For every issue of Animal Tracks,
ZooKeeper Kelly Wall gets the latest
Zoo news from the reporter in the sky,
Jalil, the giraffe.
By Jalil, the giraffe, and Kelly Wall
K
ELLY! I’M A DAD!! I’m
so excited I can’t contain
myself! Oh, greetings! It’s
Jalil here, your top reporter at the
Birmingham Zoo. You heard me, I
am a dad! Griffin is my first offspring,
and he was born right here at the Zoo
at 12:12am on January 1, 2014. At the
time, Griffin was six-foot two-inches
tall and weighed 140 pounds. His
mom, Willow, has done a great job
rearing him. Make sure you stop by to
visit him at the Savanna Yard — he is
growing so fast!
OK, now that I have told you the big
news, it is time to report on what is
heating up around the Zoo. I have
been hearing all sorts of strange
sounds.
“
Woosh Woosh.” Do you hear that?
That is the sound of birds flying.
That’s right, Onyx, the black vulture,
and Winkie, the great horned owl,
are free flighted during the summer
Wildlife Shows. This means the
birds will actually fly right over your
head! (I’m a little too tall, so they just
fly around mine.) Also, Sarabi, the
African serval, has been showing off
her jumping abilities. Did you know
that she can jump 10 feet straight up
into the air from a sitting position?
Make sure you stop by the Wildlife
Stage to watch the show this summer!
“
Arrrrrgh Arrrrrgh.” There go Farley
and Gio again, the California sea
lions. I hear them all the time, since
they are performing in the Red
Diamond Sea Lion Splash Show. Do
you know why they are called sea
lions? I’ll give you a hint: it’s because
they roar like a lion! I have even heard
Farley do an impression of a duck.
On your next visit to the Zoo, you
definitely need to find time to hear
their silly noises.
“
Whoop Whoop.” Oh, don’t you just
love the sound of gibbons singing
in the morning? The white handed
gibbons, Christopher and Fraser, love
to perform this singing duet. The
name of their song is called the “Great
Call,” and it is performed as a way
to announce their territory. In their
native land, Southeast Asia, this call
almost always starts at 8:16am. Good
thing our two gibbons like to sleep in!
I keep hearing this bizarre laughter
and noticing movement in the trees
of the Alabama Wilds. I thought I
had made a new animal discovery,
but upon further investigation, I
found out that it was just a bunch
of humans playing in the trees!
Wait a second, how did they get up
there you might ask? Well, that’s
what I wanted to know too! It turns
out they are enjoying the new Jane
H. Brock sponsors Soaring Safari
Zipline Adventure, powered by Red
Mountain Park. There are four zip
lines, a bridge and even a treehouse
for you to enjoy. You can have fun
exploring the tops of the trees… hold
on… I better go measure to make sure
you don’t get taller than me! After all,
I am the tallest reporter around. One
last thing before I go — don’t forget
to tell your friends to sign up for a
Zoo Membership today! Members
receive special discounts, invitations
to members-only events and can
come see me and Griffin as much as
they like! Renew your Membership
online today or stop by the Zoo’s
Membership Office the next time you
come pay me a visit! Proud father,
Jalil, reporting in. Remember: the best
way to get Zoo tales is straight from
the top, and that’s me! Well, until next
time!
SUMMER 2014 ANIMAL TRACKS
7
