Volunteer Updates and Opportunities
Bowling for Rhinos _ Looking for Committee Members
It’s time to SAVE THE DATE! This year’s Bowling for Rhinos fundraiser will take place on Sunday, September 29th at Madison bowl. We are looking for volunteers to help organize this event. If you are interested in being on the committee for Bowling for Rhinos, please email Ashley O’Connell, Tami Ware or [email protected]. Active Volunteers are welcome to join the committee!
🙂 More information on the event to come!
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Monarch Blitz
The #MonarchBlitz starts today and goes through 8/4! To participate:
1) Find monarch butterflies & examine milkweed plants for monarch eggs, caterpillars & chrysalises!
2) Share your observations.
Zoo Updates
Laying the Groundwork for Future Horticulturists
Groundwork Ohio River Valley Green Team high school students got the opportunity to learn more about careers in horticulture last week at a job fair hosted by Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. About 150 Groundwork youth employees that have been working for the past two months around Cincinnati doing environmental restoration, ornamental horticulture, urban agriculture, and invasive plant removal attended the event.
Watch video of the event to learn more!
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Dr. Mike Visits Seacrest Studios
Dr. Wenninger visited Seacrest Studios earlier this week to join Dr. Meera Kotagal, head of trauma at CCHMC and head of the Zoo’s ambassador council, to talk about repairing Gladys’ broken arm and how she’s doing now.
He brought the 3D-printed titanium cast that Gladys wore and put it on Dr. Kotagal to show how it fit and how much it weighed. He’s clearly comfortable in the spotlight!!
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ZooTales Podcast
In this engaging episode, zookeepers from the Cincinnati Zoo share their experiences and insights into the care and conservation of North American river otters. The conversation delves into various aspects of otter husbandry, highlighting the zoo’s efforts to provide a naturalistic and enriching environment for these playful animals.
The podcast offers a fascinating glimpse into the daily lives of North American river otters at the Cincinnati Zoo, showcasing the dedication and expertise of the zookeepers who ensure these animals thrive!
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The Cincinnati Zoo’s Thane Maynard Talks Wildlife and Conservation
Click on the link below to see the article from Ohio Magazine
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National Zookeeper Week
This week we celebrated our AMAZING animal team! Thank you to all the volunteers that donated goodies for their celebration tomorrow! I have already received several “Thank you” messages and I am sure they will continue to roll in!
Plant & Animal Updates
Bruno Goes to MedVet
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Jumping John
John the lion shows off his skills! Leaps up to 39 ft vertically & 36 ft horizontally have been reported. Lions get up into trees by jumping, but are not adept climbers. Each paw is equipped with soft rubbery pads to make its movements quiet & help them to sneak up on prey.
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Tiger Teeth
A tiger’s canine teeth can be up to 3 inches long. They have a large space between their molars and canines which makes it easier for them to grasp their prey tightly.
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Sad News:
We were hoping for a better outcome, but Isla’s last ultrasound only picked up one heartbeat. We’re now keeping our fingers crossed for one healthy pup. Stay tuned for a birth announcement!
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Otter Party Trick
North American river otters can close their nostrils to keep water out during long dives.
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Summer Blooms
The Beauty of our gardens are unmatched! Have you checked out the blooms lately?
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Elephant Cool Downs
Since they don’t sweat, elephants flap their large, thin ears to cool down the blood vessels across the ear, which then circulates throughout the body. Or they go for a swim or a cool off with a spray of water or a mud bath!
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Giraffe Patterns
Checking in on male giraffes Zeke and Fenn! Just like human fingerprints, no two giraffe have the same coat pattern.
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Name Options
The keepers have narrowed their top name choices for the new red fox that was brought here after being discovered abandoned in a box in an apartment. Bandit or Scamper?
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Fritz’s Birthday Coming Soon
Fritz will be 2 on Aug 3rd! Celebrate with this new Fritz tee!
Conservation Corner
Volunteer Opportunity to Help out Sloth Partners!
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is working with The Sloth Institute to help humans and animals coexist in Costa Rica through the Sloth Speedways Camera Project.
Sloth speedways are ropes hung from tree to tree to help sloths and other animals move through the tree canopy that had been broken by humans through construction and human maintenance of trees in the area.
This project is to help figure out what ropeways are being used, how often, and by what animals. At the end of the study, the researcher will have a collection of data that will help organizations understand how to build the best ropeways for arboreal species in Costa Rica.
What will you be doing? The selected applicants will be looking at videos taken from security cameras within the trees that have sloth speedways. The applicant will then fill out a data collection form online detailing what animals have been seen and if they used the speedway in the video. This project will be indoors and use the applicants cellphone or a computer to input data, with another device plays the videos.
Click Here to Fill Out the Application
*We will be sending out follow up e-mails after April 12th
Volunteer Corner
A Sad Goodbye to a longtime volunteer:
This note was sent in by a current volunteer:
Barry Paul, a long-time volunteer, passed away July 2. Barry loved the zoo and was very active. Here are some activities, probably not all. He enthusiastically volunteered at the stations on ground. He was great with children. He was active on a committee that wrote about 100 or more animal facts sheet for the volunteers. He wrote the Monday Morning News initially for the Monday Educators. That readership expanded quite a bit. He diligently planned so destinations for Zoo Trippers many journeys. Sadly, he was instrumental in planning a whale watching trip for the group, but a health issue kept him from enjoying it in person.
Barry L. Paul Obituary (1934-2024) | Loveland, OH (echovita.com)
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Olympic Quiz Answers:
Last week we had a quiz about some record holders! Below you will find the answers! Again, thank you Judy S. for putting this together!
