Mark Pressler, Author at Safari West

IUCN Announces Four Different Giraffe Species

Mark Pressler — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 20:11:09 +0000

Breaking News: on August 21, 2025, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that they now recognize four different species of giraffe, instead of just one! Wait….what’s going on? Did we just find three new types of giraffe that were hiding somewhere in Africa? Giraffes are so big and unique, shouldn’t we know how many different types there are by now? If you’re confused about what this announcement means, you are not alone. The seemingly simple question of how many types of giraffe there are can have a surprisingly complicated and confusing answer. So, please join us on a short journey through evolutionary biology and conservation politics as we try to understand what this decision means for the giraffes of the world.

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A New Habitat for our Fennec Foxes!

Mark Pressler — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 21:28:04 +0000

We’re always working to expand our habitats and improve the welfare of the animals living at Safari West, and we recently finished another project: a brand new habitat for our fennec foxes!

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National Zookeeper Week

Mark Pressler — Sun, 20 Jul 2025 18:35:28 +0000

We’re thrilled to celebrate National Zookeeper Week by shining a spotlight on the incredible dedication, compassion, and hard work of our animal care team. From early mornings to late nights, our keepers and animal care interns go above and beyond to ensure every animal receives the best possible care. To honor their efforts, we spent time capturing special moments between each of them and one of their favorite animal companions. These photos are a small but heartfelt way to say thank you—and to share with you the unique bonds that make this work so meaningful. Here’s to our keepers—thank you for all you do!

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Remembering Kulula

Mark Pressler — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 22:25:14 +0000

Safari West is heartbroken to share the passing of Kulula the giraffe. One of our most iconic and beloved residents, she passed away on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 21 years of age. Kulula was considered geriatric and was being treated for age-related ailments.

Kulula inspired generations of guests, staff, and conservationists with her headstrong spirit, captivating presence, and extraordinary story — first introduced to the world through the acclaimed Animal Planet documentary *Growing Up Giraffe*.

“Kulula was more than just an animal in our care,” says Dr. Nancy Lang, founder of Safari West. “She was family. She grew up here, and in many ways, she helped shape the heart of Safari West.”

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Springtime is Baby Season!

Mark Pressler — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:40:50 +0000

It’s spring, which means warmer weather, pollen in the air, and a whole bunch of cute babies! This year has been no exception at Safari West, and we wanted to share a few of these cute new members of our herds and troops with you.

Starting out, we have the newest member of our ring-tailed lemur troop, Arlo.

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Creating a Research Project: Oak Regeneration!

Mark Pressler — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 22:57:00 +0000

At the beginning of 2022, I was asked to join a fledgling committee at Safari West. This new committee was dedicated to starting and maintaining research projects that would advance scientific knowledge in zoological facilities, improve the wellbeing of the animals in our collection, and provide a better understanding of native wildlife that lives on Safari West property. I was asked to join to help with the last of those three goals—I had previously worked as a research technician on a few projects studying the population dynamics of endangered birds in the Western US, and our research director Erika Defer hoped I could use some of the knowledge gained on those projects to start research at Safari West that looked at the interaction between our collection animals and the native landscape.

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Safari West partners with Zoolife for Giraffe Livestreams

Mark Pressler — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 23:11:57 +0000

Safari west has a new and exciting partnership to share with you! We have partnered with Zoolife, the world’s first online zoo, to show a livestream of our giraffe tower and the animals they live with, 365 days a year.

Zoolife was started at the Toronto Zoo, providing a live stream of the zoo’s giraffe habitat during the pandemic to help guests stay connected with the zoo during an uncertain and difficult time. Over the last 5 years they have expanded to partner with dozens of zoos and showcase more than 100 different species across the world, from koalas at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Australia to maned wolves at the Endangered Wolf Center here in the US.

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Safari Spotlight: The Blue Duiker

Mark Pressler — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 22:21:51 +0000

When walking through the massive aviary at the heart of Safari West, if you’re very lucky you may catch a flash of brown fur moving between patches of dense foliage. What was that? A new species of hairy bird? A jackalope? A baby bigfoot? Sadly, while the existence of these animals has not been confirmed, the adorable and elusive mammals living alongside our birds are very real, and they are called blue duikers!

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Being Small in a Big World

Mark Pressler — Sun, 12 Jan 2025 21:14:58 +0000

One of my favorite parts about the field of wildlife biology is that there are basically no rules! Biologists have been trying for centuries to impose order onto the beautiful mess of the natural world. Some patterns and trends have emerged over time, but whenever someone tries to proclaim that something is absolutely true, we find exceptions in the endless variation of life on our planet. The word “rule” is occasionally used in wildlife biology, but much like the pirate’s code, these “rules” are more like guidelines than actual rules.

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What is enrichment?

Mark Pressler — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 23:50:35 +0000

Enrichment! What is it?

The quick answer: novel stimulus.

Behavioral enrichment comes from the understanding and acceptance that, for both pets at home and animals in zoos, these are animals that are living in a smaller, safer space and therefore exposed to less stimulus than their ancestors or their wild counterparts. Enrichment is a tool used to try to bridge that stimulus gap.

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