First Friday Update – November Edition

 Remember to check in on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month for Volunteer Updates!

Thank You!  Thank You! Thank You!

 

A very special Thank you to the Volunteers who tirelessly helped distribute treat bags at HallZOOween with enthusiasm and a smile on their face!  The Events team was so grateful for all your hard work!  You are all “Fang-tastic”!

---

Zoo Updates:

We’re Hiring:

Do you know anyone looking for a job over the holidays?  We are hosting a job fair this Sunday, November 7th, in the Education Building!  As an extra incentive, Seasonal employees who work at least 75 hours between now and the end of FOL will receive a $500 bonus when FOL is over.  How awesome is that!  Spread the Word!!

Click Here to Learn More

Zoo Tales Podcast:

Mandy Pritchard

Did you know that the Cincinnati Zoo is working to reintroduce critically endangered American burying beetles to their former habitats? Learn more from Team Leader, Mandy P, who is leading the way!

Click Here to Listen

Animals in Disguise:

In honor of Halloween, there was a blog about Animals in disguise.  Check out the link below to learn more about how animal’s physical adaptations help them to survive in the wild. This article was written by our wonderful Americorp Members, Jillian and Jordan!

Click Here to Read the Article

World Lemur Day

October 29th was World Lemur Day and Jungle Trails celebrated by sharing a Facebook Live video with the critically endangered Sifakas!  My favorite thing about this animal is the unique way that they move, they are so fun to watch!  When I was younger the show Zooboomafoo with the Kratt Brothers on PBS was one of my favorite things to watch with my little brother, listen in to learn about the Cincinnati Zoo connection to the show!

Click Here to watch the Video

Happy International Snow Leopard Day!

October 23rd is International Snow Leopard Day!  The elegant and well-camouflaged snow leopard is one of the world’s most elusive cats. Thinly spread across 12 countries in central Asia, they are most at home in high, rugged mountain landscapes. Poaching and climate change are now threatening their survival.

Reptile Awareness Day:

October 21st is Reptile Awareness Day!  Reptiles are animals that are cold-blooded. Most reptiles lay eggs and their skin is covered with hard, dry scales. There are more than 10,000 species of reptiles. The main categories are snakes, crocodiles and alligators, turtles, and lizards. Reptiles can be found on every continent except for Antarctica. Come out to see all the amazing reptiles that call the Cincinnati Zoo home.

Click Here to Read the Article

Who Needs a Smile?

October 27th was National Pumpkin Day, and some of our Animals were able to get in on the fun!  Click Here to watch an adorable video of Rico enjoying his Pumpkin!  If Rico’s video wasn’t enough, Click Here for a video of Isla the Tamandua taking the hard way to get into the pumkin to get her treat!

Manatee Awareness Month

Did you know that November is Manatee Awareness Month?  Check out this wonderful article written by Americorps Member, Anna, to learn more about manatees here at the Zoo as well as in the wild…there are some pretty adorable photos too – huge Shout Out to our Photographers!

Click Here to Read the Article

Congratulations:

Congratulations to CREW scientist, Dr. Jessye Wojtusik, and CREW scientist Dr. Erin Curry for securing critical funding for Polar Bear research!

Click Here to Learn More

 

---

Plant & Animal Updates:

Christina Gorsuch’s Animal Life Update:

“We wanted to share a couple updates on the current status and future plans for a few of our animals that are near and dear to many hearts. 

Mike the white-bearded wildebeest will be migrating to warmer grazing grounds as a part of a plan to better manage a mixed-species group in the Savanna habitat. Mike has exhibited some undesired behaviors towards the other species in the last couple years. In an effort to make sure we’re providing the best future we can for all of the animals in our herd – as well as for Mike who gets lonely, we’ve made agreements for another facility to take on the opportunity of caring for Mike through the remainder of his life. He’ll be retiring to a 60 acre area with large bodied antelope and zebras which will provide him with plenty of opportunity for grazing, exercise, and social behavior.

He’s made a mark on all of us here, but he’s just a little too large to spar with some of our smaller hoofed species. We think we found him a great place to retire to and wish him the best in finding new, appropriately sized, sparring partners.

Additionally, with increased talk about the upcoming renovations of bear line, some questions have been asked about Chester our senior Andean bear. While we’re excited to break ground as soon as possible, there are no plans for Chester to move out of the Zoo. The animal department here at Cincinnati Zoo is fully committed to providing appropriate care for Chester until the end of his life. This guy has a special place in the hearts of guests and caretakers alike, and we will make sure to provide him with the best we can offer him for as long as he needs it. His keeper staff and curator are working closely with the facilities team to identify the best location for him at the zoo.”

Zoo Vaccinations:

Did you hear that our FABULOUS Vet Technicians were able to fully vaccinate 80 of our animals in only 6 weeks!

Click Here to read the Article

Lightning:

Many have asked how Lightning is doing after she suffered the loss of her pup last month.  Her keepers want everyone to know that she is eating and sleeping regularly and still receiving a little extra TLC from the staff!  Click Here to see a Video of Lightning chomping away on a favorite treat!

Mimi

Mimi the 3-month-old red panda cub trying out bamboo. She’s not too sure about it yet. Red pandas are mostly vegetarians even though they are classified as carnivores. Bamboo is their main food source but bamboo is hard to digest. In fact, red pandas digest only about 24 percent of the bamboo they eat. Red pandas need to eat 20 to 30 percent of their body weight each day. In one study, female red pandas were found to eat approximately 20,000 bamboo leaves in a single day. Click Here to watch an adorable Video of her Chomping away!

Fun Animal Information:

Vampire Bats:

Zulu the Lady Ross Turaco:

Turacos are the only birds to possess true red and green color. When you look at most birds, the color you are seeing is a reflection produced by the feather structure. The turaco’s red pigment (turacin) and green pigment (turacoverdin) both contain copper. In fact, if you stirred a glass of water with a red turaco feather, the water would turn pink!

Ossicones:

Both male and female giraffes have two distinct, hair-covered “horns” called ossicones. Giraffe are born with their ossicones, however, they lie flat and are not attached to the skull to avoid injury at birth. They only fuse with the skull later in life.

Grey Fox:

Nutmeg the grey fox. Also known as the tree fox, the grey fox is the only member of the dog family that can climb trees. It has short powerful back legs with hefty claws to grip the tree and push the fox up while its front legs grab the sides of the trunk like a cat.

 Zoo Birthdays:

Tommy T

On October 28th, we celebrated the 13th birthday of one of our favorite Cheetahs!   Check out the Facebook Live that was done to honor his very special day!

Click Here to watch the Video

Santana

On November 1st, Santana turned 12 years old!

 

---

Opportunities:

Fiona, Table for 5:

For only $5, you will receive an invitation to Fiona’s virtual 5th Birthday party and you will have a chance to win priceless hippo table and original kiss painting.  All proceeds from the birthday celebration will support the Zoo and Rare Gem Talent School, an organization for children with dyslexia based in Kenya!

Click Here to Learn More

 

Friends & Family Discount:

Did you know you can offer your family and close friends an opportunity to purchase Zoo Memberships at a discount?  If you are interested in this opportunity, Click Here to send me an e-mail and I will send you the form.

Additional Volunteer Benefits:

Just in case you forgot about all the INCREDIBLE Opportunities you receive as a Volunteer here at the Zoo, here is a reminder:

• 25% Discount at Zoo Shops

• 50% Discount on Zoo Tickets

  • Volunteers can purchase 50% off dynamic priced tix at any time including Festival of Lights. 

  • Volunteers can park and enter as a guest for free with your volunteer badge

• 50% Discount at Zoo Restaurants with your volunteer badge

Perfect North Slopes:

 

---

Friendly Faces:

New Additions to the Animal Care Team:

We’re excited to announce some new additions to the Zoo’s Animal Department!

A few have been around for a while, and a few are new to Cincinnati altogether. Each of them bring a range of skills and experience and will contribute the collaborative culture and standards of Animal Excellence that our Zoo takes pride in. Say hello when you see them around, or better yet, reach out and make plans for lunch!

Faith Hall – Zookeeper (Jungle Trails)

The keeper, the myth, the legend! She has been around CZBG since she was 13 years old, forging roots within the Zoo to develop a lifelong passion for conservation. Faith went to the University of Hawaii to study Biological Anthropology before taking a bit of a detour with the Secret Service; she completed their training program and was the only person in her class to qualify as expert at the shooting range! While she excelled there, she realized her passion lay back in Ohio. She came back to Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden through multiple roles, while also pursuing a Master’s through Miami University.  Since starting out in Jungle Trails, the team has grown to truly love working with Faith… enough so that they insisted on making her job offer a proposal with carabiner rings! Welcome to the team, Faith! We’re so stoked to have you as a permanent part of the family!

Dara Kelly – Zookeeper (Africa)

Dara Kelly is the newest member of the Africa team. She has 15 years of experience working in zoos – most recently the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago – and has cared for a variety of animals from several continents. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge, especially that of African animals and canids. Her favorite band is the Afghan Whigs – a perfect fit for her new home in Cincinnati. She is a bit obsessed with carnivorous plants and treats them like children. The only thing she is more obsessed with is her two huskies, Angus and Elka (and rightfully so – just look at them!).

 

Tara Lay – Zookeeper (North America)

The North America team is excited to welcome Tara Lay to their crew! Tara has spent time in various CZBG teams prior to coming on full-time, including the Interpretive team, Veldt team, and North America team. With three SCUBA certifications (including rescue diver), years of keeper experience at the Red Wolf Sanctuary, and a love for the travel and the outdoors, she’s a perfect fit for this team. She has been out of the country for study and volunteer abroad trips, and on one of those trips, she summited Mt. Kilimanjaro! In her spare time, Tara also takes care of multiple animals at home including her 1 dog, 3 hedgehogs, 2 mice and 1 leopard gecko.

 

Jenna Lyons – Zookeeper (Team Bird)

Team Bird is thrilled to re-introduce Jenna Lyons to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Jenna is no stranger to CZBG, she came to us as a wee intern way back in 2017. After her internship, she then interned in the bird department at the Toledo Zoo. Although Toledo has an admiral bird collection, let’s be honest, she missed us. We hired Jenna as a seasonal in May 2018 and she stayed on with us in multiple capacities until October 2020. Jenna was an integral part of our team, jumping in anywhere we needed her, all the while finding her own projects to take on. But as we all know, our kids have to grow up and move on sometimes. We kicked Jenna out of the nest so that she could fly on her own! (Rickey’s fault for comparing our department to a nest.) Jenna has spent the last 10 months at The Maryland Zoo as a full time Penguin Coast keeper. Jenny Gainer and Team Bird already knew that Jenna was awesome, but when they found out she was also able to wrangle 97 African penguins, they knew she was the one for them.

For anyone that wants to strike up a conversation with Jenna, here are some fun facts:

1. Her favorite show is Parks and Rec.

2. Her favorite pizza topping is pineapple.

3. She has a dog named Indiana Bones.

Anna Miller – Zookeeper (Elephant)

We’re excited to announce that Anna Miller joined the zoo family on September 27. She’s worked with elephants for over 10 years, starting her career at Jacksonville Zoo and spending the last 6 years at Toledo Zoo. Anna brings with her a range of experience related to elephant care and welfare, including notable experience with elephant social introductions and assisted reproduction. Anna is a Florida native who loves traveling (bonus photo of a trip this summer to Alaska!), hiking, and Broadway shows. She seen Wicked at least 10 times and is the most positive happy person you will ever meet. Welcome Anna!

 

Zach Niswonger – Manager of Behind-the-Scenes Experiences

We are so happy to announce that Zach Niswonger will be taking the helm of the CZBG Behind-the-Scenes program. While being an avid visitor to the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden his whole life, Zach was excited to join the Wild Encounters team, and then the BTS team. His passion for conservation, education, accessibility, and forging relationships has only grown with each new opportunity here, and he’s excited to bring this passion to his new role. Prior to the Zoo, Zach attended Miami University and has participated in numerous research projects, including migratory bird banding in OH, shark tagging off the FL coast, and k-mer genetics analysis. His favorite species is the Greenland shark, and he’s a huge Cincinnati sports fan. Fun fact: Zach is a nationally ranked soil judger and has traveled all over the country to compete. So if anyone has questions about soil – he’s your guy!

Sarah Paese – Zookeeper (Interpretive)

The Interpretive team would like to introduce Sarah Paese to the Zoo family! She started back in June and has been a perfect addition to the team. Sarah worked as the lead bird keeper in Tanganyika Wildlife Park before joining the team. She also spent time as a trainer for the World Bird Sanctuary and brings a lot of education experience as well. Sarah is excited to take on new adventures here in Cincinnati while sharing her vast experiences and skills with the Interpretive team. She is a true Wisconsinite and loves cheese, beer and the Green Bay Packers. Sarah actually played basketball against a Green Bay Packer once, and I am sure she would gladly share that story. We are thrilled to have Sarah here with us.

Sara Parsons – Zookeeper (Elephant)

Sara rejoined the zoo family on October 11^th! She started her career here at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden as a seasonal with giraffe and elephant. She then moved to Maryland Zoo and then Indianapolis Zoo to expand her knowledge and experience working with elephants. She joins our team bringing quite a bit of experience in operant conditioning, geriatric elephant care, and EEHV treatment and monitoring. Sara is a HUGE Reds fan and a seriously competitive card and board game aficionado. She’s also a big comic book geek – especially Batman (but don’t ever mention Ben Affleck to her!)

Cat Razal – Animal Excellence Scientist

Cat Razal has joined our Zoo team as the new The new Animal Excellence Scientist! In this role, she’ll be coordinating aspects of our animal welfare program, particularly helping to manage our internal behavior research program and welfare assessment process. Cat amassed a range of research experience at multiple AZA zoos and aquariums including most recently Texas State Aquarium and Brookfield Zoo. Cat is originally from Toronto, Canada but has lived in many regions of the USA since then, most recently Corpus Christi, TX. Cat loves exploring the outdoors including hiking and camping, has a dog named Yogi Bear, and dreams of building a room full of pillows in her new home. Cat is also SUPER into trivia, especially any sort of themed trivia. She and her team in Corpus Christi proudly came in 1^st place for both Disney and Harry Potter themed trivia 2 years in a row! Welcome to the team and to Cincinnati, Cat!

Dave Stenten – Continuous Improvement Coach

We’re excited to welcome Dave Stenten as the Zoo’s new Continuous Improvement Coach, a contracted role associated with the Animal Excellence IMLS grant. Dave recently retired from a long career in continuous improvement, but he jumped at the chance to join our Zoo team in this part-time role as soon as he saw its posting! In fact, Dave’s first job was here at the Cincinnati Zoo as a member of our parking team, so he’s excited to have another stint at the Cincinnati Zoo to round out his career. Dave’s role will primarily focus on training and coaching related to organization, standardization, and efficiency. He will be partnering with animal teams on goals they have for their work flows and processes, but you’ll probably see him around the broader Zoo more as the program takes off. While he’s become quite good at jigsaw puzzles since COVID, Dave’s favorite hobbies are gardening in the summer and wood sculpturing in the winter. If you make it over to his office, you’ll quickly see evidence of his green thumb. Welcome Dave!

 

Mark Tewes – Zookeeper (Africa)

Mark has officially joined the Africa team full-time! Mark started at the Cincinnati Zoo as an intern in Night Hunters back in 2016. He has since bounced around to Wildlife Canyon, and then to the Africa Department in 2018. He really enjoys working with a variety of species from hoofstock, to carnivores, to birds, so he feels extremely lucky to have landed in a favorite department that allows him to do just that. While he loves all the animals in Africa, his favorite is certainly Icki the Saddle-Billed Stork (beautifully photographed here). Mark grew up in Northern Kentucky and went to school at EKU for a degree in Wildlife Management. Outside of work he enjoys listening to 90s music (don’t we all!), spending time with his big family, being outside, and hanging out with his girlfriend and two cats.

 

---

Have you seen this?

My Garden of a Thousand Bees by wildlife filmmaker Martin Dohrn

Following Christina Anderson’s recommendation, I took time to watch this Documentary and I was absolutely blown away!  If you have a chance, take some time to check it out!  Read below to learn a little more:

A story of surprise and revelation. A wildlife cameraman spends his time during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown filming the bees in his urban garden and discovers the many diverse species and personalities that exist in this insect family.

The documentary, which kicks off Nature’s 40th season on PBS, follows Dohrn during the COVID-19 lockdown of spring and summer 2020, as he becomes bee obsessed and develops relationships with individual bees. Filming more than 60 species of bees, from Britain’s largest bumblebees to scissor bees, which are the size of a mosquito, Dohrn observes how differences in behavior set different species apart from each other. Eventually, he gets so close to the bees, he can identify individuals just by looking at them.

Viewers will marvel at moments timely captured in My Garden of a Thousand Bees, such as bees laying tiny eggs preparing for the next generation, green-fanged spiders feasting on male flower bees and a female yellow-faced bee attacking a Gasteruption wasp to protect her nest. Other fascinating behavior featured in the program includes two male bees fighting each other over a female, different species of bees competing over territory and one busy bee building a nest with a shell and hundreds of sticks. Intrigued by the intelligence of one particular wood-carving leafcutter bee, Dohrn dubs her “Nicky” and sees life at her level as she leaves a lasting legacy in the garden.

Click Here to watch the Documentary

---

Conservation Corner:

Lily Maynard, Director of Global Conservation:

“Conservation depends on people standing up and taking action”

If you don’t listen to anything else the rest of the year, take an hour to listen to our very own Charming and Fabulous, Lily Maynard!  Her Zoo Tales podcast is all about Wildlife Conservation with a healthy dose of Fun and Enthusiasm!  I know I am a little biased because she is my desk neighbor, but I just think she is the best!  If you see her around the Zoo, make sure you give her a warm “hello” – she will need it this winter after moving from Florida 😉

Click Here to Listen 

Monarch News:

Good news so far for the Western monarch population! Unlike last years devastating 1,914 TOTAL monarchs counted, they’ve already seen 10,000 monarchs at overwintering sites this year. They don’t start their official counts until Thanksgiving and New Years, so fingers crossed more arrive.

Click Here to Learn More

In case you missed it:

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is offering an opportunity to witness the Monarch Migration in person next year?  It will be a once in a lifetime trip with Amazing Opportunities!  Click the Link below to learn all about it!

2022 Mexico Trip with the CZBG

Conservation Partner News:

When you listened to Lily’s podcast, you heard her talk about one of partner organizations, SORALO.  Last year, Conservation partner and friend to CZBG, John Kamanga, who won our Barrows Conservation Award in 2013, won the prestigious Tusk Conservation Award in Africa from His Royal Highness Prince William!  John is the founder and director of the SORALO organization, a community-based and community-driven land trust established in 2004 to unite 16 Maasai communities in the management and security of their landscape.  Check out the link below to learn more about John, SORALO and the Tusk Conservation Award.

Click Here to Learn More

---

Upcoming Zoo Events:

• November 7th – Zoo Job Fair

• November 18th – PNC Festival of Lights – Member Preview Night

• November19th-January 9th – PNC Festival of Lights

• December 31st – Happy Zoo Year

 

Don’t forget to Log your Hours in MVP.  Do you need a quick refresher course on logging your hours? Click Here

---

Contact Information:

Brittany Garera-Stapleton 
Volunteer Relations Coordinator
(513)559-7768 
[email protected]

**My in-office hours have been varying week to week to accommodate staff meetings.  The best way to reach me day-to-day is through e-mail.