News

By early August, the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership (MBP), which was founded by Dr. Edward E. Louis Jr., Director of the Conservation Genetics Department at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, had planted one tree in Madagascar for each of Nebraska’s 1.92 million residents. By the end of August, the number of trees planted will have reached two million.

Our newest pygmy hippo, Silas, was born during the spring and can now be seen in the Lied Jungle, under the watchful eye of his mother Chomel.

Dr. Lee G. Simmons (Doc) has been leading safaris for groups from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium for 35 years, so he generally has a good idea of what animals they can expect to see.

“They were just little brown toads no one cared about… until we realized they were almost all gone,” says Jessi Krebs, curator of reptiles and amphibians at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.

One of the first things visitors learn when they visit the red pandas in the new Asian Highlands exhibit at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is that the animals aren’t pandas – or even bears – at all.

Syngnathidae is the family of fish that includes seahorses (as well as leafy seadragons and pipefish). The name is derived from the Greek, meaning “fused jaw” – but their jaw is sooooo not the most interesting thing about them.

Marg From, director of plant conservation at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, has partnered with the state of Hawaii and 13 other organizations and government agencies to save a species of Hawaiian fern that is found only on the island of Maui.

Michael R. McCarthy, co-founder and chairman of the McCarthy Group, LLC, recently joined the Omaha Zoo Foundation board of directors.

We are excited to announce that Jayme Matis has joined the Omaha Zoo Foundation team as patron relations specialist.

Every year at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, we celebrate our members and Omaha Zoo Foundation patrons with two Member Days that are packed with fun and interactive activities for all ages. This summer, Member Days are July 25 and August 1, but in honor of the 20^th anniversary of the Wildlife Safari Park, we’ve added a special Member Weekend at the park on June 9-10.

Earlier this month, the Omaha Zoo Foundation hosted Women Who Make an Impact, a panel discussion moderated by Jane Miller, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Gallup, and member of the Omaha Zoological Society board of directors.

The discussion, which was part of an exclusive series of zoo events for patrons, was the most well-attended in the series to date, according to Omaha Zoo Foundation Executive Director Tina Cherica.

“To be able to be so immersed in what’s showing on the screen is an experience that you can’t get anywhere else in the area,” says Dustin Olson, senior manager of guest services at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.