National Zoo / Wild Animal Care in U.S.

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2005-2-27

February 28, 2005

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Faith
Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. The third Monday in February is a national
holiday, Presidents' Day. That means most children get the day off
from school. And that means last Monday a lot of parents probably
heard this question:

VOICE ONE:

"Can we go to the zoo? Huh, can we? Can we please?!"

VOICE TWO:

Well, today WE go to the zoo, the National Zoo in Washington,
D.C., for a look at the subject of wild-animal care in the United
States.

VOICE ONE:

The population at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in the
nation's capital has grown recently. Four baby cheetahs are among
the newcomers. Cheetahs are big African cats known for their speed.
They have yellow fur and dark spots.

These are the first cheetahs born in the one-hundred-fifteen-year
history of the National Zoo. A four-year-old cheetah named Tumai
gave birth to the cubs on November twenty-third. Their father,
Amadi, died in December from kidney disease.

VOICE TWO:

The baby cheetahs are two males and two females. Each weighed
less than two kilograms at birth. Their caretakers needed a way to
be sure which cheetah is which. So they cut a small amount of fur
from a different place on each one.

The young cheetahs have begun eating meat. But they are also
still nursing from their mother.

When they are big enough, the cheetahs will join other big cats
in the African Savanna at the National Zoo. The savanna is a grassy
area designed to copy conditions in the wild.

VOICE ONE:

National Zoo / Wild Animal Care in U.S.
Sumatran tiger cubs
Photo: US National Zoo

Three Sumatran tigers were born at
the zoo in May of two thousand four. These three males now weigh
about forty-five kilograms each.

Another young animal growing quickly at the National Zoo is a
male elephant named Kandula. He weighed about one hundred
forty-seven kilograms at birth.

His mother is Shanthi. Shanthi is
among the last zoo elephants born in the wild. The children of Sri
Lanka gave her to the National Zoo as a gift almost thirty years
ago.

Kandula is a little more than three years old. He was born in
November of two thousand one.

VOICE TWO:

Many people come to the National Zoo to see Kandula. Crowds also
gather to see the two giant pandas from China. Tian Tian is the male
and Mei Xiang is the female.

These big, furry black-and-white creatures roll around in the
grass. They play. They climb trees. They eat bamboo. All they watch
the people watching them.

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VOICE ONE:

The zoo is paying to have the pandas on loan from China for ten
years. They arrived in two thousand to replace two pandas that died.

Pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang at the National Zoo<br />
US National zoo photo
Pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang at the National Zoo
US National zoo photo

Giant pandas come from the
mountains of central China. They are very rare. A number of pandas
have been born in China recently. If Tian Tian and Mei Xiang have a
baby, it would also be an important addition.

VOICE TWO:

The National Zoo has about three thousand animals. They represent
more than four hundred species. They live on sixty-six hectares of
land in Washington, D.C.

People do not have to pay to enter the National Zoo. Most of its
money is from the federal government. Supporters known as "Friends
of the National Zoo" also give money.

Congress created the zoo in eighteen eighty-nine. The National
Zoo is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian operates
a large system of museums.

VOICE ONE:

Millions of people visit the National Zoo in Washington. Over the
years, it has been praised as one of the best in the United States.

But in two thousand three, Congress ordered an investigation of
the zoo after several animals died. An independent committee from
the National Academy of Sciences examined records at the zoo. The
committee reported that most of the animals whose records it studied
received satisfactory care.

However, the committee also said that the zoo must improve its
training of employees. In addition, it reported that aging equipment
and structures must be repaired or replaced.

Zoo director Lucy Spelman resigned in February of two thousand
four.

Last month, a report from the National Research Council noted
some improvements at the National Zoo over the last year. But it
said more work is needed.

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VOICE TWO:

America's first zoo opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in
eighteen fifty-nine. Each year about fifty million people visit zoos
in the United States.

In the past, zoos kept animals in small cages. There was nothing
but the animal, its food and its waste.

The Bronx Zoo in New York City led the way to better conditions.
It designed exhibits to provide more freedom. The idea to create
settings more like nature spread to other zoos.

VOICE ONE:

One of the leading American zoos is in San Diego, California. The
San Diego Zoological Society operates the zoo. It also operates the
San Diego Wild Animal Park.

More than two thousand animals live on about eight hundred
hectares at the Wild Animal Park. Visitors learn about efforts to
save and protect rare animals like the California condor. This bird
measures three meters across with its wings spread.

In nineteen eighty-seven, researchers captured the last known
California condors in the wild to put them into breeding programs.
Today the population of California condors has grown to two hundred
forty-five. That was the number as of last month. The San Diego Wild
Animal Park raised almost half of them.

Many of the condors have been released into the wild. They live
not just in California but also in parts of Arizona and Mexico.

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VOICE TWO:

Some people believe it is cruel to keep animals in zoos. They say
most of the animals in zoos are not endangered. So they question the
need for programs to breed these animals in captivity. Critics argue
that animals can suffer in zoos.

And, in some cases, zoos agree. A number of American zoos have
stopped showing elephants. These huge animals need lots of space, a
mild climate and other elephants to live with.

VOICE ONE:

Wanda and Winky are two Asian elephants that have lived for years
at the Detroit Zoo in Michigan. Wanda is about forty-five years old.
She has arthritis. Her joints hurt when she moves. Winky is over
fifty. She has foot problems.

The zoo director, Ron Kagan, decided that half a hectare of
living space was much too small for them. He also decided that
winters in Detroit are too cold for elephants. So zoo officials
prepared to move Wanda and Winky to a wild animal refuge in
California.

VOICE TWO:

But problems developed with that plan. The American Zoo and
Aquarium Association said the elephants would have go to the zoo in
Columbus, Ohio. There would be less distance to travel. And the
group said Wanda and Winky would receive excellent care at one of
the largest elephant exhibits of any American zoo.

But people in Detroit who care about Wanda and Winky protested.
They argued that Columbus also has cold winters and that space at
the zoo was also limited.

In the end, an examination of Wanda settled the issue. Doctors
found a virus. This virus does not harm Wanda, but it could have
killed young elephants at the Columbus Zoo. So officials there said
no to the move.

VOICE ONE:

Now the American Zoo and Aquarium Association says Wanda and
Winky can move to California, as soon as the weather permits. Their
retirement home will be a refuge east of San Francisco. The
Performing Animal Welfare Society has more than forty hectares of
land for elephants to do whatever they like to do.

So it appears that the story of Wanda and Winky will have a happy
ending, after all.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty
Weaver. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for THIS IS
AMERICA in VOA Special English.


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