Amanda, one of 13 capuchin monkeys at the Alameda Park Zoo, gave birth late Saturday night.

The baby, whom zoo staff have named “A.J.,” will spend the first several months of its life clinging to mom as she moves about the enclosure she shares with 12 others of her kind, including a male named Amos.

Native to the rainforests of South America, capuchins normally live in colonies which may consist of up to 30 individuals.

The capuchin uses its opposable thumbs and prehensile tail to assist in reaching fruits, seeds and leaves that make up the vast majority of its diet in the wild.

The lifespan of a capuchin monkey is 35 to 40 years in captivity and probably ten years less in the wild because of predators and potential illnesses.

“Amanda is approximately 20 years old,” zoo director Steven Diehl said.

Contrary to what many people believe, monkeys do not make good pets. Monkeys have the ability to seriously injure humans. When scared or threatened, they will not hesitate to urinate or defecate on someone who may be handling or holding them. The canine teeth that monkeys possess are designed to slash, slice and penetrate the though husks of coconuts and other organic fare that they feed on.

While television and movies such as “Pirates of the Caribbean,” which features a capuchin monkey, would suggest they do indeed make good pets, what most people don’t realize is that primates used for movies and television are usually juveniles who have not yet reached maturity.

Most chimps used in film work are less than 3 years old.

A PIONEERING initiative which encourages youngsters to read more has received a warm welcome from education experts, parents and children.

Already a massive success in America, Reading Education Assistance Dogs (Read) are specially-trained to sit with children and encourage them to enjoy books and reading.

Scotts is the country’s first trained reading dog and he visits schools and libraries in the county on a regular basis. His latest visit, with handler Tony Nevett, was to Wellingborough library at the weekend.

Scotts has been trained to sit with children while they read out loud and Dean Brookes, community access librarian at Wellingborough, was delighted with the results.

He said: “Scotts is the UK’s first Read dog and the children really took to him. Sometimes youngsters don’t like to read to adults because they feel they are being judged but feel a lot happier reading to a dog like Scotts.

“Lots of children went over to him and it was a real success. Scotts will certainly be coming back to the library.”

A spokesman for Read said: “Participating children make enormous strides in reading and communication skills while, along the way, building self-esteem, confidence and social skills.”

Eleanor Bettles, six, said: “I really enjoyed it and it was great fun reading to Scotts.”

Mother-of-two Emma Hornett, 33, of Ambleside Close, Wellingborough, has two children, Ben, nine, and seven-year-old Imogen, who attend Hardwick Infants School, in Olympic Way.

She said: “The reading dog comes into Imogen’s school quite regularly and I’ve heard it has had some great results.

“The reading dog goes round the reception year and it seems to be very popular with all the children.

“Anything which helps encourage children to read has to be a good thing and I would like to see this idea take off.”

A county council education spokesman said: “Any initiative that gets young people reading is welcomed. It’s also important for parents to help encourage their children to start reading. By turning their reluctance into enthusiasm, they will be helping their child develop literacy skills and maybe develop a love of books that will be with them forever.”

A RARE songbird has tripled in number in 13 years and returned to Wales, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said yesterday.

But the Dartford warbler’s population increase can only be sustained and improved if the Government protects the birds’ natural habitat, the RSPB said.

The UK population of Dartford warblers increased from 1,890 pairs in 1994 to an estimated 3,208 pairs, according to a recent survey. The bird has returned to Wales, the Midlands and East Anglia, and there are 85 pairs in the Channel Islands. The population growth is a massive jump from 1963, when just 11 pairs were counted.

Milder winters and the availability of heathland have helped numbers increase, according to the RSPB. The bird has also adapted to new habitats.

The Dartford warbler – or Sylvia undata – is distinguished by its short, rattling warble, and its distinctive buzzing call.

It has a long tail and is about 13cm long, with grey-brown upper parts, a wine-red chest, white belly and red eye-ring.

It is on the “amber” list of conservation concern because of previous population declines.

Simon Wotton, research biologist at the RSPB, said, “This survey is fantastic news for a very vulnerable bird, particularly because it has moved to higher ground not used by Dartford warblers for many years.

“Warmer winters mean the birds are likely to push even further north but they can only do that if there are heathland sites available, which are protected from development.

“If the Government is to help wildlife adapt to climate change it should be assigning more land for the creation of habitats to help birds like these.”

A dog, who went missing after Hurricane Wilma two years ago, was reunited with her family.

Chris Devilliers, 14, was so excited to see his 5-year-old dog Bella, that he skipped his end of school party Wednesday.

Bella was found undernourished and anemic with white gums, said Miami-Dade County Animal Control Officer Lisa Yambrich.

At an animal shelter, a scan with an identifying microchip was found on her. A few hours later she was reunited with her family.

“It’s always exciting to have a dog reunited,” Yambrich said. “This is one of the better things I like about my job.”

A family’s dog is being credited for waking everyone up in a burning house early this morning in the village of Mazomanie, allowing the family to escape the flames without injury.

The fire happened at the home of Paul and Debra Hoffman, 18 Emily Road, at about 1:30 a.m., said Mazomanie Fire Chief Walter Peterson.

“The fire started outside on the back deck,” Peterson said. “The family was awakened by their dog, so everyone was able to get out, including all of their pets.”

The house sustained substantial damage to the roof, ceiling and attic. No damage estimate was given.

The Mazomanie Fire Department, EMS and Dane County Sheriff’s Office responded to the fire.

One firefighter sustained a sprained ankle fighting the blaze.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A woman who helped rescue an injured cat on the roadside got a surprise when a veterinarian told her it was a wild and potentially dangerous bobcat.

Liza Eldred, her teenage daughter and the girl’s friend found the female bobcat Saturday on U.S. 98 in south Baldwin County, wrapped it in a sweatshirt and drove it to an animal clinic for treatment.

Veterinarian Andy Duke said the women were “extremely lucky” that the bobcat, which had a broken paw, did not panic and injure them.

They were in “a lot of danger,” Duke said.

Eldred believes the bobcat didn’t harm them because it sensed they were trying to help.

“It was not moving, making a sound,” she said. “It hissed once, so we stopped once so my daughter’s friend could move into the (far) back seat.”

Duke’s staff named the 11-pound bobcat Bobbi. He said it is undersized at 10 to 12 months old, and the animals typically grow to about 35 pounds.

Vetenarian Laura Serio, who treated the bobcast at the clinic Saturday, told the Press-Regiser on Monday that it was doing well.

“I think she will recover well in the wild,” Serio said.

How do you give an elephant a pedicure? The answer is very carefully.

Anna is getting ready for her pedicure. She and Dolly have one foot done each week. It’s a breeze for these 8,000 pound zoo favorites.

“Everything we do with the elephants is preventative maintenance. We want to make sure they stay healthy. We don’t really have a lot of foot problems. We’ve been very fortunate,” said Mike McClure, elephant collections manager at the Maryland Zoo.

The elephants dine while it’s being done.

Elephant keeper Marsha Zabarkes enjoys the hands-on experience.

“It’s a great experience to train them to accept the foot care. It’s our basic handling routine that we all learn how to do to take care of them better,” said Zabarkes.

Anna is 31 and Dolly is 30. That’s middle-aged for elephants and both are in good health.

A 75-year-old woman who felt threatened by a wild cat rented a trap for $55 and caught the animal.

But what’s in the cage? A rogue feline or a cat who just needs affection? A Cedar City animal-control officer compared it to Morris, the cat who appeared in TV commercials for pet food.

“There’s nothing wrong with that cat,” Lisa Haller said. “He’s a wild cat, but he’s not a rabid cat. … If we can adopt it out, we will.”

A maintenance man at the apartment building where the cat was captured won’t be taking him home.

“It looks like something out of ‘Pet Sematary,’” said Jason Murray, referring to the 1989 horror film.

Nola Burkitt said she trapped the cat after it jumped through an open window last week and attacked her cat.

“I made a lot of noise and chased it out the door,” she said. “Ever since then, I’ve been locked in my house. … I’m glad to get rid of that thing.”

The girl was labeled a “selective mute.” Traumatized as an infant, she chose not to speak to people for seven years of her childhood. Her first words, when they came, were directed to a big, furry German shepherd who listened carefully.

The boy was autistic. Typical of that disorder, he shunned human contact and the touch of other people. When the dog approached him, he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his face in her side with a rare sense of safety.

The two children represent the special education students taught by the therapy team of Terri Smith and Shana. The teacher, with a strong instinct for suffering children, and the dog, with a nonjudgmental and always-forgiving nature, are this year’s recipients of a top volunteer award from the Department of Human Services, for service to DHS clients at the Pauline E. Mayer Juvenile Shelter.

Smith came into her career from a side path.

When she was 8, symptoms of dystonia became evident. The genetic neurological disease affects body movements and functions; but in the 1960s, the condition was little known and difficult to diagnose. Her parents spent much of their time and all their savings seeking medical answers. Many answers involved drugs. Those interfered with her life more than the disease, she said. By age 14, she chose to stop taking medications and lead as normal a life as possible.

Smith won a full scholarship to study art, but that discipline proved physically demanding. Now, as the disease progresses, she is creating watercolor paintings by holding the brush in her mouth. In college, she reassessed her options and changed her major to special education.

She encountered children who were “flawed,” as she was; through a great variety of problems grouped together by education systems.

She traveled to schools that were trying to mainstream these students. She worked in Oklahoma City, then Yukon, where she stayed for a long while at Skyview Elementary.

Along the way, she found children who had been placed on medication when they were 3 or 4 years old. Some needed the drugs to help them function, she recalled. Some were under the care of doctors or parents who relied on medication too quickly and easily, perhaps responding to a social trend or a catchy new product.

“The last 10 or 12 years before I retired,” Smith said, “I started seeing things I thought we had to do differently.”

She began to develop a plan that promoted positive behavior, but she needed a partner.

On lunch hours she left the classroom to visit the Pets and People shelter in Yukon. One day, there was a German shepherd pup, apparently abandoned because one of her ears didn’t stand up and scheduled for euthanasia.

Smith named her Shana, a Hebrew name meaning “gift of God,” and trained her for a year before the two were certified by Paws for Friendship, an international organization for therapy pets.

Shana understands her job. She, like the special students and the teacher with the contrary muscles, is an imperfect dog to whom the children can relate.

The 80-pound, working dog, Smith explained, treats equally children who have been hurt or betrayed.

To these children who have been patched with drugs, she talks about tags and labels. “I am not dystonia,” she tells them. “I am Terri and this is a small part of me.”

Two years ago, after 29 years teaching, Smith retired at age 52. She and Shana volunteer now where they are needed.

A bird is bringing a lot of attention to a family that just wanted to cut down a tree.

A family that lives near the Gastonia Municipal Golf Course wanted to have a pine tree taken down because of problems with bird droppings.

The company realized that there was a nest of a bird of prey inside the tree.

The bird turned out to be a red-shouldered hawk: a protected raptor species that’s growing less common in North America because of development.