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Tags: Travel Tweet of the Week / Twitter / Twitter Travel / World Series Travel / Zoos / → All Tags
Tweet Of The Week: Yankees Vs. Phillies, Zoo Edition
We love Tuesdays. Why, you ask? Because the day brings many travel tips and quips as "Travel Tuesday" on Twitter, and we're going to share our favorite with you. Got an avid travel twitterer we should follow? Let us know.
As we're sure at least everyone on the east coast of the United States knows, we're in the midst of the World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. Game six takes place tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium, but we're a little focused on today still, it being #traveltuesday on Twitter and all. But thanks to @FreeFunGuides, whose sole mission is to tweet about anything free, we know what we'll be doing if the Phillies win:
Tags: Halloween Travel / Animals / Fall Travel / Zoos / → All Tags
Get Your 'Boo' At The Zoo With The Top Halloween Zoo Events
If you’re looking to start off your Halloween celebrations a week early, then think about checking out your local zoo. Boo at the Zoo parties take place all across the country, and we’ve highlighted a few of them. They might be intended for kids, but whatever; we’re heading out to show off our Jon Gosselin and Lady Gaga costumes anyway.
· San Francisco Zoo
San Diego isn’t doing anything for the season, so we’ve made our way up to San Francisco for their Boo at the Zoo shindig. Things run this weekend on October 24 and 25 from 10am to 4pm. Kids will receive a dollar off their admission for attending in costume, but adults get no discount for arriving dressed up—and will probably be made fun of by the animals. Make sure you don’t wear rubber masks, because apparently they scare the animals—they probably don’t like those tiger Ed Hardy shirts either.
You’ll make your way around the zoo checking out the lions, tigers, and bears while stopping along the way to fill your bags with treats. Make sure you visit the pumpkin "chomp 'n stomp" stops where the critters get to enjoy their own snacks for the season. The Halloween stuff is included with your $15 daily admission.
Tags: Zoos / Animals / Pandas / Elephants / Thailand Travel / → All Tags
All of Thailand Is Mad for Pandas, and the Elephants are Hopping Mad
The very happy nation of Thailand joined the panda-monium craze this week as the Chiang Mai Zoo in Bangkok introduced the country’s first every baby panda. After six years of feverish attempts to mate their two adult pandas, including a mock wedding and widely circulated “panda porns” of the pair attempting to reproduce, the country finally became just the fourth in the world to ever breed a panda cub in captivity.
Eager Thais finally got to see the six-week-old cub this week, and the cuddly critter has proved so popular that there were more than 500,000 entries in a contest to name it, and the zoo is building a pricey new snow house for the happy new family.
But not everyone is psyched about the panda craze. Zookeepers in the elephant kraal have grown incensed that no one is stopping by to see their pachyderms—Thailand’s national animal—and in protest this week they took to watercolors and painted the elephants in panda garb. Hilarious, until Peta hears about it. Maybe they’d have more luck if they made some elephant porn?
Related Stories:
· Will this stop the pandamonium? [Daily Mail]
· Thai zoo's 1st baby panda goes on display [AP]
· How To Cuddle a Baby Panda [Jaunted]
[Photo: Reuters]
Tags: Zoos / Prospect Park / Prospect Park Zoo / Animals / Peacocks / Mark Spitz / → All Tags
Go on an Urban Safari at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Zoo
New York has zoos in each of its five boroughs, and while the Bronx Zoo is the largest metropolitan zoo in the country, the other four are small enough that one can see pretty much every animal there is to see in two or three hours. I actually prefer these bite-sized zoological parks, where you can get in, get your animal fix, and get out with plenty of time left over for a nap before happy hour.
Tags: Zoos / Animals / San Diego Zoo / Elephants / → All Tags
San Diego Zoo Elephant Explosion, You Herd It Here
Take three San Diego Zoo elephants, add four Wild Animal Park elephants, and what've you got? A herd of elephants that apparently needs a $45 million enclosure.
It's pricey but pretty cool. The new Elephant Odyssey at San Diego Zoo opens on May 23 and includes a 120,000-gallon pool in a 2.5-acre yard. Interesting for us but perhaps a bit embarrassing for the elephants, it'll also have a publicly visible vet facility so we can watch their check-ups.
The seven elephants – Ranchipur, Mary, Cookie, Cha-Cha, Sumithi, Devi and Tembo – might get confused by some of the eight life-size replica statues that will also be part of the Elephant Odyssey exhibit. They include a mammoth, giant sloth and a saber-toothed cat, all representative of the wildlife of southern California thousands of years ago. Just remember that while the concrete ones don't bite, the elephants might, especially if you laugh at them while the vet's doing any sensitive check-ups.
Related Stories:
· San Diego Zoo Elephant Odyssey [Official Site]
· San Diego Zoo Adding $45 Million Elephant Odyssey [LA Times]
· Where to Placate Our Future Animal Overlords [Jaunted]
· San Diego Travel Guide [Jaunted]
[Photo: San Diego Shooter]
Tags: Earth Day / Zoos / Animals / Parties / → All Tags
The Zoos Will Be Partying on Earth Day
We know, we know, every day is Earth Day. But only starting Monday will zoos and aquariums around the world be celebrating Mother Nature as part of the "Party for the Planet" initiative, which connects the 150-plus members of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
Party animals can hop from state to state all week for free concerts, games and even organic food. This weekend, the Dallas Zoo debuts a new alligator exhibit called "Ghosts from the Bayou" as part of its four-weekend spring festival, Dallas Roars. The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport offers free admission on Earth Day and a six-hour scavenger hunt. And X-Men hero Wolverine, who is actually an endangered species, will show up for photo ops at the Chattanooga Zoo on April 25, which also features mural-making and free seedlings to attendees.
Find your participating zoo at the AZA Website.
Related Stories:
· Chattanooga Zoo Hosts Party For The Planet April 25 [Chattanoogan.com]
· North Texas rolls out the green carpet [DallasNews.com]
· Oregon Coast Aquarium Celebrates Earth Day [Aquarium.org]
[Photo: artescienza]
Tags: Do Not Do / Animals / Zoos / Berlin Zoo / Knut / Dangerous Travel / → All Tags
Polar Bears Attack Woman Seeking Knut in Berlin Zoo
While we often joke here at Jaunted headquarters about appeasing the animal overlords that will one day rule the earth, there is nothing funny about a woman who hopped a fence on Friday at the polar bear habitat at the Berlin Zoo and was promptly mauled by three bears who share the space with former child star, Knut.
The unidentified woman took great effort to get into the habitat, scaling a fence, a line of hedges and a wall before diving into the bears' pool. She appeared to be laughing and happy as she splashed in the water toward one of the big bears, [Daily Mail of London] said.
The woman survived, suffering bite marks on her legs, arms and buttocks. She is currently being hospitalized and there is no word if the woman, believed to be mentally ill, will face any criminal charges. Knut, in case you are wondering, did not participate in the attack on the woman.
Related Stories:
· Polar Bear Nightmare [NY Post]
· Zookeepers rescue woman from polar bear mauling [Times UK]
· Berlin Zoo [Official Site]
[Photo via NY Post]
Tags: Zoos / San Diego Zoos / Animals / → All Tags
Where to Placate Our Future Animal Overlords
Just in case we were too subtle when we had this talk last week: the animals are among us, and they're pissed. They haven't yet sprouted opposable thumbs, formed armies, and begun laying siege to our cities. But the day when our species is given the stark choice between working in the mines or being hunted for sport - not that far off. When it arrives you'll want some kind of documentation showing that you were never really into that whole "dominion over the Earth" thing.
If you're searching for a preemptive bribe you should strongly consider a visit to the San Diego Zoo or the San Diego Wild Animal Park.
The Zoo is in Balboa Park, near the center of Downtown San Diego. The Wild Animal Park is in Escondido, about 30 minutes away. Both are cutting-edge conservation facilities - world-renowned for their breeding successes - with healthy animals that romp through large, open enclosures.
Tags: Animals / Zoos / Sharks / Chimpanzees / Animal Travel / → All Tags
When Animals Start Acting Like Animals
Once again, humans are outraged that animals have begun acting like...well...animals. It all started in Australia in the Sydney Harbor last week when a navy diver was attacked by a shark. The following day a surfer at Bondi Beach nearly lost his hand to a shark. Yet despite this, shark numbers are not increasing in the waters of New South Wales. And in an effort to convince people the water's fine, Sydney is still going ahead with its Harbour Swim Classic on March 1.
Then this morning, folks in the tri-state area were roiled to hear that a pet chimpanzee brutally attacked a friend of its owners in Stamford, Conn. The chimp was acting so crazy that eventually police shot him in self-defense. For reasons unknown, the 4-feet-tall, 200-lb, chimp (who does have a case of Lyme disease) got aggressive but usually he's very "normal."
The chimp liked watering flowers, wine, expensive steak, brushing his teeth and even watching baseball games on TV. Neighbors also said he liked to pretend to drive his owners' cars - including a pink Cadillac convertible.
We think it's insane that you want to keep a chimpanzee as a pet in your house. However, allowing a three-month old chimpanzee fly on a commercial airline on his way to the Frankfurt Zoo is perfectly acceptable.
Tags: Green Travel / Middle East / Zoos / → All Tags
Abu Dhabi's Putting Giraffes In The Desert
Dubai's lil' bro Abu Dhabi is apparently doing more than just becoming a cultural capital of the UAE--now it's heading into a new career in being environmentally conscious too.
Well, they're calling the new Desert Islands project "conservation," but we're not quite sure yet. With the first stage just open, the Desert Islands are just southwest of Abu Dhabi and while they used to be a royal retreat, this area is becoming home to individually-irrigated trees and an incredible mix of animals.
So far in the Arabian Wildlife Park section there are 23 species of animals, including the almost-extinct Arabian oryx, along with giraffes and antelope. Cheetahs are due to arrive soon and in time the fences that divide the animals will come down, allowing them all to mix in a "like wild" habitat. Conservation--or feeding time?
Related Stories:
· Desert Islands [Official Site]
· Animal Prints [The Australian]
· Abu Dhabi Sneaking Out Of Dubai's (Big) Shadow [Jaunted]
[Photo: Desert Islands]
Tags: Knut / Animals / Zoos / Germany Travel / → All Tags
Berlin To Bear: Plan Your Own Birthday Party
The self-obsessed polar bear that put the Berlin Zoo on the map will turn two Friday, but Knut's handlers say they won't be celebrating with a party. Even worse: They may ship the superstar to another zoo as soon as 2009, leaving Berliners only one outrageously adorable ursine amigo.
After helping rake in more than $6 million in profit in 2007, the least the zoo could do is throw a little party for Knut, says one of his fans, a 60-year-old who visits him every weekend and has started a petition to keep the bear in Berlin:
It's unbelievable that they're not throwing a party for Knut. More than 100 people are coming from all over Europe and even the US just to see this bear who has done so much for Berlin.
I think many people would even be prepared to donate money. He's come to symbolize the city just like the Brandenburg Gate does.
But maybe the bear is ready for a trip to LA to work out a movie deal with his agents?
Related Stories:
· Berlin Zoo Under Fire for Ignoring Knut [Spiegel, via]
· Polar Bears With Personality Disorders [Jaunted]
[Photo: Sacred Destinations]
Tags: Pollution / Zoos / → All Tags
Toronto Zoo to Harness the Power of Poo
There are certain cities in the world that are having a bit of a problem with poop. As we pointed out last week, for example, the glimmering emirate that is Dubai lacks a viable drainage system for sewage, resulting in polluted beaches and illegally-dumped ponds of poo surrounding the city. Nasty! One would think that such a wealthy and technologically-savvy place could afford the world's most sophisticated sewer system, but if they haven't built it yet, maybe a better solution to their problems can be found at the Toronto Zoo. Zoo officials recently announced plans to build a $13 million plant that turns animal poo into clean, green, pollution-free energy that would power not only the zoo, but the surrounding community as well. The poo-to-power process is known as anaerobic digestion, and it converts animal and food waste into biogas with the use of some very helpful bacteria. With more than 5,000 poo-producing animals providing a constant flow (sorry) of fuel, officials are optimistic that the zoo can meet its goal of becoming an energy independent, carbon-neutral destination in just a few years, hopefully providing a example for other cities who are struggling to deal with environmental and energy problems. Naturally, we have to wonder if some poop is better than others for power. Is grass-fed elephant poop preferable to Dorito-fed human poop? Can they actually use teeny tiny poops from frogs, turtles, and snakes? In any case, it sounds like both the people and the animals up in Toronto are on to something.
[Photo: AP]
Related Stories:
· Toronto Zoo [official site]
· Toronto Zoo Wants to Turn Poo Into Energy [CBC News]
· Zoo's Poo Aids Push to Become Carbon Neutral [thestar.com]
· Why We're Never Swimming at a Dubai Beach Again [Jaunted]
