Straw Colored Fruit Bats

 Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15 are the dates for Bat Fest Houston.   On both days there will be children’s activities, keeper chats and bat related information booths at the zoo from 10:00am – 3:00 pm.   If you come on Saturday you will also have the opportunity to attend a bat seminar in the zoo’s Brown Education Center  from 10:00-12:15 that will include some great speakers.  The talks will include information  about bats from around the world and the bats in our own back yard as well as a new threat to bats, White Nose Syndrome.   You will also be able to visit the zoo’s bat exhibits where you can see Jamaican Fruit Bats, Seba’s Short-tailed Fruit Bats, Pallas Long-tongued Nectar Bats, Straw Colored Fruit Bats and an Indian Flying Fox Bat! 

If visitors 18 and under bring a nature journal or report to the Naturally Wild Swap Shop on the topic of bats they will receive DOUBLE points on these two days!  Don’t know about the Swap Shop?  Click here to learn more.

The best part – all of this is included in your regular zoo admission. 

Bat emergence at Waugh Ave. Bridge

And the fun doesn’t stop there!  From 6:00pm to 9:00pm join us at the Waugh Avenue Bridge (Waugh Avenue at Allen Parkway) for more children’s activities, bat chats and an amazing emergence of 250,000 Mexican Free-tailed Bats from under the bridge.  The Waugh Bridge activities are completely free.  Click here for information on parking at the bridge.

The fun will start at the Zoo at 10:00AM.  On both Saturday and Sunday there will be booths, children’s activities and zookeeper chats about bats.  On Saturday only there will be a bat seminar with some awesome speakers from 10:00-12:15 in the Brown Education Center.   

In addition, to help celebrate, The Naturally Wild Swap Shop will be giving double points for any Nature Journal on bats.  Dont know about the Swap Shop?  Click here for more information. 

The best part – all this is included in your paid zoo admission.

The festivities won’t stop there.  Be sure to join the Houston Bat Team at the Waugh Drive bat colony (corner of Waugh Drive & Allen Parkway) from 6:00-9:00PM.  The Waugh Drive bridge is home to a colony of 250,000 Mexican Free-tailed Bats.  There will be bat chat presentations from members of the Bat Team along with children’s activities and an amazing emergence from the bats at dusk. Click here to check Facebook for parking info.

Our newest male cougar came to us from Washington State in early December of 2011. Like many of our animals that reside at The Houston Zoo, our new cougar now serves as an ambassador for his species in our newly renovated cougar exhibit. However, unlike his counterparts in the wild, this little cub has a very special job. He’s now the official mascot for the University of Houston! Thanks to a new partnership with The University of Houston Alumni Association, Shasta VI will make live appearances during UH events via webcam and, most importantly, guard UH senior rings before the class ring ceremony.

The road Shasta took to get here began a bit rocky.  His mother was shot by a hunter, leaving Shasta and his two brothers orphans. Thankfully, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stepped in after a good samaritan was able to save one of the cubs, and the search began for Shasta VI and his brother.  The second brother was found, but little Shasta still proved elusive, so the search team came up with an inventive plan.  In the wild, cougars make chirping sounds to communicate with one another. A biologist helping with the rescue imitated this ‘chirp’, and was relieved to hear a chirp in response. Other than being hungry and thirsty, our little guy was safe, and made the trip to the Houston Zoo.

At the Houston Zoo, Shasta VI lives in safety and comfort with his fellow cougar Haley, exploring the heights of his exhibit and observing Zoo guests. On Saturday, March 24, from 10:30-12:00 join us at the cougar exhibit as we officially introduce Shasta and announce all the details of this new partnership between The Houston Zoo and The University of Houston Alumni Association! Show up in UH gear and receive half-price admission! UH students get in FREE with a student ID. We’ll see you there!

Ever wondered what a painting by an elephant would look like? What about a clouded leopard? Now is your chance to find out. 

Started in 2004 as a grass roots effort by Houston Zoo Primate Keepers, Pongos Helping Pongos was an art show featuring paintings by our orangutans here at the zoo. The scientific genus name for orangutan is “Pongo“, and so the name for the event. Pongos Helping Pongos (or PHP for short) has become a biennial tradition carried on by the Primate Team. 

One of the messages we like to give our zoo guests is that every species is part of a web. If you affect one strand of the web, it affects the entire structure. Holding with this belief, PHP has expanded to include several other species that call the South East Asian rain forests home. You will not only find paintings by our talented orangutan artists but elephants, clouded leopard, siamangs and binturongs as well. 

And not to be left out, some very talented and generous Houston area artists have collaborated with our animals on several very unique, one-of-a-kind paintings that are well worth seeing.

This fun and worthwhile event will be held on March 10th at the G-Gallery in the Heights from 6PM – 8PM. It’s free and everyone is invited to view the art, bid on paintings and enter our raffle. We’ll have horse de’ ouvers and beverages generously donated by our sponsors so join us for an evening of animal art and conservation.

http://www.houstonzoo.org/php/

Guests meet our great horned owl

On February 11, Flock kicked off the season with their Beastly Brunch. Despite some rain the day before, the day proved to be beautiful at the Zoo’s Masihara Pavilion. Guests enjoyed a Mexican brunch, mimosas, Bloody Marys, and beer generously donated by St. Arnold Brewing Company.  Special thanks to event sponsors Momentum Audi, St. Arnold, Sodexo, and Yelp for their continued support of Flock.

One of our raffle winners assisting with the Lion Training Demonstration

Some of the Zoo’s animal ambassadors, including a great horned owl, attended the Beastly Brunch which allowed event goers to meet and interact with animals. Four very lucky guests from the Beastly Brunch won a chance to assist the Zoo’s Carnivore Staff with a special lion feeding demonstration. During this unforgettable Zoo experience, the winners were invited to join the Carnivore staff at the Lion Training Window and squirt goat’s milk directly into our lions’ mouths.

For an annual donation of $150, Flock members receive exclusive benefits including free admission to all Flock events, free or discounted admission to over 150 zoos and aquariums nationwide, a 10% discount off purchases in the Houston Zoo’s Gift Shop,  a discounted ticket to Feast with the Beasts (the Zoo’s annual culinary event), and much more. To see a complete list of benefits, please visit Flock’s webpage.

Don’t miss out on Flock’s next event on Thursday, May 3. Flock members will have the exclusive opportunity to view the Zoo’s traveling DINOSAURS! exhibit before it opens to the general public. For up to the minute information on Flock, follow us on Facebook.

Ground Hog Day 2012 was Babirusa Day at the Houston Zoo.

On February 2, Remley the babirusa (a species of Asian pig native to Indonesia) made her winter weather prediction at the Houston zoo’s Wortham World of Primates.

Remley made her Babirusa Day weather prediction by choosing between two weather ‘scenes’ created by her keepers. One scene represented 6 more weeks of winter – a ‘snowman’ on a field of white paper accepted with ice cubes containing babirusa treats such as figs and carrots.  The other scene represented the onset of an early spring – a picnic scene complete with a ‘picnic blanket’ and a picnic basket with babirusa treats and slices of watermelon. 

Remley entered the babirusa exhibit and trotted over to the snowman, flirted briefly with ‘winter’ and then dove enthusiastically into ‘summer’ enjoying a watermelon treat.

The decision?  Remley is expecting an early spring, not 6 more weeks of winter!

Why was Remley the babirusa chosen to stand in for the traditional ground hog?
 
Well, the Houston Zoo doesn’t have a ground hog.  Ground hogs don’t like the hot and humid tropical climate that we have along the southeast Texas Gulf coast.  But we believe Remley is a natural for predicting future weather patterns on February 2 because of her intelligence and adaptability.  Our keepers consider all hogs and pigs to be highly intelligent animals and quick learners with a substantial memory. 

About Babirusa
 Babirusas are small hairless pigs native to the small tropical Indonesian island of Sulawesi.  Elusive forest dwellers, little is known about the natural history and natural behavior of the babirusa, mainly due to the nature of its dense jungle habitat.  Masters of camouflage, the babirusa’s coloration, torpedo-shaped body and deer-like movements enable it to melt silently into surrounding cover at the slightest disturbance.  It’s appropriate that the translation of babirusa is “pig-deer.” Babirusas are critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting.  In 1989 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) rated the babirusa as the Asian pig species in greatest need of immediate conservation measures.

On Sunday, January 15, the Houston Zoo is proud to partner with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra and InterActive Theater Company to present two performances of the children’s classic, Peter and the Wolf. With the intent to “cultivate musical tastes in children from the first years of school,” this beloved story delights and entertains.

At this special event, a small ensemble of River Oaks Chamber Orchestra musicians will play Prokofiev’s composition while actors from the InterActive Theatre Company narrate and act out the story.

This event is included in your regular Zoo admission, and is FREE for Zoo Members. Performances will take place in the Brown Education Center Auditorium, and seating is first come, first served. This event is sponsored by The University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital.

Performances are at 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

The Houston Zoo will be closed on Christmas Day. Keepers will work abbreviated shifts on December 25 cleaning exhibits and feeding the Zoo’s 6,000 animals. The Zoo will reopen December 26 observing the standard 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. operating hours. Christmas Day is the only day of the year the Zoo is not open to the public.  The Zoo will also close early at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve, with the last guest entry at 2 p.m.

“A zoo is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week operation. We’ve arranged shifts for our keepers to ensure that all the animals will receive their regular care and feeding but still give the staff time to enjoy Christmas with their families,” said Zoo Director Rick Barongi.

Santa will be at the Zoo December 19 – 23, from 9 a.m. – Noon each day.

And he’s making a stop at the Houston Zoo! This holiday season, meet the jolly guy himself at the Zoo’s Reflection Pool! Zoo guests will be able to chat briefly with Santa (be sure to bring your list!) and get their photo taken with him!

Santa will be at the Zoo December 19 – 23, from 9 a.m. – Noon each day. (He may need to take a couple of short breaks during this time). Bring your camera, because you won’t want to miss this chance to get that perfect photo of your family with Santa to post on Facebook, proudly display on your mantel, or add to your holiday card!

The festivities don’t end with Santa though. At 1 p.m. at the Reflection Pool each day we’ll feature holiday music, courtesy of some local talents. See below for the musical lineup.

All this, plus 6,000 animals, festive holiday decorations, and more!

These holiday activities are FREE with your paid Zoo admission or Membership.
(Note: You may choose to purchase your professional Santa photo for an additional cost).

What better way to celebrate the holidays than to spend time with family, friends, and Santa at the Houston Zoo!

All performances begin at 1 p.m. at the Reflection Pool
December 19 – The Salvation Army Harbor Light Choir
December 20 – TBD
December 21 – Mistletones Trio
December 22 – Mistletones Trio
December 23 – Mistletones Tr

On Saturday, December 17 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m., the lawn next to the okapi habitat will be covered with 15,000 lbs of snow! That’s a lot of snow! You can play, build snowmen, and win prizes.  The snow fun will begin at 9 a.m. and is FREE with your paid admission or Zoo Membership. Get here early because who knows how long the snow will last in this unpredictable Houston weather.

To add to the holiday festivities, at 10 a.m. on the 17^th Leah White and the Magic Mirrors will perform holiday favorites at the Zoo’s Reflection Pool. Leah White and the Magic Mirrors are winners of the 2009 Nickelodeon Parent’s Choice Award and a Zoo-favorite!

You won’t want to miss this – join us this December 17 for music, animals, and fun in the snow!