The Kids ABC’s At The Zoo
The author: Professor Yasser Metwally
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Video 1. The Kids ABC’s At The Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred.
The term zoological garden refers to zoology, the study of animals, a term deriving from the Greek ζᾣον (zōon – "animal") and λóγος (lógos – "study"). The abbreviation "zoo" was first used of the London Zoological Gardens, which opened for scientific study in 1828 and to the public in 1847. The number of major animal collections open to the public around the world now exceeds 1,000, around 80 percent of them in cities.
Information about Damietta (Dumyat)
The author: Professor Yasser Metwally
Town in northern Egypt with 96,000 inhabitants (2005 estimate), in the Nile Delta, close to the Mediterranean coast, on the eastern bank of the outlet of the Damietta branch of the Nile. It is the capital of the Damietta, or Dumyat, governorate with 1.1 million inhabitants (2005 estimate) and an area of 589 km².Today, the port of Damietta is about 13 km in from the Mediterranean Sea. Originally, Damietta was right on the sea, but due to its exposure to foreign navy, the port and town was relocated 6 km inland in the 13th century. Silting of the Nile has added the extra kilometres.While of minimal importance for centuries, Damietta has in modern times again become an important port. Still it is only 3rd of the Egyptian ports on the Mediterranean Sea, with Alexandria and Port Said ahead. One reason for this are the limitations of the port which cannot be accessed by deep water vessels, cargo must be transported on river barges.The industries of Damietta produce furniture, clothing, leatherwork and flour. Fishing is also an important activity.
Figure 1. Damietta map (Click to enlarge)
The port of Damietta dates to Roman tiemes. the configuration of the port at the mouth of the Damietta branch of the Nile has changed sigificantly over the centuries partly due to the increasing fan of the DELTA and partly due to progression/regressions of the Mediterranean Sea over the past 2000 years.
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Video 1. End of Nile at Damietta
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Damietta Port
The new Damietta port is a multipurpose one which started recently to operate since July 1987, through which it has handled several million tons mostly grain, flour and other bulk goods, also general cargo The annual port capacity is 5.6 Million tons.
The new port is one of the most significant steps EGYPT has undertaken to improve foreign trade facilities. After a study of flow of trade-traffic undertaken through the Mediterranean in the late Seventies, Egyptian experts and US consultants agreed that a new port should be built between the two existing Mediterranean harbours of Alexandria and Port-Said.
Another requirement was proximity to the Nile River, in order to ensure access to inland navigation
Damietta port is situated on the Mediterranean coast, about 23 miles west of Port-Said with a road distance of 70 km, and 10 km from the Nile’s Eastern branch near the seaside resort Ras El-Bar.
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Industry
Damietta produces about two thirds of the Egyptian production of furniture the total yearly production reachs 375,000 chamber, classified as sleeping rooms, receptions, salons and living rooms.
All that moreover producing the modern kitchens and chairs. Damietta’s production has the distinction in goodness and high taste which keep pace with the modernist international designs.
There is about 100,000 artison works in this industry moreover 100,000 worker in the commercial and industrial activities that supports it the daily production valuated by 200,000 pounds.
The Hippopotamus
The author: Professor Yasser Metwally
The hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse", is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae (the other is the Pygmy Hippopotamus.) The hippopotamus is the second largest land animal (after the elephant) and the heaviest extant artiodactyl, despite being considerably shorter than the giraffe.
The hippopotamus is semi-aquatic, inhabiting rivers and lakes where territorial bulls preside over a stretch of river and groups of 5 to 30 females and young. During the day they remain cool by staying in the water or mud; reproduction and childbirth both occur in water. They emerge at dusk to graze on grass. While hippopotamuses rest near each other in the water, grazing is a solitary activity and hippos are not territorial on land.
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Video 1. The Hippopotamus (The Egyptian zoo in Cairo,Giza)
Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives are cetaceans (whales, porpoises, etc.) from which they diverged about 55 million years ago. The common ancestor of whales and hippos split from other even-toed ungulates around 60 million years ago. The earliest known hippopotamus fossils, belonging to the genus Kenyapotamus in Africa, date to around 16 million years ago.
The hippopotamus is recognizable by its barrel-shaped torso, enormous mouth and teeth, nearly-hairless body, stubby legs and tremendous size. It is the third-largest land mammal by weight (between 1½ and 3 tonnes), behind the white rhinoceros (1½ to 3½ tonnes) and both species of elephant (3 to 9 tonnes). Despite its stocky shape and short legs, it can easily outrun a human. Hippos have been clocked at 30 km/h (19 mph) over short distances. The hippopotamus is one of the most aggressive creatures in the world and is often regarded as the most ferocious animal in Africa. There are an estimated 125,000 to 150,000 hippos throughout Sub-Saharan Africa; Zambia (40,000) and Tanzania (20,000–30,000) possess the largest populations. They are still threatened by habitat loss and poaching for their meat and ivory
Rhinoceros (rhino)
The author: Professor Yasser Metwally
Rhinoceros A rhinoceros (also called a rhino for short) is any of five living species of mammals in the family Rhinocerotidae, of the order Perissodactyla.
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Taxonomy
Family Rhinocerotidae
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Black Rhinoceros, Diceros bicornis
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White Rhinoceros, or Square-lipped Rhinoceros Ceratotherium simum
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Javan Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros sondaicus
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Indian Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros unicornis
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Sumatran Rhinoceros, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis
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Habitat
All five rhinoceros species are native to Africa or Asia. The two species in Africa are the White Rhinoceros and the Black Rhinoceros. The three species in Asia (including islands of Indonesia) are the Javan Rhinoceros, Sumatran Rhinoceros, and Indian Rhinoceros.
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Life
The rhinoceros is an herbivore. Rhinoceroses have a large horn on the nose. Their horns are not like those of other horned mammals: the rhinoceros’ horn is made of keratin packed together very tightly.
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Rhinoceros and Humans
Only the White Rhinoceros is not in critical danger of becoming extinct because of humans killing them even though it is illegal, and the White Rhino in some danger of becoming extinct. Loss of habitat is also a danger to all rhinos. Rhinos are becoming extinct because people are still killing them for money even though the government made logging their habitat and poaching illegal. Rhinoceros horns are used in Asian medicine, and for dagger handles in Yemen and Oman which is leading to extinction of these animals.
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Video 1. The Rhinoceros (rhino) (The Egyptian zoo in Cairo,Giza)
The zoo in Cairo, Egypt, The lion is eating
The author: Professor Yasser Metwally
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Video 1. The lion is eating
The zoo in Cairo (Giza)
The author: Professor Yasser Metwally
The Zoo at Giza is one of the most beautiful in the world and the the most densely inhabited by the various animal and plant species. Its area is about 80 feddans. It is located near the west bank of the Nile. Its northern tip overlooks Cairo University. It is not far from down town Cairo and is linked to it by numerous buses. The Zoo is under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture in Egypt.
Khedive Ismail (1863-1879), the ruler of Egypt, was the first to think of opening the Zoo on the occasion of the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869 but he could not do so for the lack of enough time. On March 1,1891, the Zoo at Giza was opened for the public. It is distinguished for its rare imported plants , walks that are paved with colored pebbles set in beautiful mosaic pictures, and its streams, lakes, bridges, and hilly habitats for the various animals that it houses. These hilly areas are planted with cactus trees and particularly the rare cactus fruit. Egypt’s moderate climate helped preserve the lives of animals from different regions without the use of air-conditioning for cooling or warming.
The Zoo is considered a huge exhibition of African wild life. It is a habitat for many species of animals and birds which are now extinct in Egypt. They are to be restored to their original environments from which they were extinct. Among these are mountain goats and rams, Egyptian gazelles and heron.
The zoo is comprised of five hilly areas; the greatest called the Citadel Hill which was constructed in 1867. It is decorated with various statues of the extinct Fayoum rhinoceros, crocodiles and strange birds. Its plateau is covered with a small park that could be reached by means of a spiral path. It comprises plant-covered walks, a number of streams, a hall in its center as a resting place and various statues of birds and reptiles made of cement and pebbles. The streams flow through caves with white coral reefs hanging down, into waterfalls that lead to a lake with two islands connected with a wooden bridge. In front of the lions’ house there are two artificial hills connected with a rare iron suspended bridge, the only one in Egypt.
In addition to the numerous animals in the garden, there is a museum which was built in 1906. It consists of three big halls exhibiting large groups of Egyptian and foreign embalmed birds, reptiles, fish and animals as well as skeletons. There are also two other halls exhibiting various kinds of animals, reptiles, and birds. An embalming factory is located behind the museum for such purposes.
The Zoo is also an institute where scientists study the behavior of animals and birds. There are five non-governmental organizations that carry out campaigns to encourage people to preserve wild life and promote environment awareness in Egypt.
Slide show 1. The zoo in Cairo,Egypt
Click to download slide show in PDF format (2018 KB)
Click here to watch a full online video on the Egyptian ZOO in Cairo
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