September 2013 Volume 40 No. 9

The Journal of the American Association

h<f /:

Animal

Behavior

Institute

Advance your Career &

EDUCATION ONLINE!

pmfuaiiis

• Improve the welfare of your animals

• Produce quality educational programs for all aodtences

• Create effective, goal-oriented enrichment

• Train animals for husbandry procedures or educational outreach

• Prepared balanced, high quality diets

• Manage collections to meet conservation goals

• And much morel

Our small class sizes and professional faculty guarantee you a
personal education with the individual attention you deserve.

IT

L BBB

ABOUTTHE COVER 369

FROM THE PRESIDENT 370

COMING EVENTS 371

FEATURE ARTICLES

Worm Farms in Zoo Offices

374^77

Insists into Mountain Bamboo Partridge
Ethoiogy 37&383

TRAINING TALES 384-385

Sandhiii Crane Behaviorai Modification

AAZK.ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 367

v*^

Order online!

www.RoclentPro.com

It’s quick, convenient
and guaranteed!

RO. Box 11 8

Inglefield, IN 47618-9998

Tel: 812.867.7598

Fax: 812.867.6058
E-mail: info@rodentpro.com

PayPal'

©2013 Rodentpro.comjlc.

■nt^’~;’rrrrrTTtgnmrm!

ti mm mm — ■■ .v.COM

MICE • RATS • RABBITS • CHICKS • QUAIL

Discover what tens of thousands of
customers — including commercial
reptile breeding facilities, veterinar-
ians, and some of our country’s most
respected zoos and aquariums — have
already learned: with Rodentpro.com®,
you get quality AND value! Guaranteed.

RodentPro.com® offers only the
highest quality frozen mice, rats,
rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens and
quail at prices that are MORE than
competitive. We set the industry
standards by offering unsurpassed
quality, breeder direct pricing and year-
round availability.

With RodentPro.com®, you’ll know
you’re getting exactly what you order:
clean nutritious feeders with exact
sizing and superior quality. And with
our exclusive shipping methods, your
order arrives frozen, not thawed.

We guarantee it.

®

MISSION STATEMENT

American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc.

The American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc. exists to
advance excellence in the animal keeping profession,
foster effective communication beneficial to animal care,
support deserving conservation projects, and promote
the preservation of our natural resources and animal life.

ABOUT THE COVER

This month's cover photo features a double-wattled cassowary (Casuarius
casuarius) chick hatched at the Virginia Zoo on June 11, 2013. Named Hallager
(after Sara Haliager, the Ratite TAG chair), she is only the fifth cassowary hatched
in an AZA-accredited institution in the last ten years.

Manager’s parents, Boris and Earline, were introduced to one another in
February 2013. Cassowary introductions can be dangerous as the females
are known to be quite aggressive. Luckily, the pair took to each other almost
immediately. Earline had always broken the eggs she laid when she was housed
without a male, so staff remained cautiously optimistic when courtship and then
copulation were observed. A total of four eggs were laid and incubated by Boris
(female cassowaries take no part in chick rearing). Boris has proven to be an
excellent father: he is protective, attentive, and happily mushes food items into
small pieces that the chick can easily swallow.

AMERICAN

ASSOCIATION
of ZOO KEEPERS

ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

TO CONTACT THE AKF EDITOR;

Shane Good, Media Production Editor
P.O. Box 535, Vaiiey City, OH 44280
330-483-1104
shane.good@aazk.org

AAZK Administrative Office

American Association of Zoo Keepers
8476 E. Speedway Bivd.

Suite 204
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-298-9688 (Phone/Fax)
E-maii: Ed.Hansen@aazk.org
Chief Executive/Financiai Officer; Ed Hansen

MEDIA PRODUCTION EDITOR

Shane Good

ASSISTANT MEDIA PRODUCTION EDITOR

Elizabeth Thibodeaux
SENIOR EDITOR
Becky Richendoilar, Riverbanks Zoo
ENRICHMENT OPTIONS COLUMN COORDINATORS
Julie Harteil-DeNardo, Saint Louis Zoo
Ric Kotarsky, Tulsa Zoo & Living Museum
ATC COLUMN COORDINATORS
Kim Kezer, Zoo New England
Jay Pratte, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
Beth Stark-Posta, Toledo Zoo
CONSERVATION STATION COORDINATORS
Amanda Ista, Milwaukee County Zoo
Mary Ann Cisneros, Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden

Animal Keepers' Forum is published monthly by AAZK, Inc. Ten dollars
of each membership fee goes toward the annual publication costs of
Animal Keepers’ Forum. Postage paid at Tucson, AZ.

Double-wattled cassowaries are listed as endangered under the Environment
Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Cassowaries are
considered a keystone species because of their role as seed dispersers.

Hallager was the only chick to successfully hatch this breeding season, but staff
are confident that she will be the first of many. This month's photo was provided
by Alexandra Zelazo-Kessler, Lead Keeper of Birds at the Virginia Zoo.

Articles sentio 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 e-mail contributions of
late-breaking news or last-minute insertions are accepted as space allows. Phone (330)
483-1104; FAX (330) 483-1444; e-mail is shane.good@aazk.org. If you have questions
about submission guidelines, please contact the Editor. Submission guidelines are also
found at: aazk.org/akf-submission-guidelines/.

Deadline for each regular issue is the 3rd 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.
Regular back issues are available for $6.00 each. Special issues may cost more.

^ RESPONSIBLY

"i FORESTED PAPER

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT: Bob Cisneros,
San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA 92112-0551

VICE PRESIDENT: Penny Jolly, Disney’s Animal Kingdom,
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000

Kelly Wilson, Detroit Zoological Society
Royal Oak, Ml 48067

Deana Walz, The Living Planet Aquarium
Sandy, UT 84094-4409

Denise Wagner, Phoenix Zoo
Phoenix, AZ 85008

COMMITTEES/COORDiNATORS/
PROJECT MANAGERS

BY-LAWS

Chair - Ric Kotarsky, Tulsa Zoo

GRANTS COMMITTEE

Chair - Shelly Roach, Columbus Zoo

BEHAVIORAL HUSBANDRY COMMITTEE

Chair - Julie Hartell-Denardo, Saint Louis Zoo

BOWLING FOR RHINOS NATIONAL PROGRAM MANAGER

Patty Pearthree, Cary, NC

ETHICS

Penny Jolly, Disney’s Animal Kingdom

CONSERVATION COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS

Amanda Kamradt, Zoo New England
Christy Poelker, Saint Louis Zoo

AWARDS

Janet McCoy, The Oregon Zoo

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Melaina Wallace, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Ellen Vossekuil, Utah’s Hogle Zoo

SOCIAL MEDIA

Sean Walcott, SeaWorld San Diego, Project Manager
CONFERENCE PROGRAM MANAGER
Victor Aim, Oakland Zoo
ICZ COORDINATORS
Norah Farnham, Woodland Park Zoo
Sara Wunder Steward, Busch Gardens Tampa

MEMBERSHIP SERVICES

Data Transfer Forms available for download at aazk.org
AAZK Publications/Logo Products/Apparel
available at AAZK Administrative Office/Tucson or at aazk.org

AAZK.ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 369

FROM THE PRESIDENT

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often."

— Winston Churchill

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."

— William James

Last spring, the Executive Board of Directors met in Topeka for our Mid-Year meetings. During these
meetings, we examined our current workforce (committees, programs, and projects) and made some
adjustments that we felt would help improve the way that we provide our services to our membership.

Using our mission statement as a guide, we concluded that the affairs of our working groups amount
to four major components: Education, Conservation, Recognition, and Communication. Based on
our mission, our current workforce fit neatly into these four compartments.

1. Education: Professional Development Committee, Behavioral Husbandry Committee

2. Conservation: Conservation Committee, Grants, and Bowling For Rhinos

3. Recognition: Awards Committee, National Zoo Keeper Week, Chapter of the Year

4. Communication: Communication Committee (new). Social Media, Membership Correspondence, Web Update Coordination.

The Board of Directors will continue to serve as oversight to these working groups; the grouping will, however, make our focus much easier. All
things related to products will be handled by Ed Hansen, our CEO/CFO. Ed will also be responsible for maintaining our webpage as part of his
regular duties. The Association President will focus on coordination of these groups plus professional and educational partners and liaisons as
well as Chapter communication. Bear in mind that these are merely fine-tuning details and not an exhaustive list of responsibilities.

You have already noticed changes over the past few years with our conference format. You can expect to see some fine-tuning of those changes
at future conferences, beginning in 2014. Our goal is to provide concentrated learning at the conference level with a greater take-home value.
We will be fine-tuning our workshop tracks, providing you with a greater opportunity to concentrate on specific animal care skills. We’ll be doing
this on both the beginner level and advanced, and we’ll be focusing on specific animal groups, as well.

For those of you who don’t make it to a conference on a regular basis, AAZK Online - the Collaborative Learning Environment, is in the process
of adding more learning modules. Representatives from CypherWorx have been contacting Chapter Presidents about great pricing packages
for Chapters: several Chapters have already purchased group subscriptions. It is just one more opportunity for you as a member to grow in your
profession.

The Board of Directors will be meeting again this month for our annual Board of Directors meeting just prior to the conference in North Carolina.
We will be evaluating our current progress, fine-tuning the goals and direction of our organization. Cur Association is a work in progress, but
suffice it to say that what we do makes a difference!

Cur Association is moving forward in ways that will help you in your profession.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and input. E-mail me at bob.cisneros@aazk.org ; I would love to hear from you. Drop me a line, I promise to
write back.

Respectfully,

“Some men see things as they are and say why - 1 dream things that never were and say why not.
- George Bernard Shaw

370 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc.

COMING EVENTS

October 15-18, 2013
(ICEE) International
Conference on
Environmental Enrichment

Hosted by the National
Zoological Gardens of South
Africa. For more information
goto: http://www.nzg.ac.za/
icee2013/

April 13-18, 2014

ABMA’s 14th Annual Conference

Dallas, TX

For more information go to:
theabma.org

October 3-6, 2013
Advancing Bear Care 2013

Woodlands Wildlife Refuge,
Clinton, NJ. For more
information visit
bearcaregroup.org

October 24-27, 2013
From Good Care to Great
Welfare Presented by the
Center for Zoo Animal Welfare,
Detroit Zoologicai Society
Limited scholarship opportunities
available. For information contact:
Elizabeth Arbaugh, Curator of
Animal Welfare, Detroit Zoological
Society, aw@dzs.org

November 10-14, 2013
Zoological Association of America
(ZAA) Annual Conference

Phoenix, AZ

For more information go to
zaa.org. Deadline for abstracts is
April 1, 2013.

September 8-12, 2014
AAZK National Conference

Orlando, FL
Hosted by

Disney's Animal Kingdom
For more information go to:
greaterorlandoaazk.org

October 14-16, 2013
Orangutan SSP
Husbandry Workshop

Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical
Gardens in Los Angeles,
California

For more information go to:
Iazoo.org/orangutanssp2013

November 11-15, 2013
Training and Enrichment
Workshop for Zoo and
Aquarium Animals

Moody Gardens, Galveston, TX
For more information contact:
dolsen@moodygardens.com

October 6-8, 2014
3rd International
Flamingo Symposium

San Diego, CA

Hosted by SeaWorld San Diego
For more information contact
laurie.conrad@SeaWorld.com

In the July 2013 issue, Volume 40, Number 7, we regret to report the
following errors:

1. Carol Sodaro's last name was misspelled on page 329 (Fig. 6).

2. There shouid have been a credit that the Contra Freeioadingarticie by
Fliida Tresz on P. 320 first appeared in ABMA’s Wellspring - Voiume
11, issue 2 - Spring 2010.

3. The footer incorrectiy labeied the issue, it shouid be cited as Vol.
40, No. 7.

AHENTION ALL PHOTOGRAPHERS!

AKF Needs Your Photos

Attention all photographers, the AKF needs your photos
as potential cover photos and special feature photos
throughout the issue. All photos need to be high resolution,
2625 X 3375 pixels or greater, and 300 dpi or greater in
resolution. All photographers will need to submit a photo
release form that can be found at aazk.org/animal-keepers-
forum/aazk-photo-model-release-form. Photos that clearly
depict facility logos and behind-the-scenes shots will need
permission of the facility to be used.

Subjects for the photos should revolve around animal
husbandry, conservation, education/interpretation,
professional development, significant achievements in
the industry (births, exhibits, staff, etc.), and can also
include some of the more humorous or unique situations
that we all come across each day in our occupations.
Captions for each photo should also be submitted.

K Conferences

Asheboro, NC
September 22-26, 2013

Orlando, FL

September 8-12, 2014

St. Louis, MO

September 27 - October 1, 2015

AAZK.ORG

TS«

WILDLIFE REFUGE

r’

BIG CAT INTERNSHIPS AVAILABLE

Join us in

“Saving Tigers One by One”
As seen on Animai Pianet®
“Growing Up Tiger”

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

TIGER MISSING LINK FOUNDATION • TIGER CREEK WILDLIFE REFUGE • Apply at: www.tigercreek.org

372 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

Americr- Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc.

perfecting

exotic

animal

nutrition

I premium
I products
I uniquely
I formulated

i

To learn more about
MAZURl® Exotic
Animal Nutrition, J
visit the NEW I

I

MAZUR1.COM !

■ I

exploring
new ideas

Mazuri

A World of Good Nutrition

©2013 PMI Nutrition International. All Rights Reserved.

Exotic animal nutrition is our business.
For over 20 years, we’ve collaborated
with zoo and exotic animal professionals
to conduct extensive research to
improve nutrition of exotic species.

Our products are proven

We know you
take them seriously,
which is why
we take their

nutrition seriously.

Worm
Farms
in Zoo
Offices

Debbie Johnson
Registrar

Chicago Zoological Society - Brookfield Zoo

Brookfield, Illinois

374 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc.

INTRODUCTION

Anyone who has ever visited a zoo
knows there are many amazing animals
to see, however, few know about an
animal some zoo staff keep that works
behind-the-scenes to help the zoo’s
conservation efforts - worms.

These mini-heroes work silently to help keep our landfills free of
organic waste, and at the same time make exceptional compost.
Many zoos practice green or sustainable initiatives, for example
recycling paper, purchasing recyclable items, and using LED
light bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. These green initiatives
promote environmental sustainability through waste reduction,
reuse, and recycling, and set an exceptional example for the
community. With an increasing human population, we are
generating more waste than ever before, and with this comes
the problem of needing to dispose of the waste, including food
waste. Worm farms can fill this void and help keep food waste
out of the landfills. They are an easy way to recycle food scraps.

In 2010, 250 million tons of trash was generated; 85 million tons
of the trash was recycled and composted, or a 34.1% recycling
rate (United States Environmental Protection Agency [US
EPA], 2012). According to the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (US EPA, 2011), yard trimmings and food
scraps make up 27% of the solid waste stream in the United
States. Most of this waste goes into landfills, which produce
methane gas, a contributor to climate change. Instead of
filling up landfills, considerable amounts of this waste can be
composted. Only 2.8% of food waste was composted in 2010
(US EPA, 2011). Most people are familiar with recycling paper,
plastic and metals, but food waste composting is a dimension of
recycling that is often overlooked.

Brookfield Zoo provided paper and plastic recycling bins in
office areas, however, food waste collection in office areas for
composting had not been offered. I wanted to start a small
scale project to collect food scraps in offices using worm farms.
Vermicomposting is using worms to convert organic material
into compost. This green initiative can be done in a small space
such as a house, apartment or workplace. By initiating worm
farms at the zoo in offices, I hoped to help educate employees
about conservation behaviors that can be done in the workplace
while practicing sustainable options. Collecting food scrap
material is easy to do in a workplace. Instead of throwing the
scraps in the regular trash, it is placed in a compost bin. The
material is fed out to the worm farms once a week, with extra
material going to the zoo’s main compost pile.

IMPLEMENTATION

Food scrap compost collection was started in four office areas at
the zoo. Participants had the option to place food scraps in their
own desktop compost bin or a compost bin in a shared area, such
as a kitchen or break room. The majority of participants used
the shared compost bin to deposit their food waste. Most staff
did not want food waste sitting on their desk and preferred a
central location to deposit their scraps. Since shared bins were
preferred, desktop bins were removed and all future waste
material has been collected in shared bins. Fruit and vegetable
scraps were collected along with coffee grounds and tea bags
(Fig. 1). No meat, dairy or junk food was collected in order to
prevent odors in the compost bins and worm farms. Manure
was not added to the bins. Used coffee filters and napkins were
added as a trial, but those materials did not seem to break down
and stayed intact inside the worm farms for months, therefore

By initiating worm farms at the zoo in offices,

I hoped to heip educate empioyees about
conservation behaviors that can be done in the
workpiace whiie practicing sustainable options.

Figure 1. Example of food scraps fed to worm farms at
Brookfield Zoo. Personal photograph by author.

AAZK.ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 375

Figure 2. Desktop worm farm at Brookfield Zoo. Personal
photograph by author. November 2010

Figure 3. Three-tiered worm farm at Brookfield Zoo. Personal
photograph by author. November 2010.

are not presently added to the worm farms.

Two worm farms were obtained and placed in zoo offices; one
farm was a small desktop farm (Fig. 2), the second farm was a
three-tiered farm (Fig. 3). There are many worm farms available
for purchase commercially, or a worm farm can be homemade
from wood or plastic containers. If making a homemade farm,
directions can be obtained from local agriculture extension offices,
and libraries have instructional books on vermicomposting. An
excellent resource is Mary Appelhofs (1982) book Worms Eat
My Garbage. Worm farm containers must have holes to give the
worms oxygen. Mesh covering the holes will keep out pests, as
well as keep the worms inside the farm. The container should
be made of dark material, or covered if transparent, so light
does not filter through, as the worms avoid light. The size of the
worm farm depends on personal choice, space available to place
the farm, and how many food scraps will be collected. A small
desktop farm is ideal for one person. A three-tiered farm would
be needed for a larger family, with food scraps being placed in
each layer. For each pound of food scraps per week, plan on one
square foot of surface. Before selecting a worm farm, weigh your
food scraps out weekly for a few weeks to get an idea of the size
farm needed. The worms will sustain their optimum population
according to the available food supply and space.

Red wiggler (Eisenia foetida) was the species of worm placed
in the farms. According to the University of Illinois Extension
(Nelson, 2006), red wiggler is the species of worm most
recommended for vermicomposting. They do well in a shallow
worm farm, as it replicates their environment in the wild, the

first few inches of soil. Red wigglers are also ideal as they
readily eat food scraps. The worm farm project started with
four pounds of red wrigglers. For each one pound of food fed per
day, two pounds of worms were used, as worms eat about half
their weight in food per day.

The worms in the Brookfield Zoo worm farms reproduced
within a few months. Cocoons and baby worms were found in
the bedding. Coir (coconut fiber) was used as bedding, along
with some shredded newspaper. The worms will eat the
bedding along with the food scraps; therefore non-toxic bedding
must be used. Newspapers printed with soy ink were used in
the zoo office’s worm farms. The bedding should be moist but
not dripping wet. Crushed egg shells were added to the farms
to provide grit, as the worms do not have teeth, they have a
gizzard. Calcium carbonate, sand and soil can also be added.

The bedding was changed every three to four months, after it
turned a dark black/brown color and the original bedding was
no longer identifiable. If worms are fed on one side for a few
weeks before changing the substrate, they all concentrate on
the food side, and are easier to pick out if you don’t want to lose
the worms with the compost. When changing bedding, a plastic
sheet was placed on the ground and the bedding was placed on
it in handfuls. The worms can be separated out at this time,
and saved to be placed back into fresh bedding. An alternative
method is to place food on one side of the worm farm for a few
weeks, and the bedding changed only on the side where no food
was present, as the likelihood of worms being on that side is
slim, as they tend to congregate on the food side. Afterwards,

According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) (2012), there are 224
AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums in North America. Zoos aiso have the capacity to educate
the pubiic and explain the benefits of green initiatives such as vermicomposting.

376 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

American Association of Zoo Keepers, inc.

place food in the new bedding, and the worms will migrate over
to this area within a few weeks, and the old bedding from the
other half can be changed out.

When adding food, the bedding is pushed aside and the food
placed in the depression, then covered up with bedding. The
food scraps were not chopped into pieces before adding to the
bins, but apple cores were sometimes broken into pieces by hand
when placed into the bins. Smaller particle sizes decompose
faster inside the farms. Worms seemed to congregate more
on deca5dng food particles. Moisture content of the bedding
was checked visually and by hand when feeding. Red wigglers
tolerate a wide range of temperatures, from 40 — 80 degrees F,
and do well at room temperature (Dickerson, 2001).

CONCLUSION

According to Cassells and Lewis (2011), there are more small
and medium businesses worldwide than large corporations.
These small and medium businesses often think that on an
individual basis, if they convert to green practices, it will not
make much of a difference since they are so small and just one
business. What they don’t realize is their combined impact
is huge. Similarly, if zoos started worm farms in offices, a
difference could be made. According to the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums (AZA) (2012), there are 224 AZA- accredited zoos
and aquariums in North America. Zoos also have the capacity to
educate the public and explain the benefits of green initiatives
such as vermicomposting.

REFERENCES

Appelhof, M. 1982. Worms Eat My Garbage. Flower Press, Kalamazoo,
Michigan.

Association of Zoos & Aquariums. (2012, August 31). List of Accredited
Zoos and Aquariums. Retrieved from http://www.aza.org/
current-accreditation-list/

Cassels, S. and K. Lewis. 2011. SMEs and environmental
responsibility: do actions reflect attitudes? Corporate Social
Responsibility and Environmental Management. 18(3): 186- 199.

Dickerson, G. 2001. Vermicomposting. Retrieved from http://aces.
nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h-164.pdf

Jensen, B. 2002. Knowledge, Action and Pro-environmental Behavior.
Environmental Education Research. 8(3):325-334.

Nelson, J. (2006, February 5). Vermicomposting. Retrieved from http://
web.extension.ilhnois.edu/dmp/palette/060205.html

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012, March 22).
Municipal Solid Waste. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/
epawaste/nonhaz/municipaPindex.htm

United States Environmental Protection Agency. 2011. Municipal
Sohd Waste Generation, Recycling, and Disposal in the United
States: Facts and Figures for 2010. Retrieved from http://www.
epa.gOv/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw_2010_rev_
factsheet.pdf

Yalowitz, S. S. 2004. Evaluating Visitor Conservation Research at the
Monterey Bay Aquarium. Curator. 47(3):283-298.

The zoo staff participants who collected food scraps for the worm
farms thought being “green” was important and wanted
to recycle organic trash. Selecting a specific action zoo
employees could participate in instead of just educating
them and giving them facts about composting
made them aware there are everyday solutions
people can do to help our environmental
problems. Contributing solutions to problems
is important for positive behaviors to develop
and continue (Jensen 2002; Yalowitz 2004).

Collecting compost materials in zoo offices
increased the participants’ awareness of
conservation issues, and made a connection
with workplace green initiatives. It also
set a positive example for co-workers. By
proactively implementing compost collection,
it reminded staff to be aware of their
environmental impact. The ability to be
green isn’t just theoretical; there are small
ways to practice it in the workplace and at
home. People’s choices can make a difference.

Vermicomposting was an easy process to initiate in the
workplace. Worms don’t make noise, the farms are easy to take
care of, and daily care is not required. The compost produced
can be used as plant fertilizer. Surplus worms can be used as
a food item as behavioral enrichment for zoo animals. Worms
will eat what otherwise would have been thrown out as garbage.
The worm farms have been a fun and easy way to enrich the
workplace environment, along with animals and soil. The
project was successful and is expanding, with more offices slated
to receive worm farms.

AAZK.ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 377

into Mountain
Bamboo Partr
Ethology

Orion McCarthy,

Bird House Intern

Smithsonian National Zoological Park
Washington D.C.

INTRODUCTION AND GOALS

While the Mountain Bamboo Partridge {Bambusicola
fytchii) is neither rare nor endangered, little is known
about the species. The range, habitat and relative
population status are known, but the ethology of
the species is lacking in documentation, especially
compared to its relative Bambusicola thoracicus
(Chinese Bamboo Partridge). Few zoos have the
species on exhibit and its status in aviculture is listed
as rare (Cowell, 2008). As one of the Smithsonian
National Zoo’s less researched collection birds, I found
it compelling to further investigate Mountain Bamboo
Partridge behavior and reception to training.

My project revolved around training six adult and three
juvenile Mountain Bamboo Partridges to respond to a

Throughout the seven weeks of my
project, this goal grew to encompass
observing the partridges to unravel
complex social dynamics. Scale training
the birds ultimately became another goal
as well.

specific sound to aid in their capture for
necessary welfare tasks such as tagging
and moving individual birds. The system
I developed involved lightly banging on a
foodpan three times in quick succession
with a pencil to get the attention of the
partridges. Once they looked up and
moved towards me, I rewarded them
with mealworms. I repeated the process
until the birds followed me up to the
vestibule area of exhibit 55 (see Figure
2) where they could be cornered and
trapped. My goal was for the birds to
eventually respond to the sound only,
making mealworms unnecessary.

I

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON MOUNTAIN BAMBOO PARTRIDGES

Mountain Bamboo Partridges are part of the order Galliformes,
or gamefowl. Found throughout Southeast Asia, they live in
bamboo scrub forests and grasslands (Butchart & Ekstrom,
2012). These birds are fairly common in their range, rated as
Least Concern by RedList™ (Butchart & Symes, 2012). However,
their population is in decline due primarily to habitat loss
(Butchart & Symes, 2012). They have brown mottled plumage,
characteristic eye stripes and a spotted underbelly. They exhibit
little sexual dimorphism: the only notable differences between
the sexes are that males have a black band above their eyes
where females have brown, males have a spur on their lower leg
while females do not, and males tend to be slightly larger.

The basic facets of Mountain Bamboo Partridge behavior are
such; they spend most of their time concealed in scrub growth,
only flying when startled, usually making loud wing beats and
calling out to startle attackers, and quickly return to cover after
danger has passed. Breeding occurs in the summer months, and
both parents are responsible for the upbringing of the chicks
(Newcomb, 2005). The gestation period averages eighteen days
(Twycross, 2012), although we have found it to be closer to three
weeks. Beyond that, little is documented about the behavior of
these birds outside of the individuals observed in captivity at
Smithsonian National Zoo.

INDIVIDUAL PARTRIDGES OF SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL ZOO

Throughout the majority of my project (which spanned two
months from the 3''** of July to the 22"“' of August, 2012) there
were six adult and three juvenile Bamboo Partridges on exhibit.
The juvenile chicks were born in May 2012. Of the adults, four
were male and two were female. There were two male juveniles
and one female juvenile. Five chicks were born in the second
week of August in two clutches (A clutch of four, all of which
hatched, and a clutch of three that produced a single offspring).
In the last week of my project, an adult female and the juvenile
female died, as well as three of the chicks from the clutch of four,
all under a week old.

Throughout July and the first few weeks of August, the
partridges were separated into two groups, each with a single
female. Figure 1 shows the birds in each group, marked with
their gender, and with their bands and accession numbers listed
below. Throughout this paper, the number or letters inside
the gender symbol next to each picture will be used to refer to
individual birds.

Group 1 was comprised of 87, 77 and Lb. Birds 87 and 77 were a
mating pair and Lb was a less integral member, usually keeping
watch over the rest of the group. Mating pairs were made
evident by occasional hostility within a group, marginalizing the
male who was not mating with the female. This happened with
enough regularity (the same male was always marginalized)
that it could be used to clearly indicate group hierarchy.

Group 2 was more dominant then Group 1 since it was larger
and contained the dominant mating pair (28 and 75/51). RB
was also in Group 2, but he was very peripheral, and usually
assisted in caring for the juveniles while 28 and 75/51 searched
for food.

TERRITORIAL BEHAVIOR AND GROUP DYNAMICS

The two groups remained fixed throughout July, and members
were very hostile towards those from the opposite group.
Territories became apparent (see Figure 3), and individuals

would often attack intruders. Group 2 would usually win,
although not due to increased size (RB and the juveniles were
rarely involved) but because 28 and 75/51 were aggressive in
maintaining their dominance. In early July, it became apparent
that Group 1 occupied the periphery of exhibit 55, mainly the
lower part of the exhibit below the pools. The partridges seem
to prefer the terrain half way up the path in exhibit 55, and that
is where Group 2 was typically spotted.

In late July, both groups became increasingly territorial, with
28 in particular becoming hostile to all partridges except 75/51.
This increased hostility culminated on the 23’^“' of July, when
Group 1 was in the vestibule and 28 approached alone. It
appeared at first that she would mix with Group 1, but 77, the
dominant male of Group 1, chased her away, making a loud
pitched call that lasted for about 30 seconds. 28 fled back to
Group 2, where she and 75/51 made the same shrill call back at
Group 1. Group 2 approached minutes later in full force, and 28
and 75/51 evicted Group 1 from the vestibule. Group 1 scattered
and failed to regroup. Then 28 and 75/51 called out the same
shrill cry and chased away RB and the remaining chicks until
they were alone at the vestibule.

Soon after, it was discovered that both 28 and 87 were sitting on
eggs, suggesting that the territorial hostility was due in part to
the nesting of the females. At this point the decision was made
to relocate the juvenile partridges, which were experiencing the
greatest hostility from 28, to the holding exhibit 44D.

Interestingly, both females made their nests far out of their
normal range, deep in the territories of the other group. In the
wild, this may be a method to expand territory or the females
may have been trying to nest in seclusion away from the rest of
their groups.

With both females relatively incapacitated on nests, the territory
lines began to waver, though group distinctions remained
strong. Once the babies were born however, new battles over
control arose.

AAZ; .ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 379

Figure 1: Mountain Bamboo
Partridges of the Smithsonian
National Zoo. Two distinct
„ groups formed in July and were
very territorial towards each
“ other. Above are the
- groups, with information about
each individual bird such
as gender, band color and
t'accession number. Throughout
this paper, the number or letters
inside the gender symbol
nextto each picture will referto
the individual birds. ■

Group 1

Group 2

215745
Right red 28

215428
Right red 77

215886

Left blue (ziptie)

216082

Left green 33 (upside down)

0

216083
Left yellow 32

215427
Left blue
Right red

216084

Left red 21

Right yellow 35

215624
Left red 51
Right red 75

MAY AND AUGUST CHICKS:

TWO GENERATIONS OF PARTRIDGES

While doing my project, I was fortunate
enough to observe the stages of the
life cycle of the Bamboo Partridge by
observing multiple generations of chicks.
When I started in Jidy, there were three
young juvenile partridges that had been
born in May. These chicks still depended
on the care of adults in Group 2, relying
on 28, 75/51 and RB to feed them. All
three of the adults were involved in
parenting, but the males seem to be
more involved, with one always near the
chicks. 75/51 was usually found with two
of the juveniles while RB seemed to have
an affinity for the third, which appeared
to be the runt of the three. The three
juveniles began to become more self-
sufficient towards the end of the month,
straying more often from the caregiving
males. This was fortunate, since the
hostility of 28 necessitated the move of

the three juveniles to exhibit 44D. The
juveniles were moved out on the 30‘'' of
July to make way for the eventual arrival
of the new chicks.

Both 87 and 28 started nesting around
the same time (28 exhibited hostility
on the 23’''^ to indicate nesting and 87
was discovered on her nest on the 25‘*’).
Whether one nested in response to the
other is unclear, but with both females
incapacitated, the territorial boundaries
began to blur. Gestation was three weeks
for both clutches of eggs, and the clutches
hatched two days apart. 28 laid three
eggs, two of which were fertile. Only
one chick hatched, and at this point the
groups dissolved; 28 and 75/51 cared for
the chick without any other males and
exhibited heightened aggression to any
other partridges. During this time, 87
stayed on her nest without any contact
from the other males, while 77, Lb and
RB all stayed together in one group.

Two days later, all four of 87’s eggs
hatched. During gestation, 87 stayed
almost exclusively on her nest while 28
was often spotted around exhibit 55 (to
the point that we did not realize she was
nesting until she was spotted with the
chick on the 12“’ of August). It is possible
that the higher survival of 87’s clutch
was a result of her increased maternal
attentiveness. At noon on the 14“’, 87
was spotted off her nest for the first time
in weeks, and the chicks were nowhere
to be found. Two hours later, all five
chicks were spotted with the dominant
mating pair (28 and 75/51). Soon after,
87 approached along with the other three
males and were chased away by both 28
and 75/51. The males scattered, and 87
stayed close by and called out in distress
for fifteen minutes. This abduction of
87’s chicks illustrates the dominance of
the pair. In the days that followed, chicks
continued to shuffle between 28 and 87.

380 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc.

While doing my project I was fortunate

I

enough to observe the stages of the life
cycle of the Bamboo Partridge by observing
multiple generations of chicks.

Figure 4: Partridge sightings in August
superimposed over a map of exhibit
55. The gradient represents sighting
frequency (the darker the purple, the
more frequent the sightings)

G

After a few days, the old groups reformed, with Group 2 having
two chicks (one of 87’s and 28’s only chick) and Group 1 having
the remaining three.

As with the chicks born in May, both parents in each group looked
after the chicks, although it was always the father that was
closest. The fathers in both groups would ruffle their feathers
and sit with the chicks concealed underneath their plumage,
giving off the appearance of a sunning partridge. Often, the
surrounding males would take the same position, presumably
as decoys for the safety of the chicks. In addition, the partridges
would stay concealed in brush and were difficult to lure with
training exercises in the week immediately following the birth
of the new chicks. The partridges also stayed farther away
from the visitors and remained in an especially sheltered part
of exhibit 55 (see Figure 4).

In the week that followed, 87 and the three chicks in her
possession went missing. A snakeskin was found in exhibit 55
as well, and since no bodies were found, the theory was that
a snake killed 87 and then ate the babies, which were fairly
helpless without the adult partridges. The female juvenile in
exhibit 44D, RY, also died during the same weekend, presumably
from West Nile Virus infection.

With these deaths, all identifiable females excluding 28 have
died, creating an unfortunate lack of gender diversity among
the Bamboo Partridge collection at the Zoo. However, almost
immediately after 87’s disappearance, all the partridges
converged into one group, with RB taking over primary parental
tasks and 28, 75/51 maintaining dominance. The reconfiguration
of males around one female suggests that Mountain Bamboo
Partridges are a matriarchal species, also evidenced by the
two groups prior to nesting, which had one female each (not
including the juvenile female). Indeed, when both females
were nesting and removed from the rest of the partridges,
territories blurred and group boundaries dissipated. It would

382 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

have been interesting to see if a third female was introduced, or
if the juvenile female had not died, if three groups would have
eventually developed.

Since there is only a single group now and the two juveniles
in exhibit 44D are male, I recommend reintroducing them
back into exhibit 55, especially since they appeared stressed
due to the larger birds in that enclosure (two adult Tragopans
{Tragopan ternminckii)). It would be surprising if they did not
successfully integrate into the current group in exhibit 55.

TRAINING, TRAPPING AND TAGGING

The main focus of my project was training the Bamboo
Partridges to respond to a specific noise. The desired response
was the approach of the Bamboo Partridges towards the
noise, which was accomplished by feeding mealworms to the
individuals that approached. The noise was made by three taps
of a pencil on a foodpan in quick succession. The daily routine
for training involved finding a group of partridges in exhibit 55
(I focused my efforts on Group 2 since an ultimate goal of the
project was to tag the juvenile chicks). Upon finding a group,
I would lead them up the path or through the brush towards
the top of the exhibit where the vestibule was using the sound
and mealworms. The best time for the training was when the
birds were hungriest, and I found that two half-hour sessions
a day worked better than an hour-long session. I found the
birds were most receptive upon my arrival to the Zoo at 0630
hours, and just before their afternoon feeding at 1400 hours.
The training was slightly more difficult in the afternoon due to
public access to exhibit 55 and the noise and distractions this
created for the birds.

It did not take long for the partridges to internalize the noise
and the meaning of the sound, and after a few weeks I was able
to draw the partridges out of the brush with the noise upon
entering exhibit 55 instead of having to find them. They also
had the capacity to remember the sound and it’s meaning; I was

ifiri an o [of ;epcrs. -

absent for several weeks during July and when I returned, their
responsiveness to the sound had not noticeably decreased. I
attribute the quick response and internalization of training to
the multiple short sessions each day, which affirmed the routine
for the birds. In general, the juveniles were more inquisitive

One must be careful since their primary
defense tactic is to fiy into the face of
the attacker, screeching and ioudly
beating their wings

then the adults, responding more readily to the food pan noise.
However, they seemed to have a shorter attention span, and
were harder to lure to the vestibule than the adults. Overall,
28 and 75/51 (28 principally) were the most responsive to the
noise and seemed to internalize the training the most.

Initially, luring the birds past the uppermost pool posed
difficulties due to the high volume of ducks and other birds,
which are larger then the Bamboo Partridges and would often
scare them away or make them hesitant to follow. This problem
was overcome by placing myself in-between the pool and the
path, keeping the ducks by the pool and partridges by the
path. In other parts of the exhibit, notably by the vestibule,
the peacocks would pose similar problems, so I would routinely
inspect the path I planned on taking the partridges on first to
scare away any large birds that could impede the partridges.

While the partridges would readily follow me up to the vestibule,
I had my greatest difficulties getting them to go inside. My
suspicion is that they were wary of entering a confined space
while I blocked the exit. I tried installing a plywood ramp, since
there was a foot-high step that may have been impeding them
as well, but they never used the ramp since it was a foreign
object that they did not recognize. This same problem occurred
when I tried to scale train them. Adding a permanent fake scale

under their foodpan seemed to be the best course of action,
although this was tried soon before I left so the tactic has yet
to yield results.

On the 30‘^ of July, shortly after 28 began displaying
heightened aggression, I was able to lure the three juveniles
along with RB into the back of the vestibule. There is a door
to the edge of the vestibule that swings inward to block the
escape of any captured partridges, so the ultimate goal was
to get them to the very back of the vestibule. Upon closing
the vestibule door, I was able to trap the two male juveniles,
but RB and the other juvenile escaped through the door. In
capturing the partridges, one must be careful since their
primary defense tactic is to fly into the face of the attacker,
screeching and loudly beating their wings. Using a net is
advised and caution should be taken in the back vestibule
area, since it is a fairly small space.

After capturing the birds and crating them, we weighed
them, tagged them and moved them to exhibit 44D. Another
keeper later captured the remaining juvenile, and Lb was
captured and banded in August using the same vestibule
capture method.

FINDINGS

The Mountain Bamboo Partridge appears to be a matriarchal
species that fractures into territorial groups, each comprising
a single female. When females are nesting or removed,
territory and group distinctions blur or falter. Males seem
to hold the primary caregiving role, though both parents are
involved, and the more dominant members of the group have
less parental involvement. They are a food-motivated species,
and will venture, albeit hesitantly, into unfamiliar or confined
areas if they are enticed with food.

The project goal of making a sound synonymous with food
for the partridges was successful for 28 and 75/51, and was
achieving success with the other partridges. The approach
can be applied to other birds as well; the peacocks in
particular seem susceptible to this type of training, since
they are closely related to the partridges and are also a food
motivated species. The white-faced ibis in Exhibit 55 would
also benefit from this training since their seasonal relocation
to an indoor enclosure necessitates their eventual capture.
I recommend the training methods be perfected, tweaked
and applied across many species of birds to ultimately foster
cooperation between birds and keepers in achieving general
welfare of collection birds at the National Zoo.

REFERENCES

Butchart, S. and J. Ekstrom. 2012. BirdLife™ International. Species
factsheet: Bambusicola fytchii.

Butchart, S. and A. Symes. 2012. RedList™ Species factsheet:
Bambusicola fytchii. lUCN 2012. lUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. Version 2012.1.

Cowell, D. 1997-2008. Mountain Bamboo Partridge, gbwf.org
Avicultural Forum

Frederiksen, P. 2011. Bamboo Partridge Chick. Photography
Newcomb, L. 2005. Bamboo Partridge. That Quad Place, Red Oak
Game birds.

Twycross Zoo, 2012. Mountain Bamboo Partridge Species Factsheet.
Twycross Zoo, East Midland Zoological Society

AAZK.ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 383

AAZK

TRAINING TALES

. , "■'.SStv -': ■

Sandhill

Crane

Behavioral
Modification

share you^raming exp'eriences!

. . training tales editors

Jay Pfatte, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
_ Kim Kezer, Zoo New England
.. ^Beth Stark-Posta, Toledo Zoo

Mindy Rabideaii, Primary Aviculturist
Tracy Aviary, Salt Lake City, Utah

In spring 2009, the Tracy Aviary received a male Greater
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis tabida) to be paired with our
lone female. Previously, this male had been housed at Willow
Park Zoo in Logan, UT in a large mixed-species exhibit with
hoofstock. Prior to coming into captivity, he had been a wild
bird brought into a rehabilitation facility with a wing injury
that made him non-releasable. Upon arriving at the aviary,
the male was quarantined in the smaller, off-exhibit holding
yard of the crane exhibit. This yard shared a fence line with
the female, so the birds had auditory contact and some visual
contact through a gap in the netting put up to give him some
privacy during his quarantine period. During his quarantine
period, whenever a keeper would enter the yard, the bird would
flee to the corner of the enclosure and pace the fence until the
keeper left.

In June 2009, the male crane cleared quarantine and was
introduced to the female. The introduction went surprisingly
well. It went so well that we didn’t have to separate them when
keepers weren’t present or feed them separately as is often the
case. The female walked right up to the male and spent all day
following him around. There was no aggression seen from either
bird and they seemed to form a good pair right off the bat.

Due to a previous training program, the female crane is tolerant of
keepers in the exhibit and approaches within a few feet of keepers
in hopes of receiving a treat. The male, however, continued to
flee across the exhibit and be nervous when keepers were in

the exhibit. This is when I decided to use the super mealworms
that the cranes were receiving each day to try to get the male to
associate keepers with food and exhibit a calmer, more confident
attitude. When I began the training, I would enter the yard with
the cranes and alternately toss the cranes worms, one at a time.
Relief keepers and interns would also do the training so that the
male would be comfortable with any keeper that needed to go in
the yard.

When training first started, the male would still flee to the
corner of the exhibit and have no interest in the worms. After
a few days of this behavior, I decided to try doing the training
from the holding yard, thinking that the male may be more
comfortable with my presence if there was a fence separating us.
At first the male was still very nervous, but became interested
in the worms. He would watch where the worms thrown to him
would land and go over to eat them after I left the yard. Over
time he got more and more confident and would come over about
half way across the yard where his worms were landing. Once
he was reliably coming over for his worms, I began throwing
them closer to the dividing fence. It took a few months from
when I started, but he became comfortable being about ten feet
away from the fence during the training.

Now that the male was comfortable being in close proximity to
keepers on the other side of the fence, I decided to start going
in the yard with them to train. At the beginning, he was still
nervous of keepers being in the yard, but would only retreat
halfway across the yard and would still eat the worms tossed to
him. From this point, the daily training was used to try to get
him closer to keepers and more comfortable around us. After
a few more months of training, the male was comfortable with
keepers being about ten feet away from him. He was no longer

e~you can

fleeing when keepers entered the yard, but coming closer when
keepers entered to receive his worms. At this point, the male
was exhibiting the behavior I wanted, so now the daily worms
are used to maintain this behavior. Being able to have the cranes
in close proximity and be comfortable eating mealworms from a
y keeper opens the door to being able to medicate them without
■ i catching them, if necessary. It also allows for new behaviors
: to be trained, such as shift training them to go in their barn or

scale training them to give voluntary weights.

This training takes about two minutes extra a day, so it easily
fits into the daily routine. In total, it took about 4-5 months for
5 the male to exhibit the behavior I was looking for, but with the
' 1; continuation of the training I am still seeing new improvements.

Last spring the cranes’ exhibit underwent construction and the

birds were moved to their holding yard. Even while they were
in the smaller holding space, the male was comfortable with
keepers being in the yard and still participated in training. I
had expected him to be more nervous in that smaller yard,
but there was only a small setback and he was back to where
he had been in the big yard in a week or so. This spring the
cranes nested, so while they were incubating training was put
on hold as the female was very defensive of her nest. The
day after the eggs were pulled due to being overdue, both
cranes participated in training as if they had been doing it the
entire time. Another thing that would set training back was
handling the male. Whenever he had to be handled, it would
usually take him about three days to start participating in
training again. Now he participates the next day. He’s even
begun being the first bird over to train when it had always
been the female. This quick daily training has resulted in a
bird that is comfortable being near a keeper instead of fleeing
to the corner and being stressed. A complete turnaround since
he arrived at the aviary

Behavioral Committee
comments by Jay Pratte:

This article addresses a very simple, yet VERY common
issue that trainers face all of the time. We have a
new animal, or one that we are implementing a new
training program with, that is fearful of us. The author
has clearly identified the issue, found appropriate and
enticing rewards, and set up a plan (and modified it)
to set the male crane up for success. By associating
their presence with a positive reinforcer, the author
is building trust and making keepers an anticipated
part of the routine. While this seems a straightforward
concept, often keepers allow this fear/avoidance to exist.
By NOT building this trusting relationship, an animal
may perceive keepers as an aversive stimulus and be
rewarded for going away from the trainer (Negative
reinforcement) OR worse, would feel trapped and
continue to panic, turning the trainer into an actual
punishing stimulus (Positive punishment).

It can also be helpful in these scenarios to introduce a
“window of opportunity”, where the animal only has a
chance to receive favored rewards during a specific time
frame. Keeper enters, leaves treats, and returns fifteen
minutes later, when any leftover treats are removed.
As animals learn they need to get treats in the window,
the period is shortened a few minutes at a time. Then
trainers work towards being able to be in visual range,
yet distant enough not to trigger a flight response, just
as the author illustrated. Incremental approaches are
then well rewarded, and eventually with patience and
perseverance you accomplish your goal as the author
did.

The author also addressed regression issues that would
occur when the birds were moved or caught up. Any
animal is going to backslide a bit in their training
periodically. Like the author, we need to be prepared
for this and back up a few steps, rewarding at a lower
threshold of expectation until confidence and trust
return to previous levels. Great work and as always,
thanks for sharing your Training Tale!

FT:y?Il TRAINING TALES

fleeing when keepers entered the yard, but coming closer when
keepers entered to receive his worms. At this point, the male
was exhibiting the behavior I wanted, so now the daily worms
are used to maintain this behavior. Being able to have the cranes
in close proximity and be comfortable eating mealworms from a
keeper opens the door to being able to medicate them without
catching them, if necessary. It also allows for new behaviors
to be trained, such as shift training them to go in their barn or
scale training them to give voluntary weights.

This training takes about two minutes extra a day, so it easily
fits into the daily routine. In total, it took about 4-5 months for
the male to exhibit the behavior I was looking for, but with the
continuation of the training I am still seeing new improvements.
Last spring the cranes’ exhibit underwent construction and the

birds were moved to their holding yard. Even while they were
in the smaller holding space, the male was comfortable with
keepers being in the yard and still participated in training. I
had expected him to be more nervous in that smaller yard,
but there was only a small setback and he was back to where
he had been in the big yard in a week or so. This spring the
cranes nested, so while they were incubating training was put
on hold as the female was very defensive of her nest. The
day after the eggs were pulled due to being overdue, both
cranes participated in training as if they had been doing it the
entire time. Another thing that would set training back was
handling the male. Whenever he had to be handled, it would
usually take him about three days to start participating in
training again. Now he participates the next day. He’s even
begun being the first bird over to train when it had always
been the female. This quick daily training has resulted in a
bird that is comfortable being near a keeper instead of fleeing
to the corner and being stressed. A complete turnaround since
he arrived at the aviaryfT^^^^—

raffling experiences!
’—TRAINING TALES EDITORS
Jay Pratta Omah&'s Henry Doorly Zoo
"Kim Kazer, Zoo New England
Beth Stark-Posta, Toledo Zoo

Sandhill

Crane

Behavioral
Modification

Mindy Rahideau, Primaiy Aviciillwisl
Tracy Aviaty. Salt Lake City, Utah

In spring 2009, the Tracy Aviary received a male Greater
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis tabida) to be paired with our
lone female. Previously, this male had been housed at Willow
Park Zoo in Logan, UT in a large mixed-species exhibit with
hoofstock. Prior to coming into captivity, he had been a wild
bird brought into a rehabilitation facility with a wing injury
that made him non-releasable. Upon arriving at the aviary,
the male was quarantined in the smaller, off-exhibit holding
yard of the crane exhibit. This yard shared a fence line with
the female, so the birds had auditory contact and some visual
contact through a gap in the netting put up to give him some
privacy during his quarantine period. During his quarantine
period, whenever a keeper would enter the yard, the bii’d would
flee to the corner of the enclosure and pace the fence until the
keeper left.

In June 2009, the male crane cleared quarantine and was
introduced to the female. The introduction went surprisingly
w'ell. It went so well that we didn’t have to separate them when
keepers weren t present or feed them separately as is often the
case. The female walked right up to the male and spent all day
following him around. There was no aggression seen from either
bird and they seemed to form a good pair right off the bat.

Due to a previous training program, the female crane is tolerant of
keepers in the exhibit and approaches within a few feet of keepers
in hopes of receiving a treat. The male, however, continued to
flee across the exhibit and be nervous when keepers were in

the exhibit. This is when I decided to use the super mealworms
that the cranes were receiving each day to try to get the male to
associate keepers with food and exhibit a calmer, more confident
attitude. When I began the training, I would enter the yard with
the cranes and alternately toss the cranes worms, one at a time.
Relief keepers and interns would also do the training so that the
male would be comfortable with any keeper that needed to go in
the yard.

When training first started, the male would still flee to the
corner of the exhibit and have no interest in the worms. After
a few days of this behavior. I decided to try doing the training
from the holding yard, thinking that the male may be more
comfortable with my presence if there was a fence separating us.
At first the male was still very nervous, but became interested
in the worms. He would watch where the worms thrown to him
would land and go over to eat them after I left the yard. Over
time he got more and more confident and would come over about
half way across the yard where his worms were landing. Once
he was reliably coming over for his worms, I began throwing
them closer to the dividing fence. It took a few months from
when I started, but he became comfortable being about ten feet
away from the fence during the training.

Now that the male was comfortable being in close proximity to
keepers on the other side of the fence, I decided to start going
in the yard with them to train. At the beginning, he was still
nervous of keepers being in the yard, but would only retreat
halfway across the yard and would stUl eat the worms tossed to
him. From this point, the daily training was used to try to get
him closer to keepers and more comfortable around us. After
a few more months of training, the male was comfortable with
keepers being about ten feet away from him. He was no longer

Behavioral Committee
comments by Jay Pratte:

This article addresses a very simple, yet VERY common
issue that trainers face all of the time. We have a
new animal, or one that we are implementing a new
training program with, that is fearful of us. The author
has clearly identified the issue, found appropriate and
enticing rewards, and set up a plan (and modified it)
to set the male crane up for success. By associating
their presence with a positive reinforcer, the author
is building trust and making keepers an anticipated
part of the routine. While this seems a straightforward
concept, often keepers allow this fear/avoidance to exist.
By NOT building this trusting relationship, an animal
may perceive keepers as an aversive stimulus and be
rewarded for going awav from the trainer (Negative
reinforcement) OR worse, would feel trapped and
continue to panic, turning the trainer into an actual
punishing stimulus (Positive punishment).

It can also be helpful in these scenarios to introduce a
“window of opportunity”, where the animal only has a
chance to receive favored rewards during a specific time
frame. Keeper enters, leaves treats, and returns fifteen
minutes later, when any leftover treats are removed.
As animals learn they need to get treats in the window,
the period is shortened a few minutes at a time. Then
trainers work towards being able to be in visual range,
yet distant enough not to trigger a flight response, just
as the author illustrated. Incremental approaches are
then well rewarded, and eventually with patience and
perseverance you accomplish your goal as the author
did.

The author also addressed regression issues that would
occur when the birds were moved or caught up. Any
animal is going to backslide a bit in their training
periodically. Like the author, we need to be prepared
for this and back up a few steps, rewarding at a lower
threshold of expectation until confidence and trust
return to previous levels. Great work and as always,
thanks for sharing your Training Tale!

ENRICHMENT OPTIONS

Your source for enrichment ideas,
support, data and inspiration!
ENRICHMENT OPTIONS EDITORS:

Julie Hartell-DeNardo, St. Louis Zoo;

Ric Kotarsky, Tulsa Zoo;
Casey Plummer, Caldwell Zoo

One of the most challenging (and
rewarding) aspects of a zoo keeper’s job
is developing new enrichment for her
animals. This can be challenging because
enrichment must be durable, efficient,
and economical. Keepers tap into every
conceivable resource to come up with
mentally stimulating and novel items
the animals will enjoy. Woodland Park
Zoo’s favorite resource has become the
zoo community, and its keepers thrive on
not only implementing ideas, but sharing
them as well.

only did the manager have a couple to
spare, but that in the summertime, they
often receive dozens each week. Finding a
new and revitalized way to keep them out
of the landfill was a relief to the manager,
and getting free toys for the animals was
exhilarating for the zoo!

Pattie first tested the boat bumpers
on Bamboo. She’s the oldest and most
mischievous elephant at Woodland Park
Zoo. She’s a good problem-solver, and
she’s the zoo’s best product tester - if any

ENRICHMENT

OPTIONS

The elephants at Woodland Park Zoo
have a number of EEDs that are designed
to promote instinctual behaviors. One of
their favorites is a boomer ball filled with
treats. As many keepers know, an animal
the size and strength of an elephant can
be a bit destructive to toys. The boomer
balls are protected however possible, but
constantly purchasing more boomer balls
can be costly. So, what’s a zoo keeper to
do? Think outside the box... or ball.

With a marine mammal background,
Pattie thought back to her days of training
dolphins. She would throw boat bumpers
and buoys in with the 800-pound critters
and play endless games with them. So,
how would an 8,000-pound animal react
to one?

Pattie ventured to West Marine to see if
she could acquire a couple of boat bumpers
to test out on these playful pachyderms.
Lo and behold, she discovered that not

of the girls are going to figure out how to
destroy, dismantle, or break something,
it’s going to be Bamboo. The keepers
hung a boat bumper in the barn, and
put another in a container to protect it
from getting squashed too soon. It didn’t
take Bamboo long to figure out where the
hole in the bumper was located so she
could get the treats out. It took a little
encouragement from Pattie for Bamboo
to notice the hanging bumper, but once
she realized it held treats it was “game
on:" she batted it non-stop until she was
certain every morsel was out.

Next in line was Chai. Chai was so
intrigued by the texture of the bumper,
she pulled it out of the protective device so
she could rub her mouth and trunk all over
it. Keepers started hanging the bumpers
lower, and Chai would drain them of their
treats and then continue to rub the toy
with her trunk and along her jaw. After
a little hesitation on Pattie’s end (in fear

Chai would completely destroy it within
seconds), she finally caved and gave
Chai the whole boat bumper, without a
hole drilled or treats inside. Pattie was
certain Chai wouldn’t want anything
to do with it, but she was wrong. Chai
stepped on it, and tried to pop it in her
mouth, and then started tossing it in

Finding a new and revitalized
way to keep them out of the
landfill was a relief to the
manager, and getting free
toys for the animals was
exhilarating for the zoo!

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 387

il

388 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

the air. She started pla5dng with Pattie,
handing Pattie the bumper with her trunk
and darting after it when Pattie threw it
back. Chai seems very attached to the boat
bumpers, and they are definitely a favorite
item. Watching her play with these toys is
enjoyable for everyone.

Even though Chai loves the boat
bumpers, it seems Watoto is convinced
they are out to get her, and she must
assert her dominance over each new
toy. When the keepers first hung the
bumpers for Watoto, she tusked them
over and over. Only when treats dropped
out onto the floor did she stop suddenly,
as if to say “Oh, treats!” When she sees
a boat bumper hanging in the corner as
she enters the barn, her ears go out, her
head goes up, and her pace quickens.
But, these bumpers aren’t her enemy;
she may assert her dominance over them,
but in Pattie’s two years working with
these girls, she has never seen Watoto as
playful with an object as she is with the
boat bumpers.

Since the bumpers were such a hit
with the elephants, the keepers began
experimenting with different ways to
utilize them. They hung them vertically
and horizontally. They squished them
into feed barrels and other enrichment
devices. They played around with
placement of the hole in each boat
bumper, putting some in the center and

others on the very ends. They received
many different shapes and sizes of
bumpers, so they had variety and novelty
within their stash of devices.

The bumpers are mobile so they can be
used anywhere, and they are adaptable,
so they can be used often. The elephants
pull and toss them like they would
with logs and branches in their natural
environments. More importantly, the
bumpers encourage playful behavior in
older animals. These boat bumpers keep
the elephants mentally stimulated, but
they have done more than Pattie ever
imagined.

After seeing the elephant department’s
success, other units at Woodland Park
Zoo have shown interest in trying them
with their animals. If these devices
withstand being stomped, crunched,
flung, and squashed by elephants, they
should survive abuse by other animals.
The Family Farm has requested some
boat fenders for their goats and donkey.
A couple of boat bumpers were also given
to the zoo’s geriatric tiger. There has also
been interest in using them for tapirs,
warty pigs, anoa, keas, and macropods.

This was an exciting breakthrough
for Pattie. As a zoo keeper she loves
finding something that interests and
appropriately challenges her animals,
and after discovering the boat bumpers’

potential with other animals, she decided
to share this idea with the zoo community
at large. At the 2012 AAZK National
Conference in Syracuse, she made a
presentation on reusing everyday items
as enrichment for elephants.

(to be continued next month)

EO Editor’s Comments by
Julie Hartell-DeNardo:

Be sure to check out next months
Enrichment Options Column for
Part 2 of this great article. You’ll
find out how Pattie’s conference
presentation not only facilitated
professional networking and making
new zoological contacts but also
created the opportunity for her boat
bumper idea to enrich many more
diverse species and animals all the
way on the other side of the country.
Elise from the Binghamton Zoo at
Ross Park will share how she was
able to implement and expand on
versatility of Pattie's idea at her
institution. More information and
fantastic photos next month.

AAZK.ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 389

AAZK 141

In the interest of complete transparency I feel it important to
mention upfront that I am not a gorilla expert. In fact, I don’t
even work directly with gorillas. However, because of my job I
have been able to work on conservation education projects with
two great gorilla researchers — Dr. Richard Bergl at the North
Carolina Zoo, who has devoted his career to the plight of the
Cross River gorilla and Dr. Martha Robbins at the Max Planck
Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, who has devoted her
career to the worlds last remaining Mountain gorillas.

For the past four years I have worked for the North Carolina
Zoo’s UNITE for the Environment Program (UNITE) in Uganda.
I work with devoted colleagues and community members
to protect chimpanzees in Kibale National Park through a
conservation education program that targets teachers and
students. It’s comprehensive, it’s thorough and it focuses on
communities around the park. Someday, we hope to one day
work in gorilla territory, until then, we work with our partners
who do. Partners like the Max Planck Institute, who we work
with on the Great Ape Education Project, designed to use great
ape films shot on location in Uganda to teach students about the
importance of gorillas and chimpanzees. For the past two years,
I have had the incredible good fortune to be able to learn more
about gorillas at the Gorillas Across Africa Workshops held
in Ruhija, Uganda and Musanze, Rwanda respectively. It has
been at these workshops where I have learned about the four
subspecies of gorillas (Figure 1), the delicacy involved in gorilla
conservation and the great lengths that gorilla researchers
and conservationists go to in order to ensure viable gorilla
populations remain.

Gorilla conservation is complex— the obstacles facing gorillas
in Africa are enormous. Habitat loss and the bushmeat trade/
snaring are probably two of the greatest conservation issues for
gorillas, but the drivers behind them are many.

Habitat loss is an easy answer for many to recite when explaining

Michelle A. Slavin
UNITE for the Environment
North Carolina Zoo
Bigodi, Kamwenge District, Uganda

why we are losing so many gorillas. In the past 20 years Cross
River gorillas have lost nearly 60% of suitable environmental
conditions, Grauer’s gorillas 52% and Western lowland gorillas
32%. It’s not all doom and gloom though. Mountain gorillas
have not lost any habitat loss in the past 20 years. Habitat loss
is what many Americans can relate to but the “why” of habitat
loss is what becomes increasingly difficult to explain. Gorillas
are found in ten African nations — most of whose population live
on less than a dollar a day. In the face of such poverty many
communities believe they have no option other than to degrade
the environment through subsistence farming, logging for
commercial use, disposing of waste (there aren’t many recycling
programs here!), mining for minerals and more. In some cases,
these communities may actually not have other options. But in
many more instances there are options available that they are
unaware of due to communication issues or lack of collaboration
between NGOs and government offices there to help.

Then there is the bushmeat trade and poaching which are
closely linked. Without money to purchase more sustainable
and healthy meat, some community members poach. In West
and Central Africa it tends to be done with guns and in East
Africa with spears and snares. Culturally, some people do eat
primates, but many do not and gorillas become a by-product
of snaring for antelope, buffalo and elephant. Some poaching
is done for personal use, to provide the poachers family with
a protein source. Some poaching is done to meet the demand
in cities and abroad for bushmeat and trophies such as hides
and skulls. There are the hidden costs of bushmeat as well — it
isn’t just the loss of gorillas and other species, it’s the potential
illnesses and diseases people can contract from eating gorillas.

390 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc.

Political instability is another cause for concern. The most
obvious case for this is the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
where both the Grauer’s and Mountain gorilla are found. The
country has been wracked by intermittent war for over 20 years
which has resulted in the inability of conservationists to monitor
the gorillas during especially violent times, pillaging of natural
resources and the demand for food by soldiers and rebel groups
that results in poaching as well as deforestation for agriculture
uses. I met a Congolese gorilla researcher/conservationist a
few years ago who referred to gorilla conservation as “adaptive
management”, in the sense that he and his colleagues had to
adapt to whichever political party or rebel group they happened
to find themselves working alongside.

Within the realm of politics, corruption is also a problem.
Many of the countries in which gorillas are found have become
corrupt after many years of poor leadership. In the presence of
corruption, police forces, wildlife authorities and even NGOs
often have very few resources with which to enforce laws (if there
are laws) that protect gorillas. It can also be very dangerous for
these individuals to enforce laws.

Lack of education exacerbates the already huge problem. With
high levels of poverty many children, especially girls, are forced
to drop out of school at an early age to work on farms or in mines
or to poach. Without an education these children are less likely
to make good, informed choices regarding environmental issues.
Even with people who have completed their education they may
not understand the importance of conserving gorillas and often
this is where conservation organizations and governments fail:

between 2006 and 2011, Mountain gorilla numbers in Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, increased from 302
to 400 individuals. When describing gorilla conservation in
terms of the political situation in the DRC, one Congolese staff
member of the International Gorilla Conservation Program
(IGCP) said, “The next for us is the hope. The peace will come.”
If conservationists working in the DRC have hope, how can the
rest of us not?

How does one turn this hope into action from a world away?
Find an area within gorilla conservation that you are interested
in and explore the opportunities available to you. If education
is something you feel passionate about collaborate with an
organization like UNITE or Art of Conservation in Rwanda —
you can arrange Skype calls or pen pals between US and African
students or help build schools to draw attention to the plight of
the gorillas. If you are interested in the poverty component of
gorilla conservation you can contact organizations like IGCP who
work with local communities to encourage alternative income
generating projects. If you are you a skilled veterinarian — donate
your energy to the Mountain Gorilla Veterinarian Program
(MGVP), which operates in all three Mountain gorilla countries.
If the political side of gorilla conservation interests you educate
yourself about the mineral coltan, its use in technology and its
role in the ongoing fighting in DRC. There is also fundraising —
all conservation organizations and zoos need funds: the North
Carolina Zoo works closely with the Wildlife Conservation
Society in Cameroon and Nigeria to help protect the few
remaining Cross River gorillas and in Central Africa Republic
the World Wildlife Fund for Nature is working to habituate

Figure 1: Gorilla Overview

Species/Subspecies

\ Countries Found |

' Area of Habitat !
j (Kmh 1

L... „ ... .

j Estimated -1
; Population ]

, Size 1

Eastern gorilla (Gorilla beringei)

Mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic

Republic of Congo

700

880

Grauer’s gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri)

Democratic Republic of Congo

21,000

5.000 - 28.000

Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)

Cross River gorilla (Gorilla gorilla diehli)

Nigeria, Cameroon

<6,0000

200 - 250

Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)

Gabon. Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea,
Central African Republic, Angola,
Republic of Congo

445,000

<200,000

we should not be asking people to conserve the gorillas if they do
not understand why it is important to do so and what benefits
they will obtain from doing so.

Finally, population growth in Africa also contributes to gorilla
conservation. Between cultural traditions and without access,
or sometimes even knowledge of, family planning methods,
families often have many, many children. Uganda has one of
the highest population growth rates in the world and Rwanda
has one of the highest rural population densities in the world.
Higher populations result in a greater need for social services as
well as land in order to make a living and feed families. This can
in turn increase the number of human-wildlife conflicts in areas
surrounding gorilla habitat.

This just scratches the surface of the complexities of gorilla
conservation and each African country has its own specific
issues that are far too great to go into detail here. While
daunting, it isn’t all bad news for all the gorillas. For instance.

Western lowland gorillas for tourism. You can hold a 5k or 10k
Gorilla Run at your zoo, sell handicrafts from gorilla countries
at your zoo store or participate in fundraising campaigns run
by conservation organizations. Even looking for funds through
your zoo or zoo society to come visit an organization working
in a gorilla country can create a bond between you and field
conservation: next Fall, a zookeeper from the North Carolina
Zoo will be coming to Uganda to volunteer with UNITE.
Collaboration is one of the best ways to get involved with gorilla
conservation in the field — protecting the gorillas takes many
approaches and a committed group of people from all over the
world. Finally, do what you can to be a voice for the gorilla
researchers and conservationists working on the ground. Be a
voice for the gorillas.

REFERENCES

Junker et al. Recent decline in suitable environmental conditions
for African great apes. Diversity and Distributions, 1-15, 2012.

AAZK.ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 391

iTiission

extending our

best partner

Introducing

AAZK Online

AMERICAN

ASSOCIATION

of ZOO KEEPERS

A brand new way to network and expand your knowledge
of zookeeping. Take advantage of:

• Group Workshops

• Expert Webinars

• Interactive Courses

all in a network you can access from any
web-connected computer.

ONLINE

Join today at:

aazk-learn.org

powered by

# CollaborNaRon

Get Closer to Mother Nature.

Caring about animals is vital. Especially when feeding the very
young. But caring alone is not enough. Because each creature has
its own special nutritional needs. That’s why there’s Milk Matrix
from Zoologic® Nutritional Components. Milk Matrix offers a full
line of milk replacers that can stand alone or be blended, for a
milk that’s close to mom’s.

Milk Matrix products are an integrated system which allows
you to precisely formulate for more accurate infant animal
feeding. Feed your infant animals
Milk Matrix products from Zoologic.

They’re designed to help you meet the
nutritional needs of practically every
mammal. Call 1-800-323-0877.

.ZM

Zm

40

25

nutritional components

www.petag.com

“Getting to the heart ot
behavior management in
the heart of Texas”

April 13-18, 2014
www.theABMA.org

' Expand your animal behavior
knowledge and networkwith peers
frommany animal professional fields!

' Keynote Speaker Dr. jesusRosales-Ruiz
and a special workshop on describing
behavior by Dr. Sophia Yen,

' AAZKmembersenjoyABMAmember
registrationrates!

AAZK.ORG

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 393

HBHBERSHIP

Has Its Beneiils!

.!

m

m

Membership with
the American
Association of Zoo
Keepers includes
a subscription to
Animal Keepers*
Forum and free
or discounted
admission to
many zoos and
aquariums in the
U.S. and Canada.

To download an
application or
to apply online,
please visit
AAZK.ORG.

AAZK is a non-profit
volunteer organization
(U.S. 501 c3) made
up of professional
zoo keepers and
other interested
ersons dedicated to
rqfessional ^nim
cpr^^^d conservat’i

The AAZK Administrative Office has moved to Tucson,
AZ. You can find our CEO's contact information on P.
369. Barbara Manspeakercan still be reached at the
AAZK Topeka Office at: aazkoffice@zk.kscoxmail.com

Double-wattled cassowary (Casuarius casuarius). Photo by
Alexandra Zelazo-Kessler, Lead Keeper of Birds at the Virginia Zoo.

LYOHr

^ExceCCence in AnimaC Care Since 1915

j ^1^1

IIMSE A ItlKMIll...

For More Information and Free Catalog: www.iyonusa.com 1888-LYON-USA

Lyon Technologies is a leader in the design and manufacture of animal health care equipment
including intensive and critical care units, incubation, and anesthesia and oxygen therapy;
providing solutions to customers in over 100 countries since 1915.

Vol. 40, No. 9 September, 2013 | 395

AMERICAN

ASSOCIATION
of ZOO KEEPERS

8476 E. Speedway Bhd.
Suite 204
Tucson, AZ 85710
U.S.A.

Address Service Requested

SMITHSONIAN WSTITyTISN LIBRARIES

II

3 9088 01726 1843

Keepers

“Dedicated to
Professional Animal Care”

facebook.com/MZKinc

©AffiKinc

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARY
MHB 25 MRC 154
PO BOX 37012

WASHINGTON DC 20013-7012

Central Nebraska Packing, Inc. offers:

Classic & Premium Frozen Carnivore Diets

• ALSO AVAILABLE •

HORSE SHORT LOINS / HORSE & BEEF BONES
MEAT COMPLETE WITH TAURINE (RAW MEAT SUPPLEMENT FOR ALL CARNIVORES)
BROOD ALL INFRA-RED HEATERS
MEMBER: AZA I AAZV I AAZK

87I.S0O.3Oe3 ] 8iO.44S.2a81
P.O. Box 550, North Platte, NE 69103-0550

infoSnebraskabrand.csm • nebraskabrandxom

FELINE & SENIOR FELINE I BIRD OF PREY I CANINE I SPECIAL BEEF FELINE

396 I ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM

American Association of Zoo Keepers, inc.