Get in to the Oklahoma City Zoo for FREE next week!
Admission is free to the Oklahoma City Zoo on July 17. Here’s some more information from the good folks at the zoo:
We thank you, Oklahoma City Zoo supporters, for all you do! Tuesday, July 17, 2012, marks the twenty-second anniversary of the 1/8 of a cent dedicated sales tax being passed by Oklahoma City citizens for the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, and to celebrate, the Zoo is offering free admission to all on Tuesday, July 17.
Passed by Oklahoma City citizens in 1990, the sales tax has made numerous capitol improvements possible at the Zoo including Great EscApe, Cat Forest/Lion Overlook, the main entrance facility, the Canopy Food Court, Oklahoma Trails, the Children’s Zoo and the Elephant Habitat. Moving forward the sales tax will help fund a new animal hospital slated to open in 2014.
“We are extremely grateful to the citizens of Oklahoma City for their ongoing dedication to the Zoo. The significant support we receive from the community enables the Zoo to continue to grow and strive for excellence in our mission of conservation, education, research and recreation; while becoming a world class attraction that Oklahomans are proud to call their zoo.” said Dwight Scott, Executive Director/CEO.
Take advantage of the free admission and make plans to visit the Zoo on Sales Tax Appreciation Day, Tuesday, July 17. Group reservations are not required. Regular prices apply for all rides and attractions.
Visit Oklahoma’s #1 attraction and one of the top three zoos in the country as named in the 2012 10Besties Readers’ Choice Travel Awards. The Oklahoma City Zoo is a proud member of Oklahoma City’s Adventure District located at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages three-11 and seniors ages 65 and over. Children two and under are admitted free.
Now through August 26, the Zoo is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Morning Zoo Rise. Guests can take advantage of our late Saturdays through September 1, and stay and play until 8 p.m. All guests must leave grounds at closing. 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.
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?
Oklahoma City Zoo tiger cub bobbing for apples
Pets in the paper – bad day for centaurs
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Humans, animals don’t mix. (state capitol)
- Customers are going wild over cats bred in Oklahoma. (Ponca City, video below)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – food and yoga
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman since Saturday -
- Zoo’s new elephant habitat to house expectant mother. (Oklahoma City)
- Instructor offers way to help animals. (Oklahoma City)
- City’s six-day horse show keeps eyes on ranking prize. (Oklahoma City)
- Safari park adds new tiger, center. (Tuttle)
- Nature loves flock to state’s salt plaines. (Great Salt Plaines)
- Pony Express to celebrate anniversary in re-enactment. (Missouri)
- Tortoises highlight disputes in energy. (California)
- Slithery pets are rescued. (Utah)
- “Best Job” winner stung by dangerous jellyfish. (Australia)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my that’s cute
A Georgia rescue center has an unlikely trio of animal buddies.
Leo the lion, Shere Kahn the tiger and Baloo the bear share a home a the park thanks to their unlikely upbringing. The three animals, kept as pets by drug barons, were seized during a raid in Atlanta eight years ago when they were still cubs.
Shere Kahn, Leo and Baloo enjoy their new home at Noah's Ark
When they were turned over to the Noah’s Ark Rescue Center in Locust Grove, Ga., the decision was made to keep them together. Raised by the zoo’s founders, the three get along like siblings. Now that they have a new public enclosure, visitors can see the three eating, sleeping and playing together.
Enjoy the photos, courtesy of the Noah’s Ark Facebook fan page for the trio, which you can find here.
Leo and Shere Kahn play as cubs Baloo and Shere Kahn with one of the owners of Noah's Ark
The three animl buddies play as cubs
Baloo and Shere Kahn with one of the owners of Noah's Ark
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
Pets in the paper – getchya a gator!
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman since Saturday -
- Alligator sighting reported at park. (Oklahoma City)
- Shelter gets funds for pet tag study. (Oklahoma City)
- Horse, owner get super win at show. (Oklahoma City)
- Shelter seeks pet gifts. (Oklahoma City)
- Giraffe suffers from neck injury during move. (Tulsa)
- Delays continue in state’s poultry waste pollution trial. (Tulsa)
- Swooping in: Oklahoma hosting national event for handlers of eagles, hawks and falcons. (Woodward)
- Rare birds seen in state. (Woodward)
- Horse country tour. (Texas)
- 5,600 species found during ocean census. (Louisiana)
- Cruelty brings no contest plea. (New Mexico)
- Ducks in trouble, Ducks Unlimited says. (northwestern United States)
- New books for birders. (nationwide)
- Jaguar blamed in miner’s death. (Guyana)
- Bulls escape from movie set. (Spain)
- White tiger gets new home. (Serbia)
- “Fantastic Mr. Fox” full of fun. (movie review)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – are there any?
There is only one animal story in The Oklahoman. And guess what? I can’t even find it on our Web site! So, I’m sorry to say, here’s the only link, and it’s to another site. Let’s hope we do better tomorrow!
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pet Show – fashionista fidos
Listen to Pet Show! Our guest today was Meagan Key, a spokeswoman for fashion designer Kayne Gillaspie of Norman. Last week Kayne hosted a fundraising event called “Fashion with a Heart” to benefit the American Heart Association. Part of the show was dogs modeling Kayne’s newest line, Kayne9. And as if pups strutting in ostrich-feather boas weren’t great enough, the show raised $5,000 for the American Heart Association.
In honor of Hug Your Cat Day - which is Friday for those of you with feline friends – we talked lots about cats today. Bryan gave us interesting pet news, including a story about a tiger that killed its keeper in New Zealand and a cat with wings in China. And Dawn shared some great tail tips for Hug Your Cat Day. These come from SeeFido.com.
Playing in the home: All cats need to spend time outside to get their exercise, but often times we want them inside to avoid them from getting hurt etc. Whatever the reason to keep your cat in the house, your cat will appreciate it, as long as it’s always kept busy. Cats that never leave the house need for their owners to dedicate more time everyday to play with them, otherwise the cat will get very bored and this can cause stress.
Hunting game: When cats are outside they love running after anything that moves, like an insect, or a dry leaf blowing in the wind etc. So there are many different games that you can invent to give your cat the opportunity to “hunt” without even stepping out of the house. As with all games, the cat must learn that there are certain rules. The most important rule is that the cat does not use your hands or feet as it’s hunting objective. Cats have very sharp claws and they grow as the cat grows making them very dangerous. It is not fun to have an adult cat scratch you with it’s claws and it can really hurt you.
Safe play: Before you begin to play a game with your cat, make sure to check everything, avoiding at all costs that your cat, you, or anyone else gets hurt. Make sure to always follow these guidelines when playing with your cat:
- Never use toys that break easily since this could really hurt your cat, kitten and even you.
- Never “hit” your cat with your hand or with its toys, and never “drag” the cat, even if this is done gently and as a game.
- Don’t play with the cat’s toys (if you are not intending on playing directly with the cat) because it can get very mad about you touching its stuff.
- Stay away from pools, wells, or bathtubs as the cat could drown if it does not know how to swim. (Little kittens generally cannot climb out of water that covers their head).
- Cats become easily afraid when they hear loud noises. Make sure, when there is a party (like New Year) to leave the cat inside the house or in a distanced room. Fireworks or a balloon that pops can really terrorize a cat.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
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Wonderful zoo photos
Boston.com, the Boston Globe’s Web site, has a wonderful photo gallery of pictures from zoos around the world. Lions, tigers,, leopards, bears, foxes, primates, frogs, hippos, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, dolphins, kangaroos, camels and plenty more are featured in the gallery. Many of the pictures are of babies. Here is my favorite, of a cute Chinese leopard cub growling at photographers.
- Staff Writer Bryan Dean
