riverbanks September-October 2007 1 Inside scoop The Observation Deck 3 In The Know 20 Riverbanks 4-1-1 26 Volume XXVI, Number 5 Riverbanks is published six times a year for members of Riverbanks Society by Riverbanks Zoological Park and Botanical Garden, Essentials Columbia, South Carolina. Plan Your Visit 6 Shoots and Blooms 10 Riverbanks Park Commission James E. Smith, Chairman Riverbanks Adventures and Class Calendar 14 Lloyd Liles Junior Zookeepers 23 Jan Stamps Bud Tibshrany Tracey Waring Robert P. Wilkins Features South Carolina’s Pride 4 Riverbanks Society Board of Directors Jeremy G. Wilson, President Learn what Riverbanks is doing to protect African lions Robert G. Davidson, Vice-President Fins or Scales? Trick or Treat 8 Mary Howard, Secretary Barbara K. Ryan, Treasurer Visit the Aquarium Reptile Complex to see some real creepy crawlies H. Perry Shuping, Immediate Past President Riverbanks ZOOfari Mike Brenan William H. Davidson II Discover treasures from around the world at the wildest fundraiser in town Thomas N. Fortson A Face Only a Zookeeper Could Love 18 Steve Graves Greg Lapointe Find out why it’s so important to breed, study and rehabilitate vultures Jonathan H. Nason Beyond Hollies 22 C.C. Rone, Jr. Find out why it’s so important to breed, study and rehabilitate vultures James S. Welch Dr. Anny Zalesne Botanical Garden Bulb Sale 28 Don F. Barton, Director Emeritus Brighten up your garden with these botanical beauties Riverbanks Senior Staff Satch Krantz Executive Director Kim M. Benson Director of Human Resources George R. Davis Director of Finance Ed Diebold Director of Animal Collections & Conservation Kevin Eubanks Director of Guest Services Eric Helms Director of Risk Management & Facilities 4 18 Melodie Scott-Leach Director of Horticulture Riverbanks Magazine Staff Riverbanks Hours of Operation Tommy Stringfellow Dixie Kaye Allan Open daily except Thanksgiving day & Christmas day Director of Marketing Executive Editor/Art Director 9am – 5pm Daily Keith Benson, DVM Monique Jacobs 9am – 6pm Weekends during Daylight Savings Senior Veterinarian Editor Andy Cabe Dargan Davis Curator of Horticulture Contributing Writer John Davis Ashley Walker Subscriptions to Riverbanks are $24 per year. Curator of Mammals Graphic Artist Members of Riverbanks Society are entitled to Scott Pfaff Larry Cameron one free subscription along with free admission Curator of Herpetology Photographer and guest passes, discounts at Zoo & Garden gift Martin Vince shops, invitations to special events and much more. Curator of Birds Front cover: African Lion To subscribe to Riverbanks or to join the Society, Photograph by Larry Cameron visit www.riverbanks.org or call 803.779.8717 x1111. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a member of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta. The observation deck s a governmental No matter how good the Zoo and Garden, an aggressive agency, Riverbanks PR and marketing program is vital to maximizing attendance. operates on a Riverbanks has devoted considerable financial and human fiscal year which resources over the past 25 years in order to insure that our story ends on June 30. is told to the widest possible audience. AI am pleased to announce that A strong annual attendance is not just about bragging we ended the 2006-2007 fiscal rights. For Riverbanks, it is vital to our financial wellbeing. The year with just under 900,000 majority of the Zoo and Garden’s $8.7 million annual operating visitors, the fourth highest budget is funded through visitor-related income such as admis- attended year in Zoo and Garden sion fees and the sale of food and gifts. An additional $1 million history. I recently wrote a letter in operating support is provided by members of Riverbanks to the members of Richland Society. The remainder of Riverbanks’ operating budget, about and Lexington County Councils, $2.5 million, is provided by Lexington and Richland County Columbia City Council and com- Councils. The Riverbanks Park Commission joins me in thanking munity leaders pointing out the significance of this incredible the members of both councils for their continued support of our milestone. Some of the highlights of the letter follow: operating budget. By combining earned revenue with private What eats 3 tons of hot dogs, consumes 191,000 gallons and public support, Riverbanks stands as testament to the fact of soft drinks and uses 650 miles of toilet paper, all in a that a true public/private partnership can be attained. single year? The nearly 900,000 thousand people who visited And there is always the matter of economic impact. Nonprofit Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in the past 12 months. cultural institutions are constantly challenged to justify public Columbia is home to one of South Carolina’s biggest tourist support based upon economic impact. Over the years I have attractions (maybe the biggest) and one of North America’s tried to avoid the economic impact debate because I feel that best zoological park –Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. As evidence, there is no one model that produces consistent or credible look no further than the fact that since opening in 1974 results for differing organizations. Instead, I sometimes answer Riverbanks has attracted over 21 million visitors. this question with the following fact: This year, Riverbanks Zoo You might find it helpful to think of our attendance in terms and Garden will have almost as many visitors as EdVenture, the of University of South Carolina home football games. Each year, Columbia Museum of Art and the South Carolina State Museum more people visit Riverbanks than 10 sell-outs at Williams-Brice combined and doubled. Stadium. Or, you may wish to consider that Riverbanks has After more than 30 years at Riverbanks, I find these facts and averaged just under 3,000 visitors every day for the past 12 statistics almost impossible to comprehend. And I feel certain months. And these are not just Columbia-area residents. Last that none of this would be possible without the steadfast, year alone, Riverbanks attracted over 120,000 out-of-state and ongoing support of our Riverbanks Society members (cur- international visitors. rently 33,000 households strong). Thanks to you, our Society How do we do this year after year? We provide our guests is one of the top zoo support organizations in the Southeast. with a high-quality educational and recreational experience I look forward to creating more milestones with your support. and strategically combine that effort with a professional marketing and public relations program. We believe that Riverbanks stands as testament to the fact that residents of the Midlands support quality. They are proud of their zoo and they support it by visiting in record numbers. Mission statement It is our mission to foster appreciation and concern for all living things. We are dedicated to providing: u the highest standards of care for our animal and plant collections. u a diverse educational and high-quality recreational experience for all Riverbanks visitors. u all the resources at our disposal for the conservation of the earth’s flora and fauna. 3 south carolina’s pride Riverbanks Zoo & Garden is home to three African lions. Currently, there are only 115 pedigreed African lions in 39 North American zoos. By – Sue Pfaff, Assistant Mammal Curator When most of us dream about the perfect zoo, we often The results are sobering: lion populations are diminishing envision the most charismatic mammals, like “lions, tigers, quickly. As well-liked as these big cats are, it is difficult to and bears, oh my!” Riverbanks is proud to host many animal imagine that the need for conservation efforts in support of species that range from tiny pygmy sunfish all the way up to wild lions is necessary. 8,000-pound African elephants. When the Zoo first opened The International Cat Specialist Group responded promptly in 1974, some of the most requested animals were the big to this need, however, by developing a plan for saving wild cats—lions and tigers. To this day, the pride of African lions at African lions. A critical element of the plan was to protect Riverbanks continues to maintain its popularity. vast areas of wild land. The urgency for immediate actions suddenly fell into the hands of zoos as well. That’s where The Setting Riverbanks stepped up to the plate. Before we get into the really “fun stuff” that’s happen- To begin this process, a cooperative breeding program was ing right now with our three African lions, perhaps a bit of established for African lions. It was designed to establish hus- background information might be helpful to put things into bandry guidelines and coordinate breeding activities through perspective. Over the years, Riverbanks has hosted 19 African genetic analysis using an intricate database. Only African lions. They flourished under our care, and one pair success- lions with known origins, traceable to a specific location in fully bred and reared three cubs. The cubs were transferred Africa, are included in the proposed captive breeding popula- to other zoological destinations (accredited by the Associa- tion. Many zoos participate in these management programs tion of Zoos and Aquariums) to contribute their valuable to ensure genetic variation and population stability. Follow- genetic material to the North American captive population. ing considerable research through these programs, it was However, in the early 1990s it became apparent that captive soon discovered that full-blooded African lions were far and lions needed to be managed more intensely. Although wild few between. Currently, there are only 115 pedigreed African lions were plentiful within Africa’s National Park boundaries, lions in 39 North American zoos. biologists discovered obvious warning signs that lion popula- In the early 1990s, Riverbanks decided to quit “lion” around tions in Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa and pounced into action by importing lion cubs from Africa.