ZOONOOZ August 2015

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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 <strong>ZOONOOZ</strong> n AUGUST <strong>2015</strong>
Clockewise from top left: A dead tree stump makes an excellent nest site for many cavitynesting bird species; in their native range, cheetahs often perch atop low tree branches (and termite mounds) to get a better view of their surroundings; a massive tree trunk in the Safari Park’s cheetah habitat gives the cats there the same ability; trees add a veritcal element to an animal’s habitat; large boulders placed around the base of a tree protects the plant’s roots from the curious snouts and hooves of these peccaries; a stout tree trunk, also called deadfall, makes a perfect perch for this Andean bear. SAN DIEGO ZOO GLOBAL n SANDIEGOZOO.ORG 41
Page 2 and 3: inside august 2015 Mammal of Myster
Page 4 and 5: chairman’s note SAN DIEGO ZOO GLO
Page 6 and 7: through the lens Photo by Ken Bohn
Page 8 and 9: you said it Join our friends @sdzgl
Page 10 and 11: 10 ZOONOOZ n AUGUST 2015 MAMMAL OF
Page 12: Funani is a famously protective hip
Page 15 and 16: Funani kept her baby safely tucked
Page 17 and 18: By Paige Howorth ANIMAL CARE MANAGE
Page 19 and 20: every tissue as the plant grows: le
Page 21 and 22: The estimated percentage of the ani
Page 23 and 24: non-native fungal disease, while ho
Page 25 and 26: Monarch butterflies have been in th
Page 27 and 28: SAN DIEGO ZOO GLOBAL n SANDIEGOZOO.
Page 29 and 30: Dhole House Once the tigers moved i
Page 31 and 32: SAN DIEGO ZOO GLOBAL n SANDIEGOZOO.
Page 33 and 34: A vaccination is administered by Br
Page 35 and 36: PHOTO BY JOOP KUHN,SDZG It takes a
Page 37 and 38: The beauty of a branch is that the
Page 39: Unlike most pet domestic cats, zoo
Page 43 and 44: WHEN WISHES COME TRUE AT THE ZOO AN
Page 45: PUBLISHED SINCE 1926 AUGUST 2015 n

ZOONOOZ August 2015

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