Kiume the lion roaring
Dear Kiume,
For over a decade, your powerful roars have echoed through the Zoo and into the West Side Community. You have captivated all of our hearts while serving as an ambassador for wildlife conservation. Whether you are napping in the sun, keeping an eye on the neighborhood bongos, or rolling in smelly straw (one of your favorite activities), your presence sparks joy and enthusiasm in our guests and opens the door for engagement in conservation of our natural world.
The mark you have left on us is permanent. We will remember you as a fierce protector. We will remember your extraordinarily picky eating habits (the list of foods you don't like is many times longer than the list of foods you do enjoy). We will chuckle when we remember how much time we spent (unsuccessfully) trying to convince you to go outside for some fresh air if there was even a hint of rain in the sky. We will remember you as the most gentle eater of meatballs there ever was with the most perfect double paw tuck.
This is a bittersweet goodbye, but we look forward to seeing you thrive with a new lady lion friend while engaging another community in our mission of saving wildlife and wild places. Go get'em, Special K!
All our love,
Zookeeper, Jackie
Get ready for a wickedly epic night 🎃
Watch as John Ball Zoo’s 21 and up concert series, Rock, Roar and Pour, gets into the spooky spirit! 👻 There will be hauntingly talented entertainment featuring Great Scott, scary delicious food, spirits, and a frighteningly fun costume contest!
Visit our website to learn more: jbzoo.org/events/rockroarpour-greatscott/
Pygmy Hippo and Pumpkins
Let the gourd times roll 🎃
Zoo Goes Boo presented by Meijer is happening now! 👻 Now until Oct. 31st, when you purchase a membership, you receive two years of Zoo Goes Boo for the price of one! Enjoy an extra month of unlimited zoo visits and FREE admission to this spooktacular event next year.
A big thank you to our other sponsors, Two Men and a Truck, Nylaan Dental, The Laug Group at Morgan Stanley, and Pediatric Dental Specialists of West Michigan.
Click the link to sign up for a membership today: shop.jbzoo.org/all/memberships
Magnificent Tree Frogs
It's just a bunch of hocus croakus 🐸✨🔮
Not heard in this video: male magnificent tree frogs unleash a powerful, resonant croak that travels far and wide. This captivating sound is essential for communication in their lush forest habitat, particularly during mating season.
The more rotten the better 🪵
One of Rio's favorite things to do is to tear apart a big, rotten log. Yes, you read that correctly. Anteaters, like Rio, love using their sharp claws and keen sense of smell to dig open rotting wood to find insect treats inside.🐜
📸: Zookeeper Sarah
Two for Boo! 👻 Now until Oct. 31st, when you purchase a membership, you receive two years of Zoo Goes Boo for the price of one! Enjoy an extra month of unlimited zoo visits and FREE admission to our spooktacular "Zoo Goes Boo" event next year. 🎃
Click the link to sign up for a membership today: shop.jbzoo.org/all/memberships
Blessing your feed with Chestnut nose wiggles
Nima and Dawa are red-y for their next adventure 🐾
Our one-year-old red panda siblings will soon be on the move as part of a recommendation from the Red Panda Species Survival Plan (SSP). Red panda cubs tend to stay with their mothers until they're fully grown, at about one year old. Wasabi's youngsters are now old enough to go off on their own to further help their species.
You still have a chance to see Nima and Dawa in the Red Panda habitat through Wednesday, September 25th. ❤️
Rearing Monarch Butterflies
From🐛 to🦋
This past spring, with the help of KCTC students and maintenance staff, a hoop house frame was installed, and ~500 milkweed plugs were planted in hopes of rearing monarch butterflies. Five female butterflies were collected, and over the course of a week they laid over 300 eggs. After hatching and feasting on milkweed, the caterpillars formed chrysalises. In less than two weeks in the chrysalis, the caterpillars complete their incredible transformation into butterflies.
After the butterflies emerge, KCTC students help photograph and measure 10% of the population’s forewings to compare their size and shape with wild monarchs. Once measured, the butterflies are released, and their flight direction is recorded using a method called "disappearance bearing" to assess their migratory orientation.
The butterflies are then tagged, swabbed for OE (parasites), and ready to be released on their next adventure.
Rock, Roar & Pour - Aug. 29th
You deserve a night out 🥳
Join us Thursday at our Rock, Roar & Pour event, a 21-and-up concert series featuring Main Street Dueling Pianos. Hold your giggles for this comedic performance, themed street performers, food trucks, and specialty drinks—all while strolling through animal habitats with no kids!
Visit our website to learn more: jbzoo.org/events/rockroarpour-mainstreetduelingpianos
