Is it something in the water? Zoo critters in Canada...

Red pandas, Asian elephant born in Alberta zoos
Last Updated: Friday, August 10, 2007 | 1:15 PM MT
CBC News

Two Alberta zoos are celebrating baby news, with Edmonton's Valley Zoo saying two red pandas have survived the critical first month and the Calgary Zoo announcing the birth of an Asian elephant calf.

Both species are endangered.


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This Asian elephant calf was born early Thursday morning and weighed in at 140 kilograms.This Asian elephant calf was born early Thursday morning and weighed in at 140 kilograms.
(Calgary Zoo)

The yet-to-be-named pandas were born on June 26, but the first month is critical because that's when they are most likely to become sick and die.

Sandy Helliker, an animal health technician, has been with the pandas day and night and believes they'll survive. They were taken from their mother after concerns she was over-grooming them.

"I think their chances are very good now that they are older and getting more mobile," she said.

Only 2,500 mature red pandas live in the Himalayas in India, southern China and Nepal. The Valley Zoo is part of an international breeding program that has 40 red pandas being bred in zoos in an effort to preserve the species.

Meanwhile in Calgary, a yet-to-be-named Asian elephant calf was born early Thursday morning and weighed in at 140 kilograms. The calf's 17-year-old mother, Maharani, rejected her last offspring, which died in December of 2004.

Wild Asian elephants are endangered, with only an estimated 30,000 living in south and southeast Asia.

Kevin Strange, who works for the zoo, said staff are cautiously optimistic about this birth, even though it's too early to say if Maharani is bonding with her calf

"She had a good pregnancy, 22 months of good health, we think a good delivery, the calf seems to be pretty healthy," he said. "Things are going in the right direction."

In the wild, there is a nearly 50 per cent mortality rate for elephant calves, he said.

Rob Laidlaw, a spokesman for Zoocheck Canada, a national animal welfare group, said breeding elephants in captivity has more to do with money than with conservation.

"For some people in the zoo world, they recognize that elephants and other creatures like that are attractions, they bring people through the gate," he said. "So they come up with these arguments about conservation, but really what they are doing is breeding for their own purposes."

Laidlaw said breeding elephants in captivity is rarely successful and zoos such as Calgary's simply don't have the resources to care for such large animals.

AND DEBBIE, THE POLAR BEAR

Winnipeg's polar bear the oldest
Guinness World Records agrees
By SHANNON VANRAES, SUN MEDIA
The Winnipeg Sun

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This polar bear has been melting hearts for a record number of years.

Forty-year-old Debby, who has called the Assiniboine Park Zoo home since 1967, has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest living polar bear.

"Considering bears in the wild live 20 years, having an animal live twice this long is quite an achievement," said Bob Wrigley, the zoo's curator.

The still-active polar bear was born in 1966, likely in December, in Russia. She arrived in Winnipeg as an orphan in the spring of 1967.

Since then, Debby has produced six surviving offspring with her late mate, Skipper, and thrilled millions of visitors, said Wrigley.

"Her health has been excellent considering how old she is," he added.

Zoo keeper Harold Masters believes a combination of good genes and good care has kept her going this long.

"She doesn't have to put up with the really, really harsh climate," he said, adding that may have contributed to her longevity.

Debby has also had some medical treatments over the years, including dental work, and receives daily doses of Aspirin to ward off small strokes, something posing a problem in the past.

SMOKED GOLDEYE

Masters has worked with Debby for eight years and said she has a distinct personality, enjoying treats like veggie dogs and smoked goldeye.

"For a bear ... she is very independent," Masters explained.

The zoo keeper is confident the polar bear will reach 41, the oldest recorded age for any polar bear, and several years beyond.

Debby is also the second-oldest living example of all seven bear species. The oldest is 43.

The road to Debby's recognition as the world's oldest living polar bear didn't begin at the zoo.

It began with a 17-year-old zoo enthusiast from Oak Bluff.

Samantha Machan submitted the idea to the Guinness organization about 10 months ago, and her suggestion was adopted after verification of Debby's age.

"This is just my way of giving back," Machan said yesterday, adding she hopes the publicity shows people what the Winnipeg zoo has to offer and raises awareness of the plight of polar pears in the wild.

"With the whole issue of global warming, seeing one live this long is really remarkable," she said.