Find Bliss at the Zoo...
...At the Forest Edge Exhibit, where the Zoo’s herd of Giraffes has grown to five and where
Acacia Station—a feeding platform 16-feet above the ground—is being readied to open on June 6. The Zoo had hoped to open the station earlier, but the Giraffes have remained a bit leery of the new structure. Gradually, though, keepers expect the youngsters to begin inching toward it and the browse-filled baskets that keepers have dangling from its railings.
Our keeper staff will keep working with the Giraffes to help them overcome their shyness so that by June 5th they should be ready to sidle right up to the station to take food out of our visitors’ hands.
...In the African Pavilion, where a grant from the Zoo Society allowed
Seagrove Orchids and Zoo Horticulture to pool their resources to bring more than 150 orchids into the building. The display will
include 10 -12 different types of orchids, including Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum, Oncidium, Dendrobium, Miltoniopsis and Epidendrum, all in bloom.
Most of the specimens are native to tropical regions and many rely on exotic
scents or deceptively shaped petals to lure in specific pollinators. (Orchid Photo: Valerie Abbott, Zoo Volunteer)
The Pavilion's centrally located
Epiphyte Tree will shoulder most of the orchids on its sprawling branches. The setting is spectacular, and fitting, since the majority of tropical orchids live as epiphytes—settling down to grow on top of, but not into, the branches of host trees. Unlike parasites, which sink their roots into their hosts to steal their resources, epiphytes just perch on their hosts' branches, using their height to find a place in the Sun.
The Orchid Show is the first
of three tropical plant exhibits the Zoo will host in the Pavilion this year. In July, the topic will switch to perennials. In October, African Violets will climb into the spotlight. May’s
Pavilion orchid display is part of
the Zoo’s larger “Birds and Blooms” special event, celebrating
International Migratory Bird Day and Mother’s Day.
What Else Can You See?
A Prairie and Some Bees
The bull Elk is expending lots of
calories, now, growing his 2009 set of antlers. They are still
sprouting and still covered with velvet. (Elk photo from Flickr.)
Meanwhile, zookeepers
are eagerly awaiting the birth of a Bison sometime in May. The
mother-to-be is on exhibit, so some lucky visitors may get to watch her
drop her calf.
A new construction site has opened up near the
Prairie, too. It will house yet another fantastic art piece—a working
geyser. Once it is blowing its top, it will spout up impressions of the
Great American West and Yellowstone. (The Zoo hopes to have the geyser
installed and gushing by Labor Day.)
Desert Blooms and Babies: The Desert landscaping is lovely
this time of year and, inside, you can find a recently-hatched Horned
Lark and an Inca
Dove. Not to be outdone, the Vampire Bats have a baby,
too. Bats are wonderful mothers, so look for the pup to be hanging onto
or hanging out near its mother.
A new Cypress Swamp Resident: An Anahinga—a bird worth
seeing. It wears cryptic coloration, so despite being long and tall, it
can be hard to spot. A good place to start looking is along the water’s
edge near the Cypress Swamp entrance. (In the central pond, not the one
with the Alligators!) (Photo: Franker Peters, Flickr)
Catch the Buzz in June!
That is when the Zoo will open a new Honey Bee exhibit,
The Bee Garden. It
will have a working hive, oversized models of bees, information on
pollinators and, occasionally, some sweet tastes of honey. The live
hive will work out of a giant skep. Glass side panels will allow
visitors to spy on the inside workings of the hive. Maybe, they will
even catch a glimpse of a Queen Bee. (Photo: Cheryl Turner)
Good News Bears
The Zoo’s beloved Polar Bear, Willie, is responding well to treatments, so 
veterinarians and animal staff made the right call when they took him off exhibit and housed him near the veterinary hospital. Meanwhile, the returning beloved Polar Bear, Aquila, settled quickly into his former exhibit and is splashing it up for the crowds. (Photo: Valerie Abbot, Zoo Volunteer)
Get the Scoop on the Zoo's First Wild Veterinary Camp
A place where 12 -15 year olds can live the dream of becoming a zoo veterinarian.
Campers spend two nights and three days with Zoo veterinarians and veterinary students learning the basics of zoo veterinary medicine. Campers leave with their own scrubs, their own stethoscopes and wonderful memories. Download all the information you need to decide if this camp is right for your future veterinarian. We are taking applications now. (Photo Tom Gillespie)
Please
click here for information on the camps and to down load an application form.
It's Summer, so Watch Out For Wildlife
Animals are on the move, looking for mates and looking for food to feed their young. Please drive slowly, and carefully, so that you and your family remain safe and so do the birds, rabbits, snakes, turtles, frogs, squirrels, foxes and other animals that share the roads.
Need a reminder to slow down and drive safely? We have static decals, car magnets and sweat shirts to help keep wildlife and safety on your mind. Proceeds from the sale of these items benefit native wild animals. Funds raised through this program will be used to protect native
animals inside the park and in North Carolina.
Static decals are $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 is about 3 inches by 4 inches. Available exclusively from the N.C. Zoo Society.
We have cute Watch Out for Wildlife T-shirts, too.
Click here to learn more.
Don't Forget
You Still Have Time to Adopt an Animal For Mother's Day
Tell us which animal you want to adopt from our standard adoption list,
and we will wrap your choice as a special, $45 Mother's Day Adoption.
Your gift arrives with a personalized Adoption Certificate, a Zoo
Society tote bag, and a fact sheet that includes a photograph of the
animal you have chosen.
Be sure to tell us the animal of your choice in the same section of the order form where you type your Mother's Day message. Standard shipping is included.
Zoo Camps Are 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 on the links below 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 your 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,
click here.
Travel
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.
