Zoo Atlanta

It's time to get glowing! IllumiNights at the Zoo presented by Georgia Power Company is open now with new lanterns to explore. Click the link to purchase tickets! #OnlyZooATL #IllumiNights https://lnkd.in/dqEreUH4

Zoo Atlanta provided a day of inspiration, learning, and career aspirations for 40 Atlanta children at Vet for a Day on November 9, 2024. The event was hosted in partnership with the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and in collaboration with Terrence Ferguson, DVM, and Vernard Hodges, DVM, stars of the series “Critter Fixers: Country Vets.”   Invited students ranged in age from 12 to 16 years old and attend Title I Schools in metro Atlanta. The children and their parents enjoyed an interactive presentation with Drs. Ferguson and Hodges, followed by a packed day of hands-on opportunities for the students to learn from members of the Zoo Atlanta Veterinary, Research, and Animal Care Teams and AVMA veterinarians. Activities included educational simulations of veterinary CPR; parasite detection; and suturing. Students also joined Zoo Atlanta veterinarians and researchers to learn about heart and hoof checks at the petting zoo and animal ethograms at the Delta Air Lines Rhino Habitat. Tours concluded with a visit to Zoo Atlanta’s new Rollins Animal Health Center, where the students explored animal X-rays and biofacts.  While students were engaged in afternoon activities, their parents had opportunities to meet with representatives from AVMA and area universities to learn more about academic paths to veterinary careers. Fort Valley State University and Gwinnett Technical College, both of which offer Veterinary Technology programs, provided parents with essential information on academic requirements, funding options, and grants. This guidance is a crucial component in helping to close the gap and create clear pathways toward careers in animal management and veterinary technology, bringing the program full circle.  “Zoo Atlanta was thrilled to be able to host the Vet for a Day opportunity, and we are very grateful for the partnership of our colleagues at AVMA and our friends Dr. Ferguson and Dr. Hodges in helping make this special day possible,” said Raymond B. King, President and CEO. “If there are children in our community who dream of someday becoming a veterinarian – or perhaps have never considered a career working with animals – we want to do everything we can to uplift our next generation on that journey and help them understand that their dreams are achievable.”  November 9 marked Zoo Atlanta’s second time hosting a Vet for a Day event. The inaugural Vet for a Day event took place on September 30, 2023.   Plan a visit to Zoo Atlanta or learn more about the Zoo’s animals, mission, programs, and people at zooatlanta.org. #OnlyZooATL  

Remembering a powerful force for good in the philanthropic backbone of our city: Our thoughts are with his family on the passing this week of Bernie Marcus. Over the years, Zoo Atlanta has been one of many beneficiaries of The Marcus Foundation, which for more than 20 years, has supported each of the Zoo’s major capital campaigns, most recently our Rollins Animal Health Center, completed this fall. In addition to his support of Zoo Atlanta and his indelible legacy in his community, city, and well beyond, Mr. Marcus was the founder of Georgia Aquarium, our fellow Association of Zoos and Aquariums organization in Atlanta. We commend his vision for connections with wildlife and his commitment to conservation, for an impact which will be felt for many years to come. 

Zoo Atlanta is proud to announce the completion of The Rollins Animal Health Center, a state-of-the-art new veterinary complex that will redefine standards of excellence in zoological animal medicine, scientific research, and academic partnerships. The facility is named in recognition of The Gary W. Rollins Foundation’s generous investment of $3 million in the project and long history of Zoo support. The complex signifies the culmination of Zoo Atlanta’s successful Care, Conserve, Connect capital campaign, which raised just over $21 million, and represents a notable demonstration of support from the philanthropic community. In addition to the gift from The Gary W. Rollins Foundation, donations of $1 million or more included gifts from Lettie Pate Evans Foundation; Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation; A Friend of the Zoo; The Marcus Foundation; The Sara Giles Moore Foundation; and The Zeist Foundation. The project’s Joint General Contractors are Turner Construction Company and FS360, with architectural design by Torre Design Consortium, Ltd. The complex has a built-in goal of achieving LEED Gold Certification. Features of the 17,000 square-foot complex include dedicated laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, treatment, and surgical suites; a CT scanner; interior and exterior animal holding dens and a food preparation kitchen; five animal quarantine dens with dedicated care team member access and dedicated food preparation areas; and office and conference space for the Veterinary Team. The facility also includes a necropsy suite. A second floor features two bedrooms, restrooms and laboratory working space. The bedrooms will allow the Veterinary Team to expand the Zoo’s veterinary internship program by providing housing to participating students and hosting visiting scientists. Thanks to enhanced technology, Zoo Atlanta looks forward to remote learning capabilities not previously possible with its veterinary program. The Rollins Animal Health Center notably expands Zoo Atlanta’s capabilities for research; professional externship and internship opportunities; and other collaborations with academic partners across the state of Georgia. The Zoo’s academic partners include Agnes Scott College; Emory University; Georgia Institute of Technology; Georgia State University; Kennesaw State University; Morehouse College; The University of Georgia; University of North Georgia; Gwinnett Technical College; and Fort Valley State University. While The Rollins Animal Health Center is located behind the scenes and is not open as part of a public visit, future opportunities exist to offer educational programming and tours in the space. #OnlyZooATL

Zoo Atlanta has partnered with iAccess Life to make Voice by iAccess Life, a tool which allows visitors to rate, review, and research locations based on their accessibility, available on Zoo grounds.   Members and guests can scan seven different QR codes and provide anonymous feedback at the Zoo’s Flamingo Plaza; African Savanna; Ford African Rain Forest; Scaly Slimy Spectacular: The Amphibian and Reptile Experience; the main spine of the Zoo leading to Nourish Café; Asian Forest; and Orkin Children’s Zoo. Visitors will be able to provide feedback on a range of experiences, including parking and entry, accessibility of guest pathways and animal habitat viewing, and restroom, food service, and gift shop accessibility.  Zoo Atlanta, including an internal Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion Committee, will use this information to assess areas of need and identify ways to increase accessibility for guests with mobility, hearing or visual impairments.    “Zoo Atlanta strives to be a Zoo for All, and inclusivity is one of our organization’s key values. This means understanding challenges and barriers experienced by our guests,” said Raymond B. King, President and CEO. “Rather than guessing what those challenges are, we can now get direct feedback from our community that will help us provide a more accessible and inclusive Zoo experience for all those who visit. We are proud to partner with iAccess Life to offer this innovative new tool.”   “iAccess Life was created to allow for users with mobility impairments to access venues independently and confidently. It brings me great pleasure to see an organization such as Zoo Atlanta step up and offer their patrons a way to sufficiently leave feedback on how their experience was,” said Brandon Winfield, CEO of iAccess Life. “A lot of times the chain of operations from suggestion to solution is broken and not efficient. The Zoo will now be able to be proactive with their clients instead of reactive.”  Plan a visit at zooatlanta.org. Learn more about Voice by iAccess Life at voice.iAccess.life.  #OnlyZooATL  

Zhu Zhu the giant panda mascot bids farewell to the animals, people, sights, and sounds of his longtime home at Zoo Atlanta before the giant pandas depart for China in mid-October 2024. Visit zooatlanta.org to learn more. #OnlyZooATL https://lnkd.in/gZPnNzKK

ZOO ATLANTA ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE TIMELINE FOR GIANT PANDAS Giant pandas Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun will travel to China in mid-October 2024, in tandem with the expiration of Zoo Atlanta’s giant panda agreement with China at the end of that month. Zoo Atlanta is not able to share specifics on the pandas’ departure timeline. However, friends and fans interested in visiting the giant pandas are encouraged to do so within the next three weeks. “While Zoo Atlanta will certainly miss Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun, and their departure is bittersweet, they have created a momentous legacy here in Atlanta and around the world, leaving their mark not only in the hearts of their friends and fans, but on the scientific and zoological communities’ understanding of the behavior, biology, and care of this rare and treasured species,” said Raymond B. King, President and CEO. “It has been our privilege to be able to share this remarkable family with our Members and guests for 25 years.” 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the Zoo Atlanta giant panda program. Dating to the mid-1990s, even prior to the arrival of Lun Lun and Yang Yang in 1999, Zoo Atlanta’s partnership with colleagues in China has a longtime history of collaboration and information sharing that has benefited the care, study, and conservation of giant pandas. Since the inception of its giant panda program, Zoo Atlanta has supported the conservation of wild giant pandas and has been in the fortunate position of being able to support giant pandas living in nature reserves. Zoo Atlanta’s conservation support benefits habitat restoration, reserve management, and ranger support, as well as genetic diversity research. The Chinese government has invested a significant amount of human, material, and financial resources to continuously strengthen the restoration and protection of wild giant panda habitat and has gradually established 67 giant panda reserves. In 2021, a habitat protection system with the Giant Panda National Park as the main body was established, further improving the connectivity, coordination and integrity of the giant panda habitat. 72% of wild giant pandas are strictly protected. In addition to conservation support and contributions to the global body of scientific knowledge of giant pandas and their biology and behavior, the Zoo Atlanta panda cooperative conservation program has been notably successful in terms of future contributions to the population of the species. Seven giant pandas have been born at the Zoo since 2006, including two successful pairs of twins. Offspring of Lun Lun and Yang Yang include Mei Lan (born 2006); Xi Lan (born 2008); Po (born 2010); twins Mei Lun and Mei Huan (born 2013); and twins Ya Lun and Xi Lun (born 2016). Mei Lan, Xi Lan, Po, Mei Lun, and Mei Huan already reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China and have since all become parents themselves.

Nutella, a Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth at Zoo Atlanta, gave birth to an infant on August 9, 2024. The newborn is the second offspring of Nutella, 7, and male Cocoa, 31. The gestation period for sloths is unusually long for the animal kingdom at 11 to 12 months; however, pregnancies are not easily confirmed. Nutella’s firstborn, Olivia, was born on Father’s Day in 2023. Although sloths are famous for their slow movements, sloth infants develop at a notably more rapid pace than do most other mammal babies. They are born fully furred, with their eyes open and teeth already present, and have fully developed claws for clinging to their mothers. “We are very excited about the birth of Nutella’s infant,” said Gina Ferrie, PhD, Vice President of Collections and Conservation. “Sloths have so many fascinating adaptations and behaviors that we can share with our Members and guests, and while they are not currently classified as endangered, they have an emerging conservation story that can help us appreciate the impact of human activities on wild animals and ecosystems.” Native to Central and South America, Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths face mounting threats in the wild. In addition to challenges such as habitat loss for illegal logging, hundreds of sloths are electrocuted each year while attempting to use power lines to travel among fragmented forest patches. Based in Costa Rica, the Sloth Conservation Project, which works to rescue, rehabilitate, and release wild sloths impacted by deforestation and power line injuries, is a program that has been supported by Zoo Atlanta’s Conservation Fund. Nutella and Cocoa were recommended to breed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP), which seeks to maintain healthy, genetically diverse, and self-sustaining animal populations in accredited zoos. Lynn Yakubinis, a Lead Keeper at Zoo Atlanta, coordinates AZA-wide SSP programs for both Hoffmann’s two-toed sloths and Linne’s two-toed sloths. Nutella and her infant may be seen daily, weather permitting, in the Zoo’s summer sloth habitat located in the KIDZone. Plan a visit or learn more at zooatlanta.org. #OnlyZooATL (photos: Jodi C.)

Zoo Atlanta is saddened by the news of the passing of our friend and partner in conservation, Dr. Brian Davis, CEO of Georgia Aquarium.   Dr. Davis was a visionary leader – a champion for education, conservation, and partnership. The AZA community will miss his light. Not only did he bring these gifts to the AZA community, but he helped to uplift the importance of Atlanta as a national destination for wildlife education, connections, and more.   Our thoughts are with his family, our colleagues at the Georgia Aquarium, and with the many, many people who were inspired by his leadership.  

Today's Keeper Story from Sam G. covers a HUGE win for a critically endangered species. Check it out, and congratulations to the Bird Team on this monumental hatch! #OnlyZooATL #KeeperStories https://lnkd.in/gYN4zTC8