Habitat 38 Fall 2014

2 | September/October/November 2014 H ABITAT Celebrating and Saving Wildlife T h e M a g a z i n e o f t h e D e t r o i t Z o o l o g i c a l S o c i e t y Habitat is produced quarterly for Members of the Detroit Zoological Society. EDITED BY Graphinity, Inc. CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jennifer Thomas PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT ArborOakland Group GRAPHIC DESIGN Graphinity, Inc. Copyright © 2014 Detroit Zoological Society All rights reserved. PLEASE CONTACT: Detroit Zoological Society 8450 W. 10 Mile Road Royal Oak, MI 48067 Phone: (248) 541-5717 Fax: (248) 541-2489 www.detroitzoo.org For questions about membership, please contact: info@dzs.org. facebook.com/detroitzoo youtube.com/detroitzoo twitter.com/detroitzoo instagram.com/detroitzoo The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo. Printed in the USA. The Detroit Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Many animals have found sanctuary at the Detroit Zoo over the years, mostly by chance. But one particular species has done so by choice. I’m referring to the wild black-crowned night herons that have perched in the treetops at the Zoo each year for more than a decade. The birds simply showed up one year – likely due to the abundance of food and safe nesting areas – and discovered an ideal breeding ground. Their original settlement has grown into a full-fledged rookery, hosting about 50 wild breeding pairs – much to the delight of local birders who flock here to see the elusive species. Read more about this popular “unofficial” attraction on page 5. The animals that have found sanctuary here by chance have typically been rescued from private owners, roadside zoos or circuses – including more than 1,000 exotic animals confiscated from an animal wholesaler in Texas, a polar bear forced to perform in a tropical circus and lions kept in a junkyard in Kansas, among many others. Most recently, 30 animals – including some exotic species – were rescued from pitiful conditions in a residential garage in Warren and are now receiving the specialized veterinary care they need at the Zoo’s Ruth Roby Glancy Animal Health Complex. Before being confiscated by animal control staff, one of the exotic animals – a white- nosed coati, which is a South American mammal about the size of a red panda – escaped its cramped cage and reportedly bit a man. Tragically, the animal had to be destroyed, as physicians could not rule out the potential for rabies exposure. The Macomb County Health Department directed euthanasia and testing of the coati’s brain – the only way to diagnose rabies – but a necropsy showed no evidence of the disease. Sadly, another animal has paid with its life because people are still allowed to own some exotic animals in the state of Michigan, putting both animals – including domestic pets – and humans at risk. We are spending a lot of time, energy and resources on these animals, as they haven’t had the proper attention – including the health care – they need. Their recovery is being supported by our Kalter/Lezotte Fund for Wildlife Rescue, which was established by generous donors in 2012 to facilitate the rescue of wild animals with the intent to provide sanctuary at the Detroit Zoo. Thanks to this fund, we are able to provide these animals – and many others who find sanctuary here – their first-ever humane touch and expert care … not just the appropriate medical treatment and nutritious food, but also enrichment, kindness and respect. From the Director Ron Kagan Executive Director, Detroit Zoological Society