Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, Texas




CAMERON PARK ZOO ANNOUNCES BIRTH OF TWO JAGUAR CUBS

Waco, Texas - Cameron Park Zoo is proud to announce the birth of two jaguar cubs born to parents Nacon (male) and Tukari (female). This is the second birth for the pair; a female cub, Seraphina, was born in 2007 and currently resides at the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas. The cubs were born on 22 December 2009, but zoo officials typically wait until the cubs are strong enough and the weather is warm enough for them to go outside on exhibit before making birth announcements, since the public is not able to view the animals in the off exhibit nursery den they share with their mother. The cubs were weighed two days after their birth and at that time the male weighed 2 lbs 5 oz and the female weighed 2 lbs 3 oz. Today the male weighs 17 lbs and the female weighs 15 lbs. Both cubs are in good health and are now ready to be introduced to the Brazos River Country exhibit.

Introducing the cubs to the exhibit will be a methodical process. For the first two to three weeks the cubs will get to know their exhibit yard under keeper supervision between 2:00 and 3:00 each afternoon, weather permitting. After keepers are comfortable that the cubs have adjusted to the sights and sounds of zoo visitors, and they know how to shift on and of exhibit, they will be exhibited with their mother for a portion of each day. Exhibit hours will be posted on the zoo’s website: www.cameronparkzoo.com.

Right now the cubs are known as baby boy and baby girl, but for the next two weeks the public will have a chance to vote on the cubs’ names, by visiting the Zootique gift shop. Two jars representing two names for each cub will be set up in the Zootique and visitors can drop coins or cash into the jar of their choice. The name on the jars containing the most money wins. All proceeds will benefit the Cameron Park Zoo Conservation Fund, a fund that provides financial support for conservation efforts and research worldwide.

This birth is a very important birth for Cameron Park Zoo as well as the species. The jaguar, Panthera onca, is the largest cat in the Americas and once ranged throughout the southern United States, but North American populations were almost totally eliminated in the early 1900’s. The current range is now about one-third to one-half its historical size with the southern edge of the range now in northern Argentina. The jaguar is listed under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) Appendix I and the US Fish &Wildlife Service lists them as Endangered.


FIERCE: An Art Show Benefiting Cameron Park Zoo

The artwork from FIERCE was a collaboration between animals and artists. The proceeds from all of the artwork benefits Cameron Park Zoo.
Close to half of the artwork has already been purchased, but the remaining animal artwork is available for purchase through the end of March at the Croft Art Gallery in Waco.
Special thanks to Debbie & Holt Getterman for hosting this event and to Katie Croft for allowing us to use her gallery for this wonderful event.
Thanks to the artists who donated their time and their talent.
The Croft Art Gallery is located at 712 Austin Avenue in Waco, Texas.



Cameron Park Zoo Director Is Elected to International ISIS Board

Waco, Texas – Jim Fleshman, the Director of Cameron Park Zoo, was recently elected to join the 24-member Board of Trustees for The International Species Information System (ISIS), the world’s largest zoological service organization. Mr. Fleshman has assumed the role of ISIS Board Secretary. The board now represents 14 nations.

Other newly elected Trustees include: Dr. Bishan Singh Bonal (Central Zoo Authority – India)
Dr. Robert Cook (Wildlife Conservation Society – New York, NY)
Mr. Mauricio Fabre (Zoologico Nacional Parque Metro de Santiago – Chile)
Dr. Ken-ichi Kitamura (Japanese Associations of Zoos and Aquariums)
Dr. Michael Maunder (Al Ain Zoo – United Arab Emirates)
In addition to their regular duties, the ISIS trustees will oversee the rollout of the first unified global database system for endangered species and other animals living in the world’s zoos and aquariums – the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS). ZIMS will allow the ISIS global network to instantly exchange information on breeding of endangered animals and other critical data for the first time.

ISIS has worked with the global community to create ZIMS. The first release is scheduled for March 2010.

About ISIS ISIS is a non-profit organization that provides the world standard in zoological data collection and sharing software to 825 member zoos and aquariums in 76 countries. The ISIS global database contains information on 2.3 million animals (almost 15,000 taxa/10,000 species) and is constantly growing. ISIS members receive powerful software to collect basic biologic information on their animals (age, sex, parentage, place of birth, circumstance of death, etc.).

Members use this information to: • manage their inventory; • control the genetic and demographic makeup of their animal collection; • find appropriate new animals for their collections, and identify institutions seeking animals; • discover facilities with experience in breeding and raising certain offspring; • create reports for governments and other official accrediting bodies.


ASIAN FOREST - NOW OPEN!

A S I A N  F O R E S T


Imagine stepping into the pages of the Jungle Book story, not to encounter Baloo, the bear, or Bagerra, the leopard, but rather King Louie and his temple kingdom. This is your experience in the new Asian Forest expansion at Cameron Park Zoo. Beginning your journey at the Zoo's original Sumatran tiger habitat, you will slowly be elevated into the mid-canopy level of the trees where you may catch a glimpse of a rare orangutan. As you continue along the raised pathway you will experience the roar of a waterfall as it gushes from a ruined temple aquifer. You will be able to look into the temple's altar where the Komodo dragon rests among the roots of a strangler fig that has entwined itself throughout the building. Outside the Komodo dragon's temple home there is an abandoned reflecting pool where koi fish swim in the flowing water.

Further along the path you will encounter the place where the strangler fig first took root. As you move under the temple canopy, you will discover a large glass viewing area where, gazing at the highly intelligent orangutans, you can ask the question of who is observing whom?

Moving away from the temple, a more playful area emerges. There is an opportunity for young and old to learn and experience some classic Asian culture symbols and to try and brachiate or move like an orangutan. If you are lucky, you may be fortunate enough to be honored by an orangutan baptism in our own unique splash zone.

Immersed in the beauty of the surroundings and the awesome presence of such magnificent creatures, it is our hope that visitors will gain a greater appreciation for the need for conservation efforts worldwide. In fact, like the Sumatran tiger, these two new species were chosen for the Asian expansion in order to highlight the main threats to their survival in the wild: habitat destruction and human encroachment. Komodo dragons are the world's largest living species of lizard and orangutans are the largest arboreal (tree climbing) great ape. Both species live on only a few islands in Southeast Asia, which is why preventing habitat destruction is so important to their protection. Experts predict that if appropriate protection is not provided to their natural forests, the orangutan will be extinct within 10 years. All species in the Asian Forest exhibit are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (ICUN) as either vulnerable or endangered.

Throughout the Asian Forest experience, visitors will have the ability to learn about our animals as individuals and the natural history of the species. You will also have the opportunity to learn how you and your lifestyle can either positively or negatively impact these wildly beautiful animals. You will be encouraged to take action and get involved in protecting all of our natural resources and endangered species.

M E E T  T H E  N E W  O R A N G U T A N S

MUKAH


Mukah Mukah is our oldest orangutan. He is a Sumatran/Bornean hybrid and he was born July 7, 1987. He is the most social of the three orangutans and he is recognizable by his beautiful long hair, which he enjoys having the keepers wash and groom for him. Mukah enjoys watching football games on the TV in the Orangutan night house and he also loves to look at books and magazines. Mukah moved to the Cameron Park Zoo from the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin.

KERAJAAN (KJ)


Kerajaan (aka: KJ) is a Bornean male. He was born at the Phoenix Zoo on August 11, 1988. KJ is very silly and loves to stick out his tongue and blow raspberries to get your attention. Kerajaan moved to the Cameron Park Zoo from Zoo Atlanta and will be a mate to Mei when she is old enough to breed. Kerajaan loves fruit shaved ice treats and yogurt covered pretzels. Like all of the orangutans at Cameron Park Zoo, Kerajaan's diet is closely monitored by his keepers to insure his health, so please do not feed him!

MEI


Mei is a Bornean female and is the baby of the group. She was born May 1, 1998 at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago. Since Mei previously lived in Brookfield's Tropic World exhibit, which is an entirely indoor Rainforest habitat, she had never been outdoors until she moved to Waco.

Although she is very shy and likes to make nests and hide under blankets and boxes, Mei really enjoys the outdoor holding areas in the new Asian Forest exhibit and likes to sit on the highest perch so she can observe everything around her. Mei also enjoys watching TV. Her favorite movie is The Jungle Book and her favorite treat is vanilla flavored soy milk.

NEOMA

Neoma is a female Komodo dragon. She was hatched September 9, 2007 at the San Antonio Zoo.

Like all young Komodo Dragons, Neoma climbs high to the uppers regions of her exhibit when she feels threatened. This is a natural reaction for young dragons, since older, larger dragons tend to eat the smaller ones.

Neoma likes to swim and dig in her sand box. She enjoys hot temperatures and will bask on the heated rocks in her exhibit.

Since she is just a youngster, Neoma is quite small. As she matures she will reach up to 8 feet in length (males can grow to 10 feet long) and weigh 150 pounds or more.

When she reaches 4-5 years of age she should be close to 4 feet long and spend more time on the ground since she will be getting too heavy to climb.


Please click here to download your order form.

Please click here to download your tile template.

You can return completed forms to the Zootique or mail them to Cameron Park Zoo Attention: Cindy Michaelis, 1701 North 4th Street, Waco, TX 76706. If you have any questions, please call Cindy at 254-750-8429.


CAMERON PARK ZOO IS RECOGNIZED AS A WORLD CLASS ZOO

Jim Fleshman, Director of the Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society and the Cameron Park Zoo, was invited to Vienna, Austria August of 2003 to make a presentation to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). After the presentation, membership to WAZA was extended to the Society and to the Zoo.

There are 193 institutional members of WAZA representing 43 countries. In the United States 52 institutions are members of WAZA. A total of 8 institutions in Texas are members, and the Cameron Park Zoo is the only small facility in Texas that is a member.

The Cameron Park Zoo is also accredited by the American Zoological and Aquarium Association (AZA). Only 215 Zoos and Aquariums are accredited by the AZA, of the more than 2,000 licensed exhibitors certified through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Cameron Park Zoo is the only AZA and WAZA facility between Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio.

Founded in 1946 and known as the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens, the organization evolved into the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums with headquarters in Berne, Switzerland. Some of WAZA's objectives include promoting cooperation between zoological gardens and aquaria with regard to the conservation, management and breeding of animals in captivity and promoting environmental education, wildlife conservation and environmental research. WAZA membership will create more opportunities for the Cameron Park Zoo to become involved with conservation efforts of endangered animal species and environmental concerns with emphasis in Central Texas, and throughout the world.

Membership in WAZA gives the Cameron Park Zoo international recognition and will increase the number of international visitors.


Cameron Park Zoo

The Cameron Park Zoo is an award-winning natural-habitat zoo that has lush native vegetation everywhere, including native pecan, live oak, and red oak trees. Natural shelters, barriers, and water features enhance the different exhibits, making visitors feel they are walking in a park that just happens to have exotic wild animals.

The zoo is one of the 205 accredited American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) institutions in the United States and participates in several species survival programs (SSP). The zoo has a broad selection of threatened and endangered species including Sumatran tigers and the critically endangered Sclater's black lemur. The Cameron Park Zoo is the only accredited zoo between Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio.

The zoo began an expansion program in the fall of 2002 that will cover seven acres and increase the number of developed acres to 70 percent of the zoo's master-site plan. The project will double the number of animal species in the zoo's collection.


©2009 by Cameron Park Zoological and Botanical Society. All rights reserved.
1701 North 4th Street | Waco, Texas 76707 | (254) 750-8400
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