Comings and Goings and Catch Up!



Come rain or shine, you gotta feed the bongo!

Wow, it's been waaaay too long since we have posted here on the RSCF blog!  That's what happens when you are caring for a few hundred critters every day!  It's been a HOT and STEAMY 2014.  Our rainy season (June through November) has been "normal" for the first time in years.  That means many, many days of 90 degree heat and near 100% humidity.  We've been getting afternoon showers nearly every day, the normal weather pattern for this time of year, and have been flooded on more than one occasion!  Great for the plants and animals, not so great for the staff who have to wade and work through it every day.  And the MOSQUITOS ARE OFF THE CHARTS!  For those of you who have never visited south Florida in the high summer be aware--our mosquitos are FIERCE!  For the first time a quite a few years all our staff members have had to use natural bug sprays almost every day.  We try to use bug repellents with natural ingredients like citronella, clove, lemongrass and lavender.  It smells much better, and the animals don't freak out when you get near them. 

Our 2014 baby season has been in overdrive, with eight baby bongo antelope on the ground right now, along with our orphan bongo baby, Delilah.  For those who do not follow us on Facebook, Delilah was born on Thanksgiving 2013.  Her mom died giving birth to her so we hand reared her.  She is amazing, we lover her, and she is growing like a weed.  Soon she will be introduced to our group of juvenile bongo, and will become part of the herd.  Until then, we are spoiling her rotten.  Her favorite treat on the planet is banana.  She will do ANYTHING for a banana, as you can see.  She has become a bit of a celebrity here at RSCF...who can resist those ears?  The short video below tells her story, which is by no means finished.  We'll do our best to keep you updated...

Must....have....BANANA!

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Our juvenile bongo herd.

We also rasied five baby red-browed Amazon chicks this year, who are all weaned and ready for outside enclosures.  We are waiting for some cooler weather to start introducing them to flight enclosures, to lessen the threat of heat related stress.  Soon they will be outside full time. 


Sara VanOstrand with some babies!

One of the most exciting events to happen at RSCF in 2014 is our new partnership with Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.  We partnered with LP, with the help of Miami's Batchelor Foundation, to create exhibits on and off site at LP specifically for red-brows.  They are the first zoo in North America to exhibit the species and as of July 11, 2014, 18 red-brows from RSCF are now residing at the zoo.  Beautiful on and off-site exhibits have been built, with six red brows on exhibit and two groups off exhibit (six and eight respectively).  The goal is to establish a breeding colony at LP to compliment our breeding pairs here at RSCF.  If you are in Tampa, please stop by and tell our birds HELLO!  We are in the process of creating a documentary about the program--in the meantime the short video below gives you some idea of the process.  It's exciting, scary and a milestone program achievement for RSCF and Lowry Park.  We are so grateful to the staff at RSCF and Lowry Park for working so hard to make this happen!!!

Speaking of staff, we have some new faces here at RSCF.  Our team welcomed summer intern and volunteer Genevieve Schave.  Genny is a student at the University of Florida and spent her summer break with us.  She has written a short summary of her experience with us--shared below.  We just sent her back to school last week and were sad to see her go.  Thanks for all the hard work, Genny, we hope to see you over your winter break!!!!

Genny with Dee-Dee, our golden-headed lion tamarin.

Genny's Journal: 

You Want Mealworms With That?

My Time at the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation

Before my spring semester of college ended, I started filling out applications for typically routine summer jobs. When I settled back in at home, I heard about the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation and immediately made contact with Karen. Shortly after, I began working at the Conservatory five days a week and knew I had found the place I was meant to be. I’ve grown up with animals and couldn’t even begin to imagine a life without them. Rare Species Conservatory Foundation has granted me the opportunity to grow and add to my knowledge of animals. Some of the best friends I’ve made are living at Rare Species. Each day I noticed more and more personality traits show from the animals that were learning to accept me as part of the team.  Our little Ninita, a Pygmy Marmoset, tested my buttons day after day to see if she could escape for an adventure. I often had to convince her to stay with a toothbrush and a soft belly scratch. Our famous troublemaker Caiques, Zach and Bonnie, loved to play chicken for their food bowl each day, but were grateful when the job was done and grapes plentiful. So, while my friends from school spent the summer serving us humans, I spent my time giving to those who really appreciate it.

With worms on the side,

Genevieve Schave

While we said goodbye to Genny, we welcomed Stephanie Howard to our Keeper Team.  Stephanie is a graduate of Sante Fe Teaching Zoo in Gainesville, FL.  Stephanie has volunteered and interned at a variety of wildlife faciliteis, including spending several months caring for tigers and other large cats!  While we don't have tigers here at RSCF, Stephanie has already made friends with our local kitties--who all think they are tigers.  Welcome Stephanie!!

Stephanie with one of our FIERCE carnivores...

In fact, we need to introduce all our staff and volunteers, so that will be our next blog post.  See you soon!!!

What a NIGHT!

Well, our 7th annual wildlife art show, Wild Things, was a WILD SUCCESS! We had such fun on Sunday, February 10th. The show was bigger and better than ever. 20 artists from around the country came out to show works inspired by wildlife, and boy was the work STUNNING. Photography, pottery, sculpture, fine jewelry, mixed media, stone carving, metal work, weaving, and so much more! We even had live art performances including work by Anthony Burks and body painting by Becky Osborne- Phillips. 25% of show sales will be donated to RSCF in support of our wildlife conservation programs. We can't thank these generous artists enough! And special thanks to Gisela and Howald Pferdekamper for hosting the show on their property in Gisela's amazing converted barn/studio. A beautiful setting! Thanks also to special guest Tami Hoag (New York Times bestselling author and dressage competitor), Julie Pickens of International Polo Club and the Wanderers Club Wellington (for the DELICIOUS food!!!), and Cheryl Wise of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary for bringing beautiful creatures to mingle with our guests. 

 RSCF staff busted their butts for this show as well and we thank Rick Cohen (not only for being a great RSCF animal care giver, but also for playing acoustic guitar and mandolin all night!), Keith Briant, Angel Bucca, Genevieve Peterson, and Suzy Berkowitz. And, let's not forget our volunteers! Eva Sjodin, Amanda Burke (both former RSCF staff that we can't really let go...), Raquel Revuelta, Jeanette Hickman, and Tessa. Last but certainly not least, thanks so much to our participating artists--Anthony Burks, Mindy Colton, Mark Davis, EarthArt by Mary and Teri, Jill Elisofon, Norman Gitzen, Jackie Harris, Maria Hayden, Janet Heaton, Jean Hutchison, Sasha Lickle, Donatella Linari, Greg Matthews, Karen McGovern, Rollin McGrail, Melinda Moore, Becky Osborne-Phillips, Gisela Pferdekamper, and Jessie Williams.

Here is a link to photos from the night!

Wild Things is on the WAY!!!

Mark your calendars, folks!  Our 7th annual wildlife art show, Wild Things, is just around the corner!  This show gets bigger and better every year.  So much in store, including fantastic wildlife inspired art from around the country, animal guests courtesy of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, live music by Rick Cohen, live art performances throughout the night and so much more.  Special guest Tami Hoag (New York Times bestselling author) will be joining us, and our sponsors include the International Polo Club Palm Beach and the Wanderers Club Wellington.  Participating artists donate 25 % of sales to RSCF, so come and buy some amazing art!  Opening night is February 10, from 5 - 10 PM.  The show will also be open Monday, February 11 from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Tuesday, February 12 by appointment.  See you there!!!

Worm Wars!

This is a nice little video shot by RSCF's animal care specialist PJ Deitschel. A group of pygmy marmosets "share" a giant mealworm. Makes you hungry, right??

Parrot Monitoring on Palm Beach 2011

Yesterday RSCF staff members Dr. Paul Reillo, Dr. PJ Deitschel, Danielle Payne and Karen McGovern headed over to Palm Beach to check in on the ferel population of Green Cheek Amazons that live there.  The colony is doing extremely well, and RSCF has been checking in on six active nest cavities this season.  We weighed and examined eight chicks, banding four with colorful identification bands, then returned them safely to their nest cavities.  All the chicks we examined were healthy and robust!  We also filmed inside several nests, using a camera system designed by RSCF that uses a one-inch infa-red camera attached to the end of an extending 50-foot pole.  We got some great footage of adults with eggs and chicks.

It is wonderful to see so many active and healthy nests.  The flock is indeed doing well this year!

Babies!

Here's a quick slideshow of the latest photos taken of our five 2011 Red Browed Amazon babies.  Less than a month old, already showing feather pins and color!  Quite a lovely bunch...Below the slideshow is a video of the babies enjoying lunch.  Boy, can they eat!!

New Truck for the Bongo Surveillance Program!

This new field vehicle, made possible by a generous contribution to RSCF by Mr. Ken Coe, leveraged by the Rhino Ark Charitable Trust (and with special consideration by CMC Motors in Nairobi), is dedicated to the Bongo Surveillance Programme. It will be used to transport the BSP team into remote, mountainous terrain across the Aberdares, Mt. Kenya, Mau Mt. Eburru and surrounding areas to conduct bongo monitoring and surveillance, collect DNA samples, perform GPS/GIS surveys and maintain a vigilant presence to help protect the last wild mountain bongo populations. The one-owner vehicle is turbo-charged for high-altitude use, and is equipped with all-terrain suspension and tires, intake snorkel, and bull guards to protect the drive-train and occupants. This vehicle replaces the well-worn Toyota Hilux purchased by RSCF six years ago, which ferried RSCF Research Associate into the field during his Ph.D. research on mountain bongo, and subsequently became the BSP's first dedicated field transport.

New Mico Video!

Here is a funny little video of Mico discovering a hat in his enclosure...

Lunch Time for Susie & Sammie

Check out our new picture and video of the week. Our picture is of Susie, our female golden-lion tamarin, taking a lizard from fellow keeper, Hollie. They love their lizards. It's a special treat that they don't get on a regular basis.

This is a video of our large male iguana, Sammie, chowing down on his lunch. During the warmer months their appetite greatly increases compared to the winter time.

Adorable Pygmy Marmoset Photo of the Week!

One of our new babies...SO CUTE!!!

2010 Babies!!

We thought you would like to see some photos of this year's baby red-browed Amazon parrots. The "Fantastic Five" are now fully weaned and living most of the time in their new flight cage. We bring them inside during the hottest part of the late afternoon and overnight. Soon they will be completely acclimated to thier new enclosure and will stay out full time. When we bring them inside, they are usually hot and tired. So, you will see in the last few photos that they enjoy a good bath to cool off!

We will soon know the sex of each bird, we sent off some feathers for DNA sexing just last week. We'll keep you posted!

Pygmy Marmoset Munchies...

We have a new FlipShare video camera, and we're all having fun figuring out how to use this neat little device. Here is a short video of a couple of our pygmy marmosets enjoying mealworms and crickets for lunch. Forgive the shakey quality--we're learning! We promise, the videos will get better with practice!!