Habichat The Newsletter for Volunteers of Zoo Knoxville

Transcription

1 Habichat The Newsletter for Volunteers of Zoo Knoxville April 2017 Monthly Volunteer Meetings April 18 7:00 p.m. in the LCCC Todd Montgomery from The Elephant Sanctuary will join us this evening to share about what the Elephant Sanctuary is, their mission and what is happening currently in their facility. May 16 6:00 p.m. in the Kids Cove Tent. This is the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Enjoy good food while awards and recognitions will be given out. RSVP to this event is required. In This Issue Meetings 1 Volunteers Needed 2-3 News & Notes 3-5 VAB Updates 5 Critter News 6 Volunteer Spotlight 7 Department Spotlight 8-9 Animal Spotlight 9-11 June 20 7:00 p.m. in the LCCC. Cynthia Maples will tour us to Kids Cove to see their bee hive. The bee hive has been a success and Cynthia is excited for volunteers to learn about the hive. This would be a wonderful interpreting topic. Suggestions As always, please share any suggestions you may have for guest speakers at both our volunteer meetings and animal talk meetings. Guest speakers for volunteer meetings are usually in-house speakers. Speakers for animal talk meetings are generally non-zk speakers, but there may be overlap! Enrichment Item of the Month Unsalted Peanuts Many of our zoo animals enjoy peanuts. Peanuts can be shelled or unshelled, but must be unsalted. If you would like to contribute this treat for animal enrichment, please bring a bag to the volunteer meeting. Signing up for Activities Please use Jessica Hurley s contact information (jlhurley@knoxville-zoo,org) or call her at (865) (direct line) or (865) , extension 1374 to sign up for ALL volunteer activities or if you have questions about any volunteer program. Activity Look Ahead April Ribbon Cutting (7) Vol Meeting (18) Daniel Tiger Day (22) Party for the Planet (22) Adult Trip (Tentative) (22) May Dreamnight (5) Awards Dinner (16) Ride for the Wild Side (27) Page 1, April 2017 Habichat

2 Volunteers Needed Scheduled Events Always plan on arriving at least 30 minutes before an event begins in order to get your assignment and instructions. guests. (Clock-in Code: Special Events) Daniel Tiger Day Saturday, April 22 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Daniel Tiger from PBS Kids will be visiting Zoo Knoxville to meet and take photos with guests. Volunteer will assist by managing the line, directing guests, assisting with photos and assisting with a craft. (Clock-in Code: Special Events) Party for the Planet Saturday, April 22 10:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Coinciding with Daniel Tiger Day, this event is Zoo Knoxville s Earth Day celebration. There will be several booths set up by green organizations to promote care for the environment. Volunteers may be stationed at a Zoo Knoxville Earth Day table or directing Dreamnight Friday, May 5 5:30 p.m. 8:00 p.m. Partnering with Children s Hospital, this event allows children with chronic illnesses to visit the zoo afterhours with their families. give-away, present animals and biofacts, and direct people. (Clock-in Code: Special Events) Volunteers help hand out a Corporate Sales Planner Picnic Friday, May 12 11:00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. in the Kids Cove Tent. This event is for organization representatives that plan their company s events. This picnic is a showcase to promote zoohosted events. Volunteers are needed to present program animals and biofacts. (Clock-in Code: Special Events) Adison Hipshire Ride for the Wild Side Saturday, May 27 8:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. This is a cycling event occurring in Chilhowee Park and in the nearby roads. Volunteers hand out water, station at check points and help direct cyclers. (Clock-in Code: Special Events) Scout Events Bethany Dunn can use your assistance with facilitating great scout events. You would help by assisting in crafts and other activities, keeping the group together during tours and set-up and clean-up. (Clock-in Code: Ed Department Aide) April 15- Cub Scout Dinner and Safari 6:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. April 22- Girl Scout Earth Day 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. May 6 Boy Scouts: Reptiles and Amphibians 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. May 20 Girl Scouts: Juniors Animal Habitats 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. May 27 Boy Scouts: Soil and Water Conservation 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Zoo Camp Scheduled every week June through July 9:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m for grade levels from Kindergarten through middle school. Volunteers will be needed to help with set-up, clean-up, crafts, activities, camper supervision, touring, etc. Once our new youth volunteers have the opportunity to sign up for a week of Zoo Camp, it will open to current volunteers to sign up. (Clock -in Code: Zoo Camp) Luke Debord, Michael Hoisington, Katherine Bullen, Grace Goosie, Sam Coleman On-Going Needs School Groups Now through May, we will have high numbers of school visitors here at the zoo. Volunteers can help make their trip more enjoyable by helping to get them in and out of the zoo smoothly. The time you would be needed are 9:00 10:30 and again 12:30 1:30. (Clock code: Guest Services Aide) Page 2, April 2017 Habichat

3 Special Exhibits Clock in Code: ED Special Exhibits Volunteers Needed On-going Needs Continued... The Giraffe Platform is open every day from 10:00 4:00. or until the allotted food is used. Volunteers help by interpreting on the platform while the attendance helps the guests feed the giraffe safely. Nature Play/Wee Play interpretation is open from 10:00 a.m- 4:30p.m.. Staff bring out program animals and biofacts. They generally have a different topic every day and provide interactive activities for guests. Volunteer are requested to interpret in this area. Contact Yard (A.K.A Petting Zoo) The Kids Cove Department welcomes you to help them with the contact yard. The contact yard entails sharing rules with guests as they enter the yard, interpreting about the animals and keeping the animals safe. It is open from 10:00 a.m. 4:30p.m. Rove! We are entering the busy season for the zoo. As spring arrives and the weather warms, our paths will start filling with people. Let us not miss this opportunity to reach many people with a conservation message. Consider spending an hour here and there walking around and engaging our guests. It is part of our mission to inspire others to take action. The best way to inspire is through education. (Clockin Code: ED Interpreter) zoo. Use ZooCarts for a nice presentation. They are available at various locations throughout the Tiger Forest Interpretation: The exhibit is officially open to the public on Saturday, April 8 (ribbon cutting is on April 7). This will be a popular exhibit, especially in the next couple of months. Volunteers are needed to interpret daily at the exhibit. Please let me know if you are interest taking a shift. (Clock-in Code: ED Interpreter) Denise Campbell News and Updates Program Animal Orientation May 6 2:00 p.m. This class is for volunteers interested in animal handling, who need to learn the basic information before hands on handling. Those who are eligible have been a volunteer for one full year or have reached 100 hours or more. This is a great class to learn if this is really what you want to do. Kids Cove also offers animal handling within their department. Eligibility guidelines are the same as Program Animals. Please see Jessica if you are interested. Continuing Education Classes are currently going on a hiatus. Marcia Uhl, zoo volunteer who coordinates these classes, will start them again in fall. Larry Blair Reminder of current operation hours: Weekdays: 9:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Weekends: 9:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m. An invitation: Volunteer Experience Survey Thank you to everyone who participated in the Volunteer Experience Survey. Your input is very important in order for our program to continue to grow. Results from the survey will be sent via attachment, so be on the lookout for that! One of our Zoo youth Volunteers, Charles Walker, will be in the School of Rock play. An invitation has been extended out to the zoo volunteer core to come see this great production. It will on Friday, May 5 6:00 p.m. at The Shed in Maryville. Page 3, April 2017 Habichat

4 News and Updates Annual Pass Renewal and Redeeming your Annual Pass Credit Thank you all for being patient as details are being worked out regarding zoo volunteer annual passes and redeeming your earned credit. The annual pass booth is ready to serve you and help you renew your membership. Here are the guidelines: I want to thank all the volunteers for their efforts making Tiger Forest Preview very successful. On Saturday we had a total of 6,117 Guests which is new single day record. We had 8,200 Guests that attended! The vast majority of comments were very positive, with lots of excited Guests. Everyone I worked with was extremely flexible, as we changed things up. Everyone brought a smile and a positive attitude. Both were integral in helping the Guests get the most out of their experience. Thank you for all your hard work in making Tiger Forest Preview weekend special for our Guests! - Josh Hurley, Director of Guest Services and IT Tell them you are a zoo volunteer, whether you are redeeming a credit or not. Tell them you earned a credit (only for volunteers who volunteer for 100 or more hours in 2016) The price for a zoo volunteer annual pass is $40 for an individual and $60 for a Grandparent or 1/2 Parent Families. Individuals may add 1 guest for an additional $10. A credit of $40 will be applied, if you earned one. Volunteers without a credit will pay between $40 and $60, depending on the package you get. Volunteers with a credit will pay between $0 and $20. Mark you calendar! On Thursday, May 4 from 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m., Talbot s on Melrose Place will be having a fundraiser to benefit the zoo. The zoo will receive 10% of all sales in this time period. The leadership team has offered that the funds raised go to the Volunteer Department! The plan is currently to use these funds towards the volunteer biofact collection. Success in this fundraiser relies on sharing with those that you know. Jessica will share the promotion once it is available. Please share on Facebook, Twitter, via , etc. Yoga Classes and Meditation Classes: To improve overall wellness of staff, yoga classes and meditation classes are available weekly in the LCCC. Yoga classes are every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Bring a mat or towel. Classes are $5 each. Meditation classes change weekly, but the next two classes are Friday, April 7 4:45 p.m. and Monday, April 10 4:45 p.m. Youth Volunteers The first youth volunteer meeting will be on Saturday, April 29 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Location will be determined. Youth volunteer meetings are informal meetings with a opportunity to get caught up on what is going on in the zoo and upcoming volunteer needs. This counts for a meeting make up. Youth Volunteer Trip We will have a day trip to Gray Fossil Site and Museum and Bays Mountain, We want to get feedback from you on dates. Look for a Survey Monkey soon! Autumn Jackson: ajackson@zooknoxville.org Page 4, April 2017 Habichat

5 News and Updates Welcome our newest volunteer classes! We have two wonderful groups of new volunteers. They have or are currently completing their new volunteer workshop. We are excited to have them all as part of the team. Please offer a warm welcome if you see one of them around the zoo Youth Volunteers March 2017 Adult Volunteers VAB News and Notes Our family is growing! We had 22 new adult volunteers from the latest adult workshop and 36 new youth volunteers starting soon. This is the first adult class to be divided into Program Assistance and Staff Assistance tracks, and we hope this change will help with volunteer satisfaction and retention. Please let us know if you have any thoughts on the two-track system We continue to add to the volunteer biofact collection that is being housed in Jessica s office. Remember to send Jessica an if you want to check out a biofact, just to make sure she will be in the office. Once Autumn Jackson is working five days a week, she will also be able to let you in the office on Jessica s days off. Several tubs are available with themes: big cats, reptiles, birds, grasslands, bears. We still have volunteers who have not turned in their hours from last year or their paperwork for Please, please make sure Jessica has your paperwork! It is difficult to make decisions for the Volunteer Program without knowing how many current volunteers we have. Stay tuned for more information on the adult volunteer overnight to the Columbus Zoo April 22 and 23 and a fun adult social we are planning for April 27 th. Finally the VAB is excited to announce that Terrie Blake and Dennis Maxey will be joining the team to replace Gina Tate and Larry Blair who are rotating off. We are sure that Terrie and Dennis will be excellent additions to the team they, as all of us, will welcome your suggestions and feedback. Page 5, April 2017 Habichat

6 News and Notes Continued. Critter News Finn Bear donated blood for a rescued bear at Appalachian Bear Rescue. We have to move our last two litters of peccaries to the giraffe barn temporarily until we ass them to the boys at the dog building. These las two litters have a tomato theme, at he suggestion of Allan Ellstrom. Bashir Tiger moved to Tiger Forest. He and Arya will rotate between the north habitat and off view space. They will not be together as tigers are solitary by nature, and only come together for breeding. Arya is still too young to be a mother. Currently, our priorities are to work with them shifting through all of the off view areas and acclimating them to the north habitat. We are continuing to investigate the cause of death of a large number of reptiles March Preliminary findings do not point to an identifiable cause. Examination of the lungs showed some indication that they had been exposed to an irritant. Our pair of white-naped cranes were moved successfully to their exhibit at Tiger Forest. So far, they appear to be adjusting well to their new enclosure. With any luck, the female will nest within the next month. Walden and Puddles (screech owls) continue to do well, and their glove training is coming along nicely. We hope to start bringing them out in the coming months! Thanks to Adam for helping us maintain their equipment. Stud Mutton, the Katahdin ram, is still with us, and has been seen breeding both ewes. He's also been enjoying some playtime with some of the young male goats from time to time. Kids Cove is still looking for a black widow spider. If you find one, let the Kid s Cove keepers know. They will remove it for you. Thanks to Phil, Shane, and Petty Welding Company for getting the divider in place in our giant tortoise greenhouse. Tex now has room to roam without having to be constantly harassed and flipped over by our larger male Aldabra, Al. Volunteer Spotlight: Terrie Blake My name is Teresa Blake, but everyone calls me Terrie. I have been a volunteer at Zoo Knoxville since September I was a docent in Atlanta and when I came here I waited as long as I could after having a baby to volunteer at the zoo again, which was not easy. My inspiration was Jack Hanna and Steve Irwin. They truly inspired me to be an ambassador for the animals. I have worked with education animals, been a keeper assistant with elephants and now I have a passion for the Giraffes and the feeding platform. You will most likely see me at Special Events as that is my favorite way to interact with the public and have fun with them. Volunteering is my way of teaching those who are not familiar with the animals to not only learn about the animals, but to learn to love them as I do. I think this is the heart of conservation. Page 6, April 2017 Habichat

7 Department Spotlight: Rangers Chris Kesterson Title: Chief Ranger When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? 2009, worked part-time in the 90 s- 02 as a deputy Which animal would you be? Gorilla, so I would be crazy strong! What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? The animals Todd Pittenger Title: Assistant Chief Ranger When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? 2015 Which animal would you be? Tiger, super speed! What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? Working with a great group of individuals and awesome animals Keith Kinkade Title: Sergeant Ranger When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? 2014 Which animal would you be? Gibbon What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? Animals and being outdoors Roz Gorzeman Title: Sergeant Ranger When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? Started as a keeper in red pandas 2001, and moved to Education in I became a ranger in Which animal would you be? Red panda What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? Outdoors, animals and interacting and educating the guests Amanda Winegar: Title: Lead Ranger When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? As a Ranger since Which animal would you be? A giraffe so I could be tall enough to reach things in the Ranger Station What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? My department is very close-knit. We all have each other's backs and we're all willing to help one another. Page 7, April 2017 Habichat

8 Department Spotlight: Rangers Jared Peer Title: Ranger When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? 2016 Which animal would you be and why? A meerkat, it would be cool to be immune to scorpion venom. What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? The atmosphere - from a friendly staff family to appreciative guests, from working out in nature to seeing the animals all the time. Kent Wakefield: Title: Ranger When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? 2015 Which animal would you be and why? I d be a giraffe so that I can dunk on people. What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? Getting to see the otters and then getting to see the rest of the animals. Danny Crumpley: Title: Night Watchman When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? 2016 Which animal would you be and why? Goat What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? Getting to be at the zoo by myself almost like I'm my own boss. Chelsea Rinn Title: Administrative Assistant/ Reserve Ranger When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? 2016 Which animal would you be? Gibbon. I ve always wanted to fly, but then again, birds aren t the most intellectual of creatures. Gibbons have brains, they re cute, and brachiating through the trees would be so fun and pretty close to flying. What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? Even though we are at the zoo, the people here are what make it amazing. And of course, I love being able to take a lunch break next to three elephants, or get exercise after work like I m doing my own walk-through safari. Howard Pittenger Title: Ranger Part-time When did you start working at Zoo Knoxville? 2013 worked part-time in the 90 s as a deputy Which animal would you be? Tiger What is your favorite thing about working at the zoo? Camaraderie Other Ranger Staff: Part-time Administration Assistants: Darci Hodge, Raven Hallmark and Becky Witherspoon ( Reserve Rangers: Makayla Waits and Raven Hallmark Page 8, April 2017 Habichat

9 Animal Spotlight: Malayan Tiger OUR Tigers Tanvier: ( H on face, dark eyebrow-like marks over eyes) male, 8 yrs. Born March 21, 2009 at the Cincinnati Zoo. Bashier: (Ls on face, tear drop markings over eyes) male, 8 yrs. Born March 21, 2009 at the Cincinnati Zoo. Arya: female, 3 yrs., on loan from Fresno Chaffee Zoo in California. She is recommended to breed with our boys. Fun facts: They eat mostly horse meat as their regular diet, they get bones every Friday which they are very enthusiastic about, and occasionally will get carcass during deer season. They are being trained to showcase more natural behaviors such as, attack, station, feeding pole, As-Bs (where they come and go to certain keepers), open mouth, and already know the basic behaviors such as sit, down, target, up, paws, and squeeze and injection trained. Jump about 12 feet. Target training using blood. Like to play and eat watermelons. They will eat everything. Their main threat to habitat loss is deforestation due to palm oil plantation and road development, and poaching. Malaysia is a 3rd world country so a lot of people kill them and their prey to put on the black market just to make a living. Zoo Knoxville is actively involved in the Malayan Tiger Species Survival Plan, a national collaborate effort by AZA-accredited zoos to save this species from extinction. Currently, 64 Malayan tigers live in U.S. zoos. Malayan Tiger Information STATUS: Critically Endangered POPULATION: SCIENTIFIC NAME: Panthera tigris jacksoni WEIGHT: pounds HABITATS: Tropical moist broadleaf forests Malayan tigers were classified as Indochinese tigers until DNA testing in 2004 showed them to be a separate subspecies. Their Latin name Panthera tigris jacksoni honors Peter Jackson, the famous tiger conservationist. Malayan tigers are found only on the Malay Peninsula and in the southern tip of Thailand. Habitat Loss Logging operations and road development pose big threats to Malayan tiger habitats. Conversion of forests to agriculture or commercial plantations results in frequent encounters between tigers and livestock. The cost to farmers can be high livestock loss due to tigers is estimated to have cost more than $400,000 from in Terengganu, one of the poorest areas in Peninsular Malaysia. In retaliation, tigers are often killed by authorities or angry villagers. Tigers killed as conflict animals often end up on the black market, creating a link between human-tiger conflict and poaching. General Tiger Information Diet Tigers mainly eat deer, wild pigs, water buffalo and antelope. Tigers are also known to hunt sloth bears, dogs, leopards, crocodiles and pythons as well as monkeys and hares. Old and injured tigers have been known to attack humans and domestic cattle. Range Historic tiger range ran from Turkey through South and Southeast Asia to the far eastern shores of the continent. Today, they are only found in South and Southeast Asia, China and the Russian Far East Page 9, April 2017 Habichat

10 Animal Spotlight: Malayan Tiger Population In the early 1900s, there were around 100,000 tigers throughout their range. Today, an estimated total of around 3,000-4,500 exist in the wild. Below is a breakdown of tiger numbers by subspecies. Bengal tiger: Less than 2,000 South Chinese tiger: Extinct in the wild Indochinese tiger: 750-1,300 Caspian tiger: Extinct Siberian tiger: Around 450 Javan tiger: Extinct Sumatran tiger: Bali tiger: Extinct Malayan tiger: Behavior Tigers occupy a variety of habitats from tropical forests, evergreen forests, woodlands and mangrove swamps to grasslands, savannah and rocky country. They are mostly nocturnal (more active at night) and are ambush predators that rely on the camouflage their stripes provide. Tigers use their body weight to knock prey to the ground and kills with a bite to the neck. They are also very good swimmers and have been known to kill prey while swimming. Tigers essentially live solitary lives, except during mating season and when females bear young. They are usually fiercely territorial and mark their large home ranges. Reproduction Mating Season: In tropical climates, mostly from around November to April; during the winter months in temperate regions. Gestation: 103 days. Litter size: 3-4 cubs. Cubs follow their mother out of the den at around 8 weeks and become independent at around 18 months of age. They leave their mothers at about 2 ½ years. Mothers guard their young from wandering males that may kill the cubs to make the female receptive to mating. A better road ahead for wild tigers Earlier this year, WWF estimated an increase in the number of tigers worldwide, up to 3,890 in 2016 from an estimated 3,200 in But success to date is tenuous: According to a new report from WWF, tigers now face a threat far greater than many we ve tackled before: linear infrastructure. Page 10, April 2017 Habichat

11 Animal Spotlight: Malayan Tiger Bash Tan Arya Page 11, April 2017 Habichat