Whadayasee, Ma?

Giraffe nuzzle
Originally uploaded by * Shanni *.

A young LA Zoo giraffe seems interested in what an adult is checking out in this late February upload to flickr (TM) by Shanni.

Shanni sees a "giraffe nuzzle", as the young'un also seems to appreciate the gentle touching.

What do YOU see?

Surfing Hippos?!

Found this from National Geographic, August 2004. (Link)

Great photo on "in the land of surfing hippos" page. Click on "hippo swim" at the right hand side of the page to download strong video of suring hippo of Gabon.

Click on "zoom in" for "hippos by the sea" photo.

J. Michael Fay article. Photos by Michael Nichols.

Not Really a Chicken

The Attwater's prarie chicken is a very rare, flightless game bird. It is not a chicken. It is one a several species being bred in an off-limits area of the Fort Worth Zoo. (Link)

The Texas zoo's Animal Outreach and Conservation Center has been open since March. It will have 18 endangered species under "management". Currently, species already in place, along with the prairie "chicken", include Grand Cayman blue iguana, Golden Coin box turtle, Forten's tortoise, Rio Grande Cooter turtle and Vietnamese pond turtle, according to Karalee Miller of the "Star-Tribune".

Regrading the Grand Cayman blue iguana: "These creatures are considered the most endangered lizard species in the world. "There are fewer than 25 animals remaining in the wild" by some estimates, says Tarren Wagener, the zoo's director of conservation and science. They also love to climb and can move fast, with short bursts of speed."

Prickly Pear

Prickly Pear
Originally uploaded by russlings.

Another NC Zoo photo features the prickly pears near the Sonora Desert Pavilion at the state's zoo near Asheboro.

zebras and giraffes

zebras and giraffes
Originally uploaded by russlings.

Great NC Zoo photo of zebras and giraffes on exhibit near Asheboro.

African Peaks

African Peaks
Originally uploaded by russlings.

Great NC Zoo photo of the teflon (TM) -coated, fiberglass fabric roof of the African Pavilion near Asheboro. The fabric lets in light for the animals and visitors and 3000 imported plants inside.

Sunset Silhouette

20050211_185437
Originally uploaded by Liganga.

Liganga uploaded this Tanzanian photo of giraffe and night sky.

Giraffe Study 12

The Zoo: Giraffe Study 12
Originally uploaded by getthebubbles.

Photographer "getthebubbles" took this sharp close-up of a zoo giraffe.

Playground Planned for Sylvan Heights

Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park and Eco-Center will include a playground funded by Lowe's Home Improvement, Lance Martin reports for the Roanoke Rapids "Daily Herald". (Link)

"[T]he center is home to the first North American breeding of the critically endangered Madagascar Teal. There are believed to be only 200 of the rare birds still in the wild. It's also home to the white-winged wood duck, which is qualified as critically endangered. The bird is native to Sumatra, Thailand and Indonesia."

Marjan Now Bolted Down

The bronze lion sent from Austin, Texas to the NC Zoo to Kabul (Afghanistan) Zoo has been bolted down and officially accepted, as this very recent NC Zoo media release explains:

"STATUE OF HEROIC LION INSTALLED AT KABUL ZOO

"ASHEBORO—A bronze likeness of “Marjan,” the blind and battered African lion who became a symbol for the recovery of the Kabul Zoo as well as the people of Afghanistan, has finally taken its place at the gates to the war-torn zoo that was for so long his home.

"Officials with the city of Kabul and the Kabul Zoo received the 400-pound statue created by Texas artist Bob Coffee on May 3. Days later, the ¾-life-size bronze lion was set in place during ceremonies at the zoo entrance.

"In November 2001, the story of Marjan gained worldwide attention for the plight of the war-torn Kabul Zoo. The elderly male lion, blinded and scarred by an Afghan soldier’s grenade, continued to fight for survival, despite neglect and the near total devastation of his zoo home. His story plucked at the heart strings of animal lovers the world over.

"Spurred by public requests, North Carolina Zoo Director Dr. David Jones and the N.C. Zoological Society spearheaded an effort by member institutions of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums to raise funds to repair the Kabul Zoo and save its few remaining animals. Within three months the effort raised more than $570,000, including nearly $435,000 for the zoo and another $137,000 to help other Afghan animals.

"Teams of zoo professionals from Europe and animal welfare experts from South Africa were dispatched to Afghanistan and within a year had rebuilt much of the zoo’s remaining exhibits and animal holding facilities, reconnected electricity and water, and provided a constant supply of healthy food and regular veterinary care for the surviving animals.

"Sadly, Marjan did not survive to see his zoo home recover. The valiant old lion passed away in his holding quarters in late January 2002. But his cause lived on. Coffee, the Texas sculptor, moved by the plight of the Afghan animals and Marjan’s death, created the statue as a tribute. Officials with the N.C. Zoological Society accepted Coffee’s kind contribution in March 2004 and displayed the statue at the N.C. Zoo for more than a year before arrangements could be made to ship it safely to Afghanistan.

"Now, a proud and permanent likeness of Marjan rests at the Kabul Zoo gates as a symbol of hope and strength for the zoo and the Afghan people. Today the Kabul Zoo is still struggling with where its future lies. But the zoo remains an island of calm and a place where families can get away from the economic and physical stress of everyday life."

Photos of the Marjan statue at the Kabul Zoo are available on the N.C. Zoo Web site at: http://photos.nczoo.org/gallery/882960.

Save Cost of Flights to Africa

The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park offers overnight stays. (Link) A local family of four, with teenagers, can visit the Zoo and have dinner and breakfast in the Park for $600 to $900.

"Guests stay in tents next to an 80-acre enclosure, home to giraffes, wildebeests, gazelles, lions and elephants, among others."

zebra water

zebra water
Originally uploaded by omnia.

More fun with zebras.

Thanks to omnia.

# 100 Zebras of Etosha

# 100 Zebras of Etosha
Originally uploaded by photo707.

Fun photo by photo707.

Note the additional "zebra water".

Etosha National Park, Namibia.

Giraffe in London

Giraffe
Originally uploaded by Kiki J.

We could tell this giraffe's in the London Zoo by looking at the sky ( ;>) ) ...if Kiki J did not tell us so with her recent upload to flickr (TM).

Optical Confusion

zebras
Originally uploaded by Yderoux.

They say the zebra's stripes may help it confuse its predator and avoid an attack.

Imagine you are a lioness taking your best run at this group. They scatter as fast as they can. The over-lapping visuals may make it hard to single out that sole "kill" you had in mind.

Thanks Yderoux!

Largest Zoo Sculpture

The St. Louis Zoo now appears to have the largest zoo sculpture, with its life-sized representation of over 60 animals (most are endangered), the Associated Press reports. (Link)

"The COR-TEN steel sculpture is composed of more than 1,300 elements, stands three stories tall and is 130 feet long. It features more than 60 life-size animals, most of them endangered species."

The North Carolina Zoo is also getting good recognition for its public art collection. Ann, who works for the United Arts Council of Greensboro, sent a message about that to me earlier this week:

"Renee Piechocki, nationally know public art consultant from Pittsburgh, is in Greensboro today leading a well-attended Public Art Forum sponsored by the Arts Council and the Public Library. City officials, elected officials, representatives of most of the private foundations, loads of artists, etc. are in attendance today. Several times during her presentation this morning Renee referenced the Zoo’s fabulous public art collection. She mentions your collection as she travels around the country adding that the NC Zoo has the best public art collection of any zoo in the nation; probably the world. Renee went on to say that “the NC Zoo deserves to be famous for its art collection, not just the fact that it is an award-winning natural habitat zoo.”"

The NC Zoo has just recently sent a life-sized sculpture of Marjan, the late lion from Kabul Zoo, to that zoo. The sculpture, donated by Austin, Texas artist Bob Coffee, is now a symbol of the friendship between people of Afghanistan and North America and beyond. Thousands of donors sent over $500,000 to the NC Zoo Society to help rebuild Kabul Zoo and care for Afghan animals affected by war in that region in response to the story of Marjan, injured in earlier fighting in Kabul. (The NC Zoo Society served as the vehicle for all that generosity when no other vehicle existed.)

Tiny Egyptian Tortoises Born

Chester Zoo (UK) is pleased that it has successfully bred critically endangered Egyptian tortoises. (Link) The three are smaller than raspberries, the BBC reports, with photo.

"A Zoo spokesperson said: "What they currently lack in size, they make up for in importance!""

Primates Like Their Vino?

Budapest Zoo monkeys and apes are given red wine for health reasons, according to officials of that zoo and Reuters. (Link)

Couldn't Have Said It As Well (II)

The Winston-Salem Journal has come out in support of the North Carolina Zoo's requests for almost $6 million of the General Assembly too:

"Help the Zoo

"The people of North Carolina own a number of crown jewels, and they must take good care of them.

"These jewels are, of course, the special state institutions that lift North Carolina above its neighbors and most other states. For example, the University of North Carolina, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and the N.C. Museum of Art are rivals for great institutions built by far richer states.

"Add to that list the North Carolina Zoo near Asheboro. It is one of this nation's truly great zoos, an institution conceived and planned with considerable foresight back in the 1970s and built, slowly but surely, over the decades since.

"The state's museums and university system have fared well in state budgets in recent years.

"The zoo, however, has gone 14 years without state funds for capital improvements.

"It is time for the General Assembly to begin upgrading the zoo again, and this year marks an appropriate starting point.

"Zoo officials have six projects on the drawing boards and need $6 million in state funds. State appropriations will draw down other funds from private donors.

"Gov. Mike Easley included the money in his budget. The state Senate budget does not include the funds, however.

"At the top of the list is the Children's Discovery Center, which David Jones, the zoo's director, described as a hands-on experience for youngsters that will have a tree house as its centerpiece.

"With $1.5 million of state money, the center will draw another $1 million from the private N.C. Zoo Society, he told The Associated Press.

"Not all of the capital needs are that exciting. Much of the money is needed for facilities related to the care and feeding of animals and to zoo upkeep. Such facilities are essential to the preservation and advancement of the institution.

"Over the years, North Carolina taxpayers have invested wisely in the zoo. So have North Carolina businesses and private foundations. The zoo hasn't remained static just because state capital has not been flowing in.

"But now that state money is needed, and when the needs are obvious, as they are with the zoo, then the legislature must step in and provide them.

"The zoo is one of North Carolina's great public assets.

"Legislators must make sure that it continues to be an attraction that is of great use and great pride to the people of this state."

Program Note

You will learn snake facts on the breaks during a showing of the snake fantasy, "Anaconda", Saturday (in the Piedmont Triad, North Carolina, USA market). This from North Carolina Zoo acting marketing officer Rod Hackney:

"Just a note to let everyone know that Streamside Keeper David Strickler will be making a guest appearance this Saturday evening on WTWB-TV Channel 20, the Warner Brothers station in Greensboro.

"The station is launching a new Saturday night movi[e] series at 8 p.m. and David will be the very first guest. The first featured movie is "Anaconda" and during the commercial breaks David will join the program's host to talk about the real nature of snakes and their benefits to humans. It's a great opportunity to get some of our conservation messages out to a wider audience.

"Kudos to David, who not only agreed to do the interviews, but also brought one of his own snakes into the studio. Thanks also go to Curator Ken Reininger and Keeper III Laura Val[a]dez for helping us work out David's appearance on very short notice."

Baby Zebra

Baby Zebra
Originally uploaded by speckler.

Speckler uploaded this photo of a baby zebra taken in Kenya's Masai Mara May 6.

Baby Giraffe "Raha" -Born April, 2006.

Baby giraffe "Raha" was born in April, 2006.
Originally uploaded by kjdrill.

"Raha means "happy" in Swahili and everybody was happy and excited about the new addition to the LA Zoo. Raha was already 6 feet tall at birth." Title and quote by kjdrill.

Uploaded to flickr (TM) by kjdrill on 3 May '06, 5.16pm EDT."

"can not shake my shadow"

"can not shake my shadow"
Originally uploaded by russlings.

Taken, titled and touched up by Lyn Adams.

Lyn also took the wonderful photo of the great blue heron on the cover of the Summer 2006 issue of "Alive" (Magazine of the North Carolina Zoological Society).

Cute Kangaroo Rat

Here is a link to another photo of one of the two cute little kangaroo rats that are back at the North Carolina Zoo, nocturnal, Sonora Desert Pavilion.

Djembe Spotted Again...and Again

An African bull elephant collared by Dr. Mike Loomis, NC Zoo vet, in Cameroon, March 2003, has been photographed in April by Theodore Etonde and can be seen on "Field Trip Earth".

The NC Zoo Society supported website offers the story of the original collaring, a September 2004 sighting of Djembe and the recent photo proof that the African bull still thrives.

Black and white or white and black?

Black and white or white and black?
Originally uploaded by C a t i ~ K a o e.

I like zebra photo compositions.

Cati-Kaoe titled this and uploaded it in late April...and sub-titled it "Amigas cebras".

Blijdorp

Blijdorp
Originally uploaded by michah.

The Blijdorp Zoo (Rotterdam) inspires many great photos by many great zoo photographers.

Michah has added a big giraffe winner to the Blijdorp "collection".

This is a newborn. Baby giraffes are about six feet tall at birth.

Hello.

Hello.
Originally uploaded by cybertoad.

Expressive Houston Zoo giraffe by cybertoad.

Synchronous Firefly Beetles

Knowing that I will spend some time in the Great Smokey Mountains, near Gatlinburg, during the time they usually "display", Greenmon sent this link to me.

"There are an additional six species of fireflies that display at Elkmont this time of the year. “The difference in the synchronous fireflies from the other species is that they synchronize the periods during which they light and don’t light, said Keith Langdon, Chief of the Inventory and Monitoring Branch." (National Park Service)

50-Mile Trail Nears Reality

Congressman Howard Coble's website reports that the U.S. House approved $500,000 to fill three gaps in Randolph County (home of the North Carolina Zoo) in a 50-mile trail in the Uwharrie Mountains. (Link)

The 50-mile trail runs through much of Randolph and Montgomery Counties, NC.

This $500,000 would combine with another $500,000 provided last year to complete land acquisition.

Elephant AI

Here's the plan: the three, female, African elephants due to arrive at the North Carolina Zoo next year, now at the Atlanta Zoo, will be artificially inseminated this year...probably in June.

UPDATE/CORRECTION - 5-25-06 - One of the three will need to be dealt with later; it is hoped that the cycles of the other two will allow AI before their arrival here and as soon as June.

The time from conception to a successful birth (gestation) in an elephant takes around 22 months.

Couldn't Have Said It As Well

May 21, 2006 (Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News delivered by Newstex) --

"Investing in Wonder

"North Carolina's state zoo has been proclaimed one of the country's finest by a number of experts from around the world. Indeed, that comes as no surprise to North Carolinians who've visited the place, which is centrally located near Asheboro. The natural habitats for exotic and not-as-exotic creatures are wondrous, and rare is the visitor who doesn't come away mightily impressed.

"The zoo raises a lot of money to support itself, through the N.C. Zoo Society, and gets about 60 percent of its operating budget from the General Assembly. It hasn't received any capital funding (buildings, etc.) from the state in 14 years, which is one reason lawmakers should look kindly on a request for $6 million in this legislative session.

"The other reasons are plentiful. The idea for a state zoo was kicked around for 10 years or more (Raleigh Jaycees had a hand in stirring up interest) and finally, in 1974, it opened its first exhibits with the distinction of being the nation's first state-owned zoo. It's still one of only two such zoos in the country, the other being in Minnesota. The state thus gave itself a responsibility to maintain the place, to keep exhibits and buildings up to a high standard.

"And this is one investment that has really paid off. The zoo has over 700,000 visitors annually. Expansions have been skillfully done and praised by some of the world's foremost authorities in such matters. Visitors to the zoo today would not come home without telling people how many new exhibits had opened since the last time they were there.

"The state owes it to the taxpayers who courageously backed the zoo from the start to make this worthy allocation. There will be a handsome return on these dollars." (The News & Observer.)

Q's and A's

Member Bob Sebrosky had a couple questions of me, through Russlings, after Saturday's Wake Up with the Animals, at the NC Zoo...about our three-legged Fennec fox and the giraffes' eating habits. (Link)

Happy Otter

Happy Otter
Originally uploaded by MarkWells.

No wonder this Point Defiance Zoo sea otter is a "Happy Otter", according to Mark Wells, who uploaded the photo to flickr, March 12.

I just read about the zoo diet of the Shedd Aquarium's four sea otters. That Chicago aquarium spends 15 percent of its annual food budget on the mussels, clams and other sea food favored by its demanding sea otters.


I've seen 40 or more of these, floating on their backs, linked together in a little "raft" below the Yorktown Clipper, on one or more of my trips to Alaska's Inside Passage with members of the North Carolina Zoo Society. I've looked down on the just waking sea otters, each looking much like our photo subject here. Some of them were actually rubbing their eyes in that classic, "I'm still quite sleepy" way.

I guess the "raft" linking stops them from floating away from each other while they sleep.

More Tastes of Rat

Speaking of NC Zoo animals that include rat in their diets, here is a story out of Chicago about the diets of zoo and aquarium creatures there. (Link)

"It's lunchtime at Brookfield Zoo, and Rodger Philips carts crates full of frozen mice, rats and chicks out of a walk-in freezer," nwitimes.com.

"The zoo pays nearly $14,000 a year to supply Brookfield's vampire bats with fresh blood, Philips said."

Don't Follow the White Trails

Or the red either, if you want a longer hike or run from the Two Ponds Trail head at Gibson Park, High Point, NC.

After checking out the trail map for the fourth or fifth time (I've been there before today's hour run), and still being unable to make heads or tails out of it, I headed down the trail, following the red, white, blue and yellow circles on wood posts throughout the system. I came quickly (within a minutes jog), however, to a white arrow in a small green square. I left the main trail to follow these green arrows, because the trail, along water, looked promising. (Don't follow this one.) After a six minute jog I came to a section of Gibson Park's entrance road and needed to backtrack to find more trail.

Once back to where I had started following white arrows, I returned to following the colored circles. In another minute's jog I came to a clearing where I could follow a red trail to the left or the other three colors straight ahead. I chose the red. (Don't you do the same if you want a long hike without a lot of retracing your steps; it ends, at the Bicentennial Greenway, I think, in that direction after a short hike; this might be fine for you, but I wanted a "real" trail, with roots and stones and trip hazards.)

I did not get far along that red trail when I came upon a five foot, black rat snake at a sunny place on the trail. Knowing them to be nervous and capable of striking, I returned to the clearing and followed white, blue and yellow a short distance to another clearing where the trails went three ways.

I followed the white trail to the left. (Don't.) It met up with the red trail. That's how I discovered that both of these end quickly and you need to retrace your steps for a longer trail experience.

I jogged back to the clearing and took the right (yellow). (Don't.)

When I was back at the clearing I followed the blue trail until it came to a foot bridge. The trail ahead is unmarked. I took the trail to the left. It is not the blue trail. It is, remarkably to me, the "return" of the red and white trails. (By that I mean I jogged by posts that had no trail "circles" facing me, but had the red and white circles on the reverse.)

I had a nice long run following these. I recognized myself to be on a trail I've been on many times. I believe it originates on a road near Jamestown. I did not get that far because of all my false starts. I will return again to learn more about the Gibson Park trails.

Zoomazium II

Here is more, this time from Linda Tarr of "The Olympian", on Zoomazium, the Woodland Park Zoo's (Seattle) new educational exhibit. (Link)

It teaches children, who spend precious little time in it, about Nature.

"Kids these days spend about 44 hours a week in front of the TV, video games and computers. Meanwhile, the time they spend outdoors has decreased about 50 percent during the past 20 years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation."

In Zoomarium: "There's a mountain where kids can find at least 10 routes to the top, featuring rock walls, a boulder pile, a mini climbing gym, a slide and a swinging rope bridge complete with rope slides. Inside the mountain, kids can explore about 30 feet of cave, said Frank Hein, program manager at the zoo. Inside, computer interactive pieces feature snippets of nature, such as the one that makes kids feel like they're under a lake."

Elephant/Human Run-Ins Worsen?

The Baltimore Sun offers, from "wire reports":

"COLOMBO, Sri Lanka // Some of Sri Lanka's wildest, most destructive elephants could get reprieves from possible death sentences - but they will have to spend some time in rehab first. Elephants that rampage through villages, destroy crops or kill people will be caught, tamed and put to work promoting tourism and helping prevent poaching, a government official said yesterday. Wildlife conservation chief Dayananda Kariyawasam said his department had already identified 20 to 30 of the worst elephant offenders for the program, designed to keep angry villagers from killing them. Wild elephants are increasingly entering villages in search of food as deforestation destroys their habitat."

The creation of a large dam in Cameroon has caused more African elephant migrations through human zones there, creating the need for the study by WWF-Cameroon, the Cameroon government, the NC Zoo Society and the NC Zoo's veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis to determine the elephants' migration patterns and ways to minimize the negative interactions with humans. (The dam causes seasonal drought conditions in the elephants' favorite territory, necessitating long migrations.)

Bears Test Product

The bear population in New Jersey has "skyrocketed", according to WESH-TV2, so the Bear Education and Resource Group has used black bears at a Lacey Township, N.J. zoo to test a trash can said to be bear proof. (Link)

The bears failed to make any headway after 30 minutes. This is important to the Bear Education Group and bears (and the product manufacturer) because bears become a "nuisance" when humans help them become such by leaving food too easily found in areas where humans would rather not find bears (near young children, pets, etc.).

The NC Zoo's grizzly bears were considered "nuisance" bears in Montana (I believe) and were going to be destroyed. The two males had each gone "into town", were darted and taken out of town; returned to be taken farther out of town and had made the fatal mistake of returning to town once again, before the Zoo intervened to rescue these two from the fate for which they seemed determined and destined.

Which Eat Rat?

The NC Zoo Society held its annual Wake Up with the Animals this morning. Several hundred members arrived early for breakfast and, this year, among other things, a look at the "breakfasts" of Polar bears, cougars, alligators, seals, sea lions and kangaroos, at their habitats.

I'll let you figure which might and might not break their fasts with a taste of rat.

Possible Poacher Talking?

What I get from this story out of Yaounde, Cameroon, is that the possible poacher, or "middle man", caught with an elephant tusk is cooperating with Cameroonian authorities. Other arrests may follow.

"Perhaps; it is also important to note that some 17 Forestry and Wildlife Technicians recently took the oath of office in Bamenda to rise to expectation as controllers in the fight against illegal exploitation of wood and wildlife in the province. According to Joseph Bomblang, the Provincial Delegate; his department is fully mobilized to check all illegalities in the Forestry and Wildlife Sector," the Cameroon Tribune reports.

Thanks to NC Zoo lead veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis for passing along the link to this story.

Dealing with the Extremes

A U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funded study at the NC Zoo, conducted by Vaughn Langman, a professor at Louisiana State University, is attempting to determine how zoo animals might best deal with the stresses of cold and heat. The NC Zoo's African elephants are among the animals on which non-invasive data-collection has been conducted by LSU researchers.

Baby Gorilla Looking at Mom

Baby Gorilla Looking at Mom
Originally uploaded by kotobuki711.

Note also the hand holding at lower left.

Bronx Zoo photo uploaded by kotobuki711.

State Asked to Fund NC Zoo

I went with the NC Zoo Park Council to Raleigh Wednesday to ask Legislators to support almost $6 million in requests for appropriations. (Link)

"According to N.C. Zoo Director Dr. David Jones, the governor’s budget includes nearly $2 million for the zoo’s top two projects: The Children’s Discovery Center, an interactive, hands-on experience for children with a treehouse as its centerpiece, $1.5 million (to be matched with $1 million in N.C. Zoo Society funding); and a storage shed, for exhibit construction workspace and storage of fabricated exhibit materials, $460,274," reports Kathi Keys for the Asheboro "Courier-Tribune".

"Council Chairman Scott Reed of Winston-Salem urged legislators Wednesday to support these zoo capital funding requests as well as its third priority item, the Plains Barns and paddocks for housing African hoofstock and doubling the present herd to more than 100 animals. This request totals $1,454,674."

St. John Goats

St. John Goats
Originally uploaded by russlings.

We were driving on one of the St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands) main roads (20 or 10) when we came upon these goats and more last week, blocking our way. So Ann got out and captured their progress.

Photo by Ann Lynch.

Children Need Nature

And some zoos are trying to give it to them. Zoomazium, at Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, offers opportunities to "walk and climb through realistic mountain, forest and grassland exhibits," the Seattle Post-Intelligencer suggests. (Link)

Today's young people often get very little activity in nature. The North Carolina Zoo is very aware of this and is planning a "Treehouse" complex/children's activity section to address that, and more. The NC Governor's budget includes $1.5 million toward the planned $2.5 million complex.

"For a generation raised on TV, iPod and computer games, this is a healthy move. As Richard Louv, author of "Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder," told a [Seattle] P-I reporter during a zoo visit this year, "They really understand that it is very, very important within the zoo to offer a hands-on experience beyond a petting zoo."

Jayanth's Website

Was contacted recently by Jayanth Sharma, whose flickr photography I've included in this blog.

He directed me (and I now direct you) to his new website. (Link)

"I am back from a trip where I spotted 800-1000 elephants in the wild which migrate to a portion during summer. The cover story is about this migration," he wrote earlier this week.

Much other good info, and terrific photos, at wildlifetimes.com.

Get on the Treadmill!

Had heard about the treadmill being created for the elephant at an Alaskan zoo. Wondered if that could really work.

Gulf Daily News, May 18, 2006; Vol. XXIX, No.59 reports that perhaps it can not:

"A treadmill for elephant!

"So far, it's only the trainers at the Alaska Zoo who seem to be breaking into a sweat. They've so far made little progress trying to coax Maggie, a somewhat cantankerous African elephant, onto the world's first treadmill for a pachyderm. For two months, Maggie's trainers have used her favourite treats to entice the 3,600kg elephant into exercising on the $100,000...piece of equipment." (AP)

St. John Caterpillar

St. John Caterpillar
Originally uploaded by russlings.

Saw this large (five inch?), multi-colored caterpillar a few times last week on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. (Anyone know the name?)

Photo by Ann Lynch.

The Tortoise and the Elephant

Both the Perth Zoo tortoises and the North Carolina Zoo elephants will enjoy radiant floor heating in the future.

A zoo reptile needs consistency in its heating. The NC Zoo elephants will benefit from heat that rises from their toes to their heads, over ten feet above, rather than attempts to blow down all of that height (against heat's own tendency to rise).

Grey Wolf Returned

A Salt Lake City Zoo grey wolf escaped last weekend. A news helicopter helped locate her, after 4500 zoo visitors were evacuated, KABC - TV, Los Angeles reports. (Link)

Red River Hogs

The Nashville Zoo plans a new, $260,000 red river hog exhibit. (Link)

The NC Zoo will replace its wart hogs with red river hogs in the not-too-distant future.

"The [red river] hogs, which can reach five feet in length and 250 pounds, can run up to 30 miles per hour, are excellent swimmers and are native to the Congo Basin of Africa as well as West and East Africa," Nashville Business Journal reports.

gieren

gieren
Originally uploaded by belgianchocolate.

I do not speak belgianchocolate's language (which is not French), but he does indicate that he took this photo (uploaded to flickr yesterday) at Le Jardin des Plantes, Paris.

I do understand his communications through strong portraits of unique creatures which he finds in "zoos" throughout Europe, and beyond.

Thank you, belgianchocolate.

Big Bai!

On his last trip to Cameroon, NC Zoo veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis and his team found a huge clearing (bai) in the dense forest of Nki National Park. (Link - click on "CARPO Focus April - June 2006", then go to pages 18 and 19.)

The clearing may be the largest in the "sub region", according to Peter Ngea writing for WWF (World Wildlife Fund) CARPO (Central African Regional Programme Office) Focus, on page 18 of the pdf at the link above. Dr. Loomis reports having seen 21 elephants and 16 buffalos in the bai, page 19.

Ikwa Bai seems to "draw" many other species of animals, causing Dr. Loomis to consider it a potential eco-tourism destination.

On pages 11-13, Peter Ngea reports on the dangers of tagging African elephants in Cameroon, retelling some of the bad experiences of the last two tagging efforts, in an 8-year program of many successes.

There is another photo of "Dr. Mike" on Page 9, before page 10's story by Pegue Manga: "African Elephant - One of Nature's Remaining Wonders". There are quotes by another member of the elephant tagging team, Dr. Michael Kuwong, WWF veterinarian and biologist.

Panter

Panter
Originally uploaded by Wim Dikkens.

Wim Dikkens doesn't just make great butterfly/flower compositions.

Vlinder7

Vlinder7
Originally uploaded by Wim Dikkens.

And then there's Wim's "7".

Vlinder6

Vlinder6
Originally uploaded by Wim Dikkens.

And then there is Wim Dikkens' new, "Vlinder6".

Vlinder5

Vlinder5
Originally uploaded by Wim Dikkens.

Wim Dikkens posted several very strong butterfly pix yesterday. Take his "Vlinder5", for example.

Bad News

Hong Kong customs seized 600 African elephant tusks in the largest haul since the 1989 ban on international trade in ivory, according to China View editor Mo Hong'e.

"The Post" Interviews Dr. Mike

NC Zoo veterinarian Dr. Mike Loomis directs visitors to Field Trip Earth to a lengthy interview in "The Post", a large Cameroonian newspaper. The article deals with his efforts, funded by the NC Zoo and Zoo Society, to help Cameroon, its African elephants and WWF.

"Since we are looking at elephant movement patterns, we can apply that information to other activities such as anti-poaching activities. If we have been able to identify elephant corridors, important areas where elephants move from one place to another, then anti-poaching activity is going to be concentrated in those areas. Also, sensitisation and education efforts can be concentrated around these areas so that the local population has a better understanding of what conservation is and why it is important."

And: "An elephant has charged at me many times. One thing I always tell people is that you cannot outrun an elephant. Sometimes you can out-bluff an elephant but the safest thing to do is to find a tree and stay behind it because a person can run around the tree faster than the elephant. So that has been my strategy."

Stingray!

stingray-3
Originally uploaded by Lisa Popanz.

Spotted one of these as I snorkeled last week. I was near The Baths (as in giant boulders) of Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands, when one made an appearance among the varied fish and sea life.

Lisa Popanz took her photo in the Caymans.

Mongoose!

Hawaii 2006 099
Originally uploaded by ajle.

Saw a few of these this last week on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. (This photo by ajle was taken in Hawaii.)

The majority of St. John is a national park. Great trails, beaches, snorkeling.

Marjan Arrives at Kabul Zoo

marjan
Originally uploaded by russlings.

He is not yet bolted down here, but the sculpture of Marjan the lion has been sent from the NC Zoo to the Kabul Zoo.

The sculpture was donated to Kabul Zoo, through the NC Zoo Society, by Austin (Texas) artist Bob Coffee, who wanted to participate in and commemorate the generosity of Americans to the animals and people of Kabul.

NC Zoo Director David Jones helped arrange the transport of Marjan, as he arranged so much of the aid.

Marjan was injured in earlier fighting at Kabul Zoo and died before long enjoying the improvements there.

blikveld

blikveld
Originally uploaded by belgianchocolate.

Another Netherlands Zoo photo (third Netherlands zoo of the last few posts)!

Another strong belgianchocolate composition.

Hippos in the Mist

Hippo's in the mist
Originally uploaded by belgianchocolate.

Belgianchocolate offers another strong animal composition.

Zebra Eye

zebra
Originally uploaded by S. Lo.

S. Lo offers another approach to the popular zebra close-up.

Lemur

Originally uploaded by joyrex.

Joyrex tells us this is an Apenheul Zoo lemur. Apenheul is also a Netherlands zoo.

Identical

3 Cheeta brothers
Originally uploaded by JeanKern.

JeanKern offers another strong Gaia Park Zoo, Netherlands, photo, which she calls the "3 Cheeta brothers".

All cheetahs are so closely "related", by their DNA, I'm told, that all are virtual "identical twins", or "triplets", in this case.

One Loss Leads to Others

Field Trip Earth offers Laura Thompson, Research Associate, Department of Forestry, Wildlife & Fisheries, U. of Tenn./Knoxville on her study of butternut trees.

"When a plant species begins to die from a disease, there is not just the immediate threat of losing the plant, but also the threat of impacting a variety of critters that rely on the plant for survival."

"Dung Beetle Food Situation Stinks"

Probably more than you ever wanted to know about the dung beetle and its food, by Jennifer Viegas for Discovery News (The Discovery Channel). (Link)

""For example, some prefer dry over wet dung, course textured versus fine dung, different fiber contents or different sizes of the dropping/dung pad. To maintain a diverse dung beetle community, a diverse array of dung types is necessary.""

Don't Believe All You Read

"''ALIEN ZOO ANIMALS LOOSE ON EARTH! Saucer crash sets bizarre creatures free!'' (Weekly World News)"

Black Bear Shows

The Delhi Zoo had not seen its Himalayan black bear since Feb. 22, but now it has been captured on video. It is normal for this species to stay down in its tunnels for long periods of time, "The Hindu" reports. (Link)

The Indian newspapers occasionally have their own special way with the English language: "This female bear mated with the lone male in her enclosure in the last week of May last year. The normal gestation period for a Himalayan black bear is around seven months. However, experts have opined that there are records of delayed implant in the case of the bear. Also, if the female bear had died, either foul smell or flies would have been there, but nothing of the kind was noticed in her enclosure," said zoo director D.N. Singh," reports "staff reporter", "The Hindu".

Oregon Zoo & E.P.A. Partner

Joni Mitchell sang that they paved Paradise and put up a parking lot, centralpointnews.com reminds us. The Oregon Zoo is using an EPA grant to turn parking lot run-off into better stuff for all "downstream".

The NC Zoo is working toward the same kind of results with its plan for a Zoo-made wetland near its North American lot.

Mike Is Back

Dr. Mike Loomis is back at the NC Zoo after his difficult trip to Cameroon. Saw him after a "Lunch Encounter" for staff at the Zoo today on Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. Rhinos are the emphasis at Lewa.

Elephants are the focus of Mike's research.

Both pachyderms (African elephants and southern white rhinos, to be specific) are the species the NC Zoo has prioritized for its immediate future. Project:Pachyderms is building larger exhibits and larger holding facilities to allow herd growth from three of each to 10 or more of each.