September 2011
The Journal of the American Association of Zoo Keepers, inc.
ANIMAL KEEPERS’
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ANIMAL KEEPERS’ FORUM. 3601 S.W. 29th St., Suite 133, Topeka, KS 66614-2054
Phone: (785) 273-9149 FAX (785) 273-1980
September 2011
Vol. 38, No. 9
AKF Managing Editor: Susan D. Chan • Associate Editors: Becky Richendollar, North Carolina Zoo • Mark
de Denus, Winnipeg, MB • Enrichment Options Column Coordinator: Julie Hartell-DeNardo, Saint Louis Zoo
and Ric Kotarsky, Tulsa Zoo & Living Museum • Legislative/Conservation Outlook Column Co-Coordinators:
Becky Richendollar, South Carolina and Greg McKinney, Philadelphia, PA • ATC Column Co-Cordinators:
Angela Binney, Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Kim Kezer, Zoo New England; Jay Pratte, Omaha’s Henry Doorly
Zoo • Conservation Station Coordinator: Amanda Kamradt, New England AAZK Chapter • 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 publica-
tion 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
Bob Cisneros, San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA 92112-055 1 President
Tammy Root, Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, IN 46222
Penny Jolly, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000
Kelly Wilson, Detroit Zoological Park, Royal Oak, MI 48076-3001
Deana Walz, The Living Planet Aquarium, Sandy, UT 84094-4409
COMMITTEES/COORDINATORS/PROJECT MANAGERS
By-laws
Chair - Rick Kotarsky, Tulsa Zoo
Grants Committee
Chair - Shelly Roach, Columbus Zoo
Behavioral Husbandry Committee
Chair - Deana Walz, The Living Planet Aquarium
Professional Development
Melaina Kincaid- Wallace, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
ICZ Coordinator
Norah Farnham, Woodland Park Zoo
MediaAVebsite
Denise Wagner, The Phoenix Zoo, Project Manager
Ethics
Chair - Bob Cisneros, San Diego Zoo
Awards
Chair - Janet McCoy, The Oregon Zoo
Annual Conferences
Coordinator - Ed Hansen, AAZK, Inc.
Amanda Kamradt, New England AAZK Chapter
Bowling for Rhinos
Coordinator - Patty Pearthree, Cary, NC
Products and Membership
Jacque Blessington, K.C. Zoo, Project Manager
MEMBERSHIP SERVICES
Data Transfer Forms
Available for download at aazk.org
AAZK Publications/Logo Products
AAZK Administrative Offices/Topeka
or from the website at aazk.org
printed on Recycled Paper
Table of Contents
About the Cover/Information for Contributors 446
Scoops & Scuttlebutt 447 - 448
Indianapolis Chapter Sponsorship Recognition. 449
From the Executive Director 450 - 451
AAZK Seeks Assistant Media Production Editor. 451
From the Immediate Past President 452
Coming Events..... 454
Acres for the Atmosphere Thank You 456
AAZK Announces New Members 457
2011 AAZK Award Recipients 458 - 459
2011 AKF Excellence in Journalism Award Recipients 460
A Different Approach to Raisinga Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture Chick
by Using Both Hand-Rearing and Parent-Rearing Techniques 461 - 463
Training Tales {Insulin Injection Training with Jody the Chimpanzee ) 464 - 465
Enrichment Options {Bloodsicle on a Bungee Feeder for Caracals) 466 - 468
Conservation Station {Programmatic/Financial Report on Sumatran Rhino Conservation Program) 469 - 472
Book Reviews {Did Not Survive and A Runaway Train in the Making:
The Exotic Amphibians, Turtles and Crocodilians in Florida) 473
Chapter News 474 - 476
ABMA Conference Announcement 476
AKF Dedicated Six-Issue Combo Pack on Sale 477
AAZK Grant Report: PASA Veterinary Supply Collection & Redistribution Program 478 - 479
Access to Wildlife Information Set to Revolutionize Animal Care 479
Grevy’s Zebra Trust: Conservation in Kenya and Ethopia 480 - 483
Keeper Profiles DVD Available to Order 484
Conservation/Legislative Update 485 - 492
38th Anniversary - 1974 - 2012
MISSION STATEMENT
(Revised April 2009)
American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc.
The American Association of Zoo Keepers, Inc. exists to advance excellence in the animal
keeping profession, foster effective communcation beneficial to animal care, support deserving
conservation projects, and promote the preservation of our natural resources and animal life.
This month s cover features a painting of a Coyote (Canis latrans) known as the Old Man by the animal
keepers of the Virginia Living Museum of Newport News, VA. Heis 1 5 years old and came to themuseum
from the Utica Zoo in Norwich, NY. This artwork is by Thelma “Tede ” Johnson, a retired teacher and
long-time volunteer of the museum. Originally, coyotes were found primarily across the great plains
of the Western United States, but due to the continued loss of many larger competing predators, the
coyotes range has increased to nearly all of Central and North America. Because of changes caused by
human occupation, and the coyotes ability to adapt to many different environments, they can be found
in nearly any habitat. Coyotes will grow to approx. 106- 127 cm in length (including the tail) and stand
about 58-66 cm at the shoulder. The coyotes fur color varies from grayish to yellowish brown along the
upper part of its body with a lighter whitish fur on its throat and belly. Along its back its black-tipped
guard hairs form a black stripe and a cross on the shoulder area and they have a long bushy black-
tipped tail. Although a coyote s diet consists mostly of small rodents, coyotes are omnivorous having
also been observed eating fruit, insects, snakes, frogs, birds, and carrion. Coyotes are known to move
in packs but also hunt in pairs or alone. Mating season takes place between February and April and
for reproduction, coyotes are described as responsive breeders. Because of this special adaptation,
attempts to control wild coyote populations by conventional methods (hunting, traps, poison, etc.) have
often had the reverse effect and the overall pack size has been increased. Their gestation period lasts
around 60 days and average litter size is six pups but there can be as many as 12 in compensation for
a high mortality rate in their first year of life. Once the pups are born, both parents watch them closely
for the first three weeks until the age of 12-15 weeks when they are taught to hunt. They are weaned by
35 days and the males leave the group within 6-9 months while the females remain with the pack. Still,
between 50-70% of all young coyotes die before adulthood. Also, of the young that die 80% is the result
of human trapping, shooting, poison, or other control methods. Thanks to Thelma for the artwork and
to Karl Rebenstorf for the natural history write-up !
Sources: Audubon guide to Mammals, Wildlife Rehabilitation Bulletin Vol 28, No. 1 Spring 2010, Desert USA, and Wikipedia.
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< If you have questions
about submission guidelines, please contact the Editor. Submission guidelines are also found in the
Members Only section of the AAZK website.
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. Regular 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<
Mailing Address:
AAZK, Inc., 3601 SW 29th St., Suite 133, Topeka, KS 66614-2054
AAZK website Address: www.aazk.org
BFR Website: http://aazkbfr.org
446 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
Scoops & Scuttlebutt
A Note of Appreciation from the AKF Editor
I hope by now all of you whose AAZK memberships were current last month have
received the 172-page dedicated July/ August issue of Animal Keepers’ Forum. This
expanded double issue covers Ungulate Husbandry, Enrichment, Training and
Conservation. If you are a new member this month and therefore did not receive this
edition, you will be able to purchase this special issue on the AAZK website under “Publications”.
An issue like this does not come together without the efforts of many people and organizations - from
authors to photographers, from artists to sponsors. A listing of those who provided financial support
for this particular edition of AKF was included in the dedicated issue. However, one donation to help
underwrite the costs of the production of this double issue of AKF arrived too late to be included in
the Thanks Yous.
I want to thank all of the members of the Greater Houston AAZK Chapter for their donation of
$1000.00 towards the costs of producing this dedicated issue. Your commitment to the ongoing
dissemination of information that will assist keepers in continuing to develop skills and techniques
that benefit their animals reflects the professionalism and dedication of your Chapter and its members.
Many thanks. ~ Susan D. Chan, Managing Editor AKF
2011 Bowling For Rhinos Honorary Trip Winner
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” successful. Year after year, they tirelessly
organize their event with little recognition. Their reward is in knowing that they are helping to
conserve wildlife worldwide.
In 2007, AAZK, Lewa and Anna Merz began recognizing 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 their travel expenses. Travel would occur in October.
Winners must be AAZK members in good standing. These trips will be awarded on an as needed
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 winners which entails paying all their expenses
at Lewa (except souvenirs and tips) for one week.
• The cost for the trip winner’s plane fare, transport cost and hotel in
Nairobi (roughly $2,250) will be covered by Lewa.
• 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.
Jacque Blessington of the Kansas City Zoo is the 2011 recipient of this trip. Jacque was a founding
member of the first ever “Bowling For Rhinos” event back in 1987. She has continued to organize
this event each year until 2010 when she turned it over to new staff. That’s 23 years! Now THAT is
dedication! Jacque’s tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed in the conservation field so it is with
great pride that I announce she be awarded with a free trip to visit Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in
Kenya in October, 2012. She and a companion will be hosted by Anna Merz on their adventure
to be first-hand observers of the wildlife that benefits from Jacques’s hard work and dedication.
Congratulations Jacque for a job well done!
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
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Congratulations to the 2011 Recipient of the BFR Conservation Resource Grant
Please join us in congratulating the International Rhino Foundation (Susie Ellis, PhD., Executive
Director) on being the 2011 recipient of the Bowling for Rhinos Conservation Resource Grant. This
grant, established with funds generated through Bowling for Rhinos, is made available annually to
projects dedicated to rhino conservation. Selection of the successful candidate is made by the AAZK
Board of Directors following evaluation and recommendation by the AAZK Conservation Committee.
The full amount of $1,828.41 will be awarded to purchase radio collars for use in the translocation
of greater one-horned rhinos to India’s Manas National Park in late 2011. These translocations are
part of Indian Rhino Vision 2020, a multi-organizational conservation
project dedicated to expanding the number and range of this species.
AAZK Behavioral Husbandry Committee Announces 2011
The AAZK Behavioral Husbandry Committee is grateful to all of the authors who submitted articles
to the Animal Keepers’ Forum Enrichment Options and Training Tales Columns this year. These
columns would not exist without your writing contributions. Thank you for sharing your techniques,
talents and stories with the Forum audience!
We are happy to announce the writing incentive program winner for 2011: Congratulations to Jeanne
Hale from Coyote Point Museum, the author of the article “Prototype Superworm Dispenser as Multi-
species Environmental Enrichment” published in the September 2010 Enrichment Options Column.
She was selected by the AAZK Behavioral Husbandry Committee for a complementary registration
to the 2011 AAZK Conference in San Diego.
Don’t miss out on your chance to be selected next year for free registration to the 2012 National
AAZK Conference in Syracuse, NY. Submit your training and enrichment articles into the Training
Tales or Enrichment Options columns today! Check out the AAZK website for a complete listing
of article guidelines at http://aazk.org/members/akf_submissions.php. Articles can be emailed to the
following:
INTSRNATIONAl
RHINfS)
FOUNDATION
Contest Winner!
• Enrichment Options articles to Julie Hartell-DeNardo, jshartell@yahoo.com
• Training Tales articles to Jason Pratte, catlordj@aol.com
Contest Rules: The AAZK Behavioral Husbandry Committee will choose one article from those
published between June 2011 thru May 2012 in the AAZK Animal Keepers’ Forum Enrichment
Options or Training Tales columns to be awarded a FREE 2012 conference registration. Only one
registration will be awarded per year. If the selected paper has multiple authors, designation of the
award among these authors is not the responsibility of AAZK or the AAZK Behavioral Husbandry
Committee. The winning registration is non-transferable (only the author/co-author of the selected
paper may utilize the award). If an author of the chosen paper is unable to attend the conference
another paper will be selected by the Committee.
Fourth Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Program Workshop Announced
Hosted by the North American Tree Kangaroo SSP® and Woodland Park Zoo, the workshop will take
place 8-11 November 2011.
This International Workshop will be held at the Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, WA, and host delegates
from around the world including special guest Danny Samandingke, Tree Kangaroo Conservation
Program (TKCP) Education Coordinator in Papua New Guinea
Registration is $125 and is open to all interested individuals. For more information contact Jacque
Blessington at: Jacsprat65@aol.com or call: 816-513-5700.
448 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
AAZK Chapters Help Underwrite AKF Production
During the 2011 Chapter Recharter process earlier this year, five AAZK Chapters generously sent
in donations to help cover the costs associated with the production of Animal Keepers ’Forum. We
would like to thank them for their support in producing the Association’s monthly professional
journal.
For the September 2011 issue of AKF we wish to thank all the members of the AAZK Indianapolis
Chapter, Indianapolis, IN. ~ AKF Editor
The AAZK Indianapolis Chapter (AAZK Indy) has been hard at work again this year. We are a
group of highly dedicated individuals working to make conservation and professional development a
personal commitment. Our members are devoted to spending much of their free time hosting events
and fundraisers in order to practice what we preach on a daily basis.
Our Chapter gears up in the spring for bowling and music at our annual “Bowling for Rhinos” event.
In July, AAZK Indy and the Indianapolis Zoo staff celebrated “National Zoo Keeper’s Week” by
treating the zoo keeping, horticulture and support staff with treats, extra discounts at the zoo gift
shop, prize drawings and free tickets to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game.
Each autumn, our Chapter raises funds at our “Party for Penguins” event to build much needed nests
for endangered African Penguins’ survival.
In between fundraisers and the busy summer months, members of AAZK Indy find time with their
busy schedules to volunteer before and after zoo hours to clean our “Make a Wish for Conservation”
stream. Members collect coins from the stream and with lots of elbow grease, keep it clean.
Just in time for the holidays, AAZK Indy works diligently to make an awesome calendar providing a
listing for zoo/gardens events and showcasing our amazing plants, animals and zoological/botanical
campus.
Proceeds from the calendar sales and the “Make a Wish for Conservation” stream support various
conservation projects in situ and ex situ, professional development and to making AAZK care
packages for fellow staff members who have suffered a personal loss or the loss of a beloved animal
in their collection.
Our Chapter is small but mighty!
Alisa Keys
President, AAZK Indianapolis Chapter
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
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Recently in my community, a giraffe was fed a poisonous plant as browse and died. A second giraffe
became ill, but survived. An error that cost the life of an exotic animal and damaged the reputation
of the zoo in the eyes of the local community, it was a drawn-out, challenging, extremely emotional
and difficult event for the zoo staff and ultimately radically re-shaped the life of the employee directly
involved in the error.
Looking past that specific event, and in an attempt to view the bigger picture, let’s examine the root
cause of a significant portion of catastrophic events involving accidental animal death/injury where
staff is directly involved, keeper death/injury or animal escape. While not comparing tragic events
directly, in events approaching this magnitude there is a direct correlation to an airline disaster. For
an airline incident, the term often initially applied and consistently used by the media or others prior
to determining root cause of the event is “pilot error”. In our profession, the term is “keeper error”.
An error of any sort is usually traced back to inadequate, insufficient or poorly assimilated training.
Comprehensive employee training is misunderstood and mishandled by almost every employer. For
example: new employees are almost always rushed into and rushed through new employee training
and orientation - Employees were hired to fill a vacancy and therefore, work, not to spend time in
training and employees want to jump into work, not listen to boring information. When this is the
case, then the employer should expect and plan for a catastrophic event that will eventually result
from poor training techniques and the employee should expect preventable incidents that will occur
during an all-important probationary period.
Employers must develop interactive training protocols for zoo professionals. A training and safety
plan written a decade ago, gathering dust on a shelf is useless. The program must be refreshed
and revised, prior to each training event. It must contain policy and rules, and must be interactive.
It must involve spending time with the employee in the classroom; teaching, testing, followed by
field work and then re-calling the employee to the classroom to demonstrate proficiency by passing
examination. Training that is not measureable by a demonstrated test of knowledge at the conclusion,
is not training and it will not serve to validate the training premise. All training must be reviewed
and approved by management staff, offered in a multitude of formats by varying instructors and
documented. If the training is not documented by the employer - the training never happened.
If supervisors have not been trained on how-to-train an employee; then the program is without
merit. Supervisors should be re-trained (refreshed) frequently by management staff at least annually.
Supervisors should be evaluated by managers on how they assimilate and convey training materials
and they should be evaluated by the employee they are training. A supervisor who is a poor trainer,
who may have incredible animal knowledge and be excellent lead or senior staff, should not be
allowed to train employees; it is not worth the risk to the facility.
Painful as this concept is, all staff require some form of annual training
on the fundamentals of the profession. To lessen the pain, this process
is best conveyed and better received by existing employees when it is
presented within a short period (no greater than five days) of an event
loosely described or depicted as “well - that could have gone better”.
Again, this training must be formal classroom and possibly combined
with practical field exercises. Training should be measureable (test) and
documented for the employee file.
Employees have to understand that initial and continuing education in
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Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
the form of refresher training is not a waste of valuable time. It is an opportunity to reinforce
lessons learned, learn new techniques and to prevent complacency that directly leads to an accident
or incident.
Further, to fully protect both employer and employee in the field of exotic animal care, the employer
should provide frequent (at least every other year) formal training for all staff in:
• Animal Nutrition
• Geriatric Animal Care
• Toxic and Poisonous Plant Identification
• Animal Capture and Restraint
• Animal Behavioral Enrichment Techniques
• Emergency Response
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires annual training in Hazard
Communication and Bloodbome Pathogens for all affected employees.
Consistent, informative, interactive and documented employee training is important to the safety of
the facility and the safety of the employee. Employees must also be on board and not equate training
like they would a visit to the Endontist for a root canal.
Ed Hansen, Executive Director
AAZK, Inc.
AAZK Seeks Assistant Media Production Editor
AAZK is seeking a dedicated individual to join our staff as the Assistant Media Production
Editor (MPE). The position is part-time and the salary is negotiable. Qualified candidates
will have demonstrated proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and MS Word.
The Assistant MPE will help manage production of the Animal Keepers ’Forum, producing
articles from receipt of manuscript to final print, to an agreed standard of quality, cost,
budget, and to agreed schedules and deadlines. The Assistant MPE will report directly to the
Media Production Editor and will liaise with authors, contributors, columnists, advertisers,
staff, and the Board of Directors. The Assistant MPE may also interact directly with the
print house and mailing house to ensure publication deadlines are met. We are seeking a
task-oriented individual with the ability to meet continual deadlines. A strong background in
computer design is desired but not required.
To apply for this position, please submit a cover letter and resume to Shane Good at shane.
good@aazk.org. A complete job description is available upon request.
The deadline to apply for this position is 14 October 2011.
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
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It seems odd to put into words, but as you read this letter, I am no longer President of this Association.
My two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors have come to an end and I have passed the
Presidency on to the very capable hands of Bob Cisneros of the San Diego Zoo. Bob and the rest
of our Board are ready to take us into the future, and they are equipped with a brand new strategic
plan crafted by key members of the Association during a special strategic planning session at the San
Diego conference. Facilitated by Onnie Byers of the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, this
strategic plan details the goals and actions that will shape the future of our Association, but it is by no
means written in stone. It is a living document and it will not take on its most complete and effective
form unless you, the membership, make your voices heard. The lines of communication between the
Board and the membership have been improved over the last eight years. We have introduced a new
and improved website, electronic newsletters, e-blasts, social media pages, “town hall” meetings at
conferences, and regularly share our financial bottom line with you. However, none of that matters if
the communication isn’t reciprocated. Let the Board know how you feel and what is important to you
as an animal care professional and member of AAZK. Be the voice that shapes your profession.
When I sent in my first check for my professional membership in my rookie year as a keeper, I had this
grandeur vision of what the AAZK national office must look like. I pictured a large office building
with a number of staff diligently working in cubicles. Little did I know that the AAZK office was
literally the size of most of your living rooms and the staff was a staff of two! What a testament to the
dedication and distinguished service that Susan Chan and Barbara Manspeaker have given to AAZK
all of these years. These two incredible women are so good at what they do, we often overlook that
there are only two of them when it can seem like there must be so many more in that office! It is also
a compliment to the scores of volunteer committee chairs, committee members, and Board Members
who so passionately believe in this profession and Association. Providing outstanding leadership to
all of these individuals is Executive Director Ed Hansen. Working with Ed, the Board, and AAZK
staff truly has been a highlight of my career, but what have been especially rewarding are the lifelong
friendships I have developed with everyone throughout the AAZK membership. You truly are an
amazing group of people to work with.
This is about the time when outgoing Presidents and Board Members promise that they aren’t going
to go far. They will continue to come to AAZK conferences, stay involved in the Association, and
continue to give back to the profession that is so important to them. Some have stayed true to
their word. Others, for one reason or another, have disappeared like forest animals fading into the
undergrowth. I can personally guarantee that I am not going far because I will soon be taking over
for the retiring Susan Chan as the new Editor of the Animal Keepers ’Forum. Susan has an incredible
legacy within this Association and she is synonymous with the AKF, so I have a large task at hand to
fill her shoes. I’ll need all the help I can get, so I’ll start asking now; please send me your articles,
photos, editorials, updates, artwork, questions, comments, and concerns (sgood@zoomintemet.net).
Most importantly, if you have an idea, send it my way. Have an idea for a new column? Dedicated
issue? Featured article? Let me know and we will try to make it happen. Susan and I will be working
together until January, and then she will be enjoying sweet retirement after nearly 3 1 years on the job.
Until then, best of luck to Bob and the new Board! See you all in Syracuse!
Shane Good, Immediate Past President
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
452
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
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Coming Events
Post Your Coining Events Here
email to: akfeditor@zk.kscoxmail.com
September 19-22, 2011 - Elephant Care Workshop
- a practical workshop on elephant foot care and
habitat design to support elephant health - To be
held at the Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, AZ. Optional
post-trip to Reid Park Zoo in Tucson. Workshop
cost $200, additional $35 for Reid Park trip. Fees
payable at registration so please bring cash, check or
money order with you. Limited to 25 participants,
preference given to elephant caregivers. To pre-
register contact Heather Wright, Elephant Manager,
Phoenix Zoo, by calling (602) 273-1341 ext. 7626
or email hwright@phoenixzoo.com
September 26-30, 2011 - Training and Enrichment
Workshop For Zoo Animals - Hosted by the
Oakland Zoo, Oakland, CA. Active Environments
and Shape of Enrichment are proud to present the
fifth Training and Enrichment Workshop for Zoo
Animals hosted once again by the Oakland Zoo,
Oakland, California. This unique five-day workshop
is designed for keepers, managers, supervisors,
curators, and veterinarians working with all
species of animals held in zoos. The workshop will
present an array of topics relating to the behavioral
management approach to caring for captive
animals, with focus on environmental enrichment,
positive reinforcement training techniques, and the
problem-solving process. For further information
contact: Active Environments, Inc., 7651 Santos
Road Lompoc, CA 93436. Tel: 805-737-3700
E-mail: active_environs@ix.netcom.com
October 1-5, 2011 - 30th Annual Conference of
the Association of Zoological Horticulture (AZH).
Hosted by the Sedgwick County Zoo, Wichita,
KS. Theme: “Bringing the World to the Plains”.
Seminars and workshops covering a wide range
of topics involving Horticulture, Integrated Pest
Management, Conservation and Exhibit Design will
be presented. Participants within the Horticulture,
Arboriculture and Grounds Maintenance fields are
encouraged to attend. For information call 316-
266-8313, 316-266-8314 or visitAZH.org.
October 6 - 9, 2011 - Advancing Bear Care 2011
- To be held in Banff, Canada. Bear biologists
and naturalists will lead hikes into bear habitat
and interpret for delegates how bears use the
components of the ecosystem to express their daily
and seasonal routines. We will bring this information
back into workshops and apply this knowledge
towards improving captive bear husbandry. Also,
international bear biologists will assist us in
interpreting Asian, European, and South American
bear habitats. Conference updates will always
be posted on the Bearcare Yahoo Group list serv
http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/bearcare/ You
will be able to advertise your need for roommates,
rides, conference questions etc. on this list serv.
To join just send an email to bearcare-subscribe@
yahoogroups.ca
October 6-9, 2011 - 32nd Annual Elephant
Managers Association Conference - Hosted by
the Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester, NY. The pre-
conference trip will be hosted by Lion Country
Safari in Cambridge, Ontario on Wednesday,
October 5th (Passport needed to participate in this
trip).
2012
February 15-18, 2012 - 20th Annual Conference
of the International Association of Avian Trainers
and Educators - Hosted by the Minnesota Zoo,
Bloomington, MN. Topics will include avian
behavior, training, husbandry, conservation,
education, enrichment, and show presentation/
production. Paper and poster abstract deadline
is 1 October 2010. Please mail to: conference@
IAATE.org< For detailed Call for Papers and more
information visit www.IAATE.org
April 12-15, 2012 - Otter Keeper Workshop -
The 5th biennial workshop will be hosted by The
Dallas World Aquarium, Any staff working with
any of the freshwater species is welcome to attend.
Topics will include: captive management issues,
enrichment, training, water quality, health care,
nutrition, diet, hand-raising, exhibit design, and
lots of sharing of information between keepers.
Registration is $75.00. For more information, see
www. otterkeeperworkshop . org<
August 8-14, 2012 - The World Congress
of Herpetology - To be held in Vancouver,
Canada. For more information see http://www.
worldcongressofherpetology.org/
September 9-13, 2012 - 4th International
Congress on Zookeeping - Sponsored by Wildlife
Reserve Singapore/Singapore Tourism Bureau.
Theme: “Many Voices, One Calling”. For info on
sponsorship or exhibit opportunities email eo@
aszk.org.au. Check the ICZ website http:www.
iczoo.org / for latest news/information.
September 23-27, 2012 - AAZK National Confer-
ence - Hosted by the Rosamond Gifford Zoo and
the Rosamond Gifford Zoo AAZK Chapter in
Syracuse, NY.
Upcoming AAZK National Conferences
2012 - Syracuse, NY - September 23-27
2013 - Asheboro, NC - September 22-26
For information on upcoming AAZK
conferences, watch the AAZK website at
www.aazk.org
454
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
Better nutrition?
Our experts say yes.
How can you meet the nutritional needs of
many different wild animals, including otters?
Milk Matrix, a line of five milk replacers
from Zoologic® Nutritional Components,
is the winning formula. Blended or
alone, Milk Matrix closely simulates
the fat, protein and carbohydrate
content of mother's milk to supply
everything an animal needs for
optimal health.
Electronic formulation guidelines,
nutritional analyses, species-specific
data sheets and exact mixing
instructions are available.
To learn more, call 1-800-323-0877
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
455
“Acres for the Atmosphere is rooted within local communities.
Promoting increased environmental awareness, we utilize
group identity to instill a sense of personal ownership for
one s actions and environment. We aim to effect change on the
carbon-based economy and improve our surroundings near and
far.”
On behalf of Acres for the Atmosphere, the American
Association of Zoo Keepers and Polar Bears International we
would like to recognize the outstanding hard work of Zoo Keeper
Angela Johnson at the Louisville Zoo.
Angela is a leading example of just how much
of a difference one person can make. With her
drive and enthusiasm, Angela is helping make
tomorrow a better today!
In the last two years she has helped to plant 50
trees with the aid of various grants and she also
reaches out to the community and asks visitors
to take a pledge to plant a tree of their own!
She is also aiding in an energy analysis within her zoo, has added education material to the Louisville
Zoo’s website and even had time to represent PBI and her zoo within the Kentucky Derby Pegasus
Parade!
If you are interested in finding out how you can help please contact us at: marissa.krouse@aazk.org
“I believe everyone should get involved because it is everyone s responsibility to take care
of nature.... not just a handful of people. What we do here now (good or bad) will
affect generations to come. ” ~ Angela Johnson
ZooNews Digest/Zoo Biology Group - Check Them Out!
ZooNews Digest is the longest established and most widely read listing of current ‘zoo’ related news
on the Internet. It notes ‘real’ events of interest to those working within the zoo industry. The Digest
also includes comments and notification of courses and coming events. You can check it out on
its Facebook® page at http:www.faeebook.eom/pages/ZooNews-Digest/4 141 00632 16?ref=nf. Or
check our http://zoonewsdigest.blogspot.com/
The Zoo Biology Group is concerned with all disciplines involved in the running of a Zoological
Garden: captive breeding, husbandry, exhibit design and construction, diets, enrichment, management,
record-keeping, etc. To join the Zoo Biology group see http://groups.yahoo.com/group/zoo-biology
for qualifications and process.
456 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
AAZK Announces New Members
Lindsay Tucker, Turtleback Zoo (NJ); Christina
Matthews, Jenkinson’s Aquarium (NJ);
Kimberly Simpkins, Cape May County Zoo
(NJ); Megan Baumer and Alexis Amann, Bronx
Zoo (NY); Rachel Stepien, Buffalo Zoo (NY);
Jennifer Funk, Pittsburgh Zoo (PA); Cat Clauson
and Rachel Killeen, Elmwood Park Zoo (PA);
Stephanie Stadnik, Philadelphia Zoo (PA);
Hannah Fullmer, Lehigh Valley Zoo (PA); Valerie
Betts, Baltimore Zoo (MD); Jennifer Williams,
Maymount Park (VA); Stacey Cilenti, Virginia
Aquarium & Marine Science Center (VA);
Heidi Pankratz, Virginia Living Museum (VA);
Kevin Hils, Chehaw Wild Animal Park (GA);
Casey Oyler and Ashley Kramer, Riverbanks Zoo
& Garden (SC); Tracy Sorensen, Zoo Miami
(FL); Jessica Kaplan, Dolphin Connection (FL);
Kathleen Ranos, Lowry Park Zoo (FL); Amy
Smith, Knoxville Zoo (TN); Hilda Angeles,
Brights Zoo (TN); Amy Coons, Brookfield Zoo
(IL); Michelle Herd, Scoville Zoo (IL); Kelly
Sinak, Jana Pearl and Sean Gebhart, Fort Wayne
Children’s Zoo (IN); Amy Ellwein, Red River
Zoo (ND); Lori Bankson, Bay Beach Wildlife
Sanctuary (WI); Margaret Farr and Veronica
Caldwell, Kansas City Zoo (MO); Nicole Becker
and Katie Pilgram, St. Louis Zoo, (MO); Elise
Neuer and Kristyn Hayden-Ortega, Topeka Zoo
(KS); Hilary Merkwan, Omaha’s Henry Doorly
Zoo (NE); Alison Rowe, Marsha Fernandez and
Sara Fee, Audubon Zoo (LA); Carrie Sowell, Zoo
of Acadiana (LA); Renee Jones and Kerbi Gagne,
Dallas Zoo (TX); James McKinney and Matthew
Peterson, Abilene Zoo (TX); Pricilla Farley,
Houston Zoo (TX); Renee Rojas, El Paso Zoo
(TX); Alexandra Echenberg, Gladys Porter Zoo
(TX); Laura Love Wymore and Tracy Montgomery,
Phoenix Zoo (AZ); Jacqueline Bezanson, Reid
Park Zoo (AZ); Sean Walcott, Seaworld of
San Diego (CA); Kathryn Roach, Exotic Feline
Breeding Compound (CA); Debbi Sullivan and
Amber Shanks, The Living Desert (CA); Jennifer
Y’Deen, California Science Center (CA); Debra
Marrin-Towey and Tracy Ling, San Francisco Zoo
(CA); Michelle Jeffries, Oakland Zoo (CA); Greg
Menacho, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (CA); and
Caroline Massard, Bend Equine Medical Center
(OR).
Renewing Contributing Members
Joan Diebold
Quincy, MA
Steven M. Wing
Louisville Zoo, Louisville, KY
Vernon N. Kisling, Jr.
High Springs, FL
Hiroko Yoshida, Ph.D.
Saitama, Japan
Renewing Commercial Members
EBSCO Publishing, Ipswich, NY
PetAg, Inc., Hampshire, IL
Reliable Protein Products, Phoenix, AZ
Renewing Institutional Members
Philadelphia Zoo, Philadelphia, PA
Catoctin Wildlife Preserve & Zoo, Thurmont, MD
Indianapolis Zoo, Indianapolis, IN
Peoria Zoo, Peoria, IL
The Toledo Zoo, Toledo, OH
John Ball Zoological Garden, Grand Rapids, MI
Gulf Breeze Zoo, Gulf Breeze, FL
Naples Zoo, Naples, FL
Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens, Jacksonville, FL
Wildlife Wonders - Zoo to You, Cleveland, GA
Frank Buck Zoo, Gainesville, TX
Behler Chelonian Center, Ojai, CA
New Institutional Members
Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo, New Braunfels, TX
Natural History Museum of LA, Los Angeles, CA
New Commercial Members
Fauna Research, Inc.
Red Hook, NY
' a^THE '
GOURMET
RODENT,
INC. “
RATS AND MICE
Bill & Marcia Brant
P.O.Box 430
Newberry, FL 32669-0430
(352)472-9189
Fax: (352) 472-9192
e-mail: GrmtRodent@aol.com
V
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
457
2011 AAZK Award Recipients
The following are recipients of awards presented at the 20 1 1 AAZK Conference in San Diego, CA and
hosted by the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego AAZK Chapter. The Certificates of Recognition, the
Certificates of Appreciation and the Chapter of the Year are given by the AAZK Board of Directors.
The AKF Excellence in Journalism Awards are selected by the journal’s editorial staff. All other
listed awards are determined by the AAZK Awards Committee from nominations received from the
membership
The Lutz Ruhe Meritorious Achievement - Professional of the Year Award
Kelly A. Wilson, Detroit Zoological Institute. This award is in recognition of his outstanding
commitment to professionalism during his distinguished career as a zoo keeper. Specially noted are
his conservation fundraising initiatives, presentations at the Detroit and other zoos, assisting with
an animal confiscation of over 1000 mixed species of animals, organizing National Zoo Keeper
Week at the zoo, and manning vending machines whose proceeds help send keepers to professional
development classes or conferences. Also noted is his work on the AAZK Professional Development
Committee, networking with other AAZK Chapters, developing his Chapter’s website and, as Detroit
Chapter President, dramatically increasing their membership.
Jean M. Hromadka Excellence in Animal Care Award
Valerie Riegel, Happy Hollow Zoo. This award is based on her outstanding animal husbandry,
enrichment for all species, research, exhibit-design, public education and helping the zoo gain AZA
accreditation. Specially noted is her development of a conservation project called “Conserving and
Nurturing Natural Ecosystem Diversity”. She was also instrumental in starting both the zoo’s first
education and volunteer programs, and the success of the Parma Wallaby breeding program.
Certificate of Merit for Zoo Keeper Education Award
Anne Knapp, Zoo New England, for developing an extensive three-year keeper training and
education program that is available to the entire zoo staff. Also noted is the development of short
duration classes on specific topics.
CuriOdyssey, San Mateo, CA for their variety of educational programs. The Apprenticeship
Program that teaches the “ins and outs” of being a Keeper, the six-month adult volunteer Internship,
the Keeper-in-Training Program for teenagers, and support for keepers to receive continuing education
at conferences and workshops.
Lee Houts Excellence in Enrichment Award
The Enrichment Team (Jennifer Zuehlke, Elizabeth Petersen, Laura Reisse, and Amy Schilz),
Henry Vilas Zoo, for developing and implementing an enrichment program with the Mounds Pet
Store chain whereby customers may purchase specific enrichment items from the store and donate
them to the zoo.
Jennifer Gale, CuriOdyssey, for developing an enrichment calendar, an enrichment column for the
Daily Health Sheet, flash cards with animals on one side and enrichment ideas to construct on the
other side, an Enrichment Binder and Summer Camp Enrichment Binder. Also noted is her work
mentoring the Enrichment Internship position and video-taping animals interacting with enrichment
items to show to the public.
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Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
Certificate of Merit in Conservation Award
Michelle R. Schireman, Oregon Zoo, for her outstanding work developing an orphaned animal
placement program that gives assistance to state wildlife agencies and zoological institutions in
placing orphaned pumas. Also noted was that over the past nine years, she has successfully placed
52 cubs from ten states and Canada in 25 AZA institutions.
Wendy Lenhart, Philadelphia Zoo, for organizing and implementing the “Bird Strike” program
to identify problem areas in the zoo where birds strike glass. The goal of the program is to create a
bird-friendly environment for migratory species.
Certificate of Recognition
Shane Good, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, for serving on the AAZK Board of Directors
Gisela Wiggins, North Carolina Zoological Park, for serving on the AAZK Board of Directors
Deana Walz, The Living Planet Aquarium, for serving as the Behavioral Husbandry Committee Chair
Cleveland Chapter of AAZK, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, for hosting the
Acres for the Atmosphere Strategic Planning Meeting.
Polar Bears International, for their outstanding support and leadership of
Acres for the Atmosphere, Trees for You and Me, and Leadership Camp.
Matt Akel, San Diego Zoo, 2011 National AAZK Conference Co-Chair
Yvette Kemp, San Diego Zoo, 2011 National AAZK Conference Co-Chair
Certificate of Appreciation
Zoological Society of San Diego, 2011 AAZK National Conference Host Institution
Jeff Strawn, for the completion of the marketing and promotional materials for the
2011 AAZK Membership drive.
Distinguished Service Award
San Diego Chapter of AAZK
2011 AAZK National Conference Host Chapter
Chapter of the Year
National Capital AAZK Chapter, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
459
2011 AKF Award Recipients
Excellence in Journalism Awards
Stacy Specht, B.S., Zookeeper, Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City, MO
Stephanie Richmond, B.S., Zookeeper, Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, MO
“Conditioning 0.1 Eastern Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli)
for Behavioral Restraint in Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitiligo ”
June 20 1 0
Jay Pratte, Lead Keeper, Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
“Training Bears for Voluntary Blood Collection ”
June 2010
Laura Laverick, Keeper II
Courtney Murray, Keeper III
James Sanford, Assistant Supervisor of Tropical Ecosystems
Kansas City Zoo, Kansas City, MO
“Human Intervention in the Rearing of an Infant
Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus)
November 2010
Rebecca Bearman, Lead Keeper/Birds & Program Animals, Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
“Protocol for Training Select Individuals from a Large Group
of Socially Housed Anubis Baboons (Papio Anubis)
October 2010
Rick Smith, Bird Keeper/Penguins, Saint Louis Zoological Park, St. Louis, MO
“Bringing Up the Seattle Four -
A Success for Humboldt Penguins ”
October 2010
Rebecca Bates, Primary Keeper, Tracy Aviary, Salt Lake City, UT
“Cooperative Breeding Behavior in Captive
Southern Ground Hornbills (Bucorvus leadbeateri)
February 2011
2011 Cover Art Recipient
Leopard (Panthera pardus)
March 20 1 1
Elena V. Chelysheva, Ph.D.
Former Curator Moscow Zoo/Cheetah Social Behavior Researcher
Moscow, Russian Federation
460
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
A Different Approach to Raising a Ruppell’s Griffon
Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) Chick by Utilizing Both
Hand-Rearing and Parent-Rearing Techniques
By Christopher Torge, Animal Keeper; Victoria Shaw, Animal Keeper;
Kim Szawan, Animal Keeper; Tim Pinkerton, Zoological Manager,
Disney s Animal Kingdom Lodge®, Orlando, FL
Introduction
Ruppell’s griffon vultures (Gyps rueppellii) are found throughout Central Africa. They have an
average wingspan of 2.4 meters and weigh an average of eight kilograms. This species of vulture
is listed as “near threatened” according to the IUCN. Issues affecting their declining population
numbers include habitat loss due to encroaching farm land, loss of their main food source (wild
ungulates), and poisoning. Poisoning and death occur after vultures consume the remains of livestock
treated with the commonly used anti-inflammatory medication, Diclofenac. Conservation efforts are
underway to stop the use of Diclofenac, replacing it with medications not lethal to vulture species.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is a 1 10-acre African-themed vacation resort. Guests staying at
this resort are surrounded by 45 acres of animal habitat viewable from their private rooms, as well as
from common guest areas and a restaurant.
The animal collection consists of 35 species
of African hoofstock and birds separated
into four separate mixed-species habitats.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge®, which
opened in 2001, has historically always
had Ruppell’s griffon vultures as part of its
animal collection.
In the winter of 2009, the flock of Ruppell’s
griffon vultures housed at Disney’s Animal
Kingdom Lodge® welcomed two new
members. Two chicks hatched out on 8
January and 10 January from two sets of
parents. This was the first time this species
ever hatched at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Lodge®, and the animal care staff had been eagerly
waiting for these hatchings to occur. Although both sets
of parents had never raised chicks before, the staff was
optimistic that the birds would be successful parents.
This paper will discuss the challenges the animal care
staff faced when one set of the inexperienced parents
proved to be unable to raise their chick by themselves.
The methods used to successfully assist these parents in
raising their chick in an 1 1-acre mixed-species exhibit is
the focus of this paper.
Challenges
During the first five days, the chick appeared in good
health. The parents were observed offering regurgitated
food to the chick and all seemed normal. The neonate
exam on Day 2 went well and no issues or concerns were
noted at that time. The initial plan was to leave the chick
with the parents for rearing. The first sign of challenges
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
461
began on Day 6. These challenges included lack of parental feeding, cold weather, and protective
parents.
Medical
On Day 6 the chick was unresponsive and lethargic and was transported to the veterinary hospital
for evaluation. Upon examination it was noted that the chick’s crop was empty and she had lost 1 8
grams in four days. The chick was tube fed and held overnight for observations. Within 12 hours
the bird’s condition improved greatly and she started taking small pieces of chopped mouse pinkies
offered with forceps. Our assumptions were that the parents were taking care of the chick in all
aspects, except adequate feeding. We decided to return the chick to the nest and developed a
supplemental feeding and weighing schedule, instead of pulling the chick for traditional hand-rearing.
Feeding Issues and Solutions
During the discussion of how to raise this chick, the animal care staff identified that the two priorities
were to be able to feed the chick reliably on a set schedule, and to reduce imprinting on the keeper staff.
The parents had been constantly brooding and protecting the nest site, so the staff felt that leaving
the chick with the parents and only assisting with its feeding was the best approach to lessen the
likelihood of imprinting on the animal care staff. A feeding and weighing schedule was implemented
and a core group of keepers were assigned to handle these responsibilities. The average temperatures
in Central Florida in January 2009 were lower than normal. Daytime temperatures remained in the
40 ’s and it wasn’t uncommon to have temperatures dip into the low 30’s overnight. Initially the
chick had to be pulled from the nest and placed into a
heated brooder during its feeding sessions.
Protective Parents
Due to the protective nature of its parents, removing
the chick from the nest proved to be a challenge.
Nets and large metal shields were used to encourage
the parents away from the nest. Once at a safe
distance, keepers were able to safely remove the
chick, place it in the brooder located in the back of
a pickup truck several yards away from the nest site,
and commence with the scheduled feeding. Once the
chick was returned to the nest, the parents quickly
started to brood the chick again. This method proved
frustrating for both the birds and keepers due to the
invasive nature of removing the chick from the nest.
To alleviate the frustration an alternative method was
developed that involved not removing the chick from
the nest. Keepers started tossing the chick’s prepared
diet items one at a time onto the edge of the nest just in
she is still on the nest with her parents. front of the chick who then consumed it. With this new
feeding method the keepers started to see an increase in
competition between the chick and the parents over the food items. This method also made recording
consumption for the chick difficult. The keepers
tried a third method to address these problems. By
now the parents had become comfortable with the
keepers around the nest. The keepers were able to
approach the nest and distract the parents with food
placed in a shallow bowl, allowing keepers to feed
the chick with a long pair tongs. Over the course of
several days the parents started to take the food from
the tongs and offer it to the chick. This method of
feeding proved to be very successful and continued
until the chick was weaned and station training was
started.
Diet and Weight
The diet offered to the chick was calculated by
462 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
the Animal Nutrition Department at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The amount of food offered was
adjusted daily to achieve a 5% to 10% body weight increase per day. Vionate® and calcium
carbonate were used as supplements. Initially the feeding times were at 0800, 1200, and 1600hrs
which fit well into the keeper’s scheduled observation runs. The chick was weighed before feeding
for the first 16 days, then an every other day weighing for the next month, and then once a week
until she was weaned in April.
The initial diet for the first few days was diced mouse pinkies. Then 12 days post-hatching she was
started out on a 25% carnivore meat diet and 75% mouse pinkie diet. At 20 days posts-hatching the
mouse pinkies were replaced with rat pups. At 25 days skinned mice were added to the meat and rat
pups. At 3 1 days of age the fur was left on the mice, but they were cut into thirds with the tails cut off.
On 14 February 2009 the chick started to show cast throwing behavior. At the beginning of March
the keeper staff reduced her feedings to two times a day at 1200 and 1600hrs. At 51 days of age she
was offered whole mice with their undersides split open. As part of the adult vulture’s enrichment
program the chick was next exposed to rabbit carcasses and large meaty bones in mid-March. On 24
March she was seen exploring outside of the nest, but hopped back inside for feeding. On 28 March
she was moved to a once-a-day feeding and transitioned towards a full adult diet. It should be noted
that at this time the adults stopped responding to the begging behavior from the chick and started
competing with her during feeding. Once the chick had started to move around the nest site on a
regular basis, more formal husbandry training was implemented. The chicks parents were already
station trained so we began training this behavior to the chick as well.
Training Methods for Feeding
As per the existing husbandry management at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge®, all the animals
are trained to come off-exhibit once a day where they receive a substantial portion of their diet. The
hoofstock are trained to enter a bam adjacent to their savanna exhibit, and the vultures are trained to
enter a fenced in area, called “bird pens,” at the back of the exhibit as well. To get them into their
bird pens keepers use a visual cue in the form of a Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge® Flag. Keepers
wave the flag and this is the cue for the vultures to come into the pens to receive most of their diet.
In the bird pens keepers have trained the vultures to jump onto one of several tree stumps placed
in a circle. Only once they have stationed on a
stump do they receive their diet tossed to them
in the form of carnivore diet meatballs and rats.
The command/or audio cue “Station” is used
for getting the vulture to stand still on the log,
accompanied with a visual cue of a two-fingered
point towards the log. At 134 days of age the
chick stationed for the first time at the nesting
site. Twenty days later she was cueing to the
feeding area and stationing with the rest of the
vultures.
Conclusion
Today “Wednesday”, as this vulture is now
known, is fully intergraded into the Ruppell’s
griffon vulture flock at Disney’s Animal
Kingdom Lodge®; she exhibits all the proper
social behaviors towards the other vultures and appears to be dominant over most of them as well.
This supports that the animal care staff was successful in combining hand-rearing and parent-rearing
techniques in a way that allowed “Wednesday” to become a healthy adult vulture and at the same
time prevented her from becoming overly imprinted on the keeper staff. By not becoming imprinted,
“Wednesday” now has a greater chance of becoming part of the breeding program at Disney’s Animal
Kingdom Lodge®. Through the daily interactions at close proximity to “Wednesday” and her
parents, these particular vultures were habituated to close keeper contact. This has led to less nervous
behaviors when keepers do have to get close to these birds for management sake. This has also led
to more compliance when the birds are shifted into the bird pens for feeding. The outcome of this
modified rearing method resulted in fledging a vulture chick without compromising their natural
behaviors while maintaining proper nutritional and medical needs.
(Photos by Disney Animal Kingdom Lodge ® Animal Care Staff)
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
463
The AAZK Behavioral Husbandry Committee Presents
Where you can share your training experiences!
Training Tales Editors - Jay Pratte, Omaha ’s Henry Doorly Zoo;
Kim Kezer, Zoo New England; and Angela Binney, Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Insulin Injection Training with Jody the Chimpanzee
By
Dan Powell, Primate Keeper,
Potawatomi Zoo, South Bend, Indiana
It was fall, 1991, while attending the AAZK National Conference (hosted by the Toledo Zoo), that I
became truly amazed with the potential benefits of animal training. While behind the scenes in their
great ape holding, I watched a young keeper hand inject a calm orangutan ( Pongo pygmaeus)\
I had cared for our three chimpanzees {Pan troglodytes) for
only a few years at the time, but witnessed the complete
rodeo that ensued when blow darting was necessary.
Everyone (keeper, vet and of course the chimp) was
completely stressed with the resulting din of screaming,
flying feces and hostile feelings.
As many conference attendees do, I returned to Potawatomi
Zoo enthusiastic with thoughts of a chimpanzee sitting
calmly for a hand injection. Our zoo director gave
permission to begin a chimp training program, though
skeptically noting that chimps might be too intelligent and
wild a species to willingly accept a hand injection. I pulled
out my old behavioral psychology books to refresh my
memory of operant conditioning techniques. Without any
formal education in applied principles of training, I began
working with our three chimps. A year later, I was able to
hand inject all three chimps with varying degrees of success
for chemical immobilization. Our youngest female, Jody,
was a very difficult subject. Injection training continued
after that first procedure. Jody continued to be quite reticent;
perhaps remembering that one day it was ‘for real’.
Jody, the Chimpanzee, contemplating
her new life at John Ball Zoo in Grand As the years progressed, I had many successful hand
Rapids, MI (Photo courtesy o/juiie km, John Ball Zoo), injections, as well as many unsuccessful attempts. Chimps
are so intelligent, they often seem able to sense those days
it was ‘for real’. Jody continued to be very stubborn and problematic.
August 2002, after Jody’s routine physical (unsuccessful hand injection), I was called into our vet’s
office and received one of the most difficult pieces of news of my entire career. Jody’s blood work
indicated that she was diabetic! She was, in fact, profoundly diabetic and needed to be on daily
insulin injections. As this devastating news sunk in, I realized that Jody’s life (and mine) was forever
464
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
changed. The onus was now on us to train a very difficult chimpanzee to daily accept what she most
detested: an injection! Further, to do so without the ability to use as reinforcement that which she
loved most. Sugary sweets and even fruit, were now extremely limited in her diet.
We brought in a training specialist and completely reevaluated our training program. Modifications
were made and, over the next six months, we witnessed slow limited progress. One step forward
and two steps back was the rule. We would try to slowly advance in training, only to see inevitable
regression.
In February, 2003, Jody was immobilized again to evaluate her blood levels after six months of
oral medications. Our consulting diabetes specialist evaluated Jody’s blood results. She said, quite
bluntly, that Jody would soon die without insulin.
With a sense of growing desperation, we again modified training and diet. We attempted the same
training steps, with slightly different and more subtle changes. We used every kind of low sugar
and low carbohydrate snacks that we thought might be reinforcing. We slowly, very slowly, saw a
pattern of training progress. We refined techniques that worked, and discarded those that produced
regression. New trainers were recruited for fresh ideas. Many experts were consulted.
It was January, 2004 that I filled an insulin needle with insulin for the first time. We were so close! Jody
presented her arm, and I injected her! Although she was angry, hostile and completely disgruntled
with the affront, I jackpotted her hugely!
Jody accepted an insulin injection!!! That one
moment may be the zenith of my career! I knew
that we had added years to her life.
Over the course of the next few months, Jody
began to solidly and reliably accept daily
injections of insulin. To this day, even now
placed with another zoo (John Ball Zoo, Grand
Rapids, MI), she continues to be reliable.
There are several morals here:
1. Never give up! Even subtle changes to
training protocol or reinforcement might
produce results.
2. Add new trainers. A fresh perspective can
sometimes be invaluable.
3. Consult the zoo world. We are an amazing
group of dedicated and passionate people! Most will be happy to share insights. Remember that
failures can be every bit as informatively valuable as successes.
There are so many people who have had a part in this success story, I cannot even begin to list them
all. They know who they are. They know the important role they played. I hope they all know how
personally appreciative I am. They have all aided in adding years to Jody’s life! From the one keeper
at Toledo, so many years ago, who was my inspiration, to the dedicated folks at Jody’s new home -
Thank You All!
AAZK Behavioral Husbandry Committee Comments: By Angela Cecil Binney
As animal keepers, some of the best lessons we can learn come from experience with our animal
charges. Necessity often teaches us that we can break traditional or perceived barriers for the benefit
of the animals. This is a great example of such a case and Dan handled it like a true keeper with
determination and commitment. I especially like his added list of learning points and the trial and
error process that he shared. This story is positive reinforcement for AAZK, too! Dan showed us
that the collective efforts of the contributing members really have a positive influence on the quality
of animal care we can provide. Thank you, Dan for sharing your story in Training Tales!
m mm , . m
Trainer Julie Katt gives Jody an insulin injection. (Photo
courtesy of Barb Snyder, General Curator, John Ball Zoo)
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
465
EO Editors -
Julie Hartell-DeNardo, Saint Louis, MO and Ric Kotarsky, Tulsa Zoo & Living Museum
Bloodsicle on a Bungee Feeder for Caracals
By
Deborah Wettlaufer, Enrichment Officer
Cheetah Outreach
Cape Town, South Africa
Our caracal ( Caracal caracal) is very food-motivated and always eats rapidly. Because she lacks her
back molars, we cannot give her small bones, such as chicken on the bone, but we sometimes give
her large turkey or horse bones to prolong feeding. As a special treat, she is occasionally given a
‘bloodsicle’ made of frozen blood and pieces of meat. To provide more of a challenge, I decided to
hang a larger bloodsicle for her. I froze blood and 150g (~5.3 oz.) of turkey pieces in a medium-sized
plastic container with a string with knots inserted through a hole in the middle of the top so it would
freeze in the center of the bloodsicle.
To make it even more interesting for her, we hung the bloodsicle from a bungee feeder. The bungee
feeder consists of one meter of bungee cord with one end attached to a length of nylon cord with
a clip on the end to attach it to the top of the enclosure. The other end also has a clip from which
various food items can be attached. The bungee cord is contained within one meter of garden hose
to prevent it from wrapping around any of the animal’s extremities or swinging back in the animal’s
face.
After we hung the bloodsicle, she immediately came to investigate it. At first she seemed a little
confused about how to approach it since she is used to her bloodsicles on a fiat surface. She tried
to lick the bloodsicle from a standing position but every time she licked it, it moved about. She
constantly moved around it to gain a better position, batting at it and trying to grab it when it moved.
Eventually she figured out that sitting down and holding it with one paw kept it from moving around
so she could lick continuously. If the bloodsicle moved at all, she dug her claws in deeper to stabilize
it. As blood dripped on to her ftir, she stopped a few times to clean herself, and then resumed licking.
While licking, she appeared as though she was in a trance, oblivious to everything around her.
As she licked the bloodsicle, the meat at the bottom gradually was exposed and she became very
excited. She tried a new tactic of grabbing the meat with her teeth and trying to rip it out of the
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Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
Bungee cord housed within
length of garden hose with
clips on each end for hanging,
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
467
bloodsicle. Occasionally she tried to carry the whole bloodsicle off but it bounced away from
her and she ran after it, grabbed it and began ripping at the meat again. She worked at it until the
bloodsicle and meat were gone.
We considered this exercise successful in that it prolonged feeding, challenged her cognitive skills
and kept a very intelligent and active cat busy for almost 45 minutes.
BHC Comments by Enrichment Options Co-Editor Julie Hartell-DeNardo :
Deborah, thank you for sharing your paper with the AAZK Forum readers. This is a great example of
using a food presentation-based enrichment strategy to increase both the behaviors involved in food
consumption as well as the amount of time spent engaged in food acquisition-related behaviors. The
animal is stimulated mentally to figure out how to obtain the more challenging and enticing food.
Additionally the caracal participated in more physical activity, using more muscles and energy than
it would if just presented with food in a routine location. This creative feeding strategy could be
effective with other small carnivore species or even large carnivores - or if the meat and blood are
substituted for produce and juice this idea may even translate into primate species applications.
Some safety considerations to keep in mind with bungee and rope enrichment components is to:
• ensure no loops exists that could act to trap an appendage or head,
• determine a length that minimizes slack and prevents the possibility of excess to wrap
around an animal or body part, and
• when possible, enclose rope/bungees in pvc or other piping that can act to stabilize
the length of the rope/bungee and prevents wrap around or dangerous loops from
forming while the animal is engaged with the enrichment.
Thanks again to Deborah for this fantastic idea with diverse potential applications!
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
DOR I REEK
468
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
asai5ffiMi®ca
SI
fATION
Programmatic and Financial Report
Sumatran Rhino Conservation Program
By Susie Ellis, PhD, Executive Director IRF
Maggie Moore, IRF Program Officer
The International Rhino Foundation is grateful for the contribution provided by the American
Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) Bowling for Rhinos program to the Rhino Protection Unit (RPU)
program in Indonesia. Thanks in part to your continuing support, there have been no incidences of
poaching of Javan rhinos in the past 15 years, and none of Sumatran rhinos in Bukit Barisan and Way
Kambas National Parks in Sumatra for the past six years.
IRF is pleased to provide the following report on our Javan and Sumatran Rhino Conservation
Program and the work of the Rhino Protection Units so far in 201 1, and the use of AAZK Bowling
for Rhinos funding.
Javan Rhino Conservation Program
Indonesia’s remote Ujung Kulon National Park holds the only viable population of the Critically
Endangered Javan rhino (. Rhinoceros sondaicus ). No more than an estimated 44 Javan rhinos remain
on the planet, and surveys and other data suggest that only four to five females are still breeding.
Javan rhinos persist in Ujung Kulon because they are carefully monitored and guarded by IRF’s
Rhino Protection Units (RPUs), elite anti-
poaching teams that patrol the park every day.
Over the past 1 5 years, this intense monitoring
and protection has essentially eliminated
losses from poaching. Evidence suggests
that the species has recently been extirpated
in Vietnam, where what may have been the
last individual was poached in May 2010.
During the first quarter of 2011, the four
RPUs operating in Ujung Kulon National
Park removed 12 illegal traps/snares and
stopped one illegal fishing operation. The
Ujung Kulon RPUs averaged 21.5 days per
month on patrol during the first three months
of the year, walking a total of 669 kilometers
(416 miles). Seventy-three rhino footprints
were identified.
Rhino Protection Units spend at least 1 5
days/month on patrol in the parks.
(Photo: Yayasan Badak, Indonesia)
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
469
The breeding population of Javan rhinos occupies primarily the western half of Ujung Kulon
National Park (UKNP), and thus is susceptible to catastrophic losses from disease or natural disasters.
Although the population is believed to be relatively stable, it likely has reached its carrying capacity
in the current habitat and probably cannot grow any larger without intervention.
For the past 15 years, RPUs, partially funded by the AAZK, have kept the Ujung Kulon population
safe from poaching. However, protection in itself isn’t going to be enough to save the species
from extinction. Over the long-term, the population needs to be spread out, with a second viable
population established elsewhere in Indonesia. The first step towards accomplishing this goal is to
create conditions that will allow the existing population to expand by increasing the habitat available
in eastern UKNP (in the Gunung Honje area).
Over the past year, IRF, through its implementing partner Yayasan Badak Indonesia (YABI or Rhino
Foundation of Indonesia) and supported by the Asian Rhino Project, Save the Rhino International,
WWF, and other donors, has been working to expand the useable habitat for Javan rhinos in UKNP
by creating the 4,000 hectare Javan Rhino Study and Conservation Area (JRSCA). The project
intensifies active management in Gunung Honje (in the eastern portion of the park), with the short-
term objective of providing more habitat to allow the population to increase. We are doing this by
constructing small bridges, an electric fence, and a patrol road; eradicating invasive species which
have taken over a good portion of the habitat; planting rhino food plants; providing a water supply and
saltlick; and constructing additional guard posts. The continued survival of the Javan rhino depends
on their population increasing in numbers as rapidly as possible, and in spreading the population out
so that ‘all the eggs are not in one basket’. The JRSCA eventually will serve as a ‘staging ground’
from which translocations to a second site can occur.
As one of the first steps towards establishing the JRSCA, we began working on a plan to fairly
relocate families living inside the Park boundaries so that we can make the area as safe as possible
for the rhinos. UKNP authorities successfully negotiated with people living in the Gunung Honje
area and to-date have helped moved 5 1 families living illegally in the park. These families agreed
to relocate outside park boundaries, and will be eligible to participate in various job opportunities,
possibly to include construction/development of the JRCSA.
Other early steps include building three new guard posts to provide for the security of the area.
Construction of the guard posts is underway; one has been completed in the Cilantang area of the
park the rest will be completed by July.
At the same time, we are working on constructing a fence on the eastern part of the park to keep
domestic cattle, which carry disease to which rhinos are susceptible, from entering the park. The map
here shows the eastern half of UKNP, with the Gunung Honje/Javan Rhino Study and Conservation
Area shown between the two black/red lines. The fence will also make it easier for biologists and
veterinarians to study the rhinos. Workers have already begun clearing a small, unpaved road along
the fence placement.
Our next immediate focus will be on restoring good habitat for the rhino in the JRSCA area. Much of
the park has been taken over by the invasive Arenga palm (Arenga obtusifiliae) - (imagine a pasture
overgrown with weeds, only this is a rain forest). The JRSCA area has been re-zoned as a ‘research
zone’ in order to accommodate our work to eradicate Arenga palm. A supporting environmental risk
assessment was carried out prior to beginning the work. We are beginning clearing of the palm, and
as soon as that is completed, will begin re-planting rhino food plants to attract rhinos to the JRSCA
area, while also keeping them safe through the efforts of the RPUs.
Sumatran Rhino Conservation Program
The Critically Endangered Sumatran Rhino is also generally considered the most endangered rhino
species. Sumatran rhino ( Dicerorhinus sumatrensis ) numbers have declined more than 70% over the
470 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
last two decades due to poaching for its horn as well as increasing destruction of its habitat. Fewer
than 200 Sumatran rhino survive in very small and highly fragmented populations in Southeast Asia,
with Indonesia and Malaysia the only significant range countries. The largest populations of wild
rhinos are found in Bukit Barisan Selatan (BBS), Gunung Leuser, and Way Kambas (WK) National
Parks in Sumatra, Indonesia; there are also small populations in the Tabin Wildlife Reserve and in
Danum Valley in Sabah, Malaysia.
With YABI, the IRF operates a multi-faceted program including protection of Sumatran rhinos and
their habitat (through our RPUs), research on and captive breeding of the species at the Sumatran
Rhino Sanctuary, and outreach to local communities (including both education programs and
alternative income development).
Wildlife Protection and Community Outreach
Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park (BBS) and Way Kambas National Park (WK) in Sumatra,
Indonesia, are two of the three major habitats for Sumatran rhino, and are also two of the highest
priority areas for other threatened megafauna, including the Sumatran tiger (. Panthera tigris sumatrae )
and Sumatran elephant ( Elephas maximus sumatrensis). Approximately 50 rhino, 40-50 tigers, and
about 500 elephants inhabit BBS. Way Kambas is home to 25-35 Sumatran rhino. The main cause
of the initial decline of Sumatran rhinos was poaching for horn, which is used in traditional Chinese
medicine. Now, the populations are also limited by available habitat, which is continuously being
encroached by human populations. IRF and YABI operate seven Rhino Protection Units in BBS and
five Rhino Protection Units in WK.
Thanks to the RPUs, there have been no
incidences of poaching of Sumatran rhinos
in BBS and WK in Sumatra for the past six
years. The RPUs also protect numerous other
threatened species, including tigers, elephants,
tapirs, monkeys, leopards and fishing cats.
During the first quarter of 2011, the RPUs
operating in BBS and WK destroyed 91
traps (primarily intended for birds, deer and
wild pigs) and made a total of 15 arrests. Six
suspects were arrested for illegal logging and
two were arrested for bird poaching.
In partnership with park rangers and local police in BBS, the RPUs there undertook joint intelligence
operations resulting in the arrests of seven suspects for trade in illegal wildlife parts. Two of these
suspects were arrested in possession of small pieces of ivory and tiger and leopard skins; five were
arrested in possession of spears, deer antlers, and two large pieces of ivory (which they had advertised
for sale at US $5,000 each).
The Sumatran rhino RPUs averaged 17 days per month on patrol during the first three months of the
year, walking a total of 759 kilometers (472 miles). They conducted six illegal logging investigations
and 26 illegal encroachment investigations, and destroyed eight illegal camps or cabins within the
parks. The WK RPUs also destroyed two bridges built to provide illegal access into the park, and
halted three illegal fishing operations.
The five RPUs in Way Kambas have been working overtime planting rhino and elephant food plants in
the park. This work is being carried out in an area that park authorities seized back from encroachers.
In a large collaborative effort with park authorities, police, and local people, the RPUs helped remove
around 500 ‘squatters’ from the park and destroyed about 300 temporary houses. An illegal fishing
village also was relocated from the mouth of the Way Kanan River. Now, 100% of encroachers have
Sumatran Rhino (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)
(Photo: Dr. Dedi Candara)
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
471
been removed from inside the park - an unprecedented accomplishment! Our team is now helping
to regenerate the land previously cleared by the encroachers by planting native plant species that will
provide food for Sumatran rhinos and elephants. The Sumatran rhino population in Way Kambas
appears to have grown to 33 animals and there have been signs of new rhino calves.
The RPUs also are working with communities
adjacent to WK on alternative farming
practices, so that local people living near the
park can earn income for their families without
encroaching in the park to clear land and plant
crops there. Through a grant from the Wildlife
Conservation Network, the RPU members have
been able to build demonstration plots using
environmentally-friendly agricultural practices,
where they can conduct trainings on sustainable
farming for local villagers. (Pictured to the right
is a farmer training session on cacao production.)
On these “demplots,” Way Kambas RPU members
have planted small crops of wood trees and rubber
plantations - although it takes seven years before
the first harvest, the long-term benefit is that yearly
returns are relatively high (for example, US $500
per hectare for rubber plants). We are working to
raise more funds to expand this pilot program.
Recently, 30 of our RPU members attended
a week-long training in MIST (Management Information System), led by staff from the Wildlife
Conservation Society. MIST is a simple, user-friendly database for ranger-based law enforcement
monitoring. This methodology has great potential for the RPU work, particularly in putting the rhino
data in a central database for the parks, which will be accessible to the park authorities. MIST provides
a standardized format for recording movements of patrol teams and recording observations of illegal
activity and carcasses, and so will be useful for identifying gaps in patrol coverage, emerging threats
and problems, and for surveillance of known crime hotspots. MIST also provides a way of producing
important status and distribution information on rhinos, elephants, tigers and other key species, which
can also feed into national monitoring programs set up for these species. We believe implementing
this system will further improve our intelligence and law enforcement activities, resulting in even
more arrests and successful prosecutions of poachers and others committing illegal activities.
Local farmers participate in training
on environmentally-friendly cacao
production (to help increase incomes
and reduce park encroachment).
(Photo: International Rhino Foundation)
INTiRNATIONAL
FOUNDATION
Upcoming AZA National Conferences
September 12-17, 201 1 - AZA 2011 Annual Conference - Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
September 8-13, 2012 - AZA 2012 Annual Conference - Hosted by Phoenix Zoo,
Phoenix, AZ
September 7-12, 2013 - AZA 2013 Annual Conference - To be hosted by the Kansas City Zoo, Kansas
City, MO.
For more information on AZA Conferences see http://aza.org/ConfWork/AC_Intro/index.html
472
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
Book
Reviews
[ Chimpanzees
BIG CATS
Zoos
of the
World
>
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< 2
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Did Not Survive
By Ann Littlewood
Poison Pen Press, 6962 E. First Avenue, Suite 103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
258 pages, $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-59058-745-4 (Hardcover) ISBN: 978-1-59058-747-8 (Trade Paperback)
Review by Linda Reif schneider, Docent
Saint Louis Zoo, Saint Louis, MO
I always check for any book reviews that may be included in the new issue of Symbiosis and have
been directed to many good educational pieces.
But I can only spend so much time reading Fowler & Mikota’s elephant medical text, papers forwarded
by Melissa Groo’s news service and every other good and important message out there.
Every once in a while, I just need to kick back and read something that is enjoyable and has me
turning the pages in either suspenseful or joyful anticipation. And when such a story is set within a
zoo, for folks like me - and possibly you - how much better can it get?
Ann Littlewood’s “zoo-dunnit” Did Not Survive is the tale of a violent death.... an elephant with
means and opportunity - but no motive and a zoo keeper driven to find the truth. Ann is a former
zoo keeper who, from her experience, brings the setting, the dialog, the concerns and the feel those of
us connected with our zoos can understand and appreciate. She also brings in the issues of managing
elephants in today’s world.
For further information you may want to check out www.zoomysteries.com. I promise you a great
read and a new favorite author!
New Book Available Gratis
A Runaway Train in the Making: The Exotic Amphibians, Reptiles, Turtles
and Crocodilians in Florida
By Walter E. Meshaka, Jr.
2011. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 6 (Monograph 1): 1-101
From the Introduction: As of 2004, 40 exotic species of herpetofauna occurred in established
populations in Florida (Meshaka et al. 2004a), and two years later, Meshaka (2006) reviewed the
inclusion of six more species. Yet another species appeared as established in 2007. In light of a
wealth of new published information since Meshaka et al. (2004a) went to press and a continuing
accumulation of new exotic species and colonies of existing exotic species, it became apparent that
an update of Meshaka et al. (2004a) was warranted. Thus, this new edition is both a snapshot in time
and a progress report, providing a summary of Florida’s exotic herpetofaunal phenomenon. Its goal
remains unchanged: to convey to an audience of budding naturalists, land managers, professional
biologists, and those at regulatory institutions what is currently known and unknown about the
established ecology and colonization dynamics of each established species. This will better enable
interested individuals to understand the colonization process and will provide them useful information
with which to make wise management decisions.
A pdf of this article is available gratis from the Herpetological Conservation and Biology web site at
http://herpconbio.org/Volume_6/Monograph_l/Meshaka_201 1 .pdf
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
473
Chapter News. . .
Battle Creek AAZK Chapter
Battle Creek AAZK was chartered in the fall of
2007 . Although we are a relatively young Chapter,
we can count many proud accomplishments!
For our major fundraiser each year, we have
designed creative calendars featuring pictures of
animals at Binder Park Zoo, including our native
wildlife. Increased popularity and demand
have yielded profits that have helped to fulfill
our goal of supporting a different conservation
organization each year. We recently donated $500
to the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, a
local organization dedicated to the preservation
of various native habitats and its species. Groups
we’ve supported in the past also include the
Michigan Audubon, Cheetah Conservation
Fund, Snow Leopard Trust, Bushmeat Crisis
Task Force and The Nature Conservancy.
Battle Creek AAZK members present a
check for $500 to the Southwest Michigan
Land Conservancy. (Photo: Kaylee Kemstock)
A few years ago, we initiated the Baking for
Enrichment (BFE) program, where 100% of
profits made from a weekly bake sale in the zoo
office go toward enrichment for the animals at
Binder Park Zoo. To date, over $600 has provided
for giraffe puzzle feeders, boomer balls and toys
for primates and likit treats for hoofstock — just
to name a few!
We’re also dedicated to supporting our Chapter’s
zookeepers in the pursuit of greater knowledge
and experience through professional development
opportunities. Such individuals have been able to
attend the annual National AAZK Conferences,
and, more recently, the African Painted Dog
Workshop and 2011 Felid TAG Meeting.
BATTLE CREEK
AAZK
Our logo, shown above, was designed by Mike
Murray and was adopted by our Chapter in
2007.
We just wrapped up another successful Bowling
for Rhinos (BFR) event, which was held on
July 29th at Char-Lanes in Charlotte. Despite
a last-minute change in location due to tornado
damage at a local bowling alley in Battle Creek,
we were thrilled to have our biggest turnout yet.
Altogether, over 100 people came out for a great
night of fundraising, fellowship and fun - all in
the name of conservation!
~ Jessica Schauger, Chapter Liaison
Saint Louis AAZK Chapter
Members of the Saint Louis AAZK Chapter
celebrated National Zoo Keeper Week with an
Appreciation Reception on 20 July. Members
and other zoo staff enjoyed a BBQ potluck
while sharing fond memories of the zoo and
celebrating the amazing work keepers there do
each and every day. The Chapter had a drawing
for a chance to win a $100 donation to the
conservation cause of the winner’s choice. They
also had two drawings for one-year memberships
in AAZK.
474 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
Little Turtle AAZK Chapter
On 15 April 2011 the Little Turtle Chapter of
AAZK based in Fort Wayne, IN received their
official Charter from AAZK, Inc. We chose our
Chapter name for a few reasons; Chief Little
Turtle was a Native American from the Miami
tribe that lived in the region. The Miami tribe’s
sacred bird was the Sandhill Crane. The other
reason the name was favored by members was
due to the involvement of many of the Fort Wayne
Children’s Zoo Keepers with the Kalamazoo
River oil spill in Michigan last year. We spent
many months traveling each day to Marshall, MI
to help clean thousands of affected turtles and
other wildlife.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION IF ZOO KEEPERS
fortwaynejndianaW^
LITTLE TURTLE CHAPTER
The logo was designed by Josh Volz (FWCZ
Herp Keeper) and adopted on 9 March 2011.
In January we held elections for the first time to
start the Chapter process.
Elected officers are:
President Brooke Stowell
VicePresident DeAnn Harris
Treasurer. Whitney Jones
Secretary........ Angie Selzer
Liaison Elaine Kirchner
Our first official event as a Chapter was
participating in a M.O.M.’s (Missing Orangutan
Mothers) event for Mother’s Day where we
were able to inform many zoo guests about the
plight of orangutans in the wild. We also have
had numerous bake sales in order to raise funds
to buy supplies to clean up the local creek near
the zoo as well as raise funds for Bowling for
Rhinos. We were also lucky enough to have an
information table set up during National Zoo
Keeper Week where we reached out to zoo guests
with fun games and information on keepers.
~ Angie Selzer, Secretary
New England Chapter of AAZK
The New England Chapter of the American
Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) kicked
off National Zoo Keeper week with its second
annual Ape Rock on 1 6 July inside the Tropical
Forest at Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, MA.
The second annual Ape Rock was another
huge success for our Chapter. We were able to
raise ape awareness to the general zoo public
and also raise more than $1,000 to pay for
our third year of dues for the AZA/Ape TAG
Conservation Initiative. Through the AZA/Ape
TAG Conservation Initiative we are able to help
support the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project
(GTAP): Securing the Future of Gorillas and
Chimpanzees in a Changing Landscape. GTAP
is a project in the Republic of Congo dedicated
to supporting the conservation of gorillas and
chimpanzees in the area. They are looking at
the behavior and ecology of the ape populations
and how logging in the area is affecting gorillas
and chimps. By doing this they hope to be able
to make recommendations on how to conserve
the ape populations. More information about the
project can be found at www.apetag.org.
In January 2010, the New England Chapter of
AAZK held its first Ape Rock at Franklin Park
Zoo. This was a 24-hour rock-a-thon where the
Chapter collected pledges to have the Chapter
President rock in a rocking chair throughout
the event. During the event, the public also had
Chapter President Dan McLaughlin
‘rocks’ for great apes.
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
475
the opportunity to ask the Chapter President,
who is a also a Senior Zookeeper caring for
the gorillas and many other animals inside the
Tropical Forest at Franklin Park Zoo, ape and
conservation-related questions. The event also
featured three different story times with animal-
related stories for young conservationists.
The goal of Ape Rock was to raise public
awareness of apes and ape conservation and
also to help the New England Chapter of AAZK
join the then forming Association of Zoos and
Aquariums (AZA)/Ape Taxon Advisory Group
(TAG) Conservation Initiative. AZA’s Ape TAG
Conservation Initiative is comprised of different
zoological institutions and other zoo-related
groups who commit to paying yearly dues that
support wild ape conservation programs.
The ape family includes bonobos (Pan paniscus),
chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ), gorillas ( Gorilla
gorilla gorilla ), gibbons (Hylobates concolor ),
orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), and siamangs
(Symphalangus syndactylus). In the wild, apes
face a host of deadly threats including illegal
hunting, habitat loss as a result of mining,
logging and agricultural conversion, disease and
the pet trade.
For more information contact: Dan McLaughlin,
President of the New England Chapter of AAZK
at dmclaughlin@zoonewengland.com<
~ Dan McLaughlin, Chapter President
Let Us Hear
About Your Chapter
What’s your Chapter been up to? Plan
to share your conservation activities,
professional development programs, and fund-
raising endeavors through the pages of AKF
in Chapter News. Have a new Chapter logo?
Send it in to share with other AAZK Chapter
members. Be sure to include who designed
the logo, any particular significance in the
design, and when it was officially adopted by
your Chapter. Make sure that any photos or
logos that are submitted are high resolution
(300 dpi) jpgs or tifs. Send Chapter News
information to: akfeditor@zk.kscoxmail.com<
Animal Behavior Management
Alliance Annual Conference
Announcement: "Eureka"
Please join us for the 12th Annual ABMA
Conference, and help us Strike Behavior
Management Gold in San Francisco!
The 2012 conference will be May 6-1 1th in
beautiful San Francisco and will feature a keynote
address by Dr. Hal Markowitz, enrichment
pioneer and author of Behavioral Enrichment in
the Zoo. An enrichment workshop will also be
presented by Dr. David Shepherdson, editor of
the ground breaking Second Nature. In addition to
exciting site visits to our Bay Area hosts Oakland
Zoo, CuriOdyssey and California Academy of
Sciences, we’ll host fascinating presentations,
posters, networking opportunities, stimulating
conversations, plus a few new ideas!
Do you want to attend? Even better, do you
have a great idea to make this conference a
success? Calls for Papers will be coming soon,
as will instructions for how to register. We will
once again be offering our travel scholarship,
the details of which will also be posted on our
website!
Coming Soon: We will be starting to post all of
the details in the coming weeks on the ABMA
website (http://www.theabma.org/) and to our
friends on Facebook. But we wanted to give you
all a sneak peak:
Conference Details :
•Dates: May 6th - 11th 2012.
• Join your hosts during site visits: Oakland
Zoo, CuriOdyssey, and California Academy of
Sciences
• Hotel: San Francisco Airport Mariott
• Night in downtown San Francisco for all your
site-seeing adventures
• Pre- and post-conference admissions to San
Francisco Zoo among others!
• Post-conference trips to Six Flags Discovery
Kingdom and wine tasting in Napa Valley.
• CEU credits for CPDT and IAABC
certification
• Enrichment Olympics is back!
Start thinking now about your travel plans, your
budget, and your paper topics. . . and we hope to
see all of you in 2012.
476
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
AKF Dedicated Issues Combo Pack Sale
Climate Change Issue Has Been Added!
Now get a combo pack of all six dedicated issues of the Animal Keepers ’Forum for just $40 if you
are a current AAZK member. Non-member price for the Combo Pack is $80. You’ll get issues
on: Care and Management of Geriatric Animals [2009], Crisis Management, [2007], Polar Bears
[2007], Cheetahs [2005], Avian Husbandry [2010] and Climate Change and Its Effects of Species
[2010]. That’s a savings of 25% over buying them individually. These are great issues so purchase
your Combo Pack today. Orders from Canada and overseas require an additional $10 in shipping.
Domestic orders include shipping cost.
You may order this Combo Pack by going to the AAZK website at www.aazk.org. Click on
“Shop” from the homepage. Or you may order by calling the AAZK Administrative Office at
785-273-9149 for purchases with a Mastercard or Visa.
Avian Husbandry
Polar Bear
Cheetah
Climate Change
Available while
supplies last!
Go to www.aazk.org
to order!
Geriatric Animals in Zoos
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
477
AA21K. "Report
PASA Veterinary Supply Collection and Redistribution Program
By Jill Moyse, Assistant Lead Keeper, Regenstein Center for African Apes,
Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL 60640, jmoyse@lpzoo.org,
The Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) is an organization of African wildlife refuges that
collectively cares for 850 Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ), 85 Gorillas ( Gorilla g. gorilla ), 65
Bonobos {Pan paniscus ) and approximately 3,000 other endangered primates. Currently, there are
18 PASA sanctuaries in 12 African countries.
Since 2007, animal care staff at Lincoln Park Zoo has requested veterinary supplies from other AZA
accredited institutions for donation to PASA sanctuaries. Surplus and/or gently used veterinary
equipment and supplies are first sent to Lincoln Park Zoo. Staff then inventory, package and ship
out supplies to PASA sanctuaries based on their needs. To date, AZA zoos have donated a significant
number of veterinary supplies. However, there are some supplies that PASA sanctuaries are still in
dire need of.
In May of 2010, I was extremely fortunate to receive a $700 Conservation, Restoration and
Preservation (CPR) grant from AAZK to purchase Evergreen “Fecal Parasite Concentrator” kits
and hand centrifuges to distribute to PASA sanctuaries.
This equipment will help improve long-term care through
preventive medicine for the animals residing in PASA
sanctuaries. Parasites are a major disease risk in PASA
sanctuaries and accurate diagnostics are crucial for effective
treatment. The “Fecal Parasite Concentrator” kit is based
on the Formal Ether Concentration technique is the most
sensitive method of detecting ova, cysts or larvae in a fecal
sample and only requires a small amount of feces. The
kit is a simple and efficient device that is easy to clean,
decontaminate, and reuse. Hand centrifuges are extremely
useful for a variety of purposes, including the concentration
of fecal samples for testing. A hand-powered centrifuge is
vital for those sanctuaries that have little or no electricity.
In November of 2010, veterinarians and health care staff
met in South Africa at Jane Goodall Institute’s Chimp Eden
for the PASA Veterinary Healthcare Workshop, an annual
conference designed to increase the capacity and training
of African veterinarians and healthcare workers at PASA
member sanctuaries. At this workshop the Evergreen “Fecal
Parasite Concentrator” kits were distributed amongst all PASA
sanctuaries, and centrifuges were given to those in need.
The “Fecal Parasite Concentrator” kits and centrifuges are
Hand-powered Centrifuge
Evergreen Kit
478 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
items that PASA simply could not afford. Most sanctuaries run on very meager budgets, and their
resources are devoted to the immediate care of primates including food, medicine and emergency
triage. Today I am happy to report that all PASA sanctuaries can now accommodate diagnostic
testing for parasites with the supplies and equipment purchased with this grant money. I would like
to personally thank AAZK for the very generous grant and their continued support for conservation
initiatives.
Wendi Bailey from the Liverpool School of Two PASA workers participate in training at the
Tropical Medicine using the hand centrifuges. PASA Veterinary Healthcare Workshop in 2010.
(Photos by Dr. Owen Slater, Calgary Zoo)
Access to Wildlife Information
Set to Revolutionize Animal Care
In a world first, Twycross Zoo - East Midland Zoological Society has put its closely
referenced scientific and veterinary information into the public domain in a move
designed to dramatically improve well-being in wildlife throughout the world.
The Wildpro® Multimedia Website ~ an electronic encyclopaedia and library ~ contains a
vast amount of scientific information that has been
collated over 20 years and for the first time is freely
available to wildlife professionals, academics
and other interested parties. The information
is likely to be particularly valuable in remote
developing countries, where access to libraries
and similar information resources is very limited.
“There is no doubt that having this information freely available will change the way wildlife, captive
and free-ranging, is treated and managed” said Dr. Suzanne Boardman, CEO at Twycross Zoo.
“This information resource encourages an approach to disease prevention and investigation, which
considers the interaction between the animal host, the pathogen and the environment in producing
either health or disease, and supports logical thinking and decision making.”
Visit the Website at http://www.wildlifeinformation.org/
Soure: ZooNews Digest 6/1 3/2011
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
479
Grevy’s Zebra Trust:
Conservation of Grevy’s Zebra in Kenya and Ethiopia
By Martha Fischer, Curator of Mammals/Ungulates and Elephants, Saint Louis Zoo
Director, Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa
Chair, Grevy s Zebra Trust Board of Directors
The largest of all wild equids, the Grevy’s zebra ( Equus grevyi), is now considered endangered across
its range, with less than 150 in Ethiopia and the remainder, perhaps 2400, in northern Kenya. Grevy’s
zebras are distinguished from other zebras by the intricate pattern of narrow black and white stripes
on their skins. Unfortunately, this same trait made Grevy’s zebra highly prized by trophy hunters
in the past; thankfully, such trophy hunting has been outlawed for decades, but illegal poaching for
food and medicinal purposes has continued to drive this species towards the precipice of extinction.
The process has been accelerated by critical range reduction and competition over scarce resources
accompanied by an unprecedented influx of humans and their domestic livestock. In addition, there
has been a significant, very recent decline in the species in northern Kenya due to disease and drought.
These factors have combined to produce a devastating depopulation of this distinctive species, an
alarming decline estimated to be as much as 87% over the last three decades.
The conservation of the Grevy’s zebra requires commitment and coordination among many partners
locally and internationally. Like many species facing an uncertain future in the wild, the Grevy’s
zebra is being cooperatively managed and bred in international zoo programs to ensure that the herds
in human care remain genetically and demographically viable for future generations. The cooperation
and transfer of Grevy’s zebras among zoos and between regionally-managed programs guarantees
the continued success of the global zoo population. In tandem with their ex situ conservation efforts,
international zoos are playing a key role in Kenya and Ethiopia by providing financial support and
fundraising assistance for Grevy’s zebra in situ conservation initiatives.
Since 2004, dozens of international zoos have become collaborative partners in field conservation
programs in the effort to save Grevy’s zebra. With this continued commitment, the combination of
global cooperative zoo programs, heightened international awareness to the plight of the endangered
Grevy’s zebra and increased field conservation partnerships will save this magnificent species from
extinction.
With less than a half of a percent of the Grevy’s zebra range falling within officially protected areas,
this species’ survival depends heavily upon the attitudes and engagement of people in community
areas. Towards this end, in 2007 the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, an independent wildlife conservation
organization based in Kenya, was established to address the urgent need to conserve Grevy’s zebra in
the community rangelands of Ethiopia and Kenya. The Grevy’s Zebra Trust is working holistically
to secure critical resources and safeguard this species from extinction across its range by engaging
communities in Kenya and Ethiopia in the protection and monitoring of Grevy’s zebra.
Because the future of the Grevy’s zebra hangs in the balance, it is critical to monitor the populations
within community areas. The Grevy’s Zebra Trust facilitates a collaborative initiative called the
Grevy’s Zebra Scout Program in the community areas of northern Kenya. This program employs
21 women and men of the communities that share land with the Grevy’s zebras to collect data on
the distribution and abundance of the zebras. This successful program provides the benefit of equal-
opportunity employment in the participating communities, a direct and tangible community incentive
to support conservation activities.
The positive effect of the Grevy’s Zebra Scout Program is evident not only on the ground where you
can now regularly see livestock and Grevy’s zebra sharing resources in communities where the Scout
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Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
program is active, but it is also evident in the changed and more tolerant attitudes of community
members towards wildlife. The information gathered by the Grevy’s Zebra Scouts guides the local
conservation plans of the community-led conservancies so that community members themselves
have the opportunity to make recommendations on ways to reduce competition between Grevy’s
zebra and livestock.
Also through the Grevy’s Zebra
Trust, Grevy’s Zebra Ambassadors
are employed from remote
communities in northern Kenya
where Grevy’s zebra are most
threatened and where awareness of
their conservation is low. The role
of the Grevy’s Zebra Ambassadors
is three-fold: to carry out routine
security patrols to enhance the
safety of the zebras and other
wildlife, to collect field data on
Grevy’s zebra in order to inform
local conservation strategies, and
to consistently raise awareness
among and engage their fellow
community members in the importance of conserving the species.
Grevy’s zebra Scout collecting data in Northern Kenya.
(Photo by Belinda Low)
To ensure continued community support for Grevy’s zebra conservation, the Grevy’s Zebra Trust
holds community awareness workshops which are designed for knowledge exchange and discussion
on Grevy’s zebra conservation. Successful educational outreach also requires broad connections
at many levels and action by children is one of the most effective ways to initiate change in the
behavior of adults. The Grevy’s Zebra Trust awards secondary school bursaries (scholarships) to
promising students from communities that host Grevy’s zebra populations. The pastoral communities
of northern Kenya are economically marginalized and this type of support to the education of their
children is highly valued; it builds the capacity of the future generation and is a major catalyst in
changing attitudes towards wildlife.
Successful ongoing programs like the Grevy’s Zebra Scout Program exemplify the kind of holistic
and synergistic approach that community conservation is all about. The communities have embraced
the notion that what is good for the wildlife can be very good for the community. With continued
investment into community-led conservation programs and into specific activities that address the
threats facing Grevy’s zebra, there is hope for this species in its native range.
Grevy’s Zebra Conservation - a global effort
In the case of Grevy’s zebra, community conservation is not limited to Africa. After only a short
period of time, the on-going campaign to raise awareness of Grevy’s zebra within the zoo community
has piqued the interest and encouraged the involvement of many individuals and zoological
organizations internationally. As a result, responsiveness to the issues facing Grevy’s zebra has risen
to a high level and the global perception of this species has changed drastically. It is now realized
that Grevy’s zebra are a treasure which warrants conservation attention and investment both in our
zoo community and in the wild.
“There are opportunities that are arising from this project that are good. Nkai (Samburu God) has
given us that heart of taking care of wildlife and people are supporting us to do this. Let’s come
together, work together and be united.” These are the inspiring words of Rikapo Lentiyoo, the
Grevy’s Zebra Trust’s Scout Program Coordinator, when he was asked to share his thoughts about
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
481
the conservation activities benefitting the endangered Grevy’s zebra in the Kenyan community where
he was bom and raised.
And Rikapo is correct - the long-term conservation of wildlife in northern Kenya, or anywhere
in the world for that matter, depends upon key stakeholders, such as communities, governments,
conservationists, universities and international donors, coming together and working together in
partnership and in unity. According to the 2009 International Studbook, over 500 Grevy’s zebra
(approximately 20% of the world’s entire population!) are cared for in zoos worldwide. Zoos and zoo
organizations, like AAZK, are therefore important partners in Grevy’s zebra conservation.
The spirit of collaboration and partnership is evident throughout the American Association of Zoo
Keepers, Inc. (AAZK), especially when considering the enthusiastic support that zoo keepers and
AAZK provide to many field conservation initiatives. In the last decade, several Chapters of AAZK
have contributed to Grevy’s zebra conservation and education activities and, when needed, emergency
efforts to preserve this endangered species.
Since its inception in 2007, the Grevy’s Zebra Trust (GZT) has enjoyed strong support from AAZK.
The support of AAZK was instrumental in building the foundation of GZT, and several AAZK
chapters continue to be strong and important partners, contributing support to the Trust’s activities
on an annual basis.
Whether they are hosting bake sales or auctions, T-shirt sales or wine tastings, the ingenuity of
AAZK to carry out creative fundraisers that will generate awareness and donations for Grevy’s zebra
conservation never ceases to amaze; their passionate efforts to raise funds for the work being done by
GZT on the ground in Kenya and Ethiopia is deeply appreciated. The following AAZK Chapters have
provided funds and equipment to support the efforts of the Grevy’s Zebra Trust: St. Louis AAZK,
California Desert AAZK, the Oklahoma City Zoo AAZK and the Lion Country Safari AAZK.
The California Desert Chapter of AAZK held its first annual Grapes for Grevy’s fundraiser in 2008.
This event was such a success that the tradition was continued in 2009. This unique fundraiser
features wine tastings with specialty wines from regional wineries and is held in conjunction with
a silent auction. A portion of their contributions result from the inventive and fun “Adopt a Stripe”
progam which allows participants to spend $3 to purchase a short stripe and $5 to purchase a long
stripe, and the purchased stripes are pasted on to adorn the outline of a zebra. All proceeds from this
event support GZT’s conservation activities.
Grevy’s Zebra Trust is particularly proud of the strong bond that has formed with the St. Louis
AAZK. This Chapter has a long history of support for Grevy’s zebra conservation. Several years
ago, this AAZK Chapter’s first fundraising effort included the design and sale of a t-shirt focused
on the Grevy’s zebra. In recent years, the St. Louis AAZK was a founding partner of GZT and has
consistently provided support annually. This Chapter supported the launch of the Conservation and
Management Strategy for Grevy’s Zebra (. Equus grevyi ) in Kenya 2007-2011 and has purchased vital
equipment to support the GZT field team’s daily work, including a video camera and GPS units.
GZT feels very fortunate to have a strong partnership with AAZK. Each year GZT provides either a
project proposal or a list of priority conservation needs and interested AAZK Chapters can choose an
area to support. All AAZK Chapters that support us receive the Trust’s biannual newsletter updating
all partners and donors on the exciting activities and conservation efforts ongoing in Kenya and
Ethiopia, and their partnerships and contributions are acknowledged on the Trust’s website, in the
newsletter and during every presentation. GZT also supports AAZK fundraising efforts by providing
some items to be offered during the auctions such as GZT T-shirts and hats and unique cultural items,
such as jewelry and baskets, purchased in the communities where Grevy’s zebra roam in Kenya and
Ethiopia.
482
Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
And it’s not solely about money. GZT is extremely grateful to have so many ambassadors helping
us raise awareness about Grevy’s zebra conservation and engaging audiences that the GZT field
team cannot easily reach. According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), every
year 150 million people visit AZA accredited zoos and aquariums. Zookeepers are the front line
of communication with those millions of visitors and have a great opportunity to raise awareness
about endangered species and the ongoing programs to conserve them. Whether through a formal
keeper chat in front of their zoo’s Grevy’s zebra herd or informally chatting with fellow keepers at a
conference, the endorsement provided by zookeepers and by AAZK is felt and appreciated.
The conservation of the Grevy’s zebra requires commitment and coordination among many partners
locally and internationally. In tandem with their ex situ conservation efforts, international zoos
and zoo organizations, like AAZK, are playing a key role in Kenya and Ethiopia by providing
financial support and fundraising assistance for Grevy’s zebra in situ conservation initiatives. The
combination of global cooperative zoo programs, heightened international awareness to the plight of
the endangered Grevy’s zebra and increased field conservation partnerships will save this magnificent
species from extinction.
For more information about Grevy’s Zebra and the Grevy’s Zebra Trust, please go to www.
grevyszebratrust.org. You can also find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.eom/#i/pages/
Grews-Zebra-Trust/1 11941 84423 1 ?ref=ts
We deeply appreciate the exceptional commitment to Grevy’s zebra conservation by the following
zoos and zoo organizations that support the Grevy’s Zebra Trust:
AZA Equid TAG, Brevard Zoo Conservation Fund, California Desert Chapter of AAZK, Cheyenne
Mountain Zoo, Chicago Zoological Society/Chicago Board of Trade, Denver Zoological Society,
Detroit Zoological Society, Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, Fauna Research, Inc., Fresno
Chaffee Zoo, Gilman International Conservation/White Oak Conservation Center, Jackson Zoo, Lion
Country Safari AAZK, Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association,
Kenya Wildlife Trust, Marwell Preservation Trust, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation
Fund, Mulhouse Zoo, Oklahoma City Zoo AAZK, Oregon Zoo Foundation’s Future for Wildlife
Conservation Fund, Phoenix Zoo, Prince Bernhard Fund for Nature, Reid Park Zoo Teen Volunteers,
Riverbanks Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, St. Louis AAZK, Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute, Sea World
& Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, Sedgwick County Zoo, Toronto Zoo, Wildlife Conservation
Network, Zoological Society of San Diego, and Zuercher Tierschutz.
Grevy’s Zebra in Samburu (Photo by Martha Fischer)
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
483
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You've Heard About It!
You've been looking for it!
Here it is!
Keeper Profiles - The hilarious DVD that combines
the original film clips that dissect the personalities of
your fellow keepers with outakes and other footage.
Produced by the Southern Ontario AAZK Chapter, all
profits from the sale of this DVD go to support AAZK,
Inc. and its projects and programs.
$15.00 U.S. and Canada
(includes shipping and handling)
$17.00 International
(includes shipping and handling)
Order from the AAZK website at www.aazk.org (under Shop on
the homepage) OR purchase with Visa or Mastercard by calling the
AAZK Administrative Offices at 785-273-9149.
484 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
C on^e^atton/i L etyLdatOve/ Updates
Column Coordinators: Becky Richendollar, South Carolina
and Greg McKinney, Philadelphia PA
This month s column was put together by
column co-coordinator Greg McKinney
Landmark Agreement Moves 757 Species Toward
Protection - On July 12, 2011, the Center for Biological Diversity struck a historic legal settlement
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, requiring the agency to make initial or final decisions on
whether to add hundreds of imperiled plants and animals to the endangered species list by 2018. The
Endangered Species Act is America’s strongest environmental law and surest way to save species
threatened with extinction. The agreement caps a decade-long effort by the Center’s scientists,
attorneys and activists to safeguard 1,000 of America’s most imperiled, least protected species
including the walrus ( Odobenus rosmarus ), wolverine {Gulo gulo), Mexican grey wolf ( Canis lupus
baileyi ), fisher ( Martes pennanti), New England cottontail rabbit {Sylvilagus transitionalis ), three
species of sage grouse, scarlet Hawaiian honeycreeper ( Vestiaria coccinea ), California golden trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita ), Miami blue butterfly (Hemiargus thomasi bethunebakeri ), Rio
Grande cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis), 403 southeastern river-dependent species,
42 Great basin springsnails and 32 Pacific Northwest mollusks. The Center’s wrote scientific petitions
and/or filed lawsuits to win federal protection for each of the 757 species.
To see a full alphabetized list of species visit: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/
biodiversity/species_agreement/species_list.html Source: Center for Biological Diversity, 12 July 2011
Conservationists Sound Alarm Over Macaque - The long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis )
is being threatened with extinction by a huge surge in international trade and the destruction of its habitat
in Southeast Asia, conservationists have warned. Species Survival Network (SSN), an international
coalition of over 80 charities, says trade in the species had more than doubled in the second half
of the last decade. The group is pressing countries taking part in a meeting of the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva this month
to review the impact on the macaque of the trade.
“The long-tailed macaque is the most heavily-traded mammal
currently listed on the CITES appendices and our research findings
raise alarming questions concerning the long-term viability of
targeted populations of the species if this trade is allowed to
continued at current levels,” Ian Redmond, chairman of the SSN
Primate Working Group said in a statement.
Traders sold more than 260,000 long-tailed macaques — found
mainly in Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam
— between 2004 and 2008, a huge rise from the nearly 120,000
between 1999 and 2003. The breeding and supply of the monkey has
developed into a large scale business enterprise mainly in Southeast
Asia with most exported for medical and scientific purposes.
Redmond said the population was also dwindling due to hunting,
habitat loss and degradation, and human encroachment. “There is
also evidence of an illegal trade in wild-caught long-tailed macaques
that is likely to have a significant impact on populations,” he said.
Source: AFP, 15 July 2011
Japan to Continue Antarctic Whaling - Japan intends to send its whaling fleet back to the
Antarctic this year, a senior official has told BBC News. There has been speculation that campaigns
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
485
by activists, money problems and new rules at sea might persuade Tokyo to stop Antarctic whaling.
But at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, Japan’s Joji Morishita said the plan
was to return. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which forced the last hunt’s early closure,
says it will be back too. Finding a way to deal with the organization’s vessels is the main obstacle
Japan sees to continuing for the next season and beyond.
“We are now discussing how we can send our fleet back to the Antarctic Ocean,” said Mr. Morishita,
Japan’s deputy commissioner to the IWC and a senior official in the Fisheries Agency. “Simply put,
the attack from Sea Shepherd organization is the one we have to consider how we prevent that to
happen again.”
During the IWC meeting, being held in Jersey, Japanese delegates showed pictures and videos that,
they said, showed the campaigners attacking whaling vessels with projectiles including flares, which
set netting alight, and glass bottles filled with foul-smelling butyric acid. They also showed Sea
Shepherd boats ramming the whalers, and said reinforced ropes had been put in the water to entangle
propellers.
“The attack this past year became so severe that we didn’t have any choice to try to prevent the worst
from happening,” said Mr. Morishita.
Each successive year, Sea Shepherd has sent bigger fleets and faster vessels, while Japan has
downscaled its forces; last season, for the first time, the activists had the upper hand. Rather than
catching 850-odd whales - the official target - the eventual haul was about 170. It is not clear how
Japan intends to protect its fleet in any future expedition - it was not just a matter of sending military
patrols, Mr. Morishita said, as that was a legal minefield.
A further obstacle Japan faces is that, from next year, new regulations on maritime pollution mean
the Nisshin Maru, its factory ship, will not be permitted in Antarctic waters with tanks full of heavy
fuel oil without a refit. Another is financial. Japan’s national budget was in trouble even before the
impact of the recent earthquake and tsunami; and with sales of whalemeat falling, the cost of the
hunt is rising. But Mr. Morishita suggested all of these issues would be easier to overcome than Sea
Shepherd’s opposition. Some observers have suggested that Japan sees blaming Sea Shepherd as a
way to escape from Southern Ocean whaling without losing face. Mr. Morishita said this was not the
case, and the basic policy remained unchanged.
Sea Shepherd activists have staged demonstrations outside the IWC meeting here - the organization
is barred from attending - and it is clear that it will send its fleet to the Southern Ocean again if Japan
does return. “Sea Shepherd will also return and will once again intercept and block their operations,”
the organization’s head Paul Watson wrote on his blog. “If they return, we will launch Operation
Divine Wind, and our vessels - the Bob Barker, the Steve Irwin, and the Brigitte Bardot - will soon
return to the remote and stormy seas of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to do what we do best
- defend the whales!” Source: BBC News, Richard Black, 12 July 2011
Phoenix Zoo is Sanctuary for Endangered Subspecies of Squirrel from Southern Arizona
The Phoenix Zoo now is a sanctuary for an endangered subspecies of squirrel from southern Arizona.
Four of the last remaining 214 Mount Graham red squirrels ( Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis )
known to exist were brought to the zoo’s conservation center in June amid concerns that their isolated
habitat in the tinder-dry Pinaleno Mountains could be wiped out by wildfire. “If there were a big fire,
we could be working with the last of these guys anywhere,” said Stuart Wells, the zoo’s conservation
and science director. “So, yes, we were a little nervous. But I think we’re all adjusting well.”
Wildlife biologists captured the two male and two female squirrels and took them to the zoo under
an emergency order by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees imperiled species. The
agency decided the threat of wildfire this year was serious enough to warrant collecting the individual
squirrels as a sort of insurance policy on their survival. Wildfires in 1996 and 2004 burned thousands
of acres of squirrel habitat in the Pinalenos, losses that likely pushed the population numbers of
Mount Graham red squirrels lower in recent years. Fish and Wildlife designated the squirrels at the
zoo a “refugium population,” a term that describes a group isolated to preserve the genetics of a
species in the event the wild population is lost.
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Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
The squirrels could be released back into the wild later this year, or they could remain at the zoo as
part of a separate pilot project to breed the animal in captivity,
with the goal of someday rebuilding the population.
“The zoo has a legacy of involvement in native-species
conservation efforts,” Wells told The Arizona Republic. “We’re
honored to be entrusted with these species.”
The Mount Graham squirrel is a subspecies of the more common
red squirrel. It lives in the pine and mixed-conifer forests of the
Pinalenos, part of southern Arizona’s high-elevation Sky Islands
ecosystem. Their population has fluctuated over the years, from
about 140 in the 1980s to more than 560 in the late 1990s. Their
numbers have declined over the past decade, in part, scientists
say, because habitat has been lost to drought, insect attacks, wildfire and development. A 1997
Fish and Wildlife study found that the squirrel was at significant risk of extinction as its numbers
dwindled, although researchers have not agreed on how low a number would signal irretrievable loss.
Environmental groups say one of the biggest threats to the squirrel is the University of Arizona’s
Mount Graham International Observatory. The buildings and the access roads have fragmented
habitat and led to fire-suppression decisions that expose the forest to rarer but larger blazes, the
groups say. Federal officials are reviewing many of those issues as part of a revised recovery plan,
but the emergency order issued in June shifted the immediate focus to simply avoiding an ecological
disaster.
The zoo was waiting for a decision on its captive-breeding project when Fish and Wildlife issued
its emergency order. The zoo’s conservation center has helped breed and release other native
species, including the California condor ( Gymnogyps calif ornianus), the Mexican gray wolf (Canis
lupus baileyi ), the black-footed ferret ( Mustela nigripes ) and the Chiricahua leopard frog (Rana
chiricahuensis ). To prepare for the squirrels, workers modified four ferret enclosures; long, rectangular
cages with attached boxes big enough for nesting. Vertical space was added to give the squirrels
room to climb, and the pine boughs were fitted inside. The squirrels will remain isolated from each
other for now, partly because they’re so aggressive and territorial. If Fish and Wildlife approves the
captive-breeding project in the next few months, the squirrels now in residence could remain. If not,
they will be released later this year, after any fire danger subsides. Source: AP, 24 July 2011
Genetic Testing Finds New Mini Frog - Researchers have discovered a new miniature frog species
in Western Australia’s remote Pilbara region. The Pilbara toadlet ( Uperoleia saxatilis) is thought to
r ^ ’ have gone unnoticed for a million years and has adapted
■wjbNMR1* Kji to the harsh desert conditions. The finding was made by
^ researchers from the University of Western Australia,
1 the West Australian Museum and the Australian National
, w University. ANU PhD student Renee Catullo says the
, I ; two centimetre toadlet is unique.
Pilbara toadlet {Uperoleia saxatilis)
(Photo: Henry Cook)
“It has big glands and it has brown spots all over it, it
also has a different call from all the other species,” she
said. “It actually lives in rocky landscapes instead of
sandy soils, so it’s a burrowing frog that’s adapted to
live in a different type of landscape.” Ms. Catullo says
researchers had thought very few amphibians lived in
the Pilbara region. “The deserts of Australia are often believed to be empty regions with few species,”
she said. “However genetic work on reptiles and amphibians has shown that there are large numbers
of species in what looks like a barren landscape to most people.”
Ms. Catullo says genetic testing confirmed the discovery. “We used samples that have been collected by
various researchers and museums over the past 20 years,” she said. “We amplify a specific portion of the
DNA and we compare individual frogs against all of the frogs and try and build a family tree and look for
groups we didn’t know about before.” Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Michael Atkin, 26 July 2011
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
487
Endangered Pygmy Rabbits Finally Breed Like ... Bunnies - Biologists say the endangered
Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit ( Brachylagus Idahoensis ) is breeding for the first time in a decade
in its native habitat. Wildlife managers are re-introducing the tiny rabbit on a wildlife reserve near
Ephrata in Central Washington. They’ve confirmed several litters in a six-acre enclosure there.
Michael Illig of the Oregon Zoo bred some of the parents
that were recently released into the wild. He says baby
pygmy rabbits - or kits - have a lot working against them.
They’re at the bottom of the food chain. And mother
pygmy rabbits are not known for their attentiveness.
“They give birth in a burrow and then they backfill that
burrow. So they don’t spend any real time with the kits,”
Illig explains. “Once a day, usually in the evening, they’ll
go and uncover that burrow and pull the kits out through
the entrance, nurse them, push them back down, and seal
it up, and then they go off to different burrows.” (Photo courtesy ofbregonZoo)
Until the re-introduction this spring, there were no Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits known to be left
in the wild. A previous re-introduction effort failed after the rabbits fell prey to predators. Source:
Northwest News Network, Jessica Robinson, 25 July 2011
WHAT’S WORKING: Zoo’s Solar Project Gaining National Attention - The brutal heat is
cooling off the energy bill this summer at the Cincinnati Zoo. “A year ago on a day like today, I was
sweating it big time because of my electricity bill,” said Mark Fisher, Senior Director of Facilities,
Planning and Sustainability at the Cincinnati Zoo. “But the same day this year, I’m saying bring on
the sun!” That’s because Fisher said their new solar panels generate at least 20% of their power.
Zoo managers installed 6,400 solar panels in the parking lot in April. They produce enough energy to
keep all of the lights on in the Zoo’s 70+ buildings within the Zoo’s 70-acre campus. “On a day like
today, we’re off the grid right now,” said Fisher. “From 10 a.m to 4 p.m., we’re literally producing
more power than we’re using.” All that green is saving the zoo green.
The Zoo can’t store the energy produced so it’s sent back to Duke Energy. Instead of owing money
for the bill, the Zoo gets a credit. The power overage is shared with the Uptown community. In all,
in just one day, the 1.6 megawatt display produces enough energy to power one house for a year. At
the end of one year, the solar panels could produce enough energy to power 200-300 houses. Fisher
said it’s not just about saving, but educating. Zoo managers have also installed an educational kiosk
where families can learn about the new technology. The structure also provides shade for nearly 800
of the 1,000 spots available at the Zoo’s Vine Street Parking Lot.
It all grew out of an idea from a local company — Melink Corporation. Steve Melink is President
of the company. He said his headquarters in Milford is one of the greenest buildings in the country.
You’ll find just about every piece of solar technology on the market somewhere on the campus.
Everything from silicon mounted on the roof to solar panels on the ground. Melink said he even has
car chargers installed for those who have solar-powered vehicles. “Every day of this week, we have
been exporting back power back to the grid.” That’s right. Melink said they haven’t had one energy
bill in the last three months.
But Melink wanted more. He said he wanted to develop a marquee project in Cincinnati. A year and a
half ago, they approached the Zoo. Fisher said Melink asked if they knew of a large space in Uptown
where they could install solar panels. Fisher recommend the Zoo’s parking lot. The two worked
together and developed a plan to cement Cincinnati’s place as a leader of the green movement. Today,
the Zoo’s solar panel project is the largest urban publicly accessible one in the country, but maybe
not for long. Fisher said just about every zoo in the country has called about the project. Fisher said
he’s even heard from dozens of colleges, hospitals, and aquariums from around the world. “We’re
not just saying this is our secret. Look at us. You can’t have it. We’re saying here’s how we did it.
Here’s exactly how we did it, and hopefully this project will get people that were on the fence off the
fence,” said Fisher. “My hope is that in another three to five years what we did at the Zoo is going to
be commonplace,” said Melink.
Columbia Basin Pvgmv Rabbit
488
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
Fisher said it took 15 months to figure out the financing for the project, and only four months to
build it. The Zoo didn’t come up with any money up front, but worked with several organizations,
including: Melink Corporation, PNC Bank, Uptown Consortium, the National Development Council
and FirstEnergy Solutions. The group secured a number of tax credits to get the $1 1-million needed
to build the solar panels. All major components of the solar canopy were manufactured either locally,
or in other locations with the United States. In addition, the project has funded 10 scholarships at
Cincinnati State Technical & Community College in their Greater Workforce Development Program.
Source: FOX 19 News Cincinnati, Kimberly Holmes Wiggins, 27 July 2011
SD Zoo Bird Experts Help Endangered Heron - The first hands-on rearing of a critically
endangered white-bellied heron ( Ardea insignis ) in Bhutan was successful thanks to a pair of bird
experts with the San Diego Zoo Safari Park who spent three months in the small Asian nation this
year according to park officials. Only 26 of the large wetlands birds are believed to be left in Bhutan
and about 50 in the world, according to the park. Bhutan is a land-locked nation between China and
India, and lies at the southern base of the Himalayan mountains. In rearing the chick, animal-care
manager Don Sterner and lead keeper Debbie Marlow used an incubator, but periodic electrical
outages meant that the bird required round-the-clock monitoring. Sterner and Marlow trained local
authorities in how to care for the bird. “At that time the chick was 40 days old and beginning to
stand, learning to fly and catching live fish,” Sterner said. “Our hope is to continue to assist the folks
in Bhutan who are dedicated to saving this species.” The white-bellied heron is mostly dark gray
and has a contrasting white throat and belly. Development and pollution have degraded the bird’s
wetlands habitats. Sterner and Marlow, who collaborated with the Royal Society for Protection of
Nature, have extensive experience in the conservation of endangered birds, mostly working with the
California condor ( Gymnogyps calif ornianus). Source: lONews San Diego, 4 August 2011
Court Reluctantly Denies Challenge to Congressional Rider that Stripped Wolves of
Protection - A federal judge has denied a challenge brought by the Center for Biological Diversity
and other conservation organizations to a congressional budget rider that stripped Endangered
Species Act protections for wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains. The federal judge upheld
the constitutionality of the rider but also condemned Congress’s actions as an infringement on the
judiciary. “If I were not constrained by what I believe is binding precedent from the Ninth Circuit,
and on-point precedent from other circuits, I would hold Section 1713 is unconstitutional because it
violates the Separation of Powers doctrine . . . ,” wrote U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy. He further
describes the rider as “a tearing away, an undermining, and a disrespect for the fundamental idea of
the rule of law.”
The rider is the first time that Congress exempted a species from the Endangered Species Act. Judge
Molloy expressed his distaste for Congress’s overreaching, explaining that the Endangered Species
Act “protects imperiled species, without regard to the popularity of the animal or plant. It does not
just protect species when politically convenient. . . . [The rider] sacrifices the spirit of the ESA to
appease a vocal political faction, but the wisdom of that choice is not now before this Court.”
The decision means that hunting seasons in Idaho and Montana that are designed to drastically
reduce wolf ( Canis lupus ) populations will move forward. It also leaves fledgling wolf populations
in eastern Oregon and Washington and northern Utah without protection. “Today’s decision means
that hundreds of wolves that need protection won’t
get it,” said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the
Center. “Although wolf numbers have risen, the job of
wolf recovery in the northern Rocky Mountains is far
from complete.”
The Center and other conservation groups had challenged
a congressional budget rider, approved in April, that
removed Endangered Species Act protection for wolves
in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Utah. The
decision marked the first time that Congress, rather than Gray Wolf (Ccmus lupus)
scientists, took a plant or animal off the endangered (usFwsphoto
species list. The groups asserted that Congress violated by John & Karen Hollingsworth)
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
489
the separation-of-powers clause of the U.S. Constitution because it ordered an outcome in ongoing
litigation without amending the underlying law and blocked judicial review, effectively negating the
role of the judiciary. Source: Center for Biological Diversity, 3 August 2011
Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Smaller Than Predicted, Still Harmful - This year’s dead zone
in the Gulf of Mexico is roughly equal to the land area of the state of New Jersey, scientists have
determined. At 6,765 square miles, this area of low oxygen is the 10th largest on record and is
considered about average for the past five years. Researchers had predicted the potential for a record-
sized dead zone as large as 9,42 1 square miles due to the record spring flooding of the Mississippi
River that sent large loads of fertilizer nutrients running off into the Gulf. But strong winds and
waves associated with Tropical Storm Don in late July mixed the layers of water, re-oxygenating the
western portion of the dead zone.
“Although Tropical Storm Don disrupted part of the hypoxic zone, our monitoring over the past
several months indicated the spring floods expanded the dead zone region,” said Nancy Rabalais,
PhD, executive director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, who led the NOAA-
supported research team. “However, sampling the hypoxic bottom layer on a ship rolling in 6-10
foot waves presented safety and sampling issues that interfered with precise measurements at some
stations,” Rabalais explained. “For these reasons, the size of the measured hypoxic zone was smaller
than just before the storm, and is probably underestimated.”
In addition to surveys in the traditional region of the dead zone, Rabalais’ research team documented
a large area of hypoxia east of the Mississippi River in mid-July. Rabalais said the team recorded
severe areas of hypoxia offshore of Louisiana at Terrebonne Bay, Atchafalaya Bay and offshore
of Barataria Bay - all areas just west of the Mississippi Delta that were affected by last year’s BP
Deepwater Horizon oil spill. However, she said, the low oxygen areas are probably unrelated to the
BP oil spill. Scientists will not be able to say exactly what effect the oil spill has had, said Rabalais,
because no sediments or water samples were tested for oil this year. “The samples we collected last
year are still awaiting funding for analysis,” she told reporters on a teleconference August 1.
When the oxygen level in the Gulf water becomes very low, sediments on the sea floor release
hydrogen sulfide, a rotton-egg-smelling gas which is toxic to organisms. Creatures that usually live
in the sediments, such as eels and crabs, were observed swimming up at the surface off Grande Isle,
Barataria Bay, and in the Port Fourchon area to escape the hydrogen sulfide, said Rabalais. The dead
zone is fueled by nutrient runoff from agricultural and other human activities in the Mississippi River
watershed, which stimulates an overgrowth of algae that sinks, decomposes and consumes most of
the life-giving oxygen supply in bottom waters. The hypoxic zone off the coast of Louisiana and
Texas forms each summer and threatens commercial and recreational Gulf fisheries.
“Despite fluctuations in size due to each year’s weather conditions, these chronic, recurring hypoxic
zones every summer represent a significant threat to Gulf ecosystems,” said Robert Magnien, PhD,
director of NOAA’s Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research. “Until we achieve a substantial
reduction in nutrient pollution from the Mississippi River watershed,” said Magnien, “we will continue
to experience extended periods of time each year when critically-needed habitat is unavailable for
many marine organisms.”
Rabalais says there was no dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico before the 1950s. Sediment analysis
shows that the Gulf has not always had hypoxia, she said, and it has gotten worse over time. “It is
possible to reduce the size of the dead zone if the nutrient level is reduced,” said Rabalais. “In other
areas of the world, the problem has been alleviated.” Source: Environment News Service, 5 August 2011
Vietnam’s Tiger Population Hits Crisis Point - Just 30 wild tigers survive today in Vietnam
out of 3,200 across the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF said there
were 100 wild tigers ( Panthera tigris corbetti ) in Viet Nam ten years ago. The conservation body
said the number of tigers across the world has decreased by 97% since 1900. The main reason for the
diminishing tiger population is deforestation, said Do Quang Tung, deputy director of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) Viet Nam. The growing human population has
also put pressure on tiger numbers, he added, as has illegal hunting and trafficking. Meanwhile, Nick
Cox, WWF’s manager of protected areas, species and wildlife trade, said Vietnam was a trade hub
490 Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
for tiger products, while illegal medicines made from tiger bones had become increasingly popular.
“It’s very important at the moment to halt the illegal
international tiger trade and domestic consumption
of tigers,” Mr. Cox said.
Keshav Varma, program director of Global Tiger
Initiative (GTI), said the continuous demand for tiger
parts and the surge in illegal smuggling are totally
unacceptable. He said if things continue going as
they were, the last remaining tigers in Indo-China
will be wiped out within a few years.
Hoang Thi Thanh Nhan, deputy head of the Natural
Resources and Environment Ministry’s Bio-diversification Conservation Department, said Vietnam,
in a bid to save tigers in the wild, has participated in Global Tiger Initiative forums. Vietnam and
12 other countries have made a historic commitment to eradicating poaching and the illegal trade in
wild tigers at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit last November, she said. Source: The Straits Times, 1
August 2011
History’s Normal Rate of Species Disappearance is Accelerating, Scientists Say - Biologist
E.O. Wilson once pondered whether many of our fellow living things were doomed once evolution
gave rise to an intelligent, technological creature that also happened to be a rapacious carnivore,
fiercely territorial and prone to short-term thinking. We humans can be so destructive that some
scientists believe we’ve now triggered a mass extinction - one that in several hundred years will rival
the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs. In some places, a mass extinction is already under way.
Haiti, a “hotspot” for plant and animal diversity, may be closest to ecological collapse. The geologic
record shows the living world went through five previous spasms of extinction in the last 500 million
years.
There’s plenty of evidence that the sixth mass extinction has begun, said biologist Stuart Pimm, chair
of conservation ecology at Duke University. “We are clearly living in an era where we’re driving
species to extinction 100 to 10,000 times faster than they should be going extinct,” he said. There’s a
wide range in those numbers because the fossil record shows just a fraction of what lived in the past,
and scientists don’t know exactly how many species exist today. From what they can tell, Pimm said,
the normal “background” level is quite slow. His estimate: About one bird species disappears per
century and one amphibian every 150 years. Now, he said, “species are going extinct every year.”
We don’t know exactly how many we’re losing because we don’t know even a fraction of all the
species that exist. “We have a remarkably incomplete inventory of life,” said University of Chicago
paleontologist David Jablonski. “There are plenty of species that have gone extinct before they were
ever discovered.” It’s not that scientists are lazy, he said, but that there are a staggering number of
species of insects, amphibians, birds, plants and other living things, especially in tropical areas.
One way they can estimate current extinction rates is through sampling, said Duke’s Pimm. By
studying well-known animals, such as birds, scientists can infer the extinction rates of lesser-known
ones. Others are focusing more regionally. In Haiti, it’s clear there’s a mass extinction going on, said
Pennsylvania State University biologist Blair Hedges. The country, which occupies the western part
of the Caribbean island Hispaniola, is still reeling from the massive earthquake in January 2010.
Over the years, it has lost 99% of its forest, once home to a great diversity of plants, birds, reptiles
and amphibians.
While many of the birds also live on the other side of the island, in the Dominican Republic, Haiti
has a number of frog species unique to that country. And of the 50 frogs endemic to Haiti, 49 are
endangered, said Hedges, who is leading an expedition to several remote mountainous areas of the
country in an attempt to capture a few of these rare frogs. Some Haitian frogs already live at the
Philadelphia Zoo. The frogs brought back from this expedition may be taken to breeding programs at
other zoos as well, where they can be appreciated and studied even if they disappear in the wild.
Fossil frogs have been found dating to the Jurassic period, showing that these creatures have been
leaping around for at least 200 million years. That means they somehow adapted to whatever killed
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Indiochinese Tigers at the Cincinnati Zoo
(Wikipedia photo by Kabir Bakie)
Animal Keepers ’Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
491
the dinosaurs. And yet now, they’re dying off worldwide. Some of those deaths have been attributed
to an infectious fungus, spread by an African clawed frog ( Xenopus laevis ) that was removed from its
native habitat and sent around the world for use in pregnancy tests (hormones in a pregnant woman’s
urine would cause these frogs to produce sperm or eggs). But many believe the pregnancy-test frog
is just one factor among several that are behind the dying. In Haiti in particular, the rapid clearing
of forests threatens to kill frogs much faster than the fungus
could, said Penn State’s Hedges. His hope is that people will
recognize how important it is to save that last 1% of Haiti’s
forest, not just for the frogs, but for the humans as well.
Most Haitians depend on the wood for cooking fuel. If they
run out of wood before anyone comes up with an alternative
cooking system, there will be massive famine. Hedges and
other biologists agree that Haiti shows us an example of
what could happen elsewhere, a microcosm of the current
mass extinction that’s just beginning. “This is basically a
symptom of a much larger issue,” said Thomas Lovejoy,
a conservation biologist and past president of the Heinz
Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment. “I’ve
heard other people say that Haiti is the unthinkable experiment that no scientist would be allowed to
conduct.”
Are there any lessons from the last five mass extinctions? “One of the take-home messages is that
they can happen,” said Chicago’s Jablonski. “You can push big ecosystems of the world beyond
their breaking point.” The event that killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago cleared out 75% of all
species on the planet. An even more deadly event happened around 25 1 million years ago, ending the
Permian period. More than 90% of the world’s species perished. The aftermath of such events is like
a lottery, Jablonski said, with winners and losers that are hard to predict. These events usually lead to
regime changes, where dominant life forms die off to be replaced by something else. Who wins and
who loses won’t be known for some time. It takes five to ten years for the biosphere to recover its
diversity - and it’s never the same. Source: Faye Flam, McClatchy-Tribune News Service July 29, 2011
Zoo to Turn Poop into Power - The Toronto Zoo plans to turn waste from its animals into power.
The zoo said that it would team up with ZooShare Biogas Co-operative Inc. to develop and operate
a 500 kW biogas plant.
The project will be the first co-operatively-owned biogas plant in Canada as well as the first zoo-
based biogas plant of its kind in North America.
Under the plan, Toronto-based ZooShare will be fully responsible for funding, designing, developing,
constructing and operating the plant on lands leased from the zoo.
Both food waste from a major grocery retailer and all of the zoo’s manure, which is currently
composted, will go to the proposed plant where it will be processed into electricity, heat and
fertilizer.
This will result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 10,000 tons C02, which
is equal to taking over 1,800 cars off the road each year.
The organization said a community bond issue would fund the majority of the $5. 4-million project.
The issue offers investors a fixed return of 7% to an RRSP account. Source: CBC News 6/18/11 http://
www. cbc. ca/news/
492 Animal Keepers’ Forum, Vol. 38, No. 9
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