Video of Giant Otters Eating Fish

The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens exhibits a sibling pair of giant otters in the Emerald Forest aviary of the Range of the Jaguar. These males, born at the Philadelphia Zoo, are active throughout the day. They are fed several species of whole, freshwater fish to approximate their natural diet.

The otters are fed up to five times per day, at random intervals. During the public hours, the keepers climbs a staircase to a landing behind the exhibit and throws the fish to the animals. The spectacle of the otters balancing on their broad tails, and leaping and catching their diet is a real treat. As the feeding is unannounced, this video shows what lucky guests can see, if they happen to be at the right place, at the right time.

Video by D. Messinger

Malaria and Geckos

In Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), The Bleu/Blanc magazine integrated message of civics, health, scholarship, and conservation. On this page, there are four separate messages, of which the first two are letters to the editor -- "you are the future of the planet" and "don't cheat." The next section is about malaria, a potentially fatal disease, which is transmitted by mosquitoes.

The article suggests that cans that collect water outdoors will permit mosquitoes to breed, and collecting and burying these containers will reduce malaria. The drawing shares the idea that geckos are beneficial because they eat mosquitoes. The geckos are talking about all of the mosquitoes they are eating, in a scene littered with opened food containers.

In the Congolese culture, geckos (and all amphibians and reptiles, besides) are universally hated, and often killed. The lesson that a reptile fits within a food chain that can have a positive effect on humans is one way to change attitudes about animals that are typically seen to be evil.

Dwarf Galago Baby

This little animal is a young Demodoffs galago, a primitive primate, photographed in the deep rainforest of the Equateur region in Zaire (now the Democratic of the Congo). Galagos, of a dozen species, are also known as bushbabies, due to their cries that sound like human babies.

With a 5 inch body and 7 inch tail, the tiny Demodoffs is one of the world's smallest primates. Its enormous eyes are adapted to see at night, where it forages for fruit, bark, tree gums, leaves, and bird eggs. Its independently mobile ears can catch the sound of insects, a favorite food.

In Africa, I mostly knew galagos from hearing them at night, and seeing the bright glint from their eye shine. Galago eyes have a reflecting surface called a tapetum, that is designed to capture light. During the day, the pupils become a vertical slit, like a cat's. They and have a moist nose that has a groove communicating with the brain's Jacobson's organ, which is specialized for the sense of smell.

Another unusual characteristic is the incisors that have grooves, like a comb, along with a similar structure at the front of the tongue. These two -- along with a long nail on the second toe of the foot, work together to clean the fur during self-grooming.

Demodofs galagos are social, and travel in groups of a dozen or more by climbing, hopping, and leaping in the deep forest in which they live. They build leaf-nests or bed down in leaf tangles for sleeping during the day. Galagos breed once a year and have one or two babies, that are carried by the mother for two weeks. After that, the babies become more independent, and are weaned in four months. They live ten years.

Photo by D. Messinger

First Jaguar of 2009

Featured above is ten pounds of hissing, spitting, and growling jaguar, born on the first of January, 2009. He is being given his "baby" exam and vaccinations on Valentine's day. As a kitten, the little boy was too naive to claw or bite, but for his next shots, the staff of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is certain that he will be more than a handful.

For good reason, the Zoo has been cagey about announcing the birth, due to the fact that the mother, "Zassi," was a first time mom. Since she had been reared by humans in Guyana, it was not clear that she would have the necessary maternal skills. Only two keepers have been allowed to work in the jaguar building, with no other staff permitted. The area had been roped off from any outside distraction of traffic.

Since the breeding of Zassi with Tuco, a young male from the Houston Zoo, it has been months of planning, anticipation, and waiting. At first, no one was sure that she was even pregnant because, until the very end, she had no weight gain. But in the meantime, a birthing den was placed in a jaguar birthing "suite," with a private outdoor exercise yard. A remote video camera was installed in the wooden box, to be able to monitor the process.

With no disruption in routine, and with the attention of the favorite keepers, Zassi has proven to be an excellent mother. She is almost too protective, preventing her curious cub from going outside. (That should change soon, as the exuberance of the kitten will outpace her concern).

Before the keeper and the vet caught the unnamed cub in thick protective gloves, the mother had been secured in another area, and she was distracted with food. The cub was weighed, checked for vitals, sexed, and given feline vaccinations. Within minutes, it was returned to the mother, and quickly calmed down.

As a zoologist, I have always admired the cats of the world. Seeing the blue eyes of this feisty, innocent baby is a special treat.

Photos by Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

Working Women in the Congo

These African women, on their way to the agricultural fields with empty baskets slung over their shoulders like back-packs, were already worn out from a lifetime of hard labor. The woman in the foreground is carrying a mat, while the other has a staff to lean. Both were barefoot, posing for my photo near leaves for a roof laid out to dry.

In the subsistence culture of Zaire (now the Democratic of the Congo), the women worked from sun-up to sundown. Depending on how far away the fields were meant a hour to several hours walk (distant fields might not be tended daily, but at critical times, the family would camp out on site). The baskets were filled with the harvest, which would include beans, peanuts, squash, corn, manioc, bananas, and local greens. One important product -- firewood -- was cut and transported to the village in the backpack baskets. Full packs weighed between 50 and 75 pounds.

Children helped their mother in her daily duties. They would help weed and chase off animal pests that were constantly testing and tasting the harvest. Children also played "house" and "hunting" and boys would practice building snares, and ferreting out nests, looking for small animals such as rats, squirrels, porcupines, and bats, which would be cooked and eaten on site.

Men did not work in the fields. Their only contribution to cropping was that they cut down and burned the biggest trees in the so-called "slash and burn" system (the ash from the fire gave a fertilizer boost to the normally poor forest soil). Another contribution of the men was the meat brought in by periodic hunting.

Photo by D. Messinger

"Thank You, Forest Doctor!"

These two pages were taken from a pamphlet created for the New York Zoological Society, for a gorilla survey being conducted by Jeff Hall, in Eastern Zaire (now the Democratic of the Congo). It was printed in Kinshasa in Swahili, using only two colors (black and green). The shading effect that gave depth to the artwork was done using dotted screens (Kizito and I learned this technique, by trial and error.) The text was typed over and over, to make the words fit on the plastic overlay template that was attached to the artwork.

The description on the gorilla explains the foods eaten, the family life, and behaviors. For the elephant, we chose to discuss the growth and fertilization of seedlings in elephant manure, as this was a tangible benefit for the forest, and by consequence, to local peoples. The elephant was said to be a "doctor" because of its effect on the health of the forest ecosystem, by planting trees, by creating ponds and clearings, and by making trails that other animals use.

Our visual joke was a pile of elephant dung, with a young plant saying, "Thank you, forest doctor!"

Trees Against a Yellow Sky

I spent fourteen years in Africa, longer than any other place I have lived in. Although I have been gone for ten years, I have pangs of homesickness, when I look at my old photographs. In the shot above, the eroded path on the red clay road was leading out of the village called Omendjadi. The "town" was Lodja, which was about 35 miles away, or four hours by vehicle. The high, arching trees were remnants of a cut-down forest.

We were all volunteer teachers, in the local agricultural high school. Two of us were with the Peace Corps, which supplied training and support to their volunteers. European countries also had a similar type of service, where young people could volunteer in lieu of the compulsory military service. The two men on the trail were French and Belgian volunteers.

We were scouting for a big termite mound on that weekend day. We had a great interest in the natural world, and particularly, insects. Life was simple, and, without any contact with the outside world, we amused ourselves with walks.

Photo by D. Messinger

Otter Looking for Love in All the (Right) Places

This past week, a wild otter found its way into the otter "digs" at the Play Park exhibit of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. This past Monday morning, the keeper was surprised to discover an extra animal in the exhibit that houses a male and two female North American river otters.

The exhibit is designed to keep otters in, with unclimbable walls in the back and a glass walled stream in the front. It wasn't designed to keep otters out and apparently, this animal had jumped into the exhibit from the berm above.

Historically, otters had become rare due to hunting for their beautiful pelts, but a restocking and protection program over the past 20 years has re-introduced the species back into its range. The Jacksonville Zoo is located on the Trout River and occasionally, wild otters are seen in the area.

But what was the otter doing that led it to the Zoo's open-air exhibit? In the north, spring's warming trend and lengthening days are thought to be triggers for the breeding season. It was suggested that this male -- an adult, at 21 pounds, was attracted by the scent of the Zoo's females. He may have noticed a steep bank, and slid down, or dove into the water, only realizing too late that he was trapped on exhibit.

Within minutes, the frightened animal was coaxed into a crate, while Florida wildlife officials were informed of the "break-in." The mammal curator snapped the above photograph. He emailed the photo to staff, as an "APB," in case anyone would see it again, and recognize this first offender. That same afternoon, on the state's recommendation, the wild otter was released at the Trout river.

The Jacksonville Times Union ran a story about the errant otter, and the tale was also picked up by the Wall Street Journal. Zoo staff thinks that a story of a lonely otter looking for love at the zoo was well-themed for Valentines. As a result of this unusual occurance, the back of the exhibit was "otterfied" to be off limits.

Photo by C. Miller

Wattle and Daub

The side of this house in remote Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) shows the construction technique called "wattle and daub." This environmentally friendly technique has been used worldwide and is at least 6,000 years old. Wattle and daub uses a framework of wooden timbers typically "infilled" with a combination of clay, soil, sand, dung, straw, and other fibers. The material is durable, as long as it is kept dry, and there is 700 year old wattle and daub in existence.

The wattle is the term for the timber, seen exposed above. The upright, load bearing timbers are "staves," while the lattice of horizontal timbers are called "withies." The deteriorated building illustrates the result of the equatorial rainfall on wattle and daub in the tropics, along with the use of leaves or thatch roofing. Termites also are a problem, as they eat the wood from within. Usually, the buildings last only a few decades before they melt back into the earth.

Photo by D. Messinger

Bonobo Jumanji at the Jacksonville Zoo

The bonobo Jumanji (he is the spitting image of his dad) is the 12 year old son of Akili. Father and son as well as Jumanji's mom (Marilyn-Lori) and sister (Muhdeblu) have recently come to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens from the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

"JuJuBe" or "Juge" as the keepers call him, is very intelligent, but a bit insecure. He has been a good father to two offspring, but he sometimes acts like a bratty teenager. Jumanji is close to his mother but has a hard time making friends within the bonobo group.

Jumanji is focused and enthusiastic for training, and he loves to trade items to the keepers for food. He knows over 30 separate behaviors and will sometimes test the trainers. He starts acting silly when he is bored with the training sessions.

Photo by San Diego Wild Animal Park

500 Proof Liqueur

These Poloroids are snapshots in time that illustrated the everyday lives of the people of Kinshasa, in Zaire (now the Democratic of the Congo). The first, an image of a smiling, seated woman, seems mundane. In fact, the photographer told me that she was the famous "Maman GOODYEAR." That wasn't her real name, of course.

Goodyear was her nickname, given in respect for her ability to, like the tire commercial, "Goodyear tires go everywhere." Maman GOODYEAR made her living bringing farm and forest products from the village to sale in Kinshasa. With the money made, she would purchase supplies, like soap, salt, matches, and cigarettes that could, in turn, be transported back and sold in the interior.

The upper right picture shows another business, run by a woman from West Africa. In this case, the brightly colored, stripped plastic sacks hold manioc tubers for sale. She also sold "magic" and medicine -- one popular product was a grey clay sought by pregnant women to ease their huger for minerals lacking in the diet.

The lower two images were of a home-made factory that made the local strong liqueur called "lotoko." The boy in front of the corn and manioc mash covered barrels is helping mind the fire. The last image is of the actual still, with the middle barrel over the fire and the pipes running through the water-cooled end barrel to drip into the white plastic bottle. A plastic tub floating in the water is used to pour water over the pipes to help in the distillation.

"Lotoko" was a bitter, dirty-tasting, strong alcohol, called "500-proof." Local advice was that it contained dangerous trace elements from the barrels, because the metal was not certified for food preparation. However, it was cheap and easy to make.

Bonobo Blood Work

Under light anesthesia, sick bonobos in Kinshasa, Zaire were examined in an effort to diagnose and treat their conditions. Blood work on orphaned babies, as pictured above, usually revealed anemia, which was related to a protein deficient diet.

Photo by B. Messinger