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foxpaws PALM
DESERT
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W onde rfull y Wild
foxpaws SUMMER 2019
board of trustees Chairman: Treasurer: Secretary:
Bill Appel * Craig McCollam * Sandra Cooper Woodson * President/CEO & Assistant Secretary: Allen Monroe * Jon-Marc Blalock Mary O. Cone Susan E. Cooper * Melinda Drickey Marylynn Gladstein Harry M. Goldstein * Patti Grundhofer * Candace Holzgrafe H. Earl Hoover II Suz Hunt Sis Jackson Michael Kiner * Janet Lanterman * Jaishri Mehta Peter Scheer Michael Schreter Dick Shalhoub *
Bill Simpkins BJ Skilling Phillip K. Smith, Jr. Roger Snoble * Mary Lou Solomon Larry Spicer * Sam Spinello Nancy L. Stegehuis Van Tanner * * Board of Directors PRESIDENT EMERITA Karen Sausman
ADVISORY COUNCIL City of Indian Wells – Mayor Ted Mertens City of Palm Desert – Mayor Susan Marie Weber Coachella Valley Water District – Jim Barrett and Anthony Bianco Wayne Connor Associates – Wayne Connor Greater Palm Springs CVB – Scott White and Davis Meyer Sabby Jonathan Bill Powers Judy Vossler Carol Wright
TRUSTEE EMERITUS Curt Ealy Sherman A. Smith SECRETARY EMERITA Mary O. Cone LEGAL COUNSEL Brian S. Harnik
ON THE COVER Desert Bighorn Sheep FOXPAWS EDITORIAL STAFF Project Manager Erin Scott Editor Emily Whaley
Giraffe
Designer May Guzman Contributors Kirk Anderson RoxAnna Breitigan Mike Chedester Amy Crabb Dr. James Danoff-Burg Sarah Greely Jan Hawkins Michelle Moe Allen Monroe Greg Murphy Erin Scott Jonathan Lorenzo Yorba Angela Woods
FEATURES
table of contents 02
From The President’s Desk
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An Australian Adventure
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Animal Care: Elevating Overall Wellbeing
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Spotlight on Supporters:The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation
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Super Bloom
14 Juma The Giraffe - Conservation
WHAT’S NEW
Education in Action
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Update on the Vaquita
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A True Party in the Outback
18 ZooNews 19 Wild File 21 Events Calendar 21 Social Butterfly
Jaguar
As part of The Living Desert’s ongoing effort to make smart conservation decisions, foxpaws is now printed on 30% post-consumer waste (PCW) recycled paper. The Living Desert is committed to reducing our footprint, sharing conservation action steps and inspiring our guests to help do their part. Every choice, even the small ones, can add up to a big difference and big impact.
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FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK There is a lot of information that crosses my desk each day as I try to stay up to date about the plight of the natural world and what different organizations are doing to help protect wild spaces and the animals that live there. The human-caused pressures on the natural world are increasing, but one scientific paper recently summed it up in a way that was hard to ignore. Researchers Yinon BarOn, Rob Phillips and Ron Milo from Weizmann Institute of Science and California Institute of Technology estimated the biomass of all the living things on Earth and the results were eye-opening. Of all the biomass of mammals currently living on planet Earth, 36% are humans, 60% are livestock (primarily cows and pigs), and only 4% are wild mammals. For all the birds in the world, 70% are chickens and other poultry, and only 30% are wild birds. Over the last few centuries, human population growth and the way we feed ourselves has dramatically changed the natural world in a way that may not be sustainable. The world population is currently 7.7 billion people, and although the rate of growth is slowing, future population estimates are still increasing. The United Nations estimates the
world’s population will be 10 billion by the year 2055. So, what does this mean for our wild animals? While the magnitude of the problem seems daunting and there is only so much one individual can do, our shared efforts will be needed to make a difference. Our reliance on meat for protein is a cultural choice that has a direct impact on the environment, so this may be an excellent place to start. I enjoy a burger fresh off the grill, and bacon makes everything taste better, but I could give up these meat choices if it helps save the planet. If each family started with making one dinner a week an all-vegetarian meal, the collective impact would be huge. To help make this possible, here at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, we have added the ImpossibleTM burger to our grill menu so guests can make a choice that benefits the planet. Our goal at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens is to educate guests about plants and animals from desert habitats so they can make better decisions on the use of our natural resources. We need to save the planet. It is the only one we have.
Allen Monroe, President/CEO foxpaws |
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Bennett’s wallaby
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JOIN US FOR
AN AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE One-third of the world’s land mass is desert. From our own backyard within the Colorado and Mojave deserts to those of Australia 8,000 miles away, deserts are a key part of our world’s ecosystems. And this fall, your gateway to the deserts down under begins at the intersection of the North American Gardens and the Wortz Demonstration Garden, right here at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. Reimagining the former plant nursery, the zoo’s leadership, educators, conservationists, and animal care teams are excited to highlight the strong similarities
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the Australian deserts have with our California desert. Australian Adventures explores many of the animals that call this desert home, as well as how they interact with humans and the changing environment and threats they face. Not only bringing long-awaited Australian animals to your zoo, but also sharing the animal and conservation stories from the land down under. Your Australian journey begins with a face-to-face meeting with iconic emus, who you might see splashing in one of their ponds or running to greet each other. Your adventure continues when you enter the immersive aviary and discovery-focused habitat.
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Follow the pathway that lets you walk with Bennett’s wallabies. There are no barriers on the walkabout trail, so the animals may even come for a closer look. Free flight birds including budgies, kookaburras and other small Australian birds, bring a lively atmosphere. Desert climbing specialists, rock wallabies, show off their scaling abilities, while the uniqueness of some of Australia’s animals will be highlighted with the spiny echidna, adorable bettong, unique bluetongue skinks, and others. Both the Californian and Australian foxpaws |
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deserts face the impacts of our world’s changing climate. Longer-lasting heat waves lead to longer and more intense droughts, which increase wildfire risks, and more non-native species that crowd out natives. Our increased demand on water due to droughts also impacts the world around us and decreases available habitat for desert species. However, healthy deserts are vital to us. Similarly, we must all do our part as good stewards and reduce our negative impacts on our environment. Reducing our water usage, working to remove single-use plastics 8 6
A FEW
NEW ANIMALS Echidna
Wallaby
from our daily lives, and using more renewable energy sources and less fossil fuels all help keep deserts, and the world, thriving for generations to come.
Kookaburra
Australian Adventures is set to debut late Fall 2019.
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thrive and have fulfilled lives. This goal is fulfilled through building trusting relationships with the animals, allowing us to train skills which allow them to exert choice and control.
Animal Care: Elevating Overall Wellbeing By RoxAnna Breitigan, Director of Animal Care Animal care team members, Jessica and Nick, are working with a giraffe on a voluntary injection behavior. Jessica is working with an empty syringe and desensitizing the giraffe to the new object, while Nick is asking for the giraffe to perform a target behavior with the target stick.
More than 450 animals at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens are cared for by a team of animal care and veterinary professionals 365 days a year. From preparing specialized diets, creating dynamic habitats, providing enriching experiences and interactions, and ensuring excellent health care, the animal care team fulfills countless roles to ensure the animals in our care have the highest level of wellbeing. A responsibility that we take with great pride and respect. The team’s role as caregivers goes far beyond the basics. We strive to implement so much more which allows the animals to
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Every day, the animal care team works to build, create, and maintain trusting relationships through positive reinforcement. Every interaction with an animal is an opportunity to influence behavior and allow the animals to choose to interact with us on a higher level. We do our best to make these interactions a positive experience, so they want to participate. Through these relationships, the animal care team discovers what motivates an animal and then uses that valuable information to provide them a higher quality of life. There is an art and science behind animal training that the animal care team strives to understand better each day. Once the animal care keeper has established a trusting relationship with the animal, they are able to create two-way communication, which will allow them to ask for behaviors. It is also important to understand that, just like humans, no two animals are alike. We must continually think about the individual animal’s needs, since what motivates one will not always motivate all. We also take into consideration the natural history of the species when considering building a relationship with an animal as these are still wild animals. Once all these factors are considered, and the motivation has 8
been established, we can utilize this information to provide a higher standard of care for the animals. Training is an enriching activity, both physically and mentally. Training gives the animal the opportunity to make choices and have control in their lives. This trusting relationship encourages the animals to be voluntary participants in their own care. We can ask them for a natural behavior, such as asking a jaguar to open their mouth, which can provide stimulating exercise for the animals and as a bonus allows guests to see their amazing physical abilities. The animal care and veterinary teams work collaboratively to evaluate and prioritize which medical procedures the animal may need; then we can train for those specific medical exams. Some of these procedures are as simple as an animal stepping on a scale so we can have accurate weights, which is one of the first determination of an animal’s health, or stepping into a
Animal care team member, Amanda, trains with the badger asking him to target through the glass.
crate so they can be transported to the hospital. Some are much more complicated like voluntary injections, blood draws, urine collection or hoof trims. Training for any of these procedures eliminates the need for immobilizations which reduces the amount of stress associated with anesthesia. Providing animals with some control in their lives supports
Animal Care team member, Anna, is working with the dromedary camels asking for an open mouth behavior, which allows her visual access to his mouth and teeth to assist in our daily aloe, Aloe striata healthcare ofCoral our camels.
an improved and elevated level of well-being. Much like food, water, and shelter, control can be a primary motivator. When we avoid force and allow animals to make their own decisions, we enable them to be willing participants in their daily care, therefore, allowing an opportunity for a more fulfilled life.
Animal Care team member, Keiran, is working with the bat-eared fox. He is training a station behavior on top of the rock and a target behavior (asking the bat-eared fox to touch his nose to Kokerboom, Aloe dichotoma the target stick).
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Joseph Glassett, Catharine Reed, Christopher McGuire, Allen Monroe, Douglass Vance
Spotlight on Supporters:
The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation
By Dr. Jonathan Lorenzo Yorba, Planned Giving and Grants Officer
“It is important to The Berger Foundation to not only give, but also to actively partner with an organization.” - Christopher McGuire, Vice President of Programs, H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens will celebrate a golden occasion next year: our 50th Anniversary! Such a milestone provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon how we got to this point. We certainly could not have done it without the countless volunteers, staff, board and committee members and, of course, our many donors. In this issue of foxpaws we are launching a “Spotlight on Supporters” section to highlight those donors whose generosity allows us to fulfill our mission: Desert Conservation Through Preservation, Education and Appreciation. The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, one of our Business Lifetime Members, is a most deserving inaugural spotlight. The Berger Foundation began contributing major gifts to The Living Desert in 2000, which to-date total nearly $3.5 million. Charitable giving on this level is not merely impactful; it is
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KEY PROGRAMS SUPPORTED BY THE H.N. AND FRANCES C. BERGER FOUNDATION Field Trips Early on, Nor Berger was an accountant and Fran Berger was a teacher. Upholding the interests of the Bergers, The Berger Foundation supports educational field trips for more than 30,000 students annually. The knowledge students gain about conservation is empowering, allowing The Living Desert to carry out the Bergers’ vision for generations to come.
Howl-O-Ween The Berger Foundation is the title sponsor of the annual Howl-O-Ween event. This past year, more than 4,700 guests enjoyed the festivities. It is so rewarding to see throngs of costumed children enjoy the exciting actiities in a safe, familyfriendly environment.
Valley and beyond to partake in festive favorites. Guests are dazzled by more than a million lights and learn about many of the zoo’s animals including cheetah, zebra and giraffe. Santa Claus makes appearances for photographs and familyfriendly activities include preparing s’mores and creating holiday ornaments. In addition to offering people an opportunity to make wonderful memories, contributing to WildLights supports The Living Desert’s mission to save endangered species.
WildLights The holidays are a festive time as we transform The Living Desert into a winter wonderland. As the title sponsor since 2002, The Berger Foundation’s gift allows more than 30,000 guests from the Coachella
transformational. The Berger Foundation has supported The Living Desert in many ways including various Zoobilee Galas, operations, education programming, special events, memorials, and special projects. “It is important to The Berger Foundation to not only give but also to actively partner with an organization,” said Christopher McGuire, Vice President of Programs, The
H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. The Berger Foundation’s commitment is vital and helps us maintain a desert environment that promotes a connection with wildlife and the natural world and enables us to provide educational programs for people of all ages. The intangible benefits are truly immeasurable.
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Super Bloom By Kirk Anderson, Gardens Curator
Cottonwood JTNP - Arizona Lupine
“Oh, my!” To quote the late, great sports broadcaster Dick Enberg when something extraordinary happened. Mother Nature hit one out of the park this year!
Whitewater Canyon
Cottonwood JTNP - Desert Gold Poppie and Arizona Lupine
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The wildflower season in the desert can be a truly magical phenomenon, a bit of prestidigitation by Mother Nature’s hand. Seemingly barren flats and lifeless slopes spring to life if the conditions are right. Each fall, the wildflower clock starts ticking. Will the rains come? When? How much? How often? Will it be too hot? Too cold? These are the factors that determine the scope and scale of, if any, wildflowers. In a best-case scenario the season’s first rains would fall from late September through October, after the severe heat of summer has abated but with enough warmth
remaining to stimulate growth. That is what happened this year with a mid-October storm that induced full-scale germination of annuals and coaxed refreshed perennials like creosote (Larrea tridentata), desert lavender (Hyptis emoryi), sweetbush (Bebbia juncea) and indigo bush (Psorothamnus schottii) into a flush of bloom within weeks. The warmer than average temperatures through the month of November encouraged continued development of the green veneer of ephemeral growth that spread across the valley’s landscape. By mid-December, many annuals including brown-eyed primrose (Chylismia claviformis), notchleaved phacelia (Phacelia crenulata) and sand verbena (Abronia villosa) had commenced blooming. Additional rainfall in December and January bolstered the already blooming crop of annuals and produced a second pulse of germination. A third pulse followed 12
as a result of the super-saturating Valentine’s Day event that brought nearly three inches of rain to The Living Desert in twelve hours. The early germination and obliging temperatures accompanying the first pulse ultimately produced specimens of impressive stature: waist high Arizona lupines (Lupinus arizonicus) and shrubby desert sunflowers (Geraea canescens). The successive pulses filled the intervening spaces with annuals of varying sizes creating a veritable blanket of flowers viewed across a normally depauperate scape. Temperatures in March were nearly perfect; avoiding the spike into the 90’s, which allowed the crescendo of this preternaturally petal-powered panoply to peak perfectly. The west end of the valley was carpeted with the soft lemon yellow of desert dandelion (Malacothrix glabrata), a blend of wild Canterbury bells (Phacelia campanularia) and desert gold poppy (Eschscholzia parishii) made for a stunning display at the mouth of Whitewater Canyon. Desert lilies awoke early in the badlands of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and stayed up late, after a setback due to a cold snap, in the area of the Desert Lily Preserve along Hwy 177. Individual plants of sand verbena spread to five feet across and coalesced into nearly
Desert Lily Preserve - Dune Primrose
solid pink mantles across their sandy domains. The golden hue of desert sunflowers cloaked the south slope of Edom Hill once again and lined Interstate 10 as it traveled out of the valley to the east. The southern entrance to Joshua Tree showcased one of the best displays of wildflowers I’ve seen since I started posie-peaking in the desert thirty-five years ago. The bajada was festooned with a floral display of Arizona lupine, desert gold poppy and desert dandelion interspersed with a mixed bouquet of others. The deep purple of notch-leaved phacelia flowers was omnipresent throughout the scene this year including The Living Desert’s Nature Trail. Eighty-five species of plants were found in bloom along the trail on March 22. One phenomenon begot another this season – for the month of March a fluttering flotilla of painted lady butterflies (Vanessa cardui) moved ceaselessly south to north through the valley. These fanciful flyers capitalized on the bounty brought about by the copious rains spread over a large region. Coming out of the northern deserts of Mexico there was no shortage of nectar or host plants to slow their inexorable movement northward.
on the Nature Trail. The question early on was whether the sphinx moth larva (Hyles lineata) would return. In mid-March, they did, although not quite in the numbers evident in 2017. They were still considerable nonetheless and had a most decided effect on bloom status as they chomped their way through the brown-eyed primroses along with the other six native species of primroses and the sand verbena. The combination of the variables, moisture, and temperature create an infinite array of conditions resulting in no two wildflower seasons being the same. Given the vagaries of changing weather patterns and the track record of less than stellar wildflower displays over the last twenty years (’98, ’05 and ’17 being the exceptions) this will be a season to remember. The long season (November-April), lots of rain (6”-7” locally), large plants and a wide area involved – Super Bloom indeed!
Swathes of brown-eyed primroses once again covered extensive areas
Desert Lily Preserve - Sand Verbena
Desert Lily (Hesperocallis undulata)
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JUMA THE GIRAFFE
have had the opportunity to engage with our volunteers at the Tanzanian schoolhouse located near the giraffe savannah. Guests and school groups have learned about giraffe ecology and natural behaviors, as well as The Living Desert’s conservation efforts and impact currently underway to help save Africa’s giants from extinction.
CONSERVATION EDUCATION IN ACTION
This past fall, The Living Desert, in partnership with the Palm Springs Unified School District, developed a kindergarten pilot program to bring the Juma the Giraffe story to life through science observation, language, geology and art.
Juma the Giraffe is part of an ongoing series of children’s educational materials
Kindergarteners from Cabot Yerxa Elementary School in Desert Hot Springs participated in the pilot program. Their adventure in learning began in the Education Center with the reading of Juma The Giraffe, followed by an animal encounter, coloring exercise and most importantly a visit to the giraffe habitat. The program was a huge success as students, teachers, and administrators agreed the field trip and lesson taught the youngsters not only how beautiful giraffes are and conservation needs to keep giraffe safe in the wild, but also that like giraffe, every student is unique and special, both on the outside and on the inside.
By Mike Chedester, Director of Education
sponsored by The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens and created by the Wild Nature Institute. The curriculum teaches ecological and social lessons, builds national pride about Tanzanian wildlife, and motivates children to learn about and care for the natural world. Juma the Giraffe is a heartwarming story about how every individual is unique and special, both on the outside and on the inside. Over the past two years, our zoo guests
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UPDATE ON THE
VAQUITA
By Dr. James Danoff-Burg, Director of Conservation
The Vaquita S.A.F.E. program, which coordinates all zoo and aquarium-based conservation efforts in North America, led by The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, has focused on our Posts for a Porpoise Campaign. We have gathered almost 6,000 postcards, artwork, poems, and other amazing shows of devotion to and appreciation of the vaquita. We will be gathering all these pieces, along with the others gathered by dozens of our partners across the U.S., and shipping them to El Paso, TX, where they will be presented to the Mexican Consulate there. The presentation will both thank the Mexican Government for all they have done to help conserve the vaquita and their
efforts to create sustainable fisheries in the Upper Gulf of California, where the vaquita live. These fantastic fishers are going to be working with the government to develop and test non-gillnetbased fishing approaches, which will not harm the vaquita.
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A TRUE PARTY IN THE OUTBACK By Greg Murphy, Special Events Gift Officer
President & CEO Allen Monroe and Kirk Lanterman with Bea the Wallaby
The 27th Annual Zoobilee on March 2, 2019 was a g’day indeed with an unprecedented $1 million raised and record attendance in support of animal care, education and conservation programs at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens. In celebration of the Australian Adventures habitat, opening later this year, guests began the Party in the Outback at a cocktail reception held in the Living Legacy Endowment Garden, generously sponsored by Shirley Smith.
Bounding kangaroos greet Party in the Outback guests.
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Animal ambassadors and their Animal Care Keepers were out in full force to engage with guests, underwritten once again by Sean McGrath. The
cocktail reception included more than 350 silent auction items donated by businesses and individuals, as well as a photo opportunity sponsored by the J. Squire Junger Foundation. The evening continued with a transition to the tent for dinner with wine sponsored by Dick Shalhoub, La Quinta Cliffhouse and Pacifica Seafood Restaurant, along with live entertainment and an exciting live auction. Patti and Jack Grundhofer sponsored audiovisual production and Whitewater Rock & Supply underwrote table centerpieces. A tribute to the music of conservationist, activist and Australian export Olivia Newton-John included Xanadu to welcome guests to the tent, Hopelessly Devoted to You dedicated to the animals in our care, 16
Palm Desert City Councilmember Jan Harnik, Lauren Wallace, and Gala Emcee and KESQ News Channel 3 Chief Meteorologist Haley Clawson
Allen Monroe surrounded by honorees Patti & Jack Grundhofer and Title Sponsors, Shellie Reade & Harold Matzner.
and Physical in reference to the effort it takes to run a world-class zoo and gardens. Patti and Jack Grundhofer were honored for their leadership role and generosity for Phase One of the Pride of the Desert Capital Campaign. Raise the Paw, with paddles sponsored by Aristotle Capital Management, kicked off in grand style by a generous contribution from Janet and Kirk Lanterman, who were thanked onstage by a wallaby named Bea. The live auction highlighted fabulous jewelry from El Paseo Jewelers, Féb & Gar Design and Saks Fifth Avenue, and a Ferrari Weekend Experience with dinner for eight at Spencer’s Restaurant. The auction included the surprise
Allen Monroe with Gala Co-Chairs, Nancy Stegehuis & Jon-Marc Blalock.
addition of naming opportunities for a pair of new Mexican wolf residents, respectively named by winning bidders Ariane Hudson (“Drew Hudson” after her late husband) and Patty Newman (“Paul Newman” after her late brother-in-law). Special thanks to Honorary Presenting Chairs Harold Matzner and Shellie Reade; Honorary Chairs Lu Barnes, Dennis Flaig, Helene Galen and Jamie Kabler, Dodi and Kevin Henry, Donna MacMillan, JoAnn McGrath, Jan Salta, Lori and Aubrey Serfling, and Dick Shalhoub; Gala Committee Co-Chairs Jon-Marc Blalock and Nancy Stegehuis; and our sponsors, including Harold Matzner and
Shellie Reade, Peggy and Hal Bernthal, Lisa Argyros and the Argyros Family Foundation, Joy and Harry Goldstein, Candace and Jon Holzgrafe, JoAnn McGrath, Sharon and Dean Baltzell, Donna MacMillan, Edie McCarthy and the Patrick M. McCarthy Foundation, Carol Wright, Bright Event Rentals, Eisenhower Health, Jan Salta, BJ and Van Skilling, Suzan and Bill Appel, Lu Barnes, Susan and James Gould, Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Karen Miles. The invitations were sponsored by Union Bank | The Private Bank, hotel by Hotel Paseo, and media sponsors were The Desert Sun and Palm Springs Life.
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ZOONEWS ZOO NEWS THE LIVING DESERT JOINS THE PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE
Desert Pupfish
The Living Desert is thrilled to share that we are now one of only 11 zoos and aquariums across North America that have been reviewed and approved to become a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The IUCN is the world’s leader in determining the conservation status of species, crafting legislation to support their conservation, and bringing together the leaders of conservation to care for our planet. You know when you hear that something is Vulnerable,
Dr. James Danoff-Burg, Director of Conservation
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Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered? That is all determined by the IUCN. Now, we are part of that body. We can voice our opinion on major resolutions that often become law in many countries around the world. This membership elevates our status as a conservation organization. In addition, Dr. James DanoffBurg is honored to have been accepted as part of the Sustainable Use and Livelihoods Specialist Group (SULi), within the IUCN. The SULi is a global expert network formed by IUCN to provide credible, sound, technical advice on sustainable wildlife use and livelihoods to conservation projects globally. The Living Desert has been a conservation organization for nearly 50 years - and now, we are also the IUCN. DESERT PUPFISH – A TRUE DESERT SURVIVOR The Living Desert has been actively involved in the desert pupfish conservation program for nearly a decade. Our ponds have hosted many hundreds of
these delightful little fish, and at present, the Sonoran Pond is their best home with us. The zoo acts as a refugee population for these fish just in case they are needed for restocking the wild. True to their name, they are found only in desert ecosystems, including the Salton Sea. The historic range of this species, Cyprinodon macularius, was across the lower fields of the Colorado and Gila River basins in California and Arizona, unfortunately those populations have shrunk dramatically due to reduced amounts of water available to them, because of great human demands. At The Living Desert, in addition to the Sonoran Pond, our Gardens team has transformed the Chase Pond, in front of our Administration building, into a second refuge for these beauties. Based on what our expert consultant tells us, we may have as many as 500-700 desert pupfish on view, right as you walk into our main building! Be sure to stop by on your next visit, and say hello to our latest conservation success story!
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WILDFILE SUMMER FUN STARTS EARLY AT THE LIVING DESERT Take advantage of cooler, desert mornings beginning Saturday, June 1st. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens will begin its summer hours and open an hour earlier for guests to enjoy the wildlife and gardens from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm, daily, with the last admission at 1:00 pm. Members can still enter the park at 7:00 am. And a friendly reminder that the Eisenhower nature and hiking trails and Marilyn’s Merry-go-Round will close for the summer beginning June 1. Both will reopen for the season on October 1. TORTOISES, BEETLES, AND SHEEP… OH MY! You might think you’d need a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology to participate in conservation science, but that’s not the case! Scientists have realized the immense value and power of local, passionate, and dedicated citizens, and we are looking to our members to help collect information as part of their conservation research. The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens has long realized the value of our volunteers and the incredible things that we can get done together – and WE WANT YOU! If you are interested in learning more about the local conservation projects The Living Desert is involved with in and around the Coachella Valley, and participating as a Citizen Scientist, send an e-mail to Dr. James Danoff-Burg at jdanoffburg@livingdesert. org or call our main line at 760-346-5494 and speak to the receptionist. This is your chance to make a major impact on local species conservation efforts. YOUR WONDERFULLY WILD SUMMER ADVENTURE AWAITS! Summer ZooCamp is the coolest way to spend summer vacation. ZooCampers will learn about desert environments, explore the natural world, meet with animal care keepers and so much more. Weekly sessions are offered for ages 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 and 10-13. These sessions run Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon. Six weekly sessions begin June 17th. Members $186 (per week) | Non-members $216 (per week) ZooCamp sessions frequently sell out so Register Early. ZooCampers need to come equipped for outdoor activity with a snack, lunch, and reusable water bottle each day. For more information and to register: visit LivingDesert.org/ZooCamp, call 760-346-5694, or email ZooCamp@LivingDesert.org.
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EVENTS CALENDAR WEDNESDAYS: 15, 22, 29 Me and You at the Zoo 9:00 am – 10:00 am Me and You at the Garden 10:00 am – 11:00 am
JULY 2019
MAY 2019
SUMMER 2019
WEEK 3: JULY 1 – JULY 5 WEEK 4: JULY 8 – JULY 12 WEEK 5: JULY 15 – JULY 19 WEEK 6: JULY 22 – JULY 26 Summer ZooCamp 8:00 am – 12:00 pm
ZooCamp
JUNE 2019
Starry Safari
FRIDAY, 7 Starry Safari 4:00 pm – 9:00 am WEEK 1: JUNE 17 – JUNE 21 WEEK 2: JUNE 24 – JUNE 28 Summer ZooCamp 8:00 am – 12:00 pm FRIDAY, 21 World Giraffe Day
SOCIALBUTTERFLY SOCIAL BUTTERFLY We love seeing how our members spend their time at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, whether it’s at a “members only” event, or just a fun day at the zoo. When you tag a photo on social media that features The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens with the hashtag #TLDmember, we notice! Share your photos and experiences while you’re at The Living Desert. Use #TLDmember in your post, and you may see your photo in the next issue of foxpaws! For more information, please visit LivingDesert.org/tldmember. We can’t wait to hear from you!
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47900 Portola Ave. Palm Desert, CA 92260
BABIES IN BLOOM
NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO.149 PALM DESERT, CA
AT T H E L I V I N G D E S E R T
Chacoan peccary 3 piglets | Born 4/4/2019 All three are girls!
giraffe Vicki Lou | Born 3/20/2019 | It’s a girl!
sand cat 4 kittens | Born 3/25/2019 Two boys and two girls!
Nigerian dwarf goat Born 4/6/2019 | It’s a girl!
desert bighorn sheep African wild dog 6 puppies | Born 4/6/2019
Born 3/12/19 | It’s a girl! Born 4/6/2019 | It’s a boy! Born 4/7/2019 | It’s a boy!