At each event you will enjoy a delectable mix of wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, live music and socializing. Bring your friends for a fun evening for all, or make it a romantic couples’ night out. You deserve it!
Make your reservation and learn more here.
You are invited to bring the whole family and join in the pachyderm party fun! No need to worry about bringing a gift, the elephant keepers and our ZOOTeen volunteers have created special enrichment presents for the birthday boy to enjoy! And our award-winning catering department is making a yummy, elephantastic birthday treat with all of Lucas’s favorite fruits and veggies! This event is FREE with Zoo admission.
To learn more of the details and times please visit toledozoo.org/lucas
Join us for the new Namaste for Nature yoga series at the Toledo Zoo! Starting Saturday, September 9, practice your downward dog in the Zoo’s Formal Garden or display your strong warrior pose in the Zoo’s new Malawi Event Center!
To register and learn more, click here.
Polar bears
(Ursus maritimus) are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as a vulnerable species and as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act due to loss of Arctic sea ice from climate change. Current IUCN estimates place the population status at approximately 26,000 bears in the wild. In recent years, some of the 19 known sub-populations of polar bears have seen decreasing numbers due to warming Arctic temperatures which causes a reduction in sea ice, the main location for polar bears to hunt seals, breed and construct dens. As the sea ice melts, polar bears are forced to walk or swim farther to reach their prey (seals). Although powerful short-distance swimmers, polar bears cannot swim for days or weeks on end. Mature bears starve to death and younger cubs drown. Additionally, the reduction in sea ice also causes polar bears to spend more time on land which has put them in greater contact and conflict with humans.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Oo7RObvJCs]
We can all work at reducing our individual carbon footprint. The term “carbon footprint” refers to how much carbon dioxide (CO₂) each person, group or company’s daily activities put into the Earth’s atmosphere. Contributing negative factors, include electricity usage, burning of coal and oil, length of commute to school or work and consumption of good and services produced overseas. Positive factors include, energy efficient vehicles and appliances, recycling and conservation efforts and even the number of trees and plants in your yard. Carbon footprints are important because CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, meaning it traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. This heat, in turn, is melting sea ice and warming air and water temperatures.
Your Zoo is also doing its part by participating in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for polar bears. This cooperative breeding program helps to ensure a healthy, genetically diverse and lasting captive insurance population of polar bears. Over the last ten years there have been approximately 10 successful polar bear cub births in the U.S., with the majority happening at the Toledo Zoo. In fact, the Zoo’s own assistant director of animal programs, Dr. Randi Meyerson, is the polar bear SSP coordinator and advisor to the world-renowned polar bear conservation organization, Polar Bear International (PBI). PBI has also designated the Toledo Zoo as an Arctic Ambassador Center. Zoos designated as Arctic Ambassador Centers strive for bear-friendly exhibits with extensive enrichment activities to stimulate the bears to be active and content. Arctic Ambassador Centers also support PBI research projects, educating the public about climate change and providing leadership for greenhouse gas reductions. Come visit Hope and her mom, Crystal, in the Arctic Encounter exhibit that the Toledo Zoo!
Enjoy our dynamic exhibits and animals while sipping wines from around the globe. Make your reservations now for the next installment of the Zoo’s 2017 wine tasting series on Friday, May 19, from 7 – 9 p.m. in The Lodge at the Toledo Zoo.
Additional dates in the 2017 Wine Tasting Series: Friday, June 23- Malawi Event Center (formerly Nairobi Pavilion)
Each event also includes professionally paired hors d’oeuvres and live music. The Zoo’s Wine Tasting Series not only makes for great date nights, but also for unique after-hours office gatherings and guys’ or girls’ nights out!
Reserve your space by visiting toledozoo.org/wine or calling 419-385-5721, ext. 6001. Tickets must be purchased in advance and reservations are required. Tickets start at $45 for Zoo members and $50 for non-members. Guests must be 21 or over with valid ID to attend.
For the number of Blanding’s turtles and Eastern box turtles Wild Toledo tracks with radio-transmitters, the end of the season means one more burst of field work before settling in for the winter. This time of year, the turtles are near their overwintering sites and are in a type of holding pattern until the cold weather drives them underground. The Toledo Zoo will track turtles to their overwintering sites to characterize the landscape features influencing site-selection. With 36 turtles to track to their overwintering sites, we definitely have our work cut out for us!
Register at: https://www.toledozoo.org/dartfrog
The Toledo Zoo’s Dart Frog Dash is for the whole family! It offers a competitive USTAF (USA track and field) certified 5k race with prizes, a non-competitive 5k walk and a Kids’ Fun Run. The 5k course takes participants through the neighborhood to the west of the zoo, through the Zoo’s Tembo Trail and ends in Main Plaza. The Kids’ Fun Run is within the safety of Zoo grounds.
Be sure to register by May 13 to be guaranteed an official event t-shirt!
All Dart Frog Dash registrants and their spectators who arrive by 10 a.m. are welcome to stay at the Toledo Zoo for the day free of charge with parking included on race day.
There is evidence that Galapagos tortoises can live up to 200 years in the wild. They have no native predators, are on a lean diet and get plenty of exercise. It is perfectly reasonable that you may encounter a tortoise on the islands that was seen by Charles Darwin. The Zoo’s very own Galapagos tortoise, Emerson, is believed to be over 100 years old.
Emerson has moved back into his summer home right next to Gorilla Meadows!
Valid proof of residency is required. Howl with our wolves, hang with our polar bears and slither with our snakes and come see what the Zoo is all about during our colder weather months! Learn more at here.