Posts Tagged ‘Behind the Scenes’

Sep
21

Animal Enrichment: A Komodo and his Egg

Posted by in Enrichment,Events,Reptiles

Animal keepers at the Houston Zoo are constantly thinking of new ways to enrich the lives of the animals in their care.  Reptiles and birds often lay infertile eggs whether they have mated or not.  The Zoo’s two female ostriches frequently lay infertile eggs, we don’t have any male ostriches…….so, in the spirit of “reduce, reuse, recycle”, we find an interesting use for these eggs.  No, we don’t make giant omelettes!!  Sometimes we give one to our awesome Komodo dragon “Smaug”.  Dragons are meat eaters but they like eggs also.  As you can see below the egg is too big for him to swallow whole and this presents a challenge. 

The egg rolls away from him and he has to pin it against something and bite it to crack it.  Of course all the yolk runs out and he tries to suck it up and usually eats some or all of the shell.  Smaug doesn’t wind up getting to eat much of it but it gets him excited and keeps him busy for a while! Take a look.


We strive to continually come up with things to keep our animals busy and to elicit natural behaviors.  This is just one of the many fun aspects of taking care of the animals we love.

Written by Judith Bryja.

Enrichment Day at the Houston Zoo is Saturday, September 24th.  This is a great opportunity to come and join in the fun.  Come out and see all of the animals enjoying special enrichment, hear keeper chats and loads of  fun games for kids of all ages!  Enrichment Day celebrates the meaning and joy of enriching our animals and visitors!

Find your favorite animals and see what they’re wishing for at Amazon.com. Then just sit back, shop, click and send your animal of choice a wonderful gift to enrich their life!  They really do appreciate it and so does the Houston Zoo!

 

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Sep
14

Chimp Enrichment: Blankets,Termite Mounds and Painting! Oh My!!!

Posted by in Chimpanzees,Enrichment,Events

If you have visited the chimps in the African Forest at the Houston Zoo, chances are you’ve seen them toting around blankets or resting with them in the hammocks.  “Why in the world would a chimpanzee have a blanket?” you may be wondering.  Well, because they like them, that’s why!  Our chimps grew up having blankets to sleep with and to play with, and this affinity has carried over into adulthood.  Blankets are comfy, they smell nice (the keepers launder them regularly), they keep you warm in winter and sometimes, they have treats hidden inside them.  Who doesn’t enjoy a blankie?

Annie (on the ground) and Sally (in the hammock) enjoy their blankets

Sometimes, just to make it interesting, the keepers hide food in a folded blanket, or spread food out on it for a picnic.  A dash of perfume or essential oils makes it even more intriguing.

Blankets are just one of the many types of enrichment we use to keep the chimps engaged and to encourage the expression of  natual behaviors.  “What kind of ‘natural’ behavior can a blanket encourage?”, you are asking yourself.  Chimpanzees, as well as other apes, are nest-builders.  Meaning that whenever and wherever they rest, they will build a “nest” for themselves out of whatever materials are at hand.  In the wild this may be leaves, branches, grasses or even entire small tree limbs.  Often these nests are high in trees to avoid predators.  They rarely use the same nest twice and, except for infants, each chimp makes his or her own nest.  Can you think of a better material for making a nest than a blanket?  Me neither.

 “So what other types of enrichment do the chimps get?”, you are now asking.  You certainly are full of questions today!  Well, since this is one of my favorite subjects, I’ll tell you.

One of the most remarkable discoveries in the field of animal behavior was the observation in 1960 that wild chimpanzees make and use tools.  Previously, it was thought that only human beings were capable of this.  There are many ways in which chimps use tools, but one of the most well-known is using grass stems or sticks to “fish” for termites.  (Click this link for more info on termite fishing.)  Our chimps are not used to eating termites, but they do love a sweet snack, so we load our termite mound replica with semi-liquid food that might be sweet one day, or savory the next.  We try to keep it interesting and different each day.  The only way the chimps can reach their treat is to fish for it using whatever they can find, usually bamboo sticks.  This built-in innovative enrichment device never fails to captivate chimpanzees and guests alike.

Above you can see the chimps using the termite mound replica (clockwise from the top: Mac, Lulu, Willie, Riley and Annie). Guests can see, through the window on their side, what the chimps are fishing for inside the mound.

Being intelligent and curious, chimps love to investigate and manipulate objects.  They especially love cardboard and paper that can be torn up and rearranged to their liking. Cardboard boxes can hide food or treats and then be used for nesting when the food is gone.  Big ones like refrigerator boxes make great forts. (I bet you’ve done this, too, haven’t you?) This type of enrichment is usually reserved for the off-exhibit holding area as it can create quite a mess.

Not all enrichment has to encourage “wild” behaviors; Sometimes it is just something the animal finds interesting and fun. For great apes especially, one such behavior is painting.  Keepers generally hold the canvas with paint on it and hand the animal a paintbrush. Participation in this activity is completely voluntary, but we find the chimps rarely turn down the opportunity to smear the paint around on the canvas… and then eat some of it.  Don’t worry, it’s all non-toxic.  And apparently delicious, though I have not tried it myself.

Charlie working on his masterpiece. And having a paint snack. Bonus!

 For chimps, though, the ultimate enrichment is other chimps.  By nature chimpanzees are gregarious and have incredibly complex social lives.  Daily, they must negotiate their relationships with each other: cementing friendships and alliances, squabbling over food or toys, resolving conflicts and angling for a higher position on the social ladder.  Our group of five males and five females are incredibly interesting to watch and learn about.  They may just be a great source of enrichment for you!

Written by Judy McAuliffe
All photos by Ron Santos

Enrichment Day at the Houston Zoo is Saturday, September 24th.  This is a great opportunity to come and join in the fun.  Come out and see all of the animals enjoying special enrichment, hear keeper chats and loads of  fun games for kids of all ages!  Enrichment Day celebrates the meaning and joy of enriching our animals and visitors!

Find your favorite animals and see what they’re wishing for at Amazon.com. Then just sit back, shop, click and send your animal of choice a wonderful gift to enrich their life!  They really do appreciate it and so does the Houston Zoo!

 

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Mar
18

Witnessing the Birth of a Giraffe at the Houston Zoo

Posted by in African Forest,Babies,Behind the Scenes,Featured,Giraffes,Hoofed Stock

I had the honor of capturing baby giraffe Asali’s birth on film last week for the Houston Zoo’s YouTube Channel. On a busy Friday afternoon in the spring sunshine, Tyra the giraffe began giving birth in the middle of the field in full view of an increasingly large crowd of public. Not long after I arrived, out of breath, having racewalked across the zoo with camera in hand, the keeper staff decided Tyra might appreciate a little privacy. They opened up the gate to the back and waved a green plastic buoy atop a tall bamboo pole. The giraffes notice this as a “come over here if you like” signal. Tyra thought this was a great idea and moseyed into the private back yard, followed by moans of many disappointed guests. For those of you who thought you might have missed the birth, here it is in high definition:

Myself and a few other chosen staff were allowed to follow keepers and vets behind the scenes. It’s not safe to stand in the yard with the giraffes – although they’re completely gentle, there’s always a risk of one accidentally crushing your foot with a misplaced hoof – so we watched and I filmed from behind a wall. Tyra slowly paced around the yard, looking around and gazing at us with her big dark eyes as if to reassure us that she had this completely under control. She stopped periodically for contractions, and would often point her back end at us the contractions came – she knew what we were there to monitor.

We watched and I filmed as giraffe Asali was born

As we watched the baby’s nose, tongue, and then the entire head emerged. Unlike a human birth, the head is not the first to come out, but only after the front feet have appeared. After a brief delay the shoulders came after, and then it was just a minute more before the whole baby came sliding out. Since giraffe moms give birth standing up, it’s a rude awakening into life as baby falls to the ground.

The most remarkable thing about the whole process was how silent it was. There were no outcries of pain, beeps of fetal monitors or hurried bustle of nursing staff around a maternity ward.  Zoo veterinarians kept a vigilant eye, ready for any intervention needed, and we all waited holding our breath while Tyra calmly and quietly brought Asali into the world.

 

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Sep
04

Meerkat Mob’s Keepers

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Keepers,Mammals,Meerkats,Natural Encounters,Zoo Births

The meerkats kits are continuing to display exceptional cuteness and are ranging farther and farther around their exhibit.  The whole group is together now which has all of the staff breathing a huge sigh of relief.  Alpha female, Chafu, was introduced to them early this morning and she accepted them without any apparent hesitation. 

That moment at first light when we opened the door and let the entire mob onto the exhibit was both nerve racking and exhilirating.  Fortunately, it went exactly as we had hoped it would!  All of the work leading up to that moment, however, took place behind the scenes from a dedicated group of keepers.  They kept pages of notes, took many pictures and rotated individuals in with mom and kits multiple times each day.  The following video lets Paul, Priscilla and Jose  tell you the story of all the work in their own words.  And it delivers plenty of the cuteness you expect from our meerkat kits!

If you stop by the meerkat yard in the next few weeks you are likely to see Paul, Priscilla and Jose keeping a watch on the social structure of the group just to make sure things proceed as we expect.  They love showing off the kits and talking with guests about the animals in their care.  Say hi and let them know what a great job they’re doing!

And thanks to Jeremy Stewart, our videographer extrodinaire, for putting together this video for us to share with you.

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Sep
04

Meet the Staff: Tammy Buhrmester

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

Tammy in front of our Orangutan exhibit

Tammy in front of our Orangutan exhibit

Tammy Buhrmester
Hometown: Watseka, Illinois
Section: Zookeeper/Primates
Quote: “All social change comes from the passion of individuals.”

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? 

I have worked at the Houston Zoo since September 2002.  I will be celebrating my 8th anniversary this year.
Special Interests/ Hobbies: Cooking, baking, traveling, and reading.

Favorite Animal:  I can’t say that I have a favorite animal.  I am interested in all types of species.  If I had to pick the animal I enjoy to work with the most within my department, it would be the orangutans and babirusa.    

What is your education, training, and previous institution(s) you attended before coming to the Houston Zoo? 

I attended Southern Illinois University and received a B.S. in Zoology.  While attending college, I worked as a veterinary technician and volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary.  I also spent a semester working at the Vivarium research lab and I participated in a 12-week internship at Brookfield Zoo’s Tropic World primate habitat.

What made you want to become a zookeeper?

I was very fortunate to have parents that appreciated nature and animals.  I connected with animals at the age of 8, participating in 4-H Club activities and showing rabbits, goats, horses, and hogs.  I had the wonderful opportunity to visit many zoos in my childhood.

How would you describe your job duties? 

I would describe my job duties as physical but rewarding.  I spend my time in the morning cleaning exhibits and the night house where the primates stay when they are not on exhibit.  I spend the afternoon training them for husbandry procedures, painting for enrichment, writing information about their day for their records, feeding all the animals that I am responsible for, making fun snacks for them (popsicles), participating in meetings, walking around and talking to zoo guests about the primates in our collection and preparing their night houses for them to come into at the end of the day.

What is a typical day like working in the primates? 

 There is no typical day in primates.  I have the opportunity to work with different species of Primates everyday.  Each animal have different needs, diets, and personalities. 

What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field?

I would advise anyone interested in the zoo field to get involved as soon as they can.  You can start by coming to zoo camp and seeing what the zoo is all about.  Volunteering is one of the best ways to get experience.  I would recommend any volunteer to be prepared to sweat, get dirty, and handle things that you normally would not be exposed to.  When entering the zoo field, be prepared to start in a department that may not be your first choice – getting your foot in the door is the best way to get to your dream job.

Something you want people to know about yourself or your position at the zoo: I served as co-coordinator for the Houston Zoo’s Pongos Helping Pongos orangutan conservation project.  The auction of paintings created by the Zoo’s orangutans, other primates and elephants has raised more than $150,000 for orangutan and elephant conservation in Indonesia. 

Interesting Facts: I have taken care of three generations of orangutans in two zoos.  I am one of the few people that have seen and taken a picture of a wild Cape Pangolin in Kenya.  They are not normally observed in the wild because they sleep during the day and move at night.

What is your favorite animal story? 

One of my favorite animal stories would entail the wonderful addition of our first baby Babirusa.  When Remley came to us she was less than a year old.  She was adorable and won the hearts of everyone on their first glance of her.  She joined our older male Babirusa at that time.  They became pals and she looked up to him for knowledge and how to act like a pig.  Unfortunately, he passed soon after she came and we had to wait over one year for a new companion for her.  Jambi came to us in December 2007 and it was love at first sight for these two cute pigs and five months later we had a bouncing baby girl named Hadiah.  Hadiah was born in May 2008 and she came into this world weighing less than a pound.  Just like her mother she was admired by all from the first glance of her tiny little body.  I had the honor of watching her grow, discover the world, play with her mom, taking her first swim while mom watched very cautiously and becoming a fine young lady.  I was lucky to accompany her to San Antonio this past April and I hear every so often that she is doing great.  We will hopefully get news one day that she will be a mother.

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Sep
02

Raven’s name!

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Birds,Natural Encounters

At long last we have bestowed upon our Lady Raven a name.  There was much debate and deliberation over what would fit this bird.  Several people suggested Lenore and it was definitely hard to resist this one, but since Poe’s Lenore came to a mysterious and untimely end, we thought perhaps we wouldn’t invite fate along on this quest for a name.  If you are following along with the comments, you might have seen Kara suggest the name ”Quoth” so when we introduced her during a presentation we could say “This is Quoth…the raven”.  Zoo Keeper’s tend to have a quirky sense of humor so this was a  front runner for a long time, but when we call her to us from a distance, it’s difficult to say “Here Quoth”.  So back to the drawing board.

We are enjoying working with her immensely, but she definitely keeps us on our toes!  She can be soliciting a scratch or a play session one second and then clacking her beak at you and attempting to abscond with your treat container the next.  She definitely has her own ideas about what she wants to do and how a training session should progress, and although we shied away from Lenore, we thought an obscure Poe reference could be in order.

So all the factors; her flight was delayed because of a storm, she changes moods on a dime, Poe reference….hmmmm…

Finally we hit on the perfect name!

We’d like to introduce Tempest the Raven!

 

 

Natural Encounters Keeper Amelia plays a game of tug-of-war with Tempest as Supervisor Amanda watches the fun.

We hope you like our choice and we are looking forward to blogging about all our adventures training with and being educated by Tempest.  She is learning so fast we can hardly keep up and we hope to have her public debut in the next few months.

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Aug
21

Meet the Staff: Kaitlin McDonald

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Children's Zoo,Featured,Meet the Staff

Kaitlin, a 2010 Zoo Crew member!

Name: Kaitlin McDonald
Hometown: Houston, TX
Age: 16
Section: CZ ZooCrew
Favorite Animal: Otters  

Special Interests/Hobbies: I like to read, hang out with friends, and watch movies. My favorite movie is Funny Face with Audrey Hepburn! I am also involved with volunteering with Fort Bend Teen Service League as president-elect and with Students against Destructive Decisions (SADD) as co-president.  

 What animals do you have at home?: I have two cats, Furby and Furry.  

Education/Training: I’m in High School and going to be a junior where I’ll graduate in 2012.  

Jobs: Last year I was a Zoo Crew member for the commissary. I also worked at  kids’ camp called Camp Invention.  

What do you want to do in the future?
I’m not really sure, although I definitely want to go to college!  

Why did you choose to be a Zoo Crew member for the CZ this year?
I love animals, and it seemed like a fun thing to do during the summer!  

What is it like to be a Zoo Crew member here at the Houston Zoo?
It depends on the area – In an animal section, you take care of the animals. In education, there is a lot more public interaction and teaching.  

At the Children's Zoo, Kaitlin designed and presented her own animal show!

What advice do you have for people wanting to become a Zoo Crew member?
Be prepared to work hard, but you get to see a lot of neat things!  

What is your favorite animal story?
One day in the Children’s Zoo, I got to watch Ariel (our North American River Otter) paint! It was so neat to watch Ariel step into the paint and then step on the canvas. She was also soaking wet, so it made it  very interesting painting. I absolutely love the painting, and I am definitely hanging it up on my wall in my bedroom!To learn more about becoming a Zoo Crew member here at the Houston Zoo, visit our Teen Volunteer page!

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Aug
17

Encounter Our Green Aracari

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Birds,Natural Encounters

Natural Encounters Keeper Priscilla is clearly on Pico's "Friends" list

Our members and frequent guests would probably describe Natural Encounters as a place where you can see many species from many habitats all in one place.  We specialize in mixed species exhibits and in bringing our animals out onto the public floor for, well, encounters.  One of our popular birds that you might see in either the indoor or the outdoor rain forest exhibits is Pico, our collard aracari (ahr-uh-SAHR-ee).  He’s quite the charmer with his fancy colors and the way he approaches the front of the exhibit to get a closer look at guests. 

Pico is an inredible animal to work with, but unfortunately he has strong likes and dislikes as far as individuals.  He doesn’t hesitate to let you know how he feels about you the moment he meets you.  So, much as we adore him, as far as an encounter candidate, he’s maybe not the best.  Pico has been able to teach our guests that these birds range from Central through South America and that they are related to toucans as well as many other facts about aracari’s. Don’t forget to tell Pico how handsome he is when you see him!

Because we had come to love aracari’s so much through Pico, we were thrilled when we got a call recently from the Houston SPCA about an aracari that was confiscated from an individual that could not properly care for the large numbers of birds they had aquired.  This aracari was reportedly very friendly and loved everyone she met.  We went right over to the SPCA to meet her.  She was everything they told us, with personality plus!  We quickly made arrangements for quarantine space and she came to the zoo.  She has been given a clean bill of health by our veterinary staff and has now moved to her permanent home in Natural Encounters.

Meet Olivia, the green aracari!  She will be making appearances at Natural Encounters so stop by on your visits to the zoo and learn more cool facts about aracari’s and their rain forest homes!

Get your own bird's eye view of Olivia, our new green aracari when you visit Natural Encounters!

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Aug
14

Meet the Staff: Brooke Vincent

Posted by in Featured,Keepers,Meet the Staff,Vet Clinic

Brooke and Sifaka Infant "Sebastian"

Hometown:  College Station, TX

Department/Title:  Clinic Keeper

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

How long have you been in the your field?:  7 years

Favorite animal:  Okapi. When I was an intern at White Oak Conservation Center, we had a couple of young okapi that were being weaned. Tulia was the youngest of the three and very sweet and small. It was always my favorite part of the day to go see the calves. After I had been at Houston a few years, we received Tulia into Quarantine. I was amazed at how large she had gotten! She has grown into quite the young lady. Now I get to see a whole new side to her and it will be exciting when she has her own babies!

Quote:  “Winning hearts and minds for animals” – Jack Brown SFCC Director

Special interests/hobbies:  Reading, Knitting badly, hiking and camping, kayaking, and I am also AAZK Vice President of the Greater Houston Chapter

What made you want to work at a zoo?:  I was trying to find my niche so I had a lot of different jobs, several of which involved working with animals. During one of my quests to find my niche, I was working as a Disney College Program student at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as a custodian when I happened to see a keeper feeding produce to the gorillas. I had never considered zoo keeping as a career because I’d always assumed that your family had to teach you the skills, like a trapeze artist. It just so happened that this particular keeper’s parents were zookeepers! Awhile later, I asked a different keeper how she got into the field, and they told me about the Teaching Zoo.

Education/training:  Associates of Science in Zoo Animal Technology from Santa Fe Teaching Zoo – Gainesville, FL

Previous related jobs:  Pet sitting, vet clinics, animal shelters

Advice to anyone wanting to enter the your field:  Work or volunteer anywhere with animals. Be prepared to get down and dirty! If you need to be clean or can’t handle dirt, you won’t be happy in this field no matter how much you love animals.

What is unique about being a clinic keeper:  The clinic is a little known area by zoo guests because we are behind the scenes. We are the ones who take care of the sick, new arrivals, geriatric, and injured. We are able to give special attention to specific animals that really need it at critical times in their life. We have the ability to rearrange an entire enclosure for just one animal’s needs, whereas that is difficult to do for a whole enclosure full of different animals that may need it another way!

Why you like this department:  I like working in the clinic because it is trying to find the order in chaos. Every day is different. We work with so many different animals that I get to use all the knowledge I learned from school every day. I love the challenge and thinking outside the box!

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Aug
07

Meet the Staff: Joy Oria

Posted by in Keepers,Meet the Staff

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