Fozblog

Zoo-nique Gift Guide - Idea #1 and #2

Looking for something out of the ordinary for this year's gift? How about a gift that gives all year long, like a Friends of the Zoo membership?

For one price ($65 for a family), the gift recipient will receive

• free admission for one year to Dickerson Park Zoo,
• free admission to Halloween SPOOKTACULAR,
• reciprocal admission to more than 100 zoos and aquariums across the country,
• discounts on merchandise purchased at the Safari Trading Company gift shop,
• discounts on children's education programs,
• our quarterly WildTimes magazine and
• invitations to exclusive members-only events.

(We define a "family" as one or two adults living at the same address and their dependent children age 18 and younger. We also have memberships for grandparents and their grandchildren OR a single adult plus a guest.)

Purchasing a gift membership is easy. Click here to go to the zoo's official Web site and purchase your gift membership online. Or, call our office, 417-833-1570, and purchase by phone. (You can also visit us in person! The administration office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.)

Or, maybe you're looking for something a little more traditional. Each day this week, we'll also showcase items in the Zoo-nique Gift Guide from the Safari Trading Company gift shop.

Check out these silk ties! Look closely - the red one is a snake pattern. We also have zebras on navy and tigers.

The Safari Trading Company is hosting the annual sale. Members of the general public receive a 10-percent discount on gift shop merchandise. Our FOZ members receive a 20-percent discount.

The Safari Trading Company gift shop is open daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., unless the zoo is closed for inclement weather (when the walks are covered with ice or snow).

Henry the Hippo celebrates his birthday

Visit our YouTube channel for the "live action" footage of the watermelon smash!

Zookeepers added a little extra fun to Henry the hippo's day this morning. Today is Henry's 27th birthday, and one of the zookeepers gave him a couple of watermelons. It certainly was a something to see!

Henry's been at Dickerson Park Zoo since March 1982 when he was a young calf. He was born at the San Francisco Zoo.

A hippopotamus' eyes, ears and nostrils are situated on the top of its head, allowing it to see, hear and breathe while still mostly submerged in water. A hippo can stay submerged for up to five minutes before surfacing to take a breath.

At one time, there was a myth that hippopotamuses sweat blood. The truth to that is, they secrete a red or pink oily substance from their pores to protect their skin from the sun and moisture loss.

Hippos are herbivores. Henry eats a half bale of hay, two scoops of grain and a variety of produce each day. In sub-Saharan Africa where you find hippos in the wild, they stay in water or mud wallows for the day and come out on the surrounding plains to graze on grass at night. This adaptation protects their skin from excessive moisture loss.

Hippopotamus is a Greek word for "river horse."

Dreamnight is HUGE success!

Dickerson Park Zoo hosted its fourth annual Dreamnight at the Zoo tonight. This event is an opportunity for children with disabilities or chronic illnesses and their families to have a special night to themselves to enjoy the zoo.

Activities included watching the hippopotamus devour watermelons, feeding "browse" (leaves) to the giraffes -- like Marigold is doing in the picture to the left -- up-close encounters with animals from the education department, snacks and a photo of the VIP child to take home.

Nearly 1,600 people came to Dickerson Park Zoo tonight for this special evening. The zoo partners with area service providers and organizations who qualify the families and distribute the tickets. It rained much of the day and a few dark clouds still loomed in the sky, but not a drop of rain fell during Dreamnight.

Although this is an evening entirely focused on the VIP children and their families, for zoo staff and volunteers, it is an extremely heart-warming experience to interact with everyone. THANK YOU to everyone who attended Dreamnight and made this such a special night. And, a huge THANK YOU to our partner organizations who helped connect the zoo with the VIP families. We couldn't have done this without you.

Dreamnight started in the mid-1990s in The Netherlands. It quickly grew in popularity. Now more than 100 zoos, aquariums and other facilities in 30-plus countries around the world host Dreamnight (typically on the first Friday evening of June).

Teddy Bear Rally sets new attendance record!

WOW! What a day at the zoo on Saturday! The annual Teddy Bear Rally sponsored by St. John's Children's Hospital set a new attendance record with more than 10,000 people taking advantage of free admission that day.

Kids were encouraged to bring a teddy bear to participate in contest and activities, including the Bear Care Clinic, a great way to introduce children to health examinations by focusing on the bear.

Entertainment included Mad Science, M Gym Dance Studio, Martial Artist Foundation and the Nixa DARE puppet show. Thanks to everyone for making it a great day!

Zoo names 2008 Earth Heroes

It's the zoo's Earth Day celebration today - Party for the Planet. And, we announced our 2008 Earth Hero Award recipients this morning.

Dr. Alice (Jill) Black is an assistant professor in the Department of Geology, Geography and Planning at Missouri State University. She is instrumental in educating preservice teachers and preparing them to inspire their students about science.

Sue Schuble is a retired teacher/coach who volunteers with numerous environmental organizations - Greater Ozarks Audubon Society (who nominated her for the award), the Springfield Conservation Nature Center and here at Dickerson Park Zoo.

Watch in the coming weeks for "This Week at Dickerson Park Zoo" podcasts including interviews with each of these Earth Heroes about their projects and involvement in Earth-friendly activities.

This Week at Dickerson Park Zoo

Show Notes:
:09 Introduction
:26 Party for the Planet
1:28 Teddy Bear Rally
2:12 Summer hours

Right click here to Download TWDPZ_41408.mp3 (3313.6K)

Odd Zoo Trivia - April Fools' Day

Each year, we prepare for April Fools' Day and an onslaught of incoming phone calls. Unsuspecting coworkers often receive bogus phone messages to return calls to "Mr. Lion," "Ellie Fant" or "Mr. Bear" with the zoo's phone number listed. This year, we tracked eight hang-ups, five "wrong numbers" and about 30 actual April Fools' calls from folks asking for someone (or some animal) that doesn't work here.

Holiday shopping help from the zoo

"Black Friday" is just two days away now, and Dickerson Park Zoo offers a great alternative to the hustle and bustle of traditional holiday shopping. The annual sale at the Safari Trading Company gift shop kicks off on Friday, Nov. 23, and continues through Dec. 24. The general public will receive a 10 percent discount off gift shop merchandise, and our Friends of the Zoo members receive an additional 10 percent off (total of 20 percent).

The Safari Trading Company gift shop offers a wide variety of wildlife items -- apparel for tots, children and adults; home decor; toys and plush animals; books and puzzles. ZOOKEYS for the audio boxes throughout the zoo make great stocking stuffers.

And, don't miss out on the 2008 Zoo Calendar, a beautiful full-color calendar featuring photographs from throughout the park!

For gifts that give all year -- consider a Friends of the Zoo membership for a family, grandparents and their grandchildren or an adult plus a guest; or ADOPT an animal for the wildlife lover on your list. Call 417-833-1570 to order by phone or visit us in person!

Andy and Julie -- the fine morning folks at KTTS -- chatted with Melinda Arnold, the zoo's public relations director this week. Take a listen to the interview:

Do YOU recycle?

Of all the actions we can take that make a positive impact on the environment, recycling is one of the easiest for everyone - regardless of age - to do. Many trash services provide curb-side pick up of recyclables for a nominal monthly fee. And, municipal collection centers in Springfield and surrounding communities collect items for free.

Today is American Recycles Day! Show your spirit by making a commitment to recycle if you don't or recycle more if you do. Visit the America Recycles Day Web site for more on recycling. And, while you're at the site, take the pledge to do more.

If you don't recycle at home, now is the time to start. If you do recycle, look around - are there other household items you can recycle. Clothing, home decor, working-but-unwanted appliances all can live second (or third, or fourth) lives through resale and charitable stores (who often provide free pick-up service). Home electronics can also -- and should -- be recycled. Check out Springfield's Computer Recycling Center for the list of items they accept.

Here at Dickerson Park Zoo, we recycle paper, aluminum, plastic and cardboard. Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co. has provided bins for us to place throughout the zoo for our guests to deposit the 20-ounce soft drink bottles they purchase from the vending machines.

A different twist on recycling is our composting program for herbivore manure. Our elephants alone produce nearly a ton (yes, a TON!) of manure a day. This manure, combined with waste from the hippopotamus, hoofstock, and other animals, is composted and sold in the spring and fall as ZooDoo.

SPOOKTACULAR ends on a high note

Thank you to everyone who made the 24th annual
Halloween SPOOKTACULAR a HUGE success!
We experienced our highest attendance at the event
since 2000, with 26,983 adults and children enjoying
the sights and sounds of Halloween.

SPOOKTACULAR truly is a community event.
Thank you to everyone who contributed time, support and money:

• Grand sponsor Wal-Mart and the great candy this year!
• Event sponsor and advance ticket outlet McDonald's. You've been with us for 23 years!
• Volunteers from high school, university, community organizations and businesses who helped staff the event each night.
• Promotional partners -- the radio stations at Clear Channel Radio (KGBX, Alice 95.5FM, and The Wolf 100.5FM), Journal Broadcast Group (KTTS, Power 96.5) and Midwest Family Broadcast Group (Star 105.1FM, The Cave 104.7, Bass Country 92.9 and Q107); The Kids Directory, Parent & Family, The News-Leader and KOLR10/FOX27, KSPR and KY3/YouNewsTV.
• School teachers, principals and students who carved hundreds of jack-o-lanterns for the event.
• Youth organizations and Scout Troups who created the Festival of Scarecrows.
• Our great zoo staff, docents, zoo ambassadors and community volunteers who put in hundreds of hours developing new ideas, building and painting new props and decorating the zoo grounds.

But, most of all we want to thank YOU, everyone in the community (nearly 27,000 of you!) who came to the event. We couldn't have the event if there weren't people to enjoy this safe, supervised evening event. We'll see you again next year!

Check out the SPOOKTACULAR photo album. You'll find the link to it on the left column.