The Jackson Zoo issued the following press release:
BABY ORANGUTAN IS BORN AT THE JACKSON ZOO
JACKSON, Miss. – The Jackson Zoo is excited to announce it welcomed a newborn Bornean orangutan on Nov. 22.
Jackson Zoo residents Sabah and Pumpkin gave birth to a healthy newborn on Sunday, Nov. 22 in the early morning hours. Animal care staff found the baby when they checked on the pair during their morning routine.
According to Zoo Veterinarian, Dr. Michael Holifield, the newborn appears to be healthy and doing well. The newborn is confirmed to be a male and a name for him will be chosen during a naming contest. Jackson Zoo staff is excited to welcome a new addition to the animal collection and contribute to the Species Survival Plan of this endangered species.
“We are very excited for this birth, as the Bornean orangutan population is dwindling in the wild, we are contributing to the conservation of this incredible species,” Zoo Director Beth Poff said.
Sabah came to the Jackson Zoo in April 2013 from the Pittsburgh Zoo. She formed a close relationship with our male orangutan, Pumpkin, during their first face-to-face meeting. Sabah, also nicknamed Kimmie, has shown to be an exceptional mother to the newborn and is very tentative to his needs.
Sabah has only made one brief appearance outside since giving birth last week. When you visit the zoo be on the lookout for mom and baby, you may catch her sneaking outside to show a peak of her newborn son.
Bornean Orangutans are classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, with less than 55,000 in the wild. Palm oil farming is the biggest threat to this species, where forests are burned down and orangutan lives are sacrificed. The Jackson Zoo supports conservation efforts through multiple avenues in hopes of sustaining the orangutan population.
Today the Jackson Zoo is participating in Giving Zoo Day in partnership with Giving Tuesday, which is a nationwide campaign to bring awareness to Zoos’ needs. Bornean orangutans are one of 15 endangered species at the Jackson Zoo that you can support when you donate to the zoo. The Jackson Zoo’s Giving Zoo Day goal is to reach its online giving goal of $5,000 for 2015 and to bring awareness to long-term growth and stability through endowment funds setup with the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson. For more information visit: www.jacksonzoo.org/support/donate
It is not known when he will qualify to run for office although it was leaked to JJ that Coach Mullen has already inquired about teaching him how to play noseguard.
11 comments:
The zoo needs our help. Don't complain about it (inevitable complaints on the way) if you aren't doing something to help. The city will continue to cut funding to the zoo and they will need more help from outside sources.
Jackson should continue to cut funding to the zoo. There are far too many other mission critical funding priorities.
ATANGORANG!
Kids in Mississippi can take a class field trip and see a world-class zoo in Memphis or Birmingham or New Orleans. when you have raw sewage running down city streets then a zoo is definitely a secondary or tertiary spending priority.
A field trip to Jackson seems a lot cheaper. There are many City operations that are far more wasteful than a zoo.
Jackson should properly fund (1) public safety - police and fire; (2) maintaining infrastructure - water, sewer, drainage and streets. After those needs are met decide where any 'remaining' money will go, if any remains. There are plenty of options: parks, zoos, libraries, public transportation, etc. etc. But until a government provides the basics that is a direct responsibility of the government, it should not begin or continue the others.
Jackson has its hands full right now with public safety and infrastructure. Granted, it would be a great place to start with the bureaucracy that exists in the city office buildings, but that will only make a dent.
Hate to lose the zoo. Or the library. Or the museum. Or the........... But if Mayor/Council don't start focusing on and really dealing with the problems in its infrastructure, you will not be able to drive to the zoo with your 'field trips'.
The mayor/council have been focusing on what they think deserves the most focusing. That just happens to be the removal of tax dollars to their and their friend's pockets.
Sort of funny that there was enough money to build the things needed in the first place but not enough money to keep them repaired. The tax money is going somewhere.
Zoo needs to be a regional effort and that will work if and when Jackson say they are out of the zoo business.Lots things can be make regional if Jackson will let go and let a new governing structure be created.
Every animal at this facility should be given to an organization that will release them into the wild in venues where they can survive and thrive. Pretending that children need to see animals in cages is pure bullshit.
6:44 Don't know s**t about nature, do you?
First, most of the animals would be dead by morning if let out into "the wild". Second, how would children see, oh, say, TIGERS in the wild? Let's send your kid up close to an uncaged tiger and, if they survive, they can describe it to my kid later.
I've got an 11th grader and a kid in college. Around 4th, maybe 6th, grade they went to Memphis and saw animals they never would have seen in the Jackson Zoo. About 12 hours total IIRC. They loved it and made up take them to NOLA and Birmingham zoos on subsequent family trips.
Jackson Zoo really takes the title "Non-Profit" seriously.
Post a Comment