Image
Image
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!
On Wednesday, interns started off their internship with bang as we were given the opportunity to follow around “Keeper Pete.” Mr. Peter Gilson started his career at the San Diego Zoo as a program aide in 2007 as a part of the Zoo’s Education department, and is now an Educator Guide/Reptile Keeper. As a part of the Education department, Mr. Gilson spreads the word of conservation through tours as well as projects outside the Zoo, locally and globally. In the Herpetology department, as a keeper, Mr. Gilson takes care of the husbandry and maintenance for a diverse group of reptiles and amphibians.Mr. Gilson started his presentation by taking us to the Galapagos tortoise enclosure. All the interns were impressed at the size of the tortoises, whose scaly and wrinkly skin contrasted their smooth hard shell. We all gasped when Mr. Gilson told us that the tortoises ranged from 90-130 years old and the oldest tortoise at the Zoo lived until he was about 150 years old! It’s amazing to think about all the events and time that has passed since these tortoises first hatched. Before going into the enclosure, interns were told some background information about the tortoise’s adaptations and the Zoo’s conservation efforts to preserve these gentle giants. The Galapagos tortoise takes 40-50 years to reach maturity, the females are normally 1/2 the size of the males and the tortoises’ growth rate is dependent on their diet. Given that the premise of the San Diego Zoo’s mission is conservation, the Zoo wants to increase the population size of the endangered species of the Galapagos tortoise. However, the females and the males have not gotten along before, so the Zoo has separated the males and females, in hopes that separation will make their hearts grow fonder. The plan is to reintroduce the tortoises for breeding purposes next summer.
After Mr. Gilson gave us a ton of rich information, we were allowed to enter into the male tortoise’s enclosure. It was hard not to fall in love with the slow- moving (yet smart) tortoises as they stood up and waited for their necks to be scratched, much like a dog. This behavior is called the finch response because in the Galapagos the tortoises stand tall with their necks out signaling finches to pick off parasites and dead skin.
As we continued, the size of the animals scaled down as Mr. Gilson took us behind the scenes of the amphibian house. Interns got to see what goes on behind the exhibits to care for the animals. Additionally, interns learned that not all the animals at the Zoo are put on exhibit. Mr. Gilson explained that some animals are better than others for being displayed to the public, but those not on exhibit are often used for breeding. After breeding, the eggs are laid in tanks of water and when a certain amount of time passes the tadpoles are moved into morphing tanks. These morphing tanks allow the tadpoles who no longer have gills to survive as they now have only a partially aquatic environment.
We opened up one of the exhibits and Mr. Gilson took out a White’s tree frog, which is actually varying shades of green, and explained that it has a call that sounds like a dog bark. This odd sound is due to the fact that each species needs a unique call in order to have success mating. In addition to the White’s tree frog, the Zoo house a plethora of amphibians including a variety of poison dart frogs. Why so poisonous? The ants in their diet give the frogs toxins, which results in the frog’s poisonous nature. Therefore, the Zoo replaces ants in the frog’s diet with crickets, so keepers can safely handle the frogs. On the topic of frogs, Mr. Gilson explained that, in his conservation efforts, he has participated in four releases of the local mountain yellow-legged frog. Overall, he explained that the frogs of San Diego have a stable population, but are continually threatened by habitat loss. Interns were given the opportunity to see even more brightly colored and interesting frogs such as the Panamanian golden frog, which is now extinct in the wild due to chytrid fungus. Chytrid fungus is a disease that keratinizes and hardens the skin of amphibians, which makes it impossible for toads and frogs to breathe. So what can we do to help? Just make sure that you being mindful with your day-to-day actions. Instead of using pesticides in your garden, which could end up leeching into the waterways negatively affecting our amphibian friends, try a more natural route: ladybugs!
Mr. Gilson further explained that he likes reptiles so much because of their strange adaptations and how much they are misunderstood. As citizens we should educate ourselves beyond our native mammals and more on our native reptiles and amphibians and contribute to efforts to ensure their safety in the wild.
Emma, Real World
Week One, Fall Session 2016
On Wednesday, interns started off their internship with bang as we were given the opportunity to follow around “Keeper Pete.” Mr. Peter Gilson started his career at the San Diego Zoo as a program aide in 2007 as a part of the Zoo’s Education department, and is now an Educator Guide/Reptile Keeper. As a part of the Education department, Mr. Gilson spreads the word of conservation through tours as well as projects outside the Zoo, locally and globally. In the Herpetology department, as a keeper, Mr. Gilson takes care of the husbandry and maintenance for a diverse group of reptiles and amphibians.Mr. Gilson started his presentation by taking us to the Galapagos tortoise enclosure. All the interns were impressed at the size of the tortoises, whose scaly and wrinkly skin contrasted their smooth hard shell. We all gasped when Mr. Gilson told us that the tortoises ranged from 90-130 years old and the oldest tortoise at the Zoo lived until he was about 150 years old! It’s amazing to think about all the events and time that has passed since these tortoises first hatched. Before going into the enclosure, interns were told some background information about the tortoise’s adaptations and the Zoo’s conservation efforts to preserve these gentle giants. The Galapagos tortoise takes 40-50 years to reach maturity, the females are normally 1/2 the size of the males and the tortoises’ growth rate is dependent on their diet. Given that the premise of the San Diego Zoo’s mission is conservation, the Zoo wants to increase the population size of the endangered species of the Galapagos tortoise. However, the females and the males have not gotten along before, so the Zoo has separated the males and females, in hopes that separation will make their hearts grow fonder. The plan is to reintroduce the tortoises for breeding purposes next summer.
After Mr. Gilson gave us a ton of rich information, we were allowed to enter into the male tortoise’s enclosure. It was hard not to fall in love with the slow- moving (yet smart) tortoises as they stood up and waited for their necks to be scratched, much like a dog. This behavior is called the finch response because in the Galapagos the tortoises stand tall with their necks out signaling finches to pick off parasites and dead skin.
As we continued, the size of the animals scaled down as Mr. Gilson took us behind the scenes of the amphibian house. Interns got to see what goes on behind the exhibits to care for the animals. Additionally, interns learned that not all the animals at the Zoo are put on exhibit. Mr. Gilson explained that some animals are better than others for being displayed to the public, but those not on exhibit are often used for breeding. After breeding, the eggs are laid in tanks of water and when a certain amount of time passes the tadpoles are moved into morphing tanks. These morphing tanks allow the tadpoles who no longer have gills to survive as they now have only a partially aquatic environment.
We opened up one of the exhibits and Mr. Gilson took out a White’s tree frog, which is actually varying shades of green, and explained that it has a call that sounds like a dog bark. This odd sound is due to the fact that each species needs a unique call in order to have success mating. In addition to the White’s tree frog, the Zoo house a plethora of amphibians including a variety of poison dart frogs. Why so poisonous? The ants in their diet give the frogs toxins, which results in the frog’s poisonous nature. Therefore, the Zoo replaces ants in the frog’s diet with crickets, so keepers can safely handle the frogs. On the topic of frogs, Mr. Gilson explained that, in his conservation efforts, he has participated in four releases of the local mountain yellow-legged frog. Overall, he explained that the frogs of San Diego have a stable population, but are continually threatened by habitat loss. Interns were given the opportunity to see even more brightly colored and interesting frogs such as the Panamanian golden frog, which is now extinct in the wild due to chytrid fungus. Chytrid fungus is a disease that keratinizes and hardens the skin of amphibians, which makes it impossible for toads and frogs to breathe. So what can we do to help? Just make sure that you being mindful with your day-to-day actions. Instead of using pesticides in your garden, which could end up leeching into the waterways negatively affecting our amphibian friends, try a more natural route: ladybugs!
Mr. Gilson further explained that he likes reptiles so much because of their strange adaptations and how much they are misunderstood. As citizens we should educate ourselves beyond our native mammals and more on our native reptiles and amphibians and contribute to efforts to ensure their safety in the wild.
Emma, Real World
Week One, Fall Session 2016
