Fozblog

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

Tuesday Trivia Answer - C. South America

FACTS ABOUT BLUE & YELLOW MACAWS

Scientific Name: Ara ararauna

Range & Habitat: Swampy areas and forests near rivers from most of northern and central South America to Argentina

Size: 34 inches

Life Span: Up to 60 years

Incubation: 24-26 days

Wild Diet: Seeds, fruit, nuts, berries and vegetation

Zoo Diet: Mazuri parrot grain, assorted fruits and vegetables

Habits: Nests are found high above the ground in hollow trees of dense forests. Their strong beaks are able to crush hard seeds and nuts. Young are fed by parents’ regurgitation of partially digested vegetable crop contents. Young macaws leave the nest 13 weeks after hatching. Macaws are generally seen in pairs or small flocks of up to 30 birds. Screaming is used to mark territories, locate other macaws and play.

Tuesday Trivia Answer - True! A giraffe's kick can kill a lion

Facts about Baringo Giraffes

Scientific Name: Giraffa camelus rothchildi

Range & Habitat: East Africa; dry wooded savanna

Size: 18-19 feet tall

Life Span: Can live up to 20 years in zoos

Gestation: 16 months - single birth; calf is 6 feet tall and weighs 120 pounds

Wild Diet: Acacia leaves and grasses

Zoo Diet: Herbivore grain and alfalfa hay

Habits: Giraffes live in relaxed herds of female and young. The bulls are usually solitary. The dappled coat is excellent camouflage in the forest, and the long neck allows browsing in tall trees and extended vision.

A system of valves and reservoirs in the neck prevent blood from rushing to the head and causing strokes when the head is lowered or blood draining from the head when it is raised. Giraffes must straddle their legs to drink or browse ground cover.

Giraffes can run 35 mph and can kick with all four legs at the same time. A blow can kill a man or large cat. Giraffes have vocal chords but rarely make sounds. When they do, it is usually a bleat, cough, or grunt. Giraffes sleep standing up. The young are able to walk within one hour of birth.

Status: Threatened due to loss of habitat and illegal poaching.

Interested in Zookeeping?

Zookeeper Patti Rader entices "Yumi" the kangaroo to take some medicine prescribed by the veterinarian.

Zookeeping is a very hands-on job and career. So, if you have a love for animals, science and zoos, and don't mind getting your hands dirty, this may be the perfect career for you!

To become a zookeeper, a high school diploma is required. However, zookeeping jobs are very competitive, so it is encouraged to have a college degree to stay ahead of the game. And, college internships are a great way to get hands-on experience and connect with professionals in the zoo field. While you’re in school, learn as much as you can in your science classes. In college, choose a degree program in animal-related fields like biology, zoology, wildlife management, conservation science or animal behavior. 

If you are interested in zookeeping, Dickerson Park Zoo offers many opportunities for exploration. These opportunities can also be improved with a FOZ membership.  For $65 a year, FOZ members receive discounts on classes, special benefits and free admission to the zoo.

Watch the "Tropical Asia" zookeepers give our elephants a bath everyday at 11 a.m.!

Feed the giraffes daily from our feeding deck from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April-Sept., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends in March and October (weather permitting)!

Adopt An Animal is also available for zoo fans. By purchasing an ADOPT package, you will receive a picture and information about your animal, and recognition for your contribution towards making the zoo "grrr-eat." 

Z.E.B.R.A. classes are offered year-round for 2-years-old to 6th graders. Classes feature live animal encounters in our "up-close" visits with education animals; biofacts to touch and learn about; crafts and hands-on activities; stories, games and a snack. Some classes include a hike in the zoo (weather permitting)! Family adventures are also available.

Junior Zookeeper camps are also available for children who have completed 4th-6th grade. This class is only offered in the summer and fills up quickly. Participants shadow zookeepers for the day and partake in many of their daily tasks, including making animal enrichment activities.

High school students (grades 9-12) can participate in "Veterinarian Adventures."  Students shadow veterinarian Dr. Erica Wilson for a day. Lunch is provided, along with an opportunity to interact with other zoo employees.

There is just one more day left of National Zoo Keeper week--so make sure you stop by Dickerson Park Zoo today or tomorrow, and say thank you to our zookeepers! 

National Zoo Keeper Week

A Day in the Life of a Dickerson Park Zoo Keeper

Dickerson Park Zoo's keepers are not assigned to specific animals. Instead, the keepers are assigned to the geographic areas that make up the zoo. 

A typical "day in the life" of a zookeeper:

7:30 a.m.: Zookeepers begin their work days by checking on all animals under their care. Once it is established that all animals are fine, the usual husbandry begins. Animals are fed, exhibits and holding areas are cleaned and check-ups are made if needed. An animal's zoo diet is very carefully monitored to ensure it receives proper nutrition. Operant conditioning exercises may be practiced as well. 

Operant conditioning gives the animals a choice to cooperate with zookeepers and veterinarians for examinations or blood draws. Using positive reinforcement, which is most often food-motivated, animals will receive benefits if they cooperate. This reduces stress levels on the animals, zookeepers and veterinarians, and costs for the zoo. Conditioning is practiced even if check-ups are not in the immediate future.  By continuing conditioning practices, animals do not lose the good behaviors they have acquired. 

9:45 or 10:00 a.m.: All zookeepers meet for morning meeting in the zookeeper building with General Curator John Collette to report the happenings of the zoo. These include supplies that need to be ordered, animals with notable changes in behavior or eating habits, indications of illness, etc. 

After the meeting, zookeepers continue the feeding and cleaning routines and then break for lunch.

12:00 p.m. - 2 or 3 p.m.: Zookeepers work on repairs that need to be made, such as fences and habitat structures and continue with overall maintenance and operant conditioning.

4:30 p.m.:  Zookeepers make sure that everything is stocked, secured and readied for the night. This is usually the end of a keepers' day. 

Senior Keeper Ken Harmon comments that his favorite part of the day is the feeding, cleaning and the interaction with the animals that taking care of them brings.

      

Tuesday Trivia Answer - The Ostrich!

Facts about the Ostrich

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Struthio camelus

RANGE & HABITAT: Deserts, savannahs and grasslands of East, West and southern Africa

SIZE: Up to eight feet tall and 300 lbs. Hatchlings are up to one foot.

LIFE SPAN: Can live up to 25 years in captivity

INCUBATION: 40 days; up to 20 eggs

WILD DIET: Berries, succulent plants, occasionally insects and reptiles

ZOO DIET: Ratite grain

HABITS: Largest of all birds. Too heavy to fly, but can run up to 45 mph. Each foot has two toes, and it can defend itself by kicking. Several females lay eggs in one nest, producing clutches of up to 30 eggs. Females share daytime sitting duties - male sits at night. Eggs are the size of cantaloupe, weighing up to 3 lbs. Males have black and white plumage; females are brownish. Males make loud, booming calls and perform elaborate displays during the breeding season. After the eggs hatch, the male is solely in charge of the young for about 40 days.The ostrich is semi-nomadic and will travel long distances to find grass and other plant food.

"America's Best Zoos" co-author visits DPZ

Jon Wassner, co-author of "America's Best Zoos: A Travel Guide for Fans and Families," visited Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo last Friday. Today, he posted his impressions of our park to his America's Zoo Scoop blog with very favorable comments.

Very often, when travel writers and other journalists visit the zoo, we provide a guided tour with a few behind-the-scenes opportunities. We're grateful for these opportunities which usually come via the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau.

But, Jon's visit was different. He specifically asked to tour the park unaccompanied because he wanted to experience Dickerson Park Zoo as our guests would. We provided him a media kit with background information and photographs and welcomed him as we would any other member of the general public.

Thank you, Jon, for a very complimentary review.

Three elephants celebrate milestone birthdays in 2009

Three of Dickerson Park Zoo’s elephants will celebrate milestone birthdays during Zoobilee on Saturday, May 30. Ol’ C.C., the zoo’s oldest elephant, is estimated to be 60 years old this year. The herd matriarch, Pinky, turns 45; and Patience will be 35 years old. Dickerson Park Zoo’s elephant herd comprises four adult cows (female) and one adult bull (male).

C.C. was wild-born in the Assam region of India in approximately 1949 and came to Dickerson Park Zoo from the Dusit Zoological Park in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 1954. Although she has never given birth to a calf of her own, she has many years of experience as an “auntie” to calves both here and at other zoos. She spent many years in the role of herd matriarch but recently “retired” from that position.

Pinky was wild-born in approximately 1964. She came to Dickerson Park Zoo on November 25, 1981, from the Abilene Zoological Gardens in Abilene, Texas. Pinky fulfills the role of herd matriarch. She gave birth to a stillborn calf in 1985, Kate in 1991 and Asha in 1995. Asha lives with her half-sister Chandra at the Oklahoma City Zoo (currently on breeding loan to Tulsa Zoo).

Patience was born in Thailand in 1974. She arrived at Dickerson Park Zoo from Brookfield Zoo in Chicago in October 1990. Patience gave birth to Kala in 1998 and Haji in 2000.

Setting the record straight on exhibit closures

If you read the article in the Springfield News-Leader or a post from a local blogger this past week about looming budget cuts affecting the Springfield-Greene County Park Board – and more specifically, Dickerson Park Zoo – you might be wondering what you will (or won’t) see on your next zoo visit.

First, be assured, contrary to the information published in the News-Leader’s article, there are not six closed exhibits. Have we reduced numbers of animals among certain species? Yes. Probably the animals getting the most attention were a pair of striped hyenas that had never been on public exhibit and were simply animals living at the zoo in a behind-the-scenes area. To trim expenses and streamline the zookeepers’ workload, those hyenas were relocated to ZooBoise.

We moved out a group of brown lemurs to another zoo. These animals were rarely visible to the visiting public. Another group of ruffed lemurs now inhabit that island exhibit.

In reality, when you visit Dickerson Park Zoo, you will only see one entirely vacant exhibit, not six reported by News-Leader.

The antelope in the large African Plains yard adjacent to the cheetahs were also moved. This was precipitated by two factors, one of which was a cost savings. However, more importantly, these animals needed to move so that work can begin in the exhibit yard to establish rain gardens and other water run-off improvements.

Most of the reductions at the zoo happened behind-the-scenes. Money for travel/training and advertising has been eliminated, and other expense areas for supplies and professional services have been reduced. Some part-time positions at the zoo remain open, as may future vacancies. We anticipate these reductions will continue in the new budget year (2009-2010), although the budget has not been approved and finalized by the City Council.

In trimming our budget, our primary focus has always been two-fold: maintain the highest professional standards of animal care and have the least effect on our guests’ overall zoo experience. Dickerson Park Zoo is very proud to have an 86-year history in the Springfield area. We are YOUR community and regional zoo, with more than 75 percent of our guests coming from within a 120-mile radius.

So, visit Dickerson Park Zoo this summer. We promise you will admire hundreds of animals from around the world, be inspired by the informational and conservation messages, and enjoy an oasis of green in the city.

Dreamnight is HUGE success!

Dickerson Park Zoo hosted its fourth annual Dreamnight at the Zoo tonight. This event is an opportunity for children with disabilities or chronic illnesses and their families to have a special night to themselves to enjoy the zoo.

Activities included watching the hippopotamus devour watermelons, feeding "browse" (leaves) to the giraffes -- like Marigold is doing in the picture to the left -- up-close encounters with animals from the education department, snacks and a photo of the VIP child to take home.

Nearly 1,600 people came to Dickerson Park Zoo tonight for this special evening. The zoo partners with area service providers and organizations who qualify the families and distribute the tickets. It rained much of the day and a few dark clouds still loomed in the sky, but not a drop of rain fell during Dreamnight.

Although this is an evening entirely focused on the VIP children and their families, for zoo staff and volunteers, it is an extremely heart-warming experience to interact with everyone. THANK YOU to everyone who attended Dreamnight and made this such a special night. And, a huge THANK YOU to our partner organizations who helped connect the zoo with the VIP families. We couldn't have done this without you.

Dreamnight started in the mid-1990s in The Netherlands. It quickly grew in popularity. Now more than 100 zoos, aquariums and other facilities in 30-plus countries around the world host Dreamnight (typically on the first Friday evening of June).