It was decided that a canine companion might be a solution for this problem. Enter little Cairo, an Italian mastiff puppy whose mother was a refugee from hurricane Katrina. For the past few weeks, she has been housed in Koza’s room at the Animal Care Center, in a separate enclosure. They have been able to see each other, but not have physical contact, while the veterinarians ran some tests to be sure Cairo was healthy.

Yesterday the puppy received a clean bill of health and the two youngsters were introduced face to face for the first time, behind the scenes at Lion Camp in Koza’s exercise yard. At first Koza was not impressed; the puppy’s first impulse was to jump on top of him and wrestle. As she is a bit bigger than he is at this point, he was a little intimidated. Later, after hiding behind his keepers for awhile and peeking out at the puppy, he became a little braver. For now, Cairo will be kept on a leash until Koza realizes he’s a lion and can play rough, too!

Today the two young animals spent some more time together at Lion Camp and also hung out together at the Animal Care Center. Already, Koza is much more relaxed in Cairo’s presence. I am sure that shortly they will be the best of friends. As Koza and Cairo grow and mature, their relationship will be closely monitored to be sure they are both safe and thriving. Come out to the Wild Animal Park soon and visit this dynamic duo. They will be all grown up before you know it!

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

Watch video of Koza and Cairo playing together!

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The dhole (pronounced “dole”) is an Asian species of wild dog that is very endangered. Its breeding process is unlike the domestic dog that cycles twice a year. This species only cycles once a year. The gestation period for the dhole is about 60 days and then the pups stay in the den for another 2 months or so. So it could take up to four months before we see the pups to evaluate their health. With the new camera system, breeding behaviors can be monitored and recorded for research purposes and to better pinpoint a due date. Also, by placing a special infrared camera in the den, researchers can log the behaviors between mom and pups, check the health and progress of growth, and learn valuable information about breeding and rearing young in the dhole species without bothering them.

The cheetahs at the CRES Research Station will also benefit. Cameras running off the same system as for the dholes will help determine if new cubs are nursing. In the past, the keepers would have to creep in as close as possible to mom and use their best judgment to determine if she was nursing her young properly. With the new camera system, they will be able to view the enclosure and zoom in close to see if the cubs are mouthing and latching on to the nipples properly. As much as we enjoy seeing these cubs at the Zoo’s nursery, it is best for them to be raised by mom. Now, with the cameras purchased through the Adopt-An-Animal program, we can take much better care of these precious creatures!

Rachael Shay is a special events coordinator for the Zoological Society of San Diego.

Adopt an animal here!
Here’s information about our research on cheetahs.

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But many other species are rare or endangered and are also in need of such comprehensive study. To that end, the San Diego Zoo’s Office of Giant Panda Conservation has recently begun to take a multispecies approach to bear research. We are studying several different species of bears in order to better understand the range of behavior and biology in the bear family. Thus far, our comparative work has focused on two of the three bear subfamilies: Ailuropodinae (the giant panda) and Ursinae (including the sun, polar, American black, and brown bears).

In February 2004, the San Diego Zoo was fortunate enough to be the first zoo in North America to which a Bornean sun bear was born (pictured here). These endangered animals are among the least studied of the bear species, and are at tremendous risk of extinction. The fact that we were able to realize a birth here was a significant event for the Bornean sun bears, in that captive reproduction in this species had so far been elusive.

The birth of a sun bear cub allows us to compare the maternal skills of the sun bear with those of the giant panda. What we have learned to date, though preliminary, is very interesting. The sun bear appears to be a very attentive mother, much like the panda but unlike other bear species we have studied in this context. Since sun bears do not hibernate as do the black or brown bears, they are more active participants in the early days of nurturing their cubs. We hope to learn more with future births of these rare animals, and are expanding our studies to include time periods outside of the postpartum window.

I’ll provide you with updates as to the progress of the study with the Bornean sun bear from time to time. I hope you find this information of interest, and useful in helping you to develop a more complete picture of the bear family as a whole.

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

See video of our sun bear cub, Danum, in our video page’s “Babies” section (dated July 9, 2004).

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The sheep and goats are always willing to pose for pictures. We also have Miss Piggy, who absolutely enjoys her time digging in the dirt with her snout. But one of the main characters of the Petting Paddock is T.J. (the white goat pictured above). He is always on the lookout for those visitors who forget to put their Zoo maps away. He is one of the best pickpockets in the Paddock!

T.J. is a good-sized Boer goat, curious and friendly. He is actually very intelligent: he walks up to unsuspecting guests and pretends to be really sweet. As soon as he sees even the smallest corner of any form of paper product, he quickly goes for the grab, then walks quickly over to the chained-off area where only goats and sheep are allowed to go! Once he is in there, T.J. knows he has only a few more seconds to chomp on the rest of that very tasty piece of paper before one of the Petting Paddock attendants comes along to grab it from his mouth.

T. J. doesn’t limit himself to maps only; he is also open to straws, paychecks, necklaces, shirts, hats (straw hats are yummy!) and even money! Not only does T.J. beat out all the rest of the hoofed stock in “visitor
interraction;” he also is the ONE and ONLY ESCAPING GOAT!! He is a slick one. If none of our visitors have anything worth chomping on he will slowly and cunningly (he makes sure we’re not looking) make his way to the entrance gate of the Paddock. As the guests are coming in he waits for THE tourist, THE one who has a few kids and so opens the gate just a crack more– all T.J. needs to gain the freedom of the OUTSIDE!!

What does he do when outside? He grabs as many leaves as he possibly can scarf before one of the attendants ushers him back inside. How many times has this happened? Too many to count. Does he ever give up? Of course not. But we are so glad he isn’t a tiger!

Come on over to the Children’s Zoo’s Petting Paddock soon and say hello to T.J. and the rest of the gang. Don’t forget to leave your maps outside!

Lety Cotero is a keeper in the San Diego Zoo’s Children’s Zoo.

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Su Lin (picture here during her exam on January 4) has been a careful and meticulous climber, trying a few of the same routes each day, until a few days ago. Up and down the trees and climbing structures she went, eventually settling in an area of the climbing structure and Chinese elm tree that was a favorite napping spot of her brother, Mei Sheng. It looks as if she’s following in the path of all previous panda cubs: up into the treetops! It’s going to be fun to see how high she goes and how quickly. The Chinese elm is losing its leaves, so she’ll be easy to spot until spring, when the trees leaf out again and we’ll all be playing “Where’s Su Lin?”

We also heard Bai Yun vocalizing to her cub and eventually climbing up to gently but firmly pull Su Lin from her perch for some mother-cub play before lunch - a great treat for everyone to see!

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

View pandas on Panda Cam.
Read about another youngster, Cinta the orangutan.

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One of the bears selected is reported to be a male cub of our very own Hua Mei. I can not confirm this except to say that I have seen this mentioned repeatedly in the Chinese press. This would be one of her 2004 cubs. Some of you have commented on his “numerical name,” wondering what happened to his given name. I can tell you that several bears in Wolong are given numerical names (i.e., Number 20, 21, or 28). Some of these bears also have secondary names too, like nicknames.

The female going to Taiwan is reported to be the daughter of a wild-caught female who lost an arm. This would have to be the female Lei Lei, who has been at Wolong for several years and first gave birth in 2000. She was amazing to watch with her first cub, since she was missing a forepaw and was unable to hold her cub in all the same positions as other females do. To compensate, Lei Lei developed a type of “hip hold” posture in which she learned to tuck her youngster into her hip socket and curled her body around it for warmth and comfort. Despite her handicap, she managed just fine. She has since raised many cubs! Lei Lei was also a very sweet female, shy and quiet, with a pretty face and wide eyes.

The staff in Taiwan is serious about taking good care of these bears. Members of their animal care staff traveled to the U.S. last year, visiting both the San Diego Zoo and National Zoological Park to learn about panda management and husbandry. They have also visited Wolong. I am sure the bears will be in good hands.

Don’t expect these bears to breed any time soon. Females aren’t thought to be sexually mature until they are five years of age and males take a bit longer. For the next few years they will make great playmates and keep each other entertained. Down the road, however, perhaps Bai Yun and Shi Shi will have a great grandbaby living in Taiwan!

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

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In the mornings the orangutans are given access to visit with their siamang exhibit mates through a mesh introduction panel. Both the orangutans and the siamangs seem to enjoy this time for interaction. However, the relaxing atmosphere is much different when Indah and Cinta have been on exhibit with the siamangs. The adult male, Unkie, becomes aggressive and has bitten Cinta on the foot. His wounds have since healed and he is holding no grudge towards Unkie during his morning visitations. So until Cinta grows up enough that he does not have to rely on his mother for protection, we will not be exhibiting these individuals together.

Indah and Cinta can be seen inside their Absolutely Apes exhibit from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. daily. On most days Indah will carry Cinta up into the climbing structure. Shortly thereafter, Cinta can be seen leaving his mother to seek out one of his favorite orangutans, Josephine. Just this past week I saw him running to her and jumping into her lap. Josephine seems to enjoy her time with Cinta, acting like a proud auntie. Cinta can also be seen climbing the bamboo poles up near the viewing glass. He is usually interacting with his buddies, Karen and Satu. He is growing up to be a very playful and curious orangutan. His mother, Indah, who was always known for rarely coming down to the viewing window, has been seen recently doing just that. She can also be seen hanging upside down from the bamboo poles.

Every day I see Cinta doing things that I didn’t see the day before. He continues to explore and interact with the other orangutans, spending more and more time away from his mother. Don’t be fooled though. Indah is aware of his every move and ours too! Come by and enjoy these wonderful and intelligent animals. They will continually amaze you!

Kim Livingstone is the team area lead for Heart of the Zoo at the San Diego Zoo.

Watch the orangutans and siamangs on Ape Cam.

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Fortunately we had a great vantage point from upstairs in the double-decked bus. We stopped at the Sichuan takin exhibit and met with Keeper Toni who shared her stories about these amazing relatives of the musk ox.

From the takin exhibit we took a nice leisurely stroll around Horn & Hoof Mesa. We saw two new babies; a tiny Cape blue duiker and a wobbly Sommering’s gazelle. We ended our walk at the giraffe barn. The Zoo is home to Masai giraffes, the shortest of the giraffe subspecies. When we cut branches of acacia the giraffes came right over to eat. Silver is the tallest of the herd at about 16 feet tall, and we also saw his two calves Amani (1 ½ years old) and Hodari (2 months old).

After lunch we went to the Children’s Zoo petting paddock to meet Keeper Barb. Barb is also one of the hoofed stock nursery keepers. Today we were able to go into a holding area behind the barn for a meet and greet with some pygmy goats and Vietnamese potbellied pigs (pictured above). They were great fun!

We ended the day just horsing around. We played a rousing game of “zebra and lion” and created a hoofed stock game board for tiddley-winks. All in all we had more fun than wildebeests at the watering hole. I can’t believe this was the last day of camp – we sure had a blast.

Until spring… Take care, Lisa

Lisa Townsend is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

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

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