Arctic wolf brothers play in the new AAA.
For the first time in the San Diego Zoo’s history, we are able to offer our visitors a chance to view a variety of animal ambassadors on exhibit. These ambassadors, trained to travel to off-site events and special animal presentations, normally live in off-exhibit areas, but through a generous donation we were able to enclose a large area in Urban Jungle that houses cheetahs, domestic dogs, Arctic and gray wolves, and a New Guinea singing dog—not all at the same time, mind you, but most of the time you will see unusual dynamic pairs of animals playing together.
For example, you might find a cheetah paired with a domestic dog, or a large Arctic wolf paired with a very small New Guinea singing dog (sometimes there is no accounting for taste!), or the gray wolf running with his best friend, a golden retriever. There are currently four different dog and cheetah pairs that share the new Animal Ambassador Area (AAA):
- Karroo, female cheetah, and Sven Olof, male blond golden retriever (see Mr. Sven Olaf and Earth Day)
- Kubali, female cheetah, and Bear, male chow mix
- Bakari, male cheetah, and Miley, female husky mix (see Cheetah and Dog Pals)
- Taraji, youngest female cheetah (see Lots of Spots), and Duke, enormous male Anatolian shepherd
Each dog and cheetah pairing enjoys the enclosure a little differently. Miley loves the water and has so much fun playing in the AAA’s pool that one day Bakari decided to join her. Well, he had the shock of a lifetime when he launched into it from an overhanging rock—he had never been in water before and clearly did not share the same joyous feelings about it that Miley had! Nowadays, Bakari hisses at the pond when Miley gets going with all the splashing and bouncing. Duke chooses just to wade in the water for a cool-down period; after all, he spends most of his day chasing the little mighty juvenile cheetah cub, and so far, Taraji lets Duke have his quiet time in the pond alone. One day soon, though, I’m sure Taraji will venture into the pool as well.
Ah, a nice pile of ice!
The beauty of this Animal Ambassador Area is the fact that you never know which animals you’ll meet inside or what you will find them doing! There are three other sets of animals you might see in the new AAA:
- Kenai (see Mr. Ice Man) and Keeli, Arctic wolf brothers (see Wolf Brothers Sniff a Surprise)
- Keeli and Montana, female New Guinea singing dog
- Akela, male timber wolf, and Nala, female golden retriever
Guests are always surprised when the animal stars arrive at the AAA—we use all forms of transportation to get them here. Sometimes the animals are walked over from Wegeforth Bowl, sometimes they arrive in an air-conditioned van, sometimes they travel in a custom cart built for sea lions, sometimes they come in a shaded golf cart, and sometimes they hitch a ride on a horse-drawn buggy. The animal ambassadors are then walked into the AAA on leash and, once inside, the collar and leash come off and the fun begins! Guests may have an opportunity to speak with one of the trainers personally about the animals in the exhibit as they are coming or going; it’s a great way to learn about each individual animal and their partner. This magical encounter begins anytime after 9 a.m. daily, so please make it one of your next stops when you visit the San Diego Zoo!
Maureen O. Duryee is a senior animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Flamingos: Caribbean Kindergarten.
Wow!! Sounds like fun… I will make it a point to see this when I visit SDZ on Aug 21 for the Black and White Overnight.
Are the dogs from a rescue organization?
Maureen responds: Two of the dogs, Miley and Bear, are from a rescue facility.
I love this new exhibit! I work at the zoo and when I heard about this new exhibit, I took my boyfriend on my day off to go check it out. We were lucky to see one of the cheetah’s run back and forth. It was a wonderful experience especially because I’ve been wanting the cheetahs and wolves to have some sort of exhibit of their own.
I was fortunate to be there once when Kenai and Sven were out. The keeper helped us howl along with Kenai. Great experience.
I think this is such a wonderful program! Do you ever accept interns for this program? How might I go about getting information?
Moderator’s note: Here’s information about Zoo internships.
My wife and I were in San Diego for a Rotary event. The final day we visited the zoo. I believe that we saw a white Arctic wolf in the chamber with a cheetah; she claims that it was not a wolf, but a dog.
I know that we saw the white Arctic wolf on a lease on the bus route that we we using for a zoowide tour.
Could you help resolve this issue?
Please help, we have relatives headed to the zoo for another event.
Peter
Moderator’s note: Peter, you’re wife is correct. Each cheetah at the Zoo has a dog companion, but the Arctic wolf is never placed with the cheetah. However, our Arctic wolves are taken out on daily walks.
I am taking my girl scout troop to the san diego zoo for a treat and want to do something special, many of the girls have never been to the zoo and would be amazed to see these odd combinations. We voted and would most like to see some wolves but we don’t know what time they would be out. is there a schedule we could look at? Also is their any special programs we could take part in?
Moderator’s note: Just give our Education Department a call and they’ll be happy to offer different options for you and your troop: 619-557-3962.
I would love to take my boyfriend to the zoo for his birthday in October and plan on doing the backstage pass. My concern was will he be able to counter with any of your wolves? Kenai seems so wonderful and playful. My boyfriend loves wolves and he would be really excited if he were able to at least pet him.
Moderator’s note: A wolf is often part of the Backstage Pass experience. And although touching the wolf is not allowed, it is still an awesome experience to see one so close and “howl” along with this amazing animal. When you make your Backstage Pass reservation, be sure to make it known that you’d like to see a wolf.
GRR RAWR is what apple from wolfquest say to you