What Famous Detective Got Caught Napping in a Zoo Exhibit?
Zoo Animal Ins, Outs and Abouts
Polar Patrol
If you notice a bare patch on Willy, the Polar Bear, do not be alarmed.
Willy has not been feeling well lately, so the Zoo's veterinary staff needed to give him a physical exam. Staff shaved off a small patch of fur as part of the procedure.
We expect Willy's winter coat to grow back rather quickly.
Alligator Alley
Don't expect to see the American Alligators kicking up much action this time of year. All seven members of our Alligator congregation* remain on exhibit, but the winter weather has cooled their behaviors from slow to slower-than-sluggish. Truth is, the alligators are mostly waiting out the cold in torpor—a reduced metabolic state that has them acting like wax replicas of alligators.
Torpor—like its cousin, hibernation—is the adaptation of choice for many species while they cope with predictable, severe food shortages.Torpidity buffers them against starvation by cranking down their internal furnaces so that just a few calories can keep the home fires burning.
The famine facing our alligators has nothing to do with a food shortage in the Zoo's commissary. Alligators, like all reptiles, need sunlight and warm temperatures to stoke up their metabolic fires. When the Sun retreats in winter, the falling temperatures slow alligators down so much that their stomachs cannot digest any food. So, the 'gators will have to wait for a spring thaw to muster enough energy to eat again.
* Yep, "congregation" is right. A group of adult alligators is called a "congregation." A group of young alligators is usually called a "pod."
Bison Watch
Two pregnant Bison have arrived at the Zoo. The young females are still in quarantine, but they should be on exhibit well before their calves are born. Something else to look forward to in Spring.
Mini Monsters
A matching pair of very cute babies popped out of their shells recently in the Sonora Desert. These mini Gila Monsters are the first to hatch at our Zoo.
Gila Monsters are one of only two species of lizards worldwide that produce venom to help them hunt and ward off predators.
Giraffe News
Another duo, the young Giraffes that went on exhibit in October, are adjusting well. The Zoo's Curator of Mammals, Terry Webb, is working diligently with other Animal Division staff, as well as with our Design staff, to create a Giraffe Feeding Station. The Zoo plans to open the Feeding Station in the spring.
Think about it! The next time you visit, you could have giraffes eating out of your hand!
Plant Happenings
Jonathan Priddy, a Zoo horticulturist, examines blooms of a Murphey's Agave growing in the Sonora Desert exhibit. The stalk holding the blooms stands about 14-feet high.
These blooms are the first to appear on this particular Agave, which set its roots in Sonora Desert exhibit back in 1993.
Many Agave species are late bloomers. They may wait 20 or more years to open their blossoms. So much times passes before their blooms appear that many people call them "Century Plants." After they bloom, most Agaves act like reproducing Salmon: they die.
Most Murphey's Agave are 20 to 25 years old when they set their blossoms. This species skirts death (sort of) when it blooms. The mother's rosette will wither and die shortly after she blooms. But, before she turns to dust, she will send out a few underground stalks that will emerge as daughter rosettes in the future.
One-of-a-Kind Gifts and Opportunities from the Zoo Society To You
We are raffling off the chance for two people to spend a whole day with Zoo Veterinarian Dr. Ryan DeVoe—making rounds in the back areas, watching a surgery or annual physical on some big Zoo animals, and chatting with the veterinary staff over a catered lunch.
Tickets are only $10 and the winner gets to bring along a friend to share the experiences. Proceeds from the raffle will support Dr. Ryan's veterinary services to help rare and endangered species.
Click here to learn more.Click here to read the rules
This holiday, consider giving gifts that communicate your values as well as your friendship. Consider:
Collectors' Christmas Tree ornament
Proceeds from this limited-edition, handcrafted ornament will be used to help the Zoo build a conservation and research institute to protect native frogs, toads and salamanders.
This Society exclusive ornament is handcrafted in porcelain by North Carolina artist Chris Gabriel. The $24.99 prices includes the member's discount and shipping.
Click here to learn more or purchase.
A gift membership to the Zoo Society 
We are packing a plush seal with this year's Holiday
Gift memberships. Members enjoy free admission to the N.C. Zoo and can take advantage of free or reduced admission to more than 150 zoos and aquariums around the continent.
To add a plush seal to your gift membership just
click here. Each of these deluxe memb
erships arrives
with a plush seal pup, festive wrappings, a membership card and a gift
message that you compose.
Gift memberships are $7 more than standard individual and family
memberships, ($10 more for higher level memberships). The additional fee covers the cost of the plush seal, holiday packaging and extra mailing costs.
Adopt a Polar Bear
This year's Holiday Adoption is a cuddly Polar Bear. The adoption arrives with a picture of the Zoo's Polar Bear, a 14-inch plush bear and an official adoption certificate.
The
proceeds from this adoption will help the Zoo expand its
existing Polar
Bear exhibit and upgrade the existing pool to handle salt water. These
changes will make the Zoo eligible to bring in more Polar Bears and
start a breeding program here.
Adopt a Holiday Bear for only $45 and help us see the time when Polar Bear cubs frolic in their N.C. Zoo exhibit.
Or go really wild and
add a behind-the-scenes tour of the Polar Bear barn to
your adoption gift. The cost is $500 but the experience is priceless. (Receive a $489.50 tax deduction with this donation.)
More Green Gifts
Click here for more nature friendly gifts from the N.C. Zoological Society.
We have great books, fun buttons and T-shirts. All for the good of the Zoo.
Looking for a way to Honor or Remember a Friend? Sort through our Good Causes.
Elephants of Cameroon
Cross River Gorillas
Helping Native Wildlife
Amphibian Rescue
Planning a Legacy
Encore! Charitable IRA Legislation Passed
The
charitable IRA legislation is back for a repeat performance—don't miss
this second-chance opportunity to make tax-free gifts from your IRA!
More
What's Under Your Mattress? Protect Your Possessions and Records
Unless
you think that you will urgently need them when banks are closed,
valuable paperwork and items don't belong under your mattress. A
safe-deposit box is a secure place to store items that would cause
panic if lost.
More
Limit What You Owe at Tax Time
If you make a donation before the end of the year, you may qualify for a charitable deduction and owe less to Uncle Sam.
More
Quiz: Do You Know What to Do if a Loved One Dies?
How
many certified copies of the death certificate should you obtain? What
will happen if your loved one has died without a will? Get the answers
to these questions and be prepared for the first critical days after
your loved one is gone.
More
Password For Members section of the Web site is: ribbit.
Come Travel With Us
The
Zoo Society offers a travel program for people who care about nature
and enjoy the company of expert guides who have a history with the N.C.
Zoo Society.
Start Planning Your Wild Adventures for 2009
Journey to Costa Rica February 18-29, 2009
A
journey through tropical rainforests and down exotic waterways. The
trip explores Tortuguero National Park and Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge.
South AfricaJuly 3-17, 2009
Botswana’s
Tuli Circle and Kruger National Park, the grand lady of Africa’s wild
lands, mark the high points on this 14-day safari across southern
Africa.
America’s National Parks 
July 22 - August 6, $3,967
A
16-day tour, by motor coach, to America’s most acclaimed
Parks—Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Arches, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon,
Bryce Canyon and Zion.
Whales & Wilderness Adventure to Alaska August 8-16, 2009
Slip down Alaska’s Inside Passage with Executive Director Russ Williams as he leads his fifth trip north to Alaska.
Send questions and comments about this Web site or Z-mail content to
Jayne Owen Parker, Ph.D. at jparker@nczoo.com.
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Our
mailing address is: North Carolina Zoological Society, 4403 Zoo
Parkway, Asheboro, N.C. 27205. Phone 336-879-7250, toll free
888-244-3736. Web address: www.nczoo.com.
Thank you for your continued support of the North Carolina Zoological Society.
