Join Us To Celebrate Surapa's Birthday!

The Buffalo Zoo's elephant keepers invite you to celebrate the 32nd birthday of Surapa the elephant!

Join us on Saturday, January 31 at 11 a.m. as the elephant team treats both Jothi and Surapa to special birthday "cake" and enrichments. The birthday party will take place at the elephant barn. Doors will be opened so visitors can get a better look inside during the festivities (subject to change due to weather.) Guests can even sign an elephant-sized card for the birthday girl!

Surapa the elephant. Photo by keeper Courtney Macklin 

There will also be special elephant feeding encounters available on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Sign up at the Zoo's main entrance to participate. For $10 per person, you can feed an elephant and participate in a private keeper talk. Availability is limited.

Surapa the elephant. Photo by keeper Courtney Macklin

Zoo Mourns Loss of Male Snow Leopard, Dwaine

The Buffalo Zoo is saddened by the loss of its male snow leopard, Dwaine.

A blood analysis during a routine annual checkup revealed that Dwaine was in the late stages of severe kidney disease. His condition declined rapidly, and the ten year old snow leopard was humanely euthanized on Friday.

“It’s always hard when we lose an animal,” said Donna Fernandes, President and CEO of the Buffalo Zoo. “Dwaine was loved by visitors and staff alike, and he will be missed. His death is especially hard-hitting, because we just received a new female, Grace, and we had high hopes for them as a breeding match.”

Dwaine was born at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, SD on June 22, 2004. He came to the Buffalo Zoo in 2006 and had sired two cubs in his lifetime. The Zoo has had success with the snow leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP), and expects to receive a new male snow leopard in the future, so that it can continue to contribute to the conservation of the species.

Snow leopards are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their numbers have decreased drastically in the wild, mostly as a result of habit loss and poaching.

The Buffalo Zoo contributes annually to the Snow Leopard Trust, an organization working to protect the snow leopards’ natural habitat in Central Asia. For more information, visit snowleopard.org.

The mission of an AZA Species Survival Plan® (SSP) Program is to cooperatively manage specific, and typically threatened or endangered, species populations within AZA-accredited Zoos and Aquariums, Certified Related Facilities, and Sustainability Partners.

Meet Our New Snow Leopard, Grace

The Buffalo Zoo welcomes Grace, an adult female snow leopard to their collection.

Grace was born at the Zoo Boise on May 23, 2013. She arrived in Buffalo from the Binghamton Zoo in December and is now ready to explore her new exhibit space. She will be out in the Zoo’s vanishing animals exhibit daily.

She was brought to Buffalo on a breeding recommendation from the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for snow leopards in Zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). After she has some time to grow accustomed to her new home, Grace will be introduced to Dwaine, the Zoo’s male snow leopard.

Grace the Snow Leopard. Photo credit: Kelly Ann Brown/Buffalo Zoo

Snow leopards are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their numbers have decreased drastically in the wild, mostly as a result of habit loss and poaching.

The Buffalo Zoo contributes to the Snow Leopard Trust, an organization working to protect the snow leopards’ natural habitat in Central Asia. Anyone who wants to help save snow leopards in the wild can visit snowleopard.org to learn more.

The mission of an AZA Species Survival Plan® (SSP) Program is to cooperatively manage specific, and typically threatened or endangered, species population within AZA-accredited Zoos and Aquariums, Certified Related Facilities, and Sustainability Partners. For more information, visit https://www.aza.org/species-survival-plan-program/.

For updates about Grace, or the Zoo’s other animal residents, visit www.BuffaloZoo.org, or the Zoo’s Facebook page. 

Warm Up With the Cold Blooded - THIS SATURDAY!

The Buffalo Zoo will hold a “Warm Up with the Cold-Blooded” event on Saturday.

The special animal event will take place in the Zoo’s reptile house, with special programming and activities running from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, January 17. Activities will feature some of the Zoo’s reptiles, amphibians, and other residents of the reptile house, and are free with regular Zoo admission. A full schedule of activities follows.

• 11 a.m. - 4 p.m – Raffle, crafts, face painting, and hot chocolate 
• (while supplies last)
• 11 a.m. – Snake handling demonstration and photo op
• 11:30 a.m. – Animal enrichment
• 12 p.m. – Get your picture taken with SAM the hellbender
• 12:30 p.m. – Amphibian keeper talk and up-close encounter
• 12:30 p.m. – Learn about the Buffalo Zoo’s FrogWatch USA Chapter
• 1 p.m. – Venomous and non-venomous snake feedings
• 1:30 p.m. – Guess the weight contest, featuring heloderms (animal art prize)
• 2 p.m. – Heloderm feeding and demonstration
• 2:30 p.m. – Reptile keeper talk, encounter, and photo op
• 3 p.m. – Raffle winners announced (need not be present to win)
• 3:30 p.m. – Hellbender keeper talk and demonstration

The Zoo’s last “Warm Up With the Cold Blooded” event was held in 2011. A growing interest in the reptiles and amphibians encouraged the Zoo’s herpetology team to reintroduce the event.

For more information about the “Warm Up With the Cold Blooded” event, call (716) 995-6133 or visit www.buffalozoo.org