Mammal Meteorologist To Greet Zoo Visitors
the_ain...@yahoo.com
For Release: 05/22/2005
Visitors to the North Carolina Zoo this weekend (March 26-27) can meet
a celebrity of sorts when they get the opportunity to visit with
"Murphy," the zoo's groundhog weather forecaster.
Zoo educators will be in the park's North America Plaza both days
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. introducing visitors to Murphy and telling them
about groundhog folklore, hibernating animals and the ability some
animals have to sense dangerous weather.
Murphy came to the zoo's Schindler Wildlife Rehabilitation Center
about three years ago after a motorist found him injured by the side of
a highway. Those injuries, plus his fondness for humans, made it
impossible to release Murphy back into the wild, according to
Rehabilitation Center Supervisor Joan McMurray.
So Murphy became one of the Center's resident critters used by the
staff for educational programs. Shortly after his recovery, McMurray
said her staff noticed that each time snow or sleet was in the
forecast, Murphy would start padding his nest box with extra leaves
from his outdoor pen. The more "insulation" that Murphy packed into
his den, the worse the weather became.
According to McMurray, the zoo's mammal meteorologist has correctly
predicted the last 11 snow or ice events at the zoo-more accurately
than TV weather forecasters. Several stories done by area newspapers
and TV stations have made Murphy a local celebrity. He even has his own
page on the zoo's Web site (http://www.nczoo.org/murphy) where he
offers predictions of pending precipitation.
Murphy is also used in an annual Groundhog's Day ceremony at the
North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island where he predicts how much
longer winter will last. McMurray urges people to come out this weekend
to meet the four-legged forecaster and to learn more about groundhogs
and other hibernating critters.
The zoo is located on Zoo Parkway (N.C. 159) six miles southeast of
Asheboro off U.S. 220 and U.S. 64. Operating hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. Admission is $10 for adults, $6
for children ages 2-12 and $8 for senior citizens and college students.