Posts Tagged ‘houston zoo’

Jun
07

The Houston Zoo is Seeking Ways to Save Animals in Madagascar

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Staff assisting wildlife protection in the wild,Travel

The Houston Zoo’s conservation purpose is to further the Houston Zoo’s mission of “fostering appreciation, knowledge, and care for the natural world” by connecting the public to our efforts to save species in the wild.  Through our wildlife conservation projects and partnerships, which work to conserve the wild counterparts of our ambassador animals at the Zoo, we will inspire all people to respect value and conserve wildlife and wild places.

We have many animals from the weird and wonderful island of Madagascar in Africa.  If you have visited the Zoo in the past few months you may have had the pleasure of watching our baby sifaka and ring-tailed lemurs grow and mature.  And, guests always enjoy the antics of our fascinating fossa and are dazzled by our beautiful Madagascar love birds.  You may have also heard that the Houston Zoo was the first zoo in history to have Madagascar big-headed turtle babies two years ago.     The Houston Zoo has a deep appreciation and admiration for Madagascar and we want to do everything we can to save the species that live there.

Jonah Ratsimbazafy at the Houston Zoo

Last year, The Houston Zoo invited lemur biologist/conservationist, Jonah Ratsimbazafy to be a part of our Wildlife Speaker Series.  Jonah was born and raised in Madagascar and has dedicated his life to wildlife conservation.  Our Zoo community got to see his commitment to saving all Madagascar wildlife from extinction.  This June, Houston Zoo conservation  staff will be visiting Jonah in Madagascar to seek ways we can most effectively assist his conservation efforts.  We will do our best to bring you along on this expedition by attempting to keep you informed and updated as frequently as Africa’s internet connection allows.

Did you know that every time you purchase a ticket to come to the Zoo you help animals in the wild?  A portion of your admission ticket goes to efforts to save animals from extinction.  The Houston Zoo deeply cares for the animals we house on Zoo grounds and seeks to support and participate in the best conservation efforts to save them in the wild. We currently support over 20 conservation projects in over 10 different countries.  Our Zoo’s conservation department serves the Zoo by selecting, monitoring and evaluating each program to guarantee the effectiveness and long-term success. To learn more about and help us with our conservation efforts, please visit our website. To keep up-to-date on wildlife conservation in the field, make sure to follow our Houston Zoo blogs and Facebook pages!

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May
30

The Houston Zoo’s Attwater’s Prairie Chickens are getting ready to go back to the wild!

Posted by in Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

We still have Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs in incubators here at the Zoo, but the oldest chicks are now 45 days old.   Because these birds are being reintroduced into the wild our staff is focused on encouraging as much natural behavior as possible to prepare them for prairie life.

  

The oldest chicks are now getting more vegetation in their diet, so that they recognize their wild diet.    And, their outdoor enclosures are filled with branches and bushes to encourage their instinct to hide and protect themselves from predators that threaten their survival in the wild.    

We will start reintroducing Attwater’s prairie chickens in June and July.  In the meantime, we will keep everyone posted on their development here at the Zoo, so stay tuned!

If you are interested in helping us save this species from extinction click here.

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May
27

6 sea turtles in the Houston Zoo vet clinic on Memorial Day

Posted by in Conservation,Endangered Species,Sea Turtles,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

Kemps Ridley with hook in its mouth

Six sea turtles were brought in to the Houston Zoo vet clinic this afternoon for examinations.   There were 4 Kemp’s ridleys, 1 green and 1 loggerhead sea turtle.  All of them had been injured or stranded on the Texas coast, and were in need of veterinary treatment.

Hook removed from the throat of this sea turtle

Two of the Kemp’s ridleys had swallowed hooks, and the vet staff was able to retrieve and extract the fishing hooks from inside the throat and mouth of the turtles.

 

Sea turtle with fishing hook in its throat.

 

After treatment all of the sea turtles were taken to the NOAA Sea Turtle Barn in Galveston to recover.

Same turtle as above with hook removed!

If you want to learn more about how the Houston Zoo is protecting sea turtles in the wild and how you can help, click here.  Stay tuned for more sea turtle rescues at the Houston Zoo!

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May
27

Houston Toad Release Success!

Posted by in amphibians,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,Sending animals back to the wild,Texas

Houston toad egg strands

Last week, we transferred 6 total egg strands (~20,000 eggs) to our collaborators at Texas State. We had the opportunity to assist a TSU graduate student in placing the eggs inside protective wire cages in an area outside Bastrop State Park. We were able to check on the eggs transferred the previous week and found very large Houston toad tadpoles, indicating that our first round of released eggs had survived. 

There were also three toadlets that would be the appropriate age to be the offspring of the first set of adult toads that were released from our facility (and subsequently laid eggs) at the same pond back in March.  

In summary this spring we have released:

139 adult Bastrop county toads

631 adult Leon county toads

~36,000 Bastrop county toad eggs

For more on this fabulous program and how you can help the Houston toad click here .

 Check back for more about how the Houston Zoo is helping to save animals in the wild!

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May
15

The Houston Zoo is releasing more toads!

Posted by in amphibians,Conservation,Endangered Species,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

The Houston Zoo has released over 20,000 Houston toads into the wild since we began our reintroduction program in 2007.   We are determined to protect the Houston Toad from extinction!

Four Houston toad egg strands (~12,000+ eggs) that were produced here at the Houston Zoo were released by Texas State this week.

 

Houston toad egg strands

Three of the strands are going to a private landowner and one strand will be headed to the state park. Each egg strand is being placed into a special wire cage to protect the eggs from predation.

Check back for more on how the Houston Zoo helps save animals in the wild! 

For more about this program and to find out how you can help click here .

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May
08

Attwater’s prairie chickens are increasing in numbers at the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Attwater's Prairie Chicken,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

Houston Zoo incubators full of Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs

The incubators at the Houston Zoo are full of Attwater’s prairie chicken eggs collected and carefully transported from our facility at the Johnson Space Center. 

The chick nursery is full of peeping Attwater’s chicks!  The first group of the oldest chicks are already old enough to move to their outside accommodations.  They are growing up before our eyes!

 In a few months time all of these chicks will be out in the wild again!

Stay tuned for more on how the Houston Zoo is saving animals in the wild!

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May
08

Hundreds of Houston Zoo Houston toads go back to the wild

Posted by in amphibians,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas

Toads on their way to the wild!

We have great news to share with you from the Houston toad program! Last month we successfully transferred 634 adult toads to our collaborators at Texas State University. Texas State kept the toads in a large, outdoor holding area for a few days to re-acclimate to natural conditions, then over the course of a week, they were released at a pond at Bastrop State Park.

Hooray! We are in the wild! We will save our species!

We are at the tail-end of Houston toad breeding season, so hopefully these individuals will have an opportunity to “do their thing” at the pond!

Stay tuned for more updates on our efforts to save local species from extinction!

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May
02

5 sea turtles in the Houston Zoo vet clinic for treatment this week!

Posted by in community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Sea Turtles,Sending animals back to the wild,Series,Texas,Travel

Tuesday morning 1 Green and 4 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were brought into the Houston Zoo’s vet clinic this week.  The 4 Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were found stranded on the Texas coast and brought in to have physical examinations by our clinic staff. 

This was the second visit for the one Green sea turtle.  He was found in a fresh water pond last year and has been rehabilitating at NOAA’s  Sea Turtle barn in Galveston.  All the turtles were returned to the Sea Turtle Barn in Galveston after their check ups and will be released into the wild when they have fully recovered.

If you would like to help us save sea turtles click here.

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Apr
26

A penny saved is a penny earned to save lions!

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Texas,Travel

If you’ve ever had any doubts about the old saying that a penny saved is a penny earned, spend just a few minutes with Lamar Consolidated ISD kindergarten teacher Sharon Baldwin.  The Velasquez Elementary school teacher and her kindergarten class know all about the power of spare change.

On Wednesday, April 17 Ms. Baldwin and her dedicated kindergarten students visited the Houston Zoo to present a check for $1,000 dollars to the Houston Zoo’s Conservation Department, the school’s latest contribution to Cash for Cats, a big cat conservation project. 

 “This year, Velazquez Elementary School students were asked to bring in spare change over a two week period,” said Baldwin.  “My kindergarten class raised the most for this year’s Cash for Cats project and was invited by the Zoo to enjoy a VIP Lion Fun Day celebration,” she added.

 

 

 

The winning Velasquez Elementary School kindergarten students’ got to experience Lion Fun Day crafts and games modeled after Lion Fun Day activities for children in Mozambique.

 

 

 

The kids enjoyed participating in a ‘mango-in-a-spoon’(in Houston we had to use a Cutie orange) race.   The kids in Mozambique were overjoyed with the gift of the spoon for completing the race.  The kids in Houston had no interest in another spoon, but enjoyed the other prizes we provided.

 

 

 

 

The kids in both countries loved making and keeping the beaded necklaces they created!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

And, the kids from both countries love to be creative and get messy finger painting  murals!

The Childern in Mozambique occational glimse lions in the wild, but the Velasquez Elementary School kindergarten students’ got a special experience that is not avaiable to the childern in Mozambique.   They got to gather at the Zoo’s Lion Training Window for a fun and educational Meet the Keeper Talk with lion keepers and a ‘meet and greet’ with the Zoo’s 4 African lions.

Created by Velazquez Elementary School music teacher Donna Fletcher, Cash for Cats has raised $6,000 dollars for the conservation of wild cats. Over the last two years, proceeds from the fund raiser have benefited the Niassa Lion Project. 

The Niassa Lion Project serves to secure and conserve lions and other large carnivores in the Niassa National Reserve in northern Mozambique by promoting the coexistence between carnivores and people and directly mitigating threats.  For more information about the Houston Zoo’s Lion Conservation Campaign and how you can help save lions in the wild, visit the Zoo online at http://www.houstonzoo.org/lionssp/.

By Brian Hill, Houston Zoo’s Director of Public Affairs

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Apr
19

Headed into the Bush in Search of Painted Dogs, by Lisa Marie Avendano, Manager Veterinary Hospital and Animal Nutrition.

Posted by in Carnivores,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research,Painted Dog,Series,Staff assisting wildlife protection in the wild,Travel

 Lisa Marie Avendano, Veterinary Hospital and Animal Nutrition Manager is in Zimbabwe assisting our wildlife conservation partners at Painted Dog Conservation.

Day 8

Hello All! This will be the final message to you before my return to Houston. The Painted Dog Conservation research team and I are going off the grid and into the bush! We will be camped in the Sinamatella area of the Hwange Region. Several packs range through this area, including the Lukosi pack, thought to have 27 members.  None of the dogs in this region have radio or satellite collars; this will be old fashioned tracking!

Dr. Greg Rasmussen, Painted Dog Conservation’s Director with a traking collar specifically designed for African painted dogs.

 Obviously, this has been an incredible experience for me, and the research team at PDC have acquired some solid parasitology skills. But you may be asking, how does all this help painted dog conservation efforts? PDC founder and Research Director, Dr. Gregory Rasmussen, is working to collect baseline population data for painted dogs in Zimbabwe by sampling scat for DNA, stress and reproductive hormones, prey hair analysis and now, with our recent work, basic parasitology. Talk about making the most use out of a pile of scat!

African painted dog wearing a tracking collar.

The research could answer questions such as: How is the overall genetic condition of the population? Are the dogs getting enough of the prey items they need for good health like kudu and impala? What types of parasites can be found in dogs and are there any seasonal patterns or correlations to changes in reproductive health?

This type of information can provide a more thorough picture of how a population is doing in the wild and if we can better understand the challenges facing a wild population of painted dogs then we can better determine ways to work toward conservation of the species.

Wish me luck in Sinamatella, and see you back in Houston!

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