Lately, observing sun bear cubs Pagi and Palu can come with certain challenges associated with their current life stage. Like a growing human child, the sun bear twins have begun asserting themselves with regard to their daily lives (see previous post, Sun Bear Enrichment). We saw this same behavior with previous cubs Danum and Bulan. Mother Marcella has probably gotten used to this, but now their keepers are experiencing a bit of the twins’ “toddler behavior.”
(more…)

I’ve left the field and spent some time on vacation around Cusco, Peru, before returning to the U.S. This was a short trip to southern Peru, but it was as productive as I could expect, and I believe it will prove beneficial later this year (see previous post, Andean Bears: Back to Peru). With the help of Pedro Centeno, a colleague from the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, I left some camera traps for 10 days at the same sites we monitored last October through December (see post, Andean Bears: Ready for Their Closeup?)
(more…)

The okapi barn at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park has been a bustling place of late. Our training program has been coming along beautifully; we can now perform a variety of husbandry procedures with the okapis without anesthesia. We can take temperatures, lift and examine feet, perform ultrasounds, and undertake many other procedures designed to help us care for these very special animals. We have even drawn blood from two okapis with their cooperation!
(more…)

Here at the San Diego Zoo’s Desert Tortoise Conservation Center (DTCC) in Las Vegas, we have a number of special-needs desert tortoises that serve as wonderful education animals, and each of us has our favorites. Mine is Twizzler. He arrived here at the DTCC in 2007, and when he arrived, we found that he had hardened gray material all over the left side of his carapace (top shell), causing a severe deformity.
(more…)

On Sunday, June 7, a group of students from Volcano School of Arts and Sciences, K’au High, and Pahala Elementary School were welcomed on a VIP visit to the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center (KBCC) on Hawaii. Four of the children were winners of a contest to name the four `alala youngsters successfully reared during the 2008 breeding season.
(more…)

Have you ever seen big plastic toys in polar bear pools? How about mirrors, swings, or other objects with gorillas and monkeys? But what about marsupial exhibits: have you ever seen interesting objects in with these animals? Probably not very often. Unlike bears, large cats, and primates, we don’t always think about enrichment items for marsupials because they are thought not to be as interested in these items. However, we can’t forget about these guys! Marsupials are curious creatures, and I don’t mean because of their pouch.
(more…)

One of the most frequent comments heard at the okapi exhibit in the Wild Animal Park’s Heart of Africa habitat is “Hey, it’s a zebra-horse!” However, okapis are not very closely related to either zebras or horses; the unusual and eye-catching okapi is most closely related to the giraffe.

In the wild, the okapi lives in the lush Ituri rain forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a result of the density of its habitat, and its shy behavior, the okapi has proven extremely difficult to study in the wild. In fact, Western scientists only discovered the okapi in the early 1900s, and there is still a lot we have to learn about the species.
(more…)

As we approach the birthing window for Bai Yun, we are busy making preparations to ensure that things go smoothly for her this summer. Over the years, we have a series of tried-and-true checklist items we believe help us to ensure the health and wellbeing of our prolific panda and her offspring. One of the basic items involves readying the birthing den itself.
(more…)

I recently returned from Dominica, where I continue to study the Lesser Antillean iguana. This is the third of a multi-year study of the iguana. My team has been working to garner critical natural history information that will be used to manage and conserve the species. Habitat destruction, hunting, introduction of exotic predators and competitors, and hybridization with common iguanas threaten Lesser Antillean iguanas with extinction across their range. Indeed, Lesser Antillean iguanas have already been extirpated from several islands. But help is on the way, thanks to local students!
(more…)

Greetings to my fellow tortoise lovers.

Last week we updated you on some of the challenges we face at the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center (DTCC) in Las Vegas with regard to the condition many of the tortoises are in when they arrive here (see post, Desert Tortoises: A Sad Week). Whether out of ignorance or just sheer neglect on the part of their previous guardians, many of these tortoises arrive with a wide variety of conditions that range from metabolic bone disease and upper respiratory tract infection to severe body deformities and traumatic injuries, which are most commonly caused by dog bites or being hit by a vehicle. Despite these daily challenges, great things happen here as well, so this week I’d like to share with you one of our success stories.
(more…)