The Zoo Review
Time 2021-10-18 06:05:09Web Name: The Zoo Review
WebSite: http://thezooreviewer.blogspot.com
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keywords: description:Insights into the World of Zoos and Aquariums
Continuing the tour of Clyde Peeling's Reptiland...
Immediately adjacent to the main reptile room is a separate room for American alligators. A shallow pit is divided into two enclosures, one for "normal" American alligators, the second for a white alligator. It was an adequate exhibit, but probably one of the less-impressive that I've seen for the species, and not what I was expecting at a zoo that was famed for reptile exhibitry. No underwater viewing, no outdoor component, just a view over a few basking gators. Apart from a very young saltwater crocodile that was on display in the main reptile room, these were the only crocodilians that I saw at Reptiland.
Outside, the grounds are dotted with a few outdoor turtle and tortoise enclosures, including an attractive little pond and yard for native North American turtles. There was also a budgie feeding aviary. Located next to the reptile building is theIsland Giantsbuilding, which opened in 2013. An outdoor yard houses Aldabra tortoises, but the star is the Komodo dragon habitat, a long curved diorama that wraps around the visitor lobby. The exhibit features live plants, basking rocks, a shallow pool, and, just for kicks, the fake skeleton of a water buffalo. The educational materials were excellent, and mounted video monitors provided great footage of behaviors that visitors might not otherwise see or appreciate about the world's largest lizards. It was one of the best indoor Komodo habitats I've ever seen.
If I had one gripe about the building, it's that it would have been nice to have an outdoor exhibit space as well. I understand that Reptiland is in central Pennsylvania and that the outdoor season for reptiles is fairly short, but I really do feel that they would benefit from the outdoor time with natural sign. If I had a second gripe, it's that the building was too limited. There are plenty of awesome, unique island herps, and well Komodos and Aldabras are the true giants, there are others that are "giants" for their families (Solomon Island skinks, New Caledonian giant geckos, Haitian giant galliwasps) that would have been great to see included). An outdoor habitat of Cuban iguana is nearby.
Most of the rest of the grounds are taken up by a garden of animatronic dinosaurs. These are a big hit with the kids, but I question the accuracy of some of them - theDilophosaurusstatue spits "venom" (water) a laJurassic Park, which there's no evidence that the real animal ever did. Other features of the section include a dig site where kids can romp in the sand searching for bones, a table staffed by an actual visiting paleontologist who discusses his work (and leads scheduled guided tours), and a paddock of emus.
Reptiland features educational talks throughout the day, both at the alligator exhibit and in a lecture hall. I attended a talk in the later, a mix of live animals, multimedia, and biofacts, and am sorry to say it was the most disappointing zoo education talk I ever attended. The educator really just didn't seem to grasp how young most of her audience was and a lot of the talk went clearly over their heads. Most of them seemed to be be there just for the baby alligator, which made an appearance at the end.
So, Reptiland didn't live up to the admittedly high expectations I had of it. I feel like this is mostly because I'm an enthusiast in the field and was hoping for lot of species that I'd never seen before in striking, unique habitats, and I just didn't get that. So don't get me wrong, if you're taking the kids on a trip through central Pennsylvania and are looking for something to do on the road, by all means, stop in. They (and you) will probably have a great time. I think I might just keep my eyes open for the next time a Peeling Productions traveling exhibit comes to a town near me.
Clyde Peeling's Reptiland opened to the public on July 11, 1964. It is a zoo specialized on reptiles and amphibians, a sort of attraction which has a long history in the American South (usually attached to alligator farms) but is far less common in the northeast (although the biggest reptile zoo in the US is in Rapid City, South Dakota, of all places, so go figure).
Even zoo visitors who never come within one hundred miles of Reptiland will have likely gotten some taste of the Peeling experience based on visits to other facilities. Peeling Productions, attached to the facility, is a company the specialized in the fabrication of high quality zoo habitats for reptiles and amphibians. They are very attractive - and pricey. Working at one zoo, my director and I joked that for the cost of a habitat we were looking at, we could probably send someone down to the Amazon, have them literally hack out a 4' x 4' 4' section of jungle, and bring it back intact to our zoo. Still, the price must not be too daunting to too many zoos, because I feel like I see recognizable Peeling exhibits at facilities ranging from giant urban zoos to tiny local natural centers.
Peeling Productions also provides another unique service - traveling exhibits. These are on loan to museums or zoos for periods of time to provide temporary attractions to drive attendence. Examples include "Reptiles - The Beautiful and the Deadly," "Frogs - A Chorus of Colors," and "Spiders Alive!" There's even a traveling exhibit focused solely on poop. I saw the "Geckos - Tails to Toepads" exhibit over a decade ago when it was hosted by the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC, and absolutely located it. Not only did I see, by far, the most gecko species I've ever encountered (including several that I never saw before and haven't seen since), I found the educational components to be fascinating. The graphics and signage were phenomenal, and there were lots of great interactive devices, such as a computer screen which let visitors "build their own gecko" using features from the diverse species on display. I thought that if this was the traveling show, the real Reptiland must be spectacular.
In truth, I was a little disappointed.
The main building, the Reptile and Amphibian Complex, is about the size of a typical zoo reptile house. It covers about 6500 square feet and houses 50 or so species. Unlike the traveling exhibits (or at least the gecko one, which certainly made an impression on me), the zoo enthusiast won't find many exciting or unusual specimens here. It's a very boilerplate collection that features the stars of many zoo reptile collections, with a bias towards venomous species - king cobra, Gila monster, black mamba - and large constrictors. Amphibians were in very short supply. More surprising to me was that a lot of the exhibits didn't look that spectacular to me - compared to the work that Peeling Productions has done at other zoos. The Panamanian golden frog exhibit at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, for instance, built by Peeling, is a spacious, complex, lushly planted vivarium that houses dozens of the beautiful, critically endangered amphibians. The golden frog exhibit at Reptiland was basically a small glass tank set into the wall with minimal furnishing. Exhibits for venomous species were almost barren, which, I understand, is a technique that a lot of zoos have historically employed for their most venomous snakes, with the idea that too much natural "clutter" poses a threat to the safety of keepers trying to work venomous animals.
I did see a few of the educational interactives that so impressed me in the traveling exhibits, but overall the building struck me as underwhelming. A single bird exhibit inside - featuring great horned owls - struck me as random and out of place. Yes, birds ARE reptiles, from a strict taxonomic perspective, but their inclusion didn't strike me as that well-integrated.
Tour of Reptiland continues tomorrow...
Clyde Peeling's ReptilandNo comments: Wednesday, October 13, 2021 Jebbie and LaerkeThough once common in our facilities, polar bear numbers in US zoos have declined dramatically in recent years, so when the Detroit Zoo announced the birth of two cubs, it was cause for celebration. One of those cubs, however, a female named "Laerke," soon appeared to be weak and lethargic. She was pulled for emergency hand-rearing. It wasn't a decision that the zoo made lightly. Ideally, Laerke would have grown up alongside her twin sister (who was still with their mother), helping her learn how to socialize and be a bear.
At about the same time, an orphaned grizzly bear was found wondering in Alaska. It was obvious that he was too young to survive without his mother, so the decision was made to bring him into human care. The Detroit Zoo accepted him. Two lone little bears cubs, a female polar and a male grizzly, became best friends. There's probably a children's book in this somewhere.
By adopting Jebbie (as the grizzly was named), Detroit Zoo not only saved his life, but also provided an opportunity for Laerke to have a close friend to help her grow up right. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing a lot of videos of these two over the next few years (at least until they grow up and need to be separated - or Jebbie gets fixed. Polar bears and grizzlies are very closely related, and hybridization is a risk).
No comments: Tuesday, October 12, 2021 Sign My Yearbook?For all of its quirks and occasional inaccuracies, I've found ZooChat to be a useful tool for connecting with other zoo lovers, as well as to get updates on what's going on in zoos around the world. Such information was a lot harder to come by when I was a kid. When it did come, it was a huge source of excitement, to see what was going on in the rest of the world. My favorite annual surprise would be when the college library would get the latest issue of International Zoo Yearbook.
Published by the Zoological Society of London, with the first issue going to press in 1960, IZY was a hefty tome produced each year that collected scholarly articles from across the zoo world. Each issue was divided into three sections. The first section was dedicated to articles to a specific topic, which varied from issue to issue. Sometimes it was taxonomic, such as "Bears" or "Penguins" or "Reptiles." Other times, it was about a general theme, such as "Horticulture" or "Animal Trade and Transport." The next section would feature general papers about a variety of topics, such as new exhibits or significant breedings. The third section would be a reference, featuring the holdings of rare species in zoos around the world. If you were a zoo director in the 1970s, this is where you would go to find out who had what, in case you wanted to make a trade.
Sitting in a library chair and paging through a copy of IZY - the older issues bound in cloth, the newer ones with glossy photo covers - I always felt like I was privy to some insider secrets, and that the silverbacks in the room were sharing with me their wisdom. It was a rare chance to get detailed information about what new cutting edge developments were taking place around the world that would forever change the face of the profession. All of this, of course, began in an age before internet and facebook and half-baked blogs (such as this) spread information - and sometimes a little misinformation - around the world like wildfire.
As a student who based way, way to many of his school projects on the articles I found in IZY, it was one of my longstanding dreams to see my name in it underneath the title of a paper I'd publish that would be brilliant and original and much-discussed. That ship, alas, has sailed.
Perhaps you'd noticed my heavy use of the past tense in this post...
It was recently announced that International Zoo Yearbook will be published no more. I guess I can understand. Why spend a lot of time and money to produce one laborious volume a year when new developments and updates continue to occur at breakneck speed, and it's so easy to share them electronically? Even ZSL, the publishers of the book, are much more active on social media, where it's so much easier to spread the message to a much wider audience. Still, I miss the magic of the Yearbook. Something about the columns of black and white text and photographs and ponderous descriptions and accompanying graphs and charts carried a certain scholarly dignity and academic majesty that I feel is somewhat lacking from the field these days.
I do respect and admire all of the changes that the field has undergone in recent years, and greater accessibility is very desirable. Still, I wish it could still retain a little of the old magic, the kind that I associate with a hefty book full of secret knowledge, read while the snow is piling up outside the library windows.
No comments: Sunday, October 10, 2021 Let's (Zoo)ChatI spend a lot of my time talking with other zoo professionals - keepers, curators, vets, registrar, educators, administrators - so a lot of my conversations that place in a very zoo-focused bubble. We all care very much about zoos, but we also all work there, so it tends to color perspectives. Growing up, I was the only kid in my school who had a strong interest in zoos, so it's a relief to now be able to always find someone who wants to talk about zoos and animals and conservation. That wasn't always the case.By the time super-quick internet access, of the kind where you didn't have to arrange in advance when you would use the web so that the rest of our household wasn't deprived of phone access, came along, I was already out of the house and starting on my career. If I was coming of age as a zoo-lover now, I would have been thrilled to discover a vast, online community of other people deeply interested in zoos and aquariums who wanted to share and expand their knowledge. One such community I've found is ZooChat.
ZooChat is a free forum where participants can sign up and share their views (and images) of zoos, aquariums, and related topics. It has members from all over the world, so it offers a very unique look at facilities across the globe, meaning you get access to all sorts of news from around the planet - in almost real time, too. There are separate pages for every zoo and aquarium I've ever heard of, from the biggest of giants to the tiniest, ramshackle operation overseas, and they are constantly being updated with news of births, deaths, transactions, new exhibits, and other developments.
I'm finding it especially useful because users provide very quick updates on what species are found where and tips for visiting specific zoos and aquariums. On a recent zoo visit, I saw a bird that I could not identify, and there was no signage in the aviary (a frequent problem with tropical rainforest exhibits), nor was the species splashy enough to warrant mention on the zoo's website. I went to ZooChat, looked up the zoo, found an up-to-the-date species list posted by a frequent visitor, and voila, the bird was identified.
ZooChat is largely an opinion board, and you know what they say about opinions (they're like rear ends - everyone has one, and they all stink). I'll admit to having rolled my eyes a few times reading some posts - enthusiasts aren't always professionals, and it's a little funny reading some of the comments about how some people would fix up their local zoo easily, as if running a zoo was a giant game of Zoo Tycoon, and just as simple to play. I've laughed reading some of the posts about my zoo, and what people *think* is going on in decision-making processes. That does, I admit, make me a little wary about some other news I glean from there. Still, I've gotten a lot of great info from the forums which helps me keep up to date on what's going on in the zoo world.
Besides, it's always nice to chat with like-minded folks...
Interested? Sign up (for free) at www.zoochat.comNo comments: Saturday, October 9, 2021 Chris and Walnut - a Love StoryOne fascinating thing about the internet age is that stories are constantly being recycled and brought back to light, years after they happened. Something can happen a long time ago and then, boom, someone comes across it, posts it, and then it's everywhere, sometimes more prominently than it was when it was still new. It doesn't matter, though - now it's new to everyone else.
Consider Chris Crowe and Walnut, the female white-naped crane at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.
The Zoo Keeper Who "Fathered' Five Chicks With A Murderous Endangered Crane
Walnut showed little inclination to mate with male cranes - hell, she killed two males she was paired with. Instead of writing her off as a lost cause, the decision was made to take advantage of her infatuation with one of her keepers, who then artificially inseminated her to raise five chicks.
Not sure why this story (which we covered her back in 2015) is now popping up again, but I'm kind of glad it does. It offers some positive reminders of the good work that the zoo community does and how dedicated (some might say... excessively) we can be to bringing species back from the brink.
As for Chris Crowe... hope he's not tired of the memes. Because they just keep coming.No comments: Thursday, October 7, 2021 Upholding the Standard
"In the past five years, ten facilities have failed AZA's accreditation process. Large and small, zoo and aquarium, internationally famous and locally loved, all AZA members are accountable to our standards. If they do not uphold them, they will not be accredited."
- Dan Ashe, AZA President and CEO
Last month saw the Annual Conference of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, held virtually for the second year in a row due to COVID. There were lots of meetings and guest speakers and seminars (or webinars, in this case), but the for many zoos and aquariums, the main focus was on the results of their accreditation hearings. Every five years, zoos and aquariums must apply for reaccreditation from AZA, resulting in their entire organization being gone over with a fine-toothed comb.
This past go-around, two zoos didn't make the cut - Safari West, in California and, in the biggest news in the zoo community, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
CZA's troubles are well-publicized and are twofold. Firstly, there was a financial scandal as some now-former executives made some decisions about bids that were of a dubious ethical nature. Secondly, there was a series of transactions with non-AZA partners to supply big cats, including cubs, for ambassador opportunities.
Columbus and Safari West aren't the first zoos to be removed from AZA. Mill Mountain Zoo, Salisbury Zoo, and Jackson Zoo are other former members. Other institutions, such as ZooTampa (then known as Lowry Park Zoo), Topeka Zoo, and Honolulu Zoo have also lost accreditation, but have since been readmitted (I believe the previously mentioned facilities which are currently unaccredited are also working to rejoin AZA). Perhaps the most dramatic former member is Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, which was not expelled but instead resigned from AZA in protest of what it saw as AZA's attempts to meddle with its elephant program. Years later, it is now planning on rejoining AZA.
The loss of Columbus, one of the most prominent, respected members of AZA is a blow, as it is when any institution loses membership. But, as AZA CEO Dan Ashe points out, there's no point in having accredidation standards if you don't stick to them. The breaches that Columbus has been accused of are far greater than those that pushed Mill Mountain or Salisbury out. One zoo shouldn't get a pass just because it's big and important.
This will not unduly impact animal care at Columbus, and any rumors that this will cause the zoo to shut down are categorically incorrect. Still, it is a major loss of prestige, one which the zoo is already working to address with the implementation of new leadership and new protocols. I'm confident that things will turn around. I look forward to the near future, when Columbus, Pittsburgh, and other former members - as well as new members queuing up for acceptance - join AZA. I don't agree with every decision AZA makes, but I still think that it's collaborative efforts on animal management and conservation are the best thing that the zoo community has going for it.
No comments: Older PostsHomeSubscribe to:Posts (Atom)Tables of ContentsHomeSpecies Fact Profiles - Table of ContentsZoo and Aquarium Reviews - Table of ContentsBook and Movie Reviews - Table of ContentsZoo History - Table of ContentsBlog Archive 2021(189) October(11)Zoo Review: Clyde Peelings Reptiland, Part IIZoo Review: Clyde Peelings Reptiland, Part IJebbie and LaerkeSign My Yearbook?Lets (Zoo)ChatChris and Walnut - a Love StoryUpholding the StandardSpecies Fact Profile: Mangshan Viper (Protobothrop...Kodiak is BackShedd Aquarium Releases Blandings TurtlesWalking Down Memory Lane September(19) August(21) July(20) June(20) May(20) April(20) March(20) February(18) January(20) 2020(233) December(20) November(19) October(20) September(18) August(20) July(20) June(19) May(20) April(20) March(20) February(18) January(19) 2019(233) December(18) November(20) October(21) September(18) August(20) July(21) June(20) May(19) April(18) March(20) February(19) January(19) 2018(223) December(21) November(19) October(19) September(18) August(19) July(18) June(18) May(17) April(20) March(19) February(17) January(18) 2017(217) December(18) November(12) October(18) September(16) August(19) July(18) June(18) May(20) April(20) March(18) February(19) January(21) 2016(216) December(18) November(18) October(19) September(16) August(17) July(20) June(18) May(18) April(20) March(19) February(16) January(17) 2015(222) December(20) November(19) October(22) September(18) August(18) July(20) June(19) May(16) April(18) March(17) February(17) January(18) 2014(211) December(18) November(17) October(16) September(17) August(17) July(18) June(18) May(17) April(17) March(20) February(17) January(19) 2013(164) December(21) November(21) October(26) September(21) August(27) July(24) June(20) May(4)About MeZoo ReviewView my complete profile<<< Thank you for your visit >>>
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