I WANT A HIPPOPOTAMUS FOR CHRISTMAS!!
On Monday, December 1st, native Oklahoman, Gayla Peevey Henderson will sing her famous song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” during a Skype broadcast at 11 a.m. in the Zoo’s Education Center’s auditorium located at the east end of the Zoo’s parking lot. Refreshments will be served along with a selection of “hippo” merchandise that will be available for purchase.
Gayla first sang the song in 1953. It quickly gained popularity on the radio, and a local promoter used the song in order to raise money to purchase the OKC Zoo's first hippo; Matilda, who lived at the zoo for over 50 years.
Merry Christmas!!!
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL:
The University of Central
Oklahoma’s International Festival was hosted today in Ballrooms A, B, and C in
the Nigh University Center. Students gathered to partake in the free music,
food, and activities being held by different groups of international students.
There were booths
for Western Culture, including an American booth and England, which was made up
of a lot of fun, pop culture series such as Doctor Who and Harry Potter (and I’m
pretty sure I saw a few Hogwarts students in their uniforms milling about with
all us muggles!)
Eastern culture
was represented all around; Taiwan, Vietnam, China. These students showed off
their beautiful paper artworks (such as lanterns and sets for plays; I recall a
boat and a cherry blossom tree in one of the booths.) The students in these
booths also gave out free samples of indigenous recipes for the rice and
chicken combination.
The Middle East
was represented with the beautiful opening number of the festival; showcasing a
Saudi Arabian wedding dance, where the bride’s maids danced for the bride. The
music was vibrant and fun, and you could really tell that the students putting
on these performances to show off bits of their home countries were enjoying
the experience and being able to share that experience with their fellow
classmates at UCO, whether they are native to America, or are from another
country themselves.
It was very fun,
but also very crowded and loud. It was hard to really take in all of the
different booths when people were being so impatient.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
End of Season Updates:
Okay folks, we've entered the time of year where the weather is getting colder and holidays are popping up every other week in seems. That means that a lot of activity in the zoo goes down.
For the time being, the following activities will still go on, weather and staff permitting:
The Zoo will stay open to the public everyday with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. In the past, the Zoo has closed when roads have been deemed too hazardous to drive on.
For those of you on a budget but still wanting to see the Zoo, December and January offers special Free Admission Mondays.
Okay folks, we've entered the time of year where the weather is getting colder and holidays are popping up every other week in seems. That means that a lot of activity in the zoo goes down.
For the time being, the following activities will still go on, weather and staff permitting:
- Giraffe Feeding
- Lorikeet Feeding
- Elephant Demonstration
- Carousel
- and Tram
The Zoo will stay open to the public everyday with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. In the past, the Zoo has closed when roads have been deemed too hazardous to drive on.
For those of you on a budget but still wanting to see the Zoo, December and January offers special Free Admission Mondays.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
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.)
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!
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 |
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!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
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!)
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. |
Monday, October 13, 2014
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.
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.
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