National Zoo New Arrivals
May 28, 2003
Contacts
Mike Morgan (202)
673-0209
Bob Hoage (202) 673-0209
National Zoo Animal Comings And Goings
--New Arrivals Soon to be on Exhibit Include Zebra, Howler Monkeys, and Golden-Headed Tamarins--
--Two Rhinos Depart as Preparations for Asia Trail Renovations Begin--
A male Grevy’s zebra, and a pair of golden-headed tamarins will be among the newest residents of the 163-acre Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park this June. These arrivals coincide with the planned departure of two Asian rhinoceroses and one Grevy’s zebra as part of Species Survival Plans (SSPs).
Managed by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, SSPs are cooperative population management and conservation programs for selected species through which zoos and aquariums in North America match and exchange animals for breeding. Each SSP manages the breeding of a species in order to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.
Rhinos
The National Zoo’s Asian rhinos are moving to Florida’s White Oak
Conservation Center to breed, a recommendation made by the Asian rhino SSP.
Sharp-eyed visitors to the Zoo’s Elephant House might have noticed that
the male rhino wears aluminum “shoes” on his rear feet. These one-of-a-kind
shoes were created as a result of discussions between National Zoo keepers
and an outside veterinarian regarding how to ease the rhino’s chronic
pododermititis, a walking ailment that the rhino had when he arrived at the
Zoo in 1995. The rhinos will be on exhibit at the National Zoo through Monday,
June 2.
The move of the rhinos will enable the Elephant House to accommodate the Zoo’s rapidly growing Asian elephant male calf, Kandula. Born at the Zoo in 2001, Kandula is currently gaining three pounds a day and will soon need additional space as he progresses towards his adult weight of up to 12,000 pounds. The current rhino exhibit space in the Elephant House will become part of a larger, reinforced enclosure for Kandula. The design process is underway for a new elephant facility as part of the Zoo’s Asia Trail renovations. The new facility will be large enough to accommodate a family group of up to eight elephants.
Zebra
A two-year old male Grevy’s zebra from the Phoenix Zoo arrived at the
National Zoo in May, and will be on exhibit beginning in early June. The Zoo
expects to receive an additional male Grevy’s zebra by the end of the
summer. The Zoo’s current zebra resident, a four-year old male, will
move to the Toronto Zoo by the end of the summer for breeding. These moves
are being made on the recommendation of the SSP for Grevy’s zebras. The
National Zoo serves as an SSP holding facility for male Grevy’s zebras.
Golden Lion Tamarins
In mid-June, the Zoo will welcome a pair of golden lion tamarins (GLTs),
small endangered primates native to the rainforests of eastern Brazil. Arriving
thanks to an SSP recommendation, the GLTs will be released in late June to
range freely in an exhibit in the Zoo’s Valley Trail area, where visitors
can view these small primates as they scurry above walkways and among the
trees. For more than 25 years, the Zoo has worked closely with Brazilian
conservation organizations on GLT conservation and research programs.
Golden-Headed Tamarins
In mid-June a breeding pair of endangered golden-headed tamarins will arrive
at the Zoo. These tamarins will live in the Small Mammal House. Golden-headed
tamarins can be identified by the golden hair that covers their head, arms,
and tail, and the black hair that covers the rest of their body. Their close
relative, the golden lion tamarins, are covered entirely in golden fur.
Southern Black Howler Monkeys
A pair of southern black howler monkeys will be moving into an indoor/outdoor
exhibit in the Small Mammal House in the coming weeks. A threatened species
from the rainforests of central South America, the howler monkeys derive
their names from the distinctive deep call they give, which can be heard
from more than five kilometers.
Birds
In the next two months, the Bird House will exhibit new birds including:
- Four white-faced whistling ducks. These ducks will join a white-faced whistling duck that already lives inside the Bird House. Their name derives from their un-duck like reedy whistle.
- A female Micronesian kingfisher will join the male in the Bird House in early June. Once abundant on Guam, this brownish-red bird is now extinct in the wild and lives only in zoos. The National Zoo is a participant in the Micronesian kingfisher SSP.
- Barred owls, a nocturnal hunter with vertical brown streaks on its belly, will move to the Bird House in July. A species new to the National Zoo, the barred owls that are coming to the Zoo currently live at a rehabilitation center in Virginia. These owls are recovering from injuries sustained after being struck by a car and are no longer able to hunt effectively in the wild.
