Gorillas in the Mist ~ Dian Fossey ~
Another woman's struggle to make a difference in a chaotic place is at the heart of this book. This book
will teach you a great deal about the mountain gorillas of the Virungas and their habitat. The way in
which Dian Fossey wrote of her 'mountain friends' shows how passionate she was about learning
about them, learning from them and saving them from extinction. This dedicated book was written
in 1982 and encases her field notes, studies and introduces the reader to all of her gorillas personally.
This book and many others written about Dian Fossey and her ruthless struggle to bring awareness
of the plight of the mountain gorillas to the world, is truly a must read.
~ Reviewed by Stephanie Mayo ~

Almost Human: Journey into the World of Baboons
~ Shirley C. Strum, University of Chicago Press 2001 ~
An interesting book about one woman's life work with the olive baboons of Kenya, in particular
one group named Pumphouse. This book truly educates the reader and brings about a new
awareness conserning these remarkable animals, their life and their social structure. A book that
spans 30 years of research with these baboons, their families, births and deaths as well as a
successful translocation of the group is full of heart and valuable knowledge.
~ Reviewed by Stephanie Mayo ~

No Turning Back - The Life And Death Of Animal Species
~ Richard Ellis, Harper Collins Publisher 2004 ~
A fascinating read about how extinctions happen from the big five to the next man-made great extinction.
It has current successes, recent losses and how it is all connected to us and our selfish, thoughtless
and usually greedy view of the earth and its resources. It covers mammals, the oceans and the
disturbing trends we have seen for centuries but have been slow to correct. This book is a must
read for anyone intrested in learning from the past or trying to help the future of threatened species
from around the world. Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to this subject. We need to act quickly and
this excellent book is a call to arms.
~ Reviewed by Chris Beleskey ~

Books 'The Book of Life: An Illustraited History of the Evolution of Life on Earth' (Edited by Jay Gould)

'The Evolutionists: The Struggle for Darwin's Soul' (Richard Morris)

'The Future is Wild' (Dougal Dixon & John Adams)

'Galapagos' (John Kricher)

'Last Tasmanian Tiger' (Robert Paddle)

'Evolution and Extinction' (W.G. Chaloner & A. Hallam)

'How to Become Extinct' (W. Cuppy)

'The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection' (Charles Darwin)

'Extinction: The Causes and Consequences of the Disappearance of Species' (P.R. Ehrich & A.H. Ehrich)

'Vanishing Wild Animals of the World' (R. Fitter)

'The Furture Eaters' (T. Flannery)

'On the Track of Unknown Animals' (B. Heuvelmans)

'Of Tigers and Men' (R. Ives)

'Dawn of Zoology' (W. Lev)

'The Sinking Ark' (N. Myers)

'No Room in the Ark' (A. Moorehead)

'Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck' (D.M. Raup & W.W. Norton & Co.)

'Aardvarks to Zebras' (M. Tulin)

'A Field Guide to the Life & Times of Roger Conant' (R. Conant)

'Animal Underworld' (A. Green)

'Tales of Giant Snakes: A Historical Natural History of Anacondas & Pythons' (J.C. Murphy & R.W. Henderson)

'Zoo Man: Inside the Zoo Revolution' (T. Maple)

'Zoos: Profiles of 102 Zoos, Aquariums & Wildlife Parks' (A. Marshall)

'The Zoo Book: A Guide to America's Best' (A.W. Nyhuis)

'Ethics on the Ark' (B. Norton)

'Zoo Culture' (R. Mullan)

'Great Zoos of the World: Their Origins and Significance' (S. Zuckerman)

'The Last Animals at the Zoo' (C. Tudge)

'Zoo 2000: A Look Beyond the Bars' (J. Cherfas)

'Zoos and Animal Rights: The Ethics of Keeping Animals' (S. Bostock)

'Creative Conservation: Interactive Management of Wild & Captive Animals' (P.J. Olney, G. Mace, & A. Feistner)

'Zoos of the World: The Story of Animals in Captivity' (J. Fisher)

'Meant to be Wild: The Struggle to Save Endangered Species through Captive Breeding' (J. DeBliew)

'Wild Animals in Captivity' (H. Heiger)

'Wild Mammals in Captivity: Principles & Techniques' (D. Kleiman)

'Zoo Book: The Evolution of Wildife Conservation Centers' (L. Koebner)

'Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals' (D.J. Shepherdson)

Magazines

Magazines Nature Magazine
Oryx Magazine
International Wildlife Magazine
Wildlife Conservation Magazine
Science Magazine
Nature Australia Magazine
Newsweek Magazine
Pachyderm Magazine
Ibis Magazine
National Geographic Magazine
Audubon Society Magazine
Smithsonian Magazine

Video Games

Zoo Tycoon I and II
Nintendo DS (Sold Separately)

Both games are similar, yet strikingly different in playability. After a brief introduction in how to play
ZTI and ZTII, you are given the opportunity to choose from a variety of animals, habitats, enclosures
and staff to help run your zoo. Animals breed when given optimal conditions.

I found ZTI to be a little too difficult and confusing to play on a daily basis. However, ZTII was far more
interactive with the animals and I enjoyed playing it for much of the time. Both games required
constant repetition concerning the care and/or maintenance of the grounds and animals, which I
actually found to be an excellent learning experience. The care of animals in reality is not always
fun and play...it always requires the tedious daily tasks of grooming, feeding, watering, and
sometimes medicating. These are all necessary aspects of correct animal husbandry, however,
and I appreciated seeing demonstrated in a game.

I was impressed with the wide variety of animals available within both games, but was disappointed
that there were so few birds represented - no raptors such as eagles or owls - and no snakes or
insects were available at all for care, though the option to install pavillions was offered.

Overall, I found the games great for introducting young people to the realities involved in the
day-to-day care of all animals, domestic or exotic. I did prefer Zoo Tycoon II to Zoo Tycoon I
as I found it a little easier to understand and play. However, I recommend both to people who's
children (or themselves for that matter) are interested in a future in animal care.
~ Reviewed by Rachel Paterson ~

Movies

Madagascar - Dreamworks, 2005
A hypochondriac giraffe named Melman, Alex the narcissistic lion, Gloria the streetsmart
hippo, and Marty, a zebra who dreams about getting more out of life. These are the main
characters of Madagascar, a lively, fast-paced and colorful animated romp. Even the
secondary characters are wonderfully appealing, especially the psychotic penguins
and King Julian, the megalomaniacal leader of the lemurs.

Madagascar is colorful, well animated, and has aspects which appeal to young and old alike. For
the very young, the bright colors, fast movements and constant action will keep their attention.
For adults there are many references to other movies and double entendres which lend
a whole other level of comedy to the movie.

When Melman, Marty, Gloria and Alex find themselves in the wilds of Madagascar after a lifetime
of being catered to paw and hoof in the Central Park Zoo of New York, they learn they must all
work together to make their new life work. The only problem is that Alex the lion, the only
meat eater in the group, isn't adjusting as well as the others. He seems destined to have to
leave his friends and join the Foosa, the other carnivorous denizens of Madagascar.

Thus follows hilarity, touching moments, and the thought that a sequal may follow.
I know I'll be the first in line!!
~ Reviewed by Rachel Paterson ~


Madagascar 2 Escape to Africa - Dreamworks 2008
So, indeed I was one of the first in line, and I'd have to say it was worth the 3 year wait.
Madagascar 2 was everything I'd hoped it would be and more. Though it definately had more
going on in it (the sub-plots were almost too many to keep track of) I feel this will actually
be a benefit later when the movie is released on DVD format. I have a feeling that the more
the movie is watched, the more the audience will appreciate the subtle humor that can be
gleaned from this show and not just the obvious stuff.

The main plot is that the Psychotic Penguins figure out how to get the dilapidated plane from
the previous movie up and running and Alex, Melman, Gloria, and Marty finally get to leave
Madagascar. King Julian and his ever faithful sidekick join them (thank goodness..those
guys are HILARIOUS) and they're off to fly back to New York. With the same finesse and
savvy they showed when hijacking the boat in the original, however, the Penguins fail
miserably and crash land the plane in Africa, where the crew finally sees the wild life (and
the wildlife!) they've been missing. Everyone hooks up with others of his own species
and things seem to be going well. Alex reunites with his father and mother and tries to
establish himself in the pride, and Marty runs wild with the zebras the way he always
dreamed of doing. Gloria finds herself a big, fat boyfriend who is extremely appreciative
of her ample figure, and Melman finds himself administering care as a medicine man instead
of receiving it. Unfortunately, not everything is fabulous in Africa and troubles soon show themselves.

I would definately recommend this movie to people of all ages and encourage the purchase of
the DVD when it is released. I'll be adding it to my collection, and plan on watching it over
and over again...even without my nieces!
~ Reviewed by Rachel Paterson ~