Kit had only arrived at Riverside Discovery Center, but I got to sit and play with him for a little while after his training was completed for the day.
I cannot resist spending time at the zoo. This is such a well-known concept at the Star-Herald that if I happen to not be in the office for a few hours, people assume I am at Riverside Discovery Center hanging out with the animals. It is an incredible place of conservation, survival, and care that it is often the first place I go to when my mind needs to be calmed.
I finally got permission to share the photo above of Kit, a marble fox. I got to see Kit shortly after he arrived in early September 2018. I was having a rough day and the staff invited me over to watch as they trained Kit to become an education animal.
Zookeeper Harley Yerdon trains with Kit at Riverside Discovery Center.
Kit, a marble fox, listens to commands from zookeeper Harley Yerdon during training at Riverside Discovery Center.
Kit sure is excited about something.
The coloration of the Arctic Marble Fox is not something which occurs in nature but is acquired from human intervention and the kits are born in captivity. Marble foxes occur as genetic mutations, called color phases, resulting from breeding the red fox. Their beautiful white fur displays patches of black or tan across the face and on the ears.
Kit is a mix of red fox and silver fox. He is illegal in the state of Nebraska. Trading of the marble fox is legal as part of the exotic pet trade in Wyoming and other states. He was found wandering near a person’s home in western Nebraska. That person contacted the zoo and asked if there was anything they could do. As a marble fox, Kit should have been microchipped so he could be traced back to his breeder. He does not have one.
Kit eats his dinner while Zookeeper Harley Yerdon pretends to ignore him.
After training with zookeepers, Kit dug a small hole and curled up into it.
Education Curator and Zookeeper Alex Henwood talks to Kit, a marble fox, after attempting to train him to wear a harness. After trying several times, Kit only wanted to play with the harness, so his training was concluded to try again another day. Eventually, this harness did not work out and a better, more secure one that both staff and Kit like is being used.
Kit is all tired out after a hard day of training.
After watching the love shown by Harley and Alex as they worked with him, I have no doubt Kit will have a caring home at the zoo and I am thankful he found a place there.
Saturday, October, 6 began with Breakfast with the Bears, an event that thanks members of the zoo for their support. It was a chilly morning, but Paul and I braved the cool breezes to attend. We returned at 4 p.m., for OctoBEARfest and stayed for nearly four hours.
OctoBEARfest was a fundraiser to raise funds for the home of the orphaned grizzly bear cubs. Naturally, Paul and I spent my night hanging out with the animals and not a lot of people.
Whenever I visit the zoo, I never miss an opportunity to visit this lovely lady.
It’s not easy to take good photographs of the black and white Colobus monkeys.
I went to see Scooter one last time. The next day, on October 7, 2018, he was being transferred to Houston. Scooter has been alone since the passing of his surrogate mother, Sarah, in May. Although staff would have preferred him to stay in the only home he’s ever known, chimpanzees are social animals and it is not good for him to be alone.
Scooter was in his indoor enclosure when I went to see him. He was scratching an empty water bottle back and forth across the floor. When he saw me, he started inching closer and closer toward me. I never did get a good shot of him with his water bottle.
Never take your eye off a chimpanzee and never trust that piece of glass is going to keep you safe. It did today, but always remember, these are wild animals and they will act accordingly. When I didn’t flinch, Scooter stopped and sat down in front of me for a few moments before wandering off.
As more people stopped by to see Scooter one last time, he moved away from the windows and pulled back to sit atop this rock and observe all the people who came to say goodbye.
Those in charge of chimpanzee species survival program have found a group of chimpanzees who are similar in character to Scooter. Assistant Head Zookeeper Michael Gillen, who has spent years working with Scooter, said the Houston Zoo is good at integrating chimpanzees. Riverside Discovery Center will take on four chimpanzees in Spring 2019. In the meantime, modifications will be made to the existing enclosure for their arrival.
Assistant Head Zookeeper Michael Gillen conducts one last training with Scooter. Here, Scooter presents his ear for inspection. All of the training done with the animals at Riverside Discovery Center are to determine the general health of an animal to see if they may need further medical attention.
During training, Assistant Head Zookeeper Michael Gillen works with Scooter, a male chimpanzee, to move around so he can determine Scooter’s overall health. Scooter is food-motivated, so he receives fruit when he does what is asked of him. If Scooter is not motivated to train, he is left alone until he is ready to do so.
Scooter enjoys oranges, but not the peels. Not all chimpanzees do this, but Scooter will give the peel back to Michael Gillen, assistant head zookeeper, when he is finished with it.
With Scooter, 26, departing for the Houston Zoo, Michael Gillen won’t be able to finish training with him. This is the beginning stages of working with a paper towel, which would eventually evolve into being able to take Scooter’s blood pressure. As they age, chimpanzees are known to have issues with their hearts.
But, we are at OctoBEARfest. We are supposed to be mingling with people and paying attention to the live auction. Paul and I were watching the orphaned grizzly bears when the live auction began. We told ourselves we were going to head back to where the people were.
With OctoBEARfest in full swing, Kit made an appearance to the crowd. He was a big hit. The comment I heard the most was, “his fur is so soft.”
Paul and I also made a stop to visit the Emerald Tree Boa chilling out on a tree branch.
I love squirrel monkeys. No trip to the zoo is complete without visiting them.
Oh, yeah. This is OctoBEARfest and there was beer from the Flyover Brewing Company. This was a popular spot with the humans during the festivities.
Paul looks cunning in his hat, don’t you think?
I was really giddy when Alex said I could pick up Ralph, but I took the privilege seriously as she walked me through the steps of the proper way to approach him and to pick him up.
Ralph, an opossum, is an education animal at Riverside Discovery Center. The folks at OctoBEARfest had the opportunity to see him and pet him as he made a visit during the festivities.
Damn, this is a good photo of Paul with Ralph, the opossum.
I almost forgot the music. You can’t have an OctoBEARfest without music. I’ll be back next year and, hopefully, I will remember photos of the bands.
Judy Chaloupka
A loving story. I was so sorry to be out of town for the weekend.