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One Tall Order: OKC Zoo Provides Update on Giraffe Julu’s Pregnancy

Julu, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s beloved six-year-old giraffe, is expecting her first offspring in the near future. In December 2020, the Zoo announced the pregnancies of Julu and her mother, Ellie, with an approximate delivery timespan of June 2021 for both females. While giraffe, Ellie, delivered her sixth calf, Kioni, on June 3, 2021, Julu continues to progress well through her pregnancy. Giraffes have a gestation period of around 15 months, however, like humans, de... Read More

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Ultra-healthy: OKC Zoo’s Cats Participate in Ultrasound and Radiograph Training

No cat-itude, just gratitude! At the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, medical training is a critical part of our animal family’s health and wellness. These voluntary training sessions not only monitor the health of our animal family, but also strengthen the relationships between caretaker and animal, while providing an enriching opportunity. When training for medical behaviors, the Zoo’s carnivore care team typically begins with medical injections, as well as blood draw tra... Read More

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Conserving the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake: Field Notes from a Herpetologist

The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden recently welcomed three Eastern massasauga rattlesnake snakelets, a federally protected species, to its Herpetarium habitat for the first time in its history as a result of a successful breeding effort this past May. The Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA) Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake Species Survival PlanTM (EMR SSP) is comprised of 19 AZA-accredited zoos, including the OKC Zoo. As part of the Zoo’s commitment to the EMR SSP, Zoo ... Read More

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Neck and Neck: Update on OKC Zoo Giraffes Ellie and Julu’s Pregnancies

Two of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s giraffes, 20-year-old, Ellie, and five-year-old, Julu, are pregnant and each due to give birth between late April and early May 2021. Caretakers have enjoyed watching the mother-daughter duo experience their pregnancies together. This will be Ellie’s sixth calf to be born at the Zoo and Julu’s first offspring. Three-year-old, Demetri, is the father of both calves, which are also his first offspring. The average gestation f... Read More

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Category: Species Survival Plan

One Tall Order: OKC Zoo Provides Update on Giraffe Julu’s Pregnancy

Ultra-healthy: OKC Zoo’s Cats Participate in Ultrasound and Radiograph Training

Conserving the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake: Field Notes from a Herpetologist

Neck and Neck: Update on OKC Zoo Giraffes Ellie and Julu’s Pregnancies

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