INSIDE THIS ISSUE Classifieds..............................................................................A5 Community Calendar ........................................B8,9,10,11,12 Easter Sunday.................................................................... A14 Easter Services...................................................................A15 Healthy Times .............................................................A9,10,11 Ready For Spring .............................................................B6,7
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Zoo’s stars keep low profile through winter The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s yearly grocery list
By Garth Snow 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
Each year, the zoo spends more than $238,000 to feed the more than 1,000 animals in its 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.
through 12 months and four seasons. “That’s how 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.
Masonic Lodge applauds member’s 50-year mark
COURTESY PHOTO
Emory Bryan Jr. kneels at the altar at Masonic Lodge 224, Leo, where he received his 50-year Award of Gold.
said. “But on reflecting on all these memories, there’s one that stands out that’s greater than all the rest, and that
occurred the night I was initiated. After I received light in Masonry for the first time, the worshipful master approached me from the East. Only it wasn’t the worshipful master, it was my dad, and he said, ‘My brother, I now present to you the lambskin of a white leather apron. It is the emblem of innocence and the badge of a Mason.’ What a way to start your Masonic life! Dad, thank you. Thanks to the fraternity, and thanks to you guys.” Brian Hills, worshipful master of Lodge 224, said he moved to Indiana from Wisconsin, and Bryan made him feel welcome. “The degree work that he gave — the ceremonies that we go through — not only does it have heart in it, but it is just amazing,” Hills said. “Your voice, See LODGE, Page A2
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Emory Bryan Jr.’s family and fellow members of Masonic Lodge 224, Leo, helped to celebrate Bryan’s Award of Gold, recognizing 50 years with the fraternal organization. Mark Genung, leader of the Indiana Grand Lodge, spoke at the March 5 ceremony, and asked Bryan’s wife, Martha, to pin the award on her husband’s lapel. Bryan is chaplain of Leo Lodge. He has served as worshipful master at Leo and at Southgate, where he received his Masonic apron and advanced to the degree of Master Mason on March 2, 1964. “The fraternity has been a blessing to me through the years, the opportunity to meet the brothers all over the United States, many of whom became really great friends,” Bryan
“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 anymore,” she said. “In part, because we make a commitment to provide 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