Volunteers

Saving sea turtles on South Padre Island

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Kelly A. Catter

Conservation and Community Engagement Intern, Kelly A. Catter guest blogs on ZooHoo!

A volunteer with our Wild Earth Action Team clears large debris from the beachside in South Padre Island, Texas.

Our Wild Earth Action Team recently traveled down to South Padre Island with 50 volunteers, interns and staff from the Dallas Zoo and Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park to remove litter pollution from beaches and dunes in an effort to restore sea turtle nesting habitats.

Plastic and other litter pollution pose a serious threat to the vulnerable sea turtle population.

In just three hours, our team was able to remove 2,238 pounds of litter pollution. It felt great to actually take action and make a difference for wildlife!

The team then explored the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville and enjoyed eco-tours of Laguna Madre and Sea Turtle, Inc.’s new center, where we met the people responsible for monitoring and protecting sea turtle nests and rehabilitating injured sea turtles.

Unfortunately, we did not see a hatchling release – 108 babies hatched at 2:30 am, too early to view – but we did get to observe a night nest check and saw the baby turtles working their way up to the surface through the sand!

We also learned about ways we can help sea turtles in our everyday lives. By reducing plastic use whenever and wherever we can, we’re preventing it from entering our waterways and ending up in the ocean. Even simple things like using reusable grocery bags and straws, recycling and picking up litter rather than walking passed it go a long way to keep wildlife safe. This conservation trip was a huge success, and we all had a wonderful time doing our part to save sea turtles.

Want to get involved? We challenge everyone to pitch in to save sea turtles by pledging to pick up just 10 pieces of litter pollution every Tuesday. Imagine the impact it would make towards creating a better world for animals all the way to the sea. Click here to find more information about the North Texas TenOnTues pledge initiative and make your pledge today.

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Local organization gives back to the Zoo

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Jordan Doyle

Fidelity Investment volunteers building the playhouse for the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo

May 2 was Fidelity Cares Day! This annual day is all about volunteering with more than 7,000 Fidelity Investments employees giving back to local communities around the world on a single day. Almost 400 volunteers from Fidelity Investments helped with this mission of serving our community, and over 80 of them came out to the Zoo!

Multiple projects were kicked off at both the Zoo and at Fidelity’s campus. The first one was actually started by our animals. As a form of enrichment, multiple animals painted on small canvases to help stimulate their minds and bodies. Well, we turned those canvases into magnets. Fidelity volunteers painted the edges of the canvases, added an information label, and adhered magnets to the backs! There were 1,000 magnets created in total, and they will all be for sale soon at our Zoofari Market.

Volunteers also built a playhouse for the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo. Using pre-cut lumber, Fidelity employees led a team of volunteers through constructing and painting a playhouse for young Zoo guests to use their imaginations even further in play areas. Twenty-five volunteers spent 100 combined total hours building this structure for kids of all ages to enjoy.

The last project was a combined effort of Zoo and Fidelity volunteers. People on both Zoo grounds and on Fidelity’s campus worked on making faux log browse feeders. Browse are used in animal habitats to encourage them to use their natural behaviors and instincts to search for food. Volunteers distressed PVC pipes using sandpaper and rasps; added bolts to help hang the pipe; and used oil-based paint to make the pipe look like a log or a tree branch. Different types of browse will be put in the pipes before they are attached to real trees in various animal exhibits. After 85 volunteers spent a combined total of 42.5 hours, we now have 70 faux log browse feeders for the animals to enjoy.

“The Fidelity volunteers were awesome,” Julie Bates, director of volunteer services, said. “I am always amazed and inspired by hard working volunteers who give their time to help us create a better world for animals. A lot was accomplished thanks to them!”

None of the day’s accomplishments would have been possible if it were not for the Fidelity volunteers. They all spent a total of 837.5 hours working on all these projects to benefit the community and the Zoo. Thank you, Fidelity Investments! We’re already looking forward to next year’s Fidelity Cares Day!

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A Swingin’ Success for Chimp Conservation

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Alicia Moreau

Conservation and Community Engangement Intern Alicia Moreau guest-blogs about Chimpanzee Action Awareness Week on Zoohoo! 

As we wrap-up our “Swing Break” Saving Chimps Week, we can’t believe what an extraordinary, record-setting time it was. Our community’s passion for wildlife conservation is truly amazing. We had an awesome week with beautiful weather and a Zoo full of people, hitting a spring break record of 103,000 guests visiting us in nine days!

Volunteers and interns started the month with ambitious plans for chimp conservation. Our goal was to raise $14,000 for the Jane Goodall Institute, collect 3,000 personal pledges for conservation action, and receive 300 recycled mobile phones. We set up booths in the Zoo and at various off-site events to help reach these goals.

A little boy gets up close and personal with chimp Missy.

After spreading awareness about the importance of recycling cell phones and paper products, 223 phones were donated—just shy of our initial target. However, we surpassed our pledge goal by getting 3,980 total personal pledges for pro-environmental behavior that will benefit chimps and other forest-dwelling animals.

Finally, after selling custom-made chimp conservation T-shirts, wristbands, art pieces, and various other items, it gives me great pleasure to announce that we hit our financial goal of $14,000 to care for two orphaned chimps rescued from the bushmeat and illegal wildlife trade! This money ensures that the two chimps will be well-taken care of for at least one year in a Jane Goodall Institute sanctuary in South Africa.

We could not have done it without everyone’s continued support. Thank you to all of our guests, staff, and off-site friends (Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Kendra Scott West Village, Summit Dallas, Starbucks Cedar Hill, and Lilly Pulitzer)! Our collective commitment to conservation shows how much we can accomplish when we all work together for the greater good of our beloved animals.

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Wild Earth Action Team: Protecting a tiny bird’s big habitat

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Jordan Doyle

What’s black, white and red all over? No, not a penguin with a sunburn. Try again. It’s the red-cockaded woodpecker! (The red part is actually just a small stripe on its head). Sadly, though, these little guys are nearly extinct.

But our Wild Earth Action Team (WEAT) is ensuring these birds keep pecking away for a long time. The team just wrapped their third annual trip to the Big Thicket National Preserve where they planted longleaf pines to help restore habitat for this endangered bird and other species.

For the red-cockaded woodpeckers to survive, they need to be able to safely nest – and they rely on longleaf pine forests to do that. So we’ve gotten to work, and over the past few years, the Dallas Zoo and a team of volunteers have planted more than 30,000 longleaf pines to reforest 300 acres for habitat.

“We’re thankful to all our volunteers, including the Dallas Zoo, who have played a vital role in the reforestation efforts in the Preserve,” said Jason Ginder, Park Ranger at Big Thicket National Preserve. “Re-establishing an ecosystem based on native plant communities is vital to a healthy forest. Longleaf pine trees thrive in the Southeast Texas climate, and make it ideal habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker.”

We couldn’t make these expeditions happen without our rock star community joining us to protect Texas wildlife.

“Getting the chance to go on this expedition was probably one of the most exciting things I’ve ever been able to do,” said Jon V., Dallas Zoo Conservation Guide. “It felt so amazing to participate in the active conservation process and to help restore the habitat of the endangered woodpecker, so that hopefully one day, it will be taken off the endangered species list.”

We rely on people like you to help us reach our conservation goals. One of our most ambitious goals this year is to remove ten tons of litter pollution from wildlife habitats. Help us reach this by pledging to pick up just ten pieces of litter every Tuesday. It’s that simple! Learn about the Ten on Tuesday campaign here. You can also join us on one of our Wild Earth Action Team expeditions! We head to Corpus Christi March 2-4 to restore habitat for the endangered whooping crane, plus, we’re doing a ton of cool activities. Learn more about the trip!

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Save the vaquita: Near extinct porpoise needs help fast

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Heaven Tharp

Dallas Zoo’s conservation intern Heaven Tharp guest-blogs on ZooHoo!

The vaquita porpoise is the world’s most endangered marine mammal — there’s fewer than 30 left. But I bet you didn’t know that.

The Dallas Zoo, along with AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction), is supporting a heroic $1 million emergency rescue plan to save the vaquita. This weekend, July 14-16, we’re raising awareness and money with a Save the Vaquita Weekend Beach Party.

The vaquita is the ocean’s smallest cetacean, only reaching up to 5 feet in length and weighing about 120 pounds. That’s about as big as an average 13-year-old boy. They’re best known for the unique black ring around each eye, and black curved lips that are often described as a smile. Vaquitas have the most restricted range of any marine mammal — they’re only found in the northern Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez.

Photo of a vaquita caught in a gillnet by NOAA Fisheries West Coast

This small porpoise wasn’t discovered until 1958, and sadly, a half century later, it’s on the verge of extinction. Vaquitas are continuously caught in the cross fires of fishermen fishing for totoaba; it’s a critically endangered fish that’s in high demand across China because their swim bladder is considered a delicacy. For vaquitas, the biggest problem is the fishing gear itself. Gillnets cause accidental trapping, and it’s leading to their demise. Just last month, Mexico placed a permanent ban on the use of gillnets in the northern Gulf of California. Unfortunately, illegal fishing with these nets is still a huge problem.

This weekend, we invite you to join us in taking immediate action to save the remaining 30 vaquitas. Spearheaded by a committee of interns and volunteers passionate about this species, Dallas Zoo’s Save the Vaquita Beach Party kicks off Friday, July 14, on Cat Green. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day (with extended hours until 8 p.m. during Saturday’s final Safari Nights concert) we’ll have children’s beach games, a bounce house, and face-painting on Cat Green in ZooNorth. The party and games are free with Zoo admission (bounce house and face painting are $5 each). And donations to Vaquita SAFE are appreciated!

Also, visit the Lacerte Family Children’s Zoo Discovery House and write a note of encouragement to the vaquita conservation heroes on the front lines. We’ll be sure to mail it to them!

You can also purchase a specially designed “Save the Vaquita” t-shirt ($15), stickers ($2), or a limited-edition wristband ($5). A $20 donation gets you all three! There will also be unique handmade vaquita-themed merchandise for sale, and we’ll all have a lot of beach party fun.

You can also help the vaquita by:

  • Choosing to buy sustainable seafood.
  • Spreading the word: tell five people about why the vaquita needs our help!
  • Donating to the Dallas Zoo’s “Save the Vaquita” effort. We’ll send all money raised directly to Vaquita SAFE to save this marine mammal from extinction.

We look forward to seeing you — let’s party #4aPorpoise!

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