ZooToDo

By: Shakiria Wheat

A safe zone for animals

There are about 6,000 species of

amphibians in the world. Half of them are
threatened with extinction, Jessi Krebs
says, the curator of reptiles and amphibians
at the Omaha zoo.
Krebs says the amphibian conservation
center is the largest facility of its kind in
North America.
Its a bio-secure facility where we
are trying to prevent unknown germs or
pathogens transmitting from animal to
animal, Krebs says.
According to Krebs, one of the main ways
germs and pathogens spread to amphibians
is through water. One of the deadliest is a
type of chytrid fungus that clogs their skin.
To prevent the spread of germs, animals
are kept in separate containers inside 12
different rooms.
So the keepers actually scrub in and
scrub out. Nothing comes in or out of these
rooms without being decontaminated.
The water is also treated before its used in
the conservation area. Krebs says the water
must be purified and perfected to avoid
further contaminating the conservation area.
The water is also bleached for 12 hours after
its used and flushed down the drain.
Krebs says the amphibian conservation
center at Omahas Henry Doorly Zoo and
Aquarium is a collaborative effort with zoos
across the world to keep animals alive.
The more zoos you have participating,
the more space you have. The more space
you have, the more species you can help
maintain.

Bald Eagle makes its zoo debut

The first bald eagle to land at Baltimores

zoo in a decade is finishing a mandatory
quarantine and preparing to meet visitors for
the first time later this month. But first, the
female bald eagle needs a name. Zoo keepers
at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore have come
up with five possibilities and want the publics
help picking one through an online poll.
The eagle, which came from the National
Aviary in Pittsburgh, currently has just a
species name Haliaeetus leucocephalus,
which in Latin means
sea eagle with white
head. She needs
something
a
bit
zippier, zoo officials
say.
Theyve come up
with several options:
Scout, (for the Eagle
Scouts) Sioux (to
honor Native Americans), Migisi (Chippewa
for eagle), Annie (for Annie Oakley) and
Vega, (a summer star once known as the
Swooping Eagle.)
Generally, if an animal is moving from
one zoo to another, they might already come
with a name, said Jane Ballentine, a zoo
spokeswoman. For some reason this eagle
did not.
The zoo in Druid Hill Park, one of the oldest
in the U.S., last had eagles on display in 2004,
when the Main Valley section was closed to
the public for use in holding and breeding.
An eagle remained there, but not on display,
until 2007, said Jen Kottyan, the zoos avian
collection and conservation manager.

The zoos newest resident, joining more

than 1,500 animals, was found emaciated on
the side of a road in North Carolina in June
2009. The Carolina Raptor Center nursed her
back to health over four months and released
her, but recovered her again two days later
with a wing injury. She was deemed nonreleasable.
We are very excited to have this species at
the zoo again, which will give us the opportunity
to generate awareness on conservation of
these beautiful birds,
Kottyan said.
Bald eagles were
removed from the
endangered species
list in 2007 but
still are federally
protected and face
challenges in the
wild, Kottyan said.
The bird is about 5 years old, Kottyan
said, too young to have developed the
completely white head that distinguishes the
bald eagle from other large birds. She has
been quarantined for about a week, which is
the protocol for animals moving from one
zoo to another. During a typically 30-day
period, staff observe animals as they become
acclimated to the new environment.
Zoo officials hope shes given a clean bill
of health by late July.
Shes doing really, really well, Kottyan
said. Shes adjusted well. Shes eating great,
and we havent seen any health problems at
all. She is very calm, which is great for us.

Christmas is coming to local zoo

John Ball Zoo will re-open for one day this season to celebrate Christmas with the animals!
The event is on Saturday, December 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come see Santa and his reindeer,
animal demonstrations, and watch the animals get gifts and treats. The event is free with the
donation of an animal enrichment item. View the zoos wish list here.
While youre at the zoo, check some items off your Christmas list with a stop at the Gifts
of the Wild gift shop. There is something for every animal lover from stuffed animals of ever
size to ornaments, t-shirts, and authentic items from Africa. All proceeds from the gift shop
go right back to John Ball Zoo.
Gifts of the Wild will be open for three special days for holiday shopping or by appointment.
Call (616) 336-4327.

Zoo creates new attraction for children

T
he first of 3 million smiles climbed,
slid and swung at Stone Zoo last Saturday in
celebration of the opening of the zoos new
playground, the beautiful and fun result of
hard work and a cooperative spirit.
Zoo New England President and CEO John
Linehan explained that building a new, state of
the art playground at the Stone Zoo has truly
been a community event.
It was very inspirational to see so many
people on board. Everyone really came
together to make this a very complete and
positive experience, and obviously a great
product at the end.
The dedication of all involved, from the
youngest designers to the most experienced
builders, gave life to a project that will
benefit zoo visitors for years to come. The old
playground, which was nearing 20 years old,
was past its prime, Linehan said, adding that
without a safe space for kids to play, the zoo
would be neglecting an important aspect of the
zoo experience - that of providing a physical
outlet for play as well as helping kids navigate
the interpersonal skills typically developed on
the playground.
Back in September, the Stone Zoo invited
kids to come and draw their best playgrounds.
The kids loved putting playgrounds in their
imagination to paper, and Stone Zoo had the
beginnings of its new playground design.

They were great imagineers, Linehan

said. Their drawings inspired us what to
look for in a playground and the kids had a
great time doing it. As one could guess, some
designs were more fantastical than others.
Dave Porter, Chairman of Zoo New England
Board of Directors and managing partner
of Baystate Financial, was instrumental in
bringing KaBoom!, a national organization
that helps communities build fun and safe
playgrounds, to Stone Zoo to spearhead the
project. A grant from Met Life made the
project a financial possibility, and from there
community businesses and groups jumped on
board to make the new playground a reality.
Volunteers and donations of all kinds came
from Stone Zoo, USS Constitution, Hanscom
Air Force Base, StonehamBank, Boyds Direct,
Stoneham Rotary, Keurig Green Mountain,
GlaxoSmith Kline, Stoneham Ford, UTZ
Chips, Dockside (Wakefield), Dunkin Donuts,
MWRA, Papa Ginos (Stoneham), Policaris,
and Wilson Farm.
Reconstruction work was done in record
time between kids designs and construction
including dismantling and removing the old
playground structures, digging holes, and
spreading mulch. When Build Day arrived
on October 31, over 200 volunteers come
together to construct the playground as well as
benches and planters.
Linehan called the logistical challenge of all

On to a new life

You only have about a week to say your

goodbyes to Bob the orangutan at The
Greenville Zoo.
Bob is heading out West to start his own
family, which is hard for many of his fans to
believe, because Bob hasnt even reached his
8th birthday.
Its kind of sad, because weve seen him a
few times. This is our third time seeing Bob,
Connecticut resident Karyn Turner said.
After next week, Turner and others will
have to head out to the Oregon Zoo in Portland
if they want to see Bob again.
Hes going to be matched up with a
female from Cleveland Zooshes called
KitraShes twelve, so, older woman,
said Greenville Zoo General Curator Keith
Gilchrist.
Bob is only 7 years old, but Gilchrist said
Bob, whos an endangered species, is ready
to leave his mother and fatherChelsea and
Mia.
Typically, in the wild, Bob wouldve left

this is KaBoom!s expertise, and was amazing

at keeping everyone busy and productive
during the project building.
It was a lot of fun despite the hard work.
We had a great group of people, a great espirit
de corps.
Saturdays opening was a source of pride
for all involved.
Its a great example of what a community
of people can do when they come together.
If you assume the new playground has
a typical playground life span, Linehan
calculated that it will produce over 3 million
kids smiles in the years to come.
Its amazing. Its not easy to make 3
million kids mile.

Chelsea and Mia here and gone off on his

own, into the jungle to find his own mate.
So, thats really kinda something this move is
replicating, said Gilchrist.
But, Gilchrist said Bobs parents are ready
for him to move out, too.
On a regular basis, Bob and Mia are
roughhousing. And as Bob grows older,
he gets a little bit bolder, as well, which is
another good reason for him to move on;
now, said Gilchrist.
Gilchrist said Chelsea and Mia, who
are both in their mid-20s, will remain in
Greenville and could live through their late50s.
Turner said she still remembers Bob as a
newborn, back in 2006.
His dad was like always up against the
glass, like hunched over, and he would come
running throughit was cute Turner said.
The Greenville Zoo staff is throwing Bob
a going away party and youre invited. The
party is this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
at the zoo. There will be cake, banners, and
Bob will be given a model airplane.