Welcoming the Party Animals at Rocky Shores! ZooLights! returns to Hogle Zoo on December 1st with thousands of sparkling lights, 160+ animated light displays and more. Stroll under the magical 135-foot long lighted tunnel spanning the bridge and be immersed among the festive trees, pathways and animated displays transforming our newest addition, Rocky Shores, into a holiday wonderland. ZooLights is open nightly (except Christmas Day) through December 31. For operating hours and admission prices, Join us for including Zoo member Zoolights! discounts, plus nightly Member Nights See Santa and event information, visit on December 4th his reindeer hoglezoo.org. and 5th! nightly December 1st through 24th! The 6th Annual ZooLights! at Utah’s Hogle Zoo is bigger and better than ever! Make it a part of your family holiday traditions! Features Utah’s Zoological Society Board Members Enrichment 101 President 2 James E. Hogle Jr Vice President Paul M. Dougan Secretary/Treasurer Patrick Hogle Executive Committee Steven Barth Todd E. Kiser Jim Bradley Carlene Walker Blake Fisher Jr. Greg Williams Bill Hulterstrom Julie Wolfe Members Corey Brand Rick Graham Maura Carabello David Huntsman Analecia Dumke Norma Matheson Missy Ekstrom Patty Miller Amy A. Garff Marianne Woolsey Moyle John D. Garfield Julie Anne Thomas Sandra Gonzalez Anna Kay Waddoups The Role of Training in Veterinary Medicine Utah’s Hogle Zoo nurtures respect and 4 appreciation for the natural world by providing diverse educational, recreational and conservation opportunities. This is accomplished through imaginative exhibits and programs, professional animal care and a commitment to excellence. Big Fun for Little Ones Enrichment & Training for Hogle Zoo’s Small Animals 5 The Safari Team Executive Director: Craig Dinsmore Editors: Tiffany Burnett Marci Harris Art Direction: Matt Bates The Safari is printed on acid-free paper with a minimum of 10% post-consumer recycled fiber, using earth-friendly inks. How to reach us: (801) 582-1631 Development ext. 708 Marketing ext. 749 Docents ext. 713 Memberships ext. 769 Education ext. 714 Public Relations ext. 729 Education Programs ext. 763 Travel Programs ext. 703 Events Hotline ext. 750 Volunteers ext. 737 Event Sales ext. 791 Zootique ext. 734 Group Ticketing ext. 792 www.hoglezoo.org Postmaster: Send address changes to The Safari Utah’s Hogle Zoo Calendar 2600 Sunnyside Avenue Salt Lake City, UT 84108 10-11 Follow us on Open every day at 9 a.m. Closed only on Christmas and New Year’s Day Enrichment 101 BY DAWN NEPTUNE, BEHAVIORAL PROGRAMS COORDINATOR barrel, a ball, a cardboard box. Walking through the Zoo, you might see a variety of seemingly “out of place” items. Whether it’s a giraffe working its amazing tongue to get a tasty treat from a puzzle feeder, monkeys using their skills on a colorful toy, or a training session with theA seals… all of these techniques are part of our Behavioral Enrichment program. At Hogle Zoo, our animals are given opportunities to learn, interact and express natural behaviors using enrichment—a term used to describe the activities used by keepers to enhance the animals’ environments. In their natural environments, animals live in an ever- changing world. Their goal is to simply survive. But animals in a Zoo live the easy life. Without the need to find food, protect territory, or avoid predators, animals can spend their time developing a wider range of behaviors. They have time to explore many other abilities using enriching activities provided by our zoo keepers. Our enrichment goal is to stimulate our animals’ minds and bodies using natural and artificial means. We enhance their environments with challenges, novelty and unpredictability. Providing enrichment can increase activity, reduce some of the stresses associated with zoo life, and improve overall health and One of our female Orangutans, Acara, interacting with an enrichment item. welfare. With these techniques, we strive to provide the animals with an element of choice and control in their lives. Although a fun and exciting part of our work, providing enrichment is a challenging job. It’s not as simple as throwing a ball in with the bears and calling it good. It’s a daily process based on goal setting, safety assessments, documentation and observation. Keepers routinely provide enrichment from 5 categories: SENSORY FOODS/ MANIPULATIVE/ ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIORAL/ Scents, sounds and FEEDING TOYS Items that add SOCIAL sights: olfactory Task-oriented puzzle Items that can be complexity to the Visual access to stimuli (spices, feeders which manipulated in some animal’s exhibits other animals (animal perfumes, snake sheds), provide challenge way via the hands, and enclosures, e.g., ambassadors like birds, auditory stimuli and extend feeding horns, head, etc. for swings, climbing snakes, rodents) or (sounds of nature times. simple investigation structures, hiding artificial animals recordings), visual and play, e.g., places, visual (decoys, piñatas, etc.). (mirrors, bubbles, videos), boomer balls, kong barriers. Also includes our tactile (rubbing posts, toys (large plastic balls animal training grooming tools). and toys), burlap bags, programs and boxes, barrels. keeper playtime (hose games and tug of war). The next time you stroll Zoo grounds, be sure to study these key principles and look for enrichment around every corner. You never know…there just might be a pop quiz. (For your own enrichment, of course!) 2 Utah’s Hogle Zoo www.hoglezoo.org Special Needs and Special Relationships The Role of the Animal/Trainer Bond BY ELLEN VOSSEKUIL, ZOOKEEPER hile animal training takes A solid history of positive knowledge, practice and reinforcement means the skill, the relationship animal will be ready and willing between the keeper and to do what the trainer asks, the animal is equally knowing that nothing bad is important.W Nowhere is this more true going to happen. than with some of our special needs Empathy – The trainer animals. These animals are challenged must understand the physical in some way. They may be physically and mental limitations of the restricted, elderly, or have learning animal. How scary is it to be limitations. The variety is huge! Big blind and asked to enter a Guy, our sea lion, is completely blind. new holding area? How much Dari, one of our three elephants, discomfort will it cause to ask is in her twilight years. Kazek, our them to climb something or tiger, struggled with irritable bowel stand up on their hind legs? syndrome and liver issues. Training This may not stop the trainer these animals takes a unique approach from working the behavior, but that incorporates trust, empathy, perhaps they can use smaller creativity and patience. steps, better treats, or shorter Trust –Trust is important in sessions. Trainers try not to every animal/trainer relationship, but attribute human feelings or more vital with special needs animals. motivations to animals, but Zoo keeper, Holly, and one of our giraffes. Since Big Guy can’t use his eyes to sometimes using their own interpret his environment, he must experiences with painful joints needs animals may require more trust his trainers’ intentions. Are they or claustrophobia leads to creative time or alternative methods during going to lead him somewhere scary training ideas. training sessions. Expectations are or touch him when he’s not ready? Creativity – Special needs adjusted based upon the animal’s animals require special needs. Trainers don’t allow themselves adaptations for training. to give up on any animal; they not Keepers know that there only care for them, but about them. are as many ways to train When Kazek was ill, his keepers never a behavior as there are gave up on his training. He has since trainers to think them up! For made a full recovery, and is back to example, deaf animals can be a more intensive training schedule. trained using a flash of light By continuing sessions throughout instead of a whistle. Big Guy, his illness, his trainers maintained who can hear but not see, has their bond, despite a slew of medical a target stick that rattles. Sick treatments. or elderly animals may have Training animals with special needs lost their appetites for food requires an exceptional bond between rewards, but still enjoy praise trainer and animal. Together, they can or scratches! overcome any obstacle and lead a Patience – Special happier, healthier life! Zookeeper, Katie, working with a green-winged macaw. Utah’s Hogle Zoo www.hoglezoo.org 3 The Role of Training in Veterinary Medicine BY DR. NANCY CARPENTER, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR- ANIMAL HEALTH hen you take your children best healthcare for our animals. Our to the doctor, do you face veterinary staff is also very involved W the dreaded tantrum during in the training process, allowing the the exam or vaccinations? Can animals to become familiar with us. you imagine if your children were That reduces the stress of our visits for orangutans? Think of all those routine check-ups, injuries or illnesses. squirming arms! Just as human The positive association builds trust, children trust their parents, the animals so they know that we mean them no at Hogle Zoo trust our veterinary and harm. training staff. So much, in fact, that Unique to Hogle Zoo, the we can teach them to “open wide” for Behavioral Programs department dental exams, sit still for their shots, (which provides enrichment and and even give blood voluntarily. training) is a part of our Animal Through our exceptional Health Team. This means we provide veterinary/trainer relationships and a holistic approach to the animals’ positive reinforcement training, we care. The veterinary staff provides for teach our animals to take medications, the physical health and the behavioral let us examine their feet or hooves, programs address the mental well and let us check their overall body being of the animals.