WHY HAVE THE ELEPHANTS MOVED?

Recent visitors to Expedition Asia may have noticed that the female and male elephants have switched yards. Normally the larger yard that is connected to the presentation yard houses our female elephants, while a smaller yard is used for our solitary male, Rex.

For a few months, Rex will be in the larger yard, and occasionally be used in the Elephant demonstration (only on weekends, weather permitting.)

Rex, a male Asian Elephant. His tusks were trimmed after repeatedly getting stuck in the netting for hay bales. Photo by Jamie West 

We are simply preparing for the birth of our new baby elephant. This smaller yard is the 'baby proof' yard. The small pool can be drained in about a minute, and there are no tough hills to climb or slopes to tumble down.

The Pachyderm team is just preparing for a safe birth should Asha go into labor outside, rather than in her maternity stall inside the Elephant Barn. Chandra and Malee will be with Asha throughout the daytime hours. The aunt and young elephant will stay together in their own stall while Asha sleeps in the maternity stall so that the team can be ready if the baby comes at night.

Once the baby is born it will be like any human birth process (give or take a few hundred pounds!) The baby will be 'finger printed', weight and such, a process that takes very little time and then the baby will be back with mama for the important first bonding moments!

HAUNT THE ZOO:

Haunt the Zoo is the big event that wraps up the season at the OKC Zoo. It takes place the last week of October (26th-31st) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Families can enjoy a safe evening of collecting candies passed out by volunteers from all over the metro, gathered onto a trail throughout the park. Different colorful sets have been set up along the trail.

Tickets for Haunt the Zoo are redeemed for a treat bag when you arrive. Only trick-or-treaters need a ticket; chaperones are free.

Tickets in advance (Up until the 25th) can be purchased at the reduced rate of $6 a piece.
Tickets bought for the day-of events will be $7.

Even though this is the last major event of the season, the Zoo will remain open to visitors! The only 3 days the Zoo is closed is for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the New Year's.

Throw-back Thursday: Baby Malee!!

In honor of the quickly approaching birth of our second baby elephant, let's take a look back at his or her sister; Malee!

Malee was the first elephant baby born at the OKC Zoo. Born April 15, 2011, she weighed 304 lbs. (She's now almost 2,000 lbs!!!) Her name means "Flower," in Thai.

Her Father is Sneezy, from Tulsa Zoo, and her Mother is Asha, the older of the two adult female half-sisters at OKC. Chandra is Asha's half-sister (and Malee's favorite playmate!)

Chandra (left), Asha (Right) and a 4-week-old Malee (bottom center between the adults.)
Photo by Jamie West.

Ethics Conference: Photoshop; Touch-Up or Too Much?

A panel was given by UCO professors Mark Zimmerman and Jesse Miller, as well as Chris Landsberger, who is a photographer for the Oklahoman.

They've done a similar panel for the last several years for the conference, talking about manipulating photographs using image-editing software, and what levels of manipulation is appropriate or acceptable in what fields of the media.

For advertising campaigns, it's considered acceptable to edit a photo beyond recognition to its original material.

For portraiture, manipulation to remove imperfections like blemishes and run-away hairs is acceptable, but not much beyond those simple edits.

For documentary material, the ethical boundaries are very tight and strict. Color corrections and cropping are among the very few accepted manipulations, but even those edits must be subtle, and must not change the feeling of the image to anything other than what would be felt by the viewer if they'd seen the original photo.

Journalism rules of ethics for photographs extend beyond the photograph alone. Captions cannot mislead a reader, or it is considered manipulation. Photojournalism is considered "natural moments," that means that even if you were photographing a natural moment once, the moment your subject reacts to the camera and changes their behaviors, it is considered a manipulation.

This is the style that I prefer. As a nature photographer, I don't want to change photos or make them something unnatural. That's the whole point of photographing nature is to keep it original appeal.

Dr. Kurt Hochenauer, the author and creator of Okie Funk, spoke to Dr. Clark’s Blogging for Journalists class today about the history and purpose of his blog.

It was started in 2004 when Hochenauer believed that Oklahoma was in desperate need of a liberal voice in our very “red” state. Overall it is a blog that provides a liberal perspective on issues that span the political sphere; the challenge however, is being original in topics that other bloggers or journalists may also be covering. Sometimes the answer is simple; find a topic that isn’t the top story.

He believes that good writing, personal satisfaction in your posts, and the influence your blog provides for your readers contribute to the overall success of a blog.

Blogging provides you with an outlet of “personal voice” that journalism through the medium of a newspaper could potentially limit. It was mentioned, though, through our discussion, that if your newspaper company is aware of your blog, there could be some level of lesser freedom of information you can get away with posting.

For me, this sort of hits home. As a worker of the Oklahoma City Zoo, I’m under a specific gag order in regards to certain information in the zoo.  So I do have to be careful in regards to what topics or photos I present on my blog.

Information regarding zoo animal births, deaths, illnesses, new arrivals, or animals that are being sent to other zoological establishments are guarded by our PR team. Until there is a Press Release on some information, it’s very important that zoo employees keep that information to themselves.

 Bring a pumpkin bigger than your head and get free admission into the zoo October 1-13

For several years, the OKC Zoo has encouraged this fun activity for the community. It offers a discount on the entrance fees, and gets people into the holiday spirit.

Pumpkins will eventually be placed into animal exhibits. Pumpkins serve as a form of enrichment; providing the animals with fun toys, even a tasty treat for the veggie-loving animals.

For more information and pictures, visit the OKC Zoo's Facebook page!

Curious Meerkats explore a Pumpkin placed into their exhibit. Meerkats naturally tunnel through the ground, so the carved spaces in the pumpkin make for a fun obstacle. Photo by Jamie West.