"Lightning" Strikes the San Diego Zoo

Photo courtesy of SDZG.

This is Adhira, San Diego Zoo's two-year old rare monocled white cobra. This venomous snake was originally found and made the news in Thousand Oaks, California, although these snakes are normally found in South East Asia, in countries like China, Vietnam, India, and Cambodia. Therefore authorities believe that Adhira was probably an illegal escaped pet. These cobras are terrestrial and well-adapted to diverse habitats, typically living in rice paddies, grasslands, or forests where they prey mostly on amphibians, small mammals, fish, and other snakes. Monocled cobras are a species of "least concern" according to the IUCN due to their tolerance of anthropogenically altered habitats.

The San Diego Zoo rescued this snake in September 2014, because we are one of only two zoos in the country with the proper anti-venom for this species. Adhira is leucistic, which means she has reduced pigmentation, so she is white instead of brown like most of her species. The public voted on her name, which means "lightning" in Hindi. In February, I will be traveling to Sri Lanka and Thailand where this species is normally found; as much as I would like to see one in the wild, I really hope it's from a safe distance! 

Re-Accreditation: What Does That Mean?

Both San Diego Zoo Global and the
Binghamton Zoo are AZA-accredited
and therefore trade animals and research
back and forth.

The AZA inspection of San Diego Zoo Global is scheduled for January 12-15, 2015. AZA is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a national non-profit organization founded in 1924. To be “accredited” or officially recognized by AZA, a group of experts reviews the facility’s application and conducts thorough on-site inspections of the facility. Over 2,800 facilities in the United States exhibit animals, and fewer than 10% of these facilities are accredited.

                                                                 

To become AZA-accredited, facilities must meet high standards in animal care, exhibit design, staff training, safety protocols, facility management, guest services, security, and education programs. AZA accreditation commissions evaluate everything from proper animal enrichment, to veterinary protocols, to clutter in offices. Facilities are evaluated and re-accredited every five years to ensure that they are keeping up to date with new developments in the zoological world.

Being an AZA-accredited facility has innumerable benefits. For example, San Diego Zoo Global participates in Species Survival Plans (SSPs), which manage the breeding, transfer, and conservation of at-risk species on a national level. Some of SDZG’s SSPs manage Sumatran tigers, California condors, giant pandas, and lowland gorillas. Currently, AZA institutions are committed to 319 SSPs that manage 590 species. To facilitate these SSPs, AZA organizations participate in animal exchange programs with one another. For example, earlier this summer the Safari Park received a female Bactrian camel from the St. Louis Zoo for a breeding program. Furthermore, having an AZA-accreditation fosters staff continuing education and pride in a global cause. In 2012, AZA-accredited organizations raised $160 million for 2,700 conservation projects in 115 countries. AZA institutions care for over 750,000 animals and provide jobs for 142,000 people (including yours truly).

Not only have San Diego Zoo Global’s facilities been AZA-accredited since their inception, but they are also accredited by the American Association of Museums, and the Zoological Association of America. Additionally, San Diego Zoo Global has won countless awards: 2014 Edward H. Bean Award for African bush elephant conservation, 2013 Sustainable Environmental Enhancement Program of the Year for mountain yellow-legged frog conservation, and the City of San Diego’s 2013 award for Recycler of the Year.

San Diego Zoo Global often sets the standard for animal care in the United States. For example, the Zoo’s and Safari Park’s elephant management programs are emulated world-wide. However, serving as a role-model institution is no reason to slack off for re-accreditation in January. Both the Zoo and Safari Park are in over-drive to make sure everything is in tip-top shape for the accreditation commission. For instance at the Safari Park, managers are ensuring that electrical outlets have covers and offices are free of clutter that could become a fire hazard. Employees in every department are routinely quizzed on animal escape procedures, enrichment policies, and any other information pertinent to the inspection. Keepers are fine-tuning safety protocols and sprucing up barns. On a loan with the Park’s horticulture department, I spent hours clearing fence-lines, weeding, and replanting gardens. Even though the facilities are normally spotless and surpass the AZA standards, San Diego Zoo Global is grooming almost as much as Izu, our African lion!

For more information about the AZA accreditation process and to see the standards for 2015, visit: www.aza.org. Both San Diego Zoo Global and the Binghamton Zoo are AZA-accredited and I'm very lucky to have worked at such prestigious facilities!