Tag archives for zoo news
The Life of a Zoo Herpetologist: An Interview with Curator Doug Hotle of the Albuquerque Biological Park
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on May 8, 2013 Herpetologists in a zoo setting often work with a diversity of reptiles and amphibians from fairly innocuous tree frogs to gaboon vipers. I reached out to my colleague, Albuquerque Biological Park’s Curator of Herpetology Doug Hotle, to find out what it is like to work with an eclectic collection of native New Mexico and exotic…
Posted by 
In this guest blog post, Ed Stewart, president, and co-founder, of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, takes issue with a News Watch post by Jordan Carlton Schaul about elephants in zoos. “The reason the management of elephants in captivity is coming under such scrutiny, is not, as [Schaul] states, because zoos and sanctuaries offer different environments for elephants, but because zoos and sanctuaries have different philosophies about captivity itself,” Stewart writes. On top of that, he adds, there presently exists no state-of-the-art keeping of elephants in captivity.
Captive Elephant Management: Interview with Knoxville Zoo’s Curator of Elephants
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on April 23, 2013 As I plan for my trip to India to work with South Asia’s largest animal welfare and conservation organization, I realize that the one area that is the most removed from my field of expertise is elephant management and the captive breeding of elephants for conservation purposes. Sure I have been around Asian and African…
Former AZA Director/William Conway Chair of Conservation & Science Discusses the State of Zoos & their Future
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on December 2, 2012 Contributing Editor Dr. Jordan Schaul interviews his friend and colleague Dr. Michael Hutchins, one of the foremost experts on zoos in the world, to continue discussion about the future of zoos, related conservation breeding facilities and their role in global species preservation. Michael is the Director of Conservation and Science for Safari Professionals (SP), one…
Posted by National Geographic Magazine Editor in Chief Chris Johns has been on some pretty big photo shoots, but this one, he says, took the cake for sophistication, human effort on every front, and cutting-edge technology. He made the comment in the Cincinnati Zoo video (above) of what it took to film the setting of a new…
Shedd Aquarium & Project Seahorse Collaborate in Southeast Asia
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on November 8, 2012 Contributing Editor Dr. Jordan Schaul interviews Dr. Charles Knapp, Shedd Aquarium’s Vice President of Conservation and Research, to learn about some of the institution’s field conservation work in Southeast Asia. As Shedd Aquarium embarks on new on-the-ground field conservation initiatives to save aquatic environments, they have recently deployed three post-doctoral researchers around the world to…
Zoo Conservation Notes—November 2012 Edition
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on November 2, 2012 Two of the most prestigious zoological parks in the Midwest have some exciting updates to share for this inaugural edition of Zoo Conservation Notes. Chicago Zoological Society’s Brookfield Zoo announced the release of an endangered Mexican gray wolf at a USFWS refuge in New Mexico last Saturday that was previously held at the suburban Chicago…
Interview with San Diego Zoo’s Animal Enrichment Expert—Dr. Lance Miller
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on November 2, 2012 Contributing Editor Dr. Jordan Schaul interviews environmental enrichment expert Dr. Lance Miller of San Diego Zoo Global’s Institute for Conservation Research. Today, zoos adhere to strict environmental enrichment protocols to ensure that the animal ambassadors in their respective collections are stimulated and encouraged to perform natural behaviors. Enrichment programs are carefully planned and science-based, just…
“Black Bear”—the New Exhibit at the Minnesota Zoo for a Triplet of Orphans
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on October 11, 2012 Contributing Editor Jordan Schaul interviews Tom Ness of the Minnesota Zoo about the new bear exhibit in Apple Valley. The Medtronic Minnesota trail at the Minnesota Zoo in Minneapolis is home to one of the most complete living collections of Nearctic carnivorans in the world, if not the most complete. The exhibit features coyote, grey…
The panda cub born a week ago at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., was found dead early today.
“Don’t Be Slow to Save a Loris”—Announcing Loris Awareness Week
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on September 10, 2012 Direct you to where you might find an Asian lorisine at the zoo? “Not a chance,” I would say—at least that’s what I used to say—until I was introduced to one as a professional zoo keeper. As a kid, enamored with zoos and zoo animals, I was impressed with charismatic megafauna and utterly unimpressed with…
Posted by 
Greetings, NewsWatch readers: this is Tim Binder, the Vice President of Collection Planning at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. For many years, I’ve been involved with beluga whale conservation research in the field and here at home. Today I’d like to invite you to join me on a research expedition to the shores of Alaska. Beluga…
Eighteen smooth green snakes bred in captivity were released into the northern Illinois prairie a few dozen miles from Chicago today.
Bay Area Zoos & Sonoma State University to Release Western Pond Turtles
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on August 17, 2012 The Oakland Zoo will release 44 western or Pacific pond turtles today as part of a “Headstart” program for the imperiled aquatic chelonians, which once ranged from Baja, California to Washington state. As part of a 5 year collaborative surrogate rearing program, zoo keepers at the San Francisco and Oakland zoos have worked with herpetologists…
Is the “Hype” on Swine Flu for the Birds or People or All of the Above?
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on August 12, 2012 Contributing Editor Jordan Schaul looks at the “hype” surrounding the recent epidemic of swine flu, its ecology, and nomenclature system, and the perception concerning emerging influenza strains in the context of domestic and exotic animal species. As a zoo aficionado, and professional, I’m always concerned that novel strains of influenza—those infecting people, but of animal…
A Week Dedicated to the Keepers of the Kingdom
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on July 15, 2012 For most patrons of zoological parks, an opportunity to meet a zoo keeper far surpasses a chance to meet the zoo director, the zoo curator and even the zoo veterinarian. In fact, “Meet the Keeper” presentations are often touted as being more popular than up close and personal encounters with the zoo animals. Zoo and…
Remembering the Ghost Bear & Rescuing the Moon Bears
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on July 14, 2012 Her photo is one of two that hangs above my desk. I am haunted to this day, only a month since the incident, but I know I will be haunted for the rest of my life. I let her down somehow—the world let her down. The two pictures that hang behind my desk are of …
A Tribute to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch on World Oceans Day
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on June 8, 2012 In celebration of World Oceans Day Contributing Editor Dr. Jordan Schaul explores some of the conservation initiatives of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Center for the Future of Oceans, including the highly successful Seafood Watch program. As I drove home today along the Turnagain Arm estuary—a branch of Cook Inlet—I listened to the Alaska Fisheries report…
World Oceans Day To Be Celebrated By Aquariums And Zoos Worldwide
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on May 30, 2012 Aquariums and zoos around the world will be celebrating World Oceans Day on June 8th with quite a splash. In celebration of both the beauty of the oceans and their significant role in sustaining life on Earth, these living institutions will host a number of festivities to highlight the critical role marine waters play in…
Survey Says Zoo & Aquarium Visitors Poised to Combat Climate Change
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on April 13, 2012 The jury is out. Zoos and aquariums are poised to make a big impact on the environmental education front, and particularly with respect to climate change literacy. Information from a new study suggests that zoos cater to a demographic of individuals who care about the planet and their concern is linked to the connection the…
Beware of Buffalo Chips: Bison Covertly Translocated for Restoration to the West
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on March 23, 2012 A covert operation to move 64 disease-free, purebred bison from Yellowstone National Park to Fort Peck, Montana–a distance of 500 miles–was achieved this week almost without incident. Two animals died. A yearling died en route and another animal suffered a fatal goring before the trip. It happens. I can say that as mediocre bison wrangler.…
Capacity Building, Coffee, & Conservation Through the Woodland Park Zoo
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on March 15, 2012 I thought that Australia’s Cape York Peninsula was a far away place. It certainly is as remote a place as I have ever been. However, Conservation International and Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo have found a location not far from the tip of Cape York to the northeast in Oceania that is very rich in biodiversity…
A Critical Look at the Future of Zoos–An Interview with David Hancocks
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on March 13, 2012 Contributing Editor and zoo advocate Jordan Schaul interviews renowned zoo architect and noted Zoo Director Emeritus David Hancocks on the future of zoos. David directed the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona, and Australia’s Werribee Open Range Zoo–a member of the Zoo Victoria’s conglomerate of captive wildlife facilities, which…
St. Louis Zoo & Polar Bears International are Spearheading an Effort to Bring Arctic Polar Bears to US Facilities
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on March 3, 2012 Contributing Editor Jordan Schaul discusses some zoo-related news concerning the future of polar bears in zoos in the lower 48–a week after the world celebrated International Polar Bear Day (February 27th). Seven or so AZA-accredited zoos are poised to either replace expired polar bears or exhibit them for the first time. About 45 AZA facilities…
Bringing Back Bison–Brings Back Biodiversity
Posted by Jordan Carlton Schaul of University of Alaska on March 3, 2012 Bringing back the wood bison is not just about the restoration of a charismatic mega-vertebrate. Indeed, the wood bison–the larger of the two subspecies of the American bison–is a magnificent beast and reintroducing the subspecies is a heck of an achievement. But its return to Wild Alaska signifies much more. I’m privileged to be able to…
