The Maryland Zoo

It's OKTOBear month! Tickets to the region's largest fall festival are going fast. Join us on the 19th and 20th for music, food, craft drinks, and amazing animal experiences. https://lnkd.in/e_8r4ewY

Go deeper into our mission that ensures the wellbeing of animals - both in our care and in the wild. We provided footage for this excellent new video from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. #ItsInOurNature #conservation #allforanimals #animalwellbeing #zoo #baltimore #marylandzoo #maryland.

From homebase in Baltimore, our work to save animals and their native habitats fans out through communities around the world. https://lnkd.in/eR-F_wc8 Association of Zoos and Aquariums Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) #conservation #animalconservation #allforanimals Elephants for Africa

On Setpember 21, join us for giveaways of native trees, shrubs & wildflowers as we spotlighting Maryland wildlife and agriculture. https://lnkd.in/gZ43cQQF Come for the zookeeper chats and animal training demos. Stay for the delicious bird-safe coffee and pig-bowling. #conservationday #conservation #nativespecies Association of Zoos and Aquariums #wildlife #maryland #midatlantic

African penguin #821, known for generations as “Mr. Greedy,” was euthanized recently following an age-related decline in his health. At 33 years, he was the oldest penguin in our colony. During his long life, Mr. Greedy (Spheniscus demersus) made a tremendous contribution to his endangered species with an astounding 230 descendants through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums African Penguin Species Survival Plan© (SSP). As our Bird Curator and Program Leader for the African Penguin SSP, Jen Kottyan said, “This one bird was incredibly important to the continued existence of African penguins throughout the world. It’s tough to lose an animal who has been such a welcome presence at our Zoo for three decades, but all of us are proud that he is survived by five generations of offspring. Mr. Greedy is pictured, below. He's on the left-hand side of this group with the most spots on his chest. Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) #penguins #Africanpenguins #conservation

Labor Day isn't the end of summer. It's the beginning of fall event season! https://lnkd.in/eEQdnCga Wild Water Splash Days kicks it off on August 21 - September 1 followed by Fatal Fauna - a murder mystery dinner party to die for! On weekends in October, Zoo Boo and Trunk or Treat (October 17) provide a fun, safe way for kids to celebrate Halloween. It's the adults' turn to cut loose on October 19th and 20th when OktoBEARfest, the region's largest craft beer festival, returns with beer, bands, and activities throughout the Zoo. Work the calories off with friends at the Zoo Zoom Zombie Run on October 26th.

We helped create the Namibian Center for the Conservation of Seabirds (NAMCOB for short). Jess Phillips, one of our bird specialists, is there as acting director while the international search for a perment Executive Director continues. Last week, experts from the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) joined Jess at NAMCOB to train first responders how to capture, stabilize, and transport injured birds - including those who become coated in oil as a result of commercial shipping in the coastal waters. As fate would have it, during the workshop they received a call about an oil-covered juvenile penguin found near the Namibia/South Africa border. They were able to transport the bird to NAMCOB and stabilized it with tubing electrolytes and formula. We're happy to report that the bird is getting stronger each day and will be re-released once it is well enough. This exemplifies why Maryland Zoo is a founding member of NAMCOB, along with SANCCOB, the Debmarine-Namdeb Foundation, Namibian Chamber of Environment, Namibia Nature Foundation, and the Namibia-based African Penguin Conservation Project, among many others. When the center is fully built-out it will be able to perform this invaluable work on a much larger scale. In the meantime, it already has rangers living on the coastal islands where seabird colonies are in a precipitous decline. As Jess puts it, “The fact that we’re already getting rangers out to the islands ASAP means we can rescue sick or injured juveniles and adults to help them survive when they may not, otherwise. This will have a big impact on the population. But it also speeds up the need to fully build the seabird rescue center back on the mainland, which will allow us to rescue eggs and chicks.” Association of Zoos and Aquariums World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)

Fatal Fauna is a masquerade ball and decadent dinner where the main course is... murder! Our first-ever mystery dinner will be, when else? Friday the 13th of September. https://lnkd.in/eDCDenKs The evening kicks off with a masquerade ball, but something goes awry and it’s up to you to solve the mystery! Trade clues with fellow guests, gather information, and work together to catch the masked menace before they slip away.

The people have spoken! We asked you to choose the name of our newest chimpanzee from three possiblities: Astrid, Iris, and Ivy. And the winner is… Ivy. Baby Ivy was born to Rozi (pronounced ROSE-ee) as part of a recommendation by Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival plan. A few weeks after Ivy’s birth, the Zoo’s animal care staff noticed a decline in the infant's health and became concerned that she was not receiving enough of her mother’s milk. The Zoo's veterinarians were able to stabilize her and keepers are pleased with Ivy’s progress. Ivy is still living behind the scenes until she is old enough to be introduced to other members of Maryland Zoo’s chimpanzee troop - a slow process that will take place over the next several months.  Click here for a slide show of Ivy: https://lnkd.in/ewT8TfbA

Our #zookeepers are at the heart of everything we do - from animal well-being on our campus to wildlife conservation actions around the world. This video shows how their professionalism and expertise ensures the animals are healthy, happy, and thriving - from enriching exercises to health checks. The American Association of Zoo Keepers Association of Zoos and Aquariums