Wild Life at the Zoo
Cuteness reigned at the Rotary Club of Norfolk's recent noon VIP tour of the Virginia Zoo's new Animal Wellness Campus. Zoo visitors were greeted by one of the center's residents -- a friendly porcupine resting in an indoor tree. Rotarian Greg Bockheim, executive director of the zoo, and veterinarian Dr. Amanda Guthrie led the tour. Visitors were impressed with the well-equipped medical treatment rooms and kitchen where special diets are prepared for residents ranging from reptiles to zebras. But the highlight was when Dr. Guthrie brought in a feisty two-week-old tiger. It is one of two male cubs born in the zoo. When their mother ignored the cubs the zoo staff brought them to the wellness center so they could be cared for as they grow. Starting this spring the new wellness center will be a new zoo attraction. Zoo visitors can look through large windows to see zoo staff whipping up animal meals in the kitchen and treating animals in the clinic.