Happy Birthday Sparky!

On Sunday we celebrated Sparky the sea lion's 18th birthday. Chino, Sparky's pool mate, came down at the end of the show and the entire audience sang happy birthday while Chino barked along. Sparky was born here at Como Zoo and is the first female Sparky to perform at Como in the 51 years that the Sparky show has been running.

Chino, being new to training, is not too sure of the adoring fans that flood the amphitheater, our plan is to incorporat him into the shows, but for now he's just getting used to everything. His eyes were as big as saucers when the audience starting singing happy birthday, but he stayed focused and finished the show with a wave.

Sparky sat up on her rock and gladly let everyone wish her a happy birthday.

AZA & Animal Planet Commercial

Year of the Frog

Como Celebrates the Year of the Frog

Eureka!

New recycling containers have been delievered to Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Eureka Recycling has set up a new program at the Zoo and Conservatory. Plastic, glass, aluminum cans along with milk cartons and juice boxes can be recycled in these new containers. Also learn about recycling at the new Sparky show.

Summer Reading Kick-Off

Summer reading has finally started at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. On Thursday, June 4th MELSA kicked off the summer reading program. Events and activities included primate enrichment, DJ, face painting, puppet show and many others. This year's theme was "Look Whats Cookin." Though out the day you could see guests walking around the grounds wearing their own chief hats. Even the primates had their own hats and tee shirts to celebrate the day.

Blooming Butterflies

Happy Half Birthday Jaya!

Friday the 13th is a good day for the zookeepers. Today Jaya the male orangutan turns 6 months old! He had a precarious start, being born by C-section at the University of Minnesota and being raised by zoo keepers for the first 12 days of his life. We held him around the clock wearing a fake fur vest for him to cling to, feeding him bottles of formula and recording notes on his bowel movements, urination, and hiccups. The late night shifts made it particularily tough to stay awake as you watched him snooze on your chest so peacefully. Finally on Christmas Day, he was successfully introduced to his mother. We are all glad to see that he has grown and thrived in the first 6 months. Jaya will now venture away from mom Markisa for short periods climbing ropes or the mesh of the holding area, as well as put everything into his mouth, much like human infants. He is one of the cutest babies I've seen in a while. The orangutans are now on their outside exhibit and can usually be found lounging with fabric or a swimming pool over their heads for relief from the busy day. They do have the ability to go inside if they choose, so if you don't see them outside, they'll be inside hamming it up in front of the exhibit glass.