Volunteer Updates and Opportunities
RSVP for the Volunteer Year-End Celebration
We had you mark your calendars all the way back in the Spring and it is finally the time to make the invitation official! We hope you can join us for a fun-filled evening together with a Picnic Dinner, “GiRaffle” Prizes, and more.
CZBG Volunteer Appreciation Picnic Information:
- Thursday, October 19th 2023
- 5:30pm-7:30pm
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Picnic Shelters –
- Azaela & Jasmine Shelters
We are looking forward to a night celebrating you and hope to see all of you there! If you would like to attend, please submit your RSVP in MVP no later than Sunday, October 8th. This event is for Volunteers who are on track to log 50 hours or more by the end of the year. *You will only have access to RSVP for the event if your current logged hours are at least 40.
***********
Sign Up to Volunteer at Zoo Brew
We are about a month away from ZooBrew and we are looking for Volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering for the ZooBrew on October 12th, please complete the Form below:
Click Here to Sign Up
************
AZA Conference SWAG for You!
I had the pleasure of attending the AZA conference this week in Columbus, OH! I was able to brag about how wonderful the volunteers are here at the Zoo and learn about programs happening all over the country. One of my favorite things to do when I go on a trip is to bring back souvenirs for my friends! I was able to get my hands on a whole box of Calendars from the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom booth and I am excited to share them with you!
If you are interested in a calendar, they will be available at my desk on the 3rd floor of the education building starting Monday, October 18th! Feel free to stop by and grab a calendar. Although it seems like I have a lot, I don’t have enough for all 500 volunteers so when they are gone they’re gone!
Zoo Updates
Vote for Issue 19
We will be Issue 19 on the November ballot. Now that we have that information, we can move full speed ahead with creating campaign materials and getting the word out for Hamilton County residents to vote FOR Issue 19.
If you haven’t already requested a yard sign, please use this employee form to get one or ten – Yard Sign Pickup Request Form (jotform.com)
Here’s a link to share with family and friends who live in Hamilton County – https://friendsofthecincinnatizoo.org/yes-to-yard-sign/
Here’s our updated infographic to help with talking points in favor of the levy.
***********
Elephant Trek Update
Main Gift Shop Closed – 9/25
Hello. SSA Retail will be conducting their semi annual inventory on Monday September 25, 2023. This will have the main gift shop closed all day to allow time for the team to count every single thing on the sales floor. We will have signs up on the doors, a notice on HQ, and the shop down at Mai Thai’s Marketplace will be open all day for visitors to purchase souvenirs from their visit!
***********
Gift from Generous, Kind Man
Message from Thane:
You may have seen an article in the Business Courier announcing that Hugh Hoffman left a large sum of money to the Zoo, UC, The Nature Center, and other institutions.
I traveled with Hugh over the years and had no idea that he was wealthy enough to even make such a gift, which will bring about $50 million to the Zoo. He just loved nature and wanted his money to be used to support the exact kind of work that we do!
We were surprised to find out about this gift a few weeks ago and are still discussing the best ways to use the funds. The Hoffman family visited the Zoo and has given us some directions to consider.
This is great news for the Zoo and for our mission to inspire visitors (everyone) with wildlife every day. It’s also a good reminder that there are genuinely nice people out there who care about the planet.
***********
ZooTales
Keeper Michelle teaches us about the important and complex work she is doing with flower beetles and other insects!
Plant & Animal Updates
Fritz Update
***********
Remembering Redd
With an unexpected rapid decline in health, the Cat Ambassador and Veterinary Team had to say an extremely difficult goodbye to a very special boy, Redd, on September 2nd.
“Redd was one of those animals that touched the hearts of everyone he met. Redd was born at our Mast Farm, in a litter with his sisters Willow and Cathryn. The Cat Ambassador team was only slated to keep the 2 sisters from the litter and Redd was supposed to go to another zoo but Redd’s sweet personality won us over and we couldn’t let him go.
Redd was born premature and had a rocky start, but he had people from all over rooting for him to survive and get through his challenges. Redd did not transition to eating meat well so he had to have a feeding port at a young age. He wore converted t-shirts and custom-made onesies to protect his feeding port. Redd stole everyone’s heart running around the zoo nursery playing with his siblings wearing his onesie. Later in his life, Redd also had to have corrective hip surgery which left him with a funny walk, but he got through that as well. Redd never let his health challenges stop him from living his life to the fullest and his story became an inspiration for many. Children especially connected with Redd and he was a symbol for overcoming adversity. Senior Trainer Andie has many memories of these connections. “I will never forget the number of kids that would come to the zoo to see Redd, because they too had a feeding tube, and could connect with Redd. Some of my favorite memories were when I was doing a program with Redd and would talk about his feeding tube and a kid would raise their hand and say that they had a feeding tube as well. Redd would lay there and purr and let me show the kids his scar from the feeding tube and show the kids that he made it through, they can as well.” Parents would write us letters expressing their gratitude that we shared Redd’s journey with their family and many of these families came back to see Redd on more than one occasion.
Redd was the sweetest animal many of us have ever had the pleasure of working with. He truly loved everyone and would connect with you in a way that is hard to describe as animal care staff.
Redd loved going on walks around the zoo in the mornings, smelling the tulips, watching the birds on swan lake, and interacting with the kea through the glass. The affection he showed for his care staff was something we will never forget. He would always greet us with the loudest purrs every morning and his favorite thing was just to sit with his care staff and get groomed by them. Redd would often groom his care staff back by licking their arms all while purring loudly.
Redd was one of those animals that you can never forget, and he left us way too soon. We will miss his gentle eyes, his endless purrs and his sweet, loving personality. Thank you Redd for being the best cheetah, for inspiring thousands of people to overcome the hardest challenges and come out the other side with the best attitude and a love for all of those who loved you.
We are forever grateful for the time we had with Redd and the joy that he brought to us and the many visitors that loved him.”
-The Cat Ambassador Team
***********
Opal Update
Opal the awesome opossum. Opossums have 50 teeth, the most teeth of any wild mammal in North America (bears, coyotes, and foxes have 42 teeth, humans have 32). But don’t worry opossums are non-aggressive, and very rarely bite humans. Let’s debunk another myth that opossums carry diseases. They very rarely carry rabies as their body temperatures are too low for the virus to survive. So when they hiss at you, it is just because they are frightened, not because they have rabies.
***********
What’s Blooming Now:
***********
Lucy Update
Lucy the American alligator is doing remarkably well after surviving a near-fatal infection in her tail that required a large portion of it to be amputated. The vet team was astounded by her quick bounce back after her surgery. She is back in her habitat in Manatee Springs after some modifications were made to her pool to help her navigate with a much shorter tail. Stop by to see her on your next visit.
***********
Alligator Gar gets and Ultrasound
***********
Aye Aye Birthday – September 10th
Please wish Medea the aye aye a Happy 19th Birthday!!!
***********
Lucille’s Birthday – September 12th
Happy 4th Birthday to Lucille the bearcat.
***********
Zoey’s Birthday – September 13th
Happy 7th Birthday to silly Zoey!
***********
Meerkat Birthdays – September 14th
Happy 9th Birthday to meerkat siblings Shakira and Mark.
**********
Harley Update
***********
Hornbills
You can tell male and female Rhino Hornbills apart easily by looking at their eyes. The females will have clear, light blue eyes. The males will have orange or red eyes.
**********
Juno Eating Lettuce
**********
Hellbender
The largest fully aquatic salamander in the United States, the hellbender absorbs oxygen from the water through its wrinkly skin. Hellbender nicknames include snot otter, water dog, lasagna lizard and Allegheny alligator.
**********
Lemur Fun
Ring-tailed lemur’s stomachs aren’t as furry as the rest of their bodies, so they often point their bellies toward the sun for warmth. You often see them facing the sun with their arms outspread soaking up the sun. 
Conservation Corner
Congratulations to CREW
I’m thrilled to share that CREW received Top Honors in AZA’s 2023 Research Award category for “The critical role of science in achieving success with Sumatran rhinoceros propagation.” Dr. Terri Roth and Paul Reinhart, who have both played key roles in this success, were on hand on Wednesday to accept the award. That day also happened to be the 22nd anniversary of Andalas’ birth!!
The Cincinnati Zoo has been involved with Sumatran rhino conservation since the founding of the Sumatran Rhino Trust in 1987. The great leap forward for the program began in 1996 when Dr. Terri Roth took over the Directorship of our Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW). Her work and that of her CREW team led to the birth of Andalas in 2001, the first Sumatran rhino born and bred in a zoo in 112 years. Since that time, with the guidance from the Cincinnati Zoo CREW scientists in partnership with the International Rhino Foundation and others, an effective managed breeding and husbandry program exists at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia where the last best hope for the species exists today.
The ongoing breeding success at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary is living proof that ‘saving species with science’ is a reality. The 3-decade-long research and conservation program led by Cincinnati Zoo scientists is providing a spark of hope for this critically endangered species.
**********
Wildlife Ranger Challenge happening this weekend:
It is not too late to join or contribute!
Zoo Staff Updates
Message from Lily Maynard, Director of Global Conservation:
I’m thrilled to share that Bailey Cadena has started in a new position as a Coexistence Project Manager on the Conservation Impact Team! Bailey started at CZBG a year ago while serving in AmeriCorps as the Global Conservation member. In that 11-month service, she activated new dimensions of our partnerships with our global conservation partners, including leading the global partner webinar series from Dec – Feb with 19 events connecting our inspiring and diverse partners with all CZBG staff!!
(The recordings are still on the Vine here and here, check them out especially the one about our long-time partners in the Congo working to save gorillas and chimps since they just won the AZA William Conway Conservation Award!!)
During her service, Bailey also led the design, research, and development of a project built on her engineering training to support our flagship conservation partner, SORALO. In the face of the catastrophic, 2-year drought in Kenya that ended in May 2023, she conducted research on global best practices for water resiliency and sustainability to empower the Maasai communities to prepare for future droughts. She provided these resources to SORALO and continues to collaborate with them and our Facilities and Sustainability teams about their implementation.
Bailey brings exceptional skills to the Zoo to enable opportunities for all of us to actively support the communities and wildlife who coexist. Her energizing positive attitude and vision will no doubt boost our projects to new levels. Conservation is complicated and we need everyone involved, so as always, please reach out if you have ideas or want to get more involved. I can’t wait to see what we all accomplish together!
**********
Visitor Experience Coordinator – Amanda Pace
Message from Jenn Taylor-Phelps, Sr. Manager of Visitor Experience:
We’re excited to share that we’ve added Amanda Pace to the Visitor Experience team! She will be focusing on recruiting, hiring, onboarding, end of employment and other employee needs. We’re looking forward to having her passion for the Zoo and experience from her time with Zooteens on our team!
Here’s a bit more about Amanda:
“I just finished my second AmeriCorps service term as the ZooTeen Engagement Member at the end of July! I first came to Cincinnati from the Cleveland, Ohio area to attend the University of Cincinnati where I received my B.A and M.A in Communication. I also have certificates in public relations and deaf studies!
I first came to love zoos when I visited as a child with my grandma and eventually became a teen volunteer at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for 4 years. It was during this time that I realized I could see my future in the zoo world!
Some fun facts about me are that I am a huge roller coaster enthusiast. I have 5 cats, and I love them dearly. I’m a major Swiftie at heart. I’m on the last A Court of Thorn and Roses book and I am SO obsessed. My favorite animal is a Rhino!”