Junjie Jumps In

Junjie the red panda just moved into his exhibit on the hill.

A new red panda has arrived!  Junjie, who celebrated his first birthday this week, has moved into the red panda exhibit on the hill.  Junjie (pronounced JYUN-gee) joins six-year-old female Amber.

"Junjie is young so he is very active," says Central Zoo Area Manager Shelley Scherer.  "He climbs everywhere and runs along the perches, whereas Amber spends a lot of time sleeping."

Junjie arrived this spring from the National Zoo in Washington, DC.  "He is shy around our keepers," says Scherer.  "He was never on exhibit before, so he is not used to seeing so many people."

Although Junjie is trying to make friends with Amber, she has not warmed up to him yet.  "Red pandas are solitary in the wild," says Scherer.  "Right now Amber prefers him at a distance."

How can you tell the two adorable pandas apart?  Junjie has distinct white crescents between his eyes; on Amber these crescents are fuzzy and indistinct.  Junjie is also a bit smaller than Amber - and he's usually the one running around while Amber takes a nap.

Get to know Junjie on your next visit!

Learn what zoo keepers do at our special event on Thursday, June 25.

I Wanna Be a Zoo Keeper

Thursday, July 25
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Kids can act like a zoo keeper at interactive stations throughout the zoo!  Prepare a food pan for the animals, make "toys" for the critters, and perform "surgery" on a penguin (a plush one, that is!).  Activities are free with zoo admission.  Pick up an activity schedule at the zoo gate.

Get Ready for Early Bird Hours July 1-31

Open at 8:00 a.m. daily every day in July for Zoo Members only

Everyone's talking about Early Bird Hours in July.

Starting Wednesday, July 1, Zoo Members can beat the heat by visiting one hour before the zoo's official 9:00 a.m. opening.  When you arrive at 8:00 a.m., expect to see the gardeners watering thirsty plants, zoo keepers delivering food to the animals, maintenance crews doing safety checks on zoo rides, and all the preparations needed for a busy day at the zoo.

"The animals are often more active when temperatures are cooler in the morning," says Zoo Director Jim Anderson.  "It's a great time to get a jump start on a zoo visit."

Please note that buildings will open at 9:00 a.m. and rides will open at 10:00 a.m. as usual.  Animals that spend the night indoors may not be in their outdoor exhibits until 9:00 a.m.

Hours and Prices

The zoo is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until October 11, 2009. 
The African Journey exhibit is NOW OPEN!

Admission is $12.00 for adults, $8.00 for children age 2-14 and $10.00 for seniors age 60 and over. Babies age one and under and Zoo Society Members are admitted free.

For more information visit our web site.

Helpful Links

Renew Your Zoo Membership
Renew for 2 years and save $10!

Adopt-an-Animal
The perfect gift for Mom, Dad, or anyone!

Member Change of Address
Have you moved?  Update your membership information to continue receiving our mailings.
 

Please do not reply to this message. It was sent by an automated system and replies will not be received.  If you have a question that is not answered by our website click here to contact us by e-mail.

If you would like to stop receiving this newsletter, click here to be removed from our list.

This newsletter is produced by

The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo
3411 Sherman Blvd., Fort Wayne, Indiana 46808 phone:(260) 427-6800
visit our web site at www.kidszoo.org

Copyright © 2009 Fort Wayne Zoological Society. All Rights Reserved.