Zoo InternQuest

Ms. Reinbold continues to show the interns the new laboratory equipment and space available to the scientists working at CRES in comparison to the older, less adequate facilities.

Dr. Pat Morris introduces himself to the interns in the veterinary library where all of the Zoo vets do their deliberation and research. The library overlooks the operating room.

Dr. Morris demonstrates the differences between the traditional style of taking X rays compared to the new, more efficient digital process. By using a digitizing pad to take the X rays, the image appears on a computer screen where it can be zoomed in to find even the tiniest fracture!

Since there were no surgeries to watch at the moment, Dr. Morris showed the interns how to suture an animal using an orange instead.

Dr. Pat Morris, senior veterinarian and department head at the San Diego Zoo’s veterinary hospital, has devoted his career to the conservation of tigers and many other animal species that populate the Zoo. With advanced technology (some of which was invented to monitor human health and have been adapted to animals) he treats the Zoo’s residents to ensure their good health. One of his patients was a male Indochinese tiger, one of the most endangered of all tiger subspecies. The digital X rays that we saw revealed that the feline suffered from a fractured leg and severe dental problems.

Through medical treatment, Dr. Morris cared for the tiger to give him the most prosperous life possible and to uphold something he calls the “ripple effect.” By treating individual animals, he betters their lives so that they may be adequately represented in the gene pool. A diverse gene pool is the keystone to a healthy population. In the case of this tiger, he lived in the wild and occasionally harassed the people of an Indonesian village. He was adopted by the San Diego Zoo and brought with him a new set of genes to contribute to the gene pool.

By treating each animal with the best care, vets learn about a variety of species and what it takes to keep them healthy. This knowledge can be applied to wild populations that are being studied or that are prone to certain diseases. Fortunately, because of excellent veterinary care, this tiger sired two healthy cubs. Because their father’s health conditions were monitored so closely, vets knew exactly what to look for in the cubs that would indicate if the father’s dental condition was inherited by his sons. Thankfully, it wasn’t and not only are the offspring healthy, but so is the gene pool of the Indochinese tiger population in zoos. Though it may seem like zoo vets care for a limited number of animals, in truth they work to uphold the “ripple effect” and contribute to the conservation of the whole species by caring for the individual.

Lauren, Conservation Team

Dr. Morris says, however, that you are never out of school because often you have to update yourself on the various new treatments and techniques along with just learning on your own from the challenging cases that come your way. One of the latest technologies is the digitizing of X rays. Some of you may have had digital X rays taken at the human hospital. The advantages of the technology are that you can zoom in a lot more, zoom out a lot more, and fix on a certain point a lot better than with film-style X rays. And fortunately for X ray technicians with reluctant patients like parrots or snapping turtles, the digital X rays can focus a blurry X ray so it doesn’t have to be retaken.

After examining the X rays, I got a chance to see how successful I’d be as a vet: I got to suture an orange back together! A suture is a knot made by a doctor to close up a wound; in other words, I gave stitches to a piece of fruit. Dr. Morris made a cut in an orange and let us try to suture it closed using real tools and dissolvable stitches. When it was my turn, the stitches ripped right out! This suture business is a lot harder than it looks. Guess I have to learn a few techniques myself. I just can’t yet imagine doing it on a real animal. I think I am beginning to see why the training to become a vet takes so long.

Dana - Careers Team

But what is the purpose of conservation genetics? Isn’t studying genetics enough? The goal of conservation genetics is “to save species and maintain functional systems that support and generate biodiversity,” Dr. Ryder explains. By studying genomes (the ordering of genes), scientists are reaching this aim. Geneticists identify genes, analyze genetic variation, mutational processes, and identify elements of genomes. The information collected allows them to develop insight to discover the most successful approach to gene pool conservation efforts in the mission to conserve biodiversity.

Unlike some pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, the San Diego Zoo openly shares its research samples and scientific results. “The Zoo has an open access format as it is not trying to make a profit,” Dr. Ryder explains “but instead creates a community of concern that will help preserve biodiversity.” On any given day in the Genetics Division at the Beckman Center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species, a variety of research tools and analyses are being employed, targeting issues involved in endangered species conservation. Some members of the Genetics team are looking at research questions related to genetic diversity; others are looking at questions of paternity and genetic relatedness. There are also researchers dedicated to growing cells for the Frozen Zoo collection and others that are actively working in the field to collect genetic samples.

The animal world will always hold mysteries that no amount of observation can explain. However, the creation of conservation genetics has unlocked the answers to some of these captivating secrets.

Lindsay- Careers Team

Dr. Oliver Ryder, head of the Genetics Division at the Beckman Center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES), explained how the Frozen Zoo functions (at a temperature of about -300 degrees Fahrenheit or -184 degress Celsius) and how it helps protect a variety of species. The Frozen Zoo provides not only a wealth of valuable genetic information, but it is also helps in the management of biodiversity. Scientists are working to create functional stem cells from skin or scar tissue by activating various genes. The cool implication about this is that an animal can be dead for more than 20 years but can still possibly be cloned. If the recovered genetic variation can then be reintroduced into the gene pool of the living population, it may help to boost genetic diversity in small populations.

These new techniques are not an excuse to abuse habitats or stop conservation efforts. Cloning is not going to save endangered species. The budding field of conservation genomics is helping to address research questions involving animal health, population management, reproductive biology, and the analysis of unique “biotraits” such as echolocation. For example, did you know that gorillas these days suffer from very high cholesterol levels? Scientists only recently discovered this through studying gorilla genes. Before the use of genetic sequencing, scientists knew next to nothing about baboon social behavior. Geneticists and behavior biologists worked together to classify lineage in a baboon troop. After sequencing several baboons’ DNA, scientists have discovered that male baboons rotate between different groups of females (the males had offspring in multiple groups), and male baboons will only interfere in a fight if one of their offspring is involved.

Amelia- Conservation Team

The distinctive take on this exhibit is that it will highlight animals that roamed across California’s landscape as recently as 10,000 years ago. Illustrating the diverse history of California’s prehistoric animals and featuring their living relatives, this exhibit will allow visitors to explore California’s past through entertaining and interactive exhibits including fossil digs and natural landscaping.

As children climb over the life-size statues of an American lion, a saber-toothed cat, and a capybara, adult visitors sitting comfortably in a spacious restaurant plaza will gaze at the Asian elephant splashing happily in its swimming hole. This project, a $45 million undertaking, is the largest multispecies habitat ever built at the Zoo and is a complex interface between keepers and architects. Steve Fobes, the project architect for the Zoological Society of San Diego on this exhibit, says that zoo architecture is a very different style than the design of an office park and involves collaboration between everyone involved.

From acknowledging the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) regulations and considering the potential of crowds when designing visitor viewing areas to achieving United States Department of Agriculture regulations and meeting AZA’s requirements, Mr. Fobes says that designing an exhibit involves many challenges. He notes, however, that the regulations are rarely a concern because the Zoo’s enclosures always exceed the minimum requirements of these regulatory organizations. The main challenges are to meet the needs of the most particular inhabitants of an exhibit, ranging from the condor that prefers low and colorful perches to a tapir that will only swim if the water exactly reaches his nose when fully submerged.

In the real world, picky animals are no different than hard-to-please clients, and therefore private practice architecture is a lot like architecture in the zoological world. Mr. Fobes says that the biggest adjustment he had to make was the realization that in the zoological world, people come to see the animals, not the buildings!

Ronit, The Real World Team

Pocahontas, an African porcupine, touches her nose to her trainers fist. This is only one of the many nonverbal commands that Poky has learned to perform in the Wild Animal Park’s animal demonstrations. You might come across one of these spontaneous animal meetings at several different areas in the Wild Animal Park - an unexpected encounter!

Steve Fobes, Zoo architect, points out some key features of the future seven-acre Elephant Odyssey exhibit to the Zoo InternQuest interns.

The Zoo InternQuest interns take a quick ride to the building site. Though it is still under construction, the exhibit will turn into an elephant paradise!

The Zoo InternQuest Interns aren’t just standing on a pile of rubble in the future Elephant Odyssey exhibit. The piles of cement and wire are going to be recycled and used for other building purposes rather than becoming waste on our planet!

Three giraffes curiously examine the Zoo InternQuest Interns as they observe the future Elephant Odyssey grounds. Once again, the animals are just as interested in us as we are interested in them!

Children’s films portray hyenas as evil, dirty scoundrels. Likewise, their reputation paints them primarily as scavenging thieves. These tainted views dissolve when you finally see these gorgeous creatures up close, for exactly what they are. Gorgeous and truly wild, Tuli and Puru demonstrated to us that their unfortunate reputation remains unjustified. Along with teaching the importance of conservation, animal ambassadors work to shatter misleading stereotypes.

Senior animal trainer Janet Ramsay shared an anecdote about a young girl and her family on a recent VIP tour of the Park. When the striped hyena was brought out from its enclosure, the family’s body language shifted drastically. Mrs. Ramsay, concerned, asked if everything was all right. The parents revealed that the young girl had an enormous phobia of hyenas and were anxious for her reaction. However, during the animal encounter, the girl remained the calmest, smiling throughout the presentation. Afterwards, as she walked past the hyenas’ enclosure, she thanked them, saying she would have “no more nightmares.”

People are unlikely to protect and conserve what they fear or do not love. People will rarely love what they have never seen. The interaction with the hyenas empowered the young girl to overcome her phobia. Simply seeing what we are afraid of can be enough to change a fear of the unknown to a love for reality. In this way, zoos establish a bond between people and animals, in the name of conservation, for the wellbeing of all.

Natalie, The Real World Team

Situated atop a hill above the Park grounds is a large compound where trainers house more than 40 animal ambassadors. Our day at the Park brought us face to face with endangered species from Africa, South America, and Southern California. Petting animals such as Luna the tamandua (or lesser anteater) works to create a bond between the person and the animal. The Park uses this bond to help people understand and support the crucial need for conservation. For example, the fact that buying mahogany furniture threatens wild hyenas and their habitat has a much stronger impact if someone has recently been less than an arm’s length away from such a magnificent creature.

Aside from being a wonderful center for education, the animal compound serves as a safe haven for animals that can no longer survive or be reintroduced into the wild. The Park recently received two California desert tortoises. Because of their sedate nature, this species is wonderful to showcase to the public. What is more, once in captivity, California desert tortoises cannot be returned to the wild due to extreme risk of disease. This policy comes from a past crisis when the California desert tortoise population in the Mojave Desert significantly declined after coming into contact with a house tortoise with a respiratory disorder.

Amelia- Conservation Team