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Feb/March 2007 AddressWell happy March break ya-all. Hope everyone has lots of exciting plans for the upcoming week(s) off with the rug rats which I hope will include a trip to the zoo for all of you who are still in town. For those of us who dreamed of going away to the tropics but just couldn't get it together, we have brought the coolest part of CUBA to you. Come see two of CUBA's most endangered species of reptiles over the break. We have acquired 5 Cuban Boa's and a male Cuban Rock Iguana which are our feature animals for the month. We have specifically been looking for new species of reptiles to have on display which are unique to zoos in Canada and once again, we are the only facility in Canada which display these two critically endangered species. The coolest thing about these critters being here, is that the chance of people actually seeing these in Cuba on their thousand dollar vacations are slim to none. So for those of us who saved all that doe, you can see something that your friends who drained there savings will not see next week (try not to consider that when they get back to Ottawa they can come see them upon their return).
Another unbelievable new attraction is part of our extremely rare venomous snake collection. Following the Bushmasters, we have received the only pair of Pakistani Russell's Vipers on display in Canada. Russell's Viper are one of the 2 most deadly snakes in the world to people. These snakes along with Sawscaled snakes are responsible for more human deaths every year than any other species of snake. Come see these incredibly dangerous animals up close and personal: NEWS, NEWS, AND MORE NEWS! We have so much going on this winter and the face of the zoo is about to change once again. As much as Sheri and I love our wonderful building and it will always have a special place in our hearts, we have out grown our current location and are implementing a two year plan to move our location. We are not looking to try to find another existing building to fit into, but are looking to build a 20,000 square foot state of the art facility with permanent concrete displays and mucho underwater viewing. Needless to say, this will not be an inexpensive venture and we have introduced 2 new fundraising ventures to help us raise the required capital to facilitate the move. We are estimating that the cost of the new facility will be in the $2,000,000 range and we will own the building we will be in. Over the next 2 years, we will be trying to raise $1,000,000 in our own money as a down payment on this project and have started 3 initiatives to help us with our move.
The adoption program will be fully detailed on our website and you can email us if you have any questions about animals you would like to adopt (please note if you adopt Stewart, our 500 pound Alligator, you can not take him home). Our 'Skinables Collectables' will be on display in our gift shop and will be on our website in the following week as well.
The Summer Camp is filling up fast! We wanted to give our members a heads up on the summer camp before we launch our advertising campaign for it. The last three weeks of July and the two middle weeks of August are almost full. So if you wanted to sign up, now's the time to do it.
Well, with so much on the go and the future looking bright for the 'Little Zoo that Could', Sheri and I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support over the years. We look forward to growing and providing everyone with a zoo that is second to none in the world, not just from and educational standpoint, but also from a display standpoint. We want to have state of the art enclosures which can properly display many of our rare specimens in the best possible enclosures. Imagine viewing Harley our 85 pound Water Monitor underwater. Nothing is possible without the support of our patrons. Thanks once again. Little Ray. Reptile HumourWhat do you get if you cross a frog and a dog? A croaker spaniel!
Recent NewsScientists look for natural antibiotics BALTIMORE, March 5 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say frog skin and human lungs might hold the secrets to developing natural antibiotics, and spectroscopy may help find those secrets. University of Michigan Associate Professor of Chemistry Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy and colleagues are using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to explore the germ-killing properties of natural antibiotics called antimicrobial peptides, or AMPs, which are produced by virtually all animals. And since AMPs also attack viruses, fungi and even cancer cells, drugs designed to mimic them could have widespread medical applications, Ramamoorthy said. "They're like smart bombs," Ramamoorthy said. "We'd like to exploit their properties to design super-smart bombs, but before we can do that, we need to understand how these AMP smart bombs interact with membranes to destroy bacteria. We need to know how they're shaped before, during and after the process of attaching to bacteria and how they attach." He said solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy might answer those questions because it provides atom-level details of the molecule's structure in the complex cell membrane. The research was presented Saturday, during the annual meeting of the Biophysical Society in Baltimore, Md. Copyright 2007 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved. |
www.raysreptiles.com Zoo Hours
Victoria Day to Labour Day: Reptile Pet Store Hours
Tues - Fri: 12pm - 8pm
Nonvenomous Asian Snakes 'Borrow' Defensive Poison From Toxic ToadsSource: National Science Foundation Science Daily � Most snakes are born with poisonous bites they use for defense. But what can non-poisonous snakes do to ward off predators? What if they could borrow a dose of poison by eating toxic toads, then recycling the toxins? That's exactly what happens in the relationship between an Asian snake and a species of toad, according to a team of researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS). Herpetologists Deborah Hutchinson, Alan Savitzky of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., and colleagues published results of research on the snake's dependence on certain toads in this week's online issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Hutchinson studied the Asian snake Rhabdophis tigrinus and its relationship to a species of toxic toad it eats. In the PNAS paper, she and co-authors describe dietary sequestration of toxins by the snakes. The process allows the snakes to store toxins from the toads in their neck glands. When under attack, the snakes re-release the poisons from these neck glands. Many invertebrates sequester dietary toxins for use in defense, including milkweed insects and sea slugs. But vertebrate examples of toxin sequestration, especially from vertebrate prey, are rare. "A snake that's dependent on a diet of toads for chemical defense is highly unusual," said Hutchinson. Hutchinson said the research had identified six compounds in the snakes that may hold promise in medical treatments for people suffering from hypertension and related blood pressure disorders. The researchers made their case by testing Rhabdophis tigrinus on several Japanese islands, one with a large population of the toxic toads and another with none, and compared them with snakes from the Japanese island of Honshu, where toads are few. The presence of toxins in the snakes' neck glands depended upon their access to the toads.
Snakes without the borrowed toxins were more likely to turn and flee from danger than to hold their ground and perform a toxin-releasing defensive maneuver. "Sequestration of toxins in a specialized [neck gland] structure in a vertebrate is a remarkable finding," said William Zamer, IOS deputy director at NSF. "This finding offers new insights into the complex mechanisms underlying ecological relationships and will lead to important insights about fundamental biological questions." Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by National Science Foundation. Upcoming EventsAs you can see we have a lot going on during the March Break, however all the animals are still on display at the zoo, and we have lots of staff on hand to make sure every visit is an enjoyable one. Come check out some of the new critters now on display .
Saturday, March 10, 2007 - Sunday, March 11, 2007 - Norfolk Wildlife & Adventure Show
Saturday, March 10, 2007 - Westmount Shopping Center
Monday, March 12, 2007 - Centerpoint Mall
Monday, March 12, 2007 - Frontenac Mall
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - Markville Mall
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 - Eastcourt Mall
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - Dufferin Mall
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - County Fair Mall
Thursday, March 15, 2007 - 1000 Islands Mall
Thursday, March 15, 2007 - North York Sheridan Mall
Friday, March 16, 2007 - East York Town Center
For updated information regarding zoo events, visit our website at www.raysreptiles.com |
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Ray's Restaurant Reviewby Little RayThere are tons of Lebanese restaurants all over the city and most of them are very good. To most folks, I'm sure a Shawarma is a Shawarma. This is not the case. Scary Sheri & I discovered Cedar Valley Restaurant quite some time ago, and it has since become a favourite haunt of ours. I think Phatt Matt (the zoo's assistant curator and Mini Ray) might even eat there more than us, and even when previous staff come back to town to visit, they insist on going for at least one meal there. It's a family run business, and they are fantastic. Marcelle & Fadi are always smiling and having fun, and their children George & Jessica are usually there helping out as well. Chef Fadi uses his own recipes and everything is freshly prepared there, even the vast selection of traditional Lebanese desserts. Even though they have an extensive menu (which recently introduced lamb chops), Sheri & I almost always get the chicken plate. It's personally the best chicken plate I've ever tasted. Our biggest decision is whether to go with the rice or the spicy potatoes. For more info and to peek at their menu visit www.orleansonline.ca/cedarvalley Cedar Valley is definitely worth the trip to Orleans, fortunately it's just around the corner for us .
Enjoy and good eating,
Cedar Valley Restaurant - 613-590-0372 |
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