Italian mastiff females can reach 90 pounds (45 kilograms) in weight, although some are smaller. Shirley, that wasn’t me you saw with Koza at the Animal Care Center - I mostly work at Lion Camp and see him when he visits. Soon little Cairo will join him!

Linda asks what will happen to Cairo when Koza outgrows her. The puppy already has a home ready and waiting for her with a member of the Mammal Department staff when the time comes. She is one lucky pup to have escaped hurricane Katrina’s devastation, and we will make sure she has a wonderful home for life.

Marcia Redding is a senior mammal keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

Although today’s theme was primates we do not have the ability to visit with lemurs, monkeys, or apes without some security protocols. The San Diego Zoo has “primate protocols” that are followed by keepers and visitors alike. Primates can be aggressive and unpredictable so there is no touching allowed – for everyone’s health and safety.

Later in the morning we visited Keeper Connie at the primate holding pad. We had a chance to meet all kinds of monkeys that were off exhibit for different reasons. For example, Opal the drill requires close attention in managing her insulin-dependent diabetes. We also met some Allen’s swamp monkeys slowly getting to know one another before moving into the Zoo’s Ituri Forest. Since quite a few of us campers (and staff) have the sniffles we all got souvenir facemasks to wear during our visit. We even decorated our masks like spot-nosed and mustached guenons.

After lunch we swung by the Zoo’s Primate Propagation Center (PPC) and Keeper Dave gave us a tour. We met Sprite the Debrazza guenon (like the one pictured above) and some new friends of hers across the hall. We also got to see (and hear) lemurs and some very excited marmosets. While standing outside of the marmoset building we could hear them calling to each other announcing our arrival (they don’t see many groups of campers).

Once we returned to the Zoo’s Otto Center we participated in a favorite primate pastime – PLAY! We held the potato Olympic games and we celebrated our humor, coordination, and those ever-valuable opposable thumbs.

Lisa Townsend is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

Children in grades K to 5 can register for Spring Camp!

I am always amazed at how quickly the panda cub changes when it is brought out into an exhibit space. The infant goes from being a quiet, docile little creature sheltering in a den to tearing up the place with amazing energy in no time flat. There is no moss growing on this stone, and Su Lin is no exception.

Her climbing technique has improved dramatically since she has been on exhibit. Having lots of logs and branches to scale has resulted in increased dexterity on her part. She seems to be ahead of the curve on this relative to her big brother, Mei Sheng.

Social play between Bai Yun and Su Lin has also picked up. We are now seeing longer, more protracted bouts of biting and swatting each other and Su Lin often climbs on her mother to get up higher for these play bouts. We record a lot of sessions now in which the cub is trying repeatedly to get momma to play, but Bai Yun is too busy eating or sleeping to join in.

Bai Yun is starting to play a little defense with regard to her bamboo. Often, Su Lin will come in close to start a play bout or perhaps try to nurse. If Bai Yun is engaged in a bamboo feeding session, she often puts out a back paw and stops Su Lin before she gets too close. She plants that paw on Su Lin’s forehead, as if to say, “that’s far enough.” All the while, Bai Yun continues to feed. She obviously has her priorities! We aren’t alarmed by this behavior from Bai Yun, as we recognize that she needs to take care of herself, too. What’s more, we saw this same behavior with both of her previous cubs.

Su Lin is beginning to spend time mouthing and playing with bamboo. She won’t actually begin to consume it reliably for a few more months, and is still dependant on momma’s milk for most of her sustenance (she does sneak a biscuit now and then!). Look for her to increase her time spent playing with bamboo from here on out, learning how to handle and manipulate the material. It takes practice to be a bamboo aficionado!

Suzanne Hall is the panda research technician for the San Diego Zoo’s Office of Giant Panda Conservation.

Hear Suzanne narrate our iZoofari Audio Tour about pandas!
View pandas on Panda Cam.

After snack the world-famous Dr. Zoolittle treated us to a special bug show. We saw stick insects, Madagascar hissing-cockroaches, and Jumbalani the jumping (spring-loaded) invertebrate. Some of the campers provided crawling space for Dr. Zoolittle’s bugs and some bugs were snacks for campers. No really, campers ate bugs! Specially cooked and seasoned beetle larvae (mealworms) were a tasty treat for Paul, Michelle, and Tyler (see photo above). Everyone agreed, yummy. Mealworms are a great addition to any meal and they even stay crunchy in milk!

After lunch we visited Wegeforth Bowl and met two other animals that enjoy dining on bugs – opossums. Given the opportunity, Obie and Yoda, the Virginia opossums, will snack on bugs like snails, slugs, worms, grasshoppers, and crickets; bad news for the invertebrates but great news for our gardens. We even got to pet the brothers on their backs and tails.

When we returned to the Otto Center we had a special presentation by the Zoo’s resident entomologist, Paige. She brought two unusual and very different invertebrates for show and tell. The beautiful (and delicious) leaf insect looks just like a leaf (the size of a human hand) to fool birds that may want to prey on it. They are found in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Paige also brought two emperor scorpions from Africa. They were impressive with their pinchers and stingers but when the lights went out they were awesome. Paige held up a blacklight and in the dark the scorpions glowed green. We don’t know why, but it sure was cool!

Well, good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite… Lisa

Lisa Townsend is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

Children in grades K to 5 can register for Spring Camp!

Koza’s new buddy is a female Italian mastiff (also known as a cane corso) puppy named Cairo, who was located through Operation K9 Rescue, a San Diego-based non-profit rescue organization specializing in American bulldogs and rare mastiffs. Cairo’s mother was evacuated from New Orleans to San Diego after hurricane Katrina, where she gave birth to three puppies. Operation K9 Rescue saved more than 60 dogs from Katrina.

Several factors were considered when choosing Koza’s playmate. We needed a breed that would be large and sturdy, and have an even but not overly submissive temperment. We also were committed to rescuing a dog from a shelter or rescue society. Little Cairo fits the bill perfectly. She is reddish brown and has the typical wrinkly mastiff face and is quite the looker!

As of now the two buddies are housed next to each other while Cairo completes a quarantine period, to be sure she is healthy - then - look out! I think we can expect some extremely energetic play sessions when these two get together. I know what everybody is going to ask for - photos! I will get some posted ASAP. Something to look forward to!

Marcia Redding is a senior mammal keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

Here’s video of Koza in the nursery.

Our next reptilian run-in was with the Indian gharials at the bottom of Reptile Mesa. Like the alligator, gharials are also in the crocodilian family but they are found in India and Pakistan. Keepers Barry and Kim went into the exhibit with a bucket of fish and nerves of steel to call the pair of gharials out onto the bank. They fed them using long tweezers (or pronged graspers) and stood right there next to them. It seemed that one swish with their enormous tail could send a keeper tumbling. But Barry and Kim have been working with the gharials for years and the animals know just what is expected and the keepers understand the temperament of the animals. Training gharials to come out of the water when called makes their care (husbandry) much less stressful for the animals. Keepers can check them for injuries or disease without having to give a shot to immobilize them.

This afternoon was set aside for some sensational snakes. We met three super serpents; Manja, Monty, and Tex. Manja is a Madagascar ground boa and he is BIG - over 5 feet (1.5 meters) long! He is a “two-person” snake and it took two educators to keep his coils comfortable. Monty is a ball python; he looks similar to Manja, but is much smaller in diameter. Monty was very soft and smooth to the touch. Monty has been in the Zoo’s Education Department for years, he’s such a pro. Last we met Tex, the Mexican milk snake. Tex looks so dangerous - but that is a form of camouflage called mimickery. He fools animals into thinking he’s a venomous coral snake. Well, he didn’t fool us and we all got a touch!

So long for now - the sun has set and I’m starting to feel a little cold (blooded). Until tomorrow… Lisa

Lisa Townsend is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

Children in grades K to 5 can register for Spring Camp!

When making our dens we needed to have some of the same guidelines as the bear’s true den. Each home had to be covered, protected from the elements (wind, rain, and snow) and large enough to hold a bear. We used graham crackers for the walls and roof, frosting to hold the structure together, and coconut flakes to line the cozy sleeping chamber. The (gummy) bears sure looked comfortable - until we ate them. Our dens were delicious!

After our snack we headed out to encounter real bears. We visited the giant pandas Gao Gao, Bai Yun, and sweet little Su Lin. We then went up the hill to visit with Spanky, the Alaskan brown bear, and his keeper Kirsten. Since San Diego has such nice weather, Spanky won’t have a “winter sleep”. He gets plenty of food every day and he has protection from any harsh weather.

This afternoon we went on a hike around the Zoo using GPS (Global Positioning System) units. We were on a treasure/bear hunt. Each hand-held electronic unit pointed us in the right direction and let us know how far we were to go to find our booty. The five- year-old campers found the spectacled bears, the six-year-old campers were led to the sun bears, and the “big kids” trekked all the way to polar bears. At the end of the day we played some more great games like “food forage,” “bear and fish,” and “river-bank.”. I must say great fun was had by all.

Well, I am so tired I can BEARly keep my eyes open.
Happy Camping! Lisa

Lisa Townsend is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

Children in grades K to 5 can register for Spring Camp!

The hard part for our many panda fans is that there is no set schedule and the bears are frequently given access to their exhibit bedroom and den, where they often nap. Depending on where they sleep the Panda Cam cameras may be able to focus on them and we can share this view with our Zoo visitors on our viewing area monitor. Getting a peek at the young cub is a great treat - but the most important thing is the comfort and well-being of Su Lin and Bai Yun. It could be a while before there are scheduled exhibit times for mother and cub and Su Lin has already discoverd snug places to nap both in and out of view.

Even the briefest glimpse of our little cub is proving to be a delight! Independant and inquisitive, she’s exploring the area. You may see her gnawing on branches or bamboo, but she is still being nourished by Bai Yun’s rich milk. Su Lin won’t begin to wean to bamboo and other food items until she’s 8 or 9 months old, but like all youngsters she gains a lot of information by feeling, smelling and tasting. She’s even begun climbing, little by little, and it will be all too soon before she masters this important panda skill - and disappears to the top of the trees, the safest place for cubs to rest!

Ellie Rosenbaum is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

“Adopt” Su Lin!

We met up with Mike in the Children’s Zoo at the pigeon loft. Mike has been racing pigeons since he was a boy and he brought out some of his fabulous fliers. Some of the campers had the opportunity to release the birds (see photo)- it’s just a quick and gentle throw into the air. The birds exercised for a while and then flew back home when Mike whistled to them. The racing pigeons can fly at about 50 miles an hour and an average race will be 150 miles. It was such a treat to play with the fast and friendly birds.

After lunch we left for Hunte Amphitheater where trainer Heidi had a special guest waiting for us: Delilah, the southern ground hornbill. Delilah moved to Hunte from Reptile Mesa a few months ago. Her training has been going great and she sure had our interest today. She followed directions and even
went off-stage when she was asked (she likes to be the star of the WHOLE show). Next we met Daphne, another ground-dwelling bird. Daphne is an emu from Australia. Her wings as so small they looked the same size as a kindergartener’s hand. She was so tall and had a great stare. We even learned Daphne’s secret - she’s a male! It’s pretty hard to tell a boy and girl emu apart. Daphne doesn’t seem to mind the confusion.

At the end of the day we met Amy at Owen’s Aviary. She talked to us about the 300+ birds that live in the aviary. Owen’s is the largest outdoor aviary in the world - and I would guess the most beautiful too. Amy tossed bugs into the air and the birds dove right over our heads to catch them. It was a truly spectacular air show and a great way to end our day in the Zoo.

Gotta fly! Lisa

Lisa Townsend is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

The first couple of days we only allowed the two to have access to the lower half of their exhibit. We didn’t give them the upper section which has a large pool. Although tapir calves in the wild are able to swim almost immediately after birth, we wanted to make sure that Chukai was moving around on land really well before giving him the pool. After two days, we thought that he was ready, so we filled the pool only ¾ of the way full, and then put some rubber mats along the edge to give him some traction on the steep slope. There were five keepers there watching that day, and we were all ready to help him out if he got into any trouble in the water. We all held our breath as he followed Rose into the pool, and we were so relieved when he started swimming like a champ! After a little while, though, we could tell he was starting to get tired and was vocalizing to mom. Thankfully, he found his way to the edge, and with a little struggle, pulled himself out of the pool with the help of the rubber mats. Phew!

When I saw that he was shivering after his first swim, I ran down to their bedrooms and
called for them to come inside, where I turned up their heater to 76 degrees (24 degrees Celsius). I was feeling like a nervous mom, so I checked on him several times before going home for the day. He was dry and warm and doing just fine. The very next day, he went out on exhibit and did it all over again!

By now, he has figured out all the best places in the pool where he can put his feet down to get a rest, and also the easiest spots to get in and out. He’s a smart little guy! In the next couple of weeks Chukai will probably only be on exhibit between noon and 2 p.m., but as he gets bigger and stronger, he’ll be spending much more time on exhibit.

The naming of our young tapir calf was very difficult for all of us in Tiger River. Three days after his birth, the sire, who all of us knew as “Dad,” passed away suddenly. He was such a wonderful animal with a gentle and loving personality. All of the keepers who had worked with him were devastated. After looking through some of the old records, we found out that “Dad” was actually named Chukai, which is a port city in Malaysia. We all felt that this young calf should be named after his dad.

Bridget Mulholland is a senior mammal keeper in the San Diego Zoo’s Tiger River exhibit.

Watch video of Chukai in the pool!