August, 2012ConCept DesigntemperAte Zone penguin AnD AmeriCAn river otter exhibits | sCovill Zoo, DeCAtur, il

ConCept plAn

penguin exhibit overview

penguin exhibit unDerwAter viewing(not to sCAle)

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KEYPenguin Exhibit

River Otter Exhibit

Otter Holding

Penguin Holding

Life Support

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Penguin Progress Zoo Calendar

71 S. Country Club Rd. • Decatur, IL 62521 • 217/421-7435 scovillzoo@decparks.com • www.scovillzoo.com • @ScovillZoo on Twitter

Boo at the ZooPresented by Wal-MartEnjoy spooky treat stations, hundreds of Jack o’lanterns, the Endangered Species Carousel, and Fright Night Express Train!

Boo TimesOctober 19, 25 - 26 & 29 -315:30 - 8 p.m.

Saturdays & SundaysOctober 20 - 21 & 27 - 283 - 8 p.m.

Fees$4/person - collecting treats$3/person - no treats

Train rides are $2.00 for FOZ members and $2.50 for non-members. Carousel rides are $1.50 per person for FOZ members and $2.00 for non-members. FOZ members may enter Boo at the Zoo free but are asked to visit free only once. Thank you! Del’s caramel apples will be given away each night to the first 200 visitors with treat tickets!

FALL 2012

critter

Visit the zoo on a typical day and you might not notice much progress toward the eventu-al arrival of penguins, but that doesn’t mean things aren’t happening. Look closer and you’ll see surveying marks indicating where utilities and elevations are being mapped throughout the zoo. As the design takes shape, Scovill Zoo and Park District person-nel are meeting weekly with the exhibit plan-ners. It’s a complicated project that includes new utilities, filtration for outdoor water and indoor air, heating and cooling, a 5,000-gallon pool, penguin containment, landscaping, and interpretive features for visitors to learn about these fascinating aquatic birds. The recent Zoo-rific Evening event helped raise over $66,000 for construction of the new exhibit. Construction will begin in November, right after Boo at the Zoo. We’re hoping for mild winter weather similar to last year, so work can steadily continue throughout the winter. If the construction progresses as planned, we plan to open the new penguin exhibit in June 2013.

During an August meeting, the Humboldt penguin population man-ager identified 10 young penguins currently residing at other zoos that will even-tually make Scovill Zoo their home. Humboldt penguins are not Antarctic penguins that live in extreme cold. In the wild, Humboldt pen-guins catch fish in the chilly Humboldt current that flows along the Pacific coast of South America and nest on

the arid coast. At the warmer northern end of their range, they typically swim in water that varies in temperature from 55 - 63 degrees. While on land on the coast of Peru, the penguins enjoy an average winter temperature of 59 degrees and an average summer temperature of 79 degrees. At Scovill Zoo, the penguins will live outdoors. Visitors will be able to look through a large window to see the penguins swimming underwater. From another vantage point, they’ll also view the birds from above, whether the penguins are swimming or spending time on land. A small door will allow the keepers to bring the penguins very close to visitors with no barrier between the handsome black and white birds and our zoo guests.

by Dave Webster, Zoo Director

critter chatter • FALL 20122 SCOVILL ZOO

Scovill Zoo welcomed Mowgli, a 17 week-old wolf puppy, to our zoo in August. Mowgli was born April 6, 2012 at Wolf Park near Battle Ground, Indiana. In his litter of six, there were four grey-coated and two black-coat-ed pups. Mowgli’s mother Dharma is the sister of Scovill Zoo’s two year-old wolf Tilly. Wolf Park hand raises wolf pups from day 10 to about three months of age, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in order to socialize them. It’s quite a commitment, and they do a great job. Several Scovill Zoo keepers visited Wolf Park to observe the six pups and to meet Mowgli. It was a chance for the keepers to see how he would react to them and how he inter-acted with his litter mates. After Mowgli arrived at Scovill Zoo, aunt Tilly made sure that he realized she was the alpha wolf of our wolf pack. During the transition time, Mowgli felt more comfortable staying close to the keepers. After a few days, Tilly’s status orientation was finished and the two

now enjoy spending their time running, sparring, and napping near each other. We are extremely excited to have him join us. As excited as we are about Mowgli,

we are sad to have lost a member of our pack. Marius came to our zoo 15 years ago as a pup. Recently, Marius developed sev-eral age-related health issues and declined in health until he passed away in early Septem-ber. It was well known among zoo staff that

Marius preferred our female keepers, a fact we jokingly reminded our male counterparts! On more than one occa-sion, he managed to playfully nip Zoo Director Dave on the backside. When Dave would turn around, Marius would be twenty feet away as if nothing hap-pened. Dave called them “love bites.” Sixteen year-old Thalia, our other wolf pack member, is still moving about well and is as sweet as ever. Due to her age, she is kept in a separate enclosure next to the young pack. Come visit us at Boo at to Zoo to howl with our new young duo. Aunt and nephew just might howl back!

Zoo Welcomes New Wolf, Mowgli by Heather Purdeu

Friends of the Zoo Pumpkin Carving Party

Zoo LeadersDecatur Park Board Chris Riley, President

Jack Kenny, Vice-President Bob Brilley II

Cindy Deadrick-WolferDon Luy

Decatur Parks Foundation Judith Locke, President

Erv Arends Dr. Wendell Becton

Cindy BlackBob Brilley II Brian Byers

Melinda ChadwickCindy Deadrick-Wolfer Kara Demirjian-Huss

Ed Flynn Larry Foster

Tom HostetlerDr. Stephen Huss

Kara Johnston Jack Kenny

Chuck KuhleCindy Laegeler

Don Luy James Neff Pete Paulin Chris Riley

Margo RozelleRod Schanefelt

Jim Schwarz Cyndy Smith Mark Tupper

Dr. William Van Alstine Kathy Wiesemann

Executive Director Decatur Park District

William Clevenger

Zoo DirectorDave Webster

Assistant Director Ken Frye

Zoo Staff Sheila Crosby Amanda Hall Ryan Kirkland

Heather PurdeuMisty TompkinsMindy Weaver

Kent WinchesterKathy Winter

Friends of the Zoo members are invited to a fun evening of pumpkin carving at Scovill Zoo on Tuesday, October 16 from 5 – 7 p.m. The zoo will provide carving tools and fun stencils ranging from easy to challenging. Bring your own pumpkin to take home with you or leave it at the zoo so

it can be displayed during Boo at the Zoo. Your children will love

hunting and finding their pumpkins along our paths. This FOZ members event is free but limited to 25 participants. Call today to reserve your space!

critter chatter • FALL 2012 SCOVILL ZOO 3

Become a Friend of the Zoo! Give the gift that keeps on giving with a Friend of the Zoo membership. Benefits include a year of free zoo admission, reduced rate for train and carousel rides, discounts on zoo merchandise and birthday parties, and free or discounted admission to 150+ AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums in the United States. Individual, grandparent, and family memberships are available.

Looking for a unique spot for your next party or special event?

Call Scovill Zoo!421-7435

Amanda Hall Guest Presenter at AAZK Conference by Ken FryeIn September, Scovill Zoo lead keeper Amanda Hall spoke at the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) con-ference in Syracuse, New York. Amanda presented her workshop on population management, a subject of great concern among zoo keepers. Why is population management such an important issue? Without it, captive populations and some animal species will become extinct. The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) created population manage-ment programs so that zoos can help solve these problems. Managed captive programs exist in over 200 AZA institu-tions. Scovill Zoo’s managed animals include our sloth, red panda, meerkats,

flamingos, all of our primates, cheetahs, zebra, kookaburras, toucans, and turacos. The purpose of these programs is to control breeding and ensure genetic diversity. The goal is to have as diverse a population as possible over the next 100 years. Sometimes zoos have to trade or remove animals for the good of the spe-cies. Fortunately for Scovill Zoo, Clay the Red Panda will be joined by a female friend next spring. She is destined to go to Australia in a couple of years, but in the meantime, it would be exciting if the two produce offspring here. Scovill Zoo will also be sending off all of our turacos in exchange for a genetically valuable pair. Our zoo is one of only a few in recent years to be successful at breeding turacos, producing 6 surviving chicks in 3 years. The population manager recom-mended us to receive this valuable pair to see if they will be successful here.

I was speaking to the Prime Timers club a few weeks ago and ran into a former zoo volunteer. She told me a story about a mobile zoo presentation she had given at a retirement home 15 years ago. One resident in particular just loved be-ing able to touch the animals and learn more about them. The volunteer could tell she had made this lady’s day by be-ing there. As I listened to the story, I thought about the impact our volunteer had on her audience and the effect the woman’s interest and enthusiasm had on our zoo volunteer over a decade later. Do you know someone who can make such an impact as a zoo volunteer? Are you that special person? If you’d like to learn more about Scovill Zoo’s animals and share your knowledge with others, at-

by Ken Frye

tend our Adult Volunteers Continuing Education Classes in February or our new quarterly Volunteer Orientation sessions. For more information, call 421-7435. Students of all ages can also learn more about the animal kingdom with our on-site or mobile Winter Classroom programs. Topics like “Learning About Life Cycles,” “The Raptor Report,” and “Remarkable Reptiles” include animal visits, a winter zoo tour, and zoo keeper presentations and discussions. Our youngest animal lovers can enjoy Animal Crackers classes (with new topics each session) year-round. For more information, please visit scovillzoo.com or call the zoo at 421-7435.

Educational Offerings for All Ages

Animal AdoptionsDoes your child have a favorite animal at Scovill Zoo? Adopt it! The money given to our Zoo Parent Program helps feed and care for the animals year-round. Donation amounts range from $15 (guinea pigs, glass lizards) to $50 (cheetahs, wolves, camels, zebra) and several amounts in between. Benefits include a personalized adoption certificate, subscription to the Critter Chatter newsletter, invitation to the annual picnic, recognition on scovillzoo.com, and one free zoo admission. Please call the zoo for more information!

Zoo-tique Gift ShopNeed a unique gift for your favorite animal lovers? Call the Zoo-tique Gift Shop at 421-7435. We are open by appointment through Christmas. Gifts for children include stuffed animals, pens, books, games and toys. Items for adults include tagua nut art and walking sticks. Give Kathy a call to arrange an appointment at your convenience.

71 S. Country Club Road Decatur, IL 62521

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Scovill Zoo 2012/2013 EventsPJ Party with Santa! Saturday, December 8, 2012 1 - 3 p.m. or 5 - 7 p.m. Children aged 3 - 10 can bring their pillow and wear their favorite pajamas as they make a craft, eat yummy treats, meet some of our animal friends, and hear a story from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Be sure to bring your camera! Fee is $12 ($10 with resident discount). To register, call the zoo or visit scovillzoo.com.

2013 Scovill Zoo Open Golf Outing Friday, May 24 Hickory Point Golf Course Mark your calendars now for the 2013 Scovill Zoo Open! You’ll enjoy a great day of golf, lunch on the patio, and an evening reception. For more information, contact Rick Anderson at 421-7468.

2013 Zoo-rific Evening at Scovill Zoo Saturday, August 24 Save the date for Scovill Zoo’s 2013 Zoo-rific Evening! For more information or sponsorship information, call the Foundation office at 422-5911. See you in 2013...at Scovill Zoo!

presents

October19, 25-26, & 29-31

5:30-8:00 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday20-21 & 27-283:00-8:00 p.m.

$4.00 Collecting Treats$3.00 No Treats