I have been meaning to visit the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro California since 2011, when our Zoo’s two female California sea lions arrived here at Seneca Park Zoo.
The staff at the care center saved Marina and Lily’s lives after they were both injured by bullets, and I have wanted to thank them for a long time.
Lily and Marina have adjusted wonderfully to Zoo life with the help of dedicated staff and positive reinforcement training. I wanted the marine mammal care center to know the latest on our sea lions’ successes, since they were part of it from the beginning.
When I saw on the news that there has been hundreds of sea lion pups washing up on shore, starving and ill, and that the center needed donations and volunteers, I knew this was the time to go. So I packed my bags and went to help out. The center was so clean and well-run, I felt hope and not sadness. If animals were to be saved, it was here and I was proud to be part of this team, even for a short time.
Over $1,250 was donated by the American Association of Zoo Keepers (our wonderful zookeeper chapter) and from the sales of the book Puff the Sea lion: A Love Story.
Please donate your time and money if you can. It does make a difference.
-Blog and photos by Mary Ellen Ostrander, Zoo Keeper
There are currently 43 African penguins in the Zoo’s flock: 21 males, 13 females and nine unknown.
Unknown? Yep.
That’s because the best way to determine the sex of some birds, including penguins, is to look at the animals’ DNA, and we like to wait until the birds are older to take a feather sample. So the gender of some of our younger chicks remains a mystery, for now.
Since 1999, the Zoo has had 93 successful hatchlings. Some of these have been sent to 25 accredited zoos and aquariums across North America, including The Toledo Zoo, the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, the Minnesota Zoo, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, Denver Zoo and Georgia Aquarium, in order to save and sustain the species. Imported from South Africa in 1996, the founding penguins of the Zoo’s flock created a strong genetic line that has shaped the wider population in conservation care.
Photo by Kelli O’Brien
The rest make up the 43 penguins in the Zoo’s flock. The most recent addition came when 6 baby chicks–Gizmo, Blue, Obi, Sky, Marvel and Swoop–hatched in January. Every year for the last 16 years, the Zoo has had more successful hilariously-named hatchlings, starting with Little Ricky in 1999. Here’s a breakdown:
African penguins are found in coastal areas and seas off the southern tip of Africa. Once abundant in their natural range, there has been a 60% decline in population in the last 30 years. Numbers have dwindled so quickly that in 2010, African penguins were listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Photo by Kevin Blakely
Knowledge gained from the success of breeding programs in zoos is being used to help assist breeding programs in situ, where population decline is due in large part to breeding failure. The South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of sea birds, has, for example, established The Chick Bolstering Project. The initiative is a collaborative effort to introduce hand-reared chicks back into their natural range to combat population decline.
Seneca Park Zoo supports organizations such as SANCCOB as they work tirelessly to save this magnificent bird in its natural range.
Seneca Park Zoo’s conservation fundraising reached an all-time high of $57,846 in 2014, thanks to Zoo guests who were inspired to act on their passion for animals and the environment. That amount was up more than 350% from $16,289 in 2013.
“I’m inspired to know the work we do matters to our guests,” said Pamela Reed Sanchez, Executive Director of the Seneca Park Zoo Society, “and I am encouraged to see them act on behalf of the animals in our care.”
In 2014, the Zoo focused its conservation priorities, delivered stronger messages to its guests and provided additional avenues to give. Zoo visitors took full advantage of the opportunity to choose the conservation initiative to which they most connected. Whether by attending an event, rounding up to the next dollar at the ZooShop or adding a dollar or two to a membership purchase, people gave generously.
The three projects that received the majority of funds were:
Photo courtesy of International Animal Rescue
$18,639 to Health in Harmony: This nonprofit organization is committed to saving Borneo’s last wild orangutans. It promotes environmental stewardship and economic alternatives to illegal logging of orangutan habitat in Gunung Palung National Park. The organization reports a 68% decrease in illegal logging.
$12,256 to International Elephant Foundation (IEF): IEF is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization that supports a wide variety of elephant conservation and related scientific and educational projects worldwide. Funds given from IEF to Northern Rangelands Trust’s anti-poaching security teams have been influential in helping to reduce elephant poaching surrounding the 22 community conservancies North and South of the Ewaso Nyiro River.
“Our work is not complete until we inspire others to become stewards of the world in which we live and to act on behalf of wildlife and wild places,” said Dr. Jeff Wyatt, the Zoo’s Director of Animal Health and Conservation. “We are most effective when we reinforce the fact that everything in this world is connected and that actions made locally affect animals across the globe.”
Deep in the jungles of Borneo in 1971, a 25-year-old anthropologist named Birute Galdikas first began her life-long career studying orangutans in the wild. Birute was one of famed anthropologist, Louis Leakey’s three “angels,” which also included Jane Goodall (studying chimpanzees in Tanzania) and Dian Fossey (studying Mountain gorillas in Rwanda). Birute’s research at Camp Leakycontinues today in promoting scientific study and conservation of orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park. This southern Bornean, peninsular, 125,000 square-mile, peat swamp park with a 100-foot towering tree canopy juts into the Java Sea. In addition to being home to the largest wild population of orangutans (6,000), the forest supports semi-wild, orangutans rescued by Birute from the pet trade and released more than 30 years ago. Many of these rescued and rehabilitated orangutans and their offspring provide park visitors with surprisingly up close, inspiring encounters and incredible photo opportunities, all in a free-range, forested setting. Our visit to Camp Leaky proved a perfect final day for our annual, integrated conservation trip to Borneo, connecting human, livestock, forest and orangutan health!
Birute Galdikas raising international awareness of orangutan conservation in 1975 National Geographic – photo credit
18-year-old male steps within inches of us on the trail.
Mother and two offspring aged five years apart.
Blog and photos, unless otherwise noted, by: Dr. Jeff Wyatt D.V.M., M.P.H., Director of Animal Health and Conservation for the Seneca Park Zoo Dr. Andrew Winterborn D.V.M., Seneca Park Zoo and University of Rochester veterinary alumnus; University Veterinarian, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
How do healthy goats and cattle save orangutans from extinction? It’s all about deforestation, specifically illegal logging.Health in Harmony, Seneca Park Zoo’s conservation anchor in Borneo, reports a 68% decrease in illegal logging households for more than six years. This impressive accomplishment rings true as we have spent six days meeting Farmers’ and Widows’ groups investing in and relying on revenue generated from healthy cattle and goats. Such revenue includes highly productive organic farming from composted manure as well as meat production.
Highly reproductive goats (especially healthy twin kids) underscore the benefit of enhancing animal health & husbandry. Training has expanded formally with use of the FAMACHA card. Pinker color to conjunctival mucous membranes under lower eyelid indicates anemia is not a health concern. New training in selectively administering oral de-wormer may decrease parasite loads in overall herd of approximately 250 goats.
A baby boom in ASRI’s Goats for Widows program.
“Pinker color the better for red blood cell health.”
Ibu Setiawati is a “natural” with this new de-worming technique.
Team Work! with Ibu Setiawati and Jilli.
Farmer’s group discussing their accomplishments over the last year and our herd health findings
As Ibu Setiawati and Jilli implement their new health monitoring and treatment practices, we look forward to returning next year for more good news. Thank you Seneca Park Zoo donors for supporting Health in Harmony, making a true difference for goats, cattle, villagers and orangutans.
Blog and photos by:
Dr. Jeff Wyatt D.V.M., M.P.H., Director of Animal Health and Conservation for the Seneca Park Zoo
Dr. Andrew Winterborn D.V.M., Seneca Park Zoo and University of Rochester veterinary alumnus; University Veterinarian, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Seneca Park Zoo’sOne Health-One Medicineveterinary approach emphasizes the connection between humans, wildlife and environmental health. That connection can be found in Rochester, through the relationship between the Genesee River and sturgeon health, and it can be found on the opposite side of the globe, as witnessed by the coexistence of Bornean villagers with the rainforest and its role in orangutan survival.
We recently enjoyed a species sharing medical experience when Valerie Lou, M.D., the University of Rochester International Medicine fellow sent this year to Borneo by the Seneca Park Zoo’sAmerican Association of Zoo Keepers chapter, joined us on farm rounds. Dr. Lou journeyed to Borneo to mentor villager health care in ASRI Klinik, in synchrony and harmony with impactful orangutan forest conservation programs. Dr. Lou joined our veterinary & herd health team for a day with Jilli and Ibu Setiawati, as we recorded data, performed physical exams and healthy baby checks, de-wormed and hoof trimmed 37 cattle and goats under the care of 23 farmers’ groups and widows.
Valerie Lou, M.D., assisting with medical record keeping of cattle herd health.
Valerie Lou, M.D., comforting a “kid” before a healthy baby exam.
Andrew Winterborn, D.V.M., and Valerie Lou, M.D., examining a pregnant goat.
Blog and photos by:
Dr. Jeff Wyatt D.V.M., M.P.H., Director of Animal Health and Conservation for the Seneca Park Zoo
Dr. Andrew Winterborn, D.V.M., Seneca Park Zoo and University of Rochester veterinary alumnus; University Veterinarian, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Health in Harmony’s mantra, “Saving the Rainforest with a Stethoscope,” takes on greater meaning in this, our third conservation-medicine expedition to Borneo. Our veterinary mentoring of farmers and ASRI conservation staff last year has resulted in a more formal preventive medicine approach for cattle and goat herds, and in health trend tracking, performed and expanded by Jilli and Ibu Setiawati. Healthier livestock provides villagers with sustainable, forest-friendly, revenue generating alternatives to illegal logging and slash and burn farming practices.
We are honored and proud to participate in Health in Harmony and ASRI Klinik’s capacity building and mentoring initiatives which promote healthier lives for villagers and protect forest for 10% (2,500) of the world’s remaining Bornean orangutans currently thriving in Gunung Palung National Park.
Blog and photos by:
Dr. Jeff Wyatt DVM, MPH, Director of Animal Health and Conservation for the Seneca Park Zoo
Dr. Andrew Winterborn DVM, Seneca Park Zoo and University of Rochester veterinary alumnus; University Veterinarian, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Imagine a landscape of white rock pockmarked with thousands of holes. At night, out of each hole extends a hand with six or more fingers, writhing and snapping at anything that passes by. To complete this bizarre scene, visualize the hands covered with hairs. To touch these hairs could mean instant death, for some are very poisonous. Now imagine all of this covered in a layer of mucus. Each hand is connected to the other by a thin layer of tissue extending over the surface of the rock, so that this becomes one big mat of living tissue.
This science-fiction description is very close to the reality faced by minute planktonic organisms floating helplessly toward a coral reef in the warm tropical seas. The hands referred to are the coral animals, known as polyps, each with six or more tentacles armed with cells capable of shooting out threads tipped with poison or sticky mucus, or whip-like ends that can wrap around prey. No other animal group uses these unique weapons. Few other animals can remove tiny organisms from the water with such efficiency. Yet, as efficient as the colony of coral animals is, it can not be sustained by what it can trap in seas whose meager crop of plankton cannot meet it’s nutritional needs.
Though they are voracious and efficient carnivores, corals as well as gorgonians, anemones, and giant clams must rely on a very unique means of supplementing their nutrition. Each harbor within their cells a single-celled algae called zooxanthellae (pronounced zoo-zan-thell-y). The coral polyps and zooxanthellae have what is known as a symbiotic relationship. Coral polyps produce carbon dioxide and water as byproducts of respiration. The zooxanthellae cells use the carbon dioxide and water to carry out photosynthesis. Sugars, fats and oxygen are some of the products of photosynthesis which the zooxanthellae cells produce. The coral polyp then uses these products to grow and carry out cellular respiration. The tight recycling of products between the polyp cells and the zooxanthellae is the driving force behind the growth and productivity of coral reefs. As much as 90 percent of the organic material they manufacture photosynthetically is transferred to the host coral tissue.
Another byproduct of the symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae is color. Several million zooxanthellae live and produce pigments in just one square inch of coral. These pigments are visible through the clear body of the polyp and are what gives many reef-building coral their beautiful color. As you begin to understand the complex ecosystem of the coral reef, it becomes clear how small physical changes such as ocean temperature, ocean acidification, poor fishing practices and land-based pollution can threaten the reefs’ ability to survive.
We invite you to come visit our coral reef exhibit, located in the Rocky Coasts Gallery, and watch this fascinating ecosystem close-up. Our philosophy is simple. If you see it, learn about it, and care about it, you will help protect it.
Blog, photo and video by Kevin Blakely, Zoo Keeper
If you ask me, the best part of our jobs as zoo keepers is the opportunity to participate in positive reinforcement training. Most of the animals you see at the Zoo, from the tiny golden lion tamarins, to the great African lions, participate in training on a regular basis. When training with positive reinforcement, a trainer relies on motivating an animal through rewards rather than with force or coercion.
Animal training has a profound impact on our animals’ physical, emotional and mental welfare. The vast majority of behaviors we train are used to aid animal health efforts. We train our animals to stand on a scale to be weighed, voluntarily accept injections, give blood and offer body parts for keepers and vets to examine. Many animals voluntarily enter a crate to be transported to the animal hospital, eliminating the need to chase and capture them. This not only makes the whole experience more enjoyable for the animal, but it helps the vet get a clear view of the animal’s health by providing normal readings rather than the elevated heart rate, temperature and stress hormones they find in animals that had to be netted or chased.
The benefits of animal training go much further than its effects on physical health. Training is an amazing way of exercising an animal’s mind. Essentially, when an animal is taught a new behavior, it is solving a puzzle. For example, which behaviors will earn me a treat? Solving problems to find food is a natural behavior and an important part of life for most animals. For an animal and trainer that know each other well, the animal is helping to solve the puzzle through subtle communication from the trainer. In a process called shaping, the trainer will reward behaviors that look more and more like the desired behavior. Through the process, the animal tries new things as if to say, “Is this what you want? How about this?” and is answered by the trainer’s patient waiting or quick reward. Together, they play a game of hot and cold until the right behavior is reached. At this moment, it is not uncommon to find both trainer and animal elated, each seeming to think, “We did it!” This moment of triumph keeps the animals coming back for more and it seems to give the animal as much joy as the trainer. Just watch Lou the hyena bound and spin in joyful circles the next time he sees one of his trainers. When taught to do a behavior on cue, these animals are empowered with ways to earn their food. Far from seeming defeated or subservient, these animals tend to put on an air of empowerment and eagerness to engage. Positive reinforcement trainers the world over report a permanent change in their animals as they become more bold and creative after participation in training.
By teaching the animals through patience, rewards and relationship, along with such creeds as “it’s never the animal’s fault” and “make the right behavior easier,” both trainer and animal are enriched and enjoy cross-species communication as well as continually unfolding new opportunities. Every day I feel grateful to not only work with, but communicate and reach goals with the wonderful residents of the Seneca Park Zoo.
Laura Shipp, Zoo Keeper and Co-Chair of the Zoo’s Animal Training Committee
The eastern massasauga rattlesnake pictured is a female. We know this because she has 21 subcaudal scales, which are found on the underside of the tail. Males have 25 to 33 and females have 19-29. Believe it or not, most animals are sexually dimorphic. Sexual dimorphism, simply put, is a set of unique, observable characteristics that distinguish sex in a species. Observable is a key word here because there are many small details that often get overlooked. Laurence M. Klauber took the time to note many of these characteristics in his classic two volume book Rattlesnakes: Their Habits, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind, published in 1972. I have always used this fantastic book as a reference. It has helped me to determine the sex of eastern massasaugas by counting the subcaudal scales.
I have been meaning to visit the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro California since 2011, when our Zoo’s two female California sea lions arrived here at Seneca Park Zoo.
