Anyone remotely following what’s going on at the Houston Zoo knows by now that dinosaurs will be visiting the zoo this summer.  You can’t miss the advertising.  There are billboards all over town, it’s posted on the website, and even the  zoo wide PA system give out a mighty roar to let everyone know the dino’s will be here soon!

Well, it seems all that great advertising didn’t get through to our golden lion tamarins (GLT’s) living at Natural Encounters.  Apparently we forgot to warn them about all the dinosaur excitement. But they found out in a big…or was that small…..way when we put them in the outdoor rainforest a few days ago. 

The GLT’s have been living in the indoor rainforest for a couple of months now because of work being done in the area and also because we introduced a blue duiker named Gouda to the outdoor rainforest area.  If you haven’t seen him yet, blue duikers are hoofed animals from Africa.

Hoofed animal, you think to yourself.  That could mean anything from the fairly small Thompson’s gazelle to something like the might eland.  Well, blue duikers are on the smaller end of the hoofed stock size scale. Fairly diminutive really. Tiny even.  Gouda stands a towering 13 inches at the shoulder and weighs in at all of 7 pounds. 

Here at Natural Encounters, whenever we introduce a new animal to a mixed species exhibit we usually take it slowly, adding one species at a time for the new kid to meet and get used to.  We thought the GLT’s would be a pretty simple introduction with Gouda because these monkeys are generally fairly laid back and not aggressive to the other animals.

When the GLT’s first spotted Gouda they were a bit unsure but curious.  They can be territorial so they are always wary of new animals in their home.  But Gouda did not seem at all bothered by these bright orange monkeys watching him so he decided to get up and go for a stroll.  As luck would have it, with unplanned, yet impeccable timing, the dinosaur roar on the PA system went off  just as the monkeys were warily watching Gouda getting up. The huge roar combined with this new thing actually moving was more than they could take.   The GLT’s are now quite sure that this tiny animal has a mighty roar and clearly should not be in their area.  They spent the rest of the day vocalizing angrily at an indifferent Gouda.

It was an amusing moment for the staff, if not for the GLT’s.  Only time will tell if we can convince the monkeys that Gouda is not a roaring, fearsome creature, but hopefully his sweet ways and gentle eyes will win them over in the end.

So what are they?

They’re otters!

Join the Houston Zoo as we unite with zoos across the country to celebrate Otterly Mad Week, Sunday, May 30 through Saturday, June 5.

Started last year by the International Otter Survival Fund, Otterly Mad Week aims to educate people around the world about otters and their importance in the environment.  There are 13 different species of otters in the world, and two of them – the North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis) and the Asian Small-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus) – can be found at the Houston Zoo!

Wednesday our North American River Otter

During Otterly Mad Week, the Houston Zoo is showcasing both of our adorable otter species by offering our guests special opportunities to meet the otter keepers and ask questions and to hear otter-themed stories.  If you’ve ever wondered how fast an otter can swim or what types of toys an otter likes, come watch an otter training or enrichment session and find out!  On Sunday, May 30 and Saturday, June 5, stop by the otter conservation table and put your creativity to work in decorating an otter-themed craft.  By donating to otter conservation, you can also enter to win an original painting done by one of our otters or a behind-the-scenes tour to see where our otters call home.  For anyone who loves otters, Otterly Mad Week is the perfect time to visit the Houston Zoo!

Check out www.otter.org for more otter information!

The Reflecting Pool just inside the zoo entrance. Amazing!

We were in luck on this particular day because Shanti, one of the Asian Elephants at the Houston Zoo was having her BABY SHOWER. Yep, that right! We were fortunate enough to be “invited” to such an important event. We even had the honor of seeing Shanti’s baby kick her. I cant not even begin to imagine what that must feel like. AHHHHH! The “baby shower” was awesome. Lots of fun activities for the kids like a giant card for Shanti for everyone to sign, a table for gifts, and several craft stations. The kids loved it!

The prize is FREE TICKETS FOR TWO to the Houston Zoo’s annual food and wine extravaganza — Feast with the Beasts – coming up on November 6th.  That’s exciting folks — it’s only 8 days away!

BUT FIRST, this just in:

Still trying to please his gal after last year’s fiasco, our hungry Feast-seeking beast was seen taking her to Franks Chop House . The whole thing was caught by our roving cameras. Take a look!

He wasn’t far off in his efforts since Franks’ Chop House is one of the 50 participating restaurants who will serve you mouthwatering food and drink at our party this year.  And after sampling them all, you can join in the Beastly Battle by voting for your favorite dish. Which will win this year?

Speaking of winners, it’s time to Name That Gorilla!

After studying the mountain of suggestions, our panel of expert judges confessed it was tough to pick a moniker for man who monkeys all around town.  But it had to be done.  Ladies and Gentlemen, our heretofore unnamed gorilla will now be affectionately referred to as Banana Bob!

Congratulations go to Sarah Hay!!

Keep an eye out for  Banana Bob as you go about your day.  If you see him, take a picture and post it on our flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/groups/spot-the-gorilla/. Or you can e-mail it to us at interactivemarketing@houstonzoo.org and we’ll post it for you. Why? Because it’s fun.

For those who still don’t have tickets, CLICK HERE right now and in less than 5 minutes you’ll be booked to join us just one week from tomorrow!  Put it on your calendar!

Written by Rochelle Joseph. View her animal blog @www.naturegirrrl.blogspot.com

I sat down with the here-to-fore unknown Houston Zoo gorilla that is quickly achieving celebrity status around town and asked him all the questions inquiring minds might want to know.

R: You’ve been spotted around the Zoo — mostly trying to get into our cafes.  Then you’ve been seen trying to get into restaurants around town. And your man bag appears to be stuffed to the gills with bananas… It seems like food is really important to you.

G: You have no idea what a foodie I am!

R: So you must be a fan of the Zoo’s big food fest — Feast With The Beasts – coming up on November 6th.

G: Oh yes. And I know how popular it is… I learned that the hard way. Last year I waited too long to get my tickets and they sold out! My girlfriend was tres upset.  She likes it because it’s one of the few times we can be at the zoo where it’s 100% grown ups.

R: How did that happen if you’re such a fan of this fabulous annual Zoo party?

G: Well, I do banana tricks in my spare time.  It’s easy to end up eating them, and when I’m full… I get sleepy… and well, you know what they say…

R: What do they say?

G: He who snoozes loses.

R: Well time is of the essence then. You know November 6th is only 2 1/2 weeks away.  I supposed you’re not going to make that same mistake again…

G: No way! It’s already done. I bought my tickets online at www.Houstonzoo.org/Feast

What’s more, I’ve decided to make it my mission to roam the city and remind people. I mean, think about it — Amazing food, live music, dancing, keeper chats, animal experiences, scrumptious libations — all going on in one of the most the romantic and exotic settings in Houston.  This party is not to be missed.

R: I know!  My friends rave at what a good date night it is… especially the ones with kids…

G: Quite a bargain when you consider that there’s over 50 restaurants participating and this year, my favorite band is playing: BIG BAD VOODOO DADDY. I really encourage people to join me, so they don’t have to go to the lengths I have. I mean,  running all over town in this fur is HOT.

R: What dedication! 

At that, the Gorilla showed me how to open a banana upside down  instead of peeling it. As he wolfed it down, I had to ask:

R: Are you a real Gorilla?

G: That’s getting a little personal, don’t you think?

R: Well, at least tell us your name then!

But he didn’t answer… An ape with a mission, he was off in a flash, compelled to go out and spread the word.

Turns out this tall, dark and hairy guy is Feast’s number one fan, a champion of our cause. He cannot remain anonymous!  It’s just not right!

Can you help us give him a name?  Think: strong, committed, good hearted, hungry, and hairy.  Wait…Harry? Harry!  That’s my official submission. What’s yours?

Please leave your entry in the comment area.

The winner will be named Thursday, October 29th, in a follow-up blog  and will be awarded FREE tickets for two to — you guessed it –Feast with the Beasts!!! Just post a comment below with what you think his name should be and you’ll be entered to win. Good luck!

Written by Rochelle Joseph. View Rochelle’s personal animal blog @www.naturegirrrl.blogspot.com

**Update** The winner has been announced here.

Our infant sifaka was named Kelyfamata (which means “small but mighty”) because he was just 85 grams at birth, but very vigorous and healthy. Once he was able to locomote on his own, the keepers built him a special jungle gym that was sized specially for his petite dimensions, and that is what you see him jumping on in this video. He has almost outgrown it, but still enjoys leaping around on it in entertaining bouts of play.

Video by Houston Zoo Primate Keeper Alyssa Hauck

Kelyfamata's mother, Zenobia

10. Lassie

Trouble at the Old Mill?

You’ve gotta love Lassie. Have any other dogs ever won an Emmy Award?

9. Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

Kids get an up-close look.

Ok, so they’re actually rodents and not canines, but it says dog in their name, so it counts. You can find these little guys (2-4 pounds) in our Children Zoo area.

Prairie dogs live in huge colonial burrows called towns. Each member has its own den and drives any intruders away. Towns can extend for hundreds of miles and often contain thousands of individuals. Be sure to check them out this summer, because they hibernate during the winter.

8. Santa’s Little Helper

The Simpsons Pet

Most underrated Simpsons character besides Maggie. He can fly a plane, save Homer from being trapped in a cornfield maze, and had over 25 puppies. Enough said.

7. Underdog

Have No Fear Underdog Is Here

Underdog speaks only in rhymes. Now he’s on my dog blog.

6. African Wild Dogs

Takin' a Swim

First of all, our African wild dogs have awesome names: Aries, Blaze, and Mikita. In the wild, they live mainly in Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland.

Pack sizes in the wild can be anywhere from 5-30 individuals. These guys are fast, running at 35 mph for over three straight miles.

You might’ve noticed their unique coats – and like a fingerprint, no two dogs have the same coat pattern.

5. Brian Griffin

Million-Dollar Smile

Bipedal, high IQ, sarcastic, eloquent, voice of reason. Also – afraid of vacuums.

4. Snoopy

Pioneer of the Thought Bubble

No one can forget the impact that Charlie Brown’s pet beagle had on us as children. Plus, someone had to cheer up Charlie Brown after Peppermint Patty bullied him around.

3. Anatolian Shepherds

Living in Harmony

Taji and Tusker make up one of the most amazing stories at the Houston Zoo. Not only are they a beautiful breed that’s been around for over 6,000 years – they live with our cheetahs, Kiburi and Kito.

Dogs and cats living together. Hard to imagine? Not for us.

Taji and Tusker act as the cheetahs’ guardians and even share the same exhibit. The Cheetah Conservation Fund livestock guardian dog project in Namibia breeds and provides these dogs to native ranchers to protect their livestock from predators. Follow their updates at our new cheetah dog blog.

2. Scooby Doo

The many faces of Scooby Doo

He could eat 20 pizzas at once. Or a hamburger with 10 patties. All while solving mysteries and saving kids from haunted amusement parks. Scooby rode around in the Mystery Machine, which automatically makes him the coolest fictional dog of all time in my book.

1. Max the Elephant Dog

That's right. I live with elephants.

A recent addition to the Houston Zoo family and a big hit around here is Max the Elephant Dog. Recently rescued from the side of the road, Max now lives it up at the McNair Asian Elephant Barn.

His full name is Maximus. He was named after the scientific name for elephants (Elephas maximus). Max serves a very important role in training and enrichment of our elephants.

Don't Worry Be Happy

So much here at the Houston Zoo goes unnoticed by the casual visitor. Take for instance my personal favorite Zoo animal, Forest. He’s a slow loris.

And…I…mean….sllloooooowwwwwwwww…

Not only does Forest move in super slo mo, he’s usually curled up in a ball in his tree – so he’s tough to spot. But if you can use your Where’s Waldo skills to find him, you won’t forget him.

We adopted him from Moody Gardens after Hurricane Ike.  He’s so calm and laid back that he can live in peace with Asian small-clawed sea otters in the same exhibit. Pretty cool.

If I was an animal I’d be Forest the slow loris.

He’s just like me. He moves around really slow. He’s curled up in a ball most of the time. He even looks like me when I wake up in the morning.

Hit The Snooze Button

Find Forest in Natural Encounters next time you visit. You won’t be disappointed.

Check out Forest on Flickr.