Oklahoma City Zoo brings back Bowling for Rhinos
Here’s some information about how to help a great cause by going out and having fun:
Help save the worldwide population of rhinos with the simple roll of a bowling ball. Bowling for Rhinos is back! Join the Oklahoma City Zoo’s chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) as they host the 18th annual Bowling for Rhinos on Saturday, July 21, 2012. The cost is $25 per person which includes shoe rental, bowling from 6 to 10 p.m., a T-shirt and fabulous door prize opportunities. Get your bowling on and join us at AMF Boulevard Lanes, 3501 S. Boulevard in Edmond.
Bowling for Rhinos is an annual event which raises funds for rhino conservation in Asia and Africa. Out of 100 species that roamed the Earth, only five exist today, and all are considered endangered. Extinction is a very real possibility for these gentle giants, unless conservation actions are made to help preserve them. More than 60 organizations in the U.S. and Canada pair with AAZK to help participate in Bowling for Rhinos with the Oklahoma City Zoo being one of the largest contributors. The Zoo has raised over $237,000 through its Bowling For Rhinos events with all proceeds directly benefiting rhinos in the wild.
Bowling for Rhinos is a local tradition with a global impact. To pre-register call (405) 424-3344 or email loganagan@yahoo.com. Registrations the night of the event will be accepted. Teams and individuals may participate. If you do not wish to bowl but would like to help, make your donations to “AAZK Bowling for Rhinos” 2101 NE 50th, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111. For more information about Bowling For Rhinos and rhino conservation visit www.aazkbfr.org. Let’s raise it for the rhinos–and help preserve all five remaining species while there’s still time.
I spy bowling fun for everyone. The Oklahoma City Zoo is Oklahoma’s #1 attraction and one of the top three zoos in the country as named in the 2012 10Besties Readers’ Choice Travel Awards! A proud member of Oklahoma City’s Adventure District, the Zoo is located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35. Hours of operation from July 1 through August 26 are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Buildings close at 4:45 p.m. daily. Stay late and play on Saturdays now through September 1 as the Zoo is open until 8 p.m. with exhibit buildings closing at 7:45 p.m. All guests must exit zoo grounds at closing. Zoo admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages three-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free. Become a Zoo fan at http://www.facebook.com/okczoobg or follow us on Twitter @okczoo. To learn more about these and other happenings, call (405) 424-3344 or visit okczoo.com.
This basset is sexy and he knows it
Should Oklahoma City Zoo lost sales tax money?
One Oklahoma City council member is hinting that way. Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid brought the issue up about the zoo’s 1/8 cent sales tax at a recent city council meeting. The tigeres roared. Read the full story here. What do you think?
Well that was adorable
A kitten and a bunny wrestling? Yes, please. I don’t know what language they’re speaking, but the language of cute is universal.
Thunder Kitties are adorable as they sound
Kitten shower? @okcpets gets adorable
Want to think about something adorable?
A shower for kittens.
I know. I know. Adorable.
If you want to help homeless, helpless, adorable kittens, here’s how:
If babies get gifts during baby showers, why not give newborn kittens gifts too? The community is invited to a kitten shower for shelter newborns from noon to 3 p.m. on June 9 at Oklahoma City’s Animal Shelter, 2811 SE 29.
Every year thousands of un-weaned kittens and puppies arrive on the steps of Oklahoma City’s Animal Shelter in need of tender love and care. The newborns and shelter staff rely on volunteer foster parents to nurture them until they are old enough to be adopted, which is eight weeks.
Although it’s a “kitten” shower, the Shelter’s puppies have a few needs too. Shower gifts for these future companions include canned and dry kitten and puppy food, kitty litter, litter boxes and scoops, baby bottles, Esbilac kitten and puppy formula, toys, puppy pads, Pedialyte, pet shampoo, Dawn dish soap, pet carriers and towels.
Those interested in fostering kittens can contact Katie Nix at Katie.nix@okc.gov.
The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter is open from noon to 5:45 p.m. every day except holidays at SE 29 & Bryant, 1.5 miles east of Interstate 35. Adoptable pets can be viewed online at http://www.okc.gov/animalwelfare/adoption.html
This orangutan loves OU softball, hates Alabama
Toba, a Sumatran orangutan at the Oklahoma City Zoo, showed her support for the University of Oklahoma softball team Monday. In fact, it was slightly scary. She will eat you, Alabama. (OK, maybe she won’t eat you, but she will definitely not be cheering for you.)
Oklahoma City elephant exhibit falls to No. 2
The elephant exhibit at the Oklahoma City Zoo is no longer the biggest in the country.
The Denver Zoo unveiled its newest exhibit, the Toyota Elephant Passage, to the public June 1. The 10-acre Asian elephant exhibit is the largest in the country — taking the title from the Oklahoma City Zoo elephant exhibit.
The Asian elephant area in Oklahoma City is 9½ acres. It cost $13 million to build and opened last March.
While we may not be the biggest any more, our exhibit is still pretty darn fantastic. In fact, here’s some proof from The Oklahoman archives:
Oklahoma City Zoo announces campaign for new veterinary hospital
The Oklahoma City Zoo sent out this press release about plans to raise $4.5 million capital campaign to build a new veterinary hospital. (You’ll be able to watch some animal surgeries. Gross.)
The Oklahoma Zoological Society announced the Commitment to Care capital campaign, a $4.5 million dollar fundraising campaign coupled with $4.5 million from the Oklahoma City Zoo to build a new veterinary hospital at the Oklahoma City Zoo. A new veterinary hospital is critical to protect and care for animals in the Oklahoma City Zoo and will be named the Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital in honor of the late Joan Kirkpatrick, an avid animal lover and strong zoo supporter.
“We have adopted a bold vision that will showcase the very best treatment of the unique and fascinating wild animals entrusted to our care. The new Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital is the first priority in our 10 year master plan and it is a pleasure to work together with the Oklahoma Zoological Society and our community to make this happen,” Dwight Scott, CEO/Director of the Oklahoma City Zoo said.
The current Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Health and Welfare Complex, located behind-the-scenes, has served admirably for the last 32 years. Yet at the last accrediting visit by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums the Zoo was cautioned that the current facility compromises the world class standards the Zoo strives to uphold.
“Technology has improved quite a bit in medicine since the last hospital was built. We have really outgrown our current facility and there are actually a few things we are limited in doing which hinders us a little bit in providing the enhanced quality of care that we know we can provide,” said Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino, Director of Veterinary Services. “Right now we can’t take certain animals to the hospital because they’re too big or we don’t have the space or the equipment.”
The new Joan Kirkpatrick Animal Hospital will provide veterinary staff the tools and space needed to provide the very best treatment to the wild animals entrusted to the Oklahoma City Zoo’s care. The new animal hospital will be located on Zoo grounds, will allow access to visitors and give them an unprecedented look into a suite where exams, surgeries, medications and treatment procedures are taking place. This new state-of-the-art animal hospital will ensure the Oklahoma City Zoo remains one of the nation’s leading authorities in zoological animal care and demonstrates the Zoo’s Commitment to Care.
Dana McCrory, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Zoological Society stated, “Since the day it was founded, the Oklahoma Zoological Society has worked hard to fulfill its mission to support and promote the Oklahoma City Zoo. This partnership between the Oklahoma City Zoo and the Oklahoma Zoological Society truly showcases how the public and private sectors can work together for the greatest common good. We invite everyone to be a part of this campaign, whether through a traditional or non-traditional gift, there are many ways to show your Commitment to Care!”
To make a donation to the Commitment to Care campaign visit zoofriends.com/commitment-to-care or call 405-425-0611.
OZS was created in 1954 to support and promote the Oklahoma City Zoo and its four purposes of education, conservation, zoological research and recreation. OZS does this through membership drives, fund-raising, capital campaigns, marketing, special events and public relations.
OSU Veterinary Center workers honored for inventions
Here’s some exciting info about two animal folks honored for their work diseases:
The Oklahoma State University Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) recognized 23 inductees during its inaugural induction ceremony earlier this month. Among those honored were Drs. Sahlu Ayalew and Katherine Kocan of OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.
Sahlu Ayalew, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor, is part of a Veterinary Pathobiology team that studies Mannheimia haemolytica, a bacterium that is one of the causative agents of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). The team’s goal is to develop protective vaccines against this bacterium. BRD costs the beef industry more than a billion dollars per year. The team’s research involves, identifying immunogenic proteins of M. haemolytica by immunoproteomic methods, mapping regions (epitopes) of candidate proteins and genetically engineering single vaccines (chimeric or multivalent vaccines) that contain immunodominant epitopes from several proteins. Over the past few years, the team has secured two U.S. patents and the work is ongoing.
Katherine Kocan, Ph.D., OSU Regents Professor, Walter Sitlington Endowed Chair in Food Animal Research and Fellow, Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, is known internationally for her work with ticks and tick-borne diseases. She leads a team that partnered with researchers at the University of Minnesota to develop a cell culture system (the first in vitro system of growing the pathogen outside of a tick or cow) for Anaplasma marginale (the organism that causes bovine anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease of cattle). The patent involves the method of growing the rickettsia, Anaplasma marginale, in cultured tick cells and for the use of antigens generated from this system in vaccine formulations.
According to the NAI’s information, the academy ‘supports the systematic application of organized knowledge and information that can generate technology and produce creative solutions to existing problems. Inventors are the discoverers and creators of these solutions and, as such, are key contributors to the advancement of technology.’
“OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is proud to have such forward thinking researchers,” says Dr. Jean Sander, dean of the veterinary center. “New technologies or inventions play a key role in the economic development of the world and the veterinary center’s researchers make an important contribution to that system.”
