Please, excuse our error --
We mistakenly told you that African Violets would pack the African Pavilion in September. The African Violet exhibition will actually bloom all through October as part of ZooFEST— an annual celebration of arts, animals and autumn.
October ZooFEST
Visit ........ 
Any Day in October to see a lavish display of African Violets in the African Pavilion...
...
on the 3rd, when native North American art and music will add to the magic and the mystery of a Zoo visit...
...
on the 10th, when African music and art will stir even more mystery and magic into a Zoo visit...
...
on the 17th, for
HOWL-O-Ween, when Red Wolves—their tales and howls—grab center
stage...
...
on the 24th & 25th, for BOO at the ZOO, when a full-fledged festival breaks out to celebrate Halloween with games, music, face painters, treats, costume contests and plenty of fun, and...
...
on the 31st and November 1, Batology, when Sonora Desert keepers reveal the good nature of bats.
Animal Updates
One Cute Chick
A Horned Puffin chick hatched in the Rocky Coast last month. All down and fluff when they hatch, these chicks grow up very fast. In the wild, they have to be ready to dive into the sea and take care of themselves by the time winter winds start howling.
Academic Alligators?
That's right, the Zoo's Alligators are in training. Zookeepers offer tasty, healthy treats to teach the Alligators to come, follow and stay. This training is part of the Zoo's extensive animal enrichment program, which uses positive reinforcement to build trust between the animals and their keepers by teaching the animals to become cooperative partners in their own care.
Keepers train the 'gators during their public feeding sessions (
Check out the Zoo's Web site for the schedule!) because Alligators, like most animals, will work and learn for food.
If you want to catch a training session this year, though, visit soon. The training stops in cool weather, when Alligators lose their appetites and stop eating. Their voluntary fast arises from their cold nature. Alligators need heat from the environment to supply the energy for digestion. No heat equals no hunger. And, when food no longer acts as an incentive, the keepers can't teach the cold 'gators new tricks!
Back in a Rut
Listen for the high-pitched, eerie bugle of our resident bull Elk if you visit the Zoo this fall. He has grown back his headgear and is back in a rut. Expect him to be short tempered until mating season ends.
Giraffes moving on up
The Zoo’s four youngest giraffes keep inching closer to the Acacia Station deck and to the tempting browse that awaits them.
Zoo Society/September Member Events
North Carolina’s go ’em and the Zoo’s Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles can show you how biologists tag and track ’em. Learn more about the Zoo’s multi-year study of local Copperheads and their habits. Then take to the Zoo's paths with Curator Groves to track down a radio-tagged Copperhead.
Click here to learn more.
A class for anyone who takes care of, or shares a home with, cats or dogs. Taught by the American Red Cross, this class provides practice and guidance for dealing with a veterinary emergency. The nearly four-hour class provides hands-on practice and everyone leaves with a First-aid Book and DVD on the pet of their choice (Cat or Dog). (Photo by Valerie Abbott.)
Click here to learn more.
N.C. Zoo/September Events
19 - 20 Ape Awareness Day
Meet the Zoo’s Apes—They’re All Great!The Zoo is showing its appreciation for primates by holding
Ape Awareness days this Sept. 19 and 20. Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both days, these primates’ keepers and their friends will gather at the Chimpanzee and the Gorilla exhibits to answer questions and talk about the Zoo’s Great Apes.
To show their appreciation for the bipedal primates that we call “Zoo visitors", the Zoo’s educators will set up three play stations at and in between the Great Apes’ exhibits. At these stations, visitors can ape the apes by going through the motions of building sleeping nests, foraging for food and, in the case of Chimpanzees, “fishing” for termites. (No termites will be harmed or, even, present at the “fishing hole,” which will be stocked with treasures rather than insects.)
October Events - Zoo Fest Every Saturday, plus Boo at the Zoo the weekend before Halloween. (See a complete write-up in this Z-mail's first paragraph.)
26 — Geyser Eruption Scheduled
The Zoo's new life-sized replica of a geyser will start blowing its top on Sept. 26. Painted to resemble the mud pots and geysers that spout through Yellowstone National Park, this new sculpture will loft water spouts 20 or so feet into the air, mimicking the actions of geysers in the West.
Click here to learn more.
A License to Thrill!
The N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles is set to press an exclusive, Zoo Society specialty license plate that will tag drivers as people who support the Zoo and its conservation efforts. But, before we can get this plate on the road, we have to sell 300 license tags.
To become a charter owner of our exclusive Zoo Society license plate, begin by
downloading an application form, filling it out and then mailing the application form and your $30 payment to the N.C. Zoo Society. (If you prefer, you can make your payment online by
clicking here, but you will still have to mail in your application.) Or, step into a Zoo or Zoo Society gift shop and make your purchase there. Once we have 300 applications, DMV will press out and deliver the special tags.
Here is the license plate design that we will submit to DMV for its approval. DMV will have to approve the design before it goes to press.
Grab a tag to help the Zoo save Elephants, Gorillas, Hellbenders and more!
When
you purchase the $30 plate, $20 of the price will be returned to the N.C. Zoo
Society and will be used to support the Zoo's growing conservation
efforts. Just one more way to flaunt your support of the Zoo and its
contributions to wildlife.
Got Questions?
Click here for answers.
We Have Set the Dates for our 2010 Veterinary Camps
Our first three Veterinary Camps were wonderful, and we are already busy planning some new, even better camps for 2010. Using the suggestions we gathered from this year's campers, we will offer four camps in 2010. We have not set prices yet — or outlined the 2010 camps' schedules — but we have selected the dates for the camps.
Zoo and Society staffs will meet this month to lay out the improved schedules and sessions. Look for the October Z-mail to contain our Veterinary Camp 2010 Application Forms and Brochures.
2010 Veterinary Camp Schedule
Day Camps for Students, Ages 12 - 15 Girls Only, Saturday Day Camp on April 17th from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Boys Only, Saturday Day Camp, May 15, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Our veterinary day camps will introduce middle school students to some of the basics of veterinary medicine and will include hands-on encounters with several species of animals.
Three-day, Overnight Camps for Students, Ages 16 - 18Girls Only 9 a.m., Friday July 16 through 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 18
Boys Only9 a.m. Friday August 27 through 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1
A longer version of this year's camp, 2010's Advanced Veterinary Camp will provide time for campers and their families to visit the Zoo together on Friday morning, before we take the campers into the Zoo for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how the keepers care for some of the animals.
Camp classes will include hands-on activities with equipment— a laparoscope and anesthesia dart gun— hands on practice with several animal species, a return of the popular sham surgery on milk jugs pigs, and a trip to the operating room to observe an actual surgery.
Reunion for our 2009 Campers
We are planning a special behind-the-scenes tour and picnic for the 60 Veterinary Campers who attended this year's camps. We will invite our camp counselors back too, for this special reunion. Check back next month for information on dates and prices.
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 .
Green, Clean Society Shopping
This year's
Collector Holiday Ornaments have arrived. Only 300 were made and each is signed and numbered by the artist.
And, check out our toys for budding scientists and engineers: a
clock operated by a potato, a
ro-bug from a soda can, and a
solar-powered radiometer.
Travel 2010
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
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
If you have any
questions or would like to discuss your gift plans, please contact Russ
H. Williams at 336-879-7252, or Russ Williams. at rwilliams.nczoo.com.
Check Out Our Monthly Feature Articles:
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.
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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.
