A High-Flying Adventure
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1915220,00.html
TFK tests out the new Flightline ride at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park
By TFK Kid Reporter Claire Epting
Ever wondered what it's like to fly like a bird? At San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in Escondido, California, you can! The park's brand-new Flightline ride is a zip-lining experience unlike any other. The ride allows you to soar high above the park and see the animal exhibits the way a bird would.
What is zip lining? It's a sport that involves using the force of gravity to "zip" from one end of a suspended cable to the other end. Participants wear a harness and pulley that is hooked onto the cable. The starting platform is higher than the landing platform. This helps riders to gain speed as they glide through the air to the other side.
A Hands-On Zoo
The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park is more than just an average zoo. Its main mission is conservation. The park is a 1,800-acre wildlife sanctuary that houses over 3,500 animals representing 260 species. It is also a botanical garden where more than a million plants can be found.
There are many unique ways for visitors to get up close and personal with the animals. One experience called Photo Caravan takes you on a safari through the African or Asian habitats. You can learn all about the park's conservation efforts by taking part in special experiences like the Photo Caravan, and of course, Flightline.
Prepare to Soar!
The Flightline experience begins with a training session on how to fly and use the gear. You can even rent special helmets with cameras on top to record your adventure. Then, it's off to the "fledgling" line. This is where you practice how to take off and how to land. The fledgling line is 470 feet long.
After practice, riders are driven up a hill to the main zip-line. Along the way, the trucks pass an area where California condors are housed and cared for. As part of the experience, visitors learn about the rare birds and other endangered animals and plants found at the park. Finally, you reach the top of the mountain. After reviewing safety and flying techniques, your harness is secured onto the zip-line cable. You overcome the butterflies in your stomach and push off. It's time to fly!
A Bird's Eye View
Four passengers can fly at one time. The zip-line is more than two-thirds of a mile long. It features a 421-foot drop in elevation. Riders can soar across the park as fast as 60 miles per hour, and are suspended between 36 and 130 feet above the ground. You fly right over the animals' exhibits and watch giraffes and deer stare up at you. After about two and a half minutes, you land at Kilima Point, and the ride is over.
It's a little scary at first, but the ride is so smooth that it quickly becomes fun and exciting. "There's no other ride quite like this one," says Adam Ringler, the park's director of operations. "The goal was to create something that gives people the experience of what it's really like to fly--while letting them also experience many of the animals from a unique, exciting angle."
If you're near San Diego this summer, I recommend a visit to San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park--and a ride on Flightline. Part of the proceeds from Flightline ticket sales will go directly to the park's condor conservation program. Special thanks to Dani Dodge and Adam Ringler and for making this report possible.
Max-This is a great game in the San Diego zoo. Instead of seeing 260 species and over a million plants, you can take a Flightline ride. First, you can take lessons on how to fly and use the gear. Then they will hook you to the fledging line and you practice how to start and land. Then, they will take you up the hill and to the main line. They will hook your harness to the zip cable and after reviewing the flying techniques, you fly off! The ride occurs a 421 foot drop and you glide as fast as 60 miles per hour. After two and a half minutes, you land and the ride is over. It is really scary game but it’s really exciting!
2009/08/03
A Rare Dolphin Discovery
A Rare Dolphin Discovery
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1889420,00.html
Scientists find thousands of Irrawaddy dolphins off the coast of Bangladesh
By Vickie An
Scientists are flipping over a recent dolphin discovery. On Wednesday, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced that nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins have been found along the coast of Bangladesh. The marine mammals were spotted in freshwater areas of the Sundarbans mangrove forest. Others were found nearby in the Bay of Bengal.
The discovery is good news for the rare dolphin species. Experts say Irrawaddy dolphins are vulnerable to extinction. At last count, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins in a single area numbered in the low hundreds or fewer.
A Sign of Hope
Irrawaddy dolphins are related to orcas, or killer whales. The creatures can grow up to 8 feet in length. They live mainly in freshwater lagoons, large rivers and estuaries in South and Southeast Asia. An estuary is where the river meets the sea, and where fresh and salt water mix.
Scientists are unsure of how many Irrawaddy dolphins remain in the wild. In 2008, the animals were categorized as vulnerable on the International Union of Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. The IUCN Red List, released each year, classifies species by how close each is to extinction.
WCS researchers launched the latest Irrawaddy dolphin study in 2004. The full report was revealed this week at an international conference on marine mammal protection in Hawaii. "This discovery gives us great hope that there is a future for Irrawaddy dolphins," said Brian D. Smith, the lead author of the study. "Bangladesh clearly serves as an important sanctuary [or protected area] for Irrawaddy dolphins. Conservation in this region should be a top priority."
Troubled Waters
Still, experts warn that the newly discovered dolphin population continues to be threatened. During the survey, researchers came across two dolphins that had drowned after getting tangled up in fishing nets. Fishermen in the area say that this is fairly common.
CHOR SOKUNTHEA⑱EUTERSA fisherman casts a net on the Mekong River in Kratie province.
Climate change is also putting the species at long-term risk, the WCS said. Rising sea levels are slowly shrinking Irrawaddy dolphins' freshwater habitats. These factors are also threatening the endangered Ganges River dolphin, which shares part of its range in the Sundarbans with the Irrawaddy.
Conservationists are trying to stay optimistic, however. The WCS is working with the Bangladeshi government to set up a protected area for the dolphins in the Sundarbans mangrove forest. "The sanctuary may take time," said Mohammad Jalilur Rahman, an official at the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute. "But we are already motivating the fishermen not to harm the dolphins which get entangled in their nets."
Max-I think that the Irrawaddy dolphins are so rare that it is a rare sight. There are only about a few hundred dolphins in the world! But this time people saw Irrawaddy dolphins is very good news because they aren’t extinct yet! Irrawaddy dolphins are almost extinct, since they are vulnerable in the IUCN red list. They live in estuaries, which where fresh and salt water meet. They are a kind of killer whales, and they are dangerous. But this time people are still happy to see the Irrawaddy dolphins because we need to be happy to see extinct animals and protect them!
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/kids/news/story/0,28277,1889420,00.html
Scientists find thousands of Irrawaddy dolphins off the coast of Bangladesh
By Vickie An
Scientists are flipping over a recent dolphin discovery. On Wednesday, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced that nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins have been found along the coast of Bangladesh. The marine mammals were spotted in freshwater areas of the Sundarbans mangrove forest. Others were found nearby in the Bay of Bengal.
The discovery is good news for the rare dolphin species. Experts say Irrawaddy dolphins are vulnerable to extinction. At last count, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins in a single area numbered in the low hundreds or fewer.
A Sign of Hope
Irrawaddy dolphins are related to orcas, or killer whales. The creatures can grow up to 8 feet in length. They live mainly in freshwater lagoons, large rivers and estuaries in South and Southeast Asia. An estuary is where the river meets the sea, and where fresh and salt water mix.
Scientists are unsure of how many Irrawaddy dolphins remain in the wild. In 2008, the animals were categorized as vulnerable on the International Union of Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List. The IUCN Red List, released each year, classifies species by how close each is to extinction.
WCS researchers launched the latest Irrawaddy dolphin study in 2004. The full report was revealed this week at an international conference on marine mammal protection in Hawaii. "This discovery gives us great hope that there is a future for Irrawaddy dolphins," said Brian D. Smith, the lead author of the study. "Bangladesh clearly serves as an important sanctuary [or protected area] for Irrawaddy dolphins. Conservation in this region should be a top priority."
Troubled Waters
Still, experts warn that the newly discovered dolphin population continues to be threatened. During the survey, researchers came across two dolphins that had drowned after getting tangled up in fishing nets. Fishermen in the area say that this is fairly common.
CHOR SOKUNTHEA⑱EUTERSA fisherman casts a net on the Mekong River in Kratie province.
Climate change is also putting the species at long-term risk, the WCS said. Rising sea levels are slowly shrinking Irrawaddy dolphins' freshwater habitats. These factors are also threatening the endangered Ganges River dolphin, which shares part of its range in the Sundarbans with the Irrawaddy.
Conservationists are trying to stay optimistic, however. The WCS is working with the Bangladeshi government to set up a protected area for the dolphins in the Sundarbans mangrove forest. "The sanctuary may take time," said Mohammad Jalilur Rahman, an official at the Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute. "But we are already motivating the fishermen not to harm the dolphins which get entangled in their nets."
Max-I think that the Irrawaddy dolphins are so rare that it is a rare sight. There are only about a few hundred dolphins in the world! But this time people saw Irrawaddy dolphins is very good news because they aren’t extinct yet! Irrawaddy dolphins are almost extinct, since they are vulnerable in the IUCN red list. They live in estuaries, which where fresh and salt water meet. They are a kind of killer whales, and they are dangerous. But this time people are still happy to see the Irrawaddy dolphins because we need to be happy to see extinct animals and protect them!
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