Fiesta de las Aves

Saturday, May 3, 2008

10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo will host Fiesta de las Aves (Festival of the Birds) to celebrate International Migratory Bird Day and Latin American cultures. The zoo is partnering with CNY Latino, the Spanish Action League and several other local organizations to provide a day full of fun, family activities, including Latin music and dancing, bird migration stations, animal demonstrations and puppet shows. To help celebrate Latin American culture, many of these activities will be bilingual.

To celebrate the long journey migratory birds take each year, “Migration Stations” will be set up throughout the zoo giving children and their families a hands-on approach to learning about migration. Guests can also learn more about birds by attending the “In the Wings” bird show or a Meet the Keeper session in the Diversity of Birds Aviary.

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES

All Fiesta de las Aves activities are free with regular paid Zoo admission. 

Winter at the Zoo Photo Contest Winners

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2008 is the Year of the Frog at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has declared 2008 the Year of the Frog!  Around the world, major conservation efforts will be undertaken to fight the looming amphibian extinction crisis.  Today, one-third of known amphibian species are threatened with extinction, and over 120 species have already died out.  Amphibians are disappearing fast; we may be facing the largest extinction crises since the dinosaurs. 

A broad strategy, called the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan (ACAP), will unfold to protect habitat and address other environmental threats. ACAP’s most urgent initiative, the Amphibian Ark, will develop, promote, and guide short-term captive management of the most threatened amphibians, making possible the long-term survival of species for which adequate protection in the wild is not currently possible.  For more information about this program, visit www.amphibianark.org.  What else can you do to help?  A lot!

Be an Amphibi-Fan
Zoos and aquariums will provide homes for threatened species until it’s safe in their environments.  Rosamond Gifford Zoo has nine frog species, including five species of critically endangered poison dart frogs, and three salamander species.  Amphibians all need fans; the best way to showsupport is to visit and learn about these fascinating creatures!

Preserve the environment
Amphibians agree: few things refresh like clean air and water.  Toads, frogs and salamanders are sensitive to their surroundings.  Habitat loss, climate change, pollution, pesticides and non-native introduced species cause competition and exposure to elements which amphibians are not prepared to handle.  A dangerous threat is amphibian chytrid, a parasite spread worldwide from the shipment of African frogs.  This untreatable disease can kill 80 percent of native amphibians within months.  Recycle, conserve and keep non-native plants and animals where they belong: having a positive impact on the environment is good for everyone!

Tell everyone!
With more than 5,300 amphibian species worldwide, even the experts know we have much more to learn about amphibians!  There is no doubt, however, that the loss of these creatures would be detrimental to nature’s balance.  The decline is especially ominous, according to biologists, because amphibians are “the canary in the coal mine.”  First to be affected by environmental stressors, their dwindling numbers are a predication of dangerous changes in nature.

Click here to view the video: Leap of Faith: Saving Panama's Golden Frogs