Hi, I'm Gus!

By: Gus the Green tree frog

Hello everyone, I'm Gus the Green tree frog! Some of you might have met me at Wings of Spring on May 3rd. That was the first time I was out saying hi to folks and spreading my message: BE GREEN!

I'm just here to show you how to be green and hopefully inspire you to do it too!

You might know that there are tons of plastic water bottles out there and that almost all of them end up in the landfill. Since it takes them hundreds of years to break down, you can imagine the mountains of bottles we are just throwing away!

One solution, is to recycle! That plastic water bottle can have a whole new life as a new bottle, bag or scarf.

Another solution is to use a reusable container and and bring your water with you! That's what I do, and as a frog, I need a lot of water!

Since I like to use my own water bottle, I actually made one featuring me! They are a nice lightweight aluminum and come in red or blue.

If you want one, the nice folks at the Sacramento Zoo Membership office are selling them. They are just $8 for SacZoo Members and $10 for everyone else.

Stop in and pick one up! Start doing your part to be the solution.

Soon, I will have my very own webpage at http://www.saczoo.com/ and of course, I will keep blogging here (I'm the blog frog). Until then, look for me at the next Zoo event and remember, Be Green!

Coquerel's sifaka video

By Zoo Blog Keeper

Did you know?..... the Sacramento Zoo is one of only 4 AZA accredited zoos to exhibit Coquerel's sifakas. Like many other types of sifaka, the Coquerel's sifaka is in danger of extinction in Madagascar.

A fun fact: With their powerful hind legs, sifakas can propel themselves more than 30 feet in a single jump! Come out and see our two sifakas on your next visit. Learn more about sifakas!

Lullabys for parrots

By Interpretive Center Staff

It’s a web like a spider’s web
Made of silk and light and shadow
Spun by the moon in my room at night.

It’s a web meant to catch a dream
Hold it tight ‘til I awaken
As if to say, dreamin’s all right

-A song sung to Robbie, Eclectus parrot

As we leave for the day we give some extra love and attention to our Animal Ambassadors. Just as your child may like a bedtime story, our animals have nightly rituals that must be completed before they can sleep. Believe it or not, our birds enjoy a sweet lullaby before they tuck in. Of course we are happy to oblige; lucky for us they don’t care about pitch!


Lara sings to both Robbie and Julio (Blue and Gold Macaw) each and every night. Robbie enjoys it so much that he actually sings along. However, his lyric repertoire is limited to one note: La.

Brooke, our newest IC staff member, felt that the American Kestrel, Herbie, needed his own lullaby. Initially, the song was developed to calm him down when he was screaming, but it is now sung to him every night. In order to hear the song better, Herbie comes right up to the side of the cage (sometimes with dinner still in beak). He also puffs his feathers and bobs his head while she sings. After all the singing is completed and the lights are turned off, the staffers say “Go to bed, Julia” or “Goodnight, Julia” to our Thick-billed parrot, which she answers with her special goodnight call. She then climbs into her specially-made sleep sack, meant to simulate a tree nest and is off to sleep.

Gus, the Green tree frog

Welcome Gus, the Green tree frog!!!!! Making special appearances at all your favorite Zoo events.

This Saturday at Wings of Spring, stop by the Make a Website Video booth (in front of the lake) and visit with Gus after you record your favorite SacZoo memory.

Gus Says: Be Green!

Turn off the lights when you leave a room:)

Make a Video - Starring YOU!

By Jaime Wilson, Zoo Web Keeper

Come out to Wings of Spring this Saturday (May 3, 9am to 4pm), and make your very own video that will be featured on the saczoo.com homepage. We will be set up in front of the lake and will do all the work! You just have to come on out and tell us your favorite Sacramento Zoo story, animal or memory.

To thank you, you will also get a lovely Sacramento Zoo shopping bag, made out of 100% organic cotton canvas!

We want to hear your story! So come out and bring the kids - to share some memories and make new ones.

All the Wings of Spring activities are included with Zoo Admission. If you are a Sacramento Zoo Member, you can enjoy it all, just by showing your membership card!

New Site - What do you think?

by Zoo Web Keeping Team

The new website is finally up and running, and we are wondering what you think? Can you find what you are looking for? Do you like the look? What else would you like to see?

And thanks for taking the time to look around, it will help us make the site better!

New SacZoo Website

by Jaime Wilson, Zoo Web Keeper

The Sacramento Zoo is proud to present a completely redesigned website! And we want you to be a part of it.

After 10 years with our old site, we have a whole new look and feel for saczoo.com. Here are some highlights:

• Main navigation menu to allow for easier exploring
• Login features give you access to your giving history, profile and address updates and email preferences
• Exclusive areas for Members, Docents, Volunteers, Zoo Parents and more!
• Weekly video and slideshow (this is where you come in!)

But to make it great, we need you to help us! We are inviting Sacramento Zoo lovers to make a 30 second video we will post on the new website. We will also send you a lovely 100% organic cotton Sacramento Zoo canvas bag as a thank you. While supplies last.

Here is what you need to do:

1. Pick one of the following statements to finish:

I love my Sacramento Zoo because...
My favorite Sacramento Zoo animal is...
My favorite Sacramento Zoo memory is...
The Sacramento Zoo inspires me to...
The Sacramento Zoo taught me to...

2. Create a 30 second video of yourself, your kids, friends or other family members finishing one statement. (Remember to start your video with the phrase you picked and then finish it with your story)

3. Upload your video to YouTube
(You will have to create a YouTube account if you don't have one)

4. Copy the URL (web address) from your YouTube video

5. Send an email to sacramentozoo@gmail.com

Instructions for Video Submission email:

• Paste the URL (web address) of your YouTube video into the email
• Include the title of your video
• Include your name and address

Here is our first submission!



And don’t forget to visit www.saczoo.com. Check out the site and login to set up your user account!