Zoo Atlanta Projects 1 Million Visitors a Year by 2015

Animal births, outreach and weather factor in year-over-year growth.

GRANT PARK — Aided by some notable births of popular and endangered animal species and the launch of several initiatives aimed at being more accessible to a larger pool of visitors, attendance at Zoo Atlanta has jumped 29 percent since 2011. Attendance has been so strong and is expected to remain so, the zoo is projecting to hit the 1 million visitors a year, by 2015, Raymond B. King, Zoo Atlanta's president and chief executive said in an interview with East Atlanta Patch. "Over two years, we grew attendance 29 percent," said King, a former SunTrust Banks Inc. executive who took over the zoo 2010. "A million is in our eyescopes." That would continue a trendline of rising numbers since 2009, when the zoo hit an attendance plateau of about …

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Zoo Atlanta Delivers Baby Sumatran Orangutan Via C-Section

Medical team consisted of human and animal doctors.

GRANT PARK — Blaze, a 16-year-old Sumatran orangutan, gave birth to a male on Jan. 10 at Zoo Atlanta. He was delivered via Caesarean section with the consultation of an extensive pre-appointed medical team that comprised human obstetricians, neonatologists and veterinary anesthesiologists. Blaze’s Caesarean section is one of only three performed on Sumatran orangutans in recent years. She is a small-bodied female, and her reproductive history includes a previous birth, but the offspring did not survive the birth process, possibly due to causes related to Blaze’s small size. These factors prompted the Zoo Atlanta Animal Management and Veterinary Teams to compile a detailed birth management plan in preparation for several potential birth …

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Mona the Giraffe Died from Internal Bleeding

It is believed she fell.

GRANT PARK — Staff from Zoo Atlanta and the University of Georgia Zoo and Exotic Animal Pathology Service in the College of Veterinary Medicine conducted a necropsy on Mona, a 7-year-old adult female giraffe who died suddenly on Jan. 2, 2013. Preliminary findings from the necropsy indicate that Mona died from internal bleeding. The giraffe otherwise appeared in excellent health, and Zoo animal care staff had not observed any outward signs of illness, injury or changes in Mona’s behavior prior to her death. The University of Georgia Zoo and Exotic Animal Pathology Service will conduct routing histopathological tests over the next eight to 10 weeks to determine if there were any underlying health concerns. Although nothing unusual was …

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Santa Claus is Coming to Zoo Atlanta

On Nov. 24., jolly St. Nick will be hosting a cookies and photos party at the zoo.

Santa Claus is Coming to Zoo Atlanta

On Nov. 24., jolly St. Nick will be hosting a cookies and photos party at the zoo.

by Patch Staff Zoo Atlanta is getting a special visit next week from Santa Claus (who also will be making quite  a few appearances this season, including Inman Park and East Atlanta.) At the zoo, Santa will hold court in the Ford Conference Room/Conservation Action Resource Center on Nov. 24. Bring your kids (or those kids at heart) for a personal visit with Santa and a professional photo. Warm up with hot chocolate and cookies, and kick off the holiday season with costume characters, festive crafts, animal encounters, music, and games. Space is limited and online registration is recommended. Register online by Friday, Nov. 23 to reserve your spot. Reservations are available in one of four time slots: TICKETS: Santa Advance tickets (online…

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Zoo Atlanta Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Zoo Atlanta pays homage to Latino culture and contributions to America with the Fiesta de la Familia.

Zoo Atlanta Snake Weighs 97 Pounds

Zoo Atlanta gave its annual weigh-in to a female python, the largest resident of the World of Reptiles.

How much does a snake weigh? That’s what Zoo Atlanta asked of its largest resident of the World of Reptiles, a female reticulated python. Once a year, she is measured and weighed. On Tuesday, Zoo Atlanta’s Herpetology staff weighed her at 44 kilograms (that’s about 97 pounds), and measured her at 15 feet, 11 inches. Wow. In the photo above, you can see that it takes four grown men to hold her head to tail. She may not be that long for a python, though. According to Zoo Atlanta, this type of snake is native to Southeast Asia and is the world’s longest snake species. The snakes are non-venomous constrictors and ambush predators, with a wild diet that includes mammals as large as pigs.  That’s a big snake.

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Free Admission for Grandparents at Zoo Atlanta Today

Yang Yang the panda turns 15; Farasi the lion turns 22.

by Patch Staff In honor of Grandparents Day, Zoo Atlanta is offering free admission Sept. 9 for up to two grandparents. Families enjoy free admission for up to two grandparents with purchase of any full-price adult’s or child’s general admission ticket. Mention “Grandparents Day” at Zoo Atlanta Admissions to redeem the discount. The Grandparents Day discount is valid only on Sunday, Sept. 9, and is not valid with any other discount, offer or promotion. Zoo patrons should take note of two significant milestones for two of Zoo Atlanta's two most popular residents. While he’s not yet a grandparent, Atlanta’s favorite papa bear marks a milestone this weekend: Yang Yang the giant panda turns 15 on Sept. 9. In the tradition of the elaborate “…

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Zoo Atlanta Sets Memorial Ceremony for Ivan

Fans of the Western Lowland gorilla who died last month are encouraged to bring cards and photos for a memory board.

by Patch Staff Zoo Atlanta has planned a Sept. 8 memorial service for Ivan, the Western Lowland gorilla who died Aug. 20 at the age of 50. The public memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the Zoo's Ford African Rain Forest. Friends and fans are invited to share well-wishes, cards and photos for a memory board to be displayed outside Ivan’s habitat. A drop box for those items will be placed in the Zoo Atlanta Trading Co. Gift Shop from Aug. 29 through Sept. 5. Ivan had lived at Zoo Atlanta on permanent loan from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle since 1994. Prior to his arrival in Atlanta, Ivan lived for 27 years in the B&I Circus Store in Tacoma, Wash. Per the wishes of the family of Ivan’s original owners, and of the Woodland Park …

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Family Weekend at Zoo Atlanta

Free entry for residents of Atlanta and Fulton County.

Zoo Atlanta is offering free admission Aug. 18 and 19 to residents of Atlanta or Fulton County, or employees of those jurisdictions of those governments. Free entry is valid for two adults and up to four keds per family. You'll have to bring a few pieces of identification to prove residency or employment: Because it's proven to be extremely popular in past years, expect higher volumes of customer traffic the entire weekend. If possible, consider carpooling or taking MARTA, since parking will be limited. If you go: Zoo Atlanta is in Grant Park at 800 Cherokee Ave. SE. Weekend hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

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