Animals on the Move

Recently, the Denver Zoo announced that it would be shipping its two polar bears out - to different zoos.   The female would be going to the Alaska Zoo (which sounds like a not-half-bad place to go, if you're a polar bear.  The male would be off to Columbus Zoo, home to a wonderful polar bear habitat.  The moves were a part of the Polar Bear Species Survival Plan's Breeding and Transfer Plan, which used science and animal welfare to decide what animals go where.  Denver will be, at least for the time-being, polar bear-less.  The keepers, I'm sure, were sad to see the bears go, but the zoo is committed to following the plan for the best interests of the species.

Sound good so far?  Not if you are one of the people who signed a petition demanding that Denver not "sell" the bears (who were not being sold) and send them together to a "sanctuary."  It would be cruel to separate the bears, they argued, as they were in love.  Only no.  They weren't.  Like most male-female bear pairings, they tolerated each other outside of the breeding season.  Except their frequent pairings had resulted in no cubs.  Incidentally, there are no polar bear sanctuaries in the US, and given the heavy permit regulation surrounding polar bears, I doubt there will be any popping up soon.

Not that it matters.  Denver Zoo did exactly what I would have done.  They explained their position, politely listened, then put down their heads and did what needed to be done.  The female bear is settling into Alaska as we speak.

The Denver Zoo's polar bears are splitting up. But trust us, the feeling is mutual.

A few states over, the Cincinnati Zoo is gearing up for a legal battle with The Gorilla Foundation for custody of Ndume , a gorilla that they loaned to TGF decades ago.  Ndume was sent to be a companion for Koko, the famous sign-language using gorilla.  With Koko's recent death, Ndume was left alone, and under the terms of the agreement, that means he is slated to return to Cincinnati so he can live with gorillas ago.  TGF is announcing that they are going to choose not to honor the agreement, and Cincinnati is preparing to take them to court, arguing that not only that a deal is a deal, but that it is morally wrong to keep Ndume in isolation.  How whacked out is this?  PETA is wading in... on the Cincinnati Zoo's side.

Cincinnati Zoo files lawsuit for custody of a gorilla

It seems like there are always petitions being circulated to take an animal out from a zoo or to bring an animal into a zoo or some other thing.  What I wish that people understood is that the decisions to move animals aren't made on whims.  At least in AZA-accredited zoos, they are made based on what is best for the individual animals, as well as for the population as a whole.  In the case of Denver, switching out these polar bears is essential if cubs are going to be produced (elsewhere) to contribute to another generation of this threatened species.  For Cincinnati, it is to provide care for an animal that the zoo feels like they have an obligation towards.  They could leave Ndume sitting in TGF with his human caretakers, but they feel that's not the life for him.

It's okay to be sad when an animal you care about leaves.  We get sad too.  Sometimes I've doubted the wisdom of my zoo's plans, and often I've wished things could have gone differently.  But I've never doubted that there was a plan - as I've risen in the ranks, I've helped make those plans myself.  I've had keepers get made at me for sending a favorite animal out.  I've always done so based on what I felt was best for the animals involved.  

Feel free to ask questions as to the why and how and where when these decisions are made - there is a reason.  But please, don't attack the zoo professionals during these moves.  They are hard for us, too.

They're Back! Crikey, It's the Irwins!

The day after tomorrow is Halloween, but looking at my social media feed and you'd swear it was Valentine's Day.  Just about every zookeeper, aquarist, and naturalist I know (so, pretty much all of my friends) are ready to fall in love again.  The First Family of Zookeeping is back in a new series.  It's not the same old Crocodile Hunter (just as well, as Steve could never be replaced), but his children are carrying the torch high and would make their father proud.

Sporcle Quiz - Sporcle at the Zoo: King Cobra

Enjoy the next quiz in our (somewhat dormant) series, Sporcle at the Zoo!

Sporcle at the Zoo - King Cobra

A Triumph of Trumpeters

One of my biggest frustrations about the zoo and aquarium profession is that our failures are advertised loudly while our successes are spoken of almost in whispers.  And by "successes", I don't just mean the cute baby animal births and the new exhibit openings.  I mean the ones that really matter.  Successes like this recent one, from the Kansas City Zoo.

Many zoos, working with private aviculturists and state and federal government agencies, are working to restore the world's biggest waterfowl species to its rightful place in the skies and wetlands of the American west.  Watch the video clip above, and don't just zero in on the eye-candy clips of swans taking their first steps into the wild.  Focus on the kids meeting these incredible birds up close and the connections that are being forged. 

This is why we do what we do - to build a better world, for people and for animals.

Close Encounters of the Near-Fatal Kind...

Just a friendly check-in for all of those friends and colleagues who work with dangerous animals - you cannot let your guard down.  Not. For. A. Minute.  Many of us who have been in the field for a long period of time have had at least some sort of close call where we ended up being fine, but were, for a minute, seriously teetering on the brink of being very, very, not-fine.  I'd thought I'd had a close shave or two before, but absolutely nothing like this:

I'm very glad that the keeper is okay.  I'm very glad that the lion is okay.  It's still terrifying that this happened, and is a constant reminder that you cannot be too careful when working with big cats, bears, and other dangerous animals.  Let's hope that everyone involved - and everyone of us who is even hearing about this - takes this near-tragedy to heart as a reminder of how important it is to be safe, both for our own sake, as well as for our colleagues, our visitors, and our animals.

Species Fact Profile: Bushmaster (Lachesis muta)

(South American) Bushmaster

Lachesis muta (Linnaeus, 1766)

Range: Northern and Central South America, Trinidad
Habitat: Forested Hills and Mountains
Diet: Rodents, Birds, Amphibians
Social Grouping: Solitary
Reproduction: Lays 5-19 eggs per clutch, usually in a burrow, defended by the mother.  Incubation period 60-80 days.  Hatchlings 30 centimeters in length.  Juveniles are more brightly colored than adults and achieve adult coloration at 1-2 years old.  Sexually mature at 4 years old.
Lifespan: 18-24 Years
Conservation Status: Not Listed

• Body length of up to 3.65 meters, with an average length of 2-2.5 meters.  Longest (not heaviest) member of the viper family and the longest venomous snake in the western hemisphere.  Weight 3-5 kilograms.  Males larger than females
• Stout, tapered body with a broad head separated by a narrow neck.  Scales are rough and strongly keeled
• Pattern consists of black or dark brown triangular markings set against a yellow-gray background.
• If threatened, the bushmaster will vibrate the horny tip of its tail in the leaves, making a buzzing sound similar to a rattlesnake's rattle
• Ambush predators, sit and wait along known rodent trails for prey to come within striking range
• Latin name translates to "Silent Fate" - Lachesis was one of the three Fates of Ancient Greek mythology, who determined how long a man was supposed to live.  The "muta" (mute) refers to the absence of a rattle on the tail
• Bushmasters are the only New World vipers known to lay eggs
• Two subspecies - the nominate (L. m. muta) and the Atlantic Forest bushmaster (L. m. rhombeata).  Two additional subspecies have been elevated to full species status - the Central American bushmaster (L. stenophrys) and the black-headed bushmaster (L. melanocephala)
• Most commonly found in remote areas, so encounter humans less often than many venomous snake species.  Still, highly feared due to size, potency of venom, and perceived aggression.  The species has lent its name to, among other things, several firearm brands, a military unit, and a comic-book supervillian

Zookeeper's Journal: Powerful... deadly... delicate?  So it must have seemed to Raymond Ditmars and many other herpetologists, who had an almost-impossible time keeping bushmasters in zoos.   The difficulty in maintaining the world's largest viper doubtlessly was a major part of the obsession that Ditmars felt towards the snake.  As it turns out, the bushmaster, for all its vaunted venom, is quite shy and easily stressed; combined with the rough handling and shipment that snakes were subjected to in those days as they journeyed from the forest to the zoo and it's easy to understand why those bushmasters that crossed Ditmars' path fared so poorly.  A gentler, more enlightened take on snake husbandry has changed things dramatically since then; the first captive breeding of this species occurred at the Dallas Zoo.

Book Review: Bushmaster - Raymond Ditmars and the Hunt for the World's Largest Viper

"Our biggest reptile man went down to the tropics in quest of the only object that now matters, the lodestar, the summum bonum of his future existence.  Dr. Ditmars went down in quest of the deadly bushmaster... and he won't be happy till he gets one."

There are a lot of factors which may go into driving a zoo professional to obsess over a particular species.  Some of them I mentioned yesterday.  Here's another - danger.  We simultaneously have a fear and a draw towards the deadliest of animals.  Among reptile keepers, this is especially pronounced in its direction towards the venomous snakes.  At the turn on the last century, few snakes had a more fearsome reputation than a Central American giant so ominous that its very Latin name translated to "the silent fate" - the bushmaster.

Setting off on a whirlwind, decades-long quest to capture one of these giant vipers was the first curator of reptiles at the Bronx Zoo - Dr. Raymond Ditmars.  BBC nature filmmaker Dan Eatherley tells their stories in Bushmaster: Raymond Ditmars and the Hunt for the World's Largest Viper.  Eartherley stumbled across the Ditmars legend while preparing for a possible documentary on the bushmaster, which is doubly appropriate - Dr. Ditmars was not only himself consumed by his quest for the snakes, but he was also one of the leading pioneers of nature documentaries, paving the way for Gerald Durrell, David Attenborough, and Steve Irwin decades later.

The book chronicles the life of Ditmars, from a shy, awkward boy who lived for catching snakes in Central Park to the grandfather of the zoo reptile world.  As the first curator of reptiles at the Bronx Zoo, he laid the foundation for what is now one of the greatest reptile collections in the world; most of the first snakes in the Bronx Zoo's collection (as well as a long-suffering alligator) were Ditmars' donated pets.  It also tells the story of the bushmaster itself, and Eatherley hops the hemisphere to fill in the details of the snake's story, from the Bronx Zoo itself to a serpentarium in North Carolina to the forests of Trinidad, where many of the first specimens to arrive in American zoos originated.  Talking with curators, field biologists, and hobbyists, he helps us understand what it is about this snake that has made it the source of so much fascination to so many people - Ditmars not least of all.

Among Dr. Ditmars' many accomplishments, his greatest may have been the popularization of herpetology - the study of reptiles and amphibians - among the public.  He wrote many books for popular audiences, introducing his readers to the world of snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodilians and showing them a softer side of the scaly subjects.  He certainly had a lot of material to work with - Eatherley's book is filled with quirky anecdotes from Ditmars' exploits, from sewing up a battered alligator to chasing king cobras around a warehouse to dining on endangered frogs that were supposed to be zoo animals.  He even slips in a few non-herpetological adventures, such as Ditmars' later fascination with vampire bats.

Bushmaster, like many of the zoo-focused biographies that I've shared, is the story of a young man with a passion for animals, one that his family despaired would lead to nothing but ruin.  Instead, he was able to follow that passion into a life of adventure, discovery, and wonder.  The bushmaster might have been Raymond Ditmars' "White Whale", his predominant obsession.  One single snake, however, only captures part of what he was able to achieve.  Through his adventures and his writings (and later his films), Ditmars was able to inspire generations of nature-lovers and snake-chasers in his wake.  Eatherley's book simply continues that story, passing it along for yet another generation.

Bushmaster: Raymond Ditmars and the Hunt for the World's Largest Viper at Amazon.com

Animals and Obsessions

"But what makes a given hunter focus on a particular species is a deeply individual matter. 'Big-game hunters have their inexplicable whims,' Yebes admitted. 'Ernest Hemingway felt the same toward the kudu; Major Maydon's attraction was the addax.' For him, the handful of differences that set the giant sable apart from other antelopes, other sables, made it into a magic beast."

-  John Frederick Walker, A Certain Curve of Horn

What holds true for hunters, it seems, can also apply to zookeepers.  This was brought to my mind earlier this week when I read some news from Czechia.  The Prague Zoo announced the captive breeding of five Bornean earless lizards, a secretive jungle lizard related to the more-famous monitor lizards, such as the Komodo dragon.  It's a species that I hadn't given a single thought to for almost a decade.  Which is crazy, because there was a time when I feel like I heard about the damned things non-stop every day...

"Holy Grail" of lizard species born in Prague Zoo

A zookeeper holds a newly born earless monitor lizard in Prague Zoo, Czech Republic. October 16, 2018.  REUTERS/David W Cerny

My curator had a passion for monitors.  We had over a dozen species in our reptile house, including at least two that, at the time, were housed nowhere else in the country.  He wasn't satisfied.  He wanted more monitors, to be sure, as to him they represented the peak of lizardom, to coin a word.  But more than that, he wanted what no one else had.  His dream was to display Bornean earless lizards, which he always referred to by their genus name, Lanthanotus.  Display them, yes... and perhaps breed them.  That there was no source available for these animals didn't bother him.  He could dream... and he did.

I think most zookeepers and curators have an idealized animal - not just their favorite, so to speak.  The one that they dream of having.  The traits that attract them to a particular animal may vary from keeper to keeper.   For some, it might be physical appearance and beauty; to go back to the quote above, a big bull sable antelope is a magnificent animal, and it is easy to imagine that zookeepers might desire one in their herd as badly as a hunter might want one above his fireplace.  For others, uniqueness is an appealing trait, something that makes the animal different from all others.  A carnivore keeper I knew had worked with several cat species, but had a special passion the jaguarondi, a sleek, uncatlike cat from the Neotropics.  She never worked with one, as far as I know, but she was determined until her last day at the zoo that she would get a pair somehow.  Which brings us to another trait that can inspire a passion for a species - rarity.   As every lovelorn teenager can attest to, it's easy to idealize what you can't have,

Of course, having an animal obsession has much different consequences if you are a curator or collection manager or (especially) the director.  Then, you might actually be able to actually make it happen.  There are a lot of zoo collection plans which seem to get steered just as much by the passions and preferences of one of the decision-makers as they are by science and conservation.

Not long after I left my monitor-obsessed curator, I took a trip to New York City, my first ever.  I took a stroll around the Central Park Zoo that morning, then spent the afternoon at the nearby American Museum of Natural History.  There, in a plain glass display case, was the first - and so far only - Lanthanotus I've ever seen.  It was deceased of course, small and looking faintly like a piece of beef jerky.  It was as close as I'd ever gotten to one, however, and (seeing as the Prague lizards aren't on public display) perhaps as close as I'm likely to get.

I wonder if my old boss will ever see one.  I suppose a man can always dream...

Animal X-Rays, Compliment of Oregon Zoo

Just in time for Halloween, the Oregon Zoo has released a series of x-rays taken from its animals during their recent physical examinations.   These images, taken of a variety of species and body parts, highlight the amazing anatomy of the animals kept at the Zoo.  They also demonstrate the care that goes into maintaining such a diversity of creatures - I can imagine that zoo vets decades ago would have killed for such incredible access to the inner workings of (still living) animals.

That these would make for some awesome Halloween decorations too is nothing to sneeze at.  Enjoy!

Zoo Review: Florida Aquarium

The Tampa Bay area is awash with animal attractions, from the world-renown to the small and obscure.  In 1995, a new member to the roster was added with the opening of the Florida Aquarium.  Within five years, it looked like it would be a short-lived attraction.  The Aquarium, located in downtown Tampa, failed to attract the number of visitors that management hoped for and was soon hemorrhaging money... and staff.    The specter of closure loomed over the facility.

Taken over the city and with a new CEO at the helm, the Aquarium reinvented itself.  While it still primarily exhibits native Florida species, it has expanded its scope to include the aquatic life of other parts of the world.  The new exhibits and animals have been complemented by new education programs, new interaction opportunities, such as diving with sharks, a sea turtle rescue and rehab facility, and the addition of event space, an avenue which is becoming an important source of revenue for many zoos and aquariums.  Today, the Florida Aquarium is thriving and its future looks bright.

The Aquarium originally started out as a facility totally devoted to Florida's native wildlife, and the wetlands and coastlines of the Sunshine State are still the primary focus.  The Wetlands Trail takes visitors through a meandering stroll through Florida's swamps.  Starting off underwater, where alligator gars and other fish swim overhead, the trail then empties into a large free flight aviary, where ducks and spoonbills swoop overhead or splash in the pools on either side of the path.  Hosts of turtles and fish are also encountered here, as are the stars of any Florida wetlands exhibit - alligators.  Also located along the heavily planted, sunlit trail are North American river otters and an exhibit of invasive Burmese pythons, with graphics telling the story of how invasive species threaten Florida's wildlife heritage.  

From the sunny expanses of the Everglades, the scenery darkens as visitors descend into the Bays and Beaches gallery, home to creatures of the deeper waters off the coast of Florida.  Lobsters, crabs, seahorses, octopi, and eels are encountered in tanks that depict a variety of coastal habitats (most interesting among them a recreation of the pilings of a bridge).  The star attraction here is the 300-pound Atlantic goliath grouper (which, considering Tampa's fixation with grouper sandwiches, might be a safest grouper in the state).  A window into a water lab shows how Aquarium staff maintain the water quality needed to keep residents healthy and happy.  Just past the grouper is a stingray touch pool, with a second touch tank nearby featuring sea cucumbers and other marine invertebrates.

Larger ocean dwellers are found in the Coral Reefs area, where tunnels lead visitors into a watery world populated by moray eels, sea turtles, tarpon, and sand tiger sharks.  The occupants of the 500,000 gallon tank can be watched as the cruise overhead, or viewed from a theater-like gallery with lots of seating, the perfect place to watch the animals.  This tank also provides dive opportunities for interested visitors.  Tucked off to the side is the Dragons Down Under gallery, home to sea dragons, sea horses, and their kin.  Another gallery, Ocean Commotion, serves as a catch-all display of  popular aquarium animals, such as jellyfish and octopus.

Many aquariums feature an Amazon area.  Florida Aquarium differs slightly in having a small Madagascar area instead.  Chameleon, geckos, and radiated tortoises can be found here, along with a colony of Madagascar hissing cockroaches and a tank of Indian Ocean fish.  Honestly, it didn't seem to fit in too much with the rest of the aquarium (being tucked in the middle of the Wetlands Trail, and it almost seemed like it was there just because someone really wanted to add an exhibit of ring-tailed lemurs somehow.  I feel like there was probably a better way that they could have integrated an additional non-Florida exhibit into the collection that would have made a little more sense, rather than a complete non-sequitur.

With that comment aside (and it is just an aside - at the very least it was nice to see an aquarium exhibit that was a little less formulaic than most) I really enjoyed the Florida Aquarium.  It was a very nice complement to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, which I had visited earlier that week.  With several years of financial stability under its belt after a rocky start, the Florida Aquarium is looking to the future and considering expansion options.  It has truly taken its place among the great animal attractions of Tampa Bay and should not be overlooked by tourists or residents.

Florida Aquarium

Joel Sartore and the Photo Ark on "60 Minutes"

This last week, you could have watched President Donald Trump give an interview on the popular American news program "60 Minutes"... or you could have enjoyed your evening and skipped to the segment with Joel Sartore.  Mr. Sartore is the creator of the Photo Ark, an ambitious project to create a visual documentation of every species of animal currently being kept in zoos and aquariums.  It's basically my dream job, hampered only by my lack of connections and even more so by my lack of equipment and, what's the word?  Oh, yes - talent.

I've met Mr. Sartore once during a photo shoot and we compared lists.  If I have one minor victory it's that I have a few species which he has not yet been able to obtain... Too bad he has a few thousand more than me in other categories.

Enjoy the clip - and as you can see, this work is not always for the faint-of-heart.

Saving Memories of Animals with Joel Sartore's Photo Ark

#animalstofallfor

I'm not the only one who thinks that fall is the perfect time to visit your local zoo or aquarium.  Check your favorite social media - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram - for the hashtag #animalstofallfor to see your favorite zoo animals playing with pumpkins, rolling in leaf piles, and otherwise enjoying the turn of the season.  See you at the Zoo!

"Fall" in Love at the Zoo

I've been a little lax about posting lately, as is often the case this time of year.  The fall is the time of year that I spend a lot of time traveling, and travel for me is often zoo-focused in nature.  Part of this is because the fall and spring are the better times of year for transporting animals, with more moderate temperatures.  Part of it is that the fall is just my favorite time to visit zoos.  Cooler temperatures, thinner crowds, and more active animals make more memorable experiences.  Perhaps it's also because I have fond memories of fall field trips to the zoo as a kid.

It's on visits like these that I've had some of my most memorable encounters, both as a visitor and as a keeper.  I've watched a snow leopard stalk a squirrel, bison calves chasing each other, and bears paw at me through the windows.  When there are few people around, the animals are more likely to respond to the visitors present.

On this blog, I talk a lot about conservation issues and animal welfare and animal rights and other weighty topics.  All of that is important.  Still, sometimes the most import thing to share is the memories of people and animals coming together and forming a special bond.

Partners for Borderland Conservation

My first real trip into the wilderness - before Africa, before South America - was the Big Bend.  For those not familiar with the region, Big Bend National Park is a wild expanse of west Texas, hugging the Rio Grande as it drifts through the Chihuahua Desert.  Hiking in its canyons and hills, I encountered peccaries and coyotes, roadrunners and rattlesnakes in what was an eye-opening experience for my teenaged self.  Historically, these lands also sheltered Mexican wolves, grizzlies, and jaguars; black bears, bighorn sheep, and ocelots still make appearances.

Even at the time, I remember thinking, "Man... this would be awesome to share as a zoo exhibit."

As one of the zoos that shares the region with Big Bend, El Paso Zoo is committed to displaying and interpreting the wildlife of west Texas.  Even more importantly, however, the zoo is committed to preserving that wild heritage.  I was excited to read about the new partnership between El Paso Zoo and Big Bend National Park, one in which the two organizations will collaborate on habitat restoration, invasive species removal, and conservation of a flagship species, the black bear.  This is all made possible through a grant provided by the AZA.

Not all zoos and aquariums can boast of such magnificent, wild backyards, nor do all possess such charismatic megafauna in their surrounding counties.  Still, each and every one should try to find some way to emulate this partnership with some local conservation organization.  AZA, in turn, should find ways to expand this grant program, or perhaps even make support of a local conservation project a requirement for future accreditation.  

After all, building a better future for wildlife starts at home.

El Paso Zoo, Big Bend National Park partner for wildlife conservation

Species Fact Profile: Philippine Sailfin Dragon (Hydrosaurus pustulatus)

Philippine Sailfin Dragon

Hydrosaurus pustulatus (Eschscholtz, 1829)

Range: Philippines
Habitat: Tropical Rainforest, Mountain Streams
Diet: Leaves, Fruits, Insects, Crustaceans
Social Grouping: Males are Territorial
Reproduction: Females breed once yearly, but may lay multiple clutches per season.  Each clutch of 2-8 eggs is buried in a shallow hole near the water.  Incubation is approximately 2 months; hatchlings receive no parental care.
Lifespan: 20 Years
Conservation Status: IUCN Vulnerable

• Body length 80-100 centimeters.  Females are typically one-third smaller than males
• Scales are mottled green-gray, with a well-developed crest of spiny scales running from the neck down the back.  As males age, they can take on a violet-blue color, thought to help in attracting mates
• Adult males possess a fin of skin (the namesake sail) at the base of the tail, standing up to 8 centimeters high.  It is thought to assist in territorial displays, as well as possible in thermoregulation and swimming
• Like the Neotropical basilisks (which they closely resemble, but are distantly related to), sailfin dragons have the ability to briefly run across the surface of the water, especially younger, lighter individuals
• Excellent swimmers, take to the water to escape predators such snakes.  Can stay submerged for up to 15 minutes.  Often rest in trees overhanging water so they may jump to safety
• Primary threat is habitat loss; also collected for the pet trade

Satire: Totally False Animal Facts

Until such time as management lets me wear an iPod while servicing exhibits, I'm going to be spending a lot of time listening to various visitor "facts" while taking care of the animals at the Zoo, all the while debating internally as to whether or not it's worth trying to correct them.  Sometimes, if I think that there's a good chance that doing so that someone will actually learn something, I'll chime in.  Other times... eh.

Of course, if you're going to go for wrong facts, the least you can do is deliberately go for hilariously wrong.  Like these gems from Z. Gosck - see more of them here!

Memorable Encounters Behind-the-Scenes

As both a zookeeper and a frequent zoo visitor, I've been on both sides of the behind-the-scene tour/close encounter deal several times.  Recently, while my better half and I were visiting her family, I decided as a present to them to arrange for a meet-and-greet with the penguins at their local zoo (Note: No, really, it was a present for them... if I'd have been selfish, I'd have gone with something else.  I've done the penguin routine many times before).

They absolutely loved it, which got me thinking.  What are the steps to a successful animal encounter.  I mean, you'd think it would be hard to go wrong with just taking folks back to meet animals and have an awesome experience... but most zookeepers I know who have done these have at least one horror story (or at least mildly unpleasant story) to their credit.  Evidence: the black rhino incident in Cincinnati.

So, in order to set yourself up for a positive, successful encounter, my advice is...

1.) Set Expectations Early - before they officially sign up, before money trades hands, before they step foot anywhere near the zoo or aquarium.  Let them know and agree to what is and is not part of the program.  Will there be touching of the animal involved?  Will there be feeding?  How many people are allowed to participate?  Are there any clothing issues that need to be addressed, such as a ban on open-toed shoes?  You don't want your group to arrive and start complaining right away that the tour isn't what they expected.

2.) Safety First, Second, and Third - It's important to remember that these behind-the-scenes areas weren't (usually) built with visitors in mind - instead, the idea is that only trained zoological professionals would be there.  Make sure they know the rules and what is allowed behind-the-scenes.  For animal holding buildings, one of the easiest ways to do this is to paint a line on the floor a few feet back from the fencing that holds the animals back.  Make sure that they know not to cross this line without approval/permission.  Go over all of these safety protocols before they enter the animal area - once they are close to the animals, they may be too excited to listen.

3.) Don't Go It Alone - Ideally, you won't be alone on your tour - bring another staff member or a volunteer with you to help police the crowd.  It can be easy to get distracted answering questions by one visitor and not noticing that someone else is putting their hands where they don't belong.  Also, that means if a situation arises - like, you forgot something somewhere else that you need for your tour - you can send your buddy as a runner while keeping your group under supervision.

4.) Have a Message - These animal encounters are a great way to raise a little extra money for conservation programs... but they should also be a chance to reach out to visitors and impart an important conservation message.  Don't just spout off a series of random animal facts - let your audience leave with the understanding that there is something that they can do to make a positive difference for animals.  If your encounter is with tigers, for instance, consider taking the chance to tell guests about how Sumatran tigers are threatened by the loss of their habitat to palm oil plantations, and how they can use sustainable palm oil to help the species.  At the penguin encounter I took the in-laws to, the keepers shared information about the Monterrey Bay Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Watch app, a lesson which the audience absorbed readily.

5.) It's for the Animals - Okay, so I lied a few steps earlier.  Safety comes second - animals first.  If for any reason you suspect that doing the program will prove detrimental to the welfare of the animals - pull the plug.  Either return the money, offer them to reschedule, or let them interact with a different species instead.  No visitor encounter is worth compromising the welfare of their animals.  Almost to a rule, the people who sign up for these programs love animals and will understand.  I had a woman at my zoo who had scheduled an encounter with our sloths.  A few days before she and her family were scheduled to come - surprise! - we had a baby sloth born.  I called her, explained that we wanted to give mom, baby, and the rest of the group some time to themselves, and regretfully said that we couldn't do the tour then.  Far from being upset, she was thrilled by the news and rescheduled her tour for as soon as she could after we resumed the program.

From the News: Baby rhino bites zoo visitor

Baby rhino bites Cincinnati Zoo patron, 'expected to be fine'

Of course, those behind-the-scenes encounters with large mammals don't always go the way you plan...

I'll admit that when I first read this, I just saw the headline and was infuriated.  I thought that it was another fence-jumper, and after Harambe I'd say that's the last thing Cincinnati Zoo needs.  Instead, this just seems to be one of those potential risks that occur when we bring visitors and animals together.  I'm glad that the patron is fine, not that there would have been much doubt... baby rhinos aren't known for their massive chompers.  Seriously, there are days when I feel like a little mouthing from a baby rhino on my hand might do wonders for my mood...

A Picnic with Giraffes

Over the past several years of zookeeping, I've gotten my hands on (or in the mouths of) a host of large mammals - African and Asian elephants, polar bears, bison, and three species of rhino among them.  There are, admittedly, not typical experiences for the average zoo visitor.   Many zoos do, however, offer their guests a chance to get very up close and personal with one of the largest land animals in the world - and to feed one, too.

Giraffe feeding stations have popped up at zoos all over the United States, in AZA, ZAA, and unaffiliated institutions alike.  The premise is simple - you enter an elevated deck, purchase a nutritious snack of sorts, and then marvel as an eighteen-inch long prehensile black tongue swoops down to take it from you... which in turn is attached to a head the size of a coffee table, which is in turn attached to a neck taller than you are.  It's an awesome experience, the memory of which can stay with a person for quite a long time... especially for those folks who do not have daily encounters with large exotic mammals.

I'm not sure which zoo first developed the giraffe feeding station, but the concept has certainly spread.  Many of the zoos I've visited are now remodeling their giraffe habitats to facilitate feeding.  There are factors that have to be taken into consideration when planning these.  Is it safe for visitors, for one thing?  Giraffes have big heads, and big animals moving their big heads suddenly can scythe through a crowd of visitors if they are allowed to get too much of their neck into the visitor area.  Is the feeding deck inadvertently causing aggression, as animals compete for access for the treats?  How is the feeding deck impacting the daily diet?  Most importantly, is it safe for the animals?  A giraffe feeding station should be monitored by zoo employees and kept closed off when not open.  Otherwise, there is always a risk that people could bring their own food and try to feed the animals with bad consequences for their health.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander, they say, but is what's good for the giraffe good for, say, the okapi?  Giraffes have always been among the most popular of zoo animals, and the addition of feeding and interaction opportunities has only made them even more popular.  I wonder if there are other opportunities to incorporate supervised feeding and contact programs for other zoo animals which might encourage more zoos to highlight and work with those species.  Elmwood Park Zoo, for example, has a feeding opportunity at its American bison exhibit (and, incidentally, now they do giraffes as well).  If visitors were given the chance to feed a bongo, or a markhor, or a Burmese brow-antlered deer, would they be as enthralled?  Could it lead to more interest in those species, more connections formed?

Maybe, though I'll admit I doubt it.  In the public esteem as in real life, few animals loom as high as the giraffe.