VZL V27 9 - Indianapolis Zoo

SEPTEMBER 2014
VOLUME 27•EDITION 9
The Indianapolis Prize will be awarded later this month to
Dr. Patricia C. Wright for her heroic and selfless dedication to
protecting the lemurs, ecosystems and people of Madagascar.
The 39 nominees for the 2014 Indianapolis Prize span the
globe and represent a broad range of species, including
chimpanzees, snow leopards, sea turtles, giant pandas, bats,
swans and many more. These men and women are real heroes:
they are people who have had memorable adventures and
brilliant victories that have quite literally changed the world.
But how do we determine who wins the
$250,000 cash award and the prestigious Lilly Medal?
Actually, we don't. Right from the start, we decided that an
internationally regarded award needed an internationally
regarded group of decision-makers. Every two years, we
recruit some of the most well-known and distinguished
conservationists in the world. They comprise two groups, the
nominating committee and the jury. The nominating committee
reviews all accepted nominations and selects six finalists. The
jury reviews those six finalists and chooses the winner. It is not
an easy task, and it requires not only some very specialized knowledge, but also a great deal of wisdom and a considerable amount of
hard work as they research and review each candidate.
Mission Madagascar: Notes from the Jungle
Dr. Wright shares her experiences in Madagascar with us.
Three of us from Centre ValBio traveled half an hour west to a picturesque
Betsileo village on Route 45 with two-story adobe houses and several blacksmith
forges. This sunny Wednesday morning we had arrived for a meeting with the
mayor of Ambatovaky to discuss the possibility of it being a tourist
destination. The mayor wasn’t there and we made an appointment with his wife
to convene the meeting on Friday morning. We heard the hammers and were
guided to the forges.
The barefoot blacksmiths were heating pieces of wrought iron until the metal
glowed red and became soft enough to be shaped with handmade hammers,
anvils and chisels. The glowing forge of charcoal was fanned by homemade
bellows, twin upright logs alternatively pushed by hand. Three muscular men
hammered and shaped the metal after it was glowing hot. In 15 minutes we had a
shovel handle. It was a dynamic experience and as a tourist, I bought the narrow
shovel that I had seen made.
Two days later we returned to Ambatovaky for a meeting with the mayor and
the executive committee to discuss the “Artisanal Path for Tourists.” Susan
Findel’s dream was to have the circuit start at Ambatovaky with observation of
the blacksmiths. The President said, “other countries have engines and machines,
why would they want to buy our iron made by hand?” And I explained that yes,
other countries had machines and had forgotten how to do metal work by hand
and they would be fascinated to see the work accomplished here. We discussed training in the English and French language, a
museum, a shoppe for selling their wares and training to do metal sculpture. They asked for our collaboration and they showed us the
land where the museum and shop could go. I bought two “coup-coups,” two sickles and two more shovel handles to put on the wall
of my USA house as works of art. (Continued on Page 4)
Volunteer Zoosletter
1
Hispanic Heritage Fiesta
Volunteers are needed on Sunday, Sept. 21 to assist with the
Zoo’s Hispanic Heritage Fiesta.
Photo by Fred Cate
 Two Naturalists needed from 11:30am-2pm and two
Naturalists needed from 2-4:30pm.
 Two Partner Liaisons needed from 11:30am-4:30pm to assist
Sept. 13 — Two Naturalists needed from 9:45am-1pm for the
Zoo marketing staff and partner organizations with event
IUPUI Bat Festival.
setup.
 Six Craft Attendants are needed from 11:30am-4:30pm.
Naturalists Needed:
Mascot/Mascot Guide Training
Fall Mascot and Mascot Guide training will be offered
Sept. 13, from 10-11:30am for Adult and ZooTeen
Volunteers. If you have ever wondered what it’s like to be a
Mascot or a Mascot Guide, this is your chance! Learn what it
takes to welcome guests to the Zoo, meet our cast of Mascots and
try on the costumes. Training will take place in the Polly Horton
Hix Institute for Research and Conservation.
Mascot/Mascot Guides Needed:
Sept. 21 — Two Mascots and one Guide needed from 11:30am4:30pm for Hispanic Heritage Fiesta.
Sept. 27 — Two Mascots and one Guide needed from 8:30am12pm for the Indiana Sports Corporation Corporate Challenge at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Sept. 27 — One Mascot needed from 9:30am-12:30pm for Meeta-Hero, Be-a-Hero Day.
Texting feature now available in Volgistics!
We are excited about this new feature as it will allow us to communicate with you more efficiently! We will be
able to send you custom text messages, and you will also be able to receive automatic texts such as reminders
about your schedule or approaching due dates for annual events such as TB tests.
To begin receiving texts from us, you will need to opt-in to texting with your mobile (cell) phone number.
Your normal texting and data rates will apply so please take this into consideration before you opt-in. To opt-in,
login to your Volgistics account. Click on “My Account,” then under “Message Preferences” you can select how
you wish to receive communications from us via email, text or both. You can also select which types of
messages you wish to receive by which method. You can also select the time you would like to receive text
messages (so you don’t receive alerts at 4:30am!) To complete the opt-in process, you will receive a text alert
and reply “YES” to confirm. You can opt-out or change your preferences at any time by logging in to your
account.
Visit Volgistics at http://www.volgistics.com/ex/help.dll?ACT=21&HID=6hmPm0cn&TOPIC=1291 for more
specific information on how to opt-in. Text messages sent from us will appear as Volgistics Volunteer Alerts
when you receive them. You will not be able to respond to the text messages you receive due to the security
features of the system. The feature only allows messages to be sent to you. If you wish to respond to a text you
receive, please call or email Volunteer Services.
Thank you for opting-in to text messaging. We appreciate your service and we look forward to communicating
with you more efficiently by texting!
Volunteer Zoosletter
2
Creature Feature — this month let’s
head southeast, southeast Asia to be
specific. This area is home to the blood
python (Python brongersmai). They
are found in a variety of habitats
including the rainforest, swamps,
woodlands, plains and even dense
stands of bamboo. They are known to
spend a lot of their time in the water.
As you might have guessed, the
name comes from the reddish-rust
color that is a characteristic of the
species. They might also have
splotches or stripes of yellow, tan or
black. They generally reach between 46 feet in length but have been known to
grow up to 9 feet long! They have a
long, flat, wide head that is usually
colored dark grey or brown. The blood
python can weigh up to 45 pounds,
although they generally weigh between
12-20 pounds.
This species is a nocturnal ambush
predator that will lie in wait before
striking at their prey (typically rodents
and birds). They are non-venomous
and will grab their prey with their teeth
and then coil around the prey and
squeeze.
Females will lay clutches of 10-15
eggs and, unlike most snakes, the
female will stay with the eggs. She will
incubate the eggs by coiling around
them. Females can lose up to half their
body weight during the incubation
period. The eggs will hatch about twoand-a-half months after being laid at
which time the female leaves and the
hatchlings are on their own.
Lori Freeman
Volunteer Zoosletter
Zoosletter
Volunteer
Photo by Laura Pilarski
What’s orange, striped and cute all
over? A tiger cub! The Zoo is proud
to announce the newest addition to
Forests, born at 6:48pm on July 10.
The Amur tiger cub (Panthera tigris
altiaca) is the first for 6-year-old
Andrea, and both mother and cub are
doing well. The two will remain in a
private indoor area for several weeks
to protect the health of the cub, but
guests will soon have the chance to
weigh in on a name by voting on the
Zoo’s Facebook page, so stay tuned!
The newcomer brings the number
of Amur tigers at the Zoo to four,
including 7-year-old male Petya, the
cub’s first-time father, and 11-yearold Cila, one of several tigers born
previously here at the Indianapolis
Zoo.
Photo by Jill Burbank
Photo by Dan Boritt
Our Flights of Fancy family has three
new additions! On July 9, the Zoo
welcomed the first Caribbean flamingo
chick (Phoenicopterus rubin) ever
hatched onsite, and two more followed.
If you look closely in the photo, you'll
notice the egg tooth at the end of its
beak, which all chicks have to help
them peck their way into the world.
Two chicks are male and one is female.
All three are healthy, strong and
growing fast!
Also known as American flamingos,
these birds are native to the Caribbean
and Galapagos regions. When they
hatch, the chicks are covered in a soft,
white-gray plumage that will begin to
turn a brilliant shade of pink when the
chicks are around 9 months old. But
you can still be able to tell these
newcomers apart from the rest of the
flamboyance (the term for a group of
flamingos) because they won't have full
adult plumage until age 4. Make sure to
check out the flamingo exhibit in
Encounters this fall to see the newest
Zoo babies!
Photo by Carla Knapp
43
Mission Madagascar:
Notes from the Jungle
Part 2 (Continued from Page 1)
The villages around Ranomafana are
some of the poorest in the world, and
part of our conservation program is to
help the people around the park to have
better health. To step this up we have
encouraged the founding of PIVOT, a
new non-government organization with
their first goal to bring infrastructure of
health care delivery to international
standards around the Ranomafana
National Park.
PIVOT became operational in
Ranomafana six months ago. I am on
the PIVOT board and we had a board
meeting in Ranomafana. PIVOT works
closely with the Ministry of Health, and
so far has begun upgrading and
rebuilding the Ranomafana health clinic
as well as purchasing two ambulances,
the first ever in the region, to be able to
get sick people to the district or
province hospital. They have been
saving lives already. The district
hospital and six other basic health
clinics will be upgraded this year. And
40 essential medicines were provided to
all these clinics. The board was
impressed with the first six months of
progress towards the goals of Health for
Conservation. PIVOT and Centre
ValBio work closely together.
Yes, our environmental arts program
includes acting and theater! Zara Aina is
a group of Broadway actors who visited
Madagascar over a year ago teaching
performing arts to Malagasy children.
Last year Bryce Pinkham (starring now
in the Tony Award Winning Broadway
Musical “A Gentleman's Guide to Love
and Murder”), Lucas Rooney and Annie
came to Centre ValBio to teach our local children to act out nature stories.
Although Bryce couldn't come, having
to go to the Tony Awards, Lucas and
Annie arrived on their motorcycles the
day of the PIVOT board meeting. The
mayor loaned his car to bring up
children from Ranomafana and 150
children somehow emerged from a pick
up truck like clowns in a Volkswagon.
Let the performance begin!! Part of the
fun was the children invading the
PIVOT board meeting. It’s all filmed
As part of the PIVOT board events
we had three local bands come to
and must be on the web by now. Great
Centre VALBIO to perform. The
fun for all. And a good way to bring
bamboo dancers won the competition.
awareness of the specialness of
Michael Herrnstein, the youngest board
Madagascar's wildlife to the local
member joined the dancers.
communities.
Our environmental arts program
is growing and we brought PIVOT our
basket weavers from Sahavondronona
Village to teach basket weaving to the
board. This program of incorporating
basket weaving lessons into tourist
schedules is another way the Centre is
helping the household budgets of local
village women.
Volunteer Zoosletter
Zoosletter
Volunteer
Mission Madagascar:
Notes from the Jungle
Part 3
The Indianapolis Zoo is committed to
conservation efforts across the globe.
One of the keystones of the Indianapolis
Zoo commitment to conservation is to
support efforts around the world to save
wildlife and wild places that are in
danger. Zoo support reaches far and
wide through its involvement and
monetary assistance with many different
organizations, researchers and scientists
in the field whose hard work is helping
to preserve unique animals and their
habitats for future generations.
Madagascar Fauna
Support Group
The Indianapolis Zoo has a long
history of working with the most iconic
animals from the island nation of
Madagascar – the lemurs. Sadly, all
lemur species in Madagascar are
endangered, and the Zoo is supporting
the efforts of the Madagascar Fauna
Interest Group (MFG) to try to save
them and their habitat from destruction.
The unstable and challenging political
situation in Madagascar resulting from
the 2009 coup required shifting of many
of the research resources of the MFG
towards protection and patrolling of the
Betampona reserve areas. Conservation
agents successfully redirected their
work and saved this reserve from large
scale removal of rosewood and lemur
poaching, which is unfortunately more
common in unpatrolled areas.
Photo by Jason Wright
44
Naturalist Training
Are you just getting started as a Naturalist? We’re launching the
Naturalist Class of 2015 with a kickoff event at 2pm on Nov. 2 in
the Polly Horton Hix Institute for Research and Conservation. New
Naturalists can get to know the Education Department staff, meet
other Class of 2015 Naturalists and learn about the biomes where
your help is needed. We’ll also go over the training schedule and
answer any questions you may have about the program. Please
contact Anna Musun-Miller, at [email protected] or
(317) 630-5110 to RSVP or if you have any questions. We can’t
wait to meet you!
Photo by Shannon Gaughan-Kelly
Volunteer Absences
If you will be absent from your volunteer shift, please make sure you contact both Volunteer Services and the Volunteer Liaison in
the area you work. If you can’t get in touch with either your Liaison or a Volunteer Services staff member, please leave a
voicemail message or send an email. Volunteer Services can be contacted at [email protected] or by calling (317) 630-2041.
If you need updated contact information for your Volunteer Liaison, please stop by the Volunteer Services office.
Volunteer Winter Wear
Additional uniform pieces, Zoo-logoed fleece, sweatshirts and hats to
help stay warm during your volunteer shifts are now available! These
optional items are available by special order now through Sept. 30,
2014.
 Fleece: Black, three-quarter pullover with tiger logo. Cost is
$38.50, with an additional $1 for 2XL, $2 for 3XL, and $3 for
4XL.
 Sweatshirt: Khaki with penguin logo or green with orangutan logo.
Cost is $24.25, with an additional $1 for 2XL and $2 for 3XL.
(4XL size is unavailable in this item).
 Winter Stocking Hat: Black with polar bear logo. Cost is $15. One
size fits most.
 Baseball Hat: Khaki with tiger logo. Cost is $15. One size fits
most.
Payment will be due in full by Sept. 30, 2014 — sorry, no exceptions
can be made to this deadline. Payment methods are checks (addressed
to the Indianapolis Zoo) or debit/credit cards. Please contact the
Volunteer Office ([email protected] or call (317) 630-2041) to
place your order or if you have any questions or need additional
information.
Tailgating for Tigers
Join the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK) from 6-10pm on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Pawn Shop Pub (2222 East 54th
Street) for Tailgating for Tigers. 100 percent of the proceeds from this event, for individuals 21 and older, will go directly to Save
Tigers Now (www.savetigersnow.org) which is a campaign supported by World Wildlife Fund. For more information please
contact [email protected] or like AAZK on Facebook at www.facebook.com/indyaazk.
Volunteer Zoosletter
5
ZooBoo
Oct. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, & 24-26, 2014
Help bring ZooBoo to life! Volunteers over the age of 17 are needed for a
variety of activities and shift times. The event takes place outdoors in all
weather conditions.
Volunteer opportunities include:
Tuesday, Sept. 30 (1-4pm)
 Set-up: Help prepare Zoo grounds by setting up fencing, tables, chairs
and decorations.
Oct. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 (1:30-7pm)
 Friendly Greeter: Welcome guests to the ZooBoo Activity Center and
share event information. This is a standing position.
 Craft Guru: Help guests create simple take-home items.
 Chalk Drawing Expert: Encourage young guests to create drawings on
a chalkboard. Erase drawings as needed and keep area neat and clean.
 Ring Toss Professional: Help run a toy spider toss game where guests aim for buckets behind a spider web. Will
need to bend over and walk back and forth.
 Broomstick Keeper: Oversee guests navigating the simple high hay maze obstacle in the Kroger Splash Park with
just a broomstick and a ball. Be mindful of: one-way in and out, no climbing on the hay bales, minimize running.
 Trained Pumpkin Bowler: Run ZooBoo’s most popular activity! Set up the pins and hand out plastic pumpkins for
the children. Cheer kids on to roll a strike!
 Bounce House Specialist: Monitor the bounce house, allow groups of six children two minutes to jump. Try to
separate younger children from older children who want to bounce.
 Touch Box Warriors: Guide visitors through activities. Can they guess what’s in the box?
 Hand out Treats on the Train Ride: Wear dark, weather-appropriate clothing for working outdoors, under a
Zoo-provided costume.
 Runner: Must be a regular Zoo volunteer and be able to go, go, go! Assist staff as needed throughout event. May
help with late arrivals, candy distribution, partner needs, filling in at stations and more!
 Mascot and Guide: Must be a Zoo-trained Mascot or Guide to sign up for this assignment. Entertain guests as they
come into the Zoo. Costume accessories available for the mascots.
 Naturalist: Must be a Zoo-trained Naturalist to sign up for this assignment. Provide animal information and
conservation messages at a Discovery Station.
Oct. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 (4-7pm)
 Floaters: Actively fill in with any assignments as needed providing breaks to other volunteers. A willingness to
rotate through out the Zoo working any of the
above assignments (excluding Naturalist, Mascot
and Guides) and help where needed most.
Monday, Oct. 27 (1-4pm)
 Tear Down: Help remove decorations, props and
event materials.
Please note: All Volunteer positions are filled on a firstcome, first-served basis. For more information, to check
availability or to sign up to volunteer, please contact
Volunteer Services at (317) 630-2041 or email
[email protected]. Volunteers are encouraged to
wear child-friendly costumes, Zoo volunteer uniform, or
khaki colored pants, a solid color shirt and closed-toe
shoes.
Photo by Adam Garrett
Volunteer Zoosletter
6
SEPTEMBER
Flower: Aster
Birthstone: Sapphire
8
Vickie Gruner
Nicole Taflinger
9
Stephanie Newton
David Wheaton
10 Khatiti (f) greater kudu (2012)
12 Brenda Boffo
Amanda Holman
Carol Lane
13 Csihari (m) East African
crowned crane (1987)
Basan (m) orangutan (2001)
Courtney Cripe
Ashley Helmkamp
Jayme Litle
14 Jordan Cox
15 Jen Huber
16 Karen Koch
17 Carla Duell
Spike (m) white rhinoceros
(1988)
4
5
Janet Schaffler
Barbara Garing
Belle LeBeau
Shelly Stephens
21
22
George Nassar
Jenny Drang
Chad Jasper
Kim Tikijian
23 Robert Dale
Mike Logan
25 Rocky (m) orangutan (2004)
Billie Riggers
27 Jerry Stark
28 Desi Rybolt
29 Stub-tail (m) Grand Cayman
iguana (1991)
Lori Freeman
30
Knobi (f) orangutan (1979)
Megan Sharp
Photo by Kristen Dickman
3
20
Thanduiwe (f) greater kudu
(2007)
Diane Ledoux
6
Diallo (m) Guinea baboon
(2006)
Pam Hall
Toni Leffler
7
Lil’ Brother (m) yellow-billed
hornbill (2005)
Danh (m) Asian small-clawed
otter (2009)
Phraay (m) Asian small-clawed
otter (2009)
James Cox
Julie Foreman
Lisa Meyer
Shelby Pendleton
Volunteer Zoosletter
Photo by Ian Nichols
Photo by Fred Cate
19
Lizzie (f) Asian small-clawed
otter (2000)
Bunzi (m) Guinea baboon
(2009)
Crystal Wise
Naked mole rat colonies comprise
overlapping generations; one or a few
individuals produce all the offspring,
while the rest of the functionally sterile
inhabitants rear juveniles and protect the
colony.
From the “National Audubon Society Field
Guide to African Wildlife” edited by Peter
C. Alden, Richard D. Estes, Duane Schlitter
and Bunny McBride
7
Editor: Adam Garrett
Reporters: Lori Freeman, Adam Garrett,
Patricia Wright
Photography: Dan Boritt, Jill Burbank,
Fred Cate, Kristin Dickman, Adam
Garrett, Shannon Gaughan-Kelly, Carla
Knapp, Ian Nichols, Laura Pilarski, Jason
Wright
To Contact the Volunteer Office:
Phone: (317) 630-2041
Kristin Kraemer: (317) 630-2193
Fax: (317) 630-2031
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
Save The Dates
Sept. 21 — Hispanic Heritage Fiesta
Sept. 27 — Meet-a-Hero, Be-a-Hero Day and Indianapolis Prize Gala
Oct. 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26 — ZooBoo
The on-site TB testing scheduled for Sept. 15-18 has been rescheduled. Please
check Volgistics and the Newsletter for the new dates when they are announced.
The Zoo’s annual on-site flu shot clinic will be held on Sept. 30 from 10am-1pm
in the Dolphin Gallery. Employees who have our Cigna Medical insurance, and their
covered dependents aged 18 and over, may obtain the shot for free. All other
employees and volunteers may pay $25 (check or money order) to obtain a flu shot at
our onsite clinic. Please contact Volunteer Services at 630-2041 before Sept. 1 to
reserve your time.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volunteer News ....................... 1
Your Chance to Help ............... 2
Collections News ................... 3-4
Special Reports ...................... 5-6
Birthdays ................................... 7
Announcements ........................ 8
Volunteer Zoosletter
1200 West Washington Street
P.O. Box 22309
Indianapolis, IN 46222-0309