It seems that Kinah never ceases to bring joy to all those around her, and lately, this has included her up close inspection of our guests visiting Ituri Forest. For those readers unfamiliar with Kinah’s life here at the San Diego Zoo, she is our little miracle monkey, hand-raised in the Children’s Zoo after a tough start in life. (See Nerissa’s previous blog, Springtime Monkey Business.) Through the dedication of our staff, Kinah became the strong, independent, and very curious little girl who delights her “fans” by getting right up to the glass for a visit!
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Soman and Surat, our two Indian rhinoceros brothers, are doing great on Elephant Mesa at the San Diego Zoo (see Laura’s previous blog, Adventures in Rhino Keeping). Actually they are doing so well that I have been working with them and some other trainers to separate them a couple of times each day. You never know when you will need to medicate an animal or perform a veterinary procedure. It is always nice to be able to separate animals in a non-stressful way.
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Slurp, slurp.

What’s that sound? If you are in the San Diego Zoo’s Bear Canyon over Thanksgiving weekend, you may be hearing the sound of our newest bear resident feeding. Our sloth bear will go on exhibit tomorrow, and he adds an interesting new dimension to our resident bear population.
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Meet Nindiri. Seventy-seven pounds of energy with golden eyes. She has spots on her toes; something I find especially endearing for some reason. Did I mention she’s a jaguar?

In July 2008, Nindiri came to the San Diego Zoo from the Brevard Zoo in Florida, where she was named in a contest. “Nindiri” is a peak off a larger volcano named Masaya, which is her mother’s name. The volcano is described as semi-active; Nindiri is anything but that!
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Russ Van Horn is studying Andean bears in Peru. Read his previous blog, Andean Bears: Cloud Forest of Peru.

Lima, Peru

Dr. Ron Swaisgood, Division Head of the San Diego Zoo’s Applied Animal Ecology Division, arrived in Cusco, Peru, on Halloween. (See Ron’s blog, Bearly Started: New Bear Program in Peru.) I was delayed en route by landslides and mechanical trouble with the bus, so I missed seeing the streets crowded with revelers. We traveled to the field site and met with our collaborators from the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.
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Our newest little sun bear cubs at the San Diego Zoo are now three weeks old (see previous blog, A Star (or Two!) is Born. Thankfully, things seem to be going well for them in the den, and Marcella is doing a great job of caring for them. We don’t get to see too much of her babies since Marcella tries to keep them covered up and warm most of the time. However, our occasional glimpses are enough to confirm that both cubs have big, round bellies that suggest she is feeding them well.
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On October 16, 2008, I witnessed a piece of conservation history. Seven light-footed clapper rails were released at the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge in Seal Beach, California, 23 miles (37 kilometers) south of Los Angeles. Two of the birds were hatched and parent-raised at the Wild Animal Park in the off-exhibit bird breeding compound (or BBC), where I work as a senior bird keeper. (Read a previous blog, BBC: Clapper Rail Chicks.)
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I’m back in Peru again after a six-year absence. I haven’t spent much time in this country, but I have to say it’s among my favorites. My first trip, in 2002, was mostly recreational, but I did stop by to see an Andean bear reserve in Chaparri in northern Peru. Ever since, I’ve wanted the San Diego Zoo to establish a field conservation program to help save this charismatic species that gets so much less attention than its more famous cousins, the panda and the polar bear. Not too long ago I was able to pursue this goal by hiring Dr. Russ Van Horn to do the job. (more…)

The three Malayan tiger cubs at the San Diego Zoo are now six months old and quite the handful (see previous blog, A Tiger Cub’s Day). Menderu (which is Malayan for “roar”) is a male and the largest, weighing 80 pounds (36 kilograms). His two sisters aren’t much smaller; Jin (which means “spirit”) weighs 72 pounds (33 kilograms), while Seri (meaning “brightness”) is the smallest at 70 pounds (32 kilograms). But just because Menderu is the biggest doesn’t mean that he is in charge of his sisters! They are quite capable of holding their own against him.
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Yesterday morning, the bears were late in getting out on exhibit; a very special enrichment was being prepared for them that required them to be extra patient. Staff members from the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Reserach Station, Sun Bear Forest, and the Horticulture Department all convened to paint the panda area green.
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