Elephant Festival celebrates world s largest land animal

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1 For more information visit September 3, 2008 Volunteer Coordinator s Corner Annie Langenfeld Flying Squad at Tesso Nilo National Park in Sumatra. Elephant Festival celebrates world s largest land animal The El Paso Zoo's Elephant Conservation Program is helping to protect one of the most important rainforest ecosystems in the world Rick LoBello, Education Curator For seven years now Juno and Savannah, our Asian elephants, have been the major attraction at the El Paso Zoo s annual Elephant Festival. Like elephant festivals held in Asia, our special weekend celebrates humankind s 5,000 year relationship with these giant pachyderms and the 58 years that elephants have lived in our city. Juno and Savannah play a major role in helping people understand and appreciate Continued on page 3 The Elephant Festival is the next big event in our zoo lives! This year it is a very different presentation and looks to be a lot of fun. We need all of you to make this a great success, so plan on helping out on Saturday, September 27 or Sunday, September 28 (or both if you want). I ll be sending information soon, if I haven t already. We ll have water, soda and something to eat. I am waiting to hear from each of you on what part of the day/s and what you want to do for the Elephant Festival. I can hear the phone ringing already!!!! We are just waiting for our new South American Possums and the Kangaroo Rat to come out of quarantine so we can get acquainted with them. I think all of you have noticed the changes in the fall assignments starting this month. Of course we hope to have schools coming on the grounds and you will be assigned to help an Education Specialist with these programs. And there will be new special programs, such as Mommy and Me, Grandpa/Grandma and Me, Night Prowl Special, etc. And we will be teaching you how to make enrichment articles for our animals. Stick with us while we get all these new programs going!!!! Volunteers are back from summer vacations, although a few will be out for shorter periods during the fall. With schools having started the grounds are not as busy but we hope to have our new programs that will entice groups onto the grounds. I have spaces left for the Night Prowl practice run. This will be a lot of fun and you ll learn why this special program for zoo visitors will Continued on page 2

2 observations, etc. Make sure you go in at the end of your assignment and record these numbers. There is a sheet in Valerie/Rose s office. These statistics are very important because they tell us where and when volunteers are needed and what kind of programs we do. Make plans now to head on up to Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico this November for the Festival of the Cranes. Photo by Rick LoBello Volunteer Coordinator Corner continued from page 1 successful. The practice run is on September 20. Be here by 7:45pm. You need to let Marlene or me know you want to take part. I have already sent everyone a notice of things we need to be careful of in several areas. When you bring back a carry cage, be sure to clean it with the 930 (lemon quat) cleaner and a towel, like the keepers do. Any container can be sprayed with bleach solution, let it sit 10 minutes and then rinse using a cup and water at the sink, if the sink is not full. If that is the case, tell keeper you have a dirty cage and they will clean it with the hose outside. Be sure to use plenty of newspaper in the cage and that will help it to stay fairly clean. We need to make sure our cages are clean and presentable while we are out in the public. When you take an animal out for a program, roving, etc. be sure to put a sign on the cage. The signs are in a box, on the table, near the front of room. You MUST sign out and back in the animal you are using. It is very important that we keep track of how much we use these animals. Not just the mammals, but everything. Some of you may not be recording the number of people you are seeing on grounds while roving, doing animal encounters, animal The new Animal Holding area is slowly coming along. I don t recommend you hold your breath but keep being optimistic. Our animals will have a wonderful new home and we volunteers will have our own home. Also, the next volunteer meeting is at 3:30 pm in the Paraje on September 8, See all of you there. Our Wish List Call or write Annie at langenfeldar@elpasotexas.gov for more information. 1. Newspapers, without all the colored ad inserts. 2. Pesticide free closed pinecones (birds love to pull them open for the seeds). 3. Towels, hand towels, wash cloths, sheets, pillow cases. 4. Vegetable dyed wooden toys for the birds, also old phone books. 5. Carry cages in good condition. 6. Empty soda boxes or small cardboard boxes that candy or other smaller items come in. Little animals like to use them for hiding and the big birds like to tear the bigger ones apart. 7. If you have some office furniture in good condition or a small table and chairs or comfortable chairs you want to donate we can use these items in our new office when we get ready to move in. 8. FOR THE COLLECTIONS SECTION--- Binoculars and Pressure Washers. Remember to put your newspapers, etc in the grey container behind the bamboo fence on the side of the Ad/Min Bldg. Please put your newspapers in a paper sack. It is much easier to pick them out of the deep container.

3 produce oxygen that we need to breathe and capture CO2 emissions to help decrease global warming, but also in maintaining the Earth's limited supply of drinking and fresh water. Rainforests also provide many important products for people including timber, coffee, cocoa and many medicinal products. Seventy percent of the plants identified by the U.S. National Cancer Institute as useful in the treatment of cancer are found only in rainforests. Juno and Savannah love their sand pile siestas. Autumn Breeze Birthday Wishes to 7. Tom Marsden---6, Nora Butler----15, Toni Marie Lopez----15, Joe Rodriguez----18, Edgar Sanchez----21, Dixielee Jackson Elephant Festival Continued from Page 1 elephants around the world. The two day event on Saturday and Sunday, September 27 and 28 features fun activities for children, Elephant Discovery Stations, a special Breakfast with the Elephants, Produce Hunts inside the elephant exhibit and live entertainment. Most who come to the Zoo can appreciate the fascination and joy expressed by the thousands of children who come here every year and see elephants for the first time. But few realize another important reason why their presence in El Paso and other zoos is so important to the future of our world. In Southeast Asia where our elephants come from, they play a major role in helping to maintain rainforests. Every day elephants are involved with path making, tree felling, soil aeration and seed dispersal. They also play an important role in creating water holes and in maintaining links in the food chain as the architects of the rainforest. Healthy rainforests are vital to the future of our environment not only because they As they wander through the dense woodlands we should be thankful for how Asian elephants help to open up the thick masses of vegetation and let in sunlight for generations of plants on the forest floor. Such vegetation provides a food supply and hospitable environment for thousands of other wildlife species including large herbivores like the Malayan tapir, Sumatran rhino, forest antelope and bush pig. These in turn represent prey species for large carnivores like clouded leopards and Sumatran tigers. On top of all that elephants also deposit their waste, hundreds of pounds per elephant per day, which results in the transfer of nutrients and increased productivity in the ecosystem. Juno and Savannah are helping to protect a declining population of wild Asian elephants on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia as key players in the Zoo's "Elephants Helping Elephants Conservation Education Program." Over the past 7 years, the Zoo's education program has focused on helping to protect habitat for the last remaining herd of about 60 Sumatran elephants living in Tesso Nilo National Park. Every day Zoo visitors learn about the herd and efforts to save them during the Zoo's daily noon time elephant program. To help protect this ecologically strategic herd and their rainforest habitat, we encourage visitors to recycle their cell phones at the Zoo and to contribute to the Zoo's conservation fund. Money earned from our cell phone program and other fund raising efforts is used to support Lisa, Rahman, Ria and Indro World Wildlife Fund's Flying Squad Continued on Page 4

4 Elephant Festival continued from page 3 and overall protection of Tesso Nilo National Park. The Flying Squad is a small group of domesticated elephants that are ridden by mahout human handlers who lead them into farming areas near the park where wild elephants come into conflict with people. This past summer the squad was featured on CNN and ABC News Nightline. Over the past year their efforts have helped to decrease the number of conflicts which is essential to the protection of the elephants. According to the World Wildlife Fund, the program in 2006 has helped to reduce crop damage in one village by 99%. World Wildlife Fund Report ndex.cfm?unewsid= Flying Squad Elephant Patrol Video Report /07/25/damon.indo.elephant.patr.cnn New Education Animal Arrivals and Education Animal Handling Update By Valerie Hearn Woodhouse s Toad Hey everyone! We are so excited to have so many new arrivals in our education animal collection. Some are just going into quarantine, while others are all ready to go. Hopefully all of you have met our ferrets, Thelma and Louise. They are still young and playful be sure to have a toy (or something to chew on) traveling with them! The keepers have helped a lot to get them used to being handled. They have had success gently taking them by the scruff should they start biting. Be sure to drop in and get to know them if you have not yet done so. I know many of you have fond memories of Patricia and Nibbles we missed having short-tailed opossums in the collection, so we now have two young sto s just arrived! They will be in quarantine for a while, but they are already used to handling and will be able to be used shortly after their quarantine time. Names for these are to be determined (suggestions are accepted). Oh, and who can forget the many, many amphibians that have been brought into the collections? Prior to the preparations for Frog Fest, we ranked average among AZA zoos on number of amphibians in our collection at a whopping 4 species (17 individuals)! We now have many new species, and most are for education program use. We do have special protocol for transport and handling of the new amphibians, which may be found at the end of this missive along with a species list. Up through the Frog Fest their handling and use has been very restricted, and after the event they will all go into a formal quarantine period. Once quarantine is over, we can really begin introducing everyone to these amazing animals - we will notify you all when that time comes. Also, we will be working on information pages for each of the new species. Thanks to all of you for the love and care you have for our animals! New frog species: Local natives - Woodhouse s frog, Couch s spadefoot, tiger salamander, red-spotted toad, Ramsey Canyon leopard frog (mostly AZ), and canyon tree frog (more Big Bend area) Continued on page 5

5 Education Animals continued from page 4 Asian Oriental fire-bellied toads, White s tree frog South American Waxy tree frog (a.k.a. Orange-legged monkey frog) Addition to the Animal Handling Policy: V. Amphibians a. Transport containers: Amphibians should be transported in their assigned containers with nonchlorinated water and damp moss. Containers should be transported in a large ice chest for insulation. Adequate ventilation should be maintained. b. The animal handler should wear powder-free latex surgical gloves and moisten his or her gloved hands before picking up the amphibian. c. Amphibians are to remain on zoo grounds no off-grounds programs at this time. d. Due to their permeable skin and possibility of disease transmission, amphibians are for display only. The public is not to touch them at any time. e. Care must be taken to keep amphibians and their containers out of direct sunlight and to avoid extreme temperature changes. f. Containers should be cleaned with dish soap, rinsed well, and then disinfected with a 5% bleach solution. The solution needs to sit for 10 minutes, and then be rinsed well. Additionally, frogs should be kept within a temperature range of 75-80º. Event Calendar September 20 (Saturday) at Tom Mays Park, Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta Info at September 27& 28 (Saturday & Sunday) 7th Annual Elephant Festival October (Saturday & Sunday) BOO AT THE ZOO El Paso Zoo Mission Statement Our mission is to celebrate the value of animals and natural resources and to create opportunities for people to rediscover their connection to nature. Stray Dogs kill Two El Paso Zoo Animals A pronghorn antelope and a sandhill crane were mauled and killed by three dogs that made their way into the El Paso Zoo late Wednesday on August 20. At about 11:45 p.m. Zoo security heard barking and animal distress noises in the American Grasslands exhibit. When the guards ran over to investigate, they found two Pit Bulls and a German Shepherd inside the exhibit near two zoo animals that were lying on the ground. Security immediately called the city s Animal Services Division and El Paso Zoo Safety and Security Coordinator Nancy Juvrud, who requested assistance from the El Paso Police Department. The police and animal control acted in a timely manner, but to no avail as the dogs made their way out of the zoo into the canal area by the Boone Street gate. El Paso Zoo Director Steve Marshall said because of the quick response of our security, animal control and EPPD, no other animals were harmed. Continued on page 6

6 Stray Dogs continued from page 5 Zoo officials are working on determining how the dogs entered the zoo. Eight foot tall, chain link fencing, topped by barbed wire runs the perimeter of the zoo. Marshall suspects the dogs got into the park by digging under the chain-link fence and then into the exhibit by jumping over a rock wall planter. These dogs were determined, they were motivated, Marshall said. Dr. Victoria Milne, Zoo Veterinarian, examined the mauled animals. She found each had fatal bite marks. Animal Curator John Kiseda said feral dogs pose a threat to the zoo animals and the community. Our zoo keepers are crushed at the loss of these two longstanding animals at the zoo, Kiseda said. Hope was a female pronghorn antelope, who arrived here in 1990, and Dakota, a sandhill crane known for following keepers around when they were feeding him or cleaning the exhibit. He had been here since There are a lot of dogs that run lose throughout neighborhoods and it s a problem at many zoos. Once they decide to get in, they are very effective and lethal and are good diggers. And as we see today, the results are devastating, said Nancy Juvrud, who is a former police sergeant and has seen this situation before. Law enforcement officers deal with feral dogs way too often, and dogs usually strike at night, when there are few people around. The Zoo, which has bi-weekly fence inspections and security drills in place, plans to step up fence inspections to once a week in response to this attack. A similar attack happened in the same exhibit, five years ago, when another group of feral dogs attacked the same pronghorn which was mauled on August 20. The Health Department would like to remind the public to exercise caution and avoid stray animals as their behaviors are highly unpredictable and they will generally react aggressively in an attempt to defend themselves from capture. Their reaction is natural animal "fight or flight" response. Animal Services Captures Two Dogs near Zoo El Paso Animal Services has successfully trapped two dogs in humane traps placed at the El Paso Zoo following an attack that left a pronghorn antelope and a sandhill crane dead. Ray Sim, Deputy Director of Animal Services, describes the animals as one male Pit Bull and one male Shepherd-Pit Bull mix. "They appear similar to two of the three animals reported by zoo security as killing the antelope and crane Wednesday evening" says Sim. The dogs have no tags, microchips, or other identification. The animals will be impounded in quarantine at Animal Services. They will be observed and fecal samples will be taken for medical evaluation and analysis by Dr. Medina, staff Veterinarian for Animal Services. We are relieved to hear that two of the dogs are off the streets", says Animal Curator John Kiseda. "We are grateful for the quick response and coordination with Animal Services," said El Paso Zoo Director Steve Marshall. "We are also appreciative of the outpouring of support and concern by the community," said Marshall. Traps will remain in the immediate area of the El Paso Zoo. The El Paso Zoo states that they will continue to keep traps in the area where the dogs were spotted. Nancy Juvred, Safety and Security Coordinator, who responded to the attack late Wednesday night, says "we're very grateful to Animal Services for allowing us to borrow their traps while we attempt to find the third suspected dog".

7 Have you ever thought of having breakfast with an Elephant or two? Juno and Savannah at the El Paso Zoo Here is your opportunity! Please join us on either Saturday, September 27 th or Sunday, September 28 th from 8:30-9:30 am for an Eledelicious breakfast buffet! Price (includes zoo entrance & buffet) $15.00 for Adults 13 & up $10.00 for Children 3-12 years old $8.00 for Zoological Members Call for your reservations