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Imagine the African savanna. Wide, open and flat expanses with tall yellow grasses. Sparse trees and shrubs dotting the landscape. Endless blue sky with a bright sun. What’s missing from this scene? The iconic wildlife that roam this habitat, of course! I’m sure you imagine the giraffes, stretching upward to reach the leaves in the … Continue reading "The Animals of the New African Savanna"

Join Elephant Program Manager Nate for a sneak-peek at the Zambezi Elephant Center and new African Savanna elephant habitat, opening in summer 2019. Nate gives us a tour of the many special features of the new elephant complex, including design elements implemented especially for the enrichment and well-being of Earth’s largest land mammals. The new … Continue reading "Sneak peek at the Zambezi Elephant Center"

Who loves coffee?  I do, I do! Coffee, as we know it, is cultivated as varietals of two species of African shrubs. You may recognize the names as Arabica (Coffea arabica) and Robusta (C. canephora). Coffee is now grown in tropical regions around the world, but it is rather specific in its ecological needs. I … Continue reading "For the love of coffee"

When I was very young, I used to think that when birds molted their feathers it meant they dropped every feather at once and were running about looking like a plucked chicken. Thankfully, I quickly figured out that this was not the case. Feather molting in birds is a complicated process that can vary between … Continue reading "What does it mean when birds molt?"

Explore the Zoo on your own at a discounted group rate for schools, summer camps, daycares, and additional youth groups!

Hanging the extra hammock in one of the behind-the-scenes dens has been a huge hit with the adult giant pandas. You recently saw a picture of Yang Yang snoozing away; well, here you can see a picture of Lun Lun passed out after gorging herself on bamboo shoots. She looks really relaxed! The twins got … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Wednesday, May 22"

The eastern indigo snake is native to Florida, southern Georgia and southern Alabama. These non-venomous snakes are the largest native snake in the U.S. (a large male can be 7–8 feet long!) and are solid black. But, if you look closely, you can see their scales are iridescent (word of the day) and reflect light … Continue reading "Saving icons of the longleaf pine forest"

Hello everyone! Courtney here for another Keeper Story. I am currently a Primate Keeper I specifically working with the western lowland gorillas, and today I wanted to share with you a little bit about what it takes to work at an accredited zoo. One of the most popular, and one of my favorite, questions I … Continue reading "My journey to a dream job"

We recently tried some new enrichment in our behind-the-scenes area for the giant pandas. One of the most challenging and rewarding parts of being an animal care professional is trying to constantly think of novel and engaging enrichment for the animals in our care. Since we can’t offer a new item every single day, this … Continue reading "Panda Updates – Monday, May 20"

Hi everyone, Ashley here! Spring has sprung, and I’m going to tell you all about how we work with the herd of Petting Zoo animals during our busy season. I am an Ambassador Animal Keeper in this area, so I get to work with all the goats and sheep down in the Children’s Zoo. If … Continue reading "Hello from the herd!"