Archive for the ‘Guest Blogger Series’ Category

Dec
12

El Final/ The End

Posted by in En Español,Guest Blogger Series

This is the last of my Spanish/English blog series that started in October and had been doing as an intern. You will find the English version below the Spanish version (Versión en Ingles ofrecida debajo de la versión en español). I hope you will enjoy it, and spread the word, post it on your Facebook page, and Tweet it!  Please leave any comments for me after the blog post below. I’d love to hear from you.

Este es el ultimo en una serie de blogs en español e ingles que empecé en octubre. La versión en español se encuentra arriba de la versión en ingles. Espero que te guste y que me ayudes a compartir mi experiencia con otros a través de Facebook y Twitter. Favor de dejar tus mensajes o preguntas al final, me encantaría oír de ti. 

Me & The Renaissance crew during their visit to The Zoo

Toda jornada tiene su fin. Desafortunadamente ha llegado el fin de mi jornada con el Zoológico de Houston.  Primeramente quisiera darle las gracias a toda la gente que trabaja en el Zoológico por ser parte de mi experiencia y por ser siempre tan buena gente.  Ha sido un placer conocer a todos y aprender mas sobre la organización y todos los animales.

Jamás se me olvidara la experiencia que tuve aquí. Desde el día que llegue siempre me han recibido bien y me han ayudado con cualquier cosa que se me ofrezca. Hasta tuve la oportunidad de ir a las citas donde planeaban todos los eventos y aprendí cuanto tiempo se tiene que tomar para hacer un evento y que tienen que hacer para asegurarse que no les falte nada a los invitados.  También ayude a pensar en ideas para promocionar las diferentes cosas por Facebook, Twitter, y los blogs.  Lo que mas me gustaba hacer durante mi hora de almuerzo era ver a los animales relajándose o jugando con los demás.  Aunque se me haya acabado el tiempo como estudiante aquí jamás dejare de visitar el Zoológico.

Antes de irme quisiera invitarlos a un evento muy especial.  Es para toda la gente que le guste tomar fotos con paisajes bonitos o de animales preciosos.  Este evento se llama Photo Day y se tomara acabo el 17 de diciembre de 7 a 9 de la mañana.  Al comprar un boleto el Zoológico les dará un desayuno y la oportunidad de explorar el Zoológico como nunca lo haz hecho.  En las mañanas es cuando nuestros animales tienen mas energía y también es cuando les dan de comer entonces podrás ver todo eso y mas. Si quieres darte una idea de que tan especial es este evento VE Y MIRA las fotos que tomaron los previos visitantes del evento.

REGISTRATE POR INTERNET o compra tus boletos al llegar al evento a las 7 de la manana.  Para mas información sobre Photo Day VISITANOS AQUÍ.

Si aun no has leido mi serie de blogs puedes leerlos AQUÍ o si quisieras leer los otros blogs ofrecidos por el Zoologico los puedes ver AQUÍ

Now, in English!


During Zoo Boo I took a big bite of candy corn

 

There comes an end to every journey and unfortunately, I have come to the end of my journey with The Houston Zoo’s Marketing Department. SAD FACE!  First of all, I’d like to thank the entire Houston Zoo staff for being a part of my experience and always being so kind and helpful.  It’s been a pleasure getting to know everyone and learning more about wildlife.

My experience as a Web Intern has been one I’ll never forget.  Since day one everyone was so helpful and I was even able to sit in on meetings and see what it takes to plan and execute all event details.  I also helped come up with ideas to promote events and increase our visitors’ interactions on our social networks such asFacebook, Twitter, and our Blogs. One of my favorite things is that I got the chance to eat my lunch as I watched the animals relaxing and playing around.  Although I will no longer be an intern, I will still be around visiting the Zoo whenever I get the chance.

Before I go, I’d like to invite everyone to Photo Day! If you enjoy capturing great pictures and would like to snap a few when our animals are most active then this is perfect for you. It will take place on December 17, 2011 from 7-9 am.   With your purchase of a ticket you’ll get a continental breakfast and will get to take pictures of zoo grounds and several animals in their habitats.  Just TAKE A LOOK at some of the pictures taken by past Photo Day visitors!

REGISTER ONLINE or buy your tickets in person at 7 am that same morning. For more information check this out.

If you haven’t already read my previous blog posts or would like to see what other blogs are offered Click HERE!

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Nov
02

Feast with the Beasts (En español & In English)

Posted by in En Español,Events,Guest Blogger Series,Supporting Your Zoo

For those of you that are just now joining us, this is the third post of my blog series, written in both English and Spanish about my experience as a Marketing Intern, which I will be doing until mid-December.  CLICK HERE for the link to the entire series. 

First, the Spanish version, followed by English below…

Les estoy escribiendo por tercera vez en mi serie de blogs.  ¡Gracias por regresar! Y a los que están leyendo por primera vez: podrán leer mi serie (en español e ingles) hasta mediados de diciembre mientras hago mis practicas en el Zoológico de Houston. ¡Disfruta! Dejame tus comentarios o preguntas y compártelo a través de Facebook y Twitter.

Primeramente quisiera darle un aplauso a toda la gente que ayudo con el éxito de Zoo Boo.  A todos los empleados que planearon y trabajaron el evento y también a toda la gente que nos visito y participo en los juegos, ¡mil gracias!  Si te gustaría ver las fotos del evento visita el álbum AQUI.

Aunque ya termino Zoo Boo no quiere decir que nos podemos relajar.  En el departamento de mercadotecnia, aquí en el Zoológico de Houston, han estado preparando los detalles para el evento Feast with the Beasts.  Este evento es uno de los mas populares y los boletos se venden rápido.  Pero no te asustes con el nombre, no se tiene que compartir la cena con King Kong o Godzilla.  Es mas lo que mas da miedo es la gente que llega con un gran apetito.

Desafortunadamente, si aun no has comprado tus boletos para este evento lamento decirte que es muy tarde.  Y si te estas preguntando porque es tan popular este evento te diré que es porque con la compra de un boleto de entrada puedes probar los deliciosos antojitos de 65 restaurantes,  tomar 2 bebidas, ver presentaciones de animales, y ver el concierto de los B-52s!  Y como si eso no fuera suficiente, si compras un boleto te llenaras de gozo al saber que le ayudaste al Zoológico recaudar fondos para sus programas de conservación, educación, y cuidado de los animales.

Estoy contando los días que quedan para Feast with the Beasts y si fuiste una de las personas que alcanzo boleto entonces ¡te veo ahí!

Si quisieras mas información sobre Feast with the Beasts visita http://www.houstonzoo.org/Feast/

Y si no haz leído mi serie desde el principio no te preocupes porque están todos AQUÍ.

For those of you that have been scrolling down to find the English version, you are in the right place!!  You can read the entire series about my experience as a Marketing Intern until mid-December HERE.  Feel free to leave me any comments or questions!  I will gladly reply as soon as possible. Also, don’t forget to share this with your friends via Facebook and Twitter.

First of all I’d like to give a big round of applause to everyone that participated in Zoo Boo’s success! Whether you are someone on the staff that helped organize it or a Zoo visitor that came and enjoyed the festivities, you did a great job. If you’d like to take a look at our pictures from Zoo Boo Click HERE!

Just when we here at the Zoo thought, “Zoo Boo’s over, now we can kick back and relax (insert sigh of relief),” we get reminded that there’s yet another exciting event right around the corner! 

The Marketing Department has been simultaneously organizing Zoo Boo and Feast with the Beasts and though it’s a lot of work, they’re doing a great job!

 Feast with the Beasts is one of our most popular events here at The Houston Zoo.  Though the name is slightly scary and gives me images of Godzilla stomping around the Medical Center as I eat a turkey sandwich, it’s really NOTHING to be afraid of.  In fact, if you love food just as much as I do then the scariest thing about this event would be you and your appetite.

Unfortunately, if you haven’t already bought your ticket then you will have to wait for next year’s tickets to go on sale. I’ve been told that this event gets sold out quickly. Why? Well because with a purchase of a ticket you get to taste delicious snacks from 65 Houston restaurants, 2 drinks, animal presentations, AND a concert featuring the B-52s, that’s why! Plus, each purchase of a ticket will help The Houston Zoo’s conservation, education, and animal care programs!

HOLY CANNOLI! I’m currently counting down the days ‘til Feast with the Beasts and it’s almost here! For those of you that purchased your tickets in time, I will see you there!

Catch your attention? Read more about Feast with the Beasts on our website and join us next year!

Also, if you haven’t already checked out my previous blog posts go ahead and click here!

 

 

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Oct
27

Mi Aventura en Zoo Boo/ My Adventure in Zoo Boo

Posted by in En Español,Events,Guest Blogger Series

¡Gracias por regresar a leer mi segundo blog de esta serie! Recuerda que también está escrita en ingles ahí abajito de la versión en español. (In ENGLISH below) Disfruta, y compártelo con tus amigos especialmente por Facebook y Twitter.  Y recuerda que si tienes alguna pregunta o comentario que no te de pena escribirlo al final de esta pagina.

Hace dos Viernes me desperté muy alegre porque por primera vez este año abrió el evento de Zoo Boo!

Desde que empecé mis practicas aquí en el Zoológico de Houston e visto todos los ingredientes que le ponen a la poción de Zoo Boo dentro de la caldera mágica. Lo que no me dijeron era que esta poción me iba a dar efectos de felicidad y quizá me haría brincar de emoción! Si hubiera sabido esto antes, tal vez me hubiera preparado mejor. Pero bueno, durante mi tiempo aqui he ido a las reuniones y en cada  reunión hablan sobre cada cosa relacionada con el evento y las responsabilidades de cada departamento. Es aquí donde realmente aprendí que es necesario que todos los departamentos de una organización se apoyen y trabajen juntos.

Decidí asistir al evento como voluntaria para poder ver la transformación de un evento planeado en papel a una cosa visible y exitosa. El primer día que estuve ahí  me pusieron en la sección llamada Festival of Fun al lado de los Elefantes en el McNair Asian Elephant Habitat que viene siendo uno de los lugares que mas me gusta visitar dentro del zoológico.  En el Festival of Fun hay varios  juegos para los pequeños y pueden ganar premios por solamente participar.

Al siguiente día me toco asistir en las estaciones que rodeaban la Piscina de Reflección, o mas bien llamada The Reflection Pool.  A pesar de que se me cansaron los pies de tanto caminar, el día estuvo maravilloso.  En cuanto abrieron las puertas de la entrada se lleno de niños y niñas disfrazados y ansiosos por coleccionar dulces.  Las mesas de tatuajes temporales se ocuparon y el Monster Mural se cubrió de colores diferentes.  Los pequeños no podían creer que alguien les estaba dando permiso de pintar  una pared con marcadores!

La actividad que mas me asombro fue el TXU Energy Monster Mashquerade.  El DJ Captain Armando, vestido de Pirata, formo a los niños que querían participar y los llevo a hacer un desfile de disfraces.  Y luego, al terminar el desfile entraron los miembros del Aldine Dance Company vestidos como animales salvajes y les enseñaron a los niños y padres como hacer el baile de la canción “Thriller”.

El primer fin de semana Zoo Boo atrajo 30,092 personas y hemos recibido muchas felicitaciones por el éxito.  Todavía queda este fin de semana (Viernes 28 de Octubre – Lunes 31 de Octubre) para que puedes venir a disfrutar  y compartir tu experiencia con nosotros. ¡No te lo pierdas!

Si aun no haz leído mi serie de blogs haz clic aquí! Y si quieres mas información sobre este evento visita la pagina web http://www.houstonzoo.org/zooboo/.

 

Thank you for returning to read my second blog post in my series! For those of you that are just now joining us, my blog series, written in both English and Spanish, will continue through mid-December.  You will find the English version located below the Spanish one.  I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures as a Houston Zoo intern and please, don’t be afraid to leave your questions or comments. Share this with your friends via Facebook and Twitter!

Two Fridays ago I woke up very excited and sleepy, but mostly excited because it was the grand opening of this year’s Zoo Boo. Also, it was my very first time being here for this event and I can’t believe it took me this long.

For the past few weeks I have been watching the staff stir up a rather exciting Zoo Boo potion into their Special Events cauldron.  I wish they would’ve warned me about the side effects because then I would’ve understood why I kept having this urge to jump up and smile every 5 minutes. Weird? No! At Zoo Boo it is perfectly normal to be thrilled, maybe because of all the candy they give you, but regardless, I fit in just fine. Although The Houston Zoo is made up of MANY different departments,  they all come together and discuss what every one’s role is for the event.  They go over everything you could possibly think of which has taught me that it truly is important for everyone in an organization to support each other and work together in order for everything to be successful. The Zoo’s ability to do so is really visible during the event because it’s so organized and each staff member knows how to help. I couldn’t wait to be a part of it and watch it unfold from plans on paper into an actual event. That is why I gladly volunteered to assist them in any way.

On the first day I was asked to help out at the Festival of Fun where the group Best Entertainers set up carnival games and gave the kids a prize for their participation.  My favorite part was seeing all the different costumes that came through and watching the kids play enthusiastically.  Oh, and lucky for me the Festival of Fun is located right next to the recently opened McNair Asian Elephant Habitat!  I really enjoyed being able to look back and see babies Tupelo and Baylor play around in their new home.

During the next two days as I volunteered, I walked around the Reflection Pool area and made sure that each station’s volunteers had everything they needed. I got to see how successful the Monster Mural is and just how much kids love the Zoo Boo tattoos. I also got to see the TXU Energy Monster Mashquerade up close as the children, lead by DJ Captain Armando, showed off their costumes during the parade and then gathered to learn the “Thriller” dance with the Aldine Dance Group.

Overall, the first two weekends of Zoo Boo were successful and everyone seemed to enjoy the activities. The first weekend alone attracted 30,092 visitors! Now that the weather has cooled down and Halloween is quickly approaching, we expect to see many more princesses and heroes come through our entrance! I hope you and your little one(s) won’t miss out on the last weekend of the festivities: Friday, October 29- Monday, October 31!

If you haven’t already read the Intro to this series, you can find it HERE! Also, if you’d like more information about Zoo Boo visit our page http://www.houstonzoo.org/zooboo/.

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Oct
21

My Intern Safari Ride through The Houston Zoo – En Ingles y Español!

Posted by in En Español,Guest Blogger Series

*  This is the first in a Spanish/English blog series that will last until mid-December. You can find the Spanish version below the English version (Versión en Español ofrecida debajo de la versión en Ingles). I hope you will enjoy it, and spread the word, post it on your Facebook page, and Tweet it!  Please leave any comments for me after the blog post below. I’d love to hear from you.

Hello everyone! I’m Erika, a new intern at the Zoo’s Interactive Marketing Exhibit…I mean Department, yikes! I am a mammal but unlike Mtembei who’s on the left of me in the picture, I am of the Human species.  From now until the end of the year, I will be writing a series of blogs about my personal experience here and about all the great ways you can participate in the Zoo.

Before I start my blog series about all the cool stuff, I will tell you a few interesting things about myself. After getting to know me, I hope you too will tell me something about yourself and let me know if there’s anything you would like to see in my blogs.

I am a 21- year- old senior studying Marketing at the University of St. Thomas. Next Summer I will graduate and begin my journey through adulthood; although, I wish I could be a kid forever just like Peter Pan.

Anyway, I was raised here in Houston but my family and I are originally from Chihuahua, Mexico and oddly enough, we don’t own a Chihuahua.  I am fluent in both Spanish and English and will therefore be able to write a series of blogs in Spanish! I am definitely excited about that.

I’ve always loved learning new things, both in and out of classrooms. For this reason, I decided to do a study abroad program in France this past summer. I was very excited to be learning about international trade and finance as well as the French culture. After that adventure, I decided it would be great to get hands-on experience as an intern with a Houston organization.  Once I heard about the Houston Zoo’s Internship Program I knew it was the place for me.  Here, I will not only get to learn things about my career but also about wild animals and how we can help them out. After all, we all inhabit the same planet.

Please check back regularly for an update on what I’ve learned about the organization and the animals. I’ll also be letting you know about some of the great events you can attend right here at The Houston Zoo. So, don’t miss out and if you have any questions or comments feel free to write them in the comment section below.  I will gladly respond to you as soon as I can.

Don’t forget to check out our other blogs: Wild Conservation, Trunk Tales, and Education.

 

Ahora en Español

Este es el primero en una serie de blogs en español e ingles que durara hasta mediados de Diciembre. Normalmente podrás encontrar la versión en español arribe de la versión en ingles. Espero que te guste y que me ayudes a compartir mi experiencia con otros a través de Facebook y Twitter. Favor de dejar tus mensajes o preguntas al final, me encantaría oír de ti.  

¡Hola! Mi nombre es Erika y soy una estudiante haciendo mis practicas de mercadotecnia aquí en el Zoológico de Houston. Tengo 21 años y estoy en mi ultimo año de estudios en la Universidad de San Tomas. Nací en Chihuahua, México y crecí aquí en Houston pero mis padres siempre me han enseñado orgullosamente las tradiciones y el idioma de México.  Es por eso que estoy tan feliz que el Zoológico me ha dado la oportunidad de escribir una serie de blogs para nuestros visitantes que prefieren leer en español.

Desde pequeña siempre me ha gustado aprender cosas nuevas y no nada mas en la escuela si no también por medio de gente que viene de diferentes culturas. Hay tantas cosas que aprender de nuestro mundo y de la gente e animales que habitan en el. El verano pasado me fui a estudiar a Francia por tres semanas y aparte de las clases de finanzas que tomé, también aprendí muchísimo sobre el estilo de vida en Europa y las costumbres de la gente. Ahora en el Zoológico se que aprenderé bastante sobre los animales y el medio ambiente.

Ya que sabes unas cuantas cosas de mi dime lo que piensas o lo que te gustaria saber del Zoológico, los eventos, o los animales. Me encantaría escribir sobre esos temas que te interesan.

Bueno, es todo por ahorita pero no dejes de revisar la pagina de nuestros Blogs para oír de mis aventuras en el Zoológico de Houston.

 

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Jan
07

Houston Zoo Guest Blogger Series: Meet Shannon Stilwell

Posted by in Giraffes,Guest Blogger Series

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, my husband had a few vacation days. We wanted to take the boys on a day trip. We decided to head on over to the Houston Zoo. The boys have been there before, but they were much younger and I knew they’d enjoy it a lot more now. I had also heard a lot about the recently opened African Forest and wanted to check it out for myself.

My husband and our two boys on the carousel

My sons are two and three and my oldest has special needs. He absolutely adores animals so I couldn’t wait to get his reaction. We packed up some snacks, drinks and lunch in our cooler (we love that you can bring in food to the Zoo) and the boys’ backpacks and loaded the car with all of the necessary items for little ones (including strollers). I am so happy that we also packed our video camera since the zoo has changed a good bit since the last time we were there. I was able to catch my boys’ reactions and they now love watching their day on video much more than just looking at a few photos.

When planning our trip, the one thing I was a bit concerned with was whether there would be any parking left when we got there. The day we went was the only nice weather day of the week so I knew the Zoo would probably be a popular destination with kids out of school and parents wanting to entertain them. As sometimes happens with two little ones, we were running a bit later than we had hoped. We were pleasantly surprised that there were still a few parking spaces left. We needed a handicap space and there were a few open right up front.

I thought a Vlog, or Video Blog, of our day would be fun to watch. Actually seeing what the Zoo has to offer brings it to life better than just reading my description, in my opinion. It sure was fun to make. Here is our totally amateur documentary of our day at the Houston Zoo last week:

As you can see from the video, my boys loved the otters. I love them too. I could sit and watch them all day long. My sweet older son was having a meltdown until we stopped at this exhibit and it totally calmed him down. It’s amazing how animals have that affect on people of all abilities. We also loved the petting zoo and the wide open spaces that allowed for easy stroller access.

One of the animal friends we visited in the petting zoo

The boys had so much fun on the carousel and just watching all of the animals do their thing at the Houston Zoo. I was so impressed with the all of the exhibits and amenities.  I am going to be purchasing a family membership very soon. I was afraid that it would be hard for me to take both boys on my own, but I think it would be a great weekly trip for them and it’s big enough that there is always something new to see. I now know that the Zoo is mom and child friendly and that makes this mother happy!

As a mom, I look for good places to eat, clean bathrooms with changing tables and a child friendly atmosphere. I found all of these at the Houston Zoo. You can either pack your lunch and eat on the picnic tables inside the Zoo or walk to the neighboring  Hermann Park to let your kids run off some energy. You can also eat inside the zoo at their restaurants which offer a variety of foods.

My three year old only has a few words right now (he just learned yes and no but uses them together no matter what the answer is at this time… hey it’s a start) but used them a lot on this day. Anything that makes my boys express their feelings and interact makes me happy!

About me: My name is Shannon Stilwell and you can find my blog, Potamus Prefers, at www.potamusprefers.com. You can also find me on twitter at @PotamusPrefers!

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Jun
13

Houston Zoo GUEST BLOGGER SERIES: Bindu Viswanathan

Posted by in Guest Blogger Series

When you come to visit the zoo, one perhaps underestimated benefit is how it can make you look at your environment anew, and come to appreciate nature in unexpected ways.  Here is an enchanting story of just such a thing.

Argiope aurantia

She came into my life early this summer, in June, when she chose to build her home on the front wall of ours. Her meticulously woven, elaborate web was a marvel and she tended to it fastidiously, picking out debris, and mending it even if it had the slightest tear. I let her be, and admired her web each time I stepped out. She was a Texas Writing Spider or Argiope aurantia, with the most striking orange and black coloration I’ve ever seen.

For this species, the circular part of a female’s web can measure as much as two feet in diameter. They usually build their webs at elevations of two to eight feet off the ground. My Argiope’s web was truly grand, and bore the signature of her species – the neat and confident zorro-strokes right down the middle. She was very young then, a slim and slender girl with long legs and impeccable taste.

Yellow garden spiders breed once a year. The males roam in search of a female, building a small web near or actually in the female’s web, then court the female by plucking strands on her web. Often, when the male approaches the female, he has a safety drop line ready, in case she attacks him. After mating, the male dies, and is sometimes then eaten by the female.

My Argiope took her time finding a mate, and I checked her web everyday to see if there were any males lurking nearby. She eventually chose a brave young lad who dared to give his life for her attention. This is how I found him one morning, a month later in July.

She was a woman now and eating for two (thousand). She rapidly gained weight and I often saw her eating large insects that she had caught on her pretty web. She extended her web and climbed higher, so that I could photograph her from inside the house, and capture the beauty of her back and the plumpness of her abdomen.

Texas Writing Spiders lay their eggs at night on a sheet of silky material, and then cover them with another layer before wrapping them in a protective camouflage of brownish silk. With their legs they then roll the sheet into a ball with an upturned neck. Egg sacs range from 5/8″ to 1″ in diameter.

One night in August, exactly a month later, after we had turned off all the lights and gone to bed, she spun a small, secure little net under the moonlight and deposited in it her tightly sealed egg sac which held her babies. She secured it snugly to the wall, and stayed by its side for the next couple of days, protecting it and resting.


Once she was sure that her babies were safe, she returned to her web nearby and remained there for another month. One morning in September I didn’t find her at her usual place and got worried. As I searched around, I found her higher up on the same wall, and found another little egg sac by her side. She had secured this one as before, but quite a bit higher, possibly to reduce competition between her babies when they hatched.

Texas writing spiders guard their eggs against predation as long as they can. However, as the weather cools, they become more frail, and die around the time of the first hard frost.

My Argiope stayed with her new egg sac for some days, and then came back down to her original spot in mid-November. As the days grew shorter, the nights turned increasingly cold, and there was soon a string of very cold nights. I kept a close watch on Argiope, and checked her web each morning to see how she was doing. She had built herself a small, messy web near the wall, close to her first batch of eggs. The small web was torn and had a lot of debris on it. I recalled how fastidiously she used to clean her web in her youth, and knew she was losing her strength.

In the third week of November, after a particularly cold and windy Sunday night, I checked on her first thing in the morning, and she was gone. I looked in the bushes and on the ground nearby, but could not find her anywhere. She had spent her entire life on this front wall of our house, so wouldn’t have just wandered away now.

I have grown so used to checking on her as I left the house, and looking for her as I got back, that it has become a habit. I still do it. Only, her web now hangs torn and messy on the front wall. Come Spring, her babies will hatch and find their way in life. I hope one of her daughters will again choose our wall to make her home on, and I will have her company all next summer.

Written by Bindu Viswanathan, Photos by Bindu Viswanathan

Such a beautiful story! How about you?  Is there something that you’ve been drawn to observe — or even protect –in nature, whether it was in your back yard, a park or even when you might have been somewhere on a vacation?  Please share it with us in the comment section below.

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Apr
13

GUEST BLOGGER SERIES: Meet Pink Haired Momma

Posted by in Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Elephants,Events,Funny,Guest Blogger Series,Memories,Zoo Births

Houston Area Mommies Hit The Zoo

This past weekend on a gorgeous Sunday morning, H4L, Baby DIVA and myself loaded up into the Fammobile, and headed off for a fun filled day at the Houston Zoo with many of the fabulous Houston Area Mommies and their splendid kiddos.

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We arrived at a few minutes before 10 am to find the parking lot beginning to fill up rather quickly. Lucky for us we snagged a great spot and began to “unpack” the car for our day long journey. Now at this point I made a GIANT mommy mistake. My Pink Haired silly self did not check the zoo website in reference to coolers being brought into the facility. If I had taken that extra moment to verify the information, the yummy ham and cheese quiche, spinach salad and drinks would have joined us on this unpacking adventure and would have been consumed for lunch at the zoo, instead of dinner at home! Oops. Note to anyone heading to the Houston Zoo , YOU CAN BRING YOUR COOLER INSIDE THE FACILITY.

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The Reflecting Pool just inside the zoo entrance. Amazing!

Moving on past the one and only mistake I made. We made our way to the Zoo entrance and with no trouble found our fellow Houston Area Mommies , went right through the ticket purchase process and VOILA, we were in. First up, several moms rented the available wagon/strollers the zoo offers. We all know even the toughest tots will need a lift at some point during a long outdoor day! We, the Houston Area Mommies , loaded up and headed off, first of course posing for a group photo!

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We were in luck on this particular day because Shanti, one of the Asian Elephants at the Houston Zoo was having her BABY SHOWER. Yep, that right! We were fortunate enough to be “invited” to such an important event. We even had the honor of seeing Shanti’s baby kick her. I cant not even begin to imagine what that must feel like. AHHHHH! The “baby shower” was awesome. Lots of fun activities for the kids like a giant card for Shanti for everyone to sign, a table for gifts, and several craft stations. The kids loved it!

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We signed the card for Shanti!
 
 
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Goofing off with Daddy!
 
 
The rest of the time we roamed around looking at all the various animals, soaking in the spring sun and air and chatting with all the other Houston Area Mommies members and kids. Goofing off and enjoying our fabulous day at the zoo. Although we were unable to ride the train around Hermann Park, where the Zoo is located, or take a ride in a paddle boat in the lake by the zoo due to the snoozed Baby DIVA, we have made plans to return this spring and do just such.

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I really love that not only do you get to see fabulous animals at the zoo, but every exhibit offers an interactive learning exercise too!
 
 
The Zoo is a marvelous place for a family outing. Its is rather inexpensive to enter, you can bring your own food, there is tons of walking and looking which is fabulously stimulating for kids and adults alike. And there is even a kids area, again we did not spend much time at as Baby DIVA was snoozed in her stroller. Fresh air does it every time!
 
 
Interested in learning how you could be a part of a fabulous HAM zoo day? Check us out at www.houstonareamommies.co to learn more… And tell them Pink Haired Momma sent you. I’m hope to be cooking up a monthly meeting at the zoo.  We’d love for you to come join us and experience all the fun and support moms and kids need!  And at what better place than our own Houston Zoo?!?!
 
Written by Pink Haired Momma, Photos by Pink Haired Momma and Alberto Aguirre

Apr
10

Guest Blogger Series: Meet Debbie O’Neal

Posted by in Animal Info,Birds,Carnivores,Children's Zoo,Elephants,Giraffes,Guest Blogger Series,Mammals,Memories,Primates,Zoo Births

This might be of extra interest to those of you who came over Spring Break. The O’Neal family did something really cool — they decided to take the MetroRail to get here.

Our Spring Break Zoo Adventure

We accepted the mission of entertaining our 7 year old granddaughter during Spring Break.  At  the very top of her wish list was going to the Houston Zoo.

We started off our Spring Break Zoo Adventure by a quick walk from our house over to hop on the MetroRail train, zipped down the line to the Houston Zoo stop, took a short walk around the sparkling McGovern lake and straight into the zoo entrance with our recently renewed Zoo Membership.  No circling the parking lot waiting for a spot, no waiting in long lines to get it…just enjoying the sunshine and the bright blue skies and looking forward to seeing all our favorite animals.  We were already having a great time together.

One of our first stops was the giraffes. Here you can see they were out enjoying the day by lounging around. So silly to see them all sitting down…

We just love all the new baby animals we get to see at our Zoo.  We’re keeping a close eye on the Zoo’s new Elephant Blog to know when Shanti welcomes her new baby.  Did you realize her baby will weigh close to 300 lbs when it is born?

Our granddaughter observed that it was no wonder Shanit’s sides were bulging!


After wandering though the Primate exhibit, stopping off to see the cheetas, bears and lions, we finally arrived at the Children’s Zoo.  Our granddaughter was a whirlwind of activity trying to take it all in.

Here’s our girl pretending she was a prairie dog  and getting to pop up in their habitat.

This cute prairie dog seemed to be waving hello to her.


Sitting pretty in the Eagle’s Nest…


And watching the magnificent Bald Eagle up close.


There was lots of other fun things we did inbetween!

At the end of our day our granddaughter said the absolute most fun she had ever had was spending time with her grandparents at the best place on Earth….The Houston Zoo!

Written by Debbie O’Neal, Photos by Debbie O’Neal

Apr
07

Guest Blogger Series: Meet Kimberly Wiltshire

Posted by in Animal Info,Elephants,Giraffes,Guest Blogger Series,Memories,Natural Encounters

As promised HERE, today we introduce our first guest blogger, Kimberly Wiltshire. Kim and her husband and daughter live in the greater Houston area. They recently came to visit the Houston Zoo and had what sounds like a wonderful time. She wrote a post about it on her own blog, posted many great pictures and then took the time to link everything she was talking about! I stumbled across it and I asked her if she’d like to be today’s guest blogger.  She said yes, so our thanks to Kimberly!  Enjoy!

Can you guess what all these have in common?

They’re all sweet little babies. Soft, furry babies. Tall babies with their mommas. Fat, grey babies that eat a lot of hay. And MY baby, worn out after spending the day at the Houston Zoo.

We had a fantastic day at the Houston Zoo on Monday! Everything started off with buying discounted tickets for the zoo admittance at a nearby Fiesta, which saved us quite a bit of money. The weather was overcast and pretty windy when we headed out but we were optimistic. Until my lovely GPS system got us lost (she had us going away from the zoo instead of toward it). After a quick call to the wonderful man I call hubby, we were back on track and headed towards the zoo.

Zoo parking can be quite a challenge and I think God had mercy on me, helping me find parking fairly close to the entrance. Truly, I’ve never parked that close to the zoo’s entrance! Once through the gates we checked to see if there were any shows taking place and discovered the Natural Encounters was about to start in the Children’s Zoo (a smaller section of the zoo that is mostly a petting-zoo, along with a splash pad and playground). We got up close and personal with a ferret, an adorable bunny, and an amazingly soft chinchilla. The chinchilla was my favorite of the three.

From there, we checked out the primates. They are always interesting to see and watch. I must admit though, being in that section of the zoo really puts me on edge. Here’s why… everything is covered in a natural canopy of trees and other miscellaneous types of plants. Sounds beautiful, right? And, it is beautiful. But here’s the thing, the birds LOVE this area too!!! And wherever there are a lot of birds flying overhead you are bound to encounter bird poop! Ick. Luckily we didn’t get squatchied on but Violet managed to land her hand in a nice little pile of it. Ewww. And so we went on a quest to find a bathroom for her to wash her hands. Normally I have handi-wipes on me but I unfortunately ran out. (Note to self: buy more travel wipes!)

Once we found a restroom, and washed our hands, we were off to explore the rest of the zoo. We quickly found the giraffes (my absolute favorite animal in the whole zoo) and got to watch them for a while. The zoo had not one, but two, baby giraffes born last year! And while the babies have grown quite a bit since their births in March and August, they were still small compared to their adult counterparts. Violet and I got to see an adult giraffe eat from its hay basket in a barn-like building that has a window you can watch from. So, you get a closer view of just how tall the giraffes are and how short you are in comparison. We spent quite a bit of time at the giraffe exhibit.

Violet got to see her beloved elephants as they were being fed. Tucker, a three year old elephant, was certainly a big draw for Violet (and others). There was a media group there doing something, I don’t know what or who for, but I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled. Violet was all over that area and I wouldn’t be surprised if she made it in some shot or something.


We checked out the new cheetah exhibit and got to watch some training exercises while there. We even saw the Anatolian shepherd dogs, the two cheetah’s companions, although they were in their own section while the training took place. The story of how the two dogs and the two cheetahs have become companions is quite the story so you should go check it out.

We had a fantastic day while at the zoo and we can’t wait till our next visit!  It looks like my niece will be spending part of the summer here and she has never been to the zoo.  I can’t think of a better Zoo than Houston’s for her to experience her first zoo visit!

Written by Kimberly Wiltshire, Photos by Kimberly Wiltshire.