![]() Voilà: Winter WonderFest, a celebration at Navy Pier that lasts through Jan. Ĭhicago's a place that knows how to enjoy winter, basically because it doesn't have a choice. Parking is $3, but we noticed other zoo-goers parking across the street in what appeared to be a free lot. I came within a few blocks of Mexico before pulling off to ask my phone where I went wrong.Īdmission is $9.50 for adults, $6.50 for kids and $8 for seniors. If you're coming from South Padre Island, it's not easy to find, so use your GPS. This zoo prides itself on caring for endangered species. New at the zoo are two endangered Orinoco crocodiles native to Venezuela. Oddly, one of the more active animals was a giant tortoise, which marched purposefully across its enclosure. A few of the monkeys were willing to swing through the branches for us, though, and birds swooped through the aviary as they would on any day. The hippo was but a lump lounging poolside. In fact, many of the animals were on siesta. We were there on a warm afternoon, and the tigers were curled up in pairs for their afternoon naps. You can easily do this small zoo in a few hours. It's well kept, it has a lot of food and drink stands along the way, and walkways let you get quite close to the animals (although man-eating ones are kept behind glass). The little 26-acre Gladys Porter Zoo is one of my favorite small zoos. Clearly, the giraffe keeper was a fan - and apparently the giraffes were as well. As we walked closer, we heard emanating from within the wall the unmistakable sounds of a Dallas Cowboys game. ![]() The zoo plans to share their findings with research partners like the Great Ape Heart Project.As my friend Laurie and I approached the giraffe enclosure at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, we noticed all the giraffes were bunched over at the edge, peering over a wall. Rudi outlived all other male orangutans accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums across North America.Ī necropsy, or animal autopsy, will take place to confirm Rudi’s cause of death. Heart disease is a common health problem for orangutans, especially males, who typically do not live longer than females, Reyes said. As such, the zoo’s orangutans often spent time alone or with one other orangutan in their enclosures. Heihn described orangutans as a semi-solitary species that do not spend a lot of time in groups once the animals reach maturity. They're great problem solvers.”įour orangutans now live at the Houston Zoo, including a 50-year-old female orangutan named Cheyenne. They have different personalities, just like we do. “Great apes, in general, share a large, vast portion of their DNA with humans, so we are very closely related,” Heihn said. Primate zoo keeper Cheka Heihn described Rudi as shy at first, but playful once zoo staff got to know him.Īs Heihn threw treats to Rudi which he inspected, the zoo keeper underscored the intelligence of the 250-pound (110-kg)orangutan. In nature, orangutans have a lifespan of 30 to 40 years, according to National Geographic. He became an ambassador for orangutans, a critically endangered species of great ape found only in the wild on the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. 8, 1977, at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas, and arrived at the Houston Zoo the following year. “Just to see any signs of stress or grief.” “Kelly we are keeping a close eye on,” Reyes said. ![]() Rudi shared his exhibit with his companion Kelly, a 42-year-old female orangutan. "And then he just went off to sleep and then that's it.” “He even talked his way into getting an extra cookie right before they were done with their checks," Reyes said. His keepers found him unresponsive at closing time, she said. The orangutan spent time outside in his exhibit and showed no signs of slowing down. Rudi was taking medication for advanced heart disease, but behaved normally earlier in the day on Tuesday, said Houston Zoo spokeswoman Jessica Reyes. The zoo celebrated his birthday earlier this month. Reuters visited the Houston Zoo four days before Rudi’s death to highlight his advanced age and distinction. HOUSTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Rudi Valentino, the oldest male orangutan in North America, died at the Houston Zoo on Tuesday at the age of 45. ![]()
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