Volume 10, Number 1

January-February 1981

David K. Krohne

Editor/Designer

Mary C. Massey

Copy Editor

Cover: A mother Bactrian camel and her

baby testify to the success of the breeding

program at the National Zoo’s Conserva-

tion and Research Center at Front Royal,

Virginia.

Photo: Liz Glassco

CONTENTS

ZOOGOER FEATURES

Preserving Priceless Treasures..... Send dota es an aisle Meee: 5

Jeffrey P. Cohn

Indians Named Zoo Animals...........cccccccccccecs 10

Virginia C. Holmgren

How Do You Get to Work at the Zoo? ......... cece eees 15

Ed Gold

ZOOGOER DEPARTMENTS

EGO INOWNG 0.28 5865 604. 4 Sate HP Shoe cee hE et ee eam 18

POI ZINOW6 eo) osib ire uaa Pee ee ee eee ee 20

PO Z, POUEG a ie o.sla @ ack San See ay Eo ee 22

PON Z Calendat.....cane sis ona wees ae TU Gn Ae tye 23

Preserving Priceless

Treasures

Startled motorists are nothing new

on the quiet country roads around

the Zoo’s Conservation and Research

Center at Front Royal, Virginia.

Among the unexpected sights are

nineteen Bactrian camels that are

part of aherd owned by the National

Zoo and the Minnesota Zoological

Garden.

The two zoos are developing an

unusual agreement to breed both

these two-humped camels (at Front

Royal) and Mongolian wild horses

(in Minnesota).

Bactrian camels were once wide-

spread over much of the central

Asian steppes. In the wild they

are now limited to the semi-arid

Gobi Desert area of Mongolia, north-

west China, and southern Soviet

Turkestan. A decade ago there

were only 300 of these camels in

the wild; by 1976 their number had

increased to about 500. However,

some of these may have escaped

from domestic herds.

Liz Glassco

Jeffrey P. Cohn

Bactrian camels were once widespread on the steppes of Central Asia. These two now

make their home in the Shenandoah Valley.

The camels have long eyelashes and

nostrils that close to protect them from

windblown sand and dust.

Normally shy and retiring, wild

Bactrians live in small groups of five

or six individuals, including one

dominant male. Occasionally several

groups come together to form herds

of 30 to 40. That hardly compares

with herds several times larger that

were commonly reported prior to

this century.

Bactrian camels are now protected

by law in both China and Mongolia,

although some poaching may still

occur in the poorly policed frontier

regions. Wild Bactrians must compete

for sparse water and vegetation with

domesticated camels, horses, and

sheep. A preserve to protect the

camels has been proposed but not

yet established.

Domesticated Bactrians have

served the nomadic peoples of central

Asia for centuries. These extremely

strong animals are used as beasts of

burden to carry goods and people as

well as to plow fields. They are prized

for their thick, luxurious hair, which

is used to make clothing and to

stuff mattresses. Their milk is often

drunk instead of goats’, and their

meat is considered a delicacy by

some. Even their dung is dried and

burned as fuel. |

Camels are ideally suited for

the harsh, dry climate of the Gobi

Desert where temperatures plummet

to 40-below in winter and soar to

over 100 in summer. The animal's

thick coat insulates in winter but is

shed so rapidly in the spring that hair

comes off in large chunks, giving the

camels a very ragged appearance.

The two humps, which distinguish

Bactrians from the single-humped

Dromedary camels, store fat. When

metabolized, the fat produces water

which enables the camels to get by

with less to drink than other animals.

Since fat is concentrated in the

humps, which vary in size from one

season to another, there is no general

layer of fat throughout the body

to retain heat during the summer.

Long eyelashes and nostrils that

close protect the camels from wind-

blown sand and dust, while broad,

soft hoof pads let them cross sand

and snow with ease.

Although they are suited for

harsher winters than those at

Front Royal, the Zoo’s camels tend

to play it safe, according to

curator-in-charge Chris Wemmer.

They have 25 acres of pasture in

which to forage, but they stay near

their barn in winter for its

ready supply of alfalfa pellets, hay,

and water. Wild Bactrians will eat

almost any vegetation that grows

in their forbidding environment.

Bactrian camels have not been on

exhibit at the National Zoo since

1970, according to Zoo registrar

Judith Block, because space was at a

premium and they also require

special facilities. Their barns must be

made of or covered with metal to

halt “cribbing” their habit of eating

wood. “We had to replace all the

wooden support beams in their

barn with metal struts,” Wemmer

said. “The camels ate right through

the wooden ones. They’re worse

than horses.”

The camels at Front Royal have

already produced ten young—five

in 1980 alone. Two camels were born

at the Minnesota Zoo in 1980, too.

Like the Bactrian camel, the

Mongolian wild horse is an en-

dangered species. Wild horses once

ranged across the northern grass-

lands of Europe and Asia. As man

fenced in pastures and domesticated

the animals, wild horses declined

until only a remnant herd remained

along the fringes of Asia’s Gobi

Desert. |

The Mongolian wild horse —also

known as Przewalski’s horse for the

Polish count who first reported its

existence to westerners Over a

century ago—has not been seen in

the wild since 1968. Unverified

sightings and hoof prints have

been reported, but they could have

come from domesticated horses that

escaped into the wild, like the

so-called “wild mustangs” in the

western United States. Four expe-

ditions have failed to find any

true wild horses in Mongolia, and

the last truly wild horse is probably

extinct in its native habitat.

Mongolian wild horses are

generally smaller and have shorter

legs and larger heads than their

Liz Glassco

The Bactrian camels’ humps, which vary in size from one season to another, store fat

which, when metabolized, produces water that enables them to get by with less to drink

domestic cousins; they also have than other animals.

Minnesota Zoological Garden

What is more rare than a Rembrandt? The Mongolian wild horse. Now extinct in the

wild, these two are part of a breeding herd owned jointly by the National Zoo and the

Minnesota Zoological Garden.

short, erect dark manes. Like

Bactrian camels, they grow a long,

thick coat with prominent cheek

tufts in winter. Their coat ranges

in color from yellow- to red-brown

with a pale belly.

Breeding Mongolian wild horses

is a tricky business. All those in

captivity today —about 400—are

descended from a herd of thirteen

brought to Europe early in this

century. In the past, zoos and |

private owners often took shortcuts

to captive breeding. Some kept just

one stallion and mated him with

his own daughters. The resulting

inbred foals are more susceptible

to genetic defects and have lower

fertility and higher mortality rates.

To help ensure successful mating,

all the Przewalski horses owned

by the two zoos are housed at the

Minnesota Zoo near Minneapolis.

There they share a recreated Asian

steppe with twelve of the jointly

owned Bactrian camels and a flock

of freeloading Canadian geese.

The horses have been split into

two subherds of one male and four

or five females.

Only one group is displayed at

a time. If all the horses were

allowed to roam their enclosure

together, males would fight for

control of the herd. In the wild,

stallions gather females into

harems and keep all other repro-

ductive age males away.

The National Zoo has no imme-

diate plans to bring any of the

horses to Front Royal, according

to Wemmer. “But,” he says, “we

would like to establish a breeding

herd here sometime in the future.”

That probably will not happen for

a while, however, since new facilities

would have to be built and enough

unrelated horses brought together

from the Minnesota Zoo and other

zoos to mate without inbreeding.

Hopefully, zoo-born Mongolian

wild horses may again roam the

Gobi Desert. Until that time, a

newly created foundation is planning

a 100-square-mile preserve in the

Netherlands, and other preserves

may be created in Ireland and New

Mexico. Herds on these preserves

will be subdivided—as at Minne-

sota—to prevent males from fighting.

Until then, zoos are truly the

last chance for survival of Mongolian

wild horses and many other species.

Through breeding programs such as

these, the National Zoo helps save

endangered species from extinction.

“We created this special program

for the camels and horses for their

sake,” says Dr. Theodore H. Reed,

director of the National Zoo. “We

are holding these animals in trust

for future generations. Once they're

gone, they’re gone forever. These

animals are priceless treasures well

worth preserving.”

Minnesota Zoological Garden

Mongolian wild horses are generally smaller and have shorter legs and larger heads

than domestic horses. They also have short, erect dark manes.

Indians Named Zoo

Anyone who visits the Zoo with

children usually hears two questions:

“What is the animal’s name?” “Why

do you call it that?”

Fortunately, the names of the

animals are posted in both English

(the common name) and Latin (the

scientific name). But no such labels

were at hand when Columbus and

other early explorers of the Americas

found themselves wondering what to

call strange birds and beasts. Most

Europeans had not realized that

animals here would differ from

those seen at home or described by

travelers to Africa and Asia.

Of course, some animals are found

in both the Old and New Worlds.

Others are so similar that early

explorers simply described them as

black bear, white-tailed deer, grey squirrel,

American badger, or Canada goose. But

others could be named only by

guessing, and if that was too difficult,

Columbus and his followers just

asked the nearest Indian.

There were many different Indian

10

Animals

Virginia C. Holmgren

Cathy Kanak

Sea lions don’t look like lions, so it’s hard to know why early settlers gave them their

name. These fin-footed mammals spend most of their time in the water but come ashore

to breed.

languages, however, and dozens of

different names for the same animals

went into the explorers’ journals.

The first Indian name in print in a

reliable book was usually accepted

as the one and only correct name.

Many of these names are still being

used today by people who do not

realize they are repeating words

from America’s oldest languages.

You are speaking Taino, the

language of the tribe first encountered

by Columbus (and long since

vanished), if you mention the iguana

lizard or the hutia and the manatee and

tiburon sharks. And you are borrowing

from the Carib Indians for the

peccary, cayman, and macaw—a name

Columbus heard as guacamayo.

Tupi, the most-used Brazilian

language contributed cougar, jaguar,

jaguarondi, margay, toucan, and several

other names often seen on zoo labels.

The “ar” syllable in Tupi means

“leaper” and lets us know these

ancient Indians classified in a single

group all animals that pounce on

their prey. They believed that almost

every creature is fair game for some

other hungry hunter. The jaguar

was their “leaper that kills with a

single leap.” The cougar was “leaper

that deceives with deer-like color.”

The Tupi name coati refers to

“one with beltlike nose,” chosen

because the long snout is flexible

as a belt. Coatimundi means “solitary

coati’ and refers only to the males.

Female coatis and their young travel

Ray Faass

The brilliantly colored macaws are among the 300 members of the parrot family. Their

name, which Columbus may have heard as “guacamayo,” comes from the Carib Indians.

i

Prairie dogs are not dogs at all. They are actually rodents and are closely related to

squirrels and marmots. In the wild they live in communities that may number several

thousand.

12

and feed together in a social group,

but the males are loners.

Many Aztec animal names were

recorded, but those most often

heard now are coyote, ocelot, and

cacomistle. The latter means “little

lion,” since mistle (or mitzli) is the

Aztec name for the mountain lion.

The mountain lion is the same animal

the Tupis called cougar and the Incas

in Peru called puma. Somehow the

Aztec name never made its way into

the English language, but both cougar

and puma are used as often as mountain

lion, and the same animal is also called

panther, catamount, and several other

names.

Besides puma, the Quechua

language of Peru gave us alpaca,

guanaco, llama, vicuna, and condor.

Chinchilla is half Quechua—the

Indian name—plus illa, the Spanish

ending denoting small size.

Alligator started out as a Spanish

word. Columbus wrote it down as

el largato—the lizard—but English

translators mistook it for an Indian

name. They ran it together as one

word, changing a letter or two, and

thus coined a new word.

The first animal names that came

directly into English from the Indians

themselves—rather than from

Spanish translations—were from the

Algonquin language of Powhatan

and his daughter Pocahantas. Most

were first published by Captain John

Smith of Jamestown who wrote

several books about life in Virginia.

So you are speaking Algonquin when

you name chipmunks (“they go head

first’), skunks (“they urinate”), caribou

(“the pawers”), moose (“they strip off

their food”), and wapiti (“paler ones” —

that is, paler than moose).

Another Algonquin name, musquash

(“they are reddish”), was soon turned

into muskrat by English-speaking

settlers. Wuchak likewise soon

became woodchuck.

Raccoon is Algonquin, too. Captain

Smith spelled it a different way

almost every time he wrote it, and

British zoos still spell it racoon. It

means “one who rubs—or scrubs

and scratches—with its hands.”

Raccoons do this rubbing as often in

mid-air as under water; the action

is to soften the food, not clean it.

It also guarantees that any food

caught live will be dead before it is

eaten.

Pocahantas and her tribe also gave

us the name opossum, meaning

“white-faced.” This is certainly

better than the Latin label simia-

vulpes (“half monkey-half fox”)

bestowed by an astonished scholar

at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella.

English scholars and settlers did

not do much better when they coined

names of their own rather than

borrowing from the Indians. Their

prairie dogs are not dogs, and sea lions,

sea cows, and sea elephants are not

related to their namesakes, either.

One of the strangest names is that

of the Guinea pig. It does not even

Jessie Cohen, NZP Office of Graphics and Exhibits

Algonquin Indians called them “skunks” —or “those who urinate.” These distinctively

striped animals have highly developed glands on each side of the tail that secrete a

powerful odor. Before defending itself in this way, the skunk strikes a warning posture

with its tail erect.

13

faintly resemble a pig, and it is not

native to Guinea or any other African

land. It was probably a slip of the

tongue by someone who meant to

say Guiana, the home of its wild

ancestor the cavy. “Pig” was probably

a frontier joke, hinting that this meat

was the closest travelers could get to

real English roast pig. Perhaps

someday this mistake will be replaced

by Quechua cuy or Tupi preya or

Carib curi—or some other ancient

name still in circulation.

We probably pronounce very few

of these names as the Indians them-

selves did. Most foreign words tend

to get twisted by persons who do not

speak the language. But twisted or

not, each is still an enduring reminder

of the first Americans.

Columbus wrote down the alligator’s

name as “el largato,” Spanish for “lizard.”

English translators mistook it for an

Indian name, changed a letter or two, and

thus coined a new word.

14

How DoYou Cet to

Work at the Zoo?

“How do you get to work at the

Zoo?” The question is frequently

asked by visitors, and there are

probably as many different answers

as there are people working at the

National Zoo. This interview is

the first in a ZooGoer series in which

staff members answer that question

and provide insights and perspectives

on Zoo careers.

Mammalogist Miles Roberts has

been with the National Zoo for ten

years. He was interviewed for

ZooGoer by Ed Gold.

How did you happen to enter the

field, Miles?

I registered at the University of

Maryland when I was 19 years old.

One of the first questions I was

asked was, “What is your major?”

I didn’t have the foggiest notion

what a major was, but I was being

told I couldn't proceed with regis-

tration without a major. There was a

large board listing all the possible

majors, and the last department listed

was zoology. I was really interested

Stan Barouh

Ed Gold

in studying economics, but I was very

nervous and just said zoology. I

thought I would have time to go into

economics later.

Did you ever get back to economics?

No. At first my grades in zoology

were not great, but I stuck with

it. The following summer I came

over to the Zoo since I was now a

zoology major. The people I talked

to were very excited about having

someone interested in zoology

working at the Zoo. My involvement

with the Zoo grew, and when |

finished my degree I came back here

and got the job I now hold. Getting

here was really the result of a series

of “accidents” or “mistakes.” I think

most people feel that way about

it. I’ve always been interested in

animals, and I’ve lived in a lot

of exotic places where I had many

opportunities to see animals.

Where have you lived?

My father was in the Foreign Ser-

vice; we lived in Australia, New

Zealand, Indonesia, and the Philip-

pines.

How did you happen to focus on

mammals? Have they always been

your favorites?

When | first started working at the

Zoo | didn’t really have a preference,

but I became friends with some

people who were very interested in

mammalian behavior. They were

always talking about zoology, and I

just naturally fit in with them.

15

Stan Barouh

National Zoo mammalogist Miles Roberts discusses zoo careers in his office at the

Lion-Tiger Exhibit.

As a mammalogist, what do you

hope to accomplish at the Zoo?

I’m really interested in working

with the Zoo’s collection, in develop-

ing some semblance of a science

of captive exotic animal manage-

ment husbandry. There has to

be a way to combine some of the

academic aspects of zoology with

some of the more practical animal

science fields. I’d like to meld

them into something that is very

appropriate for this job.

This seems to be a key time for you

with the Zoo changing many of its

attitudes about keeping animals.

That is definitely true for the

animals being kept here. There

has been a concerted effort to up-

16

grade both facilities and staff. It

has taken ten years to get to where

we are now. Until all the facilities

are completed we won't know

exactly what we have to work with.

So you're not really looking to

climb a career ladder at this point,

are you?

I have no interest in going any

higher on the ladder. I like working

with animals and doing basically

what I do now.

If I were graduating from high

school, what route should I take

if I wanted to work in a zoo?

When I started out ten years ago,

no one in college wanted to work

in a zoo; most people regarded it

as one step up from working in a

circus. Many zoos didn’t care for

animals very well and were rather

depressing places to work.

And now?

Zoos are looking much more attrac-

tive now. People who enter the field

as curators and keepers have a

genuine interest in animals. Most

have worked with animals in their

homes, have kept exotic animals as

pets, or have volunteered in zoos.

Of course, they’re also very talented

in academic fields.

What degrees do you need?

People being hired now have at

least a bachelor’s degree. By the

time someone currently in high

school is looking for a job, a

master’s degree will probably be

necessary. The field is very

competitive, and zoos can afford

to be very selective. Still, there

is no substitute for experience.

The only way you can gain ex-

perience is by working with animals,

be it in a little menagerie, a roadside

zoo, a laboratory, or an animal

shelter. It helps, too, if you like

to work with animals and don’t

mind involving yourself with some

of the less exotic things that happen

around animals.

It’s difficult to say what degree

is best. Most people working in

zoos have a degree in biology with

an emphasis on zoology. Animal

science is also useful—a field in

which people are working with

domesticated animals and physiology

and management of herds. Another

possibility is wildlife management.

Field research is valuable here

since it helps in understanding

the animals and provides insight in-

to how their environment might be

adjusted to meet their needs more

effectively. If I had it to do over

again, I would probably go the

animal science route. I would

probably try something like a

bachelor’s degree in animal science

and a master’s in zoology. 1 would

certainly want a well-rounded,

multi-discipline education.

What advice could you give toa

young person who is thinking

about a zoo career?

There is a place for people who

really care. We are looking for

people who do care and who have a

great deal of initiative —people

who want to come in and do some-

thing for the animals. There are

real problems, too, and it’s crucial

to get really good people. You

have to push yourself and train

yourself.

Is the Zoo looking for people?

The Zoo is always looking for

people.

Jessie Cohen, NZP Office of Graphics and Exhibits

In the fall of 1979, Miles Roberts studied red pandas in Nepal under a FONZ Conserva-

tion and Field Research Grant. He has also done extensive studies on captive animals at

the National Zoo.

17

New Arrivals

Early on the morning of December

20, a 35-pound, 36-inch-long female

grey seal pup was born in Beaver Val-

ley. Grendel is the first marine mam-

mal successfully born at the Zoo in

many years. To date, only ten grey

seal pups have been born and

survived in the United States.

Dr. Daryl Boness, assistant curator

of mammals, said that while it is

not usually difficult to get the

animals to breed, problems can

develop in the female’s ability to

nurture the young in captivity. He

credits the Zoo’s success at least in

part to the nature-like setting of

Beaver Valley where the seals live.

For weeks preceding the birth,

keepers and FONZ volunteers kept a

birth watch of pregnant Selkie.

But the wide-eyed pup was born in

the pre-dawn hours before anyone

arrived in the valley.

Before giving birth, Selkie

investigated her enclousre and found

a suitable niche for the event. She

has been a good mother to the

healthy pup which, during her first

weeks of life, was growing at the

amazing rate of some five pounds a

day. Grendel was nourished entirely

on her mother’s milk, which contains

Jessie Cohen, NZP Office of Graphics and Exhibits

Grendel, the Zoo’s “Christmas seal,” born on December 20, is the first marine mammal

born at the National Zoo in years.

18

the highest percentage of fat of any

mammalian milk. She should reach an

adult weight of 400 to 450 pounds.

Presently, Grendel is in one of the

rear pools off exhibit. When she

becomes better acquainted with the

other members of the grey seal

family at the Zoo, she will join them

in the public exhibit pool.

Happy, a male Nile hippopotamus,

was born at the Elephant House on

January 4. He is the eighteenth

offspring of Arusha. He has already

made his Washington television

debut and has been seen by

thousands of Zoo visitors. Both

mother and calf are doing fine and

can be seen at the Elephant House.

Animal Study Packs

Two new study packets containing

games, pictures and books to be

used alone or in combination with

a visit to the National Zoo are

now available for parents and

teachers to share with children

three to eight years old.

Along the Zoo Trail: Elephants, Pandas,

and Other Zoo Animals covers some

of the animals found along the Zoo’s

zebra and elephant trails. Included

are photographs of Zoo animals

with a “Peek-a-Zoo” identification

game, A Winter Day at the Elephant

House book, anda poster map “Along

the Animal Trail” with matching

animal game cards and instructions.

Along the Zoo Trail: Birds includes

both Zoo birds and some species

Brandy Clymire, NZP Office of Graphics and Exhibits

found in the Washington area. The

materials are similar in format to

those of the zebra and elephant

trails. Also included is a book on

bird watching.

Each packet is available for $6

and may be ordered from the

National Zoo Office of Education.

Enclose a check payable to the

Friends of the National Zoo.

Happy, a male Nile hippopotamus born recently, is a popular new resident at the

Elephant House. Like many Nile hippos, he was born underwater and could swim

before he could walk.

19

FONZNEWS

FONZ Allocates Largest-Ever

Funds for

1981 Zoo Programs

Nearly half a million dollars has been

budgeted by FONZ in 1981 to sup-

port vital Zoo programs in education,

research, and conservation. This

support effort is the largest in the 23-

year history of FONZ.

Thanks to record-setting successes

in 1980 and the promise of an equally

successful 1981, the FONZ Board of

Directors has allocated more than

$418,000 to support and expand

diverse conservation projects.

Direct grants to National Zoo scien-

tists will launch field expeditions

ranging from a small mammal radio-

tracking project at the Zoo’s Conser-

vation and Research Center at Front

Royal, Virginia, to field studies of

cheetahs and giraffes in Africa and

collecting expeditions in South

America to bring back dwarf caimans

for anew crocodile exhibit.

FONZ moneys will also sponsor a

year-round program of fellowships to

enable advanced students to work

with Zoo professionals on critical

conservation and research projects.

FONZ will also support symposia,

visiting lecturers, and a keeper ex-

change program in 1981.

20

Dozens of FONZ-run education

projects will also benefit from 1981

funds. These efforts range from the

training, equipping, and scheduling of

more than 400 volunteers in various

programs to asummer-long Zoo

“camp” for inner-city children.

To persuade more people to be-

come Friends of the National Zoo and

so support these life-saving conserva-

tion programs, FONZ, for the first

time, will award major prizes to those

responding to invitations to become

members. Current FONZ supporters

will also be invited to participate in

these drawings.

The grand prize is a deluxe ex-

pense-paid safari to East Africa for

two. The three-week adventure, led

by zoo and local experts, will include

exploration of the game-rich Seren-

geti, tented camps, tribal dances, and

an overnight in a jungle treetop lodge.

More than 280 other donated prizes

include weekend adventures in New

York City and at the closed-to-the-

public Conservation and Research

Center at Front Royal, behind-the-

scenes Zoo tours with Director Reed,

and front-row seats for a special ani-

mal training demonstration. It is

hoped that such incentives will per-

suade many more area residents and

animal lovers to join “the wildest

club in town.”

In summary, 1981 promises to be a

banner year for FONZ, the National

Zoo, and—most importantly —the

wildlife that is protected and pre-

served through these expanding sup-

port efforts.

Lend a Helping Hand...

and Get Paid for It!

FONZ needs dependable, enthusi-

astic people to work on weekdays

during the beautiful spring season.

(Jobs are available in summer and

fall, too.)

If you have at least three days

free and would like to be a gift

shop clerk, parking or stroller

cashier, or food service worker,

please call 673-4970 weekdays for

a brochure and application.

Credit Where Credit is Due

The 1981 calendar issue of ZooGoer

inadvertently failed to acknowledge

the valuable contributions made by

Patricia Powell of the NZP Office

of Education. Patti was responsible

for the concept of using children’s

art from Zoolab and assisted in the

selection of pictures for the

calendar issue. FONZ is most grateful

for her assistance and regrets the

omission.

Additional copies of the special

calendar issue may be ordered at

$1.50 each from FONZ Publications,

National Zoological Park, Washing-

ton, D.C. 20008. Payment must

accompany orders.

FONZ Film Receives Awards

The Last Chance, FONZ’s 28-minute

color film about the Zoo’s Conser-

vation and Research Center at Front

Royal, Virginia, has received two

major awards.

The Golden Eagle Certificate/

Award was presented by CINE

(Council on International Non-

Theatrical Events), Washington, D.C.,

last April. The film was also awarded

a silver plaque by the jury of the 16th

Chicago International Film Festival —

one of the most prestigious film

festivals in the United States—in

November.

Both The Last Chance and FONZ’s

award-winning film Zoo are available

for loan or sale to schools, libraries,

and other organizations. For more

information, call the FONZ Educa-

tion Department at 673-4955.

Scimitar-horned oryx, endangered in the wild, were among the first species brought to

the National Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center at Front Royal, Virginia, in 1974.

FONZ’s award-winning film, The Last Chance portrays the many programs underway

at Front Royal to save these and other endangered species.

21

rr ae a

Upcoming FONZ Tours

Finland, Russia, and Sweden

June 27-July 12, 1981

A remarkable array of unusual

wildlife abounds in the unspoiled

regions of these three northern

nations. This European safari will

take participants close to the

Arctic Circle to visit Finland's

Laplanders and their reindeer.

There are wilderness walks to search

out elks, moose, bears, eagles, and

water birds. Staffs of zoos and

wildlife parks will conduct special

tours of their facilities.

The tour includes several days in

Leningrad, followed by a visit to

Helsinki and Rovaniemi, Arctic home

of the Midnight Sun and the Lapps.

After a cruise through the archi-

pelago of Finland and Sweden, this

northern adventure ends in Stock-

holm with a visit to the wildlife

park, noted for its big cat breeding.

The tour price of $2,372 includes

all transportation, deluxe hotels,

most meals, tips, service charges,

leader escort throughout, local

wildlife guides, and a $100

The opportunity to see and study wild animals at close range is one of the highlights

of FONZ’s upcoming safari to Kenya and Egypt.

22

tax-deductible contribution to

FONZ.

Kenya Safari Plus Egypt and

Nile Cruise

September 16-October 9, 1981

This is the ultimate wild vacation!

You'll sleep in luxury tented bush

camps on the game-rich Serengeti

and near the foot of snow-capped

Mount Kenya. There will be horse-

back riding and safari walks to

search out game, and a night will

be spent watching for herds of

elephants, buffalo, and the elusive

bongo from a deluxe treetop lodge.

The final week in Egypt features

a camel ride around the pyramids

and a four-day deluxe Nile River

cruise to explore the temples of

Luxor and Valley of Queens, Kings,

and Nobles.

Cost of this 24-day ultimate

safari is $4,282 and includes a

leader escort, African wildlife

expert, local guides, tips, all

transportation, deluxe accommoda-

tions, nearly all meals—including

several banquets—and a $100

tax-deductible contribution to

FONZ.

For additional details and

reservations, call the Office of the

Executive Director at 673-4950.

CALENDAK

MAY

2 Saturday

Early Morning Tour of the Zoo

9 Saturday

Exploring Calvert County

16 Saturday

Baltimore Zoo Tour

18 Monday

Audubon Lecture: ‘Protecting Wildlife in a Fragmented World”’

23-24 Saturday-Sunday

Chesapeake Bay Overnight Canoe Trip

30 Saturday

Wildlife Hike at Prince William Forest Park

5 Friday

ZooNight—Members A-M

(Raindate: Friday, June 12)

19 ZooNight—Members N-Z

(Raindate: Friday, June 26)

For additional information about any of these activities and programs call FONZ

at 673-4960.

23

ROE

sy

Friends

_ of the

_ National

lashington, D.C. 20008

jp

"National Zoological Park

i

Nonprofit Organization

U.S. Postage

PAID

Washington, D.C.

Permit No. 44282

Babin Robbins