ZOO to YOU
Catch up with the latest news at LRZ with articles, press releases, and other fun updates
written and created by Zoo Staff.
Zoo Mourns Passing of Siamang
Image: Zoli, a male siamang, rests in the grass.
Lee Richardson Zoo staff are mourning the passing of Zoli, a 17-year-old siamang. Zoli was found deceased by staff on the morning of Friday, September 13th. Staff had transported Zoli to the Animal Health Facility the afternoon before after witnessing abnormal behavior in his regular habitat in Wild Asia. Veterinary and Animal Care Staff examined, worked with, and monitored him throughout the afternoon and into the late evening. They were relieved to see Zoli acting “himself” once more after food, fluids, and medication. Unfortunately, Zoli appeared to have passed in his sleep overnight and was discovered by staff checking in the next morning.
Zoli was successfully hand-reared by Zoo Staff in Kentucky after both his parents had died unexpectedly. He joined us at the Zoo in 2017, and in 2020, was paired with female siamang Violet as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Siamang. The pair successfully had a daughter, Raya, who was born in May of 2023.
Preliminary necropsy (animal autopsy) results showed signs of heart disease, however further test results are pending.
“Zoli was one of my favorite animals that I have worked with in my career. We built a trustful and positive relationship. Despite his sometimes-tough exterior, he could be very gentle and patient. This was especially evident in his relationship with his daughter Raya. He was always willing to entertain her childish antics and could often be seen sharing his snacks and playing with her. He will be greatly missed by the staff here at Lee Richardson Zoo,” said Lead Keeper Isabelle Fricano.
Veterinary and Animal Staff have checked in on both Violet and Raya and have noticed no concerns. Staff will continue to provide the pair with all they need as they adjust to Zoli’s departure.
Native to Sumatra and Malaysia, siamangs are an endangered lesser ape. They are highly adapted for life in the trees and well known for their call, which can be heard for miles. Destruction of the rainforests that they live in is the main cause of their predicament. You can help siamangs in the wild by purchasing products that use sustainably produced palm oil, which does not contribute to the destruction of the rainforests.
August's Pic of the Month
The Staff Pic of the Month is selected by the Zoo Advisory Board.
August's winning submission was entered by Emily Sexson, Communication Specialist with a picture of the Bison.
Congratulations Emily!
Celebrating Vultures
- Emily Sexson, Communication Specialist
Image: Turkey vultures perch in one of the trees in the zoo.
Labor Day has come and gone, and the zoo has returned to our regular operating hours of 8 am to 5 pm. As the fall season approaches, you probably have already noticed the changes taking place outside. One thing that I notice each year is the departure of some of my favorite migratory birds, including Mississippi kites and Turkey vultures. International Vulture Awareness Day is the first Saturday of September, which means this Saturday, September 7th, is a day we can stop and appreciate the vultures in our area and around the world.
The most common type of vulture you will see in Southwest Kansas is the turkey vulture, a large bird of prey with black plumage (feathers) and a striking bald, red head. These birds are partial migrants, spending their summers breeding and nesting in the more northern and central states; they head further south in the fall to avoid the cold. There are 23 existing species of vulture (including condors). Vultures can be split into two groups: the Old-World vultures, which include 16 species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia, and the seven species of New-World vultures, which are found only in North and South America. They vary in shape and size, but all feature a bald head, which is believed to help keep them clean as they scavenge for carrion (dead animals) and keep them cool.
Vultures truly are the cleanup crew of their habitats. They are covered from head to toe with unique adaptations that allow them to thrive on diets most other animals couldn’t. One thing that gives them an advantage as a scavenger is their highly acidic and corrosive stomach acid. While others would not survive after eating a carcass infected with botulinum toxin, anthrax bacteria, cholera, and other lethal bacteria, the vulture’s stomach is made for it. Additionally, New World vultures will urinate on their own legs to kill the bacteria that they collect from feeding on carcasses.
Sure, a lot of what these birds do is absolutely disgusting, but it is also absolutely necessary. Imagine a world without our scavenger friends, where the carcasses of dead animals are left to collect and fester. Not only would that be unsightly, it would also be dangerous, spreading disease to other animals and humans alike. Studies have shown that in areas where vulture populations have been depleted, populations of rabid feral dogs have increased to fill their role, creating more issues and harm than the vultures ever could.
While populations of Turkey Vultures are stable, other species, such as the California condor and the African vulture, are critically endangered. They are threatened by poisoning, poaching, and habitat loss. The African vulture has a SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and more information about conservation efforts for this species can be found at www.aza.org/safe-species. Another great resource for vulture conservation is the Vulture Conservation Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting Europe’s Bearded, Cinerous, Egyptian, and Griffon vultures; they can be found at www.4vultures.org. To learn about the California Condor Recovery Program, a multi-entity effort led by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, visit www.fws.gov.
In the meantime, see if you can spot any turkey vultures the next time you are out and about. They’re most active in the mornings and evenings and can be seen soaring high above, floating on air currents in groups known as “kettles”, or maybe you’ll see one or two forming a “wake” on the side of the road, helping us clean up some roadkill. No matter what, have a happy International Vulture Awareness Day this Saturday! For more animal fun facts and zoo info, visit our website at www.leerichardsonzoo.org.
Back to School
- Alyssa Mechler, Conservation Awareness Manager
We are rolling into September and with that most kids are back at school! That means changes at the Zoo, too. Hours change, Keeper Chats change, and Animal Encounters come to an end. Some animals may become more active as the weather cools, while others might choose to hunker down. However, with school starting up that means the Zoo gets busy in a whole new way with ZooMobiles, Education Center programs, and Virtual Trips.
Starting September 2nd, the Zoo’s hours will transition back to 8:00 am – 5:00 pm with our drive through closing at 4:00 pm. Wild Wednesdays will still be happening monthly on the first Wednesday of each month through October. Don’t forget Wild Wednesdays are the day you can drive through the Zoo for free!
Throughout the summer we host a variety of opportunities, and once school starts, those opportunities change. September 1st will be your last day to enjoy Giraffe and Rhino Encounters for the year. Make sure to stop by from 10:00 am to 11:00 am to feed a giraffe, and 11:00 am to 11:30 am to feed a rhinoceros! We will also be witch back to Keeper Chats on weekends only starting September 1st. We, of course, will share our updated Keeper Chat schedule on our website and around the Zoo. It’s a great time to chat with a keeper about your favorite animals!
The Conservation Awareness Team is excited for school to be back in session because that means programs! If you’re a teacher in the Garden City or Holcomb area, make sure to reach out to our department at zoo.education@gardencityks.us to book your free program. We visit each class up to 3 times per year to supplement your lessons with animals and biofacts. Planning a field trip to the Zoo? Book your free Education Center program for your visit, meet an educator, meet some animals, and discuss some fun topics. If you aren’t in the area, that’s okay. We offer Virtual Trips through our Distance Learning Studio and bring the Zoo to you! We love visiting with kids from all over the world and sharing the Zoo with them. We hope to see you at the Zoo at a program soon!
Want to learn more about what the Zoo has to offer? Make sure to check out our social media. Just search Lee Richardson Zoo or visit our website at www.leerichardsonzoo.org. We hope everyone has a safe and fun school year.
Image: turtle neck dove "Charlie" swings on a perch next to a "Back to School" sign.
Roll With It
- Andrea Flores, Education Aide
When people think of this animal, two things may come to mind. Either this creature came right out of a horror film, or it is absolutely adorable! No matter how you may see them, Lee Richardson Zoo thinks the latter whenever armadillos are around! Our ambassador, Maya, the three-banded armadillo, often steals our educators’ hearts whenever she is included in programs. If you think armadillos are not as cute as some people think, then we hope to convince you otherwise.
Armadillo is a Spanish word meaning “little armored one” and refers to the bony plates that cover the back, head, legs, and tail of most of these odd-looking creatures. Armadillos are the only living mammals that wear such shells. Contrary to popular belief, not all armadillos are able to fully encase themselves in their shells. Three-banded armadillos are the only armadillos that can roll into a complete ball to protect their soft bellies from predators. Six and nine-banded armadillos, unfortunately, cannot curl completely into a ball but when they do curl up, it looks like a poor attempt at a sit-up.
Armadillos are also nocturnal. They sleep up to 16 hours during the day, usually in burrows they dig themselves. At night, they engage in many activities like foraging, eating, and burrowing. Armadillos spend more time foraging than most mammals. Doing so helps aerate the soil and contribute to nutrient cycling, which improves the health of swamp ecosystems.
Their prolific digging also helps keep insect populations in check, as they are the armadillos’ favorite treat. A three-banded armadillo uses its long, sharp front claws to dig into termite mounds to feast on the insects inside. It also uses them to break open tree bark to snack on beetle larvae. Those claws are terrific eating instruments!
At the Lee Richardson Zoo, three-banded armadillo Maya is quite popular when she participates in programs. Some of our favorite things about Maya are the way she walks like she’s wearing high heels, the click of her claw on hard pavement sound like heels. Her curiosity and the way she drinks water, she sticks her whole nose under the water and uses her tongue to slurp up water only occasionally coming up for air! We absolutely love working with Maya and enjoy how she steals hearts around schools and the community.
If you’d like to have the chance to learn more about armadillos, feel free to book a program with the Lee Richardson Zoo and see Maya live! This program can be geared for any age and requires a minimum of 10 guests to schedule. Our educators work very hard and would love to meet anyone from our community to impart information that can benefit armadillos and other animals found at the zoo. You can give us a call at 620-276-1250 or email us at zoo.education@gardencityks.us to book a program. We only ask for at least a two weeks’ notice to organize a program for you. We hope to see you soon! For more information on programs you can visit www.leerichardsonzoo.org.
Image: Maya the three-banded armadillo.
Are Lizards Going Back to School?
- Alice Nelson, Education Specialist
Image: "Rupert" the leopard gecko gazes at their own reflection. Photo by Elizabeth T. Animal Keeper
August 14th, 2024 was not just the first day for students heading back to USD 457 classes. It was also this year’s World Lizard Day! What is World Lizard Day? And what did it have to do with returning to school?
World Lizard Day is a day that is celebrated internationally to raise awareness of the world’s lizard species and their importance. There are over 6,900 species of lizards in the world currently described by the scientific community. With such a vast number of species, the diversity is breathtaking. The diversity in size is represented by the jaguar dwarf gecko, less than an inch long and weighing in at 0.13 grams, to the largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, which can grow to ten feet long and weighing in at 150 pounds. All continents, except Antarctica, have their share of lizards. Unfortunately, many lizards, like one in five species of all reptile species, are dangerously close to extinction. One way to help preserve lizards and other reptiles is to learn about them and their challenges and appreciate the role they play in the environment.
To that end, let us meet our ambassador leopard gecko, Rupert. This small lizard, reaching about 8 inches in length from nose to tail, has a yellow back with a white belly and is covered in irregular black spots. This gecko has eyelids and claws, not sticky toe pads, to be better adapted to its mostly desert habitat. One noticeable feature of Rupert is her long and fat tail. Members of this gecko family use their tail to store fat at times when food or water is not available. The tail can also spontaneously drop to distract their predators and hopefully get away. The tail will eventually grow back but will never look the same. The dropping of the tail is only done in extreme circumstances because, without their tail, they are defenseless and without a stored supply of fat. Rupert turns eight years old this fall. In human care, leopard geckos can live to be 15-20 years old normally, but some have lived up to 30 years! We hope that Rupert will continue to show people some of the diversity of lizards for many years to come.
Another lizard ambassador at the Lee Richardson Zoo is Ronald, our inland bearded dragon. Ronald is considerably larger than Rupert, at nearly 20 inches in length. This sandy-colored lizard can change colors when angry, scared, or sunning. Their spiny “beards” will often get puffed out and turn black when agitated. The colors they turn generally range from a pale white to a dark black, passing through a yellowish tan color. Inland bearded dragons also have a series of spines down their sides and smaller spines on their tail to protect themselves from predators. Unlike the leopard gecko, the inland bearded dragon cannot shed or regenerate its tail. Unlike the leopard gecko, who only eats insects, the inland bearded dragon eats a wide variety of foods, from insects and small vertebrates to fruits, flowers, and other plants. Ronald is turning three years old this month. In human care, inland bearded dragons live to be about 10 years old.
How can you visit these amazing lizard ambassadors? The truth is that you can’t just walk into the zoo and meet these two ambassadors. Both our lizard ambassadors live behind the scenes at the Finnup Center for Conservation Education. Education programs, such as story time, birthday programs, field trip programs, etc. that feature an ambassador may showcase one of our lizards. These ambassadors can also be brought to school programs! So, fear not, just as students are returning to USD 457 schools, our lizard ambassadors may be coming to a school near you!
The Real Lion Story
- Kristi Newland, Zoo Director
Image: African lion"Razi" walks through their habitat.
We’ve all heard stories about lions. There’s the lion and the lamb, Mufasa and Simba and their family and friends, the lion with the thorn in his paw, and many more. But do you know the real story of the lion? Saturday, August 10th, is World Lion Day. This is a day aimed to raise awareness about the situation faced by lions in the wild and to raise support for their conservation. Lee Richardson Zoo will be recognizing World Lion Day on Saturday from 9 am to 11 am at the lion habitat.
Lions are called the ‘king of the Jungle’ and have a powerful roar. It’s a roar that can be heard up to five miles away. The lion is the second largest cat, next to the tiger. Adults can weigh around 300 to 600 pounds. They are the only social cat and live in groups called prides. Prides can range in size from 2 to 40 individuals. An adult male can be identified by a heavy mane. The mane grows darker as the male grows older. After males mature, they leave the pride they were born into to compete to take over another pride. Males defend the pride’s territory. Female lions typically stay with the same pride for their entire life. Young lion cubs are born with spots on their coats. These spots fade away as they grow older. The cubs of a pride are raised together by all the females of the pride. The females also work together to do the majority of the hunting. Lions sleep for up to 20 hours a day. Lions easily adjust to seeing in the dark, so many hunts are done during the night or early in the morning.
African lions could once be found in large populations, but over roughly the last 30 years the lion population in Africa has been nearly cut in half. Due to the decline, the lions of West Africa are classified as Critically Endangered, and lions elsewhere in Africa are considered Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN estimates there are fewer than 25,000 lions left in the wild. At the current rate, African lions could be extinct in the wild by 2050.
Lions have lost around 92% of their historic range in Africa. Conflict with humans is one of their greatest threats. Humans and lions, as well as other animals, are competing for the same finite amount of space. As apex predators, lions compete for some of the same food humans want. Humans may view lions as a threat to their livestock and take preventive or retaliatory measures. Mismanaged hunting, i.e. trophy hunting, also plays a role. Lions are also victims of the illegal wildlife trade, with poachers targeting them due to the value of their bones and other body parts on the illegal market.
Many organizations are working to help save the lion. Some are setting up and patrolling protected reserves or helping people find ways to live alongside the lion. If you’d like to learn more about lion conservation, you can visit the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ SAFE African Lion Program (AZA.org) or Lion Guardians (lionguardians.org) or visit Lee Richardson Zoo. Come by the zoo and have a roaring good time!
Sloth Bears are Back!
- Houston Glover, Conservation Awareness Coordinator
Image: "Harper" & "Kelce", explore their habitat.
When you visit the zoo this weekend, you may just see a pair of new faces. Sloth Bears are back in Garden City! Our two newest residents are “Kelce” and “Harper,” a pair of twin bear brothers who just arrived last week and are settling into their habitat in Wild Asia. The boys were born last January at the Philadelphia Zoo and were named after Philly sports stars Jason Kelce and Bryce Harper. At one-and-a-half years old, Kelce and Harper were just the right age to leave their mom Kayla and are ready for their new adventure in Kansas. We’re thrilled to welcome Kelce and Harper to Lee Richardson Zoo! Today, I thought I would share some tips on what to look for as you observe these rambunctious rascals.
First things first: can you actually see them? While the bears are getting used to their new home, they will have “full access” most of the time. In zoo speak, that means the door to their indoor den will be left open for them to come in and out as they please. This option is very important at this stage so that if they become overwhelmed, they can retreat inside and build their confidence back before venturing back out. Plus, with as hot as this week has been, it’s good to have a place to cool off. As young as they are, they also enjoy a midday nap. If you can’t see them though, don’t worry. Circle back later in your visit and try again.
Second, once you see the bears, is there a way to tell them apart? Well, like most siblings, there are a lot of visual similarities between the two, but there are a few key differences. The easiest things to look for are their chest markings. All sloth bears have a whiteish patch on their upper chest that is visible when they rear up or sit down. Kelce’s patch is a complete ring, like the letter ‘O,’ while Harper’s is open at the top like a ‘U.’ They also have vastly different personalities, as Kelce is bold and adventurous, and Harper is more cautious and reserved.
The best thing about watching these bears is the number of unique natural behaviors that they display in their habitat. Tree climbing is a common behavior in young bears, and it serves to strengthen their muscles and get them out of reach of predators. You might also see the boys using their long claws to shed the bark off of logs. This is the main way sloth bears look for food in the wild! About half of a wild sloth bear’s diet is insects, and tearing bark is a great way to find them. The last behavior I want to tell you about is called a “bluff charge.” Sloth bears are notoriously aggressive in the wild, mostly because they share their habitat with Bengal tigers. Adult bears are strong enough to hold their own against a tiger, but they’d much rather scare the cat off and avoid a fight. This is where bluff charges come in. If a bear senses danger, it will run at the threat and huff warningly, in an attempt to intimidate the foe. You may see our bear boys bluff charge as they encounter new items in their enclosure. It’s not going to work very well against inanimate objects, but they seem to think it’s worth a try!
If you’re looking for something to do this Saturday afternoon, please join us for a housewarming event at the sloth bear enclosure, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. We will have activities and enrichment for both the bears and our guests, as well as a Keeper Chat and a Discovery cart with some cool bear artifacts to see and touch. If you’d like to get Kelce and Harper a new toy or other welcome gift, they are registered on Amazon. Visit leerichardsonzoo.org/slothbearhousewarming for more details.