Roll Call Information 5/16/22-5/22/22

Brittany Update:

 

Remind your crew to sign up for an Ambassador Interpretive Training Date:

Our First Training is Tomorrow, 5/17, and there are plenty more spots available!  We have a pretty small crowd tomorrow so it would be the perfect day to come!  Please continue to encourage your Team to come on one of the days, even if they have not signed up!

*These Interpretive Trainings are not Mandatory, but I strongly encourage ALL Habitat Ambassadors to sign up if they can.

Tuesday, 5/17/22 – 1:00pm to 3:00pm – Frisch’s Theater

Thursday, 6/2/22 – 10:00am-12:00pm – Frisch’s Theater

Saturday, 6/4/22 – 10:00am-12:00pm – TreeTops

Updated Natural Histories:

Cat from the Animal Excellence Team has updated Natural histories for all of our Zoo Animals!  They are FABULOUS!  I am working on a way to get you access to all the species in each of the habitats that we are currently located in.  Stay Tuned next week for where you can find them!

Construction Updates:

No New Information at this time.

 

Animal Updates: 

• Africa

   

  No Additional Information – Please refer to the Avian Flu information for talking points available in MVP

 

• Elephant

  No Additional Information

• Gorilla

 I received a message from the primate keepers on Saturday with an update about Chewie and the 3 little girls.  See the message below from Ashley:

“Chewie is officially with Mona, Gladys and Elle!  They are doing quite well together and acting more like a cohesive group each day.  We will go ahead and put this group on the indoor gorilla habitat late morning on Sunday.  Here are a few talking points for the volunteers:

• Over the past several weeks Chewie has been able to see and touch the 3 little girls through mesh.  The keepers saw all positive interactions through their observations.  It was clear that the little girls wanted to be with Chewie and vice versa.  Taking their lead, the keepers put them fully together last week and they have been growing more cohesive each day.
• Mona and Gladys (particularly Mona) likes to be very close Chewie and follow her around most of the time.  Chewie has been very patient with the three little girls during the process.
• Chewie is a great adult female for them as she is a strong socially savvy gorilla and will be able to act as their leader during this interim period.
• Although, more gorilla group changes will be happening in the near and distant future, the keepers will continue to take the gorillas lead in moving forward.  Thank you for being patient as the keepers are working hard keeping the gorillas happy and healthy 😊. “

  I confirmed the Gorilla Troop configuration, see the information below:

*Please use this information to help you determine which Troops are out on habitat.  If you see only 2 females – It is M’Linzi & Mara; If you see a male and 2 females – It is Mshindi, Bandia & Tuli…and so on.

• M’Linzi & Mara
• Chewie, Gladys, Mona & Elle
• Mshindi, Bandia & Tulivu
• Ndume

 ALSO…I brought a bin of cell phones and placed them in the cart.  Feel free to use this to engage with guests and reinforce the message of recycling electronics.  Feel free to hand one over to a kiddo and let them be the one to put it n the box!  Thanks Mike B. for the idea!

Additional Miscellaneous Animal Information:

• Wallaby summer habitat is done. Wallabies will be on habitat  for three seasons.  Thank you to the Thursday-Sunday Ambassadors that helped with the habitat opening!  I have received multiple messages from the Interpretive Team with how Grateful they were for your help!

• On 4/27, we received a new male Malayan Tiger, Panthera tigris jacksoni, from the Virginia Zoo.  He is currently off exhibit in the NightHunters building, in quarantine, but NightHunters keepers will begin to introduce him to new areas in holding on 5/20, with an eye to eventually introduce him to the exhibit.
• On 5/5, a new Crocodile Skink, Tribolonotus gracilis, was hatched!  This is the first hatching for the pair that we received on 10/20/21 from The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, in Draper, Utah.  This hatchling and its parents are not currently on exhibit.

• On 5/10, we received a beautiful new male Aruba Island Rattlesnake from the Naples Zoo in Florida.  We received him for an SSP recommended breeding with our current female.He is in quarantine, so not currently viewable, but you can go visit the female, she is on exhibit at the Reptile House!

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Update:

 

5/18 UPDATE- Good news!

 

• One new case in Cuyahoga Ohio on 5/4 (over 230 miles away). 
• A majority of all other new cases are north and/ or west of us.
• New species affected by this strain: American robin, red fox.  ( there are a few isolated incidents of fox and they are happening in states with high wild bird mortality, nowhere near Ohio)

 

Due to a lack of nearby cases in over a month, we feel comfortable reversing some of our biosecurity measures.

Birds that will be returned to their habitats ASAP:

African savannah:

Ostrich

Guineafowl

Ruppell’s and Lappet-faced Vultures

Saddle-billed stork

Gray crowned crane

Little penguins

African penguins

Andean condors

Bald eagles

Barred owl

Eurasian eagle owls

Greater flamingos

Birds that will go out for the first time this season (birds in seasonal habitats):

Moluccan cockatoo

Blue-throated macaws

Blue-and-yellow macaw

Scarlet macaw

Helmeted curassow

Birds that will remain inside until further notice (high risk species):

Trumpeter swans

Red-crowned cranes

Pink-backed pelicans

Cape Barren goose

South America and Australasia habitats will remain closed.

All species in Free Flight Aviary

Daily Special:

Monday:  Caesar Wrap: roasted chicken, romaine, Parmesan, tomatoes and Caesar dressing with chips $7.99

Tuesday: BBQ pulled pork and Cowboy Rice salad with Cornbread $8.99

Wednesday: Chicken Parmesan sandwich and Garlic Fries $8.99

Thursday: Sliced Beef Brisket with Jalapeño- popper corn salad $9.99

Friday: Alaskan Pollock Sandwich, potato salad and mixed green salad $8.99

School Groups:

Tuesday

•    51 Buses

•    1891 Students

•   312 Chaperones

——

Wednesday

•   51 Buses

•   1895 Students

•   242 Chaperones

—–

Thursday

•    38 Buses

•   1328 Students

•  403 Chaperones

—–

Friday

• •   48 Buses

  •   2152 Students

  •    571 Chaperones

—–

Saturday

•    1 Buses

•   149 Students

•  55 Chaperones

——

Sunday

• No Reported School Groups