Indah painting on iPad

Great apes that live in zoos such as the orangutans and chimpanzees have a team of dedicated keepers that ensure that their basic necessities such as food, water, and safe shelter are met on a daily basis. However, a zoo keeper’s job also involves ensuring that the animal has the highest quality of life possible. So not only are keepers interested in meeting the animal’s basic needs but also in making sure that the animals are constantly being engaged and stimulated by their environment. This is an especially important challenge when working with great apes due to their intelligence. The devices and activities that keepers use to accomplish this goal are referred to as enrichment as they enrich the lives of the animals.

Apes can quickly figure out many enrichment devices and keepers constantly are faced with the problem of trying to come up with new ideas to capture their interest. The Houston Zoo primate department’s newest solution to this problem is ……. the iPad!

Sally creating a masterpiece with a musical app.

Now many of you may wonder, what do the orangutans and chimpanzees do with an iPad? The answer is … they play with apps, of course! The iPad screen is the perfect fit for orangutan and chimpanzee fingers. Its small size makes it very easy to move so keepers can introduce it to the chimpanzees in the training room, to the orangutans at the viewing window or at any of the many rooms found in the animals’ holding area. The quantity and variety of apps available make it easy to keep the device novel and interesting for both the orangutans and the chimpanzees. Stay posted for more updates on this new fun enrichment project with our orangutans and chimpanzees!

First of all, I would like to congratulate Susan Draper on winning our contest posted in the last blog.  Susan will be at the zoo this Saturday to help prepare the exhibit for our new Goeldi’s monkeys, Peach and Andy.  Susan’s husband, Mickey, will be joining us as her chosen guest. We have plenty of work to keep them busy.  It’s important to change out the climbing structures in our exhibits in between previous residents moving out and new residents moving in.  We have lots of grape vine and branches that need to be put into the exhibit so Peach and Andy have plenty of arboreal pathways and can easily get in and out of their night house. Hope Susan and Mickey are ready to get dirty!

The second piece of news is that Peach and Andy were both given clean bills of health by our veterinarians and after a few days of visiting through a mesh barrier they were able to meet face to face. Everything went exactly as we had hoped and it does indeed seem to be love at first sight!  Now we just have to wait for them to clear their required quarantine period and then we can move them to their new home. Are they not the cutest couple?

There seems to be no question that they are going to be a great couple! Photo credit: Jennifer Stevenson

This post written by Kim Siegl 

Bowling for Rhinos (BFR) is a family friendly event that is organized by your local zookeepers . The event associated with the Houston Zoo is designed every year by the Greater Houston Chapter of American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK). Bowling for Rhinos was initially started by zookeepers in 1990. Houston has been Bowling for Rhinos since 1991. There are currently over 60 AAZK chapters nation-wide that host a BFR event. This year, our chapter hopes to reach a huge milestone of $100,000 raised by Houston over the last 21 years. Come on out to help us reach our goal!

All of the proceeds raised from BFR support several conservation organizations including: Lewa Wildlife Conservation, International Rhino Foundation, and Action for Cheetahs. These organizations facilitate sanctuaries that are home to White and Black rhinos of Africa, as well as the Javan, Greater One-horned, and Sumatran rhinos of Asia. These projects help to save many other animals too. The funds raised by BFR events help to fence in the parks, purchase planes and off road vehicles to curtail poaching, move rhinos into the sanctuaries, purchase motion sensing cameras for censuring, and pay salaries for anti-poaching security guards. For more information on the history of BFR, please click here  or watch the 2012 BFR video

There are less than 30,000 rhinos left in the world. The greatest threat they face is from poachers, who kill the rhinos for their horns. Rhino horn is believed to have almost-magical curative powers; the belief is that eating it can cure everything from the common cold to cancer. Unfortunately, that belief is wrong. There is actually no stronger benefit from eating rhino horn than if you were to eat your own fingernails. Hundreds of rhinos are killed by poachers every year, some even inside the sanctuaries, which is why money to support anti-poaching is so necessary to the rhinos survival.

By attending BFR, you do not just get the good-feeling from supporting a worthy conservation effort, but also a fun-filled night of bowling with family and friends, as well as zoo staff. The event also includes food (first come, first served), and a raffle all night long. Every year we host a silent auction comprised of a variety of one-of-the-kind items, including paintings created by zoo animals specifically for BFR. No two events are the exact same.

Friday, June 22, 2012
6:00 pm to 10:00 pm

Please visit our 2012 BFR website to purchase event tickets online now.

As we honor Mother’s Day and our newest orangutan family, awareness of what wild orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra are facing is ever-present. Baby Aurora has found a loving mother here, and yet babies in the forests are routinely losing theirs, as mother orangutans all over these islands are in the midst of the biggest crisis the species has ever faced.  As consumers all over the world buy food, cosmetics and lotions containing palm oil, the forests in Indonesia and Malaysia are being cut, burned and drained to create more palm oil plantations.  Orangutans are being killed by fire, gunshots and machetes to quench the world’s infinite appetite for palm oil, and that includes mothers with tiny, clinging infants. Crying babies are pried off their deceased mothers; the luckier ones are sometimes rescued and sent to rehabilitation facilities, where they are cared for by humans in the company of hundreds of other orphaned youngsters. The unluckier ones are kept as pets, where they die of malnutrition or remain chained to a backyard post, where they languish in misery for years.

The Houston Zoo is fortunate to have an orangutan like Cheyenne, whose great role in life is to adopt and love babies not genetically her own.  But, we must be mindful of those missing orangutan mothers  in the wild, who like her, are just trying to make sure that their babies stay safe and healthy. They are fighting a war that they cannot win unless the world listens to their plight. Are we willing to sacrifice the lives of one of our closest living relatives for  …  palm oil?

This Mother’s Day, ponder that question, and know that all of us have a part in being responsible consumers. We can help, with “the power of the purse.” Everything we buy is like a vote, and we can vote for orangutan mothers and their babies to survive by choosing our products carefully.

Catori, the Houston Zoo's Eastern Screech Owl. Photo by Ali Striggow.

Reptiles

Saturday:

• 10:00 a.m. – Python keep talk (reptile house)
•  10:30 a.m. – Komodo Dragon keeper talk (reptile house)

Sunday:

• 10:00 a.m. – Cuban Crocodile keeper talk (reptile house)
• 10:30 a.m. – American Alligator keeper talk (reptile house)

Carnivores:

Saturday:

• 11:30 a.m. – Tiger keeper talk (at tiger window)

Sunday:

•   11:30 a.m. – Lion keeper talk (at lion window)

Birds:

Saturday:

• 11:30 a.m. – Meet Zuri the pygmy falcon
• 11:40 a.m. – Vulture keeper talk (vulture exhibit)
• 1:00 p.m. – Meet Ariel the owl
• 2:30 p.m. – Owl keeper talk (tropical bird house)
• 4:00 p.m. – Meet Zuri the pygmy falcon

Children’s Zoo

Saturday & Sunday:

• 11:00 a.m. – Meet a bird of prey
•    1:15 p.m. – Meet a bird of prey

Aquarium

Saturday & Sunday:

• 10:30 a.m. – Piranha keeper talk

Wortham World of Primates

Saturday & Sunday:

• 12:00 p.m. – Primate keeper talk
• 12:30 p.m. – Primate keeper talk ( at chimpanzee exhibit)
•   3:30 p.m. – Primate keeper talk

Peach checking out her new guy. Photo credit: Jennifer Stevenson

They have to go through quarantine at our veterinary clinic during which time they are cared for by our awesome clinic keepers. They will undergo a sedation and exam while in quarantine and once they both receive a clean bill of health they will get to meet each other.  Right now they can see each other but not touch one another.  We’ll be moving to an introduction through a mesh barrier soon, then finally letting them in together.  So far they have been calling to one another and seem eager to meet so keep your fingers crossed for love at first sight. 

Andy looking a little shy at the prospect of his new girlfriend. Photo credit: Jennifer Stevenson

But before Andy and Peach can move into their new home, we need your help getting it ready!  If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to get an exhibit ready for new residents, now is your chance to find out.  In the comments section below, tell us why we should pick you to help us get Andy & Peach’s new home ready.

Whoever submits the winning comment will get to come out to the zoo with a friend and help us prepare the exhibit.  Be prepared to get dirty, learn some cool stuff about primates and have fun!

Contest Particulars:

• You and your guest must be 18 years old.
• You must be available at 2:00 on May 12th to come to the zoo.
• If you have an aversion to physical work and getting dirty, this may not be the contest for you.
• The prize can not be given to someone else.  If you win, you must be the participant, along with your chosen guest.
• The primate team will choose their favorite comment as the winner, so be creative!

What you may not know is that behind the scenes, we have many employees and volunteers who work extremely hard to help the Zoo improve day by day. Recently, I got to sit down with Kirsten Ufer, the Creative Director for the Houston Zoo, and learn all about her incredible work at the Zoo.

Kirsten, what the heck does a Creative Director do?

Basically, what I do as Creative Director is to oversee the graphic design and photography departments. We help communicate messages visually – whether it is through designing a logo, a brochure, a sign, etc…  Much like a trained chef has the ability to make food look more appetizing by the way it is presented, we put all the pieces together to make a message more compelling through our design.

What’s the most fun part of your job?

The animals! It’s amazing to be right here with the animals and get to design things that pertain to them, as well as conservation efforts. This is definitely a unique setting for anyone!

It sounds like you’ve had some interesting projects. Do you have a favorite?

There are so many projects that have been amazing to be a part of, it’s hard to choose just one – so I have narrowed it down to three.

Right now, it’s time to reveal the final photo in our contest!!!

Jeffery visited this public art installation originally created by the art group Ant Farm that encourages visitors to add to the art by spray painting vehicles half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

Where in the world is Jeffery?

You have until Friday at 10 AM to submit your final captions!

Everyone that visits the Houston Zoo surely has an animal that they prefer over any other. People pick their favorite primate, favorite reptile, favorite underwater creature. But how about a favorite plant? The Houston Zoo is home to a lush and diverse array of tropical and native plants, flowers, trees, and various ground coverings.

Our team of horticulture professionals spends over 20,000 hours each year planting, pruning and working tirelessly to keep the landscape healthy, vibrant, and colorful for our animals and guests. The horticulture team at the Zoo is just one group of the many unsung heroes that help us operate on a daily basis. Considerable thought is put into the plant life here, focusing on native Texas species and their place at the Zoo. Our animal enclosures also feature plants that the various animals are accustomed to, highlighting the importance of regional plant life.

On your walk through the Zoo, you’ll be able to see various palms, cycads, and bamboos abound, along with flowers of every color, shape and size. This gorgeous array of vegetation provides some amazing photo opportunities and we certainly encourage you to point your camera at both animals AND plants. The morning light provides for some incredible shots, and there are certainly a plethora of plants to shoot(with your camera!).

While walking through the Zoo, it is very easy to get caught up in rushing to which animal you are going to see next. You should slow down! Grab a seat on a bench, take a deep breath, and enjoy this amazing oasis in the middle of Houston’s metropolis.

Oh yeah, and next time you’re at the Zoo and see one of our horticulture professionals working away, give them a friendly smile and wave!