San Diego Zoo Blogs

Friday’s workday started off early for us as we headed out to do six interviews at three different TV stations.

Our first two interviews at Phoenix’s CBS station KPHO were early, but went very well. The morning crew there was a lot of fun and very interested in our animal ambassadors. One of the anchors was a little less than thrilled that we had a snake with us, but he warmed up to Tex (our milksnake) eventually. We did our two interviews with them and then it was off to the next studio.

At KNXV, local ABC-TV, we met a wonderful morning news team that was thrilled to have us in their studio. Dassie, our rock hyrax, had a great time exploring the studio between interviews. He is such a character, inspecting the set and the cameras as if he was the floor manager there at the studio!
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A few of my closest friends and I are headed off to Phoenix this week to tell everyone out there what’s going on at the San Diego Zoo.

Of course, you probably know by now that when I say “a few of my closest friends” I mean the ones with fur, feathers, and scales! That’s not to say that I am not good friends with the rest of the team, too. Keepers and other staff members travel with us to make sure all the critters have the best care on the road, just like they would at home.
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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!
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Today we took a step closer to acclimating elephants Tina and Jewel into the Elephant Odyssey family at the San Diego Zoo: Jewel was introduced into Yard 3 of Elephant Odyssey with Sumithi and Cha Cha (see post Elephants Cha Cha and Tembo).
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I am not sure I have ever seen something as cute as a baby panda. Of course, baby anything is adorable, but this is even beyond that. I have been caring for each of the San Diego Zoo’s giant pandas for over three years now, and I have seen them breed, give birth, and grow into their own unique individual selves. Most often each day is fairly routine in regard to their care and training. Every so often, however, certain days make an impression on me and my fellow keepers.
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The rotation of our two jaguars has been the cause for adjustment for both human and cat along Big Cat Trail at the San Diego Zoo. During the very first days that some of our regular visitors ambled down the path to find Nindiri on exhibit where they were accustomed to seeing Orson for over the past 10 years, some came to me concerned that something bad had happened to the elderly Orson. Although I was able to reassure them that Orson was fine enjoying the modern digs up at Elephant Odyssey (see post Zoo Legend Finds New Home), I too noticed one thing missing: Orson’s frequent roar, which could be heard up and down the canyon as he declared Big Cat Trail his domain.
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I thought that since we have moved some pandas around here at the San Diego Zoo’s Giant Panda Research Station, I’d give you an update on everyone’s whereabouts. Now in our two off-exhibit classroom enclosures we have Gao Gao and Zhen Zhen. Gao is not going to be moved into the main viewing area right now; he is still undergoing training with our keepers for the hearing study we are doing (see post Panda Care). Gao is still practicing going to a set target when asked and sitting in one spot for an extended period of time.
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In my previous post, I introduced you to Zahari (Zari, for short), our young Grant’s zebra (see Little Zebra Zahari). She is a participating member of our family of critters that is a part of the San Diego Zoo’s Backstage Pass program, and her training is an ongoing process. Many consider zebras stubborn and difficult to train, so our daily interactions are critical. Every day we brush her, clean her hooves, and practice her learned behaviors as well as work on new ones.
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In the wee hours of the morning on Valentine’s Day (February 14), a group of campers at the Wild Animal Park’s Roar & Snore sleepover were roused from their slumber by the sound of elephants trumpeting. It wasn’t until the sun came up in the morning, though, that they discovered an elephant had been born. These lucky campers had experienced an elephant herd announcing the birth of its newest member!
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Here are answers to some questions posed by our readers…

Den closure
Yun Zi has officially left the DEN! Keepers are no longer allowing him access to the den, and this is a decision to help him get ready to go to the main exhibit soon. Yun Zi isn’t looking for the den. In fact, he’s too busy playing, and he sleeps in his climbing structure most of the time. This is completely normal, and we are so pleased with how things have been progressing. Currently he is about 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) and growing every day. Bai Yun is about 234 pounds (106 kilograms) and looks wonderful wearing it!
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