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Oldest African Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in North America

The Tulsa Zoo posted the following on their Facebook page on March 24:

Today we were happy to celebrate Wheezy the African Cape Buffalo's half birthday, making her 30.5 years old. Wheezy has now beat the longevity record by one year for the oldest recorded African Cape Buffalo in North America. Happy Half Birthday to Wheezy, our very special African Cape Buffalo!
 
Today we were happy to celebrate Wheezy the African Cape Buffalo's half birthday, making her 30.5 years old. Wheezy has now beat the longevity record by one year for the oldest recorded African Cape Buffalo in North America. Happy Half Birthday to Wheezy, our very special African Cape Buffalo!

Why is it AFRICAN Cape Buffalo because most ´Cape` animals are coming from Africa ?
 
vogelcommando said:
Today we were happy to celebrate Wheezy the African Cape Buffalo's half birthday, making her 30.5 years old. Wheezy has now beat the longevity record by one year for the oldest recorded African Cape Buffalo in North America. Happy Half Birthday to Wheezy, our very special African Cape Buffalo!

Why is it AFRICAN Cape Buffalo because most ´Cape` animals are coming from Africa ?
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Good point, but for the general public (at least in the U.S.) I doubt that "Cape" clues them in that an animal is African in origin. For all they know it might be from Massachusetts! Also for the average person in the U.S., the term "buffalo" brings to mind American bison (Bison bison). It's possible the Zoo was just being overly descriptive in their name use to help educate people somewhat on what they were talking about.
 
Tulsa has produced a new full color visitors map for 2013. I have put images of both sides in the Tulsa Gallery. It now shows the new Sea Lion Cove and Wild Life Trek, and references the new Rhino exhibit under construction. The map is a BIG improvement over the outdated, single-sided B&W photocopy they were handing out in recent years. Looks like another good sign that the TZ is moving forward.
 
Four Lousiana Pine Snake Hatchlings at Tulsa Zoo

After a four-year effort to breed one of the rarest vertebrates in North America, the Tulsa Zoo welcomed four healthy Louisiana pine snake hatchlings.

Of the seven eggs laid on May 10, two were infertile, one died early on, and the remaining four were artificially incubated. The first hatchling pipped, or cut through its shell, on July 8, after a 60-day incubation period. The remaining three were out of their eggs by July 13.

The zoo’s breeding efforts are part of the Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a collaborative program of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) to manage threatened and endangered species. The breeding pair consists of a 12-year-old male received from the Sedgwick County Zoo in 2008 and an 11-year-old female received in 2009 from the Roger Williams Park Zoo.
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Originally calling nine Louisiana parishes and 14 Texas counties home, this snake now is found in only four parishes and is believed by some to have vanished from Texas as of early 2013. The Louisiana Pine Snake is state classified as “threatened” in Texas, protected from direct harm and unauthorized collection, and as “imperiled-to-vulnerable” in Louisiana. The primary threat has been habitat degradation.

The public can see one of Tulsa Zoo’s new additions on display in the Conservation Center while the snake and one of its siblings await SSP recommendations to be placed at another accredited facility. The other two will be reintroduced into the wild as part of conservation efforts developed in partnership with the AZA and the U.S. Forest Service, as well as other state and federal agencies.
 
Posted by Tulsa Zoo today at Tulsa Zoo's Endangered Snow Leopard Cub Niko Ready for Exhibit - Tulsa Zoo

Niko the endangered snow leopard cub is moving into a new home at the Tulsa Zoo. Guests can see the cub beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7, in the Robert J. LaFortune WildLIFE TREK Life in the Cold building.

“At 12 weeks old, Niko is developing into a healthy and active juvenile snow leopard,” says Joe Barkowski, vice president of animal conservation and science. “Our Animal Care and Animal Health teams will continue monitor Niko’s behavior and development during his time on exhibit. Being a young feline means periods of high activity, like jumping and playing, paired with lots of naps. So we ask our guests for understanding if they stop by and Niko is not easily visible,” Barkowski says.

The Life in the Cold exhibit is planned as a temporary home for Niko. The space, which was created for the Arctic foxes, is not suitable for a fully grown snow leopard, Barkowski says. Niko will move into a larger holding area within the zoo and the Arctic foxes will return to their exhibit sometime this fall, based on Niko’s rate of growth.

Niko’s birth was in conjunction with the snow leopard SSP, or the Species Survival Plan®, which manages species in Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoos across the nation. Ranging in mountainous areas of Central Asia from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan and Russia to northern India and China, there are only 4,000-6,500 snow leopards left in the wild due to poaching and habitat loss.

The Tulsa Zoo will soon break ground on a new exhibit, The Hardesty Snow Leopard habitat, part of the Lost Kingdom complex, which is slated to open in 2015. The Hardesty Family Foundation made a contribution as the lead gift for the new snow leopard facility and they also chose Niko’s name. This new exhibit will provide the zoo’s snow leopards a state-of-the-art enclosure, while allowing guests to see the highly endangered animals up-close. The Tulsa Zoo has housed snow leopards since the 1980s, has been successfully reproducing the species since the early 1990s and supports conservation efforts in the wild.
 
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