#torontozoo

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My Ideal Nature Interpreter job would be working with animals to increase awareness about their behaviors, habitats, and body language, with the aim of helping to revive their habitat and reduce points of conflict between humans and wildlife during interaction. Specifically, I would love to be a part of an organization that is a part of the Species Survival Plan.

Figure 1- Species Survival Program by Santa Barbara Zoo

Back in 2018, I spent a day at the Toronto Zoo and fell in love with the work of the zoologists and animal care teams there. During a conversation with one of the zoo keepers there, they mentioned how one of their female Sumatran Tiger was going to be sent to another zoo and a male will be brought in so that he can mate with the second female. The aim of the program was to help at-risk and endangered species procreate and eventually, when there is suitable habitats for them, releasing them in the wild.

Figure 2- Sumatran Tiger (Creative Commons)

This is not all what the Species Survival Plan does. Just having enough individuals of a population is not enough for a successful release. The individuals also need to have their natural instincts and learned behaviors to help them survive in the wild. This means developing different schedules for them to aid them in maintaining natural hunting, mating, and group behaviors. So, for the species of African White Lions, they had 3 individuals- one male and 2 females. The group is a representation of the hierarchies in the wild, one alpha male lives with a group of females! Furthermore, there was a clear hierarchy maintained by the 3 lions- Alpha male, followed by alpha female and then then third female- which was respected by the zoo keepers. In the open, during feeding time, the alpha male would grab the first meal thrown at him, followed by the alpha female. The submissive female does not try to get these meals and so the keepers would feed her more in the morning than trying to attempt to feed her later in the day with other members of her group, which could lead to conflict.

Figure 3- African white lion (Creative commons)

In addition, the program also aims to help find ways to eliminate barriers to population growth in the wild. For instance, cheetahs are solitary animals and are not social, one might call them introverts! So, a big barrier to population growth for them is not mating. They are so shy that individuals rarely have successful mating. So, to overcome this, cheetah cubs in many zoos are provided with guide dogs (puppies, to be exact)! How cute is that! The aim is that the cubs learn or become more social by learning socializing behaviors from their companions and will be more likely to interact and mate with a female of their species.

Figure 4- National Geographic- Relationship between Cheetahs and Guide dogs

This is how I want to contribute as a Nature Interpreter! While there are some people and organizations that take advantage of these programs by making false statements to maintain population in the zoo and make a profit, I want to use the good parts of this program and educate people about myths. I want to help various species and at the same time communicate with the public to increase awareness about the species and how to behave when they encounter one, without harming the individual!

I hope you enjoyed reading the blog! If you want to know more, here are some websites and articles I found helpful during my research-

Holland, J. (2017, August 03). Cheetah-Dog Friendship Isn't As Strange As It Sounds. Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/10/151007-cheetahs-dogs-animals-science-zoos/