Get Your Tickets for BuffaLoveFest 2015!

Tickets are now on sale for the third annual BuffaLoveFest, an event featuring all things “Buffalo.”

BuffaLoveFest will take place on Friday, May 29, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the Buffalo Zoo. The 21 and over event will feature live music from some of Buffalo’s favorite bands, wine,  beer from a variety of local brands, food trucks, and vendors and artisans who specialize in Buffalo-themed goods.

Aerial shot of the Buffalo Zoo taken during BuffaLoveFest 2014

Tickets cost $20 in advance and $30 at the door, and include two drink tickets. Click here to purchase tickets, or call 1-800-838-3006.

Check out this video montage from the slow motion video booth at last year's BuffaLoveFest! We have even more fun in store for you this year!

BUFFALOVEFEST - SLOW MOTION CINEMA BOOTH from Shutter Dream Studio on Vimeo.


BuffaLoveFest is presented by Try-It Distributing with sponsorship support from Buffalo.com, Yelp, Artvioce, Fox29, MyTv, and Community Papers of Western New York.

Celebrate Tiberius the Lion's Birthday This Weekend!

The Buffalo Zoo will host a lion birthday party during the March Zooper Saturday event.

The Zooper Saturday event on March 7 will celebrate the second birthday of Tiberius, a male African lion who arrived at the Buffalo Zoo from Rochester in December. Activities will be held from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. including birthday treats for Tiberius, keeper talks, face painting, and animal artwork raffles. A full schedule of activities follows.

• 11 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. - Raffles, face painting, and birthday card craft in EcoStation, presented by Tops 
• 12 p.m. - Birthday treats and keeper talk at the lion exhibit
• 1 p.m. - Birthday presents and keeper talk at the lion exhibit
• 2 p.m. - Paper mache enrichment and keeper talk at the lion exhibit 
• 3 p.m. - Raffle drawings in EcoStation (do not need to be present to win)

Tiberius was born at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY on March 7, 2013. He was hand-raised by keepers at the Seneca Park Zoo, along with his sister Savanah. Tiberius was brought to Buffalo on a breeding recommendation from the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for African lions living in Zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

Tiberius

Zooper Saturdays take place on the first Saturday of every month. Activities are free with regular Zoo admission.

If you're coming from Rochester, remember the Buffalo Zoo offers 50% off admission to members of the Seneca Park Zoo, so don't forget your membership cards!

The 2015 Zooper Saturday series is sponsored in part by WKBW.

New Snake Species Named in Honor of Buffalo Zoo Employee

A new species of snake has been discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and will be named in honor of a keeper at the Buffalo Zoo.

The snake was discovered by Eli Greenbaum, Ph.D., a former employee of the Buffalo Zoo. Dr. Greenbaum is now an associate professor and the director of biodiversity collections at the University of Texas at El Paso. He volunteered and worked at the Buffalo Zoo from 1989 - 1994.

Eli Greenbaum, Ph.D. Image courtesy of eligreenbaum.iss.utep.edu

The snake has been named Boaedon radfordi in honor of Buffalo Zoo employee, Larry Radford.
"I am certain that I would not be where I am today if I had not had the opportunity to volunteer at the Zoo under Larry's supervision," said Greenbaum. "Larry's passion for herpetology inspired me to seek a career in the field, and it is a great honor to name this new species of snake for him."

Greenbaum's findings will be published in the April 2015 issue of the African Journal of Herpetology.

For more information about the work of Eli Greenbaum, Ph.D., visit his website.

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