Lesson 11:Going Wild at the Zoo

Level: R
DRA: 40
Genre:
Narrative Nonfiction
Strategy:
Infer/Predict
Skill:
Fact and Opinion
Word Count: 1,320
Going Wild
ZOO
at the
4.3.11
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01923-9
ISBN-10: 0-547-01923-8
1031758
1031758
by Barbara A. Roenz
H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN
Going Wild
ZOO
at the
by Barbara A. Roenz
ILLUSTRATION CREDIT: Karen Minot
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover © David Deas/Getty Images; tp © Esbin-Anderson/The Image Works; 3 © Nick Greaves/
Alamy; Cover, 3-13 (border) © Getty Images; 5 © Associated Press Nick Greaves/Alamy; 8 © Esbin-Anderson/The Image
Works; 11 © ZSSD/Minden Pictures/Getty Images; 12 © Konrad Wothe/Getty Images; 13 © David Deas/Getty Images;
14 © Spencer Grant/Photo Researchers, Inc.
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ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01923-9
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Table of Contents
From Circus to Zoo
4
San Diego Zoological Society
5
The Zoo Moves
6
From Bookkeeper to Zookeeper
7
The Zoo Expands
8
Today’s Zoo and Park
9
Happy Polar Bears
10
Panda Cam
10
Amazing Apes!
11
Other Zoo Wonders
12
Glossary
14
What would you like to be when you grow
up? Perhaps you’ve dreamed of being an actor like
the hero in that thriller you saw last week. Maybe
the medical profession endeared itself to you after
watching a television show about what happens in a
hospital.
One young man was inspired by both wild
animals and circus performers who tempted gravity
on high wires. That man was Harry Wegeforth, who
spent much of his life protecting wild animals at the
San Diego Zoo. It was a very special place for Harry
as you will learn.
The San Diego Zoo is a famous place today. It was started
almost one hundred years ago.
3
From Circus to Zoo
As a child, Harry loved animals. He even created
his own circus by displaying stuffed elephants, tigers,
and bears in his Baltimore backyard.
At age fourteen, Harry left home to go on tour
with the Barnum and Bailey Circus. However, an older
brother tracked him down and brought him home.
When Harry grew up, he decided to become a
doctor. In 1910, he set up practice in San Diego. But,
five years later his life changed forever. Driving past a
live animal display, Harry
Dr. Harry Wegeforth,
stopped to look around.
Animal Lover
He was upset by the poor
preparations made for the
When Harry and his
animals. In that moment,
wife returned home from
he decided that San Diego
their honeymoon, they
needed a zoo! Excited, he
discovered that a water
pipe had broken and their
hastened to turn thought
house had flooded. The
into reality.
doctor quickly dropped
everything and rescued
his Japanese fantail fish
from their flooded pond!
4
San Diego Zoological Society
Where on earth would Harry start? First, Harry’s
brother, Dr. Paul Wegeforth, offered his help. Two
other doctors pounced on the opportunity. But how
would they pay for it?
According to the arrangement Harry had in
mind, they would establish a zoological society. The
membership fees to join it would be used to operate
the zoo. The zoo also received many donations from
people who wanted to help Harry.
Purchasing animals wasn’t a problem. Some were
left over from the display that originally inspired
Harry. The San Diego Zoo was on its way to becoming
a real place!
The zoo also got many
animals from local Navy
ships, where they had
been kept as pets.
5
163
San Diego Zoo
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Balboa Park
Today, the San Diego Zoo looks very different from
the grounds in 1922.
The Zoo Moves
At first, Harry and his team used the grounds of
the original live animal display as the site for their
zoo. Their presence on this property worked for a
while, although more than one incident showed the
need for more space. Harry was barely able to utter
his disbelief when Caesar the bear tore apart her walls
and tunneled to the polar bear cave. He knew it was
time for cement floors!
In early 1922, the Zoo began to move to its new
larger surroundings in Balboa Park.
6
From Bookkeeper to Zookeeper
Harry was so busy that in 1925 he hired Belle
Benchley as a bookkeeper. Soon, Belle had many other
responsibilities. In 1941, she became the director—
which was very unusual for a woman at that time.
During her twelve years as director, Belle worked
hard to improve the San Diego Zoo structures, medical care, and the animals’ comfort. In fact, zoos around
the world began to use her efforts as a model. When
Belle retired, a proud and grateful city of San Diego
gave her a trip around the world.
Belle moved to San Diego from Kansas
at age five. As an adult, she taught school
for several years before going to work for
Harry Wegeforth at the zoo. Belle also
wrote several books about her zoo work.
7
The Zoo Expands
Zoo veterinarian Dr. Charles Schroeder had a
dream. He wanted the San Diego Zoo to add another
branch, a huge park, in order to house even more
animals. In time, Schroeder became the Zoo’s director
and became more determined than ever. The result?
In 1972 (Dr. Schroeder’s last year as director), the San
Diego Zoo’s 1,800-acre Wild Animal Park opened
35 miles north of the Zoo. Today it is home to 3,500
animals and 1.5 million plants!
The San Diego
Wild Animal Park
allows visitors to
see animals in their
natural habitats.
8
Today’s Zoo and Park
One of Harry’s primary goals for the San Diego
Zoo was to include native plants and trees. So, Harry
hired a horticulturist (horh-tih-CUHL-chuh-rist) and
then a botanist. Today, the San Diego Zoo and Wild
Animal Park has many plant specialists. Each plant is
labeled so visitors can identify it.
Of course, there are also plenty of animal specialists at the Zoo. Biologists study plants and animals.
Zoologists study animals and their behaviors. These
scientists and other specialists work together to keep
animals healthy and happy.
Designers plan areas of the Zoo to be as close
as possible to animals’ biological habitats. A glass
wall, fence, or moat often separates animals from
Zoo visitors. Both animal and human safety are
very important.
9
Happy Polar Bears
Several polar bears live quite happily at the San
Diego Zoo. Though they don’t feed on seals like they
do in the Arctic, they are still kept happy with a
special diet of ground meat, fish, and lettuce.
Bears swim right up to the glass in an enormous
tank filled with cold saltwater. The area includes an
open space in which the bears can play, a sandbox,
and a little snow—all the comforts of home!
Panda Cam
At the Giant Panda Research Station, pandas feast
on Zoo-grown bamboo, carrots, yams, and special
biscuits. Unfortunately, in the panda’s native habitat of
China, their population is dwindling. This is mostly
due to hunting and habitat destruction. As a result, the
Chinese loaned the pandas to the San Diego Zoo, in
hopes that it can help prevent these wonderful
animals from becoming extinct.
10
Amazing Apes!
In the Asian rainforest enclosure called
“Absolutely Apes,” orangutans (aw-RANG-oo-tans)
and siamangs (SEE-uh-mangs) enjoy climbing and
swinging from trees, ropes, and sway poles. You might
see an ape crouched next to a fake termite mound that
holds ape snacks inside of it.
The visitor area even has small sway poles so
young visitors can play “Monkey See, Monkey Do”
with their ape friends. The San Diego Zoo’s exhibits
are definitely animal- and human-friendly!
The siamang is one
type of ape you will
see at the zoo.
11
Other Zoo Wonders
Here are some more creatures that you might see:
• The poison frog from Central and South American
rainforests has poison-coated skin. The frog’s body
produces the poison from the food it eats.
• The prehistoric-looking echidna (ih-KIHD-nuh), an
Australian wonder, is one of only two mammals to
lay eggs. Its long-beaked variety is endangered.
• The poisonous spit of the heavy-bodied Gila
(HEE-luh) monster comes from glands in its lower
jaw. It can chew its victims or flip while biting its
prey to deliver even more venom.
The flightless cassowary
can run 31 miles per hour!
12
Zoo Facts
• There are more koalas
at the San Diego Zoo
than anywhere other
than Australia.
• There are about
4,000 animals at the
San Diego Zoo.
• About four million
people visit the
San Diego Zoo and
Wild Animal Park
each year!
The zoo is home to many birds.
The San Diego Zoo, like many other zoos, needs
help. Locate a zoo in your area and research programs
in which you can participate. Without money, zoos
cannot operate. Without zoos, endangered and threatened animals may disappear forever.
It’s time to “go wild” for zoos. The world’s animals
thank you!
13
Glossary
botanist A scientist who
is an expert in plants,
shrubs, and trees
habitat The place or
environment in which an
animal lives naturally
horticulturist A scientist
who is an expert in
growing flowers, fruits,
vegetables, and plants
A view of the zoo.
native Belonging to an area; not foreign
veterinarian A doctor who treats animals
zoological Involved in the study of animals and their
behaviors
14
Responding
Fact and Opinion What facts
are presented in Going Wild at the Zoo? What
opinions does the author express? Copy and
complete the chart below.
TARGET SKILL
Facts
Opinions
?
Several polar bears
live quite happily at
the San Diego Zoo.
?
?
HMRLR_GO_Tmap.eps
Write About It
Text to World Imagine that you have been
asked to help design an interesting but safe
enclosure for a zoo animal. Write a oneparagraph set of instructions for doing so.
Be sure to consider the needs of animals, zoo
workers, and visitors in your plans.
15
TARGET VOCABULARY
arrangement
biological
disbelief
endeared
hastened
incident
pounced
presence
tempted
utter
Fact and Opinion Decide if an idea can be proved or if it is a feeling or belief.
TARGET SKILL
Infer/Predict Use text clues to figure out what isn’t directly stated by the author.
TARGET STRATEGY
GENRE Narrative Nonfiction gives factual information by telling a true story.
16
Level: R
DRA: 40
Genre:
Narrative Nonfiction
Strategy:
Infer/Predict
Skill:
Fact and Opinion
Word Count: 1,320
Going Wild
ZOO
at the
4.3.11
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-01923-9
ISBN-10: 0-547-01923-8
1031758
1031758
by Barbara A. Roenz
H O UG H T O N MIF F L IN