From the News: Ukrainian Animal Evacuations Continue

The war in Ukraine is now in its second month, with no end in sight.  At the present time, about one-tenth of the country's population has been driven from their homeland and taken refuge in surrounding countries.  Nor are all of those refuges humans.  

As the reach of the war spreads, an increasing number of animals (wild and domestic) are also being moved out of the country.  Some of the larger or more difficult animals to move are sheltering in place (though there are concerns about food supplies); some zoos have even remained open, giving people at least a little taste of normalcy.  For others, though, evacuation has proven essential.  

Adult Lion, Wolf Transported from Ukrainian Zoo to Facility in Romania

Kangaroos Latest Animals Evacuated from Hard-Hit Kharkiv Zoo

Tigers From Ukraine Zoo Safe in Poland

We continue to hope that everyone - human and animal - makes it through this nightmare safely and is able to come home.

Pushing Back Extinction

When I meet an animal for the first time, seeing a species that I've never seen before, it can be a pretty exciting experience for me.   For some species, especially ones that I'd always heard or read about but never expected to see in person, it can get a little emotional for me.  There's only one situation I can remember when the overriding emotion after the fact was depression.

That was Cincinnati Zoo, 2014, when I finagled my way for a one-on-one meeting behind the scenes with the last Sumatran rhino outside of its native range.  Prior to the meeting, I knew that Sumatrans were rare - I just didn't appreciate how rare they were.  Cincinnati had been met with a small amount of success breeding the species (the rhino that I was visiting was Ohio born and bred), and there had recently been talk about importing a few more to try breeding more in the states.  During that visit in the back of the rhino barn, I learned that the reverse was actually true.  The prospects for the species in the wild were so dire that this animal was going to shipped back to Indonesia.  No one really expected the Sumatran rhino to be around much longer.  The keeper who was showing me around admitted that she expected the species to be extinct in her life time - and she was older than me.

Scratching that surprisingly woolly backside though the barns, contemplating the big, brown eyes of the rhino, I tried to process the fact that I might be one of the last people to see a Sumatran rhino - certainly one of the last to see one outside of Indonesia.

That\s why the announcement of the birth of a new rhino calf in Indonesia (descended from a Cincinnati-born rhino, no less) is such tremendous news.  Not because it means that the species is out of the woods - far from it.  Not because what it means for the breeding program there, though it is great news.  But because this rhino's birth, assuming it hopefully lives a long, full life, pushes back the extinction of this species that much further.  The longer we can keep Sumatran rhinos - or any other endangered species - alive and with us, the better the odds of us being able to somehow reverse the trend of its decline, whether its through new conservation methods, improved technologies, or new knowledge about their natural history and biology that enables us to better breed and manage the animals in their closely-guarded reserve.

Every day, every year that we hold onto Sumatran rhinos is a little victory in itself, an act of defiance against the seemingly-unstoppable onset of extinction.

 

Questions Worth Asking, Answers Worth Knowing

My interests run mostly towards mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, so it's not surprising that I'm typically much more interested and engaged on my visits to zoos than I am at aquariums.  At the zoo I tend to see each animal as an individual, like masterpiece paintings on display in a museum.  At aquariums, I tend to see the animals more like flowers in a garden, each one a fleck of color contributing to an overall impression.  Sometimes, though, I see certain fish or invertebrates which catch my eye and leave me wanting to know more.  Such was the occasion on a recent visit to an aquarium where I saw my first flamboyant cuttlefish.

The creature was so small, so colorful, so surreal looking that, after my trip, I decided I needed to know more about it.  Cracking open the books (by which I mean websites) I found... not a lot.  There's not a lot known about these guys.  One hole in the knowledge that I find particularly intriguing is their toxicity.  Some sources speculated that the species was venomous, potentially enough to be fatal to humans.  Others said that there was no evidence at all that the species was venomous, nor would they expect it to be, as no other cuttlefish are venomous (not many other cephalopods are venomous - among those that are is the tiny, beautiful, and highly-deadly blue-ringed octopus).  This just seems like such an important thing for people to know, especially people working in close proximity to this animal with the potential for getting bitten.

Seriously, no one ever thought of sacrificing an intern to the cause to find out?  (There is precedent for this - the famous herpetologist Karl Schmidt died trying to answer the question of "Just how venomous is the boomslang?" referring to a rear-fanged African tree snake.  The answer, it turns out, is "very.")

In recent years, zoos have shifted their focus to conservation, with the educational component now largely being interpreted as raising awareness and inspiring action.  All of that is good and important and worthwhile.  Still, looking at a candy-colored little monster in an aquarium tank, its arms encircling a beak which may or may-not be capable of inflicting a lethally venomous bite, it occurs to me that we could also be doing a lot more research and learning so much more about these animals... including some stuff which might be good to know before anyone gets a nip.

Species Fact Profile: Flamboyant Cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi)

Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Metasepia pfefferi (Hoyle, 1885)

Range: Tropical Indo-Pacific waters off the coasts of northern Australia, southern New Guinea, and various islands in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines

Habitat: Tropical waters with sand or mud substrate at depths from 3 meters to 86 meters

Diet: Crustaceans, Bony Fish

Social Grouping: Loosely Social

Reproduction:  Breeding takes place in the spring, over a course of about 6-8 weeks.  One of the male’s arms is modified for holding and transferring sperm to the female.  Males perform colorful displays to attract females .  Fertilization is internal, with the female taking sperm from the male and placing them on her round, white eggs.  Eggs are then hidden individually in rock crevices as protection from predators.  No additional parental care provided  Young develop directly with no metamorphosis. Sexually mature at 3 months of age

Lifespan: 18-24 Months (Die after spawning)

      Conservation Status: Not Evaluated

•          Up to 60 centimeters in total length.  Females are on average larger than males.  Broad, oval mantle is flattened dorsoventrally. The dorsal mantle has three large, flap-like papillae which cover the eyes.  Cuttlebone runs two-thirds the length of the mantle.  The head is narrower than the mantle.  The mouth is surrounded by ten appendages – two tentacles, eight arms, which are broad and blade-like.
•       Sexes look alike.  Have the ability to change their color, but base coloration is usually a dark brown, with overlying patterning of white and yellow, purple, pink, and orange on the arms.  
•       Subordinate males may change their color to mimic females to avoid more aggressive males while still hanging around females.  Young are capable of changing color within hours of hatching
•       Relatively slow swimmer (largely due to cuttlebone), typically “walks” along seafloor instead.  Can only float for short periods of time
•       Hunts by sight, using large, well-developed eyes (though likely color-blind) to look for food, chromatophores to blend into surrounding while approaching prey.  Forages by day, unusual among cephalopods, which are predominately nocturnal.  
•       Primary defense against predators is camouflage, but is also venomous (bright coloration can serve as a warning).  Also capable of secreting ink to disorient a predator while it flees
•       Potentially venomous (bright coloration may be a warning), but if it is, venom is of undetermined potency.  May be powerful enough to kill a human (conversely, there are some caretakers who suggest that the species might not be toxic, though it is generally treated as such during handling).  If it is toxic, it would be one of the few venomous cephalopods and the only known venomous cuttlefish
•       Species is currently not well known, but its small size and attractive coloration make it a potential target for over-collection for private home aquariums.  It may possibly be threatened in the future by ocean acidification, which can cause the body to form denser cuttlebones, further reducing their buoyancy
•       The first (and currently only) aquatic invertebrate managed as a Species Survival Plan by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Baby's First Check-Up

The birth of a new baby is one of the greatest joys of working with animals.  As exciting as it is, though, there's usually not too much for the keepers to do in the immediate aftermath.  The important thing (for mammals and birds, anyway) is to let mom and baby bond, and that generally means giving them some space.  There comes a time after, however, when keepers and vets get their hands on the neonate for the first time to give it the first physical exam.  This is often when it is determined if the newborn is male or female.  

Enjoy this video of a baby Hoffman's two-toed sloth wellness check at St. Augustine Alligator Farm:

No Room at the Inn

With the onset of this current avian influenza outbreak, one which has already resulted in the deaths on millions of domestic birds, zoos in the eastern half of the country are scrambling to bring their birds inside to keep them safe from exposure.  The problem that many of them are facing is, where do you put them all?  Many zoos in the northern states have designated holding areas for their tropical birds during the winter, but southern states do not.  Other birds are capable of remaining outside in all weather, so don't have indoor holding.  Or, if they do, the holding areas are only meant to be used for short periods of time, brief emergencies (think of those famous photos of storks and flamingos in public bathrooms, waiting out hurricanes).  Now, we're looking at a situation which could last for weeks or months.

This is scary, stressful new territory for a lot of folks (and even more birds).  It poses major challenges and complications for staff as they try to manage birds in situations where they never have before.  It can pose major behavior challenges for birds - are new holding areas safe?  Are they large enough?  What about the stress of being caught up and moved, perhaps into an unfamiliar environment in close proximity of other animals, vehicles, and other stressors?  To say nothing of the impact that it could have in disrupting laying and nesting, which, of course, is what birds are primarily doing in the spring.

If there's a lesson to be learned from this, it's that we need to be smart about designing and incorporating safe holding spaces into all new construction to prepare for this and other potential future challenges.  

The Hippo vs the Security Guard

Even after decades in the field, visitor reactions to animals continue to baffle me.  I've seen visitors run - I don't mean "back away quickly," I mean run, as if all of hell was at their heels - from the most harmless of animals in a contact yard, or ask me, between frightened gasps, whether the tiny turtle I was holding could hurt them.  And then, on the flipside, I've seen people get themselves into the most dangerous of situations (usually by crossing a barrier) with a complete lack of concern.

Take these folks at this zoo, who are about to find themselves getting a much closer look at a hippo than most people should really experience.  Not a care in the world.  If that guard hadn't come onto the scene (and perhaps taken a bit direct of an approach to getting the behemoth back in its - seemingly inadequately barriered - habitat), who knows how this would have played out. 

Zoo Review: SEA LIFE at Mall of America

I know, I know... I keep saying that I'm through with SEA LIFE aquariums... and, to a large extent, I am.  The facility at Mall of America, located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, however, was a special exception.  It's considerably larger and more unique than most of the other cookie-cutter aquariums of the chain which have popped up around the country.  Perhaps that is because it did not start of its existence as a SEA LIFE.  Instead, it was UnderWater World, an anchor of the massive shopping complex for over a decade before Merlin Entertainment, which owns SEA LIFE, swooped down on it in 2008.

My biggest gripe with SEA LIFE aquariums is that they are all basically the same.  The differences in the Mall of America facility are evident pretty quickly.  Unlike the previous three that I'd visited, this had a section dedicated to the Amazon (a geographic cliché in many large public aquariums, to be sure, but not one that I'd seen in a SEA LIFE).  To be fair, it wasn't anything grand - no walk through rainforest with birds swooping overhead and sloths and monkeys in the tree.  It consisted of a series of tanks for red-bellied piranha, freshwater angelfish, and common caiman, with smaller jewel cases for dart frogs and tarantulas.  It wasn't anything to blow your mind in terms of unique exhibitry (though I was perplexed by the acrylic bubble allowing visitors to pop-up in the land portion of the caiman exhibit), but it was different.

The Amazon adventure is continued in the first stage of the main attraction at the facility, a 300-foot tunnel which leads through a variety of aquatic habitats.  One of which, as I just mentioned, is the Amazon, with a familiar cast of giant South American fish, such as arapaima, silver arowana, black pacu, and freshwater stingrays.  Another section is a nod to the wildlife of the nearby Great Lakes, dominated by sturgeon, carp, paddlefish, and muskie.  There is a coral reef ecosystem with puffers, tangs, and other small, colorful fish.  

And, of course, there is the obligatory shark tunnel, a SEA LIFE staple.  Of course, this SEA LIFE is bigger than its sibling facilities, and as a result, its sharks are too.  There are blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, the species seen at the other facilities, but also sand tiger sharks, nurse sharks, zebra sharks, and, to my intense surprise in the setting, green sawfish and guitarfish, the later two being considerable rarities in most aquariums.  Again, the exhibits were nothing really remarkable if you've been to any of the major public aquariums, but for a city where the nearest such facility is hours away and experience with them limited, it was probably a cool feature.

The remainder of the aquarium post-tunnel is divided into a series of small galleries for species which don't lend themselves to mixed-species tanks with tunnels - seahorses (including weedy seadragons), jellyfish, smaller reef fish - and touch tanks - one a Pacific tidal pool, the other a stingray feeding encounter.  Exit through the giftshop.

If I were to recommend visiting a single US SEA LIFE (I'm told the international branches tend to be larger and more complete), it would have to be this one in terms of the scope of its collection and its exhibits (which, while not breathtaking, are still more impressive than its sister aquariums).  At the same time, it reminded me of some of the things about the aquarium chain that irk me so much.  Not the animals and exhibits - I freely admit that I'm a snob and that most aquarium visitors aren't, and aren't going to be bothered by comparisons to other aquariums because they won't have been to nearly as many.  Instead, it's the experience.  The layout - including the heavy emphasis on tunnels - pushes the visitor through like they're on a conveyer belt.  It discourages double-backing, lingering, and exploring.  I get much more enjoyment out of wide open aquariums that let the visitor run amok, much circling back to see what an animal is doing now.

The center of the Mall of America is dominated by a mini-indoor amusement park, full of all sorts of rides for kids (it was sort of my impression that these days the rest of the mall serves to support the amusement park, rather than the other way around).  Walking through it on my way in search of something to eat after the aquarium, it struck me that in some ways, SEA LIFE felt more like a ride than the kind of aquarium experience that I normally enjoy to linger in.

SEA LIFE at Mall of America

Bird Flu Blues

Spring is coming, and with it visitors are flocking to zoos across the country to enjoy the warm weather.  Many visitors won't have been to their zoo for months, having stayed home during the winter (or perhaps for the duration of the pandemic), and are excited to see what changes have been made since they last came.   One change that they might notice may strike them as a little odd.  At zoos across the eastern United States, including many of the facilities east of the Mississippi, birds are disappearing from exhibits.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continues to spread across the country, impacting more zoos and aquariums each week.  So far, I haven't heard of any US zoos that have suffered losses to the disease.  If that is the case, than it's a testimony to how seriously zoos are taking the threat.  As soon as cases are reported in neighboring counties, many facilities are pulling at-risk birds (essentially those that have the ability to be infected by wild birds, especially wild waterfowl) and removing them to safe locations.  Staff who have exposure to birds outside of the zoo - such as those who might have pet birds, or work part-time at pet stores, or something similar - are being segregated from zoo birds to reduce the risk of infection.  Feeding aviaries and walk-through aviaries are being shut down for the duration of this outbreak.

As the weather warms, the spring waterfowl migration will be ending.  Hopefully after that, the disease will start of abate and things can return to normal.  Unless of course, this is becoming the new normal.  I feel like we've had several similar concerns about HPAI in recent years, whereas we seldom worried about it when I was new to the field.  Are we just more diligent now?  Or is this disease a new fixture of our lives, a constant background threat to our birds that we're just going to have to learn to live with?

The Spiders Are Coming! The Spiders Are Coming!

"Welcome to a new kind of tension

All across the idiot nation

Where everything isn't meant to be okay"

- Green Day, American Idiot

It had been a long time since I'd thought of the northern snakehead.  That's especially strange, because for a while I feel like that's all I ever heard about (I mean, zoologically speaking).  The fish-that-walks (a greatly exaggerated ability) was supposed to slither forth from its pond of first-sighting in Crofton, Maryland, and gradually conquer the country, devouring us all.  People went into a frenzy killing any fish that looked like a snakehead.  They inspired several horror movies and a somewhat irritating novelty song.  State governments set up snakehead sighting hotlines.

I've seen a grand total of one wild introduced snakehead since then.  Ironically, it was in a stream in a zoo.

Society has a tendency to get itself worked into a lather about the latest invasive animal which is going to sweep in from nowhere and destroy the ecosystem and/or our civilization.  Remember the Asian murder hornets last year?  They were supposed to be the Eleventh Plague of Egypt or some such overly dramatic nonsense.  Barely heard a peep about them after that. (These invasive species are usually East Asian in origin - I presume because the climate there is similar to much of the United States, so species from there might be more likely to become established in this country than those from the tropics).

Joro spider, first discovered in Georgia, makes its way to neighboring states

Now, we're hearing about the joro spider (also of East Asia).  These spiders, the young of which travel with parachutes of silk, are currently established in Georgia and are making their way north.  They may end up occupying much of the eastern US.  And the panic has already set in, with some people imagining three-inch spiders flying in through windows and landing on their faces.  To be clear, only the youngsters parachute.  The adults sit in the middle of their webs and do nothing.  So far, ecologists haven't predicted that the spiders are likely to have too big of an impact on our environment, a reminder that all non-native species which become established actually become invasive.

Invasive species are, not to pass a moral judgement on animals (which don't have a say in it, usually) are a bad thing.  We spent an entire month going over this a few years ago.  We should seek to prevent non-native species from getting established outside of their range and, when necessary, we should be willing to remove them to help safeguard species that they threaten.  But let's tone it down a little...

Species Fact Profile: Northern Snakehead (Channa argus)

Northern Snakehead

Channa argus (Cantor, 1842)

Range: Northeastern Asia (China, Russia, North Korea, South Korea)

Habitat: Stagnant Freshwater Bodies with Mud or Vegetated Bottoms

Diet: Fish, Crustaceans, Amphibians

Social Grouping: Loosely Social

Reproduction:  Sexually mature at 2-3 years old (a length of about 30 centimeters).   Spawn in spring and summer. Females can lay up to 100,000 eggs per year, fertilized externally.  Eggs can hatch as soon as 1-2 days after being fertilized.  Eggs and newly hatched fry are guarded by both parents

Lifespan: 10-15 Years

      Conservation Status: Not Evaluated

•       Usually grows up to 100 centimeters, but specimens 150 centimeters long and weighing over 8 kilograms have been captured.  Long body with long, thin, rayed dorsal fin, small compressed head with a large mouth with large teeth
•       Coloration is golden tan with dark blotches, more distinct towards the front of the body, running together towards the rear.
•       Capable of obtaining oxygen directly from the air (thanks to a specialized chamber next to the gills), which allows this fish to live outside of water for days at a time and move short distances overland to transport itself from one body of water to another (this ability is only demonstrated in juveniles)
•       Capable of entering a state of torpor, allowing them to survive under ice during cold winters, burying themselves into mud at the bottom of ponds
•       Two subspecies recognized - the nominate in China and the Koreas and the Amur snakehead (C. a. warpachowskii) in eastern Russia
•       Used as a food fish in eastern Asia, which (along with fishes kept as pets) is responsible for the spread of this species around the world.  It has become invasive in parts of Europe and the United States
•       Possession of snakeheads is strictly regulated by the federal government to prevent additional populations from becoming established, efforts are underway to exterminated identified populations outside of their native range
•       In Chinese folklore, the snakehead is a symbol of parental virtue, based on the protection that adults provide their eggs and young

The Worsening Tragedy

 A statement from Feldman Ecopark in Ukraine:

Death by Camel

Camel kills two men after escape from Tennessee petting zoo

"The 'orse he knows above a bit; the bullock's but a fool

The elephant's a gentleman; the battery mule's a mule.

But the commissariat camel, when all is said and done,

He's a devil an' a ostrich an' a orphan child in one."

- Rudyard Kipling

Police responded to a report of an escaped dromedary camel from Shirley Farm petting zoo in Tennessee.  Upon arrival, two men were found unconscious at the scene, with the camel still on the loose and behaving aggressively.   Police were forced to destroy the animal so that medical personnel could get to the fallen men; unfortunately, both succumbed to their injuries and died. 

Dromedary (one-humped) camels are domesticated; there are no true wild ones left in the world, though some feral, introduced ones in Australia.  They are so common in petting zoos, farms, and riding experiences that it's easy for us to forget how big and potentially dangerous they can be.  I've had to run (if not for my life and at least for avoiding a severe maiming) from an angry bull dromedary before.  While millions of people around the world live and work in close proximity to camels, security needs to minded carefully to prevent accidents like this from occurring.  It's been noted that the facility in question has had compliance issues with animal care in the past, though I'm as of yet unsure whether those contributed to the escape and attacks.

Condolences to the families of the victims of this tragedy.

Brooke Shields's Forgotten Role

This past week, the San Diego Zoo unveiled its new children's zoo, Wildlife Explorers Basecamp.  Replacing the old children's zoo, it allows kids to play in a manner that emulates nearby coatis, squirrel monkeys, and other species, building empathy and encouraging hands-on learning.   This past Thursday, the Zoo held a VIP opening for the exhibit.  Among those in attendance was a San Diego Zoo staff alum... though perhaps not someone that many members of the public would have expected to see in that role.

Photo Credit: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Years after she was already a star, Brooke Shields had at least one more usual high school experience - an internship.  Hers happened to be at the San Diego Zoo, where she worked with various species.  No, it doesn't look like she ever considered dropping her active career for the lucrative world of zookeeping, nor do I think anyone expected her to.  Nor did JFK Jr apparently have zookeeping in mind as a backup career when he took on a similar internship at the Bronx Zoo (detailed in You Belong In A Zoo!).  A lot of zookeeping interns don't enter the field.  Nor, to be honest, are any but a tiny percentage of the kids who will be playing their way through Wildlife Explorers Basecamp.  And that's ok.  That's not necessarily the point.

The point is to get folks involved in wildlife conservation at whatever level we can meet them at and help foster connections with animals.  Maybe Brooke Shields won't be mucking stalls in a zoo or doing field work in the wild - but she does have a major pulpit as a Hollywood star from which she can reach audiences, as well as the financial power to make contributions to causes that are important to her.  Zoos, aquariums, and other wildlife organizations can use all of the friends they can get, in any capacity, from big-time celebrities to the kids who want to play at being coatis, and everyone in between.

And How Do You Know?

"And How Do You Know?"

Beth Miller, a senior animal care specialist for the Chicago Zoological Society, engages Merlin, one of the bottlenose dolphins at Brookfield Zoo, during a care session.  Credit: Chicago Zoological Society

You could put the emphasis on each word in that sentence, and the meaning would still be roughly the same - and equally important.  How do we know what?  How good an animal's welfare is in a zoo or aquarium.  How well cared for they are.  How happy they are.  This is especially pertinent with animals that are at the center of a lot of attention, like Toki/Lolita, the Miami Seaquarium orca.  Some people say that it's obvious that she's unhappy and doing poorly there.  Others say that it's obvious that she's well cared for and doing fine.  Both sides are convinced that the other is misinformed and/or hopelessly biased.

How can something be so obvious to different people drawing the opposite conclusions?

Cetacean Welfare

To help answer the question, over forty organizations - zoos, aquariums, universities - are working together on a new scientific study to quantify the welfare of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) under human care.  Granted, the study is being carried out by facilities which already have these animals, which means that they're likely coming at this from a place of already suspecting that they can provide the best welfare (or, at least, from not being philosophically convinced that there is no way that whales and dolphins can be well cared for in a zoo setting).  By trying to back up answers scientifically, however, there is a better chance of viewing aspects of whale/dolphin welfare on a continuum, which means that it's possible to better identify what aspects of their care make the biggest difference for their wellbeing.  Enclosure size?  Social group?  Relations with keepers?

Hopefully, this ongoing study will help us better understand the quality of life that we are giving cetaceans in aquariums.  It may lead some facilities to decide that they can no longer meet those needs and phase cetaceans out of their collections.  It may lead others to make substantial changes to how they are caring for their animals.  What matters the most is that any changes that result will be driven by science and a desire to provide the best possible care for the animals

The Most Controversial Exhibit Animal in the World

A bold claim?  Perhaps - but I think not.  There probably isn't a species more controversial in zoos and aquariums than orca (killer whale).  And - SeaWorld sit down - I don't think that there is a more controversial killer whale facility (in this country, at least) than Miami Seaquarium, the home of Lolita.

Born in 1966, Lolita (AKA Tokitae, a Chinook name) is the second oldest orca known (and the only older one known is her mother).  She has been at Miami Seaquarium since her capture in 1970 - and has been a lightning rod for most of those years.  Unlike the orcas at SeaWorld, Lolita is housed alone from other orcas since the death of her male companion since 1980.  She's been housed with other dolphins off and on since then.  Her tank is considerably smaller than a SeaWorld tank, which also has lent itself to criticism.  

For years, many protestors have called for her return to the wild, the coastal waters of the Pacific northwest from where she was taken.  The Lummi people, indigenous residences of that land who consider the whale a tribal member, have led the charge.  Opponents of the move have cited the orca's age and personality - she is reportedly very averse to change and has reacted poorly to attempts to provide new habitats or stimuli over the years - as reason to just let her live out her life in Miami.  The Seaquarium has changed ownership over the years, but Lolita has remained a controversial topic in Miami for decades.  Lawsuits have rained down on the park constantly, but no traction gained.  To be honest, I expect Lolita to die of old age before anything is resolved and for her simply to not be replaced.

Shows are over for Seaquarium's killer whale

Recently, a big change came - Lolita is staying at the Seaquarium.... but won't be on exhibit.  How long this situation will last I have no idea.  A killer whale is a pretty big, expensive, time consuming animal to just keep around without having the benefit of the public seeing her.  Would they consider transferring her to SeaWorld Orlando?  Do they suspect that her days are probably relatively numbered and that this is a quiet retirement?  Is there any chance that she would go back to the northwest (judging from Keiko's experience, I hope not - I don't think she has the time to go through a proper reintro, and I suspect the stress of the journey would be too much).  I have no idea.

I've never been to the Seaquarium and have never seen her in person, nor does it look like I will at this point.  Last year, I was visiting my wife's grandfather, looking through some home movies and old photos.  Among those was a very old, very grainy video of Miami Seaquarium from a trip the family took in the 1970s.  And there was Lolita.  Or Toki, if you prefer.  It blew my mind to think of this one animal as a fixture of that city's zoological scene for decades, generations.  That tenure is probably not going to be for too much longer.   

Species Fact Profile: Yellow-Banded Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas)

                                     Yellow-Banded (Bumblebee) Poison Dart Frog

Dendrobates leucomelas (Steindachner, 1864)

Range: Northern South America (primarily eastern Venezuela)

Habitat: Lowland Tropical Rainforest, up to 800 Meters Elevation

Diet: Ants, Termites, Small Beetles

Social Grouping: Solitary, will congregate during dry season in damp locations

Reproduction:  Breed in February and March.  Males identify sites for the females to lay their eggs, usually on leaves overhanging water.   Females may lay up to 1000 eggs per breeding season in clutches of 2-12 eggs.  After they are laid, the male fertilizes and watches over the eggs, making sure the eggs remain moist.  Eggs hatch into tadpoles after 10-14 days, develop into froglets after 2-3 months.  Sexually mature at 12-18 months

Lifespan: 20 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern, CITES Appendix II

•       One of the largest dart frogs, measuring up to 5 centimeters long (usually 3-4) and weighing 3 grams.  Females are larger than males
•       Distinctive black and yellow banding, with each frog having a unique individual pattern; the black bands break into spots as the frog ages.  The underside is solid black.  The coloration serves as a warning of the poisons in their skins
•       Primarily live on the ground, but climb trees, especially to find sites to lay eggs
•       Communicate with a series of chirps, buzzes, trills, and hums
•       During the dry season, these frogs estivate (go dormant), the only dart frog species known to show this behavior
•       One of the most commonly kept poison dart frogs in the pet trade; breeds readily, so probably not posing much of a threat to wild populations through demand for pets
•       Toxins in the skin are obtained from eating certain arthropods.  Toxins not as prevalent in frogs raised in captivity and fed diet of domestic insects

Can I Ask a Dumb Question?

This cartoon from MAD magazine really speaks to me...  I had a coworker once who was the master of the snappy, snarky comeback.  "Where are the otters today?"  "Oh, it's Saturday - they don't work weekends."  "Are those little ones in there the babies?"  "No, those are the adults.  In this species, the animals get smaller and smaller as they grow up.  One day, they just get so small we can't see them anymore."  Yeah, we got a lot of interesting letters about that guy.  I'm pretty sure HR had a dedicated file cabinet for him.

It's a refrain I've always loved that there are no stupid questions, just a bunch of dumb inquisitive people.  Still, the only way a lot of people learn is by asking questions, and, as we should want to encourage people to learn, we should encourage them to ask questions.  Treating them like morons just encourages them to keep quiet for fear of looking stupid.

The Toxic Altruist

There was an open letter that I read the other day, written by many former employees of a certain facility, who were denouncing their former supervisor for several examples of toxic behavior.  I read through the list of their select accusations, with reactions ranging from "Eh, that's no so bad," to "Holy heck, this lady is crazy."  Similarly, responses to the letter ran the gamut.  Some readers who were familiar with this manager stood up for her and turned accusations back on the accusers.  Most readers, however, were firmly on the side of the writers and applauded them for their courage in speaking up... even if they knew nothing about the facility in question or its leadership.

It was easy for them to believe the accusations.  Many of them had experienced similar conduct at other facilities.

I've heard some people speculate that workplaces in the zoo and aquarium profession are uniquely toxic.  There may be some truth to that.  Zoos tend to attract people who prefer the company of animals to people, which means we aren't always the best-socialized bunch.  The jobs are very competitive, with many applicants for each opening, which creates an environment in which entry-level keepers, often kids desperate for their first break in the field, are less likely to speak up against managerial mistreatment.  The life-and-death nature of animal care leads to high pressure situations as people struggle to do what's right for the animals, knowing that mistakes can be fatal for their charges.

All of that is true... and yet...

I've heard a lot of toxic workplace stories from teachers.  Doctors.  Social workers.  Church workers.  Small non-profits.  And it has all led me to one conclusion - organizations which are driven by a mission, especially a noble one such as providing health care, helping the homeless, or restoring endangered species, are all especially prone to a unique blend of toxicity.  Allow me to explain.

People who work at these organizations are all about their mission.  It's what drives them.  It's what defines them.   Many of them want nothing more than for that mission to be successful.  This tends to lead to some black-and-white thinking, right vs wrong, good vs evil.  It becomes easy to see anyone who is opposed to you as being the bad guy.  Soon, that can extend to anyway who is in your way, or not doing their job as well as you would like them to be, thus hampering the operation.  If they aren't the bad guy per se, they're a frustrating idiot who is keeping you from saving the world.

And then you're allowed to be a jerk.  You can shout at them, or make impossible demands, or even throw things at them.  And if anyone calls you out on it, you can say, sarcastically, "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't have time to take care of your sensitive *feelings* - I'm trying to [insert something very noble sounding here]."  If an employee pushes back against an order to work unpaid overtime, or expresses concern about workplace safety, it can become "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you actually cared about what we're trying to do here.  I guess you're just in it for the money."  And so on.

This is all ridiculous.   Setting aside the obvious, important point of, "All employees, from the CEO to the intern to the janitor, are people, who deserve to be treated with respect," this mindset is bad for the organization.  An organization, be it a zoo or a church, can't thrive if employees are constantly cycling out, burning out due to toxic management and brutal working conditions.  Employees who stick around in these circumstances are likely to become as vicious to their coworkers as their bosses are to them, to become manipulative to learn to stay out of their boss's crosshairs, or to basically do nothing, afraid to attract attention to themselves.  Compare this to a workplace where employees are treated with respect, are supported by management and support each other in turn, and help each other grow.

The mission is always important.  So are the people - all of the people - who make that mission possible.  So treat them well.

From the News: Ukraine Zoo Animals Evacuated to Poland

Ukraine Zoo Animals Evacuated to Poland After Getting Surrounded by Russian Tanks

Book Review/Movie Review: The Zookeeper's Wife - A War Story

The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has called to mind World War II for many Europeans, so I thought this was as good of a time as any other for a review of this book club favorite.  The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman, is the story of Antonina Zabinkska, who, along with her husband, Jan, had overseen the Warsaw Zoo in the years leading up to the onslaught of World War II.  The invasion of Poland marked the beginning of the war, making the people of Warsaw some of the first foreign victims of the Nazi regime.  The Zabinkskas were not Jewish, but they were not immune to the horrors of the invasion.  In the immediate aftermath of the Nazi raid, which severely damaged their zoo and home, many of their animals were confiscated by the Germans for transfer to the zoos of Germany.  The remaining animals are shot for sport by the Nazis.

It's at that point (fairly early on in the book) that this ceases to be an animal story.  The Zabinskas are stripped of their animals, but are left in possession of the empty zoo.  With all of its barns and dens and other buildings, it proves to be an ideal hiding space for many of Warsaw's Jews, who find themselves subjected to increasingly brutal treatment from the Germans, culminating in their expulsion of the concentration camps.  At no small risk to themselves, the Antonina and Jan work to save as many of their neighbors as possible, smuggling them into the zoo (which they have to go through a tremendous effort to keep occupancy of during the war) until they can find safer, more permanent shelter elsewhere.  Meanwhile, largely unbeknownst to Antonia, her zoo-director husband actively participates in the Polish underground, assisting in more direct resistance against the occupiers.

I was much less impressed with the movie, staring Jessica Chastain as Antonina and Johan Heldenbergh as Jan.  I always dislike it when filmmakers decide that history isn't interesting enough and needs a lot of embellishment.  In this case, the embellishment is most prominent in the form of Lutz Heck, Director of the Berlin Zoo.  In real life, it was Heck who took the best animals of Warsaw back to Germany ("For safekeeping," he assured the Zabinkskas); he was an ally of the Reich (best known for his efforts to breed back "pure" Germanic animals, such as aurochs) and not an especially sympathetic character.  For those who only know him though the movie, however, I feel the need to point out that he did not, in fact, try to rape Antonina, murder her young son, or most of the other evil deeds that the filmmakers attribute to him.

As most books about World War II (and especially those relating to the experience of Jews under the Nazi regime) tend to be, this is a book fraught with emotion.  The author does seem to have a tendency to go on tangents, which don't always improve the flow or readability of the book.  In some cases they prove worthwhile - providing backstories, and thus better humanizing, the various people that the Zabinkskas rescue.  In other cases, they seem to serve no purpose and it takes a while to filter back to the actual story.  If anything, I enjoyed this book for reasons which came to find during the current troubles in Europe.  After someone made a post in one of the zookeeper Facebook groups outlining the plight of Ukrainian zoos, they were (somewhat rudely, I thought) called out by a group member (not sure if she's an actual keeper or not) about how insensitive it was to worry about animals when people are in danger.  

First, if we only worry about animals when people aren't in danger, then we'll never worry about animals.  Secondly, as The Zookeeper's Wife reminds me, often it's the people who care the most about animals who also manage to care the most about people.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story, at Amazon.com