Animal Management News
ZooToo comes to visit SPCA
Jefferson County SPCA has placed 5th out of over 900+ shelters in the country in the ZooToo Million Dollar Make-over competition. On April 16, Zootoo.com founder, Richard Thompson came to Watertown to visit the Jefferson County SPCA for the competition. A crowd of over 400 people were on hand to welcome him and his team... including JCC Animal Management. The winner will be announced on national television in May. The Jefferson County SPCA has been a great partner of our program and it was great to see so many people come out to support our local shelter!!!
ZEW in Binghamton
JCC’s Zoo/Exotic/Wildlife Club traveled to Binghamton, NY for the weekend of April 12 & 13th. Alongside zoo staff, the gang redesigned the ring-tailed lemur exhibit and added various enrichment items for the lemurs, binturong and others. The team also constructed a hammock made out of fire hose for the spectacled bears. A big thank you to Binghamton Zoo’s staff for making the visit so much fun!
Bandicoots and Ocelots at RGZ!
Through the winter and spring, the Bandicoot and Ocelot classes have continued rotation at Syracuse’s Rosamond Gifford Zoo. Both student keeper and animal love the warm spring weather!
Seneca Park Zoo
The AMG team traveled to Rochester’s Seneca Park Zoo on October 17th. Curator David Hamilton gave an amazing tour of their facilities and new African area. The new elephant house was particularly impressive! We can’t wait to go back when construction is complete.
The Great Zoo Boo!
For the first time, JCC Animal Management volunteered at Rosamond Gifford Zoo’s Great Zoo Boo! Ghostly ghouls, funny Frankenstein creatures, lots of kids and rockin’ monsters line-dancing. Definitely kooky, not spooky… and A LOT of fun!
Bandicoots on Rotation at Syracuse’s Rosamond Gifford Zoo
The Bandicoots have started rotation at Syracuse’s Rosamond Gifford (RG) Zoo. Student keepers are being mentored one-on-one by RG Zoo’s keepers. Elephants, tigers and penguins, oh my! A huge thank-you to Rosamond Gifford Zoo for making us feel at home and helping us learn so much.
North Country Animal Health Center
North Country Animal Health Center held an open house on Sept. 29 with many of the members of the community coming out to participate. The Bandicoots were out in force to help with set up and operate a display booth. AMG graduate Amy (now licensed veterinary technician) provided a special behind the scenes tour for the group before the event started. Thanks Amy and Bandicoots!
NYS Power Authority’s Wildlife Exposition
For the first time, AMG was invited to participate in the NYS Power Authority’s Wildlife Expo in Massena, NY with World of Wildlife Educational Encounters (WOWEE). It was a long day, but great experience!
Ocelots at Old McDonald’s Farm
In their first AMG semester, the Ocelots received their introduction to animal husbandry at Old McDonald’s Farm. Cleaning out the barn, picking horse hooves, and learning to tie a halter were all a part of their experience. For Halloween, they decorated many of the exhibits and prepared new activities such as pumpkin painting and scavenger hunts for the school groups that attended that day. Thank-you Old McDonald’s Farm! Way to go Ocelots!
Fragile Wilderness 2007 at the NYS Zoo
Once again the AMG team was excited to participate in the NYS Zoo’s annual Fragile Wilderness wildlife expo. The event is the largest wildlife exposition in the Northeast and is held at the NYS Zoo. The Bandicoots carried on our tradition of operating an interactive exhibit booth for visitors while the new Ocelots provided general volunteer assistance to the zoo. Way to go team!
Bandicoots at the Fair…
For their domestic animal clinical, the Bandicoots were set loose on the New York State Fair in Syracuse. Chickens, horses, cows… and funnel cakes!
Ocelots are Onboard
The class of 2009 are here and have chosen the Ocelot as their mascot. Welcome to JCC Animal Management Ocelots!
Dr. Irwin Participates in Envirovet Program
Dr. Irwin has returned from a summer training abroad. As a member of Envirovet 2007, he traveled to Florida for specialized training in Terrestrial and Aquatic ecosystem health. For most of July he was in South Africa to study ecosystem health in developing countries. Most of his time in Africa was focused on translocation medicine and the immobilization of giraffe, rhino, hippo, elephant, etc.
Wombats Finish!
The AMG Wombats, class of 2007 have finished their AMG career. It was great to see the entire class attend JCC commencement on May 18. Now, they are spreading out over the continent doing internships, taking jobs or continuing their studies. Congratulations Wombats!!!
Wombats Take Manhattan!
The AMG Wombats departed on their final year trip to New York City on April 20. Our hotel was located between Central Park and Times Square, providing great restaurants and sites for after hours.
The first official stop on the Wombats’ New York City visit was to Central Park. The group enjoyed a tour of the Central Park Zoo with docent and author, Joan Scheier (www.newyorkcityzoos.com and www.cpzbook.com). The weather was beautiful and hospitality wonderful!
The second day in NYC found the group at the Bronx Zoo. Everyone was amazed at the incredible facility and especially the clear conservation messages. The group was able to get a front row seat for a Siberian tiger training session and a great tour by Joel Weisvogel.
Our final day in NYC was at the American Museum of Natural History. Invertebrate zoologist, Dr. Kim Russell (http://research.amnh.org/~krussell/) provided the group with a fascinating behind the scenes tour of the museum. The Wombats then spread out to explore the museum and find exhibits of interest ranging from dinosaurs to a live butterfly conservatory.
Animal Behavior Studies at Syracuse’s Rosamond Gifford Zoo!
Syracuse’s Rosamond Gifford Zoo hosted JCC animal management students for a 2-part behavioral observation workshop. SUNY Oswego’s Dr. Diane Chepko-Sade provided initial orientation and direction to the students before having them conduct practice observations. By the end of the workshop, students had developed ethograms for their assigned species and collected data before and after enrichment was provided. Thank you to Syracuse Zoo staff and Dr. Chepko-Sade for making it possible!
Binghamton Zoo Visit
On April 24 the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park hosted JCC Animal Management for a tour of the zoo and round table discussion on zoo animal enrichment. A special thank-you to all of the animal care staff for taking time to join us and for the pizza!
ZEW Club in Washington DC!
JCC Zoo/Exotic/Wildlife Club members hit the road to visit Washington DC on April 13. The club spent Saturday exploring the National Zoo. The weather was very nice and the zoo, beautiful! After hours the group enjoyed some great, authentic Mexican food.
Live animal stage presentation with WOWEE!
On March 22, JCC Animal Management and World of Wildlife Educational Encounters (WOWEE) partnered to do a live animal stage presentation for Gouverneur and Copenhagen middle schools. JCC’s Amy O’Donnell and Dr. Irwin, with JCC student ambassadors gave a presentation about going to College and animal related careers. Middle school students then moved to the Sturtz Theater to hear from the Animal Management students and meet some of WOWEE’s wild animal ambassadors. Animals included a Patagonian cavy, Asian binturong, African serval, African Spur-thighed tortoise, American Alligator among others. A huge thank you goes out to WOWEE!!!
JCC Animal Management on WPBS Live!
Dr. Irwin and Wombats Josh, Ty, Erin, Sharah and Stacy were guests on the hour-long talk show, WPBS Live. Dr. Irwin spoke about the JCC Animal Management program and the Wombats discussed animal enrichment for both zoo animals and domestic pets. Live animal demonstrations were made possible with animal ambassadors from World of Wildlife Educational Encounters (WOWEE) and Jefferson County SPCA.
Channel 7 News segment
JCC Animal Management students Josh, Jodie, Erin and Tiana were guests on WWNY TV, Channel 7 News on March 23 and April 10. As representatives of JCC Animal Management, Josh and Jodie spoke about Wildlife Rehabilitation and Erin and Tiana discussed animal enrichment.
