Posts Tagged ‘baby animals’

May
05

Bird Conservation in Saipan:Even NASA would be jealous of our acronyms

Posted by in Bird Conservation in Siapan,Birds,Conservation,Endangered

Every industry has its own special lingo…. here is how I could tell you about my day in ‘our’ lingo…

 While in CNMI, the MAC team, in conjunction with DFW and AZA TAGs, works to provide different species for captive breeding as well as translocation.  On this trip our targets are GOWE and RUFA. 

"GOWE"

 
 
 
 

"RUFA"

 

We opened the nets at 6:00 AM ChST.  Throughout the day, every 15 minutes all the nets have to be checked and cleared of any non-target species.  Each time we walked out into the woods our excitement grew at the thought of catching our targeted species.  On the walks, we were also able to see active BRWE and RUFA nests.

BRWE Nest

RUFA nest

We would take turns going on the different net routes: nets 9, & 1-4, nets 10 and 11, or nets 5-8.  On the 3rd day of netting we added nets 12, 14, 15, & 16 to the mix to increase our trapping numbers.  And if you counted you may have noticed that we skipped net 13 – we did this intentionally, not as a superstition (as one might suspect), but net 13 is for “nature’s call” as we were out in the forest with no facilities other than trees near-by.

During the several days we were mist-netting, we also caught (and released) BRWE, MIST, COLK, WTGD, and MIHO.

BRWE

MIST

COLK

MIHO

For each of the target species that we caught a very specific protocol was followed.  Each person that was checking the nets had a special bag to hold and transport the bird back to base camp.  At camp, we put the birds into specialized transport boxes (with food and water) and labeled each bird with the net number and the time of trapping.  We used a GPS to mark all the netting sites, so we would be able to later include the exact trapping location in our data set. Once the birds were settled into the transport crates, we would transfer them back to the bird room for processing. 

COLK caught in a mist net

 
 
 

Trapped birds waiting in their individual bags to go in the crates.

 

Placing birds in the transport crates.

A transport crate ready to go and full of birds!

There is not a list of 100’s of bird species that inhabit this area; in fact the bird list numbers around 104 – 110 species.  One of the unique attributes of the CNMI is that each island has several endemic species (species that only occur on that island or those islands near-by).  Many of the birds that call CNMI home are listed on the IUCN as NT, VU, EN or CR (not to mention on near-by Guam the Micronesian Kingfisher is EW).   There are only a few forest bird species on the Island that we did not catch, namely MAFD and NIRW and one endemic species we did not see at all but heard… the MIME.  While driving to and from our netting sites, we did see several birds that are common to this are including WHTE, BRNO, and REHE.  While the possible list of species is not as long and diverse as the bird list for the Houston area, each sighting was a unique opportunity to see many bird species that not common, even in their native habitat.

Codes:

CNMI    Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
DFW      Department of Fish and Wildlife (for CNMI)

ChST      Chamorro Standard Time
MAC      Mariana Avifauna Conservation
AZA        Association of Zoos and Aquariums
TAG       Taxon Advisory Group
IUCN     International Union for Conservation of Nature
                EW         Extinct in the Wild
                CR           Critically Endangered
                EN          Endangered
                VU          Vulnerable
                NT          Near Threatened

AOU Banding Codes for Birds (with IUCN Red List Status)

GOWE   Golden White-eye (CR)
RUFA     Rufous Fantail
BRWE    Bridled White-eye (EN)
WTGD   White-throated Ground Dove (NT)
COLK     Collared Kingfisher
MIST      Micronesian Starling
MIHO    Micronesian Honeyeater
MAFD   Mariana Fruit Dove (EN)
NIRW    Nightingale Reed Warbler (CR)
MIME    Micronesian Megapode (EN)
WHTE    White Tern
BRNO    Brown Noddy
REHE      Pacific Reed Heron

Tiny RUFA chicks in the nest, four days after we first spotted the nest, shown previously.

 Want more information? Read the rest of the series by clicking HERE!

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Nov
28

New Siamang Baby Born

Posted by in Endangered,Primates,Zoo Births

“Leela” – Siamang Gibbon, born October 11, 2010

 

Leela, just a few days old

  

Siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus) are an endangered species of lesser ape found in the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra.  The newest addition to our siamang family, Leela, was born overnight on October 11, 2010, in the nighthouse at Wortham World of Primates.  When first discovered, she was clinging strongly to her mother, Jambi, and was being watched over by her father, Boomer.

Leela's mom, Jambi

Leela's dad, Boomer

The family was kept inside to give the infant the best chance to nurse during the first critical days.  Nursing was seen throughout the next few days, and Leela continued to look strong and alert, so they were allowed on exhibit.

A baby's eye view of the world from the safety of her mother's arm

Keepers are very observant of the infant’s condition, and may bring the group inside if they see any signs that she is not clinging to her mom well.

Siamangs usually live in family groups of a male and female pair with one or more offspring.  The infant usually clings to the belly of the mother during the first several weeks of life, but the father begins to carry it after a few months, and may spend time playing with the infant.

Jambi is a rather unusual siamang mom, and chooses to carry her babies on her leg as often as on her belly (Jambi’s own mother carried her in this fashion).  Jambi’s first born, Raya, spent quite a lot of time riding on her foot when she was only a few weeks old, making the zoo staff very nervous.  But Raya survived this odd form of maternal care, and became a strong and healthy female.  In Leela’s case, Jambi started to carry her on her leg when she was just over 2 weeks old.  Jambi is careful not to hurt the infant, despite the awkwardness of the position.

At over one month old, Leela is doing very well and has grown considerably.  She is beginning to take more interest in what is going on in the world around her, and has started touching objects that her mom is sitting next to.

Infant care is a long-term commitment in lesser apes, and the young will stay with their parents until they mature.  Leela will have many years to grow and learn all there is to know about how to be a siamang.

Leela during her first week

Photos:  Ron Santos, Cheka Kazen, HZI

References: Eastridge, A. 1999. “Symphalangus syndactylus” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Symphalangus_syndactylus.html

Nowak, R. 1999. Walker’s Primates of the World, Sixth Edition. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

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Jul
27

Guinea Hog Piglets Soon to Make Their Debut at the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo!

Posted by in Children's Zoo,Endangered,Featured,Guinea Hog

Spring is typically thought of as a time for baby animals and flowers, but not for the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo!  This year, our babies are arriving right in the middle of summer, and they definitely don’t smell like flowers!  We have two adorable Guinea Hog piglets that arrived at the zoo in July, soon to make their debut on exhibit in the Children’s Zoo.  Now, adorable may not be a word that you typically use to describe pigs, but how can you describe these faces as anything else?

You will be able to see this adorable face up close soon in the John P. McGovern Children's Zoo!

These girls may be small now, weighing about 25 lbs, but in a few years they will be about 150 lbs!  That may seem very large, but Guinea Hogs are actually one of the smaller breeds of pigs.  Guinea Hogs originated from West Africa and have been crossbred to create their unique breed, found only in North America, making them a true American Heritage Breed.  You won’t find this breed in the wild, they are only bred and kept on farms and ranches.  Guinea Hogs are omnivores, spending their days foraging for grasses, roots, nuts and the occasional small mammal or snake. Once one of the most commonly kept pigs, there are now fewer than 200 remaining making them a critically rare, or a minor breed.  Similar to a wild animal being classified as threatened or endangered, the term minor breed is used to describe nearly 100 breeds of livestock in North America that are declining.  Many of these breeds, like the Guinea Hog, were once kept widely and played a major role in the development in North American agriculture.  Over time, these breeds have been replaced by specialized breeds to meet the increasing production demand.  Guinea Hogs have a very sweet and docile disposition, and are extremely receptive to attention and training from keepers.  Our new additions have been receiving regular training from the time that they arrived.  Being very intelligent, Guinea Hogs are able to learn new behaviors quickly, already mastering target and station, seen below.  This consistent training is not only important as enrichment, but is also helpful for veterinary check ups, lessening the stress to the animal and staff.

Target is commonly one of the first behaviors any animal learns. Here, one of our girls targets to trainer Russell's hand. She must touch her snout, or gruntle, to his open palm to receive a reward.

Our girls will be venturing out onto exhibit in the John P. McGovern Children’s Zoo very soon.  Check back to see how much they enjoy their new home, exciting enrichment, and learning fun new behaviors, and be sure to visit them soon at the Houston Zoo!

Visit the American Guinea Hog Association to learn more about Guinea Hogs.

To learn more about American Heritage Breeds visit the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

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Apr
14

Bundle of Bongos Born at the Zoo!

Posted by in Zoo Births

Pili with her baby, Penelope.Over a span of six weeks, from mid-February to mid-March, we welcomed three baby bongos into the Houston Zoo wildlife family.

Penelope was the first to arrive on February 12.  She weighed 38 pounds at birth.  Two days after she was born she had gained 8 pounds!  Penelope’s mom is Pili and Penelope is her first calf.  Pili is proving to be a great mom.

On March 10, 14 year old Laura delivered Linus who weighed more than 47 pounds at birth.  Laura, by the way is Pili’s mom.

Then on March 18, 12 year old DJ gave birth to Dylan, another 47 pound calf.  Dylan is the first male bongo to be born at the Houston Zoo in 10 years.

eastern-bongo-babies-0010To the casual observer, all the calves look alike.  But our keepers found a perfect way to tell them apart – they count the white stripes on their side.  Bongos can have 10 to 14 white stripes on each side and each side can present a different configuration.  For instance, Penelope has 11 stripes on each side.  But Linus has 11 on one side and 13 on the other. Dylan, on the other hand has 13 striped on each side.

So, you might ask – what’s a bongo?  Well, a bongo is a type of antelope native to the lowlands and mountain forests of Kenya and western Africa.  In the wild, bongos are shy and elusive but very social.  In fact, bongos are the only forest antelope to form herds.

The Western or lowland bongo is classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the IUCN.  The Eastern or mountain bongo is classified as endangered.

Penelope, Linus, and Dylan and their parents are Eastern bongo and you can see them daily at the bongo exhibit next to our okapi exhibit.

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