The Express Tribune hi five - January 3

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Your Proofness: Dilaira Dubash Master Storyteller: Hurmat Majid Creativity Analysts: Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Talha Ahmed Khan, Mohsin Alam, Maryam Rashid, Hira Fareed, Nabeel Khan, Sobia Khan and Umar Waqas

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 3, 2016

Hi-light Hi light

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Zoos have been a way for humans to interact with wild animals for a really long time. For centuries animals have been caged and subject to cruelty in human captivity. However, in recent years trends have started changing around the world as organisations like World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and World Wildlife Foundation are joining hands with the best zoos around the world to create animal friendly environments. This includes doing away with cages and imitating animals’ natural habitats in order to provide them a better chance at survival.

With the advent of the Roman Empire, exotic animals found their ways into the imperial collection through gifts from diplomatic envoys. In the 8th Century, Emperor Charlemagne received gifts from the monarchs of Africa and Asia in the form of exotic animals, such as elephants.

Apart from the Roman Empire, William the Conqueror kept a small collection at his Woodstock manor. In the 1100s, his son Henry I maintained and enlarged the menagerie, keeping camels, leopards, lions, lynxes, owls and even a porcupine. In the 13th Century, diplomatic gifts swelled the royal menagerie, such as three leopards from Emperor Frederick II, a white bear from the ruler of Norway and then an elephant from the ruler of France.

The Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment brought a new perspective and purpose to the menageries and animal collections. This is when the term ‘zoo’ was coined, it came from the longer scientific term ‘zoological garden’. The first zoos began in the late 18th Century. One moved animals from the Versailles menagerie to a zoo in the Jardin des Plantes primarily for scientific study. The first zoo created only for scientific purposes was the London Zoo in 1828, established by the Zoological Society of London.

The period of the public audience In the 16th Century, British royal menageries were opened to the public during the reign of Elizabeth I. In the 18th Century, Emperor Francis I opened his private menagerie to the public as well. Later, with the advent of zoological gardens, more were designed as public started showing interest, such as the Central Park and Philadelphia Zoo.

WAZA aims to guide, encourage and support zoos, aquariums and like-minded organisations of the world in animal care and welfare, environmental education and global conservation. WAZA has the largest potential conservation network globally. It sets the conditions that individual zoos and aquariums should satisfy in order to realise their full conservation potential. WAZA is a founding member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and an association member of the International Species Information System. At an inter-regional level, Global Species Management Plans are being established under the auspices of WAZA. In addition, WAZA supports science and research, promotes environmental education, motivates environmental sustainability, combats climate change, encourages animal welfare and participates in international campaigns. It is the aim of WAZA to further increase the number of zoos and aquariums involved in the conservation of wild species and habitats and to make zoological institutions the primary non-governmental field conservation organisations.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 3, 2016

3 The Berlin Zoological Garden was opened in 1844 and is the oldest zoo in Germany. Located in Berlin’s Tiergarten, the zoo is home to 1,500 species and 19,500 animals. At this number, the Berlin Zoological Garden holds the most comprehensive collection of species in the world. The zoo is considered to be the most visited zoo in Europe and among one of the most popular zoos worldwide. Over 3 million visitors come to the zoo annually to witness the most famous attraction offered which is the feeding of the animals.

The San Diego Zoo is located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The zoo houses over 3,700 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies and is situated on 100 acres of land. This zoo pioneered the way for open-air exhibits, eliminating cages for each of the displays. The San Diego Zoo is also one of the most active zoos in conservation and preservation efforts, breeding many species in captivity for the purpose of eventually releasing them into their native habitats.

The Toronto Zoo is located in Toronto, Canada, and was opened in 1974 as the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo. As the largest zoo in Canada at 710 acres and 491 species of animals, this zoo is divided into seven different regions representing animals from various parts of the world. The zoo currently houses over 5,000 animals, making the zoo an attraction for visitors of all ages.

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Located on 210 acres of land in Pretoria, South Africa, this zoo is the national zoo of South Africa. The zoo is split into two main areas, one of which is flat and the other of which is located on the slopes of a hill. The two halves are divided by the Apies River, which flows through this zoo that houses over 705 species of animals. Of the 705 species, there are approximately 9,000 individual animals as part of this zoo.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo in Powell, Ohio. This zoo has been named the number one zoo in the United States on multiple occasions. Currently home to 793 different species of over 9,000 animals, the zoo enjoys over 2.3 million annual visitors. The zoo has gained its world-renowned status from its own conservation programme and extensive funding to outside programmes as well. The 580 acres of land is home to the zoo itself as well as Zoombezi Bay and Jungle Jack’s landing, offering multiple attractions on its grounds.

The London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo, opened in 1828 for the purpose of scientific study. It was opened to public in 1847 and now houses 755 species of animals throughout its 36 acres of land. This zoo, sometimes referred to as Regent’s Zoo, is comprised of over 16,000 individual animals. The most recent project being undertaken by the zoo is the Tiger SOS programme, which is intended to raise funds to help save the Sumatran Tiger.

DESIGN BY TALHA AHMED What would you like to see in Hi Five? Send an email to hifive@tribune.com.pk and let us know!

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 3, 2016

Trivia

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Fun facts about palm trees

Q: What did the judge say to the dentist?

A: Do you swear to pull the tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth?

Q: Why did the tree go to the dentist?

A: To get a root canal

Q: Why did the king go to the dentist?

A: To get his teeth crowned

Q: What time do you go to the dentist?

A: Tooth-hurty

Q: What did the tooth say to the dentist as he was leaving?

A: Fill me in when you get back

There are over 2,500 species of palm trees. The Arecaceae family of plants includes wonderfully diverse species found throughout the world, from the desert to the rainforest.

Not all palm trees are ‘trees’, and not all plants called ‘palms’ are truly palms. These evergreen plants can grow in the form of shrubs, trees or long, woody vines called lianas.

Palm trees have two different types of leaves: palmate and pinnate. Palmate leaves, like hands, grow in a bunch at the end of a stem. Pinnate leaves are like feathers, growing all along either side of a stem.

Palm trees are an important symbols in most religions.

Lots of staples come from palm trees. Coconuts are an obvious product of palm trees and so are dates, betel nuts and acai fruit.

Palm oil, as its name indicates, also comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree.

The tallest palm tree can grow up to 197 feet tall. The Quindio wax palm, Colombia’s national tree, is the tallest-growing species of palm.

Did you know?

The deadly Burmese Python Burmese pythons, one of the largest snakes in the world, are best known for the way they catch and eat their food. The snake uses its sharp rearward-pointing teeth to seize prey and then coils its body around the animal, squeezing a little tighter with each exhale until the animal suffocates. Stretchy ligaments in their jaws allow them to swallow animals up to five times as wide as their head.

Burmese pythons are carnivores, eating mostly small mammals and birds. But exceptionally large pythons may search for larger food items like pigs or goats. Pythons have even been known to have attacked and eaten alligators. They have poor eyesight, so instead they stalk prey using chemical receptors in their tongues and heat-sensors along their jaws.

Burmese pythons are among the largest snakes on Earth. They are capable of reaching 23 feet or more in length and weighing up to 200 pounds with a girth as big as a telephone pole.

When they are young, Burmese pythons will spend equal time on the ground and in the trees. But as they grow larger they tend to stay on the ground because the trees can’t hold them anymore. They are also excellent swimmers and can stay submerged up to 30 minutes. The Burmese python is an invasive species in the Florida Everglades. According to the National Park Service, tens of thousands of these snakes exist there.

Females lay clutches of up to a 100 eggs, which they incubate for two to three months. To keep their eggs warm, they continually contract or shiver their muscles. When the baby snakes hatch they use their special egg tooth to cut their way out of their egg and the mother leaves. The newly hatched baby python will often remain inside its egg until it finishes shedding its first skin layer, then it will hunt for its first meal all by itself.

SOURCE: KIDS.NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 3, 2016

World wide weird

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Get your weekly dose of unusual and funny news from across the globe!

Eggy jackpot Jim Archibald, 67, was surprised when he broke open two eggs and found they had twin yolks for his Sunday breakfast. The following day he cracked open four more from the same box — and discovered they were also double-yolkers. And the day after that he broke the remaining four eggs in the pack and found they all had double yolks as well. Experts say the odds of 10 double yolkers in the same box are trillions to one and much rarer than winning the lottery several times over.

Wife Agnes, 58, a community support worker, said the family “certainly got their money’s worth”. She said, “My husband was cooking breakfast and he just cracked two eggs which both had double yolks. Then he was cooking four more eggs and all of them were doubleyolkers again. I only bought the 10 and they were all double yolkers. They didn’t taste any different, but this time we certainly got our money’s worth.”

Agnes paid £2 for the 10 eggs which were delivered to by independent farmer on Friday. EXPRESS.CO.UK

The tide of fortune A landslide on a Dorset beach has attracted dozens of fossil hunters in search of relics.

Some 200 enthusiasts combed the beach in the village of Charmouth, on the Jurassic Coast, collecting scores of ammonite fossils.

The majority are said to have picked up ammonites, extinct sea molluscs prized for their intricate spiral shells, which measure from 2cm to 2ft and were washed out of the mud and shale by the sea. More than 320ft or 1,000 tons of cliff fell down a week before Christmas and the crowds of souvenir-hunters have increased as word has spread. Most of the ammonites being found range between a fraction of an inch and five or six inches.

Tony Gill, who runs Charmouth Fossil Shop, said, “We’ve been here about 20 years and we have not seen anything on this scale before. Everyone is managing to find one. It’s the biggest fall I’ve seen down here for years, if not the biggest. But finding a big fossil is like one in a thousand.” EXPRESS.CO.UK

Crocodiles on the loose

Residents have reported seeing saltwater crocodiles roaming in the Northern Territory in Australia as heavy tropical rains in the region left one person dead and two others believed missing. The waters flooded townships and cut the territory’s main highway, about 200 miles south of Darwin and in the remote community of Daly River. Locals said they saw saltwater crocodiles, including around the local football field. Two dogs were seen being dragged into the waters and the community has now been evacuated. “You can be sleeping back at Daly and you’d be thinking about the water and where is the croc going to come from,” James Parry, a resident who was evacuated to Darwin, told the NT News. “I hope they’re not my dogs, the ones that got taken — I took mine to my sister’s because she lives on higher land.”

Andrew Warton, the director of the territory’s emergency services, urged residents to exercise extreme caution. “The Daly River is obviously populated by a large population of crocodiles and already we’ve seen reports of crocodiles sighted within the community,” he said. TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

Warm presents With the holiday season in full swing, Indians are flocking to the online marketplace in droves. But there’s one unusual item flying off the virtual shelves. Online retailers say cow dung patties are selling like hot cakes. The patties — cow poop mixed with hay and dried in the sun, made mainly by women in rural areas and used to fuel fires — have long been available in India’s villages. But online retailers including Amazon and eBay are now reaching out to the country’s ever-increasing urban population. Some retailers say they’re offering discounts for large orders. Some customers are asking for gift wrapping.

“Around Diwali, when people do a lot of pujas in their homes and workplaces, there is a lot of demand for cow dung cakes,” said Agarwal, referring to rituals performed during the popular festival. “Increasingly, in the cold weather, people are keeping themselves warm by lighting fires” using them, she said, adding that people who grew up in rural areas find the peaty smell of dung fires pleasant. The cakes are sold in packages that contain two to eight pieces weighing 200 grams each. Prices range from $1.50 to $6 per package. HUFFINGTONPOST.COM

A trip to Malaysia

By Mahnaz Mir A few days ago, I visited Malaysia with my family for a vacation. It is a very small but very scenic country and has a diverse spectrum of cultures. The main city is Kuala Lumpur and locally it is called KL Sentral (Yes, they write it with an S). It is very urban with tall buildings and skyscrapers. The tallest twin towers of the world are also in Malaysia. They contain a huge mall and everything looks like it’s built with miniature toy figurines from the tower’s top floor. KL is good for shopping and city life. 200 kilometers east of KL is one of Asia’s biggest amusement parks.

Genting is the name of the place where Disney World is located. Strangely, we had left KL under a sunny sky and heat, but it was freezing cold in Genting. My mom had packed jackets, just in case, but we were so cold that Papa had to buy woolen hats too!

There was also a snow land there. We had to rent special snow jackets, snow boots and gloves to enter the artificial snow den. We built snowmen, had snowball fights and took rides on a sled. The park is the best I have ever been to: the rides, the rollercoaster, the train, the slopes, the water rides. The next day was the total opposite, my dad took us to the beach. It was sunny and warm. It was my first experience of being on a beach. We had a ride on a banana boat which is a long, huge tube of plastic, filled with air. It was wobbly, scary and really, really fun. One important place we visited was the Putra Jaya mosque. This is one of the largest mosques of the world.

There are many cultures there. One day, my dad took us to a temple and we saw hundreds of statues of Buddha.

The worshippers look like the monks that we see in movies: bald except for a pony tail and clothed in a long orange robe. The last day we went to the aquarium. This aquarium was special because all the visitors had to stand on a conveyer belt and they are taken around the huge aquarium with fish and sea creatures, right, and left and even above our heads! Our week-long holiday passed very quickly and was over in a flash. Malaysia was so nice that I started missing it the moment I stepped on the plane.

Share your short stories with us.

Email them to hifive@tribune.com.pk

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 3, 2016

Reading corner

6 Directions:

• Plastic bottle • Styrofoam cup • White craft foam • White, pink and black paint • Glue gun

• Cut the rim off the cup and the top three inches of the soda bottle so that the cup fits snuggly onto the bottle.

Glue it to the top of your soda bottle as shown in the picture. Paint the cup and bottle white. You will have to use at least two coats of paint. Let it dry.

• Roll up pieces of craft foam and glue closed to make the legs and arms. Cut the ends to fit on the bottle. Glue them onto the bottle with a hot glue gun. Cut the paw end round and glue closed. Draw on toes, eyes and nose with a black marker.

• Cut ear shapes from white foam and glue to the head as shown. Paint the insides of the ears pink.

Animals in the wild Here’s a look at some of the best animated flicks about animals out and about in their natural habitat: Happy feet In the cold land of Antarctica, the Emperor Penguins each express their true love with a special heartsong of their own. However, the misfit Mumble cannot sing, but instead has an extraordinary talent to tap dance with almost magical energy and expression. Nevertheless, the deeply conformist leadership of the colony fearfully blames the young penguin’s unorthodox ways for the lean fishing that threatens them all. Defiant in the face of unjust rejection, Mumble and his true friends set out to find the true cause of the famine. Through the motley crew’s trials and perils, Mumble learns many things about his frozen world, not the least of which being that his toe tapping talent may be what he needs to save his people.

Madagascar At New York’s Central Park Zoo, a lion, a zebra, a giraffe and a hippo are best friends and stars of the show. But when one of the animals goes missing from their cage, the other three break free to look for him, only to find themselves reunited ... On a ship en route to Africa. When their vessel is hijacked, however, the friends, who have all been raised in captivity, learn first-hand what life can be like in the wild.

The lion king A young lion Prince is cast out of his pride by his cruel uncle, who claims he killed his father. While the uncle rules with an iron fist, the prince grows up beyond the savannah, living by a philosophy: No worries for the rest of your days. But when his past comes to haunt him, the young Prince must decide his fate: will he remain an outcast, or face his demons and become what he needs to be?

Do you have a favourite book or movie you would like us to review? Write to us at hifive@tribune.com.pk and tell us all about it.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 3, 2016

Activity corner

Mind Game

Help Marlin and Dory save Nemo by finding all the words below in the puzzle MARLIN DORY NEMO SIDNEY BLOAT

PEACH GILL GURGLE BUBBLES CRUSH

CORAL SQUIRT RAY REMEMBER TANK

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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 3, 2016

Materials: Ingredients: Kiwis Banana Yoghurt Milk Ice

2, peeled and chopped 1, sliced 2 tablespoons 1/2 cup 2 cubes

• A large iron nail (about 3 inches) • Thin coated copper wire (about 3 feet) • A fresh D size battery • Some paper clips

Directions: • Leave about 8 inches of wire loose at one end and wrap most of the rest of the wire around the nail. Try not to overlap the wires.

• Cut the wire so that there is about another 8 inches loose at the other end too.

• Now remove about an inch of the plastic coating from both ends of the wire and attach the one wire to one end of a battery and the other wire to the other end of the battery. (It is best to tape the wires to the battery — be careful though, the wire could get very hot).

Method: • Blend the kiwi, banana, yoghurt and milk together in a mixer.

• Pop the ice cubes into a tall glass and pour the mixture over them.

• Garnish with a kiwi slice and serve chilled.

Remember kids, always get permission from your parents before you start.

It’s always a good idea to have a helper nearby.

• Now you have an electromagnet. Put the point of the nail near a few paper clips and it should pick them up.

Note: Making an electromagnet uses up the battery somewhat quickly which is why the battery may get warm, so disconnect the wires when you are done exploring.

What is happening: Most magnets, like the ones on many refrigerators, cannot be turned off, they are called permanent magnets. Magnets like the one you made can be turned on and off; they are called electromagnets.

They run on electricity and are only magnetic when the electricity is flowing. The electricity flowing through the wire arranges the molecules in the nail so that they are attracted to certain metals.