First Friday Update_10/7/22

Posted on By Amber Suttmiller

First Friday Volunteer Update – October Edition

Log Your Hours

Don’t Forget to Log Your Volunteer Hours in MVP!  I will run the Hours Report for your Volunteer Tickets on 10/15!  Once I get your Tickets Printed, you will receive instructions on where you can come and pick them up!

If you need a reminder on how to log your hours, check out the tutorial below.

Click Here for More Information

 

Zoo Updates:

The Zoo is Hiring!

We’re hiring!  Do you know anyone looking for a position at the best organization in town?   Come to our job fair on Oct 12 from 5-7pm. We’re looking for enthusiastic individuals to fill positions in several departments including visitor experience, park operations, and security! 
 Click Here to Learn More

HallZOOween

Things are getting spooky around here.  Mark your calendars for HallZOOween on select weekends starting Oct. 15.
Click Here for More Information

 

Support the Cause

The new Save the Melons shirts featuring Fiona are now available online and at all Cincy Shirts locations. A portion of sales will be donated to The American Cancer Society. cincyshirts.com/SaveTheMelons

 

A Double Dose of Zoo Tales

Head Keeper Alicia S. has been working with cheetahs for over a decade. Hear some stories from her time caring for cheetah cubs at the Cincinnati Zoo and get an update on Rozi and Daisy in this fun new episode! 
Click Here to Listen

 

We talk to Louisa Rispoli, Ph.D about her conservation work with the rhinos AIRS project and her experience working with Bibi during her pregnancy with Fritz! 
Click Here to Listen

 

 Just For Fun:

Hippos

Hippos spend most of their day in water. They’ll come out of the water to munch on grass. Their eyes, ears and nose are located on the top of their head, which means they can see and breathe while submerged in the water.

Fritz the baby hippo!  Hippos spend the majority of the day soaking in water or mud to keep their skin moist and bodies cool.

 

Rozi & Daisy

Rozi and Daisy are always ready to play!

Screech Owl

Sassafras, the Eastern screech owl.  In spite of their small size, screech owls are exceptional night hunters using their keen sense of hearing to pinpoint prey in the dark.

 

Wolves

Unlike the big, bad wolf in stories like Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs, wolves are actually shy and avoid people.

 

Tortoise Time

With few natural predators and competitors for food, the Galápagos tortoise grew over time into the largest turtle in the world.

Quilliam

Quilliam the Cape porcupine! Contrary to popular belief, a porcupine cannot shoot its spines and quills.

 

Meerkats

Meerkat family portrait. Although they may look cute, meerkats—like all wildlife—do not make good pets, and are illegal to own without the proper permits and licenses. Instead, head to your local zoo to enjoy these small creatures in action.

Plant & Animal Updates:

New Guy in Town

Meet Mbeli! This handsome, 20-year-old silverback gorilla arrived Saturday and is behind the scenes getting to know his new keepers and exploring his new home. He’s doing great and has been particularly interested in puzzle feeder enrichment and relaxing. Mbeli came to Cincinnati from the Denver Zoo with a recommendation to join our female group, but with no immediate breeding recommendations. He will go through a standard quarantine period before being introduced to public spaces or other gorillas, so it will be several weeks before visitors will see him in Gorilla World. We’ll keep everyone posted on his progress and his introductions to the “Chew Crew”.

 

Bowyer Farm Update

The Bowyer Crews planted wetland plants in small ponds Brian made.  Sedges and lizard tail were planted in the water and colorful plants outside the pond including Cardinal flower, blue lobelia, milk weeds, queen of the Prairie and hibiscus. 

 

Goodbye Faru

Thanks to a giant crane and a lot of work from multiple individuals on Sunday, Faru (aka Utenzi) arrived safely at his new home, Lincoln Park Zoo, and is settling in. He’s eating and getting acclimated to his new environment now and may be visible to the public as soon as tomorrow or as late as next week.  LPZ won’t make a public announcement until is goes outside.
He has a breeding recommendation with 17-year-old Kapuki, so fingers crossed that they will produce a calf.  Her son, Romeo, is at the zoo, too, but in a different habitat. 
LPZ plans to go with Utenzi, the name that’s on his paperwork.

 

Bird Flu Update

Fall migration has begun, and unfortunately with that comes bird flu. Most if not all of you are likely aware that HPAI has been detected within 120 miles of Cincinnati. Because of the sensitive nature of the most recent cases, we have decided to activate our high level protocol immediately.  
As of today, all collection birds have been removed from outdoor habitats and either moved indoors or relocated to spaces with additional wild bird deterrents.   Our Free Flight Aviary, South America, and Australasia habitats are closed, VIPenguin tours and African penguin feedings discontinued, and the Interpretive and Bird Experience teams have modified their programs when applicable. 

 

Don’t Miss Out

Kris Update – Kris is no longer the youngest cheetah in our program, but still thinks she’s the baby. However, she’s fully grown now and is an excellent ambassador cheetah in our program! She loves traveling to our Bowyer farm running yard and really stretching her legs there. She’s also an incredibly speedy runner in our Kroger cheetah encounters, quickly outpacing our seasoned runners. She still has occasional sleepovers with her dog, Remus, and they also can be seen playing in the yard together as well. Kris is very affectionate to her trainers who’ve been there since she was a tiny cub, and loves the attention she gets from them. Be sure to see her run before the encounters end on October 30th!

Conservation News:

 What can Rhino DNA tell us?

https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/zoo-and-museum-center-unlocking-secrets-found-in-rhino-dna/

The Zoo’s team of scientists at CREW are working to help save rhinos. Their recent study: rhino horns may be the key to saving the endangered species from a potentially fatal condition: iron overload disorder.

Click Here to Read More

Fall Migration

A little Redstart like this cutie may have been one of the 10+ million birds that flew over your home last night on the way to his winter home! You can make the long journey safer for him & other birds by turning your lights out at night.

Opportunities:

 Bowling for Rhinos

Don’t miss the opportunity to support the AAZK Cincinnati chapter at their 7th annual Bowling for Rhinos event.  This year the event will take place on October 29th.  Click the link below for more information!

Bowling for Rhinos

Last Native Plant Sale of the Year!

 

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: October 8

New Faces/Positions:

Mayra Trujillo

Please join me in welcoming Mayra Trujillo to the Zoo!  Mayra has joined the Education Department as our new School Program Operations Manager.  Mayra has very diverse experience – having worked in a zoo, a botanical garden, two museums, a nature-based pre-school and spent 4 months in Ghana working as an intern on a west African primate conservation project!  

 

Emily Myers

As of this week, Emily Myers is officially the 5th full-time trainer at the Cat Ambassador Program (aka Cat Show)!
Emily started her career at the Cincinnati Zoo as a CREW Volunteer in 2015. In 2018, Emily became a graduate of the AIP Master’s Program through Miami University and the Cincinnati Zoo, focusing her thesis on connecting people with animals. While Emily’s first job as an animal trainer was leading a “good manners training workshop” with dogs at a local shelter, she has been a part of several Zoo teams since then. Emily worked in Wild Encounters as an Interpreter and Team Supervisor, before she began her journey with the Cat Ambassador Program in 2016. It was later that she would return to Cat Ambassador Program as a part-time permanent trainer.
Outside of her workday, you might find Emily checking out the latest crime documentaries and podcasts. She enjoys hiking, being outdoors, spending time with her family, her dog Bear, and her husband Brian.
If you have not met Emily, head over to the Cheetah Encounter where you will see her in the show that runs through the end of October. Congratulations, Emily!

Contact Information:

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