Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Nov
03

November: Story Safari at the Houston Zoo!

Posted by in Featured,Fun on grounds,Public Programs,Uncategorized

Colder weather means it’s time to warm up with some hot food, friends and family. So grab your warm beverage from the McCaw Café or Twigga Terrace and join your friends Bennett and Viviana at the Houston Zoo Butterfly Stage for a story that will warm your hearts. To learn more about the Houston Zoo storytellers click here!

Armadilly Chili by Helen Ketteman

During the entire month of November we will be reading the book Armadilly Chili by Helen Ketteman, a Texan tale of Miss Billie Armadilly. “A blue norther’s a-blowing’” and Miss Billie makes hot pot of chili to warm up during those cold desert nights, but despite its savor, the chili taste “flat as a Texas prairie”. Want to find out what is missing from her chili? Join us for Story Safari everyday this month at 10:30a.m. & 11:00a.m.!    

 

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Oct
16

Story Safari at the Houston Zoo!

Posted by in Animal Fun Facts,Classes/Programs,Education Office,Fun on grounds,Public Programs,Uncategorized

Have you met Bennett and Viviana? They are the Houston Zoo’s Story Safari storytellers! Everyday in the Children’s Zoo Butterfly Stage at 10:30AM and 11:00AM, Bennett and Viviana bring to life wonderful and exciting stories for children of all ages. To learn more about them and the rest of the Houston Zoo’s Education staff click here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“There’s a wolf in the woods and everyone says, “She’s big, she’s bad, she’s old, and she’s HAIRY! Best leave her alone, she is mean and scary. But we wanted to know, so we crept a little bit closer…” 

Want to know what happens next? Come find out with us! We’ll be reading “What’s the Time, Grandma Wolf?” by Ken Brown each day during Zoo Boo – October 14th – 31st. Hope to see you there!

 

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Nov
03

International Orangutan Caring Week

Posted by in Uncategorized

With Halloween recently behind us, many people probably consumed a handful (or 2…or 6) of candy. Did you know that there are several candies that contain palm oil? Palm oil is an edible form of vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the African oil palm tree. Palm oil is used in everything from candy to personal care items like soap. Unfortunately, to make room for palm oil plantations trees in the rainforests of southeast Asia are being cut down.

Can you guess who loves living in these trees? If you guessed orangutans, you got it! Orangutans spend most of their time in the trees of the rainforests, building nests, resting and eating. Thankfully there are lots of conservation organizations working to get the public involved in helping orangutans. There are also companies working to produce sustainable palm oil which is just what we need.

How could you resist this face?

The Houston Zoo participates in International Orangutan Caring Week which will be held November 6th through the 14th. Special “Meet the Keeper” chats will be held at our orangutan exhibit everyday throughout the week.

On the weekend of November 6th and 7th there will be LOTS going on to get the public involved in this special cause. Keepers will be available from 9am-3pm to chat with you and answer your questions. They will also be selling hand-painted Christmas ornaments from our orangutans themselves as well as painted magnets and photo note cards. You will also get your hands on palm oil information as well as cool orangutan biofacts.

There’s no better way to spend your weekend than with your family, at the Zoo, while learning about how to help save an entire species of animal!

Aug
17

Thanks for a Great Summer Camp Zoofari!

Posted by in Uncategorized

Guess we won't be seeing groups of campers wearing their yellow shirts on grounds again for awhile. Thank you to everyone who attended Camp Zoofari this summer!

Guess we won't be seeing groups of campers wearing their yellow shirts on grounds again for awhile. Thank you to everyone who attended Camp Zoofari this summer!

Well the last 11 weeks have flown by and somehow the summer is already over!!?!?! Thanks for a great summer filled with fun, adventures, new friends, games, crafts, silly stories, exciting animals, fabulous teachers, wonderful Zoo Crew, new knowledge and everything in between. Camp Zoofari 2009 was an absolute blast. Hope you had as much as we did!

It’s only 9 more months before Summer Camp Zoofari starts again. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to wait that long. Can you? If not, make sure to come back and visit us or even take another class here at the Zoo.

Jul
09

My, What Big Teeth You Have!

Posted by in Animal Fun Facts,Animal Information,Uncategorized

So what happens when the bear has a toothache?  Or the tiger needs to get her teeth cleaned?  We call in the dentist of course.  That’s right, a zoo dentist.  These brave souls work with our vet staff to make sure that our animals have top-quality teeth. 

In the wild, many animals can starve to death when they lose their teeth or they are unable to chew due to tooth or gum damage.  Here at the zoo, we can avoid these situations by making sure that our animals get the care they need as soon as they need it.  We may be alerted to any mouth problems by an animal that won’t eat or seems to be more irritable than usual, which could mean that he or she is in pain. 

Bailey the Grizzly Bear

Bailey the Grizzly Bear

Here are some fun animal teeth facts to ‘brush up’ on:

  • Elephants only have four teeth at one time.  They have two on the top and two on the bottom.  Throughout their life they go through 6 sets of teeth (that’s 24 total), and when all of their teeth fall out they can starve to death.  Both male and female African elephants have tusks (modified teeth), while only male Asian elephants have long tusks.  Female Asian elephants have shorter, tusk-like teeth called tushes. 
  • The clouded leopard has the longest canine teeth of any cat species, in proportion to the rest of its body.
  • Some whales, including the blue whale, don’t have teeth but instead something called baleen.  Baleen is made up of keratin (just like hair and nails) and acts as a filter. It looks like a fine toothed comb and allows the whale to take in water (along with fish) and then filter out the water.
  • Birds don’t have any teeth, so how do they chew?  Many birds have beaks designed for cutting and tearing so they are able to tear off small pieces (like meat) and swallow them.  Others use their mouth for grinding or mashing which makes their food (such as seeds, fruit, or plants) easier to swallow also.  What happens after that?  Lots of birds utilize stones in their stomach to assist with digestion and breaking up larger pieces of food.
  • Rodents, (such as mice, rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, porcupines, and chipmunks), have front incisors that continually grow throughout their life.  That’s why they’re always gnawing on things; this helps to wear those teeth down so they don’t get too long. 
  • Sharks are considered polyphyodont, which means that they grown new teeth every few weeks.  This replaces any worn out or lost teeth.  All the better to eat small animals with! 

So get to flossing and polishing your own pearly whites!

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Jul
04

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath

Posted by in Camp,Uncategorized

 

Keeper Camp JUne 09

Keeper Camp June 09

This summer one of camps we’re offering is a Keeper Camp for ages 10-12 years old, but during the week they get to act like some of our veteran zoo keepers. Throughout the week they spent a few hours working alongside the keepers in nearly every department at the Zoo. The campers spent Tueday with Reptiles and Sea Lions, Wednesday with the Children’s Zoo, Carnivores and Natural Encounters, Thursday with the Clinic staff and then the GRAND finale on Friday with the Elephants.

Unfortunately, I did not get to participate in the camp and instead get to look at the pictures from the elephant experience with a dreamy look in my eyes. After much discussion with the VP of Animal Operations here at the Zoo, we decided that it’s OK to be jealous of a bunch of 10 to 12 year olds. I mean how cool is this??? People work in zoo’s for years and never get to touch an Elephant nevermind get this close to one.

If you want to see what an Elephant bath looks like, our elephants get a bath every morning at 10am.  You can go to the new Elephant Barn, look through the opened windows, and watch as the keepers give each elephant a bath, take their temperature and blood pressure, and do some training.

 

If you’d like an opportunity to learn even more about our elephants here, go to the Elephant Open House on July 25th.

New and Improved- Now with video!!

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Jun
08

Zoo Crew in da hizouse

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Free Lion Tours with Zoo Crew

Free Lion Tours with Zoo Crew

 

Education Zoo Crew are out in force offering fun and unique educational experiences. Last Friday they led free walking tours to various exhibits and even had Leo the Lion out signing autographs. Next time you’re at the Zoo look for them out on grounds. Their animal and Zoo knowledge knows no bounds and they use it to design thier own classes, so you never know quite what to expect from this creative bunch.