QUEST Community Science Blog Author: Amy Gotliffe

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Nature Play: Notes from the Field

July 1st, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe

Searching for tadpoles in Arroyo Viejo Creek at the Oakland Zoo.

It Day #2 of Nature Play, a new Oakland Zoo ZooCamp program that I have been assigned to teach. I know all about “Nature Deficit Disorder” and “No Child Left Inside”. I have read “Last Child in the Woods” and even blogged about the issues, but now I find myself out in nature with 12 curious and excited children, and I have no idea what will happen.

Nature Play was created in response to childrens’ desire to experience true nature – to look up at trees, observe tadpoles and connect with wildlife in their own backyard. The idea behind Nature Play is to offer the campers supervised and loosely facilitated exploration outdoors that is self directed.

Parents were so game to give these simple pleasures to their children, this program sold out.

Now, here we are. Our afternoon agenda is creek time and fort building. It is a beautiful afternoon at Arroyo Viejo Creek, a small tributary that runs through the zoo grounds. Though there are tigers, lions and elephants close by, this is where the campers are most excited to be. I have given minimal direction: look, listen, smell and feel, and record something in your nature journal. They have nets, jars, binoculars and wildlife guides, and one hour.

Immediately the group swarms to their favorite spot that they discovered yesterday. It is near one of the outdoor classrooms and features a giant, ground-leaning willow tree to crawl under, two logs that rest across the creek to climb over and water loaded with tadpoles and water gliders. I watch and listen myself.

“There are 1000 water striders here! They are riding on top of each other.” “No, that is a shadow”. “I am crossing the log by scootching” “I will help you”. “I found a secret trail!” “I am putting this leaf in my journal”. “I can write with a rock.” “I heard a frog!” I am a frog!” “The sun makes me silly and happy.” “I see tadpoles!” “Let’s call this place Willow Cove.” “I don’t want to go home.”

A few things amazed me about this hour. One, they were never bored. They went on and on with their play and exploration in this small area with gusto the entire time. They were imaginative, inventive and stimulated. Two, they learned. They learned that frogs are quiet when they are noisy. They learned that they could balance better holding their arms out. They did not need my fascinating animal facts to gain knowledge. Three, they truly and intuitively cared about the habitat. They picked up a couple of pieces of garbage, told each other not to handle amphibians and put rocks back where they found them without being told. Four, and most interestingly, they got along fantastically. Earlier in the day there were a few squabbles over this or that, but out here, they helped each other, supported each other and shared the nets like pros. They seemed to be at peace.

A little later at Fort Building, the group divided into two as they followed two natural leaders and their fort visions. As we debriefed about the two forts, they came to the conclusion (themselves) that tomorrow they should build one fort with all the materials, then sit in it and tell stories about animals.

I saw it all with my own eyes. This nature stuff works. Now this explorer is going to sleep. I am exhausted!







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Holistic Help for Hornbills

June 3rd, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe

Ain't love grand? Once courtship and mating are over, the female hornbill finds a tree hollow and seals herself in with dung, fruit and pellets of mud.

I love our hornbills. Situated in the Rainforest section of the Zoo, between our gibbons and our chimps, they are often overlooked, yet I find them fascinating.

The female has the bright blue gular pouch (an expandable throat sac, used for short-term storage of food) and the male has the pale yellow version.  Like all hornbills, they have a distinctively large and down-turned beak.  These Malayan Wreathed Hornbills are one of the 54 species found in Asia and Africa.

Their dramatic nesting ritual is what makes them so interesting. Once courtship and mating are over, the female finds a tree hollow and seals herself in with dung, fruit and pellets of mud. The male gathers the pellets from the forest floor and swallows them, later regurgitating small saliva-cased building materials. He then gives them to the female who stays inside the nest leaving a slit for a window big enough to receive food and materials. For the next 6-8 weeks the male feeds the female through this opening. She does not emerge until she has molted and re-grown fresh feathers and her young has grown and become feathered, as well. Then, both mother and child knock down the wall and appear on the scene, happy and healthy. Last year the public was enthralled, as our hornbills participated in this ritual.

The zoo is concerned with the status of hornbills in the wild, and since 2004, the Oakland Zoo Conservation Fund has worked with a fantastic program coordinated by the Hornbill Research Foundation. Besides collecting data, the foundation has launched a Hornbill Nest Adoption Program, which works to foster conservation of these beautiful birds. Illegal logging and the poaching of young birds for the pet trade are the key issues facing hornbills. The Nest Adoption Program employs local people to look after the hornbills in their nests and collect scientific data about them.

When you adopt a nest, you get a wonderful pamphlet of information about the hornbill, a map of the location of your particular nest, a profile of your guard and, my favorite, a break down of what food the male brought to the female (2 figs, .3 millipedes, 1 lizard).

This summer, eighteen Oakland Zoo teens and staff will embark on a journey to visit Thailand and will spend a day at Khao Yai National Park with the intention hope to spot birds, nests and learn first hand about the project.  They will also visit with the Young Bird Conservation Club, which creates Hornbill art to sell to zoos for their Conservation Projects. To prepare for their trip, these inspired have been attending workshops and raising funds to adopt two nests of their own.

Back at the zoo, the summer will be filled with more hornbill conservation action as ZooCamp 2009 has adopted the species as their official summer animal. With a hornbill on the front of their t-shirt and the Hornbill Research Foundation logo on the back, all campers will be learning about this animal and the project that supports them. Each camper has also contributed a bit of their camp fee into the program and will surely leave camp with the contribution of knowledge and compassion for these incredible birds.

Come by and visit our hornbills, join us this summer at ZooCamp ,or adopt a nest yourself (http://www.zoo.org/conservation/hornbill.html).




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What's the Scoop on Kitty Poop?

May 6th, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe

What are the options for eco-friendly cat litter?In researching this blog post, I continually ran across the word "conundrum" - which is defined as a puzzling question or problem. Used in a sentence, one might say, "I am a cat owner who cares about the environment. What to do about their poop presents quite a conundrum."

Let's explore the facts around this puzzle.

Fact: There are approximately 88.3 million companion cats in the United States, according to the Humane Society of the US.

Fact: All of them poop. The poop and the kitty litter must go somewhere.

Fact: The traditional clay litters have been criticized for being resourced through strip-mining, and may contain harmful chemicals that cats can lick from their fur.

These three facts alone are reason enough to feel the effects of a conundrum, but let's explore further.

Fact: Flushing cat poop down the toilet is an option once suggested by environmentalists, but is now an eco- No-No. Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite found in cat's intestines, can be passed through the feces.

When flushed, the T. Gondii travels with the toilet water from your house to a treatment center (where it resists treatment) to the bay to the Pacific Ocean and into the habitat of many sea creatures, including the Sea Otter.

A UC Davis study of otters that live in areas near freshwater runoff, found that 42% of live otters and 62% of dead otters tested positive for T.  Gondii.

In fact, recent legislation will require kitty litters bags to include warning labels about flushing.

(Editor's note: QUEST's very first TV story, ""What's Killing the Sea Otters?" - 2/6/07- " covers this topic in detail.)

Now that we are clear on the conundrum, let's explore some options.

Reclaimed Wood Litter: Litter made from reclaimed wood is an greener option. Pine and cedar sawdust that would normally end up in landfills is concentrated without the use of dangerous chemicals to produce environmentally safe litter. Feline Pine, Nature's Earth and Catfresh are options.

Recycled Newspaper Litter: Try litter made from recycled newspapers. The paper absorbs just as well and re-uses resources. Two great brands are Yesterdays News and Good Mews.

Plant-based Litters: Plant-based litters are made from materials such as corn, corncobs, cornhusks, wheat by-products, wheat grass and beet pulp. These biodegradable materials, have no odor, are very absorbent and don't produce the same kind or volume of dust as clay litters.

Biodegradable Bags: These are available at most pet stores. Use the biodegradable litter with them.

Composting: Being a Zoo employee, we are BIG composters of our herbivore poop, creating rich and wonderful soil to grow our botanical paradise at Knowland Park. NatureMill, makers of the pet-friendly composter claim that it is possible to compost pet poop, as well.  This composter, made from recycled and recyclable materials, is an easy to use alternative. Just add food scraps and the computerized composter heats up the ingredients to the 140 degrees (the EPA suggests over 130 degrees). Out comes soil for your flowerbed.

Make Your Own Kitty Litter: The DIY-crowd may even wish to attempt a hand-crafted solution.

These are all great alternatives that, of course, present more questions. Like all environmental issues these days, each solution may lead to a new puzzle or conundrum for us to wrap our greening brains around. Let's keep on exploring!




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Posted in Biology, Health, Partners | 1 Comment

Predators in Peril in Uganda

April 8th, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe

Lions and humans are in conflict in the wild parks of Uganda

Last October, I gazed out at the expanse of Queen Elizabeth Park, in Uganda, close to the comfy Mweya Safari Lodge where we were staying. The landscape was beautiful, peaceful…and kind of empty. Though we had seen a large and lovely herd of elephants the evening before, on this fine, clear morning, the habitat was clearly missing one of the most important parts of the eco-system: predators. All we could find were tracks.

We gazed down at the enormous cat foot prints, still clearly cut into the mud, and looked to Dr. Ludwig Siefert, a Makerere University lecturer, lion ecologist and our guide for the day. He explained the situation to us: The footprints belonged to a lovely female lioness who was clearly recently here, and tragically was no longer. This lioness, like many other predators in the area, had met a painful death by poison.

Later that day, we came across 3 juvenile lions, scruffy and likely to be hungry; they had lost their chief bread winner.

Our night drive also proved surprisingly empty. Dr. Siefert and his team sent hyena calls into the starry night, only to receive a quiet response. Eventually we saw four hyenas. Great news, except that our teen trip in July had observed thirty of them. It seemed likely that many hyenas were killed in the three months that had passed since then. This is not what we expected when we came to Uganda.

But we could guess what had happened to all these predators. Local Basongora herdsmen, or pastoralists, choose to graze their cattle inside the park, although they have access to lush pasture outside the park. The lions, searching for food, find cattle grazing in their habitat and naturally do what a lion does: have lunch. The Basongora solution for lions, leopards and hyenas that prey on their livelihood: put poison on carcasses and leave them as bait. The poison often includes furadan, an agro-chemical which causes a painful and not so quick death.

Death of magnificent predators is not the only issue with the practice. Eventually the hotels, restaurants and tour companies will face a loss of tourists.

The planet faces many cases of human-wildlife conflict, especially as the human population grows, habitats shrink and humans and animals are forced to live even closer to each other. Yet there are quite a few inspiring examples of solutions that honor the fact that all parties, human and non-human, must be granted health, space and means to eat. Other African countries are finding solutions to similar problems. When all parties work together, there are indeed solutions.

It is our hope that the ecologists, pastoralists, park rangers and predators find one in Queen Elizabeth Park. We sure would like to return.

To contact Dr. Siefert and support his work: lion@vetmed.mak.ac.ug.






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What Makes Us Care About Nature?

February 25th, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe

Learning at the tidepools. Credit: Amy Gotliffe

This question comes up endlessly in the world of environmental education. How do you inspire a person to learn, care and then take action for the environment? As someone whose professional goal is to inspire earth stewardship, I often ask anyone who will answer this big question.

Many are active stewards because they formed a connection with nature during childhood. This bond is deep, instinctive and primal, and was merely coaxed out by a particular, yet often simple experience outdoors: playing in the woods, on the rocks, in the creek, in the garden, in the dirt, up the tree, with the roly polys, in the ditch, in the pond, in the vacant armory (ok that was me), etc. Somewhere deep inside, a door was opened to the potential to really care. This is why Nature Deficit Disorder is so disturbing, as we wonder if children growing up void of trees and ditches and ponds have forged the same bonds.

When a child's natural curiosity is nurtured by an adult, they will likely develop an even stronger connection. Some will have this head start, yet it is never too late.

So, how does a person then become an active steward?

One model is practiced by Roots & Shoots, the activism branch of the Jane Goodall Institute, and that is: Knowledge, Compassion and Action. All three experiences, in no particular order, can lead to a sustainable behavior change. Take caring for frogs as an example and consider three different people and paths to change:

• Sam is academically inquisitive about frogs and conservation, and is self-motivated to research the subject on the internet. He begs his parents to take him on a local frog conservation program and through this action develops a deep compassion for frogs.
• Stella read a non-fiction story about a particular pond that was suddenly quiet one season, after years of being a frog croaking Mecca. She feels compassion for this species and habitat and attends a lecture on the subject. Once in the know, she donates funds to a frog conservation project.
• Nik is neither interested nor compassionate about frogs, but finds himself on a service learning outing with his 9th grade class. There, he sees dead and floating frogs with his own eyes and collects frog eggs with his own hands. The experience inspires him to pay attention in class the next week and learn more about it, eventually leading him to feel greater connection and compassion.

With this model in mind, I suppose my job is to ensure that all three options are easily available to our visiting students and guests. So I encourage all you attend an adult lecture or ZooCamp program, take action with the Arroyo Viejo Creek Keepers, or feel compassion by staring through long eyelashes into the deep brown eyes of a camel… or frog.




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Gorilla Cough

February 5th, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe

Dr. Lucy Spellman explains the plan for gorilla check-ups

Forgive me for being Gorilla-Crazy and writing yet another blog about these creatures, but anyone who has completed a gorilla trek understands the obsession and concern. One issue: We make them sick.

As gorillas share 97.7% of our genes, it is easy for pathogens to pass from us to them. These days, humans spend a lot of time in close proximity to the 740 remaining Mountain Gorillas. As the gorilla tourism industry continues to grow and thrive, researchers, trackers, tourists, guides, porters (and even poachers) crawl closer and closer. Though the industry promotes conservation and brings income to communities, it also brings illness to gorillas. The animals have little resistance to diseases we may carry (including scabies, polio, influenza, measles, and pneumonia), and when one gorilla picks up something, it can spread to an entire troupe, potentially leading to death.

The Mountain Gorilla Vet Project (MGVP) aims to alleviate these symptoms of the human invasion. The vets and researchers cover most of the home of the Mountain Gorillas — the Virunga Mountains, in Uganda, Rwanda and the Congo — with a headquarters in Ruhengeri, Rwanda. Our traveling group was fortunate enough to visit the headquarters and learn directly from Dr. Lucy Spellman. There is a lot to learn about the process of gorilla healing!

The first step is identifying the disease, which is no easy task. Staff must climb the mountain and find gorilla saliva samples. Back at the lab, they aim to not only ID the disease, but find out where it originated. It might be bacteria in the forest from humans, or mites from a farmer's fields. Once they've made a diagnosis, the vets are then allowed to carefully treat the gorillas in the park. But prevention is the best medicine.

Strict park rules on visitation help. Tourists may only stay an hour and must keep a distance from the gorillas. Tourists are also asked to be clean and healthy when trekking, a small price to pay for an encounter of a lifetime!

The other preventative tactic is to care for the physical well-being of all stakeholders. The MGVP practices the One Health approach, an innovative campaign with the goal of good health for everyone: gorillas, humans and the ecosystem. Community clinics and education help build the foundations of this campaign, and it seems to be working, one person, tree and gorilla at a time.

I still recommend a visit with this majestic forest royalty. Just take your vitamin C before you go!







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Zoos as Centers for Conservation

January 29th, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe

Amy Gotliffe talks to the Snare Removal Team at the Budongo
Snare Removal Project. The Oakland Zoo has supported them
since 1991.When you think of a zoo, what comes to mind? Animals in habitats? Children? Goat petting? Have you ever thought of zoos as supporters of wildlife conservation in the field?

It is time you did.

Zoos are actually one of the biggest supporters of field conservation for habitats and animals. In fact, as I write this on my laptop, I am looking around a giant conference room jammed with people from all over the world, representing zoological institutions, conservation organizations, NGOS, donor organizations and superstar field biologists. The bi-annual ZACC Conference (Zoos Committing to Conservation) is a  way for zoos to connect with, partner with and support the wild cousins of their captive population. As we wait for the final speaker to present, the room is buzzing with inspired ideas and concrete plan-making.

Zoos and aquariums support conservation in a variety of ways, big and small. They raise and donate financial support, send medical, educational and operational supplies to projects, raise awareness through lectures, classes and publications, donate expertise by sending vets and other staff to project sites and sell indigenous wares in their gift shops. They band together with other zoos in their ecosystem to work on local conservation issues, breed and release species and provide medical attention to local wildlife. They also exercise their most valuable resource, education.

There are many admirable conservation organizations around the world, but zoos have a unique advantage: they welcome 175 million people through their gates each year. These families or individuals, on a nice, affordable day out, can be exposed to conservation messages at a variety of levels. In fact, zoos were ranked among the top most trusted messengers of wildlife conservation.

Awed by a view of an African elephant walking an expansive habitat, moved by the gaze of a chimpanzee studying their expression, amazed by the magnificent coat of a tiger playing in water, a person cannot help but be opened by these individual beings. In this open state of mind, an encounter with a docent, teacher, presentation or educational signage about conservation issues and solutions, can lead a visitor down a path from knowledge and compassion to action.

The last presentation of the afternoon, a rhino project, has just spoken and has ended by thanking the zoos of the audience, stating that much of their funding comes from the generosity and care of zoos. This has been the closing sentiments of most presenters. As we have reached a critical time in the history of conserving wildlife, now is the time for all of us to care and take action. It is fortunate that most zoos do just that.

The Oakland Zoo is proud of our commitment to support local, national and international field conservation. Check www.oaklandzoo.org for more information.




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Mountain Gorillas and their Human Guides: A Symbiotic Relationship

January 8th, 2009 by Amy Gotliffe

Sea anemone and clownfish, ants and the acacia tree; in the natural world, there are many symbiotic relationships, those in which two species benefit from each other. Humans, it seems, are rarely part of such a partnership, so it was all the sweeter to believe I had discovered one.

I knew that my fall journey to Uganda and Rwanda would include a grand finale of hiking into the Virungas Mountains and encountering the rare (only 700 left) Mountain Gorilla. I knew it was going to be incredible to see such endangered and magnificent creatures close up. I knew the hike through mud and thistles would be challenging. I knew what to wear. I thought I knew it all, but was quite unprepared for what I witnessed.

Entering the Virungas Park headquarters after a hectic boarder crossing and rain threatening to dampen our experience, our group of 20 felt incredible relief to arrive in the care of our guides, who greeted us with smiles and hot coffee.

As the men spoke of Group 22, the gorillas we were to visit, it was clear this was more than a job to them and that these gorillas were not simply their livelihood. One of the guides had known a particular gorilla for over 10 years. They worried about their well being, about the poaching and human born disease (www.mgvp.org) that threatened them, and about how they were doing within their group. They were their family.

After a rather magical three hour journey through bamboo and mud, we met up with the trackers and left everything besides ourselves and our cameras in a pile.

"Let us meet our cousins," the guides said.

We climbed over a ridge… and there they were.

Now for the part I was unprepared for: the gorillas were willing to let us into their bamboo forest homes, willing to let us to gaze at their long-eyelashed females and infants with tiny human-like feet, willing to hear us giggle at the antics of their juveniles and quietly gasp at the sheer size and gentle power of their silverback. It was astounding what they allowed, and it seemed their allowance was part of a contract agreed upon long ago, to be part of a mutually beneficial partnership.

Upon first seeing the silverback, the guides gave a greeting: a long grunting huff-growl which seemed to say, "Hello. It is us. You know us and trust us. We are here for our one-hour allotted visit with 8 friends. They mean you no harm. You are the boss." The silverback made a small grunt at them that seemed to say, "Fine. Just be cool." Each time any gorilla in the group got too close to us, the grunting huff-growl was given to the silverback. They were communicating.

As we began our blissed-out descent, one more grunt from the silverback seemed to say, "Thank you for protecting us and our habitat. Now your time is up. We will see you tomorrow, if that is what it takes. Good Day, Sirs."

A symbiotic relationship? Let's just say yes.




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No Pond Turtle Left Behind

September 10th, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe

The Oakland Zoo and the Western Pond Turtle Head Start Program

Comparing a Head Started turtle to one that hibernated in the wild.Alright, I am going to say the "C" word: these little guys are cute! As an environmental professional, I know this is a word I am not supposed to use, but it is impossible not to.

Barely bigger than a quarter, the baby Western Pond Turtles were drawing a cooing crowd of Oakland Zoo staff in their new, but temporary, home in the back room of the Bug House. Here, our animal management staff will happily feed and care for them until they grow big enough to fend for themselves back in their home in Lake County.

Nicholas Geist of Sonoma State University began a study of these natives when he feared that global warming would affect their future. As the sex of baby turtles is determined by temperature, he was curious if future high temperatures would cause only one future sex. In his exploration of the issue, he found these turtles to have some other serious current environmental challenges.

To begin with, development near turtle habitat intrudes upon food availability and nesting sites for females, as they lay their eggs away from the water on the land nearby. American Bullfrogs, a non-native, predate upon the hatchlings, and Red Eared Slider Turtles, also a non-native, compete for basking space and food. These turtles are commonly sold at pet stores without proper instructions and subsequently released by owners thinking they are doing the right thing. They grow twice the size and are more assertive than the Western Pond Turtles, and pretty much take over.

In a partnership with Sonoma County Fish and Wildlife Commission and Sonoma State University, the Head Start program sends Oakland Zoo staff and Sonoma State University students into the wild to collect eggs which are incubated at the university. Once hatched, they are transferred to the zoo to be raised for the first year under optimal conditions. By creating the best possible environment for the turtles, they grow 3-4 times faster than they would in the wild, where they would normally hibernate. At the end of the first year, the juvenile turtles will then be released back into their original lake, having grown too large to be eaten by those pesky bull frogs and the big mouth bass, and able to compete with those bully Red Eared Sliders. They will be bigger, smarter and…head started. Sigh…we will be so proud.




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Not Just a Cup but a Just Cup

August 1st, 2008 by Amy Gotliffe

Paul Katzeff in 1972, co-founder
of Thanksgiving Coffee Company.

Good morning! Any coffee lovers out there? I'm not confessing any addiction, but I do admit that I enjoy my morning cup. It gives me great pleasure that my cup comes from Thanksgiving Coffee Company, Oakland Zoo's caffeine supplier. Yes, this stimulates me in many ways!

Not only is the coffee delicious, but their like-minded mission makes them a great match for Oakland Zoo.

Established by Joan and Paul Katzeff in 1972, Thanksgiving Coffee was born in the Mendacino Hotel and was sold in the hotel café. Even then, the company focused on giving to the community and caring for the environment. Since then, the company has grown to become a specialty coffee industry leader, in both roasting practices and community activism.

The coffee is mostly organic and much of it is Fair Trade certified. They buy their beans from small farms in mountain regions and work to help farmers form cooperatives. The cooperatives provide stability and support, enabling groups to negotiate fair prices for their crops, send their children to school, and enrich their communities. These shifts allow growers to blossom into proud coffee artisans. Thanksgiving Coffee Company has received many awards for their sustainable practices. They were the first to create shade-grown coffee, the first to become carbon-neutral and they continue to explore ways an organization can save people and the planet! For obvious reasons, I love their:

Rwanda Gorilla Fund Coffee

A rich medium-strong roast coffee from Rwanda with citrus high notes over deep chocolate undertones.

2,000 Hutu and Tutsi farmers produce the beans for this coffee, and the hard workand dedication to quality coffee is helping to heal the scars left by the 1994 genocide. The practice also builds an alternative to poaching and logging, two of the biggest threats to the endangered Mountain Gorillas.

Thanksgiving Coffee donates a portion of the profits from each package sold to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International to preserve and protect mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

Ugandan Mirembe Kawomera Light Roast

Hints of vanilla, nutmeg and pecans

Mirembe Kawomera Coffee began with one man's dream. In 2003, JJ Keki, a Ugandan coffee farmer, walked door to door asking his Jewish, Christian, and Muslim neighbors to put aside old differences and come together. They named their coffee Mirembe Kawomera, which means, "Delicious Peace" in the Luganda language. The cooperative now has 750 members and sells directly to Thanksgiving Coffee Company, who supports them by buying the beans at high prices and by getting the word out about their inspiring project.

Songbird Coffee

The Nicaraguan version is fruity, nutty and chocolaty with hints of mango, plum and cranberry.

The American Birding Association (ABA) works with Thanksgiving Coffee to create beans grown in the shade of the trees, keeping vital habitat where it is.

Thanksgiving coffee grows shade-grown in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, keeping both customers and birds happy.

Come sip a cup at the Oakland Zoo's Island Café, while gazing at flamingos, anytime!




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