Hello there everyone, my name is Mihail and I'm one of the few people lucky enough to be a zookeeper at ZooMontana. I just wanted to catch everybody up on this summer from a zookeeper's perspective. This has by far been the busiest and most successful summer in the five years I've been here.
Lets start with the new animals. Pygmy Marmosets came in about two months ago, very exciting to have more primates. It was great to see how many people came out to see their first day with the public. Oro the golden eagle came to us early on this summer and is currently not on exhibit until we're able to work out some accommodations. We have a host of new herps in the education wall including spadefoot toads and leopard frogs. We also found that the pond at the entrance is teeming with crayfish and we've started transplanting them into the pond by the homestead house and the otter exhibit. They haven't lasted too long with the otters.
Now to add to this already exciting summer, the Grizzly exhibit is coming along rapidly. It seems like everyday they're putting something new in or the buildings are twice as tall. We're all very excited about this exhibit because it is the first large exhibit since the wolverine exhibit was built in 2001. Five years is a long time between new exhibits, but it is smarter to build them slowly and make sure we can afford them as they're built.
Well, I've got to get back to work. I'll try and post at least once a month to let everybody know whats happening out here. Take care.
Mihail
When I think about what it is to be an endangered species (to be in danger of extinction) it brings thoughts to my mind of a variety of animals; black footed ferrets, whooping cranes, Wyoming toads, even shire horses.
Some animals have been brought back from the brink of extinction and are listed as threatened (any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future); grizzly bears, Canada lynx, the bald eagle, and eastern gray wolves to name a few. There are those animals that need to be listed as endangered or at least threatened, for instance, wolverines and polar bears. Some creatures that have difficulties because of loss of “critical habitat”(the specific areas within a geographic area occupied by a species at the time it is listed on which are found those physical or biological features essential to conserve the species and that may require special management considerations or protection); piping plovers and bull trout to mention just a couple. Then, of course, the ones that are already extinct like the dodo bird. Who could possibly even imagine the animals in the ravished rain forests that we will never even know about because they went extinct without our knowledge of them in the first place. Need I mention the plant population? The overpowering prospect is that without proper management, conservation efforts, public awareness, and education this will all lead to one main factor….Homo Sapiens, which in Latin means wise man or knowing man, will not make the endangered or threatened list because we will be extinct. If we truly want to see a future for this beautiful planet we all have to pull together and make a major effort at caring and doing to preserve nature. Support our local zoo by becoming a member and learn different things you can do as an individual. Recycle whatever you can, walk or ride a bicycle when it’s possible. Mostly make a conscious effort to become aware of our valuable resources and learn how to conserve. Respect our planet, it’s the only home we have.
By Deborah Harris, Senior Keeper
As the human population increases we find ourselves encroaching more and more on the habitats of animals. The Wyoming toad is a great example of people banding together to live in coexistence with a disappearing species. Land owners agree to allow their land to be used as safe harbor for this special little toad thus helping to give them a better chance at recovery. Learning to share our backyards with species who already depend on that land is vital to the recovery of endangered and threatened species and to the continued success of all species.
Congress recently designated May 18th as “Endangered Species Day” which is a wonderful thing. However, to make a change we need to understand what endangered means, what threats a species faces and finally what each of us can do to make a difference in our community and the world around us.
There are three categories used to indicate species whose populations are declining; extinct, threatened and least concern. The sub-categories under each are as follows; extinct – extinct & extinct in the wild, threatened – critical, endangered, vulnerable & near threatened, least concern – least concern. The definition of each sub-category is as follows: extinct – there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died, extinct in the wild – known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population well outside the past range, critically endangered – facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, endangered – considered to be facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild, vulnerable – considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild, near threatened – close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future, and least concern – lowest risk, widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category. As you can see it isn’t as simple as saying something is endangered.
The current rate of extinction is 10 to 100 times greater than any of the prior extinction events in history. We generally associate endangerment with animals and plants and forget the threats to the stability of ecosystems. When one species goes extinct other populations can then increase or decline which can often result in a secondary species becoming endangered or extinct. Resulting in an unstable spiral until other species are lost and the ecosystem irreversibly changed.
The sad reality is a number of species will become extinct this year without notice. We need to make changes now. Each day we need to think about the size of the eco footprint you will leave on planet earth. Reduce, reuse, recycle and restore whenever possible. When you brush your teeth do you leave the water running? What do you do with your newspapers, aluminum & plastic? Do you car pool? There are so many ways you can make a difference but it’s up to you to do it and encourage a friend, neighbor, school, business or community to get involved. Everything starts out small, but given the right environment it will grow and flourish.
By Jackie Worstell, Director ZooMontana
Pygmy goat Paloma gave birth to her little male kid Lucky last weekend. He joins Maria's female kid Robbie in the barn. Come see the zoo's new additions!
T. Renee Banks of Helena won the last web vote of the current photo contest.
Keep watching for details of which photos will be in the calendar. The web vote winners are not the same winners that go into the calendar. The zoo staff and director chose the winners for the calendar and each winner will receive a ZooMontana family membership!
