Third Friday Update _ November Edition 11/18/2022

Posted on By Amber Suttmiller

Third Friday Volunteer Update – November Edition

 Vote for Us!

We have been #1 in the Best Zoo Lights category for the last 4 years. Let’s make it 5!!

Click Here to Vote!

Friday, November 18, is the first day that the Festival of Lights is open to the public.  Check out the link below to see a list of the events happening in the evening.
Click Here to Learn More

 Zoo Updates:

Art Auction to Help SORALO

Spread the word so we can raise lots of $$ to support our friends in Kenya!​​​​​​​
Get someone on your holiday shopping list a gift that they are sure not to have!  All funds raised go directly to the Zoo’s field partners in Kenya who are experiencing the worst drought in history.
“There are some truly priceless items in this year’s holiday auction,” said Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard.  “One lucky art collector will get to hang Fritz the baby hippo’s first kiss painting in their home. And the proceeds from all art sales will be sent to our friends in Kenya who are really suffering right now.*”
Many of the masterpieces available in the auction were made by animals with wild counterparts in the areas affected by drought.
“Our keeper team provided some really unique pieces, such as tail paintings by African lions John and Imani and a beautiful hoof print by Tessa the Maasai giraffe,” said Maynard. “There’s also a really sweet painting that includes kisses from Fiona AND Fritz.”
Painting (with non-toxic paint) is an excellent form of enrichment for the animals. Animal care staff offers paints and a canvas to some of the animals, resulting in beautiful works of art.
Click Here to Bid on masterpieces created by Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden animal artists now – November 22!​​​​​​​
* Funds raised will be used to:
Click Here to Learn more about SORALO and the drought affecting this community.

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Gift Shop Sale Time:

Happy Holidays!!

Our Annual Employee Sale happens from 11/29-12/1 all Zoo employees will receive 40% off regular priced merchandise. Items that are excluded are as follows: Books (max discount 25%), Fiona statues, Charley Harper, Masaii Jewelry.

 
Here is our next opportunity to serve the families in our community :  Our Toy Drive for the Lion’s Share Holiday Shop!   The shop is set up so that parents of Rockdale Academy and South Avondale students have the opportunity to select gifts for their children. The last couple years are a little different, as we will not be doing our shop for this, but simply dropping things off. This is still a great way to support students and their families! This is a more personal experience for these families not only because they get to shop themselves, they will also meet animals, complete a craft, enjoy refreshments and get their presents wrapped!  We have committed to supporting as many students and their families from the Rockdale Academy as we can, therefore we are asking all employees and guests for their donations.  Here are all the details for you to share with your teams:
 
  • We are collecting new, unwrapped toys and gifts for ages 0-18yrs
  • Drop off donations in the Gift Shop daily between 10a-9pm now through December 4th
  • Gift Guide attached to make shopping easier (also available in the Gift Shop)
  • Employee Sale in the Zoo Shop 11/29-12/1.  Save 40% off- What a great way to support your Zoo and the Community without fighting for Mall parking! (max book discount 25%, excluding Fiona books, Charley Harper, Fiona statue, Sprints hats, Masaii Jewelry
We are also collecting non-perishable items so we can donate to Be Concerned (in Covington). Please donate what you!
Thank you for your continued support of our neighborhood community!
 

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Sensory Friendly Santa

https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/sensory-friendly-santa-experiences/

 

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Toys for Tots

CZBG will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign.

When you donate to Marine Toys for Tots you are helping to bring the joy of Christmas and send a message of hope to America’s less fortunate children.  97% of your donation goes to our mission of providing toys, books and other gifts to less fortunate children. The 3% spent on support principally covers fundraising expenses – not one donated dollar goes to pay for salaries or any other manpower costs.

Collection box is at Purchasing, it is just inside the office door (not in the main mail delivery area which receives daily deliveries). If office door happens to be locked, just set outside their door and purchasing staff will put it in the donation box for you.

Please put your new, unwrapped toy in donation box, donations will be accepted until Sunday, December 11th.

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Podcast

Dave is here to inspire hope and share stories from his wildlife adventures around the world.
Click Here to Listen

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Fiona Love at the Zoo

Fiona Love at the Zoo is on the shelves! Join your favorite hippo, Fiona, as she visits her zoo friends and celebrates how love makes the world more beautiful. Fiona, Love at the Zoo is another addition to the wildly successful Fiona the Hippo series of books, created by New York Times bestselling illustrator Richard Cowdrey. Get your copy at your favorite book retailer or the Zoo’s gift shop.

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Holiday Shop Open

Looking for Something Cozy?  Our Uniform partners at Promospark have added a few new Winter gear items to our online store just in time for the holidays.  These items are not required as part of your Volunteer service, just fun additions if you are looking for something zoo logoed and cozy!  All orders require payment at the time of check out and logoed items are can not be returned.  Place your order before 11/24 to receive your items by the holidays.  
Click Here for the Uniform Website

 Just For Fun:

Reds Community Fund

Our friends at the Reds have asked us to help get votes for the Reds Community Makeover!  When you’re voting for FOL for Best Lights (every day), consider one more click to help our partners win 10K!
Request from the Reds…
I wanted to share some exciting information while asking for your help.  The Reds Community Fund has been selected as one of five finalists for Major League Baseball’s Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence. Each of the five 2022 finalists, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees, are competing for a $10,000 contribution.  The nomination is based on the Makeover so I’m hoping you all can vote and help spread the word.
This is the first year that the finalists are competing in a fan balloting process which began yesterday and runs through next Monday, November 21.  There is no limit so you can vote daily and share with others. The winner will be announced during the MLB Winter Meetings in early December.
Click on the following link which will take you directly to the ballot: Vote now
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Jin

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Fenn

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Horticulture Volunteers get the job done!

Planting tulips at Admin Island
  • Admin Island takes over 20k tulips
  • It was laid out and planted in 4.5 hours by about 50 people (staff, hort volunteers, & corporate volunteers)
  • 15 different varieties of tulips were used in this bed
  • Be sure to check out the newly renovated section of Admin Island across from the Reptile House with even more tulip varieties this Spring!
Hanging Lights in Santa’s Village for Festival of Lights
  • Over 100 trees are decorated in Santa’s Village for Festival of Lights in addition to other areas throughout the zoo.

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Fritz

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Tanzi

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Rico

Plant & Animal Updates:

Sabu Update

Sabu was transported to his new temporary home at the Columbus Zoo today.  The elephant team deserves a big round of applause for all the work that went into this successful move. Fingers crossed that Sabu will pass along his valuable genetics in Columbus and then come back and do the same here when he returns in 2024!
The news below will be shared with the public later today (after he has been fully unloaded and is in the habitat).
Asian Elephant Sabu Moves from Cincinnati Zoo to Columbus to Contribute to the Survival of his Species
Three females to be paired with genetically valuable bull
A ten-thousand-pound bull elephant, Sabu [SAH-boo], was moved earlier today from Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where he will be introduced to three breeding-age females.
“Sabu is one of the most genetically valuable males in the North American population of Asian elephants and has no living offspring,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s director of animal care, Christina Gorsuch.   “This move will triple his chances to contribute to the survival of this endangered species.”
Sabu will return to Cincinnati in 2024 prior to the opening of the new, five-acre Elephant Trek habitat.
“Our elephant team worked hard to prepare Sabu for this big move.  They trained him to walk into his transfer crate voluntarily, eliminating the need for anesthesia and minimizing stress on move day,” said Gorsuch.  “This is no small feat if you consider Sabu’s stature and cautious personality!”
Columbus will be Sabu’s fourth home since the 34-year-old elephant arrived in the United States in 1991.  He sired two calves, one at Dickerson Park Zoo in and one at the Cincinnati Zoo, but both died from a virus (Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus – EEHV) that is still a major threat to the North American elephant population.
“Collaboration between zoos is essential in order to ensure the long-term success of elephants in a managed population,” said Gorsuch. “We support each other’s programs for husbandry, training, medical emergencies and just general keeper education and professional development.”
Cincinnati Zoo has partnered with Columbus Zoo on many other Species Survival Plan® (SSP)-supported animal moves and, as the only two Ohio zoos in the Manatee Rescue & Rehabilitation Partnership (MRP), work closely with them to rehabilitate manatees and return them to Florida waters.
“We know that he’s in good hands and are glad that he’s just a short drive away,” said Gorsuch. “We look forward to his return and hope that he sires lots of calves in the coming years, in Columbus and here, to help contribute to the species’ survival.”
In addition to building a world-class home for elephants here in Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Zoo is committed to helping Asian elephants survive in their native habitats, working with the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation (ANCF) in India to reduce human-elephant conflict outside protected areas. The Zoo is also actively involved with the Asian Elephant SAFE (Save Animals From Extinction) Program (AeSP), initiated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which has these primary goals:
  • To stop illegal trafficking of wild elephants by identifying and tracking individuals in range states using DNA profiling, microchips, and photographic recognition technology.
  • To support efforts to find a vaccine for Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV), the largest single cause of death of Asian elephants in North America and Europe.
  • To raise awareness about Asian elephants and their conservation status.
Asian elephants are highly endangered, with approximately 40,000 individuals found in 13 Asian countries.
Cincinnati Zoo is developing innovative projects to get more of its audiences involved in Asian elephant conservation.  There are also many ways to advance the Zoo’s mission to bring people “close enough to care” about this species, including making a http://support.cincinnatizoo.org/mh2r.

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New Manatees

https://cincinnatizoo.org/news-releases/welcome-manatees/

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Fritz Update

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Lightning

 

Volunteer Corner

 
A group of Cincinnati Zoo Volunteers 1recently attended the AZADV Conference in Toledo, Ohio.  Click the link below to read a report from Deb Maruffi about everything that happened at AZADV.
Click Here to Read More
 

Conservation Corner:

 Continuing Education _ Elle Faris, Sustainability

We were lucky to have our Sustainability Intern, Elle Faris, join us on Tuesday night to teach us a little bit about the Sustainability Efforts happening every day at the Zoo, a look at to future projects, and even some ideas on how we can all live more sustainable lives.  Elle is a former ZooTeen majoring in Environmental Studies at the University of Cincinnati.  Click on the link below to watch the video and maybe even get some Sustainable Christmas Gift ideas!

Click Here to Watch the Video

 We have had quite a few Volunteers ask about the “Refilleries” that Elle mentioned in her Chat.  I have found the links to the 3 places Elle mentioned and included them below.  Click on the Name of the Refillery to be directed to their website.
Fill More Waste Less – Kenwood, OH
Refilled @ KY Botanical Company – Covington, KY
Simply Zero – Cincinnati, OH

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Electronics Recycling

Some of our Ambassador Day Leaders and ZooTeens worked together last week to box up cell phones to send to EcoCell for your recycling!  Late that week the EcoCell team came and picked up all 34 Boxes!  Thank you to everyone who participated and everyone who donated their electronics…keep them coming!

Opportunities:

The Giving Tree

Click Here for the Direct Amazon Link

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Volunteer Roles Accepting Applications

Did you know that we are accepting Applications for several Volunteer Roles here at the Zoo?  Check out the areas that are currently accepting applications and share the links with your Friends and Family!
Zoo Ambassadors _ Weekdays
Zoo Ambassadors _ Weekends
CREW Cat Colony Assistants _ Weekends
 

Contact Information:

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