…The Houston Zoo Gave To Me
Three Leaping Leopards
And A Toby The Red Panda In A Tree
Stay tuned to our blogs as we count down the 12 Days of Christmas at the Houston Zoo.
Archive for December 2009
Dec
15
On The Second Day Of Christmas
…The Houston Zoo Gave To Me
Two Curious Coatis
And A Toby The Red Panda In A Tree
Stay tuned to our blogs as we count down the 12 Days of Christmas at the Houston Zoo.
Dec
14
On The First Day Of Christmas
…The Houston Zoo Gave To Me
A Toby the Red Panda In A Tree
Stay tuned to our blogs as we count down the 12 Days of Christmas at the Houston Zoo.
Dec
13
A Rare and Unusual Gift
The Holidays are upon us. Do you have an animal lover on your list? A devoted conservationist? How about that VIP in your life… or the person who has everything?
Or maybe you’re looking for something really different to do as a couple…. or an unforgettable family activity? Something to talk about for years to come…
In this post you will find answers to both. Aren’t you glad you come to the Houston Zoo website and read their blogs???
My suggestion: A true one-of-a-kind gift of art like this fantastic piece. And watching it being created…
A striking image, beautiful colors too. The artist is none other than an orangutan! Did you that we have several animals that paint as part of their daily enrichment programs? We’ve discovered some are quite talented. And now you can give animal art or the gift being able to be there and watch as the piece is created!!! CLICK HERE for all the details!
Our very own Cindy Leeson met me the other day to let me see how it was done. I was escorted behind the large orangutan habitat, past tall bamboo trees to a door. There I stepped into a different world –the indoor home of the orangs. I was introduced to Cheyenne, a 37 year old Bornean and Sumantran hybrid, who is as well known for being a wonderful surrogate mother. With her was little Indah, the 5 year old she’s been raising. I also met the very large and handsome Rudi who was relaxing across the room. When our other Orangutan family is on exhibit, these three have their time in these quarters to nap, play and socialize with their keepers. Making art is one of the things they do for fun.
All of our orangutans paint, some with their fingers or “browse”, which is usually small branches of bamboo or ginger. But they also use a brush like the one you see Cindy holding below.
Cheyenne is particularly good at wielding that brush, and it was she who I got the treat and honor to see use it. As Indah tried her best to steal the show with comical antics, her mother sat contemplating what she’d like to do with the canvas that Cindy held out for her. We picked the colors — light buttery yellow, turquoise and black on a red background. A leftie, Cheyenne chose to start with the turquoise, fanning it out top to bottom then accented it with short sweeps of yellow. She paused. Cindy pointed to the black and asked what Cheyenne was going to do with it. Cheyenne went back to work but didn’t touch the black. After a bit she stopped again, so Cindy asked if Cheyenne was done or going to do anything with that black. Cheyenne stuck the brush where the black was, and with a few strokes from side to side, pulled the whole painting together. Below is the end result!
Cindy displays the 16 x20 canvas Cheyene painted before my very eyes!
After we were sure Cheyenne was done, she was awarded several bites of cold, juicy pineapple. And, just like I’ve been known to do at home (sssh!), Cindy held the bowl for her to sip a little of the juice too. You can bet Indah wanted in on that. She felt she’d done her best to be charming and entertain us the whole time, climbing ropes, swinging on the hammock, and rolling paper around her as she did somersaults on the floor (to name a few). She had indeed, and got her share of the sweet treat.
Orangutans are a highly endangered species, and a painting by one of them is even rarer indeed. To actually visit with them behind the scenes and witness them painting is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And if that isn’t enough, the proceeds go to conservation!!!
So if you’d like to learn more about this, CLICK HERE for our animal painting experience with orangutans or elephants. If you’re just interested in the artwork CLICK HERE for information about creations by a wider variety of our animals.
If this has your wheels turning, and you’d like more gift choices from the zoo CLICK HERE for a plethora of unique ideas.
Happy Holidays from all of us to you!
Written by Rochelle Joseph. Visit my personal animal blog at http://naturegirrrl.blogspot.com.
Photo of painting on black canvas by Stephanie Adams. Photos of Cindy by Rochelle Joseph
Dec
09
The latest addition to the Houston Zoo landscape will put a spring in your step
The new pathway to the Tropical Bird House
Four environmentally friendly pathways are the newest additions to the Houston Zoo’s landscape. The new pathways, installed by National Sales and Supply are located near the Brown Education Center, the Tropical Bird House, the entrance to Wortham World of Primates, and the cassowary and hornbill viewing area.
The pathways are made from recycled rubber tires, which accounts for the spring in your step when you walk on them.
A close-up of the new mulch
The area at the entrance to Wortham World of Primates will be home to a bronze orangutan statue which will be installed and dedicated early next year.
The recycling process is simple – The tires are first shredded into strips, then ground to smaller pieces where powerful magnets are used to remove the steel fibers from the tires. The rubber from the shredded tires is mixed with a urethane base and the pathway is poured to the desired thickness, shape and form.
Dec
09
Cats of a Different Color: Jaguars
We saved the hardest part for the end so first, a little review:
1. Cheetah spots are solid black
2. Leopard spots are actually rosettes
And now the tricky part – jaguar spots are also rosettes, but with one subtle difference.
Jaguar rosettes have black spots inside them. The tricky part is that some leopard rosettes have spots and some jaguar rosettes don’t, so how else can you tell?
First, check your map – if you’re in Africa or Asia, its a leopard. If you’re in Central or South America, its a jaguar. When compared side by side, jaguars also tend to have a stockier build, and anyone that as worked with them in a zoo will tell you their temperaments are quite different as well.
Dec
07
Cats of a Different Color: Leopards
Leopards are quite a bit different than cheetahs, their markings are not really spots but rosettes – notice how they are more like rings than the cheetah spots.
Interesting cat facts of the day: Leopards have the largest distribution of any cat species. They range throughout Africa and Asia and are highly adaptable (quite the opposite of the specialist cheetah), living in different types of habitats like grasslands and forests from the equator to the mountains. However the the Amur leopard is one of the most endangered cats in world.
Dec
05
Cats of a Different Color: Cheetahs
Three species of large cats have spots and to the casual observer, they may all look the same. But if you look a bit closer you’ll see they are actually quite distinct.
Let’s start with the easiest – the cheetah. Cheetah spots are fairly round and solid black.
Dec
03
Another Spotted Cat
Things are just crazy busy in Carnivores these days, so much so that I barely have time to blog, which is a shame because blogging is a lot of fun. As a curator, I have many other responsibilities besides cheetahs and this month we have some exciting stuff going on with another spotted cat here at the zoo, the jaguar.
The jaguar exhibit was last renovated in 1982 and until about 4 years ago it housed snow leopards. Snow leopards are great cats but as their name suggests, the are not partcularly well adapted to Houston’s climate. Our last snow leopard is now enjoying the lovely weather at the Toronto Zoo, which I’m sure is much more to her liking.
The jaguar exhibit is closed about 8 weeks for a major rehab – the first task was to get rid of the old:
what a mess!
How do tell a jaguar from a cheetah? What about a leopard? Answers to all of your spotted cat questions are coming soon.
