Scooping Poop for Science

This week, I went out to collect a fecal sample from the otter exhibit. I looked up and realized that a visitor and her daughter were watching me through the viewing window.  They had identical expressions of "What in the world is she doing!"

Zookeepers are collecting samples from our three female otters to begin testing whether they are pregnant. Samples are collected every day in October, November, and December.  The frozen samples will be shipped to CREW, the Center for Research of Endangered Wildlife, in Ohio.

North American river otters are not endangered, but scientists are studying their strange reproduction process.  It is called delayed implantation, and otters usually take a whole year to give birth!

The scientists at CREW track the levels of two hormones to determine whether an otter is pregnant.  They will also use this data to help other zoos with their breeding programs. 

Collecting daily samples and doing paperwork is a lot of work for the zookeepers, but we are excited to support CREW's research.  We are also excited to find out if our otters are pregnant!

                             This photo is our youngest otter when he was still a baby. 
                                       He was found orphaned on our property.

A Day in the Life...

We had a busy day today!
We recently received three more Spanish goats, and a few days ago, twin goats were born! (We now have seven goats.)




This morning, the two babies needed a bath. They made the voyage to the zoo kitchen where they got a scrub in the sink.









The brown baby is a girl and the black one is a boy. In these pictures, they are two days old.








After that, our curator used a measure tape to estimate the weight of our newest Marsh Tacky, Drifter. Our Marsh Tacky horses are loaned to us until they are needed by the breeder. You can visit Drifter at the Plantation Barn.




Three new birds were ready to move into our Cypress Aviary. We released a White Ibis, a Snowy Egret, and a Great Egret (pictured below on the right).

New Fawns and Foxes

We have several new animals at the zoo!

We are hoping that these two cuties are the last of the new deer fawns. They are still on one bottle each day.








This Red Fox and the Grey Fox below are from a local rehabilitator. They will join the other foxes on exhibit soon, but zookeepers need to make some minor changes to the exhibit first. The changes will help us to work with all the foxes more easily. As you can see, the Grey Fox is missing one of his rear legs, but he gets around very well.

Fall Festival

Join us on Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17, for our Harvest Home Festival at Brookgreen Gardens. In addition to the scarecrow decorating, pumpkins, and hay rides, we also have events at the zoo this year!


David Grant from Carolina Marsh Tacky Outdoors will display Marsh Tacky horses and talk about how and why they were recently named the State Heritage Horse of South Carolina. Demonstrations are at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. in the field next to the new Butterfly House.

Wool spinning demonstrations will be outside the Campbell Center (next to the zoo) from 10:30 -12:30p.m. and 1:30 - 4p.m. Our Tunis sheep graciously provided most of the wool for the demonstrations. We will also have some wool craft activities for children in this area.


Colonial Camp demonstrations will allow visitors to experience daily life during the early 18th century.

Schedule of Colonial Activities:

10 a.m.- Candle Making, Block Printing and Colonial Games
11a.m. - Knot Tying, Punch and Judy (interactive puppet show), and Colonial Games
12 p.m. - Candle Making, Bracelet Making, and Colonial Games
1 p.m. - Cord Making, Doll Making, and Colonial Games
2 p.m. - Candle Making, Punch and Judy, and Colonial Games
3 p.m. - Block Printing, Knot Tying, and Colonial Games
4 p.m. - Candle Making, Doll Making, and Colonial Games

We look forward to seeing you at our Fall Festival!

Update on Baby Cow

Our baby Red Devon Cow is about three months old now, and he is doing very well. He is much larger, and his horns are starting to come in. He loves to eat hay. I have not seen him nursing for a while now, so he is probably weaned from his mother. She is still very protective - see the look she's giving me in the photo below!











Closeup of
Momma Cow

New Mule at the Plantation Barn

We have a new white mule at the Lowcountry Zoo. She can be seen at the Plantation Barn. Some of you may remember Polly, our white mule that has retired to a grass pasture (and is lovingly spoiled by vet technicians).

Mules are a cross between a male donkey and a female horse. Mules generally cannot have babies of their own because they are a mix of two different species.

Mules were used as labor animals when this property was a rice plantation. They are hard-working, but will not overwork themselves or put themselves in a dangerous situation. This has led to the belief that all mules are stubborn.

Spanish Goats

The Lowcountry Zoo now has two Spanish Goats, and we are expecting up to eight more in the future. These goats were living on an island in South Carolina, and conservation scientists were concerned about their survival. Brookgreen Gardens has a similar landscape to their original home, and the goats seem to have adjusted very well.

Spanish Goats are recognized by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Using DNA, scientists proved that this breed originally came over with the Spanish explorers 500 years ago. There are only about 8,000 goats left. Brookgreen Gardens is excited to be a part of this conservation effort.

For more information, please visit http://www.spanishgoats.org/.

Deer Fawns

The Lowcountry Zoo had another wonderful (but time-consuming) surprise this month. We have 13 new baby deer! The fawns were born in the main deer enclosure, and four of the female fawns are out on display. The deer may not always be visible because the mother tends to hide her babies from view. In the wild, the rest of the herd moves away from the babies. That way, if predators are attracted to the herd, they will not find the babies with the group.





Nine of the fawns are being hand-raised by zookeepers. At first, they needed a bottle every few hours - even overnight! Right now, most of them are on three bottles a day. Each feeding takes the zookeeper about 45 minutes. This includes making the formula, warming it up, feeding each deer an individual amount, recording the amount eaten, and cleaning the bottles. When they are old enough, the fawns will join the main herd on display.

Update on Eagle Eggs

Our female bald eagle laid two eggs this season, but unfortunately neither egg was viable. One egg broke in the nest, and the second egg was removed by zookeepers after plenty of time had passed. Both eggs were not fertile. We are still happy that our eagles had the resources and desire to nest.

This photo was taken during last year's annual examination. We do an annual examination on all of our zoo animals to make sure that they are healthy. We also use the opportunity to give vaccines (if needed) and trim nails and beaks.

Take a look at those talons! Eagles hunt with their feet, so their talons are their main weapon.

Please come and welcome...

Please come and welcome the newest member of our Brookgreen Gardens family! On April 26th, zookeepers were pleasantly surprised to find a new baby cow in their pasture. It is a male Red Devon calf, and it was probably born in early morning hours.



The Lowcountry Zoo does not exhibit any male cows, but the mother was recently loaned in from a larger herd.



The new calf has been sleeping, learning how to walk, sleeping, nursing, exploring his new home, sleeping, meeting his neighbors, and sleeping. It is hard work to be a baby cow.

Did you know that the mother cow has horns? Red Devon cattle are a very old breed. In heritage breed cattle, it is common for the females to have horns.

Black-crowned Night Heron Chicks

The Black-crowned Night Heron chicks are out and about. They are exploring the world beyond their nest, and some of them can even fly short distances.

The chicks are still depending on the mothers for their food. One unfortunate mother has four mouths to feed! Her job is difficult considering that the chicks are almost the same size as the adults.

These chicks will keep their brown speckled plumage for about 2 years. After that, they will have the black, gray, and white plumage of the adults.

Come and see our new animals at the Lowcountry Zoo! The Mother Nature's Cafe tour runs twice a day in April, and the guide will feed the aviary birds on the tour. The Mother Nature's Cafe tour is free with garden admission.

NO JOKE!

April 1st has long been celebrated as an opportunity to play practical jokes on friends and family. This year will be the best ever at Brookgreen Gardens because April 1st will mark the opening of the brand new Butterfly exhibit, no joke! Months of planning, blood, sweat, and tears (well, maybe not so much the tears) have gone into building the butterfly garden, Whispering Wings Butterfly Experience.

A ticket for the butterfly garden only costs $3 for adults and $2 for children. Because space is limited, tours of the butterfly garden will be restricted to a certain number of visitors in order to insure the best viewing opportunity and experience.

Hundreds of butterflies can be seen fluttering about, including Monarch, Gulf Fritillary, Zebra Longwing, Giant Swallowtail, Black Swallowtail, Red Admiral, Painted Lady, and many more. So be sure to come out and see these most beautiful insects as they do what they do best.

Oh, one final thought - on your way out of the exhibit, be sure to check yourself for stow aways on your clothing.

Spring has sprung

Tomorrow is the official start of spring! This winter is on record as the coldest in a very long time as well as the winter with the longest sustained cold. And, of course, who can forget the snow day; February 13, 2010.

The Lowcountry Zoo is a very busy place to be in the spring. In the Cypress Aviary, we have between 12 and 15 black-crowned night heron chicks that will fledge shortly. In addition, there are at least two cattle egret nests "under construction".

Our red-tailed hawks are sitting on two eggs and our female bald eagle is also sitting on an egg! From what I have heard, this is the first time she has produced an egg. The viability of the eagle and hawk eggs is not known. Should they be fertile, they will be allowed to hatch and the parents will care for them for a few weeks. Then, the young will be sent to The South Carolina Raptor Center to be hacked. Hacking is the process of releasing healthy young birds into the wild.

Bald Eagles were federally endangered until the summer of 2007. Prior to the population return, hacking was used extensively in the wild to help in the repopulation. Captive-born eaglets are placed with captive surrogates or wild pairs that resulted in an unsuccessful clutch. This process allows for as little human involvement as possible which can result in imprinted birds. Imprinted birds are not candidates for release.

Due to the precarious nature of captive nesting we are asking our visitors to be respectful of the birds and their privacy.

Welcome to the Lowcountry Zoo at Brookgreen Gardens

Welcome,

Brookgreen Gardens is a National Historic Landmark featuring breathtaking gardens, figurative sculptures, and a zoo featuring native South Carolina wildlife. We pride ourselves in the active role we play in coservation of both flora and fauna.

Why is there a zoo in a sculpture garden? The Lowcountry Zoo gives visitors an opportunity to learn about native wildlife. In addition, we display historically significant species that were once used on property when it was a functional rice plantation. More importantly, we give animals that have been orphaned, injured, diseased, or captive born a place to live. These animals cannot survive in the wild and must live in captivity.

What should you expect when you visit? Free with paid admission to the gardens, visitors can get an underwater view of North American River Otters swimming, foxes, eagles, white-tailed deer, american alligator, and much more. Plus, we do live animal programs at 2:30 daily where visitors get an up close look at wildlife and perhaps an opportunity to touch one.

Stay tuned for animal updates, upcoming events, The Zoos News, and featured animals.