ROYAL OAK, Mich. AP — The longtime director of the Detroit Zoo could lose his $175,000-a-year job after acknowledging that he never received a doctorate in zoology, officials say.

“I feel terrible. Its difficult to face now,” Ron Kagan said. “Im sorry and I know its damaged the zoo.”

The issue came up last Thursday when the Detroit Zoo Societys board of directors received an anonymous fax stating that Kagan had misrepresented his academic qualifications on his resume, zoo spokeswoman Patricia Mills said.

Elephants today made their first public appearance at Dublin Zoo for almost two years in their new specially designed rainforest enclosure.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern unveiled the Kaziranga Forest Trail habitat, which includes water pools and dense vegetation.

It will be home to the zoo’s two new adult Asian elephants, Bernhardine and Yasmin, who have been in quarantine since arriving from Germany earlier this year.

A two-month-old baby born at the Zoo in May has yet to be named.

Elephants are among the most popular animals at the Phoenix Park attraction and are certain to boost visitor numbers in coming weeks.

Mr Ahern said: “zoos like Dublin Zoo are taking a leading role in animal conservation and ensuring, insofar as possible, that our generation and the generations to come can continue to share our planet with a vast array of creatures.

“And in the fight to preserve bio-diversity, there will be a need for commitment, ongoing research, persistence and co-operation between the worldwide network of zoos,” he said.

The Taoiseach said the arrival of the new elephant calf and her integration into the herd provides a great opportunity for the zoo staff to gain new insights into the lives and behaviours of these beautiful yet endangered animals.

“With the opening of the Kaziranga Forest Trail, we take another vital step forward in supporting elephants in the wild,” he said.

If you are going to Portugal on vacation you may want to avoid the Robotarium X, a large glass structure with 45 robots living inside. They belong to 14 different species, from the Acrorhinomorpho to the Zoid.

Seems a liitle creepy. Site includes all of the robotic “species” plus a YouTube - Dr. Disney

ROTTERDAM –Blijdorp Zoo is liable for the damage caused when the gorilla Bokito escaped his habitat on 18 May and attacked a woman. The zoos insurance company has determined this, a spokesperson for the zoo said on Tuesday.

Immediately after escaping his habitat Bokito dragged a 57-year-old woman along and caused her serious injury.

The victim, Zoetermeer resident Yvonne de Horde, filed suit against the zoo. The zoos acknowledgement of liability means that the woman will be eligible to receive compensation for damages.

The woman had several broken bones, a shattered hand and more than 100 bites all over her body. She has also suffered emotionally.

Another woman whose hip was broken as a result of Bokitos escape can also expect compensation. It was announced earlier that the zoo would compensate others whose wallets and bags were lost in the chaos that ensued.

photo nationalgeographic.com

TACOMA — A thousand-pound, 6-year-old beluga whale arrived at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium early Sunday after a flight on a chartered military transport plane from his previous home at Chicagos John G. Shedd Aquarium.

Qannik, Inuit for snowflake, traveled tucked inside an enormous, foam-padded plastic glass tank in the DC-8 plane for a cross-country flight that cost $84,000, according to officials at the Tacoma aquarium.

All told, Point Defiance officials say they paid nearly $120,000 to bring their baby beluga to his new home.

DENVER — The family of a woman who was fatally mauled by a jaguar in an unlocked Denver Zoo enclosure said they still haven’t been given answers or information about her death.

Ashlee Pfaff, 27, was attacked by a 140-pound jaguar and died from her injuries on Feb. 24. The jaguar was shot and then had a jugular vein cut in order to euthanize it.

An autopsy determined that Pfaff died of a broken neck and had extensive internal injuries.

The jaguar was able to reach Pfaff though an exhibit door that had been left unlocked and a Denver police investigation was not able to determine why it was left unlocked or who was responsible.

The Pfaff family released a statement to the media Thursday evening, complaining that they still haven’t been told basic facts surrounding the death of Ashlee Pfaff.

A zoo in Pakistan is appealing for donations to help feed its sole elephant Suzi which gets angry and beats its keeper with a stick when its meals are late.

When Suzi is not fed on time it holds its masters cane in its trunk and starts beating him, an official at the zoo in the city of Lahore, in the Punjab, said.

The zoo is hoping philanthropists and schools will adopt Suzi and pay for its food, the Daily Times said in a report on Monday.

We dont have enough funds to feed Suzi and its expenses are more than our budget, said zoo director Yousuf Pal.

Beating the keeper when they don’t feed her is somehow both sad and oddly seemingly appropriate - Dr. Disney