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News Bites continued
UPDATES Lighting the Way To thank the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club for their
The fun doesn’t stop at Brookfield Zoo once support, Brookfield Zoo kicked off its 2018 Summer Nights
the sun goes down. Concerts with a “Flip the Switch” dedication event for the
It’s thanks to the support of the Green Mountain Energy new light poles. Rather than flipping the lights on, they were
Sun Club that Brookfield Zoo was able to install nearly 50 flipped off to demonstrate the difference they make—and
permanent energy-efficient LED lights around the park, so guests could enjoy a laser light show.
making our evening events safe and enjoyable for zoo
guests. These light poles can be found in our West Mall, East In total, the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club’s projects
Mall, outside of the Discovery Center, and outside the North prevent more than 2.6 million pounds of carbon dioxide
Gate tunnel. from being emitted each year, the equivalent of not
LED lights use 75% less energy than traditional driving 3.2 million miles. We’re proud to have them as a
incandescent bulbs and last up to 25 times longer, reducing conservation partner.
carbon dioxide emissions and saving the zoo money on
energy expenses while increasing safety and visibility for
visitors during evening events.
GIANT ELEPHANT SHREW Baby Giant Elephant Shrew...
8 GATEWAYS | NEWS BITES IT’S A GIRL Whew!
With a name that includes the phrase “giant elephant,”
you might expect giant elephant shrew babies to be
somewhat massive.
But in fact, they’re so small that for several weeks, they’re
undetectable. This can make it hard for animal care staff to figure out
if one of these animals has given birth. But Chicago Zoological Society
staff have some tricks up their sleeves.
When staff suspected that Shadow Cat, one of Brookfield Zoo’s
resident giant elephant shrews, was pregnant last spring, they
immediately began monitoring her weight.
“Our giant elephant shrews are trained to get onto a platform scale,
and once we think a shrew might be pregnant, we monitor them
carefully for any weight loss—that’s a sign an infant might have been
born,” said Joan Daniels, the Society’s curator of mammals. “Staff
also has been experimenting with using thermal imaging as a new
technique for detecting these elusive newborns in their nest site.”
Once animal care staff see a weight drop, they immediately increase
the amount of food they place in the exhibit, knowing the mother is
likely nursing the infant(s).
