First Friday Update – December Edition

Remember to check in on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month for Volunteer Updates!

I hope everyone was able to visit with family and enjoy a good meal over the holiday last week! Some of the animals joined in on the fun!

Even the Meerkats enjoyed some Frisch’s Pumpkin Pie! Click on the image to watch a short video!

Zoo Updates:

Vote for Us!

Don’t forget to take a moment to Vote for the Zoo for Best Lights! The Voting will end on Monday, December 6th! Help give us this last minute push, you can vote once a day!

Click Here to Vote

Illumination – Duke Energy

Kim Denzler, our Special Events Manager, took some time to speak with Duke Energy-Illumination to tell them all about how we “Go Wild for the Holidays”! In addition to the article, there is a wonderful video featuring so many of our favorite areas of Festival of Lights! If you haven’t made it to FOL yet, make sure you do! If you passed right by the link to vote…don’t forget to get back there and cast your vote daily to ensure we keep the crown as the Best Zoo Lights! Our team deserves it!

Check this Out

A Special “Thank You” to the Cincinnati Zoo staff that brightens the day of so many families at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital right here in our back yard. This week our staff made the new courtyard a little brighter by bringing over some festive decorations!

90 Second Naturalist

I am sure all of you know, Thane Maynard has been recording his signature radio segment “90 Second Naturalist” since 1987. But did you know you can STILL make your own unexpected discovery in ninety seconds every weeknight at 9:00pm on WVXU 91.7, as well as member stations all across the country. Wolves, Night Blooming Flowers, Sharks, Piranhas and the Platypus are just a few examples of what has recently been discussed on Thane’s program. Lucky for all of us, you can listen to these 90-second segments any time you want. I caught up on about 10 just while I have been writing this message! Do yourself a favor…listen and enjoy!

Click Here to Discover past 90 Second Naturalist Segments

ZooTales Podccast

The next Podcast is up, and it is one of the most unique episodes I’ve listened to. This episode features Amanda Weisel, Cincinnati Zoo Elephant Keeper and owner if Good Shepherd Farm. Amanda’s unique perspective on her farm in Dillsboro, IN and the idea of regenerative agriculture is something that you have to listen to! Bonus – The Trivia is all about our Africa department, make sure you listen until the end to get some insider info…including our oldest animal in Africa.

Unique Gift Ideas:

Are you struggling to find special gifts for that special someone this holiday season? The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden gift shop has a fantastic selections of gifts that even the biggest scrooge will love! You can shop during Zoo operating hours or any time through our website.

Click Here for the Online Zoo Store

Need some inspiration to make a list before you shop? Check out this wonderful Holiday Gift Guide created by our graphics Department.

Click Here for the Interactive Gift Guide

Plant & Animal Information:

Meristem – Jared Barnes, Ph.D.

Last week there were Horticulture Symposiums here on site. On of the speakers, Jared Barnes, Ph.D., took time to feature photos from his time here at the Zoo on his personal blog, Meristem. There are some BEAUTIFUL photos of the Fall colors on display as well as some fun commentary!

World Tamandua Day

November 29th was World Tamandua Day and the Zoo celebrated with Sal! Take a look at this Facebook Live to learn more about Sal and Tamanduas – like how long is a Tamanduas tongue!

Itchy

Do the winter months make you skin dry and itchy…I know mine is! Check out Rico in this short video showing us the best way to scratch your winter itchy spells. Make sure you have the sound on!

Mimi

Above you will find a picture of 4-month old Mimi showing off a unique Red Panda trait. Red pandas have a small, thumb-like bone that sticks out from the wrist that helps them grasp bamboo shoots.

Dragon-Headed Katydid

This is a dragon-headed katydid hatchling that is about one week old. The dragon-headed katydid is a type of bush cricket, so named for its huge mandibles that are used to eat a variety of fruits and other insects. Katydids are well-camouflaged to look like leaves in order to avoid predators.

Sugar and Wesley

Every day is play time for Sugar and Wesley! In the video below, they play with a water polo ball! The river otter is famous for its playful antics – mud sliding, water sports and manipulating objects – which increases coordination and sharpens hunting skills. Check out the video below to see them in action!

Pam & Myrtle

We have all seen the videos of Theo with the “zoomies” but have you ever been lucky enough to catch Pam & Myrtle making their way around the ward? Check out the video below to see them in action!

World Jaguar Day

We may not have a jaguar here at the Cincinnati Zoo, but that doesn’t mean that we have no news to share. Our very own Dr. Lindsey Vansandt from CREW is helping jaguars whose populations are fragmented by habitat destruction. Her reproductive research is working towards the goal of increasing the # of jaguars to a stable population

A Lion’s Mane

A lion’s mane is a big indicator of overall nutrition and hormone levels. Those with a darker mane are healthier and have more testosterone – making them more attractive to females. As you can see from the photo, John is a pretty handsome Lion!

African Penguin

African penguins can hold their breath over 2 minutes and dive over 400 feet deep!

Zoo Birthdays:

Theo

Happy 2nd Birthday to Theo, our youngest Maasai Giraffe. Theo was born on November 23rd,2019 to mother Cece. He is full of energy, oftentimes seen bucking around his habitat. “We picked the name Theo because it means divine gift. He was the gift that our team needed following the death of the calf’s dad a week before he arrived,” said Christina Gorsuch, Cincinnati Zoo’s curator of mammals. Theo was the 17th calf born at the zoo since 1889 and Cece’s second birth.

Gilligan

November 29th was our pink-backed pelican, Gilliagan’s 17th birthday!

Keeper Chat:

Who remembers this little one? Well, our Verreaux Eagle Owl is not so little and featherless anymore! Dustin, from the Wings of Wonder Bird Encounter, took some time to give us an update on Ori during a recent staff meeting. I knew all of you would enjoy catching up with Ori and Dustin graciously agreed to let me share the presentation with you! Take a moment to learn more about Ori!

Opportunities:

Perfect North Slopes:

Perfect North is offering a discount code for all Zoo employees & volunteers!

Account Services

Dear Perfect North Affiliate Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden,

Congratulations! Perfect North Affiliate Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is now signed up for fun! Just log into your own Perfect North site to buy tickets. This online benefit program allows you to “print and go” so you have your ticket in hand when you get to Perfect North with no waiting in line to purchase tickets.

To access your exclusive tickets, click the link below, then log into the site with the username and password provided.

Click Here for the Special Ticket Link

Username: CINTIZOO

Password: ZOO2122

Lion’s Share:

It’s time for our annual Lion’s Share Toy drive for local Rockdale Academy. In hopes that we can help make this holiday season a little brighter for the students and their families, we have partnered with faculty to assess what is needed most. This year, besides the usual toy drive, there is an exceptional need for gift cards, household items, and family hygiene products. Below are some examples of things you can donate:

Gifts for children ages 0-18
Plush animals or toys from the gift shop or elsewhere
Hygienic products like toothbrushes, laundry detergent, soap, etc.
Household items like toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, etc.
Gift cards in $5 increments to use as prizes/incentives for older students (Target, Walmart, 5 Below, etc…)
Books or other educational items
Winter related items like gloves and hats
Cold hard cash! Any amount is welcomed! We will use the cash to purchase items the school needs most. – Cash donations can be given directly to a retail manager, or you can Venmo Lisa Banks directly @Lisa-banks-47 OR to Cailtin Kavesh @SSACaitlinKavesh (See Image Below to Scan)

We understand donating is not easy for everyone, but every contribution helps! To help encourage donations, as in past years we will be offering a raffle for winner’s choice of either a week of free lunch from the cafe OR up to $25 of free merchandise from the gift shop! The raffle winner will be announced on 12/12.

Donations will be accepted in the main Gift Shop from now until Thursday 12/8/21

Gift Shop hours- 10 am – 9pm

Gifts for our Animals:

Are you looking for a way to support the Zoo animals that we all know and love so much? You can purchase enrichment items specifically for the Zoo animals and they will be shipped directly to the Zoo!

Enrichment is an important part of the daily care we provide to our animals. Enrichment is anything the zookeepers add to the animals’ environments to stimulate their senses and elicit natural behaviors such as foraging, exploration, hunting, problem solving and even play. Each species’ individual needs are considered when designing enrichment activities. our keepers use enrichment to keep animals healthy by encouraging physical activity and mental stimulation. Some of the ways our animals are enriched include environments, social, training, environmental enrichment devices, sensory and novel foods.

Click Here to view the Wish List

Happy Zoo Year!

Would you be interested in helping with our “Happy Zoo Year” event on December 31^st. The Events team had the fun idea of throwing a glow party for the guests! There was a thought to have a glow bar that consists of tons of fun accessories (i.e. glow sticks, hats, sunglasses, necklaces, etc.) to give to the guests. To make this dream come alive, they will need a handful of friendly, fun loving and charismatic Volunteers to pass out the accessories!

Click Here to Learn More

Friendly Faces:

Security & Safety Team:

Wei Liu, Director of Security and Safety

Wei comes to us from the Hamilton County Library system, where he held a similar role since 2015. Before that, he served the State of New York for 15+ years, acting in several capacities ranging from working the beat on the streets of Queens as a patrol officer, to working with the Department of Public Safety for Brooklyn. His past 20+ years have been very diverse and dynamic working in all sorts of settings and roles.

Message from Wei:

CZBG Security and Safety has been busy over the last few months and I wanted to take this chance to share with all of you the most current composition of our full-time team as well as our internal mission statement.

The professionals that are depicted below are excited to contribute to the Zoo’s mission and security and are looking forward to our continued collaborations to ensure a safe and secure environment for our staff, guests, and neighbors. They have shared a brief biography about themselves to highlight their experiences.

CZBG Security and Safety, Mission Statement:

CZBG Security and Safety’s mission is to enhance the quality of the zoo experience for all of our guests and staff by working in partnership with our internal stakeholders and external law enforcement and security partners. We are committed to accomplishing this mission of protecting the lives and property of our animals, customers, and staff, by treating everyone with compassion, courtesy, and respect, while efficiently rendering security services and impartial enforcement of our rules. We are expected to maintain a higher standard of integrity than is generally expected of others because so much is expected of us.

Liz Clemons, Associate Director, Security and Safety (first day, Monday, 11/29/21)

Liz is a Cincinnati native who has been in the security and safety world since enlisting in the Navy after high school. Once off active duty, she spent a year in contract security with Securitas USA before moving to the Cincinnati Zoo.

After four years in the Security Department at CZBG, she became the Safety Manager at the Newport Aquarium. Liz got the opportunity to return to Securitas USA serving as the Field Service Manager out of the Cincinnati office and was promoted to District Manager soon after.

Liz is returning to the Cincinnati Zoo as the Associate Director of Security and is incredibly excited to return to her roots in AZA security/safety world.

Cutter McMinn, Training / Development Coordinator, Security and Safety (promoted from shift supervisor, 11/20/21)

Cutter is originally from Central Pennsylvania, close to Penn State, and moved to Ohio in 2018. He has an Ecology degree from Susquehanna University where he spent 3 years working in an arachnology lab, taking lead on research projects ranging from heavy metal content in spiders to inundation studies.

While there, he helped found a Beekeeping club and Animal Club, the latter of which helped design an ecofriendly solution to control the grass around the campuses solar array using local sheep.

Some things that most people don’t know about Cutter is that he was a professional classic and folk dancer for several years and that he helped to construct a trail for the Galapagos National Park on Isla Isabela. He has three frogs, two guinea pigs, a cat, a corn snake, and a crested gecko. When he is not at the zoo, he divides his free time between photography, gaming, and music.

Mark Ray, Shift Supervisor, Security and Safety

Mark is a United States Army veteran and prior law enforcement officer. He started his law enforcement career as a police officer in Charlotte, North Carolina and then relocated to Florida where he was a Palm Beach County Deputy Sheriff in Palm Beach County Florida for 18 years.

Mark served in various positions there – he was a road patrol deputy, field training officer, homicide detective and finally a K-9 handler.

He relocated back to Cincinnati in July of 2016 to be closer to family and eventually found his way to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens in April of 2018 where he started as a night shift supervisor.

Mark then transferred to the day shift in June of 2019 and was promoted to Security Operations Supervisor soon thereafter and served the zoo in that position until he left briefly in July of 2020 to care for a family member out of state.

He subsequently returned to the zoo family as a security supervisor in March of 2021.

When Mark isn’t at work at the zoo he can be found outdoors kayak fishing, photographing wildlife or producing wildlife artwork as he is an avid wildlife photographer and artist and produces fish and wildlife artwork for his clients.

Mark has three grown sons and three grandsons. He currently resides in White Oak, Ohio, with his wife Suzanne.

Darcy Dunn, Night Shift Supervisor, Security and Safety

Darcy has been with the zoo since April of 2018. She served as a cook in the Army National Guard for six years and deployed for one year under Operation New Dawn and Operation Spartan Shield. Additionally, Darcy attended UW-Oshkosh for one semester, majoring in Applied Foreign Languages, then transferred to Cincinnati State Technical & Community College for the Interpreter Training Program for five semesters, learning American Sign Language.

She is the mother of one daughter who loves animals and three ungrateful cats.

In her spare time, she enjoys video games and making jewelry.

Samantha Canovas, Shift Supervisor, Security and Safety

Sam was born in Chicago and moved to Cincinnati in 2017. She went to the University of Cincinnati to study Criminal Justice and graduated last May. Sam started working part time in the Security Department October of 2017 and in January of 2019, she became a full-time supervisor while continuing classes and taking the max number of credit hours. She has three cats – two of whom were found at the zoo, and one was found at a cemetery. In her spare time, Sam enjoys spending her time outdoors hiking, or indoors, exploring new restaurants.

Upcoming Zoo Events:

November19th-January 9th – PNC Festival of Lights

Click Here for more information on FOL

December 31st – Happy Zoo Year

Don’t forget to Log your Hours in MVP. Do you need a quick refresher course on logging your hours? Click Here

Contact Information:

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

**My in-office hours have been varying week to week to accommodate staff meetings. The best way to reach me day-to-day is through e-mail.