Zoo Connections - October 2016

A newsletter for the valued supporters of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium | October 2016

Sea Turtle Second Chance Program: A Story of Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release

Nalah on the Move Donor Spotlight: Naming the Amur Leopard Cub– It's Not Just a Name Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania Day at the Zoo

pittsburghzoo.org

Development Department Janet Rose Senior Director of Development & Conservation Initiatives 412-365-2540 jrose@pittsburghzoo.org Lori Elder Membership Manager 412-365-2534 lelder@pittsburghzoo.org Amy O’Neill Foundation and Grants Coordinator 412-365-2543 aoneill@pittsburghzoo.org Rachel Kisic Development Coordinator 412-365-2541 rkisic@pittsburghzoo.org Emily Beyer Development Associate 412-365-2503 ebeyer@pittsburghzoo.org Richard Kalson Chair, Board of Directors Dr. Barbara Baker President & CEO Photography by: ©Paul A. Selvaggio unless otherwise noted In compiling this report, the development office has made every attempt to ensure that the information is complete and all contributions are listed accurately.

If there are omissions, misspellings, or other errors, please report them to the development office at 412-365-2541 and please accept our apologies.

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Sea Turtle Second Chance Program: A Story of Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release Emily Beyer, Development Associate

Sometimes you find yourself in the right place at the right time.

Something happens that makes you pause and think about how things have come together in just the right way and it makes you wonder why.

Perhaps it is just luck or coincidental timing. Maybe the universe is mysteriously conspiring to bring something amazing to your life, at just the right moment, when you need it more than you could ever have realized. These are the thoughts I had when I was asked to be a part of one of the largest sea turtle releases in which the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium had ever been involved in.

I am often asked what I do at the Zoo and part of my answer usually includes, “I’m an animal person who works in the development department.” Despite working in the office, being an “animal person”

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It all happened so fast…one by one the turtles were picked up, placed in the water… and off they went

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serves me well in promoting the mission of our Zoo, an integral part of my job. Nothing could strengthen my ability to do my job more than a complete, immersive experience that exemplifies fulfilling those goals.

For those of us who live in Pittsburgh, we are familiar with the sensations that come with the colder months of winter. You may be outside for a little too long and your fingers and limbs begin to feel less pliable.

Your mouth feels a little too stiff when you try to talk and you cannot move as easily. Fortunately, you have the ability to move inside and slowly warm yourself back up. In comparison, imagine you are a sea turtle floating in the water at the mercy of the ocean with no place to find warmth. As a cold-blooded reptile, sea turtles rely on warmth to give them energy.

As a turtle, if you become too cold you will not have the stamina to find food. Because you cannot find food, you start to become more lethargic and lose weight. Then you continue to feel cold and you become unhealthy. Your immune system weakens and you become susceptible to pneumonia, fungal infections, and hypothermia. That is the process that happens when sea turtles become “cold-stunned”, which usually occurs from sudden drops in water temperature and changes in currents.

Sea turtles found injured, floating, and stranded by coastal aquariums and rehabilitation centers are immediately assisted and released as soon as possible.

For animals that need care lasting beyond a few days, however, other institutions such as the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium are fortunate to have the resources and space to serve as a long term holding facility to

assist with the recuperation of critically ill and injured sea turtles. PPG Aquarium staff, partnered with the Zoo’s incredible veterinary staff, have successfully helped in the rehabilitation and release of dozens of sea turtles back into the wild. All seven species of sea turtles are critically endangered and every turtle saved is vital to each of these populations.

For the release I attended in March, seven Kemp’s ridley turtles from the PPG Aquarium and sixteen of the same species from the New England Aquarium, were deemed releasable after months of care. The day our trip was to begin each turtle was individually prepped for the journey with the administration of intravenous fluids to keep them hydrated, along with the application of eye drops and skin lubricant to keep them comfortable. This is when I learned that clean produce boxes make perfect sleeping containers for sea turtles. Thankfully, the Zoo has no shortage of these incredibly sturdy containers. With the use of boxes and plastic bins filled with warm clean towels, the prepped turtles were each given their own private traveling quarters. Interestingly, the sea turtles did not need to be submerged in water for the trip. Water could potentially become a drowning hazard to the air-breathing turtles if the containers, or the turtles themselves, were to somehow become overturned during the trip and the turtles would be unable to right themselves.

The Zoo partnered with an incredible animal rescue organization, the Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART), to assist in the transport of all of the turtles. Founded by Brad Childs and Jonathan Plesset, PAART generously made one of their large transport vehicles available to the Zoo for the long drive south.

1: Administering fluids; 2: Taking roll call; 3: Beachgoers gather to witness the release 4: Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team airplane 5: Turtles unloaded on the beach 6: Turtles moving quickly towards the ocean 7: Helping the turtles along 8: The team waves goodbye

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The large van, capable of holding up to seventy dog crates, had plenty of room for twenty-three boxes of turtles.

Donate to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium By supporting the Zoo, you help save wildlife and wild places. Your gift helps us to fulfill our mission to be a leader in zoological conservation, education, and research while providing the region with exceptional exhibitry and unique family-centered recreation.

To make your gift in support of the Zoo, please contact the Development Department by calling 412-365-2540.

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Lynda Manko, Community Outreach Coordinator for PAART, and her daughter, Amanda, joined our team that included lead aquarists Josie Romasco and Katy Wozniak, Zoo photographer Paul Selvaggio, and myself. Josie was our fearless leader for this trip, or as I like to call her, our feisty turtle wrangler. She has coordinated these types of releases countless times. Sea turtles are one of her great loves and she is incredibly knowledgeable. She took care of all of the details and coordinated the entire trip for both humans and animals, from transportation to Florida, to Fish and Wildlife permits, to our hotel stay. Katy is easily recognizable as our main penguin keeper and has been on local television and in Pittsburgh newspapers numerous times.

Given that she and I are both from small towns in northwestern Pennsylvania, we became instant friends when I was hired by the Zoo fourteen years ago. And then there is Paul, our exceptionally talented Zoo photographer, who happens to be immensely funny, not to mention skilled at brewing beer.

Given that PAART’s main mission is to organize dog rescues and an occasional reunion, a blind and deaf chow-chow named Sheeba who had been lost prior to her owner's move to Florida was also joining us.

Thankfully because she was microchipped, her incredibly happy and appreciative owner was located and PAART arranged for them to meet us at our turtle release location.

At 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 13, one dog, six people, and twenty-three turtles loaded into two vehicles for the non-stop, overnight drive to the warm south.

Our first night of travel would be spent driving in the vans. Sleep did not come easily to the humans who all took turns driving.

Four of us were in one van with Sheeba and we did our best to keep her calm and comfortable during the overnight trip. In the other van, two people had to constantly monitor the sea turtles during the drive, as well as check on them during stops

every two to three hours. We passed Summersville, West Virginia, then Wytheville, North Carolina, and continued past Port Wentworth, Georgia, before we finally pulled into Washington Oaks Gardens State Park in Palm Coast, Florida around 10:00 a.m., sixteen-and-a-half hours after we left Pittsburgh.

The sky was cloudy that morning but even so, when you arrive at a southern beach there is no mistaking it for anywhere else. There was the constant breeze of salty, humid air and I could hear the waves breaking, some of my absolute favorite things. Over a dozen volunteers, a few park rangers, and several curious beachgoers were anxiously awaiting us in the parking lot. First we unloaded Sheeba. Her excited owner and his brother met our van almost as soon as we pulled in.

Her crate was opened, Lynda helped her out, and after a few curious seconds of sniffing everything near her, there was no doubt that Sheeba knew she was back with her family. As the happy owner took her off to her new, warm, no-Pittsburgh-winters-ever-again home, we started to change into our wetsuits and prepare the volunteers to help with unloading the turtles.

Boxes and bins were handed off one at a time to volunteers. Josie, Katy, and I also carried turtles to the beach while Paul photographed every detail. The containers were lined up on the sand as Josie coordinated who would release which turtles and when.

The conditions of the surf that day meant the three of us had to wear wetsuits. The water was warm enough for the turtles, but cool for us, and we knew that we would need to help them get past some of the larger waves to prevent them from washing back on shore. With an OK from Josie, turtles were placed on the sand a few at a time to see how well they would maneuver towards the water. This was the moment instinct took over and they immediately started to quickly move towards the ocean.

It all happened fast after that. One by one the turtles were picked up, placed in the water, and monitored to ensure they were getting past the breakers by watching for their heads popping up to get a breath.

I will never forget what it was like to be surrounded by sea turtle heads bobbing all around us as we placed them into the water. While I am always happy to be near the ocean, this was an entirely new experience.

I stood in the Atlantic holding one of my favorite animals who had survived a long ordeal, returning them back to where they belong.

It's really pretty simple.

Sea turtles need you.

You can make a difference for sea turtles.

Please help us expand our rehabilitation facilities with a new turtle tank.

Visit pittsburghzoo.org/ Donate/SpecialProjects 7

I watched other turtles swimming in the ocean for their first time in months. It was truly a special moment that made me so thankful to be a part of something so important.

Suddenly, it was over. After all of the planning, coordinating, and driving, within just half an hour all of the turtles were gone, volunteers had dispersed, and park rangers were thanked. We changed out of our wetsuits and drove five minutes up the road for lunch on the beach.

The skies were sunny and the air was warm.

For every sea turtle released, there is another that needs to be healed.

We still had one last mission to complete at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. After lunch we began our two hour drive north to Jekyll Island, Georgia, a breathtaking place. While I did not get to explore much of the island, what I did see was amazing. Beautiful towering trees with Spanish moss, a wide flat beach, and wildlife everywhere. When we arrived at the Center, we were given the privilege of picking up Harbor, a beautiful green sea turtle who was recovering from a severe boat propeller injury. The strike had seriously damaged his shell (or carapace), resulting in spinal cord damage and paralyzing both of his rear flippers.

Sea turtles can function and swim with only the use of their front flippers as they use the back flippers primarily for directional steering.

However, severe complications can still occur when there is internal damage such as an inability to digest or move food through their intestines properly. When issues like this occur, gasses build up from the improperly digested food and can be a cause for a condition known as “bubble butt”. This malady affects their buoyancy and results in an inability to dive. Sea turtles need to be able to do this to feed and escape from potential harm. In Harbor’s case, his back side was rising higher than his front which made it difficult for him to dive and caused his front end to tilt down into the water. This presents a strong potential for drowning as his condition could worsen to the point where he would no longer be able to lift his head out of the water to breathe.

Top: Harbor at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center Center: Learning about Harbor's history Bottom: Harbor at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

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Fortunately, he has help. I have learned how ingenious and creative keepers and rehabilitators can be when it comes to the comfort, well-being, and functionality of their animals. In Harbor’s case, his caretakers adhered small weights with epoxy to the back of his shell in order to balance his back end with his front, and it works!

He can remain level in the water and can also dive and surface easily.

Even though he cannot move his back flippers, he remains energetic, inquisitive, and constantly moving. He does not seem to be aware of his inability to move his back flippers. He just knows that he is alive and healthy with a belly full of food. There is continued hope that one day Harbor may be released as well, but if that does not happen, he will always have a home in Pittsburgh.

There is a resilience, toughness, and desire to “just keep swimming� in these turtles, Harbor especially, that I relate to and find encouraging.

These animals have been hurt, broken and damaged, left floating or stranded, not understanding what has happened to them. Then rescuers come along to help them heal with care, kindness, patience, and support.

Once their strength slowly begins to re-emerge, they feel the need to start moving again.

I cannot take any credit for bringing these incredible animals back to health. The very talented veterinary staff and aquarists who have cared for them deserve all of that praise and respect. Yet to have had the opportunity to return them back to the environment where they belong, with my own hands, was an unforgettable experience. I may not have started with them on their long journey to recovery, but I was enormously honored and proud to help them complete it. A good friend of mine here at the Zoo said that when he saw the photos of me from the trip, his first thought was that he had not seen me smile like that or look that happy in a long time. How right he was. Despite my contentment, I know that no one on that Florida beach was happier than those turtles.

*At the time of the release of this article, Harbor is visible at our Sea Turtle Window, located at the PPG Aquarium. Thank you to Dr. Barbara Baker, Dr. Joe Gaspard, Dwayne Biggs, and Janet Rose for asking me to take part in the release. Thank you to Josie, Katy, and Paul for making me laugh for two days.

Despite Harbor's inability to move his back flippers, he is thriving thanks to the Sea Turtle Second Chance Program at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

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2016 Annual Giving (Annual gifts received from January 1 – April 30, 2016) $50,000 and above

$10,000 to 24,999

Colcom Foundation

Eat’n Park

CHIP

The Value of Annual Giving Annual giving is vital to the successful operation of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. Membership and ticket sales alone do not cover the cost of all that we offer in sustaining our mission. Annual giving helps to fill this gap. Contributing to the Zoo plays an important role in providing care for our animals, supporting our educational programs, and aiding in our on site and international conservation efforts. Thank you to the individuals on the following pages for being a part of our donor family.

DSF Charitable Foundation

John Leo Miclot* & Cathy Rinchetti & Family Lillian Neugebauer Pepsi Co

BNY Mellon

First Commonwealth Bank Donna* & Jim Hudson Macy’s

Scott Electric Foundation

PPG

The Frank E. Rath * Spang & Company Charitable Trust

Richard King Mellon Foundation

$5,000 to 9,999

PPG Foundation

Service Systems Associates UPMC for Kids UPMC for Life

UPMC Health Plan

$25,000 to 49,999

Consolidated Communications Ehrlich Pest Control

Jack Buncher Foundation NET Xperts

PA Leadership Charter School

Beyond Spots & Dots Chick-fil-A

Hawksglen Foundation Kerrish Family Trust Karen Tritten

$2,500 to 4,999 Stephanie Bozic Edward Goncz*

Kristine* & Christopher McGinley Somerset Trust Company Jaime Szoszorek

$1,000 to 2,499

Dawn & Craig Andersson

Shannon & Charles Arnold

Linda Bailey & Mark Fairhead Diane & Barry Balliet

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Jane Barnes Mo Brown

The J. Christopher & Ann C. Donahue Charitable Fund

Foundation

Laurie & Gregory* Weingart

Bruce & Barbara Wiegand Family

Suzanne & William Warnick

Lisa Cibik & Bernie Kobosky

Stacia & Kevin Wetherington

MaryAnn & David DeFide Terry & Mario DeIuliis

Ann & W. Logan Dickerson

Docent Council - Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Susie & Roy Dorrance

Colette* & John Dugan

Duquesne Light

Sheila & William Eismont Lori & Jim Elder Lin & Donald Ewing

Barbara Geist-Deckert

Kyung K. Incorvati & Timothy Goetze Charles Hoessle

Jack*, Karen, Hillary, & Max Friedman Philanthropic Fund, Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Kim Macey

Merwin Memorial Free Clinic for Animals Nancy & Maurice Nernberg Maria & Sean O'Brien

Shirley & H. Ward Olander Terry & Stefan Owcar

Linda & William Roemer

Janet Rose & Russell Trunzo Bonnie & William Snyder Elizabeth Spence

$500 to 999

Suzanne Barley Carolyn Davis

Michelle & Justin Gbur Carolyn & David Hills

Sherri & Chuck Macierowski

Give the Gift that Keeps on Giving:

$100 to 499

A Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Membership

Rachel & Richard Kisic

Gail & Tom Litwiler

Rosemary & James O'Neill

Anne Amster

Joyce & John Beachler Dotti & John Bechtol

Helen & Donald Berman Cynthia Bognar Jeanne Burek

Martha & John Burkholder Barbara Carpenter & Michael Miller

Helen & Stephen Casey

Susan & William Cohen Kristin & Vaughn Cook

Kathleen & Elry Cramer Denise Crosby

A Zoo Membership is a passport to family fun and adventure.

Treat somebody you love to a Gift Membership. It includes 12 months of unlimited free admission to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, discounted admission to 150 other zoos, education and program discounts, exclusive access to events, and much more.

Visit pittsburghzoo.org information.

Lisa & Denis Daman

Jean & Stephen Davis

Donald & Sylvia Robinson Family Foundation Patricia Duke LeClere

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EQT Corporation

John Skowron

Christine Felman

The Sanford S. & Patricia G. Berman Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh

Cynthia Evans

Dawn & Christopher Fleischner Mary & Eric Friedlander

Kate Jackson & Mark Garvey Paula & Francis Gesselberty Michael Golde

Heather & James Graziano

A Note to Zoo Members The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is a proud member of the Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA), a nonprofit organization that promotes and supports leadership and best practices for nature and environmental centers.

Zoo Members now have the opportunity to use a Zoo Membership to visit over 120 nature centers around the country.

To plan a visit to a participating nature center, visit pittsburghzoo.org/ membership/reciprocal.

Sharon & John Hadley

Sarah & Talbot Heppenstall Phyllis & Mark Hoge

Richard Hopkins Susan Hoppe & Michael Goodhart Mac Horvath

Carmella & Doug Jones

JP Morgan Asset Management Katie & Noah Kessler Leona LaValley

Alice & Martin Lieb

Barbara McCabe Earl McDaniel

Kimberly & James Meyers

Norfolk Southern Corporation Shirley Placke

Emily & Kevin Rabbitt Suzanne Ralph

Donald* & Catherine Rhoten Susan & Stanley Ricketts

Nancysue & Ronald Riggle Debbie & John Rohe Lynn Roth

Association of Nature Center Administrators

Carolyn & W. Scott Sanford Martin Silverman

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Steinsapir Family Foundation

Gail & Jim Titus

Mary & Raymond Tomasello Raymond Turner

Thomas Wagner Gladys Walling

Leonard Weitzman Jo Wilson

Nancy & Mark Wolfe

*Indicates board member

2016 Event Sponsors Fashion for the Wild BNY Mellon

FedEx Ground Larrimor’s

LUXE Creative Maher Duessel

Russell Charitable Foundation D.B. Root & Co.

Zoo Gala

UPMC & UPMC Health Plan Vein Institute of Pittsburgh LUXE Creative

Indovina Associates Architects

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PNC Bank PPG

Zoo Gala, continued Schell Games

The Stirling Group at Janney Allegheny Valley Bank Auto Palace Porsche BNY Mellon ComDoc

Day Automotive Group Edgewood Welding & Fabrication

I.B.E.W. Local Union No. 5 ICE - Industrial/ Commercial Elevator Joseph Testa Concrete Contracting Inc. KPMG LLP Menser Inc.

Metz Lewis Brodman Must O'Keefe LLC

Noralco Corporation

Giant Eagle

North Side Foods

HBK CPAs & Consultants

Oxford Development Company

Mascaro Construction Company, L.P.

Peggy & Steve McKnight

Munroe Inc.

Pittsburgh Asphalt Company

Wells Fargo Insurance

Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf

Harris Masonry

Ogletree Deakins

Jones Day

Paul J. Gitnik & Gene L. Svrcek

Merit Electrical Group, Inc.

Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center (PVSEC)

Wabtec Corporation

Russell Charitable Foundation

84 Lumber Company/ Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa Allegheny Refrigeration American Fastener Technologies Corp

Summer Safari BNY Mellon

Blank Rome LLP Bayer

Calgon Carbon Corporation

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield

Controlled Climate Systems, Inc.

Allegheny Valley Bank

Clark Hill PLC

PPG

Crawford Ellenbogen LLC

John L. Waldman, DMD Prosthodontist

Eckert Seamans

EverPower Wind Holdings, Inc. Federated Investors Foundation, Inc.

Greco Development

A Note to Our Donors We make every attempt to accurately recognize the generous support of our donors.

If you notice an error, please contact the Development Department by calling 412-365-2541 or by email at donate@pittsburghzoo.org.

Thank you for your understanding.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh White Diamond/ Blue Diamond Vodka

Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale

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How close do you want to get?

Join the Grow Wild Society and get close to the animals. Your membership in this special group supports the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium and its mission to save wildlife. Grow Wild Society membership gives you a unique and intimate perspective through behind-the-scenes tours and special exclusive events for both families and individuals.

Become a Grow Wild Society member today and enjoy a closer partnership with the Zoo, satisfaction in supporting critically important initiatives, and unforgettable, up-close experiences.

Visit pittsburghzoo.org for more information.

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Nalah on the Move

Janet Rose, Senior Director of Development & Conservation Initiatives Nalah, one of our female cheetahs named by a niece of John Miclot and Cathy Rinchetti, her sponsor family, is on the move. She has left her Zoo home for the first time to go off on a new journey where we hope she will become a first time mother and be a part of an international effort to save her species. Cheetahs are highly endangered and one of our best hopes for their survival is through successful breeding.

On a beautiful sunny morning, one of the nicest mornings we have had, Nalah was quiet as she was loaded into her crate.

Filled with soft bedding and a dish of water, the crate was carefully placed in a van for the two hour trip to The Wilds in Ohio. The Wilds is where Nalah will live for the coming months and hopefully meet a potential mate.

Upon arrival, she was calmly released into her new home. First the pen, then the grassy area where she sniffed, looked, listened, and sniffed some more. Finally, Nalah decided to venture out. After slinking through a doorway, she moved out onto the grassy hill and began to explore over one acre of landscape that makes up her new home. A short while later the male cheetahs came out into their enclosed area to investigate, and the group began to meet for the first time, face to face, eye to eye, with only a fence between them.

Let the courting begin!

When cheetahs breed, it is the female who does the choosing. Males will parade themselves in front of the female and the goal is that eventually, the female will chose the one with whom she wants to mate.

The process is all about looking, seeing, and choosing, and it is always the female who makes the final choice.

After watching Nalah begin to settle into her new life, we left her to continue exploring while we enjoyed human company and a much needed lunch. No sooner had we sat down a short distance away when we started to hear the especially loud chirping sounds that cheetahs make. The courting had already begun. Male cheetah runs here, female runs there, up-hill, down-hill, chirp, chirp, chirp.

As lunch and wildlife conversations wrapped up and we prepared for the ride home, we knew that the next time we would all be together to see Nalah she would probably be preparing to be a mother. There is still hope for cheetahs and Nalah is now a major part of that future.

This holiday season, give the gift that helps provide for the care, feeding, and enrichment of the animals while supporting the Zoo’s commitment to wildlife conservation, both locally and around the world.

Please call 412-365-2503 or visit pittsburghzoo.org for more information.

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Donor Spotlight: Naming the Amur Leopard Cub– It’s Not Just a Name

Janet Rose, Senior Director of Development & Conservation Initiatives In life, Lillian Neugebauer was more than petite, she was tiny. But her diminutive frame was surpassed only by her giant-sized wit and sharp sense of humor. You could never get anything past Lillian!

I first met Lillian through one of our board members, Doug Stirling of Janney & Company. Lillian asked about meeting our wild cats at the Zoo, of which there are many. She was passionate about cats and one of her own pet cats had passed away a few years ago.

The day was planned to see tigers, lions, cheetahs, and as many wild cats in one day as Lillian would enjoy. On the scheduled day, Lillian and her wonderful long-time friend and devoted care-giver, Ellen Small, arrived.

As we hopped aboard a motorized cart to begin our cat tour, Lillian then announced to everyone’s surprise, “I want to see the monkeys.” Not one to mince words, Lillian’s wish would be our command and we added primates and apes to the list of animals we would try to see. This is how our friendly relationship began.

As the weeks and months passed, we talked about our next Zoo adventure and what Lillian and Ellen might like to see. Lillian confided that she was considering leaving a bequest, which would also be in memory of her sister Bernice. Hearing how much Lillian loved the cats, I suggested the possibility she do something meaningful to herself in the present, when she could enjoy her gift and build her connection with the Zoo in the here and now.

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While we had these conversations and planned new visits to the Zoo, a rare event took place.

An Amur leopard cub, a female, was born to the oldest first time mother.

The cub was healthy, mom was healthy, and her birth marked a milestone in the breeding of this endangered species of cat. With fewer than 75 left in the wild, the birth of this cub has had great significance for the future of her species. Knowing how much Lillian loved cats, we suggested she name the new cat after meeting with the animal staff and observing the cub. This would help her to select a name that was culturally and characteristically matched to the cat. Lillian loved the idea and the process began.

True to her incredible wit and sense of humor, and knowing that the leopard mom’s name was Candi, Lillian jokingly suggested “Candy’s Cane.” Everyone who heard this name roared with laughter at the suggestion. Although we knew that would probably not be the final choice, it reminded everyone how even at 90-something years old Lillian was as sharp and as funny as ever.

On the appointed day, Lillian and Ellen came to the Zoo and met the cub. Our cat care team joined them as we all watched the cub interact with her mother for a long time. We presented Lillian with a stuffed cat and a signed photo of the cub gifted by our incomparable Zoo photographer, Paul Selvaggio. Lillian seemed moved by the attention.

With the day’s observations in mind, we retired to lunch and discussed names. After much banter and brainstorming, Lillian chose the name Semba. Everyone was pleased with the selection, a kind of amalgam of names and meanings having to do with Asian dance and African culture, a blending of worlds, but it still sounded appropriate to the wild cat and her geographic range and genetic background.

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Lillian loved her lunch, loved the name, and her sponsorship of the cub meant significant support for the future of these beautiful cats.

Give a bear for a birthday, a tiger to your team, or a howler monkey for the holidays.

Adopting an animal is a great gift for any occasion. When you adopt, your gift helps to provide for the care, feeding, and enrichment of Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium animals.

All resident animals are available for adoption with packages ranging from $30 to $500 per year.

Visit our website at pittsburghzoo.org for adoption packages.

Please call 412-365-2503 to learn more about this rewarding gift idea or email adopt@pittsburghzoo.org.

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Weeks later, Lillian and Ellen returned for another visit to see the cub named Semba.

Now that Lillian was an official member of the Grow Wild Society, this would be one of many up close and personal visits. Lillian was presented with a special certificate for her sponsorship of the cub during the Grow Wild event. Grow Wild events enable donors to have up close and intimate encounters with our animals and to learn more about each of them and their special needs, as well as the threats associated with their endangered status.

Weeks later, Ellen told us Lillian couldn’t wait to get back to the Zoo to see “her cub” and to visit other animals. She said that Lillian loved being so involved in the Zoo and with a species she especially favored.

The naming day and subsequent visit had been among her best in recent years, Ellen said.

Sadly, little Lillian with the biggest heart and sharpest mind, did not get to visit “her cub” again. She recently passed away. Yet even as she lay in her hospital bed, she told her friend Ellen that when she was back home, she wanted to see “her cub” again soon.

In life and in death, Lillian created an important legacy for the wild cats she loved, a gift that will keep on giving for years to come. May Lillian Neugebauer rest in peace, she will be well remembered by all of us.

Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania Day at the Zoo Margie Marks, Director of Education & Conservation

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s Conservation Education Department celebrated our inaugural Girl Scout Day on September 10, 2016. More than 900 Girl Scouts and their families joined in the celebration. This exciting and adventurous day included special activities planned just for the organization and their families, including inspirational talks from a Zoo veterinarian and registrar, and Girl Scout themed animal enrichment and feedings.

Mrithi, our silverback gorilla, thoroughly enjoyed collecting the recycled Girl Scout Cookie boxes filled with popcorn, apples, and grapes. Girl Scouts and their families were treated to an amazing photo opportunity with our giraffes where they were able to stand inches away from the world’s tallest mammal.

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is proud to partner with the Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania in creating lifelong memories and educational opportunities. We look forward to continuing this wildly successful collaboration in the future.

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One Wild Place Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Harbor at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

pittsburghzoo.org