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The Woodland Park Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo, San Diego Zoo, and Denver Zoo were named the top 4 most energy-efficient zoos in 2014. A baby panda born in 2013 at the National Zoo, named Bao Bao, brought lots of visitors and attention. Researchers believe that humans find baby animals cute because their features, such as large eyes and round faces, resemble human babies, triggering our instinct to nurture offspring. This response may have evolved because human babies require extensive care.

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77 views2 pages

Newsletter

The Woodland Park Zoo, Smithsonian National Zoo, San Diego Zoo, and Denver Zoo were named the top 4 most energy-efficient zoos in 2014. A baby panda born in 2013 at the National Zoo, named Bao Bao, brought lots of visitors and attention. Researchers believe that humans find baby animals cute because their features, such as large eyes and round faces, resemble human babies, triggering our instinct to nurture offspring. This response may have evolved because human babies require extensive care.

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ZOO TO DO

International Zoological Society Newsletter

December 2014

2014s top 4
energy-smart Zoos

rk Zoo
a
P
d
n
a
l
d
Woo

Smitsonian National Zoo

San Diego Zoo

Denver Zoo

Baby panda brings bundles of joy

Born August 23, 2013, to zoo pandas Tian in a ditch, whether or not theyre the parent,
Tian and Mei Xiang, the reportedly curious they will likely feel an urge to rescue it, he
cub was named Bao Baowhich means said.
precious or treasure in Mandarin.
This prewired reaction to babies is so
The panda cubs first exam on August 23, powerful, in fact, that it spills over to other
2013, revealed that she is in perfect health.
species that have the same traitsexplaining
If the addictive Panda Cam is any our obsession with cute creatures.
indication, plenty of animal lovers will line
The minute we see a face with these
up this weekend to see the black-and-white featuresbig eyes, round cheeksboom, it
ball of fur up close. Which brings up the activates this reaction, Rego said.
question: Why do we like cute baby animals
He cited a few examples of this in popular
so much?
culture: In Japanese comics known as
The leading theory is simple:
manga, artists draw characters
Their features remind us of Scientist believe with big, weepy eyes when
human babies, said Simon this consistency
they want to depict sympathy.
Rego, director of Psychology
Subconsciously,
theyre
has its root in
Training at Montefiore Medical
reminding us of babies and
Center/Albert Einstein College our evolution: We triggering our
nurturing
of Medicine in New York, in a are hardwired to
instinct.
phone interview.
respond to human Also, theres a reason
It turns out that the animals
zoos and marine parks
babies with a nur- why
we find cute have characteristics
worldwide see healthy sales
similar to those of infants of turing reaction.
of baby stuffed animals in
our own species: a large head;
their gift shops, Rego said.
rounded, soft, and elastic features; big eyes The toys are irresistible, making us want to
relative to the face; protruding cheeks and hug and protect them.
forehead; and fuzziness. Kittens and puppies
Quite Wonderful Instinct
fit this bill, as well as, of course, pandas.
Does the fact that adorable animals
Scientists believe this consistency has its trigger our baby instinct signal a glitch in
roots in our evolution: We are hardwired to our evolutionary machinery?
respond to human babies with a nurturing
In a Darwinian, survival-of-the-fittest
reaction. Theyre helpless beings, and that way, yesit would drain our resources and
makes us want to scoop them up and protect time to look after every cute critter we come
them, he said.
across, Rego said.
That impulse in itself evolved because
But from a compassionate perspective,
human babies need round-the-clock care its actually quite wonderful to take care of
from adults in order to survive. The instinct is and protect things that arent human.
ingrained in both sexes and even in childless
One might consider it part of our
strangers: If someone sees a baby abandoned capacity to love.

Editors Note: lion truth


By: Gabriela Medina

I met ecologist Craig Packer in 1988. I


was a young photographer on assignment
in the Serengeti for the first time, trying
to feel my way around the craft of natural
history photography. I think his first
reaction to me was annoyance. He had
good reason. I was green and untested in
those days. Craig, whod been director
of the Serengeti Lion Project since
1978, was the scientist who knew lions.
I was just beginning to learn.
Craig is not an easy man to work
around. Hes seen it all and isnt
reluctant to tell you
so. But he is rigorous
in the integrity of his
science. For Craig its
all about the data and
getting the facts right.
This made him and
his team the keystone
collaborators for this
months cover story on
Serengeti lions, written
by David Quammen
and
photographed
by Michael (Nick)
Nichols.
Craigs research provided the solid
underpinning for David and Nicks
work. We sat down with him with
maps, Nick says. He told us where
to go and what to look for. Craigs is a
shoestring operation. His passion comes
without frills. His equipment consists of
five beat-up Land Rovers held together
by wire, a falling-down house with no
power, and a staff that works hard for
the sheer love of it. There is nothing,
Nick says, that even smells of a wasted
dollar. It is all about the researchand
the lions.
Getting into Craigs head on lions,
Nick continues, was the primer that
allowed me to skip the clich of the
animal we all think we know.

Location
Exhibit
Grounds
Shops

Hours
10 a.m to 6 p.m.
6 a.m to 8 p.m.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lost but found: Rusty is back


Rusty the missing red panda was found
in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of
Washington D.C. according to a tweet
by the Smithsonian National Zoo. The
news came via Twitter, stating Rusty has
returned from his trip to Adams Morgan
and is getting a checkup at our vet hospital.
The male red panda had been missing
from the National Zoo in Washington
D.C. since 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening.
Authorities have yet to announce how the
furry fugitive managed to escape.
The keepers last saw him when they fed
him on Sunday night, said Devin Murphy,
a spokesperson for the zoo. They noticed
he wasnt in his cage at 7:30 a.m. when
they went to check on him.
She said that zoo officials combed the
grounds for the panda, who is less than a
year old.
He could be sick & hiding, or someone
could have taken him, the Zoo posted on
Twitter on Monday morning before finding
their wayward charge. Please help us
keep an eye out for Rusty.
Red pandas are typically the size of a
house cat and have big, bushy tails.
They spend most of their time in trees,
even sleeping in the branches. They are
most active at night, as well as in the early
morning and early evening hours.

Theyre raccoonlike and share


certain raccoon
characteristics but
theyre not as adept
or opportunistic
as raccoons, said
Marc Brody.
And they would be hard pressed to
make it on their own, he said. If it was
late in the season, there would be a lot
more fruiting plants around the National
Zoo. Im sure he can live for a couple
of days but to forage indefinitely, its
early in the season to feed on fruits and
berries.
Brody warned that Rusty could have
been in trouble if temperatures climbed.
Red pandas typically live in a cooler
climate and might not adapt well to the
humidity of Washington.
Red pandas generally tend to sleep in
trees during the heat of the day, said
Murphy. Theyre not aggressive, but
we are advising people to respect that he
is a wild animal.
Rusty arrived in Washington D.C. in
April, from a zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska.
He has been on exhibit for about three
weeks and is up to date on all of his
shots.

Cheetah sets new world speed record

Sarah, an 11-year-old cheetah at the Cincinnati Zoo, set a new world speed record
this summer during a shoot for National Geographic magazine. She first earned the
title of worlds fastest land mammal in 2009 when she covered 100 meters in 6.13
seconds, breaking the previous mark of 6.19 seconds set by a male South African
cheetah named Nyana in 2001. On June 20, 2012, Sarah shattered all 100-meter times
when she posted 5.95 seconds. By comparison, Sarahs 100-meter run was nearly four
seconds faster than the worlds fastest man, Usain Bolt of Jamaica, whose fastest time
for the same distance is 9.58 seconds. Sarahs top speed was clocked at 61 mph.
Her run was photographed for a January 2015 National Geographic magazine article
that will include never-before-seen high-speed photographs and video of cheetah
movement.

Events
Snow Safari Day Camp
Starts December 29

Did you know?


ADMISSION IS FREE

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