2016/17 ANNUAL Report Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

I guess I’m a little selfish. Research shows that expressing gratitude can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve mood. In other words, saying “thank you” really benefits the person who says it. So indulge my selfishness for a

moment while I lavish gratitude on you, the loyal supporters of the Cincinnati

Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Thank you!

Our Zoo has the most dedicated, generous, and enthusiastic community of

any zoo I know. You stand by us through sunshine and storms.

In May 2016 we experienced a terrible loss with Harambe and the criticism

that accompanies difficult decisions. You, our donors, members, and neighbors

empathized and stuck by us. Not only did you continue to visit, you did so more

than ever before.

Months later, in January 2017, you heard about our premature baby hippo.

Even knowing that we might have to face another painful loss, we–our Zoo team

and the community–joined together to overcome the odds. Fiona’s care team,

buoyed by public support, fully dedicated themselves to bringing her through the

critical stage. We concluded the fiscal year by announcing that Fiona had reached

200 pounds, with her health vastly improved.

So, thank you.

Running a zoo means more than feeding animals, planting plants, selling tick-

ets, and keeping records. Our staff doesn’t just use their brains. They bring their

hearts to work, too. When you wish them the best in good times and bad, you

affect them.

I feel my mood improving. Yes, it’s true, saying thank you feels great. And you

deserve it. We simply could not do what we do without you.

Sincerely,

Thane Maynard

Zoo Director

Managing a world class zoo and botanical garden takes tenacity. The demand-ing, daily work is on view for the world, whether things are sailing along smoothly or the going gets tough. The staff, board, and volunteers at our Zoo can

vouch for that. It’s why we’re so grateful for the most ardent community support

any Zoo could ask for.

For more than 140 years, Hamilton County and Greater Cincinnati have had

our backs. You show your support every day with your attendance, kind words,

precious time, and financial resources. We are proud to share with you this report

on another year, our fiscal year ending March 30, 2017.

It was a good, if at times challenging, year. The recently completed Africa area

fulfills a long-sought goal, and the Gorilla World expansion is going strong. Thanks

to community generosity and the good work of our staff, we have been able to

make continued investments to maintain and modernize our buildings and

exhibits – while keeping our gate prices low and accessible

to all.

Oh, and a baby hippo named Fiona was born,

survived, and is flourishing.

Thank you to our incredible staff, devoted volun-

teers, enthusiastic Ambassador Council, dedicated

Foundation board, our members and visitors, and our

fellow Trustees.

Martin Rahe

Chair FY 2017

W. Stuart Dornette

Chair

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD W. Stuart Dornette

VICE CHAIRMAN Joseph Pichler

VICE CHAIR OF GOVERNANCE & NOMINATING Francie S. Hiltz

TREASURER Chris Hock

SECRETARY Peter Ragland

AUDIT Matt Schroeder

GOV’T RELATIONS Lynn Marmer

CONSERVATION Craig Young

CHAIRMAN Otto M. Budig, Jr.

SECRETARY Ron Christian

TREASURER Thomas Johnson

Eileen Barrett Doug Brendamour Robert Castellini Sheila Cole Bob Coughlin Kimberly Coyner Cathy Crain Kay Geiger Stephen Hightower Donald Hudson Gregg Kosch Shree Kulkarni Margaret Lafley Bill Lawarre Lee Ann Liska Joshua Lorentz

Craig Maier Tim Massa George Molinsky Amy Murray Jane Novak-Cook Cora Ogle, PhD Mike Prescott Mitch Quint Martin Rahe Ashwin Ramprasad Fredric Robbins Scott Robertson Jack Rouse Alex Triantifilou William Weyand William Witten

Board of Directors 2016/7 Board of Trustees

TRUSTEES

TRUSTEES

Doug Adams Peter Barrett Tim Bonacci Kelly Brown Lee Carter Carri Chandler Jim Ellerhorst Mark Irwin Delle Jones

Eric Kahn Cal Kalnow Sally Leyman Phil Myers Bret Parrish Dawn Schiff Murray Sinclaire David Valz Sarah Zamary

2016/7 Foundation Board Members

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A Look Back Fiscal Year 2017 (April 2016-March 2017)

A lot can happen in 365 days.

One Tragic Good-Bye As the summer season began, the Zoo faced tragedy.

We lost Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland

gorilla, in saving the life of a little boy. Support from the

local community poured in, reminding us how much

an individual animal can touch people’s lives, and how

lucky we are to live in Cincinnati.

400,000 Gallons + 8,000 pounds Your generosity helped us complete Africa, the largest

exhibit in our 140+ year history, by opening Hippo

Cove. This state-of-the-art, sustainable habitat inspires

1.6 million annual visitors with above-ground and

underwater viewing areas. It’s one of a handful of

structures like it nationwide, and it’s now home to

three river hippos. Read more on pages 16-18.

2 Six-Foot Babies Two of our giraffes gave birth last summer, about six

weeks apart. We welcomed Corazon, daughter to

Cece, on July 27. Zoey, daughter to Jambo, arrived on

September 13. Kimba is proud papa to both. Each baby

was born healthy, standing more than six feet tall and

weighing around 100 pounds!

MAY

JULY July/september

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september NOVEMber January 14 Dedicated Individuals The Zoo welcomed 14 AmeriCorps members onboard

for one year of service, or a combined total of 18,000

hours. The Zoo’s partnership with AmeriCorps aims to

provide quality STEM education to economically dis-

advantaged students and to promote environmentally

conscious behavior. AmeriCorps held its annual pledge

ceremony on Zoo grounds, where 140 members from

8 Cincinnati organizations kicked off their year of

service. Read more on page 9.

3 Zoos, 3 Polar Bears We gratefully partnered with two other AZA-accred-

ited zoos in a three-way “swap” of polar bears to help

facilitate breeding of this imperiled animal. Our female,

Berit, moved to Henry Vilas Zoo in Wisconsin. Their

male, Sakari, moved to the Buffalo Zoo, which brought

Anana to us. Since Berit seems unable to produce cubs,

she will be cared for along with a female “roommate.”

Anana has been recommended for breeding with our

male, Little One. Read more on page 15.

29 Pounds = 1 Little Hero We hoped Henry and Bibi would produce a baby –

we just didn’t know we would get one so soon! We

confirmed Bibi’s pregnancy in early January, with the

baby due in March. A 29-pound bundle of joy surprised

us on January 24. Six weeks premature, and half the

weight of a normal newborn, the baby quickly took the

world by storm. Read more on page 17.

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Zoo Babies During fiscal year 2017, a huge variety of animals was born at our Zoo. We also celebrated a “gotcha day” for a baby cheetah from another institution and the birth of a Sumatran rhino in Indonesia, whose parentage traces back to us!

April 5 Donni the CHEETAH. Donni was actually born in March at Wildlife Safari in Winston, Oregon. But, since his mother was unable to care for him, he came

to live with us as a foster sibling to our other three cubs.

May 12 Delilah the SUMATRAN RHINO. The second offspring of our Sumatran rhino, Andalas, was born at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia. Andalas

was sent to the sanctuary in 2007 to help save this critically

endangered species, so the birth of a female was

terrific news.

june Calar the ANDEAN CONDOR. The first Andean condor chick to hatch in

Cincinnati in 30 years arrived to parents

Gryph and Laurel.

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June 15 Harriet and Hazel the RED PANDAS

July 27 Corazon (Cora) the GIRAFFE Read more on page 4.

September 13 Zoey the GIRAFFE

October 16 Nacho, Muenster, Bleu, Brie, Gouda, Queso, Colby, Swiss,

Cotija, Mozzarella and Feta

the PAINTED DOGS

January 10 TJ, the COLOBUS MONKEY

Janary 24 Fiona the RIVER HIPPO Read more on page 17

February 2 Chira, Izzy and Batari the MALAYAN TIGERS

February 17 Moyo the OKAPI

February 28 Pallina the 3-BANDED ARMADILLO

March 18 Meg the TAKIN

Altogether, we welcomed 79 new Zoo Babies this year! (Does not include fish and invertebrates.)

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The U.S. Green Building Council awarded our Africa exhibit Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Status.

Awards and Recognition Awards and Recognition

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The U.S. Green Building Council awarded our Africa exhibit Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Status.

Our Marketing team received the AZA’s Marketing Excellence Award for increasing online membership sales by 47%. The team ach