Posts Tagged ‘bear’

Apr
15

Bear Awareness Day- Saturday April 20, 2013 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Posted by in Carnivores: Spots, Stripes and Sharp Teeth!,Conservation,Featured,Spotlight on Species

Bears in East Texas??  That’s right!!  Black bears are returning to what historically was their home.  In 1992 the Louisiana black bear, (Ursus americanus luteolus), was listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife.  Today, populations are finding their way back to East Texas.  Their decline was attributed to human disturbance, hunting, and habitat loss.

In 2005 the East Texas Black Bear Task Force was formed as a subcommittee of the Black Bear Conservation Coalition www.bbcc.org .  The task force promotes the restoration of the black bear in its historic range of East Texas through education, research, and habitat management by bringing together individuals, organizations, and state and federal government representatives to support the recovery.

Representatives from Texas Parks and Wildlife will have an Operation Game Thief Trailer which highlights many of the local wildlife found in Texas.  All of the items on display in this interactive trailer were confiscated from illegal poachers.

Meet our Carnivore Keepers when they demonstrate the safe way of camping and hiking in bear country during their fun and humorous skits.  These skits will help you determine the difference between black and brown bears as well as show you what to do if you encounter a bear.  One of the many ways you can camp safely with bears is by properly disposing of your trash and recycling your recyclables.  We think that responsible camping ties in well with being good stewards of the earth so what better weekend to celebrate it on than Earth Day Weekend.  Come and join us for Bear Awareness Day on Saturday April 20th from 10 to 3 and learn how you can help not only save bears but the Earth as well.

The future of these amazing animals is in our hands.  The more we learn about coexisting with bears the safer we will be and the better chance of survival they will have.

Activites:

11:30 a.m. – Grizzly Bear Exhibit Keeper Skit- Hiking in bear country

2:00p.m. – Andean Bear Exhibit Keeper Skit- Camping in bear country

Kids can color their own bear mask

 

Displays:

Texas Parks and Wildlife

Bio Facts Table- skulls and furs

Houston Zoo info table- Educator’s guide, Camping guide, hiking guide

The Houston Zoo Commissary- displaying a variety of food that bears eat.

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Jan
27

Big Cats Don’t Make Good Pets, Part 3

Posted by in Carnivores: Spots, Stripes and Sharp Teeth!,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Meet the Staff,Zoo News

A student at Texas A & M University at Galveston where she studies marine biology, Kaitlin McGraw interned at the Houston Zoo last summer.

“When I came to the Zoo, I heard stories about the animals, and where they came from,” said Kaitlin. “I was surprised to learn how many of the animals in the Zoo’s Carnivore Department came from private owners who had kept them as pets,” Kaitlin added.

“I wanted to do something to help people understand that keeping big cats as pets is not a good idea,” Kaitlin added. The result was a series of video presentations profiling the ‘rescued cats’ at the Houston Zoo and recounting their individual stories. The videos were produced using a Canon PowerShot camera and edited on the iMovie platform.

“In the future, I hope to work with an organization like the Houston Zoo, promoting conservation education or traveling to new locales, working with marine and wildlife sanctuaries,” said Kaitlin.

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Aug
28

Meet the Staff: Susan Shepard

Posted by in Carnivores: Spots, Stripes and Sharp Teeth!,Featured,Mammals: Our Furry (and Hairy!) Friends,Meet the Staff

Susan Shepard

Hometown:  Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, CA (Oceanside)

Department/Title: Carnivore Keeper

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?: 8 years

How long have you been in the your field?: Total of 11 years – I worked at the Topeka Zoo for 2 ½ years

Animals I train: Patty (Spectacled Bear); Kadu (Leopard); Uzima (one of newest female Lions); Taji (Anatolian Shepherd)

Favorite animal: Spectacled Bears – bears in general!

Animals at home: I have a Blue and Gold Macaw, 1 dog and 2 cats.

Special interests/hobbies: Knitting, reading, hiking, working with Rhodesian Ridgeback and Anatolian Shepherd rescue groups. I also volunteer at a low cost spay/neuter clinic in La Marque.

 

Spectacled Bear

What made you want to work at a zoo?:

Initially I wanted to be a vet but by the time I would have gotten accepted, I would have had to go to college for 8 years and didn’t want to commit the time. I also knew that I did not want to work with livestock animals as a career. One day a woman from Cat Tales, a private facility in Spokane, WA that specializes in cats, came to the university and did a presentation about cats and zoo keeping. She brought one of their leopards and took him out for part of the presentation. After talking with her I thought Zoo Keeping would be fun to do as a career. I did some research, decided that it was something I wanted to do and switched my major to Zoology.

Education/training: Bachelor of Science Zoology, emphasis on Animal Care from Washington State University and a Certificate in Zoo Keeping from Cat Tales Zoological Training Center.

Advice to anyone wanting to enter your field: Be prepared for a lot of hard work and don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a job right away! Getting a job takes a lot of luck and good timing. You have to work for it and be persistent! If possible, take courses in psychology, training workshops, horticulture, and public speaking.

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