animal chatter Bramble Park Zoo Summer/Fall 2016 Spring 2017 Volume 10 Issue 1 Lake Area Zoological Society Spring 2017 Fall 2012 Olive the Kangaroo Visit •Make a Wish Wyatt From hairless and helpless us •Rehab Program to a bundle of furry energy! on inside •Why Ambassador Animals •Animal Update By: Olivia Reimers Facebook •WPR Summer Book Animal Ambassadors in Action! KidZoo Animal Ambassadors When you visit the Children Zoo's Animal Ambassadors you may notice some of them have halters or collars on, such as the alpaca, our new Shetland ponies and a few of the pygmy goats. These halters and collars aren't just for looks! Their purpose is to allow the zookeepers to attach leads to the animals. By hooking an animal up to a lead, zookeepers are able to gain more control of the animal during grooming sessions, giving them medicine, transporting, or simply taking them for a walk! Also Inside WMS Caring Project Spring News Director’s Report Special Events Calendar Ambassador Animal Membership List Ambassador Animal Defined Curator Comments Facebook Info Going Green Training of Domestic Animals OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS LAKE AREA ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY Will Morlock President Steve Hageman Vice President Mike Vener Secretary/ About Treasurer Dale Christensen Board Member Lorraine Rittmann Board Member The Bramble Park Zoo and the to ensure conservation Susan Munger Board Member AZA recognizes the many benefits messages are received by Dave Todd Board Member ambassador animal presentations the audience. SaLena Engels Board Member provide and have established Tyler DeBoer Board Member Rebecca several Accreditation Standards, Morlock-Reeves Board Member Board-Approved Policies, and “We believe in a Chad Johnson Board Member recommendations to better future for all Doug Alvine Board Member guarantee that the welfare, health living things”. Brenda Uses Arrow Board Member and safety needs of the animals, handlers, and public are met and AZA.org PARKS AND RECREATION Jay DeLange Director Terry Kelly Asst. Director PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD Lee Rycraft Jay Johnson Pat Shriver Justin Struckman Our facebook fans are active in the Jon Solum Heidi Stoick social media world with over 5,500 Scott Johnston fans! Will you help us to get more? BRAMBLE PARK ZOO STAFF Please tell all of your friends about Dan Miller Zoo Director the Zoo’s facebook page where they Jim Lloyd General Curator can get news fast! Search for John Gilman Zookeeper BPZandLAZS on facebook today! Olivia Reimers Zookeeper Bill Gallagher Zookeeper Michelle Miller Zookeeper Jennifer Giessinger Zookeeper Jerry Biewer Maintenance www.brambleparkzoo.com Kim Konrad Office/Visitor Services Manager Jaime Stricker Educator See animals in action Barb Struwe Roots & Shoots Coordinator 2 director’s report The Bramble Park Zoo has had touching our ambassador animals. replaced with new and improved ambassador animals for over This year we added more special climbing and sitting areas. 35 years. Many of these animals events, education programs, and We also will complete less have touched the hearts of all some additional animals. We are glamorous maintenance projects age groups. I remember as a child working on a Sioux Indian exhibit like replacing some of the bison touching the petting zoo animals that will feature a child size Tipi, the fence, replacing the bird aviary and snakes at the Milwaukee American Bison, the horse, the dog, netting, and purchasing new County Zoo. Throughout my zoo headdresses, the bald eagle, ledger equipment. These are essential to career, I have had the opportunity art, winter count, tools, Dakotah properly run an AZA accredited to come into contact with many animal names, and educational facility. animals. I hope you take time this activities. year to enjoy all the ambassador As we celebrate “ambassador animals at the Bramble Park animals Bramble Park Zoo has to We will be adding tree and prairie offer. Zoo”, we look forward to you plant signs, which will educate the experiencing these animals up- As you read this newsletter, you public about local trees, shrubs and close. Bring your family, friends, will have many reasons to visit the prairie plants. We also renovated become a member, and volunteer. our red kangaroo exhibit, which will The AmericanBramble Bison isPark designated Zoo. From par- as the ‘Nationalticipating Mammal in education of the programs, allow the visitors to come face to 2016 A.D. See you at the zoo! United States’attending to recognize special itsevents, viewing face with red kangaroos and emus. mans best friend historical, cultural, economic, the wonders of nature, as well as The primate bridge structures are The Native American Indian Dog is thought to be of similar educational and ecological Dan Miller, heritageZoo Director to the Dingo. It is believed to be a missing link significance. connecting to some of the first dogs domesticated by Custer State Park humans over 12,000 years ago. Different migrating groups herd started and traders came to North America and sometimes brought Before the arrival of Europeans in 1901 A.D. North America, dogs were used for many purposes: 1914 A.D. their dogs. The Native Americans bred these Old World • They were draft animals in the plains American Bison aboriginal dogs with native coyotes to become a distinct American Bisonnearly extinct TATANKATATANKA breed that came to be called the Common Indian Dog or • They were bred for wool like sheep and their hair was or bison, was held in high the Common Native Dog. regard by the Lakota used to make blankets “A cold wind blew across people. The bison was canidae family the prairie when the treasured as a symbol last buffalo fell…a 1890 A.D. • There were hairless dogs that were used as living hot James “Scotty” of the divine because death–wind for my people” water bottles to ease achy joints Philip buys the bison was a “feast” Dupree herd for the people. wolf Sitting • They were important in religion Bull - 19th century 1881 A.D. “It would be a great • They were buried in graveyards like people misfortune to permit the coyote Frederick Dupree species to become extinct” saves five bison calves Theodore Roosevelt -1907 60 million bison roam North America 1600 A.D. dog Horses brought 1520 A.D. to America Bison appear 3,000 A.D. An old story tells That Sioux Indians once were 3 siberia visited by the White buffalo calf woman. She beringia Taught us virtues of compassion, integrity, honesty, The Plains tribes traveled with rocky Mountainsnorth America respectfulness, kindness, forgiveness and to be giving. 8 to 10 dogs or wolf–dog hybrids Bison begin to cross the land bridge per tipi. They would have used them 798,000 B.C. as pack animals (the wolf- were bigger and stronger and could state historical society pull more than a dog), companions,hybrids of north dakota and food in a pinch. curataor’s’ comments Why AmbassadorAnimals? The zoo has animals of all feeding and handling approximately comfort, exercise, shelter, and have different sizes and shapes from 60 ambassador animals. sufficient complexity.” all over the world, most of which This group of animals is kept separate The number of ambassador animals cannot be handled directly. The from the rest of the collection in two the zoo has is based on the number one thing that the zoo believes rooms located in the KidZoo’s Big of education programs being strongly in is that if people can Red Barn. They are housed separately offered. Because the animals can get connect with animals they will from the other animals to reduce the tired and stressed due to handling, help to conserve habitats and risk of spreading an animal disease it is essential that the animals are animals around them. What better to the zoo’s main collection. This rotated and given time to rest. This way to connect with animals practice is also mandated by the is accomplished by a checkout than to have people get up-close AZA as an accreditation standard. system used by animal handlers and touch them. The critters that The standard reads as such: “For and reviewed by zookeepers. have this job at the zoo are called animals used in off-site programs Some of the popular species we ambassador animals. The zoo has and for educational purposes, the have doubles and triples of. The a group of animals whose sole institution must have adequate number of animal ambassadors purpose is to be ambassadors for protocols in place to protect the has increased in that past two others of their species. They come rest of the animals at the institution years because of the high demand to visitors through on-site and from exposure to infectious agents”. for education programming in off-site education programming The AZA also mandates that the the community and surrounding and keeper encounters with zoo ambassador animals have the highest area. Two years ago when the visitors. Some of our ambassador standard of day to day animal care. KidZoo barn was built, we had the animals are hedgehogs, rabbits, “Although the housing conditions opportunity to expand our square turtles, and snakes to name a few for ambassador animals may look footage to house ambassador and all have been worked with different at times to those provided animals. We currently have a warm enough that they can be safely to exhibit animals, institutions room for reptiles and amphibians handled by staff. Only staff and must provide similar social, and a cool room for the mammals volunteers that have been trained physical, behavioral and nutritional and birds. The zoo has a very large in the zoo’s animal handling opportunities to ambassador animals. collection of animal ambassadors protocol are allowed to handle Regular holding enclosures for any who are touched by thousands of these animals.