Who's who at our favorite zoo?

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There's a lot to love about a zoo as busy as ours. On average, we see about 3,200 visitors a week. So it's only natural that there's a few exhibits that happen to be Zooligan favorites. We've put together a list of the top five favorite places to be at Zoo Mark.

5. The Toucan Towers. This doesn't really surprise us, since we know our Toucans are bright, smart, and...chatty. Sometimes too much so. No whisper is safe from Tyga's ears; she once repeated a dad's little secret about a surprise Backstage Paw Pass for the whole crowd to hear. Including his twins. Whoops, sorry dad!

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4. Manatee Bay. These easygoing, gentle giants are pretty laid back and don't mind hanging out for photo opps and the wayward treat, so it's only natural that these guys are the stars of their own show.

3. Gorilla Mountain and Panda Pagoda tied for the number three spot on our countdown to number one. Gorillas are playful and curious, making them super popular with our younger zooligans looking for a new friend and playmate through the glass. Our Matriarch, Tur, took part in our Zooligans Read program a couple weeks ago, and she was the perfect hostess. And who doesn't love pandas? their playful antics are always fun to watch.

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2. Tiger Tundra. We love every animal here at the zoo, but the tigers hold an extra special place in our heart since we're working so hard to rebuild the population and protect them from extinction. This year we were excited to welcome a new member to our tiger clan. She's doing well, and we love her to pieces, so the fact that you guys love them as much as we do is super special to us.

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1. Rock-a-Bye Nursery is by far our most popular stop, and who can blame you? Our state-of-the-art nursery is home to a dozen or so babies at any given time, growing big and strong until they can rejoin their families in the habitats we've created to make them as close to home in the wild as we can. Our babies are monitored closely by highly skilled staff to ensure that they stay on track developmentally and can be safely transitioned back to their families without becoming to reliant on their human nurses. As much as we love them, we know that their best chance is with their own kind.

Well, that's a wrap on this year's top five list. Be sure to stop in and see us, and keep up to date on zoo happenings through our Facebook and twitter accounts linked to the right. ==>

Check out our special commercial tribute to military animals in honor of Veteran's Day, right here: Zoo Mark Military Animal Commercial

All things autumn-festy

Calling all Zooligans!

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Raise your paw if you love animals. Now raise your other paw if you like apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and anything autumn. Are both hands up? Good, you're invited. To what, you ask? Only the biggest, bestest, apple and pumpkin spiciest Fall Harvest Party, ever! We're about to be the best part of your entire autumn.

We're pulling out all the stops this year. We've invited Wyatt from Rocking-M Horse Farms and Kylie of Apple Smash Apple Orchards for horse-drawn hay rides, apple picking, and Granny's Kitchen pie and ice cream specials, all at half the price you pay when you go to their home bases. I can't even...I just...There's so much...CIDER! Auggie and Obie will be on site to test out the product line, but they aren't coming alone. There's going to be all manner of monkey business going on. We're bringing in a Fall harvest farmer's market, a carnival with games (tickets 10 for $5), prizes and pony rides ($2); it's gonna be huge, Zooligans! With all this going on, can you imagine anything else you'd rather be doing? We can't. We've gone bananas, and we're taking you along for the ride.

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Did we let you in on the best secret of all? During the party, admission to the zoo is...Free. Yeah, we went there, it's free. Grab your kids, grab your sweaters, and meet us at Zoo Mark next Saturday, November 12, 2016. You absolutely can not miss this one!

See you at the zoo!

A Fishy Fact

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It's Trick-or-Trunk weekend at Zoo Mark, and in honor of our celebrations, we thought we'd share a "spook-tacular" animal fact on this week's blog posting.

Great White Sharks, one of the ocean's most feared predators, can smell blood from up to three miles away. That's quite a ways away to be sniffing out sushi!

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We were looking at introducing a Great White into our shark exhibit recently, but our research revealed that they are one of the only animals that truly cannot flourish in captivity; the longest one has ever survived outside of their natural habitat is six months. The jury is still out on exactly why that may be, but we're chalking it up to the fact that sharks of that size need several hundred miles to travel in order to find prey and enough oxygen to breathe properly, and no tank exists that can provide that. It's the same for most whales- they are simply too big to be in captivity. There is a lot of debate regarding captive orcas- many say that they are also too big to be in a tank, and stories of orca-related trainer deaths seem to support that idea. The other big reason Great White Sharks may not do well in captivity is that they are solitary animals; they don't always play nice with the other animals and humans. The opposite may be why dolphins do well in captivity- they are naturally very social creatures, engaging with humans even in the wild.

No matter how ferocious an animal may seem, we believe that every one- feathered, furry or finned, deserves their best chance to flourish, and therefore we at Zoo Mark will be leaving Great White Sharks in their ocean homes.

For updates on Zoo Mark shenanigans, check out this week's podcast at: Zoo Mark Podcast

Also, don't forget to stop in to Treasure Cove for your Buy One Get One stuffed Halloween-themed animal. We're running the special Friday, October 28, 2016 through Monday, October 31, 2016, while supplies last.

Pink is the new black!

At Zoo Mark, we love pink, especially when it represents something as important as Breast Cancer Awareness. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we will be featuring Fanny, our Pink Flamingo, at our Wildlife Education Class this week (October 22, 2016), and Dorian, one of our rare Pink Dolphins next week (October 29, 2016). We think it's important to get the word out so everyone stays as protected as possible.

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It's not just humans that get breast cancer, either. Any animal with breast tissue runs a chance of getting it. We take care to make sure none of our furry or finned mammal friends go unchecked. Part of every animal's annual health check includes blood work and physical examinations to insure that we catch anything out of the ordinary as soon as possible. We take this especially serious with our hybrid friends, since they are genetically at a higher risk for any cancer, even breast cancer.

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This week at Zoo Mark, we are donating 30% of our ticket sales to the National Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of the brave mammals (because men can get it, too) who have fought the battle against breast cancer. Together, we can fight for a cure. Do it for your family; do it for your friends. Do it for the tata's!

For more information on the cause, the cure, and so much more, go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. web page.

Here comes the...Gorilla

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At Zoo Mark, we pride ourselves on our diversity, not just in our animal friends, but also in our partnerships with other companies. This week is no different. We've got some exciting goings-on; there's love in the air. We couldn't be happier for Jack and Rose, two of our silver-backed gorillas. They're tying the knot!

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We're partnering up with "Ama" Say Yes and Marvelous Industries to create the dream wedding for these two love-monkeys. Don't worry, we'll send you an invite when the date is set and Rose says "yes" to her dress.  

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James and Nigel, The Great Sloth from Marvelous Industries,will be on site October 21, 2016 doing some research for a new video game inspired by the pair, as well as Amanda from "Ama" Say Yes to lay some groundwork for the upcoming nuptials. In doing so, however, Gorilla Mountain and Primate Paradise will be closed off from 10am to 3pm that day. We apologize and thank you in advance for your understanding.     

Class is in session!

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Did you know that Zoo Mark offers Wildlife Education classes? We do! Every Saturday at 2 pm, we feature one of our zoo friends for an in-depth, up-close encounter and educational session. You'll get a chance to learn everything you ever wanted to know about the featured friend, join them for a meal (don't worry, we won't make you eat sardines or raw meat), and let you meet them in person! All encounters are with animals that have been well socialized, and there are several trainers on site so that every encounter is completely safe for even the smallest of humans to take part in. 

This Saturday will feature Patty, our four-month-old Stellar Sea Lion. She was born on June 27, 2016. Her mom is Belle, a 6 year old stellar sea lion at Birmingham Cove Zoo and dad is Murphy, and eight year old sea lion from our own colony. Belle was unable to produce enough milk to keep Patty healthy and growing, so she came to us shortly after birth and has been hand-raised in our nurseries ever since. She loves to follow her trainer, Megan, around to the other seal and sea lion enclosures, and we look forward to the day that she can join her dad and other fellow sea lions on a permanent basis. Patty looks forward to making new friends, and is always ready with a sloppy sea lion kiss. Come join us and get your very own kiss from Patty, and experience a day you'll remember forever.  

Smile!

It's World Smile Day, and our friends can't wait to share their very toothiest smiles with you. Today only, send us your very best smiles for a chance to win free admission for you and three guests to our Open House on Saturday, October 15, 2016. Winners will be announced via Twitter on Tuesday, October 11, 2016. Good Luck and Happy Smiling!

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Bindi

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