Zoo Blog
Friday, March 16, 2012
 by Marketing Director, Holly Henry
Did you know that on Saturday, March 31 you can do something to change the world? By turning out your lights from 8:30 to 9:30 you will join millions of people across the world in an effort to take a stand against climate change. In 2011, Earth Hour saw hundreds of millions of people across 135 countries turn off their electricity for an hour. But it also marked the start of something new – going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action on climate change. With the power of social networks, organizers hope to build a global community committed to sustainability.  Earth Hour began in 2006, when WWF-Australia inspired Sydney-siders to show their support for climate change action in the first ever Earth Hour event. It was designed to show that everyone, from children to CEOs and politicians, had the power to change the world they live in. In March 2007 in Sydney, Australia, 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights out for one hour to take a stand against climate change. In 2008, the plan was to take Earth Hour to the rest of Australia. The city of Toronto, Canada, signed up and soon 35 countries and almost 400 cities and towns were part of the event.  With the invitation to ‘switch off’ extended to everyone, Earth Hour quickly became an annual global event. It’s scheduled on the last Saturday of every March – closely coinciding with the equinox to ensure most cities are in darkness as it rolled out around the Earth. The Lake Superior Zoo’s Green Team will celebrate Earth Hour 2012 on Sat., March, 31 with a special event from 7 to 9 p.m. The zoo will turn out its lights and have a bonfire, campfire chili and music, along with an educational presentation and lantern-lit walking tour. The Arrowhead Astronomical Society will be on hand with telescopes for viewing of the constellations. The city of Duluth will join the celebration by turning out the lights on the city’s iconic lift bridge.
posted by Keely Johnson
at
0 Comments
Friday, March 9, 2012
 by Zookeeper, Lizzy Johnson
Over the last three years as a zookeeper, people who meet me seem to have two different reactions when they hear of my profession. Many people exclaim “How cool! You get to play with animals all day!” all the rest give me a disgusted look and say “So you clean up poop all day?” Although a large portion of a zookeeper’s day is devoted to keeping the animals exhibits clean and enriching their lives, another large portion of being a zookeeper is research and learning. The Lake Superior Zoo currently houses many different species of animals. Each zookeeper has a particular area and group of species they work with and they are expected to know as much as they can about each one. They are the zoo’s “experts” in their species. The world is far from knowing everything about animals and research is being done all around whether at zoos, schools, or other organizations. One of the great things about working in the animal field is that most everyone’s main priority is the well-being of the animals they work with. This means that as new discoveries are made the researchers are thrilled to share the information they’ve learned with anyone who will listen. The more information is shared, the higher the quality of care that can be given to the animals.  One group of animals that I work closely with are the zoo’s birds. We currently have 15 different species of birds ranging from parrots to raptors to pheasants. To stay up-to-date on all the new ways to give the best care for birds I joined the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators. Recently, I was fortunate enough to represent the Lake Superior Zoo at this organization’s annual conference, which the Minnesota Zoo hosted. Bird enthusiasts from all over the world came together to share their research. One conference presenter, Chad Crittle, came from the Cairns Tropical Zoo in Australia and was more than a little shocked by our Minnesota weather.  During the four-day conference papers were presented on a range of topics that can be useful to anyone working with our avian friends. New enrichment options were discussed, such as a toilet paper perch which serves as a place for the bird to sit and a toy to tear apart (Laura Freeman, The Raptor Center). Michael Billington from The Raptor Center shared with us the newest discoveries in raptor vision; did you know that eagles can see three times better than humans? Even Steve Martin, a bird trainer for more than 30 years, came to share his newest training techniques and to learn from ours. Being a part of such a knowledgeable community is invaluable. As I mentioned before the zoo has 15 different species of birds and it would be impossible for me to know everything there is to know about each one. By being an active part of this community I am always one phone call away from talking to someone who does know all the answers and is happy to share them with the Lake Superior Zoo!
posted by Keely Johnson
at
0 Comments
Friday, March 2, 2012
 by Holly Henry, Director of MarketingWe here at the zoo are often reminded of what a privilege it is to work with the animals in our care. No matter what department we work in, we are all given the opportunity to get to know our residents and interact with them. How amazing it is that we can take our lunch break and watch the otters play or the brown bears eat? What an honor it is to watch polar bear training or witness a vet procedure on a snow leopard. How lucky am I to be able to bring Korbel, our double yellow headed parrot, into the marketing office for a chat? Some of the most fortunate staff members, of course, are our zoo keepers who work with these animals and enrich their lives on a daily basis. All staff hold our keepers in high regard and secretly (or not so secretly) wish we could be just like them! During our recent snowstorm, we had a brief opportunity to help the keepers and guess what? I quickly decided I didn’t want to be just like them! Those who could make it into the zoo braved 40 to 50 mile-an-hour winds and heavy, wet snow to feed the animals their diets, check on their welfare and shovel snow from the exhibits. When your job is to care for animals, there’s no such thing as a snow day. After all, brown bears and tigers need to eat!  After about 20 minutes of shoveling the barnyard I realized why zoo keepers don’t wear mascara (can you say raccoon face?) and why they dress like Inuits. While many of us imagine their lives to be quite glamorous and exotic, the truth is they work very hard in some pretty tough conditions. Slinging bales of hay, filling icy water bowls and trying to open frozen locks is not for sissies. Remarkably, our keepers carry out these tasks with smiles on their faces and a delightful willingness to help one another.  I can’t tell you how many times during the blizzard I heard cheerful radio chatter from keepers and grounds crew. “I’ll be right there.” “Does anyone need any help?” I was impressed with both their teamwork skills and their hardiness.  Today I am back in my 68-degree office, donning mascara and lipstick, sore from my brief stint of shoveling and armed with even more admiration for our animal care team. While National Zoo Keeper Week takes place in the much balmier month of July (July 19 – 25) it’s worth remembering to thank these dedicated individuals year-round!
posted by Keely Johnson
at
1 Comments
Monday, February 20, 2012
 written by Holly Henry, Director of Marketing
Most everyone has either heard of or read about the vast amount of garbage and plastic that exists in oceans around the world.
By some estimates, 46,000 pieces of plastic trash float in every square mile of ocean, with huge quantities coming together to form “islands.” One of those, named the Eastern Garbage Patch, midway between Hawaii and California, is estimated to be twice the size of Texas.
Think about that. A plastic island twice the size of Texas! While I’ve read about this environmental disaster it never seemed real to me. Sure we’ve talked about it at our Green Team meetings; we’ve encouraged responsible use of products here at the zoo. Still the thought that garbage could actually wash up in a long, colorful line along the beautiful sandy beaches seemed incomprehensible.  Then I visited Mexico and walked along a beach covered with everything from toothpaste tubes, glue and soft drink containers, flip-flops, pieces of carpet and plastic forks and spoons. It was impossible to take off your shoes and feel the sand between your toes without getting stabbed by debris. Oddly, upon close inspection, many of these items had recycle emblems on them. The littered beach scene runs endlessly along the southern Yucatan Peninsula and elsewhere in Mexico. There are brief reprieves in front of resorts, where staff tend to the beaches with garbage bags and rakes several times a day. Ironically, all of the poolside drinks and meals are delivered to resort guests in, you guessed it, plastic containers! In its simplest form, the trash on these beaches looks bad. But far more impactful and far-reaching, this garbage threatens the mangroves and coral reef eco-systems of these fragile and naturally beautiful landscapes.  I’ve long remembered this story from my childhood: One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?" The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die." "Son," the man said, "Don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!" After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, "I made a difference to that one." Never has the story ever resonated so clearly with me as it did when I saw the garbage on these beaches. One of us can not fix our environmental disasters. Each of us, however, can make a difference. Not only have I resolved to stop and pick up every errant piece of garbage from now on, I will also curb my use of plastic and step up my recycling efforts. I hope you will join me in this effort! For 101 other ways to help the ocean visit www.marinebio.org.
posted by Keely Johnson
at
0 Comments
Thursday, February 2, 2012
 Written by Anya Russom
I’ve been afforded some pretty incredible travel opportunities in my life, most recently the chance to participate in a three week study abroad workshop in Bali, Indonesia. The course was sociological in structure and intent on questioning the relationship between traditional Balinese culture and the tourism industry that drives their economy. Before leaving, we were asked by our professor to choose a topic that would be the focal point of our research while abroad. I, having been involved with the zoo for close to ten years, chose to look at the environmental effects of tourism and animal welfare throughout the country.  My program was focused in a centrally located town, called Ubud. It, like so much of the country, is surrounded by gorgeous forests filled with banana and coconut trees and valleys that are so beautiful, they’ll make your head spin. While there, I grew to understand and appreciate a new kind of natural beauty. I’ve lived in the Northland all my life, and it will always be lovely, but really, who wants pine when you can have papaya? It’s the kind of landscape that makes you question whether or not it could possibly even exist. It’s also the kind of place that uses its beauty in order to attract and deter from obvious blemishes that are found within.  The environment in Bali is suffering, tremendously. There is garbage everywhere, with the worst problem being the amount of plastic. In the past, the Balinese relied on banana and palm leaf as plates, bags, parcels, etc. which would be dropped and discarded whenever the user was finished. However, the surge of tourism also brought with it an increase in foreign materials, plastic especially, and unfortunately, the change in materials did not bring with it a change of mind. Discarded trash is choking the environment, clogging irrigation systems, being eaten by local wildlife, and poisoning the earth.  There is a belief in Bali that any place which houses an unusual grouping of animals constitutes something sacred. In Ubud, there is a section of forest called the Sacred Monkey Forest, wherein live hundreds of crab-eating macaques. These monkeys are opportunistic omnivores, meaning they will eat nearly anything edible that comes their way. Now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bali, the monkey forest draws in hundreds of tourists a day, many of whom bring in food for the monkeys to eat. I, myself, walked through the forest twice a day in order to walk to and from town. However, in addition to the fruits and veggies that people bring in and distribute, the monkeys also have access to water bottles, bags, and other harmful materials that they ingest without question. The once sacred monkey forest has now become a tourist commodity, and though the monkeys are friendly and well-fed, they are also subject to the foreign materials brought in to the forest each day. During my trip, I was able to visit several places of interest to my studies, one of them being the THK (Tri Hita Karana) Environmental group. The main proponents of the group are located in a sustainable coop made from bamboo and human hair-infused cement. They have an earthworm farm to help them compost and irrigate, chickens for food, pigs for pets, and have easy access to their organic red rice farm. The group focuses on three main components of Balinese philosophy that reflect a harmonious relationship between God, people, and nature. Their cause is to help heal the environment and correct the attitudes of local residents, with an emphasis on teaching children the importance of sustainable living. Their hope is that the younger generations will become proactive in the conservation of their environment. To learn more about the THK organization, please visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tri-Hita-Karana-Bali/104417314133?sk=info  Another stop on my journey was BAWA (Bali Animal Rescue Association), which is focused on rehabilitating, vaccinating, and spay/neutering dogs and cats in Bali. While there, I met and spoke with several Australian volunteers, all of whom were participating in two week to two year volunteering programs and help to run the clinic and storefront offices. Several years ago, a wide-spread rabies outbreak in Balinese dogs caused a mass panic. To combat the disease, many people started destroying infected animals, which led to a rise in the rat population across the country, and with it brought disease. BAWA stepped in to help battle the disease and help to preserve Bali’s local animal life. Their cause helps to educate those who do not understand how to properly care for animals and also strives to protect the living population of animals all over Bali. To learn more about BAWA, please visit http://www.bawabali.com  What I learned from my experience is that it’s not about eliminating tourism from Bali. International tourism is what the country depends on, and whether you’re backpacking, spa touring, or attempting to eat, pray, and love, I firmly believe that everyone should experience what Bali has to offer. Honestly, most of the BAWA and THK’s volunteers were once tourists themselves, not to mention myself. What’s important is finding a balance that serves to maintain the tourist industry without depleting Bali’s natural beauty. I mean, that’s why people go in the first place. Arriving, I was ignorant; departing, I’m inspired. I want to take what I learned and apply it to my life at home, and I’m lucky enough to be in the perfect position to do just that. My adventures in Bali didn’t end when I landed back in Minnesota. I’ve just started the next leg of the journey.
posted by Keely Johnson
at
0 Comments
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
 written by Susan Wolniakowski, Guest Services Director
It’s no secret that here at the zoo we are surrounded by animal lovers. Whether you are office staff, zoo-keeping staff, volunteer staff, or a guest, you find yourself filled with empathy for the furry creatures. Our guest services staff is always fielding calls from caring, concerned individuals who’ve stumbled upon injured, lost or abandoned critters. Seeing an animal in distress tugs at your heart strings and the instinct is to instantly reach out and help. There’s a need to heal the injured, calm the scared and vulnerable, and stabilize the needy. When we look into their begging, hurt eyes our very soul it seems, is reflected back at us. I wonder how different this world would be if we applied that same instinct to our human counter-parts? Unlike animals, when it comes to humans, our instinct seems to be to stop and try to make a judgment call. Why is this person in a predicament? Is it somehow by a fault of their own? If we see a black bear in town, up a tree and frightened, the community will rally to get it to a safe place. No one looks away snapping, “Well, it’s his own fault, he shouldn’t have wandered into town. If he didn’t opt for the easy food offered by neighborhood birdfeeders and instead hunted and foraged for his food, he’d be just fine”! I recently read a blog written by a mom who, faced with a difficult child, chose to use a harness on him when they were out in public. The looks she received clearly showed the judgment that was being passed on her. No one had ever offered to help her control or keep an eye on her child because they were too busy judging what she was doing wrong, and what errors she might be committing in raising the child. When she finally did have an offer of help at a playground, it was a s  triking event. Think about it- how many stories have you heard about a baby duck that’s wandered away from its mother, and a group of folks go great lengths to rescue the baby duck and send it back on its way with mom and the family? There’s no judgment about how mama duck is using bad duckling raising techniques, and deserves to lose one of her brood. Zookeepers and folks in the animal care field deal with temperamental animals on a daily basis. If an animal is feeling sick, or tired or scared and lashes out injuring someone we are all empathetic towards both keeper and animal. There is complete understanding that a skittish animal that has experienced stress in its life will need to be worked with in order for it to be calm and confident once again. We understand that it is compassion and caring that bring about a transformation, not anger and blame from its care-takers. So why can’t we be that way with humans? Why look with disdain upon someone who is angry, difficult or needy, or who has possibly wounded our self esteem with their demeanor? Instead why can’t we just ask ourselves what we can do to help? What can we do to make their lives better, even if just for a moment? Should it matter if the difficulties faced by that person are of their own making? Should we be comparing their parenting or life skills with ours, measuring them with the rest of society in order to determine if they’re worthy of help? Or should we look into their eyes, reach out and let ourselves instinctually lend comfort to another human being who is lost or feeling lost, neglected or feeling neglected, injured physically or mentally and let it tug at our heart strings?
posted by Keely Johnson
at
0 Comments
Friday, January 13, 2012
 Written by Holly Henry, Director of Marketing I have one mitten in my desk drawer. It’s a beautiful knitted mitten, never worn and made of colors I like. I got the mitten as a gift at our staff Christmas party. The rules were we had to re-gift (recycle) something we had around the house and tell the recipient its story. At the Lake Superior Zoo that, indeed, is part of our overall mission – to tread lightly on the earth and reduce, reuse, recycle.  The mitten came with this note: “I knitted this mitten four years ago and never finished its pair. It is truly one of a kind.” Among other gifts exchanged were wine glasses, a hat, a handmade purse, a statue of a fairy with a mustache and, well, you get the idea. The gifts ranged from practical to hilarious and we shared laughs, stories and lunch as we exchanged them. Everyone enjoyed giving and receiving their treasures. As I’ve aged I’ve started to evaluate the usefulness of most material things in my life. Do I really need two coffee pots, a cheesecake pan (I’ve never even made a cheesecake), 12 hats, two cheese graters and enough black suits to attend a funeral a day for a year? No. Nor do I need a closet full of fashionable clothes from my previous job when I now dress like the Crocodile Hunter every day for my job at the zoo.  And so, I decided some time last year to evaluate what was important in my life and give other things away (Goodbye Coach purse, duplicate copy of The Sand County Almanac and rarely-worn black fleece jacket.) My life is less cluttered now and turns out others seem to truly enjoy these pre-loved items. It really is true that “One man’s trash, is another man’s treasure.” Becoming unattached from material things is such a freeing process. Try it for just one day. You’re likely to find out that you can live without a lot of “things.” Beware though. As with most things in life, the more you give away, the more that comes back to you. For instance, a co-worker has now offered to knit me the other mitten!
posted by Keely Johnson
at
0 Comments
|
blog archives :
previous posts :
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom]
|
|
