Archive for March 2010

Mar
30

A Special Elephant Cake

Posted by in Elephant Baby Shower,Elephant Diet,Shanti

Our Zoo Commissary Staff prepared a very special cake for Shanti’s baby shower last weekend.  What ingredients are used to make a cake for an elephant? Can you guess? (answers at the end of this post)

Commissary Staff Member Renee Spillman prepares Shanti's baby shower cake.

Shanti's Baby Shower Cake

Shanti didn't waste any time eating her cake!

Here are the ingredients:

Cake: ground wild herbivore diet (Hi-Fiber Plus), ground oatmeal, ground wheat bran, honey, steamed apples and mashed bananas.

Frosting: peanut butter

Red Lettering: peanut butter with red food coloring

Other Decorations: grapes, sweet potatoes

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Mar
27

Don’t Be Tardy For The Party: Houston Zoo Elephant Baby Shower

Posted by in Events,Humor

Do you know who Shanti is? She’s one of our female Asian elephants, and if you haven’t heard already, she’s due to give birth this spring!! We’re throwing her a baby shower and YOU’RE INVITED!

When: Sunday, March 28, from 12:30pm to 2:30pm

Where: McNair Asian Elephant Habitat.

What to bring: Your camera, your curiosity and enthusiasm, your kids, friends, loved ones. Is she registered, you ask?  Yes — in our zoo way.  CLICK HERE to download a little wish list of things that the elephant family (and their devoted keepers) could use or, if you prefer, you can simply make a donation by CLICKING HERE.

Come on and join the party!
Come on and join the party!

The party begins at 12:30pm with some bio facts  — you can appreciate these gentle giants so much more when you know about them.

As with any shower, there will be games!  Make a pair of elephant ears to take home. Practice listening like the baby elephant will to its mom. How many inches do you think Shanti’s belly measures all around? If you guess it correctly, you could get a special kiss from the elephants!!!  That’s a once in a lifetime experience! And there will be a card to sign for Mama Shanti too.

At 1:30 PM there will be a Asian Elephant Meet the Keeper Talk. Now if you’ve never done this, let me tell you it’s just so much fun- Learn all about Shanti and the other elephants from the Keepers that care for them every day. This Meet the Keeper Talk is special because they will talk about all of the amazing things that Shanti and her family are experiencing at such a special time.

Then Shanti and her elephant family will have a special cake and open gifts. And, of course, we’ve got some for you too!

How cool will it be on Monday to tell everyone at school, the office and around the neighborhood what you did this weekend!  See you there!

For additional information or questions about donations and activities,
please contact Maya Ford, Marketing Promotions Manager at 713.533.6717.

Written by Rochelle Joseph. Please visit my personal animal and nature blog at www.naturegirrrl.blogspot.com

Photos by: Stephanie Adams

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Mar
26

Elephant Birth Monitors

Posted by in Elephant Birth Watch,Preparing for Baby

Shanti’s due date is rapidly approaching, so the zoo’s volunteers and the Elephant team have started to monitor her 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Over 35 volunteers have given their time to help the Elephant team keep an eye on Shanti.  The volunteers started to monitor Shanti on February 20th and are at the zoo from 4PM – 7AM every day.

Volunteers on Elephant Birth Watch

Shanti is monitored using a state of the art camera system.  The volunteers are watching for any early signs of labor or behavioral changes.  On March 10th, an Elephant keeper will also move in to the barn every night.  The Elephant team is very thankful to the zoo’s volunteers for all of their hard work and dedication.

Monitoring the elephants by monitor

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Mar
12

The Excitement is Growing!

Posted by in Elephant Birth Watch,Preparing for Baby,Veterinary

The excitement is growing, the work load for the staff is growing, and Shanti’s belly is also growing. It is hard to believe that we are in the final stretch of another elephant birth here at the Houston zoo. As the preparations continue, Shanti has started getting weekly ultrasounds. At this point in the pregnancy, it is difficult to see the calf via ultrasound, but we do see a lot of calf movement. The goal of these ultrasounds is primarily for training purposes for the vet team and Shanti.  Along with the start of weekly ultrasounds, come twice weekly blood collections. The Elephant team draws blood from the veins on the back of Shanti’s ears.  The frequency of blood collections increases so that we can more closely monitor progesterone levels which helps us determine when birthing is imminent. As we draw even closer to day 659 of her gestation, the frequency of blood collection will increase again to daily collections.

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Mar
10

Trunk Tales

Posted by in intro

Follow us as we blog about the Houston Zoo’s family of elephants. From births, habitat expansion, and worldwide elephant news, we cover it all.

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