February 28, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

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

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. The third Monday in February is a nationalholiday, Presidents' Day. That means most children get the day offfrom school. And that means last Monday a lot of parents probablyheard this question:

VOICE ONE:

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

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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 UnitedStates.

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The population at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in thenation's capital has grown recently. Four baby cheetahs are amongthe 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-yearhistory of the National Zoo. A four-year-old cheetah named Tumaigave birth to the cubs on November twenty-third. Their father,Amadi, died in December from kidney disease.

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The baby cheetahs are two males and two females. Each weighedless than two kilograms at birth. Their caretakers needed a way tobe sure which cheetah is which. So they cut a small amount of furfrom a different place on each one.

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

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

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Sumatran tiger cubsPhoto: US National Zoo

Three Sumatran tigers were born atthe zoo in May of two thousand four. These three males now weighabout forty-five kilograms each.

Another young animal growing quickly at the National Zoo is amale elephant named Kandula. He weighed about one hundredforty-seven kilograms at birth.

His mother is Shanthi. Shanthi isamong the last zoo elephants born in the wild. The children of SriLanka gave her to the National Zoo as a gift almost thirty yearsago.

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

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Many people come to the National Zoo to see Kandula. Crowds alsogather to see the two giant pandas from China. Tian Tian is the maleand Mei Xiang is the female.

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

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

Pandas Tian Tian and Mei Xiang at the National ZooUS National zoo photo

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

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

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

Congress created the zoo in eighteen eighty-nine. The NationalZoo is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The Smithsonian operatesa large system of museums.

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

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

However, the committee also said that the zoo must improve itstraining of employees. In addition, it reported that aging equipmentand structures must be repaired or replaced.

Zoo director Lucy Spelman resigned in February of two thousandfour.

Last month, a report from the National Research Council notedsome improvements at the National Zoo over the last year. But itsaid more work is needed.

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VOICE TWO:

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

In the past, zoos kept animals in small cages. There was nothingbut 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 createsettings more like nature spread to other zoos.

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

More than two thousand animals live on about eight hundredhectares at the Wild Animal Park. Visitors learn about efforts tosave and protect rare animals like the California condor. This birdmeasures three meters across with its wings spread.

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

Many of the condors have been released into the wild. They livenot just in California but also in parts of Arizona and Mexico.

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Some people believe it is cruel to keep animals in zoos. They saymost of the animals in zoos are not endangered. So they question theneed for programs to breed these animals in captivity. Critics arguethat animals can suffer in zoos.

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

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

The zoo director, Ron Kagan, decided that half a hectare ofliving space was much too small for them. He also decided thatwinters in Detroit are too cold for elephants. So zoo officialsprepared to move Wanda and Winky to a wild animal refuge inCalifornia.

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But problems developed with that plan. The American Zoo andAquarium Association said the elephants would have go to the zoo inColumbus, Ohio. There would be less distance to travel. And thegroup said Wanda and Winky would receive excellent care at one ofthe 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 atthe zoo was also limited.

In the end, an examination of Wanda settled the issue. Doctorsfound a virus. This virus does not harm Wanda, but it could havekilled young elephants at the Columbus Zoo. So officials there saidno to the move.

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

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

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VOICE TWO:

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

VOICE ONE:

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