Borrowed by Browse
Posted at 11:12 am January 30, 2006 by Patti TurkleOne of the benefits of being an employee of the Zoological Society of San Diego is the ability to apply for " in-house" loans. The Society's loan program allows current employees to work in another department for a while and then return to their regular job without loss of status. It's a great way to gain experience in another area and see what someone else's job is really like. Last November I applied for and was selected to help out as a gardener on the Browse Team.
The Browse Team is responsible for growing and harvesting various plants to use as dietary supplements for certain animal residents. Many of the plants are found right on San Diego Zoo or Wild Animal Park grounds, but certain species are grown at our off-site browse farm or harvested from multiple locations around San Diego County. My job would be to help harvest eucalyptus for the koalas and plant new saplings to replace trees that had died. Browse gardeners typically start their day at 5:30 am. For me, that meant getting up at 4 a.m. every morning and dressing in layers to stay warm. It was quite an adjustment from my regular tour bus schedule.
That first day, I helped box up ficus branches for shipment to the Cincinnati Zoo. The fresh supply and variety of ficus species helps keep their Sumatran rhinos in prime condition and has contributed to their breeding success in Cincinnati.
Packing the boxes is dusty, sticky work. I wore a mask and coveralls to keep the latex sap from staining my uniform. Using hand snips and loppers, three of us trimmed the branches to fit in the cardboard florist boxes. Each box weighed about 40 pounds (18 kilograms) when filled and was taped shut securely. When wet from rain, the branches are placed in plastic bags before going in the boxes to keep the cardboard intact. We're currently shipping 54 boxes a week. That's an increase of 30% from a few months ago. The young female in Cincinnati is getting bigger and her appetite is increasing with her size. It's very satisfying to realize that our hard work is benefiting these unique and endangered animals.
Patti Turkle is a bus driver/guide at the San Diego Zoo.
Here's more information about our plants and gardens.
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January 30th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
This is a great little bite of information about an area that not a lot of people are aware of! The article is informative, to the point, and easy to understand for any reader!
January 31st, 2006 at 7:16 am
Thank you for helping the rhino in my former home town of Cincinnati. The zoo there tries very hard to provide the animals with natural and comfortable living situations. I did not realize that other zoos collaborated in this effort. It is interesting to know that there is a network of zoos all working toward similar goals - keeping the animals healthy and content. Again, thank you for your work.
February 1st, 2006 at 6:15 pm
Did you know you can watch our " baby" girl on the web? I live in Cincinnati, and love our zoo, but I mostly watch her the same way I do the Pandas… on my computer. She has grown, and since they've been weaning her, she's not always in with her mother. I'm glad to know our zoos communicate and help each other.