Search Results for: ki

One of my favorite things to do Zoo Atlanta, besides taking care of the hoofstock animals, is being able to attend conferences! This past October, I was able to attend my first national American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK for short) Conference in Denver, Colorado! What is AAZK? AAZK is an association made up of … Continue reading "Networking with peers in animal care"

Hi, my name is Kyle and I’m a Keeper II in the Herpetology Department at Zoo Atlanta. Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians. So for this week’s keeper story, I’d like to talk to you about some amazing iguanas I have the pleasure of taking care of. Jamaican iguanas are a large, colorful … Continue reading "An endangered species making a comeback"

As construction continues on their new habitat in the new Grand New View African savanna, the elephants Kelly and Tara are both keeping themselves busy with mud-throwing and dust baths, and we’re looking forward to those hot summer days when they’ll lie down and roll in the wallows to thoroughly saturate themselves. Keeping the appropriate … Continue reading "Checking in with Kelly, Tara and the meerkats"

As many of you already know, it has been especially cold here in Georgia, with temperatures dropping below freezing more often than not. These cold days mean that many of our animals, who are not acclimated to or tolerant of this weather, remain indoors to keep warm. However, of the animals able to comfortably remain … Continue reading "Cold-weather skills of feathered friends"

One of the aspects of the Zoo that some people may not know about is how much zoos communicate with each other and collaborate to promote the best practices in animal care, education, research and conservation. Many zoos in North America, including Zoo Atlanta, are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Within … Continue reading "Working together in the Raptor TAG"

Howdy! My name is Kelly, and I am the newest keeper on the Carnivore Team in the Mammal Department! I moved up from Florida this summer to join the amazing team here at Zoo Atlanta. Back in Florida, I did multiple internships working with a variety of animals such as carnivores, hoofstock and primates. This … Continue reading "Wintertime with Loki and Thor"

Hello, my name is Kyle Grace, and I’m one of the Herpetology Keepers at Zoo Atlanta! My fiancé and I recently moved down to Atlanta from Buffalo, New York. You may remember her from an earlier keeper blog about lemurs. For my first Zoo Atlanta keeper blog, I’d like to talk about my favorite animal, … Continue reading "Wonderful world of prehensile-tailed skinks"

They’re baaack! Those little balls of fluff everyone has been missing the last six weeks are back in their habitat! That’s right, I’m talking about the flamingo chicks. If you were able to see them in late August before they migrated behind the scenes with their parents for monitoring, you’ll notice that they already look … Continue reading "New kids in the flock"

Hello – I’m Luke, a keeper in the Bird Department here at Zoo Atlanta. Today I’ll be talking about the process behind transferring animals between zoological institutions, and how a Species Survival Plan®(SSP) works. The main goal of an individual SSP is to maintain genetic diversity of a particular species within a zoological population. Managed … Continue reading "Species Survival Plan plans for king vultures"

This past week I had the opportunity to attend the National Conference for The American Association of Zookeepers. Also known as AAZK, the American Association of Zookeepers is composed of animal care professionals, volunteers and affiliates in the zoo community. Keepers from all over the U.S. (as well as a few of our colleagues from … Continue reading "Networking for a common goal"