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By Kimberly Rodgers and Abbi Maurer April showers bring May flowers … and birds! It’s time to come out of your nest. With weather warming up, billions of birds will take flight to their summer homes where they will make their new nesting sites. On their journey, many birds will pass right through Atlanta’s backyard. … Continue reading "Learn to Bird and Become a Conservation Hero"

The chick, currently being “puppet reared,” is the first vulture ever hatched at Zoo Atlanta. Zoo Atlanta is celebrating the hatching of a critically endangered species. A hooded vulture chick hatched on April 9, 2020, marking the first time vultures of any species have successfully reproduced at the Zoo. The Zoo’s Bird Team was cautiously … Continue reading "Hatching of a critically endangered vulture"

The chick, currently being “puppet reared,” is the first vulture ever hatched at Zoo Atlanta. Zoo Atlanta is celebrating the hatching of a critically endangered species. A hooded vulture chick hatched on April 9, 2020, marking the first time vultures of any species have successfully reproduced at the Zoo. The Zoo’s Bird Team was cautiously … Continue reading "Hatching of a critically endangered vulture"

There are more species in the skink family than in any other lizard family. They generally have reduced limbs and smooth, overlapping scales with a bony plate in the skin underneath each scale. Prehensile-tailed skinks are the longest members of the skink family and are endemic to the Solomon Islands. These islands northeast of Australia are the only place in the world where prehensile-tailed skinks are native.

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.

Corn snakes, also known as red rat snakes, are a slender species of snake known for their orange coloration. This native Georgia species lives in many different habitats, ranging from forests to inside barns and attics. Corn snakes were once in trouble due to collection from the wild for the pet trade, but breeding programs have mitigated this threat.

At the Zoo, we talk a lot about how we use positive reinforcement training to enable the animals to participate in their own care. But did you realize, we train the keepers, too? When someone starts at Zoo Atlanta, they don’t just jump into training animals. We have a process for training animal care professionals … Continue reading "Training the human animal"

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"

Hello everyone! Last week was a busy one for Team B in the Primate Department as we celebrated FIVE birthdays! Although the Zoo is currently closed to the public, we still enjoy celebrating behind the scenes and even threw a few birthday parties! The first birthday was in gorillas with Willie B., Jr., son to … Continue reading "Celebrating birthdays behind the scenes"

Picture this: It’s been raining consistently for the last three days. The sky has been gray for who knows how long, and the forecast only predicts more rain. With the rain, comes a chill in the air that makes a cool day colder, perhaps leaving you with a chill you can’t seem to shake if … Continue reading "Soaking up the sun with birds"