VZL V28 5 - Indianapolis Zoo

MAY 2015
VOLUME 28•EDITION 5
2015 Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
Zoo volunteers were recognized during the annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on Monday, April 20. A
complete listing of award recipients and a summary of total hours served in 2014 can be found on pages 2-3.
All photos by Shannon Gaughan-Kelly.
Mark and Laura Riley pose with Paul Grayson, Deputy Director and
Senior Vice President of Conservation and Science. The Rileys were
honored for 25 years of service.
Sallie Bruns is recognized for 15 years of volunteer
service.
Mark Slauter receives his Stark Award for 1,000 hours of service.
Volunteer Zoosletter
An army of koalas await the evening’s attendees.
1
Service Hour Awards
Years of Service Awards
Years of Service Awards
500 Hours Award
5 Years of Service
20 Years of Service
Craig Barker
Linda Crowe
George Keely
Erin McCrea-Gantz
Diana Moore
Michael Oswald
Shelby Pendleton
Karen Rose
Debbie Stevens
Desiree Brandon
Michael Brown
Matt Brubaker
Kristen Bruna
Kelly Buchanan
Tom Coath
Elizabeth Crites
Linda Crowe
Phil Dant
Michael Doran
Pam Galyean
Sarah Hoback
Cheyenne Mann
Erin McCrea-Gantz
Cindy Medley
Donna Pendleton
Christine Reynolds
Rachel Russell
Sonya Schkabla
Quinike Sukirwan
Katresha Taylor
Amanda Terrell
Erich Zwettler
John Angelus
Pamela Halliburton
George W. and Maribel Stark
Memorial Award
(1000 Hours)
Lori Freeman
Karine Huys
Gretchen Knight
Erika Millen
Donna Pendleton
Mark Slauter
Paula Susemichel
Mary A. Root Memorial
Award (2,000 Hours)
Teresa Morehead
Melinda Ward
Ostrich Award
(4,000 Hours)
Sue Mocas
5,000 Hours of Service
Patti Grattenthaler
Volunteer Zoosletter
Zoosletter
Volunteer
25 Years of Service
Laura Riley
Mark Riley
Top 25 Hours in 2014
Phil Dant
556.38
Patti Grattenthaler
508.30
Sue Mocas
450.32
Debbie Stevens
353.80
Cathy Heiny
350.40
Jerry Sikes
347.83
Karan Johnston
342.25
Catherine Schmidt
298.17
Lisa Wade
289.50
Diana Moore
277.50
Donna Pendleton
264.23
Larry Llewellyn
226.60
Jerry Stark
200.32
Linda Daley
199.77
10 Years of Service
Diana Boyden-Flock
196.13
Nancy Behymer
Jen Huber
Carol Lane
Diana Nickler
Jerry Sikes
Mike Logan
188.03
Dawn Hagen
183.05
Kelly Buchanan
182.42
Penny Jensen
177.30
Roberta Haynes
156.03
15 Years of Service
Amy Bratsch
155.45
Sallie Bruns
Rick Carman
Louise Crandall
Robert Dale
Marilyn Petrie
Joyce Pruitt
Ginger Schonberg
Linda Stark
154.10
Sallie Bruns
145.98
Courtney Cripe
129.28
Sarah Hoback
125.95
3
42
2014 Volunteer Hours
By Department
Volunteer
Hours
Volunteer
Numbers
Collections
Animal care
34,989
278
Horticulture
1,834
36
179
5
11,331
244
46
2
2,345
407
2,536
48
Guest services
717
77
Special needs
192
16
Special events
5,013
700
4
2
270
21
924
5
60,380
884
Research/observations
Education
Interpretation/programs
Community resources
Training/orientation
Administrative/Events
Organizational assistants
Special projects
Character mascots
Professional
Veterinarian
Total
By Program
Adult volunteer hours
31,732
397
Intern hours
18,394
42
5,984
97
114
2
Special event volunteer
hours
2,313
104
Special needs volunteer
hours
267
13
1,335
Zoo Teen hours
High school intern hours
Episodic volunteers
Groups
Volunteer emeritus
Total
Volunteer Zoosletter
Larry Llewellyn is recognized for having enough hours in
2014 to be in the top 25.
Photo by Shannon Gaughan-Kelly
Volunteer Appreciation Week
Door Prize Winners
An array of door prizes were given away during
volunteer appreciation week. Prize winners were
drawn randomly. Please stop by Volunteer Services
to claim your prize.
Kim Byrd
Sonya Schkabla
Nancy Callahan
Matt Schroll
Sandy Ibaugh
Jerry Sikes
210
Toni Leffler
Leslie Soper
158
17
Sue London
Maggie Thistleton
84
2
Lisa Meyer
David Thomas
60,381
884
Diana Nickler
Laura Thomas
3
Fugu served in Japanese restaurants is
prepared by chefs who often train for more
than three years just to work with one
ingredient! While diners may enjoy the
taste of this fish, it’s not without its
dangers. The liver, ovaries and eyes
contain the toxin tetrodotoxin; if the fish is
not prepared correctly, people have, on
occasion, died after consuming this dish.
Conversely, venomous species are those
capable of injecting toxin directly into
another species. Toxic injections can come
from a wide array of sources, including
fangs, spines and stingers.
One easily recognized venomous
species is the stingray. Stingrays are
equipped with a barb at the base of their
tail which can be easily spotted. This
stinger is used for defense purposes. In
fact, fisherman have caught sharks with
stingray barbs lodged in their faces! While
a sting from a stingray’s barb can be quite
painful, stingrays — such as the cownose
ray found in Oceans — are very docile
creatures and only use their barb when
absolutely necessary.
A trip through Deserts will lead you to a
variety of venomous snakes. These snakes
release their venom through their fangs
The yellow-banded poison dart frog
when capturing prey. Amongst the
(Dendrobates leucomelas) is a poisonous venomous snakes in Deserts are the
amphibian species.
western cottonmouth, Taylor’s cantil and
the eyelash viper. When looking at the
Poisonous and venomous have become venomous snakes, notice the different body
words that are used interchangeably but do structure of these reptiles compared to the
you know the difference between the two heavier boas and pythons which constrict
their prey.
terms? While the words have separate
Next time you overhear someone call a
definitions, they are similar in nature as
venomous snake poisonous, you’ll know
they both describe toxic species.
For a species to be poisonous, the toxin the difference!
must be ingested. For example, the yellowbanded poison dart frog secretes its toxin
through its skin. It is not harmful to
humans if untouched and left alone.
However, when its skin is touched or
rubbed on an object, such as an arrow, the
highly toxic poison can be fatal to humans.
Interestingly, the toxin is attributed to the
ants the frogs eat in the wild. In human
care, yellow-banded poison dart frogs do
not develop these toxins.
Another well-known poisonous
species is the pufferfish of the order
Tetraodontiformes. Known as fugu in
Japan, these fish are amongst the most
The copperhead (Agkistrodon contorix) is
toxic of all species.
a venomous reptile species.
Is that Animal Poisonous
or Venomous? What’s the
Difference?
Photo by Fred Cate
Volunteer Zoosletter
Zoosletter
Volunteer
Zoo Takes Action to Save
Indiana’s Crawfish Frog
Indiana's waterways now connect guests
to the ocean here at the Zoo. For the next
few months inside the Oceans building,
visitors have the chance to experience local
conservation in action.
The crawfish frog is endangered in
Indiana, so researchers from Indiana
University carefully collected tadpoles
from the Hillenbrand Fish and Wildlife
Area. Zoo staff are caring for the tadpoles
as they grow, with the purpose of
reinforcing, or releasing these late-stage
tadpoles back into their original habitat
once they have grown a set of back legs.
Why Grow Frogs?
The crawfish frog lives most of its life in
crayfish burrows, but comes out into
southern Indiana's wetlands to breed. As
this habitat get smaller and rarer, crawfish
frog tadpoles are easily spotted and picked
off by predators in the tiny patches of
remaining marsh. By growing tadpoles
here at the Zoo, we can protect them when
they are the most vulnerable and release
them when they are strong and mobile.
Together We Can Save the
Crawfish Frog!
The Indianapolis Zoo, Indiana
University and the Detroit Zoo are all
working together to save the crawfish frog,
but we can't do it without your help!
 Protect and help restore Indiana wetland
habitat when it is threatened.
 Listen for the call of the crawfish frog
about an hour after sunset. If you hear it,
report the presence of crawfish frogs to
the Indiana Department of Natural
Resources!
 Keep wetlands clean by eliminating
pesticide use in your yard, keeping soap
or other chemicals out of storm drains or
even cleaning up trash from local
waterways.
Photo by Alea Kuczynski
3
44
Meet the New Naturalist Supervisor
My name is Rachel Banua and I am the new Naturalist Supervisor here
at the Indianapolis Zoo. I am very excited to be part of the team because I
love animals and education. I studied to be an elementary education
teacher at IUPUI and taught for three years in the classroom.
While I was attending college, I worked at The Children’s Museum of
Indianapolis as a gallery facilitator and fell in love with informal
education. I returned to the museum in 2007 and worked there as an actor,
interpreter and various other roles for four years, but ended up as the
School Programs Development Manager. I trained volunteers there on
informal programs, such as curator carts and tabletop demonstrations. I
also created programs, facilitated professional development workshops for
teachers and coordinated specialized field trip experiences for school
groups.
I formally resigned last year so that I could move to Missouri and get
married to my best friend, Joey. He has two children who I graciously
adore. Malachi is four and Johanna is seven. He will join me in Indy in
Photo by Josh Dodson
May. We enjoy playing music together and traveling the world!
I’m excited to join the Zoo as the Naturalist Supervisor and to create
new and improved experiences for you and our guests. Please let me know if you have any questions or
concerns and I will be happy to assist you. You can give me a call at 317-630-2038, email me at
[email protected] or drop by my office in the Hix Institute.
So Long . . . And Thanks for the Memories
We want to thank Linda Daley for all the great stories she shared with us as a newsletter reporter; Linda
recently retired from her newsletter duties. Since 2012, Linda provided articles about all the latest happenings
in Plains, including recent additions Majani the reticulated giraffe and the warthog piglets. Thank you, Linda!
If you’ve ever thought about reporting for the volunteer newsletter, please contact Adam Garrett in
Volunteer Services at [email protected] for more information. We love your feedback! Are there animals
or areas you’d like to know more about? Please send us your suggestions and comments so we can share more
of what you want to know.
Special Event Mascot Shifts Available!
May 2 — One Mascot and one Guide are needed from 6-10am for the 500
Festival Mini Marathon.
May 9 — Two Mascots and one Guide are needed from 8am-1pm for the
March of Dimes March for Babies walk in White River State Park.
May 9 — One Mascot is needed from 9am-2pm for the 500 Festival Kid’s
Day on Monument Circle.
May 16 — One Mascot and one Guide are needed from 6:30-8pm for
Bowling for Rhinos at Hindel Bowl, 6833 Massachusetts Avenue.
May 20 — One Mascot is needed from 10am-12:30pm for Zoopolis 500.
June 15 — Two Mascots and one Guide are needed from 4:45-8pm for
Mascot Night with the Indianapolis Indians at Victory Field.
Photo by Adam Garrett
Volunteer Zoosletter
Zoosletter
Volunteer
45
Volunteer Zoosletter
6
MAY
Flower: Lilly of the Valley
Birthstone: Emerald
9
International Migratory Bird
Day
Stephanie Litka
Stephanie Wilson
10 Mitchell Wehrle
11 Shalynn Earhart
Ted Korupp
22 International Day for
Biodiversity
Jessica Olmstead
Linda Stark
23 World Turtle Day
Danielle Coulter
Teresa Morehead
12 Kim Byrd
Lori Gregory
Becky Haverstick
Joshua Helmondollar
13 Julianne Boyle
Heidi Shoemaker
Photo by Melanie Laurendine
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
Acacia (f) warthog (2014)
Baobab (m) warthog (2014)
Ericaeae (f) warthog (2014)
Lenny Baby (m) warthog
(2014)
Save the Rhino Day
Marilyn Petrie
14 Pamala Bowen
15 Endangered Species Day
Randy Allen
Ashley Couch
Cathy Heiny
Volunteer Zoosletter
hornbill (2008)
Pamela Miller
Jane Testa
(1995)
27 Seymour (m) Ruppell’s
griffon vulture (1984)
Jennifer Hanson
Be Kind to Animals Week
May 3-9
Aislynn Kizer
Erin McMullen
Rachel Russell
Rama (m) Reeves muntjac
(1996)
Sallie Bruns
Quinike Sukirwan
24 Mabeline (f) southern ground
25 Mambo (f) white rhinoceros
Laura Thomas
Bird Day
National Wildflower Week
May 4-10
Kazi (m) warthog (2011)
Erin Adkins
Heidi Boyle
Anna Gehring
John Pavlicek
Jordan Roeder
Sue Terhune
Photo by Mark Kaser
29 Daniel Zoghby
30 Sarah Martinek
31 Colt (m) hyacinth macaw
Photo by Don Reynolds
16 Aurora (f) walrus (1995)
17 Rosebud (f) West African
crowned crane (1995)
Miles Floetker
Sandra Palombi
18 Jordan Flannagan
Rebecca Lindberg
19 Diane Gorsline
Robin Meyer
P. Tyree
20 Stacy Bissonnette
Bridget Hannon
(2011)
Shawntel Johnson
Iesha Vitalis
Animal Fact
After a steep dive from a favored
vantage perch or, less often, from
hovering flight, the kingfisher
catches its fish usually no deeper
than 10 inches below the water. Its
natural buoyancy and a swift
downstroke of its wings send it clear
of the water’s surface.
From “Smithsonian Animal: The
Definitive Guide” edited by David
Burnie and Don E. Wilson
7
Editor: Adam Garrett
Save The Dates
Reporters: Adam Garrett
Mother’s Day Weekend — May 9-10
Zoopolis 500 — May 20
Safety Seat Inspection Clinic — June 4
Zoobilation — June 12 (Zoo closed)
Zoo Volunteer Trip to Louisville Zoo — Sept. 12
Photography: Jackie Curts, Josh Dodson,
Adam Garrett, Shannon Gaughan-Kelly,
Mark Kaser, Alea Kuczynski, Melanie
Laurendine, Don Reynolds
To Contact the Volunteer Office:
Phone: 317-630-2041
Kristin Kraemer: 317-630-2193
Fax: 317-630-2031
E-mail: [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Volunteer News ....................... 1
Special Reports ............... 2-3, 5-6
Collections News ...................... 4
Spring Hours
March 20-May 21: 9am-4pm, Monday-Thursday
9am-5pm, Friday-Sunday
Tickets
Twice each year, volunteers earn one admission ticket for every 25
hours of service given (these tickets are handed out each April and
October). Stop by the Volunteer Office to pick up your tickets if you
have volunteered more than 25 hours between October 2014 and March
2015. The tickets must be picked up by the end of May or there is no
guarantee of availability.
Your Chance to Help ............... 5
Birthdays ................................... 7
Announcements ........................ 8
Volunteer Zoosletter
1200 West Washington Street
P.O. Box 22309
Indianapolis, IN 46222-0309