First Friday Update_7/1/22

Posted on By Amber Suttmiller

First Friday Update – July Edition

Zoo Updates:

New Veterinarians

Dr. Michael Wenninger, “Dr. Mike” – Head Veterinarian

Dr. Mike will be moving to Cincinnati from Fresno, CA, where he most recently served as the Associate Veterinarian and interim Chief of Veterinary Services at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. There, he worked with a broad array of exotic animal taxa, including some significant medical cases with great ape species and elephants (EEHV). He also played a significant role in managing hospital staff and operations.
For a large portion of his career, Dr. Mike has worked in private practice, focusing on emergency medical and surgical care for companion animals and small exotics. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience with modern surgical practice and has developed a particular passion for reptile and amphibian medical care. While at these facilities, he served as attending/consulting veterinarians for many local zoos and wildlife centers, further diversifying his experience with zoo animals and operations.
Dr. Mike is originally from Wisconsin and is excited to be back in the Midwest. Outside of work, Dr. Mike enjoys hiking, caring for his menagerie of pets (including multiple crocodile monitors), and spending time with family and friends.
Dr. Mike will be starting at CZBG the last week of June.

Dr. Jessica Heinz, “Dr. Jess” – Associate Veterinarian

Dr. Jess will be moving to Cincinnati from Cumberland, OH, where she is wrapping up her residency in Zoo & Wildlife Conservation and Ecosystem Health, a collaborative between Ohio State University, Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, and The Wilds. Prior to that, she completed a zoo veterinary internship at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, WA and a small animal veterinary internship in Norwalk, CT.

Through these experiences, she’s accumulated a wealth of experience working with mega vertebrates, primates, marine mammals, and small animals. Uniquely, she’s worked to care for animals in classic zoo enclosures as well as large herds of animals that occupy larger paddocks. She’s also taken point on successfully hand-raising a large dhole litter, completing a retrospective mortality review of a population of tufted puffins, and setting up a robust animal quarantine program at a local museum. Dr. Jess plans to study for and take the American College of Zoological Medicine board certification exam next year.

Dr. Jess is originally from North Carolina. She enjoys the great outdoors, and one of her favorite pastimes is cooking and baking. Dr. Jess is also a big fan of adventure movies – fellow MARVEL fans, get excited!

Dr. Jess will be starting at CZBG the first week of August.

Military Day

https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/free-admission-for-military-7-4/

 Rockdale Update

https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/cincinnati-zoo-engages-youth-to-help-community/

An Elephan-Tastic Day at CZBG

On the heels of the announcement that the new Elephant Trek barn starts construction next week, a number of other projects took place throughout the former Safari Lot on Thursday, June 23rd.

Along the Forest Avenue wall, interns from American Modern Insurance Group worked alongside the Horticulture Team to plant the first quarter of a brand-new bamboo forest across the hillside. As these hardy plants spread out and grow over the coming years, they will provide shade, privacy, and food for our Asian elephant herd when they move to their new digs. Just below the bamboo line, directly on Forest, Horticulture and Maintenance staff installed a variety of larger trees that will aid in water retention, covering the cement retaining wall, and increasing urban canopy coverage in Avondale.

On the other side of the lot, a team of Zoo employees, adult volunteers, Zoo Teens, and the new Groundwork Green Team cut and boxed browse for Jati, Schottzie, Mai Thai, and Sabu. Mulberry, hackberry, and box elder trees were removed from other areas in the lot and brought over to the crew, who repurposed the plant waste and prepared browse that will be frozen and saved for the winter months, ensuring our elephants have some tasty enrichment year-round.

Bringing Zoo staff, volunteers, and community members together to work towards a better environment for both people and wildlife is at the heart of the Conservation Impact Team’s mission. A huge thanks to all of the departments involved in the projects today, especially the Horticulture Team for organizing and overseeing!

ZooTales

Did you know the Cincinnati Zoo has animal behavior scientists who monitor the animals in our care? Learn more Cat Razal’s important work with our animal welfare program. 

Click Here to Listen

Fiona’s Sundae Fundae

Get ready to party like a hippo princess during Fiona’s Sundae Fundae on July 31, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm. Tickets on sale now
Click Here to Buy Tickets

 Just For Fun:

Bower Farm Cedar Bog Fieldtrip

Recently, Bowyer Farm volunteers visited Cedar Bog Nature Preserve. This preserve was the first purchased with state money and considered one of our state’s premier natural areas.  It is a National Natural Landmark – one of only 25 in our state.  It ranks the highest site in the state on the Ohio Floristic Diversity Index for its great diversity of plants. 

Interesting plants of note…

  • Showy Lady Slipper orchid
  • Round leaved Sundew
  • Poison Sumac
  • Common Pricklyash
  • Michigan Lily (in bud)
  • Bladderwort
  • Skunk Cabbage

Red Pandas

Made for a life in the trees, the red panda travels through the canopy with ease. Not only is the red panda a great climber, it is also an amazing jumper, clearing distances up to five feet.

Sam’s Flight

Flamingos

Happy Pink Flamingo Day! Greater flamingos live and feed in groups called flocks or colonies. They find safety in numbers, which helps to protect individual birds from predators while their heads are down in the mud.

Tucker & Fiona

Roo Info

Kangaroos live in social groups called mobs. Males, called boomers, are twice the size of females, called flyers. These big-footed hoppers can cover more than 20 feet in a single bound and reach speeds up to 30 miles per hour, though they prefer to lay around during the heat of the day. Stop by and see them in Roo Valley on your next visit.

Amazing Insects took over CZBG Social Media for Insect & Pollinator Week

These amazing insects work together using only instinct & pheromones to communicate every job they need to accomplish. Imagine millions of ants, working together & completing every task without saying one word to one another! No wonder they have survived for millions of years!

 

World Giraffe Day

Plant & Animal Information:

 Why care about Insects?

https://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2022/06/24/the-little-things-that-run-the-world/

 Starting Bibi Birth Watch 7/1/22

According to measurements made during Bibi’s last ultrasound, her fetus is bigger than Fiona was when she was born! The hippo team is optimistic that the baby will be born within the normal birth window. For a hippo, that could be 30 days before or after the estimated due date, which for Bibi is mid August. So, our Zoo Volunteer Observer (ZVO) team is starting their birth watch today! They will keep a close watch on Bibi from 5pm – 7am via video stream from cameras placed inside the Hippo Barn. We will keep you posted!

Top 10 Pollinator Plants

https://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2022/06/22/top-10-pollinator-plants-of-2022/

Pam & Myrtle

 Bibi’s Ultrasound

 Jin 

Zoo Blooms

 Rozi Update

Rozi, the tiny, 2 month old cheetah! Cheetah cubs have a long strip of fur called a mantle that runs down their back like a mohawk! This helps to camouflage the cub by blending into shadows & to help regulate their temp. It will start to disappear after four or five months old.

BFFs in the Making?

https://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2019/10/02/a-cats-best-friend/

Birthdays

Conservation News:

  Otterly Amazing Collaboration

https://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2022/06/28/otterly-amazing-conservation-collaboration/

Milkweed & Monarchs

https://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2022/06/24/milkweed-and-monarchs/

Opportunities:

 Aviculture Volunteers – Free Flight Aviary and WOW Bird Experience

    We still are accepting Volunteers for the Free Flight Aviary and the WOW Bird Experience.  If you have any interest in Volunteering in either area, please contact me for additional information.

Native Plant Sale

 

The 2022 Native Plant Sale dates are here! Located at the Zoo’s Bowyer Farm (2210 Mason Montgomery Road, Lebanon, OH), these sales offer a wide selection of reasonably priced, well-grown, hard to find, and ecologically important native plants.
Native plants, including ones found throughout the Bowyer Farm ecosystem, will be for sale. The preferred payment for all sales is credit card.
Dates:  July 9, August 13, September 10, September 24, October 8

Contact Information:

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