Elements Involved in Writing a History Book of a Zoo And Preserving Zoo History

October 22, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Darlene Winter, Elizabeth Frank, Mary Kazmierczak
Milwaukee County Zoo
Milwaukee, WI

Writing a History of a Zoo

It can be difficult to write a book, but writing a history book, especially the history of a zoo, presents extra challenges. Every detail from the concept of a zoo, to the reality and progress throughout the years has to be documented.

If you know you cannot create the whole book yourself, recruit others who have the expertise to complete the task. Once everyone involved has made the commitment, you should make inquiries of publishers. Before all the work begins, try to have a publisher interested in the book. Contact zoo officials. Tell them of your project and solicit any support they are willing to give. Especially helpful is to have the Introduction or Foreword written by a zoo official.

Ideally, every zoo should have a library filled with the history of the zoo in the form of photographs, minutes of meetings and personal writings. All are invaluable for writing a book. However, explore all options available such as public libraries, historical societies and even private collections. Keep track of all photographs and to whom they belong, since permissions need to be obtained unless the zoo owns the photograph. The publisher may or may not pick out the cover photograph.

The photographs have to be scanned according to the publisher’s specifications. The book is more pictorial than text. The chapters’ introductory page and captions for each picture are what is required. After the text is completed, have several individuals read it for clarity and errors.

The publishing company will send you the proof. Review it carefully and make any changes you feel necessary. Return the proof and the book will go to print. With the publisher’s assistance, a book launch can be planned at the zoo or local bookstore.

Why Zoo History Matters

Zoological parks are important civic institutions in cities large and small. In the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, cities developed parks and zoos for the recreation of their inhabitants and to bring nature into the lives of city dwellers. Having a zoo was also a status symbol – an indication of the city’s economic, social, and political development. This was certainly the case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The development of the Washington Park Zoo, the precursor to today’s Milwaukee County Zoo, was spurred by German immigrants and first generation German-Americans who wanted a zoo not only for the recreation of the residents, but also to announce Milwaukee’s emergence as a prosperous and socially-advanced city. Thus, preserving the history of the zoo is part of preserving the history of the city.

In the last twenty-five years, zoo history has moved beyond the celebration of institutional anniversaries. The examination of animal-human relationships has emerged as an academic discipline. Zoos have long been a venue for animal science research. Now, zoos are also venues for social science research, and the history of the zoo, the history of its animal collection, and the interactions between zoo animals and zoo visitors are subjects for academic research.

This paper discusses two projects that help to preserve the rich history of zoological parks. The Milwaukee County Zoo Library and Archive began in 1987. The library focuses on published material related to all aspects of zoo operations, including the history of zoos. The archive has two collection foci: material on the history of the Milwaukee County Zoo, including the previous Washington Park Zoo, and materials from zoos worldwide. The Milwaukee County Zoo materials include photographs, slides, 8-mm and 16-mm films, newsletters, annual reports, guidebooks, and souvenir memorabilia. Materials from zoos worldwide include newsletters, annual reports, inventories, and other printed material. We have received manuscript collections from Daniel Moreno, former director of the Cleveland Aquarium, and Gary Clarke, the Director Emeritus of the World Famous Topeka Zoo. In 2007, the Zoo received the Governor’s Award for Archives Innovation from the Wisconsin Historical Records Advisory Board. The Zoo was cited for taking the subject of zoo history beyond the confines of institutional history and recognizing that the histories of individual zoos acquire added meaning when considered in relation to their local communities, in comparison to other zoos, and in light of broader cultural trends.

The Pittsburgh Zoo’s Zoo/Aquarium Video Archive Project chronicles the history of zoos and aquariums through videotaped interviews with distinguished zoo/aquarium directors and veterinarians. By preserving the perspectives of many of the leading directors and veterinarians of the last half of the 20^th century, this project allows zoo professionals to benefit from the wisdom of the pioneers who created our modern zoological parks with its emphasis on zoo conservation.

Preserving Zoo History

The Milwaukee County Zoo Library and Archives houses a collection of historical materials about the Milwaukee County Zoo and the Washington Park Zoo, the forerunner of the current zoo. This collection includes oil paintings, black-and-white and color photographs, slides, 8-mm and 16-mm black-and-white and color films, VHS tapes, DVDs, newsletters, annual reports, guidebooks, and souvenir memorabilia, including statues, postcards, and pins and buttons. One function of the archive is to preserve all of these items. Many of these historically important items, such as photographs, films, and paper documents, are kept in temperature and humidity controlled storage to prevent further deterioration. These historical materials are also preserved in the appropriate archival envelopes, sleeves, folders, boxes, film cans, etc., to preserve the item and reduce further deterioration.

A second function of the archive is to make these historical materials available for use by academic researchers and historians of local history. Making the collection available for use requires cataloging of the materials, creating finding aids, and creating paper or digital representations of fragile original documents and images.

Preservation of historical materials and making these materials available for research use requires professional staff with training in document and artifact preservation, as well as cataloging for public use, such as a librarian, an archivist, or graduate of a museum studies program. The Milwaukee County Zoo employs a part-time contract librarian to manage the library and archive. Preserving the history of the zoo is a large, time consuming, and labor-intensive task. Zoo volunteers can be invaluable in assisting with preservation tasks.

Under the supervision of the librarian, Milwaukee County Zoo library volunteers help with preserving images by organizing photo collections and placing the photos in archival photo envelops. With appropriate equipment (in the future), volunteers will scan photos, slides, and postcards into digital formats. These digitized images will then be put into a searchable photo database that will allow for the use of the images while ensuring preservation of the originals. Volunteers are working on transferring non-commercial, zoo-produced VHS tapes to DVD. These tapes are of veterinary procedures, animal introductions, or animal enrichment sessions, the content of which, without transfer to digital, would be lost to tape deterioration. Volunteers also assist in preparation of documents for archiving by removing staples and paper clips, organizing by date or subject, and placing documents in archival folders.

Working together, zoo staff and volunteers can preserve the history of the zoo and make that history available to academic researchers and local history writers.

A Guide to Saving the Great White Bear

October 22, 2014 By admin 1 Comment

Kara DeLanty
Milwaukee County Zoo
Milwaukee, WI

A Trip to Remember

“Take a look back. Life as you know it will never be the same again.” Those are the words I remember Robert Buchanan telling me as I boarded the plane to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada back in October of 2009. As Polar Bears International’s (PBI) president at the time, Robert’s words came across as very sincere and convincing. Even still, I had a hard time believing that spending less than a week anywhere could really be all that life changing. Little did I know, that little trip wound up being one of the most transformative experiences I have ever had.

As a relatively new hire at the Milwaukee County Zoo, I was extremely excited to have been selected to attend PBI’s first ever “Zookeeper Leadership Camp.” This was a workshop lead by experts in the field that was designed to teach animal keepers from all over the world how to inspire and empower people in their local communities to help save polar bears in the wild. PBI staff knew we would be a demographic that would not only be passionate about conservation issues, but that we also had a unique platform at our zoos to reach out to members of the public.

Upon arrival in Churchill, also known as “the polar bear capital of the world,” we were all in for a bit of a culture shock. Even though all twenty zookeepers in attendance were from all over the United States, Canada, and Europe, the tiny town on the edge of the Tundra was a new experience for us all. At the time, the population of Churchill was only 923 and is so remote that no roads lead in or out of town. In fact, the only two ways to reach the area are via plane or train.

After taking a brief tour of the area, we headed out on a “Frontiers North Tundra Buggy” to our lodge that was stationed out on the tundra just outside of town. We spent our next five days out there, safely elevated high off of the ground to avoid coming face-to-face with one of the world’s most ferocious predators. It didn’t take long before we saw our first wild polar bear, a beautiful female that seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere. We saw four more bears over the next few days, both male and female. All were waiting patiently at the edge of the Hudson Bay for the ice to freeze.

Bears on the Brink

So, why do polar bears care so much about sea ice? The main reason is that they use it for a platform to hunt for their most prized prey, the ringed seal. One of their most common hunting methods is to sit and wait to ambush one of these pinnipeds when they come up for air through one of their many breathing holes they have created in the ice. Despite the fact that polar bears are excellent swimmers, the ringed seal is far faster under water and very difficult for the bears to catch this way. Without sea ice, polar bears would be unable to catch their prey and would very likely not be able to survive. Sea ice is also important for polar bears to reach maternal den sites, to use for locating mates, and for breeding.

Unfortunately, the sea ice that the bears depend upon for survival is melting due to climate change. As a population of polar bears that spends several months out of the year fasting on land, Churchill’s population is particularly vulnerable. If the sea ice they are so dependent upon forms too late or breaks up too early, the bears would miss crucial hunting opportunities that can lead to starvation. This is especially important for cubs that depend upon their mother’s fatty milk. Sadly, according to renowned polar bear researcher Ian Sterling, there has been a 22 percent decline in the Churchill polar bear population since 1987 (Stirling, I., & Parkinson, C.L. 268).

A Call to Action

After spending nearly a week in Churchill attending lectures and workshops at PBI’s “Zookeeper Leadership Camp,” we all had mixed emotions. We all felt inspired by the beautiful bears we saw but also despair brought on by learning the magnitude of the challenges they were facing. We all knew we needed to do something, but what exactly? We decided that we needed a specific “call to action” of sorts. Something that we could all be a part of together even though thousands of miles would separate us once we got back to our home institutions. So, we all sat down together one night on the lodge and decided to create the program “Acres for the Atmosphere” (AFTA). This program was designed to have a two-pronged approach. The first was to work on programs that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our local communities. The second was to organize tree-planting programs to help offset excess carbon dioxide emissions in our hometowns.

I am happy to report that the program has been a huge success! Thousands of trees have been planted to date by zookeepers across the country and in Canada. At the Milwaukee County Zoo alone, we have planted over 1500 trees on Zoo grounds over the course of 4 years with the help of staff, docents, and members of the public during our annual “Party for the Planet” event. Others involved in AFTA have done everything from creating life-sized polar bears out of disposable plastic shopping bags in order to discourage their use to organizing flash mobs to get the conservation message out. Others have coordinated educational bike rides, designated premium parking spaces for “green” vehicles in their organizations’ parking lots, and have created composting programs just to name a few! These efforts have no doubt added up to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and the melting of the sea ice.

A Chance of a Lifetime…Again!

I have been lucky enough to get a second (and third!) chance to return to Churchill. I went back in October 2013 as an “In-Field Ambassador” for PBI and will also be going there again for the same program in October 2014. My role is to educate the tourists aboard the “tundra buggies” about the plight of the polar bear and to inspire them to take action when they get home from their vacation. I found this to be an incredible experience that has renewed my resolve to help save “the great white bear” from extinction.

References

Stirling, I., & Parkinson, C.L. (2006). Possible Effects of Climate Warming on Selected Populations of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) in the Canadian Arctic. Arctic, 59(3), 268.

Reintroduction of Whooping Cranes in the Eastern U.S.

October 22, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Cully Shelton
International Crane Foundation
Baraboo, WI

Program Description:

The elegant whooping crane is on the verge of an extraordinary comeback after nearly becoming extinct due to human activities. In 1941, the last migratory flock was reduced to only 16 birds. A reintroduction project is currently underway to restore a migratory flock of whooping cranes to eastern North America. Now in its 14th year, the project is being undertaken by the Whooping Crane Eastern Partnership, a team of non-profit and governmental agencies, whose founding members include the International Crane Foundation (ICF). ICF works worldwide to conserve cranes and the wetland and grassland ecosystems on which they depend. ICF is dedicated to providing experience, knowledge, and inspiration to involve people in resolving the threats to these beautiful birds.

Did you hear the one about the Chinook, the Monk, and the Whooping Crane?

October 21, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Terri Soderstrom
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens
Los Angeles, CA

We all grew up with stories of wild animals. In our younger years we slept with stuffed animals; we use them in illustrations for our children’s books, often having the wild animal teach the moral lesson. But what is actually going on out there in the wild?

A story told by Jon Mooallem, author of the book Wild Ones, wonderfully expresses our current state of conservation. It goes like this:

I remember right after I started working on this book, my daughter was two years old, and she was sitting in her highchair having a fit. There was a bowl of food in front of her and she threw it on the floor. It smashed, food spilled everywhere, and she suddenly shut up. I don’t know what she was thinking but it seemed pretty clear to me that she was astonished at the kind of wreckage she had created, the power she had exerted. She was just staring at this thing she had broken. I think that’s where we’re at.

Now that we’ve realized the damage we’ve done, we’re going to great lengths to try to fix it. Let’s pause for a moment and consider how we got to this point.

Before Lewis and Clark and the great expansion, before the exploration of our earth from Pole to Pole, extinction was inconceivable. During this time the common belief was in the “Great Chain of Being” – everything imaginable fits into the chain somewhere giving order and meaning to the universe (from bugs to slugs to angels). The thought that an animal could become extinct was both illogical and sacrilegious. If pioneers saw a disappearance of wolves or deer they assumed the animal had moved onward into this infinite space.

It was during this time that Jefferson was attempting to debunk the “Theory of American Degeneracy” – the belief that the animal life in the New World was smaller, weaker and less spectacular than that of the Old World – that the Mammoth fossil had been unearthed. Following the “Great Chain of Being” philosophy, Jefferson had a great belief that a living Mammoth would be encountered in the yet unexplored regions. While all Americans were encouraged to keep their eye out for the Mammoth, scientific evidence mounted toward accepting the concept of extinction.

While the acceptance of extinction undermined the belief in “The Great Chain of Being”, it was replaced with the central myth that the mammoth was purged so that the young nation could spread out and absorb the empty continent ahead of it. Pioneer Americans could get behind this type extinction. Not anymore.

Throughout our world we now have remarkable people doing remarkable actions in their effort to keep our wild animals wild. Here are brief accounts of some of them.

At the Bonneville Dam, we worry about the Chinook salmon. In fact, we worry about them enough to hire people full-time to sit and stare through an underwater window counting every one of the 4.5 million fish that swim past the glass every year. Adult salmon are able to travel upstream through the dam’s built-in fish ladders when there is adequate water flow. The US Army Corps of Engineers monitors water levels multiple times a day, and if the flow differs even 1/10 of a foot, they will make adjustments. Juveniles may need additional help navigating the dam, so the engineers lift endangered salmon out of the water and truck them around the Bonneville Dam or put them on a barge and barge them through the locks. Thanks to these measures, the fish counters have recorded greater numbers of salmon and greater proportions of wild salmon.

Buddhist monks have joined the fight to save the snow leopards. A Chinese PhD research project observed that snow leopard ranges corresponded very close to where Buddhist monasteries are. This is because the monks routinely patrol sacred areas around each of the Buddhist monasteries to ensure people respect nature and to keep people from harming any animals. Additionally the monks are given a bit of extra training and are now helping with snow leopard monitoring and educating the villagers. The monks have even gone a step further and, with their own money and effort, instituted a livestock insurance program to combat “retaliatory” killing of snow leopards.
How does a Kenyan boy go from herding his father’s cattle to making peace with the lions? In the Masai community where cattle are all important, 12-year-old Richard’s chore was to keep the cattle safe from the lions. His first try: fire torch. Turns out that lions are not afraid of fire. Second try: scarecrow. The first night the scarecrow worked but the 2^nd night the lion came and realized that the scarecrow was not moving, and she killed a cow. 3^rd try: moving lights. Richard was walking around the cowshed with his torch and noticed that the lions did not come as long as he was moving. He concluded they were afraid of moving lights. So he took apart his mother’s new radio and learned electronics. He invented a string of solar operated lights. He strung his “moving” lights around the cowshed and the lions thought he was on patrol. Instead, he was sleeping! In the two years since his invention, they have not experienced a problem with lions. Richard is now stringing the lion lights for his neighbors and the neighboring villages. A 12 year old showed his village how to preserve their livelihood without killing the lions and this idea has now blossomed and expanded and is now being used all over Kenya to scare other predators away from farms.

Anna Fenninger, a gold medalist skier, spotlighted the cheetahs’ plight on the Olympic world stage using her helmet with a cheetah pattern. Her helmet provided a new and different story for the commentators and in a short period of time, the fragile existence of the cheetah was brought into the homes of millions.

Sometimes it feels impossible, but without hope we have nothing. The above stories aren’t the only success stories that involve mankind’s extraordinary efforts to help threatened and endangered animals.

We can enjoy the successful comeback of the peregrine falcons. By 1970 the peregrine falcon was near extinction in America and completely extinct in the eastern U.S. The successful comeback was made possible because of the ban on DDT but also in part because of the willingness of dedicated ornithologists wearing a “copulation cap” that enabled captive breeding by enticing male falcons to ejaculate into a receptacle on top of the ornithologists’ heads.

We can marvel at the dedication of the volunteers who for two months fly ultra light planes that teach the whooping cranes their annual 1,200 mile migration route.

And, most importantly we docents and volunteers, as parents and as teachers, can learn and be inspired by extraordinary conservation efforts and convey this hope to our young, who can continue our quest to save these magnificent animals.

Sources:

Wild Ones by Jon Mooallem (Penguin Press HC, 2013).

Hope for Animals and Their World by Jane Goodall with Thane Maynard and Gail Hudson (Grand Central Publishing 2009)

“My invention that made peace with lions”, TED Talks (Feb. 2013), http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_turere_a_peace_treaty_with_the_lions/transcript

“Buddhist Monks Help Save Snow Leopards,” Living on Earth (Oct. 4, 2013), http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=13-P13-00040&segmentID=7.

“Record Number of Fall Chinook Pass Through Bonneville Dame”, YouTube (Oct. 2013), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paRHvtpNENY

The Biology and Ecology of the Humboldt Penguin (Spheniscus humboldti) at Islote Pájaro Niño in Chile: 20 Years of Study

October 21, 2014 By admin Leave a Comment

Roberta S. Wallace, DVM
Senior Staff Veterinarian, Milwaukee County Zoo
Milwaukee, WI

The Humboldt penguin is native to the coastal waters of Chile and Peru. While once reported to number in the hundreds of thousands, the current population number is estimated to be at about 40,000. It is classified by the IUCN red list as vulnerable, and is listed as CITES I. Major colonies include Punta San Juan in Peru, and in Chile, Isla Chañaral, Isla Pájaros, Isla Cachagua and our study site, lslote Pájaro Niño, near Algarrobo, Central Chile. This study site was chosen in part because of its accessibility. To provide protection from rough waters for a yacht club under development, a causeway that joined the island to the mainland was built in the late 1970’s. With the island now attached to the mainland, if is frequently referred to as ex-islote Pájaro Niño.

Our first visit to the island was in 1992 when we collected blood samples from adult penguins for hematology, plasma chemistry and plasma vitamin levels. Reference values for this species were available, but only referencing the captive population. There were no values from healthy free-ranging Humboldt Penguins to use for comparison to assess whether the values from the captive population differed from the wild population or whether any differences signified health problems with the captive population.

After discussions with our Chilean colleagues during this project, we realized that the natural ecology of Humboldt penguins in Chile was little studied. Short term studies at a few islands and occasional censuses after El Niño years had been done, but a long-term study of various aspects of the biology of free-ranging Humboldt Penguins in Chile were non-existent. So in 1994 we embarked on a project to study the life history of the Humboldt Penguin colony at Pájaro Niño. It was designed to be a project that extended over many years because 1) the lifespan of Humboldt Penguins can be over 20 years, 2) Humboldt Penguins don’t reach sexual maturity until 4-5 years of age, 3) annual variation in climatic and oceanographic factors can severely affect breeding seasons and make extrapolation from data collected over 1-2 seasons unreliable.

Initial goals of the project were to: determine nest-site fidelity and nest type preference; determine mate fidelity; determine reproductive success; disease surveillance; develop a method for gender determination by DNA analysis and compare these results with morphometric data; and determine threats to the population.

We identified three main study areas on the island, and within each area we established a grid system consisting of contiguous, uniquely identified 10 X 10m grids. Nests located within each grid were given a unique number corresponding to the grids. Nest contents (number of adult birds, chicks and eggs) were recorded, adult birds were weighed and individually identified with transponder chips or flipper bands, and blood was collected for a variety of analyses. From 1994-2000 the nests were monitored monthly and then intermittently during the breeding seasons from 2001-2008. Semi-monthly monitoring occurred from 2009-2012.

Between 1994 and 2004, nearly 1400 penguins, including 294 chicks, were individually marked either with wing bands or microchips. Re-sightings of nesting birds have occurred up to 10 years after banding. Intense monitoring of the island to look for marked birds has not occurred since 2004.

In 1998, members of our research team were invited to participate in a Population and Habitat Viability Assessment (PHVA) sponsored by the IUCN and held in Olmué, Chile. The purpose of a PHVA is to assess the long-term sustainability of populations of a given species in the wild. At this PHVA, Humboldt Penguin and other penguin (Spheniscid) experts from around the globe attended by invitation. Our data provided information for the analysis, yet it was apparent that little information existed for Humboldt penguins across their range in Chile. The final assessment based on the knowledge at that time was grim: It is very likely the Humboldt Penguin will be extinct in the wild within the next 50-100 years.

Research needs were identified to help fill the gaps in knowledge so that more accurate population analyses could be performed in the future. Areas needing research included performing routine censuses of the Chilean Humboldt Penguin population, studying dispersal from the natal island for breeding, and determining threats from introduced species. Based the improved reproductive success of Humboldt Penguins utilizing artificial nests in Peru, design and installation of artificial nests at strategic locations in Chile was considered.

One of the main deficits in knowledge was that the size of the Humboldt Penguin population in Chile was unknown, with estimates varying widely. Censuses utilizing different methodologies had been done at individual colonies sporadically in previous years. Standard methods were developed at the PHVA. From 2000-2008, utilizing these methods, the Milwaukee County Zoo along with Zoological Society of Milwaukee and the penguin TAG and funded annual censuses to survey all the major colonies of roosting penguins along the Chilean coast from Tarapacá in the north, south to Islote Pájaro Niño. The census took place in February when penguins are on land to moult. Two passes approximately 18 days apart were made in an attempt to include as many birds as possible. The census shows a stable population of approximately 35,000-37,000 birds across several years. This is most likely an underestimate of the total population since small colonies may have been missed, and birds in inaccessible sea caves would not have been counted. However, these numbers do not represent the sub-population of reproductively active birds, which is important for assessing the sustainability of a population. Methods to accurately assess the size of this sub-population need to be developed and funds secured for performing the census.

Data collected over the course of this study have produced a wealth of information. Natural hybridization between free-ranging Magellanic and Humboldt Penguins resulting in live hybrid individuals was observed and reported. Effects of climatic factors on the breeding colony were recorded. The activity of introduced rat species was documented. Our most recent project was the placement of artificial burrows around the island. Artificial nests have been used successfully at Punta San Juan, Perú. Our hope was that the penguins might find these burrows more attractive than some of the less desirable natural nesting sites. Additionally, since the artificial nests are made of heavy duty plastic we hoped that they would be less likely to collapse in the rain or be trampled by other heavy sea birds such as pelicans. If a nest is collapsed or trampled, young chicks are frequently killed and the adults will usually abandon any eggs.

Threats to the general Humboldt Penguin population are many and varied: El Niño with its effects on rainfall and availability of food near nesting areas, introduced predators such as cats, dogs, rats, fox, and goats, natural predators such as sea lions, and people. Threats from people include unregulated ecotourism to sensitive islands, entanglements in fishing nets, outright poaching to use penguin meat as bait, and meat and eggs for human consumption, and development without regard for the effect of such development on nearby penguin colonies.

Unfortunately, both the general number of penguins and the number of nests on our study island has been declining over the years but the cause of this decline is unknown. We hope that it simply represents a shift of the penguins to other islands in response to the human population growth of the area and attendant increase in human activity around the island, rather than reflect a decrease in the overall Humboldt Penguin population in Central Chile.

Further research is needed to fully understand the biology of the Humboldt Penguin in central Chile. Continued investigations into juvenile dispersal and island fidelity (by visiting other islands in search of marked birds), and overall breeding success are warranted. Potential areas of new research include 1) radiotracking of adult and juvenile penguins to determine their feeding and travel zones, and 2) assessing the health status of the penguin population by toxicological and serologic survey. Finally, periodic censuses of the population of breeding Humboldt Penguins in Chile are vital for assessing the overall sustainability of the population.

For a complete list of publications related to this project, please visit the Zoological Society website at: www.zoosociety.org/MultiMedia/Stories/PenguinResearch.php