We went to St. Bees to try to learn more about bellows (see Fred’s blog, Where Have All the Koalas Gone?). Koalas are most active around dusk, so we set off from our base camp in late afternoon in order to do a “playback experiment.” These types of studies involve broadcasting sounds to animals in order to then record their responses and learn more about vocal communication in the natural habitat. Jen was in charge of playing the sounds and recording responses, a skill she had picked up while studying the koalas at the San Diego Zoo.

The rest of the Zoo team (see photo) had other assignments. Richard kept tabs on Digger, an adult male, who was jumping around in a tree and bellowing for all to hear but, apparently, not in response to the recorded bellows from the Zoo koalas. Carmi focused on a young male, who seemed to be watching Jackaroo, an adult male with a radiocollar that Bill was following as he left a tree near Digger (see Bill’s blog, Koala Field Project: Tracking Koalas). Chris took notes on Ware, an adult male who perked up his head to listen to our calls, but then returned to his afternoon siesta. Bob and I followed Olivia, an adult female, as she trucked through the thicketed underbrush, sniffing some trees as she moved. As soon as the first call was played, she scrambled about 50 feet (15 meters) up a tree. After that, she listened a bit, but pretty much munched on some leaves for her early evening snack.

Jen had recorded a very deep bellow by Jackaroo, one of the adult male koalas living on the island, in response to a playback earlier on our trip. We heard a lot of bellows from koalas on the island, and the sounds were coming from just about every direction. But the calls were too far away for Jen to record on this night. When koalas around the island bellow to each other, it sounds like a “koala chorus.” We think that koalas have a more intricate acoustic communication system than most people realize and intend to continue our work in the field and at the San Diego Zoo in order to learn more about koalas.

Fred Bercovitch is the division head/senior scientist of Behavioral Biology/CRES.

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The Zoo’s Euc forests played a large part in what the San Diego Zoo was all about in its beginning and through the years when bioclimatic zones were put in place for the development of its exhibits in the 1970s. They are key to our being able to keep koalas in our collection, in that we are able to provide around 36 different species of eucalyptus to them through our browse program. We were losing our overhead canopy and that was 80 years’ worth of growth. If we started right away, a replacement canopy could not be grown in our lifetime, so it was important to develop a long-range plan for reestablishing the upper canopy for the Zoo and to make it something that was unique and complemented the direction for our horticulture collections.

With the establishment of a reforestation fund, we set out to complement the bioclimatic zones of the Zoo with trees that matched the areas we established them in. We looked at trees with economic value like shade-grown coffee, fruit and nut trees, and trees that were endangered in their home habitat. We were able to build on some of the established collections. We planted the trees in groves where possible and at least did companion planting’s of like planting material. An example of that is our geographic-based collections like the Madagascar, Mediterranean, and Hawaiian gardens.

We’ve recently worked on the area just below the camels. That area was an old browse area where the trees outgrew their usefulness and became an eye sore. It was re-established as a New World planting area with Chorisia, Tabebuia, Chiranthodendron, and Brighamia species. In a few years, as the trees take on more size, it will become a vibrant area with unusual, blooming trees of aesthetic and educational value. Further down the canyon is another area that has been cleared of iceplant and will be supplemented with additional plantings that tie it into the Mediterranean Garden.

A new, large-scale project which was the impetus to write this blog was just recently started on the hillside behind the Migratory Duck Pond. This is a major project and changes the face of that area quite drastically. There was a real fire danger on that hillside and the trees were in very poor condition, including the safety aspect of some of them. After evaluations were done, trees marked, and bids secured, work began in earnest and the area was started towards a new beginning. Large trunks were left crossways on the slope for erosion control, debris was chipped to provide mulch back on the slope, and a new irrigation system will be installed. The bottom of the slope will be used for browse trees (acacia, fig, and mulberry); the upper two thirds will be reforested with specimen trees that are indigenous to the New World. It will become a useful and aesthetic part of our horticulture collections and not just a tired old hillside.

Mike Bostwick is horticulturist for the San Diego Zoo.

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About three weeks ago, she delivered one stillborn cub, following a seemingly normal labor progression. We watched her closely for the next few days, continuing with our 9 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. checks, to make sure she had recovered normally. While she never showed any sign of illness, the decision was made to anesthetize her to give her a complete checkup. A retained placenta or fetus could be a serious threat to her health; as well, the vets were able look for any possible cause of her dystocia (difficult or complicated birth). An ultrasound exam revealed that there were no more cubs, and that her internal organs all looked normal. Blood samples were taken, and these proved to be normal also.

In a day or two, Etosha was back to her usual playful self, happy to be back with her mate. Etosha had been separated from M’bari by an introduction screen a few days before she was due to give birth, as females do not allow males to be near them while in this vulnerable state. M’bari, however, stuck close by her all through her pregnancy and for much of her labor; she began to be intolerant of his presence only when her labor reached its final stages, and we then separated them completely. As soon as it became clear that Etosha’s labor had ended, M’bari was back by her side. She was very glad to see her mate, and there was much affectionate grooming and play a few days later when they were back together in the big exhibit.

At this time, we have no explanation for Etosha’s difficulties. We will watch her closely, and will briefly separate her from M’bari during her cycle, which usually lasts a few days. We need to prevent her from becoming pregnant again too soon. A decision may be made to implant a contraceptive device under her skin; this is a simple procedure and is completely reversable.

The good news is that Etosha feels great, behaves normally, and is enjoying life as she should. Look for her and M’bari from the Wgasa Bush Line Railway tour, or from the viewing platform next to the exhibit. They alternate exhibit days with Rengat, a Sumatran tiger who shares the exhibit with them.

Now some really good news for you lion fans. I know that many of you have requested more pictures of our lions. By popular request, our wonderful Web site editor has prepared a fantastic photo gallery featuring our two litters of cubs and their parents at various stages in their lives. These are some of the best lion photos I have ever seen - they are truly a delight to see, and are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Check them out - you’ll be glad you did!

A brief Lion Camp update - our two litters of cubs are now on exhibit on alternating days. Switching the groups at midday has proven to be somewhat stressful for the lions. Izu, the male, will spend time with the group that is on exhibit that day. So far this has worked out very well. Whenever you visit, you’ll be sure to see a contented pride at Lion Camp. With the cooler weather, all the lions have been very active and playful, especially in the morning. Come out and see them soon!

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

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Saturday morning, August 21, was a busy one for the Education Department. There were panda narrators posted to answer questions and additional staff gathered to give tours of the Zoo, one for a group of over 200 guests. Just before we went out to meet this large group, the news was announced: Bai Yun had given birth and so far everything looked fine! Some of us cried, some of us cheered, some of us whooped, but we couldn’t say a word to our guests until the official announcement later that afternoon! Needless to say, as soon as the signs were posted announcing the birth, everyone took great pains to spread the news within the Zoo and all over the world! News station trucks were parked at the front of the Zoo as far as could be seen around the parking lot and the tiny cub became an international sensation.

Those early weeks were challenging, as research staff observed mother and cub around the clock via cameras located in the den Bai Yun had chosen. (Bai Yun is pictured above with her Hua Mei at 20 days old.) The Panda Canyon remained blocked off for weeks, as absolute quiet was maintained to allow Bai and the cub to bond. But the excitement generated by the cub’s arrival continued to build. By the next morning, visitors were racing down to meet the Zoo’s newest arrival, but, alas, it was not to be for quite a while. Mother and baby remained in seclusion, in the den, as is typical for pandas at these stages of their lives, and we marveled at the tender, competent care Bai Yun gave to her thriving infant

Little by little, however, the staff was able to remove the cub from the den as Bai Yun left it briefly to eat or drink. Photos emerged as the tiny cub was weighed, measured, and carefully checked. These physicals became a weekly routine and San Diegans quickly learned that Wednesday was panda cub physical day, and there’d be new pictures of the cub on the evening news! The cub developed the characteristic black markings by about two weeks of age, grew larger and rounder at an amazing rate, and into the second month it was confirmed that “it” was a “she.” While still off exhibit with her mother, on her 100th day of life, she was named by the Chinese ambassador at a memorable ceremony here at the Zoo. And so she became Hua Mei, “China-USA,” in tribute to the cooperative effort of the two countries that helped bring her into being.

Her stardom only increased, and soon enough the research cameras that had been set up to allow researchers to observe without disturbing Bai and Mei were to become part of this Web site as Panda Cam. It was a little overwhelming to us at first as the interest only seemed to increase with time, and still the cub and mother remained out of actual view. It was not until mid-February that Hua Mei made her public debut.

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

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The most challenging species is also the most recognized. Venus flytraps are endemic to North Carolina and ranging a bit into South Carolina. These predators of the Plant Kingdom endlessly fascinate both kids and adults. Many a child has brought home a Venus flytrap at some time and killed it. Many times what does the plant in is the wrong kind of water. Carnivorous plants can’t take tap water. We run deionized, or DI, water through the Bog. Our challenges don’t come from the water, but instead from people and other critters.

The first flytraps went into the Bog just before opening Monkey Trails in June, 2005. Flytraps do most of their growing in the warm season. One of the earliest issues we had was humans wanting to see the traps up close. It is, after all, an amazing thing to touch a plant and see it react so quickly, its jaws snapping shut. Unfortunately, though, this wastes a lot of the plant’s energy without any reward. Actually, Charles Darwin theorized that the reason the jaws don’t close all the way is to allow smaller prey to escape, since the payoff isn’t worth the energy it takes to digest them. I used to find a lot of small pieces of grass or sticks that guests had thrown into the Bog in order to try to get the traps to close. I put up signs asking to please not throw things in, and for the most part, this seems to be working. Mostly it’s just that folks don’t know it will hurt the plants.

So, first humans, and then the ducks started coming! I walk by the Bog every morning around 6 a.m., and for months last fall and winter I found wild ducks happily trouncing around the bog, splashing in the watercourse, walking all over the plants, and, worst of all, leaving their “fertilizer” all over the Bog. I spent many a late morning with rubber gloves removing that duck stuff from the surface. Carnivorous plants grow in the poorest of soils, and they don’t like fertilizer. While the duck excrement would probably be great for most plants, it was destroying many of the Dionaea and Drosera in the Bog.

For a solution, we started adding some mangled long sticks around the edges of the garden, hoping it would discourage the ducks. It looked like they were walking, as opposed to flying in. So we thought maybe we could artfully blockade the area. It did help. We also decided to completely remove the “watercourse,” a small stream running through the center of the Bog providing all of the water circulating through. We ended up using a drip tube run across the area where the watercourse had been, with microjet risers to add water to the Bog, hopefully without too much pooling. So far, so good! The ducks have all gone back to Flamingo Lagoon, it seems. I haven’t seen one in the Bog in months. Winter is coming, though. The flytraps are beginning to go into their dormancy period. If we can keep the ducks out, perhaps they will make it through the winter. Time will tell.

Mychael McNeeley is a senior gardener in Monkey Trails at the San Diego Zoo.

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Our little bear cub is growing by leaps and bounds. Like its sibling, Danum, this cub has a spot on its nose resembling the spot on Daddy Dibu’s snout. Danum lost his spot after a few months… will this cub hang on to it? Time will tell.

This morning, I observed the cub walking about the den. It looked a little wobbly, but was otherwise doing a fine job of moving about. It has a round, full belly, indicating Marcella is feeding it well. The coat is sleek and shiny, and its eyes are bright. All appears well so far with this cub. The veterinarians haven’t yet gotten their hands on this cub, so it may be some time before we know the gender and weight of this animal.

The sun bear is thought to be the bear species most likely to go extinct. Throughout its range, habitat destruction is rampant. Both the Malayan subspecies, found along the leg of the southeastern portion of the Asian continent into Indonesia, and the Bornean subspecies, limited to Indonesia and Malaysia, are suffering from declines in available habitat. Zoos in the U.S. have opted to focus their attention on the Bornean subspecies, and you will find that in AZA-accredited institutions across the country only Borneans are being bred.

To accomplish the goal of breeding Bornean sun bears, zoos in the U.S. imported 20 such sun bears in 1996 and 2000. The bears came from the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Sabah, a Malaysian state located on the island of Borneo. All of the animals were brought to the center either as rescues from the pet trade or had been found injured or ill in the wild. Our very own Marcella, Ting Ting, and Dibu might have been someone’s pets in their early years or months. Fortunately, the pet trade in sun bears has been dwindling in recent years. I wish I could say the same were true for orangutans, primates that inhabit much of the same habitat as the bears.

There are still bears being rehabilitated in the center in Sepilok. Currently the center has eight sun bears and has recently undergone a renovation to provide the animals with more space and a more enriched environment. The lives of the bears have improved to the point that mating between two of the Sepilok captives was observed in September. The willingness to mate suggests the bears are doing well psychologically, and is a tribute to the staff that has worked so hard to improve the bear’s housing situation. I am pleased to say that the Sepilok facility is a collaborator with us in our bear maternal care studies. If cubs are born there, we will be fortunate enough to learn from the mother-infant relationship of their animals. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

Suzanne Hall is the senior research laboratory technician for the Giant Panda Conservation Unit of Applied Animal Ecology/CRES.

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The program sprung originally from the minds of Bob and Georgia Langhorst, founders of San Diego’s SUCCESS Optimists, who decided that the pediatric wings in Kaiser’s San Diego hospital needed a little sprucing up. They contacted Dan Evers, an artist and craftsman, to head up the project. After a visit to Kaiser’s hospital, they started to dream about rooms with individual animal themes, and the basis for “The Children’s Rainforest” was formed. This great idea needed to be based on facts, though, so Dan contacted Deirdre Ballou, conservation education specialist at the San Diego Zoo, in order to obtain some information on rainforest denizens. Deirdre thought the program sounded fascinating and suggested bringing the Zoo’s art teacher, Joe Nyiri, on board to teach the students about art during visits to the Zoo. I was added into the group as the resident animal handler and guide, and the team was completed with the help of Deborah Roberts, child life specialist, and Dian Doyle, a registered nurse, both with Kaiser Permanente San Diego, and none other than the world-famous Dr. Zoolittle!

The second Saturday of every month, this team comes together with up to 20 pediatric oncology patients and their families for a little family fun time! We go out into the Zoo to meet up with the animals, sometimes scoring a behind-the-scenes visit (giraffes, for instance), sometimes getting a fabulous photo opportunity (koalas, anyone?), but always creating really wonderful art.

Once the kids finish up their projects, their art is photographed digitally and then given to them to take home. They might be done with it, but we certainly aren’t! Tune in next time to find out more.

Cindy Spiva-Evans is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

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I am happy to say that both boys were very relaxed in their crates, and they didn’t seem to mind that they were treated like celebrities while they were in the cargo loading section of the airport! They were surrounded by admirers taking pictures with their camera phones and commenting on how handsome they were. The next morning I received word that the boys arrived safely and were very calm as they came out of their crates in their new home. I haven’t yet gotten any new updates on how they’re doing, but as soon as I do, I’ll be sure to let everyone know!

The second change in Tiger River is that Mek and Awang (the parents of Mata and Rimba) are back together and getting along fabulously! They were reintroduced behind the scenes in their bedrooms, and although Awang received a couple of minor scratches for getting a little too close to Mek when she wasn’t quite ready, in general they seemed happy to be together again because there was a lot of chuffing (a tiger greeting) and face rubbing. The next day they went out to the exhibit together, and since then they’ve been acting like they were never apart. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed for some successful breeding when Mek comes into estrous, in hopes for a new litter of little ones!

The third and final change in Tiger River is a devastating one. We lost a long-time resident of Tiger River. Belang, our 13-year-old male Malaysian tiger, died November 7. We will miss him very much. Goodbye, sweet Belang. You will always be remembered as a noble, handsome, and wonderful ambassador for your species. May you rest in peace.

Bridget Mulholland is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.

Belang is pictured above enjoying an enrichment item.

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Have you ever watched the pandas pace? It usually happens around mealtime. They know just about what times their meals come. Bai Yun and Gao Gao might pace just before being fed. This is one way of letting us know they are ready to eat. Mei Sheng paces at times, but he would rather climb way up in the tree and watch for signs of the keepers coming. I get chills every time he goes up because he is not a tiny bear anymore; he weighs about 180 pounds (82 kilograms) now and those branches won’t hold his weight forever. I have seen him fall many times from the tree, which is not fun to watch. The last time Buddy fell was about 7 months ago when he weighed over 140 pounds (64 kilograms). Down he came with a crash, hit the ground, stayed there for a few moments, got up, and walked away. (It always takes me longer to recover!)

Mei Sheng is so cute and getting bigger every day. When he is about 5 years old he should be a good-sized male around 200 to 300 pounds (90 to 135 kilograms). I really don’t think he’ll be a huge male, but he might be much bigger than daddy bear Gao.

Mei Sheng loves attention from anyone; no longer able to be handled, he will come to the fence for his keepers to rub his nose and feed him apples. The pandas know their keepers very well and Mei Sheng knows which one will give him those few extra moments of care. All the keepers work hard to keep the pandas active and healthy.

As I look back on the past three years watching Mei Sheng grow and become an independent bear, it gives me lots of great memories. One morning he wanted his mom to share her bamboo. Bai Yun was not ready to do that and she held him off with her big foot lodged right in his chest. Keeping him at bay, she continued to eat while he struggled to free himself. Once free, he moved towards his mom and she smacked him on the head. He let out a yelp as he quietly grabbed a small piece of bamboo for himself; now content with his own piece, he settled in next to mom to eat.

Mei Sheng loved his mom and closeness was important to him. He was definitely a mama’s boy, always right by her side watching every move she made. He was not a happy bear when she weaned him. This is a difficult separation for the bears, but natural bears don’t have lasting relationships like we do. They care for their cubs for a short period of time and then out they go! Now independent, it is hard to think of Mei Sheng as a needy male bear, as he is always keeping himself busy with his bamboo and enrichments. I’m so glad that he is independent and living on his own.

When you visit, remember that Gao and Mei Sheng share space. We rotate the males on Tuesdays so each spends a week on view with our guests and then a week in the back research yards; I call it “musical bears with the boys.” They don’t seem to mind this switch because they are always ready to come back and most likely you will find Mei Sheng busy climbing the structures and, of course, the trees.

Kay Ferguson is a panda narrator at the San Diego Zoo.

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Since pandas are solitary animals, if the male and female pandas were put together at the wrong time, the pandas would fight. Also, pandas can only get pregnant two to three days out of the year. The scientists at CRES had to closely watch the panda’s hormone levels so that they could breed the pandas.

In 1999, Bai Yun gave birth to the first panda in North America to make it to adulthood. This was quite an accomplishment. Pamela Crowe, who works at the Giant Panda Research Center, told us just a small bit about the volumes of research that have been accomplished in the nearly ten years they have been in San Diego. Twice a day she goes out to the panda enclosure and observes the pandas. The cumulative data from these observations both here and at the Wolong facility in China, and the analysis of the information, have led to major changes in the way pandas are cared for in zoos and major increases in the number of panda babies.
Thanks to the work of the San Diego Zoo, CRES, and China, the pandas are still around for everyone to enjoy.

-Hayley, Zoo InternQuest, Real World,

Saving pandas
Pandas are one of my most favorite animals, so ending our Zoo InternQuest experience with a visit to these cute, furry bears was awesome. We met with Pamela Crowe, a research animal technician, who observes these rare mammals at the Zoo. Ms. Crowe makes observations about the pandas’ behavior, using charts to show their behavioral trends over time. When making these observations, an ethogram, which is a chart that names a behavior on one side and defines the behavior on the other side, is used. The definition of the behavior cannot include the word for the behavior itself (it’s kind of like the game Taboo!).This makes it possible for anyone observing an animal to match a behavior seen to one on the chart.

When we agreed on the definitions of the panda behaviors, Ms. Crowe took us outside to observe the young male panda, Mei Sheng, in his exhibit. We recorded all the behaviors we saw performed. And boy, was Mei Sheng active! He climbed up and down the trees, walked all around the exhibit, ate and drank, and made a vocalization called a bleat, which sounds just like its name. It was then that I realized just how hard it is to record every behavior an animal does, especially if that animal is being active.

Watching and recording the behavior of Mei Sheng was fun, but for Ms. Crowe this exercise has applications to conservation as well. Meticulously banking data on the behavior of the pandas at the Zoo can help researchers and scientists apply that information to the behavior patterns of pandas in the wild. It might make it easier for field biologist to find animals to observe in the difficult terrain of the mountains where pandas live. Perhaps understanding their communication behavior can guide the establishment of boundaries for parks and conservation corridors so the bears have enough territory to sustain a good population. There is still so much to be learned about pandas that all the data accumulated is very important. I believe this was a very fitting way for the Zoo InternQuest experience to come to a close, with the message that there is always more to be learned about an animal, and that the more knowledge is gained, the higher an endangered species’ chances for survival are.

- A.J., InternQuest, Conservation Team

Panda-rific Profession
Research animal technician Pamela Crowe has been working at the Zoo for five years and she both loves and appreciates her job. One of the most important parts of the job of a research animal technician in this division of Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) is doing behavioral observations with an ethogram. This is done to record and report on panda behavior in a controlled setting. The work done here has helped increased the amount of information about pandas greatly over the past 10 years that pandas have been here in San Diego. It was a little difficult for me at first to record the panda’s activities. It took a while for me to get the hang of it. In the end, I discovered how much fun it could be to stand quietly and record the panda’s behaviors.

Ms. Crowe’s career as a research animal technician started with her earning a bachelor’s degree in biology at San Diego State University. During college and after she graduated, she had several volunteer and paid positions in different fields to figure what type of animal-related career she wanted to pursue. One of her volunteer programs was at the San Diego Zoo recording the behaviors of pandas. She realized she loved it and remained a volunteer for three years.

Later, because there were no jobs working directly with pandas, she applied to work as an administrative assistance in the Giant Panda Conservation Unit of CRES. Her patience and persistence paid off and she was able to move into her current position. In addition to observing the pandas, she trains volunteers to be observers, compiles the data in order to write behavior reports, creates graphs that reflect the results, and contributes to scientific papers about pandas.

A research technician is part of a team, Ms. Crowe emphasized. She, along with many other observers, keepers, and scientists, have been gathering the information that hopefully will help put pandas back in the wild and help their population grow.

-Elizabeth, Zoo Internquest, Animal Careers Team

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