Local Animalia News

-People are still pretty pissed about Mooie, the puppy that was found with acid burns all over it recently, and they should be pissed. There's a reward for information leading to the culprits and King County Animal Control is getting a lot of crap for how they handled the case.

-UW medical professor, former chief of medicine at Harborview and all around selfless guy Dr. Richard K. Root capped a run of shit luck on Sunday when an alligator crocodile pulled him from a canoe and ate him. Dr. Root recently moved to Botswana to help alleviate a doctor shortage there and was on a wildlife tour when the attack occured.

-The elephant that got itself tossed from our zoo last year for failing to play well with others might be headed back to Woodland Park. They're not too fond of her down in Tacoma either, apparently. There were hopes that Bamboo could get along with a few female asian elephants at Point Defiance, but so far she's been like the new goth at school trying to make some friends on the cheerleader squad. Those cold bitches... Here's a really cool Seattle Times editorial on Bamboo from a while ago:

I recall one summer afternoon when there was concern because Bamboo and her keeper had not been seen for some time. We found them lying in a sunny glade, down by Aurora Avenue North, each fast asleep, the keeper propped against her comfortable girth.

After I left the zoo, frustrated by the city's failure to invest in better housing for the elephants, changes were made. Overnight chaining was reintroduced. Discipline became harsh. Strong control was substituted for a system that had relied upon cooperation and love.

Bamboo today is deeply changed from what she used to be. This gentle and docile elephant is now branded as dangerous and has been sent to a zoo that specializes in "difficult" elephants.