BUNCH OF OLD GOATS: The Santa Ana...

BUNCH OF OLD GOATS: The Santa Ana Zoo doesn’t face the animal death problems plaguing the Los Angeles Zoo. But it has lost more than 100 animals over the past five years. In most cases, the animals lived full lives and died of natural causes. . . . Says Kent Yamaguchi: “We lost a 40-year-old white-handed gibbon (a primate) in 1992, and last year, three of our goats, age 15 to 18, died. Let me tell you, 18 in goat years is really old.”

SAVING LIVES: The county animal shelter on The City Drive in Orange is celebrating National Spay Day today, with a range of education programs and some free spaying and neutering of cats and dogs. . . . The goal, says Lt. Marie Hulett of Animal Control, is to get 1,000 pledges from owners to get their animals spayed: “The main thing is to curb pet over-population. We do pretty good here, but we need to do better. If there’s one animal without a home, that’s one too many.”

TREASURER GADDI? Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove), is testing presidential waters these days. In a letter to Buzz magazine this month, Dornan reflects on who would serve in his Administration. He mentions activist Kay James (often seen on Rush Limbaugh), Walter Williams (a syndicated columnist) and “Gaddy” Vasquez (the county supervisor). . . . He meant Gaddi and his staff blames Buzz for the misspelling.

MAGIC MOMENTS: For the first time, former Laker Byron Scott is recruiting locally for coaches to help run his two Orange County summer basketball camps. Scott, now with the Indiana Pacers, wants people with experience working with youth. . . . Says Scott spokesman Brian McInerney: “People like it because they get to hang out with Byron for a week and hear the stories--what’s Magic like, why did Riley really leave the Lakers.” A meeting with possible coaches takes place this morning at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel.

Zoo Deaths

More than 100 animals have died at the Santa Ana Zoo the past five years, mostly from old age:

(Animal: Deaths)

Birds: 45

Mammals: 40

Primates: 11

Reptiles/amphibians: 7

Total: 103

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Source: Santa Ana Zoo