California Zoos Part 1

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We finally made it to California on the latest leg of the Pilgrimage. As you may know, our last attempt to get to the Golden State was a complete failure, but I am so happy to report that the second time was the charm! That being said, we did not have the opportunity to visit all of the zoos on our original itinerary, but we did get four zoos closer to the goal of seeing all of the zoos housing red pandas in the United States. So how did they measure up? It's funny you should ask because it seemed like all the people I spoke to on this trip wanted to know the exact same thing!

If there is one common thread that holds together the four zoos we visited, it would have to be the state of the red panda exhibits.

The first zoo:

Let's start with our first stop in Atascadero, the Charles Paddock Zoo. This is a very small zoo. My husband and I were trying to decide if it was smaller than Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington, Delaware. We never did figure that out as the zoos were laid out so differently, but I think Charles Paddock might have overtaken Brandywine for smallest zoo visited so far. As we know from our experience at Brandywine Zoo though, size isn't what counts when it comes to the appeal of a zoo. On the particular day we visited, we saw one red panda, a male. Because of weather and the holidays, we were unable to get a behind the scenes tour of his facility, but they have an exciting project planned for the coming months: a new red panda exhibit! They just broke ground on the new facility before the holiday break and I, for one, am very excited to see the final product. Exhibit improvement is a great way for small zoos like this one to show the public that their institution is an important part of the community and one worth giving support to.

The second zoo:

The next day had us visiting two zoos, starting with Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose. Let me start by saying that this zoo was a total surprise. First of all, it wasn't on my list until a couple of months ago. They brought red pandas to their zoo in October of 2016 along with a brand new exhibit. Jonathan Ismail, the Zoo Education Specialist, walked us around the zoo and took me to meet one of the red panda keepers, along with their two pandas: female Gaila, 5 years old, and male, Will Smith, almost 2 years old (he was born on July 4th, get it? Haha!). The two are still getting used to their new home and have constant choice in whether to be on exhibit or inside their indoor space. I asked their keeper if anyone at the zoo had prior experience working with red pandas and she explained that they didn't, but the animals were quickly becoming one of her favorites. How could they not?! Because zoos, and especially the California zoos associated with Red Panda Network, are so connected now, everyone seems invested in sharing the most up-to-date information on red panda husbandry so that zoos like Happy Hollow are as prepared as they can be for caring for these animals.

Now I want to spend a little time talking about how Happy Hollow Park and Zoo stands out.

When we visited, they had probably one of the most naturalistic red panda exhibits I had yet seen. Lots of greenery, lots of upward climbing space, and an all around roomy enclosure. They also had a second outdoor space that the public cannot see, but that the pandas can get to from their indoor building. Again, they have constant access to their spaces and the zoo's philosophy (if I can call it that, which I think I will) of choice is one I LOVE. I know as a visitor it can sometimes be frustrating to not get to see every animal, but wouldn't you rather the animal you were hoping to see be happy in its freedom of movement, rather than forced to be on exhibit when it might cause them stress?

The other thing that stood out to me about this zoo was the graphics on the signs. This might sound like a weird thing to point out, but it's important (also, I'm going to point out a way weirder thing in a little bit, so this isn't all that weird on my scale; believe me). The signs were gorgeous and the messages they conveyed important. It is not enough to visit a zoo and see an animal; people have to connect to that animal. Visitors want to know where that animal is from, what makes it unique, and why they should care about its survival. The exposure people get to these beautiful creatures is directly related to the success of zoos in breeding and placing them all over the country which is directly related to how much people want to help protect them in the wild. SIGNS ARE IMPORTANT!

My son's favorite part of our time at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo was the park part. I just thought it was part of the name and didn't really give it much thought, but then there was an actual park. With rides. Like I mean for real rides, not just a carousel, although they had one of those too and it was awesome. They had a roller coaster. Nothing gigantic, but still awesome. They also had two playscapes, one of which had you doing lemur movements in a "parallel play" type of thing. It was really cool! The other playscape was HUGE. Climbing, slides, AMAZINGLY HUGE. So not your typical zoo.

I know you've been waiting for it, so here's the super weird thing I'm going to point out that made Happy Hollow Park and Zoo top notch in my book: their toilet paper was thick and soft and not at all what one expects when visiting any public restroom. It's true. For a split second, one can feel as if she hasn't left the comfort of her warm South Texas home to go on an 8 day road trip across four states.

The third zoo:

We left San Jose for the San Francisco Zoo that same afternoon. This being my first time in California, I really had no idea what to expect of anywhere we visited, but wow was the drive to the San Francisco Zoo a surprise. It is right on the coast. Like, no exaggeration, the beach is on your left and you turn into the zoo's entrance on the right. This zoo is also quite large. We spent three hours there and didn't see all of it. Granted, over an hour of that time was spent standing in front of the red panda exhibit, but still. There are three red pandas that make this space home: females Hillary (12 years old) and Hunter (11 years old) and male Tenzing (3 years old). Tenzing came down to see us in the back of the exhibit while his lady friends lounged on their respective branches. He came to San Francisco from the Sacramento Zoo a couple of years ago after being mostly hand-raised by his keepers there (we'll meet his parents in Sacramento shortly). Because of this, he definitely isn't shy around people and is, I can only assume, a visitor favorite as he will come right up to the glass to meet guests. Like most young red pandas, he seems to be full of energy (or as full of energy as a red panda can be anyway). Looking around his home, it is no wonder.

Back to the common theme of these zoos: the exhibits. Like the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, the San Francisco Zoo has a very naturalistic exhibit with one impressive addition...a treehouse! This isn't an ordinary treehouse either. Eric Krussman, the Assistant Curator of the Children's Zoo, informed me that this particular treehouse was put together by none other than the Treehouse Masters crew of Animal Planet fame. Eric said that he and his son were watching the show one day and he thought to himself that it would be really cool to see if they would come out to San Francisco to help them design something special for the red pandas. He sent them a message and was surprised to get a response so quickly. The red panda treehouse build has a small part in the episode African Safari Hut!

Big thanks to Eric and Antonietta for spending so much time talking to us about the red pandas. We talked about the success of breeding red pandas in the last couple of years and Antonietta brought something up that I hadn't realized. She said that the success has had everything to do with the installation of "back doors" on nesting boxes. Now, keepers can check on babies without their scent invading the space which means mothers are less likely to reject their offspring. It's amazing that something so simple can make such a huge difference!

The rest of the day at the zoo was spent looking for these audio boxes stationed throughout the park where my son could insert a plastic Zoo Key to learn about the nearest animal on exhibit. I had never seen this feature in a zoo before and was really impressed by it. It seems like such a simple thing, but it really was perfectly engaging for us (that's right, I'm admitting it wasn't just entertaining for the 5 year old; it totally had my husband and me pointing them out and insisting the kid find them all).

Spending the day visiting two amazing zoos isn't what I would call "work," although my child kept insisting he was "on the job" all day.

The fourth zoo:

Our final zoo on this trip was the Sacramento Zoo. Before I introduce the two red pandas they currently have in their collection, I want to take a minute to talk about three red pandas they had until recently. The Sacramento Zoo was home to the oldest red panda in the United States. Not only that, but it was home to the second and third oldest as well. These pandas were 18, 19, and 20 years old when they passed away (all within the same year). The oldest red panda I have seen in a zoo was 14 years old so this kind of floored me. I had no idea they could even live to be 20. Anytime a zoo loses an animal, I know that keepers feel that loss, but my heart truly goes out to the people who cared for these three pandas. One of the pandas, Jane, was a friend to the Education Department at the zoo also, so I'm sure she touched many people's hearts by engaging zoo visitors on a level that most red pandas never get to experience.

Now that I've gotten that bit of sappiness off of my chest, let's get back to the present. The two red pandas at the Sacramento Zoo are female Pili (almost 5 years old) and male Takeo (almost 8 years old). These are the panda parents to Tenzing, now at the San Francisco Zoo. Fun fact: "Pili" means "clap of thunder" and she was given that name because she was born during a thunderstorm. Tenzing was Pili's first cub and, like most new mothers, she felt particularly protective of him, which in turn caused some issues with over-grooming and minor injuries from the way she carried him around. Because of this, the keepers had to make the difficult decision to hand-raise the cub. This is not something a red panda keeper does lightly and it is not something that happens often. Amanda Mayberry, the primary keeper for the red pandas, reflected to me how much that time meant to her and how difficult it was to send him away when it came time. How could it not be?! Can you even imagine? Seriously, I'm getting all teary-eyed about it right now. Give me a sec...

Okay okay, I'm back. Backtracking a little, let me once again refer back to the theme of these zoos: the exhibit spaces. Just like with the two previous zoos, Sacramento has a lush and naturalistic exhibit with lots of upward space for the red pandas. Because up until recently, the zoo had 5 red pandas, the three oldest were used to being in view of the public, while Pili and Takeo had a separate off exhibit space they called their home. They are just now getting used to their new space in the public area, so sometimes opt for the "backroom," if you will. When we first arrived at the exhibit space, Pili was napping in a tree on exhibit, but Takeo was inside relaxing. Just like the other zoos, Sacramento has a policy of freedom of choice for their pandas. If they want to be outside, they go outside. If they want to go inside, they go inside. They even have a third space behind the indoor space, out of the public view, they can gain access to at certain times.

Here's something I am learning on these trips of mine: the public wants to see that an animal is not alone. When I first started the Red Panda Pilgrimage, I thought it was so odd that the zoos I was visiting had more than one panda on exhibit at a time. These are solitary creatures, after all. I asked the question at the first few zoos, but didn't really get a good answer for why they did this, other than to say that the pandas were indifferent to one another's presence. Now I recognize the real answer and I can't believe it took me so long to figure it out. Visitors don't want to see solitary animals. It makes them sad. I get it; really, I do. The thing is: people need to get over themselves and recognize that what is good for some is not always what is best for others. Is it cool to see two red pandas interacting? Of course. We imagine they are best friends, companions, and maybe sometimes that is totally the case. Back to my previous paragraph. When we first got to the exhibit and Pili was out, but not Takeo, we heard a visitor comment on the fact that she was alone. "Awww that's so sad! They need to get her a friend!" Even though I hadn't yet learned much about the pandas, I jumped in and said she wasn't actually alone, that the other panda was probably in the indoor area, and I joked that the other one probably kicked this one out and said "your turn to be outside! I'm gonna go get warmed up!" The visitor laughed at that and seemed satisfied and moved on. This is when it really clicked for me though. The average zoo visitor doesn't want to believe that any animal should be housed alone. Like I said, I get it. This is something zoos adjust to and I don't even think it's a bad thing. As long as the red pandas aren't outright hostile toward one another and it doesn't affect their overall behavior, appetite, or lifestyle, I don't see anything wrong with them being together. Still, it is so nice to see that they are given CHOICES. Every zoo I visited on this trip stressed that point. The animals are given freedom of movement between their exhibits and indoor areas. I love this. LOVE.

I feel like so much came together for me on this leg of the pilgrimage. I cannot wait to continue learning about these beautiful creatures as my journey continues. Thanks for reading this ridiculously long post. Until next time!

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