Saving Jamaican Iguanas

For a long time, everyone thought the Jamaican iguana had gone extinct. But then, all of a sudden, a few were found alive. It felt like a second chance. Folks from around the world rushed to keep them safe, including a zookeeper from the Milwaukee County Zoo. She and others take baby Jamaican iguanas, which are tiny and easily hurt, and put them in protective habitats, where they live until they grow big enough to be safely released.

Protecting Panamanian Golden Frogs

Habitat destruction and a dangerous disease left this tiny frog species critically endangered, which means that it could be wiped out if we’re not careful. The Zoo has been helping with breeding efforts, both at other zoos in the United States and in Panama. By breeding more of the frogs, they’ve helped keep the species from disappearing.

Giving Back (for Pat)

Pat was a jaguar from Belize, in Central America. After he was injured in the wild, he went to live at the Belize Zoo, and then was transferred to Milwaukee. Zoo team members decided they should also be helping Pat’s jaguar pals back in Belize. They launched Pat Gives Back, a program that’s coming up with plans so that Belize’s jaguars can live safely in the vicinity of local residents.

Learning More

Zoo team members study animals all over the place. In California, one helped collar mule deer – which means marking them so they can be tracked. Scientists use the information from marked animals to figure out how the species is surviving, where they might be migrating, if they’re having babies, etc. Zoo staff have helped track rattlesnakes, tapirs, birds and many more animals. 

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Species Shenanigans 

1. Feline Funk

The Zoo’s big cats, like snow leopards, jaguars and cheetahs, have super intense senses of smell. To keep them engaged, the Zoo gives them smelly perfumes, as well as bedding that other animals have used. 

2. Octopus Jars

Octopus tentacles are crazy. They might seem like floppy noodles, but they can grab on to stuff really tight. To give the Zoo’s octopus a little workout, keepers sometimes stash her food in jars that she twists open. 

3. Snake Maze

To give the Zoo’s snakes a challenge, the zookeepers worked with an Eagle Scout to build a vertical maze. Snakes crawl up it, twisting and turning to find food at the end. 

4. TP the Elephant

Elephants love exploring their environments. So the Zoo will sometimes hang streamers all around their habitats so that they can engage their instincts by tearing them down.

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