Posts Tagged ‘babirusa’

Feb
02

Babirusa Day at the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Events,Holidays,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Zoo News

Ground Hog Day 2012 was Babirusa Day at the Houston Zoo.

On February 2, Remley the babirusa (a species of Asian pig native to Indonesia) made her winter weather prediction at the Houston zoo’s Wortham World of Primates.

Remley made her Babirusa Day weather prediction by choosing between two weather ‘scenes’ created by her keepers. One scene represented 6 more weeks of winter – a ‘snowman’ on a field of white paper accepted with ice cubes containing babirusa treats such as figs and carrots.  The other scene represented the onset of an early spring – a picnic scene complete with a ‘picnic blanket’ and a picnic basket with babirusa treats and slices of watermelon. 

Remley entered the babirusa exhibit and trotted over to the snowman, flirted briefly with ‘winter’ and then dove enthusiastically into ‘summer’ enjoying a watermelon treat.

The decision?  Remley is expecting an early spring, not 6 more weeks of winter!

Why was Remley the babirusa chosen to stand in for the traditional ground hog?
 
Well, the Houston Zoo doesn’t have a ground hog.  Ground hogs don’t like the hot and humid tropical climate that we have along the southeast Texas Gulf coast.  But we believe Remley is a natural for predicting future weather patterns on February 2 because of her intelligence and adaptability.  Our keepers consider all hogs and pigs to be highly intelligent animals and quick learners with a substantial memory. 

About Babirusa
 Babirusas are small hairless pigs native to the small tropical Indonesian island of Sulawesi.  Elusive forest dwellers, little is known about the natural history and natural behavior of the babirusa, mainly due to the nature of its dense jungle habitat.  Masters of camouflage, the babirusa’s coloration, torpedo-shaped body and deer-like movements enable it to melt silently into surrounding cover at the slightest disturbance.  It’s appropriate that the translation of babirusa is “pig-deer.” Babirusas are critically endangered in the wild due to habitat loss and hunting.  In 1989 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) rated the babirusa as the Asian pig species in greatest need of immediate conservation measures.

 

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Mar
23

Spotlight on Species:Babirusas

Posted by in Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Spotlight on Species,Wortham World of Primates

Animal Keepers at the Houston Zoo hold various Spotlight on Species events,  designed to bring attention and awareness to a variety of animals we have at the Zoo, the needs of their counterparts in the wild and raise a little money for conservation.  This month, the Spotlight has been on the oft overlooked babirusa.

First of all, there’s special Meet the Keeper chats every day at 3:30 in the Wortham World of Primates, where our Babirusa live.

Look at that face!

There is also an AAZK funnel at the exhibit which will be there through the end of the month.  This allows you to contribute your spare change to the cause and have some fun with it (you’ll see if you’ve never used one). All funds go to Babirusa Conservation!

Have you ever seen them or stopped by to catch a keeper chat?

If you haven’t, no worries. Because this coming weekend, March 26 and 27, will be filled with all sorts of extras.  Keepers will be highlighting the birthday of our female, Remley’s, who was born in late March, 2005 and be doing tons of fun things through out the weekend like giving the babirusas baths, feeding them special treats, building haystacks for them, to name a few.

There will also be two tables: one to do an crafts and games with our Education Department and another  table from the Primate Department will have fun things to buy along with informative handouts, trading cards and more!

If you’re coming to the Zoo this weekend, or need a good excuse to go, please join us at the babirusa’s habitat in the Wortham World of Primates.

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Nov
01

Pigs in the World of Primates?

Posted by in Primates

As visitors stroll leisurely through the Wortham World of Primates, they are often startled by the sudden appearance of an exotic looking babirusa pig smack-dab in the middle of the facility.

Jambi, our male babirusa... Handsome devil!

These gravely endangered swine have been a part of the primate section for some years now, and have been thriving surrounded by monkeys and apes. The pair has produced one offspring (who has grown up and been shipped off to the San Antonio Zoo already) and have been working on more babies lately.

So, why have babirusa here? We like to think that it helps to illustrate the concept of an ecosystem to our guests, and shows some of the diversity of mammalian life in the rain forests of the world. Just as mixed species exhibits are more common, we hope that mixing our metaphors in the world of primates will provide those same messages. Wild pigs are found in nearly every forested area of the world, and these uncommonly strange looking creatures are found only on the tiny islands of Sulawesi (formerly the Celebes Islands). They are hunted for bushmeat and their rainforests are disappearing due to agriculture, logging and human overpopulation. They are considered to be one of the world’s most endangered species of pig.

 While the four-tusked male is the most impressive of the pair, our focus lately has been on the female.

The lady Remley

The pair lives in adjoining yards and do not get together unless she is in estrous, as in the wild they live solitary lives (except for mothers with young.) In mid-July, Remley came into estrous and they were allowed together for several days in a row, and they bred enthusiastically and repeatedly, as if they knew that they needed to represent their DNA in the genetic pig pool. About 2 months later, we started to do weekly ultrasound tests on her to check for pregnancy, a procedure that can be done as she leans against her fence as the vet uses a portable ultrasound probe on her abdomen. All pigs love to have belly rubs, and for Remley, having an abdominal ultrasound is just like having an exceptionally professional massage.

We will continue to do ultrasound exams weekly until we get an indication of pregnancy… or not… and will keep our fingers crossed for piglets!

What do you think of these animals? Have you ever stopped by to visit the babirusa when you’ve been at the Zoo? Tell us in the comment section below!

Written by Lynn Killam, Primate Supervisor

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Oct
16

Meet The Staff: Lynn Killam

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Meet the Staff,Primates

Lynn Killam

Hometown: New York, NY

Lynn just outside of Wortham World of Primates

Section: Primates Supervisor- I supervise the Orangutans, Lemurs, Tamarins, Mandrills and Guenons, Gibbons and Babirusa.

Quote: “The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of crudity and barbarity.  Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality.” — Arthur Schopenhauer

Favorite animal: The orangutans, but I have a special affinity for Kelly.  She is so intelligent and very challenging. I have been working with her since she was 8, and she is now almost 30 years old.

 Animals you train: I train the orangutans for fun and for behind the scenes tours.

 Special Interests/ Hobbies: I love to travel.  I have been to Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, Peru, Madagascar, Borneo, and Sri Lanka.

Interesting Facts: I love to volunteer.  I have volunteered at Hermann Hospital NICU (Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit) with premature babies, have done hospice patient care, and I am traveling to Utah this summer to volunteer at Best Friends Animal Society with their pot-bellied pigs.

How long have you been in the animal care field and what institutions did you work at prior to coming to the Houston Zoo?
I have been working at zoos about 35 years.  I worked at the Bronx Zoo for 4 years in the Children’s Zoo.  We had wild boar and domestic piglets and that is where I fell in love with pigs. After that I worked at the Philadelphia Zoo for 2 ½ years as a relief keeper, so I was able to work in every department.  I started out at the Houston Zoo nearly 29 years ago in the Small Mammal department (now Natural Encounters).  I transferred to the Primate Department in 1988, and became a supervisor in 1991.

What made you want to be a zookeeper?
When I was a child, my mother took me to the Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn almost every day.  From the time that I could articulate it, I knew I wanted to be a zookeeper.  I was designing Sea Lion habitats when I was 3 years old.

What is your previous education/training?
I attended Hunter College, majoring in Physical Anthropology, for about four years.  I became impatient because I wanted to become a zookeeper, so I quit.  I wouldn’t suggest that to anyone now!
 
What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field?
Volunteer first; get your hands-on animal experience.  This job is not for everyone, so find out if you like it first.  Also, get your degree!

Kelly, the orangutan

What is your favorite animal story?
That is an easy one!  When Kelly was having her first baby (Luna) in 1997 I was the only staff member with her at the time.  It happened right in front of my eyes and I will never forget it.  All of the sudden she stood up and gave birth and we were both simultaneously surprised!  I was shocked because I didn’t know exactly when it was going to happen, and she was amazed because she had never done this before.  Her instincts immediately took over and she cleaned the baby off, and the baby quickly started breathing and crying.  It is difficult to describe the feeling for me, as there were so many emotions at once, but I will never forget that moment.
Written by Tina Carpenter, Keeper, Children’s Zoo

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