OKC ZOO ANNOUNCES PASSING OF ENDANGERED FEMALE AFRICAN PAINTED DOG, XENA
A popular member of one of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s African painted dog packs, Xena, was humanely euthanized on Wednesday, April 3.
At 13 years old, Xena, was a geriatric animal. She was the oldest African painted dog in an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoo in North America. The Zoo’s carnivore and veterinary care teams created a geriatric care plan for Xena and were monitoring her for age-related issues including arthritis and mobili...
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ENGINEERING AND ENRICHMENT MEET AT THE OKC ZOO
Real-world experience. There’s no substitute for it.
It’s true for college students who are looking for jobs—that’s why internships and apprenticeships exists, after all—but it’s also true for animals.
“In the wild, animals spend a significant amount of their time avoiding predators, searching for food, sometimes recovering from altercations with other animals. Even something as simple as searching for water can take up a significant amount of time,&r...
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WILD ABOUT FOOD! DISHING ABOUT ANIMAL DIETS WITH THE OKC ZOO’S ANIMAL NUTRITIONIST
Grandma is on a no-potassium diet. Brother won’t eat ham. One of the cousins is vegan, except for bacon, and another one will eat anything that isn’t vegetables. As families prepare for the holidays, it’s time for household cooks to reckon with a variety of dietary restrictions, allergies, and preferences. For a table of 15, that’s a herculean task. For the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s new animal nutritionist, it’s just another day at work.
Tayl...
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OKC ZOO HELPS FUND CAPACITY BUILDING TO PROTECT ENDANGERED GIRAFFE POPULATIONS IN AFRICA
An OKC Zoo Conservation Success Story
The Oklahoma City Zoo is a conservation organization committed to protecting our world’s vanishing wildlife and wild places. Since the 1980s, giraffe populations in Africa have dropped 30%. The primary reason for the decline is habitat loss.
Human activities such as agricultural expansion, logging, and urban development have drastically reduced available giraffe habitat. Currently, only 10% of the historic range for giraffes remains. As these ...
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OKC ZOO CREATES HEADSTART PROGRAM TO PROTECT RARE MILKWEED POPULATIONS IN OKLAHOMA
Expedition milkweed! The charismatic and threatened monarch butterfly is reliant on milkweed plants to survive. In North America there are around 100 species of native milkweed with at least 25 species known to occur in Oklahoma. Along the edges of Oklahoma, particularly in the Black Mesa and South-Central Plains ecoregions, many milkweeds are rare due to being at the periphery of multiple species’ ranges. One species in the southeast, purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) is conside...
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OKC Zoo Brings Global and Local Partners Together for Elephant Conservation
The conservation reach of the Oklahoma City Zoo extends well beyond Oklahoma, with field partners located around the globe. Recently, the OKC Zoo has begun new conservation and research initiatives in collaboration with partners on the south Asian island of Sri Lanka. Less than half the size of the state of Oklahoma, Sri Lanka is one of the world’s remaining biodiversity hotspots. With over 22 million people living on the island (that’s over five times the population of Oklahoma, ...
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HAVE YOU HERD? COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH EFFORTS AT THE OKC ZOO ARE HELPING THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ADDRA GAZELLE
Addra gazelle are the largest members of the gazelle family and range naturally around the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. Unfortunately, this desert-adapted species has disappeared from most of its natural range, and only a few hundred individuals exist now in isolated habitat fragments, making the addra gazelle critically endangered. To combat this problem, many members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) are working together to build a successful addra gazelle Species Survival...
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ADDITIONAL CARE FOR GERIATRIC ASIAN ELEPHANT, BAMBOO
Like people, as animals age, their abilities and needs evolve. Especially with animals that are considered geriatric or at an age that is near or beyond the average life expectancy for their species.
The Oklahoma City Zoo’s approximately 56-year-old female Asian elephant, Bamboo, is one of many geriatric animals in the Zoo’s care. Bamboo is part of a multigenerational herd of eight Asian elephants including Rex (54), Asha (27), Chandra (26), Kandula (21) Achara (8), Kairavi...
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Captivating Cheetahs: OKC Zoo Celebrates Cheetahs
In honor of International Cheetah Day on December 4, we’re celebrating our newest animal family members, cheetah brothers Boomer and Pistol “Pete”! Boomer and Pete arrived at the OKC Zoo’s new Predator Pass habitat from Little Rock Zoo in Little Rock, Arkansas, over a month ago. The five-year-old brothers were born at Cincinnati Zoo in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Since joining the Zoo’s animal family, their caretakers have noticed some key differences in their “purr...
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Snapshot Safari: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Wild Words
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is a supporter of Snapshot Safari, a camera network created by the University of Minnesota’s Lion Center. Through a donations from the Round Up for Conservation Funds, the Zoo contributed to the establishment of a camera trap grid in Zimbabwe in 2018. These cameras are used to contribute data to a census of mammals in several African countries. The Zoo’s long-time conservation partner, Painted Dog Research Trust (PDRT), has also used the ...
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Swing into Action: OKC Zoo Celebrates Orangutan Caring Week
This week we are celebrating Orangutan Caring Week at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, and we want you to get to know the Zoo’s orangutan pair, as well as learn all about what it takes to care for and conserve their species! Our two resident Sumatran orangutans, Elok and Negara, tend to be guest favorites, as they are easy to distinguish from one another and have an abundance of personality.
Elok, the Zoo’s 21-year old male, is easily recognizable because of his large ...
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Grandma the Chicken Turtle: A Collaboration for Conservation
Conservation is commonly thought of in big picture terms- saving the Amazon Rainforest, preserving enough land for roaming families of elephants or gorillas and conserving the great barrier reef for generations into the future. But conservation can also be a school classroom, a teacher planting flowers for monarch butterflies, cleaning up trash from a local river or stream, or helping a turtle on the road get safely to the other side. This is the story of one of these smaller, yet very reward...
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Make a SPOOKtacular Difference This Halloween by Shopping Sustainably
Are you sugar RUSHING to get candy? This year, make a positive difference for wild orangutans and other endangered species, including Sumatran tigers and Asian elephants, by purchasing Halloween treats made with sustainably-sourced palm oil.
Palm oil is a form of edible vegetable oil obtained from the fruit of the African oil palm tree. Palm oil is inexpensive and efficient, making it the world’s most widely used vegetable oil. Palm oil is found in approximately 50% of products f...
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Gorilla Gab: Quirky Traits of the Gorilla Troops
In honor of World Gorilla Day on Friday, September 24, we’re sharing all of the gab about the Oklahoma City Zoo’s beloved gorilla family members – courtesy of their caretakers! The Zoo is home to two troops of Western lowland gorillas – a family troop and a bachelor troop. The bachelor troop consists of three individuals – George, 17, Bouendje (Bo), 15, and Bakari, 15; and the family troop consists of seven gorillas – Finyezi (Fin), 3, Azinza, 3, Ruby, 6, M...
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One Batty Adventure: Notes from the Field
Bats are found all throughout Oklahoma and have experienced population decline as a result of habitat loss and climate change. Bats are an indicator species, meaning that by measuring their population health, conservationists are able to assess an area’s environmental health.
Determining environmental health by indicator species can be achieved by observing and recording factors like population growth, population decrease and population density. Therefore, regular studies of the state&...
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IncREDible Species: The OKC Zoo Celebrates International Red Panda Day
What is that furry creature in the treetops? Is it a bear, a raccoon or maybe a fox? No wait! It’s the elusive red panda! Red pandas are a one-of a-kind species, belonging to their own unique family named Ailuridea. Even though red panda share the name “panda” with giant pandas, they are not related. In fact, red pandas were scientifically documented 50 years before the giant panda in 1825. Red pandas are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation o...
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The Art of Creating Ecosystems
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is home to over 350 unique species, representing thousands of different continents, climates and ecosystems. It takes research, creativity and collaboration among Zoo teams to create enriching and naturalistic environments for the Zoo’s animal family. These immersive habitats not only benefit the Zoo’s animals but also Zoo guests who have the opportunity to experience the world‘s ecosystems and fascinating creatures during their vis...
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One Tall Order: OKC Zoo Provides Update on Giraffe Julu’s Pregnancy
Julu, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s beloved six-year-old giraffe, is expecting her first offspring in the near future. In December 2020, the Zoo announced the pregnancies of Julu and her mother, Ellie, with an approximate delivery timespan of June 2021 for both females. While giraffe, Ellie, delivered her sixth calf, Kioni, on June 3, 2021, Julu continues to progress well through her pregnancy. Giraffes have a gestation period of around 15 months, however, like humans, de...
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Honoring Asian Elephant, Malee: The OKC Zoo’s Commitment to EEHV Research and Prevention
In honor of August being Asian Elephant Awareness Month, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is sharing about its commitment to elephant conservation through the story of Malee, the first Asian elephant born at the OKC Zoo, who passed away unexpectedly on October 1, 2015, at the age of four years old after succumbing to the deadly elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). Following the loss of Malee, the Zoo’s Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino, le...
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Complex Carnivores: New Feeding Pole Encourages Natural Hunting Behaviors
At the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, caretakers strive to encourage the natural behaviors of the animals in their care through enrichment. Enrichment is the action of improving or enhancing the quality of something. This can be accomplished in a multitude of ways, from introducing unfamiliar scents that encourage an animal’s sense of smell to installing climbing structures that encourage an animal’s climbing skills. Other forms of enrichment encourage natural feeding beh...
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Ultra-healthy: OKC Zoo’s Cats Participate in Ultrasound and Radiograph Training
No cat-itude, just gratitude! At the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, medical training is a critical part of our animal family’s health and wellness. These voluntary training sessions not only monitor the health of our animal family, but also strengthen the relationships between caretaker and animal, while providing an enriching opportunity. When training for medical behaviors, the Zoo’s carnivore care team typically begins with medical injections, as well as blood draw tra...
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Cat-tastic Healthcare: Training the Zoo’s Small Cats for Blood Draws and Injections
Feline healthy! At the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, medical training is a critical part of our animal family’s health and wellness. These training sessions not only monitor the health of our animal family, but also strengthen the relationships between caretaker and animal, while providing an enriching opportunity. Regardless of the size of the animal, caretakers strive to encourage voluntary medical participation by creating a rewarding, positive environment. The Zoo’s ...
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Conserving the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake: Field Notes from a Herpetologist
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden recently welcomed three Eastern massasauga rattlesnake snakelets, a federally protected species, to its Herpetarium habitat for the first time in its history as a result of a successful breeding effort this past May. The Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA) Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Species Survival PlanTM (EMR SSP) is comprised of 19 AZA-accredited zoos, including the OKC Zoo. As part of the Zoo’s commitment to the EMR SSP, Zoo ...
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Commitment to Care: OKC Zoo’s 31-year-old Gila Monster Undergoes Surgery
On Thursday, May 27, one of the Zoo’s Gila monsters underwent surgery at 10 a.m. at the Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital to remove a tumor from her kidney tissue.
Native to southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, Gila monsters are reptiles and named for the Gila River in Arizona. They are covered in beadlike dorsal scales that are black and yellow or pink, and they have a forked tongue that is used to “taste” the air for the presence of food and predators. They ...
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Conservation Success Stories: OKC Zoo Initiates Black Rat Snake Spatial Ecology Research
Here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, we believe in the importance of conserving the world’s wildlife and wild places. In 2020, the Zoo contributed over $220,000 to benefit local and global conservation efforts. Much of this money was raised through the Zoo’s Round Up for Conservation initiative. Through individual guest contributions, Round Up for Conservation funds helped cultivate several conservation success stories in 2020. One of those ten focused on black...
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(Monitor)ing the Breeding of Black Tree Monitors
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden recently welcomed four black tree monitor hatchlings; the first for the Zoo in several years. The Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP) for the Black Tree Monitor, a lizard species listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Black tree monitors are found exclusively on Aru island off the west coast of New G...
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OKC Zoo Saddened to Announce Passing of Geriatric White-Tailed Deer
On Wednesday, June 16, one of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s female, 17-year-old white-tailed deer, Ruby, was examined by the Zoo’s veterinary team after caretakers noticed changes in her behavior including lethargy, as well as a change in body condition. Ruby had been closely monitored by her care team for the past couple of years due to her advanced age and diagnosis of arthritis. This examination led caretakers to the difficult decision to humanely euthanize...
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Beating the Oklahoma Heat: How the OKC Zoo Keeps its Animal Family Cool and Comfortable
When visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden in the heat of summer, many Zoo guests wonder how the Zoo’s animals keep cool. From elephants to bears and tigers to turtles, the Zoo is committed to the health, enrichment and comfortability of every wild member of its animal family.
The Zoo’s first strategy for keeping animals cool begins with the design of their habitats. Each of the Zoo’s animal habitats provide the animals consistent access to shaded structures ...
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Conservation Success Stories: Educating Oklahomans for the Future of Monarchs
Here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens we believe in the importance of conserving the world’s wildlife and wild places. In 2020, the Zoo raised over $220,000 toward to benefit local and global conservation efforts as part of its Round Up for Conservation initiative. Through individual guest contributions, Round Up for Conservation funds helped cultivate 10 conservation success stories in 2020. Of those ten, the Zoo was able to strengthen its long-time commitment t...
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Conservation Success Stories: OKC Zoo Provides Training to Mountain Gorilla Researchers
Here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, we believe in the importance of conserving the world’s wildlife and wild places. In 2020, the Zoo raised over $220,000 to benefit local and global conservation efforts as part of its Round Up for Conservation initiative. Through individual guest contributions, Round Up for Conservation funds helped cultivate 10 conservation success stories in 2020. Of those ten, one success story focuses on supporting researchers who protect the world&...
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Leaning on Each Otter this World Otter Day
In honor of World Otter Day, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden invited Ben Yoxon of the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) to write a guest blog about IOSF’s crucial conservation efforts to protect the world’s 13 species of otters. The Zoo is home to two North American river otters, Rocky and Pip, who reside at the Big Rivers habitat located inside Oklahoma Trails. Other otter species include sea otters, giant otters, Eurasian otters, Asian small-clawed otters, smoo...
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Conservation Success Stories: Increasing the Genetic Diversity of Guatemalan Beaded Lizards
Here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, we believe in the importance of conserving the world’s wildlife and wild places. In 2020, the Zoo raised over $220,000 to benefit local and global conservation efforts as part of its Round Up for Conservation initiative. Through individual guest contributions, Round Up for Conservation funds helped cultivate 10 conservation success stories in 2020. One of those ten focused toward a goal of increasing the genetic diversity of ...
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Pups in Training: OKC Zoo’s African Painted Dogs Receive Voluntary Hand Injections
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is home to a pack of five African Painted dogs, consisting of our matriarch, Xena, 9, her mate, Dojo, 9, and their three offspring Tex, Back Slash and Spot, who are four years old. All of the Zoo’s painted dogs are involved in a behavioral training program here at the Zoo that allows caretakers to train new behaviors through positive reinforcement. Training works to mentally stimulate the pack, as well as present them with the opportunity ...
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Conservation Success Stories: OKC Zoo is Batty for Conservation
Here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, we’re batty about the importance of conserving the world’s wildlife and wild places. In 2020, the Zoo raised over $220,000 to benefit local and global conservation efforts as part of its Round Up for Conservation initiative. Through individual guest contributions, Round Up for Conservation funds helped cultivate 10 conservation success stories in 2020. Of those 10 stories, one effort focused on the study of bat biodiversity and c...
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Conservation Success Stories: OKC Zoo Contributes to Bird Conservation
Here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, we believe in the importance of conserving the world’s wildlife and wild places. In 2020, the Zoo raised over $220,000 toward to benefit local and global conservation efforts as part of its Round Up for Conservation initiative. Through individual guest contributions, Round Up for Conservation funds helped cultivate 10 conservation success stories in 2020. Of those ten, the Zoo was able to contribute to North American bird research and ...
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Wild About the Earth: Six Ways to Help Wildlife this Earth Day
The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s mission is to connect you to wildlife, as we strive to conserve wild places. This Earth Day, we want to share six actions OKC Zoo fans can take to protect endangered species. We challenge you to complete at least one before the day is through, but remember – every day is Earth Day!
Donate a cellphone to the Zoo’s Gorillas on the Line Cellphone Challenge
Join the OKC Zoo in its efforts to protect wild gorillas and their h...
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Conservation Success Stories: OKC Zoo Contributes to Bee Research and Conservation
Do you bee-lieve in conservation? Here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, we believe in the importance of conserving the world’s wildlife and wild places. In 2020, the Zoo contributed over $220,000 to benefit local and global conservation efforts. Much of this funding was raised through the Zoo’s Round Up for Conservation initiative, a grant from the Kirkpatrick Foundation, as well as donations through the Oklahoma Zoological Society (OKC ZOOfriends) and the Zoo&r...
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Zoo’s Historic Grottos Transformed into New Raptor Ridge Habitat
Recently, a historical part of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden was renovated to create a new home for the Zoo’s raptor species. Raptors are large birds of prey and includes species like, eagles, owls, condors and vultures. Originally built in 1938, the grottos, located near the Zoo’s sea lion habitat, was a must-see stop for anyone visiting the Zoo. The grottos were originally built to house the Zoo’s big cats and were considered top-of-the-line animal h...
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Mush(room) to Grow: Mycology 101
It is spring here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. The ground is warming, birds are singing, and it’s mushroom season! These fragile organisms are often overlooked or viewed as a pest, but we at the Zoo have a pension for these slimy, little marvels. The vast collection of flora upkept by the Zoo’s horticultural team is host to a few hundred of the over ten thousand known mushroom species, and they can be split into four basic categories – saprophytic, mycorrhi...
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Conservation Success Stories: Providing Texas Horned Lizards a Head Start
Here at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, we believe in the importance of conserving the world’s wildlife and wild places. In 2020, the Zoo raised over $220,000 to benefit local and global conservation efforts as part of its Round Up for Conservation initiative. Through individual guest contributions, Round Up for Conservation funds helped cultivate 10 conservation success stories in 2020. Of those ten, one success story focuses on Oklahoma's beloved lizard, the ...
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Neck and Neck: Update on OKC Zoo Giraffes Ellie and Julu’s Pregnancies
Two of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s giraffes, 20-year-old, Ellie, and five-year-old, Julu, are pregnant and each due to give birth between late April and early May 2021. Caretakers have enjoyed watching the mother-daughter duo experience their pregnancies together. This will be Ellie’s sixth calf to be born at the Zoo and Julu’s first offspring. Three-year-old, Demetri, is the father of both calves, which are also his first offspring.
The average gestation f...
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Blooms and Butterflies: Signs of Spring at the OKC Zoo
Out with the old and in with the new! As we say goodbye to winter at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, we begin to welcome spring with open arms. Though the Zoo is filled with over 500 different animal species, guests can also experience over 5,500 plant species within the Zoo!
As an accredited botanical garden, the Zoo is home to a large collection of flora that is native to the United States and various other countries to enhance the Zoo’s landscape. The Zoo’s...
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The Ultimate Spring Break Guide to a Wild, Wonderful OKC Zoo Visit
What better way to spend spring break than a trip to the Zoo? Spring into action, stretch your legs, and experience the unique attractions and experiences the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden has to offer. This wild guide provides information on must-do attractions, shares how you can directly contribute to the Zoo’s conservation efforts and includes helpful tips to know before your visit.
The 10 Wildest Things to Do at the OKC Zoo:
1) &n...
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How to Train a Baby Rhino
At just over 550 pounds, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s youngest Indian rhino is growing up quickly! Yabi was born on October 23, 2020, weighing in at approximately 154 pounds. She is the second calf born to mom, Niki, but she more closely resembles her late father, Arun.
Never far from mom, Yabi gains a little more confidence and independence every day as she continues to explore her habitat in Sanctuary Asia. Guests can often find her wallowing in the mud or napping in ...
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Enriching Your Pets at Home, Lessons from an Animal Behaviorist
Have you ever wondered what your pets do all day when you’re at work? Have you come home to a chewed-up shoe or re-arranged living room? If so, these may be “tail” tell signs that your pet needs some daily enrichment!
Many people aren’t aware just how crucial enrichment is for animals in human care. Behavioral enrichment is as fundamental to animal welfare as proper nutrition and veterinary care. At the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Ga...
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WHAT A WILD WINTER
A mere two weeks ago during the Oklahoma City Zoo’s annual Groundhog Day event, Will and Wiley, our guessing grizzlies, predicted an early spring. While there are still several weeks to gauge the accuracy of the bear’s forecasting abilities, it is hard to fathom spring conditions forthcoming as we are currently experiencing heavy snow, gusting winds and record lows temperatures.
This winter season arrived early in Oklahoma with a rare ice storm occurring in late October 2020. Thi...
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Bison Footcare: Mary Ann’s Hooves Are Made for Walking
The American bison is North America’s largest and heaviest land mammal. The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is home to three bison – two-year-old Verbena and Yarrow, and 19-year-old, Mary Ann. To ensure the health and wellness of the Zoo’s bison herd, each individual receives an annual wellness exam from the Zoo’s veterinary team, which includes a full body exam, bloodwork and a hoof trim. Much like human feet, bison hooves also experience the effects of d...
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Beaks and Binoculars: Birdwatching for Beginners
The Great Backyard Bird Count, a citizens-science project in its 24th year, is hosted annually in the month of February. This project calls on bird enthusiasts all over the world to come together and assist with identifying, counting and learning about different bird species.
In past years, the Zoo has partnered with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife (ODWC) to host a Backyard Bird Count event on Zoo grounds, consisting of guided tours from local, bird experts. However, because ...
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