A SPECIAL VISITOR TO THE ZOO

A few pictures of David Copperfield at the Cherry Brook Zoo. The one below shows Lucas as he shows his excitement at the visit

Happy Halloween to everyone. Today we have a very magical visitor to the Cherry Brook Zoo. A quiet, unassuming man called to ask if he could have a tour of the zoo before he headed out to his next appearance. Yes, non other than David Copperfield came for a tour of the zoo today. As we walked through the zoo he had a number of questions and was very interested in our primates and the Vanished Kingdom. We were called the night before and asked if we minded giving a tour of the zoo to Mr. Copperfield, to be asked such a question has only proven to us that this gentle man who has been seen by millions is a thoughtful individual. It was a nice quiet day at the zoo and the tour was relaxed and I hope for him a short time of personal space that was an opportunity to just be himself. To say we enjoyed his visit does not do justice to how impressed we were with both the talented magician and illusionist, but the man himself. He was gracious enough to sign a few autographs and to have a few pictures taken. After a long night of weaving his magic spell in two shows in Saint John, NB we are pleased that he chose to spend some of his precious free time at the Cherry Brook Zoo among the animals and with us. A better Halloween surprise we could not imagine. His visit certainly made this a special day for us and maybe for just a little while we may have felt like kids again in the presence of this magical personality. For me it was an honour to have him here to spend time with us and his sincere interest only served to make us more passionate about what we do and has inspired us to continue to work to make the Cherry Brook Zoo the best it can be. Our citizens can take pride in their zoo and the possibilities that it can bring to them. This special visitor to our zoo certainly made us realize that you can dare to dream and it can be a reality. To Mr. Copperfield we truly enjoyed our time with you and thank you for your interest and hope that you may have taken some little bit of our zoo with you in your journey. As you can see from the pictures the animals were just as interested in David Copperfield as he was in them.

HALLOWEEN IS COMING TO THE ZOO

Sorry I haven't posted like I said I would. Went to our conference in Edmonton, Alberta and got sick. But, enough of that, today I wanted to remind everyone about the Haunted Zoo being held at, of course, Cherry Brook Zoo in Saint John, NB. We are running haunted night tours October 23rd. 24Th. and 25Th. The tours begin at 6:00 pm and run on the half hour, we suggest you bring the younger ones to the early tours as the zoo gets darker and more haunted as the time goes by. You never know what you may find lurking in the dark woods of the zoo at night and our Halloween tours are filled with things that go bump in the night - throw in a few roars and you will be trembling in the dark.

This is a fund raiser put on by our zoo volunteers so be sure to support the zoo by attending - It's Spooktacular!

BACK HOME AT THE ZOO

Yes, we are back home at the Cherry Brook Zoo. While in Edmonton, Alberta I managed to come down with a bad cold/flu which made getting back a fun filled airplane ride of popping ears and deafness, but I would do it again just to get back to New Brunswick and back to our zoo. The national conference of the Canadian Associations of Zoos and Aquariums is something we look forward to attending each year meeting in a different place but more importantly gathering with our peers to find out what is happening on the national and international scenes. Our work with Species Survival Programs and Endangered Species is important to us and it is a chance to meet with those working across Canada to save rare and endangered species. The most important part of the conference is getting together with fellow zoo directors and just talking animal talk. There is nothing as invigorating and sometimes amusing as talking to like minded people who understand what you are saying and having an opinion on all things animal. It is a great mixture of new people and their ideas linked with experienced people. We listen, we engage and we learn at every opportunity and at the same time we pass on our experiences and our concerns. It is a constant exchange of ideas and it enables us to elevate our communities to people who are interested in hearing the differences in how their facilities are run. It is good for us to go and realize that the Cherry Brook Zoo is a well respected and established zoological facility that plays its role on not only a national but international stage. We return with a purpose to make sure that we are able to continue to keep the status of accreditation and the respect of our colleagues. I guess that sometimes even we forget what a valuable contribution our zoo in Saint John, New Brunswick makes to conservation of animals, education of our communities, gathering research for the betterment of animal husbandry and contributions to recreations. It is with this in mind that I can honestly say that this national conference has once again renewed our vision and our determination to be the best that we can be. On this note I will update you on Baikal, the Siberian Tiger who left us in July for his new life at the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.He his healthy, he has adjusted to his new home and he is waiting to be introduced to their female once she goes into her heat cycle and they have great hopes of cubs in the future. They are so pleased with this magnificent creature and his future role in conservation of his species. We are proud to have played a role in this international species survival program and will continue to do so. Perhaps one day a cub from this pair will return to it's roots at the Cherry Brook Zoo.

We are glad to be back to the Cherry Brook Zoo, there is something unique about our zoo, it is a caring place, the animals come first, the staff do not look at clocks or complain when they are asked to do something. We are an intimate zoo that puts thought and caring into everything we do. That is not to say that other zoos do not care, but that this zoo may be small is size but big in conservation and it shows well on the national stage. We should all be proud of what we have accomplished so far, and what we can accomplish in the future.

CAZA Conference in Edmonton, Alberta

Well here we are in Edmonton, Alberta for the National Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conference. What a ride getting here and after a $60.00 cab fare to get to the hotel we got into our room. The conference hotel is the Fantasy Land Hotel in the West Edmonton Mall. The room is great and the mall is something else. Not being a mall person it is a bit over whelming. The best part is the California Sea Lions and the Marine Center that is part of the mall. I have watched them train and then saw the show three times. This place has more water flowing than the Saint John River, it is unbelievable that with all this water we had not water the first night we arrived ... so much for that relaxing hot tub in the room for the first night.

We did take in some really interesting meetings ( they ran concurrent sessions so it made it hard to choose) but we really did enjoy Jay Ingram's Keynote Address. Listen to some interesting ways they are working with animals with utilizing food as a training tool, but to be honest we already do that. They did go in depth with clicker or whistle training that we may want to look at in the future. We took the tour of West Edmonton Mall's Sea Life and their Ring Tailed Lemur and Sloth exhibit. Then on the the Valley Zoo where we started off on a tour but being us we finally just went on our own and got a chance to talk to the keepers and staff. They have about 50 animal and a staff of 18, not including night staff. They use golf carts to a great extent and we got a look at their new Lemur building that cost 2.3 million dollars. All I can say is 2.3 million will go a lot further in Saint John than it does here.

Well I managed to get really sick while out here and I am just beginning to feel human again. I can tell you I miss Saint John, NB and it seems no matter where we travel we always are glad to head home. The hotel is nice but we miss the Zoo, we miss the people and we miss our dogs. We are unusual in that most of the people here work at their zoo but they don't live there. I think we may have a different outlook than most of them and I can honestly say that despite the problems we may face I would rather be there. Our corner of the world is the best place to live, work and have family and travelling just reinforces that when we leave. Can't wait to get back to the zoo.

UPDATE ON THE ZOO

I thought it was time I gave a quick update on the zoo and how things are going. I can't believe the summer has past and fall is here. It has been a rather hectic year so far with Baikal leaving us and the new female Siberian Tiger joining us. I guess one of the animals that I feel I have neglected in introducing to you is Lucas our new Species Survival Program monkey. He is a male Black Handed Spider Monkey that arrived the same day and the Siberian Tiger and perhaps that overshadowed his arrival. Lucas is a rare species listed on appendix 1 of the Endangered Species List. We are actively searching for a female to introduce to him. Sounds easy, well it's a little more complicated than one might think. We require a female that is unrelated in any way, she must have registered blood lines and has to be registered with the International SSP Commission. On top of that Lucas has to get along with her and just because a male and female are put together does not mean it will be a good match. So the hunt continues and I hope in the near future I can announce that we have the perfect mate for him. Lucas has endeared himself to everyone and is full of personality and vigor. He really wants a mate, I know this because he has demonstrated breeding postures since he has arrived. I hope this bodes well for when we find a female for him.

Our other new arrivals this year were three Miniature Donkeys. I have to say personally the male Ben has a special place in my heart already from the day we first saw him. Despite being miniatures these animals are strong and our Animal Enrichment Volunteers have been working with them and they are coming along nicely. The females Lily and Belle seem to pick up training much faster than Ben, not because Ben is less intelligent, but because Ben is stubborn and being the strongest of the three uses his strength when he wants to. I know that Ben will soon settle down and has come a long way since his first training lesson. We have a beautiful cart just waiting for the day these three will be trained to pull it and I really look forward to seeing that.

We had to purchase boots for the front hooves of the Miniature Horses this year as the gravel pathways were causing problems. Again, should be easy one would think, but after a lot of research and thank heavens for the Internet we finally found boots for them from the Ozarks.

They have taken quite well to wearing them and don't mind when we have to lace them up just like sneakers, in fact that is what they look like. When we first found the boots the price said $65.00 US and foolishly I thought this meant a pair but was soon set straight that it was per boot. Who would have thought that you buy one boot at a time? I guess it's live and learn.

I am getting ready to head to Edmonton, Alberta for our Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums National Conference. It is held in a different place each year and I'll have to be honest when I say I have no idea what to pack but I have the feeling it will be cold and will rain. Before I head out next week I have to make sure that everything is taken care of here at the zoo, including my two Boxers. I will write some more about the conference and the meetings and of course the zoo people that we get to see once a year to exchange ideas, ask about surplus animals (keep your fingers crossed for Lucas), and to learn new ways of doing things. Guess that is it for now. Keep checking for my next post. One last thing, Please don't forget World Animal Day on October 4 Th. The Cherry Brook Zoo will be celebrating so please check out the web site and also give the zoo a call at 634-1440 for more details.

WHERE DID SUMMER GO?

This is a picture of my two Boxers - Boo with the grey face and Bane the really big puppy. Boo will be 12 years old in October and Bane is two and a half, he weighs in at 85 pounds. They live in the zoo too so I thought it would be nice if you could see the zoo dogs.

Well, it's official, we have had the rainiest July in history. Not good for numbers of people visiting the zoo or wanting to play miniature golf. We are holding our own in this summer of wet, and the weeds are growing like crazy, more than I can say for my tomatoe plants on the back deck. I don't think I will be having fresh tomatoes this year, but they struggle along with a few green tomatoes in the hope that the sun will stay out long enough to turn them red. It is difficult for us for we depend on summer to be our busiest season that will bring in enough money to help get us through the long winter months so it is worrisome. I guess all we can hope for is a good August and even saying that I know rain is in our forecast. Despite the rain we have had our Zoo Camps filled every week, visitors come rain or shin (just not as many in the rain) and when the sun does decide to come out we are really busy. So now I hope for a beautiful fall when the zoo is in all its splendor and the animals are more active than the lazy days of summer.

Soon I will be back to my regular curfew of 4:30 in the afternoon, yes that is my curfew for fall, winter and spring and for a glorious two months I get to go out until 8:00 pm. I know it sounds awful to many people but it is how we (my husband and I) have lived for thirty years, it is just our way of life and to be honest it is nice to be able to sit on our back deck among the tree tops and listen to the sounds of the zoo. The fall is my favourite time when the air is just a little cooler and the animals are more active, we sit and drink coffee and hear the pounding of hooves, the cries of the birds, the chatter of foxes and of course the roars of lions, tiger and snow leopards. Mixed among these are our own native animals with squirrels running through the trees, loons calling before they leave us for the winter and the hoot of the night owls. It is a time when we can gaze at the night sky and see it so clearly. Yes, summer has sped by us like a blink of the eye, but there is so much more to look forward to. That is one of the joys of living in a zoo.

WHERE IS THS SUN?

At least the snow has gone!

I can't believe it's not sunny today. The weather station promises sun but it's overcast and cloudy and does not feel like summer at all. For us, at the zoo, it has been difficult as we depend on spring and summer to bring in lots of visitors to help get us through those winter months.

All spring we said it must be going to be a good summer, now here we are nearing the end of

July and so far it has not been good. Even getting hay has been difficult, we can't get hay when

it rains and we need at least two days of steady sun before we can go pick it up. That means we

need three days of sun and those have been few and far between so far. Even though we are

open year round the spring and summer are the times we have the most visitors and we have

a short season as it is. The animals even react to this weather, what is supposed to be the time of year they are out and about they seem to have accepted the rain better than most of us humans, of course the primates would really appreciate some sun.

If anyone sees the sun please let me know, maybe we can go get a load of hay. Just so everyone doesn't feel too bad I am putting in a picture that will ease some of the depression .... at least we don't have to clear pathways. OH LET THE SUNSHINE IN - PLEASE!