Carolina Parakeet

(Wikipedia) The Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States. It was found from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf of Mexico, and lived in old forests along rivers. It was the only species at the time classified in the genus Conuropsis. It was called puzzi la née ("head of yellow") or pot pot chee by the Seminole and kelinky in Chikasha (Snyder & Russell, 2002).
The last wild specimen was killed in Okeechobee County, Florida in 1904, and the last captive bird died at the Cincinnati Zoo on 21 February 1918. Continued

 

Shanthi, the National Zoo's Musical Elephant, Plays the Harmonica

Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing

(Wikipedia) - Ling-Ling (1969 - December 30th, 1992) and Hsing-Hsing (1970 - 99) were two Giant Pandas given to the United States as gifts by the government of China following President Richard Nixon's visit in 1972. In return, the U.S. government sent China a pair of musk oxen.
They arrived at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., on April 16, 1972, at a ceremony attended by First Lady Pat Nixon. While at the zoo, they attracted millions of visitors each year. Continued

Photo: Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing, Smithsonian.

Plumpton Park Zoo is now open every day of the week

(BANV) The new owners of the Plumpton Park Zoo in Rising Sun are now keeping it open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily to entice visitors to the 25-year-old zoo they purchased from its aging founder Ed Plumstead. Plumstead closed it this past summer following a USDA inspection that turned up some problems with the animals’ care and condition. Cheryl and Nichlas Lacovara, of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, who were longtime fans of the zoo and exotic animal enthusiasts themselves, bought the zoo and enlisted the help of a team of volunteers to renovate it. Continued

Alexander Wetmore

(Wikipedia) Frank Alexander Wetmore (June 18, 1886 North Freedom, Wisconsin – December 7, 1978 Glen Echo, Maryland) was an American ornithologist and avian paleontologist. ... Wetmore began federal service in 1910, working for the Biological Survey of the Department of Agriculture.
In 1915, he researched the use of lead shot in causing death in waterfowl. His paleontological research led to his work on the fossil birds Palaeochenoides mioceanus and Nesotrochis debooyi.
In 1924, Wetmore joined the Smithsonian Institution as the superintendent of the National Zoological Park in Washington. In 1925, Wetmore was appointed assistant secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, becoming secretary between 1945 and 1952. Continued

Museum Day offers knowledge for no cost

(MSNBC) What do Michael Jackson’s guitar-shaped belt buckle, an ivory telescope and a rotary jail have in common?
They’re just a few of the unusual objects visitors can see for free on Sept. 25 during Smithsonian magazine's Museum Day. More than 1,300 museums, planetariums, zoos and other attractions around the country will be offering free admission — for two — to anyone who presents a voucher. Continued

Jumbo The Elephant

(Wikipedia) Jumbo The Elephant (1861 - September 15, 1885) was a very large African bush elephant, born 1861 in French Sudan, imported to a Paris zoo, transferred to the London Zoo in 1865, and sold in 1882 to P. T. Barnum, for the circus. The giant elephant's name has spawned the common word "jumbo" as meaning large in size. ... Jumbo died at a train marshalling yard in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, where he was crushed by a locomotive. A life-size statue of the elephant in St. Thomas commemorates the tragedy. Continued

Lazy American Panda Shapes Up in China

(Slate) When Tai Shan, the Washington-born panda formerly known to the Internet as "Butterstick," was repatriated to China this past winter, the National Zoo called his departure "bittersweet" and said that he was a "true ambassador for the giant panda species." According to a report from the Xinhua News Agency, his new keepers at the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, in Sichuan, were not as impressed by him as a representative of his kind: Continued

Red Panda Born at the National Zoo

(National Zoo) It was love at first sight for Shama and Tate, the Zoo's red pandas, and now, nearly a year and a half after they were introduced, the pair has a cub as evidence of their strong bond. On June 16, Shama gave birth to a single cub—the first for both of the Zoo’s red pandas and the first red panda cub born at the Zoo's D.C. campus in 15 years.
Three-year-old Tate came to the Zoo from the Nashville Zoo in February 2009 to breed with two-year-old Shama as recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ red panda Species Survival Plan, which manages breeding in order to maintain a genetically diverse zoo population. Continued

Carolina Parakeet

(Wikipedia) The Carolina Parakeet (Conuropsis carolinensis) was the only parrot species native to the eastern United States. It was found from the Ohio Valley to the Gulf of Mexico, and lived in old forests along rivers. It was the only species at the time classified in the genus Conuropsis. It was called puzzi la née ("head of yellow") or pot pot chee by the Seminole and kelinky in Chikasha (Snyder & Russell, 2002).
The last wild specimen was killed in Okeechobee County, Florida in 1904, and the last captive bird died at the Cincinnati Zoo on 21 February 1918. Continued

Video: Giant Panda Tai Shan Heads to China

(National Zoo) Tai Shan officially began his journey to China early this morning, leaving the Zoo at 9:04 a.m. The four-and-a-half-year-old panda is on his way to Dulles International Airport, where he will board a FedEx 777 plane bound for Chengdu. The non-stop flight will take about 14 hours. Over the years, Tai Shan has become a celebrity in Washington, and will now take on a new role in China as part of a panda breeding program at Wolong’s Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya’an, Sichuan.
Since his birth July 9, 2005, Tai Shan, whose name means “peaceful mountain,” has attracted millions of visitors worldwide to the National Zoo and to the Zoo’s panda cams. The Zoo successfully negotiated two extensions with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which allowed the Zoo to keep Tai Shan for two and a half years beyond the original two-year contract. Continued

Photo: National Zoo

National Zoo panda Tai Shan to fly to China on custom plane

(Washington Post) Talk about service -- a huge new airplane with your own logo on the side, only eight people on board, including your doctor, a member of the opposite sex right beside you and more than 50 pounds of your favorite food available "on demand." Continued

Photo: Smithsonian

Panda does perfect tumblesault - in his sleep

(Daily Mail) The animal, called Tai Shan, was sitting in his zoo enclosure when he began to doze off, his eyes flickering open and shut before he succumbed to sleep and slumped forward.
The sleepy panda could have fallen flat on his face. But instead he popped his head between his legs and turned head-over-heels before landing on his back. Continued

Ilya the manatee home for the holidays

(boston.com) After a long, strange trip that took him up and down the East Coast, with stops in Cape Cod, New Jersey, and Maryland, the famed manatee Ilya is home for the holidays in the warm waters off of Florida.
A crane at the Miami Seaquarium lifted the 1,100-pound mammal into Biscayne Bay this morning. Continued

Wayward manatee Ilya, rescued in N.J., to be released into Florida waters

(nj.com) Ilya, the wayward manatee rescued in New Jersey waters, is scheduled to be released into the South Florida waters next week.
Ilya's release from the Miami Seaquarium is planned for Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. Continued

Photo: Manatee at SeaWorld (Always bored/Wikipedia)

Panda Tai Shan returning to China

(National Zoo) Tai Shan will be sent to the People’s Republic of China in early 2010, as stipulated in the agreement between the Zoo and the Chinese government. The exact date of his departure has not been determined due to the lengthy process of finalizing permits and preparing Tai Shan for the trip.
Under the agreement, giant panda cubs born at the National Zoo belong to China and are to be sent to the Wolong's Beifengxia Base in Ya'an, Sichuan sometime after the cub turns two. In April 2007, shortly before his second birthday, China granted the National Zoo a two-year extension for Tai Shan to remain in Washington, D.C.; that extension expired in July but the Zoo was provided a second extension to January 2010. Continued

Photo: Giant Panda, Mei Xiang, plays with son, 7 month old Tai Shan, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2006, at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC. Tai Shan was born on July 9, 2005, and weighs over 33lbs. White House photo by Shealah Craighead. (Via Wikipedia)

Ilya the Manatee Safe in Florida, Recuperating With Hot, Younger Chick

(NYMag) Ilya, the manatee who swam to Cape Cod this summer, then prompted an October 27 rescue when he stalled in New York Harbor, is recovering nicely in the Miami Seaquarium and should be able to get back to the wild in three or four weeks, says his vet, Dr. Maya Rodriguez. "He probably lost 100 pounds, which in the manatee world is not too much," Rodriguez says. He's a big guy — 1,100 pounds and 293 centimeters (9.5 feet) — but exceptionally gentle, even among a species known for its docility. That's why Dr. Rodriguez can let him stay in a tank with an adolescent orphan female manatee named Glade. Other big male manatees would play too rough, she says, but Ilya just touches noses with Glade. Continued

Wayward NJ manatee bound for FL

Ilya is on his way back home via a Coast Guard C-130 plane. "All this thing did was eat," Schoelkopf said. "But that's a good thing." Link