Potter Park Zoo’s red panda Maliha gave birth to a cub July 21, 2022. This is Maliha’s second successful litter with the cub’s father Deagan-Reid. Animal care staff monitor mom and the cub daily through a camera mounted in the nest box where they are both resting. Veterinary staff will continue to conduct regular wellness checks in the coming weeks to […]
Potter Park Zoo celebrated Independence Day with the birth of baby bintlets. Female binturong (Arctictis binturong) Thistle gave birth to three babies the evening of July 4. This is the first binturong birth at the zoo in over two decades. Two of three babies are thriving. However, the third bintlet was found to be sick and despite 24-hour care by veterinary […]
Potter Park Zoo’s ring-tailed lemurs gave birth to a healthy baby Monday, June 20, 2022. This was the first birth for this species at the zoo since July 4, 1988. The zoo’s animal care team reports the baby is actively nursing from mom and observing the environment more each day. Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur Catta) are […]
The Potter Park Zoo team shipped 1,800 Puerto Rican crested toad tadpoles to Puerto Rico last week. These tadpoles were released in the wild as part of the Puerto Rican Crested Toad Conservancy (PRCTC) efforts to restore the population of this endangered species. The PRCTC is a team effort comprised of zoos, individuals, and organizations […]
Potter Park Zoo welcomed a female bongo calf March 8. This is the first bongo birth at the zoo since 2014 and we hope you all have enjoyed watching the bongo family grow and bond this spring. The calf’s parents, Maverick and Uzuri, were paired as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) […]
Poster above by artist Omar Custodio Azabache What is World Migratory Bird Day? Each year Potter Park Zoo hosts a daylong event to bring awareness to migratory birds and conserving them. The theme for the 2022 event is focused on migratory birds that are active at night and are affected by light pollution. Through various […]
On a sunny day in May, a group of students gathers on the banks of the Red Cedar River, each carrying a small plastic container. Inside, a Chinook salmon “smolt” has reached a critical stage of development, and will soon be released into its wild habitat for the first time. A testament to months of […]
A Potter Park Zoo reptile keeper, as well as staff from 16 other Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) accredited zoos met at Big Rock Valley in southwest Michigan (headquarters to the Edward Lowe Foundation) for the annual Eastern Massasauga Species Survival Plan (SSP) week. This yearly meeting, which began May 9, includes an ongoing field study on the population of eastern massasauga rattlesnake. Threatened and declining in number, eastern massasauga rattlesnakes are the focus of […]
Have you ever wanted to get involved in a conservation project but didn’t know how? Check out these Community Science projects you can do in your neighborhood! Birding for Conservation Birds are everywhere! Scientists who study birds are called Ornithologists. Because wild birds are so widespread, it can be hard for ornithologists to study a […]
Have you ever considered how much plastic you use every day? Think about how many single-use plastics you throw away. Single-use plastics are items like plastic straws, lids, utensils, water bottles, shopping bags, etc. that are only used once then thrown away. Most of these plastics are recyclable, but often they end up in landfills […]