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6:45 a.m.: Cool. For perhaps the only time in an Atlanta June day, the air is cool. I try to soak it in, enjoying my last sip of coffee as I power on my radio and cross the threshold of the Zambezi Elephant Center. The sun has not fully risen, and the building is dark … Continue reading "A day in the life of the Elephant Care Team"

June 7 would have been Idgie the red panda’s 14th birthday. Even though we had to say goodbye to her in April due to age-related decline in health, we are still working hard to raise awareness for her wild counterparts and continue the impact on red panda conservation that Idgie created. Zoo Atlanta has partnered … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Monday, June 8"

All is well in PandaLand. Just as Danica and Heather mentioned in recent updates, over the past month, all of the bears were eating bamboo shoots like there was no tomorrow. On one occasion, we went through almost 150 kilograms of shoots just in a few days’ time (not including what was offered overnight)! When … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Friday, June 5"

Pollinators are incredibly important to our daily lives, but often we do not even stop to think about them. Not only do they help provide food like tomatoes, avocados, watermelon, or even almonds, but they each fill some vital role in the reproductive cycle of their ecosystem. Pollinators are so important to their ecosystems that … Continue reading "Stop to think about pollinators"

Currently the Zoo is open again for guests (we are so happy for everyone to be able to come visit again), but I thought I would share with you what we had been working on during our closure. As primate care professionals specifically working with our small primates and sloths (the non-primate members of our … Continue reading "Upgrades and training while the Zoo was closed"

Giant pandas have super thick fur, so they are not very heat tolerant and don’t usually want to be outside during Georgia summers. On most days by about Noon, it is too warm to have the pandas in the outdoor habitats, so two groups go to the climate-controlled indoor dayrooms, and one group stays in … Continue reading "Panda Updates -Monday, June 1"

We as humans are a social species. Our need for close connections with other humans is something that most, if not all, of us can understand. Yes, even you introverts out there! I am married to the epitome of an introvert and even she will admit to needing some human contact. The point is that … Continue reading "Why can’t we be friends?"

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"

As many of you know, Abu, our oldest giraffe, recently underwent an important medical procedure that required his hooves to be trimmed. Since a giraffe procedure that involves anesthesia is both a high-risk procedure, especially for giraffe, and is relatively uncommon, I thought that I would share what goes into the planning and performance of … Continue reading "Caring for Abu"

One of the best parts of working with animals is watching the infants grow up into their own independent animals. Just a couple weeks ago, the Small Primate Team celebrated Chewie the crowned lemur’s first birthday. Here are 10 facts about Chewie to celebrate his milestone! 1. Chewie was born on “Star Wars Day” (May … Continue reading "Ten facts to celebrate Chewie"