Tiny visitor

This little snake slithered up the drains in the bear house one day while I was cleaning. So I moved it outside so we could both continue on with our days.   Keeper Kent says this is a common brown snake and won’t get much larger.     There are lots of little visitors on grounds: This is one of many tree frogs we find in Explore the Wild-   And this is just pretty-  And some recently hatched spiderlings- (which is know aRead more
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Bear Hugs

  One Sunday morning while checking on all the Explore the Wild animals I couldn’t tell if there was one or two bears sleeping in the bear cave. So I used our visitor camera at overlook and zoomed in to check it out. Then I saw the cutest thing- Mimi was spooning Gus! Super cute and it brought a great big smile to my face first thing in the morning.   Here are a couple photos of bears having fun.Read more
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You are now free to Explore the Wild

This past Wednesday was my scheduled day to be checked off by Sherry in Explore the Wild.  Last week Marilyn (my trainer) checked me off but before I can work alone in the Lemur, Wolf, and Bear exhibits- I have to spend a day working with Sherry out there.  Now my very lovely co-workers like to get me anxious and nervous before things like getting checked off in an area, my first day alone in an area, and my first emergency training. Read more

Big Word of the Month: Cyanobacteria

The warmer temperatures of summer stimulate the growth of an ancient life form in our local waters. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, have been pumping oxygen into the environment for billions of years. Their buried remains contributed to the formation of fossil fuels like coal, oil and natural gas. Cyanobacteria live in almost every ecosystem in the world as well as living in symbiotic relationships with fungi to form lichens. You can find them in the ocean, in saltyRead more
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Big Word of the Month: Amplexus

We have had several recent posts about the explosion of life around the wetlands this spring. If you have been in Explore the Wild recently you no doubt have heard many frogs and toads calling. Earlier this week I found that some of our resident amphibians were busy making new amphibians at the edge of the bear pool. How many toads do you see in the photo? (click on picture to see larger version) This clump is one female AmericanRead more