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Animal Profiles

Volunteers at the Honolulu Zoo have put together  profiles of some of the animals they are most familiar with.    When visiting the zoo, you may want to take along a printed copy of the profiles to help you better identify individuals and appreciate each ones  individuality.

Honolulu Zoo    African Wild Dogs

   Black Howler Monkey

   Black Rhino

   Hyena

   Lion

   Meerkats

African Wild Dogs

Click to enlarge photo.

My name is Masai and I am the alpha dog of our pack. I am strong, handsome and I have exclusive mating rights to the female. My brother is Bantu. You can tell me apart from the other two adults in the pack by my large body and straight ears! My brother and I share a close friendship and often snuggle together. But when mating season starts, I become very assertive and will not tolerate competition. I was born in December 1993.
Click to enlarge photo. My name is Bantu and Im easy to recognize because of my bent ears. They are the result of how Masai does not tolerate competition during the mating season.  I challenged him, but since I respect his status, I didnt fight back too hard. During the rest of the year we are all  best friends.   I have the most beautiful, deepest black eyes in the pack. I was born in December 1993.
Click to enlarge photo. My name is Mara and I am the adult female in our pack.  I became a mother again in October 2000, when I gave birth to a litter of 4 males and 3 females! Both Masai and Bantu were extremely helpful as I raised the  frisky, hungry and playful pups.  Im the smallest and the most private dog of the adults in the pack. I am very protective of my babies and I growl if anyone comes too close.  I enjoy napping in a nice, shady spot. If you wonder why theres no grass left in our exhibit, the pups pulled everything off the ground during their games of rough and tumble! I was born in December 1994.

Black Howler Monkey

Click to enlarge photo. Im Onyx, the large, impressive black one,  I live with Lucy and our two offspring on a corner lot near Primate Island. Life here is fairly stress-free. I have some cool, natural branches to lie on full-length, and I can take long siestas interspersed with meals. My favorite treat is hand-fed raisins, which I take gently into my mouth without biting any human fingers. Im not much for experimenting with new food or enrichment items that are put into our enclosure. I leave those for the youngsters, and if they seem to enjoy them, I may try them too. From time to time Ill stretch my limbs, and climb around the exhibit to see whats happening with our neighbors the siamangs. Were the ones called howlers, but those guys make the most noise. I was born in December 1988.
Click to enlarge photo. My name is Lucy, the mother of the two young ones. For a while there, the two of them were quite a handful, as they were born only eight months apart. But now they can amuse themselves, and I only have to intervene if they get into any fights. On the whole, life is peaceful, we get regular balanced meals, delicious treats, and daily housecleaning provided. I get plenty of rest and enjoy grooming and being groomed by Onyx. The only times of anxiety are when the vets van comes too close for comfort. Im our keepers favorite, so I get special treatment. I think it must be my gentle dark eyes. I was born in April 1990.
Click to enlarge photo. Hello, Im beautiful Ehu, the first born. I look quite a lot like Mom, but a lot different from my dad and brother, who are jet black. I was inseparable from Mom until Ele Ele was born and I had to learn to share. For a while I could get my own way, but Ele Ele grew bigger and now it's not very easy. We spend the day chasing each other up and down and round our home, bouncing on the trees and hammock, leaping from branch to branch, pole to pole, wrestling, and occasionally fighting we're typical siblings. Our parents are quite tolerant; dad sleeps a lot, and mom doesnt interfere very often. I was born in January 1997.
Click to enlarge photo. Hi, Im Ele Ele, and  Im the most adventuresome and have a beautiful black coat.  When I was young, I had a buff-colored coat, which made me look like my sister. As my black coat grew in, I got a lot more confident. Im usually the first to try out the new items that are put in our exhibit; my favorite is the stuffed banana stalk. I have a lot of fun chasing Ehu in and out of the long leaves and I enjoy tearing them apart after weve picked out the treats.  Ehu is lots fun to play with, so Im glad shes around and that I dont have to rely solely on Mom and Dad for entertainment. I was born in September 1997.

Black Rhino

Im Corky the male black rhino, and I came to the Honolulu Zoo from Texas. I was born in December of 1986. I love getting in our pool and then rolling in the mud.  Although I have thick skin, its sensitive to the sun, so a nice muddy coat is the perfect way to protect my skin. I have a exhibit mate, Satsuki , but we have been kept separate because the keepers are afraid I might hurt her.  We have been slowly getting acquainted through the barriers between us.  You can tell me from Satsuki by my extra wide lower horn. Hers is definitely smaller. 
Click to enlarge photo. My name is Satsuki and I came  from Japan to live with my future mate, Corky. I was born in May of 1995. We are pretty solitary creatures, so the only time to bring us together is when I am in season. I should be reaching this stage at around the age of 5. You can tell me from Corky by my front horn, which has a crack in it. My favorite treat is a nice crunchy Okinawan sweet potato!

Hyena

Click to enlarge photo. Im Sargent, (Sarge for short) a female hyena. I am significantly larger than the two males who share my exhibit. In our species, females are larger than the males. I enjoy swimming in our pool, it's a great way to cool off on a hot day. Sometimes, I just splash around but I can dive and swim under water too!  I like to rest up on the rock ledge of our exhibit, which also allows me to keep an eye on any activity around me. I was born in May 1984.
Click to enlarge photo. Im Whoop and I got my name because when I vocalize, it sounds just like whooooop! Hyenas are nocturnal so you would normally hear us during the night, but when Sarge is in season, Ill call around the clock. My brother is Mars and we used to be best friends until we started competing for Sarge.   Now we dont get along anymore, so we alternate our days out in the exhibit with her. You can tell me apart from my brother by the large scar on my back. I was born in September 1988.
Click to enlarge photo. My name is Mars and Im a little smaller than my brother Whoop.  I have sweet black eyes and if you look closely at my right ear you will see it is a little ragged looking at the top. I like to nap during the day, unless Sarge is in season.  During that time, I can be pretty restless; otherwise, Im pretty easy going. Im a good swimmer too, but I usually stay out of Sarge's way if she is playing in the water . My favorite treat is a nice meaty bone, which I can crunch through with no trouble at all! I was born in September 1988.

Lion

Click to enlarge photo. Hello, Im Apollo and Im the pride male. I was only 6 months old when I was brought here; I am now 15 years old and I weigh 381 lbs. I can be heard roaring loudly each day, as I patrol my territory. My job is to protect the pride, my lovely female companions, Samantha and Ethel-Louise. You could call me King of the Hill because I spend a lot of time observing the world while sitting on top of the hill within my territory. Sometimes I just roll on my back and let the sun warm up my tummy. Big cats like us spend about 20 hours a day taking naps and resting so dont be surprised if you see us laying around a lot. I was born in October 1985.
Click to enlarge photo. Hello, Im Samantha. I look a lot like my sister Ethel-Louise and we are 14 years old. You can tell us apart by my slender body and somewhat narrower face than my sisters. The fur along the lower part of my sides is also lighter than my sister's. We arrived at the Honolulu zoo in August 1997 and are quite content with the year-round warm weather. I also have a soft spot for Apollo; in an occasional tender moment, he and I rub faces and briefly groom each other. Dont look for any offspring though; at our age, companionship is what we want! I was born in April 1986.
Click to enlarge photo. Hello, Im Ethel-Louise; you can frequently find my sister and I napping by the pool. I have been told that I am dominant over my sister. Dont let that fool you though, we really love each other and we get along quite well. I weigh 264 lbs., which is considered average for female lions, and you can tell me apart from my sister since I am somewhat larger than her. Occasionally, we playfully run up the hill together but such strenuous exercise is quickly followed by a long nap. Like the typical house cat, we will rest over 20 hours a day. I was born in April 1986. 

Meerkats

Click to enlarge photo. Hi, my name is Kapa and I live with my brother Hulu. Im the one with the short right ear lobe. My brother and I have built a secret tunnel system under our termite mound. We use our long nails to dig the ground and we snack on delicious insects that we find in the process. Our tunnels are also a cool place to rest on a hot day but let me tell you, these tunnels are high maintenance! Everyday, each entrance is completely collapsed when we arrive! I was born in July 1996.
Click to enlarge photo. Hello, Im Hulu and I frequently stand tall on top of our termite mound while my brother looks for insects. I also help him repair our tunnel system, every morning. Its a mystery what causes them to fill up each day After working so hard, we like to warm up our tummies in the sun. You can tell me apart from my brother because Im a little heavier than him. I was born in July 1996.
Click to enlarge photo. Im Ole and Im lonely. I used to live with my brother, Niana but he died of old age last year. I manage to amuse myself but I still miss my brother. We looked so much alike that we were given ear tags. I still got mine, on the right ear, and it gives me character! Kapa and Hulu are my neighbors but we do not share the same territory because we are of different ages and we would have a difficult time getting along. I am older and wiser than they are, so I have figured out what happens to the tunnels overnight: our keeper fills them up everyday to keep us active! I was born in August 1990.