Reid Park Zoo - Tucson Zoological Society

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Mr. Mocos returns to rock the Zoo with family-friendly tunes this Saturday, May 8th at 10:00 a.m. The show is FREE with regular Zoo admission. Hope to see you there!

As temperatures heat up, the Zoo’s Aldabra tortoises are treated to a nice, cool shower.

It was a sad day for Reid Park Zoo staff. M’Bali, one of the oldest African lions in captivity, died on Wednesday, April 28. He was almost 23. “He had a long, wonderful life here,” says Alisha, one of his keepers. “He taught me about providing care for geriatric animals and I am proud of the quality of life we were able to provide until the end. I’ll miss him tremendously.” The entire animal care staff agreed it was time to let him go, and he was euthanized Wednesday morning.

Pedal your way to the Zoo on Saturday, April 17 and show your bicycle helmet at the front gate for one free admission!  Valet bike parking will also be available.  Bike to the Zoo Day is part of the annual Tucson Earth Day Festival in Reid Park.

All three of the Zoo’s giraffes were weighed recently.  It’s important to have accurate weights on animals in order to maintain their good health.  The giraffes cross a scale every time they enter or exit their barn; they have been trained to stop on the scale and wait there while Zoo Keepers record their weights.  Currently, female Denver weighs 1800 lbs.  Female Texas weighs 1774 lbs, and male Watoto tips the scales at 1993 lbs.

Keeper Karen rewards the giraffe from a platform above

Denver waits patiently on the scale

Who doesn’t love a basket full of treats?  Zoo Keepers celebrated Easter by presenting the animals with eggs and baskets stuffed with their very favorites.  The Andean bears unwrapped raisins, dried pasta, and grapes; and the lion discovered meatballs!

Come out to the Zoo this Saturday afternoon (4/3) at 2:00 for a rockin’ spring concert with Mr. Mocos–the show is FREE with regular admission. Great weather, great music, great fun in the Zoo!

Second grade students from Green Fields Country Day School helped Zoo Keepers by conducting a two-day study on elephant behavior this week.  After reading some books about elephants in their classroom, students arrived at the Zoo with a lot of great information about how elephants use their senses to find food in the wild.

Observing in the elephant exhibit

Greenfields Student Scientists

For their study in the Zoo, the students addressed the following question:  “Will the elephants eat less and walk more if their morning food is hidden around the exhibit instead of given to them in a big pile?”  The students predicted that the elephants would spend more time walking and less time eating in the first 30 minutes on exhibit if their food was hidden.

Students watch the elephants on Monday

On Monday, Keepers gave the elephants their morning diet in a big pile, and students observed the animals for 30 minutes, recording the behavior of each elephant every 30 seconds.

Students record behaviors, placing colored bead in marked boxes

On Tuesday, students helped Keepers hide food around the exhibit.  The elephants were then observed again for 30 minutes, and the students recorded their behavior every 30 seconds.

Students hide bamboo and zucchini around the exhibit

After compiling their data, students were surprised. “I thought there would be more walking,” said Chaya.  In fact, Shaba DID walk more when the food was spread around, but Connie lingered at one pile of hay for quite a while.  In the end the students’ prediction was partly true:  The elephants were observed eating as often on Tuesday as Monday, but they walked more too.  “They’re walking and eating at the same time!” said Isabel.  The students agreed that the elephants get more exercise if they have to explore the exhibit to find all their food.  Caleb remarked that elephants “sure like to eat!”

Here are more photos of the students participating in this study:

Tucson teachers spent some quality time at the Zoo this weekend at a FREE hands-on workshop hosted by Zoo Education staff. The teachers took home curricula to use in their classrooms AND will bring their students to the Zoo this fall to try out some of the activities they enjoyed.  If you’re a teacher of grades K-6 and are interested in participating in a future workshop, email zooeducation@tucsonaz.gov with your contact information and the grade level you teach!