Giving Tuesday, and Beyond

Yesterday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, has lately become known as "Giving Tuesday."  Following the economic excesses of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday (Sunday presumably being for rest... fat chance), this is the day in which nonprofits solicit donations from holiday well-wishers to help further their mission.  It's a day that a lot of institutions, zoos and aquariums among them, rely heavily on for meeting their fundraising goals for the year.

I'm pretty sure that two-thirds of the emails in my inbox this weekend were from organizations trying to remind me what Tuesday was, usually with the potential for my gift being matched.  Panthera.  International Crane Foundation.  Turtle Survival Alliance.  Every zoo or aquarium whose website I've so much as looked at.   All worthwhile organizations in need of financial support. I knew I couldn't help all, or even many of them.

But I could help one.

Organizations relying on Giving Tuesday to get back is like trying to live for a year off the candy you get trick-or-treating on Halloween.  It's a bonanza, but it's not enough and it's not sustainable (what would you do if it rained on October 31, to follow that analogy?)  So instead, I've decided that for next year, I'm going to try to give a little every month.  I may give to the same facility more than once, or to a different one every month.  I haven't decided.  What I have decided is that it's important to do one's part to support causes we believe in, and lip service and raising awareness only gets you so far.  Most of us are "aware" of the problems the world faces.  The question is, what will we do about it?

Species Fact Profile: California Sea Cucumber (Apostichopus californicus)

                                            California (Giant) Sea Cucumber                          

                                                Apostichopus californicus (Stimpson, 1857)

Range: Coastal North America, from Gulf of Alaska to Baja California

Habitat:  Intertidal Zone.  Depths of up to 250 meters

Diet: Organic Debris

Social Grouping: Solitary

Reproduction: Spawning takes place in August (thought to be associated with phytoplankton blooms), which each female producing thousands of eggs which are fertilized externally.  Resultant larva metamorphoses into adult form.  Reproductively mature at 4-8 years old

Lifespan: 12 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern

• Soft, roughly sausage-shaped body, up to 50 centimeters long, 5 centimeters wide, with a mouth at one end (surrounded by twenty retractable tentacles) and an anus at the other, five rows of tube -like feet
• Leathery skin is red-brown to yellow in color, covered with several irregularly shaped tubercles, usually tipped in red
• Feed by positioning themselves in a current which carries bits of organic matter within reach of their tentacles
• When threatened, the animal will expel its organs through its anus and secret sticky filaments, which can confuse and entangle the predator while the sea cucumber makes its escape.  The internal organs can be regrown.  Predators include sea stars, fish, crabs, and sea otters
• Fished on a small-scale for human consumption (especially sought after for Asian markets).  Believed to be sustainable.  Use of non-selective fishing methods, such as trawlers, has the potential to deplete populations and damage the habitat.  Some efforts to raise via aquaculture

The Perils of Online Shopping

Tomorrow is Cyber Monday, one of the peak days of the Christmas shopping season.  Of course, buying things online can be a bit risky - you may never be 100% sure that how an object is presented online is what it really is.  Or, that cursory glance you took before adding to your cart might be misleading.  Consider the foul-language filled but absolutely hilarious "100 Grumpy Animals."

I first came across this book when I saw that someone online had ordered it for a young niece or nephew, sat down to read it to them, and suddenly went beet red.  At first glance, it looks like it might be a cutesy children's book with fun illustrations, perfect for a small child.  The illustrations definitely are.  The text... maybe a little less so.  It's a really funny book, but definitely recommended for adults.  Or, as the initial reviewer later confirmed, for kids too young to read

Liar, Liar, Feathers on Fire

Parrots are the bird world's most famous voice mimics, but it turns out a lot of other species have the knack.  From passerines to a very unique individual duck in Australia, many birds can copy both human voices and other sounds, such as cell phones.  Among these masters of mimicry are Australia's lyrebirds... or, as Taronga zookeepers might be tempted to call them, "dirty rotten liar birds".  Ever since a recent incident in which some lions got loose in the Zoo, the birds have taken to sounding the evacuation alarm, which I'm sure that their keepers are just having a great sense of humor about. 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!  If you haven't finalized your menu yet, Tom the turkey from the Salisbury Zoo would like to make a quick suggestion:

Mahale and Kucheza

One of the most viral videos on social media right now is coming out of the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.  When chimpanzee Mahale was due to deliver her son last week, zoo staff determined that the baby would need to be born via C-section, after which it required supplemental care.  The goal, of course, was to get the baby (named Kucheza) back to his mother as soon as possible, and  later that week, the staff were able to realize that goal.  Of course no one could explain to Mahale what had happened to her son, and it would have been very understandable to think that she'd lost him forever.  The sheer surprise and delight t when she finds that her baby is back is something to see.  

I'm not normally a chimp fan - too human for my tastes - and frankly find them scary as hell most days.  In this case, though, I'll admit that this is pretty sweet.  And yes, I might even be persuaded to admit that this baby is actually kinda cute.

From the News: Bison spread as Native American tribes reclaim stewardship

Bison spread as Native American tribes reclaim stewardship

Somewhat to my irritation, the role of zoos in this article - both in helping to protect and breed the last remaining bison and in helping to supply bison to Native American tribes for reintroduction - is glossed over in this article.  Still, it is a welcome piece of news that celebrates one of the great conservation success stories of our time - one with tremendous implications not only for the conservation of the New World's largest native land animal, but of enhanced sovereignty and dignity for our country's first inhabitants.  Restoring the bison does more than increase the numbers of one species.  It also helps restore habitats and lay a foundation for the return of countless other prairie species.  It also helps Native Americans strengthen ties to their culture, their history, and their land.  Taken together, that's a lot to be thankful for.

Ask Me Anything (.. but not that)

Seriously, there are days that I wonder how much more money we'd have for our facilities if we all just wrote off the education departments as lost causes.

Species Fact Profile: Giant Sea Bass (Stereolepis gigas)

                                                               Giant Sea Bass                          

                                                Stereolepis gigas (Ayres, 1859)

Range: Northern Pacific Ocean (California and Mexico in the eastern Pacific, Japan in the west)

Habitat:  Kelp Forest, Drop-Offs, Mud Flats.  Found at about 20 meters depth

Diet: Crustaceans, Fish (Croaker, Mackerel, Sheephead)

Social Grouping: Solitary.  May not be territorial, but appear to be sedentary

Reproduction: Spawn in small groups from July through September, with individuals spawning with multiple mates.  Females may produce up to 60 million eggs.  Fertilized eggs float with currents, hatching into larvae, continue to drift until developing into juveniles.  Reach sexual maturity at 10-12 years old (20-30 kilograms in size).

Lifespan: 75-100 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Critically Endangered.  USFWS Endangered

• Can reach a length of up 2.5 meters and a weight of 250 kilograms, but reports exist of specimens weighing over 350 kilograms.  Row of dorsal spines in grooves down the back.  Large mouth 
• Juveniles are brightly colored red or orange with large black spots.  Adults take on darker, muddled gray or brown coloration, with a white underside
• Primarily sit-and-wait hunters.  Capture prey by suddenly opening their mouths to create a vacuum, sucking in nearby prey
• Large sharks are only significant predators of adults.  Juveniles may be taken by a variety of marine mammals and larger fish
• Have a symbiotic relationship with cleaner fish which remove external parasites from gills, skin, and the inside of the mouth
• Scientific name translates to "Giant Dense-Scaled Fish"
• Once fairly common, began declining in 1900s due to popularity with sports fishing.  LEgally protected in California waters since 1982

I Like Big Pumps and I Cannot Lie

Okay, to be honest, no, I don't.  And I do have to lie about that quite often...

Whenever I visit an aquarium - be it part of a conference tour or when visiting a friend or colleague - there is often a behind-the-scenes component to the visit.  When friends visit my zoo, I often take them behind-the-scenes.  Usually that means meeting up with an animal or two.  At aquariums, however, this usually mostly consists of being taken for a tour of the life support systems.

Every aquarium employee I have ever met seems to be absolutely fascinated by the magic of the life support systems.  The pumps, the filters, the chillers, the ozonators, and all of the other things which are extremely important and which I have only the murkiest of understandings of.  It's all essential to the operation of the aquarium and I'm really glad that these technologies have been developed and that there are people who understand them and are passionate about them.

They bore me to tears.

I've never been enamored with the technology that goes into animal care, as important as I know it all is.   It's been a handicap for me sometimes, professionally.  People start to explain it and my brain crawls out of my ear and chases after a frog that it sees hopping by.   I've always been enamored with the animals.  

Part of it is that I've been given this tour so many times at so many places, and I swear, they're all the same.  Every aquarist walks me down the narrow walkway between the loud, throbbing machinery and affectionately pats each one and tells me how many gallons go through it an hour and what the filtration rate is and then I start going blank-eyed and looking around for a fish to watch.  

The aquarists are an extreme example, but the herp people get like that too, when you get them going about their lamps and heaters and misters.  It's just that with aquatic systems, it's a lot more essential to get every detail right and working properly to keep everyone alive.  A snake, especially one in an otherwise heated building, can stand a little dip in temperature if a bulb burns out.  Fish don't last too long once those pumps die.

I don't begrudge the technologically-inclined.  I'm actually extremely grateful for them.  In many ways I envy their understanding and appreciation of such an important aspect of animal care.  It's just that I know that I'll never be one of them.

 

Zoo Review: National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

Located on the waterfront of Dubuque, Iowa, the campus of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is bordered by the river for which it is named.  An affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum opened in 1982, originally as a riverboat museum before eventually evolving into its current role.  Riverboats still play a prominent role in the facility - visitors approaching the gate are greeted by the sight of an enormous paddlewheel turning endlessly, while the steamboat William M. Black is docked out back and open for exploration.  A large part of the expansion, however, has been driven by new exhibits for the wildlife of the Mississippi River, including many of its most charismatic creatures.

The Museum consists of three main buildings, two of which - the West and East buildings - house the animal collection (a third building is the old riverboat museum).  Upon entering the West Building, visitors are first greeted by the Backwater Marsh, an open air raised aquarium in which freshwater fish, turtles, and waterfowl can be seen without barriers.  Directly behind this is the habitat for one of the most popular species in the collection, North American river otters.  Otters can be seen both indoors and outdoors, with underwater viewing in both locations.  For one of the their flagship species, I'll honestly admit it's not the most exciting otter habitat I've seen (many nature center museums seem to have gone with indoor otter exhibits as star attractions), but it's by no means the worst, and at least there is an outdoor component.  Trailing behind the otters are a series of rather decent habitats for a variety of small Mississippi river herps, including a few snakes and salamanders which I'd never encountered before.

The West Building also houses the other anchor species of the aquarium, the American alligator, sharing a habitat with alligator snapping turtle.  I would have liked for the big reptiles to also have had outdoor access like the otters, but I suppose that in a climate like Dubuque's, it probably wouldn't have been usable for that much of the year.  Other large aquariums feature the big fish of the big river, including paddlefish (in a separate enclosure), channel catfish, lake sturgeon, and alligator gar, among others.  Less glamorous to the public are the smaller displays of small freshwater fish and mussels, which represent some of North America's most imperiled species.  A courtyard outside features a few small raptor aviaries, as well as a larger one for bald eagles.  There is also an attractive boardwalk meandering through some wetlands, which can be a fine place to spot local wildlife, such as turtles and waterfowl, on your way to the steamboat, a log cabin, or other non-animal displays.

The East Building has fewer species, but a more oceanic focus.  The animal highlight here is the largest aquarium at 40,000 gallons, dedicated to the sea life of the Gulf of Mexico.  The tank houses a non-releasable sea turtle, as well as several fish.  Nearby are a collection of smaller aquariums themed as Rivers to the Sea, which breaks a bit away from the Mississippi theme with the inclusion of some species decidedly not found in the scope of that particular waterway, such as giant Pacific octopus (an obvious aquarium crowd pleaser when the facility must have felt compelled to shoehorn in somehow).  There are a few other non-natives in the gallery, such as a small display of Amazonian fish.  And, of course, there is that staple of every aquarium these days, the stingray touch tank.  This building also contains a coral propagation lab, a nod to one of the more prominent of conservation projects that is taking place among zoos and aquariums lately.

The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is no Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in terms of its exhibitry or immersive experience; it lacks the botanical component, for one thing.  It does offer a fun, educational year-round attraction (hard to do outdoors in Iowa) that offers compelling stories about the wildlife of the river that played such a pivotal role in shaping this country.   I haven't really mentioned the non-animal displays (including a cool library and portrait gallery) as they fall somewhat out of the scope of this blog, but those are all very interesting as well - I do really enjoy exploring the interplay between history and nature, and wish more facilities took that kind of approach to telling stories about their collections.

My main takeaway about the museum is that its exhibits are diverse enough and unique enough that there will be something for everyone to enjoy on its campus.

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

Wildlife Witness Protection Program

 I was walking down the main path of the zoo one day, mostly lost in my own thoughts.  As I strolled, I was casually ticking off the list of animals that I passed.  It didn't surprise me if once in a while I passed by an exhibit where I didn't see the animal; it wasn't uncommon for a critter to be hiding.   What did surprise me was seeing animals where I wasn't expecting to see one.

In a previously empty enclosure, we now had three tiger cubs.  Granted, our zoo did have a male and a female tiger - but a) they were geriatric, b) the female wasn't pregnant, and c) these cubs were several months old already.  Nor had there been any talk - any - about getting additional tigers from another zoo.  So where did they come from?

It turns out, these three cubs had been illegally kept as pets before being confiscated by the authorities.  The authorities, of course, were in no position to be taking care of three young tigers.  Nor was local animal control.  Only the zoo had the resources to accommodate the animals, provide care while the case was being resolved, and then coordinate their transport to a facility which could provide a permanent home.  

The tigers were a crazy, dramatic example, but such confiscations happen with some regularity.   In some cases, it may be the case of local native wildlife being taken from the wild, maybe by someone who finds an orphan that they keep, which is then confiscated by a state Department of Natural Resources.  These people may not realize that what they are doing is wrong or illegal, and it's not uncommon for them to be let off the hook with little more than a warning.  

In other cases, especially in port cities such as Miami, Baltimore, and New York, animals may be intercepted being smuggled in or out of the country.  Reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates are the main targets of these smuggling cases, some of which may contain hundreds or thousands of animals in a single shipment, often crammed together in unsanitary, unsafe conditions.  In these cases, US Fish and Wildlife will (hopefully) identify the animals and remove them from their trafficking situation.  Zoos are then often asked to take care of the animals while the investigation runs its course.

While the legal proceedings are unfolding, the animals are legally the property of the government, be it at the state or federal level, depending on the investigation.  At the end of the case, if the person who was found in possession of the animal is determined to be in the wrong, the government has the option of transferring that ownership to the zoo.  The zoo may keep the animals themselves, or disperse them to other facilities for permanent housing.

Wildlife crime remains one of the most prolific criminal markets in the world, surpassed only by guns, drugs, and human trafficking.  Unlike guns or drugs, however, wildlife can't be simply tucked in a safe or a storage locker until the case is resolved.  No one cares about the wellbeing or welfare of guns and drugs - they don't have feelings and can't be hurt.  Animals aren't like that - they require expert care if they are to survive, especially if they are in very poor condition already from insufficient care or as a result of being smuggled in inhumane conditions.   

This is where zoos and aquariums come in.  Almost alone, they have the experience and expertise to not only care for the confiscated wildlife, not only saving the lives on individual animals, but to preserve the living evidence in the legal proceedings that help fight against the crime of wildlife trafficking.  

The Terrific Two

As beloved as the are by the public, and as long as they've had a history in zoos, elephant births are still something of a rarity, certainly making the news whenever they occur.  But you now what's a real rarity?  Twins.  To this date, there hadn't been a surviving pair of twins born outside of Africa or Asia... until now.

Congratulations to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo for this amazing - and unexpected - development!  It'll be fascinating to watch as the babies grow up together!

We’ve made history! When we first announced the pregnancy of Asian elephant Mali, we assumed our herd of six Asian elephants would become seven. That’s not quite what happened… because we not only welcomed the seventh member of our Asian elephant herd – but our eighth. Mali had twins! For the past two weeks, the elephant care team has been monitoring the twins around the clock to ensure both are thriving. Elephant twins comprise less than 1% of elephant births worldwide. To date, there has never been a recorded case of surviving elephant twins in the United States. The few successful twin births have only taken place in their range countries in Asia and Africa and nowhere else in the world. Visit our website to read the full press release: https://bit.ly/3fYkytW

Ditmars' Ditch Frog Delicacy

"Tastes like chicken" is one of the most classically annoying of the animal clichés.  Even before I became a keeper, I found myself inwardly groaning at how many times I've heard people make that joke.  The thing is, though, that some animals (a lot, I would say) DO taste like chicken - and chicken happens to be delicious.  Which can be problematic for the animals which taste like said bird.

In one of the quirkier anecdotes from the Bronx Zoo's storied history, Raymond Ditmars, Curator of Reptiles, was on an expedition to the Caribbean to collect giant ditch frogs, commonly known as the mountain chicken.  As you can imagine, the frogs got their name because they are, in fact, said to taste like chicken - and are big enough to have respectable drumsticks.   Ditmars was, at the time, America's most famous herpetologist, probably one of its most famous wildlife experts.  He's already traveled the world collecting rare specimens and written wildly popular books.  Picking up a few frogs hardly seemed like it would have been that difficult of a task for him.  

And it wasn't... until he sampled his first mountain chicken.

By the time the boat arrived in New York, a chagrined Ditmars was forced to admit that he'd eaten every single one of the frogs that he had been sent to collect.  

The legs of the mountain chicken were once the national dish of Dominica, until its endangered status forced the government to shift the focus away in an attempt to approve the species.  Perhaps Ditmars' example is as good of a justification for the ban as any other.  If one of the world's most admired frog lovers couldn't help himself from gorging himself on the animals, what hope would their be for most of us?

Species Fact Profile: Mountain Chicken (Leptodactylus fallax)

                                              Mountain Chicken (Giant Ditch Frog)                          

                                                Leptodactylus fallax (Muller, 1926)

Range: Dominica and Montserrat.  Historically found in other Lesser Antillean Islands

Habitat: Secondary Forest, Scrub, Riverine Forest.  Found up to 430 meters elevation  

Diet: Arthropods (Insects, Millipedes, Tarantulas), Small Vertebrates (Snakes, Bats, Rodents)

Social Grouping: Solitary

Reproduction: Breeding takes place from April through September.  Females release a fluid which males whip up into a foam nest, in which the female will lay both fertilized eggs as well as unfertilized eggs for the tadpoles to feed on. Female tends to the nest, leaving only to feed (male stands guard) until the 25-50 froglets emerge after 45 days.  Sexually mature at 3 years old

Lifespan: 12 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Critically Endangered

•       Largest species of frog in the Caribbean.  Up to 22 centimeters in length (more commonly 17-18 centimeters) and weighing up to 1 kilogram.  Females typically larger than males.  Males can also be distinguished by the black spurs on their thumbs
•       Upperparts are dark brown or green, sometimes uniform in color, sometimes with barring and spotting, with a black line running down from the mouth and barring on the legs.  The underside is a paler yellow-orange color.  Distinctive fold running down from the back of the head to the groin.
•       Terrestrial and nocturnal.  During the day, shelters in burrows dug into moist soil
•       Whereas most amphibians breed in water, mountain chickens breed in burrows, with males wrestling for access to preferred burrow sites, after which they call to attract females
•       Common name is in reference to its use as a food item by the local populace; it is said (of course) to taste like chicken.  Historically, its legs were the national dish of Dominica until hunting banned
•       There have been unsuccessful historical attempts to introduce this species to other islands in the Caribbean (Jamaica, Puerto Rico)
•       Decline originally driven by hunting for human consumption, later exacerbated by habitat loss, natural disaster, and predation from introduced species (dogs, cats, pigs, etc) as well as by the introduced chytrid fungus.  Species is possibly extinct on Montserrat.  Captive breeding and reintroduction efforts are in progress

Daylight Saving Dinnertime

Spring Forward, Now Fall Back...

Yesterday was a good morning for anyone who wanted that extra hour of sleep, whether they were working or whether it was their weekend and they were going to sleep in anyway.  For anyone with animals, though - be they pets, farm stock, or zoo animals - you may have sensed that they aren't entirely sold on this Day Light Savings nonsense.  For one thing, most of them already get to sleep as much as they want (as so ably demonstrated in this video from Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium), so it's not like the extra hour on one night is much of an incentive.

What they DO notice is that, on the day after, they are hungry, and their food is not delivered in what to them seems to be a timely fashion... which to them is an outrage.

Some pet owners, farmers, and zookeepers respond to Day Light Savings by adjusting the feed schedule for their animals; say, feeding dinner at 4:30 instead of 5 as a compromise.  Others just slog through it and by the next day the animals are on their "new normal."  To the extent that there is one...

From the News: Lion Escape at Taronga Zoo

Lion's escape at Sydney's Taronga zoo, campers rushed to safety

Earlier this week, five lions - one adult male and his cubs - managed to escape from their enclosure at Sydney's Taronga Zoo (a lot of the headlines go for the sensational and just say five lions without mentioning that four were youngsters).  The escape happened with a zoo camp was in session, requiring some emergency intervention from the staff.   Fortunately, no one - human or feline - was harmed, and the animals were quickly and safely returned to their habitat.  It's situations like this that zoo staff train for, though with the hope that the training is never needed.

A Merry Fiona Christmas

I know, I know, Halloween is just over and people are already decorating for Christmas?  Show some respect for Thanksgiving!  Although, to be fair, the Cincinnati Zoo may have been so proud of their latest Christmas decoration that they probably just couldn't wait to get it set up for everyone to admire:

Fans of Fiona will notice that this almost three-story nutcracker has lots of little Easter eggs (if we're mixing our holiday metaphors here) dedicated to the world's most famous hippo, from the number of buttons to the design of her scarf.

Merry (very early) Christmas from Cincinnati!

Unicorn, Not Two-nicorn

On the subject of horns, a brief rant.  I've seen variations of these meme ("Rhinos are chubby unicorns!") so many times.  I feel I can be silent no longer. 

No.  Not that I'm opposed to the joke in particular, but the picture that always goes with it.  That's a white rhino.  It has two - count them - two horns.  So, not a unicorn, which, by definition, has ONE HORN.  C'mon people, the Indian rhino (which has the word "unicorn" literally in its Latin name) is standing right there, waiting to be picked! 

A Horn-Headed Head Scratcher

Well, last night was Halloween, that time of the year when I buy candy and then fervently pray that no one comes to my door asking for it, so I can eat it all myself.   Of course, some kids had to ruin the fun last night and came trick or treating, and not being a total grouch (and also not wanting my house egged) I gave them some.  As I looked at a few costumes of devils, dragons, and other monsters, a thought crossed my mind.

Why did we decide that horns are so scary?

Many popular depictions of the devil depict him as having horns.  Same with many monsters, demons, and dragons - all horned.  Horns, it seems, are quite scary.  But think about this for a second.  What animals actually have horns?  Cows.  Sheep.  Goats.  Antelope.  Bison.  Animals we eat, in many cases our domestic animals.  You know who doesn't have horns?  Big cats, bears, crocodiles, sharks, etc.  There are a few snakes with projections over their eyes that are kind of horn-like, but don't quite fit the bill.

Now, having been at the charging end of wild ungulate horns before, I do have some respect for them as implements for the infliction of pain.  In some species only the male has horns, or has much larger horns.  In others, the horns are virtually the same in males and females.  They came is all sorts of diabolical shapes, from the heavy, hoop-like horns of an ibex, capable of sending you flying across a room, to the short, sharp, dirk-like horns of the duikers, ideal for getting stabbed in the gut in close quarters.    Of course, left to their own devices, all of these animals would happily be off grazing or browsing and not bothering you at all.   Animals with horns use them to protect themselves from predators, fight off rivals, and secure mates.  No animal with horns uses them to kill prey.