10 best places for captive animals

Belize Zoo
Belize City
By 2010 the Belize Zoo was home to more than 170 individuals of 48 species native to Belize. Keeping to it's goal of bringing visitors closer to Belize's natural heritage, the zoo only houses native animals. No zoo animal has ever been taken from the wild. Zoo residents were either people's pets, donated to the Zoo, injured and brought in for healing and rehabilitation, born at the Zoo, or sent to the Zoo from another Zoological facility.

Johannesburg Zoo
Johannesburg, South Africa
It is one of the few places in the world with white lions, and has had success in their breeding; these are more sought after than tawny lions by other zoos. The Johannesburg Zoo is also the only zoo in South Africa to have successfully bred Siberian Tigers.

Beijing Zoo
Beijing, China
It is one of the oldest zoos in China and has one of the largest animal collections in the country. The Beijing Zoo is best known for its collection of rare animals endemic to China including the Giant Pandas, which are zoo's most popular animals.

Tiergarten Schönbrunn
Vienna, Austria
Bombing raids on February 19 and February 21 of 1945, during World War II, had an even greater impact on the zoo. Many buildings were destroyed and specimens killed, reducing the stock of specimens to 400. The new zoo director, Dr Julius Brachetka, eventually managed to restore the zoo.

Singapore Zoo
Singapore
From the beginning, Singapore Zoo followed the modern trend of displaying animals in naturalistic, 'open' exhibits, ie with hidden barriers, behind moats and shrubbery etc. It also houses the largest captive colony of orangutans in the world.

Bronx Zoo
New York
The Bronx Zoo made the news in August 2006 when it agreed to enter a rare snow leopard cub, Leo, into its breeding programme. The leopard will be returned to its place of birth following construction of a rehab facility in the Naltar Valley with US cooperation.

Bermuda Zoo
Flatts Village
BermudaThe institution's second multi-year capital campaign was launched in 2005, with its largest project being a $2.7 million state-of-the-art animal care pavilion. As of 2009, $6.7 million had been donated by individuals, corporations, and organizations (towards a goal of $8.0 million).

San Diego Zoo

San Diego
The zoo is extremely active in conse-rvation and species-preservation efforts. Its Institute for Conservation Research raises California Condors, Pandas, Tigers, African Black Rhinos and a large number of other endangered species.

London Zoo
London, England
Throughout its history the Zoo has had many well-known residents. These may have been scientifically important individuals or simply beloved by the public. The Zoo was home to the only living quagga ever to be photographed, before the species became extinct in the wild.

10 worst zoos

Giza Zoo
Cairo, Egypt
To permit the poorer citizens of Cairo to visit the city's only green park, the entrance fee is small and is not enough to cover the costs of running the zoo. The zoo's main goal is to entertain, rather than to educate. However, many rare species have been successfully bred in the zoo — including the first Californian sea lion to be born in the Middle East in 2002.

Glkand Zoo
Iraqi Kurdistan
Not only does the Glkand Zoo in Iraq have the usual zoo problems of too-small living spaces and general cruelty towards animals, it also seems to be a location of illegal animal smuggling. An increasing trend among the Iraqi wealthy is to acquire a private zoo with the most exotic animals possible, and the Glkand Zoo is a transaction point for some of these exchanges. The zoo owner openly says that he smuggles some animals for private zoos, like birds and monkeys, but denies that he does so with more dangerous animals, like lions. Although, there seems to be proof to the contrary.

Mumbai Zoo
Mumbai, India
The zoo has seen a lot of controversy surrounding its ill-treated animals. Until very recently, the elephants lived in a small enclosure with their legs chained to restrain them. A very recent order from the central zoo authority, directing the transfer of these elephants to a wild life sanctuary or a tiger reserve, has ensured that these animals will find more breathing space. The other animals had terrible cages barely larger than themselves. Teasing monkeys and other animals was common in the zoo. Eleven antelope died in their enclosure. Many believe that construction caused the deer stress which eventually killed them.

Kiev Zoo
Kiev, Ukraine
In 2008, 51 animals died in the Kiev Zoo and in recent months, they lost a 39-year-old elephant, a white camel and a bison. Two sick yaks were saved by veterinarians. Zoo authorities blame a mysterious middle-aged man for poisoning the animals, while critics point at substandard living conditions and negligent handling by unqualified zoo administration. The Kiev Zoo was first founded in 1908 by the Nature Lovers Society and was financed by various private donations. During its first years in business, the zoo experienced some hardships and therefore, did not contain many animals.

San Antonio Zoo
San Antonio, Texas
The San Antonio Zoo was rated number one in the 2009 list of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants compiled by In Defense of Animals - a title they've had for the second year straight. For two years the unfortunate elephant named Lucky was kept in solitary confinement in an area too small for her. And then the zoo decided to add another elephant to the tiny space to create a "herd."

North Korea
The whole country
Luckily Robert Mugabe's "Noah's Ark" of animals from Zimbabwe seems to have been stalled due to a storm of outrage by conservationists about the horrible zoo conditions in North Korea. This plan was reminiscent of the time when Mugabe sent two rhinos to North Korea in the 1980s, only for them to die a few months after being relocated. Wildlife experts said that it was unlikely that the animals, particularly the two baby elephants, would have survived the 7,000-mile flight, not to mention North Korea's cold temperatures and poor living conditions.

Dhaka Zoo
Dhaka, Bangladesh
In 2009, the Dhaka Zoo in Bangladesh lost massive numbers of animals. As many as 21 rare animals died in one year and after the death of a giraffe in September 2009, the zoo curator and deputy curator were temporarily suspended and an investigation of the animals' deaths began. The zoo has more than 2,000 animals and some 150 species. The zoo is currently home to 2,050 animals from 165 species. Of them, 58 are mammals including elephants, and Tigers.

Oradea Zoo
Oradea, Romania
A pride of 13 lions was saved from the Oradea Zoo where they were living in small concrete enclosures, including a 15 foot-by-12 foot cage that was home to four adult lions. The zoo could no longer afford to keep them and they were due to be put down if a new home couldn't be found. Luckily the Yorkshire Wildlife Park's animal director visited the zoo and was moved to raise the money to relocate them to the United Kingdom.

Shenyang Zoo
Shenyang, China
Over the course of three months, 11 rare Siberian tigers died in this now closed zoo in northeastern China. A manager at the zoo said the tigers died of various diseases, but local authorities and wildlife officials believe they died from malnutrition. The tigers were apparently fed cheap chicken bones as food and were kept in very small cages. China has only about 50 tigers left in the wild, but there are about 5,000 kept in captivity. The Shenyang government has since taken control of the park and proposed measures to prevent any further deaths.

Bowmanville Zoo
Ontario, Canada
In June 2010, three animals were stolen while in transit from Nova Scotia to the Bowmanville Zoo in Ontario. The zoo offered a $20,000 reward for the return of the animals and $2,000 for a picture that showed the animals being given water. Police believed it was an "opportunity crime," and that the thieves were unaware of their cargo. Imagine opening up that trailer to find a Bengal tiger and two camels. However, a few days after the supposed theft, the trailer was found just north of Montreal with the animals safe and sound inside.

It’s time to click with the wild

A photo by Mandanna KA. The photo won him the bronze medal in the Mercedes Benz 15th FIAP Nature Biennial World Cup

A photo by French photographer Magnaldo Alastair. The awards will be presented on October 7 at Chitrakala Parishat

A photo by Indian photographer Kiran Poonacha. Photographs were assessed on photo composition, lighting and sharpness

A photo by Indian photographer Babi Nobis, who won a silver medal at the World Cup. A glossy catalog and coffee table book of the award winning images will also be published

A photo by Slovenian photographer Golob Gorazd. The World Cup was contended by 850 photographs and projected images from more than 570 of the world’s leading nature photographers of 32 countries

A photo by South African wildlife photographer Mamal Botes Gideon. The winning photographs were handpicked by an international jury that included B Srinivasa and TNA Perumal from India

With India securing second place in the Mercedes-Benz 15th FIAP Nature Biennial World Cup in photography, it’s time to celebrate. Chitrakala Parishat offers a treat to all wildlife enthusiasts in Bangalore — an exhibition of the award winning photographs from October 7-12. More than 570 of the world’s leading photographers representing 32 different countries participated in the World Cup

Play for rain

Pick your SUV

BMW X1 Expected launch in January 2011
Expected Price: Rs 25 lakh
Seven-seater
Expected mileage: NA
The new BMW X1 will be CKD produced at the BMW plant in Chennai by the end of 2010.

Hyundai Santa Fe Introductory price: Rs 20,95,000
(two wheeled drive) andRs 22,95,000 (4 wheeled drive)(ex-showroom, New Delhi
Seven-seater
Mileage: 14.66 km/litre
Santa Fe will be available in available in two variants. It comes with 2.2L CRDi engine.

Tata Aria Priced Rs 12.91 lakh-Rs 15.50 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)
Seven-seater
Mileage: About 12 km/litre
The new Tata Aria is available in 3 trim levels - 4x4 - Pride, Prestige, Pleasure. It comes with a 2.2 litre diesel engine.

Mahindra & Mahindra’snew UV, codenamed W201 Launch around January 2011
Expected Price: Between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 15 lakh
Expected mileage: 12 km/litre
The new SUV is being developed as Mahindra’s World car, with major focus on the US market.

Chevrolet’s new Captiva Likely launch late 2011
Expected price- Rs 25 lakh
Seven-seater
Expected mileage: 13.7 km/litre
Chevrolet will offer a 2.2 L common rail turbo charged diesel unit. The SUV may be launched in India by mid-2011.

Mahindra & Mahindra’s smaller version of Xylo Expected Price Rs 5-7 lakh
Five-seater
Expected mileage: NA
The compact Xylo will be less than 4 metres in length and will be and the smallest SUV in the country.

The Toy story

Dolls, for most of us, are nothing more than childhood memories that die out as we grow old. For Anupama Hoskere, however, her doll collection means a lot more – “My dolls tell stories,” she says. Director of Dhaatu Puppet Theatre and a trained Bharatnatyam dancer and member of Karnataka Sangeet and Nritya Academy, Hoskere has been collecting dolls of various kinds – wood, terracotta, porcelain – ever since she can remember. With a collection of more than 5,000 dolls, Hoskere has been conducting Doll Displays since 1995 during the Navratri in Bangalore. From epic story displays like the 18 chapters of the Mahabharata, the story of the Ramayana and the famous Dasara procession of Mysore, Hoskere’s dolls depict it all

suport by: Nishant Ratnakar and Nidhi Bhushan

Countdown Begins

The 400th year of the famous Mysore Dasara procession is being eagerly awaited by the people of Karnataka. With only 10 days left for the legendary Dasara Jamboo Savari, Mysore is racing against time to get decked up for the big day. DNA’s Udayshankar spends a day with people behind the stage who are working day-in and day-out to recreate the annual Dasara magic even in its 400th year

Time for frothy fun

shades of glory Last christmas

beer on tap

horns of dilemma

The devil wears prada

drinking games

seriously chilled out

Fun on wheels

Tee-ing off

The Great Indian Octoberfest, Bangalore’s signature beer festival that models itself on the legendary Oktoberfest that originated in Munich, Germany, wound up yesterday after three days of beer on tap. Yet, the Octoberfest is not just about pitcher after pitcher of the yellow gold — it’s about great music, crazy games (involving crazier headgear) and a city that works very hard giving itself an opportunity to unwind.

DNA’s Nishant Ratnakar and Selvaprakash L soak in some of its infectious spirit