Many of us have felt excited when watching adventure films or documentaries related to creatures of the ancient world. For these school holidays, Siam Ocean World is bringing you back to ancient times with "Creatures of the Lost Ocean". The festival will feature a live interactive show,"The Big World of The Sea Turtles",which is the story of the sea turtle and how it has fought for millions of years to survive till now. Through exhibition boards and fossil-digging activities,children can learn about sea turtles and other ancient mysterious creatures.
"Creatures of the Lost Ocean" will run until November 8 at Siam Ocean World,B1 and B2 floors, Siam Paragon. For more information, call 02-687-2000.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Panda cub's prints taken
Chiang Mai Zoo staff took prints of panda cub Lin Ping's front paw yesterday to create the world's first such record of the special thumblike pad that helps pandas grab bamboo shoots.
Staff wanted to get prints of both the 20weekold panda's paws but settled for the right paw only after the cub put up a struggle. Veterinarian Kannika Nimtrakul said the prints were made as a souvenir and education aid.
Besides the five clawed finฌgers on its paw, a panda has an extra bone that works like an opposable thumb.
Lin Ping now weighs 11 kiloฌgrams and is growing faster than the average cub, putting on 120130 grams per day. Zookeepers have installed a climbing frame in its cage to help the cub learn to use its hands and mouth to climb. They have also tried to coax Lin Ping to eat a snack enjoyed by many of its peers in China - chopped up bamboo shoots.
The cub turns five months old on October 27 and the zoo is marking the occasion with a nod to the Loy Krathong festiฌval that runs from November 13. From the end of this month visitors to the panda section will get to see Lin Ping sit on her very own giant krathong.
October 27 will also see five floating lanterns released. Inside each will be a panda doll and a ticket to the panda secฌtion, which will go to the lucky person who finds the lantern.
Staff wanted to get prints of both the 20weekold panda's paws but settled for the right paw only after the cub put up a struggle. Veterinarian Kannika Nimtrakul said the prints were made as a souvenir and education aid.
Besides the five clawed finฌgers on its paw, a panda has an extra bone that works like an opposable thumb.
Lin Ping now weighs 11 kiloฌgrams and is growing faster than the average cub, putting on 120130 grams per day. Zookeepers have installed a climbing frame in its cage to help the cub learn to use its hands and mouth to climb. They have also tried to coax Lin Ping to eat a snack enjoyed by many of its peers in China - chopped up bamboo shoots.
The cub turns five months old on October 27 and the zoo is marking the occasion with a nod to the Loy Krathong festiฌval that runs from November 13. From the end of this month visitors to the panda section will get to see Lin Ping sit on her very own giant krathong.
October 27 will also see five floating lanterns released. Inside each will be a panda doll and a ticket to the panda secฌtion, which will go to the lucky person who finds the lantern.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Mall's animal exhibit described as "torture"
Environmentalists have accused the organisers of the "King of the Jungle"wildlife exhibition at the Emporium shopping mall of animal torture.
"A white tiger is locked up in a confined cage, a young jumbo is forced to walk around under the scorching sun to promote the event, while the nocturnal barn owl has to endure flashlights from visitors' cameras," said Vanchai Tantivitayapitak, deputy secretarygeneral of the Green World Foundation.
The King of the Jungle Flora & Fauna Exotica runs from Oct 8 to 18 with free admission. It is co-organised by several state agencies, such as the Zoological Park Organisation (ZPO), the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry,the Chiang Mai Night Safari, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Among the animals and plants displayed at the shopping complex are a lion, a meerkat, a rusa deer, a bateared fox, an ostrich and lemurs.
Mr Vanchai said the exhibition was a distasteful marketing strategy that abuses wildlife for business purposes.
"All of the animals on display are apparently stressed because they are kept in an unsuitable environment. They can even go into shock and die," he said.
The veteran environmentalist blasted the ZPO for cooperating with business people to exploit the animals.
Rangsarit Kanchanavanich, of the Sueb Nakhasathien Foundation, said state and private agencies misunderstood that the display of animals in shopping malls would raise environmental awareness among the public.
"This kind of activity is torturing animals and will send a wrong signal to younger generations that humans can do anything with these creatures,"he said.
Amphan Patharakorn,the Emporium's operations general manager, said the event, held under the theme "Save the world. Save the wild",was aimed at promoting environmental awareness and educating children about wild animals.
The animals were being taken care of by a team of veterinarians from state agencies.
"The veterinarians are on standby to look after the animals and to ensure the safety of visitors," she said.
ZPO chief Sophon Damnui said the animals had been hired from zoos and farms so they were used to crowds."Moreover, they will only be [at the shopping mall] for 10 days, not forever,"he said.
"A white tiger is locked up in a confined cage, a young jumbo is forced to walk around under the scorching sun to promote the event, while the nocturnal barn owl has to endure flashlights from visitors' cameras," said Vanchai Tantivitayapitak, deputy secretarygeneral of the Green World Foundation.
The King of the Jungle Flora & Fauna Exotica runs from Oct 8 to 18 with free admission. It is co-organised by several state agencies, such as the Zoological Park Organisation (ZPO), the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry,the Chiang Mai Night Safari, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Among the animals and plants displayed at the shopping complex are a lion, a meerkat, a rusa deer, a bateared fox, an ostrich and lemurs.
Mr Vanchai said the exhibition was a distasteful marketing strategy that abuses wildlife for business purposes.
"All of the animals on display are apparently stressed because they are kept in an unsuitable environment. They can even go into shock and die," he said.
The veteran environmentalist blasted the ZPO for cooperating with business people to exploit the animals.
Rangsarit Kanchanavanich, of the Sueb Nakhasathien Foundation, said state and private agencies misunderstood that the display of animals in shopping malls would raise environmental awareness among the public.
"This kind of activity is torturing animals and will send a wrong signal to younger generations that humans can do anything with these creatures,"he said.
Amphan Patharakorn,the Emporium's operations general manager, said the event, held under the theme "Save the world. Save the wild",was aimed at promoting environmental awareness and educating children about wild animals.
The animals were being taken care of by a team of veterinarians from state agencies.
"The veterinarians are on standby to look after the animals and to ensure the safety of visitors," she said.
ZPO chief Sophon Damnui said the animals had been hired from zoos and farms so they were used to crowds."Moreover, they will only be [at the shopping mall] for 10 days, not forever,"he said.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Busch theme parks sold for $2.3 billion
Anheuser-Busch InBev said on Wednesday it would sell its 10 theme parks across the US, including the three SeaWorlds and two Busch Gardens, to the private equity firm Blackstone Group for at least $2.3 billion.
The world's largest brewer, based in Belgium, has been shedding assets to help pay for the $52 billion takeover of St Louis-based Anheuser-Busch that formed the company last year.
The two sides confirmed the deal on Wednesday, saying Blackstone would pay $2.3 billion in cash for Busch Entertainment Corp and give Anheuser-Busch InBev the right to up to $400 million of Blackstone's initial returns.
New York-based Blackstone's other investments include Universal Studios Orlando and Madame Tussauds wax museums so the theme parks fit into its portfolio.
Some amusement park operators are showing signs of stress amid the recession. Six Flags Inc, saddled by debt,is in bankruptcy court protection. And the nation's top amusement park operator, The Walt Disney Co, is offering numerous discounts and specials to keep visitors coming - and spending money.
Blackstone sees opportunity investing in media and entertainment businesses,said Michael Chae, senior managing director at Blackstone.
"We are delighted to be investing in a company with such iconic brands,irreplaceable assets and strong growth prospects," he said.
The company declined to detail its plans."Blackstone probably will try to get visitors to spend more at the parks by starting to charge money for extras like taking pictures with characters,"said David Miller, an analyst with Caris & Co.
Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Carlos Brito said last year as InBev took over Anheuser-Busch that the company would sell $7 billion in non-essential assets to help pay for the deal. The company has sold its Irish and Scottish businesses,factories and some interests in Asia.
Brito said in a statement on Wednesday that the theme parks "perform well but are not a focus for the brewer."
Busch Entertainment's 10 parks include SeaWorlds in Florida, Texas and California; Busch Gardens in Florida and Virginia and others such as Sesame Place and Adventure Island.
Busch is considered the second-largest US entertainment park operator with about 25 million visitors a year and 25,000 employees.
The company benefits from a diverse geography, including parks in vacation destinations like San Diego and in regional hubs. That means people can make spur-of-the-moment decisions to visit them and don't have to plan a full vacation, which they're less likely to do during the recession, Caris & Co's Miller said.
"You don't need an airline reservation or a hotel reservation. You get in your car. You grab your kid and say let's go to Busch Gardens," he said.
It's not clear how much the business is worth. According to Anheuser-Busch InBev's annual report from 2008, the entertainment unit had pro-forma revenue of 932 million, or about $1.37 billion. The parent company has not included the unit's quarterly performance in its results this year.
The world's largest brewer, based in Belgium, has been shedding assets to help pay for the $52 billion takeover of St Louis-based Anheuser-Busch that formed the company last year.
The two sides confirmed the deal on Wednesday, saying Blackstone would pay $2.3 billion in cash for Busch Entertainment Corp and give Anheuser-Busch InBev the right to up to $400 million of Blackstone's initial returns.
New York-based Blackstone's other investments include Universal Studios Orlando and Madame Tussauds wax museums so the theme parks fit into its portfolio.
Some amusement park operators are showing signs of stress amid the recession. Six Flags Inc, saddled by debt,is in bankruptcy court protection. And the nation's top amusement park operator, The Walt Disney Co, is offering numerous discounts and specials to keep visitors coming - and spending money.
Blackstone sees opportunity investing in media and entertainment businesses,said Michael Chae, senior managing director at Blackstone.
"We are delighted to be investing in a company with such iconic brands,irreplaceable assets and strong growth prospects," he said.
The company declined to detail its plans."Blackstone probably will try to get visitors to spend more at the parks by starting to charge money for extras like taking pictures with characters,"said David Miller, an analyst with Caris & Co.
Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Carlos Brito said last year as InBev took over Anheuser-Busch that the company would sell $7 billion in non-essential assets to help pay for the deal. The company has sold its Irish and Scottish businesses,factories and some interests in Asia.
Brito said in a statement on Wednesday that the theme parks "perform well but are not a focus for the brewer."
Busch Entertainment's 10 parks include SeaWorlds in Florida, Texas and California; Busch Gardens in Florida and Virginia and others such as Sesame Place and Adventure Island.
Busch is considered the second-largest US entertainment park operator with about 25 million visitors a year and 25,000 employees.
The company benefits from a diverse geography, including parks in vacation destinations like San Diego and in regional hubs. That means people can make spur-of-the-moment decisions to visit them and don't have to plan a full vacation, which they're less likely to do during the recession, Caris & Co's Miller said.
"You don't need an airline reservation or a hotel reservation. You get in your car. You grab your kid and say let's go to Busch Gardens," he said.
It's not clear how much the business is worth. According to Anheuser-Busch InBev's annual report from 2008, the entertainment unit had pro-forma revenue of 932 million, or about $1.37 billion. The parent company has not included the unit's quarterly performance in its results this year.
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