Press Releases
YELLOWSTONE GRIZZLY TO MAKE HOME AT ZOOMONTANA
Nuisance young bear relocated to zoo.
BILLINGS, MT– A young grizzly bear who had been visiting the Norris campsite in Yellowstone National Park was captured and relocated to ZooMontana on Saturday.
The bear, estimated to be a 1-3 year old male, had been the culprit for the Park’s temporarily restricted camping regulations after continually visiting the campsite in search of food. Park officials believe he may have been weaned prematurely from his mother, which may be the reason for his continued actions to scavenge human food. After several attempts to haze the bears out of the area, Park officials decided to try and trap the young bears; successfully trapping one.
ZooMontana has named the grizzly Ozzie Norris; Ozzie being the name Poly Drive Elementary students picked out after winning the first Change for the Zoo, and Norris for his favorite campsite. While Ozzie will be not be on exhibit until this fall, ZooMontana members and Zoofari sponsors will have an opportunity to see him during behind the scenes tours at Zoofari.
“We are happy that we are able to provide a home for Ozzie and keep him in grizzly country,” said ZooMontana Director Jackie Worstell. “We feel he is a perfect educational ambassador on the continued conflict between humans and wildlife. Luckily for Ozzie, we had a placement site available, many other animals have not been quite as fortunate.”
ZooMontana’s mission is to create an enjoyable experience for our visitors while fostering an appreciation of wildlife through education and conservation.
For more information regarding Ozzie or Zoofari please contact Jenny McCullough at 652-8100 ext. 4 or events@zoomontana.org
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NEW BABY BEAVERS ARRIVE AT ZOOMONTANA
Two young beavers to call Billings home.
BILLINGS, MT– Two baby beavers arrived at ZooMontana early Thursday morning. The two siblings, one male and one female, are about 6-8 weeks old and came to the zoo from the Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Rehabilitations Center in Helena.
“As we understand, the beaver’s mother was accidentally killed leaving the babies orphaned,” said ZooMontana’s Director Jackie Worstell. “It is an unfortunate incident, but we are glad we could assist in providing them a new home which allows them to stay in Montana.”
The beavers will be offsite in quarantine until their new exhibit is complete. They will make their public debut during the day of Zoofari on Saturday, July 24th from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.; they then will be off exhibit for a week after. Zoofari will be open only to ZooMontana members, Zoofari sponsors and ticket holders.
“The two new beavers will not be the only new animals showcased at Zoofari,” said ZooMontana’s Marketing Director Jenny McCullough. “Along with our new female wolf and two new tigers, we have plans to premier some other exciting new animals.”
For Zoofari tickets and sponsorship information or to learn about ZooMontana’s membership program, contact Jenny McCullough, at 652-8100 ext. 4 or events@zoomontana.org
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ZOO RECEIVES NEW WOLF
New female gray wolf to call ZooMontana home.
BILLINGS, MT– ZooMontana recently became home to a one year old, female gray wolf named Kali. Relocated to Billings from the New York State Zoo, Kali will join ZooMontana’s current male gray wolf, Cain, in the zoos one acre exhibit.
“Kali is still pretty shy and unsure of her new surroundings,” said ZooMontana’s Senior Keeper, Krystal Whetham. “We are sure she’s going to be a good addition and companion with Cain. We anticipate she will be a fairly active youngster; lately she has been enjoying a daily dip in her 40 gallon water tub.”
Kali is currently held in quarantine offsite from public viewing. She will make her public debut on Saturday, July 24th at Zoofari. Kali will be one of 3 new species to make their premiere appearance at the Zoofari day time event. Zoofari will be held from 9:00 a.m. thru 2:00 p.m. on July 24th for zoo members and Zoofari sponsors only. The zoo will then open up at 5:30 p.m. for a dinner and auction for Zoofari ticket holders with the debut of the two new tigers the zoo will receive this summer. Special guest of honor Art Ortenberg, from the Liz Claiborne – Art Ortenberg Foundation, will also give a presentation on current tiger conservation issues and how ZooMontana’s first tiger, TJ, was instrumental in Liz Claiborne’s love of conservation.
“Zoofari is really going to be a fantastic day for ZooMontana and all of our supporters,” said ZooMontana’s Marketing Director Jenny McCullough. “This event allows us to thank our members and community supporters while showcasing the many wonderful programs, exhibits, dedicated staff and volunteers that make the zoo an asset to our community.”
For Zoofari tickets or sponsorship information, contact Jenny McCullough, at 652-8100 ext. 4 or events@zoomontana.org
