This Saturday and Sunday we will be celebrating My Genesee Weekend, with a focus on animals from the local region. I have the great opportunity to work with some of these animals at the Zoo and hope you’ll visit them!
If you’re looking to learn more about lake sturgeon when you come to the Zoo, head to the Genesee Trail near Eagle’s Landing Cafe. Did you know we have three brand new sturgeon in the aquarium in the ECO Center? Their names are Ryan, Matthew, and Carter. They are one year old and weigh around 20 grams. Right now, they are being fed frozen blood worms and mysis shrimp two times a day.
When we feed the sturgeon, we put them in a smaller container so we can monitor their eating and it is easier to find food. They get weighed every week to ensure they are continually growing and gaining weight. This summer, our other sturgeon, Badger, Blotch and Bullseye, outgrew the ECO Center aquarium and were moved into the pond near where the bald eagle, Abe, resides.
Another animal being featured this weekend is the North American river otter. This is also one of my favorite animals to work with! We have three otters at the Zoo: 13-year-old sisters Heather and Sara, and our male 9-year-old otter, Sailor. Did you know that the otters participate in scientific research? As part of a project being conducted this summer by Dr. Caroline Delong of RIT, each otter is trained to learn object and color recognition behaviors.
This study is testing to see how well they can distinguish different shapes, which could have interesting conservation implications for this species. You can read more about this work is this summer’s ZooNooz.
Sturgeon and otters are just two of the amazing species that make up the unique ecosystem of the Genesee River Valley. Head to the Zoo this Saturday and Sunday for My Genesee Weekend to learn more about the biodiversity of this region and what you can do to help protect it.
This summer, for the first time, guests at Seneca Park Zoo are able to observe a training demonstration with our African lions! Our pride is made up of three adults: “Chester” our male and “Zuri” and “Asha,” our two beautiful lionesses. These three have always taken part in a training program for husbandry: behaviors that allow the animals to take part in their own health care by voluntarily allowing physical examinations and even vaccinations. For the first time, the lions are working with their keepers along the front fence, giving guests an up close look at them and their intelligence.
It is important when working with any animal to get to know it in terms of its species’ specific behaviors, as well as its individual personality. Much like students in a classroom, one animal may pick up on a behavior very quickly, while another animal will require a completely different approach to training the same behavior. Patience and problem solving skills are essential!
This holds true to our three very unique lions. Chester is very food-motivated, sometimes awaiting his next treat before finishing the one he has just received. If he is ever momentarily confused, however, he can easily become frustrated. For this reason, his sessions are tailored to be quick, with each behavior being highly rewarded and new behaviors being divided into small steps rewarded frequently along the way. This allows him to be successful and remain motivated to participate throughout each session.
Asha, our smallest female, is also incredibly food-motivated and very excitable–to the point where she has trouble concentrating on her trainer! Her sessions consist of being rewarded for remaining calm and focusing on her trainer’s movements. Asha simply remaining calm is treated (and rewarded) as a behavior in itself. We focus on the positives!
Zuri is the calmest of them all, paying close attention to her trainer and learning new behaviors somewhat easily. She is also the least food-motivated, sometimes not wanting to do a behavior asked of her but instead rubbing on the mesh and making “chuffing” noises towards her trainers, which is a lion’s way of saying “I like you!” Her favorite behavior is her “open” behavior where she allows keepers and vet staff to look inside her mouth.
No matter how long our keepers work with a species or an individual animal, there is always something new to learn. Make sure and stop by to see our African lions and training demonstrations, and experience these amazing creatures up close!
We’ve already had many hot and humid days, and we’re only half-way through summer! Some of our animals deal better with the heat than others and may choose to stay in their inside habitat where it is cooler than outdoors, so if you don’t see someone in their exhibit this may be why. The zoo keepers always like to provide options and enrichment for our animals, and during the summer we provide many ways for them to beat the heat.
If you’re walking around the Zoo, you may notice sprinklers or misters set up in many of the exhibits. These help cool off areas in the exhibit and give the animals a choice to be in the water.
Another option many of our animals have is access to a pool or mud wallows. These are areas animals can not only get a drink from but submerge themselves if they choose. Our elephants especially love cooling off in the sprinklers and pool!
Some of our animals get ice blocks, often filled with treats! These not only cool the animal off, but are great enrichment and give our animals something to play with. They love getting anything from toys to food inside, We fill our ice blocks with different food items such as fish and fruits and veggies, and we even make some special “blood blocks” for our carnivores out of fish or meat blood.
Ice cube trays are perfect for making quick little snacks, and are easy to hide fruit in.
Our baboons enjoying some frozen mackerel, a perfect way to cool off.
Frozen fish is a great snack. Salmon frozen in ice is our polar bear’s favorite.
With so many ways to keep the animals cool, the summer months can be enjoyable for guests, staff, and animals alike!
Animal moves are part of the growth and operations of every zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). When animals at Seneca Park Zoo are set to be transferred to other locations, or when animals from other zoos need to move to Seneca Park Zoo, animal care staff guide the process to ensure that it goes smoothly. Animals are moved for a variety of reasons, but many do so in order to join a new social group and begin breeding as part of recommendations from the AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP) for their species.
Earlier this year, the Zoo moved two very different animals–two African spurred tortoises and a California sea lion–to other zoos. We talked to two members of our animal care staff to learn more about what these moves entailed and how they are creating opportunities, both here at Seneca Park Zoo and at other institutions, for education and conservation.
Assistant Curator John Adamski on moving Dozer and Shelly the African spurred tortoises to Oregon Zoo
Why were Dozer and Shelly moved to the Oregon Zoo?
As Seneca Park Zoo moves forward with expansion plans, it makes sense to strategically plan for the future to make sure we find good homes for some of the animals in the collection. We will need to remove some current exhibits to design and build new ones. The Oregon Zoo was looking for large African spurred tortoises. One of their Curators put out an inquiry among AZA Zoo’s and the time was right for us to move ahead with future plans.
What will make the Oregon Zoo such a great home for them?
African spurred tortoises (commonly referred to as sulcatas) are the third largest tortoise species in the world. It is not uncommon for an African spurred tortoise to live beyond 80 years old. Males can grow up to about 200 pounds and females will top the scales at well over 100 pounds! In the past, the African spurred tortoise was often seen in the pet trade. Due to their immense size and longevity the ideal home for this species is a zoo. The Oregon Zoo has renovated a brand new exhibit specifically for African spurred tortoises. We also know that they will be given excellent quality care in Portland!
Were there any special accommodations needed to be made to ship this species?
First of all, it’s not easy to ship large tortoises to Oregon. Special arrangements were made with FedEx and a staff member from Oregon Zoo flew to Rochester to personally fly with Dozer and Shelly on their journey back to Oregon. The shipping crates were designed and custom built here at the Zoo by our lead Maintenance department craftsman, Jim Paxon. He does an excellent job at building shipping crates for any of our collection – sometimes with unique features. For large tortoises, it is really important that they can turn around, but still not create enough leverage to break the crate – especially while in flight. It’s also important to build a crate that is tall enough that a tortoise can’t just break the lid off by standing up.
How does Dozer and Shelly’s move fit in to preparations for the Master Plan?
Moving them will allow us to move forward with Master Planning and design to renovate the first area when entering the zoo. Their exhibit is intended to be removed as part of the Master Plan development. The new area at the front of the zoo will focus on tropical Asia and Africa. Therefore, taking advantage of an opportunity to place them at such a great institution will help us immensely in moving forward as planned.Zoo Keeper James Weinpress on moving P.J. the California sea lion to Riverbanks Zoo
What specific accommodations were made for P.J. during the move? What factors were necessary for the success of the transfer?
The transfer process was a long-term collaboration between the staff at both Seneca Park Zoo and Riverbanks Zoo. While the curator staff at both facilities worked out the logistics of the trip, the animal care staff met to plan and implement specific training that would ensure P.J. would be well prepared for his journey. Since P.J. would be traveling in a large transport crate, he was given access to it 24/7 which would allow him to investigate and become comfortable around it. For several days before the move, he was actively trained to go into his transport crate, one small step at a time, until he was going completely inside of it when asked by his trainers. Once inside, he was given lots of fish and praise. This made going into the crate one of his favorite places to be since he was always rewarded inside. The other sea lions at Seneca Park also enjoyed having it around, often sleeping in it at night!
How much did P.J. eat during the transfer?
On the day of his trip, P.J.’s morning session was carried out as it would be any other day. He earned fish rewards as he worked through his behavioral routine. One of our biggest goals was to make sure P.J. remained as calm as possible and starting his day like any other was a big part of that. P.J. ate again once he arrived at his new home at Riverbanks Zoo. This was a great sign that he was not stressed and feeling good after his long transport!
How did you moderate temperature during the trip?
Marine mammals such as sea lions and seals can easily overheat if they are out of water for too long. For this reason, keeping P.J. cool was a top priority. The transport truck had several pump handle misters that could be used to lightly mist P.J. with cold water if necessary. There were also several large containers of ice available that slowly melted over his transport crate and provided him with an occasional cool shower. Additionally, a powerful air conditioning system was set on “high” for the entire trip. I wore two sweatshirts with the hood up for the entire 13 hour trip! I was able to check on P.J. every 45 minutes to take the ambient temperature of the truck and to monitor his behavior.
How did P.J. begin acclimating to his new habitat when he first arrived?
P.J. spent the first two days becoming familiarized with his new home taking in new sights, smells, and sounds. He was able to observe the other three sea lions that he would be sharing his exhibit with. He very quickly became interested in interacting with two of the younger males close to his age named Ranger and Maverick. They were first allowed to interact through a door, getting to know one another through sight, smell, and body language. After observing their behavior, Riverbanks keepers then allowed the three boys access to one another and they immediately began to socialize as all sea lions do, chasing and playing with one another in and out of the water.
When is the transfer considered successful?
In my opinion, a transfer is considered a success when the animal arrives at their new home as quickly and calmly as possible. By these standards P.J.’s transport was an overwhelming success! Every step, from P.J. being asked to go into his transport crate to the trip to South Carolina and his acclimation to his new home, went smoothly and as planned. Throughout the entire process, P.J. exhibited behaviors appropriate for his species and to his own personality. These were both signs that throughout his journey down south, he was very comfortable.
Summer is finally here! Every year as the weather starts to heat up for the summer season, zoo keepers do our very best to keep all the animals here cool and comfortable.
The elephants in particular have been beating the heat the last few weeks by several swimming sessions in their pool. They also enjoy getting sprayed down with a fire hose, misters, and a lot of mud holes!
By getting their bodies all wet and then coating themselves in mud, the elephants create a cool barrier that also serves as sunscreen, a moisturizer, and a bug repellent.
Come see if you can catch a glimpse of our four African elephants in their pool on your next visit!
Almost daily, I am asked what my favorite animal at the Zoo is. That is not an easy question for me because I have been fortunate enough to have worked with a variety of different species ranging from frogs to rhinos. However, there is one particular animal here at the Zoo that I look forward to seeing every day. Her name is Bianca and she is one of our Canadian lynx. Bianca was born on June 4, 2013 and came to Seneca Park Zoo on July 9, 2014. I was fortunate enough to work with her when she first came to the Zoo and spent time in quarantine.
All new arrivals go through quarantine, and during that time a complete physical is conducted, including fecal and blood testing to assess the animal’s overall health condition. We also test for infectious diseases and look for gastrointestinal and/or external parasites. Quarantine times can vary, but they usually last about 30 days.
During this time, I spent lot of time with Bianca and learned that she was a very curious and active animal. She liked to sit on top of her “house” and watch through the window to see everything that was going on inside the building, and she would sit on the highest spot outside to watch the Zoo guests pass by.Once her quarantine was complete, Bianca was relocated to her current home in the Rocky Coasts with our male lynx, Gretzky. She was often found on the smallest of ledges at the top of her enclosure, so the Zoo’s Environmental Enrichment Committee build the lynx a cat tree, complete with a comfy basket at the top for her to lounge in and observe activities far outside her enclosure.Due to her curious nature, Bianca always challenges us to come up with new and exciting ideas to enrich her. All of the animals at the Zoo are offered environmental enrichment. This allows them to demonstrate their species-typical behaviors and to exercise control or choice over their environment. Bianca particularly likes new scents, different substrates, and to be up high. We recently received some new wood wool bedding material. It was placed on exhibit in various spots and immediately became a favorite spot for her to roll in and rest.Spices, perfumes, boxes, paper bags, and soiled straw from other animals are other things that we place throughout her space. In order to keep things interesting, we are always doing research to come up with novel enrichments. We also track and rate any enrichment we give Bianca, as well as all the animals at the Zoo, to better understand what they prefer.
As Assistant General Curator at the Zoo, I am fortunate enough to work with or see Bianca every day, and I enjoy every moment. The next time you are at the Zoo, make sure that you stop by the lynx exhibit to see what new enrichment they have received.
Remember to look up high, because you just might be surprised to see Bianca looking down at you!–Kellee Wolowitz, Assistant General Curator
With cold and flu season coming to an end, it is interesting to think about how animals, like people, need medicine. This includes the animals at the Zoo. The process isn’t as easy and requires that zoo keepers get creative. There are a lot of potential problems to consider when trying to medicate an animal in our care.
If your dog needs medication, you can usually roll the pill up in a piece of cheese or meat to disguise it and get it to eat the medicine. Most of the animals at the Zoo are quick to learn that trick and will either not accept it at all or will take the treat and spit the pill back out!
If a domestic animal won’t take medicine in food, you or your vet can place the medicine inside the pet dog’s or cat’s mouth if absolutely necessary. This technique is usually not an option for zoo animals. It is the keepers’ job to get the animal to come over and then attempt to administer the drug under the vet’s supervision. Some medications are not flavored nicely like children’s medicine. Some can be oily and difficult to mix with food to hide the taste.
Thankfully, zoo keepers have mastered many techniques to give animals medicine. Once in a while, there are medications that can be hidden in food or mixed with juice, depending on the animal. For primates, sometimes we can hide a pill in a grape, among other grapes. However, we have to change the order of grapes in which they are given because they will be quick to know that the second grape will have the medicine every time, and spit out that second grape or not take it at all. Some animals have a favorite food that is saved for only giving medicine. This way they are eager to take that special food with the medication.
Sometimes an animal will require an injection. A lot of the animals are trained, or working on being trained to receive an injection voluntarily. This reduces stress on the animal as well as makes it a much more positive experience for everyone involved. If it is absolutely necessary, our vet can use a blow dart to administer a medication to an animal.
Medications can vary for how often the animals need to take them. It can be a couple times a day or every few days for a short period of time. It can also be one that has to be taken every day as routine maintenance for a long period of time such as vitamins inserted into fish fed to sea lions.
Regardless of the frequency the medicine needs to be administered, it is crucial the animals receive it. We try to make it as stress free and as positive of an experience as we can. Sometimes it’s a gummy vitamin that tastes amazing and is taken without hesitation, but other times it is a bitter or unpalatable tasting medicine that requires some imagination.
Keepers are always using standard proven methods, but they are also creating new ways to administer medicine that are easy on the keepers and the animals.
Timber and Willow are brother and sister born on April 18, 2014 at the New York State Zoo in Watertown, New York. They arrived at our Zoo on February 26, 2016 from the Buffalo Zoo where they had resided since September 3, 2015. Timber was neutered before coming here to prevent inbreeding between the siblings.
Although they are both black, we can tell the difference between the two of them by their size and their markings. Timber is about a hundred pounds and has a large white dot on his chest.
Timber. Photo by Wayne Smith
Willow is approximately seventy pounds and has a white stripe all the way across her chest. Another way to tell them apart is by watching their behaviors. Timber is the more outgoing and bold one of the two. Willow is curious but very cautious. Timber is usually following Willow around the yard.
Willow. Photo by Wayne Smith.
When they aren’t exploring in the yard their favorite place to hang out is along the back fence line. From there they can watch what is going on in the woods behind their exhibit. They also like to nap underneath the big log in the middle of the yard. When all is quiet you may find them laying down near the tree in the front of the yard. If it gets too loud for them they have places where they can go for some privacy. They always have the choice of when and where to go.
There is a secondary switch yard on either side of the main exhibit. This is where their houses, beds, water and dry dog food are available to them at all times. This is also where they get their main meals. Two to three times a day, they are offered a balanced diet of carnivore meat for canines. We have tried other meat items, but they really seem to prefer their basic diet which makes caring for them easy.
We provide enrichment to them several times a day as well. This gives them the opportunity to play and forage for treats. Their favorite things are rodents and bits of fish.
Penguins are incredible animals. The fascinating facts about these flightless birds could fill pages. For all of those people who have been dying to know the answers to some of the mysteries of the African Penguin at Seneca Park Zoo, here are the most common questions we receive from guests.
“How do you tell all of those birds apart?”
The simplest way to tell who’s who is that all of the penguins at the Zoo are banded using a special color-coded system. Males are banded on the left, females on the right, and offspring of pairs are banded using the same colors as their parents, the older chick banded on the left (until the sex can be determined at a later date). All keepers who train to be penguin keepers are required to memorize these bands so they can identify each bird.
Plumage can also be a helpful factor in determining who’s who. Juveniles (penguins younger than 18 months of age) have a dark gray plumage from head to toe. Adult penguins (older than 18 months) have the traditional black and white “tuxedo” plumage.
Keepers who have worked around the birds for a long time can also tell each penguin apart by certain physical characteristics such as beak size, height, unique markings, and even the way they walk!
Finally, each penguin has a spot pattern on their chest that is as unique to them as our fingerprints are to us! That spot pattern stays the same even after the penguin’s yearly molt. Some penguins only have three to four spots; others may have a dozen or more!
Why are they so small?
There are 17 different species of penguin found only in the southern hemisphere. The largest species, the emperor penguin, is just shy of 4 feet; the smallest is the little blue, or “fairy” penguin, which stands just over a foot in size. An African penguin is approximately 2ft tall and weighs between 5-9lbs. Most people are probably quite used to seeing the emperor penguin in movies and on television, therefore are a bit surprised to see a small species like the African penguin.
Why aren’t penguins aren’t out all the time in the winter?
While it’s true some penguins love the cold, the penguins here at the Zoo are native to the coast of South Africa, making them a temperate species of penguin. Believe it or not, most species of penguins live in temperate climates. A couple can even be found in tropical climates! The media does tend to focus on the penguins in Antarctica, probably because the landscape is so beautiful and because of the stark contrast with the black and white sea of penguins.
Our penguins typically stay in a heated room inside when the temperature falls below freezing. If there isn’t a foot of snow on the ground and it’s sunny out, we always allow our penguins the choice to stay in or go outside.
When the penguins aren’t outside, where are they?
Our penguins are quite spoiled! They have a large holding room, which is heated in the winter and air-conditioned in the summer. There is also a pool in their holding room as well as lots of environmental enrichment. This is where the penguins’ “nests” are as well. African penguins are burrow nesters, so we mimic that by using sky kennels lined with an absorbent recycled newspaper product. Each pair of penguins, and most singletons, have their own “nest” which they may inhabit for many years and are very protective over!
Why don’t the penguins at the Zoo swim very often?
This is by far the most frequently asked question by Zoo visitors. The answer is they absolutely do, just not out on habitat! The penguins have a small pool in their room that they all LOVE and swim in often. We do have 7-8 birds who swim regularly in the morning so guests who arrive early might just catch them during their swim!
How can penguins be endangered? When you see pictures of them, it seems like there are millions!
Four species of penguin are considered “endangered.” These are the White-flippered, the Erect crested, the Galapagos, and the African penguin. Five species are listed as “vulnerable,” two as “near-threatened,” and six as “lower risk.” The lower risk is the species found furthest south. The pictures we typically see of thousands of penguins in one place are of this species.
Did you know that by visiting Seneca Park Zoo, you are also helping African penguins? These small actions are helping to conserve this species. Thank you for your support!
If you ask zoo keepers what they do, you will most likely get a different answer from each of us. The role of a zoo keeper once focused on the general care of the animals: they cleaned cages and fed the inhabitants. But today, that aspect of our day is only the tip of the iceberg.
The core of our responsibilities remains the general care of the animals, but the definition of “general care” has changed. Cleaning enclosures is more than just “picking up.” When cleaning enclosures, zoo keepers are now more aware of disinfectants and the pathogens they protect against. We focus on giving the animals an environment that is both sanitary and comfortable. Adequate bedding, shelter and easy access to food and water are a must.
Photo by Marie Kraus
Feeding the animals at the Zoo is no easy task. Every animal has different needs and we offer a wide range of diets to meet those needs. Preparing an animal’s diet can take a large portion of our day. We can weigh up to 100 pounds of fish and 50 pounds of meat in one day. The fruit and vegetables we go through would fill a refrigerator and more. I can’t even count the number of insects we pass out.
Photo by Kelli O’Brien
Training is becoming the cornerstone of animal care at the Zoo. Training programs can be as simple as an animal moving from one enclosure to another, or can be as elaborate as asking an elephant to present its feet for a trim. Training not only provides the animals with the mental stimulation they need but also helps us to accomplish other added responsibilities.
Photo by Kelli O’Brien
Medical care is just as important for a zoo animal as it is for people and their pets. The dedication of zoo keepers to keep their animals healthy is paramount. Vaccinations, daily medications and even anesthesia are all achieved through training and the bonds that form between zoo keeper and animal. Zoo keepers are the first line of defense when it comes to the animal’s health.
Photo by Tina Fess
Photo by Ken Traub
We all like to have fun and explore new things. Enrichment is just that: a way for our animals to have fun. We provide new toys, scents, puzzles and surprises that keep the animals guessing as to what may come next.
Photo by Kelli O’Brien
Photo by Tina Fess
The list of jobs that a zoo keeper does can go on and on. Once our daily animal care is done we focus on making the grounds look good, help with minor maintenance issues, serve on a variety of committees, and even extend our reach beyond the borders of the Zoo by serving on Species Survival Plan committees through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and other national and international groups.
A day in the life of a zoo keeper is a busy one. The list of things to do never ends. The dedication and commitment of the zoo keepers keeps that list moving forward. Most of us, if asked, would say there is no place we would rather be. It is both a privilege and an honor to be in the company of a zoo animal.
Zuri is the calmest of them all, paying close attention to her trainer and learning new behaviors somewhat easily. She is also the least food-motivated, sometimes not wanting to do a behavior asked of her but instead rubbing on the mesh and making “chuffing” noises towards her trainers, which is a lion’s way of saying “I like you!” Her favorite behavior is her “open” behavior where she allows keepers and vet staff to look inside her mouth.
With so many ways to keep the animals cool, the summer months can be enjoyable for guests, staff, and animals alike!
Assistant Curator John Adamski on moving Dozer and Shelly the African spurred tortoises to Oregon Zoo
Why are they so small?
