July / August 1975

volume 4 number 4

contents

3 ZooKeeping at NZP

9 ZooNews

12 ZooMap

13 Phase Out Zoos?

146 BookNews

19 FONZNews

23 Wildlife Print

Front and Back Covers: Five times larger

than before, the new outdoor yard for the

giraffes provides galloping space, and a dra-

matic eye-level look at the world’s tallest

living creatures.

Design-Production:

Monica Johansen Morgan

Photographs on pp. 1& 24, 7A, & 20 by

Sabin Robbins; p. 8 by Mike Morgan; pp. 9

& 10 by Polly McCann; pp. 13 & 15 by Deb

Mayer; p. 17 by Leonard Lee Rue III; p. 18

by Bernard Grzimek; all others by Ray Faass.

2

Friends

of

the

National

is a non-profit organization of individuals and

families who are interested in supporting Zoo

education, research, and conservation.

FONZ Board of Directors 1974-75

Arthur W. Arundel, President

Montgomery S. Bradley, First Vice President

Lavell Merritt, Second Vice President

Stephen Hosmer, /reasurer

Joan L. Jewett, Secretary

Ruth N. Nelson

William N. Olinger

John B. Oliver

Julie Pineau

Nancy Porter

Peter C. Andrews

Theodore Babbitt

John S. Brown

Timothy V.A. Dillon

Ronald Field

M. Anthony Gould Ted Rivinus

Donna K. Grosvenor Whayne Quin

Nella Manes Lee Talbot

Cecil McLelland

Shirley J. McNair

Gerald Wagner

Rosa M.Walker

Sabin Robbins, Executive Director

As a FONZ, you and your family receive

many benefits—publications, discount privileges,

and invitations to specia! programs and activities

—to make your zoogoing more enjoyable and

educational.

THE ZOOGOER is published bi-monthly and

copyrighted © by Friends of the National Zoo,

c/o National Zoological Park, Washington, DC

20009, second class mailing permit approved at

the Washington, DC rate in the United States

$3 a year (of annual dues).

Zoo Staff

Dr. Theodore H. Reed,.Director

Mr. Edward Kohn, Deputy Director

Mr. Warren J. Iliff, Assistant Director

Mr. John Perry, Assistant Director

Office Chiefs

Mr. Jaren Horsley, Animal Management

Dr. Christen Wemmer, Conservation &

Research Center

Dr. Clinton Gray, Senior Veterinarian

Dr. Mitchell Bush, Animal Health

Dr. Richard Montali, Pathology

Dr. John Eisenberg, Zoological Research

Mr. Emanuel Petrella, Facilities

Management

Mr. Robert Engle, Construction Management

Mr. Joseph Reed, Management Services

Mr. Robert Mulcahy, Graphics & Exhibits

Ms. Judy White, Education & Information

Mr. Joseph McGarry, Protective Services

Cpt. Samuel Middleton, NZP Police

A zoological park is a very complex

and diverse operation with a physi-

cal plant (buildings, enclosures,

and grounds) and a wide variety of

personnel to make the operation

function properly. All the personnel

from the director to the laborer are

important in a zoo; however, the

most vital link in the chain is the

animal keeper. After all, the pri-

mary function in a zoological park

is to house and exhibit a variety of

animals for public education. In

order to do this, the animal collec-

tion must be cared for, cleaned,

nourished, and observed. This is

where the animal keeper becomes

involved.

The public generally looks upon an

animal keeper as a person who only

feeds and cleans the animals. Noth-

ing could be farther from the truth.

How are the animal keeper posi-

tions organized at the National Zoo

and what does a keeper do? Well,

to begin with there are three differ-

ent levels of keepers at the zoo.

Newly hired keepers are designated

as ‘trainees’ and work closely with

higher grade keepers in an orienta-

tion program of one year or less.

Upon successful completion of this

period, the keeper is promoted to a

mid-level position. A keeper re-

mains in this position for a two-

year period. At the completion

of this apprenticeship, the journey-

On previous page: Zoo keeper Pam Davis

serves fresh fruit and nuts to hungry toucans

in the Bird House.

4

man position is attained. The duties

of a keeper whether they are in the

trainee or journeyman position are

basically the same—only the

authority and knowledge gained

through experience vary as the

keeper advances through the three

year training period.

Journeyman keepers maintain the

animals under their care, which in-

cludes cleaning of enclosures and

feeding proper diets. Within the

basic responsibility, however, lies

the real expertise of the experi-

enced keepers. They must know

each specimen under their care

from a captive standpoint as well as

the animal’s natural history. The

latter includes the animal, where it

comes from, how it lives in the

wild, what its natural diet is, and its

habits. This information is vital in

trying to maintain the animal under

captive conditions. When the ani-

mal arrives at the zoo, the keeper

must learn its individual habits and

behavior. While diets are generally

established by the curator, the

keeper must keep track of the types

and quantities of food consumed.

Keepers often make recommen-

dations for changes in diet based on

their knowledge of the specimen.

Last year we received two echidnas

from Adelaide, Australia. Upon

arrival they were placed in separate

enclosures in order to monitor food

intake and check for parasites. The

diet (feline diet, powdered milk,

egg yolks, and vitamin supple-

ments) was identical to that being

fed a third echidna which had been

in the collection for some time. But

neither animal would eat. It be-

came the keeper’s job, with advice

from the curator, to modify the diet

until the right consistency and com-

bination of ingredients were found.

It was a slow process but even-

tually both animals began to con-

sume a small portion of the food,

and were finally put on the stan-

dard echidna diet.

How do animals react to the enclo-

sures? Are they nervous, aggressive,

adopting stereotyped or abnormal

behavior patterns? Keepers should

note this behavior when it occurs,

and make changes to reduce the

problem. One such situation oc-

curred with a group of bushbabies

which was received for a mixed

exhibit in the nocturnal room of the

Small Mammal House. The original

sex ratio was one male to five fe-

males. They were to be exhibited

with a pair of pottos in a large

naturalistic enclosure. Upon initial

introduction everything appeared

normal, but after one week the

keeper in charge reported that one

of the bushbabies looked lethargic

and was not interacting with the

rest of the group. On further obser-

vation it was found that one of the

other females was seriously harass-

ing the animal. Inclusion of addi-

tional nesting areas (hollow trees)

did not ease the problem. The

keeper, through close monitoring,

was able to identify the dominant

female, and she was removed from

the group. After her removal the

hierarchy stabilized, and there was

no further problem.

Information concerning estrus,

breeding, and impending birth is

critical to the curator, who must

advise the keeper when to intro-

duce animals for breeding and

when to separate females due to

give birth. The keeper who works

with the animals daily is in the best

position to spot subtle changes and

report them.

Changes noticed by keepers are

particularly important in cases of

illness or injury. The ability to look

at a mammal; bird, or reptile and

say “That animal is sick; it doesn’t

look quite normal” is a valuable

asset for any keeper; one which

comes only with experience. Often

there are only slight changes: a

head held lower than normal, an

animal not associating with its en-

closure mates, a slight loss of

weight or appetite. These all signal

a potential problem. The keeper

observes the abnormal pattern and

notifies the veterinarian. One of the

young dorcas gazelles was bloated,

had loose stools, and a dull coat of

hair. The symptoms were reported

to the veterinarian who ran fecal

checks and examined her. She was

found to have internal parasites

and was treated. This early diagno-

sis probably saved the animal.

Exhibits and enclosures are another

major keeper responsibility. While

the curator plans the collection and

determines the method of exhibi-

tion, the keeper must have the

knowledge and interest to con-

struct and maintain the exhibit. The

keeper is usually given a general

plan for exhibits by the curator and

then expands on it while doing the

actual construction. This often

involves gathering plants, tree

limbs, rocks and other materials,

and combining them to simulate a

natural. mini-environment which is

pleasing to the visitor and _ satis-

factory for the animal.

Anyone familiar with the Small

Mammal House of a few years ago

is aware of the type of exhibits

presented to the public. For the

most part these were cages with

bare concrete floors, a wooden nest

box (on the floor or on a shelf), and

a tree limb for climbing. Since most

of the inhabitants of the building

are nocturnal, the public generally

saw the exhibit described with a

furry ball asleep in a box. It was de-

cided to improve these exhibits.

Guidelines were prepared for de-

signing habitat enclosures. This was

a major undertaking in many in-

stances, particularly with animals

such as the Geoffreys cats, leopard

cats, and pacas. These species have

a disconcerting habit of eating or

urinating on vegetation which

makes designing live habitat exhi-

bits extremely challenging.

Schemes for protecting plants or

artificial materials, and the actual

placement of materials in the ex-

hibit are the keepers’ responsibility.

Improved exhibits in the building

such as the bushbaby and white-

lipped marmoset enclosures are the

results of these efforts.

accurate and

Finally, complete

written records and reports of the

collection under his or her care is a

vital function of the animal keeper.

This data is of particular impor-

tance with the onslaught of federal

and state legislation and the heavy

emphasis on breeding and research

programs in zoos.

The information supplied by the

keeper on a daily report sheet is

entered on the individual animal’s

permanent record. Such informa-

tion as diet changes, fighting (when

and whom), breeding, birth date,

and moves are vital for future hus-

bandry. This data is kept in a cen-

Sheryl Gilbert sprays water on eggs in Bird

House incubator to raise shell humidity and

thus aid chicks in hatching.

A NZP keeper’s job is as varied as the 2,000

animals they feed, care for, and study daily.

Below, herpetologist Sam Davis measures

the growth rate of a corn snake. Right, Bird

Unit keeper Will Peratino hoses down the

indoor flight cage.

ae

RSRAE

Above, daily meals of fresh fish, fruit, vege-

tables, and specially-prepared feline diet are

prepared by keepers for the kinkajous,

civets, genets, and other exotic residents in

the Small Mammal House. Left, Melanie

Bond rearranges driftwood, rocks, and plants

to create a naturalistic exhibit in the Reptile

House.

tral records office. The curator and

keeper constantly refer to these

records to see what problems have

occurred in the past, so when new

animals arrive mistakes are not re-

peated. Keepers often use this

information in studies they are con-

ducting with the help of zoo re-

searchers. Many of the keepers’

observations are published in scien-

tific journals. In the past, personnel

kept this information in their heads,

and when they left, the data left

with them.

Probably the most exciting aspect

of a keeper’s job is that something

new is always happening. One

never knows what each day holds in

store—a birth, an animal to be

treated, an animal move, or per-

haps an escape (nobody’s per-

fect!) It is an understatement to say

that in a zoo nothing is routine.

Often the best plans go haywire.

Sometime ago when a pair of white

rhinoceroses were to be shipped to

San Diego for breeding, prepara-

tions were made six weeks in ad-

vance. The crates were set up and

the animals were fed in them each

day. Everything went as planned;

the two rhinos entered the crates

each day, ate their food, and paid

no attention to the keeper nearby.

We decided to crate the animals

the day before the shipment was to

go out. The male would not cooper-

ate. The female, after some coax-

ing, entered the crate, but when the

door was dropped it jammed,

allowing her to back out. The

veterinarian was called and she was

immobilized, then pushed and

8

pulled into the crate. Then the male

was darted. He sat down in a mud

wallow and though fifteen keepers

tugged, would not budge.

Since acrane and truck were com-

ing the next day, it was imperative

that both animals be crated by the

following morning. We inched a

pile of hay across the yard with a

long string and into the crate. We

expected the male to follow, but he

stopped just short of entering the

crate itself. Six hours went by with

keepers and curators alike becom-

ing frustrated. The public thought it

quite amusing and kept cheering us

on, some cheering the rhinos who

by now appeared to be winning the

battle. At the end of seven hours he

finally entered the crate. The door

was dropped and we were ready to

go, or so we thought. At 10 o’clock

that night, the driver of the truck

called to say he could not get down

the next day. But that’s another

story, and the shipment did go out

as scheduled.

Patrick, our young Indian rhino, has

shown the same stubbornness; he

has frustrated all attempts by the

keepers to go into his shipping

crate. In exasperation the shipment

was postponed until fall when a

new strategy can be tried. Who says

man is the most intelligent animal?

While not to detract from the im-

portance of the other zoo opera-

tions and personnel, it can be

truthfully stated that good, experi-

enced, and interested keepers are

really the backbone of the zoo.

Without them the zoological park

cannot function as a place where

people enjoy seeing wild animals in

exciting and interesting settings.

William Xanten

Associate Curator, Mammals

Zoo welders dismantle Patrick’s shipping crate after repeated attempts by keepers to lure him in.

White Tigers Cause

ensation in Chicago

It was a cold, rainy November day

in 1972 when | visited the National

Zoo. The opportunity to see the

pandas drew me there. Back in Chi-

cago, however, the most persistent

memory was not of those prototype

“teddy bears”: it was of the beauty

and gracefulness of Mohini-Rewa,

the white tiger.

On December 11, 1973, the ‘‘en-

chantress of Rewa” and her daugh-

ter Rewati arrived at Brookfield

Zoo (Brookfield is a Chicago sub-

urb) on loan for the period of con-

struction of the new _ lion-tiger

exhibit at the National Zoo. | was

delighted to be able to visit them

often and observe in a far more

leisurely fashion than was possible

on a two-day trip to Washington. |

also began to learn a bit about

white tigers.

Mohini, presented to President

Dwight D. Eisenhower as a gift to

the children of the United States,

arrived at the National Zoo on De-

cember 5, 1960. Since then, she has

been mated with two males of nor-

mal coloration who carried reces-

sive white genes —her uncle and her

fen—and had litters by both.

Several of her nine cubs have been

Mohini, soon to return with four other white

tigers to the Zoo’s new Lion-Tiger Hill

exhibit, has been on loan at Chicago’s Brook-

field Zoo.

white, but only three of the nine

survived: one of the = survivors,

Rewati, is white. Mohini gave birth

to Rewati in 1969 and for the first

week was an excellent mother.

Then, perhaps stressed in some

fashion, she began licking Rewati

excessively and carried the two-

and-a-half pound cub in her mouth

as she paced. At that point, Dr.

Theodore Reed’s decision to take

the baby for hand-rearing must,

indeed, have been one of the

tougher ones to make. The saga of

Rewati’s hand-rearing by Mrs. Reed

(National Geographic, April 1970)

makes fascinating reading.

In an effort to introduce new blood

lines, Dr. Peter Crowcroft, Direc-

tor of Brookfield Zoo, agreed to

send Poona (Brookfield’s breeding

male Bengal) to the National Zoo in

1972. At first, poor Poona found

Mohini less than enchanting, but

eventually breeding occurred,

though no pregnancy. However,

since December 1973, Poona—or

Butch as he is known around Brook-

field’s Lion House—has been back

on his home territory in familiar

surroundings and he has exerted his

dominance very firmly. Keeper

Dennis Norkey says that he has

noted 56 daytime copulations

between Butch and Mohini. That

Mohini has not become pregnant

thus far tends to support the specu-

lation that she is past breeding age.

Rewati, according t6 Keeper

Norkey, has just started spraying,

which probably indicates that

shortly she will be able to breed.

Mohini adjusted to Brookfield

easily; Rewati less so. Keeper

Norkey says that the presence of

other animals (the indoor cages at

Brookfield are separated only by

mesh, not wall) seemed to fluster

Rewati for a time. Now, they are

both very friendly with their keep-

ers and completely at ease. Butch,

Mohini and Rewati maintain an

open door policy between their

cages and share a large, outdoor

moated area that has artificial

rocks to climb, grass on which to

nibble, and a large swimming pool.

Rewati seems partial to playing

Swatting branches of a tree, Rewati, the six-year-old daughter of Mohini, has delighted visitors at Brookfield Zoo. Until she returns in the spring,

Rewati shares her moated area with Mohini and Brookfield’s own yellow tiger, Butch.

with branches of a young tree grow-

ing along the edge of the moat, and

I’ve watched her batting at them

time and again. Her attention span

is marvelously short and she fre-

quently comes to the edge of the

moat in response to voices and

looks at the people looking at her.

One day last spring, | watched her

as she was distracted by a small

bird, following its movements with

her head. Rewati’s stripes appear a

bit darker than Mohini’s and she

seems cross-eyed: she is still small-

er than her mother. Mohini, as

befits a 17 year old doyenne,

snoozes in the sun, goes for a dip

now and again, paces regally and

occasionally pauses beside Butch

to greet him with a touch.

Mohini and Rewati each eat about

10 pounds of food per day. One day

they will have whole, plucked

chickens with the entrails; another

day the menu is shank bones with

horsemeat on them. The rest of the

time, with the exception of one fast

day a week, they receive a mixture

of Zu Preem and Nebraska Feline

diet. | would say they are thriving

on their menu.

Their visit to Chicago is drawing to

a close and when they go, | shall be

poorer for not having their beauty

to enjoy.

“A lovely lady, garmented in light

From her own beauty.”

Mrs. Pauline McCann

Editor, The Ark

Lincoln Park Zoo

New Reptiles Join

Zoo’s Collection

There are some new faces in the

Reptile House. Gliding geckos from

the forests of southeast Asia are

among the few living reptiles that

exhibit adaptations for aerial loco-

motion. They are equipped with

extensive webbing between the

toes, fringes of skin on the head and

tail, and large skin folds on either

side of the trunk, all of which in-

crease the surface area of the ani-

mal. If a predator forces the gecko

to leap from a tree, the large sur-

face area provides a_ planing

surface and it can glide to safety.

Although gliding geckos have been

known to science for 125 years, the

function of the peculiar skin folds

has been debated for decades.

Some scientists believed the folds

served only as camouflage, making

the animal less conspicuous on

lichen-covered tree branches. Ob-

servations of gliding in nature have

been practically nonexistent. Our

Zoo researchers, who have been

testing the specimens now on ex-

_ hibit, found that the geckos are

capable of traveling a considerable

distance if released from a suffic-

ient height and the folds of skin

play an important role in their

ability to glide.

Other new reptiles include water

moccasins, greater sirens, and

Malayan water monitors. Hope-

fully, the moccasin exhibit will help

the public to identify these pit

vipers and dispel the widespread

myth that any snake found near

water is dangerous. In fact, water

moccasins are not found north of

southeastern Virginia. Even within

their range there are numerous

kinds of harmless water snakes

easily confused with them.

The greater sirens are large sala-

manders that may be found in the

same waters as the moccasins.

Their elongated bodies and _ tiny

limbs suggest an eel more than a

salamander. The conspicuous ex-

ternal gills at the rear of the head

make them appear more like fishes

than amphibians. In fact, unlike

most amphibians, sirens do not

undergo a conspicuous metamor-

phosis from an aquatic larva to an

air-breathing adult. Instead, they

lead an aquatic existence and

retain larval gills throughout their

lives.

Malayan water monitors now

occupy the former home of the

Komodo dragon, Kelana, who re-

cently died of old age. Although

specimens are small as young

adults, they may mature to 7 feet

and thus rival their larger relative

from Komodo in total length.

However, water monitors are rela-

tively slender and never weigh as

much as large Komodo dragons.

Tom Keefer

i

LOOWN?

KEY TO THE MAP

Soft Drinks

Gift Shop

Police Station— First Aid

Trackless Train Stop

Restrooms

Restaurant

Amphitheater

Telephone

Parking Lot

Bus Parking Lot

Under Construction

WE $- 1SORHOS

Deer

African Animals

Kangaroos

Deer & Antelope

Delicate-Hoofed Stock

Giant Pandas

Great Flight Cage

Bird House

Birds

10 Elephant House

11 Black Rhinoceros Yard

WO CON Do BWN

12 Small Mammals— Great Ape House

13 Lesser Pandas

14 Prairie Dogs

15 Mammals

16 Sea Lions & Cheetahs

17 Bears

18 Gift Shop

19 Reptile House

20 Monkey House

21 Siamang Gibbon — Jaguars

22 Police—First Aid

23 Restaurant

24 Lion-Tiger Hill

25 Waterfowl Ponds

26 Administration Buildings

27 Hospital and Research Building

14

Clayton Freiheit, Director of the

Denver Zoological Gardens.

Reprinted from The Zoo Review,

published by the Denver Zoological

Foundation, Inc.

Writing in The Washington Post,

Bernard Fensterwald, counsel to

the Committee for Humane Legis-

lation, suggested that the time

has come to phase out zoos.

In his provocative article, Mr.

Fensterwald attacks zoological

parks as ‘‘faltering institutions”

and claims that they are in ‘‘deep

trouble’. A recent cover of the

Chicago Sun-Times magazine sup-

plement carried a screaming head-

line calling for the abolition of zoos.

There have been other more rational

but equally critical attacks on the

role of zoological parks in our

society. Much of this spiralling criti-

cism is a direct spin-off of increased

concern for the environment; some

of it has resulted from proposed

federal legislation which would pro-

vide funds to upgrade substandard

zoo facilities and programs. My

colleague Prof. Dr. Heinrich Dathe,

Director of the splendid East Berlin

Zoo, recently equated such critics

with people who view a stained-

glass window from outside a church

when the full beauty can only be

appreciated from inside the building

This seems to me. to be a valid point

since some zoo critics are poorly

informed on their subject.

“Captive animals are the ‘missionaries’ for

their brethren, since few city dwellers can

afford an excursion to Africa.”

Is it really time to phase out or

abolish zoos? Are they really in deep

trouble? What role do they play in

our culture?

Being engaged in the zoological

park field and having chosen it as

my profession some 14 years ago,

my views are admittedly somewhat

prejudiced; however, | will try to be

objective in addressing these

questions.

There is little doubt that a good

ZOO Or aquarium “belongs” in

today’s world. In fact, they are

needed now more than ever before!

A good zoo, where the animals are

well-exhibited, properly cared for,

and humanely treated should pro-

perly be regarded as an urban reser-

voir of nature. Zoos can and do

serve superb educational purposes,

but only if they are well-managed

and adequately funded. There is

nothing worse than a poor zoo, and

thoughtful zoo professionals every-

where decry their existence. If a

community cannot afford to

operate a good zoo, the zoo should

indeed be closed. Captive animals

are the “missionaries” for their wild

brethren, since few city dwellers can

afford an excursion to Africa to view

a lion or a trip to Sumatra to photo-

graph an orangutan. The chief thrust

of a good zoo is to increase the

environmental literacy of its visitors

through the use of live animals in

effective exhibits. Conservation

legislation will be supported (or

rejected) by people who live in

cities. A good zoo can and should

attempt to influence as well as

nurture people’s concern for

wildlife. As a result of maintaining

a collection of animals, there are

frequent births, and the captive

propagation of zoo wildlife can be

an effective tool in the conserva-

tion of some species. Unfortun-

ately, as man lays claim to ever

increasing areas of our planet,

more and more forms of wildlife

will be forced to seek refuge in the

zoo. Thus another reason for

strengthening, not abolishing,

zoological parks.

Some people do not like to see

captive animals and believe this

confinement to be cruel. They see

a lion asleep or lounging in its enclo-

sure and believe it is bored and

yearning for the freedom to roam

at will. Zoo-men refer to this as the

“Born Free’ syndrome! Zoologist

George Schaller observed lions in

the wild for several months. In his

definitive field work, ‘‘The Serengeti

Lion’, he records that lions are

inactive on the average of 20-21

hours per day. The activjty cycle of

captive lions closely parallels this

wild behavior! Too often zoo visitors

tend to equate the behavior of ani-

mals in terms of their own human

values. Animals should properly be

regarded as unique living creatures

and not exotic caricatures of our-

selves. We have to accept the ani-

mal on his terms and not vice versa.

Anthropomorphism of wild animals

“The chief thrust of a good zoo is to increase the environmental literacy of its visitors through

the use of live animals in effective exhibits.”

continues to be a problem that zoos

everywhere must deal with. The

thought of a wild animal being free

to do whatever it wants whenever

it wants is pure rubbish! All living

creatures have natural constraints

placed upon their existence in the

wild and are not truly free. Such ele-

ments as suitable habitat, avail-

ability of food and water, climate,

presence of predators, and competi-

tion for space or mates enter the

picture. All are interwoven into an

intricate web which is delicately

balanced to insure the species’

survival. All wild animals must live

out their lives within the framework

of these controls. They are, in fact,

captives of their environment. The

term “free as a bird” couldn’t be

further from the truth!

In captivity, the enclosure be-

comes the animals’ territory. Com-

petitions that are commonplace

in nature are unnecessary in

the zoo. Adequate food and water

is provided, and a new element,

medical care, is added. In meeting

the survival needs of their animals,

ZOOS are sometimes confronted with

the problem of boredom because

the animal no longer must avoid

enemies, stalk prey, forage, or

defend his living space. Much

research has gone into the problem

of alleviating captive boredom, and

advances have been made through

the creation of naturalistic habitats

and the maintenance of normal

social groups. The naked cage is

rapidly disappearing and soon

should be a thing of the past. Zoo

15

techniques progress as zoologists

study the behavior of wild animals

in nature and this knowledge is

applied in captivity. Another point

to consider is the fact that zoos are

rapidly being populated with ani-

mals born in captivity that know no

other way of life. Of 47 felines cur-

rently in the Denver Zoo’s collec-

tion, 25 were born in captivity. This

ratio will increase with the passage

of time. Zoos have achieved many

remarkable longevity records with

the animals in their care. We fre-

quently point with pride to these

Statistics and sometimes utilize

them to justify the keeping of wild

animals. In my view, that is some-

what dangerous for, in many cases,

field study has failed to reveal what

life spans are achieved in the wild.

Only research will provide answers.

All zoos, including our own, de-

serve some criticism but not

abolition. Zoos are rapidly changing

their methods as well as their philo-

sophies. They now realize that a

single zoo cannot effectively show

and manage a pair of every animal

species in a fanciful re-creation of

Noah’s Ark. Zoos are beginning to

specialize, and many are reducing

their species counts in favor of more

secure breeding groups. Sustaining

captive populations will obviate the

need to remove animals from the

wild, thereby eliminating the zoo as

a consumer of wildlife. Actually,

of the vast numbers of all wildlife

imported into the United States in

any given year, only a fraction of

one percent go to zoological parks

16

or aquariums. Most are imported

for the pet trade or for research.

Despite some of their historical

inadequacies, zoos are playing a

vital and continuing role in our

society. The main justification for

their existence is education, anda

zoo that does not carry forward a

program of public interpretation

falls far short of meeting its chief

obligation. Such zoos should either

be upgraded with sufficient finan-

cial support or phased out. Good

Zoos serve a definite function. One

has only to view the awed expres-

sions on the faces of zoo visitors

as they watch a newly born giraffe

struggle to its feet or a tiger tenderly

licking her cubs, to realize it.

Lee S. Crandall,.late General Cur-

ator of the New York Zoological

Park, was regarded as the dean of

American zoo men. In 1966 he

collaborated with William Bridges

on a delightful book entitled ‘A

Zoo Man’s Notebook.” In it he said:

‘| know it is customary to justify

the maintenance of wild animals in

captivity —a zoo, in other words —

by saying that from the study of

these lower forms we learn about

ourselves. No doubt there is a great

deal of truth in this, but | do not

need it for my own justification of

a life as azoo man. | have had a

thousand better justifications over

the years as | have watched people

enjoying well-kept animals in the

zoo.” After many years of similar

experience | completely agree and

hope the more than 100 million

Americans that visit zoos do too.

BOOKI\\

Mam mals of the World

Ernest P. Walker, Revision for the

Third Edition prepared by John L.

Paradiso. The Johns Hopkins Uni-

versity Press, Baltimore, Maryland,

1975 (1568 pages, 2000 illustrations,

two volumes) $37.50.

The third edition of Ernest Walker’s

Mammals of the World offers the

scientist and layman alike an indis-

pensible two-volume reference on

the entire mammal world.

While the first and second editions

were excellent, the third edition

surpasses both, having been greatly

expanded and updated by John

Paradiso of the U.S. Fish and Wild-

life Service. Mr. Paradiso has done

a superb job of providing addi-

tional information in the areas of

gestation periods, behavior, social

structures, and reclassification. In

addition ten new genera have been

included. Many new photographs

have been added and some of the

photos of mounted specimens have

been replaced with those of the

living animals. While the majority

of the text is devoted to the natural

history of mammals, much of the

information can be extrapolated

and used as a basis for maintaining

mammals under captive conditions.

In this respect the books are ex-

tremely valuable to the zoo world.

The two volumes are arranged in

taxonomic order. Each page lists

the order and family in standard

type face and the genus in bold at

the top of the page. The common

name most frequently used is listed

first followed by lesser used com-

mon or colloquial names and native

names. An example is the pottos,

also called Softly-softlys (an ap-

propriate name for both the way its

fur feels and its mode of locomo-

tion); native names include Aposou

and Awan.

Each genera is described in detail

and at least one photograph ac-

companies the information on

every animal, frequently enhanced

by close-ups of anatomical details

and distinctive features. Many of

the 2,000 photographs are by the

famed wildlife photographer

Leonard Lee Rue III. Some of the

more interesting information pro-

vided is range, habitat, social struc-

ture, food preferences, and

whether activity patterns are noc-

turnal (night dwellers), diurnal

(day) or crepuscular (twilight).

In addition, size and weight is given

in the metric system. Fortunately,

for those of us who have not

mastered the think metric method,

there is a convenient conversion

chart on the inside of both the front

and back covers in each volume.

Much of the information is fasci-

nating. For instance, the pangolin

allows ants to crawl underneath the

scale-like plates of its body, where-

upon it closes the plates to trap

An Alaskan brown bear with 20’ salmon meal is one of 2,000 striking photographs illustrating them, enters the water, submerges,

Walker’s definitive work, Mammals of the World. and thus drowns the ants. Next, the

pangolin opens its body plates

W7

allowing the dead ants to float to

the surface. While this behavior is

based on legend, it has a strong

basis of truth as either a form of

feeding behavior or as a method to

allow the ants to clean beneath the

animal’s scales and then to elimi-

nate the ants. Also, were you aware

that some species of insectivores,

namely the solenodon and short-

tail shrew produce from their sub-

maxillary (salivary) glands a venom

which aides in the capture of prey?

New gestation periods on species

previously not known or not sub-

stantiated are included, such as the

bongo antelope and the African

hunting dog. Inclusion of two

photos of the living Sumatran rhin-

oceros, the rarest of the rhin-

oceroses, are just a few of the

literally hundreds of interesting

pieces of new information given in

these two volumes.

Volume | includes eight orders

from the Monotremes (egg-laying

mammals) through the Pholidota

(pangolins); volume II covers the

remaining eleven orders the Lago-

morpha (rabbits and hares) to the

Artiodactyla (even-toed hoofed

mammals). The third edition does

not include the classified bibliog-

raphy that accompanied the earlier

editions. Researchers may be dis-

appointed but, it does not distract

from the basic importance of these

books. References are cited in the

text where new information has

been included.

Walker began his study in the

early 1930’s when he was named

18

assistant director of the National

Zoo. Amazed to learn that no single

book containing descriptions of the

world’s mammals existed, Walker

set out to learn all that he could

about these animals. He collected

information from every possible

source, and in an untiring search

studied thousands of books. He de-

veloped a correspondence with

mammalogists from virtually every

continent, and gradually amassed

an unequaled store of knowledge

about the world’s mammals.

Mammals of the World, third édi-

tion, is a must for the library of any-

one interested in mammals in either

a professional or non-professional

Capacity.

William Xanten

Associate Curator, Mammals

The life-style of the long-nosed proboscis monkey from Borneo as well as 1,050 other

mammals are detailed by experts Ernest Walker and John L. Paradiso in the newly .

revised, two-volume Mammals of the World

FONZ\EV\S

FONZ Guides

25,000 Yearly

10:00 AM—One hundred and

twenty students from four differ-

erent schools, each expecting a

different tour, arrive and begin

assembling at FONZ.

The process gets more compli-

cated when adding variables such

as rain, snow, and a convention of

600 Shriners from Tuscaloosa who

have arranged to convene in front

of the Zoo restaurant .. . but you

get the idea!

The immediate problem is to keep

enough distance between the

school groups so that “Vanishing

Animals” remains separate from

“Reptiles and Amphibians” and

those in turn do not overflow into

the “World of Mammals.” Ac-

complishing this task allows no

time for congratulations —there is

more to do before the tour begins.

“Phase Two” is the division of each

large group into smaller groups of

ten so they can be assigned toa

FONZ guide. The guide will spend

the next two hours walking, talk-

ing, teaching, answering and

questioning the members of the

group —trying to share some of his

or her own knowledge and enthus-

iasm about animals. Meanwhile,

they are already busy answering

questions about why the group will

not be seeing dinosaurs; explaining

that ‘extinct’ has nothing to do

with skunks and unpleasant odors;

and trying to find out what the

children studied about animals

before they came to the Zoo.

Who are these volunteers who are

out there not only fighting the odds

but generally winning and enjoying

it? They are FONZ members, in my

mind, special FONZ members, who

volunteer their time, energy, and

intelligence to provide a learning

experience for visiting children.

FONZ responsibilities for provid-

ing resources in the area of educa-

tion reach out beyond our

membership and into the commu-

nity. Since 1968 FONZ volunteers

have provided guided tours of the

Zoo to metropolitan area school

children. The number of teachers

requesting our tour services has

steadily increased since the pro-

gram began. After all, where else

could you learn why a polar bear

puts snow on its nose or what a

hippopotamus has in common with

an alligator? Last year we guided

8,750 children through the National

Zoological Park and provided

self-guided tour materials for

16,000 more.

Many groups coming to the Zoo

for a tour receive educational

materials prior to their visit (all of

our materials and services are pro-

vided to school systems free of

charge). In September, we send out

announcement brochures which

notify area school teachers of the

programs we have available and

how they can participate in them.

In brief, we send “‘pre-tour

packets” to groups coming for

guided tours. These packets

include a set of slides and a narra-

tion to be read by the teacher

while the slides are being shown.

The purpose of these materials is

to offer the students a preview of

what they can expect to see when

they come to the Zoo.

Self-guided tours receive a similar

packet which includes a map

which is marked. In this way, the

teachers can easily wend their way

around the Park and the children

can see the same animals live that

they saw on slides in the classroom.

The likelihood is that once the

children are in the Zoo, they will

also see other animals and many

questions will arise. But it would

be unreasonable to expect that

most teachers bringing classes to

the Park have been able to

familiarize themselves with all the

animals in the collection. Into the

breach steps the FONZ docent, a

highly knowledgeable volunteer

who knows about the eating habits

of the matamata turtle or why blue

jays look gray when in the shade

and blue when out in the sunlight

(the latter can be particularly

mystifying given the fact that the

color blue does not exist in the

feathers of any bird!)

19

Docents are volunteers, stationed

in selected houses, who know the

answers to countless questions —

including ‘‘where are the rest-

roomsé” and ‘“‘Can you tell me how

to get back to Connecticut

Avenue?” They are volunteers who

have been active in the guide pro-

gram for at least one year and have

developed a special interest in a

particular group of animals.

Docents are there not only to help

self-guided tour groups, but to act

as a resource for the general

public. In addition, they may assist

guides taking their groups through

the house, or help anyone inter-

ested'in getting in-depth informa-

tion on the animals.

The guide program, now entering

its eighth year, and the docent pro-

gram about to embark on its third

year, are the backbone of the edu-

cational services offered by FONZ.

The volunteers in the programs

have provided FONZ and its mem-

bers with a program of which we

have good reason to be proud.

The participants provide us with

our single most valuable resource —

people. There are no substitutes

for personal contact. After all, who

else could answer the little girl who

when told that one of our animals

was a’’plains elephant” asked

why we didn’t have a fancy one 2?

Susan R. Trencher

Education Director

Guide, Peggy Siddall, explains the highpoints of giraffe living to three of the thousands of children guided annually by FONZ volunteers.

FONZ Plans Safari

To Africa for *76

A one-of-a-kind wildlife safari to

East Africa has been planned for

members during August of 1976.

The three-week safari will feature

private, tented bush camps, a night

at world famous Treetops, private

hospitality, Masai war dances, and

game runs through the eight great-

est wildlife areas of Kenya and

Tanzania. The group will be led by

the Executive Director of FONZ

and accompanied throughout by

professional safari guides and wild-

life experts. The trip has been de-

signed to combine maximum

comfort and close-up game view-

ing with four nights “in the bush”

to provide everyone with a genuine

unforgettable experience of a

classic safari—with 20th-century

conveniences.

Two Million Flamingos

After rest and sightseeing stops in

London and Nairobi, the safari

heads for its first tented bush camp

in the ‘Born Free” gamelands of

Samburu Reserve. Here roam rare

reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra,

and blue-necked ostrich plus

elephants, rhinos, and lions.

After an overnight at the remark-

able Treetops in the Aberdare

Forest, the FONZ group will tour

Lake Nakuru National Park (home

for two million flamingos) and then

set up a second, luxury tent camp

along the Talek River in the Masai

Mara Game Reserve. Plans call for

a unique “night safari” to track

hunting hyenas.

Several days will be spent explor-

ing the Serengeti and Ngorongoro

Crater at the time of the ‘‘Great

Migrations” when hundreds of

thousands of wildebeest, zebra,

and gazelle move across the plains

followed by predators such as lion

and cheetah.

There will be a visit to Dr. Leakey’s

prehistoric digs at Olduvai Gorge

and a day and night at Lake Man-

yara to see the tree-climbing lions.

Underwater Viewing

Game runs in Amboseli and Tsavo

against the backdrop of snow-

capped Mt. Kilimanjaro plus under-

water viewing of hippos and

crocodiles at Mzima Springs will

climax the safari which will end

with a few days rest, shopping, and

sightseeing in Nairobi and London.

Dates are August 1-22, 1976. The

total cost is $2575, which includes

747 jumbo jet flights, deluxe

accommodations, most meals,

sightseeing in new minibuses

specially designed for perfect view-

ing and photography, all transfers,

tips, and taxes. Individual trip bro-

chures have been sent under

separate mail to all FONZ mem-

bers. For more details and registra-

tion forms, please contact the

Executive Director of FONZ.

_ FONZ Fall Calendar

_ September 29, 1975 8 p.m.

Illustrated © lectu re, “Tracking

__ $wans in Siberia, Alaska, and

_ the Chesapeake Bay” by Wil-

_ liam Sladen. Baird Auditorium |

_ in Smithsonian’s Natural His-

tory Building, 10th & Consti-

. tion Ave., ;NW $1.50. :

"Octoher 9, 1975

_ FONZ ANNUAL MEETING

_ with night visit to pandas and >

report on Front Royal Breeding

Farm by Dr. Reed. Cider &

- doughnuts.

8 p.m.

Elephant House,

NZP FREE.

October 11,1975 All day

_ Safari to Philadelphia Zoo for

behind-scenes look at “Ameri-

ca’s First Zoo.”’ Chartered bus

departs NZP 8 a.m. $12 for

adults, $8 for children. Contact

FONZ _ for reservations

232-7700.

October 18, 1975

9:00-10:30 a.m.

“The Ark in the Park” by Berne

Teeple. A class for 8-12 year

olds. $20.

10:30-noon

“learning as a Biological

Trait” by Todd Davis. A class

for adults, 16 and older. $24.

10:00-11:00 a.m.

11:30-12:30 p.m.

“Behind the Scenes” by Zoo

keepers. A class for 13-15 year

olds. $20.

21

Nine Film-Lectures

Planned for FONZ

Meet face-to-face the great sharks

of the world. Track whistling swans

over Siberia. Explore the Ameri-

can wilderness with Roger Tory

Peterson. Discover the miracles of

bird life through color movies.

These and many other experiences

await FONZ members in an ex-

panded series of nine film-lecture

programs for the 1975-76 season.

The Audubon Naturalist Society,

the Smithsonian Resident Associ-

ate Program, and the Friends of the

National Zoo have joined in pre-

senting the Audubon Lecture series.

The joint-sponsorship will enable

all three memberships to share in

a remarkable series of programs.

All programs will start at 8 p.m.

in the auditorium of the Smith-

22

sonian’s National Museum of

Natural History at 10th Street and

Constitution Avenue, NW. Free

parking will be available alongside

the building. FONZ members may

subscribe to individual programs

or the complete series of nine at the

member rate.

Swans and Sharks in Fall

Opening the series on September

29, Dr. William Sladen will share

his adventures and new discoveries

tracking whistling swans through

Siberia, Alaska, and the Chesa-

peake Bay. On October 20, Dr.

John B. Calhoun of the National

Institutes of Mental Health will

present a film on his now classic

mouse study and share his concern

over the direction of future growth.

Ichthyologist Eugenie Clark, the

“Shark Lady,” will take you on dives

to meet more than a dozen differ-

ent species of sharks and examine

the elusive garden eels on Novem-

ber 17. And on December 25,

Smithsonian’s William Warner will

cover the wildlife of the Chesa-

peake Bay.

Slated for January 19 is world-

renowned bird artist-expert, Roger

Tory Peterson followed in February

and March with two special pro-

grams on American wilderness. In

April, ornithologist Olin Pettingill

Jr. will present color films on the

remarkable instinctive and learning

processes of birds. The final May

program features the Director of

the New York Zoological Park,

Dr. William Conway, who will show

films and slides to dramatize the

200-year history of wild animals

and man in the United States.

Full information and schedule for

all lectures with advance registra-

tion forms for member-discount

tickets will be sent to all FONZ

members. Extra copies may be

obtained by contacting the FONZ

membership office at 232-7700 or

c/o National Zoo, Washington,

D.C. 20009.

Own a Jaguar for $10

As beautiful as they are rare, the

jaguar from the jungles of Central

and South America is the majestic

star of the fourth of six special wild-

life drawings prepared exclusively

for FONZ. Zoo artist, WarrenA.

Cutler, one of the nation’s finest,

has drawn three others (giant

panda, snowy owl, colobus mon-

key) featured in past issues of The

Zoogoer. Coming up next: lesser

panda and white tiger.

The limited edition series is avail-

able as a complete set of six for $60

or individually, if available, at $10

each. Each 18” x 24” lithograph is

printed on the finest available

paper, numbered and signed per-

sonally by the artist.

FONZ members and friends inter-

ested in obtaining these collector-

quality wildlife prints should return

the enclosed order card.