Trainer crushed by elephant at Tennessee zoo

Sad news out of the Tennessee today. An 8,000-pound elephant at a Tennessee zoo backed a trainer into a wall and crushed her to death, and the zoo said on Saturday it had temporarily closed its elephant exhibit. The trainer was taken to nearby University of Tennessee Medical Center, where she died Friday of internal injuries. Rolen said Edie, one of three zoo elephants, will not be punished or disciplined in any way. "Our training program is based on positive reinforcement," she said. The zoo was open on Saturday but the elephant display was closed. Our thoughts and prayers go out everyone involved in this tragic event.

Read the full article here.

Columbus Zoo Map from 2000

I've got a fun little nugget for you readers today! I unearthed an overhead park map of the Columbus Zoo from over a decade ago, 2000. Much has changed since then and it is amazing to see. It's hard to believe that the African forest section was still under construction. Asia Quest is missing along with the islands of Southeast Asia. Cheetahs were still present at the zoo. I'm looking forward to what the next ten years hold for the Columbus Zoo! The future is bright indeed!

Learn how to draw zoo animals step by step

Georgia Aquarium Acquires Marineland

We start the new year off with this news item:

Georgia Aquarium announced today its acquisition of historic Florida attraction Marineland, home to the Dolphin Conservation Center and adjacent to Georgia Aquarium's Dolphin Conservation Field Station.

Marineland, which is located along the Atlantic coast just south of St. Augustine, Florida, opened in 1937 as Marine Studios, a facility designed and built for filming underwater sequences for motion pictures. Later, it became a theme park known as Marineland of Florida, and enjoyed great popularity in the 1950's and 1960's, becoming internationally known for its dolphin shows and exhibits showcasing various forms of marine life.  It was one of the first such attractions in the state of Florida and was named to the National Register of Historic Places. More recently, an updated and modernized Dolphin Conservation Center at Marineland has become a center for the study of marine mammals, particularly dolphins, and is one of the few facilities in the U.S. where humans can closely observe and interact with dolphins in an intimate environment.   

The acquisition of Marineland is part of an overall long-term strategy on behalf of Georgia Aquarium to expand the positive benefits of its programs throughout the Southeastern U.S.  In 2008, Georgia Aquarium opened the Dolphin Conservation Field Station (DCFS) at Marineland, a joint venture with Marineland's Dolphin Conservation Center, immediately adjacent to the historic Marineland property. Among other initiatives, DCFS is dedicated to studying marine animals off the coast of Georgia and northeast Florida and rescuing and rehabilitating stranded animals.  Now under the same ownership and direction, DCFS and the Dolphin Conservation Center at Marineland are expected to align even more closely in the future.

Georgia Aquarium and Marineland share a long history of working closely together for the benefit of marine mammals, and the Aquarium and its team members have a deep and abiding appreciation for Marineland and the significance of its heritage as one of Florida's original coastal attractions.

"We are excited to expand Georgia Aquarium's positive influence through the addition of the historic Marineland property and its Dolphin Conservation Center," said David Kimmel, President and COO of the Georgia Aquarium.  "Marineland's modern-day incarnation, with its focus on conservation of dolphins and marine mammals, is an amazing addition to our family – in fact , it is a perfect complement to the existing education, conservation and research programs currently offered and conducted by the Georgia Aquarium.  Institutions like Georgia Aquarium would not even exist if Marineland and others of its kind had not created an awareness and understanding of aquatic animals generations ago." 

While Marineland will be operated as a division of the Georgia Aquarium, no significant change in its day-to-day operations is expected in the immediate future.  However, Aquarium representatives are already working with Marineland staffers to consider long-range plans for the Marineland property and will work closely with area leaders to ensure its long-term viability as both a public attraction and a center for aquatic animal research and conservation.

Georgia Aquarium annual pass members will enjoy free admission to Marineland, and the Aquarium hopes to announce additional special benefits and offers in the near future. 

Learn more about Marineland and how to book your dolphin experience today.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to one and all! Enjoy these holiday videos I created which include some of the most bizarre Christmas displays you will ever see! Hopefully I can make it out to the Columbus Zoo lights this year. Be prepared for new updates soon!

Funny Talking Animals - Walk On The Wild Side

I recently discovered this BBC series which is absolutely hilarious! Walk On The Wild Side is a brand new comedy series that seeks to provide a long overdue forum for the views and opinions of the animal kingdom. It's a world of hip hop-loving badgers, dieting pandas and a marmot called Alan.Meet the Not-Very-Scary-Sharks, the Scratching Badgers, the DIY Orang Utan, the Vultures Flying School and a Marmot called Alan. They all come together in this new show which combines the comedy talents of Jason Manford and friends together with some jaw-dropping natural history footage. It's time to take a Walk On The Wild Side!

How do zoos do with their animals when the weather gets cold?

Have you ever wondered what a zoo does with its animals when the weather gets exceptionally cold? As you may know, Florida is currently experiencing very cold weather these past two weeks, and Busch Gardens and SeaWorld are certainly aware that this may be really stressful for their animals. They've taken many precautions to protect their many animals. Here's a video that shows how they really take care of them:

Zoombezi Bay announcement