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Take a little
walk on the wild side at the Tulsa Zoo
By Kerstin Goldsby
The Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum is one of Tulsa's 140 great parks.
It has over 1,500 animals on 70 acres.
The zoo's mission is "To provide a visitor experience, both enjoyable
and meaningful, that promotes conservation through an understanding
of the role of wildlife in the world. This mission is achieved by
combining the exhibits and programs of zoos, aquariums, museums
and botanical gardens."
Visitors can walk through the exhibits and view a range of creatures:
tortoises, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, polar bears, leopards, sharks,
snakes, bats, insects and sea lions. Special presentations of these
zoo residents are made at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The zoo train offers a special view of the animals. Two locomotives
leave the station every 20 minutes pulling visitors through the
park.
The currently featured exhibit at the zoo is a butterfly display,
"Wings of Wonder." Thousands of butterflies and a beautiful flower
garden are enclosed by screens and are available for walk-through
tours.
An African black-footed penguin habitat known as "Project Penguin"
is currently under construction. Money is being raised for a climate-controlled
habitat with naturalistic rockwork for the penguins.
The penguins are not the only news at the zoo. This past May, Byrdie,
the zoo's female snow leopard, gave birth to two cubs, Kiara and
Amisha. These exotic cats are now on display.
This summer several animals were added to the zoo family. Thirty-six
Flame Cardinalfish joined the coral reef exhibit and several invertebrates,
including large sea urchins, are now a part of the marine tank.
A Grand Canyon Rattlesnake is on loan to the zoo from the U.S. Park
Service and several Yellow-Foot Tortoises have hatched in the Tropical
American Rain Forest.
If you want to spend some extended time with animals (considering
the squirrels in the Prayer Gardens aren't especially inviting),
there are several ways to volunteer at the zoo.
"With only four paid staff members [in the education department],
we rely heavily on our volunteers and they do a great job," said
Rusty Grimpe of the zoo's Education Department.
Volunteers over the age of 18 participate in a 10-week course from
January through March. "They are taught everything about the zoo
and varying teaching methods," Grimpe said. There is also a volunteer
program for teens during the summer months. The staff of volunteers
totals 180.
These volunteers help with educational classes at and away from
the zoo. "Seeds of Change" is an example of an adult class currently
being held at the zoo. Educational classes are conducted for all
ages at varying times during the year.
Another program which relies heavily upon volunteers is the special
presentations that go out into the community. Schools and other
organizations can host a zoo teacher and one animal.
The zoo is open all year except the third Friday in June and Christmas
Day. The admission price for an adult is $6 and you can receive
$1 off if you present your AAA membership card. The zoo is located
at 6421 East 36th Street North in Tulsa. More information is available
at 918-669-6600 or at www.tulsazoo.org.
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