March
to our different drummers...
Spring
will be here in a few short weeks and we have some beautiful
spring music for you. Besides our bongos that you read about
in the last newsletter you
may also hear the deep-down-in-the-throat drumming of our
emus, our Sandhill Cranes trumpeting as they
fly overhead and the turkeys frequently keeping up a staccato
beat while running alongside your car. The sweet music of
baby antelope keeping in touch with their moms will soon
fill the air and you can be a part of it all.
If music
isn’t your thing we also have solitude to offer, far
away from the hustle and bustle of the fast-paced Metroplex.
You will find that navigating our nine-and-a-half-mile drive
at a leisurely fifteen miles-per-hour will do wonders for
your peace of mind. It is almost impossible to be overwhelmed
by the problems of the world while you are immersing yourself
among animals in a near-natural setting.
Whatever
your preference we have the answer for your afternoon getaway.
Join us and feel inspired by nature and awed by everything
involved in preparing for the new life about to burst out
all around.
I’m
hoping to see you soon,
Jan
Bussey
Education Specialist
About
Jan
Distinguished
Resident
 A
Bird on the Brink
Less than
a hundred years ago, one million Attwater's Prairie Chickens
ranged over six million acres of coastal prairie in Texas
and Southwestern Louisiana. Today, less than one-percent
of the original coastal prairie remains. As development eradicated
this fragile habitat, the native species followed. Today
a mere 50 birds live in the wild.
In 1992,
as part of a comprehensive recovery plan for the species,
we initiated a captive breeding program at Fossil Rim Wildlife
Center. This work has been crucial in preventing the Attwater's
extinction.
Continued >>
Want
to help?
Note:
Starting March 1, there will be a limited number of signed
prints of Joel Sartore's photos available for purchase
at the Fossil Rim Nature Store. You can also order these
photos on-line.
Cheetah
Chatter
 See
Me in the Movies
Max
Marches East
The name
is Max, short for Maximus. I was born October 17th, 2004
at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas. And for
those of you who are wondering, I’m a cheetah, the
fastest land animal. I am an only child, so once I got older
the nice people at Fossil Rim wanted to find some other kids
my age that I could play with. My second mother, my human
mother, Mary Jo spent weeks and weeks trying to find some
other cheetah kids in another zoo.
Finally
she found three other kids at the White Oak Conservation
Center in Yulee, Florida.
Follow
along so I can tell you my story
Eggstravaganza
Artists
For Animals
Some of
the wonderful artists working for toy manufacturer, Fisher-Price,
Inc., in East Aurora, New York, and a few of their artist
friends from around the Buffalo, NY area have graciously
donated their time and talent to decorate several of our
ostrich eggs for your on-line auction pleasure.
 These
eggs will be on display at our Front Gate from February 16th
until Easter on March 27th. They will be auctioned off on
eBay starting March 1, with the proceeds going to our Children’s
Animal Center.
You can
see the eggs and place a bid on eBay starting Tuesday, March
1. All bids start at around $100. Pick your favorite, keep
up with the fun and see if you are the lucky one to walk
away
with
one of these beautiful hand painted eggs.
All the
artists are excited to be donating to such a worthwhile cause.
Some of them are already planning their summer vacations
to come to Fossil Rim to see first hand how their endeavors
are helping.
What's
Gnu?
• We
received two female red wolves on Wednesday, Feb. 9,
from the Ft. Worth Zoo as part of the 2004 Red Wolf Species
Survival Plan SP recommendations. They were born April
23, 2004.
• We will be getting a Kudu bull from Caldwell Zoo in Tyler
soon.
•
The construction for the new Attwater’s Prairie
Chicken breeding flights is underway.
•Cooperative diet studies are on-going with our black rhinos and Attwater's,
and we are about mid-way through a cooperative hormonal research project.
Have a
suggestion for our newsletter? Send
us an email.
P.S. To
make sure you receive our e-mails, please add editor@fossilrim.org to
your address book—so your filter will know our e-mails
are legitimate. Go
here if you need help.
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