Zoo

Have you been to the alligator exhibit at the zoo lately? Our male, Jacques, usually steals all the attention by sunning himself on the island and showing his full length of 13.5 feet! But you might not have noticed we have some unsuspecting and rather small visitors in the branches of the trees right above their heads that line the back fence to their exhibit. 

Here at the Hattiesburg Zoo, we like to provide opportunities for our guests to get to know the animals they are viewing, both on a species level and as an individual. From Keeper Chats to Animal Encounters, we love to brag about the great animal ambassadors we get to work with and have entertaining stories for the majority of them! 

 Sometimes, a keeper will find that one of the animals in their care has accidentally ingested something that was not intended for consumption. In the best case scenario, this would only entail mild stomach upset. Worst case scenario could prove fatal. 

We have two new editions to our zoo family! They are two juvenile Brown Pelicans, a female named Bella and a male named Beau. Both of these pelicans came to us through a wildlife rehabilitation center. 

It’s not often that zoo keepers take time to go places, but the first week of December Chelsea Weaver, our enrichment coordinator, and myself were privileged to attend a workshop in Galveston, Texas together at the beautiful facility Moody Gardens. What would a workshop for zoo keepers entail? 

Come help us celebrate our newest member to the Hattiesburg Zoo family, a baby boy Blue Duiker.  He was born on November 28^th, early in the morning so it was a wonderful surprise for the keepers to find him in with Gigi (mom) curled up amongst the bamboo.

On Saturday, November 24th, our enrichment coordinator Chelsea Weaver provided a fun program of Thanksgiving-themed toys and food for our animals to enjoy!