In 2010 we opened a new exhibit Dragons!, a new and improved Children’s Zoo and a brand new Cheetah Encounter facility. We mourned the loss of Akilah, our beloved giraffe, and Nikki’s rhino calf, who lived less than one day (read rhino pregnancy blog posts.) We celebrated the birth of two bonobos, the release of two rehabilitated manatees, the arrival of three new manatees, scientific achievements and the remarkable success of our cell phone recycling program!
Thanks to our fantastic videographer, Pat Story, we captured most of the year’s highlights on video. Here are my picks for the top 10 zoo stories of 2010. What were your favorite zoo experiences this year?
1. Bonobo Babies – Outside for the first time!
2. Greenest Zoo in America – Thane Maynard narrates this “green” tour of the Zoo.
3. Manatee Released in Florida – Former resident of Manatee Springs, Slip, swims off with his new tracking gear!
4. Cincinnati Opera Returns to the Zoo – Wonderful voices in Wings of Wonder amphitheater.
5. Nikki’s Pregnancy – Historically significant as the first live birth of an Indian rhino using frozen sperm to AI the mother. Sadly, the calf lived less than one day.
6. New Cheetah Encounter – Thane & Cathryn Hilker show us around the new facility.
7. Dragons! Exhibit Opens – Featuring Hudo the Komodo dragon.
8. New & Improved Children’s Zoo – Home to Little Penguins, Goats, Llama, Alpaca, the Nursery & a play area where kids can pretend to “be the animal!”
9. Cell Phone Recycling Program – We collected 10, 355 phones!!
10. New Silverback Gorilla, Kwashi, meets the Females in his Group
Great way to advertise what the zoo has to offer. It also makes some kids want to go back – they know they won’t see the same
things!!!
Thank you! I had a hard time limiting the list to just ten.