Posts Tagged ‘Good Zoo at Oglebay’

Found a baby deer all by itself? “Please leave it alone.”  That’s the advice of Good Zoo staff, who receive multiple phone calls every day about “abandoned” fawns that aren’t abandoned at all. Worse yet, some well-meaning folks are actually driving up to the zoo’s doors with fawns. “People get really upset that we won’t take it, but there is absolutely no reason for us to, plus it is illegal,” said Penny Miller, zoo director. Newborn fawns cannot follow their moms around until they are about two weeks old, unlike other hoof-stock like zebras. So the doe parks her fawn in tall grass or shrubs, and returns only to feed it, so as not to attract predators to the baby. “White-tailed deer are not out there in droves abandoning their babies,” Miller added.

 

“Like kids, the babies don’t always stay put, and may follow a person. Just shoo it away back into cover,” Miller advised.  Misplaced fawns bleet out to their moms, and the doe will call back and find them.  Fawns are born in late May and into June, so the phone calls are piling in now at the zoo.

 

The same advice goes for baby birds, which leave the nest feathered, but lack tail feathers, and are unable to fly for a few days until they build up flight muscles. Pick up the fledgling bird and put it 4-6 feet off the ground and keep kids, cats and dogs away. The mother bird will feed it. “Touching a baby bird or fawn does not make the mother reject it, said Mindi White, manager of Animal Husbandry. “That’s an old wive’s tale that we just cannot seem to correct.  We also handle all our mammal and avian zoo babies for physical exams and weighing; mom takes them right back.” Birds have no sense of smell, and all mother animals have strong maternal bonds to their babies.

 

“We have lots of great stories of babies being taken back out where they were found, and the mother comes back and claims them,” Miller said. The zoo receives dozens of  calls per day about baby birds and fawns.

 

“We don’t have the staff time or cage space to take these animals, either. Our keepers are busy caring for our collection animals and monitoring our own new zoo babies,” said Miller. “Go on the Internet and do some research before you intervene. When baby animals are truly orphaned due to mom being hit by a car, rehabilitation is a costly, time consuming task done only by licensed wildlife rehabilitators common in Ohio and Pennsylvania but rare in West Virginia.  “You can search for licensed wildlife rehabilitators on the internet if you are certain the mother animal has been killed,” White added.

The Memorial Day Weekend marks the start of summer activities at Oglebay and John Hargleroad, Director of Operations, says that all the Oglebay facilities will be open beginning Friday, May 24 with some special activities planned for the Memorial Day weekend.

 

“The always-popular inflatable rides will be at the Schenk Lake area on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Doozy the Clown will also be at the lake area all three days from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.,” said Hargleroad.

 

Oglebay will begin offering daily activity wristbands on Friday, May 24.  The wristbands are available at the Good Zoo and Visitors Center through Labor Day and provide all day use at the Par III Golf, Good Zoo and Train Ride, Miniature Golf, Pedal Boats, Fishing, Outdoor Pool, Tennis, Glass Museum, Trolley, and the Mansion Museum. “The wristbands will also provide one admission to the inflatable rides this weekend,” reminded Hargleroad. The wristbands are $16.00 each plus applicable fees and taxes.

 

The Memorial Day Weekend is also a great time to catch up with old friends at the Good Zoo and check out what’s new including the Dinosaur exhibit.  On Saturday, May 25, the zoo will hold “Dino Discussions,” from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 

The zoo is also accepting entries for the second annual “Capture the Wild” photography contest.  “We had a great response last summer to our photography contest and are looking forward to this year’s entries,” said Penny Miller, Director of the Good Zoo.  “We’ll be awarding some great prizes!” Contest rules and entry forms are available on the zoo’s website at www.oglebay-resort.com/goodzoo.

 

Miller also added that the zoo’s Animal Encounters programs are getting more and more popular.  “This program allows guests to get into animal exhibits with the keepers to help feed and train some of the zoo’s animals including the new mongoose lemurs,” said Miller. Animal Encounters also include the ring-tailed lemurs, red pandas, river otters and kangaroos. The encounters must be scheduled in advance by calling 304-243-4030.

 

The Good Zoo is open daily at 10 am. Admission is $9.00 for adults, $5.75 for ages 3-12, and ages 2 & under and members are free.

 

The popular Segway Tours have also returned for another season.  “Join our friendly guides for an exciting tour on a high tech personal transporter,” said Hargleroad.  “It’s a great way to experience the picturesque natural beauty of Oglebay.” The tours begin at Schenk Lake at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Reservations for Segway Tours can be made by calling 304-243-4090.

 

The Easy Street Band will present a free concert at the Anne Kuchinka Amphitheater on Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.  “This performance is the beginning of the Summer Sunday Entertainment Series featuring a different band every Sunday through Labor Day at the amphitheater,” added Hargleroad. The entire summer’s schedule is available at www.oglebay-resort.com/summer_ent.htm.

 

“For those who want to celebrate the weekend with an all-American picnic, many beautiful picnic sites are available at Oglebay and can be reserved by calling 304-243-4010,” added Hargleroad.

 

The Seafood Gala is available at the Ihlenfeld Dining Room at Wilson Lodge on Friday evening and the new Smokehouse, featuring Prime Rib, is offered on Saturday evening.  For dining reservations call 304-243-4080.

Good Zoo staff announced that highly endangered African Wild Dog pups born at the Good Zoo are now on exhibit.  The female “Destiny” gave birth on September 30, 2012 to seven pups; it is the first litter she or her mate “Selous” have produced.

 

“All the pups were full term, but below normal birth weight, and were born with infections that affected their lungs and other organs,” said Good Zoo Manager Mindi White.  “One pup was stillborn due to undeveloped lungs. The remaining pups were pulled for hand-rearing but four pups succumbed to the infection.”  White said the remaining two pups were too weak to nurse from Destiny, so zoo staff located a lactating domestic dog  from the Hancock County Animal Shelter and nursed the pups for several days until she stopped producing milk.  Keepers took the pups back to the parents every day and let them see, hear and smell the pups through the fence to let them know the pups were still alive.

 

When the pups were stronger and healthier and the parents were still showing strong parental behaviors, the pups were put back with the parents. The pups still did not nurse adequately from Destiny, so animal care staff took the pups home every night for late night and 2:00 a.m. feedings. The pups were put back with the wild dog parents during the day. “This is the first time nursing wild dog pups have been hand-reared by zoo staff, yet kept with the parents during the day,“  said Penny Miller, zoo director. If the pups had been only hand raised, they imprint on people and do not learn correct wild dog behaviors. “This would have made it impossible to integrate them back into African Wild Dog conservation program, which is the whole point of our breeding efforts,” Miller added.

 

“These pups were born very compromised. It is a miracle two survived, and it is a testimony to the incredible problem solving and tender loving care they received from our keepers and managers,” Miller said.  The domestic dog that helped rear the pups was adopted by a Good Zoo keeper.  African wild dogs are Africa’s second most endangered carnivores. Once found in 39 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, wild dogs are no longer found in 25 countries.  Habitat destruction, rabies and canine distemper spread by local village dogs, and other pressures threaten their survival. Only the dominant female dog in the pack produces pups, litters can be as large as 20 pups.  Other females assist the mother in rearing the pups and catching wild game.  It takes a large healthy pack of wild dogs to hunt enough game to feed large litters; many wild packs are now too small to rear large litters. Pup mortality in the wild is 90%.  There are 125 African wild dogs exhibited in 37 U.S. zoos; approximately 3,500-5,000 remain in the wild.

 

The zoo is currently open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Admission to the Good Zoo is $9.00 for adults; $5.75 for children ages 3-12; and Good Zoo members and ages 2 and under are admitted free.  Lorikeet Landing and the train ride are open Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, weather permitting.  The train ride is $2.25 per person and a cup of nectar to feed to the lorikeets is $1.00.  Additional information can be found on the on the Good Zoo website including the new Dinosaur Exhibit featuring life-sized, moving and roaring dinosaurs.

Five life-sized dinosaurs, and one off-spring, have arrived at the Good Zoo at Oglebay, and will greet zoo visitors throughout the summer.  “The dinosaurs are fitted with an electric brain so they move and roar, and can be discovered in the woods near the Australian Exhibit,” said Penny Miller, Director of the Good Zoo.

 

Miller said the entire zoo staff has been working with a paleontologist.  “The staff is well-versed on the dinosaurs that are currently on exhibit and are prepared to pass on this information to all visitors,” said Miller.  Paleontologists continue to find new dig sites and new dinosaur species, and advanced tools and new discoveries have led to new conclusions about dinosaurs. “Museums have had to change exhibits numerous times as paleontology forms a more accurate picture of dinosaurs,” said Miller.

 

The dinosaurs at the Good Zoo this summer include a large Styracosaurus and her baby, a Dilophosaurus, a Juvenile T –Rex, a Deltadromeus and Parasaurolophus. The Parasaurolophus is non-robotic so visitors can sit on it and take their photo or video, but all other dinosaurs are robotic and move and roar.

 

The Styracosaurus, whose name means “Spiked Lizard” was found in North America and Asia during the late cretaceous period. This species had six large spikes coming from the large frill on the back of the head, two horns on the upper mouth, and one horn on the nose.  The spikes were arranged differently for each individual. Styracosaurus had a beak to eat plants and fossil beds show tracks where multiple individuals walked together and laid eggs together. Functioning in groups allowed them to defend themselves from predators and to be less vulnerable. Miller said the Styracosaurus functioned ecologically like today’s rhino.

 

The Dilophosaurus, whose name means “Two-ridged Lizard” was 20 feet long and about 6 feet tall. It was a medium sized, fish-eating dinosaur that scavenged.

 

Tyrannosaurus Rex, or T-Rex, means “Tyrant Lizard King” and is one of today’s most recognizable dinosaur species.  Most of the specimens of T-Rex were found in fossil beds in Montana and South Dakota.  One of the largest land carnivores, a full-grown T-Rex was 40 feet long and 13 feet high. “Many thought that the T-Rex was an active hunter but evidence supports the hypothesis that they were mostly scavengers,”  said Miller.  Because T-Rex was one of the most recent dinosaurs to go extinct, its bones were well-preserved and a great deal is known about it.

 

The Parasaurolophus, whose name means “Near Crested Lizard” was a herbivore that walked on four legs to forage for food and ran on two legs. Parasaurolophus had beak-like mouths for breaking down grasses and ate in groups to avoid predation, functioning ecologically the same as a herd of gazelles today.  Specimens were found in North America, from Mexico to Canada.

 

“The Deltadromeus, whose name means ‘River Runner’ has claimed the top of the wetlands waterfall as his prehistoric perch for the summer,” said Miller. Deltadromeus was also a carnivore and walked on two legs, and was about 30 feet long.  Very few have been found and only partial skeletons can be studied, so not much is known about this species. For a close up view of the Deltadromeus Miller suggested a train ride but the creature can be seen and heard from the wetlands.

 

The zoo is currently open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Admission to the Good Zoo is $9.00 for adults; $5.75 for children ages 3-12; and Good Zoo members and ages 2 and under are admitted free.  Lorikeet Landing and the train ride are open Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm, weather permitting.  The train ride is $2.25 per person and a cup of nectar to feed to the lorikeets is $1.00.  Visit the Good Zoo website to view a video on the dinosaurs and for more zoo details including dinosaur-themed summer camps. The dinosaurs go extinct on Labor Day.

 

The dinosaurs are from Billings Productions, North America’s leading provider of life-size animatronic dinosaurs for zoos, museums and theme parks. According to their website the company aims to encourage discovery and create awareness of prehistoric life in both young and old by making learning fun and entertaining.

Any area residents interested in learning more about birds, trees, wildflower identification, and all manner of other nature topics can sign up now for Master Naturalist classes beginning Saturday, February 23 at the Good Zoo.  An introductory class Names and Identification taught by zoo director Penny Miller will teach students how to use field guides, internet resources, keys, and other resources to identify plants and animals seen in nature, taught from 9 am – noon.  Popular bird expert Dr Scott Shalaway teaches Birds from 1 pm -5 pm the same day.  The four hour class discusses bird biology, identification and back-yard feeding .  Other spring classes include Turtles in Trouble-Conservation of the Box Turtle; Wildfowers, Trees, Citizen Science Investigators, and Nature Interpretation.

 

Students can pick and choose classes at their own pace and may take up to three years to complete the program, but it is possible to finish in one year. Classes cost just $6 per hour of instruction. Classes are held at the zoo on Saturdays and Sundays and often involve walks in the woods and occasional field trips to a farm pasture, wetlands or streams. The curriculum was developed by the West Virginia Division of Wildlife to develop citizen scientists and naturalists across the state.

 

There are 14 required classes such as Mammals; Trees; Wildflowers;  Backyard Habitat Improvement, Insects, and 10 others, and a variety of electives to choose from including Box turtles; Medicinal Plants; Nature Photography; Spiders; Invasive Species;  Mushrooms; Astronomy and many more. Instructors include Good Zoo staff, West Virginia Division of Wildlife biologists and area college professors. Students are all nature lovers and represent a wide range of ages and backgrounds from college students, teachers, scout leaders, farmers, fisherman, to retired folks and nature photographers.

 

“Anyone of any age or background fits into the group, you just have to be a nature lover,” said Vickie Markey-Tekely, the zoo’s curator of education.

 

Student Daniel Caron said, “The program is a fun and interesting way to learn about nature.  I enjoy the program’s interactive, hands-on format.  The classes teach me to see something different every time I step outside.  This has helped me when working in my own backyard and everywhere I travel.”

 

“This is our 10th year, and many of our students participate in several backyard bird projects, put up bluebird boxes, survey and report frog calls, raise and tag monarch butterflies, and improve their garden and property  to attract wildlife,” said Penny Miller, zoo director. Others like to help out at state or zoo wildlife events, or pass on their knowledge to children. “I enjoy teaching my grandkids and neighbors about the monarch butterflies I rear and tag,” said certified Master Naturalist Carol Saseen.

 

For dates, times, and an application please visit the Master Naturalist section at  www.oglebay-resort.com/goodzoo or call Vickie Markey-Tekely at 304-243-4033 or Penny Miller at 304-243-4027.

The 2012 Memorial Day Weekend marks the start of summer activities at Oglebay and John Hargleroad, Director of Operations, says that all the Oglebay facilities will be open beginning Friday, May 25 with some special activities planned for the Memorial Day weekend. 

 

“The always-popular inflatable rides will be at the Schenk Lake area on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Doozy the Clown will also be at the lake area all three days from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.,” said Hargleroad. 

 

Oglebay will begin offering daily activity wristbands on Friday, May 25.  The wristbands are available at the Good Zoo and Visitors Center through Labor Day and provide all day use at the Par III Golf, Good Zoo and Train Ride, Miniature Golf, Pedal Boats, Fishing, Outdoor Pool, Tennis, Glass Museum, Trolley, and the Mansion Museum. “The wristbands will also provide one admission to the inflatable rides this weekend,” reminded Hargleroad. The wristbands are $16.00 each plus applicable fees and taxes.

 

The Memorial Day Weekend is also a great time to catch up with old friends at the Good Zoo and check out what’s new including a spectacled bear and African wild dog.  Saturday, May 26 is “Capture the Wild Photo Day” at the zoo. “This summer the zoo invites area youth, adult, amateur and professional photographers to enter the zoo’s photography contest,” said Penny Miller, Director of the Good Zoo.  “We’ll be awarding some great prizes!” Contest rules and entry forms are available on the zoo’s website. 

 

Miller also added that the zoo’s Animal Encounters programs are getting more and more popular.  “This program allows guests to get into animal exhibits with the keepers to help feed and train some of the zoo’s animals including the lemurs, red pandas and kangaroos,” said Miller. Animal Encounters must be scheduled in advance by calling 304-243-4030.

 

The Good Zoo is open daily at 10 am. Admission is $8.00 for adults, $5.50 for ages 3-12, and ages 2 & under and members are free.

 

The popular Segway Tours have also returned for another season.  “Join our friendly guides for an exciting tour on a high tech personal transporter,” said Hargleroad.  “It’s a great way to experience the picturesque natural beauty of Oglebay.” The tours begin at Schenk Lake at 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.  Reservations for Segway Tours can be made by calling 304-243-4090 or visit our website for details.

 

The Hot Pursuit Band will present a free concert featuring a variety of pop, rhythm and blues at the Anne Kuchinka Amphitheater on Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.  “This performance is the beginning of the Summer Sunday Entertainment Series featuring a different band every Sunday through Labor Day at the amphitheater,” added Hargleroad. Click here to view the entire summer’s schedule. 

 

“For those who want to celebrate the weekend with an all-American picnic, many beautiful picnic sites are available at Oglebay and can be reserved by calling 304-243-4010,” added Hargleroad.

 

A Seafood Buffet is available at the Ihlenfeld Dining Room at Wilson Lodge on Friday and the Prime Rib Buffet is offered on Saturday.  For dining reservations call 304-243-4080 or visit our dining website for the menus.

 

For more information on all activities at Oglebay visit our website.