Latest news with #animalconservation
South China Morning Post
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Pygmy hippo Moo Deng, Thailand's viral internet sensation, celebrates first birthday
Thailand 's pygmy hippo Moo Deng marked her first birthday on Thursday, leaving behind the animal infancy which boosted her to worldwide internet fame for her cute antics. Advertisement Crowds have been invited to a four-day festival at Khao Kheow Open Zoo where Moo Deng – meaning 'Bouncy Pork' in Thai – frolicked to stardom and amassed five million social media fans. The first day of the extravaganza falls on a Thai public holiday and the agenda includes a lecture on 'Moo Deng's cheekiness' while a skincare beautician has paid US$3,000 to sponsor her fruit-festooned cake. Her handlers are also scheduled to auction off her belongings - but it is unclear what possessions Moo Deng has accumulated in her short life at the Chonburi province zoo a two-hour drive from Bangkok. There were hopes her stardom would spotlight the plight of the endangered pygmy hippo, native to West Africa, with only around 2,500 left alive according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Pygmy hippo Moo Deng chomps on a Donald Trump-labelled watermelon at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. Photo: Instagram/ But social media and search engine metrics suggest Moo Deng's popularity peaked around late September last year before dramatically declining.
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Rockhampton Zoo celebrates 100 years with focus on conservation
From cheeky chimpanzees, curious meerkats and a mighty crocodile named the Colonel, the Rockhampton Zoo was once just a quirky central Queensland attraction. Now, a century since it opened, the zoo plays a key role in animal conservation and has a strong focus on education programs. "What brings me joy coming to work is seeing the animals in such good condition and being looked after," zoo director Liz Bellward said. "Then to see guests come through and how happy they are when they see the animals, and then you overhear people leaving … they want to go home and make a difference. The zoo is currently home to 100 animals and 30 different species. But by far the popular residents are the chimpanzees. Today, there are five primates in the sprawling enclosure filled with trampolines, hammocks and climbing equipment. But the story of how the chimpanzees came to be at the zoo seems straight out of a movie. This is how Rockhampton Regional Council councillor Cherie Rutherford tells it. "I always say in today's world, it was a workplace health and safety nightmare," she says. "It would never have happened." Ms Rutherford worked with Tom Wyatt, who was the director of Rockhampton's Sport and Recreation department in 1986. Mr Wyatt saw a news report about a mother chimp and her two babies who were going to be euthanased because of suspected tuberculosis. The mum was euthanased, only for authorities to discover the chimps didn't have the disease, but the siblings were still set to be put down. He called then-mayor Jim Webber and former councillor Jim Broad and they got in the car at 9pm, drove to Tweed Heads on the New South Wales border and rescued the rest of the family. They didn't have signed permits to move the brother chimps, Cassius and Octavius, across the border, so they were sedated and driven 10 hours up to Rockhampton. Ockie died in 2013 aged 38 due to suspected heart failure, and Cassius, 53, was euthanased in April after suffering from suspected arthritis and dementia. The average life span of a wild chimpanzee is 30 to 40 years. "Cassie and Ockie were characters in their own right, everybody would come and see them," Cr Rutherford said. The pair paved the way for the start of the chimpanzee program, and decades later three baby chimpanzees would be born in Rockhampton. Capri was born in 2018, the first chimpanzee to be born in Queensland since the 1970s. Then in 2019, Gandali was born and Mzuri in 2021. "Things like that don't happen if you don't have a great staff that are able to put those programs together and to care for the animals in a way that they are comfortable to breed." The chimpanzees are part of an Australasian breeding program, with babies bred within zoos and swapped depending on genetics. Ms Bellward says the zoo has also taken part in other breeding programs across the country involving animals including wombats and koalas. "Zoos really are there to keep those species alive so we don't have more extinctions," she said. The Rockhampton Zoo made international headlines in March 2006 when a 1.2-metre freshwater crocodile was stolen from the zoo. Thieves managed to lift it over fences up to two metres high and get it into the boot of a car. Paul Elliot, who is now a detective senior sergeant, was put on the case and remembers it well. Four people were charged with the theft of the crocodile. "One thing that did stick in my mind is one of the crooks actually had a significant amount of scratches on his back that had turned quite septic due to the fact that he wasn't game enough to go to the hospital, because the game would be up for him then," Detective Senior Sergeant Elliot said. The stolen crocodile, however, was never recovered, despite the best efforts of night-time spotlighting and searching in the nearby waterways. The eagle Valkyrie has called the zoo home for a number of years after she was hit by a car. Her injuries meant she couldn't fly or be released into the wild again. Shaun the koala, another long-time resident, was found as a six-month-old baby with only one working eye, and was having a hard time surviving in the wild. After being nursed for months by a wildlife carer, he was transferred to Rockhampton Zoo where he has been ever since. Sadly in 2021, a salmonella bacteria outbreak meant 40 birds in the zoo's aviary enclosure had to be euthanased. During the past 50 years, zoos have evolved from being places of entertainment to be more focused on animal conservation and awareness. As part of the 100-year celebrations, a new classroom space was opened. "One of the things in our new building is we have built a large meeting room where we can bring school groups in and get those education messages across even more," Ms Bellward said. "We can hold more community programs that are focused around conservation, sustainability and where the public can actually make a difference in the world. "We're taking into account animal welfare at a whole new level. We're inspiring the public to take action, talking about conservation, getting involved in breeding programs, we're talking about sustainability." Cr Rutherford said the enclosures also reflected this. "It's been wonderful to see that the enclosures here now replicate the environment that the animals would live in in the wild," she said.
South China Morning Post
28-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
4 pandas leave Japan for China, leaving only 2 in the country
All four giant pandas on loan to a western Japan zoo left for China on Saturday, ahead of the expiration of their lease agreement. Advertisement The 24-year-old Rauhin and her offspring – Yuihin, Saihin and Fuhin – left Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama prefecture, for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China 's Sichuan Province, according to the zoo operator. Their departure means that only two giant pandas remain in Japan. Both are at Tokyo's Ueno Zoological Gardens and are also due to return to China next February. About 1,400 visitors queued at the park before it opened for their final public display on Friday, and some 3,000 people attended a farewell ceremony. Giant pandas (clockwise from top) Rauhin, Yuihin, Fuhin and Saihin, at Adventure World in Shirahama, Wakayama prefecture. Photo: Kyodo 'It is sad that they leave Japan all at once. I wish for them to stay healthy in China,' said Chisato Noda from Nagoya. Advertisement
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Stumpy the lemur has defied the odds to become the oldest in the world
A lemur in a Scots zoo has landed in the Guinness Book of Records after celebrating his 39th birthday yesterday. Stumpy's landmark birthday makes him the oldest living ring-tailed lemur in captivity. Born in 1986 in Surrey, he was moved to Scotland in 2005 and has been a much-loved member of the Five Sisters Zoo family, in West Calder, West Lothian, ever since. Known as 'a firm favourite with staff and visitors alike', he is one of the zoo's most enduring characters. While ring-tailed lemurs typically live to around 20 to 25 years in human care - and less than 20 in the wild - Stumpy has defied the odds. Despite some age-related arthritis and reduced eyesight, he remains in surprisingly good shape thanks to decades of dedicated and evolving care from the zoo's animal team. Gary Curran, of Five Sisters Zoo, said: 'He's taught us so much - from refining his care routine to adapting our enrichment strategies - and we're incredibly proud to see that recognised by Guinness World Records (GWR). 'He's an absolute character, and a real ambassador for what long-term, focused animal care can achieve.' Stumpy has also contributed significantly to lemur conservation and education. Over his lifetime, he has fathered 11 offspring, who have gone on to produce 25 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and even one great-great-granddaughter. Many of his descendants now live at other zoos across Europe, including Attica Zoo in Greece. GWR's Senior Managing Editor, Adam Millward, who worked with the zoo on the verification process, said: 'Reaching such a grand age - we're talking living well over a decade beyond what is typical for your kind - is impressive for any species. 'With this record, there's now no question that Stumpy has truly earned his stripes.'
BBC News
07-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
CCTV 'pivotal' in raising endangered snow leopard
The Big Cat Sanctuary An animal sanctuary has said that CCTV cameras are "absolutely pivotal" to their work as animal conservationists. The Big Cat Sanctuary, in Smarden, Kent, is dedicated to the conservation and rescue of cats. The sanctuary welcomed its latest arrival of an endangered snow leopard cub, nicknamed 'Little Lady', on 10 May. Curator Briony Smith told the BBC that CCTV "allows us to monitor the mothers, monitor the cubs, but also give them a bit of distance and not get too involved". Ms Smith acknowledged that a new cub was "just so cute" but explained that it was important people didn't lose sight of the work that they do. 'Little Lady's' mother, Laila, has had three previous litters with breeding partner Yarko as part of the sanctuary's wider European breeding programme. As well as monitoring new cubs through cameras, keepers and trainers at the sanctuary work closely with the cats to build the trust necessary for medical procedures. Laila's primary trainer Simon Jackaman has worked with her for seven years and even built an ultrasound table for the snow leopard. Mr Jackaman said he completed "mock scans" with Laila leading up to the pregnancy to get her used to human contact. Jack Valpy/ BBC Snow leopards are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list, with an estimated 2,700 to 3,300 mature adults remaining in the wild. The sanctuary is hoping that the new cub will be out in its enclosure in August, following essential vaccinations. Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Smarden
