Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
One of the most important things in life is to ensure the health and proper growth of children, especially babies who need every ounce of attention and care. Any mother can understand the immense amount of work and dedication that is devoted to a child. Could you imagine taking care of several babies, with extreme differences, each day? Well, Becky Kier does just that. She is a senior nursery keeper working at the Neonatal Assisted Care Unit (NACU) inside the San Diego Zoo. After working in the NACU for 22 years, her daily duties still vary. The structure of Ms. Kier’s day consists of many different tasks, from marking litters to record keeping. One of the most important aspects of her day is mixing and supplying formulas for the numerous animals that may be found there at any moment.
When the need arises to feed babies at the NACU, there are a series of provisions on formula and feeding. Imagine being a mother of not only one but five completely different babies. All of the babies have separate requirements from nipple size, size of the hole, formula temperature, and amount to feed to the way you feed, and especially the feeding schedule. It sounds overwhelming, but for Ms. Kier it is normal to deal with such diversity.
Each time a new baby comes to the NACU, the staff must adapt, just as a mother would adapt to her new baby. Choosing the right nipple and hole from which the formula flows through is crucial. For instance, if the nipple is not correct, the baby may try too hard to get the formula, becoming exhausted from the work and no longer wanting to eat. Or the baby could be flooded with formula, causing the abundance of liquids to get into their lungs and aspirate. Both are very dangerous and could cause harm. Temperature of the formula can differ from each baby, but they usually enjoy it around the body temperature that their mother would naturally have.
The keepers feed babies as their animal mothers would. A human mother would cradle the child so it felt comfortable and upright; well, every mammal does not eat like that. The mammals similar to us are primates, and they also cradle their young. The digestive system for each species is made specifically for how they should eat in the wild. For example, cheetah cubs lay on their stomachs because their mothers would be lying on their side for them to nurse. The keepers try to mimic these natural ways of eating. There are so many needs, but one of the most important is the feeding schedule. The size and age of the baby determines how much and how often they need to be fed. There is a lot of variance; it could be 3 times a day all the way to as many as 12 times a day. Good thing human babies don’t have to be fed 12 times a day!
The work and dedication that goes into the NACU revolves around the health and growth of the babies. Both of these are linked by the formulas that are determined by the Zoo’s nutritionists. They supply the NACU with a detailed list of ingredients, amounts, and dosages that need to be administered daily by NACU keepers. The list of different types of calculated animal formulas is pages long and the requirements for these formulas vary. For instances, take a baby pygmy marmoset, which weighs .0264 pounds, or a newborn camel that weighs 72 pounds. How much formula the baby receives is dependent on the size and age of the baby. Fortunately, the Zoo works with a company that supplies the majority of the formula powder used in the nutrition plans for the babies. These powders are commonly the same you would feed kittens or puppies. When the Zoo needs a shipment of the formula powder, an order is placed specifically for the babies that they are currently feeding. The order is then delivered to the forage warehouse located on Zoo grounds, where it will be kept until needed and used by the keepers. All of this work is to ensure the correct formula is created, specific to each animal’s need.
The best reward for the NACU keepers is when there is a sense of a “animal graduation,” meaning when the animals are finally healthy enough to survive on their own and have shown great improvement over the course of time to move out on to exhibit or back with their families. A great success story of the NACU is that of Isa. He is a fossa, native to Madagascar. Isa is very lucky because his mother was unable to provide for her young, and NACU needed to play an active role. Isa was given his name from the Malagasy word for “one.” Isa was kept under the care of the NACU where they could provide adequate and appropriate formula and monitor his growth and development. Isa now has the special title of animal ambassador here at the San Diego Zoo and is just one of the numerous success stories of the NACU. Isa is currently living in the Children’s Zoo and is very happy and energetic. If you want to know the full story of Isa, click on http://blogarchives.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2007/08/02/fossa-pup-update/ to read more.
All of the work and support given to Isa is just one example of the many animals that have been helped by the NACU. The nutrition and growth of any animal is highly important, and with the correct formula and proper care, an animal is given a greater chance of survival. Go see Isa the next time you’re at the Zoo. Use his name and he just might answer you with a purr or a chirp!
Sierra, Real World Team (week 6)
