Brookfield Zoo Tiger Accident

I just saw a news report about two cubs at the Brookfield Zoo who were injured by an adult male tiger (their father). How sad for the keepers. It sounds the they were keeping the cubs away from the adult (they weren't in the same place or on exhibit together) but the cubs managed to fit parts of their body through some dividing bars so the adult could reach them.

My heart goes out to those people who love the little tiger cubs. We have to realize that this kind of thing happens all the time in the wild.

Amphibians are Important not Slimy!

I saw in the news that the Fort Worth Zoo has announced plans to build a multimillion dollar building to house reptiles and amphibians (see http://www.fortworthzoo.com/about/release.php?id=79) . I am glad to see that zoos are giving amphibians top billing with reptiles these days. I know reptiles (particularly the big ones) have always been a huge draw but amphibians really need our help.

There is a global amphibian crisis but so few people seem to be aware of it. We get all worried about pandas but what about the golden frog, fire salamander or the midwife toad (which I think has officially disappeared). No one seems to get too worried about the species they think of as "slimy".

Trafalgar Square Pigeons

I just noticed an article about the extension of a ban on feeding pigeons at Trafalgar square http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6986166.stm. If you haven't ever been to London and seen the square you wouldn't realize what a hazard the pigeon population is. I have seen people hit by the birds as hundreds of them come swooping to where someone has dropped a piece of bread or cake. Even worse is seeing a stunned pigeon that has been hit by a car flopping in the street (they are so numerous and traffic is so constant that there are dozens of instances of this each day). I can understand why they are instituting the ban. What interests me in the news report is the line, "but protesters continued to feed pigeons and other birds on its north terrace."

Why would anyone protest by feeding pigeons? Even more amazing is that they are protesting by feeding the birds in a place where it is perfectly legal to do so - what kind of a protest is that? How can anyone feel brave about not taking any chances? And more importantly - how can you feel like you are doing something important by encouraging pigeons to congregate in such huge numbers that they are prime targets for disease and get hit by cars?

Buffalo Zoo New Baby is Important

There is a new baby addax born at the Buffalo Zoo today. This is the kind of thing which doesn't get enough attention. Animal rights people only focus on the cute and cuddly animals and forget that without zoos there would be a lot fewer of these animals that no one recognizes but who are still essential to the world's biodiversity.

What is an addax? It is a white colored antelope from the deserts of Africa (what they used to call the Sahara and now call the Sahel or something equally scientific). There are only about 2 hundred of these animals left (that's pretty small for something that normally travels in herds and may only be able to have normal social groups/breeding if there are a group). They have beautiful horns and I suspect they are still being hunted in the wild. Good job Buffalo Zoo for working with a species people don't alwasy write home about!!!