Patrick Morris, Kimberly Morris, Brenda Morris, and Herman Morris (Photos: Michael Donahue)
People still wore animal print outfits to the Zoo Rendezvous, but pink definitely was the color of choice at the Memphis Zoo fundraiser.
“Barbie” was the theme of this year’s event, which was held September 7th and drew more than 3,000 people.
Maddie Caldwell and Andrew GeraciGreg and Dory GastonJade and Marcus McCall
People were invited “to dress as their own Barbie,” says Erica Kelsey, Memphis Zoo special events and corporate sponsorship manager. They were encouraged to express themselves “in Barbie form.”
The event featured 50 restaurants, 15 food trucks, 17 specialty bars, and five full bars.
Charlie and Emily SullivanKaty, Susan, and Tripp Thompson Savannah Jeffrey and Arnold Medal
Paula & Raiford’s Disco was a new addition. The downtown hotspot replaced Blind Bear, which had been a staple at the event until it recently closed. When thinking of what would be a good replacement for Blind Bear, Kelsey thought, “The party is at Raiford’s.”
“It was a great addition to the Zoo Rendezvous this year,” Kelsey says. She says owner Paula Raiford told her, “I’m locked in for years to come.”
What makes the Zoo Rendezvous so special? “I think Memphians have a special love in their heart for the zoo. Everyone wants to support the zoo in some capacity.”
Scientists at the Memphis Zoo have — for the first time in the world — successfully produced the first reptile offspring using frozen semen and artificial insemination.
The team achieved the feat through its work to preserve the Louisiana pinesnake. The Memphis Zoo’s Science team is led by Dr. Steve Reichling, Beth Roberts, and previous post-doctoral scientist Dr. Mark Sandfoss. The team collected, froze, and later thawed semen, which was then used to successfully inseminate a female Louisiana pinesnake.
Credit: Memphis Zoo
“Today, the future of endangered reptiles got a little brighter,” Reichling said.
Reptiles are often overlooked in such breeding methods, the zoo said in a news release. The concept of a “frozen zoo” has primarily focused on mammals, birds, and amphibians. The zoo’s method used in snakes demonstrated its potential in reptile conservation worldwide, it said.
“The emergence of these three hatchlings summed up five years of reproductive research and 30 years of Memphis Zoo’s use of cutting-edge science and dedication to save the Louisiana pinesnake from extinction,” said Roberts, Senior Reproductive Scientist at Memphis Zoo.
Testing at Auburn University confirmed that the offspring were sired by the male snake donor.
“We see this success as a huge step forward to enable future efforts to improve the genetic health of this species and other threatened reptile species,” said Dr. Tonia Schwartz, Associate Professor in Auburn’s Department of Biological Sciences.
Credit: Memphis Zoo
The Louisiana pinesnake is one of the rarest snakes in North America. Habitat loss continues to threaten their survival. So, researchers said the ability to use frozen semen offers new hope for maintaining genetic diversity in the species and ensuring its long-term survival. The zoo team plans to continue its work in reptile conservation, building on its research, and collaborating with other institutions worldwide.
Credit: Memphis Zoo
“Memphis Zoo is setting an example for the global community,” said Sandfoss, who spearheaded the research. “We’ve shown that it’s possible to use cryopreserved genetic material to aid in the recovery of an endangered species, paving the way for similar efforts with other reptile species in the future.”
“We just secured $393+ MILLION through the [Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act] to fully replace the I-55 bridge connecting America through #Memphis,” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) posted late last week. “As @POTUS would say, it’s a ‘Big **** Deal’! And it sure is — it’s likely the largest single investment the federal government has ever made in Memphis.”
Cohen and iPhone
Posted to YouTube by Corey Strong
In a new political ad, Corey Strong looked back to 2007 when the iPhone was introduced and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) was first elected to Congress, noting that Cohen had been around “longer than the iPhone.”
“What have we seen?” Strong asks. “Do we have the infrastructure we need to succeed? Have we seen the growth that neighboring areas have seen? No.”
The Zoo
Posted to Facebook by Juicy J
Juicy J’s new album Memphis Zoo (released last week) features amazing cover art (right). Sharks swim in a glass Pyramid aquarium. A grizzly bear plays basketball. A masked-up giraffe holds a ring of keys, promising escape.
The Memphis Zoo plans to invest $250 million over the next 20 years on a comprehensive campus plan to “fortify our reputation as a world-class zoo.”
Zoo president and CEO Matt Thompson announced the plan in an email sent Monday morning to zoo members and community stakeholders. That email came with a link to a survey seeking opinions to guide the planning process.
“As we look to the next twenty years and beyond, we seek to invest upwards of $250 million to reimagine this home for wildlife, to unlock opportunities for animal care and conservation, and strengthen our position as a community amenity through guest education and enhancement,” Thompson wrote. “This comprehensive campus plan aims to improve outdated priority areas across our campus and will create world-class animal exhibits and unforgettable family memories for decades to come.”
The plan calls for general infrastructure improvements but will focus on these exhibits: Great Lawn and Stingray (coming in 2025), Africa, Penguins, Oceans to Forests Journey, Nature Adventure and Ambassadors, Weird and Wonderful, and South America.
The first exhibit set for improvement is the Africa Veldt, home to “some of our most iconic and loved species, the African elephants and giraffes.” The plan could increase habitat space there by four times and cost $75 million.
“The existing facilities are dated and the habitat provides insufficient space for new and improved levels of care for our elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hyenas, and mixed hoofstock,” Thompson said. “Our reimagined habitat will increase acreage by four times to improve naturalistic features by unlocking time-shared and mixed-species spaces.
“The improved infrastructure will also provide the community with new ways to connect and learn about wildlife with a new Africa lodge and immersive guest experiences such as a new giraffe feeding zone.”
Zoo officials have hired CCS Fundraising, a strategic fundraising consulting firm, to guide its campaign planning efforts. The zoo said a “vital step” of their work will be to gather feedback and advice from leaders and friends of the zoo on the scope, leadership, timing, and key messaging of a potential major fundraising campaign for the first phase of these efforts.
Cosmic forces painted the skies around Memphis with the dazzling colors of the northern lights over the weekend.
“I actually gasped when I went outside and saw the pink hue in the sky between Arlington and Millington,” tweeted Jason L.
“Fabulous”
Posted to X by Memphis Zoo
The Memphis Zoo wished a happy Mother’s Day on X with this photo of mom Wendy and her new calf, Fitz, born last month. To all moms, the zoo said, “Keep being fabulous.”
Never-ending Elvis
Posted to X by Argo Memphis
The whole “post a picture that says you’re from Memphis” thing is still making the rounds on X. Argo Memphis wasn’t playing with the meme above, but it certainly qualifies.
A new giraffe was born at the Memphis Zoo this week.
Fitz is six feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. He was born Tuesday, April 2nd, which is also his father Niklas’ birthday.
Fitz is Niklas’ 10th calf and the fourth calf for mother Wendy. Fitz will be on exhibit at the African Veldt section of the zoo, exploring and playing close to his mother.
“If the weather is nice, Fitz will be out on exhibit first thing in the morning and be out for a few hours each day,” the zoo said in a statement.
In the wild, giraffes as a species are undergoing what has been termed a “silent extinction” as they’re rapidly disappearing in their native habitat. The population overall has declined 40 percent in the last 30 years.
“This calf’s birth is very significant and is part of a Species Survival Plan,” the zoo said. “Species Survival Plans manage the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.”
Memphis Police Department Chief CJ Davis did not win immediate support from the Memphis City Council to keep her job last week. But the final decision may come next week.
More than 77 percent of 106 voters in an X poll by council chairman JB Smiley Jr. last week said they did not want Davis as top cop anymore.
Damn Weather
Snow and cold temperatures were forecast for Memphis before press time. To prepare, The Damn Weather of Memphis asked Facebook friends about uniquely Memphis weather preparations.
One stocks a Yeti cooler with Tops food. Another showed a “full carb sellout” with empty bread shelves at the Germantown Kroger. Most suggested stocking up on alcohol, lots of alcohol.
Lion Tale
Posted to Facebook by John Hinant
That urban myth about a Memphis Zoo lion used as the original MGM logo lion surfaced again in the Historic Memphis Facebook group last week. The myth has been denied by zoo officials at least as far back as the 1950s.
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland speaks at a news conference Tuesday during an update on the plan to maneuver resources around Overton Park to end Greensward parking forever. (Credit: Toby Sells)
Moves are underway to make real a plan unveiled in March 2022 that will enlarge Overton Park, add parking for the Memphis Zoo, and forever end parking on the park’s Greensward.
(Credit: Overton Park Conservancy)
A Tuesday news conference updating the project came a year and seven months after officials signed a plan to end the decades-old use of the Greensward for overflow parking. Many of those same officials met on that large field Tuesday to outline some of the movements making their plan a reality. Much go the new activity comes thanks to $3 million in federal funding, announced in July 2021 and secured by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis).
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland was voted into office one year after tensions between park activists and zoo leaders began to mount. The Greensward issue has been a mainstay on the Strickland administration’s agenda from when it began in 2016 to nearly its end later this year. (Follow the link above for details.)
Strickland outlined several projects in motion now to make that plan a reality:
• The City of Memphis Public Works and General Services personnel have vacated 281 East Parkway and moved to the Coca-Cola facility off of Hollywood by Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium. (Some of these 21 acres will become parkland once again.)
• Zoo maintenance has begun moving and relocating some of their equipment to that 281 East Parkway facility.
• The city has performed preliminary design to demolish and regrade the existing city of Memphis facility located off East Parkway.
• The city has performed preliminary design to the demolition, regrade, paving, and re-striping of the existing zoo lot located on North Parkway east of University Street.
• The city is also working with Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) to identify and move any power or light poles within the project area.
Tina Sullivan, executive director of Overton Park Conservancy (OPC), noted minor adjustments to the park’s original plan for the Greensward. Also, she said no solid plans have yet been made for the space in the southeast corner of the park that will be open once the city has vacated it.
One of the original plans imagined an earthen berm to be built around portions of the Greensward, especially where the field bordered the zoo’s main parking lot. Instead, a shaded walking trail will be added all around the Greensward to give visitors access to it and a shady spot to sit.
(Credit: Overton Park via Facebook)
Also, improvements around Rainbow Lake will “naturalize and beautify” it to “look more like a real lake rather than a concrete pond.” The Rainbow Lake Pavillion will be replaced with a new facility that will allow rentals and offer some outdoor education classroom space.
(Credit: Overton Park Conservancy)(Credit: Overton Park Conservancy)
Some of these changes were seen on renderings present during Tuesday’s news conference. Though, Sullivan said those were ideas more than concrete plans.
Tuesday’s event featured many thanks to the many organizations who worked together for these many years to make a plan that worked and to execute that plan.
“Well, the Greensward’s been saved and Jim Strickland had a lot to do with it,” Cohen said, noting that his help came during the “fourth quarter” of the game. “He received a lot of gruff, which he did not deserve because he was working quietly to get this done.”
To which, Strickland later returned the thanks, saying Cohen’s help with the federal funding “led us into a two-minute drive down the field to score a touchdown at the end,” continuing the football analogy.
Of special note, though, is the new relationship formed between zoo leaders and those from OPC. Much of the early work on this issue seemed adversarial between the two. However, former zoo president and CEO Jim Dean seemingly brought a cooperative spirit to the situation, helping to create a new way forward that not only solved the parking situation but yielded 17 acres of zoo property back to the park.
During Tuesday’s event, Sullivan called new zoo president and CEO Matt Thompson “my new best friend” and Thompson called that a “mutual feeling.”
Layoffs at the Memphis Zoo have come amid “budgetary constraints” in decisions “not easy to make.”
An email shared with the Memphis Flyer shows news of layoffs went out to some employees Thursday from the zoo’s human resources director Steven G. Rodriguez. The valediction of the email reads “very respectfully.” An image below that and Rodriguez’s signature shows giraffes munching leaves and “#BESTDAYEVERRR!”
Credit: Memphis Zoo via Facebook
Amanda Moses, public relations and communications manager for the zoo, would not confirm whether or not the email was an example of one sent to employees who were laid off. Instead, Moses sent this statement from the zoo attributed to Memphis Zoo leadership.
“The recent move was the result of a comprehensive reorganization of our education department,” reads the statement. “We reduced the part-time component of our exhibit guide program and reorganized our animal interpretive team to be more effective and efficient as we focus on guest experience while being fiscally responsible.
“Our organization remains deeply committed to our mission of conservation, education, and animal welfare. We believe that the changes enable us to continue delivering outstanding experiences to our visitors while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our institution.”
Moses would not say how many were laid off, nor would she answer any questions around “budgetary constraints.” When asked for these details, Moses said only, ”Memphis Zoo stands by the previous statement.” When asked to provide the zoo’s recent (last three years) nonprofit tax information, Moses said, ”I cannot facilitate this request, the information you’re requesting is public record and can be found via an internet search.”
The email to employees, allegedly from Rodriguez, sheds only a little more light on the situation.
“The Memphis Zoo has been facing many challenges in the last few years that have forced us to closely examine how we model our business,” reads the email shared with the Flyer. “Budgetary constraints and other business considerations require that the Memphis Zoo eliminate certain positions within our current team.
“Unfortunately, your position is one of the positions selected for elimination. This decision was not easy to make and we realize the impact it can have on you and your fellow team members.”
The zoo’s finances have been erratic from 2017 to 2021, according to tax documents. Three of those years ended with losses, including a $5 million loss in 2021. Gains were made in 2018, of a modest $374,235 and again in 2020, in which the zoo cleared about $10.5 million.
Employee counts have risen from 361 in 2018 to 593 in 2021.
As expected, the zoo’s salaries have expanded in those years from $8.3 million in 2017 to $13.5 million in 2021.
During these times, C-suite employees made the most money. CEO Chuck Brady made $275,846 in a total compensation package in 2018. CEO James Dean made $204,396 in total compensation in 2019. In 2020, Dean made $323,543 and zoo CFO Mary Ann Biel made $92,866 in total compensation.
The government mandates that only salaries of nonprofit employees paid above a certain threshold be reported on tax documents. In 2021, the zoo reported five. Dean made $323,543 as president and CEO; Matt Thompson, also listed as president and CEO, made $179,427; Chief Development Officer Michelle Correia made $117,843; Biel made $128,835 as CFO; and Chief Marketing Officer Nicholas Harmeier made $108,669.
As for those employees recently laid off, they will be given “top priority” to interview for other positions now open at the zoo. If they choose to apply for another job later, the zoo will make them “eligible for re-hire.”
”The Memphis Zoo does not take this decision lightly and will work with those affected to alleviate the adverse impact that this may have on you,” reads the email from Rodriguez.
Those laid off were also instructed to return their uniforms, keys, and other zoo property.
Overton Park officials hope construction can begin this year on a project that will end Greensward parking, open new park-land, and relocate some facilities, but they await the arrival of $3 million in federal funds.
In March 2022, Overton Park Conservancy (OPC), the Memphis Zoo, and the city of Memphis announced a plan that would transform the park through a series of land swaps.
In July 2022, the group announced $3 million in federal funding had been allocated for the project. The group is still awaiting the money in order to get the project started.
“The city, the zoo, and the conservancy are all moving aggressively to get this solution implemented as quickly as possible,” OPC executive director Tina Sullivan said in a statement. “With federal funding, multiple partners, and multiple aspects to the project, it’s hard to pinpoint a completion date at this stage. Barring unforeseen circumstances, we do hope to be underway with construction by the end of 2023.”
Last week OPC outlined what will happen when the money becomes available:
• The conservancy will develop a plan for addressing invasive plant species in the forested acreage that is currently adjacent to the zoo’s temporary exhibit space.
• [OPC will] design and build a trail system for the new section of forest, and once it’s ready for visitors, will take down the surrounding fence.
• The city will move its remaining functions from the area in Overton Park’s southeast corner and begin work to make the space more habitable.
• The zoo will then move its maintenance facility there, freeing up its current on-site maintenance facility for guest parking.
• The conservancy will begin piloting potential uses for the remaining parcel of the southeast corner, which will be converted into an area for public use.
