Making a Modern Zoo

For Members of Lincoln Park Zoo • A Magazine of Conservation and Education • Fall 2009

Making a Modern Zoo The Legacy of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society

IN THIS ISSUE

DEPARTMENTS Perspective

Volume 7 Number 3 • For Members of Lincoln Park Zoo

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, we’re looking back to 1959 to see how the efforts of these dedicated individuals created the zoo you visit today.

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FEATURES

The Wild File The Start of Something Big

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Lincoln Park Zoo wouldn’t be what it is today without The Lincoln Park Zoological Society.

Learn how this group of dedicated supporters provided the vision for a world-class zoo.

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The McCormick Bird House resembles a nursery, a young rhino explores her new yard and crops come to harvest at the Farmin-the-Zoo Presented by John Deere.

News of the Zoo Committing to Conservation

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President and CEO Kevin J. Bell notes how the success of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society reflects Lincoln Park Zoo’s connection to the community.

Zoo field work has evolved far beyond Marlin Perkins’ search for the yeti 50 years ago.

Today’s scientists lead global conservation programs, helping to save endangered animals and ecosystems.

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Lincoln Park Zoo President and CEO Kevin J. Bell is named chair of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the zoo celebrates AZA honors and research in Gombe uncovers a new understanding of SIV.

From the Archives Mapping the Changes

Experience Lincoln Park Zoo as it was in 1959 through the newspaper headlines of the era.

The impact of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society can be seen in the changes that have taken place on zoo grounds over the past 50 years.

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10 Arranging New Arrivals

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While 50 years ago zoos used to build their collections by removing animals from the wild, today they maintain their populations with scientific breeding plans and collaborative management.

Continue Your Visit Online 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!

Laying the Foundation

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The opening of the Children’s Zoo in 1959 provided kids with a place of their own to experience wildlife. It also sparked a building boom that transformed the zoo into today’s state-of-the-art institution.

Bringing Education into the Community

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While 1959’s Traveling Zoo brought the zoo into the city, today’s education programs transport visitors into a world of wildlife.

The Evolution of Care

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Veterinary education, technology and medicine has evolved over the past 50 years, ensuring better care for the species that make their home at Lincoln Park Zoo.

LINCOLN PARK ZOO MAGAZINE President and CEO Kevin J. Bell

Photography Greg Neise

Art Director Peggy Martin

Staff Writer Chris McNamara

QUESTIONS? Contact the Membership Department.

Staff are on hand during normal business hours— phone 312-742-2322 or visit us online at www.lpzoo.org.

Editor James Seidler

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.

We’d Like to Hear from You! Send your feedback on this issue of Lincoln Park Zoo magazine to magazine@lpzoo.org.

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perspective

A Letter From President and CEO Kevin J. Bell

The Legacy of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society Even as Lincoln Park Zoo has become a world-class institution, it remains rooted in the community. As zoo scientists travel to Serengeti National Park to conserve African wildlife, local families come to enjoy their first encounter with an African lion. As animal care staff adopt the latest advancements in nutrition and veterinary care, hundreds of Chicagoarea students arrive on free field trips to learn in the city’s living classroom.

This connection with the community has sustained the zoo throughout its history. While countless donors, members and visitors have helped make the zoo what it is today, this relationship is best embodied in the legacy of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society.

Founded 50 years ago with the goal of expanding and modernizing the zoo, the Zoological Society has accomplished much more than the transformation of zoo grounds. With dedication and vision, this group of advocates has also transformed our concept of the zoo, changing it from a park facility that housed animals to a worldwide leader in conservation, education and care.

The legacy of the Zoological Society, led for many years by executive director Barbara Whitney Carr, is evident in the zoo you

visit today, visible in world-class buildings such as Regenstein Center for African Apes. The society’s vision sparked the creation of one of the largest zoo-based conservation and science programs in the country. Its dedication to excellence is marked in the zoo’s state-of-the-art animal care and professional educators, keepers and curators.

Today, the Zoological Society operates Lincoln Park Zoo, having merged with the zoo after leading the institution on the path to privatization. Simply put, the Society’s inspiration and support informs everything that we do.

A small group of supporters—people who cared about the zoo and wanted to see it improve—helped create today’s Lincoln Park Zoo. Their outsized impact underscores how the zoo’s strength emerges from the community we serve.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, we look back to mark what their vision has made possible. At the same time, as we look to the future, we look to you. It is your support that will ensure our future legacy, helping Lincoln Park Zoo as it continues to grow, change and improve.

Kevin J. Bell President and CEO

FALL 2009 1

The Start of Something Big Looking Back at 50 Years of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society

BY CHRIS MCNAMARA

When asked what propelled the transformation of Lincoln Park Zoo from a collection of animals to the scientific institution it is today, Barbara Whitney Carr’s response is simple.

“Chicago deserved to have a zoo that was a leader in its field,” says the woman who served as executive director of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society for 20 years. “We had to be an oasis of fine architecture, beautiful gardens, an exemplary animal collection that was well cared for and taught people to take care of animals. This had to be one of the finest zoos in America.”

That vision, that mandate, has come to fruition in this ark in the park. And at this 50th anniversary of the founding of the Zoological Society, we can look back with clarity at a collection of concerned individuals—and one woman in particular—who formed an alliance with Dr. Fisher to spur and guide the evolution of Lincoln Park Zoo.

Raising Funds, Elevating Expectations Since its inception in 1868, Lincoln Park Zoo had been managed by the Chicago Park District, but in 1959, a group of about 300 local zoo lovers decided that a formal organization was needed to raise funds for the zoo, to sharpen the focus on conservation, to elevate the concept of what a zoo could be. So they founded The Lincoln Park Zoological Society to act as an ancillary body to the zoo.

“There was no organized fundraising prior to the formation of the Zoological Society,” explains Troy Baresel, senior vice president of operations and chief financial officer of Lincoln Park Zoo. “In terms of finances, the Park District treated the zoo just like another department.”

That changed in a hurry. In 1962, the Zoological Society launched its first fundraising campaign, coinciding with the appointment of Dr. Lester E. Fisher as Zoo Director. Ultimately $115,000 was raised and the Farm-in-the-Zoo’s barn doors opened in 1964.

Other successes followed. Buildings were renovated and programs were launched. In 1971, Shirley Ryan (wife of Zoological Society member Patrick Ryan) formed the volunteer/docent program. In 1973, the Zoological Society approved the formation of the Women’s Board, a new fundraising branch.

A few individuals served as executive director of the society in the early years, but the greatest change began in 1975 with the appointment of Barbara Whitney (later Barbara Whitney Carr).

While raising three children on her own, the 33-year-old had been freelancing as a business writer while volunteering with a handful of Chicago associations, such as the Junior League and the Maternity Center board. She began volunteering for the Zoological Society, writing a small newsletter that detailed the

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The Zoological Society transformed Lincoln Park Zoo, and its vision was guided by longtime executive director Barbara Whitney Carr (center, with Dr. Fisher, receiving a check from park commissioner Jean Foran). Zoological Society efforts included the creation of the Great Ape House (below) and other modern buildings as well as a new focus on education, conservation and science.

activities of the organization. After a brief stint volunteering, Carr was asked to serve as executive director of the Zoological Society.

She learned on the job and from her prestigious new peers.

“I learned from experience, but I also learned from Les Fisher,”says Carr, who quickly multiplied zoo membership fivefold. “Les stressed how important Lincoln Park Zoo was to Chicago and how important it was for people to create personal relationships with the zoo.”

Over time, Carr and Fisher began to realize that a long-term vision was needed for Lincoln Park Zoo. Together they mapped the future of the zoo.

“People laughed at the plans we made,” says Carr. “They thought we were outrageously ambitious.”

Over time, with the strong support of Zoological Society members, ambition became plans, plans became reality and new buildings emerged on zoo grounds— the Great Ape House (1976), Blum-Kovler Penguin Seabird House (1981), Antelope & Zebra Area (1982). A new emphasis on science took hold, and Lincoln Park Zoo became the first institution of its kind to have full-time scientists on staff. The Education Department blossomed. Curators traveled to conferences around the world and conducted fieldwork in far-off locales.

“Barbara’s creativity developed the Zoological Society,” says Lincoln Park Zoo President and CEO Kevin Bell. “She made the society strong by bringing together the Chicago community. If there’s a list of people who made the zoo what it is today, Barb would be at the top.”

High praise. Of course, Carr is quick to point out other pioneers with the Zoological Society, people such as Hope McCormick, who understood early on the importance of science on zoo grounds. Marion Simon, who tirelessly worked toward the success of the society. Marshall Field, who lent his name and time to zoo projects. The zoo boosters ranged from Debbie and Keith Stocker, who threw zoo parties at their Tiffany store, to Abra Wilkins, whose tireless devotion buttressed the society in those early years. “What we accomplished in those days wouldn’t have been possible without Barbara and a host of other dedicated zoo lovers,” says Judy Keller, Women’s Board co-founder and eventual chairperson of the Zoological Society, who was instrumental in those early years. “The transformation of the zoo in the past 50 years has exceeded our expectations, and our expectations were high.”

Going Private The Zoological Society continued to help guide the zoo up until the great shift of 1995—privatization—when all of the organization’s accomplishments and knowledge were put to good use.

“By 1994, the Park District realized that the zoo was no longer just a place for recreation, so they proposed that we go private,” explains Troy Baresel who is the longest-serving Zoological Society employee.

“When the zoo went private, the Zoological Society was ready

The leadership of the Zoological Society—and its successful fundraising campaigns—helped create the zoo you visit today.

to assume responsibility from day one,” adds Senior Vice President of Conservation Programs Steve Thompson, Ph.D., the first scientist hired by they zoo.“As a private entity, we had more autonomy, more flexibility to operate, and that made a huge difference.”

After privatization, Lincoln Park Zoo thrived like never before.

In the past 15 years, most buildings on zoo grounds have been renovated, zoo scientists have solidified their place as world leaders in research and field conservation, education programs have enlightened millions of visitors and the animal collection has flourished.

Membership buoys the zoo’s mission while forging special bonds for zoo lovers, and the generosity of donors ensures a bright—and free—future.

Lincoln Park Zoo has been a place of wonders since its inception. And milestones, such as the formation of the Zoological Society and the two-decade tenure of Barbara Whitney Carr as executive director, can clearly be seen as turning points in history—moments when the right people took action at the right time and ushered in progress beyond anyone’s expectations.

“People want to fund a vision,” says Carr, looking back on her tenure with the Zoological Society. “So you’ve got to have big dreams.”

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The Zoological Society of Lincoln Park Zoo Timeline 1959

1973

On May 14, The Lincoln Park Zoological Society is formed by 300 community leaders and zoo lovers committed to raising money to care for animals, purchase equipment and improve the zoo. The Zoological Society’s first Board of Directors is established this very day. That year, the nation’s first year-round Children’s Zoo opens to the public on Lincoln Park Zoo’s grounds.

After several years of hosting dances on grounds to support the zoo, the 16-member Women’s Committee is formed under the guidance of Life Director Marion Simon.

1962

1975 Barbara Whitney Carr is named executive director of the Zoological Society. Prior to this, the staff consisted of two employees; it grows to four upon Carr’s appointment.

The Zoological Society launches its first fundraising campaign to build the Farm-in-the-Zoo. Dr. Lester E. Fisher is named Zoo Director.

1963 The renovated Bird House opens to the public.

Members of the public are officially invited to be members of the zoo for the first time. Their dues help to support and improve the zoo.

1976 The Zoological Society launches “To Make a Great Zoo Greater,” a $17-million fundraising capital campaign aimed at adding six new facilities to the zoo, including a new Education Center, Outdoor Amphitheater and Pavilion for the Children’s Zoo, Large Mammal Area, Hoofed Animal Area, PenguinSeabird House and a Waterfowl Lagoon and Observation Area.

The Great Ape House is constructed, and the Kroc Animal Hospital and Commissary open.

Kevin J. Bell is hired as the youngest curator in the zoo’s history.

1964 Mayor Richard J. Daley helps to open the Farm-inthe-Zoo, the first major project made possible by the Zoological Society.

The Zoological Society establishes the Women’s Board, comprised of many members of the initial Women’s Committee, under the leadership of Mrs. Patrick G. (Shirley) Ryan.

1977 1971 The volunteer/docent program is established by Mrs. Patrick G. (Shirley) Ryan.

The Education Department is officially formed.

The Women’s Board begins the holiday tradition of “Caroling to the Animals.”

The First Zoo Ball, Zoo La La, chaired by Mrs. Keith K. (Debbie) Stocker, is held on July 15.

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1978

1988

The Waterfowl Lagoon and Flamingo Dome opens.

The Red Roof Café reopens as Landmark Café.

The ADOPT an Animal program is established by the Zoological Society.

The Children’s Zoo reopens and is rededicated as the Pritzker Children’s Zoo The Farm-in-the-Zoo reopens with new and upgraded educational graphics and expanded facilities.

1979 Crown-Field Center opens with education facilities and administrative offices for the Zoological Society staff.

1981 Blum-Kovler Penguin Seabird House opens.

1982 Antelope & Zebra Area, Regenstein Large Mammal House and the Robert R. McCormick Bear and Wolf Habitat open.

1989 Regenstein Birds of Prey Exhibit opens.

1990 Taking on what Carr calls her “greatest risk” as executive director, the Zoological Society renovates and reopens Café Brauer and the Great Hall. They had been closed for 50 years, serving as storage facilities for the Chicago Park District. Cafe Brauer reopens to delight visitors with an ice cream shop, café and event facility.

The Lion House reopens and is rededicated as the Kovler Lion House.

The Zoological Society establishes a Conservation & Science Department.

1983 The Zoological Society launches the $10 million “Landmark Campaign” to restore the zoo’s most historic buildings and renovate them according to contemporary zoo standards. Houses slated for renovation included the Lion House, Primate House, Children’s Zoo, Bird House and Birds of Prey habitats.

1991 The Bird House is renovated and reopened as the McCormick Bird House.

1992 1984 The Zoological Society establishes the Auxiliary Board, a co-ed group of young professionals whose purpose is to provide supportive funds and services to the Zoological Society from a younger membership base.

Lester E. Fisher retires after 45 years of service to Lincoln Park Zoo, 30 of which were spent as Zoo Director. David Hales is named as his successor.

The Primate House is renovated and rededicated as the Helen Brach Primate House.

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1993

2002

The Zoological Society launches its next campaign, “Heart of the Zoo,” seeking $50 million in capital support to further the long-held dream of making Lincoln Park Zoo a state-of-the-art institution by expanding public services for guests, creating a true “zoological garden” through greening efforts and creating the endowment.

The Zoological Society undertakes the unprecedented $125 million campaign, “My Kind of Zoo: the Campaign for Lincoln Park Zoo,” intended to dramatically increase the zoo’s endowment, provide operating support, build the new Regenstein Center for African Apes and Regenstein African Journey, and renovate both the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo and Farm-in-the-Zoo Presented

by John Deere.

Kevin J. Bell is named the seventh Zoo Director.

The Farm-in-the-Zoo Presented by John Deere reopens.

1995 On January 1, The Lincoln Park Zoological Society privatizes, taking over the day-to-day operation of the zoo from the Chicago Park District. Kevin J. Bell is named President and CEO.

2003 Regenstein African Journey opens.

The new visitors’ center, Gateway Pavilion, opens.

1996

2004 Regenstein Center for African Apes opens.

The Lincoln Park Zoological Society staff take up residence in their new home, the newly renovated Matthew Laflin Memorial Building.

2005 1997 Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House opens and the Waterfowl Lagoon is renovated, with the northern section renamed the Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond. The bridge at the pond is renamed to honor Barbara Whitney Carr for her years of service to the Zoological Society.

1998 Park Place Café opens as a year-round cafeteria for all zoo guests.

The C.H. “Doc” Searle, M.D. Animal Hospital is completed.

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Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo reopens.

2008 The South Pond Enhancement Project is the most recent campaign undertaken by the Zoological Society, seeking $12 million to transform the South Pond into Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Construction on Nature Boardwalk continues, and the urban oasis will be unveiled in spring 2010.

field note Western lowland gorilla Gorilla gorilla gorilla In Regenstein Center for African Apes, among signage highlighting the bushmeat trade and greatape tool-use, visitors can find a graph delineating the family lines of Lincoln Park Zoo’s famous western lowland gorillas. In following the generations, it’s possible to trace Lincoln Park Zoo’s pioneering work with the species.

The zoo’s first gorilla was the legendary Bushman, who thrilled visitors from his arrival in 1930 to his death in 1951. While Bushman was the first gorilla at the zoo, his living conditions reflected the era’s poor understanding of the species. He lived alone in the Primate House for the duration of his life, a far cry from the social groups formed by this species in the wild.

In 1959, when The Lincoln Park Zoological Society was formed, understanding of gorillas was beginning to increase. The first zooborn gorilla had arrived at the Columbus Zoo three years earlier.

Lincoln Park Zoo was home to two male gorillas, Sinbad and Rajah, and an infant female, Helen, was en route to the zoo from the Republic of Congo.

(Times—and collection practices—have changed.

See “Arranging New Arrivals” on page 12.)

The visionary support provided by the Zoological Society enabled Lincoln Park Zoo to become a leader in caring for this endangered species. In 1970, female Kumba was the first gorilla born at the zoo. Others followed, but the real revolution came when the Lester E. Fisher Great Ape House opened in 1976, enabling the animals to live in larger, more natural social groups.

Today’s gorillas climb, browse and, yes, breed in Regenstein Center for African Apes, a naturalistic facility reflecting the latest understanding of great ape needs. The residents reflect the zoo’s proud history with the species: silverback JoJo was born here, as were females Bulera, Madini, Bahati, Tabibu and Rollie. The state-of-the-art surroundings—and the conservation programs underway with wild gorillas in the Republic of Congo’s Goualougo Triangle— reflect the Zoological Society’s legacy of conservation and care.

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Committing to Conservation Today’s Lincoln Park Zoo is a conservation leader, lending support and scientific expertise to projects around the globe. From managing the Serengeti Health Initiative to studying ape populations in Africa’s Gombe National Park and Goualougo Triangle, zoo scientists help manage and conserve crucial wild populations.

Fifty years ago, though, the most prominent field project associated with Lincoln Park Zoo was a bit of a novelty. At the end of 1959, Marlin Perkins, Director of Lincoln Park Zoo, announced

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BY JAMES SEIDLER

that his next field expedition would have him travel to Nepal with famed mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary.

The news, as broken by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Irv Kupcinet, read: “Sir Edmund Hillary, conqueror of Mount Everest, has requested Lincoln Park Zoo’s Marlin Perkins to join him on his next venture: climbing 27,790-foot Mount Makalu in Nepal and searching for the Abominable Snowman.” The project, sponsored by the publishers of World Book Encyclopedia, aimed to study the impact of altitude on the human body while looking for clues of the mythical creature.

Both Hillary and Perkins were skeptical, but open to the yeti’s existence. Ever the zoologist, Perkins summed up his involvement in the spirit of inquiry. “The reason I’m interested is that something in the Himalayas leaves strange foot tracks. They have been photographed and are different from any known thing. Zoologists can’t identify the tracks or the creature, so it bears investigating.”

While Perkins trained at Lake Shore Park for the rigors of the trip, he also gathered the equipment he would need to search for the animal. Binoculars, sighting scopes, telephoto lenses, a 16 mm camera and 12 self-tripping cameras—low-tech predecessors of the “camera traps” used in field conservation today—were part of the package. Perkins also brought a high-powered tranquilizer gun in case he came across a live specimen to capture.

The tranquilizer gun proved unnecessary: as you may have

guessed, no yetis were spotted on the trip. “Yeti tracks” presented to Perkins were discovered to be fox tracks that had melted and distorted in the sun.

The expedition did return to Chicago with a hide identified as a yeti scalp by native people of the region (a Sherpa elder, Khumjo Chumbi, came along as well to safeguard the sacred object). But hair analysis showed that the hide belonged to a serow, a species of goat-antelope, and Perkins concluded, after much publicity, that the yeti was just a myth. “It looks like we won’t have to build a Yeti House at the zoo this year,” concluded William Hoff, who served as acting Zoo Director while Perkins was away.

Leading the Way Zoos have evolved since Perkins’ expedition, transitioning from places that showcased animals to institutions leading the way in their conservation. Today’s Lincoln Park Zoo has one of the largest zoo-based conservation and science programs in the country. Due in large part to the leadership of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, this shift has the zoo leading conservation programs in Africa, South America, Puerto Rico and its own backyard, all while providing resources for conservationists around the globe to preserve wild and endangered populations.

“Lincoln Park Zoo is at the forefront, but conservation and science programs have grown at zoos across the country,” says Senior Vice President of Conservation Programs Steve Thompson, Ph.D. “Almost 20 years ago, there were 10 or 12 formal conservation and science programs in North American zoos. Now, there are probably 50-60, a result of the trend toward zoos assuming leadership in these projects.”

This growth reflects the fact that zoos are well-positioned to serve as conservation leaders. Lincoln Park Zoo’s conservation and science programs use knowledge gained at the zoo to improve management in the wild and bring wild observations back to the zoo to expand understanding and care.

The Serengeti Health Initiative is representative of this interconnectedness. Managed by Lincoln Park Zoo, and based in one of Africa’s signature ecosystems, it aims to safeguard the health of the entire Serengeti ecosystem by studying the interactions of humans, domestic animals and wildlife. At the heart of the initiative lie wildlife surveillance programs and domestic-dog vaccination efforts aimed at preventing the spread of disease between wild animals, domestic animals and humans.

At the same time, a proposed project to translocate endangered African wild dogs highlights the strength the zoo-to-field connection. Social predators, African wild dogs live in packs of 2–30 members, cooperating to hunt prey such as gazelles and impalas.

Recently, some African wild dogs in areas outside Serengeti National Park have begun attacking domestic livestock as well, antagonizing local pastoralists who rely on the animals for their livelihood.

To mitigate conflict and preserve the highly endangered predators, researchers with the Tanzanian National Park Authority have proposed moving the packs to protected areas within the park. But to ensure the transfer doesn’t have an adverse impact on the species, the scientists want to weigh the stress associated with the move.

Endocrinologist Rachel Santymire, Ph.D., director of the Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, has developed a tool to help scientists study the issue. Using fecal samples collected from the African wild dogs at Lincoln Park Zoo, she developed a field kit

While Marlin Perkins embarked on a search for the yeti in 1959, today’s researchers conserve wild populations worldwide. Here, Kevin J. Bell, President and CEO of Lincoln Park Zoo (right) is visiting Gombe National Park with Vice President of Conservation & Science Dominic Travis, D.V.M., and Fisher Center Director Elizabeth Lonsdorf, Ph.D.

that enables scientists to process samples from the most remote areas of the region. By processing samples without refrigeration and with minimal electricity (both in short supply in remote regions of the Serengeti), researchers can collect samples and send them to Lincoln Park Zoo’s lab for analysis. Research that began at the zoo will come back full circle to benefit wild populations.

“We developed the kit just for use with African wild dogs, but it’s been applied to black rhinos, elephants and cattle as well. The same method has helped us research many different species,” says Santymire.

Overall, the expertise of zoo scientists influences conservation projects far from zoo grounds. Experience gained managing small populations has been extended to wildlife including elephants in Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park, jaguars in Argentina and Brazil, and endangered Puerto Rican parrots. Behavioral studies of the zoo’s chimpanzees and gorillas are complemented with conservation efforts in Gombe National Park and the Goualougo Triangle, where scientists study the health, play and mothering behaviors of wild apes.

These ambitious programs are far removed from Marlin Perkins’ hunt for the yeti, but they reflect the same energy, care and dedication that inspired him. Programs 50 years from now will be even more advanced, but they will still be rooted in today’s successes and the inspiration of The Zoological Society of Lincoln Park Zoo. “It was the Zoological Society that hired me to create the conservation program we have today,” says Thompson. “It was their decision to have a staff and the resources to do science. Everything we’re doing today is a legacy of their support.”

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Mapping the Changes The legacy of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society is best seen in the transformation of zoo grounds. In 1959, the year of the Zoological Society’s formation, the construction of a permanent Children’s Zoo building was the first addition to the zoo since the Primate House in 1927. Over the next five decades, the Zoological Society has provided the support necessary to create a world-class zoo, complete with stateof-the-art facilities and a dedication to research, conservation and education.

TODAY REGENSTEIN AFRICAN JOURNEY An immersive atmosphere provides visitors with a firsthand feel for the richness of African wildlife.

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TODAY TODAY REGENSTEIN CENTER FOR AFRICAN APES Naturalistic surroundings and social groups ensure an enriching home for the zoo’s chimpanzees and gorillas.

FARM-IN-THE-ZOO PRESENTED BY JOHN DEERE An early goal of the Zoological Society, the Farm-inthe-Zoo has given generations of city kids a glimpse of farm life.

FALL 2009 11

stronger focus on animal welfare that got us considering that maybe it’s not always appropriate to take animals from the wild.”

A milestone in the shift happened in 1988, when the Gorilla Species Survival Plan® (SSP) banned the importation of great apes captured in the wild for AZA-accredited zoos. Other SSPs followed suit.

These days, more than 98 percent of mammals in AZA institutions were born in zoos. Among the 900 animals at Lincoln Park Zoo, only 52-year-old chimpanzee Keo and geriatric dwarf crocodile R1 (see sidebar) were wild-captured. Other animals, such as the zoo’s juvenile black bear, puma, bald eagle, American kestrel and gray seals, were rescued from the wild after being orphaned or sustaining injuries that threatened their survival.

Scientists as Matchmakers

Arranging New Arrivals

BY CHRIS MCNAMARA

In the early 1970s, recalls Barbara Whitney Carr, former executive director of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) magazine was little more than a collection of classified ads for animals, captured in the wild, that were available for purchase by American zoos.

The August 2009 issue of the AZA magazine, now titled Connect, includes nothing of the sort. Rather, there are articles about a field project to conserve a Nigerian gorilla population and advertisements for ultraviolet lighting systems for bird exhibits.

Why no personal ads for wild-born pied tamarins? Why no classifieds for chimpanzees? Because in recent decades there has been a sea change in the way zoos acquire animals.

“The concept of building a zoo collection with wild animals is archaic,” explains Steve Thompson, Ph.D., senior vice president of conservation programs at Lincoln Park Zoo “Years ago, the most common way zoos would get animals was directly or indirectly from the wild. There were dealers who would sell animals caught in the wild. Or we would contact other zoos that had animals pulled from the wild.”

The transition began in the late 1970s, when better animal husbandry and a greater understanding of breeding resulted in more zoo-born animals. “There was new legislation aimed at protecting wild animals. And of course there was the high cost of obtaining animals in the wild,” says Thompson. “But there was also a shift in philosophy. There was a growing conservation mindset—a 12

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The shift to zoo-born collections has been a boon for animal welfare—both for zoo animals and those in the wild. However, refusing wild-caught animals brings with it the potential problem of a limited genetic pool. With a static population of, say, chimpanzees, there are only so many genetic lines available. And, as Thompson explains, “The key to sustainability in perpetuity is genetic diversity.”

So scientists must play matchmaker. Science-based population management ensures that zoo and aquarium collections are maintained at the sizes necessary to meet the conservation and education missions of each species. Scientific planning also ensures that populations retain the highest possible levels of genetic diversity and don’t grow beyond the zoo and aquarium community’s ability to care for them.

“We try to do better than the wild,” says Sarah Long, director of the AZA Population Management Center, hosted at Lincoln Park Zoo. “Most breeding in the wild is assumed to be random, which could result in some family lines becoming over-represented, other lineages not surviving and even inadvertent inbreeding. Zoos have limited space and a desire to maintain all possible genetic lineages, so we have to be efficient about which animals should breed. Zoo population-management advisors take care to select breeders so that all the lineages brought in from the wild have equal opportunities to produce offspring.”

Exceptions to the Rule In rare cases, wild mammals are introduced to a zoo population. (Wild-animal introductions are more common with birds, reptiles and fish.) Usually, this is done to inject a new line to the breeding pool—to diversify the genes and create a healthier group.

But other circumstances also prompt the capture of wild animals. Take the case of the Illinois population of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Illinois Department of Natural Resources approached the zoo about a recovery effort for this population, which is endangered in Illinois. The zoo worked with these organizations and the Cook and Lake County Forest Reserve Districts to capture these wild rattlesnakes, two of which were brought to Lincoln Park Zoo. The female, who must have been pregnant when she arrived, gave birth to four offspring in August. These new arrivals will bolster efforts to conserve the population, even as they highlight the importance of the occasional outreach to the wild.

Wild Origins You may recall the birthday party in spring 2008, when chimpanzee Keo was presented a cake made of frozen fruit to celebrate his 50th birthday. His peer over in Regenstein African Journey, known as R1, celebrated his golden years by siring a clutch of offspring in 2007. Quite a feat, considering that the dwarf crocodile is at least 69.

Keo and R1 represent the small population of Lincoln Park Zoo animals that once lived in the wild. In the chimpanzee’s case, he was brought to the zoo as an infant. The circumstances surrounding the dwarf crocodile’s capture are murky, just like the old-timer’s true age. We know this—R1 arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo in 1940.

While these two individuals represent an outdated method of zoo-collection building, they also highlight the benefits of modern animal husbandry.

“Geriatric animals speak to the level of care they receive at our facility,” says General Curator Megan Ross, Ph.D. “Keo and R1’s old age is a testament to exceptional animal husbandry.”

Above: Geriatric dwarf crocodile R1 (left) originally made his home in the Reptile House but now shares spaces in Regenstein African Journey with his mate. Below: Chimpanzee Keo arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo as an infant. He now makes his home in Regenstein Center for African Apes, where he benefits from advancements in animal care.

wild file

Left-to-right: Quick work with a brush and ladder helped keepers measure the giraffes at Regenstein African Journey. Guam Micronesian kingfisher chicks and green woodhoopoes are among the new arrivals at the McCormick Bird House.

Heads in the Heavens With elongated necks holding those knobby heads some 15 feet in the air, the pair of female giraffes at Regenstein African Journey have their meals served high. Baskets stuffed with hay and boomer balls filled with peanut butter are affixed to the ceiling, prompting the large mammals to stretch those necks and employ their footlong tongues just as their wild cousins do when plucking leaves from branches in the African savanna, where shorter females browse the lower branches and taller males—which can reach 20 feet—pluck greenery from the upper parts.

The actual height of the pair at Lincoln Park Zoo was an eyeball estimate until a few months back, when keeper Kelly Schaffner climbed a ladder and used green paint to mark heights—12 feet, 14 feet, 16 feet—on a tall doorway, enabling zoo visitors with sharp eyes to make their own readings whenever the giraffes amble into their off-exhibit holding area.

Busy Bird House The residents (and staff) of the McCormick Bird House have been busy in recent months. Hatchlings include a Blyth’s hornbill, three Guam Micronesian kingfishers, three laughing kookaburras and three piping plovers.

Nearby at the Kovler Penguin/Seabird House, a common murre hatched, as did a rockhopper penguin, while a clutch of three trumpeter swans enlivened the Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond until they were transferred to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources in late August to be released to the wild.

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“Many bird species breed in the summer months, so this is a busy time for birds and keepers alike,” says Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds Colleen Lynch.

New Neighbors And speaking of transfers, two new species recently took up residence at Lincoln Park Zoo. Two green woodhoopoes are currently adding color to the Free Flight Area within the Bird House while two masked plovers scamper through the Mountain Clearing Exhibit.

Rut at Hoofstock As the colors on the trees turn and the temperature cools, activity within the white-lipped deer exhibit is ramping up. And it’s due to the males—the two with the impressive antlers—who are in the middle of rut this time each year.

Rut is the seasonal period of sexual excitement that recurs annually in male ruminants such as deer and camels. It prompts animals to breed, which results in spring births—the ideal time to welcome new offspring.

The white-lipped deer males at the zoo grow aggressive during rut, so keepers provide them with sturdy enrichment devices, such as boomer balls and barrels, which they fling around their exhibits.

The animals’ pre-orbital glands (black patches just below their eyes) open up and emit a musky scent, which they rub on branches to mark their territory. The big animals create loud whines to mark their space, too.

Left-to-right: The male white-lipped deer’s antlers mark the height of breeding season. Across the zoo, visitors watch as the female black rhino explores the new Harris Family Foundation Black Rhinoceros Exhibit.

While Lincoln Park Zoo’s white-lipped deer are not reproducing, the males still undergo rut. The animals still copulate. And with the changes of the season, visitors still get to experience one of the more interesting phenomenons at the zoo.

New Digs for Rhinos Sure, they look tough enough to blast through brick walls, but rhinos are actually quite reticent. They’re wary of new situations and slow to experiment with the unknown. This natural behavior had to be taken into account when the female black rhinoceros was introduced to her new yard in early August.

Zoo staff had been preparing her for months, helping her feel comfortable in the chutes that led to the Harris Family Foundation Black Rhinoceros Exhibit. When she was finally given full access (with the larger male safely housed in the other outdoor yard), she took a few small steps with her massive feet.

“At first the female was very nervous about the yard and holding,” says Curator of Mammals Dave Bernier. “She was running around, snorting and acting highly alert. The yard has sightlines that are unfamiliar to the rhinos. In the new exhibit, they are slightly above the visitor path, which allows them visual access to all of the surrounding area and activities.”

The 4-year-old female eventually found the wallow most interesting, taking a mud bath shortly after checking out her new digs. She browsed the alfalfa that keepers had strewn around the yard. She munched hay and rubbed up against the rockwork.

Bernier stresses that during these explorations, the rhino was

given access to her off-exhibit dayroom, should the new area have proven overwhelming. But it didn’t, and by mid-October the two rhinos were both using the large yard together (although they were separated by barriers).

Breeding is still down the road a ways. (The female is too young—and too small—for the male.) But on a sunny Monday morning just a few days after her first exploration, she was comfortable enough to casually catch rays as she strolled—or more aptly lumbered—through her new digs. *A new male rhino arived at Lincoln Park Zoo in October, when he began the slow process of acclimating to his new digs.

Farm News The tomato vines hung heavy with red fruit. Sunflower plants grew taller than the tractor planted in the southeast corner of the Vegetable Garden. Plump pumpkins—no bigger than softballs at this point—rested on the ground, and a few fat, white eggplants nestled beneath leaves within the accessible flowerbed.

It couldn’t have looked any heartier here in fall in the middle of the Farm-in-the-Zoo Presented by John Deere. Even the pungent smell from the compost pile was encouraging, a multi-sensory experience here at this garden within a farm, within a zoo, within a city. And none of the attendees at Harvest Days (October 3 and 4) seemed to mind. They were too busy painting the pumpkins.

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news of the zoo

Left-to-right: Lincoln Park Zoo President and CEO Kevin J. Bell was named Chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums at the AZA annual meeting in September. The zoo’s conservation and education work was also recognized with a Significant Achievement Award in Education for the creation of Exploring Ape Behavior and Top Honors in International Conservation.

A New Zoo Vision Kevin J. Bell, President and CEO of Lincoln Park Zoo, was named Chair of the Board of Directors for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) during the organization’s annual meeting in September. In this prestigious position, Bell will serve a one-year term leading the nation’s largest zoological organization.

As chair of the AZA’s 13-member board, Bell will guide efforts to expand education, conservation and care in 217 AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums throughout the country. The new role reflects Bell’s distinguished history of service in the zoological community.

After being named Lincoln Park Zoo’s Curator of Birds—the youngest ever, at 23—in 1976, Bell was named zoo director in 1993 and was first voted to the AZA Board of Directors in 1999.

“This is an exciting time for zoos and aquariums, and I’m honored to serve the AZA community,” says Bell. “Together, we can lead a strategic effort to build America’s largest conservation movement.”

Zoo Honors Lincoln Park Zoo’s mission of conservation, education and care was also recognized at the AZA conference. With worldrenowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall serving as keynote speaker, the zoo was awarded Top Honors in International Conservation for its chimpanzee conservation efforts in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park.

The site of Goodall’s groundbreaking research, Gombe has revolutionized our understanding of animals. The zoo is proud to partner with The Jane Goodall Institute on research projects in the area, from studying chimpanzee health and play to investigating the mother-infant relationship. You can learn more about the award-winning work at www.lpzoo.org/gombe.

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The zoo also received a Significant Achievement Award in Education for the creation of “Exploring Ape Behavior,” a program that enables visitors to experience firsthand the behavioral research of scientists at the zoo’s Regenstein Center for African Apes. You can sign up for the program—and even try your hand at observing ape behavior—at www.lpzoo.org/eab.

A New Understanding of Disease Recent findings from the Gombe Ecosystem Health Project have led to a breakthrough in our understanding of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (the primate homologue to HIV). As reported in the leading research journal Nature, a study led by zoo collaborator Beatrice Hahn, M.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has shown that chimpanzees infected with SIV are 10–16 times more likely to die than those that don’t carry the virus.

The results were confirmed thanks to necropsies performed by Zoo Pathology Program veterinarians Karen Terio, D.V.M., Ph.D., and Mike Kinsel, D.V.M., both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine.

“Before, chimpanzees were believed to carry SIV without showing any ill effects,” says Vice President of Conservation & Science Dominic Travis, D.V.M. “Now we know it causes them to get sick and possibly die, making it another factor influencing the health and survival of Gombe’s chimpanzees.”

Beyond the local impact, the new findings open up larger questions as to how SIV might affect primate populations throughout Africa. Moreover, in increasing understanding of the disease in primates, the research may eventually boost efforts to understand, and combat, HIV and AIDS in humans.

“These results highlight the importance of having dedicated, long-term scientific programs,” says Travis. “Thanks to 40 years of

Left-to-right: Work is ongoing to transform the South Pond into Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. The past season also saw lots of summer fun, including another year of Lincoln Park Zoo Conservation Camps.

demographic data from the Jane Goodall Institute, 10 years of SIV data and six years of health data, we can begin to answer these questions.”

Pond Progress Work continues to transform the South Pond into Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. Pepper Construction spent the summer deepening and dredging the existing pond to provide a more hospitable home for native wildlife. The old—and unstable—asphalt and steel pathway lining the shores has been removed, opening the way for new, natural shorelines and an immersive boardwalk experience.

Work this summer was carefully scheduled around breeding season for the black-crowned night herons that nest on the pond’s island. More than 120 of the birds, which are endangered in Illinois, established nests on the island for the fourth straight year.

While they migrated away in late summer, the zoo looks forward to welcoming them back to a restored landscape in spring 2010.

Conservation Camp Close-Up Lincoln Park Zoo Conservation Camp 2009 was a success with a brand-new camp structure. By alternating sessions on local and global conservation topics, Conservation Camp better served families and boosted attendance by 30 percent. Campers enjoyed animal encounters, arts and crafts, and firsthand lessons on habitats, “going green” and misunderstood animals.

Donor support helped open up the fun to as many campers as possible, with HSBC Global sponsoring 20 camp scholarships. While Conservation Camp 2009 is complete, planning for next summer is already underway. Be sure to check www.lpzoo.org/education for updates in the months ahead.

Jammin’ Away The zoo’s summer concert series returned to the South Lawn, enabling music fans to enjoy music in the company of Chilean flamingos and white-lipped deer. Jammin’ at the Zoo 2009 featured Josh Kelley and Sister Hazel (June 26), Pat McGee, Brett Dennen and Matt Nathanson (July 24) and Angel Taylor and Five for Fighting (August 28). Plenty of fans were drawn by the zoo’s new media partner, The MIX 101.9 FM, as well as the expanded beverage menu, featuring Hornitos margaritas and Cruzan raspberry lemonade.

Fun Fundraising Summer nights, stylish guests and swanky surroundings added up to significant support for Lincoln Park Zoo’s mission of conservation and care.

Spring Benefit: Moonlight Migration, hosted by the Lincoln Park Zoo Auxiliary Board on May 29, kicked off with cocktails at Regenstein African Journey and ended with dancing at Café at Wild Things. Chaired by Harry Pfaff, Lori Lynch and Tara Marsh, the event raised nearly $40,000 for the Auxiliary Board’s Fund for Conservation and Science.

The zoo’s biggest fundraising event, Zoo Ball, sported an animal-centered theme with Spots and Stripes Forever. Hosted by the Women’s Board of Lincoln Park Zoo, and chaired by Patricia Cutilletta, the gala took place July 10 on the zoo’s Main Mall. More than 750 guests enjoyed a silent auction and the sounds of the Ken Arlen Orchestra. With generous support from the Tawani Foundation and the Pritzker Military Library, more than $360,000 was raised to support the Women’s Board’s $2 million pledge for Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo.

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“Even the circus was never gayer or more fun for the small fry than Lincoln Park’s Children’s Zoo, which opened today in a unique new building as a year-round attraction.”

-Chicago’s American, May 19, 1959

Laying the Foundation

BY JAMES SEIDLER

A New Kind of Zoo Kids’ meals, kids’ clubs, kids’ museums—nowadays, kids have plenty of options. When Lincoln Park Zoo’s Children’s Zoo opened in 1959, however, it was the first year-round children’s zoo building in the country. It was also the first new building to be constructed on zoo grounds since the Primate House in 1927.

The idea of a children’s zoo wasn’t new. Lincoln Park Zoo first provided an exclusive area for kids in 1952 (adults weren’t even allowed inside). But while it proved wildly popular—170,000 “small fry” came in 1955 for story time and animal encounters—it was also outdoors, and therefore only open during summer.

Looking to draw on the obvious appeal, the zoo commissioned the new Children’s Zoo building, an octagonal structure with a redwood frame and glass walls. A pond linked the building to the outdoors, bright colors dominated the interior and a variety of small animals lived in an S-shaped enclosure that was designed to resemble a caterpillar.

Zoo guides invited kids to explore the world of wildlife, offering supervised access to animals including bush babies, monkeys, bluetongued skinks, kinkajous, Guinea pigs (Mr. and Mrs. Fuzzy, as they were named) and even infant chimpanzee Keo. The new building served visitors of all ages—even adults—for 29 years before being remodeled into the Pritzker Children’s Zoo in 1988.

While the original Children’s Zoo engaged young visitors through contact with animals, today’s Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo immerses guests in a north woods atmosphere.

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Reflecting the Wild Red wolves howl, black bears prowl, North American river otters dive and a north woods landscape now thrives on the site of the old Children’s Zoo. The Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo, created in 2005, continues to introduce children to the wonders of wildlife. But while the Children’s Zoo of 1959 emphasized contact with animals, today’s Children’s Zoo—and indeed, today’s Lincoln Park Zoo—encourages natural behaviors and presents animals as they live in their native homes.

“The Children’s Zoo tries to demonstrate how people share the environment,” says General Curator Megan Ross, Ph.D. “There are lots of native plants and greenery reflecting the animals’ wild habitats, and the interpretatives and exhibit design reflect a new emphasis on conservation, research and education.”

That’s not to say the new building neglects old-fashioned fun. Anyone who’s seen toddlers dancing in the water jets or scampering to the heights of the Treetop Canopy Climbing Adventure can attest that kid-friendliness remains a focus. But even as little ones enjoy knee-high graphics and learning tools that encourage them to crawl, scratch, sniff and howl, the native plants and expansive outdoor areas enable visitors to envision animals as they live in the wild.

The new Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo reflects a transformed zoo landscape, one that’s home to a range of state-of-the-art facilities. Exposed concrete and steel enclosures have given way to naturalistic habitats, complete with builtin greenery and places to perch, play, chase and climb. The African immersion of Regenstein African Journey, the chimpanzee communities and gorilla groups living naturally in Regenstein Center for African Apes and the urban oasis now being created at Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo—these are all the legacy of the Zoological Society’s 50 years of leadership and support.

Safe and Sound Visitors arriving to Lincoln Park Zoo in 1959 didn’t have to decide which gate to enter: the entire zoo was open to the park paths that surrounded it.

A single security guard patrolled the grounds at night, but there was no fence surrounding zoo grounds.

While the need for a security fence had been discussed for some time, the inciting incidents for building it occurred in 1958 and 1959, when intruders snuck into the zoo at night and killed some birds at the Zoo Rookery (now the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool). This sad incident prompted the Park District to spend $26,000 to create a 10-foot-tall fence surrounding zoo grounds, an act that ensured the safety of animals and guests alike in the decades that followed.

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Bringing Education Into the Community Learning Goes Mobile When you visited Lincoln Park Zoo in 1959, your primary reason probably wasn’t to learn. At the time, the zoo was mainly a place of recreation. It was an extension of the park that surrounded it, free and open and full of exotic animals to engage visitors.

That’s not to say efforts weren’t made to inform guests about the wildlife on zoo grounds. A junior zoologist named Fred Meyer served as the zoo’s “Answer Man” for years, fielding questions about animals from his booth in the Kovler Lion House.

Volunteers at the Children’s Zoo introduced young visitors to the animals living there, guiding them through fun facts and animal encounters. Marlin Perkins even adopted the early medium of television to educate people about animals, hosting Zoo Parade at the Reptile House from 1950–1957.

As Zoo Parade came to an end, another animal-outreach effort began. This new initiative centered on bringing animals to the community—with a trailer truck and three-wheeled police escort.

“If the people can’t come to the zoo,” Perkins figured, “we’ll bring the zoo to them.” And the Traveling Zoo did just that.

In 1959, the Traveling Zoo roared through the city in a specialized trailer that was 33 feet long, 8 feet wide and 12 feet high.

Staffed by a driver, zookeeper and zoologist, it traveled to Chicago Park District camps throughout the city, introducing campers to animals including Galapagos tortoises, parrots, sand boas, red foxes, armadillos and more. It didn’t skimp on the schedule, hitting more than 80 neighborhood parks during the average summer, instilling an appreciation for animals that resonates to this day.

Education Evolves Today, Lincoln Park Zoo’s educational efforts continue to grow.

Kids looking to combine summer fun with the world of wildlife can laugh and learn at Summer Conservation Camps. Specially trained guest engagement leaders introduce visitors to the feel of a rhino’s horn or the back story behind the zoo’s red wolf conservation efforts. Behind the scenes, zoo educators develop guides on using the zoo as a living classroom.

“Our field of study has evolved,” says Director of Student and Teacher Programs Leah Melber, Ph.D. “There are degree programs,

A beloved sight, the Traveling Zoo brought animal encounters—and education—into the community. Zoo Director Marlin Perkins (above and left, with snake) also used the new medium of television to inform people about animals with the popular show Zoo Parade.

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research, best practices and models to follow. This expertise helps us find the best ways to inform people about animals and conservation.”

Active participation is the centerpiece of today’s education programs, explains Melber. Guests are invited to ask questions, engage educators and get hands-on with their learning.

One example of the hands-on approach is Exploring Ape Behavior, an award-winning program offered at Regenstein Center for African Apes. (You can find more information, including how to purchase tickets, at www.lpzoo.org/eab.) Exploring Ape Behavior introduces participants to ape cognitive and behavioral research conducted at the Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes. While in the past participants might have just listened to lectures, Exploring Ape Behavior enables them to step into a scientist’s shoes, using iPod Touches to collect behavioral data on one of the building’s chimpanzees or gorillas. “We’re

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helping people learn more about our research by letting them actually participate in the activities,” says Melber.

Hands-on learning is also at the heart of the zoo’s animal ambassadors and curiosity carts. By letting people touch the scales of a blue-tongued skink or rub their fingers over a “boomer ball” that fell victim to the sharp canines of an Amur tiger, educators offer lessons about biology and behavior in ways that are memorable and lasting.

While animal contact for its own sake was a fixture of past educational offerings, today’s encounters are carefully planned and rooted in larger lessons. “In the past, contact with animals wasn’t designed to demonstrate principles of endangered species or conservation,” says Director of Public Programs and Guest Engagement Jessica Monahan.

“Today, it’s carefully designed to serve the dual role of connecting people with wildlife but also encouraging them to respect the animals and support their conservation.”

Zoo educators are constantly looking for new approaches to engage audiences. Monahan is working to promote learning across generations by developing new family events, such as this fall’s “Bedtime Buddies” program, which will let parents with kids ages 3–10 experience Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House after hours. “We’re going to have yoga, crafts and lots more. It’ll let the kids get their hands dirty as they learn.”

Meanwhile, Melber is prepping professionals by developing curriculum guides to enable teachers to make the most of their visits to the zoo. Zoo Tracks and Species Safaris are printable guides organized around basic wildlife themes. By following a Zoo Track on their visit, teachers will have ready resources to help students “Meet the Family” or learn about “Predator and Prey.” “The guides help teachers and students observe what’s going on, but they also encourage them to lead the discussion about what they’re seeing,” says Melber.

While methods have changed, Lincoln Park Zoo’s animals continue to inspire curiosity about the natural world. By using modern methods to harness this interest, Lincoln Park Zoo’s educators are crafting lessons about conservation and care that will endure far into the future.

Left: Animal encounters are now rooted in larger conservation lessons while curiosity carts let visitors direct their own educational experience. Above: A camper explores an owl’s diet by probing apart a pelllet regurgitated by the predator.

field note African Lion Panthera leo Head raised, body arched, the lion opens its throat and begins to roar, drawing the attention of every visitor within earshot.

Guests rush over to see this natural display, marveling at the grace and power of the great animal announcing its dominance.

This familiar scene has reverberated throughout Lincoln Park Zoo’s history. Lions first arrived at the zoo in the late 1800s. In 1912, the construction of the landmark Kovler Lion House gave the big cats an iconic building to match their stature.

When The Lincoln Park Zoological Society formed in 1959, the Lion House had been essentially unchanged since its construction.

Meanwhile, Sugar and Spice, two 8-week-old lion cubs (pictured below at mealtime) lived in the new Children’s Zoo building, where young visitors could touch and pet them under the supervision of a female guide.

Today’s trio of lions—male Adelor and females Myra and Helene—inhabit an entirely different landscape. True, they make their residence in the same namesake building shared by earlier lions. But the large outdoor yard where they stroll, climb and lounge atop heated boulders was made possible through a Zoological Society–supported expansion of the building in 1971, one that gave the imposing predators more room to prowl.

Similarly, while the zoo of 1959 was happy to welcome as many cubs as possible, today’s new arrivals are carefully planned by the Population Management Center to ensure the sustainable health of this vulnerable population. Indeed, because Adelor, Myra and Helene are already well-represented in the North American zoo population, the male lion has been vasectomized to curtail future arrivals.

It’s a decision that reflects how today’s zoos collaborate to ensure the best future for the animals in their care. A future that should include raucous roars at the Lion House for decades to come.

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new technology and knowledge in the human field.

Consider this—when I started 20 years ago we had a dozen books about veterinary medicine for zoo animals. I now have six editions of one particular volume. There has been an explosion of knowledge.”

New Technology

The Evolution of Care Early in his tenure as Lincoln Park Zoo’s veterinarian, Dr. Lester E. Fisher’s most valuable tool was the telephone, which he’d use to contact other members of the informal Zoo Vets club with questions about treating, say, a sick boa constrictor. (His peers would call him with gorilla questions.)

In the late 1940s there were no zoo veterinary textbooks and scant reference materials. So the dozen pioneers in the field relied on their pooled resources to get by. “You could study the blood from a boa constrictor,” explains Fisher, “but you wouldn’t know what a normal reading was to compare it against.”

Fast forward six decades, when Director of Veterinary Services Kathryn Gamble, D.V.M., and her team have at their disposal not only a world of animal knowledge at the click of a keyboard, but also modern tools the likes of which Fisher and the Zoo Vets couldn’t have dreamed of—laser scalpels and blood-cell-counting computers and video scopes that enable you to peer into a duck’s gut to see what it had for lunch.

“As human medicine has evolved, so has veterinary medicine,” explains Gamble. “Veterinary medicine has greatly benefited from

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“The autopsy table was a great learning instrument for us,” says Fisher, who joined the zoo on a part-time basis in 1948 and started his 30-year tenure as the Director in 1962, three years after the formation of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society. When an animal died, a necropsy (animal autopsy) provided insight as to the cause but also served as a way to learn about how, say, a giraffe pumps blood up that long neck. It was a peek inside an animal that you couldn’t otherwise get.

Necropsies are still performed on all deceased zoo animals at the C.H. “Doc” Searle, M.D. Animal Hospital, but today there are much better devices to study animals—to peek inside them—while they’re living, in the hopes of postponing that post-mortem procedure.

A stroll through the lab, surgery center or radiograph room within the hospital reveals an ultrasound machine that is now commonly used on great apes. Scopes are used to explore the abdominal cavities of birds. Tono-Pens are used to measure pressure within the eyeballs of seals. And the aforementioned laser scalpel, which looks like a robotic golf bag, enables staff to cut tissue with maximum precision and minimal pain.

While not technically technology, advancements in medicine have also aided zoo veterinarians.

Antibiotics are now given to snakes. Sedatives help lizards experience reduced pain after surgery.

Futuristic devices and advanced medicine illuminate the shift in philosophy that has taken place in the field in the past half-century.

New Philosophy While zoo veterinarians in the past were more like emergencyroom doctors, reacting to problems as they arose, Gamble and her staff today spend 60 percent of their time on preventive medicine, performing physicals and routine medical care to minimize problems down the road.

“Additionally, we’ve become more assertive in minimizing discomfort for animals,” says Gamble, who will use fentanyl patches to curb post-surgical pain in, say, a post-surgical skink.

The new philosophy is also one of continuing education. Modern zoo veterinarians—who must now be state-certified and are subject to strict regulation—stay abreast of developments in the field with frequent seminars and tutorials. Gamble recently lectured at the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society meeting.

She and Zoo Veterinarian Owen Slater, D.V.M., also attend weekly seminars with peers from Brookfield Zoo and Shedd Aquarium.

In 1959, the zoo veterinary staff consisted of the part-time presence of Dr. Lester Fisher, who later became Zoo Director. Today’s full-time veterinary staff, led by Director of Veterinary Services Kathryn Gamble, D.V.M., employs state-of-the-art endoscopes, radiographs and regular preventive check-ups to ensure the health of Lincoln Park Zoo’s animals.

Compared to Fisher, who started out part-time, as a staff of one, the modern Lincoln Park Zoo veterinary team includes Gamble, Slater, a veterinary resident, three veterinary technicians, a hospital keeper, zoo medicine support interns, rotating fourth-year veterinary students and veterinary pathologists from the University of Illinois’ Zoo Pathology Program, which is contracted to perform necropsies.

A Push to the Future, A Tool from the Past “Fifty years ago everything was new. We hadn’t seen anything before,” surmises Gamble. “Now we have a better grasp on disease and care, and we have much better tools to address them.” Adds Fisher, “The field has changed totally and dramatically.”

In the corner of the Animal Hospital lab sits a dark and dented centrifuge, a device used to spin liquid samples in order to separate components. Though more than 60 years old, the squat device still works just as well as the state-of-the-art computers and blinking electronic gizmos that sit nearby.

The purpose of the centrifuge is to spin samples, sure, but it also serves as a reminder. Despite the great advances in zoo veterinary knowledge and technology—and benefits to animals under the care of zoo veterinarians—some things have remained the same.

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field note Black Bear Ursus americanus As the first mammal exhibited at Lincoln Park Zoo, black bears have a special place in our history.

They’ve been a part of the zoo experience for more than 120 years. But even as the bears remain constant, each of their years is filled with great change.

Just like their wild counterparts throughout much of North America, the zoo’s black bears’ behavior, metabolism and diet change drastically throughout each calendar year. In the fall, they become ravenous, eating everything in sight in order to bulk up for the coming winter, when wild bears hibernate and zoo bears slow down dramatically (though never entering full hibernation, as food is never scarce).

Each spring, black bears return to activity and moderate eating—even plucking fish from their stream— which continues through the summer months.

The black bears’ menu includes, well, just about everything. As anyone who has had to take special precautions when camping knows, black bears are omnivorous. As such, the Nutrition Center here at the zoo provides the three resident black bears with bear biscuits, produce and low-calorie items like cereal and popcorn, which keepers hide around the exhibit and atop a climbing structure, prompting the bears to work for their treats.

The 4-year-old male at the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo is more enthusiastic about these elevated snacks than the geriatric female and male, who you can often spot snuggled up against the viewing window within the log at the east end of the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Black Bear Habitat. In winter months a hot rock installed in the log keeps the big guy warm.

While diets and seasons change, the temperature in this hideout is as permanent as black bears at Lincoln Park Zoo.

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From the Archives— Historic Headlines Take a look back at 1959, the year of The Lincoln Park Zoological Society’s formation, with these clippings from the zoo scrapbooks. Even as the headlines evoke a different era, they reflect the same connection to animals—and the community—that Lincoln Park Zoo celebrates today.

Right, top: Zoological Society leaders hold a poster, featuring Keo, used to recruit zoo members (see the appeal at bottom).

Marion Simon (left) and Nancy Gross (right) still serve on the the zoo’s Board of Directors. Right, center: Columnist Irv Kupcinet announces Zoo Director Marlin Perkins’ expedition to the Himalayas with Sir Edmund Hillary. Below: Photos of new arrivals were a common feature in newspapers 50 years ago. While zoos of that era often purchased animals from the wild, today’s zoos maintain zoo-born populations with careful scientific management.

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Top: The creation of the Farm-in-theZoo was the first major project undertaken by the Zoological Society. Over the next 50 years, their inspiration and support transformed zoo grounds. Left: While Marlin Perkins acquired animals from Africa in 1959, scientists today work to conserve them in Tanzania and the Republic of Congo. Right: The Children’s Zoo, which opened in 1959, introduced generations of visitors to the wonders of wildlife. Today’s buildings present animals in naturalistic surroundings, enabling visitors to see them as they live in the wild.

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field note Trumpeter Swan Cygnus cygnus buccinator Perhaps no animal at Lincoln Park Zoo represents longevity quite like swans. And surely none do it as gracefully. The zoo was founded in 1868 with the gift of a pair of the angelic white birds. By 1959—the year the Zoological Society was formed—generations of visitors had grown to love the birds.

And by 2009, generations of swans had produced generations of offspring, many of which now grace the wild wetlands of the Midwest thanks to Lincoln Park Zoo’s participation in a trumpeter swan release program with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that has resulted in 37 birds (to date) being reintroduced to their wild habitat.

The current pair of trumpeter swans in the Hope B. McCormick Swan Pond, residents since 1998, began producing clutches of chicks in 2001 and have done so each year since. “It’s a remarkable feat,” says General Curator

Megan Ross, Ph.D. “And our participation with the wildrelease program has been amazing.”

Graceful. Monogamous. Fertile.

Sure. But trumpeter swans are hardly lightweights. The large birds (Four-foot wingspans! 30 pounds!) will aggressively defend their territory with loud vocalizations and charges with outstretched wings. They tolerate the presence of smaller birds—such as the hooded mergansers and ruddy ducks that share the Swan Pond—but will not stand for larger birds entering their area.

Same goes for human caretakers at the zoo. Our trumpeter swans are comfortable with their regular keepers, but newcomers entering the pond (such as service personnel) require a keeper escort, lest the feathers fly.

You don’t stick around for generations by being flighty.

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

membership matters Members Lounge at ZooLights During ZooLights, which begins November 27, members and their guests are invited to warm up in the Members Lounge, which is stocked with complimentary hot drinks and snacks. Located in the Tadpole Room in the lower level of Park Place Café, the Members Lounge is open 5–8 p.m. every night of ZooLights. Join us!

Annual Fund—Increase your Gift’s Impact!

Now through the end of the year, your Annual Fund donation can be worth even more. We invite you to join the Donor Club Drive: From One to $150. Lincoln Park Zoo’s Board of Directors is challenging zoo donors to increase their Annual Fund contributions. Make a new Donor Club-level gift or increase last year’s Donor Club-level gift and the board will contribute an extra $150.

Now is the perfect time to increase your commitment to the zoo. Donor Club members support exemplary animal care, worldwide conservation efforts and exceptional education programs, all while receiving great benefits. Visit the Support section of www.lpzoo.org to learn more. To participate over the phone, please call 312-742-2321.

Members Open House—Save the Date On February 20 and 21 and March 6 and 7, members are exclusively invited to tour Regenstein Center for African Apes.

More details to follow, but mark your calendars now!

Shop for the Holidays The 2009 holiday card features red wolves, North American river otters and a black bear romping through the snow within the Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo. This year’s holiday ornaments range from sublime to silly. Shop for both at Wild Things! gift shop on zoo grounds or at www.lpzoo.org.

Give a Gift to Remember

Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Lincoln Park Zoo

ADOPT one of Lincoln Park Zooʼs most unique animals— a red panda, jaguar, naked mole rat or polar bear—and give a gift to remember.

The purchase of a Gift to Remember ADOPT gives twice— once to the recipient and once to the animals at the zoo.

Each package costs $40 (plus $6 S&H) and includes a red panda, jaguar, naked mole rat or polar bear plush, personalized certificate of ADOPTion, animal fact sheet, animal photograph and an ADOPT an Animal magnet.

ADOPT packages can be purchased at www.lpzoo.org/ADOPT, by calling 312-742-2322 or at zoo shops.