Nap time

Nap time
Originally uploaded by FredArmitage.

San Francisco Zoo otters photo by FredArmitage.

Thirsty Seagull and Frog

Thirsty Seagull and Frog
Originally uploaded by CTP.

Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Fun photo and title by CTP.

Piling on the Lizards

Piling on the Lizards
Originally uploaded by chrisada.

Bangkok Zoo. Photo by chrisada.

Read the sign PEOPLE!

Read the sign PEOPLE!
Originally uploaded by A1KWords.

The goat might be also saying, "Put down the camera, A1KWords, and do as the sign requests."

Title and photo by A1kWords. Goat and sign by Dallas Zoo.

Inca Tern

Pretty bird
Originally uploaded by ftcb.

"Pretty bird" is the title photographer "ftcb" put on this strong photo taken at Tierpark Stralsund.

It is an Inca Tern, according to "martytdx", who reports you can also find them at the Philadelphia Zoo.

NC Zoo Compliment

In a lengthy article in "The Herald", Glasgow, Scotland, about whether zoos are a good thing or not, Beth Pearson lists the North Carolina Zoo first in a grouping of better zoos. (Link)

"Today there are more than 800 zoos in more than 80 countries. The highest number, almost 200, is in the US. Most are supported by city and state governments. Among the most prestigious are the North Carolina Zoological Park, San Diego Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, the Wildlife Conservation Society (the Bronx Zoo), the Brookfield Zoo and the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago."

Pearson offers opinion that "the wild" is becoming more zoo-like and the better zoos are becoming more wild, or natural.

Thanks for the link, Rod Hackney, NC Zoological Park.

Not All about Tai Shan

Joe Heim, the Washington Post, points out that there are other baby animals at the National Zoo than the popular giant panda, Tai Shan. (Link)

Youngsters include a prehensile-tailed porcupine, North Island brown Kiwi, Panamanian golden frogs and Everglades rat snakes.

I learned that a baby porcupine is a "porcupette".

Regarding the Everglades rat snakes, Heim writes: "If you can get past the moniker, these darlings, born last year, are a fascinating bunch to observe. Now a mere foot long, they will mature to be anywhere from 3 1/2 to 6 feet long with a 1.5-inch diameter."

Stripes

Stripes
Originally uploaded by * Shanni *.

Los Angeles Zoo photo by Shanni.

Three Trains of Thought

Vögel
Originally uploaded by BxExAxTxE.

Look what BxExAxTxE noticed on a visit to Zoo Berlin!

Checking for Gingivitis

Checking for Gingivitis
Originally uploaded by sushla.

Wonderful photo of orangutans and interesting title by sushia who took it and named it today.

Extreme Gecko Close-Up

Uroplatus toes
Originally uploaded by alumroot.

Brand new, minutes-old upload.

We can see why geckos can climb straight up walls.

"The toes of a leaf-tailed gecko. Also interesting to see is that fringe that looks like flash from molding, it may help break their outline when they are trying to blend into the vegetation. Taken at the San Diego Zoo," says alumroot.

Uploaded by alumroot on 26 Feb '06, 7.11pm EST.

The ragged fringe on the leg and side of the gecko means you do not (and a predator does not!) see an easy to discern, straight outline of the gecko against a tree or leaf.

"The Kiss", Too

klimt029
Originally uploaded by russlings.

Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" was the probable inspiration for francesborg's title for her rockhopper penguins posting below.

The Kiss

the kiss
Originally uploaded by francesborg.

Strong photo of rockhopper penguins at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, Great Britain, by francesborg.

The NC Zoo Director David M. Jones began his veterinary career at Whipsnade. Whipsnade is under the Zoological Society of London, which also oversees, of course the London Zoo. Director Jones headed the Society before coming to North Carolina.

Red Panda

Red Panda
Originally uploaded by northcapital.

Here is the red (or lesser) panda referred to in the post below.

More about Lesser Panda

This China Post story has much good info on the red panda (also known as the lesser panda).

The endangered red panda is much smaller than the more famous giant panda (not much bigger than a house cat). It will eat meat, but prefers plants, including plenty of bamboo.

Knows where the food really comes from

Knows where the food really comes from
Originally uploaded by Brent and MariLynn.

"This was a hungry but smart goat. When nobody had bought 25 cents worth of goat feed, this guy tried to bypass the humans and directly lick the inside of the machine. If you view larger, you can barely see the goats tongue."

Photo, title and quote offered by Brent and MariLynn.

Speaking of petting zoos, the "Ask Marilyn" (not MariLynn!) advice (at the link) refers to "good" petting zoos that respect the animals. There are ones that allow too much human interaction and not enough rest (and respect).

Its all about teaching and understanding, isn't it? (Treating the animals as we would want to be treated if we had the four legs or scales.)

John the Opossum

In a recent post ("Freckles"), I wrote:

"The Valerie H. Schindler Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at the NC Zoo treats about 1000 native creatures in need annually. It is totally funded by the private sector through the NC Zoo Society and it is entirely run by volunteers, who get aid and assistance from volunteer practitioners at the Hanes Veterinary Medical Complex at the Zoo.

"Volunteer Carol Kaszmarek has shared some articles written for the Schindler Center volunteers, called "Volunteer Views", with me. They tell of some of the more interesting challenges to the Center volunteers, who do not name their patients, since those patients are wild animals destined to be returned to the wild, near where they were found (usually by caring folks who know the Schindler Center is a good place to bring orphaned and injured wildlife).

Carol does think of this one patient as "Freckles". You will learn why."

---------------------------


Well, Carol also thought of one opossum patient as "John". You will again learn why.

One night an elderly woman heard strange noises from her bathroom, Carol reports. She found a wet and angry young opossum in the toilet (or "john").

She closed the lid, weighted it down and tossed the rest of the night, hearing strange noises from the bathroom. A friend came the next morning. They did not find a drowned opossum when they lifted the john's lid.

They found "John", "showing all of his 50 small but impressive teeth." They were pretty sure the mother was nearby, but a search turned up neither her nor John's siblings.

John was brought to Schindler Rehabilitation Center. "His disposition leaves something to be desired. Most of us approach him when necessary with caution (and usually gloves). His attitude seems to say I WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE (which is the perfect attitude for a releasable animal), Carol wrote.

Smart Advice

Asked what she thinks of parents who allow their children to wade with goldfish, which die after a few days of the practice, arguing that it isn't very different from "a petting zoo, where animals entertain children", Marilyn vos Savant states: "Petting zoos help educate children and promote a love of animals. They are treated with respect and handled with care."

She feels the lack of respect, and worse, of the goldfish in the wading pool "looks like 'uneducating' children to me." ("Ask Marilyn", PARADE, February 26, 2006; vos Savant is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records Hall of Fame for "Highest IQ".)

The Eye of the Tiger

The eye of the Tiger
Originally uploaded by Foto Jan.

Title and photo: Foto Jan, who took it today.

Harrowing Tale

Today's Greensboro "News and Record" has a front page "teaser" about a story in tomorrow's "Life" section about a zookeeper's attack by two Polar bears.

That would be the NC Zoo's mammal curator Guy Lichty telling about the terrible attack he suffered many years ago at another zoo. If he hadn't known just what to do, he wouldn't still be around to tell this tale. His scars are proof of how hard it must have been to "play dead".

If you are set up for it, you can see and hear Guy tell the attack story at this link (scroll down slightly to "Bear Attack Survivor") to the "News and Record" website: (Link)

Meerkat Eyes

Meerkat - 6538
Originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

This Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam, meerkat gave Edgar Thissan's camera (Canon EOS 20D) a serious look, February 17.

You'll usually find the meerkats in the African Pavilion at the NC Zoo more active and less pensive.

24/7 Orang Care

Twenty staff and 12 volunteers at Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City, Utah, cared "24/7" for a baby orangutan for nine months, until its own mother was trained by them to take over.(Link)

The AP story notes that the humans donned "faux-fur vests" to hand-rear the young Bornean orang after a C-section delivery caused the mother to not bond with her baby.

Biblical Zoo & Birth Control

The Jerusalem Post reports that the local zoo (Biblical Zoo) has seen its giraffe population triple in recent years, to a hard-to-handle nine. The solution: birth control. (Link)

The Associated Press report relates that "the most fertile female - Shavit - has been put on birth control. The 5-year-old has been injected with birth control hormones, delivered by dart, after giving birth twice in four years."

The NC Zoo too utilizes birth control when additions to a certain species is not desired, perhaps because of habitat size or because the species is already well represented in the zoo world (or in the whole world - the species being neither rare nor endangered).

Detroit Zoo Could Close

This will probably get worked out. The folks in Detroit love their Zoo, which I visited some few years back.

The Detroit Free Press (Hugh McDiarmid and Marisol Bello) report on a financial crisis affecting the city of Detroit and its Zoo, which is attempting a move from city-run to Zoo Society- (private sector-) run. (Link)

If a compromise to the current impasse could not be found, the Zoo could close as soon as May.

Expect the Zoo's friends will find a way...

Debate Turns Ugly

The Philadelphia Zoo has banned an animal rights activist from its grounds after learning that she wished the Zoo's director "nightmares every night until you die, which should be soon." The activist has been trying to get the Zoo to send its elephants to a "sanctuary". (Link to Philadelphia Daily News article by Gloria Campisi.)

"Maybe you should be kept in a concrete closet for six months to hasten your demise," was another of her comments directed to Philadelphia Zoo director Pete Hoskins.

Pete led the American Zoo and Aquarium team that recently accredited the North Carolina Zoological Park. I found him to be a gracious, humble man.

"The Philadelphia Zoo's elephants occupy only a quarter-acre of the zoo's 42 acres. By contrast, the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has 2,700 acres."

Zoo spokeswoman Gretchen "Toner said life expectancy of wild elephants is in the mid-40s, yet the Philadelphia Zoo's oldest elephant, Petal, is 50."

Chimps in Training

Some wild chimpanzees have learned how to crack open nuts using two rocks - a "hammer" and a base. A primate behaviorist wants to try to train the Lincoln Park Zoo chimps to do the same. (Link)

James Janega, Chicago Tribune reports, "it was 26-year-old Kibali, the most cautious member in the troop, who investigated most closely. She lifted and sniffed the hammers, gave exploratory tugs to the chains and rapped on the concrete base."

Tai Shan: "I call this pose Chillin!"

Tai Shan: "I call this pose Chillin!"
Originally uploaded by Nikographer.

"Butterstick kicking back, trying to get into just the right position...," says Nikographer of the National Zoo (Wash., D.C.) star.

Jackass Penguins & Heron

Jackass Penguins & Heron - 6504
Originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

"Finally, the last penguin out of this series.

Taken @ Blijdorp Zoo Rotterdam, Holland," writes Edgar Thissen, who concludes his strong series of jackass (or black-footed) penguin photos, with the most amusing of the lot.

Sumatran Orangutan Birth

A Sumatran orangutan birth at Toronto Zoo has some feeling good about the future of the species, according to Melissa Leong, National Post. (Link)

""It is a crisis for orangutans in the world. Every single birth that is successful helps with that crisis," said Dr. Rob Shumaker, lead scientist at Great Ape Trust, a research facility based in Des Moines, Iowa."

Ambassador to the Animals

Emmy Award-winning actress Betty White is named Ambassador to the Animals by the Los Angeles Zoo. The actress and animal activist has served on the LA Zoo board for many years, United Press International reports. (Link)

"She has written two animal-related books and received the American Veterinary Medical Association`s Humane Award in the 1980s."

Tai Shan: "I call this pose Hanging Out!"

Tai Shan: "I call this pose Hanging Out!"
Originally uploaded by Nikographer.

Nikographer's National Zoo photo and title.

"Butterstick hanging from his favorite tree," Nikographer adds.

Great Greater Kudu

gazelle
Originally uploaded by atomicbrown.

Strong greater kudu photo by atomicbrown...taken at Disney's Animal Kingdom...uploaded on Valentine's Day.

Cheetah Cubs at National Zoo

Cheetah cubs at nationalzoo
Originally uploaded by somesai.

"The litter of four cheetah cubs...the first ever born at the National Zoo...turned one year old on November 23." (somesai, also the cheetahs' photographer.

My understanding of cheetahs is that their genetics are such that each cheetah is as much like the other as a human identical twin is to the other.

My further understanding is that cheetahs had to come very close to extinction a number of times in the past to be so related today...and they have to have some wonderful genetic advantages to have survived with so little diversity within the species. (It does make them all in danger of being done in by the same disease.)

Two More Sides

The Lee Richardson Zoo, Garden City, Kansas, and the animal rights group, In Defense of Animals, both have their say in this balanced article on the issue of keeping African elephants in zoos. (Link) (HutchNews.com)

Les Shobert, who was once the general curator of animals at the NC Zoo, is one of the In Defense of Animals spokespersons here.

"Nonetheless, Schobert, a consultant now based in La Quinta, Calif., notes resistance, in part because of the cost that zoos incur creating more space for elephants, one of In Defense's underlying aims. And officials at Lee Richardson, a source of community pride in Garden City, say charges that Moki and Chana are in poor health are greatly exaggerated." (Tim Vandenack, The Hutchinson News)

Meerkat

Meerkat - 6536
Originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

Edgar Thissen is becoming the King of the eyes-on close-up zoo photo from Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam, Holland.


If you look for the meerkats at the NC Zoo, go to the lowest exhibit in the African Pavilion.

President Kiki

Visitors to Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, celebrated President's Day by voting Kiki the gorilla "Zoo President".

Zoo workers promoted six candidates, providing political platforms and literature, for a cow, lion, zebra, giraffe, anaconda and the winner, Kiki, CBS4Boston.com reports. (Link)

Zoo Zurich Species Surprise

Nine mouse maki, a small primate of the lemur family, were imported to Zoo Zurich's Masaola Rainforest last March. Now experts with the German Primate Center and the University of Gottinger have discovered that the mouse maki are representatives of a heretofore undiscovered species. (Link)

This was found through genetic study of the makis' feces.

"The newly identified species belongs to the smallest known primates. It has been named “Microcebus lehilahytsara“, which is Malagasy for “good man”, in honor of Dr. Steven M. Goodman, whose field research over a period of many years has done much to deepen the understanding of the various animal species in Madagascar and who plays an untiring role in helping to preserve the country’s flora and fauna." (TravelVideo.TV)

Hello Again!

Hello Again! - 6507
Originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

Another jackass penguin photo, Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam, by Edgar Thissen, who titled this post too. Jackass penguins have been in the "zoo news" recently. (Link)

Dear Polar Bear,

Sometimes it is especially nice to have my job.

We offer "adoptions" of NC Zoo animals. Some folks give us a little donation and then make a gift of the adoption to someone else.

Today I got this note, in a young hand, destined for the Polar bear:

"Dear Polar Bear,

"When I opened my birthday gift it was an adoption certificate for you.

"How old are you?

"What is your name?

"When you get sick, do you get a warm or a cold?

"I get colds but I feel very warm when I get them.

"Your loving parent,

J___ L__ B___ "

More Weird Elephant Facts

In an article in Newsday.com's "Health/Science" section by Kathy Wollard, who does a series under the title "How Come?", we learn the reasons an African elephant has big ears. She titles this specific "How Come?": "Unflappable in Africa's Heat". (Link)

African elephant ears are twice as big as those of Asian elephants; up to 110 pounds for each ear.

The big ears offer a lot of surface space for veins carrying much of the blood in the elephant's body. Flapping that blood in the air cools it and then that cooled blood is circulated within the elephant for some "central cooling".

When an elephant faces off the occasional, very bold predator, flared ears make it look very much larger from that predator's point of view. This has saved the African elephants from some fights.

A big ear is pretty good for swatting all those flying bugs that are disturbed when the big creatures walk through the grasses and brush of Africa, too.

Ms. Wollard also deals at length with what the ears do NOT do for elephants:

"Having big ears doesn't mean that elephants have superior hearing at the frequencies we humans hear. However, elephants can make and hear sounds we can't even imagine. Humans can hear low sounds only down to about 20 hertz (cycles per second). The lowest note on a piano resounds at 66 hertz, while rolling, booming thunder may be pitched at 15 to 40 hertz.

"Like thunder, elephant calls can drop down to a rumbly 15 hertz.

"These super-low bass sounds can travel on and on across clear spaces and may be heard by other elephants in a 110-square-mile radius. Likewise, elephants are among the animals that can hear the very low sounds made by an approaching earthquake or tsunami."

Calgary Zoo Options

The Calgary Zoo has announced plans to create a $100 million Arctic Shores exhibit. It has not yet named which animals will be included, it appears.

Michael Platt, for the Calgary Sun, notes that the "cold-climate exhibit" suggests "penguins, bears and arctic whales." (Link)

Folks are already taking sides on whether Polar bears or whales could be exhibited "fairly" in the $100 million plan.

Mr. Platt seems to put his trust in the Calgary Zoo experts, both to determine which species can be exhibited and to be "fair" to those chosen.

Cardinal (Female)

Cardinal (Female)
Originally uploaded by Al Andersen.

"This lovely lady was the main poser today [2/18/06, it appears] in the aviary at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum."

Title, photo and quote: Al Andersen.

Elephant Ethics

After African elephant birth complications at Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester, NY, James Goodman of the Rochester "Democrat & Chronicle" addresses some of the ethical debates around elephant breeding in zoos - questions of appropriate climate and the utilization of artificial insemination are among those handled. (Link)

"Seneca Park Zoo is among many that are expanding elephant habitats. A 2005 survey by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association showed that 40 zoos plan to expand or build new elephant exhibits over the next five years."

"The Detroit Zoo concluded that confinement in a cold climate wasn't suitable for its two elephants and last year sent them to an animal sanctuary in California.

"Despite the controversy, officials at the Seneca Park Zoo say they are moving ahead with plans to open a new elephant exhibit in the spring and will also seek an African exhibit with baboons and lions."

Marathon Elephant Research

The Hindustan Times reports on Cynthia Moss, continuing her study of African elephants at Amboseli Park, Kenya, after close to 40 years. (Link)

"The reason why Moss feels so strongly about elephants is perhaps the striking resemblances they bear to human habit patterns. Moss sums them up without being asked to. Like human, tuskers live in families. They don't exactly have homes like we do, but definitely have what Moss calls "home ranges". So, all elephants of a particular family invariably come back to their home turf after a day out. Tuskers are very emotional and like humans, viscous tears stream down temporal glands when they are emotionally charged. So, do elephants weep? "Not the way we do. But the tears basically have one central function: they emit a strong smell and send out a message to other elephants about joy and sorrow," Moss says."

Butterstick / Tai Shan @ DC Zoo 2/18/06

Butterstick / Tai Shan @ DC Zoo 2/18/06
Originally uploaded by Nikographer.

"Tai Shan messing around. He and his mom were funny to watch today, Tai Shan kept grabbing on to her and she was pushing him away, in a playful way."

Photo, title and quote by National Zoo fan/photog extraodinaire Nikographer, who uses the little giant's (panda's) nickname in his title.

Lion-Tailed Macaque

Burqa - 6589
Originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

"Not a good picture of this Lion Tail Macaque, but I like the expression.

Taken @ Blijdorp Zoo Rotterdam, Holland."

Photo and quote by Edgar Thissen, who is MUCH more critical of this picture than I.

Jackass Penguin Too

Jackass Penguin - 6501
Originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

Another jackass penguin photo by Edgar Thissen from Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam.

More representational and less comical than the youngster in the other recent posting of a jackass penguin by Mr. Thissen.

Handsome Wolves

European Wolves - 6571
Originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

Edgar Thissan took another strong animal portrait at the Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam, Holland and uploaded it very recently.

Freckles

The Valerie H. Schindler Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at the NC Zoo treats about 1000 native creatures in need annually. It is totally funded by the private sector through the NC Zoo Society and it is entirely run by volunteers, who get aid and assistance from volunteer practitioners at the Hanes Veterinary Medical Complex at the Zoo.

Volunteer Carol Kaszmarek has shared some articles written for the Schindler Center volunteers, called "Volunteer Views", with me. They tell of some of the more interesting challenges to the Center volunteers, who do not name their patients, since those patients are wild animals destined to be returned to the wild, near where they were found (usually by caring folks who know the Schindler Center is a good place to bring orphaned and injured wildlife).

---------------------------------------------

Carol does think of this one patient as "Freckles". You will learn why.

Freckles is a large black rat snake. Freckles "decided to set up housekeeping in one of the zoo exhibit areas," Carol reports.

Since the area was the cougar habitat, things did not go well for Freckles. After the zoo keepers lured the big cats away from their "plaything" and rescued the rat snake, "the vet counted 50 puncture wounds on the snake's body. Amazingly, as x-ray showed, there were no injuries to the major internal organs."

Volunteers worked long to spare Freckles from serious infection. Freckles was placed on oral antibiotics and "rehab volunteers flushed out each wound with a disinfectant several times a day."

As he healed, "his beautiful black skin had scar tissue form which looked like clusters of freckles."

Shedding was the next problem. A snake should shed its skin as a single piece. As they grow, they must shed. A snake can strangle if a piece of skin encircling the body does not shed. Freckles' skin was coming off in bits and pieces. Human help, with tweezers, was required.

Freckles second shed was better..."coming off in several large pieces".

They just wanted a "one-piece" shed before they released Freckles. The snake, however, almost messed that up.

"Recently, when answering the phone, I was surprised to see the head of a black rat snake pop up next to the computer screen," Carol explains. Freckles had made a foolish escape and had become tangled in the computer's wires.

Freckles finally had a successful, complete shed and has been released on the NC Zoo's 1450-acre site.

"So if you see a black snake with what looks like a group of freckles...And if he is heading toward the cougar exhibit...please turn him around. Some animals, just like some people, never learn," Carol observes.

NC Zoo Weather Forecast

Up to an inch of snow could fall at the NC Zoo between 1 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday. It could turn to freezing rain and/or rain before the precipitation stops.

Precipitation totals are expected to be low.

Zoo Hosts Civil War Re-enactment

The Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens (Columbia, SC) was host for a re-enactment of Sherman's crossing of the water within the "Riverbanks", onto the land which the Zoo and Gardens now controls and into downtown Columbia. (Link)

"Tourists had the opportunity to visit the Confederate relic room, listen to presentations about Sherman's military strategy and see war era uniforms.

"Re-enactors say the most important thing they want people to take away from today's activities is to learn more about history on their own." (WISTV.com)

Flight Plans Filed?

Photo eCard by Webshots III
Originally uploaded by russlings.

"headed my way"

Photo, title, quote by Lyn Adams, who has more to say on this topic in my prior two postings - "Brave Hearts" and "Winter Forage".

Winter Forage

Photo eCard by Webshots II
Originally uploaded by russlings.

"winter forage ..."
"an inland visitor in winter - forages along the shoreline of Oak
Hollow Lake - High Point ..."

Lyn Adams (photo, title, quote) remarks on the thoughts ("...and sea birds moving inland")...shared in his "Brave Hearts" post.

Brave Hearts

Photo eCard by Webshots
Originally uploaded by russlings.

"Brave Hearts - Sticking together, do birds of a feather"

"Climate change, storm intensities increasing, longer droughts,
heavier rainfall ...

"Melting glaciers, rising temperatures and sea levels, and sea birds
moving inland ... subtle hints ???

"How many do we need?"

Title, photo and quotes by Lyn Adams.

Off the Grid

Mark and Jane Lewis were at the Thornburg trailhead of the Birkhead Wilderness in Randolph County a few years back at the same time I came off the trail. They wanted to know about my Toyota Prius and how it functioned as a hybrid gas/electric vehicle.

It was in our chat that they shared that they were building a home "off the grid".

I was much impressed. I knew that to mean that their house would not be connected to the vast system of big electric companies and their connections to almost all homes in the USA.

Mark and I both work at the North Carolina zoo. He has the more interesting job, working closely with the reptiles he has been intrigued with since youth.

Their story is featured in the "Triad Homes" section of today's "New & Record" (Greensboro), on two pages and including six photos.

Special sections writer Diane Jakubsen notes that the Lewis home gets its electricity exclusively from the sun and that wood, from the 200-acre site of the 2,000 square-foot log home, provides most of its heat. She quotes Mark: "Solar works beautifully. We've had no trouble at all. Back a couple of years, when everybody lost their power, we wouldn't have known that happened, except when we turned on the radio, they were talking about everybody being without..."

The "Lewises are ordinary, everyday folks. They're not survivalists or activists," Jakubsen writes. "And if they ever do start to feel burdened by the fact that one of them has to start their winter days with a fire...there's the fact that they're situated just this side of heaven, in a refuge tucked way beyond the hustle of modern living, where it's not unusual to encounter a flock of turkeys in the front yard, deer moving through the woods or red-tailed hawks circling over head. Where Jane [a London-raised, avid birder] can close her eyes and pick out the voices in her aviarian choir, and where she and Mark can watch nature unfold around them, undisturbed."

Coincidenza?

My last posting was a photo of a young jackass (black-footed) penguin. In this morning's paper (News & Record, Greensboro) I read that the parents of Toga, the baby "black-footed" stolen from an Isle of Wight zoo, have successfully hatched another egg.

Toga is presumed dead, because the baby penguins only eat food put in their mouths by their parents.

Jackass Penguin

Jackass Penguin - 6506
Originally uploaded by Edgar Thissen.

Nothing personal. That is one of the common names for this penguin. (It is also called the blackfoot penguin, by its friends.)

Photo taken at Blijdorp Zoo, Rotterdam, Holland, by Edgar Thissen.

Great angle. Great subject!

I think I'll stick here

I think I'll stick here
Originally uploaded by somesai.

Taken of Tai Shan at the National Zoo (Wash., D.C.) and titled by somesai, who uploaded it today. (Somesai's title plays with Tai Shan's unofficial nickname, Butterstick.)

Sand Cat Kitten

Sand Cat Kitten
Originally uploaded by Nick Lawes.

This handsome, wild kitten was taken by Nick Lawes at the Marwell Zoo, Hampshire, England.

Powerball Zoo

I've written here in recent months about how impressed I am with Omaha's powerhouse of a zoo - the Henry Doorly Zoo. It appears some of its strength comes from income from Nebraska's Powerball lottery. (Link) (KETV - Omaha reports)

Brave Little Giraffe

The Oakland Zoo keepers are calling their new baby giraffe "Brave Little Toaster" until a donor chooses another name. If you doubt the keepers' assessment that this is a unique and brave baby giraffe, just look at the linked article's photo of the youngster as it stares confidently into the lens. (Link)

As is the norm, "Brave Little Toaster" was a six-footer at birth and on his feet and walking on his birth day. As is the norm, he is growing fast.

""A lot of times we get shy babies, but this one runs up to you," said giraffe keeper Melissa McCartney. "He's more interested in chewing new things than shying away. He's a spunky little guy."" (The Mercury News)

"Giraffes, known for their long necks, have seven vertebrae in their backs just as humans do. Their tongues are an average of 17 inches long and their hearts are typically the size of a watermelon. Bulls, or males, reach their full height of about 16 feet in about five years." (So "B.L.T." will keep growing mighty fast.)

Elephant Cull Postponed

The controversial plan to cull elephants in South Africa has been postponed, the "Courier-Mail" reports. (Link)

"The proposal could have meant removing thousands of the 12,500 elephants in the sprawling [Kruger National] park, where the optimal number had been set at 7000 for the past 30 years."

North Carolina Zoo Open!

Don't be confused if you see an article entitled "North Carolina Zoo Closes" or the like. They are talking about a small private zoo in Wake Forest, North Carolina, NOT the North Carolina Zoological Park, at the center of the state, near Asheboro. (Link)

The WWAY story, from "News and Observer", Raleigh, info, has it right, but I've been concerned to see a headline that makes it seem, at a glance, that THE NC Zoo is not open.

It is...every day but Christmas!

Rare Bird - Kiwi

An endangered North Island brown kiwi was just born at the National Zoo, Wash., D.C. (Link)

Nocturnal, burrowing and flightless, this is one rare bird, native to New Zealand.

"Kiwi chicks hatch fully feathered, with their eyes open and begin foraging for small worms and berries after their first week of life, since they receive no help from their parents." (WTOP News.com)

No help from the parents - rare bird in deed!

$100 Million Arctic Exhibit

The Calgary Zoo plans a $100 million Arctic exhibit. (Link)

Canadian or US dollars, that is a huge investment, akin to one of the larger investments announced periodically in the economic development world when a new manufacturing plant or service center is added to a community which considers itself lucky to welcome the new employer.

"The City of Calgary has yet to approve the development permit but the exhibit is due to open in 2010." (CBC News)

Cooped Up in 500,000km2

The Asian elephants are on just 5 percent of their original range, have greater human concentrations in their range and have many fewer specimens in the wild than does the African elephant. "The Mercury" reports. (Link)

"However, at a recent meeting in Malaysia, elephant custodians from 13 Asian elephant range states came together for the first time to discuss similar problems and to prepare long-term plans to protect a species whose close relationship with humanity dates back several thousand years."

bonding

bonding
Originally uploaded by kwilliams.

"A mother and baby orangutan at the Gulf Breeze Zoo.

It was a chilly day and they were snuggling under the blanket. It was really cute."

Strong photo, title and quote by kwilliams. The Zoo is in Gulf Breeze, in northwestern Florida.

Both Sides of an Elephant Debate

The Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, AZ, has one Asian and one African elephant on a half acre. They want the funds to build a three acre exhibit. Others want them to send the elephants to a sanctuary like the one in Tennessee.

Jim Nintzel and Carrie Stern of the Tucson Weekly do their best to give both sides their say. (Link)

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) recommends that elephant exhibits offer at least three females of the same species (African or Asian). (Reid Park Zoo would like to add at least another elephant, the Tucson Weekly story indicates.)

The NC Zoo has plans to increase its African elephant exhibit from 3 1/2 to 7 acres and to grow its collection from three to a herd of 10-12, mainly females and young.

"Great Family Reunion"

Keith Oppenheim of CNN reports on his assignment to travel with the last two of the many "Hawthorn elephants" sent to a Tennessee sanctuary. (Link)

He gets a feel in the end for what a very important move it was for the elephants.

"A Hawthorn facility in northern Illinois rents out elephants to circuses. In the past few years, Hawthorn got into trouble with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, receiving numerous citations for not providing proper veterinary care for its elephants -- and for handling them in such a way that the animals were stressed and traumatized."

Q: How Do You Capture a Condor?

A: With an entire calf* as bait.

Because they eat large, dead animals, the few remaining wild, California condors get into trouble with lead poisoning when they consume animals shot to death by hunters.

The Arizona Republic's John Faherty offers a strong article about Phoenix Zoo's efforts to assist lead poisoned condors. (Link)

There are just 273 California condors left...only about half of those are in the wild.

If one flies close to you, you will never forget the sound, a recent National Public Radio, first-person story stated.

( * Note: The dead calves are provided by dairies.)

what do you want from me lady?

what do you want from me lady?
Originally uploaded by kwilliams.

Black and white ruffed lemur photo and title by kwilliams.

Soaking up the sun at the Gulf Breeze Zoo (Northwest FL).

Zoo Director to Run for NO Mayor

You may recall posts here about Hurricane Katrina's effects on the zoo and aquarium in New Orleans and how Zoo Director Ron Forman (Audubon Nature Institute) stayed at the Aquarium of the America's after all staff were sent away by police officials. (He told us about some of his experiences prior to the keynote address of the last American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) national conference in Chicago in September.)

Mr. Forman has just announced he will run for mayor of New Orleans and has more financial backing at this point than Mayor Ray Nagin, who Forman has served and still considers a "good friend". (Link)

"Forman said storm protection against flooding and hurricanes is his top priority. “What’s happening right now in Baton Rouge on levees is nonsense, and it’s got to stop,” he said." (The Advocate.com, New Orleans Bureau, Joe Gyan, Jr.)

It's opened...polyanthus..

It's opened...polyanthus..
Originally uploaded by gtj-45.

gtj-45 captured this species in her garden after a rain.

Interim General Curator

NC Zoo Curator of Birds Ken Reininger will serve as interim general curator when General Curator Ron Morris retires February 24, after well more than 20 years as bird curator and then general curator.

NC Zoo Director David M. Jones estimates it might take 4 to 6 months to fill the position.

Unique Ugandan Viewpoints

The NC Zoo Society-supported website "Field Trip Earth" now offers travel logs for February 8-11 for the North Carolina zoo and teacher (U.N.I.T.E.) team in Uganda now. (Link)

"We also got ready for the evening celebration of the Council of All Beings. That evening we had a big fire pit with everyone [Ugandan and North Carolinian educators] making masks of animals, plants, or elements and speaking to humans about conservation and protection from the point of view of the animals, plants, and elements. It was a very moving experience with all of us joining in African singing and dancing at the end." (From February 8, 2006.)

On the 9th the emphasis was on Ugandan (and world) horticulture.

Astone, the Ugandan park ranger who came to North Carolina and the NC Zoo with Ugandan teachers on a recent U.N.I.T.E. visit, took the NC team on a tour of "his" park on the 10th. "We saw black and white colobus monkeys, red colubus monkeys, a redtail monkey, the chimps, a great blue toraco, and enjoyed tracking a pair of chimps off the trail into the rainforest. We saw chimps grooming one another, feeding on fruit in the top of the tree canopy, and then coming down the trees to spend some time on the ground before going back up the trees to build a nest to rest in the afternoon heat. That afternoon, we enjoyed some time off to write in our journals and sketch what we were seeing."

On the 11th, the team shopped for school items to take to the participating Ugandan U.N.I.T.E. schools. The NC team "bought things like paint for school wall drawings, seeds for school gardens, sauce pans, and measuring tape."

Croc School

North Carolina Zoo Curator of Herpetology John D. Groves is the author of a two-page article in the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) monthly magazine, "Communique", February 2006.

The article promotes the AZA's Crocodilian Biology and Captive Management School. In its sixth year, the school will be offered May 20-26, 2006. To date, nearly 100 students, some from as far away as Australia and China, have participated.

Top crocodilian experts brought in as instructors will include "renowned herpetolgical forensic expert" Peter Brazaitis and Dr. Kent Vliet of the University of Florida, who will take "students fairly close to some large aggregations of wild alligators", John reports.

The St Augustine (FL) Alligator Farm and Zoological Park will host the latter outing. The AZA alligator institution exhibits "all 23 of the world's crocodilian species", John adds.

Nicobar Pigeon Burgers' Zoo

bird from Burgers Zoo
Originally uploaded by David Humpohl.

The NC Zoo too has exhibited the Nicobar pigeons, in the RJ Reynolds Forest Aviary.

David Humpohl took this one at Burgers' Zoo, Netherlands.

Zoo Answers Barker

And vice versa.

The director of the Los Angeles Zoo claims game show host Bob Barker is misinformed in his concern about the conditions of the zoo's three elephants. (Link)

Barker continues to claim the elephants are stressed and require better conditions.

Flusspferd 2

Flusspferd 2
Originally uploaded by BxExAxTxE.

Or little "hippo" at Berlin Zoo by BxExAxTxE.

Illegal Animal Trade

"The Nation" (Nairobi, Kenya) offers a lengthy, informative article by Jeff Otieno on illegal animal trading in African elephant ivory (especially), rhino horn, rare birds and reptiles. (Link)

Kenya is reported a "leading transit point" in the illegal trade.

"According to a recent report titled Ivory Markets of Europe, most of the ivory originates from war-torn countries of sub-Saharan Africa where laws against the killing of wildlife are almost non-existent."

Explorer-in-Residence

Ellen Tomson, St. Paul Pioneer Press, gets great interview from J. Michael Fay, explorer-in-residence with National Geographic. (Link)

He is committed to our endangered Earth, from what he's seen.

His stories of surviving a remote plane crash and multiple gorings by an elephant are dramatic stuff:

"I flew over there and kind of put her down into these smaller trees. They snapped off like icicles and, miracle of miracles, there was this razorlike grass that acted like a net. Crazy. The plane was so covered over in vegetation, it was like a cave in there. It was two weeks before we could repair the plane and clear the airstrip so we could fly back out of there."

And: "When I grabbed her tusks, we fell to the ground together. Her eye was about six inches away from my head; we were eye to eye. She tried to roll over on me and tried to crush me. I could feel this pressure was building and building and then I could feel ribs snapping. She tried to stab me and stab me, and finally she flicked me away. I looked down, and my pants were bloody."

NC Zoo Included in Study

North Carolina Zoo mammal curator Lorraine Meller Smith confirmed today that the NC Zoo was one of 17 involved in the much-reported study of menopause in gorillas.

The NC Zoo's lowland gorilla, Ramar, now in residence at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, is a big part of this story.

lion closeup

lion closeup
Originally uploaded by bea2108.

Bea2108 took it and titled it.

Where?

I don't know.

Good?

You bet!

Iguana Textures

stekelig baasje
Originally uploaded by belgianchocolate.

Textures from a Madrid zoo iguana by the ever-interesting belgianchocolate.

Advances Toward Ramar Spark Study

The only gorilla the NC Zoo "owns" is Ramar, who now happily resides at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. A few years ago, a Brookfield Zoo primatologist became concerned that one of the older females was making sexual advances toward Ramar. The concern was that she might become pregnant. At her age delivery would carry risks, and so does birth control.

So a study was born, to determine if she could become pregnant. National Georgraphic reports that the study determined that gorilla females do go through menopause and that the female in question was perimenopausal - in the pre-menopausal stage her estrus cycle was so irregular as to make pregnancy impossible. (Link)

The study may have impact on human health as well. "Perimenopause may be the next big thing [in research]," [Brookfield's primatologist Sylvia] Atsalis said. "Recent research shows this is a time when women should pay a lot of attention to their health to prevent bone loss and cardiovascular disease."

A Knight Ridder News Service story on the study ran on A2 in the News & Record, Greensboro, NC, with a photo of the female lowland gorilla which triggered the study as she reaches toward, and tries to get a reaction, from Ramar. No mention was made that Ramar was from the zoo just 30 miles down the road.

zebrafink recropped

zebrafink recropped
Originally uploaded by FFgoatee.

FFgoatee took this at Munich, Germany's Hellabrunn zoo and titled it in his combined German and English. "Zebra finch" in English.

Nile Hippo Named Niles

"The Zoo" (FL) has named its baby Nile Hippo "Niles". (Link)

The Pensacola News Journal reports that the name was the one that got a rise out of the young hippo after being chosen a "finalist".

A behind-the-scenes tour was offered "finalist" youngsters, who found the whole experience "so cool!"

Pandas "Break" Some Zoos

There are giant pandas in four U.S. zoos at present: Atlanta, Memphis, San Diego and the National Zoo, Washington, D.C. Babies have been born at the latter two and no one is complaining there.

Atlanta and Memphis have not had youngsters born and its beginning to tell on the zoos' budgets. (Link to New York Times story - you may need to do a free registration)

The Chinese government requires U.S. zoos to pay a million dollars a year to "rent" the pandas (more if young are born) and to invest another million annually in related research. It also costs five times more a year to provide the diet for giant pandas than for the next eating champ - the elephant. Then there are the costs of the special exhibits, keepers, etc.

"A curator, three full-time keepers and one backup keeper care for Lun Lun and Yang Yang at Zoo Atlanta. A crew of six travels around Georgia six days a week, harvesting bamboo from 400 volunteers who grow it in their backyards. (Zoo Atlanta tried growing its own on a farm, as the Memphis Zoo does, but Lun Lun and Yang Yang turned up their noses.)

"It's crazy," Mr. [Dennis] Kelly [chief exec, Zoo Atlanta] said. "These bears, year-round, are some of the most pampered animals on the planet. We measure everything that goes in. We measure everything that goes out.""

David Towne, director of Seattle's zoo and head of a giant panda organization within North American zoos, says he recommends that his zoo stay away from investment in giant pandas because of the significant costs and risks.

Free Zoo Valentine Cards

Denver Zoo offers free downloadable Valentine's Day cards (and one anti-Valentine card for those just looking to survive the day in private). (Link)

Bobcat

Bobcat
Originally uploaded by GarretB.

"This is a picture of a Bobcat. Taken at the Desert Museum in Tucson, AZ." (GarretB)

Stealth Cat

The bobcat is an especially stealthy cat. It puts its back feet in the same tracks into which it has placed its front feet. It, therefore, make less noise...snapping only half the number of twigs underfoot.

The NC Zoo bobcats ("North America") are fed dry and canned feline "diet", rather than the rodents and other small mammals that their cousins in the wild eat.

You can find the adaptive bobcat in every, continental United State of America.

Flight of the Honey Bee

Flight of the Honey Bee
Originally uploaded by mt.combs.

The tag to this "flickr" photo by mt.combs would indicate that our good photographer was alert to wildlife photo opportunities besides those offered by the San Diego's Wild Animal Park's "charismatic megavertebrates".

Note that the honey bee of mt.combs' title is transporting a tiny seed which might serve to fertilize the target plant...thus serving its major purpose in life on Earth.

Free to Mourn

The Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester, N.Y., will be free to the public today and tomorrow so visitors can mourn the loss of an African elephant calf to birth complications. (Link)

"The area around the elephant exhibit has been designated as a place where kids can leave drawings, handmade cards, poems, stories and other heartfelt messages." (WHAM.com)

Big Snake Eggs

The Louisiana pine snake needs to hatch big eggs because it "exclusively eat[s] pocket gophers" and you have to be one-and-a-half or two feet long, at birth, to pull that off. (Link to "Daily Sentinel", Nachogdoches, TX story) (NOTE: While the article's quote claims Louisiana pine snakes "exclusively eat pocket gophers", the "Whozoo" link below indicates other rodents are consumed as well.)

The Ellen Trout Zoo, Lufkin, TX, has four eggs readying to hatch.

The endangered Louisiana pine snake will grow up to 8 feet long and as wide as a "baseball bat". It is now found wild in the same habitat as the red cockaded woodpecker.

Host's Plea for Elephants

Game show host Bob Barker asked Los Angeles city officials to rethink plans to build a bigger, better habitat for the Los Angeles Zoo elephants on the opinion that the habitat is not bigger and better enough. (Link)

He begs that they be sent to a sanctuary. The Associated Press story (at least as presented at the (Link), does not reveal whether a sanctuary is ready for the elephants.

The Tennessee elephant sanctuary that has accepted the much-reported "Hawthorn elephants" had to make major, expensive arrangements and conduct a fund raising campaign to be able to accept those animals (at last report, two of the eight Hawthorn elephants remaining with Hawthorn, Corp. have now been accepted at the sanctuary).

Baby Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine

A prehensile-tailed porcupine was recently born at the National Zoo, Washington, D.C. (Link to story and cute photo) (NBC4.com)

Froggy

Froggy
Originally uploaded by True_Bavarian.

True Bavarian captures another little "herp" with a shot that is sharp from the lead toes to those big, frog eyes.

Titled by True B. too.

Pittsburgh (Scene) Stealer

Pittsburgh Zoo keepers were surprised by the birth of a baby orangutan in late January. The Pittsburgh "Post-Gazette" had a great photo of mother and youngster in today's edition. (Link to photo)

Elephant Fetus Dies

After years of preparation and many months of expectation, the Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester, NY, has lost the baby, African elephant it has worked hard to receive to birth complications. (Link)

Unsuccessful pregnancies are not infrequent with elephants.

"A team of expert doctors helped with the delivery consulting and monitoring Genny C, but after several hours of labor there were complications." (WROC-TV)

Now, let's hope the mother recovers completely.

Torch Ginger

Torch Ginger
Originally uploaded by russlings.

Torch ginger (nicholaia elatior) from the huge horticultural collection at the NC Zoo, Asheboro, NC.

(NC Zoological Park photo)

Large Marge Released

The large NEST-rehabilitated sea turtle has been released to the Gulfstream. She was taken from the NC Aquarium at Roanoke Island to a location near Bermuda. (Link) (Field Trip Earth website)

Large Marge and Tiny Tim

Field Trip Earth has another strong web post from Jackie Orsulak, volunteer with the Network for Endangered Sea Turtles (NEST) out of the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, NC. (Link)

Jackie reports that, while the rescued sea turtles are usually not named, the largest (over 200 pounds) and smallest (less than 10 pounds) recently-rehabbed turtles have been.

"Our goal is to get them well and send them home as soon as possible. But sometimes you just have to name them, especially when they are the largest loggerhead you have ever rehabilitated. This one is Large Marge! She is too big to handle on the local charter boats. She is so big that she is scheduled to be released in the Gulf Stream from a Duke University marine research vessel. Accompanying Marge will be a large, 102-pound female green turtle that was found cold stunned on the beaches of Ocracoke Island." (Jackie O.)

Striped Possum, Not a Skunk

It is also not an opossum. A rare striped possum was born at Fort Wayne (IND.) Zoo. (Link)

A native of Australia and other distant lands, the striped possum is not a true opossum, only found in North America.

"Zoo officials think they might be among the first to pinpoint - within a day - a birthdate for that breed of possum. Zoologists and scientists often have trouble finding the exact birthdate of marsupials, including kangaroos, because they do not often see the tiny babies crawl into their mother's pouch after they are born, said Cheryl Piropato, the zoo's education director." (Associated Press)

Mouse

Mouse
Originally uploaded by Fariba_p.

Fariba p "captured" it and titled it.

Nice, clear, cute!

Bronx Zoo & Elephants

The Bronx Zoo has the capacity to raise sufficient funds to continue exhibiting elephants...even in expensive NYC, but they have chosen to gradually go out of that "business". (Link)

Interestingly, they have decided to stick with the three elephants they have. When this fairly young trio ages down to a sole elephant, they plan to find a suitable home for that one elsewhere, with companionship.

This seems a very well conceived plan...thinking perhaps 30 years into the future.

It also means they will use the resources they could have put into keeping elephants in the larger spaces they require into other priorities.

""The thing we want the public to understand is that we have a commitment to these animals," [World Conservation Society president Steve] Sanderson said Tuesday. "We're not going to close up and walk away. ... We'll judge that according to their health, their reproductive status, always with their welfare in mind."" (Newsday.com) (The World Conservation Society is the parent organization which includes the Bronx Zoo.)

Something's Wrong When...

You know something is wrong when a wild animal (a naturally skittish white tail deer) is standing next to an interstate highway with 18-wheelers barreling by just a very few feet away.

That is what I saw at 8 p.m. tonight in Durham. (Not the first time I've seen this grazing at the edge of I-85 after dark in the Triangle.)

There are too many deer and too many humans in the same place when such things come to pass.

NC Zoo Travelers III

"Field Trip Earth" has more on the NC Zoo/NC Teachers visit to Uganda (Link), including, from February 7:

"From Lib Keeler:
Hey there! We have had an eventful time here with the teachers...sharing cultural tradition and environmental concerns..."

After a game drive, the teachers from two countries wrote haikus, like:

"Game drive, rising sun
Elephants cross the road
A leopard awaits." Val Vickers

"Two beautiful beetles
Humbly leaning against each other
Long legs straightened up." Johnson, Ugandan Primary teacher

Happy to see you ...

Happy to see you ...
Originally uploaded by Ottie.

Photo and title by Ottie who took it at the Crocodile Park in George (Garden Route, South Africa).

Red River's Red Panda

Fargo, North Dakota's Red River Zoo will breed red pandas. (Link)

"The zoo has two of North America's 47 endangered red pandas." (Grand Forks Herald)

Fennec Fox

fennec fox
Originally uploaded by iPhotograph.

This fennec fox was photographed by the appropriately-named iPhotograph at Zoo Stuttgart - Wilhelma.

You will find the fennec foxes at the NC Zoo's African Pavilion.

NC Zoo Hort Experts

The NC Zoo's horticulture department is working with the N. C. Department of Transportation to create a Davidson County site for endangered Helianthus sunflowers. The site will be used to relocate plants about to be affected by road construction, such as those along stretches of US 52.

The NC Zoo will manage the site.

NC Zoo Vet Expert

NC Zoo head veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis has met with vets from the NC Agriculture department to assist in developing the State's avian influenza contingency plan.

Busy Vet Hospital

The veterinary hospital servicing the San Diego Wild Animal Park sees a wide variety of species and offers tour for the interested homo sapiens. (Link)

Over one weekend: "A baby gazelle was experiencing intestinal problems. A rainbow lorikeet had an enlarged liver. A feisty Transcaspian urial, a rare type of sheep with majestic curving horns, suffered a facial cut during a fight, and an African duck's bill showed signs of infection." (San Diego Union-Tribune)

Other NC Zoo Travelers Too

The North Carolina Zoo and Zoo Society have another team (besides the just returning visitors to Antarctica) world traveling. Four North Carolina teachers and two more from the Zoo Education department are on a teacher exchange visit to Uganda. Here are some of their thoughts from Feb. 4 and Feb. 5.

"Since arriving we have seen warthogs on the grounds, a set of three of them napping, and all of them nibbling at the sparse grass. As I was walking outside exploring this morning, I came across a monitor lizard who was slowly moving in the brush near a burn pile. He didn't seem to mind me much, but moved slowly away when I got closer. The trees around the canteen are full of sunbirds and weaverbirds, who are as common as finches or sparrows here." (Beth Carter, Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, Wilmington, NC - Field Trip Earth website.)

Ship's Blog (Last)

M/V Polar Star ship's log, Feb. 5, 2006 (NC Zoo Society party aboard):

" Land ho!

"The M/V Polar Star cruised up the Beagle Channel in the early morning before docking in Ushuaia [Argentina]."

Smile for the Camera

Smile for the Camera
Originally uploaded by autumncat.

Thank you, autumncat, for this especially strong photo of Tai Shan, the National Zoo's (Washington, D.C.) star attraction, which you uploaded to flickr (and titled) today.

Gourmet Zoo Chef

The Sunday Times, South Africa, reports on the food consumption of the lucky animals in Zurich, Switzerland's, zoo. (Link)

"Pampered zoo animals in the Swiss city of Zurich gobbled up 500 tonnes of fresh food prepared by a dedicated gourmet chef last year, including 21 tonnes of meat, 714 garlic bulbs and 11,135 kiwi fruit." (AFP)

Tragic Too

A rare Asian fishing cat, destined to go to Cincinnatti's respected zoo, has died from ingesting a toy rubber ball, the Lansing (Michigan) State Journal reports. (Link)

The NC Zoo does not give straws or lids with soft drinks to keep those out of the exhibits, and stomachs, of Zoo animals.

Two Autumns

The ABC TV affilate in Boston reports that the Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, will name its new baby giraffe Autumn in honor of the young lady who has raised thousands of dollars for the giraffe father and his treatment for "giraffe wasting syndrome". (Link)

Autumn Faucher, of Pelham, N.H. "has raised more than $6,000 to help with Beau's costly care. On Wednesday, she brought the zoo another check for $1,000." (WCVB-TV)

Zooperbowl Fever

The Seattle Times says don't expect to get away from Superbowl fever with a trip to Seattle's zoo. (Link)

You'll find a 100-foot tall "12th Man" banner honoring the Seattle Seahawk fans in the Zoo and the Zoo's resident elephant artist is painting in Seahawks colors, with one of the pachyderm paintings headed to the Seahawks - win or lose today.

UPDATE: Looks like there are actually three, female elephant artists at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo and each is creating Seahawk paintings...for the team and as fundraisers.

groen

groen
Originally uploaded by belgianchocolate.

"Green", says belgianchocolate, of his strong reptile photo from Zoo Madrid, uploaded yesterday.