A Note from Animal Enrichment…
Hi my name is Brigette and this is my fourth year at the zoo. This is my first year working as an enrichment specialist and so far it’s been a blast. The years before I had become so used to working with the public and with the education animals but this year I’m gaining a sense of all the work the zoo keepers do and the personalities and behaviors of individual animals. Each day heading into the zoo my schedule is up in the air as the zoo keepers assign certain animals each day for us to make enrichment for. The fun part about the job is the creativity involved. The enrichment closet is full of different toys and boxes for the animals. Using said toys and food in the kitchen, it is our job to create enrichment that sparks the curiosity of the specific animal. The design of the enrichment depends on the adaptations and behaviors of the animal. We try to make each enrichment unique and new in order to keep the animal stimulated. Because the job requires us to communicate with the zookeepers we learn new things everyday about the animals. The best part about the enrichment track is delivering the enrichment and watching the reaction of the animal. Even though sometimes the enrichment might not work out as well as hoped, we always learn something new from each creation which will certainly make our future projects much better for the animal. Whether it is learning to throw bloodsicles over the fence to the lions or hanging fruit-loop strings for the golden lion tamarins, the beginning of my job as an enrichment specialist definitely set my excitement for the rest of the summer.
GO SLYTHERIN!
Welcome Crew of Summer 2010!
Hey everyone, the summer crew started this past monday and although it’s been hot, the new crew has adjusted well and the old crew is still working as hard as ever. A point system has been put into place for the summer in an attempt to bring the group together as a team and help the program run smoothly. The crew has been divided into four teams, each of which have a
head (counselor) and leader (day captain). They simulate the four Harry Potter Houses: Gryffindor Slytherin Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The houses will compete to earn points in games, challenges, and competitions throughout the summer. Points can also be added or deducted depending on crew performance. The winner will earn the Capron Cup and if the teams earn enough points collectively, the Crew will win the sleepover at the end of the summer. To the right a scoreboard will be posted telling which teams are winning and will be updated and the weekly challenge listed with it. Good luck teams and get ready for a great summer!
Slytherin Gryffindor
Head of House: Andrew Head of House: Ashley
Prefects: Emily and Gunther Prefect: Max
Thanks to everyone for a great year!
I’d like to give a special thanks to everyone involved in making Zoo Crew so awesome this year! We’ll start the blog again when Zoo Crew begins for the summer of 2010 and until then check for updates to the “Join Zoo Crew” page and learn what you can do during the year to apply. Thanks again for a great year!
Animal Training: Edgar Allen Crow
Hello, my name is Katie, I am an animal training specialist for Edgar Allan Crow and this is my second year on zoo crew. I chose to train Edgar who is a hand raised crow not used for education programs. I figured if I could train him to land on my arm and stay there, not only could he be used as an education animal, but it would be a lot less stressful for him and easier for us to catch him for vet visits. That was before I actually met the bird.
WEEK 1:
I showed up for work the first day armed with Edgar’s favorite treat, corn. I just wanted to get him to trust me a bit. So when I walked into Edgar’s enclosure, I just sat down on the wooden barrel and started talking to him. He was fine for about an hour-until I stood up to give him a treat. The second I stood up he flew right over my head screaming at the top of his lungs trying to scratch and peck my head. After he tried to grab my hair twice he just simply flew above my head, from the top of his nest box to his branches and back again, and again, and again. Then, when he decided it wasn’t working, he just landed on his branches, puffed up like a
balloon, and started cawing. He never tried to do that to me ever again.
WEEK 2:
By the end of the second week he wouldn’t fly away from me when I approached him, take food out of my hand, and even let me pet him a little. And by week 3, if I sat close to his water bowl, he’d fly on his platform and squawk at me to give him food. One day I was sitting near the water bowl and Edgar came down for food, so I put a couple Pops in my hand, held my arm ramrod straight, and stood up. Edgar stared at me for a few minutes, then got ready to fly. He landed on my arm all right, but he never stopped flapping his wings.
WEEK 3:
I talked to Mel, Brenda, and Sue, and the consensus was to stick train him. I found a stick that was easy to grip (apparently one of the reasons Edgar couldn’t land on my arm was because he can’t curl his toes anymore, therefore he can’t hold onto me) and placed food on it. Unfortunately, Edgar hasn’t landed on the stick even once. The stick is still in his enclosure, probably untouched yet lined with food, right now. All in all, he’s a neurotic old bird, set in his ways, but I love him anyway!
Although being part of crew is a lot of work in and around the zoo, it pays off when we all 
get together for fun events such as the annual movie night. Last night the zoo crew arrived at 6:30 p.m. to watch “The Dark Knight” as a group in the classroom.
With six bags of popcorn and two cases of soda, not to mention the box of Starbursts and ‘party-size’ bag of mixed Hershey’s candy, the crew was ready for the night, or in this case, the dark night.
Diets
Hi, my name is Cam and I have had the privilege for the last two years, of volunteering at Capron Park Zoo, as a zoo camp assistant over the summer. One of the hands-on activities that campers work on is diet preparation. Diet preparation is an important part of caring for our exotic animals because they provide the daily nutrients and minerals necessary for health maintenance.
We are very busy during diets; working together to make sure that the diets are done to the highest standard. We help to ensure that the diets are prepared exactly as the recipe requires. We assist in weighting meats, counting grains, soaking biscuits, and adding the vitamin sprinkle. We help the campers to cut the fruits and vegetables into perfectly sized pieces for each specific species. By helping with the diets, we are able to ensure that each animal receives its daily nutrients that is needed to stay healthy. Preparing the diets not only gives the campers a taste of zoo keeping, but also allows keepers to spend more time with the animals, time that would have been spent in the commissary/kitchen doing the diets.
Lemur Islands
My name is Cory and this is my third year as a member of the Zoo Crew volunteer program. As an Animal Care Specialist, I have the opportunity to work in many of the exhibits at Capron Park Zoo. One of my favorite exhibits is the lemur islands. The lemur islands consist of two islands and a different species of lemur on each. There are Red Ruffed lemurs on one of the islands and they are very playful when they want to be and lazy when it’s hot. They will jump on your back and climb all over you, 
they are definitely a fun bunch of fur. On the other island there are ringtail lemurs. The ringtails are a bit smaller and more skiddish, but still are very cute. Although they will not jump on your back, they will take food out of your hands and follow you everywhere. All in all the experience on the islands is always memorable and unique.
