New Additions To The Zoo And Aquarium

[cincygreg]

First, at the Z [img]cool.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img] there's more Bears!
Polar Bears that is...


Zoo's New Polar Bear to
Make His Debut!
"Little One" Joins "Berit" and "Rizzo"

Call it a match made in Ohio. On Valentine?s Day, the Cincinnati Zoo?s two available female polar bears, seven-year-old ?Berit? and eight-year-old ?Rizzo,? will hopefully meet the bear of their dreams ? 17-year-old ?Little One? from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Little One?s move to Cincinnati last month came just as federal officials considered adding polar bears to the country?s threatened species list.

The date was set up by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums? Polar Bear Species Survival Plan (SSP), which acts like an online dating service that places polar bears at accredited zoos in the United States. However, the Polar Bear SSP is less interested in playing matchmaker based on superficial qualities such as looks, personality and income and more interested in pairing polar bears together based on genetics, age and biology.

?We?re hopeful that this breeding recommendation will be successful. With climate change threatening polar bears in the arctic, having bears in zoos to act as ambassadors for their wild counterparts has never been more important,? said Dr. Randi Meyerson, coordinator of the polar bear SSP.

It has been 18 years since the last time the Cincinnati Zoo celebrated the birth of polar bear cubs. Polar bears generally breed in the spring and give birth in late fall, which means Cincinnati Zoo visitors could see polar cubs as early as spring of 2008.

?We are excited about the potential for cubs in 2008, but realize that breeding this species is not automatic. Both females will be first-time mothers, so there may be a few hurdles, but it is imperative that we succeed since this species now needs our help,? said Dr. Terri Roth, Vice President of Conservation, Science and Living Collections for the Cincinnati Zoo.

The polar bear population in the Arctic is estimated at 20,000 to 25,000, with as many as 5,000 of them living in Alaska; but those numbers are expected to drop as global warming continues to melt massive sheets of ice that polar bears depend on for traveling and finding food. The International Conservation Union last May added polar bears to its list of threatened wildlife, and the U.S. Interior Department is taking steps to classify polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Cincinnati Zoo visitors can see polar bears year-round at the Lords of the Arctic exhibit. The Zoo opens daily at 9 a.m. Admission prices are $12.95 for adults and $7.95 for children (2-12). Children under two receive free admission.

Visit the polar bears February 17-19 and receive half-off admission during Penguin Days.


You know, when it's unbearably cold like this, Polar Bears really dig it. In fact, they find it more than Bearable, they find it [img]cool.gif[/img]

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ February 14, 2007 11:45 PM: Message edited by: cincygreg ]</font>

[cincygreg]

And, there's a new sharkray at the Aquarium..

february 1, 2007
Newport Aquarium launches world?s first Shark Ray Breeding Program and adds rare male Shark Ray
Newport, Ky. ?- Efforts to save threatened aquatic animals will be helped by the Newport Aquarium?s acquisition of a rare male Shark Ray. Starting on February 14, the Newport Aquarium in Newport, Ky., will be the first and only location in the Western Hemisphere to display a male and female Shark Ray pair. This new permanent addition makes it possible for a first-of-its-kind international Shark Ray Breeding Program to begin at the Newport Aquarium.
The extremely rare male Shark Ray is currently held in a Newport Aquarium acclimation tank before it will be released into the 385,000-gallon Surrounded by Sharks exhibit where it will join Sweet Pea, the female Shark Ray. In June 2005, Newport Aquarium made history by becoming the first aquarium in the Americas to display a Shark Ray. Sweet Pea was an instant favorite of Aquarium guests and has come to represent all that is still unknown about oceans.

?The Shark Ray, as a species, is a mystery and it faces many challenges. In some ways, you can consider it the ?panda? of the aquatic world,? said Mark Dvornak, Newport Aquarium Aquatics Curator. ?We are very excited to take these steps forward in marine conservation. Sweet Pea?s success over the last two years is a testament to the dedication of the animal husbandry team at the Newport Aquarium.?

The introduction of the Shark Ray pair to America is only a first step in Newport Aquarium?s conservation work with this species. By working closely with Fred Fan, a highly regarded and visionary fish procurement specialist from Taiwan, Newport Aquarium is initiating the world?s first dedicated Shark Ray Breeding Program. This program, a long-time dream of Fan, is becoming a reality due to the professional dedication and conservation vision shared between Newport Aquarium and Fan.

The program itself is long term, with Newport Aquarium and Fan embarking on a multi-year partnership. During this time, individual Shark Rays will be observed, documented and studied. According to Fan, the Shark Ray Breeding Program is very important to aquarium facilities globally because the world?s fisheries are depleting the ocean?s stocks at a rate faster than they are being replaced.

?I am proud to be associated with Newport Aquarium in this exciting and pioneering program. I firmly believe in the necessity for large scale captive propagation of aquatic species. This program would raise public awareness of this little seen and iconic species as well as further their research and understanding,? said Fan.

The public will have a chance to help name the male Shark Ray in the weeks ahead. With a distinct spotted pattern, the male of the species is easily distinguished from the female. Shark Rays are docile, graceful and look prehistoric with horn-like ridges along their head and back. Very little is known about this extremely rare species (Rhina ancylostoma) that receives its common name because of its flat, rounded underside, resembling rays, and shark-like dorsal fins. Shark Rays are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species because the species is not only rare, but highly desired in Asian markets for human consumption.

Fred Fan Aquatics, Taiwan, specializes in the sustainable supply of aquatic animals. To date at least 98% of all the animals it supplied have been captive raised. It works with aquariums all over the world including the London Aquarium, UK; Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, Japan; and the Berlin Zoo, Germany.

Newport Aquarium showcases thousands of animals from around the world in a million gallons of water. This state-of-the-art facility was named the No. 1 aquarium in the Midwest in the Zagat Survey?s U.S. Family Travel Guide in 2004 and the Best Rainy Day Outing in 2006 in Cincinnati Family Magazine. Like its sister aquarium, Adventure Aquarium, on the Camden Waterfront, Camden, NJ, Newport Aquarium is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a leader in global wildlife conservation. The Aquarium is open to the public 365 days a year and is located only two minutes from downtown Cincinnati at Newport on the Levee. For more information, visit newportaquarium.com or call 859-261-7444.