Spaulding

All,

It is with sadness that I have report to you that Spaulding, our exhibit gray fox for the past ten years, was euthanized on Monday, November 26 upon the recommendation of Dr. Lewandowski, Chief Veterinarian at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.

Spaulding had shown symptoms of distress on Saturday and was taken to the zoo. Chest films showed lungs and pericardial sac full of fluid and his enlarged heart barely visible. Needless to say, Spaulding was in respiratory distress. Intensive treatment with oxygen tent therapy and large amounts of diuretics brought some relief and improvement by Sunday morning enough so that Spaulding ate some medicine laced meatballs. However his condition deteriorated on Sunday night and into Monday. He wouldn't eat and thus wouldn't take his medications. He again was in distress. Dr. Lewandowski felt that if we pursued herculean efforts, perhaps Spaulding would recover and linger a few more months. But the reality of the congestive heart failure is that he would be in intense pain, stressed by constant handling to administer medications, and he would have zero quality of life. Based on his assessment, I gave the go-ahead to euthanize Spaulding and permanently ease his suffering.

I want to thank Nikki McClellan, Melissa Terwilliger and Joe Dell'Anno for quick action on Saturday, identifying the problem and getting him to the zoo. He received world class care over the past three days.

Spaulding was a scrappy little fox with a great personality. Coming from a fur farm where he was kept under horrendous conditions, he was obtained by CMNH in 2002. In the move from the Raptor Center, where he was temporarily housed, to his exhibit, his leg broke. Upon treatment he was discovered to have metabolic bone disease, a condition that would lead to a lifetime of arthritis, dislocations and dental problems. This condition was a result of the abhorrent conditions of the Grand River Fur Farm where he was kept in darkness and fed a nutrient poor diet for the first year of his life.

And yet in spite of all of that he was a great exhibit animal, very responsive to training and enrichment and very interactive with visitors, often spending time in the very front of the enclosure, curious at passers-by. For ten years he was an outstanding ambassador for the Museum, educating and entertaining our visitors, giving them insights into this little known Ohio canid and only tree climbing member of the dog family. I will always have fond memories of him joyfully rubbing his back in the otters' towels, provided as enrichment, as well as lounging from the top of the artificial tree in his exhibit.

And in the end I am appreciative that he was able to spend his life with us, rather than be housed in a crowded wire cage suspended from the ceiling of a low dark pole barn, where his only use to his master was as a source of urine.

He will be missed.

Harvey

Charcoal Update!

Charcoal the Coyote has been living at CMNH for over two months now so it is time for an update on how she is adjusting to her new life!

When she arrived at the museum Charcoal weighed 12 pounds. She has more than doubled her weight since then and is still growing! Her preferred diet includes rats, mice, quail, chicks, and ground meat, but she is not a pure carnivore. She eats a variety of fruits and vegetables as well and particularly likes apples. She also welcomes yogurt and raw eggs as a treat.

The wildlife staff works hard to socialize Charcoal and give her stimulating enrichment items. She prefers enrichment activities that involve digging, especially in big tubs of shredded paper or piles of mulch. Her favorite game to play with staff members is tug, with either a towel or a rope toy.

Charcoal is extremely food motivated and eager to please so her training is going very well. Here is a picture of Charcoal standing on her station a few days after her arrival:

And here is a recent picture of her stationing. One can see that we had to upgrade to a larger station to accommodate her rapid growth!

Charcoal is also kennel trained so that we can take her to the vet and target trained so that we can move her to desired areas around her exhibit. We have been doing some tactile desensitization with her too so that if we need to give her injections in the future she will be used to us touching her. She has been receptive to this and I don't think any staff members complain that part of their jobs is to pet a young coyote!

Overall Charcoal has adjusted very well to her new home. She is healthy, playful, and captivating. Come stop by the Perkins Wildlife Center for a visit and watch as she continues to grow!

Michelle Leighty
Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager

Spiders!

They’re creepy, they’re crawly, they have eight legs and they send people running whenever they enter a room. No, they’re not Pittsburgh Steelers fans. They’re spiders. Did you know there are over 50,000 species of spiders in the world, and more are being discovered every day! They are awesome animals that play a very important role in our environment. What do you say we play a CMNH style game of Myth Busters all about spiders?

Myth #1. Every spider is venomous and can hurt us.
True and False - While every spider is venomous only a very small percentage of spiders are dangerous to humans, and of our over 500 different spiders found in Ohio only 2 can be harmful to humans and those are rare species and easily identifiable if you take the time to look before you squash. They are the black widow and the brown recluse.

Myth #2. Spiders are insects.
False - Spiders are not insects. Insects belong to a totally different class of animals and there are some easy ways to tell them apart. Insects have 3 main body parts: the head, the thorax and the abdomen. Spiders have 2 body parts: they have the abdomen like insects but they have combined their head and thorax to form the cephalothorax. Spiders have 8 legs and insects have 6. Insects have antennae and spiders do not.

Myth #3. Spider silk is stronger than steel.
True - Spiders can produce many types of silk, some used for webs, some for non-sticky support lines, some for trap door webs, and even some webs used for parachutes that allow them to float on the wind, and each species can specialize on making different types of silk. Studies have shown that certain types of spider silk, especially silk from the orb spider family can be comparable and even stronger then steel at the same diameter.

Myth #4. Spiders are dangerous to humans because they are dirty and pass on disease.
False - In fact, spiders play an important role in keeping infectious disease cases down in human populations around the world. Spiders are among the most prolific predators of mosquitoes and flies. These are two of the biggest vectors for animal to human related diseases in the world. The more spiders we have the less mosquitoes and flies we have which means we have a better chance of keeping infectious diseases like malaria and West Nile from spreading through our human populations.

If you would like to satisfy your curiosity for arachnids stop down at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. You never know when our very own Chilean rose tarantula Anansi will make a guest appearance at one of our live animal shows. Get an up close look at all the cool features that make spiders spiders. Maybe after meeting Anansi you will think twice the next time you see a spider and instead of smashing it remember, they are more helpful to us alive and catching insects than they are at the bottom of your shoe.

Joe Dell'Anno
Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manger

Skunks: Will Work For Food

Willow and Lilac have lived at the museum since July of 2011. Born in captivity, they have turned into fantastic program animals for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Both the wildlife staff and the education staff use the skunks regularly in classes.

Training the skunks to go in and out of a kennel for travel to class has been unusually challenging. Many of our animals are frightened of their kennels and need to be rewarded for going into them. The skunks, on the other hand, love their kennels! The problem is getting them out when it is time for class to start. Training them to come out has been a multi-step process. The first step was rewarding them when they just poked their head out of the kennel. When they mastered that, they got rewarded for putting one foot out of the kennel, then two feet, three feet, four feet, and finally for coming all the way out. During this process, whenever the skunks got rewarded, they would take their treat and rush right back into the kennel. So the final step was rewarding the girls when they would come out and stay out while we either picked them up or closed the door behind them.

Each girl has her own personality and training them required attention be paid to their individuality. Willow is farther along in her training. She will come out and stay out long enough to be picked up, without closing the door behind her. Lilac is more nervous and the door must still be closed behind her or else she will dart back into the kennel before you can pick her up. With staff attention and the right treats, Lilac will be coming out of her kennel perfectly in no time. What is the perfect treat to train a skunk? Willow loves raisins while Lilac prefers worms.

Kaitlyn Gabriel, Wildlife Specialist

Meet our new female Red Fox!

Look who arrived yesterday!

This young female Red Fox was born in the spring of this year. She was orphaned and raised at a rehab center in northwest Ohio. Weighing in at just under 9 pounds, she has not yet reached her adult size. She is out on exhibit in the Perkins Wildlife Center and is adjusting well to her new home. She is a little on the shy side but her playful nature has already made its appearance. The staff is thrilled to have her and has begun working on her socialization.

We named her "Scarlet."

Stay tuned for more updates!

Michelle Leighty
Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager

Meet Beaker at Owls and Howls!

Owls & Howls is Saturday, October 20th! Wildlife Specialist Nikki McClellan gives more info on the event and introduces Beaker the Barred Owl in this video:

Charcoal the Coyote!

The Wildlife department's new baby coyote arrived late yesterday afternoon!

She was injured and orphaned as a young pup during a controlled burn in Michigan. The fire killed the rest of the little coyote's family and left her with some minor burns and scars. She was hand-raised by a rehabber in Michigan.

She is about 3 or 4 months old and since she has spent nearly her entire life in captivity around people, she cannot be released back into the wild. Her new home is the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. She lives in a roomy exhibit in the Perkins Wildlife Center and will be trained by wildlife staff members for use in programs.

The wildlife staff has spent the past day getting to know her and socializing her. We will be harness training her so that she can go on long walks around the wildlife center and also go to classes. She will serve as an animal ambassador for her species and educate the public about coyotes.

So far she is adapting well to her new surroundings and has been playful and engaged with the wildlife specialists caring for her.

Her name is "Charcoal," which I suggested due to her gray color and the circumstances which brought her into captivity.

We call her "Char" for short.

Michelle Leighty
Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager

You CAN Teach an Old Dog… errr Turkey… New Tricks!

If you’ve ever visited the Ralph Perkins Wildlife Center you’ve probably seen one of our iconic animals front and center – Big Jake the Wild Turkey. Jake came to us in August of 2002 when he was about one year of age. He had been found in Findlay, Ohio where he appeared to be very tame due to people hand feeding him. People mean well when they feed wild animals, but it is actually not the best thing for the animal. They can become too dependent on people to feed them and not be able or willing to find food on their own. It can also make them too complacent with people and thus leave them being sitting ducks for hunters. For these reasons Jake could not safely remain in the wild and needed a place to live and we were more than happy to provide that for him.

Since coming here, Jake has been very visible to all of our visitors as a resident of our deer yard. He is generally found strutting along the fence line, very brightly colored, and even occasionally gobbling. Most people think he is being friendly, but that is actually him showing off his aggressive side. If given the chance he would happily kick the people on the other side of the fence and show them who he thinks is boss. For those reasons when a new wildlife specialist begins his or her career in the Perkins Wildlife Center the first thing he or she must do is chase that turkey! We aren’t doing that to be mean, but we have to prove our dominance over him or else he will prove his dominance over us. For these reasons Jake is not the easiest animal at the museum to train. Oddly enough though, for as aggressive as he is, he is actually very afraid of new objects and situations… like kennels.

This year I was looking for a challenge, and after a health scare last year with Jake (he’s fine now, don’t worry!) we felt it was time he became kennel trained so that he could easily be transported to the veterinarian for examination. However, since he was already 11 years old and pretty much terrified of his kennel I was a little unsure of how things would go. Training is definitely a step by step process and the first thing I had to do was get Jake used to seeing this new, big, scary thing in his yard. So I first had to just put the kennel in his yard and get him used to eating in front of it. He gets fed in both the morning and the evening and since his evening food is used to put him in his overnight area I had to use his morning diet for training purposes. His morning diet is also not his favorite seeing as it is just scratch (dried corn and seeds) so I added a few peanuts to sweeten the deal. He started eating in front of the kennel pretty readily, but when it was time to move to the next step of eating in the kennel he was very reluctant. I had been trying to hand him the peanuts through the bars on the side of the kennel and he wanted nothing to do with sticking his head in there for them.

At that point I realized I had to take a step back and get Jake used to eating out of my hand. Before this point we had always just put Jake’s food on the ground and let him eat while we fed the deer. Jake pretty readily ate the peanuts out of my hand away from the kennel, but we had to inch our way closer and closer to the kennel. Finally one day we walked our way over the kennel and he took some peanuts through the bars! This may not seem like a big deal, but for Jake this was huge! He had to stick his head and neck all the way in to reach the peanut in the kennel, but not his legs… that would come later. From that point though it was just a matter of working with him every day that I was at the museum until he trusted me enough to go all of the way in the kennel and turn around in it. We are now at the point where I can shut the door half way while he is facing forward in the kennel… we are almost there! Once I can have him go in the kennel, turn around, and let me shut the door he will be considered kennel trained. So it may have taken a few months, but we are in the home stretch and now if Jake ever gets sick again he will be able to easily be transported to our veterinarian. I wasn’t sure Jake would ever be able to be trained, but I guess you can teach an old turkey new tricks!

Nikki McClellan
Wildlife Specialist

Happy Independence Day!

George the Bald Eagle kept cool this morning by taking a bath! Happy Fourth of July!

Training: Enriching the Lives of Animals and Their Keepers

Here at the Perkins Wildlife Center, there is a lot more to taking care of our animals than just feeding them and cleaning their cages. Training with the animals is one of the most important parts of our day.

We never train our animals to do “tricks”. The behaviors that we train our animals to do either mimic natural behaviors, allow us to give them medical care, or keep both animals and keepers from harm’s way. Continuously teaching new behaviors and practicing the already learned behaviors help to keep an animal’s body and mind physically and mentally healthy.

Many of our animals are kennel trained, which allows us to easily transport them to the vet without handling them. Our larger mammals are also station trained. This means that they know to wait at a certain station or area when the keepers enter the enclosure. This not only keeps us a safe distance from the animals, it also helps deter food aggression between animals sharing the same exhibit.

“Target” training is another behavior learned by many of our animals. By “targeting” to a ball on a pole, an animal can be moved from location to location within their enclosure. This is important because if anything harmful ever gets thrown into one of the exhibits or something dangerous is discovered inside (ex: bee hive), an animal can be moved out of the area quickly and easily.

Teaching our animals different behaviors also strengthens their relationships with us, the keepers.

Melissa Terwilliger, Wildlife Specialist and Training Coordinator

Bird Vet Visit

In order to keep the museum's animals as healthy as possible, we make sure they see a veterinarian at least once a year for a full check-up. While the Perkins Wildlife staff is trained to identify and treat many injuries and illnesses, it is unable to look inside of an animal to see how well its body is functioning. We have several collaborating veterinarians, each specializing in different kinds of animals. This spring, Dr. Lindstrom of Animal Clinic Northview came to CMNH to take blood from our birds and to deliver their annual West Nile vaccinations. The wildlife staff is trained to catch and restrain the birds in a safe manner for the exams. Since we cannot explain to the birds what we are doing, it can be a stressful experience for them. In some cases, a hood is placed on the bird’s head to impair its vision and reduce stress. George, a Bald Eagle, wears a hood whenever he needs to be grabbed for vet visits or coping (trimming of the beak and nails). In addition, some birds get a shot of vitamins to reduce the risk of capture myopathy, a potentially deadly syndrome that can occur after the restraint of wild animals.

Melissa Terwilliger is pictured below restraining George for his examination:

West Nile has had a strong impact on American birds since it arrived in New York City in 1999. It is spread through the bite of a mosquito and has been detected in 250 avian species. Some have been devastated by the virus. American Crows, for example, experienced a 45 percent decline throughout the nation. North American raptors (birds of prey) are very sensitive to the virus, especially those living near swamps and rivers. Some of our birds came to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History from rehab centers and still exhibit lasting effects of West Nile virus. Venus, our female Bald Eagle, recovered from the virus but now grows defective flight feathers. Arwen the Red-tailed Hawk and Big Mama the Great Horned Owl both have neurological issues caused by West Nile. Getting this vaccine will protect our birds from this potentially deadly virus.

In addition to vaccinating and examining them physically, our veterinarian draws blood from the birds so we can get a full picture of their health. This spring all of our blood results came back healthy, except for our Eastern Screech-Owl, Easo. The results indicated that Easo’s liver is not functioning properly. With this knowledge, the wildlife staff was able to prescribe an appropriate daily dosage of liver medications. Our collaborating veterinarians are a major factor in the health and well-being of our resident animals and their time and effort is much appreciated by the Perkins Wildlife Center staff.

Kaitlyn Gabriel
CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Peregrine Falcon Chick Banding 2012!

This morning was the banding ceremony at the Terminal Tower Peregrine Falcon nest site! Only one chick hatched this year and it was determined to be a female. She is not named at this point but suggestions were given to Ohio Division of Wildlife staff and the choice will be released at a later date.

The chick was found to be in good health, free of parasites, and on the plump side. Being an only child has advantages. Namely, all of the food and parental attention!

Mother falcon SW continues to run a successful nest. One can observe the scrape online via the FalconCam.

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org

Michelle Leighty
CMNH Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager

Turtles!

Wildlife Specialist Kaitlyn Gabriel teaches about the Eastern Box Turtle and the Painted Turtle in this Creature Feature video:

Fish Crows in Ohio!

I wrote a short article for the Kirtland Bird Club (http://www.kirtlandbirdclub.org) about the Fish Crow nest CMNH Curator of Ornithology Dr. Andy Jones and I found last week and thought I should share it on the Wildlife Blog as well:

When I woke up on April 22nd, did I think I would be spending my day dashing back and forth across the busy intersection of Cedar and Green in University Heights with a recording device, or riding in the passenger seat of a car with my head out the window following a crow? Of course not, but it was the perfect way to spend Earth Day 2012.

The adventure began when Andy returned to our home from the grocery store with some edibles and the comment that he might have seen a Fish Crow in the parking lot. Seconds after unpacking the groceries (keeping a bag of chips for the road) and grabbing a camera, we were off! I wanted to see this possible Fish Crow while I had the chance! And maybe even help confirm its identity.

I would not call myself an expert on crows, but I do have an advantage over many people; for the past six years I have been caring for the animals in the Perkins Wildlife Center at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the captive American Crows are counted amongst my favorites. And in exchange, I am counted amongst their favorite humans. That is what I assume, anyway, since every day when I enter their exhibit, within a minute I have one crow sitting on each of my shoulders and cawing in my ears. Up until the moment I was in the Heinen's parking lot scrutinizing the crow in question, I hadn't realized the full advantage of this squawking in my eardrums. But as soon as I heard our parking lot crow's vocalization, I agreed with Andy. It was not like any of the typical American Crow calls I was so used to hearing. Andy knew what Fish Crows sound like and I knew what American Crows do not sound like and our suspicion was growing.

It was time to document! After we spent several minutes running between grocery store and gas station parking lots with the recording unit and camera, our crow flew south, and the chase was on! Andy drove while I searched and soon we were tracking the bird through a Shaker Heights neighborhood. When the crow landed and we had parked the car, we were surprised to find that our possible Fish Crow had become six possible Fish Crows, with a nest to boot! We spent that afternoon observing the colony, and returned the following morning. When we felt confident with our identification, Andy hit the listservs with our photos and audio files, and crow experts agreed with the assessment. We had found the first documented Fish Crow nest in Ohio!

Michelle Leighty
Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager

Some photos of the Fish Crows and nest (click to enlarge):

Turkey Vulture Creature Feature

Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager Michelle Leighty discusses the cool behaviors/disgusting habits of Turkey Vultures in this Creature Feature video:

New Kid on the Block

The Wildlife Resources department is pleased to announce it recently added a new member to its collection, an American Bullfrog named "Frogger."

Frogger was found as a tadpole by a young boy living in the Shaker Heights area in 2007. As an adult frog she became too difficult to care for so she was donated to the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, where she lived for some time. She recently was transferred to CMNH for use in our live animal programs.



Bullfrogs lay about 20,000 eggs at a time which then hatch 4-5 days later. They stay in the tadpole stage for the entire summer, hibernate under the mud and then finish metamorphosis the following August or September. So Frogger is about 5 or 6 years old. American Bullfrogs live an average of 8 to 10 years in the wild but in captivity can live for much longer. We hope to have Frogger as part of our collection for many years to come to teach visitors about amphibians.

Bullfrogs get their name from the distinctive call the male uses to announce his presence to females and to let other males know his territory. While many describe the sound as "jug-o-rum," others think it sounds similar to a cow mooing. This is where the "bull" part of the name comes from. The vocalization can be heard up to a quarter of a mile away.

Bullfrogs can be found living in most calm freshwater bodies of water in the United States. They were native only in the eastern and central United States until they were introduced to the Pacific Northwest in the 1920's as a food source. This introduction has led to competition with other small species of frogs for territory and food.

American Bullfrogs are opportunistic hunters. They lie in wait at night for small animals to cross their paths and will jump out with mouths open to grab their meals. They will eat just about anything that fits in their mouths including insects, small reptiles, mice, and the occasional bird. Their mouths do get fairly large considering that these frogs can get up to 8 inches long and weigh around 1.5 pounds. Some bullfrogs have been known to be as heavy as 3 pounds.

While you cannot see a bullfrog this time of the year in your backyard, you can join us at Cleveland Museum of Natural History where you just might meet Frogger doing an educational program!

Traci Lambert, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Valentine's Day in the Animal Kingdom

Today is Valentine's Day, a time for us humans to express our love for one another. Although animals don't give boxes of chocolates with pretty ribbons, they do have some interesting rituals to impress potential mates.

The Bald Eagle is famous for being the national symbol of the United States. Avid bird watchers, however, know them for their amazing Cartwheel Display. In this aerial ritual, a pair flies to great heights and then locks talons as they do “cartwheels” plummeting down towards the ground. They only break apart at the very last moment.

Eastern Screech Owl males approach females while vocalizing, bobbing their heads, and winking their eyes slowly. If a female accepts his advances, she will put her bill next to his and they will preen each other.

The males of many bird species bring food to the females. A male Northern Cardinal will offer seeds to its mate, placing the seed in the female's bill. Male American Kestrels will bring food to a perch and announce the offering with a call and a fluttering flight. The female perches next to the male and they each bow their heads several times before the female takes the mouse or large insect from the talons of her mate.

A male Eastern Box Turtle chases his intended mate and nips at her shell or chin.

In possibly the most fascinating mating display, Snowshoe Hare males jump and urinate on the females from midair! The female sometimes does the same to the male.

To learn more about the interesting rituals of Ohio’s wildlife, come visit Perkins Wildlife Center and catch one of our live animal programs every Saturday and Sunday at 1 PM and 3 PM.

Kaitlyn Gabriel, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Groundhog Fun Day News Report

Groundhog Fun Day was a huge success! WKYC Channel 3 covered the event. The video of the footage, featuring Director of Wildlife Resources Harvey Webster, Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager Michelle Leighty, and Lake Erie Eddie the Groundhog, can be seen below.

Groundhog Fun Day 2012!

Groundhog Fun Day 2012 is just one week away! Join the Wildlife staff and Eddie the Whistle Pig in celebrating on Saturday, January 28th!

Butcher Bird Spotlight

Each of the animals at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History has a story. They are animals that for one reason or another cannot be released or returned to the wild. The safest place for them is in captivity, and here they have the opportunity to educate thousands of visitors each year.

This is Lindsay, our Loggerhead Shrike. She was hatched in July of 2002 with a deformed beak. Her upper beak does not grow as it should, which allows her lower beak to become too overgrown. Her beak requires routine trims by the wildlife staff. If she lived in the wild she would not be able to hunt food properly and would not survive.




In the wild she would normally use her hooked beak to kill mice, birds and insects and then impale them on thorny branches to easily rip them apart. Shrikes are given the nickname “Butcher Bird.”

The Loggerhead Shrike was common in Ohio in the 1930s but their populations began to decline due to habitat loss. Sightings are rare in Ohio today.


Melissa Terwilliger, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Raccoon Creature Feature

In this video Wildlife Specialist Katie Overholser introduces Brad, Kelly, and Nobbum, CMNH's resident raccoons.

Wildlife Summer Intern Experience

Darryl Pronty, Animal Science student at The Ohio State University and CMNH Wildlife intern from the summer of 2011, blogged about his museum internship experience.

Check it out at this link:

http://studentblogs.cfaes.ohio-state.edu/2012/01/day-at-the-museum/#.TwsTt9dS-RU.facebook

Groundhog Artwork

Eddie the Groundhog and I had fun with paint today! A few bottles of non-toxic paint and a couple of canvases resulted in an engaging enrichment activity for Eddie and two great animal artwork pieces. Eddie's paintings will be raffled off at our Groundhog Fun-day event on Saturday, January 28th.

Two of the finished paintings:

More information on Groundhog Fun-day can be found at this link:

http://www.cmnh.org/site/ClassesandPrograms/SpecialEvents/Groundhog.aspx

We look forward to seeing you there!




Michelle Leighty, Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager