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About Author: Karyl Carmignani

Posts by Karyl Carmignani

4

Chilling Out with Cold-blooded Critters

By
Karyl Carmignani
– July 12, 2012Posted in: Animal Stories, Animals and Plants, Reptiles and Amphibians, Uncategorized

It’s always exciting when we open a new exhibit at the San Diego Zoo, and when words like “giant,” “poison,” and “two-headed” grace the signage, well, it’s bound to be a major crowd pleaser! The brand-new Reptile Walk, home to more than 50 species of turtles, tortoises, crocodilians, amphibians, and a surprising collection of creatures native to California, is interesting, startling, and way cool, both literally and figuratively. Locals can stake claim to living in a biodiversity hotspot, and everyone can behold the fascinating creatures that swim, slither, saunter, and scurry through life. Even if you suffer from herpetophobia (fear of reptiles), a stroll along Reptile Walk will render you utterly at ease, if not downright smitten, with this captivating group of animals.

The design of the exhibits and viewing areas show how our understanding of the different species’ natural history has increased over the years, as well as our awareness about how people like to view animals in their environment. The old reptile buildings behind the Zoo’s Reptile House were almost tunnel-like in their limited viewing space, but the new Reptile Walk buildings have wide, breathable walking spaces with glass viewing areas low enough for kids to get a good look at the creatures within. It struck me how fearless and curious children are when viewing reptiles and amphibians. Apparently we learn our fears later in life!

The giant horned lizard inspired a woman to say to her friend, “Remember when we used to see those in the backyard all the time?” Many people were agog at the Mexican giant tree frog, which posed with statue-like stillness for photos, skin glistening. The screaming blue dyeing poison frog, housed with a yellow black-legged poison frog apparently get along well enough to keep their toxins to themselves.

Harboring a touch of ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) myself, I’ve been known to blanch at the sight of a snake basking in the sun, telltale bulge of its latest rodent meal slowly digesting. But as an artsy exhibit sign (see above) reminded me, only 375 of the 3,300 species of snakes have venom hazardous to humans, so what do I have to fear? And snakes, like the resting rosy boa before me, more than earn their keep by devouring insects, rats, and mice, which would overrun our communities in short order if the snakes didn’t keep their populations in check. One of nature’s more intriguing anomalies was the two-headed California king snake. The sign explained that it started out as twins, but the embryo didn’t split properly so, voilà, two heads are better than one, right? Sure, until they start squabbling. Zookeepers say they feed each head separately, lest one decides to swipe its partner’s food. Nothing gets people quite as excited as two-headed animals.

The open-air exhibit for the critically endangered Chinese alligators is part sand, part water, with ample basking areas for the two females that share the space. Dams built along the Yangtze River in their homeland destroyed much of their wetland habitat, so restoration efforts are underway. They survive well in zoos and perhaps one day they can be repatriated to their native land.

Turtles can see eye to eye in their new Reptile Walk exhibit.

Continuing along our path, the turtle house is breezy and cool, with an exotic view of the forested hillside and eucalyptus trees tall as buildings. Skyfari aerial tram buckets scoot by in the distance above. There are multispecies pond exhibits, with turtles of all persuasions paddling peacefully by. The critically endangered Roti Island snake-necked turtles really know how to stick their necks out! There are a couple of enclosures with juvenile turtles smaller than the palm of my hand. Awwww.

I feel energized! Reptile Walk has reminded me of the importance of wet habitats, like marshes, bogs, fens (love that word), and swamps and the beautiful array of wildlife that lives there. It’s a delicate balance to be sure, and it would serve us well to step a little softer as we trek through the Earth’s wild spaces.

Karyl Carmignani is a staff writer for San Diego Zoo Global. Read her previous post, A Fresh Look at the Zoo.

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25

A Fresh Look at the Zoo

By
Karyl Carmignani
– July 2, 2012Posted in: Animal Stories, Animals and Plants, Bears, Birds, Cats, Events at the Zoo, More, Pandas, Uncategorized

Our panda gets comfy.

For many San Diegans, it’s easy to take our fine city, climate, and attractions for granted. Sometimes it takes out-of-town visitors to inspire us to look at our environment with fresh eyes. So it was last week when my niece, Kira, freshly graduated from college, and her girlfriend, Rachel, took a road trip from Washington to Southern California. They carved out a day to “see Auntie Karyl” and visit the world-famous San Diego Zoo. I always enjoy getting out of the office, and I was excited to escort the girls around. I found myself bursting with pride on more than one occasion as they gasped and giggled with delight at the animals and their antics. Strolling through the Zoo is a beautiful reminder of the incredible creatures we share the planet with.

After the girls shared their “must-see” list with me, we plotted our strategy and headed to Panda Trek. The red pandas were cavorting about, nibbling on bamboo and scampering along their climbing structures. “They’re so close!” Kira exclaimed. As we waited a few moments to enter the giant panda exhibit, we slathered on sunscreen and sipped our water. Soon Gao Gao, the adult male panda, was before us, snapping bamboo stalks in half like bread sticks. It’s a banner day when you get to see red pandas and giant pandas wide awake and doing their thing!

A jaguar cub gets “a licking” from Mom.

Hopping onto the convenient moving sidewalk, we headed up to Elephant Odyssey for what I hoped would be a special treat. Our jaguar, Nindiri, recently had a couple of frisky cubs, and I hoped to get a glimpse of the tiny, spotted wonders. Lucky for us, one of the cubs nestled up to Mom for some reassurance and a snack, much to the collective glee of the crowd. Continuing through the epic Pleistocene odyssey, savoring the majestic elephants and the perfectly round labors of dung beetles, we discovered the African kopje exhibit where a klipspringer remained stock still for its photo shoot and the meerkats struck some unusual poses (I’d never seen two snuggled up in a burrow entrance!).

Rachel, left, and Kira soar above the Zoo on the Skyfari aerial tram.

Urban Jungle did not disappoint with a baby giraffe, looking like a toy, bedded down next to the watchful herd, Caribbean flamingos preening beneath their misters, and the enchanting cheetah/dog pair hanging out in the shade. We took a little break at Sydney’s Grill, and quite fortuitously caught Nighttime Zoo’s kick-off performance of the Jasmine and Jade Jumpers. Their bouncing trampoline talents put a spring back in our step! Of course, no visit to the Zoo is complete without a relaxing ride on the Skyfari. The stunning view of Balboa Park and beyond, with the buttery, summer breeze in our hair, made me more than happy to share the sparkling gems of San Diego—and the Earth—with my enthusiastic visitors.

Karyl Carmignani is a staff writer for San Diego Zoo Global. Read her previous post, Primates: Quality Family Time.

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17

Primates: Quality Family Time

By
Karyl Carmignani
– February 23, 2012Posted in: Animal Stories, Animals and Plants, Apes and Monkeys

An orangutan takes a burlap sack enrichment item to be enjoyed from up high.

When I heard about the special Inside Look tour offered during Discovery Days: Absolutely Apes at the San Diego Zoo, it seemed like the perfect “experience gift” for my husband. Even though I work at the Zoo, we enjoy playing “tourist” sometimes…and with behind-the-scenes ape ops, well, it was the ideal Valentine’s gift!

The walking tour took us through Lost Forest (for the first time I didn’t get lost!) and our enthusiastic guide, Kindra, showed us some monkeys along the way and explained the Zoo’s participation in the national Species Survival Plan (SSP) and how we keep the lives of our primates interesting with a variety of enrichment items and husbandry training sessions. For instance, one female spot-nosed guenon is diabetic, and keepers are able to get her into a training chute, turn around, and present her leg or shoulder for an insulin shot. She is rewarded with Craisins.

On our way to the apes, we stopped to speak with Jackie, a keeper of 15 tufted capuchin monkeys. These house cat-sized monkeys are highly intelligent, incredibly dexterous, and can fly through the trees like wind. Speaking to their intellect, they have been described as “chimpanzees in little capuchin suits.” Jackie showed us how the alpha male, Ozzie, likes to trade things with his keeper, slipping twigs and other offerings through the mesh to get a nut from her in return. There’s no denying the capuchin’s clever, problem-solving capabilities!

There are no more than 60 bonobos in zoos in the U.S. and Europe.

Bonobos (formerly called pygmy chimps) are raucous, yet largely peaceable great apes that live in matriarchal groups. Our small tour group was on a platform above the exhibit with longtime bonobo keeper Mike, who shared the ins and outs of bonobo life and what it takes to look after this extraordinary primate.  “Being a bonobo keeper has made me a better dad,” said Mike, “and being a dad has made me a better bonobo keeper.” He proceeded to provide his charges with a “scatter” of food, which generated much vocalizing from the apes. I had never heard their deafening calls when observing them from behind the exhibit glass. Mike has a great deal of respect for the bonobos and shared how they are trained to place their arm through a tube and hold still so keepers can get blood draws or administer medicine when necessary. “In the old days, we had to knock down an animal when we needed a sample or a good look at them,” he said. “Now their lives, and ours, are less stressful thanks to training.”

Our next stop was gorillas. Giddy with excitement, we approached the barn-sized back gate and met keeper April, who ushered us to the gorilla bedroom area, where we peeked from a respectable distance at silverback Maka. I gasped with pleasure at the salty, earthy gorilla scent.  Despite a genetic anomaly that left him a bit smaller than most adult male gorillas, he was an imposing presence. April described the gorilla groups like she was talking about her extended family. There are two gorilla troops at the Zoo and lone male Maka who all take turns out on exhibit. The bedroom areas are spacious and bathed in natural light from several sunroofs.

Frank, our youngest gorilla, is now 3 years old!

April led us up to the roof, where we took in a bird’s-eye view of Paul Donn’s troop. She tossed raisins and broccoli into the exhibit as she “introduced” us to the group. Sweet-faced Imani is one of my all-time favorite gorillas. If I had more hair and was a better knuckle walker, I’m pretty sure we’d be BFF’s. And little Frank is not so little anymore, yet he still sports a white rump patch, the badge of a youngster, and is filling out into a robust little lad. He plays with and copies his mighty father, Paul Donn. I count myself fortunate to share the planet with such noble creatures as gorillas.

We concluded our special great ape tour at the orangutan exhibit, where Janey and company were celebrating her 50th birthday. Though in the wild orangutans would happily live a solitary existence, at the Zoo they seem to enjoy each other and even the lanky, long-armed siamangs that share their exhibit. Their fluid, agile brachiation through the exhibit reminds me how important forests are to more species than I can count, as well as to our closest living relatives, the great apes. This tour has been a glorious glimpse into the rich lives of our simian brethren. Hooray for quality family time!

Karyl Carmignani is a staff writer for San Diego Zoo Global. Read her previous post, A Keeper of Cats.

Take an Inside Look tour on your next visit to the Zoo.

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13

A Keeper of Cats

By
Karyl Carmignani
– May 9, 2011Posted in: Animals and Plants, Cats, Conservation, Conservation at the Zoo, Uncategorized

An adult cheetah strolls the grounds of our off-exhibit cheetah breeding facility.

One of the best things about my job as a staff writer for San Diego Zoo Global is that I get to meet the most interesting, committed, hard working animal people around! Case in point: researching an article about cheetahs at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. As it turns out, there are many dimensions to San Diego Zoo Global’s care of these vulnerable cats, and behind-the-scenes breeding programs are vital to the survival of this species.

On a warm, spring morning I met up with Lead Keeper Eileen Neff at the off-exhibit breeding area a few miles east of the Safari Park entrance. Eileen has worked at the Safari Park for 11 years and transferred to this “back area” three years ago. There are six male and eight female cheetahs, each with its own spacious pen; siblings sometimes share a pen. The cheetahs get to change pens frequently, which serves as enrichment while also giving each cat the opportunity to hang out in the “favorite” enclosure that provides the best vantage point of the other cats.

There is also a three-acre pen that has a lure, which the cheetahs happily chase. “We keep the males and females separated so that when they do get together, it’s more ‘fun’ for them,” Eileen explained. “And changing living quarters gives them new scents to explore.” As she talks about the cheetahs, it’s clear Eileen understands her individual charges intimately, down to personality traits and food preferences. “We present their food on a ‘feed pad’ since they typically will not eat meat off the ground if there’s dirt on it. They can be quite finicky at times.”

Notoriously difficult to breed in managed-care settings, researchers are working hard to tease out the “tricks” to successful breeding. For instance, a bioacoustic project found that playing the male stutterbark call to females helps get them in the mood for love. This has been a valuable jump-start to the program. “After the stutterbarks are played, the cats are moved around. If a female likes the male that is investigating her pen, she saunters and swishes by her chosen one,” Eileen explained. “We’ve had 135 cheetah cubs born here over the past few decades, which has been hugely beneficial in loosening up the genetic bottleneck with cheetahs. Collaborative efforts among zoos to move cats around to maximize genetic diversity has really helped the species.”

Listen to a male’s stutterbark

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Why are some cheetah cubs hand raised? Eileen explained that female cheetahs need to maximize their reproductive potential, so when they just have a single cub, it is not worth their while to invest resources and raise it for two years before they can go into heat again. So females often abandon a singleton and try again for a litter. “Fortunately, the neonate staff here is extremely talented at raising cheetah cubs,” she said. “The hand-raised cubs make excellent cheetah ambassadors, and they often go on to successful breeding. Of course, mother-reared cubs are our preference, but it doesn’t always happen that way.”

When it is suspected that a female cheetah is “due,” the keepers install cameras around her pen in the hopes of capturing the birth on film. They even put a camera inside a shelter resembling a large doghouse, where you’d think a cheetah would want to give birth. Interestingly, the females often have their cubs in the grass. “It’s great that we have this off-exhibit space where it’s quiet, and we can control the environment to some degree so the cats can relax. They feel secure enough to have their cubs in the grass.”

A cheetah came over to the fence where we were standing and rubbed against it, purring loudly. “This cheetah was a singleton and hand raised,” she said. “Mother-raised cheetahs don’t usually purr for keepers like these guys do.” The svelte, spotted cat was rumbling with bliss at the sight of Eileen. “We’re proud of our successful cheetah breeding here and proud to have a cub on grounds, but we always strive for a litter.” As I scribbled that pearl of insight down, the cheetah continued its purr fest, and I’m certain we were all totally loving life at that moment.

Karyl Carmignani is a staff writer for San Diego Zoo Global. Read her previous post, Happy Gorilla Birthday, Frank!

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38

Happy Gorilla Birthday, Frank!

By
Karyl Carmignani
– September 2, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories, Apes and Monkeys

On September 4, Frank, the crazy-cute gorilla at the San Diego Zoo, will be two years old. This is cause for celebration on many levels and not only because lowland gorillas are an endangered species. Frank’s mother, Azizi, a hand-raised, first-time mom, was not able to hold Frank correctly to nurse him, so keepers had to intervene. Rather than removing Frank from his troop to raise him in the nursery, the committed keepers devised a “rear assisting” program, which allowed Azizi (and his two aunts) to raise Frank while keepers helped out by feeding him and quickly returning him to his family. This strategy was wildly successful, as Frank is now a rotund, confident, 40-pound (18-kilogram) gorilla, adored by his family and fans. (Read Frank the Gorilla: First Year.)

At two-years old, Frank is filling out physically through his chest and back and becoming more coordinated by the day. After all, hanging by one arm and beating your chest with the other takes some practice! Frank has also become more diligent in securing his favorite foods. One day he discovered a coveted tomato, but Aunt Ndjia wanted it. Frank threw himself on top of the tomato and squirted the tomato goodness into his mouth, in case she still wanted to wrest it from him. Clever gorilla! Frank also spends time with Grandmother Alvila, who is getting up in years and seems to really appreciate the antics of her progeny.

Frank’s father, Paul Donn, an imposing silverback by any measure, is an excellent role model, teaching him the fine points of leadership, posturing, and enjoying life in the Zoo’s Lost Forest. They have their rowdy play times, according to senior keeper April Bove, especially in the bedroom areas where they rip around, hay flying, chasing each other until the other one is suddenly “it.” “It’s really funny when 480-pound Paul Donn is chasing this agile little 40-pound gorilla, then suddenly he is ‘tagged’ and Frank takes off after him!”

Frank has been weaned off of his daily bottles as well as his vitamin-packed gruel, so he’s pretty much on his own for dining. In addition to tomatoes, Frank loves eggplant and any kind of fruit. The latter is used for training behaviors necessary for healthy husbandry practices. For instance, gorillas need a series of vaccinations (just like human kids) to stay healthy through childhood, and Frank has been trained to present his thigh and hold still while he gets his injections. Voluntary injections make Frank’s —and the keepers’!— lives much less stressful. And who wouldn’t sit still for a ripe, fresh strawberry? Frank is also willing to present his hands and feet for keepers to inspect and soon will master opening his mouth on command, which enables staff to examine his teeth and gums. His training is based on positive reinforcement, and Frank is perfectly happy to play along and humor his keepers…for a tasty price.

On exhibit daily 9 a.m. to noon, Frank is a fearless, energetic explorer who seems to enjoy interacting with “his public” on the other side of the glass. It’s no act. Frank has a twinkle of mirth in his eyes, even in his most rambunctious moments, and he is on a sturdy trajectory toward maturity. In another ten years, he will be a silverback running his own troop. They grow up so fast, don’t they?

Frank’s Ice Cake Birthday Celebration is Saturday, September 4, at 9 a.m. at the San Diego Zoo. Swing on by!

Karyl Carmignani is a staff writer for the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Going Ape, Part II.

Watch video of Frank and his family…

Update: View photos of Frank with his cake…

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14

Going Ape, Part II

By
Karyl Carmignani
– June 18, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories, Apes and Monkeys, Events at the Zoo

Bonobo

Karyl shadowed the Zoo’s primate keepers during a Visit-A-Job program. Be sure to read Going Ape, Part 1.

Another interesting aspect to a zoo keeper’s job is “shifting animals,” where you bring the animals that are out on exhibit inside, and send out the group that has been off exhibit. Sounds easy, right? I went to bonobos to see how it’s done.

The trick is to keep the animals’ lives as positive as possible, giving them pleasant, upbeat associations with doing your bidding, particularly when the animals are unbelievably smart, incredibly strong, and look suspiciously like you. Brief positive reinforcement training sessions in holding areas, which reward the animals for desired behaviors like presenting an arm or shoulder, also gets the animals where you want them to be. It was astonishing to watch. Not easy by any stretch, but quite effective.

Sometimes more than one bonobo would scamper into the holding area at the same time, and the keeper could tell if “these two would get along” in the closed quarters for a minute or two or not. Each presented its shoulder for a finger poke, then an empty syringe poke, and a treat. They seemed to enjoy this bit of interaction, and it will pay off for staff when the bonobos are desensitized to “pokes” and can accept shots and blood draws in a stress-free manner. Like their human caregivers, bonobos (and other primates) get annual TB tests, so it is helpful when they can just present an arm for the procedure.

Meanwhile, the group that came inside was rummaging around for treats and enrichment items, and in the excitement they were all communicating loudly at an ear-splitting pitch. The keeper looked on calmly, watching the group mingle and move (they have a fission-fusion society) with his hands on a wheel that will bring down hydraulic gates to separate them in different areas. It is better if they are good friends with all the group members, rather than BEST friends with one other animal, as that will invite aggression and the potential of an inseparable duo ganging up on others. Keepers do their best to let the animals’ natural behaviors shine through and make their lives as positive and interesting as possible. Often the biggest challenge is keeping these intelligent apes engaged and challenged every day. I was dazzled by the keeper’s deft talent for shifting the bonobos quickly and safely.

Orangutan

We then headed back up to orangutans to see if Karen had yet cracked the code of the hot wire to tear up the plants we’d put in that morning. Smart, dexterous, and patient, an orangutan can really give their keepers a run for their money, and it is so interesting to see the big “red apes” cogitating some riddle (like how to touch the newly planted shrubs), then see them methodically solve it. We arrived to find Karen lying on her belly, stick in hand, poking between the charged wires to touch the new foliage. Clever primate! (See post Karen: Will She or Won’t She?)

Time to finish off the day back at gorillas and say farewell to my buddy, Frank. His troop was off exhibit that day, so we went to the bedroom areas where the family was hanging out, resting, nibbling biscuits, and relaxing. (Everything but checking their e-mail!) Frank came over and began swinging from his rope with one hand and beating his chest with the other hand. I swear he was grinning.

At the risk of being a champion for the obvious, gorillas (and all apes) are incredible primates that deserve our utmost respect and conservation efforts. Gorillas are blessed with more strength than they need, enough social graces to get along in groups, and a calm intelligence that has kept them moving through African forests for millions of years. They are fearless when necessary and rely on convincing displays of their brawn before coming to blows. As humans, we should take note. I thought about the oil mess in the Gulf of Mexico, the bushmeat trade in Africa, the ways we are trashing the planet with pollution and overpopulation, and, looking at little Frank, I felt deeply ashamed as a human about how we treat our collective, finite “nest.”

“We’ll do better,” I whispered to him. “I promise, Frank, we’ll do better.”

Karyl Carmignani is a staff writer for the San Diego Zoo.

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15

Going Ape, Part I

By
Karyl Carmignani
– June 11, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories, Apes and Monkeys, Events at the Zoo

Karyl tossed food to Memba and his troop, out on exhibit that day.

Few things in life get me leaping out of bed at 4:48 a.m. like the prospect of “shadowing” primate keepers at the San Diego Zoo. We have a terrific Visit-a-Job program where a dozen employees are randomly selected each month to visit an area of their choice within the Zoological Society of San Diego for a day. It’s a great learning experience and also gives employees a clearer understanding of the “big picture.” I chose to visit the great apes, as Frank, the one-and-a-half-year-old baby gorilla, is my primate soul mate, and I’d give anything to feed him breakfast (and lunch and dinner) and gaze into his chocolate brown eyes. I’d give him a kidney if he needed it, but I hope it won’t come to that.

In preparation for my Visit-a-Job, I got a TB test (mandatory to be around primates), avoided people with colds and sniffles like a hornet’s nest (primates are susceptible to many human diseases, and I didn’t want to be an accidental vector), worked like a maniac to get my assignments caught up in the office, and baked cookies for the keepers to help keep them motivated (positive reinforcement works with all apes!). Striding through the Zoo at 5:50 a.m. to meet the keepers, I was astonished by all the people already hard at work. Within minutes, I’d be joining them.

Our first stop was orangutans. We walked past clean, gleaming counters, down the steps, and into the orangutan bedrooms. Leaving the lights off, we walked down the dim hallway checking on each animal without waking them. Then the keeper expertly prepared the juice bottles for individuals who need medication (birth control, arthritis, etc.). Back upstairs I got to help plant some shrubs inside the exhibit: $500 had been donated by a school class, the plants purchased at a local nursery, and they had just been released from horticulture quarantine (a protocol to ensure no chemicals or pests are inadvertently brought into the exhibit). The horticulturist explained the challenges of exhibit landscaping, including making sure the plants, buds, and seeds are not toxic to the animals, the varieties of grasses necessary to keep an exhibit area green all year, and how to protect the plants from the ever-curious primates. Our plants were going in behind “hot wire,” which is a gentle deterrent at best.

Slathered in sweat by 7:30, it was then time to head over to gorillas and “help” get them ready for the day. I all but tap danced in the foot bath in the doorway, as the heady, sweet smell of gorillas met my nose. They were up and about, and not too rowdy. I had met the troop several months before while writing an article about Frank and his family for the Zoo’s member magazine, ZOONOOZ (September 2009), and believe me, it was high praise when Avila, an adult female, came over and carefully stared me down, perhaps trying to place where she knew me from. Paul Donn, the imposing silverback, sat with his (huge) arms crossed while little Frank checked in with everyone, waiting for breakfast.

The keeper opened a partition about a foot high, and Frank ambled into a holding area in which he is given his special breakfast. When Frank was born, his mother was not able to hold him properly to nurse, so keepers intervened to ensure he was getting enough to eat while leaving him with his troop to learn the rules of gorilla-hood (see Frank the Gorilla: First Year). He’s had the best of both worlds! He will be weaned from his bowl of warm morning porridge soon, but thankfully the spoon-feeding task is still necessary…and the keeper let me do it!

Frank is a good eater, and he peered unblinking at me scooping his gruel into his pink mouth. I could see his tiny baby teeth in the front, white as fresh snow. He also gets fresh fruit and seemed to really enjoy the slices of green bell peppers. He weighs a sturdy 31 pounds (14 kilograms) now. I was ecstatic having the honor of being this close to this amazing animal. I’m sure Frank could feel the adoration exuding from me; clearly no malfeasance could come from this love struck “naked ape,” so he continued to stare at me throughout his breakfast. And I stared right back, tickled pink.

Zoo keepers are busy bees, especially in the crunch time before the Zoo opens at 9 a.m. Scooping, sweeping, and hosing exhibits and bedroom areas, slicing, dicing, and preparing diets (and meds), checking on animals, inspecting exhibits for animal and public safety, the list goes on and on, and are all chores that need to be done seven days a week, every day of the year. The keepers’ deep commitment to the well-being of the animals in their care (and their wild counterparts) is remarkable, as is the patience for husbandry training practices they manage to include in an already jam-packed work day. I was grateful the keepers also made time for me!

Stay tuned for Part II of my exciting Visit-a-Job day, where we meet up with the bonobos and drop back in on Frank.

Karyl Carmignani is a staff writer for the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Chicken Noodle Soup (Part 2).

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0

Green Backs for Green Acts

By
Karyl Carmignani
– March 16, 2010Posted in: Uncategorized

Challenge #5: It’s All Fun and Games.

Using your own bag is so easy, even a cat can do it!

This was an odd conglomerate of items and tasks for Challenge #5—a jumbo battery charger and reusable water bottles—in the context of our recreation activities. Not being a cave hunter or living under a bridge (thankfully), I was hard pressed to tie these items together. About the only battery-charged recreation we do is taking pictures, and we already have a batter recharger for those little AAs.

I have been neurotically frugal with water bottles for years—used to reuse a plastic water bottle until the lipstick build-up impeded the flow of water. Ewww! Luckily, my colleague Wendy gave me an awesome “Make Love Not Landfill” Swiss-made aluminum water bottle for Christmas 2008, which I have been using faithfully ever since. It has probably saved a bazillion bottles in the landfill and saved an untold amount of money BUYING a potable product that pours from every orifice in my house! Thank you, Wendy. I got my husband one—a manly man blue design—and he, too, is good about filling it each day and using that instead of plastic water bottles. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Get a water filter pitcher, fill it with tap water, and fill your low-impact, snazzy water bottle every day. Did you know that for every plastic water bottle manufactured, it takes THREE TIMES MORE PETROL (OIL) TO MAKE ONE BOTTLE THAN WHAT IT WILL HOLD? Once I saw that on Grist.org, I swore off plastic water bottles forever. Even parched in the desert, I’d be hard-pressed to slug down one of those upon my rescue. It is insanely wasteful, costly to the consumer, and those little 30-minute refreshments outlive us all in the landfill or ocean. Enough said.

Since walking and bicycling are two of my favorite recreational activities, I decided to take this latest Green Challenge to my local Henry’s grocery store on foot. This store gets a green badge of honor because they actually sell milk in glass bottles that you can return and the dairy washes, sterilizes, and refills the bottles. Henry’s also sells reusable grocery bags and organic produce and other foods. They give customers a 5-cent credit for each bag they bring in, too, so I figured it wouldn’t take too long to snag 20 people on their way out and give them a dollar for their “good behavior.”

At the risk of “preaching to the choir,” I decided to use positive reinforcement for people that use their own bags at the store. I cleared it with the manager in advance, lest he think I was harassing customers, and he was supportive of the endeavor. With 20 1-dollar bills in hand, I stood outside the store and presented people with a “green back for a green act” for using their own bag(s). I thanked them for making a positive difference and gave them a dollar.

One fellow shared that he collects the aluminum and glass from his apartment’s recycle bins, saves up the money, and throws a big BBQ for his tenants to thank them for recycling. He also takes his grandkids to the San Diego Zoo and shows them green ways of living. Bravo! Two people ignored me, despite the dollar outstretched and a hearty “thank you for using your own bag!” I guess they were uncomfortable with panhandling in reverse. One woman had her own bags AND her reusable water bottle. Yeah! Most people were appreciative and delighted. One lady acted like I just gave her the Hope Diamond, she was so happy. Wow, all this entertainment for $20!

It would be great to do this all over San Diego, randomly, and getting the word out that you MIGHT get an extra buck if you use your own bag…I bet people would be racing to get their cloth bags handy and suddenly remember to bring them into the store.

So why, you may ask, am I so obsessed with people using their own grocery bags? Because it is an EASY way for EVERYONE to save resources. And because I am haunted by “nurdles,” the plastic resin pellets used to make all things plastic. It is also the “residue” of plastic left behind in the landfill or ocean. Nurdles can carry harmful chemicals that hurt marine organisms, choke small animals, and appear to be able to act as sponges to concentrate pollutants released into the marine environment. They are a leading pollutant in oceans and waterways.

The book The World Without Us points out that every piece of plastic that has ever been manufactured is still in the environment somewhere (since no organism has yet evolved to make a healthy meal of this oil-based material), and nurdles have been found in the ocean in higher densities than plankton (the foundation of the food chain) in certain areas. Argh! Plastic bags, as it turns out, are very expensive conveniences. So the next time you have to buy groceries, bring your own bag (BYOB). Who knows, you might even make an extra buck!

Karyl Carmignani

Read Karyl’s previous post, Good News and Bad News.

The San Diego Zoo’s online gift shop has a selection of reusable shopping totes. Visit ShopZoo.com.

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Good News and Bad News

By
Karyl Carmignani
– March 2, 2010Posted in: Uncategorized

Challenge #4: In the Dark?

Lighting is everything. It needs to be efficient and far-reaching, but not glare. It needs to be warm but not stifling. Ambient lighting can enhance or deflate the best of moods. When I saw that low-watt bulbs were part of this Green Family gig, I blanched. That morgue-green lighting just puts my teeth on edge! I’d rather sit in the dark than languish in that swampy hue. Imagine my delight when, after installing the low-impact light bulb into our living room lamp, the room ignited in the typical warm glow that other high-use bulbs display. Yeah! I guess the one we already had was made a few years ago, before General Electric mastered the family-friendly glow. Now I can save a few k-watts and not dampen—or darken—my mood!

I shouldn’t lament too loudly, though, as we have had a couple of power outages in the neighborhood recently, and when ALL the lights are out, it is DARK! Forget the romance of moonlight—if you can’t find your keys or cook your dinner, life gets dicey in a hurry. But wasting electricity is, of course, a cardinal sin against nature, particularly when you ponder where it comes from and the forces (snow pack, rain) and energy (dams, turbines, etc.) that must work in tandem so that every time we flick a button, light falls from the ceiling like water, letting us bask, read, cook, and relax in its ubiquitous glow. This is also why I find it baffling that entire skylines remain alight all night, even though 95 percent of the staff in the skyscrapers is gone (the remaining 5 percent is the janitorial staff, whom I wouldn’t expect to work in a completely dark building; but really, how many offices are being cleaned at once?). I think we all can tighten our electricity belts a bit and just use less, without being left in the dark. That’s the good news.

The bad news is, I fiddled with that watt meter gizmo for nearly an hour, read the owner’s manual cover to cover (unusual for me!), installed the batteries (more poison pellets), and couldn’t get past setting the day and time on the darn thing. I had the electric bill information ready to be plugged in (as it were) but the mini-machine wouldn’t take it. A working model might reveal some interesting data, but we all pretty much understand that the more stuff you have plugged in, blazing, buzzing, or churning, the faster your meter wheel will whirl, and the higher your bill will be.

This experience once again brings me back to the “average Joe” who wants to be “greener.” Is he really going to fork over several dollars for a do-dad that requires a degree in rocket science to operate to see where the family can “cut back” on electricity? I think not. They would do better to forgo the contraption and the batteries, put on a sweater, make a cup of tea, and gaze over candlelight discussing the trials and tribulations facing our fragile planet. It can’t hurt…

Karyl Carmignani

Read Karyl’s previous post, Chicken Noodle Soup, Part II.

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Chicken Noodle Soup (Part 2)

By
Karyl Carmignani
– February 12, 2010Posted in: Events at the Zoo

We’ve issued challenges to our “green” families and asked them to share their experiences. Challenge #3: A Green Valentine’s Day? Vote online for the family that got the most creative with this task!

In a word: scrumptious. That’s how good the 100-mile-radius chicken soup came out for the Green Challenge (see previous post, Chicken Noodle Soup). Really, it is quite delicious, and even Paul said the chicken tasted “happier” than the regular (cheaper) grocery store variety. Yeah!

As for pricing it out, for the slow cooker alone, I spent about $24, and it has given us 6 meals so far, with probably 4 more bowls of soup left. So is it worth $2.40 per hearty bowl of easy-on-the-earth, utterly life giving, restorative food? Heck yeah! With a bit of planning, a dash of stubbornness, a sprinkling of cash, and a nearby Farmer’s Market, even city slickers can prepare meals that are not drizzled in petrol, and you actually know where the ingredients came from. That’s got to be good for your soul…and your carbon footprint.

As for the nifty grocery bags we were given as part of the Green Family Challenge kit, I must confess that I’ve been using my own grocery bags for 20 years, so it wasn’t jarring for me at all to be shopping with a bag under my arm. In fact, I still have my first reusable bag—a spacious black cloth bag from the Environmental Defense Fund featuring a nice big Earth on it. Over the past couple decades, I have repaired the handle twice (quite possibly the only times I’ve sewn since junior high school), and it keeps holding groceries in return. Now the handle is getting frayed, so I may have to retire it. When I think back on how many grocery bags that cloth bag has saved the world, I am pleased. It has earned its keep, to be sure. The nice green bags from the Zoo are great because they have the flat bottom on them, making it easier on “courtesy clerks” to load your groceries.

People seem to be shifting toward bringing their own bags. I think Trader Joe’s did much to jar our collective memories to pack our bags to the store when they implemented a monthly drawing where you could win a TJ gift card, which you could only enter if you had brought your own bag. Hooray! Now people in San Diego seem pretty hip on the concept, and people that don’t bring their own bags are shamed into paper or plastic.

Since Paul and I both are good about keeping our own bags handy for grocery shopping, we have to resort to grabbing a bag of bags in the recycle bin at the grocery store to use as poop bags for our dog. This brings up a valid point about Cashew’s carbon footprint, and all I can say is that I now cut the plastic grocery bags in half to use (requiring half as many over our lifetime), and will happily buy up another parcel of rain forest to offset her little “carbon paw print.”

Karyl Carmignani

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