Animal Observation Internship at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

 

  

 Hello, I am Mackenzie Cashman! I am a Zoo and Conservation Science and Biology double major. I have always loved animals ever since I was a little girl, and I have such fond memories of going to the zoo with my family and friends. I decided that during my senior year at Otterbein, I was going to do an internship at the Columbus Zoo. The Animal Care Observation intern position was focused on recording animal behaviors in order to assess their welfare.

My first day in the internship, I was assigned a specific giraffe that we would be observing for 20 minutes each day. I was assigned a male giraffe named Logan, who was easily recognizable from a scar on the left side of his chest. During my internship, it was the off season for Heart of Africa, so the giraffes were all in their back barn. The barn stalls were then assigned names and numbers, such as community zone 1, stall 3, and yard A. Each observation session, I would monitor Logan’s movements, interactions, and bodily functions. This data is then used to see how much the giraffes are utilizing their enclosures.

During this internship, I was not observing every single species at the zoo. There are specific species that are known to perform stereotypic behaviors that we focused on. The animals were all over the zoo, not just in one area. In North America and the Polar Frontier, I observed the polar bears, brown bears, black bears, moose, cougars, wolverines, lynx, and the Mexican Wolves. My favorites from this area to observe were the brown bears, polar bears, and moose. The 2 polar bears at the zoo are named Aurora and Lee. Both of them love to swim and play with their enrichment, so I was watching to see which items they preferred. They have also both been known to pace, so we needed to keep track of when, where and how often they were pacing. The zoo is also hoping for some cubs, so we were on the watch for any mating behaviors. Brutus and Buckeye, the brother brown bears, tended to be asleep in their cave at the beginning of my internship, but by the end they were out in their yard playing and swimming. They like to swim, but don’t fish as often as the polar bears because they don’t like to get their ears wet. There are 4 moose at the zoo, Bert, Strawberry, Scarlet, and Violet. They had all been introduced to each other at the end of my internship, so we had been observing how they individually got along and how they reacted to the enclosures before they met. The moose are just so fun and it is entertaining watching them wade in the water and run around their enclosure.

In Asia Quest, I observed the elephants, sloth bears, tigers, red pandas, rhino, and tufted deer. My favorite species to observe were the elephants, rhino, and red pandas. There are currently 7 elephants at the zoo. Their names are Sabu, Hank, Sunny, Rudy, Connie, Phoebe, and Frankie. Frankie is still just a baby, so it is very fun observing him interacting with his mom, Phoebe, and the others. The red pandas were being observed pacing around the time of the Red Panda Experience. They were a special project, so I observed them for around 2 hours at a time.

In Australia and the Islands and the shores, I observed the manatees, tree kangaroos, binturongs, wombat, koalas, and weedy sea dragons. The weedy sea dragons are new to the zoo, so we were watching for any signs of stress. There were 16 weedy sea dragons, 4 adults and 12 juveniles. I also observed the leopards in the Congo section. The leopards are brothers and their names are Jaimie and Tyrion.  It was fun watching them because they are always climbing and interacting with each other.

Overall, I really enjoyed this internship and observing the many different species. I learned a lot about each animal and how the keepers work to improve their welfare. The staff I worked with was very helpful and made the process much easier. 

Interning at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary

 

Hi! My name is Linsey Orlovsky, and I am a senior Zoo and Conservation Science and Biology Double major. During my last semester at Otterbein, I interned at the Ohio Bird Sanctuary in Mansfield, Ohio as a Winter Intern. Not only does the Bird Sanctuary serve as a rescue, rehabilitation, and release facility, but it also serves as an accessible, educational, nature experience,  a great place to hike, and an even better place to go birding. On my last day, I saw three bald eagles!

As an Intern, I helped with all aspects of husbandry for over 40 bird species. This included completing tasks such as diet preparation, sanitizing enclosures, rehabilitation of sick and injured birds, safe handling, positive reinforcement training, and enrichment creation. Some of my non-bird chores involved general upkeep of the visitor center such as clearing sidewalks, sweeping, mopping, folding laundry, and doing dishes. I also had a weekly projects list that included tasks such as deep cleaning rooms, scrubbing enclosure wires, sifting mealworms, and wrapping/baking owl pellets. In addition, a large portion of my internship involved guest interaction. Whether I was working at the front desk, answering public questions, or presenting birds during Keeper Talks, I had many opportunities to engage with people of all ages.

Overall, I found my time at OBS extremely informative, rewarding, and valuable. I was trusted to have my own set of keys, radio, and was often asked to handle and care for birds on my own. While I greatly enjoyed this entire experience, some parts really stood out. My first favorite part was giving Keeper Talks. I started off by watching the staff and then began to handle birds while they spoke. I ended up giving over 12 independent presentations while holding 4 different raptor species on a glove.  I deeply enjoyed creating a fun and informative nature experience for all guests and the broader community. Another one of my favorite parts was training the birds. This involved learning how to handle multiple species, becoming familiar with falconry equipment,  and using positive reinforcement to get birds comfortable with handling and/or to accomplish behavioral goals such as flying from a perch to a glove. Over the course of my internship, I got to train with a black vulture, American kestrel, barred owl, red-tailed hawk, cedar waxwing, and red-shouldered hawk. It was so much fun to watch the birds learn and to be a part of the teaching process.

The best part of all was working up close with so many amazing species and getting to know their personalities. My favorite birds to work with were DJ the red-shouldered hawk and the cedar waxwings. Thanks to the support and opportunities provided by the team I worked with, I have grown professionally, enhanced my skills, and gained valuable hands-on experience.

 

Cheetahs, Dogs, and Goats. Oh my!

Hi Again!!
My name is McKenna Hancock and I am a Junior Zoo and Conservation Science and Biology Double Major at Otterbein University. I am currently a Dog Intern at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Otjiwarongo, Namibia. Yep! I am one of the two dog interns here at CCF. 
The project I was given is the dogs, everything pertaining to them and their care. I have been crazy busy since being given this position. For those of you who do not know, CCF has a livestock guarding program. What that entails is that we give farmers in the area a livestock guarding dog, specifically an Anatolian Shepard for a small ;fee. Then the farmers send their livestock out to graze with the dog and the dog protect the livestock at all cost. This project has given the farmers a tangible object to protect their livestock against large carnivores in the area. This means the farmers kill less of those large carnivores and Cheetahs, Leopards, and African Wild Dogs benefit from this program. There is about a two year waiting list for these dogs! 

So what do I do? I help feed the dogs, twice a day for most dogs and three times a day for the ones with puppies. I help take care of the puppies and weigh them every single day, as well as take the temperature and monitor the mothers that are pregnant and soon to give birth. Monday the 17th one of our females went into labor at around 5pm, being one of the dog interns I was tasked with sitting in with the mother and the dog staff monitoring as she gives birth. It was honestly one of the coolest experiences getting to sit in on the birth. While we were in there we recorded the time each puppy was born and any notable other things, like the mothers contractions and whether the puppies were suckling. From 5pm to 11am the next day Repet (the mother) had 11 puppies!!! It was a very long night but it was very worth it. After the birth I took to drawing out the chest markings on every puppy on a piece of paper and any other notable markings that could help us tell them apart. Along with a weight and a number that would help us monitor each puppy to make sure they are all healthy and gaining weight. These little 11 puppies will soon be saving Cheetahs in the wild. With the puppies we want them to care more about the livestock then they do about us, so they get goats in with them when they are still young. As well as we want to spend as little time with them as possible so they do not bond to humans but to the livestock. 

Alongside the puppies I am also doing parasitology on the dogs to make sure that they are healthy, basically we take a fecal from the dog and we "float" the fecal using the McMasters method. Then we view it under the microscope to see if we see any eggs from parasites in their fecal. It is a lot of work but it is something I have never done before and I probably would not have learned it if not for this place. 

Exploring the Lone Star State

Name: Keitha Lear
Class Year: Senior
Hometown: London, Ohio
Internship: Keeper Development Intern
Location: Dallas, Texas

I am now back in Ohio from spending 12 weeks in Dallas! It is crazy to me how fast this summer went by! It is so hard to say goodbye, even though I was ready to come home and see my family. There are a few updates since my last blog. My presentation on my research project went extremely well and everyone loved it! The other interns and I raised $21,000 for the Peregrine Fund with our conservation campaign!  In this blog, I will talk about the things I did outside of the zoo on my weekends! My "weekends" were Thursday and Friday and I actually enjoyed that because not a lot of people did fun things on those days. Also, grocery shopping during the weekday is not as busy!

On my weekends, I tried to do something every other week because I don't know how many times I would go back to Dallas. So, I wanted to do as much tourist-y things as I possibly could. Most of the time, I was by myself, which was super scary at first but I got used to it! Fortunately, Chelsey Butler had an internship in Fossil Rim and we saw each other frequently! I got to Dallas a week before my internship with my family to do a some sight-seeing. We went to the Sixth Floor Museum, where Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated John F. Kennedy. It was really interesting to learn more about the historic event, but I had constant chills down my spine! The next activity I did was go to the Fort Worth Zoo and to the Fort Worth Stockyards. The zoo was very nice and it had a small Texas town where the Texas-native animals lived! The Stockyards was a small old-fashioned town with bars, a rodeo, and they did cattle drives every day. It felt like I was in a Western movie! Fort Worth is the next neighboring city to Dallas and I definitely recommend that if you visit Dallas, you have to take a day or two to go to Fort Worth!


The next weekend, I went to a Texas Rangers baseball game. The Rangers played against the Cleveland Indians. And since I am a big Cincinnati Reds fan, it was inevitable that I go to this game! That was my favorite activity I did because I love baseball and there was something peaceful about watching a baseball game by yourself. What made the day even better was that the Rangers beat the Indians! The following weekend, I visited the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. The flowers were so pretty and they had many places to sit and read if you wanted. I took that time to play with my phone's camera and I got some amazing pictures that look professional!

I was very lucky to have the 4th of July off because it was a Thursday. I visited the state fairgrounds and got to see the fireworks inside the Cotton Bowl! The fireworks were definitely big and entertaining! The next weekend, I explored downtown Dallas and went to the Reunion Tower. It is a tower that gives a 360 degree view of the city. Again, it was an amazing thing to do when you like to take pictures. The following weekend, I visited Chelsey at Fossil Rim. Fossil Rim is a drive through safari park and we used Chelsey's staff vehicle and drove everywhere, including behind the scenes things! It was so fun to see Chelsey working where she always dreams of working! My last weekend in Dallas was spent with an aquarium intern named Bri, and we went to Billy Bob's which is the world's largest honky tonk. It was so much fun wearing cowboy hats and watching people square dance! They also had a rodeo! It was a great way to end my internship, Texas-style!

I truly loved my internship at the Dallas Zoo and having to get to do so many fun things outside of the zoo. I miss everyone already but I had a blast learning about the zoo world and I can't wait to learn more as I get older! Thank you to everyone who has been reading along! It was a lot of fun capturing my summer in the Lone Star State! Bye Y'all!

Securing a Future for Wildlife

Name:  Allison Gould

Class Year:  2021 

Hometown:  Pittsburgh, PA

Internship:  Conservation and Science Volunteer Intern

Location:  Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

            Today was the last day of my internship at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. This summer went by so quickly, but I am incredibly grateful for all the wonderful people I was able to meet and for everything I have learned! Since my last blog, a few things have stayed the same, but I have also had plenty of new experiences! 

            Every Monday, I met with Kym Gopp to discuss my various projects and just chat about how my internship was going. I also continued to collect data for the Giraffe Space Use and Animal Visibility studies. For a few weeks in June and July, I was also collecting data on the female Andean condor for an Andean Condor Space Use monitoring study similar to the giraffe research. I continued to attend the monthly Conservation and Science department meetings, and one of our department meetings was followed by a team engagement meeting where I learned about what the department is doing to make sure that everyone feels engaged in the work they are doing and with other departments within the zoo. Our weekly seasonal keeper/intern meetings with zoo staff were ongoing as well. We had conversations with leaders in the zoo including the head vet, lead animal curators, executive director, research curator, and deputy executive director. Over the course of these meetings we learned about the vet hospital and zoo veterinary care (and got a tour of the hospital), Cleveland’s AAZK chapter, animal collection management, what it takes to run a zoo, endocrinology research at the zoo, and professional development. These meetings were very helpful in learning about all the different aspects of a zoo and opening my eyes to the possibility of careers within the zoo field.  

           

            Over the last few weeks, I was tasked with a variety of projects that allowed me to get involved in many different areas of the Future for Wildlife programs, mostly the Lion and Cheetah, Illegal Wildlife Trade, and Andean Bear programs. I attended a Team Lion and Cheetah planning meeting for World Lion Day which was held on August 10. We went over the last details for the day and worked on wording for the on-site signage. I then volunteered on World Lion Day at the biofact and conservation table. We had iPads out on the table, and I showed guests the Snapshot Ruaha program and taught them how it works. I then passed out cards with the Snapshot Ruaha link so the guests could contribute to conservation at home too. 

World Lion Day photo ops - me with the lion mascot

For the Wildlife Trafficking Alliance (WTA), a coalition under AZA, I helped Kym to develop a list of “focus” species and taxa that are commonly trafficked, which WTA will use on their website to inform the public. To compile the list, we conducted a literature review of resources to justify the species and taxa we chose for the list. Also on the illegal wildlife trade front, I wrote a proposal and problem statement that Kym will submit for the Zoo to hold a Zoohackathon in the fall. The Zoohackathon brings together students, coders, and wildlife advocates to develop technology solutions that will help combat poaching and wildlife trafficking. 

            A lot has been happening as far as Andean bears, too! I just learned today that the Andean bear SAFE application was accepted and is now an official AZA SAFE program!!! A few weeks ago, I compiled a list of Andean bear engagement activities and programs that will be made accessible to SAFE partners to engage zoo staff and the public in Andean bear conservation. The list includes activities such as an Andean bear facial pattern matching game, having a camera trap selfie station, and shade grown coffee tastings. Many of these activities were also used during the first ever Andean Bear Day at the Zoo on July 21. Unfortunately, I could not help on the day itself, but I was quite involved in the planning process for Andean Bear Day. I went to two Team Andean Bear meetings to work on planning the event. I was also in charge of preparing the Make a Mask activity. Each Andean bear has its own unique facial pattern and they are often referred to as the “masked bear.” Guests, specifically kids, visiting the Zoo on Andean Bear Day could make their own Andean bear mask! After the supplies for the activity had been ordered, I cut out the felt pieces in different shapes and patterns to be attached to the masks and I created a few sample masks. From everything I heard, Andean Bear Day went very well. Afterwards, Kym had me write up a summary of the day and its activities, more detailed than the engagement list, that she will also be able to share with SAFE partners and those who want to hold their own Andean Bear Days in the future. 

Example of a mask and the felt shapes for the Make a Mask activity. 

Certified sustainable, shade grown coffee produced in the Andean bear range to highlight the threat of habitat loss for Andean bears (used for coffee tastings and sold in the Zoo gift shop). 

As mentioned in my last post, I worked on an independent research project. I had multiple research planning meetings with Kym and Laura, a graduate research associate in our office, to get everything for my project prepared and working properly. I created a guest survey to collect data on and better understand the public’s feelings and perceptions of zoos. I surveyed zoo guests for three weeks in July. The questions covered the topics of zoo visitation, perceptions and feelings about zoos, and knowledge of zoo professional accreditation, as well as general demographic questions. Last week, I presented my findings to the C&S department. The results showed that when people think about zoos, they think of animals. However, their reasons for going to zoos are predominantly entertainment-based. I also found that people rate zoo animal welfare on a range of very good to somewhat poor and are critical of welfare in zoos, but people rate zoo conservation efforts on a range from very effective to neutral and have a hard time understanding exactly what conservation is and means. There are many more results that I won’t go into now, but it was all very interesting to learn. Conducting the survey and the research was itself a great learning opportunity on how to write effective survey questions and conduct audience research. 

The paper and iPad surveys I used for my data collection. 

           

Every day at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo was different and exciting. I will miss my time spent at the zoo and with all the wonderful people of the Conservation and Science department. Here is one last list of the exciting projects and events I was a part of: 

• Attended Kym’s lecture to a Master’s class on primate conservation, specifically of the slow loris. 
• Compiled a report of the Cleveland AAZK Chapter’s contributions to conservation projects from 2000 to 2016. 
• Gave a short talk on the Zoo’s conservation programs to visiting interns from Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Museum of Natural History. 
• Created a “FFW in the News” newsletter highlighting the Zoo’s conservation partners to share with zoo staff and members. 
• Attended a brown bag lecture by and had lunch with Thuy Nguyen, Training and Animal Rescue Coordinator of the Asian Turtle Program in Vietnam.     

Giving a talk to visiting interns about the Zoo’s FFW conservation programs.

Cheetah Paparazzi

Kenzie Armstrong
Cincinnati, OH
Cheetah Conservation Fund
Otjiwarongo, Namibia

Pictured L to R: Cheetah Keeper Becky, me,
 Head Cheetah Keeper Lora

Hello! It’s Kenzie again! I am about 6 weeks into my 8 week internship here at the Cheetah Conservation Fund and have a few updates from my last post. A few weeks ago I was assigned the Head Husbandry Intern, which meant I would be working closely with the cheetah care team every single day to take care of all 36 cheetahs in CCF’s care. Working so closely with the cheetahs and the keepers has definitely been the highlight of my time here in Namibia. I’ve gotten to know each cheetah better, understanding their personalities and being able to tell them apart (a lot more difficult than you’d think).

Some might think that being on husbandry every day might become sort of monotonous but here at CCF there is always something new to experience. With it being the busy season, there are more and more guests and big tour groups coming every single day. This means more Behind The Scenes (BTS). BTS are a great way to give people a taste of what the keepers and I do every single day with the cheetahs. For a typical BTS, guests come with us on husbandry to help feed 10 of the 36 cheetahs. They ride in the back of the husbandry truck with myself or another intern and we drive to the enclosures, run the cheetahs, and throw them treats and their big piece of meat. This was a great opportunity to share information about the different cheetahs and well as how CCF is helping save the species with the different programs they run. Working the BTS really gave me the opportunity to work on my public speaking skills and be able to share with people from all around the world my passion for these wonderful cats.

Example PowerPoint slides

I am currently working on finishing up my two main projects that combine two of my passions, working with big cats and photography. Remembering the names and histories of 36 cheetahs is a challenge for anyone, especially new interns, so I wanted to create an easy and accessible way for new interns, staff, and working guests to learn all the information about the cheetahs. I am putting together an I.D. PowerPoint that will have the name, sex, age, history, defining characteristic and behaviors, roommates, fun facts, and photo for each cheetah. Below are examples of what the slides look like. The Care Team already had a basic outline with the information I needed so it was rather easy to put together. The hard part was taking all the photos (sometimes the cheetahs didn’t like the paparazzi). Luckily, I already had some photos of each cheetah from my other project, Sponsor Update Photos. Every 6 months or so CCF sends out update letters to all of those who sponsored a cheetah. Each letter contains a photo of the cheetah and it was my job to take the photos for this round of letters. Being responsible for photographing the cheetahs gave me the opportunity to become more familiar with each of the cats and be able to tell them apart more easily.

Example of Sponsor Update Photos
Pictured: Dominic, Ron, Livingston, phil, Polly, Sasha, Smartman, Jaya, Rohini

In my last couple weeks here at CCF, I will be busy finishing up projects and taking in as much of Africa as I possibly can. I am saving up my off days to go to Erindi, a private game reserve, for two days. CCF has a close relationship with Erindi and releases some of their cheetahs on their property. Hopefully I will be able to see some of the hard work CCF has done with rehabilitating these cheetahs.