Posts Tagged ‘Hoofstock’

Sep
16

Animal Enrichment: What’s That Smell!

Posted by in Enrichment,Events,Hoofed Stock

When potential food is all around, a good nose can help pick out the best tasting dinner.  The animals in the Houston Zoo’s Hoofstock collection have just that – a keen sense of smell.  Animals can tell which plants are sweet and delicious or bitter and noxious just from their odors.  Scent marks on trees and rocks can also signal a predator, rival or potential mate is nearby.

 

Such a strong sense enables a wide variety of enrichment opportunities for the keepers to maintain an interesting exhibit for the residents within.  Spices, perfumes, and other smells are conservatively sprinkled or sprayed in a few spots to attract and pique the interest of the animals.  Different types may illicit different reactions.  Calvin Klein’s Obsession™ has been proven to be one that animals like to rub on themselves.  Other colognes will keep the duikers busy all day re-marking their exhibits with the glands located on their faces. Some spices may be licked off for a unique taste while others merely make the animals sneeze. 

Colognes and seasonings aren’t the only options for olfactory enrichment.  Moving soiled bedding from a female into the exhibit of a male may cause great interest due to the female’s pheromones.  In contrast, urine from a predator can illicit a reaction that a lion or leopard may be near.

Perhaps most importantly, a variety of smells and their locations can encourage the animals to further explore and move about their exhibits.  Natural behaviors are a key element of the Hoofstock enrichment program and these foraging behaviors are indicative of how wild herbivores might spend their day.  What are your favorite smells and how do they make you behave?

By Tim Junker, Hoofstock Keeper

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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Jul
12

Meet the Staff: Phyllis Pietrucha-Mays

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

Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Section: Commissary- Commissary Supervisor
Quote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”-Charles Darwin. 
Special Interests/ Hobbies:
Anything outside. I like being active, working out and hiking around our property looking for herps. 
Interesting Facts:
In the 1980’s I had a job where I’d dress up in costume and go to grocery stores to hand out free samples.  I’ve dressed up as a lobster, Mr. Keebler, Twinkie the Kid and the Cookie Monster.  I even dressed as a Gorilla once for Zoo Ball.  

Favorite Animal:
Turtles and tortoises, I have about 30 at my house.  One of my favorites was named Tank, a Sulcata tortoise.  Someone had found him at the Galena Park dump and we brought him home.     

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?
I have been here 26 years!  I worked as a docent volunteer before I became a keeper.  When I was hired on, I worked in animal departments for 5 years including the Reptile building, Hoofstock, Primates and the Small Mammal building (now Natural Encounters).  I worked on the Houston Toad Project when it was first established in the early 1980’s.  I have now worked in the commissary 21 years.    

Phyllis loads grain in one of the zoo's expansive walk in freezers.

What made you want to become a zookeeper?
As a child I had an interest in anything having to do with animals and I was always picking up strays.  After working as a keeper for awhile, I moved on to the commissary and really got to see the business side of the zoo.   

How would you describe your job duties?
I am in charge of the staff that prepares food for the animals.  I order food for all the animals from our vendors and also have to drive to various places to pick up special food items.  I also manage the diet changes for the animals to make sure we have enough food in stock.   

What is a typical day like working in the commissary?
Each day is different.  The animals eat different things every day, so the diet preparation changes every day.       

What is your education, training, and previous institution(s) you attended before coming to the Houston Zoo?
I have a 2 year certification from Houston Community College’s Veterinary Technician program.      

What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field?
Start as a volunteer, even as a teenager.  I have hired a lot of former volunteers.      

What is your favorite animal story?
When the zoo used to have koalas our supplier for eucalyptus was in Phoenix, Arizona.  Usually the eucalyptus was flown to the zoo.  Soon after September 11, 2001 all flights were grounded, but the koalas needed their eucalyptus! Our supplier was kind enough to meet us halfway, so I drove to El Paso, TX to pick it up! That was the longest drive I have had to take  to pick up food for our animals.      

To learn more about volunteering at the Houston Zoo visit http://www.houstonzoo.org/volunteer/!
There are numerous career paths to choose from at the Houston Zoo!  To learn more about non-keeper careers, visit Leigh’s blog or the Houston Zoo’s Career page!    

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