July 16 marks the beginning of the first ever National Zoo Keeper Week. Spearheaded by the San Diego chapter of AAZK (American Association of Zoo Keepers), this will be a yearly event focusing on the efforts of all professional zoo keepers in the U.S.
There are some exciting things happening here at the Wild Animal Park this summer that you shouldn’t miss. This first bit of news I am just thrilled to talk about: we are honored to have here, from the Mbirikani Group Ranch in Kenya, Maasai tribesmen and women. Every time they walk by my shop (the Plant Trader) I get giddy with delight! They are such warmhearted and beautiful people.
I want to thank all who “granted” wishes from the San Diego Zoo’s Veterinary Services wish list. You are helping care for the animals through your donations. Our department (gathered for a group shot with a sea lion!) works very hard to provide veterinary care for the collection and your support is appreciated. Your donations will allow us to replace some aging surgical equipment as well as provide more comfortable housing for hospitalized patients. The remote monitoring of hospitalized patients using cameras has improved our ability to assess how animals are responding to treatment without disturbing them.
Thanks again from Veterinary Services and the animals we care for!
Dr. Meg Sutherland-Smith is veterinary clinical operations manager at the San Diego Zoo.
Rain time in the Zoo is like no other. A more personable time. An event
that brings a kind of camaraderie. We are momentarily drawn together in sheltered places, speaking and laughing, grinning and smiling. My sense of environment changes. I feel somehow changed. Fresher, cleaner, with a new jump start. People and critters all focused momentarily on the liquid sunshine that slipped under the radar, …and surprise!
Gary Voyles is a visitor assistance officer at the San Diego Zoo.
Our amazing hospital staff at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park works day and night to help our critters stay healthy and happy. From routine procedures like a physical exam for one of our hummingbirds to highly involved, specialized urgent care cases such as surgery to fix a tiger’s broken leg, our vets are always there. Today they are working to help a newborn lesser kudu born with some urological issues that require surgery. Be sure to send good thoughts to the little one and our vet staff.
To thank our wonderful hospital staff for everything they do, I asked them if there was anything that they needed. After some thought, they put together a wish list of some small items they need that could have a big impact on the care they provide to our critters each and every day. You can check out our vet hospital Wish List here…
Marla Barr works in the San Diego Zoo’s Development Department.
Here are some blogs from hospital staff: A Day in the Life of a Hospital Keeper and Check Up for a Gorilla.
So, just how long has it been since you’ve been to the Wild Animal Park, hmmmm? Whether it’s been one week or years, you’re in for a real treat! We have been very, very busy upgrading the Park, geared towards better viewing and learning about all the wonderful creatures we have here. So much has been going on this past year…
The Children’s Rainforest Art Explorer program is hosted jointly by the Zoo and the SUCCESS Optimist Club and consists primarily of pediatric oncology patients and their families from Kaiser Permanente San Diego. Read Cindy’s previous blog, Saturday Morning Artists.
It was CHILLY last Saturday—did anyone notice? Rain was in the forecast and we had to decide what to do. Inside! We’ll start inside! With Sammy—he’s spectacular and the kids will love him! And off we went!
The usual suspects turned up early, but rather than venture right into the Zoo, we made our way into the Otto Center for hot chocolate, hot coffee, and some fabulous time spent drawing and feeding walnuts to Sammy, a hyacinth macaw and Children’s Zoo resident. Joe Nyiri, their art instructor, encourages the kids to completely finish their work, adding in backgrounds and details, and reminds them to sign their work. Once finished, the portraits are photographed for the Children’s Rainforest Art Explorer Web site, to be turned into mosaics and stained-glass window designs for Kaiser Permanente’s Zion Road hospital, as well as mugs, tiles, and holiday cards. Some of the children are even uploading art they’ve been doing from home—or the hospital. And it’s spectacular!
The second Saturday of every month, a small group of regulars meets in front of the San Diego Zoo e-a-r-l-y in the morning. Deborah takes roll call as young people arrive and Dian checks in with their parents. Dan is there with a smile and a hearty hello. And Deirdre and I greet them, gather them up, and head off into the Zoo to meet up with Joe.
This isn’t just any group of regulars, though. They are participants in the Children’s Rainforest Art Explorer program, hosted jointly by the Zoo and the SUCCESS Optimist Club and consisting primarily of pediatric oncology patients and their families from Kaiser Permanente San Diego.
The Education Department’s sleepover program at the Wild Animal Park—appropriately called Night Owls—is drawing to a close for another season. While the program means late nights (‘til 11 p.m.) and early mornings (starting as early as 5:30 a.m.) for educators, it’s also one of our favorite programs.
Night Owls is designed for school children in grades 3-6, so each year features a theme that’s age-appropriate and that supplements the teachers’ curriculum for that grade level. This year, the theme was “Adaptations.” As the school groups arrive, we load their luggage into vans, then take the students on a private Wgasa Bush Line Railway tour. After the tour, we get the students and their chaperones settled into their tents, give each of them an official Night Owls glow-in-the-dark T-shirt, then everyone enjoys a yummy barbecue together. After dinner, groups are rotated between three stations: at one, they engage in active outdoor games developed around the lesson plan. At another, students learn more about the chosen subject matter, then complete a related craft. Finally, the campers see for themselves how useful adaptations are as they meet some ambassador animals up close.
San Diego Zoo Bornean orangutan Janey is an artist extraordinaire. She loves to paint and she has created several one-of-a-kind masterpieces which Zoo guests and visitors to the Zoo’s Web site may have a chance to own by placing a bid in a silent auction for conservation.
