Four students from High Tech High (Tyler, Madalyn, Laura, and Daniel) are interning with the San Diego Zoo as Teen Reporters, sharing some of the fun experiences they’ve had at the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park.

As we were going upstairs to the feeding area with Fernando, a keeper for the gorillas, the gorillas knew that he had food for them to eat. They started raising their hands and clapping them, trying to get Fernando’s attention so he could throw some food at them. He threw so many heads of lettuce and fruit for the gorillas to eat. It was really amazing that some of the gorillas could catch the food when Fernando threw it! I thought that it was hysterical that they would hold their lettuce in one hand and raise their other hand asking for more. After a while, some gorillas had a whole salad bar, which finally made them content enough to sit down and eat.
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Four students from High Tech High (Tyler, Madalyn, Laura, and Daniel) are interning with the San Diego Zoo as Teen Reporters, sharing some of the fun experiences they’ve had at the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park.

Model of a California condor on display at the Zoo's Beckman Center for Conservation Research

Condors are one of the most endangered species on our earth. The main reasons they are endangered are from destruction of habitat, poaching, and lead poisoning. Poachers are killing these miraculous animals, and human beings are cutting down their habitats for their own benefits. Some hunters shoot with lead bullets due to the inexpensive prices, but the results of these inexpensive prices come with their own price: the increasing risk of California condor extinction. When some hunters kill game with a lead bullet, the carcass of the animal is often left behind for other animals such as the condor to feed off of. Condors eating the hunted carcass also consume the lead bullet left behind by the hunter. This lead bullet is very bad for the condor and causes lead poisoning, killing off the very few condors we have left in the wild.
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Sleeping 18 to 20 hours a day seems like the perfect life, for a koala, that is! Koalas mainly eat and sleep all day long. When they sleep they are usually in a tree curled up in a ball. Eucalyptus leaves are their main diet. Other animals, including other marsupials, cannot digest Eucalyptus leaves like koalas can. Their big claws are used to protect themselves and used for climbing. Their front two claws have two thumbs and three fingers, which help them climb better and faster. They live in Australia and spend a majority of their time in trees, yet occasionally walk around on the ground.
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What is enrichment? I was wondering about that. I was watching the elephants eat out of different bins at their exhibit and was wondering why they ate out of them. Enrichment is basically training the animal’s mind to keep them thinking actively. In the wild, the food is not just on the ground, like a buffet. For example, wolves have to be active and strategically take down the prey that they are hunting by attacking in groups at the weak or sick animal. At the Zoo, the keepers are always thinking of different ways to have the animals look for their food. An animal at the Zoo could finish eating food after one hour without enrichment. With enrichment, it could take three to four hours to completely finish everything for an animal. Almost all of the animals at the San Diego Zoo are under some sort of enrichment.
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