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Zoo News
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elephant photoAug 2008 ... Magazine Rates Zoo Among the Best
Improvements in recent years have placed the Honolulu Zoo among the nation's best, according to The Intrepid Traveler, a travel publishing company. And with visitor numbers up, an increasing operating budget and higher revenues, Zoo officials are optimistic that the Zoo will live up to its new ranking.


News Stories:
8/11/08 - Honolulu Advertiser - Improvements earn Hawaii zoo top marks from travel magazine
 
June-Aug 2008 ... Starbucks Wildest Show in Town
The summer concert series featuring weekly entertainment and 'ukulele giveaways with emcee Roy Sakuma will take place ever Wednesday from June 11 - August 13.

Gate opens at 4:35 p.m. with the music playing from 6:00 until 7:00.

News Stories:
6/11/08 - Honolulu Advertiser - 'Wildest' emcee spreads hope, joy

 
June 2008 ... Tigers Mating
Our Sumatran tiger pair, Chrissie and Berani, have mated for the first time in almost five years. Before coming to the Honolulu Zoo they produced a healthy litter of three tiger cubs at an Indiana zoo. We're hopeful that their mating will also produce cubs here.

The Sumatran tigers are an endangered species with fewer than 500 left in the wild. It is important for zoos such as ours to increase their numbers through a captive breeding program.

News Stories:
8/15/2008 - Honolulu Advertiser - Zoo may soon hear pitter-patter of little paws
8/2/08 - KITV - Video of our Sumatran Tigress Chrissie

 
May 2008 ... Zoo Director to Retire
Zoo director Ken Redman announced that he will retire from his post on June 30 after 17 years with the Honolulu Zoo. He plans to continue sharing his vast knowledge of the animal kingdom after he leaves.

"In his time, he brought education to the forefront," Sidney A. Quintal, city Enterprise Services director, said of Redman. Quintal cited the 2-year-old Keiki Zoo, a $5.1 million interactive complex that lets visitors get up close to appreciate a wide range of animals from fish and guinea pigs to horses and cows; the construction of the zoo's veterinary clinic, and improved relationship with the Honolulu Zoological Society as some of Redman's accomplishments as director.

Mahalo nui loa for your service and good luck in your retirement Ken!

Note: Qualified professionals interested in the directors position should view our position description with links to the City's website.

News Stories:
5/1/08 - Honolulu Advertiser - Honolulu Zoo director retiring in June

 
February 2008 ... Tiger Briefly Wanders From Exhibit
According to Zoo Director Ken Redman our male Sumatran tiger Berani, wandered from the new exhibit to the old sleeping quarters. A full review of the incident is forthcoming.

The new enclosure is home to our older female Djelita who currently shares a part of the new exhibit with Berani. Chrissie our new female uses the older exhibit.

News Stories:
3/15/08 - Honolulu Star Bulletin - Zoo beefing up its tiger exhibit
3/15/08 - Honolulu Advertiser - Self-closing gates included in zoo's safety measures

2/23/08 - Honolulu Star Bulletin - Tiger’s escape prompts plan for better barricade
2/23/08 - Honolulu Advertiser - Zoo plans precautions after tiger escape
2/22/08 - Honolulu Advertiser - 245-pound zoo tiger strolls out of its cage
2/22/08 - Honolulu Star Bulletin - Tiger accidentally let out of habitat
2/21/08 - KGBM News Video - Tiger Escapes Cage at Honolulu Zoo

 
November 2007 ... New Tiger Enclosure Opened
Our new tiger enclosure was opened to the public on November 19, 2007. The Major and City Director attended the ceremony and thanked the Zoo Society for providing the majority of the funding. The Zoo Society, Zoo and City worked together to make the enclosure a reality. See photo gallery.

The new enclosure will be the home of our older female Djelita while the existing exhibit will be used for Chrissie and Berani to breed.

News Stories:
11/20/07 - Honolulu Advertiser - Endangered Sumatran tigers get new quarters
11/20/07 - Honolulu Star Bulletin - Tigers prowl new zoo wing

12/29/07 - Honolulu Zoo says its tigers can’t break out

 
October 2007 ... New Tiger Enclosure
Our new tiger enclosure is nearing completion and we hope to have our official opening on Nov 19. We have three adult tigers and we hope that our younger pair Chrissie and Berani will produce cubs.

The new enclosure will provide the necessary space for the new family members.

News Story:
KGMB TV interview with our tiger keeper Keoni Pappas

 
October 2007 ... Zoo Meerkat is Missing
Hulu, our male meerkat, mysteriously disappeared Sept. 19 when zoo keepers could not find him in a 500-square-foot enclosure he shares with his friend, Kapa.

Zoo officials have set up traps, searched underground tunnels and even filed a police report. But there are no signs of the missing meerkat.

Newspaper stories:
10/9/07 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Zoo stumped over missing critter

 
Jungle Adventure Event September 9 ... Jungle Adventure
The Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation sponsored a special event for child cancer survivors. Scores of families enjoyed a scavenger hunt, entertainment and more at Honolulu Zoo.  

Newspaper stories:
9/10/07 - Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii child cancer survivors roam the 'jungle'

 
September 7-10 ... Zoo Hosts Vet Tech Conference
The Honolulu Zoo will host the 27th Annual Conference of the Association of Zoo Veterinary Technicians (AZVT), Sept. 7-10. Ninety veterinary technicians representing 65 zoos and aquariums from across the United States, Canada, and the Netherlands are expected to attend.

Newspaper stories:
9/7/07 - Honolulu Advertiser - Honolulu Zoo to host zoo vet tech conf. Sept. 7-10

 
August 2007... Aloha Apollo
Apollo, our African lion who resided at the Honolulu Zoo for more than 21 years, was euthanized on Tuesday, August 7. Apollo would have been 22 years old in October. He had kidney failure, arthritis, and extreme weakness from muscle atrophy. His deteriorating health led zoo officials to make the decision to end his suffering.

Apollo the lion Apollo was born in 1985 at an animal facility in Quebec, Canada. He arrived at the Honolulu Zoo on April 17, 1986. His pride consisted of two female lions, twin sisters Ethel Louise and Samantha. His genetic line was well-represented in the captive population so he never sired any offspring. In the wild lions live about 15 years; however, they can live well into their 20s in captivity because of the availability of medical treatment and a healthy diet.

Zoo Director Ken Redman said that "Apollo thrilled many visitors, as well as residents in the neighborhood, by declaring his territory with mighty roars every morning and evening. He’ll be missed by everyone, but most of all by the zookeepers who cared for him throughout the years." 

Everyone who saw Apollo, thought he was a stunningly handsome animal. 

Newspaper stories:
8/8/07 - Honolulu Advertiser - Honolulu zoo's old lion roars no more
8/8/07 - Honolulu Star-Bulletin - The lion king is dead

 
July 2007... New Zoo Entrance
The Honolulu Zoo — which many visitors pass without even noticing — will get a new entrance as part of a proposed multimillion-dollar renovation of Kapi'olani Park.

The planned changes, now open to public comment, call for $13.5 million in improvements to the park that include placing utility lines underground, widening walkways, upgrading Paki Avenue and adding off-street bicycle/moped parking.

Newspaper stories:
7/5/07 - Honolulu Advertiser - Honolulu zoo's old lion roars no more

 

Hawaii & Around the World
Animal News

August 2008... For more than a century, ichthyologists have thought that Pacific and Atlantic goliath grouper were the same species... more.

August 2008... The Hawaiian hawk, on the Endangered Species list since 1967, may soon be losing federal protection... more.

July 2008... Nearly 1,000 conservationists are gathering through Friday at the Hawaii Convention Center at the conference, which features workshops, field trips, exhibits and lectures... more.

July 2008... The state is investigating the killing of a green sea turtle found by beachgoers on Laniakea Beach near Hale'iwa yesterday morning.... more.

May 2008... Federal officials have confirmed what biologists have long thought: The Caribbean monk seal has gone the way of the dodo... more.

May 2008... A new study shows the number of humpback whales in the Northern Pacific has grown dramatically to more than 18,000, according to Hawai'i whale experts... more.

May 2008... The Division of Fish and Wildlife and collaborating biologist from world-renowned zoos, including the Honolulu Zoo, have completed the historic translocation of 50 Saipan bridled white-eyes to the island of Sarigan... more.

May 2008... The number of monk seals born on Oahu in a year hits a record... more.

May 2008... Saving the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal from extinction requires millions more federal dollars and a widespread effort that includes businesses, organizations and residents, marine experts said yesterday... more.

March 2008... If life on Earth was not strange enough, nature occasionally throws a very unusual creation into the genetic mix.... more.

March 2008... A Hawaiian monk seal that became a fixture at Kailua Beach this year has been found dead of apparent natural causes on Rabbit Island, officials said yesterday... more.

March 2008... Geckos use amazing sticky pads on their feet to walk on walls, but not even a gecko can stick to the wall all the time... more.

September 2007... About a half a year after a near-fatal accident with a vehicle at Haleakala National Park, an endangered nene goose not only has recovered but also has found its old mate ... more.

June 2007... Eleven nene were released today at Kapaia Reservoir as part of an arrangement between Grove Farm Co. and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources... more.

June 2007... Wildlife biologists say they've discovered an unexpectedly large population of the endangered Hawaiian petrel, or 'ua'u, in the remote mountains of Lana'i .... more.

September 2008... The mother of a newborn baby elephant is no longer tethered, and is now together with her baby, nursing it... more

August 2008... A rare Sumatran rhinoceros, whose species is on the brink of extinction, has been rescued injured in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo island... more

July 2008... Only seven pandas remain at China's most famous breeding center, after a final group of 13 animals were transferred from the earthquake-damaged facility... more

May 2008... Orangutan numbers have declined sharply on the only two islands where they still live in the wild and they could become the first great ape species to go extinct if urgent action isn't taken, a new study says... more

May 2008... Scientists are learning more about how zoo animals feel and how a toy or a little training can sometimes help ... more

March 2008... You can see why the pharaohs of Egypt revered cheetahs, why they fascinated William the Conqueror and why Kublai Khan supposedly kept a thousand of them for hunting. Nothing in this world—absolutely nothing—moves like a cheetah... more

March 2008... Endangered animals are the new blood diamonds as militias and warlords use poaching to fund death... more

February 2008... The critically endangered Sumatran tiger will become extinct unless Indonesia takes swift action to clamp down on the illegal sale of the big cats' body parts ... more

February 2008... A new species of mammal has been discovered in the mountains of Tanzania, scientists report ... more

January 2008... Cincinnati Zoo's artificially inseminated Indian rhino delivers stillborn calf ... more

December 2007... The world's tallest animal, the giraffe, may actually be several species... more

September 2007... Scientists have released an updated list of the world's most endangered plants and animals... more

September 2007... He knew his colors and shapes, he learned more than 100 English words, and with his own brand of one-liners he established himself in television shows, scientific reports and news articles as perhaps the world’s most famous talking bird... more

August 2007... In a once-lost forest in Africa, six animal species new to science have been discovered, members of a two-month expedition now reveal, including a bat, a rodent, two shrews and two frogs... more

August 2007... A freshwater dolphin found only in China is now "likely to be extinct", a team of scientists has concluded... more