Pygmy Loris Usurps Lion's Position And Becomes "Animal in Chief" At Philadelphia Zoo

By Bill I. Larson 

Philadelphia, PA - Tuesday, January 20, 2009 is a historic day in America. With all the votes counted and the results tallied the Philadelphia Zoo is proud to announce that the Zoo’s pygmy loris has been voted “Animal-in-Chief” and all-time favorite Zoo animal.

Beginning Election Day 2008 and ending today, January 20, 2009 (Inauguration Day), visitors to the Zoo’s website – www.philadelphiazoo.org - voted for their the top five favorite Zoo animals from over 50 animals in the Zoo’s collection (the Philadelphia Zoo’s list of top five animals is below): 

PHILADELPHIA ZOO TOP FIVE ANIMALS (in order of votes):

Pygmy loris (437 votes)
Vampire bat (394 votes)
Echidna (332 votes)
Meerkat (324 votes)
Pygmy marmoset (189 votes)

A total of 2,254 online votes were cast with animal residents of Small Mammal House collecting 55% of the total vote (despite comprising only 8% of the choices). Of the 50 animal choices, four never received a single vote (Rodrigues fruit bat, ruffed lemur, West African crown rail, white-handed gibbon) and 56% of the choices received less than 10 votes each. The top five listed above were the only ones that earned more than 100 votes each (the complete list of animal “candidates,” is below):

African lion
African wild dog
Alligator snapping turtle
American alligator
Amur tiger
Andean bear
Antelope
Asian rhino
Bald eagle
Blue-eyed lemur
Cheetah
Echidna
Emu
Flamingo
Gaboon viper
Galapagos tortoise
Gazelle
Giant river otter
Gila monster
Giraffe
Golden lion tamarin
Gorilla
Gray titi monkey
Green anaconda
Guinea baboon
Hippo
Jaguar
King cobra
Meerkat
Naked mole-rat
Orangutan
Penguin
Pied tamarin
Polar bear
Puma
Pygmy loris
Pygmy marmoset
Red panda
Ring-tailed lemur
Rodrigues fruit bat
Ruffed lemur
Sifaka
Snow leopard
Vampire bat
West African crown rail
White-handed gibbon
White rhino
White's tree frog
Zebra

All top five animals voted as “favorite Zoo animals” can be seen in the Philadelphia Zoo’s Small Mammal House, one of the many heated indoor buildings open to guests all year-round. Guests can also discover the Zoo’s other heated exhibits, including the Rare Animal Conservation Center, Reptile and Amphibian House and PECO Primate Reserve, while taking advantage of the colder temperatures with the Zoo’s “Pay the Weather” promotion.

Every Monday through Friday (excluding weekends and holidays) now through the end of February, the price to enter the Zoo will depend on the predicted high temperature for the day. For example, if the predicted high temperature is in the 30s all guests visiting America’s First Zoo will pay only $3.00, in the 40s guests pay $4.00 and in the 50s, $5.00. If the predicted high temperature is in the teens or below all guests pay only $1. Guests wishing to visit the Zoo to take advantage of the “PAY THE WEATHER” promotion must log on to the Zoo’s website – www.philadelphiazoo.org – to download the special “PAY THE WEATHER” coupon and present it to the Zoo’s main North Gate entrance box office.

About the Philadelphia Zoo:

Philadelphia Zoo, America's first zoo, is preparing to celebrate the 150th anniversary of its founding. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, the Zoo is currently home to over 1,300 animals from around the world, many rare and endangered. Welcoming more than one million visitors each year from throughout the region and beyond, the Zoo serves children and families as a unique and engaging public resource for wildlife conservation and education. The Philadelphia Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. For more information, including 150th Anniversary Fun Facts updated daily, or to purchase and print tickets online, visit www.philadelphiazoo.org.