Strollerderby : zoos

Finish Line - Whine Flu and Rude Kids

Brett Singer — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:35:00 GMT

Whew! What a week.

Well, it wasn't any more of a "week" than it was last week. Unless you happen to be a fan of the New York Yankees. In that case, whew. What a week. You know things are bad when Yankee fans get out their Kabbalah bracelets and put all their faith in A-Rod. (Note: we are not suggesting that you purchase a Kabbalah bracelet. Unless you want to. Up to you.)

Jeanne wins the Belly Laugh of the Week Award with It's Not Swine Flu - Your Kid Has Whine Flu.
Madeline plays Miss Manners, but a funny Miss Manners, with They Say: Today's Kids are Rude, Here's Why.
Hannah told us about the return of the Republican Robo Daughter, with Bristol Palin Campaigning for Abstinence Only. Oh, and she's getting paid like Carrie Prejean. Memo to those with causes: if you have pay someone to talk to the media about it, there's a chance that you don't have as much support as you think you do.
Sunny told us that if you named your baby Emily, you're just being trendy, whether you knew it or not, with Move Over Emily – There’s a New Most Popular Baby Name. Unless you named your son Emily. Then you are marching to the beat of a different drummer.
Keri made life easy for her family by telling them about what she wants to eat in bed this Sunday, with Kitchenista: The Mother's Day Breakfast I Really Want.
I got all hopped about pre-teen tanning with 10 Year Old Burned By Tanning Bed.
And finally, Mike wins the Public Service For The Clueless Award, with his post The Mother's Day Minefield: Presents from Hell. "Chia mother's head." Heh heh.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Swine Flu - Maybe We Won't Close School

Poll - Portia and Ellen Most Trusted Moms

Did This Woman Commit Suicide Because She Couldn't Breastfeed?

Finish Line - Pirates Are Back

Brett Singer — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 02:15:00 GMT

One of the fun parts of blogging (especially for Babble, which has the greatest blogs on this or any other planet) is being surprised by the reactions to a post.

Case in point: Shannon's Pirates Are Not Appropriate for Kids (and Other Ranting), which generated a lot of chatter. Who knew?

I would have thought that Jeanne's brilliantly titled post Breastfeeding Debates: Just a Tempest in a Sippy Cup? would have created more comments. Then again, it's hard to argue with the statement, "Do we really care what another mother does with her boobs?" (I do, but I'm a guy. Wait. Ignore that sentence. Everyone do what you want to do with your boobs. They belong to you. Oooo boy.)

Hannah tells us about a petting zoo that, frankly, sounds a bit scary. (Would You Take Your Kids to a Petting Zoo with Lions, Tigers, and Bears?) Then again, I won't go on Space Mountain at Disney World. So maybe I'm not the best judge.

Jen asked a good question with The Holiday Dilemma: When Parental Gift-Giving Goes Too Far. Easter presents. Who knew? I'm still trying to convince the wife that we can get Easter baskets for the kids even though we're Jewish. So far all I've managed to do is buy (and eat) a lot of Peeps.

Jen also gave us The Five Peanuts TV Specials That Never Should Have Been. Personally, I'm in favor of more and more Peanuts specials, and I even enjoy the mediocre ones. (I even like "Arbor Day.") This proves that sometimes we disagree and that there is no Babble Hive Mind.

Mike questioned the notion of Terrible Twos with Terrible Twos: Myth or Kicking. Your. A@!? Personally, I found two to be easier than three. Of course, neither of my children are teenagers yet. If they're anything like me, I'm thinking Terrible Thirteens, Fourteens, Fifteens...

Madeline gives us her take on Dr. Laura with Stay-At-Home Moms are the Best, Aren't They! Madeline starts with "Oh, for God's sake, Dr. Laura, put a lid on it." But then she says that she really agrees with everything the Doc says. OK, no she doesn't. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention. The comments are numerous and terrific: for example, "Whatever" says that "Maybe my daughter is in daycare, but at least she won't grow up acting like a sanctimonious ass-hat." I want to start a band named "Sanctimonious Ass-hat." Ah, goals.

As for myself, I took a more lighthearted approach to pirates by telling you about the release of Tina Fey's Sesame Street appearance on DVD. (Special thanks to Jezebel for the linkee dink.)

What will next week bring? I don't know but I promise you one thing -- I will do everything in my power not to use the phrase "linkee dink." No idea where that came from.

Boy Calls 911 When Mom Drives Drunk

Finish Line - April Fools And More

Mom Finds Out What Happens When Polar Bears Attack

SunnyChanel — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Occasionally at the zoo, when viewing the animals, I’ll say something like “oh, look at that cutie, I want to pet him!” But do I act on that urge? Hells no! I’m not crazy. But you know who is? A 32-year woman who went to the Berlin Zoo with her husband and baby. This mother opted to take off her shoes, climb down a fence, wade through a thorn filled hedge, go over a concrete wall and then proceeded to swan dive into the “murky moat” that is in the polar bear’s enclosure. And this all happened during feeding time mind you. But polar bears, they ain’t cute little puppies. One of the four bears that were in the enclosure bit the mom on her arms, legs and back.

Zoo keepers were able to throw her a life preserver and rescue the polar bear loving lady. She is currently in a Berlin hospital and is recovering from the injuries that occurred. But this wasn’t the first time someone felt the need to risk life and limb to get up close to the snowy white polar bears. Last year a 37-year-old man jumped in because one of the bears looked “loney.” But the most recent “leaper” had her baby with her. I can just imagine the family chats year from now, “remember that time when Mommy got attacked by the polar bear?” Ahh, memories.

Have you ever wanted to pet an animal at the zoo? If so, what animal would you want to get up close and personal with?

Source

Babies for Your Babies

Shannon LC Cate — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:00:00 GMT

It's March here in Chicago and the snow is falling. If you're in New York, you know what I mean. Here we had a glimpse of spring last week, but now suddenly it's winter again and we're stuck inside once more.

Maybe it's too cold and snowy for a trip to the zoo, but call your kids and snuggle up by the nice computer and enjoy these babies from zoos all over the world. Even if you're in Florida you will want to join us. The Boston Globe has assembled a slideshow that will make you pass out from the cute.

See below for a sneak preview and a link!

This little giraffe had trouble getting a latch and its mom had trouble producing milk. So bottled goat's milk it is! For more adorable babes see the Boston Globe.

Just Because It Is Adorable

Amy Kuras — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:31:00 GMT

And remotely parenting related…

This little Madagascar lemur was born at Besancon Zoo in eastern France. She’s named Tahina and is considered one of 17 Propithecus coronatus lemurs living in custody around the world.

She’s not with her real mother, for reasons I am not sure about, so zookeepers are doing their best to keep her nurtured as well as she would be in the wild by her own mama lemur. Veterinarians feed her with a small syringe containing a mixture of cat and infant formula.

She was also given the cuddly –and lemurlike -- teddy bear that she can clutch to like a real mother. Lemurs are believed to ride on their mother’s bellies in their first weeks, so having this snuggly companion to cling to helps her calm her fears and feel comforted.

Lemurs are endangered in their native lands in eastern Madagascar because they are actually considered delicacies, and they are also facing habitat destruction.

Proof that mothers are hardwired to nurture? This picture kind of makes me want to cry – and go hug my own little baby.

Morning News: Rare Baby Gorilla Born in D.C.

Shannon LC Cate — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:33:00 GMT

Upstaging the President-Elect and his little inauguration is an as-yet unnamed, as-yet, unsexed baby gorilla. Born to experienced mother, Mandara, the baby is a welcome arrival to a population of animals considered critically endangered. You know what I found odd about this story, though? Apparently, the zookeepers usually feed Mandara birth control pills. I can see that you wouldn't want babies born too close together, but her next one up is seven. Odd to me that they would use birth control for an endangered animal. But what do I know? Maybe gorillas nurse until they're six. Anyone out there a primatologist? More photos and a link to a video of mother and baby after the cut.

For that matter anyone out there a conflict-free doctor? It seems those are so few and far between that the FDA can't be bothered to sort them out when it comes to drug trials. Almost half of doctors participating in drug trials don't fill out paperwork indicating their conflicts of interest--their investments, for example, in the companies whose products they are supposed to be testing--and as for the doctors who do fill out the paperwork, the folks responsible for collecting the data don't bother to read about said conflicts.

That doesn't reassure me one bit about ethical quandries like the increasing "hope" for a prenatal autism screen. According to researchers, mothers who bear children later diagnosed with spectrum disorders tend to have higher than normal amounts of testosterone in their amniotic fluid. This leads them to think a screen for such disorders could be around the corner, as might in-utero treatment. If it's a matter of testosterone causing spectrum disorders, they might just block the hormone. Of course this is all completely dodgy guesswork at the moment. And autism advocates are concerned that selective pregnancy terminations could wipe out autism and its cousin, the autistic savant, which, as those of us who admire Albert Einstein can agree, can be pretty darned useful. As can folks with lesser gifts than Einstein's. Dare I say I'd rather have autism in the word than not have it, if it means I get to have the various autistic people in my life whom I love and enjoy--and who bring the human population a unique perspective on the meaning of our existence. Of course, the screen wouldn't only lead to terminations. And I'm sure parents of children with spectrum disorders would have been glad to have more knowledge, earlier on, so they could prepare the proper treatment and therapy for their children. And therein lies the ethical quandry.

Finally, as promised, Here's more of that baby gorilla. And here's the page with the video.Is it just me, or is this whole baby gorilla thing really awesome? I don't know about you, but I needed a bit of happy news.

images: washingtonpost.com and nationalzoo.si.edu

LA Zoo Ponders Saying Goodbye to Elephants

Amy Kuras — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:06:00 GMT

The LA Zoo is considering sending its lone remaining elephant to a sanctuary. But parents and children who frequent the zoo think that would make it a lot less enjoyable, and educational, a place for them to visit.

At the heart of the debate seems to be really nothing less than the idea of what zoos are for – are they for the amusement of humans or are they really for the preservation and promotion of wildlife?

LA’s zoo has a troubled history – it briefly lost its accreditation in the 1990s and was, for many years, under-resourced and outdated. The zoo undertook a major revitalization effort in the late 1990s which included new areas for chimps and gorillas – and was to include a huge new area for the elephants.

However, animals rights activists protested that even the new enclosure was too small, and were able to halt construction. See, many animals welfare experts now believe that zoos are no place for elephants, who need to walk miles every day, have complex social environments with many other elephants, and stand on dirt and grass.

Of course, the consequences of halting construction are that now the poor lone elephant has an even smaller space, and meanwhile the zoo razed its reptile house for an exhibit that never has been built.

My local zoo sent its elephants to a sanctuary three years ago – here’s a good explanation of why – and I haven’t felt deprived since. We even passed a zoo millage this year to fund it in perpetuity.

I’m not sure what the right answer is – but what is going down in LA isn’t it.

Look! Over Here! Baby Animals!

Amy Kuras — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:02:00 GMT

Grrr. Sigh. Grrrr. I am well in the throes of Palin rage. Cannot deal with her and her g-dropping folksiness. Any. Longer. Crabby. Very, very crabby.

So! Baby animals! Look! The Virginia Zoo in Norfolk has had a baby boom of sorts, with ten different babies born in the last couple of months. Four snakes, a couple armadillos, some turtles and a baby bongo, which I did not know exsisted before I saw this story in my Google Alerts (it’s a type of antelope). That's her over there. Kind of pretty, huh? her name is Eva.

Many of the animals that were born at the zoo are endangered. The bongos, for example, are nearly extinct in their native Africa and earlier babies were sent to a breeding program in Mount Kenya in an attempt to repopulate the animals.

The zoo’s also raising two six-banded armadillo babies, the first ones to survive beyond a month in any US zoo.

So cruise on over, and take a soul-soothing look at cute baby animals – endangered ones, at that. It’s helped my political angst considerably.

Horrific Trauma For Children. Waaaa.

Kelly Mills — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:31:00 GMT

Remember yesterday, when there was mostly news of death and tragedy? And we all wept in our hands and considered getting really drunk to dull the despair of the Derby? I bet you'd really like it if I posted about something light and happy and funny right about now to take away the pain. Well, okay, you are Princess Buttercup and I'm the Dread Pirate Roberts/Westley. "Life is pain, your highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something." Because there's a trauma I just can't ignore here.

Perhaps you know about the Childhood Goat Trauma Foundation? It's an organization I hold dear, because I was a sufferer (sniff) and spent years just terrified of petting zoos. (By the way, I also suffered goose ambush trauma--anyone wanna start a foundation for a worthy cause? Those bastards have teeth in their beaks, you know.) Anyway, I raise the issue because June is Goat Trauma Awareness month. You know I love awareness months. And it just means the timing is perfect to openly discuss this issue, and encourage survivors to get help. Break the silence!

Top ten awareness months

Childhood Goat Trauma: The healing begins now

Wandering two-year-old struck by car

Polar Bear Raised by Humans - AGAIN

Brett Singer — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:15:00 GMT

When I first saw this story I thought it was just a cute little news item about a bear being raised by humans. Kind of "man bites dog." It turns out that this is some kind of German trend.

The Berlin Zoo made a splash in 2007 when the staff removed a polar bear named Knut from his mother and raised him themselves. Now the Nuremberg Zoo has done the same thing with Snowflake ("Flocke" in German). Zoo officials feared that Snowy was in danger of being eaten by her mom. Apparently Snowflake's mom, Vera, was under suspicion because (a) another Polar mom, Vilma, "gave birth at around same time as Vera but is believed to have killed and eaten her cubs because they were sick." Then Vera was seen hiding her newborn cub and schlepping it around in her mouth, although there was no evidence of violence. The zoo, taking no chances, got the little bear away from Vera (a midnight raid, perhaps?) and are now raising her themselves. Four zookeepers are in charge of Snowflake's care.

Somewhat like the producers of the new 'Hulk' movie, it seems that German zoos do not learn from their mistakes. Knut, the first German bear raised by humans, "is a 'psychopath' addicted to human company and will never mate," according to Zoologist Peter Arras. Frank Albrecht, a German animal rights activist who called for Knut to be killed in March of 2007, said that "animals reared in captivity become hyperactive, disturbed, overdependent freaks." (Maybe Britney Spears should have been raised in the wild?)

One big difference between the two bears is that Knut was "rejected" by his mother, whereas Snowflake was merely in danger of possibly being eaten, because another Polar mom had eaten her kids. Another possible motivation, or at least a side benefit, is the media attention and fundraising potential. Snowflake's first public viewing attracted more than 300 journalists, and the zoo sold 600 posters at €10 each (which, at current exchange rates, is roughly 12 billion dollars, right? I'm kidding, of course).

Here's an idea: get these two crazy kids together! Knut's a guy, Snowflake is a girl... Knut has already expressed his love for Snowy on his MySpace blog. I guess being raised by humans has some advantages, such as learning to type.

For your viewing pleasure, here are some videos of the two bears in action.

An upcoming movie about Knut:

Baby Flocke (aka, the future Mrs. Knut)

Knut loves his human daddy (screw you, Frank Albrecht!)

images: independent.co.uk, thisislondon.co.uk

Tiger Attack At SF Zoo

Kelly Mills — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:30:00 GMT

If you read any news at all, you probably know that over in my neck of the woods a Siberian tiger named Tatiana escaped from her enclosure/cage/cell and killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., then seriously wounded two other young men. Best guess so far is that she jumped over the wall erected to keep her and her kind away from the humans, tore out the boy's throat, then tracked his two companions and cornered them near the cafe. Police, who responded to the call that an animal had escaped, found Tatiana on top of one of the boys. They distracted her with patrol car lights, then opened fire with .40-caliber handguns, firing an unknown number of rounds and killing her.

The attack has raised a bunch of questions, including speculation about whether the boys taunted the tiger and whether zoos are humane and if tigers should be kept in captivity. For me right now, I'm less interested in whether the boys said Tatiana's mom was a fireplace rug or even the ethics of zoos until we really establish one question in particular: How did a 350-pound tiger escape? Zoo officials have admitted the wall surrounding the tiger enclosure was four feet lower than recommended national standard. Hey, weren't alot of these places built a while back? Anyone verified the safety of most of these animal pens lately? Not to be all scary-lady, but I'd feel a little bit more comfortable knowing that zoos aren't just flimsy boxes around wild and stir-crazy animals. Because, you know, kids do go there and all. And we'd like to have our leisure activities be as safe as a sled ride through a wolf pack.