Category Archives: Zoos

‘World’s loneliest elephant’ allowed to leave zoo for better life

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Kaavan, who lives in a Pakistani zoo, lost his partner in 2012 and is now medically clear to travel

An elephant who has become a cause célèbre for animal rights activists around the world will be allowed to leave his Pakistani zoo and be transferred to better conditions, the animal welfare group helping with the case has said.

Dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” by his supporters, Kaavan has languished at a zoo in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad for more than 35 years.

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Coronavirus could starve Canada zoo’s pandas as bamboo supply chain snaps

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Calgary Zoo has warned that it may soon be unable to provide its two pandas with the 40kg of fresh bamboo they each need daily

A Canadian zoo is warning that its giant pandas could go without fresh bamboo as the Covid-19 pandemic limits imports from China and domestic supplies run short.

Calgary Zoo said in May that it planned to return Er Shun and Da Mao to China, after coronavirus disrupted bamboo supply lines, but on Tuesday the zoo announced that due to the pandemic, it was still unable to secure travel permits.

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Sir David Attenborough makes appeal to save charity behind London and Whipsnade zoos – video

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The naturalist has appealed for donations to save conservation charity ZSL, which has been severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The charity's director, Dominic Jermey, said the zoos would be unable to recoup the money lost even though they had been allowed to reopen, because of social-distancing measures and heavily restricted visitor numbers. He said: 'Unlike any other UK zoo, our zoos are the lifeline for groundbreaking research at the world-renowned ZSL Institute of Zoology and fund our global conservation projects – work that has never been more vital.'


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‘You can’t furlough an otter’: why one family-run zoo remains shut – video

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Andy Cowell runs the Fenn Bell Conservation Project in Medway, Kent. After 12 weeks of closure, as running costs mounted, zoos were suddenly told with less than a week’s notice that they could reopen on Monday to reduced visitors. But smaller zoos such as Fenn Bell have had to spend funds they barely had just to create space for visitors to visit safely, and Cowell is still a couple of weeks away from being ready. He tells Richard Sprenger why he is so angry at how the situation has been handled and fears the possibility of having to euthanise his animals 

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Cher sheds tears of joy as Pakistan’s loneliest elephant wins freedom

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Kaavan, a 33-year-old elephant living a sorry existence in Islamabad zoo, to be released after campaign by pop icon

The plight of an animal known as Pakistan’s loneliest elephant is set to come to an end after a court declared he should be freed from Islamabad zoo – to the delight of his longtime champion, pop icon Cher.

Kaavan, a 33-year-old Asian elephant from Sri Lanka, has been the focus of a four-year campaign by Cher to secure his release from Murghazar Zoo in Pakistan’s capital, after the singer saw pictures of the elephant living alone and held miserably in chains in a small enclosure, with only a small dirty pond to play in.

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Canada’s Calgary zoo to return two giant pandas after bamboo supply disruption

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Scarcity of flights due to coronavirus pandemic has caused problems with getting enough bamboo to feed them

The Calgary zoo will be returning two giant pandas on loan from China because a scarcity of flights due to Covid-19 has caused problems with getting enough bamboo to feed them.

Er Shun and Da Mao arrived in Calgary in 2018 after spending five years at the Toronto zoo and were to remain in the Alberta city until 2023.

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In the mood for love: Hong Kong’s middle-aged pandas rediscover their mojo

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Captive animals mate for first time in 10 years as coronavirus keeps hordes of visitors away

A middle-aged couple of giant pandas in a Hong Kong theme park have mated for the first time in more than 10 years, after finally enjoying a period of privacy thanks to the coronavirus lockdown.

Ying Ying and Le Le have been at Ocean Park since 2007 but, despite the encouragement of zookeepers, they had shown little inclination to have sex while daily hordes of visitors were watching their every move.

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Three women go to police over fire at German zoo – video

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Three women have handed themselves in to police in Germany over a blaze at a zoo on New Year's Eve that killed dozens of animals. 

The women are being investigated for setting off flying lanterns, which are banned, and which may have been the cause of the fire at Krefeld zoo in North Rhine-Westphalia, which killed over 30 primates. 

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Case of the stolen lemur: man who took animal from US zoo wanted a monkey

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This week the FBI released more details of the investigation into the brief 2018 abduction of Isaac, a 33-year-old ring-tailed lemur

When it comes to lemurs, Isaac is known for being an easygoing guy. He’s 33, and mostly enjoys a typical lemur life: resting, eating, exploring, and napping in the sun. He’s the oldest ring-tailed lemur in North America and has lived at the same address since 2000.

Related: Orangutan Sandra granted personhood settles into new Florida home

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Outrage in China as giant panda on loan to Thailand zoo dies

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Chuang Chuang reportedly collapsed after eating bamboo in Chiang Mai Zoo

The sudden death of a giant panda on loan to a zoo in Thailand has sparked outrage in China and calls for no more of the bears to be lent to the country.

Chuang Chuang, a 19-year-old male, reportedly collapsed on Monday afternoon after eating bamboo in Chiang Mai zoo in northern Thailand, according to Thai media.

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‘I don’t know how we come back from this’: Australia’s big dry sucks life from once-proud towns

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Guardian Australia reports from three communities hard hit by one of the worst droughts in living memory

Australia is experiencing one of its most severe droughts on record, resulting in desperate water shortages across large parts of New South Wales and southern Queensland. Dams in some parts of western NSW have all but dried up, with rainfall levels through the winter in the lowest 10% of historical records in some areas.

The crisis in the far west of the state became unavoidable after the mass fish kills along the lower Darling River last summer, but now much bigger towns closer to the coast, including Dubbo, are also running out of water.

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Berlin zoo celebrates rare birth of panda twins

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Meng Meng delivered two cubs, which must eventually be returned to China

Berlin zoo has said its resident panda Meng Meng has delivered twins, the first time one of the endangered animals has given birth in the country.

“Meng Meng became a mom – twice! We are so happy, we are speechless,” the zoo tweeted on Monday, posting a video of Meng Meng guiding one of her pink cubs to feed.

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Paws for effect: Japanese zoo stages unusual ‘lion’ escape drill

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Staff member in a lion costume helps zoo practise for the event of an escape, as real lions appear unimpressed

For one terrifying moment it looks like the lion is about to get the upper hand against its human nemeses.

The animal faces down its would-be captors – armed with a net and long poles - and, without warning, knocks one of them to the ground with its powerful paws. “Are you alright?” another zookeeper asks the prone victim.

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One of last four giant softshell turtles dies in Chinese zoo

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Death of Yangtze giant softshell turtle came a day after artificial insemination attempt

The world’s rarest turtle has moved closer to extinction after a female died in a Chinese zoo, leaving just three known members of the species.

The Yangtze giant softshell turtle, believed to be more than 90 years old, died in Suzhou zoo on Saturday, according to the Suzhou Daily.

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Founder of zoo where 500 animals died drops horse ranch plans

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David Gill abandons Lake District retreat application after flood of complaints

The founder of a zoo where nearly 500 animals died in less than three years, many in cruel conditions, has abandoned plans to open a horse-riding ranch, following a flood of complaints.

David Gill, the former owner of South Lakes Safari zoo in Cumbria, angered animal welfare groups when he applied to open an American-style ranch in the hills of the Lake District.

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Jaguar attacks woman who climbed Arizona zoo barrier to take a selfie

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Woman in her 30s returned to the zoo to apologise after she was treated in hospital for her injuries

A jaguar has clawed an Arizona woman who climbed over a barrier to take a picture at the Wildlife World Zoo near Phoenix, officials said.

Mobile phone video of the incident showed at least one gash on the woman’s left forearm as she writhed on the ground in pain after the attack on Saturday.

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Tug-of-war with a lion? Dartmoor zoo offers ‘cruel’ challenge – video

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Visitors to Dartmoor zoo are being offered the opportunity to take part in its ‘human v beast’ challenge, with groups of people playing tug-of-war against a lion as it tries to wrestle meat attached to a rope.

The controversial attraction, which costs £15 per person, has sparked a backlash with more than 2,000 people signing a petition to stop the practice. The petition’s author, Sue Dally, described it as, ‘cruel and shows a total lack of respect for these beautiful majestic wild animals’

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Sumatran tiger killed by potential mate on first meeting in London zoo

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Tigers were put together through breeding programme that hopes to save species from extinction

A Sumatran tiger kept at London zoo has been killed by its potential mate during their first meeting. Keepers had hoped the big cats would breed but have been left devastated after Asim, the male they brought in, attacked Melati.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) kept the two tigers in adjacent enclosures for 10 days to allow them to become accustomed to each other. After their keepers saw positive signs, they decided to make the “high-risk” introduction on Friday morning.

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