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Happy birthday, Murphy and Diablo!

August 20, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 0 Comments

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The Komodo Dragons of Moody Gardens celebrated their fifth birthday with quite the party. Murphy and Diablo, Galveston’s only Komodo Dragons, were surprised with a lizard style birthday cake containing some of their favorite treats including eggs and meat. The crowd gathered around as the zoo keeper team fed them their delicious birthday treat. The dragons also received handmade cards and birthday decorations to enjoy on their special day.

Among the crowd, were two particular guests that had something very special in mind for the dragons. Twins Izzy and Abby have celebrated every birthday with the dragons and visit them frequently. Every year, they bring cards and sing “Happy Birthday,” but this year, they decided to adopt a Komodo dragon from the World Wildlife Fund on behalf of Murphy and Diablo.

“This is such a warm and inspirational happening, one that touches us all here in the Rainforest Pyramid,” said T’Noya Gonzales, Asst. Behavior Management Coordinator.

The Komodo Dragon is the largest lizard species in the world with potential of reaching 10 feet in length and weighing over 150 pounds. Despite their size, these guys are known for their burst of speed. They can briefly reach speeds up to 13 mph.

While the dragons have already had their cake, the celebration will continue. Be sure to stop by and wish them a Happy Birthday!
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BrewMaster’s Craft Beer Festival: Let’s Get Crafty

August 3, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 1 Comment

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Tap into your inner-craftsmen this Labor Day weekend, September 4-6, at the 6th annual BrewMaster’s Craft Beer Festival. The event brings over 400 specialty beers to the Moody Gardens Convention Center, making it the largest craft beer festival in Texas. Join hundreds of beer enthusiasts from expert to novice for a foam-filled weekend.
The event kicks off Friday, September 4 with the BrewMaster’s Pub Crawl. The festive party bus departs at 8 p.m. for an exclusive tour of the trendiest bars on the island. Each stop will feature meet and greet opportunities with a “Brew Brain” that will give guests an inside look at the art of brewing. Tickets are $25 in advance.

Sample some of the best brews made available to beer lovers at the BrewHaHa Grand Tasting held at the Moody Gardens Convention Center on Saturday, September 5. The Grand Tasting will feature 400 craft and specialty brews as well as a Wine Escape with wine samplings. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. VIP tickets are available for $85 as well as multi-event Hopper Passes. The BrewHaHa Grand Tasting will run from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and includes access to multiple beer seminars for those interested in expanding their knowledge of craft beer.

Thirsty for more? The Brewlicious Brews & Foods Pairing, happening on Sunday, September 6, gives foodies time to get to the island. This event is for the serious beer and culinary enthusiast. Every featured beer will be paired with a divine food dish, creating the perfect culinary combination. BrewLicious Brews and Foods will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $75.

Palm Beach is the place to be for live entertainment during the festival. After tasting some of the top craft beers in the world, head down for the Beach, Brews and Bands. Get ready for some fun in the sun as Moody Gardens rolls out a beach blast with live music in the sand followed by a special fireworks show. Saturday night, Line Up will entertain the crowd, while Rock band, Rat Ranch, will rock the stage Sunday night. Beach, Brews and Bands will run from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Tickets are $12 at the gate and $6 online as an add-on to any BrewMasters ticket purchase.

The Moody Gardens Hotel is offering a 20% savings on room rates over Labor Day weekend with a $50 resort credit for a weekend stay. To book a stay, visit www.moodygardenshotel.com or call 888-388-8484.

For more information on the BrewMaster’s Craft Beer Festival, or to order tickets, visit www.brewmastersbeerfest.com

Moody Gardens Recognizes Six Outstanding Animal Care Professionals

July 23, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 0 Comments

This week is National Zookeeper Week and Moody Garden’s Life Science and Exhibit Operations department has taken this opportunity to recognize the dedication and hard work that goes into this challenging career path. Moody Gardens would like to thank each and every person on our team for providing the highest level of animal care and well-being while creating personal connections between our guests and our conservation, education and research efforts. The LSEO management team recognized 6 individuals with outstanding animal professional awards. These employees have had a significant impact on Moody Gardens through outstanding dedication, competence, conscientious performance, excellence in engaging guests and ingenuity.

The 2015 Outstanding Animal Care Professionals are: Dave Brossette, T’Noya Gonzales, Karen Holcroft, Marci Kurtz, Maggie Reynolds and Sean Salinger. As evidenced by their dedication to their job, only 3 recipients were present at the awards lunch on Tuesday, 21 July as duty called the others away.

Marci Kurtz, Sean Salinger and T’Noya Gonzales receive their recognition.

Shark Finning Banned in Texas!

July 7, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 0 Comments

After years of campaigns to bring awareness and promote change, the trading of shark fins has finally been outlawed in Texas.

Texas became the 10th state, and the first Gulf coast state to prohibit the sale of shark fins after Governor Greg Abbott signed a new bill on June 20. The new law is a win for shark conservation groups across the globe, since Texas had become a major location in the shark fin trading business.

Finning is federally banned in U.S. waters, but import and export of them is still allowed in a lot of places stateside. That is no longer the case in the country’s second largest state.

Moody Gardens Animal Husbandry Manager Greg Whittaker helped organize a unified letter of support amongst the 17 Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited facilities across the state to bring awareness to this growing issue. Whittaker says:

“The International trade in shark fins is convoluted and difficult to track and Texas was being used as a major exporter to Asia with a reported 50% of the US total shark fins transiting through our state. This legislation effectively closes the trans-shipping loophole and protects the well managed, sustainable Texas fisheries. It is an important step in closing down the supply lines in a wasteful exploitation of wildlife. This is a good thing for sharks and we are proud to work with the Humane Society of the US in achieving this victory.”

What exactly is shark finning? It’s a brutal act against one of the ocean’s most iconic animals.

Fishermen capture sharks in the ocean and slice off their fins. The sharks are then thrown back into the water where they either drown or bleed to death.

The process is essentially the ocean’s version of killing an elephant or a rhino for its tusk or horn.

The shark fin is so special because it can make a lot of money. A pound of shark fin can go for as high as $880 dollars. The main use of the fins is shark fin soup, a delicacy in China. The soup normally sells for around $100.

An estimated 100 million sharks are killed each year, with 73 million of those being used to create shark fin. Around 98 percent of the animal is wasted when it is only harvested for its fin.

Shark finning is largely responsible for a major decrease in shark populations. Some species have seen their numbers decrease by 99 percent. Overall, around 32 percent of open-ocean sharks are threatened with extinction.

The new Texas law certainly will help reduce the trade in shark fins globally , but there is still a long way to go. If you want to find out how you can help end shark finning, visit wildaid.org.

Have questions on this? Join us tomorrow for our #MGSharkTalk and our shark experts will answer them for you. CLICK HERE for more info.

#JurassicZooKeepers: Moody Gardens Edition!

June 22, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 0 Comments

It’s not always easy being a zoo keeper! Good thing we’ve got our very own set of #JurassicZooKeepers to keep everything under control. Our keepers tamed the most ferocious Moody Gardens animals using the Chris Pratt’s Jurassic World training tactic. Okay, they might not be the most ferocious animals but they are still pretty cool:

Snake Jurassic

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Do you want to be a #JurassicZooKeeper too? You’re in luck because we also have dinosaurs! Visit our Dinos Alive exhibit and join in on the fun! Share your best #JurassicZooKeeper photo on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram using the hashtags #DinosAlive and #JurassicZooKeeper. Ready, set…rawr!

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Moody Gardens Assists Texas State Aquarium with Restocking Efforts

June 3, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 0 Comments

Following a tragedy at the Texas State Aquarium last month, the AZA aquarium community stepped up in support of our colleagues with offers of replacement exhibit specimens from our own collections. Moody Gardens was able to contribute 18 exhibit fish to this effort. Donated specimens included 8 Pompano, 3 Rock Beauty Angelfish, 3 Porcupine Puffers, 1 Red Drum, 1 Red Snapper, 1 Crevalle Jack, and 1 Tripletail.

We were also able to transport these fish as well as 8 adult cownose stingrays from the Houston Downtown Aquarium to Corpus Christi and assist in getting them put directly on display. This effort is one small part of the larger AZA community response that emphasizes the collaborative collection management that makes our industry so strong.

: First specimen transport leaving Moody Gardens on Sunday, 17 May.

: Transport equipment provides Life Support for fish during 200 mile trip.

: Releasing exhibit specimens into Texas State Aquarium’s main exhibit.

: Pompano and Cownose Stingrays in Texas State Aquarium’s main exhibit Wednesday 20 May.

: Visitors enjoying the newly added exhibit fish at Texas State Aquarium.

For more information on how you can help, visit texasstateaquarium.org/support-us/recovery-fund/

Taveta Golden Weavers

May 26, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 0 Comments

Taveta Golden Weavers – Rainforest Pyramid

A group of 22 Taveta Golden Weavers are the newest addition to the Rainforest Pyramid! This small, yellow bird is an African (Kenya and Tanzania) species of songbird that weaves oval shaped nests. The males are the nest builders and they usually are colonial nesters. Females pick a mate based on the male’s skill at weaving. The males are already making themselves at home and are working on more than 3 different nests at the moment. Make sure to look up and see if you can spot them next time you visit the Rainforest Pyramid!

SPONGEBOB SUBPANTS ADVENTURE OPENS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND IN GRAND STYLE!

May 18, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 0 Comments

Moody Gardens invites you to come help us celebrate the debut of the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure as it opens its doors to the public on May 23. Moody Gardens has planned a Memorial Day weekend full of fun and festive entertainment for the whole family to enjoy!

The free public activities are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 23 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 24 and 25 in the Discovery Pyramid Plaza and Herb Garden.

Activities include:

Meet and Greet with SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star and Sandy Cheeks (*Sandy only on Sunday)
Watch Nickelodeon illustrators create original SpongeBob SquarePants artwork. Those who visit the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure on May 23 will have the chance to win some of these one-of-a-kind drawings.
SpongeBob SquarePants-themed arts-and-crafts
Hourly performances from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 23 by Houston’s Sweft Dance Troupe as they show guests and Sandy Cheeks how to line dance to songs themed around Sandy’s home state of Texas.

The SpongeBob SubPants Adventure is a one-of-a-kind interactive experience that guests on a submarine voyage to explore the world of Bikini Bottom with the help of their captain, Patrick Star. Guests are able to have real-time conversations with Patrick and will help choose their path through the wild and silly deep-sea adventure for the whole family to enjoy only at Moody Gardens. Admission is $18.95 for adults and $16.95 for seniors and children. It is also included in a Moody Gardens Value Pass.

For more information, call (800) 582-4673 or visit www.moodygardens.org.

Celebrate Mother’s Day Weekend at Moody Gardens!

May 8, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 0 Comments

We’ve got a fun-filled Mother’s Day weekend ahead of us! Join us for any of the following events and activities:

FRIDAY – SUNDAY | Red Cat Jazz Festival:

Red Cat Jazz Preservation Society, Inc. presents the 5th annual Red Cat Jazz Festival at the Moody Gardens Hotel! There will be four days of non-stop live jazz concerts featuring a variety of local and international jazz artists. Invited guests include Grammy winner Kirk Whalum, Ronnie Laws, Rick Braun, Norman Brown, Mindi Abair, Peter White, Hiroshima, Jazz in Pink, Mike Phillips and a host of others.

The 2015 festival will feature the following:

Friday, May 8: Celebrity Golf Classic hosted by Mike Phillips at the Moody Gardens Golf Course, Veteran’s Luncheon, VIP All-White Attire Poolside Party and After Party
Saturday, May 9: Red Cat for Pink, Women Empowerment Conference, T.E.A.M. Scholarship Workshop and Live Jazz Concerts
Sunday, May 10: Red Cat Jazz Legends Awards Breakfast and Live Jazz Concerts

CLICK HERE for more information

SATURDAY | 9 A.M. | Birding 101

Presented by Moody Gardens® and Galveston Island Nature Tourism Council, Birding 101 is a series of free classes designed to educate and excite people about the tremendous variety of bird life routinely seen around Galveston Island. Classes are from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and meet at the Aquarium Pyramid lobby.

SATURDAY | 10 A.M. | Demo Day at the Moody Gardens Golf Course

Representatives from Titleist, Callaway and Ping will be at the Driving Range with all the latest technologies for you to try out! If you have been thinking about getting new clubs, or just curious about the new products available, this day is for you! For more information, contact PGA Professional, Rick Christ, at (409) 683-1201 or rchrist@moodygardens.org.

SUNDAY | 11 A.M. | Mother’s Day Buffets

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Treat mom to one of our special Mother’s Day Buffets this Sunday.

The Garden Restaurant will be serving a wide array of fruits, fresh greens, and scrumptious entrées like carved prime rib and hand-sliced Texas rope sausage from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A special dessert spread of cakes, cookies and pies will also be included. Buffet prices are $35.95 for adults, $25.95 for seniors, $15.95 for children ages 5-12 and free for children 4 and under. For the full menu, CLICK HERE.

The Moody Gardens Hotel is also hosting their decadent Mother’s Day Buffet! Enjoy complimentary Bloody Marys and Mimosas as well as smoked prime rib, carved yucatan grouper, herb roasted chicken and more! Prices for the Mother’s Day Buffet are $52.95 for adults, $42.95 for seniors, $24.95 for children 4-12, and children three and under are free. Seating times for the Mother’s Day Buffet are available every half hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For Buffet reservations call 409-683-4466. For the full menu, CLICK HERE.

SUNDAY | Mother’s Day Special at the Moody Garden’s Golf Course

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Moms play FREE at the Moody Gardens Golf Course on Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10) with a paid accompanying round! Limit one free green/cart fee round per paid green/cart fee. Call 409-683-4653 and mention this post to make a tee time.

SUNDAY | Last Day to Discover the Ice Age

Be sure to visit Discover the Ice Age in the Discovery Pyramid before it closes its doors on May 10! This is an exciting and educational exhibition that invites you to travel back in time to discover a frigid world, covered in ice and occupied by mammoths, saber-toothed cats, bears, gigantic birds, cave people and more. The exhibit features life-sized animatronic animals, real fossils, some of which can be touched by our guests, and cast skeletons set within elaborate Ice Age scenery.

NEW SPONGEBOB SUBPANTS ADVENTURE FEATURES NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN TECHNOLOGY

May 4, 2015 / Moody Gardens / 1 Comment

Always among the leaders in use of state-of-the-art technology, Moody Gardens is showcasing another first in entertainment with the opening of its new attraction, the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure.

Moody Gardens has partnered with Nickelodeon, Super 78 and SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment to create this innovative attraction opening in the Discovery Pyramid on May 23. Harnessing the power of modern computer technology and classic artistic techniques, a group of designers, engineers, fabricators and animators who are responsible for many of the world’s leading theme park attractions have come together to create the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure.

Guests will experience a whole new kind of submarine adventure as they take the “Le Plunger” into the hyper-real, life-sized world of Bikini Bottom which is viewed through a 30-foot wide observation window. Patrick Star and the rest of his animated underwater pals are seen on screen through 3D technology, as guests are able to have real-time conversations with him and help choose their path through the underwater adventure. To further immerse guests, four large viewing portholes bring the experience of the entire submarine to life.

To make this all possible, Super 78, an attraction design and production company, has provided their newest custom software and hardware for the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure named the Gepettoo^™. This Animation Control System allows a performer behind the scenes to control all aspects of the full-sensory experience on screen in front of audiences. The performer’s voice becomes an on-screen character, and he has an unlimited palette of animation options which brings the character to life. The performer also runs the lights, sounds, bubbles, and scents with the push of a button.

SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment created custom seats, designed and installed all theater systems and programmed special effects in new ways to enhance the adventure. They worked closely with Super 78 to integrate the virtual actor system into the overall attraction.

“This collaboration creates an emotionally engaging experience with innovative technology and definitely takes 4D storytelling to the next level,” said Mike Frueh, Senior Vice President, Licensing & Distribution at SimEx-Iwerks.

Also used in the design of this breakthrough attraction is Mushroom VR^™, a proprietary attraction design tool that utilizes the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset to pre-visualize the experience. It provides an accurate guest-experience assessment of all the attraction content, including 3D environments, media, scenic and show elements, making it seem as if you are submerged within Bikini Bottom.

“For the first time ever, the SpongeBob SubPants Adventure will allow guests to interact ‘live and in person’ with a 3D digital character, a major breakthrough in digital puppetry,” said Michael “Oz” Smith, Super 78’s Technical Director. “And because guests also help navigate the sub, choosing which direction the adventure takes, every voyage will be truly one-of-a-kind.”

This world-class technology immerses guests in a non-stop whirlwind of surprises with fun for the whole family to enjoy.

For more information, visit moodygardens.org/subpants

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