Get EdZooCated!

The shopping frenzy is nearly over and it’s almost time to enjoy the holidays. But how will you impact the environment this holiday season? There are staggering statistics on the amount of waste generated during the holiday season in the U.S.:

• Each year we send out 2.65 billion Christmas cards. That’s enough to fill a football field 10 stories high! Consider purchasing cards that are made from 100% recycled content paper, compostable cards, or even plant-able ones! Click here for more tips.

• Now, let’s talk about gift wrap. Did you know that 50% of all paper used in the U.S. is used to wrap Christmas gifts? Growing up in my Polish family, we had the infamous “Grapotta” box. It was just an ordinary shirt box, but I think it has been kicking around since the early 70′s. Every year, it would be a mystery to see whose gift came in the revered box. A special message would be written to the recipient every year. Now, the original intention of this tradition was not to save the planet, but think about the impact that this simple action has had. We still have “Grapotta”, and it even has an offspring now, “Grapotta II,” but I now reuse every gift bag, piece of wrapping paper, box, length of ribbon or bow that I can until it can no longer fulfill its duty. If every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet!

• Last year at this time, I wrote about the debate between artificial trees and real ones and which one is kinder to the environment. Surprisingly, the more I learn about the many options there are for real trees after they’ve served their purpose, the more real trees come out on top as the greener option. This year you will have multiple opportunities to give your real tree a second life as mulch. Our neighbors at Helmer Nature Center will be providing this service on Jan. 9th. Click here for more information.

• I’ll leave you with one last holiday suggestion: While you’re home with the kids over the winter break, help out our little bird friends by making some recycled craft bird feeders. Click here for some great ideas!

Have a wonderful holiday season and wishes for a happy New Year!

- Tina Crandall-Gommel, Conservation Education Coordinator

Photo by Helen Dishaw

Well of course you can! Do they like it? Probably not, but they have learned to tolerate it. Reptiles and amphibians are very unique animals. There are four major groups of reptiles (lizards, snakes, turtles and tortoises, alligators and crocodiles) and three major groups of amphibians (newts and salamanders, a special group called caecilians, and the famous frogs and toads). These are beautiful animals. People have been keeping them as pets for many years now and perfected the art of keeping these animals. This however is not an easy task.

Being cold-blooded, or exothermic (i.e. your body temperature is regulated by your surrounding ambient temperature), means these animals have strict temperature and humidity requirements. Keeping humidity and temperature at the correct levels can be daunting. Also, be mindful of what a reptile or an amphibian eats. Snakes have to eat mice, so if you do not like that idea, DO NOT GET A SNAKE! Frogs and toads may need to eat mealworms or fruit flies. If this turns you off, DO NOT GET A FROG OR A TOAD!

Handling these animals also takes time and patience. Unlike your traditional dog or cat, these animals are not domesticated. They have a very wild instinct. I cannot be sure, because I cannot talk to animals, but I am assuming the first thing these guys think when they see a human is, PREDATOR! We are big “animals” compared to most of them, always remember this. They need to take time to get used to you.

Can you “cuddle” them? I have seen people do this, but generally they are not going to be the type of animal you cuddle with; most of the time they are content to be left alone. I have seen tortoises and lizards beg for food or attention, but these are often unique cases where there has been a large amount of socialization with humans.

Photo by Kelli O'Brien

I see keeping reptiles and amphibians as more of a hobby. It is something that requires lots of research and practice to get it right. It can be expensive when you consider substrates, heating sources, filtration systems and many of the other things needed to take proper care of your reptile or amphibian.

Furthermore, make sure you know of a veterinarian nearby that can help if needed, or form a network with others who also keep these animals. A few months after I bought my snake, she developed a mite problem. I had no idea what to do about this! I called a local vet who told me to soak her in vegetable oil, and it worked! Since then I now know four people I could call with a question about my snake and they would be able to answer it.

Make sure you know where you are getting your reptile or amphibian from. I could have avoided the mites if I had gotten my snake from a breeder rather than a large chain pet-store.

Photo by Kelli O'Brien

Lastly I finish this blog with a very strong statement: It’s ILLEGAL to have an alligator or crocodile as a pet in New York State! I do not know about other states, but here it is a big NO! It seems like a good idea for a couple years until they become 6 feet long and aggressive.

So should you get a reptile or an amphibian as a pet? It is your decision but please, for the sake of the animal, make the right one!

- Kenny Nelson, Education Animal Programs and Training Coordinator

Photo by Bart Roselli

Last weekend, the Education Department took a little road trip!

We set out early, headed east and ended up at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. We met with our fellow Educators from the Syracuse and Buffalo zoos to share ideas and information. We learned what type of educational programming is done at Syracuse and Buffalo and were also able to share some information about our exciting new A Step Into Africa project. We all came away with lots of new ideas and new friends. Hopefully, we will be doing this again soon to continue to learn more about our neighboring zoos and lean find new ways to work together.

Photo by Tina Crandall-Gommel

Of course, the best part of the day was being able to tour the zoo and get a behind-the-scenes peek at their elephants! The Rosamond Gifford Zoo houses Asian elephants and we have African elephants. It was fun to see their elephants up close and see how different the two types are. I also really enjoyed seeing their young Amur tigers who were born in May of this year and already weigh about 100 pounds! It reminded me of when our tigers, Katya and Anastasia, were born here at our Zoo six years ago. Their birthday will always be special to me since they were born the week I started working here – wow, how times flies!

So after a great day of learning, sharing and animals, we hit the gift shop and headed back to Rochester. A big thanks to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo for hosting us and the Buffalo Zoo for making the trip! Can’t wait to do it again!

- Emily Coon-Frisch, On-site Education Coordinator

Hopefully you!

Photo by Pam Cowan

If you’ve ever wanted to be an educator at a zoo, now is your chance to apply. The Education Department is currently hiring five part-time educators; the position is called Educator One. Educators in this position will present many of our programs to the public, including birthday parties, overnight programs, workshops and more.

Anybody interested in this position (college students and teachers are highly encouraged to apply) should know that it is not all fun and games… well actually… it kind of is. In many of our programs we use games, crafts, activities and tours to educate. Applicants must be energetic, outgoing and able to work with people of all ages and ability levels.

Photo by Ryan Egan

I know the question that is on everyone’s mind: Will I get to touch any animals? Even though you will not be able to handle any animals in this position, you may be offered the chance to move up to an Educator Two position, which would include education animal handling training.

If you are interested, click here to learn more about this position and other open Zoo positions.

- Tim Fowler, Off-site Education Coordinator