Latest news with #Zoo
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Rare 20-year-old plant is blooming for the first and last time at Point Defiance
For a short window of time, visitors to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium will be in the presence of an unusual sight. The zoo's botanical garden has been the home and caretaker to an Agave parryi var. truncata, also referred to as an artichoke agave, for more than 17 years. Now, the plant is blooming for the first and only time over the next few weeks, a rare sight in Washington state, far from its natural habitat, Point Defiance Zoo lead horticulturist Bryon Jones told The News Tribune on Thursday. 'This plant is definitely an uncommon sight in the Northwest, and super uncommon to see one actually blooming that you can actually see in a public setting,' Jones said. According to the University of Arizona Campus Arboretum, the artichoke agave is an evergreen, perennial succulent part of the asparagus family — or asparagaceae — that presents with a blue-gray hue and pointy, toothed leaves growing in rosettes. Agave parryi var. truncata is native to central Mexico, but can also be found in the mountainous areas of the desert southwest, including in Arizona and New Mexico, he said. Artichoke agave plants typically take 15-20 years to reach maturity, at which point they bloom for one time only before dying, Jones said. During a bloom, the agave will grow a single stalk from its center — Jones said he had first noticed the beginning of the stalk around May 6 and estimated that this agave has reached about nine feet in height, meaning it could still grow taller in the coming weeks. The plant is just inside the zoo's main entrance. The zoo acquired the plant from a local nursery in Tacoma about 17 years ago, when the plant was the size of a softball — it is likely around 20 years old now, Jones said, adding that he has been working at the zoo's botanical garden for about 20 years and anticipating its bloom. 'All I saw was the middle of it started looking like some crazy alien was starting to come out of the middle of it, and then it came up so fast ... for the last few weeks, it would be two to three feet a week,' he said. He added that yellow flowers will blossom at the tip of the stalk likely in the next two to three weeks and will probably attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. The flowers should be visible on the plant for another two to three weeks; after that, if pollinated, they will start producing seeds, he said. The stalk, however, will remain in place throughout the summer and likely into fall, he said, adding that the zoo may take it down before winter once it begins to decompose and fall. Jones said the zoo also has a few other artichoke agave plants growing nearby that may bloom in the coming years; some appear to be a similar size and age, meaning it is possible that two or three blooms may eventually occur at the same time, he added. 'This is the first Agave parryi. Now, there's little agaves, and we've had a couple of those ... their stem is like the size of your finger,' Jones said. 'So, this is the first time we've had one this giant blooming.' Despite being out of its native habitat, the plant requires little upkeep other than the need to keep it raised to improve drainage and making sure it doesn't get too cold, Jones added, noting that the agave's native habitat often gets colder than the weather in Western Washington, which makes it relatively easy to grow in Tacoma. Krystle Robbins, a zoo visitor who was admiring the agave on Thursday, told The News Tribune she was impressed by the height of the stalk and enjoyed Jones' longtime investment in the plant and passion for nature. She said she'd be interested in returning to the zoo to see the agave once its flowers bloomed. 'I've never seen one in such a scale in person, it's really beautiful,' Robbins said. 'It's pretty amazing up here in the Pacific Northwest to see something like this.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
ZOO LAUNCHES ZOO DESIGN STUDIO
The First Professional CAD Platform Powered by Generative AI LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoo, a company that creates infrastructure for hardware design, today announced the launch of Zoo Design Studio, a unified CAD suite for engineering and manufacturing companies of all sizes. Included in Zoo Design Studio is Text-to-CAD, a feature that enables design engineers to leverage the power of generative AI to create complex designs in seconds. The new service is available via subscription, starting from free and with advanced features included in paid tiers, from $99 per month. Zoo Design Studio allows customers to flexibly weave edits to their designs between traditional point-and-click interactions, programmatic interactions with code, and text prompt interactions via Text-to-CAD. This allows the customer to choose any of these three approaches within one common environment. Zoo Design Studio is built using their proprietary geometry engine, which is the world's first to be GPU-based, cloud-implemented, API-accessible, and dynamically scalable. "Zoo Design Studio represents the result of two years of intensive technical development, shaped by feedback from 300,000 early users and powered by over 2 million hours of geometry engine computation, resulting in more than 1 million unique Text-to-CAD designs," said Jessie Frazelle, CEO and Co-Founder. "We're thrilled to bring these tools to enterprise customers. When we launched our open alpha last year, it was the first CAD application to blend traditional point-and-click interfaces with modern, automated workflows. Now, with Text-to-CAD, we're pushing that innovation even further." "The real-world productivity gains we've already seen from Text-to-CAD have been incredible," said Jordan Noone, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder. "Internal tests have shown our generative AI can deliver up to 95% of time savings for designing certain complex parts in CAD, just by typing in a description of what you want our system to create." Zoo will continue to support the growth of customers building solutions on top of its APIs—the KittyCAD Design API and ML-ephant Machine Learning API, allowing anyone to build their own custom applications. These APIs allow companies or developers to bring the power of Zoo Design Studio to any custom application they can build themselves. To learn more or start using Zoo Design Studio for free, visit Zoo. ABOUT ZOOZoo develops modern tools for hardware design, including first-of-their-kind generative AI capabilities for CAD. Its flagship product is Zoo Design Studio, modeling software that serves as the central hub of a broader CAD ecosystem which includes innovative tools like Text-to-CAD and a suite of enterprise-ready CAD APIs for developers. Zoo's products are built using its proprietary geometry engine, which serves as a digital bridge between hardware development and machine learning frameworks. It is the first to be GPU-based, cloud-implemented, API-accessible, and dynamically scalable. Zoo was incubated within Embedded Ventures with additional investors including Venrex Partners, Adventure Fund, Alan Rutledge, Chestnut Street Ventures, Andrew Cote, Anomaly Fund, Autopilot Fund, Bernie Lagrange, Carl Bass, Ex Nihilo, Gaingels, Jude Gomila, Kelvin Beachum, Liquid 2, Madrona, Matt Terrell, Nat Friedman, Quantonation, Preston-Werner Ventures, Undeterred Capital, Unpopular Ventures and USC's Viterbi School of Engineering. Zoo is led by co-founders Jessie Frazelle, Jordan Noone, and Jenna Bryant. For more information:Zoo, press@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Zoo Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Zoo in Forest Park warns against disturbing fawns
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Zoo in Forest Park is reminding residents to leave young animals alone if they find them. Over the weekend, the Zoo in Forest Park and the City of Springfield were notified of three young white-tailed deer fawns that were disturbed by members of the public who thought that they were abandoned. Fawn rescued from Springfield's Forest Park construction area The Zoo states that white-tailed deer mothers will often leave their fawns alone for hours at a time, especially during the first few weeks of life. The mothers do this to avoid attracting predators to the fawn, which is born scentless and instinctively stays still in tall grass or underbrush. If these young animals are removed from the wild, they can deny them important natural learning experiences that help them to survive on their own. Sometimes, the care that is given to young wildlife results in some attachment to humans, and the animals may try to return to places where people live, only to be attacked by domestic animals or hit by cars. MassWildlife states that fawns are safest when left alone because their camouflaging color helps them remain undetected. If sympathetic people repeatedly visit a fawn, it can prolong separation from the doe and delay needed feeding. In the rare case, you find a young animal with a dead parent or if you see visible signs of injury, you can contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for assistance. An injured wild animal may be assisted, but a person must deliver the animal immediately to a licensed rehabilitator. MassWildlife licenses rehabilitators who are qualified to care for most injured or truly orphaned wildlife. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNA
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNA
Mandai Wildlife Group celebrates SG60 with new experiences including up-close capybara and penguin encounters in June
Singapore Mandai Wildlife Group will also roll out a series of offers like the SG60 WildPass Specials and SG60 Senior Promo. 28 May 2025 10:02AM (Updated: 28 May 2025 10:09AM) Mandai Wildlife Group is launching a series of special offers and new wildlife experiences under the Mandai is Wild about SG initiative to celebrate the nation's 60th birthday. These include Hello from the Wild, starting Jun 7, where visitors can enjoy 20-minute up-close encounters with gentle capybaras at River Wonders, as well as the playful fennec foxes and ring-tailed lemurs at the Singapore Zoo, according to a press release. A wallaby edition of Hello from the Wild will launch at Night Safari later this year too. Visitors can enjoy 20-minute up-close encounters with capybaras at River Wonders. (Photo: Mandai Wildlife Group) Visitors can enjoy 20-minute up-close encounters with fennec foxes at the Singapore Zoo. (Photo: Mandai Wildlife Group) During these sessions, participants will gain insights into the animals' unique traits and about Mandai Wildlife Group's commitment to their care and welfare. The experience also includes hands-on activities from feeding the animals to preparing enrichment activities that keep them mentally and physically stimulated, such as hiding superworms under pebbles for the fennec foxes to forage. Participants will also try their hand at conditioning, a positive reinforcement training technique that encourages animals to voluntarily exhibit certain behaviours in exchange for treats or other rewards. This ensures that animal interactions are both safe and respectful, prioritising their well-being and choice to participate. For an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience, from Jun 7, Backstage Pass: Penguin Encounters at Bird Paradise will offer guests the opportunity to meet the king, gentoo and northern rockhopper penguins in their chilly off-exhibit facility. The programme will give guests a rare glimpse into the daily care of these fascinating birds such as food preparation and how keepers look after them. Backstage Pass: Penguin Encounters at Bird Paradise. (Photo: Mandai Wildlife Group) Additionally, starting Jul 18, a new VR film adventure immersing guests in the world of penguins will also be available at Ocean Network Express Penguin Cove. Visitors can book their experiences at Hello from the Wild (Singapore Zoo) here , Hello from the Wild (River Wonders) here , and Backstage Pass: Penguin Encounters here . From May 31 to Aug 10, guests can also enjoy free access to curated digital trails during their visit such as Born to be Wild, which highlights Singapore's native wildlife, including some recently debuted newborn local animals at Mandai Wildlife Reserve. First-time guests or those unsure of where to begin can explore the Too Wild to Miss itineraries, which guide them through the best of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve from experiences like the world's first free-ranging orangutan exhibit at Singapore Zoo to the newly launched Pangolin Trail at Night Safari. Guests can access the Too Wild to Miss itineraries here . Additionally, Wild Day Out, Mandai Wildlife West's signature dog-friendly community event is set to return on Jun 28 and 29, where families can look forward to playing the nostalgic Five Stones, crafting orchid postcards inspired by Singapore's national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim, and other immersive activities inspired by nature and wildlife. (Photo: Mandai Wildlife Group) Mandai Wildlife Group will also roll out a series of offers from June onwards like the SG60 WildPass Specials (for local residents only), which includes two admission tickets to Singapore Zoo or River Wonders at S$60 from now until Jun 30, as well as three admission tickets to any wildlife park at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve at S$60, for youths aged 13 to 21 years from now until Aug 31. Local residents with a valid admission ticket to any wildlife park at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve can also purchase a Friend of Rainforest Wild Asia individual membership at S$60 from May 31 until Aug 31 under the SG60 WildPass Specials. Under the SG60 Senior Promo, senior residents can continue to enjoy the annual Friends of Mandai five-park membership at a special rate of S$60 (usual price at S$235) until Aug 31. 'With Mandai is Wild about SG, we invite local residents to reconnect with our destination through newly launched experiences and special offerings. Whether it's enjoying SG60 admission discounts, meeting beloved animal ambassadors like the penguins and capybara, or getting to know the animals born here and are now part of our growing wildlife family, there's always a reason to visit,' said Belina Lee, deputy CEO of transformation and growth at Mandai Wildlife Group. Visit for more information and updates on SG60 activities.
CBC
23-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
These venomous lizards helped make Ozempic. Now 2 are at Saskatoon zoo
The Saskatoon Forestry Farm & Zoo is now home to a pair of Gila monsters, venomous lizards that live primarily in Arizona and Mexico. Their venom played a significant role in the development of drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity.
