's company has long been criticized for unsafe practices.
In 1999, she was cited in a similar attack, also in Coral Gables. She received a conviction for a wildlife cage violation.
In 2001, a Wild Animal World leopard attacked a child at a company picnic in Broward County. Oltz received probation for wildlife possession violations.
"She's put a black eye on people who really do a good job. She's been, quite frankly, careless," Miami Metrozoo trainer Ron Magill, who testified against Oltz as an expert witness, said Thursday.
At the time, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission allowed her to keep showing certain cats.
Oltz is a former Hooters waitress who once posed as a police officer in the Playboy video Girls at Work. She joined the animal company of her then-boyfriend, Grant Kemmerer, and eventually took it over after he left.
On Nov. 18, she was hired to perform at Unanue's posh Coral Gables home. However, she failed to use a barrier to protect the children, the wildlife commission said.
After a previous feline attack, a judge had ordered Oltz to use barriers -- usually chain-link fences arranged in a semicircle.
Georgia the cougar was euthanized and tested negative for rabies.
Oltz's license, which allows her to exhibit animals such as cougars and serval cats, was suspended, although she can still exhibit raccoons, snakes and lemurs. A judge will decide in the fall whether she can keep her licenses.
"She's supposed to be a professional," said wildlife commission Lt. Pat Reynolds, who investigated the case. ``She's been in the business for 10 years or so and she has seen tragedies. She should have taken precautions and yet she did not."
http://www.miamiherald.com/416/story/183431.html
Mass. fair features tiger and lion show
By Diana Woebcke
From high atop the ferris wheel there is a birds-eye view of all the rides and most of the grounds at the Barnstable County Fair. One of the oldest running fairs in our country, The Barnstable County Fair was established in 1844. It is run and funded through the Barnstable County Agricultural Society as a non-profit
organization....
Nerger's Tigers
Nerger's Tiger and Lion Show is a glimpse of the circus with live tigers and a lion. The professional lion tamers with 20 years experience are a couple from Germany who, with mastery, grace and
humor, take the cats through a series of jumps and poses. The show is fast paced and in a very safe and secure cage located in the West end of the fairgrounds.
The cats are well fed and cared for, despite some criticism from onlookers wondering if they are alright. After the show they are brought to their cages where they rest and are fed.
(There have been studies of longevity comparing animals in captivity to those in the wild. Typically cats in the wild have higher mortality rates due to disease and famine.)
In the kids section is a petting zoo with lamas and baby goats. As you walk further inside you will find such exotic animals as the Scarlet Macaw, Australian Red Kangaroo, South American Squirrel Monkey, Argentinean Mara, Australian Emus and the African Serval - (a species of cat listed on CITES - the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species.)
Some more highlights of the fair include: the 4-H club horse competition and show continuing on two rings throughout the week. On Friday there is horse pulling and on Wednesday there will be a demolition derby.
Also on Wednesday there will be a bagpipe show. On Tuesday there is Championship figure eight race car racing in the Main Arena.
So, there is hours of fun to be had at the Barnstable County Fair. Parking is limited, so try to arrive early as the free parking lot fills up first. Otherwise parking is $10. Admission is also $10, children under 12 are free and seniors and those with a military ID admission is $8.
The photo montage on the right shows only a few of the many activities, performances and rides. Corn Dogs and Funnel Cakes, Hot Dogs and Cotton Candy are always fair favorites, but there are concerts and animal acts as well as daily events in the area as well.
And be sure to let that man try to guess your weight within two pounds or your age within two years.
Schedule:
Monday, July 23, 6:00 pm & 8:30pm - Syndicate
Tuesday, July 24, 7:30 pm - Championship Double Figure 8 Race
Tuesday, July 24, 6:00 pm & 8:30pm - Living Proof
Wednesday, July 25, 7:30 pm - World’s Largest Demolition Derby
Wednesday, July 25, 5:30 pm - Blue Montuna
Thursday, July 26, 7:30 pm - The Blues with Dan Lawson
Friday, July 27, 7:30 pm - The Oak Ridge Boys
Saturday, July 28, 7:30 pm - "American Idol’s" Bucky Covington
LINKS;
Barnstable County Fair site and YouTube at the fair
The History
The Barnstable County Agricultural Society held its first fair, consisting primarily of livestock and handicraft exhibits, in October of 1844 at the County Court House in Barnstable Village.
By the late 1800's and early 1900's, the County Fair had become the most popular annual event on Cape Cod. Some of the attractions were Grange exhibits, trotting horses, sulky racing, vaudeville acts, motorcycle racing, livestock exhibits, horse and oxen drags, fireworks and food tents, featuring clam chowder, homemade doughnuts and pies, and coffee, sponsored by local organizations. The children's Day and the Salt Hay Stack at the East Sandwich Grange were annual favorites.
Proceeds collected from ticket sales and exhibitor fees are re-invested in the Fairgrounds for capital improvements and mortgage repayments, awarded as scholarships to young people pursuing careers in agriculture, conservation or elated fields, or distributed to charitable causes.
http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/headlines/2007/07/23/ fun_fun_aamp_frenzy_at_the_barnstable_fa
From high atop the ferris wheel there is a birds-eye view of all the rides and most of the grounds at the Barnstable County Fair. One of the oldest running fairs in our country, The Barnstable County Fair was established in 1844. It is run and funded through the Barnstable County Agricultural Society as a non-profit
organization....
Nerger's Tigers
Nerger's Tiger and Lion Show is a glimpse of the circus with live tigers and a lion. The professional lion tamers with 20 years experience are a couple from Germany who, with mastery, grace and
humor, take the cats through a series of jumps and poses. The show is fast paced and in a very safe and secure cage located in the West end of the fairgrounds.
The cats are well fed and cared for, despite some criticism from onlookers wondering if they are alright. After the show they are brought to their cages where they rest and are fed.
(There have been studies of longevity comparing animals in captivity to those in the wild. Typically cats in the wild have higher mortality rates due to disease and famine.)
In the kids section is a petting zoo with lamas and baby goats. As you walk further inside you will find such exotic animals as the Scarlet Macaw, Australian Red Kangaroo, South American Squirrel Monkey, Argentinean Mara, Australian Emus and the African Serval - (a species of cat listed on CITES - the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species.)
Some more highlights of the fair include: the 4-H club horse competition and show continuing on two rings throughout the week. On Friday there is horse pulling and on Wednesday there will be a demolition derby.
Also on Wednesday there will be a bagpipe show. On Tuesday there is Championship figure eight race car racing in the Main Arena.
So, there is hours of fun to be had at the Barnstable County Fair. Parking is limited, so try to arrive early as the free parking lot fills up first. Otherwise parking is $10. Admission is also $10, children under 12 are free and seniors and those with a military ID admission is $8.
The photo montage on the right shows only a few of the many activities, performances and rides. Corn Dogs and Funnel Cakes, Hot Dogs and Cotton Candy are always fair favorites, but there are concerts and animal acts as well as daily events in the area as well.
And be sure to let that man try to guess your weight within two pounds or your age within two years.
Schedule:
Monday, July 23, 6:00 pm & 8:30pm - Syndicate
Tuesday, July 24, 7:30 pm - Championship Double Figure 8 Race
Tuesday, July 24, 6:00 pm & 8:30pm - Living Proof
Wednesday, July 25, 7:30 pm - World’s Largest Demolition Derby
Wednesday, July 25, 5:30 pm - Blue Montuna
Thursday, July 26, 7:30 pm - The Blues with Dan Lawson
Friday, July 27, 7:30 pm - The Oak Ridge Boys
Saturday, July 28, 7:30 pm - "American Idol’s" Bucky Covington
LINKS;
Barnstable County Fair site and YouTube at the fair
The History
The Barnstable County Agricultural Society held its first fair, consisting primarily of livestock and handicraft exhibits, in October of 1844 at the County Court House in Barnstable Village.
By the late 1800's and early 1900's, the County Fair had become the most popular annual event on Cape Cod. Some of the attractions were Grange exhibits, trotting horses, sulky racing, vaudeville acts, motorcycle racing, livestock exhibits, horse and oxen drags, fireworks and food tents, featuring clam chowder, homemade doughnuts and pies, and coffee, sponsored by local organizations. The children's Day and the Salt Hay Stack at the East Sandwich Grange were annual favorites.
Proceeds collected from ticket sales and exhibitor fees are re-invested in the Fairgrounds for capital improvements and mortgage repayments, awarded as scholarships to young people pursuing careers in agriculture, conservation or elated fields, or distributed to charitable causes.
http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/headlines/2007/07/23/ fun_fun_aamp_frenzy_at_the_barnstable_fa
Newsweek article on Chinese tiger farms
By Jonathan Adams
Newsweek International
July 30, 2007 issue - Under the blazing sun outside Harbin, in northeast China, Tiger No. 31 trots alongside a van packed with Chinese and foreign tourists. The van stops. The driver chucks a live chicken out the window. The 250-kilogram Siberian tiger pounces. Cameras snap away in morbid fascination.
It wasn't a pretty end for the chicken, to be sure. And if a proposed lifting of a Chinese ban on the sale of tiger parts goes through, the fate of Tiger No. 31, currently a resident of this tiger park and breeding farm, may not be much better. After he dies, his bones will be crushed up into potions for treating rheumatism. His skin will be turned into a jacket. And his penis and testicles—the original Viagra, according to some Chinese—will be slurped up in soup by an aging believer looking to give his sex life some oomph.
By some accounts, the market in tiger-driven medicine brought in more than $12 million a year before China banned the sale of tiger parts in 1993, helping to stabilize wild-tiger populations that were perilously close to extinction. Now some Chinese officials—under fierce lobbying from tiger farmers and would-be parts peddlers—want to lift the injunction to regain that lost market. That's alarmed conservationists, who fear that scrapping the ban could undo the progress of the last 14 years. Eric Dinerstein, chief scientist at the World Wildlife Fund, says flatly: "Lifting the ban on the tiger trade would spell the end for a number of wild-tiger populations across Asia."
On its surface, the idea of creating a regulated market for tiger parts has a certain appeal—and not just for the farmers. Chinese officials and others note that demand for such parts persists regardless of the ban. "It will be a waste if the resources of dead tigers aren't used for traditional medicine," said wildlife-conservation official Wang Wei. Legalizing the trade, they argue, could actually help protect wild tigers by reducing the incentive for illegal poaching. Free-market proponents point to the case of wild crocodiles. For the past few decades, many countries have allowed a regulated trade in captive-bred crocodile skins and other parts from farms or ranches. Even many conservationists agree this has helped save some (though not all) wild-crocodile populations from poachers.
But, they say, comparisons between crocs and tigers don't hold, in part because tigers are far more expensive to raise than crocodiles, upping the incentive to poach instead of farm. "In India you can poison a tiger for less than a dollar," says Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. "Raising one in captivity will cost $3,500 to $10,000."
What's more, say conservationists (who almost unanimously supported a U.N. resolution last month against lifting the ban), tiger parts from places like India—which has the world's largest wild-tiger population—could be trafficked to China. There buyers would have no way to distinguish illegal parts from legal ones, which means poached tigers and parts could be "laundered" as farmed ones. "Law-enforcement controls are not in place in China to police the tiger-farm trade," says the WWF's Dinerstein.
Some inside and outside China raise another question: should the Chinese government be giving official sanction to a trade that skeptics say is based on pseudoscience? "Tiger parts have no proven effect as drugs or medicine—they're useless," says Zu Shuxian, a retired professor of epidemiology at Anhui Medical University and an outspoken critic of traditional Chinese medicine. Zu and others argue that lifting the ban could jeopardize wild tigers in order to supply a market that's fundamentally fraudulent.
Others say the Chinese should note Russia's strategy in preserving its wild Siberian, or Amur, tigers. Only a few dozen strong 50 years ago, the population is now some 500 in the wild, thanks to huge nature reserves that were created for the tigers, a well-enforced hunting ban and "buffer areas" to separate tiger and human populations. Conserving wild tigers "is really about proper landscape-use management and getting people to change their behavior," says Xie Yan, the Beijing-based director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's China program.
Such efforts are more likely to help wild tigers than a risky experiment in selling organs and parts whose medical benefits are questionable. Conservationists and diplomats are now appealing to the Chinese government to keep the ban in place. The fate of Tiger No. 31—and his wild cousins—will hang on Beijing's decision.
With Jason Overdorf in New Delhi
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19887679/site/newsweek/page/0/
Newsweek International
July 30, 2007 issue - Under the blazing sun outside Harbin, in northeast China, Tiger No. 31 trots alongside a van packed with Chinese and foreign tourists. The van stops. The driver chucks a live chicken out the window. The 250-kilogram Siberian tiger pounces. Cameras snap away in morbid fascination.
It wasn't a pretty end for the chicken, to be sure. And if a proposed lifting of a Chinese ban on the sale of tiger parts goes through, the fate of Tiger No. 31, currently a resident of this tiger park and breeding farm, may not be much better. After he dies, his bones will be crushed up into potions for treating rheumatism. His skin will be turned into a jacket. And his penis and testicles—the original Viagra, according to some Chinese—will be slurped up in soup by an aging believer looking to give his sex life some oomph.
By some accounts, the market in tiger-driven medicine brought in more than $12 million a year before China banned the sale of tiger parts in 1993, helping to stabilize wild-tiger populations that were perilously close to extinction. Now some Chinese officials—under fierce lobbying from tiger farmers and would-be parts peddlers—want to lift the injunction to regain that lost market. That's alarmed conservationists, who fear that scrapping the ban could undo the progress of the last 14 years. Eric Dinerstein, chief scientist at the World Wildlife Fund, says flatly: "Lifting the ban on the tiger trade would spell the end for a number of wild-tiger populations across Asia."
On its surface, the idea of creating a regulated market for tiger parts has a certain appeal—and not just for the farmers. Chinese officials and others note that demand for such parts persists regardless of the ban. "It will be a waste if the resources of dead tigers aren't used for traditional medicine," said wildlife-conservation official Wang Wei. Legalizing the trade, they argue, could actually help protect wild tigers by reducing the incentive for illegal poaching. Free-market proponents point to the case of wild crocodiles. For the past few decades, many countries have allowed a regulated trade in captive-bred crocodile skins and other parts from farms or ranches. Even many conservationists agree this has helped save some (though not all) wild-crocodile populations from poachers.
But, they say, comparisons between crocs and tigers don't hold, in part because tigers are far more expensive to raise than crocodiles, upping the incentive to poach instead of farm. "In India you can poison a tiger for less than a dollar," says Belinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India. "Raising one in captivity will cost $3,500 to $10,000."
What's more, say conservationists (who almost unanimously supported a U.N. resolution last month against lifting the ban), tiger parts from places like India—which has the world's largest wild-tiger population—could be trafficked to China. There buyers would have no way to distinguish illegal parts from legal ones, which means poached tigers and parts could be "laundered" as farmed ones. "Law-enforcement controls are not in place in China to police the tiger-farm trade," says the WWF's Dinerstein.
Some inside and outside China raise another question: should the Chinese government be giving official sanction to a trade that skeptics say is based on pseudoscience? "Tiger parts have no proven effect as drugs or medicine—they're useless," says Zu Shuxian, a retired professor of epidemiology at Anhui Medical University and an outspoken critic of traditional Chinese medicine. Zu and others argue that lifting the ban could jeopardize wild tigers in order to supply a market that's fundamentally fraudulent.
Others say the Chinese should note Russia's strategy in preserving its wild Siberian, or Amur, tigers. Only a few dozen strong 50 years ago, the population is now some 500 in the wild, thanks to huge nature reserves that were created for the tigers, a well-enforced hunting ban and "buffer areas" to separate tiger and human populations. Conserving wild tigers "is really about proper landscape-use management and getting people to change their behavior," says Xie Yan, the Beijing-based director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's China program.
Such efforts are more likely to help wild tigers than a risky experiment in selling organs and parts whose medical benefits are questionable. Conservationists and diplomats are now appealing to the Chinese government to keep the ban in place. The fate of Tiger No. 31—and his wild cousins—will hang on Beijing's decision.
With Jason Overdorf in New Delhi
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19887679/site/newsweek/page/0/
Canadian zoo boasts of world's largest lion in captivity
Article online since July 26th 2007, 13:31
Rutledge, Oaklawn's 16 -year old lion and the world’s largest lion living in captivity, enjoys a lazy morning in the shade. View all pictures What's new at the zoo
BY AMY SMITH
Oaklawn Farm Zoo's success over the past 25 years could be attributed to its big cats or other exotic attractions, but the real secret may very well be in owners Gail and Ron Rogerson's Millville kitchen.
When the morning chores are done and the pair finally get to put their feet up, relaxing solitude is far from what they experience. In and out of their kitchen file the workers that keep Oaklawn running, each greeted with a smile and a "how are you?"
This comfortable relationship between the Rogersons and their staff permeates the entire site. Visitors soon get the impression they aren't just visiting a zoo, they've been invited into a vibrant home - that's a little different than most.
In the Rogerson's yard, peacocks roam, chickens peck and barn cats laze about.
"Small children really enjoy the farm animals, the barn cats and the baby goats," explains Gail. "It’s their parents who are really interested in the big cats."
As she pats the large orange and black striped tiger, Czarina, it's easy to see how the animals themselves are part of the Oaklawn family, just as much as the staff.
"It's like you have your dog or cat at home, but ours are just... larger."
The zoo boasts a diverse collection of all the animal kingdom has to offer. The little spotted ocelot, a miniature version of a jaguar, is a pint-sized jungle cat - just the right size for smaller visitors. The slithering boa constrictor, a menacing Central and South American snake, curls in its corner and evokes a flip-flop in the stomachs of even the bravest viewers. Other zoo favourites include bears, monkeys, lemurs and lions - and the family is always growing.
For years, the gibbons, small apes from Malaysia, have been a zoo favourite. Their siren-like call can be heard all over the zoo: it's hard not to laugh at the silly noise. This year, Booboo and Zandor welcomed their little one, Paddy, to Oaklawn. Paddy's bright ginger fur contrasts with his mother's as he clings to her and, when his parents boom out their wailing call, Paddy replies with a sweet coo.
Also welcoming a newborn are Zack and Zelda, who are, of course, the zebras. The pair had a healthy baby boy June 11. The little guy has all of his black and white stripes, but is lacking one of the most important features: a name. The zoo is holding a "name the zebra" contest to find the foal a suitable moniker.
In addition to these new members, the zoo is home to a new wallaby joey and a colobus monkey, born in March. Visitors can see the joey, both hopping about independently and tucked inside its mother's pouch, and view the development of the young, uniquely thumbless, primates.
The folks at Oaklawn encourage your family to become part of theirs.
In less than a half-an-hour’s drive from most Kings County communities, it's easy to go out, spend an afternoon and still make it back in time for soccer practice. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to dusk, seven days a week. The best times to visit the zoo are mornings when the animals are active and at feeding time, which is at 7 p.m. until mid-August when it will switch to 6:30 p.m. Admission is good for the entire day, and summer passes are available so visitors can come and go as they please.
http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-121363-Whats-new-at-the-zoo.html
Rutledge, Oaklawn's 16 -year old lion and the world’s largest lion living in captivity, enjoys a lazy morning in the shade. View all pictures What's new at the zoo
BY AMY SMITH
Oaklawn Farm Zoo's success over the past 25 years could be attributed to its big cats or other exotic attractions, but the real secret may very well be in owners Gail and Ron Rogerson's Millville kitchen.
When the morning chores are done and the pair finally get to put their feet up, relaxing solitude is far from what they experience. In and out of their kitchen file the workers that keep Oaklawn running, each greeted with a smile and a "how are you?"
This comfortable relationship between the Rogersons and their staff permeates the entire site. Visitors soon get the impression they aren't just visiting a zoo, they've been invited into a vibrant home - that's a little different than most.
In the Rogerson's yard, peacocks roam, chickens peck and barn cats laze about.
"Small children really enjoy the farm animals, the barn cats and the baby goats," explains Gail. "It’s their parents who are really interested in the big cats."
As she pats the large orange and black striped tiger, Czarina, it's easy to see how the animals themselves are part of the Oaklawn family, just as much as the staff.
"It's like you have your dog or cat at home, but ours are just... larger."
The zoo boasts a diverse collection of all the animal kingdom has to offer. The little spotted ocelot, a miniature version of a jaguar, is a pint-sized jungle cat - just the right size for smaller visitors. The slithering boa constrictor, a menacing Central and South American snake, curls in its corner and evokes a flip-flop in the stomachs of even the bravest viewers. Other zoo favourites include bears, monkeys, lemurs and lions - and the family is always growing.
For years, the gibbons, small apes from Malaysia, have been a zoo favourite. Their siren-like call can be heard all over the zoo: it's hard not to laugh at the silly noise. This year, Booboo and Zandor welcomed their little one, Paddy, to Oaklawn. Paddy's bright ginger fur contrasts with his mother's as he clings to her and, when his parents boom out their wailing call, Paddy replies with a sweet coo.
Also welcoming a newborn are Zack and Zelda, who are, of course, the zebras. The pair had a healthy baby boy June 11. The little guy has all of his black and white stripes, but is lacking one of the most important features: a name. The zoo is holding a "name the zebra" contest to find the foal a suitable moniker.
In addition to these new members, the zoo is home to a new wallaby joey and a colobus monkey, born in March. Visitors can see the joey, both hopping about independently and tucked inside its mother's pouch, and view the development of the young, uniquely thumbless, primates.
The folks at Oaklawn encourage your family to become part of theirs.
In less than a half-an-hour’s drive from most Kings County communities, it's easy to go out, spend an afternoon and still make it back in time for soccer practice. The zoo is open from 10 a.m. to dusk, seven days a week. The best times to visit the zoo are mornings when the animals are active and at feeding time, which is at 7 p.m. until mid-August when it will switch to 6:30 p.m. Admission is good for the entire day, and summer passes are available so visitors can come and go as they please.
http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-121363-Whats-new-at-the-zoo.html
Stockpiles of dead tigers should be destroyed, experts urge China
27 July 2007, Beijing – Disturbing new images of tiger carcasses piled up in cold storage at one of China's largest "tiger farms" raise questions about enforcement of tiger trade bans in effect in China and internationally.
The photos were taken by participants invited to a government-sponsored workshop and tour of China 's two largest tiger "farms" earlier this month for international observers and scientists. The tour was held on the heels of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) agreeing in June that captive breeding of tigers should be restricted "only to conserving wild tigers."
"What is the point of these stockpiles when tiger trade is banned inside and outside China?" asked Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, who participated in the State Forestry Administration's tiger farm tour and tiger trade workshop. "The 171 member nations of CITES made it clear last month that ‘tigers should not be bred for their parts and derivatives.'"
Among the carcasses piled in a refrigerated building at the tiger farm in Guilin , China , was a tiger that had been skinned and another that had been gutted. CITES officials formally asked China in June to investigate illegal sales of tiger meat at the Guilin farm.
Tiger "farms" in China house nearly 5,000 live tigers, and farm investors are pressuring the government to lift a ban on tiger trade so that they can profit from the sale of skins, bones and other body parts of tigers after they die. The Guilin farm's owner submitted a report to CITES saying he was saving the tigers in cold storage for the day when trade is legalized in China .
"Given that these bodies are commercially valuable and their sale is prohibited by law, they amount to contraband," said Adam Roberts of Born Free Foundation. "Why not burn them the way other illegal wildlife products are burned in China?"
The 35 organizations of the International Tiger Coalition stand ready to offer guidance and technical support to China on shutting down its tiger farms and stepping up law enforcement efforts to stamp out illegal trade of tiger parts. The Coalition encourages China to invest more resources is increasing it wild tiger population, which could rebound quickly with proper protection.
###
Note to Editors: High-resolution photos of tiger farms and tiger carcasses in storage can be downloaded at www.savethetigerfund.org/tigerstockpiles .
Contacts: Judy Mills, +202/857-5160 International Tiger Coalition Jan Vertefeuille, +202/492-0597
http://www.savethetigerfund.org/AM/Template.cfm? Section=News_Headlines&CONTENTID=6325&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
The photos were taken by participants invited to a government-sponsored workshop and tour of China 's two largest tiger "farms" earlier this month for international observers and scientists. The tour was held on the heels of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) agreeing in June that captive breeding of tigers should be restricted "only to conserving wild tigers."
"What is the point of these stockpiles when tiger trade is banned inside and outside China?" asked Belinda Wright of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, who participated in the State Forestry Administration's tiger farm tour and tiger trade workshop. "The 171 member nations of CITES made it clear last month that ‘tigers should not be bred for their parts and derivatives.'"
Among the carcasses piled in a refrigerated building at the tiger farm in Guilin , China , was a tiger that had been skinned and another that had been gutted. CITES officials formally asked China in June to investigate illegal sales of tiger meat at the Guilin farm.
Tiger "farms" in China house nearly 5,000 live tigers, and farm investors are pressuring the government to lift a ban on tiger trade so that they can profit from the sale of skins, bones and other body parts of tigers after they die. The Guilin farm's owner submitted a report to CITES saying he was saving the tigers in cold storage for the day when trade is legalized in China .
"Given that these bodies are commercially valuable and their sale is prohibited by law, they amount to contraband," said Adam Roberts of Born Free Foundation. "Why not burn them the way other illegal wildlife products are burned in China?"
The 35 organizations of the International Tiger Coalition stand ready to offer guidance and technical support to China on shutting down its tiger farms and stepping up law enforcement efforts to stamp out illegal trade of tiger parts. The Coalition encourages China to invest more resources is increasing it wild tiger population, which could rebound quickly with proper protection.
###
Note to Editors: High-resolution photos of tiger farms and tiger carcasses in storage can be downloaded at www.savethetigerfund.org/tigerstockpiles .
Contacts: Judy Mills, +202/857-5160 International Tiger Coalition Jan Vertefeuille, +202/492-0597
http://www.savethetigerfund.org/AM/Template.cfm? Section=News_Headlines&CONTENTID=6325&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Siberian tiger cubs born at Romanian zoo
Thu Jul 26, 9:44 AM ET
GALATI, Romania (Reuters) - Lenuta and Costel, two tiger cubs from one of the world's most endangered species, the Siberian tiger, were born in a Romanian zoo this year, breeders said on Thursday.
The Siberian tiger, native to northern China, southern Russia and parts of North Korea is on the brink of extinction in the wild, decimated by poaching and loss of habitat. Scientists believe only a few hundred now live outside captivity.
The cubs, now weighing 3 kilos (6.6 lb) each, were born on May 21 to six-year-old Gina and her mate, six-year-old Geo.
"It is a miracle," Liliana Stancu, chief of a zoo in the city of Galati in eastern Romania, told Reuters. "Their mother was extraordinary, accepting them, carefully looking after and feeding them from the very beginning."
"Without her help it would have been almost impossible for the little tigers to survive ... we try not to touch the cubs so as to not scare the mother into loosing the milk."
The mother, a 250-kilo cat, kept the cubs out of public view in an indoor den until this month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070726/sc_nm/romania_tigers_dc
GALATI, Romania (Reuters) - Lenuta and Costel, two tiger cubs from one of the world's most endangered species, the Siberian tiger, were born in a Romanian zoo this year, breeders said on Thursday.
The Siberian tiger, native to northern China, southern Russia and parts of North Korea is on the brink of extinction in the wild, decimated by poaching and loss of habitat. Scientists believe only a few hundred now live outside captivity.
The cubs, now weighing 3 kilos (6.6 lb) each, were born on May 21 to six-year-old Gina and her mate, six-year-old Geo.
"It is a miracle," Liliana Stancu, chief of a zoo in the city of Galati in eastern Romania, told Reuters. "Their mother was extraordinary, accepting them, carefully looking after and feeding them from the very beginning."
"Without her help it would have been almost impossible for the little tigers to survive ... we try not to touch the cubs so as to not scare the mother into loosing the milk."
The mother, a 250-kilo cat, kept the cubs out of public view in an indoor den until this month.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070726/sc_nm/romania_tigers_dc
Chicago zoo gets Pallas' cats, upgrades feline exhibit
July 25, 2007
BY CYNDI LOZA Staff Reporter - cloza@suntimes.com
To the Lincoln Park Zoo, the raccoon-like red panda has the heart of a lion.
The fury creature joined its feline friends Tuesday in a $1.75 million upgraded exhibit at the Kovler Lion House.
"I think that they're really cute," 7-year-old Hadley McCarthy said, admiring the panda and his new roommates: two puma cubs, a trio of long-haired Pallas' cats, a baronial snow leopard and an Afghan leopard.
Hadley was particularly fond of the panda's thick red coat and small size -- weighing between 7 and 15 pounds. Also, "the way it walks makes the animal cuter from what it really is," she exclaimed.
The red panda and the Pallas' cats are new animals to the zoo.
Endangered species
So why welcome a panda in feline territory?
"We thought it be nice to mix it up a little bit," said Robyn Barbiers, vice president of collections at the zoo. "Cats sleep a lot -- people love seeing them, but they aren't very active, and the red panda is pretty cute [and] very different."
The red panda also shares similarities with some of the cats in the exhibit. Like the snow and Afghan leopards, for example, the panda is endangered. It can also withstand cold temperatures like the other animals, making the new habitat a perfect fit, Barbiers said.
'Fabulous place'
Gail McCarthy, a donor for the exhibit, said she likes Lincoln Park's new renovated exhibits.
"We're happy to contribute to help keep [the zoo] a fabulous place for the animals to live and a free and accessible place for all the people in Chicago that visit," McCarthy said.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/482467,CST-NWS-zoo25.article
BY CYNDI LOZA Staff Reporter - cloza@suntimes.com
To the Lincoln Park Zoo, the raccoon-like red panda has the heart of a lion.
The fury creature joined its feline friends Tuesday in a $1.75 million upgraded exhibit at the Kovler Lion House.
"I think that they're really cute," 7-year-old Hadley McCarthy said, admiring the panda and his new roommates: two puma cubs, a trio of long-haired Pallas' cats, a baronial snow leopard and an Afghan leopard.
Hadley was particularly fond of the panda's thick red coat and small size -- weighing between 7 and 15 pounds. Also, "the way it walks makes the animal cuter from what it really is," she exclaimed.
The red panda and the Pallas' cats are new animals to the zoo.
Endangered species
So why welcome a panda in feline territory?
"We thought it be nice to mix it up a little bit," said Robyn Barbiers, vice president of collections at the zoo. "Cats sleep a lot -- people love seeing them, but they aren't very active, and the red panda is pretty cute [and] very different."
The red panda also shares similarities with some of the cats in the exhibit. Like the snow and Afghan leopards, for example, the panda is endangered. It can also withstand cold temperatures like the other animals, making the new habitat a perfect fit, Barbiers said.
'Fabulous place'
Gail McCarthy, a donor for the exhibit, said she likes Lincoln Park's new renovated exhibits.
"We're happy to contribute to help keep [the zoo] a fabulous place for the animals to live and a free and accessible place for all the people in Chicago that visit," McCarthy said.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/482467,CST-NWS-zoo25.article
Lansing, Mich. zoo has snow leopard, tigers, lions
Christian Czerwinski
NOISE
I'll admit it. I've never been to a zoo before. Even though I grew-up close to the Utica (New York) Zoo and the zoo in Syracuse, I never thought about going. And when my fifth grade class took a field trip to the Utica Zoo, I was sick.
So if you're like me, but you want to venture into the wild kingdom, Lansing's Potter Park Zoo is a good place to start.
It's clean, well-kept and the staff is friendly and willing to answer any questions you have.
It's also home to a bevy of animals including camels, a lioness, three tigers, a rhino, otters, a vulture and more.
Zookeeper Jan Brigham said zoos aren't about entertainment as much anymore.
"It's more about conservation and education," she said. "The wild is getting smaller and smaller and that's why a lot of animals are endangered."
So I went with NOISE photographer Jeremy Herliczek and we found three cool things to check out at the zoo, including a few of the newest additions.
Baby Snow Leopard
Born on May 4, this little guy looks like a stuffed animal. But don't be fooled by his cute little white face; his paws are already the size of a human fist.
When Jeremy and I walked in, the leopard was in his room listening to the radio. (Seems he likes Diddy.)
Brigham said not many zoos have snow leopards.
"His mother was born here but she didn't take care of him," she said. "They are endangered, so that's why we do everything to save him."
A native to the mountainous region of central and south Asia, the snow leopard should grow to about 75 pounds.
After about 10 minutes, the little guy started growling and I'm not going to lie: it was scary.
Three Amur (Siberian) Tigers
If you've never seen a tiger before, you'd be surprised to see that they act a little bit like the average house cat. But while your house cat can tear apart your couch, these cats can tear you apart, even if they're just playing. The zoo has three, including a 230-pound male; all of them were born on site.
Brigham said the tigers know about 20 commands and love to play with a garage door spring in their cage.
As cubs, the cats were fed with a bottle, but as soon as they started eating meat, that's the last time a zookeeper has entered the cage.
Magellan Penguins
On May 4, the zoo welcomed the birth of two penguins, boosting their number to 10. Common to South America, these guys plodded their way around their space -- complete with a pool chilled to 55 degrees.
The chicks didn't have as much white coloring as the adults and didn't seem too afraid of us when we went up to them in their separate cage.
We had a good time watching these little guys (who are about 18 inches tall) eat a copious amount of fish.
"They get to eat as many fish as they want two times a day," said zookeeper Linda Wager.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070724/NOISE05/707250307/1001/news
NOISE
I'll admit it. I've never been to a zoo before. Even though I grew-up close to the Utica (New York) Zoo and the zoo in Syracuse, I never thought about going. And when my fifth grade class took a field trip to the Utica Zoo, I was sick.
So if you're like me, but you want to venture into the wild kingdom, Lansing's Potter Park Zoo is a good place to start.
It's clean, well-kept and the staff is friendly and willing to answer any questions you have.
It's also home to a bevy of animals including camels, a lioness, three tigers, a rhino, otters, a vulture and more.
Zookeeper Jan Brigham said zoos aren't about entertainment as much anymore.
"It's more about conservation and education," she said. "The wild is getting smaller and smaller and that's why a lot of animals are endangered."
So I went with NOISE photographer Jeremy Herliczek and we found three cool things to check out at the zoo, including a few of the newest additions.
Baby Snow Leopard
Born on May 4, this little guy looks like a stuffed animal. But don't be fooled by his cute little white face; his paws are already the size of a human fist.
When Jeremy and I walked in, the leopard was in his room listening to the radio. (Seems he likes Diddy.)
Brigham said not many zoos have snow leopards.
"His mother was born here but she didn't take care of him," she said. "They are endangered, so that's why we do everything to save him."
A native to the mountainous region of central and south Asia, the snow leopard should grow to about 75 pounds.
After about 10 minutes, the little guy started growling and I'm not going to lie: it was scary.
Three Amur (Siberian) Tigers
If you've never seen a tiger before, you'd be surprised to see that they act a little bit like the average house cat. But while your house cat can tear apart your couch, these cats can tear you apart, even if they're just playing. The zoo has three, including a 230-pound male; all of them were born on site.
Brigham said the tigers know about 20 commands and love to play with a garage door spring in their cage.
As cubs, the cats were fed with a bottle, but as soon as they started eating meat, that's the last time a zookeeper has entered the cage.
Magellan Penguins
On May 4, the zoo welcomed the birth of two penguins, boosting their number to 10. Common to South America, these guys plodded their way around their space -- complete with a pool chilled to 55 degrees.
The chicks didn't have as much white coloring as the adults and didn't seem too afraid of us when we went up to them in their separate cage.
We had a good time watching these little guys (who are about 18 inches tall) eat a copious amount of fish.
"They get to eat as many fish as they want two times a day," said zookeeper Linda Wager.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?
AID=/20070724/NOISE05/707250307/1001/news