Buffalo Zoo Animal Babies Get Into the Halloween “Spirit”
Buffalo, NY—The Buffalo Zoo’s baby animals are celebrating the fall season on Tuesday, October 4, 2011 with some special Halloween-themed treats!
Visitors and members of the media are invited to join Buffalo Zoo President/CEO, Dr. Donna M. Fernandes, in watching the baby addax and reindeer receive treat bags. The Zoo’s baby gorilla, Amari, and her fellow troop members will receive pumpkins not only in honor of Halloween but also Amari’s upcoming first birthday celebration on October 8.
The schedule is as follows:
10:15 a.m. Amari (baby gorilla)
10:30 a.m. Guinness (baby addax)
10:45 a.m. Solara (baby reindeer)
Babies Born at the Buffalo Zoo This Spring/Summer
Animals representing 15 species were born/hatched at the Buffalo Zoo so far this year.
The babies that were featured in today’s photo opportunity included:
Addax: Guinness, a male addax, was born to mom, Samonya, and dad, Bakari, on March 17, 2011. The breeding was recommended as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP), which is designed to help a species maintain a healthy and stable population. The addax is an endangered African hoofstock species that numbers less than 250 in the wild.
Reindeer: The Buffalo Zoo celebrated the births of two baby reindeer in 2011. Female, Solara, was born on May 8, 2011 to mom, Aurora, and dad, Borealis. She was featured in today’s photo opportunity. A male, Klondike, was born on April 21, 2011 to mom, Ellie and dad, Borealis. After being weaned from his mother, he was transferred to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY to join another herd.
Western lowland gorilla (born in 2010 but about to celebrate her first birthday): Amari, a female western lowland gorilla, was born on October 8, 2010 at 7:40 p.m. to mother, Sidney, and father, Koga. Sidney, who was born at the Buffalo Zoo in 1997, and 23-year-old Koga, who arrived from the Memphis Zoo in 2007, are both first-time parents. This breeding was also recommended as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP). Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered due to habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade.
Other animals celebrating their first Halloween include:
4 Scarlet Ibises
8 Vampire Bats
2 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
6 Rock Hyraxes
Indochinese Box Turtle*
4 Capybaras
Cattle Egret
3 Agoutis
Blue Poison Dart Frog
October Events at the Buffalo Zoo
Amari’s First Birthday Celebration (October 8)
Join the festivities on Saturday, October 8, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. as Buffalo Zoo keepers celebrate the baby gorilla, Amari’s, first birthday!
The event is free with Zoo admission. Highlights of the event include keeper talks, making birthday cards, watching the gorillas receive special birthday muffins and a raffle. Each visitor who brings in a birthday gift (new, wrapped baby toys) will be entered to win a painting created by the Zoo’s gorilla troop, including the birthday girl! All toys received will be donated to The Salvation Army Emergency Family Shelter.
Amari, a female western lowland gorilla, was born on October 8, 2010 at 7:40 p.m. to mother, Sidney, and father, Koga. Since 1990, nine surviving gorilla babies have been born at the Buffalo Zoo. Amari is the first gorilla to be born at the Buffalo Zoo since fellow troop member, Lily, was born in 2000. Amari’s birth also represents the second gorilla generation for the Buffalo Zoo. The breeding was recommended as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is designed to help a species maintain a stable, healthy and genetically diverse population in zoos. Western lowland gorillas are critically endangered due to habitat destruction and the bushmeat trade.
In addition to donating toys to benefit The Salvation Army Emergency Family Shelter, visitors who wish to help in gorilla conservation are also encouraged to donate old cell phones at the Zoo’s admission gates. The cell phones will be collected through the Eco-Cell program. Designed to gather unused cell phones for refurbishment and recycling purposes, the program also helps wildlife in the Congo. Columbite-tantalite (coltan), a metallic ore found in the region, is used in cell phones and other electronic devices. Illegal mining for the ore is occurring in protected areas, and miners are overrunning national parks while also hunting the parks’ endangered elephants and gorillas for food. In addition to protecting these animals, the program also benefits the Buffalo Zoo. Eco-Cell pays the Zoo up to $15 per working digital phone, and this money is added to the Zoo’s Cars for Conservation fund, which helps to support conservation projects worldwide.
For more information, please call (716) 995-6133 or visit www.buffalozoo.org.
Howl-O-Ween Hayrides (October 15, 16, 22 and 23)
There is something for every boy and “ghoul” at the Buffalo Zoo’s 15th annual Howl-O-Ween Hayrides, sponsored by Fisher-Price and Tops Friendly Markets!
This friendly, not frightful event takes place on October 15, 16, 22 and 23. From 4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., everyone will enjoy treat stations, hayrides, games, apple cider and donuts. Children are also encouraged to come dressed in their favorite Halloween attire and participate in our costume parade! (Don’t forget to bring a flashlight.)
Ticket prices for adults and children are $6.00 for Zoo members and $9.00 for non-members. Children under 24 months old will be admitted for FREE.
The evening offers an early, safe and fun Halloween experience for children of all ages. To purchase tickets for this event, please call the Buffalo Zoo at (716) 995-6133 or visit the Zoo’s website at www.buffalozoo.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the Zoo’s main gate each night of the event.
Get Your Tail to the Buffalo Zoo
