Our animal care team works tirelessly caring for our troop of western lowland gorillas, providing a specialized diet, world-class veterinary care, training programs and enrichment. On World Gorilla Day (that's today!), we celebrate the individuals in our troop and what makes them unique.
Did you know YOU can care for gorillas too? Yes, YOU can protect gorillas by recycling old mobile phones here at the zoo! Recycling small electronics helps protect animals like gorillas, whose habitats are impacted by the mining of minerals used in small electronics. Bring your phones to Franklin Park Zoo and look for our “Gorillas On the Line” recycling bin in the Tropical Forest to help save gorillas in the wild.
More about the Gorillas On the Line recycling challenge→ zoonewengland.org/protect/what-you-can-do/donate-your-cell-phone-to-help-gorillas/
All this Moo Deng love has us thinking back to when our youngest pygmy hippo was zipping around... look at these epic zoomies from 2021! Can you believe Ptolemy will be turning four next month?!
Slo-mo Munch with Yellow
🛑 Stop for a moment to see how Yellow emu gets her greens. 🥬
Lettuce is a regular part of her diet, along with a good dose of science. You see, we have a cognitive research study going on at Franklin Park Zoo that includes a few different bird species, including Yellow the emu. In this study, Yellow uses a touch screen monitor to choose between different images, which allows us to learn about her attentional bias—whether she pays more attention to small-scale or large-scale details. Preliminary data from this ongoing study is being presented at the The Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference this year, along with data from the Edmonton Valley Zoo, in Alberta, Canada, which is performing the same study with their emus (and also seals). More to come when the research is published!
📹 Keeper Josh
This Is What Turtle Conservation Looks Like
Before we say goodbye to summer, take a walk with our Conservation Outreach Coordinator Kirsten to release a few graduates of our award-winning turtle conservation program. Godspeed, little Blanding's turtles!
These little turtles were raised in a local classroom last winter and then released once they were big enough to survive in their natural habitat. Besides boosting local populations of vulnerable turtle species, Zoo New England's HATCH program forges connections between young students and local wildlife. And very soon, another group of baby turtles will take up residence in another classroom of eager future wildlife protectors.
Follow along as we raise this year's group of babies through to graduation day in a wetland or forest near you! We look forward to sharing updates throughout the year. In the meantime, learn a bit about our HATCH program, recognized by The Association of Zoos and Aquariums with top honors in the North American Conservation Award→ https://www.zoonewengland.org/protect/here-in-new-england/hatch-turtle-program/
See What People Are Saying about Boston Lights
Got plans for the weekend? We know just the place to light up your nights.
✨ Boston Lights Tickets & Info ✨ zoonewengland.org/engage/boston-lights?utm_campaign=2023_Boston_Lights&utm_content=20240829&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook
World African Painted Dog Day
Happy World African Painted Dog Day!
Can you tell sisters Madikwe and Moremi apart? What do their wild vocalizations mean? Keeper Natalie and Educator Peter are teaming up to talk about this remarkable endangered species and global conservation efforts to better understand and protect African painted dogs.
Red River Hog Bobbing for Sweet Potatoes
Watch oh, Ophelia, bobbing for her sweet po-ta-toes! 🎶
Our sweetest red river hog at Franklin Park Zoo dove into her enrichment recently, bobbing for sweet potatoes and carrots like a pro. Providing foraging opportunities like this, especially during the hottest months of the year, is a great way to support our animals' well-being.
📹 Keeper Noah
Day of the Cotton-Top Tamarin
Can you guess how cotton-top tamarins got their name? Yup, it’s that glorious poof of long white-colored crests of hair that covers their foreheads back to their napes.
These pint-sized primates are critically endangered in their native forests of Northwestern Colombia, in part due to habitat loss and the illegal pet trade. Today on the Day of the Cotton-Top Tamarin, do your part to help them by looking for the Forest Stewardship Council logo on paper products, the RSPO Sustainable Palm Oil logo on food and hygiene products, and by purchasing Bird Friendly shade-grown coffee instead of sun-grown coffee.
Learn more: https://www.zoonewengland.org/franklin-park-zoo/our-animals/mammals/primates/cotton-top-tamarin/
Video: Keeper Natalie
B-b-b-benny in the Grass!
More than 4,600 species of lizard scurry, flit and scamper around our planet. But today for World Lizard Day, we're getting to know one special one — Benny, the 19-year old blue tongued skink at Franklin Park Zoo with Educator Dani.
Happy Birthday, Maxine
It's only appropriate that we're slow with this birthday greeting. Our two-toed sloth in the Tropical Forest turned 11 today! Happy birthday, Maxine.
Dinari Bringing Big Cat Energy to World Lion Day
World Lion Day + Caturday = some BIG big cat appreciation 🦁 🤝
Dinari is bringing his big cat energy to celebrations at Franklin Park Zoo today (VOLUME UP!). We have special zookeeper chats and an education station brimming with information about lions and the vital conservation work of our partners in Africa, Lion Landscapes.
Over the last 50 years, lion populations in Africa have declined by 75% with only 21,000 individuals remaining. Habitat loss is a big issue, with over 50% of the remaining lions living in unprotected rangelands, shared with people and livestock. The Selous-Nyerere landscape in Tanzania is considered to be one of the last lion strongholds, and Lion Landscapes is working to introduce their community-led conservation initiatives to this region to protect lions and other large carnivores.
More about Lion Landscapes here→ zoonewengland.org/protect/around-the-globe/african-lion-conservation/
Playtime in Gorilla Grove
If you see two gorillas roughhousing, it's often Pablo and Aziza. Because who doesn't love playing in the backyard on a summer day?
📹 Keeper Rachel
Thorns?! NBD
Amari giraffe looooves a tasty nosh of multiflora rose.🌹
Oh, but roses have thorns! 😯
Not a problem for Masai giraffes. Giraffes have evolved to eat thorny acacia trees in their native ranges in Africa. They use their long, flexible necks to reach the branches and slick, prehensile tongues to strip the branches of leaves. Then their thick, gooey saliva coats any thorns, protecting their mouths with each tasty bite.
We have a team at Franklin Park Zoo dedicated to cutting browse for our animals all summer long. Since multiflora rose is an invasive species, serving up this lush browse is a win-win for the giraffes and our grounds!
📹 Keeper Noah
Boston Lights Opens Friday!
✨ Boston Lights opens Friday, Aug. 2! 🎇
Tickets available nightly (VIP tickets sold out)→ franklinparkzoo.org
All new lanterns this year will transport you to a teeming coral reef, the architectural wonders of India, and a glittering forest alive with super-sized butterflies. Plus, nightly Chinese classical dance performances and interactive displays sure to delight every age. Come sparkle with us!
