Happy Birthday to African Elephant Lilac!

June 25, 2021

With so much activity here at the Zoo lately, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate a very special and loved lady here at the zoo. Lilac turned 43 last month (May 1st)! Orphaned as a calf in South Africa, Lilac joined our family here at Seneca Park Zoo in 1979 with Genny C. Since then, she has been a favorite of guests and keepers – I’d even go as far to say she is an icon here in Rochester! She is our smallest elephant, currently around 7,000 pounds, and if you look closely you can see her hair is actually red. Don’t let her small size fool you, she is affectionately known as a “little packet of hot sauce” and completes our herd as being the sassy, spunky one who loves to keep her caregivers on their toes.One of my favorite things about Lilac is that she is motivated more by her relationships with us than by food. This means that she won’t just come over to you because you have food; she comes because you have spent the time for her to get to know you. This is why she is usually the last elephant that new keepers train with. But because it requires so much time and effort, the relationship with her is the most rewarding. It is a highlight of my career when I knew we hit that mark.

Turning 43 is a big deal in the elephant world. The average life expectancy for African Elephants is around 39 years old, so all three of our elephants are considered geriatric. That’s why it is so important to take that time to build a relationship with all of them, so we can ensure they age gracefully and are able to provide whatever care they need. My favorite thing about her is that you would never know she is 43 – she still acts like a young calf running around and playing with her enrichment.

The next time you are at the zoo, please stop by elephants and wish our gorgeous, little gal a BIG Happy (belated) Birthday!

– Zoo Keeper Hanna Kaiser

*Banner photo by Hanna Kaiser 

World Giraffe Day 2021: How the Zoo Supports Giraffe Conservation

June 19, 2021

June 21 is World Giraffe Day, when we celebrate the tallest land animal on the longest day of the year! In addition to having fun and educational giraffe-themed activities at the Zoo, an important part of our celebration is raising awareness and money for giraffe conservation. Giraffe are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), with many of the species and subspecies designated as endangered or critically endangered. This includes the Masai species that we have here at Seneca Park Zoo, whose numbers have declined around 50% in the last 30 years across the natural range, mainly due to habitat loss and poaching.To help Iggy, Kipenzi, and Parker’s wild counterparts, the Zoo partners with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF), which operates and supports conservation efforts in 16 African countries. These efforts include protecting giraffe habitat, monitoring giraffe numbers and locations, anti-poaching activities, research, and conservation education.

In addition to supporting GCF financially, Seneca Park Zoo is a Partner of the Giraffe SAFE Program, a collaboration of AZA-accredited zoos committed to maximizing their impact on giraffe conservation. As part of that effort, last year, Zoo Keeper Azzara Oston went to Uganda as part of a joint project between GCF and the Uganda Wildlife Authority to monitor the critically endangered Nubian giraffe. This involved locating giraffe, identifying them, and collecting feces to learn more about their diet.DonateSome of these giraffe had been translocated from a different part of the country, so this kind of monitoring is critical to gauge their health and the success of their reintroduction to an area where Nubian giraffe had historically lived. Although the trip had to be shortened as a result of the COVID pandemic, Seneca Park Zoo will continue to participate in these projects in the future.

You can read more about Azzara’s experience here.

Additionally, Iggy, Kipenzi, and Parker are directly helping their wild counterparts through participating in research studies targeted at answering questions important for giraffe conservation. We are actively training our giraffe to donate blood, which allows them to participate in genetics and pharmacokinetics studies to understand issues ranging from calf survivorship to the optimal drugs and dosages for treatment of diseases affecting giraffe in the natural range.

If you’d like to help with giraffe conservation, you can donate to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation by clicking the button below!

 Sarah Koopman, Zoo Keeper

Giraffe Training: A TALL Order

June 19, 2021

At Seneca Park Zoo, positive reinforcement training is a critical part of our interactions with the animals – it’s good for them and helps us take better care of them. Each species and each individual brings different challenges that we have to work through. With the height of a giraffe, two trainers are needed.  As the primary trainer, Lindsay positions herself at the giraffe’s head communicating to the giraffe on what we want them to do and providing the rewards for the correct behaviors.  The secondary trainer, Jenna, simultaneously interacts with the giraffe and communicates to Lindsay what is needed from the giraffe so that they can be reinforced at the right times.  Because the two trainers usually cannot see each other, their communication is key to getting the giraffe to perform the correct behavior.All the Giraffes are trained to present both front feet on a “hoof block”.  This allows us to file their hooves.  When the Giraffes present the correct hoof, a whistle lets them know they did the correct behavior, and they receive an immediate reward of a piece carrot or a handful of grain.  When the secondary trainer approaches the Giraffe’s hoof and starts filing the hoof the Giraffe is rewarded continuously.  Using this behavior as a foundation, we moved on to a blood draw from the giraffes’ fetlock, or the upper knuckle of the foot, as a large vein runs along this area. As we developed this behavior, we had to work with the giraffes’ preferences. For example, Parker and Kipenzi seem more comfortable presenting their right hoof while Iggy is more comfortable presenting her left hoof.

As the secondary trainer, Jenna “desensitized” each giraffe to a “poke” on the large vein on the fetlock. We kept the steps simple, working from just pushing on the vein with a finger to using a hoof pick to poke the vein. This is a tool that they are used to seeing for their foot care, so touching them with it was already familiar to them. Lastly, after little to no reaction to the other stimuli, a needle was used for the blood draw. The prick of a needle is very similar to the bite of a fly to the giraffe, so as long as they were rewarded with the grain at the proper timing, the giraffes have little to no response! While the blood is being collected, the giraffe enjoys the grain until they choose to leave the session!This behavior is so important for a number of reasons. First, it gives us a good picture of the health of each giraffe. We can see the number of each type of cell in the blood, and get information about their kidney, liver, and other organs’ function. Second, we can store plasma and blood from our giraffes that might be needed in case of a health problem, either in our giraffe here at Seneca Park Zoo or as part of the Giraffe Blood Bank, a group of accredited zoos who have agreed to provide blood products to other zoos. Finally, blood donation helps us our giraffe contribute to the conservation of giraffe in the wild. For example, we are contributing a study examining genetics of giraffe spot patterns and how it impacts survival in the wild.

– Zoologist Jenna Bovee, Assistant Curator Lindsay Brinda & Assistant Zoo Director Dr. Louis DivincentiDonate

* Banner photo by Walter Brooks

Keeper Connection: Sea Lion Stranding & Marine Mammal Care Center

June 11, 2021

In 2015, there was a mass stranding of California Sea Lions due to the rise in temperature in the ocean. The fish sought out the cooler water, and the female sea lions that gave birth that year left their pups to hide on the rocky shores for days leaving the pups hungry for their mother’s milk.The pups began swimming while weak with hunger. They would eat anything they could find in the ocean and at this time it wasn’t fish. Thousands of sea lions were being washed up on shore in record numbers. Sea lions get the water they need to live by the fish they eat, not by drinking. Not consuming fish left them dehydrated as well as emaciated. The older animals began consuming trash such as straws, plastic bags, zip ties, fishing line, cigarette butts and balloons just to name a few.

I know this not only from watching the news, but also because I went to the Marine Mammal Care Center in California to volunteer during this catastrophic event. I assisted the staff and other volunteers in removing trash from these very ill animals. There was a fishing net wrapped around one sea lion’s neck cutting into her skin. Pups were brought in by the dozen in vans. We would weigh them, give them fluids, enemas and open their mouths to remove the trash. We took their temperatures and gave them various medications by injection. We made a fish gruel and tube fed the weak.

Some animals were at the center for a week or two recovering when I arrived. For these animals we would prepare and feed them frozen fish. We did not linger, just feed them and leave so humans were not associated with food, therefore the sea lions would not approach humans when released.You may be wondering why humans are potentially dangerous to sea lions besides the trash we produce. Fishermen and sea lions have been competing for fish for as long as humans have been fishing. In fact, one of the California sea lions in our care at the Zoo today, Lily, was rescued at the San Pedro Marine Mammal Care Center in 2010 where the veterinarian staff removed a bullet from Lily’s right flipper. Someone shot her when she was just a small pup. Thankfully, she survived and was brought to our zoo. She is eleven years old now. I have known her since she arrived and can tell you she is intelligent, gentle, healthy and the mother of her only offspring, Bob.

If you find yourself in California and love the ocean and sea lions I encourage you to volunteer at any of the rescue centers in California. If you don’t have the time, donations are always welcome. Many of these centers run solely on donations, hard work and big hearts. I met some wonderful people there and learned how important our oceans are to all of us.

– Mary Ellen Ostrander, ZoologistDonate to Ocean Conservation

How Oil Spills Effect the Ocean and What We Can Do About It

June 12, 2021

Surprisingly, oil spills are more common than you might think. Thousands of oil spills occur in US waters every year, yet most of these spills are small. Many people normally think of major disasters, like a pipeline burst or a drilling operation gone wrong. However, small spills, such as refueling a ship, can still cause damage to an aquatic ecosystem, especially if these small spills happen in a sensitive environment. Oil spills can occur anywhere that oil is drilled, transported, or used, and with most of the world using oil – it can really happen anywhere!Oil spills generally effect wildlife in two ways. Oiling is a term for oil physically harming a plant or animal. We all have seen TV commercials related to dish soap that is used to remove oil from an otter’s coat or a penguin’s feathers. The effected animal’s survival depends on how much oil they have coated on them. It will be difficult for an animal to survive coated in large amounts of oil. Animals may also accidentally ingest oil when attempting to clean themselves. Fish that comes into contact with oil can become unsafe not only for animals like sea lions, but for humans as well. Wildlife can be silently harmed through oil toxicity. Oil compounds are toxic and can cause a variety of health issues, such as immune system deficiencies, in humans and animals.

The U.S. Coast Guard is primarily responsible for cleaning up oil spills, however, as we learned in our science experiment presented on social media, not all of the oil can be removed from waterways. It is a delicate balance between removing the oil, and making sure the ecosystem isn’t being damaged by the removal process.

Together, there are small steps we can all take to prevent oil spills into our waterways. These steps include various suggestions, such as:

  • Properly dispose of used oil and oil filters
  • Do not overfill fuel tanks
  • Immediately contain spills and using absorbent pads for any cleanup
  • Support reputable organizations that rescue wildlife from oil spills, such as SANCCOB Saves Sea Birds. Many ecosystems are shared, so helping one species usually helps out another!
  • Connect with water conservation groups at a local level, such as participating in a local cleanup held by Seneca Park Zoo! All pollution is a threat to wildlife.

– Morgan Saidian, Zoo Keeper

Protecting Our Planet: The 30×30 Plan

June 8, 2021

In 1992, the United Nations hosted the Earth Summit. This gathering resulted in over 170 countries agreeing to two treaties for environmental diplomacy: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention of Biological Diversity.  Since then, 15% of our land and 7% of our oceans have been protected.  Unfortunately, our planet is facing many different threats right now.  We are seeing a loss of clean air and drinking water in communities around the world.  Forests around the world remove 2.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, and when we clear forests for agriculture and urban development, we are removing these carbon sinks.  We are also destroying vital habitat for species, many of whom are endangered.  Climate change is causing stronger, more frequent natural disasters.  There are over 200 million people around the planet who rely on the protection of coral reefs against flooding.  The Campaign for Nature is committed to securing a better future for our planet, our wildlife and ourselves.The Campaign for Nature is a partnership between the Wyss Campaign for Nature, National Geographic, and over 100 conservation organizations. They are calling on civic leaders to create new policies to protect 30% of the planet by 2030.  By conserving areas that are biologically diverse and represent all of the world’s different ecosystems, we can reverse the damage that has been done and help these areas recover.

It is a fact that protected areas can be restored.  After wolves went extinct in Yellowstone Park, the landscape began to change because of overgrazing by elk and other herbivores.  After 70 years, wolves were successfully reintroduced into the area and the habitats recovered.  Elk were not avoiding the areas wolves hunted, allowing both terrestrial and aquatic habitats to recover.  This is only one example of many success stories.

We can take action today to help protect our planet.  You can join the call for 30×30 and let your civic leaders know you want to protect our planet by signing the petition.   The UN’s Convention of Biological Diversity will be meeting in Kunming, China later this year, where there will be discussions on increasing the areas that are protected. World leaders need to work together with local governments and Indigenous Peoples to make sure that conservation practices are lining up with these protected areas.  This includes providing the proper funding for management and scientific studies for these areas.In the last 50 years, we have lost over 60% of terrestrial wildlife on the planet.  In the last 100 years, we have lost 90% of big ocean fish.  It is not too late to protect what we still have.  By being responsible with our resources and protecting biologically diverse areas, we can make a difference and ensure future generations of both people and animals have a safe, healthy world to grow up in. Join the call for 30×30 today and let your voice be heard by signing the petition!

– Randi Krieger, Zoo KeeperDonate

* Banner photo by Walter Brooks