Botanical Bus Tour 12/21

On the third Friday of the month, the Zoo hosts a free botanical bus tour accompanied and narrated by some of their very knowledgeable horticulturalists and gardeners. The Zoo is an accredited living museum and botanical garden, with over 6,000 different species of plants! They also house rescued rare and endangered plants. With so much at hand, you can see and experience almost any bioclimatic zone you can think of. The Zoo's plants are now being mapped with GPS for even more accuracy.

We began at a huge thorn acacia leaning on the rock kopje and headed down Dog and Cat Canyon. We got a good look at part of the new world collection, which includes succulents, agaves, and cacti. There are mulberry trees across from the arch cages that are used for animal browse. Hunte Amphitheater is surrounded by beautiful coastal redwoods and giant sequoias, and the huge fishtail palm on the right corner of the hornbill exhibit is the tallest on the entire west coast. Fishtails are the only palm with a bipinnate leaf. They have a thirty year life which ends with a seven year flowering cycle. Passing the macadamia nut trees by the porcupines in the canyon, we rounded the corner and started up Bear Canyon.

We passed the huge groupings of ginger that comes into full bloom in August and September and smells phenomenal. Ginger actually shares the same family as bananas. We passed Fern Canyon, newly reopened, in which some of the original plants are over ninety years old. Across from the grizzly cubs is the only true native palm of Hawaii. Most Hawaiian palms are each endemic to a single island. Nearby is a type of large Brachychiton, or bottle tree, which is in the chocolate family. It has really neat, big seed pods that are unmistakable from the ground.

Topping the hill, we passed the beautiful blooming tree aloe with its bright orange cones, which flowers in the winter. There are ten different groups of aloe, and the tree aloe can grow as high as fifty feet! The top of the hill has both banana and dragon fruit plants. Bananas are actually a berry, and there are twenty-two different kinds! The banana plant grows forty leaves before it begins its seven year fruiting stage. After fruiting is over, the plant dies, a new one sprouts, and the cycle begins again. The dragon fruit, also known as the strawberry pear or pitahaya, only blooms at night; the white flowers are huge and beautiful, and I've been fortunate to be able to view them during Zoo Sleepover programs.

We circled behind the meerkats to turn the bus around and were able to see the ice cream bean tree. The pulp has a cotton candy-like consistency and has a sweet, vanilla ice cream taste. The pods can grow up to three feet long! Pulling the pulp away from the seeds in one of the pods, we were able to sample a taste. Not quite ripe, it was a bit more moist than it would usually be, but it was delicious!

Beginning our trip back, we passed the camels who were lounging around a big ficus tree in the center of their enclosure. The camels like to eat all of the ficus leaves that they can reach, and their large hooves compact the soil around the tree. The gardeners have to occasionally add soil around the tree, enabling the camels to reach more leaves. Over time, it looks as if the tree is shrinking! Another bright bloomer is one of the cycads, the sago palm. More closely related to conifers than palms, the cycads' cone starts off bright red, and it's huge. Cycads were dinosaur food, and they make up much of today's coal. A lot of plants went into early bloom this year due to the county's recent wildfires. The ethylene gas in the smoke induces early ripening, increases disease and wounding resistance, and induces flowering in many plants. It has negative effects as well, but fortunately, the San Diego Zoo got just enough indirect smoke to make everything even prettier early. I can't wait for the next tour!

Animal Walk 12/19

Bandar, the binturong, is a long-time Children's Zoo resident and very popular. Every morning, Bandar accompanies a keeper or educator on a walk through his favorite spot- the Otto Center! Today I was able to accompany Bandar and his Educator on a (somewhat drizzly) morning stroll.

Bandar knows to go up on one of his tree stumps to have his harness put on. He gets treats for being good, and then the walk begins. Our first stop, per Bandar, was the curators' offices. He proceeded directly into the head curator's room, where Bandar knows "his" toys are waiting. There used to be a wooden chair in the office; Bandar would climb into it to sit and just stare at the head curator for awhile. He has a small plastic box that when moved shouts, "Excuse me, excuse me, can you let me out of here!" over and over. Bandar batted it around awhile then positioned it until he could sit squarely on it. Normally, others in the office get tired of the shrill repeated phrase long before Bandar does! Someone brought out a Christmas pig that walks and oinks "Jingle Bells", and he really wasn't sure what to make of that.

We continued on to our next stop. There are a few things to watch for during Bandar's walks. First, he's extremely sensitive about having his tail touched!You have to be careful not to bump into it if he stops suddenly in front of you. Also, he likes to munch shoes for fun. Plus, Bandar is a huge fan of the dates that fall from the trees around the Zoo. Dates are very sugary, and too many of them aren't healthy. Everything in moderation! We went behind the Otto Center to sniff around a bit, then into the Zoo Corps/video conferencing trailer. We got to have quite a field day in there. There were boxes to try and pull off shelves and chairs to attempt to chew on. He kept the Educator very busy!

After wandering through the remaining office halls and making a short visit to Human Resources, we wrapped up in the Education trailer. Bandar sniffed around a bit before he discovered a red wagon in the corner.The plastic crate inside of it was immediately pulled out, and he climbed right up into the wagon. Facing the wall wasn't much fun, so he turned around and discovered the wagon's handle. He pulled it forward with one paw so that he could rub his head and neck on it, getting his itchy spots. Finally, Bandar got over the wagon, and we headed back to the Children's Zoo for special treats. See you next time, Bandar!

After the Stroll 12/16

My Zoo morning continued after the Sunrise Stroll was over. After each Stroll, the day's educator and I deliver muffins to the keepers that helped us out that day. Muffins are great schmooze! We're very appreciative of all that everyone does to help make the program spectacular each time, and we love to show it, even in little ways. We drove a cart back up to the hospital to drop off some muffiny goodness. Speaking with a vet who accepted the muffins, I asked if we could possibly get a closer look at the pangolins- and he said yes!

We did our best to contain ourselves as we followed him to the pangolins' room, which was extremely warm to keep them comfortable. The pair of pangolins were curled around each other like a pine cone yin yang. He picked up the male and brought him out for us to see. So cute! The pangolin's facial fur makes him look like he has mutton chop sideburns. We could see the little bare patch on the underside of the end of his tail; not only does it help themm to grip, the sensory pad on it actually helps them to find the best place to grip. We were able to pet him awhile. He was calm and sweet the entire time, and his smooth scales had a neat soft feeling to them as well. We love pangolins!

Afterwards, I accompanied the educator to the Children's Zoo where she was going to put in some animal handling time. Several animals still needed their walking time for the day. First she harnessed up Hobbs and Butterscotch, a pair of European ferrets. Being their normal ferrety selves, they spent the walk winding their leashes and the educator through the trees and bushes, going in completely opposite directions the entire time. After awhile, they decided to be done walking and kept flopping to the ground in their silly way. They ended up being carried back. Naturally curious, hyper, and funny, they must be so great to see in the wild!

Then it was time to walk Priscilla, a North American porcupine. She isn't particularly harnessable, so she goes leash-less with the educators on her walks. Her teeth are yellow-orange in color, which is thought to be an extra layer of iron. They eat tubers and tree bark in the wild, wearing their teeth quite a bit. The iron layer may help to slow that process down. Their eyesight is not very acute; in Priscilla's case, that means she will walk up to whatever pair of legs she sees, hoping that they're the legs with the treats. =) Of course, porcupines cannot shoot out their quills, but the barbed ends enable the quills to really hook into any offending animal that comes too close. Interestingly, as the offending animal's heart beats, the quill works itself further into its body, causing more problems, especially if it hits an organ or major artery. As such, most animals give porcupines a wide berth. Great horned owls may sometimes go for a climbing porcupine, and a type of large weasel called a fisher has been known to run around them until the porcupine is worn out. Priscilla generally walks on all fours, but she gets along quite well on her back legs, too, in what could be called a "porcupine Frankenstein" walk. I couldn't let her come all the way to me, but I loved watching her walk upright. She looks like she's coming over to hug your legs! On our way back we passed Agra, an Indian crested porcupine, out for his walk. He and Priscilla couldn't look more different.

Our final walk was with Kala the meerkat. She and her brother Hari were raised in the nursery and now reside in the front of the Children's Zoo with another female, Tripod. Kala isn't all that patient while getting into her harness; she's anxious to get going! She loves digging for grubs under the logs on the back path and munching sneakers when she can get to them. We walked around awhile, getting in as much digging as we could before it was time for Kala to go back. On the way out, I met a nice grounds attendant who was feeding the koi and goldfish. We talked for a bit, and he showed me one of the fish that had a close encounter with the pond's giant snapping turtle. He got through just fine and watches where he swims now!

Sunrise Surprise 12/16

Our final tour to the Zoo's hospital brought a new group of guests and a bright, chilly, Zoo bunny-less morning. (The Zoo bunnies have been sleeping in while the mornings are cold.) The vet arrived and led the group the long pretty route to our final destination. After everyone had gathered in the exam room, the vets brought out a cute little Bufflehead duck, a diving bird whose name comes from a combination of "buffalo" and "head" due to its often bulbous quality. She was having a bit of an eye issue, so the vet took a peek in a way similar to how a doctor would check out a human patient's eyes. She'll receive a couple of eye drops that will fix her right up!

After yesterday's Stroll, the educator and I got to hear about today's main attraction, so today's educator and I were really excited to see something that none of us has ever before seen in person: a pangolin! This awesome little creature is actually a scaly anteater, though it looks like a walking artichoke. It's name comes from a Malay word meaning "something that rolls up". They live in both Asia and Africa, and there is both an arboreal and a terrestrial type. Most have only one baby at a time. It's scales are soft at birth, and the keratin hardens as they get older. Babies spend the first couple months of their lives clinging to their mother's tail. If she is alarmed, she will curl in a ball around the baby to protect it. The terrestrial pangolin lives in burrows; some central burrows are so large a man can stand upright in them! They are incredible problem solvers and have strong claws and prehensile tails. Using these long strong tails as balance, they can actually move up to five miles per hour on just their hind legs.

This pangolin girl was nice enough to pose for an example radiograph for us. Actually, she was a bit too curious about her surroundings to really stay still, but the vets managed to snap a quick shot. One interesting thing in the picture is that you can see her scales. Also, toward the bottom of her abdominal cavity, you can see the long curved bone that attaches the tongue. Pretty unique to this species, the tongue anchors far back in the body. Even so, it can still extend from their mouth up to sixteen inches!

The pangolin went back to her boyfriend, and we went upstairs to the medical library. We were treated once more to the hospital's camera system. We saw all of the building's different areas, then a fly river turtle. Finally, we were treated to three red river hogs currently in quarantine. They had been hiding during the first hospital visit! Our vet answered several great questions, then it was back into the Zoo for muffin time. Thank you to each of the vets, techs, and educators that made this month's Surprise possible!

Sunrise Surprise 12/15

This morning we took a new group of guests up to the Zoo's fascinating hospital. This time we were treated to a blue crowned imperial pigeon, also known as the Victoria crowned pigeon. It's an incredible bird, classified vulnerable, that is found in the lowland swamps of northern New Guinea. It generally lays a single white egg. This particular female was having some mobility issues, so she was being checked out. She had just been anesthetized before we arrived, and the vets were quickly taking radiograph images so as to keep her under for as little time as possible. Thank you to one of our great Zoo members for this pigeon picture!

The vets use anesthesia only when absolutely necessary. When the situation does arise, an oximeter is used to measure the animal's blood oxygen saturation level and heart rate the entire time. Also, intubation is used to ensure full and proper breathing throughout the process. The vets and techs gently maneuvered the beautiful bird taking images from the two angles they needed. They then switched her to straight oxygen, clearing her system of the anesthetics and allowing her to wake up. She woke slowly at first, opening her bright red eyes and looking around at all of the people that were now in the room. Moments later, she fully burst into life, ready to go back home! We learned that some animals wake up gently and go about their business as though nothing happened, where other animals practically explode off of the table, perturbed by the interruption in their day. She calmed back down immediately after seemingly getting her bearings and was taken back to her enclosure. The vets are then able to peruse her radiographs at leisure and discover the source of the issue.

All of the radiographs and CT scans are uploaded to a server, accessible by the vets and keepers from any computer, which comes very much in handy. In some instances, doctors and vets outside of the Zoo have been able to access the images and assist in diagnoses. Our vet showed us some of the radiographs additional capabilities and then demonstrated the darts. Both darts and needles vary greatly in size for use on a diverse range of animals. On rare occasion, a dart will hit but not inject the dosage. In this case, the animal has to be darted a second time. The concern would be the animal falling onto the first dart, resulting in a double dosage of anesthetic. Two precautions are taken to ensure that this is not a problem. First, the anesthetics used have a "white area", a margin of error, so that a little too much is a non-issue. Second, all anesthetics used are reversible; there is an antidote that reverses its effects so the animal remains unaffected. Before we left, one guest attempted to dart Emilio the practice deer, and she made a perfect shot! Way to go! Back through the foot bath and off to muffins, we wrapped up another awesome Zoo morning.

Special Speaker 12/05

Tonight's special speaker was a woman from CRES, Conservation and Research for Endangered Species, at the Wild Animal Park in Escondido. She began her talk with science literacy in America and comical examples by college graduates of some common misconceptions. Science literacy is important in order for people to have a true understanding of issues like global warming, the loss of biodiversity, and the intrinsic value that biodiversity holds. She discussed the PISCES Project, the Partnerships Involving the Scientific Community in Elementary Schools, which is partnering over two hundred teachers in more than forty schools across San Diego county, Baja California Sur, Mexico, and the North Slope of Alaska. Among other things, distance learning has been hosted between the schools allowing children from widely varying climates and landscapes to learn about each other's local biodiversity. Other questions are answered as well, like if it's difficult to ride bikes in the snow. =)

CRES works diligently to keep the public informed and involved and also to help teachers and students as much as possible. They expose the public to important issues, help teachers in their educational goals, assist students with related career interests, and positively influence biodiversity. CRES has accessible education labs and is open to visits by schools and the public at their Beckman Center. They conduct summer institutes for teachers to share advances in the field of conservation; the teachers are able to interact with scientists at this time and gain much knowledge to pass on to their classes.

This year they hosted Furry Forensics- a DNA Mystery. The scenario was set: someone had been eating from the food bin at night, and the "culprit" had left a bit of hair behind on the corner of the bin. Students were given hair samples and mug shots of four "suspects", a horse, a goat, a pig, and a deer. The students were actually able to extract DNA from each of the samples and compare it to the DNA of the hair that had been left behind, which they enjoyed immensely. They determined that the guilty party in the imaginary scenario was Ed the horse, though they also decided that he could have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Next year they will continue with Feathered Forensics, where students will again extract actual DNA to determine which bird laid an egg in their enclosure! Other student programs include tracking California condors, special workshops, and a botanical program where students take plants from initial propagation through to the marketing of the grown fruits and vegetables, using the money they earn to benefit their school. If a student chooses a career in conservation, CRES will mentor them through high school and even into their career!

We learned that the county of San Diego has the highest number of endemic, or native, species, but also that many of them are threatened. CRES works hard to increase the public's pride in their native biodiversity. This natural plethora of species is one of the things that makes this area the beautiful and magical place that it is! I'm glad to know that so many people care for and love it so much.

Sunrise Surprise 12/01

The morning started off too chilly for Zoo bunnies to be out feeding, but there were plenty of squirrels on my way in. Before we began, I found out that the grizzly cub brothers, now out of quarantine, finally had names: Scout and Montana! The guests arrived, and we broke the morning's surprise, a first for the Education Department. We were going to the Zoo's hospital!

One of our favorite vet's met us at the Otto Center and led the way via a scenic route through Balboa Park. It's much quicker than going in through the Zoo, and this way the guests could avoid trekking up "cardiac hill". Stepping first through a mandatory foot bath, we entered the hospital and one of its main exam rooms. Though staff is not on the premises at all times, vets and techs are on call 24/7. Zoo security conducts routine checks after hours and notifies the appropriate people if an issue presents itself. However, vets and techs do staff the hospital in continual successive shifts if an animal is in a condition that requires constant monitoring. We were introduced to a Parsons chameleon named Big Daddy. Chameleon means "Earth lion", and this particular one was having some trouble with his feet. Allowing them to heal cleanly, he had a little red cast on each of his back feet. It was a shame that he had foot problems, but the little casts were so cute!

Next we met a female Fernands skink, a carnivorous member of the most diverse group of lizards. She had a radiograph taken to determine if she was gravid, or with eggs. This is done in many cases if a lizard's abdomen is enlarged. The vets and keepers are then able to determine if the lizard is going to lay soon so they can keep an eye out, or if the full clutch of eggs was laid which is important for the lizard's health. The digital radiograph is available immediately and provides much more versatility and detail than the older hand-developed x-rays. The skink was totally calm during the process; she just hung out while the radiograph was taken! In some cases, like this one, the eggs are not developed enough to be detected in this manner, so the vets used an ultrasound. The ultrasound can even pick up follicles, which are eggs that haven't ovulated yet. The results were inconclusive today; this skink may just have been putting on some winter weight. =)

Occasionally an animal needs to be darted. To many people, this brings anesthetics to mind, but darts are also sometimes used for vaccinations and pain medication on animals that would be more stressed by a trip into the hospital. The old darting system involved metal darts and a powder charged dart gun. Vets were unable to tell if the full dose had been administered through the metal sides of the dart, and the dart gun was so loud that often animals would run away from the sound before the dart would actually reach them. Today, darts are plastic, making it lighter and the dosage visible. The dart guns make use of pressurized air, much quieter and quicker to handle. The darts make use of a similar system. The back chamber holds pressurized air, and the front chamber holds the dosage to be administered. A pink, fuzzy flight is attached to the back end for aid in accuracy; darts can travel up to fifty yards! A normal hypodermic needle has a hole at the end. These darts have holes on the needles' sides, though the end is still pointed to start the injection. When the dart hits, the small plastic sleeve covering the holes is pushed back, releasing the pressure and the medication. The back doors were opened to reveal Emilio, the darting practice deer (artificial of course!). One guest had the opportunity to try his hand at darting, but didn't quite make the distance. Great try!

We wrapped up in the upstairs medical library which allows full view of the exam room and the surgery suite below. It also houses one of the monitors hooked to the hospitals camera system. Highly maneuverable cameras sit in each room, giving the vets and keepers the ability to monitor the animals without altering their behavior. We looked in on a new female raccoon that's being introduced to the male in the Children's Zoo. We also saw two Sunda parrot finches and an old world comb duck, comfortably socializing in their enclosures. After a few questions, it was back through the foot bath and off to enjoy muffins and hot drinks, much appreciated on a cold day. Thanks to the wonderful vets and our great educator!