Animal Enrichment Day!

By Brooke Coe, Education Specialist & AAZK Member

Have you ever seen the tiger cub stalk a frozen shrimp pop or watched a giraffe use its 18 inch-long tongue to scoop fruit treats from an enrichment tube? How about ground hornbills chasing crickets? Now is your chance to take an active role in a zoo animal’s enrichment!

Why do we do this? Enrichment is an item or activity that is not part of the “routine” of an animal. It is something used to get them up and active, stimulate natural behaviors that you would see out in the wild, stretch their cognitive abilities, and simply to give the animals something new and fun to do! It is extremely beneficial for the livelihood and well-being of animals in captivity and contributes to longer, happy lives. Every animal in the Zoo is enriched, and zookeepers are constantly coming up with new, creative ideas for the zoo residents.

On Saturday, September 25th from 10 am to 2 pm, the Sacramento Zoo’s American Association of Zookeepers, Greater Sacramnto AAZK, will be hosting an enrichment day! It is an opportunity for the visitors to purchase pre-made enrichment items for animals throughout the zoo, and the guests get to watch as the animal eats, plays with, or destroys that item right then.

Visit our table a the front of the Zoo and see a wide range of enrichments to choose from, and also a variety of different animals to enrich! The proceeds from this event will be used to benefit your local AAZK chapter and also the Conservation Committee, which sponsors numerous local and world-wide conservation organizations such as Snow Leopard Trust and the Riparian Brush Rabbit Project. Come out and join us in enriching your favorite Zoo animal!

Zoo Treks - A Hippo in the Garden?

By Mary Healy, Zoo Director

“Excuse me for interrupting your dinner, but there is a hippo in the garden.” Thankfully I was not at home when my dinner partners and I were given this message. We were in Botswana in the middle of our 16-day African excursion that started in Cape Town and ended at Victoria Falls in Zambia.

The Sacramento Zoo offers a variety of trips from time to time. Previous venues have included Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. The itinerary for this trip was developed by Classic Escapes and I served as the tour leader. Starting in Cape Town was especially exciting this year as the whole country geared up for the World Cup. Who knew that those silly horns sold in every airport gift shop would prove to be so obnoxious?

Highlights in Cape Town were the Black foot penguins at Boulders Beach and driving the beautiful highway along the Cape of Good Hope. We left Cape Town for the wilds of Botswana where we stayed in luxury tented camps. It is hard to single out the top animal experience but being in a small motor boat sharing the river with elephant and hippos is pretty near the top of the list.

From Botswana we flew to Namibia for two nights before finishing up in Zambia. Our last camp was a glorious finale. We awakened in the morning seeing the mist from the Zambezi River before embarking on a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls.

Support CA museums with Snoopy!

By Jessica Goldman, Membership Assistant

Everyone’s favorite peppy pup, Snoopy, may soon be featured on California license plates as part of a statewide effort to establish and fund a grant for California museums and other attractions—like the Sacramento Zoo!

Jean Schulz—widow of Snoopy’s creator, Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz—is lending Snoopy’s likeness royalty-free to get the grant program going. Proceeds from plate sales will be collected by the State of California and distributed through a competitive process to area attractions.

Want a pup plate of your own? Log on to http://www.snoopyplate.com/ and register your interest. Once 7,500 beagle boosters are listed, the plate will go into production for only $50 each. Support the Zoo and your state—get a plate!

Donate at a Wells Fargo ATM

By Meagan Edwards, Development Specialist


Donating to the Sacramento Zoo just got easier for Wells Fargo customers! The Sacramento Zoo is one of six charities selected for the launch of Wells Fargo’s new program which allows customers to donate to a charity while at the ATM.

When you visit a Northern California Wells Fargo ATM, just choose “Donate to Charity” on the main menu screen and follow the instructions to send an automated donation to the Sacramento Zoo. Choose from any of your Wells Fargo accounts, and donate any amount up to $249.99.

This pilot program launches on today, so be sure to check out this new, easy way to send a donation to the Sacramento Zoo!