Vol. 34

ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM. 3601 S.W. 29th St., Suite 133, Topeka, KS 66614-2054
Phone: (785) 273-9149 FAX (785) 273-1980

September 2007
Vol. 34, No. 9

AKF Managing Editor: Susan D. Chan • Associate Editors • Kayla Grams, Lovell, WY; Mark de Denus,
Winnipeg, MB; Jolene Hamrick, Tucson, AZ • Enrichment Options Coordinator: Rachel Daneault, Disney’s
Animal Kingdom • Legislative/Conservation Outlook Column Co-Coordinators: Becky Richendollar, North
Carolina Zoo and Greg McKinney, Philadelphia, PA • Reactions Column Coordinator: William K. Baker, Jr.,
Little Rock Zoo. Proofreader: Barbara Manspeaker, AAZK Administrative Office.

Animal Keepers’ Forum is published monthly by the American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc., 3601 S.W. 29th
Street, Suite 133, Topeka, KS 66614-2054. Ten dollars of each membership fee goes toward the annual publication
costs of Animal Keepers’ Forum . Postage paid at Topeka, KS.

AAZK Executive Director: Ed Hansen, AAZK, Inc., Topeka KS

also serves as AAZK Liaison to the American Zoo & Aquarium Association (AZA)

AAZK Administrative Secretary: Barbara Manspeaker, AAZK, Inc., Topeka, KS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Denise Wagner, The Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, AZ 85008
Shane Good, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland, OH 44109
Jacque Blessington, Kansas City Zoological Gardens, Kansas City, MO 64132-4200
Norah Farnham, Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, WA 98103-5858
Bob Cisneros, San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA 92 1 1 2-055 1

President
Vice President

COMMITTEES/COORDINATORS

By-laws

Chair - Gisela A. Wiggins, North Carolina Zoo
Grants Committee
Chair - Shelly Roach, Columbus Zoo
Enrichment Committee
Co-Chairs - Dawn Neptune, Utah’s Hogle Zoo
and Amy Burgess, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Annual Conferences
Coordinator - Ed Hansen, AAZK, Inc.

Professional Development

Chair - Tammy Schmidt, Peoria Zoo

International Outreach

VACANT

Interim Contact - Shane Good, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

APT. EDT and ATP Forms
AAZK Administrative Offices/Topeka
AAZK Website - Liaison to Webmaster
Denise Wagner, The Phoenix Zoo and
Kevin Shelton, Tampa, FL

Ethics

Chair - Shane Good, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Awards

Chair - Janet McCoy, The Oregon Zoo
Marketing Resources

Chair - Kristen Wolfe, Disney’ s Animal Kingdom
Animal Training Committee
Co-Chairs - Angela Binney, Disney’s Animal
Kingdom & Kim Kezer, Zoo New England
Bowling for Rhinos -
Coordinator - Patty Pearthree, Cary, NC
ICZ Coordinators

Shane Good, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and
Norah Farnham, Woodland Park Zoo

AAZK Historian

Mark Levin, Plymouth Meeting, PA
AAZK Publications/Logo Products

AAZK Administrative Offices/Topeka

AAZK PUBLICATIONS - CONTINUING DATA COLLECTION

Resources for Crisis Management in Zoos & Other Animal Care Facilities, Vol. 2 - Susan D. Chan, Topeka, KS;
William K. Baker, Little Rock Zoo, AR; Diana Guerrero, ArkAnimals, Big Bear Lake, CA

^ printed on Recycled Paper

Table of Contents

About the Cover/Information for Contributors......................................................... ............366

Scoops & Scuttlebutt 367 - 368

Dive Into Something Wild! Conference 2007 Update... 368

Coming Events ..369

From the President.......................... .....370

Rhino AI Update from Cincinnati......... ......372

AAZK Announces New Members 373

Dedicated Issues Sale - Info and Order Form 374

Keeper Profiles DVD Available - Info and Order Form 376 - 377

Panda Footnotes 378

Book Reviews {Herpetological History of the Zoo and Aquarium World; The New
Encyclopedia of Snakes; Crocodiles: Inside and Out; Death Roll; and

Kathryn and the Runaway Zoo) 380 - 382

Reactions {Improving Communication) 383 - 387

Methods of Recognizing and Recuperating an Underweight, Weaning Juvenile

Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla)....... ..388 - 392

Enrichment Options {Making Useful Spaces Out of Little Places)..... 393 - 394

Chapter News Notes......... 395 - 397

Voluntary Blood Collection from a King Penguin

{Aptenodytes patagonica) at Lincoln Park Zoo .398 - 400

AAZK Announces New Positions and Opportunities for Involvement......... 401 - 402

Conservation/Legislative Update 403 - 408

33rd Anniversary - 1974 - 2007

>

^6out the Cover

This month ’s cover features the Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) drawn by Kate Woodle, Exhibits Artist at the
Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnett Park, Syracuse, NY Native to South and Central America, ocelots
occasionally range as far north as the southwest United States. Though numbers in the wild are slowly
increasing, ocelots are endangered due to over-hunting for their fur. An excellent hunter, the ocelot
primarily hunts small rodents and also will take small deer, armadillos, reptiles and other small animals.
Though it can climb trees and even swim well, the ocelot spends most of its time hunting on the ground, as
long as the habitat provides thick plant cover and abundant prey. Decorated with dark splotches and
stripes, its golden coat blends with the foliage, hiding it from its prey. Like most other small cats, the
ocelot is a nocturnal hunter. With whiskers, large ears and eyesight six times better than a human's, the
ocelot has no trouble tracking down prey as it patrols the forest floor at night. Litter size for this species
is 1 or 2 kittens following a gestation periof of 70-82 days. Rosamond Gifford Zoo exhibits a mother-
daughter pair, 12-year-old Shy and seven-year-old Lisa that came from the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical
Garden in Ohio. The Ocelot Exhibit opened to the public on June 22, 2007 and features a rock wall,
waterfall and beautifully painted background. The lighting was carefully done to give the appearance of
moonlight. Thanks, Kate!

Call for Caver Art

We are currently seeking cover art for use on Animal Keepers’ Forum. Artists are encouraged to
submit their artwork for consideration. Cover subjects include all species of animals and also art of
keepers working with their animals. Clean, crisp artwork, such as that done in pen and ink, reproduces
best in AKF, but other mediums, such as pencil, may also be considered. Submission of artwork
does not guarantee that it will be selected for an AKF cover. Artists should send a brief natural
history piece to accompany their artwork. If the animal subject is an animal from their zoo, artists
are encouraged to include info about that particular animal such as house name, breeding history,
etc. Artists should include their name, title and facility as well as their preferred mailing address.
Artwork may be submitted in hardcopy to Susan Chan at the address on the cover of this publication.
Or artwork may be sent as jpg or tif file attachments to the editor’s email:
akfeditor@zk.kscoxmail.com< If the artist wishes hardcopy artwork returned, they should include
a self-addressed, appropriately-sized envelope when submitting.

Articles sent to Animal Keepers ’Forum will be reviewed by the editorial staff for publication. Articles of a
research or technical nature will be submitted to one or more of the zoo professionals who serve as referees
for AKF. No commitment is made to the author, but an effort will be made to publish articles as soon as
possible. Lengthy articles may be separated into monthly installments at the discretion of the editor. The
editor reserves the right to edit material without consultation unless approval is requested in writing by the
author. Materials submitted will not be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed,
appropriately-sized envelope. Telephone, fax or email contributions of late-breaking news or last-minute
insertions are accepted as space allows. Phone 785-273-9149; FAX (785) 273-1980; email is
akfeditor@zk.kscoxmail.com<

Deadline for each regular issue is the 10th of the preceding month.

Dedicated issues may have separate deadline dates and will be noted by the editor.

Articles printed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the AKF staff or the American Association of Zoo
Keepers, Inc. Publication does not indicate endorsement by the Association.

Items in this publication may be reprinted providing credit to this publication is given and a copy of the
reprinted material is forwarded to the editor. If an article is shown to be separately copyrighted by the
author(s), then permission must be sought from the author(s). Reprints of material appearing in this journal
may be ordered from the editor. Back issues are available for $4.00 each. Special issues may cost more.

E-Mail Addresses: You may reach Barbara Manspeaker at AAZK Administrative Offices at:
aazkoffice@zk.kscoxmail.com< You may reach Susan Chan and Animal Keepers’ Forum at:
akfeditor@zk.kscoxmail.com<

AAZK website Address: www.aazk.org
BFR Website: http://aazkbfr.org

366 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34, No. 9

Scoops & Scuttlebutt

AAZK Thanks Chapters for Holding Fundraisers

The AAZK Board of Directors and AO staff wish to thank the following Chapters
who elected as their duty obligation during the recharter process to hold a fundraisei
during 2007 for the Association: Louisville, Kansas City Zoo, North Carolina, Jackson, Toledo,
Greater Philadelphia, Greater Orlando and South Florida. Funds raised from events as diverse as a
Book Sale to a Dog Wash qualify these Chapters for Bronze donation category. The Kansas City
chapter elected to fund one of AAZK’s committees for the year.

AAZK, Inc. would also like to thank longtime member Alice (Miser) Schellenberger, Ochsner Park
Zoo, Baraboo, WI, for her personal donation of $160.00 to the Association. While a Keeper and
Area Supervisor at the Topeka Zoo, Alice also worked on AKF as an associate editor and proofreader.

Rhino Website Launched

The ALL NEW Rhino Resource Center website was launched on 30 May 2007. It has over 1 1,000
references with notes attached, over 2500 items as PDF, over 600 images, links and a Message
Board. All rhino enthusiasts are encouraged to sign up at www.rhinoresourcecenter.com

Keepers are also encouraged to send photos of rhinos (captive or wild) to be added to the The Image
Board of the website. Photos should be sent in jpg format.

The Abstracts of talks presented at the Rhino May Day in London in May 2007 are available on the
“What’s New” page of the RRC website at this link: http://www.rhinoresourcecenter.com/index.php?
s=l&act=about&CODE=page&id=7

From: Dr. Kees Rookmaaker, Rhino Resource Center, rhino@rookmaaker.freeserve.co.uk
www.rhinoresourcecenter.com Sponsored by International Rhino Foundation - www.rhinos-irf.org
and SOS Rhino - www.sosrhino.org “Facilitating Communication Across Disciplines and Across
Continents”

Trial Access to Applied Herpetology Now Available

The journal. Applied Herpetology, can be accessed gratis until 15 October 2007. Visit the web
address at:

Instructions for accessing articles are:

Use the following User Name and Password:

User Name: aphe_trial
Password: aphe_trial

Go to the issue or article of your choice and make sure to fill in the user name and password (shown
above) in the “sign in” section on the right-hand side of the page.

CNAH PDF Library_AY3ilablc for Downloads

The Center for North American Heipetology is pleased to announee that over 630 titles from numerous
journals and periodicals are now available as gratis downloads from the CNAH PDF Library. The
list is searchable by author, year date, journal, and subject. Users can read a title using Adobe
Acrobat Reader or download it for printing using Adobe Acrobat. This permits herpetologists to
download and print only those titles of specific interest to them. We encourage authors to continue
to add their titles that deal with the North American (north of Mexico) herpetofauna; any appropriate

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol 34 No. 9 367

herpetological titles dealing with higher level (family to phylum) taxonomy are also aeeeptable
regardless of geographic coverage. CNAH continues to make available gratis this academic service
to herpetologists for the first time in the history of our profession.

The CNAH PDF Library can be accessed at http://www.cnah.org/cnah_pdfasp For more information,
contact: Joseph T. Collins, Director, at jcollins@ku.edu

Training Blog Initiated

Meg Dye of Animal Management Resources, Inc. has notified AAZK that they are starting a new
portion of their website that is for blogging about animal training. It is set up so that anyone can
share their experiences, challenges and words of wisdom with other trainers. In order to blog, each
user will initially submit a contact form with their name and email and they will issued a user ID and
password.

If you or someone you know would like to write about their training please feel free to log on to to
http://www.animaltrainingblog.com/> It can be about anything related to training... a personal account
of your training, a training-related video you saw and would like to share (Meg will be putting one
on about the clicker trained land mine detecting rats), how you overcame a particular challenge,
consultation work you have done, training for research projects, applying training outside of the
zoo/aquarium community, etc.

In addition, they are adding a gallery of training photos. If you have any training pictures you would
like to share, please send them our way! (The current pictures of the park are place holders as we get
our pictures together)

The direct url to the blogging site is www.animaltrainingblog.com < There will eventually be a link
on the training store as well. We will be sending out a newsletter that announces the site in about one
month. Until then, I am planning on finishing the development of the site and learning how to
manage that new site. —Meg Dye

Dive Into something WILD! Where will you
be from 30 September to 4 October, 2007?
Tell the supervisors you'll be sunning in
Galveston. ..or attending the most awesome
AAZK National Conference ever. And If you
haven't made plans to attend, you've still
got time to register and find a way to get
here. We look forward to seeing everyone
for an unforgettable conference!

For the Continental airlines discount you will need TWO codes- ZVD6
BLE35R. We recently found out about the code and apologize for any
inconvenience during the booking process. Don't forget there are TWO
airports In Houston- HOU (45 min away) and lAH (90 min away).

Final reminders- don't forget to bring those Silent Auction Items and photos
of past AAZK memorabilia to celebrate AAZK's 40^^ birthday! Questions?
■Con.ference@gcaazk.Qrg or 800/582.4673 x4105.

368 Animat Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

Coming Events

27th Annual Association of Zoo Veterinary

Technicians Conference - 7-11 September 2007 in
Honolulu, HI at the Honolulu Zoo. If you would like
more information please visit www.azvt.org or contact
Lynne Nakamitsu at lnakamitsu@honolulu.gov

IV International Symposium on Breeding Birds in

Captivity - 12-16 September 2007 at Doubletree
International Plaza, Toronto, Ont., Canada. For more
information please visit http://www.isbbc.org/

7-8

December 2007. Held at The North Carolina State
University College of Veterinary Medicine. This
symnposium is for professional nutritionists,
researchers and veterinarians working with zoo
animals; interested students. First day focus will be
on reptile and amphibian nutrition; second day will
encompass nutrition talks from all comparative
nutrition areas. For symposium details see
www.cvm.ncsu.edu/conted/zoonutrition/

2007 in St. Louis, MO. Hosted by the Saint Louis Zoo
Docents. Conferecne capacity is 700 people. For
more infromation contact Louise Rovak,
lrovak@sbcglobal.net or see http://www.stlzQQ.Qrg/
educatiQn/zoQdocents/2007azadcQnferccne/

2008 Gorilla Workshop - 23-27 January 2008 -
Hosted by Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Brevard
Zoo in Orlando, FL. For more information see
2QQ8GQrilIa.WQrkshQp.CQm, or call Beth Armstrong at
(614) 506-7368 or Rachel Daneault at (407) 938-2337.

AAZK National Conference - 30 September - 4
October, 2007 - at Moody Gardens in Galveston, TX.
Hosted by the Galveston AAZK Chapter. For more info
see the yellow insert in this issue of AKF or visit the
Chapter’s website at www.gcaazk.org/

28th Annual Elephant Managers Association

Conference - 14-16 October 2007 - hosted by the
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Cincinnati, Ohio.
An optional pre-conference trip on October 13th to
the Indianapolis Zoo is also available, as well as a post-
conference trip on October 17th to the Louisville Zoo.
The conference Icebreaker will be held the evening of
October 13th. For more information visit <http://
www.elephant-managers.com/> or call the elephant
department at the Cincinnati Zoo at (513)281-4700
ex. 8360.

Call for Papers - Abstracts should be brief and include
a description of the methods, results and conclusions
of the presentation, where appropriate. This year, the
first five presenters to have their abstracts approved
will also have their conference registration fees waived.
In order to have their registration waived, the presenter
must be a member of EMA. Only one registration fee
waiver will be granted per presentation. Once the five
registration fee waivers have been granted, submitters
will be notified that registration fee waivers are no
longer available when their abstracts are received.
Please send electronic copies of abstracts to
riciiard..heithausj@ciacinnatizQQ.org

*^Jiusbandry Workshop - 16-18
October 2007 - Hosted by the Brookfield Zoo in
Chicago, IL. This husbandry workshop will focus on
the care and management of the orangutan in a
zoological setting. Topics will include environmental
enrichment, positive reinforcement training, nutrition,
medical management, introductions, birth
management, public education, conservation and
general orangutan management. Workshop registration
fee ($85) covers most meals including a mixer and a
banquet. Additional information including a
registration form, travel information and an abstract
submission form is available by contacting Carol
Sodaro, Orangutan SSP Husbandry Advisor at
casodaro@brookfieldzoo.org

3*^ Annual Aquatic Medicine Seminar - 22-24
February 2008 - Hosted by Shark Reef at Mandalay
Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The program
consists of two full days of lecture on a wide range of
aquatic animal health and medicine topics with an
emphasis one elasmobranchs. In addition, there is a
“wet lab” on day three that provides a “hands-on”
learning experience. For additional information please
contact Jack Jewell at (9702) 632-4560 or
emaiP’jj e wel l@mandalay bay. com<

International Primatological Society XXII

Congress - 3-8 August 2008 - to be held in Edinburgh,
Scotland. Online registration is now available at
.ips2008. co.uk/Registrati on.html to register to attend
this exciting congress.

Seventh International Aquarium Congress - 19-24
October 2008 -to be held in Shanghai, China. The
theme is-“Progress & Conservation: The Role of
Aquariums in Protecting the Aquatic Environment”.
For further information, please contact the lAC
Secretariat Office: email” — Secretariat@iac2008.cn/
Phone: 86-21-54065152; Fax 86-21-54065150. See
the conference website at www.iac2008.cn

IAC2008

SHANGHAI ±M

Post Your Coming Events Here
.email to: akfeditor@zk.kscoxmaiLcom

Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 369

rom

G

PGSiaGn

Bowling for Rhinos is AAZK’s biggest conservation effort. There
are a number of people who are the true heroes in making
AAZK’s “Bowling For Rhinos-sponsored by Blue Rhino®”
successful. Year after year, they tirelessly organize their event
with little recognition. Their reward is knowing that they are
helping to conserve wildlife worldwide.

AMERICAN

ASSOCIATION

Now AAZK, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Anna Merz would
like to recognize these dedicated members by rewarding them
with a chance to see firsthand the results of their dedication.
Anna Merz has offered to host an individual and a companion,
if they wish, for one week at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in
Kenya. The winner’s expenses would be paid and the companion would need to be able to stay in
the same room as the winner. The companion would need to pay travel expenses. Travel would
occur in October.

of ZOO KEEPERS

Winners must be AAZK members in good standing. These trips will be awarded on an “as warranted”
basis by the Board of Directors.

Rules for Honorary Bowling For Rhinos Trip Winner:

• Travel will occur the following year in October. This coincides with Anna Merz’s trip to Lewa for
the fall Lewa Board meeting.

• Anna will “host” the trip winner which entails paying all their expenses at Lewa (except souvenirs
& tips) for one week.

• The cost for the trip winner’s plane fare, transport cost & hotel in Nairobi (roughly $2,000-$2,250)
will be covered by Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. AAZK Inc. will hold back $2,250 from the total
BFR amount sent to Lewa in order to cover these costs.

• Recommendations for trip winners will be made by Patty Pearthree to the AAZK BOD. Patty may
solicit recommendations from AAZK members in case there are deserving members of which she is
unaware.

• Winner will sign a “holds harmless” waiver for AAZK, Inc. prior to travel.

Virgil Baird is the first recipient of this trip. Virgil has organized the Toledo Zoo’s Bowling for
Rhinos events since 1990 and has raised nearly $50,000 for conservation worldwide. His tireless
efforts have not gone unnoticed in the conservation field, and so it is with great pride that I announce
that Virgil is being awarded a free one-week trip to visit Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya in
October, 2008. He and a companion will be hosted by Anna Merz on
their one-week adventure to be firsthand observers of the wildlife that
benefits from Virgil’s hard work and dedication. Congratulations, Virgil,
for a job well done year after year.

Denise Wagner v

President, AAZK Inc.

370 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

How do you formulate life-saving
milk replacers to meet each species’
special nutritional needs?

The answer — Milk Matrix from
Zoologic® Nutritional Components.

Milk Matrix is a line of 7 milk replacers
that can be used alone or blended to
closely simulate the protein, fat, and
carbohydrate content of the milk
you’re substituting.

With the Zoologic Milk Matrix
System you get complete easy -to -read
milk matrix formulations, nutritional
analyses, species specific data sheets
and exact mixing instructions.
Everything you need for optimal health.
Find out more about the Milk Matrix
system. Call 1-800-323-0877 and make
saving lives a little easier to handle.

Because
saving
lives can
be a bear.

nutritional components

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 371

Rhino AI Update from Cincinnati.

In the May, 2007 issue of Animal Keeper ’s Forum (vol. 34, no. 5) the article entitled, “Greater One-
Homed Rhinoceros {Rhinoceros unicornis) Artificial Insemination Program . . . From a keeper’s
perspective” was published.

As a follow-up to this article, the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is pleased to announce the
first, successful conception via artificial insemination in this rhinoceros species. The insemination
procedure took place in August, 2006 and since fertilization we have monitored implantation, embryo
development and subsequent formation of fetus. We continue to monitor and document fetal growth
and development so it will benefit other institutions who are attempting to unravel the reproductive

mysteries of this endangered species. Wendy Shaffstall

Senior Ungulate Keeper
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

372 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

AAZK Announces
New Members

Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, Gulf Shores, AL
Parri Hall, Director

Heather Tassler, Bronx Zoo (NY); Leslie Steele,
Prospect Park Zoo (NY); Jessica Nelson, National
Aquarium in Baltimore (MD); Christie Saunders,
Mill Mountain Zoo (VA); David Wallace, Natural
Science Center (NC); Stacy M. Spurlock and Kathy
Drissers, Busch Gardens/Tampa (FL); Sarah
McGann, Birmingham (AL); Kathleen Gregory,
Nashville Zoo at Grassmere (TN); Christine
Blondeau, Memphis Zoo (TN); Simira Nazir,
Jackson Zoological Park (MS); Donnalynn Laver,
Isaiah’s Wings Sanctuary (OH); Natalie Siek,
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (OH); Jessica Addams,
no zoo listed, (IN); D. Brett Kipley, Detroit
Zoological Society (MI); Jennifer Mullen, Binder
Park Zoo (MI); Amber Dunaway, Minnesota Zoo
(MN); Aimee Faller, Brookfield Zoo (IL); Ryan
Kirkland, Scovill Zoo (IL); Tracy Hoorman, St.
Louis Zoo (MO); Liberty Roselind and Hilary
Scheinuk, Audubon Nature Institute (LA);
Stephanie Marsheck, Tulsa Zoo & Living Museum
(OK); Ashley Wisniewski, Fossil Rim Wildlife
Center (TX); Sara J. Stuart, Sharkarosa Wildlife
Ranch (TX); Jessica Ruiz, International Exotic
Feline Sanctuary (TX); Kate Lyngle-Cowand, no
zoo listed (UT); Kim Sorensen, Utah’s Hogle Zoo

(UT) ; Lanny Brown, Phoenix Zoo (AZ); Danielle
Fogel, Dean Lofgren, Joshua Sisk, Valentina
Renzetti, Alexia Higgins and Shirley Richardson,
Los Angeles Zoo (CA); Nicole Johnson, San Diego
Zoo (CA); Jeanne Hale and Hilary Maag, San
Francisco Zoo (CA); Benjamin Colteaux,
WildCare (CA); Kristi Wheeler, The High Desert
Museum (CA); Hugh Bailey, Woodland Park Zoo

(WA) ; Paul Woerner, no zoo listed, (Ontario,
Canada); Sonya Dittkrist, High Park Zoo
(Ontario, Canada); Heidi Ollek, Toronto Zoo
(Ontario, Canada); A. Dionne Wilde, Assiniboine
Park Zoo (Manitoba, Canada).

Renewing Contributing Members

Joan Diebold, Keeper
Franklin Park Zoo, Boston, MA

Vernon N. Kisling, Jr.

High Springs, FL

New Contributing Members

Jennifer Timmel
Kissimmee, FL

Renewing Institutional Members

Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Washington, DC
John Berry, Director

Busch Gardens, Tampa, FL
Glenn Young, VP. Zoological Operations

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, PowelfOH
Dusty Lombardi, Director of Living Collections

Cosley Zoo, Wheaton, IL
Susan Wahlgren, Director

Hillcrest Park Zoo, Clovis, NM
Herschel Arnold, Director

The Animal Guys, Inc., Altadena, CA

New Institutional Members

Peace River Refuge & Ranch, Zolfo Springs, FL

Scovill Zoo, Decatur, IL

The Alexandria Zoo, Alexandria, LA
Leslie Whitt, Director

Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary, Prescott, AZ
Pam McLaren, Executive Director

Oak Tree Village & Animal Park, Yucaipa, CA
Ronald G. Huston, Ph.D., Director

Cougar Mountain Zoo, Issaquah, WA

New & Renewing Commercial Members

Premium Nutritional Products, Mission, KS
David R. Morris, President (renewing)

Reliable Protein Products, Phoenix, AZ (new)

THE

GOURMET
RODENT,
INC.“

i^S AND MICE

Bill & Marcia Brant

12921 SW 1st Rd., Ste 107,

PBM #434
Jonesville, FL 32669

(352) 495-9024
Fax: (352) 495-9781
e-mail: GrmtRodent@aol.com

®AII Rights reserved

Animal Keepers' Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 373

DEDICATED ISSUES SALE !

We’re cleaning house as we are running out of storage space at the Administrative Office. So we are
pleased to offer a special twin-pack of dedicated issues that have been published by AAZK, Inc. If
you missed these special issues or are a new AAZK member, now is your opportunity to pick up a
wealth of information for a minimal price.

iiklliMMiplRr

F 0 rt \J TS/l

The Special Issue on Bat Husbandry and
Conservation was published in

ANIRUl KEEPERS'

0 u IVl

December of 2001 and contains 18

CoiLstrvHiloM

papers on various aspects of bat

husbandry, enrichment and conservation

status in the wild. 70 pgs

The Special issue on Cheetahs was

published in July/ August 2005 and

contains 3 1 articles dealing with a broad

range of topics from captive husbandry

to hand-rearing to breeding to

.**/•»-« lut Jx.sne oti t hfctnh

UMCMton g9 to* KcbutrL Me

DECUUEB 21101

conservation in the wild and field
research. 124 pgs.

nHv/ASMarzoiKi

Please fill out the order form below to receive this twin-pack of dedicated TKF 5. Mail the order form,
along with check made out to AAZK or credit card information to: Dedicated Issues, AAZK,Inc. 3601
SW 29th St., Suite 133, Topeka, KS 66614-2054. Or you may call (785) 273-9149 to purchase using
a Mastercard or Visa.

Twin-Pack Order Form

Please send twin-pack(s) @ $ 1 5.00 each

(U.S. domestic price includes Library Rate Postage)

Canadian orders add $3.00 Air Mail shipping

Overseas orders add $8.00 Air Mail shipping

Mail to (please print clearly)'.

Name:

Address: City:

State/Province: Zip/Postal Code: Country:

Check Enclosed Please charge my credit card (please circle) Mastercard Visa

Credit Card #’s: - - - Exp. Date

Name on card (please print clearly)

Signature:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ORDER

374 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

$.

S.

s.

Total $

^ I i

0 (I i ? S 4^1 0 (I ¥ i H S i 4 S)

Working in partnership with zoos
and aqtEarmms, MAZURF PhD
nutritionists develop industry
leading products specifically for
each species. From aardvarks
to zebras, we work hard to give
your animals the most of what
they need.

For more information on
MAZURF products-including
nutritional analyses and research
findings-visit www.mazuri.com

or call 1-800-227-8941 for the
location of your nearest dealer.
Because when it comes to great
nutrition, we’re committed to
the health and longevity of
every animal.

The Erotic Animal Reding Resource

www.mazuri.com

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 375

M-

f i» ffc«

p«¥^«i: and
wwnMimfxtm '0M

You've heard about it!

You've been looking for it!
Here it is!

Keeper Profiles - The hilarious bVD that combines the original
film clips that dissect the personalities of your fellow keepers,
with outtakes and other footage. Produced by the Southern
Ontario AAZK Chapter, all profits from the sale of the [5VD go to
support AAZK.

$15.00 US and Canada
(includes shipping and handling)

$17.00 International
(includes shipping and handling)

Use the Order Form or order from the
AAZK website at www.aazk.org

376 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

KEEPER PROFILES ORDER FORM

Please send copies of Keeper Profiles DVD

U.S. and Canadian Orders $15.00 each

International Orders $17.00 each

Total

Mail to (please print clearly)-

Name:

Address:

City:

State/Province: Zip/Postal Code:,

Country:

Email Address:

Check Enclosed

Please charge my credit card (please circle) Mastercard Visa

Credit Card #'s: - - -

Exp. Date /

Name on card (please print clearly)

Signature

$,

$,

$.

THANK you FOR YOUR ORDER I

Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol 34 No. 9 377

pQfido foolnole/

SAN DIEGO — A giant panda at the San Diego Zoo is pregnant and a birth is expected sometime
next month. Bai Yun was placed on a 24-hour “birth watch” after veterinarians observed a fetus and
fetal heartbeat through ultrasound images taken on July 18, according to officials with the San
Diego Zoo. Members of the zoo’s giant panda conservation unit did not announce the news until
additional ultrasound images confirmed that the fetus was developing normally, according to the
zoo. Veterinarians believe Bai Yun conceived about 7-8 weeks ago.

“There is currently no hormone test to confirm pregnancy in giant pandas,” said Meg Sutherland-
Smith, a zoo veterinarian. “We use ultrasound technology to determine if Bai Yun is pregnant,” she
said. “We have been able to confirm pregnancy and monitor fetal development using this equipment
during her previous pregnancies at the San Diego Zoo.”

It was not disclosed who the father was, but zoo officials reported in April that Bai Yun and Gao Gao
had mated several times. Bai Yun has remained in an off-exhibit habitat where she has slowly been
showing signs of a pregnancy, including changes in her hormone levels, nest building and loss of
appetite, zoo officials said. Most recently, Bai Yun’s mammary glands have swollen and she is
almost exclusively spending her time indoors, according to the zoo.

The 16-year-old panda has given birth three times in the past. Her first cub, Hua Mei, was bom at
the San Diego Zoo in 1999, becoming the first giant panda that was bom in the United States to
survive. Hua Mei was later sent to China where she gave birth to three sets of twins.

Bai Yun’s second cub, a male named Mei Sheng, was bom in 2003 and is slated to be sent to China
in October, zoo officials said. Her third cub, Su Lin, was bom in 2005. Both Mei Sheng and Su Lin
were sired by Gao Gao. Source: CityWire.com 7-31-07

BEIJING, China — A panda once believed to be male and sent to Japan to breed with a female
without success gave birth to twin cubs this week, state media reported. The panda, “Jinzhu”, gave
birth to two female cubs on August 6th at the Wolong Nature Reserve in the mountainous southwestern
province of Sichuan, 1 1 years after being declared male at birth in 1996, Xinhua news agency said.
An estimated 1,600 wild pandas live in nature reserves in China’s Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi
provinces.

“Jinzhu was believed to be male owing to her inconspicuous secondary sex characteristic and
behavior,” the agency quoted Wei Rongping, assistant director of the reserve’s research center, as
saying. Jinzhu was sent to Japan in 2000 to mate with a female, the report said.

“When the pandas showed complete disinterest, experts decided to turn to artificial insemination,
leading to the discovery that Jinzhu had no penis,” it added.

Jinzhu was sent back to China in 2002, with experts arguing the
panda was either a hermaphrodite or had “undeveloped” sexual
organs.

“The penis of an adult panda is only about three centimeters
(1.2 inches) long,” Xinhua quoted Li Deshen, a panda expert,
as saying, as a possible reason for the mix-up.

It was not until 2005 that scientists discovered nine-year-old Jinzhu’s
ovaries were positioned in the wrong place, and gave her a two-hour
operation to make her a “normal girl”, Xinhua said.

Jinzhu subsequently mated with a male in March 2007 and gave birth
142 days later, Xinhua said.

The giant panda is one of the world’s most endangered species and
found only in China. An estimated 1,600 wild pandas live in
^ nature reserves in China’s Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi
provinces. 5'owrce.- Reuters via CNN.com 8-9-07

378 Animal Keepers' Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

NOW AVAILABLE

KRIEGER PUBLISHING COMPANY

RO. Box 9542 • Melbourne, Florida 32902
Phone: (321 ) 724-9542 • Fax: (321 ) 951-3671
www.krieger-publishing.com

Herpetological History of the
Zoo and Aquarium World
James B. Murphy

Foreword by Roger Conant
Orig. Ed. 2007 344 pp.

ISBN 1-57524-285-0 $79.50

In this book, James Murphy follows the
changes in zoo and aquarium communi-
ties by looking at the development and
expansion of the discipline, the evolution
of ideas which led to greater conservation
awareness and activity, vignettes of inter-
esting historical moments, and pioneers
in zoo herpetology. Portraits of a selected
number of zoos and aquariums through-
out the world are presented to show the
chronology of herpetological discovery,
people who worked at those places, and
the breadth of the programs that were put
in place.

Homalopsid Snakes,
Evolution in the Mud
John C. Murphy

Orig. Ed. 2007 260 pp.

ISBN 1-57524-259-1 $68.50

Homalopsid snakes are aquatic rear-
fanged snakes that inhabit freshwater,
brackish water, and marine environments
from Pakistan’s Indus River eastward to
Queensland, Australia. Homalopsid
Snakes: Evolution in the Mud is the only
available book on these aquatic reptiles
and the first comprehensive review of the
group in 35 years. It contains species ac-
counts, summaries of the author’s field
work, and photographs of the snakes and
their morphology which can only be found
in this book.

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 379

Herpetological History of the Zoo and Aquarium World

Murphy James B., Orig. Ed 2007

Krieger Publishing Company, R O. Box 9542 Melbourne, FL 32902-9542
http://wwww.krieger-publishing.com

ISBN: 1-57524-285-0
Cloth/Paper 344pps. Price: $79.50

In this elegant volume, Jim Murphy follows the changes in zoo and aquarium communities by
looking at the development and expansion of the discipline of herpetoculture, the evolution of ideas
which led to greater conservation awareness and activity, vignettes of interesting historical moments,
and pioneers in zoo herpetoculture. Portraits of a selected number of zoos and aquariums throughout
the world are presented to show the chronology of herpetocultural discovery, people who worked at
those places, and the breadth of the programs that were put in place.

The New Encyclopedia of Snakes
By Chris Mattison 2007

Princeton University Press http://press.princeton.edu/titles/848 1 .html

ISBN: 978-0-69I-I3295-2

272 pp., 8-1/2 X 11; 200 color plates Cloth $35.00

Comprehensive, up-to-date, and richly illustrated with some 200 color photographs, The New
Encyclopedia of Snakes is the best single-volume reference on snakes. A thorough revision of the
highly successful Encyclopedia of Snakes, Chris Mattison’s new book is the only one of its kind to
deal in detail with snakes from around the world. Addressing the natural history of snakes and their
relationship with each other and with other groups of animals, the book incorporates new information
on snake biology and classification and includes a complete list of every family and genus, with
notes on each. Throughout, photographs show the fascinating variety of snake coloration and
camouflage, and illustrate and clarify the many topics covered. Contains easy-to-read fact boxes
about topics of special interest.

Organized thematically, the book addresses the origin and evolution of snakes, their morphology
and function, how and where they live, their methods of feeding, defense, and reproduction, their
taxonomy and classification, and their interaction with humans. The New Encyclopedia of Snakes
is the ideal reference for anyone interested in snakes, whether they come across them in the wild, go
looking for them, or are simply fascinated by them.

Chris Mattison is an internationally recognized herpetologist and photographer based in the United
Kingdom. His books include Snake and Snakes of the World.

For greater comprehension and ease of use (both, among herpetologists and the general public), this
book adopted common names for North American species as listed in CNAH’s Standard Common
and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles, and Crocodilians
(Fifth Edition) by Joseph T. Collins & Travis W. Taggart (2002). From The Center for North American
Herpetology Lawrence, Kansas http : // w w w. cnah . org

380 Animal Keepers' Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

Crocodiles: Inside Out

A guide to the Crocodilians and their functional morphology

By K. C. Richardson, G. J. W. Webb and S. C. Manolis, 2002

Surrey Beatty & Sons, 43 Rickard Road, Chipping Norton 2170, NSW, Australia

ISBN: 0949324906

180 pages, hardbound. Price: ca. $87.75 US

Most members of the public have a love/hate relationship with crocodiles. These ancient dinosaur-
like creatures, which mostly live in the wanner moist regions of the world, exert a macabre fascination
on most of us. This starts with their unusual nesting behaviour, where their babies hatch and struggle
out of their nest (so much like birds) to then form creches with their siblings in the nearby waterways.
Once these small juveniles have grown to beyond one metre in length, they become potentially
dangerous to humans. The stare of a large crocodilian as it assesses whether or not it can capture and
eat you is one not to be forgotten. Hence, in areas where humans and crocodilians coexist, there is
always an uneasy relationship.

This book presents an overview of the current status and habits of all modern day crocodilians. The
authors present a compilation of relevant gross and histological anatomy, which is extensively
illustrated with drawings, radiographs and photographs. These are supplemented by synopses of
interesting topics such as: how a crocodilian can remain submerged for extended periods, what is
unique about their eggs, and how one can age a crocodilian.

For greater accuracy, comprehension, and ease of use, this book uses the traditional, standardized
common names for North American species of crocodilians maintained by Collins & Taggart (2002.
Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles,
and Crocodilians. Fifth Edition), published by The Center for North American Herpetology (available
as a pdf at the CNAH web site), and updated daily online, the only such listing available online
worldwide. The Center for North American Herpetology, Lawrence, KS http://www.cnah.org

And on the Lighter Side....,

Death Roll

By Marilyn Victor and Michael Allan Mallory 2007

Five Star Publishing, an Imprint of Thomson Gale, 295 Kennedy Memorial Drive, Waterville, ME 04901

ISBN: 1-59414-544-X

356 pps. Price (hardback): $25.95

Zookeeper Lavender Jones, aka “Snake”, and her husband, Jeff, an Aussie herpetologist who bears
a striking resemblance to the late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, investigate a murder in which the
zoo’s star 15-foot crocodile is chief suspect.

Anthony Wright, Director of the Minnesota Valley Zoo, is no one’s favorite. Still, finding him dead
in the crocodile pool on the night the zoo’s Australian exhibit officially opens is a bit of a shocker.
Even more shocking is the arrest of the crocodile keeper, JR, who the police discover is wanted for
murder in Florida. Snake can’t believe JR is guilty even after her sleuthing turns up the details of his
alleged crime, which involves several other members of the zoo family: Wright’s wealthy wife, a
State Senator and JR’s ditzy girlfriend, on the run from an abusive husband.

When Snake barely escapes with her limbs intact after she’s kicked into the crocodile pool, she’s
sure her hit-and-miss detection has hit a nerve. Gary Olson, intern on Jeff’s wildly successful cable
wildlife show, Zoofari, adds to the confusion when he shows Snake evidence that Wright may have
been involved with the lucrative illegal trade in wild animals. Snake must dig deep to prove to her
high-school boyfriend, now the cop in charge of the case, that JR is innocent.

Combine your love of the zookeeping profession and a passion for mystery novels and you’re all set
for an engaging romp through the authors’ first collaboration. Michael and Marilyn are both avid

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 381

animal lovers with the requisite household of pets and Marilyn is also a volunteer at the real Minnesota
Zoo and a member of AZAD. Both writers are card-carrying AAZK members.

Despite the fact that this is a novel, its conservation-themed undertones may well provide some
subliminal education to those who read it. The authors hope to make the gutsy zookeeper “Snake”
the main character of a series of stories, each set at a famous zoo or wildlife park - a continuing
opportunity not only to entertain, but also to educate their readers.

As the busy summer zoo season winds down, you might want to put this title on your winter reading
list - a break for many of you from the nonfiction natural history volumes and scientific research
tombs you may often find yourself reading. It’s a great escape into a murder mystery within the zoo
world.

And for the Younger Set^s Holiday Gift List....

Kathryn and the Runaway Zoo
By William B. Catton 2006

Vantage Press, Inc., 419 ParkAve. S., 18th FI., New York, NY 10016

ISBN: 0-533-15398-0

140 pps. Price (paperback): $11.95

This delightful novel for young readers recounts the story of 13-year-old Kathryn, a part-time
employee at the Famngton Zoo, who soon discovers she can actually talk to the animals. The zoo
has one of the largest collections of animals in America, yet Kathryn sees the zoo’s exhibits as too
small and sadly out of date. People are sympathetic, but unwilling to help and the zoo’s owner, one
Mortimer Farrington is “an ill-tempered, arrogant skinflinf ’. Only veteran keeper Moses Johnston
listens patiently to her complaints and suggestions.

With her frustration building, Kathryn sees a possible solution to the unacceptably cramped conditions
in the zoo. She finds out that the Countess of Scarborough, a wealthy englishwoman, is converting
a large portion of her yorkshire estate into a wildlife refuge. Now if only Kathryn can figure out a
way to get the Farrington zoo animals to this new, desirable habitat! Can she do it? Mesa, the
timber wolf, seems to think so. “You’ll find a way,” he tells her.

The author’s colorful cast of vividly described animal and human characters, briskly-paced narrative,
and unmitigated sense of wonder makes this a novel that will charm and delight youngsters from
first page to last.

Big Cat Internships Available

Join us in

“Saving Tigers One by One”

As seen on Animal Planet®

“Growing Up Tiger”

Apply at www.tigercreek.org

Learn about Big Cat Management. Internship involves Animal Care Apprentice and
Public Education. We offer experience that counts towards employment,

TIGER MISSING LINK FOUNDATION / TIGER CREEK WILDLIFE REFUGE

*r'

MlREEK

382 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

REACTIONS

A Question and Answer Forum for the
Zoo Professional on Crisis Management

By William K. Baker, Jr., Director
Abilene Zoo, Abilene, TX

Question

You have mentioned in previous columns that good communication and attitude is important, do
you have any advice on how to improve communication and reduce conflict in a zoo environment?
(Part I of II)

Comments

It seems that I am asked this question several times a year. As a result, I have decided to go into
significant depth on this subject. When I first started out in animal management, it was as a wildlife
biologist. Field biologists are focused, driven individuals. So much so that when you get a group of
us together, we can often start and finish each other’s sentences. It’s actually pretty scary when you
think about ten people working next to each other in a lab or in the field doing this. When I first
entered the zoological profession many years ago, I was startled by the diversity of personalities.
They ran the spectrum from totally liberal to archconservative. This was a considerable shock to me
at the time.

Over the years I have learned that while this diversity of personality types can lead to interpersonal
conflict and internal politics, it is also our greatest strength. Conflicting attitudes provides an
atmosphere for creative thought. Think about it... if we all agreed, we would be working in a vacuum.
A unified vision of conservation is what touches our collective souls and makes us greater than the
individual contribution to our profession. However, that contribution is fueled by our individual
perception of what conservation means. The end result is that individual perception is not only our
greatest strength, but our greatest weakness as well.

Perception, that’s the key word. It translates through our senses and shapes a person’s attitude. As
a result, it is inevitable that each person reacts differently to each situation due to his or her state of
mind. Okay, let’s talk about state of mind in relation to the original question. Take it as fact - attitude
and perception can shape the events before, during, and after a crisis management situation. In
addition, take it as fact that an individual psychology can influence a group and conversely, the
psychodynamics of a group can influence the individual. The stressors are there and how we deal
with it in our daily lives is in part what defines us.

Having established the argument that perception can lead to varying levels of conflict and stressors
in the work environment, what are the short- and long-term ramifications when perception moves
beyond simple professional differences of opinion. In the short run, an individual can become
disenchanted with the goals of an institution and eventually move towards outright opposition. In
the long run, the same individual or even a group of individuals can win over even more staff
members to the dark side and fail in seeing that they aren’t facilitating change, but rather fueling a
problem greater than the original issues. The end result will inevitably be chaos in the work
environment, rather than facilitating positive long-term change.

Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 383

At the same time, staff members should be questioning what the direct impact of this would be on
the animal collection. Animals rely heavily on non-verbal cues to communicate and a training session
with cats, elephants, or marine mammals could prove deadly if a lack of patience, frustration, or
other body language cues are inadvertently transmitted during a session. At the minimum, there is
the distinct possibility of the disruption of established behavior chains or the introduction of
superstitious behavior. In addition, it should be considered that emotions would come into play if a
member of the staff is injured or killed. Conversely, if a member of the animal collection is killed,
then the emotions of the staff should be a consideration as well. Either way, the animals will probably
notice the emotional change in the staff.

Internal Politics

The topic of internal politics would certainly qualify as a problem in perception that leads to conflict.
Over the years I have watched as my friends and peers have struggled through this area of our
profession. To some degree internal politics are probably a part of most facilities and like subtle
shades of gray they cross the spectrum from beneficial to malevolent. In my years of experience it
has become abundantly clear to me that in reality there exists no “us” and “them” when comparing
zoo keepers to zoo managers.

What does exists are individuals within the ranks of our profession who lack sensitivity, compassion,
the social skills and the ability to communicate effectively. This is a fact of our modem society, so
why should our industry be any different? The bittersweet tmth is that people from all walks of life
staff our institutions and each person has a specific personality with traits good and bad. It is my
belief that there is no such thing as a “bad zoo”; it would be unfair to allow the acts of a few
individuals to obscure the achievements and merits of an entire facility. The tmth is that politics
exist in every profession and all walks of life.

Still, I have observed that many of our peers have left the profession in frustration and anger over
the internal politics. Inevitably, the key issue is that something is being placed ahead of the animal’s
welfare by someone else, which directly or indirectly impacts the quality of care that we provide.
This strikes at the very heart of our belief system and shatters the tmst that animal caretakers share.
This type of action isn’t inherent in the administration, nor is it inherent to a specific facility. It is the
result of individuals who bring their own agenda with them wherever they go in life.

While it isn’t our responsibility to rescue these individuals, it is our responsibility to insure that our
profession conducts itself in a professional manner. We owe it to our peers, the animals, and
conservation itself to encourage these individuals to find a new field of study. Conversely, it is all
too convenient for professionals to leave our field in disgust and blame the profession as they turn
away. It only makes our industry a smaller and lonelier place, and it’s an unacceptable loss to the
cause of conservation every time it happens.

We must work together to ensure the survival of the species placed in our care. This fact exists
beyond the rhetoric, marketing, and advertising; every professional who can aid in the survival of
the wild places and their animals should. That is the true nature of our industry and when we come
together, only then is the tme magic, synergy, and teamwork realized. However, it is unrealistic to
believe that the problem individuals will simply go away. The reality is that we will continue to
have to work with these individuals probably as long as the human condition exists. So, does internal
politics have an impact on zoological safety? Yes. Next, is there anything that can be done when
facing this type of situation?

It has been said that the first step in solving a problem is realizing its existence. Politics is like
anything else; it can be understood and controlled. The first and most immediate concern that arises
out of politics is that communication and morale begins to break. This results in the affected staff
members being placed in a reactive and high stress situation. With a break in communication, morale.

384 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

and elevated stress levels, the likelihood of the animal staff keeping their mind focused on the task
at hand is extremely low.

In addition, when this scenario is fueled by rumors and a touch of paranoia, the possibility of a staff
member getting injured or killed is elevated. The psychodynamics of the situation can quickly take
on a life of its own and spiral out of control. Needless to say, an injury to either an animal or staff
member can easily push the spiral farther downward. So, where can the mistake occur in a zoo
professional’s day?

Anywhere. Think about how many exhibits, shifts, holdovers, gates, guillotines, chutes, and locks
that are operated on a daily basis. At any point in the day a step could be missed, a miscommunication
can occur, or an animal count could go wrong. Distraction in our business can prove to be disastrous.
Even if the result isn’t immediate, it could easily impact the next zoo keeper who enters the area.

Another aspect of a high stress situation is that animal managers can easily experience apathy over
time. This can lead to a decrease in effectiveness in the workplace. Apathy detracts from the ability
to perform detail work and in our profession the details are everything. Even if a shift or count isn’t
missed, an injured or problematic animal condition can easily be overlooked.

Attitude

After being a Zoo Keeper, Trainer, Senior Keeper, Curator, and once again a Director, I would like
to believe that I see the situation from both sides. If you ever had the thought that management is
easier or more laid back, wrong. When you flip to the management side of the coin you get to deal
with budgets, government, support organizations, media, and the two things I dislike the most,
politics and telling the staff “sorry, it’s not in the budget”. For management the trick is to remember
what it’s all about, the animals. Luckily my position has facets of both Director and General Curator,
which keeps me in contact with the staff and collection on a daily basis. It keeps me grounded in
why I do this for a living.

Many managers are removed from the animal collection and this distance creates the illusion that
everything is fine, when in fact it isn’t. Operating in a power vacuum isn’t effective management;
it’s foolhardy at best. Managing in this type of environment isolates you from the staff as well,
leading to the problems mentioned in the earlier paragraphs. Also, it is the responsibility of
management to hire people who can mesh with the team. If you hire problematic staff, then you
have no one' to blame but yourself

The attitude of the individual is critical to the prevention of a crisis. The level of training an animal
manager receives will directly influence that person’s abilities. Example, the vast majority of crisis
incidents occur due to “keeper error”. In my experience, this is usually due to distraction during
animal duties. Whether it’s personal, professional, or interpersonal conflict, the mind isn’t where it
should be, on the animals. An aggressive training program produces professionalism and the self-
discipline to stay focused. Never forget, animals will always notice a difference in body posture,
speech, and mannerisms. Even if you’re not paying attention, they are, especially the predators.

Attitude during a crisis can make or break the situation. I have been through numerous resolved and
one poor crisis situation. It only took once for me to swear that I would never let another person
jeopardize my life or my co-workers. There are three basic ways to catch a glitch in a person’s
attitude. One, catch it in training or on the job and modify the behavior. Two, prescreen individuals,
(emergency responders) with a psychological profile. Three, actually go through a crisis with
someone.

Written protocols won’t catch a problem before or during a crisis, they exist as general guidelines to
direct potential behavior and affect a resolution, training is what makes the difference. Look at the
military, they never know what they may face, consequently they train for all situations. In a crisis.

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 385

if someone is untrained or unable then they should be removed from the scene before they injure
themselves or someone else in the process.

Crisis situations have the ability to bring out the best and the worst in people. The hard part is that
you probably won’t find out the true measure of a person until the event actually occurs. The best
way to address this is to be highly selective of your staff members and to train them thoroughly.
Training is the key to increasing confidence, reliability and effectiveness. Written procedures are
the beginning of the process, not the end result. They are then tempered by extensive training and
the greatest teacher of all, experience.

How an attitude is expressed after a crisis won’t change the resolution, but it may change your
facility for the worse, doing irreparable damage. If a crisis goes well, then let your people know it.
They’re animal professionals and deserve the credit. Conversely, if it goes south, then be prepared
to act appropriately to the staff and the media. For the staff, be sensitive to the impact on morale,
especially if someone dies. Also, expect the media and be prepared, realizing the further impact that
it could have on staff morale. As management, be responsible and take charge of the situation, be
accountable, and above all be professional.

Whether you’re senior management, supervisor, or a front line animal manager everyone deals with
crisis and stress differently from the next person. It’s not only critical for management to recognize
this in regards to their staff, but in themselves as well. Counseling should be made available at a
staff meeting to discuss the entire event, so that everyone is in the loop. Counseling and mediators
are a valued part of the management process when dealing with the post-crisis situation and facilitating
the healing process. Everyone who survives a crisis not only deserves compassion and sensitivity,
they need it.

Turnover

Failure to respond to the needs of your institution can easily lead to negativity among staff members,
which also surprisingly seems to be contagious to other staff members, avoid it all costs. The
bottom line is during this period of time the morale spirals down, apathy does set in, and people get
careless. Carelessness leads to crisis management situations and threatens the lives of staff and
collection. This is unacceptable as well. Complacency and apathy are the real danger to keepers and
trainers on a daily basis. Unfortunately, many managers have yet to grasp that the productivity,
safety, and well-being of the staff are tied to job satisfaction; and that one crisis event can very
easily lead to your next.

The best way to illustrate this point is to draw from personal experience. As a zoo keeper I watched
other keepers live from day to day in intolerable work environments under managers with little if
any real animal experience and conversely, animal managers with no management capabilities. The
end result is keepers who feel trapped in a disintegrating work environment. Morale is non-existent
and the staff is polarized into an “us vs. them” mentality. I have even seen staff members who
wouldn’t move to another facility out of fear for the animals’ care in their absence. Their dedication
to their animal charges was so strong that they would stay and fight for years if necessary.
Unfortunately, in the end many keepers leave the profession due to the management and politics of
our industry. This is in my opinion, an unacceptable loss to the cause of conservation.

Eventually, management turns over and the pendulum swings the other direction. However, this
often takes years. During this period of time many keepers move on to other facilities. One of my
peers refers to this as the “Holy Grail Syndrome”. Essentially, you jump from facility to facility
looking for the perfect place to work. However, after a few months, the newness wears off, reality
sets in, and the hunt is on again. Personally, 1 have never seen a perfect institution. I have seen a
handful of truly dedicated and professional facilities in my career. Their staff turnover is virtually
zero at these facilities and for good reason. Why would you want to leave?

386 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

Personally, I believe that it takes a balance to survive a long-term commitment to the zoological
profession. It is imperative that you realize that priorities exist and that, like the profession, an
individual must be adaptable. Without this it is difficult to stay focused on life, much less on the
task at hand. A zoological professional without focus is placing not only themselves, but also their
co-workers in danger. As this column continues into next month I will address many of the problems
that are common to our field and provide specific recommendations for each one point by point to
help in finding a resolution.

Next Month: You have mentioned in previous columns that good communication is important, do
you have any advice on how to improve communication and reduce conflict in a zoo environment?
(Part II)

If you would like to submit a question for this column or have comments
on previously published materials, please send them to:

AAZK, Inc., 3601 S.W. 29th St, Suite 133, Topeka, KS 66614 Attn: Reactions/AKF

(About the Author: Since 1985 Bill has been active in the fields of science, zoology, and wildlife
management. His education and experience include a B.S. in wildlife management and post-graduate
studies in zoology. Lab and Museum Assistant, Shoot Team Leader, ERT Member, Large Mammal Keeper,
Senior Keeper, and Zoo Curator at various zoological facilities. His area of research is crisis management
in zoological institutions, which draws upon practical experience and'training as a Rescue Diver, Hunter
Safety Instructor, NRA Firearms Instructor, and Red Cross CPR/First Aid Instructor. Away from work he
operates Panthera Research, which is a research and consulting firm.)

The ABI Advantage

Career Advancement?
Just Getting Started?

Online!

Certification Program and
Individual Classes:

• CEU approved

• Convenient

• Fun

• Flexible

•Exotic Animal Management

• Exotic Animal Conservation
•Animal Enrichment

• Animal Training and More!

Qnimaledu.com

enriching their lives and ours

866-755-0448

Animal

Behavior

Institute"

Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 387

Methods of Recognizing and Recuperating an
Underweight, Weaning Juvenile Giant Anteater

(Myrmecophaga tridactyla)

By M. David Quavillon, Zoo Keeper II
Palm Beach Zoo, West Palm Beach, FL

Abstract

The Palm Beach Zoo was pleased to announce the second live birth of a giant anteater {Myrmecophaga
tridactyla), Casper, on 20 January 2005. This event was especially exciting because, not only was
it her sire, Cruz’s, second captive offspring; it was the second successful live anteater birth to ever
take place at the zoo. During the first ten months, Casper seemed a normal, healthy juvenile anteater.
Zoo staff started noticing subtle changes in her behavior at around ten and a half months. Since she
was observed eating by the staff, and was often seen active while on display, these changes were
originally written off as being part of her personality. Handling her was somewhat difficult as her
mother was a rather aggressive animal, so it was nearly impossible to separate her from her mother
until she was old enough to walk around her holding area on her own, independent of her mother. It
was only then, at around ten months of age, that keepers were able to shift her away from her mother
and weigh her on a regular basis.

At eleven months, a keeper realized when attempting to routinely weigh her that she suddenly felt
below an ideal weight. The obvious signs of an animal being drastically underweight are not
prominent on giant anteaters since it is nearly impossible to see their ribs or sunken hips due to their
long and coarse hair. The weighing proved that, not only had she lost weight since last being
weighed, she was drastically under the weight that her older sibling had been at the exact same age.
The zoo veterinarian was immediately called in to examine her. Through careful consideration of
accounts by the keepers who took care of Casper, and according to what had been recorded on the
daily reports, it was realized that Casper had not ever properly learned how to eat on her own after
being weaned off her mother. Though keepers often saw her eating, it was entirely possible that she
was not successfully getting enough food. It was decided that it was vital to Casper’s survival that
we immediately begin tube feeding food and nutritional supplements into her. During the next three
months, zoo staff became completely committed to saving Casper’s life by giving her multiple
feedings daily, thus causing her to gain weight, and then teaching her how to eat on her own.

Natural History

Giant anteaters are indigenous to pantanal and forested areas of Central and South America. They
have been found in either rural and densely populated areas, living noctumally, diumally or even a
crepuscular lifestyle dependent of the number and proximity of local human native neighbors. Though
they are generally believed to be shy and laid back animals, they can be rather dangerous and
aggressive due to their size, strength, and extremely large claws. They have been observed often at
water holes bathing and wallowing in the mud. Juvenile anteaters have been observed spending the
first three to six months living almost entirely on their mother’s backs. For the most part they
choose to defecate in the water, thus must be provided with a tub of water at all times when in
captivity.

Their diet in the wild usually consists of over 30,000 ants and termites a day with some occasional
fruit. Since it is extremely hard to provide anteaters in captivity this large daily quantity of insects,
zoo dieticians have formulated a number of different types of nutritional gruels. As it is extremely
difficult to try to get an animal to solely subsist on a diet that is so unlike their natural diet,
complications may arise. A critical time to pay attention to these possible complications is when a
young juvenile anteater is being weaned off of its mother. The way in which these juveniles would
naturally learn to eat on their own is by using their very long tongues to pick ants off their mother’s

388 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

tongue. This is more difficult to do with a formulated gruel As has been observed by keepers
working The Palm Beach Zoo’s anteater collection, which at that time consisted of six animals,
each anteater has its own unique personality. Thus it is easier to enter the enclosures of some
animals, and remove their young in order to routinely examine and weigh them without having to

separate the two animals through
shifting. Unfortunately, Casper’s
mother’s general disposition made
this difficult.

A somewhat similar experience had
An underweight Casper occurred a year before with another

(photo byM. David Quavillon) anteater in The' Palm Beach Zoo’s

collection. Another juvenile anteater was realized to seemingly have trouble eating on his own
about a year earlier. His case was slightly different as it was caught at a much earlier stage, before
he had become too underweight. Since he had come to the zoo without his mother, it was easier to
monitor the fact that he was not eating right away through evaluating how much of his diet was left
over. He was able to learn to eat on his own by keepers adding some of his favorite treats to the top
layer of his food. These food items consisted of hard boiled eggs, avocados and bananas.

Introduction

As soon as it was confirmed by the
zoo veterinarian that Casper was
extremely below her ideal weight, all
of the anteater keepers, supervisors
and curators began working on a plan
to restore her health. Anteater experts
and institutions that had much
experience working with captive
anteater collections were sought for
advice.

With Casper there were a few major issues that needed to be addressed. The first was to try to figure
out why the keepers had observed her eating every day when in fact she was losing weight. Her
fecal submissions were regularly checked, with no parasites being found. It was soon deduced
through observation that the part of her diet that she was consuming was the whole, unmashed piece
of peeled banana or orange that was added to her diet for extra protein and nutrients. It appeared
that Casper was actually eating this banana by trying to bite it and masticate it with her mouth. This
is an unpractical and unnatural way for an anteater to eat as they have extremely small mouths and
no teeth. It seemed the actual effort of always trying to eat this way would probably expend more
calories than needed. Also, since Casper was still being housed with her mother, it was nearly
impossible to tell how much of the diet was being eaten by which animal. Casper was immediately
separated from her mother, starting at a few hours at a time, and after a couple of days completely.

Another, and definitely the most important issue, was trying to figure out how we would be able to
safely force feed her a supplemental diet throughout the day without over stressing her and causing
more health issues. Luckily, due to the giant anteaters unusual anatomy, a device consisting of a
rubber tube and a syringe was devised that could allow force feeding without too much fear of
aspiration. Casper’s snout was measured and a tube about half that size was fitted onto the end of a
large plastic medical syringe. A new diet had to be formulated that was much higher in nutrients,
protein and vitamins yet viscous enough to easily be pushed through the syringe without getting
clogged in the rubber tube. At The Palm Beach Zoo, the anteaters are fed two separate types of
diets. One of the diets consists of a, blended mix of primate browse biscuits and exotic feline
biscuits and water. The other diet consists mainly of Mazuri® Insectivore diet and water. The
reasoning behind having two separate diets is that is what those particular animals received at their

Animal Keepers' Forum, Vol 34 No. 9 389

previous institutions. It seemed appropriate to continue feeding them what they had been receiving
prior to coming to The Palm Beach Zoo. While these diets, along with a twice weekly supplement of
Vitamin Kl, provided our already very healthy animals with the properly needed nutrients, Casper
was going to need a much higher calorie and nutrient diet to make up for what she had been lacking.
After consulting other experts in the field and our veterinarian, a diet was formulated consisting
mainly of Hills’ Science Diet® canned feline A/D, KMR (kitten meal replacement), plain yogurt, the
normal adult diet and supplements of lactase and taurine.

The last main issue was trying to figure out how to teach her to eat on her own once she was back to
a healthy weight and composure. Since her mother had failed to teach her how to lick the food off
her own tongue, it was up to the zoo staff to find another way. While we were presently able to
catch her up several times a day to force feed her (she weighed about 10.7kg / 23.6 lbs.), it was
impractical to think that we would always be able to force feed her (adult females can weigh up to
40 kg / 88 lbs.). The idea that maybe once she was healthy enough, we could experiment more with
forcing her to eat on her own through a combination of hunger and the method that had worked with
the previous underweight anteater was considered.

The zoo uses a number of juices and nectars and even flat Dr. Pepper® as anteater treats, and while
Casper did not seem initially too interested in these items, it was hoped that when she regained her
strength and health she would be interested. The idea was that if she did eventually become interested
in these treats, we could mix them in with the normal adult gruel to the point where she would want
it badly enough to use her tongue to eat it since we would keep it in a completely liquid form. While
this overall concern was something that could not be put into practice until she became healthier, it
was important to focus on the issue immediately so experimentation could take place. Since Casper
was trying to eat the banana, it was soon realized she would try to eat halves of oranges as well. Zoo
staff began offering halves of oranges that were mostly hollowed out with gruel and treats put in the
remaining half orange peel. While she did seem very interested, she still was not using her tongue.

Treatment and Documentation

As soon as a diet and method of feeding was decided on, implementation and documentation were
put into place. In order to force feed Casper, she had to be restrained. Extra precaution had to be
taken as giant anteaters can be extremely dangerous animals using their claws as deadly weapons.
Even though Casper was very young and small, keepers still had to be extra cautious at all times.

One keeper would go into the enclosure and pick her up
while another keeper would restrain her front claws. Casper
would be carried out into the night house hallway and held
on the first keeper’s lap, while he or she would sit on a
chair. The second keeper would then continue restraining
the claws. A third keeper would then restrain Casper’s
head while a supervisor or vet tech would feed the loaded
syringes tube into Casper’s mouth. This was a very
cautious and delicate procedure, due to the fact that if the
tube were to become disengaged from the syringe, Casper
could easily swallow the tube. This could be extremely
detrimental to her health. It was additionally very important
to only force food through the tube while she was actually
trying to swallow the gruel, otherwise there was always
the chance it could be inhaled, thus creating even more
serious health problems. It was also very important that
the gruel not be forced too quickly because it was important
not to overload her shrunken stomach, causing nausea
and vomiting. The temperature of the gruel was also
monitored and even sometimes heated up so that she
always received her food at room temperature.

Keeper Nate Stantiferd prepares Casper’s
gruel and feeding tubes while Casper
observes. (Photo by Tammy Williams)

390 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

As soon as a successful feeding method was established, a schedule was implemented. Adult anteaters
at The Palm Beach Zoo are fed about 1440cc’s of gruel twice a day. It was decided that Casper
would be fed at least 1000 cc’s a day spread out over seven feedings every two hours. A journal was
placed in the anteater night house in which every feeding was documented. After each feeding,
Casper was put back into her enclosure and left with small amounts of gruel mixed with nectar and
placed in hollowed out orange peels. This was also documented in the journal, including all food
that was offered and all that was eaten. Other documented events were each bowel movement
(consistency, time), and weight, as she was weighed every day. Casper was given Winstrol® injections
every week by the zoo veterinarian. Winstrol® is a steroid often administered to increase appetite.
Casper was given Vitamin K1 supplements every other day, as anteaters in captivity often suffer
from anemia.

While the scheduled force feedings were almost immediately
successful, Casper’s ability to eat on her own was not improving.
The feedings themselves began getting very easy, as Casper’s
strength returned so did her hunger. Even though she was stronger,
she fought less as she began to be trained that when zoo staff would
appear with the bowl of gruel and syringe, she would be fed. After
a few weeks, only one keeper was required to restrain her, while a
vet tech force fed her. We were able to do less feedings, with more
gruel per feeding. She also became very easy to weigh every day,
as she knew a feeding always immediately followed. Casper’s
bowel movements became more frequent and of a healthier
consistency.

After about two and a half months, Casper began standing up on
the mesh and displaying her desire to be syringe fed by opening
and closing her mouth, much as if she were waiting to be nursed
by her mother. At this point only one keeper was required to feed
Casper, as she would readily take in the syringe on her own with
no struggle. Casper was now eating about 1400 cc’s a day through
the syringe and tube, sometimes eating 200cc’s on her own from
hollowed oranges. At this point we realized that we would have to
teach her to eat on her own if she were to ever live a life similar to our other anteaters.

One of the curators had previously devised an apparatus that held plastic test tubes up to the mesh so
an anteater could eat treats by sticking their nose into the tube and using their tongue to lap up nectar
or juices from the bottom of the tube. We began offering this to Casper a few times a day, using a
70% nectar, 30% adult gruel mixture. It seemed Casper would be willing to eat this if it was offered
in place of a feeding at a normal feeding time. The main problem we were encountering was that
the test tubes could only hold about lOOcc’s at a time. Therefore we would constantly have to refill
it. Also, Casper would begin salivating and standing on the mesh at the sight of a zoo keeper
antieipating the syringe. The zoo keeper would have to exit and then it would take a while for
Casper to break the behavior and return to the test tube to eat on her own. After a few meetings, a
device was designed by zoo staff that consisted of a test tube that had the bottom cut off. This tube
ran into a bucket that was cut to fit the tube. The bucket was designed to attach to the mesh and it
could hold about lOOOcc’s of adult gruel and nectar mixture at a time.

It was at this point that a decision was made to stop syringe feeding Casper and offer her gruel with
very little neetar as her only option for food. It had been over three months since it was first
discovered that she was malnourished and she was at a stable and healthy weight of about 18 kg /
39.6 lbs., and had finally, for the first time since being separated from her mother, been allowed to
go out on exhibit by herself for a few hours each day. After only one day Casper was eating on her
own, out of the bucket contraption, every day. It was felt amongst the staff that though this was a

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol 34 No. 9 391

The author prepares to restrain
Casper for tube feeding. (Photo
by Tammy Williams)

huge step, it only created another
problem. The problem being that we
would have to get her to adjust to eating
out of anormal anteater pan instead of
the bucket contraption. After a few
weeks of the bucket contraption, Casper
was offered a normal adult anteater diet
in a normal pan. Without any
adjustment period she began eating
normally using only her tongue.

Conclusion

Today Casper is a normal, healthy adult
giant anteater weighing close to 42kg /
92.5 lbs. A definite unintentional
benefit from the constant human in-
teraction that Casper received was the
ability for zoo staff to handle her,
and for a while use her for educational
purposes. She was now harness- trained and very easy to weigh and manage. This has changed
some as she has become a healthy adult anteater. Since her illness. The Palm Beach Zoo has enjoyed
the birth of another anteater. After all the work and emotional turmoil that was suffered from
Casper’s inability to eat, our youngest juvenile is being watched and handled and weighed constantly.
A major difference though is that the mother of this juvenile is far more passive than Casper’s
mother and much easier to work with. This particular staff will always be able to recognize the signs
and will specifically document the weaning process. Most importantly, staff will watch to ensure
that the juvenile giant anteater is using its tongue to eat the diet and not just trying to chew it with its
mouth. If, in fact, there seems to be a problem during this vital time, staff will now have a precedent
and method and guidelines to follow. While these methods worked for our staff, there are no
guarantees that they would work for every staff or
every anteater, as they are all individually different.

References

Emmons, L. H., R. Pena R, S. Angulo A.,
and M. J. Swamer. 2005. Bathing
behavior of giant anteaters
(Myrmecophaga tridactyla).

Edentata, 6:41-43

Riger, Pete and Hudgins, Jennifer (Nashville Zoo)

“Behavior, Growth and Weight Gain in a
Pair of Juvenile Giant Anteaters
{Myrmecophaga tridactyla)"

(unpublished - contatc person: Pete
Riger priger@houstonzoo.org)

Woltanski, A. 2004. “Myrmecophaga tridactyla”

(On-line), Animal Diversity Web.

Accessed August 14, 2007 at http://
animaldiversity..uaimz.umich.edu/site/

accounts/information
Myrmecophaga_tridactyla.html.

Above, Casper after recovery drinking nectar. Below right
a now healthy Casper investigates an orange.

(Photos by M. David Quavillon)

392 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

EO Editor - Rachel Daneault, Disney s Animal Kingdom

Making Useful Spaces Out of Little Places

By Alicia Shelley, North American Region Keeper IV
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, Powell, OH

We are always trying to find ways to enrich, train and make the animals as comfortable and happy as
possible. Small exhibit and holding spaces can be a challenge to work with. When increasing the
size of the area is not an option, you need to evaluate the possibilities of what you DO have to work
with!

At the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, our River Otter {Lutra canadensis) exhibit has two 3ft. x 4ft.
(.914m X 1.21m)2 off-exhibit holding pens in the back of the building and a 2ft. x 2ft. (.60m x .60m)
den in the front of the building with viewing for the visitors. The challenges we faced were:
transferring the otters between the front den and the back pens, giving them more space while they
are locked in and the yard is serviced, and allowing for more training opportunities. After
brainstorming with our maintenance department we came up with a plan to build a removable transfer
tube between the front and back pens. In order for the otters to get up to the tube, we would also
need to have a ramp and a platform added as well.

The sounds and smells of the construction were approached with some caution, but much curiosity.
The whole process was very enriching for our 1.1 otters - Babar and Audrey. They were able to
watch some of the work done on the front den while they were in back. The ramp and stairs lead up
to a platform which connects to a removable, clear PVC tube connecting the back pens to the front
den. At each end of the tube we have the ability to close and lock the tube while servicing each area.
Once construction was completed, we introduced the otters to it. Although Babar was very cautious,
Audrey showed little hesitation before she was climbing on the ramp, going through the tube, running
up and down the ramp and sliding through the tube! It was great enrichment for them both as Babar
was running through it as well in a couple of days. Audrey particularly enjoys sitting on the platform
and watching us clean the pen beside her. We left the tube up for about a month to be sure that they
were comfortable with it, and now we vary times that they have access to it in the hope of keeping
it novel, but at the same time keeping them comfortable with it. Eventually we will add some holes
to the tube for delivering treats as well as giving injections.

The Asian Small Clawed Otters (Aonyx cinerea) had similar renovations to their holding pens and
have already started using the tube for training. Their holding pens are approximately 4ft. x 5ft.
(1.21m x 1.52m) with 12ft. (3.65m) ceilings. The obvious choice was to use the great vertical space
that they had available. They had shelves and tubes installed up high with ramps for them to get up

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 393

to them. Some of the otters use the ramps as slides, even holding a foot out over the side to slow f
themselves down! They are currently working with the otters in a tube which will be attached to the
mesh for injections.

There are many other examples of utilizing small spaces throughout the zoo. At the moose {Alces *
alces) exhibit, we have four holding pens which are used daily. In addition, there is one more pen by
the exhibit yard which was not currently being used. Maintenance installed a platform on a pulley
system so that it could be used to place cells from a scale underneath and get routine weights. This
pen works perfectly for this since it
leads from the holding yard to the

exhibit yard so we are weighing them ^

as they go out on exhibit.

Our cougars (Felis concolor) are
rotated in the exhibit yard every other
day, so quite a bit of time is spent in
the three back holding pens which are
8ft. X 10ft. and 8ft. lOin. high (2.43m
X 3.04m X 2.46m). In the past, we
had only used the floor space we had,
providing recycled plastic beds and a
36-inch (~91cm) ADS drainage tube
as a den. Recently we built a climbing
structure made from recycled plastic.
This structure allows them to use their
natural jumping abilities as well as
give them a high spot to lie down on.
The transfer chutes going out to the
exhibit yard are 2ft. 5 in. wide, 3ft. 9in.
long and 3ft. 3in. tall (.76m x 1.18m
X Im). In the chute we were able to
build a squeeze wall that we are able
to manipulate from outside the pen.
This has been great for injections and
hopefully blood draws in the future.

In the stalls for the goats and sheep,
we have built benches at different levels
so that they can sleep under them as well
as on top of them. During the Spring, one of the benches can be converted to a creep to
safe haven for goat kids while still giving them the chance to mingle with the adults when
to.

Renovated Exhibit
(Photo by Sheri Smith)

provide a
they want

Many exhibits provide challenges, but it is up to us to make the most of what we have to work with.
Don’t forget to look up!

(Ideas appearing in this column have not necessarily been tested by the editors for safety considerations. Always
think ahead and use good judgement when trying new ideas. You are invited to submit material for the Enrichment
Options Column. Look in the January 2004 issue ofAKF for guidelines for articles acceptable for this column s
format or contact the editor at akfeditor(^zk. kscoxmail.com for a copy of the guidelines. Drawings and photos of
enrichment are encouraged. Send to: AKF/Enrichment, 3601 Sf'F 29th St., Suite 133, Topeka, KS 66614-2054,
USA. Eds.)

394 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

Chapter

News

Notes

AAZK Welcomes New Chapter

The Association is pleased to welcome the newly
reformed Los Angeles AAZK Chapter (AAZK/
LA). Members are located at the Los Angeles
Zoo & Botanical Garden, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los
Angeles, CA 90027.

Officers for the AAZK/LA Chapter are:

President Jim Haigwood

Vice President Josh Sisk

Secretary Steve Tirotta

Treasurer Erin B. Fleming

We wish them every success with all of their
activities and projects.

Milwaukee AAZK Chapt£r

This February, we had the pleasure of hosting
Dr.Marc Ancerenaz from the Kinabatangan
Orangutan Conservation Project to come and
speak at our zoo. To clarify an earlier report,
$275 was donated to the organization after the
lecture. The additional $500 donated to the
Project came from our Valentine’s Day bake sale.
An additional $300 came from our Chapter’s
reserves, and another $800 donation later on in
the year went to HUTAN, in care of Dr. Marc
Ancerenaz.

In April, we held our Bowling for Rhinos event,
and raised $ 1 524.00 for our annual contribution.
Also, $400.00 was donated to the Orangut^
Conservancy in Indonesia with funds from last
year’s Conservation Weekend. A thank you letter
was received just recently from them thanking
us for our support.

The theme for this year’s Conservation Weekend
at our zoo in June was marsupials. Our grab bags

continue to be a hit, and $430.00 from this fund-
raising effort will be donated to a Tree Kangaroo
research project.

Our Chapter will be a sponsor for the National
Wolf Awareness Week poster and Kid’s Activity
flyer for the third year in a row. The posters and
flyers will be handed out at our zoo’s 5th annual
Wolf Awareness Day.

—Earl Conteh-Morgan, Liaison

Phoenix Chapter of AAZK

The Phoenix Chapter is really heating up! This
year, we have challenged ourselves to fire up our
fundraising. We just finished our 2007 Bowling
for Rhinos event where we raised just over
$1 1,000 to help our fabulous homed friends.

We have been very successful selling glow sticks
at the Phoenix Zoo’s Starry Safari event on
Friday nights this summer. We have also been
busy making greeting cards with photographs of
zoo animals which are very hot items! We are
currently preparing for our biggest fundraising
event, our Annual Auction in November, where
we will debut our first calendar which will also
feature our zoo’s animals.

This year, proceeds from our auction will go to
professional development and two wonderful
conservation organizations - the Bornean
Orangutan Society and the African Wild Dog
Conservancy. In January, we voted in our new
President, Vice President, and Chapter logo.
Also in the works is our new website:
www.phoenixaazk.org.

The Phoenix Chapter looks forward to having
our most successful fundraising year ever to help
support our AAZK members and the
organizations we are so passionate about.

Current officers are:

President Paige McNickle

Vice President Danyelle Benza

Secretary Jen Chapman

Treasurer Leilani O’Brien

Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 395

National Capital AAZK Chaptcr

I am pleased to report that we’ve had a great year
so far. In May we raised $424.00 at our bake
sale on “Take Your Kid to Work” day.

In June we held our first Bowling for Rhinos
event at a duckpin bowling alley where we
collected $25 1 1 .00 in donations. Brad Range did
a terrific job coordinating the event and Annie
Bissell was the star who collected the most
money.

We are so lucky to have Anita Howard as a
Chapter member, because she is also the
computer whiz who did an amazing job of putting
together our new website: http://www.ncaazk.org
Check it out, it’s really great!

Lastly, we wanted to celebrate National
Zookeeper Week so we had a picnic celebration
for all the keepers and keeper aides at the
National Zoo on July 20th. Our Chapter supplied
the burgers (Eric Smith was the Grillmaster) and
the rest of the food was a potluck affair. It was
great to get the keepers and keeper aides together
to celebrate the wonderful job they do.

All the officers: Margaret Kelty, Denny Vogt,
Erin Stromberg, and Dan Boritt have done a
super job all year coordinating the various events.
Kudos to them!

—Angela Marlow, Chapter Liaison

Indianapolis AAZK Chapter

AAZK INDIANAPOLIS

RACING TOWARDS THE FUTURE \

This past year we introduced our new Chapter
logo which was created by our current Vice
President, Will Bruner. It displays a checkered
flag motif, a symbol often associated with our
great city, along with a motto interpreting our
approach to reach our mission goals.

396 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol 34 No. 9

Riverside Zoo AAZK Chapter

Our garage sale at the zoo was a great success.
We managed to raise $80 1 to spend on enrichment
for the animals at the zoo.

Some of the enrichment items we purchased were
Boomer Balls®, a scent ball, and treat balls. We
would like to thank all of those who donated items
to sell at the garage sale as well.

In late June, the Chapter participated in the zoo’s
first-ever Family Overnight Safari that included
a nighttime tour of the zoo and an opportunity for
participants to make enrichment items for the
zoo’s animal collection.

San Dtego AAZK Chapter

So far in 2007 our Chapter has achieved an
exorbitant amount. One of our biggest
accomplishments was our Bowling for Rhinos
ftindraiser held in May. Breaking our all time
record, we raised $16,500 (that’s $5,000 more
than our previous record)! In their first year of
participation in BFR, the Zoological Society of
San Diego’s Executive Board donated prizes
such as several days off with pay, gift certificates,
and Photo Caravan tours at the San Diego Zoo’s
Wild Animal Park. The amazing support they
offered even included picking up the entire bill
for the bowling lanes allowing us to donate an
extra $ 1 ,400 to the BFR sanctuaries! Mix a few
hundred animal lovers with a huge silent auction,
raffle prizes, a tasty bake sale, and a place to
buy refreshments - no wonder it turned out to be
such a success!

As all of you know, July 15-21 was the first ever
National Zoo Keeper Week (N.Z.K.W.). The
proclamation was initiated by the San Diego
A. A.Z.K. ’s current President, Bob Cisneros. His
dedication to this led Congresswomen Susan
Davis and Nancy Boyda to co-sponsor the House
resolution to see this pass. All week long keepers
at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park made
special appearances and gave talks to the
thousands of people on zoo buses, were
recognized by our executive board, and attended
a special Padres baseball game at Petco Park.
With one keeper from each department from the
San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo’s Wild
Animal Park as well as our SDAAZK Board, we
lined up on the first and third base lines prior to
the start of the game. The first ever N.Z.K.W,
was proudly announced across the entire stadium
and on live television. Animal staff brought a
cheetah and its companion dog, an eagle,
tamandua, and several other animals to show off
to the crowd with great response. With
approximately 400 zoo employees in the stands
to cheer us on, it was a truly awesome experience.
Hopeftilly next year, all zoos across the nation
will celebrate this long overdue recognition.

Hosting unique speakers from within our
zoological society as well as from the outside is
always a treat. Beth Rich, a keeper from the Wild
Animal Park, spoke on how keepers can turn
enrichment activities into a powerful guest
experience. A1 Toth, a San Diego Zoo gardener,
explained his adventures to Zoo Peru to help
improve the facilities in several aspects. Michael
Puzzo from the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center
educated AAZK members on his work to better
understand how man and mountain lions co-exist.

Using GPS satellite technology to track mountain
lions, Puzzo explained how his research will
increase knowledge on their behavior. The
Kibale Community Fuel Wood Project staff
recently gave a talk on their aims “to protect
Kibale National Park in Uganda from
encroachment, improve park-people relations by
facilitating energy stability in surrounding
villages, and provide local community members
the skills and training needed to manage a
grassroots organization.”

In April, a group of the Zoological Society of
San Diego’s employees and SD AAZK members
visited the L.A. Zoo. This trip was for the first
Annual Southern California Keeper Exchange
hosted by the L.A. Zoo’s recently reinstated
AAZK Chapter. With eight AZA-accredited
institutions being invited, over 60 animal
keepers, veterinarians, educators, curators, and
veterinary technicians participated, making it a
very successful event. With a behind-the-scenes
tour and a myriad of great presentations, our
Chapter would like to extend our thanks to the
L.A. Zoo and L.A. AAZK for a job well done!

With a conglomeration of fundraisers, speakers,
and field trips, you’d think we’d need a breather?
Guess again! We hope everyone had a great
National Zoo Keeper Week - we did!

• A new hose nozzle: $2

• A working pair of waterproof boots: $120

• A week of national recognition for zoo keepers:
priceless

*SD AAZK Website: www.sdaazk.org*
Please check it out for event pictures, articles,
and much more.

—Matthew Akel, Fundraising Chair & Chapter Liaison

Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 397

Voluntary Blood Collection from a King Penguin

{Aptenodytes patagonica) at Lincoln Park Zoo

By Kristin Dvorak, Assistant Lead Keeper
and Dr. Claude Lacasse- Associate Veterinarian
Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL

Lincoln Park Zoo has a mixed-species colony of penguins including 7.8 rockhopper penguins
{Eudyptes crestatus), 3.2 chinstrap penguins {Pygoscelis antarctica), and 3.1 king penguins
{Aptenodytes patagonica). A majority of these individuals participate in the operant conditioning
program and are scale trained, and a few penguins allow for voluntary nail trim. Since the previous
behaviors were consistently performed, the training program was enhanced to include advanced
behaviors, mainly concentrating on training for behaviors that affected husbandry and veterinary
procedures.

Among our penguin collection, a hand-reared, 18-year-old male king penguin developed a positive
relationship with the keeper staff. This penguin was best suited to begin a more involved operant
conditioning program. The remainder of this paper will discuss the past four years of our program
and the progress made with this penguin.

Training sessions began in November 2002, and establishing a bridge was the first step. At first,
food (fish) would act as the primary reinforcement. Over several weeks, the whistle bridge was
paired with the delivery of fish during the hand-feeding sessions. Since this individual bird was not
always food motivated, a secondary reinforcement was needed to allow us to proceed. The secondary
reinforcement was comprised of a verbal “good boy” and/or tactile reinforcement (i.e. gentle
scratching of the neck and head). Both of these actions were readily accepted by the bird. With
secondary reinforcement established, the next step of using two whistle blows to have the bird
approach the keeper was initiated. The bird immediately responded to this and approached the trainer.
The focus of the training moved on towards husbandry requirements that were performed throughout
the year. These two procedures were nail trims and band removal and replacement. (Lincoln Park
Zoo uses cable-tie bands to identify birds, and they need to be removed and replaced during the molt
season). In 2003, both of these behaviors were successfully trained (Dvorak & Ross 2005).

In 2004, the operant conditioning program was discussed with the veterinarians and keeper staff to
look at which behaviors could be trained to alleviate stress during the penguin’s annual physical
examination. Typically, it takes two keepers to restrain a king penguin for blood collection during
exams and it can be stressful for the bird, veterinarian and keeper staff. It was decided that it would
be beneficial for all of those involved to train the penguin for voluntary blood collection.

Before training for blood collection could begin, the penguin needed to be trained to shift to an off-
exhibit area. This would ensure fewer distractions for the bird and trainer as well as provide better
lighting for the veterinarian. Since the penguin was already conditioned to approach the trainer in
the exhibit, the same cue was used to have the penguin come off exhibit. Within a few days the
penguin was reliably coming off exhibit and allowing the door to the exhibit to be closed.

A penguin trainer at another institution was contacted for advice on their blood collection procedure.
That trainer had used and suggested the tail as a blood collection site (personal communication, T.
Root). Since the blood collection requires a veterinarian and a keeper, the first step was to desensitize
the penguin to having two trainers present. One trainer would work behind the bird and be responsible
for desensitizing it to having a needle manipulated near the tail. The second trainer would remain in
front of the bird, delivering the reinforcement. Little progress was seen with the tail area as the
blood collection site, mainly because the penguin did not feel comfortable having another trainer
behind it and would continuously turn around. After several months it was decided to explore other

398 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

options. After discussion with the veterinarian, the foot (pedal vein) was chosen as the new site for
blood collection.

The penguin was already conditioned to having its feet manipulated for voluntary nail trims, so the
next step was to apply pressure to the pedal vein as well as working on a “hold” foot position. A pen
cap was initially used to gently apply pressure to the vein area on the foot (personal communication
T.Root). No negative reactions were observed so after a few days, a blunt needle was introduced.
Again the penguin showed no negative reaction so the amount of pressure and time applied were
gradually increased in 30-second
intervals until a full minute of pressure
was reached. At the same time, the
verbal “hold” was introduced as one
hand was placed underneath the foot,
holding it in place while the other
hand held the needle and applied
pressure (Figure 1). Once the trainer
was getting reliable holds and could
maintain needle pressure for
approximately 60 seconds, the
veterinarian was introduced. The
veterinarian would attend sessions one
to two times a week to desensitize the
penguin to her presence as well as
provide the trainer with any feedback
to better assist with the blood collection. Figure 1 (photo by L. Brown)

After five weeks of training for voluntary blood collection, a first attempt was made. Using a
1-cc syringe, the veterinarian was able to get a small amount of blood from the pedal vein, just
medial to the fourth digit. Enough blood was collected to perform a white blood cell count. The
veterinarian suggested that the trainer desensitize the penguin to having a warm, wet cloth applied
to the foot just prior to the blood collection. This would hopefully allow easier visualization and
palpation of the vein. Over the next few weeks the trainer focused on applying the warm cloth as
well as working on “hold” to extend the time and restrict movement. Several weeks later the second
attempt was made but was unsuccessful due to movement by the penguin. After that attempt, training
was suspended until the completion of breeding season. During breeding season, trainer interactions
are discouraged so that the birds focus on their conspecifics. Blood was collected during the annual
exam with minimal keeper restraint. With training, it was possible to eliminate a second keeper for
restraint subsequently reducing the stress for the penguin.

In the summer of 2005 the trainer and
veterinarian discussed changes that could be
made to facilitate a successful voluntary blood
collection. Instead of using a warm, wet towel,
the trainer was going to apply running warm
water from a hose on the foot just prior to the
blood collection. Over the next month, the
trainer focused on stabilizing the foot, in order
to reduce movement during the collection, and
the veterinarian regularly attended sessions. In
September, several attempts to collect blood
voluntarily were unsuccessful; movement by the
penguin dislodged the needle from the vein
before blood could be collected.

Figure 2 (photo by L. Brown)

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol 34 No. 9 399

1

In August 2006 the trainer began preparing for another attempt at voluntary blood collection. All
sessions were performed in the off-exhibit area and included funning warm water over the foot for
a minimum of 60 seconds and then applying the needle and “hold” for 60 seconds. In the third
week, the veterinarian began attending sessions and performing mock blood collections. The first
attempt in September was unsuccessful; although the bird was compliant with the procedure, the
vein was not successfully found and no blood was obtained. A few days later another attempt was
made, but using a different type of needle. A butterfly needle with smaller gauge was successfully
used to collect enough blood to obtain a white blood cell count and uric acid level (Figure 2 & 3).
One month later, a third attempt was successful in collecting enough blood to prevent the need for
manual restraint during the annual physical exam.

The success of the operant
conditioning program has appreciably
reduced the stress of blood collection
for this penguin. We will continue to
work with this individual penguin and
the veterinary staff with the goal of
performing the physical exam
completely voluntarily. It is the staff’s
goal to expand the program
throughout the penguin collection.

Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Lincoln Park
Zoo and the following individuals for
their support of the operant
conditioning program and this paper:
Christine Fuehrmeyer, Dr. Robyn
Barbiers, Dr. Megan Ross, Lauren
Brown, Michael Brown-Palsgrove,
Nicole Kehl, Anita Yantz and
James Seidler.

Figure 3 (photo by L. Brown)

References

Dvorak, K., Ross, M. Operant Conditioning of a King Penguin {Aptenodytes patagonica)
at Lincoln Park Zoo. AZA Regional Conference. Kansas City, KS. 2005.

Root, T. Senior Aquarist-Oceans Indianapolis Zoo. Indianapolis, IN. (per. comm.)

Are You Moving?

Make sure to notify AAZK National of your change of address. Don’t miss a single /t/iTF
issue! Call: 785-273-9149 or you can email change of address information to:
aazkoffice@zk.kscoxmail.com<

400 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

AAZK Announces New Positions and
Opportunities for Involvement

The Board of Directors is often approached by members who are interested in getting more involved
with the Association. The Board has recently created some new positions and is looking to fill other
committees. The opportunities listed here are very different, and should offer something for everyone.
Now is a great time to offer your talents and service to the Association at the national level.

What do you get out of participating in AAZK Committees?

• Empowerment. You can take an active role in the development of AAZK projects, and help
direct the future of the Association and the animal care profession.

• Professional Development. Working on the national level looks great on a resume. Show
employers, both cun"ent and future, you have the ability to take on new tasks, work on
diverse teams, and complete assigned projects. The networking opportunities will also have
you making professional contacts throughout the profession.

• Ever consider a run for the AAZK Board of Directors? Most Board members started out by
getting involved in AAZK committees.

• Satisfaction. Keepers don’t always get the opportunity to take on roles of leadership.
National committees can provide a great outlet for your untapped creative energy.

AAZK Marketing Committee Seeks New Members

Ok, Marketing doesn’t sound very glamorous! But the Board of Directors considers this committee
one of the Association’s most important. Besides, there is a lot more to this committee than just
marketing. Different areas of focus for this committee include:

• Membership Drives

• Membership Rewards and Retention - Help create fun ways to reward our members

• Membership Benefits - Help add value to an AAZK membership and give us more bang for
our membership bucks.

• Collaboration with other associations - Do you have a group that you work with other than
AAZK? Do you think there are ways to collaborate so that both associations and their
members can benefit? Sign up now.

• Product development - Help us develop new products and market them to our members.

• Sponsorships, advertising, and fundraising - Many of you are already doing an amazing job
at the Chapter level. Offer your skills to the Marketing Committee and help the Association
secure its financial future.

• Do you have grant writing skills? We can put your talents to work!

If you are interested in helping the Marketing Committee in any of these areas, please send a letter
of interest to Shane Good at shane.good@.aazk.org.

AAZK Conservation Committee Seeks Chairperson and Committee Members

The Board of Directors created the Conservation Committee this year. Since it is a new committee,
there are many exciting opportunities and the committee members can take the lead in its development.
Some of the things the Board envisions for this committee includes:

Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol 34 No. 9 401

• Offer input to the Board of Directors to increase our efforts to manage the Association and
conferences in an environmentally responsible manner.

• Keep the membership informed of conservation developments and opportunities for
involvement. This could involve AKF articles, the committee’s own page on the AAZK website,
conference workshops, and continuing education classes.

• Assist AAZK members and Chapters in developing their own conservation projects. Provide
networking opportunities, feedback on project development, advice on fundraising, etc.

• Do you have your own ideas for this committee? Then apply now and help us advance our
conservation initiatives.

To apply for this position, send a resume and cover letter to Shane Good at
shane.good@aazk.org by October 15, 2007. Please specify if you are interested in the chair
position, committee member positions, or both.

International Outreach Committee (IQQJSeek& French-Speaklng Members
The IOC is seeking AAZK members who are fluent in French to assist in translating AAZK
publications for use in French-speaking countries. If you are willing to assist with this project,
please contact Shane Good at shane, gQod@aazk.org.

International Congress of Zookeepers-flCZ) Seeks Marketing Chairperson

AAZK, Inc. is one of the founding members of the ICZ. The ICZ currently represents nine national
keeper associations and nearly 6000 members representing over 30 countries. The ICZ seeks a
Marketing Chairperson to oversee:

• Marketing and Development opportunities

• Sponsorships

• Collaboration with other associations

• Product Development

To apply for this position, please send a resume and cover letter to Shane Good at
shane.good@aazk.org by October 15, 2007.

Didn’t find anything that interests you here? Then
check out the other AAZK committees on the website
(www.aazk.org) or in the AKF. Most committees are
always looking for new and enthusiastic members.

Do you have a skill or idea that doesn’t seem to fit
any of the committees? Drop me an email and
we’ll find the right opportunity for you -

shane.good@aazk.org

AMERICAN

ASSOCIATION
of ZOO KEEPERS

402 Animal Keepers’ Forum, VoL 34 No. 9

C<m^ervatt<m/Leg^^la^Xve/ lipdxxte/

Column Coordinators: Becky Richendollar, North Carolina Zoo
and Greg McKinney, Philadelphia PA

This month s column was put together by column co-coordinator
Gregory McKinney

Captive Primate Safety Act Offers Protection
A bill that will protect primates from the perils of the exotic “pet” trade is
now pending in the House and the Senate. H.R. 2964/S. 1498 (The Captive
Primate Safety Act) will amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to include nonhuman primates
as a prohibited wildlife species under the Act. It will thus outlaw the interstate and foreign commerce
of these animals for use as “pets.” This bill will help reduce the number of animals that suffer from
neglect and abuse at the mercy of the exotic “pet” trade.

The Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 prohibit the import, export, transportation, sale, receipt,
acquisition, or purchase in interstate or foreign commerce of a number of dangerous exotic animals
for use as “pets.” This includes lions, tigers, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, and cougars, and many
others. H.R. 2964/S. 1498 would add nonhuman primates to this list.

The trade in exotic animals is a multi-billion dollar industry, and exotic animals are bred, sold, and
traded in large numbers. By their very nature, exotic animals are unpredictable and are incapable of
being domesticated or tamed. Sadly, as a result, many of these animals end up languishing in
deplorable conditions, or are abandoned or killed. Additionally, they pose grave dangers to human
health and safety within communities around the U.S.

Please contact your U.S. Representative and two U.S. Senators and urge them to support the Captive
Primate Safety Act by becoming a co-sponsor. Let them know that this bill will protect public health
and safety as well as help to ensure animal welfare. For the names and contact information for your
three Federal legislators, go to http://ww.W.USa.gQ-V/C.QntacJ/EIe£l£d..shtml Source: Animal Protection
Institute 7/26/07

White-Fin Dolphin Declared Extinct

When the last white-fm dolphin {Lipotes vexillifer), or baiji, died, so too did a piece of China’s soul.
This peaceful mammal was known as the Goddess of the Yangtze and for millions of years, she
ruled the waters of China’s longest river. But breakneck development, over-fishing and a massive
increase in shipping traffic led to the animal’s extinction within a few short years. The almost-blind,
long beaked animal, one of the oldest mammals on the planet at around 20 million years old, now
officially becomes the first big aquatic mammal to disappear since hunters killed off the Caribbean
monk seal in the 1950s.

Measuring up to 8 ’2” in length, the baiji is, or at least was, a relative of other freshwater dolphins
found in the Mekong, Indus, Ganges and Amazon rivers. Local legend has it that the baiji is the
reincarnation of a princess who refused to marry a man she did not love and was drowned by her
father for shaming the family. The baiji had no natural predators, except for man. The white-fin
dolphin shared its habitat on the rushing waters of the Yangtze with huge river cruise ships, tugboats
and fishing boats.

Despite a growing list of adversities, there were still 400 white-fin dolphins or Lipotes vexillifer
alive during the 1980’s, but that number dropped significantly, and alarmingly, to less than 150 in
the last decade. A survey in 1997 listed just 13 sightings, with the last confirmed sighting in 2004.
The final baiji in captivity, Qi Qi, died in 2002. It was declared “functionally extinct” after an
expedition in December of last year. Source: Clifford Coonan ~ The Independent The Statesman 8-8-07

Bald Eagle Leaves Endangered Species List

The Interior Department has removed the American bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from
protection under the Endangered Species Act. The announcement by Secretary of the Interior Dirk

Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 403

Kempthome capped a four-decade struggle to help the national symbol recover. Once almost wiped
out by hunters and DDT poisoning, the eagle not only has survived but is thriving. Government
biologists have counted nearly 10,000 mating pairs of bald eagles, with at least one pair in each of
the lower 48 states.

The eagle population hit rock bottom in 1963, when only 417 mating pairs could be documented in
the 48 states and the survival of the species was in question. It was one of the first species to be
declared endangered. DDT, a synthetic pesticide, was to blame for much of the species depletion.
The pesticide was widely used in the 1940s to control mosquitoes; it seeped into lakes and streams
and into fish, the eagle’s favorite food, harming adult birds and their eggs. Eagles also were targeted
by hunters for their feathers. They were shot from airplanes, poisoned in some states and fed to hogs
in others, until Congress passed a law in 1940 that made killing a bald eagle illegal.

The eagle has been the nation’s symbol since 1782, when Congress chose its image for the country’s
official seal — over the loud protests of Benjamin Franklin, who preferred the wild turkey and
called the bald eagle a “bird of bad moral character.”

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act would continue to make it illegal to kill or disturb the
bird. Source: NPR reports and The Associated Press 6/28/07

Bronx Zoo Teams With Bono’s Wife In Africa

In an effort to create a truly sustainable global community, EDUN, a socially conscious clothing
company launched in Spring 2005 by Bono’s wife Ali Hewson with New York clothing designer
Rogan Gregory, has established the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI). The Initiative will work
towards improving the livelihoods of communities in Africa by promoting greater investment in
sustainable and ethical production of conservation-friendly agricultural products. CCI will focus in
particular on cotton grown organically or through methods that are part of a transition from
conventional to organic production. Another focus of CCI is to incorporate sustainable conservation
agricultural practices and the protection of wildlife. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
currently works on sustainable conservation farming with farmers in Madagascar, Uganda and
Zambia. WCS will advise and work with EDUN and the CCI in those countries to help farmers
apply sustainable conservation methods in growing cotton.

EDUN and WCS’s endeavors to assist communities in producing and marketing “conservation cotton”
are designed to improve the livelihoods of communities living in landscapes of high wildlife
conservation value. In well-managed landscapes, higher incomes can be part of a broader strategy
to reduce the negative impacts of people on their local natural habitats. EDUN and WCS expect to
generate funds that will go directly towards supporting sustainable natural resource management in
Africa, with a focus on Madagascar, Uganda and Zambia. Such efforts include establishing farmer
agreements that promote conservation and improve livelihoods, and developing local farmer outreach
programs to ensure that such practices are taken up by the broader community.

“Eighty percent of Africans live directly off the land, so it is imperative that Africa’s natural resources
are managed sustainably,” said Dr. James Deutsch, WCS director for Africa programs. “Working
with EDUN, which has been a global leader in promoting markets in Africa, is a natural fit for the
Wildlife Conservation Society, which has been working with local people to save wildlife and wild
lands throughout Africa and throughout the world for more than 100 years.” Source: Wildlife
Conservation Society, 31July 2007

With Fish, Please Ask, ‘What’s The Catch?’

Restaurateurs, grocers and marine experts were some of the students at Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG
Aquarium recently for information sessions conducted by Sheila Bowman, outreach manager for
the California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. As part of her visit to the
Zoo, Seafood Watch partner Ms. Bowman encouraged business owners to choose seafood that comes
from sustainable stocks and to avoid products that are obtained in ways that can harm other fish or
the environment. Since the program’s inception in 2000, Seafood Watch has distributed 20 million
pocket guides that list common seafood under green for “Best Choices” (such as Alaska wild-caught
salmon - genus Oncorhynchus)-, yellow for “Good Alternatives” (black sea bass - Centropristis
striata)', and red for “Avoid” (Atlantic cod - Gadus morhua).

404 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

“The original intention of the pocket guide was to address environmental issues, things like by-
catch, habitat destruction and overfishing,” Ms. Bowman said.

Annually, 7.3 million tons of by-catch — the fish and shellfish caught while fishing for something
else — are discarded, she said. Trawling and dredging covers an area of sea floor that is 150 times
greater than that of clear-cut forest worldwide. Three-quarters of global fish stocks are at capacity
or already depleted, and one out of five fish populations in the United States are being overfished.

The Pittsburgh Zoo has made a theme of sustainable seafood in its recently opened Water’s Edge
exhibit. Between January and July, it distributed 10,000 guides, said Margie Marks, curator of
conservation education. Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Anita Srikameswaran, 2 August 2007

Swiss Zoo Culls Endangered Lion Cubs

A Swiss zoo has provoked public dismay by culling two endangered Namibian lion cubs (Panthera
leo) because it did not have space for them. In June, Basel Zoo proudly announced that a five-year-
old lioness, imported from Namibia, had given birth to four cubs; three males and one female.
However, last week the zoo decided to put two of the male cubs to sleep and feed their carcasses to
other animals. It explained that the lion enclosure was not big enough for them and said it could not
find another zoo to adopt them.

Thomas Jermann, a curator, said that if the cubs had been put in the enclosure, they would have
posed a threat to the leading male in the pride, who would have killed them. “In nature, most of the
cubs die within the first year. This is normal,” he said.

The zoo has kept one male and one female, but admits it will also have to find them a home. “We
tried every zoo we could think of Hopefully, it will be easier to find a home for two,” said Mr
Jermann. He said it was normal to cull cubs and to feed them to other animals. “If there are animals
you can feed them to, you feed them. It is the same as a farm, we are producers of meat, and we put
the meat into the food chain,” he said.

However, the news caused dismay among animal lovers. The World Wildlife Fund in Switzerland
said it was unhappy about the situation and Danilo Mainardi, the editor of the Italian Journal of
Zoology, said it would have been preferable to limit the breeding of the lioness, rather than kill the
cubs.

In the wild, it is rare for lionesses to give birth to several cubs, but in captivity it is relatively
common. However, lion culls are rare in zoos in the developed world. The lions in Basel Zoo are on
the World Conservation Union’s red list of endangered species because hunting has reduced their
population in Namibia to a few hundred. Source: Sunday Telegraph, Malcolm Moore, 29 July 2007

Zoo Expedition Team Discovers Long-Lost Species In Cyclops Mountains

An animal that many biologists thought was extinct has been discovered by scientists from London
Zoo. The long-beaked echidna - also known as the Zaglossus attenboroughi after Sir David
Attenborough - is alive and kicking in the Cyclops mountains of Papua New Guinea. The egg-
laying mammal is only known to scientists from a single museum specimen dating from 1961.

But a Zoological Society of London Edge program went to mountains unexplored for more than 45
years to search for the creature. There they found tribes that had recently seen them as well as the
burrows and nose-pokes left by the animal - holes where the echidnas reach into the ground with
their noses for worms. Program manager Dr Jonathan Baillie said: “We hope that Sir David
Attenborough will be delighted to hear that his namesake species is still surviving in the wilds of the
Papuan jungle. The Zoological Society of London is now planning a further expedition to the
mountains to discover more about the species and devise conservation plans to ensure its long-term
survival.”

The month long-expedition involved trekking in almost impenetrable jungle on the steep slopes of
the Cyclops mountains. A number of tribes contributed invaluable information about the wildlife of

Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 405

the area, including sightings of the rare creature. The local name given to the species by the tribes is
“Payangko”.

Dr Baillie said: “In addition to Attenborough’s echidna, we found an astonishingly vast array of
biodiversity, some of which is highly unlikely to be known to science. Our next Edge expedition
will provide us with a fantastic opportunity to both study one of the most extraordinary species on
the planet and discover new ones. ZSL will be working with the government of Papua, local
communities and our local NGO partner. Conservation International, to ensure that the environmental
and cultural elements of the expedition are fully realised.”

Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna is one of the focal species of ZSL’s Edge program, which
focuses on the world’s most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered animals. The program
was launched at the start of this year and is now undertaking and planning expeditions to some of
the world’s most varied environments. It aims to study and conserve weird and wonderful species.
Sources: Archant Regional Limited, Susanna Wilkey, 19 July 2007 & ZSL’s EDGE webpage: //www.zsl.org\edge

USFWS to Reconsider Small Portion of Decisions Tainted by Julie Macdonald
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced in late July that it will reconsider eight decisions
involving endangered species that were overseen by disgraced former Assistant Secretary of Fish,
Wildlife and Parks Julie MacDonald. Conservationists said they were glad these species would
receive consideration for additional protection, but warned that the list of decisions to be reconsidered
is outrageously incomplete and appears to be a token effort designed for damage control and coverup,
rather than an attempt to address the problem.

“Fish and Wildlife’s reconsideration of eight decisions tainted by former assistant secretary Julie
MacDonald is a day late and a dollar short,” said Noah Greenwald, conservation biologist with the
Center for Biological Diversity. “Despite no scientific training, MacDonald interfered in dozens of
scientific decisions concerning endangered species. But only a full and transparent accounting of all
the decisions tainted by MacDonald’s malignant influence can undo the damage she has done.”

In particular, the list fails to include decisions not to list the Mexican garter snake {Thamnophis
eques megalops), potentially delist the marbled murrelet {Brachyramphus marmoratus), and sharply
reduce critical habitat for the bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), even though regional directors of
the Service specifically requested that these decisions be reconsidered because of MacDonald’s
influence. The list also fails to include reconsideration of critical habitat for the Sacramento splittail
{Pogonichthys rnacrolepidotus), even though a story in the Contra Costa Times revealed that
MacDonald may have illegally limited designation of habitat to avoid placing environmental
restrictions on an 80-acre farm she owns in Dixon, CA. MacDonald is known to have been involved
in reversing numerous other decisions by agency scientists in order to reduce protections for species,
including decisions about the Gunnison sage grouse {Centrocercus minimus), Montana fluvial arctic
grayling (Thymallus arcticus). Southwestern bald eagle {Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and many others.
Source: Center for Biological Diversity, 20 July 2007

Legislation Would Guarantee Retirement For Chimpanzees After Years In Laboratories

Bipartisan introduction of legislation on August 1st that would ensure a secure retirement for
laboratory chimpanzees is a welcome development in efforts to improve the lot of chimpanzees in
captivity in the United States. The measure was introduced in the U.S. Senate by Sen. Richard Burr
(R-La), joined by Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and David Vitter (R-La) and in the U.S. House of
Representatives by Rep. Jim McCrery (R-La), who was joined by Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La).
The Jane Goodall Institute is providing critical support for efforts to guarantee that once chimpanzees
are retired from medical testing at the National Institutes of Health, they will never be returned to
laboratories. A last-minute section of the Chimpanzee Health Improvement, Maintenance and
Protection Act, or CHIMP Act, enacted in 2000, allows NIH research chimps retired under the law’s
provisions to be removed from sanctuary for further testing under certain circumstances.

The CHIMP Act established a sanctuary system for chimpanzees retired from medical testing at the
NIH. The law required public hearings and other measures before scientists could remove a
ehimpanzee from retirement. To date, no retired ehimp has been removed from sanctuary. Still, the

406 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

official sanctuary for NIH chimps has had trouble raising the funds required to mateh government
funding, because private donors are reluctant to fund a sanctuary where there is any potential that
chimpanzees will be returned to medical testing. The new legislation is welcomed by sanctuary
owners and their potential funders, as well as by animal protection groups and others eoncerned
about the welfare of animals.

Chimp Haven in Keithville, LA, the primary sanctuary designated to receive retired NIH chimpanzees,
is particularly concerned about the return clause in current law. Dr. Linda Brent, president of the
Chimp Haven’s Board of Directors, worked with the Institute and each congressional office involved
to see that the legislation was introduced. Congressman McCrery, whose district includes Chimp
Haven, introdueed the original bill in the previous congress.

“Many thanks to Dr. Brent and Mr. McCrery and to the members of the Senate and House who have
joined the effort this year to protect these chimpanzees, to whom we owe so great a debt,” said Dr.
Jane Goodall, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a world renowned expert on chimpanzees
both in captivity and in the wild. “Most important, of course, is that we accelerate efforts to develop
alternatives to the use of chimpanzees and other animals in research.” Source: the Jane Goodall
Institute, 3 August 2007

Director-General Voices Concern Over Fate Of Virunga National Park Gorillas

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, is concerned over attacks perpetrated against
the mountain gorillas of the Vimnga National Park in the Democratie Republic of the Congo (DRC)
and has called on the national authorities to adopt urgent measures to bring the killings to an end.
Declared a threatened species by the Wprld Conservation Union (lUCN), the mountain gorilla {Gorilla
beringei beringei) is one of the Park’s most important assets.

Situated in the north-east of the DRC, near the borders of Uganda and Rwanda, Virunga is known as
the oldest African national park. Established in 1925, it was inseribed on the World Heritage List in
1979, for its natural habitats that are important for the preservation in situ of biological diversity,
particularly some habitats in which survive threatened species of outstanding universal value from
the scientific point of view or for eonservation.

The four gorillas, one “silverbaek gorilla” and three females, slaughtered in Bukima, probably on
the night of 22 July, belonged to a group inhabiting an area regularly visited by tourists. The
disappearance of these gorillas represents not only a tragedy for the preservation of the species, but
also the loss of an important source of revenue for local communities. Two other members of the
group, a female and her young, are reported to have gone missing.

Sinee the beginning of the year, seven gorillas have been shot and killed. This is more than the
numbers lost during the conflict that wracked the Great Lakes region in the 1990s, leading the
World Heritage Committee to inscribe the park of the List of World Heritage in Danger. The rising
number of gorillas slaughtered in the southern part of Virunga National Park requires urgent measures
to be taken.

The first initiative will be the sending, at the request of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation
of Nature and within the framework of the “reinforced monitoring mechanism” adopted by World
Heritage Committee during its 31st session (Christchureh, New Zeaknd, 23 June - 2 July 2007), of
a joint UNESCO World Heritage Centre and lUCN mission. The mission should take plaee in the
middle of August. It will investigate the reasons for the targeting of mountain gorilla populations,
and work with the appropriate Congolese authorities, the lUCN and its partners on action necessary
to avoid an ecological and economic disaster for the populations living near the World Heritage site.

Another important initiative, coneerning all the Word Heritage sites of the DRC inseribed both on
the World Heritage List and on the List of World Heritage in Danger, will be to organize a meeting
later this year, bringing together the DRC’s authorities, representatives of the Afriean Union, relevant
sub-regional organizations and the Director General of the lUCN. Its main purpose will be to assess
ways of efficiently dealing with the deteriorating state of conservation of world heritage properties
in the DRC. Source: UNESCO World Heritage Center, 2 August 2007

Animal Keepers 'Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9 407

Sierra Leone Bans Capture, Killing Of Chimps

Sierra Leone has outlawed the capture and killing of chimpanzees {Pan troglodytes) and declared a
one-month amnesty for anyone holding a chimp to hand it over to authorities in the war-ravaged
West African nation. A statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Marine Resources
read on national radio said anyone violating the new regulations would face a fine of up to $ 1 ,000 or
a prison sentence. The government has established a chimp orphanage at Charlotte, in the outskirts
of the coastal capital Freetown, to receive chimps from the public.

Ecologists say Sierra Leone’s wild chimpanzee population has declined dramatically since around
20,000 in the 1970s as a result of hunting, incursions on their territory and the trade in pets and
animals for scientific research. Conservationists say that wildlife populations, including chimpanzees,
recovered as a result of rural depopulation caused by the war, but the return of villagers in the wake
of a 2002 peace deal has resulted in the destruction of habitant, more hunting, and trapping of rare
animals for sale overseas. The Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary in the outskirts of Freetown, which
was closed last year after 30 of its chimps escaped and killed a taxi driver, was recently reopened.
Source: Reuters, 25 July 2007

Palm Oil Workers Killing Endangered Orangutans

Workers on Indonesian palm oil plantations are deliberately killing endangered orangutans {Pongo
pygmaeus) on the island of Borneo to stop them eating their seedlings. Hardi Baktiantoro, director
of the Center for Orangutan Protection (COP), said at least 1,500 orangutans perished in 2006, most

as a result of deliberate attacks but also due to their
habitat disappearing to make way for palm oil
plantations.

“Orangutans have become the victims of torture by
plantation workers as they wander and eat palm oil
seedlings for survival,” Baktiantoro told reporters.

As plantation workers had to pay concession
companies for the loss of the seedlings, they had no
choice but to pursue the primates, he said. Video
footage screened at a press briefing showed dead
orangutans with severe head wounds allegedly
inflicted by workers as well as severely injured
animals that were treated by COP and other local
rescue teams. Baktiantoro said that “even though this
kind of cruelty violates Indonesia’s law on biodiversity
conservation, no one until now has been arrested for
this crime.”

The COP urged the Indonesian government to
immediately cancel concessions to palm oil companies
in a bid to protect the orangutans. Scientists estimate
that 34,000 orangutans remain in Central Kalimantan
province on Borneo. Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has
said that Indonesia plans to be the largest palm oil producer by 2008 amid strong demand from the
global food, biofuel and chemicals industries. Indonesia is currently the second largest producer
after Malaysia although it has a much larger area for plantations. The two countries account for 85%
of world production. A spokesman for the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers’ Association was not
immediately available for comment. Source: The Manila Times, 26 July 2007

(Photo from Wikipedia)

408 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 34 No. 9

AAZK Membership Application (Please Print)

check here if renewal [ ]

Name

Email

Mailing Address

City State/Province Zip/Postal Code Country

Canadian Members

$40.00 Professional

Full-time Keepers

$40.00 Affiliate

Other staff & volunteers

$40.00 Associate

Those not connected with
an animal facility

$65.00 or up - Individuals

Contributing/Canada

$125.00 or up
Institutional/Canada

Organizations/Institutions
(requires Board approval)

Library Only

$40.00 Library

Available ONLY to public &
university libraries (in U.S.)

regardless of category

Zoo Affiliation (if any)

Zoo Address

Title

My check is enclosed (AAZK, Inc.)
MASTERCARD VISA Card #

Name on card Expiration date

Signature

Mail this application to: AAZK Administrative Offices, 3601 S.W. 29th, Suite 133 Topeka, KS 66614-2054.
Make checks/money orders payable to AAZK, Inc. Must be in U. S. FUNDS ONLY. Membership includes a
subscription to Animal Keepers' Forum. The membership card is good for free or discounted admission to many
zoos and aquariums in the U.S. and Canada.

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

© 2007 AAZK, INC.

Please charge my credit card

U,St Members

□

$40.00 Professional

Full-time Keepers

□

□

□

$35.00 Affiliate

Other staff & volunteers

$35.00 Associate

Those not connected with
an animal facility

□

□

□

$65.00 or up - Individuals

Contributing/U.S.

□

□

$125.00 or up

Institutional/U.S.

Organ izations/Institutions
(requires Board approval)

□

□

$125.00 Commercial Members

(i.e.Animal-related food & supplies)

□

□

International Members

$55.00 International All members outside U.S.

SMITHSONiAN INSTITUTION LIBBikHiPe

3 9088 01383 0104

O V~J c

«:f- 1-

-OCX.
(x:. >

(/)

ON

n

c/5 ^
o • q

NO S

m c/)

m

c/5 Tt

^ 4 ^

^ tH ^

A NO C/5

r? ^

H NO

2:

O

o

CO

to

<

■D

0

4-'

(/)

0

D

cr

0

cr

0

o

0

CO

c

u.

D

4->

0

oc

to

Q£:

O

O

N

o (J?

a

cx:

H-

<r.

C3

lAj

i<<

■1-4

U'l

l!"3

?5c

‘U*

■3icc:

r^i

<■0

i, 1

O

X'J

o

!l..

eg

..j a« CM

-h-y v~« »L,3

//.

o c

oo

o aT--

^'c

r-'J O f^3 (Z

o

3^:

r— * J.4T

2-C -i-J

'■W Jw

O C31

sz o

cia sr

Sjc

O n’3

•i~i

03

"x:

O «.« O '.rt

vir.

'•-V <13 ••-1

• ro

^ o-' z> a- ::3: