Happy Ape Awareness + Easter Planning!

Thu Apr 10 10:36:27 PDT 2025

Become a Member (https://www.sfzoo.org/membership/)   |   Donate (https://www.sfzoo.org/donate-today/)    |   Get Tickets (https://www.sfzoo.org/?keyword=General%20Admission)
CONSERVATION
Spotlight on Bornean Orangutan
https://www.sfzoo.org/borean-orangutan/
All three species of orangutan - Bornean, Sumatran, and Tapanuli - are critically endangered. Orangutans are the largest arboreal mammal, native to the tropical rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia. An adult orangutan has arms that are longer than their legs with an extended arm span of over seven feet! They need their large arms to swing from tree to tree through the rainforests of the Borneo and Sumatra Islands. Without forests, the orangutan cannot survive as they spend 95% of their time in the trees, even building intricate nests to sleep in, using branches and foliage.

Between  65-90% of their diet is fruit, as well as bark, leaves, vines, flowers and honey from bee hives, some eating as many as 92 different kinds of fruits. Our Bornean orangutans (https://www.sfzoo.org/borean-orangutan/) , "Judy" and "Berani" are fed a daily diet of fruit, vegetables and leafy greens. In the wild, orangutans make tools to access certain food items, and even make umbrellas out of big leaves or use leaves to collect rainwater. Judy and Berani also create tools from their browse and enrichment to twig food items from their ant mound.

As you can see, orangutans' rainforest homes are extremely important, as the forests provide what orangutans need to survive. As a keystone species, they play a vital role in the rainforest ecosystem as seed dispersers. Habitat loss, fragmentation and overall destruction of their habitat for palm oil plantations has greatly affected their survival. As they cannot swim, they have become increasingly isolated in smaller and smaller patches of forests. They are also threatened by hunting and the illegal pet trade. The only predator of adult orangutans are humans.

You can help orangutans by purchasing wood and paper products with the FSC-certified logo, which helps support the work of conservations to protect forests, and your use of sustainable palm oil products goes a long way.

The month of April is Ape Awareness Month (Ape-ril!) and on Friday, April 18th, we invite you to visit our special pop-up table from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in front of the orangutans at Great Ape Passage to learn about Bornean orangutans, chimpanzees and Western lowland gorillas.
NEWS TO KNOW
Meet the Easter Bunny!
https://www.sfzoo.org/calendar-of-events/

Meet the Easter Bunny on Sunday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. as part of our special Easter celebration! The Easter Bunny will be available for photos and meet-and-greets by the Sculpture Learning Plaza, adjacent to the Elinor Friend Playground.

In addition to one-on-one time with the Easter Bunny, come participate in special arts and craft-making, then take in the beautiful Spring blooms at our various gardens!
Summer Zoo Camp Slots Still Available!
https://www.sfzoo.org/conservation-camp/
One of the most rewarding programs is back for summer sessions with registrations available for our popular Summer Conservation Zoo Camp. This unique weeklong summer camp features educational tours, hands-on activities and games, creative projects, close-up animal encounters and more! Members receive a special discount, and you can apply for financial aid until April 13.

Campers are grouped by grade level who will experience and explore the Zoo in small groups led by Zoo Camp instructors, staff and volunteers. Zoo Camps foster curiosity and creativity through STEM-based skills such as investigation, collaboration, problem-solving, communication and more through fun art and science activities. These valuable experiences go a long way to connecting young minds to animals and nature, and their future roles to protect our planet.

We offer eight weekly dates starting June 16. Daily times for pre-K campers are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for Kinder through 6th grade campers. After care is available from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Learn more (https://www.sfzoo.org/conservation-camp/) .
Inspire, Educate, and Make a Difference! Become a Zoo Docent
https://www.sfzoo.org/volunteer-programs-draft/docents/

Zoo Docents connect guests with our amazing animal ambassadors through storytelling and education to inspire conservation action. Become part of a passionate community of nature lovers.

Join us for our upcoming 2025 Docent Information Session on Saturday, May 17th from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Zoo's Lurie Education Center. This special event includes engaging presentations, a behind-the-scenes Zoo tour, a hands-on biofact demonstration, light refreshments, and complimentary parking.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! RSVP to join at sfzoodocents.org (mailto:join at sfzoodocents.org) .

If you are unable to attend on May 17th, future information session dates can be found on the Docent Program webpage (https://www.sfzoo.org/volunteer-programs-draft/docents/) .
UPCOMING EVENTS
Come Celebrate our Planet!
https://www.sfzoo.org/calendar-of-events/

In honor of the 55th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, we are celebrating our amazing planet with a weekend of activities as part of EarthFest on Saturday and Sunday, April 26 & 27. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., we'll be hosting a special "pop-up village" at the Sculpture Learning Plaza and Elinor Friend Playground featuring conservation partners and engaging activities, including learning about the importance of living sustainably, craft-making and more!

As part of our Earth Day initiatives, bring your used cell phones, tablets, mp3 players, phone chargers or other small electronic devices and we will send them to Eco-Cell, an electronics recycling company as part of the Gorillas on the Line (https://www.sfzoo.org/gorillas-on-the-line/) (GotL) campaign that we support. A portion of funds generated through the recycling of these devices benefits AZA's Gorilla SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program. Recycling old cell phones helps reduce the demand for the mineral used in electronics, mined in the gorilla habitat. Your donation will help protect gorillas and humans alike.

We join our fellow accredited zoos and aquariums from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in this "Party for the Planet" to support healthy habitats, work to save animals from extinction, and encourage clean environments through Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle initiatives. Happy Earth Day!
Registration Open for Walk to Cure Arthritis
https://events.arthritis.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1757

SF Zoo is the official host of Northern California 2025 Walk to Cure Arthritis which will take place on Saturday, May 31st. As the Arthritis Foundation's nationwide signature event, the Walk to Cure Arthritis serves to unite communities across the country to put an end to arthritism and honors the nearly 60 million Americans battling arthritis.

Registration is now open for this fundraising walk, which starts at 8 a.m. at the Zoo, and includes a festive opening ceremony, a walk around the Zoo and concludes by 11 a.m. Visit the Arthritis Foundation's event site (https://events.arthritis.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1757) to register and learn how you can start a team, join a team or walk as an individual. As a participant, your efforts to collect donations will go to better treatments and a cure.

The Arthritis Foundation works to champion life-changing solutions and medical advancements, and also to provide ways for people to connect, break down barriers in health care and join the fight for a cure.
San Francisco Zoo & Gardens connects all people with wildlife, inspires caring for nature and advances conservation action.

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences (https://sfzoo.us12.list-manage.com/profile?u=05b8326f4402b997fe7a097e3&id=5c6c9b68a4&e=7683a9aed3&c=d046e514c7) or unsubscribe from this list (https://sfzoo.us12.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=05b8326f4402b997fe7a097e3&id=5c6c9b68a4&t=b&e=7683a9aed3&c=d046e514c7) .
https://www.facebook.com/sanfranzoo/
https://twitter.com/sfzoo
https://www.instagram.com/sanfranciscozoo
https://www.youtube.com/sfzoo
https://www.sfzoo.org

============================================================
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail.digitalkingdom.org/pipermail/house/attachments/20250410/4bc658bf/attachment-0001.htm>