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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
This week the interns got to be a part of a very special experience, meeting Senior Neonatal Assistant Care Unit (NACU) Keeper, Becky Kier! Interns got to learn how the neonatal team cares for struggling infant mammals to get them back up and running. Right off the bat, we were able to accompany Ms. Kier to a bottle-feeding for a bontebok at the Zoo’s hospital. After our little field trip we went back and learned about Ms. Kier’s work and how cool her job is! We even received a tour of the care unit and learned how to mix and prepare formula for the many species of animals at the Zoo. Lastly, we got to meet one of Ms. Kier’s former patients, Isa the fossa and see them interact like old friends.
[caption id="attachment_37128" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
When touring the NACU, we learned that the majority of animals that are taken in by the NACU team are often abused or rejected. Many mammal mothers that abandon their young are either inexperienced or can sense when one of their babies is ill or has a health condition. Mothers that sense an abnormality in infant health will often abandon the baby; similarly, new mothers may reject the baby due to not knowing how to care for it. Ms. Kier’s job is to step in and help raise the young animal so that it has a chance at surviving even without its mothers help.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37129" align="aligncenter" width="397"]
While walking us to the Zoo hospital, Ms. Kier told us about the fun parts of her job and how rewarding it is to see an animal grow up and have babies of its own. Many animals, if they are strong enough to survive past infancy, grow up to have a strong bond with the NACU keepers. This, Ms. Kier says, is one of her favorite parts of the job. Though it may be “selfish” she says, the best thing is visiting an animal and having it run up or greet her as if they were old friends.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37130" align="aligncenter" width="336"]
After introducing us to the baby bontebok, Ms. Kier showed us how she uses a clicker every time she enters the pen and every time she feeds the baby. The clicker is used for a few different things: first, so the baby knows exactly when it is feeding time. And second, the young bontebok is conditioned so that when it recognizes the clicking sound, it will come over to see Ms. Kier or one of the other keepers. The clicking sound, followed by a reward of food or care, helps teach the young bontebok to trust the people caring for it.This is important because once the baby is with its herd again, it may be uncomfortable straying from the group, so the clicks remind it that it can trust the keepers.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37131" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
Making sure to wipe the formula milk off the baby’s face after feeding is important! Normally, the mother would be there to wipe and clean the baby’s face after feeding, so in this case, Ms. Kier plays the mother’s role. It is important for a young animal to be well groomed because it is more susceptable to aquiring illnesses or things that could threaten its health. Milk, especially warm, is the perfect environment for bacteria and salmonella to thrive in, which is why cleaning the baby’s face is a key part of the feeding routine.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37133" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
During her presentation, Ms. Kier showed us the specially designed pouches they use to keep baby koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and wombats. These animals, when raised by their mothers, will be kept in a pouch for up to six months. Because this is key for their development, having specially designed pouches helps simulate a normal raising experience. The young hoppers get to summersault into a nice snug pouch, humidified with warm sponges, that is hung next to a heated bottle of water representing their mother’s body heat.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37134" align="aligncenter" width="387"]
One of the most important things in feeding baby animals is having the right nipple size and hole for each individual species. As you can see in the picture, the bottle and nipple size of a rhino is much larger than that of a gazelle. Because species are so biologically different, there are several different shapes of the nipples as well. Failing to use the correct nipple type could choke the infant, or cause aspiration pneumonia, which is a serious and often fatal condition caused by inhaling too much food (or milk). Because of this, most of these nipples, Ms. Kier explained, have to be handmade and designed with great precision.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37135" align="aligncenter" width="274"]
Along with feeding comes cleaning, which is something VERY important! Keeping the animals safe is a top priority, so all tools used to feed the animals needs to be sterilized with hot water and cleaning brushes to prevent spreads of bacteria and infections. Shown above is a large pasta cooker used to heat many of the tools in order to kill any bacteria on them. The lower picture shows how tools are also scrubbed clean and treated with cleaning solutions in order to keep them sterile.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37136" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
We received a tour of the neonatal care room and got to see a lot of the supplies used for cleaning and comforting the babies. On the cabinets were pictures of previous animals saved and raised by Ms. Kier and her team. The center two pictures show a wallaby that Ms. Kier rescued that was very underweight and had been expected not to survive past the first day. Due to the help of the NACU team, this wallaby grew stronger and survived its early struggle to become a mother herself. Ms. Kier is a proud “grandmother” and loves to visit the young wallaby she helped save![/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37137" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
Every formula needs a formula! Nutritionists and veterinarians help Ms. Kier, and her coworkers, find out exactly how to prepare baby formula based off of an animal’s food to body mass percentage, their weight, and how much they eat per day. Formulas are mixed daily through measuring powdered formula with water. Because all animals are different in size as well as nursing needs, each formula must be customized to fit the infant.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37138" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
We even got the chance to mix formula ourselves by doing the math to calculate the proper amounts of ingredients for our patient! We found the measurements based off of the infants body weight, amount of formula per day, feeding frequency, and their gastric capacity (how much they can eat at once). Once the formula is mixed, it is kept in the fridge along with the sterile tools to maintain a clean environment.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37139" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
All of the interns learned that record keeping is one of the most important parts of caring for the animals. Taking notes on behavior, eating times, illness, and difficulties is important for later consultation. Over the years, many zoos and rehabilitation centers have called the San Diego Zoo to consult their files for information on caring for young rescued animals.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37140" align="aligncenter" width="450"]
At the end of our tour, we got to visit Isa, one of Ms. Kier’s favorite animals that she helped raise. Isa is fossa, a mongoose-like, carnivorous species native to Madagascar, and is an animal ambassador for the Zoo. Isa, being hand-raised by the Zoo’s NACU, is an important ambassador because he is comfortable with people, which is perfect for educating the public on his species. When we walked up, it didn’t even take 10 seconds for Isa to recognize Ms. Kier’s voice and run over to give her kisses![/caption]
Shannon, Photo Team
Week Two, Fall 2015
When touring the NACU, we learned that the majority of animals that are taken in by the NACU team are often abused or rejected. Many mammal mothers that abandon their young are either inexperienced or can sense when one of their babies is ill or has a health condition. Mothers that sense an abnormality in infant health will often abandon the baby; similarly, new mothers may reject the baby due to not knowing how to care for it. Ms. Kier’s job is to step in and help raise the young animal so that it has a chance at surviving even without its mothers help.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37129" align="aligncenter" width="397"] While walking us to the Zoo hospital, Ms. Kier told us about the fun parts of her job and how rewarding it is to see an animal grow up and have babies of its own. Many animals, if they are strong enough to survive past infancy, grow up to have a strong bond with the NACU keepers. This, Ms. Kier says, is one of her favorite parts of the job. Though it may be “selfish” she says, the best thing is visiting an animal and having it run up or greet her as if they were old friends.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37130" align="aligncenter" width="336"] After introducing us to the baby bontebok, Ms. Kier showed us how she uses a clicker every time she enters the pen and every time she feeds the baby. The clicker is used for a few different things: first, so the baby knows exactly when it is feeding time. And second, the young bontebok is conditioned so that when it recognizes the clicking sound, it will come over to see Ms. Kier or one of the other keepers. The clicking sound, followed by a reward of food or care, helps teach the young bontebok to trust the people caring for it.This is important because once the baby is with its herd again, it may be uncomfortable straying from the group, so the clicks remind it that it can trust the keepers.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37131" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Making sure to wipe the formula milk off the baby’s face after feeding is important! Normally, the mother would be there to wipe and clean the baby’s face after feeding, so in this case, Ms. Kier plays the mother’s role. It is important for a young animal to be well groomed because it is more susceptable to aquiring illnesses or things that could threaten its health. Milk, especially warm, is the perfect environment for bacteria and salmonella to thrive in, which is why cleaning the baby’s face is a key part of the feeding routine.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37133" align="aligncenter" width="450"] During her presentation, Ms. Kier showed us the specially designed pouches they use to keep baby koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and wombats. These animals, when raised by their mothers, will be kept in a pouch for up to six months. Because this is key for their development, having specially designed pouches helps simulate a normal raising experience. The young hoppers get to summersault into a nice snug pouch, humidified with warm sponges, that is hung next to a heated bottle of water representing their mother’s body heat.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37134" align="aligncenter" width="387"] One of the most important things in feeding baby animals is having the right nipple size and hole for each individual species. As you can see in the picture, the bottle and nipple size of a rhino is much larger than that of a gazelle. Because species are so biologically different, there are several different shapes of the nipples as well. Failing to use the correct nipple type could choke the infant, or cause aspiration pneumonia, which is a serious and often fatal condition caused by inhaling too much food (or milk). Because of this, most of these nipples, Ms. Kier explained, have to be handmade and designed with great precision.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37135" align="aligncenter" width="274"] Along with feeding comes cleaning, which is something VERY important! Keeping the animals safe is a top priority, so all tools used to feed the animals needs to be sterilized with hot water and cleaning brushes to prevent spreads of bacteria and infections. Shown above is a large pasta cooker used to heat many of the tools in order to kill any bacteria on them. The lower picture shows how tools are also scrubbed clean and treated with cleaning solutions in order to keep them sterile.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37136" align="aligncenter" width="450"] We received a tour of the neonatal care room and got to see a lot of the supplies used for cleaning and comforting the babies. On the cabinets were pictures of previous animals saved and raised by Ms. Kier and her team. The center two pictures show a wallaby that Ms. Kier rescued that was very underweight and had been expected not to survive past the first day. Due to the help of the NACU team, this wallaby grew stronger and survived its early struggle to become a mother herself. Ms. Kier is a proud “grandmother” and loves to visit the young wallaby she helped save![/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37137" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Every formula needs a formula! Nutritionists and veterinarians help Ms. Kier, and her coworkers, find out exactly how to prepare baby formula based off of an animal’s food to body mass percentage, their weight, and how much they eat per day. Formulas are mixed daily through measuring powdered formula with water. Because all animals are different in size as well as nursing needs, each formula must be customized to fit the infant.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37138" align="aligncenter" width="450"] We even got the chance to mix formula ourselves by doing the math to calculate the proper amounts of ingredients for our patient! We found the measurements based off of the infants body weight, amount of formula per day, feeding frequency, and their gastric capacity (how much they can eat at once). Once the formula is mixed, it is kept in the fridge along with the sterile tools to maintain a clean environment.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37139" align="aligncenter" width="450"] All of the interns learned that record keeping is one of the most important parts of caring for the animals. Taking notes on behavior, eating times, illness, and difficulties is important for later consultation. Over the years, many zoos and rehabilitation centers have called the San Diego Zoo to consult their files for information on caring for young rescued animals.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_37140" align="aligncenter" width="450"] At the end of our tour, we got to visit Isa, one of Ms. Kier’s favorite animals that she helped raise. Isa is fossa, a mongoose-like, carnivorous species native to Madagascar, and is an animal ambassador for the Zoo. Isa, being hand-raised by the Zoo’s NACU, is an important ambassador because he is comfortable with people, which is perfect for educating the public on his species. When we walked up, it didn’t even take 10 seconds for Isa to recognize Ms. Kier’s voice and run over to give her kisses![/caption]
Shannon, Photo Team
Week Two, Fall 2015
