REGIONAL BRIEFING
REGIONAL BRIEFING
Friday, November 17, 2006; Page B03
NATIONAL ZOO
Asian Elephant Turning 5
The National Zoo will celebrate the fifth birthday of Kandula, its male Asian elephant, Sunday with a variety of activities. The events, co-sponsored by the Embassy of Sri Lanka and Friends of the National Zoo, include elephant training demonstrations at 11:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., presentations of gifts at 1 p.m. and a birthday cake at 2 p.m. Events are open to the public.
The programs will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sri Lankan dancers will perform, and National Zoo scientists will discuss elephant conservation research. Kandula was born Nov. 25, 2001. His mother, Shanthi, came from Sri Lanka in 1976.
The zoo has three elephants, and they will be getting expanded quarters under a renovation project that starts in the spring. They will remain at the zoo through construction.
GAS STATION SAFETY
Company Fined $3.1 Million
A District-based company that owns 23 gas stations in the District, Maryland and Virginia has been fined $3.1 million by an administrative judge at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to properly safeguard its underground fuel tanks, the agency said yesterday.
The Nov. 9 decision said that Euclid of Virginia Inc. did not install equipment to prevent gas spills, did not do regular leak checks and did not take required actions to prevent corrosion.
No serious fuel spills occurred, but EPA officials said the company repeatedly failed to heed instructions to take better precautions.
-- David A. Fahrenthold
