Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

In my opinion, we interns concluded our program days at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park with the best “end-of-term” present ever: we traveled through Asia and Africa, all in the span of a couple of hours! Not literally of course; we traveled unbuckled in the rear of a field keeper’s truck to meet up close and personal the rhinos, giraffes, deer, cattle, and other animals that live in the Park’s Asian and African enclosures. Field keeper Torrey Pillsbury was the tour guide during our visit, while her fellow field keeper, Michelle Gaffney, was our dedicated chauffeur.

As we bumped along, awed in wonder by the zigzagged horns of the addax and the smooth, caramel coat of the Javan banteng clone that we were a mere ten feet away from, Ms. Pillsbury explained to us her role as a caregiver to the hundreds of animals that roam the exhibit. Like a mother who must account for the daily whereabouts of her children, Ms. Pillsbury must note the actions of all the animals under their watch. Like a parent, it is essential for the field keepers to take notice of the health, appetite, and socialization patterns of the animals. But, in addition to those tasks, a lot more often than the human mother, Ms. Pillsbury must mark in their field keepers’ diaries any births or deaths that occur in the giant multi-species herd. And just as any human mother would bring her child to the doctor when he or she isn’t feeling well, so too do the field keepers call for medical assistance when an animal is under the weather.

The animals especially appreciate their “moms” when it’s feeding time. We helped distribute afternoon snacks by serving the rhinos mouthful after mouthful of apples and the giraffes strings of acacia leaves. Serving the majority of these animals is probably even more messy than feeding a child. The rhinos weren’t too much of a trouble to feed. Plopping the red apples in their mouth was more like a basketball shooting game than the monotony of spooning the baby food into the mouth of an infant over and over again. But the giraffes were quite a different story, yet still fun to feed. Their long, busy, and never shy tongues would find food wherever it lay. We had to make sure we held their snack up and out of the truck or else in a blink we would be eye-to-eye with one of the many long-necked creatures that circled the vehicle.

As we exited the field, I thought about all that these seven weeks have treated me to. Not only have I discovered so much about the beauty of animals, as we saw on our mini safari, I have also discovered the wonders of the endless horizon that is science. Thanks Zoo InternQuest- you’re more than I ever imagined!

Andrea, Real World Team

Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

The San Diego Zoo does not just have plants for the beauty, the environment, or the setting of the enclosures at the Zoo. Many of the plants are just as endangered as the animals at the Zoo. Some plants are grown for the benefit of certain animals. For example, the Zoo uses banana trees to grow many things for endangered gorillas. Not only do they give bunches of bananas to the gorillas (as well as many other primates and birds) they also give them the leaves and the trunk. The leaves and trunk provide more tropical atmosphere as well as enrichment. Another example is the siamang, which is another type of endangered ape. In addition to getting bananas, the siamangs are presented with another important plant. The hibiscus! You may think that the hibiscus just gives the Zoo a charming atmosphere but the siamangs know the importance of these yummy flowers. The hibiscus is a colorful flower shrub that is found in tropical regions throughout the world. But it’s also found blossoming around the Zoo grounds and in the food dishes of the siamang. This flower is also a form of enrichment.

Enrichment is an important part of conservation. Enrichment is when keepers provide animals with opportunities to express social, mental, and/or physical stimulation. It is designed to keep the animals healthy, happy, and comfortable. By using food, leaves, and trunks the Zoo can give the animals a better habitat and make them feel like they are in wild. Providing enrichment, like tree trunks for the gorillas, helps the animal feel less stressed. This can result in more animal births at the San Diego Zoo. And more births means a greater chance for survival for these incredible species. In part, thanks to the bananas that grow in the Zoo!

Sarrah, Conservation Team

Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

The field enclosures at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park feature some of the best conditions for breeding animals. The exhibits boast large open spaces, watering holes, and tree-shaded areas that create a very naturalistic environment for some of the world’s most interesting herbivores. This environment gives way to very successful breeding programs at the Park; so successful that the Park has is bursting at the fences in some of its most prolific species. The Park was originally built for breeding purposes so large exhibits were designed to give animal residents plenty of room. One of the first animals to be housed in the enclosures was the rhinoceros.

Currently, the Park has three species of rhinos housed in their series of field enclosures and boasts the largest collection of Indian rhinoceros in North America. The Park is very successful at breeding Indian rhinoceros; 58 rhino calves have been born there to date! It’s a good thing too because all five rhino species are considered endangered. The Park’s Indian rhinos are all part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP), a plan to manage the breeding of captive populations and sometimes their reintroduction to the wild. Simply put, an SSP manager decides who breeds with whom, manages the captive gene pool, creates plans for newborn animals, and occasionally plans the transportation of animals to nature reserves. The Park actually sent two rhinos to a nature reserve in India a few years ago as part of the SSP for Indian rhinos. In these reserves, India employs armed rangers to help protect populations of rhinos from poachers.

These sorts of efforts are very rare because SSPs are mostly to ensure the survival of animals in captive populations, not necessarily to reintroduce them. In order to do this, zoos must cooperate with each other through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and it takes a lot of money and effort to ensure the survival of even a single species. All of this money and effort can make achieving additional goals like reintroduction difficult. Reintroduction can also be limited by other factors. For example, many animals need their own territory and there is not much natural habitat for them left. Also the people in the animal’s region must be willing to protect reintroduced animals. An SSP also provides that, if wild populations went extinct, zoos will still have healthy diverse populations in captivity.

The history of SSPs is marked by numerous success stories. The Arabian oryx is an animal that was once nearly completely wiped out, but healthy populations were later restored because of a dedicated SSP. Numerous animals at both the Park and Zoo are part of an SSP. Even the other black and white rhino species are part of an SSP.

Curtis, Conservation Team

 Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

Let’s go to the Zoo to see the . . . plants? When I think “Zoo,” I do not picture the array of plant species that inhabit the Zoo grounds. Images of exotic animals are what come to mind: orangutans, lions, snakes . . . It seems as if I overlook the vegetation that lines the pathways, which also call the San Diego Zoo home.

Christy Powell, the plant propagator at the Zoo, revealed a whole new green side of the Zoo grounds to us. At the nursery, Mrs. Powell introduced us to a touch-sensitive plant called the Mimosa pudica. What it did was fascinating; its leaves folded inwards less than a second after I gently stroked it and just picking up the plant caused all of its leaves react likewise. Although scientists are not sure of the purpose for this movement, many think it may act as a defense method against predators. Insects with the intent to eat it may be taken aback by its movement and leave the plant alone.

Gaining knowledge about plants is great, but the most overlooked quality about them is that they are attention-loving and require hands-on nurturing. “Thousands,” is Mrs. Powell’s answer to the question, “How many plants have you propagated?” And planting the seed is just one step to producing a healthy plant. Mrs. Powell explained that each type of plant requires unique care. Some plants need to be kept sheltered from the winter rains; others need a humid, wet environment. Some thrive in shady areas. Others do best in abundant sunlight.

Two interns touch the Mimosa Pudica

At the plant nursery, we got a handle on plants, re-potting eucalyptus and acacia trees which were less than a foot tall and skinnier than a pencil, into larger pots. The roots of the baby trees, expanding, need more room to grow, required larger containers. Eventually, when big enough, they will be planted inside of the Zoo or at the browse farm that the Zoological Society operates in north San Diego county, for the sole purpose of feeding the animals at the Zoo and Park.

Getting dirt under my fingernails, and soil on my shirt, the work was grungy, but enjoyable. It’s exciting to think that the very plant you are re-potting will one day be a solid and large tree, part of the landscape of the Zoo. It’s similar to having a garden, whether it consists of roses or vegetables. Getting soil stains on your pants or calluses from pruning your plants is all a part of the labor. But when the yellow roses bloom in spring, or you take a bite of a juicy, succulent Roma tomato, it’s nice to truly enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Celena, Real World Team

Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

Picking up a chunk of apple, I tossed it into the huge awaiting mouth of the rhino standing next to our truck. I watched as he noisily ate it up, making hilarious crunching and smacking noises. As we sat back down, and the truck began to move away from the rhinos, we resumed our busy work of plucking the leaves off of some browse. This was for our next visit. The tall giraffes loomed over us, and then just lowered their heads right into the truck with us. I never knew that giraffes were this bossy! It was mesmerizing to watch their long tongues stretch out towards the leaves we had for them.
For Ms. Torrey Pillsbury and Ms. Michele Gaffney, feeding rhinos and giraffes is an everyday occurrence. As senior keepers at the Wild Animal Park, they take care of the animals out in places like Heart of Africa and Asia Plains. As we continued driving, Ms. Pillsbury told us about some of her daily activities as a keeper. “In the morning, we drive out to our sections, (all of the fields are divided into sections and some keepers are put in charge of each section), and do a head count, to make sure that all the animals can be accounted for. We also check to see if any animals look hurt, or if anyone is getting picked on by the rest of the herd.” Sometimes, this morning check can be quite exciting. In fact, on this morning in particular, the keepers could not find one of the sixteen addaxes when they were doing their head count. Finally, they found the missing animal in a ravine and discovered that she had given birth to number seventeen! “That’s my favorite thing about this job; every day is different. You don’t know what to expect, and you never know what is going to happen.”

Ms. Pillsbury and Ms. Gaffney get to have a number of spectacular experiences as senior keepers. In Ms. Pillsbury’s section, a baby rhino was recently born, and she plays a role in its feeding process. The calf puts away six huge bottles of milk every day! This is not the first time Ms. Pillsbury has been involved in raising a baby rhino. “The most amazing part of my job has to be raising the baby rhinos. Who else can have an experience like this at their office?”

Ms. Pillsbury has been a keeper at the Park for twenty years now. She attended Cal Poly as an undergraduate. “That’s not how I got this job, though,” she explained. Ms. Pillsbury began volunteering and working at the Zoo when she was nineteen. Through years of working her way up the ladder, and by having animal experience, she has reached the coveted job of senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park. Now, however, the Zoological Society of San Diego is stricter about having a degree. Most zoos recommend a bachelor’s degree in a life science if one is considering becoming a zoo keeper. So get studying!

Becky, Careers Team

Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

Have you ever transplanted a tree the size of your middle finger? Christy Powell, a plant propagator at the Zoo, supplied us with some hands on horticulture by helping us do exactly that. Ms. Powell has been employed at the Zoo for seven years and at present works primarily in the green house area. She first became interested in horticulture in high school, where she participated in horticulture contests through FFA. In these competitions she was required to identify different plant species, and after winning the state, she and her team went to compete in the nationals.

Ms. Powell was able to get scholarships in horticulture, which made it easier for her to settle on going to Purdue University in Indiana where she got a master’s degree in agriculture extension and education. She had focused her study and experience on commercial agriculture because of her location in the heartland of America. It was when she applied to work at the Zoo, that she learned that there were professions relating to horticulture at zoos throughout the world. Ms. Powell’s job at the Zoo includes growing plants that will be used as food and enrichment for the animals as well as working with the plant collections throughout the Zoo. She informed us that her favorite part of being a plant propagator is educating people and seeing the new plant seedlings as they are beginning to grow.

Part of a horticulturist’s job is to replant flora into larger containers as they grow and address the needs of specific plants on display in the Zoo, sometimes moving them to different locations in the Zoo. One plant that must be moved yearly is a specific type of orchid that grows in the Zoo. These orchids are relocated to the green house during the winter because they are susceptible to the occasionally chilly winter weather of San Diego.

Most plants do rather well in the southern Californian climate though, allowing the Zoo to grow a wide variety of plants, including many endangered plants from tropical regions. Most people do not realize that, just like animals, some flora are also endangered in the wild. One such plant native to Hawaii is commonly known as cabbage on a stick. This plant that grows on the Hawaiian cliff sides is critically endangered in the wild to the point that only one plant remains. The species is vanishing because their moth pollinator went extinct within the last century, due to human development on the islands. The good news is that people throughout the world can still enjoy this exotic plant as they are easily pollinated by hand, so the species is thriving in captivity but is living on the edge of extinction, and of a volcano, in the wild. Maybe in the future people will replant these unusual flora back in its native environment, in the same way the San Diego Zoo and other conservation organizations release endangered animals back into their natural habitats.

Danielle, Careers Team

Picture large, metal, cylindrical containers inside a passcode and temperature controlled room and you are beginning to visualize the Frozen Zoo at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research. But, the true marvels are the animal body cells, sperm, ova, and embryos that sit within these hefty containers! These are preserved because they may be needed to aid in reproduction of a species in the future. For example, if the gene pool of a group of animals at the Wild Animal Park is too small to continue breeding (i.e. they are all related to each other), then sperm of that species in the Frozen Zoo can be used to fertilize a female in that group. Essentially, by using stored sperm, the genetic diversity is increased. More genetic variability enables a species to better survive.

Intern Andrea is observing Tule elk sperm under the microscope

We applied this judging process to Tule elk (a species native to Northern California) sperm samples in the lab. Under the microscope, we estimated how many were moving and how many were inactive. To determine whether the acrosomes were intact or not, we analyzed our sample using the method of flow cytometry. A machine called a flow cytometer rapidly passed each of our sperm cells in front of a laser. The light-scatter from the cells produced graphical evidence that our sperm sample’s acrosomes were not intact. This lengthy process of counting the sperm and analyzing it is beneficial in the end to determine the sperm’s condition, especially whether it is fit enough to be used for fertilizing an egg. Sometimes, the sperm and egg are fertilized outside of the female animal. After, the cells divide and develop into a blastocyst; this is implanted into the female to grow into a fetus, otherwise known as in vitro fertilization. Ms.Van Dien explained that some women who have trouble with conception can opt for in vitro fertilization. In fact, in vitro was developed first for humans. Now it is used to help animals that have difficulty breeding reproduce.

Despite its seemingly cold and bitter presence, The Frozen Zoo plays an incredibly important role in heating up the gene pool—not literally of course. The growing collection of ova, sperm, and DNA enlarges the gene pool for species to draw from. In a world that often constricts many endangered species, it is nice that the Frozen Zoo acts as a sanctuary for the genes to help them continue to thrive.

Celena, Real World Team