INSIDE THIS ISSUE Camp Times ........................................................ A8 Classifieds............................................................ A4 Community Calendar ............................B8,9,10,11 Discover Roanoke............................................B2,3 Healthy Times ...............................................A10,11
A
See our ad on page A14 INfortwayne.com
Serving Southwest Allen County & Roanoke
March 7, 2014
Zoo’s stars keep low profile through winter By Garth Snow
The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s yearly grocery list
gsnow@kpcmedia.com
A crust of ice covers the 20-inch layer of snow that blankets the grounds of the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo. The squirrels and Canada geese that own the grounds in the summer still scoff at the cages in February. The zoo gates are locked, the ticket booths dark. And 54 cars and trucks fill four rows of the parking lot. “There’s a lot going on,” the zoo education chief explains. “All the animals that we have are here all yearlong. So there are caretakers here all yearlong.” For the record, Cheryl Piropato said, that’s about 1,000 animals — “give or take a few” — of about 200 species. The animals stay at the zoo through the winter, but most take shelter indoors. To make that possible, 65 to 70 people work through 12 months and four seasons. “That’s how
Each year, the zoo spends more than $238,000 to feed the more than 1,000 animals in it’s care. Here’s a sampling of what the animals consume in a typical year:
PHOTO BY GARTH SNOW
Even one of the zoo’s two red pandas sought the warmth of a heating pad this winter. Education and Communications Director Cheryl Piropato says the natives of the Himalayan Mountains are suited to stay outside in the Indiana winters.
many people it takes to take care of the animals,” said Piropato, whose formal title is education and communications director. “We have instructors out in the schools every day. We have veterinarians doing physicals this time of the year.” In fact, two veterinarians
and two veterinary assistants care for the birds and the beasts. “And they’re busy all the time, they cover things seven days a week,” she said. “When the zoo first started in 1965, it’s true that all the animals left the zoo in the wintertime, but we just don’t do that
Homestead College Fair invites all area students
More than 80 colleges and military careers will be represented Monday, March 10, at the Homestead High School College Fair. “Right now, I’ve got 84,” said guidance secretary Cindy Fitt, who said the annual expo “is kind of my baby.” This is her 23rd year with the college fair. “We have it every year, and it’s usually well attended,” Fitt said. “We usually have 300 community members from the local high schools and the surrounding area.” One lucky junior or senior will win a $200 scholarship. “It’s a great opportunity for students and their parents to come and talk with the admissions reps,” Fitt said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to make that first connection.”
College fair Monday, March 10, 6-7:30 p.m. Homestead High School, 4310 Homestead Road No charge. She said two-year colleges, four-year universities and vocational schools from throughout the U.S. will have agents available. Indiana schools to be represented include: Anderson, Ball State, Bethel, Butler, Charmaine School & Model Agency in Fort Wayne, DePauw, Earlham, Franklin, Goshen, Grace, Hanover, Holy Cross, Huntington, IPFW, IUPUI, Indiana, Indiana Tech, Indiana State, Indiana Wesleyan, International Business College, Ivy Tech, Manchester, Masters of Cosmetology in Fort Wayne, Marian, Purdue, Rose-Hulman, Rudae’s School of Beauty in Fort Wayne, St. Joseph’s, St.
Mary of the Woods, St. Mary’s, Taylor, Trine, Notre Dame, University of Indianapolis, University of Southern Indiana, St. Francis and Valparaiso. “We have the University of Alabama, West Point, we have Concordia University from River Forest, Ill., we have Northwestern from Evanston, Ill., Texas A&M from Fort Worth, Texas, Johnson and Wales from Providence, Rhode Island,” Fitt said. Fitt’s own family can attest to the opportunities that might follow that first discussion. Fitt’s son Tyler attends the University of Cincinnati. “He made that connection two years ago, when he was a junior,” she said.
Times Community Publications
gsnow@kpcmedia.com
3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808
By Garth Snow
anymore,” she said. “In part, because we make a commitment to provide excellent care for every animal for as long as it’s with us, for its entire life, and there aren’t just excellent places that we can ship animals to for See ZOO, Page A2
Produce • 25,392 apples • 4,860 eggs • 1926 lbs seedless grapes • 3960 lbs bananas Meat • 15,184 lbs of carnivore meat diet • 5,320 lbs bird of prey meat diet • 605 lbs small bones • 450 lbs large bones Fish • 25,982 lbs capelin • 2,850 lbs herring • 2,340 lbs squid • 1,353 lbs smelt • 20 lbs scallops • 54 lbs shrimp Grain • 320 lbs dog food • 90 lbs tarter control biscuits • 52 boxes of bamboo • 5000 lbs primate chow