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 ultimate goal of conservation is to be able to leave animals to be free in the wild, without any human interference. Unfortunately, it has become necessary for humans to act as stewards of nature and step in in order to preserve populations of entire species. While life in zoos and aquariums is is only a mere echo of the wild when it comes to an animal’s experience, animal welfare programs have been implemented in order to emulate an environment similar to that of the wild. This week at Zoo InternQuest, we had the pleasure of meeting Jessica Sheftel, an Animal Welfare Specialist who works for San Diego Zoo Global.
Ms. Sheftel’s goal at the Zoo is to maintain good animal welfare, which the Association of Zoos and Aquariums defines as “the physical, mental, and emotional states of animals over a period of time, on a scale measured from good to poor.” Using this definition, Ms. Sheftel accounts for both the physical needs,which are necessary to survive, and the psychological needs, which are necessary to thrive, of animals. Out of the five branches of animal welfare, which are nutrition, veterinary service, enrichment, training, and husbandry, Ms. Sheftel focused on teaching us about enrichment.
Animal enrichment at the Zoo can be described as giving animals something to do inside their enclosures. When a keeper is creating a new activity for an animal, they choose a specific behavior that they want to promote through providing the animal with this specific activity. It is important to note that keepers only seek to promote behaviors which animals would naturally showcase in the wild. An example of this is in the grizzly bear enclosure, where keepers lay out grasses, leaves, and twigs which the bears can use to make their nests. Instead of building the nest for the bear, keepers are able to promote the bears’ nest-building behavior by providing the necessary materials, and allowing the bear utilize the materials to build their nest.
Furthermore, enrichment allows us to gain more knowledge about animal behavior because we are able to monitor how they react to certain things which would be difficult to know about if the animals were in the wild. For example, to see animal behavior at night, Ms. Sheftel uses a DVR or trail cam to record footage of the enclosure. This is helpful because it allows her to see what happens at the zoo when nobody is around, along with the nighttime behavior of specific animals. Along with the ability to observe the animals, Ms. Sheftel is able to use this newfound information to create new activities for animals that is more specific to their needs. Oftentimes, these activities involve enrichment tools, which are basically any object which keepers can use to promote a behavior. In all, with the ability to release more animals into the wild and learn about behavior with more specificity, the Zoo is able to both contribute to wildlife populations and learn how to better conserve species. The goal of this process is to eventually not have the need to bring animals into managed care.
One way to get involved in this process is through volunteering at the Zoo. Often times, it is the volunteers who make enrichment tools such animal feeders and hollowed sticks to burrow food in which keepers use to promote animals behaviors. Another way to help out is to donate to the San Diego Zoo’s wishlist. All of these donations go towards enrichment items, which promote animal welfare. In these ways, you can help people like Ms. Sheftel in their conservational efforts for species at the Zoo.
Evelyn, Conservation Team
Week Four, Winter Session 2019
