Singapore Zoo and Night Safari are celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival this year with a special sale of imported traditional mooncakes. As part of its conservation efforts, five dollars from the sale of each box of mooncakes will go towards the Wildlife Conservation Singapore Fund, an institution of public character – dedicated to research, educational programmes and upkeep of endangered animals.
Sold in a box of four, there are eight different varieties of halal-certified mooncakes from Malaysia available from August 27 – September 24, 2007. So enjoy your mooncakes and do your part for conservation at the same time!
Details:
Venue: Singapore Zoo and Night Safari80 Mandai Lake Road Singapore(Singapore Zoo and Night Safari retail outlets Cheers at Singapore Zoo Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant - Wok Station)
Date: August 27 – September 24, 2007Price: Ranges from $27-$33 per box of four
Varieties of moon cakes:Pure White Lin YoongPure Lin Yoong MooncakePure Golden Jade MooncakeBlack Sesame Lin Yoong Mooncake1 Yolk White Lin Yoong2 Yolk White Lin Yoong1 Yolk Pure Lin Yoong2 Yolk Pure Lin Yoong
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Sun Bear fear no more with latest UPGRADES
Singapore Zoo’s new sun bear enclosure opens after 18 months of careful planning, research and construction. It is constructed over 750 sqm and is more than four times larger than the old facility, which dates to as early as 1975. The new enclosure allows for enhanced enrichment programmes and provides the sun bears with a more natural and interesting abode.
The new home for the sun bears includes logs for climbing as well as bark chip substrate, which allows them to naturally forage and explore for food, which is hidden in an environment akin to a tropical rainforest. As sun bears are also active at night, the off-exhibit night enclosure for the bears is very large and includes bear “toys”, foraging areas, and a variety of sleeping platforms to occupy them.
“With the new enclosure, visitors will learn more about how sun bears behave in their natural environment. Of the eight species of bears, very little is known about the sun bear. But we do know that its wild population is on a sharp decline and they have become extinct in parts of their historical range. This is why over the years, we have funded a field research project to gather as much information as possible on sun bears” said Ms Fanny Lai, Executive Director for Night Safari and Singapore Zoo.
To date, sun bears are listed as data deficient on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) Red List as little is known about them. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has listed sun bears in Appendix 1 which makes any commercial trade in the bear or its body parts illegal.
The field research project that the Singapore Zoo helps to sponsor on sun bears in the Danum Valley region of Sabah was spearheaded with the intention of gathering data on the ecology of the species and the prospects for survival in disrupted forest habitats. With information gathered from this research, the Zoo is able to gain further insight into the sun bears’ physical and mental needs.
“As we now have a better understanding about sun bears, we will be able to do more for the species. We have taken steps to improve the conditions for our sun bears by making their habitat more naturalistic. In months to come, we will be sending our male bear to another institution, and will receive an unrelated male for our sun bear breeding programme,” said Ms Lai.
In total, the new habitat will initially be home to three sun bears, one male (age five years old) and two females (age 17 and 30 years old respectively). The male bear and younger female bear were both born in Singapore, while the older female was brought in to Singapore when it was a one-year old cub in 1978; she may be the oldest sun bear in captivity. (As with most species, the longevity of a sun bear in the wild will notexceed the captive average age of 20 years.)
Since its inception, the Singapore Zoo has successfully produced and reared three sun bears.
Found mostly in the mainland countries of Southeast Asia, sun bears are losing their habitat to oil palm plantations and poaching for the traditional medicine trade and are probably close to extinction in many parts of their current range. Mr Wong Siew Te, expert field researcher on sun bears and first co-chair of the SunBear Expert Team for the IUCN from 2002 to 2005 was recently in Singapore at the invitation of the Zoo to share information from his Zoo-funded research findings on the plight of sun bears in the wild.
Zoo animal attack 6
A Chinese zookeeper needed more than 100 stitches after a 2-year-old panda viciously bit and scratched him during feeding time at a zoo in northwestern China, a zoo official and a newspaper said Monday.
The zookeeper, surnamed Zhang, was hospitalized after the attack Saturday in Lanzhou, Gansu province, but his life was not in danger, said a woman surnamed Zhou, who is director of the zoo's office. The Lanzhou Morning Post said the man needed more than 100 stitches.
Zhang was feeding the panda from outside the enclosure, sticking his arms through the wire, when the panda, Lan Zai, grabbed his arms and began biting them and then scratched his legs, Zhou said in a telephone interview.
Lan Zai was transferred to the zoo on July 28 from Chengdu in southwestern China and had apparently not adjusted well to Lanzhou's drier climate. The panda had refused to eat for several days, Zhou said.
The panda also had not grown comfortable with Zhang during its weeklong stay at the zoo.
Last October, a panda cub bit off part of the thumb of an American visitor who was feeding the animal at a reserve in southwestern China. A month earlier, a drunken Chinese tourist bit a panda at the Beijing Zoo after the animal attacked him when he jumped into the enclosure and tried to hug it.
The zookeeper, surnamed Zhang, was hospitalized after the attack Saturday in Lanzhou, Gansu province, but his life was not in danger, said a woman surnamed Zhou, who is director of the zoo's office. The Lanzhou Morning Post said the man needed more than 100 stitches.
Zhang was feeding the panda from outside the enclosure, sticking his arms through the wire, when the panda, Lan Zai, grabbed his arms and began biting them and then scratched his legs, Zhou said in a telephone interview.
Lan Zai was transferred to the zoo on July 28 from Chengdu in southwestern China and had apparently not adjusted well to Lanzhou's drier climate. The panda had refused to eat for several days, Zhou said.
The panda also had not grown comfortable with Zhang during its weeklong stay at the zoo.
Last October, a panda cub bit off part of the thumb of an American visitor who was feeding the animal at a reserve in southwestern China. A month earlier, a drunken Chinese tourist bit a panda at the Beijing Zoo after the animal attacked him when he jumped into the enclosure and tried to hug it.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Useless when OLD
A BROWN bear rescued by Brigitte Bardot and brought to Scotland has become the latest symbol of conflict between animal-rights campaigners and the debt-ridden Glasgow Zoopark.
Bongo the Bear was to be put down tomorrow, but the plans have been shelved after Advocates for Animals claimed it would be the first in a mass cull of animals unable to be rehoused when the zoo closes in September.
Management at the zoo last night dismissed as "disgracefully sensationalist" the claims by the animal-rights campaigners. They claim Bongo’s death will be a mercy killing, as the beast is suffering from old age and disease.
The war of words came as it emerged that other Scottish zoos have no space to commit to the Glasgow animals.
The 100-acre site at Calderpark in the east end of the city has run up debts approaching £3.65 million and saw a rescue plan involving the sale of land to housebuilders hit by planning delays.
The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) has been brought in to assist the zoo in finding new homes for the 68 species.
However, yesterday, management at Edinburgh Zoo and Blair Drummond Safari Park, in Stirlingshire, admitted they cannot offer accommodation for the beasts.
A spokeswoman for Edinburgh Zoo said: "We don’t have any empty enclosures, so we couldn’t take any big animals.
"But there is a chance we could help with some of the smaller animals, such as the reptiles."
She added: "We just don’t have the resources or the staff."
Gary Gilmour, the manager of Blair Drummond Safari Park, said they could not help in the relocation, adding: "We don’t have the space to take any more animals."
Mr Gilmour said that taking tigers or lions could not happen as they exist in complex social groups which would not accept new additions.
Mr Gilmour said that Glasgow Zoopark was a victim of a slump in visitor numbers.
He added: "It’s a catch 22 situation. If you don’t have the number of visitors coming in then you won’t have the money to improve the enclosures and the conditions."
Advocates for Animals yesterday slammed the zoo, insisting that the death by lethal injection of Bongo would set a precedent for the four remaining bears which, aged between 20 and 30, would be considered too old to move to other sanctuaries.
Yvonne Taylor, the charity’s campaign co-ordinator, said: "They have exploited these animals over the years and they deserve to be cared for in the best possible standards for the rest of their natural lives. Now the zoo is closing, they are saying that any animals not rehoused should be destroyed.
"If there is any money left over from the sale of land, it should be used to provide for these animals and make sure they live out the rest of their lives in comfortable surroundings."
Ms Taylor added that the zoo had declined offers from the charity to help in the bid to rehouse the beasts through global contacts in the animal welfare community.
"We have been completely ignored by the zoo," she insisted. "We have found potential homes for these bears but been told to post the details.
"The zoo says they are outraged by these scare stories, but these will continue unless the zoo works with people in the open."
A spokeswoman for Glasgow Zoopark said there was no "schedule for the slaughter of our animals", adding: "While it is true that Bongo the bear was due to be put down on Wednesday, this decision was taken purely on health grounds as Bongo is a very old, unwell bear and it is entirely unrelated to the zoo’s closure.
"Bongo will no longer be put down on Wednesday. It will happen in the near future, but the date for this cannot be made public following this media frenzy."
Bongo was rescued from a zoo in Italy in 2000. The cost of his transfer was met by the foundation set up by Bardot, the former French actress turned committed animal lover. However, the bear, which has had previous operations for testicular cancer, stomach ulcers and arthritis is now considered too unwell to move to another home. The zoo’s vet, Emma Timperley, has advised that Bongo’s deteriorating quality of life warrants euthanasia.
Bongo the Bear was to be put down tomorrow, but the plans have been shelved after Advocates for Animals claimed it would be the first in a mass cull of animals unable to be rehoused when the zoo closes in September.
Management at the zoo last night dismissed as "disgracefully sensationalist" the claims by the animal-rights campaigners. They claim Bongo’s death will be a mercy killing, as the beast is suffering from old age and disease.
The war of words came as it emerged that other Scottish zoos have no space to commit to the Glasgow animals.
The 100-acre site at Calderpark in the east end of the city has run up debts approaching £3.65 million and saw a rescue plan involving the sale of land to housebuilders hit by planning delays.
The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) has been brought in to assist the zoo in finding new homes for the 68 species.
However, yesterday, management at Edinburgh Zoo and Blair Drummond Safari Park, in Stirlingshire, admitted they cannot offer accommodation for the beasts.
A spokeswoman for Edinburgh Zoo said: "We don’t have any empty enclosures, so we couldn’t take any big animals.
"But there is a chance we could help with some of the smaller animals, such as the reptiles."
She added: "We just don’t have the resources or the staff."
Gary Gilmour, the manager of Blair Drummond Safari Park, said they could not help in the relocation, adding: "We don’t have the space to take any more animals."
Mr Gilmour said that taking tigers or lions could not happen as they exist in complex social groups which would not accept new additions.
Mr Gilmour said that Glasgow Zoopark was a victim of a slump in visitor numbers.
He added: "It’s a catch 22 situation. If you don’t have the number of visitors coming in then you won’t have the money to improve the enclosures and the conditions."
Advocates for Animals yesterday slammed the zoo, insisting that the death by lethal injection of Bongo would set a precedent for the four remaining bears which, aged between 20 and 30, would be considered too old to move to other sanctuaries.
Yvonne Taylor, the charity’s campaign co-ordinator, said: "They have exploited these animals over the years and they deserve to be cared for in the best possible standards for the rest of their natural lives. Now the zoo is closing, they are saying that any animals not rehoused should be destroyed.
"If there is any money left over from the sale of land, it should be used to provide for these animals and make sure they live out the rest of their lives in comfortable surroundings."
Ms Taylor added that the zoo had declined offers from the charity to help in the bid to rehouse the beasts through global contacts in the animal welfare community.
"We have been completely ignored by the zoo," she insisted. "We have found potential homes for these bears but been told to post the details.
"The zoo says they are outraged by these scare stories, but these will continue unless the zoo works with people in the open."
A spokeswoman for Glasgow Zoopark said there was no "schedule for the slaughter of our animals", adding: "While it is true that Bongo the bear was due to be put down on Wednesday, this decision was taken purely on health grounds as Bongo is a very old, unwell bear and it is entirely unrelated to the zoo’s closure.
"Bongo will no longer be put down on Wednesday. It will happen in the near future, but the date for this cannot be made public following this media frenzy."
Bongo was rescued from a zoo in Italy in 2000. The cost of his transfer was met by the foundation set up by Bardot, the former French actress turned committed animal lover. However, the bear, which has had previous operations for testicular cancer, stomach ulcers and arthritis is now considered too unwell to move to another home. The zoo’s vet, Emma Timperley, has advised that Bongo’s deteriorating quality of life warrants euthanasia.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)