Red panda that escaped from Belfast zoo is found

Zoo says animal has been returned to its home after going missing on Sunday

Press Association

Mon 28 Jan 2019 12.22 GMTFirst published on Mon 28 Jan 2019 08.14 GMT

A red panda that went missing from Belfast zoo has been found. 

Police in the Northern Ireland capital said the animal went missing on Sunday and was “believed to be currently taking in the sights of beautiful Glengormley”, referring to an area near Belfast.

Police had asked the public not to approach or attempt to capture the animal.

Officers said: “Our curious friend has not yet learned the green cross code, so if motorists could also be vigilant.”

On Monday the zoo tweeted: “We are happy to report that the missing red panda has been located and is being returned to its home at Belfast zoo. Thanks to everyone for their help with the search!”

Two panda cubs were born at the zoo last June, but only started to venture outside towards the end of the year.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the red panda is facing a very high risk of extinction.

Source

Belfast Zoo intruders release Shetland ponies

Security is to be reviewed at Belfast Zoo following a break-in on Monday night.

Zoo manager Mark Challis said police were called after intruders released ponies from their enclosure.

The animals were not harmed and were quickly recaptured within the zoo grounds.

A number of tweets that appeared on Monday night claiming that a tiger or giraffe had been freed from their enclosures proved to have been false.

"A number of youths entered the zoo around 8 o'clock we think. They were seen by our security staff on the site," Mr Challis said.

"They actually broke into our farm building in the zoo where we keep domestic animals and released three Shetland ponies.

"We obviously contacted the PSNI and I understand they have apprehended two youths."

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17987106

Coati missing from Belfast Zoo thought still alive

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11097525

Coati missing from Belfast Zoo thought still alive
By Niall Glynn BBC News
White nosed coati The coati has been missing since 19 July

The manager of Belfast Zoo has said he is confident a racoon-like animal which escaped more than five weeks ago is still alive.

The white-nosed coati from Belize escaped from the north Belfast site on Monday 19 July.

"While it remains relatively mild we're presuming it's still alive," zoo manager Mark Challis said.

"They're resourceful, relatively tough animals and there's a good presumption that it's still alive."

The mammal was being held in quarantine after just arriving at the zoo.

It had been hoped the female would take part in a breeding programme with several other coatis recently imported.

Mr Challis said there had been three sightings of the coati on the periphery of the zoo two weeks ago, but none since.
Continue reading the main story
"Start Quote

This is a small mammal, no bigger than a domestic cat and by nature it's not going to be looking for a confrontation with dogs or cats"

End Quote Mark Challis Belfast Zoo manager

"It was quite reassuring to have these sightings close to the zoo, because that's what we thought it would do, because it knew the site and obviously we were putting food out for it as well.

"So we're hopeful that it's still quite close to us," he said.

"If we do get a good sighting of it, we're ready to run wherever we're needed."

The coati is an omnivorous animal and is likely to be surviving on fruits, berries and leaves as well as mice and small birds,

The zoo manager stressed that it was no threat to any domestic pets it may cross paths with.

"This is a small mammal, no bigger than a domestic cat and by nature it's not going to be looking for a confrontation with dogs or cats or anything like that," he said.

"By nature it's going to be more shy and retiring than that."

While so far the coati seems to be staying close to the zoo, two previous escapees were found further afield.

Two different red pandas escaped in 1999 and 2002.

"One was put up a tree by fox hounds in Templepatrick and we caught the other one in a garden on the outskirts of Glengormley," Mr Challis said.

Lion drags girl, 4, into cage in Russian zoo attack

A lion in a Russian zoo dragged a four-year-old girl through the bars of its cage and mauled her neck and arm.

Published: 7:29PM BST 30 May 2010

The girl was visiting a zoo in Tambov in southern Russia on Saturday with her grandparents when she approached the lion's enclosure, the Interfax news agency reported.

The animal dragged her in with its paw, a spokesman for the city's police said.

"The visitors and zoo workers managed to shoo away the animal, which had time to seriously maul the little girl's neck and arm," the police spokesman said.

The girl underwent an operation and on Sunday was in a "very serious" condition in a city hospital, Interfax reported.

A section of the bars around the lion's enclosure was missing, a Tambov district police officer, Sergei Ivashchenko, told Komsomolskaya Pravda daily.

Russian zoos, especially those in provincial towns, often keep animals in inhumane and cramped conditions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/7786337/Lion-drags-girl-4-into-cage-in-Russian-zoo-attack.html

Moisturiser answers elephant call

Moisturising their elderly charges has become a new duty for the elephant keepers

Having a hide as thick as an elephant can be a liability in the hot weather, as a herd of pachyderms at Belfast Zoo has learnt.

Four elderly female elephants at the zoo have been struggling with the recent good weather, with bedsores and dry skin around their feet.

Now their keepers are using supermarket own-brand moisturiser to keep them if not silky smooth, comfortable.

The zoo has the four females in a type of retirement home for older elephants.

Elephant curator Alyn Cairns said they were using Tesco own-brand moisturiser to alleviate their dry skin.

"Our herd of four older females is now complete and we want to provide them with the best care in their old age," she said.

"That includes looking after their skin."

Under veterinary advice the elephant team tried many different creams to soften the skin of the elephants, but with limited effect, he said.

Keeper Aisling McMahon came to the rescue suggesting the moisturising cream she used.

"I found it difficult to find a good moisturiser for my own skin and when I realised this particular one worked for me, I suggested it to the team," she said.

"The elephants now get moisturised regularly. Cream is applied to the elephant's feet, bum and body."

Having an 'elephant strength' type of moisturiser was a surprise for the supermarket.

Caoimhe Mannion, marketing manager of Tesco in Northern Ireland, said: "It is essential that people protect their skins in hot weather - but I didn't realise elephants were such big fans of our products."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/8143398.stm