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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 their jobs and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s Website!
The interns got off to a great start thanks to Peter Gilson, a Reptile Keeper and Educator Guide at the San Diego Zoo. Mr. Gilson has been working with the Zoo ever since 2007 when he got an internship working as a Program Aide while studying at Point Loma Nazarene University. After that initial internship, Mr. Gilson continued interning with various departments throughout the Zoo. He eventually moved up to a fellowship, where he worked at the Institute of Conservation Research. There Mr. Gilson took part in the Institute’s efforts to save Southern California’s population of the mountain yellow-legged frog. This species of frog has been in decline due to pesticides and habitat loss, to the point where it is extinct in San Diego County. Thankfully, the San Diego Zoo has been working to reintroduce the frog to its native habitats. All of Mr. Gilson’s hard work naturally led to a job with the Zoo and when he is not educating the public as an Educator Guide, he helps with the reptiles and amphibians.
Mr. Gilson first took us to the Galapagos tortoise exhibit, which features an indoor heated barn, a touchable collection of replica tortoise shells, and of course, the tortoises. These tortoises can live up to 150 years and some have been with the San Diego Zoo ever since 1928; they were brought to the Zoo as part of the first effort to save the Galapagos tortoise. Four subspecies of tortoise have already gone extinct due to human hunting, along with the introduction of nonnative grazers and predators. Presently, the remaining ten species are in severe decline since the Galapagos tortoise doesn’t have any natural predators and can’t deal with the sudden rise in competition. The San Diego Zoo has been at the forefront of the fight to save them from extinction all over the world. Ever since 1969, the Zoo has partnered with the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galápagos Islands, which gives baby tortoises the head start they need to survive in the wild. Once the tortoises reach the age of five, they are no longer at risk of predation from introduced predators like cats. In addition, the tortoises at the Zoo are sometimes sent off to aid in breeding programs with hopes of recovering the species numbers in the wild. In the meantime, the San Diego Zoo is happy to exhibit their sixteen tortoises to the public in the hope of educating the public about the Galapagos tortoise’s long and interesting history.
Next, Mr. Gilson walked us over to the amphibian exhibit and took us into the behind-the-scenes portion of the exhibit. Here the Reptile Keepers work to maintain the fragile environments that the amphibians need to survive. Mr. Gilson told us about the sad story of the arroyo toad, a San Diego native that is suffering from habitat loss as more people settle near the San Diego River. The San Diego Zoo has been working to conserve this species of toad, mostly by assisting local conservation groups who specifically work to restore native habitat. While habitat loss is plaguing many species of amphibians, it is not the only threat facing them worldwide. Unfortunately, many species of frogs and toads are currently threatened by chytrid fungus. Chytrid fungus is highly infectious to most amphibians and kills its host by hardening the host’s skin causing amphibians. Chytrid fungus has been decimating amphibians for almost thirty years and combating this fungus on a global scale is very difficult to do without harming beneficial fungi. The San Diego Zoo takes this threat very seriously and employs one of the leading experts on chytrid. The Zoo has helped develop the first field test for the disease and other Zoos often send samples to San Diego for testing.
Next, Mr. Gilson led us to the reptile house to introduce us to a species that has been directly affected by chytrid fungus. In a back room at the reptile house is a population of Panamanian golden frogs, a species that has gone extinct in the wild due to the chytrid fungus. Some species are more sensitive to the fungus than others and the golden frog was struck very hard. The San Diego Zoo has helped preserve this species of frog in hopes to one day reintroduce them into the wild.
So what can you do to help? Known as an indicator species, amphibians are extremely sensitive to changes in the water so when an ecosystem begins to decline the frogs are the first to show it. Problems for amphibians usually arise due to chemical pollution, the most common type being pesticides. Amphibians are one of the best natural pest controllers and they provide food for many predators, so amphibian decline is a very serious issue. Lowering your pesticide use can dramatically improve the quality of your local freshwater thereby preserving a very important part of the ecosystem. Additionally, a natural alternative to pesticides is bugs such as ladybugs and praying mantises that prey on pests. So not only can you help save your local amphibians, you can do so by helping save your local bugs too!
Ethan, Conservation Team
Week One, Fall Season 2016
The interns got off to a great start thanks to Peter Gilson, a Reptile Keeper and Educator Guide at the San Diego Zoo. Mr. Gilson has been working with the Zoo ever since 2007 when he got an internship working as a Program Aide while studying at Point Loma Nazarene University. After that initial internship, Mr. Gilson continued interning with various departments throughout the Zoo. He eventually moved up to a fellowship, where he worked at the Institute of Conservation Research. There Mr. Gilson took part in the Institute’s efforts to save Southern California’s population of the mountain yellow-legged frog. This species of frog has been in decline due to pesticides and habitat loss, to the point where it is extinct in San Diego County. Thankfully, the San Diego Zoo has been working to reintroduce the frog to its native habitats. All of Mr. Gilson’s hard work naturally led to a job with the Zoo and when he is not educating the public as an Educator Guide, he helps with the reptiles and amphibians.
Mr. Gilson first took us to the Galapagos tortoise exhibit, which features an indoor heated barn, a touchable collection of replica tortoise shells, and of course, the tortoises. These tortoises can live up to 150 years and some have been with the San Diego Zoo ever since 1928; they were brought to the Zoo as part of the first effort to save the Galapagos tortoise. Four subspecies of tortoise have already gone extinct due to human hunting, along with the introduction of nonnative grazers and predators. Presently, the remaining ten species are in severe decline since the Galapagos tortoise doesn’t have any natural predators and can’t deal with the sudden rise in competition. The San Diego Zoo has been at the forefront of the fight to save them from extinction all over the world. Ever since 1969, the Zoo has partnered with the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galápagos Islands, which gives baby tortoises the head start they need to survive in the wild. Once the tortoises reach the age of five, they are no longer at risk of predation from introduced predators like cats. In addition, the tortoises at the Zoo are sometimes sent off to aid in breeding programs with hopes of recovering the species numbers in the wild. In the meantime, the San Diego Zoo is happy to exhibit their sixteen tortoises to the public in the hope of educating the public about the Galapagos tortoise’s long and interesting history.
Next, Mr. Gilson walked us over to the amphibian exhibit and took us into the behind-the-scenes portion of the exhibit. Here the Reptile Keepers work to maintain the fragile environments that the amphibians need to survive. Mr. Gilson told us about the sad story of the arroyo toad, a San Diego native that is suffering from habitat loss as more people settle near the San Diego River. The San Diego Zoo has been working to conserve this species of toad, mostly by assisting local conservation groups who specifically work to restore native habitat. While habitat loss is plaguing many species of amphibians, it is not the only threat facing them worldwide. Unfortunately, many species of frogs and toads are currently threatened by chytrid fungus. Chytrid fungus is highly infectious to most amphibians and kills its host by hardening the host’s skin causing amphibians. Chytrid fungus has been decimating amphibians for almost thirty years and combating this fungus on a global scale is very difficult to do without harming beneficial fungi. The San Diego Zoo takes this threat very seriously and employs one of the leading experts on chytrid. The Zoo has helped develop the first field test for the disease and other Zoos often send samples to San Diego for testing.
Next, Mr. Gilson led us to the reptile house to introduce us to a species that has been directly affected by chytrid fungus. In a back room at the reptile house is a population of Panamanian golden frogs, a species that has gone extinct in the wild due to the chytrid fungus. Some species are more sensitive to the fungus than others and the golden frog was struck very hard. The San Diego Zoo has helped preserve this species of frog in hopes to one day reintroduce them into the wild.
So what can you do to help? Known as an indicator species, amphibians are extremely sensitive to changes in the water so when an ecosystem begins to decline the frogs are the first to show it. Problems for amphibians usually arise due to chemical pollution, the most common type being pesticides. Amphibians are one of the best natural pest controllers and they provide food for many predators, so amphibian decline is a very serious issue. Lowering your pesticide use can dramatically improve the quality of your local freshwater thereby preserving a very important part of the ecosystem. Additionally, a natural alternative to pesticides is bugs such as ladybugs and praying mantises that prey on pests. So not only can you help save your local amphibians, you can do so by helping save your local bugs too!
Ethan, Conservation Team
Week One, Fall Season 2016
