Potter Park Zoo AAZK chapter

Happy World Rhino Day!
Make sure to stop by the Potter Park Zoo and visit our rhinos! There will be activity’s all day long and our keepers have been working hard on making special rhino themed enrichment just for today!
As always learn more about rhinos and how you can help at International Rhino Foundation!

Visit Potter Park Zoo Zoonights tonight and stop by our table to get all your animal artwork!!

Come on out to the last zoo nights of the year and make sure to stop by our table and see us!

The LAST Zoo Nights of the summer is Tonight! 🌙🍻

As a reminder, the zoo will close at 2 p.m. today for setup.

Tickets can be purchased here: https://bit.ly/4cSuOev

We want to thank our amazing sponsors from Bowling for Rhinos: Preuss Pets, Cottage Inn Pizza, Doggy Daycare and Spa, Joey's Pet Outfitters, Conquest Fitness, and Potter Park Zoo Society!

We also would like to thank everyone who came out and joined us this year. With everyone’s help, we raised $6,615! We couldn’t have done this without you thank you!

Bowling for Rhinos is in full force!!!

Thanks to our sponsors this year: Preuss Pets Cottage Inn Pizza Joey's Pet Outfitters Doggy Daycare and Spa Conquest Fitness

Get your captions in TODAY! We will be picking a winner and announcing it tomorrow!!

Exciting news: we are doing TWO lane givingaways for our upcoming Bowling for Rhinos event! Help us caption the two photos below and have your chance of winning a lane!

You will win a lane at our Bowling for Rhinos event, which includes bowling for five people, shirts, shoes, pizza, and pop for those five people!

HOW TO WIN (Below are two photos; help us come up with the best captions for each of the photos!):
- Comment on the photo with your best caption between August 7th and August 10th
- Be local to the Lansing, MI area to attend the event
- You can submit more than one caption
- You can submit captions for both photos

We will pick a winner and reach out to you over Facebook on August 11th (if we are unable to reach you or you can not attend the event, we will pick our next favorite caption)

Photo credit: Keeper Gabbi and Keeper Annie

We are just THREE weeks away from our 9th Annual Bowling for Rhinos event!

Register before August 12th to guarantee shirts for you and your team!

Meet Carly! Another one of our John Ball Zoo members!

Carly has been at John Ball Zoo since January of this year; before that, she was at Potter Park Zoo for two and a half years!

Since joining the ectotherm team at JBZ, her favorite thing she’s gotten to do so far is train with the dwarf caiman! Some of her favorite animals she works with are Lenny, the chameleon, and the saki monkeys.

Carly has been a member of our chapter for over 2 years now!

Meet Erin!

Did you know that our chapter isn’t just made up of Potter Park Zoo keepers? Our chapter also welcomes keepers from John Ball Zoo! Erin is one of them and she’s been a long time member of our chapter!

Meet Delanie!

She’s been a member of our chapter for two years now!

Meet Delanie, a dedicated keeper at Potter Park Zoo! Delanie has been with the zoo for two years, working in animal care, and became a full-time keeper in September.

Delanie's most fulfilling achievement this past year has been supporting the breeding of animals that are part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), such as the Puerto Rican Crested Toads (PRCT) and the penguins.

Some of her favorite animals at the zoo include Zuko, the black and white tegu, Lily, the raven, and of course, the penguins. Join us in celebrating Delanie and her dedication to our amazing animal residents!

Meet Nick!

He’s been a chapter member since he joined the zoo 3 years ago!

Meet Nick, a passionate bird and h**p keeper who has been with Potter Park Zoo for three and a half years!

Nick's most fulfilling achievement this year has been raising Sweeney, the Magellanic penguin chick. Contributing to the growth of the Magellanic penguin population is a rewarding experience that he is incredibly proud of. His favorite animal at the zoo is Meatloaf, the broad-winged Hawk.

Join us in celebrating Nick and his dedication to our animals!

Meet Bryan!

He is been a member for over two years now and our current chapter treasurer!

Meet Bryan, one of our dedicated bird and h**p keepers! Bryan has been with Potter Park Zoo for a little under two and a half years, and his passion for animal care is evident in everything he does.

This past year, Bryan is particularly proud of teaching Esther, our Southern Ground Hornbill, how to pick up a ball—though they’re still working on getting her to bring it back!

Bryan's favorite animal at the zoo is, of course, Esther. Join us in celebrating Bryan and his unwavering dedication to our feathered friends!

Meet Annie!

Not only has she been at the zoo for a long time but she’s been a part of our chapter the longest of any of our current members!
Annie currently is our vice president but has served many roles over the years!

Meet our lead carnivore/primate keeper, Annie!

Annie's journey with Potter Park Zoo began almost twenty years ago as an intern. She moved from the goat yard to a seasonal keeper, then part-time, and eventually into a role on the carnivore and primate team. For the last 10 years, she has been our dedicated lead.

Annie is incredibly proud of her recent accomplishment of becoming the SSP coordinator for binturongs! In this role, she oversees the breeding recommendations for this species across all AZA-accredited zoos.

When it comes to favorite animals, Annie finds it hard to choose just one. She loves the binturong, all the cats, the red panda, the otter, all the primates, the cape porcupine, the mongoose, the tree shrews, the prehensile-tailed porcupine, and the kinkajou. In short, she adores every animal she works with!

Join us in celebrating Annie and her unwavering dedication to our zoo and its inhabitants!

Meet Gabbi!
She is a member of our chapter and has been with us since she started as a keeper!

Meet Gabbi, who has been a dedicated keeper at Potter Park Zoo for a year and a half!

She feels most accomplished being a part of bringing a new species, the okapi, to the zoo and developing a foot behavior with Elombe so he can voluntarily participate in his hoof care.

Gabbi can't choose just one favorite animal, but among her favorites are Phineas the rhino, Elombe the okapi, Maeve the bongo, Sicily the donkey, and Bruce the goat. Her commitment and enthusiasm make her an invaluable member of our zoo team.

Join us in celebrating Gabbi's incredible contributions to Potter Park Zoo!

Meet Autumn!
She is our current board secretary and has been a member since she joined the zoo as a keeper!

Meet Autumn, a full-time keeper at Potter Park Zoo for two years!

One of her biggest accomplishments this year was bringing the okapi, Elombe, to the zoo. She has also focused on building closer relationships with her animals through one-on-one time and training sessions.

Among her favorite animals are Elombe the okapi, the bongo herd, Wayne the anteater, and Sicily. Autumn's commitment and love for her work shine through in everything she does.

Join us in celebrating her incredible contributions to Potter Park Zoo!

Meet Jazzmin!
She has been a member since she started at the zoo and is our current chapter president!

Meet Jazzmin, who has been with Potter Park Zoo for almost three years!

Among her proudest achievements, Jazzmin has updated and revamped our rhino behavior observation charts to enhance our understanding of their behaviors throughout the day. She also traveled to San Diego to learn about rhino hoof care and ultrasound practices, bringing back valuable knowledge to improve our care techniques. Additionally, Jazzmin has worked on training Zahara the bongo to station for future ultrasound training. While it's hard for her to pick a favorite animal, Jazzmin finds joy in watching the baby bongos grow and welcoming Elombe the okapi to the zoo.

Join us in celebrating Jazzmin!

Meet Adrianna!
She is a long time member of our AAZK chapter and has held many titles throughout her years in the chapter!

Meet Adrianna, who has been a part of the Potter Park Zoo family for nearly eight years!

One of her most fulfilling achievements recently has been the arrival of Elombe the okapi. This process, which took almost two years, involved extensive planning, renovating barns, and visits to other facilities for job shadows to learn how to care for such a unique animal. It was a surreal experience for Adrianna to see all their hard work pay off when Elombe finally arrived. While it's impossible for her to have just one favorite animal when working with about 15 different species, Phineus, our 16-year-old black rhino, has stolen her heart.

Join us in celebrating Adrianna!

You’ve still got time to visit Potter Park Zoo Zoonights, if you stop by make sure to visit us and get your animal artwork fix!!!!

We want to thank everyone who joined us in June at Potter Park Zoo's first Zoonight of the year; from our craft sale, we were able to raise over $600 for the American Association of Zoo Keepers Trees for You and Me!

Trees for You and Me is a tree-planting conservation program created by the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) and Polar Bears International (PBI). Trees are planted every year with help from donations raised by AAZK around the country to offset the carbon released into the atmosphere each year, which in turn helps reduce the decrease in polar bear habitat.

Calling all local Michigan businesses!

Are you looking for another way to support our Bowling for Rhinos event? We have a variety of ways you can sponsor our event, from event sponsor to lane sponsor to t-shirt sponsor!
In addition, we are collecting donations for our silent auction. Nearly 50% of the money raised at our event comes from our silent auction!

Why Participate?
✅ Increase your local visibility
✅ Demonstrate corporate social responsibility
✅ Support critical rhino conservation efforts

Contact us at [email protected] for more information; we look forward to hearing from you! Together, we can strike out extinction! 🎳🦏