Tag Archives: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

The Avian Propagation Center at the San Diego Zoo has two new residents, a pair of Dalmatian pelicans, both less than a month old. The pair arrived at the Zoo from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, after their parents were unable to raise them upon hatching. Animal care staff at the Zoo’s off-exhibit Avian Propagation Center will hand-raise the birds for approximately 50 to 60 days, until they are strong enough to return to their flock at the Safari Park. The pelican chicks grow rapidly and should be covered in their downy feathers by three to four weeks of age.

The Dalmatian pelican chicks are part of the first North American breeding program for this vulnerable species. Since the breeding program was started in 2006, 34 chicks have been hatched. Because of the success, the Safari Park has sent some of the birds to the Phoenix Zoo, where a second breeding colony is being established.

Nola, a critically endangered 40-year-old northern white rhino, received some pampering and a pedicure by her keepers recently at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. While most rhinos don’t receive regular nail trims, let alone allow keepers to work on their feet, Nola is a special animal, in more ways than one.

“We have been attending to Nola’s nails for many years. Because she has been interacting with keepers from an early age, her behavior is docile,” says Jane Kennedy, lead keeper, San Diego Zoo Safari Park. “We approach Nola when she’s lying down. Two keepers provide lots of tactile reinforcement in the form of rubbing her with a brush and scratching her ears, while two other keepers trim her nails. She loves all the attention, and when she’s done, she gets one of her favorite treats, either alfalfa or an apple.”