Shrub poisoned zoo monkeys

[MetaTrope]

Chicago Tribune

A two-month outside investigation of animal deaths at Lincoln Park Zoo found the zoo generally acted appropriately but revealed troubling, previously unpublicized circumstances in the May deaths of three langur monkeys and Wankie the elephant.

The report by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association said the monkeys apparently were poisoned by leaves from a yew shrub--known to be toxic to primates--growing just outside the exhibit. Zoo director Kevin Bell said it was "a serious oversight" that keepers did not conduct a veterinary review of all plants in the area.

This is today's banner headline for the Trib. Sure there are soldiers and civilians dying in Iraq, and accusations of treason are being directed toward the White House, and home prices have shot up so much that even the MSM are breaking silence on the economy...but it must be a slow news day.

[Enraged_Ape]

1. But think how many people will think Bush is killing monkeys

That was my first thought when I saw the headline!

[livvy]

4. Too funny. That's exactly what I thought, too.

I'm so used to people referring to the nitwit as the shrub, that I thought there had to be a tie somehow. Cracked me up!

[DanCa]

18. I am guilty of this as well :D)

Is this how jaded that I have gotten? The president of the united states will deliberitely kill monkeys in a zoo?

[uppityperson]

21. Me too, wondered how an editorilized headline stayed in LBN

too funny, thank you

[MetaTrope]

8. The only reason it's worth posting, really

I did a triple-take when I saw it in the newsrack too. :bounce:

[undeterred]

2. Sibling rivalry?

:shrug:

[livvy]

5. Ooooh...good one! LOL n/t

[jojo54]

7. Ouch!! That one smarts!!!

:evilfrown:

[TahitiNut]

10. It's called "Fratricide"

... and is part of the set: homicide, genocide, fratricide, etc.

[Maddy McCall]

3. Wankie? What a horrible name.

Wankie the elephant. :wtf:

[TroglodyteScholar]

15. That's Rove's lesser-known 4th presidential nickname n/t

[sui generis]

6. oh DUH!!!!

they make taxol from yew trees - the base chemical for many chemotherapy agents. Very highly amazingly super toxic to us monkeys.

[DeepModem Mom]

9. I've posted articles about this continuing story...

which I think is newsworthy. Not only is there an apparent problem at the Chicago zoo, but the problem is part of the larger issue of whether zoos should be abolished. I agree that far too many big stories lack the coverage they deserve, but I'm glad the Trib is covering this story about possible neglect, to the point of dying animals, at its city zoo.

[atommom]

11. I assumed it was GW too.

WHY did he have to kill the monkeys? Obviously they knew too much...

[WinkyDink]

12. HAHA!

Me, too!
He DOES hate any species with opposable thumbs!

[Xipe Totec]

13. Hew! That's a relief...

?

[Bonobo]

14. I was there in early June. Saw "new ape house". Unimpressed.

New ape house is an improvement over what they had, but it was pretty unimpressive and they had this odd way of switching the environments of the gorillas and chimps so that features such as the "artificial ant mound", which is useful for chimps not gorillas, was being wasted on gorillas who are not interested in it.
It's pretty sad. They've had other problems too, such as a gibbon losing its arm after sticking it through the wire mesh fence to get food (that someone shouldn't have thrown)

They should have been more careful and that's about it. Keeping higher primates in cages is horrible enough, real money should be spent on their environment considering how incredibly rare they are on this planet.

[leftchick]

16. She was one of three elephants that died...

Lots of deaths at the Lincoln Park Zoo...

:(

<snip>

Wankie was euthanized about 4 a.m Sunday, said Hogle Zoo spokeswoman Stacey Phillips. She declined further comment.

Wankie was one of three female elephants who were moved to Lincoln Park Zoo from San Diego in 2003. Officials at Lincoln Park Zoo decided to move Wankie after the two other elephants died.

"We were excited that she would be going to a new home where she would be with other elephants," Lincoln Park Zoo President Kevin Bell said. "To have such an unexpected tragedy occur is heartbreaking for us all."

At the time of Wankie's death, Lincoln Park zookeepers were already mourning the death of Mumbali, a 7-year-old gorilla. Mumbali was euthanized Thursday because of kidney failure, becoming the second gorilla death at the zoo this year. In February, 35-year-old Kumba died from kidney failure because of old age.

McGrath said there are no immediate plans to bring new elephants to Lincoln Park Zoo.

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/local/11540810.htm

[The Stranger]

19. They killed THREE elephants before they decided to check the yard?

Holy fucking shit these people are stupid.

[Connie_Corleone]

17. It's a shame that I read this headline thinking...

"How did Bush poison zoo monkeys?"

[UTUSN]

20. Shrub Kills off All Competitors n/t