Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens Honored With Top National Award

CONTACT: Jane Ballentine, (301)562-0777 x252

NEW ORLEANS 22 September 2004 — The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) today honored the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden with the Edward H. Bean Award for the Long-term Propagation, Captive Management and Biology of the Spiny Lobster Katydid (Panoploscelis specularis). Zoo officials accepted the award at the AZA's 80th Annual Conference, meeting here this week.

The Spiny lobster katydid is an exceptional and intriguing member of the katydid family. It is a giant insect, flightless and nearly wingless, unlike most katydids which are functionally winged. Both males and females call for mates, a behavior almost exclusively limited to male katydids. And it is an eating machine, feeding on almost anything organic.

The Cincinnati Zoo was the first institution to breed this animal in captivity and the first to publicly display it. And prior to our field and laboratory research, very little was understood about the natural history of this impressive tropical insect.

Each year, AZA presents the Bean Award in recognition of efforts by its member institutions in the long-term captive management and husbandry of various animal species. The Bean Award was established in 1956, honoring Edward H. Bean, the first director of the Brookfield Zoo, Chicago, Illinois.

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association was founded in 1924 and currently represents 212 accredited zoos and aquariums in North America. AZA's mission is to support membership excellence in conservation, education, science and recreation.

For more information contact Barbara Rish, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden at 513-281-4700, ext 7724 or Barb.Rish@CincinnatiZoo.org.