Fozblog

Keeper Notes: How Many Noses Can You Count?

In the North American River Otter exhibit there are three otters. If you remember we had otter babies. Well, we now have the mother "Stache" and her son "Jasper Jr." as well as a new friend "Scooter," who came from another zoo.

As you watch the otters, there are two that always swim together and one that swims separate. Scooter and Jasper swim together, and Stache is normally on her own.

Another easy way to identify the otters is by looking close when they come to see you at the window. Stache was named for her white milk mustache. If you look close, it covers her entire upper lip. Scooter has a small white mark on his upper lip. It is not a full mustache. Jasper Jr. is currently the smallest of the three, and he has no specific identifiers.

This trio of otters is very active. They swim and roll in the dirt and are normally very fun to watch. Although as the weather warms up, they may hide from the sun and heat in a few different locations in the yard. There is an outdoor den in the middle of the yard that they have access to.

There is also a hole in the floating log in the pool that they like to hide in, sometimes only sticking their nose out. The last spot is under the big fallen tree in the yard. At the base of this tree there is a nice hiding spot that they enjoy to curl up in and enjoy the shade and cooler temperature.

Our otters are fed twice a day. They get a different combination of their diet. Otters are carnivores or meat eaters with a large portion of their diet being fish. Sometimes they get live fish or crayfish for enrichment. This is to give them the opportunity to hunt for their food which they are very good at doing.

Next time you stop at the otter exhibit, try and see if you can tell who is who among the fast swimming blurs that streak past the window.

Written by Bethany Gates, Zookeeper

Keeper Notes: Meet the New Neighbors

The Hamlin Lake area of the South America region has two new residents: Mute Swans. You may have seen them on Dickerson Lake, the larger of the two lakes at Dickerson Park Zoo. The pair has been successful in raising cygnets (chicks) in the past, but for the last couple of years the larger lake has proven to be unsatisfactory in survival of the young. On Hamlin Lake the pair can be monitored closer, and any problems pertaining to nesting may be resolved.

Our female has been at DPZ since 1999, and her name is “B-52.” She is fully winged and capable of flight but considers the Zoo her home and receives a good meal daily. The male has been a resident since 2004, and he is very protective of his home territory and his mate.

Mute swans are known for their aggressive behavior toward other waterfowl, particularly Canada Geese. The male spends most of his day trying to “remove” the unwanted competition for nesting sites, and send the Canadas “packing” off the water. At the zoo, we feed Mazuri brand waterfowl maintenance. It is a floating food specially made for waterfowl including swans, and they seem to be very healthy eating it.

You can also feed the swans with fish food from the feeding station on the west end of the lake. They make a beautiful photo opportunity, but toss the food to them and don’t try to hand feed them. They can “bite” with their beaks, even though they don’t have teeth.

I hope you take a moment to admire this majestic bird the next time you visit the Zoo. B-52 is sitting on a very large nest with three eggs. Hopefully soon we’ll have cygnets – little bobbing balls of gray fluff – that will grow into gorgeous adults, just like their parents are!

Written by Patti Rader, Zookeeper

Keeper Notes: Antlers or Horns?

Deer grow and shed their antlers each year. Antlers are bone tissue structures. This is different than horns of other animals, such as antelopes, that keep their horns year round. Horns are made of keratin (the same substance as your finger nails).

Male deer (bucks) use these antlers to attract females (does), to show dominance to other bucks, and also as protection or defense against other deer and predators.

Why do deer lose their antlers?

A deer’s antlers will begin growing in late April and continue growing through early September. Deer shed their antlers as early as December or as late as March. Shedding does not hurt the deer. It is like a child losing a tooth.

The size and number of points depends on health, genetics, age, and how well the deer ate during the winter.

Once a deer loses his antlers they become food for rodents, squirrels, rabbits and other small mammals. The calcium and other minerals in the antlers are great for these creatures.

Written by Bethany Gates, Zookeeper

Keeper Notes: Managing Venomous Snakes at the Zoo

As the reptile and amphibian keeper at Dickerson Park Zoo, I’m asked a wide variety of questions by zoo guest about the exhibit animals, but perhaps the most frequently asked question is, “How do you handle the venomous snakes?” What few people realize is that venomous snakes need the same care as any other zoo animal, and it’s the keeper’s job to see they get that care. Managing the needs of some of the most dangerous animals in the zoo (and in the world) presents special challenges which necessitate equally special techniques.

The venomous snake handling policy at Dickerson Park Zoo and most U.S. zoos is strictly “hands-off.” Many television programs depict venomous snakes being picked up with bare hands, but that doesn’t represent the professionally accepted method of handling.

We handle our venomous snakes with special tools – snake hooks and snake tongs. When cleaning the boxes, moving an animal or feeding, we most often transfer venomous snakes from one place to another by scooping them up with a snake hook.

The snake’s body drapes across the downward curvature in the hook as the animal is lifted from place to place at a safe distance from the keeper. While out of exhibits or holding boxes temporarily, these animals are kept in metal trash barrels with snugly fitting lids to keep the snakes secure and the keeper safe.

Less frequently, we use snake tongs. These long-handled grabbers actually pick up a snake. We use tongs only when a hook won’t work. This is to avoid stressing or injuring the snake. Tongs are excellent tools for manipulating objects in a an exhibit or box – water bowls, décor, hideboxes, etc. –around a venomous snake.

Just like the other animals at the zoo, venomous snakes need medical care, and we have methods for making the process safer. All animals (even cats and dogs) must be restrained when examined by a veterinarian, but traditional manual restraint is not an option for venomous snakes.

Instead, we use a special device to keep these animals still and the staff safe. Whenever a venomous snake needs to be examined by the veterinarian, the keeper places the snake over a soft foam pad in a snake restraint box. Then, a sturdy wire mesh panel is lowered over the snake to secure the animal against the foam. The veterinarian can examine the snake through this wire mesh and administer medications.

Even for the challenges and dangers involved, managing venomous snakes is a rewarding practice. It gives those in the general public an opportunity to see live animals that they would otherwise never see and helps them to appreciate and understand these animals better.

Written by Craig Hunter, Reptile Keeper

Keeper Notes: Fox on Stilts

As you begin your journey thru South America, you may notice the aroma of a skunk. You might be surprised to learn that it is the musky odor of Dickerson Park Zoo’s maned wolf. Often called a “fox on stilts,” maned wolves are the tallest of any of the wolf species. Their beautiful red coat and extra long legs help them to blend in to their native habitat of savanna grasslands in Brazil. Maned wolves are endangered in the wild due to habitat loss, disease from domestic dogs, and occasional hunting by ranchers for eating chickens which are an easy lunch.

Dickerson Park Zoo has cared for maned wolves for several years. We are a holding institution for animals as well as a breeding facility. In years past, wolves born in captivity were often “pulled” from the parents and hand-raised to eliminate the risk of death by the parents. If there is too much activity from humans, the wolves may become aggressive toward the young pups or to people, often with bad results. Anymore, the goal is to have the parents raise the pups on their own.

Our main breeding yard is off exhibit in an area called “the hill.” There, “people” traffic is minimal, and the area is fairly secluded. There are two barns that are heated and two “puppy” boxes, much like a standard dog house, where the female can have her puppies and rotate them from barn to barn as she feels the need. Five days before the January 2007 ice storm we had a litter of pups born. The mother was a first-time mom; and the father, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina, did a very nice job raising “Meek” who can be viewed by the public in the exhibit yard.

Maned wolves typically live 12-15 years, and this past December our oldest wolf turned 13. Each year the wolves receive physicals from the staff veterinarian. In the past year, we were part of a study to determine what might be the best zoo diet for maned wolves. In the wild, they eat a variety of small prey animals, fruit and vegetable matter may make up as much as 50 percent of their diet.

At DPZ, we feed the wolves lettuce, apple, banana and tomato that is blended in a food processor to a course applesauce consistency. The wolves also receive Bil-Jac dry senior dog food. Maned wolves can have crystals in their urine which can be caused by their diet. These crystals can lead to health issues, which is the main reason we looked into a better diet for them. You would not think a wolf would eat lettuce, but they really like our diet. Through the Maned Wolf SSP® (Species Survival Program), other zoos will learn about our “green” diet.

So, the next time you visit Dickerson Park Zoo please take an extra moment to observe the Maned Wolves. We are working both here at the zoo and in the native habitat to help these beautiful animals thrive both in zoos and in the wild – even though he smells like a skunk!

Written by Patti Rader, Zookeeper

Keeper Notes: Look up – There’s a bear in the air!

Most people who visit the zoo walk up to an exhibit and and expect to see the animal on the ground. Next time you walk up to the black bear exhibit, take a moment and look up. We have a young bear who spends most of his time in the trees during the spring and summer. Don’t worry, though - He is not stuck!

Black bears climb trees regularly to feed, escape enemies or sometimes even to hibernate. This is an ability their mothers use in the wild for protection from predators. Bears have great physical strength, and their claws are shorter and more curved to allow them to easily climb trees. This also seems to make them less aggressive because they can escape high in the trees to safety.

Currently, our little bear is sleeping in the log in the yard during this time of extreme cold.  Black bears do not truly hibernate. They will sleep during the cold times but will come out of their dens on warmer winter days.

So next time you take a walk on the wild side, look up for a change and see what else you can see.

Written by Bethany Gates, Zookeeper

Keeper Notes: Preparing for winter giraffe babies

Frequent visitors to Dickerson Park Zoo probably know that we have giraffe babies about every other year. Some lucky guests have probably even witnessed a birth, but have you ever wondered what we have to do when the babies are born in the winter? Two of our females are going to have babies this winter, and our staff is getting ready!

Our giraffes stay in the barn when it is below 32 degrees outside at night. We don’t want babies to be welcomed into the world on hard concrete, so we haul in about one cubic yard of dirt into a stall (one wheelbarrow load at a time!). The dirt is spread evenly throughout the stall.

The expectant mother stays in that stall each night until the baby is born. Depending on what the weather is like during the day, the mother and calf might have to stay inside for a few days. If it is warm enough, we will let them go outside. It usually takes the calf a little while to figure out how to get outside. Mom makes frequent trips back in the building to check on her calf and to try to get it to follow her.

Winter babies are definitely more work for the zookeepers, but it is always exciting to walk in the building first thing in the morning and see a new face staring at you!

Written by Andrea Kendrick, Zookeeper

Video of the Capuchin Monkeys Playing with Snow

Zookeeper Jamie Schmitt took a little video of the capuchin monkeys playing with snow as an enrichment activity.

Keeper Notes: Brr! It’s cold outside!

Of course, we’re used to this type of weather, living in southwest Missouri. However, some animals living at the Dickerson Park Zoo can’t tolerate these frigid temperatures like native Missouri animals. In these frosty conditions, the zoo’s animals spend their time inside to ride out the winter in warmth and comfort.

 

In these long winter months it is important that the keepers at Dickerson Park Zoo provide enrichment for each animal they take care off. Enrichment is basically an attempt to improve the quality of an animal’s life. This is accomplished by offering stimulants to the animal which draw out species-appropriate behaviors. Enrichment items are usually geared towards the five senses: hearing, taste, touch, sight and smell and vary from species to species.

 

In the South America portion of Dickerson Park Zoo, the capuchin monkeys are given enrichment items multiple times per day. These items provoke such behaviors as foraging for food, manipulating objects and moving throughout the environment.

 

On one particularly snowy day, the capuchins were given “snowmen” decorated with food items from their diet with additional food items hidden inside. They really enjoyed this enrichment because it provided them with many sense-altering stimulants. The cold, wet snow provided the capuchins with an interesting medium in which to forage. Three snowmen were built to discourage food aggression among the capuchins. The capuchins promptly smashed and destroyed the snowmen in the exciting hunt for food.

 

Many of the exotic parrots and macaws at the zoo also spend some of the winter indoors. In the wild, parrots and macaws spend much of their time preening their feathers and chewing objects to condition their beaks. To simulate these natural behaviors, the parrots and macaws at Dickerson Park Zoo are given bird toys that encourage such behaviors. The toys in the pictures were constructed out of rope, colored wooded blocks, recycled paper cups and pages torn from an old phone book. The birds took great interest in these toys, shredding the paper into little bits (simulating preening) and chewing the wood to condition their beaks.

 

Snowmen and bird toys are just a few examples of enrichment items given to zoo animals. Keep updated with FOZBlog to hear more about other enrichment provided to other animals at the zoo!

written by Jamie Schmitt, Zookeeper