Clouded Leopard vs. Marauding Monkey!

I just received a fun story from the Fernando, the project manager at the breeding program at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. I'll let him share it with you:

"I'm writing you because I want to tell you a cool story that happened at the breeding center the past month. I was there as every morning but, I noticed that something was different. Some of the residents were hidden in their nestboxes and I could see LaiThai climbing to the highest part of the fence.  That was a little weird because they usually stay on the nest boards or logs, not on the vertical fence. Then I realized that a male long tailed macaque was over the top of the fence. Most of the cats in that row of enclosures were hidden, but only one remained brave defending his territory: LaiThai.

After half an hour of growling and with the extra help of SenLek, finally the long tailed macaque was scared away from the breeding center.  Thanks to the courage of the youngest male at the center. It was really interesting to see the agonistic behavior between both species. I'm sorry that the pictures are not as good as they could be, but I think you will enjoy them anyway."

We are lucky that in the U.S. we don't have to worry about hazards like this (and cobras and pythons) that are a normal part of life in Thailand!

LaiThai checking out the threat.

LaiThai's close encounter.

 SenLek and LaiThail working together to scare off the macaque.

LaiThai the victorious!

Welcome to new Thailand Consortium Manager Dr. Fernando Najera!

The Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium recently welcomed a new project manager, Dr. Fernando Najera.  Fernando is a veterinarian, receiving his degree in 2001. After dedicating five years to the medicine of cats and dogs, in 2006 he began to work for wild animals. He has been a veterinarian for two zoological institutions in Spain and lived in Ecuador for almost one year where he served as a vet for two different wildlife rescue centers and helped fight the illegal wildlife trade. In Borneo he collaborated with The Bornean Clouded Leopard Programme in conducting research in the field and now serves as the veterinary advisor for the project. While in Borneo he fell in love with the Sunda Clouded Leopard’s ecology and biology. After working on other projects in Costa Rica and in zoos in the United States, Fernando moved to Thailand where he’s now happily working for the clouded leopard in the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium and gets to enjoy the clouded leopards on a daily basis!

Two Cubs Born at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium!

Exciting news: last night Chai Li delivered two healthy cubs! They've already been started on the bottle and are doing great so far. Maureen and I leave for Borneo in a couple of hours so I won't be able to share posts about them for the next three weeks. Never fear, though - just become a Facebook fan of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium to follow their every move and hear about all the happenings surrounding the opening of the new Cats of the Canopy exhibit!

Clouded Leopard Cubs on the Way!

We are thrilled to announce that one of our pairs of cats that came to us from the breeding center in Thailand is due to have cubs in mid-June. The exciting news made the front page of our local paper today. Because the pair is only 20 months old, we expected they wouldn't breed until next Spring - what a wonderful surprise! This makes Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium the third facility in the country that currently houses a breeding pair of these rare cats. Since the pair is so strongly bonded, we anticipate that they will have many more litters in the future. The Zoo also houses another young pair that we expect to breed next year. Our last litter of cubs was in 2003, so this will be a welcome return to the world of baby cloudies!

Name a Clouded Leopard!

If you have a little extra money to spend, here's a fun opportunity to support the great work of the National Zoo by bidding to name one of the Zoo's adorable clouded leopard cubs.

Nashville Zoo Cubs

Photo: Nashville Zoo

Check out this video of the Nashville Zoo's one-month-old cubs. This is such a cute age as they start getting more mobile. These cubs represent the continuing success of the Clouded Leopard Consortium breeding program based in Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. The three cubs are from two differenct litters born just days apart. Two cubs were born to 5-year-old Jing Jai and her mate Arun who came from Thailand in 2008. This is Jing Jai's third litter. The other cub is the first birth for 2-year old Lom Choy and her mate Luk. Lom Choy was imported from Thailand in spring 2010, and introduced to Luk, one of three cubs born to Jing Jai and Arun at Nashville Zoo in 2009.

Clouded Leopard Education at Khao Kheow Open Zoo

Happy New Year!
I've just returned from Thailand and will organize my photos and videos for posting soon. I had a great trip, highlighted by a visit to a fishing cat research project in Khao Sam Roi Yod National Park. I'll provide more details on that project soon and also share notes on a visit to Kaen Krachan National Park.

For starters, though, I wanted to post a brief report on my time at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, site of the Clouded Leopard Consortium's breeding project. Point Defiance Zoo is a member of the Consortium and provides annual staff support during the project manager's annual two-month vacation. The other way we contribute is assisting with the development of educational efforts that support the project. That's where I come in!

On this trip I met with KKOZ's education staff to discuss ways to increase educational efforts on behalf of clouded leopards. Additionally, since the breeding program is located behind the scenes, the zoo is looking for ways to raise the profile of the project with visitors. While the zoo has a large cat complex, they currently don't have a clouded leopard on exhibit. We hope to be able to encourage them to renovate an existing exhibit to accomodate a cat and have pledged support for the development of exhibit interpretation. Since we are currently developing our new clouded leopard exhibit, it might be possible to also share our exhibit graphics with them. Beacause the breeding project has been so successful it would really benefit the zoo to promote it to their visitors.

In addition to exhibit interpretation, the education staff at KKOZ would like to emphasize clouded leopards more in their programming for school groups. Large numbers of students visit the zoo for programs led by zoo educators so we developed some ideas for activities that they can use to engage students and teach them about clouded leopards and their conservation. It will be great when they can put these ideas into action to help get Thai students excited about their awesome native wildlife!

Exhibit Construction

Our contractors are moving quickly and have already transformed the look of the site. Cats of the Canopy is on the way!

Clouded Leopard Exhibit Breaks Ground!

It's been a very long time coming, but we are thrilled that ground has finally broken for Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's new clouded leopard exhibit! This exhibit will provide everything we need to provide a comfortable home for our clouded leopards and great viewing and educational opportunities for our guests. We have designed the exhibit to give the cats lots of height for climbing, glass and mesh viewing, and a special viewing area for when we have young cubs. I'm working with our interpretive team to design the accompanying graphics and other opportunities to teach guests about clouded leopards and their conservation issues. We hope to incorporate some fun technology components too. I'll keep you posted as construction progresses!

Exhibit viewed from the front

Washington DC Clouded Leopard Event

For those of you in the DC area, I hope you'll join our friends at the National Zoo for an evening sharing the clouded leopard conservation story. Budhan, Ken, and Jilian will give you the whole scoop on the great work the Smithsonian is doing to conserve cloudies!

Saving Clouded Leopards: Conservation Through Science
When: 6:30 p.m., December 8
Where: National Zoo Visitor Center Auditorium
Cost: $10 for FONZ members, $15 for nonmembers

Join preeminent National Zoo scientists, animal keepers, and FONZ volunteers for an evening dedicated to the conservation of clouded leopards. Hosted by the Zoo scientist Budhan Pukazhenthi, the event will begin with a special screening of the Smithsonian Channel’s Ghost Cat: Saving the Clouded Leopard, which follows a small cadre of scientists, activists, and veterinarians determined to help stave off extinction of the clouded leopard.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Budhan Pukazhenthi. Panelists include Ken Lang, supervisory biologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; Jilian Fazio, Ph.D. candidate and long-time clouded leopard keeper; and Rebecca Hobbs, post-doctoral fellow. Together, the panel represents a wealth of knowledge and experience working with clouded leopards in the wild in and captivity.

The evening concludes with the opportunity to mingle with Zoo scientists and animal keepers during a cocktail hour, bid on one-of-a-kind items at our silent auction, or do some holiday shopping at a clouded leopard table or in the Asia Trail gift shop.

Thailand Clouded Leopard Breeding Program Job Announcement

Long term Clouded Leopard Breeding Program Manager Rick Pasarro will be leaving his position at Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo in early 2011. Rick has worked long and hard to ensure the success of this innovative program and has decided to take a much deserved break from the program. This is an amazing opportunity for a wildlife professional who would like a novel work experience requiring incredible dedication and sense of adventure!

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT – Manager for Clouded Leopard Breeding Program Project Manager

The Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium seeks a full-time, hands-on manager to oversee all aspects of a captive breeding and research project for ~40 clouded leopards and fishing cats at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. Duties include but are not limited to: daily care of animal collection, introduction of animals for breeding, hand-rearing cubs, animal transports, facilities and equipment maintenance and improvements, supervision and training of local staff, public relations budget oversight and serve as a liaison to the Thailand Zoological Park Organization. Superior candidates will have previous project management experience in a similar situation.

CORE REQUIREMENTS: Minimum of a BA/BS in Zoology/Biology (or related field) and experience working with exotic cats. Excellent command of English. Excellent physical condition, ability to work in a tropical environment.

HELPFUL: Excellent problem solving skills, good common sense, attention to detail, infinite patience and a good sense of humor.

PREFERRED: Handraising skills as well as the ability to work in and adapt quickly to foreign languages and environments. Salary $20,000/yr. On-site, 2-bedroom housing, food, project vehicle for local transport, roundtrip airfare annually for one month paid vacation and most in-country project expenses provided. Please send a cover letter detailing how your skills and abilities fit the position, a resume and 3 references to Karen Goodrowe; karengoodrowe@gmail.com
Application deadline-December 15, 2010
Start date no later than 1 April 2011.

Andy Thailand Update

Hey Guys! It’s me Andy and I know it has been a long time. I’m actually here in the States. You usually only hear from me when I’m working in Thailand, and even then it’s infrequently that I write. I know I’m a lame-o when it comes to that. I’ve been ask to give an update about everything that’s been happening with the breeding program over in Thailand and here at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.

I’ll start where I left off. The reason that I disappeared from the blog after the holidays was because a cat at the breeding center was seriously injured by another cat. Her name is Lom Choy and she tried to pick a fight with another cat through the fence one night. I’ll never forget walking into the building that morning. Normally, Lom Choy is always up running back and forth in anticipation of breakfast. This time she wasn’t and it caught my attention right away. I went in to see her and she was laying down very still. Her front left leg had been chewed up severely. My heart just sank, I felt sick to my stomach as I grabbed her and took her to the hospital. This was just 2 weeks before I was to leave Th

ailand and she was a cub that was to be coming to America. That last two weeks was all about saving this cat’s leg. She was a real trooper and put up with a tremendous amount of treatment and pain. She had to live at the hospital in a small cage. I would spend the night with her in the cage to keep her from ripping off her bandages. I also had help from friends from Australia. I had them sleep with her as well.

Six days before I left we had a litter of two cubs born. We had decided that the mother would raise these cubs which was good for me cause I was so busy with Lom Choy and let me tell you I was freaking out! Lom Choy was doing well but her wounds were intense and she had some infection. I was like a crazed father driving the vets nuts

, but that’s me. The new cubs were doing great with their mom and she was fine with us coming in checking on them.

Well on my last day early in the morning up at the building there was a huge roar. You may not know this and even those of us that work with clouded leopards don’t ever hear it but they can belt it out. It sounds like that classic cougar sound in some movies but with an extreme guttural sound that is shocking the first time you hear it. This had only been my second time hearing it in the 8 years that I’ve worked with cloudeds. One staff member and I ran outside to see what happened. All of the younger cats were freaking out over a bunch of monkeys that were climbing all over the enclosures.

I went to check on the new cubs but their mother was insanely aggressive to me so I had to back off and wait a while before checking again. When I got my chance to look in on the little guys I found that they had been injured by their mother most likely during the monkey strike. She had bitten into their tails. I had to take them to the hospital. Remember this is my last day and Rick the full time manager is on his way to Thailand and we aren’t going to cross paths. So he was coming back to one leopard fighting to keep her leg and two cubs that most likely were going to lose their tails. Needless to say I didn’t sleep that night for my 4:00 am departure from the land of a thousand smiles. I wasn’t smiling at all.

I did return to Thailand about a month later to pick up three clouded leopards for our zoo and one very special one for the Nashville, Tennessee Zoo - Lom Choy! Lom Choy looked great when I got there. She had some scarring but she had her leg and no permanent damage and that was the greatest thing to see. The two young girls did lose a fair bit of their tails but they were happy healthy cubs and that’s all that mattered.

Ok, that’s part one of the story... I’ll write the rest soon.... I promise.....really I will!

Cloudie Press Clip

This photo of Rick Passaro, breeding manager of the Clouded Leopard Consortium at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, ran last week in the Bangkok Post. Pictured with Rick is cub Sen Lek. It's always great when the project gets press!

Cub Born at Nashville Zoo

We're happy to share the news that a female clouded leopard cub was recently born at the Nashville Zoo, a partner in the Clouded Leopard Consortium along with Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Smithsonian's National Zoo. This cub was born to parents imported from the breeding program at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. For more, see this article in the Tennessean.

Clouded Leopards, Media Darlings!

Today Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's new clouded leopards made the front page of the Tacoma News Tribune. The cats are adjusting really well to all the sights and sounds of their new home, even scary strollers! They have had their huge front window covered by a flour and water mixture to minimize their view into the big outdoors. But now that they are doing so well we have been removing the coating and making "portholes" for them to peek out of. Their temporary exhibit will be open intermittently starting Monday and hopefully be fully open by the following week.

You should also check out the great video the TNT videographer shot of the kids in all their spotty adoreableness!

How can you not come to the Zoo to see them???

More Clouded Leopard Cub Photos

The new cats are settling in well, especially the youngsters. I went in with them for the first time yesterday for a photo shoot. They are still young enough that it didn't take long for them to warm up - in fact they are so human-oriented it's hard to get them to stay back to get good shots!

Andy bottle raised the cubs in Thailand; it's nice to have a familiar face in Tacoma!

Chai Li

Nah Fun digs in.

Maureen making friends.

Chai Li is already waiting for her fans. Right now the window is covered and the building is closed for acclimation's sake.

Chai Li getting comfortable.

So happy to have young clouded leopards at the Zoo again!

Clouded Leopards Arrive at Point Defiance!

Today was a pretty exciting day for the staff and supporters of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. Many years of effort culminated in the arrival of three new clouded leopards to the Zoo. These cats, three-year-old female Jao Ying, and eight-month-old male and female (unrelated) Nah Fun and Chai Li, were born at Thailand's Khao Kheow Open Zoo. They are the result of a long term partnership of PDZA with the other members of the Clouded Leopard Consortium, to breed clouded leopards in Thailand. For more details on the Consortium you can check out the website and previous blog posts. Today, I just want to share some photos of today's event.

PDZA staff member Andy Goldfard serves as relief project manager for the Thailand breeding program and had already developed relationships with these three cats - including hand-rearing them. This relationship proved valuable as Andy accompanied the cats on their long journey from Thailand as he was able to provide some familiarity to what must have been a very confusing event for them. The cats arrived safe and sound and quickly began to settle in to their new home. Jao Ying, being older, is pretty shy for now, but the two younger cats are already actively exploring the wonderful space created for them by the Zoo's Southeast Asia keeper staff. With all the tall climbing opportunities, this is clouded leopard heaven!

For now, Jao Ying lives on her own but will eventually be joined by a young male, probably from the National Zoo, for potential breeding. The two youngsters are unrelated and are already very tightly bonded so will remain together as a pair, probably for life. If all goes well, they will start breeding within about a year and a half. All of these cats will eventually move into their new exhibit, Cats of the Canopy, opening in 2011. For now, the young cats will be living in the Southeast Asia Day Room, where they will eventually be viewable by visitors.

All of the cats will undergo a thirty day quarantine period to ensure that they are healthy and adjust to the new environment. After a week or two to give the youngsters time to settle in a bit we will gradually expose them to visitors in the Day Room. I'm sure they will put on quite a show flying across their branches, so be sure to come visit this spring and summer if you are in town!

Okay, enough explanation; here are the photos! You'll see why we are so thrilled.

The end of a very long trip.

Almost home...

Cloudie Palace

Zoo supporters Tina and June admiring the new digs.

Ready to stretch her legs.

Nah Fun and Chai Li, glad to see each other again.

Just out of the crates and straight up into "the canopy."

Exploring.

Wow! These cats can really climb!

Come see us soon at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium!

Raja's Annual Physical

Today was Raja's annual physical exam so I thought I'd share a few photos. Each animal at the Zoo receives a yearly physical to review their health status and check for any potential problems. In Raja's case it is especially important to keep close tabs on his health as he has been under treatment for renal (kidney) disease for several years. We have been able to control it through diet and medication, but more problems will likely surface as he ages. At nearly twelve, he is still in great shape, but is definitely pushing past his prime.

To conduct Raja's physical, our vet immobilizes him by injecting him with an anesthetic. Fortunately, Raja is very comfortable working with us (well, me...not our vet!) so I can easily load him into a transport kennel to receive his injection. Once he is asleep we bring him in our van up to the Zoo's hospital where he is hooked up to the anesthesia machine to be sure he STAYS asleep. Believe me, as nice as Raja is, you DON'T want a clouded leopard to wake up during his exam!

Once he's immobilized, our vet and vet tech leap into action to collect all the samples they need, take radiographs, and do a full body exam. Today Taryn, our vet tech intern, had the honors of collecting a blood sample. She did an awesome job, getting his vein on her first time! Pretty nice way to cap the last day of her internship.

Our vet doesn't just serve as Raja's doctor, but his dentist as well. He had some tartar build up so he had a full cleaning. Here is the before photo:

Here's the cleaning:

And here is the sparkly result!

Another thing we often do when we have an animal immobilized is to make paw prints to give to donors, use in education programs, or just for keepers to have as momentos of the animals we work with. Sometimes we take casts, but more commonly (because it's way easier) we use washable paint to just print tracks. We got some nice ones from Raja today.

We'll get the results from his blood and urine tests in a few days. Hopefully the report will be a clean bill of health for our handsome boy!