A Great Place to Introduce Your Children to Wildlife—And So Much More!

by Shannon Traphagen

zoo

While many see the Buffalo Zoo as a great way to entertain the kids during summer months, I see it as so much more. I was on a mission to find out what exactly the Zoo is all about, why it’s important for people to support our Zoo efforts, and the national buzz taking place.

“The Zoo has so much to offer during the summer, but people tend to forget that it is also a great winter destination. It’s a wonderful way to take a stroll, hot cocoa in hand or visit an indoor exhibit,” states Todd Geise, the zoo’s Marketing Manager. “We offer a wide range of educational opportunities during the winter, be it teaming up with Erie 1 Boces or the Seneca Nation, there is a lot for children, teachers, and parents to take away from a trip to the Zoo,” Todd adds.

The “take away” Todd refers to comes in the form of a three pronged approach to zoological efforts—conservation, education and recreation. The Buffalo Zoo is one of only a handful of zoos nationwide that’s accredited. “Becoming accredited is no easy task,” states Tiffany Vanderwerf, Curator of Education. “The entire facility has to undergo tenuous review and then every five years we have to re-apply,” says Tiffany. Todd adds, “The reason we do this is for the care of the animals. It’s total quality of life for living, breathing beings.”

The Buffalo Zoo is also unique in its ability to be part of a local and national species survival plan (SSP). As part of a larger global initiative, the Zoo identifies species of concern, collectively with other zoos, and then works on a plan to manage and reintroduce the population. “We look at genetics, then match individual species to the genetic health of a population,” states Tiffany. Money raised for conservation and research goes a long way to help these survival species become reintroduced in natural habitats. “Each state maintains their own list of endangered species and each list has various levels of endangerment,” Tiffany states.

Recently, the Zoo celebrated the birth of a female Indian rhino calf. The baby rhino is the first offspring for a male rhino who never contributed to the genetics of the Indian rhino population during his lifetime – a major victory for endangered species around the world. Tiffany states, “The Zoo staff are ambassadors for wildlife, and that is something that means a great deal to us.”

Animals that can’t be reintroduced to the wild make their home the Buffalo Zoo, who go to great lengths to see that they have proper care. A shining example of this is, Arctic Edge, will feature endangered polar bears, an arctic wolf, a bald eagle, and house an education center dedicated to interactive learning. Polar Bites, which raises money and awareness for this exhibit, will be held later this month, and the exhibit opens in late 2015.

If you would like further information on any of the zoo’s conservation or education efforts, please visit their website at www.buffalozoo.org, call 716.837.3700, or stop by their facilities at 300 Parkside Ave., Buffalo NY.