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Showing posts with the label GCF

When the commitment to conservation is more than skin deep

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications This image of an Aplomado falcon feather belongs to Mark, a Woodland Park Zoo curator who is passionate about birds. Photo: Elizabeth Bacher It is said that those who wear their hearts on their sleeves are open and willing to share their feelings for something they feel strongly about. For some members of our Woodland Park Zoo community, that means wearing their passions in other places, like on their shoulders, legs and backs. Jill has worked with many different species in her carreer. Photo: Elizabeth Bacher/Woodland Park Zoo Many staff at the zoo are here because of the mission—they care deeply about animals, the environment and conservation. And for quite a few, that passion runs so deep that they’ve decided to make it permanent by getting tattoos to represent the animals they care deeply for and the commitment to protect and save species in the wild. Jill has elephants and tigers that she cared for etched across her...

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Baby Giraffe

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications With Lead Animal Keeper Katie Ahl Olivia and Dave on the savanna. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo. Have you “herd” the news? We recently announced that Olivia the giraffe is expecting her second baby this spring ! Olivia had her first baby in 2013, but this will be the first offspring between Olivia and Dave. There is a lot of excitement around a giraffe pregnancy, and a lot of hard work that goes into preparing and planning for a birth and a baby giraffe. We chatted with animal keeper (and giraffe doula) Katie Ahl to find out what to expect when you’re expecting a baby giraffe. WPZ : First off, how’s Olivia doing? Katie : Olivia is doing very well. She’s eating well and seems comfortable and relaxed. We have been planning for this pregnancy for almost 2 years. We took Olivia off birth control late in 2017 and started monitoring her cycle to see when she would be in estrus. This is a very small window of about 24 hours so...