ZOONOOZ August 2015

apes provides a completely different challenge.
By nature, they are in a constant state
of “eating their environment,” and as a result,
they need regular reminding that the
landscape is not their lunch. This reminder is
usually reinforced by a protective “hot wire,”
which sends a mild electric pulse to discourage
contact. The large trees will continue to
provide shade as long as the protection is in
place and the animals don’t figure out how
to get around it. In the case of many primate
exhibits, we use fake trees or metal armatures
with rope hammocks for convenient
and comfy places to hang out and relax. We
have also created faux ficus trees by using
cuttings of ficus rooted in manmade structures.
These are placed within arm’s reach of
the primates, so they can browse on the material
at their convenience.
T
Carefully selected and installed furniture
provides a safe environment in which zoo
animals can exhibit natural behaviors.
PRIME PLACEMENT
he overall selection and placement of
plant material is critical to the ultimate
success of an exhibit. A plant’s
roots stand a much better chance of survival
if they can be sheltered by a deadwood log
or tucked away between rocks. If plants that
are not typically used as browse are used as
exhibit plantings, the inhabitants may not
see them as edible and pass them by.
Regular replanting and reseeding of exhibits
is a way of life for our horticulturists.
By using a variety of grasses —clumping
and running, warm season and cool
season—there will always be something
green to prevent erosion and compaction
from the pitter-patter and heavy footfalls
of the animals. Any plant material with the
ability to reseed and naturalize within the
exhibit holds a distinct advantage in these
tough conditions.
The best strategy is to plant early and
often, hoping to engage the animal inhabitants
with many types of plant options, including
enrichment in the form of browse
(cut material and leafy branches, sometimes
with fruit or flowers). We seek to keep animals
occupied by climbing on deadwood,
swinging on ropes, and munching on
browse that has been tossed into a hammock
by a keeper, rather than destroying
the landscape plants. All of these strategies
work wonders to keep animals away from
the live plants inside an exhibit.
From big statement pieces to the small
flourishes, plant material has a positive effect
on our animals’ homes, and it’s a part
of being a zoo horticulturist that brings a
great deal of satifaction. On your next visit
to the Zoo or Safari Park, watch for the
ways we use logs, branches, and plantings
to help the animals thrive. Who knows,
you might even get some ideas for your
own pets at home! n
40 ZOONOOZ n AUGUST 2015