Zookeeper Updates

Good Morning! We have some exciting news in the Brookgreen Gardens zoo department. First off, we are sad to say one of our very own is leaving, but he is moving on to bigger and better things. Matt got a job offer at the Duke University Lemur Center. He will be helping with husbandry and research done to help these endangered mammals. Matt began his zoo career at the Chahinkapa Zoo, and interned with the big cats at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species.  We are very proud of him and sad to see him go.

 Matt feeding four baby deer at once

The second bit of news is that Kevin, one of our zookeepers, has a chance to be part of a new web based TV show! He entered the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Wild Guide contest. There were over 180 two minute videos sent in that explained why they should be chosen. His was picked along with eleven other semi-finalist by a panel of judges!

The next phase in the competition is the voting stage. It is free and easy. If you would like to help him out, just click the link  http://www.wildkingdom.com/nextwildguide and find Kevin’s video. If you click on it, on the lower left hand side of the video it says vote. Just give that a click and your done! You can even vote once a day until the 24^th of May if you like the video! If he scores well in the voting stage, then he can be selected as the top three winners and will be flown to Omaha, Nebraska to compete for the final prize of being part of a Wild Kingdom webseries and a cash prize of $10,000.

 Kevin relocating a wild copperhead

Brookgreen is happy to support Matt’s exciting new career and Kevin’s creative talents!

 

Kevin and Matt defending our intern from our male alligator

Elvira's Visit to the Dentist

I would like to introduce you to our large animal vet, Dr. Bolton. 

She monitors the health of our horses, mule, sheep, cows, and goats.  We call her in for medical care and also for routine health checks.  You may remember that she did an ultrasound on one of our goats last year.

 

 

On April 16th, Dr. Bolton visited to give Elvira the mule some routine dental work.

Even though the procedure does not hurt Elvira, we sedate her a bit in order to work in her mouth safely.  The first step is a mouth cleaning.

 

 

Dr. Bolton examined her teeth.  Older mules and horses get rough places on the outside of their teeth that rub against the inside of their mouth.  This can be uncomfortable or even painful.

 

 

The vet needed to grind her teeth smooth.  This process is called "floating her teeth."

 

 

The tool does not hurt Elvira.  It just grinds away the extra growth on the outside of her teeth.

Elvira discovered that she was awake enough to snort and sneeze on the vet.  She did it five or six times, and I imagine she found it very funny!

 

 

Dr. Bolton cleaned her front teeth, and then admired her work!

 

 

Our mule and Marsh Tacky horses can be found at our Domestic Animals of the Plantation area of the Lowcountry Zoo.

 

 

 

 

 



Special Otter Visit

In early March, a veterinary technician from Ark Animal Hospital accepted two orphaned baby otters.  She has donated her time to rehabilitate many birds and mammals.  North American river otters require a lot of special care, time, patience, cleanup, special formula, and did I mention patience?

 

The vet tech brought the otters to Brookgreen to visit the zookeepers and some very lucky visitors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vet tech also brought her baby otters to our Otter Celebration the next weekend.  They were very popular!  Did you know that the mother otter has to teach the babies how to swim?  This means that the tech will have to introduce them to water and encourage them to swim.

 

To learn more about otters, visit our otter exhibits at the Lowcountry Zoo!  We have five North American river otters that rotate between two exhibits.  Brookgreen Gardens is open every day except for Christmas Day, and the zoo is free with garden admission.

 

 

 

 

Otter Celebration

Come and join us on Saturday, March 16, 2013 for our second annual Otter Celebration!  Our zoo includes five beautiful North American river otters.  Otters are traditionally born in March, and our otter triplets were born March 2, 2011.  They are now fully grown, and are doing very well at the Lowcountry Zoo.

We participate in a Species Survival Plan for North American River Otters, and we recently sent one of our triplets to another AZA accredited zoo.  He will miss his birthday celebration this year, but now he has an opportunity to make some cute babies of his own!

Our Otter Celebration is free with garden admission.  Brookgreen Gardens opens at 9:30 AM, and events at the zoo start at 10:00 AM.  We will have a kid's craft area, storytimes, tours of the zoo, and lots of staff and volunteers on hand.  Our two main events will be at the otter exhibits at 10:30 AM and 2:00 PM.  Because we manage two groups of otters, both events will have the same presents, cakes, and frozen treats for the otters.  Pick whichever time is more convenient!

Wildlife Rehab Symposium

Last week, the Curator of Animals and I attended the Wildlife Rehabilitators of North Carolina Symposium!  The conference was held at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, NC.

 

Our zoo at Brookgreen Gardens is not a rehab center, but we provide homes for non-releaseable animals.  Many of these animals are from rehabilitators, and some have permanent injuries that require monitoring and care.  

 

 

This is our newest great-horned owl from Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter.  Great-horned owls usually have bright yellow eyes.  We are not super sure why she doesn't!

 

The symposium had lectures and workshops on medical exams, bandaging of broken bones, wound care, and feeding baby animals.  I was able to practice bandages on tiny songbirds and large great-horned owls.  We met some wonderful experts and learned about products that we can use to care for our animals.

 

 

Did you know...that momma deer and rabbits leave their babies for hours at a time?  They leave to find food and to draw predators away from their young.  Next time you find a baby deer, enjoy the experience, but leave the baby there!  Its mother will be back soon.

 

Ever hear that if you touch a baby bird, the mother will reject it?  This is generally not true.  Many birds do not have a good sense of smell.  Next time a bird nest falls out of a tree, place it in a small basket, and attach the basket to the tree with twine or a cable tie.  The mother bird will continue to care for her babies.  This also works well with squirrels.  All baby animals need their mother for their best chance at survival.

 

For more information, check out the great links below:

 

NC Wildlife Rehab - http://www.ncwildliferehab.org/

Carolia Raptor Center - http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/

Found an animal that needs help?  http://www.nwrawildlife.org/content/help-ive-found-animal

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our animals like to eat every day, so zookeepers work holidays, weekends, and all the days in between.  These photos were all taken on Thanksgiving 2012 at Brookgreen Gardens!

 

It's a turkey...vulture.

This wild turkey avoided being someone's dinner.

 

Mute Swan

Grey Fox

 

 Black Crowned Night Heron (adult)

 We can't have a good hair day every day! (juvenile Night Heron)

Zebra Longwing

 

Fox Squirrel

 

Red-tailed Hawk

More from Harvest Home Weekend

Here are some photos taken at Harvest Home Weekend by our wonderful volunteer photographer.  Enjoy!