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On the heels of the completion of the most transformative project in Zoo Atlanta history, both the Zambezi Elephant Center and the renovation of Savanna Hall have officially earned LEED Gold certification. Administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program recognizes buildings across the world for … Continue reading "Savanna Hall awarded LEED gold"

On the heels of the completion of the most transformative project in Zoo Atlanta history, both the Zambezi Elephant Center and the renovation of Savanna Hall have officially earned LEED Gold certification. Administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program recognizes buildings across the world for … Continue reading "Savanna Hall awarded LEED Gold"

It’s a special day for the Panda Care Team because Po’s twins are 1 today! If you’re new to the Atlanta pandas, Po was Lun Lun Lun’s third and first female cub. She was born Nov. 3, 2010, and lived with Lun Lun until she was weaned in spring 2013. She moved to the Chengdu … Continue reading "Panda updates – Monday, July 6"

Giant pandas and red pandas are not closely related, with their most common ancestor living over 40 million years ago. So, why is it that two very different animals have similar adaptations to eat an almost exclusively bamboo diet? For many years, scientists were perplexed by the similarity. “Exactly how such evolutionary distant animals evolved … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Monday, June 29"

Now that bamboo shoot season is done, it is time for the next type of bamboo. We just started offering a favorite of the giant pandas at this time of year, arrow bamboo (Pseudosasa japonica). As one might imagine, it has been a hit so far. Arrow bamboo is a really long and skinny bamboo … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Wednesday, June 10"

Giant pandas have very few natural predators. As adults, they are very strong, and with a jaw pressure high enough to crush bamboo, they can pack a tough bite. For this reason, predators are more of a concern for giant panda cubs than they are for adults. Their most common predators are jackals and snow … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Friday, May 22"

There are 25 species of tenrec which are mostly found on Madagascar, but some are native to mainland Africa. The name lesser hedgehog tenrec is misleading, as tenrecs are not related to hedgehogs. Their closest relatives are moles and shrews. However, like hedgehogs, tenrecs have spines covering much of their bodies. Although the underlying muscular structure is less specialized than a hedgehog’s, tenrecs have well-developed muscles under the skin that allow them to raise and lower their spines.

With all the extra time at home everyone has now, many people may be considering getting a new pet. But, just because your quarantined lifestyle may make sense for a pet, you really need to consider whether your post-social distancing life and schedule truly fits with the animal you may be welcoming into your home. … Continue reading "The Importance of Pet Adoption"

Greetings from the Scaly, Slimy and Spectacular! The first species you will encounter upon entering Scaly Slimy Spectacular (as long as you keep your eyes peeled) are two west African slender-snouted crocodiles (Mecistops cataphractus). The reason you may have trouble spotting our two crocodiles (Meci and Babu) is because they spend a lot of time … Continue reading "How do crocodiles stay submerged so long?"

Water scarcity seems like a silly topic to talk about on a planet that has 71% of its surface covered in water. You might even be wondering why you should ever worry about saving water. After all, there are 326 million trillion gallons of water on Earth, and that amount always remains constant. Even when … Continue reading "Why should I think about water conservation?"