How Zoos Keep Animals Cool in the Heat
This summer has seen intense heatwaves across the northern hemisphere, forcing us to search for ways to beat the heat. We also keep our pets in mind, limiting walks to the cooler parts of the day, making use of cooling vests, or staying in some good old-fashioned air conditioning. What about zoo animals, though? Here are some interesting ways zoo staff keep their animals cool. Popsicles We all love a cool treat on a hot day, and zoo animals are no different. They get a wide variety of popsicles, which are essentially ice containing a favorite...
San Diego Zoo’s Critical Mission to Save Koalas from Deadly Retrovirus in Race Against Extinction
In the verdant eucalyptus forests of Australia, koalas are engaged in a silent battle for survival against an invisible foe: the Koala Retrovirus (KoRV). It’s a war that the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) has joined with vigor and innovation. KoRV, unique to koalas, has emerged as a key player in their declining health. Belonging to the Retroviridae family, its most notorious subtype, KoRV-A, is found universally in northern koala populations and variably in the south. Photo: PexelsKoalas face habitat loss due to urban...
Smithsonian National Zoo’s Webcam-Starring Pandas Fly Away to China
The beloved stars of a zoo webcam have flown back to their original home. Last week, the Smithsonian National Zoo’s mainstay giant pandas, 25-year-old Mei Xiang and 26-year-old Tian Tian, were safely transferred from the zoo via travel crate to the so-called “FedEx Panda Express” to go back to China, where they were each born before coming to Washington, D.C. in 2000. Joining them on the journey was their youngest cub, Xiao Qi Ji, born in 2020. Their other three surviving offspring – Tai Shan, born in 2005; Bao Bao,...
Baby Gorilla Abandoned at Birth Beats the Odds with the Help of a Dedicated Caregiver
An adorably sweet baby gorilla born at the Mogo Wildlife Park in Australia had a rough time of it initially, but the little one has officially turned yet another corner on their road to growing up big and strong someday. The baby, named Kaius, was born at the wildlife park last October to first-time mommy and daddy, 10-year-old mother Kipensi, and 17-year-old father Kisane. Shortly after giving birth, Kisane reportedly removed Kaius from his mother’s arms and refused to give him back. Photo: YouTube/7News Australia Australia Wildlife...
Male Penguin Woos a Prospective Mate with a Pebble
Chocolates and roses. Eau de parfum. Diamonds that last forever. Those are just some of the romantic gifts that men offer to the love of their life. But, of course, it’s not just any kind of chocolate, flower, perfume, or jewelry. They have to be the sweetest, the most fragrant, the loveliest, the best. That’s how they hope to win their targets’ favor and their hearts. Photo: Tiktok/detroitzoo When it comes to male Adelie and Gentoo penguins, there’s a similarity in their wooing ritual with humans. They also seek the...
Oregon Zoo’s Elephant Breeding Program Criticized for Welfare Concerns
The Oregon Zoo has had 26 live elephant births over the past 50 years, with 19 elephants dying at the zoo. As Portland Monthly reports, the zoo’s breeding program is an effort to save the endangered Asian elephant species, which is threatened by habitat fragmentation and other issues in their range countries. However, critics of the breeding program claim that the zoo is only interested in breeding more elephants to fill their cages and bring in visitors, and that the animals suffer mentally and physically in captivity, reports the...
Animals at Risk: Texas Zoos Raise Awareness and Increase Protection After Recent Crimes
An individual has been arrested in connection to the suspected theft of two emperor tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo, as well as allegedly tampering with other animal habitats at the zoo, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Davion Irvin, 24, was taken into custody and charged with six counts of non-livestock animal cruelty. As People reports, The Dallas Police Department believes that Irvin was attempting to commit another crime at the Dallas World Aquarium at the time of his arrest. Photo: Adobe Stock / cheekylornsTwo emperor tamarin...
Polar Bear Cub Captured in Alaska Will Live in Zoo
Rather than euthanize a polar bear that had become too accustomed to humans, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) explained that the bear was instead captured and transported to the Alaska Zoo, where it will spend the remainder of its life. While not ideal, putting it down would have been worse. Polar Bears Due to global warming and habitat encroachment, polar bears are facing difficult existences these days. With the ice floes they count on for hunting all but melting away — disrupting their feeding practices in the process...
Groupon Profits Off Animal Exploitation By Keeping Roadside Zoos In Business
Groupon makes its money by bringing business to companies who in turn offer discounted deals to customers. Services companies like restaurants, gyms, and hotels can benefit from this relationship, but As Sentient Media reports, Groupon also partners with businesses that exploit wild animals for tourist entertainment and profit. Groupon has worked with some of the most infamous wildlife exploiters in the United States, including the Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park (G.W. Exotic), the facility owned by “Tiger King” Joe...
Wildlife Experts Push For A Ban On Elephants In Zoos
We often visit zoos without much thought to the animals living inside the space and how it affects them being inside an enclosure. But there have been some people who are campaigning for that to change. Wildlife experts are now pushing for zoos to stop keeping elephants in captivity, calling it “archaic, unethical and damaging.” Photo: Wikimedia Commons The news comes from a report by the animal rights charity, Born Free, and features an article entitled “Elephants in Zoos: A Legacy of Shame.” In it, the horrifying...
