Departments

ZooNews 15

Frederick any Olmsted

by James Malcolm 5

Volume 9, Number 2 Who Wears the Mask?

March-April, 1980 by Virginia C. Holmgren 8

Mary W. Matthews, : FONZNews 17

Editor Our First Imported

Animals

Mary C. Massey, BookNews 20

Consilience: by Roma Sachs Freedman 14 |

Calendar 21

Rebecca McClimans,

Design and Production Zoo Info 22

Cover: A mother raccoon and her Contributors 23

two kits visit the back yard of

author Virginia Holmgren (see her

article, page 9).

Frederick Law Olmsted

Imagine a vast building some 200

yards long and 100 yards wide,

stretching from the Mane Restaurant

to somewhere beyond the Monkey

House. Or consider an elephant

house by Rock Creek with tunnels so

the elephants can reach the stream, a

line of 32 large cages for “burrowing

rodents,” and a pool in the creek for

walruses. Such exhibits might be

features of the Zoo today if some of

the early plans drawn up by the

architectural firm of Olmsted Associ-

ates had ever been carried out.

Olmsted Associates was founded

by Frederick Law Olmsted, a remark-

able man who had been a farmer,

publisher, and city administrator be-

fore becoming a renowned _land-

scape designer. By the time he was

asked to be a consultant in the plan-

ning of the newly founded National

Zoological Park in 1890, he was the

country’s foremost landscape archi-

tect. He had laid out New York City’s

Central Park and other city parks

across the nation. He had also laid

out the Capitol grounds, and was

working on two of his grandest

schemes, the Vanderbilts’ Biltmore

estate and the Stanford University

Campus.

The work on the National Zoo was

under F.L. Olmsted’s supervision un-

til he retired in 1895. Thereafter his

stepson, J.C. Olmsted, and later his

early drawing reproduced by Sigrid J ames

BY JAMES MALCOLM

seers Tomes

i a

Sar a

Left, Frederick Law Olmsted in a rare studio portrait. Above, a never-implemented

Olmsted Associates design for a polar bear enclosure. (Note the bear’s apparent

ability to stand on water.)

son, F.L. Olmsted, Jr., retained their

roles as consultants to the Zoo for

ten more years. The National Zoo

does not seem to have been a par-

ticularly important contract for Olm-

sted, and he only visited the site two

or three times. However, many, if not

all, of the plans produced from his

firm both before and after his retire-

ment reflect principles and theories

that he developed.

In particular, Olmsted in all his

designs tried to retain or produce a

sense of naturalness, striving always

for the picturesque and avoiding any

formal or symmetrical arrangements.

He firmly believed that the contem-

plation of pastoral beauty could

cleanse a spirit contaminated by the

pressures of nineteenth century ur-

ban life.

When Olmsted first inspected the

Zoo grounds in June 1890, there was

ample chance to retain the natural

setting. The site of the Zoo, a remote

tract at the extreme northern limits of

the city, had just been acquired; no

work had yet begun. Olmsted first

suggested that the cattle grazing

along the creek be replaced by sheep,

which he recommended as _ natural

lawnmowers.

Only two weeks after his first visit,

he submitted a plan for the Zoo, and

from then until 1905, when the con-

tract finally lapsed, there was a

steady stream of plans from Olm-

sted’s office. Two hundred and

twenty-five plans and maps relating

to the Zoo were produced.

Unfortunately, all but 45 of these

plans were thrown away in 1949 be-

cause of lack of storage space. Those

that remain provide a_ fascinating

story of how the Zoo developed in its

early years and what might have

happened if all of Olmsted’s ideas

had been realized.

The very first plan, drawn in June

1890, proposed the huge centralized

animal house over 200 yards long

mentioned earlier. Most of Olmsted’s

plans were bold designs far beyond

the meager appropriations allotted to

the Zoo. A $100,000 general plan sub-

mitted in September 1890, which in-

cluded only the grading and level-

ling—no building work —was double

the total amount of money given to

the Zoo for the whole year!

Another ambitious design involved

one of Metro’s (Washington’s sub-

way and bus system) predecessors. In

1893 the Rock Creek Electric Rail-

way proposed to extend their street-

car line into the present Adams Mor-

gan area and make a stop near the

present Harvard Street entrance to

the Zoo. Olmsted drew up plans for

an elegant, pagoda-like station with a

broad sweep of steps running from

the station across the creek — 30 feet

above the water—and up towards

the main animal buildings, which

were then located near Lion-Tiger

Hill. However, Olmsted was worried

that too much climbing was involved

Almost no drawings survive that were provably made by F.L. Olmsted alone.

Above is Olmsted's sketch for a Zoo entrance that was never built — note the elegant

streetcar station and the elevator. The sketch is blurry because it is not the original;

it was made in a copybook, the predecessor of carbon paper.

even then, so he suggested installing

an electric elevator from the creek to

the station. Sadly, the company was

either refused permission to build or

decided against it for other reasons.

Were any of Olmsted’s plans im-

plemented? In 1890 a pool was built

at the architect's suggestion next to

the Harvard Street bridge on the east

side of the creek. The pool, known as

the swan pool, disappeared only with

the building of Rock Creek Parkway

in 1956. In 1902 a new bear exhibit

was built, replacing the old stone

quarries in which the bears had been

housed for the first 12 years of the

Zoo's existence. Ten new cages were

built in a semicircle, a design re-

tained in the recently completed

renovations of that exhibit.

Olmsted and his successors made

less dramatic but probably more last-

ing contributions in the advice they

proffered both on other people’s

plans and on practical matters when

they visited the Zoo. In addition (per-

haps because it seldom cost the Zoo

Continued on page 19.

Library of Congress

Right, the first plan for the National Zoo-

logical Park featured a 200-yard-long

animal house. Olmsted Walk, the central

path through the Zoo, is one of the few

ideas that survived, although even there, a

number of curves were eliminated when

the path was actually built.

Xs

Who Wears the Mask?

BY VIRGINIA C. HOLMGREN

NZP Office of Eduction

YZ

Raccoons can be spotted at the National Zoo— some, not on exhibit; they’re wild! Right,

since the hunter looks for a familiar animal shape rather than bold blocks of color, the

toucan’s black and yellow markings provide excellent camouflage.

Who first made the peek-a-boo

black eye mask that covers only half

the face, yet somehow results in

complete disguise?

Not the Lone Ranger—or bandits,

or burglars, or even merrymakers.

Credit nature with designing this

traditional disguise. And at the Na-

tional Zoo, you'll find mask wearers

aplenty.

Of course, you already know one

famous backyard “bandit” —the rac-

coon. The same name has been given

to the cedar waxwing, best known of

the feathered mask wearers. Other

birds with similar eyebands include

the Bohemian waxwings (less abun-

dant than their smaller cousins), the

loggerhead and northern shrikes, the

cardinal, the little yellowthroat warb-

ler, and many more.

The black masks are not always

the same shape. For chickadees and

Canada geese, the mask expands in-

to a cap. For other species, the mask

may be round or sharp-cornered, and

may appear below the eye instead of

around it.

All black masks, whatever the

shape, provide disguise. In nature the

need for disguise is simple — survival.

For raccoon, waxwing, and_ all

others whose black masks completely

surround the eyes, the ability to keep

a sharp watch for enemies without

the risk of the animal’s being be-

The black “maskhara” on a cheetah’s face helps it keep its eyes on a fast-moving target.

Right, the giant panda’s mask helps its eyes adjust more quickly to a sudden move from

shadow to sunlight.

10

Francie Schroeder

trayed by its own eye movements is

of great importance to survival. It is

no small advantage, for movement

leads predators to their prey. An

animal may not twitch an ear, foot,

or tail, yet still be betrayed by its own

eye shine as it sends darting glances

to left or right after the stalking

hunter. The mask around the eyes

hides eye shine most of the time. Not

even the blackest mask guarantees

safety, but animals that wear masks

have an advantage.

Since the eyes are hidden by the

mask, it is more difficult for the at-

tacker to blind its prey at first blow.

So the mask-wearer has one more

chance for escape, or time to deliver

a telling blow on its own account.

Mammals may seem to need more

mask protection than birds, but over

200 species of North American

birds—about a fourth of all bird

species—wear black face markings

of some sort or an all-black hood.

Some masks consist only of thin

black lines running through the eye

or from eye to beak. These may not

be wide enough to hide eye shine,

but they could help to keep a bird’s

eyes on target as it hunts fast-moving

insects. The cheetah, another fast

mover, also has lines running from

eyes to jaws that may help it target

its prey.

Black face markings also aid

vision, since black absorbs light. A

creature without a mask that sud-

denly emerges into glaring sunshine

from a dark underground burrow or

the shadowy forest could be helpless

in the first moment of blindness, and

sO easy prey for predators. Animals

with masks have a faster recovery of

full vision, and thus a better chance

to fight or flee. The badger, polecat,

ferret, and chipmunk all wear masks

that increase their chances for sur-

vival; so do the giant panda and the

red panda.

Among the birds, the falcons are

the best-known mask wearers. Fal-

cons do not live in burrows, dens, or

forests; but time and again, they face

the glare of full sunlight as they seek

their prey.

Early hunters may have watched

falcons in flight and realized that

their black cheek marks somehow

aided success. For whatever reason,

the hunters themselves began wear-

ing masks, smearing their cheeks with

soot from a campfire or charcoal

mixed with animal fat. They found

that thanks to the mask their eye-

sight was keener, their spear or arrow

more certain of reaching its target.

Today the mask principle is used by

many football and baseball players

and other athletes who know the

dark-absorbs-light rule.

The black mask also helps the

grazing animals of veldt, prairie, and

open grassland survive. For these

animals dense thickets, tree clumps,

and other hiding places are often so

scarce that the only available “hiding

place” is the open. The first rule is, of

course—don’t move. But camou-

flage is also necessary, and nature

has provided two kinds.

First there is the camouflage of

body tones that match the natural

background—white for animals of

the snow-clad tundra, green for a

frog on a lily pad, or drab gray-

browns for the grazers that roam

amid dried grasses and bare earth.

Females and their young often rely

entirely on such camouflage. But

Mary W. Matthews

S

L

yy

Ray Faass

The banded palm civet, on exhibit in the Zoo’s Small Mammal House, has striking black

facial markings. The mask serves the same purpose as that worn by the oryx. Right, a herd of

scimitar-horned oryx at the Zoo’s Conservation and Research Center looks curiously at the

photographer.

12

males, and those females who stand

guard, often need additional decep-

tive markings for the face, which

must be exposed to full view as wary

eyes follow the predator.

So nature has devised another ver-

sion of the black eye mask—black

lines and patches of various shapes

set against stark white for ultimate,

eye-catching contrast. The black-on-

white pattern stands out so plainly

that the predator sees only the pat-

tern. The roundness of the animal

face seems to fade away, its familiar

outline broken up completely by the

domination of black-on-white lines.

And since the hunter looks for a fami-

liar animal shape rather than lines,

the disruptive-pattern mask works

like magic. Sable antelope, oryx, and

pronghorn wear masks, among others

of the grasslands; so do birds such as

killdeer, plover, and ruddy turnstone.

Primitive hunters copied these

break-up patterns as well as the

cheek patch and black eye band.

They often wore the actual head skin

of an animal as if it were a helmet.

It was easier, though, to copy the

animal’s markings with charcoal and

white clay. Gradually, the patterns

would be changed as each witch

doctor or hunter added his own

sacred emblems to nature’s design.

In time, much more elaborate masks

might be carved from wood or fash-

ioned from leather, cloth, metal, or

woven straw and decorated with

ritual patterns of seashells, bone, fur,

feathers, grasses, bright-colored

stones or colored clay.

The likenesses of various animals

survive in many masks in museum

collections or are still worn by mem-

bers of primitive tribes.

Hunters and witch doctors were

not the only ones who wore masks.

Stage actors in ancient Greece, for

example, wore comic or tragic masks

representing the characters they por-

trayed. Primitive storytellers, es-

pecially in North Africa and the

Middle East, adopted the black char-

coal eye mask very early. The idea

was to disguise a familiar face lest its

very familiarity distract from the

tale to be told or its characters.

In Arabic, the name for the black

eye band was maskhara, a word that

survives today as ‘mascara’ —

another (rather smaller) black eye

“band.”

In 16th-century France the black

eye mask was frequently worn by

monks who didn’t want to be recog-

nized when they took part in for-

bidden New Year’s and Mardi Gras

revels. Because of their religious af-

filiation, the black eye mask was

soon dubbed domino—Latin for

Lord. (Today the word “domino” re-

fers mainly to a game whose pieces

are tiles with contrasting, mask-type

dots on them.)

Just when bandits and highway-

men began wearing the black eye

mask isn’t known. But the custom

has spread inexorably from. eigh-

teenth-century Europe to America.

The black eye mask also remains

popular on stage and on the athletic

field.

The best place to see nature’s

original black mask design, however,

remains on the faces of raccoon,

giant panda, red panda, badger,

sable antelope, oryx, waxwing,

Canada _ goose, hornbill, falcon,

bearded vulture, osprey—and many

another animal masquerader.O

Rebecca Conway

13

When did people first begin to

bring wild animals to America?

Rich travellers first started what

might be called private zoos. An ex-

ample is the one in Boston, in which

a Captain Savage, at his home on

Brattle Street, advertised on Novem-

ber 4, 1716, that there would be

shown “by William Nicols, a Lyon of

Barbary with many other rareties, the

like never before seen in America.”

The Boston Gazette advertised an

exhibit of a camel on October 2,

1721. It was billed as an “African

camel, seven feet high, and twelve

feet long.”

The first polar bear brought here

was named Ursa Major. Caught in

Greenland, Ursa Major was exhibited

in a large case in 1733 on Boston’s

Clark’s Wharf.

In 1751, aMr. Edward Willet had a

monkey which he had taught tricks in

his home in New York. He described

the animal as “a creature called a

Japanese [sic], of about two feet in

height, resembling a human body in

14

BY ROMA SACHS FREEDMAN

all parts except the feet and tail.” He

decided he could make a little

money by showing the monkey, and

so advertised that for a shilling you

could “see the monkey walk a tight

rope, exercise a firelock [gun], and

dance.”

The first elephant seen in the

United States came from India to

New York in 1796. She was two years

old and six and a half feet high, and

was exhibited on the corner of

Beaver Street and Broadway. Her

habits were described in this fash-

ion: “It eats 30 pounds of rice, be-

sides hay and straw, drinks all kinds

of spiritous liquors and wines, and

eats every vegetable given to it. It

will also draw a cork from a bottle

with its trunk.”

The first leopard was exhibited in

Boston in 1802. It cost 25 cents to see

this “import from Bengal.”

The first rhinoceros was exhibited

in 1826 at Peale’s Museum and

Gallery of the Fine Arts in New York

City. It created a sensation. The ex-

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hibit, originally scheduled to close on

October 13, was extended more than

a month. The advertisement stated,

“Its body and limbs are covered with

a skin so hard and impervious that he

fears neither the claws of the tiger

nor the proboscis of the elephant; it

will turn the edge of a scimitar and >

even resist ... a musket ball.”

Su-Lin, a giant panda (‘Su-Lin” is

Chinese for “a little bit of something

very cute”), was captured and im-

ported from China by Ruth Hark-

ness in November 1936. The first

panda ever seen outside China, Su-

Lin weighed about five pounds when

he arrived in San Francisco (full

grown male pandas weigh about 300

pounds). The Brookfield Zoo in

Chicago bought Su-Lin in 1936 for

$8,750. He died two years later.

The 1930s saw the beginning of a

wave of animal imports, and today

most known species are exhibited in

America in one place or another. On

the other hand—who knows what

new species may someday appear? O

Ken Tighe

The bobcat is one of the three wild cat species (bobcat, puma, and jaguar) on exhibit in

the Zoo’s new North American Mammals complex.

North American Mammals

On May 1, the National Zoo offi-

cially opened to the public its newest

exhibit — North American Mammals.

This new facility, which joins Olm-

sted Walk with Beaver Valley, in-

cludes eight cable suspension cages

and two open-moated enclosures.

Each animal enclosure has at least

one den, plus strikingly designed in-

terpretive graphics for visitors. The

facility’s landscaping and walkways

have been painstakingly designed to

fit in with the Zoo’s overall emphasis

on natural habitats, simplicity, and

beauty.

The new exhibits, built where the

old Puma House used to be, will

house and display pumas (cougars),

bobcats, porcupines, black-tailed

NZP Office of Graphics and Exhibits

prairie dogs, jaguars, kit foxes, and

fishers. There is also a possibility the

exhibit will be expanded to include

reptiles and birds—as of this writing,

the final species selections have not

yet been made.

On ZooNight, June 6 and 20 (rain

dates June 13 and 27), FONZ mem-

bers are invited to tour this stimu-

lating animal complex. FONZ volun-

teers will be stationed at several

points along the exhibit walkways to

answer questions

features of interest.

It is not true that only African

animals are exotic. Some of the most

interesting and unusual animals alive

can be found as close as these United

States. Come to the new North

American Mammals exhibit and see!

and point out

Bactrian Camels at

Front Royal

The Zoo’s Conservation and Re-

search Center continues its success

story with a spring full of birth and

renewal.

Five Bactrian camel calves have

been born at Front Royal this spring

—one male and four females. Most

of the calves’ weights ranged be-

tween 76 and 90 pounds—but one

female weighed a whopping 122

pounds at birth.

This last female is the offspring of

a 19-year-old mother who was her-

self hand-reared at the National Zoo.

Although the mother was sent to

various zoos for breeding, it was not

until she came back to the Conserva-

tion and Research Center that she

bore her two calves.

Since the Conservation and Re-

search Center was established in

1974, its collection has grown signi-

ficantly. Today more than 230

mammals roam the Center’s 3,000

acres— 135 hoofed-stock species and

95 small mammals.

15

Roseate Spoonbill Chicks

The National Zoo scored another

breeding first in February with the

birth of three roseate spoonbills. Two

of the chicks are the first to be hand-

reared at the National Zoo.

The parent roseate spoonbills, a

species known for its beautiful rose-

colored feathers and_ distinctively

shaped bill, have been Bird House

stars since 1973. The three chicks just

born, however, represent only their

second brood. To encourage the

adult pair, Bird House keepers pro-

vided special nesting materials. Once

the nest was built and in use, a safety

net was installed to prevent possible

mishaps.

When the three eggs were first

laid, keepers were elated. However,

when the first egg hatched, the

parents stopped incubating the other

two eggs. Keepers immediately re-

moved these unattended eggs and

put them into an incubator.

The second egg hatched soon

thereafter. The keepers put the

hatchling back into the nest, but a

day later it had fallen into the safety

net. Whether it had fallen out of the

nest accidentally or had been kicked

out, the keepers decided to keep it

with the third hatchling and raise the

two of them by hand. The enormous

appetite of even one hatchling bird

puts a great strain on the parents to

feed it. The Bird House keepers felt

that hand-rearing these two would

give all three chicks their best chance

of survival.

Because baby spoonbills are

typically fed by regurgitation (the

parent bird passes predigested food

to the chick), and because there is

16

The strikingly beautiful roseate spoonbills

have two Zoo homes now: in the marsh

bird exhibit at the Bird House, and at

the Zoo’s Conservation and Research

Center in Front Royal, Virginia.

little data available on how to hand-

rear roseate spoonbills, Bird House

keepers faced a special challenge

with their hatchlings.

Keeper Mary Noél researched the

spoonbills’ diet with Zoo nutritionist

Olav Oftedal to find a substitute for

the regurgitated food—presently, the

substitute is a 20 cc.s mixture of

ground-up sea trout, bird-of-prey

chow, and vitamin and mineral sup-

plements, fed to the chicks four

times daily. A modified syringe was

used as a substitute for the parent’s

beak.

Ray Faass

Animal specialist and _ project

director John Mallen has recorded

the chicks’ growth, development,

and food consumption. He says the

babies are eating even more than the

keepers had expected. His notes on

the project will be organized and

published as a resource to other

raisers of roseate spoonbills.

Thanks to the keepers’ thorough

research and team effort, the two

hand-reared chicks are doing as well

as their parent-reared sibling.

Plans for the roseate spoonbills in-

clude leaving the parent pair in the

Bird House’s marsh bird exhibit while

the chicks are sent to the Zoo’s Con-

servation and Research Center in

Front Royal, Virginia. It is hoped that

they will establish a breeding colony

there.

Reptile House Renovation

On January 16, the Reptile House

closed for a year-long renovation.

Animal enclosures and visitor spaces

will be improved, and a new visitor

information center added.

The visitor center will have edu-

cational displays, books, and re-

source boxes explaining reptiles and

amphibians, a set-up similar to Zoo-

lab and Birdlab.

New enclosures will be built for

off-exhibit study and captive breed-

ing of reptiles and amphibians.

A Nocturnal Animals Hall in the

Reptile House basement will hold 30

species of nocturnal animals. Soft-

colored artificial lights will simulate

nighttime and encourage the small

nocturnal animals, such as cats, bats,

and armadillos, to be active during

the day.O

Mary W. Matthews

FONZNEWS

Help a Future Jane Goodall

Each summer FONZ brings college

students to the National Zoo as in-

terns. The students assist Zoo scien-

tists in animal research projects,

learning about the Zoo and develop-

ing Zoo skills that will be useful to

them later in their careers.

Although FONZ is able to pay

You can help a future Jane Goodall assist Zoo scientists in animal research projects by providing low-cost summer room and board

these summer interns a small stipend,

the interns still meed low-cost

room and board. Many of the interns

are new to the Washington area and

are operating on limited budgets.

If you have a room in your house

that will be empty this summer— if

your children or roommates will be

away at camp or school—why not

help a future Gerald Durrell or Jane

while the students participate in FONZ’s intern program.

Goodall stay within his or her means

while learning about the Zoo?

Six student interns will need

housing near the Zoo or near public

transportation for twelve weeks be-

tween late May and early September.

Additionally, they will need board or

kitchen privileges.

The FONZ summer interns are a

select group of highly intelligent,

dedicated individuals, some of the

best and brightest of the zoo pro-

fessionals of the future. Won’t you

help2

For more information, please call

Mary Sawyer Hollander at 232-7703.

V

FONZ Goes to the Movies

For zoogoers who want a break

from hot pavements and humidity,

FONZ has the answer. Starting June

15, the Zoo’s Education Building

auditorium will be having alternate

showings, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., of

FONZ’s two award-winning movies,

“Zoo” and “The Last Chance.”

“Zoo” highlights the varied opera-

most active for “Zoo.”

18

Scott Gibson (left) and Mike Switzer got up at dawn to catch wild waterfowl at their

tions that make up a zoo’s life. A vet

is shown treating a lame zebra, a

commissary workers prepare meals

for some of the Zoo’s 2,600 animals.

In one of the movie’s most effective

sequences, a pathologist discovers

that the death of a gecko was caused

by calcium deficiency. The discovery

prompts an immediate change in the

other geckos’ diets.

“A beautiful film,” wrote NZP re-

viewer Mike Morgan, “and an elo-

Jan Skrentny

quent statement of what and why

ZOOS are.”

“The Last Chance” examines the

purpose and working of the Zoo’s

Conservation and Research Center at

Front Royal, Virginia. It takes viewers

behind the scenes to explain the vital

work being done at the Center to

study and breed endangered animals.

Pére David’s deer, South American

maned wolves, Persian wild asses,

red pandas, scimitar-horned oryx,

Stanley cranes, and Eastern blue-

birds are a few of the threatened

species highlighted in this dramatic,

lovely film.

Not only will these two half-hour

color films be shown all summer; but

they are also available for loan or

sale to schools, libraries, and other

Organizations that request it. For

more information, call the FONZ

Education Department at 232-7703.

ZooNight!

June. . . the air is sweet, the even-

ings long and warm and full of the

sounds of children’s laughter. What

better time to spend a_ special,

FONZ-members-only evening at the

National Zoo? You can touch a tor-

toise, preview the new Great Ape

House, or tour the new North Ameri-

can Mammals exhibit. It’s a once-a-

year opportunity to meet and mingle

with the wildlife lovers of Washing-

ton!

ZooNight is scheduled this year for

June 6 and 20 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Rain dates will be one week later,

June 13 and 27.

ZooNight ‘80 offers a_ first-ever

tour of the Zoo no one usually sees.

Called “City Within a City,” this tour

of the Zoo’s General Services Build-

ing will show how similar animals’

needs are to ours and how those

needs are met. Would the thought of

feeding 2,600 animals panic you? The

Zoo’s Commissary handles the prob-

lem without a blink. “City Within a

City” will show you how Zoo exhibits

are built and how they are _ land-

scaped. And just as a city’s heartbeat

is communications, so the Zoo’s

Graphics and Exhibits Department

will show you the trail totems, signs,

and other ways the Zoo strives to in-

form and entertain zoogoers.

Animal demonstrations will be

given outside the Reptile House and

inside the Monkey House. As usual,

FONZ members will be permitted to

touch giant Galapagos and Aldabra

tortoises inside their exhibit en-

closure.

There will be elephant demonstra-

tions, and in Beaver Valley keepers

will demonstrate sea lion training

techniques. Outside the Education

Building, keeper and raptor expert

Mike Johnson will talk about birds of

prey—using an unusual ‘faithful

assistant,” his Harris hawk. Zoo films

will be screened in the auditorium.

FONZ volunteers will be on hand to

answer questions as members tour

the new North American Mammals

exhibit, complete with pumas, bob-

cats, porcupines, black-tailed prairie

dogs, jaguars, kit foxes, and fishers.

As in the past, there will be late

feedings of the giant pandas and the

polar bears, and custom T-shirt

screenings.

Because of the limited parking

available at the Zoo, members whose

last names begin with A through M

are encouraged to attend the June 6

ZooNight (rain date June 13). Those

Francie Schroeder

Don't miss ZooNight 80! Elephant training

demonstrations will be only a small part

of your great Zoo experience on this

FONZ-members-only evening.

with last names beginning with P

through Z should come on June 20

(rain date June 27). Even so, parking

for all inside the Zoo cannot be

guaranteed; so try, if possible, to

come on foot or by public trans-

portation.

Cars must enter the Zoo from the

Connecticut Avenue entrance.

Pedestrians may enter either at Con-

necticut Avenue or Harvard Street.

The next FONZ Wildlife Adven-

tures Brochure will contain complete

details of ZooNight ’80.

The animals are waiting. .. for

you!O

Frederick Law Olmsted,

continued from page 7.

more than $300 a year), Olmsted

directed the planting of Zoo’ trees

and shrubs.

So what of “Olmsted Walk,” the

main road now marked with the red

line running through the middle of

the Zoo? The history of this path is

complex. Maps made before the Zoo

was built show a more or less straight

cart track connecting the points

joined by Olmsted Walk. Olmsted

Walk was part of all of Olmsted’s

plans for the Zoo, but his design in-

cluded a number of additional curves

that were eliminated when the path

was actually built in 1893.

Although Olmsted’s impact on the

design of the Zoo may have been

limited, his plans reveal a remark-

able foresight. Some of his ideas, like

the one that proposed a centralized

underground heating system, did not

come into being until long after he

proposed them. From 1890 to 1905,

he consistently advocated the build-

ing of a Rock Creek Parkway. From

the beginning, he drew plans for

cages that were far larger than those

customary at the time, and usually

larger than those that were actually

built. His belief was the one held to-

day, that the Zoo was best appreci-

ated on foot, and he argued for keep-

ing all vehicles, whether horsedrawn

or not, out. Finally, all the recently

built exhibits, although not based on

his plans, have closely followed his

idea of being unobtrusive. They fit

naturally into the Zoo’s landscape, as

Olmsted would have wished. He

would surely approve “his’’ Zoo

today.O

fos.

B@K NEWS

Careers Working With

Animals

Guy R. Hodge, Careers Working With

Animals (The Humane Society of the

United States and Acropolis Books:

Washington, D.C.), 1979.

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“Every year an uncounted number

of young people ask, ‘How can |

have a career with animals?’ At last

there is an answer. Careers Working

with Animals is a book designed for

the young person seeking a career

with domestic animals. It’s also for

the mature person seeking a career

and a change that can give meaning

to life.”

— Roger Caras, ABC News

The stereotyped notion is that

careers working with animals are

mostly limited to zoos, veterinary

hospitals, and shelters. Not so, ac-

cording to Careers Working With

Animals.

Humane Society of the United States

In fact, new and challenging op-

portunities develop almost daily in

animal welfare, pet sales and ser-

vice, veterinary medicine, environ-

mental protection, animal science,

conservation, wildlife management,

zoological park management, and

biological science.

Animal-related jobs range from

veterinary medicine to animal rights

law. A jobseeker could be a humane

education specialist, an animal

trainer, a wildlife biologist, or a

forester. And there’s much more.

Careers Working with Animals,

compiled by Guy R. Hodges, Direc-

tor of Research and Data for the

Humane Society of the United

States, is the most comprehensive

manual available on job opportuni-

ties in the animal field. Not only does

it cover the job market, listing over

100 different and exotic occupations,

profiling various careers and giving

information on scholastic programs,

financial aid, directories of em-

ployers, etc., but it also outlines the

history of animal welfare, conserva-

tion, and rights, profiles the attitudes,

emotions, and philosophies of the

successful and happy worker with

animals, and provides appendices on

where to go for more information.

This attractively produced and

illustrated book shares all the best

qualities associated with the Humane

Society of the United States: It is un-

sentimental, honest, direct, and ob-

viously deeply caring about the wel-

fare of animals. Additionally, Careers

Working With Animals is well writ-

ten, thorough, and completely up to

date. It is an absolute must for any-

one who wants to work with animals.

CALENDAK

MAY

31

(Saturday)

Shenandoah National Park Wildlife Hike

Wild scenery and splendid panoramas of the surrounding

countryside highlight this FONZ adventure. The hike will take

place rain or shine.

JUNE

6 (Friday)

ZOONIGHT!

13

20

a?

28

FONZ members with last names beginning with A through M are

especially invited to this festive evening for members only.

(Friday)

ZOONIGHT! Rain Date

If it rains on June 6, FONZ members A-M are invited for tonight.

(Friday)

ZOONIGHT!

FONZ members with last names beginning with N through Z are

especially invited to this festive evening for members only.

(Friday)

ZOONIGHT! Rain Date

If it rains on June 20, FONZ members N-Z are invited for tonight.

(Saturday)

FONZ Summer Classes Begin.

JULY

26

(Saturday)

Patuxent River Canoe Trip

The active wildlife and natural beauty of the Chesapeake Bay

await FONZ paddlers—rain or shine.

Zl

ZOO INFO

CS Ea aa TT I ET a RSS Ae RT SE EO

The National Zoological Park is open

every day but Christmas.

Zoo Hours —

April 1 through September 30, the

buildings are open 9:00 a.m. to

6:30 p.m. and the grounds 6:00

a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

October 1 through March 31, the

buildings are open 9:00 a.m. to

4:30 p.m. and the grounds 6:00

a.m. 1015230. p.m.

Admission to the Zoo is free; but

there is a $2.00 per visit parking fee

for non-FONZ members. Buses park

free. Parking is very limited, with lots

full as early as 10:30 a.m. on peak

days.

No pets, bicycles, or skateboards are

allowed in the Zoo. They can be a

danger both to the animals and to the

public.

Zoolab—is a family-oriented touch

and discovery room, featuring books

and other learning materials. Zoo-

lab is located in the Education Build-

ing and is staffed by trained FONZ

volunteers. Zoolab is open Tuesday

through Sunday, 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.

JOIN FONZ TODAY!

| want to be a FONZ! Here’s the kind

of membership I'd like to have:

(Please check one):

O Family* $25

O Junior* $10

O Individual $15

O Couple $20

O Senior Citizen

(individual or couple) $10

O Contributing $30

O Sustaining $50

O Patron $100

or more

*Children’s names:

Ze

Name:

Street:

City: State: Zio

Home Phone:

Office Phone:

My check for $

able to FONZ, is enclosed.

____ Please charge my ___ MasterCard

eee W IDA.

Account Number:

, Pay-

Expiration Date:

Interbank Number:

Birdlab—has resources similar to

those offered by Zoolab, and is also

staffed by trained FONZ volunteers.

Birdlab is located in the Bird House.

Its hours are Friday through Sunday,

12:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Information booths— are located in

the Education Building, near the

giant panda exhibit, and opposite

Lion-Tiger Hill. A roving Informa-

tion Cart will provide Zoo informa-

tion at a number of locations during

the day.

Brochures — Informational and

family game material are available

free at both Zoolab and Birdlab. Zoo

maps are available free at the Zoo’s

information booths and at the gift

shops.

House Guides and Roving Guides—

Trained FONZ volunteers are avail-

able in the Park throughout the year.

Look for the black FONZ badge that

says “GUIDE.”

Films—The two FONZ movies,

“Zoo,” about the National Zoo, and

“The Last Chance,” about the Zoo’s

Conservation and Research Center,

will be given alternate showings in

the Education Building auditorium

daily from June 15. Film hours are

10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Food and Drink — are available at the

Mane Restaurant, the Panda Gar-

dens, the Wine and Cheese Kiosk, the

Pop Stop, the Ice Cream Scoop, and

the Lion, Panda, and Valley Ice

Cream Stops. Hours vary, and are

posted at each facility. Picnic facili-

ties are also available.

Gifts and Souvenirs—may be pur-

chased at the Bookstore/Gallery in

the Education Building, the Mane

Gift Shop opposite Lion-Tiger Hill,

and the Panda Gift Shop near the

giant panda exhibit. Hours vary, and

are posted at each facility.

Strollers— sized for both children and

adults, may be rented at stations near

the giant panda exhibit and Lion-

Tiger Hill.

All Zoo animals are on controlled

diets. Please do NOT feed them. Un-

controlled feeding may be actively

dangerous to an animal’s health. For

example, balloons are no_ longer

allowed in the Park because birds

have been known to swallow the

rubber of popped balloons and

choke.

Feeding Times (all times are approx-

imate and depend on_ keepers’

schedules) —

Giant Pandas: 9:30 a.m. and

3:00 p.m.

Elephants: 5:30 p.m.

Seals and Sea Lions: 2:00 to

3:00 p.m.

Monkeys: 9:30 a.m.

Apes: 3:30 p.m.

Birds, reptiles, and most carnivores

are fed either before or after

hours.

Animal Demonstrations (all times are

approximate and depend on keepers’

schedules) —

Mingle with the Monkeys:

3:00 p.m.

Seal and Sea Lions: Usually in the

early afternoons.

Elephants: 2:30 to 3:00 p.m.

First Aid and Lost and Found—are

both located in the Police Station

next to the Mane Restaurant. The

police telephone number, for emer-

gencies only, is 381-7231.

Handicapped — A few parking spaces

are reserved for the handicapped in

the parking lot by the Elephant

House (Lot B). Wheelchairs are avail-

able at the Police Station. Wheel-

chair ramps give access to all Zoo

buildings and exhibits. All restrooms

have facilities for the handicapped.

The Education Building has an

elevator for wheelchair access to

Zoolab.

If you wish to donate bamboo to the

Zoo for Hsing-Hsing and Ling-Ling,

please call the Zoo’s Office of Animal

Programs at 381-7283. The Zoo may

go out and cut bamboo, depending

on its location and the amount that is

available. The Zoo will not accept

bamboo that has already been cut.

If you think your child’s class would

enjoy a guided tour of the Zoo, be

sure that his or her teachers are aware

of the educational programs offered

by FONZ and the Zoo. All of the

schools in the Washington, D.C. area

receive FONZ tour information, but

it sometimes doesn’t reach all the

teachers. Scout troops and other

non-school groups can also be ac-

commodated with enough notice.

Late fall and winter are especially

good times for tours. Call the FONZ

Education Department at 232-7703

for information and reservations.

For more information, call the Zoo at

381-7271 or FONZ at 232-7700.

© 1979 the National Geographic Society. By permission.

The prairie e dog builds mounds at burrow entrances to serve as lookout posts. This photo i is taken trom the National Geographic Society’s new book,

Wild Animals of North America. You can see this lively relative of the squirrel at the Zoo’s new North American Mammals exhibit.

Non-Profit Org.

5. Postage

PAID

Washington, D.C.

Permit No. 44282