MEET THE ANIMAL STARS ON - The Little Zoo That Could
Transcription
MEET THE ANIMAL STARS ON - The Little Zoo That Could
DVD N O E L B ILA NOW AVA ! MEET THE ANIMAL STARS OF THE LITTLE ZOO THAT COULD TV SERIES THE ZOO BABIES They come in all shapes and sizes, and on some occasions, are complete surprises. Baby animals are a big part of the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo’s culture. They can arrive as offspring from Chi Chi and Al, two of the zoo’s adult Capuchin monkeys; or they can be given to the zoo as a charitable gift, as was Katrina, the black leopard who arrived with Jack Hanna as a surprise companion for baby Chaka; or they can be orphans needing a loving home. Whatever the circumstance, they are all adored and adorable on THE LITTLE ZOO THAT COULD. The babies are some of the zoo’s best ambassadors and teaching tools to educate the public about the protection and preservation of all animal species and their habitats. While the zoo does not have a formal breeding program, some of the animals that are paired companions do sometimes mate, as nature dictates. The zoo staff always makes sure these pairs are healthy and in a safe, protected environment. Should there be a pregnancy, extra care and monitoring is provided, and once a baby has made its appearance into the world, it is given a unique name by its zookeeper. AS SEEN ON BIG & LITTLE CATS African lion Lady, affectionately called “Bug” by her keepers, came to the zoo as a rescue animal. Suffering severe abuse and neglect by a private owner, she was not expected to live, but through the zoo staff’s extraordinary efforts, she was brought back to full health and vitality. In E p i s o d e 1 1 , h e r 10 t h b i r t h d ay i s celebrated with a cake for 200 kids and a boiled ham for Bug. Rambunctious Barbary lions Simba and CC are very playful mates who look for mischief at every opportunity. At 21 years old, Spotted leopard Fontayne and Black leopard Blazer are the zoo’s oldest cats and best pals. White Bengal Tiger Rajah and his sister Rani grow from little bitty cats to big cats, but 350 lb. Rajah still thinks he's a baby. Cougars Kenya and his daughter Mikasa were hand-raised by the zookeepers, but their version of basketball is a little too rough for humans. Bickering Siberian tiger sisters Salt and Pepper love entertaining zoo visitors… and the little cats, African servals NikNik, Cira and Dave, and American bobcats Abigail and Rufus like to eat, play and just chill. BEARS & WOLVES American Black bear Boodah was the size of a football when Facilities Manager Rusty began hand-raising him, and theirs has become one of the most charming and humorous relationships in THE LITTLE ZOO THAT COULD. Whether it’s taking Boodah for a swim in Patti’s pool in the scorching heat after a hurricane, or hand-wrestling over a donut, Boodah and Rusty are beyond best buddies. Rusty considers Boodah to be like a son and spoils him to no end. But once Boodah starts growin' up, he is introduced to the zoo’s female American Black bear Millie, who is to become Boodah’s mate. She tolerates his bratty behavior most of the time and is happy having this goofball as a companion. The zoo’s four Gray and Timber wolves Sinbad, Saba, Mojo and Runt are about as lovable and sweet as any four-legged animals can be, that is until Runt loses a leg to cancer, and the pack must make all sorts of adjustments. But they still get over-the-top excited when their keepers visit, and they can’t stop “marking” their humans with kisses, especially Zoo Director Patti. LEMURS & MONKEYS They both have a prehensile tail, are very social beings, and devoted parents, but lemurs and monkeys are not meant to share the same living quarters. The lemurs, who outnumber the monkeys, live on two islands at the zoo, and the monkeys live in caged habitats. On Front Lemur Island lives a tribe of Madagascar Ring-Tail lemurs named Cooper, Zorro, Sammy, Jack & Jill, Yazi & Moses. Langa, Tanner, Onit and Stumpy live on Back Lemur Island.. The zoo later added a small tribe of hilarious Whiteruff and Red-ruff lemurs. Two of the series most popular primate stars are young Capuchin monkeys Crunch and Trey. Crunch is a wild goofball and Trey is thoughtful and sensitive, but they love hanging out together. For the offspring of Chi Chi and Al, the zoo’s longtime pair, fate had different plans for these little brothers. Soon after Trey’s birth, he accidentally fell off Chi Chi’s back and suffered a severe head trauma causing seizures. Doctors felt he wouldn't survive long. But Head Zookeeper Cyndi was determined to save this adorable little monkey and took him home to provide round-the-clock care. With medication, supervision and lots of love, Trey has thrived, and continues to live with Cyndi and her family. After Crunch was born, he became too much of a handful for Chi Chi. So Zoo Director Patti and her husband took this rambunctious monkey into their home until he was old enough to live with the other zoo monkeys. Also featured in the series is the zoo’s oldest monkey, 40year-old Red Capuchin Michael, who was donated to the zoo after his elderly owner could no longer care for him properly; Red Capuchin Kunda, who was rescued from a boat raided during a drug bust and only likes being comforted by another red-head, Patti; and Mandrill baboon Umba, who’s quite the gentleman when he gets his daily strawberry ice cream bar. THE BIRDS What do you do with over 130 exotic birds when a hurricane is coming? Zoo Director Patti Hall packs them into a moving van and hauls them to her backyard. After the storm, the zoo aviary is wiped out. So for months, most of the birds live in the barn, and the daily chatter and bird song is hilariously non-stop. For the caged birds, daily interaction with the zookeepers are vital to their well-being, but for the birds allowed to roam zoo grounds, abundant food and freedom keep them happy. Some of the bird stars of THE LITTLE ZOO THAT COULD include: -Jo, the Yellow Nape Amazon parrot is a local radio personality. She and Patti make regular appearances on the morning AM station, and Jo is one chatty mic hog. -Aggie & Frasier Crane, the African Crown cranes are on the daily clean-up crew, strolling through the park looking for popcorn. -Clue, the Indian peacock can’t be caught during the Hurricane evacuation and goes missing for days. The zookeepers are worried, until, out-of-the-blue, Clue turns up in a tree, not a feather out of place. Clue is one of the zoo’s best guest greeters. -Romeo, the Trumpeter swan is fiercely protective of mate Juliet, and the keepers have to find ways to get past him on their daily rounds or face a leg injury. Some of the other delightful feathery friends are Terry, the Kookaburra, Marmalade, the Citron Cockatoo, Sparky & Cleo, the Umbrella Cockatoos, Duke the Chinese Golden Pheasant, many more. GATORS & REPTILES Meet the zoo’s mascot and most famous resident, American alligator Chuckie, weighing in at 1,000 lbs. and 11 ft. long. When Chuckie can't be evacuated during Hurricane Ivan, he goes missing in the aftermath. Zoo Director Patti turns to the local press to help find Chuckie, and his plight becomes an international news sensation. Alligator experts from Florida come to the rescue. They find Chuckie three days later not far from his destroyed zoo exhibit, scared but a-ok. Now he’s living the life of Riley, basking in his new-found fame. Along with Chuckie, there’s a family of smaller American alligators referred to as “The Thugs” who live in a pond at the front of the zoo. The zoo’s other reptile stars are Albino Burmese pythons Cruella and Robbie, who clearly enjoy interacting with kids; and Bearded Dragon Suki, who’s a charmer at school outings. Inside the Reptile House, there are many scary, fascinating snakes, skinks, tegus, monitors, and iguanas, some of them rescues from private owners, who got in over their heads when their cute baby reptile grew into a more difficult to manage adult. TORTOISES & TURTLES African Spurred Thigh tortoises Mr. Big, Mr. Bigger & Mr. Biggest are not as shy as their other habitat mates, Yellow-footed tortoises George and Martha. When their daily salad buffet is served, they’re pretty fast movers and shakers for tortoises. And for the zoo’s Red & Yellow Slider turtles, their new water pond is like living at an allinclusive resorts, bug meals included. WALLABYS, COATIMUNDIS, CAPYBARAS & A CAVY Not wanting Sidney, the Bennett’s wallaby, to be lonely in his big habitat, Patti goes on a search to find him a female companion. When Katie Roo arrives, she and Sid get comfortable with each other pretty quickly. Then keepers discover she’s pregnant, but she arrived that way; and in short time, SuSu is born. When this adorable joey makes her pouch appearance, a new little zoo family is celebrated, and Sid is a-ok being a step-dad. Similar to raccoons, South American Coatimundis Roscoe, Rizzo, Trixi and Roxie are the zoo’s rambunctious class-clowns who look for trouble and can easily find it. Capy and Priscilla, the South American Capybaras, sometimes called water hogs, are the world’s largest rodents, and they're as cute and as funny as they come. So is their new pal, a Patagonian Cavy. THE FUZZIES & THE NOCTURNALS They call them “The Fuzzies”…guinea pigs, ferrets, degus, dwarf hamsters, chinchillas, marmosets and bunnies, lots of bunnies. In fact, many of the bunnies are free-rangers. They hop around the zoo eating out of anybody’s dinner bowl who’ll let them, usually Sid the wallaby’s or the tortoises’. The Fuzzies are soft, cute and funny, and great teaching tools for first-time animal encounters. For a ferret, Latte is pretty calm with toddlers, and Chili the chinchilla is a cool little dude around everybody. Then there are the nocturnal animals: Sugar Gliders Winkie and Buddha, kinkajous Jasmine, Tabitha and Noah, and The Bush Babies. By nature, the nocturnals sleep all day and are up all night. Having their own separate exhibit would be difficult for the keepers to maintain, so they hang out with The Fuzzies. THE HOOFSTOCK They are some of the most eccentric characters at the zoo. To entice half-ton Tibetan yak Harry, to get into the cattle truck during the hurricane evacuation, he has to be bribed with his favorite food, Blue Bunny white sandwich bread. Bread does not work on his stubborn mate Etta. Also stubborn but ultimately very humorous are Guanacos Carmelita and her son Pepe, who likes to spit food at people just for fun. Sicilian Mini-Donkeys Amos & Buckeye are surprised one day with a female companion named Angie, and later, Mother Nature takes her course with adorable results. Barbary Sheep or Aoudads Felice, Auri & Rhamses can be dangerous animals because of their enormously powerful horns. But when not scared or threatened, they are curious, very likable, and enjoy rolling on the grass in their yard. When young Dromedary camels Mack & Maggie are gifted to the zoo by a local patron, the welcome party of school children can’t wait to meet them. Muntjac deer are the oldest of all deer species dating back to prehistoric times and are one of the smallest in size. Known for their unusual barking sound when looking for a mate, the zoo's very own Muntjacs Jimmy Jack and Hanna Jack have no need to bark, but do stir things up for their keepers. THE PETTING ZOO Billie the Billy goat will eat just about anything handed to him, but the zoo serves up healthy pellet food that can be fed by petting zoo visitors all day long. This is the ideal place for children to get their first hands-on experience with animals that won’t bite, but have lots of personality. The Petting Zoo is home to over 50 Nigerian Dwarf goats, Nubian goats, Pygmy goats, Hair sheep, White-tailed deer and Fallow deer. Esme, the Nubian goat, and Brownie, the white-tailed deer are two of the more popular residents, along with always-hungry Billie. LIMITED COLLECTOR’S EDITION N DITIO R’S E amatic LECTO and dr D COL E ming ries IT ar tw LIM y TV Se ily...” d, hear ar me acclai cument ighly pisode Do 13-E st-see for “... A mu The H 3 Massive Hurricanes…270 Exotic Animals…28 People… This is the heroic, real-life story of an extraordinary bond between humans & animals and one little zoo’s fight for survival. ole fam the wh TAINMENT Y WEEKL -ENTER fall in love with one of tv’s most charming cast of characters when you meet the real inhabitants of the alabama gulf coast zoo: ▲ Hilarious American Black Bears Millie & Boodah Bickering Siberian Tiger sisters Salt & Pepper The Queen Bee, Lady the African Lion Two islands filled with madcap Ring-Tailed Lemurs Trey, the special-needs Capuchin Monkey Best buddy Crunch the Capuchin cyclone Chatterbox Jo the Parrot & 130 other exotic birds Baby White Bengal Tiger Rajah & his bossy sister Rani Clowns Rosco, Rizzo, Trixie & Bosco the Coatimundis Leopard best friends Fontayne & Blazer, the oldest cats Rambunctious Barbary Lion cubs Simba & CC Lonely bachelor Sydney the Bennett’s Wallaby Mama Guanaco Carmelita & her son Pepe the spitter Capuchin Monkey parents Chi Chi & Al plus kids Feisty Cougar daddy Kenya & his daughter Mikasa Utterly lovable Timber Wolves Sinbad, Saba, Mojo & Runt Adorable baby Black Leopards Chaka & Katrina Capuchin Monkey Michael, the zoo’s oldest resident Next door neighbor Kunda, the crazy Capuchin redhead Yardmates Amos & Buckeye, the Sicilian Mini-Donkeys Ice cream-eating champ Umba the Mandrill Baboon One happy Little Petting Zoo of Goats, Sheep & Deer Suki the Bearded Dragon & a house of cool reptiles Spur-Thigh Tortoises Mr. Big, Mr. Bigger & Mr. Biggest Barbary Sheep Felice, Auri & Rhamses aka The Aoudads Albino Pythons Robbie & Cruella, the zoo’s ambassadors Lots of cute “Fuzzies” plus the world’s largest rodents And last, but not least, the zoo’s world-famous mascot… Chuckie, the massive 11-foot American Alligator ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ go behind-the-scenes into the day-to-day world of this 17-acre non-profit, seaside community zoo that when faced with utter destruction hurricanes ivan, dennis and katrina, stood up, fought back and made history all atby the same time. It’s a non-stop, jaw-dropping, tear-jerking, 0 on s, In c. , or buti on of co ©2 exh ibi tio n , or m tain ter buti on En en t, I distri nic rga es alti en yO nm i rized nautho the u for TO FIND OUT MORE & PURCHASE THE LITTLE ZOO THAT COULD DVD SERIES, GO TO: WWW.littlezoothatcould.com ed b rt a nic rt a i T RATE te e Disc On TES D/183 MINU COLOR/NO En lp na mi cri te nc. Created & Produc reproduction, 0 i En d distri In c. ga reproduction, s, Or rized nautho the u for on rt a lp na mi cri uni cat i te d Com m En nic T RATE ©2006 Discovery 07 es alti en ats. form nic es alti en and rga rga ur Disc Fo TES D/93 MINU COLOR/NO civ il a of co 0 s ram ome use only. Fede ral la rivate H w pr For P ovi NG: des RN I WA sev ere exh ibi tio n ©2 g pro yO yO en t, c. In T RATE ed ht rig py nc. Created & Produc ed b nm i o Disc Tw TES D/182 MINU NG : RN I WA COLOR/NO n , or In c. en t, I buti on s, m tain ter distri on En reproduction, uni cat i nic rt a ed b rized nautho the u for Com m ga nc. 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In Com m t, ©2006 Discovery en ats. form nm ed ht rig py and 07 of co laugh-out-loud emotional rollercoaster ride as you watch determined zoo director patti hall and ES zookeepers try to rebuild the little zoo while taking care of their her courageous SCEN e menagerie. You won’t want to miss this unforgettable family adventure that precious touched lives around the world! ELETED atur inning ANY D ial Fe eg DES MONUS Spec: A New B LU C For more about The Little Zoo That Could, visit IN Could the B www.alabamagulfcoastzoo.org plus Zoo That ttle The Li ms gra pro an n For more about the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, visit: www.alabamagulfcoastzoo.org A portion of all sales proceeds goes to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization Copyright © 2005 | All Rights Reserved