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Amusing story (at least to me)

Last month we ran a few emergency trainings, or mock drills. In one of the scenes, the keepers learned of a wind warning/tornado watch. Part of their task was to rescue a staff member who found himself in a precarious situation on the boardwalk. I didn’t want to have a real person hanging over the edge, so this is Stacey (with Erin). I put clothes on him and duct taped a whole lot of bricks to him to make himRead more

EnrichBits: The Office

EnrichBits: A monthly look at animal enrichment So, I was up on the 3rd floor of the museum the other day, where all of our accounting and business operations people work. As I’m walking through, I spot some old office accordion folders in their recycle bin. I grabbed as many as I could carry downstairs; they had to be good for some kind of enrichment! I decided the bears might like to tear them up while looking for bits ofRead more

Amazing discoveries

A recent CNN post captures the amazing diversity (like this dragon millipede) scientists have cataloged in the Mekong Delta region of Southeast Asia. From the article: A scientist visiting an outdoor restaurant was startled to see a Laotian rock rat among the nearby wildlife. The hairy, nocturnal, thick-tailed rat, which resembles a squirrel, had been thought for centuries to be extinct. Imagine making a discovery like this while having some lunch! Make sure you check out the slide show ofRead more
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A tough day

Yesterday was a tough day for the keepers. Our very cool Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle passed away. Sponge Bob, as we knew him, was highlighted in one of Marilyn’s Creature Features. He was a favorite of many of the keepers. His body was taken to our diagnostic lab to be necropsied, which is standard protocol for all of our animals. This is to try to learn the cause of death, and to glean any information that might help us careRead more
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Adopt an Animal for the holidays

We’ve started a new way for you to help the Museum animals that you love. The proceeds from the adopt-an-animal program go directly to helping care for our animals. If you’d like to learn more about the program, click here. This may be the perfect gift for someone in your life.Read more