Keeper Notes
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Thursday, March 18
This morning, our golden lion tamarins kicked off what is going to be an exciting season of new arrivals in the Primate Department. Although we were blessed in January with the unexpected arrival of Ziggy, the new Schmidt’s monkey baby, we have several other primate moms that we know are pregnant. Today, first-time parents Robin and Theo gave birth to twins, which is very common with this species of South American monkey. Four-year-old Theo was born at Zoo Atlanta himself, and Robin arrived to become his new partner late last year. Tamarins are sexually mature by 2 years of age and have a gestation of around 128 days. Today’s event would indicate that Robin and Theo began mating shortly after their introduction last fall.
Golden lion tamarins are born with all their fur and their eyes open. Newborns usually weigh about 60 grams. The infants cling tightly to their mom for their first few weeks. After that time, babies stay mostly with the father except during nursing. The adult male (and in larger groups, his adult male offspring) undertakes the lion’s share of infant care. Theo has already been seen trying to take the babies for a ride, but Robin is not quite ready for that yet. When they’re about 5 weeks old, the infants should be demonstrating new curiosity and will be trying to explore things on their own. This could work out perfectly for us, because by the end of April, we plan to start our weekend free-ranging program on the outdoor island. This will enable guests to get an unobstructed view of the whole group! There will be interpreters available to watch over the tamarins and answer any of your questions about why Zoo Atlanta does the free-ranging program.
If you’re coming to the Zoo on one of these beautiful spring days, be sure to drop by the tamarin station in KIDZone and see if you can spot the new babies clinging to one of their parents.
Charles Horton
Curator of Primates
Tuesday, March 16
It’s time for a couple of “engagements” and “weddings” to take place in the gold-breasted starling world. We’ve got Handsome Charles and Demure Diana. (I’m showing my age). They need spouses, but they’re not recommended to breed with each other. So who do we pair them with? Well, we got lucky when we were offered six more birds, all brothers and sisters, three guys and three girls. They come out of quarantine next week, and then we start our Bird Department version of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.” Demure Diana will hopefully fall for one of the three brothers, and Handsome Charles will hopefully fall for one of the three sisters. How do we achieve this? We’ll place them in breeding exhibits at the opposite ends of our new Bird Propagation Center. Then we’ll place the three males alongside Diana and the three females alongside Charles. And then we wait and see. Soon we hope to see Diana batting eyelashes at one of her dates. We’ll watch them for a few more days till we are certain they are “engaged,” and then we’ll move the other two brothers. (Why? Because three hormonal young brothers fighting over one girl isn’t good for harmony.) Meanwhile Charles is hopefully falling for his princess, and her sisters will not be amused. Sooner or later they will have to leave the happy couple and go back to join their brothers. And what happens to the remaining foursome? The dating game will start all over!
James Ballance
Curator of Birds and Program Animals
Thursday, March 11
This has been a relatively quiet week for us—and sometimes that’s ok! The baby indigo snakes that we are raising up for release into the wild are growing like weeds, and gobble down virtually any type of food presented to them; this is the collaborative program with Auburn University and the Alabama and Georgia Departments of Natural Resources. Our staff went afield with our collaborators last week and found a half-dozen indigo snakes. They had some certain help from a specially trained snake-detecting dog! In a new program similar to that for indigo snakes, we met last week with a broad range of collaborators from institutions across the state to develop a plan for endangered bog turtles.Furthermore, Drs.Brad Lock and Sam Rivera from the Zoo are now meeting with another group to develop a similar program for endangered diamondback terrapins. I must say that it is quite gratifying to be invited to contribute to all of the local and regional conservation programs. Our reputation as leaders in international conservation has “come home” so to speak! Meanwhile, in the World of Reptiles, we are very excited to debut a new exhibit featuring our newly acquired, spectacular albino timber rattlesnake. This snake was an incredibly rare find! He has been at the University of Georgia for many years, but the public can now see him for the first time. Come see him, and the rest of our ever-changing exhibits in the World of Reptiles. We can't wait to see you at the Zoo!
Joe Mendelson, PhD
Curator of Herpetology
Tuesday, March 9
Now that we know Mei Lan has settled into her new life in China, it’s time to bid farewell to a few more Zoo babies. The lion cubs, Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi, will be leaving soon for their journey to Puebla, Mexico. Over the past few weeks, we have been preparing them for their trip. We took a quick break from crate-training them to focus on training them for some medical procedures that we needed to accomplish before the trip. Last week, vet staff and keepers were able to collect blood from all the lions and give them vaccinations. This was all done with the lions wide awake and simply snacking on some meat during the procedures. It was an impressive accomplishment in a short period of time and everyone involved, including the lions, should be very proud of themselves. With the blood collection and vaccinations behind them, keepers resumed crate training the lions in earnest by providing the lions with bits of their meat for entering their crates. The training has gone very well.
We’re going to miss all three “cubs,” who now weigh between 320 and 365 pounds! But it’s time for them to begin their lives as adults. And it’s also time for their parents, Kiki and Kamau, to resume their lives together. We have received another breeding recommendation from the Lion Species Survival Plan (SSP) and will be keeping our fingers crossed for more cubs in the future.
Megan Wilson, PhD
Assistant Curator of Mammals
Tuesday, March 2
Today we're going to meet the smallest vertebrate in the Program Animals collection. Bamani is a leopard gecko, whose name means "lizard" in Hindi. Their natural range encompasses rocky, dry grasslands and the desert regions of southern Afghanistan, Pakistan, into India and parts of Iran. Bamani was born November 17, 1999, and is an active animal ambassador for Zoo Atlanta.
Leopard geckos are differentiated from other geckos in that they are one of only a few species that possess eyelids. Leopard geckos also have claws instead of the sticky, adhesive pads we normally associate with geckos. It is surmised that the claws aid them in digging burrows, where they normally spend the daylight hours hidden. These reptiles are crepuscular and nocturnal, and fierce little predators. Their diet in the wild may consist of beetles, centipedes, spiders and even scorpions.
Leopard geckos shed regularly like other reptiles, and often eat their sheds. It is surmised that this is to hide their presence from potential predators. We are VERY careful when we handle Bamani for programs or encounters, as geckos can drop their tail if it is grasped, or if they become frightened (the tail will twitch and distract predators, giving the gecko time to escape). This process is called caudal autotomy and is a normal defense mechanism for many reptiles. They can regenerate the tail, but it will never grow back to its original state. Leopard geckos store fat in their tails for periods when food is scarce, so obviously the tail is important to them!
While Bamani is small, he is definitely a ferocious predator. We regularly feed him crickets, mealworms, and even big superworms! It's pretty amazing to watch this little lizard lunge at a segmented worm that is half as long as itself. So if you're lucky enough to see Bamani on encounter in the Zoo, or in one of our many programs, don't underestimate this little hunter. Appreciate the phenomenal big-cat colouration, notice the eyelids and claws, and be sure to check out the big fat tail. You may also see Bamani in the desert window box at Wieland Wildlife Home during the day.
See you at the Zoo!
Jay Pratte
Lead Keeper, Program Animals
Tuesday, February 16
Recently we received the crates that we will use to transport the three lion cubs, Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi, to their new home at Africam Safari in Puebla, Mexico. Because we’re going to train the boys to their crates before the trip, the first thing we needed to do was figure out where we should place the crates to facilitate training. We currently have one crate secured in their den area, and we’ve removed the doors so that they can easily investigate every inch of it. The first time the cubs had access to the crate, they were very interested in their new piece of furniture. All three of them went in and out of the crate and even climbed on top of it. They continue to get access to the crate on a regular basis. We’ll begin to feed the cubs in the crate (one at a time!) so that going in the crate is even more positive for them. Once they’re ready, we’ll add one set of doors and then the second set, and eventually, we should be able to close them in the crates while they remain calm. Although we can’t train the lion cubs for the entire move to Mexico, we can train them to accept being secured in crates, which will make for a more pleasant and less stressful move for all parties involved.
Megan Wilson, Ph.D.
Assistant Curator of Mammals
Tuesday, February 9
Winter still holds us in its chilly grip, and the combination of low temperatures, wind and rain have caused us to cancel our weekend shows periodically. This is not the end of the world (or the Program Animals Department) for those intrepid members and guests that brave the weather to come and visit their favourite animals. Even if conditions don't favour a show, we still bring some of our more cold-tolerant animal friends out to visit.
The construction on the new Complex Carnivores can also be quite startling for our birds, with machinery, strangers and sudden noises they're not used to. Along with the cooler weather, we're adapting to these conditions to still bring our animal ambassadors out for daily events.
Mandela, everyone's favourite milky eagle owl, will fly up and down the main roadway between the Wildlife Theater and elephants. We attach radio telemetry to his anklets, and he flies between two trainers for food rewards. It's very exciting to see close up. We are also going to train Savannah, our lanner falcon, to do the same thing. Quincy, the Eurasian eagle owl, and our red-tailed hawk, Nate, both do okay in the winter so are often found on encounter around the Zoo on the arm of a staff member or intern. Our chinchillas and rabbits don't mind the cold too much and also come out to meet Zoo visitors. While some folks look forward to the shows, these up-close-and-personal encounters allow us to introduce you to the individual animals, and to teach you more about why they're so special. We encourage you to come out to the Zoo, wander around and spend time in our indoor venues, and then brave the weather to meet some of our animal friends.
Spring will come, and the amazing new carnivore habitats will be finished in coming months. But amidst the tumult, the Program Animals Department and your favourite ambassadors will still be around. Keep an eye out!
Jay Pratte
Lead Keeper, Program Animals
Thursday, February 4
Great news for the Primate Department! Kelly, one of our new keepers, was the first to discover our newborn Schmidt’s guenon when she came into work on the morning of January 15. Primate babies are often born overnight or very early before we arrive. This is the first ever of this species born at Zoo Atlanta. It came as a surprise, since we had no way of verifying that 18-year-old Jill was pregnant, and she was just introduced to her mate Jasiri (J.J.) in April 2009. Jill is an experienced mother and is doing a great job.
This is especially exciting news for the Guenon Species Survival Plan, since J.J. was born in Africa and is considered a founder animal for the gene pool for this species. J.J. was orphaned when he was young and was raised in a sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo; he came to us from the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa last year. There are only 35 of these beautiful monkeys in North American zoos.
Newborn monkeys are capable of grasping their mom’s hair with their hands and feet as she leaps about in the trees. They are very precocious and develop very fast. Within a few short months, they look like miniature adults and rapidly develop their coordination and climbing skills. Come check out the new arrival in the Ford African Rain Forest – the family should be out and about with the baby on days when the temperature is sunny and above 50.
Charles Horton
Curator of Primates
Tuesday, February 2
I know, it’s only just February, but now is the time we in the Bird Department start thinking about the breeding season and making certain we have all the materials, nest platforms, nest boxes, etc., that we are going to need. Now that we have a new off-exhibit Bird Propagation Center, we will many more nest boxes. The more nest site opportunities we provide, the greater the chance of getting a pair of birds to breed.
Amethyst starlings are notoriously picky about their nest sites, and we’re aiming for 10 different nest boxes of different types to tempt them to choose one! Taveta and buffalo weavers don’t use boxes, but we still have to provide suitable places for them to build their stick or grass nests. The branches in their exhibits have to be the right thickness for them to build on, and we have to provide far more nest material than they will ever actually use, just so they can find what they consider appropriate. Last year our Madagascar teal rejected four boxes in a row before finally choosing their site. One box was moved three times, but it was the third site they approved. The first two sites were only a few feet from the third, but they had not been good enough. Third time was the charm. The Argus pheasant surprises us every year with her first egg, laid off a perch. I swear she does it deliberately. “You shoulda given me a nest box!” Well, she gets her box tomorrow. Watch her lay that egg tonight … bless her.
For the first time, we are also going to be putting out nest boxes on grounds for American bluebirds. There are only four places in the Zoo that are likely to attract them, the best being in the Masai Mara exhibit. So look for bluebirds flitting their way through the giraffe and zebra this spring – hopefully they’ll be able to raise a brood or two!
James Ballance
Curator of Birds and Program Animals
Thursday, January 28
This has been a big week for us here in the Department of Herpetology. We welcomed the arrival of 37 baby indigo snakes! Assistant Curator Dr. Brad Lock and Keeper David Brothers have spearheaded our collaborative involvement with a noteworthy conservation project for the endangered indigo snake—the largest snake in North America, and native right here in Georgia. We are working in partnerships with Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, and Auburn University on an ambitious “head-start” program to bolster populations of wild indigo snakes in the Conecuh National Forest.
The program aims to capture gravid females in the wild; hold them until the lay their eggs; and then release the females back into their home territory. The babies are raised for two years on a diet matching that in the wild. After this period, two important things will have been accomplished: 1) the snakes will be large enough to avoid many of their natural predators; and 2) they will be large enough to accommodate a small radio transmitter. The transmitter will allow scientists to study the natural habits of juvenile indigo snakes; this aspect of their natural history has remained a complete mystery to biologists.
Guests won’t be able to see the snakes, however, because it is important that they not become accustomed to the presence of humans, so this is one of our behind-the-scenes research and conservation programs. This is another example of Zoo Atlanta’s firm commitment to conservation of biodiversity, both globally and locally. I am so proud of our department and our Zoo! Please do come visit us soon in the World of Reptiles, where you can marvel at our ambassadors on display representing our other conservation programs, including Asian turtles, the Guatemalan beaded lizard, and amphibians—we can't wait to see you at the Zoo!
Joe Mendelson, PhD
Curator of Herpetology
Tuesday, January 26
Cold, cold, cold … And still more c-o-l-d, cold … This chilly time of year, we’re frequently asked about how we care for our animals during these cold weather months. Besides our giant pandas, red panda Shandy, and the azure-winged magpies, which all seem to revel in the coldest of temperatures, the majority of Zoo Atlanta’s animals are tropical and sub-tropical species and not fans of the cold. So, what about those animals whose natural homelands range from the savannas of Africa to the most dense and humid rainforests of Southeast Asia? Do they go outside in the cold? Do they stay inside? Do they like the cold weather? What happens if and when it snows? How do we keep them toasty warm? These questions seem especially relevant for the Zoo’s largest inhabitants, African elephants Kelly and Tara. In general, they actually fare quite well in the brisk weather, but like all of the animals in our collection, they’re monitored closely and their care follows well-developed guidelines. Having lived in Atlanta for 23 years, our elephants are also well acclimated to the weather patterns. African elephants in the wild are known to face extreme temperature ranges, and their bodies are well designed to absorb heat during the day and dissipate it at night. Their vast surface area of wrinkled skin acts like one giant radiator. Elephants living in the deserts of northeast Namibia often face scorching temperatures that reach 105o during the day and fall to below freezing at night.
So what happens as the mercury plummets south in Atlanta and we swap T-shirts for turtlenecks? The elephants don’t don scarves, but they are provided with deep beds of sand and straw to sleep on, warm water for drinking, warm baths, and massive barn heaters to keep their indoor temperatures averaging a very comfortable 65o. As the outdoor temperatures fall, we also allow them more frequent access to their barn, providing them increased opportunity to choose where they’re most comfortable in response to the weather. On the coldest of nights, we have the ability to manipulate their barn temperature between 50o and 80o, but their behavior tells us that they seem most comfortable when it hovers near the 65o mark. The elephants are rarely locked completely inside their barn, as we reserve that for the coldest of nights and iciest of days. Given their choices, however, Kelly almost always wants to be inside where she can “supervise” barn activities, while Tara happily represents the snowbirds. She frequently takes her bamboo and hay and heads out into the coldest and most snowy days. She’ll return to the barn just long enough to greet Kelly and get a warm drink before grabbing another snack and heading back outside. Of course we’re only too happy to indulge our resident woolly mammoth with her winter needs. And for our own amusement, we’re always happy to build snow elephants and have snowball fights …
Me? I’m ready for summer and the beach, but remember that even on the coldest of days in Atlanta, there’s always something festive going on here at the Zoo. We’re here, the woollies are here, and we’re all waiting to share our winter wonderland with you. Join us!
Adam Stone
Elephant Program Manager
Tuesday, January 19
The Program Animals Department has a very strong internship program. We interview potential candidates that apply through our website or through our Volunteer Department, and based on their qualifications, they may be selected for a 12-week internship in either Wieland Wildlife Home or the Wildlife Theater. We have interns year-round in both areas.
The interns go through a very intensive learning process. Very quickly, they need to learn about daily routine and husbandry, animal behaviour, safety and handling techniques. At the Wildlife Theater the interns can potentially handle raptors and parrots, along with the other birds in the collection. Wieland interns works with mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. There is a lot of work to do in each area, so our interns are diligent workers, and need to be able to function with minimal supervision. Once the basics of animal care have been learned, the specific behaviours inherent to handling each species and animal in their assigned area need to be learned. And handling is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. Snakes and invertebrates can be daunting and invoke natural fear responses, and the birds all have the potential to injure the unwary. So far, our interns have gladly risen to the challenge.
In exchange for their hard work and dedication, we try to provide them with skills that will aid them if they continue to pursue careers in the animal field. We teach them a lot of biology and natural history, as well as increase their abilities to work with and understand a myriad of species. We also introduce them to conservation education and public speaking. Some of our interns have taken on extra projects in each area, including enrichment design, enclosure modification, and even training goals. We appreciate all of their hard work, and some days wonder what we would do without our interns.
We like some of them so much they stay and become keepers (*waves to Mathew and Becca*).
When you next visit Zoo Atlanta, watch for our interns behind the scenes or on stage helping with shows, or on encounter with our animal friends. Let them know you appreciate their dedication as much as we do. And if you're interested in an internship in one of the many areas here at the Zoo, check the website for opportunities.
Jay Pratte
Lead Keeper, Program Animals
Tuesday, January 12
Cold and ice – it’s getting tedious. I’ve been in Atlanta for nine years, and this is the worst cold we’ve had. The flamingos have been indoors for a week, and 75 flamingos together in a small building smells mighty fine. They can’t go out until we can get the pond ice-free. They can actually handle the temperatures, but it’s the ice that we can’t control and we have four inches of it over the pool. That’s a lot of ice and no place to put it! But bashing it into chunks is a great way to stay warm and it’s also rather therapeutic, a tension release.
The ground hornbills hate sub-freezing weather, and because they’ve had to stay indoors, Chris has been filling their building with enrichment, old Christmas trees, a mirror, their favorite giant plastic tractor, and other items to keep their brains busy.
Even the ducks at The Living Treehouse have been indoors. It so happens that the ringed teal and Madagascar teal are both species that like to perch on branches, and it’s still amusing to have your ducks sitting above you as you work. They stay out of the way and no, we have not been “decorated” by them from above as we work in there!
Changing frozen water bowls three times a day is no fun, especially as all the water has to be carried in jugs because the water hydrants aren’t working, and anyway, who wants to take a chance on getting sprayed by a misbehaving hose when it’s 18 degrees. The keepers have all been just wonderful. When the going gets tough you see people at their best (or worst) and the Birds and Program Animals staff have excelled. It’s a joy to work with people who really love what they are doing.
James Balance
Curator of Birds and Program Animals
Thursday, January 7
Wow! Is it ever cold outside these days, or what?! We keep the World of Reptiles nice and toasty warm, for both the animals and our guests, all winter long! And our Komodo dragon and the Aldabra tortoises have their fancy indoor holding areas for winter use. But—wait a minute—what happened to all of those animals in the Wetlands exhibit, down near Outback Station? Well, the truth is they are all still in there all winter long: the alligator, all those turtles, and the adorable bullfrogs. What’s their secret, you ask? The turtles and the frogs are buried in the leaf and mud layer on the bottom of the pond. They can stay underwater (in these kinds of temperatures) for weeks on end, absorbing oxygen through their skin. The alligator, however, has a secret hiding place. If you look down into the exhibit, directly over the front right corner of the viewing deck, you’ll see the half-submerged opening to a big burrow. That’s the alligator’s den that he dug by himself a few winters ago. We can’t determine how deep it is, but it could well be 10 feet or more! He’s down there right now; we haven’t seen him in well over a week. However, on a warm day in mid-winter, you may see him sitting in the mouth of that burrow with just his head exposed. Similarly, the frogs and turtles will emerge to take advantage of an unusually warm day. So don’t count on seeing any animals in the Wetlands exhibit this week; rather, come visit us in the World of Reptiles, where you can see our other alligator, not to mention all the frogs and turtles you could ever imagine! We hope to see you soon!
Joe Mendelson, PhD
Curator of Herpetology
Tuesday, January 5
Happy New Year! Those of you who were here just after the holidays may have noticed some fun seasonal enrichment in action. We recently had access to some interesting enrichment items for the carnivores – Christmas trees! Every year, we receive a number of trees to provide to the animals, and every year, the animals have fun with them. Although Lun Lun and Xi Lan the giant pandas didn’t show much of a reaction to the trees, the African lions were a different story! Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi were particularly fond of this opportunity, and systematically destroyed their tree. Their dad Kamau received his own tree first, but was then given a second one that had previously been given to his boys. I’m sure the mixture of young male lion and evergreen scents was pretty stimulating for him. The boys’ mother, Kiki, was a bit less enthusiastic about her tree. She sniffed it and rubbed on it, but didn’t make a big mess like her sons did.
Even the meerkats even got in on the action – we gave them small branches that had been broken off from a larger tree. They enjoyed digging around the branches and needles in their holding area.
Megan Wilson, PhD
Assistant Curator of Mammals
December 28, 2009
Love the cold weather? Wonder where some of the animals go when the weather turns chilly? Well, if you’re a gopher tortoise, a nice warm burrow is a just a short dig away. Gopher tortoises dig burrows that can be as long as 40 feet and are, on average, about 10 feet beneath the surface. Gopher tortoises are extremely well adapted for digging with their shovel-like front legs. You can find our two digging feverishly in their outside pens in front of the Wieland Wildlife Home during the summer months. But during the winter, you can see them sitting in their tubs, warm and snug, in the windows of the Wieland Wildlife Home.
The burrows that gopher tortoises dig are what make them so important to the environment. In fact they are considered a keystone species. This means that they have a huge impact on the environment and animals around them. Over 360 species have been documented living in gopher tortoise burrows, including the endangered indigo snake, burrowing owls, skunks, foxes, frogs, quail and more! Without those burrows, these animals would not find homes. And during times of natural fires, they would not be able to find shelter. Maybe that’s why the gopher tortoise was declared the Georgia State Reptile in 1989.
Head to the Wieland Wildlife Home, and come check out Fina and Thor, our two gopher tortoises. They can be seen all winter long, along with our other amazing education animals, through the windows all along the building.
Shelley Raynor
Keeper II, Program Animals
Tuesday, December 22
What’s Christmas Day like in the Bird Department? Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day are the only two days when the Zoo is closed, but there are always keepers here to ensure that animals are fed and habitats are checked. There’s a sense of looking forward to being home with family, but also of relaxation. Because keepers are generally great team players, there is an extra sense of support and camaraderie to do what needs doing. To make this happen, many diets that would be done in the morning are prepared on Christmas Eve and stored overnight in refrigerators so they can be distributed more quickly the next morning. For birds that need to be fed twice daily, Monica, Katie or Sprina will hang around to make sure they are cared for. There’s also an opportunity to slow down and wander the Zoo. The ground hornbills are hungry for attention with no guests to entertain. You can hear things that you wouldn’t hear if the Zoo was crowded. And when you do get to go home, the exercise has made you hungrier, the holiday food tastes better, and, let’s face it, spending a half day with your Zoo family really ain’t that much of a burden. Happy holidays from all of us in the Birds and Program Animals Department!
James Ballance
Curator of Birds
From all of us in the Zoo Atlanta family and on behalf of more than 1,000 animals from around the world, happy holidays! Check back next week for more keeper blogs.
Thursday, December 17
Add another celebration to your list of holiday parties! It is Chantek the orangutan’s 32nd birthday! The Primate Department sends each animal under our care a birthday wish when their day arrives, but we thought we could bring Chantek’s birthday front and center since it falls in the time of year when everyone is celebrating what is good in their lives.
Boy, does Chantek bring a lot of joy to our days! Chantek is a wonderful adult male orangutan who resides with Madu, Bernas and little Dumadi. Chantek is like all adult male orangutans – very quiet, lying around a lot (almost rug-like), but can explode into a very impressive display – fast swinging, barrel throwing, and the trademark of adult male displays, the long call. The long call is a vocalization that males use to let other orangutans know they are around, as well as to make sure the orangutan ladies hear him and become “available.” Chantek has a very unique long call – it mostly consists of a low rumble, much like the sound of a motorcycle. The motorcycle sounds revs up to a high pitched vocalization and the finishes with a quiet “purring.”
If you are visiting the Zoo this weekend, join the primate staff on Saturday, December 19 in the Coca-Cola World Studio in the Conservation Action Resource Center (ARC) building at 12:30 p.m. – we will have an awesome slideshow with photos from a professional photographer’s visit to Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Borneo. We will also show a critically acclaimed indie film called GREEN – a very powerful environmental film.
Weather and temperature permitting, we will have Chantek’s birthday celebration on Saturday at Orangutan Habitat 2 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Chantek will receive orangutan friendly gifts while keepers enlighten visitors with orangutan info!
Laura Mayo
Assistant Curator of Primates
Tuesday, December 15
Things in the Carnivore Department are a little bit different these days, now that Kavi, Chelsea and Moby have been transported to their temporary homes in North Carolina and Arkansas. But out of sight does not mean out of mind, and we’ve been getting regular updates about how they are doing. Not surprisingly, Moby was a bit slow to adjust to his new home, being the sensitive guy that he is. I did receive a report, though, that he’s now out and about in his exhibit and interacting with enrichment.
Renovations have begun on the new tiger building, and although we’ve only just begun, it’s exciting to see the project get underway. We’re also receiving regular reports about the sun bears that will head to the Zoo once construction is complete. I visited the bears a couple of months ago to meet them and observe some training sessions. The bears were active and engaging. Oh, and also very cute. The bears have been spending quite a bit of time together and the keepers often observe them playing with each other. We’re looking forward to adding a new species to the collection, but even more excited to form a bond with these two animals.
Although it might seem like we don’t have much to do now that the tiger building is closed for renovations, that’s not true! The meerkats, otters and lions (all six of them!) keep us very busy. Just getting weights on all of the animals on a regular basis can be a time-consuming task. For the most part, the animals are very cooperative, but boys will be boys, and Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi seem to get larger and more energetic every day. Their weights range between 140 and 159 kilograms now, and although we haven’t increased their diets in a while, they continue to gain weight, fill out and turn into real male lions. It won’t be long before they catch up to their dad!
Megan Wilson, Ph.D.
Assistant Curator of Carnivores
Thursday, December 10
Fall is the season of transition, but these days it’s hard to know what season we’re actually in… Winter (we’re closing in on the holidays and the night temperatures are in the 20s.)? Spring (I was wearing short sleeves Wednesday)? Fall (The leaves changed colors and fell from the trees)? Whatever season it is has been a busy one in the Large Mammal Department. We said goodbye to dear friends and welcomed new, witnessed the circle of life, and made plans to expand our domain, both in staff and animals.
Elephants Tara and Kelly continue to build the bonds that cement their tiny herd. Recently, they had the chance to choose the winner of college football’s SEC Championship Game between Alabama and Florida, and both of them picked Alabama. I’d consider that the obvious choice, given that the mascot for the University of Alabama is an African elephant (Roll Tide???). Early in 2010, Kelly and Tara will contribute their mighty brain power to an interesting cognition study looking at mirror self recognition (MSR) and, like several elephants have before them, we hope they will recognize themselves. So far, only humans, chimpanzees, dolphins, and now elephants have shown the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror.
In October, we lost our beloved female bongo Mzima at the amazing age of 19. She was the oldest bongo in an AZA-accredited institution North America and the second oldest in the world. While we mourned her lost presence, we were excited to learn that the Bongo Species Survival Plan (SSP) had designated us to receive a young breeding pair in early 2010. Shortly after that, the Black Rhino SSP recommended that we send our female black rhino Rosie to the Columbus Zoo to breed with their male, and we made plans to bring in a different female, named Andazi, to pair with our male Boma. Round-robin rhinos rule! We also moved our young warthogs up to the Hoofstock Barn, and they’ll be on exhibit in the bongo yard. So, if you were wondering why there are random hay bales in the bongo yard, this is to remind the new tenants that there are cliffs there and not to run over them.
Don’t forget to visit the naked mole rats the next time you’re at the Zoo. The queen is now on exhibit with her 10 adorable – yes, I proclaim, adorable – pups, bringing the colony to 27 individuals. If all goes according to the royal plan, the queen should give birth to another litter in about 90 days.
2010 will also bring an exciting merger of the Carnivore and Large Mammal Departments in to one mighty Mammal Department. Very exciting news!
Happy Holidays!
Adam Stone
Assistant Curator of Large Mammals
Tuesday, December 8
Today we're going to meet Tumbleweed, our black-tailed prairie dog. With the onset of cooler weather, the animals most often seen on encounter are our mammals. Nice layer of fur and all ...
Tumbleweed was born on July 1, 2002. She is an easily recognized animal ambassador, with her quirky movements and flicking namesake tail. When guests meet Tumbleweed out on Zoo grounds or during one of our Amy's Tree or Wildlife Theater shows, she is on a harness with a highly skilled and trained handler. This does not mean she would make a good pet, as cute as she is. She has been desensitized to the presence of the harness, and trained to allow handlers to put it on and remove it. She is housed at Wieland Wildlife Home with a companion prairie dog named Daisy, as these are normally a gregarious colony species that require same-species social interactions. She is also a temperamental rodent with very sharp teeth.
This species is found in the Great Plains of North America, and is a keystone species for the region. When prairie dogs faced near-extinction due to eradication by farmers and ranchers as "pests,” this also contributed directly to the concurrent near-extinction of the famous black-footed ferret, a primary predator of prairie dogs. Prairie dogs live in colonies of numerous individuals, and are active burrowers and foragers, likely best known for engaging in "sentry" behaviour. This consists of standing up, scouting for potential predators, and emitting alarm calls, thus providing time for colony members to scurry down holes to safety in the event of a potential threat.
Here at the Zoo, Tumbleweed fulfills her role as an animal ambassador with charm and frenetic energy. Be sure to come to the Zoo on the weekends over the winter months, and you might be lucky enough to catch her in one of our shows or on an animal encounter. She is also hard at work with some of our education programs, so many of the children in and around at Atlanta get to meet her that way. She never fails to make her keepers, her handlers, and Zoo guests and children smile.
Jay Pratte
Lead Keeper, Program Animals
Tuesday, December 1
The Lead Keeper position is a very important one in an animal department, so what do you do when the incumbent moves on to a great career opportunity at another zoo? You scream, beat your head against a wall, and beg her to stay. It didn’t work! So we lose our beloved Lead Keeper, Sunny, on December 17 and it’s a bizarre feeling. Sunny has been here for 11 years working with the birds. She’s highly skilled and talented and one of the nicest people on Earth. Now, these factors can potentially be found in someone else. The most irreplaceable part of Sunny is her knowledge of our collection, her memory bank. She has history with all the animals; knows their likes and dislikes; can spot a sick bird at the drop of a hat; remembers husbandry details we have tried before, what worked and didn’t work; she knows when not to reinvent the wheel. Sunny understands how the Zoo works, knows how to get what she needs. She knows how long it takes to a do a job, when to put up nest boxes, when we need to start “winterizing” our exhibits, and she can be relied on to act on it. The keepers of the different areas also know this, but Sunny knows the entire collection and has been here longer. These are the things that the most skilled replacement can’t know – you can’t replace the history. And as with every good keeper who leaves the animals and co-workers, we will lose a true friend. We’ll really miss you, Sunny!
James Ballance
Curator of Birds and Program Animals
Tuesday, November 24
Zoo Atlanta welcomes some new guys to the primate section this month. There are three Geoffroy’s tamarins, a male and two females. They are currently in quarantine but we hope to soon introduce them to the Tamarin Station in the KIDZone in the lower Zoo within the next several weeks. They will be sharing an exhibit with the golden lion tamarins over the winter, and our plan is to have the Geoffroy’s tamarins share the sloth habitat during the more seasonably warm months when sloths are out and about.
Robin, a new female golden lion tamarin, arrived in August and has now been introduced to young male Theo, who was born at Zoo Atlanta, and they will become our new breeding pair for that species. They are already currently on exhibit at the Tamarin Station. We are also in the process of putting together a new group of sloths that we hope will be having babies in the coming year.
Our other new primate is not a new species at Zoo Atlanta, but we have obtained another male drill, Lyle, and plan to introduce him to three female drills, Lucy, Drew, and Achi. Zoo Atlanta is one of only three zoos in North America where drills can be seen. They are one of the most endangered of the West African primates due to bushmeat hunting. The North American population numbers only 13, eight of which reside at Zoo Atlanta.
Charles Horton
Curator of Primates
Tuesday, November 17
Meet Jasper. He’s a black vulture that’s a part of the free-flighted bird show at the Wildlife Theater. He was hatched on May 11, 1996, and was brought here as one of the original birds in the Wildlife Theater show. He is extremely social, and he often greets his keepers with a bark or sneeze in the morning. (Vultures don’t have voice boxes so this is the best noise they can make.)
Black vultures are a native species and can be found all over the southeastern United States and South America. They can be seen high in the air circling on warm currents. Black vultures are scavengers, acting as the garbage men of the environment. As such, their role in the environment is crucial. They are not just passive though. They are one of the only vulture species that have been known to actively hunt as well as scavenge for food.
Jasper is wary of new things and has been having a hard time flying in shows over the past year because of all the changes and improvements in the Wildlife Theater. Due to the dedication and consistent training of his keepers, on Sunday he made his first flight in almost a year! You can come catch him in action during the shows at the Wildlife Theater on Saturday or Sunday at 11 a.m.
Shelley Raynor
Keeper II, Program Animals
Thursday, November 12
Who is Shim? (Why do the keepers have to give the birds names? I can never remember them, sigh.) Shim is our brand new male Lady Amherst pheasant, a stunning lad, one of the true beauties of the bird kingdom.
Lady Amherst pheasants are from China, and the males are stunningly beautiful. On a Tuesday in August, we agreed that this was a species we needed to add to the collection. They are completely cold-hardy and need no extra protection in winter beyond wind and rain shelter, plus they would add bird interest at ground level in an aviary. So who should we contact about finding a pair?
The very next day, Wednesday, we got a call from a gentleman saying a strange bird was wandering around an office park in western Atlanta. It had been there for several months where it was being fed by workers on a regular basis. He was doing well but was a rather obvious victim of stray dogs, foxes, etc. So the workers managed to trap him and then called the Zoo asking for help. “We’ve got a bird, we think it’s an Amherst pheasant, can we bring it to you?”
“Are you sure it’s an Amherst?” In my brain I’m thinking, “Yeah, right, it’ll be some sort of pretty chicken.” Most of the bird calls I receive at the Zoo are misidentified and no way could this be an Amherst. So we agreed they could bring this bird to the Zoo and, stone me dead, I was wrong again! Spooky! Just 24 hours after we had decided to acquire this species, this lovely lad was here, went straight into quarantine, and now Shim is in a habitat near KIDZone across from the milky eagle owls. We haven’t got a girl yet but we’re looking, and hopefully by spring … Meanwhile, check out Shim!
James Ballance
Curator of Birds and Program Animals
Thursday, November 5
We are celebrating a gorgeous new exhibit for pancake tortoises, a project that was led by Keeper II Jason Brock. We also can announce the hatching of a whopping SEVEN Pan’s box turtles, under the diligent care of Keeper Luke Wyrwich. Keeper Ed Kabay is in the middle of a complete redesign of our exhibit for Panamanian golden frogs, in anticipation of an upcoming breeding season. Pan’s box turtles and the Panamanian golden frog are among the world’s most endangered turtles and frogs, respectively. Keeper David Brothers and Assistant Curator Dr. Brad Lock leave on Monday for field work and professional consultations with our colleagues in Guatemala. As for me, I’m holding down the fort right now and proudly watching all of the remarkable productivity in the various programs in our department. I am really proud of our staff! Please do come visit us soon, and enjoy our new exhibits— we can't wait to see you at the Zoo!
Joe Mendelson, PhD
Curator of Herpetology
Tuesday, November 3
The meat-eating carnivores in our department enjoyed a fun and festive Halloween. The animals received a variety of enrichment items for the holiday, including pumpkins and homemade scarecrows. For the lions and tigers, their scarecrows were life-sized. Keepers used old Zoo uniforms stuffed with hay for the bodies, and even painted faces on paper bags to complete the look. The meerkats, however, received more appropriately-sized scarecrows using baby clothes for the outfits! The animals displayed a wide range of reactions to the scarecrows, from knocking them over to using the body of the scarecrow for a pillow. Sometimes it’s tough to predict how each animal will react to an enrichment item, but it was nice to see the animals interact with the items in some way after all of the keepers’ efforts.
On October 22, before all of the Halloween festivities began, clouded leopard Moby made his journey to Little Rock Zoo, where he will stay during the tiger building renovations. Just like with Sumatran tigers Kavi and Chelsea, we allowed Moby to become acclimated to his crate prior to the trip. During his training, Moby became so comfortable in the crate that I was able to close the door behind him and he remained calm. So, it was no surprise that the day of the move he readily entered his crate for some meatballs and was quickly on his way.
I’ve been in contact with colleagues at both North Carolina Zoological Park and Little Rock Zoo, and they report that all of the cats are doing great. Everyone is eating well and adjusting to their temporary homes. It will be a while before the building will be ready for them, but rest assured that Kavi, Chelsea and Moby are being well-cared for while they are away.
Megan Wilson, Ph.D.
Assistant Curator of Carnivores
Tuesday, October 27
The roaches have landed!
OK, ours can't fly (wingless!), so they didn't technically land. But the Program Animals Department has seven new members in the collection. We have four male and three female Madagascar hissing cockroaches that will be part of the Zoo's education programs, as well as our various shows and animal encounters.
These large insects can grow up to three inches long, and have been recorded to live for as long as five years in the wild. They are primarily herbivorous, and, like most cockroaches, fill a vital role in the environment by feeding on and breaking down decaying organic matter. This is an essential facet of any ecosystem's life cycle. The hissing noise that they make is very unique for insects. Most bugs that produce sound do so by manipulating their own body parts, such as crickets that rub their hind legs together to "sing.” These giant roaches actually exhale air through their breathing holes, the same way we push air past our larynx to produce speech. This cockroach species also produces live young at birth. The females carry an egg sac within their abdomens that hatches internally into nymphs, which the female then gives "birth" to.
Out of all the amazing animals in our collection, these little creatures have ignited a great degree of passion on far ends of the spectrum. For those people that like insects and learning about them, they are excited to handle the cockroaches, and to take them on encounters and programs to teach Zoo guests about what makes them amazing. For our handlers that find insects (or cockroaches in particular) aversive, training to work with them has been a learning experience. Interestingly enough, 99 percent of the cockroach species in the world are not "pests" to humans and live out in the environment and nature, never entering a human home. But as humans have had to deal with insects and other species as pests in their domiciles, all cockroaches have acquired a rather negative public image.
Are they creepy? Well, maybe a little. But they're also very amazing, and very cool. We encourage you to come and meet these amazing insects, and see how different they are from the ones you don't want in your home. They are special creatures, with their own role to fulfill in the world. We hope you can see them in the same light we have learned to!
Jay Pratte
Lead Keeper, Program Animals
Thursday, October 22
Well, fall weather is upon us and the transition from “animals outside” to “animals inside” is complete. This is typically a rather quiet time for the animals—but certainly not for the staff. Wow, are we busy these days. Let me see if I can give a sense of what we’ve been doing.
Among the keepers, Jason Brock is busy putting the finishing touches on a masterful new exhibit for pancake tortoises; keeping a close eye on our ever-burgeoning collection of venomous snakes; and carefully taking measurements on museum specimens of what appears to be a newly discovered species of chameleon from Cameroon, Africa! David Brothers is re-doing the pine snake exhibit and practicing his Spanish for his upcoming trip with Assistant Curator Dr. Brad Lock to join our colleagues in Guatemala on a variety of lizard conservation projects, most notably the Guatemalan beaded lizard. Ed Kabay is very busy raising up hundreds of tiny evergreen toads (the first ever bred in captivity!) and looking forward to expanding his career into graduate school. Luke Weyrich really led the parade to transfer many dozens of turtles and beaded lizards from outdoor holding to their indoor winter quarters. He worked hard on this and deserves kudos for our best set-up ever for winter holding.
Assistant Curator of Herpetology Dr. Brad Lock is so busy he makes my head spin. Last week, he visited colleagues at the University of Georgia Veterinary School to work toward characterizing what appears to be a new type of virus found in some unfortunate tortoises that were confiscated from an illegal smuggling operation. This week, he joined colleagues and stakeholders to begin mapping out a new comprehensive plan to conserve the endangered native indigo snake; Zoo Atlanta will have a big role in that program. And then he’s off to Guatemala to work with our partners at Zootropic, a Guatemalan conservation organization, on the ongoing programs in that country. Meanwhile, I’m off to Panama to co-teach a course on amphibian biology and husbandry for the staff of a newly-launched Panamanian amphibian conservation facility established by our good colleagues at Houston Zoo and Smithsonian’s National Zoo.
So as the weather chills down, we may seem calm and quiet on the exterior – like the animals in our department – but be sure that we are as busy as ever! Come visit us soon in the World of Reptiles, as we do look forward to seeing you again.
Joe Mendelson, PhD
Curator of Herpetology
Tuesday, October 20
Have you seen the new aviaries in The Anatomy of Flight? We love them! We now have four new bird habitats across from the elephant building, and they look great. The end aviaries house the lappet-faced vultures and the southern ground hornbills, and the two central exhibits are covered aviaries.
The vulture habitat was designed for a breeding pair with an attached building where the birds can nest. Right now we have two brothers, but next spring we hope to be able to send out one male and bring in a female. The most unusual part of the habitat is the fiberglass zebra “carcass,” which is intended to represent the reality of life for an African vulture. A few guests had questions about it initially, but we now have a new sign explaining the “zebra,” and kids think it’s cool!
The ground hornbills are once again in a habitat with a glass viewing panel where they can flaunt their food to kids from just a few inches away. They love their new space and parade up and down for much of each day. Zazu and Gumby are a huge hit as always and are generally considered the most popular birds in the zoo!
The central aviaries are largely housing young birds we have bred here while we work to bring in more permanent residents. Two of these new residents are the young kori bustards that we hatched from eggs brought in from the National Zoo. By early November they will have outgrown these aviaries, so come see them soon. They are ridiculously cute and look like miniature adults already. Working in the exhibit with them is like trying to work around a couple of puppies.
Come see the aviaries and look for some new species to be living there by next spring!
James Ballance
Curator of Birds
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| Bon Voyage Tom and Lisa! |
Thursday, October 15
This year fall and winter are gearing up to be very busy times for the Large Mammal Department. First, our 2-year-old male red kangaroo Tweed will be heading west to the Birmingham Zoo to join their mob. But don’t worry – there will still be plenty going on in the kangaroo yard here, as his mom Uluru already has another joey in her pouch. There’s no way to tell at this point when he or she will start making an appearance (poking a head, leg or foot out), but the keepers assure me it will most likely be in the next couple weeks.
Across the Zoo, our young parent-reared warthogs, Lenny and Squiggy, will be heading north to Zoo Boise in Idaho. The boys will spend the next few years as a bachelor group. Training the boys to separate from mom and dad and each other and then step into a crate will be a great challenge for the keepers. This preparation is essential to making sure the animals are comfortable and able to easily cope with the transfer to their new digs. Don’t worry, though – Vern and Shirley are already doing everything possible to ensure we have piglets next year!
In the midst of all the animal transfers, I will also be leaving Zoo Atlanta to accept a position as Director of Animal Programs at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, S.D. I will greatly miss all of the wonderful animals and people that are here.
Lisa Smith
Curator
