We met with Heidi Davis to learn about the genetics lab at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research.

In the lab, we tried our hands at running a gel electrophoresis procedure. Intern Alicia uses a pipette to load DNA into the gel.

Ms. Davis ran an electric current through the gel to separate the different strands of DNA by size.

At the end of the day, we toured the lab. Ms. Davis detailed the dangers of working in a laboratory and the precautions she must take daily.

Animal Care Supervisor, Bob Cisneros, explaining to us the many beneficial uses of a bridge when training an animal. A small clicker with a loud popping sound, the bridge, is often used when more than one trainer will be working with an animal, so that the animals can associate the bridge, and not a certain person’s voice, with a job well done.

Elmo, a miniature horse, posing for the camera with his special horsey-grin that he is trained to give on command.

Mr. Cisneros displaying how one would train a goat to “target”, or touch an object with its nose. He was making excellent progress with the all-too-willing goat until another goat pushed him out of the way, so he could get a chance to earn the treats.

Mr. Cisneros showing-off the very strong prehensile tail of Baba, a pangolin from equatorial Africa. Pangolins are arboreal, or live in trees, and the tails came in handy when traveling from branch to branch.

Intern William taking notes while Mr. Cisneros explains the fingernail-like scales that are a trademark of pangolins. Both William and the pangolin are mammals.

Clara, the photo team

Genetics at the research arm of the San Diego Zoo strives for the future by working to preserve the biodiversity of every individual creature through the preservation of its DNA for generations to come. The Beckman Center for Conservation Research is where thousands upon thousands of DNA samples of animals are held for the purpose of preservation. This staggering display of biodiversity conservation is not, however, the ideal end.

According to the head of genetics at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, Dr. Oliver Ryder, the main goal of genetics should not be merely to save species, but rather to save species in their habitats. This is particularly true for cheetahs, which are extremely threatened as a species. Due to a genetic bottleneck long ago, the cheetah population became near clones of one another, which has sharply decreased genetic diversity and leaves them extremely susceptible to disease. Consequently, the cheetahs are very fragile members of their communities. It could be said that they are not balanced, which is extremely worrying for geneticists since an extinction of the weak cheetah population would naturally have disastrous results. This genetic balance is what genetics strives to ensure: that every species remains a functioning member of their community.

Even the smallest creature’s removal can have dire effects on an ecosystem, which is why geneticists work so hard to conserve biodiversity as a way of increasing every creature’s chances for survival. At the Institute, conservation of biodiversity is guaranteed through the Frozen Zoo, an impressive tool utilized by conservationists everywhere. The Frozen Zoo is a repository of hundreds upon thousands of DNA samples from animals ranging from the common squirrel to the rare mountain gorilla, and thus priceless in its significance. It is a symbol of biodiversity and the only one of its kind in the world, confirming once again that the research arm of the San Diego Zoo and its geneticists are the future, a future in which every animal has a place.

Liz, Real World Team

During our time with Bob Cisneros, Animal Care Supervisor in the San Diego Zoo Children’s Zoo, we discussed animal behavior and training in one of my favorite locations, the Petting Paddock. Surrounded by screaming children and rambunctious goats, we learned the importance of places like the Children’s Zoo as a source of inspiration for future conservationists, veterinarians, and animal lovers of all kinds. Mr. Cisneros described his own epiphany that led him to work with wildlife: a trip to the Smithsonian as a child and viewing an immense mastodon skeleton. The Petting Paddock is clearly a great opportunity for kids to connect with animals as well as a great location to learn about animal training.

Mr. Cisneros showed us some tools that he and other animal trainers use to teach and train animals in the Zoo. One example would be the “clicker”. The clicker is a device animal trainers use as a bridge to indicate a specific task for the animal. If a keeper wants an animal to come forward at the sound of a command word or hand motion, the keeper will begin by leading the animal through a step-by-step series of actions, clicking when the animal gets it right, meanwhile reinforcing the behavior with treats.

I could relate to Mr. Cisneros’ comment about how we humans have been trained to react to a specific sound, even by our pets. I know that whenever my dog begins to vocalize at the door, this means that she wants me to stop what I’m doing and let her outside. What a great way to see animal training in action, even if it is the other way around!

Alicia, Real World Team

En el zoológico infantil conocimos a Bob Cisneros, el supervisor de este lugar. Nos enseño como entrenar a un animal con un “bridge”, este es una herramienta básica pero esencial para los criadores. Esto es muy útil para hacer su trabajo más fácil en el zoológico infantil pues para que los animales sepan cuando tienen que regresar para ser vistos o meterlos a tener una revisión. Para el Sr. Cisneros su trabajo es crear experiencias únicas, y talvez en uno de los niños que vienen a ver a estos animales este su futuro reemplazo.

Uno de los animales de los cuales puedo decir que me cautivo fue el pangolin (algo que rueda en Malay); su nombre era Baba. Este animal parece un armadillo a simple vista pero no lo es, y también comen hormigas. Su armadura esta hecho de lo mismo que nuestras uñas pero en la punta de su cola esta desprotegido y su piel pare de bebe. Esto es útil ya que el pangolin es un animal que escala árboles. Este animal esta en peligro de extinción y se puede decir que somos afortunados de tener una pareja el zoológico ya que creo que este animal no se encuentra en otro lugar en los Estados Unidos. De este animal se conoce muy poco y se tiene que intentar salvar, este es un gran reto que necesita muchas personas y puedo decir que el Sr. Cisneros es afortunado de poder estar en contacto con este animal.

Con tantos animales especiales y sensibles se necesita una buena comunicación y su herramienta más importante el libro rojo. En este esta toda la información de cualquier cambio diario de todos los animales, esto su dieta, lo que defecaron y su comportamiento. Este libro es leído por los criadores antes de comenzar el día de trabajo. En caso de una informalidad se puede revisar el libro y rastrear cuando comenzó. Para poder hacer este tipo de trabajo uno necesita tener paciencia y buena habilidad para notar cualquier cambio de un animal y el ruido de todos los niños felices de poder estar tocando a los animales.

Si uno quiere trabajar en el Zoológico Infantil, necesita aptitudes y habilidades muy especiales, poder comunicarse y alegrarse cuando ve el rostro de un niño que por primera vez esta en contacto con estos animales que nunca había visto antes.

Our gel electrophoresis eperiment with chimpanzee DNA

Studying genetics makes us realize that humans are really made out of the same components as other animals. At the same time, this field aims at pinpointing the minute differences among individuals and among species. These nuances, the differences in DNA sequences that separate a bird from a fish or you from me, have become useful roadmaps in the path towards the conservation of critically endangered species.

Our exploration of conservation genetics began with Dr. Oliver A. Ryder, the Division Head of genetics at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research. One of the division’s major successes has been in creating a “Frozen Zoo” of epic proportions. For decades, the Zoological Society of San Diego has been collecting and freezing cells from a wide array of animals as they are brought to the Zoo or to the Wild Animal Park, as well as from animals in the wild. The Frozen Zoo has expanded over the years, and now houses genetic information from over 800 species taken from animals all over the world.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of the project for Dr. Ryder and his colleagues is deciding which species merit preservation in the Frozen Zoo. They collaborate with nearly 200 institutions, such as zoos and aquariums, in order to gain access to rare and endangered species. Even geneticists can’t predict the future, making it impossible to determine which species are really likely to become extinct. Dr. Ryder was sure to point out, however, that the Frozen Zoo is not meant to be a Noah’s Ark to repopulate the earth. Instead, it is a tool used by researchers to learn more about the genetics of rare animal species.

Dr. Ryder is collaborating with a consortium of scientists working on sequencing the entire genome of thousands of endangered species. The same methods being used to study human genetic diseases can be used for other animals. For example, California condors are known to have a lethal genetic disorder that kills chicks before maturity called Chondrodystrohpy, and discovering the molecular basis for this recessive allele could significantly improve the condor’s chance of survival.

After leaving the Frozen Zoo, we headed over to the lab to meet with Heidi Davis, a Senior Research Technician in the Genetics Division. We conducted a gel electrophoresis experiment to determine the biological father of a chimpanzee baby. Paternity tests are common at the genetics laboratory, as it is crucial to know the family histories of zoo animals in order to plan breeding programs, and to minimize the effects of inbreeding.

Ms. Davis showed us the machinery used to extract DNA from hair, feces, feathers, and blood, as well as a large apparatus used to sequence these DNA samples. With this technology, Ms. Davis can compare the genetics of different individuals in order to determine relatedness, or identify which species an individual belongs to. She even recently proved that a type of hoofstock long considered to be a single species is really comprised of two separate species! There seems to be something new to discover every single day.

Sara, Careers Team

Esta semana conocimos a Jean Pierre Montagne quien nos explico un poco sobre ecologia animal y monitorear la diversidad de un animal al igual a su comunidad. En esta ocacion seria los otros animal con los cuales interactan y el lugar donde viven. Tambien nos conto que la biodiversidad en un ecosistema puede ayudar a crear un incremento en su calidad. En caso de un incendio, la biodiversidad puede ayudar a tener una recuperacion mas rapida.
El trabajo del Sr. Montagne es monitorear a la biodiversidad del parque. Uno se preguntara como lo hace, bueno pues hay nidos o cubetas como lo quieran ver dando sombra y pues los animales entran y salen cuando quieran. Montagne tiene que ir en todos los nidos a ver si hay un animal y si encuentra uno se fija que numero es y si hay cualquier cambio.
Este tipo de trabajo es mas requerido en california por ser un punto rojo esto significa que hay muchos habitats en un lugar y en San Diego es un lugar clave ya que en carro puedes estar en la costa y despues puedes estar en las montañas o en el desierto. Esto crea una biodiversidad mas alta y se necesita mas personas para monitorear.
Este tipo de trabajo es muy divertido y puedes estar afuera buscando a los animales y en diferencia de un doctorado tal vez se quede con los papeles y computadora en un laboratorio. Esto puede ser lo que uno quiera ser o no, eso significa que hay que saber lo que uno quiera ser y a veces el mejor trabajo no necesitas tantos estudios.
 
William, Careers Team

Blackie eating his yummy bone treat!

Ever wondered what it is like to be an animal in one of San Diego Zoo’s exhibits for the day? We experienced it first hand when senior mammal keeper, Hali Anderson, walked us through the Manchurian brown bear exhibit. Before we entered, Hali called the brown bear named Blackie out of the exhibit and into his bedroom. Once Blackie was separated from us, we went to work to help Hali with the chores she must do every day to take care of Blackie and his home. We helped clean the exhibit by hosing everything down, and we placed a variety of food in all different places for Blackie to sniff out and find.

Providing enrichment for the animals she takes care of is a big part of Ms. Anderson’s job. For Blackie, some daily enrichment might be putting his food in different areas for him to find, placing plants and logs with new scents in his exhibit for him to investigate, and hanging toys for him to play with. A zookeeper must change things around in an exhibit so that an animal does not develop boredom or pacing habits. An animal must have a variety of activities to do like they would in the wild, therefore conserving the way their natural behaviors would be.

Blackie came to the San Diego Zoo from a zoo in Shanghai. He was transferred to a zoo in Tennessee for several years before he came back to San Diego Zoo recently. Ms. Anderson explained that decisions about managing the animal collection are made by the curator of mammals. Sometimes the reasons are because of the Species Survival Plan (SSP). An SSP is developed to manage the population of selected species, most of which are threatened or endangered in the wild. The SSP’s focus is on animals in danger of extinction in the wild, when zoo and wildlife population managers believe captive breeding programs may be their only chance to survive. The brown bear is doing well in the wild so it is not being bred at the zoo. On the other hand, the spectacled bear, native to South America, is being threatened by development in their habitats. Therefore, the SSP has recommended in the past that the San Diego Zoo breed their two spectacled bears, Tommy and Houdini. They had one cub over ten years ago but have not successfully bred since then.

Caitlin, Conservation Team

Jean Pierre Montagne, Senior Research Technician in the Applied Animal Ecology division at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, lead us through an exciting afternoon of field work with native plant and animal species. During our time with Mr. Montagne, we examined traps out in the field used to collect roaming native species ranging from red diamond rattlesnakes to coast horned lizards. These traps, established in a Y shape beneath cactus and brush, are used to collect native species in order to estimate the population size of each native species within the ecosystem. By monitoring these populations, researchers within the Applied Animal Ecology division are able to document the biodiversity found in our local coastal sage scrub ecosystem. But why would documenting the biodiversity be important to the overall health of the ecosystem? Well, studying species and relationships within an ecosystem can reveal the presence of keystone species, species that other organisms depend on. If the keystone species were removed from the environment, then other population would find difficulty surviving. Mr. Montagne researches the difference between conserving a natural habitat like the local chaparral and conserving a single species. This study will help scientists monitor the impact humanity has on our local environment.

Another factor about ecosystem that Mr. Montagne explained is type conversion, when a habitat changes from one to another after a disaster. One prime example of type conversion in our own San Diego County environment is seen in the chaparral areas following the October wildfires of 2007. Various invasive plants such as mustard species have taken the place of natives, creating a completely different environment in local chaparral. It is intriguing to learn how the removal of a species or the occurrence of a natural disaster can alter an ecosystem so heavily. Just think how bizarre it would be to suddenly have to adapt to a brand new environment!

Alicia, Real World team

Keeper Hali Anderson reaches for a fish to feed to a Manchurian brown bear, which the keepers call Blackie. Keeper Anderson explained how keepers use positive reinforcement, in this case a yummy fish (Blackie’s favorite), to shape behaviors that help the keeper care for the animals. Here, Blackie had come into the back bedroom from the exhibit when Keeper Hali called him.

The Interns explore the enclosure in which Blackie spends a majority of his time. Over the years, the enclosure has had many makeovers as more information has been researched about what animals need to keep stimulated and healthy.

We wanted to see what we looked like from the other side of the moat in the brown bear enclosure.

Intern Liz showing off her superior hosing abilities, while helping Keeper Hali clean up Blackie’s Enclosure.

Intern Caitlin poses with the bucket used for organizing food for Blackie. Every day Keeper Hali Anderson hides the food around his enclosure to help keep him active and healthy. On this day she gave us fish, omnivore pellets (in Caitlin’s hand), grapes, yams and Blackie’s least favorite, spinach.

Clara, the photo team