International Vulture Awareness Day

September 3, 2011 is International Vulture Awareness Day. Zoos worldwide are sponsoring events and activities to educate their guests about the decline of several endangered species of vultures in the wild. Vultures are not the most glamorous of birds, though their soar through the sky is beautiful to watch. They serve an important purpose for us as the clean up squad for dead animal carcasses. Brookgreen Gardens is joining a long list of zoos that will be participating in this day by providing educational information and signage along the trail at the Lowcountry Zoo, including an artifact station in the Large Raptor Aviary, home to 3 rehabilitated Turkey Vultures. There will be volunteers circulating through the zoo to answer questions and direct you to the raptor exhibit.

For more information on International Vulture Awareness Day, or to find a zoo in your area that is participating, you can check out the website http://www.vultureday.org/2011/index.php . We hope you will come out and check out the zoo on Saturday and learn something about vultures.

Alligator Update

Our zookeepers and Curator of Animals have been working with our zoo alligators.  The alligator exhibit holds one male alligator, and two new female alligators.  The male is over 12 feet long, and the two females are each about 6 feet long.  This is one of our females, and she is adapting to her new home very well. 

Zoo staff are training her to touch her nose to the end of a target pole.



Look at those beautiful eyes! 

Did you know...It is illegal to feed a wild alligator in South Carolina.

Male alligators can reach 15 or 16 feet long and have very large teeth!  We certainly do not want them to associate people with free food.  It is never a good idea to approach or try to touch a gator.