Archive for the ‘Behind the Scenes’ Category

May
16

Problem Solving with Apes

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Chimpanzees,Enrichment,Primates

Chimpanzees and orangutans, two great ape species, can be found at the Houston Zoo. These amazing animals are incredibly intelligent. In the wild, this intelligence is constantly being put to the test as they encounter novel situations on a daily basis. To deal with these novel situations as well as completing everyday tasks, apes have developed keen problem solving skills. They use tools such as branches or rocks to help them obtain difficult food items such as nuts or termites. They build complicated nests out of branches and leaves each night high up in the trees to help keep them safe as they sleep. They use leaves to shelter them from rain or to collect water to drink.

Indah painting on iPad

Great apes that live in zoos such as the orangutans and chimpanzees have a team of dedicated keepers that ensure that their basic necessities such as food, water, and safe shelter are met on a daily basis. However, a zoo keeper’s job also involves ensuring that the animal has the highest quality of life possible. So not only are keepers interested in meeting the animal’s basic needs but also in making sure that the animals are constantly being engaged and stimulated by their environment. This is an especially important challenge when working with great apes due to their intelligence. The devices and activities that keepers use to accomplish this goal are referred to as enrichment as they enrich the lives of the animals.

Apes can quickly figure out many enrichment devices and keepers constantly are faced with the problem of trying to come up with new ideas to capture their interest. The Houston Zoo primate department’s newest solution to this problem is ……. the iPad!

Sally creating a masterpiece with a musical app.

 

Now many of you may wonder, what do the orangutans and chimpanzees do with an iPad? The answer is … they play with apps, of course! The iPad screen is the perfect fit for orangutan and chimpanzee fingers. Its small size makes it very easy to move so keepers can introduce it to the chimpanzees in the training room, to the orangutans at the viewing window or at any of the many rooms found in the animals’ holding area. The quantity and variety of apps available make it easy to keep the device novel and interesting for both the orangutans and the chimpanzees. Stay posted for more updates on this new fun enrichment project with our orangutans and chimpanzees!

 

 

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May
03

Meet the Staff – Kirsten Ufer

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Meet the Staff

When you visit the Zoo, it is very easy to identify a member of our staff. The Houston Zoo employees (and volunteers!) make ourselves as visible as possible so that guests can recognize us. This allows us to be accessible to our wonderful guests, and provide the best experience possible.

What you may not know is that behind the scenes, we have many employees and volunteers who work extremely hard to help the Zoo improve day by day. Recently, I got to sit down with Kirsten Ufer, the Creative Director for the Houston Zoo, and learn all about her incredible work at the Zoo.

 

Kirsten, what the heck does a Creative Director do?

Basically, what I do as Creative Director is to oversee the graphic design and photography departments. We help communicate messages visually – whether it is through designing a logo, a brochure, a sign, etc…  Much like a trained chef has the ability to make food look more appetizing by the way it is presented, we put all the pieces together to make a message more compelling through our design.

 

What’s the most fun part of your job?

The animals! It’s amazing to be right here with the animals and get to design things that pertain to them, as well as conservation efforts. This is definitely a unique setting for anyone!

 

It sounds like you’ve had some interesting projects. Do you have a favorite?

There are so many projects that have been amazing to be a part of, it’s hard to choose just one – so I have narrowed it down to three. ;)

 

1. The first of my favorites is a poster/educational packet that went out to 3rd graders around the Houston Area, dealing with conservation efforts in water and wetland areas.

It was fun to collaborate with both the Education and Conservation departments to create a piece that would go outside of the Zoo to impact children in the greater Houston Area – and teach them how they can be a part of conservation efforts at home.

 

2.  Another favorite project to be a part of was the redesign of the food kiosk in the Children’s Zoo. The kiosk was in very bad shape and was drab and just wasn’t bringing in a lot of sales, so the Zoo wanted to give it a “face-lift.” Since it’s located in the Children’s Zoo, I really wanted to give it a fun-zany “Nickelodeon” feel – and incorporate kids – and make it look like they were having fun and enjoying the food. So fortunately for me, the Zoo was open to incorporating my crazy design – and as a result food sales have increased!

 

3. My third favorite is a new interactive sign for the Sea Lion area. Our department was challenged with the task of creating an interactive sign to explain the impact that pollution has on marine life. One of our very own sea lions, Astro, was greatly affected by marine debris, as he was found entangled in it, leaving a scar where it wrapped around his neck. So the issue is near and dear to us, and an important conservation message for us to get across. So our two designers, Tricia Logston and Megan Conkin, and I collaborated on this design, and Megan put it all together in this beautiful drawing. We are still in the development phases and hope to have the sign complete and installed within the year.

 

What sort of challenges do you face in your department?

Our constant challenge is to make sure we are effectively communicating the Zoo’s message in a fresh, innovative way, while also upholding high standards of past successes.

A challenge for our photographer would be trying to capture a person’s ideas for a photo and being able to capture them in a photograph with the animals who sometimes have their own agenda :) .

 

Would our guests recognize anything that you and your team have worked on around the Zoo?

We have designed everything from the visitor guides and signage to banners and kiosk posters to the kiosks themselves – so the visitors are really inundated with our work from the moment they enter Zoo grounds!

Thanks Kirsten! Stay tuned for more from our amazing staff!

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Dec
10

Meet the Staff: Erica Lemon

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Featured,Meet the Staff

Hometown: Houston, TX

Department/Title & Description: Ranger – Ranger/Guest Services – we help zoo guests and learn about animals

Quote – “It wasn’t worth it if you didn’t work hard for it.  – My mom

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?: I worked two months in Guest Service Relations manning the Dinosaur exhibit and have been with the Rangers six months now

Favorite animal: Jaguars are my favorite but I find all of our animals interesting!

Special interests/hobbies: I work hard and then I like to go home and relax

What made you want to work at a zoo?: I like being around people but I find office work too boring.  Everyday is different and you get to meet lots of different people. 

Education/training: I had law enforcement training in High school.  I am waiting to be certified to get more confident in helping people. 

Advice to anyone wanting to enter the your field:  Do it!  It is a lot of fun.  The heat doesn’t bother me.  So, if you don’t mind working in the rain or shine, apply online!

Something you want people to know about your job: Our team is really strong.  They are very welcoming and make you feel comfortable. 

 

 

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Nov
23

Meet the Staff: Alissa Fuhrman

Posted by in African Forest,Behind the Scenes,Chimpanzees,Featured,Meet the Staff,Wortham World of Primates

Hometown: Livermore, CA

Section: Primates-I mostly work in Chimps right now.

Quote: “If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it.” Willy Wonka

Special interests/hobbies: I’m a member of a Drum and Bugle Corps.  I play the French horn and the Mellophone.  I also have 5 fresh water fish tanks at home.

Favorite animal: Amelia, a De Brazza’s Guenon; she is really cute.  Penda, a Swamp Monkey; she has a great personality.  Kerchak, a Red-capped Mangabey; he can be aggressive and unpredictable but I’ve taught him some fun behaviors that kind of off-set his personality.

Animals you train: Mangabeys, Red-tailed guenons, Swamp Monkeys, De Brazza’s Guenon, Chimpanzees

How long have you been in the animal care field?  I was a volunteer/intern beginning in 1997 at the Charles Paddock Zoo and the Oakland Zoo.  I have been a keeper here at the Houston Zoo since 2001.

What made you want to be a zookeeper? Animals are cool and can be easier to relate to than people sometimes.  In Junior High I wanted to work at Seaworld and work with marine mammals.

What is your previous education/training? I have a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science with a concentration in Zoo and Exotics from California Polytechnic State University.

What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field? Volunteer and be well rounded. You need to know how to work with tools and be creative.  Work on making fun toys for your dog, similar to how we enrich animals here at the zoo.  You should also read “Don’t Shoot the Dog” by Karen Pryor to learn more about animal training.

What is your favorite animal story?
Naku, our Swamp Monkey, loves his pool. He likes to take things from the yard and soak them in the pool.  We decided to put grass sod in the yard for greenery and give them something else to walk on.  The day we put the sod in, Naku decided to take each sheet and drag it to the pool.  80 squares of grass was in the water.  He had fun that day.

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Nov
07

Meet the Staff: Carlos Contreras

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Featured,Meet the Staff

Hometown: Born in Mexico but raised in Houston

Department/Title & Description: Ranger – Provide first aid, provide information about the zoo, and help with lost children.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?: Worked in concessions for the first 4 years at the Houston zoo and have been working for 3 years with the Rangers ever since

Favorite animal: Monkeys and Jonathan the Lion

Special interests/hobbies: Going to the gym and playing with kids

What made you want to work at a zoo?: I love to talk to guests and tell them about our animals

Previous related jobs: Worked in catering at hotels

Education/training: Certified Interpretive Guide and First Aid/CPR trained

Advice to anyone wanting to enter the your field:  Houston Zoo, Inc. is a great company to work for and they are great to their employees.  Get your High school diploma and practice great guest service! 

Something you want people to know about yourself: I’m a really nice guy.  I’ll be here to help you with anything. 

Favorite Story about work or home: I was working in Macaw café and was wearing a decorated hat with animals on it.  A child came by and started banging on the glass and waving at me.  I thought is strange because he kept pointing at his own head.  His teacher explained that he wanted my hat.  I handed over my hat to the kid and it made him so happy that he was running and jumping all around.  It was nice because that made his whole day!

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Oct
28

Meet the Staff: Mollie Coym

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Birds,Featured,Meet the Staff

Hometown: Houston, TX

Department/Title: Senior Bird Keeper

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? About 5 years.

How long have you worked in your field? Over 8 years

Favorite Animals: Blue and Gold Macaw; Attwater’s Prairie Chickens

Do you have any animals at home?: I have a Blue and Gold Macaw named Trinity.

Quote:

“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Special Interests: I like to travel and I’m a 4th degree black belt in martial arts.

What made you want to be a zookeeper?

I had many pets as a kid and always loved animals…basically, it just seemed like a fun job!

Education/Training: I earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Houston in 2002. I’m working on a Master’s from George Mason University in Zoo and Aquarium Leadership.

Previous Jobs: I worked at the Downtown Aquarium for two years and Moody Gardens for one year. I also volunteered at the Houston Zoo for a while.  I came to the Houston Zoo because I really enjoyed working with the great people and animals.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to be a zookeeper?

Volunteer or intern in a department with animals you think you’d like to work with.  This will give you hands on experience and lets you see if it is really something you want to pursue as a career.

What’s your favorite animal story?

One of the bird species I work with is the endangered Attwater’s Prairie Chicken.  This year we received the exciting news that several birds successfully raised and fledged chicks in the wild.  Since the captive breeding program started in the early 1990′s, many of the captive raised birds have been released to the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, Texas City Prairie Preserve, and private land in Goliad, Texas. While many of these birds have made nests, laid eggs, and hatched chicks, this is the first time released birds in the wild have raised and fledged their own young.  This is great news for the captive breeding and release program because it proves that captive raised Attwater’s Prairie Chickens have the ability to be productive in the wild.

 

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May
09

The Houston Zoo is on Univision!

Posted by in Babies,Behind the Scenes,Media,Primates

Something new is afoot.  Every Tuesday at 7 AM, the Houston Zoo is doing a spot on Univision, the city’s premiere spanish-language channel.

A Houston Zoo Keeper in the Univision studio with a snake

Now you can have a little of the Zoo come right into your living room first thing in the morning. Visit with several of our caregivers through the summer, who will bring a different animal to the TV studio every Tuesday morning and talk with the hosts about the species.

Watch at 7 AM every other Tuesday through the summer

Tomorrow, May 10 , catch Keeper Marci, from Natural Encounters, talking about out new baby orangutan Aurora! You should find Univision on Channel 1o on both Comcast and Uverse. If not, please check your local listings.

Little Aurora Orangutan

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May
07

Bird Conservation in Saipan: Turn Your Head and Cough (Giving the Birds a Physical Exam in the Field)

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Bird Conservation in Siapan,Birds,Conservation,Endangered,Series

Each bird that is brought into holding is “processed” – this means we do a quick health assessment of the bird as well as band it and weigh it.  We take the time when we first arrive back at the bird room to give each bird a quick physical exam (by the vet that accompanies us on this trip).  The vet looks at the overall condition of the bird, how much body fat that it has and takes many measurements including: tail length, wing cord length, tarsus length, and bill length.  

Measuring the length of the beak

Taking leg length measurements

Tail length measurement

And finally, a wing length measurement

The vet also takes a small blood sample (by clipping the bird’s toenail) to check for any problems or disease issues and to provide a small blood sample for DNA determination of the bird’s sex. 

This information combined with the incoming weight of the birds gives us a quick snap shot into the overall health of the birds.  After the health check is complete, we assign a leg band number to the bird and place it in its new holding cage with a label indicating the bird’s band number.

Home sweet home, for only a few weeks!

 

But wait! There’s more! Read the rest of the series HERE!

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Apr
27

Did Someone Rub Hamburgers on the Windows?

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Funny,Tropical Bird House

At the Houston Zoo, one of the unique difficulties managing birds in the Tropical Bird House comes from our glass-fronted exhibits.  While they are fantastic for the guest experience, glass is not something birds ‘get’ without a little help from their keepers. 

Every time we introduce a new bird to an exhibit, we soap the exhibit window.  This simply means we go out to the front of the exhibit with a bowl of water, some bars of Dial soap, and we smear the soap over the window until it becomes opaque. 

Keeper Jeremy preparing a window for a bird transfer in the Tropical Bird House.

Guests can still see into the exhibit, and the new birds can learn exactly where that glass is.  After a week or so, we remove the soap. 

A soaped window

This also varies depending on what type of bird we are introducing or moving.  Doves aren’t known for their mental acuity, so any time we move a dove into an exhibit, even if it was just out of the exhibit for a couple days, we soap the windows.  Starlings and corvids, on the other hand, learn the boundaries of their exhibit a little faster. 

I have worked in the Tropical Bird House for about six years now, and although we have signs that explain why the windows are so foggy, I have heard some wonderful explanations from guests for the cloudy windows:

1. ”It’s condensation on the window.”  This is the most common explanation I overhear.  It is very humid in the Bird House, because tropical birds really dig humidity, so this is probably the most valid guess.

2. “Someone rubbed ice cream cones all over the window”. It could happen.

3. “There are better ways to clean a window than that!”  It really would be a labor intensive way to clean windows, but they do sparkle after we remove that soap!

4. “Someone rubbed hamburger grease all over the windows!” This is my favorite, by far.  The bird house is near a concessions area, and I think the aromas imbed into our subconcious, because I often find myself day dreaming of a juicy burger as well. 

Next time you visit the zoo, make sure to stroll through the Tropical Bird House.  If you see a hazy window, you’ll be in the know!

Unfortunately, our exhibits in the bird house are not the only place where birds need a little help from humans to avoid collisions.  Want to make sure your windows are safe for our feathered friends?  Check out this helpful website!

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Apr
07

Maned Wolf Pups: The Great Outdoors

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Carnivores,Dogs

Since our last update Dora and Diego have made the move out of the Clinic to bigger accomodations. Since things are going so well with Taji, we decided to move them down to her barn, next door to the cheetahs. Everything had to be carefully puppy-proofed before they arrived but they have settled in just fine.

The best part about moving down to the barn was the puppies now have an outdoor yard to play in. As usual they were a little shy at first but quickly came around:

And of course, after a long day of playing outside, what could be better than snuggling up with your favorite dog friend?

phew! what a day

 
Check the Daily Update  for times when you can see the puppies and Taji at the zoo!

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