Results tagged “houstonzoo”

::Cinco De Mayo Margarita Competition::

If you're anything like Houstonist, you love Hermann Park (or, at the very least, you recognize that the little statue of Sam Houston which is prominently displayed on our logo actually resides in Hermann Park).

Good morning, Houston. Hey, guess who's having a birthday today? Well, OK, it's technically not Houstonist — our second birthday was back on Nov. 20, but we figured that if the queen can have two birthdays, so can we. And so we're throwing ourselves a little birthday party tonight, and you're all invited. It starts at 6 p.m. at Monsoon Wok, Lamar at San Jacinto (yes, street parking is free downtown after 6). Six...

We love seeing local peeps get overdue credit, especially when they are big, orange and furry. That's why we are super stoked that the Houston Zoo made it to Animal Planet's Top 10 Places to Visit Orangutans in North America. Animal Planet says: The Houston Zoo is developing long-term partnerships in Borneo, and with other organizations and zoos, to ensure the survival of these species. Houston Zoo’s support for wildlife conservation initiatives in Malaysian Borneo...

Good morning, Houston. Looks like there's another tropical disturbance out in the Gulf of Mexico — this one is called Invest 90L, and it looks like it could be headed for the upper Texas coast. The Chron's Eric Berger is keeping an eye on the system, which is located west of Florida and is headed in a general northwesterly direction; Berger reports that it could become a tropical storm by tomorrow, but isn't likely...

Good morning, Houston. As you might have noticed, we passed the night sans Humberto — but our friends in the Beaumont area weren't so lucky. The sudden hurricane made landfall early this morning and battered Beaumont with winds up to 62 mph and Orange with gusts of up to 85 mph, the Chron's Eric Berger reports. From across Southeast Texas came reports of knee-deep water, downed power lines and damaged buildings, including an apartment...

Houston Zoo lovers are saying goodbye to Bu the Southern white rhino who died late last week. Bu (short for Samburu) was a 4,000 pound Zoo celebrity and one of its oldest inhabitants at age 39. Apparently, in a bit of zoo drama, Bu had fallen into depression after losing lifetime plutonic rhino pal Marci last March and never recovered. We'll miss the big guy. Does anyone else have 'The Circle of Life' stuck...

Good morning, Houston. Nothing to lol at here: the Houston SPCA is rolling out a new policy for pet owners who drop off their pets. From now on, there will be a fifteen minute "counseling session," during which the owners will know if the pet is going to be a candidate for adoption or if it's going to the big litterbox in the sky. The policy is meant to make it harder for owners...

Good morning, Houston. Weather got you down? Here's a fun story to lighten your mood: drunk astronauts. A report on astronaut mental health (undertaken after the infamous Lisa Nowak incident) revealed that NASA has sent astronauts into space totally sloshed. This happened in spite of the fact that they put a ban on alcohol consumption at least 12 hours before launch. Oops. We hope they're not too hard on the astronauts. After all, it's...

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor Polar Bear in a Snowstorm. Check out the smoothness of the water in this image of the Gus S. Wortham Memorial Fountain. Do you know who Mr. Wortham was and how important he was to our fair city? Honestly, we didn't until we did a little searching. According to the New York Times, Mr. Wortham was "a cattle baron and an...

No, it's not by driving as fast as we can around loop 610, but it does include city-wide celebrations, all hoping for the same thing: No rain. Here are a few of the events we'll be checking out tomorrow. Where will you be? Tell us, maybe we'll ditch our plans and join you. But probably not. >>Freedom Over Texas Festival Houston's Official 4th of July Celebration. Chevy presents a concert and Independence Day celebration at...

We talked yesterday about the body parts that were found in northwest Harris County in the past few days — remember, homicide investigators initially thought the decomposed parts (two hands and a foot) belonged to a human, but later they discovered they were actually bear parts. So, case closed, right? Well, it still leaves the question of where the bear came from and what it was doing so close to Houston. And so far, no...

Good morning, Houston. Hot weather? Rain? Another week in our cube farm? Looks like Houstonist has a case of the Mondays. We'd better just move on to the news ... >> Mayor: I'll find money to keep day-labor site open: A spokesman for Mayor Bill White said Friday that the mayor will help find $100,000 to fund a day-labor site after city officials voted to cut its public funding. Critics of the site, which...

We're not ashamed to admit it: We love the little train that goes around Hermann Park. The tiny cars, the meandering route, the tunnel, the bridge — all of it, we suppose, reminds us of our childhoods, when it didn't really matter that we were riding a train that just went in a big circle. So we're interested to see how a proposal to overhaul the train works out: Will it preserve what we love...

Looking for something to do with all that spare time? We know, we don't exactly have much spare time, either. However, there are some great volunteer opportunities available for those of you who are so inclined. First, we'd like to tell you about a long term, or ongoing commitment where there is a need to fill that serves the community by assisting those less privileged. The Christian Community Service Center's Emergency Services Program needs some...

The Houston Dynamo unleashed their new mascot this morning at the Houston Zoo - meet Diesel, an orange and white fox. The mascot was chosen from entries by students at the Art Institute of Houston. Eric Hulsey and Leslie Lopez, the winning artists, will receive a $500 scholarship for their winning entry. The Dynamo marketing team says the name Diesel “plays off Houston's famous petroleum industry. Diesel is a fuel needed to run an engine...

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor The Bald Heretic who shares with us this shot of The Reflection Pool at The Houston Zoo. Houstonist loves the amazing color, reflections and enchanting trees in this shot. If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining over 200 of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. If Houstonist uses your photo for Photo Of The...

Good morning, Houston. Have you ever looked at your pet gerbil and thought, "Y'know, Nibbles really looks like an ibex?" If so, you might consider seeing an eye doctor — or entering the Houston Zoo's Naturally Wild photo contest. The zoo and KTRK are looking for photos of pets that look like wild animals; if yours makes the cut, you could win a family membership to the zoo and a gift card from Petco....

On Sundays, Houstonist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in Houston. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author. Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. What was the deal with that woman who was busted driving solo down the HOV lane claiming she wasn’t alone because she was pregnant? If she wants that kid to count, put him in a car seat. Look, the lady was in...

Why have one parade when you can have two? That's our philosophy, and the federal judge who ruled last week that the city must allow both competing MLK, Jr. day parades to march through downtown agrees. The city had previously only granted the necessary parade permit to Charles Stamps of the MLK Parade Foundation, much to the chagrin of Ovide Duncantell of the Black Heritage Society. Duncantell filed suit against Bill White (unheard of!) and...

Most parents agonize over potential names for new child for months before the baby arrives. With a gestational period of 22 months, more than double that of humans, one would think that Shanti could have picked one she liked for her new boy. Fortunately, the Houston Zoo staff stepped in and conducted a contest to name the elephant baby. The voter turnout was slightly lighter than the midterm elections, but "Mac" emerged as the victor....

We can only surmise that the Keebler Elf is having a coronary at the very thought of crickets or, worse, cockroaches on a lovely, buttery cracker. How about "Three Bee Salad" or "Pest-o"? Have we piqued your curiousity, or put you off of your next meal? The Houston Zoo is hosting "From Soup to Gnats: The Essentials of Bug Cookery" on Saturday, October 14, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. featuring insect chef and author David...

The shot from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor Savinca. Who doesn't love the new masai giraffe at the Houston Zoo? With a face like that, only someone with a stone heart (or from Dallas) wouldn't find that super cute. Here's some information provided by the photographer: Giraffe Baby Fast Facts: - Born Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - Weight at birth: 143 pounds - Height at birth: 5 feet 11 inches - Gestation period:...

Shanti, the Houston Zoo's 15-year-old Asian elephant, is in good condition after a smooth delivery of a male calf early Sunday morning. The calf weighed in at 384 lbs, which is remarkably large, even by elephant standards. That's the largest elephant ever delivered in an Association of Zoos and Aquariums zoo. A typical elephant calf weighs anywhere from 150 to 340 lbs. at birth. The calf's size is attributed to the fact that Shanti was...

We love the Houston Zoo, but we have to admit that it always irked us that the only way to see the lions and tigers (no, in case you're wondering, we're not going to say what you thought we were here) was through a thick sheet of cloudy, scratched Lexan. But no longer — the zoo has replaced the plastic with something much cooler: panels of "thin but strong steel mesh." Uh, yeah, we hope...

Aaaah, August. Melting concrete. Steaming bayous. It’s hot as Houston. But the days are getting shorter and before you know it, the kiddies will be back in school, we’ll be “falling back” and the nuclear temperatures will turn to chilly. Don’t drag your turtlenecks and overcoats out yet, we still have five weeks 'til Labor Day. To help you make the most of the dwindling days, your friendly Houstonist came up with a short...

You work hard for your money (unless you're the city promoter), so treat yourself right this week: Friday, July 14 Good choral music is often hard to find for those on a budget, but tonight that changes at Episcopal High School's Benitez Chapel (4650 Bissonnet), where students from the American Federation of Arts Choral Festival will perform. They'll sing in all styles, so there should be something for everyone, and will be performing under...

In a move Houstonist is sure will delight MetroRail's detractors, improvements to the Hermann Park train will make it a sort of intrapark commuter system giving access to various parts of the park — and, yes, a connection to the light rail line. The route change, part of a park renovation plan approved by City Council, will add two stops to the Hermann Park train and give it a little more to do than travel...

So we've all heard about the problems Houston's shelters have with getting animals adopted — but imagine what happens when the SPCA ends up with 11 bears, two tigers and a macaw. (If you guessed that they're having trouble getting the wild animals adopted, you're right.) The animals were confiscated April 20 from a Gonzales County ranch because their owner, a private citizen, was accused of failing to follow state laws covering the keeping...

Woohoo! The Astros open their season at Minute Maid Park tonight! And they're looking for a better start than last year Two errant air marshals pleaded guilty today to bribery and drug charges and agreed to cooperate with the government A southwest Houston woman stabbed her husband to death last night during an alcohol-fueled argument 10 people died in several separate wrecks in Harris County during a 15-hour period this weekend In the Moody Park...