It is not common to see animals being decorated in this country. (more)

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A lizard of about a meter long was rescued when he was found inside a residence located in Juan Diaz. (more)

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An opossum that tried to walk through some high voltage primary cables at the power substation located in Changuinola in Bocas del Toro caused a blackout.

The short circuit caused severe damage to the battery bank of eight thousand volts and 200 amperes at the distribution plant.

Enoch Arauz, director of the Office of Rural Electrification (OER), said the blackout was a fortuitous situation, because the animal caused the short circuit which subsequently caused the damage to the battery bank.

The blackout, which left more than 12,000 users without electrical service in the district, occurred at about 11:45 pm last Tuesday. Service was restored by 8:00 am on Wednesday morning.

At the time of this writing, the Chamber of Commerce of the province had not yet quantified the economic losses generated by the blackout. (Siglo)

Editor's Comment: In Panama they use the term "zorra" when they are talking about opossums, a word which in the rest of Latin America normally means a "fox." That's where the sword fighting Mexican hero "Zorro" comes from - because he was as crafty as a fox. In reality, "zorra" is usually slang for "slut."

By Tanya Lewis - Crocodilian fossil skulls found in the Panama Canal may provide the missing link between the mouthy reptiles of North America and their kin in South America, scientists say.

The skulls belong to two new species of ancient crocodilians (a group that today contains alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gharials) that lived about 20 million years ago during the Miocene epoch. These new findings, detailed in the March issue of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, suggest these alligator brethren slinked between the continents using ancient seaways much earlier than once thought.

"The tropics hold some of the greatest diversity on the planet. Yet there's still so little that we know about them," study co-author Jonathan Bloch, a paleontologist at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told LiveScience. The fossil record in Central America is limited, because rocks there tend to be covered by forest, Bloch said, so the Panama excavation provides "a new window back into the past that's very difficult to get at in the tropics."

An interdisciplinary team found the fossils of the new species, Culebrasuchus mesoamericanus and Centenariosuchus gilmorei, during the current expansion of the Panama Canal, as part of a fossil hunt called the Panama Canal Project. Culebrasuchus mesoamericanus was probably about 6- to 7-feet-long and Centenariosuchus gilmorei was about 4- to 5.5-feet long, the researchers say. Analysis of the reptiles' evolutionary trees revealed the new species are related to caimans, South American relatives of alligators.

When these creatures lived, North America and South America were separated by a seaway. It was only later, about 2.6 million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama rose up to form a land bridge between the continents. That pathway allowed mammals such as armadillos and giant sloths to move into North America while relatives of horses and other animals spread into South America.

The discovery of the new crocodilian species living on both continents before the emergence of the land bridge suggests caiman ancestors crossed a saltwater seaway to reach South America. The finding is somewhat surprising, because alligator and crocodile species lack salt glands for processing seawater. Recent evidence suggests that perhaps the seaway separating not as wide as scientists thought, the authors say.

These caiman predecessors probably followed a North-to-South migration, lead author Alex Hastings, a paleontologist at Georgia Southern University, told LiveScience. "We know there was a transition from alligators to caimans, but we didn't have any evidence (until now)," Hastings said. "We are just scratching the surface of what we can learn from Central America."

A huge boa constrictor that was more than 5 meters (16 feet) long swallowed a man whole.

This incident - which has not been confirmed by the authorities - allegedly took place in the jungle community of Embera-Wounaan ethnicity, known as Sierpe, in the Darien province.

The incident was reported on 30 January this year, when natives of the community caught the reptile that was moulting or shedding its skin.

At the same time, when they saw the snake in the Darien jungle, they noticed that the lump inside of the snake was shaped like a human being.

The reptile was caught by hunters and taken to the community by more than a dozen men.

The snake measured the length of a "red devil" bus - those that are used in the capital.

When the huge reptile was cut open they found the body of a dark skinned man inside, which was already in an advanced state of decomposition.

All that happened to the amazement of those present.

In order to get to that community one must cross the Santa Barbara river.

After removing the body of the unidentified person, the tribal chiefs proceeded to perform a ritual for the soul of the body, which was later buried.

The community bears the name "Serpie" which in the Embera-Wounaan language means "Snake".

It was learned that when traveling to that place, between the trails in the jungle, one always encounters all kinds of snakes.

After the fact, the rumor about the unusual event ran for three days through all of the Darien communities, and only recently reached the ears of the officers of the State Border Service, a source revealed.

"Critica" tried to obtain an official statement from the Public Ministry from one of their prosecutors, however, it was reported that none of the offices held or file a report on the incident.

For his part, the director of the State Border Service, Frank Abrego said they have no report of that event, claiming the institution is responsible for issues and news related to the police, such as drug trafficking and countering narco-terrorist organizations. (Critica)

Fire Department paramedics from David took five people to the Regional Hospital who were attacked by Africanized bees.

It was learned the bees were swarming in the holes and fixtures of a utility pole located in front of several houses in this sector.

The frightened residents reported that for months they have been asking the company Union Fenosa to suspend electric service in that area, so they could eliminate the swarm, but they have received no answers.

They said on the day of the attack four dogs were killed by bee stings, and another four were affected to a lesser extent, and this situation has them very fearful.

"We have to live locked inside of our houses, with nets to keep our children from being stung," said Jorge Santos, one of the frightened inhabitants.

They called on the authorities to act quickly to avoid a new incident. (TVN)

Editor's Comment: All of the honey bees in Panama are the more aggressive Africanized bees. You can literally run into a swarm anywhere in the country.

by VÉRONIQUE LACAPRA for NPR - An Ambitious Insect Census. Researchers collected almost 130,000 arthropods from more than 6,000 species from a section of forest in Panama over two years. It took another eight years for the insects to be classified.

There are more species of insects than pretty much anything else in the world. And scientists know there are millions they haven't even identified yet. Now, in a tropical rainforest in Panama, a multinational team of scientists has just completed the first ever insect census.

Scott Miller, an entomologist at the Smithsonian who worked on the Panama, shows off one of the species from the survey that's at the National Museum of Natural History's insect zoo in Washington, D.C.

"We're standing in front of a colony of leafcutter ants," he says. "There you see one of the worker's who's carrying a leaf above its head and across its back as if it were sort of a sail, it looks sort of the like a sailboat, walking across the rock here."

Miller says the leafcutter ant is one of thousands of arthropod species in Panama's San Lorenzo forest. Arthropod are insects, plus spiders, mites, centipedes and pretty much everything else that lives on land and has at least six legs. Click on this link to read the rest of the story...

A crocodile frightened several residents in the area of San Bernardino, in the district of Arraiján.

People did not dare to cross the San Bernardino bridge where this dangerous reptile was located, for fear of being attacked.

Firefighters attended the emergency, and they took the crocodile away from the area, which normalized traffic over the bridge area. (Mi Diario)

Editor's Comment: I told you it was a big lizard...

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - I need to find a veterinarian in Panama who has one of those scanners that can read a "Radio Frequency Identification" (RFID) chip implanted under the skin of a dog, ASAP. The chip was implanted in the United States (in case that makes a difference.) If anyone has a lead on a vet with that sort of capability, please let me know via email don@panama-guide.com or cell 6614-0451. Muchos thankos.

Copyright 2012 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

Two children have been missing since they went swimming in a stream last week, located between Villa Lucre and Santa Clara, on the edge of Via Domingo Diaz. Another boy who was with them informed the family they had been attacked by a crocodile. Officers from the National Police and the National Civil Protection System responded to the area to start searching for the boys, who are 10 and 11 years old. Early reports indicated the boys were selling stickers at the Villa Lucre mall and they decided to go for a swim in the creek, and since then they have been missing. The children live in the sector of Mano de Piedra and are of indigenous origin. (Telemetro)

Editor's Comment: Always assume there's a very large lizard in the water, because there usually is.

Frightened are some students, administrators and teachers of Technological University of Panama by the presence of Africanized bees on an electric pole. Firemen responded to the campus to control the situation, but they are having problems with the electrical cables, because making contact with them might be dangerous. (Dia a Dia)

Editor's Comment: All of the honey bees in Panama are "Africanized" - so leave them alone if you see them, especially near a nest or a swarm - because they will light you up if they get agitated. The firemen normally put on their protective gear and spray a combination of soapy water and insecticide on the nest to kill the bees, but in this case they apparently can't use their favorite trick, because they might get "sparky" when the water based solution hits the electrical cables.

The new snake, called Sibon noalamina, is completely harmless for humans. The light and dark-ringed reptile at first sight resembles a well-known and widespread species of snail-eater. However, closer examination revealed the non-venomous snake to represent a hitherto unknown species. "The three individuals that we caught during several expeditions between 2008 and 2010 in the montane rainforests of western Panama differ markedly from all known species of snakes, especially in scalation characters. Therefore we newly described the species – it now bears the name Sibon noalamina,” said Dr Sebastian Lotzkat, a research associate of the Herpetology Department at the Senckenberg Research Institute and lead author of a paper published in the journal Zootaxa.

The scientific name of the new reptile is derived from the Spanish ‘no a la mina!’ meaning ‘no mining.’ It was chosen to call attention to the fact that the habitat of this harmless snail-eating snake is severely threatened by human interventions. The biologists alert that other species of amphibians and reptiles, which were discovered in the region during the last years, share the same fate.”

“Sibon noalamina stands with its name against overexploitation of nature and for the conservation of the highland rainforests of western Panama.”

“Without the establishment of protected areas and the development of sustainable alternatives to large-scale forest clearance, these unique ecosystems will vanish in the foreseeable future,” Dr Lotzkat said. “And with them, the congenial colubrid, its crawling and croaking fellows, and the livelihoods of the indigenous population.”

Like all representatives of the genus Sibon, the new species belongs to the so-called snail-eaters. Apart from snails and slugs, these nocturnal animals feed on other soft-bodied prey like earthworms or amphibian eggs. Instead of defending themselves with bites, the non-venomous colubrids deter potential predators with their appearance: with its alternating light and dark rings, Sibon noalamina mimics the contrasting warning coloration of the venomous coral snakes.

The snake inhabits the mountain range known as Serranía de Tabasará in the Comarca Ngöbe-Buglé, an autonomy territory established in 1997 for the indigenous peoples Ngöbe and Buglé. Here, the extreme poverty among the population has a share in the highest deforestation rate within Panama: more than one-fifth of the Comarca’s forests were lost in the 1990s alone. Moreover, the region’s enormous ore deposits – especially the copper deposit in the Cerro Colorado area – are in the focus of mining companies.

As the exclusive home of several amphibian and reptile species only known from this mountain range, the Serranía de Tabasará is a little biodiversity hotspot of its own, although still largely unexplored.

“We know from Rogelio Moreno, whose consent as chief general of the Comarca has made our studies possible, that the local people completely depend on the natural resources for their livelihoods,” Dr Lotzkat said. “We request the Panamanian authorities to initiate, in due collaboration with the indigenous authorities, measures to better explore, conserve, and sustainably use the exuberant biodiversity of the Serranía de Tabasará!“

Editor's Comment: What a crock of shit. Meet Panama's Spotted Owl. First of all, in truth and fact Cerro Colorado doesn't have anything growing on it except grass - there are no trees, no snakes. Secondly, any biologist in the world can stand where one of these snakes were caught, and the closest mine is hundreds of miles away. The Indians in this region are poor, and they apparently want to stay that way, because Panama recently passed a law that makes mining in Cerro Colorado illegal. Now they will get hungry, and eat the damn snake. "No a la mina" will probably turn into "yes, for dinner." I hate it when people twist facts on the ground for supposedly environmental reasons. This, my friends, is bullshit. Nice snake, but the politics I could do without. Who cut down the trees? The Indians. Why are they poor? Because they live in the mountains where there are no jobs. "No a la mina" can also be translated to "we would rather starve." I sort of doubt that this is a new snake species at all, and it was probably just invented by some over zealous anti-mining nut to serve as a poster child. Shame, really.

GUABALA. Chiriquí - A total of 75 kilos of cocaine were seized at the checkpoint in Guabala, Tole district, province of Chiriqui. To make the seizure it was necessary to use the services of the National Police canine unit, that located the illicit cargo after sniffing the inside of a red Nissan Frontier with license plate number 383309. Jorge Espinosa, a member of the police in the Chiriqui area, gave details of the seizure. Espinosa said one person is in custody, a resident of the Puerto Armuelles sector. (Prensa)

Carlos Salcedo, a poultry farmer of Finca Tara said increases in the cost of electricity will affect producers. He said the increase could be up to 25 percent in direct costs of production. "Electricity is fundamental to the process of raising chickens," he added. He said in the last 10 years, farms have been modernized very significantly in order to reach levels of competitiveness through the use of control systems that makes them totally dependent on energy. He added that the supplies they use also cost more due to the increases in the cost of power.

"We need to reliable energy so that our product (chicken) can reach market. We have been asking Union Fenosa to provide reliable energy, but that's not happening," he said. Salcedo said during the month of July 9,067 chickens died because of power outages. He said in recent years there have been more than 100 energy service interruptions, hurting their farm and all citizens. "Union Fenosa has proven to be inefficient because they do not guarantee a good and steady supply of quality power to the residents," he said.

According to the owner of the Villa Tara, when this situation occurs the company avoids taking any responsibility. Salcedo said in this situation they are proposing to create a National Front for the Recovery of Energy Sovereignty. "I ask all Panamanians come together and we contact to create this front and keep this company for continuing to hurt us," he said. (Panama America)

Editor's Comment: Scientists have recently discovered a new and magical invention which can be used to avoid these types of situations. It's called a "generator" and you use it to keep the lights on when the power line goes dead. That would have kept those 9,000 chickens alive - until they were slaughtered. Did anyone miss the irony there? And can do it again, slower this time, if necessary...

Macaracas, Los Santos - At least six people were stung this Wednesday, July 4, by a swarm of Africanized bees in the community of El Cedro Abajo, in the province of Los Santos. Five of those who were stung were taken to a emergency room of the Luis H. Moreno hospital by members of the Fire Department of that province. It was reported firefighters are trying to control the aggressive swarm of bees. (Prensa)

Editor's Comment: All honey bees in Panama are now "Africanized" - meaning they are more aggressive and prone to swarm and sting anything they see as a potential threat.

The majority of the cattle farms located in the coastal districts of Los Santos and Guararé have no water or forage, where since November they have been hit with a drought that has begun to register the first carcasses. The most critical situation is displayed in the districts of Santa Ana and El Espinal, where this year there has been just one heavy rainfall in early April, but since then the outlook has worsened. Joaquin Bernal, a cattleman of the region, said the situation is very hard, because they ran out of grass and water, while the forage reserves they had are already being depleted.

Six Months Without Rain - Edilberto Peralta, representing the village of Santa Ana, said they have gone for more than six months in this region without a drop of water, and the shortages of pasture has forced producers to go out and buy elsewhere in the province, which is increasing costs. According to Peralta, the livestock that weigh more than a thousand pounds during the winter now weights less than 500 pounds, while those cattle that fall cannot rise again due to their advanced state of malnutrition.

Meanwhile, the governor of the province, Armando Batista asked the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) for the implementation of a contingency program. MIDA director, Alexis Bravo, said they would be forming a working committee. (Mi Diario)

Cheyenne, the Harpy Eagle on display at the Summit Municipal Park since 2005, died Friday afternoon at the age of 51, after suffering from bone and cartilage wear of old age, said the Mayor of Panama. The city park's emblematic bird has been in the clinic since March 27, where he received all possible attention of the Mayor of Panama, the Board of Trustees Friends of the Eagle and other health professionals advised by predatory specialists from the United States, were watching over Cheyenne's health status, because the average lifespan of these birds is 40 to 50 years. The press release from the Municipal government says that for health reasons, Cheyenne could not appear in the last Festi Harpy in April, an activity in which the Mayor of Panama celebrates the adoption of Law 18 of 10 April 2002, that protects and provides the Harpy Eagle as the national bird of Panama. On 19 June 2012 the Director of Summit Park will travel to the United States to visit the Miami Metro Zoo and formalize the transfer of the Harpy eagle "Panama" to our country. (Estrella)

Residents of the community of the Las Garzas are concerned about the presence of a crocodile, which according to some is some 4 to 5 meters in length, located in a stream in the area. Residents call for support of the National Environment Authority, fearing the lizard may eat pets or attack children. The presence of wildlife near the villages occurs primarily due to the growth of human settlements encroaching on forest areas. (TVN)

Editor's Comment: Four or five meters? That's one big friggin' lizard.

In a note sent to the president of the National Assembly, Deputy Hector Aparicio, the President of the Republic Ricardo Martinelli announced his decision to partially veto Bill 308 of 2012. The note also explains some of the motivations of the presidential veto. Among them, said the President, is that from the title of the bill the aim is to protect domestic animals. However, this is a broad term, because besides dogs, cats, rabbits, parrots etc., there are also other animals such as cattle, horses, pigs, sheep and goats that live in close relationship with man. The difference is the emotional value to man for some of these animals. The President proposed that the title of the Bill should be "For Protection of Pets."

The international organizations for the protection of animals refer to and define pets as "those domestic animals that are not forced to work, nor are they used for food, but is retained for the purpose of providing company or for the enjoyment of their owners."

The President's veto referred to Chapter VI, relating to offenses and penalties, specifically in Article 15, which outlines what constitutes offenses against domestic animals, subject to criminal liability in such event, the following conduct: 1. Cause injury or death to a domestic animal through acts of abuse or cruelty. That failure under Article 16 of the bill establishes a penalty of fine of five hundred dollars ($500.00) to one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), and community work.

This regulation establishes a dogmatic collision of character, because the same action or conduct is already sanctioned under Article 421 of the Penal Code, which states that "whoever by acts of cruelty, causes death or seriously injures an animal used as a pet shall be punished with a from one hundred to two hundred days/fine, or community work. That is to say, the same behavior is seen as a crime. (Dia a Dia)

Editor's Comment: When I was a kid growing up, both my father and my grandfather had the same rule when it came to using a gun in the woods - "if you kill it, you gotta eat it." The point was simple. If I wanted to blow away some poor little defenseless chipmunk for sport with a .22 just because I could, I had better like to eat chipmunk roasted over an open fire. The same thing went for turtles, frogs, snakes, birds, or anything else that moved in the woods. All domesticated animals should be taken care of responsibly, given adequate food and water, as well as shelter and medical treatment if necessary. If you take care of your animals, then they will take care of you. I personally don't get excited about bull fights or cock fighting and I understand those activities are cultural and probably came to Panama with the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago. I eat both chicken and beef and I bet if the bull had a choice he would rather go down fighting, rather than taking a bolt-gun to the forehead. In Panama this Bill has become hotly contested and controversial, and apparently Martinelli is trying to do a tight-walk down the middle.

The National Environmental Authority of Panama and the Smithsonian Institute presented yesterday the "Plan of Action for the Conservation of Amphibians in Panama," which is the first step in a series of actions to cope with the decline of these animals in the country. Since the nineties, the amphibian population has been affected by a disease known as chytridiomycosis, caused by the Batrachochytrium Chytridiomycota fungus, which affects the skin by degrading keratin and ultimately perforations. This disease is responsible for 30% of the death of the species in the past 15 years worldwide, while in Panama, of the 197 species, about 50 are endangered. Therefore, this initiative is to join efforts to open a permanent log that allows the study of amphibian species preserve for the future. (Mi Diario)

The National Assembly yesterday approved Law 308 in the third and final debate, which seeks to safeguard and protect animals and domestic pets. This project is an initiative of the President of the Commission on Population, Environment and Development, National Assembly Deputy Victor Juliao III. The purpose of this law is to prevent, eradicate and punish mistreatment, neglect, and acts of cruelty against domestic animals. The document identifies the different types of abuse that these animals receive from their owners, and emphasized the fulfillment of their rights to be the best friends of man. These rights are based on the type or breed of animal, the natural longevity of the animal, as well as required care, attention, and protection; and consequently they should not be subjected to abuse or cruelty.

The principal right animals will have will be to have adequate food and nutrition, including a reasonable limitation of time and intensity of work, rest, and not be forced to work beyond the capabilities of their physical body. Owners who break the law or threaten the lives of animals can be fined from $500 to $1,000 dollars, based on items one and two of the law. Under Article 15, in numerals three, four, five and six, provides that the fines will range from $100 to $ 500. (Siglo)

Since 3 March 2012 Panamanian scientists have been conducting the first ever exploration to depths of 300 at the Hannibal Bank, located in the Special Marine Protection Zone of the Coiba National Park. The scientists, who will finish the expedition on Saturday, 10 March 2012, expect to be able to preliminarily describe the fauna of the depths of the Hannibal Bank seamount, to conduct a bio prospecting analysis, and increase the list of species of soft corals and other invertebrates known so far to science. Hector Guzman, a marine biologist at the Smithsonian in Panama, said the information generated from this examination will serve the country's authorities as support to ensure adequate protection of this habitat. "This first study on the fauna of the Hannibal Bank seeks to fill a void of information that today makes it more difficult to protect and manage," he said. During the exploration they will conduct traversals from depths of 300 meters to the highest point located 45 meters from the surface, recording high-resolution video to study the diversity, abundance and distribution of sessile organisms and macroinvertebrates, and aggregations of fish. (Siglo)

From the STRI Webpage: "Panama’s Coiba National Park, part of a major migration route for marine animals in the Tropical Eastern Pacific--from the Galapagos to Costa Rica’s Cocos Islands-- remains largely unexplored. From Mar. 4-10, Mission Blue, founded by Sylvia Earle, oceanographer, environmental advocate and National Geographic ‘Explorer In Residence,’ will explore Hannibal Bank, the top of an undersea mountain near Coiba Island. Mission Blue aims to use films, expeditions, the web and new submarines to create a campaign that ignites public support for a global network of marine protected areas—Hope Spots--large enough to save the blue heart of the planet. Scientists from the Smithsonian and from Panama’s government research institute, INDICASAT-AIP, as well as representatives of Panama’s Environmental Authority, ANAM and Marine Resources Authority, ARAP join the expedition. Follow our web posts and the links on this page for daily updates from the expedition."

Editor's Comment: Think of the Hannibal Bank as a big, underwater mountain. During this study the researchers will be running up and down the sides of that mountain using HD video to document all of the different species found there. But a word of caution. The Blog about the expedition on the STRI website, specifically - /blogs/biff - is infected with a JS/Iframe.BJ Trojan. So, surf with caution and with your raincoat on, if you must.

Fundacion Amigos de Animales Boquete, http://fadab.org/, was named Shelter of the Week by SPCA International, an organization dedicated to supporting the safety and well-being of animals worldwide. This grant was given in recognition of the outstanding work that our organization is accomplishing and to support our continued efforts in improving the lives of animals in our community. The award included a financial grant to FADAB and recognition of our work on their website: http://www.spcai.org/programs/shelter-of-the-week/item/686-fundacion-amigos-de-animales-boquete-boquete-chiriquie-rep-de-panama.html

Two students and a janitor at the Universidad Latina were attacked by Africanized bees, but suffered no major complications. The swarm was in one of the plants planted near the University building, so many of the administrative personnel, faculty and students left the classroom to get away from the building. A fireman from the Fire Department used a fire extinguisher charged with soapy water and a chemical on the swarm. (TVN)

Editor's Comment: All honey bees in Panama are Africanized, which means they are more aggressive and defensive. It there's a bee in your soda, it's his. Leave him alone and go get another one...

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - On Sunday I took my daughter Sarah, who is now five years old, to the Summit Zoo. The Zoo has been getting better over the years, and it's in better shape now than it has been in a long time. It's a good thing, because I went there once about ten years ago and the animals were being kept in very bad conditions. It seems like Summit now has more funding and resources and it's clearly improving. If you go wear comfortable shoes - the park is very big and you will be doing a lot of walking. Bring a backpack to carry bottles of water, Gatorade, or other drinks to keep yourself hydrated. This is a great family outing - there are parks and playground areas for the kids to burn off excess energy. There's some food available from vendors at the park, and you can bring your own food, coolers, or what have you. Many people go there just to hang out, spend the day, do picnics or whatever. Please don't feed the animals while at the Zoo, but you can have a pack of cookies in your hand. Rattle that and many of the animals will come running to the front of the cage, making them more cooperative subjects for photography. The Summit Zoo is located on the road to Gamboa. If you click on this link a Google Earth placemark will download to your computer. Open that file and Google Earth will "fly" you right to the Summit Zoo. One weird note about the park - it only costs $1.00 to get in, kids are free, and retirees are 50 cents - but for some strange reason they only give the "jubilado" discounts to Panamanian citizens. I know, that's wrong and illegal, but I wasn't about to get into a pissing contest with the entrenched woman who was selling tickets over a mere 50 cents. Whatever, just so you know going in. Here's a video taken at the park.

Question Received Via Email: "Good morning, Do you know the cost of a taxi to and from the zoo from downtown Panama City? Lets say the Torres de Alba. It would would be nice for visitors to know so they do not get miss information from a taxi driver. (Gringo'ed) Especially getting back to their hotel. Thanks, Jim." I don't know - maybe ten or fifteen bucks? It might be a better deal to just rent a car for a day and drive yourself. It's a pretty long haul out there, and then you have to catch a ride back. If you're doing it on a budget I know there are buses you can catch at the bus terminal in Albrook to go to Gamboa. So, bus to Albrook then bus to Summit - about a buck or two total or less than five round-trip.

Copyright 2012 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - There's a great new documentary video available about the Spay Panama organization. The mission of this charity organization is to spay and neuter as many stray animals as possible, to reduce the number of unwanted animals wandering the streets in the Republic of Panama. Spay Panama has trained more than 50 volunteer veterinarians who perform the surgeries on the animals. They've spayed tens of thousands of animals since they started in 2001. This is a wonderful volunteer organization, and I encourage you to help their efforts in any way possible. About the video, from their website: "Recently, Kim Best of North Carolina, a documenter and videographer, visited our clinic in Panama City, Panama. In this fantastic video, she captures "The Good, The Best, and The Better" of Spay Panama. Included, is narrating by founder and president of Spay Panama, Pat Chan."

Copyright 2012 by Don Winner for Panama-Guide.com. Go ahead and use whatever you like as long as you credit the source. Salud.

The Ministry of Health in Los Santos confirmed the death yesterday of an 84 year old woman who died in the Valle de Tonosí as a result of a killer bee attack. It was concluded she had been stung more than 500 times. The information was confirmed by the Regional Director of the Ministry of Health in the province, Kenya Zambrano, who said the woman was attacked in her home located in the community of Buenos Aires, area of El Bebedero, in the district of Tonosí. Zambrano said the woman was taken to the rural hospital in Tonosí and from there she was taken to the Joaquín Pablo Franco Sayas hospital in Las Tablas, where she died as the result of the hundreds of bee stings to her body. In recent days in the area, according to locals, there have been many swarms of bees that have been moving from one place to another and are located near residences. It is the third case in the past five years in which a death has been reported, caused by the attack of Africanized bees in Los Santos. The first two were in 2007 in the community of Purio of Pedasi. The second was recorded in 2009 in the community of Las Cruces Los Santos, when a swarm of bees attacked a 90 year old man, causing a painful death. (Mi Diario)

Editor's Comment: The dry season is just starting to kick in, so possibly the movements and activities of these swarms of Africanized bees might be related in some way to the weather? That's just a hunch on my part. In any case, heads up and be aware for the potential for swarms.

(UPI) -- Small monkey groups may win territorial disputes with larger groups because some members of the larger groups avoid aggressive encounters, U.S. researchers say. Scientists working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute say individual monkeys in large groups who will participate in defending their home territory often choose not to participate in conflicts in which the larger group is the invader, giving smaller groups a "home field" advantage.

Researchers used recorded vocalizations to simulate territorial invasions into the ranges of wild white-faced capuchin monkey groups at the Smithsonian research station on Barro Colorado Island in Panama.

Monkeys responded more vigorously to territorial challenges near the center of their territories and were more likely to flee in encounters near the borders, they found, and defection by members of larger groups was more common than defection by members of smaller groups.

These behavior patterns even the balance of power among groups and may explain how large and small groups are able to coexist, the researchers said.

Dolphins keep getting stranded on the beach along the coast of El Puerto de Guararé, as was the case two days ago when residents of this beach were able to save one female and one male. José Dimas Sanchez, a merchant at the port, managed, along with other residents, to lead two dolphins that were still alive offshore so they could survive. These two dolphins had some injuries and the residents assume they came as a result of changes in ocean currents or by strong waves. It should be noted you can see dolphins in the area of Pedasi, specifically when traveling to Isla Iguana. (Dia a Dia)

#Panama - A mutt named "Pele police" that has been living for years in the police substation in Brisas del Golf was killed this morning when he was shot four times by a resident in the area. According to reports, the dog tried to mate with a bitch, and when he was caught by the owner, the resident became infuriated and decided to shoot the dog. The man was arrested and now faces charges of animal cruelty and for carrying a weapon with the expired permit. The officers at the police headquarters in Brisas del Golf were saddened by the fact, that "Pele Police," as they affectionately called him, was always with them. (TVN)

Editor's Comment: Apparently the dog that was living at the police station was a mutt, and the female (bitch) owned by the resident was a pure breed of some kind. The guy shot four times, but apparently only one of the bullets struck the dog, killing it. Obviously this animal was not a working police dog but rather more of a mascot. And how dumb do you have to be to blow away the police dog mascot using a handgun with an expired license? He should have just kept his bitch in heat inside of the house. Maybe he could give one of the pups to the cops?