Little Ponderosa, visitors celebrate tiger Gunther’s 16th
Gunther, the beloved tiger at the Little Ponderosa Zoo and Rescue in Dutch Valley, makes an appearance under the sign that was posted by zoo staff on Sunday to cele- brate his 16th birthday. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Gunther, of course, had no idea it was his birthday.
But he did seem to recognize that something special was going on when zookeepers let him into his outdoor enclosure around noon.
He immediately spotted some of the decorations and the new toys, and went straight to them.
Zoo staff said he particularly seemed to enjoy the paper streamers, which he promptly began batting down, and he obviously loved the large bowling-pin shaped toy that he could knock down and watch it right itself. He seemed right way to figure out how to get it to pop back up into a standing position when it failed to do so on its own.
He also checked out and laid down in front of a big paper sign declaring “Gunther’s 16th.”
Some of Gunther’s fans joined zoo staff in helping to celebrate his birthday, and he also seemed to be aware he had a special audience. He probably didn’t understand their singing of “Happy Birthday,” however.
Gunther arrived as a rescue at the zoo as a very young cub, said Mary Lou Redmond, the Little Ponderosa’s manager.
The Little Ponderosa is at 629 Granite Road, in the Dutch Valley community near Clinton.
Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
For more information about the zoo, call 865-457-5536, or visit the website littleponderosazoo.com.