Keeper Blogs

We Can All Help!

Como Park Zoo and Conservatory does a lot for conservation efforts including a program called Conservation Champions. Staff submit projects and if selected, are funded by Como Friends. I work at Como and love hearing about the amazing experiences staff have had doing conservation work around the world. Conservation Champions was open for me to apply for as well, but I was having trouble finding a project. I don’t have a degree in biology or take care of giraffes or have fieldwork experience. I still wanted to get my hands dirty in the field and contribute to conservation efforts. I searched far and wide for programs that would fit for someone with no background or previous experience. I am so excited that I found the AIS Detectors program through the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center.

Como Friends funded my program fees and time as an AIS Detector so that I could learn from the experience and share it with others.  I have completed 7.5 hours of online training, 8 hours of in-person training, 29.5 hours of volunteer work, and six blog posts. I have surveyed people, dissected fish, sampled plants at lakes, chatted with people about invasive species, and learned so much about Minnesota’s water bodies. Even though I started out feeling like I didn’t know enough or have enough experience to contribute to conservation efforts, this program taught me what I needed to know and gave me opportunities to apply it in the field.  I may have finished my minimum number of volunteer hours for the year, but I’m excited to keep going this year and for years to come!

Through my volunteer hours, the thing that has stuck with me the most is the feeling of making a direct impact. I’m spending time and energy on projects and efforts that are so much more successful because of volunteers like me. There’s so much water in Minnesota to survey for invasive species and only 10 aquatic invasive species specialists in the state! There’s so many ongoing research projects about aquatic invasive species that take hours and hours of groundwork and only so much funding for it. The people that I worked with were just so thankful every time that I volunteered on a project. MAISRC does a calculation for the impact of your service and my time so far has totaled $830.43!

There’s so many ways to contribute to conservation efforts depending on what makes sense for you. Volunteering as an AIS Detector might sound right up your alley! All the information you need is on their website and in my other blogs. Maybe volunteering isn’t the right fit for you, but you want to support projects like mine. Five or ten dollars might not sound like it would have much impact but together, these small donations fund larger and more impactful projects! Donate here to support Como Friends’ Conservation Champions and other Como programs.

I’ll leave you with pictures of some of my favorite moments!

Thanks,

Alexa

Learning Experiences Specialist

Monitoring Polar Bear Movement

September of 2010 was my first trip to Churchill, the polar bear capital of the world. I was invited as part of Polar Bear International’s keeper leadership camp, now called the Climate Alliance. Polar Bears International (PBI) is a non-profit polar bear conservation organization. Their focus is on research, education, and advocacy programs that address the issues that polar bears are facing.  I spent a week immersed in the tundra with other keepers from around the country.  We spent this time learning about polar bears and the threats they face while being captivated by the real thing!  After this first trip, I guess you could say I was hooked. I traveled to Churchill again in 2012 and 2014, as part of PBI’s Field Ambassador Program. Since my first trip and my first sight of a wild polar bear I felt inspired to make personal changes.

But after these changes I still felt compelled to do more. When Como Zoo’s Conservation Champion Project began, I started researching ways we could have an impact on polar bear research projects. After contacting PBI, I was informed of the Western Hudson Bay population study using GPS ear tags. Since this is the population of bears I saw in Churchill, I knew this is what I wanted Como to support.

The Western Hudson Bay population has been declining and shows more stress as climate change continues. It is one of the southernmost populations of polar bears and is considered one of the most threatened. While long-term data on female polar bear movements in the Western Hudson Bay region have been measured with radio collars for decades, there is a significant gap in the knowledge about male polar bear movements.  GPS collars do not stay on the male bears because their necks are too wide compared to their skulls, so collars simply slide off. Using ear tags and GPS satellite-linked radios, we will now be able to study the on-ice distribution and movements of male polar bears in Hudson Bay. This comprehensive examination of sea ice habitat use by male polar bears during the prime hunting and feeding periods will employ a combination of satellite telemetry, detailed tracking of individual bears, and remote sensing images of sea ice. Como Zoo, with the financial support of Como Friends, has funded the purchase of a GPS ear tag to be used in the study.

I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this research and am proud to know we helped support it. Thank you to Como Friends for their continued support of Como Zoo’s conservation efforts! Understanding how polar bears use habitat in a changing environment is critical for effective conservation planning. – Zookeeper Julie

Zookeeper Melanie’s Work with Project Puffin

Project Puffin, June 7-23 2018, Matinicus Rock, ME

This summer, I was fortunate to participate in Project Puffin through the National Audubon Society.

Project Puffin began in 1973, working for seabird restoration off the coast of Maine, with a focus on restoring native puffin populations.  Puffins and other seabirds were hunted heavily in the 19th century for feathers and meat, resulting in only 2 colonies surviving off the coast of Maine.  Project Puffin began restoration efforts by bringing puffin chicks from Newfoundland to try to repopulate islands where the birds originally ranged, and the group has been working towards that goal for over 4 decades with great success.

As a volunteer aviculturist, I was assigned to Matinicus Rock Island, one of 7 islands that Project Puffin stations researchers on during the seabird breeding season each summer.  The trip started off slow – our day of departure, the waves were too high to make a safe landing. Thankfully, the next day (Saturday June 9) was calm and we boarded the local ferry for our first leg of our journey.  Four hours of travel on three different vessels (a large ferry, a medium lobster boat and one tiny dory  we made it to Matinicus Rock!

The moment I stepped on dry land, the first thing I saw off was a ledge full of puffins!

Our first task was to lug all of our supplies for the next three weeks up to the lighthouse.  My hands were full as I ducked and dodged screaming terns as they dive-bombed my bare head.  I headed back through the gauntlet for another load while trying to remember where I packed my hat.

The following days were spent working with the full time research team to get the most out of the short field season.  Puffin burrows must be checked for eggs and pufflings.

Burrows are not easily accessed by big clumsy humans, and this required a lot of squeezing and bending and contorting to get a look inside.

Puffin chicks that were reachable were gently removed and fitted with a numbered band, then weighed and measured before being returned to their burrows.

We also did the same for razorbill chicks, another burrowing species of seabird from the Alcid family.

Another bird that I became very familiar with during my time on the island is the tern.  Both Common and Arctic Terns nest on the island, and one of the many tasks we performed was a multi-island census of the populations in Maine.  We walked the entire island in a grid pattern to count every nest and the number of eggs in each.  The adult terns were constantly overhead, reminding me to be sure and grab my hat!  Different nests were picked out for various studies and marked.  Once the chicks started to hatch, the study-specific birds were also banded and weighed to monitor their development.

Any spare time we had was spent in bird blinds, performing counts.  Sitting in a bird blind on an island in the Atlantic is a unique experience.  There is a spotting scope set up in a tiny box (with a chair if lucky, a bucket if not).  You sit, perched on the edge of a rocky precipice, wind howling at your back, waves crashing below, all the while trying to read the 4 little characters on a skinny metal leg band through the scope.  Sometimes you get a perfect view, other times it’s just a glint of silver before the band disappears under feathers or the bird flies off.  At the end of the day you trudge back to the lighthouse with a sore neck, tingly feet, and cold cheeks, all for the sake of research.  I loved every minute of it.

We also banded Leaches Storm Petrels, counted Common Eider nests, checked guillemot burrows, and performed daily counts of every bird on the island from the best vantage point – the lighthouse!  It was quite a view from up there!

It was an amazing and wonderful experience working with Project Puffin field researchers to help these amazing seabirds, and I am very thankful to Como Friends for making it possible.  It is important to understand and monitor these populations, not just for the colonies themselves, but also as an overall indicator of the health of our oceans.  By studying these populations we can see how they are changing, and try to be prepared for what changes might come as the climate shifts.  I am proud to have been part of a program that has worked so hard, not just for Puffins, but for many other species.  The seabird restoration techniques used and perfected by Project Puffin are being used worldwide in 14 different countries for 42 species.  I am proud that Como Zoo got to be a part of Project Puffin and contribute to this amazing project. – Zookeeper Melanie

Rescuing Marine Mammals in California

April 26

This April and May, Zookeepers Becky and Julie will be heading to Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI), in Santa Barbara, California, to help rescue and rehabilitate sick, injured, malnourished, orphaned, entangled and oiled marine mammals. CIMWI is an all-volunteer run organization, so Becky and Julie will actively participate in all aspects of rehabilitation, including observing patients, following vet treatment plans, feeding, and cleaning the holding and treatment areas. If the timing is right, they could have a chance to be part of releasing a healthy rehabilitated marine mammal back to the wild. Check back in the coming months to read about their experiences. Thanks to Como Friends for funding their trips to help give marine mammals a second chance at life!

May 9

Zookeeper Becky is pictured here on her second day assisting CIMWI with their rehabilitation efforts. In the background, you can see patients #16 and #23. These are both California sea lion pups who were rescued because they were malnourished, dehydrated and underweight.

California sea lion pups are born in the middle of June, so these pups are about 10 months old. CIMWI’s goal is to rescue, rehabilitate and return these animals back to the wild.

May 11

Marine mammals can get stranded for a variety of reasons. Diagnostic testing is an essential part of the rehabilitation process for the marine mammals. Zookeeper Becky is pictured here examining blood cells from patient #36, a California sea lion pup. Looking at blood cells allows the veterinary team to determine if a patient has an infection, inflammation, parasites, or a combination of these issues. This information helps them determine the possible source of infection or inflammation and helps direct the course of prescribed medical treatment. The medications are inserted into a fish and fed to the patients with grabbers (tongs). This helps reduce the risk of habituating these wild animals to eating from people’s hands. CIMWI rehabilitates marine mammals with the goal of releasing them back to their natural wild environment. 

Rehabbing Penguins in South Africa

As a Conservation Champion, I spent two weeks in Cape Town, South Africa with the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).  African penguins are endangered and have breeding colonies at approximately 28 sites between Namibia and South Africa.  In fact, the number of African Penguin breeding pairs has declined from 80,162 pairs in 1979 to 25,100 pairs in 2015.  That is a decline of greater than 50% in just 38 years.  Reasons for this decline include: over-harvesting of fish, climate change, human conflict, and oil spills.  In order to help boost their numbers in the wild, SANCCOB treats sick, injured, and abandoned African Penguins (as well as other sea birds) and releases them back into the wild.  Not only do they rehabilitate and release African Penguins but they have an entire research department dedicated to tracking and studying the birds after they are released.

October 30, 2017

This was my first day at SANCCOB and I was told that I would be working in pen 3 with the birds that were getting ready for release.  These birds received three feedings per day.  Most of the birds needed to be force fed sardines and some of them required extra tube feedings to make sure they were at a healthy weight prior to release.  It was quite the learning curve.  The penguins at Como are a little less feisty than the wild birds.  Penguin #455 (we called him Patrick) came to SANCCOB with muscular issues and is the adult furthest to the left.  He gave me a few cuts and bruises before his release.

November 2, 2017

Penguins in the Intensive Care Unit needed some extra care and had more medications and feedings than birds in pen 3.  Almost every bird required an electrolyte solution called Darrows (much like Gatorade for penguins) and pureed fish formula, which we tube fed.  Penguins in the ICU received four feedings per day.  A few of the young chicks had a respiratory issue, which the vet referred to as “chick crackle.”  These birds were given a medicated nebulizer treatment twice a day.  The picture shows three young blues in their nebulizer “spa.”

November  5, 2017

I went out to the Boulder Bay Penguin Colony.  The two adult penguins, in the photo below, were laying near their chick.  The chick was probably a few weeks old and still losing the chick “fluff” which are the non-waterproof down feathers they have when they have first hatched.  The birds at this stage are called “blues” because the waterproof feathers growing in have a blue hue to them and will change to brownish/white as they become juveniles.

November 6, 2017

A penguin had been admitted earlier in the year with injuries to the neck, possibly Cape Fur Seal bites.  The wounds looked to be healing but the vet needed to open the stitches and make sure all of the infection was clear.  I was able to observe and participate in this surgery.   Good news for this penguin, the infection was gone and this bird would be able to be released in the near future.  Just before surgery there were 40 chicks admitted from the colonies.  The one in the photo is getting a quick physical before being taken to the chick rearing unit.

November 9, 2017

Release Day!!!  Today we drove 2.5 hours from Cape Town and brought 12 penguins out to the Stony Point Colony for release.  Penguins are transported in special bird boxes and then carried down to the beach.  Penguin #455 (Patrick) was the adult being released in these photos.  While the blues took their time getting to the water, Patrick ran as fast as he could and dove into the waves.  Good Luck Patrick!  Wishing you fair seas and plentiful fish. – Zookeeper Kelley

Releasing Orangutans in Borneo

Earlier this month, I took part in the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation’s “Year of Freedom” campaign as a 2017 Como Conservation Champion grant awardee.  BOS Foundation currently cares for more than 600 orangutans between two rehabilitation centers on the Indonesian side of Borneo: Samboja Lestari in E. Kalimantan and Nyaru Menteng in C. Kalimantan.  Now that suitable land has been secured, the goal is to reintroduce 100 orangutans to protected forests, and release 100 onto pre-release islands to complete their forest training before reintroduction by the end of this year.  This will alleviate the overcrowding at the centers and fulfill their mission to rescue, rehabilitate, AND release Bornean orangutans- a critically endangered species- back to the wild. 

I have been fortunate to visit and volunteer at several orangutan rescue sites on Sumatra and Borneo (including Samboja Lestari) with the support of Como Park Zoo & Conservatory and Como Friends in the past.  My focus on those trips was on the orangutans that must remain permanently in human care due to medical or behavioral reasons.  Typical projects include enclosure design and propping, enrichment, teaching husbandry workshops, and training caregivers on the use of positive reinforcement techniques when working with orangutans.  This year, I did something very different…  I was invited by BOS Foundation CEO, Dr. Jamartin Sihite, to go on a journey to release a group of rehabilitated orangutans back into the wild – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and dream for any orangutan zookeeper!

After 30 hours spent in airports and on airplanes, I arrived in Balikpapan in E. Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the island of Borneo on November 29th.  From there, it is about a 45-minute drive to BOS Foundation’s Samboja Lestari center.  I brought along Ronda Schwetz, Director of Henry Vilas Zoo.  She and I have been traveling to Southeast Asia together on an almost annual basis since 2010.  Along with serving at our zoos, she is the Field Advisor and I am the Vice Chair of the Orangutan SSP – the species management program for orangutans in AZA-accredited zoos.  I also serve as the International Orangutan Studbook Keeper.  Ronda started a keeper exchange program for rescue centers and zoos in Malaysia and Indonesia and Como has supported my assistance with this program.  We make a great team!

Megan and Ronda reunited with BOS Foundation Samboja Lestari staff member Wiwik Astutik… and orangutan “Romeo” (in background) both of whom we worked with in 2010.

Our first order of business was delivering over $1200 worth of medical donations to the veterinary clinic at Samboja Lestari.  Items included stethoscopes, pulse oximeters, formulary references, surgical supplies, and some apparel from our zoos.

We underwent a quarantine period at Samboja Lestari to ensure that we were healthy and not at risk of transmitting any illnesses to the orangutans being released.  BOS Foundation also ensured that we were fully vaccinated and tested negative for tuberculosis since orangutans can catch any diseases that humans carry.  This is something that we are always aware of at Como when working with primates – especially great apes during cold and flu season.  We spent our days of quarantine touring the new man-made islands, Special Care Unit, and observed the immobilizations and transfers of three orangutans (one of which had been in a cage for 20+ years and that we met during our 2010 trip) to one of the onsite man-made islands. We also created and delivered enrichment to some of the ~150 residents cared for at the center.

Woven palm fronds with nuts and seeds inserted, smeared with jam.

We also had the opportunity to observe “Forest School” training for various age groups.  Orangutans stay with their mothers for up to 10 years.  She teaches them everything they need to know to survive in the wild.  Orphan orangutans are taught these life skills by human “baby sitters” at the center.  These skills include nest building, searching for edible fruits and plants, as well as identifying potential predators.

Orphans leaving their night cages to spend their days in the forest.

Nest Building 101 as taught by a caregiver.

Then on December 4th, we departed for the release trip.  Following a ceremony with local officials, we traveled to the capitol of E. Kalimantan, Samarinda, for a second ceremony with wildlife officials, witnessing the signed authorization for the release of the five orangutans and participating in a media event.  Then we set off for the 20-hour journey to Kehje Sewen- an 86,000-hectare protected rainforest that is home to 80 rehabilitated BOS Foundation orangutans.

Team cheer before heading out.

Driving through palm oil plantations to reach the release site. The cutting down of forests for timber and conversion of land to palm oil plantations is one of the biggest threats to orangutans as they lose their habitat. Coal and gold mining along with poaching, also threatens their existence Go to http://bit.ly/2zNa8ls to learn more about the situation and what you can do as a shopper. 

Unloading where the road ends….

….crossing a river….

…. and carrying the crates through dense, leech-infested rainforest.

We released five orangutans on this trip.  I was given the honor of opening the first crate containing 7-year-old “Santa” who was found near a village at the age of 3 with no sign of a mother.  She was too young to survive on her own at that age and was taken in by BOS Foundation for release later when she was at an appropriate age and level of training.   Here is her story as well as the others: http://bit.ly/2k7N9iW

I spent time with the release monitoring team collecting data on her first day of freedom.  Santa was observed finding food in the forest and nest building that very day.  She will be monitored closely for the first 30 days and then less intensively for two years.  BOS Foundation has a high success rate and it was an honor to support and be a part of this amazing program.  To learn more about BOS Foundation, go to: http://bit.ly/2bmLOi9

Arriving home, I always look forward to returning to the five orangutans that I care for at Como Zoo (three of whom I’ve cared for 15 years) and sharing my experiences with our zoo visitors and donors.  Thank you, Como Friends! – Zookeeper Megan

Visiting and assisting with enrichment at Nyaru Menteng (made famous on Animal Planet’s “Orangutan Island”).

Helping Turtles in Texas

As a conservation champion, I spent a few days in September with the The North American Freshwater Turtle Research Group (NAFTRG), which is an affiliate of the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) a long-term monitoring project surveying protected freshwater habitats in Pennsylvania, Florida and Texas.  NAFTRG staff  and volunteers from all over the country, survey all the sites several times each year.  Comal Springs, in New Braunfels, TX is the site where I volunteered.

My first day began with setting small hoop traps baited with chicken livers to capture eastern musk turtles.  Then, before the Texas heat gets too hot, we don the wetsuits and snorkel gear and head into the Comal River!  I have done a lot of herping over the years (looking for amphibians or reptiles in the wild), but this was a first for me to search for turtles IN the water using snorkel equipment.  The group included several veteran turtle researchers who assisted me in honing my skills on where to search for these turtles who obviously had the home field advantage.  Searching underneath platforms of vegetation and rock crevices, we slowly made our way down river.  Some people were in canoes and boats following us.  We placed any found turtles into the boats and continued the search.

Several hours later and two laps up & down the Comal River, the group headed back to shore to the processing station.  After separating by size and species, the first step is to determine if the turtle was previously captured using a chip reader.  If not, a pit tag ID chip is inserted and a hard mark is etched into the marginal scutes as a secondary identifier.  Data collected includes weight, carapace (top part of the shell) length, height and width.  Also noted are any anomalies such as an injury, malformities or other unique characteristics.   Then, using a wax marker, an ‘X’ (or other creative mark) is drawn onto the carapace. This is for reference on day 2 and day 3.  When collecting, if we see a turtle with this wax design it will not be collected again this trip since it was already processed.  A yellow marker was used on day 1, a pink marker on day 2.

After all the data is collected, the turtles are then released back into the Comal River.  Some turtles are quick to flee and hide as soon as they hit the water.  Others are timid and wait to make sure all is safe before diving back into the water.  We checked the traps throughout the day and rebaited the next morning.

The research group repeated the same schedule on days 2 and 3: snorkel to find turtles in the morning and process in the afternoon.  The turtles were quite aware of us swimming in their territory and seeking them out was more difficult on days 2 and 3.  My ease at being in the water and getting used to the process increased each day.  What an incredible way to spend three days and help NAFTRG with native turtle conservation.  I would like to thank Como Friends for the grant to participate with this important work to continually monitor protected North American turtle species and advancing Como’s conservation mission. – Zookeeper Ruthie

Species captured and processed include Sternotherus odoratus, Eastern musk turtle, Chelydra serpentina, Eastern snapping turtle, Pseudemys texana, Texas river cooter and Trachemys scripta elegans, Red ear slider turtle.

Zookeeper Jill in South Africa with the Balule Conservation Project

As a Conservation Champion, I spent two weeks volunteering with the Balule Conservation Project in South Africa. The Balule Conservation Project  is a conservation management project based in the wilderness of  the Balule Nature reserve in Greater Kruger National Park. The experience was awe inspiring!! I was able to see the wild counterparts of the animals I am lucky to work with as a zookeeper. During my time spent in the bush camp, at least ten rhino were poached in close vicinity of the reserve. The news is heartbreaking and there is little end in sight with the current political climate in South Africa. The volunteers, staff of the Balule Conservation Project and the Black Mambas (the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit) are an inspiration to those of us who want to change the way the world sees animals and save endangered species. I am so grateful to Como Friends and the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory for supporting my travel and funding the project to let me do a small part in the larger fight for conservation. If you liked to know more, please find me in the giraffe barn hanging with the tall blondes. Enjoy!

October 19, 2017:

Today, I arrived at the Olifants West Gate of the Balule Nature Reserve!! After a quick introduction to the team, we headed straight into the field to hunt and destroy alien vegetation also known as invasive cacti species. Lodges and landowners in the reserve planted ornamental cactus in the past which have spread throughout the reserve, damaging the ecosystem and posing a threat to the native plant species. We recorded the GPS coordinates and method of destruction (biological or chemical) used for the plants we found and later entered the information in a database. The team will use the information to monitor the plants in the future and make sure the spread is stopped.

October 20, 2017:

Field technician Warren and I traveled to Nourish, a local nonprofit organization, who has partnered with Balule Conservation Project by donating hundreds of tree saplings. The tree saplings will be donated to the Bush Baby education program in the community and to the lodges in the reserve when the elephants knock over mature trees. We transported, replanted and watered the saplings from Nourish to the small nursey within Balule.

October 21, 2017:

The morning was spent fixing the fence line which had previously been damaged by elephants. The fence line is very important to the anti-poaching team. It is the first line of defense if a poacher enters the reserve and the last line of defense to keep the animals away from the highway. The fence is electrified and has a number of sensors which send an alert to the monitoring system if disturbed. The Black Mambas, the unarmed anti-poaching unit utilize the fence data, informant information and foot patrols to monitor Balule. They are a mostly women ranger group who have been highly successful protecting the area rhino from poachers.

October 22, 2017:

Sundays are reserved for cleanup and data entry. The volunteers and staff spent the day cleaning the camp, pumping water, preparing for the week and doing a little bit of relaxing.

October 24-25, 2017:

I was lucky to spend two days off on a trip to Kruger National Park with Warren, the awesome camp field technician and fantastic guide. We drove during day light hours for two days and saw tons of animals. I saw my first wild rhino, lots of giraffe and hundreds of elephant. I saw giraffe and zebra hanging out together in the bush and even saw a giraffe taking a nap with her head on her rump – something we didn’t know they did until very recently.

October 26, 2017:

We spent another day maintaining the fence line within the reserve. The service roads were recently graded and the bottom wire of the fence was buried in some places. We spent the day checking the fence and digging the wire up when necessary. Today was well over 100 and this Minnesota girl was HOT!!

October 28, 2017:

We spent the morning searching for snares in the buffer zone. The buffer zone is an area outside of the reserve along the railroad tracks. The buffer zone does have wild animals but is not considered a big five protected area. Because of its proximity to the railroad tracks, it is easy to access for poachers. We spent four hours walking through the bush and found at least 20 snares.

Can you find the set snare in the picture?

October 30 and November 2, 2017:

I was able to participate in a new research project documenting the elephant herds within the reserve. The project is an aerial demographic survey of the elephant herds. The goal was to determine how many elephants were in each herd, the location (GPS) of the herd and the age and sex of the individual elephants. To obtain the data, I was able to do a ride along with a nonprofit organization called Flying 4 Rhino and Conservation. Flying 4 Rhino and Conservation provides aerial support over conservation areas that house rhino. We flew in a small South African plane called a Bat Hawk. Rob, the pilot, and I flew two separate days at dusk. I took as many pictures as possible while Rob checked the reserve fence lines and investigated vehicles within the park. The data will supplement the data acquired during the game count census and will aid the warden in deciding the carrying capacity for the reserve.

November 1-3, 2017:

My favorite part of my trip had to be the days spent tracking rhinos and monitoring the camera traps. Balule Nature Reserve is home to approximately 60-75 rhinos of both African species – black and white. A few years back, 20 black rhino were transported into the reserve as part of a rhino range expansion program. To maintain the program, the rhinos are tracked and monitored weekly. Our days began early as we set out to look for rhino evidence at the watering holes, known middens (rhino toilets) and to retrieve the camera trap memory cards. During the day, we observed a number of species that call Balule home including giraffe, greater kudu and zebra. I even saw an adult giraffe taking a snooze in the shade of a large tree!

The first two days we saw a lot of rhino evidence in tracks and middens but didn’t see a rhino in the field. Finally at the end of the third day we came across a white rhino cow and her calf relaxing under a tree!! The female was not in the database of known animals in the area which was good news, she most likely moved in from a nearby reserve and will hopefully call Balule her home. During the afternoon, we combed through the camera trap data to monitor the rhino and elephants using the watering holes as well as documenting which other species were caught on camera. The camera traps are set up at watering holes within the reserve. They are triggered by movement and have night vision. These are used to monitor which species are using the watering holes and used to monitor the usually reclusive black rhinos in the reserve. Thanks for reading about my adventures! – Zookeeper Jill

Zookeeper Adam in Namibia with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation

I arrived in Windhoek, Namibia late on September 15.  Windhoek is the capital of Namibia.  Today, I met Emma Hart from the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the rest of our team.  After packing our equipment we set off for our 10 day trip into the field.  From Windhoek it is a 2 day drive northward to reach the study site.   On the way we spotted lots of amazing animals including our first giraffe!

We arrived at the study site, setup camp and met Dr. Julian Fennesy (Co-Founder and President of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation).  The Giraffe Conservation Foundation is a leader in giraffe conservation and research. One of the major goals of this trip was to fit seven giraffe throughout the study area with solar powered GPS satellite tracking units.  Over the next few days we immobilized seven giraffe and got all of the transmitters mounted.  In the short time it took to get the GPS units fitted we also collected other important data such as body measurements, tail hair, and DNA samples.

Last night my tent mate and I where awoken in the middle of the night to the sound of branches breaking in the tree above our tent.  This was followed by the sound of chewing and footsteps all around our tent.  Elephants!  In the morning we discovered that elephants had visited our camp and had stopped for a midnight snack from the tree above our tent.  In this photo you can see an elephant’s footprint about a foot from the door flap of my tent.  This was the start of a day full of elephants!

The second half of this trip was spent collected data on the rest of the giraffe in the study area.  During this trip we identified 145 different giraffe.  We collected data on the type of trees they were feeding on, herd size, and GPS coordinates of their location.  The data collected on the trip will help to answer many questions about the giraffe’s natural behavior.  With this information, we will be able to make more informed and productive conservation and management decisions to help stop the giraffe’s declining population and secure the future of these amazing animals. Thanks to Como Friends for funding my trip! – Zookeeper Adam

More information on the Giraffe Conservation Foundation can be found at: https://giraffeconservation.org/.

A Conversation with Our Campus Manager

Como Park Zoo is located on 14.5 acres in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Despite its small size, its free admission and quality have led to it receiving over two million visitors annually. Some of its highlights include Polar Bear Odyssey (a world class facility for the lords of the Arctic), Gorilla Forest (the largest mesh covered facility for the apes in the nation) and the conservatory next door. The zoo is run by Michelle Furrer, who has been responsible for much of the zoo’s growth and success over the last decade. Here is her story.

Before coming to the Como Park Zoo, Furrer’s background was in marketing and public relations. She had worked as director of marketing at the Underwater Adventures aquarium at the Mall of America in Minneapolis for many years. This made her the ideal choice for the zoo’s first ever public relations position. “I was the first person in Como Park Zoo history to do that work,” Furrer explained. “Before the curator or another member of the staff would just write things for the local paper. Zoos haven’t always done a horribly great job of telling their story. So much of the work is behind the scenes but you need someone to tell their stories. You need to help the public understand all the facets that go on at a zoo.  The Como Park Zoo had decided they need someone to do that and when I started it was tackling getting the staff to start talking about what they’re doing.”

The Como Park Zoo also manages the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory next door. When Furrer came to the zoo, the zoo and conservatory collaborated for the first time on a project: Tropical Encounters. “Tropical Encounters is a neotropical rainforest with both animals and plants,” she remarked. “The conservatory is a full sized botanical garden. This was the first time our zoo keepers and the conservatory’s horticulturalists worked directly on one habitat. In Tropical Encounters, we have 62 free flying birds from South America, a sloth, poison dart frogs, pacus, an anaconda and leaf cutting ants. We have an indigenous farmers area with a lot of different plants. The theme is a researcher working in the rainforest coming to understand the connection between the animals and plants that live there.”

Less than two years after coming to the Zoo, Michelle Furrer ended up becoming the Zoo’s director. “Saint Paul’s parks director retired and the zoo director was offered to take his position,” she remembered. “Now that the director position was opened they decided I was the one who would take the role. Nowhere along the way did I think I’d be in this seat.” From the very beginning, Furrer was determined to take the zoo to the next level and she has been responsible for greatly increasing the quality, reputation and experience of the zoo. “We’ve really elevated the experience for the guest,” she reflected. “There are state of the art habitats which are great for animals and people.”

At this time, the zoo had just begun its capital campaign for its biggest project ever: Polar Bear Odyssey. Regarded as one of the best polar bear habitats in America, it recreates their natural habitat and is seven times larger than their old space. “The land where Polar Bear Odyssey is now had been concrete grottos for polar bears and a number of other bear species who had been decommissioned over the years,” Furrer elaborated. “We transformed them into the new habitat. The new space has the flexibility to be broken into two yards- one that recreates the Arctic tundra with a dig pit and a small pool and another with a deep pool and a mesh wall for behavioral training.”

While Polar Bear Odyssey opened in 2010, planning started years before. “The project was funded partially through the state of Minnesota while the rest came from our capital campaign,” Furrer explained. While it was an expensive project, the results were marvelous. “There are a number of opportunities for the bears here,” stated Furrer. “We do operant conditioning training with the polar bears as we do with all our animals. We have a lot of opportunities for natural and keeper-made enrichment. We also have a maternal den and can control the heights of the shallow pool if we have cubs.”

Due to its immense space, the polar bear habitat has had its share of guests since its opening. “We took in grizzly and polar bears from the zoos in Minot and Duluth before they went to other places,” Furrer added. “As the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison was building their habitat, we took their two cubs so we’ve had our fair share of bear guests.”  At the moment, the Como Park Zoo has twin brothers enjoying the space.

Polar Bear Odyssey was carefully designed to be the best polar bear habitat it could be. “We engaged with conservation folks from Manitoba for the exhibit to give the best we could for the bears and the public,” Furrer commented. “A big focus when we were building it was on putting the animal care in the public eye. We do a daily program (twice during weekends) where we not only do polar bear behavioral training and enrichment but we also have someone give a talk about polar bears, their care and conservation. The whole idea is to bring behind the scenes husbandry out in front of the public so they can see the care we give it and interpret it.”

Additionally, the zoo is active in polar bear conservation. “One of the programs we work with is Polar Bear International,” Furrer said. “Some of our staff go up to Churchill and study polar bears in the Tundra. We have keepers who led programs about polar bears to the visitors of Churchill. It’s beneficial for the people there to hear from someone who works with polar bears every single day.”

Furrer stressed the zoo focuses on quality over quantity and wants to provide the best situations for the animals they already have than focus on expanding the zoo’s variety. “We’re really landlocked and we decided to focus on certain species and doing them very well,” she explained. “It’s about doing what we do better and creating a multifunctional habitat with the best, most modern animal practices.” Despite being small, the zoo houses a number of popular animals including giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers, polar bears, gorillas, orangutans, bison, seals, sea lions, snow leopards and wolves.

The next project after Polar Bear Odyssey was Gorilla Forest, the nation’s largest mesh-covered habitat for gorillas and a major upgrade of the zoo’s facilities for the apes. “Gorilla Forest was the second priority project,” Furrer elaborated. “Our community seeing the progress with our zoo created momentum. Gorilla Forest was fully funded through the state. We engaged members of the zoo community about the best features and practices for gorillas. We have had these apes for over fifty years. Many male gorillas used to be kept in isolation so decades ago we became one of the first zoos to put them in a bachelor social environment, which worked really well. As we looked at Gorilla Forest we wanted to bring in a family group of gorillas as well. We had hand raises babies in the past but we wanted to be able to breed them for the first time.”

The Como Park Zoo began carefully putting together groups of gorillas for the new exhibit. “One of our bachelor males was identified to be genetically viable so we brought in three females for him to be the silverback of,” Furrer recalled. “We got a bachelor group as well. We had to do all the introductions of the gorillas and we have had a successful birth of a gorilla. We have another birth coming this fall.”

“Gorilla Forest has two outdoor yards and a dayroom so the family can stay together when they can’t go outside,” Furrer said. “What we wanted is to have an area where they could have a nice space for the winters. We have technical skylights which bring in as much light as we can. We have a training area and a number of opportunities for enrichment. One of our challenges was we have limited space so we needed to make the most of it. We found using mesh would take away the space of having a moat. It’s a very hilly space so the gorillas have the opportunity to look at us from above. We like to give the animals plenty of opportunities to stay stimulated and encourage mental and physical stimulation.”

The Como Park Zoo’s next major project will be a new area for seals and sea lions. One of the biggest icons at the zoo is Sparky the sea lion, a name handed down for generations. “Sparky the sea lion has been a tradition at the zoo for over 60 years and we just received funding for our new seal/sea lion habitat,” Furrer said. “We will be opening it in 2019. Sparky for us is our ambassador for conservation. Not only is there a daily presentation but the message is all about conservation.”

“We will have seating capacity of over 1200 in the new sea lion arena,” elaborated Furrer. “We’re going to demolish the current WPA exhibit space and the new habitat will have more natural substrate and a lot more rocks and shade. It will have a deck for amenities so guests can eat while watching the sea lions. There will also be underwater viewing and more indoor space for the pinnipeds.” The zoo is also planning in developing breeding programs for the sea lions.

After the pinniped area is built, the zoo is looking into building new spaces for orangutans and flamingos. The zoo is an active participant in conservation for the red apes. “One of our staff members is the international studbook keeper for orangutans,” remarked Furrer. “She goes to Indonesia to help scientists working on records. We will build them a more modern space at the zoo and are looking into getting a separate group of them.” The zoo also wants to get another cold hardy species that can be outdoors year round. “Most visitors want to come when it’s nice out so we think ‘How can we encourage them to come during colder season?’” Furrer said.

The Como Park Zoo has a strong focus on animal welfare. “We have a connection with the vet staff at the University of Minnesota,” Furrer explained. “Our vet on staff will frequently bring colleagues from the university with her. On our husbandry side we do daily enrichment and operant conditioning with our animals. Both of those provide mental stimulation and encourage natural behaviors. Those are key when building new facilities.”

Much has changed in the years Michelle Furrer has been in charge of the zoo. “What has changed over the last decade is the interpretation program,” she elaborated. “Our staff used to just do the practical side and say don’t go on this path but now they’re trained to talk about the animals and how Como takes care of them. We have a whole new visitor and interpretive department whose message is all about conservation. We do a number of daily programs we did not do a decade ago. We do giraffe feeding and a number of keeper and garden talks. Our interpretive program began about five years ago.”

“We just finished an update on our education and conservation strategic plan,” Furrer explained. “Since we’ve been in a growth period for several years, we need to look at everything we’re doing. What we came up with is everyone owns a part in conservation. We came up with Conservation Champions, which gives our staff opportunities to do field research. Some will be working with African penguins, another will be helping gorillas with the AZA SAFE program, someone else will be doing giraffes and another will be doing rhinos, which we don’t even have at our zoo. we’ve participate in amphibian programs and have a turtle conservation program that tracks local turtles and their movements. We’re also looking at our youth engagement program where we’re trying to steward our next generation of conservationists.”

Initiatives like Conservation Champions and the youth engagement program are funded by Como Friends, which raises funds for the zoo and gives them resources to start programs. Furrer has greatly helped the zoo’s financial situation as she has “been able to expand our program by about $3 million.” She takes pride in giving the zoo’s visitors, many of them from out of the local area, a great experience. “If they love nature, they can come into the zoo, stay for two hours and check out the conservatory,” Furrer said. “Since we don’t charge admission, they can come back later.”

By Grayson Ponti

Como Zoo Releases One of North America’s Most Critically Endangered Amphibians Back into the Wild

A toad’ally awesome thing is happened at Como Zoo. As part of Como Zoo’s behind-the-scenes species preservation efforts, over 1,175 Wyoming Toad tadpoles were placed in oxygenated water, shipped overnight and were released near the Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge outside Laramie, Wyoming. This 1.5 ounce toad is classified as one of the four critically endangered amphibians found in North America and one of the rarest in the world.

Native to the Laramie Basin in Wyoming, this toad was placed on the endangered species list in 1984, and was feared to be extinct. Researchers located the last surviving toads near Lake Mortenson in the late eighties, and by 1996 began an aggressive species preservation plan to save the toad. Como Zoo has joined forces with eight other zoos as a partner in a captive breeding program that now reintroduces Wyoming tadpoles and toads to the wild every year.

As part of the project, Como received adult Wyoming toads that now live in a specially retrofitted room in Como’s Animal Support Building. “The Wyoming toads play an important part in Como’s mission. Since these projects usually go on behind the scenes, people are often surprised to hear how involved Como Zoo is in species preservation,” says Michelle Furrer, Como Campus Director. “But Como Zoo, along with many other zoos, are always striving to make a difference in conservation.’’

To be eligible to participate in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) each institution must meet certain criteria. The four criteria relevant to preventive medicine husbandry and space allotment include the following:

1) Candidate must isolate Wyoming toads from other amphibians in the collection through designated biosecure housing and quarantine.
2) Candidate must commit space for at least four age cohorts totaling 20-40 toads, breeding transfers and pre-release tadpole holding.
3) Candidate must receive USFWS Endangered Species permit to acquire the federally listed toad prior to participation in the SSP.
4) Candidate must comply with the service and SSP guidelines for the recovery program.

A Como zookeeper will be traveling to Laramie WY for a week of hands-on field research. She will also meet with 10 other institutions at the annual Species Protection Plan meeting for the Wyoming toad to discuss the husbandry and goals of the recovery team for the survival of the species.

It’s a privilege for an institution to be able to participate in species recovery efforts. It comes with much responsibility, and often an additional investment in resources including additional staff and/or construction of biosecure facilities. A generous grant from the Frog Crossing Foundation allowed Como Friends, the nonprofit partner of Como Park Zoo & Conservatory, to provide the retrofitting necessary to give Como Zoo’s new Wyoming toads the optimal environmental controls, a hibernation chamber critical to stimulate the toads’ reproductive cycle, and additional AZA staff training to help ensure the success of this species preservation project.

First of its Kind Kickstarter Campaign Launched to Help Save Endangered African Penguins

African penguin populations have been declining for the past few decades. Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), is joining with the AZA and other accredited aquariums and zoos to take action and help reverse this trend. They are launching the “Invest In The Nest” campaign on Kickstarter, the innovative crowdfunding platform. The campaign seeks to raise $150,000 to help build and place 1,500 artificial nests for African penguins in South Africa and Namibia.

“Our  penguin animal care professionals provide expert care to our birds every day, and we’re applying that expertise directly to help these wild colonies,” says Senior Keeper Jo Kelly. “The “Invest in the Nest” Kickstarter campaign is a great way for the public to join us in helping save African penguins in the wild.”

Zookeeper Melanie in Churchill

Zookeeper Melanie is in Churchill, Manitoba for a couple of weeks working with Polar Bears International! Be sure to follow this blog as we post about her journey!

Update #5

These little balls of fur were born last December! Who doesn’t love Polar Bear cubs?!

Update #4

Lots of other critters call the the wildlife management area near Churchill home and this year we have seen a lot of them!  Arctic Fox, Silver Fox, Ptarmigan, Arctic Hare and Snowy owls are just a few.  It has been amazing to see so many species and share in the collective excitement on the buggy as everyone enjoys these animals.  People from all over the globe are instant friends in that moment, connected to nature and each other.  It truly is amazing.

Update #3

Polar Bears International focuses on Polar bear conservation through education and research.  My job on the buggy is to help by educating the many guests about Polar Bears and the effects of a changing climate.  Every day is different, today my group had people from Australia, England, the United States, Japan, and Canada!

Update #2

Today we got to see these two little females interacting and playing.  It was fun to see bears moving around and having fun.  They stayed together for about 30 minutes and then went their separate ways.

Update #1

First day in Churchill!   We are out on buggy one (the buggy reserved for Polar Bears International) testing cameras to get ready for PBI’s  live polar bear cam and came across this sleepy girl.  The Hudson Bay is still open water but the smaller pools left by the tide are starting to freeze.