Animal Enrichment Day!

By Brooke Coe, Education Specialist & AAZK Member

Have you ever seen the tiger cub stalk a frozen shrimp pop or watched a giraffe use its 18 inch-long tongue to scoop fruit treats from an enrichment tube? How about ground hornbills chasing crickets? Now is your chance to take an active role in a zoo animal’s enrichment!

Why do we do this? Enrichment is an item or activity that is not part of the “routine” of an animal. It is something used to get them up and active, stimulate natural behaviors that you would see out in the wild, stretch their cognitive abilities, and simply to give the animals something new and fun to do! It is extremely beneficial for the livelihood and well-being of animals in captivity and contributes to longer, happy lives. Every animal in the Zoo is enriched, and zookeepers are constantly coming up with new, creative ideas for the zoo residents.

On Saturday, September 25th from 10 am to 2 pm, the Sacramento Zoo’s American Association of Zookeepers, Greater Sacramnto AAZK, will be hosting an enrichment day! It is an opportunity for the visitors to purchase pre-made enrichment items for animals throughout the zoo, and the guests get to watch as the animal eats, plays with, or destroys that item right then.

Visit our table a the front of the Zoo and see a wide range of enrichments to choose from, and also a variety of different animals to enrich! The proceeds from this event will be used to benefit your local AAZK chapter and also the Conservation Committee, which sponsors numerous local and world-wide conservation organizations such as Snow Leopard Trust and the Riparian Brush Rabbit Project. Come out and join us in enriching your favorite Zoo animal!

Molly the Snow Leopard - Update

By Jaime Wilson, Zoo Blog Keeper

Recently our Membership Coordinator was visiting the Central Park Zoo and captured this picture of the Snow leopard Molly. Molly was born at the Sacramento Zoo back in 2006. Her mom Shanti is still on exhibit here in Sacramento.

Molly, Central Park Zoo, August 2010
Molly & Shanti, Sacramento Zoo, December 2006
Molly & Shanti, Sacramento Zoo, August 2006

Update on Sydney the Black Jaguar

By Jaime Wilson, Zoo Blog Keeper

Many of you probably remember the very striking black Jaguar Sydney, that lived at the Zoo years ago. He went to a great home at the Little Rock Zoo and turned 21 years old on July 26th!

The carnivore keepers threw him a great birthday party in his exhibit to celebrate the special day. Huge thanks to Debbie Thompson and Kate Barszczowski for taking and sharing the pictures with us.

It warms our heart to see one of the animals we cared for doing so well in his new home. Thanks Little Rock Zoo!

Our Tigers at Jackson Zoo

By Jaime Wilson, Zoo Blog Keeper

Do you remember these little guys?

Three Sumatran tiger cubs were born at the Sacramento Zoo in November 2006. Staff and visitors enjoyed watching the three boys grow up for two years until they were sent to the Jackson Zoo to start their new lives and grown into adulthood.

Here are some pictures of them in their exhibit at the Jackson Zoo. Can you believe how big they are? We are like proud parents and so happy that they are doing well!

Three Little Piggies on Exhibit

Lauren Kraft, Public Relations Coordinator

A first in the Sacramento Zoo’s 83-year history, the Zoo welcomed three newborn Red river hogs on the morning of July 16, 2010. Now a little over one-week old they are out exploring the exhibit with their mom and dad.

“As a first time mom, Daisy has gone above our expectations giving excellent care for the piglets,” said Lindsey Moseanko. “All three youngsters are showing their different personality traits. Jovian is very sociable; Flint, the runt, is a momma’s boy; and Chloe is very quick on her toes,” Moseanko said.

Come out and catch a glimpse of the three little piggies on exhibit with their mom!

Buster's Finally Back

There's something comforting about the way seasons march through in a similar manner. After nine years living up the lake, we kind of know what to expect. Each spring and summer I look forward to the return of our animal and bird friends. Will they be early? Will they be late? The weather has a lot to do with it. This year we had a cold spring and late start to summer. Plants, bugs and birds were a bit late in arriving. The same for Buster.

Buster is our name for the garter snake who comes to our cabin each year. I'm not sure if it's Buster himself, Son of Buster or Buster the III, but every year there's one garter snake that hangs around our float cabin. Just after I saw Buster for the first time last week, I saw a huge bullfrog polliwog. Every animal must have a food source, and frogs are Buster's #1 choice. Garter snakes also eat worms, fish, small birds and rodents.

Buster likes to sun himself on our transition float to shore or my garden float. He is so "tame" you can walk within a few feet, at least when he is lulled to sleep by the warm sun. Garter snakes are common non-venomous snakes in Canada and the U.S. They have yellow stripes on a brown body and grow to 1.5 metres (3.5 ft) in length. They like to live near water and are semi-aquatic. Buster often swims in our natural swimming pool or across our front "water" yard. His body undulates from side to side, propelling him gracefully through the water with his head held high.

Garter snakes have to be careful of large fish, bull frogs, hawks, skunks, foxes and John's dog Bro or they may become dinner rather than the diner. Buster is a welcome addition to our float cabin life. He helps us keep mice under control and gives us lots of viewing pleasure. -- Margy

Zoo Treks - A Hippo in the Garden?

By Mary Healy, Zoo Director

“Excuse me for interrupting your dinner, but there is a hippo in the garden.” Thankfully I was not at home when my dinner partners and I were given this message. We were in Botswana in the middle of our 16-day African excursion that started in Cape Town and ended at Victoria Falls in Zambia.

The Sacramento Zoo offers a variety of trips from time to time. Previous venues have included Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands. The itinerary for this trip was developed by Classic Escapes and I served as the tour leader. Starting in Cape Town was especially exciting this year as the whole country geared up for the World Cup. Who knew that those silly horns sold in every airport gift shop would prove to be so obnoxious?

Highlights in Cape Town were the Black foot penguins at Boulders Beach and driving the beautiful highway along the Cape of Good Hope. We left Cape Town for the wilds of Botswana where we stayed in luxury tented camps. It is hard to single out the top animal experience but being in a small motor boat sharing the river with elephant and hippos is pretty near the top of the list.

From Botswana we flew to Namibia for two nights before finishing up in Zambia. Our last camp was a glorious finale. We awakened in the morning seeing the mist from the Zambezi River before embarking on a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls.

Spur-thighed Tortoise, Back on Exhibit!

By Jaime Wilson, Zoo Blog Keeper

The Spur-thighed tortoises were off exhibit while the new Tall Wonders giraffe habitat was being built. Their new area, just below the raised viewing deck, is now finished! You can see them if you look over the edge of the railing.

New Flamingos, Part 3: Quarantine & Going on Exhibit!

By Zoo Keepers Amanda, Christine & Leslie

Have you ever wondered how zoo animals were transported? Read along to hear of the keepers adventures as they prepared the transportation vehicle, picked up 10 flamingos, and introduced them to their new home. Read "New Flamingos, Part 1: Transportation" and "New Flamingos, Part 2: Picking up the Birds!" to find out where we started.

Part 3: Quarantine & Going on Exhibit!
All the birds did very well on the drive which was great! Offloading the birds into quarantine was the next step. Two keepers entered the back of the van through our shade cloth “door” and as each bird was caught, they were handed one at a time to our vet staff. Every bird was weighed and basic condition checked as well as bands and other identifiers. The group then entered our quarantine area in our hospital to start their 30-day stay. Every animal that comes into the zoo must go through a quarantine period where we do fecal testing and a physical exam during this time to make sure they are healthy and pose no health threat to our resident flock.

Fourteen Animal Care staff as well as Veterinary staff convened in quarantine for the final leg of the new flamingos to our exhibit. As each bird was caught, the birds were weighed, quick once-over, identifiers checked and off to lake they went. One bird per keeper plus an extra keeper tagged along for the walk (in case someone needed help). It’s not that the birds weigh very much (only 6 – 11 lbs) but they can bite (pinch really) if you don’t loosely hold the neck and be very wiggly as they kick and protest about being held.



Once at the lake exhibit, the group was let go on the lawn area inside the exhibit and off they went! It wasn’t long before the San Diego birds were integrated with our resident flamingos.

Thanks for joining us in the journey of 10 flamingos from San Diego!

New Flamingos, Part 2: Picking up the Birds!

By Zoo Keepers Amanda & Christine

Have you ever wondered how zoo animals were transported? Read along to hear of the keepers adventures as they prepared the transportation vehicle, picked up 10 flamingos, and introduced them to their new home. Read "New Flamingos, Part 1: Transportation" to find out where we started.

Part 2: Picking up the Birds!
We continue the journey with more communication and collaboration between the Sacramento Zoo and the San Diego Zoo and Sea World! The zoo keepers spent hours speaking with the San Diego Zoo staff in order to coordinate last minute details regarding loading and transport. Preparations over the past few weeks for paperwork, transfer of records were finished. We also spoke to their flamingo keepers to understand how they took care of the flamingo since they were fed in a slightly different manner with a different type of food than the Sacramento Zoo uses.

The morning finally came and off we drove with food (for us), phones, and lots of CDs to keep us entertained along the way. After resting in a hotel overnight, we arrived at the San Diego Zoo veterinary hospital at 6:30 am ready to go. Working alongside their keeper staff we gave each bird a quick physical exam, weighed them and made sure their leg bands were taped up. Flamingo legs are thin and fragile and can be injured by the band if they fall. With the leg bands held in place, it is one less thing that could hurt them.


The two Red-breasted geese from Sea World arrived outside the zoo gates to meet us. Thanks Sea World staff!

In case of injuries along the way, we had in the van a bird first aid kit that included gauze, hemostats, quick stop, and vet wrap to use for any injuries or broken blood feathers. Last but not least, a spray bottle with water to cool off the birds if they become stressed.


Loaded and ready to go with two geese in crates, and ten flamingos in our specially designed pens, we headed out at 7:30 am. We carefully drove back to Sacramento through the wind and rain, stopping only once for gas and food.

In case there was a bird medical emergency, we had zoos along the way notified that we were driving north in case we needed their help. While one of us drove the other periodically peaked into the flamingo pens to make sure all the birds were doing well. During the trip the Red breasted geese would call out and one of the flamingos would respond every time. It makes for a different kind of drive!

Stay tuned for the next installment: Part 3, Quarantine & Going on Exhibit!

We even had a little time the night before to see the sights!

New Flamingos, Part 1: Transportation

By Zoo Keepers Amanda & Christine

Have you ever wondered how zoo animals were transported? The Sacramento Zoo recently sent two bird keepers to pick up ten flamingos and two geese from the San Diego Zoo and Sea World San Diego. The entire process takes a lot of coordination from both facilities and careful planning along the way.

Read along to hear of the keepers adventures as they prepared the transportation vehicle, picked up the flamingos, and introduced them to their new home.

Part 1: Transportation!
We rented a large Ryder metro van to transport the birds. The van had to be large enough to make sure the flamingos could comfortably stand and move around slightly during the drive back to Sacramento. As you probably know, the inside of these types of vans are not exactly flamingo friendly! There are holes in the walls, wheel wells to trip over and no padding.

The solution was to make holding pens framed with 2 x 4’s that would corral the birds away from cover all the unsafe portions of the van. Thank goodness for our Maintenance crew! We added bubble wrap around each piece of wood and stretched shade cloth between the studs to complete the “safe” walls. In combination, this makes for a nice cushion in case a bird fell against the sides during the drive.

An extra holding pen was also created in case a flamingo needed to be separated from the others. Finally, the floor of the van was covered with horse mats and hay to cushion their feet and add traction so the birds wouldn’t slip and fall during transport.

Most other birds and animals are easy to transport because you can place them in a crate or kennel. But flamingos are more commonly transported free standing. Finding a crate large enough to fit a standing flamingo is difficult. And making them sit or lay down for a long period of time increases their chance of stress and injury as they are a naturally standing and not a sitting bird.

Flamingos are very fragile and a lot of time, planning, and coordination was put into their pick up vehicle. We haven’t even gotten the birds yet!

Stay tuned for our next installment: Part 2, Picking up the Birds!

Hoot Hoot – Baby Owls

By Lauren Kraft, Public Relations Coordinator

Seven pairs of wide-set eyes blink excitedly, as the chicks huddle together awaiting their father’s return with dinner.

The new Burrowing owl parents are extra busy this month tending to the seven chicks that hatched in the beginning of April. They are getting triple their daily diet to feed all their babies and are staying close to the nest box. Zoo keepers checked in on the nest box a few weeks after they first noticed the male owl acting extra protective of the nest, and the keepers were excited to see seven chicks peering up at them. All seven chicks are growing fast and are doing well.

The Burrowing owls’ aviary is part of the Zoo’s Backyard, a California native garden which shines a spotlight on the rich biodiversity that exists in our local habitats. Burrowing owls are funny little creatures with long legs and big eyes that prefer to stand around on the ground and hunt at dawn and dusk. The burrowing owl population is considered at risk in California because of habitat degradation and destruction.

The three adult Burrowing owls where brought to Sacramento Zoo due to injuries that prohibit them from being reintroduced in the wild. The seven chicks will soon be running all around their aviary this May.

New birds on Lake Victoria

By Jaime Wilson, Zoo Blog Keeper

The next time you are at the Zoo take a moment and look out on Lake Victoria. Really look. There is an amazing collection of native and rare water fowl including the very popular Flamingos. Recently the Zoo has added a few new species at are easy to spot. Hooded mergansers with their head plumes, Cinnamon teals and their striking red color, and Northern pintails with their contrasting dark and light feathers.

Hooded merganser

Northern pintail
Cinnamon teal

Happy Easter!

Received via e-mail - original photographer?

Tiger Cub, Day 14 - Eyes Are Open

Our Sumatran tiger cub’s eyes are now open and, as our vets have noted, "is starting to more forcefully assert her personality!" She is continuing to gain weight, but over the last couple days has seemed less interested in the supplemental feedings that we offered her. With a “full" feel to her abdomen each time we picked her up, the cub was hesitant to gulp down formula from the bottle (like she did when we first started to offer one), and carnivore keepers are pretty sure that they may have caught a glimpse of the cub nursing as mom reclined inside her nest box.

As a result, we decided not to offer her multiple bottles of formula yesterday, and she still gained weight overnight, indicating that her nutritional needs are better met by her mother's milk now. The cub is still small, but is gaining weight at a rate similar to her brothers' (who were born here at Sacramento Zoo in 2006). For now, we will continue to weigh her daily to make sure she's getting everything she needs from her mother, and we hope not to have to supplement her diet any further.

Tiger Cub, Day 13 - Vet Update

by Dr. Scott Larsen, Associate Veterinarian

Our tiger cub continues to grow. With the supplemental feedings, she is putting on weight and is getting closer to what we would expect for a Sumatran tiger that is 13 days old. While mom, Baha, is in a separate den for treats and training, animal care staff and veterinarians hold the baby and offer a bottle. With a cub, we must be careful to hold the baby in a sternal (legs down) position, while the baby’s head is tilted upward. There is a natural tendency to hold the baby on its back – like a human infant – but nursing on the back is not a normal position for a baby tiger.

As soon as the cub is done eating, we briefly stimulate the cub to defecate and urinate, like Baha does after the cub has nursed from her (except that we use a warm washcloth)……then the baby is put back in the nest box, in the same place that we found her. Each supplemental feeding episode takes just a few minutes and, so far, Baha has been very tolerant of all of our activity with her and her cub. We’ll continue to monitor both of them closely and take things day by day.

Tiger Cub, Day 8 - Bottle Feedings

by Harrison Edell, General Curator

While the birth of our newest Sumatran tiger cub has been very exciting, her first week has also proven challenging. During her first exam (on Day 1) she appeared quite healthy. Over the next days, health checks showed she had gained little weight since birth, prompting the Zoo staff to supplement the milk she's receiving from Bahagia. The veterinarians and Zoo keepers are offering her formula by bottle a few times a day, then returning the cub to the den box for Baha to inspect and clean her. The hope is that the cub will get the nutritional boost she needs from supplemental feeding, while remaining under the nurturing care of her mother.

The cub is wrapped in a towel during the feeding to keep her warm.

Article in the Sacramento Bee
Sacramento Zoo officials keep fingers crossed for Sumatran tiger cub
http://is.gd/aYYoJ

Tiger Cub, Day 2 - It's a Girl!

by Lauren Kraft, Public Relations Coordinator

The Sacramento Zoo reports the birth of a Sumatran tiger cub, born on Thursday, March 18, 2010. This is the second litter for Bahagia, the female and Castro, the male; their first litter of three male cubs was born in November 2006. Bahagia and baby appear healthy at this early point in the baby’s life; the Zoo is hopeful the cub will continue to thrive.

Tiger cubs are about two pounds (1 Kg) at birth, born with eyes closed and rely entirely on their mother for the first three months. Mother and baby will be inside the den, away from public view, while the baby gains strength and coordination. Castro, the male, will be on exhibit daily.

The young cub had a quick veterinary exam early this morning and the vets confirmed - it's a girl!

Read the full press release here.

From the Kitchen - What Hogs Eat

By Leslie Field & Susan Healy, Animal Care

The World is My Oyster

Truly, this should be the slogan for Red river hogs (and other swine in general)! Pigs are amazing creatures that use their tusks and powerful bodies to root in the ground for all sorts of food items. They aren’t too picky when it comes to eating and are very opportunistic. Despite the common myths, swine are no dirtier than any other animal. They sleep during the day in an excavated hollow or under foliage to keep cool and away from biting insects and predators, and forage at night for food as they travel.

In the wild, they eat roots, fruit, seeds, nuts, grasses, fungi, insects, worms, reptiles, carrion and small animals. Red river hogs also swim and forage for water plants. These animals have even been known to follow chimpanzee groups and eat the fruit left behind by the chimps. No opportunity is missed!

At the Zoo however, foraging opportunities are less available so all the hogs have a nutritious pig chow and fresh produce such as apples, yams, carrots and celery. In addition, food enrichments (as seen in the last photo below) provide a great deal of entertainment and rarity to their daily routine and diet.

So when you see the hogs, think about the wide breadth of their palate (I wish my children were less-picky like the hogs) and you will appreciate their eating habits.

Giant Anteater Confirmed Pregnant

By Lauren Kraft, Media Relations Coordinator

The Sacramento Zoo confirms pregnancy of its female Giant anteater, Amber. The ultrasound was performed in the Zoo’s Dr. Murray E. Fowler Veterinary Hospital this morning. The anteater also received a full exam and is in good health. Her due date is estimated to be early April. This will be the first Giant anteater baby born at the Sacramento Zoo.

The Sacramento Zoo started exhibiting anteaters in 2004. Amber arrived in March 2009. Zoo keepers observed breeding behavior in May and again in September and October and a full exam and ultrasound was then scheduled.

After a gestation period of 180 days, the mother gives birth standing up to a single offspring (two is rare). In the wild, Giant anteaters are solitary and the male is not involved in caring for the baby. That leaves the mother to do the heavy lifting, literally. Once the newborn lets out the first high-pitched screech, baby anteaters climb on their mother’s back and many will ride there for up to a year. A mature anteater can weigh as much as 140 pounds and stretch as much as seven feet from snout to tail tip.