World Giraffe Day is an exciting annual event that celebrates the tallest animal on the longest day of the year, June 21st! This worldwide celebration creates awareness and sheds light on the challenges giraffes face in the wild. By supporting World Giraffe Day, you directly help save giraffes in Africa. With only approximately 117,000 giraffes remaining in the wild, the time to act is now. The Greenville Zoo held an educational activity booth, presented keeper chats, and offered the opportunity to join the Foundation’s Long Neck Club on this special day for the species.
The Greenville Zoo’s maintenance crew has been working on clearing bamboo around our perimeter in preparation for new fencing to be installed. At 8 feet tall, this new fence will provide extra security to our guests and animals as well as meet our accreditation goals with the AZA.
We regret to inform that Kuzko, the emperor scorpion and ambassador animal has passed away at 7.5 years old, an age beyond the expected lifespan of his species. Kuzko had a lot of personality, especially for an invertebrate. He would confidently display his pinchers for students to see. He was ambitious in his hunting of crickets, secretive at times retreating into his cave for “me time”, but always respectful to his keepers. Kuzko will be missed by all.
The AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program turned 7 years old. The SAFE program was established in 2015 to harness the collective expertise, resources, and reach to save species and promote wildlife protection. The Greenville Zoo, along with 239 AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, are working together to make a difference for an array of species protected under the US Endangered Species Act. The Greenville Zoo’s SAFE species include giraffe, chinchilla, African lion, and eastern indigo snake.
The creation of a new ambassador animal space is underway at the Greenville Zoo. The additional ‘cold room’ will provide housing for the zoo’s cooler climate ambassador animals and offer a space for additional collections planning to occur. Ambassador animals are animals whose role includes handling and training by staff or volunteers for interaction with the public and in support of institutional education and conservation goals.