From: wheeler@SUPER.ORG (Ferrell S. Wheeler)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.animals
Subject: ZOOS; AQUARIUMS; ENTERTAINMENT
Date: 30 Jul 92 23:20:01 GMT


ZOOS; AQUARIUMS; ENTERTAINMENT
 
 
The American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums is doing
a national survey of animal protection groups' views of zoos and
zoo practices in preparation for discussion at its 1992 annual
conference.  The ANIMALS' AGENDA responded by asking AAZPA to
respect the expertise of informed critics; include representatives
from animal protection groups on accrediting panels; and enforce
policies opposing breeding animals simply to keep babies on
display, the sale of "surplus" animals to hunting ranches, and
killing of healthy animals as "genetic surplus." 
 
+The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Feb. 19 cleared the San
Diego Wild Animal Park of wrongdoing in killing a rare Sumatran
tiger who escaped from his cage when a portion of it was undermined
by heavy rains two days earlier, and went wandering about the
grounds. 
 
+ The San Francisco Zoo celebrated Valentine's Day by offering a
guided sex tour.  Participants learned that Violet the orangutan is
on human birth control pills and can *copulate upside down; that
rhinos take an hour to do it; lions can do it 50 times within 24
hours; koalas settle for 40-second encounters about three times a
year; two lesbian swans on the grounds have laid over 40 eggs for
each other and are inseparable; the dominant male bison, King Lear,
has had a vasectomy; and Maxine the cougar has a Norplant-type
contraceptive implant between her shoulder blades.  Asked to
comment, El Paso Zoo executive director laughed, "This isn't
California," but acknowledged that the zoo's male jaguar and lion
have had vasectomies, while the golden lion tamarins use Norplant-
type contraception.
 
+ The Pawtucket, Rhode Island city council is to decide by July 1
(1992) whether to close the 51-year-old Slater Park Zoo, scale it
down, or spend money the city doesn't have to meet AAZPA
accreditation standards.  The zoo draws about 100,000 visitors a
year, who feed the animals chips and candy from the concession
stands that provide most of its $300,000 annual budget.  Ten of the
80 to 100 Slater Zoo animals have died over the past year, many of
them due to overcrowding.  And Fanny, a 40-year old elephant, has
spent 32 years without the company of other elephants; she last had
an elephant companion-briefly-in 1985. 
 
+ An Orca and her calf died March 15 at Sea World in San Antonio,
Texas, during attempted birth.  They were the eighth and ninth
orcas to die at a Sea World facility in under four years.
 
+ Zoo Check, known in the U.S. as the Born Free Foundation, is
trying to save 400 animals left stranded by the bankruptcy of the
Rioleon Zoo and Theme Park in Albinan, Spain (near Barcelona).  The
menagerie included 38 lions, three dolphins (one of them pregnant),
two elephants, three rhinos, and four bears.
 
 From: Animals Agenda
 456 Monroe Turnpike
 Monroe, CT 06468
 Issue: 5/92
 
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