Today was Jesse's Birthday! He turned 15 according to the Zoo. I say according to, as you can never quite be sure any information they release is accurate. Regardless of age or date, I'm just glad he got a recognized day and special treats!
I have always loved when the Zoo used to celebrate the Animals Birthdays and when I (along with my friend Lee) was allowed to make Enrichment Toys for them, what started our venture was a combined Lion Birthday Party :) and culminated in a Bear Birthday Bonanza, celebrating all the Bears Birthdays. Sadly the Zoo has not celebrated any Animal Birthdays since. They do not find the value in it, despite it being something that Visitors enjoy and more important it brings joy to the Animals.
You can read more about the above at these links:
I post about this today, because someone just emailed me about the Zoo doing a celebration for Jesse, and then I also got a news alert on it.
Its quite ironic that the one Animal they choose to do this for is a Primate, as the Primate Curator Corinne MacDonald told me, "I'm not interested in celebrating Birthdays (of the Animals)"!!! LOL! Classic.
You can read the news article about Jesse's Birthday here:
SF Zoo's Only Male Mandrill Turns 15
Mandrills are an African monkey species that are considered vulnerable due to hunting and habitat loss, according to the zoo.
Wednesday, Sep 19, 2012 | Updated 5:54 PM PDT
Jesse, the SF Zoo's only male mandrill, turns 15, on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012.
One of the San Francisco Zoo's most colorful primates celebrated his 15th birthday Wednesday.
Jesse, the zoo's only male mandrill, enjoyed a special treat of pineapples and blueberries at breakfast this morning along with the zoo's two female mandrills, Lulu and Cleo, a zoo curator said.
"For them, that's like having a birthday cake -- it's not something they get every day," said Corinne MacDonald, curator of the zoo's primate and carnivore exhibits. Mandrills are an African monkey species that are considered vulnerable due to hunting and habitat loss, according to the zoo.
Zoo officials say the species has declined by more than 30 percent over the last 30 years.
One of the largest monkeys on earth, mandrills are socially dynamic primates known for their brightly hued blue and red faces, MacDonald said.
Luckily, local residents and visitors can get a glimpse of the majestic monkeys at the mandrill exhibit near the zoo's Primate Discovery Center.
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