This piece of scat is broken apart for examination in front of the interns.

Tammy Tucker enthusiastically tells the interns about the vast array of information that can be taken from animal excrement.

Intern Tawni listens intently as Matt Milnes explains the charts concerning pregnancy development in various animals.

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First with Thomas Spady, Ph.D., we were briefed on animal tracking and basic feces observations. We actually went outside and looked “in the field” for animal tracks or evidence of animals. Kind of a surprising activity for a job that sounds like it would be all lab coats and high tech machines. Dr. Spady, a graduate of the University of Nebraska and our local University of San Diego, specializes in molecular endocrinology, has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and physiology, and works with both the urine and feces of bears. How did he get to where he is now? Boy Scouts and a love for the outdoors. Because what he does involves a lot of field work, Dr. Spady is passionate about his work because of the variety in his work environment, the skills he needs, and the scientific discoveries he is a part of.

While Thomas Spady is the “bear-man,” Dr. Thomas Jensen is the “bird-man.” Working with kiwis, flightless birds native to New Zealand, part of his job is to collect fecal samples from kiwis both in the wild and in captivity. The point of all his research is to collect “fecal steroids” and other hormones and eventually find a way of getting the excreted steroids from the collected feces. Dr. Jensen’s main objective is to figure out “whose feces it is.” Projects such as the one that he is currently involved in allow him to work in the field and at a desk. “In my field of work,” Dr. Jensen said, “we get the best of both worlds.” By collecting feces and exploring different fields, specialists are able to learn new techniques and data profiles from wild animals and are then able to compare them to animals in captivity, and vice versa. A Notre Dame University graduate, Dr. Jensen has a Ph.D. and a degree on the gene expression of chicken ovaries.

Dr. Matthew Milnes, a graduate of the University of Florida and a holder of a Ph.D. in endocrinology, expanded on the process of attaining hormones from fecal samples. After straining the feces as much as possible, the small amount left over is weighed and put through a series of tests to attain a concentration of certain hormones. Hormones such as testosterone and those that have to do with the reproductive cycle, in this case, are very important.

Tammy Tucker is one of the people who really go in depth in the observation process. Searching for bacteria, fungi, or viruses are vital in determining whether or not an animal is healthy. Primers that might hint at which virus an animal might be carrying is one of the things that Ms. Tucker looks for in collected data. For her undergrad years, Ms. Tucker attended college in Durango, Colorado, and she attained her master’s degree in veterinary molecular biology at University of Montana, Bozeman. Her job is an important one in that she lets the veterinarians know what an animal might be carrying.

For all of you readers out there who love science AND love the outdoors, who knew that endocrinology was such an adventurous career? The work in this lab was nothing like I expected and I guess we all discovered that the old saying is right, “Don’t let anything go to waste.”

Tawni - Animal Careers Team

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Dr. Tom Jensen, a member of the Reproductive Physiology Division at the Zoo’s Conservation and Research for Endangered Species Division (CRES), is part of a project aimed at solving some of the reproductive mysteries of the endangered kiwi. From fecal samples collected in New Zealand, information that stands to benefit the species, both in captivity and in the wild, is being documented.

Hormone concentrations in these samples can be as revealing as the data that can be collected from drawn blood. For example, when a kiwi is carrying an egg, the approximate date that the egg will be laid can be determined from hormone levels in fecal samples. Analyzing DNA from the fecal samples allows researchers to monitor individual birds. These methods have the potential to be extremely useful for the conservation of the species and are helping researchers to learn a great deal about these unique birds.

“When information obtained from wild kiwis is combined with information from captive kiwis, everyone benefits,” says Dr. Jensen. Captive animals can be in environments better simulating circumstances in the wild and wild populations benefit from studies easily done on captive animals.

Jane - Conservation Team

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DNA can also be applied in another way: a paternity test. This is especially helpful in some bird species since many of them tend to stay with one companion but are many times sexually promiscuous. In this instance, memories of the “Jerry Springer” show come to mind (or other deliciously trashy daytime talk shows). Although birds surely experience less drama with their paternity test results, the DNA science used to link father to child is nonetheless the same.

Hormone and steroid levels can also be examined from feces. This can be applied both to mating systems and to pregnancy tests. Pregnancy can be diagnosed when an animal has elevated levels of progesterone; this information is important to know for captive breeding. Also, similarly in humans, the hormone corionic ganotrophin is produced during pregnancy, and a pregnancy test analyzes levels of this hormone.

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A big part of the job of field keeper is monitoring the animals’ behavior to see if anything has changed. Even a small change in the normal behavior might mean that the animal could be sick or possibly pregnant. Of course in order to know if something is different, you have to know what is normal. Therefore, the field keepers in these giant exhibits have to know where the different herds hang out, what the normal routine of the different species is, and which females are possibly pregnant so they can scan the hillsides and canyons for babies. In the case of pregnancy, the keepers must also monitor the pregnancy and locate the baby after it’s born (not all babies stay with their moms, some species “tuck” their baby and walk away to confuse predators). Newborns are “processed” by the animal keepers. Not only is the general health of the animal assessed, the animal gets an ID that makes it easy to tell from the other animals in the herd. There is a complex system of notches and tags in the animals’ ears that denote specific individuals within the herd. In the picture above, it may seem as though there are only certain notches with certain numbers missing (3,5,6,8,9) but with a little creativity and simple arithmetic, the missing numbers can be found. The same goes for the right ear but with multiples of ten. The color of the tag also identifies the animal. Can you figure out which notches an animal would get if it was number 35? (A 20 and 10 on its right ear and a 4 and 1 on the left).

In order to achieve the occupation of large mammal keeper, Ms. Gaffney went to the University of California, Davis, to obtain a bachelor’s degree in biology. After some years in the field, she decided to further her knowledge of animal care and nutrition at California State Polytechnic University where she earned her master’s degree in animal nutrition. In addition to both of these degrees, Ms. Gaffney said that much of her job has been learned in the field. I came into this program with my eye on veterinary medicine as a career goal but based on the information I learned today, I have now decided that a field keeper is more up my alley.

For me, no amount of schooling would be too much for such a hands-on job with animals. In spite of having to weather the elements on a daily basis, as much of the job is spent outside, and having to keep track of the many individual animals and their characteristics, this job would provide a very interesting twist to life that is otherwise unachievable, with a few exceptions.

Jake - Animal Careers Team

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Michelle Gaffney passionately informs the interns about the Javan bantengs that surround us.

The interns happily gather together for a picture in the caravan that transported them through the Asian Plains.

Intern Jake gets friendly with a giraffe that approached the caravan.

Intern Leslie is thrilled to be feeding this friendly giraffe during the interns’ outing.

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Although the Javan banteng is endangered, it is lucky because of its close relationship with the common cow, which can serve as a surrogate species for research and reproduction. A number of years ago, the Genetics Division at CRES (Conservation and Research for Endangered Species) successfully cloned a Javan banteng using genetic material from a male that had died nearly 20 years earlier. Because this particular male was valuable in terms of genetic diversity, cells from his ear were kept in the Frozen Zoo and used in the cloning process. A dairy cow provided the egg and acted as the surrogate mother. Unfortunately, despite his healthy, masculine physique and nature, the cloned banteng has thus far been unable to produce offspring.

Researchers and scientists look forward to a time when cloning technology will be advanced enough to produce individuals that are not only physically healthy but also able to successfully reproduce. Because of this hope, veterinarians continue to collect cells from endangered species to keep in the Frozen Zoo. Perhaps one day, when the science of cloning has advanced to the point when animals can be cloned with confidence in their reproductive ability, we will be able to create individuals of these species. However, it is important to remember that cloning is a young science and not at all the ideal method of species conservation. We must continue to strive to protect the natural health and habitats of Earth’s many endangered species through education, Species Survival Plans (SSPs), and other techniques of preservation.

Veronica - Conservation Team

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Sitting on the haystacks on the back of the keeper truck, we set off to journey through the Park exhibits, exhilarated to be so close to the rhinos, giraffes, and gazelles that roamed the exhibits. As I looked outward, beyond the fence, I saw how close the fires came to the Wild Animal Park. Black burn marks covered the once brush-filled hillside right outside the Park’s service road, which ended up serving as a firebreak. I asked Michele where the animals were during the fire and she told me that all animals on the outskirts of the Park, including the critically endangered California condors, were moved to the Park’s Harter Veterinary Medical Center while the rest remained safe and secure in the large field enclosures. The fields are well irrigated so the grass was not flammable, and the animals had a lot of area to move away from the threat. Although winds have damaged some trees and exhibits, the Park nevertheless weathered the storms very well. The Wild Animal Park staff certainly showed that they were prepared.

To help the Park, you can donate to the Wild Animal Park Greening Campaign, which goes directly to the rebuilding of exhibits, or support the Catastrophic Leave Fund, which goes to help the many Park employees who lost their homes. Both donations are tax-deductible.

Haoyu - Real World Team

Read more about the fire…

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