Blog

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Choose to Refuse: Join the OKC Zoo and Take the "Plastic Free July" Pledge

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden wants YOU to kick your single-use plastic habitat as part of a global “Plastic Free July” challenge. Plastic items like grocery bags, straws and coffee cups are creating huge ecological harm, especially in oceans and other aquatic habitats. This includes our streams, rivers and lakes in Oklahoma where plastic trash is a common sight. As of July 1, the Zoo’s 145-member “Plastic Free July” team is in 12 th place out... Read More

at Tuesday, July 2, 2019

Monday, April 15, 2019

Notes from the Field: Holly Ray Reports on Flamingo Rescue in South Africa

OKC Zoo Assistant Birds Curator Holly Ray shares her conservation field work experience rescuing flamingos in South Africa... In January, a severe drought dried out Kamfers Dam which is located in Kimberly, South Africa. Kamfers Dam is a very important breeding site for lesser flamingos, it is the location of one of only four lesser flamingo breeding sites in Africa. Due to the lack of water at the dam, adult flamingos abandoned their nests leaving nearly 2,000 eggs and flamingo... Read More

at Monday, April 15, 2019

Field Conservation Notes from the Field Conservation Efforts Flamingos

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Notes from the Field: Employees of a Feather Survey Together

While it is certainly true that many species of birds in North America fly to warmer climates when the temperatures begin to drop, there are still many more that stay at their homes year-round! This February, I was lucky enough to join three Zoo employees and three employees from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) on a conservation journey to Robbers Cave State Park and James Collins Wildlife Management Area in Eastern Oklahoma... Read More

at Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Conservation Partnership Conservation Efforts Winter Birds Notes from the Field Field Conservation

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Conservation Update: Field Report from OKC Zoo-Supported Turtle Research Project in Belize

Last month, the OKC Zoo received a field research update from University of Oklahoma graduate student Elyse Ellsworth who the Zoo is funding to study Central American river turtles (aka hicatee) in Belize. Elyse is capturing wild hicatee and placing radio-transmitters on them to track their movements. This is not easy to do considering these turtles spend most of their time underwater – making them hard to find and hard to track because the transmitter only sends data when... Read More

at Thursday, February 28, 2019

Conservation Partnership Conservation Efforts Zoo conservation and science

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Simple Change Reduces Plastic Use, Saves Money at OKC Zoo

By purchasing concentrated bleach in bulk and training its staff to dilute and refill existing bottles, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden is saving more than $2,000 and keeping almost 500 single-use plastic containers out of landfills each year. As part of a Zoo-wide effort to eliminate single-use plastics, Barry Downer, deputy director, identified bleach usage as an easy target for improvement. The Zoo safely uses bleach as a cleaner and disinfection in its animal... Read More

at Thursday, January 31, 2019

Conservation Conservation Efforts

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Hold the Straw, Please... OKC Zoo Staff Join Plastic-Free Challenge

We touch things made of plastic hundreds of times in our daily lives. Plastic is so common that most people think nothing of using a plastic item once, and then tossing it away. How many plastic bags, straws, lids, bottles, forks, cups have you used once and thrown away? The average American throws away 185 pounds of plastic a year. That’s half a pound of plastic a day from every one of us! Only 8 percent of the plastic used in the U.S. is recycled. The rest ends up in landfills or is... Read More

at Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Conservation Conservation Efforts Conservation Event Global Conservation Efforts Local Conservation Events

Monday, August 13, 2018

Round Up for Conservation Update

“Would you like to Round Up for Conservation?” Guests at the OKC Zoo have become accustomed to hearing that phrase when they purchase a ticket, an item at the gift shop or a meal at one of the Zoo’s food and beverage locations. But what does it mean and how does it help fulfill the Zoo’s mission to connect people and the world’s vanishing wildlife and wild places? Round Up for Conservation is a grassroots program created to allow Zoo guests to become... Read More

at Monday, August 13, 2018

Round Up For Conservation Conservation Efforts Conservation Partnership Global Conservation Efforts

Monday, July 9, 2018

Butterflies Tagged at OKC Zoo Discovered in Mexico

Two monarchs tagged at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden last fall were recovered in Mexico! One was a male tagged on Oct 2, 2017 and found on Feb 20, 2018 in El Rosario. The second, a female tagged on Oct 5, 2017, was found on Feb 10, 2018 in Sierra Chincua. The OKC Zoo Education and Horticulture teams dedicated many hours over a three week period last fall to tag 60 total monarchs. The total number of tag recoveries was 928. It’s amazing that two of those were from the OKC Zoo!... Read More

at Monday, July 9, 2018

Monarch Butterflies Butterfly Conservation Efforts

Monday, June 18, 2018

Saving Turtles, Building a Friendship

Saving the world's vanishing wildlife and wild places is a monumental task no matter which way you look at it. As hard as we try, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens is not able to achieve this goal alone. Luckily we have amazing conservation legacy partners that we work with, both locally and globally, that help us fight for the species and habitats that are incapable of fighting for themselves. One of those partners is the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) which works to prevent... Read More

at Monday, June 18, 2018

Conservation Efforts Conservation Partnership Turtle Survival Alliance

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Notes from the Field: OKC Zoo's Liz McCrae Documents Tortoise Rescue Efforts in Madagascar

In April, over 10,000 critically endangered radiated tortoises were discovered by local police in a private residence in Madagascar. Nearly every room in the house was filled with tortoises without access to food or water. It is believed that the tortoises were collected for the illegal pet trade, likely for shipment to Asia where the tortoises’ highly-domed shell, featuring a brilliant star pattern, makes them incredibly valuable. The Turtle Survival... Read More

at Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Conservation Efforts Turtle Survival Alliance Conservation Action Round-up Engagement Radiated Tortoise

Friday, May 11, 2018

OKC Zoo Trumpeter Swan Released in the Wild as Part of Population Restoration Efforts

When Kevin Drees, director of animal collections, joined the Oklahoma City Zoo last year, he didn’t just relocate his wife and children to the Sooner state, he also brought a family of trumpeter swans. The bonded pair, Sam and Olivia, and their unnamed male cygnet, hatched in June 2017, were his families’ personal swans who had long-inhabited a lake on their property. On Thursday, May 10, 2018, the male cygnet, just shy of his first birthday, was released into the wild as part of... Read More

at Friday, May 11, 2018

trumpeter swans Conservation Efforts Conservation Partnership Oklahoma City Zoo Animals Oklahoma City Zoo Conservation

Monday, April 23, 2018

New at the OKC Zoo: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Now Active, Free to Guests

Guests visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden can now charge their vehicles at no cost at one of three charging stations located along the northwest side of the recently renovated parking lot. These spaces are reserved for Zoo guests driving electric or e-assist vehicles and are located just a few steps away from the main entrance. In addition to the charging stations, the recently renovated parking lot features highly efficient LED lighting and native, drought-resistant... Read More

at Monday, April 23, 2018

OKC Zoofriends Zoo conservation and science Conservation Conservation Partnership Conservation Efforts

Thursday, April 5, 2018

OKC Zoo Joins Global Effort to Save Giraffes

Giraffes are experiencing a “silent” extinction crisis. Until recently, they were considered common throughout much of their African range and their numbers were not being well-monitored. In the last five years, however, experts from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group compiled population data and discovered that the wild giraffe population has declined by 40 percent in the last 30 years. Habitat destruction and poaching... Read More

at Thursday, April 5, 2018

Northern Rangelands Trust Giraffes Conservation Efforts Zoo conservation and science Conservation Conservation Partnership Association of Zoos & Aquariums

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Birthday Parties and Events at the OKC Zoo Moving Toward Zero Waste Goal

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden has been a favorite birthday party destination for decades. With a variety of locations for gatherings throughout the OKC Zoo and options for groups of almost any size, it’s a wild place to celebrate with friends and family. And now, the goal is to make these celebrations zero waste events. Plates, cups and flatware at the Zoo’s birthday parties are now made completely of compostable materials. Eventually, these biodegradable materials... Read More

at Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Conservation Conservation Efforts Zero Waste birthday parties okc birthday parties Green Practices okc zoo conservation

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

OKC Zoo Team Reports on Kenya Conservation Journey, Part 2

Amy Hofmeister, elephant caretaker, and Gretchen Cole, veterinarian, spent two weeks in Kenya assisting the Grevy’s Zebra Trust census of endangered Grevy’s zebras. The Trust received a grant from the OKC Zoo’s Round Up for Conservation fund to support their program that employs members of local communities to monitor and collect data on the zebras year-round. In this second and final part of a blog series, Dr. Gretchen Cole shares her experience from Kenya. Kenya has... Read More

at Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Grevy Zebra Conservation Efforts Field Conservation Round Up For Conservation Round Up Grevy's zebra trust

Monday, January 22, 2018

OKC Zoo Team Reports on Zimbabwe Conservation Journey

Starting in 2017, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden partnered with the Painted Dog Research Trust (PDRT) to support their conservation mission. The PDRT director, Dr. Greg Rasmussen, has worked for almost two decades protecting and studying the African painted dog, an endangered species with fewer than 7,000 left in the wild. To further support the PDRT, the Zoo sent two employees on a conservation trip to Zimbabwe in November to participate in research and (attempt) to track and... Read More

at Monday, January 22, 2018

African painted dogs Round Up For Conservation Conservation Efforts Painted Dog Research Trust Zimbabwe

Thursday, May 11, 2017

Ornate Tortoises in Trouble: Zoo Helping to Save Species

In the Northwest corner of Madagascar lives a species of tortoise with a shell so highly domed and ornate that you might think they came straight out of the mind of a cartoonist. But the Ploughshare tortoise is very real and very rare. It is also the largest and, arguably, the most beautiful of Madagascar's four endemic species of tortoises. Their domed shell and golden color have made them a highly prized pet throughout Asia--so highly prized, in fact, that the illegal pet trade... Read More

at Thursday, May 11, 2017

Ploughshare tortoise Turtle Survival Alliance Conservation Efforts Partnerships Endangered Species

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Become a Parent of the Wild: Animal Adoption is for Everyone!

Unlike traditional pet adoption “days” celebrated around the world or the recent National Pet Adoption Weekend celebrated each May, the Zoo celebrates animal adoption all year long—the soft and plush kind that lasts a lifetime! A Zoo animal adoption is a unique gift that your loved ones, regardless of age, will be thrilled to have and collect. Animal adoptions not only create a sense of warmth and joy for the receiver, but they also benefit the lives of all the... Read More

at Wednesday, May 10, 2017

OKC Zoofriends Oklahoma Zoological Society Oklahoma City Zoo Conservation Efforts Plush adoptions

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Hotel Armadillo

Tracking Down the Elusive Builder of Burrows Most of us in the southern and southeastern United States are familiar with the armadillo. While the smaller, nine-banded armadillo is thriving and expanding across much of the country, its lesser-known relative, the giant armadillo, is facing threats to survival in its native habitat across South America. The Oklahoma City Zoo is proud to support conservation biologist Dr. Arnaud Desbiez and the Giant Armadillo Conservation Program to help study... Read More

at Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Hotel Armadillo PBS Nature Conservation Efforts Armadillo Brazil Desbiez Fieldwork OKC ZOO

Friday, March 24, 2017

Trade in Those Online Surveys for the Outdoor Kind

We are inundated with them. Surveys on the phone, online and even in the mall. But surveys can help us determine populations, income, poverty, housing and more. This data tracks the health of people groups and living conditions, various consumer and eating habits, and a host of other demographic and economic trends. Partners Team Up to Count Did you know that many of the world’s conservation efforts depend on surveys? Surveys provide the information we need to properly care for... Read More

at Friday, March 24, 2017

Oklahoma City Zoo Birds Conservation Partnership Conservation Efforts Winter Birds Bird Surveys

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Zoo Pledges to Benefit Local Lands and Waters

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Oklahoma City Zoo recently formed a legacy conservation partnership to support scientific research conducted at TNC preserves in Oklahoma. The Zoo established a science and research fund with TNC that the Zoo will contribute to annually over the next five years. Funds for the partnership are primarily generated from the Oklahoma Zoological Society and the sale of ZOOfriends’ memberships. “Oklahoma is a beautiful, unique state that is... Read More

at Thursday, January 19, 2017

Nature Conservancy Conservation Partnership Oklahoma Nature Conservancy Oklahoma Wildlife Oklahoma City Zoo Conservation Conservation Efforts

At the OKC Zoo, Go Wild!

Category: Conservation Efforts