CMNH Wildlife Blog

Groundhog Fun Day News Report

2012-01-29T14:29:00.003-05:00

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!

2012-01-21T08:08:00.003-05:00

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

2012-01-13T16:18:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-09T15:11:00.003-05:00

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

Wildlife Summer Intern Experience

2012-01-09T11:55:00.001-05:00

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

2012-01-04T22:03:00.001-05:00

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

Winter Coat

2011-12-04T11:31:00.000-05:00

Huxley the Red Fox is looking very handsome these days as he prepares for the approaching Ohio winter by growing a thick warm coat. The animals in the Perkins Wildlife Center can be viewed year-round in their outdoor habitats so be sure to bring YOUR coat and venture outside to see them!

Shedding Snake

2011-11-28T12:40:00.003-05:00

Wildlife Specialist Melissa Terwilliger recently took this great video of Webster the Corn Snake shedding his skin!

The Passing of an Eagle

2011-11-23T10:13:00.004-05:00

On November 19th, Saturn the Bald Eagle was euthanized after a long life at CMNH. Director of Wildlife Resources Harvey Webster wrote the following for museum staff:

In 1985 Saturn was pulled from a nest in Michigan as a nestling by a wildlife biologist who, while banding the eaglets in the nest, noticed a large lesion on Saturn's head that seemed to involve his eye. Concerned that the eaglet would be blind in that eye, the biologist took him to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for treatment. The lesion proved to be a large hematoma. Saturn was treated but by the time he was healthy enough for release, he had become too human oriented and tame and thus unsuitable for release.

He was placed in our facility in 1986. He was originally held off display and trained for program use and as a semen donor in our eagle breeding project. He was then placed on display in our original eagle aviary with 'Martha II' and they were displayed together for twelve years. They had one eaglet in 1990. Upon her passing, he was our lone display eagle until we obtained Venus in 2006.

He was diagnosed with a neuro-myopathy of his leg in 2002. He was examined, x-rayed, ultra-sounded and even cat-scanned at the Ohio State University Vet School. The wasting of the leg muscles of his bad leg was clearly apparent but the underlying cause was never discovered. Thus all we could do for him was manage his pain with anti-inflammatories and analgesics.

Although he and Venus seemed to be very compatible, his listing behavior became so exaggerated that he was no longer suited for public exhibit. So when we had the opportunity to obtain Orion from the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, we grabbed at it and pulled Saturn off and put Orion on display. Saturn was then moved to the Raptor Center where his condition has worsened over the past 3 years. And thus the course of action on Saturday.

And though I would have hoped to have Saturn here far longer, 26 is a very respectable age for an eagle.

With 25 years here at CMNH, he has been a great bird, handsome, spirited, majestic and has thrilled millions of CMNH visitors. My hope is that he touched those people as he touched us and helped spread a message of respect and conservation of these noble raptors to a large and diverse audience. He will be missed.

Best,

Harvey

Snowshoe Hare Creature Feature

2011-10-28T15:42:00.001-04:00

CMNH Wildlife Specialist Traci Lambert teaches about Lucky and Ned the Snowshoe Hares.

Reptiles in Winter

2011-10-27T12:59:00.003-04:00

So...it is getting close to that time of year again...winter. Humans can bundle up or stay indoors when it gets blustery but what about our native wildlife? Most of us know that mammals grow thicker coats and a larger layer of fat to keep themselves warm in the winter. Most birds insulate themselves by puffing out layers of feathers to trap air near their skin or huddle in groups with family members to stay toasty.

What about some of Ohio's reptiles? Ohio's snakes and turtles have no way of adapting their bodies to the cold temperatures they will face in the winter. Many reptiles seek shelter in holes or burrows of other animals and spend the winter dormant or inactive. Large numbers of snakes (even of different species) will share the same burrow. A reptile's system slows down during the winter months and as its metabolism decreases, its heart rate drops and it needs very little oxygen. Reptiles need very little food and water, if any, during this time.

Bodies of water are an ideal spot for many reptiles during winter. They can hide underneath rocks and logs, and even bury themselves in mud to keep warm. Painted turtles can dig up to 18 inches below a pond's bottom. They can get the oxygen they need from the water right through their skin. Terrestrial turtles, such as box turtles, dig holes in the earth to crawl into as the temperature starts to cool. They can also alter their blood composition during the winter months to keep from freezing.

To hear more about reptiles and other native Ohio wildlife and meet some in person, visit the museum for our live animal programs at 1pm and 3pm every Saturday and Sunday!

Melissa Terwilliger, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Bald Eagle Creature Feature

2011-10-11T21:25:00.000-04:00

Director of Wildlife Resources Harvey Webster discusses Bald Eagles, including Venus and Orion, the two on exhibit in the Perkins Wildlife Center:

Enrichment Cages!

2011-10-06T14:44:00.013-04:00

The animals that are used for classes and programs are kept in cages in the indoor portion of the wildlife center, located in one of the museum's lower levels. These areas are not as roomy as the exhibits outside in the Perkins Wildlife Center and Woods Garden.

The wildlife staff must therefore work hard to give all of the animals housed indoors a chance to stretch their legs by allowing them access to one of the large "enrichment cages." The wildlife specialists custom design the spaces for each individual species. For example, an enrichment cage (e-cage for short) for a groundhog may have numerous tubs of mulch and dirt in which to dig and tunnels made out of PVC pipes. An e-cage for a turtle might have water tubs, rocks, branches and other greenery, and interesting scents.

The above video shows Willow and Lilac, the baby skunks, enjoying the extra space of a toy-filled e-cage by running and playing. The video below showcases an e-cage set up for Dora the opossum, complete with plenty of high branches to climb and a rope-and-log swing!

There is also an outdoor e-cage for the animals to get sunlight and fresh air. The snakes and turtles particularly enjoy basking in the sunshine on warm days. Eddie the groundhog is pictured below having a ball in the outdoor enrichment cage.

Michelle Leighty
Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager

White-tailed Deer Creature Feature

2011-09-19T20:19:00.001-04:00

Director of Wildlife Resources Harvey Webster introduces Artemis, Baby, and Ginny:

Junior Veterinary Camp

2011-08-25T12:22:00.013-04:00

The Wildlife Resources staff and animals had a great summer helping out with two sessions of Junior Veterinary Camp! Here are some highlights (click images to enlarge):

Photos by Jeff Day

Michelle Leighty doing a training demonstration with the bobcats:

Dylan Beach restrains a Great Horned Owl for a talon and beak trimming:

Joe Dell'Anno teaches about the medications for some of the animals:

Campers learn how to put the medications in food (including mice and quail!) for the animals:

Michelle Leighty talks about a Barn Owl before another beak trimming demo:

Melissa Terwilliger and campers prepare paper-mache enrichment items:

A bobcat investigates:

Campers with the scarecrow they made for the deer and Wild Turkey:

It was a hit:

Campers watch as Melissa station trains with the raccoons:

Learn more about CMNH summer camps at this link:

http://www.cmnh.org/site/ClassesandPrograms/SummerCamps.aspx

River Otter Creature Feature

2011-08-02T19:22:00.000-04:00

Wildlife Specialist Nikki McClellan shares some information about Lucy and Linus the river otters in this video:

Skunklets!

2011-07-28T12:37:00.007-04:00

One week ago the wildlife department acquired two female baby skunks, Willow and Lilac. The captive-born, hand-raised kits will be trained by the wildlife staff for use in educational programs. Pictured below is Lilac on the day she arrived at the museum.

The wildlife staff is enjoying socializing the young skunks and acclimating them to their new home. Both Willow and Lilac are responding well to their surroundings and like playing with each other and (to our delight) with the wildlife specialists.

Michelle Leighty
Perkins Wildlife Center Co-Manager

Red-tailed Hawk Creature Feature

2011-07-26T13:03:00.002-04:00

In this video Wildlife Specialist Dylan Beach talks about Meep, our male Red-tailed Hawk:

Coral Reef of Creatures

2011-07-23T10:18:00.002-04:00

The Climate Change exhibit opens at the museum today, and includes a living component of a coral reef which the Wildlife Resources staff helps maintain.

Check out this video with Director of Wildlife Resources Harvey Webster to learn more!

Peregrine Falcon Creature Feature

2011-05-25T12:28:00.000-04:00

Wildlife Specialist Melissa Terwilliger introduces Horus, our newest Peregrine Falcon in this video:

Make Way For Ducklings!

2011-05-20T22:37:00.001-04:00

Check out the freshly-hatched ducklings in the museum's courtyard!

Red Fox Creature Feature

2011-04-21T12:31:00.001-04:00

Wildlife Specialist Michelle Leighty introduces Huxley the red fox in this Creature Feature video:

Feeding the Raccoons on their Stations

2011-04-14T15:00:00.005-04:00

I took this video a couple of days ago while I was feeding the raccoons, Nobbum, Kelly, and Brad.

They are trained to stand on assigned stations (in this case large tree stumps) before getting their food. There are several reasons the wildlife specialists have trained the raccoons to exhibit this behavior. One is that it is an easy way to keep track of how much food the raccoons are eating and to make sure each is getting its fair share. Feeding them this way also prevents aggression and fighting that may result if the food was scattered around the exhibit. One of the raccoons is on a daily supplement and it is very easy to hand her the medicine in food on the station and ensure that one of the others is not getting it instead. Station training is also helpful for weighing the animals. The wildlife specialists can place a scale on top of the stump and then ask the raccoon to stand on it. Daily training exercises also help keep the animals mentally healthy.

Michelle Leighty, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

2011-04-05T21:15:00.000-04:00

Meet Horus, one of our most recent additions! Horus is a juvenile peregrine falcon, born in captivity in the spring of 2010. When an animal is born in captivity, many times it is not releasable into the wild. The animal can start to identify with humans rather than its own kind, which is called “imprinting.” Although they may still have some wild instincts, they lack basic survival skills, which they would normally learn from imitating their wild parents.

Horus is an imprint and needed a permanent place where he could stay and live a great life. In the late spring/early summer of 2010, Horus arrived at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Currently, Horus is being trained as an education bird. He will travel to schools, events and classes in and around the museum, in order to teach people the remarkable story of the peregrine falcon.

Before WWII, the estimated number of breeding pairs of peregrines was between 350 and 400 in the eastern United States. However, due to predators, human disturbance and pesticides their populations began to decline. After WWII, the peregrine population was thought to be extinct in the eastern US. Populations still remained in the west but were declining quickly. In the 1970s, DDT, an insecticide and large culprit in peregrine decline, was banned in the US. With the banning of this chemical, along with a Peregrine Recovery Plan established by the government, peregrine numbers were soon on the rise.

Today we have 39 peregrine nesting sites just in the state of Ohio alone!

Melissa Terwilliger, Wildlife Specialist

Bobcat Training Session

2011-02-23T22:47:00.009-05:00

Wildlife Specialist Joe Dell'anno conducts a training session with bobcats Bob and Bitty (click images to enlarge):

photos by Wildlife Specialist Michelle Leighty

Otters in the Snow

2011-02-08T11:32:00.001-05:00

Here is a video I took this morning of river otters Lucy and Linus enjoying their snowy exhibit - prepare for cute overload!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Virginia Opossum Creature Feature

2011-01-28T22:17:00.000-05:00

Meet Dixie and Dora, the baby opossums!

Groundhog Fun-day 2011

2011-01-27T10:23:00.002-05:00

Join us for Groundhog Fun-day on Saturday, January 29th!

Striped Skunk Creature Feature

2011-01-26T19:23:00.000-05:00

Harvey Webster, Director of Wildlife Resources, shows off Chrissy the Striped Skunk in this Creature Feature:

Happy Turkey Day

2010-11-25T12:05:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Jake the Wild Turkey!

Winter Preparations

2010-11-23T11:40:00.002-05:00

First comes Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and before you know it there is two feet of snow on the ground. How do you prepare for winter? Do you put warm comforters on your bed, crank up the thermostat, or put on cozy sweaters? Our animals at the museum make their own preparations for the winter months.

Our snowshoe hares are some of our coolest winter creatures. As the weather turns cold, these hares gradually turn from a summer brown to a winter white! Their ears, feet, and entire bodies turn a snowball white, providing them with camouflage against winter’s snowy backdrop. More than just a defensive aid, the white fur provides better insulation. It lacks the pigment melanin and is slightly hollow, which allows for more air space within each hair and thus more insulation.

Snowshoe hares have another winter adaptation besides changing color. Their feet are so large relative to their body size that they actually spread out the force of their weight, letting them hop on top of the snow without falling through. It’s like they have their own built-in snowshoes!

Our other mammals change too. The foxes, bobcats, and raccoons grow thick, bushy coats to help them fight off the harsh winter cold and just about every animal puts on a few extra pounds as an extra layer of warmth. Many animals that live in cold climates develop a type of fat known as “brown” fat. The sole purpose of brown fat when used by the body is to produce heat.

If the animals still aren’t warm enough with all of these winter adaptations they can always cuddle. Our raccoons, bobcats, and otters can often be seen snuggling, sharing body heat. Come to the museum in the winter and maybe you’ll see three gray and black fuzzy lumps sharing a log or even two catlike faces with black-tufted ears staring back from inside their den.

Dylan Beach, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Owls & Howls Kidcam

2010-10-29T23:06:00.000-04:00

Creature Feature: Black Rat Snake

2010-10-22T22:21:00.000-04:00

Meet Onyx, one of the museum's Black Rat Snakes:

Name Our New Barn Owl!

2010-09-02T10:57:00.009-04:00

The CMNH Wildlife Resources department has a new male barn owl and you can help it name him! Follow this link to watch a video and cast your vote:

http://cmnh.org/site/AtTheMuseum/Wildlife/BarnOwl.aspx

He was hatched in captivity in April of this year and CMNH acquired him when he was just a couple of months old. The wildlife staff has been having a great time getting to know him this summer through his responses to enrichment and by glove training him for use in educational programs and live animal shows. He is not on display in one of the Perkins Wildlife Center exhibits, but he will frequently serve as an ambassador for his species in programs, classes, and outreach events. So be sure to keep an eye out for him and also help us choose his name!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Birds, Beasts, Brats & Beer photos

2010-08-27T18:44:00.012-04:00

Here are some photos from last night's event, taken by CMNH staff photographer Cory Molner (click images to enlarge).

bobcat training demo by Wildlife Specialists Nikki McClellan and Joe Dell'Anno:

CMNH Executive Director Dr. Evalyn Gates:

Wildlife Resources volunteer Peter Pesch with Tamarack the Great Horned Owl:

CMNH educator Nathan Taxel with Lightning the Red-tailed Boa:

Wildlife Specialist Michelle Leighty with male barn owl:

Wildlife Resources volunteer Claudia Bennett with iguana:

Birds, Beasts, Brats & Beer!

2010-08-26T13:58:00.003-04:00

Tonight from 6 - 8:30 p.m. is an annual event developed by the Nature League which showcases the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden and the creatures that inhabit it. Birds, Beasts, Brats & Beer is a casual evening with food, drinks, and entertainment in the form of live animal feeding, training, and enrichment demonstrations by the Wildlife Resources staff. Plan on seeing bobcat, fox, raccoon, and river otter demos as well as behind-the-scenes tours of the Raptor Center. Staff and trained volunteers will also be circulating with various birds of prey on gloves to invite intimate viewing opportunities. More information can be found here:

http://www.cmnh.org/product/SE075/BirdsBeastsBratsBeer.aspx

Come join in the fun!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH wildlife specialist

Spaulding's Stinky Towel

2010-07-07T14:47:00.004-04:00

The gray fox Spaulding enjoyed rubbing all over the scented towel he received for enrichment this afternoon. Check out the video and watch him go!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH wildlife specialist

Wildlife Brown Bag!

2010-06-22T11:07:00.005-04:00

The Wildlife Resources department will be presenting a brown bag seminar in Classroom B on Wednesday. All CMNH staff, volunteers, interns, and so on are encouraged to attend!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH wildlife specialist

Peregrine Falcon Banding

2010-05-21T08:13:00.017-04:00

Last week, the three peregrine falcon chicks on the Terminal Tower were banded by the Ohio Division of Wildlife. The small metal band around each bird's leg assigns it a unique letter and number combination, and with this identification tool various aspects of the individual's life can be tracked and studied, including territoriality, migration, longevity, reproduction, and so on.

The young birds were also physically examined and blood samples were collected for a DNA database. And they received their names: Arrow (female), Dart (female), and Spike (male).

I was lucky enough to attend the banding ceremony and take some photographs (click images to enlarge).

Before the Ohio Division of Wildlife biologists opened the window to access the nest on the building ledge, a "drawbridge" was raised which prevented the chicks from backing away and falling off the edge to the pavement twelve floors below. The drawbridge can be seen in the next photo, which also pictures the chicks being returned to the nest.

And finally, the drawbridge was lowered and SW (a.k.a. "Mom") was reunited with her freshly banded young.

Michelle Leighty
CMNH wildlife specialist

Phone Book for a Fox

2010-04-18T18:37:00.012-04:00

An extremely important part of the job of the CMNH wildlife specialists is to provide the animals living in the Perkins Wildlife Center with environmental and behavioral enrichment. Enrichment is any stimulus that captures an animal's interest and encourages healthy mental and physical activity. Enrichment comes in many forms, including (but certainly not limited to) scents, toys, novel items, training programs, varied feeding schedules, social interaction with humans and other animals, sounds, rearrangement of living spaces, and puzzles.

The wildlife staff strives to deliver engaging and effective enrichment to the animals on a daily basis. On a typical day, for instance, I may feed the otters their fish frozen inside of large ice blocks, give the raccoons food that has been hidden inside of boxes they must manipulate and open, train the bobcats to leap from platform to platfrom in their exhibit, play recordings of songbird vocalizations for the peregrine falcons, give an opossum-scented blanket to a fox, place a mirror inside of the crow enclosure, and fill a snake's tank with a novel substrate such as sand or shredded paper. The possibilities are numerous and the staff enjoys developing creative stimuli for our wildlife collection.

The primary goals of enrichment are to keep the animals mentally stimulated, encourage natural behaviors, increase physical activity, prevent neural disorders, and improve the overall quality of life of each individual.

Earlier today I took a short video of an example of enrichment for this blog. I presented Huxley the red fox with a phone book with some of his diet hidden inside. My goal was to encourage him to use his excellent sense of smell to detect the food, and also to encourage natural species-specific behaviors for a fox such as digging and tearing. Check out the video to see whether or not I was successful!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

2010 Terminal Tower Peregrine Falcons

2010-03-06T15:43:00.011-05:00

Many peregrine falcons make their homes in large cities, nesting on man-made structures such as skyscrapers, bridges, and power plants. These constructions are comparable to the cliff ledges and mountains where non-urban peregrines build their shallow nests, or scrapes.

One of CMNH's many educational projects is the FalconCam, which provides photographic coverage of the peregrine falcon scrape on the Terminal Tower in downtown Cleveland.

At the time of this blog post, the pair at this nest site consists of a female known as SW and a male named Ranger. This is SW's ninth year at the Terminal Tower and Ranger's first!

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of visiting the site on a trip to install new cameras for the FalconCam. With my own camera I was able to snap some photos of the action!

When we arrived Ranger was sitting in the nest box (click photos to enlarge):

Wildlife Resources director Harvey Webster attached the new cameras to the building while SW kept a close watch:

Later SW perched near the scrape and allowed me to photograph her:

The falcon activity at the nest can be monitored online 24 hours per day on the FalconCam website, found here:

http://www.falconcam-cmnh.org

Springtime is a particularly exciting time to check in on the falcons, as often there are eggs to observe and then newly hatched chicks to enjoy!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Second Annual Groundhog Sun-Day

2010-02-23T14:23:00.002-05:00

Well it’s been three weeks since our second annual Groundhog Day Celebration and Eddie, our groundhog, is getting back to normal.

It was a long process getting our little hoggy ready for his big stage appearance. In early December the wildlife staff began preparing Eddie for his big day. Since I have the pleasure of being Eddie’s primary keeper I was glad for the opportunity to spend some extra time with him.

Twice a day for six weeks we worked on a variety of behaviors: target, station, scale, and kennel. These are the behaviors that Eddie would be demonstrating to the crowd in Murch Auditorium on Groundhog Sunday. The first three weeks of training we worked exclusively in the Animal Room, where Eddie resides. It was during these sessions that Eddie had free run of the Animal Room. He really seemed to enjoy exploring every nook and cranny and on more than one occasion his poor whiskers were so weighed down with the accumulation of cobwebs that he looked like a well-used mop.

For the following three weeks, fellow wildlife specialist Michelle and I took Eddie to the Auditorium to desensitize him to the stage and the acoustics of the room. Eddie, being a true showman at heart, did exceptionally well.

Attendance at the museum during our Groundhog celebration was just shy of 1000 visitors. There were plenty of activities for young and old alike: tunneling like a groundhog through a makeshift burrow, face painting, crafts and activities, story time, and live animal programs highlighting Ohio hibernators. But the main attraction was Eddie. During Eddie’s Auditorium debut, visitors were entertained as well as educated as to the wondrous ways of one of Ohio’s true hibernators. After the show visitors were invited on stage to get an up-close encounter with Eddie via a plexi-glass corral constructed just for this purpose.

It was a great day and I eagerly await next year’s Celebration. Until then we will let Eddie just sleep the rest of the winter away. Oh to be a Groundhog…

Danette Rushboldt
Wildlife Specialist

Otter Update!

2009-12-28T19:19:00.014-05:00

Everything is going swimmingly in the river otter exhibit in the Perkins Wildlife Center!

The naming contest for the new male otter came to a dramatic close, with the name "Linus" edging out "Harry P. Otter" for the win. Thank you to everyone who voted!

Lucy and Linus have been introduced and get along famously. They can be seen on display together every day, and pass their time playfully wrestling on land and splashing in their pool. During periods of relaxation they have been spotted nuzzling each other.

Linus has recently been showing off a new behavior. With the abundant snowfall in Cleveland, he has been spending a great deal of time sliding around the slippery exhibit on his back. Perhaps this is the first winter he has experienced snow; he is from Louisiana after all. Fortunately, he seems to otterly enjoy it, and visitors and staff alike are delighting in watching him bound and dive through the snow piles.

Michelle Leighty, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Name That Otter!

2009-08-01T14:00:00.028-04:00

He is small, dark, and handsome. And at the moment, nameless.

His pastimes include rolling in mulch, swimming to the bottom of his pool, and eating raw fish. Visitors to the Perkins Wildlife Center can observe him interacting with enrichment items, relaxing in the pond, and exploring the trees and logs and mud of his exhibit.

“He” is the museum’s new adult male North American river otter, who is adapting quite nicely to his new home, which he shares with the playful female otter, Lucy.

Staff members have been temporarily calling the little guy “Lucky,” but we have run into a few obstacles with this moniker. For one, “Lucky” and “Lucy” differ in spelling by merely a single letter, so at a quick glance it is very easy to confuse the two names. For instance, on the labels on their food containers. And on their medical files. And training paperwork. And enrichment records. And so on. Additionally, the names are fairly similar when spoken aloud, which could lead to confusion for the animals when we train them together on exhibit. As a solution, we have decided that Lucky needs an official name and that the public should have some input, and thus, a naming contest has been born!

We compiled a list of name suggestions and then held a top secret meeting to narrow down the choices, which will appear in a poll on the museum’s website. It was a difficult job eliminating many great submissions, and I am sorry to report that my own entry of “Officer Torpedo” did not make the cut. We selected four notable options, so keep checking the website and cast your vote!

In the meantime, the soon-to-be-officially-named male otter is having a fine time familiarizing himself with his new abode and the wildlife staff. We are also in the process of introducing him to Lucy, which is going well, and we hope the pair will be romping on exhibit together in the very near future. Be sure to visit Perkins to see him, and also be sure to vote for his name!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

"Ribbit"

2009-07-24T11:49:00.031-04:00

Whoa, the Vernal Pool is erupting with green frogs! You can find it at the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden, the 2.2-acre outdoor gallery adjoining the Museum via a glass-enclosed exhibit space off of Kirtland Hall. More specifically, the Vernal Pool is next to the Eastern Screech-Owl Exhibit just across from the Song Bird Aviary. This pool teems with amphibian, invertebrate, and plant life both above and below the surface year-round, but is most visible RIGHT NOW. Vernal pools are temporary woodland and meadow pools that naturally hold snowmelt and rain runoff in the spring and early summer.

Some vernal pools, such as the pools at Mentor Marsh, are actively managed to enhance species success. Plants that may be found in vernal pools are: keeled bur-reed, yellow water lily, and pickerel weed. Many species of salamanders, frogs, and toads also use these pools for breeding. Aquatic insects, such as some dragonfly and damselfly species, find vernal pools a perfect habitat. The Museum’s Stewardship Program has restored vernal pools at the Grand River Terraces and Mentor Marsh. In visiting the Perkins’ Vernal Pool exhibit this summer you will undoubtedly get a close-up encounter with green frogs and possibly hear their call. They sound like a loose banjo string. Look for adults, tadpoles and 'froglets' - individuals in the transitional state between tadpole and adult.

Can you find the green frog hidden in the photo?!?

Marty Calabrese, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Groundhog Sun-day!

2009-01-19T08:48:00.005-05:00

February 2nd marks the annual celebration of Groundhog Day, where legend has it that my favorite rodent, the groundhog, rouses from his long winter sleep to peek out of his underground den. If he sees his shadow - six more weeks of winter. If he doesn't - then spring is on the way!

Even though groundhogs can't really predict the seasons, Americans have celebrated this time-honored tradition since 1886. Fortunately, this year you don’t have to travel to Gobbler’s Knob to see Punxsutawney Phil. Instead, you can have a hog-tastic time right here at the museum on Sunday, February 1, 2009 and see our very own “Lake Erie Eddie” in his debut Groundhog Day celebration.

I decided to enlist Eddie, our one and a half year old orphaned groundhog for his first official Groundhog Day. The plan is to have Eddie come out from behind the stage…wait a minute, I can’t tell you what he will be doing, you have to come and see for yourself!

In preparation, I have been training Eddie, and after a small experiment I discovered Eddie’s favorite food; bananas. I use bananas and peanuts to reinforce him when he does a behavior correctly. The problem was bananas are REALLY messy when being fed to a groundhog, not to mention he takes a long time to eat them. Instead, I use dried banana chips and boy does he love them! Eddie is particularly interested in learning. He knows when the kennel comes out in the afternoon that he is going to the auditorium for a training session. Even though groundhogs are not the swiftest of critters, there is a bounce to his step in anticipation of the ultimate enrichment. Stage fright does not appear to be a problem for Eddie as he likes to show off how well he does at a number of behaviors. Eddie will follow his trainer, touch a target pole, sit up, wave, and climb on a tree stump.

In addition to Eddie's performance, there will lots of other cool things to do - crafts, demonstrations, and the Hibernator's Hall of Fame!

So, be sure to come out and meet Eddie, learn some fun things, and have a good time doing it on Sunday February 1, 2009 from 12-4. Free with museum admission.

Robyn Kaltenbach, Senior Wildlife Specialist

Snout Showcase!

2008-11-25T10:41:00.070-05:00

As part of my job as a wildlife specialist I often photograph our animals, whether it be to document some sort of health condition for our vets or to accumulate pictures to use for this blog. I have frequently noticed upon entering exhibits with my camera that the animals become very curious about the strange contraption I am holding near my face. And their most common response? To smell it. And thus I have found myself with a respectable collection of native Ohio nose shots. While I was sorting through some of the photos I decided to write a blog entry showcasing the snouts of a few of the animals that live at the museum.

I will begin with the red fox. As a member of the Canidae family, the fox’s sense of smell is outstanding. When he inhales, scented particles are drawn into the mucous-filled nasal cavity where they are analyzed by sensory cells. The air is then forced out the nares on the sides of the nose so it does not interfere with the new incoming smells. Accordingly, when Huxley is done sniffing my camera he can catch a whiff of his lunch of rats and fish without wasting a breath.

Turkey vultures also have a great sense of smell, which is rather unusual for birds. Their beaks have large nasal cavities lacking a septum to divide the nostrils. They predominantly feed upon carrion, and their acute sense of smell allows them to detect mercaptan, one of the gases emitted during the decay of dead animals. They prefer the meat to be freshly deceased and only just beginning to release the chemical. Mmm, mercaptan, nothing whets the appetite quite like it.

The box turtle has small nostrils, but its sense of smell is still quite keen. Box turtles use it primarily to find food such as snails, worms, roots, eggs, berries, and fish. Like the turkey vulture, the box turtle has been known to track down and eat road kill! Luckily for both species, they have bald heads and beaks which are easy to keep clean and the pesky buildup of carcass guts stays at a minimum.

The white-tailed deer is another animal with powerful olfactory capabilities. In addition to using its nose to find food, the deer depends on it to detect predators from great distances. The deer will lick its nose to keep it moist, aiding the hundreds of thousands of sensors inside with scent processing. Deer also use scent as an important method of communication and to establish social hierarchy within a herd. You have to have a pretty good sniffer to determine the sex, age, and breeding condition of another deer based on the urine scent mixed with tarsal gland odor it left behind on the ground.

The final snout I will showcase is that of the opossum. While the opossum nose also has an ample capacity for sniffing, it is extremely long for another reason. Opossums have more teeth than any other land mammal. And with a mouth full of fifty choppers, a magnificent muzzle is a necessity!

Michelle Leighty, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Falcons in the City

2008-10-12T14:42:00.034-04:00

Last week along with our many human visitors, we were lucky enough to have three wild peregrine falcons visit Perkins Wildlife Center! These “neighborhood” falcons were drawn to their captive counterparts Lou and Jean, a retired breeding pair from South Dakota living in our Peregrine Falcon Exhibit. Peregrines are best known for their astonishing flight speed. These swift raptors tuck in their wings in order to reduce drag and further improve velocity (see photos). It is commonly said that peregrines may exceed 200 mph during their downward stoop (a.k.a. dive-bomb)! As a species, the peregrine falcon is considered Threatened in the state of Ohio. Our city buildings have allowed for a steady rise in population thanks to numerous window-ledge nesting sites. The next time you’re at Perkins Wildlife Center getting an up close and personal look at Lou and Jean, don’t forget to also keep your eyes in the sky! For more information about local peregrine falcons, visit www.falconcam-cmnh.org.

Marty Calabrese, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Photos by Chad and Chris Saladin

Remembering Harry

2008-09-29T15:24:00.005-04:00

Harry was a Red-tailed Hawk. He came to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 1977 with a permanently injured wing. Though he had only limited ability to fly, he was adept at hopping from perch to perch in the cages of the Perkins Wildlife Center. He was a fixture on display and millions of visitors over the years enjoyed him sitting regally on a high perch in the Woods Garden. They learned about the ever adaptable Red-tailed Hawk and how it has become one of the most common and widely distributed raptor species in North America.

Harry's career came to an end last week. He settled down for morning feeding and was found dead an hour later. A necropsy revealed he had sustained a heart attack with liver and kidney complications. He did not appear to suffer.

Harry's remarkable life spanned over three decades. He had been at the Museum for 31 years and he was an adult when accessioned in 1977. So he was at least 33 years old! Remember most Red-tailed hawks are lucky to live ten years in the wild. And remember only 25% reach their first birthday.

And finally remember Harry, one remarkable Red-tailed Hawk!

Harvey Webster
Director of Wildlife Resources

CREATURE FEATURE: Mac

2008-08-31T09:35:00.006-04:00

The Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden celebrates Ohio’s native animals and plants. This 2.2-acre outdoor gallery adjoins the museum via a glass-enclosed exhibit space off of Kirtland Hall. Be sure to take a close look at the Vernal Pool (seasonal pond) teeming with amphibian and invertebrate life. The collection of live-animal ambassadors however does not end there! Within the Museum’s labyrinth of basement hallways there exists the Wildlife Resource Center, aka “Animal Room.” Among the many mammals, herptiles, and even birds in the Animal Room is Mac the spotted salamander, whose name is derived from the second part of its scientific name, Ambystoma maculatum.

Why do we have a spotted salamander? A legislative bill in November of 2007 designated the spotted salamander as the official state amphibian of Ohio. This celebrity is lost on spotted salamanders. They are seldom seen because of their secretive and nocturnal lifestyle, spending most of their time underground and out of sight. However they put their fossorial mode of life on hold come spring-time when they migrate in large numbers to ephemeral breeding ponds (vernal pools). Those intrepid explorers who venture out into the rain on the first mild night after the ice has thawed can often-times be rewarded with the sight of hundreds of migrating spotted salamanders.

The Amphibia class is represented in Ohio by roughly 15 species of frogs and toads and 25 species of salamanders! They represent an ancient and diverse line of organisms. However for all their evolutionary success and longevity, there are serious concerns about their future. A worldwide decline in the numbers of amphibians has resulted in more than one third of amphibian species classified as threatened or endangered. Threats such as habitat destruction, invasive species, disease, and global climate change are to blame. This biodiversity crisis and increased rate of extinction is unfortunately the result of human activities. For more information on amphibian decline and what you can do to help mediate this biodiversity crisis, please visit the Museum’s "Toad-ily Frogs" exhibit through November 30, 2008.

When does Mac meet the public? Mac meets the public during our fun and educational science and nature programs; please visit http://www.cmnh.org/site/ClassesAndPrograms.aspx for a Class & Program overview. Our educators are experts at bringing science to all ages, from preschoolers to adults, and they work closely with Museum researchers to bring you the most current information available.

Marty Calabrese, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Animal Olympians

2008-08-25T20:14:00.000-04:00

After four years of anticipation, the XXIX Summer Olympics have come and gone. Many people tune in to follow the elite athletes do what they do best. These events make me realize the incredible things the human body is capable of with discipline and lots of training. However, it also makes me think about how despite all the talent in the world, we will never attain the talents seen in the natural world.

Part of our responsibilities as wildlife specialists, and a particular pleasure of mine, is doing live animal programs utilizing our collection of exhibit animals and small mammals and reptiles not seen on exhibit. Along with educating the public about the wildlife in their backyards, I like to showcase something extraordinary about each animal I talk about. One of the things I do is come up with a catchy theme that links all of the animals in my program to keep me on task and to elicit a take home message.

How absolutely perfect! I can talk about the physical abilities of Ohio’s wildlife and call them the Animal Olympians. With only natural ability, animals can achieve amazing feats, feats that man can only achieve with artificial means. Visitors can get up close and personal with the Michael Phelps of the animal world, also known as the North American River Otter, bobcats-the high jump champions, peregrine falcons-the speed champions, reaching over 200 miles per hour, striped skunks-marksmanship, and even Virginia opossums for their gymnastic ability (kinda)!

As the Olympics come to an end, as do our daily programs. However we will still be doing shows Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 and 3:00. As always these programs are free with paid admission and are sure to be a worthy experience for the young and the young at heart, so be sure to check us out.

Robyn Kaltenbach, Senior Wildlife Specialist

The Dog Days of Summer

2008-08-16T07:54:00.001-04:00

With the Dog Days of Summer upon us I would like to introduce you to a very special member of the dog family here at the Perkins Wildlife Center - Huxley, a five year old red fox. Huxley came to live at Perkins in the summer of 2007. He is a special animal at Perkins for me in that I have had the pleasure of training him. I think we have a very good working relationship that is hopefully very rewarding for both of us (I know it is for me). The training technique that we use here at the museum is one of positive reinforcement. That means we never punish our animals but rather try to reward them at the very moment when they are doing what we want. The animal then associates the behavior we are trying to elicit with a reward. Since Huxley is a very food oriented animal, he LOVES food rewards for reinforcement. For Huxley a nice piece of fish, ground meatball or juicy mouse always seems to do the trick. YUM!!

So far the behaviors that Huxley has learned are come upon request, station and kennel. Huxley knows to come when I call his name and touch his nose to my finger. He also understands what "station" means. A station is a fixed point in an exhibit where an animal knows to go when asked. Huxley’s station is a log in his exhibit and the completed behavior is for him to stand up on the log with all four feet and wait. The last behavior that I am working on with him is to get him to voluntarily go into a kennel. We are very close to achieving this, but we are still working on it. Training helps build a relationship between animal and keeper and also serves to enrich our animals.

When Huxley first came to Perkins he was extremely leery of people (just what you would expect from a wild fox). It took a long time and lots of reassuring for Huxley to venture out from the back of his exhibit. Countless times visitors would walk right by his exhibit thinking it was empty. But with the help of our dedicated staff, Huxley is now a hit with visitors young and old. So please stop by and say hello to one of my favorite Dogs of Summer!

And speaking of the Dog Days of summer, join the Museum staff on Saturday August 23rd and Sunday August 24th for the 10th Annual Dog Days Celebration at the Museum where we celebrate all things canine. There will be service dogs, rescue dogs, draft dogs, all sorts of dogs throughout the museum's galleries. It is one weekend when the museum goes to the dogs - literally!

Danette Rushboldt
Wildlife Specialist

I have been adopted

2008-08-10T21:32:00.000-04:00

It is 5:45 a.m. as my alarm goes off. All I want to do is get some more sleep so I snooze until 6:00. It is another early morning for me as I begin my half awake drive to the Museum. I have made this drive probably 100 times since my senior project in 2005 but never this early. This is because I am no longer a volunteer…I’ve been adopted.
I had the honor of being the Adopt-A-Student in the Wildlife Resource Center over the summer; eight weeks of paid work, which was something new to me. I was part of the staff now, with a blue shirt, jingling keys and a 7:00 a.m. start time. Over the course of my project I helped Robyn with research on our three eastern screech owls, two of which have liver failure and a third who is showing early signs of the problem. It was a very rewarding experience because I learned a lot about bird anatomy, the functions of the medications we use and of course all of the medical names for different kinds of diseases and problems. There were a lot of highs and lows, one being the need to grind up mice and quail and then shipping them to Wooster for analysis and also finding out that the liver problem was liver fibrosis, an irreversible disease. I did a lot of literary research and got a nice self guided tour of Lakeview Cemetery while hunting unsuccessfully for owl pellets.
In addition to working on the project I also helped with daily animal care and enrichment. My first times stepping into the bobcat and fox exhibits were very exciting because I did not do any of that as a volunteer. I had a lot more responsibility being a part of the Wildlife team and I enjoyed every second of cleaning, feeding and doing an occasional animal show. It was cool to see the crows fly to me and the eagles bark at me and the turkey attempt to attack me through the fence because they knew who I was. It was such a rewarding experience and I will continue to volunteer until I got back to Ohio State to continue my zoology degree. While very few questions were answered during the course of my project I have confidence that an answer will be discovered as to why our owls have liver failure. It was fun to be a part of research that could change the face of owl husbandry across the state.

Matt Kneitel, CMNH Wildlife Resource Center Adopt-A-Student

Enriching Eagles

2008-08-06T13:07:00.001-04:00

As you may or may not know...the Museum was host to its 3rd Annual Animal Enrichment Day in the Perkins Wildlife Gardens. Enriching the animals is a large portion of what we do here as Wildlife Specialists, however every once in a while our animals return the favor and enrich us in return.

George, our 7 year old education Bald Eagle did something that I will not soon forget. As part of my enrichment for him for the day I placed his diet of fish into his empty water dish, set the hose in it and turned the water on. My goal was to fill the bowl, remove the hose then allow George to "fish" for his food. George had other plans. Possibly motivated by his favorite food, George flew to the tub as it was filling. The frozen fish were swirling around the water dish making it very difficult for George to catch them so.....George grabbed onto the hose nozzle with his exceptionally dexterous talons and gripped it hard enough that it turned the water off. I couldn't believe my eyes. WOW!!!

Our animals never cease to amaze me!

Be sure to check out George, he will be appearing on WOIO Channel 19 on Sunday August 10 around 8:30 am as part of the weekly wildlife feature on the 19 Action News.

Danette Rushboldt Wildlife Specialist

Lucy!

2008-07-27T17:44:00.000-04:00

Weasel. It is not always a word with the most admirable of connotations. Associations that commonly spring to mind include: misleading, sneaky, devious, and cowardly.

However, these adjectives hardly describe the weasel inhabiting The Perkins Wildlife Center at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Instead, this weasel's attributes include slenderness, short limbs, and tail that is nearly as long as the rest of her body. Our weasel, or member of the Mustelidae family, is a playful female North American river otter named Lucy.

Lucy was born and raised in an otter habitat and rehabilitation center in Pennsylvania, where she was used as an educational program animal for three years. She was retired from programming and came to live at the museum in 2003. Born in the spring of 1998, Lucy is currently ten years of age. Considering that river otters often live for more than twenty years in captivity, Lucy is still a youthful bundle of energy and is easily one of the most popular of our animals amongst museum visitors.

Lucy can be seen daily in her exhibit, where she spends much of her time frolicking in her pond, exploring enrichment items given to her by the staff, and participating in training sessions. Lucy is very motivated with her training which is important for her physical and mental health. For example, if Lucy needs to go to the vet she is trained to go into a kennel, and the staff preserves this behavior by working with her several times per week. The frequent training also keeps her mentally stimulated and maintains her good relationship with her caregivers.

Enrichment is key to Lucy's vivacious demeanor. Every day the staff gives her various environmental enrichments, which encourage physical activity and stimulate natural behaviors.

Lucy is extremely high-spirited and energetic, and upon observing her play for a few minutes it is easy to understand why a group of otters is called a "romp."

On Saturday, August 2, the Wildlife Resources staff will be holding its Enrichment Day from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Museum visitors can see Lucy, along with the other animals living in The Perkins Wildlife Center. There will be training and enrichment demonstrations along with a number of hands-on activities. Come see our merry little otter, who of course is not entirely without her mischievous, weasel-like moments!

Michelle Leighty, wildlife specialist

Animal Camp 2008

2008-07-20T19:59:00.000-04:00

What an exciting week we had at the Wildlife Resource Center! Friday marked the end of the second annual Animal Camp, run in conjunction with the Gathering Place. Budding animal specialists got to get their hands dirty, literally, caring for and learning about the animals in our collection.

They prepared diets, cleaned enclosures and even provided enrichment for their assigned animals! At the end of the week, parents and loved ones came to listen as the campers gave presentations with their animals, showing off their new knowledge.

Just like last year, the staff and animals really enjoyed working with the Gathering Place kids and we look forward to next year!

Jenny Wilson
Wildlife Specialist

"A doe, a deer, a female deer"

2008-07-13T14:46:00.001-04:00

One of the most popular destinations of the Perkins Wildlife Center is the white-tailed deer/wild turkey exhibit. In this naturalistic setting, complete with a waterfall, visitors can get up close and personal with Ohio’s most recognizable wildlife.

A year ago, we were excited to introduce two youngsters to Baby, an adult female, or doe. Although this energetic duo was full of adolescent antics, Baby got along well with them and was quick to show them the ropes. The trio is doing remarkably well, each with their own individual personalities and physical attributes.

Now six years old, Baby displays a rare, but not unheard of condition seen in many species of deer. You see, if you look at Baby, you might assume she is a buck, or male…Baby is sporting antlers, typically only seen in males.

Just like her male counterparts, Baby will grow antlers in the spring and shed them in the winter months following the breeding season, or rut. We anticipate her antlers to get larger each year, so be sure to stop by and see how they have changed from year to year. Despite the fact that one of her antlers is misshapen, they pose no harm to Baby or the other does, as she is a perfectly healthy girl.

Although a species most Ohioans have encountered in their backyard or along the roadside, it has not always been the case; the plight of white-tailed deer in Ohio is one of a number of endangered species success stories. Current estimates place the white-tailed deer population in Ohio around three quarters of a million; however, by the early 1900’s white-tailed deer were extirpated from our state. That means, one hundred years ago, there were no deer in Ohio, hard to imagine. Like all of the animals that call the museum home, Baby, Artemis, and Ginny could not survive in the wild. For some, disease or injury has rendered them non-releasable. The “girls” (as I like to call them) were all orphaned at very young ages and hand-raised, therefore, too dependent on humans to survive in the wild.

So the next time you are at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, be sure to stop by and see Baby, Artemis, and Ginny, three fabulous does.

Robyn Kaltenbach, Senior Wildlife Specialist

Celebrating the 4th of July the wildlife way!

2008-07-05T19:53:00.001-04:00

One aspect of a wildlife specialist's job that most people do not realize upon first learning of our career is that animals don't take holidays and therefore wildlife specialists don't always take them either! We take turns celebrating our holidays with all of the critters at the museum because animals need care 365 days a year... You can't take a holiday from eating so someone has to be there to feed them. However, you won't hear complaints from me or any of my fellow coworkers about working holidays because they are very different from our usual day to day work and can be pretty interesting for all involved.

For starters we work a shortened day so we do actually get to spend most of the holiday with the humans in our lives, but for about 4 hours out of that day we are at the museum making sure all of the animals are healthy and well fed. We will, however, change up the feeding habits of some of our animals. For example, since the museum is closed many of our carnivores and omnivores will get an extra special treat in the form of a rabbit. We do this when the museum is closed because it can sometimes be a rather gruesome feeding to watch, but that is the food chain and the way life goes. We never feed live rabbits or any other live food, however, because live food can fight back and potentially hurt some of our animals so everything we feed is dead.

This 4th of July our bobcats and our red fox all received rabbits and showed their excitement over this great enrichment in a couple different ways. Huxley, our red fox, took his rabbit and ran around with it for a few minutes until the wildlife specialists left so he could cache it and come back for it later. This is a behavior red foxes exhibit in the wild when they find a large amount of food and they want to save some for later. They find a good hiding spot, dig a hole, and bury their large prey until they can come back later and finish eating it. Bob, our male bobcat, immediately started chowing down on his rabbit, but Bitty, our female bobcat showed her true natural instincts. She would hunker down and stalk her rabbit and then she'd pounce on it and throw it up in the air like she was catching live prey! This "game" of hers continued on for a few minutes before she finally gave in to hunger and started chowing down like Bob. Her attack on the rabbit though is an example of great enrichment. It keeps her mentally stimulated and keeps those natural instincts sharp and intact. This attack also illustrates what we tell people every day... bobcats do not make good pets!

Feeding out the rabbits is probably the highlight of my 4th of July, but we also make sure all of our other animals are healthy, well fed, have fresh water, and are enriched. One type of animal we definitely cannot forget on this all important holiday is our nation's bird... the bald eagle. Our two eagles on exhibit, Saturn and Venus, were hand fed their diets of fish and rats while our education bald eagle, George, had his food put in a plastic ball with holes stuffed with newspaper and in the center of hula hoops so he really had to work to get his food out. These birds have a higher intelligence level than some of the other birds of prey found at the museum, so we make sure to enrich them a little more often than the others and especially on our nation's birthday for which they serve as a great, patriotic symbol.

So while we wildlife specialists may not spend our 4th of July in the usual way that most people do, we still have a great day even though we are working. Fireworks pale in comparison to hand feeding a real live bald eagle on this special day. We get to leave knowing that the animals we care for were well fed and enriched and we leave pretty enriched ourselves after watching them benefit from all of our hard work.

Nikki McClellan, Wildlife Specialist

Summer Has Arrived

2008-06-27T17:03:00.001-04:00

The summer wildflowers have sprung and so has the curiosity of our furry and feathered friends around the Perkins Wildlife Center. The deer are lively, the crows are chanting, and Spaulding’s inquisitive nature is simply amplified by the warm summer days. Who is Spaulding? He is our six year old male gray fox. The gray fox is one of the two fox species found in Ohio and one of five in North America. One husbandry practice I implement daily as a wildlife specialist is to provide mental and physical stimulation for Spaulding and all of the other animals I care for. This is referred to as enrichment, that is, providing the resources to stimulate our animals mentally and physically, to promote their natural behaviors and abilities, and to enhance their physical health and well-being. For Spaulding’s enrichment today I dripped a bit of eucalyptus scent on a Frisbee in hopes to stimulate his keen olfactory system. Spaulding eagerly climbed down from his tree (a skill rarely mastered with Canids, members of the dog family), and immediately investigated the foreign scent. Another enrichment success!

Marty Calabrese, CMNH Wildlife Specialist

Bobcat Day!

2008-06-05T10:18:00.001-04:00

Today is a very exciting day as we prepare to move our Bobcats into their new quarters in the Perkins Wildlife Center.

It all came down to verticality. Verticality you ask? Yes, verticality.

The existing open-topped bobcat enclosure just wouldn’t do. The lack of climbing places constrained the expression of normal bobcat behavior in the vertical dimension.

You see, bobcats, Felis rufus, are renowned for their ability to leap, jump and climb trees. Our goal in the Perkins Wildlife Center is to create environments that allow the animals to express their innate talents, adaptations and behaviors.

When the Perkins Wildlife Center was renovated in 2000-2003 there simply were not enough resources available to consider putting a top on the Bobcat enclosure. So the exhibit was designed with a standard 8’ tall chain link fence perimeter.

To prevent the bobcats in the exhibit from climbing out, strands of hot wire, wires that carry a harmless but attention getting shock, were strung along the top of the fence. However, the height of the perimeter fence limited the height of trees and shrubs in the exhibit and thus climbing opportunities for the bobcats were limited. The enclosure suffered from a lack of verticality.

In 2005, the bobcats were moved to the Open Country Raptor enclosure. It was covered, more secure and provided some height for climbing. However it was not ideal.

So we drafted a plan for retrofitting the original bobcat cage with a vaulted top that would provide space for the bobcats to climb, jump and explore.

And this past year, Trustee Ann Jones provided the support needed to construct the new cage enhancements. Construction commenced in late 2007.

Construction was not easy or straightforward. Gaining access to this site was problematic. Digging post holes for telephone poles had to be done by hand to avoid hitting underground utilities. The perimeter fence of the Perkins Wildlife Center had to be breached so that a mechanical ‘bobcat’ could be used to bring in trees and shrubs, poles and fencing, rock and soil. Again, most of the work had to be done by hand. Robert Stovicek & Associates handled the construction with seeming ease as they erected the new perimeter poles and the central masts.

The style of construction is in keeping with the other enclosures in the Perkins Wildlife Center. Other enhancements to the exhibit are new off-exhibit holding cages and improved landscaping. Installation of aquatic vegetation in the exhibit pool is slated for this summer.

Visitors to the Perkins Center now see an enclosure with 20’ high poles supporting the vaulted wire roof. With more than 1000 square feet of floor space and a 20 foot high top, well you do the math. They will have lots of real estate to romp, jump, run, leap, climb and, well, be bobcats.

So now that the construction is complete, today is the day when the bobcats will see their new home. Ann Jones will help with the introduction of the cats into the new cage after a ceremony in the Perkins Wildlife Center at 1:30 pm.

And when Sierra and Sage (aka. Bad Bob and Bitty Kitty) step into their new home, they will be living in one of the finest bobcat enclosures in the Midwest.

And boy what verticality!

Special Thanks to Anne Jones for her generosity in making the improvement possible!

Welcome

2008-06-05T10:16:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the new CMNH Wildlife Blog! On these pages you will be able to read about what’s happening in the Perkins Wildlife Center and the Wildlife Resource Center. The entries will be authored by our own talented staff of Wildlife Specialists. Their reports will provide insights into the exciting and changing activities here. From our newest acquisitions to the methods we use to train our river otters, you will be able to learn about it here. So do something wild. Bookmark this page and check often for wildlife updates, facts, advice and fun!