Comment / By skippy / April 14, 2011, 5:56 p.m.

Congratulations. My kindest regards to those who wrote this grant helping the Zoo and our Fair City. Thank you.

Comment / By otter, eagle, salmon / April 14, 2011, 6:56 p.m.

Skippy, are you willing to exchange your freedom for ours? Are you willing to sacrifice your natural life to live in a zoo? I’ll be sure to visit you at least once a year in your enclosure.

Comment / By Buzz / April 14, 2011, 8:19 p.m.

The best place to learn about nature is, uh, in a zoo.

Comment / By skippy / April 15, 2011, midnight

OES: Thank you. Yours truly has lived somewhere between a zoo and a nursery. Your point is well taken. Zoos probably are depressing if you asked the animals their opinion.

Buzz: Your point is equally well taken; zoos have progressively evolved towards conservation, rehabilitation, and educational outreach.

You cheeky monkees! What a silly gnu skippy is. Both points are valid and well considered.

peace… skippy

Comment / By Pat Bitton / April 15, 2011, 4:41 p.m.

Just to clarify - the press release referenced by Ryan was a short note issued yesterday inviting the local media to attend this morning’s press conference. More detailed information was made available in a second release distributed to all local media this morning.

It is likely that many of the animals housed in this facility will be injured non-releasable animals, like the ravens and foxes we have currently.

The otter breeding program will be managed in conjunction with HSU and is part of the global species survival plan for river otters. While an animal’s natural environment is obviously the ideal, this facility will enable students to observe and learn how otters live under water and how they interact with other species in their ecosystem in a way that it is simply not possible for humans to do in the wild. This learning experience will give students a much more complete understanding of the otter’s role in the ecosystem and how we humans can adapt our own behaviors to ensure the species’ continued existence in the wild.

Comment / By Toni / April 15, 2011, 9:29 p.m.

Hopfully now with this money they can fix it up better and put more and better animals. 5.oo a ticket not even worth it I would save that money and go to S.F. zoo or Oakland zoo you will learn a lot more and it will be worth..

Comment / By skippy / April 16, 2011, 12:53 p.m.

Not reported here in this article are those outstanding individuals bringing this rare multi-million dollar grant to fruition: Fund Development Director Melinda Booth, Zoo Manager Gretchen Ziegler, and Education Coordinator Amber Neilsen, with support by the Zoo Board of Directors led by Chuck Dominick, Jeff Lamoree, and others. Just to highlight those to whom good credit is due. Well done.

More information on this grant is reported by Allison Edringtonin today’s Times-Standard article here,

…and the February article of the grant-in-the-running and zoo plans in-the-making easily found here.

Comment / By Joel Mielke / April 16, 2011, 3:51 p.m.

Thanks for the information (and the convenient links), Skippy.

Comment / By Mara / April 17, 2011, 9:45 a.m.

The spider monkeys, gibbons, and last living bear will keep waiting for the promised improvements to their inhumane enclosures.

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