Latest news with #DeniseVerret
Los Angeles Times
19-06-2025
- Science
- Los Angeles Times
California condors are critically endangered, but the Los Angeles Zoo just hatched 10 healthy chicks
Earlier this month, wildlife enthusiasts were excited over a pair of young bald eagles that flew out of their nest for the first time, hovering high above Big Bear Lake. This week, the focus is on 10 condor chicks that were hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo, making them eligible to be released into the wild to help restore the state's depleted condor population. 'This year's chicks will eventually help increase the genetic diversity of the wild population of condors,' Denise Verret, chief executive and director of the Los Angeles Zoo, said in a news release. 'This iconic species represents a conservation win for Los Angeles and for California.' Four of the chicks are being raised under a double-brooding method, which means two chicks are being raised at the same time by two surrogate California condors, according to the release. The Los Angeles Zoo was the first zoo to use this breeding technique. 'The L.A. Zoo's leadership in breeding California condors clearly demonstrates the marriage between conservation and animal husbandry,' Misha Body, deputy director of animal programs for the Los Angeles Zoo, said in the release. 'The care and well being that our animal care team provides continues to be innovative and advances the success of the condor program every year.' All of the chicks bred at the zoo are eligible to be released into the wild as part of the zoo's California Condor Recovery Program, although some of them may be held back for future breeding, the release states. Condors are under threat from lead poisonings and other toxins. According to a 2022 study, there were 40 DDT-related compounds — or chemicals that had made their way to the top of the food chain from contaminated marine life — found in the blood of wild California condors. There were only 22 California condors left on Earth when the California Condor Recovery Program started four decades ago. As of 2024, there were 561 condors, with 344 living in the wild. The species remains critically endangered.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
LA Zoo elephants secretly removed from exhibit, TMZ reports
LOS ANGELES - Tina and Billy, the last two remaining Asian elephants at the LA Zoo, have reportedly been secretly removed, according to reports from TMZ. What we know Sources with the LA Zoo told TMZ that the elephants were removed from their enclosure around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. They were allegedly put into crates and loaded onto semi-trucks presumebly to be transferred to the Tulsa Zoo. TMZ also reported that the elephant exhibit at the LA Zoo was empty on Tuesday, with no keepers, and the electric fence was turned off. What we don't know The LA Zoo or the Tulsa Zoo have yet to comment or confirm on the matter. It's unclear who is responsible for removing them. The backstory In April, the LA Zoo announced that Tina and Billy would be relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma to live out their days at the newly expanded Elephant Experience and Preserve at the Tulsa Zoo. The decision was met with some anger and protest. ALos Angeles resident sued the director of the Los Angeles Zoo over the plan. Plaintiff John Kelly's complaint, which names Zoo Director and CEO Denise Verret as a defendant, echoes the concerns of animal rights activists who have lobbied for years for Billy and Tina to be moved to an accredited wildlife sanctuary. Zoo officials said the decision was made with the animals' care and well-being as the top priority, and the relocation "will afford them the opportunity to live among other elephants." PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Judge denies request blocking LA Zoo from sending elephants Tina and Billy to Tulsa LA Zoo being sued over plans to move elephants to Oklahoma LA Zoo's last remaining Asian elephants to be relocated to Oklahoma Just last week, ajudge denied a request for a temporary restraining order that would have put a temporary stop on a bid by the LA Zoo from moving its last two beloved elephants. Dig deeper Billy is 40 years old and Tina is 59. Contrary to the assumption that Billy has spent his entire life at the LA Zoo, his official biography indicates he was born in Malaysia and brought to Los Angeles when he was four years old. Tina's history also reveals she was reportedly a circus performer before arriving at the zoo as an adult. Zoo officials have mentioned evaluating the elephant exhibit since the deaths of two other elephants -- Jewel, age 61, in 2023, and Shaunzi, age 53, in 2024 -- although they attributed those deaths to "declining health due to issues unrelated to the zoo's enclosure or care." The Tulsa Zoo, their potential new home, houses five Asian elephants and includes a 17-acre area with a 36,650-square-foot elephant barn and a 10-plus-acre wooded elephant preserve. Some in the animal rights community say the Elephant Experience and Preserve in Tulsa "was just a fancy name for the somewhat larger elephant enclosure at the Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma."
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Cape vultures are swooping into a new exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 'committee' of Cape vultures is swooping into the Los Angeles Zoo to make its home in an exhibit that seeks to mirror the birds' natural South African habitat. Starting Thursday, zoo visitors will have the chance to catch a glimpse of the animals known as nature's 'clean-up crew' as the seven birds roost, nest and interact socially. The exhibit in the Animals of Africa section of the zoo will include nesting nooks in the rock wall and plenty of room for sunbathing, according to the zoo. 'The new space will undoubtedly help Angelenos continue to foster a deeper connection to wildlife and an appreciation for a species that plays a vital role in the environment," Denise Verret, Los Angeles Zoo CEO and director, said in a statement. Cape vultures, which are about 3-feet (0.91-meters) tall and have a wingspan of up to 8.5 feet (2.6 meters), dispose of carcasses that could carry diseases like rabies, botulism or anthrax. Vultures are one of the most endangered groups of birds in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are threatened by hunting, poisoning, habitat fragmentation and loss, and climate change, according to the zoo. The zoo has been home to Cape vultures since 1985, with visitors getting a chance to spot the creatures as they fly overhead during the bird show. This new exhibit gives people a closer view of the birds. The habitat was funded by the Fritz B. Burns Foundation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Associated Press, The Associated Press
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Cape vultures are swooping into a new exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo
A 'committee' of Cape vultures is swooping into the Los Angeles Zoo to make its home in an exhibit that seeks to mirror the birds' natural South African habitat. Starting Thursday, zoo visitors will have the chance to catch a glimpse of the animals known as nature's 'clean-up crew' as the seven birds roost, nest and interact socially. The exhibit in the Animals of Africa section of the zoo will include nesting nooks in the rock wall and plenty of room for sunbathing, according to the zoo. 'The new space will undoubtedly help Angelenos continue to foster a deeper connection to wildlife and an appreciation for a species that plays a vital role in the environment," Denise Verret, Los Angeles Zoo CEO and director, said in a statement. Cape vultures, which are about 3-feet (0.91-meters) tall and have a wingspan of up to 8.5 feet (2.6 meters), dispose of carcasses that could carry diseases like rabies, botulism or anthrax. Vultures are one of the most endangered groups of birds in the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are threatened by hunting, poisoning, habitat fragmentation and loss, and climate change, according to the zoo. The zoo has been home to Cape vultures since 1985, with visitors getting a chance to spot the creatures as they fly overhead during the bird show. This new exhibit gives people a closer view of the birds. The habitat was funded by the Fritz B. Burns Foundation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
