The Artful Dodger

Photo appears courtesy of the NC Zoo

With a heavy heart, I bid fond farewell to The North Carolina Zoo's Cougar, Dodger. This beautiful man lived fourteen years, but alas a severe degenerative joint disease got the better of him, and once treatments were no longer working, he had to be euthanized yesterday. I will never forget the day I first laid eyes on him. He came to the NC Zoo as a rescue with a somewhat sketchy past. He was found by firemen in an abandoned Detroit building. Eventually, confiscated by the Michigan Humane Society, Dodger came to the NC Zoo at three months of age. And let me tell you, he was so freaking cute, and seriously into everything. The king of mischief, this boy. I used to tell him about Max and the Wild Things, my favorite childhood story, and regularly threaten to send him to bed without his supper, though he knew my threats were empty, and he had all of us wrapped around his already sizable claws from the word go. Several of us were given the fantastic opportunity to assist in caring for this exuberant cub. We fed and entertained Dodger while he was in the zoo's quarantine facility. It was a full-time job and a bit more work than the veterinary technicians who usually care for the area could handle alone. So, several of us were able to sign up for shifts. I loved my hours spent with Dodger as a young man. We wrestled, and he chewed my boots, and every now and then, if I was really lucky, he would curl up in my lap and let me cuddle him, which if I remember correctly we were kind of asked not to do, but who could resist? Generally, the snuggle time didn't last for long, anyway. There was so much to play with, so little time. Dodger grew into a fine and fabulous cat. Here are a couple old photos of him I found in my stash. To all of you who loved The Artful Dodger, my deepest condolences.

Photo Appears Courtesy Amanda Corlies Sandos

Photo Appears Courtesy of Amanda Corlies Sandos

Holiday Close Encounters

May your holiday season be filled with wonder and the unexpected. 

Photo appears courtesy of the North Carolina Zoo/

Take a Baby Break!

I've been hard at work on The Ravens Crossing (TRC) and my various other creative writing and visual arts projects for the past few weeks. Though, I've enjoyed every second of it, occasionally, I find myself feeling a little tired. Then, I get these wonderful email updates from my friends at the NC Zoo with various baby pictures. When the day seems gloomy, and I am frustrated by being confined to a mere 24 hours of work time, I get these random little baby breaks, moments of sunshine in my day.Thanks guys! You know who you are. I thought all of you might appreciate a baby break too. I hope it makes you feel as warm and fuzzy as I do. Above is baby Bomassa the Lowland Gorilla with mama. And, below, you have Nori, the two year old chimpanzee playing with one of her troupe members. Photos appear courtesy of the North Carolina Zoo. Now, I must get back to work on TRC. As always, if you are looking for something fun and free to read, head on over to Morgan & Holly's story and check out our young adult science fiction adventure series. Okay,break time is officially over. Have a lovely day!

Welcome Baby Giraffe! Congrats Jamili!

Congratulation to Jamili, the giraffe at the North Carolina Zoo, and to her keepers on the birth of their new baby yesterday morning. What a beautiful way to start the day! Several friends sent me pictures right after the event, which left me with a little extra pep in my step all day. And since one of my dearest friends takes care of these beauties, I am left feeling like a proud aunt. I cannot wait to go meet the little tyke in person. Okay, the not so little tyke. The baby is around six feet tall. The post several weeks ago about Jamili's pending birth turned out to be early contractions. But, you might want to go read the blog about birthing a six foot baby. If you haven't already.

Also, it's an excellent time, while I am announcing momentous occasions, to say that this little old blog just surpassed 10,000 page views. Not something I ever aspired to, but it seems like something I should celebrate. So, thanks to all you page viewers. I appreciate you popping round and giving me a read. I hope you are staying cool in this heat.

Kudos for NC Zoo Kudus

The North Carolina Zoo recently announced the birth of a new kudu calf in their African Plains exhibit. Here's the little girl getting one of her first vet checks. A little known fact about me: I am a huge fan of kudus. I worked with them for many years both at the Dallas Zoo and the African Plains exhibit at the NC Zoo where this gal was born. She's quite an armload for a baby. This photo reminded me of what fantastic little hiders they are and how many hours we would spend searching the exhibit to find them for exams. Being excellent at hiding is how they stay safe from predators in the wild. Mom helps them locate a spot to lie down, and they immediately curl up and blend right into their surroundings, often staying still and silent as the trees for hours on end.   

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The NC Zoo plains exhibit is spectacular, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend a visit. You will think you've stepped right out onto the African Plains, for real. They house a number of African antelope and rhinos on about a hundred acres of rolling hills and grasslands right next door to their African elephant exhibits. The exhibit has several thickets of trees, a pond and a lake. 

It isn't easy to find babies in all that tall grass. We would sit hidden for hours with our binoculars trained on the mother antelope until she would magically call the baby out of hiding. In actuality, their calls are infrasonic, too low frequency to be heard by most predatory species, including humans. But it seems as if they make some magical silent agreement and then mother and baby move in tandem to meet for nursing. That's when we'd follow them to get a better idea of where to locate the calf for its exam. Of course, we didn't dare touch the calf until the herd moved away from it again. They don't take kindly to babies being messed with. One oryx mother beat the crap out of the truck because we had her baby in the back for a medical check up.

Soon, this little kudu girl will grow. And grow. And grow, into one of the largest and most lovely of all the African antelope species. Though they can be fairly docile most of the time, they will take you out if they feel cornered or threatened. A little known fact about kudus: they will do pretty much anything for a grape. I helped train the NC Zoo's kudu herd to voluntarily come into smaller, enclosed holding areas from the exhibit using nothing more than a clicker and a bunch of grapes. 

Anyway, kudos for Mr. Kudu, his baby mama, and his keepers on their latest kudu calf. 

All photos appear courtesy of the NC Zoo.

The Single Beaver Dad Gig

Photo courtesy of the Jackson Zoo.

The story about a single beaver dad over on Discovery News yesterday caught my attention. I know plenty of single parents, and it's always a struggle, but I have to say, being a single beaver dad has got to be particularly rough. I don't know how many beavers you've known, but that "Busy as a..." saying is seriously based on truth. There's a reason these animals bond for life, because it takes a team for them to effectively raise a family.

Sadly, Mr. Single Beaver Dad of a wild colony in Martinez, California, lost his mate to an infection.  After many years as a pair, having raised twelve kits together, he was left alone with three babies. But, he doesn't just have to find them food and keep them safe. He literally has to build their home and tend it every single day to keep his lodge neat and tidy and free of leaks, not to mention do his job on the rest of the dam construction to help the colony keep the water level high enough and the fish plentiful where they live. All this, plus raising and teaching his three young how to be the best beavers they can be. And, apparently he's doing a fantastic job. All three kits have survived thus far. You can see the whole story along with interviews from those in the field observing, and even view a video of him over at Discovery News.

For me, the story immediately brought to mind the family of wild beavers at the NC Zoo who moved in next to our North American Swamp exhibit one year and built their lodge directly underneath the visitor boardwalk. They, too, raised three young as we watched every day, fascinated by all the work the pair of beavers had to do to care for and teach them. There was this knot in the wood of the walkway that formed a hole, so we could actually see down inside their lodge and catch glimpses of the kits indoors while the parents were out taking care of business. I'll never forget the first day I got to see the family out swimming around the lake together. It was very cool. As the kits grew, the lodge would get seriously noisy at times. They're very vocal babies. I couldn't help but imagine this single beaver dad coming home after a long day of construction work, having literally done the work of two, to listen to all that racket all night. Poor guy probably never got any sleep.

Anyway, I found this cool video from the rehabers at Claws, who rescued two baby beavers from an immanent death sentence, and found a safe home in a zoo for them. The footage is a combination of stills and live video, where you get to see some of the work involved in raising beavers. Wait until you hear how noisy one hungry beaver is. Then, multiply that by three. I propose we offer our single beaver dad some sort of father's day award this year! But, I guess he'll probably be too busy to care much about that. So I'll just say all the best to you and your family, Mr. Beaver.

Plastic Updates and an NC Zoo Video.

My inbox gets filled with all manner of fantastic things some days. It pays to have friends all over the world who think of me and send me cool stuff. Thanks to all of you who have done so. It's always appreciated, even if I don't end up blogging about it.

One of the tidbits that just came across my computer is an update to the last story posted about banning plastic in the state of Hawaii.  Los Angeles has now joined San Francisco in banning the use of plastic bags city-wide, making them the largest city so far to institute the ban. This makes me deliriously happy. Keep it up people! Let's make non-biodegradable plastic a thing of our past. Well, that will be hard, since it's shelf like is something like 10,000 years, but still, stopping the demand for its production is a serious step in the right direction.

The other bit of news I received is a little news segment for Roanoke Virginia's Daytime Blue Ridge program on channel 10 about the NC Zoo. A good portion of the short video is filmed in the RJ Reynold's Forest Aviary, where I spent ten years taking care of the birds. I really miss working there sometimes, so it was lovely to see some of my old friends, feathered and otherwise, doing what they do. I enjoyed a good chuckle at the narrator who says he loves seeing the "animals and birds" as if they are two separate things. Still, I thought you might enjoy it. If you live "in a day's drive" of Asheboro, North Carolina, or even if you don't, the NC Zoo is worth making time for. It really is one of the best zoos in the world, and the largest zoo in the world in land mass. Don't miss it if you have the chance to visit. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Congratulations Tammy Chimp

Tammy chimp, a 41 year old female at the North Carolina Zoo, gave birth to a daughter named Ebi last Monday. Both are doing well, and so far, Tammy is caring for the baby without intervention from her keepers. Congratulations to Tammy, and to all my friends, chimp and otherwise, at the NC Zoo.

Ebi and Tammy will remain off exhibit for the next few months at least. But, don't worry, they have a fantastic, state of the art, off-exhibit holding area, complete with private outdoor access, should the weather get warm enough to allow it.

You might, however, catch a glimpse of Nori, the zoo's seventeen month old chimp, on exhibit when the weather permits. She is adorably cute, just like a baby chimp should be. Also, if you have not already read "Bonding with Hondo," my short story about helping to raise a baby chimp, you can find it here.

I wish all the best to Tammy and Ebi and their keepers! Here's hoping for continued health for Ebi and maternal success for Tammy. My fingers and toes will be crossed!

A Very Merry Zooliday!

One of my favorite things to do when I worked as a zookeeper was create fun things to give my animals for enrichment. Because captive animals are often bored in their enclosures, zookeepers spend a good portion of every day trying out different things to keep them entertained, active, and healthy. The holiday season provides all kinds of opportunities for the animals and keepers alike to get into the festive spirit. So, I thought I would share some photos from zoos around the world to show you what some of the animals have been up to.

Over at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, they've been hosting a holiday enrichment fest for their animals for several years. Here are a few of their posted photos -

Here's a photo by Rick Stevens of Bethyl, Taronga's elderly Kodiak Bear checking out her fun new toy -















And at the Belfast Zoo, the primates are enjoying their visit from Saint Nicholas a little early this year -



















And stateside, at the Wildwood Wildlife Park, in Marshfield, Wisconsin, a cougar decided his presents were offensive, but he had fun shredding them -





At the North Carolina Zoo, we used to gather all of the Christmas trees after the holidays were over and give them to the animals as enrichment. Sadly, I can't seem to find any of those photos. All you zoo peeps, if you have some fun holiday images you'd be willing to post, please email them.

I hope you and all your loved ones, including the fur-covered variety, have a wonderful holidays.