Category Archives: wildlife

It’s a girl! Discovery Cove welcomes new dolphin.

by Aimee Posted on December 14, 2012

A 3 ½ foot-long, 35-pound dolphin was born at Discovery Cove ® on Friday, November 30 at 10:22 a.m. Just look at that beautiful baby!

This dolphin calf is the first born at Discovery Cove that was conceived through the use of “sperm-sexing” research, which involves separating sperm carrying a female-producing X chromosome from sperm carrying a male-producing Y chromosome. Why is this important?

This scientific advancement affords Discovery Cove the opportunity to manage its species’ genetic diversity and social environment. Scientists at the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Reproductive Research Center in San Diego, Calif., pioneered the ability to preferentially produce female or male dolphin offspring though sperm-sexing and artificial insemination. This recent birth represents the 15th dolphin calf produced worldwide using sex pre-selection technology.

The female calf is continuing to develop, nurse and bond with its mother; both are doing well.

Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive day resort experience where guests enjoy a one-of-a-kind opportunity to swim with dolphins, snorkel with rays and tropical fish, hand-feed exotic birds and relax on pristine beaches. To discover more, visit DiscoveryCove.com

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Big Cat Week 2012 Starts Sunday!

by Aimee Posted on December 7, 2012

Nat Geo Wild presents the third annual Big Cat Week starting Sunday, Dec 9th. The week features shows that highlight the kings and queens of the jungle! From Cougars, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, and snow leopards and more, it’s a great time to learn more about these amazing cats!

A few facts that might surprise you:

· Africa’s lion population has declined by more than 90 percent in the last 50 years.
· There are now more tigers living in captivity than in the wild.
· Cheetahs have disappeared from more than 75 percent of their range.

Big Cat Week is part of the Big Cats Initiative to stop poaching, save big cat habitats, and “Cause an Upraor“! Tune in Sunday to watch the first ever capture and release of an endangered snow leopard in Afghanistan!

Snow Leopard of Afghanistan
Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT

Afghanistan, one of the most dangerous places on earth, is also home to a population of endangered and elusive snow leopards. These big cats are a species under constant threat from poachers and farmers who fear that the leopards are attacking their livestock. But experts can’t protect them without knowing more about them. Now, Nat Geo WILD joins the WCS and an international team of experts, including big cat tracker Boone Smith, as they set out on a mission in the middle of a war zone: to find, capture and collar a snow leopard, and release it back into the wild. With GPS to track the big cats’ location and WCS camera traps already in place, if successful, the expedition will offer a deeper understanding of the rare and beautiful species.

Snow Leopard of Afghanistan: Boone’s Mission
Big cat trapper Boone Smith embarks on his most dangerous mission yet.

Follow along with others on Twitter using hashtag #BigCatWeek!

Posted in cats, people helping animals, tv, wildlife | 1 Comment

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomes a baby white rhinoceros!

by Aimee Posted on October 25, 2012

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay welcomes its seventh baby white rhino since 2004. The adorable baby, a female, will join other rhinos in the 26-acre white rhino habitat on Busch Gardens’ Serengeti Plain.

The baby is the second calf born to mother Kisiri and the seventh calf born to father Tambo. Busch Gardens has celebrated a total of seventh white rhino births since October 2004. The new baby weighed an estimated 140 pounds at the time of the birth. The newborn – who has yet to be named – will gain approximately four pounds each day until it reaches an adult weight of approximately 3,500 to 4,000 pounds.

Busch Gardens participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) to ensure genetic diversification among threatened and endangered animals in zoological facilities. The birth brings the total white and black rhino population at the adventure park to eight.

Kisiri, Tambo and another female white rhino were airlifted from Kruger National Park in South Africa in 2001 through the efforts of the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of rhinos. Fewer than 15,000 white rhinos remain in the wild, and approximately 200 live in zoological facilities across North America.

Since its inception in 2003, The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund has granted $7 million USD to more than 500 projects in the U.S. and around the world, including $194,000 USD grants to rhino conservation projects. The Fund was created by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable foundation dedicated to supporting environmental and wildlife conservation initiatives.

Photos by Matt Marriott/Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

Posted in cute animals, rescues, wildlife | Leave a comment

Be the next Pambassador!

by Aimee Posted on September 25, 2012

Do you love pandas? Would you like a chance to help them in an incredible way? You should enter to be the next Pambassador! This year’s theme is “PandaQuest” which shifts the focus from panda breeding and rehabilitation in captivity to re-introduction in the wild. Pambassador finalists will participate in the current panda release plan, designed to re-introduce captive bears into the wild. Isn’t that exciting?

The three Chengdu Pambassadors will participate in the “Global Panda Conservation Tour” in 2013, where the Pambassadors will travel the globe visiting pandas in 11 countries and initiate local activities to raise awareness for endangered animal protection.

To find out more, visit the PandaQuest competition app on Facebook right now at: http://www.facebook.com/ChengduPambassador.

Be sure to enter for the chance to see pandas and help spread the word about these loveable, endangered animals. Did you know that there are only 1,600 pandas in the wild?

In honor of this amazing program, we have a very fun contest to share with you! 15 lucky readers will get a fun panda themed prize. All you have to do is help spread the word about the Pambassador program!

To enter please use the Rafflecopter below and choose from any or all of the options.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The giveaway will run until October 1, after which we will randomly select 15 winners. This giveaway is open to those in the USA. And please let us know if you enter for the chance of a lifetime as a Pambassador!

Posted in giveaways, wildlife | 5 Comments