Vol. 48 No.2 Summer 2015
Oh baby!
ZOOVIEW
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2014 -2015 President Jason Ito Vice Presidents Paul Dyson Reid Hinaga Simone Perez Kenneth Kanter Treasurer Karen Francis Secretary Ryan Mukai Past President Tom Ocasek Board Members Sherry Broder Mary Benson Angela Eberhardt Kim Hehir Melanie Long Aimee Lum Toni Maehara Glenna Owens Tara Spagnoli Barry Sullivan Aimee Tadaki Sisi Takaki Barry Wallace Non-voting Ted Otaguro HZS STAFF Executive Director Ted Otaguro Director of Administration Amanda LaGoy Programs Coordinator Sarah Stebbing Director of Volunteers Barbara L. Thacker Director of Membership Judy Dugan Director of Education Programs Kelly Reno Programs Manager Connie Brown Outreach Coordinator Marissa Lee Docent and Animal Enrichment Coordinator Shelby Carlos Contributing Photographers Susan Arbuthnot Irina Blok Shelby Carlos Becky Choquette Manny Dayao Rod Kuba Charles Lee Kelly Reno Mark Tanimoto
ZooView Design & Production Empowered Presentations
ON THE COVER - Cover photo by Susan Arbuthnot The Honolulu Zoo welcomed the first ever birth of a baby sloth on April 21. The Linnaeus’s sloth is one of two, two-toed sloth species and lives exclusively in the warm, moist environments of the South American rainforests. Our sloth family is on display near the front of the zoo to the left past the gift shop.
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Visit us on our Facebook page “Honolulu Zoo Society” for all the latest information on what’s happening at the Zoo. For more information or to contact us: Honolulu Zoo Society 151 Kapahulu Ave. Honolulu, HI 96815 www.honoluluzoo.org phone:808 926-3191 - Fax: 808 926-2622
CONTENTS 03 President’s Message Jason Ito 05 Director’s Note Baird Fleming, DVM 06 Zoo Bits 09 In Search of the Giant Salamander 11 Volunteers 2015 Volunteers of the year Volunteer Updates 13 Rocking Ramon Volunteer spotlight 14 Resources Education Outreach 15 Education Programs 2015 Keiki Camps 17 The Wildest Show in Town!
pResident
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Aloha Honolulu Zoo Society Members, As this fiscal year comes to a close, I want to say thank you. As one of a core group of 11,000 loyal members, your support continues to sustain the Honolulu Zoo Society and our efforts in supporting the Honolulu Zoo. Your love of the animals and the beautiful surroundings they live in, plus your strong desire to be a supporter are truly commendable. It has been a pleasure to have served on the Board of Directors for five years and as your Board President for the last four years. I am truly grateful to the dedicated staff of Society employees who commit themselves toward being the best each and every day, delivering the highest level of quality across all Society activities (education, volunteer, conservation, membership). In addition, our passionate and committed Board of Directors dedicate a tremendous amount of personal time and energy to help guide the Society. They continually go the extra mile to generate the much needed additional financial support through friends, colleagues, and business associates to benefit the Honolulu Zoo. I am truly proud to be a part of this incredible team! In our Cooperative Agreement with the City and County of Honolulu, the Society’s primary mission is education, conservation, membership, volunteers and fundraising; all of which are important requirements of the Honolulu Zoo’s Association of Zoos & Aquarium accreditation which we are committed to support. We, as your community voice for the Zoo, want to assure you that our Society’s ultimate goal is to support the success of the Honolulu Zoo to ensure that the animals are well cared for and that the community continues to have a place where it can learn about the world’s wildlife. We really couldn’t do what we do without you. In fact, your support is ultimately important as we continue to enhance the Honolulu Zoo’s value not only in its accreditation process but also in its role as an important community resource. We sincerely appreciate your support as a Honolulu Zoo Society member. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on how we can better serve you as a member. I look forward to seeing you at the Honolulu Zoo.
With our deepest thanks,
Jason Ito, President Honolulu Zoo Society 3
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With the year coming to a close, I’m pleased to share the following results of our last four years:
+ Generated $694,000 of direct funding to benefit the Honolulu Zoo. + Stewardship of $1,181,340 (reptile house, animal acquisition, donor strategy) to benefit the Honolulu Zoo. + Converted our ZooView publication to an electronic, sustainable version to share Zoo updates. + Implemented our volunteer Docent Program to improve and enhance the visitor experience. + Expanded our Outreach Program to include Senior Care facilities. + Expanded our Day Camp curriculum to include more animal encounters and hands on activities. + Expanded our Conservation outreach to impact the ecosystems of endangered species housed locally at the Zoo (Africa, Borneo, China, Japan, Madagascar). + Increased foundation and corporate charitable gifts, including multiple donations from the Halligan Foundation, Gift Foundation of Hawaii, Atherton Foundation, Kosasa Foundation, Bank of Hawaii, Honolulu Ford, Aloha Petroleum, Douglas Trade Shows, Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts and many, many more. + Collaborated with the City in developing the Zoo-themed automobile license plate program.
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Aloha from the Director’s office! On behalf of your Zoo, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support. The next twelve months are looking to be a very busy time here at the zoo. The new hippo filtration project will come online, we are acquiring some African penguins from mainland zoos, additional children’s play equipment will be added to the playground area, two elephant shade structures will be erected, and last but not least, our new reptile and amphibian complex will be built housing our Asian Giant Salamanders (whew). And this is all just in time for our centennial in 2016! So come on by and enjoy your zoo. I’m sure you will find something new and thanks again for your loyal support.
Warmest aloha,
Baird Fleming, DVM
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ZOO BITS Goliath –RIP - American alligator Goliath passed away on April 29, 2015. Believed to be the oldest alligator in captivity, Goliath was brought to the Honolulu Zoo in 1953 by the zoo’s first Zoo Director Paul Breese from an alligator farm in San Antonio, Texas. As an apex predator, Goliath thrilled zoo visitors – old & young alike - for over 60 years, and will be sorely missed!
Ekundu & Moxy are Empty Nesters! Female cubs, Iolana and Alohi left the Honolulu Zoo on May 20 for the long journey to their new home at the AZA accredited “Zoo Leon” in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. Male cub Kekoa departed a year earlier to his new home at the Cameron Park Zoo in Texas.
Photo credit: Irina Blok
Sweet Baby Siamang!
Born on April 29, 2015 to parents Elvis and Mahina, our swinging siamang family now totals 4 individuals. Considered endangered due to loss of habitat, siamangs live most of their lives in trees and are the largest, darkest and noisiest of nine species of gibbon.
on Salt Lake Blvd. Discovered by the side of the road t of Agriculture, Crabitha the in 2014 and turned into the Departmen home at the Honolulu Zoo. CocoCoconut crab has been granted a new oughout the Indian Ocean and parts nut crabs are native to islands thr sive species in Hawaii. They are of the Pacific but considered an inva classified in the same category as the world’s largest arthropods and spiders and insects.
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e Big Island Zoo by way of th lu lu no Ho e th to though considered Eloise came Eloise, the Emu!t of Agriculture’s amnesty program.liaAl. Known to be both en Austra and the Departm national bird of e th an hour in is u em e th n up to 40 miles ru so al n illegal in Hawaii, ca ild w le, emus in the n eggs! curious and doci lay emerald gree so al ey Th . ts short burs
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GIANT d n a m a l e a R s tte, Reptile Keeper Becky Choque
in search of the
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In the beginning, before the reign of the lizard kings, land was conquered by amphibians. Giant salamandrid creatures ruled the steamy swamps, ambushing their prey and devouring it whole. I am on a quest to find a living relic of that age, one of the last survivors of an ancient lineage. The fall colors in the Chugoku Mountains of Japan are breath-taking, like nothing this Hawaii-raised girl has ever seen. My teacher, guide, and new-found friend, noted salamander researcher Yuki Taguchi, has been driving for four hours now. We left the city of Hiroshima and the Asa Zoo behind, where Yuki works as an animal keeper caring for, among other animals, the zoo’s breeding population of Japanese Giant Salamanders. We are heading for a one kilometer long stretch of the Ichikawa River, where we will do two night surveys – finding, capturing, measuring, weighing, checking ID, and then releasing – as many giant salamanders as we can.
The previous day I met salamanders in all stages of development, from eggs laid in an artificial breeding chamber constructed off a small irrigation stream in a rice field, to tiny hatchlings, to adorable two year old babies, to the warty and wrinkly adults.
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Japanese giant salamanders, the second-largest salamander species in the world (Chinese giant salamanders are the largest), can grow to be around 5 feet long and weigh over 50 pounds, although the average size is much smaller.
They start life as an egg about the size of a garbanzo bean, and hatch into a tiny gilled larva. The larval salamanders grow slowly, eventually losing their gills and developing the flattened, wrinkly, body of an adult. It takes them about 20 years to reach breeding age, and they have been documented to live 70 years and can possibly live even longer!
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Chugoku Mountains of Japan
I had spent the previous day with Yuki, touring Asa Zoo and learning everything I could about the salamanders and their care. Asa and Honolulu are sister zoos, as Hiroshima and Honolulu are sister cities, and we are preparing to bring Japanese giant salamanders to Honolulu so they can be displayed for the people of Hawaii when the new reptile and amphibian complex opens. I have always loved this species and I’m excited to get to meet them at the Asa Zoo and in the wild! Japanese giant salamanders are considered a near-threatened species by the IUCN. Their habitat, fast-flowing mountain streams, has been impacted by agricultural development. In the past they were harvested as a food source, but in 1951 the Japanese government designated the species a special natural monument. Although harvesting has ended, a new threat has emerged- hybridization with introduced Chinese giant salamanders. The hybrids grow larger and faster than the native Japanese giant salamanders, monopolizing the environment and sometimes eating the slightly smaller Japanese giants.
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We arrive at our survey sight, aglow with autumn color and lit by the slanting rays of the afternoon sun. We don rubber waders over our jeans, as even though the air temperature is currently mild, the water is cold. We walk the one kilometer survey area during the day to check the river conditions and get the lay of the area. The water is fast-flowing, the stream bed slippery in some spots, and there are deep, clear pools to be avoided. The salamanders are nocturnal, hiding in dens under the riverbanks during the day. They come out at night to hunt fish and other stream-dwellers like crabs, shrimp, and frogs. They will even eat vertebrate prey like small rodents if they can catch it. Being ambush predators, their brown and black mottled skin blends in with the rocky stream beds, where they wait patiently for something to swim or float by, capturing it with a powerful sideways strike and suctioning it into their giant mouths. It is breeding season, and some of the male salamanders are probably guarding nests full of eggs and young. Yuki points out the location of one of last year’s dens, and I imagine a salamander dozing in its home, unaware of our presence as we walk by.
Completing the day walk up the stream, Yuki and I retire to our lodging to eat dinner and prepare for the night survey. We’re staying in a beautiful, traditional 80 year old farmhouse set in the midst of daikon fields that has been renovated and is now the Japanese equivalent of a bed and breakfast. Our meal of sukiyaki is made with fresh, locally harvested ingredients. After dinner, Yuki settles in to record the data from the previous night’s survey. He has been studying Japanese giant salamanders for five years. His research has earned him a doctorate, and in conjunction with Dr. Tochimoto of the Hanzaki Institute, they have over 30 years worth of data on Japanese giant salamanders in the wild. That data is invaluable – in order to protect the species, we need to know how it lives. We need to understand it. Only then can we make meaningful decisions on how to conserve it. For example, understanding that the salamanders sometimes get washed downstream during floods and then can’t get back up because of agricultural dams. This has led to building special “salamander ladders” next to the dams that the animals can use to travel back to their home streams. Regular surveys can tell us if a population is growing or in decline, and if things like salamander ladders next to dams actually work (they do!). Our first night survey took place in a tiny, overgrown irrigation
stream running through a rice field a little way outside of Hiroshima city. Yuki led, locating and capturing the salamanders while I recorded the data. We found a large individual close to three feet long! It was amazing to see an animal that big living in a stream barely four feet across, but he (males are larger than females and have a swollen ring around their cloaca in breeding season) seemed to be quite happy living there, and it is very common to find large individuals in what would appear to be small streams. Night falls, and Yuki and I gather up our gear and head out for the river. The temperature has dropped into the high 30s, and cloud cover has shrouded us in darkness. This is not last night’s babbling stream. The river runs fast, wide, and cold. Yuki and I separate, each to one side of the river, and for a moment I’m afraid. Then my world shrinks to the six foot circle of light cast by my flashlight and I begin scanning, back and forth, over the rock-strewn river bottom. Within minutes, I see it. My first wild salamander! The first one I have found! And the first one I get to catch! This time, I catch the salamander, scooping it up out of the water and carrying it to the side of the river, where I weigh it, measure it, and check its microchip and gender. Yuki records the data, smiling. Then we release it and watch it prowl away across the river bottom, in search of its next meal.
Yuki and I completed three night surveys (one in the stream outside of Hiroshima, two in the Ichikawa River). We collected data on a total of 24 salamanders, three of which were new to the survey areas, which is an encouraging sign for the population. I got to step out of my role as senior zookeeper and experience something new and wonderful – collecting data on an animal in the wild. It was an amazing adventure, and I returned with a new appreciation for Japanese giant salamanders and renewed resolve to do my best to help this ancient species survive into the future! My thanks go out to everyone involved who helped make this happen – my patient teacher and guide, Yuki Taguchi, the Asa Zoo crew, Laura Debnar, Dr. Baird Fleming, the Honolulu Zoo crew and funding from the Honolulu Zoo Society.
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The Honolulu Zoo Society presented the Volunteer of the Year 2015 award to the US Navy’s Junior Enlisted Organization (JEO) in recognition of an especially busy year of service to the Honolulu Zoo. In addition to their long standing monthly commitment to rake, weed, paint, clean, build, organize, and schlepp anything the Zoo needs, JEO’s support was invaluable at our gala fundraiser “Zoofari” and in the construction of the Haunted House for “Boo in the Zoo.” Congratulations & MAHALO!
JEO volunteers from left to right: Dominic Procarione, Stephanie Burkhardt, Gary Russell, Kyle Hennessey, Sandra Uribe and Antonio Grimm.
Animal Keeper staff Brian Underwood, Chris Kehlor and Tony Cabianca join Mammal section volunteers Kathy & Chuck Woody, Annie Hoag & Leslie Monteville
Mammal section volunteers Diane Sakamoto & Mark Wilson
Keiki Zoo volunteers Elle Kortegast and Olivia Crayton flank “Zoo Talkers” Katy Kortegast and Christine Listerud
Keiki Zoo volunteers Joan Kent and Phyllis Adriano
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General Contractor John Gestrich lead the C4 construction team that produced the puzzle feeders our chimpanzees and giraffes.
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3 Professional painter Laka Carpenter supervised the painting crew that refreshed the zoo’s wishing wells and added happy animal art.
The C4 Christ Centered Community Church formerly known as New Hope Diamond Head came to the Honolulu Zoo on Saturday, March 14 for an extraordinary day of community service! Led & organized by the indefatigable Lei Rol, over 100 church members quickly grouped themselves into 7 teams and worked with enthusiasm and aloha to accomplish a long list of tasks! Included in the day’s many achievements were installing a new tent tarp on the Park Headquarters docent station, painting wishing wells, recycling bottles & cans, assembling & painting bird houses, organizing education supplies, preparing a planting bed for keiki camps and last but not least, the expert construction of puzzle feeders for our chimpanzees and giraffes! Phew! What a day! MAHALO NUI LOA to C4 Church!
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Karen Totoki rallied young and old alike to organize all of our education program supplies and repurpose donations for animal enrichment.
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Zoo volunteer Jim Pompano helped C4 families assemble and paint new bird houses for upgraded privacy and egg security!
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Guy Toriki and his group of expert knot-tiers had the new Park Headquarters tent tarp up & secured in no time!
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Pictured left: Volunteer Ramon Ramales and one-on-one trainer Joyce Kuniyuki
Ramon Ramales is a student at the Hawaii School for the Deaf & Blind in Honolulu and a volunteer at the Keiki Zoo since January 2014. Every Wednesday he makes the ¼ mile walk to the Zoo with his one-on-one trainer Joyce Kuniyuki and donates his time to help keep the Keiki Zoo a clean and welcoming place. Born deaf at birth and blind in his right eye, Ramon communicates with his family by writing notes, but when he’s at school, he and his teachers have a remarkable means of communicating called tactile interpreting. To the casual observer it looks like using sign-language in the palm of one another’s hands. Once Ramon and Joyce arrive at the Zoo, Keiki Zoo Animal Keeper Linda Meier who is also proficient in American Sign Language provides additional support and camaraderie. Joyce is quick to point out, however, that Ramon is very independent and having learned the routine, moves around the Keiki Zoo by himself with his bucket of soap and water to efficiently accomplish the day’s chores. By lunch time, Ramon has cleaned all the benches and graphics in the public areas of the Keiki Zoo, and the staff is grateful for a job well done. According to Joyce, Ramon has “really grown a lot since volunteering in the Keiki Zoo. Initially he was sore from all the walking, bending & stretching but he’s learned to pace himself, and has become stronger.” When I asked Ramon to identify his favorite Keiki Zoo animal, he began with the chickens, then ducks, then donkeys before signing that, in fact, he likes ALL the animals! What’s his favorite animal in the whole Zoo? Ramon doesn’t hesitate and makes the sign for lions. “Why”, I ask? “Because they are strong!” Strong and inspiring - just like Ramon!
Strong like a lion!
Mahalo Ra mon!
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I’m d n a , e e L a s is r a Hi my name tisreMach Coordinator. the new Ou We have revamped this essential education program and have been really busy! We have many different outreaches to offer to schools, care homes, and community events. Our goal is to reach and educate as many kids and adults as possible about animals, their habitats and conservation efforts. One of the programs that we offer is “Animals A-Z,” which talks about the differences between birds, mammals, and reptiles. Another popular presentation is “Animal Adaptations,” which focuses on how an animal’s environment shapes the way an animal looks, behaves, and survives! We also promote a different kind of outreach where we make enrichment items such as paper mache balloons, or boxes in the form of an animal that are painted and decorated. These items are used back at the Zoo with various animals such as chimps, tigers, lions, and orangutans. At elementary and middle schools, I can tailor our programs to the teacher’s needs. I did a talk for Mililani Uka Elementary, where I brought various ocean related biofacts and algae to talk about invasive algae and ocean food webs. But we don’t just visit schools! We have extended our reach to nursing and care homes as a way to bring the Zoo to residents that cannot make it to the Zoo. And we do attend events. I participated in the Bishop Museum’s Science Alive Event: Water of Life, which focused on freshwater and marine animals. Although we charge a nominal fee to most schools, all Title I schools are funded through the Honolulu Zoo Society. Hospitals, hospice, nursing homes, and retirement center visits are also free through generous donations.
Mahalo to Honolulu Ford & Aloha Gas for sponsoring our wild and wonderful “Zoo to You” van!
If you are interested in having an Outreach, please email us at outreach@honzoosoc.org!
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PROGRAMS
Keiki attending both the Winter and Spring Camps should have noticed a big change in the program. Education Staff have been hard at work both creating new curriculum and updating existing in order to provide new and exciting educational opportunities. Themes such as “Arctic and Antarctic” expose Keiki to animals and habitats not previous discussed, while new biofacts, activities, and content have really helped to make a difference in our existing themes. So if you haven’t already signed up for this summer, you better hurry—tickets are going fast!
Summer 2015: June 8 - August 14
Loyal keiki who attended the winter and spring camps may have noticed big changes to our programs! Education staff have been hard at work creating new curriculum in order to provide new and exciting educational opportunities. Themes such as “Arctic and Antarctic” expose keiki to animals and habitats not previously discussed, while new biofacts, activities, and content have really helped to make a difference in our existing themes. So if you haven’t already signed up for this summer, you better hurry—tickets are going fast!
Summer camp
life Koas will d il W d n a a Lo i m ‘I e keiki using Camp Menehune, th e g a g n e d n a s e them chnology te d n follow the weekly a ts u o b -a lk a ssions, w games, crafts, discu e group. This is a tentative ag appropriate to each e without notice. g n a ch to ct je b su schedule, themes
JUNE 8-12 JUNE 15-19
JUNE 22-26
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Arctic & Antarctic Animals
Learn about the similarities and differences between the Arctic and Antarctic and the animals that live there.
Animal Anatomy
Learn about the interior and exterior of animals and how they adapt to their environment.
Creepy Crawlers of the World
Learn about insects, retiles and other creepy crawlers and their role in the environment.
JUNE 29 -JULY 3
JULY 6-10
JULY 13-17
Flying Wild
Learn all about the species that fly from bats, birds to reptiles.
Kids for Conservation
We’ll be working to inspire your keiki to become Wildlife Koa (wildlife warriors, Hawaiian style) and conservation leaders. By thinking globally and acting locally, we can work together to Malama I Ka ‘Aina, take care of the Earth.
Fragile Islands
Learn about the threats to island species and the unique challenges an island ecosystem.
JULY 20-24
JULY 27-31 AUG 3-7
AUG 10-14
Biomes of the World
Animals and plants adapt to the environment where they are found. This week, we’ll take a journey through the exhibits at the zoo and how we try to recreate a little piece of the native habitats of our special creatures.
Archeology and Paleontology
Learn the difference between Archeology and Paleontology and all about Dinosaurs. Which Dinosaurs were herbivores and which ones were carnivores? Why did all the dinosaurs disappear?
Under the Sea
Underneath the ocean lies a whole other world. Learn about all the different species and their roles in this underwater journey.
Jr. Field Researcher
Learn some of the skills and methods of research needed to observe animals and their behaviors in the zoo and in the wild. Learn about the Scientific Method as well as how Scientists classify animals.
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UKU GIVE LELE AWA YS
$3 Y L ON
2015
THE WILDEST SHOW IN TOWN L I V E L O C A L E N T E R TA I N M E N T AT T H E H O N O L U L U Z O O TEN TROPICAL WEDNESDAYS IN JUNE, JULY AND AUGUST
• Keiki Koloring Kontest • Animal themed Legos by HI Lego Users Group
Featuring Music by: June 3
• Mini-guided tour for the first 30 registrants • Delicious plate lunches and snacks available
Raiatea Helm
Ukulele giveaway by: Kala Ukulele
June 10 Mark Yamanaka
HOSTED BY EMCEE ROY SAKUMA!
GATES OPEN AT 4:35 P.M. MUSIC STARTS AT 6:00 P.M.
(No alcohol or high-back chairs please)
PARTICIPATION FEE: $3
Ukulele giveaway by: Kamaka Ukulele
Per person over age 2.
June 17 Roy Sakuma Super Keikis
Ukulele giveaways by: KoAloha & Kala Ukulele
June 24 Jimmy Borges & His Jazz All Stars July 1 July 8
Ukulele giveaway by: KoAloha Ukulele
10 Kala Standard Ukuleles to be given to a child under 12. 1 Ukulele each week.
Manoa DNA
100% of net proceeds will benefit animal enrichment
Ukulele giveaway by: KoAloha Ukulele
A Touch of Gold
Ukulele giveaways by: Kala & Kanile‘a/Islander Ukulele
July 15 Willie K.
Ukulele giveaway by: Ko‘olau/Pono Ukulele
July 22 Ohta San & Nando Suan
Ukulele giveaway by: KoAloha Ukulele
July 29 Ledward Kaapana
Ukulele giveaway by: Ko‘olau/Pono Ukulele
Aug. 5 Kapena
Ukulele giveaways by: Kanile‘a & Islander Ukulele
For more information call 926-3191 or visit www.HonoluluZoo.org/wild