Fall Newsletter 2020

KANSAS CITY ZOO A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE

Fall Into Fun!

Inside this issue: • New Polar Bear arrival • Western Lowland Gorillas

FALL 2020

Welcome Nuniq!

It has been five years since the Kansas City Zoo had to say farewell to its male polar bear, Nikita, but we are BEARY excited to be preparing for the arrival of a new male polar bear that will call Kansas City home! Nuniq (pronounced new-nick), who will celebrate his fourth birthday on November 14, is coming to us from Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin.

Nuniq was one of twin polar bear cubs born at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in November 2016 and has resided at Henry Vilas Zoo since 2018. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums Polar Bear Species Survival Plan (SSP) has recommended that Nuniq be transferred to the Kansas City Zoo. He will join Berlin, our 31-year-old female, who has lived here since December 2012. We anticipate that Nuniq will be recommended for breeding when he is a little bit older. Berlin is an older bear and beyond breeding age.

As a male, Nuniq is much larger than Berlin, currently weighing 1045 pounds (compared to Berlin’s 650 pounds). His name is a variation of “Nanuk,” who was master of the polar bears in Inuit mythology.

According to his zookeepers, Nuniq’s favorite toys are jolly eggs and a giant plastic pickle toy. We will be sure to have some of his favorites awaiting him in his new home.

And what a great new home it is! Polar Bear Passage is over 18,000 square feet, with a 140,000-gallon chilled pool and includes climatecontrolled behind-the-scenes bedrooms. It was built in 2010 to exceed Manitoba’s Polar Bear Protection Act standards and can accommodate up to three adult bears as well as cubs. There are currently only 57 polar bears in zoos in the United States due in part

2020 Friends of the Zoo BOARD OF DIRECTORS Hayley Hanson, Chairperson Husch Blackwell LLP

Wesley Fields, Secretary

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP

David Sanchez Jr., Treasurer PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP

Karen Begelfer, Sprint Corporation Brad Bodamer, Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP Dr. Yolanda Cargile, Hickman Mills C-1 School District Sharon Cleaver, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City Jeff Dillon, VanTrust Real Estate LLC Wes Dixon, KeyWest Technologies, Inc. Jan Francis, Heartland Golf Development Ana Nubia Hernandez, La Mega Spanish Radio Gayle Krigel, Community Volunteer Julius Lai, AMC Theatres Todd LaSala, Stinson Leonard Street LLP Jill Marchant, Hallmark Cards, Incorporated Jill McGee, Community Volunteer Yvette Miceli, Construction Brokers, Inc. Joe Prenger, ECCO Select Tony Reinhart, Ford Motor Co. Terry Riley, Transformation Consultants, LLC Terry Rynard, KC Parks and Recreation Kathy Smith, Community Volunteer Michele Vance, Service Management Group Tom Waggoner, HOK Architects David Yeamans, Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co., Inc. Representing the City of Kansas City Kevin McManus, City Council Terry Rynard, Director of Parks of Recreation Zoological District Commissioners Greg Canuteson, Clay County David Mecklenburg, KC Parks & Recreation Rep Jerry Nolte, Clay County Dan Tarwater III, Chair, Jackson County Randy Wisthoff, KC Zoo Representative

Open daily, year round. Closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

www.KansasCityZoo.org 816.595.1234 The Kansas City Zoo is a non-smoking environment, except in designated areas which are indicated on the Zoo Map and on grounds with signs and ash trays.

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The Kansas City Zoo, a private, non-profit organization is operated in agreement with the Kansas City, MO Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners, partially funded by the Zoological District in Jackson and Clay Counties in MO, and is accredited by the Assocation of Zoos and Aquariums.

Expeditions – Fall 2020

to the strict animal care standards that must be met. This makes Nuniq and Berlin both important ambassadors for their species.

It will be at least mid-November before Nuniq can greet Zoo guests. He will spend about a month behind-the-scenes acclimating to his new home, and quarantining to protect Berlin’s health. The two bears will be slowly and carefully introduced in hopes that they will eventually be able to share the public space in their habitat.

Very astute Zoo fans have pointed out that Nuniq is actually a nephew of our former resident Nikita, who now resides at the North Carolina Zoo. This is true! Nuniq is the offspring of male Marty and female Aurora, who shares a dad with Nikita. We hope that Nuniq will bring just as much excitement and joy to Polar Bear Passage as his uncle did.

Nuniq is just one of many reasons to visit the Zoo in the coming months! We hope to see you soon!

A Frozen Zoo

What Nuniq Eats in a Day 6 lbs. of fish 10 lbs. of ground meat 2 lbs. of Lard 1.5 lbs. Mazuri Marine Mammal Chow 2 lbs. of produce 10 tbsp. of vitamin & mineral supplement

Technology has enabled a new field of conservation to evolve over the last few decades. With the advent of cryopreservation techniques, scientists at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research are preserving specimens from animal species that may serve to bring them back from extinction in the future. At zoos like ours, skin biopsies are taken during routine procedures, then preserved in a sterile solution at -300 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures approach absolute zero, the theoretical temperature at which decay is halted permanently. This allows the nearly indefinite storage of specimens to be thawed and studied, cloned, or utilized in the future.

Just last summer, the San Diego Zoo had a domestic horse give birth to an endangered Przewalski’s horse which was cloned using cells that were collected and stored for over forty years!

More practically, the Kansas City Zoo also takes these samples to assist with future healthcare needs. Stem cell therapies are gaining in relevance in modern veterinary care. Utilizing an animal’s own cells to repair and regenerate tissues damaged by age or disease is still in its infancy, but many of our animals will spend ten, twenty, fifty or more years in human care, and in that time advances in treatment may benefit from previously preserved cells.

Dr. Kirk Suedmeyer, director of animal health, has pioneered this program at the Kansas City Zoo and our institution is credited as having provided more samples

www.kansascityzoo.org

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than any other outside of San Diego Zoo itself.

Every animal, upon arrival at the Kansas City Zoo, undergoes a period of quarantine and medical testing to ensure that it’s healthy and ready for public exhibition. Many of these animals undergo a routine health exam under anesthesia, and our veterinarians use this opportunity to collect the small sample from between the shoulder blades.

You may notice small patches of shaved fur from medical procedures like this on new animals at the Zoo. Skokie, our new resident male river otter, was recently examined and a sample was taken. Stem cells are then frozen and stored at an offsite facility. In the future, should he require stem cell therapy, they’ll be waiting.

Each visit to the Kansas City Zoo supports conservation at home and around the globe. Your continued membership makes conservation and medical programs such as these possible. To learn more about the Frozen Zoo, visit https://institute.sandiegozoo.org/resources/frozen-zoo.

Zoosdays!

Field trips and school assemblies are looking a lot different this year, so the Zoo is happy to be able to bring our Zoomobile program online!

Zoosdays are virtual Zoomobiles available for schools, homeschools, or parents - anyone who is helping a child learn. Each month will have a different theme and each date will have a different topic. In addition, the programs are customized to three different age groups: Pre-K – 2nd grade, 3rd – 5th grade, and 6th grade and up. Your students can learn what zookeepers do, how animal adaptations occur, what a food chain is, and so much more!

A special roar of approval to Jackson and Clay Counties, which make up the Kansas City Zoological District, for supporting our Zoomobile program! There is no charge for Zoosdays, but you do need to register in order to have the link emailed to you. Registration is now open for all 2020 Zoosdays! https://www.kansascityzoo.org/zoomobile/zoosdays

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Expeditions – Fall 2020

Learning Cottage Mural While visiting the all-new Elephant Expedition this summer, you may have noticed our Learning Cottage also received a makeover! Students from the Kansas City Art institute were tasked with developing a mural to dress up the classroom to match our renovations.

After initial meetings, drafts, and then conceptual drawings, a finalist was chosen.

Anh Le, a student in the class of 2020 studying illustration, was selected. We’re thrilled that this gorgeous sunset scene from the African plains now graces our Learning Cottage walls and ties the two spaces together. The Kansas City Zoo was once again pleased to partner with the Kansas City Art Institute’s Sponsored Studio program. Students from the program were previously selected to create the mural inside Stingray Bay.

Lemonade from Lemons Over the Labor Day holiday, seven-year-old Myrella decided to make a big difference.

She and her dad built a lemonade stand to raise funds to help us feed our 1,700 animals. Zoo Director Randy Wisthoff was honored to accept her $100 donation.

Thank you, Myrella. You are amazing!

If you’d like to donate to the Zoo, visit KansasCityZoo.org/donate

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What’s Open at the Zoo We continue to reopen the remaining Zoo amenities that have been closed due to the ongoing pandemic when we have the staff and resources available to do so safely. The health of our guests, employees, and animals is our top priority.

We know many youngsters (and some young-at-heart adults) were glad to take a spin on their favorite Zoo ride.

The Endangered Species Carousel reopened in September and riders of all ages are glad to see it back in action.

The playground near Billy Goats Gruff Yard has also reopened. Our team is working diligently to keep it safe for your children by disinfecting the equipment twice a day.

We encourage you to utilize the hand sanitizer and handwashing stations nearby before and after playtime.

Stingray Bay has been long-awaited and with staffing in place, we were able to reopen to the public. While feeding opportunities have been eliminated for now, we know everyone is excited to once again touch these amazing elasmobranchs! Please help us keep this touch experience open by washing your hands thoroughly before interacting with the animals.

Almost daily, we were reminded how popular our Snakes! exhibit is with some Zoo guests who were missssing these ambassadors! We’re pleased to have reopened this scaly experience for those guests who appreciate the reptile kingdom.

As all of us are accustomed now, things change rapidly and the Zoo’s team is doing everything in our power to remain open to serve our community and educate about the wild world. Please help us by following the recommended social distancing and mask requirements. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

BOGO Rides Wristbands This Black Friday, November 27. we will be having a BOGO buy one, get one free - sale on rides wristbands. This includes both gold and platinum wristbands, sold at the rides ticket booths only.

Platinum Pass - $10 per person Unlimited rides on the KC Zoo Railroad, Africa Tram, Endangered Species Carousel, and African Sky Safari Gold Pass - $7 per person Unlimited rides on the KC Zoo Railroad, Africa Tram, and Endangered Species Carousel

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Expeditions – Fall 2020

Meet Skokie!

A 10-year-old male North American river otter has joined Ursula and Ariel in the habitat near the front entrance of the Zoo. Introductions are underway, but it will take time until the otters are all on exhibit together. You can tell Skokie apart from our females by his larger size and darker coloration. He also has a “mustache” of dark fur just below his nose. Hopes are high for otter pups in the future as Skokie has a Species Survival Plan recommendation to breed with both females.

Time is Running Out The Zoo Run is offering a new opportunity this year. In addition to running (or sleeping in) for the sloths during the virtual event, you can also help to raise funds for the Zoo’s conservation efforts and be rewarded with prizes!

To thank those that are choosing to raise funds to support the Zoo’s conservation efforts at home and around the world, there are fun prizes for each level. We’re very grateful to all of the participants that are choosing to fundraise!

You must be signed up to participate in the virtual Zoo Run in order to raise funds. Fundraising is easy - it’s all digital, so you simply share your custom personal page with friends and family online so they have the opportunity to give and support the Zoo’s Conservation Fund.

But hurry! Time runs out Oct. 31!

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Name’s meaning: Blessed Born: 7/12/87 Mother to Masika Weight: 157 lbs Favorite Foods: Her favorites are constantly changing but she enjoys her bell peppers and green beans.

Least Favorite Food: Sweet potatoes, yellow squash Favorite Enrichment Activity: Keeper interaction, people watching, training Temperament: Can be vocal, plays with Masika a lot Special Training: Trained for voluntary ultrasounds for her pregnancy, maternal behaviors, presenting most body parts and prop behavior.

Appearance: Very round face, you can see the white of her eyes more than the others.

Name’s meaning: Storms Born: 10/13/91 Weight: 192 lbs Favorite Foods: She’s not picky, she likes everything!

Least Favorite Food: She eats her bell peppers last.

Favorite Enrichment Item: Plastic barrels for sitting on Temperament: Just before feeding time she will make a soft vocalization; we call it her “singing” Special Training: She will present body parts for exam.

Appearance: Longer face and has the largest crown of the females

Name’s Meaning: “warrior man” Born: 3/20/96 Brother to Curtis Weight: 370 lbs Favorite Foods: All types of fruit, kale and browse Least Favorite Food: Green beans and peas Favorite Enrichment Activity: Watching TV – he loves cartoons and nature documentaries Temperament: He likes to carry around the “furniture” from his rooms, taking it all with him wherever he is going. Energetic – likes to run around his bedrooms and explore his exhibit. He can be bossy towards his brother, barking and acting tough.

Special Training: Will present different body parts for inspection; working on allowing voluntary flu shot injections and blood draw training.

Appearance: Silverback; slightly smaller than his brother, face is more compact, and more hair on his head.

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Expeditions – Fall 2020

Name’s Meaning: Rainy Season Born: 5/25/15 Daughter to Makari Weight: 82 lbs Favorite Foods: All types of fruit, corn and peanuts Least Favorite Food: Peas and yellow squash Favorite Enrichment Item: Kiddie pool with bubbles and plastic cups and sand toys in it Temperament: She is becoming very independent and inquisitive.

Likes to climb trees and watch the public at the glass. Pushes boundaries with the older gorillas.

Special Training: Will present different body parts for inspection; gets on scale for weights, will voluntarily allow flu shot injections.

Name’s meaning: Happiness Born: 1/24/99 Weight: 199 lbs Favorite Foods: Fruit, bell peppers, carrots, corn and peanuts Least Favorite Food: Sweet potatoes, squash Favorite Enrichment Activity: Any and all kinds of manipulative enrichment.

Temperament: Very observant, playful with bedding Special Training: Excels at training; working on more behaviors such as flu shot and maternal behaviors Appearance: She appears lankier (long arms and legs), smaller head, has some white fingernails, and dark deep eyes

Name’s Meaning: “polite and courteous” Born: 9/23/94 Brother to Charlie Weight: 378 lbs Favorite Foods: All types of fruit, celery and peppers Least Favorite Food: Peas and avocado Favorite Enrichment Item: A soft, fleece zebra-striped blanket – he will sleep with it, and carry it around over his head Temperament: Of the two brothers, he is most mellow and watchful.

Although older, he defers to his younger brother, preferring to just walk away instead of fight over things. Enjoys just sitting in the sun, eating the leaves and bark off of the trees on exhibit.

Special Training: Will present different body parts for inspection; working on allowing voluntary flu shot injections and blood draw training.

Appearance: Silverback; has a more elongated face than his brother, and less hair on the top of his head.

www.kansascityzoo.org

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Animals About Town Recently, our friends at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts invited our animals to visit their awesome facility.

Our animal ambassador and shows team leapt at the chance and several animals spent the afternoon as the stars of their own show. While the stages are closed to the public, Jasiri, an African crested porcupine, strutted her stuff and Smaug, a green iguana, sunned in the grand Brandmeyer Hall. D’artagnan, a macaw, and Elver, a rose-breasted cockatoo, both tried out the microphone in Helzberg Hall and even Alice, a savannah monitor lizard, prepared for her closeup.

We enjoyed the opportunity to get some of our outreach and education animals back out into the community and look forward to the day when Zoomobile trips to community centers, schools and retirement communities can resume.

Return of WOW We are now featuring a daily Wings of Wonder bird show at 11 am and invite all of you to attend this special modified freeflight experience.

Additional safety protocols are in place to help you keep a safe distance from other groups. Every other row has been roped off in the auditorium and groups are asked to leave plenty of space between themselves and others.

Come see all of our feathered friends in the auditorium!

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Expeditions – Fall 2020

Boo at the Zoo Mark your calendars for Boo at the Zoo on Oct. 25 and 31. The annual event is being modified this year for a safe trick-or-treating experience. Bring the kiddos in their family-friendly costumes and join the fun! Treat bags will be provided. There will be the same number of treats at a smaller number of nocontact treat stations staffed by Zoo employees. Our animals will also be receiving pumpkin enrichment at scheduled times throughout the day!

Members, you have special access to Boo at the Zoo from 9:00–10:15 am each day!

Reservations are required. Make yours at https:// www.kansascityzoo.org/event/boo-at-the-zoo.

Thanks to Ford Motor Company Fund for sponsoring this event.

Zoo Manoo We call it Zoo Manoo, an all-purpose soil conditioner. It’s one example of our conservation programs in action. Our composting program diverts 75% of animal waste generated at the Zoo into 1,200 tons of compost annually.

Besides improving the physical structure of the soil, using compost has other benefits. It modifies temperature extremes in the soil, keeping it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. In addition, it utilizes water more efficiently because less moisture is lost due to evaporation and runoff thereby permitting better absorption.

The Kansas City Zoo sells compost (animal manure, bedding and food waste) to the public year-round by appointment. Zoo Manoo costs $25 per truckload, or $20 for Friends of the Zoo members.

Zoo Manoo is available year-round! Call 816-595-1234 to schedule a pickup or visit our website at kansascityzoo.org for more information.

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Gift Membership Free Nuniq polar bear plush with any GIFT Premier FOTZ membership purchase, beginning November 16.

Additional plush polar bears animals can be purchased for $10 each.

Shipping available for an additional $10 per plush or pickup at the Zoo. Must be purchased by December 12th to guarantee Christmas delivery.

Adopt a Wild Child Show your favorite animal that you care. As an adopting individual, family, group, or corporation, you will a personalized adoption certificate, framed animal photo, an invitation to the annual adoption picnic, and other fun wild perksthroughout the year. Visit the Kansas City Zoo often–you’ll see your adoption at work!

FOTZ Annual Meeting

Visit our website for more details.

Join us for our online Friends of the Zoo Annual meeting on Oct. 28 at 5:30 pm. This year’s keynote presentation is brought to us virtually from Jessica Pate. Jessica will be speaking about manta ray biology and manta ray conservation, as well as recent discoveries that she has made about Florida’s manta rays.

Jessica has an undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a graduate degree from Florida Atlantic University. She has studied sea turtles in Florida, Central America, and West Africa. She has also taught marine biology on traditionally rigged schooners and has crossed the Atlantic Ocean by sail. In 2016, Jessica started the Florida Manta Project to study the biology and ecology of manta rays in South Florida.

Please RSVP to DonnaAde@fotzkc.org. Registration is free but required to receive the link to the meeting.

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Looking for Zoo Events?

Check our website for up-to-date information on Zoo events!

Expeditions – Fall 2020

Holiday Gift Ideas 9 9.9 $6

6 5.9 $1

9 4.9 $1

9 1.9 $2

Hand-Carved Flip Flop Elephant Sculptures

Family Pack of Fudge

9 4.9 $1

Hand-Carved Kisii Stone Sunset Box

.99 $9

Polar Bear Ornament

Kansas City Zoo Mug

9 2.9 $3

Kansas City Zoo Red Panda Snow Globe

9 4.9 $1

Carved Wooden Giraffe Ornament

9 4.9 $3

Elephant Water Bottle

9 5.9 $2

Case YardÂŽ Phone Case

These gifts and more can be found in our two gift shops, Deja Zoo and Equator Gifts, located in the Lobby or in the African Market.

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Thank you to these generous sponsors for

continuing to support the Kansas City Zoo despite the cancellation of this year’s fundraising event.

Deramus Foundation Bighearted Baboon

Garmin International, Inc.

Laudable Lion

Arvin Gottlieb Charitable Foundation, UMB Bank, n.a., Trustee Burns & McDonnell Husch Blackwell JE Dunn Construction Jean and Don Wagner Charitable Foundation Keywest Technology, Inc. Mega Industries PGAV Architects Rensenhouse Charitable Foundation Sprint Stinson Leonard Street LLP Summit Homes Turner Construction UMB Financial Corporation VanTrust Real Estate

Generous Giraffe

Bonnie and Herb Buchbinder Americo Life, Inc Block & Co., Inc. and David, Vicki & Alex Block Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City Cassandra and Joshua Landy Cathy and Rick Baier Centric Chris and Blythe Jones Dean Development Inc DeBruce Foundation Dentons ECCO Select ehdd | El Dorado Architects Enterprise Holdings Foundation Euronet Worldwide Inc.

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Evergy Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Hallmark Hayley Hanson & Todd McGuire Jeff and Tracy Dillon Kiewit McCownGordon Construction Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation Power Partners PricewaterhouseCoopers Raphael Hotel Group SelectQuote Service Management Group Shirley & Barnett C. Helzberg Jr. Truss

Charitable Chimp

Ash Grove Charitable Foundation Beth and David Hazels Black & McDonald Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP Carol and Allan Hallquist Cheryl and Tom Shireman Christine and Dan Blegen Commerce Bank Construction Brokers Inc Country Club Bank Creative Planning Danny & Maria Pfeifer Ford Motor Company Francis Family Foundation Great Range Capital Hartsook Jami and Fred Pryor Jan Armstrong Jeannette and Jerome Cohen Foundation JMW & Associates John A Marshall Co KPMG LLP Kris and Harry Campbell Lacy & Company Linda and Mike Falk Lynch Bryan Consulting

Marchant/Haus Family Marissa Schaffner McCray Lumber & Millwork McKinzie Contracting, LLC Missouri Employers Mutual Mooney Family Foundation Musselman & Hall Contractors, LLC Paragon Capital Management Prism Real Estate Services R.H. Johnson Company Sherman Foundation Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP Sumner One Teague Electric The Heritage Foundation The Tom Grant Family UES Consulting Services, Inc. Wellner Architects Whitco Business Services LLC

Also thanks to:

Complete Technology Services Confluence Debby and Gary Ballard Gail and Tom Cluen Gayle and Bruce Krigel Jackie and Lynn Johnson KC Booth Scheels Uryasz Family Foundation Vicki and Bill Reisler

In Kind

Mac’s Sportswear Modern Litho Drexel Technologies

To donate, visit kansascityzoo.org

Expeditions – Fall 2020

In Memoriam, Radi This July, gorillas lost an impressive ambassador of their species, the zoo’s gorilla troop lost a father, and the staff lost a friend. Radi passed away at age 37, after a long battle with a prolonged illness. He had lived at the Kansas City Zoo for the past 25 years.

Managing chronic illnesses is extremely challenging; however, the Zoo had done everything in its power to care for Radi and make him comfortable. The veterinary staff worked tirelessly in their research and consulted innumerable other doctors, both human specialists and veterinarians, to give Radi the best possible outcome.

Zookeeper staff weathered the ups and downs, always offering him his favorite foods and spent many sleepless nights worried about their charge.

As the supervisor of the area, I have personally known Radi for nearly 14 years; from the time he was an individual bachelor, through getting his own troop, and into fatherhood. While he could bluff charge with the best of them and startle guests and staff alike, he was a kind father and an amazing leader.

Masika was his only offspring and he was a wonderful father to her. From pulling his hair, to diving off rocks onto his belly and stealing his food, Masika could do no wrong. As she grew older she started getting away with less, but he always gave her more slack.

Radi was extremely personable and therefore was a bit of a time thief. Whether he was sticking his fingers through the mesh in hopes that you would put up your boot to start a game of tag, or begging for hose drinks, Radi was a pleasure to work with.

I will miss his happy grumbles when we unlock the building in the morning, or when I would yell his name to the other end of the hallway or to the far corner of the outdoor exhibit. Whether it was Radi, Radizzle, or just Dizzle, he would always give a grumble.

Some keepers say that picking your favorite animal is like picking your favorite child, and if that’s the case I would still have to say that, out of the hundreds of animals I’ve worked with, Radi is one of my favorites. He lived a good life, and I am glad to have been a part of it, and I hope he enjoyed that we were in his.

I’ll miss you, buddy. We will all miss you.

Josh Murray, Animal Assistant Manager- Baobab

www.kansascityzoo.org

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OPEN DAILY!

6800 Zoo Drive | Kansas City, MO 64132 816.595.1234 | www.KansasCityZoo.org

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October 9:30am-4pm Monday–Friday 9:30am-5pm Saturday–Sunday November–February 9:30am-4pm Daily

LOOK INSIDE!

Meet Nuniq!

See page 2

ZOO MISSION: The Kansas City Zoo connects people to each other and the natural world to promote understanding, appreciation, and conservation.

In Memoriam Lizzie

Lizzie was eight years old and was born at the Kansas City Zoo to mom Mahali, who remains at the Zoo. She had become a mother twice herself, to Dixie in 2018 and Chandy in 2019. Her caregivers say she was a fantastic mom, very smart, and had really become a leader of the herd.

Dixie

Dixie was born at the Kansas City Zoo in February 2018 to mom Lizzie and immediately won the hearts of many with her unusually fluffy ossicones. Her caregivers say Dixie was special and a bit of a diva who loved to be the center of attention, was eager to learn, and an excellent older sister. She was also the self-appointed groomer of the rest of the herd’s ossicones and manes.

Kate

Kate came to the Kansas City Zoo in 2016 and brought us all much joy when she gave birth to her first litter of cubs, a set of rare red panda triplets, in 2019. Her zookeepers say that Kate was a great mom and would play with the cubs quite a bit. She had been ill for some time and under veterinary care; she passed in August.