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 Zoo News
Cameron Park Zoo’s baby tigers are making their public debut Friday October 28, 2011 at 2:00 pm in the tiger exhibit yard. The cubs were born in August and have been hand reared by zoo staff, because the mother tiger rejected them at birth. The cubs had a trial run of their exhibit Thursday, October 27, 2011 and their keeper along with zoo management felt that they could safely negotiate the tiger yard under the supervision of their keepers. For the next few weeks the goal is to have Indah, the female, and Bugara, the male, at play in the exhibit at 2:00 pm each afternoon. The play period will last from one to two hours depending on the cubs’ stamina. The cub’s play time will also be dependent on the weather (a temperature of 55 degrees F or higher) and the willingness of the adult tigers to leave the yard and come inside so the cubs can play. Palm Oil Shopping Guide for Smart Phones The Cameron Park Zoo in Waco is now partially powered by the sun, thanks to Green Mountain Energy Company and its customers. Green Mountain, Texas’ first competitive retail electric provider to offer cleaner energy, donated $140,000 to the Zoo through the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club SM to fund two different solar array systems. The new solar array systems are installed on the roofs of the Zoo’s new stone, metal and wood Pavilion and the “Brazos at Night” exhibit. The solar systems will help reduce the Zoo’s carbon footprint and energy costs, as well as be used to educate Zoo visitors about the benefits of solar energy. City Manager Larry Groth and Cameron Park Zoo Director Jim Fleshman joined Jim Vaughan, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce; Green Mountain President Paul Markovich; and the company’s Super Earth Mascot to officially “flip the switch” and dedicate the Zoo’s solar arrays today during a ceremonial dedication. The Cameron Park Zoo is located at 1701 N. 4th St., Waco. “We are thrilled that Cameron Park Zoo, an organization dedicated to supporting the environment, conservation awareness and preserving exotic animal species, was able to build two solar arrays through our Sun Club donation,” said Paul Markovich, President, Residential Services, Green Mountain Energy Company. “Green Mountain has been serving customers throughout Waco and the surrounding communities since 2002. Donating solar systems like this one helps us give back to the communities where our customers live, work, shop and play, while supporting our mission to change the way power is made.” Cameron Park Zoo Pavilion Solar Array Brazos at Night Solar Array The combined capacity of the two solar arrays is equivalent to 27 kW, which are expected to produce nearly 38,000 kWh of clean electricity per year by converting sunlight into pollution-free electricity. The cumulative environmental impact of the two arrays is the same as avoiding more than 50,000 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year. That’s the equivalent of not driving over 55,000 miles or more than 14,000 houses turning off all of their lights for one day. A sign about the Zoo’s arrays and information about solar energy will be placed near the Pavillion. Jim Fleshman, director of Cameron Park Zoo, said,“This is a very exciting time for us as we embrace our mission in many different ways at the Zoo. We know that our visitors will enjoy the Pavilion, and we also want them to learn about alternative energy forms.” Green Mountain funded Cameron Park Zoo’s solar array through its Sun Club, a unique program in which Green Mountain’s Texas customers can choose to support solar energy installations in the Lone Star State by paying an additional $5 on their monthly Green Mountain Energy® electric bill (for information, visit gmsunclub.com). This is the 31st solar project built in Texas thanks to the Sun Club since 2002 and the second in Waco. The first Waco installation was a 9.6 kW solar array on the new LEED-certified Waco Chamber of Commerce building in 2008. The new 6,070 square foot stone, metal, and wood pavilion will hold special events such as weddings, corporate parties, and family reunions. Building a covered Pavilion will also allow the Zoo to schedule temporary, traveling exhibits and hold various lectures and educational offerings, as well as concerts. The Pavilion is also intended to be a teaching tool. Cameron Park Zoo About Green Mountain Energy Company
Big Things Come In Small Packages! Cameron Park Zoo is proud to announce the birth of two Sumatran tiger cubs, one female and one male. The female was born at 1:30 pm on August 15th and the male was born at 3:30 am on August 16th. This was the first pregnancy and birth for Maharani, the mother tiger, and unfortunately she rejected the cubs immediately after their births. Zoo staff members were standing by and were able to take over the care of the cubs, which are now being hand-reared in the zoo’s veterinary facility. Because of their rocky start in life the cubs have been under 24 hour a day critical care and they are currently thriving. The female weighed 1 lb. 13 oz. at birth and the male weighed 2 lbs. 5oz. Today the female weighs 9 lbs. 9 oz. and the male weighs 12 lbs. 1 oz. The mother, Maharani, was born at the National Zoological Park, Washington D. C. and is 5 yrs. old. Kucing, the father, was born at San Diego Wild Animal Park, California, and is 3 yrs. old. Since the cubs are too young to be on display at this point, they will continue to reside in the veterinary facility and the Zoo will post daily photos and videos on the Cameron Park Zoo website and Facebook page. Zoo staff members will begin allowing the cubs to spend supervised time on exhibit when they judge them to be strong enough to negotiate the terrain of the Tiger exhibit. Sumatran tigers are the smallest subspecies of tigers weighing between 200 and 300 pounds as mature adults. These tigers inhabit lowland and mountain forests on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Due to poaching, loss of prey species, and habitat loss from logging and palm oil production Sumatran tigers are listed as critically endangered. Fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers exist in the wild and approximately 200 live in zoos around the world. Cameron Park Zoo in the Newshttp://www.kwkt.com/news/conserving-cameron-park-zoo-in-the-summer
To Commemorate Earth Month, Green Mountain Energy Company Presents Waco’s Cameron Park Zoo with $140,000 Check to Fund First Solar Array Solar system to be installed on new Zoo Pavilion and will be first to power a Central Texas zoo To commemorate Earth Month, the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas and Austin-based Green Mountain Energy Company, today announced plans to build the Zoo’s first solar array. Green Mountain presented the only accredited AZA zoo in Central Texas with a check for $140,000 to fund the new 6,000 plus square foot solar panel system.Paul Markovich, president, Residential Services for Green Mountain Energy Company, today presented the $140,000 check to Jim Fleshman, director, Cameron Park Zoo and Nashim Hamilton, board president, Cameron Park Zoo. The solar array will be the first to power a zoo in Central Texas and the second solar system donated by Green Mountain in Waco. It will help reduce the Zoo’s carbon footprint and energy costs, as well as be used to educate visitors about the benefits of solar energy. The solar photovoltaic (PV) system will be mounted on the roof of the Zoo’s new wood and stone pavilion currently under construction in the Meadows Area of the Zoo. Cameron Park Zoo is located at 1701 N. 4th St., Waco. “In honor of Earth Month, the 30-day celebration of Earth Day, Green Mountain Energy Company is especially pleased to donate the solar array system to the Cameron Park Zoo, an organization that is dedicated to supporting the environment, conservation awareness and preserving exotic animal species,” said Paul Markovich, president, Residential Services for Green Mountain Energy Company. “Green Mountain has been serving customers throughout Waco and the surrounding communities since 2002. Donating solar systems like this one helps us give back to the communities where our customers live, work, shop and play, while supporting our mission to change the way power is made.” Green Mountain/Cameron Park Zoo Solar Array Green Mountain funded Cameron Park Zoo’s solar array through its Big Texas Sun Club®, a unique program in which Green Mountain’s Texas customers can choose to support solar energy installations in Texas by paying an additional $5 on their monthly Green Mountain Energy® electric bill (for information, visit www.bigtexassunclub.com). This will be the 28th solar project built in Texas thanks to the Big Texas Sun Club since 2002. Through the Big Texas Sun Club, Green Mountain donated a 9.6 kW solar array to the Waco Chamber of Commerce in 2008. “What is exciting about this particular facility is that Cameron Park Zoo will be able to actually show visitors an alternative energy option,” said Jim Fleshman, director, Cameron Park Zoo. “For the Zoo, conservation is a key part of our mission. The visitors will see that we work hard to be true to our stated purposes.” The Cameron Park Zoo is building a new 6,070 square foot stone, metal, and wood pavilion in the Meadows area of the Zoo, where special events are held. This new larger area will be called the Cameron Park Zoo Pavilion, and will be used for weddings, corporate parties, and family reunions. Building a covered Pavilion will also allow the Zoo to schedule temporary, traveling exhibits that would offer Central Texans and others a chance to learn about animals other than those currently in the Zoo’s collection. The Pavilion is also intended to be a teaching tool. A sign about the array and information about solar energy will be placed near the array. A monitoring web site will also be linked to the array to display real-time energy output data that anyone with Internet access can view. Construction on the solar array will start later this spring and is expected to be completed by August. Details about the array’s size and its environmental impact will be announced at the dedication. About Earth Day Friday, April 22, 2011 is the 41st anniversary of Earth Day, an event many people around the world will celebrate by focusing on ways to reduce pollution, protect nature and lower their personal impact on the environment. Earth Day began in 1970 as an annual day to recognized the wonders and beauty of our planet and has evolved into a week-long – and in some cases, month-long – celebration. Cameron Park Zoo will be celebrating their Earth Day event on April 16th with their annual Beasts ‘n Blooms & Earth Day Too! Festival. Cameron Park Zoo The Cameron Park Zoo is an award winning natural habitat Zoo located in Waco, Texas. Our mission is to promote conservation awareness and cultural enrichment through education and recreation, to be a survival center for native and exotic animal species, and an active community partner in economic development through tourism. For more information, visit www.CameronParkZoo.com About Green Mountain Energy Company Green Mountain, the nation’s leading competitive retail provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions, was founded in 1997 to “change the way power is made.” The company is the longest serving green power marketer in the U.S. Green Mountain offers consumers and businesses the choice of clean electricity products from renewable sources, such as wind, as well as a variety of carbon offset products. Green Mountain’s largest customer is the “world’s most famous office building,” the Empire State Building in New York City. Green Mountain customers have collectively helped avoid over 11.3 billion pounds of CO2 emissions. As a wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, Green Mountain is back by one of the nation’s largest renewable power producers. For more information, visit www.GreenMountain.com. |
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