08 Mar 2013

Niabi Zoo to Open for the Season on March 11th

By Marc Heinzman
Coal Valley, IL - March 6, 2013 - Niabi Zoo has announced that it will open its gates for its 50th Anniversary season on Monday, March 11th.

The zoo, which has been closed for the winter since mid-November 2012, will be open from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm each day. As a way to welcome the community back out to the zoo, admission will be free until March 15th. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Niabi Zoo, which opened in 1963.

Niabi Zoo Director Marc Heinzman says zoo visitors have much to look forward to this year. "The great thing about visiting Niabi Zoo," said Heinzman, "is that it's always a new adventure for our visitors. The baby giraffe born last June has really grown up in just a matter of months, and we've got a new baby colobus monkey that was born a couple of months ago. Most recently we have a baby zebu, a type of cow from southern Asia, which was born just a few weeks ago. All of them are doing great!"

In addition to the new zoo babies, Niabi Zoo will have some changes to animal habitats in store for 2013. An expanded outdoor elephant yard is nearing full completion and should be ready to go as soon as weather conditions allow work to finish. The expanded elephant habitat takes the available outdoor space from approximately 10,000 square feet to over 33,000 square feet. Also this year,
Niabi Zoo is scheduled to begin construction on a brand new lion habitat. Construction on this project will most likely take place throughout the year. "There are so many exciting things on the horizon," says Heinzman, "and I can't wait for the community to come out to enjoy our hard work."

Starting March 11th, Niabi Zoo will be open seven days a week.
21 Dec 2012

Uproar at the Zoo

By Marc Heinzman
WHAT'S NEW AT THE ZOO
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

REINDEER FACTS

Reindeer travel up to 3,000 miles each year. Santa's reindeer travel far more!

Reindeer eat grass, moss and lichen. Leave a little lettuce or carrots for them
with Santa's cookies and milk.

Reindeer populations are declining due to climate change. Do your part in 2013 to
recycle, reduce your carbon footprint and help global conservation efforts.

CLICK FOR IDEAS [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001yuYJFE5BXZyr6bKuyNhhhPUPeRSsWkTM_J2m7bDeA2GIjb-tjS2iIphzx2OZ1-Yz6vMJDscjXsJmuKNoBAblhAtSmRS7QOTbKddK8cZ2e_CzDo9-vAJT7g==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BE A ZOO SANTA

Even our animals have a wish list!

Towels, Plastic Food Containers, Unsalted Peanuts, Large Pet Carrier, Small Bird Cage, Frisbee.

Drop off donations M-F 8:30-4 (closed Dec 24, 25, 31, Jan 1) or mail to:

Niabi Zoo

Attn: Mandy Turnbull

13010 Niabi Zoo Rd

Coal Valley, IL 61240

ASK ABOUT THE LIST [mailto:sbehrens@niabizoo.com]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2013 EVENTS

The calendar has been set and sponsorship opportunities are available for popular
events like Boo at the Zoo and Pints for Pachyderms.

Be among the first to see the entire list of events and select the personal or corporate
sponsorship opportunity that aligns with your charitable giving initiatives.

Opportunities start at $250.
GET THE GUIDE [mailto:sbehrens@niabizoo.com]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OPENING DAY IS MONDAY, MARCH 11

Mark your calendar to visit Niabi Zoo during opening week in March and see your
favorite animals after the winter break.
Keep your membership active to join us for the Members Only Egg Hunt on Saturday,
March 30 and a Members Only Breakfast with the Animals on Saturday, March 23.

Click here [mailto:membership@niabizoo.com] to contact the membership coordinator.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
06 Dec 2012

Niabi Zoo Sets Annual Attendance Record

By Marc Heinzman
Coal Valley, IL - December 5, 2012 - Niabi Zoo announced today that it has smashed its existing record for annual attendance. For the 2012 season, which began on March 5th and ended with the Zoo's last event on December 1st, a total of 256,243 people passed through its gates. This figure represents an increase of nearly 27,000 zoo visitors from 2011, which was a record year for Niabi Zoo at the time. This is also the first time zoo attendance has officially surpassed a quarter of a million people.

Zoo Director Marc Heinzman attributes this new record to a variety of factors, including favorable weather conditions for much of the year and strong continued support from the community. "I'm amazed at how many people came out this year," said Heinzman, "and I am very grateful to everyone for their support of Niabi Zoo during my first year as Zoo Director." Zoo officials hope to set yet another new record during the upcoming 2013 season.

Niabi Zoo will reopen for the 2013 season on March 11th. Zoo visitors should expect a full schedule of events, programs, and activities, in addition to a variety of improvements to zoo facilities.
16 Nov 2012

Niabi Zoo Announces Holiday Breakfast with the Animals

By Marc Heinzman

Coal Valley, IL - November 15, 2012 - Niabi Zoo announced today that it will be hosting a holiday-themed Breakfast with the Animals event on Saturday, December 1st, which will be the last event of 2012 for the zoo.

The Holiday Breakfast with the Animals event will feature a delicious hot breakfast buffet and up-close encounters from Niabi Zoo's celebrity program animals. Santa Claus will also be in attendance to pose for photos with attendees and a zoo animal. After breakfast has concluded, guests will have the unique opportunity to go behind the scenes with Niabi Zoo's Asian elephants, Babe and Sophie. While behind the scenes with the elephants, guests will enjoy a demonstration of the elephants' love for creating paintings as artwork. During the event, Niabi Zoo will also be offering event attendees the chance to purchase one of a kind holiday gifts such as custom-ordered elephant paintings. A discount at the Wild Things Gift Shop will also be offered at that time.

Tickets for the event are $15 for zoo members and $20 for non-members. Advance purchase of tickets is required and availability is limited. Those interested in obtaining tickets should call Niabi Zoo at 309-799-3482 or email events@niabizoo.com. The event begins at 8:30 am and will last until approximately 11:30 am.

###

22 Oct 2012

Niabi Zoo Hires New Assistant Zoo Director

By Marc Heinzman
Coal Valley, IL - October 22, 2012 - Niabi Zoo announced today that it has hired a new Assistant Zoo Director to fill the vacancy left by the promotion of Marc Heinzman.

Dan Meates has been hired as Niabi Zoo's Assistant Zoo Director - Animal Programs. In this position, Mr. Meates will directly oversee the zoo's animal collection and its animal keeper staff. Meates has most recently worked at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, an AZA-accredited zoo in West Yellowstone, Montana, as the Animal Care Manager. Prior to that, he served as a Curator at Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi, Texas, and as a Curator at Wellington Zoo in Wellington, New Zealand.

The vacant Assistant Zoo Director position was reclassified from overseeing marketing and events to overseeing the animal department. This move was done in response to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums expressing Niabi Zoo's need for this type of position.

"We're very excited to have Dan join the Niabi Zoo team," said Zoo Director Marc Heinzman. "His experience and strong knowledge of the zoo field will undoubtedly prove invaluable as Niabi Zoo continues to grow and improve. I'm positive Dan will be a key player as we work towards our accreditation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums."

###
16 Jul 2012

Niabi Zoo Begins Summer Hours

By Marc Heinzman
Coal Valley, IL - July 16, 2012 - Niabi Zoo has announced that it will be open for its summer hours on Thursdays for the next several weeks.

The zoo will be open until 8:00 pm every Thursday throughout the months of July and August. Gates will still open at 9:30 am as usual, but the late closing time will allow zoo visitors a chance to attend the zoo in somewhat cooler temperatures.

"Coming to the zoo in the evening is a great opportunity to enjoy our animals in cooler temperatures and with smaller crowds," says Zoo Director Marc Heinzman. "It's a much more relaxed atmosphere than you might have on a visit during the day, and the animals are usually more active."

While the zoo is open until 8:00 pm on Thursdays, the last admission will be at 7:30 pm. All other days of the week, Niabi Zoo will be open 9:30 am to 5:00 pm.

###
05 Jun 2012

Male Giraffe Calf Born at Niabi Zoo

By Marc Heinzman

Coal Valley, IL- June 2, 2012 - Niabi Zoo is extremely happy to announce the birth of its second male giraffe calf on Friday, June 1, at 2:59 am. This is the fourth giraffe born at Niabi Zoo since 2007.

The baby giraffe, which has not yet been named, was born to Twiga, Niabi Zoo's 6 year old female. This is Twiga's second baby. Zuri, a female, was born in April of 2010. The father is Kenya, a 6 year old male. The baby weighed 152 pounds and stands about 6 feet tall.

"Twiga and her new son are doing very well," says Interim Zoo Director Marc Heinzman. "We're all very excited to have our fourth giraffe born here in only five years. We had been waiting for a long time for Twiga to have her baby, so it's great to have him here finally."

Twiga and her son will be kept off display for a few days to allow the two giraffes time to bond in a quiet setting. Later this week she will be out for public viewing.

The giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, is the world's tallest mammal. Average height for an adult giraffe is 14-19 feet and the average weight is 1,800 - 3,000 pounds. They are herbivores, using their 18 inch tongues to help pull leaves from the branches of tall trees. Although their necks are unusually long, they have only seven neck vertebrae, just like humans.

After a gestation of approximately 14 months, giraffes give birth standing up. The calf drops five to six feet to the ground. This fall helps the calf take its first breath. Calves can stand usually within a few hours and run with their mothers within ten hours. Six feet tall a birth, calves normally weigh 100 - 150 pounds and can grow as much as one inch per day.

###

18 Apr 2012

Niabi Zoo Announces Party for the Planet Event

By Marc Heinzman
Coal Valley, IL - April 17, 2012 - Niabi Zoo announced today that it will be holding its annual Earth Day celebration, Party for the Planet, on Sunday, April 22. The event, which will be held from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Zoo, will feature a variety of activities and information to help both kids and adults alike learn how they can make every day Earth Day.

New this year is the Rhythm of Conservation Sweepstakes, sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and K12. Families who are passionate about education and interested in learning more about wildlife conservation can find information at Party for the Planet about how to enter to win amazing prizes, such as a trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and a NOOK Tablet™.

Niabi Zoo will be unveiling its new "Hands Up for Conservation" program, which will allow parents to help their children make a lasting impression at Niabi Zoo while supporting global conservation efforts. This new limited-time program allows parents to purchase a wooden tile that will be decorated with their child's handprint, and will be permanently installed in a display at Niabi Zoo. Proceeds will support Niabi Zoo's conservation programs around the world. Additionally, Niabi Zoo will be launching its electronics recycling  program, which will allow zoo visitors to bring in old and unwanted electronic devices to have them properly disposed of in an environmentally safe way. Proceeds from the donated electronics go toward supporting gorilla conservation in the wild.

Niabi Zoo will be open from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Regular admission rates will apply.

###
13 Apr 2012

Pathologists Conclude Niabi Zoo Tiger Died of Heart Problem

By Marc Heinzman
Coal Valley, IL - April 11, 2012 - Pathologists at the University of Illinois have reached a conclusion about what caused the March 29th death of Niabi Zoo's 12 year old tiger, Asia.

A necropsy was performed at Niabi Zoo by one of the zoo's veterinarians, but further examination took place at the University of Illinois' College of Veterinary Medicine to better determine the cause of death.

After extensively studying internal organs and bacterial cultures, pathologists have concluded that the cause of death was "acute cardiac arrhythmia," which is more commonly known as an irregular heartbeat.

Asia had lived at Niabi Zoo for nearly her entire life, arriving in the year 2000 as a young cub. She was hand-raised by zoo staff members and was beloved, in part, due to her strongly charismatic personality. "We're sad to have lost Asia," said Interim Zoo Director Marc Heinzman, "but the entire zoo staff welcomes the feeling of closure that comes with learning why she is gone."

###
02 Apr 2012

Niabi Zoo Tiger Found Dead

By Marc Heinzman
Coal Valley, IL - March 29, 2012 - Niabi Zoo was saddened to discover their Bengal tiger had died this morning.

The tiger, a 12 year old female named Asia, was found dead in her exhibit this morning while a zookeeper was doing a regular morning check on the zoo's animals. The tiger's death was unexpected to Niabi Zoo staff.

"We are all very saddened and shocked by Asia's sudden death," said Interim Zoo Director Marc Heinzman. "Asia was beloved by the entire Niabi Zoo staff, zoo volunteers, and countless zoo visitors. Her charming personality and friendly demeanor quickly charmed any person she met. Asia will be missed."

A necropsy and pathology report will be conducted to determine the cause of death.

###

Pages

Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts

On Stands Now

 

Tagged Content

Two Ways to Subscribe

1. Subscribe to free weekly e-mail content updates.

You'll get both the current official narrative challenge and What's Happenin' in the Quad Cities.
(Did you know we publish a new Amy Alkon Advice Goddess, Real Astrology, Red Meat cartoon and RCR Crossword every week?) 

* indicates required

View previous campaigns.

2. Get 12 monthly issues mailed first class for $48

Get 12 issues mailed monthly for $48 per year.

Get the printed Reader edition mailed to you (or anyone you want) first-class for 12 months for $48.
$24 goes to postage and handling, $24 goes to keeping the doors open!

Click this link to Subscribe now.