Nashville Zoo’s Post

Not all experiences need to be adrenaline-pumping and challenging. I always say the best experiences are the ones you grow from. And how can you not grow after you’ve come face to face with a red panda?! Did you know they're more closely related to raccoons and skunks than the giant pandas we're familiar with? 🐼 In this educational and heartwarming experience, you get to step into the role of a zookeeper, going behind the scenes to meet and feed the red pandas! Your private guide will lead you into their habitat, sharing fascinating insights about these precious wildlife creatures while you feed them their favorite snack - bamboo! It’s great for all ages, adults and children. This was one of the most popular experiences when I worked at IfOnly - the marketplace for extraordinary experiences before it was acquired by Mastercard. This zookeeper experience is not limited solely to the red pandas, although they are the most popular animals. Other popular zookeeper experiences include lemurs, baby penguins (a seasonal experience in Spring), giraffes, little critters and even reindeer during the holiday season! There’s even an ultimate zookeeper experience where you can spend the day with a zookeeper and meet multiple of your favorite zoo animals. 🌟 It warms my heart just thinking about this. The best part of this experience is that most of the proceeds directly support conservation efforts aimed at ensuring the survival of this species. 🌎 Is that not the best experience? (Literally, as I wrote this post, a big California raccoon scurried across my deck scaring the shit out of me. Ok, Universe I hear you! 😂) 🐼❤️ #experiences #redpanda

Kern CNPS field trips are open to everyone. We welcome you to join us as we learn about our native plants and their habitats. If you are skilled in plant identification, or a botanist, please identify yourself so you can help us all learn while we’re in the field. Note that the dates for field trips can change at any time or can be canceled entirely due to road closures or other unforeseen events. New events can be substituted as well. Please dress appropriately. We recommend that you wear long pants, boots or shoes you can hike in, a hat, and sunscreen. Also, bring food and water. We usually have lunch in the field. Bring your binoculars, camera, plant lists, and favorite field guide or technical references such as Kern County Flora by Maynard Moe. There are a number of digital wildflower apps you can download for your phone. See Digital Aids to Plant Identification. All trips are by reservation only, so we know whom to expect, and how many will be attending each field trip. Because there will be no car pooling, the number of vehicles and hence participants may be limited to the parking available. Please e-mail Paul Gipe at least two days before the field trip and indicate the names of those who will attend. Paul Gipe: pgipe@igc.org. IMPORTANT: If your or your party’s plans change and you will not be attending, it is critical for safety of the group that you call or e-mail the contact person and let them know you will not be there. We will provide details on the location where we will meet, the time we will meet, and what to expect on the field trip once you have made a reservation. All field trips begin in the morning and are usually finished by early afternoon. Note that some field trips are more than one hour from Bakersfield. #nativeplants #plantscience #conservation #CNPS #botany #nature #kerncounty #bakersfield #bakersfieldca

Where to Find Capybaras https://lnkd.in/g6_J_xTw Looking to find capybaras? This article guides you on where to locate these fascinating creatures, whether in wildlife parks, sanctuaries, farms, or online marketplaces. Discover various destinations and learn about capybara care. Embark on an exciting capybara-spotting adventure!

🦍 National Zookeeper Week 🦭 It has been wonderful to see so many posts - created by hardworking animal professionals and their zoo organisations - acknowledging and celebrating zookeepers around the world! So much has already been rightfully said about their devotion, working in all weather conditions, enduring physically demanding tasks, and needing to be masters of so many skills. 🌿🛠🛖 In this post, I wish to talk about a very specific part of this role: zookeeper's love. 💚 Love for the animals, often since childhood, that navigated them through years of balancing correct educational path with practical work experiences, countless CPDs, and volunteering. 💚 Love that pushes them to continue working on upskilling themselves even when already in the role, to help them give the animals the highest level of care the industry is recommending. From chainsaw CPD to #DMZAA and everything in between, the growth never stops. 💚 Love that helps them endure sad times inevitably linked to their calling, with animals dying (especially when it's the really young ones; that really shakes you up), or animals being poorly for a long time, or even seeing them move on to other collections - as part of the breeding recommendation. You are glad and sad at the same time. Indeed, in this role you often feel like a parent with many children, going through different celebrations and struggles with each of them, all at different stages, all at once. 🐅🐃🦚🐫🦑🐘🐢 I will always cherish my years of being a zookeeper, and all those that followed when I was in other roles but gladly stepped in to help - during lockdowns, staff illnesses, etc. - because that LOVE for the animals never stops. Those right individuals for this role are always here for our animal ambassadors, and the impact these professionals make on national and global level for these species speaks volumes. They just need to be reminded more, especially on days when everything seems to go pear-shaped! ⭐️ Thank you, wonderful zookeeper colleagues, for being a crucial part of animal care, conservation and research, and when educating and inspiring the general public to join the good fight for animals' survival. - Your work is changing and saving so many lives, and celebrating it will always be a big part of AweSIMe! #biaza #eaza #waza #animals #zoo #zookeeper #animalmanagement #animalwelfare #zookeeperweek

THE HORNBILL. Puzzled by the mysterious bird? Hornbill, renowned for its ‘casque’, unique nesting habits and sounds akin to cackling and roaring- they could be story telling; however, this is common during roosting. In some cultures, encountering a Hornbill is considered a symbol of good luck, protection and guidance. The Hornbill is often associated with wisdom, freedom and the spirit world. The Hornbill is usually found in Africa and Asia. In Kenya, Kakamega forest, you can spot a black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, but so rare is the sight, unless you are on a hunt for the birds or a deep adventure in the wild. The birds are greatly known, in some countries in Asia, as the harbinger of good luck, regarded as the sacred figure by many of the country’s indigenous groups and spotlight in the many local legends, traditional belief and folklore. The birds live in family clusters of up to a dozen, in the wild and sometimes in large groups. They are also known to feed on fruits and hence greatly contributing in seed dispersal. They are omnivorous; they can feed on flesh, they wouldn’t mind having a taste of tasty chicken wings or other insects and other small wildlife. At Hornbill Publishers, we function as potent seed dispersers for the finest fruits. We disrupt conventional publishing norms overshadowed by bureaucracy; instead, we tap into the essence of your work, disseminating its seeds to readers worldwide. Our aim is to impart knowledge and catalyse positive transformations in lives. They are monogamous! Speaks volumes about the level of trust in their relationship. Nevertheless, they mate for life; talk about commitment! At Hornbill publishers, upon submitting your manuscripts we give guided honest steps and timely updates on manuscript processing and royalties reimbursement. We also offer a close author-editor process, starting from manuscript submission, through manuscript development stages, and extending to a vast and varied approach in book marketing and sales. They are also known for mutualistic relationship with the dwarf mongoose; this is for enhanced foraging and protection from birds of prey. At Hornbill publishers; we partner with authors; in naturing talent, providing guided steps for materials that require support in the authorship process. This content holds the potential to influence readers and achieve notable success as a bestseller. Additionally, with emerging talent, we nurture authors through our author academy and mentorship programs. This cultivation process ultimately results in the widespread dispersal of seeds— impacting knowledge, literacy, and creativity. Black-and-white-casqued Hornbills are in peril of habitat loss and hunter’s catapult. In a free and democratic world, we offer you the opportunity to express profound thoughts, enlightening, critiquing, and contributing to societal change for the betterment of future generations. Welcome to Hornbill Publishers. info@hornbillpublishers.co.ke

Diving head first into Pollinator Week! 🐝 Bumble bees can gather food by vibrating. Using a technique called "buzz pollination," bumble bees will hold on to flower anthers that make pollen then quickly move muscles throughout their body to extract the pollen. The rapid motion also creates a buzzing sound. This way of pollinating is important for garden fruits and veggies like tomatoes and blueberries, but not all bees can buzz pollinate. Along with bumble bees, carpenter bees, mining and sweat bees are also good at buzz pollination. Honey bees, however, don't have the ability to shake pollen loose and aren't able to buzz pollinate. #conservation #pollinatorweek #iowa #bees

Nectar is a valuable food source for two groups of birds: 1) Hummingbirds, which is probably what we think of first, and 2) Neotropical migrants like Warblers and Orioles. Gardeners have been planting red, tube-shaped flowers for years hoping to attract hummingbirds, so this isn't a new concept to many of us. Thankfully there are a ton of great native options that our only hummingbird, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird, will thank you for providing in your yards. Some of the stand-out options include Cardinal Flower, Coral Honeysuckle, Trumpet Vine, Oswego Tea, and Royal Catchfly. It doesn't have to just be the bright-red flowers though. Hummingbirds will also readily nectar from any of the Beardtongues (Foxglove, Long-sepaled, Hairy), Wild Bergamot, and Great Blue Lobelia. Trees such as Ohio Buckeyes and Kentucky Coffee Trees are also great options as they bloom at the same time that hungry, tired hummingbirds are returning to Ohio. Speaking of trees, their flowers up in the canopy help refuel some of our other favorite neotropical migrants on their way through each spring. In addition to the aforementioned Kentucky Coffee Trees and Buckeyes, Black Willows and Tulip Trees are also good picks that provide plentiful nectar that birds can utilize. When your yard's trees are flowering this spring, take a moment to look up and see if you can catch a glimpse of any Baltimore Orioles or Cape May Warblers stopping for a drink! We hope you've enjoyed this series about providing Natural Bird Feeders! If you have any ideas for other topics you'd like to see us tackle, we'd love to hear from you below. #sciotogardens #nativeplantsnaturalbenefits #ohionative #nativegardening #ecologicalgardening #ohiogardening #naturalbirdfeeders #nectarforbirds #nectarforhummingbirds #neotropicalmigrants #warblers #Orioles #birds #GardeningForBirds

Does a bee collect nectar from one type of plant or from different ones? Answer: As necessary Domestic bees, due to the huge size of their families (tens of thousands of individuals), usually focus on mass-flowering species. It is these sources of nectar that scout bees look for and send teams of foragers to them. As a result, the combs are filled almost exclusively with honey from nectar collected from a single species. This allows beekeepers to separate linden, buckwheat, sweet clover and other honeys. However, a meadow can have many species of plants blooming at the same time and visited by bees. Honey from mixed sources is sold under the names “meadow”, “mountain”, “May”. #SamirOnLinkedIn #funfact #funfacts #honey #bees

Just like dogs, all breeds have a lot in common, but each breed will have its own unique general characteristics. Learn more about the different types of bees in this blog post: https://bit.ly/3OIDzOX #foxhoundbeeco #beekeeping #beekeepingtips

In an effort to increase our native plant selection, check out this new addition to our inventory: Rubus odoratus; Flowering Raspberry Large, maple-shaped leaves on thornless stems. Pink rose-like flowers are attractive and fragrant, continually emerging from mid-spring through summer, followed by edible fruit. Speads to form colonies, especially along moist woodlines. Valuable wildlife plant providing food and shelter to all sorts of pollinators and birds. NATIVE.