On zoos, poo and partying like monkeys
With the fierce determination of a stalking tiger, the California section’s Louis Sahagun cornered Jenny Walker, senior zookeeper at the small but popular Santa Ana Zoo, as she hosed down the crested capuchin exhibit. They talked about monkeys, prehensile-tailed porcupines, binturongs and the reckless abandon of partying zoo keepers. We emailed Walker questions and crunched the conversation into this.
Monkey quotas?
Under terms of an agreement with the family that donated our land, we have to have 50 monkeys on the property at all times. That’s not easy because monkeys are complex, agile, intelligent and require so much more room to stay busy and happy. In 2009, our monkey population dropped to 48, and the family’s attorney sent us a letter warning that we weren’t in compliance and that the land would have to be returned. A few weeks later, we learned that one of our golden lion tamarins was pregnant with twins. The mother gave birth to healthy babies, the second of which we named Fifty. How have zoos affected California?
Great topic for a doctoral thesis! I’d like to think the animals help us reconnect with nature as we continue to get more and more connected to the digital world.
You love the animals and they see you as a snack, right?
Nah. But I have been pooped on by five species of primate. Every now and then, I have to stop what I’m doing, turn around and ask a visitor: “Is everything OK on the back of my shirt?” On rare occasions the answer is, “Oh, my. Looks like it got you pretty good.”
Is there a creature you show off ?
Yes! Bindi, a 37-pound binturong born in another U.S. zoo but native to Southeast Asia. She comes down from her perch when I call out her name. I walk her on a leash one day a week. Training her to do that took a lot of work and enticements. Binturongs are carnivores, but I discovered that Bindi will work for blueberries. She’s a blueberriavore!
Has the Santa Ana Zoo changed much since you’ve been here?
Now the emphasis is on creature comforts and animal welfare. That’s why you see greenery and hiding places in our enclosures. Another trend is building a collection of species from the homelands of many of our visitors: Mexico, Central and South America, the Southwestern United States and Asia. At this zoo that means the addition of a pair of Brazilian ocelots.
What’s on your zookeeper’s wish list?
My number one wish — the one my bosses are tired of hearing about — is that we acquire a prehensiletailed porcupine. They are native to South America, arboreal and cute as a button! The bad news is they are nocturnal, not exactly crowd pleasers. But to me, even sleeping prehensiletailed porcupines are cute!
Do California’s zoo professionals get together and talk smack about animals or patrons or bureaucracy?
You know it! It’s only natural to talk a little shop when we get together. I belong to the American Assn. of Zoo Keepers, which hosts annual gatherings of more than 500 zookeepers from across the nation. I’m telling you, we party like wild monkeys!
But I think the majority of the stories start with: “You’ll never guess what the baby howler monkey did today!” or “I’m so proud of the spider monkey; he got right on the scale today!”
San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco: Which zoo’s the best and which is the most annoying because it thinks it’s best?
Well, I have friends that work at each one of those zoos, and they are all amazing. But if I had to pick one, I would pick the Santa Ana Zoo! And I guess we are annoying too because we think we are the best!