Zoo Atlanta

03/03/2025

Can you find the snake in this picture? Snakes are masters of camouflage and of using their environments to stay out of sight from predators and prey. This banded rock rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi) is showing off this ability perfectly by using a few leaves in his habitat to be inconspicuous. Maybe you can swing by Zoo Atlanta’s Scaly Slimy Spectacular to see him and our other reptiles going about their daily lives! - Robert H., Curator of Herpetology (photo: Robert H.)

02/28/2025

Today marks the end of , a time we here at Zoo Atlanta love taking to celebrate the accomplishments of our Black team members and the wealth of knowledge and perspectives Black people bring to wildlife and sustainability activism. These vital contributions to the field come despite many obstacles to inclusion in such efforts, both past and present. As we continue to look towards further progress, please enjoy this blog from Zach S. highlighting the remarkable achievements of historical Black conservation pioneers.

February is Black History Month. Throughout this month, people around the nation have celebrated the accomplishments of African Americans in their fields, as

02/26/2025

Hello everyone! My name is Roxanne Buckman, and I am a keeper here at Zoo Atlanta in our Ambassador Animals Department. This past year I was the recipient of the Mickelberg Field Conservation Grant, which funded my trip to southern Georgia to participate in The Orianne Society's field surveys for eastern indigo snakes. The Orianne Society is a conservation organization that focuses on reptiles and amphibians in the southeastern United States. Each winter, from about November through February, researchers at the Longleaf Stewardship Center outside of Lumber City, Georgia, survey indigo snake habitats to gain valuable information about the snake populations in southern Georgia and the health of the individuals. They have around 70 sites total that they survey on a three-year rotation.

was able to spend a full week with the Orianne team, and we surveyed six different sites, which were a mix of private, public, and Orianne-owned land. Each day we would load up our equipment and drive to our first site, which was sometimes up to two hours away. Our main focus was mapping gopher tortoise burrows. Like many species, eastern indigo snakes rely on gopher tortoise burrows for shelter. We had GPS data of burrow locations from the last time the sites were surveyed back in 2021. It was our job to see if those burrows were still in use, and to map any new burrows that had appeared since then. All the while we were looking for signs of recent snake activity, and of course, actual snakes! We spread out and methodically covered acres of land each day, walking miles and miles back and forth over the areas.

The area was beautiful, but many sites were fire suppressed, meaning they had not been allowed to burn naturally. These fire suppressed habitats were overgrown and covered in thick brambles. Not only did this mean the habitat was no longer suitable for gopher tortoises and indigo snakes, but it meant we were fighting our way through sharp thorns, pokey sticks, ticks, and mosquitos. It was also deer hunting season, so we had to be careful about where we were and at what time of day and wore high visibility clothing. And as if all this wasn’t enough, this area of Georgia had been hit hard by the hurricanes earlier in the fall. Many of the sites had a lot of downed trees and some of the habitat areas were severely flooded and altered.

Despite all this, we were able to get three different indigo snakes in hand over the course of the week. That may not sound like much, but indigo snakes have large territories and are solitary outside of breeding, so even though we were covering large areas, our chances of encountering snakes were still fairly low. Three individuals in hand was more than I expected for my first survey. Getting snakes in hand is always exciting, because that’s how we really start to gather information about the population.

So how does one get one of the largest species of snake in North America in hand? It’s actually pretty simple- we just pick them up! They are surprisingly amenable to the entire process. None of the snakes we handled displayed any signs of aggression, and getting a hold of them was as simple as walking over and picking it up. They were of course unaccustomed to being handled and were a bit wiggly, and this was done by professionals with years of experience handling wild snakes (we would not recommend walking up to any snake in the wild and handling it without this type of experience).

Each snake that is caught undergoes a full exam, and many different types of samples are taken. To start, the snakes are weighed, measured, and checked for PIT tags. PIT tags are small subcutaneous transponders which will give information on that individual when scanned. It works just like the microchips you can get for your pets. If a snake hasn’t been tagged, the field technicians will implant one using a hypodermic needle. Samples are then taken. The snake’s body, head, and cloaca are swabbed, and small clippings of scales are taken for DNA. These different samples will later be screened to look for signs of disease and parasites. After the exam is complete and the samples are taken, the snake is released to a burrow so it can recuperate.

These exams give researchers a lot of important information about the species. First, the number of snakes found year to year and the areas they are found in, along with how many recaptures vs. newly found snakes there are, can help scientists determine the approximate population numbers. These numbers can tell us if eastern indigo snakes are thriving, or if they are becoming endangered. Secondly, the samples taken help scientists to monitor diseases that affect not only indigo snakes, but many different snake species. Namely, snake fungal disease and snake lung worm. Snake fungal disease is a fungal infection that can cause lesions on snakes, leading to secondary health issues and even death. Snake lung worm is a small parasitic crustacean that embeds in the respiratory tract of snakes and can affect their ability to breathe and eat, especially in smaller snake species. Sampling done by Orianne can be compiled with information from other agencies all over the country and allow the spread of these diseases and their environmental impacts to be understood and monitored.

While the entire week was a wealth of new information and experiences, my favorite part of my time with the Orianne team was when we captured the third snake. We were in a wooded area, and like all the times before, were fairly spread out trying to cover ground in a systematic manner so that we didn’t miss any burrows. As I was walking towards one of the burrows mapped on my GPS, I saw a large black snake coiled up on the ground about 10 feet away. I called out to the field technicians, and with their go ahead I was able to get ahold of the snake. During our examination of it, we determined that it was a male about 6 feet long, and it had not yet been tagged! This was exciting because, as the one who found and captured the snake, I would get to name it for the records associated with the tag number. That night on the phone I consulted with my 11-year-old son, who was adamant that the snake should be named Larry. So if you ever find yourself surveying for eastern indigo snakes in southern Georgia and you come across Larry, tell him Roxanne says hi!

02/24/2025

Valentine's Day may have passed, but we're still head over heels for these sweet pals down at Wieland Wildlife Home! (photos: Roxanne B.)

02/21/2025

How's this for a maternity shoot? Parents-to-be Carolina and Kiwano are looking extra adorable! (photos: Elephant Team)

02/20/2025

If you know your elephant behaviors, you know that sparring is a very important behavior. It establishes dominance, builds strength, is practice for future competition, and is fun! Bull elephants will often spar while playing. This is a critical way elephants build social bonds and establish their place in the herd. Look for fun sparring events between Msholo and newest arrival Titan next time you visit the Zoo! (video: Elephant Care Team)

02/19/2025

News from the Zoo: In hopeful anticipation of a future new giant panda agreement with partners in China, Zoo Atlanta has initiated the preliminary design phase of an expansion to our Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation Giant Panda Conservation Center in the Asian Forest Zone of the Zoo.

Zoo Atlanta does not yet have a formal giant panda agreement with China. The Zoo is currently engaging in dialogue with partners in China on a future giant panda program; however, with a new agreement not yet in place, additional details are not yet available.

Zoo Atlanta’s original giant panda loan agreement with China expired in October 2024, the year which also marked the 25th anniversary of the Zoo’s giant panda program. The four remaining giant pandas at Zoo Atlanta, original pair Lun Lun and Yang Yang and their two youngest offspring, Ya Lun and Xi Lun, departed Atlanta for China on October 12, 2024. All now reside at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, as do Lun Lun’s and Yang Yang’s five previous offspring.

We'll share additional updates as they are available. For more on the Zoo’s giant panda program, refer to the Panda Program FAQs on zooatlanta.org: https://zooatlanta.org/panda-cam/faqs-giant-panda/

02/18/2025

Mystery mama, *revealed*! Carolina the meerkat is expecting!

If you don't know Carolina, she's one of two female members of the new meerkat mob who joined us at the end of 2024. Dad-to-be is Kiwano (pictured with Carolina and seen at right in the second photo). The other members of the mob are female Amarna and male Digby.

Due in early March, Carolina's pup (or pups) will be the first meerkat (or meerkats) ever born at Zoo Atlanta. One pup was confirmed on ultrasound, but this does not rule out the possibility that Carolina is carrying more than one.

We're so excited to keep sharing with you -- stay tuned for more news on the African Savanna!

(Carolina photo: Alyssa H.; Carolina and Kiwano photo: Caleb U.)

02/18/2025

Who? What? And when?

Can you guess what's pictured in this recent ultrasound? Tune in back here at 3:30 p.m. EST this afternoon to find out who our mystery mama is!

02/17/2025

Runners, trotters, walkers, today's the day to set your mark! Registration is now open for our fifth-annual Run Like Wild 5K, coming up on April 26. Run Like Wild is an official Atlanta Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race Qualifier.

Our 2025 Run Like Wild featured species is the African lion, in celebration of the upcoming reopening of the Zoo’s African lion complex in spring 2025. Home to lion brothers Hondo, Hatari, and Azizi, the complex, which has been under construction for exciting upgrades since fall 2024, is along the race path.

Reserve your in-person race registration, register to run in our Virtual Race, get info about Spectator Tickets, and more: https://zooatlanta.org/event/run-like-wild/

02/15/2025

The Big Game might have already happened, but these shots from last weekend were too adorable not to share! The meerkats really "dug" their chance to get in on the sports action. (Photos: Kirby M.)

02/14/2025

We're so happy for the herd! After a successful acclimation period, new arrival Titan and herd-mates Msholo, Kelly, and Tara are now together in the African Savanna! Be on the lookout during your next visit.

02/13/2025

If you happen to visit Willie B. Jr.’s family group at Habitat 4, don’t be surprised if you see Willie B. Jr. on dad duty. Mom Shalia often takes the opportunity to have some alone time while Willie B. III spends time with his favorite playmate. Luckily Dad doesn’t seem to mind! – Cassie M., Gorilla Care Team (video: Cassie M.)

02/12/2025

Our new three banded armadillo, Persephone, turned 3 on February 9! Celebrations included this special "cake," made with crushed insectivore chow mix and decorated with wax worms. (video: Roxanne B.)

02/11/2025

Calling all fledgling and seasoned birders: It’s time to flex your birding skills in the name of Citizen Science!

Join us for the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend, February 15 and 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.! We'll be joining people all over the globe to watch, count, and record as many birds as we can. These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. Activities are free for Members and with General Admission!
More details: https://zooatlanta.org/event/backyard-bird-count/

02/10/2025

An “aunt.” A dad. A positive reinforcement training virtuoso. A survivor of a real-life conservation crisis. This past week, we said goodbye to two of the older members of our Monkeys of Makokou complex in The Ford African Rain Forest. They were different species, with different circumstances and seemingly unrelated lives. But a closer look shows us that as different as they may seem, Kinshasa and JJ had much in common – especially when it comes to the ways their stories highlight our mission. Read more in our Keeper Stories Blog.

https://zooatlanta.org/two-monkey-tails-at-zoo-atlanta-celebrating-kinshasa-and-jj/

(Kinshasa photos: Karin Keller, JJ photos: Jodi Carrigan and Zoo Atlanta)

02/08/2025

Weekend vibes with Willie B. III!

Did you know the white spot on his backside (shown at the end of the clip) helps mom Shalia keep track of the baby, as well as signifies to the other troop members that he is an infant/adolescent and to be patient with him?

02/07/2025

Saving species is possible depending on the action we take. We’re highlighting and actions taken to recover species! Learn more about Reverse the Red here: www.reversethered.org