Well, no. Contrary to my melodramatic attempt at a horror movie, condors aren’t out to get us. It is more fitting to say that we are out to get them. They have to run a dangerous gauntlet: besides lack of habitat due to human encroachment across the land, and issues like collisions with power lines, condors face additional complicated problems that have to do with humans hunting for animals other than this protected scavenger bird. Hunters who use lead shot and don’t pick up their kills, or who gut the animals in the field and leave shot in the innards left behind, leave condors vulnerable to lead poisoning. To the condors, animal remains are a lovely meal, but the birds do not realize that their gourmet feast is laced with poison. Several condors that have been released into the wild after their birth. I know a few hunters, and I am doing my best to warn them of the danger their ammunition poses to this critically endangered species. There is a simple solution. Hunters can use alternatives to lead such as steel shot.

Even though Southern Californians played a part in the demise of the California condor population, we are also poised to help them make a comeback. The efforts made since the 1980s at the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo to increase the bird population and to find ways to get those birds back into the wild is only part of the conservation puzzle. Everyone can do their part by spreading the word about lead shot, habitat protection, and just leaving the condors in peace. We are about 150 birds away from the condor being downgraded from “critical risk” to “threatened,” and with everybody’s assistance, we can reach that goal.

-Sarah, Real World Team

Condors Are Here to Stay

A few years before my birth, California condors came very close to extinction. But thanks to the joint efforts of many organizations in the California Condor Recovery Program, including the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the center for Conservation and Science for Endangered Species (CRES), this majestic species is now on the road to recovery.

The California condor is the largest bird in North America, weighing up to 31 pounds (14.1 kilograms) with a wingspan of 9 to 10 feet (2.7 to 3 meters). It is also a very intelligent species. Condors can spot each other flying from up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, they can cover hundreds of miles in a day in search of food and not get lost, and read the behavioral cues of other animals to figure out if they are gathered around something dead, which the condors want to eat. In the early 1900s, California condors roamed the beaches in search for food. Nowadays, although they have vanished from most of their historical range, they are slowly being introduced back into wild areas. But the people and human- created obstacles that exist in these wild places are still troublesome for these inquisitive fliers.

Scientists and bird care staff at CRES and the Wild Animal Park have developed techniques for helping condors that were hatched in managed care but are slated for release into the wild. To prevent deaths caused by power line collisions, the birds are trained to avoid power lines in a captive setting, before they are released to the wild. This technique is proving to be very effective. However, they can’t teach the birds to avoid things like drinking radiator fluid or eating dog food from people’s backyards.

Twenty years ago, if you really were lost in the desert, chances are the only birds you would see circling overhead would be turkey vultures. In 1987, there were a total of 27 California condors left in the world, and all of them were in captivity. Today’s population consists of 284 birds, 156 in managed care and 128 soaring in the wild. But now, thanks to Dr. Mike Wallace of the4 Applied Animal Ecology Division of CRES, and lots of other concerned conservation biologists, animal keepers, and regular people, the condor is back! So turn your eyes to the sky if you are near the Grand Canyon, in Baja California, in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles and southeast of Santa Barbara, and even in Idaho to see the California condors that are flying free. By the way, last year, field biologists captured on film a group of California condors on the coast of Baja California dining on a whale carcass.

-Marika, Conservation team

It’s Up to You, For Condors Too

Now how did Dr. Wallace get to saving California condors? He grew up in Maine as the kid who trained pigeons on his block. He later went to Unity College where he got his bachelor’s degree in science. While getting his master’s at the University of Wisconsin, he apprenticed for a project aimed at releasing black turkey vultures back into the wild. The main focus of his thesis was the development of release techniques that he tested on Andean condors. He went further in his education, receiving his Ph.D. based on his thesis about releasing Andean condors into Peru. He spent four years developing tagging and trapping techniques, skills required to monitor these bald, red-headed birds with feathers as black as night.

After all of that, it’s no surprise that he knows so much about condors. He has also had to learn as he worked, incorporating new technology developments into his conservation work. He is currently monitoring 12 released birds through the use of GPS transmitters at Sierra San Pedro Martir, the tallest peak in Baja California, Mexico.

Testing these techniques at the Wild Animal Park, we had a sort of Easter egg hunt, trying to locate two transmitters that Dr. Wallace had hidden within the landscape of the CRES facility–quite fascinating! However, we soon learned how difficult it is to track in rocky environments, because the signals bounce off of rocks, making the direction of the source hard to determine.

Dr. Wallace’s two main duties are monitoring and fund-raising for the California Condor Recovery Program. To fund-raise, he writes proposals to get grants from those willing to donate. He also does the legwork necessary to get permits from the Mexican and American governments. Dr. Wallace performs directly with the project as well. In Baja California, he organizes events with volunteers in order to build necessary equipment such as the release pen. In fact, this weekend he is returning to Baja California because the behavior of a condor pair suggests that the female may have recently laid an egg. If so, this will be the first California condor egg produced in Baja California since the species’ recent reintroduction there.

-Melissa, Animal Careers Team

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

This devise detects signals from the California condors. This is the latest technology that is used for tracking animals in the wild.

As a group, we are exploring the premises of the Beckman Center where the “condor” should be located.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

In addition to the wide-ranging physical conditions, as a reptile keeper you must have a wide spectrum of knowledge about every animal under your care. Some of the information is vital for the animals’ conservation in the wild, other things are important for keeping the animals alive and well at the Zoo. Mr. Morgan easily transitioned through all of this information as he toured us through countless reptile exhibits. It is important that you are able to handle the reptiles (and in some cases amphibians) and their food. Normally their diet consists of crickets, mice, and other frozen foods. Some of the other interns were totally okay with being surrounded by venomous reptiles, but they cringed at the sight of a cricket!

Another important thing you should know is the breeding habits and the natural environment of each animal under your care. This will allow you to be better able to breed each species. You also must be able to work well with others. You are part of a team and everyone plays an important part. As a reptile keeper you should also be comfortable using binomial nomenclature. This means using the animal’s scientific name rather than their common name. This helps with clarity.

Mr. Morgan earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Saskatchewan and is hoping to pursue his master’s degree working with tuataras. As a keeper you must be willing to move to a Zoo where they have job for you, and work with many different people. You also must be trained to use the protective gear such as a snake hook and a protective facemask. You also must be trained to safely handle the animals you work with.

-Justin, Zoo InternQuest Animal Careers Team

Aliens Invade Guam

I have never been someone who enjoys being around reptiles, but Ken Morgan, a senior reptile keeper at the Zoo, helped me to see that they are not as scary as I thought they were. Mr. Morgan is in charge of a tropical reptile corridor. His corridor was extremely hot and so humid that there is a de-humidifier running all the time. Besides knowing how to care for the animals, Mr. Morgan had a story for all of the reptiles he showed us.

For example, a brown tree snake was confiscated from a private party who had it and brought to the Zoo. The species got onto Guam by Navy transport way back in the mid-20th Century and essentially ate all of the birds on the island. The only reason that there are birds there now is because they are protected by fences and other measures to keep the snakes out. There are also populations of birds such as the Guam rail and the Micronesian kingfisher that live here at the San Diego Zoo even though the species are essentially extinct in the wild.

The reason the snake species was so successful on the island of Guam is that there are no natural predators for the snake on that island so they basically landed in a place with an all-you-can-eat buffet and nobody to tell them that they have had enough! Well-fed snakes are also successful breeders, so the population was able to grow in number. There is a brown tree snake eradication plan on Guam. When the snakes have been eliminated from this island, the Guam rails can come back. This was an interesting story to hear from a reptile keeper. Mr. Morgan didn’t seem to be defending the snake or anything like that. The whole point was to look at the habitats and niches of animals and how the whole balance of things can be thrown off when people move animals around.

Not only does the Reptile House have reptiles, but it also has amphibians! There were several frog species being bred to increase their faltering populations. One species is called the tomato frog. The name fits because it really looks like a tomato when it is standing still. I have lived my whole life staying as far away as possible from reptiles, but our personalized tour of the Reptile Department has shown me that they are friendly and less intimidating than most animals.

-Kati, Zoo InternQuest Photography Team

Working to Save Our Reptile Friends

The Reptile Department at the San Diego Zoo is dedicated to protecting endangered species of turtles, snakes, and iguanas, and the list goes on and on to include both reptiles and amphibians. As Ken Morgan, senior keeper at the Reptile House, showed us, sadly much of the collection features endangered species like the Galapagos tortoise and the tuatara. Besides these exotic species, we encountered some species native to the U.S. that face extinction as human encroachment continues into previously wild places.

Mr. Morgan showed us many animals that are currently endangered, but one group that caught my attention was the Asian fresh water turtles. Humans have been exploiting the Asian freshwater turtles for food and have thus depleted the numbers to the point where if the Zoo’s conservation efforts are not successful, the population will go extinct. An animal that is a neighbor to the Asian freshwater turtle at the Zoo is the gharial, which is an endangered species of crocodilian. It, too, is facing increased pressure in the wild due to human encroachment on their habitat in India. The Zoo is working to increase the number of gharials and Asian fresh water turtles, but because of the mining of beaches for sand and the disruption of the migratory patterns due to fishing lines (also a common problem for sea turtles) their numbers in the wild still dwindle.

In addition to foreign endangered animals, we learned that there are species right here in California being threatened by human activity. These include the San Francisco garter snake and the mountain yellow-legged frog. The San Francisco garter snake is so close to becoming extinct because of its small range and human destruction of their habitat. Due to predation by introduced trout and nonnative bullfrogs, pesticide and nitrogen deposition, water diversion by dams and reservoirs, human recreational activity, and diseases including chytrid fungus and viruses, the number of adult mountain yellow-legged frogs has been reduced to about 75.

-Keesha, Zoo InternQuest Conservation Team

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

The tuatara is native to New Zealand and isn’t actually a lizard. It has its own family due to skeletal differences. It is critically endangered and is on loan from the government of New Zealand.

The Galapagos Islands are home to these enormous creatures. Although they are endangered, they live for hundreds of years and continue to stay curious and upbeat.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

The sea lions at Wegeforth Bowl serve as ambassadors to teach people about Pacific ocean conservation.

The cheetah, Kubali, is an ambassador at the Wild Animal Park and runs during the Cheetah Run Safari program.

- Lauren and Kati, Zoo InternQuest, Photo Team

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

Frank Escobedo is currently responsible for getting all of the horticulture work done. He delegates the necessary work to his employees. Bonnie Duff is assigned to the Wild Animal Park’s front entrance. Together there around 30 horticulturists who work at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. The core functions of the Horticulture Department are to provide environments for the animals, guests, and botanical gardens, whether they are for habitat or decoration. Horticulturists must do all the needed work for shows, collections, and exhibits, such as planting, mowing, supplying, recording, and irrigation work. Supplies are often needed for animal exhibits, which include food and habitat. Certain animals need certain materials: birds need perch material, cats like palm fronds to play with. This requires horticulture and animal keeper interaction. And a tree can never be cut down at the Zoo or Wild Animal Park without a bunch of keepers calling dibs on the limbs and stumps for their animals’ enclosures.

Throughout our lovely walkabout through the beautiful gardens, Frank Escobedo intertwined advice about how to have a happy life, even if you don’t want to hang out with plants for a living. “You should work on what you like best and have fun!” exclaimed Mr. Escobedo. “Don’t let go of your dreams and be the best you can be.” He also emphasized the tremendous amount of job opportunities available in this area whether the position is an arborist, botanist, agronomist, or biologist. Find what you love and you will love what you do!

-Melissa, Zoo InternQuest, Animal Careers Team

Watering Plants Saves Water?
The Wild Animal Park has three accredited botanical gardens: Nativescapes Garden, Baja & Old World Succulent Garden, and Conifer Forest. Because these three botanical gardens are recognized and accredited, the Horticulture Department is entrusted to propagate the species of plants in each of the gardens. It is their duty to conserve the plant diversity that otherwise might be endangered.

In addition to growing plants, horticulturists are responsible for managing and mapping the irrigation that accompanies such a vast area of land. It is estimated that the Wild Animal Park goes through 2 million gallons of water a day from various sources like nearby lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. However, the Wild Animal Park is not the only place tapping into these water sources. In the San Pasqual Valley, farmers also need water for their crops. In an effort to conserve water, the Wild Animal Park has built a reclamation plant. This plant processes used water, runoff from irrigation, and gray water from sanitary sources, and stores it in the reclamation pond; from there it is used for irrigation. In the past, the reclamation plant was able to process 40,000 gallons a day. Due to recent upgrades, it processes nearly 200,000. Although local farmers and the Wild Animal Park have drained much of the water in the Valley aquifers, by using reclaimed water for irrigation, the Park is reducing demand on the aquifer and saving fresh water for other uses.

In addition to being in charge of preserving endangered species of plants like the cycad, a prehistoric and endangered conifer, horticulturists are responsible for maintaining an enriching animal environment. Arborists collect deadfall from trees for use in the animals’ enclosures in order to enhance their habitat. This plant material is known as animal “furniture.” In doing so, they are utilizing what might elsewhere be considered useless dead plants. Recycle, reduce, reuse!

-Keesha, Zoo InternQuest, Conservation Team

I Might Have a Green Thumb After All!
To be perfectly honest, I’ve never really had much of a green thumb. Actually, I would go so far as to say I had a shriveled, dead, and black thumb. I tried to grow raspberries recently and they all died. My grandmother, a skilled gardener, said that killing raspberries was quite a feat, because they won’t die, even if you want them to. I’ve harbored resentment against plants for a long time, never having accomplished my dream of a rain forest-like backyard. After our meeting with Ms. Duff and Mr. Escobedo, my anger has lessened considerably. I know now that it is possible to keep a single raspberry plant alive, since the 30 or so gardeners at the Wild Animal Park keep thousands of plants alive without batting an eye; I’m just not a very good gardener. I was deeply impressed by the enthusiasm with which these two people approach their jobs. Instead of focusing on the common complaints of how terrible life is and why can’t they be rich and famous, Ms. Duff and Mr. Escobedo provide a wonderful contrast. Mr. Escobedo pointed out that once you have a passion for something, all you need in order to be happy is a pair of good pruning sheers and some tough work gloves.

Besides keeping the Park looking nice, the Horticulture Department keeps visitors informed about the plight of many plants, including many endangered plants like the Torrey pine. Although plants may seem like background for the animals, they are complex organisms that contribute so much to our world. Some plants have medicinal properties, others provide food for humans and other animals, and all produce the oxygen we breathe. By keeping guests at the Park informed, Mr. Escobedo and Ms. Duff help foster conservation efforts, and can even turn the most cynical, anti-plant person (like me) into true botanical believers.

-Sarah, Zoo InternQuest, Real World Team

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

Most of the sea lions at the Zoo were born at the Zoo or other zoos in the United States. Occasionally, animals come to the Zoo from marine mammal rescue organizations. There are two sea lions here who were rescued. Riley, who made a brief appearance at the beginning of our show, was rescued eight years ago. He was found as a very young animal, stranded without his mother anywhere near. The youngest sea lion at Wegeforth Bowl, he is still learning the ropes to be center stage in the sea lion show. The trainers first had to train him to enjoy eating again. For some reason, he did not like eating fish when he first came to them so they had to make eating an enjoyable experience for him. Their dedication to this one animal is an illustration of their commitment to serving the entire species. Riley is now a big eater and he is helping to teach Zoo guests about the sometimes difficult life of a sea lion.

The Wegeforth Bowl show reminded us all that we share the planet with some amazing animals. The signature phrase that ended the show basically tells it all, “Take only pictures and leave only footprints.”

-Marika, Zoo InternQuest Conservation Team

Training to be an Animal Trainer
Kristi Dovich is the animal training manager at Wegeforth Bowl. After the show, she and Mr. Davis gave us some insight into what rewarding jobs they have as animal trainers. Though the job requires a lot of time, hard work, and dedication, judging by the bond they have with the animals, it is all worth it. Each animal that lives at the Bowl (they all have nice enclosures out back) is either a performer in a show, an animal ambassador, or both. This means they must be comfortable around people and, ideally, respond to commands from any of the trainers.

Not everyone who works as an animal trainer was raised on a farm or came out of college at age 22 with a degree in zoology. Mr. Davis began making a living as a police officer. He worked as an officer for 15 years but always had a passion for animals. As a child, he watched The Tonight Show and was inspired by Joan Embery. At the age of 40 he decided being a police officer was not his life’s calling. He became a volunteer for the Zoological Society of San Diego’s Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) Behavior Division, where he patiently observed primates for many, many hours. He shared his observation data with the staff scientists. But something else happened during those hours of observation. He met some trainers at the Zoo who were charged with training an animal with diabetes to present his arm so they could draw blood and administer insulin. Because of his deep knowledge of animals and his willingness to volunteer his time and to ask questions and make friends with people at the Zoo, he was asked to spend a summer with the team at Wegeforth Bowl. He then went to Moorpark Community College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program.

In order to land a job as an animal trainer or something similar you must first have a passion for working with animals; just loving animals and watching Animal Planet and Discovery Channel is not enough. According to Ms. Dovich, although it is not a requirement, it is strongly recommended that you have at least a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field. In her own personal experience, she had an associate’s degree from Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program when she began working as an animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo. Later, she chose to pursue her bachelor’s degree in order to increase her skills and to move up to the level of manager.

-Justin, Zoo InternQuest Careers Team

Taking Home Some Training Tips, and Fishy Smelling Lips
Being kissed by a sea lion is a fishy experience to remember! Nelson is a sea lion that performs at the San Diego Zoo. He is one of the five that get the crowd worked up to the end of their seats with laughs and applause by demonstrating sea lion behaviors. Sitting behind the scenes but also up close with the mammals is an outstanding opportunity.

There are many different ways to train the animals but it always takes a long term commitment in order to gain the animals’ trust and shape their behaviors. Most animals at the Zoo are trained using operant conditioning, which includes the “bridge technique.” When an animal does the requested behavior or does not do an unwanted behavior (like barking) the trainer communicates to the animal that it is doing something right by using a sound – a click, a whistle, or a key word. As soon as possible after the sound the animal receives a reward, perhaps a tasty treat, access to a toy they like, or an affectionate pat.

- Chelsi, Zoo InternQuest Real World Team

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

Frank Escobedo, a senior horticulturist at the Wild Animal Park, tells of the dangers of having eucalyptus trees. They have weak trunks and bark, which can cause fractures on the tree and lead to falling branches.

The cycad is a prehistoric conifer that is related to the pine tree, hence the large cones in the center. Mr. Escobedo told us of his passion for growing these huge trees in his backyard.

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less

When we visited Gram during our Zoo InternQuest tour of the Zoo grounds, we got a thrill being face to face with him and rewarding him for coming to see us by giving him yams and apples. Feeding a rhino may be a cool experience, but how does this help people understand the conservation status of an animal? When returning home from the adventure of feeding a rhinoceros, it sank in that we had been up close and personal to a 5,000-pound giant. The next day, still in awe, we each had similar experiences at school. When casually asked by our friends what we did yesterday at that Zoo internship, we replied with, “I fed a rhino named Gram!,” grinning at their jealous expressions. They replied, “You fed a what? I want to feed one!”

Most high school kids don’t talk about rhinos and wildlife conservation and the impact of buying too much stuff and resource use during lunch break. Last week, we did, thanks to Gram, and our Zoo educator guide, Sunni Robertson, who gave us information we can use to get people to care.

- Sarah and Chelsi, Real World Team

Sunni Robertson gave us a fantastic and in-depth tour of the World-Famous San Diego Zoo and answered our questions about how to land a job as a Zoo educator/guide. Being knowledgeable about the Zoo and the animals is a requirement for Zoo educators, of course. Ms. Robertson has a bachelor’s degree in biology which gave her the basis for knowing a lot about animals in general. It also helps to be able to interact with people and animals. Ms. Robertson worked in a veterinary office for awhile and then attended Moorpark College, participating in their exotic animal training and management program. After graduating from Moorpark, Ms. Robertson started working at the San Diego Zoo.

Her daily routine is never the same, but usually includes tours for visitors of all ages, spending time with the animals she is trained to work with, and keeping up on the happenings around the Zoo. She is also a leader for the Zoo’s teen participation program called Zoo Corps. She gets to mentor the Zoo Corps members, and most of them want to work with animals when they grow up, so she can give them advice about college and volunteering opportunities.

People come to the Zoo to have fun and feel connected to the animals. Zoo educators like Ms. Robertson have the challenge of communicating the right mix of information and inspiration to leave them feeling like there is hope for habitats, animals, and people.

- Justin and Melissa, Careers Team

From peacocks to Indian rhinos, the San Diego Zoo houses a spectacular assortment of animals sure to impress people of all ages. In addition to the animals, the Zoo maintains a collection of rare, exotic, and endangered plants. But, as we learned this week, the purpose of the Zoo is not merely to amaze visitors but also to give people a reason to care about our precious animal and plant neighbors.

When you come to the Zoo and see the animals and plants from other parts of the world, it is a chance to feel like you have gone to a far away place. It is also a chance to help conserve wild places, far and near. The Zoological Society of San Diego supports conservation programs to help animals and habitats around the world. Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), the research division of the Zoological Society of San Diego, is involved in focused efforts in the lab and in the field to prevent animal extinction.

If our guide, Ms. Robertson, had not told us about them, we would not have known about the CRES staff working to prevent extinction of the Panamanian golden frog, whose major threat is an infectious disease caused by a fungus. Several Central American frog species have already become extinct in the past few decades because of this fungus! And the efforts to avert extinction of California condors have been ongoing for over 20 years, longer than we interns have been alive! Most of the condors in the wild are ones that were hatched in captive breeding programs and released into protected habitat throughout the southwest United States and Baja California, Mexico. Conservation biologists from CRES and other facilities recently released 28 condors into the wild. This is not the kind of thing that you see on the TV news, so finding out this information from our guide was exciting - and then we were motivated to read more about it on the San Diego Zoo’s Web site!

The education department at the San Diego Zoo communicates to people of all ages about the needs of animals, the importance of conservation, and ways in which all of us can help the Zoo achieve its goals. The audiences include special VIP tours, overnight camps for kids, and catered business parties. Some animals are trained to travel to schools, nursing homes, and other places off the Zoo grounds to help spread the message. The most important facet of all of these programs is keeping it fun. Employees are constantly thinking of new and creative ways to bring connect people with animals. In doing so, visitors are able to build a relationship with the animals and therefore, more people become interested in helping in any way that they can.

Zoo visitors can do their part by recycling, being well informed consumers, and good neighbors to the cool animals that we share the planet with. But you can also have fun at the Zoo and leave with interesting facts – like the fact that rhino horn is made from the same protein as our fingernails - that will make you appreciate animals even more!

- Keesha and Marika, Conservation Team

Read the rest of this entry >
< Show Less