Catching some rays

I did a post a few months ago about an outdoor playpen that we were working on for our education animals that live inside. We wanted this enclosure to be suitable for many different animals to use, and with some work we made that possible. Now this outdoor area can hold opossums, chinchillas, ferrets, rabbits, chickens, turtles, bearded dragons and alligators (not all together, of course!) We are pretty excited about having this new enrichment possibility for our animals, asRead more

Red Wolf Master Plan Meeting Prep.

I am preparing for next month’s red wolf species survival plan (SSP) master plan meeting. This is an annual meeting where staff from institutions that house red wolves as well as other agencies that support red wolves get together to discuss the goals and issues facing the species. By “preparing” I mean not only dealing with the logistical issues of getting to the meeting but also gathering information to share about our current red wolves, general husbandry and veterinary questions,Read more
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Munch Cam Fun

Munch Cam is a new feature of the Museum’s web site that focuses on our animals eating. These clips are short, humorous, and informative. Check out some of the Munch Cam clips below and see others on the Munch Cam page of the Museums web site or on the Museum’s YouTube channel. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfbO1ssRCNg] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZljWw7Ltpzo] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBcVLDJvLXI] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On04t6OZorg]Read more

Black Bear Cubs: Appalachian Bear Rescue

I got an email from my friend Lisa, the curator at the Appalachian Bear Rescue (ABR). Their mission is to rehabilitate injured or orphaned bears and return them to the wild. Mimi, one of our black bears, came to us from ABR. Mimi was kept illegally in Alabama and made her way to ABR. Lisa determined that Mimi would not be a good candidate to survive in the wild. Lisa then began her search to find Mimi a good captiveRead more

The London Zoo

I spent Tuesday at the London Zoo. For real, the one in England. I cannot show you any photos. My family took the camera because they were going to Buckingham Palace. Evidently that deserved the camera more than the zoo did, however you can click here to learn about the London Zoo. The zoo was very large and had some great exhibits, and because it is the oldest zoo, had a lot of ‘older’ style exhibits. I saw tapirs andRead more

Update on our new keeper

A while ago, I wrote about all our keepers and how each of their strengths make our animal department team better. We were in the process of hiring a new keeper then, so I thought I’d give an update. New keeper Cassidy has worked in the past with lemurs and also with black bears and other native NC wildlife. She was actually a volunteer here at the museum when she was a teenager!One of the great things about having aRead more