Fun in the new yard

The first half of the phase one expansion of the elephant habitat is complete. Mac, Methai, and Shanti have been exploring the new space now for a couple of weeks.  It appears the verdict is in – they like it!

The center of the yard is a big sand pile. What it’s turned into is an elephant couch! It’s a lot like the comfortable couch in your living room - the adults see it as a place to relax and maybe take naps, but the kids use it as a playground. 

Recently, Mac’s Aunt Methai wanted to take a nap. Mac wanted to play. Elephant keepers recorded the experience and we’re happy to share it with you here.

Mac and Friends Halloween Pumpkin Bash

Fall weather may be a few weeks away but the pumpkins hanging from the live oak trees around the Reflection Pool are a good indicator that it’s time for the Zoo’s annual Halloween festival, Zoo Boo!

Mac, his mom Shanti and Aunt Methai welcomed the season in grand style this week with the annual Zoo Boo pumpkin bash.  Even Mac’s friends at spectacled bears, lions and the orangutans at Wortham World of Primates got in on the fun.

Join us for Zoo Boo October 20-21 and 27-28.  For more information click here.

Happy Birthday to Mac!

How fast time flies!  Seems like it was only yesterday that we were welcoming Mac to the Houston Zoo.  On October 6 our big guy turned 1 year old.   And what a party it was!  More than 6,000 came to the Zoo to enjoy the festivities, sign Mac’s giant birthday card, and watch as Mac, his mother Shanti, and Aunt Methai enjoyed his cake and his presents.  View a photo gallery from the party.

And everyone had a chance to meet 6 year old Dane Di Muzio, winner of the Mac Birthday Card Contest.  Dane is a huge fan of Mac and was one of more than 200 children who created and submitted birthday cards for Mac’s big party.  Dane’s winning card featured enrichment activities that keepers create for Mac and the Zoo’s elephants (Shanti, Methai, and Thailand) as well as some of Mac’s favorite foods.  Dane’s card is featured here with a selection of the hundreds of other cards that were submitted for Mac’s birthday contest.  Thanks to everyone who submitted a card.  We – and Mac – enjoyed them all!

                                           

Winner of Mac's Birthday Card Contest

Congratulations to Dane DiMuzio -
winner of the Mac Birthday Card Contest!

Everyone enjoys getting birthday cards.  And Mac got dozens and dozens of handmade cards honoring him on his first birthday.  We’re proud to display our top picks. 

Thanks to everyone who invested their time and creative efforts to recognize Mac on his big day! Click here to see a gallery of some of the entries.

Everybody in the Pool!

The calendar may say October, but the weather still says summer in Houston.  And if it feels like summer it’s a perfect time for Mac’s first visit to the pool!  Usually the pool at the elephant exhibit is just for Thai, Mac’s dad.  But this week Thai shared it with Mac and the girls - his mother Shanti and his Aunt Methai.  In the video you’ll see Shanti leading the way with Mac behind her and Methai waiting in line.  Mac was a little hesitant to get in at first, but when he saw his mom going down the stairs into the shallow water and the keepers splashing water on everybody – well, he couldn’t resist.  Once he was in, he had a great time splashing around in the water.  At one point Mac even lay down in the pool – just like his dad does! 

Don’t forget to join us for Mac’s first birthday celebration on Saturday, October 6.  The fun starts at 10 a.m. when guests can sign Mac’s giant birthday card in the main entry plaza.  At 11 a.m. Mac gets his birthday presents and at 1 p.m. he gets to blow out the candle on his birthday cake!

First day of the new school term.

School’s back in session for everyone, including Mac!  This semester Mac is taking Retrieve 101.  He actually began the course a few months ago but the keepers took a break for the summer.  Now the lessons have started again and as you can see in the accompanying video, Mac is proving to be a good student.  The keepers have taught all the elephants to retrieve objects from the exhibit.  In this lesson Mac is learning with a small piece of a tree limb about an inch and a half in diameter.  As his skills develop, keepers will vary the object being retrieved.

Giant Birthday Wishes Are In Order

When your precious pachyderm turns 1 that's cause for a BIG celebration. So we are inviting you to help create an extra special birthday greeting for Mac.

If you've always wanted to showcase your artistic skills or write your own greeting card, here's your chance! We're looking for just the right birthday card for Mac!

Submit your original birthday card design for Mac to the Houston Zoo by September 19.   One winning entry will be chosen by our Elephant Keeper staff and a larger-than-life greeting card will be created for guests to sign at the birthday bash on October 6. Zoo guests will have the opportunity to sign the GIANT birthday card.

The winner will receive a Birthday Party at the Houston Zoo to accommodate 20 people. Valid until October 6, 2008. Enter today and help Mac have a naturally wild celebration.

There are three easy ways to enter: 1. Submit your drawing online: Click Here to Submit 2. Mail your drawing to: Houston Zoo Birthday Card Contest 1513 N MacGregor Houston, TX 77030 3. Drop off your drawing in person to our Guest Relations Office near the Main Zoo Entrance. Click Here for a Google Map Winner will receive a Birthday party at the Houston Zoo to accommodate 20 people. Valid until October 6, 2008.

A Day in the Life, Part Two

Last week’s Day in the Life, Part One closed with a look at Mac’s after class recess. Mac’s school day usually starts each morning around 10 a.m. Frequent visitors to Mac’s blog page over the past several months have seen elephant supervisor Martina Stevens leading his training sessions (see Mac’s Summer School Continues).

But all work and no play is no way for anyone to spend the summer -especially a hot Houston summer. So after lunch each day, the keepers do elephant baths. Thailand enjoys a dip in his pool and Shanti and Methai get a refreshing bath with a water hose.

Mac’s starting to appreciate the benefit of a cooling spray on a hot day. Click on the video screen to see more. By the way, the treat at the end of the bath for Mac and Shanti was a whole apple!

A Day in the Life, Part One

I saw Mac today, oh Boy!

Frequent visitors to Mac’s blog page over the past several months know he’s a busy guy. His schedule is pretty full! With the next few blog entries, we’ll attempt to give you a sense of a Day in the Life with Mac.

Mac’s day starts early at 7 a.m. when the elephant keepers arrive. Keepers tell us Mac is usually playing with his sand pile in the yard with either Shanti or Methai standing by keeping watch.

The first task for the keepers is to start cleaning and preparing breakfast for all the elephants. While waiting for breakfast, Mac usually plays with his new favorite toy – a hanging bowling ball!

Mac’s breakfast is hay and kale. He’s still nursing, but he’s also eating more and more solid food.

While Mac, Shanti, Methai and Thai enjoy breakfast, the keepers finish cleaning up the yard. Ten a.m. is when school starts for Mac and when class is over he gets treats! A few days ago it was bobbing for fruit! Click on the video to see Mac’s after class recess!



Next week: Part Two – MacBath!

Mac’s Summer School Continues

Your memories of summer school may not be the best. While your friends were enjoying a care free time, there you were stuck inside.

But Mac really enjoys going to class. Especially when class involves treats.

Elephant supervisor Martina Stevens is Mac’s teacher but the whole elephant crew is involved. The training the team is doing with Mac this summer is setting a foundation for his training in the future. In the accompanying video, you’ll see Mac lifting his feet and lying down. Lifting his feet is good exercise. And in the future, Mac will left and present his feet for foot care by the keepers. Having Mac lie down is also good exercise. And when he is larger, it will give his keepers an opportunity to see his back and sides and give him a thorough bath. Training also helps his keepers establish a strong relationship with him.

By the way, the treats you see Martina giving Mac as rewards during his training include apples, carrots, and pears.

Letters! We get letters!

Mac gets fan mail!  And he gets e-mails and phone calls and comments from guests.  Mac’s fans want to know how what he likes to eat and what new experiences he’s had lately.  Some want to know how his “schooling” is going.  He’s doing great!  We’ll post some photos and video from his latest session soon.  Sometimes the fan mail is accompanied by artwork including portraits of Mac.  Two recent examples are shown here.  Sofia and Mackenzie drew their portraits of Mac recently after a visit to the Zoo.  Sofia is 5 years old and Mackenzie is 6.  Our thanks to Sofia and Mackenzie for sharing their wonderful art with us and all our visitors and guests.

Elephant Exhibit Expansion

If you’ve ever remodeled your home while you lived in it you’ll have a pretty good idea of what we’re doing with our elephant exhibit at the Houston Zoo.

Construction is now underway on the most significant improvement to our elephant exhibit in the 85-year history of the Zoo -  the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat. 

The expansion will be built in two phases.  Phase One, a $5 million project, has just begun and will include an improved viewing area, a new 9,000 square foot elephant barn and additional outdoor holding areas. 

The initial Phase One construction will expand the viewing area into the space once occupied by the Texas Wetlands exhibit.  While this area is under construction, the elevated viewing area will be closed, but you’ll still be able to see Thai, Methai, Mac, and his mom Shanti from ground level viewing on either side of the construction area.

For the safety of our guests, the sidewalks surrounding the construction area have been closed temporarily.  We apologize for the inconvenience.  However, the sidewalks will reopen when this phase of construction is complete, in approximately 3 months, weather permitting.  When the new viewing area and yard are complete, construction will begin on the new elephant barn.

When complete, the elephant area will expand six-fold, with three large yards, the addition of a second pool, and a modern new barn that offers guests a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lives of our elephants.  This design creates a naturalistic habitat, enhancing the living space for elephants, streamlining the animal care process, and providing a world-class experience for guests. 

Lucky Guest Walks Away With $1,000 Prize

Martha Sexton Wins $1,000 Shopping Spree at Gallery Furniture

She came. We saw.  She won!  And all she had to do was stand in line.  Martha Sexton will always remember her first trip to the Houston Zoo.  Martha was the 1,000th Zoo visitor on Tuesday morning, July 10.  Standing in line with her family, Martha didn’t know that Tuesday was going to be her lucky day.  As the 1,000th Zoo visitor Martha instantly won a $1,000 shopping spree at Gallery Furniture.  The contest, sponsored by the Zoo and Gallery Furniture was held in honor of Mac, the Zoo’s 10 month old baby Asian elephant hitting the 1,000 pound mark. 

“I was so surprised and so happy,” said Martha, a resident of Jennings, Louisiana.  “This was the first trip to the Houston Zoo for my family and me.  We were just counting on having a good time, not winning $1,000,” added Martha. 

Houston Zoo President and CEO Deborah Cannon presented the prize to the lucky winner as Zoo staff and volunteers dressed in animal costumes crowded around to offer their congratulations.  “We take great pride in delivering an outstanding guest experience every day.  It’s a great feeling when you can surprise someone and really make their day,” said Cannon.   After the presentation, Martha and her family were then whisked away on one of the Zoo’s “stretch” golf carts for an up close and personal visit with Mac, his mother Shanti and Aunt Methai.  “Meeting Mac and the other elephants was a lot of fun, especially for my grandchildren, 3 year old Frank and 1 year old Allie,” said Martha.

Weigh in on July 10 and you could gain $1,000!

                                   

On July 10, you could gain $1,000 from Gallery Furniture and the Houston Zoo!

The Houston Zoo's prized pachyderm has packed on 1,000 lbs.

What does it feel like to gain 1,000? Find out on July 10 when the 1,000th person in line at the front entrance of the Zoo wins a $1,000 shopping spree at Gallery Furniture. In honor of our baby elephant, Mac, Mattress Mack will be on hand to surprise one lucky visitor!

Must be 18 or older.

Mac’s education continues.

Mac’s in summer school!  And he’s really enjoying it. Remember your first trip to the dentist?  Well, Mac is learning to work with the keepers so they can help Zoo veterinarians keep an eye on his health.  And part of that involves Mac’s dental health.  Here you can see elephant supervisor Martina Stevens asking Mac to open his mouth so she can look at his teeth and his tongue.  Some times Mac gets a little acrobatic with the tree stump in his exhibit.  You can also see Mac kneeling. It’s not a big help now for the keepers, but it will be when Mac gets bigger – a lot bigger!