Summer Adventures

Adventures continue at the zoos of Answers in Genesis! With the arrival of summer, it was time to move Methuselah the African spurred tortoise back to the Creation Museum from the Ark Encounter. Methuselah is named after the oldest man in history who lived to be 969 years old (Genesis 5:27). Since tortoises like him are the longest-living land animals, the name is appropriate! He is technically a Creation Museum animal, but the Eden Zoo currently doesn’t have a large enough space to house him indoors during the cool winter months. As a reptile, Methuselah is cold-blooded, which means his body temperature is the same as the surrounding air. His species is also native to the Sahel of Africa, the arid region between the Sahara Desert and the savannahs of Africa, so he is designed for the heat, not cold. Methuselah spends the winter safely indoors at the Ararat Ridge Zoo at the Ark Encounter and returns to the Creation Museum every spring!

Although he’s got his own house and his own mailbox, this year Methuselah spends his days with Boomer the Bennett’s wallaby in his exhibit. Check out the adorable photos below! You can also send Methuselah letters for his mailbox at this address:

Answers in Genesis
Attn: Eden Zoo
PO Box 510
Hebron, KY 41048

Meanwhile, at the Creation Museum, zoo staff noticed that Jack the leopard gecko started breathing strangely. Since they were concerned about his health, he took a trip to the vet to get x-rays of his lungs, which showed he had some minor issues. His vet recommended he take some medicine through a nebulizer, which turns the liquid medicine into tiny drops in the air so it can be inhaled to treat the lungs. Jack was put into a smaller enclosure for these treatments so the medicine would stay in the air for him to breathe. He did this for 15 minutes twice a day for two weeks. It worked—he’s all better! Our zoo staff always strives to provide our animals with the best care possible, even for the smallest creatures.

At the Ararat Ridge Zoo, Felix the Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth is on the move! He’s been trained to climb onto a ladder in exchange for treats like broccoli, butternut squash, green bell pepper, and green beans. This allows keepers to walk him around the zoo and see guests as well as easily transport him from place to place. His exhibit needed some upgrades this month, so this allowed staff to move him to one of the indoor lemur habitats (the lemurs were kept outside) while construction was occurring. We are hoping to have him performing on stage soon, too!

Warmer weather also means pool parties, especially for our large birds! Our African crowned cranes, emus, and ostriches all love water. Salem and Shiloh the cranes and Petra and Sinai the emus love splashing in pools and puddles. Ostriches Elah and Jezreel are too big for pools, but they love being sprayed down with water from the hose. Our emus will even roll around in the water!

Stay tuned for more fun news from the zoos!