Zoo InternQuest

According to Ms. Parsons, the food the Zoo feeds their animals must be safe enough for human consumption. At the Forage Warehouse, where Zoo food is stored, food safety is taken no less seriously than in a restaurant. In fact, Ms. Parsons informed us that she’s been through a restaurant food safety course for this very reason. Like our food industry, the Zoo food system must take great care to prevent food-borne illnesses.  The Forage Warehouse is a great example of this: the door boasts a sign labeling it as a “BIOSECURE AREA” and all people who enter the building are required to first step in an antibacterial footbath. The warehouse is also divided in two: one half designated for meat, the other half for produce. Animals’ food safety is treated with as much care and caution as our own.

Another example of this food safety overlap is found in Zoo Nutrition’s emergency preparedness. Here in San Diego, earthquakes are no less of a threat to the animals at the Zoo as they are to us in our homes. Just as we keep extra supplies of food and water in case of an earthquake or other natural disaster, animals at the Zoo have their own “earthquake kits.” Precautions include reserve stocks of food like pellets. Currently, Zoo nutritionists are in the process of identifying some universal food mixes that can feed a large variety of animals in the event that a natural disaster causes food supplies to be cut off. This is a tricky business because keepers have to deal with a multitude of nutritional needs, the question of storage, and even expiration dates. Again, the overlap between human and animal nutritional needs is clearly apparent.

Of course, the things we learn from zoo nutrition can also translate into how we feed our pets. For example, it’s fairly common for domestic cats to develop kidney problems, as is true for the wild cats at the Zoo. Jama, the North Chinese Leopard, is currently dealing with such kidney problems. As the cat-owners out there know, this can make dietary choices tricky. When a cat’s kidney function goes down, it’s important to lower his protein intake. The problem is, Jama is a leopard, which means his diet is protein. The Zoo’s solution: Jama gets brown rice mixed in with his meat, plus a vitamin that helps his kidneys process phosphorous.  Just like providing our pets with healthy diets, feeding the animals at the Zoo is far more complicated than opening a can of cat food.

Whether you’re eating at a restaurant, preparing for an earthquake, or feeding your cat, it’s fun to realize that our nutrition has a lot in common with zoo nutrition, and the science of breakfast is a universal one.

Sierra, Real World Team
Week 5, Winter 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

Dr. Anderson told us about an amazing break- through in behavioral research of African elephants. With new innovations in technology, animal behaviorists like Dr. Anderson now have the ability to track and record elephants. Originally, researchers who wanted to study the behavior of elephants, had to physically be present in order to observe and take notes. New GPS collar technology is not only helping to track elephants, but also can record the communication that goes on inside the herd. Dr. Anderson uploads his recordings to a computer where he can visually see the frequencies of each elephant. What he has discovered is that elephants have a lot more to say than he previously thought. In each elephant rumble, there are frequencies that humans are able to hear, but there is also an entirely different frequency elephants use to communicate with each other that we can’t hear. Dr. Anderson’s goal is to be able to understand these different  frequency calls and be able to some how influence elephant behavior with large audio speakers in the wild.

Elephants and humans are facing a great dimlema in parts of Africa in that elephants are raiding crops of local farmers. A temporary solution is that elephants dislike the smell and taste of chilies and chili powder. So the locals will soak old rags in a liquid mixture of chili powder and hang the rags around the perimeter of the crop or they simply grow chilies. Another challenge for elephants is that there are some roads and fences that block them from effectively migrating between habitats, especially in case of areas where many elephants meet for breeding and feeding. With Dr. Anderson’s new data on elephant communication, he can use pre-recorded elephant calls to try and influence elephants into migrating into “invented corridors” away from human dangers. Also, for the safety of humans, idealistically they can use these speakers to allure elephants away from crops.

It was a great to learn about the breakthroughs in technology that have aided elephant researchers in understanding how they communicate and where they are travelling to within different areas of Africa. This made me think about how here at home we use microchipping with our pets and how we are able to locate them if they are lost. This same technology can be applied to cars. Interesting how now we can use this same concept with elephants out in the wild.

Kayla, Real World
Week Five, Winter Session 2012

Dr. Anderson began his career at the University of Liverpool in England with an undergraduate degree in zoology (part of this degree involved behavioral ecology). He obtained his Ph.D. in primatology at Oxford University and went on to his postdoctorate work at Cambridge studying reproductive biology.  He studied bush babies and their bizarre mating systems and behaviors and found himself asking, “What are these creatures doing and why?”  Their odd forms of communication sparked his interest even more in animal behavior. Most of his work centered on primates, until he ventured to the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research to begin working with elephants in 2001. This time, however, he focused on the vocalizations elephants make as their way of communicating.  Unfortunately, most of these sounds are made at a frequency too low for the human ear to process, so Dr. Anderson has to record the sounds through the use of special collars. He then speeds them up on a computer to decipher the messages. One of the more extraordinary behaviors that they have discovered is how the herd reacts to an expectant mother.  Once the mother knows that she only has a week or so left until the birth of the calf, she makes a sound that signals the rest of the females to form a circle around her, which would protect the calf in the wild once it was born. Isn’t it amazing how one sound can tell the elephants so much?

Jennifer Tobey has a similar story to Dr. Anderson’s. She started off at a liberal arts school, Franklin and Marshall University in Pennsylvania, where she pursued a biology/psychology major with an emphasis in animal behavior. She then moved to California State University, San Marcos, where she earned her master’s degree in comparative animal psychology.  She focused on animal enrichment, which means she looked at the ways primates interacted with toys and food objects. A moment that made animal behavior more appealing to her was when one of the primates took the top off of an “indestructible” peanut shaker and was intrigued with the way it distorted the world when he looked through it. However, she eventually tired of  studying the primates because of their similarities to humans.  She decided to join the team at the Institute, where she studied the vocalizations of koalas instead. Like Dr. Anderson, she listens to their vocal communication and watches their behaviors in an attempt to translate what the animals are saying.  She has also gone to Australia to figure out how these normally solitary creatures in the wild communicate to find mates, which might help with breeding these animals in captivity. Ms. Tobey loves her job because it’s hands-on, and she knows she is contributing to the worldwide effort to conserve koalas.

Both Dr. Anderson and Jennifer Tobey’s studies of animal behavior and communication are very important to the lives of animals in captivity, as well as species in the wild. By decoding animals’ ways of communicating, they can figure out how to increase the longevity of animals in captivity and find ways to help struggling populations of animals in the wild.

Kerissa, Careers Team
Week Five, Winter Session 2012

 

 

Caroline, Photo Team
Week Four, Winter Session 2012

 

Caroline, Photo Team
Week Four, Winter Session 2012

The incubation room is equipped with about a dozen incubators, many of which look like over-sized toaster ovens with extra dials for precise temperature and humidity. Eggs require just the right conditions to develop properly, and these conditions vary from species to species. A lot of factors go in to how an egg develops, Ms. Theule explained to the team, and these range from temperature and humidity to how often the eggs need to be rolled over. Yet such precise attention to minute details is key, because some of the eggs in that room are absolutely vital to species survival. One such egg belongs to a kiwi, an endangered species from New Zealand. According to Ms. Theule, it’s the farthest along, developmentally speaking, that a kiwi egg at the APC has come in a very long time. She enthusiastically reported to the team, “It will be very exciting and very big news if we hatch this [egg].”

With the future of birds like the kiwi riding on its shoulders, the APC approaches the hatching process with great care. To demonstrate this, Ms. Theule showed the team the extensive records for a single egg belonging to a bird called a red-billed malkoha. The spreadsheets, notes, and charts possessed an overwhelming amount of data. This vast source of information, updated on a daily basis, gives APC keepers the best possible chance to hatch this malkoha egg.

Careful attention is not only given to every single egg in the incubator room, but also to the eggs that don’t develop. Interns were given the chance to scientifically examine undeveloped eggs by carefully removing the shell and membrane to look for signs of development. This process allows APC researchers to identify problems and solutions for the incubation process. This scientific approach illustrates that the APC takes its role in avian conservation very seriously.

Clearly conservation begins with the egg, but it definitely doesn’t stop there. After chicks are hatched, APC keepers become the adoptive parents, sometimes to more than 50 chicks at once. Raising an endangered baby bird, however, can be even harder than hatching one. It is essential for endangered chicks to be able to recognize other birds, not humans, as their family. The scientific word for what keepers need to prevent is called imprinting. If a bird imprints on a human keeper, it loses its natural behavior of interacting with members of its own species and therefore… no babies. Ms. Theule showed the intern team a box full of “anti-imprinting” bird-head puppets that fit over a keeper’s hand during the delivery of a meal. Chicks’ enclosures also have Mylar sheets over the glass so keepers can observe the chicks without the chicks observing the keepers. Sometimes keepers even wear “ghosts”—sheer leaf-patterned blankets that keepers drape over their heads if they need to handle the chicks. In the end, all of these measures ensure that a chick can develop as normally and healthily as possible so that they can go on to breed. One day, this practice may save a species from extinction.

So which came first, conservation or the egg? If one thing is clear, the two are inseparably linked, and the Avian Propagation Center is hard at to work to ensure the prosperity of both.

Sierra, Conservation Team
Week Four, Winter 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

One of the most important jobs of the APC is incubating, hatching, and even hand-raising chicks born at the Zoo. If an egg is not receiving proper care from its parents, the APC can step in and help the chick develop. Every year, the APC hatches about 200 eggs. That’s almost four eggs a week!

Mrs. Theule gave us a tour of the APC, and it was instantly obvious how much time and effort the keepers put into taking care of the eggs. Inside the incubation room, about a dozen cream colored boxes lined the walls. The whiteboards on each of the incubators included notes about the oval-shaped treasures inside. Mrs. Theule explained to us that after many years of trial and error, the keepers have gained extensive knowledge on species-specific temperature and humidity requirements for setting the incubators. This vital information helps each species of bird get the best care possible in its first weeks- or months- of life.

In the hatchery, Mrs. Theule showed us the intensive care that goes into maintaining healthy eggs. Twice a week, Mrs. Theule and other keepers candle the eggs from the incubation room. Candling is basically holding a giant flashlight up to an egg. The bright light illuminates the contents of the egg, and the keepers are able to visually track the progress of the developing chick.

Did you know that an egg is supposed to lose weight as it develops? Knowing this important fact, APC keepers frequently track the weight of an egg and make sure it is healthy. By keeping extensive weight records, the keepers are dedicated to making sure that their chicks hatch- alive and kicking.

The keepers at the APC also put a great deal of time into making sure that the needy chicks develop properly into independent adults. Using an array of techniques, such as puppets, socks, feeding tubes, and syringes, the keepers ensure that the chicks receive proper nutrition- without becoming too dependent on the keepers in the process. They work hard  to make sure that the chicks do not imprint on the them, which happens when a chick establishes a keeper as its parent. One way the caretakers avoid imprinting is by wearing “the ghost,” a sheer cape-like garment, over their face and body. When a keeper is feeding a young bird, the ghost makes it difficult for the bird to determine what is underneath. This simple trick helps wean the chicks off of the keepers, so that one day, the birds can feed themselves and not rely on the keepers to- literally- spoon feed them every morsel that goes into their mouths.

Interns got a unique, hands-on experience when Mrs. Theule brought out eggs from the green- naped pheasant pigeon and the green aracari. The eggs, for reasons not entirely known, never hatched. Mrs. Theule first let us candle our individual egg to see if it had even been fertilized by a male. My egg, from the aracari, was fertilized but the chick never fully developed. Next, I broke open my egg and try to locate the embryo. Amidst the mix of neon-orange colored yolk and cream-colored egg membranes, I located the tiny embryo. The little guy (or gal) was about the size of a fingernail, and was light brown in color. I was even able to make out the eyes!

Although it is unfortunate that the egg didn’t make it, each unsuccessful egg can help scientists determine new ways to ensure more hatchings in the future. And more chicks are a good thing- the APC works hard to make sure every bird at the Zoo gets a chance to “break out of their shell.”

Rachel, Real World Team
Week Four, Winter Session 2012