The devastation left in the wake of February’s bushfires that raged through Australia’s state of Victoria is almost incomprehensible: over 200 people are dead; more than 1 million acres are charred; 20 towns have burned; and nearly 2,000 homes have been destroyed. In addition, wildlife rescue officials estimate that millions of Australian animals from koalas, kangaroos, and wombats to flying foxes, cockatoos, and turtles perished in the inferno.

For the animals that miraculously survived the disaster, many are in need of immediate medical attention with severe fire-related injuries that include singed paws, ears, and noses; burned lungs; and dehydration, blisters, and smoke inhalation. Wildlife rescue teams are working around the clock to find and treat the native animal victims of the bushfires.

Click here to help.

Sadly, 60-year-old Sunita, the oldest elephant at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, passed away on Wednesday, February 25. She had lived at the Wild Animal Park since 1974 and had been receiving specialized care because of her advanced age. She will be much missed. (more…)

Yesterday, keepers closed the doors between Bai Yun and Zhen Zhen at the regular time of approximately 4 p.m. They passed an uneventful night, feeding and resting. This morning, when Zhen saw her keepers coming to pull her off for the morning cleaning of the exhibit, something new happened.
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What’s new with Scout and Montana, the grizzly bear brothers located in Bear Canyon at the San Diego Zoo? Well, for one thing, they have just turned two! And what have these boys been up to lately? Lots! (See Hali’s previous blog about the brothers, Fish Treats for Grizzly Cubs.)
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All waited anxiously for the steel door to open Wednesday morning between a sleeping Zhen Zhen and a sleeping Bai Yun. How long would it take before they reunited? Who would instigate the reunion? Would there be a mad dash to the doorway?
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Our two Indian rhino brothers, Surat (pictured) and Soman, have been progressing well with their training. In my previous post (Rhino Brothers Form Attachment) our goal was to separate them and put them back together with no issues; when they are separated, we don’t want either one to be nervous or even aware of the difference.
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There is a little-known group of bird enclosures off the beaten path at the San Diego Zoo. Along these cages a visitor can see the shy, but friendly, Bartlett’s bleeding heart doves, the active and territorial magpie robins, or the vocal dollarbirds. This little group of enclosures can be seen on the road just west of Polar Bear Plunge. Though it’s a bit out of the way, the enthusiastic visitor is rewarded with the chance to meet some of the most personable birds in the Zoo’s collection.
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Monday morning, February 16, was the first morning we lengthened the separation time for giant pandas Bai Yun and Zhen Zhen to approximately 18 hours. We separated the bears about 4 p.m. Sunday, February 15, as has been the case for more than a week. However, on Monday we waited to reunite the two bears until about 10:15 a.m. Zhen has been used to seeing her mother again early in the morning, and the change dawned on her slowly yesterday.
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The DNA sex results are in and the San Diego Zoo’s newest harpy eagle is a boy! (Read Beau’s previous blog, Harpy Eagle Chick Doubles Size.)

While male eagles are typically smaller than their female counterparts, as the holidays came and went this youngster was falling behind even the smallest healthy eaglets. The chick began to have trouble breathing, and a trip to the Zoo’s hospital was in order. With expert care from the veterinary staff, the eaglet was able to fight off a respiratory infection.
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The amount of time that Bai Yun and Zhen Zhen are physically being separated is slowly increasing, with predictable results. As we’ve seen during past weanings, the behavior of even the most independent cubs can suddenly shift to being more mother-centered, seeking the comfort of nursing more often (although the amount of actual milk may not be that great, and cubs continue to eat their copious amounts of bamboo), and soliciting more interaction with Mom. It’s as if the cubs (Zhen Zhen included) have received the letter but don’t necessarily like the message it contains.
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