Danni, Photo Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012 

 

 Danni, Photo Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012

Animal Connections, the other aspect of Ms. Boyd’s job, consists of the animal-guest interaction that goes on at the Zoo. Specifically, these include shows—like the Wegeforth Bowl’s Camp Critters, to special behind-the-scenes experiences like Backstage Pass. Ms. Boyd emphasized the importance of connecting the public to wildlife on a personal level. If people have the opportunity to establish such a connection with zoo animals by touching them or seeing them up close, then their awareness and appreciation of wildlife and conservation will be much greater.

Overall, Ms. Boyd says, a highlight of her job has been the opportunity to “contribute to the Zoo-wide training program.” And contribute she has. She’s worked with animals from massive tigers to tiny fennec foxes, and her work amounts to twenty years of dedication to the Zoo’s training program. In fact, when she started working for the Zoo (only two weeks after graduating from college), medical husbandry behavior training wasn’t really taking place. Ms. Boyd spearheaded the movement towards this new system of training, and the impact of her hard work can be seen all across the Zoo.

One example is Adhama, the hippo calf born in late January of 2011. Before Adhama came along, hippo parents Otis and Funani were having some… relationship problems. Funani, the female, was being unusually aggressive to poor Otis, and it was actually preventing the pair from breeding. This is where Ms. Boyd came in. She, with the help of the hippo keepers and other trainers, implemented a program to trim Funani’s tusk. This required intensive training to teach Funani to “target” (stand in a particular location) and to hold her mouth open for extended periods of time. Funani’s training demonstrates what Ms. Boyd calls one of the most difficult—but in the end rewarding—parts of her job: the relentless perseverance that goes into developing an animal’s behavior. Depending on the animal and the behavior, Ms. Boyd tells the intern team, training an animal can take anywhere from a day to a year. She says, “It’s frustrating when animals don’t do it, but so rewarding when they do.” In the hippo’s case, persistence paid off—after 6 months of hard work from both Ms. Boyd and Funani, a tusk trim was finally possible. Funani and Otis were reunited, says Ms. Boyd, and “within fifteen minutes they started breeding.” The reward for all of this hard work? Baby Adhama.

As the manager of the Zoo’s Medical Husbandry Behavior program, Ms. Boyd also spends her time working with the Zoo’s vet, keeper, and behavior staff. She says communication is really important, because the key to successful training is consistency. As Ms. Boyd points out, “there’s no way I could train all 4,000 of the animals here at the Zoo,” so “training the animals is really about training people.” Because of this, the Zoo’s animal trainers have a clear system set up for documenting the training that every animal receives. After each training session, a trainer or keeper records the date, time, and success (on a scale of one to five) of the session, also making comments to give specific information to the next trainer. Ms. Boyd reports that she’s “very proud of [her] staff as she constantly challenges them to “take [training] to the next level.”

Sierra, Careers Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012

Before we set out on our adventure, Ms. Pillsbury led us to her indoor workspace where she explained several different aspects of her job, including animal moves to other facilities. Although shipping animals may seem relatively simple, there is a complicated process the keepers must complete before sending an animal to a different zoo. (This is sometimes similar to what people have to go through every time they fly.) Paperwork must be filled out, the animals must be in excellent condition, and the crates must conform to current standards, which can be an issue because most airlines have a crate size requirement, and this requirement can often change. Recently, Ms. Pillsbury has been trying to send two hogs to another zoo in Florida. Park keepers have had to re-make crates twice already, due to maximum size restrictions and may have to figure out a different way to get them to their destination. Humans aren’t the only ones who have trouble at the airport!

After a look at the keeper offices, we went to the truck to begin our tour. Our first task was to pick the leaves off of acacia branches. It felt like we had a whole tree in the back of the truck! While we were busy plucking away at the branches, Ms. Minichino drove us into one of the open field exhibits. Before I knew it, we were navigating through a herd of giraffes and gazelles. It felt as though they were all staring at the acacia we had in our hands. While observing a gazelle, my fellow interns and I noticed the notches and different colored tags they had in their ears. When we asked Ms. Pillsbury about the notches and tags, she explained that this is how the keepers identify the animals. It’s an intricate system, and works sort of like a Social Security number. It allows Ms. Pillsbury to quickly identify each animal, which greatly assists her in completing her animal counts each day and also helps her to communicate with other keepers about particular individuals. This system is key to keeping track of all the animals in the wide open enclosures of the Park.

As we continued on, we came upon Kula, an Indian Rhinoceros, who was kind enough to walk over and let us feed her apples. She even allowed us to pet her horn! With seven interns tossing her treats, she became full and moved on. However, we were delighted to learn that we would be feeding the giraffes next! We slowed to a stop near several giraffes and waited patiently for them to come over to eat the acacia leaves. Very soon, we were surrounded by a whole herd, some pushier than others. As I began to wonder about the number of giraffes at the Park, Ms. Pillsbury explained how they are able to keep the populations of various species under control. They can either keep one male with a group of females, or they can put the females on birth control. Similar in form to human birth control, the keepers can mix it into the animals’ food or use implants to prevent the females from becoming pregnant. The keepers need to use clever techniques like this to help keep the free-roaming animal populations under control.

Sadly, we ran out of acacia and had to leave the giraffes. Ms. Pillsbury and Ms. Minichino were great tour guides. They helped me get an up-close view of what their jobs are like on a day-to-day basis and how they handle the enormous enclosures at the Park. I learned, firsthand, what it’s like to be responsible for such a complex group of animals. And, next time I’m at the airport struggling with my luggage, I’ll remember that the Zoo has to worry about how to transport delicate cargo, every day.

Kerissa, Real World Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012

Now as a Senior Mammal Keeper for the Africa and Asia field exhibits, Ms. Pillsbury gets up every day at 4:00a.m. It is Ms. Pillsbury’s job to distribute the special diets designed for each animal. Even though the keepers and nutritionists would like each animal to eat their assigned meal, it can be very difficult in a multi-species enclosure. The keepers try to regulate what each group of animals eat by supplying them with a “universal” food which is usually several types of hay.

While the keepers are out feeding the animals or picking up after them, they keep a watchful eye out for new babies that may have been born the previous evening. It is very common for the Park to have new babies born every day, especially during the spring. When Ms. Pillsbury or another keeper spot a newborn baby, it is their job to catch it, tag it, notch it, and record it. Markings in the ears of all the hoofstock help keepers keep track of each individual animal. (This is similar to humans having a Social Security number to identify them.) The process of tagging a new baby can be difficult at times because the mothers often times will hide their babies. Mothers can be very concerned and aggressive and may even attack the keepers if they think the baby is danger. This can be a challenging situation for any keeper working in such large field enclosures like at the Park. Ms. Pillsbury, after years of experience, is quite the expert at “processing” these new animals.

Torrey Pillsbury had a unique way of becoming a part of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. She suggests to anyone who is interested in becoming a zookeeper, gain as much hands-on experience as possible. Aspiring zookeepers should volunteer at the Zoo or another animal-related job. She also recommends looking into a program at Moorpark College, a two-year college in California which has a focus in animal training and management. While this career can be labor-intensive, Ms. Pillsbury finds the job very rewarding. She has had the rare opportunity of being involved in the hand-rearing of a baby gorilla and also rhino calf. She believe that people who are interested in zookeeping, must have a passion for animals and not mind waking up way before the sun rises!

Kayla, Careers Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012

As we drove out, I started thinking about how the Park acquires its endangered animals and what kinds of qualifications enable the Park to hold them. According to Ms. Pillsburg, who was riding with us in the back of the truck, there are several ways that the Park gets its animals. Most notably, the SSP, or Species Survival Plan, keeps track of endangered species at zoos and coordinates the circulation of specific animals around zoos so that they can maximize breeding success. Sometimes, the Park acquires an endangered animal through confiscation. For example, when people don’t have permits for the animals they keep or sell. Some animals come from private collections where people are not equipped to take care of the animals. Endangered species can also come to the Park straight from the source: their natural habitat. For example, some of the elephants at the Park came from Africa as part of a rescue effort. Getting the animals is one thing; caring for their health and safety is another.

The San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park is a member of AZA, the American Zoological Association. The AZA, along with other associations like FWS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, set specific requirements for zoos across the country that they must adhere to while holding endangered species. Some of these standards include transportation methods, crate sizes, enclosure sizes, the number of animals per enclosure, and breeding requirements. Also, if the Park is taking care of a species whose numbers in the wild are low and continuing to decrease, the Park will create a rehabilitation program for that species and sometimes be able to reintroduce it to the wild. In the past this has happened with the Park’s California condors and Arabian oryx. In these programs, a species is carefully bred so that it has genetic diversity and doesn’t become accustomed to humans, and subsequently reintroduced into the wild, usually in a preserve so that its population can be protected. Being in a preserve is important because most of these animals’ populations are decreasing from habitat loss. In fact, while we were riding through the enclosures, Ms. Pillsburg pointed out some of the endangered species that we were getting a close look at: black rhinos, Indian rhinos, Grevy’s zebra, addax, and Arabian oryx; and explained that most of them are endangered from habitat loss. Unfortunately, some are also hunted for either the bush meat trade or for parts of their body believed to have medicinal qualities, like the rhino’s horn. Though the Park is involved with programs that help conserve these animals in their natural habitats, a very important part of why these animals are at the Park is to raise awareness to guests about their situations, and prompt them to help. Luckily, guests can help easily just by going to the Park and paying admission or making donations.

Our experience of being able to feed a giraffe and a rhino is something anyone can get to do. It’s formally called the Caravan Safari where guests can actually feed an Indian rhino and a group of Ugandan giraffes! It goes without saying that it is quite an amazing experience to get so close to such beautiful, wild animals. Seeing them so close made me wonder if people in places of Asia and Africa are actively conserving the beautiful animals in their backyards. But then I realized that we, here in San Diego, have some amazing animals in our backyards too, that also need help. We may not have zebra, but we do have mountain lions and the coast-horned lizard. Maybe we should also focus on conserving these amazing creatures just by getting involved in our local communities.

Caroline, Conservation Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012

Nicki Boyd, the behavior husbandry manager at the San Diego Zoo, showed us what it takes to train exotic animals. She explained to us the many benefits of training, such as a reduction in stress, reduced medical costs, and an opportunity to stimulate the animal’s mind. Learning is critical to an animal’s survival in the wild, and the keepers want to challenge them to learn new tasks to keep their minds active here at the San Diego Zoo.

Akela, the fennec fox, is a beautiful, spunky little animal living in the Discovery Outpost. Ms. Boyd brought Akela to a presentation area where she talked about the species. The fennec fox, found in the deserts of Central and northern Africa, has a beautiful sand-colored coat. Like many species of fox, fennec foxes like Akela are hunted for their fur, so Ms. Boyd encourages readers to go faux!

Ms. Boyd is also involved with red panda conservation. She works closely with the local communities in Nepal and with the Red Panda Network to save bamboo forest habitat from being cut down. This helps the Nepalese become “forest guardians” for the red pandas. She is also involved with other zoos in the U.S. to ensure that the red panda, an endangered species, thrives in the wild as well as in captivity.

Francis, the sun bear, is the smallest species of bear but certainly not the least intelligent. Ms. Boyd had him perform some of the commands he has been practicing. It was awesome to see him open his mouth and show Ms. Boyd his tongue and present paws and claws (through the exhibit fence, of course)! The sun bear is endangered due to many factors, including habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal pet trade. To ensure their survival in the wild, it helps to make informed decisions as a consumer. Make sure that the wood you are buying comes from a sustainable source- often, that means being certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).

Our time spent at the Zoo with Ms. Boyd was something that is not easily forgotten. I saw first-hand the tremendous amount of time, dedication, and effort Zoo staff put into shaping an animal behavior in order to increase the animal’s well-being. As Akela and Francis would agree, the San Diego Zoo is heads and tails above the rest.

Rachel, Conservation Team
Week Six, Winter Session 2012

InternQuest had the unique opportunity to meet with a Zoo Nutritionist, Jen Parsons, who gave us the ins-and-outs of what the animals eat and where the Zoo keeps their heaps—yes, heaps—of food. Ms. Parsons has worked in the Zoo’s Nutritional Services Department as an Associate Nutritionist for two-and-a-half years. We sat down with her at the Zoo and she told us about her educational background and how she became one of San Diego Zoo’s three nutritionists. We also visited the Zoo’s Forage Warehouse to see where the stacks of food are kept.

Ms. Parsons did her undergraduate education at Colorado State University where she got a Bachelors Degree in Animal Science. From there, she got her Masters in Zoology from Oklahoma State University, where she focused on wildlife nutritional ecology with an emphasis on small mammals, specifically rodents. Right now she is working on getting her PhD at Mississippi State University, where she is studying the nutritional ecology of giant pandas in captivity. Eventually, she will use that information to try and improve giant panda nutrition in the wild. Throughout her educational journey, she made time to explore career choices and work as a volunteer for several different institutions. Beginning in high school and lasting throughout her undergraduate years, Ms. Parsons worked in vet clinics, with the thought of becoming a veterinarian on her mind. In fact, between getting her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, Ms. Parsons worked as a lab vet tech at UC Davis. As an undergraduate, she worked as a keeper aid at zoos in Seattle and Tacoma. She told us that her most valuable work experiences have been when she worked in the vet clinics, where she learned how to think critically about healthcare, and as a keeper aid where she learned exotic animal management and zoo management skills.

So what exactly do the Zoo’s nutritionists do? Since there are only three Zoo nutritionists on staff at the Zoo and Safari Park, they split up tasks between the three of them. The typical day of a Zoo nutritionist begins early every morning, at 7a.m. They first attend the vet rounds, when Zoo veterinarians discuss the cases they are currently dealing with. The nutritionists’ job is to take note of and get involved with cases having to do with nutrition or diets. After that, the nutritionists go on hospital rounds, where keepers and technicians go over the changing dietary habits of animals and how these changes may be affecting their health. They then attend vet exams, where they can get a closer look at animals with diet-related issues. Finally, they update the dietary records of any animal whose diet may have changed. Ms. Parsons explained that Zoo nutritionists have to be creative in planning out and maintaining many animals’ diets, especially for exotic species they don’t have much literature on. This creativity and critical thinking is, according to Ms. Parsons, one of her favorite as well as most challenging aspects of her job; after all, if the Zoo gets a new species in quarantine, the nutritionists have to immediately come up with feasible, sustainable, and healthy diets for these animals, which can be quite a difficult but rewarding task.

So where exactly does the Zoo store those heaps of food? Ms. Parsons took us on a tour of the Forage Warehouse and we were able to see the room-sized freezers of food. The rooms are organized by type of food, which means that one room is dedicated to fresh vegetables and greens while the next holds raw meat for carnivores. Additionally, Ms. Parsons showed us the huge trailer that holds three different types of hay ,as well as its adjacent live bug room. The amount of food was almost overwhelming; but what else is expected when you have to feed enormous elephants and big cats everyday?

Since Ms. Parson’s job is so versatile, focusing on everything from communication between keepers and vets to coming up with new diets for exotic species, she couldn’t name a specific set of goals that may lead a person to follow in her footsteps. She did, however, specify the unique skills someone would need in order to be a successful zoo nutritionist: gain experience in domestic and exotic animal management, be fairly competent in math, get some kind of training in critical thinking, and practice being an effective communicator.

Caroline, Careers Team
Week Five, Winter Session 2012

Rachel, Photo Journalist Team
Week Five, Winter Session 2012