New at the Zoo This Weekend
The premier opening of the Adventure Theater, a 4-D theater in the Zoo's Junction Plaza, and the premier showing of
Wild Earth Africa. Both events unfurl on Saturday, March 28.
Animal News
Taking Care of Willy
The Zoo's much beloved Polar Bear, Wilhelm, has been moved out of the Rocky Coast exhibit and into the Mammal Propagation Area. This decision grew from staff's determination to treat some health problems that have troubled Wilhelm for years. He acquired these problems when he was owned by a circus that failed to provide him with proper care.
The Mammal Propagation Building is situated near the Veterinary Hospital, making it easier for veterinarians to keep a close watch on Willy. Besides that, his skin treatments must be applied to dry skin—and the Mammal Propagation Building offers access to the outdoors, fresh air and sunshine away from a pool.
While Wilhelm heals, preparations are underway to bring in another Polar Bear. He will arrive shortly and go on exhibit after spending at least 30 days in quarantine.
More Tall Tails
Two young Giraffes (a male and a female) arrived on March 8th. They must remain in quarantine for at least 30 days. Once their quarantine ends, the new Giraffes will still need several days or weeks of training before they can go on exhibit. The keepers will have to get the calves acquainted with their new exhibit and introduce them to the other Giraffes and to the Mss. Zebras and Mss. Ostriches that share the habitat.
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New Male
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New Female
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If you want to receive special updates on the progress the Zoo makes in
introducing the two youngsters, click on this link
send email to Jayne Parker and type in your e-mail address. If you do, we will add you to a special list and will send you an e-mail when the youngsters go on exhibit.
Look for news, too, on a Giraffe-naming contest that the Zoo will sponsor soon.
Not all Bongos Drum
The Zebra, Ostrich and Giraffe exhibit will soon be exhibiting a new species—Bongos. Bongos are large antelopes that range through lowland forests in western Africa and higher altitude forests in east Africa's Kenya.
(Bongos occur in some forests growing inside areas
marked in red.
This range map was taken from the United Nation Environmental Programme Monitoring Centre Web site.)
Bison Calf Countdown
A Bison calf countdown is in play now at the Great Plains exhibit in North America. One of the exhibit's bison is pregnant and is expected to drop her calf in May.
Near-raccoon Arrival
A second Cacomistle—also known as a "Ringtail," has gone on exhibit in the nocturnal section of the Sonoran Desert.
Crane Lands at Zoo
Zoo staff is celebrating the hatching of a Wattled Crane chick. The youngster is off-exhibit in a bird propagation area—so visitors cannot see it. But, since these birds are difficult to breed and are rare, the bird keepers are ecstatic.
Look for in Late May
The grand opening of the new Giraffe Feeding Station.
...in June
The grand opening of the new Honeybee Exhibit.
New Veterinary Camp!
For Society Tweens and Teens!
The Zoo Society has teamed up with the N.C. Zoo's Veterinarians to offer a two-day, two-night Veterinary Camp for youngsters who dream of becoming veterinarians and want to see how veterinarians operate inside a Zoo.
Veterinary Camps will begin on Friday evenings (June 26, July 17 and August 7) and will end at 3 p.m. on the following Sundays. The Zoo's Veterinarian and Veterinary Residents will teach the mini-classes, and campers will learn to use veterinary equipment, will observe a surgical procedure, will visit behind the scenes and will engage in other hands-on activities. Students from the N.C. State University Veterinary School will chaperon the campers at night and serve as counselors.
Fees are $375 for Society members, $400 for non-members. A limited number of scholarships are available. If you want to receive a brochure or registration form when they become available, Click Here. Type your name, your address and your e-mail address in the body of the e-mail and send it along. If we receive more than 20 applications for camps, we will use a lottery system to select the campers for each one.
We will accept campers between the ages of 12 and 15.
Shadow a Vet Winner Goes on Tour
In this photo, Dr. Ryan DeVoe—Senior Zoo Veterinarian—visit behind the scenes at Grizzly Bear to introduce year's "Shadow a Veterinarian" winner and her friend to one of the Zoo's Grizzlies. In addition to making rounds with Dr. DeVoe, the two women join him when he gave one of the Zoo's lions its annual physical. (Did we forget to mention that the lion slept through the whole procedure.) The winners also watched surgery performed on a Ball Python, road in a truck bed through the African Plains and enjoyed lunch with the Zoo's Veterinary staff.
The Society will hold another Shadow a Vet Raffle in January 2010.
OTHER SOCIETY EVENTS & PROGRAMS
These are for Zoo Society members
and their guests. Pre-registration is required. We begin taking
registrations six weeks before each event. To register, call
336.879.7250 during regular business hours.
APRIL
4 GeoCaching* –
Join Online Learning Coordinator Mark MacAllister to learn to use
Global Positioning Systems and the Internet to explore the world. Fees:
$5/member, $7/non-member. (We have GPS devices to loan for the class.)
18 Adult Photo Safari*–
Spend the day with professional photographer Vinny Colucci learning
ways to capture memorable photographs of wildlife. Fees: $40/member,
$50/non-member. Lunch is included.
25 & 26 Zoo Snooze*
– A members-only sleepover for parents and their children, ages 7-12.
The evening includes a meeting with a giraffe keeper. Begins Saturday
at 5 p.m. and ends Sunday at 9 a.m. Dinner, snacks and breakfast are
included. Fees: $130 for one parent and one child, $30 for each additional child.
MAY
16-17 Spring Zoo Snooze*
– A members-only sleepover for parents and their children, ages 7-12.
Dinner, snacks and breakfast are included. Fees: $100 for one parent
and a child, $30 for each additional child.
23 Turtle Tracking*
– Join us to learn to use radio telemetry to track wild
animals. A fun
romp after a wild turtle. Fees: $5/member, $7/non-member.
JUNE
13 Children’s Photo Safari*
– Professional photographer Vinny Colucci introduces 5-12 year olds to
photography. A parent must accompany each child. Fees: $10 for a parent
and child; $5 for an additional person.
* We begin taking reservations six weeks before an event. To make your reservation, call Karen Powell (336.879.7262).
Don't Forget
Zoo Camps Are Coming Back
The Zoo's Education Office continues its tradition of offering a variety of camps for children. Registration for Education Zoo Camps begins on April 1. To learn more and, after April 1, to register
click here and you will be forwarded to the Zoo's camp information page.
Zoo Society members get a discount on many Zoo Education programs. To receive you discount, call Zoo educators for (336-879-7716).
Herp Hideaways, June 25-26 or July 15-16. This program includes a night hike and an overnight stay. To learn more or to register (after April 1)
click here.
Zoo Education Programs for the Very Young
Starting on June 1, the Zoo’s
Play Leaders will be waiting at the kidZone’s Front Porch to welcome
preschoolers and, sometimes, even younger youngsters into games that
teach about nature and wildlife. Sessions will begin at 10 a.m., from June through August (no programs July 1 - July 6). Programs are free.
| Music Mondays |
Swinging Sessions for 5-year-olds
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Toddler Tuesdays
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Grooving with 2-year-olds
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Water Wednesdays
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Splashing with 3-year-olds
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Nature's Art
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Creating with 4- and 5-year olds
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Free Play Friday
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Fun for Everyone
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A New Plot Twist
kidZone kritters - Garden Programs
A chance to learn a little gardening and share the fun and bounty with your children. Can you dig it? Every first and second Wednesday in May, June, July, August and September, a kidZone playleader will welcome registered families to garden-friendly programs geared to the interests of 3 to 6 year old children. The programs will last about 45 minutes, and their topics will vary with the seasons.
Price: $3 per person. To register or learn more,
click here to send email to Jessica Hoffmire. In the e-mail form type in your name, address and e-mail address.
April is Zoo Fling at the Zoo
Watch Out For Wildlife
New ways to remind yourself, and the ones that you love, to share the road and drive safely.
Your choice of three static cling stickers to place inside the windshield of your car to remind you and all the other drivers that you care about to drive carefully and Watch Out For Wildlife.
Funds raised through this program will be used to protect native animals inside the park and in North Carolina. Stickers are only $2.95 and are available for the
Box Turtle (the official N.C. State Reptile), a
rabbit and a squirrel, and a
Black Snake. Size for each about 3 inches by 4 inches.
We have cute Watch Out for Wildlife T-shirts, too.
Click here to learn more.
Future Fun at the Zoo
A bevy of Zoo and Zoo Society staff
members are working with a production company from Charlotte to create
a DVD on typical behind-the-scenes operations at the Zoo. The DVD will
go on sale in the gift shops and companion snippets of the production
will be installed in digital signage that will be installed around the
Park. An anonymous donation to the Zoo Society funded this production.
Another
sculpture, also funded by an anonymous gift to the Zoo Society, joined the
Zoo's public art collection. On your next visit to the Watani
Grasslands, look for
The Critics, a vulture sculpture by Bart Walter. Mr. Walter has two other sculptures in the Park. He also crafted
Catamount, the cougar on the rock in the Cypress Swamp, and
Chimpanzee Troupe, at the Chimp exhibit.
Staff News
Making New Friends
The Zoo Society's
Director of External Affairs, Kathy Bull, will lead a recently- formed
affiliate of the National Children and Nature Network. This network,
which was co-founded by Last Child in the Wood's author Richard
Louv, will work with citizens across the state to get North Carolina's
children playing outside again and reconnecting with nature.
The new group adopted the name, NCCAN! (N.C. Children and Nature!)
and includes leaders from BeActive N.C.; REI, Inc.; Topics Education
Inc. and Sierra Club; the N.C. Zoo and the N.C. Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, the N.C. State Natural
Learning Initiative; the N.C. Partnership for Children, the N.C. Office
for School Readiness; N.C. Parks
and Recreation. The National Wildlife Federation is on board, too, providing pro bono advice to get the organization established.
Wildlife Rehabilitation CenterCongratulations
to Halley Buckanoff for becoming a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator.
Ms. Buckanoff supervises the Valerie H. Schindler Wildlife
Rehabilitation Center. She is one of only about 100 people who have
passed the exam to earn this certification. This program was
established in 2007 to set professional standards for wildlife
rehabilitators.
Expeditions in Waiting for 2009
Visions of Grandeur: South Africa **$6,595 July 3-17
Highlights
of this tour include Table Mountain, Cape Point, Kirstenbosch Botanical
Gardens
, the Cheetah Outreach Center and Cape Dutch. Best of all, the
safari will also visit the legendary Kruger National Park and the
private reserve Botswana’s Tuli Circle. An optional extension to
Victoria Falls is available.
America’s National Parks *$3,867July 22-August 6
Curator
of Mammals Guy Lichty will lead this 16-day tour of some of America's
most majestic natural parks and cultural icons. The itinerary includes
Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Arches, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Bryce
Canyon and Zion national parks. The price covers 15 nights of lodging,
26 meals, 19 sightseeing tours, airfare and other taxes. Airfare is
included but could fluctuate until final payment is made.
Whales & Wilderness Adventure to Alaska **starting at $4,649 August 5-13
Join
Zoo Society Executive Director Russ Williams on his fifth trip down
Alaska's Inside Passage. The cruise ship is the 166-foot
Spirit of Discovery—small enough to
slip
into spaces that the big ships cannot and large enough to offer safe
and comfortable sailing. A four-day extension to Anchorage, Denali
National Park and Fairbanks is available.
* Based on Double Occupancy, including airfare
** Based on Double Occupancy, and land-only package
For more information, contact Stephanie Gee at 336-879-7253 or e-mail sgee@nczoo.com.
Planning a Legacy
Are You 70 1/2 or Older?
Thanks
to charitable IRA legislation enacted at the end of last year, you can
make lifetime gifts using funds from your individual retirement
accounts (IRAs) through 2009 without any undesirable tax effects.
More
Giving In Tough Times Can Provide More for Your Heirs and Cut Taxes
Americans
today are anxious about their money. Their stock values are falling and
their 401(k) plans are so low that it’s hard to open the quarterly
statements. It may be the wrong time to think about charitable
giving—or is it?
More
One Couple's Estate Planning Makeover
Gayle
and Andy Smith thought they had plenty of time to draw up an estate
plan. But then Gayle's mother died unexpectedly, and that rang a bell.
Maybe they weren't immortal after all. These are the five steps you
should take.
More
Organizing Your Estate Documents
Keeping
all your necessary estate-planning paperwork in one place will help
your heirs carry out your wishes when the time comes. Check this list
to be sure everything is in order.
More
Send questions and comments about this Web site or Z-mail content to
Jayne Owen Parker, Ph.D. at jparker@nczoo.com.
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, please e-mail
Carolyn Parks at cparks@nczoo.com and type “unsubscribe” in the subject line.
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.
