Life with Dylan

Category: San Diego Zoo

  • Enadangered Species Monday – Giving the gift of hope

    One of my favorite ways to help save endangered species is to symbolically adopt and animal and give it as a gift. This holiday season, why not take a look through the World Wildlife Fund virtual Gift Catalog and give someone more than just a present – give them the gift of hope and inspiration to save endangered species.

    You can choose from 100 different animals and they offer six levels of adoption ranging from $25 – $250 so there really is something for everyone. World Wildlife Fund makes it easy to search through the different animals too. You can sort your searches by most popular, by threat level, and by region.

    Selecting an animal might be difficult for some people, but World Wildlife Fund has made this easy too – you can purchase a Gift Adoption Card and let the recipient choose their own animal to symbolically adopt.

    The San Diego Zoo also offers animal adoptions at various levels from $35 – $1,000 and a few limited edition holiday adoptions. The San Diego Zoo monthly Wish List is another place I like to shop for gifts. Although these gifts can’t be wrapped up, it sure is nice to give two gifts at once. This year I purchased several gifts for the animals in honor of family members. Their gifts will be the gift of giving and I think that is the best kind of gift.

    If you are an ocean lover, check out the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Adopt and Animal program where you can symbolically adopt penguins, sharks, otters, sea turtles, seals, and more starting at only $10.

    Most zoos, aquariums and other non-profit organizations offer animal adoptions. Contact your local zoo or support an organization that you like and give the gift of hope this holiday season. 

  • The San Diego Zoo now has a “little gift” Xiao Liwu

    After much anticipation and almost 35,000 votes the San Diego Zoo announced the name of the newest panda cub in a public ceremony this morning. Following the Chinese cultural tradition, the panda cub was not named until it was 100 days old. After receiving more than 7,000 submissions for a name, the possible names were narrowed down to six and the public voted in an online poll.

    Today this “little one” turned 107 days old and was given the name Xiao Liwu.

    For those that have been following along, watching the panda cam and squealing with excitement each time the zoo posted a video of the cubs weekly check-ups, today was another milestone.
    Xiao Liwu is the sixth giant panda cub born to Bai Yun at the zoo and he certainly is a little gift to the world and the San Diego Zoo family. Finally, we can put a name to that precious little face.

    Photo taken on November 13, 2012, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo.

  • Endangered Species Monday – Komodo Dragon

    Did you know that dragons really do exist? Don’t believe me? Well, one of our best friends at the San Diego Zoo is a dragon. His name is Sonny and he is a Komodo dragon.

    Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizard and grow to be up to 10 feet long. That’s one ginormous lizard or should I say dragon? Komodo dragons move very slowly, but their keen sense of smell (they can smell prey up to a mile away) allows these animals to hunt with precise skill. Unlike most lizards, the Komodo dragon is a carnivore. The bigger the better – feasting on prey like wild pigs, water buffalo and deer. You might wonder how this is possible for a lizard. Well, the Komodo dragon has a secret weapon – besides razor sharp claws and teeth, theses guys carry over 50 strains of bacteria in their saliva. All they need is one bite. Once bitten, the prey will usually die within 24 hours of blood poisoning. So even if the prey happens to get away, the Komodo dragon will follow at a leisurely pace and wait for the animal to die.

    Sonny is 12 years old and came from the Honolulu Zoo when he was only 6 years old. Some people may think he lives a lonely life, but Komodo dragons are solitary animals, so he is quite happy to have that big exhibit all to himself. Ever since Dylan was a toddler, Sonny has been a favorite. We actually consider him to be part of the family. Strange I know, but some things just can’t be explained. Sonny is always one of the first friends we say hello to at the zoo – and yes, we talk to him.

    Even though the Komodo dragon appears to be unstoppable, they are listed as an endangered species. Komodo dragons are only found on four islands in Indonesia: Komodo, Rinca, Gili Motang, and Flores. The species is fairly stable with a wild population of about 3,000, but several factors are hurting the Komodo’s survival rate. There are very few female dragons laying eggs, human poaching, habitat loss, and humans hunting their prey are leaving a scarce amount of food for the Komodo dragon to eat.

    In their natural habitat, Komodo dragons are top predator. They have no natural enemies – except for humans. With a lifespan of about 50 years, these dragons deserve to remain on this planet holding the title of most feared lizard.

    Sonny and Dylan – friends for life. 

  • You Looking at Me?

    Have you ever wondered what the animals might be thinking when you are taking their picture?

  • Learning to love those slithery reptiles called snakes

    I will admit that snakes have not always been at the top of my list. Heck, they weren’t even in the middle – they were tied for dead last with the spiders for many years. When we would visit the reptile house at the San Diego Zoo, my son would be right up against the glass and I would be back against the wall following along at a somewhat safe distance. Yes, I know there is a think piece of glass between us but being a girly girl these slithery reptiles scared the heck out of me.

    Slowly I learned to get closer to the glass. To watch the snakes and learn about them.

    Zookeeper Rick taught me that there is no such thing as a poisonous snake – only venomous snakes.

    Rakesh is a beautiful Indian Python that I had the opportunity to get very close to at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park during a keeper talk. There was no glass – just me and the snake. And you know what?

    I was OK. I didn’t die.

    In fact, I wanted to touch Rakesh – but that wasn’t allowed.

    Through photography I learned that snakes made excellent subjects. Then when I uploaded the photos I saw how beautifully detailed they were. OK, maybe they aren’t so bad.

    I never thought in a million years I would be saying this, but I am actually excited to visit the San Diego Zoo this weekend for Reptilemania.

    Snakes, lizards, Galapagos tortoises, and so much more … bring on the reptiles!

  • Spend an extra hour at the San Diego Zoo this holiday weekend

    I can’t think of a better way to spend the last weekend of summer than at the San Diego Zoo. Nighttime Zoo allows guests to stay until 9 p.m. and see the animals after dark; but during the upcoming holiday weekend, the San Diego Zoo will open one hour earlier – at 8 a.m. on September 1, 2, and 3

    This will be the first time the San Diego Zoo has opened early specifically for a holiday weekend.

    Guests who arrive early will be able to take bus tours starting at 8:15 a.m. and the popular Skyfari aerial tram will be open to take guests to the far side of the Zoo starting at 9 a.m.

    The Skyfari is more than just a fast way to get from one side of the zoo to another. It is a relaxing ride that gives guests the opportunity to view the zoo grounds from high above. Not to mention the breathtaking views of the surrounding areas.
    Best of all, the Skyfari lets you off right by the Polar Bears!

    Opening an hour early will allow guests the opportunity to spend more time with the zoo’s animals and take part in the special Nighttime Zoo activities. I love Nighttime Zoo for many reasons and the family friendly atmosphere is one of them.

    The Monkey Stilt Walkers are my favorite!

    I can’t choose just one favorite animal, but if there is one thing I can recommend that you don’t miss while visiting the San Diego Zoo, it would be Tikal and Maderas – the baby jaguar cubs.

  • A little Meerkat cuteness – Hakuna and Matata

    Meerkats are one of the cutest and most animated animals that I encounter when visiting the zoo. They seem to always be busy doing something and watching out for each other. Most of the time I see them digging for food or perched up on their hind legs looking for predators. On Saturday Dylan and I went to the San Diego Zoo for our last Nighttime Zoo of the summer, which means we get to see the animals at night. A favorite of ours since this means seeing animal behaviors that we don’t normally see.

    These two meerkats live in the Children’s Zoo section of the San Diego Zoo and are named Hakuna and Matata. It is rare to see meerkats sleeping outside of their burrow during the day – although these photos were taken at dusk. Either way, the cuteness factor was just too much.

    Hakuna and Matata have no worries all snuggled up with their tails wrapped around each other.

  • Birthday fun with Yun Zi at the San Diego Zoo

    Last week Yun Zi turned 3 years old and we spent the day celebrating with the pandas at the San Diego Zoo. Arriving just as the zoo opened, we headed straight to the panda exhibit to watch Yun Zi get his ice cake.

    The zoo was still buzzing about the birth of the new panda, but today was all about Yun Zi. Dylan has become quite fond of Yun Zi and even wrote his birthday on the calendar so we wouldn’t forget.

    Yun Zi’s exhibit was decorated with several boxes full of treats and bamboo – and of course he had an ice cake with a big #3 on top. The cake was almost as big as him, and in true kid fashion he went right for the top. The decorations didn’t last too long and this was the only picture I got before Yun Zi began to demolish the cake.

    After breaking the #3, Yun Zi moved on to the sweet and sour bamboo box that was perched high atop a tree branch. Being the inquisitive three-year-old that he is, Yun Zi wasn’t thinking about the box falling.

    Well, that was fun. Now there is more bamboo on the ground for him to eat. He liked it so much that he decided to eat double-fisted, er should I say double-pawed.

    For more pictures of Yun Zi and the pandas at the San Diego Zoo visit my flickr album.

  • Panda Love

    The last few days have been nothing but panda talk at my house … not to mention the various media outlets. Bai Yun made history on Monday when she gave birth to her 6th cub at the San Diego Zoo. This was a high risk pregnancy because of her age and ever since learning that she was showing signs of pregnancy, my son and I have been keeping our fingers crossed that all went well.

    We have spent hours watching the Panda Cam trying to catch a glimpse of the cub, but Bai Yun has been holding the cub very close. It amazes me that such big animal can hold something so small and not harm it.

    Today a video was released by the San Diego Zoo showing Bai Yun leave her cub for a brief moment to get a drink of water and the squeals were non-stop from my home. I am sure they could be heard down the block. The baby is just too cute.

    More than just a successful high risk pregnancy, this panda birth makes the San Diego Zoo the most successful Panda Breeding Center outside of China. That is some pretty big conservation news to brag about. Way to go San Diego Zoo and congratulations to Bai Yun and Gao Gao.

    I took the above photo of Gao Gao on July 4, 2012

  • Instagram Summer

    I can’t believe my summer vacation is over in one short week. Where did the time go? 

    When I look back I think we didn’t really do that much – and then I scroll through my Instagram pictures and realize we did. 
    Days at the beach – impromptu trips for ice cream and frozen yogurt – visits to Aquarium of the Pacific, San Deigo Zoo, and his birthday at San Diego Zoo Safari Park – raising over $1,000 for the tigers – lazy days by the pool – sailing – time spent drawing – basketball at the park – Nighttime Zoo – Reptile Walk – Behind the Scenes Safari
      

    Not bad for a summer vacation. This week we have another trip to the San Diego Zoo, a final trip to Legoland, and of course time by the pool and beach. 
    The best part was that we spent time together. Late nights watching Animal Planet and NatGeo Wild were the best, but no Instagrams of that. 
    Dylan still has another month of summer vacation (lucky kid) and I’m sure he will have fun at Nature Camp and with Grandma. I’ve been having so much fun on my vacation that I never got around to my to do list of chores, but that’s ok, I’m sure they will all be there waiting for me next month. 
    What have you been up to this summer?