Fun Photo from Zoo Volunteer Valerie Abbott (who also took the Polar Bear and Eagle photos).
Animal Comings and Goings
Good News from the Rocky Coast - Willie, the popular Polar Bear, continues to do well. He and our other popular bear, Aquila, are taking turns going out on exhibit.
Wilhelm ("Willie" for short) left the exhibit several months ago because of a skin condition that kept growing worse. Concern about Willie's health prompted the veterinary staff to take him out of his exhibit and relocate him in a facility near the veterinary hospital.
Willie responded well to the treatments he received near the hospital — so well, in fact, that his keepers picked him up and brought him home a few weeks ago. The Zoo is happy and proud to report that Willie's skin condition is much better, and that Willie is romping around his habitat again, just like his old self!
The Polar Bears' new neighbor, a Bald Eagle, is adjusting well to his
exhibit. The eagle is flightless—which is why we are exhibiting him. He came to us from a raptor rehabilitation center that treated him after he was hit by a car. The bird's injuries will not heal sufficiently to let it fly or hunt again. But, thanks to good veterinary and rehabilitative care, the eagle is no longer in pain and can enjoy a good quality of life on exhibit at our Zoo.
Action at Acacia Station - The Zoo’s Giraffes keep working their way up the exhibit and toward the new observation deck and, we hope, future feeding platform. One of the females appears to have figured out the purpose of the deck and has started visiting it just about every day. We will keep our fingers crossed that most of the rest of the herd will join her soon.
While the giraffe keepers continue to coax the Giraffes up to the station, the Zoo continues to allow visitors to climb to the top of the platform without charging them. Eventually, the Zoo will charge $3 for visitors to enter. The deck is open from 10 a.m. until noon each day.
African Plains Addition - A new Blesbok is roaming through the exhibit.
Bees, be Gone! - The Zoo opened a new Honeybee exhibit in July and, within a few weeks, the entire bee community gathered into a swarm and left for parts unknown. Beekeepers replaced the departed hive with a new bunch of bees—and this group seems to have happily settled into its new surroundings.
When you visit the honey makers, be sure to peek behind the wall beside the hive. A hole in that wall connects the hive to the Honey Bee Garden. If you train in on the hole, you will usually see a bee line exiting the hive while returning bees hover nearby, waiting for a break in traffic to let them duck inside.
What's the Gush?
Visitors will get a taste of Yellowstone at the Zoo late this September, when our North American Prairie exhibit acquires a geyser all its own. The artwork will mimic the colors and the landscape but not the heat of the real gushers in the American West.
The Zoo's own Design staff has taken the lead in constructing the bedrock that cradles the geyser. The staff will soon paint the geyser pools to look like they are growing mats of the same blue, yellow and orange bacteria that ring Yellowstone's geysers.
The new gushers were made possible by a donation to the N.C. Zoo Society from art patrons Bob and Bonnie Meeker.
UpComing Society Events
August
7-9 Coed Veterinary Camp:
For future veterinarians to live the dream of becoming a zoo veterinarian. Sorry, this camp is full, but keep watching our Z-mails for next year's camp schedule. We will add more veterinary camps and will make changes to ensure that next year's camps are even more fun than this year's were.
September
Join John Groves, Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles, to find out how
he and his staff keep tabs on a few of the Copperheads and Rattlesnakes
that live here on the Park.
Participants will learn how to use radio-tracking equipment to follow animals that are difficult to see. Bring
comfortable walking shoes to wear when you and Curator Groves hit the
trails inside the Park to radio-track a radio-tagged snake.
This class is for adults and young adults, 16 years old or older.
Cost: $20 for members; $25 for non-members
The class will begin at the Stedman Education Building at 9 a.m.
September 12 - Randolph Telephone's Zoo To Do 2009
Our amazing fund-raiser, dinner dance and party. This year's theme is Arctic Enchantment! The evening's proceeds will support the Zoo's planned expansion of the Polar Bear exhibit and Polar Bear collection. (Could there be cubs in our future?!?)
Tickets are $150 each. Call the Zoo Society to ask for an invitation or to learn more about the evening.
Taught by the American Red Cross, this 3.5 hour program addresses what to do when a dog or cat needs emergency medical attention.
Participants
will practice CPR and other live-saving techniques on a working manikin,
and will leave the course knowing what steps to take in
a veterinary emergency. Participants will also take home a Book and a DVD on First Aid for either a Dog or a Cat.
A minimum of nine people must sign up for this class in order for us to offer it.
Cost: Members, Zoo and Society Employees and Volunteers: $50 - Non-members: $55
Planned Zoo Events
August
Watch for news on the R.J. Reynolds Aviary. Staff may close it around August 3 - 5 to undertake some needed repairs to its roof.
ZooCOOL 8 & 9 
Sponsored by Rock OLa Cafe
Visit between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to see summer snow falling at the North American entrance.
During the day, keepers will set out ice treats for animals scattered throughout the Park. The frozen treats will appear around the Zoo from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., progressing from:
Polar Bears and Red River Hogs at 11 a.m., to
Seals, Seal Lions, Sea Birds, Lions and Gorillas at 11:30 a.m., and on to
Gorillas again at 1:30 p.m. and ending with Baboons and Chimpanzees at 2 p.m.
Around lunch time (11 a.m. and 1 p.m.), musician Pamlico Joe will entertain diners in the Junction Plaza.
October
All through October, visit the African Pavilion to see African
Violets by the dozens. Horticulture staff will pack the Pavilon's
interior tropical forest with African Violets, choosing specimens to
highlight the diversity of colors, shapes and habits found within this
group of flower.
Keep in Touch!
Let's BBFF! Follow us on Twitter @NCZooSociety or
become a fan of the NC Zoo Society on Facebook at
http://tinyurl.com/nrgl8m
Drive with Care
Remember to share the road with other people and with wildlife. Late summer and fall see many young, inexperienced animals leave their mothers to try to make a life on their own. Please, be vigilant while you drive. Watch the roadside, stay off your cell phone and give wildlife a brake. Watch your speed, especially when you are driving in neighborhoods or along secondary roads, and be mindful of birds, rabbits, snakes, turtles, frogs, squirrels, foxes and other animals that are sharing the route. Just take it slow and enjoy the ride.
Show your concern for wildlife and safe driving by placing one of our WOW (Watch Out for Wildlife) decals or magnets on your car. Help us spread the word about protecting animals on our nation's highways.
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.
Travel
All prices are based on double occupancy. Unless otherwise stated, air fare is not included in the quoted prices.
Destinations in 2010
Adventure to India $9,995
April 8 - 21, 2010
Cocos Island $2,291
April 12-18
The Best of Kenya $3,795
May 31 -June 11
Journey to Ecuador
& The Galapagos Islands $3,595
September 17–25
America’s National Parks $3,967 (Includes air fare)
October 1-16
For more information, contact Stephanie Gee at 336-879-7253 or e-mail sgee@nczoo.com.
Planning a Legacy
Use Your IRA to Help Others
Don't
miss this second chance to make tax-free gifts from your IRA! Under the
reinstated charitable IRA legislation, individuals 70 1/2 or older can
make gifts to us using funds transferred directly from IRAs—without
reporting it as taxable income.
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
Communicating Estate and Gift Planning Decisions to Family
Discussing
financial information with your family may be difficult, but sharing
your plans now avoids misunderstandings and heartache later. Here are
steps you should take to make the conversation go smoothly.
More
3 Trustful Sources for Philanthropic Advice
If
you're thinking about making a charitable gift—whether it's a donation
we can use today or a gift to us in your will—where should you turn to
get objective advice on how to do the most good for those in need and
also realize your personal goals? You can depend on these three
resources to be ready when you are.
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. .
Last modified
09/29/2009 06:45pm.
