Please leave all answers and captions in the comment box directly below this blog! 

 Based on the children’s book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, this sculpture can be found in what city? 

The sculpture is so popular, a replica was installed in Moscow as a gift from Barbara Bush to Soviet First Lady Raisa Gorbachev!

Imagine your caption here!

 

These knitted owls were made by our very talented volunteer Margaret.  Did you know that our volunteers and staff aren’t the only talented beings at the zoo? A variety of small animal paintings, complete with information on each artist, will be included in the winner’s prize basket!  This contest keeps getting better and better!

 

 

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Thank you to everyone who participated in the first week of our blog contest! Don’t forget, this contest will continue each morning until the first weekend of May, when we host our Bird of Prey Days! Keep competing, and tell your friends!

The next installment of the competition will post at 10 AM Central time, on Monday the 6th of February.  We will also be revealing another part of the prize! 

Now onto our score board:

In first place with 10 points we have Melissa Fellers!

Second place with 8 points and the winner of the caption contest is Wendy!

Third place with 7 points is Carmen Deatherage!

Fourth place with 5 points is Tess Peterson!

Fifth place with 2 points is Paul Medici!  Paul also wins honorable mention in the caption competition, meaning he was JUST shy of tying for first!  We loved his caption from the Godfather movie–Forget the gun, take the cannolis! 

Our caption winner, Wendy gave us this great caption: "Forget the moon, fly me to Savoca!"

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Ground Hog Day 2012 was Babirusa Day at the Houston Zoo.

On February 2, Remley the babirusa (a species of Asian pig native to Indonesia) made her winter weather prediction at the Houston zoo’s Wortham World of Primates.

Remley made her Babirusa Day weather prediction by choosing between two weather ‘scenes’ created by her keepers. One scene represented 6 more weeks of winter – a ‘snowman’ on a field of white paper accepted with ice cubes containing babirusa treats such as figs and carrots.  The other scene represented the onset of an early spring – a picnic scene complete with a ‘picnic blanket’ and a picnic basket with babirusa treats and slices of watermelon. 

Remley entered the babirusa exhibit and trotted over to the snowman, flirted briefly with ‘winter’ and then dove enthusiastically into ‘summer’ enjoying a watermelon treat.

The decision?  Remley is expecting an early spring, not 6 more weeks of winter!

Why was Remley the babirusa chosen to stand in for the traditional ground hog?
 
Well, the Houston Zoo doesn’t have a ground hog.  Ground hogs don’t like the hot and humid tropical climate that we have along the southeast Texas Gulf coast.  But we believe Remley is a natural for predicting future weather patterns on February 2 because of her intelligence and adaptability.  Our keepers consider all hogs and pigs to be highly intelligent animals and quick learners with a substantial memory. 

About Babirusa
 Babirusas are small hairless pigs native to the small tropical Indonesian island of Sulawesi.  Elusive forest dwellers, little is known about the natural history and natural behavior of the babirusa, mainly due to the nature of its dense jungle habitat.  Masters of camouflage, the babirusa’s coloration, torpedo-shaped body and deer-like movements enable it to melt silently into surrounding cover at the slightest disturbance.  It’s appropriate that the translation of babirusa is “pig-deer.” Babirusas are critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting.  In 1989 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) rated the babirusa as the Asian pig species in greatest need of immediate conservation measures.

Titi monkeys are known for the endearing habit of entwining their tails.

Taxon Advisary Groups work under the umbrella of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and over see an entire taxa of animals, for example I mentioned the New World primate TAG. There are also a Felid TAG, a Lizard TAG and many more. If you read my last blog you may remember what an SSP is.  TAGs oversee SSPs.  Have you picked up on the fact that the zoo world has a LOT of acronyms?  The AZA website even has a list you can refer to because there are so many!  For now I think if we can keep AZA, TAG and SSP straight we should be good.

I will keep you posted on what the TAG says about our choices.  I also asked if there were any species that particularly needed space. It’s always good to play nice so if we need to place an animal in the future the TAGs and SSPs will remember that we were willing to help out.

For all the rodent fans out there, there are agoutis available, although we’re not sure how far down the cement around the bottom of our exhibit reaches.  We’re going to look into that to see if there is enough of a dig barrier to contain a rodent species.

Another option comes from reader MC. MC suggested a South American opossum species.  Any ideas of what species might work?  Post your ideas to the comments!

???

PLEASE PUT ALL COMMENTS IN THE BLOG’S COMMENT BOX DIRECTLY BELOW THE TEXT ITSELF!

Fans of Francis Ford Coppola may recognize this little bar, located in what small town? 

Imagine your hilarious caption here!

Thanks for playing, and we’ll be back on Friday!

One of these adorable knitted owls will be just one gift of many in the winner's prize basket!

“When I came to the Zoo, I heard stories about the animals, and where they came from,” said Kaitlin. “I was surprised to learn how many of the animals in the Zoo’s Carnivore Department came from private owners who had kept them as pets,” Kaitlin added.

“I wanted to do something to help people understand that keeping big cats as pets is not a good idea,” Kaitlin added. The result was a series of video presentations profiling the ‘rescued cats’ at the Houston Zoo and recounting their individual stories. The videos were produced using a Canon PowerShot camera and edited on the iMovie platform.

“In the future, I hope to work with an organization like the Houston Zoo, promoting conservation education or traveling to new locales, working with marine and wildlife sanctuaries,” said Kaitlin.

DISCLAIMER: You cannot win around the world tickets in this contest!

As many of you know, the keepers at the Houston Zoo often get together to present the public with Spotlight on the Species events.  This program allows keepers to bring their most cherished conservation causes to the public.  Lion Fun Day, Vulture Awareness Day, Howler-ween and Pollinator Weekends are just a few of the SOS events we’ve recently hosted.

This year, on the first weekend of May, we’re kicking it up a notch!  Three, count them, THREE different zoo departments are coming together to bring you the Birds of Prey Days!

Ever wanted to meet an eagle face to face or wonder just how far a hawk can see? Want owls hanging out in your yard? Would you like to learn about falconry, which has been practiced for approximately FOUR THOUSAND years?? Throughout the following months, we will provide you with more specifics about our event, but right now, I’d like to tell you about the Philippine Eagle Foundation.

The raptor populations of Texas are robust and thriving, but this isn’t the case all over the world. Take a look at this gorgeous bird:

An adult Philippine Eagle with prey. Photo by Mark Wilson

A Phlippine Eagle chick about to leave the nest! Photo by Mark Wilson

Not only this this the largest AND most endangered eagle in the world, but in my professional opinion, it’s also the most beautiful.  Since 2008, the bird department has been raising funds for the Philippine Eagle Foundation and with our SOS, we’d like to bring the eagle to the people of Houston.

Unfortunately, there are no Philippine Eagles anywhere in the States, but that hasn’t stopped us!  Our very talented bird supervisor, Rene Ryan, made Jeffery, the traveling Philippine Eagle puppet.  Since September of last year, Jeffery has been traveling around the world with zoo staff, getting ready to promote this Bird of Prey Spotlight on the Species!

Check out this HANDSOME puppet:

See the resemblance???

Now, on to the contest!  Each Monday morning at 10 AM, a photo of Jeffery will be posted, and with the aid of some hints, our blog followers will have to guess where in the world Jeffery is! Jeffery’s already been to a handful of continents, countries and states!

The first to guess correctly will earn 10 points. The second, 7 points and the third 5 points. Fourth place will receive 2 points.  The comment time stamp will confirm the quickness of your answers!

But wait, there’s a twist! Have you missed our FOTO Fridays?  The best caption for the featured photo (to be decided by zoo staff) will earn a whopping 8 points!

Unlike FOTO Friday, please leave your caption as a comment on the contest blog posted on Mondays, not on Facebook.

Here’s a quick example of what Monday’s posts will look like:

According to legend, William B. Travis drew a line in the dirt for troops to cross over to certain death at this famous historical site.

Where in the world is Jeffery?

Contestants would then race to answer (sorry, not all photos will be this easy to place!), and brush up their funny bones to attempt to win the photo caption round!  Friday morning at 10 AM, all will be revealed, as well as contestant rankings!

What’s in it for you?

The winner will receive a goody basket full of our handmade items which will be for sale during the event, as well as Philippine Eagle art and merchandise.  This prize will be amazing, and throughout the next few months, we will reveal photos of the contents, but for right now, trust me, you want it!

The contest begins Monday, January 30th, 2012!

You do not have to live in Houston to participate, but no Houston Zoo staff are allowed to enter.

 Get more Jeffery updates on Facebook and follow him on Twitter!

“When I came to the Zoo, I heard stories about the animals, and where they came from,” said Kaitlin.  “I was surprised to learn how many of the animals in the Zoo’s Carnivore Department came from private owners who had kept them as pets,” Kaitlin added.
“I wanted to do something to help people understand that keeping big cats as pets is not a good idea,” Kaitlin added.  The result was a series of video presentations profiling the ‘rescued cats’ at the Houston Zoo and recounting their individual stories.  The videos were produced using a Canon PowerShot camera and edited on the iMovie platform.

“In the future, I hope to work with an organization like the Houston Zoo, promoting conservation education or traveling to new locales, working with marine and wildlife sanctuaries,” said Kaitlin.