21189 4/19/05 5:42 PM Page C1 RIVERBANKsRIVERBANKs May-June 2005 specialspecial 10th10th AnniversaryAnniversary gardengarden editionedition pagepage 1515 21189 4/19/05 5:42 PM Page C2 Contents Volume XXIV, Number 3 Riverbanks is published six times a year for members of Riverbanks Society by The Observation Deck 1 Riverbanks Zoological Park and Botanical Garden, Columbia, SC Plan Your Visit 2 Elephant Enlightment 4 Riverbanks Park Commission Education Adventures 8 J. Carroll Shealy, Chairman Ella Bouknight Hanging Around With Slow-Moving Sloths 12 Claudine Gee In The Know 13 Cantey Heath, Sr. Lloyd Liles Special Garden Section 15 James E. Smith Tracey Waring Robert P. Wilkins Lawrence W. Johnson, Chairman Emeritus Riverbanks Society Board of Directors H. Perry Shuping, President Jeremy G. Wilson, Vice-President Sharon Jenkins, Secretary Jan Stamps, Treasurer Stephen K. Benjamin, Esq. Joseph R. Blanchard Mike Brenan David J. Charpia Donna Croom Robert G. Davidson William H. Davidson II 12 Thomas N. Fortson Mary Howard 4 Mark D. Locke, MD, FAAP Richard N. McIntyre Dorothy G. Owen C.C. Rone, Jr. Philip Steude, MD James S. Welch Roslyn Young Don F. Barton, Director Emeritus Riverbanks Senior Staff Riverbanks Magazine Satch Krantz Dixie Kaye Allan Executive Director Executive Editor/Art Director Kim M. Benson Monique Jacobs Director of Human Resources Editor George R. Davis Ashley Walker Director of Finance Graphic Artist Ed Diebold Larry Cameron 20 Director of Animal Collections Photographer Kevin Eubanks Director of Guest Services Chris Gentile Riverbanks Hours of Operation: Director of Conservation Education Open daily 9am – 5pm Eric Helms 9am – 6pm on Saturday & Sunday, April through September Director of Facilities Management Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day Melodie Scott-Leach Special closings may be announced. Director of Horticulture Tommy Stringfellow Director of Marketing Subscriptions to Riverbanks are $24 per year. Members of Riverbanks Keith Benson, DVM Society are entitled to one free subscription along with free admission and Senior Veterinarian guest passes, discounts at Zoo & Garden gift shops, invitations to special Andy Cabe events and much more. To subscribe to Riverbanks or to join the Society, Curator of Horticulture call 803.779.8717 x1111 or x1239. John Davis Curator of Mammals Riverbanks Zoological Park and Botanical Garden is accredited by the Scott Pfaff American Zoo and Aquarium Association and the American Association Curator of Herpetology of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. Bob Seibels Front cover: Koala and her joey Curator of Birds Photograph by Larry Cameron 21189 4/21/05 7:44 PM Page 1 The Observation Deck e are pleased to feature two very important achievements in this issue of Riverbanks magazine–the birth of our first baby koala and the w10th anniversary of Riverbanks Botanical Garden. The state gift of four koalas from the government of Queensland, Australia, has been chronicled in previous magazines and does not bear repeating, except to once again thank Premier Beattie and the Queensland government for their incredible kindness. However, the birth of Karoo does warrant special attention. From December 2004 until early March 2005 practically every Riverbanks employee and volunteer made a daily pilgrimage to the Koala Knockabout exhibit. We were all hoping to be the first person to see a little koala leg or head emerge from Lottie’s pouch, something we were told would happen. Apparently, neither Lottie nor Karoo got the word because our first good look at the youngster came one morning when we discovered it completely out of the pouch! Through the generosity of South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), we have been able to share this amazing event with the entire world. Our good friends at SCE&G have provided us with a very high quality Web camera, known as SCE&G ZooView. The ZooView camera has been focused on Lottie and Karoo for the past several weeks and can be seen on our Web site at www.riverbanks.org. We are indebted to SCE&G for its continued support of the Zoo and Garden. This summer also marks the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Botanical Garden. In just 10 short years, the Garden has grown (no pun intended) into one of the best public botanical gardens in the United States. But don’t just take our word for it. Last spring HGTV recognized our Garden as of the 20 best in the country. Just a few weeks later, Horticulture magazine named it one of the 10 most inspiring gardens in America. If you haven’t been to the Garden in a while, you need to visit soon. You will be amazed at how well it has matured over such a brief period of time. In honor of the Garden’s anniversary, we have planned a special spring- and summer-long promotion aimed at making the Garden even more accessible. Aptly named First Thursdays in the Garden, the Garden will be open from 6-9pm on the first Thursday of each month through September 1. First Thursdays in the Garden will feature live music, food and drinks as well as special gardening demonstrations. Make plans to spend a summer evening in the Garden. You won’t be disappointed. Mission Statement It is our mission to foster appreciation and concern for all living things. We are dedicated to providing: ◆ the highest standards of care for our animal and plant collections ◆ a diverse educational and high-quality recreational experience for all Riverbanks visitors ◆ all the resources at our disposal for the conservation of the earth’s flora and fauna. 1 21189 4/19/05 5:42 PM Page 2 Plan Your Visit First Thursdays in the Garden May 5, June 2, July 7, August 4, September 1 Looking for an alternative after-hours retreat? What happens to a lion, zebra, giraffe and hippo Join us at Riverbanks for First Thursdays in the Garden. when they break out of the Central Park Zoo? Now through September, Riverbanks Botanical Garden will open its doors from 6-9pm on the first Thursday of Find out in Madagascar, an animated each month. Meet and discover local artists, listen to live DreamWorks production, opening in May. music, talk to a trained horticulturist and fall in step Special Offer for Riverbanks Society Members Only: with one of our impromptu tours. Watch Madagascar at any participating Eastern Admission: Society members $2, nonmembers $4. Federal Theater and redeem this coupon Food and beverages will be available for purchase. for $1 off any concession purchase! upcoming eventS Members’ Night Out – May 5 First Thursdays in the Garden – May 5 Mother’s Day Brunch – May 8 2nd Annual Wine Tasting at Riverbanks Garden – May 14 Enrichment Encounter Day – May 15 First Thursdays in the Garden – June 2 World Ocean Day – June 4 Watch Wildlife in Action Discover Enrichment Encounter Day Gorilla and Debrazza Monkey Enrichment - 11am Galapagos Tortoise Enrichment - 1pm Plus other animal enrichment activities throughout the day Just what is enrichment? Enrichment encompasses a variety of activities where objects, sounds and/or scents are used to encourage natural behaviors of the animals under our care. Every day the animals at Riverbanks are enriched naturally in their exhibits. In their off-exhibit areas, the animals are given artificial enrichment, such as boxes and papier-mache, for physical and mental stimulation. During Enrichment Encounter Day, artificial enrichment is brought out onto to the animal exhibits so you have the opportunity to watch wildlife in action. Please make plans to join us and discover the thrill of enrichment! 2 21189 4/21/05 7:44 PM Page 3 scE&G ZooView Zooms In On Baby Karoo It snuggles, it nudges, it stretches, it sleeps—and the whole world is watching! Thanks to an invaluable relationship with Queensland, Australia, and a long-standing partnership with South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G), Riverbanks Zoo & Garden has entered a new era in history, technology and insight. Since March 2001, Riverbanks has been proud to care for and display a group of koalas that were given as a gift by the government of Queensland, as a result of a sister-state relationship with South Carolina. This gift was truly remarkable since the Australian government considers koalas a national treasure, and they are rarely made available to zoos in other countries. Only a few zoos in the U.S. exhibit koalas, and few have successfully bred them. During a routine examination last September, a jellybean-sized koala joey—the first-ever born in South Carolina history—was discovered in mother Lottie’s pouch. As a result, Riverbanks invited children from Queensland’s Gold Coast and Columbia, South Carolina, to help come up with a name for the tiny koala. Four suggested names were submitted by students from Queensland; then students from elementary schools in Richland and Lexington counties voted on their favorite name. On March 15 Riverbanks formally announced “Karoo” as the winning name of the emerging joey. SCE&G simultaneously unveiled its new educational Web site, EnergeticMinds.com, featuring a live, inside look at Riverbanks’ koala exhibit through a state-of- the-art camera dubbed SCE&G ZooView. SCE&G graciously provided the ZooView camera to Riverbanks as part of a shared commitment to education initiatives within the surrounding communities. In step with this mission, SCE&G developed EnergeticMinds.com to help parents, teachers and students learn about energy and energy use. The interactive, community-oriented Web site entertains and informs—a perfect setting for ZooView, which adds even more fun and insight into the “energy” of animals at Riverbanks and beyond. Ties between SCE&G and Riverbanks date as far back as 1969 when SCE&G freed up 100 acres of land on both sides of the Lower Saluda River, and the Riverbanks Park Commission leased it for 99 years at only $1 per year.