Category: Notes from the Field
Thursday, December 5, 2019
Starting in 2017, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden partnered with the Painted Dog Research Trust (PDRT) to support its efforts to conserve the endangered African painted dog. Dr. Greg Rasmussen, PDRT founder and executive director, has worked for almost two decades protecting and studying the species, with populations totaling fewer than 7,000 in the wild.
An essential part of the Zoo’s ongoing commitment to the PDRT includes sending staff members to Zimbabwe annually to...
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at Thursday, December 5, 2019
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Starting in 2017, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden partnered with the Painted Dog Research Trust (PDRT) to support its efforts to conserve the endangered African painted dog. Dr. Greg Rasmussen, PDRT founder and executive director, has worked for almost two decades protecting and studying the species, with populations totaling fewer than 7,000 in the wild.
An essential part of the Zoo’s ongoing commitment to the PDRT includes sending staff members to Zimbabwe annually to...
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at Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Stephany Hernandez, OKC Zoo herpetology caretaker, recently returned from a conservation journey to Guatemala. These are her notes from the field:
Hi, I’m Stephany Hernandez, an animal caretaker for the herpetology department at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. My typical day starts with a visual health check of our reptiles. Depending on the day, we then might distribute salads or clean habitats. In the afternoon, we conduct a variety of husbandry tasks from bedding...
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at Thursday, October 10, 2019
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Katie Van Singel, OKC Zoo pachyderm caretaker, recently returned from a conservation journey to Indonesia. These are her notes from the field:
I am a primary caretaker for the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden's three Indian rhinos Arun, Niki, and Shanti. I never imagined that I would get the chance to go and see native habitat for any of the five rhino species in the world, but this July, my coworker Amy Mathews and I went on the trip of a lifetime.
Amy and I...
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at Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Amy Mathews, OKC Zoo lead elephant caretaker, recently returned from a conservation journey to Indonesia. These are her notes from the field:
In July, fellow pachyderm caretaker Katie Van Singel and I traveled to Indonesia to learn more about the various rhino conservation initiatives sponsored by one of the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s legacy conservation partners, the International Rhino Foundation . While abroad, Katie and I were fortunate enough to meet with...
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at Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Each year, employees of the Oklahoma City Zoo are offered several opportunities to participate in field work and to engage with the Zoo's conservation efforts on the ground level. As a first-time volunteer and full-time desk jockey, I had no clue what to expect when I offered to assist with the spring bat survey at the Ozark Plateau National Wildlife Reserve. But I set out on the drive to Stilwell, Oklahoma with an open mind, eager to learn more about those elusive creatures of the...
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at Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Monday, April 15, 2019
OKC Zoo Assistant Birds Curator Holly Ray shares her conservation field work experience rescuing flamingos in South Africa...
In January, a severe drought dried out Kamfers Dam which is located in Kimberly, South Africa. Kamfers Dam is a very important breeding site for lesser flamingos, it is the location of one of only four lesser flamingo breeding sites in Africa. Due to the lack of water at the dam, adult flamingos abandoned their nests leaving nearly 2,000 eggs and flamingo...
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at Monday, April 15, 2019
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
OKC Zoo Lead Herpetology Caretaker Josh Lucas shares his most recent conservation field work in Madagascar finding suitable sites for radiated tortoise re-introductions...
I just returned from southern Madagascar where I spent the last two months working to develop an effective reintroduction strategy for last year’s confiscated radiated tortoises .
It has been one year since over 10,000 critically endangered tortoises were found crammed wall-to-wall in a tiny house in...
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at Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
While it is certainly true that many species of birds in North America fly to warmer climates when the temperatures begin to drop, there are still many more that stay at their homes year-round! This February, I was lucky enough to join three Zoo employees and three employees from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) on a conservation journey to Robbers Cave State Park and James Collins Wildlife Management Area in Eastern Oklahoma...
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at Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Monday, January 7, 2019
This trip to Zimbabwe has been an emotional and humbling experience. I lost my best friend to cancer this year and we always wanted to go to Africa together. She talked about going on a safari, so it’s very fitting that I’m here now.
Resources just aren’t readily available here. Butter, bread, water, concrete… they get what they can when it’s available. They don’t even have an option to have items mailed. Customs gave us a hard time...
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at Monday, January 7, 2019
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
I have some exciting updates to share related to ongoing rescue efforts after the radiated tortoise crisis in Madagascar. I have recently taken on the role of Reintroduction Project Manager within the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), with the purpose of getting thousands of critically endangered tortoises back into the wild. My most recent three-week trip provided the opportunity to do some initial ground surveying of tortoise habitat, check-in on the...
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at Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
On April 10, 2018, nearly 11,000 critically endangered radiated tortoises were discovered by local police in a private residence in Toliara, Madagascar. Almost every room in the house was filled with tortoises without access to food or water. It is believed that the tortoises were collected for the illegal pet trade, possibly for shipment to Asia where the tortoises’ highly-domed shell featuring a brilliant star pattern makes them highly prized. The Turtle Survivor Alliance (TSA) in...
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at Wednesday, April 25, 2018