Archive for the ‘Conservation’ Category

Jun
18

Houston, We Have Legs!

Posted by in Amphibians,Behind the Scenes,Conservation

In the last blog post, we discussed how egg and tadpole development can be broken down into various stages, called Gosner stages. The stages start with the fertilization of the egg (Gosner stage 1) and extend to Gosner stage 46, which is when the baby toad (also called an emergent) absorbs all of its tadpole tail.

emergent-with-tailLate last week, one of our tadpole tanks reached the developmental stage that we have been carefully monitoring for – Gosner 42! Gosner 42 is a really important time point in metamorphosis in which the tadpole starts to develop lungs. This means that the tadpole will soon give up its aquatic lifestyle for a new life on land.

We know that tadpoles are reaching this critical time point because they start to grow their front limbs. Did you know that both limbs don’t “sprout” at the same time? While we are monitoring for Gosner 42 stage tadpoles, it is not uncommon for us to see tadpoles swimming around with three legs!

Once one front leg is observable on a tadpole, we carefully collect it from the tank with a net and transfer it to a tank with shallow water and moss. This setup allows the tadpole access to both water and land as it finishes transitioning from gills to lungs.

As of today, we have 19 emergents from our first round of breeding several weeks ago. Several of these little guys still have some of their tail remaining, while others look just like tiny toads! Each emergent weighs less than a gram. It is hard to imagine that in a year they will weigh from 20 to 50 grams!

emergents

We are currently also caring for 47 tiny little toads that were head-started by our collaborators at Texas State University. These little toads are from egg strands collected around the Bastrop area and are the first wild toads to be brought into the facility since 2010. These toads will hopefully add “new genetics” to our captive colony, which is important so that we can maintain high genetic diversity in the eggs, larva, and toads that we release back into the wild in the coming years.

Stay tuned as we post more updates our newest additions!

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Jun
07

Top 5 Reasons to Attend Bowling for Rhinos

Posted by in African Forest,Conservation,Endangered Species

Written by:  Memory Mays and Tim Junker

I should start by saying there are many more than 5 reasons to go to this year’s Bowling For Rhinos held by the Greater Houston Chapter AAZK.  Not only will there be bowling, but there will also be a silent auction, raffle, free giveaways, and food. All of these things will make it a fun evening, but they are not part of this top five list. No. Those top five spots have been reserved for the last 5 species of rhinos, all of whom are endangered. Let’s go through this list to learn more about rhinos.

  1. The Javan Rhino- This specie is one of three Asian species of rhinos. Right now, there are only 40-50 Javan Rhinos left in the world. They are also called the Lesser One-Horned Rhino because they do, in fact, only have one horn.
  2. The Sumatran Rhino- Estimated to only have about 100 individuals left, this specie originates from Asia. It most closely resembles the extinct Wooly rhino because of the hair that covers their bodies. In the past century, only 4 Sumatran rhinos have been born in captivity.
  3. The Indian Rhino- Also called the Greater One-Horned Rhino. This specie is the only one of the Asian rhinos where conservation has made a noticeable difference. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were less than 200 individuals. However, today they number at about 3,333 rhinos which is still considered a very small number.
  4. The Black Rhino- Numbered at 4,880 individuals, the Black rhino is the more endangered rhino specie in Africa. This number has seen a dramatic decline since 1960 where they were estimated to have 60,000 individuals.
  5. The White Rhino- White Rhinos have the highest population numbers of the 5 rhino species. Currently there are about 20,405 white rhinos. The White rhino is the 2nd largest land mammal and can weigh up to 5,000 pounds! We have three representatives housed at the Houston Zoo who are named Sibindi, Lynne, and Annie Kamariah.

I guess after doing some math I should say that there are at least 28,768 reasons to go to this year’s BFR since every individual rhino has an important part to play in rhino conservation. If you would also like to play a part in rhino conservation and have some fun while doing it, visit www.houstonzoo.org/bowling-for-rhinos to learn more about how you can participate in this year’s Bowling For Rhinos.

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Jun
05

Critically Endangered Turtles hatched AGAIN!

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Births and Arrivals - New Animals!,Conservation,Zoo News

Picture taken by Beth Moorehead

You may remember that on March 5th, we discovered during a physical examination on our Madagascar big-headed turtles that 2 of our females had eggs!  Since the ground was still too cold for the eggs to be able to develop, we induced the females to lay their eggs in the safety of our clinic.  The two females laid a total of 33 eggs!  We have taken those eggs and put them in incubators behind the scenes of our Reptile house.

We are proud to announce that on May 18th and 19th, three Madagascar big-headed turtles have hatched!  Unfortunately, the rest of the eggs proved to be infertile which is common in young female turtles that have just reached maturity.  The hatchlings will be kept behind the scenes until they are big enough to be on exhibit.  Meanwhile, you can see their older siblings that hatched last September 15th, on exhibit inside the reptile house.

Remember to keep a lookout in our lemur exhibit for any nesting activity by our adult big-headed turtles.  When you are looking at the left bank of the lemur island, look for the special area keepers have made with a mixture of sand and dirt to make it easier for the turtles to dig in.  This is where last year’s hatchlings emerged – and we are very eager to have a repeat clutch of eggs laid in the very same spot!

To learn about conservation efforts in the wild, visit the Turtle Survival Alliance webpage.

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Jun
03

13 Sea Turtles Released into the Wild, 1 from the Houston Zoo Aquarium

Posted by in Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Zoo News

It was a terrible day to have forgotten sunscreen. Galveston bay was calm, the beach was empty, but it was still a terrible day to have forgotten sunscreen…

However, for 13 sea turtles it was a great day(They don’t need sunscreen, but that’s not why). On Friday, May 31, with much help from the NOAA sea turtle folks, 13 sea turtles were returned to the wild. One of the 13 had been rehabilitated by our incredible aquarium team right here at the Houston Zoo.

Sea turtles face many dangers in the wild. Boat propellers, fishing hooks, shrimp nets, and more all pose a serious risk for the sea turtles. Of the 13 that were released, some had been caught by fisherman, some had washed up on shore, and one had a particularly interesting story unlike one we’d ever experienced.
The Houston Zoo received a call from a man who was certain that a sea turtle was living in a small pond in his neighborhood. Because sea turtles are salt water creatures, this was obviously either a big hoax, or a big problem for the turtle. Either way, we had to check it out.

After confirming that a (very sick) green sea turtle was living in the neighborhood pond, NOAA staff picked him up and brought him to the Zoo in order to fully assess his health and probability for survival. During the medical examination, it seemed that he had been subjected to the freshwater pond for a while, and the fact that he was still alive was very surprising. We think that a fisherman might have caught the turtle while fishing in the bay, brought him home to show the kids or family, and then dumped him in the local pond . We must note that we aren’t entirely sure how he ended up in a pond, but this was our best guess.
Back at the Houston Zoo, there were problems. A weak green sea turtle was desperately holding on. The outlook was bleak, but Dr. Joe Flanagan had a plan. He began by adjusting the salinity of the sea turtle’s water to match the blood plasma of that turtle. In doing this, Dr. Joe had established a baseline salinity to work from. By slowly increasing the salinity over a long period of time, he was able to incrementally bring the sea turtle back to a healthy measure of salt water. While we didn’t go as in depth as we’d like to, there was much more veterinary care that went into nursing this green sea turtle back to health.

Fast forward past recovery time, and there we were standing on the beach looking at this beautiful green sea turtle who was about to get a second chance.

We started the day with releasing the green sea turtles into Christmas Bay. Green sea turtles forage in the shallow waters of Christmas Bay. It was time to release the sea turtle from the Houston Zoo aquarium as he was now healthy, and anxious to explore the wild again. We really appreciate all the hard work that our aquarium staff put into helping him! Even some local fisherman stopped to watch the release.

After the greens were safe and back into the water, we took a short drive to the beach where the Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were to be released. This particular species eats crab and other species in the open ocean, so they are better acclimated to be released on the beach.

All 13 turtles were successfully released and looked very strong in the water. We hope that they will go on to live happy lives and create lots of sea turtle babies. Look for more sea turtle information and updates in the future!

 

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Jun
03

Raising a Houston Toad

Posted by in Amphibians,Behind the Scenes,Conservation

So what does it take to raise a Houston toad from an egg? A lot of water quality testing, algae paste, and some good ol’ fashioned TLC.

The Houston toad facility at the Houston Zoo has four sets of tadpole racks that are designed to raise eggs to tadpoles. The racks themselves are made up of four aquariums with a circulating water system that runs through a set of filters. Water quality is of upmost importance, and the water is tested for the presence of nitrogen waste products every day.  Additionally, old food and debris are removed on a regular basis. The water in each rack is replaced as needed to keep it as clean as possible.

Unlike the carnivorous adults, Houston toad tadpoles are primarily vegetarians. In the wild they eat a variety of aquatic plant matter, as well as pine pollen that falls on the pond’s surface.  Here at the zoo the tadpoles are fed algae wafers and an algae paste that is smeared on pieces of PVC (which sinks to the bottom where the tadpoles like to feed). Older tadpoles are fed pieces of sweet potato and bok choy for additional vitamins and minerals.

As the tadpoles grow, they start to show distinct physical characteristics that can be used to determine what stage of metamorphosis they are in. The characteristics have been broken down into specific developmental time points called Gosner stages.  For example, when tadpoles start to develop a mouth they are in Gosner stage 23, Gosner stage 26 is when the hind limbs start to form, and Gosner 42 when the front limbs start to form.

We carefully monitor the tadpoles when they get close to Gosner 42. It is at this point that we collect the tadpoles from the tadpole tanks and transfer them into a separate tank with shallow water and moss. Not only are the tadpoles forming their forelimbs at this point, but they are also changing from using gills to lungs; therefore, it is very important that they have a surface that they can use to crawl up and out of the water!

We monitor the little toadlets until they completely absorb their tadpole tail. Did you know that the tail is the little toad’s first meal? Yummy! Once they absorb their tail they are carefully moved to another tank designed with shallow water and lots of moss that they can hop around on. In these tanks the toadlets are fed tiny insects called springtails.  As they grow they are offered larger food items, such as baby crickets (called pinheads), fruit flies, bean beetles, and eventually crickets.

Currently, we have 6 tanks of tadpoles that we are caring for that will eventually make toads that will become members of our captive assurance colony (which means they will be parents in the future!) Our oldest tadpoles are just now growing out their back legs (Gossner 28). We’ll keep you posted on their progress!

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May
29

A Houston Toad Success Story!

Posted by in Amphibians,Conservation,Endangered Species

The past three weeks in the Houston toad facility have been a whirlwind of activity. Keepers, veterinary staff, and toads have all been racing the clock to get everything prepared to try to squeeze in a breeding event before the end of Houston toad’s normal breeding season. We are happy to announce that in all we were able to produce ~36,000 Houston toad eggs that have now been released in and around Bastrop State Park.

This marks the first release of eggs from the Houston toad facility. Generally, the survivorship of eggs in the wild is quite low, around 0.01%! However, our collaborators at Texas State University placed the egg strands inside wire cages, termed “predator excluder devices,” to protect the eggs from getting eaten by birds, fish, aquatic invertebrates, and even other amphibians! The eggs will develop and hatch inside the protective wall of these cages. Eventually, the resulting larvae and tadpoles will swim through the wire mesh; however, the cage will be left in the water so the tadpoles can continue to use it as a hiding place.

A graduate researcher from Texas State University is currently monitoring the developing eggs. She has recently observed very large Houston tadpoles hanging around one of the excluder devices from the first batch of eggs released, indicating that they are working and the tadpoles are surviving!

We kept a few of the eggs in the Houston Zoo’s toad facility to grow up to “toadhood” so they can be a part of our captive assurance colony.  These little toads are the offspring of some of our oldest and most “genetically precious” toads that we have here in the facility. Two of the females and three of the males that laid eggs last week are members of the very first group of toads that were brought into the toad program in 2007. We’re so happy that these toads are getting their offspring back into the wild!

Fingers crosses that the egg strands will produce lots of little toadlets that will be chorusing at the Bastrop ponds next year!

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May
23

‘Spotlight on Species’ Chimpanzee

Posted by in African Forest,Chimpanzees,Conservation,Endangered Species,Enrichment: Keeping it Interesting,Primates

Chimpanzees are very intelligent and incredibly resourceful when in comes to creating ways to obtain their food.  Visitors to the Houston Zoo can see an example of this creativity on a daily basis during the 12:30 keeper chat. The chimpanzee exhibit has its very own termite mound replica and guests can watch the chimpanzees modify and use branches to retrieve delicious treats such as yogurt, bananas, or juice .

Lucy fishing at replica termite mound.

Chimpanzees in the wild exhibit a similar behavior by modifying branches to fish for termites. Other examples of tool use by chimpanzees in the wild include modifying branches into spears for hunting small mammals, using rocks to crack nuts, wadding leaves as sponges to soak up water, and bunching leaves and branches to make comfortable nests to sleep in at night.

When visiting the Houston Zoo chimpanzee exhibit, take a second to watch the different techniques the chimpanzees use to ‘fish’ for their treats in the termite mound.  Lucy’s favorite spot is the top of the termite mound. This is prime real estate when it is time to ‘fish.’ It is also a great spot for her to observe guests of the zoo and all their entertaining antics. She usually chews on the end of her branch in order to make it better able to soak up liquids or makes it flatter so that it can scoop more treats out of the tubes.

Willie

 

Willie, the juvenile, has his own unique technique. Instead of modifying his own branch, he usually tries to steal someone else’s already modified tool. If he doesn’t steal the tool, he may sit just next to another chimpanzee and take their delicious treat off the end of their branch before they get a chance to enjoy it.

 

 

 

Let us know your suggestions for what tasty treat to put in the chimpanzees’ termite mound, then stop by on May 25-27 for a ‘Spotlight on Species’ focusing on Chimpanzees to see what they are fishing for that day. The ‘Spotlight on Species’ will be from 10am-3pm and there will be many fun and educational activities to help visitors learn about chimpanzees. You can bring in old cell phones for recycling in exchange for a chimpanzee conservation bracelet. Meet the primate keepers who care for the Houston Zoo’s chimpanzees at 12:30 and 2:30 during a keeper chat.

May
07

Home Sweet Home

Posted by in Amphibians,Conservation

Inspecting a toad before weighing

Last week we were happy to announce that the Leon county toads, a group of toads that had been housed at the Houston Zoo’s toad facility since 2010, had finally been given approval for release back into the wild. On the first leg of their journey, the toads were transported from the Houston Zoo to an outdoor facility managed by Texas State University.  The facility is in the county of Bastrop, one of the few counties in Texas where Houston toads still remain in the wild.

The facility consists of ~40 large tubs filled with sand, water, and vegetation.  When the Leon county toads arrived at the Texas State facility, groups of sixty toads were placed into the tubs. Here the toads were given an opportunity to acclimate to the outdoors before actually being released into the environment.

The “release” itself was staged over the course of several evenings. Graduate student Melissa Jones from Texas State was in charge of orchestrating each of the toad releases.  Before they could be released, Melissa had to weigh, measure, photograph, and give each toad an identifying mark. We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to assist Melissa in processing the toads one of these evenings.

Documenting toad information

First, we had to find the toads hidden in either the sand or in the water of the tubs, and then take their measurements. Melissa was very patient showing us how to perform these techniques in the field – it was far more difficult than taking these same measurements in the comfort of the quarantine building at the zoo! Collecting all of this data took several hours, but it was an amazing night.  The gentle winds blowing through the pine trees kept us company and were additionally treated to the singing of several other wild amphibians.

Processing toads

After processing, the toads were transferred to smaller bins and driven out to a pond near the holding facility. We stumbled through the dark with flashlights, carefully clutching our precious cargo as we made our way through the brush. Surprisingly, we did not disperse our charges at the pond’s edge; instead, under Melissa’s direction, we circled the pond and placed toads in small holes that we dug in the soil with our hands. We made holes under trees or other brush, placing two or three toads in each. By spreading out and hiding the toads in this way, we were ensuring that we were not making a “toad buffet” for hungry predators.

Slowly but surely, some of the little toads dug themselves out of their holes and made their way to the pond. Like any good “toad mom,” I got a little teary eyed watching these animals that I have taken care of for so long take their first few hops into  this strange new place, but I take comfort knowing that they have finally made it back where they belong. This is what wildlife conservation is all about. Thanks to everyone who has supported the Houston toad program and conservation programs everywhere!

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