Posted by Andrea Pohlman in Uncategorized
- Joy stands in front of the Patas Monkey exhibit at the Houston Zoo.
Hometown: Houston, TX
Section: Primates
Quote: The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible. –Oscar Wilde
Special interests/Hobbies:
Outdoor activities like hiking and kayaking, reading historical fiction, learning foreign languages
Favorite animal:
It tends to be whatever animal I’m working with at the time, however, I have a special fondness for Patas monkeys – I love their athleticism, reticent nature and social dynamics. I currently train the Patas monkeys.
Interesting Facts:
I graduated as a dance major from Houston’s High School for the Performing & Visual Arts
What made you want to be a zookeeper?
While working as a park ranger on Alcatraz Island I had the opportunity to observe up-close the entire life cycle of western gulls and found it fascinating. I wanted to learn more about animals and animal related careers, so I applied for an internship at the Houston Zoo. I have been working here for 4 years.
What is your education, training, and previous institution(s) you attended before coming to the Houston Zoo?
I have a BA in Music from the University of Houston. I worked internships with the Primate and Hoofstock departments here at the Houston Zoo. Previously, I worked as a mule driver on a re-created 1870s canal boat.
What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field?
Volunteer first to see if you like it – it’s more hard work than you might expect.
What is your favorite animal story?
Everyday while I’m working with animals something cute, funny, sweet or interesting happens. Probably the most inspiring moments, though, are the ones where I get to observe animals in the wild, such as coming face to face with California gray whales in Baja Mexico, hearing elk bugling in Rocky Mountain National Park and standing underneath a capuchin troop in Costa Rica.
Posted by Andrea Pohlman in Behind the Scenes,Featured,Keepers,Profiles
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Section: Commissary- Commissary Supervisor
Quote: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.”-Charles Darwin.
Special Interests/ Hobbies:
Anything outside. I like being active, working out and hiking around our property looking for herps.
Interesting Facts:
In the 1980’s I had a job where I’d dress up in costume and go to grocery stores to hand out free samples. I’ve dressed up as a lobster, Mr. Keebler, Twinkie the Kid and the Cookie Monster. I even dressed as a Gorilla once for
Zoo Ball.
Favorite Animal:
Turtles and tortoises, I have about 30 at my house. One of my favorites was named Tank, a Sulcata tortoise. Someone had found him at the Galena Park dump and we brought him home.
How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?
I have been here 26 years! I worked as a docent volunteer before I became a keeper. When I was hired on, I worked in animal departments for 5 years including the Reptile building, Hoofstock, Primates and the Small Mammal building (now Natural Encounters). I worked on the Houston Toad Project when it was first established in the early 1980’s. I have now worked in the commissary 21 years.
Phyllis loads grain in one of the zoo's expansive walk in freezers.
What made you want to become a zookeeper?
As a child I had an interest in anything having to do with animals and I was always picking up strays. After working as a keeper for awhile, I moved on to the commissary and really got to see the business side of the zoo.
How would you describe your job duties?
I am in charge of the staff that prepares food for the animals. I order food for all the animals from our vendors and also have to drive to various places to pick up special food items. I also manage the diet changes for the animals to make sure we have enough food in stock.
What is a typical day like working in the commissary?
Each day is different. The animals eat different things every day, so the diet preparation changes every day.
What is your education, training, and previous institution(s) you attended before coming to the Houston Zoo?
I have a 2 year certification from Houston Community College’s Veterinary Technician program.
What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field?
Start as a volunteer, even as a teenager. I have hired a lot of former volunteers.
What is your favorite animal story?
When the zoo used to have koalas our supplier for eucalyptus was in Phoenix, Arizona. Usually the eucalyptus was flown to the zoo. Soon after September 11, 2001 all flights were grounded, but the koalas needed their eucalyptus! Our supplier was kind enough to meet us halfway, so I drove to El Paso, TX to pick it up! That was the longest drive I have had to take to pick up food for our animals.
To learn more about volunteering at the Houston Zoo visit http://www.houstonzoo.org/volunteer/!
There are numerous career paths to choose from at the Houston Zoo! To learn more about non-keeper careers, visit Leigh’s blog or the Houston Zoo’s Career page!
Posted by Andrea Pohlman in Behind the Scenes,Chimpanzees,Featured,Keepers,Mammals,Primates
It is easy to see that this office belongs to a primate keeper! Judy is surrounded by orangutan paintings in her office.
Hometown: Tacoma, WA
Section: Primates- Chimpanzee Supervisor
Quote: “Never believe anything you read.”
Special Interests/ Hobbies:
Horseback riding and reading.
Interesting Facts:
I’ve know nearly 200 chimps during my career and lived in 6 different states in 4 different time zones.
What made you want to become a zookeeper?
I spent summers with my aunt, uncle and cousins, and they took us to the Sealife park in Galveston when I was 13 years old. I used to want to be a dolphin trainer, but then I saw my first chimp and it was all over.
What is your education, training, and previous institution(s) you attended before coming to the Houston Zoo?
I started volunteering at the Santa Barbara Zoo in 1988. I attended Moorpark College for Exotic Animal Training and Management, graduating in 1991. I have worked at the Primate Foundation of Arizona and the Riverside Zoo in Nebraska caring for chimpanzees. I also worked at Disney with primates and elephants, and in Bastrop, Texas at MD Anderson caring for their chimpanzees. I have been here at the Houston Zoo since this April.
What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field?
Be prepared to do anything. Volunteer and be patient. Don’t expect to get your dream job right away. You might have to work with animals that aren’t on the top of your list before you can work with animals that are your first choice.
What is your favorite animal story?
My favorite chimp I ever worked with was named Pani. Pani was 36 years old and had never had a baby of her own, although she had been an “auntie” a few times and really liked babies and young chimps. Riverside Zoo (where I was working at the time) took in an orphaned infant chimp from Sedgewick County Zoo named Imara. We introduced Imara to Pani and Pani was unbelievably patient and kind and soon won over Imara (he had been scared of her at first) and she became his mother for the next 6 years.
To see the latest update on the Chimp building construction, visit the Official Houston Zoo Blog.
To learn more about Chimpanzees visit http://www.houstonzoo.org/chimpanzee/
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Blue Faced Honeyeater Photo courtesy of: www.plantbiology.siu.edu
Honeyeaters are important pollinators of many Australian flowering plants. All 170 species of honeyeaters have a unique adaptation: a long tongue with a brush-like tip that they use to get nectar from flowers. The tongue can be extended into the nectar about 10 times per second!
Honeyeaters aren’t the only birds that help pollinate. Honeycreepers, sunbirds, Brush-tongued parrots, and hummingbirds are just a few of the birds all over the world who are pollinators. There are 2,000 bird species globally that feed on nectar, the insects, and the spiders associated with nectar bearing flowers.
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House,Uncategorized
Bumblebee on Lantana
In the U.S., the economic value of pollination services provided by native insects (mostly bees) is estimated at $3 billion each year. Bumblebees are highly efficient in pollinating many crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cranberries, and blue berries. Yumm! Best of all, most bumblebees won’t bother you unless you bother them. When gardening at home, please consider using native plants. Most of all, be kind to pollinators, consider going organic. Insecticides tend to kill indiscriminately and will eliminate a lot of your pollinators. The larger the variety of wildlife in your yard or garden (insects, birds, toads, lizards, etc.) the less “pest” insects you will have. Naturally!
For more information on creating a native garden, visit: http://www.xerces.org/pollinators-south-central-region/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Photo taken by Beatriz Moisset
Wait! Don’t squash that bug!
Beetles get a bad wrap due to “messy pollination”. No one ever taught them not to dedicate where they eat giving them the name “mess and soil pollinators”. Due to sheer numbers, beetles comprise of the largest set of pollinating animals. They are responsible for pollinating 88% of the 240,000 flowering plants globally! So next time you stop to smell a Magnolia, think of your beetle friends!
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House,Uncategorized
Photo taken by Jean-Christophe Vié
On the island of Madagascar, black and white ruffed lemurs are the main pollinators of traveler’s trees or traveler’s palm. These trees are typically 40-feet-high. They lemurs use their nimble hands to pull open the tough flower bracts. They stick their long snouts and tongues deep inside a tree’s flower. As a result, they collect pollen on their muzzle and fur, and then transport it to the next flower. The resulting fruits are a major source of food. It appears that no other creature has the strength and nimbleness to pollinate the palm. This gives the black and white ruffed lemur the award of the world’s largest pollinator!
For more information go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/unusual.shtml
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Birds,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Endangered,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop
Endangered Species Chocolate
What would a life without pollinators look like…Well a world with out chocolate! That would be a pretty bleak world in my opinion. Some of my favorite desserts are chocolate. Others seem to agree because the chocolate industry brings in about $50 billion dollars a year worldwide!
Who do we have to thank for our delicious treats? Bats and other pollinators! Monkeys and other small mammals even help with seed dispersal.
Lesser long-nosed bat - Photo taken by Merlin D. Tuttle of Bat Conservation International
Chocolate isn’t the only food we can thank pollinators for. Bats are the major pollinators for bananas, dates, coconut, cloves, vanilla, Brazil nuts, avocados, and the agave plant (tequila)!
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Children's Zoo,Conservation,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Male Leafcutter Bee
A fairly common bee in the Houston area is the leafcutter bee. These bees are smaller than honeybees, grey and black, and a little bit fuzzy. It’s easy to spot a female because the bright yellow pollen she collects from flowers is carried underneath her abdomen, not on her legs. Leafcutter bees use leaves from various plants, such as roses, to help seal their nest chambers (this keeps the larvae protected while they grow). If you notice semicircular patches missing from individual leaves in your garden, you probably have leafcutter bees around – but don’t worry, they don’t take much. You can even build a bee house to attract these and other kinds of fascinating bees: http://www.xerces.org/fact-sheets/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join us in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Don’t forget to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
Posted by Tina Carpenter in Adaptations,Animal Info,Conservation,Events,Featured,Insects,Mammals,Natural Encounters,Pollinators,Primates,Reptile House,Reptiles,Swap Shop,Tropical Bird House
Halictid Bee
You may be familiar with our country’s most widely utilized pollinator, the European honeybee… but did you know there are about 4,000 species of bee that are native to the United States? Compare that number to the 5,000+ species of mammal in the entire world.
You can find about 200 bee species right here in Houston! They are not aggressive and are great fun to watch – if you plant a pollinator friendly garden you might attract these little beauties to your own backyard!
You can even build a bee house to attract these and other kinds of fascinating bees: http://www.xerces.org/fact-sheets/
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join us in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!