With spring here, the Bird Team at Zoo Atlanta is busier than ever with providing nest material for spring breeders, taking care of chicks from the winter breeding season, taking down heat lamps and other winter weather equipment, and moving birds from their behind-the-scenes winter homes to their new habitats. One of the new species to both the team and the Zoo is the red and yellow barbet! This species of barbet is native to east African forests, riverines, and grasslands and their conservation status is Least Concern, meaning that they are not globally threatened! The male-female pair came ..read more

Bamboo shoot season is now here! Shoots are young bamboo that grow during this time of the year. Shoots are typically soft, full of water, and very filling, and the giant pandas love them! The pandas are still offered their daily usual quantities of bamboo while also being offered shoots. Many times, they may prefer to eat only the shoots, and you may see them enjoying these favorite treats during your next visit. As a fun fact, giant pandas can spend up to 14 hours a day eating bamboo, which they must consume in large quantities to obtain their nutritional needs. Bamboo makes up about 98 ..read more

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “endangered species?” Maybe iconic megafauna like elephants, giant pandas, or gorillas? Or famously extinct species like the dodo? What about native wildlife you may have seen in a local park or even your backyard? I spend much of my work time thinking about how to help people connect to wildlife around the globe, so my concept of conservation tends to be biased toward non-native species. And in my personal life, even the more noteworthy species I encounter – vultures, owls, deer, foxes – are not usually threatened species. But every now and then, I ..read more

The first southern white rhino calf ever born at Zoo Atlanta has a name! Rhino Naming Madness concluded on April 10, 2024, with the name Zuri rising to the top after four rounds of public voting following the launch of a Sweet Sixteen Bracket on March 20. Zuri, a name of Swahili origin which can mean “beautiful,” was one of more than 4,000 online submissions entered between March 7 and March 10, when the public was invited to suggest names to compete with nine monikers provided by the Zoo’s Rhino Care Team. Zoo Atlanta’s naming committee selected seven names from the pool of public submissions ..read more

Memorial Day weekend’s one-of-a-kind festival favorite returns at Brew at the Zoo on Saturday, May 25, 2024. The 21-and-up event will feature sampling from more than 30 of Georgia’s top breweries and cideries; live music at venues throughout the Zoo; evening wildlife viewing until dusk; special Keeper Talks; and more.     The 2024 music lineup will bring tunes in a variety of sounds and styles, including 80s tribute band The Breakfast Club, Lilac Wine, and Kenneth Kelly.    Now through April 25, Early Bird tickets are $50 for Zoo Atlanta Members; $60 for non-Members. V ..read more

Hey everyone! Christina here from the Carnivore Care Team. If you have been to the Zoo lately, you might have noticed that there are a lot more binturongs in our habitat than there used to be. Bramble and Baloo had three healthy and spunky little bintlets in August, and up until this last month, Mom and babies had been in a separate space than Dad. This was to give them time to bond and nurse. Recently we have started to do full family introductions now that the bintlets are much larger and not nursing as often. This means that dad Baloo gets to spend time in their habitat with Bramble and all ..read more

With the Easter holiday just around the corner, you might get a chance to see the giant pandas getting some spring-themed enrichment as well. On Saturday, March 30, the pandas will be getting special enrichment items. These may include paper chains, papier-mâché eggs, bags, boxes, or even a decorated banner. The pandas enjoy having enrichment items because they always find some yummy treats hidden inside. Yang Yang (pictured) especially loves the papier-mâché eggs and boxes because he loves to rip them apart and throw them around. So, what is enric ..read more

Hello! This is Claire from the Herpetology Team. I’d like to talk a little bit about some of our species that are a little harder to find in the Georgia eXtremes building at Scaly Slimy Spectacular. We have a cool mossy seepage habitat next to the eastern hellbender that is home to some of our smallest species here at Zoo Atlanta. There are three different species of salamander that reside in this space: seal salamanders, dwarf black-bellied salamanders, and Blue Ridge two-lined salamanders. All these guys can be difficult to find, but one trick is to look at the crevices and ledges on the wal ..read more

Happy Women’s History Month! While I’m in awe of women every single day, I’m grateful for a designated month to reflect on the countless contributions women have made to move our world forward, often while having to juggle and overcome a litany of social pressures and limitations.   When thinking of quintessential conservation heroes, a lot of distinctly male names come to mind: Charles Darwin, Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir, and John James Audubon, to name a few. But women have certainly made their mark on the conservation field, from early wildlife pioneers like Rosalie Edge to iconic ..read more

Make your picks now in Round 1 of public voting   WHAT: Herds of humans have already made their picks in a historic Sweet Sixteen Bracket to name the first southern white rhino ever born at Zoo Atlanta. Round 1 of public voting opened on March 20, 2024, with more than 2,200 votes already cast as of today.   Zoo Atlanta received more than 4,000 online submissions between March 7 and March 10, when the public was invited to suggest names to compete with nine monikers provided by the Zoo’s Rhino Care Team. Zoo Atlanta’s naming committee selected seven names from the pool of pu ..read more