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Wacky Facts w Chatter Box
^ ■ The Charleston (S.C.) Museum is the oldest ^ < “There’s a unique shortness to me
museum in the United States, founded in 1773. that people seem to like.”
■ The word “museum” comes from a Greek word — Actor Benjamin McKenzie ("The O.C.’j,
that means “temple of the Muses." Muses were . who is 5 feet 9 inches tall, in People. #|HRI
x '\the Greek goddesses of art and scienct^^^
—- — World Almanac for Kids _ —
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Visitors to the Fort Worth, Texas, zoo’s World of Primates exhibit view the animals through thick safety glass.
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By Marilyn Bailey
Knight Kidder Newspapers
Jabari, a 300-pound male gorilla, escaped
in March from his enclosure at the Dallas
Zoo, where he attacked four people and was
eventually shot dead by police. Although
this was frightening, escapes such as this are
rare. Zoos — and gorillas, for that matter —
are generally not dangerous to humans.
WHY DID PEOPLE START PUTTING
ANIMALS IN ZOOS?
Zoos may have started thousands of years
ago as part of the earliest attempts at domes¬
ticating animals (if you have a dog or a cat,
you have a domesticated animal — and
some animals are easier to domesticate than
others). Pigeons were kept in captivity as
early as 4500 B.C. in present-day Iraq; such
Old Testament figures as King Solomon and
King Nebuchadnezzar were reportedly
zookeepers. The Egyptians, Greeks and
Romans had zoos, too: The emperor Trajan
reportedly had 11,000 animals in his.
Through the centuries, zoos were largely
for royalty, until the Imperial Menageries in
Vienna were opened to the public in 1765.
By the 19th century, zoos were being
opened all over the world. By that time,
zoos were built primarily for zoologists to
study the animals, and the people who vis¬
ited got to see and leant about animals they
might not otherwise see. By the late 20th
century, zoos were also made more com¬
fortable for animals, with imitations of their
natural habitats often replacing bare cages.
WOULDN’T A CAGE HAVE KEPT THE
GORILLA FROM ESCAPING IN DALLAS?
Perhaps, but it would have provided an
uncomfortable and unrealistic environment
for the gorilla. Dallas Zoo officials
SOURCES STAR
Try This
Turning salt into pepper
Amaze your friends with this cool and easy trick. \
MATERIALS \
■ Salt shaker, filled, with screw-on cap ^
■ Pepper s
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■ Napkin KRT /
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DIRECTIONS
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napkin into the salt shaker, forming a small well. Pour some pepper into
this well. Then, cut off any part of the napkin sticking outside of the shaker,
and twist the cap back on.
2. Now, tell your audience that you can turn salt into pepper.
3. Show them the salt shaker, and pour some “salt" into your hand, mak¬
ing sure they can’t see that it’s really pepper.
4. Close your hand, say some magic words, and show everyone the
“salt" in your hand magically changed into pepper! Funology.com
r« Poultry Serving Industry the North and Georgia helping the
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FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS - Thursday, May 6, 2004
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STEPHANIE SINCLAIB/KHT
Binti Jua, a lowland gorilla, saved
a toddler who fell 18 feet at the
Brookfield Zoo, in Chicago.
believed that the habitat was escape-proof
and are still trying to figure out how Jabari
escaped, because the enclosure he was liv¬
ing in has 12- to 16-foot walls topped with
electric wire. Some peoplfe think he may
have leaped out; others say it’s doubtful
that a gorilla could make that leap. Some
have said that he may have gotten through
a door, but zoo officials say that even if
that happened, several other locked doors
would have prevented him from escaping.
And it’s not likely that he climbed out,
because of the way the walls are sloped.
HOW SAFE ARE GORILLAS?
Let’s start by explaining what a gorilla
is: Gorillas are the largest of the great apes,
ARCHIVES; WWW ENCAflTA.COM; ENCYCLOPAEDIA
the closest living relatives of humans in the
animal world (the group also includes
chimpanzees and orangutans). There are
three types of gorillas: the mountain goril¬
la, eastern lowland gorilla and the western
lowland gorilla, all native to the forests of
Africa. Jabari was a western lowland,
which is the most common type found in
zoos. It has a really fun scientific name:
Gorilla gorilla gorilla.
Generally, gorillas are shy, gentle vege
tarians if you don’t bother them, they
won’t bother you. There are many exam¬
ples of gorillas being kind to humans. In
1996, when a 3-year-old boy fell into the
gorilla enclosure at a Chicago-area zoo and
hit his head, a female gorilla, Binti Jua,
cradled the boy in her arms and carried
him to a doorway where zookeepers and
paramedics could help him.
But gorilla attacks have happened.
Some witnesses say that Jabari was being
taunted by some teenage boys and that he
may have reacted to that or to zoo visitors’
fright after he broke out.
Most people have faith in the safety of
zoos; the day after Jabari escaped, the
Dallas Zoo was closed, but a day later,
many people who came to the zoo went to
the gorilla habitat and were disappointed to
see that the gorillas were being kept inside.
HOW DO ZOOS PROTECT HUMANS?
At the Fort Worth (Texas) Zoo, for
example, the gorilla exhibits are surround¬
ed by moats that are generally about 20
feet wide and 20 feet high, filled with
about 2 feet of water. Gorillas don’t like
water, and they aren't long jumpers, so it’s
hard for them to get over the high walls.
Electric wire in the trees and thick safety
glass also separate gorillas from visitors.
“ZOO,' BY ANTHONY D MARSHALL (RANDOM HOUSE. 1994)
Help I
Friend has a bad attitude
DEAR AMERICAN GIRL: My
has a very had attitude. She talks so
rudely to me. I try to control my
anger when she talks to me that way
hut I can t stand it any longer. My
mom said I should tell her how I
feel, hut I know my friend will he
very angry. Very Frustrated
■ Your mom is right. Don’t be a
doormat for a friend who
doesn't treat you nicely. Tell
this girl how you feel. If she
wants your friendship she’s got to earn it by
treating you with respect. Tell her you'll walk
away the next time she acts badly then ilo
it, even if it’s hard. She’ll learn you mean
what you say.
Johns Creek is proud to sponsor the
Newspapers in Education program as part
of its ongoing commitment to the youth MM
of Forsyth County. E9
A it of Technology Inc.
1 f 4
In The News
T
Group tries to
protect oceans
The world’s oceans are in danger and a special
group' is recommending ways to help save them.
The U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy says that
oceans need to be protected from pollution and
the misuse of resources.
SAVING THE WORLD S OCEANS
The commission wants to better manage
ocean resources by putting the needs of nature
first. It also wants to make sure that its recom¬
mendations meet the needs of people, such as
fishermen, who rely on the oceans for their
livelihoods. TIME
The commission’s 15
members spent two and a
half years studying U.S.
coastal areas, the Great Lakes and about 4.4 mil¬
lion square miles of ocean. Its members toured
dozens of sites and listened to hundreds of people
talk about how the oceans affect their lives.
“The message we heard boiled down to this:
The oceans and coasts are in trouble, and we need
to change the way we manage them,” said James
Watkins, the commission’s chairman.
The commission found that fish and other
resources are being used up, habitats — or envi¬
ronments — are being destroyed and water is
being polluted. What can be done about this? The
commission argues that more ocean education is
needed. It also says that the amount of money
spent on ocean research must be doubled.
The commission also recommends forming an
organization called the Ocean Policy Trust Fund.
This new group would be paid for through money
earned from oil and gas drilling.
WHAT WILL IT COST?
The estimated cost of the recommended actions
is $ 1.3 billion the first year, $2.4 billion the sec¬
ond year and $3.2 billion each year after. That’s
not much considering how much money ocean
related business earn: about $700 billion in goods,
$50 billion in fishing and trade, $11 billion from
cruise ships and tourists, and $25 billion to $40
billion in oil and gas production!
This is the first report done on oceans since
1969. The final report on oceans will be delivered
to Congress and the president later this year.
•’
•
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY GREAT LAKES NATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICE
FAST FACT
Every year, more than 23 million gallons of oil
run off into North American waters, according to
the commission’s report. — Jill Egan
© 2004 Time Inc. All Rights Reserved
TIME FOR KIDS and Timeforkids.com are registered trademarks of Time Inc.
o
American Girl i
great. you don’t, you’ll feel proud of
yourself, because you didn't let this setback
take away the joy of dancing.
Visit americangirl.com to get or give advice.
© 2004 American Girt. LLC AH right* fmmhvm!
AMERICAN GIRL: l \e been tak¬
ing dance for seven years. My teacher is
putting me into a lower class. All these
years I thought I was pretty good.
. — Hurt
■ Talk to your teacher about why she’s
moving you, and ask if there’s a chance
you can move back up again if you
improve. Ask her to make a list of things
to work on — then work
harder than ever in your new
class. If you move back up,