A student at Texas A & M University at Galveston where she studies marine biology, Kaitlin McGraw interned at the Houston Zoo last summer. “When I came to the Zoo, I heard stories about the animals, and where they came from,” said Kaitlin. “I was surprised to learn how many of the animals in the Zoo’s Carnivore Department came from private owners who had kept them as pets,” Kaitlin added. “I wanted to do something to help people understand that keeping big cats as pets is not a good idea,” Kaitlin added. The result was a series of video presentations profiling the ‘rescued cats’ at the Houston Zoo and recounting their individual stories. The videos were produced using a Canon PowerShot camera and edited on the iMovie platform. “In the future, I hope to work with an organization like the Houston Zoo, promoting conservation education or traveling to new locales, working with marine and wildlife sanctuaries,” said Kaitlin.
I wanted to give everyone a quick update on where we are with our exhibit. I have contacted the New World Primate Taxon Advisary Group (TAG) leader to find out the availability of our most frequently mentioned choices. I included emperor tamarins, callimico (Goeldi’s monkeys) and titi monkeys.
Titi monkeys are known for the endearing habit of entwining their tails.
Taxon Advisary Groups work under the umbrella of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and over see an entire taxa of animals, for example I mentioned the New World primate TAG. There are also a Felid TAG, a Lizard TAG and many more. If you read my last blog you may remember what an SSP is. TAGs oversee SSPs. Have you picked up on the fact that the zoo world has a LOT of acronyms? The AZA website even has a list you can refer to because there are so many! For now I think if we can keep AZA, TAG and SSP straight we should be good.
I will keep you posted on what the TAG says about our choices. I also asked if there were any species that particularly needed space. It’s always good to play nice so if we need to place an animal in the future the TAGs and SSPs will remember that we were willing to help out.
For all the rodent fans out there, there are agoutis available, although we’re not sure how far down the cement around the bottom of our exhibit reaches. We’re going to look into that to see if there is enough of a dig barrier to contain a rodent species.
Another option comes from reader MC. MC suggested a South American opossum species. Any ideas of what species might work? Post your ideas to the comments!
On our exhibit front, bad news on pudu. Currently there are none available, and it doesn’t look like there will be any time soon. Many species in North American zoos have what is called a Species Survival Plan(SSP). This is a management group that is under the umbrella of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums(AZA). The SSP committee keeps track of genetics of all the animals in accredited zoos in North America and makes breeding recomendations in order to preserve genetic diversity in captive populations. The pudu population in North America is very small and there are no available animals at the moment. Dissapointing, especially since the husbandry manual indicates they are very tolerant of both humidity and temperatures below freezing so they would be perfect in Houston’s climate. Any other ideas?
On the primate side, tamarins still seem to be the popular vote, especially Emperor tamarins. I will start checking to see if Emperor tamarins are available, and if not then what other species may be.
Gotta love those moustaches! Photo credit: Aspex Design
All of you should think about what other species we may want to investigate in lieu of pudu.
So many good thoughts this week! Several of you brought up good points that must be considered when curating an exhibit.
I think you’re right Trowaman when you say capybaras might be better off in a large area like our South America yard but pudu might do well in a space the size of our exhibit. As Laci Bertrand pointed out, pudu live in dense forest habitats so we’d need more plantings to provide hiding places for them to feel safe, but that’s easy enough to accomplish. MP, you bring up a very good point. Sometimes even if we want a species to exhibit in our zoo, they just aren’t available. Trowaman‘s comment about never having seen a uacari in a zoo is probably a good clue that they aren’t easy to obtain.
Baby pudu. Pretty Cute! Photo Credit: Belfast Zoo
Spider monkeys are a popular option so I looked up space requirements for spider monkeys. As a zoo that exhibits animals for the public, we are subject to standards that are regulated by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) There are many standards to which we must adhere and we can be inspected without warning at any time. We work diligently to remain USDA compliant at all times. Space requirements are part of these standards. Technically our exhibit is big enough for several spider monkeys, but unfortunately our holding area is not.
So from the comments, it looks like pudu might be a good choice for the ground so I’ll start talking to other zoos to see if any are available. We still need more consensus on a primate species though. Again going by comments and the space we have available, emperor tamarins, golden headed lion tamarins, Goeldi’s monkeys and titi monkeys could all work. Over the Christmas weekend, think about which of these species we should look into and hopefully by New Year’s weekend we’ll at least know what we’d like to explore as far as primate species.
Enjoy whichever holiday you celebrate with your family & loved ones!
The bald uacari. Definitely one of the strangest monkeys on the planet. Photo credit: ABC Vozes dos Animais
Thanks everyone for your ideas and input on what we should put in your exhibit. Keep sharing this series with your friends and help increase the size of our Crowd!
So far we’ve had suggestions from very small and cute, such as Goeldi’s monkeys, to larger and stranger like uacaris.
The idea of having a multispecies exhibit is also very intriguing. The exhibit is too small for giant anteaters, and while I really like the idea of having birds and monkeys together, the thought of a tiny monkey finger in the mandibles of a macaw makes me a rather nervous. But overall the idea is very cool!
Big birdie beak + tiny monkey fingers = OUCH! Photo credit: barloventomagico on Flickr
Below is a list of suggestions we have had so far, in no particular order! I left off the species that have been suggested that we already have here at the zoo. This week your job is to peruse the list and let me know your vote for which of these species you think should be in the exhibit. Vote by leaving your thoughts in the “Comments” section at the end of this post. Tell me if you want just one species or more than one. As a curator, some of the things you need to consider are what niche each species fills in the wild. Where does it like to hang out? Do you want all arboreal animals or do you want some down low and some up high? It all depends on how much space you have, the needs of each species and what you want your final exhibit to look like for the guests. You have to think about if the space is appropriate for that species and if the type of containment will hold the particular species that you want.
Have fun, maybe do some research on the different species. You can vote on this list even if you didn’t make any suggestions. I hope to hear from more people each week, so feel free to jump in!
Goeldi's monkey. One of the cutest monkeys on the planet. Photo credit: bayucca on Flickr
Possible Species:
Primates:NonPrimates
Spider monkeys Capybaras
Squirrel monkeys Brazilian porcupines
Common marmosets Pudu
Emperor Tamarins
Golden bellied capuchins
Titi monkeys
Woolly monkeys
Uacaris
Goeldi’s monkeys
Golden headed lion tamarins
The ever popular spider monkey. Photo credit: Primates.com
Do you love to shop?! The Houston Zoo animals now have a wishlist on Amazon.com! We all enjoy buying that perfect gift for someone special…..and who’s more special than the animals at the zoo! I know you’ve often wondered, if I were buying a gift for Jonathan the lion what on earth would he want? And where would I go to buy it? What about a baby gift for Aurora the orangutan? Well today’s your lucky day and you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your air conditioned home, yes shopping in the summer without breaking a sweat!!
All of the animals now have brought their needs and wants to you through Amazon.com, just a click away. Here’s an example of some of the items you can purchase and enrich the lives of your favorite animal.
The Carnivores are asking for boomer balls, catnip and many other items, you know how cats love to wind themselves up on catnip, then start chasing everything in sight! Like this Jolly Ball available at Amazon.com, peppermint scented!
The Primates are asking for a Look Lous feeding mirror….hmmmm is that so Rudy orangutan can make sure there are no crumbs on his face when he finishes his favorite breakfast?? Just a click away!
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!
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!
Sam is a 5 month old Pineywoods cattle steer. Named after Sam Houston, first president of the Republic of Texas, Sam went on exhibit in the farm area of the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo on March 8th. So far, he is very calm about his new home and seems to enjoy all the attention. Sam is very smart and his trainers are teaching him to walk around the Children’s zoo every morning.
What are Pineywoods Cattle?
Most of us are familiar with the Texas Longhorn, but the longhorn wasn’t the only breed that developed from the release and escape of cattle into the ‘wild’ by the Spanish explorers when they came to the New World. In the thick brush of the southeastern US, the Southern Woods, or Pineywoods, cattle developed. Though they have a resemblance to longhorns, they are a unique breed adapted to a very different environment than the open plains where longhorns roamed.
Sam and Callian
Due to their nimbleness and strength, they played a significant role as oxen in the early timber industry but were eventually replaced by machinery in the late 1800’s. They were also an important source of meat but in the 1930’s, ranchers started crossing pineywoods cattle with the larger meat-type commercial breeds. Eventually, ‘purebred’ pineywoods cattle became rare. Today, pineywoods cattle are valued for their natural resistance to most of the diseases, insects, and parasites of the Southeast and for their ability to forage on brush in a manner similar to goats.
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.
A clouded leopard skull model is great for teaching about carnivore teeth. Check out those canines!
There are many different types of teeth inside a mammal‘s mouth. This makes it easy for us to tell what a mammal eats, just by looking at its teeth. In the Education department, we teach about the three main groups of “eaters.” For these lessons, we use a variety of skull biofacts to show the different types of teeth.
Carnivores are animals that eat meat. They have large, sharp canine teeth for catching their food, with scissor-like molars to help tear meat into smaller pieces. Any of the cat skulls work well for this group, but my favorite is either a cougar or clouded leopard. They are smaller, so they are easier to take on programs, and the clouded leopard has huge canines. At the zoo, our mammalian carnivores include lions, cheetahs, and African wild dogs.
Take a look at the flat molars in the capybara's mouth. They're prefect for grinding plants.
Herbivores are animals that eat plants. They have flat, grinding molars with “clipping” teeth in the front. Some herbivores don’t even have teeth in the front! I like to use a model of a capybara skull for my sample herbivore. We have many members of this group at the Zoo, including giraffes, elephants, antelope, porcupines, and lemurs.
Once I’ve taught kids about these two types of teeth, I always bring out a “mystery skull.” I’ll carry it around, let them touch it, and then ask for votes on what the animal eats. Most of the time I can’t fool them; they figure out that it is a trick question and the animal is really an omnivore. Omnivores are animals that eat “everything” (that’s the “omni” in the word). Typically that means a combination of both plants and meat. These animals have some combination of both types of teeth. They typically have sharp, carnivore-like teeth in the front and flat, herbivore-like teeth in the back. Omnivores at the Zoo include raccoons, maned wolves, grizzly and Andean bears, and most of our primates.
The "mystery skull" omnivore I use: a raccoon!
Of course, there are lots of other “ivores” at the Zoo, like insectivores, piscivores, nectarivores, and frugivores. (That’s bugs, fish, nectar, and fruit eaters, if you wanted to know.) We’ll even teach about sanguinivores (blood eaters) from time to time, although we don’t have any on exhibit at the Houston Zoo. The next time you visit, imagine the teeth inside your favorite mammal’s mouth. They might reveal more than you think!
Written by Leigh Whitted, Senior Education Specialist
Now imagine all the mammals in the Zoo, and all the different things they eat. This holiday season you can help us feed our mammals (and everybody else, too) by donating to our Give the Gift of Grub campaign! You can make your tax-deductible donation at www.houstonzoo.org/gift-of-grub. or, click our our CONTRIBUTE tab on Facebook! Email development@houstonzoo.org for more information.
At long last, the adventure for our zoo team concludes !
In my last blog we had just boarded our cargo plane to leave Africa. Flying cargo was certainly an interesting experience. The plane was a 747. Anyone who flew on these planes in the 70′s and 80′s might remember that there was an upstairs area. Back then, the upper flight deck was a lounge area for first class passengers. That area has long since been replaced with more seats for more revenue, but on our plane there were 6 business class seats, a small galley, the bathroom and two small closet with “beds” in them. I could barely stretch out on one and I’m only 5’1″ so I’m not sure how the Joe’s fit…they’re both over 6 ft! But the beds were a nice option when we had been crammed in a car and were still facing 48 hours of transit time.
Knowing there were three rhinos below us that had never flown before was also an adrenaline-pumping feeling. And believe me, we knew it when they got restless! Turbulance is one thing, but a rhino bouncing around in a crate is something quite different. The whole plane would shift and the thumping was a bit disconcerting at first. During the first leg from Johannesburg to Harare we checked on the rhinos often because we weren’t sure how they would react, and we needed to reassure ourselves that the crates were still safely locked down. But after a bit the rhinos settled down and so did we.
In between the two shorter legs of our trip, we were on the ground for several hours in both Harare and Nairobi abd we weren’t allowed off the plane. We used the time to feed the rhinos and watch the cargo being shifted around in the hold. That in itself was a cool operation to watch. The floor of the cargo hold was a series of tracks, wheels and mechanized plates that moved the cargo around with seeming ease. Huge pallets, including the ones the rhinos were on could be moved back & forth like a kid’s puzzle game to make sure everything fit. Check out this video, curtesy of Dr Joe Flanagan, of the rhino crates being moved into position. Eventually they had pallets of flowers packed all around them.
By the third leg of the flight, the long 10 hours from Nairobi to Amsterdam, the rhinos seemed to have gotten the hang of takeoffs and landings. They seemed less thrilled about the landing part. With ears as huge as theirs are, I imagine it might have been a bit uncomfortable, especially since we couldn’t explain to them about pressure and without thumbs they can’t hold their nose while blowing! But the flight was smooth and the Joe’s & I even managed to get some sleep. Because we were the only passengers, we could turn out the lights on the flight deck and there were no seat mates to climb over to get out of your row. Nice!
Joe K. catching some well deserved zzz's on the cargo plane.
Eventually we landed in Amsterdam where more fun awaited us. Believe it or not, we were given more conflicting information about where we were supposed to go, where the rhinos were going, where our luggage needed to be and how everyone/thing was getting where.
As I mentioned in my last blog, we originally thought we would have twelve hours in Amsterdam, but that had been whittled down to about four. 90 minutes of that were spent waiting for the person from the animal hotel to arrive at the plane to transfer the rhinos. She told us we needed to go through the regular passport control so we waited again while they called someone to come and collect us. After that we had to find our own way to the animal hotel, which was about a 20 minute brisk walk. We quickly fed the rhinos, collected our luggage from the pallets (apparently we were breaking some international regulations by leaving them on the pallets. It was OK in South Africa, but not The Netherlands…sigh!) and dashed back to the terminal to check in.
We had been promised that we would get right through the ticketing and security lines. By now we should have known not to take anything at face value. Joe Kalla and I could not print our boarding passes at the numerous ticket kiosks they have in Amsterdam. Dr Joe managed to get some assistance and was successful in printing a boarding pass, but Joe K. and I were directed to a line of other passengers with problems. We decided that Dr Joe should head to the gate because someone needed to be with the rhinos. We also needed to figure out where Dan was. The plan had been to meet him at the hotel the night before and we had no way of letting him know we weren’t going to make it to Amsterdam until morning.
Joe K. discovered that his name was misspelled on his ticket and the people at the “problem line” could not help him. He was sent away to yet another desk with another line.
I was told there was a security hold on my passport for some reason. In our post 9/11 world, this was somewhat disturbing to hear. At this point I was getting a bit impatient and after insisting that I HAD to be on the plane leaving in 20 minutes with the rhinos they printed me a boarding pass but warned me that I would be detained at security. I saw Joe K. still waiting in a line, wished him luck and headed off to try my own luck with security. I caught up with Dr Joe and apparently security didn’t care that I was some sort of risk because no one asked me anything and I went right through. Presently we saw Dan in line behind us. He had spent a not very comfortable night wandering the airport because the hotel room wasn’t in his name and they wouldn’t let him check in. The three of us collectively wondered if Joe K. would make it before boarding. Fortunately (?!?) the flight was packed and getting all the passengers screened took a while. When everyone seemed to have gotten through to the waiting area I asked a staff member if she could check on Joe K’s status. The computer showed that he was checked in with a boarding pass so we crossed our fingers and hoped he would make it. Finally we saw him coming down the hall and at last we were all set for our final leg of the journey!
This plane was again a 747 but it’s what is referred to as a “combi”. It holds both passengers and cargo. The front 2/3 of the plane is passengers, and the back section is cargo. The two sections are separated by a wall with a door through to cargo. To the average passenger this would look like the back of the plane. Little did they know that there were three large and unusual passengers traveling with them! We had our own KLM staff member that flew with us whose sole job it was to let us through the door to the cargo area to check on the rhinos.
Towards the end of the flight, the male rhino began bouncing in his crate. By this point we were used to this, but to the stewardess, who’s job it is to know what sounds are normal on the plane and what aren’t, it was quite a surprise. I saw her eyes get really big and realized that she didn’t know it was the rhinos and not the plane! She breathed a huge sigh of relief when I explained it was just the rhinos moving around a bit. I thought it was amusing that we were reassuring the flight crew instead of the other way around.
We were pretty excited, very tired and also extremely relieved when the captain announced that we must all fasten our seat belts, ensure that our seat backs and tray tables were in the proper upright and locked positions and prepare for landing in Houston. What a welcome sight to see some familiar terrain out the plane window!
It was a beautiful landing. Jeremy Stewart, our resident videographer got a nice shot of our plane landing at IAH. We were very happy to see Hannah Bailey, Curator of Birds, waiting to shuttle us to the cargo area after we cleared customs. When we arrived at cargo, a whole team of zoo staff was already busy getting our three rhinos loaded onto flatbed trucks for the drive to the zoo. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see it yet, here’s the video showing the final leg of the rhino’s journey to the Houston Zoo.
With the rhinos safely unloaded in their brand new barn, our adventure had at long last come to an end. For all of our guests, though, the adventure is just begining! We hope you’ll join us on December 10th for the official opening of The African Forest and you’re own adventures with giraffes, chimpanzees, and of course our three new rhinos, Sibindi, Lynne and Annie Kamariah!
Baby pudu. Pretty Cute! Photo Credit: Belfast Zoo
