Aengus, W.L., and Millam, J.R.: Taming parent-reared orange-winged amazon parrots by neonatal handling. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 3 (1999), pp. 177–187. [Tameness in parrots is often achieved by artificial rearing, in which chicks are typically removed from parents, fed a liquified or semi-liquefied diet and maintained in thermally controlled brooders until they are grown. As an alternative means of rearing birds, the authors tested whether occasional neonatal human handling of parent-reared chicks might produce tameness while reducing the risk of sexual imprinting on humans. Amazona amazonica chicks were incubated and hatched by wild-caught parents, then were temporarily removed from the nest-box and handled at various times during the nestling period. A control group were handled only to record body weight and provide medication. After fledging, the chicks were evaluated for tameness, by e.g. their willingness to approach the handler, perch on a finger or be touched on the head, and by their respiratory rate in the presence of the handler. Handled birds differed significantly in all indices of tameness. The amount of time that handled chicks were in contact with humans was less than 2% of the time they spent with conspecifics; it is therefore unlikely that these chicks imprinted either filially or sexually on humans, although this has not been experimentally tested. While continued handling may be necessary to maintain tameness, these results support the concept that neonatal handling of parent-raised parrots provides a low-labor and low-technology alternative to artificial rearing as a means of initially taming captive birds, thereby enabling them to react in a more physiologically benign manner to the potential stress of human presence, intrusion, or contact, while at the same time increasing the likelihood of their retaining normal adult sexual behavior.]

Albert, R., Hofer, H., East, M., and Pitra, C.: Genetische Identifizierung der geographischen Herkunft von Tüpfelhyänen (Crocuta crocuta). (Genetic identification of geographical origins of spotted hyaenas.) Der Zoologische Garten Vol. 70, No. 1 (2000), pp. 1–10. [German, with English summary. Comparative investigations on the cytochrom b-gene of zoo-born spotted hyaenas (probable origin in Nigeria) and individuals from two free-ranging populations in Tanzania revealed a sequence divergence of 2.8%. It is therefore highly unlikely that East African animals are ancestors of these zoo animals. The differences are sufficient to indicate a genetically-based distinction of subspecies. The geographic origin of spotted hyaenas should therefore be considered in future projects concerning the conservation or captive breeding of the species.]

Andreas, U.: Haltung und Handaufzucht von Wasserrallen (Rallus aquaticus). (Husbandry and hand-rearing of water rails.) Der Zoologische Garten Vol. 70, No. 1 (2000), pp. 11–20. [German, with English summary. From 1992 to 1997 water rails were kept at the Institute for Wildlife Biology, University of Göttingen, and several chicks were hand-reared. The article gives details of their development; they began to feed on their own at about 10 to 15 days, and were fully independent by about 25 days.]

Ashraf, N.V.K.: The botanical side of a zoological park in Coimbatore, India. Zoos’ Print Journal Vol. 15, No. 1 (2000), pp. 191–196.

Baker, W.K.: What happens when crisis management fails? Animal Keepers' Forum Vol. 27, No. 1 (2000), pp. 15–17.

Barat, A., and Poyyamoli, G.: Captive breeding and zoo policy in India – lessons from Arignar Anna Zoological Park. Zoos’ Print Journal Vol. 15, No. 1 (2000), pp. 177–183.

Barham, P.: Design of plastic penguin flipper bands. Penguin Conservation Vol. 12, No. 2 (1999), pp. 4–10.

Beekman, S.P.A., Kemp, B., Louwman, H.C.M., and Colenbrander, B.: Analyses of factors influencing the birth weight and neonatal growth rate of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) cubs. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 2 (1999), pp. 129–139. [Birth weight and neonatal growth rate are reliable indicators of neonatal survival prospects. Data on weight at birth and consecutive weights until 40 days of age were recorded for cheetah cubs in 16 litters at Wassenaar Wildlife Breeding Centre, the Netherlands. Weight data were used to evaluate the influence of several factors on birth weight and neonatal growth. It was found that there is a large variation in birth weight and neonatal growth rate between cubs from different litters, whereas the variation within a litter is much lower. Factors found to influence the birth weight of cheetah cubs are sex, gestation length, and amount of inbreeding, while factors that influence neonatal growth rate are birth weight, gestation length, parity of the dam, and the mean litter size during the first 40 days. The study demonstrates that it is possible to determine a reference growth curve for cheetah cubs raised by their mother. Monitoring the weight of newborn cheetah cubs provides a useful indicator of the vitality of each cub relative to its litter-mates. Close attention should be paid to a cub that grows more slowly than its litter-mates, and supplemental feedings may be indicated. Additionally, a comparison of neonatal growth between mother-raised and hand-raised cubs revealed a lower growth rate in hand-raised cubs (45 vs. 27 g/day).]

Bestelmeyer, S.V.: Behavioral changes associated with introductions of male maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus) to females with pups. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 3 (1999), pp. 189–197. [Three male maned wolves were successfully introduced to their mates and 7- to 12-week-old pups at Houston Zoo and Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. The introductions took 3–7 weeks and had three stages: (1) allowing the male to see the female and pups through a chain-link panel or a full chain-link fence, (2) introducing the male and female without the pups present, and (3) introducing the male to the pups. After the males were introduced, the females' activity decreased, and the males' activity increased. The females spent less time near the pups after the introduction. The introduction did not affect the females' rates of affiliative or aggressive behaviors to the pups, and there was no difference between males' and females' rates of affiliative or aggressive behaviors. This introduction procedure offers an alternative to leaving the male with the pups from the time they are born. The adults' behavioral changes after the introduction show the benefits that occur when males are allowed to help rear their pups. Determining whether males play similar roles in the wild requires further research.]

Brickell, N.: Collated data on the fawn-breasted waxbill Estrilda paludicola. Avicultural Magazine Vol. 105, No. 4 (1999), pp. 185–187.

Brockett, R.C., Stoinski, T.S., Black, J., Markowitz, T., and Maple, T.L.: Nocturnal behavior in a group of unchained female African elephants. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 2 (1999), pp. 101–109. [The chaining of elephants at night is a common management strategy in zoos, yet the costs and benefits of such a strategy are relatively unknown. In a study at Zoo Atlanta, three unchained elephants were observed between the hours of 1800 and 0800 for ten weeks in the summer of 1992 and 14 weeks in the summer of 1994. The elephants spent half of their time within one body length of another animal, and utilized all three available enclosures. They were generally most active between the hours of 1800 and 2400 and 0600 and 0700. The findings suggest that the use of no restraints is currently an effective strategy for this elephant group. The high activity levels observed during many of the early evening hours suggest that zoos could permit increased activity and social interactions by extending the hours when their elephants are unchained.]

Brown, J.L., Hildebrandt, T.B., Theison, W., and Neiffer, D.L.: Endocrine and ultrasound evaluation of a non-cycling African elephant: identification of an ovarian follicular cyst. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 3 (1999), pp. 223–232.

Burger, R.M.: A brief note on identifying reptiles and amphibians in live collections. Animal Keepers' Forum Vol. 27, No. 1 (2000), pp. 27–29. [Outlines some methods of identifying individual animals.]

Chang, T.R., Forthman, D.L., and Maple, T.L.: Comparison of confined mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) behavior in traditional and `ecologically representative' exhibits. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 3 (1999), pp. 163–176. [Behavior of the group, at Zoo Atlanta, Georgia, was compared before and after their move from a traditional, all-indoor exhibit to an indoor/outdoor facility. The outdoor exhibit was designed to represent as far as possible important features of the species' forest habitat. The authors predicted that activity budgets in the outdoor exhibit would more closely resemble those of wild African Cercopithecines, specifically that time spent in forage/feed, locomotion, and social behavior would increase and time spent stationary would decrease. Time spent in forage/feed, locomotion, and stationary did change, as expected. However, there was a small significant decrease in some social behaviors. Differences in proximate environmental contingencies may explain the behavioral changes observed: feeding/foraging opportunities throughout the time on exhibit; increased social refuges; modest increase in facility size; and significantly increased environmental complexity and novelty. The results are discussed within the context of data obtained from mandrills and baboons observed along a theoretical continuum between confined and free-ranging environments. This analysis supports what others have suggested: that primate well-being is not so much a function of confinement as of the presence of relevant incentives to engage in species-appropriate behavior.]

Chiszar, D., DeWelde, K., Garcia, M., Payne, D., and Smith, H.M.: Strike-induced chemosensory searching (SICS) in northern Pacific rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis oreganus, Holbrook, 1840) rescued from substandard husbandry conditions. II. Complete recovery of function after two years. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 2 (1999), pp. 141–146.

de Ruiter, M.: The lack of diversity in the captive population of the genus Bubo. Tyto Vol. 4, No. 5 (2000), pp. 152–154. [Of the 11 species and 57 subspecies of eagle owl, only 8 and 22 respectively are recorded in ISIS collections. In many cases subspecies is not given (though most of these probably belong to the nominate form), and of a total of 708 individuals, 299 are unsexed.]

Fiumera, A.C., Wu, L., Parker, P.G., and Fuerst, P.A.: Effective population size in the captive breeding program of the Lake Victoria cichlid Paralabidochromis chilotes. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 3 (1999), pp. 215–222. [Microsatellite DNA markers were used to monitor levels of genetic variation in three generations of the SSP population of the species. A test of the proportion of expected heterozygous individuals between the F₁ and F₃ generations indicated a significant decline in expected heterozygosity of 5% per generation. Alternative husbandry protocols, including subdividing the captive population, are addressed to reduce the further loss of genetic variation.]

Guerrero, D.: Animal behavior concerns and solutions: striped opossum (Dactylopsila trivirgata). Animal Keepers' Forum Vol. 27, No. 1 (2000), pp. 8–11. [Summarises husbandry information on this rarely-kept mammal.]

Hartley, P.S., Dawson, B., Lindsay, C., McCormick, P., and Wishart, G.: Cryopreservation of houbara semen: a pilot study. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 2 (1999), pp. 147–152. [A study at the International Foundation for Conservation and Development of Wildlife, Agadir, Morocco, found that houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata) semen can be successfully cryopreserved with a rapid and simple methodology initially developed for domestic chicken semen. Viable offspring were produced by AI using cryopreserved, thawed semen.]

Laikre, L.: Hereditary defects and conservation genetic management of captive populations. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 2 (1999), pp. 81–99. [A literature review indicates that the occurrence of inherited defects and diseases may be fairly widespread in zoo-bred animal populations. Such disorders may severely hamper the overall aims of conservation breeding programmes, and the management strategies needed to deal with the problems are yet to be adequately addressed. The author uses two examples from Scandinavian zoos, albinism in brown bears and blindness in wolves, and demonstrates that the alleles responsible occur in high frequency in the present populations. Since removing animals with a probability of carrying the allele will result in loss of founder alleles considered particularly valuable, decisions on how to proceed with the breeding programme must be taken on a case-by-case basis where the conservation genetic costs of different strategies are taken into account.]

Landucci, G., Dobrzelecki, L., and Keefe, K.: Painting as enrichment for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's 0.1 protected contact African elephant. Journal of the Elephant Managers Association Vol. 10, No. 3 (1999), pp. 188–190.

Laubscher, C.: Meyer's parrot. Parrot Society Magazine Vol. 34, No. 2 (2000), pp. 49–52, 54–55. [Poicephalus meyeri.]

Lindholm, J.H.: An historical review of parrots bred in zoos in the USA. Avicultural Magazine Vol. 105, No. 4 (1999), pp. 145–184.

Ludwig, W., and Ludwig, C.: Beobachtungen zur sozialen Organisation eines Rudels Rothunde (Cuon alpinus) im Zoo Dresden. (Observations on the social behaviour of a dhole pack at Dresden Zoo.) Der Zoologische Garten Vol. 70, No. 1 (2000), pp. 39–59. [German, with English summary. The pack of 2.2 or 2.1 adults and their offspring was observed over a period of more than four years. The directed display pattern in connection with threat gestures was an important strategy to solve intragroup conflicts, and always triggered submission in the recipient. The pattern was even performed during approaches to the pups, and presumably helps to integrate them into a social hierarchy. Between adults, the dominance display was performed exclusively to group members of the same sex. The display was unidirectional and reflected the social hierarchy clearly. Submissive behaviour was observed more frequently than aggressive, and had particular significance in conflict avoidance. The direct connection of submissive gestures (= food begging gestures) with social food sharing by regurgitation supported the suppression of aggressive behaviour and had a positive effect on social bonding between group members. Physical aggression resulting in injuries appeared only in connection with rank fighting. Several fights for rank order were observed between males during their second year of life without any interference from the adults; the behaviour of the yearling group showed similarity with that of an independent group, although the yearlings ranked at the bottom of the pack hierarchy. Food competition did not reliably reflect the social hierarchy, with the lactating female and pups normally having priority.]

Mikkola, H.: Albinism in owls. Tyto Vol. 4, No. 5 (2000), pp. 133–139. [Total or partial albinism has been reported in only 15 out of 205 owl species.]

O'Brien, J.K., Oehler, D.A., Malowski, S.P., and Roth, T.L.: Semen collection, characterization, and cryopreservation in a Magellanic penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus). Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 3 (1999), pp. 199–214.

Orbell, J.: A new waterless method of cleaning oiled birds. Penguin Conservation Vol. 12, No. 2 (1999), pp. 2–3. [Very finely powdered iron is used to `soak up' the oil, and iron and oil together may then be removed with a magnetic probe. The technique, discovered at Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, is currently being tested on little penguins.]

Palmer, K.: Races of Bubo bubo: separating the wheat from the chaff! Tyto Vol. 4, No. 5 (2000), pp. 141–143.

Patton, M.L., Swaisgood, R.R., Czekala, N.M., White, A.M., Fetter, G.A., Montagne, J.P., Rieches, R.G., and Lance, V.A.: Reproductive cycle length and pregnancy in the southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) as determined by fecal pregnane analysis and observations of mating behavior. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 2 (1999), pp. 111–127. [A large proportion of the founding captive population of white rhinos has yet to produce offspring, and captive-born rhinos seem to have an alarmingly low birth rate. Our understanding of the species' reproductive biology is at best fragmentary. In the present study, pregnancy and the reproductive cycle were monitored in 13 females at San Diego Wild Animal Park by measuring progesterone metabolites in fecal extracts and by observing behavior patterns. The majority of the animals studied appeared to be reproductively compromised by abnormal ovarian activity characterized by acyclicity, erratic luteal activity, or a combination of cycles of varying lengths. Among cycling females, two cycle types were indicated: monthly and bimonthly; the authors argue that the approximately monthly cycles are typical, whereas the longer cycles indicate a pathologic lengthening of the luteal phase.]

Poole, T., and Taylor, V.J.: Can the behavioural needs of Asian elephants be met in captivity? Zoos’ Print Vol. 14, No. 12 (1999), pp. 2–8. [Reprint of a contribution to the 4th International Conference on Environmental Enrichment, originally published in The Shape of Enrichment.]

Pywell, M.: Breeding records on the South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) at Colchester Zoo, England. Animal Keepers' Forum Vol. 27, No. 1 (2000), pp. 31–33.

Reynolds, R.J.: Camels, the ships of the desert. Part 2. Bandwagon: the Journal of the Circus Historical Society Vol. 43, No. 6 (1999), pp. 21–31. [Continues the author‘s account (started in Bandwagon 42:6 – see I.Z.N. 46:6, p. 369) of the history of camels in North America.]

Ryan, M., and Drieschman, W.S.: Hand-rearing penguins with immediate introduction of solid food. Penguin Conservation Vol. 12, No. 2 (1999), pp. 11–17. [In 1993 the John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois, collected gentoo penguin eggs from Wienke Island, Antarctica, to be hand-raised and introduced into the aquarium's breeding programme. Instead of the traditional procedure of administering a liquid formula diet through a syringe and feeding tube, these chicks were fed by hand with solid food from Day 1. Typically, traditional diets do not provide solid food until late in the rearing process, as a supplement and weaning tool prior to introducing hand-raised chicks into a developed colony of adult birds. The main concerns with both techniques are providing food served at proper temperatures (32.2–35.0° C; 90–95° F) until the chicks develop their thermoregulatory system, and following a regimen in which each feeding is equal to 10% of body weight to ensure consistent growth development. Feeding solid food from Day 1 required adjustments to feeding schedules and the initial diet structure. The results, however, matched those previously achieved using syringe/feeding tube methods.]

Schifter, H.: Zucht des Weisskopfmausvogels (Colius leucocephalus) in den USA und Europa. (Breeding the white-headed mousebird in the U.S.A. and Europe.) Der Zoologische Garten Vol. 70, No. 1 (2000), pp. 70–71. [German, no English summary.]

Singh, S., Singh, C., Kumar, A., Sinha, K.K., and Mishra, P.C.: Serum calcium and inorganic phosphorus in tigers and leopards kept in captivity. Zoos’ Print Journal Vol. 14, No. 12 (1999), pp. 172–173.

Steinberg, R.: White mutation tawny owls (Strix aluco). Tyto Vol. 4, No. 4 (1999), pp. 118–120.

Suchi, S., and Rothe, H.: Periodizität des Verhaltens von Weissbüschelaffen (Callithrix jacchus) unter Semifreiland-Bedingungen. (Periodicity of behaviour in a semi-free-ranging group of common marmosets.) Der Zoologische Garten Vol. 70, No. 1 (2000), pp. 21–38. [German, with English summary. The group of eight animals, at Göttingen University's Institute of Zoology, had a home range consisting of a heated wooden hut with veranda and an adjacent cage, surrounded by an open area with a few small trees and three runways, on which feeding places, sitting boards and sleeping boxes were fixed. The animals were fed twice daily. The food supply was held constant throughout the observation period with respect to amount, composition and spatial distribution. From July to November 1995, the behaviour and location of the group members was recorded during the whole daily activity period using an instantaneous sampling method. The time budget of the group was similar to that in the wild. There were maxima of food consumption and locomotion in the morning and evening, and an extended period of resting and allogrooming during the late morning. Intensive play and exploratory behaviour was observed in the afternoon.]

Terasawa, F., Yokoyama, Y., and Kitamura, M.: Rectal temperatures before and after parturition in bottlenose dolphins. Zoo Biology Vol. 18, No. 2 (1999), pp. 153–156. [Tursiops truncatus gilli.]

Unger, R., and Schratter, D.: Nahrungspräferenzen von Kurzohr-Rüsselspringern, Macroscelides proboscideus (Shaw, 1800) im Tiergarten Schönbrunn. (Feeding preferences of short-eared elephant shrews at Schönbrunn Zoo.) Der Zoologische Garten Vol. 70, No. 1 (2000), pp. 60–69. [German, with English summary. The experiments were conducted in two runs. First 24 different kinds of seeds were tested on 7.3 animals. Results indicated that they fed mostly on perilla (Perilla sp.), hemp (Cannabis sativa), oats (Avena sativa) and canary seed (Phalaris canariensis). In a second run different sorts of animal protein, vegetables and fruit were offered to 7.1 animals. In the category `animal protein', cat food was favoured, followed by curd and a zoo-designed food mixture containing curdled milk, minced heart and VitaVet or Sanstol. Lettuce and kiwi were the favourite foods in the categories `vegetable' and `fruit'. On average, the shrews' diet consisted of 14.1% seeds, 19.8% fruit, 27.0% vegetables and 39.1% animal protein. These results confirm the latest studies concerning the food composition of free-living short-eared elephant shrews, according to which the species is omnivorous.]

Varadharajan, A., and Pythal, C.: A preliminary investigation on the parasites of wild animals at the Zoological Garden, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Zoos’ Print Journal Vol. 14, No. 12 (1999), pp. 159–164.

Walker, S.: A history of the Karachi Zoological Gardens, Pakistan. Zoos’ Print Vol. 14, No. 12 (1999), pp. 22–25.

Walker, S.: Mammals in need of attention – Rodentia species of India (continued) – conservation status and needs. Zoos’ Print Vol. 14, No. 12 (1999), pp. 14–18.

Walker, S.: Perfect mix of animal welfare and conservation: Cuc Phuong Endangered Primate Rescue Center. Zoos’ Print Vol. 15, No. 2 (2000), pp. 35–37.

Animal Keepers’ Forum, American Association of Zoo Keepers, 3601 S.W. 29th Street, Suite 133, Topeka, Kansas 66614, U.S.A.

Avicultural Magazine, Avicultural Society, c/o Bristol Zoo, Bristol BS8 3HA, U.K.

Bandwagon: the Journal of the Circus Historical Society, 2515 Dorset Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212, U.S.A.

Journal of the Elephant Managers Association, Indianapolis Zoo, 1200 West Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46222, U.S.A.

Parrot Society Magazine, Parrot Society, 108b Fenlake Road, Bedford MK42 0EU, U.K.

Penguin Conservation, 8060 Upper Applegate Road, Jacksonville, Oregon 97530, U.S.A.

Tyto, International Owl Society, Sheraton Lodge, Station Road, Southminster, Essex CM0 7EW, U.K.

Zoo Biology, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158, U.S.A.

Der Zoologische Garten, Urban & Fischer Verlag GmbH, P.O. Box 100537, D-07705 Jena, Germany.

Zoos’ Print, Zoo Outreach Organisation, Box 1683, Peelamedu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 004, India.