About Author: Danni

Danni, Photo Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012 

 

 Danni, Photo Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012

Seven years ago, the Institute began a project on African elephant conservation. A herd was brought over from Swaziland, and it was up to Dr. Anderson to study their behavior to lower stress levels and therefore increase reproduction—both in the zoological setting and in the wild. Elephants in the wild have a much higher stress rate, as they are forced to deal with human-animal conflicts and habitat loss. Nonetheless, understanding behavior at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park can also be applied to the whole species.

 Up at the Park, elephants are outfitted with a GPS system and sound gear that attach to specialized collars. This technology allows Dr. Anderson to track the noises and movements of the elephants at all times. With knowledge gained from these systems, he can analyze herd dynamics, aid in husbandry, and increase breeding success.

 In the wild, African elephant populations are threatened. What’s causing their numbers to drop? Mainly three issues: (1) habitat degradation, (2) human conflict, and (3) barriers that keep them from moving to important areas for grazing and breeding.

 So what’s being done to help them? Collars similar to those used at the Park can be used in the wild. The Safari Park works with an organization called Elephants Without Borders that uses the technology to study elephant homeranges, movements, and human conflict issues. When their travels are tracked in the wild, we  can discover where to construct corridors to spread out populations and keep them from eating themselves out of house and home. Also, different recorded elephant calls, called rumbles (noises at such a low frequency humans can’t hear them) are recorded and used to influence behavior. If we play these calls, we can move elephants from areas of danger to safety.

 Human conflict is also a huge problem for wild elephants. Elephants sometimes go into farms and eat or trample on the land, destroying crops. In the past, the local response has been to shoot the elephants and get rid of the problem, allowing farmers to make a living and feed their families. However, elephant populations are threatened. The Institute and Elephants Without Borders have been working with the locals to grow chilies around their fields. One taste of that spice and elephants will mosey away of their own accord, leaving the crops safe! All these efforts are taken with hopes that, one day, elephants can safely wander the plains of Africa.

 Meantime, thousands of miles away, similar technology is being used on Queensland koalas. Tracking collars are being put on the marsupials on St. Bees Island off the coast of Australia. This way, Ms. Tobey and her team can track the animals and further understand their mating behavior. At the Zoo, keepers used to just match breeding pairs depending on genetic profiles. But this doesn’t always work. Sometimes, females would reject one male but accept another.  But what made them different? Male koalas make a “bellow,” either when they are angry or when they are searching for a female to mate with. These bellows might be the key to determining the difference.

 Understanding breeding patterns on St Bees Island is crucial. Populations in Queensland are dropping radically. Koalas like to live along the coast but, unfortunately, so do people—and we seem unwilling to share. Their habitat is being destroyed for houses and, in other regions, for coal mines. Actions need to be taken to make sure koalas remain wild in Australia.

 Humans on this earth are acting as an overbearing power. The  Queensland koala and African elephant cannot fight the battle to survive by themselves. But you can help them. Visit your local zoo to learn about these species and gain a much-deserved appreciation for them. Sign petitions to set aside land for these animals to live without fear or threats. Educate yourself about human population growth and urban sprawl. And, when teaching your children about animal noises, don’t forget that elephants go “Rumble” and koalas go “Bellow.”

 Danni, Conservation Team
Week Five, Winter Session 2012

When she was 16 years old, Ms. Theule discovered that she could channel her love of animals into a career. She had never before considered the idea that it was possible to work with animals, do what she loved, and get paid for it. After coming to this revelation, she decided to become a zookeeper. Although she initially wanted a career working with big cats, she signed up as a volunteer at a local bird rehabilitation center and discovered her love for birds was greater than her love for any other kind of wildlife. “It just made sense,” she said, “birds just made sense.”

After she graduated high school, Ms. Theule went to a community college called Moorpark in Simi Valley and received an Associate’s degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management. She continued on to University of California, Los Angeles for a Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. After graduation, Ms. Thuele partook in a variety of experiences—ranging from fieldwork in Peru with a macaw research project to doing bird shows for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. By the time she began work for the San Diego Zoo, she knew birds inside and out.

In 2007, Ms. Thuele began working alongside the small staff at the Zoo’s Avian Propagation Center, or APC. Her specialty? To take care and keep track of the hundreds of eggs that arrive at the APC each year, and to look after the young birds that hatch. The APC receives eggs from birds at the zoo that don’t understand how to parent. Zookeepers always want to give adult birds a chance to raise their own young, but if they are not able to care for their egg, Ms. Theule and the APC step in. They hatch the egg, raise the chick and, in some cases, even save the species.

One of the most important parts of Ms. Thuele’s job is ensuring that all the incubators are set to the appropriate heat and humidity for each species. For example, harpy eagle eggs prefer a very humid environment—so much so that the inside of their incubator is almost dripping with water. It is Ms. Thuele’s job to make certain that each egg is conditioned so that it has the highest chance of survival. Moreover, she needs to track the weight loss of each bird and candle the eggs at least twice a week (that is, hold a light up to the egg to get a visual of the embryo). Candling helps keepers determine the developmental stage of a particular egg.  If an egg is close enough to its hatching date, Ms. Thuele will move it into a device called an AV New Life to keep the egg warm until it hatches. After the chick is born, it goes to the “baby room” where it will live until it is old enough to take care of itself. During that time, Ms. Thuele and her team will hand feed it using feeding tubes and syringes.

APC keepers must be careful working with many of the birds to keep them from imprinting on humans. They sometimes wear clear camouflage nets over their face and body and realistic bird puppets on their hands. When the baby bird is old enough, it is transferred into the Western Bird Area where it learns to interact with other birds.

Being a keeper at the Avian Propagation Center is a lot of work. The animals in the center have to be cared for from egg to chick to adult bird. But Ms. Thuele enjoys having a job where she can do what she loves and participate in something that is second nature to her. The APC just makes sense- for her, and for conservation.

Danni, Careers Team
Week Four, Winter Session 2012

Last week, InternQuest met with Yvette Kemp, senior hospital keeper and enrichment manager, to discover what sort of engagement is needed for different animals. Using a PowerPoint presentation, Ms. Kemp explained the various ways that keepers use enrichment to maintain the animals’ interest. For example, at the Zoo, animals can have sensory enrichment, like perfume, or environmental enrichment, like a new log in their exhibit. Many are also given toys, like balls, cardboard boxes, or paper bags to play with. Ms. Kemp declared that “even if it’s just in the smallest way, it’s important to keep things changing and different.” It’s critical to provide enrichment, because it enhances the animal’s environment, brings out their natural behavior, and provides choices to mentally and physically stimulate them.

Ms. Kemp had several pictures of animals interacting with the enrichment. One picture was an orangutan wiping colors on the glass of its exhibit. Keepers sometimes paint the inside with flowers and other designs for the primates to either rub and smear or just observe. Janie, a female orangutan at the Zoo, has been seen to sometimes even use a burlap bag to “clean” the paint off the windows. Ms. Kemp had another photo of meerkats struggling with each other to sit on a small, square scale that was placed in their exhibit. Not only did the scale act as enrichment item for the small mammals, but it also helped establish dominance within the group and allowed keepers to get the meerkats’ accurate weight without causing stress or discomfort to the animals.

During Ms. Kemp’s presentation, we had a visit from Phu, a binturong or bearcat. He was about the size of an Australian shepherd with coarse black hair, a banger-like face, and a long, thick tail. He walked on the end of a leash and explored the new room, turning over trashcans, standing on his hind legs, and cupping his paws on the countertop so he could pull himself onto its surface. While he, too, gets toys and enrichment in his exhibit, Phu also receives two to three walks a day to keep him entertained, happy, and physically fit.

After our bearcat encounter, we set out to make our own enrichment toys for the animals. As we entered though a back gate near the rear of the Zoo, we encountered a few tables and a decent-sized storage unit with a large, colored sign on it that read “Enrichment Shed.” Interns had the opportunity to paint boxes with different colors, patterns, and creatures. The boxes would later be put in different exhibits for animals to play with, pounce on, or smell. Some of us painted green snakes or crouching lions, while others produced natural scenes, like clouds in the sky or a sunset over the savanna. All of us were ecstatic that we could help add to the well-being of the animals.

Interns are not the only ones who are able to help with keeping the Zoo’s animals happy and thriving. There are many different ways you can support enrichment. At least once a month, San Diego Zoo volunteers come together to make enrichment toys for the animals. They paint boxes, balls, or other play items; they make beds or feeding balls (containers with holes in them with hay or other feed) to be given to one of the animals. The keepers also have an enrichment item wish list online. You could donate so that an artificial tree for a panda to climb or a bungalow for a squirrel monkey to nap in could be purchased. A simple item can greatly improve the enjoyment of the animals.

Guests can also help with enrichment by visiting the Zoo. In the afternoon, keepers bring animals known as animal ambassadors into the Discovery Outpost for visitors to see and sometimes touch. On the weekends, guests get the opportunity to feed special biscuits to the giraffes as a treat. In the summertime, the Zoo offers camps to children ages 2 to 17 where they can interact with and enrich the lives of the animals. All of these activities not only help provide enrichment to the animals but also educate the public about wildlife conservation.

Many animals at the Zoo follow a pattern. They eat, greet, observe, and sleep. Enrichment keeps their lives changing and exciting, allowing the animals to experience something new every day.

Danni, Real World
Week Three, Winter Session 2012

Clinical pathology is the study of health and disease and is further broken down into a variety of disciplines, such as toxicology and parasitology. Laura Keener, senior clinical laboratory manager for San Diego Zoo Global, stresses the importance of conservation. San Diego Zoo Global researchers work on projects ranging from Hawaiian endangered forest birds to desert tortoise conservation outside of Las Vegas, Nevada.

But conservation efforts are occurring in our own backyard as well. For example, Ms. Keener and her fellow scientists are involved with outgoing efforts to help save the majestic California condor. Jeanette Fuller, manger at the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center, adds that these efforts address a huge and immediate need. “Because of lead ingestion,” she says, “the California condor is threatened with a reoccurring problem.” Testing for lead poisoning in our region is helping to save the species, but the lead poisioning problem is a bigger issue in Mexico than it is in Southern California. Transferring animals across international borders can be quite an ordeal, so in response, San Diego Zoo Global has partnered with a veterinary school in Calexico, Mexico, and animals are now being treated for the condition in Mexico.

Ms. Keener knows that by working for the San Diego Zoo she is supporting conservation efforts. She reflects that “on a daily basis, I help conservation by helping the individual animal,” but she also adds to a much bigger picture. For part of her job, Ms. Keener stores baseline data in order to determine what is normal for a species. Many exotic species try to hide their symptoms if they are hurt or sick because, in the wild, predators more easily pick off those individuals. The stored data acts as a reference to determine, for example, what normal glucose levels should be or what healthy cholesterol looks like. By recording data from many species, Ms. Keener and others in the field are able to turn impressions into facts and create a reference range to help analyze and cure other sick animals. Leslie Nielson is one of the scientists in Ms. Kenner’s group who tests for abnormalities and works to develop life-saving treatments for animals. These treatments aid in the conservation of many species by determining standards that can help individuals and populations alike.

Through blood and fecal work, great amounts of data are able to be collected for conservation purposes. One project on St. Bee’s Island off the coast of Australia was designed to help koalas, while another in the Caribbean centered on iguana conservation. Ms. Keener stressed that, while conservation is very important, the Zoo’s priority are the animals right here at the Zoo and Safari Park.

Not all of us grow up to be veterinarians. Not all of us are able to diagnose animals or work on their treatments. But all of us are able to help conservation by keeping our environment clean and our wildlife healthy. Next time you consider throwing a candy wrapper out the window of a car or spitting your gum out in the street, consider how it might effect the local wildlife. We might not have the ability to cure sick animals but, by keeping the environment clean, we can still save them.

Danni, Conservation Team
Week Two, Winter Session 2012

Mrs. Reinbold attended San Diego State University and received a bachelor’s degree in zoology. She continued at the same college for graduate school to acquire a master’s in evolutionary biology. After graduation, she set out to use her skills—encountering a variety of jobs and situations before becoming a conservation program manager at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research.

The career path that Mrs. Reinbold had to take to achieve her current position was diverse. She traveled across the world to pursue various scientific studies and projects. Her excursions ranged from studying the genetics of aquatic bugs in Baja California, Mexico, to helping the native population in Arctic Alaska increase their scientific literacy. She also worked on a program that connected the bones of animals to human history in order to further understand working cultures in the Middle East. She persued a job as an exhibit interpreter at the San Diego Natural History Museum and as a research technician in a lab at Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies before beginning work for the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research in the Genetics Division in 2005.

Mrs. Reinbold later became a conservation program manager in the Conservation Education Division at the Institute and currently teaches individuals about conservation and creates curriculum for visiting school groups. Her students range from preschoolers to senior citizens, and all receive different levels of hands-on education. Each summer, Mrs. Reinbold instructs middle school and high school teachers from around the nation to improve student’s curriculum through workshops that she leads with her team. InternQuest was one of the lucky groups  to learn under Mrs. Reinbold’s instruction. Last week, we worked in the Conservation Education Lab, examining genes from the critically endangered California condor to determine gender. Mrs. Reinbold believes that one of the best ways to help save wildlife and the environment is to work with the public to increase science literacy.

Maggie Reinbold does not go out into the wild to rescue birds with broken wings or deer caught in wire. However, her job is arguably more important, as she is able to spread her knowledge to the public. We—as consumers—are able to boycott certain bullets that cause lead poisoning in condors and, in response, Big Business will respond to consumers’ demands, producing alternative bullets instead. We—as lovers of nature—are able to save the California condor and many species like it through simple but united efforts. We—as human beings—are able to be stewards of the Earth, raising the quality of life for animals and people today and in future generations.

Danni, Careers Team
Week One, Winter Session 2012

While looking for a chance to experience conservation in a hands-on atmosphere, I found the San Diego Zoo’s InternQuest program. This opportunity seemed like the perfect chance for me to learn and grow as an individual and conservationist. Though I keep myself busy with horseback riding, hiking, biking, walking my dogs, and spending time with friends and family, I still wanted this internship to be part of my life. I am very excited to begin working with the top professionals in different environmental, conservation, and wildlife-based fields.

Nature cannot fight to protect itself. It is up to us—conservationists and the general public alike—to save the world’s natural beauty and balance. In return, our society will be granted inspiration and revelation. After all, in the words of William Wordsworth, “nature never did betray the heart that loved her.”

Danni
Winter Session 2012