— ZOOGQEK

Features Departments

Eden Was a

Rain Forest Zoo News 13

by Sally Tongren Book News 17

FONZ Tours 19

Portland’s Elephants

—A Zoo Success

Story

by Stan Federman

Volume 9, Number 5

September—October, 1980

Mary W. Matthews,

Editor

Mary C. Massey,

Consulting Editor

Rebecca McClimans,

Design and Production

Cover: The human-like look of

the roloway guenon dramatizes

the evolutionary link between

monkey and man. Cover photo FONZ News

by Ray Faass.

Calendar

Eden Wasa

Rain Forest

Eighty million years ago, the

world was a very different place.

The continents lay close together;

the climate was warm and moist. A

great rain forest covered almost all

the land, with huge trees making a

canopy that shut out the sky.

Vines drooped from the branches

and great buttress roots rose

through the ferns on the forest

floor. There were so many kinds

of trees that something was always

bearing fruit or flowers or new

leaves.

High among the branches was a

good place to dwell. Food was

abundant; water lay in hollows in

the branches or dripped from the

leaves. The leaves themselves pro-

vided shelter from weather and

predators.

Some animals did live among

the branches—insects, birds, rep-

tiles. But the treetops were like a

stage set where supporting char-

acters await the entrance of the

star.

The mammals of eighty million

years ago searched for insects on

the forest floor; they did not know

the world of the branches. Then

one day a small, furry animal—

4

BY SALLY TONGREN

something like a rat and some-

thing like a squirrel—climbed up

into a tree. Whether it was escap-

ing danger, looking for food or a

less crowded home, or simply

being inquisitive, we don’t know.

But we can assume it liked what it

found, for there it stayed, along

with its kin and descendants.

The animal probably looked like

today’s tree shrew: small, rat-like,

with a long furry tail. It probably

had a long snout, lots of whiskers,

and five-fingered paws with claws.

...It was, as you may have

guessed, the nimble, agile, active

mammal that was to evolve into

monkeys, apes, and humans.

Evolution acts on qualities an

animal already possesses. Pres-

sures from the environment turn

these potentials into actualities. As

our shrew-like ancestor moved

away from the ground, it faced a

whole new lifestyle. No longer

was there solid ground underfoot;

instead there were slender, sway-

ing branches and slippery, algae-

covered bark. A missed step or a

rotten twig could send even a

small animal tumbling. Insects had

to be stalked slowly or snatched

quickly, and the best fruit always

grew at the slender branches’ tips.

An arboreal (tree-living) animal

needed a secure grasp if it were to

keep from falling. And it needed

the reflexes and balance of a tight-

rope walker if it were to catch its

prey.

Size was important. A very small

animal has a rapid metabolism and

must spend most of its time

searching for food. A large animal

must move with great care to

avoid snapping a weak branch and

falling. A size between these ex-

tremes allowed both agility and

time off from incessant feeding.

Life in the high branches

affected the senses themselves.

Smell became much less im-

portant as swirling air currents

carried scent trails away.

Good eyesight, on the other

hand, became essential. Over mil-

lions of years, the eyes moved to-

When rat-like mammals, looking like

this elephant shrew, left the dark

jungle floor to climb trees 80 million

years ago, they began the

evolutionary climb to monkeys,

apes, and humans.

Francie Schroeder

ward the front of the face. Eyes on

the sides of the head are useful on

the ground, where peripheral vi-

sion is important for self defense.

In the trees, it is vital to be able to

judge depth and distances. This

ability is given by binocular vision,

where the eyes’ two fields of per-

ception converge and overlap.

As the millenia went by, the lit-

tle shrew’s descendants changed.

The fingers of the paws became

longer and the claws changed into

nails. Long fingers could grasp a

branch, snatch an insect. The tips

of these longer fingers, freed from

having to dig into bark and clench,

became sensitive pads that could

explore and test, judge the ripe-

ness of fruit and the texture of

leaves.

Not only did the fingers be-

come longer; they became capa-

ble of moving separately. One

finger, the thumb, began to move

in opposition to the others. (Pick

up a pencil. Your thumb is op-

posing your fingers.) The changing

shrew could now manipulate small

objects—insects, fruits.

Some of these ancestral mam-

mals continued to creep slowly

along the branches. Their line of

evolution diverged, and many of

them began to cling to upright

trunks and branches, to spring

through the trees instead of

creeping. Their legs grew in-

creasingly longer, powering

stronger and surer leaps. The

clinging to the upright trunks

brought the animals’ bodies up-

right and their center of gravity

lower. They began to sit up and

look around.

A somewhat larger size; better

balance; a decreased sense of

smell and improved, binocular vi-

sion; a flexible hand; an upright

body—from the ancestral tree

shrew had evolved the ancestor of

the primates, an animal we would

probably call prosimian, or pre-

monkey.

We don’t know exactly what

prosimian looked like since tiny

bones make poor fossils. But na-

ture rarely changes an animal that

we « #

Srey eS

Caitries

primitive

primate

pithecus

Years 70,000,000 40,000,000

ago

25,000,000 10,000,000

Aegypto- Seer Australo- Homo habilis

pithecus

4,000,000 2,000,000

Homo erectus

1,500,000

is a good “fit,” so the ancestor we

share with the monkeys and apes

probably looked something like a

tarsier or a bush baby (galago).

Three billion years ago, all land

on Earth was one supercontinent,

which eventually split in two. A

mere 200 million years ago, one of

these continents fragmented into

South America, Africa, India, Aus-

tralia, and Antarctica; the other

split into North America, Green-

land, and Eurasia.

(Continental drift continues

today, with the continents moving

at the rate of an inch per year. Mil-

lions of years from now, California

will probably have drifted away

from the mainland and be an is-

land off Alaska.)

Right about the time that pros-

imian was sitting up and looking

around, the last land bridge be-

tween South America and the rest

of the continent it had been a part

of was lost. But though African

monkeys and South American

monkeys have not shared an an-

cestor for at least 70 million years,

Neanderthal Cro-Magnon

150,000 50,000

the influence of life in the rain for-

est was so strong that they devel-

oped in much the same ways. This

parallel evolution is a marvelous

example of the influence of envi-

ronment on the development of

species.

Gradually, the prosimians of

South America grew larger—

therefore less likely to become

lunch for some predator. But

larger size meant more trouble in

reaching the fruit that hung on

the tops of branches. So they

began to change their method of

travel. Instead of vertical leaping,

they began to run along the

branches on all fours. Along with

this new style of movement,

longer arms and legs allowed

them to distribute their weight

among more than one branch.

Their long tails were used for bal-

ance. In South America, the “New

World,” some monkeys devel-

oped that prize of all arboreal

adaptations, a _ prehensile, or

grasping, tail.

In Africa, the “Old World,”

some monkeys began suspending

themselves below branches when

they wanted to reach out. To

travel they swung themselves

from branch to branch in a style of

movement called brachiation. No

longer important for balance,

their tails in many cases began to

shrink.

These monkeys were daylight

animals. Their nocturnal ancestors

The long-grasping fingers and

flexible thumbs of this roloway

guenon are great for tree-dwelling

monkeys—and tool-making humans.

Ray Faass

size, big brains, and long maturation.

had passed large eyes on to them;

these large eyes became further

sensitized, so that their world

view was not. only _ three-

dimensional, but also now in

color. These eyes looked out over

a shortened snout, for the smell-

ing apparatus, no longer much

needed, had greatly reduced. Safe

in the trees from predators, the

monkeys developed a range of

loud calls and chatters.

The earlier shrews had kept

Both the family of man and macaques share similarities such as small family

their babies in nests. Their de-

scendants carried their infants

with them, the babies clinging to

their mothers’ fur with strong

fingers. This development limited

family size to one or two offspring

at most. Protected by a group, the

babies could mature slowly and

have time to learn about their

world. Both small family size and

long maturation seem to be im-

portant factors in the devel-

opment of intelligent primates.

Jessie Cohen, NZP Office of Graphics and Exhibits

By 40 million years ago, some of

these animals had developed ape-

like jaws and teeth. Aegyptopith-

ecus, or Egyptian ape, was one

such species; it also had a larger

brain and better hands.

About 25 million years ago, true

apes had evolved, Dryopithecus,

or ‘‘oak tree ape’’—so named be-

cause their fossils were found near

ancient oak forests.

Then 20 million years ago, a dry-

ing climate killed off the rain for-

ests. Dryopithecus came down

from the trees. Its hipbones devel-

oped in such a way that it could

stand up and walk through the

grasslands. Its hands were free all

the time to feel, lift, carry, and

prod. An older line of Dryo-

pithecus became chimpanzees

and gorillas; another line became

humans.

The role environment plays in

evolution cannot be underesti-

mated. The early rain forests de-

manded a number of qualities

from their mammalian © star

performers—balance, agility, bin-

ocular vision, flexible hands,

voices with a range of calls. The

environmental demands of the

rain forest turned our ancestors

from “rat-squirrels’” to creatures

that looked like slender, brainy

chimpanzees. We humans still re-

tain the ability to grasp and hold,

to swing on tree limbs, to walk a

narrow rail. Without that early run

through the rain forest, we would

probably never have walked the

savannah—or, if intelligent crea-

tures had evolved outside the rain

forest, they would have been very

different from us indeed. |

Portland’s Elephants

The following story is part of a

new ZooGoer series on “News of

Other Zoos.” This series, which will

appear two or three times a year,

will report on the programs,

achievements, and notable exhibits

of zoos around the world.

If ever there were an “Elephant

Capital of the World,” it would

have to be the Portland (Oregon)

Zoo, whose unique breeding pro-

gram has produced 20 Asiatic ele-

phants in the past 18 years.

Visitors to the Portland Zoo can

enjoy pachyderms of all shapes

and sizes, from six-ton males to

squealing six-month infants.

Portland’s most celebrated ele-

phant is Packy, a massive, 11,000-

pound male who has fathered five

elephants to date. Packy’s father,

Thonglaw, who died in 1973, sired

fifteen!

Packy’s birth, on April 14, 1962,

was front page news. He was the

first elephant to be born in the

U.S. in 44 years. Before Packy, only

six elephants had been born in the

U.S. since the arrival of the first

one in 1796. Packy is the only

More elephants have bred at

Portland’s Washington Park Zoo than

any other zoo thanks to a unique

program that includes this newly

introduced male, Tunga.

second-generation captive bull

elephant to become a successful

father in zoo history.

The current herd consists of

Sue Ford, Wa

A Zoo Success Story

BY STAN FEDERMAN

Packy; another male, named

Tunga, who was recently bought

to introduce a new blood line into

the Portland family; eight cows;

and the latest baby, Thongtri.

Born in October 1979, Thongtri is

the fifth calf of Rosy, the herd’s

30-year-old matriarch and the first

elephant Portland ever had (Rosy

came to Portland from Thailand in

1953).

Much of Portland’s continuing

breeding success has been attrib-

uted to its excellent elephant

housing facilities. A $670,000 out-

door “playpen” area and visitor

outlook were recently dedicated,

adding to the grandeur of the

zoo’s two acres of elephant space.

The new outdoor area is sur-

faced with compacted - sand,

closely resembling the elephants’

native habitat. ‘We let the el-

ephants out in it about a week be-

fore the dedication and they just

went wild,” said Roger Henneous,

the zoo’s chief elephant keeper.

“They threw the sand all over

themselves . . . dug holes in it. . .

rushed into the pool and out again

and then lay down in it. They just

had a grand time.”

My

pene

Sue Ford Washington Pa

Sue Ford, Washington Park Zoo

The new outdoor facility also

has an 800,000-gallon swimming

pool and a wall made of rocks en-

closed by wire mesh which will

eventually be covered with ivy to

resemble a jungle habitat.

One feature of the new facility

the public doesn’t see is the en-

trance to the new pachyderm

playground. The elephants must

pass through a “hugger,” such as

those used in the Far East to hold

an elephant while its toenails are

trimmed or medicine is adminis-

tered. Using the hugger avoids

having to shoot the animal with

tranquilizers, something neither

elephant nor keeper enjoys.

The new area is an addition to

an existing large outdoor pool/

yard and seven huge, separate in-

door rooms. All the rooms are

electrically heated and _ have

remote-controlled doors that

allow the animals to move from

room to room and into the yards

without keepers having to touch

them.

Zoo Director Warren _ Iliff

(former executive director of

FONZ) believes a key element in

the Portland Zoo’s success story is

that the elephant, a herd animal,

never wants to be alone.

So the Portland Zoo allows the

elephants to mingle at all times,

even during a birth. ‘‘We make it a

point to work with them con-

stantly,”’ lliff says. ““We pet them,

talk with them, and keep daily

records on their health and well-

being. There is a mutual affection

between us and the herd; and as a

result, they are docile and easy to

handle.”

During a birth, there are always

two other cows in the nursery

with the mother-to-be. These are

the “aunties,” and they are as vital

to the birth as the mother, since

they help keep her calm and also

aid in getting the new infant on its

feet as quickly as possible. Some-

times an “auntie” will gently mas-

sage the mother’s stomach. And

when labor pains are sharpest, the

“aunties” will crowd around the

mother and all will squeal in

unison.

A new birth brings instant noise.

All members of the herd begin to

bellow and trumpet at the same

time to herald the new arrival.

This baby Asian elephant (left) is just

the latest of 20 born in the past 18

years at the Portland Zoo. Success at

the “Elephant Capital of the World’

is credited in part to the spacious

outdoor yard (below) surfaced with

sand to simulate the pachyderms’

native habitat.

11

Three of Portland’s

current herd of 11

Asian elephants

romp in their new

$670,000 “playpen”

complete with

800,000-gallon

swimming pool.

Seven huge, heated

indoor rooms com-

plete the complex.

Portlanders living in the hills that

surround the zoo are always the

first in the city to know of a new

birth—and the noise goes on for

hours.

For zoo professionals, the Port-

land herd has brought a wealth of

research information. It has been

established, for example, that an

elephant’s average gestation pe-

riod is between 21 and 23 months.

Belle carried Packy exactly 635

days; her pregnancy was the first

12

ever officially recorded in captiv-

ity. A team of doctors from the

University of Oregon Medical

School was the first to record and

successfully study the heartbeat of

an unborn elephant.

The zoo has also discovered that

the cow’s heat is very brief, some-

times a matter of hours and never

more than two days. Usually el-

ephants mate only once during

the cow’s heat. Zookeepers have

also found that good nutrition and

plenty of exercise are musts for

healthy elephants.

Since elephants live about as

long as humans do, the Portland

herd is relatively young. Zoo

officials believe the cows will

continue to produce offspring

regularly.

The objective, of course, is to

help preserve these magnificent

animals. The Portland Zoo _ is

achieving a notable success in

doing so.

Sue Ford, Washington Park Zoo

ZOONEWS,

The Beatrice

Henderson Mystery

BY BILLIE HAMLET

Writing the history of the Na-

tional Zoo sometimes calls for

patience, persistence, and the

willingness to spend hours turning

stones that may or may not have

anything under them. The results

can be fascinating.

Take, for example, the Beatrice

Henderson Cage. It can be found

where the Zebra and_ the

Crowned Crane Trails meet, be-

tween the bald eagles and the

giant pandas. Presently the Bea-

trice Henderson Cage houses one

dour-looking condor.

But who on earth was Beatrice

Henderson? And why should this

cage (40 feet long and 26 feet high)

be named after her? There were

many theories about Beatrice

Henderson; but not until a search

was made in the Smithsonian Insti-

tution’s Archives this year did the

truth emerge.

The bare facts are these: In 1911

a member of the Smithsonian’s

Board of Regents, the Honorable

John B. Henderson, resigned. His

son, John B. Henderson Jr., was

appointed to take his place.

John B., Jr., took his appoint-

ment seriously. His study of the

then very shabby Zoo pointed up

a need for better housing for the

Sabin Robbins

Home for condors, the 26-foot high Beatrice Henderson Cage was built 70

years ago for a bargain $499.

Zoo’s parrots. He himself gave

$500 to the Zoo to build a bird

cage, hoping that his donation

would prompt other Zoo sup-

porters to follow suit. Alas, no one

did.

The Zoo tried to find a con-

tractor who would build a cage for

that sum. When no bid came in

low enough, the cage was finally

built “in house,” for $499. It was

stocked with cockatoos, macaws,

and Amazon _ parrots. Visitors

loved it!

But why was it named the Beatrice

Henderson Cage?

In 1888 John B. Henderson, Sr.

built the famous Henderson Cas-

tle on 16th Street. The three-

story, two-towered castle was the

focal point for social events in the

Gay Nineties, and an invitation

from Mrs. Henderson was almost

as important as one from the

White House—despite the fact

that tea, coffee, liquor, and meat

were not served. Mrs. Henderson

was a Strict teetotaler and ardent

vegetarian.

Beatrice Henderson was John

13

Library of Congress

Tennis player and star socialite in Washington’s Gay Nineties, Beatrice

Henderson is the “mystery” namesake of the Zoo’s large flight cage below

Bird House hill.

14

B., Jr.'s adopted daughter, the

adopted granddaughter of the re-

doubtable Mrs. Henderson, who

after the death of John B., Sr., had

a number of great mansions built

along 16th Street. When the old

lady offered to give one of

her mansions to the federal gov-

ernment, Beatrice tried to have

her committed to a_ mental

institution—fearing that her

grandmother would dissipate the

family fortune. :

By this time there were only the

grandmother and granddaughter

living. Mrs. Henderson fought

Beatrice’s attempt and filed a law-

Suit against her, arguing that, as

Beatrice was not a blood relative,

she had no say in the matter.

When in 1930 Mrs. Henderson

died at the age of 90, her six-

million-dollar estate was left in its

entirety to her Japanese house-

boy. After more legal battles and

newspaper headlines, Beatrice’s

attempts to secure the inheritance

were settled out of court, and she

acquired most of the estate.

The famous Henderson Castle is

no more; it was razed in 1949

and replaced with condominium

townhouses, called Beekman

Place.

The Beatrice Henderson Mys-

tery has been solved, but another

remains. On a small plot of land

between the delicate hoofed

stock building and the Bird House

is a small marker with a bronze

plaque: “In memory of John P.

Herrmann, Sr. 1903-1968. The

man of a thousand songs.”

What songs? Who was John P.

Herrmann, Sr.?

If we find out, we'll let you

know!

Short Takes

Short takes from the National

Zoo...

... The Small Mammal House is

closed for renovation until fall

1981.

The building will be completely

gutted, and new wiring, plumb-

ing, and enclosures installed.

When it opens, the “new” Small

Mammal House will have multi-

species enclosures designed to

represent a specific ecological

community. A South American

community might, for example,

include pacas, capybaras, coatis,

and hutias—perhaps even South

American birds, reptiles, and am-

phibians that would be able to live

in harmony in the community.

Well-constructed multi-species

habitats are not only better for the

animals; they offer the public a

truer idea of the nature of the ex-

otic animal on display.

... The opening of the new

Great Ape House, originally

scheduled for fall 1980, has been

postponed to spring 1981.

The Great Ape House contains a

number of innovations, including

a highly sophisticated air circu-

lation system, heating pads im-

bedded in the floor of each animal

area; and pools, simulated trees,

and television (donated by FONZ)

for the apes’ entertainment.

Glass, rather than bars, encloses

the great apes. These glass walls

are one of the reasons for the

Sabin Robbins

Sabin Robbins:

When it opens again in late 1981, the renovated Small Mammal House (top)

will boast larger and more dramatic exhibits. Next door (below), the all-new

Great Ape House, with spacious indoor and outdoor areas for gorillas and

orangutans, will open in the spring.

15

The Zoo’s only chimp, “Ham,” has left to join a flourishing chimp colony at

the new North Carolina Zoo. Only gorillas and orangutans will be exhibited in

the zoo’s new Great Ape House, scheduled to open in the spring.

16

Jessie Cohen, NZP Office of Graphics and Exhibits

delay of the Great Ape House

opening. The glass is supported by

a wire mesh which, due to a dis-

crepancy in the building’s design,

was not strong enough.

... Goodbye, old friend: Ham,

the “space chimp,” who orbited

the Earth on January 31, 1961, left

the Zoo in September to live in

the new North Carolina Zoo-

logical Park in Asheboro, which

boasts a flourishing chimpanzee

colony. Seven chimpanzees now

occupy a half-acre outside yard

with trees, rock outcroppings, and

- even a running stream—complete

with frogs!

... the American Association of

Zoological Parks and Aquariums

presented its 1980 Edward H.

Bean Distinguished Achievement

Award to the National Zoological

Park for its work in the captive

propagation of golden lion

marmosets.

The golden lion marmoset is a

South American monkey dis-

tinguished for the beauty of its fur.

Long prized by the fur industry

and exotic pet trade alike, the

golden lion marmoset is now on

the brink of extinction in the wild.

NZP Research Biologist Dr.

Devra Kleiman has studied the

golden lion marmoset since 1972.

The species presents some unique

problems in captive breeding, pri-

marily due to its susceptibility to

certain herpes infections. The

solution Dr. Kleiman and her asso-

ciates found was to keep the mar-

mosets in small, semi-isolated

communities to reduce the risk of

disease.

B@K NEWS

Great Zoos of the World

Lord Zuckerman, Great Zoos of

the World: Their Origins and

Significance (London: Weidenfeld

& Nicholson), 1980.

GREAT ZOOS

of the World

Their origins and significance

Edited by

Lord Zuckerman

Animals hold an odd and con-

tradictory place in the human

mind. When a pet dies, we mourn.

When a chimpanzee wears a tux-

edo, we laugh. When a dolphin

performs, we applaud. When we

hear a bear outside our tent at

night, we worry. Seemingly, the

more exotic the animal, the more

we are fascinated and mystified.

That being the case, to collect

and study exotic animals seems

only logical. As Lord Zuckerman,

the editor of Great Zoos of the

World, points out:

What we would be inclined to call

zoos certainly existed in Ancient

Egypt, but by then they had already

become so full-blown, so much part

of a codified form of life, that it is

hardly possible that they did not

develop from something more

primitive.

Great Zoos of the World is a

carefully researched and lively in-

vestigation of zoo world. An

introductory chapter analyzes the

development of zoos—from the

ancient Egyptians’ reverence and

the Romans’ brutality, through

the scientific researches begun in

the 1700s, to today’s focus on con-

servation. Then some 25 zoos

are covered—from their history

througn their current research

programs.

The chapter on the National

Zoo—written with the help of

Billie Hamlet, NZP Historian—

opens with a quote from 1889

which may startle those mod-

ernists who think conservation is a

new idea. Samuel Langley, then

Secretary of the Smithsonian Insti-

tution (in a rare mistake, Great

Zoos of the World refers to him as

“Sydney’”’), tells Congress:

| am assured by most competent

naturalists that . . . changes have al-

ready occurred or are on the point

of taking place in our own charac-

teristic fauna compared with which

the disappearance from it of the

mammoth was insignificant. . . is it

sufficiently realized that, once ex-

tinct, no expenditure of treasure

can restore what can even today be

preserved by prompt action of a

very simple and definite kind?

There follows a perceptive his-

tory of the National Zoo (which, a

little irritatingly, the British au-

thors persist in referring to

throughout Great Zoos of the

World as the “Washington” zoo).

The National Zoo’s research work,

keeper-training program, and

almost-completed master plan are

also covered.

This is a well written and com-

prehensive book, an important

book for all those who care about

what zoos are and how they can

best protect and serve wild

animals—for it is abundantly clear

that zoos are the guardians of

many species’ futures.

Fables for Our Times

Dr. Michael W. Fox, Dr. Fox’s Fa-

bles: Lessons from Nature (Wash-

ington, D.C.: Acropolis Books),

1980.

The fable is a brief tale designed

to make a moral point; its charac-

ters are often animals that speak

and act as if they were human.

The problem with fables is that

foxes aren’t vegetarians, grasshop-

pers don’t play the violin, and

wolves don’t wear sheepskin (to

mention just a few examples).

17

Making animals act and talk as if

they were people not only limits

what we can learn about animals—

it can give us totally false ideas

about them.

Dr. Michael Fox, a well-known

animal psychologist, has coun-

tered this problem by writing 23

charming stories for youngsters

about animals as they really are.

Many of Aesop’s original stories

reappear in Dr. Fox’s Fables—but

things happen to the animals as

they would believably happen in

nature. In the retelling of ‘The

Ant and the Grasshopper,” for ex-

18

. R BQ ae

AB SAR Ws »\ \ nes “v

xv 8 WV " + Rae

. MANY S Vy + NaS

\\ arte

. Os ' . \s ‘ Ay \ x

eee AY x

4 Ni AN N

AN : .

ample, the grasshopper starts

preaching to the Type A ant about

enjoying life, stops paying atten-

tion to his surroundings—and gets

snapped up (in mid-summer) by a

hungry blackbird. His last words —

are: “Il enjoy life and now some-

one is enjoying me!”

Adult readers may find things to

cavil at; but this is not a book for

adults. The animals by and large

are improbably articulate (a wise

old otter lectures some seal pups

about prejudice, for example; a

condor gives an eagle a seminar

on DDT poisoning). The animals

also seem to spend most of their

time arguing about who is more

important, better, or smarter.

Well, but schoolchildren them-

selves frequently argue about who

is ‘‘better’’—and Dr. Fox’s reas-

suring message, frequently re-

peated, is ‘‘everyone is quite

unique ...everyone must re-

spect each other.”

Dr. Fox also understands the

ruthlessness of the child’s world.

In these fables, predators do not

hesitate to kill and eat their prey—

in fact, the stupid animal usually

ends up as another animal’s din-

ner. Even the grumpiest adult

should be charmed by “The Hare

and the Tortoise,” wherein the

braggart hare gets his richly de-

served comeuppance by being

eaten by a coyote.

Feminists will be annoyed that

only one of the fables has female

protagonists, and that male char-

acters outnumber female charac-

ters 46 to 12. On the other hand, it

is the female wallaby who breaks

away from the animals’ almost uni-

versal pedestrian and_prosy

speech pattern and, delightfully,

tells a platypus she is ‘the rarest of

the rare, | mean, you know, the

rarest of the rare you know; that |

know.” And it is the female platy-

pus who best sums up the message

of Dr. Fox’s Fables. As the kanga-

roo hops away sighing, “ ‘it’s nice

to think that you're special’ ’”—

“Unique,” shouted Platty from

her hole in the bank. “Just one of

a kind, and so are you! Be happy

my friends, hop high, we’re all the

greatest, the best, the rarest and

strangest of all.’’

ES Aa ST SSE TSP SDT TU rr RTE

Upcoming FONZ Tours

India—Nepal

Tracking tigers on elephant-

back, seeing the Taj Mahal by

moonlight, and enjoying the

floating gardens and snow-dusted

mountains of Kashmir from a car-

peted houseboat complete with

servants are just a few of the ad-

ventures in store on this 25-day

“Shikar’” (Hindu for safari) to India

and Nepal.

Spring is perfect for weather

and wildlife in India. In addition to

the opportunity for FONZ trek-

kers to spot tigers, rhinos, and

deer from the top of an elephant,

there will be a sunrise boat cruise

on the Ganges at the Holy City of

Benares, an overnight stay at a lux-

urious Maharaja’s Palace in the

Pink City of Jaipur, and several

days’ sightseeing and shopping in

the ancient capital of Delhi.

The all-inclusive cost for this

uncommon adventure is around

$3,600 and includes a FONZ

leader-escort, an Indian wildlife

expert, local guides—even all

tips—and a $100 tax-deductible

contribution to FONZ. Because of

the special nature of this safari,

i

st

sete a

ie

Es a8 iE 7 i HERE i = Heit oe a Hg

Tracking tigers on elephant back is just one of many adventures planned for

FONZ members on a 25-day safari to India and Nepal in March.

only 22 participants can be ac-

cepted. For details and _ reser-

vations, call the Office of the

Executive Director at 232-7700.

The Amazing Amazon

The legendary Amazon River,

with its jungle wildlife, primitive

people, and spectacular plants, is

the exciting destination for a

FONZ tour in April 1981.

The 11-day adventure will in-

clude a four-day cruise up the

Amazon aboard an_air-condi-

tioned ship, jungle treks to Indian

villages and a monkey island, and

canoe excursions to explore re-

mote tributaries.

Close-up looks at huge ana-

conda snakes, rare tropical birds,

and remarkable transparent frogs

are promised on a special tour of

an animal collection station.

The Amazon adventure ends in

Lima, the colonial capital of Peru.

There will be visits to the remark-

able Gold Museum and _ Indian

markets plus a farewell banquet at

the elegant and famed “Tambo de

Oro,”

Post-tour visits to nearby

Machu Picchu will also be offered.

The April 15-26 tour price of

$1,847 includes all transportation,

deluxe hotels, meals, tips, natural-

ist guides, a professional tour di-

rector throughout, and a $100

tax-deductible contribution to

FONZ.

If you are interested in this un-

common journey to one of the

world’s last wildlife wildernesses,

please contact the Office of the

Executive Director of FONZ at

232-7700.

19

-FONZNEWS

President’s Report

From the October 23, 1980,

Annual Meeting

For FONZ, 1980 has been

another successful and

meaningfully productive year.

For in 1980 FONZ has a record

high 14,000 members. In 1980

FONZ has had more volunteers

than ever before and we have

been able to support more Zoo

education, research and

conservation programs related to

NZP than at any time in our 22

year history.

All that would have been

needed to make 1980 the

perfect year would have been

one more panda!

In FONZ’s Articles of

Incorporation, our primary

mission was clearly: “To operate

exclusively for educational and

charitable purposes, and in

particular to educate the general

public on matters relating to the

increase and improvement of the

facilities and the collection of

the National Zoological Park, and

to foster its use by the general

public and the schools for

educational purposes.”

| am happy to say that FONZ

has never waivered from that

purpose. And today as never

before, education will be the key

if we are to preserve our

valuable wildlife resources for

20

future generations.

As Henry David Thoreau put

it: ‘Every creature is better alive

than dead, men and mouse and

pine trees. And he who

understands it will rather preserve

life than destroy it.”

To make sure that zoo-

related knowledge reaches more

people more effectively, we

committed some $200,000 this

year in support of a broad

spectrum of public education

programs in close cooperation

with the Zoo’s Office of

Education and local school

administrations.

Only a dozen years ago FONZ

launched its education program

with only 17 brave souls, offering

guided tours to arriving school

groups. Their office was the

tailgate of a station wagon.

Today the FONZ education

effort has expanded to 4 fulltime

professional educators and a

volunteer force that includes 60

school tour guides, 27 weekend

roving guides, 28 volunteers who

staff Zoolab and Birdlab, 75

summer zoo aides, and 150

trained volunteers in the animal

behavior program. In 1980 alone,

FONZ education volunteers

contributed a staggering 30,000

hours in carrying out our

educational mission.

Several education programs

were launched for the first time

or expanded during 1980. To

provide more effective animal

information to our three million

visitors, fulltime FONZ aides

staffed information kiosks at

either end of the Zoo and the

lobby of the Education Building.

A new mobile information cart

proved so successful in

responding to spontaneous

needs that more carts are being

considered for next year.

Scheduled guided tours are

now offered to groups on

weekends. And a program of

“After School Zoolab Visits’”’ was

set up with the D.C. Recreation

Department. A special ‘Sunday

Afternoon at the Zoo” series

used films, art, mime, dance, and

craft projects to increase

visitation during the quieter

winter months. This will

continue and improve this

winter.

Our 25-minute color film

“The Last Chance” about Front

Royal won a coveted CINE

(Council on International

Non-theatrical Events) Golden

Eagle Award this year and has

just been accepted by a film

company for national and

international distribution.

This summer, as in the past,

some 75 FONZ Zoo aides staged

daily free puppet shows which

entertained large audiences

while dramatizing messages

about not feeding or teasing Zoo

animals. FONZ puppeteers were

so good that they were covered

by local television and were

invited to Philadelphia to

perform for zoogoers there.

These energetic and talented

puppeteers even found time to

build their own animal puppets

which were featured in a special

exhibit.

Also last summer, FONZ’s Zoo

Express Bus brought hundreds of

children in the D.C. Recreation

Program to the Zoo for a series

of 4-day summer camps which

At FONZ-supported ZooLab and BirdLab, visitors learn about wildlife by

taught zoology the fun

way—with movies, games, arts,

crafts, and even treasure hunts.

This fall that same Zoo Bus will

expand service beyond the

District line to carry students

back to the Zoo for special

courses in conjunction with the

curriculum carried in the

homeroom.

examining actual birds’ nests, eggs, feathers, skins, and bones.

Fane Schroeder

Special Zoo programs

organized just for you—the

FONZ member—continue to

expand in size and diversity. The

dozens of events offered this

past year included classes for all

ages, lectures, films, a photo

contest, Christmas party, art

openings at the Bookstore/

Gallery, behind-the-scenes tours

and, of course, the always

popular ZooNights. This year

special FONZ tours took

members to Cuba, China, Inner

Mongolia, the Galapagos,

Iceland, and Greenland to see

wildlife and conservation

programs first-hand.

During this year FONZ

members were sent their first

ZooGoer calendar issue and

enjoyed color covers on the

ZooGoer magazine thanks to the

generosity of Board Member and

publisher, Al Hackl.

It is appropriate that there are

many special events for members,

because there are more

members than ever before.

FONZ now has 14,000 members

which make us the third largest

zoo society in the world.

To better serve our growing

membership, we have

introduced on-line computer

processing this year to improve

and speed member servicing and

record recall.

What | have just covered

describes our educational and

visitor service programs. In

addition, for years we have

provided ever-expanding

support for vital research and

conservation projects carried out

21

Fonz Elects

New Officers

At the October 23, 1980,

annual meeting, the following

FONZ officers and directors

were elected for the coming

year:

President, Whayne S. Quin;

First Vice President, Cecil

McLelland; Second Vice

President, Captain Victor

Delano; Treasurer, Robert

Nelson; Secretary, Sally S.

Tongren.

Members of the Board of

Directors elected for

three-year terms were Knox

Banner, Janet Dewart,

M. Anthony Gould, Nella

Manes, Georgianna S.

McQuire, Cecil McLelland,

Terry Peel, Whayne S. Quin,

and Nancy M. Schneck.

by National Zoo scientists. This

year our grant support reached a

record high of $161,400. As in

past years, we funded a

successful student intern and

fellowship program that