I was sort of camera shy back then… Imagine that!)Īll in all, my time spent working at the Gulf Breeze Zoo was quite exciting. She didn’t have any mothering skills either, so zoo staff hand-raised this little guy too! He weighed 120lbs and was 6’1″ tall at birth! His mother “Heritage” was also born in a zoo. Giraffes are born with the mother standing up, meaning a 5 to 7 foot drop to the ground before landing on its head! This took place first thing in the morning, right before my shift to start work. Kera’s playpen was up in our administrative office, so we all spent some time with her throughout the work hours.Īlso while I working at The Zoo, I witnessed a baby giraffe (“Midway Maji”) being born. You see, Kera’s mother (who was hand-raised) didn’t quite know how to raise her own firstborn, so zoo staff had to take over.ĭuring the work day, Jean and Lucie would turn over some of the day-to-day care and feeding duties to other Zoo staff members. While Kera practically had everyone wrapped around her little finger, the Zoo’s deputy director, Jean Benchimol (left), and Lucie Easley (right), a Zoo staff member, were the primary caretakers of Kera - taking her home each night while alternating between their two homes. (…It was “Big ‘ol Bugs week” at The Zoo that month.) However, I wasn’t so crazy about the fact that they made me eat chocolate-covered crickets as part of my induction. I mean, what are the odds that I’d ever get a chance to interact with wildlife like this again while learning some behind-the-scenes secrets of Zoo life and administration?! It sealed the deal for me… I knew this was a place I had to work. I must say, holding a little Great Ape in my arms was quite an experience! I first met little Kera on the day of my interview. When this baby orangutan was just 9 months old, I entered the picture - assisting the Zoo’s director with HR duties his personal calendar, booking wildlife safari trips to Africa, and other computer and website stuff. I was pretty much hands-on with this little orangutan from Day One - if you count the day of my interview! In my job, I wasn’t supposed to be hands-on with the animals, but it’s kinda funny how things worked out. (We lived in Pensacola for a year, and Gulf Breeze for a year, before moving to Nashville, Tennessee.) It was The Gulf Breeze Zoo in Gulf Breeze, Florida - near Pensacola. With Dogs!Īll this talk about wildlife animal webcams took me back to the days when I worked at a Zoo… Visit for event updates, seasonal hours and more.What It's Like Tubing With Smoky Mountain River Rat. Gulf Breeze Zoo, which is home to more than 800 exotic animals, is at 5701 Gulf Breeze Parkway. daily, weather permitting, from the guided train ride. Katana and her rhino family are available for viewing from 9 a.m. "When a species is this endangered, every birth is special, but we’ve waited a long time for this particular baby, so we're thrilled" said Jesse Pottebaum, director of the Gulf Breeze Zoo. That leaves wild rhinos severely vulnerable, and without continued conservation efforts it is estimated the wild populations could be extinct in less than 20 years. Some cultures believe rhino horns, which are made of keratin (like fingernails), can cure diseases. There are fewer than 20,000 Southern white rhinos in the wild, according to the release.ĭespite their name, white rhinos are actually gray and have two horns on the bridge of their head. Wild rhinos are facing the worst poaching streak in history. Katie met the father, Robbie, after he was introduced to the zoo in 2013 from the Center for Conservation of Tropical Ungulates, a breeding sanctuary in Florida. She is full of energy and can be seen romping around with her mother, according to a press release from the zoo.įully grown females weigh 3,000 to 4,000 pounds, while adult males weigh up to 5,000 pounds. Newborn rhino calves weigh between 80 and 140 pounds, and Katana is gaining about 10 pounds a day. Zookeepers had been monitoring the 8-year-old mother more closely in the final months before she gave birth Jan. GULF BREEZE - After a 16-month pregnancy, parents Robbie and Katie are proud to announce the birth of their healthy 100-pound baby, Katana - the first Southern white rhino born at the Gulf Breeze Zoo.
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