(C)lick Me, Baby

Photo: MemeGenerator

I've been in a writing class this term, a subject I normally don't sweat. It's persuasive writing - argumentative writing - so each week we have discovered and discussed a new fallacy ("respond to this post with an example of your own"). And each week, we have read and attempted to reflect on other authors' persuasive essays ("answer three questions, ask one of your own, answer a classmate's"). I imagine that the professor considers his course to be well-designed, preparing us for the three major essays we've been tasked with writing over the term.

For Zigzag, "Ziggy", the river otter born at the Oregon Zoo in November of 2013, the plan was always to place him at another zoo. That time has come: he departs for Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo this week. Knowing that this day was coming, Ziggy's keepers started preparing him long ago. They started by giving him brief moments of separation from his parents - a few minutes by himself in one of his enclosures, or out on exhibit. The length of separation grew as he grew, helping him become more independent from his parents. Crate training became part of his routine, so that he would associate it with good things (food) and become increasingly comfortable entering it and resting in it. 

Training designed to achieve a clear goal. Incremental growth. Feedback. Reward.

 Please. I asked so nicely.
Photo: TrollMeImages

In an online class where discussion is contrived and limited, where the instructor doesn't participate and students are left to their own devices, the "training" is sub-par. Growth is static when assignments are merely repetitive exercises. A complete lack of feedback on weekly assignments doesn't fairly prepare students for the onslaught of feedback on major assignments.

That is not to say that I haven't appreciated or agreed with the feedback on my first two essays. I think the feedback has been excellent in that it has been extremely informative. I just would have grown much more throughout the term if the feedback was timely. Providing feedback on an essay turned in three weeks ago the day before the next one is due? Not. Timely.

And by not timely, I mean late. Seriously, inconsiderately late.
Photo: AtTimeSolutions

If Ziggy wasn't rewarded with feedback at the exact moment he was displaying desirable behaviors, he would have a difficult time distinguishing what keepers wanted him to do. Food was Ziggy's feedback reward, but clicker training is another method often used by zoo keepers (and other animal trainers).  Clicker training is based on behavioral psychology, and it relies on "marking" desirable behavior and rewarding it. Usually, desirable behavior is "marked" by using a mechanical device that makes a short, distinct "click" sound which tells the animals exactly when they're doing the right thing. Combined with positive reinforcement (reward), this form of communication with animals is clear, effective, safe and humane.

It seems to me that perhaps the training is inappropriate if every little assignment is quickly rewarded with a grade of 100%, but the big assignments are returned, after languishing on the professor's desk, riddled with feedback that - while it may be accurate - in no way reflects the professor's written guidelines and expectations of the assignment.

Ziggy's big day is March 16th. I will be completing my third and final argumentative essay that same day. I may even change my topic to humane animal training methods, in his honor. You will be in my thoughts, darling little monster. See you at the zoo, next time I'm in Seattle!

 

River otter Zigzag, aka Ziggy, looking pensive as usual
Photo: The Oregon Zoo

(T)rapped in Habits

I trapped two cats yesterday by recognizing their habits and using those habits as a lure. These cats had been avoiding capture since this fall, so this was a pretty significant win.

Meet Sherbert.
He's considerably more relaxed since this picture was taken
just days ago ... and is currently available for adoption!
His mama is taking a little longer to relax but she's not far behind. :)

How did I do it?

This fall, volunteers had tried to desensitize the cats to the traps by securing them in an "open" position and encouraging the caregivers to feed inside the traps each day. As is so often the case, a cat's will tends to be stronger than that of a caregiver. If a cat chooses to go without food for a day or two rather than enter the trap to eat, the caregiver assumes the cat is starving and they take pity on it, moving the food back outside the trap. That is our working theory for this particular case.

Photo: Indulgy

Caregivers make other simple mistakes as well. They may tie both ends of the trap open, which is not how the traps are going to be used come trapping time. So a cat may be used to going into a trap with two escape hatches ... but on trapping day, when it only sees one opening, its suspicions arise and it doesn't go in the trap. Or, caregivers lack the discipline to start with the food at the entry door and slowly inch it back, day after day, until the cat is clearly comfortable going all the way into the trap for its meal. Or, the caregivers are especially impatient and try to shove the cat into the trap, thereby guaranteeing an absolute aversion to traps for the foreseeable future.

Photo: Barks and Blooms

Another scenario is that the cats are being fed at multiple sites (with all caregivers thinking they are the only caregivers), so they simply never get hungry enough to enter a trap.

I'm still learning this craft, mind you, but my theory is that if you have caregivers unwilling to commit to altering a cat's habit (which can be done), then you as a trapper can still work with what you've got. And then you up the ante.

Photo: I Can Has Cheezeburger

After taking a break from the site, volunteers resumed trapping efforts this week. But two full days of trying yielded no results. I went to the site on the third day to assess the situation and see what we had to work with. The traps had been baited with the cats' normal food. Not a bad strategy. But the cats weren't in the habit of eating out of the traps, and their normal food wasn't incentive enough for them to start trying. And the traps were set up under the covered porch where the cats usually hang out. Good. It's been a little rainy the last few days, so that kept the traps nice and dry. But the openings to the traps were very close to the house and faced the caregivers' patio door, essentially putting them on a stage. Cats don't do wholly unusual things - like go into traps - when they have an audience. They just do cat things like run away, or bathe, or stare at you defiantly.

Photo: FixNation

So I asked the caregiver to point out where the cats normally enter the yard and approach the patio. I moved the traps slightly so that the openings faced the cats' normal direction of travel and allowed them to investigate while "off-display". I then switched out the cat food bait with a stinky mixture of tuna and sardines, since I suspected that they were eating normal cat food elsewhere. Lastly, I saved all the liquid from the fish to drizzle along the kitty paths leading from the gate to the trap openings. Their habit of following the path of least resistance became an extension of my trap ... and it worked. While the older and wiser cat took all day to fall for it, her young one went in within 30 minutes.

Just a couple more steps ...

I connected with little Sherbert and his mama in an effort to help them. As is so often the case in animal work, they have had as much to offer me as I have offered them.

I'm reminded that our bad habits are often made along the path of least resistance. Something is easy or convenient, feels good or offers some sort of instant gratification or reward. These cats found the biggest hole under the gate and it became their entry to the backyard. They selected a direct route to the patio, where comfortable lounge chairs and food awaited them. They followed this route every day, multiple times, until their path was clearly worn.

It's just what they did. And, it's what "did them in" on trapping day.

It's such an easy decision when presented this way.
Photo: RagTag Alive

Our bad habits - the things we just do - are as evident to others as these kitty trails were to me. I don't eat well or exercise regularly right now, and my physical appearance reflects that. A co-worker might have a drug problem which reveals itself in her tardiness, moodiness, and unreliable nature. A friend's secret inner bitterness is belied by his unrelenting complaints about everyone around him.

And we can easily become trapped in our bad habits. It took Sherbert 30 minutes. A cat walks far enough into a set trap, and the trap will automatically be sprung. We keep walking in our habits, and we are trapped as well. But the cat could choose to never enter the trap. And we can choose and control our habits.

Stairs aren't so scary! I can do that ...
Photo: Recovery First

I've read that it takes about 30 days to establish a new, positive habit (or to quit or replace an old, negative one).There's a ton of information out there on how to control our impulses and break bad habits. Here's a general consensus:

• We have to recognize our bad habit and honestly admit to how often it wins over our will. 
• Determining the cause of bad habit - why did we start it in the first place?!? - is an important next step.
• Examining the negative impacts and costs of our bad habits can serve as motivation to drop them.
• Focusing on the positive impacts and gains of leaving a habit behind can up the ante.
• Replacing a bad habit with a good one is a huge key to success.
• We must remember that changes don't happen overnight and discipline is required - our desire for instant gratification is what got us into trouble in the first place.
• Seeking the support and encouragement of friends and family can help us move out of our bad behaviors.
• We should extend the same patience and forgiveness to ourselves as we would to others as we strive (imperfectly) toward our resolutions.

What habit or habits would you like to un-trap yourself from?

It really could!
Photo: Healthy Regards, Hailey

(S)itting Not-So-Pretty

This week, I hiked Multnomah Falls with a friend despite not having the time to do so. It felt great  (well, the downhill part did) ... and I enjoyed it (aside from the part where my lungs and leg muscles burned) ... and I know I was better for having taken the time to invest in myself and in my friendship.

And I know I should do this more often. As in daily. Maybe not in 3 hour increments, but 30 minutes. At least. I know I would feel better, and look better, and BE better.

This super scary infographic tells me - in no uncertain terms - that sitting down is killing me. "Sitting 6+ hours per day makes you up to 40% likelier to die within 15 years than someone who sits less than 3." And that's true even if you exercise and eat right. Let's not discuss the many ways I'm not eating right.

Pretty much.
Photo: Liberapedia

Okay, so with full knowledge that I am speeding up my own demise, why is it still so difficult to get up and move?

Right now, for me, it's absolutely the time factor. Between work and school, I'm overextended and under-exercised. So much of what commands my time and attention each day involves sitting at the computer, sitting to read, sitting while driving. But this is all justification, and I know it. And once again, my friends in the animal kingdom prove just how much smarter they are than me, because they simply do what they need to do so stay healthy. So much for superior human cognition.

You go, frog.
Photo: Getty Images, Corey Hochochka

Animals' coping abilities exceed shelter-building and traveling in numbers for safety, among other behaviors and defenses we are quick to give them credit for. These intuitive creatures will alter their diets and behaviors to protect themselves from parasites and to remain healthy and viable.

Woolly bear caterpillars fight parasitic flies by eating plants rich in
toxic pyrrolizidine alkyloids.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, Alton N. Sparks, Jr

Chimpanzees combat gut nematode parasites by slurping bitter leaf juice.
Photo: The Scientist, Stock xchng, big foot

Many primates, like these Japanese macaques, tackle intestinal parasites
with a sweeping solution: unchewed rough leaves, swallowed whole,
carry nematodes with them.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, Fg2,bukk

Capuchin monkeys stave off skin infections and irritating insects by rubbing
themselves with aromatic plants and insects.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, Steven G. Johnson

Honey bees seek out propolis to resist infection by a larval fungal parasite.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, Jon Sullivan

Sheep choose tannin-rich food to reduce gut nematode infections.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, Fir0002

Infected monarch butterfly mothers prefer to lay their eggs on milkweed
speciesthat help their caterpillar offspring fight protozoan parasites.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, Simon Koopmann

Drosophila melanogaster larvae increase their intake of
parasite-killing alcohol when infected by a parasitic wasp.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, Mr.checker

Swallowing small stones helps reduce parasite burden
in double-crested cormorants.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, Alan Vernon

Eating tannin-rich plants may help increase successful
pregnancies in sifaka lemurs.
Photo: The Scientist, Wikimedia, or Jean-Louis Vandevivère

Identifying the choices that animals make to self-medicate is not only a fascinating study of animal behavior, but it could help people as well. (For a somewhat related conversation but slightly off-topic detour, watch this interesting TED Talk on What Veterinarians Know That Physicians Don't, where we are reminded that since humans are animals too, we should pay attention to how non-human patients on the planet live, grow, get sick and heal.)

When humans self-medicate, it tends to be in destructive forms. There are some nasty vices out there that I'm glad I don't partake in, but I do have food. And sugar-free Red Bull.

And I sit.

And the longer I write this blog, the more I sit. So, I'll let all this sit with you until my next post.

See you at the zoo!


For more information:
http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/32966/title/Natural-Born-Doctors/

(Z)oo Doo .. How Your Garden Grows

I know, I know. I just wrote a blog about poop. And I would spare you another poop blog so soon, but then you'd be missing out on amazing FREE compost for your garden ... and a few new insights on poop.

First things first: I used the word FREE. The Oregon Zoo is offering free, unlimited manure compost - Zoo Doo - on a first-come, first-scooped basis in February and March (dates below). Any good gardener knows that a beautiful, healthy garden is grown in good soil ... and good soil can be grown with the best natural, organic fertilizer there is ... POOP. Natural fertilizers promote good things: the growth of beneficial bacteria, earthworms, and fungi that build soil structure and foster healthy plants. (Non-natural fertilizers are nasty. Follow this buying guide.)

Ah, the circle of life. Delicious.
Photos: The Oregon Zoo

Besides the zoo, do you know where else you can get free poop? Life. Life is full of figurative poop, and we often try to wish our way out of it. Instead of digging in and embracing what can come of it, we get stuck frantically trying to dig ourselves out. So there we are, standing in a hole, shoveling poop out into tiny hills all around us, and then you know what happens? Yes, you know. S**t rolls downhill. Right back onto you.

But if it's true that a garden's health and beauty can come from poop, then could this not be true of our own mental health and inner beauty?

Live long and prosper, little plant!

Photo: Oldproof/Shutterstock

I'm talking about natural, organic Life Poop. The stuff that happens because, well, that's life. People we love die. We get sick. Someone else gets the promotion at work. I'm not talking about nasty, non-natural Life Poop - the stuff that happens because we create or perpetuate it. Drama. Unhealthy relationships. Bad choices.

Natural, organic Life Poop - that is, adversity - can promote good things: Character. Compassion. Purpose. It's all in how we view it, and what we "doo" with it.

Every nose should stop and smell the flowers.

Anyway, here's the inside scoop for local gardeners as promised:

Over six Saturdays in February and March (February 7, 21 and 28 and March 7, 14 and 21) from 7 to 10 am, Zoo Doo will be available at the zoo composting facility. Head just inside Gate A, located a couple hundred feet up the hill after exiting Highway 26. Tractor assistance from zoo staff is available for larger loads, and a U-load space will be available for smaller amounts (bring a container).

The Zoo Doo that will be available contains a fair amount of wood chips used for animal bedding, so it works best as a decorative top mulch. It's a great selection over bark dust, because it provides more nutrients. To learn more about Zoo Doo, follow this link (but disregard the dates listed there - they are old, but the information is still interesting).

See you at the zoo!

(S)kinks Are Big Fakers

Fake it 'til you make it.

One of my classmates summoned this phrase to encourage another classmate this week. It struck a chord with me, as I had just been sharing on my Facebook page how the Oregon Zoo uses fake snow throughout the year to enrich its animals. The zamboni at the Sherwood Ice Arena makes a pile of ice shavings, or "snow", which volunteers shovel into the back of a pick-up truck and haul back to the zoo. It gets distributed among various animals who love to play in it and forage through it for hidden treats.

Snow cute! River otter at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.
Photo by Jaime Green/Wichita Eagle/MCT via Getty Images

When I was hired as an emergency communications operator years ago, I sorely lacked the confidence I needed to progress satisfactorily through my training. I lagged behind the other trainees who were hired at the same time as me. "Fake it 'til you make it" became the mantra of one of my coaches, as she tried to push me over the hurdles my insecurity had erected around me. (It - or something - eventually worked. I "made it" through probation at the eleventh hour.)

Another coach told me that a trained monkey could answer 911 calls.
Didn't really make me feel better about my ineptitude.

At the zoo, I love showing kids Sydney, our blue-tongued skink. They are confounded by his large body, short limbs, and snake-like skin. They try to guess what sort of reptile he is ("Alligator???" is an incredulous common proffering). And then, with a flash of his blue tongue, they are completely won over.

Skinks are ideal education animals as they make for an interesting discussion, have loads of personality and great dispositions. Sydney is great at being handled and very cooperatively flicks his tongue repeatedly during our short talks.

These skinks are very common in their native Australia. They also have a lot of natural predators. They move well despite their large size, but unlike longer legged, more arboreal lizards which can quickly ascend trees to escape becoming someone's buffet, the blue-tongued skink must resort to a bluff. When threatened, these lizards puff up their bodies to look bigger, opening their mouths (which are bright pink inside), hissing and sticking out their bright blue tongues. Bright colors in nature often signal "poison" to other animals, so a skink - while actually not poisonous - may surprise and confuse its predator long enough to scurry away to safety.

Blue-tongued skink.
Not that you had any question about that at this point.

Fake it 'til you make it.

I don't think I really bought into this mindset until the last couple of years. Until March 2013, I was stuck in a secretarial position feeling like I was capable of so much more, but seemingly unable to convince my employer otherwise. I finally chose being brave over being comfortable, and got myself hired as an Animal Care Aide at the local county shelter. I didn't know as much about breeds and diets and handling - about anything, really - to justify getting hired, but a little bit of volunteer experience and a well crafted cover letter and resume helped me "make it".

A few months in, the shelter's Volunteer Coordinator position opened. I knew I wasn't technically qualified, but I also knew I'd be great at the job. I decided to use that confidence to apply. I knew I wouldn't get the job. But I was in full "fake it 'til you make it" mode.

I hope.

I didn't get the job. Not for naught: my efforts resulted in me becoming a blip on one manager's radar, which led to my current shelter position as TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) Incentive Coordinator. I knew nothing about grants, or incentivization, or TNR for that matter. But when that manager remembered my resume and asked if I would be interested in coordinating this pilot program, I thought of how I enjoyed being innovative at work regardless of my position ... and I thought of my skills in organization and coordination ... and I said yes. And for the first couple of months in my new position, I was faking it and faking it ... and at some point it clicked, and I started making it.

So I decided to volunteer as Vendor Coordinator for SummerFest, my community's annual summer celebration. Not that I knew anything about SummerFest or vendors. Nevermind all that. I wanted the experience, so I convinced the committee I was the right person for the job. And I was. My efforts resulted in twice as many vendors as had attended SummerFest in the past, and I just received my invitation to chair again.

Okay. I'll do it.

I keep eyeing a position as Development Director at a local animal rescue. I first looked at the posting only because my boss - that manager that I mentioned before - told me about it. "Not that I want to lose you," she said, "but it would be a great opportunity for you and you'd be awesome in the position." I read the job requirements and decided it was totally out of my league. A few weeks later, it was listed again. Too many "desired applicant" requirements there to fake. The position remains unfilled, and today it was listed a third time. Hmmm. No applicant possesses every desired requirement.

I think I long resisted the concept of "fake it 'til you make it" because I considered it to be the equivalent of lying. But what I've learned is that this catchphrase means that I should imitate confidence ... and as my confidence produces success, then real confidence is generated.

And as the last couple of years can attest, that's real.

(P)unxsutawney Phil and other Animal Augurs

Happy Groundhog Day!
Photo: Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo

Good ol' Punxsutawney Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter. But Whiskers J., a six-month-old hedgehog from the Oregon Zoo, has defied the famous Pennsylvania groundhog and has declared an early spring!

Somebody get this guy a day of his own.
Photo: OregonLive

But what do animals know about the future? After all, the Cincinnati Zoo penguins picked the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl.

Unanimous, but wrong. But adorable!
Photo: WCPO Cincinnati

Actually, there are several cool examples of animals being foreseers of some future events. Catfish in Tokyo have been observed to predict earthquakes, their activity level heightening several days before recorded seismic activity. Cows are somewhat reliable predictors of rain; they lay down to conserve heat, and since rain is often preceded by sudden drops in temperature, cows are often found lying down before a shower. Sharks can detect changes in ocean pressure which can be caused by impending storms, and they head for deeper water before hurricanes strike.

In 2004, herds of elephants in Thailand spontaneously fled for higher ground just before a tsunami devastated the country. These animals use infrasound - the area below human hearing - to communicate. Infrasound waves are emitted over long distances by thunder and earthquakes, which the elephants were able to sense and act upon.

And then there is Oscar the therapy cat, who resides at a nursing home in Providence, Rhode Island. Oscar has correctly predicted 50 deaths by curling up on the bed of the resident who is soon to pass away. One possible explanation for this ability is that the cat can smell ketones, the biochemicals released by dying cells.

Cuter than I imagined the Grim Reaper to be.
Photo: Steere House

Now. All I need is an animal that can predict whether or not I will become a zoo keeper. But the owl will just keeping asking me "who?", and the tortoise will take forever to answer. Pigs might tell me to expect it when they can fly, hyenas may cruelly laugh .. and honey badger just don't care.

I suppose I could consult some animal wisdom tarot cards. They direct me to the peacock, the illuminator. Or I could just ask this guy:

Clairvoyant Canine.

Yep. That's what I'll do. Because even if he tells me the going will be "ruff", I know he'd also tell me to keep chasing that ball.


For more information:
http://thefw.com/animals-groundhogs-can-predict-future/
http://mentalfloss.com/article/59091/can-animals-predict-future

(Q)uahog Clam

I turned 40 yesterday, which pretty much puts me smack dab in the middle of life, given an average life expectancy of 77.3 years (for a white female born in 1975).

I don't think I'm ready to be halfway done with my life already.

But I'm in good company: Priscilla and Patches, our male and female (yes, respectively) Desert Tortoises at the Oregon Zoo, have a similar life expectancy. These two are program animals, which means they are docile enough to be used in educational experiences at the zoo and in our outreach programs.

Desert Tortoise
Courtesy of Oregon Zoo

I volunteer with the ZooSnooze program, one of the opportunities volunteers have to be hands-on with animals. It's pretty great to be able to show off an animal like the Desert Tortoise and share interesting talking points with small groups. Such as why Priscilla is a boy and is named Priscilla: because it takes over a decade for their boy parts to become noticeable, and when we first acquired him we thought he was a she. (And because, paperwork. It would be too much of a hassle to change his name at this point. Zoo bureaucracy and all.) But I don't usually talk about boy parts with kids. Yikes. I'm not a parent for many good reasons; not having to explain the birds and the bees is one of them. I refer, instead, to the gular horn, an extension of their lower shell which males use in fighting with other males.

It's about as riveting as you'd expect. Be sure to hang in there until the bitter end!

But I digress. And my attempt to console myself with animal life expectancies doesn't really work, because I start lamenting about people taking on exotic animals as pets - pets which will outlive them or whose humans will grow tired of them long before the pets can even attempt to outlive them ...

Okay, that really doesn't make me feel better.

I don't feel better, until I think of 40 in comparison to very long-living animals.

Lake Sturgeon, 152 years
Courtesy of Lake Champlain International

Red Sea Urchin, 200 years
Google Image, Unknown Photographer

 And the Quahog Clam, which lives to be an astonishing 400 years old.

Ocean Quahog Clam, 400 years
Courtesy of Paul Kay

Seriously?!? 40 is only one-tenth of 400. I don't need to live another 9 lifetimes. Yay, middle age! I just made myself feel a whole lot better.

Happy birthday, me!


For more information :
http://news.discovery.com/animals/top-10-longest-living-animals.htm