Monday, April 13, 2009

Zoo News Digest 13th - 15th April 2009 (Zoo News 586)

Zoo News Digest 13th - 15th April 2009 (Zoo News 586)
http://zoonewsdigest.com/
Peter Dickinson peterd482001@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Colleagues,


Dear Colleagues,

I continue to work on the Digest problems and will do another experimental mail out tomorrow.

Big surprise, the lady who jumped in with the polar bears was trying to commit suicide. I feel genuinely sorry for her having been through depression in the past. I am in wholehearted agreement with Berlin though. Why should the barrier be changed? If people want to go that way then they will always find a way.

Once again the so called 'Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species' get prime press place. Read the article though, it is rubbish. It surprises me that reputable newspapers are taken in by this place.

The animal poisoner at large is a worrying story. It can only be a complete and utter madman that would want to do such a thing. The quicker he/she is caught the better.

I have full sympathy for the zoo keeper who had a run in with animal rights protestors. The video is not clear enough to see exactly what happened but I would suspect it was deliberate ploy on behalf of the protestors. I did visit this collection a few years ago but cannot recollect anything about it.

So we appear to be getting a bit of action in Ragunan Zoo. If I could afford a run down there for a look I would go next week. Not too expensive from here. I will have to see how things play out. They state that twenty Orangutans are to be moved to zoos abroad but are unwilling to disclose which zoos. That bothers me. Why? Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

The following link is about exotics in Bahrain so I don't suppose it is beyond the realms of possibility that some may go there.

Thailand has been pretty volatile this week but things have quietened down now. We are into the third day of Songkran. Absolutely impossible to remain dry on any day. Fun most of the time though.

No futher hubpages this week though I have updated zoo books of interest.

Hubpages are brilliant, quick to create webpages which can earn you a small passive income from day one. Read my "Quick Guide to Hub Construction." http://ewerl.com/Ua92gJ I truly believe it will be worth your while.


This Weeks Books of Interest to the Zoo Professional
http://moourl.com/6rk1w


On with the links:

All world's Bengal tiger types reared at wildlife centre
A wildlife centre has raised a collection of the rarest tigers on the planet, including the only known complete group of all four varieties of Bengal tiger.
The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.), in South Carolina, has animals of the Royal Standard Bengal (which is orange and black), the Royal White Bengal (white with black stripes), the Snow White Bengal (all white or with ghost stripes), and the Golden Tabby Bengal (red to pale orange cream stripes and saddle).
The wildlife education organisation, which hand-rears its tigers, has 67 at its base in Myrtle Beach, which it claims is the largest group of 'working' tigers in the world.
Dr Bhagavan Antle said: "Standard Bengal tigers are found throughout India, Loas, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia, where there have been an enormous drop in populations and there only a few thousand remaining.
"It is thought thousands of years ago tigers originally came from Siberia, where they were orange and black. But during the last Ice Age tigers were forced to migrate south as far the island of Bali and west to the Caspian Sea.
"During this great migration, tigers
http://moourl.com/r7n5y






And Another Pointless Stupid Ignorant Collection
http://moourl.com/igeu0






Animal poisoner haunts Crimean zoo
Around 10 animals including a chimpanzee, bears and pumas have died in recent weeks at a Ukrainian zoo, and veterinarians suspect they were poisoned, the park's owner has said. The first death took place in March when a chimpanzee who had lived at the private zoo in the southern city of Yalta became sick and later died, owner Oleg Zubkov told reporters.
Since then, a lynx couple, a pair of pumas, a wolf and two Himalayan bears have died at the Skazka zoo, whose name means 'fairytale'.
The head of veterinarian services in the region of Crimea, Maria Mirochnik, suspects that the animals were poisoned.
"We have strong reasons to believe it was
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/14/2542094.htm






It was a suicide bid, reveals woman who jumped into polar bear enclosure at Berlin Zoo
THE woman who threw herself into a polar bear pit at Berlin zoo had told friends she could not cope with being out of work.
The 32-year-old German mum had been driven to despair after losing her job as a teacher, it emerged yesterday.
The woman - named only as Mandy K - was mauled by the polar bears after climbing over safety walls and swimming out to them at feeding time.
Friends revealed she is a highly qualified teacher specialising in the care of young children.
Her former boyfriend Lars, the father of her seven-year-old daughter, said: "She loved caring for kids and really enjoyed all the special trips that she could arrange for them.
"It really affected her when she lost her job and she just couldn't see any future."
The couple separated four years ago and share custody of their daughter, who was spending Easter with her dad.
Mandy was still in intensive care yesterday at the Virchow Hospital, where she has severe bite wounds, and doctors say there is still a high risk of infection.
Meanwhile, zoo keepers said they were seconds away from shooting the polar bears to save Mandy's life.
Rifles had already been issued
http://moourl.com/paapr







Former Audubon Zoo worker's suit dismissed by judges
A former Audubon Zoo employee's suit was dismissed this week by a panel of judges. The suit was filed for discrimination in firing the emergency worker who sued the operators of the zoo for the loss of her job in 2006.
Yolanda Ann Collins had worked for the Audubon Nature Institute for 6 years before the firing. She claimed it was because she was black and also a member of the U.S. Naval Reserves.
The panel of judges from the 5th Circuit upheld an earlier ruling by a lower court judge and dismissed the case. Audubon Zoo presented their case with evidence of poor responses to two distress calls by visitors to the zoo. Both calls received unsatisfactory results. Collins' job required her to make emergency first responder calls while on duty. In one case
http://moourl.com/n01kw





Amarillo zoo nearing completion of it's new herpetarium
The Amarillo zoo is nearing completion of it's new herpetarium, a 32 exhibit reptile and amphibian house. Visitors should be able to see the newest residents of the zoo sometime in early July.
The project is in the final 30 days of construction, at that point they'll start building the individual exhibits, which will take roughly 6 weeks. The zoo is currently acquiring reptiles and amphibians for the herpetarium, including a very large anaconda that has already been secured.
"It's going to bring a very high quality facility to the zoo that people will be very pleased to see, enjoy, and learn a lot about some new reptiles that have never been seen here at the Amarillo zoo," said Larry Offerdahl, Director of Parks and Recreation.
Over 200-thousand visitors came by
http://moourl.com/k2toq






Zoo wants to find male bears for female bears
Workers at the Wuhan Zoo in Hubei province are trying to find male bears to live with some lonely female bears
Two female brown bears, a mother and daughter, have not enjoyed a relationship with a male bear for at least four years. The zoo's only male bear died in 2005. The baby bear was born in the 1990s.
Li Dexin, director of
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-04/15/content_7678763.htm







Al Ain Wildlife Park to relocate trees, animals
Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort (AWPR) has kicked off its operation “green fingers” which involves relocation of over 500 trees. The process has taken more than 35,000 man hours and an expert team was flown in from California to ensure that everything runs smoothly and the trees are kept as stress-free as possible. The operators have scoured over 2000 acres for over four weeks, cataloguing the trees according to species, size, vital statistics and GPS coordinates. Every care and precaution is taken to ensure that the trees remain as stress free as possible and there is a 99 per cent success rate in moving the trees.
The Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort is working in partnership with Valley Crest Middle East - a leading landscape company from California with which Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort has established a joint venture.
Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort is home to 4300 animals, 3 per cent of which are considered to be endangered. As part of the transformation into a wildlife resort, significant development is progressing to set the standards globally for conservation education offered to its visitors.
The transformation did not only focus on relocating the 180 species
http://www.xpress4me.com/news/uae/abudhabi/20012907.html






Zoo keeper's arrest after van collides with animal rights protesters -'regrettable accident'
A ZOO keeper whose van collided with a group of animal rights activists claimed the incident was nothing more than a "regrettable accident".
Animals' rights protesters released a video of The Jungle Zoo's manager Bernard Bale apparently driving into them outside the resort attraction on Easter Sunday.
Available to view here now, Mr Bale is allegedly seen driving a white van on the road in the Thrunscoe car
http://moourl.com/lb4oc






Ragunan Zoo to transfer excess animals to other areas
Many endangered animals in South Jakarta’s Ragunan Zoo will be transferred to other conservation areas, as their number has exceeded its capacity.
Primates, like orang utans, owa (a gibbon from the Hylobatidae), siamang and mammals such as bears, white tigers, Sumatran tigers and Sumatran elephants are just a few of them.
“We have almost 50 orangutans, for instance. The number is about 10 percent higher than our capacity,” Edy Setiarto, head of the city animal husbandry agency said recently.
As the grounds are getting too crowded, the zoo management is finding it hard to take care of all the animals, says Edy.
“We plan to exchange some of our animals with other kinds from zoos around Indonesia or abroad to solve the problem,” said Edy.
“So far, we have exchanged animals with zoos in other countries, such as Qatar, China, Singapore and Australia,” he said, adding that the cooperation also included training animal keepers.
The exchange, however, will take into account the conservation aspect, he said.
“The orang utan, for example, is categorized as an endangered animal. We will exchange it with other animals that have a similar level of endangerment,” he said.
“We will not exchange an orang utan for a snake, for example,” said Edy.
The second step will be to bring the animals back to their natural habitats, while the other option is to entrust them to rehabilitation centers.
The agency recorded the zoo also had a surplus of reptiles and birds. Rice paddy turtles topped the list of excess reptiles (49 turtles), followed by komodos (32) and estuary crocodiles (21).
Ragunan is home to more than 3,500 animals – nearly 2,000 birds, over 1,000 mammals, close to 350 reptiles and more than 150 fish.
There are 136 different species of birds inside the walls of the 140-hectare compound, 82 of mammals, 41 of reptiles and 19 of fish.
Meanwhile, the agency also plans to increase Ragunan’s entrance fees to reduce the administration’s subsidies.
There are about 15,000 to 20,000 visitors coming to the zoo on weekends and 3,000 visitors on weekdays.
Edy said the zoo’s entrance fee was much cheaper than other recreational areas, such as the Safari park in Bogor or Ancol in North Jakarta.
The zoo only charges Rp 4,000 (less than 50 US cents) for adults and Rp 3,000 for early birds.
The Safari park entrance fee on the other hand costs Rp 50,000 for locals above the age of 6, and Rp 70,000 for foreign visitors.
The entrance ticket for Ancol is Rp 12,000.
“We want to reduce the [city] administration’s annual subsidy toward the zoo,” said Edy, adding the administration had already allocated about Rp 50 billion this year.
He said the agency was not afraid of losing visitors once the ticket price was raised.
“It’s about time for us to review the ticket prices so we can give a better service, both to the animals and visitors,” he said.
“We are also preparing a new plan for the zoo to a
http://moourl.com/im2mu






Visitors ask for cleaner Ragunan Zoo
In response to the zoo’s management’s plan to raise the ticket price, some Ragunan Zoo visitors said they would be happier if animals were better looked after, children were given more playgrounds and restrooms were cleaner.
Yanti Supriyanto, a Kebayoran resident who accompanied 30 children from GBII Cipulir church’s Sunday school, said he would like to see more playgrounds similar to those in Cisarua’s Safari Park.
“But it’s better if the administration delays putting the ticket price up, as in the current economic condition, there are not many other affordable recreational parks,” Yanti said.
The administration’s agency supervising the zoo said recently it planned to raise the Ragunan Zoo ticket price, without mentioning by how much.
“If the ticket price is raised to about Rp 7,500, it’s still worth it. But the animals don’t seem to be looked after properly. They should receive more care,” said Savitri, a Manggarai resident in Central Jakarta.
At present, the Ragunan Zoo charges adults Rp 4,000 (30 US cents) and children from 3 to 12 years old Rp 3,000. Visitors are also required to pay Rp 500 each for insurance.
Wahyudi Bambang, a member of staff working in the zoo’s promotion division, said the last time the zoo raised its entrance fee was in 2002, where tickets prices increased to Rp 3,000 for adults and Rp 2,000 for children.
Savitri also said children’s playgrounds were what most parents wanted because it gave the children more options to play and spend the whole day at the zoo.
Elin, a South Jakarta resident who......She confirmed the zoo had too many animals, because it also housed animals confiscated from private owners or traded illegally.
“Of the 52 orang utans we care for here, 20 of them will have a new home this year in other zoos abroad,” she said. But she could not disclose the names of the zoos.
The Ragunan Zoo is also building 10 new rooms for orang utan families.
“They need privacy too,” she said........
http://moourl.com/muv3a






Bahrain crackdown on five stables
FIVE stables have been taken over by the Municipality and Agriculture Affairs Ministry for illegally housing wild animals, it has emerged.
However, the owners will not be prosecuted because of an amnesty aimed at encouraging people to give up their potentially dangerous pets.
The action is part of a crackdown on people who keep wild animals after a surge in the number of cases reported.
Ministry officials confirmed that 21 people are being prosecuted for breeding wild animals and 15 others will not face any action after putting their animals into veterinary quarantine.
Lions, tigers, hyenas, monkeys, crocodiles and even snakes have been found in stables and homes across the country - often kept in inadequate conditions.
Quarantine
The increase in the number of cases prompted the ministry to urge the owners of wild animals to immediately hand them over to the veterinary quarantine in Buri or face prosecution.
"The population of wild animals is rising and we cannot ignore it anymore," animal wealth director Dr Salman Abdul Nabi Ebrahim told the GDN.
"The numbers are above normal and we need to focus
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=247946






Chester Zoo and biological records centre event planned
BEING nice to nettles, making soil sexy and discovering the 'aliens' among us are just some of the topics to be explored through a series of wildlife events.
Monitoring plants and wildlife is the aim of a new project launched by Chester Zoo and record, Cheshire's local biological records centre. Called Count Me In! the project will create the wildlife recorders of the future by
http://moourl.com/vfj5b






Oakland Zoo working on project to save the western pond turtle
When it comes to determining the sex of the western pond turtle, warmer temperatures produce females, while the cooler temperatures turn out the males.
"Hot females, cold males," said Nick Geist, a biology professor at Sonoma State who has been studying the turtles since last summer and recently spent a day at the Oakland Zoo determining the sex of at least 16 of the 22 turtles there through a surgical procedure.
The result: 10 females and six males, zoo officials said.
Since 2007, the Oakland Zoo has joined Sonoma State and the San Francisco Zoo to form a unique coalition to save western pond turtles, California's only native aquatic turtle and a species that is dwindling.
The western pond turtle is almost extinct in Washington state — less than 200 in the entire state — and a "species of special concern" in California. So, the idea behind the project is to raise the turtles for about nine or 10 months before releasing them back into the wild. That will happen this summer when their shell has hardened and they are virtually immune to predators, Geist said.
"They used to be found in the millions," Geist said.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_12142566







There's a certain science to mating rare animals at the Queens Zoo
Sometimes, it's not enough to just let nature take its course.
Getting certain endangered animals to breed in captivity at the Queens Zoo takes a lot of planning, study and - sorry to ruin the mood - science.
"It's not as easy as saying, 'We have a male and a female, let's let them mate,'" said Craig Gibbs, assistant curator of animals at the Queens Zoo.
First, zoo staff has to make sure the animals aren't too closely related. Then they have to make sure the baby has a good and safe home. "If you are going to breed animals, you really have an obligation to that baby," Gibbs said.
The Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the Queens Zoo, works with other facilities around the country on the Species Survival Plan. That program allows zoos to carefully match animals, paying close attention to bloodlines.
Spangles, an Andean bear, was brought to the Queens Zoo three years ago with hopes she would mate with longtime bachelor
http://moourl.com/g966g






The rarest turtle in the world (Rafetus swinhoei) It was caught by a local fisherman and get released back to it's home by ENV and local Forest Protection Department staff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49WQOQ8F5X0







Black Market (Disturbing but excellent video footage)
The wildlife trade is the third largest illegal trade in the world, rivaled only by guns and drugs. Every year up to 30,000 primates, 2 to 5 million birds and 10 million reptile skins are traded.
Strong beliefs in obscure parts of traditional Chinese medicine fuel the development. According to ancient custom, animal parts are imbued with "magical" properties. For the superstitious, eating the flesh of a tiger provides the animal's strength.
Despite scientific studies proving these beliefs wrong, the trade of animals and animal parts continues largely unchecked, fueled by desire, greed and corruption.
The problem seems insurmountable; one way of curbing the rampant killing and to decrease the demand for rare animals is by educating future generations and removing antiquated and false beliefs.
http://mediastorm.org/0015.htm







Chimpanzees exchange meat for sex
Chimpanzees enter into "deals" whereby they exchange meat for sex, according to researchers.
Male chimps that are willing to share the proceeds of their hunting expeditions mate twice as often as their more selfish counterparts.
This is a long-term exchange, so males continue to share their catch with females when they are not fertile, copulating with them when they are.
The team describe their findings in the
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7988169.stm






World's first cloned camel born in Dubai: report
A scientist says the world's first cloned camel has been produced in the desert emirate of Dubai.
Nisar Ahmad Wani, a senior reproductive biologist at the government's Camel Reproduction Center, says the cloned camel is a six-day-old, one-humped female called Achievement or Injaz in Arabic.
Injaz was born April 8 after an uncomplicated gestation of 378 days, the center said in a press release Tuesday.
The center said she was created from cells harvested from an ovary of an adult female camel.
Camels are a valuable commodity in the desert sheikdoms of the Persian Gulf. They are used for http://moourl.com/fofpx





"Gay" zoo elephant angers politician
A Polish politician has criticised his local zoo for acquiring a 'gay' elephant named Ninio who prefers male companions and will probably not procreate, local media reported.
"We didn't pay 37 million zlotys ($18 million) for the largest elephant house in Europe to have a gay elephant live there," Michal Grzes, a conservative councillor in the city of Poznan in western
http://moourl.com/z9bae



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ZOO BIOLOGY
The Zoo Biology Group is concerned with all disciplines involved in
the running of a Zoological Garden. Captive breeding, husbandry,
cage design and construction, diets, enrichment, man management,
record keeping, etc etc
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zoo-biology



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2009 ZRA Annual Conference : Overview

October 21-25, 2009

Zoo Boise , Boise , Idaho

The Zoological Registrars Association (ZRA) 2009 Annual Conference, “Foundations for the Future”, will be hosted by Zoo Boise in Boise , Idaho October 21 – 25, 2009. The Annual Conference Program will begin with leadership training and Icebreaker on Wednesday, October 21. A special keynote speaker will open the Annual Conference. General sessions will be held on Thursday, October 22 and Saturday, October 24 and will feature topics from four categories of presentations under Record Keeping, Permits and Wildlife Legislation, Animal Transport and Records and Collection Management. Possible topics from each of the four categories will include presentations on ZIMS; ARKS; animal transactions; permit applications; roundtables on permit issues; legislative updates; policies and procedures; accreditation; collection management; disaster preparedness; archives management; records retention, protection and disposal. There will be a variety of formats for presentations including individual papers, workshops, panel discussions and poster presentations. Zoo Day will held on Friday, October 23 and will culminate with a special dinner celebrating ZRAs’ 25th Anniversary. Saturday will end with a special evening at Bogus Creek Outfitters featuring a cowboy-style dinner, cowboy poetry, Wild West shoot out, karaoke and a bonfire. The Annual Conference will end on Sunday at 1:00 pm with additional sessions on ZIMS.

ZRA, Zoo Boise and the Owyhee Plaza Hotel welcome delegates to Idaho .

Please contact the 2009 Annual Conference Host, Corinne Roberts, Registrar for Zoo Boise, at (208) 384-4260 ext. 101 or by email at cxroberts@cityofboise.org. If you have questions about the 2009 ZRA Annual Conference Program, please contact the Program Chairman, Pam Krentz, Registrar for Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, at (216) 635-3361 or by email at pak@clevelandmetroparks.com



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AZA 2009 Annual Conference
Join us on September 12-17, 2009 as the Oregon Zoo hosts the 2009 AZA Annual Conference.

Upcoming Annual Conferences
2010
September 11-16
Houston Zoo, Houston , TX

2011
September 12-17
Zoo Atlanta , Atlanta , GA

2012
September 8-13
Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix , AZ

2013
September 7-12
Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City , MO

http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html


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JOURNAL of THREATENED TAXA
MARCH 2009 Vol. 1 No. 3 Pages 133-196
Date of Publication 26 March 2009
http://www.threatenedtaxa.org/


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Zoo Documentaries
http://www.insideout.org/documentaries/zoos/default.asp#


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Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Connect Magazine 2009
http://www.azaconnect.com/aza/200904/




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Volunteering Opportunity

Elephantstay at the Royal Elephant Kraal Village, Ayutthaya Thailand

Elephantstay is now offering a fantastic opportunity to gain invaluable experience working with elephants. The volunteer positions are for people with animal experience. The duration of stay will be of 4, 12 or 24 weeks. We have two positions on offer at any one time.

Successful applicants will work with elephants and people under the direct supervision of experienced mahouts and the Elephantstay directors.
Duties include cleaning, feeding, diet preparation, exercising and husbandry of elephants. Our primary concern is the elephants welfare and earning an income for them. You will have plenty of direct contact with the elephants, but also you will be assisting with the people who participate in the Elephantstay program. You may also be required to assist with the elephant painting project.
The work is free contact with elephants. At this stage we have eight retired elephants, which will be the main elephants you will be getting to know and be working with. Depending on your length of stay and your progress there may be opportunities to assist with other elephants.
We have about 90 elephants on site so you will have exposure and contact with many of them including baby elephants still with their mothers, and bull elephants.
Basic housing is provided on site. Single fan room and bathroom, Bedding and towels are provided. Drinking water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and 3 meals a day are provided on site. Snacks, juices, sodas, alcohol, etc are not provided but can be bought on site.
We have free wireless internet access for people with laptops.

As part of your training, you will participate in the Elephantstay program for 3 days. Please check http://www.elephantstay.com/ for additional information. As a volunteer you will receive 2 Elephant team t-shirts and a traditional Thai takaw.

Being a volunteer is all about dependability and initiative. To be an effective volunteer and to get the most out of your experience, you must be well prepared. The following information outlines what will be expected of you as a volunteer. These guidelines are important for the elephants, optimal learning experiences, and, most importantly, volunteer safety. We take them VERY seriously. Be sure you are able to meet all requirements before applying to participate.

Working with elephants free contact can be a physically and mentally challenging experience. The work is physically hard and the hours are long. You should expect to start at 7am and finish often late in the evening. Volunteers must be able to lift a minimum of 25 kilos as well as be prepared to work in a hot tropical climate.
Days off can be negotiated on arrival.
Successful applicants will have a two week trial period.
Applicants must have animal handling experience.

Qualifications and Skills:
A minimum of 2 years working with animals.
(Training of animals would be an advantage)
A good work ethic.
Ability to follow instructions.
Good communication skills.
Social skills.
Physically fit.
Ability to work in a hot tropical climate.
Ability to work in a team with little instruction.
Sense of humor.
Fluent English speaker.
Culturally sensitive and aware.

Cost:
4 weeks - 30,000 baht
12 weeks – 70,000 baht
24 weeks - 120,000 baht

Cost does not include airfares, visas, insurance, transfers.

Send a cover letter and resume via Email to elephantstay@elephantstay.com

The letter should cover
your areas of interest, goals, and what you can offer Elephantstay by being a volunteer. Your preferred dates.

Successful applicants will be notified by email as soon as possible.
Start times at this stage will be the first Monday of every month beginning in May 2009.


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Announcing the ASZK Des Spittall Scholarship for Keeper Research
Named in honour of the late Des Spittall, a life member of ASZK, the ASZK committee has launched the Des Spittall Scholarship for keeper research. This is open to people who have been a financial member of ASZK for 12 months or more. This is an annual scholarship up to the value of $2,000. Applications close 31st October 2009
Please forward ‘Des Spittall Scholarship for Keeper Research’ application to ASZK President no later than 31st of October each year at email eo@aszk.org.au




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CHESTER ZOO - RICHARD HUGHES SCHOLARSHIP AWARD 2009

Chester Zoo is a leading Zoological Garden in the U.K. actively involved in the conservation of threatened species, habitat support, scientific study and the provision of education and recreation to the general public.

In February 2001 Richard Hughes, a senior keeper at Chester Zoo, tragically lost his life working with the elephants that he loved. In memory of Richard, Chester Zoo has dedicated an annual scholarship award to support individuals wishing to undertake activities or projects concerned with elephant management, welfare or conservation.

The scholarship is open to applications for any type of activity or project that deals with issues of elephant management, welfare or conservation either overseas or in the UK. Proposals are encouraged from individuals from any relevant field who have an interest in elephants, from animal keepers and researchers to students. The Scholarship aims to allow individuals to become involved with elephant related interests beneficial to their career or personal development, as well as beneficial to elephants. Details we require for application include an outline of the project, aims and a statement of its relevance. Clearly, feasibility will be an important criterion when judging the submitted proposals.

Chester Zoo expects those awarded the scholarship to uphold the high standards that it expects of its own employees and to be fully acknowledged in any presentations/publications. It is a condition of the scholarship that the Zoo receives a full report on the completed project and copies of any resultant publications. The recipient may also be requested to provide a brief article for the Zoo magazine or to give an oral presentation on the completed project.

Scholarships will be awarded up to the value of £1000 for which the Society may require receipted expenses (Any special equipment purchased will remain the property of the society).

Application forms are available via email from conservation@chesterzoo.org Applications should be received no later than Friday 24th April 2009.

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ZOO JOBS

A little bit of a problem with the Digest site so jobs are all currently being placed on http://zoowork.blogspot.com/



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Meetings/Vacancies


Elephant Footcare Workshop
Pachyderm Podiatry
A Practical Workshop on Elephant Feet, their Care, and the Treatment of the Most Common Conditions.
April 15th - 17th, 2009
The Phoenix Zoo
hwright@thephxzoo.com





The Animal Behavior Management Alliance
2009 ABMA Annual Conference Providence, Rhode Island
April 26th – May 1st 2009
Providence, Rhode Island
If you are just starting to work with animals or have been for years ABMA has something to offer everyone. Join us in 2009 on the East Coast in Rhode Island. Registration is now open at http://www.theabma.org/





Felid Husbandry Courses
April 27-30 Tacoma, Washington, USAFor more information on courses go to the
FTAG page at http://www.felidtag.org/ Click on "get meeting details".




BIAZA Records Group Meeting
Twycross Zoo
29-30th April 2009
For further information (preliminary agenda and registration details) please go the following link http://www.biaza.org.uk/public/pages/publications/index.asp?catUid=210
Please confirm that you intend to attend by completing the registration form and send to admin@biaza.org.uk and cc it to d.brunger@chesterzoo.org and pat.m.milham@twycrosszoo.org







ASZK Annual Conference
30 April – 3 May 2009
Darwin, Northern Territory,
Australia
For information go to http://www.aszk.org.au/
or email eo@aszk.org.au






PROTECTED CONTACT TRAINING AND ENRICHMENT WORKSHOP
May 10 - 14, 2009
Presented by Active Environments
Hosted by Performing Animal Welfare Society
Instructors: Gail Laule, Margaret Whittaker, Alan Roocroft, and Val Hare
For further information contact:
Active Environments' Office
7651 Santos Road Lompoc, CA 93436
Tel: 805-737-3700, Email: active.environments@earthlink.net
Or: Margaret Whittaker (Active Environments)
Tel: 832-428-9637, Email: indu22@earthlink.net





European meeting on Tree Kangaroos
Krefeld Zoo, Germany
May 15 - 17 2009
For further information:
petra.schwinn@zookrefeld.de





International Rhino Keeper Association Workshop
May 17 – 21, 2009
Busch Gardens Africa, Tampa Florida
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Derek
Weatherford at Derek.Weatherford@buschgardens.com





The 4th Animal keepers Association of Africa (AKAA) Symposium.
Monday 18th May - 21st 2009.
Dr.Andrew Seguya, Dr Josephine Afema, Mr David Musingo, Dr Lawrence mugisha,
1ST CALL FOR PAPERS AND REGISTRATION
Go to http://www.uweczoo.org/
or http://www.akaafrica.com/
for details.





PAAZAB Conference
May 20 to 22 2009
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, Entebbe, Uganda
For further info please contact:
http://www.uweczoo.org/





International Conference on Diseases of Zoo and Wild Animals 2009
20th - 24th May 2009
Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Hilvarenbeek, The Netherlands
Contact:
2009@zoovet-conference.org
http://www.zoovet-conference.org/





Conference of the Association of Latin American Zoological Parks
May 25 - 29 2009
Panama City, Panama
For further information:
http://www.alpza.com/index.php





The 9th International Conference on Environmental Enrichment.
31st May – 5th June 2009.
Torquay, Devon, UK
Submission for abstracts has now closed.
EARLY REGISTRATION CLOSES 28TH FEBRUARY 2009
LATE REGISTRATION CLOSES 30TH APRIL 2009
Please go to http://www.reec.info/
for details including a provisional timetable of talks.
For more information about sponsorship of the event or having a trade stall please contact Julian Chapman on
julian.chapman@paigntonzoo.org.uk






The 7th International Zoo and Aquarium Marketing Conference
16 - 20 June 2009
Odense Zoo and Givskud Zoo, Denmark.
More information will follow in due time.





"First African Symposium on Zoological Medicine"
July 18th and 19th 2009.
Johannesburg Zoo, South Africa.
Financial assistance available for vets from other African countries. For more details contact Teresa Slacke on vetadmin@jhbzoo.org.za






Professional Training Seminars at Shedd Aquarium
Animal Training Seminar with Ken Ramirez
Environmental Quality Seminar with Allen LaPointe
August 24 –28, 2009
Please contact the adult programs coordinator at
adults@sheddaquarium.org
for more information





THIRD ORANGUTAN SSP© HUSBANDRY WORKSHOP
MONDAY, AUGUST 31 THROUGH WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2009
Zoo Atlanta
USA
http://www.2009orangutanworkshop.org/





26th EAZA Annual Conference
14 - 20 September 2009
Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark.




3rd International Congress on Zoo Keeping and the 36th American Association of Zoo Keepers National Conference
September 24th - 29th 2009
The Puget Sound Chapter of AAZK and WoodlandPark Zoo
See these websites for further information:
http://www.iczoo.org/
http://www.pugetsoundaazk.org/





64th WAZA Annual Conference
4 - 8 October 2009
St. Louis Zoo at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, St. Louis (MO), USA.
For more information, please visit http://www.waza.org/



Second Okapi Workshop
11 14 October 2009
Antwerp Zoo
For further details go to:
http://www.theokapi.org/nieuwsvolledig.asp?nieuws=15






The Bear Care Group announces the second international bear care
conference 'Advancing Bear Care '09.
SAN FRANCISCO NOVEMBER 6-8 2009
http://www.bearcaregroup.org/







The 6th European Zoo Nutrition Conference
Barcelona, 28-31 January 2010
Please send comments or suggestions for topics/speakers directly to me (a.fidgett@chesterzoo.org). Further announcements and information will be posted online via the nutrition area of the EAZA website (www.eaza.net).





20th International Zoo Educators' (IZE) Biennial Conference
19 - 23 October 2010
Disney's Animal Kingdom, Florida, USA.
For more information, please visit http://www.izea.net




Zoohistorica
International meeting of collectors of zoo literature and memorabilia
Internationales Treffen der Sammler zoohistorischer Literatur
Rencontre internationale des collectionneurs de documents en rapport avec les zoos
See here for more details: http://www.zoohistorica.org/





7th International Penguin Conference
DATE: August 30 to September 3, 2010
LOCATION: Boston Massachusetts, USA
HOSTED BY: The New England Aquarium
ipcboston@neaq.org



************************************************************************

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to any zoological collection. Many thanks.

Kind Regards,

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Peter Dickinson
http://www.zoonewsdigest.com/
http://www.geocities.com/peterd482001/ZooNews_Digest.html

Editor/Owner ZooNews Digest
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/zoonewsdigest/

Owner/Moderator Zoo Biology
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/zoo-biology/


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