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About Author: Kym Janke

Posts by Kym Janke

4

Black Rhinos: Lots of Attitude

By
Kym Janke
– August 15, 2011Posted in: Animal Stories, Animals and Plants, Uncategorized

Our black rhino mother, Lembi

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is home to three of five rhinoceros species. All are huge and endangered, but one has a reputation for a whole lot of attitude! The eastern black rhino Diceros bicornis michaeli is the Park’s smallest rhino species, but they are also the most aggressive. This is evident when you see the black rhino enclosure separate from the mixed-species field exhibits we are known for. These rhinos can have quite the temper and are extremely territorial, so for the safety of the rest of our animals (and keepers!), the black rhinos have a home all to themselves. The Park is currently home to four black rhinos: Jambia, Lembi, Belozi, and Erik.

Jambia is our adult male weighing 2,363 pounds (1,055 kilograms), and his name means “dagger” in Arabic. He was born here on February 25, 1997, and was hand raised in our Animal Care Center by some very loving rhino “moms.”  Yet that attention did not soften his preprogrammed demeanor as an adult. To feed and clean his enclosure, keepers must first move him to another section of the compound; the last time we drove a truck into his home, we were quickly cautioned to not attempt this invasion again! If you look closely at the keeper trucks the next time you see them drive past, you might notice a truck with two ugly holes in the passenger side, a lasting reminder of this well-learned lesson.

Lembi is our female black rhino. Born at the San Francisco Zoo on July 16, 1998, she moved here in July 2000. She is a great mother and has given birth to four calves, all fathered by Jambia. At 2,557 pounds (1,160 kilograms), Lembi is, thankfully, tolerant of trucks in the enclosure as long as we don’t dillydally in getting the food out to her! She is also involved in a new training program and is responding very well to the experience, learning to touch her nose to a target and to open her mouth on command; we soon hope to begin work on blood draws and ultrasounds. All of these behaviors will lessen the need for anesthetic during many health assessments.  We work with her in what we call a protected-contact environment, meaning there is always a safety barrier between the keeper and the rhino.

Lembi is being closely followed at all times by her year-old calf, Erik. He was born on July 19, 2010 (see post, Black Rhino Calf!).  Even though he already weighs approximately 900 pounds (410 kilograms), he is the biggest baby you have ever met: he never strays more than about four feet from his mother and utters a high-pitched cry if she ventures off without him noticing. We are working very closely with Erik to have him become comfortable taking food from our hands and to condition him to a training chute. At the moment he is doing great, so long as his mother is close by (usually in a training session herself), but if we separate them he still gets pretty agitated. We are moving slowly toward the goal of working with each of them independently, since Lembi often sees that her son has dropped a few biscuits, and what kind of a mother would she be if she didn’t just clean those up for him? As you can imagine, this is very disruptive to both training sessions!

Belozi, whose name means “ambassador,” is Erik’s big brother; unfortunately, there will be no brotherly loved shared here. In a rhino’s world you have your mother’s undivided attention and love until she has a new baby. Unlike most families I know where a new baby means all kinds of toys and special bonding time for the older child, in rhino society this arrival means that you get to practice all of the skills your mother taught you because now you are on your own! In the wild, an older calf might try to follow Mom for a while longer, but usually they are chased off if they get too close. There seems to be an unspoken “one calf at a time” rule for rhino mothers. Knowing that Lembi would not be happy with Belozi’s continued presence after Erik was born, they were separated about two months before Lembi gave birth. Belozi is living the solitary life normal for a rhino in an off-exhibit area of the Park until he moves to another zoo to start a family of his own.

Although Jambia and Lembi have been very successful parents, they are getting a break at the moment. Black rhinos are part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP), and breeding is based on international recommendations that take into account housing availability and genetics. With four sons to pass on their genes, the SSP feels that this pair is well represented, so Lembi and Jambia are being housed in different areas of the black rhino compound. Make sure to take a moment to look into the exhibit from the Africa Tram Safari the next time you are visiting the Park and see who is out that day!

Kym Janke is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Read her previous post, All about Antlers.

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5

All about Antlers

By
Kym Janke
– October 28, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories

Indian axis deer with antlers in full velvet.

At the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, keepers have a tell-tale sign of autumn’s arrival: the male deer are sporting some impressive antlers! Antlers are typically seen only on male deer—with the exception of caribou or reindeer, where both sexes grow antlers—and these boys will grow a new set each year!

Antlers begin to grow in the spring from two circular areas on the skull called pedicles. Growing antlers are made up of a mostly cartilaginous tissue covered in “velvet,” the hairy skin that coats the developing antler and serves as a means of protection and a nutrient supply system. During this time, the antlers are filled with capillaries and nervous tissue, which causes them to be very sensitive but also allows them to grow quickly; some species of deer are capable of adding up to one inch of antler each day!

Antlers grow throughout the summer, and sometime between August and October they undergo a process called “ossification,” the mineralization of the cartilaginous tissue to hard bone. At this time, testosterone levels are rising as the male deer prepare for the upcoming breeding season, and the velvet is shed from the antler. You will often see deer at the Park rubbing their antlers on trees and exhibit “furniture” in an attempt to help remove the velvet. This can cause the antler to appear as if it is bleeding, but remember that one of the main functions of the velvet is to supply the blood needed for antler growth and development.

Indian axis deer in hard rack

Once the velvet is removed, the deer is said to be in “hard rack.” Shortly after the deer have come into hard rack, their testosterone levels spike as they enter “rut,” a term used to describe the deer mating season. During rut, males start to spar with one another to determine the dominance hierarchy, ensuring that the largest, healthiest males breed first. Due to the increased risk of injury to other animals in the exhibit, the decision is frequently made to remove the antlers shortly after they have come out of velvet. This is not a simple task, since the deer don’t stand still and allow us to remove their antlers! A date is set far in advance, once the keepers can predict when the deer will enter hard rack.

A veterinarian anesthetizes a deer by shooting a dart into its hip. As soon as keepers enter the stall with the anesthetized animal, they cover its eyes with a towel to remove any possibility of visual stimulation that could cause the deer to stay alert. Heart rate and respiration rate are continually monitored and oxygen is given. It is also extremely important to keep the deer’s head and neck straight and elevated. Since they are ruminant animals, it is imperative that their head not rest on the ground, as this could cause the animal to regurgitate and could prove fatal! Once the deer is sleeping and under the watchful eyes of the veterinarians, animal health technicians and keepers remove the antlers.

I know you all are wondering how we remove the antlers. I always wondered the same thing, and my first guess was way off! I always thought that the antlers would be very hard—they are bone after all—and that a power saw would be the way to go. Was I ever mistaken! Because we remove the antlers shortly after they have undergone the ossification process, they are not nearly as a hard as I had imagined. The tool used to remove the antlers is called a gigili saw and is actually a very thin, sharp wire with small handles on each end. The wire is wrapped around the base of the antler, making sure it is below the first tine but above the pedicle, and then a keeper just saws off the antler manually! It only takes about three minutes to saw off an antler, and then you are left with a rough stump. The next step is to file off the tips with a rasp so that there are no rough or sharp points. All told it only takes about five minutes for an antler to be removed, and usually two keepers work in tandem to remove both antlers at the same time.

Once the procedure is complete, the veterinarian reverses the effects of the anesthetic with a combination of drugs, and the deer wakes up. This can be one of the trickiest points of the procedure. Remember that the head must always remain elevated, so initially the antlers provide great handles to keep the animal in the proper position, but we just cut off our handles! Keepers must hold the head by either the ears or by cradling the chin in our hands while we wait for the deer to wake up. Unlike people, who wake slowly and groggily from anesthetic, a deer jumps to its feet and wants to move quickly. A keeper must ensure that the animal can stand steadily but not be in his way if he comes up running or kicking!

The antlers do not grow back until the following year, so the deer has just had his weapons removed. The small part of the antler that remains attached to the pedicle runs its natural course and falls off a few months later, making room for the antler growth process to begin again the following year.

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Read her previous post, Black Rhino Calf!

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20

Black Rhino Calf!

By
Kym Janke
– August 3, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories, Animals and Plants, Conservation, Conservation at the Zoo

Kym has been a carnivore keeper for eight years, but recently switched to caring for herbivores and is writing a series about her new experiences. Read her previous post, New View of Enrichment.

The Wild Animal Park welcomed a new baby boy to our family on July 19, 2010. An eastern black rhino calf was born to mother Lembi and father Jambia at approximately 12:45 p.m. All four subspecies of black rhinos are endangered, with an estimate of only 4,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Only 639 to 700 eastern black rhinos are thought to be left in Africa. This new little guy is the 14th black rhino to be born at the Wild Animal Park and the fourth to these proud parents!

I was next door leading a training session with an Indian rhino when a call came in from a Journey into Africa tour guide informing us that we had a baby. It took me all of about 30 seconds to end the training session (sorry, Jontu!) and climb up onto the top of the black rhino compound to have a look! Although unsteady, the little guy was already up and following Mom around.

The gestation period for a black rhino is 15 to 16 months, so we had been expecting this new arrival for quite some time. Keepers separated the sire, Jambia (see post Making Friends with a Rhino), to a yard next to the exhibit a month ago to prepare for the birth. In the wild, a mother would keep her calf away from other rhinos, so we are allowing Lembi this same opportunity. Jambia has done well living with Mom and baby before, so he will most likely be let back into the exhibit in the next couple of months. Males do not take any part in the rearing of offspring, and Lembi will no doubt remind him of this! With her previous calves she has been quite protective, keeping Jambia at bay. No one wants to mess with a rhinoceros mother, rhinoceros fathers included! The time away from Jambia will also allow the calf bonding time with Mom, and, of course, growing time!

Keepers had been watching Lembi’s mammary development very closely. As with most animals, a rhino’s mammary glands will not swell with milk until a birth is imminent. For the past month we have been calling Lembi into a chute every day so we could get a good look at her “bag” (“keeper-speak” for mammary glands). Additionally, a photo of her bag was taken once a week so that we could track the development. Behaviorally, Lembi gave no indication of labor other than being slightly more aggressive the day of the birth. As the keepers fed and cleaned the exhibit, Lembi was much more active than usual, even charging the truck (but never making contact) a couple of times. Being as large as she was and with skin as thick as a rhino, it was impossible for us to see contractions, but I am sure any mother will tell you they don’t want to be bothered while in labor!

We gave Mom and son a day to settle and bond before we drove our vehicles back into the field exhibit again; all was calm. Lembi has been very cooperative and has come up to the training areas for biscuits and apples, little one in tow. We have not attempted to bring her into the chute where the scale is located since the birth but hope to do so in the next week. We don’t want to push things and want to be sure baby will follow Mom calmly. Not only would we like an updated post-pregnancy weight on Lembi, but we would love to record the weight of the calf.

Black rhino calves weigh an average of 80 pounds (36 kilograms) at birth, and we suspect he is right on target. By all accounts he seems very active and healthy. He is nursing well, follows Mom and imitates her every move as best he can on his pint-sized legs!

I will be sure to keep you posted on his progress and development. If you are out at the Wild Animal Park, be sure to take a tour on the Journey into Africa tram: you just might catch a glimpse of the cutest baby rhino ever!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

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4

New View of Enrichment

By
Kym Janke
– June 17, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories, Animals and Plants

Red river hogs enjoy food pellets stuck to a toy with peanut butter.

Kym has been a carnivore keeper for eight years, but recently switched to caring for herbivores and is writing a series about her new experiences. Read her previous post, Picking One from the Herd.

Environmental enrichment is a term that zoo keepers are very familiar with. We want to add diversity to the animals’ environments so that they are mentally stimulated, and as I am sure you can imagine, this is one of the most important tasks a keeper has. It is, in my opinion, just as important as providing food, water, and shelter.

Both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park have an Enrichment Committee, of which I have been a member since I started working at the Wild Animal Park. The goal of the committee is to promote and share enrichment ideas, organize workshops where staff and sometimes volunteers can make enrichment items, review requests for new items, and share the successes (and sometimes not-so-successful outcomes) of the enrichment provided. We are constantly searching for new and exciting ways to enrich the lives of the animals in our care. Think back to when you were a child: if you had just three toys, they wouldn’t be very interesting after a while. Luckily, we all had parents and holidays, which meant new toys were never very far away! The members of the Enrichment Committee reach out to keepers at other facilities, the pet industry, and even sometimes children’s toy stores to come up with fresh ideas.

There are a lot of factors to consider when offering a new enrichment item. First and foremost is safety: we want to be sure that what we are providing could not harm the animals in any way. Are there any parts that an animal’s foot or tooth could get stuck in? Could the animal eat the item, and if they did, would it be harmful? Could the animal break the item? We try to think of every possible way the animal could interact with the enrichment item and the consequences that would follow. Once the keeper decides that the item is suitable, we submit an enrichment approval form to the animal care supervisor, veterinarian, and nutritionist. If they have questions or concerns, these will be discussed at the Enrichment Committee meetings, and finally, the item will either be approved, modifications will be needed, or, in some cases, the request will be denied.

So it probably seems like I am well versed in the world of enrichment and that this is an established part of my job. So what is different now that I am working with herbivores on the Park’s West Run? Well, the second thing keepers have to consider when offering enrichment to the animals is how they are going to react to the item. After we have established that the item is safe, we have to ask a very important question: will the animal use it? A new toy would not be very interesting if you didn’t even touch it! Keepers look at the natural histories and behaviors of the animals in their care and try to solicit these behaviors with the enrichment items.

A lioness takes down colorful cardboard prey.

After working with carnivores for the past eight years, I have developed an understanding of their behavior patterns and their likes and dislikes. I am confident that when I introduce a new item, I can predict how the cat will interact with it. Being territorial, any item that causes an exploratory reaction is beneficial; this could be spraying different scents around the cats’ enclosure or introducing a new “furniture” item that the animal was not familiar with. Cats are predators, so enrichment items that bring out the chase- and-kill behaviors are usually very successful. The lifestyle of an ungulate is quite the opposite of this: they will usually live in groups and try to avoid being detected by predators. Play is not as common in deer as it is in tigers!

In order to come up with interesting ideas for enrichment items, I have had to learn a lot about the animals’ lifestyles and what behaviors are natural to them. Thanks to the help of the veteran keepers of hoofed animals, I have made quite a few discoveries. For example: male deer, antelope, and sheep spar with items such as hanging bamboo and plastic drums. This behavior is natural to them, since they would fight with other males for dominance and breeding rights. The deer and the small antelope spend a lot of time retrieving biscuits from a puzzle feeder or searching for them through piles of hay. I am sure you can see how this would relate to a natural foraging behavior. All of the animals are intrigued and curious when a mirror is hung on the fence, and the equids love to toss things around. I also tried some new items, such as cardboard animals, (cardboard boxes are decorated and connected together to look like animals), which I offered to the horses. They were very apprehensive at first, approaching slowly and then backing away quickly. Overnight, though, they must have mustered up some courage because the “animals” were in pieces in the morning!

These are just a few examples of the enrichment items we offer; our goal is to offer a new item to each animal each day. Not to say that we don’t reuse the same enrichment items and toys, but we try to move them around so the animals never get bored. If you are interested in helping with enrichment for the animals at the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, please visit our Animal Care Wish List!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

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0

Picking One from the Herd

By
Kym Janke
– May 3, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories, Animals and Plants

A herd of impala at the Wild Animal Park.

Kym has been a carnivore keeper for eight years, but recently switched to caring for herbivores and is writing a series about her new experiences. Read her previous post, Making Friends with a Rhino.

One of the most difficult skills I have had to learn since transferring to the West Run at the Wild Animal Park has been animal identification. I know you are probably wondering why this would be a new skill; don’t we need to identify the tigers and lions? Well, of course we do, but our methods are very different when it comes to identifying hoofed animals.

With a tiger, identification is easy: they have stripes and each tiger’s set of markings is unique to that individual. Simple enough. So what about lions? Generally speaking, keepers have a much closer relationship with lions than with a slender-horned gazelle, for example. Keepers learn to see differences in bone structure, coloring, and behaviors to help them identify the lions. With antelope and gazelle, it is quite common that a herd will number at 20 plus individuals, all of which are quickly running around a large exhibit. In this setting, building individual relationships can be near impossible! So how do we it? A series of ear notches and a colored tag in the right ear identify each animal.

My first step in learning this new identification system was to memorize what number corresponded with each tag and notch. The color of each tag denotes a number: Red=100, Yellow=200, Orange=300, Blue=400, White=500. The placement of the notch and the ear it is on lets you know its value. You can try it for yourself using the diagram at left.

So if I asked you to identify animal #369, could you? Now try to imagine having to pick this animal out of the herd, and it never stands still! It is definitely harder than it sounds. The field keepers who have been at this for a while simply glance at an animal and can identify it in seconds, while it takes me a lot longer to be sure I have read the notches correctly. It can be explained most simply as if you were learning to read a new language; at first you probably do a lot of translating in your head to be sure you have the right word, but once you are fluent you no longer need to do this, you just read the word. When I look at an animal I see each notch separately and then have to add them up; an experienced keeper sees the whole number in one glance.

When a calf is born, keepers must “process it,” which means they give it a quick health check, determine its sex, and identify it. This has to be done quickly for a few reasons: some mothers can be quite protective of their newborns, and we do not want to threaten the solidity of the bond the new calf has with its mother.

The first step in the processing is to find the baby. Some species of antelope and gazelle are classified as altricial and are hidden by their mothers; you would be surprised at how camouflaged a newborn red-fronted gazelle is when resting next to a rock pile! Other youngsters are much easier to locate, but a lot harder to catch! These babies are called precocial, and this means that within a few hours they are up and running at their mother’s side. With these babies there is an extra step to the processing—catching it! This is usually done from the back of a truck driven alongside the herd; the baby is scooped up to the waiting keepers. Being on the back of a truck does not insure a peaceful time, as some mothers are so protective that they try to jump into the truck with their baby. Because of this, it can take up to five keepers to process a single baby: one to drive, one to hold the calf, one to process the calf, and two to defend the truck from unwanted additions!

The tagging and notching happens very quickly and is similar to having your own ears pierced. I have learned that one of the most important preparations is to ensure that the front and back of the tag lines up so that the piercing will be straight and fast. I have not had to tag a baby yet but have had some practice loading the tag and piercing some cardboard “ears.” I am confident that when the time comes I will be ready. As for the notching, placement is key: a low 4 notch can resemble a 7 and alternatively a high 7 notch could be misread as a 4. I have had to notch two babies and took my time positioning the notch before being speedy with the execution. Neither baby seemed to notice the notch, and both were happy to be returned to their mothers afterward. In all, the processing takes between two and five minutes and provides a lifetime of valuable information to the animal care staff!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

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13

Making Friends with a Rhino

By
Kym Janke
– March 31, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories

A black rhino

Kym has been a carnivore keeper for eight years. She recently switched to caring for herbivores and is writing a series about her new experiences. Read her previous post, Meet a Mammal Keeper.

I never realized how much personality the black rhinos have. When I thought of animals that would have favorite keepers, be resistant to change, and challenge a new face, I thought of gorillas and lions, not rhinoceroses. But after a month on the West Run at the Wild Animal Park working with Jambia, our male black rhino, I can assure you that rhinos are now at the top of that list!


The first couple of times that I worked in the black rhino area, I was told by the other keepers to just stand back a little bit and watch. It was explained to me that Jambia sometimes took a while to warm up to new keepers. “Not me,” I thought. “Animals love me!” But I stood back, nonetheless, and Jambia didn’t pay me any attention, just what I was expecting.

Jambia has to be moved out of the exhibit every day into an adjacent yard so that the keepers can enter the exhibit to clean it. He has been known to challenge our trucks; if you don’t believe me, keep your eyes peeled for our keeper truck driving around the Wild Animal Park; you’ll know it’s the right truck when you see two holes in the passenger side from his horns!

Finally, I was handed an apple, and once Jambia was secured in the adjacent yard I approached with my peace offering, and he took the apple with no hesitation. It was like I had been doing this for years! Feeling confident, I reached out my hand to pet him. I had never touched a rhino before; his skin is very rough and thick. Just as I was thinking that things were going perfectly, something changed: Jambia backed away from the gate and let out a large huff (rhinos blow out air as a sign of aggression). Next, he came forward very quickly, charging the bars and me on the other side. That was enough to let me know that, despite my best efforts, we were not going to become instant friends. Still, I thought as I walked away from him, that it was not too terrible for a first meeting; a few more apples and we would be buds.

The next day I returned, apples in hand, ready to be greeted and make fast friends. Well, Jambia apparently had something else in mind. As I approached the door and held out a tasty treat, he charged the bars without the least bit of interest in the apple. He proceeded to kick his hind feet in the dirt, knocked his food tub over, and then pooped everywhere! This was NOT the greeting I had envisioned. It got worse from there, not better. As big as Jambia is (1,070 kilograms or 2,359 pounds!), he needed to be sure that I always remembered who was going to be the boss in our relationship. The next week was full of displays, feet kicking, horn rubbing, and sometimes charging right up the walls of the exhibit! These behaviors are similar to ones seen exhibited in displays between Jambia and his mate, Lembi; at least I am not the only female dealing with this temperamental male!

I have learned now that patience is the only way to make a rhino feel comfortable. Each day I returned with apples, and slowly, I was allowed to stay for increasing periods of time. In a way it was quite comical: I would feed him treats, talk to him, and brush him for a few minutes, and then it was as if he suddenly remembered he didn’t like me, a switch went on in his mind, and the posturing began. Today, things are going well; more often than not he is accepting of me and doesn’t pay me much attention. I expect that in a couple of weeks I will finally be one of “his” people. Now that’s a title to be proud of!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

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0

Meet a Mammal Keeper

By
Kym Janke
– February 23, 2010Posted in: Animal Stories

Black rhino

One of the most common questions we keepers are asked during presentations and keeper talks is “How would you describe a typical day?” The answer is always the same: “There is no typical day!” I have been a mammal keeper for eight years and have worked at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park for the past three years. My experience working with carnivores at other facilities landed me a position on the Heart of Africa team here at the Park working with big cats. Well, my job description changed last week when I moved to the West Team. To ensure that the Park has the most well-rounded keepers possible, many of us are rotated to different areas of the Park every two to five years. There are eight different teams of keepers at the Park, all working in different areas with different animals. The West Team works with a variety of animals, and I can assure you that not a one is a carnivore!

The West Team’s area is divided into three “strings” called West 1, West 2, and Bull Crew. The first two are known as the feed runs, because the keepers assigned to these strings for the day are responsible for feeding all the animals. Bull Crew is responsible for the majority of the cleaning of the pens. Keepers will be assigned to all three of these runs throughout the week.

I will be working with a variety of ungulates. Your first question may be “What is an ungulate?” Simply stated, ungulate is a term used to describe a hoofed animal. These are all animals that are new to me and present a whole new set of challenges and learning opportunities. In addition to working with new animals, I am going to be working with new equipment: I will be trained to operate a Bobcat utility machine, a skip loader, and a variety of dump trucks. I hope to share my experiences with you so that you can get an idea of what a “typical day” for a keeper really is.

So how can I sum up my first week on the West Team? I can do it with one word: EXHAUSTING! Gone are the days of handling five-pound chubs of ground beef; ungulates eat a combination of hay, pellet, and produce. Bales of hay weighing up to 80 pounds (36 kilograms) are loaded onto the truck each morning along with 50-pound bags (23 kilograms) of pellets. Since they eat so much, these animals poop a lot! All of the exhibits need to be cleaned on a regular basis, and I am not used to shoveling this much. The rain has added weight and difficulty to the process, since leftover hay that has been dropped outside of the feeders ends up encased in mud.

So far I have been working on West 1. Specifically, I have been working with 7 giant eland, 8 red-fronted gazelles, 19 addax, 14 slender-horned gazelles, 5 addra gazelles, 9 sable antelope, 3 black rhinos, and 1 Indian rhino! Most of the animals will stay away from you as you feed and clean, but some precautions are taken to keep us safe. For instance, the black rhino female, Lembi, and her calf, Belozi, will sometimes want to investigate what we are doing, and when she is curious she comes running! All the feeding is done from the back of the truck, and when we clean an area we use the truck and trailer as a shield, always parking it between the mess and the rhinos, so that when we are on the ground she does not have a clear path at us!

I hope you will enjoy reading about my experiences and that you will gain an understanding of just how much the job entails!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. Read her previous post, Cute Little (Ferocious) Tigers.

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0

Cute Little (Ferocious) Tigers!

By
Kym Janke
– June 3, 2009Posted in: Animal Stories

If you have not yet been out to the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park and seen the three Sumatran tiger cubs, then now is the time! In fact, even if you have visited recently, they are growing every day so it is worth the trip back. Our cubs (Damai and her brothers Kucing and Harimau Kayu) are now over 6 months old and are all weighing in at over 50 pounds (23 kilograms)! They still stay close to their mother, Delta, but usually are not found far apart from each other. (See previous post, Firsts for Tiger Cubs.)

The youngsters have had a fabulous time over the past two months exploring the tiger exhibit, and now that the heat is here they are making good use of the pool! Tigers are one of the few cat species that enjoy the water, and I am sure that you can all agree one of the best ways to cool off on a hot San Diego day is to jump in the pool.

These three cubs really are a joy to work with. All the time the keepers spent playing and bonding with them when they were small is paying off. They seem to love our daily interactions and training sessions (although they are all in a “protected contact” environment now, meaning there is always a fence between the cubs and their keepers). These tigers aren’t dummies, either; they are learning some basic behaviors very quickly. They will lie down and target (touch their nose to a target) on command, and we are now working on having them hold that position for an extended time period. The youngsters are also learning how to “rise-up,” which means that they will stand up on the fence so we can get a good look at their bellies and pads of their feet. All of the behaviors we teach our cats have husbandry applications, which means that they are not tricks but will help keepers to better care for the cats and allow easier medical care, if needed.

Most of the time the tiger cub vocabulary consists of two sounds: screaming for food or chuffing (a friendly greeting noise), but give these cats a bone and it is a different story! I know the saying is traditionally “Give a dog a bone,” but in our case it’s the tigers that love this delicious treat. Twice a week our adult tigers are offered a cow femur bone and the cubs get a half portion. The bones help to keep the tigers’ mouths in good health. Just like they would do in the wild, chewing on the bone helps to break plaque and tartar away from their teeth, a much easier alternative than brushing those pearly whites!

In addition to this important health benefit that the bones provide, bones are great enrichment. The tiger cubs go especially wild for the bones, and I mean wild! As a bone is tossed into the yard, the race is on as the cubs try to beat their siblings to the prize. The first cub there will pounce on the bone and let out a growl that you could swear came from a tiger twice its size! This is enough warning for the unsuccessful cubs to back off and accept defeat…but wait, there are always enough bones for everyone! The process will repeat itself, and even the third cub to get its bone will do its best to scare any hidden competition away! Delta always waits patiently for her bone and usually tries to share hers with her kids. Unfortunately this means that Delta rarely gets to enjoy her bone in peace, but I guess that’s what makes her such an excellent mother!

The tiger cubs are on exhibit Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Come see them soon!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

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22

Firsts for Tiger Cubs

By
Kym Janke
– January 27, 2009Posted in: Animal Stories

Kucing

Kucing

The three Sumatran tigers born at the Wild Animal Park on November 13, 2008, are getting bigger every day. It has been incredible to have the opportunity to watch the cubs grow into individuals (see previous blog, Tiger Cubs at the Wild Animal Park). While the little girl, Damai, has stayed true to her ferocious attitude, her brothers have both developed personalities a little different than we first predicted. In fact, if the cubs did not have distinctive markings, it may be easy to question whether the boys were mixed up!

It seems that Harimau Kayu and Kucing have virtually traded personalities. Harimau may have been the most adventurous at first, but maybe he didn’t find the rest of the world up to his liking. He is by far the most reserved and cautious cub. Kucing, on the other hand, has found that an explorer’s lifestyle suits him just fine! He seems to have no fear and will investigate anything new.

The cubs received their first check-ups by the Park’s veterinarians and all received a clean bill of health. They were all implanted with a microchip to permanently identify them, received their first set of vaccinations and a dewormer medication (just in case), and had blood samples taken. If you could forget the part about the 16-pound tiger in your lap you may just imagine that you were at the veterinarian with your 8-week-old kitten! Just like a kitten, the tiger cubs will need two more sets of booster vaccinations at 12 and 16 weeks of age.

Harimau Kayu

Harimau Kayu

The cubs have also taken their first tastes of meat! Damai was the first to give mom’s meal a try when she decided she wanted to chew on the bone as well. Kucing quickly followed his sister’s lead and found that beef was somewhat tasty. Harimau Kayu was the last to sample the grown-up food, but he too has decided it tastes pretty good. While the cubs are all still dependent on their mother’s milk for nourishment, they have sampled beef, beef heart, and the carnivore diet we give to our big cats (a ground beef-based product which is the main diet of the adult tigers).

Growing stronger and braver has also led to another development…the love of play! Kucing and Damai are the most active and can regularly be seen engaged in a wrestling match. Harimau Kayu often will stay off to the side and watch his siblings play, but sometimes he will get dragged in. On occasion we have even seen all three cubs plan a (not-so) sneaky attack on mom! The cubs will not only play with each other; they are fascinated with the enrichment items and toys that the keepers put in their rooms every day. We try to give them new things all the time to play with, and they have caught on. Some of their favorite toys are cardboard boxes and palm fronds. They already love tearing things apart and chewing on things, so hay inside a paper bag is a big hit as well. The keepers also have some special toys that the cubs get to play with while we are in the room; these are toys, like small balls and ropes, that mom, Delta, cannot have access to. By making time spent with the keepers so much fun, the cubs are becoming more trusting of us, and all are relaxed and play when we are present.

As the cubs continue to grow and mature, I will be sure to keep you updated. The cubs are still too small to go out into the exhibit, but be sure to check back in the months to come for reports of their outings!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

Update: The tiger cubs are now on exhibit from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays.

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17

Tiger Cubs at the Wild Animal Park

By
Kym Janke
– December 17, 2008Posted in: Animal Stories

Delta's three newest cubs

Delta's three newest cubs

The tiger keepers at the Wild Animal Park are so excited to share the news of our newest little additions. On November 13, our female Sumatran tiger, Delta, gave birth to three cubs! Damai is the little girl and her name means “peace” in Indonesian; her two brothers are Kucing, meaning “cat,” and Harimau Kayu, meaning “tiger woods.”

This is Delta’s second litter (see Kym’s blog, Tiger Cubs Find a New Home), and she is proving to be a seasoned professional at mothering. After careful behavioral observations by her keepers, combined with hormone analysis by our researchers, Delta was bred to male Utan on July 31 and August 1. The average gestation for a Sumatran tiger is 104 days and Delta stayed close to this expected timeline, giving birth on day 105. For several days leading up to the birth, Delta was kept inside the tiger house, and keepers stayed with her 24 hours a day, monitoring her for any signs of labor via a camera system so as not to disturb her. She was provided with a den box filled with soft bedding hay as well as some extra heaters for warmth. Delta decided our efforts were satisfactory and chose to have her cubs in the box as we had hoped.

Sumatran tiger cubs are very small at birth, weighing only 2 to 3 pounds (0.9 to 1.3 kilograms) and their eyes remain closed for the first 7 to 10 days. We monitored the cubs and Delta for the first few days without interference. This allowed Delta to become comfortable with the cubs and regain her appetite. For the first several days, Delta was so occupied with being a mother that she did not leave the cubs alone while she ate. On November 19, the keepers separated Delta from her cubs for the first time, and we were able to physically meet the cubs. While Delta was eating in an adjacent room, we were able to sex the cubs and get weights on them all. The walls on the den box are about 12 inches (30 centimeters) high, and for the first several weeks sufficed as a barrier to the cubs, but they have since found their way out!

At one month of age, all of the cubs are mobile and climb freely in and out of the den box. Harimau Kayu is the most agile of the cubs and the most adventurous! He was the first out of the den and has explored the entire bedroom on increasingly steady legs. Damai has definitely taken after her mother: from one week of age she has had a ferocious temperament. She is definitely a little tiger! Kucing is our little rock: he stays close to his mom and his siblings, never straying too far on his own. They are growing at a steady rate of about 1.5 pounds (0.6 kilograms) per week; Damai is the smallest at 10.1 pounds (4.59 kilograms), followed by Kucing at 10.5 pounds (4.77 kilograms) and Harimau Kayu, the largest, at 10.6 pounds (4.83 kilograms).

The cubs are still far too small to go out into the exhibit and will remain in the safety and comfort of the house for the next couple of months. I will be sure to keep you posted on their progress!

Kym Nelson is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

Read Kym’s previous blog, A Strange New World for Kamau the Lion.

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