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• SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH CLARI Pressrun 21,900 28 Pages Wednesday, February 6, 2002 Honda does some fine tuning Wheels Pull out THIS WEEK • 'al 3 week delivery $5/$l newsstand Taking part in a revolution News, page 3 Best of both worlds Bongo's lion cubs bonding with new family, but still enjoy mom's love BY JACQUIE MclNNES Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - They cat, play and nap like lion cubs anywhere, but for these four the natural habitat includes all the comforts of the human home. The cubs of the late Bongo, the Bowmanville Zoo's television television and film star, generated interest from across Canada with their arrival into the world Dec. 6. At an upcoming open house on Sunday, Feb. 10, residents will get their chance to see the four lion cubs, up close and personal. The three females and a ' male are adapting well to both - their feline and human fami- « lies, reports zoo owner « Michael Hackenberger. Now * . eight weeks old and about 20 * ; pounds each, the cubs are play- « ' ful and at a great age to be so- : cialized to the human world. 1 "We're desensitizing them • as much as possible. They're ; captive lions and we need them • to figure that out," he explains. Cub desensitization includes lots of time bonding with Mr. Hackenberger's family including including wife Wendy, a veterinarian, and sons Kurt, 6 and Dirk, 5. They're also visiting with the families of other zoo employ- Kurt Hackenberger, son of Bowmanville Zoo owner Michael Hackenberger, thinks life is just purrfect while snuggling with a couple of lion cubs. The cubs are the off ers. Kids, dogs - the more the better, relates Mr. Hackenberger. Hackenberger. In fact, the Hackenberger family dog, Mickey, whose own claim to fame included doubling for the Jack Russell terrier who plays Eddie on 'Frasier' - has been an integral part of the training team. Just about the same size as the cubs, Mickey's like a big brother showing them the ropes on proper social eti- ANDREWIWANOWSKI/Statesman photo spring of Bongo, who appeared in numerous films and commercials. An open house at the Bowmanville Zoo on Sunday will give the public a chance to meet the cubs. quette. The cubs' mom Grade has an important role to play too, says Mr. Hackenberger, noting she won't put up with any antisocial antisocial behaviour from her youngsters. While one school of thought is to separate cubs from the mother as early as possible and bottle-feed them, lie believes that is an unnecessary unnecessary step that isn't in the animals' animals' best interest. "Mother's milk is better and ultimately lions are not people," people," he relates. Currently the cubs still spend about 12 hours a day with their mom he says, noting socializing the cubs with humans and letting them learn the natural order from their mother arc "not mutually exclusive. Lions are such social social animals. They're not like tigers. Jaguars are unbelievably unbelievably difficult," he says. Even as adults the cubs, once socialized, will likely re main tame although playing with the kids will be out of the question. By the time they reach two years of age, the females females will weigh about 375 pounds while the male can be expected to reach about 500 pounds. But for now, the cubs, which have already learned to hold' their (well-trimmed) nails in when they paw their human friends, are great playmates. See LIONS page 2 Test results show public school students improving BOB WILLSHER 'The efforts of teachers and principals are helping.' Latest Grade 3, 6 test results better than last year BY CRYSTAL CR1M1 Staff Writer CLARINGTON - Standardized Standardized test results for Grade 3 and 6 public school students are up over last year, convincing convincing the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board chairman chairman improvement plans are working. Education Quality Accountability Accountability Office tests measure measure the proficiency of students students in reading, writing and mathematics. EQAO test results from last May show reading numbers across the board were up one per cent for Grade 3 students and nine per cent for Grade 6. In writing, Grade 6 students students jumped eight per cent while Grade 3 students dropped one per cent. The biggest improvements came in math where Grade 3 students increased by four per cent and Grade 6 by nine per cent. "I'm pleased with the improvement improvement in the Clarington area," said board chairman Bob Willsher, also a Claring ton trustee. "It says the efforts of teachers teachers and principals are helping with results in schools. "If we can't take those results results and implement them into a plan, something's wrong. "The key thing here is we are seeing improvement in most areas," he added. "The numbers help give an See PUBLIC page 2 Arrests made in gang attack BY STEPHEN SHAW Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - They call themselves the 'Schemes' and 'Jocks.' But police call them teens with too much time on their hands. In recent days officers have arrested eight alleged members of the Schemes (which last year dropped the name 'Uptown Thugs'), in connection with a Jan. 25 group attack on a Jock, who was swarmed, beaten and robbed. The accused attackers, who face charges of assault and robbery, range in age from 15 to 19. According to Durham Regional Regional Police, the two groups have been feuding since a large scuffle at a local movie theatre last year. On Jan. 25, three teens were walking in the downtown downtown area of Division and Church streets at about 11 p.m. when they were confronted confronted by a group of eight youths, identified by police as Schemes. The three victims fled on foot and two got away while one was knocked down and set upon by the thugs. The 16-year-old was punched and kicked by the eight and robbed of his cellphone along with other personal property, said Constable John Grant, a youth officer assigned to Clarington's 16 Division. The victim was treated for cuts and bruises at Lakeridge Health Bowmanville and released. released. Const. Grant knows of no good reason for the ongoing gang battles. "They say they just don't like each other. They wear different clothes and they don't like the way the other group dresses," he explained. In the past week, five teenagers have been arrested and charged under the Young Offenders Act. Also charged are Trevor Scott Leon, 19, of King Street, Bowmanville, and Shawn Robert Black, 18, of Bridle Path Court. A warrant warrant has been issued for a third adult suspect, who has not been named. ONTARIO'S Inside ®bt Stattfman WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 6 Classified 9 Sports 13 ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY *An official mark of the Province of Ontario used under licence. Whitby - Oshawa fonda 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E., WHITBY^-, LOCAL (V05) 1 V 666-1772 homda www.hondal .com GIVE US A CALL General 579-4400 Distribution .. .579-4407 Death Notices .683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site durhamregion.com General FAX .. .579-2238 Newsroom FAX .579-1809 Death of school owner a mystery TORONTO - The death of a wealthy Bowmanville private school owner will remain a mystery. mystery. Despite the blow-by-blow details details of Thomas Ku's killing read in a Brampton court Friday, a key piece of evidence is missing. "The body was badly decomposed decomposed and had been burned.... Because of the degree of decomposition, decomposition, it was not possible to determine a cause of death," said Crown Attorney John Rafiery. The accused men, Zhiyang Suo and Feng Wang, both 20, have pleaded guilty to manslaughter and forcible confinement confinement of Mr. Ku. They originally faced charges of first-degree murder, a charge that presumes an intent to kill. There is no dispute Mr. Suo and Mr. Wang, two students from China who briefly attended the Toronto campus of Mr. Ku's Great Lakes College in 2000, kidnapped Mr. Ku from the driveway driveway of his Chcsbro Court home in Mississauga last May 15. They confessed to police after their arrest. But they have insisted Mr. Ku died in the trunk of their car. There was no evidence to determine determine Mr. Ku was killed by the pair. Mr. Ku was diabetic, but the two men knew that and had provided provided him with medication, water and chocolate during his confinement. Mr. Ku, 48, disappeared after spending a day at his school's Bowmanville campus and was last seen at 7 p.m. May 15. His car was parked in his Mississauga Mississauga driveway. Three days later, a ransom call came and the caller stated in Mandarin: "We have Mr. Ku. Begin preparing half a million dollars." On May 27, a ransom note demanded a $ 100,000 (U.S.) ransom ransom and a key for Mr. Ku's 1998 BMW. Police traced calls to a Finch See MURDER page 2 THOMAS KU MOTORS LTD Chev Olds & Chev Trucks jlHHI 2728 COURTICE RD, HWY. #2, COURTICE TORONTO LINE 905-427-4444 roynichol8motors@gmcanada.com NO DOWN PAYMENT • NO PAYMENTS * NO INTEREST (GENERAL MOTORS PAYS THE INTEREST) Purchase Financing Up to 36 months ONLY on virtually all 2002 vehicles. r Jm-Vr-. CHEVROLET IS THE PROUD SPONSOR OF THE CANADIAN NATIONAL MEN S AND WOMEN S HOCKEY TEAMS CHEER THEM ON IN SALT LAKE CITY O f Goodwrench Servke -A'/y/i/.Onttm*-