Archive for the ‘Natural Encounters’ Category

Jan
30

Mole Rats Coming Soon! New Home Under Construction

Posted by in Animal News & Updates,Behind the Scenes,Natural Encounters

The maze of small tunnels and chambers built into the wall near the rear of the Natural Encounters building has been home to two species, Damara and naked mole-rats. Lately these burrows have been empty, as the mole-rats tunnel behind the scenes while their exhibit is being renovated. If you’ve missed seeing them, you don’t have to wait until they’re back; they come out regularly for Meet the Keeper Talks. Check our Daily Schedule on the morning of your visit to see if they might be featured that day.

 

 

Kamryn Suttinger, the keeper who has worked with the mole-rats the longest, treated me with a few cool facts about them while she introduced me to them behind the scenes. Both Damara and naked mole-rats hail from the southern regions of Africa in the wild, though our colonies were born and raised in zoos. Mole-rats are rodents, and those two enormous front teeth grow constantly. Thus the need to constantly be chewing to wear the teeth down, a trait that’s most helpful in the wild. Here at the zoo keepers provide them with plenty of enrichment items to chew on, and sometimes block their tunnels with a sweet potato to give them a sweet reward for their digging efforts.

It is nearly impossible to tell male and female Damara mole-rats apart, says Suttinger, and not long ago we were met with a big surprise as a result. One of the “males” was quarreling with the queen of the colony, and to keep the peace keepers separated “him” out with a few other males into a bachelor colony. To their surprise this colony produced a litter of pups!

After renovations are complete, the naked mole-rats will have an exhibit area near the bat cave in Natural Encounters, and the Damara mole-rats will return to a new and improved exhibit in their current area. One problem with the old exhibit was that only the chambers were visible; the tunnels were behind the scenes where much of the great digging, tunneling and social interactions were happening. The new exhibits will have the tunnels and chambers visible to the public.

We will make an announcement when the renovations are complete and the mole-rats are back out on exhibit. Subscribe to our e-newsletter and get the news in your inbox!

Oct
18

Saki Toumi! Baby saki monkey in Natural Encounters

Posted by in Animal News & Updates,Births and Arrivals - New Animals!,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Natural Encounters,Primates

Post written by Natural Encounters Supervisor PJ Jones.

On the morning June 16th the keepers in Natural Encounters discovered a new addition to the Rainforest exhibit. A baby Saki Monkey was born overnight to parents Harry and Jolene. We had suspected that Jolene was pregnant; she had been gaining weight over the past several weeks and we had seen a tell-tale swelling of the lower abdomen. However without an ultrasound, sometimes we just have to wait and see what happens. We were especially excited with the timing of this event since the new baby was born on Father’s Day and this was the first baby that Harry has sired.

Toumi Saki Monkey with mom Jolene

Toumi Saki Monkey with mom Jolene

Over the past couple of months, the baby has developed well. When baby primates are born, the best thing that you can do for them is to let nature take its course and not intervene with the mother-infant bond unless there is a medical need. Jolene has proven herself to be a wonderful mother. She’s allowing the baby to cling to her at all times and to nurse. At this point all we have to do is observe and watch for developmental milestones. And we have seen some already! At about 2 weeks of age we saw the baby moving around enough to be able to determine that it is a male. At about 5 weeks we started to see him trying to get off his mother. He is now getting brave and beginning to venture away from his mother when she lets him.

We’ve named our new little bundle of joy Toumi and we are excited for you to come and see him. Look for him in the Rainforest exhibit in the Natural Encounters building. He’s not the only baby there either. Recently the pygmy marmoset family had babies too. Both groups might be observed spending time together on exhibit if you happen to come by at the right time. There are 4 different species of primates that call the Rainforest exhibit home: Saki Monkeys, Pygmy Marmosets, Golden Lion Tamarins and Cotton-top Tamarins. At any given point, you may see almost any combination of these monkeys together on exhibit. Come on by and see the newest additions!

Sep
13

Double Points in the Naturally Wild Swap Shop

Posted by in Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered Species,Hoofed Stock,Just for Kids,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Natural Encounters,Reptiles,Rhinos,Spotlight on Species,Swap Shop

 How can you get DOUBLE points in the Swap Shop?  Any time an animal section has a Spotlight on the Species or other program focused on an animal or plant - bring in a Nature Journal on that topic! 

Komodo Dragon

Nature Journals can be as simple as information on sheets of notebook paper.  They can be as detailed and elaborate as you like – your only limit is your imagination. But remember, the more work you do, the more points you get!   So do some research and get ready for double points!

Need more information on the Naturally Wild Swap Shop and how it works?  Click here. 

Some of the species that will be in the Spotlight the remainder of 2012 include:

 

Red Panda

September 22 Spotlight on the Species – Rhinos

October 6 Spotlight on the Species – Komodo Dragon

November 7 Climbing for Cloudeds (Clouded Leopards)

November 10 Spotlight on the Species – Vultures

December 1 Spotlight on the Species – Red Panda

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Jun
15

Red Panda Ultrasound

Posted by in Animal News & Updates,Behind the Scenes,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Natural Encounters

While visiting the Houston Zoo you may have had an opportunity to view the occasional animal training session. Training can be observed daily during our Sea Lion shows and Elephant baths, but did you may also see it happening in any of the animal sections of the zoo? A vast majority of the training takes place behind the scenes and it is critical for helping us to take better care of the animals that live here.

The PVC perch that was made to help orient Keti for the ultrasound.

For the past six months, keepers on the Natural Encounters team have been working with Keti, a female red panda, to train her for voluntary ultrasound. This way we will be able to easily determine if she is pregnant and monitor the development of her cub(s). To begin this process, keepers had to train Keti to accept them touching her on her back and belly. Wild animals are not usually tolerant of being touched, and a high level of trust needs to be established between the keeper and animal. Once this behavior was established, keepers progressively added in all the other factors that might be involved in an ultrasound procedure.

Mock up of a portable ultrasound machine to be used in training.

Members of the veterinary team came by so Keti could learn they were friendly treat dispensers. Practice ultrasound equipment was fabricated from cardboard boxes, aquarium tubing and the casing of a tube of deodorant! A PVC perch was made which would help Keti line up into the perfect position to obtain a great ultrasound image. One by one, Keti was introduced to these items and learned to associate them with treats. It’s a slow but effective process. Below, you can see the results of six months of hard work.

 

This video was taken at her third ever ultrasound exam. Although we have not yet seen a fetal image, we will continue to monitor her weekly and keep our fingers crossed.

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May
25

New at the Zoo: Giant Elephant Shrews

Posted by in Animal News & Updates,Featured,Feeding Our Animals,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Natural Encounters,Zoo News

The next time you are in the Natural Encounters building, look closely near the ground in the Rainforest exhibit. The two little mammalian vacuum cleaners you’ll see there are recent additions to the Zoo, our Giant Elephant Shrews. “Phoenix” and “Karma” are young brothers, arriving from the Denver Zoo where they were born last year.

Shrews use their remarkably long noses to dig into the mulch and gravel to nab mealworms, crickets, and other parts of their diet. In the wild they forage for a wider range of insects and other invertebrates, so to round out their nutrition our commissary also prepares for them a custom blend of earthworms, cat food, peanut oil, protein powder, and vitamin C.

Though Phoenix and Karma are small, they are full grown adults. There are more than a dozen species of shrews that range in size from tiny pygmy shrews to these “giants.” They are found in parts of East Africa, including coastal forests of Kenya  and Tanzania, though due to their natural ability to hide in the undergrowth and tendency to live far from human habitation, they are very rarely seen in the wild. Their habitat is under threat as well, mostly due to agriculture and logging.

This video shows Phoenix nosing around the lower gravel area and munching mealworms in the Rainforest exhibit; Karma was feeling particularly shy that day and stayed well hidden in the upper mulched area. (We made sure he received plenty of mealworms as well that afternoon.)

Wish Phoenix and Karma a happy birthday when you see them!  They were born on May 27, 2011.

 

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May
18

Monkeys Go Wild (Haired) for Conservation!

Posted by in Animal News & Updates,Conservation,Natural Encounters

By Natural Encounters keepers Corri Osborne and Rachel Godambe

 

For guests visiting the Indoor Rainforest exhibit in the Carruth Natural Encounters building, a little monkey awaits with a big surprise!

Normally, visitors are quick to comment on the flashy appearance of the bright orange Golden Lion Tamarins seen in the Indoor and Outdoor Rainforest exhibits. Right now, however, all eyes are on the Cotton Top Tamarins.  These monkeys are known for their shock of white head hair and their brown and white coloring.  That all changed for our two monkeys in preparation for our celebration of Proyecto Titi, one of the conservation organizations that is featured in the recently released book Wildlife Heroes.

 

Natural Encounters zookeeper Rachel Godambe worked with the pair to dye their hair bright blue in support of the wild Cotton Top Tamarins of Colombia, who are studied by Proyecto Titi scientists and are fitted with radio trackers and dyed in color patterns to make identifying individual monkeys at great distances a slightly easier process.  This weekend, keeper chats at the Indoor Rainforest will highlight the conservation work done by Proyecto Titi to save these tiny endangered monkeys.  Guests will be able to spot our brightly colored monkeys and learn more about what native Colombians are doing to celebrate Cotton Tops and protect them and their rainforest habitat.

 

 

On Sunday, author Jeff Flocken will be at the Houston Zoo to sign copies of his book Wildlife Heroes, available for purchase at the zoo, and to share his wonderful stories about Cotton Top Tamarins and Proyecto Titi.  Please stop by on either Saturday or Sunday to see our information display and learn more!

 

Check out Rachel’s answers to some monkey related questions below:

 

Fun Facts about our Cotton Top Tamarins:

 

  • Cotton Top Tamarins vocalize to each other with a variety of high pitched squeaks that sound a lot like bird calls.
  • Cotton Top Tamarins tails are long but they are not prehensile. They use their tails for balance as they run and leap through branches.
  • Cotton Top Tamarins are social animals and live in groups of 2 to 12 individuals in the wild.

 

How long have you been a CTT trainer?

I have been training Mikey and Minnie the Cotton Top Tamarins at Natural Encounters for 8 months now.

 

Is this the strangest behavior you’ve trained the monkeys?

If you told me I will end up dying monkeys’ hair I wouldn’t believe it in a million years!

 

What makes working with Cotton Top Tamarins so rewarding?

These guys have interesting personalities which makes training them so fun and rewarding.

 

You had great success in dying the CTT hair bright blue.  What was the process?  What was your biggest challenge?  How long from start to finish did this take? 

It took a month to accomplish this goal of dying their hair blue for the conservation event. I had in mind applying the dye with a syringe. They are used to the presence of the syringe for oral medication and associate it with treats, so they were quite comfortable with this process. I used the syringe with water and had them touch a target, which is one of their long established training behaviors. The syringe was presented above their heads and a reward was given. I did this for a few days and once they were accustomed to it I dripped some water on them from the syringe and rewarded them with a big jackpot (lots of verbal goods, wax worms, currents, and yogurt tossed at them) and they did not mind at all. We did these sessions a couple of times a week up to a few days before the event. It was now time to introduce the dye (nontoxic food coloring) and this is where I was faced with a challenge, the dye would not apply properly to the hair. It was suggested that we use a small paint brush. These guys have never seen a paintbrush in their lives and to have it rubbed on their heads could be very scary for them. After practice sessions of presenting the paintbrush with the dye on it and moving it around them with lots of treats it became a positive item to them. Eventually, they let me apply the dye with a paintbrush on their crazy white hair. Now you can see them rock their blue hair in the Natural Encounters Rainforest for conservation!

 

The biggest challenge was Mikey would only let me do a few strands at a time because he would run to the window and stare at his reflection. We had to wait for him to stop looking at himself, then he would come back and let us do some more. It was a time consuming process, but I think he just wanted to make sure it looked good. = )

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Apr
12

Six Bat Species all in one day!

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Conservation,Events,Just for Kids,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Meet the Staff,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Swap Shop

How can you see six different species of bats all in one day?  Bat Fest Houston at the Houston Zoo and the Waugh Bridge!  The United Nations has declared 2012 The Year of The Bat – come see  the celebration we have in store!

Straw Colored Fruit Bats

 Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15 are the dates for Bat Fest Houston.   On both days there will be children’s activities, keeper chats and bat related information booths at the zoo from 10:00am – 3:00 pm.   If you come on Saturday you will also have the opportunity to attend a bat seminar in the zoo’s Brown Education Center  from 10:00-12:15 that will include some great speakers.  The talks will include information  about bats from around the world and the bats in our own back yard as well as a new threat to bats, White Nose Syndrome.   You will also be able to visit the zoo’s bat exhibits where you can see Jamaican Fruit Bats, Seba’s Short-tailed Fruit Bats, Pallas Long-tongued Nectar Bats, Straw Colored Fruit Bats and an Indian Flying Fox Bat! 

If visitors 18 and under bring a nature journal or report to the Naturally Wild Swap Shop on the topic of bats they will receive DOUBLE points on these two days!  Don’t know about the Swap Shop?  Click here to learn more.

The best part – all of this is included in your regular zoo admission. 

Bat emergence at Waugh Ave. Bridge

And the fun doesn’t stop there!  From 6:00pm to 9:00pm join us at the Waugh Avenue Bridge (Waugh Avenue at Allen Parkway) for more children’s activities, bat chats and an amazing emergence of 250,000 Mexican Free-tailed Bats from under the bridge.  The Waugh Bridge activities are completely free.  Click here for information on parking at the bridge.

 

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Mar
30

Bat Fest is Coming!

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Conservation,Events,Just for Kids,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Swap Shop

Get ready for a batty fun time at the Houston Zoo and the Waugh Bridge!  2012 has been named Year of the Bat by the United Nations Environment Program.  In celebration, the Houston Zoo, in association with Texas Parks & Wildlife and several other organizations will be hosting Bat Fest April 14-15, 2012.

The fun will start at the Zoo at 10:00AM.  On both Saturday and Sunday there will be booths, children’s activities and zookeeper chats about bats.  On Saturday only there will be a bat seminar with some awesome speakers from 10:00-12:15 in the Brown Education Center.

In addition, to help celebrate, The Naturally Wild Swap Shop will be giving double points for any Nature Journal on bats.  Dont know about the Swap Shop?  Click here for more information.

The best part – all this is included in your paid zoo admission.

The festivities won’t stop there.  Be sure to join the Houston Bat Team at the Waugh Drive bat colony (corner of Waugh Drive & Allen Parkway) from 6:00-9:00PM.  The Waugh Drive bridge is home to a colony of 250,000 Mexican Free-tailed Bats.  There will be bat chat presentations from members of the Bat Team along with children’s activities and an amazing emergence from the bats at dusk. Click here to check Facebook for parking info.

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It's time for our 2pm giraffe feeding! Check it out now on our webcam. http://t.co/6Vs8Wz8HBa