The Wild Side

Dhanielly Quevedo Issue 1

Pride of the Zoo

Who Belongs in the Zoo?

Standing alone in a small enclosure, a

21-year-old Asian bull elephant named
Billy seems oblivious to the two dozen
schoolchildren who press against a chainlink fence to get a closer look. He bobs his
massive head up and down and transfers his
considerable weight from one side to the
other. His trunk unfurls toward the blue plastic
cylinder that has been provided for him to
play with. Occasionally Billy lumbers over
to another part of the yard--his massive gray
body, wrinkled skin and billowy, fanlike ears
intimidating yet at the same time irresistible.
Some of the kids have never been this close
to a real, live elephant, and their gasps and
laughter convey the consensus: hes cool!
But to animal-rights activists, animalbehavior experts and even some zoo officials,
Billys situation is very uncool. In the wild,
elephants roam as much as 30 miles a day,
snacking on lush foliage, bathing in water
holes and interacting socially with other
elephants in groups of up to 20. At the Los
Angeles Zoo, Billy has had just under an acre
on which to roam. After a $39 million upgrade
scheduled for completion in 2009, he will
share 3.7 acres (about three football fields)
with two companions.
Thats generous by todays standards,
but critics say its still too little to give an
elephant adequate exercise. Living in such
confinement, elephants are prone to arthritis,
foot problems and even premature death.
Billys head bobbing, they contend, is typical

December 2014

of elephants in distress and probably results

from an inadequate physical environment.
Ive come to the conclusion after many
years that it is simply not possible for zoos to
meet the needs of elephants, asserts David
Hancocks, an outspoken zoo consultant and
former director of the Woodland Park Zoo
in Seattle.
Hes not alone. Over the past five
years, major zoos across the country--San
Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia,
the Bronx Zoo in New York City--have
quietly made the decision to stop exhibiting
elephants altogether, some as soon as they
can find homes for the animals and others
after the deaths of the ones they have. For
zookeepers, its a continuation of a reform
movement that began a generation ago and
swept through most major U.S. zoos. The
old concrete-and-steel cages that resembled
prisons for animals are mostly gone. In fact,
the cages themselves are mostly gone. The
barriers between people and animals today
consist largely of moats and unobtrusive
ramparts that give the exhibits the feel of
miniature wild habitats.
But the reform movement, say critics,
didnt go far enough, and those naturallooking habitats are just an illusion created
to enhance the visitors experience. From
the animals point of view, says Hancocks,
they are not better than they were when
they were in cages. Its all done for theatrics.

He lived in Wellington for only 14 years,

but what years they were. King Dick was
probably the most beloved animal in the
city during his lifetime.
The male lion was gifted to the city by
a visiting circus in 1906 and named after Richard Seddon, the recently deceased
prime minister famous for his domineering
personality and leonine visage.
There was no zoo in Wellington at the
time: King Dick was its first exhibit. People
loved him. As he grew, Dicks personality
began to shine through. Members of the Zoological Society used to say he recognised
them and would roll over to have his tummy rubbed.
Dick drew big crowds but also attracted
concern as he grew up. Was his cage too
small? Was he lonely?
A looker-on wrote to The Evening Post
in 1908 suggesting someone had to get a
sympathetic and loving companion for that
poor creature imprisoned in solitude.
If a female lion was found they should be
married and given the run of Newtown Park
as a home, the writer said.
The zoo did indeed find a lioness to share
Dicks palace, and they had several cubs
and grandcubs.
For a brief time in 1913 it was feared the
lioness would have to be given back to the
circus shed been leased from. An appeal
was started, supported by editorials in The
Dominion.
One wag decided to write a letter to the
Post purporting to be from Queen Dick,
appealing for money to keep her at the zoo.
I am an orphan, my parents having met
with gun accidents in South Africa, she
wrote. Unless the [money] is raised I am
to be torn away from my husband and children . . . my husband will be left without a
wife to do his washing and my cubs will
probably be stuck in the monkey-house and
left to grow up in bad company.
The zoo was a bright point in the city
during the bleak war years. A series of columns, Nature Notes, recorded various
comings and goings as well as reporting
what Dick and family were up to.

Baby Animals: Cutest Part About the Zoos

When Sekani gave birth to Adelina, she

celebrated like most proud mothers, with a
baby shower, a gift registry, and a Facebook
page for showing off photos of the adorable
girl. Except that Sekani and Adelina are
western lowland gorillas who live at the Little
Rock Zoo.
More than 800,000 animals live at U.S.
facilities accredited by the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums, and every year, thousands of
those animals have babies. Weve scoured
the country to select the class of 2012: cute
animals like Adelina that were born recently
and to much fanfare. Because lets face it: zoo
babies are innately irresistible. Just try not to
smile while looking at a baby panda.
Scientists believe humans are programmed
to find baby animals cute because they remind
us of our own young, says Chris Eastland,
co-founder of ZooBorns.com, a website that
obsessively chronicles baby zoo animals, and
co-author of ZooBorns: The Next Generation.
The first gut reaction is to squeal and ogle
at these adorable critters, who quickly reveal
their own personalities and habits. But its
worth paying closer attention, too, as many

have fascinating backstories.

Take Rinny, the Denver Zoos female
Malayan tapir, who when giving birth
struggled to free her baby from his amniotic
sac. Zookeepers had to intervene, remove
the baby, and resuscitate him with mouth
to snout breaths. Today, the little tapir
calf named Dumadi is healthy and loves
swimming and romping around.
Some births are overseen by AZA
Species Survival Plan Programs, which
are designed to boost the population of
endangered or threatened animals like the
Amur leopards. Less than 40 currently exist
in the wild, making them among the worlds
most endangered felines. This year, two
cubs, Dmitri and Tamara, were born at the
Minnesota Zoo. Though theyre just two
cats, their births significantly increase the
species population and are a big step in its
conservation.
For a brief time in 1913 it was feared the
lioness would have to be given back to the
circus shed been leased from. An appeal was
started, supported by editorials in The Dominion.

One wag decided to write a letter to the

Post purporting to be from Queen Dick,
appealing for money to keep her at the zoo.
I am an orphan, my parents having met
with gun accidents in South Africa, she
wrote. Unless the [money] is raised I am to
be torn away from my husband and children
. . . my husband will be left without a wife
to do his washing and my cubs will probably be stuck in the monkey-house and left to
grow up in bad company.
However, Dick lived only one more year.
He lost the use of his legs and the decision
was made to put him down.

Camels in South America

What most people think of as camels
dromedaries and Bactriansare so firmly
associated with the deserts of Africa and
Asia that it is hard to believe they have
close relatives in South America. Camelids
originated in North America 40 to 45 million
years ago, then evolved on the continents
grasslands into a diverse array of forms,
including the gazelle-like Stenomylus, the
giraffe-like Aepycamelus, and the nearly
12-foot-tall Titanotylopus, which resembled
todays Old World camels. William Franklin,
professor emeritus at Iowa State University
in Ames, says, At one time, there were
probably several dozen genera of camelids
in North America. In some areas, they were
surely the dominant large herbivores. Then,
six to three million years ago, opportunities
for leaving their homeland arose when the
Earths climate cooled and sea levels fell,
exposing land bridges to the south between
Panama and South America, and to the north
across the Bering Strait between Alaska and
Asia.
Those that migrated north, from a tribe
of camels called the Camelini, spread across
Eurasia and eventually evolved into several
species including the dromedaries and
Bactrians we know today.
Except for the vicua (Vicugna vicugna)
and guanaco (Lama glama), South American

Saving Zoos Around the World

The world around us is changing fast.
Species of wildlife are facing global
extinction on a massive scale. About 21% of
the worlds mammal species, about 12% of the
bird species and about 33% of all amphibian
species are threatened with extinction. Cranes
and cheetahs, great apes and rhinos and so
many more are in trouble. Zoos are in a unique
position to make a difference.
Zoos deal with living creatures. We work
with an incredible variety of animals, from
one-celled creatures to elephants. Our research
on behavior, reproductive biology, nutrition,

animal health and genetics is valuable to

wildlife managers, field researchers and other
scientists.
For example, the Saint Louis Zoo has been
doing a mother/infant bonding study with
antelope and other hoofed animals at Red
Rocks for 14 years. The data weve gathered
how often and when a species typically nurses,
who initiates nursing, proximity, grooming,
nuzzling has provided information to field
researchers that would be hard to come by
otherwise.