Happy Birthday Peaches! - Nigerian Dwarf Goat Birthday

Peaches celebrated her Birthday today, March 9!

Happy Birthday Peaches!

I was glad I could go to the Zoo today and visit my Sweet little Friend Peaches and wish her a Happy Day and of course, sing her Happy Birthday :) to which she then wiggled her tail!  i think she liked it :)  I love you Precious girl!  She was having a wonderful time, lounging in the sunshine with her friend (and mine) Basil close by :)

You can visit Peaches, her "sister" Kiwi (who she came to the Zoo with) and all her friends at the Family Farm in the Children's Zoo.

Happy Birthday Maroudi! - Nigerian Dwarf Goat Birthday

Maroudi celebrated her Birthday on March 5!

Happy Birthday Maroudi!

I found out it had been my Precious little Barnyard Friends Birthday when I visited today.  I felt awful and still do that I didn't know and wasn't there for her "party"!  Her Keeper Amber and the Volunteers made her a yummy Goat treat Cake and had the other Staff and Visitors around to sing her Happy Birthday :)   The Barnyard Keepers are wonderful about making sure to celebrate the Friends Birthdays.  I thank them for that because celebrating these awesome Animals on their special day is important to me.   

I felt so awful that Keeper Irene sang with me our own Happy Birthday to Sweet Miss Maroudi today and she seemed to be listening as she even smiled afterward :)   I love you little girl!

You can visit Maroudi, her family (sons Milky Way and Snickers & half-siblings Paprika, Nutmeg and Basil) and friends at the Family Farm in the Children's Zoo.

Happy Birthday Sukari!

Sweet Sukari turns 10 today!

Happy Birthday Sukari!

I have also made a video from her Birthday Party!  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4HDdzwk5Ak&feature=youtu.be

My friend Lee and I were lucky to be doing Enrichments for the Big Cats when Sukari's Birthday came around.  Sukari had come to the Zoo over six months prior but was still very shy and not seen very often.  For every Enrichment Toy day before her Birthday, she was either seen peeking out at Tunya enjoying his Toys, or she would quickly snatch it and retreat to the cave.  The first time, all we saw was her paw reach out and grab the Toy!  

For her Birthday I wanted it to be special for her and something she would enjoy.  It was time for her to be experiencing the fun of Enrichment Toy days.  We needed to use this opportunity to draw her out of her shell (and the cave).  The night before I thought about how she is always hiding in the caves, and thought by putting her Cake at the cave doorway, then when the Keeper would open the door she would at least see it before she ran.  Hoping that by seeing it she would want it!   The next day I told the Keeper about the idea I had, so she placed the Cake on the Lion House side of the cave door.

When she opened the door, there was Suki and she started to dash, then saw the cake and stopped.  She turned around and sniffed it a few times, checking it out, and then snatched it and ran!  Struggling to get it out of the cave, she pulled it through and took it to the yard!  YAY! Suki!  

By the time I ran out to the yard, her companion Tunya had already laid claim to it and was enjoying the bottom layer that was filled with Rhino scented hay :)  Sukari came round and sat there staring at him like "hey, thats mine!"  ... They were an awesome couple and share :) ... FYI we made Toys for all the Cats!  It was Suki's Ice Cream Social!  I will try to make a video of more of the fun!  You can see photos here: http://gooberssfzoofriends.shutterfly.com/2499

After a Lion Dance, Suki snuck in and reclaimed her Cake and eventually went and retrieved the top layer and trotted off with it proudly!  YAY!  I was so proud of Sukari, for being out and taking part in her Birthday Party!   That was a major turning point in her gaining confidence and feeling comfortable. It truly was a celebrations!  She didn't hide anymore after that.  She came out each week and enjoyed Enrichment Toys :)  I'm glad that something I did helped her to feel more secure in her new surroundings.

Zoo Friends Birthdays!

I love Birthdays!  Everyone has one.  For the Zoo friends, sometimes its their actual day of birth, sometimes its their arrival date and the facility they first came to from either the wild or as a rescue.  As I became endeared to the San Francisco Zoo Animals, I wanted to celebrate them, by celebrating their Birthday!  Again whether the actual day or the estimated day, every Animal has one and if they don't they should (bad record keeping) and that date or any date, at least once a year should become their special day!  

The Zoo has no interest in honoring these awesome beings on their Birthday, but I was lucky enough to befriend the Big Cat Keeper who cared enough to share my interest.  Because of her, I was lucky enough to do something special for the Cats and Bears birthdays during 2010.  Now I just go and wear something festive and sing them Happy Birthday :)   

Here are some dates that might be of your special Zoo Friend's special day!  ... If not or any other info needed, please contact me, I am always available to provide what I know about the Zoo Animals. 

OH almost forgot.  While compiling this list, I had to laugh, as I noticed one of the Zoo's famous blunders.  They have Lulu the Mandrill's date listed in July of 2008, and her mothers passing date as January 2008.  Amazing!

January

1/1971- Elly/Black Rhino

1/1982- Sureshot/Eagle

1/1987- Olive Oyl/Anaconda

1/2003- Grizzly Sisters

3/1998- Monifa/Gorilla

4/1997- Amanzi/African Lion

February

6/2002- Hercules/Great Hornbill

7/2003- Jahari/African Lion

7/1993- Margie/Llama

20/1991- Pelican

March

1/2002- Trent/Otter

16/1980- Boomer/Emu

18/1989- Cleo/Mandrill

25/2001- Wakoda/Navajo Churro Sheep

April

4/2008- Nataani/Navajo Churro Sheep

9/1992- Bosco/Black Howler

13/2002- Kristin/Giraffe

16/1994- Rigel/Snow Leopard

24/1959- Tallulah/Chimpanzee

25/1969- Maggie/Chimpanzee

25/1970- Minnie/Chimpanzee
(Chimp info taken from Studbook/differs from Zoo info)

May

10/2002- Inti/Bobcat

11/2003- Bititi/Giraffe

14/1988- Sauna/Lion Tailed Macaque

18/2003- Tucker/Hippo

25/1995- Gauhati/Asian Rhino

31/2001- Spice Kids (Basil, Nutmeg, Paprika) Nigerian Dwarf Goats

June
10/2001- Paddy Nigerian Dwarf Goat

11/2002- Sam/Giraffe

14/2003- Goldfish/Fishing Cat

28/2002- Sukari/African Lion

July

10/1958- Cobby/Chimpanzee

10/2003- Skylar/Sumatran Tiger

13/1980- Bwang/Gorilla

13/1994- Slash/Cassowary

19/2003- Lupe/Black Howler

21/1989- Jesus/Lion tailed Macaque

22/1999- Pokemon/Blackbuck

24/2008- Lulu/Mandrill

31/1989- Jonesy/Gorilla
July/2008- Belozi/Black Rhino

August

1/2000- Shastyuh/Amur Tiger

2/1998- Eric/Duiker

12/1994- Goober/Bairds Tapir

September
5/2005- Tiki & Kai/Kune Pigs

8/2003- Lily/Duiker

13/1981- Zura/Gorilla
14/2005- Razzleberry/Nigerian Dwarf Goat
19/2007- Jesse/Mandrill

23/1998- Nneka/Gorilla

October

26/1998- Angelo/Anteater

29/1989- Diamond/Black Howler

30/2001- Snickers & Milky Way/Nigerian Dwarf Goats
30/2003- Wasabi/Rooster

November

25/1982- Pike/Polar Bear

December

19/1980- Ulu/Polar Bear