Zoos and aquariums
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1994:
Caught in a lobster trap in January
and donated to the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
in San Pedro, California, a 58-pound octu-
pus with 12-foot arms nicknamed Octavia was
housed in a tank just six feet wide, attracting
crowds and a PETA-sponsored protest. She
suffocated overnight April 11 after yanking
the plug from her tank.
Louis Bailey, age 8, escaped seri-
ous injury on April 5 when a cheetah scaled
an eight-foot fence at the Jackson Zoo in
Jackson, Mississippi, pounced the boy, who
had wandered into a restricted area––and
raced off with his baseball cap. The 75-year-
old zoo is asking the Mississippi legislature to
approve a $16.5 million bond issue to finance
major renovation.
Disney World is reportedly plan-
ning a theme park devoted to wildlife conser-
vation, adjacent to Walt Disney’s Magic
Kingdom, Epcot Center, and Disney MGM
Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The
firm has hired former San Diego Zoo chief
Rick Barongi, but has refused to say why. A
bootlegged outline published by the Orlando
Sentinel includes a captive breeding center,
African and Asian wildlife exhibits, an inter-
active dinosaur exhibit, and fantasy rides.
