Latest news with #ColumbusZooandAquarium
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Two Columbus Zoo elephants are expecting in the coming months
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – It's an exciting time at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium where not one, but two elephants are currently expecting. Experienced mama Phoebe and first-time mom Sunny are due in the coming months, which has the animal care team on baby watch. 'We've never had this opportunity to even have the ability to have two baby elephants at the same time. We are all-in with sustainability and conservation of Asian elephants and I cannot wait,' said Adam Felts, Senior Curator for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. With any pregnancy, it's a delicate balance of excitement, anticipation and specialized care, which these elephants are receiving around the clock. 'Fortunately, they are months apart, or at least four months apart,' said Dr. Randy Junge, Columbus Zoo's Vice President of Animal Health. 'If the babies have complications or the moms have complications, they can be really intensive cases. If you had two at the same time with complications, it could be really very difficult, but we're not anticipating any problems again both females are healthy.' Nationwide Arena announces $400 million renovation project Keeping them healthy and limber is a top priority for the elephant care team members like Laura Garcia, who, on this day, was leading Pheobe in her morning stretches. 'We do call it elephant yoga, and we want to keep our elephants in shape, especially our pregnant and elephants,' said Garcia. The team also does regular blood draws and ultrasounds to monitor mom and baby's health. 'At this stage, the baby isn't changing much, we just want to monitor and make sure there aren't any changes,' said Dr. Junge. As the moms-to-be enter their birth windows this summer, the excitement is mounting for everyone. 'It's very exciting that people get excited about this with us because it is such a special experience,' said Garcia. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Weedy seadragons in the running for nature's best dads
Four weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) males are carrying eggs for the first time in a public aquarium. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Ohio announced the achievement just in time for Father's Day–and some have already hatched. Weedy seadragons are bony seahorse relatives native to Australia's coasts with small heads, long tails, and leaf-like limbs. They can reach 18 inches long, and blend in marvelously with seaweed, which has made it difficult for researchers to study them in the wild. Their unique reproductive process is also infamously difficult to nurture in captive breeding programs, so the sea creatures have remained enigmatic. Like their other seahorse cousins, weedy seadragon males carry fertilized eggs instead of the females. 'In the world of aquatic animal care, this is a remarkably rare and meaningful milestone,' Megan Brown, director of Population Management Strategy for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, said in a Columbus Zoo and Aquarium statement. 'Weedy seadragons are among the most challenging marine species to breed, and observing multiple males brooding eggs within the same timeframe offers exciting new insight into their complex reproductive biology—something few facilities have accomplished.' Part of the complexity comes from the weedy seadragons' intricate mating ritual. It essentially involves a snout-to-snout dance in which a male and female mirror each other's movements as they travel up and down a water column. The female transfers her eggs onto the male's tail, where he fertilizes and carries them until they hatch six to eight weeks later. As of Monday June 9, 20 eggs have hatched at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The organization's animal care team is keeping a close eye on the inch-long hatchlings. A baby seahorse at this stage is called a fry and this crew is reportedly scarfing down around 9,000 baby mysis shrimp and 18,000 copepods (planktonic crustaceans) per week with a 'voracious appetite.' The team will actively raise them for at least a year. [ Related: 8 animal fathers that take care of their eggs. ] In 2024, the aquarium also had reason to celebrate when a single weedy seadragon hatched over 20 babies, the first ever weedy seadragons to hatch in their tanks. According to the organization, only a few North American institutions have achieved this. Weedy seadragons are not the only species with highly engaged fathers. Male seahorses, emperor penguins, silverback gorillas, and arctic wolves are just some of the dads that deserve an extra special Father's Day celebration.
Axios
10-06-2025
- General
- Axios
Columbus Zoo is on baby elephant watch
Talk about big news: For the first time in the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium's history, two Asian elephants are pregnant at the same time — and one is due any day now. Why it matters: The species is endangered, and its population in accredited zoos is currently unsustainable due to dwindling numbers and a lack of genetic diversity, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The calves' father — Sabu, from the Cincinnati Zoo, who lived here temporarily — has no living offspring, so the births will bolster the gene pool. The big picture: The news comes as some zoos are moving away from keeping elephants amid increasing care standards, which require lots of space and expense. Others, like Columbus, are investing more by expanding habitats, encouraging breeding, and working with global partners to conserve wild elephants. Advocates say keeping elephants is important for research and education. A 2023 AZA strategic plan calls for increased collaboration among zoos, including transferring animals for breeding. Threat level:"If we don't do something as a group, we're not going to have elephants in 100 years," says Adam Felts, senior zoo curator and head of the AZA's Species Survival Plan. At last count, there were 157 Asian elephants in 27 AZA institutions. Zoom in: Felts took Axios behind the scenes to meet 38-year-old matriarch Phoebe, who is expecting her sixth calf. She's "all business," with a big appetite. The 7,400-pound pachyderm calmly used her trunk to funnel biscuits into her mouth while a veterinarian scanned her with an ultrasound probe. Her calf is likely the size of a Great Dane. It's impossible to see the entire thing in one image, but vets can view ribs, a skull or a beating heart. All appear healthy. Another elephant, 16-year-old Sunny, is due with her first calf between now and August, while Phoebe is due in the fall. Keepers hope the experienced mom will show Sunny the ropes. They're encouraged by her bond with Phoebe's 3-year-old calf, Frankie, who still lives at the zoo. The arrangement should mimic wild herd behaviors, in which females raise the young together and males are mostly solitary. The intrigue: The new calves will make history in another way, as Columbus' first to be vaccinated for elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). The devastating virus is the leading cause of death among AZA elephants, and calves are especially at risk. A vaccine became available last year. What's next: Elephants are pregnant up to 22 months, so expect lots of fanfare when the 200-plus-pound bundles of joy finally arrive. 1 fun prenatal ritual: elephant yoga Impress your friends with this fun fact: the Columbus Zoo's herd is trained in "elephant yoga." How it works: The elephants follow a target and maneuver into various poses, such as stretching their feet and trunks, kneeling, and lying on the ground. Between the lines: Keepers say practicing the moves keeps them limber and engaged. It also helps them learn to get into positions for routine health monitoring, such as blood draws, exams and ultrasounds. 😅 Alissa's thought bubble: I definitely couldn't move as gracefully during my pregnancy as 7,400-pound Phoebe does. Impressive.
Axios
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
What we're watching in Columbus this June
A new month is here, so we're looking ahead to what will be making headlines and dominating conversations. 🏳️🌈 Festival season: June is peak outdoor event season in Central Ohio. Arts Festival, June 6-8 Stonewall Columbus Pride, June 13-14 Creekside Blues & Jazz Festival, June 13-15 Buckeye Country Superfest, June 21 Juneteenth Ohio Festival, June 21-22 ComFest, June 27-29 Plus: A few events remain from our spring festival guide. 🏫 School closures: The Columbus Board of Education voted to close five schools last year, and superintendent Angela Chapman is scheduled to share a realignment plan and next steps. 🦦 New zoo region: The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium will open its new $40 million North America Trek after a delay caused by a construction mistake and a rainy spring. 💨 Cannabis law changes: Ohio lawmakers appear close to passing Senate Bill 56, which would change and restrict various elements of marijuana legalization. 🎓 Higher education changes: Controversial Senate Bill 1 goes into effect June 27, overhauling Ohio laws for colleges and universities. The bill outlaws faculty strikes, bans diversity initiatives and requires an "American civil literacy" course. 💰 A new budget: Gov. Mike DeWine has until June 30 to sign a new two-year state operating budget, which has already sparked plenty of debate.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Final report on Columbus Zoo leadership theft released
POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Auditor of State released the final report from the investigation into the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, more than four years after news first broke about top executives stealing $2.3 million from the zoo. The special audit into the zoo led to the convictions and prison sentences for five former zoo leaders who used zoo money for personal purchases for ten years. Ohio's power grid operator warns of potential power shortages this summer The executives paid for suite tickets for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Ohio State games, 2016 World Series tickets, One Direction concert tickets, vacations to Florida and limo services. The final report included emails from the executives showing how they attempted to conceal the purchases by saying they were to entertain zoo donors and board members. For their roles in the $2.3 million theft, former CEO Tom Stalf was sentenced to seven years in prison, former CFO Greg Bell received three years in prison and the former Director of Marketing Pete Fingerhut got five years behind bars. Combined, the men are paying back nearly $1.5 million in restitution. The other two executives involved, Grant Bell and Tracy Murnane, received little to no jail time and are paying back much less in restitution. New 'The Office' spinoff series to be set in Ohio Ohio Auditor Keith Faber said current zoo leadership and the board of directors have made changes to make sure fraud like this does not happen again. 'This is a cautionary tale for everybody,' Faber said. 'Being on a nonprofit board is not just a ceremonial position. You get to just rubber stamp what the executives do. You have a real oversight role.' The CEO of the Columbus Zoo, Tom Schmid, said the zoo is now focused on oversight for leaders and transparency. There is an ethics hotline for anonymous reporting, documentation on all transactions, a reduction in spending limits, and personal purchases are now prohibited. 'It's a new day, we have new leadership in place, we have a more engaged board of directors, we have dozens of new policies and procedures. I can assure you, under my watch, that this will not happen again,' Schmid said. Faber said these new safeguards will better protect the zoo. A rare wildflower that is only known to grow naturally in Ohio blooms in May 'I have confidence that the people of Ohio can say that the zoo has put its past behind it and has a structure in place that is going to make it much more difficult for somebody to lie, cheat, and steal and get away with it at the zoo,' Faber said. Faber added that the previous Board of Directors should have noticed something was off with former leadership's spending. The final report from the auditor included prevention recommendations to the zoo, and Faber said almost every recommendation has been followed. The full report is available to read by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
