For Members of Lincoln Park Zoo • A Magazine of Conservation and Education • Winter 2011
In the Field Mapping Lincoln Park Zoo Conservation Around the Globe
IN THIS ISSUE Volume 10 Number 3 • For Members of Lincoln Park Zoo
DEPARTMENTS
1 Perspective For Lincoln Park Zoo President and CEO Kevin J. Bell, the zoo’s animals offer a living connection to the world of wildlife we’re trying to conserve.
FEATURES
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From the Field, Into Focus
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Pit Stains and Puppy Love
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Gombe: A Half-Century of Study
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Studying Play Is Hard Work
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A zoo-led vaccination campaign protects the health of people, pets and predators in the Serengeti. Now researchers are weighing vaccination’s impact on the very dogs it benefits.
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What’s New at the Zoo
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Wild File
Anna Czupryna shares the drool and dirt of tracking domestic dog populations in the Serengeti.
Physicals for fruit bats, apes on computers and Nature Boardwalk on ice.
of the Zoo 18 News ZooLights shines bright, a scientist steps up and
Researchers have spent a chimpanzee lifetime studying the apes of Gombe, but there’s still plenty more to learn about health, stress and play.
It’s a struggle for researcher Matthew Heintz to keep up with Gombe’s chimpanzees as he studies how they play through the forest.
Smooth green snakes, a baby white-cheeked gibbon and Bourke’s parrots make up the newest highlights.
Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo inspires awards.
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Your Story Former interns share how their zoo experience prepared them for a career in field conservation
the Conversation 21 Continue Resources for planning your visit, getting the lat-
A Shared Refuge
est zoo news and exploring our world of wildlife.
The untouched forests of the Goualougo Triangle provide a living laboratory for gauging the impact of logging on great apes.
Continue Your Visit Online
Life in a Tropical Frontier Research Fellow David Morgan takes us along as he travels the pristine paths of the Goualougo Triangle.
Rounding Out the Field Black rhinos in South Africa, Puerto Rican parrots, a series of snakes and the entire Chicago ecosystem wrap up the zoo’s fieldwork.
Visit www.lpzoo.org for Lincoln Park Zoo photos, videos and up-to-date info on events and animals. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter! QUESTIONS? We’d Like to Hear from You! Send your feedback on this issue of Lincoln Park Zoo magazine to magazine@lpzoo.org.
Contact the Membership Department. Staff are on hand during normal business hours— phone 312-742-2322 or visit us online at www.lpzoo.org.
Cover photo: Zoo researchers are traveling the Serengeti to study the impact of vaccination on the region’s domestic dogs—all part of the zoo’s efforts to conserve the Serengeti ecosystem.
LINCOLN PARK ZOO MAGAZINE President and CEO Kevin J. Bell
Editor James Seidler
Art Director Peggy Martin
Staff Writer Chris McNamara
Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614, 312-742-2000, www.lpzoo.org. Lincoln Park Zoo is supported through a public/private partnership between the Chicago Park District and The Lincoln Park Zoological Society. The only privately managed free zoo in the country, Lincoln Park Zoo relies on membership, individual, foundation and corporate support as well as earned revenue.
Cert no. SW-COC-001613
perspective A Window to the World
A Letter From President and CEO Kevin J. Bell
As I walk the zoo every day, checking in on JoJo’s gorilla group and our pack of African wild dogs, I think about how what we do at the zoo impacts wildlife far beyond Lincoln Park and Chicago. Our conservation work is making a difference around the world. When visitors watch Hank’s chimpanzee group chase one another around the vines or probe the termite mound for treats, they’re really getting a glimpse of Gombe National Park. When kids stare— amazed—at the sheer bulk of silverback Kwan, they gain instinctive understanding as to why the gorillas of the Goualougo Triangle need to be protected from logging. You can see the strength of this connection in the story of zoo donors Chad Munger and Tracy Hickman. Longtime members, they first learned about the zoo’s conservation work in the Serengeti while touring our African exhibits 10 years ago. Intrigued, they met the scientists involved, found out how the zoo-led domestic-dog vaccination campaign benefited people, pets and predators and eventually decided to support the Serengeti Health Initiative via the Hickman Family Foundation. Their experience highlights why Lincoln Park Zoo is so important. By providing a free place where 3 million annual guests can experience the diversity of animals from around the globe, we’re inspiring each of these visitors to care about nature. We’re transporting them to the Serengeti’s plains, Gombe’s hills and the Goualougo Triangle’s pristine forests. Beyond that, we’re enlisting them as partners in conservation. I have been fortunate enough to travel to Gombe and the Serengeti with zoo scientists. I returned from those trips amazed by the wildlife we witnessed and heartened at the work Lincoln Park Zoo is doing to conserve it. Whenever I need to reconnect with those feelings, I just stop by one of our buildings, and I’m there again. Along with each of our visitors.
Lincoln Park Zoo’s animals offer a living connection to the chimpanzees of Gombe National Park (right) and the grasslands of the Serengeti.
Kevin J. Bell President and CEO
WINTER 2011 1
Serengeti National Park TANZANIA
From the Field, Into Focus BY CHRIS MCNAMARA
THE DOGS DON’T KNOW what’s going on. Early this morning they were caught and put on a leash—common for a Chicago pooch but rare for a Tanzanian one. Then they had to stand in line for hours waiting for these strange people wearing surgical masks to plunge needles into their legs.
crew that travels from village to village and the group of scientists across the Atlantic Ocean with the zoo’s Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology and Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, the process is ongoing.
A Talented Team (It should be noted, these were the same people who have been collecting dog-poop samples around the village for the past few days.) It must all seem very strange to the dogs that are part of Lincoln Park Zoo’s eight-year-old Serengeti Health Initiative, which vaccinates dogs (and cats) against rabies and canine distemper in villages surrounding Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park in order to protect lions and other large carnivores that live within it. For the baffled hounds, the needle injection is no fun. But it’s over quickly and then they’re allowed to scamper off to chase rodents and herd cattle. For the research team, which is comprised of the vaccination 2 LINCOLN PARK ZOO
Director of Tanzanian Programs Felix Lankester, D.V.M., manages the vaccination team in this multi-national program, ensuring that the vaccination program runs smoothly each year. The newest member of the team is Anna Czupryna, a graduate student in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who returned in December from a five-month stint in the field vaccinating animals and collecting data and samples. (See “Pit Stains and Puppy Love.”) Throughout those five months, Czupryna collected dog fecal samples that she’ll analyze in collaboration with Rachel Santymire, Ph.D., director of the Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology.
They’re examining how a dog’s vaccination status impacts its stress levels and overall health. Central to Czupryna’s dissertation research is an evaluation of whether vaccinated dogs live longer than those that aren’t vaccinated. She collected and analyzed data on dog life histories, which after three years will be reviewed in conjunction with Lincoln Park Zoo Research Biologist Lisa Faust, Ph.D. Their findings will be used to understand how vaccinating these dogs changes their life history (survival, reproduction, etc.). This knowledge will guide the future of the vaccination campaign as this program potentially prolongs dogs’ lives, thus increasing the population size, which boosts possible threats and increases the number of vaccinations needed. Of course, gauging results is tricky. In the short term, the dogs that wander in and out of the wildlife park have been posing less of a threat to the lions with whom they interact. Distemper is down among the big cats. Rabies incidence in humans has dropped from 250 cases per year to zero since the project started. In the eight years since the program began, residents of the villages have come to appreciate the importance of this work. They willingly stand in line for hours, dogs in arms, in order to protect their wild neighbors in addition to their own health. (The dogs’ participation remains involuntary, however.) But the short term isn’t the point of this project. While the immediate benefits are appreciated, scientists here in Chicago and those working in the field have their sights set on the distant future. In truth, with a program like this, there is no end date, no X on any calendar when the team can pack up and move onto the next project. As long as the problem persists, the work must continue. “With something like a vaccination program, the challenge is maintenance. You have to be in it for the long haul,” explains Faust. “We’re out of the stage of this being a flashy new project. We’re in the tricky stage of maintaining momentum and creating the infrastructure with our partners so that it can continue on smoothly—run by Tanzanians—well into the future.” Try your hand at safeguarding the Serengeti ecosystem with our vaccination game at www.lpzoo.org/magazine. By vaccinating domestic dogs against rabies and distemper, the zoo-led Serengeti Health Initiative protects people, pets and predators. Below: Appreciative of the health benefits, local people line up to have their dogs vaccinated.
Above: Chad and Tracy visit Kenya with the rest of the Hickman Family Foundation.
Preserving the Plains The Serengeti isn’t just a distant destination for zoo donors Chad Munger and Tracy Hickman. The couple has traveled the Kenyan portion of the great ecosystem, observing firsthand the ranging grasslands and awe-inspiring wildlife. This personal connection makes their support for Lincoln Park Zoo’s Serengeti Health Initiative through the Hickman Family Foundation all the more rewarding. They appreciate the positive impact the zoo-led vaccination program has on people, pets and predators alike. “Having been in Africa, we feel that any conservation effort that’s going to work needs to benefit the people as well as the wildlife,” says Chad. “It’s pretty clear this does that.” While the couple’s desire to support Serengeti conservation was strengthened on safari, it has its roots here at Lincoln Park Zoo. Munger and Hickman have been members and regular visitors since moving to Chicago 20 years ago. Fans of the big cats and great apes, they first encountered the zoo’s African conservation efforts during a behind-the-scenes tour with their family foundation. As they learned more about the research, offering their support seemed like a natural step. “We met everyone from Tanzania and were impressed by how everything was run,” says Chad. Chad has also volunteered in the Conservation & Science offices, doing everything from cataloguing stool samples to applying his background in software development toward data migration and management. It’s a dedication that matches his and Tracy’s commitment to Lincoln Park Zoo. “The zoo’s done a fantastic job of keeping us involved,” he says. “It’s a nice model for something we want to support.” WINTER 2011 3
Pit Stains and Puppy Love BY ANNA CZUPRYNA
“Classy,” I smile to myself as I watch the drop of sweat that just rolled off my nose blur the ink on the data sheet right next to the smudged remains of a tick I just squashed. It’s another hot, sweaty day in Iyogelo village, and I’m plastered against the mud wall of a hut, trying to escape the blistering east African sun while filling out data sheets on Simba, a dog we just enrolled in my study. I’m in Tanzania, studying domestic dog populations in villages west of Serengeti National Park, and I’m loving every minute of it. My five-month visit entails marking dogs with identification microchips and ear tattoos so I can track them over time. I’m trying to determine whether dogs that have been vaccinated as part of the zoo-led Serengeti Health Initiative live longer—and whether their population is growing as a result. I also have the glamorous job of collecting poop samples so I can do hormonal research back at the zoo; unfortunately, that’s a little tougher than following my dog in Chicago with a little plastic baggie. Most dogs here aren’t used to human contact, meaning creative maneuvering by at least three people is required to evaluate a dog. We may be kneeling in a corn field, chicken coop or cow manure collecting information, so on any given day, my cargo pants may sport mud, dog spit, urine and poop in addition to tattoo-ink stains. Temperatures often soar above 90 degrees, and we often walk more than 9 miles a day visiting dog-owning households, so pit stains are just a part of our daily uniform. In addition to the fun challenges of field work, living conditions present their own amusements. Most guest houses lack running water, but you do get a bucket of hot water at least once a day for bathing. It usually takes only a few eyefuls of shampoo before you fully master the bucket-cup shower technique. You also learn quickly to share your living space with a whole slew of creatures: lizards that like to hang out behind your water bucket, scorpions, 3-inchlong centipedes, flying ants and, of course, all-too-friendly mosquitoes, which readily flock to the computer screen during data entry. The heat, sweat and, yes, even the bugs keep my life interesting out here. Though sometimes the circumstances may be frustrating, just like any other “mad scientist” I really am enjoying myself. Dog life in Tanzania fascinates me, and I love learning about them as well as their owners and how they take care of these dogs. The outcomes of our research will help us better plan vaccination programs to safeguard the Serengeti’s pets, people and predators. What some may see as “discomforts” is actually what makes this experience all the more precious. A graduate student in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Illinois at Chicago under Research Biologist Lisa Faust, Ph.D., Anna Czupryna is studying how the Serengeti Health Initiative’s domestic-dog vaccination campaign affects dog population dynamics through the zoo’s Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology. She just returned from five months collecting data in Tanzania. Field Officer Machunde Bigambo and researcher Anna Czupryna are vaccinating dogs across the Serengeti and studying whether dog populations are growing as a result.
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A Welcomed Challenge Lincoln Park Zoo has supported the Serengeti Health Initiative since 2003, protecting the health of the park’s majestic lions (above) by vaccinating the domestic dogs that roam around them. Similarly, since the zoo first began exhibiting big cats more than a century ago, protecting their health and ensuring long, stimulating lives has been paramount. But when you are successful on those counts, a new challenge arises, one that wild lions don’t often have to face—old age. While predators, disease and competition for food shorten the lives of all wild animals, their zoo-housed cousins (Adelor, below) don’t have such problems. Instead, they receive balanced diets, preventive medicine and world-class veterinary care. It goes without saying that our
geriatric big cats—or hoofed species or birds—need not fear predators or food shortages. But nothing stops the march of time. As such, the zoo’s elder animals require special attention. Caregivers at the zoo accommodate geriatric cats by providing them special diets and access to warmer or cooler areas depending on the season. These accommodations help ease the inevitable passage into old age. Zoo residents normally far surpass the life expectancies of their wild cousins. And that’s a wonderful thing for the animals, the visitors who marvel at them and the team of zoo experts whose mission is to help create healthy, meaningful years that would otherwise be impossible.
FALL 2010 5
GOMBE
A Half-Century of Study BY CHRIS MCNAMARA
IT’S BEEN 50 YEARS since Jane Goodall famously plunged into the African forest to study the chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park, launching research that continues to this day. And that timeframe—a half century—is about the lifespan of wild chimpanzees, meaning that Gombe scientists have reached the point where they’ve documented the entirety of a normal chimpanzee life.
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Gombe Stream National Park TANZANIA
“Gombe is the longest-running field study of any wild apes,” says Elizabeth Lonsdorf, Ph.D., director of Lincoln Park Zoo’s Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes. “With an individual like Sparrow, an estimated 52year-old female who lives at Gombe, we’ve studied her entire lifespan.” Lonsdorf, who has worked side-by-side with Goodall in the field, takes frequent trips from Chicago to Gombe, making a tangible, personal connection between the data and samples she studies here at Lincoln Park Zoo and the animals in Tanzania. She also gets to check in on the chimpanzees she’s known since 1998, when as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota she researched her doctoral dissertation on the development of tool-use skills among wild chimpanzees. Along with the University of Minnesota’s Dominic Travis, D.V.M., who until recently served as the zoo’s vice president of Conservation & Science, Lonsdorf leads the Gombe Ecosystem Health Project, a multinational endeavor with the goal of assessing, understanding and mitigating the risks of infectious disease for wild chimpanzees. The National Institutes of Health, the Arcus Foundation and the Morris Animal Foundation fund the initiative. While the focus may be chimpanzees, the results of the Gombe Ecosystem Health Project are far reaching, spanning continents and species. Explains Lonsdorf, “Not only does the work we do directly benefit wild and zoo chimpanzees, but we’re finding out things that impact human-health studies, since chimpanzees are such good models for studying human ancestry.” Case in point is the 2009 study co-authored by Lonsdorf that detailed how wild chimpanzees infected with simian immunodeficiency virus do develop AIDS-like symptoms, contrary to previous beliefs. These findings have inspired new avenues for understanding HIV in humans.
In The City When she’s in Chicago, Lonsdorf positions herself in front of her computer within the zoo’s Fisher Center each Tuesday at 8 a.m. At the other end of the Skype connection is Iddi Lipende, her veterinary partner in Gombe. Although it’s 5 a.m. there, he’s ready to update her on progress of the past week. In early January, the two discussed staffing, field supplies and the progress of fecal-sample collection, the main method of study since all work conducted in Gombe is non-invasive, meaning the chimpanzees are undisturbed by researchers. Lonsdorf and Lipende then discussed the launch of an ambitious initiative to test samples from all of the park’s 100 chimpanzees for cytospora, a nasty parasite that threatens the wild apes. While the main focus is studying the apes’ health, Lonsdorf is also conducting a long-term project examining how stress impacts maternal behavior. Working with University of Chicago post-doctoral fellow Carson Murray, Ph.D., and Researchers have spent 50 years studying the complex bonds and behaviors of Gombe’s chimpanzees, but they still have much to learn. The dense forest can make research a challenge, but Fisher Center Director Elizabeth Lonsdorf, Ph.D., stays on the trail for new findings. WINTER 2011 7
Nestled along Lake Tanganyika, Gombe Stream National Park provides an unparalleled window into chimpanzee health, behavior and play.
Director of the Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology Rachel Santymire, Ph.D., she’s analyzing fecal samples to see how chimpanzee moms’ frayed nerves can influence their actions (something the mother of two children is intimately familiar with). Additionally, Lonsdorf supports University of Chicago grad student Matthew Heintz in his ongoing study of the benefits of play among Gombe’s young chimps. By following the great apes to catch them at play, Heintz aims to chronicle how the forest frolics affect stress and development. (See “Studying Play is Hard Work.”) How do feces help save species? Learn with an interactive tour at www.lpzoo.org/magazine!
In The Field When she is in the field in Tanzania, Lonsdorf ’s duties are varied. She manages personnel and monitors data collection in addition to observing chimpanzees and collecting samples. Additionally, she serves as the point person with the Tanzania National Park Authority, which ultimately oversees all projects within the park. “We’re working in their good graces, so we have to make sure they’re happy with what we’re doing,” she says. “We have to work very closely with governing authorities.” She wears many hats. She needs many boots. When she’s in the field during Gombe’s rainy season, Lonsdorf regretfully admits, her feet begin to rot. In the hot season, she finds the humidity stifling. But the remote nature of Gombe enables the director and her fellow researchers to focus entirely on the projects at hand—there are no distractions in the field, nothing to do but work, study, document, learn. “It’s exhausting. It can be harrowing depending on the situation. If you’re awake, you’re working, for weeks on end,” says Lonsdorf, who returned from her most recent trip in July and will
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again make her home at the Gombe Stream Research Center this coming May. “But it’s also very satisfying to focus on one project. You get excited about the progress we’re making.” Also rewarding is the knowledge that, although a multinational team of scientists, researchers and veterinarians contribute to the project, Lincoln Park Zoo is unique in its affiliation with Gombe. “We are extremely important to the Gombe Ecosystem Health Project,” says Lonsdorf. “We’re the only zoo in the world that is involved.”
Researcher Matthew Heintz chronicles Gombe chimpanzees at play.
Studying Play is Hard Work
BY MATTHEW HEINTZ
Traveling to Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park requires transportation by air, land and water. Though it’s far separated from the rest of the world, during my time there I still felt I was closely connected to home for multiple reasons. This past July marked the 50th anniversary of research conducted in Gombe, so the campsite has been well developed. Current amenities include electricity from solar panels, wireless internet and even a faint cell signal if you stand on the right rock or hold the correct yoga position. While the camp conditions are comfortable, following chimpanzees in the forest can be extremely difficult. It involves ducking and crawling through dense vines and thorns all day long as the chimpanzees (which are half the height of humans) travel through the forest with ease and incredible stamina. Aside from chimpanzees, the forest is home to baboons, bushpigs, bushbucks and a variety of other mammals. I think of baboons as the squirrels of Gombe, as they are often in camp and sometimes will play on our rooftops. But the sound of baboons running on corrugated metal roofs sounds closer to a thunderstorm than anything a squirrel can manage. I define my time stumbling through the bush after the chim-
panzees as the most physically demanding job I have ever had in my life. It was the most rewarding as well. It was simple moments that made me feel accepted and reminded me how special this opportunity was, moments like sitting underneath a mango tree, surrounded by about 30 chimpanzees, and watching Tom, a juvenile chimpanzee, sit near me but completely ignore me. Observing the complexity of chimpanzees filled my day with social scenes that kept me from missing home. I still enjoy my favorite memories. Chimpanzees plucking twigs while traveling with the foresight of fishing at a termite mound minutes ahead. Mothers making subtle hand gestures to their infants to let them know it is time to travel. And my favorite, infant chimpanzees breaking off small branches and playing keep-away from other play partners, just like human children. An evolutionary biology graduate student at the University of Chicago under Fisher Center Director Elizabeth Lonsdorf, Ph.D., Matthew Heintz studies the benefits of play behavior in chimpanzees through the zoo’s Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes. He just returned from six months collecting data in Gombe. WINTER 2011 9
Nouabale-Ndoki National Park REPUBLIC OF CONGO
A Shared Refuge
BY JAMES SEIDLER
REMOTE. UNTOUCHED. AMAZING. These are descriptions that constantly surface in discussions of the Goualougo Triangle. This distant region of the Republic of Congo seems to stand outside of time, offering a refuge to chimpanzees, gorillas and other African wildlife.
The forest’s trees, termite mounds and elephant pathways also provide a living laboratory for zoo scientist David Morgan, Ph.D. A research fellow with the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Morgan has studied the Goualougo Triangle ecosystem for more than 12 years with wife and project co-leader Crickette Sanz, Ph.D. Occupying a light-footprint camp in the Congo wilderness, the pair lead the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project. This Lincoln Park Zoo–affiliated project studies ape tool-use and behavior while also gauging the impact of the logging that is beginning to touch this pristine landscape.
Looking at Logging While the Goualougo Triangle is protected within Nouabalé-
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Ndoki National Park, surrounding areas housing chimpanzees and gorillas are open to logging. These logging efforts present a potential threat to the apes and their ecosystem, but they also present an opportunity: observing untouched forests before, during and after logging to weigh the impact on wildlife. Morgan and his colleagues began collecting ape data long before logging began. By conducting transects along predetermined paths through the forest, they were able to tally ape “nesting sites” and thus determine the density of the region’s chimpanzee and gorilla populations. These censuses continued as logging companies began to harvest trees in 2004. The scientists trekked through the logging areas, looking for signs of apes and using neighboring protected land as a control region for ape activities.
Thanks to their six years of data, the researchers can now make some definitive statements about the impact of logging on chimpanzees and gorillas. Unsurprisingly, the apes’ numbers decline in regions that are being logged. On the positive side, though, these declines don’t reflect a loss of apes. Instead, Morgan’s research shows, the apes actively move away from logging operations, seeking shelter in neighboring—and less-disturbed—areas. “Those results may seem intuitive, but previous studies hadn’t provided the data necessary to judge the impact of logging on great apes,” says Morgan. “Now that we have sound data, we can begin developing better guidelines for protecting the apes.” The Goualougo Triangle Ape Project is already finding areas where logging practices can be refined to accommodate the apes. In the coming year, they plan to collaborate with the local logging company, using the Forest Stewardship Council certification process as a tool to advance the needs of chimpanzees and gorillas. “Logging is a threat for apes across Africa,” says Morgan. “With these findings, we hope to develop guidelines to protect gorillas and chimpanzees throughout the continent.”
A Community Effort
An Eminent Education While the new library and learning center are offering educational opportunities to Goualougo residents, one member of the community is ready to embrace the role of teacher. In October, research assistant Sydney Ndolo Ebika earned his Master’s in Botany from the United Kingdom’s University of Edinburgh. This accomplishment was made all the more impressive by the fact that Ndolo Ebika had to learn English, his fourth language, before attending the program! The scientist has returned to the Goualougo Triangle, where he is leading an effort to chronicle the plants eaten by the region’s chimpanzees and gorillas. One of the Republic of Congo’s only academically trained botanists, he continues to hone his skills and build his plant collection, which includes nine species new to the northern Congo. “A core part of our mission is providing resources and opportunities to our Congolese partners,” says Morgan. “We couldn’t be more proud.”
In considering the riches of the Goualougo Triangle, it’s easy to focus solely on the region’s amazing wildlife. Chimpanzees and western lowland gorillas coexist, showcasing intricate social behaviors. Forest elephants sound and charge as they move through the landscape in search of fresh fruit. Allen’s swamp monkeys, black-andwhite colobus monkeys and DeBrazza’s monkeys climb through the trees as rare dwarf crocodiles float through the water below. But while the animals are the centerpiece, local people play an outsized role in helping Morgan and Sanz survey the Triangle’s richness. Trackers from the neighboring Bomassa, Makoa and Bon Coin villages help the scientists safely navigate the Goualougo Triangle, avoiding elephants and other dangers while staying on the trail of roaming apes. “They make what we do possible,” says Morgan. To honor the community’s commitment to conservation, the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project spent the past summer building an education center and library for local residents. Visitors of all ages will be able to enjoy books in the reading area as education programs provide primers on computers and research practices. “We hope to provide access to resources that enrich their lives and inspire them to learn,” says Morgan. “We also hope they’ll gain a better sense of the significant role their country plays in global conservation and the magnificence of the forests they call home.”
Apes Out of Time Whether it’s gauging the impact of logging on gorilla groups or capturing novel chimpanzee tool-use via camera traps, the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project continues to collect new findings about our closest living relatives. By monitoring this pristine place, zoo scientists can increase our understanding of the past—and future—of Africa’s great apes. The pristine forests of the Republic of Congo’s Goualougo Triangle provide a perfect place to capture novel ape behaviors. Scientists David Morgan, Ph.D. (top, installing a camera trap with research assistant Marcellin Mokoti) and Crickette Sanz, Ph.D., are co-leaders of the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project. WINTER 2011 11
Life in a Tropical Frontier BY DAVID MORGAN
The discovery of the Goualougo Triangle occurred just over 20 years ago during an ambitious scientific trek into an expansive northern frontier region of what was then the Congo. To locals, the area was known only as Ndoki, meaning “sorcerer.” The myths and spiritual values surrounding these lowland forests and black-water swamps are legend—as are the chimpanzee inhabitants. To study these chimpanzees is like being in a place where time stands still. The grandeur of these forests immediately engulfs us as we walk past ancient trees—some more than 900 years old—lining the network of elephant paths leading from one favorite fruiting tree to the next. The diversity of life is everywhere, from a gorilla eating a fresh shoot on the go to a long column of safari ants using this path of least resistance (just like us). We systematically note these observations in our field books, as the environmental setting plays an integral part in making the chimpanzees of Goualougo who they are. Many of these observations don’t come easily; they would be impossible without the attentive assistance of our local guides from the Bangombe and Bambenjele groups. Indeed, my partner on the project and wife, Crickette Sanz [an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis], and I often find ourselves amazed at their understanding of the natural history of the flora and fauna. We feel very fortunate to have such capable assistance during our daily quests to study and observe the chimpanzees. Depending on the season, observations of the apes can vary dramatically. If fruit is plentiful, we’re in luck as chimpanzees spend their days dashing boisterously in large groups from one exciting food source to another. It’s also during these periods— and our hurried follows—that we enjoy the added likelihood of exciting contact with other resident wildlife of Goualougo. Unsuspecting gorillas and elephants can be stumbled upon anytime, particularly when it’s least expected. After navigating the chaos of the contact we always find ourselves scratching our heads as to how the chimpanzees seemingly passed through the area without evoking as much as a grunt from the mega-fauna. It’s generally these types of interactions, or exciting tool-use events by the chimpanzees, that we recount as we sit around the soft glow of the campfire at night with the trackers. It’s also during these campfire chats that we’re overcome by the same feelings we had when we first arrived in the Goualougo, nearly 12 years ago this month. With a sense of excitement and the potential of discovering a new behavior or complex tool-kit in the Goualougo chimpanzee population, we eagerly await the dawn of each day and a chance to watch legends in action. A research fellow with Lincoln Park Zoo’s Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, David Morgan, Ph.D., is co-director of the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project. Goualougo Triangle Ape Project co-leaders David Morgan, Ph.D., and Crickette Sanz, Ph.D. (pictured with collaborator Steve Gulick), study chimpanzees (and gorillas) in an untouched setting.
field note Allen’s Swamp Monkey Allenopithecus nigroviridis The Allen’s swamp monkeys could be the most rambunctious animals at Lincoln Park Zoo. When you approach their exhibit at the Helen Brach Primate House you’re likely to hear gasps and giggles from visitors before you even spot the little brown primates, which spend their days swinging on vines, bounding off tree limbs and wrestling with one another. They’ve got energy to burn. While their constant hijinks could be described as juvenile, mature swamp monkeys— even grandparents—are equally ebullient by nature. “They are a lot of fun,” says Curator of Primates Maureen Leahy. “Like wild swamp monkeys, our individuals rarely stand still for very long.” Meanwhile, the stately black-and-white colobus monkeys that share the exhibit with the manic swamp monkeys observe the mayhem from nearby perches, like elders who haven’t the energy or inclination to join in the roughhousing. Because swamp monkeys are so inquisitive and playful, staff at the Primate House must constantly create new enrichment to keep the little animals stimulated. Simulating behaviors exhibited by their wild cousins in Africa’s Goualougo Triangle—where swamp monkeys hunt fish in swamps and flee from hungry eagles—the zoo’s well-fed, safe monkeys tear apart cardboard tubes stuffed with vegetables and splash through the small creek that bubbles through their home. They dive into hammocks and use the glass at the front of the exhibit like a springboard. It may not be the wild, but it’s awfully wild.
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Rounding Out the Field
BY JAMES SEIDLER
Surveying the Zoo’s Backyard The trees have given up their leaves. The transects are covered in ice and snow. But animals venture out even into Chicago winters, and so Urban Wildlife Institute biologist Seth Magle, Ph.D., sets out to see which wildlife he can capture. The capturing is done digitally, with the scientist rigging laser-triggered cameras along three 30-mile paths extending from urban core to suburban lots. Eighty cameras fire from sentry posts above golf courses, forest preserves and other locales likely to attract wildlife. Taken together, the diverse images will add up to a comprehensive view of Chicago’s wildlife, informing countless decisions about land use and local conservation. In the meantime, getting those winter cameras in place was cold work. But the results should be worth it, says Magle. “It will provide critical information on how wildlife species in urban areas shift their activity patterns as it gets colder.”
PHOTO ©M. STAFFORD. WWW.PARROTSINTERNATIONAL.ORG
CHICAGO
El Yunque National Forest PUERTO RICO
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Pairing Parrots The Iguaca Aviary in Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest is surrounded by tropical rainforest, lush greenery subject to frequent showers. These woods hold one of the nation’s conservation success stories: the Puerto Rican parrot. Down to just 13 individuals in 1975, the population has rebounded to more than 300 birds in the aviary thanks to a recovery effort managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. This recovery prompted parrot conservationists to enlist Lincoln Park Zoo as a partner in 2007. The zoo lent its expertise in small-population planning to organize data for the birds, enabling projections of future growth as well as assessments of population trends. Zoo scientists have made four trips to the aviary since the partnership began, conducting population-planning workshops to enhance the expertise of their Puerto Rican peers. Their most recent trip, conducted in early December, featured a primer on MateRx, breeding software developed jointly by the National Zoo and Lincoln Park Zoo. “MateRx helps identify whether potential pairings would be beneficial or detrimental from a genetic perspective,” says Joanne Earnhardt, Ph.D., director of the Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology. “Because the program’s output is so straightforward—it’s a numeric index—they can make decisions about good pairs when we’re gone.” The long-term goal is to hand off population planning to the scientists in Puerto Rico. In the meantime, though, zoo scientists continue to learn from their trips to the tropics. “I can now tell instantly when a red tailed-hawk is over the aviary,” Earnhardt shares. “Usually there’s lots of parrot chatter with more than 100 birds trying to communicate, but the instant a hawk soars over the aviary, there’s no noise at all.”
Serengeti National Park TANZANIA
Left: As camera traps capture Chicago-area wildlife, zoo scientists are helping to conserve the Puerto Rican parrot in its tropical home. Above: Researchers are gathering data on Michigan eastern massasauga rattlesnakes to better understand how to conserve local populations. Davee Center Director Rachel Santymire, Ph.D. (left), collects rhino feces in South Africa to contribute to the species’ conservation.
Black Rhinos in the Bush Scales Beneath the Surface Despite tipping the scales at up to 3,000 pounds, black rhinos As Urban Wildlife Institute scientists set out to capture winter can be tough to spot in South Africa’s Addo Elephant National wildlife activity, they’re unlikely to spot the region’s eastern masPark. While the species’ endangered status doesn’t help, the thick sasauga rattlesnakes and smooth green snakes. Both species wait bush is the real culprit, obscuring the massive mammals among out winter cold underground, the massasaugas hibernating in stands of spekboom and acacia. watery crayfish burrows and the smooth green snakes occupying Fortunately, Rachel Santymire, Ph.D., director of the Davee ant tunnels and rotting logs. Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, doesn’t need to see While the snakes are in stasis, efforts to conserve them are the park’s rhinos to do her research. Instead, the large herbivores increasingly active. In a project managed by the Eastern Massasauga are captured on “camera traps” as they do their business at comSpecies Survival Plan®, Alexander Center scientists are studying munal latrines. Feces are then matched with healthy massasauga populations in Michigan. photos to provide a wealth of data on rhino Since 2006, more than 100 eastern massasauga Spot the Scales The snakes reproductive and stress hormones, information rattlesnakes have been captured, examined and may be hard to see in the wild, but that will boost conservation at the park. marked at Michigan’s Edward Lowe Foundation. you can spot them up-close at the While Santymire has visited Addo, her most A recent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Great zoo. Smooth green snakes are newly on display at the Pritkzer recent contact comes by mail, as collaborators Lakes Restoration Initiative grant has boosted the Family Children’s Zoo while eastcontinue to send rhino fecal samples: she’s colwork by enabling Northern Illinois University ern massasauga rattlesnakes lected 500 over three years! The samples have graduate student Eric Hileman to study the popblend in among the brush of their provided a window into the rhino world, ulation full-time. Data from these populations enclosure at Regenstein Small enabling field testing for pregnancies and conwill aid conservation of the species in northern Mammal-Reptile House. firming a longer calving period and higher stress Illinois, where it’s on the brink of extinction. levels in the Addo portion of the park, where ele“As we find those individuals again in phants, tourists and predators all roam. upcoming years, we can figure out a lot of important demographNew research continues. Zoo collaborator Thomas Gillespie, ic information, including how large the Michigan population is as Ph.D., of Emory University, will evaluate the feces to measure well as what survival and reproduction looks like for the popularhino parasite loads. DNA samples from the specimens will help tion,” says Research Biologist Lisa Faust, Ph.D. “Having a good researchers determine paternity. And the samples themselves are understanding of these factors is critical for making better conserproviding a means to test Santymire’s field methods. By revisiting vation plans for the species.” the same feces at intervals from 12–72 hours, handlers are helping Smooth green snakes are the subjects of another scaly study with sciher weigh how environmental conditions affect hormone concenentists weighing snakes at the zoo against those maturing in “soft release” trations—key info for keeping data fresh and rhinos healthy. within enclosures in the Lake County Forest Preserve. While the outdoor snakes are out of sight, Reintroduction Biologist Allison Sacerdote, Ph.D., See which wildlife is exploring the Chicago is hoping to compare growth and survival rates in spring, boosting furwinter with a camera trap slideshow at ther efforts to restore the smooth green snake to the region. www.lpzoo.org/magazine.
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What’s New at the Zoo BY NOW YOU’RE probably aware that winter is a great time to visit Lincoln Park Zoo. There are fewer crowds. Parking is easier. And many of the animals are more active in the cold weather. But we’d like to alert you as to why this winter is a particularly good time to visit the zoo. Take a look: •The white-cheeked gibbon group at the Helen Brach Primate House has another member swinging through the branches. An infant gibbon (above) was born on January 6, bringing the number of these critically endangered apes at Lincoln Park Zoo to three. This was the third offspring for mother Burma and father Caruso, who are paired through an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan®. The newest arrival, whose sex will be unknown until its first veterinary exam, blends in neatly while clinging to mom’s white coat. (All newborn gibbons display blond coloration for a couple years. They then shift to black, with females returning to blond at maturity.) “This is an exciting arrival,” says Curator of Primates Maureen Leahy. “The parents are doing great.”
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•The Holstein calf born in November at the Farm-in-the-Zoo Presented by John Deere is putting on weight and growing cuter by the day (above). Born at about 100 pounds, she’s doubled her weight with a steady diet of mom’s milk. By the start of the year the calf was beginning to nibble on hay, and visitors continued to gush over her. •A mudpuppy now inhabits the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo, too (below, left). Native to the Midwest (like all species at the Children’s Zoo), this gill-breathing salamander lives underwater and gobbles worms that have the misfortune to cross its path. •A nest of smooth green snakes now slither in an indoor exhibit at the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo (below). Small, brightly colored and inquisitive, these snakes snatch insects with lightning-quick strikes. Very cool. •As always, it’s very busy at the McCormick Bird House. Newcomers include two Bourke’s parrots in the Forest Edge Exhibit. Known as “grass birds,” these pink-hued beauties forage on the ground. Nearby in the Free Flight Exhibit, crews have installed mesh to accommodate the kikuyu white eyes, thumbsized birds that hunt tiny black bugs on the muddy substrate. Finally, a one-legged piping plover (below) rescued from the wild in Michigan has joined the other plovers in the Seashore Exhibit, where the little endangered birds wade in the water and nibble insects and small fish.
wild file Nature Boardwalk on Ice The first winter at Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo has given visitors another avenue for observing local wildlife. Snow blanketing the urban ecosystem has preserved the tracks of resident critters. Rabbits, squirrels, raccoons—and neighborhood dogs—have all made their mark. Indeed, the winter chill has tamped down the warm-weather buzz of dragonflies and other winged insects. Life beneath the surface has slowed down as well. Bluegill, largemouth bass and pumpkinseed are wintering under the ice. The radio-transmitter-equipped painted turtles have hunkered down as well, entering hibernation in the mud near the pond’s island. The skies above the pond have seen some flashes of color, though. Downy woodpeckers and blue-winged teals have passed through. Resident winter birds, such as juncos and cardinals, have stood in vibrant contrast to Nature Boardwalk’s white blanketing. “The pond and prairie landscape are quite serene with the snow,” says Coordinator of Wildlife Management Vicky Hunt. It certainly merits a winter visit. Nature Boardwalk isn’t the only place animals leave tracks. Visit www.lpzoo.org/magazine to identify wild winter prints from around the zoo!
Full Physicals for Fruit Bats In early December, the zoo’s 28–member bat colony underwent full physical examinations at the C.H. “Doc” Searle, M.D. Animal Hospital. Director of Veterinary Services Kathryn Gamble, D.V.M., oversaw the team of vets, technicians and keepers who collected cultures, drew blood samples from every individual, radiographed the Egyptian fruit bats and straw-colored fruit bats, and performed ultrasounds to peer inside the little mammals’ bodies. “Fruit bats have a very specific, fruit-heavy diet,” explained Gamble as she worked on a small, winged patient. “Bats can have problems with heart disease and iron storage, so we have to watch how much iron is in their food. Dental disease can be an issue as well.” When medical issues were discovered—such as the bat with a decayed tooth that warranted extraction—the team performed the necessary procedures on the spot, while the bats were anesthetized. By afternoon the winged patients were back on exhibit at Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House.
Apes at the Interface Winter visitors to Regenstein Center for African Apes have witnessed plenty of poking at computer screens. But the subjects doing the probing aren’t teens with smart phones or datacollecting interns from the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes.
Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo was a serene setting in its first winter. Bats passed their physical with flying colors.
Instead, the building’s gorillas are interacting with touchscreens in public view as part of zoo scientists’ ongoing research into ape cognition. By moving sequencing sessions on exhibit, researchers are giving visitors a full view of their work while continuing to gain information about the cognitive abilities of our closest cousins. “We wanted to allow the public to see the great research we’re doing with the apes,” says Steve Ross, Ph.D., assistant director of the Fisher Center. “Working in this afternoon session provides us with extra time for the apes to practice their skills.” The voluntary research program presents the apes a number of symbols and prompts them to use the touch-screen to sequence them in a predetermined order. Successful sequencing is rewarded with a treat. As the animals master one level of variables—three symbols, for instance—another is added to the mix, increasing the complexity. The results help scientists understand how the apes process information. The respectful audience hasn’t impeded the apes’ sequencing ability. Ross reports that the gorillas seem to enjoy the public sessions, as they don’t have to voluntarily separate from their groups to participate in the enriching activity. Perhaps, though, they simply enjoy a crowd. Come by and see one of the weekly sessions for yourself.
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news of the zoo
Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo won awards and wowed visitors. Researcher Steve Ross made strides in understanding—and conserving— apes. Visitors from throughout the region came to appreciate the brillance of ZooLights Presented by ComEd and Charter One.
Nature Boardwalk Awards
Brighter than Ever
It didn’t take long after the summer 2010 opening of Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo for the awards to start rolling in. The new outdoor exhibit earned Mayor Daley’s GreenWorks Award for Sustainable Innovation in a Built Environment due to the boardwalk’s positive contribution to Chicago’s Climate Action Plan. The award recognizes projects that successfully implement sustainable building and urban design to reduce environmental impact. Meanwhile, the Chicago Architecture Foundation named Lincoln Park Zoo and Peoples Gas as 2010 Patrons of the Year for the redevelopment of Nature Boardwalk. The award honors institutions that “significantly advance Chicago’s outstanding built environment.”
ZooLights Presented by ComEd and Charter One shined brighter than ever this year, welcoming nearly 275,000 visitors throughout the 24-night run. The Friday Night Lights education program was a sellout success. Santa kept busy listening to wishes as kids created complimentary crafts. Ice-carving demonstrations wowed some guests while others danced to the musical light shows. Sponsors ComEd and Charter One helped make ZooLights possible along with fellow sponsors Pepsi, WBBM Newsradio 780AM and United.
Busy Days Steve Ross has been busy. In November he successfully defended his dissertation, which focused on differences in Lincoln Park Zoo’s ape behavior between the old Great Ape House and Regenstein Center for African Apes. Kudos to Ross, Ph.D. In December he was promoted to assistant director of the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, complementing his work as chair of the Chimpanzee Species Survival Plan® and research on topics including adolescent male chimpanzee aggression, gorilla cognitive abilities and zoo visitor behavior. Finally, in November Ross oversaw the relocation of two privately held chimpanzees to approved great ape sanctuaries as part of his Project ChimpCARE program, which is committed to improving the well-being of chimpanzees and opening lines of communications between disparate groups to achieve this singular goal. 18 LINCOLN PARK ZOO
Tidbits •This fall, Lincoln Park Zoo researchers secured a grant from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Endowment Fund for their work studying black-footed ferret reproduction and to launch related community-education initiatives at Montana’s Northern Cheyenne Reservation. •Partners in the zoo-led Zoo Animal Health Network, created with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the USDA, have conducted trial runs for the avian-influenza surveillance system, which monitors the health of zoo birds to provide insight into the health status of their wild cousins. “What we’re looking for is wild birds bringing strains of avian influenza into our ponds and infecting zoo birds,” explains Yvonne Nadler, program manager for the Zoo Animal Health Network. “So far we’ve found no evidence of that, but at this early stage it’s all about practicing how this system works.” •The Pathway to Primatology program, in which participants perform the duties of a primatologist, was a big hit in its inaugural year. Attendees studied great ape behavior as zoo scientists do and performed cognitive studies on touch-screen computers, as zoo gorillas and chimpanzees do. See our calendar for future installments.
YOUR STORY—Zoo Interns IN ADDITION TO PROTECTING THE WORLD’S WILDLIFE, Lincoln Park Zoo is also dedicated to training the next generation of scientists. See the successes as former interns share how their zoo experience prepared them for a career in the field.
My experiences as a Lincoln Park Zoo intern piqued my interest in wildlife research, and after working in animal records for a few years, I left the zoo to pursue an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Illinois, studying the effects of urbanization on woodchucks. LIZA (WATSON) LEHRER
It gave me a breadth of skills but also something of even-greater value: exposure to the extensive in-situ research Lincoln Park Zoo performs as well as how much everyone enjoyed their jobs…I’m currently researching the spatial ecology of the endemic and threatened giant gartersnake for my M.S. at Oregon State University. PATRICIA VALCARCEL
In 2010 I decided to pursue my master’s degree in Environmental Science at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand… It’s great to be able to introduce people from around the world to the amazing conservation programs at Lincoln Park Zoo! KATE SCHOWE
In fall 2009, I began my new position as coordinator of Project ChimpCARE… The experience and knowledge I have gained through my different projects and positions at the zoo have been invaluable and will no doubt help me to be successful in my future endeavors. I’m currently working with During summer 1996 I was a Dr. Scholl Fellow VIVIAN VREEMAN Frankfurt Zoological Society at Lincoln Park Zoo, working on a project that as project leader of the Serengeti modeled gorilla population biology…I went Ecosystem Management Project, on for a Master’s in Environmental Management based outside Serengeti National at Yale and then went to work for the Park, Tanzania…The opportunity to Wildlife Conservation Socity in the Ituri be involved with hands-on research Forest of northeastern Democratic at the zoo as well as exposure to Republic of Congo. the many conservation field projects It was a dream come true to ELLEN BROWN supported by the zoo throughout work at Regenstein Center the world helped me appreciate for African Apes during college the importance of field-based because it gave me the chance conservation initiatives to conserve to learn how to scientifically key wild areas left in the world. study the apes I had fallen in DENNIS RENTSCH love with as a child…In fall 2010 During my internship, I worked on a I started my Ph.D. in Zoology risk-assessment of primate populations at Michigan State University, in zoos, which eventually led to a position as where I will be studying spotted a research assistant in the Alexander Center for hyenas under Dr. Kay Holekamp. Applied Population Biology…I am currently finishing JULIA GREENBERG my master’s degree at the University of Washington in Seattle, where I’m studying the ability of mammalian species to keep pace After working at the with a changing climate. Lester E. Fisher Center for CARRIE SCHLOSS the Study and Conservation of Apes for the past three years, this August I moved to St. Louis to start a Ph.D. in the Department of Anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis…I will study the development of tool-use skills in young chimpanzees, work that I hope will continue to demonstrate the importance of conserving these Want to Learn More About extraordinarily dynamic animals. Life in the Field? MARISSA MILSTEIN Read the scientists’ full stories at www.lpzoo.org/magazine
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Underground Activity—The Busy Lives of Plants in Winter Months It’s common knowledge that plants require the warm sun to thrive. Less known is the fact that some plants require a cold winter before they will bloom. Some annual plants undergo stratification—a process that prepares seeds for their first trip up through the soil and into the sunlight, even if that sunlight is still months or even years away. “It has to do with auxin, the plant-growth hormone,” explains Brian Houck, Lincoln Park Zoo’s director of horticulture, who manages the burgeoning plant life in and around Nature Boardwalk. “As some seeds are exposed to the cold, this auxin slowly breaks down, which allows the seeds to germinate. Evolution has programmed these seeds to get through the winter and germinate in the spring.” When seeds germinate, they break open, sending a stem skyward or a root downward. This process can be a complicated one, dependent on variables within the seed and in the surrounding soil. Some species’ seeds even require double stratification—two winters of chilling before they’re ready to go.
Goodbye Gardener In October, Volunteer Gardeners Coordinator Janie Hire retired after overseeing the grounds and volunteer groundskeepers for the past nine years. While many hands contribute to Lincoln Park Zoo’s grounds, Hire was crucial to creating this verdant oasis. Her vision and the hard work of the crews she supervised are greatly appreciated and will be admired for seasons to come, just as the bench the volunteer gardeners dedicated to her will be used by zoo visitors for years.
Of course, not every annual species undergoes the stratification process. It is more common to species native to the Midwest, where conditions vary widely from season to season. There are plant species that are merely plugged into the ground once the soil has warmed in the spring. (Houck will oversee the plugging of some 11,000 tulip bulbs around zoo grounds this spring.) But stratifying seeds require more planning on the part of those sowing them. Even though spring seems a distant dream at this point, Houck has been working toward it since he started at Lincoln Park Zoo last March. He knows that this past fall, established plants sent all their reserves downward into the roots within the warmer ground. By winter they are essentially hibernating, like bears in their underground dens. But the detritus that remains above ground is useful for young plants. So all the (now dead) plant growth from 2010 is left on the ground around Nature Boardwalk, serving as insulation throughout the harsh Chicago winter. Snow helps keep the soil moist, even if it’s frozen. “It sounds odd,” says Houck, “but a good layer of snow is critical for many plants to survive winter.” By mid-April Houck expects to see the first fruits of his labor—the initial growth. The weeds will come first, which makes them easier to trim. (The zoo’s crews schedule trimming so as not to disturb nesting birds.) By late April or early May, the native plants will emerge— violas, Ohio spiderwort and eastern red columbine. Shady areas will host plants that don’t require a ton of sun—prairie alumroot and common buttonbrush. Sloped areas will be home to deep-rooted plants that limit erosion—big bluestem and side-oats gramma. By late spring crews will simulate animal grazing. “We do this to discourages the weeds (by reducing their ability to seed) and to enable the soil to receive more warm sunlight, which encourages native plants to grow, giving them an advantage over the weeds,” says Houck. And just like in anyone’s backyard—albeit a much larger backyard—Houck and his crew must account for pests as the weather warms. Squirrels hunt for plant bulbs. Birds pluck seeds from the ground. Bringing lush, native plant life to Nature Boardwalk is a complicated, ongoing process. While the grounds looked great at the end of summer 2010, they should look even better this coming summer. And better the following summer. And then the following summer. “The first two years of this process are critical,” explains Houck. “Young plants, like the ones we have, invest their resources in their roots. When they mature after a few annual cycles that’s when we see significant presence above ground. That’s when it starts to really take shape.”
Continue the Conversation LINCOLN PARK ZOO MAGAZINE keeps you informed about the latest in Lincoln Park Zoo conservation, education and care. Learn more about everything the zoo has to offer! Come Visit! Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo is free and open every day of the year. We invite you to stop by to experience the wonders of wildlife in a winter setting. Go to Plan Your Visit at lpzoo.org to find hours, directions, restaurants, rides, shops and more! See Daily Activities From RCAA Training Sessions to Baby on Board, the zoo offers plenty of exciting daily programs. See a list at www.lpzoo.org/ activities or sign up for real-time updates at www.twitter.com/ visitlpz. Enjoy Exciting Events Join us to solve the Mystery at the Zoo or celebrate Earth Day. You can find a full listing of upcoming events at www.lpzoo.org/calendar. Get the Latest Zoo News Subscribe to the Lincoln Park Zoo blog to receive the latest animal updates, slideshows, videos and more! Sign up for ZooMail to receive regular zoo updates in your inbox. You can also like Lincoln Park Zoo on Facebook, follow the zoo on Twitter or find videos on YouTube. Visit www.lpzoo.org to learn more. Explore a World of Wildlife Wonder where a snowy owl winters or how a snow leopard catches its prey? Find fact sheets for every Lincoln Park Zoo animal at www.lpzoo.org/animals.
Engage in Education Learn the latest about Zoo Babies or explore the legends of Ga’Hoole. Browse all the zoo’s engaging Education programs at www.lpzoo.org/education. Protecting the World’s Wild Places Zoo scientists are learning about animals and helping to conserve wild populations from Tanzania to the zoo’s backyard. Find out what they’re up to at www.lpzoo.org/conservation. Members Benefit Encourage your friends to become members and enjoy benefits that extend beyond receiving Lincoln Park Zoo magazine. Review member rewards at www.lpzoo.org/membership. Support the Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo’s mission of conservation and care depends on its dedicated donors. Learn how you can support the Annual Fund, make a tribute gift or take part in planned giving at www.lpzoo.org/support. Volunteer From planting the zoo’s gardens to welcoming visitors from around the world, volunteers are an integral part of the zoo community. Learn how you can help at www.lpzoo.org/volunteer.
Would You Like to Lend a Hand? Volunteers are needed to help weed Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Beginning in May, Houck is looking for 100 sets of green thumbs to help pull weeds. “You can literally have a hand in the success of Nature Boardwalk,” he says. To learn more, visit www.lpzoo.org. WINTER 2011 21
Your membership supports everything we do, from animal care to publishing Lincoln Park Zoo magazine. Thank you. PO Box 14903 Chicago, IL 60614 www.lpzoo.org
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Income for You and a Gift for Lincoln Park Zoo! Gift annuities are a way to make a meaningful charitable gift to Lincoln Park Zoo while you enjoy income for life. To learn more about the benefits of gift annuities, contact Marilyn Schaffer, director of planned giving, at 312-7422167 or via e-mail at mschaffer@lpzoo.org.
Spring is Coming (Honest!) School field trips increase along with the temperature. When planning your Lincoln Park Zoo visit, be sure to consider crowds and parking. Our busiest months for field trips are April and May, and teachers schedule field trips more frequently toward the end of the week, so Mondays are generally less busy while Fridays are generally most busy.
Support Lincoln Park Zoo As your calendar is just beginning, our fiscal year closes on March 31. Consider making a contribution to Lincoln Park Zoo to help us end our year strong. To learn more about various ways to support the zoo, visit www.lpzoo.org/support.
Membership Update Effective April 1, select Member and Donor Club benefits will change. Look forward to great new experiences and member-only access! See more details—or lock in current prices—at www.lpzoo.org/benefits.
The Perfect Present— ADOPT Looking for the perfect birthday present? Or the perfect gifts for loved ones who are crazy about animals? Consider getting them ADOPT packages from Lincoln Park Zoo. All packages include an animal fact sheet, ADOPT magnet, official ADOPT certificate and animal photo. Some packages include a cuddly plush of the species being ADOPTed. ADOPTs are the gifts that give twice—once to the recipient and once to the animals at Lincoln Park Zoo. To learn more, or to browse our selection of ADOPT packages, visit www.lpzoo.org, call 312-742-2322 or shop on zoo grounds.