Latest news with #JeffMitchell
CTV News
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘Big milestone': Saskatoon Zoo's grizzlies turn 20
The Saskatoon Zoo held a special celebration on Wednesday for Koda and Mistaya, a pair of grizzly bears who have just turned 20. Dozens of families came out to line the fence and get a look at the two bears as they enjoyed a slight change from their usual days. 'We're really, really excited with the turnout,' said Jeff Mitchell, Saskatoon Zoo manager. 'We love that, our bears are 20 years old.' The bears came to the zoo 17 years ago after being orphaned in Alberta. Mitchell says they've already lived a long life by bear standards. 'In the wild, bears will live anywhere from 15 to 18 years,' he said. 'So to reach that 20 year milestone, it's a really big milestone for them. And we're just really excited to be able to share our passion and our love for these animals with the community.' Kids were able to learn more about the bears and sign a birthday card for them. Saskatoon Zoo's grizzlies turn 20 (John Flatters/CTV News) While there was cake for the visitors, there was cake for the bears too. 'Well, it looks like they've been swimming,' said Emerey, a zoo visitor. 'And it looks like one was eating watermelon. The other was eating birthday cake.' Some kids were even celebrating the same birthday as the bears. 'It's my birthday,' said Nina, another visitor to see the bears. 'I was going to get face painted, but the line is really long. But this is the best birthday ever.' It was also a chance for the zoo to announce plans for a new six acre bear habitat. 'What we're really looking forward to is building the new bear habitat,' said Mitchell. 'And we're building the new bear habitat to polar bear standards, so that when Koda and Mistaya are no longer with us, we're able to bring polar bears and look to the future.' He says over the next year the Zoo Foundation will be fundraising, and the hope is that construction starts in the next year and a half to two years time. Meanwhile, visitors can get behind the scenes tours to learn more about the bears on Saturdays and Sundays.
The National
30-06-2025
- Business
- The National
UK Government looks to rescue English oil refinery with 620 jobs at risk
Sky News has reported that Miliband, the UK's Energy Security Secretary, wants to create a mechanism for refineries to become eligible for the Energy-Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme after State Oil – the parent company of Prax Group, which owns the Lindsey refinery in North Lincolnshire – appointed administrators on Monday. Refineries are are currently excluded from the scheme. More than 180 staff are employed by State Oil, while it is thought that around another 440 work at the Lindsey refinery. READ MORE: Wildfires becoming 'danger to human life', Scottish Government warned Trade union Unite called on the Government for urgent intervention as it raised concerns that the failure of the firm could impact UK oil supplies, leaving the UK on a 'cliff edge'. The Lindsey site is one of only five large oil refineries remaining in the UK after the recent closure of the Grangemouth plant in Scotland. Just over 400 jobs were lost earlier this year when the oil refinery closed and transitioned into being an import terminal. Grangemouth (Image: Jeff Mitchell/Getty) A separate winding-up order has also been made against the Lindsey oil refinery and related businesses and a liquidator has been appointed. Energy minister Michael Shanks and Scottish Labour MP said the firm's collapse was 'deeply concerning' and said the company had left the Government with 'little time to act'. He said: 'There have been longstanding issues with this company and workers have been badly let down. 'The Secretary of State is today writing to the Insolvency Service to demand an immediate investigation into the conduct of the directors and the circumstances surrounding this insolvency. READ MORE: Protesters target Wimbledon over Barclays sponsorship links to Israeli arms firms 'The Government will ensure supplies are maintained, protect our energy security, and do everything we can to support workers and the local community, including engaging with trade unions and industry bodies.' He added: 'The Government believes that the business's leadership have a responsibility to the workers and the local community. 'We call on them to do the right thing and support the workers through this difficult period.'
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Science
- CTV News
‘They are very shy': Saskatoon Zoo welcomes pair of Gila Monsters
The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo is now home to a pair of Gila Monsters. In an announcement Wednesday morning, the zoo said the vibrant, colourful lizards are one the few venomous species in the world – adding that staff are excited to share the cold-blooded creatures' story with visitors. According to zoo manager Jeff Mitchell, the Gila Monsters will play a key role in the zoo's education programs. 'These Gila Monsters will be important animal ambassadors in our education programs, helping visitors and students explore the fascinating world of venomous animals,' Mitchell said. The Gila Monster is listed as 'Near Threatened' on the International Union Conservation Nature (IUCN) Red List, primarily due to the increasing threat of climate change, which brings hotter and drier weather conditions. Gila Monsters now featured at Saskatoon's zoo (Source: Saskatoon Zoo) These unique creatures mainly eat eggs, small mammals, birds, and insects and can grow up to 26 to 36 centimetres in length, not including their tail, and weigh between 550 to 800 grams. They can live for 20-30 years in captivity. Some other fascinating facts about Gila Monsters include: Gila Monsters have bright colourful patterns on their skin usually in shades of orange, pink and black. Young Gila Monsters have been known to swallow prey up to 50 per cent of their own body weight. Gila Monster venom is as toxic as a diamondback rattlesnake. They are one of the few venomous lizards in the world but they are very shy and prefer to avoid humans. They use their venom mainly to hunt small animals. A synthetic version of their venom is used to help treat type-2 diabetes in humans. Gila Monsters are not very fast. They move slowly and spend most of their time hiding under rocks or in burrows to stay cool. Their name comes from the Gila River Basin in Arizona where they were first discovered. Gila Monsters now featured at Saskatoon's zoo (Source: Saskatoon Zoo) The Gila Monster habitat is located in the Affinity Learning Centre, where visitors can learn more about rare creatures. The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Air Force Hurricane Hunters say they're ready for busy hurricane season
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known as the "Hurricane Hunters," is officially ready to roll out for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. The 403rd Wing maintenance and support personnel based at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, spent the last week prepositioning aircraft parts, tools and communication systems at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, in preparation for the season. "Our area of operation spans from just west of Hawaii to the middle of the Atlantic," said Lt. Col. Jeff Mitchell, 53rd WRS mission commander for the deployment. "Staging at St. Croix puts us closer to where Atlantic hurricanes tend to form, giving us the head start we need when every hour counts." Tropical wave: First tropical wave of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season just left the African coast The Hurricane Hunters are the only Department of Defense unit that flies into tropical storms and hurricanes, but they're not the only hurricane hunters around. Here's what to know about hurricane hunters and the important role they play during hurricane season. Hurricane hunters are pilots and researchers who fly into tropical storms and hurricanes to collect crucial data that forecasters use to make accurate predictions, help researchers better understand storm processes and improve forecast models. "Satellites are useful, but they can't measure the minimum sea level pressure inside a hurricane, or the structure and wind data we gather by flying directly into the eye," said Mitchell. "That data helps the National Hurricane Center make more accurate forecasts—forecasts that save lives and property." It probably seems crazy, but yes, hurricane hunters really do fly into storms. Using different planes, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunters cut through hurricanes to reach the storm's eyewall, which is relatively calm. Flying through a hurricane sounds exciting and dangerous, but there's a lot of downtime during the 8- to 10-hour flight. Colorado State University grad student Angelie Nieves Jiménez, who flew with the NOAA hurricane hunters in 2023, described the experience as thrilling, memorable and bumpy. "The bumpiness of the flight depends on the storm's strength and the reconnaissance mission path," she said. "Seat belts must be worn at all times when approaching the storm, because there can be updrafts and downdrafts that feel like a roller coaster." 53rd WRS chief aerial reconnaissance weather officer Lt. Col. Ryan Rickert focuses on the mission. "People often ask us what it's like to fly into a hurricane," said Rickert. "It's intense—but we know that every pass through the storm means better data for the National Hurricane Center forecasters and better warning for people in harm's way." Hurricane hunters will typically fly through the eyewall of the hurricane multiple times, dropping weather instruments called dropsondes to measure temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction, and barometric pressure from the aircraft to the ocean surface. All of this data is transmitted to the National Hurricane Center in real-time, which is then plugged into computer models to try and predict the storm's track and intensity. The data is important as it helps government officials and emergency managers to make decisions about evacuations and other storm preparations. 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron currently has 10 WC-130J "Super Hercules" aircraft, very similar to the Blue Angels' "Fat Albert" maintenance aircraft. This version of the Hercules is outfitted with palletized meteorological data-gathering instruments. NOAA's hurricane hunters fly two Lockheed JP-3D Orion four-engine turboprop aircraft into storms. The aircraft are nicknamed "Kermit" (N42RF) and "Miss Piggy" (N43RF). NOAA pilots also fly the Gulfstream IV-SP (G-IV) above and around storms. This plane has a cruising altitude of 45,000 feet and a range of 4,000 nautical miles, making it perfect to get a detailed view of weather systems in the upper atmosphere around a hurricane. This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Air Force Hurricane Hunters are ready for 2025 hurricane season
Global News
20-05-2025
- General
- Global News
The Saskatoon Forestry Farm is hoping to expand
The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo is working on designs to bring to Saskatoon city council to expand and update their bear exhibit. 'We are looking to expand the space that (grizzly bears) Koda and Mistaya currently have. Right now, we are at minimum standards for our CAZA (Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums) accreditation, and we really want to get above that,' shared zoo operations manager Jeff Mitchell. The project will be split into three phases with the first being the grizzly bears. Koda and Mistaya will be relocated to a different part of the zoo into a bigger exhibit. Then, the zoo hopes to be able to make exhibits for black bears and polar bears. Lastly, they have the opportunity to bring in a full pack of 8-10 artic wolves in addition to the three female wolves at the zoo already. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I want to make sure we are looking toward the future and saying, 'If we build a new exhibit, what other animals can we display?' and that is one of the reasons we are looking at this new bear exhibit.' shares Mitchell. Story continues below advertisement When it comes to the upkeep of these exhibits, Mitchell explained that taking care of bears is a lot of work. 'Most of the time it takes anywhere from two to three keepers a day for one to two polar bears. So that is a lot of work and this year we've actually dedicated a keeper a day just to work with our bears to help them with their environment because we know it is a little small and we know we want to do better for them,' shared Mitchell. 'So we actually dedicated almost eight hours a day of a zoo keeper working specifically with our bears,' Mitchell explained that he is hopeful that through the city, the zoo society and fundraising that they will be able to afford this costly project. 'I know the City of Saskatoon loves the zoo just as much as I love the zoo and I know we would love to see polar bears here,' said Mitchell. Sadly, there will be no new bears or wolves any time soon, as Mitchell predicts fundraising and construction could take the zoo up to six years to complete. In the meantime, exciting news will still be coming out of the zoo this spring. 'We have a brand-new animal coming out this week that we are excited to announce, but you're going to have to wait for that.'
