Zoo am I Blog - North Georgia Wildlife Park

Unexpected night birth

1/25/2019

You never know what’s going to happen when you are a zookeeper. Including heading to the zoo at 10pm at night in your pajamas because someone thinks a cow is having a baby and needs help, and they are right!

When you take care of animals there are no normal hours so you have to expect the unexpected. Which means helping a mama cow give birth in 20 degree weather in your pajamas and boots. The baby was in the wrong position to be born so she had to be turned, so she could come out the right way. After pushing and pulling, a beautiful baby calf was born. She was alive & kicking and mama was stable also. The baby had a bit of a rough time and needed some extra care. In order to get the help that she needed, she was sent home with her keeper and was named Iclyn because of the icy night she was born in.

The decision was made to keep Iclyn on a bottle because she had some loose ligaments in her leg and needed some help standing and walking around. After a couple days of physical therapy and lots of snuggles, Iclyn’s legs straighten up and now she bounds around and loves running and jumping. There is no better feeling then seeing an animal you helped to save, healthy and happy and frolicking through life.

Kangaroo Joey Update

6/27/2016

Several people have asked me about the baby kangaroo so thought I would give an update to those who wanted to know. She has officially been named Lilypad in honor of her mom and she is just as sweet. At barely over a pound she spends most of her time hanging in her incubator working on growing and getting fur. At this young age they can't control their own temperature yet so I have to make sure she stays cozy and warm.
She is a fighter and loves to eat which is great. We are not out of the woods yet as she is a very tiny kangaroo but she is stable at this point and putting on weight. So thank all of you guys who have been praying for her and keep them up as we still have a ways to go until she is big enough to come out of the incubator. And thank you guys who have excused my cranky moments due to lack of sleep, lol.
P.S. she is very awkward to get pictures of right now but here she is.
Zookeeper Melissa

Apollo's Story

3/10/2016

Sometimes animals enter this world smooth and gentle and sometimes it’s a little harder of a transition for them. Meet Apollo, he is now a week old pony who had a rough start to life.

Within a couple days of being born he started having trouble walking and standing and losing strength. Him and mom were quickly pulled to a private stall to determine what was wrong with the young colt. After consulting with the Vet and diagnosing his issue, it was decided to pull the colt from mom since he wasn’t able to nurse from her sufficiently on his own. Keepers worked around the clock to feed him every 2-3 hours and work on building his strength back up and helping him to exercise.
Apollo is now back on his feet and ready to take on the world. This little guy will continue getting fed every 3-4 hours for the next couple weeks of his life and is taking over the zoo. He loves following the keepers around and learning to run and play. Now it’s not an usual occurrence around to zoo to see this little guy following his keepers around and exploring his new world.

Training comes in all forms

2/19/2016

Training can come in all types and forms at the zoo. Training is so important for many reasons, like maintaining mental stimulation, making husbandry easier, and for out reach programs. Sometimes the most important training is just getting them used to all kinds of sites and sounds.

Meet Frankie! He is a young African Crested porcupine who is growing and learning quickly. His trainers decided he needed a change of scenery since his training was going so well so it seemed like a fun trip was in order. Frankie got to see all the parts of the zoo and learn how to drive. Here are some adorable pictures of Frankie the Porcupine, one of North Georgia Zoos many animal ambassadors.

Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

2/15/2016

It is with a heavy heart we are letting our fellow friends, supporters and wolf lovers know that Lotsee, one of our original wolf pack members has passed. Born February 15th, 2000; Lotsee lived a good life around people & wolves that cared for her. She passed peacefully in her sleep at the ripe old age of 16. Her kind face and sweet disposition will be missed by all.

Please fee free to comment with your stories, pictures and memories you may have had with Lotsee!

A wolf howl Lotsee Memorial Fund will be set up on Go Fund Me. (gofundme.com/hervcwqw) Funding will go toward a future wolf howl platform and deck. Lotsee loved being an ambassador for her wild cousins and we are certain she would love to know her memory is creating more ways for others to get up close and personal with her wolf ambassador friends. To create new connections and opportunities to create respect, awe, educate and awareness of these majestic but often misunderstood creatures.

Get to Know our Staff- Jessica Hamman

7/21/2015

Hi my name is Jessica Hamman. I love all living creatures, but Wolves are my favorite of all, hyenas and painted dogs are a close second. I have a B.A.in Environmental Studies at Northeastern Illinois University & Zoo and Aquarium Management at Western.

I enjoy training all types of animals. Training is a great way to establish relationship, build trust, have a sense of achievement and accomplishment for both the trainer and the animals.

Somethings I do for fun are dog sledding, but I love interacting with animal friends, hiking, camping, horse back riding, downhill skiing, flying, rafting, scuba, kayaking, reading, learning new things, target shooting - just about anything outside, and if its done with friends or family - even better!

Come see me and all my animal friends at North Georgia Zoo

Ask a Zookeeper-Where do dolphins live?

3/31/2015

Question from Cole, age 7: Where does a dolphin live?

Answer: Zookeeper James here! Thanks for your question. There are actually many different kinds of dolphins that all live in different places.

What exactly is or isn't a "dolphin" though is different depending on who you ask, because every living animal has two names--a common name that everybody knows, and a scientific name that usually only scientists know--and so there are disagreements between what an animal is called scientifically and what it should be called commonly.

For example, dolphins are all classified in a group that scientists call "toothed whales," meaning they have teeth, whereas other whales like humpback whales and blue whales instead have special comb-like structures in their mouths called baleens that they use to catch millions of tiny animals like krill and fish.

Most "toothed whales" are either called dolphins or porpoises, however there are a couple of toothed whale groups that are not considered either of those, and one of those groups are the sperm whales. The obvious question is why sperm whales are not considered dolphins or porpoises when they are more closely related to them than baleen whales ("actual" whales) like humpbacks and blue whales. The simple answer is that they look different, so they're called something different. It's important to not get too tied up over what something is called though, because what's more important is what something is.

That being said, dolphins as in what most people think of (the bottlenose dolphin and its closest relatives) live all around the world. Most live in the ocean, but some, such as the Amazon river dolphin, live in fresh water.

Thanks for your question Cole! Dolphins, porpoises, and whales are actually some of my favorite animals, and I'm guessing they're yours too!

Ask a Zookeeper- Sacrificing Babies

3/17/2015

Question: My daughter Rachel recently came home and told us that she was told an interesting fact about kangaroos. She explained that when kangaroos are threatened by a predator they actually throw their babies out of their pouches and if necessary throw it at the predator in order for the adult to survive. Is this true?

Answer: Zookeeper Rick here, thanks for your question! It is an excellent one. It may sound strange and counter-intuitive, but it is indeed true. The method behind the madness is likely that if a mother kangaroo gets killed and eaten it can no longer reproduce, so in a sense the mother is sacrificing one baby so that many more can live.

That is actually not the only reason a mother kangaroo will sacrifice its baby, though. When a mother kangaroo has multiple different babies in various stages of development (for example one still in the fetal stage, one in the pouch, and one being weaned from the pouch), during harsh periods when resources are low a busy mom may not be able to support all three babies, and so may sacrifice one to boost the others' chances of survival.

As humans this behavior may sound appalling to us, but we rely on much more than rudimentary instincts to survive. Sacrificing babies for one reason or another is actually relatively common throughout the animal kingdom, for example some spiders such as black widows will eat their offspring as they hatch, and some monkeys will drop their offspring from trees if they are deemed unfit to cope with their group's social structure. In this sin-infected world where death threatens every living creature every day, God gave humans much more than just instincts to preserve ourselves and our kin. He gave us his own breath (Genesis 2:7) and created us in his image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27) so that we are all God's children and equally have a purpose to exist regardless of the circumstance. We are not expendable kangaroo joeys or one-in-a-million spider hatchlings, we are indispensable, one-in-one unique and loved human beings.

Get to know our Staff-Tyler Hale

3/13/2015

Come visit Tyler and all of our staff here at North Georgia Zoo!

Get to know our Livestock Manager Tyler Hale!

Tyler Graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelors
of Science in Forest Resources while majoring in wildlife management, with a pre-veterinary
medicine emphasis. He loves to cuddle with pigs and train cattle!

Tyler tends to "favor animals with elongated snouts." This includes pigs,
javelinas, anteaters, and aardvarks.

What creeps you out? "Chimpanzees, because they resemble humans too much for
my liking. Also, scary movies with small children, as the monster. Now that is creepy."

Get to know our Staff-Taylor Shields

2/23/2015

Hello my name is Taylor! I'm currently a Student at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega. My favorite animals are anything that slithers!

Whats a life lesson you want to pass on? •       Forget more than most people learn. Listen to everything, and let it teach you.

What mistaken life did you make that you don't want others to do?
•        I stuck my hand in a fan once. Don’t stick your hand in a fan.

A deep dark secret you will unveil
•        I think I put more trust in the big alligator in the reptile house than I do in most of my professors at class

My favorite part of the zoo s the reptile house, away from all civilization, where one must battle to survive! Come visit me and some of my reptile friend at North Georgia Zoo!