zoo news

zoo News, Video News

Los Angeles Zoo elephant debate takes over City Council meeting
Read full story for details
2008-11-21 05:26:19
Disabled tiger cubs rehabilitation
Oct 21 - Two disabled tiger cubs in a Japan zoo are treated just like children...
2008-10-26 22:03:20
Three children slaughter kangaroo and sea gulls at Russian zoo
Three children – two boys and one girl – arranged a brutal massacre at a zoo...
2008-10-26 21:45:36
Faith groups spreading the word on the wings
The trajectory of Michael Emmett's formative years never deviated from one inexorable conclusion: he was always going to end up in prison. Emmett's father was a career criminal who knew the Krays, and it was not long before junior followed senior into the family smuggling business, chiefly as a way of paying for his drugs and drink. It was a time of reckless living and hard partying. Emmett, by his own admission, went off the rails. 'There was nothing legal about me whatsoever,' he recounted years later. Then, in 1993, Emmett hit the big time, at least in terms of leaving a lasting imprint on the criminal justice system. After a couple of short spells inside for theft and dodgy deals involving antiques, he was caught with his father trying to smuggle &amppound;9m of cannabis into the UK in what, at the time, was one of the biggest drug busts in history. Father and son were sentenced together and Emmett junior got 12 years. 'It's odd going to prison with your dad,' he would remark to friends, as if recalling a family trip to the zoo.But what was more odd was what happened to Emmett, now 50, after he was sentenced. Having played the hard man - the sort of person who gloried in their facial scars and nebulous connections to London's most notorious East End firms - in his first few months at Her Majesty's Prison Exeter, he started going to the prison chapel, chiefly because it entitled him to a free phone call. It was from there that Emmett began to develop an interest in religion. He came to see faith as a chance to turn his life around. After badgering the chaplain to introduce an evangelical Alpha course that he had read about, Emmett found Jesus in the unlikely confines of an austere Victorian jail more familiar with sapping souls than saving them. There are thousands of others like Emmett who 'have found the Lord in prison' and made spectacular breaks with their criminal pasts, the sort of brutal splintering that secular groups working with reoffenders rarely achieve. For the unspoken truth is that, in an increasingly irreligious society, Jesus continues to walk the wings of Britain's prisons, offering salvation to those who have no other chance of saving themselves. And if the government gets its way, Jesus is going to assume a greater role in the criminal justice system. A new consultation document, 'Working with the Third Sector to Reduce Reoffending', produced by the Ministry of Justice, outlines ways of expanding the work of faith groups with offenders. 'Faith organisations can help build trust and acceptance and support effective reintegration,' the ministry claims.The government's logic for encouraging the role of faith groups in prison is based on simple economics. At a time when the ministry is having to find about &amppound;1bn of savings, faith-based organisations provide support networks on the cheap. Most have charitable status and can draw on funds dating back to handsome legacies gifted to them by Victorian patriarchs keen to emphasise their Christian values.But their biggest selling point is the impressive claims they make for curbing reoffending. Although about two-thirds of offenders go on to commit further offences, the group claims that Jesus can save not just fallen souls, but, crucially, taxpayers' cash.One notable example is the Kainos Community, which operates in three prisons - the Verne in Dorset, Swaleside on the Isle of Sheppey and Stocken in Rutland. Operated by committed Christians, the group, which has been running for more than a decade, makes some dramatic claims for turning around the lives of even the most hardened of criminals. According to Kainos - which claims that its statistics are independently verified by academics - only 13 per cent of the serious offenders who complete its courses go on to reoffend after two years, compared with 35 per cent across the prison service average.Kainos, which is keen to play a greater role in Britain's prison system, enjoys a powerful position in the prisons in which it operates. Each jail gives over an entire wing to the community, which runs them on strict lines. Inmates sleep in dormitories and are given intensive cognitive behaviour therapy through classes in relationships, interpersonal skills and citizenship. On the wing the men live together, discuss their problems together and solve them together. The emphasis is on finding a common solution through empathy and discussion. Those offenders who want to be involved have to sign up to a minimum six-month programme and those who complete it are often kept on as mentors. When it started at the Verne, few were convinced that it could have an impact. But things quickly changed. 'In nine months we went from running what was known as the Beirut wing to a quiet, compliant wing,' said Patricia Rogers, chief executive of Kainos.Imported from a Christian-based group in Brazil, where it had helped to transform entire prisons, the organisation's religious emphasis has been toned down in recent years. But Rogers admits that faith is the key driver behind Kainos's operation. 'You won't see the word God used, but as an organisation we believe people can change, and that comes from our faith,' she said. Rogers admits many of the men end up being drawn to Christianity as a result of the programme. The organisation's website bears testimony to its apparent success. 'You have made me so happy today, and God bless for that and for everything that you teach me at Kainos,' one offender writes on the website. 'Coming to this community was the best possible thing that happened in my life.'Myriad Christian organisations operating in the UK prison system recount similar success stories. The Salvation Army operates a network of prison chaplains and claims many prisoners have benefited from its activities. The Daylight Christian Trust, a conservative evangelical group, runs a prison visitor and letter writing programme and has distributed 170,000 copies of its Scripture diaries across the UK's jails. The Prison Fellowship has more than 120 local prison prayer groups and 900 volunteers from all Christian denominations. It claims to have achieved a 'significant improvement' in victim empathy for prisoners who took part in one of its specialist programmes.Meanwhile, more than 50,000 prisoners have attended Alpha, the popular Christian course that operates in 80 per cent of the UK's jails. The Attorney General, Baroness Scotland, has even praised Alpha's work, while its website carries scores of quotes from prisoners who claim their lives have been transformed by the course. Given current trends, some believe that the UK will follow the lead of the United States, where fundamental Christian groups pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to open centres in privately run prisons where they can promote their beliefs.The Prison Fellowship, set up by Chuck Colson - an adviser to US President Richard Nixon - who was jailed for obstruction of justice, makes startling claims for curbing reoffending rates and has become a powerful advocate of faith-based intervention programmes in the US. The organisation has flourished in states such as Florida, Texas and Georgia since President George W Bush outlined his 'faith-based agenda'- a plan to cure the United States's social ills through the expansion of religious ministries.But the increasing power of Christian prison ministries has attracted controversy in the US for blurring the lines between church and state. Their claims for curbing recidivism are also open to debate. Similarly a backlash is now brewing in the UK. The activities of some faith-based groups operating in prisons here are starting to alarm those who work with offenders. Napo, the probation officers' union, has written to MPs raising concerns about the work of a group called the Modern Jesus Army. The union says that it is worried that the organisation has been writing to a group of sex offenders in Hull prison offering them prayers and support in the final months of their sentences. Once out of jail, the offenders undergo a baptism and are born again. There are questions, too, about the way some groups target prisoners and preach a conservative interpretation of the Bible that claims homosexuality is a sin. Crook believes the growing influence of faith groups in the criminal justice system is a result of unprecedented pressures now being placed on prisons. 'What you have to understand is the lamentable provision of official counselling and support offered by the prison service, which is only exacerbated by overcrowding,' she said. 'No one cares unless you are trying to place yourself on the end of a rope. It is small wonder faith groups are on the rise in our jails.'There are also concerns that some groups exploit their position by offering de facto incentives to potential converts. 'Participation in these groups can often mean extra time out of cells and attendance on their courses can be a favourable factor at parole hearings,' said Keith Porteous Wood, executive director of the National Secular Society. 'This means non-Christians and non-believers may have to pretend to be interested to get the privileges that these courses bring. I have yet to see any reliable evidence that they have any effect on recidivism.' He warned that the growing role of organised religion within jails was in danger of inflaming tensions within the prison system. Certainly other faiths are showing an increasing interest in building up a following among prisoners. Several jails in the UK have entire wings now dominated by Muslim gangs and most have a visiting imam. Nor is it just organised religion that is taking an active interest in saving the prison system's lost souls. Documents obtained by The Observer under Freedom of Information legislation reveal that the Church of Scientology has attempted to introduce its Criminon programme, which it claims can dramatically reduce reoffending rates, into Britain's jails, but so far to no avail. Recognising the increasing plurality of beliefs of offenders, the Prison Service is now promoting a more multi-faith agenda. The move has provoked controversy, with several Christian organisations closing down their activities, complaining that a culture of political correctness is stifling their work.But countless other Christian groups are ready to fill the gap. Given that the incarcerated population is at record levels and rehabilitation and education courses are being pared back, the church's role in Britain's jails can only become more powerful. No one else wants the job.Around the worldUnited StatesThe Supreme Court decrees that prison inmates retain a number of constitutional rights, including access to religion. About 38 per cent of inmates participate in religious programmes run weekly by more than 30 faith groups. BrazilMost prisoners are nominally Catholic and the Prison Ministry of the Catholic Church has local representatives who visit jails regularly. Protestant and African Brazilian denominations are also active in the prisons. A study of two prisons - one operated by a religious group, the other by a secular organisation - found that the religious prison had a 16 per cent recidivism rate compared with 36 per cent for the secular prison.New ZealandA prison near the capital, Wellington, uses prayer and spiritual transformation to reduce reoffending. The Faith-Based Unit at Rimutaka Prison is the first of its kind in Australasia and claims its approach has stopped many from going back to crime. SingaporeA pilot project run by Prison Fellowship International has started in Changi Prison. The 24/7 regimes aim to reduce offending through character-focused, faith-based programming.UgandaA prisons outreach ministry has been credited with reducing reoffending rates in parts of the country.ReligionPrisons and probationCriminal justiceguardian.co.uk &ampcopy; Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
2008-10-26 12:12:22
Adopt an animal, get I-T relaxation
Adopt an animal by paying for its upkeep at the Nandankanan zoo in Bhubaneswar and get relaxation in income tax...
2008-10-24 11:07:11
Crimetracker Maps Vehicle Thefts At San Diego Zoo
Car thieves have started targeting valuables on the outside of vehicles. Just ask tourists at the San Diego Zoo.
2008-10-23 20:15:14
Worker at Merced zoo arrested for pot
Maybe now we know why the lion sleeps tonight.
2008-10-23 17:10:31
Lucknow zoo on global network
NAT29 National/Technology/WildLife Lucknow zoo on global network Lucknow, Oct 22 IANS The city zoo here will be able to share animal management and conservation information with other zoos across the world, officials said Wednesday. Out of 180 recognised zoos in the country, 57 have been selected by Central Zoo Authority CZA to be connected with the zoos worldwide through a software - Zooligical Information Management System ZIMS. Lucknow zoo is part of the project, the officials said. The software will enable a free flow of information between all the zoos connected through it. "The global connection through ZIMS would immensely help us in several ways. For example, with the information flow, we will be able to know spare animals in other zoos and can exchange animals with them," Lucknow zoo director Renu Singh told IANS. Sharing information with other zoos would able the city zoo to promote research and conservation activities, she said. Every zoo connected through ZIMS will have an access to information on nearly two million animals in various zoos of the world. --Indo-Asian News Service asit/sk/tb 192 Words 22101342
2008-10-22 04:03:05
World Briefing | The Americas: Mexico: Zoo Partygoers Put Behind Bars
At least six partygoers, all Colombian citizens, were involved with drug trafficking, officials said.
2008-10-20 22:00:00
Lily Tomlin Wants Dallas Elephant Retired
Comedian and animal rights advocate Lily Tomlin says Jenny the elephant has worked 22 years for the Dallas Zoo and it's time for the aging pachyderm to retire.
2008-10-18 17:39:14

Explore the Worldviewer.com Network Sites

Los Angeles Zoo elephant debate takes over City Council meeting

Disabled tiger cubs rehabilitation

Three children slaughter kangaroo and sea gulls at Russian zoo

Faith groups spreading the word on the wings

Adopt an animal, get I-T relaxation

Crimetracker Maps Vehicle Thefts At San Diego Zoo

Worker at Merced zoo arrested for pot

Lucknow zoo on global network

World Briefing | The Americas: Mexico: Zoo Partygoers Put Behind Bars

Lily Tomlin Wants Dallas Elephant Retired