Month: April 2021

April 26, 2021

In 2019, I had the opportunity to participate in the Climate Alliance Program hosted by Polar Bears International. Through the program, I learned about polar bear natural history and travelled to Churchill, Manitoba, the polar bear capital of the world.  While seeing polar bears in their natural range was an amazing experience, I took something else away from this trip as well.  I realized that my job as a zookeeper is not only to care for the animals here at Seneca Park Zoo, but it is also my job to teach our guests and inspire them to take action to protect these amazing animals and their habitat.For this program, PBI had teamed up with the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation.  So not only was I learning about polar bears, I was now learning evidence-based communication methods about climate change.  I knew that a major loss of sea ice was the biggest threat polar bears are facing, but didn’t know how to confidently talk about climate change.  Climate change can be a topic that scares people, they think it’s too political, or that discussions will always turn into arguments; this was my train of thought.

Through NNOCCI, I learned about the science of climate change and how to explain it in an easy way for everyone to understand using metaphors and explanatory chains that are relatable.  The ocean circulates moisture and heat throughout the planet, similar to how the heart circulates blood through our bodies.  This maintains temperatures throughout the world and helps keep the climate stable; but the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and natural gas disrupts this stability when these emissions build up in the Earth’s atmosphere.  This build up causes the oceans and Earth to heat up, so the ocean pumps too much heat and moisture to some parts of the planet, other parts receive too little.  This is what causes droughts, flooding, and crazy weather patterns.If we think of the ocean as the heart of the climate, we realize that we need to take care of it just like we take care of our own bodies.  The best way to start is to decrease our use of these fossil fuels.  By making easy, common-sense decisions in our everyday lives, we can start to help the planet. Switching to solar and wind power will greatly reduce our carbon emissions. Making sure we are being as efficient as possible with our appliances and even making sure we have energy-efficient windows installed in our homes are easy steps we can start to take to make sure future generations can enjoy our beautiful planet.

Coming home from the program, I jumped right into my keeper chats using everything I had learned.  I can now teach guests how we can be responsible with our resources to reduce our carbon emissions.  I encourage everyone to talk about climate change with their friends and family, just having a conversation is a step forward in working together to help stop climate change.

– Randi Krieger, Zoo KeeperDonate

April 25, 2021

What is World Penguin Day? For starters, it’s a day for us to acknowledge our love for all things penguin, a day for us to admire this quirky little bird who can’t fly, has a most humorous walk, sounds like an angry donkey, and swims like a torpedo. But it’s also a day for us to acknowledge the sad fact that penguins around the world are in sharp decline and some could potentially disappear in our lifetime. To ignore this part of the story is to resign ourselves to the idea that we can’t do anything about it.What can we do in Rochester, New York to help save a bird that lives over 8,000 miles away?

One of the most important steps we can take is to support organizations that are on the ground where these penguins live. Here at the Seneca Park Zoo, we have a colony of African Penguins. These penguins can be found at the very southern tip of Africa. While there are a number of organizations working with African penguins, there is one that stands out to us. The Southern African Foundation for Conservation of Coastal Bird, better known as SANCCOB. In their 53-year history, they have treated more than 97,000 seabirds, most of which were African penguins. So, rest assured, as you pay your entry fee, membership dues, or donate to one of our penguin days fund-raisers you are helping to save these amazing birds.

For more information check out their web site here.

What is the biggest threat to the African Penguin?

Over the years, they’ve had to overcome many threats including egg collection for food, guano collection for fertilizer, massive oil spills from shipwrecks, and human encroachment on their nesting site, but these days, their number one threat by far is lack of food!

A combination of commercial over-fishing and changing water temperatures have left the African penguin on the verge of starvation. As adults struggle to feed themselves it becomes harder and harder for them to feed their chicks. Many chicks are left to starve in the nest as parents are forced to make the hard decision of survival.This is where SANCCOB steps in. While their legal teams work with local officials to change fishing regulations, their rangers work to remove starving chicks from the nests to be taken to one of SANCCOB’s two rehabilitation facilities. Here they’re fed and cared for until old enough to be released back on the very same beach they were hatched on, thus ensuring the next generation of penguins.

How can we help change fishing behaviors?

Here at the Seneca Park Zoo, we encourage everyone to check out seafoodwatch.org. By downloading the Seafood Watch app, you’ll be able to make sure you’re making sustainable choices when shopping for seafood.

– Kevin Blakely, Zoo Keeper

April 23, 2021In 2001, the zoo joined the effort to preserve the most endangered animal in New York State, the Chittenango Ovate Amber Snail. Found only in a small section of a rock ledge in the spray zone of Chittenango Falls located east of Syracuse, the Ovate Amber Snail competes with an invasive European snail.In collaboration with the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation we assist with population surveys across their rocky ledge habitat.  Over the past 20 years, zoo staff have participated in these annual surveys. Mark and recapture studies can tell us how the population is doing and we can use that data to estimate population size. Many different projects have also taken form, all in an effort to help protect this species. Surveys look at native plants and park staff are working to keep the invasive plants from overtaking the Ovate Amber Snail habitat. The snail eats native plants like Joe Pye Weed. Invasive species can grow at an alarming rate and out-compete this native plant for resources. SUNY ESF has a very successful captive propagation program to preserve the species in hopes of someday returning them to the falls. Studies conducted on the water quality and environmental conditions around the falls can help us understand the threats that the snails are facing.

For more information visit the DEC’s website here.

– Robin English, Veterinary Technician

April 23, 2021More and more people are wondering where water goes when it enters our house and storm drains. Here in Monroe County, there are two separate systems that deal with our water which are the storm sewer system and the sanitary sewer system.  The storm sewer system is a system of pipes/ditches and that is not part of the sanitary sewer system that transports sewage from our homes to the water resource recovery facility to be treated. This means any water running into storm drains will be transported to the nearest waterway, and ultimately to Lake Ontario, without being treated at a sewage treatment plant.  

The City of Rochester however has a combined system in certain areas, where stormwater and sewage are transported through the same system of pipes and are treated at the Frank E Van Lare Water Resource Recovery Facility. Regardless of where you live, if you wash your car or fertilize your lawn, those chemicals will end up in Lake Ontario eventually. Remember, only rain down the drain!  

For more information on local water quality conservation visit one of our favorite local organizations, H20 Hero, website here. – Dave Will, Lead Zoo Naturalist for Citizen Science

April 22, 2021

Right now, climate change is having serious effects on this planet. We are seeing a major loss of sea ice, an increase in droughts, and even changes in the ocean’s chemistry. One major cause of climate change is deforestation. Because trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, when people remove trees for agriculture and development, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increases. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, almost 18 million acres of forests are lost every year, and almost half of Earth’s tropical forests have been cleared already.Seneca Park Zoo believes it is important to protect the planet by saving these forests. Reforestation is one of the easiest and most important actions we can take to help solve climate change. Trees act as carbon sinks by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere, keeping the air clean for local communities. Reforestation programs not only help maintain habitats for a variety of species, but also help stabilize the land from erosion and natural disasters and promote economic development in local communities.

So, what can you do to help? Join us at Seneca Park Zoo to help raise funds for The Canopy Project; for every $1 donated, one tree will be planted!

The Canopy Project has planted trees across the globe. Currently they are working on projects in Madagascar, Sierra Gorda in Mexico, the Mt. Elgon region in Uganda and the foothills of the Himalayas in India. A lot goes into picking these planting sites. Coordinators consider the following when choosing locations: urgency to protect biodiversity, threats to the location from climate change and environmental disasters, development of local communities, cost-effectiveness, and accessibility. Local communities benefit from planting sites as it creates new jobs learning how to care for and maintain the forests for future generations. Many species of trees that are planted also provide fruit and other resources for communities.Help us reach our goal of planting 500 trees with the Canopy Project! By working together, we can make positive changes for both people and animals around the world. Stay tuned all week to learn other ways you can help protect the planet for future generations to enjoy.

– Randi Krieger, Zoo KeeperDonate