Internship Reflections

Looking back on this summer, I spent 46 days at the zoo, worked 366 hours, prepared over 1000 salads, and helped clean up and wash over 2000 salad bowls. While the numbers are fun to look at, this summer cannot be summed up in a couple of statistics. My experience this summer is hard to quite describe effectively in words, but it was absolutely amazing. I finally found a place where I could wake up every morning (usually before the sun was fully up) with a smile on my face and with excitement to go to work, where I also left every day with a smile on my face and excitement to go back again. Working at a zoo is hard work, you get dirty, sweaty, and exhausted, but I still loved every minute of it. I think that one of the keys to happiness in life, regardless of what you are doing, is to do what you love and love what you do. That way, even if the work is hard, or if a task is daunting, you are still happy to do it and love the job along the way. Since I practically grew up at the Saint Louis Zoo, I had always had a childhood fantasy of being a zookeeper. Sometimes I found myself smiling in the middle of a task because it would sink in again that I am doing what I have always wanted to do. While I know that one day I will be working near/on a beach with sea turtles, I loved being able to spend time in the zoo world. This internship has even made me consider returning to the zoo world in the future.

Not only did I learn about many different species of animals, I feel as if I grew as a person this summer as well. I gained confidence as a biologist and even consider myself a growing herpetologist now too. This experience helped me discover what I really want to do for a Master's degree and it has opened the doors for future travel and even career options. Without this internship I would have never realized some of the biology opportunities that I now plan on pursuing.

I also was reminded of some valuable life lessons:

• You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
• This summer I realized how true this saying is. When I went on the behind the scenes tour last summer with the giant tortoises, I had no idea that I was meeting my future manager. I did not think of much more than hanging out with giant tortoises for a while. Yet, from our brief conversations, I came off as a responsible, hard-working, passionate biology student. That first impression drastically aided in me getting this internship. 
• Don't be afraid to ask questions.
• If you don't know something, ask. Asking questions shows that you want to understand and that you care about learning. Sometimes asking a simple questions leads to a very meaningful and in depth conversation that leads to a wealth of knowledge. Asking questions is important to facilitate your own learning.
• Ask to do things.
• What I mean by this is ask to be involved. Ask questions for knowledge, but don't be afraid to ask if you can help with or do something. I was able to go to the animal hospital twice and quarantine just because I asked to do so and showed interest. By asking to do more than just the daily intern chores, I got to take part in other activities,  such as feedings and remodeling enclosures. This is important in more than just internships though.  I have found that if you show true interest in something and ask to get involved, then doors will open up. There are so many opportunities that are opening up for me just because I ask, and when presented with an opportunity I take it.
• Networking
• While career success is directly dependent to a degree and past work, I feel that it also helps to know the right people. I understood the power of networking with this internship, but was also reminded of it during the symposium I went to. By talking with people with similar interests and expressing my future plans, I now have a list of people that I can contact in the future about getting involved in their research or in their organization. 
• Be passionate about what you do.
• This ties back to what I said earlier. Find a career path you are passionate about and then follow it. As someone who is passionate about conservation and animals, it was amazing to be in a work environment focused on animals and conservation while being surrounded by people with the same interests. Having a job (or even hobby) that you are passionate about is a key to happiness.
• Be curious and stay curious.
• Being curious ties into asking questions, but I feel that it goes deeper than just that. Being curious leads to knowledge and therefore growth. Just because formal schooling may end, it does not mean that learning does. I heard someone say this summer that you should do something as long as you are learning and if you reach a point where you are not learning anything else, find something new. I was also told by someone that I met at the symposium to "stay curious". As someone who is young and is watching a world of opportunities open up, staying curious is easy. As careers get more solidified I'm sure it may seem harder to stay curious. Staying curious though allows you to stay engaged, find opportunities, and never stop learning.

I am sad that these last four months went by so fast, but I am incredibly thankful for the time I did have as an intern. I am also so thankful for the support of my family, faculty members at UNF, and the staff at the herpetarium for making me 'part of the family' and taking the time to truly teach me about the animals, conservation issues, and how things work at the zoo (just to name a few). This internship has helped prepare me for my future career and helped me discover that I am a herpetologist at heart as well as a marine biologist and conservationist. I have many stories and memories from this summer to carry with me and share with others. I am sad to move on, but I am also excited to see what new adventures will come my way!

Baby Snake Birth Announcement!

Back on August 16th, I wrote about watching a snake give birth. If you missed that blog: day-44-baby-snakes. Now since there has been a public announcement from the zoo, I can now happily inform you that the nine baby snakes are Ocellate Mountain Vipers (Vipera wagneri)! 

Here is some information from the Saint Louis Zoo's Facebook page:

"The babies were born at the Saint Louis Zoo on August 16, an important event for this highly endangered species from northeastern Turkey. The venomous snake was thought to be extinct for nearly 140 years but then was "rediscovered" in eastern Turkey in 1983. Once the word got out, the news led to severe over-collecting by European and Turkish snake collectors. This is a serious threat for the future survival of the species, which has already been wiped out in much of its very small range. The breeding of the Zoo's vipers was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan. The Zoo is a participant in this cooperative program, working with other conservation organizations to ensure the survival of the species."

9 Baby Snakes!

Photo by Mark Wanner, Zoological Manager of Herpetology and Aquatics

Here is a link to a segment of the local news:
Fox 2 Now St. Louis
The short video explains some of the history about the snake and you get to see footage of one of the babies!

Word even got out to USA Today:

Since we are one of only three zoos in the country to even care for these snakes, this birth is a huge success! I am so glad that there is so much publicity about these new snakes. It was definitely exciting to see snake #9 be born and watch it experience the world for the first time! 

Day 46: My Last Day

Tuesday, August 20

Since it was (unfortunately) my last day interning, I started off the day passing out thank you cards to all of the zookeepers. They all really appreciated the hand written cards and it was fun reminiscing about fun summer stories with them. I started off cleaning the giant tortoise exhibit and then collected salad bowls from the building. Since I did not have time to do so yesterday, I changed the shavings in some of the rodent cages. I then had time to make sure the crickets had food and cricket quencher before break. After I was done with dishes I then got to watch some keepers get the Komodo Dragon that was off exhibit ready for transport to another zoo. The Komodo cooperated really well and then she was on her way with two keepers from the other zoo. While I was changing water bowls, two of the keepers came down and told me that they were taking me out to lunch since it was my last day. I was really honored that they wanted to bring me out to lunch to thank me and as a send off for school!

Almost all the zookeepers and I went out to Lion's Choice for lunch which I really enjoyed. It was funny because we were all in tan zookeeper uniforms, so we definitely drew some attention. One couple that walked in behind us asked about the penguins going off exhibit briefly for construction and later I saw a mom bending down to her child and telling them that we were zookeepers. Back at the zoo, I cleaned out the four snake enclosures that I worked with this summer and then started helping another keeper clean out a turtle exhibit and the Komodo exhibit. Our curator was in the building in the afternoon, so I was able to talk with him for a little and give him his card as well. After cleaning out the exhibits a little more, it was time for break.

The other day I had been asked by one of the keepers if I wanted to do anything on my last day that I hadn't done yet. As I thought about it, I could not come up with something that I had not done at some point during the summer. I was able to work with many different types of animals and help out with many different husbandry practices. I later realized that on my last day what I really wanted to do was spend some time with the giant tortoises. They were the species that I probably spent the most amount of time with and they have such different personalities it is fun to be around them. I also wanted to spend some time with Othello before having to leave. One of the keepers went out with me at first and then I was left to have some one on one time with the giant tortoises. Of course, Othello wanted attention, but I was also able to spend a little time with some other tortoises as well. Kelly, the Galapagos tortoises, actually came out of the mud and walked right up to me! As I was leaving, she was facing away from me but I still tried to rub the back of her neck a little and she actually let me do so! Kelly is usually the stubborn one who does not want to be bothered, so I was shocked! Maybe it took all summer for her to warm up to me...!

Back inside I helped finish cleaning the Komodo cage and then got trash from the building. When I was out in the public area I noticed a zoo map in the Chitra chitra exhibit. So I had to grab a pole and climb into the exhibit to retrieve the soaking map. Where I was standing was where the turtles get fed; I think I confused the male a little because he slowly came over to see what I was doing. We then closed the building and I went about saying my 'goodbye for now' to the zookeepers. After spending so many days at the zoo and being the first intern to come and last to leave, it felt weird walking out knowing that I would not be back for a while and not be an intern when I return.

Day 45: Chitra chitra feeding!

After much delay...here is my day from Monday, August 19

This morning I worked on preparing salads until the morning break. Afterwards, I prepared the salad bin for the giant tortoises and went out to feed them. It was a fun day to feed because the public had a lot of questions about the tortoises. The questions are usually the same, but it is still fun to answer them and hear new ones that are asked. While I was feeding, Othello kept touching his nose to my leg in order to get my attention. So I gave him a couple of short neck rubs in between getting the food out to the giant tortoises that actually wanted to eat. I finished preparing the rest of the indoor salads right in time for lunch.

I then cleaned up the salads bins and did the dishes. When I asked about what one of the zookeepers was working on, they took time to really explain a paper they are writing for publication. I also got some advice on how to do group papers successfully. I then gathered crickets and fed the galliwasps, Mountain Chicken frogs, and the Hispaniolan Giant Anole. I also gave some crickets to the McCord's Box Turtles (they even eat baby mice!). It was really cool to watch a turtle go after a cricket. One of the turtles was catching crickets faster than it could swallow the one before! After break, I got to go out with a zookeeper and feed the two Asian Narrow-Headed Softshell Turtles (Chitra chitra) that we have on exhibit. Like I had mentioned earlier in the summer, the speed that these turtles can strike their prey is amazing! They would slowly come over to the fish on the pole and in a split second, they would grab the fish and swallow it down whole. It was amazing to get to feed them! I then helped the same zookeeper clear out cement blocks from an exhibit in the basement that is going to get remodeled. I then had time to gather trash and help close the building.

Chitra chitra with its neck pulled in

Day 44: Baby Snakes!

Friday, August 16

Today the other intern and I worked on preparing salads. I had prepared salads for turtles that are in outside areas now and was waiting for a zookeeper to let me into the cages. The zookeeper offered to just take the salads himself, but I couldn't pass up being able to deliver salads to turtles (I am the turtle girl after all). I brought the salads out and we checked on the Aldabra tortoises too before heading back in. As I was about to distribute the last salad, I passed by my manager who asked if I wanted to see a snake giving birth. He brought me into the room where the snake was and I got to see a baby snake being born! It was absolutely amazing to watch! The babies were a couple inches long and were really cute. The baby that was born was lying upside down at first, so my manager turned it over with a hook. A few minutes later the baby snake opened its mouth for the first time and then was testing out its jaw a little. Then it stuck out its tongue a few times to smell the air. It was amazing to watch its first explorations of the world! We thought the snake has one more baby since she was still having contractions, so a small group of us were gathered to watch. It turned out that she was done pushing out the babies and was just pushing out fluid.

After lunch, I did the dishes and changed the water in the McCord's Box Turtle tanks. I then got to watch two turtle eggs get candled. One egg was definitely developing, the other had some signs of development, but overall they were not as developed as expected. The zookeeper said that it isn't a sign of concern right now and that the eggs could still hatch just fine. The zookeeper who showed me the eggs then taught me more about egg development of turtles. He also explained the different types of temperature sex determination (TSD). TSD is found in most species of reptiles and is when the sex of an individual is dependent on what temperature the egg is incubated at. TSD falls into four main categories and different categories are found in different species of reptiles. So the saying "hot chicks and cool dudes" for incubation temperatures is only true for one type of TSD. That statement is valid for just some types of turtles. Other turtles have a TSD pattern where females develop at cooler and hotter temperatures and males develop in medium range temperatures. For one type (present in crocodiles and lizards), the warmer the temperature, the more males. The fourth type of TSD is where males develop at cooler and hotter temperatures and females develop in medium range temperatures (this is found in some geckos). I found all of this so fascinating and I also loved getting the opportunity to sit down with a keeper and learn more about reptiles. I also asked to see a stud book, which is a record of every individual in a species in captivity and offers recommendations for breeding to maintain the genetic diversity of the species. So I got to see a stud book and population assessment for the Arakan Forest Turtles (Heosemys depressa). After break, the zookeeper and I started to brainstorm how to remodel some exhibits for semi aquatic turtles. Of course there is no easy solution to how to design a pond for turtles that will fit the space and be sloped just so to allow easy access. We looked at some pre-made pond options, but didn't find one that would really work for a turtle. It was fun to be able to brainstorm with the other keeper and be able to throw out my own ideas and have them be heard and considered. After a lot of various ideas were talked about, both of our brains were spinning. It will be interesting to see what the final plan is. I just wish that I was able to intern longer to help see the project to completion.

Day 43: Tortoise Watching

Thursday, August 15

This morning I cleaned the giant tortoise yard, but the tortoises were not very interested in saying hi since the over night low was fairly cool. I then went around the building to pick up salads trays. After the salads were picked up I cleaned the black worms and started cleaning some of the cricket tubs. During the morning break, my manger and I talked about the TSA symposium and he was complimenting me on the good job I did networking with people there! After break I started working on the cricket shipment. Another zookeeper was getting fish ready to go feed the Alligator Snapping Turtles and when I asked if I could watch, he said I could come help if I wanted to! I got to help feed fish to the turtles using a long pole, which I really enjoyed!

After dishes and lunch, I then misted the galliwasps and cleaned salt off of the inside of the Jamaican Iguana exhibit. Reptiles and birds have less efficient kidneys than mammals, so to get rid of the excess salt, they have salt glands. There are different types of glands for different species of reptiles/birds. Iguanas release salt from their salt gland a sneezing/snorting motion. The male iguana on exhibit spends a lot of time at the front of the enclosure, so when he expels excess salt, it dries on the glass. I then assisted another zookeeper in collecting fecals from a few McCord's Box Turtles and learned how to fill out the paperwork that goes along with the samples to the vet. I changed the water in some water bowls and then soaked the Northern Spider Tortoises and Egyptian Tortoise. Placing the tortoises in a small amount of water lets them drink, gain moisture, and helps them in waste excretion. After break, I got to go out behind the building and open up the gate of the pen for the three Aldabra Tortoises to come out and walk around in the backyard. I had to lure out two of the tortoises using mulberry branches and the last one came out on its own. It was really fun being able to watch the tortoises and sit near them while they were exploring and eating the grass. Normally the tortoises are skittish around people, but one time when I was sitting on the ground with them one came up right next to me to check me out. Soon after another one came over and this one actually let me scratch its head and neck a little bit. The three tortoises were all so curious, once they got over the confusion of leaving their pen, I think they loved having a chance to roam around more! I then gathered trash from the building and helped close. 

Turtle Facts #2

• The Colombian Slider (Trachemys callirostris) is facing mercury contamination due to nearby gold mining. 1 kg of gold produced releases 1 kg of mercury into the environment. The amount of mercury in an organism increases as you move up the food chain. In organisms, mercury can lead to neurological problems, reduced hatchling success, and/or reduced growth rates. A relatively small amount of mercury can be harmful for humans, but when tissue samples were analyzed from turtles in the food market, mercury values were much higher than the known harmful level. Turtles unfortunately represent a money source and food source, so it is hard to educate others about the harms of eating the animals due to mercury. 
• Source/for more information: Mercury Contamination in the Colombian Slider (Trachemys callirostris) by Bock, Brian B., et. al.

  

  Colombian Slider

• The Western Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia miaria) sometimes will burry itself in the ground and go into a dormant phase in response to a stressful situation. The trigger to end their yearly dormant phase is potentially a substantial amount of rain followed by a few days of warming.

  

  Western Chicken Turtle

  
  
• Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) serve an important role in the food chain (hatchlings can be eaten by other animals), as well as seed dispersers, and aid in the nutrient cycle (through their digging). They rely on controlled burns in order to thin out ground vegetation in order to move around and dig their burrows. They are considered a keystone species because their burrows create homes for other animals as well.

  

  Gopher Tortoise

  
  
• Migrations of Galapagos Tortoises is triggered by vegetation dynamics. After the rain greens the vegetation, tortoises move to the new area to browse.
  
  
  
• The Burmese Star Tortoise (Geochelone platynota) is functionally extinct in the wild. Thankfully, there are several hundred in assurance colonies throughout the world. 

Burmese Start Tortoise

• In 1996, 39% of Asian turtle species were listed under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (list for species with a high need of protection). In 2000, 76% of Asian turtle species were listed with the IUCN. 

• The Three-striped Box Turtle (Cuora trifasciata) is critically endangered and is currently approaching extinction in the wild. 

  

  Three-striped Box Turtle

  
  
• The Plowshare Tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), native to Madagascar, is a critically endangered species known for the gold coloration of its shell. Unfortunately, this species is being decimated by poaching. There are only about 600 left in the wild. There are current conservation steps being taken, such as patrols of plowshare areas to deter/stop poachers, as well as defacing the shells of the turtles to make them worthless to poachers. It is a shame that we have to take away some of the natural beauty of the animal's shell in order to keep the species alive. 

  

  Plowshare Tortoise

• 54% of all turtle species are threatened.
• Chelonians use sounds to communicate. Sounds have been documented so far in at least 17 species. For Leatherback sea turtles, the hatchlings start to vocalize in the egg after 51 days of incubation. Other sea turtles as well as freshwater turtles have been recorded producing different types of sound.

Turtle Facts #1

I wanted to put together some of the information that I learned at the symposium/information I know about turtles and tortoises! Hopefully some of the facts will help to spread awareness about issues that chelonians are facing and help to show the importance of conservation.

• In Madagascar, tribes use to have taboos against eating tortoises. These started breaking down in the 1970s when outsiders started to move in. There has been an increase in the number of confiscations of tortoises recently from Madagascar (which is hopefully due to an increase in security rather than an increase in poaching).
• The Magdalena River Turtle (Podocnemis lewyana) is facing a loss of nesting beaches due to a hydroelectric dam built on the Sinu River that drains water during the summer. This is when the turtles are nesting, but the water levels are too high to allow the eggs to survive the flood. Now the eggs have to be taken from the sand, incubated, hatched, and released back into the wild.

Madgalena River Turtle

• The Black-Softshell Turtle (Nilssonia nigricans) was earlier thought to be extinct until some were found in a temple pond in India.

Black-Softshell Turtle

•  The Northern River Terrapin (Batagur baska) is really cool:

Batagur baska male in mating colors

• It estimated that the Indian Red Crowned Roofed Turtle's (Batagur kachuga) wild population contains less than 500 adults.

Indian Red Crowned Roof Turtle

• There are less than ten adult female Burmese Roof Turtles (Batagur trivittata) left in the wild and about 650 in captivity.

Burmese Roof Turtle

• The Arakan Forest Turtle (Heosemys depressa) is known as the "lazy turtle" amongst locals because when they are found they are usually hiding under leaves.

Arakan Forest Turtle

• There was old lore that the Spotted Box Turtle (Terrapene nelsoni) was a cross between a Gila Monster and a desert tortoise since it was more aggressive and 'potentially venomous'.

Spotted Box Turtle

Turtle Survival Alliance Symposium

From the night of Wednesday the 7th to the night of Saturday the 10th I spent my time surrounded by over 200 other turtle and tortoise enthusiasts at the Turtle Survival Alliance's 11th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles here in St. Louis! It was truly an amazing thing to be completely surrounded by other people who have the same passions for conservation that I do. I met a lot of new people at the conference that I know I will be in contact with over the years. I also met people that are well known for their research on turtles and tortoises! I talked to one person who had given a presentation about migration studies on the giant tortoises in the Galapagos and through him I might be able to work in the Galapagos in a few years! I even met people that have worked with one of my professors at school with either Gopher Tortoises or river terrapins. It was so much fun being able to talk to other people about their work and I look forward to seeing all my new friends at next year's symposium!

Not only did I meet new people, I was able to connect more to people that I knew from the zoo. I was able to talk more to our curator about his PhD work in Armenia, my manager about miscellaneous turtle and work topics, and talk to a zookeeper and fellow turtle enthusiast about everything turtles. I also got to talk to our state herpetologist more during the week. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with people from work in a more laid back setting.

The conference started with an ice breaker social on Wednesday night where I got to meet a lot of new people. Thursday was the first day of presentations (general session set up) about field site updates and then a focus on Mexican turtles. Thursday night was a casual pizza dinner and poster session.

Epic watermelon turtle at the ice breaker

Friday was the first day of specialized presentation topics. There were two sessions going on simultaneously throughout the day and attendees could pick and choose which presentations to attend. Friday I attended presentations about Turtle Ecology Studies, Nesting Studies, and a section about Zoos and Chelonians. In the final section of the day, one of our zookeeper gave a presentation about the history of chelonians at the zoo. Friday night was my favorite night of the conference because everyone came to the Saint Louis Zoo for a tour of the herpetarium and a dinner/live auction. I volunteered to help out for the behind the scenes tour and I was stationed at the main entrance into the off exhibit area. I got to talk about three different species of baby turtles that we have in the area as well as eggs that are currently incubating. I have worked this area a lot and helped to remodel the exhibits for the turtles last week. I really had fun talking to people that came in and I was proud of myself because I was able to answer a lot of questions that people had. Afterwards, a lot of people thanked the zookeepers and I for giving them a tour of our area. The dinner on Friday night brought about some laughs because by the time all of us zookeepers got to the banquet hall, the tables were full, so we sat at a table in the lobby and considered it the kid table at Thanksgiving.

Dinner and live auction at the zoo

Saturday I went to presentations about Conservation Initiatives, Asian Chelonians, Turtling Techniques, and Big Questions for Turtles of All Sizes. Saturday night there was a banquet and awards ceremony. The highest award in the organization is the Behler Turtle Conservation Award named after John L. Behler who was an avid turtle conservationist who brought attention to the Asian turtle crisis. This year the award went to the TSA's president Rick Hudson. The acceptance speech he gave was inspirational to me because he said that he has been doing what he wanted to do at 12 years old. For me, I remember that in 6th grade I wrote down wanting to be a sea turtle conservationist. I hope that maybe one day my turtle conservation work will leave behind a legacy and make a change for future generations.

This symposium was an amazing experience not only for the networking opportunities, but also because it strengthened my passion for turtle conservation. I am even more excited to go out into the field and start doing what I have been dreaming of since 6th grade. I know I am in the right field because I love being surrounded and engulfed by conservation, biology, and chelonians. I am excited about the new doors that are opening up for me as I begin the last two years of my undergraduate degree as well as opportunities for me after graduation. Even though it was a symposium on freshwater turtles, I started brainstorming ideas for an undergraduate research project with sea turtles.

Overall, this symposium was amazing and was a great cap on my internship experience. I learned so many things, met new people, and felt at home surrounded by other turtle enthusiasts. The three days went really fast, but I am already looking forward to reuniting with everyone again in Orlando next year!

For more information about the Turtle Survival Alliance, their field projects, the conference, or anything else turtles, check out 

http://www.turtlesurvival.org

Day 42: Turtle and Tortoise Projects!

Saturday, August 3

This morning I went out to clean the giant tortoise yard. The tortoises must have wanted a lazy morning, because not even Othello came over to say hi. I worked on collecting other salad bowls, cleaned the black worms and did the dishes before the morning break! Today my family was at the zoo, so I was able to show them around a little and let them see more of what goes on during my internship. It was fun being a tour guide for them! I had a little time before lunch to prepare one of the new black tubs for a Northern Spider Tortoise exhibit. The Northern Spider Tortoise, Pyxis arachnoides brygooi, is native to Madagascar and is one of the three subspecies of Spider Tortoises: common Spider Tortoise (P. a. arachnoides), Northern Spider Tortoise (P. a. brygooi), and the Southern Spider Tortoise (P. a. oblonga). Out of the three subspecies, P. a. brygooi is the most rare due to the collection for the food and pet trade. Originally, native tribes collected the Radiated Tortoise, Astrocheys radiata, for food, but now since that tortoise population is dwindling, native tribes are turning to spider tortoises. The range of P. a. brygooi has been found to be much smaller than was expected according to a field study in 2009 led by Ryan CJ Walker. Conservation projects are being set in place to preserve the P. a. brygooi subspecies. Our zoo has had a successful breeding program of these tortoises for a few years now. A fun fact about these tortoises: they have a unique carapace (upper shell) design, so you can clearly identify them with just a picture.

After lunch, I finished setting up the spider tortoise tubs as well as an Egyptian Tortoise tub. After identifying the tortoises, we let them soak while finishing the new set up of their enclosures. We added new hide boxes and let the tortoises back in. The Egyptian Tortoise seemed to thoroughly enjoy his new space, but the spider tortoises seemed a little more confused on what just happened. After a little bit, they too started exploring and getting used to their new space. After break, the zookeeper and I started on a project of moving the Spotted Turtle, Clemmys guttata, around so they are more visible. The Turtle Survival Alliance is having their 11th Annual Symposium on the Conservation and Biology of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles this upcoming week which includes a tour of the herpetarium. Hence why there have been so many turtle and tortoise projects lately (which, of course, I love helping with)! In order to get the Spotted Turtles set up, we had to move one of the Arakan Forest Turtles, Heosemys depressa, downstairs. We moved the tanks around but will have to set up new pluming in order to drain the tanks. The zookeeper and I talked about the conference at the end of the day and I am so excited to go! Stay tuned this upcoming week for conference updates instead of a 'today at the zoo' blog!

Northern Spider Tortoise

Egyptian Tortoise

My facts about the spider tortoises came from the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) 2009 magazine. (Which, if you like turtles and tortoises, I highly recommending finding some of these magazines to read. They are very informative!)

Day 41: Another Busy Salad Day

Friday, August 2

This morning we all did a quick cleaning of the glass and then the other intern and I started preparing salads. After the morning break, we finished salads, then I cleaned black worms and did the dishes. After lunch, I went out to cut browse for the Jamaican Iguanas. Once I was done, another zookeeper said that he needed help with a project. The Fiji Banded Iguana exhibit in the house is being remodeled (the Fiji exhibit I had done before is the temporary holding enclosure) so I had to clean the inside of the exhibit and then clean rocks to fill the enclosure with. Once the morning break was over, I helped the zookeeper bring in a large vine to place in the exhibit. I then cleaned large black tubs in order to prepare them for a turtle enclosure. The zookeeper who gave me this job and I then figured out what would be the best way to place the tubs in the space we have to work with. Our manager gave us a few ideas, but also told us to do whatever we felt best. We discussed how to set up the turtle tubs but the actual project would have to be saved for tomorrow!

Day 40: So Much To Do, So Little Time

Today I started off cleaning the giant tortoise exhibit and giving some attention to Othello. I then gathered salad bowls from the building and cleaned the black worms. Today our female Komodo Dragon got a vet check up to make sure she is healthy. Only a few keepers were able to go in and work with her, but the rest of us stood outside the room and tried to watch what was going on. After the morning break, I did the dishes and started misting the galliwasps. Toady as the only intern again, I had the normal daily tasks to do by myself, and then was given tasks of taking care of animals for a keeper that wasn't here, along with miscellaneous tasks that needed to be done as well. Hence, there was so much to do today and not enough time to do all of it.

After lunch there was the intern tour of the Children's Zoo. Unfortunately, we did not get to go behind-the-scenes for this tour either, but since it is the Children's Zoo, we got to pet various animals. Technically I have gone behind-the-scenes there many years ago when I was in a Keeper for a Day program! Once back in the building, I was asked to clean off a drain in a turtle exhibit in the atrium. I finished misting the galliwasps, then changed a few baby McCord's Box turtle enclosures. After break, I cleaned the spotted turtle tanks and then was asked if I could clean the rodents downstairs. So I then changed shavings and cleaned cages for our rodents that we keep. By that time, I had to quickly go around and gather trash from the building and then help close. As you can probably guess, there were still things on my to-do list that did not get completed today. Looks like I will be very busy my next few days interning!

Day 39: Half Day

Sunday, July 28

I normally do not come in on a Sunday, but today I wanted to work a half day since I will not have many days left to intern with summer ending much sooner than I would like. I started the day with a quick misting of the galliwasps, then fed them along with the Mountain Chicken frogs and the Hispaniolan Giant Anole. I cleaned four snake enclosures as well as the Prehensile-Tailed Skink enclosure. I hadn't worked with this skink personally before, so that was fun. It was also interesting to take a little time to just look at the animal and see how amazing they are. After the morning break, I got set up outside to work more on the off exhibit cages that I had weeded earlier in the summer. In one of them I got to design from scratch a habitat for an Arakan Forest Turtle. These turtles are very good climbers, so I had to provide enough ground coverage/rocks/branches that would provide good exercise for the turtle. Once I was done, my design was approved by the zookeeper who gave me the task! It was really fun to build an exhibit again and I am definitely looking forward to seeing the turtle enjoying its new habitat! Today was a great day to come in because there is no salad to prepare or collect, so I was able to start working on other things right away!

Day 38: High Demand

Saturday, July 27

This morning I cleaned up the giant tortoise exhibit and the tortoise Othello came up to me to get some attention. I still think it is so cute that these huge tortoises recognize how to get attention and 'ask' for it. I picked up salads from the building and then started working in the cricket/rodent room. After break, I started working on dishes, but then the whole staff was called to help unload new caging units. We were all outside ready to help right away, but the truck was not there, so we had to wait a little bit for them to arrive. Back inside, I finished dishes and the cricket/rodent room.

After lunch, I cleaned black worms and then cleaned out McCord's Box Turtle and Spotted Turtle tanks. I then got to go inside the Madagascar Ground Boa exhibit to take out pieces of shed that were in there. I was in there with two snakes, but they did not seem to care that I was in there and were just watching what I was doing. Another example that snakes are not out to bite/attack humans for no reason. Cleaning the turtle tubs and the snake shed were tasks assigned by one zookeeper and while I was working on that another keeper asked me if I could help with other tasks. As the only intern today and having keepers off, my time was in high demand. I then worked on cleaning newspaper substrate in off-exhibit enclosures for various lizards and a turtle. By then, it was time for the afternoon break. Since I helped cleaning the lizard enclosures, the zookeeper that was giving me a 'tour' of the building yesterday was able to finish showing me different animals. I got to look at some really awesome animals including a New Caladonian Giant Gecko (that I was totally bonding with (also, this is the largest extant species of gecko in the world!)), a Haitian Dwarf Boa, a Crocodile Skink, a Garrido's Crested Anole, and a New Caladonian Roux's Gecko.

Garrido's Crested Anole

Crocodile Skink

Haitian Dwarf Boa

New Caladonian Giant Gecko

Day 37: Snakes Alive Tour

Friday, July 26

This morning I started working on preparing salads. I was the only house intern today, but I still managed to have most of the house fed before the morning break! I took a short break in order to get a few more salads done before I went on a Snakes Alive Tour. I knew the people who signed up for the tour, so I was able to go along with them. It was really fun to be on the tour with people I knew and I actually learned more about some animals that I take care of! The tour lasted almost an hour, so I only had time to prepare a few more salads before lunch. 

After lunch, I prepared the giant tortoise salad and fed them. I then fed the turtles in the atrium of our building as well as the Fly River Turtles. Once salads were distributed, I cleaned the salad buckets, did the dishes, cleaned the cricket tubs, and swept. After break, a zookeeper and I tried to determine the sex of some salamanders we have. Let's just say that was easier said than done. The zookeeper then gave me an animal tour of the building. He showed me different animals that we have and told me facts about them. I got to look closely at a Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle as well as a Chinese Crocodile Lizard. I really enjoyed getting to learn more about animals that I might not work with often, as well as see new areas of the building. While I have learned so much already during this internship, this mini tour made me realize how much I still do not know about herpetology. There are so many interesting animals and so much to learn about each one. I hope to one day acquire enough knowledge to be able to share facts about all different types of reptiles and amphibians as well. I then helped another zookeeper by weighing some Asian Box Turtles, Arakan Forest Turtles, and a Yellow-Spotted Amazon River Turtle before the end of the day.

Asian Box Turtle

Chinese Crocodile Lizard

Yellow-Spotted Amazon River Turtle

Black-Breasted Leaf Turtle

Day 36: Inspection Day

Thursday, July 25

This morning I cleaned up the giant tortoise exhibit and then started on last minute cleaning for inspections in the afternoon. I was just doing spot cleaning on areas that might not have been covered before. Later, I was called over to another area of the building because I had small enough arms to reach into a tank and take out a drain cover. After break, I put the drain back, then worked more on cleaning the building.

After lunch, the other interns and I went on the tour of River's Edge. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go behind the scenes, but the zookeeper told us some information about different animals that they have in that area. Once back, the other intern and I processed the cricket shipment. I then cleaned the McCord's Box Turtle tubs before the afternoon break. Afterwards, I misted the galliwasps, cleaned the Spotted Turtle tanks and then gathered trash for the end of the day.

Some pictures from the tour:

One of the younger elephants taking a swim

Day 35: My Own Exhibit

Saturday, July 20

I started my day off by cleaning the giant tortoise exhibit. I really enjoy cleaning their exhibit because of giving the tortoises some attention, but also because it gives me a chance to answer questions and share my knowledge of these animals with the public. It is like a small taste of what I hope to be doing in the future with conservation education! I helped collect the remaining salad bowls, cleaned the black worms, moved some more newspaper to other areas of the building, and changed water bowls before break. I then did dishes and was able to help take out old bamboo from the King Cobra exhibit.

After lunch, I was told that this exhibit would be my own to remodel with another zookeeper. I was really happy that they trusted me to help remodel an exhibit that the public will see. We first added two more bags of mulch to the exhibit, then wet down the walls to scrub them and squeegee the glass. The other keeper and I then went outside to cut down bamboo to use in the exhibit. For the exhibit we wanted to put bamboo stalks from the floor to ceiling. We started bringing the stalks in the place and would go out in the house to check how the exhibit looked. We went back out a few times to cut more bamboo for the exhibit. We used some plain stalks and some stalks with leaves to have enough coverage but not too much that the snake could not be seen. After we got all the bamboo we wanted to be floor to ceiling, we then added some bamboo on diagonals, as if it had fallen over. The key to putting plants in an exhibit is to make it look as natural as possible. After everything was in place, I then scattered dried bamboo leaves on the ground to finish. The other keeper and I then went out in the house to watch the King Cobra get placed back in her exhibit. It was fun watching the snake explore her new area (the visitors seemed to enjoy it too!). When I was out there, a visitor asked me a question and then asked if I was Rachel from the blog! I never thought that this blog would be read by many people, but I can see now that it is attracting viewers from all over the world. So thank you to everyone who is reading this, supporting me, and to those interested in reptiles, amphibians, and conservation! (As a result of having a larger reading audience than expected, I will soon be adding articles that feature an animal or conservation topic. So stay tuned for those as well!).  The exhibit looked really great and it felt awesome looking at something that I helped put together and something that I was able to put my creative side into. After a short break, I cleaned up from our exhibit remodeling and worked on sweeping and cleaning our solarium. Today was another day at the zoo that was exhausting, but I still left with a huge smile on my face and excitement from the days activities.

Before (after we took out the old bamboo)

After!

Day 34: Alligator Feeding Time

Friday, July 19

This morning the other intern and I worked on preparing and delivering salads. After the morning break, all of us keepers helped to move a large crate for an alligator outside. It was definitely a group effort to move the large box to its new storage place. After finishing up salads, I helped to clean up the kitchen and cleaned the black worms before lunch.

After finishing dishes, I worked on preparing a new off exhibit enclosure for a Fiji Banded Iguana. I first had to clean the exhibit and clean rocks to fill the base of the exhibit with. I then found some branches to place inside for climbing space. Once the exhibit was put together, I then helped another zookeeper hang lights above some new turtle tanks. After break, I got to watch the Komodo Dragon get fed. A few of us went out to cover the alligator crate with a tarp and then our manager asked me to grab the thawed rats from inside. When I came back outside with the rodents, he had me come with him to feed the alligators! We fed the American Alligator first since he got most of the rats. It was really fun to be able to throw him food and watch him attack/eat it. We then fed the Chinese Alligator pair. These alligators are very intelligent, when my manger called the male's name, he swam right over! I fed the male while he fed the female alligator. Since we were feeding, it did bring some visitors over to watch and ask questions. Back inside, our manager said he was going to quarantine to check on our animals there. I asked if I could go along since I had never been to quarantine and he said I could! I was glad that I was able to go to because the walk to quarantine allowed my manager and I to talk about my future career plans and how he got to be where he is in his career. Every animal that comes into the zoo must go through a quarantine process to make sure that they are healthy and not carrying any illness before being introduced to the current population of animals. Most animals undergo a 30 day quarantine  period if they are healthy, but our venomous snakes go through a three month quarantine. This longer quarantine period is due to the animals having different seasonal cycles and being more prone to illness. After checking on the snakes and changing their water, we headed back to the herpetarium right as it was time to head out for the day.

Fiji Banded Iguana

Day 33: Double Tortoise Neck Rub

This morning I started cleaning the giant tortoise exhibit. Once I had collected all the old salad, one of the smaller male tortoises came over to where Othello was, so I then had a tortoise at each hand for a neck rub (it was pretty cute). I also got to talk to a visitor for a little bit who was asking questions and telling me about an animal story he had heard about recently. I helped to pick up the remaining salad trays and then processed the cricket shipment/cleaned the cricket tubs. After the morning break, I cleaned the black worms, cleaned the Alligator Snapping Turtle tanks, and changed water bowls in the same room. Before lunch I also misted the galliwasp enclosures.

In the afternoon, the other intern and I worked on cleaning the outside of enclosures in the two bunkers in the house and swept. Inspections are coming up, so everything is getting a deep cleaning! After a short break, we then worked on moving bundles of newspapers from our storage room to the different areas of the building. That also took a long time! We got close to finishing, but eventually we had to stop for the day in order to pick up trash and help close the building.

A fun part of the day: I got to touch a Caiman Lizard! It was his turn for a photo shoot for a new information board, so one of the keepers had him out. They are really beautiful animals: red head and a green body with some blue shades in it. They have slight ridges on their back and it was pointed out by a zookeeper that they have small dots on their upper lip. These dots are sensory cells that help when the animal is digging to sense if there are things/food sources around them.

Amphibian and Reptile Musings

When I tell people that I am working in the herpetarium, there are mixed reactions. Some people are very excited, but a few people have shuddered and said something like "I'm glad there are people like you in the world". These reactions have me pondering why reptiles and amphibians are so disliked by people. Is it because they are so different than us? For example, cold blood, no hair, they lay eggs. While they may be so different, I find the differences remarkable. If you look closer at anything, I believe that similarities can be found. While it is easier to see the similarities when looking an orangutan in the face, it is an amazing feeling to look at an iguana and see it looking right into your eyes too.

Are amphibians disliked because they are thought to be slimy? While they might be moist and slippery, I would not consider them to be slimy. Are snakes disliked because they are an animal without legs? Or rather, are they dislike because they have been turned into evil villains through media and verbal stories? I do think that there needs to be a healthy amount of caution when handling a venomous snake, but not to the point of fear. Every wild animal needs to be treated with a healthy amount of caution, a chimpanzee could get frightened and be dangerous too.

Are reptiles disliked because they have scales and shed their skin? While shedding skin might be something used in horror movies, it is not a scary thing. Yes, the reptile might look different when it is in the shedding process, but they should shed in a short period of time. While we don't shed all at once, we too are constantly replacing our own skin cells.

I have found that turtles and tortoises can still be disliked. Is it because of their shell? Stories that are passed down through generations? There are still reports of people purposely swerving to hit a turtle that is crossing a road. Why? Not only that, turtles and tortoises are all generalized as slow. Another stereotype that is horribly wrong. Gopher Tortoises move fast to get into their burrows and sea turtles have to be fast to escape predators.

I think the main reason that amphibians and reptiles are disliked is because they are misunderstood. Unfortunately, it seems to be human nature to dislike things that we do not understand. Most of the misunderstanding could be solved by educating others about these animals. As I imagine my future, I have a big task ahead of me. I want to do pubic speaking tours about the importance of conservation of animals, especially turtles. Yet, it is hard to convince someone to care about and conserve an animal if they do not like or appreciate the animal to begin with. I think if people knew more about these animals, there would be a greater understanding and appreciation for their uniqueness. I understand that some people will never want to hold a snake, but if those people can at least appreciate the lives of those animals, then conservation efforts can take hold.

Honestly, I think that amphibians and reptiles are amazing creatures. There are frogs that can go dormant for the whole winter to emerge when the weather warms up. Male Hellbender salamanders are the ones to protect the eggs. Frogs and toads can make brilliant calls to attract mates. Giant tortoises can easily live for over 100 years. Snakes are animals that don't have to worry about legs to move (something pretty amazing in itself!). Lizards come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and (like snakes as well), they can smell with their tongue! There are so many amazing fun facts about amphibians and reptiles, I find it hard not to love these animals.



One last note: I met Charlie H. Hoessle yesterday. He is the man that our herpetarium is named for. He started as a pet shop owner, became a zookeeper in the herpetarium, became zoo director, and is now director emeritus. He said something that I full-heartedly believe: Do what you love, love what you do and you'll always be happy.

Day 32: Beak Trimmings

This morning I went to clean the giant tortoise exhibit and for the first time, Othello did not come over to say hi. He was sitting in the water and must have been enjoying it too much to come out. I helped gather salad bowls, cleaned the black worms, and did the dishes before break. Afterwards, I helped two other zookeepers start trimming tortoise beaks. In the wild, a tortoise will naturally grind down its beak by foraging and eating food. In captivity, good diets increase beak growth, but then they do need to be trimmed if they get too long. Figuring out the best way to go about trimming their beaks took a little time, but it still took three of us to hold the tortoise/trim the beak.

After lunch I cut flowers/leaves off of a brach that they were stapled to look nice, but the plants were drying out. Once I started soaking the plants, I returned to help with the tortoise beak trimming process. Once all the tortoises that needed a beak trimming were done, we trimmed the nails of three Arakan Forest Turtles. After break (since the yellow jackets were gone), one of the zookeepers and I organized the water tubs outside. We then moved one of the large water tubs from inside to stack on a tub outside. To wrap up the day, we cleaned the floors where the large tubs had been.

Hermann's Tortoise
(a tortoise that needed a beak trimming today)

Arakan Forest Turtle

Egyptian Tortoise
(another tortoise that needed a beak trimming)

Day 31: Yellow Jacket Surprise

Friday, July 12

This morning I started cutting produce and preparing the giant tortoise salad. I got to bring the food out to the giant tortoises which was quite fun. Usually there is a good amount of people looking at the giant tortoises, but when I am out there feeding even more people are crowded around the fence. When putting out the salads, I make a few different piles in the exhibit, but of course, most of the tortoises wanted to eat at the same pile. That led to a little bit of tortoise pushing in order to lay on the most salad. I finally learned that my tortoise friend that always wants a neck rub is named Othello! Today was no different, even with the salads being put out, Othello still wanted some attention. Back inside, I helped prepare more salads before and after the morning break. After all the salads were prepared, I cleaned out the salad bins and cleaned the black worms.

After lunch, I did the dishes and then was able to practice my snake hook skills by moving snakes to clean out their enclosures. Most of the snakes were very easy to work with, only one of them was a little more squirmy. I felt really accomplished when I moved a snake in and out of its enclosure without a problem! While I was working with the snakes another zookeeper was working with a Prehensile-tailed Skink (also known as a Solomon Islands Skink). These are really amazing animals! Their tail is fully prehensile, so as the zookeeper was holding it, the skink had its tail wrapped around the keeper's arm. What also makes these animal unique is that the baby is connected to the mother with a placenta during the gestation period. Normally a reptile produces an egg, leaving the baby with a source of nutrients through the yolk of the egg. They are also the largest extant species of skinks! I got to watch as the keeper brought the skink outside to be photographed for a new information board. As if the skink knew what was going on, it posed perfectly! Afterwards, the keeper and I went outside to organize large water tubs. When we turned one of the tubs over insects started coming out and flying all over. We both quickly moved away from the nest and waited for a insectarium keeper to come over. He said that they were yellow jackets and that we were lucky that neither of us got stung. So, needless to say, we did not do any more tub rearrangement. After break, we plugged the one remaining large water tub inside and I also did water changes on two larger Alligator Snapping Turtle tubs. While I was working on that, there was a call over the radio that one of the giant tortoises was eating a map. By the time I got outside, another keeper was already in the exhibit picking up the pieces of the zoo map. I hope this goes without saying, but please do not through anything into an animal exhibit. The animal might not realize that it should not be eating it, and if they do eat something unnatural, it could cause serious health issues. After finishing up the water changes, it was time to head home.

Prehensile-Tailed Skink

Day 30: Primate House Tour

Thursday, July 11

Today I cleaned the giant tortoise exhibit and was able to answer some questions for an older gentleman who stopped to chat about the tortoises. Afterwards, I helped pick up remaining salad trays and cleaned out cricket tubs before break. I cleaned the baby Alligator Snapping Turtle tanks, filled up water bowls, changed the paper towel substrate in three baby McCord's Box Turtle enclosures, and misted the galliwasps before lunch.

After lunch the others interns and I went on a behind the scenes tour of the primate house. The zoo has weekly tours for us interns to see and learn about other areas of the zoo. I have really been enjoying them! For today's tour we did not actually get to go behind the scenes, but the zoological manager that gave the tour stopped at each animal exhibit and told us about the animals inside. It was a really interesting tour that was also fun because some of the animals recognized the zookeeper and would either get excited or territorial. The zoo has some baby primates that were quite cute as well. One primate even had a stuffed animal monkey that it was playing with and grooming! Once back in the herpetarium, I sifted sand in some skink enclosures and was able to handle the Frilled Lizard again to clean her cage. After break I cleaned the galliwasp water bowls, swept the floor, and started to pick up trash bags. When I got to the rodent/insect room I found that we had completely forgotten the cricket shipment that came in during our tour. So the other intern and I made record time when we processed the shipment in about ten minutes. After that we helped close the building and then headed home.

Day 29: Another Hospital Visit

Saturday, July 6

This morning I had a nice surprise when one of the zookeepers brought in a whole stack of Turtle Survival Alliance yearly publications for me to borrow! I am definitely looking forward to reading them! I started off cleaning the giant tortoise exhibit and actually was able to give two of the smaller male tortoises some attention in addition to my regular tortoise friend. The visitors this morning were asking a lot of questions which was fun as well. Back inside, I helped pick up a few more salad trays, cleaned the black worms, and changed out water for some animals downstairs. After the morning break, I cleaned the baby Alligator Snapping Turtle tanks and then got to watch the Caiman Lizards get fed! They were given snails still in the shell. I definitely would not want to get bitten by one of these because they crush the shell of the snail with no struggle at all! It was really fun being able to watch them get fed and learn more about them in the process! I then worked on dishes until lunch.

After lunch I finished the dishes and then worked on a partial water change on two feeder fish tanks. While working in that room, I got to watch one of our Komodo Dragons get fed. The Komodo quickly ate its food and then was licking the bowl at the end. When I was finishing the fish tank water change, our manager phoned me over the intercom system and told me to meet him in the kitchen in five minutes. I finished what I was working on and once I got to the kitchen I was asked by my manager if I wanted to go with him to bring an anole to the hospital. Of course I wanted to go! The anole had some swelling in its legs so when we got to the hospital the vet got an x-ray. It was hard to tell, but there might have been a problem with one of the wrists, but the size x-rays did not come out clear enough to tell. My manager got the anole to lay on its back on a bag of rice and the anole just stayed there curled up just looking around after the x-ray, it was so cute! One of the vets was trying to get a picture of it all curled up. After a blood sample, some liquids, and an anti-inflamitory shot we were sent back with a medicine regimen and prescribed rest for the anole. It was fun to go and see a medical visit again! Once back in the house, I helped a zookeeper get some things together for a new enclosure and then went on break. After break I worked with the zookeeper on the turtle rearrangement project again. We did some PVC pipe rerouting, drained a large water tub, and moved a turtle into its new water tub before it was time to leave.

Caiman Lizard

Komodo Dragon