You can help support our animals while having fun with Trim-A-Tree for PPZ! We’re offering an opportunity for your family, business, or organization to enjoy an outing at the zoo while sponsoring and decorating a 6-foot tall tree. The trees will be on display during Wonderland of Lights, November 22 – December 29, 2019 at […]
The keepers and zoo staff are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Doppsee’s calf, but there’s a lot more that goes into getting ready for a baby rhino than one might think! A big step in preparing for the baby is making the rhino barn safe for the new calf while also keeping the comfort of […]
For the second year in a row Potter Park Zoo’s FALCONERS program has had record breaking numbers. FALCONERS had its fourth annual sensory friendly Boo at the Zoo. We welcomed 365 participants to the October FALCONERS program, which invites children and adults with unique challenges (such as autism and other developmental disabilities) and their families […]
Potter Park Zoo (PPZ) has been home to the critically endangered black rhinos since 1990. Our resident rhinos, Doppsee and Phineus, were recommended to breed through the eastern black rhino SSP (Species Survival Plan) based on their genetic diversity. Recently, we had the pleasure of announcing Doppsee is pregnant and due at the end of […]
Lansing’s Potter Park Zoo has been nationally recognized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) by winning top honors for the Angela Peterson Excellence in Diversity Award for their Zoo in your Neighborhood (ZIYN) program. This award recognizes an AZA accredited zoo or aquarium for significant achievement in work force and audience diversity as […]
Many plants can be safely fed to zoo animals, and for some browser species like black rhinoceros, the feeding of browse items is paramount to keeping the animals happy and healthy. When it comes to herbivores (“plant-eaters”), there are two general types: “grazers” (like a domestic cow) who graze on fields at ground level, and […]
How can you help scientists and wildlife right from your living room? You can easily participate in this meaningful conservation program! Check out www.snapshotsafari.org, an interactive, citizen science website that provides an opportunity for anyone to become an African wildlife conservationist. Snapshot Safari is an online database of camera trap photos, hosted by Zooniverse.org, which conservation projects around […]
With some zoo animals, such as black rhinos, it can be difficult to determine whether a female is pregnant. Pregnant black rhinos develop subtle physical changes, such as slightly enlarged mammary glands. However, these changes occur very late in the pregnancy so additional methods are needed to confirm Doppsee’s status earlier in gestation. So how […]
Potter Park Zoo has recently welcomed a new male red panda named “Doofah.” Doofah was born at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York, June 21, 2018. He is coming to Potter Park Zoo in hopes for a successful breeding in the 2020. Doofah and Maliha (Potter Park Zoo’s female red panda) are a […]
As the summer heats up, we often get asked by visitors what the zoo staff does to keep our residents cool. The short answer is…a lot! Although some of our animals really like it when it’s warmer out, we have many protocols in place to make sure the animals in our care are at healthy […]