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 […]
Soon the growing season will be upon us. Garden centers are already stocking up on spring yard essentials. Americans spend thousands of dollars on pesticides, fertilizers, and gas to mow lawns and use nearly three trillion gallons of water annually to irrigate those lawns. You can cut costs, reduce the time needed to care for […]
Have you ever seen fish swimming in a pond? Or watched a deer drinking from the creek? Or watched a frog jump into the lake when startled? These are just a few of the hundreds of species that live in and use our local water systems. We also have a huge impact on our local […]
Have you ever considered where the products you use every day come from or how they impact the environment? All of the items on our weekly grocery list contain ingredients originally sourced from the environment in one way or another. It is important for us to understand where those ingredients are harvested, and what kind […]
Potter Park Zoo’s mission is to inspire conservation of animals and the natural world. We stay true to this mission by implementing initiatives that help the planet and those species that inhabit it. These initiatives range from small things like collecting rainwater to participating in international conservation programs like the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ […]