If you’ve been to our little Zoo, you are probably well aware of our beautiful centerpiece – the pond! It has been transformed quite a bit over the years, and some may even remember the ark and the whale that used to call the pond their home, which were both installed in 1969.
At the heart of the Saginaw Children’s Zoo is our dedicated community of volunteers. They connect us to our community and are a crucial part of our existence. We know that this year has proven difficult for just about every aspect of what makes our Zoo whole, and we miss our volunteers dearly. Did you know that our volunteers give over 14,000 hours of their time to us annually?
Although we are doing the best we can as we persevere during these unprecedented times, we miss our smiling volunteers and that special something that they bring to the Zoo. We know they miss being here and we miss them, too.
With that being said, we are kicking things into high gear with plans for our Volunteer Program for next year.
We would like to introduce the newest addition to the Saginaw Children’s Zoo Team, Volunteer Coordinator, Kathy McCarthy.
We would like to welcome Dr. Shannon Cerveny DVM, Dipl ACZM to our wonderful Zoo! Dr. Cerveny joined our team as our full-time Veterinarian in January of this year. The staff and animals are delighted to have her and would like to introduce you!
As most of you know, The Saginaw Zoo made history last year with the successful hatching of our first ever endangered African penguin, Amahle.
We are very pleased to announce that we successfully hatched our second African penguin chick just two days before Thanksgiving this year. Dad (Robben) and mom (Petey) are taking very good care of our new arrival, festively named “Gobbles.” After DNA testing, it was determined that Gobbles is a GIRL! And she has been living up to her name and eating very well and growing very quickly. Continue reading
It’s the beginning of November, and that means we have just completed our annual crane survey! Every year around this time, we partner with the USFWS to conduct a survey on the beautiful Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge. This survey provides an estimate of the size and trend of the Sandhill Crane population in the area. Before the actual survey, it’s my job to scout out exactly what parts of the refuge the cranes are using for resting, foraging and roosting during their migration south.
Silver Spring, Maryland (September 9) – The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) has announced that the Saginaw Children’s Zoo was granted accreditation by AZA’s independent Accreditation Commission.
“The Saginaw Children’s Zoo is among the outstanding aquariums and zoos that have met or exceeded our rigorous accreditation standards,” said AZA President and CEO Dan Ashe. “The hundreds of millions of annual guests to AZA-accredited facilities like the Saginaw Children’s Zoo can be assured their visit is supporting a facility that provides the highest-quality animal care and welfare and is contributing to initiatives that save animals from extinction.”
On International Penguin Day, January 20th the Saginaw Children’s Zoo had their own tiny celebration – the hatching of an African penguin chick! It has taken several years of careful planning, many science-guided decisions, and plenty of patience to successfully welcome this new arrival.
The chick hatched early Sunday morning and is healthy and strong. Due to round-the-clock care and near constant feeding from its parents, Petey (mom) and Robben (dad), the chick more than tripled in size in just over a week. Gender determination of young birds, especially penguins, is difficult without a DNA sample to be sent for testing. The DNA results determined the penguin chick is a girl!
That’s a question guests pose often to Zoo staff when they see items they’re not expecting to see in an exhibit, such as a paper bag or cardboard box. While sometimes items do unintentionally find their ways into animal exhibits, the far more likely answer is “no, that is enrichment.”
Just as good nutrition is important for humans, it is essential to the health of our animals. The animals in our collection come from different habitats and geographic locations, have different adaptations, and they eat different things. What they all have in common is that they have a dedicated staff caring for them that works to give them the best care possible, including their diets! Here’s a closer look at how we feed all of our animals and everything that goes into their nutrition.
Our Adopt-An-Animal program at the Zoo benefits everyone! You can symbolically adopt any of the animals that we have here, and the proceeds support animal care, conservation, and education programs. It’s a fun and engaging way to get involved at the Zoo and to learn more about some of you favorite animals!
