Episode 16: The Honolulu Zoo
This week, Honolulu Zoo Director Linda Santos joins host Brandi Higa on the One Oʻahu Podcast to talk about the zoo’s two newest additions, including a baby eastern black rhinoceros born in April and growing young lion who arrived earlier this month. Plus, Director Santos provides a look at exactly what it takes to put a giraffe under anesthesia to perform a medical operation and updates the public on efforts to vaccinate Honolulu Zoo animals against COVID-19.
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Baby Rhino
The Honolulu Zoo announced the arrival of a new baby Eastern black rhinoceros born on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, to parents Aria (mother) and Kendi (father). The male baby is the first offspring of the rhino couple who arrived at the Honolulu Zoo from San Diego last September and November.
“The baby rhino is very exciting news,” said Santos. “It’s actually the first rhino birth that we’ve had here at the Honolulu Zoo and it’s an endangered species, so we’re really excited to be a part of sustaining that population of rhinos. And who doesn’t love the “chubby unicorn,” it’s so cute!”
A public naming contest will be announced soon to help pick a name for the baby rhino.
New Lion
On May 12, 2023, the Honolulu Zoo also welcomed Enzi, a new lion who was shipped to O’ahu as part of the Species Survival Plan.
“He, hopefully, will be friends with the female that we currently have, Moxy. Moxy is not a breeder so we’re hoping in the future we’ll be able to get a female identified for this male and hopefully breed lions.”
Enzi, the eight year old male lion was transported to Honolulu from Indiana. He is required to complete a 120-day quarantine period before the public will be able to see him in his exhibit in late September.
Hoofwork
On May 2, 2023, the Honolulu Zoo undertook immobilization of Squirt, the 23-year-old, 19-foot-tall, 2,000-pound male Reticulated giraffe, to perform care for his chronic hoof and limb issues.
“Squirt is 23 years old, going to be 24, and it’s necessary to maintain the feet,” explained Santos. “Sometimes when they’re older and they have arthritis, their pronation changes in how you walk. So just taking down the hooves in a different angle to kind of relieve pressure off a certain joint really helps with the inflammation, relieving that pain from arthritis.”
Anesthesia of a one-ton animal with unique anatomy such as a giraffe’s long neck and long legs is no easy feat. The Honolulu Zoo flew in giraffe veterinary specialist Dr. Liza Dadone and farrier Steve Foxworth of the Zoo Hoofstock Trim Program to assist with planning and executing the procedure to minimize the inherent risks of mega-vertebrate immobilization and provide the greatest chance of Squirt’s successful recovery.
Vaccinations
Just like humans, zoo animals are susceptible to virus. Director Santos explains on this episode of the One Oahu podcast how some animals were able to receive vaccinations to help protect them from the coronavirus.
“We were fortunate to get the Zoetis company to give us the COVID, SARS CoV-2 vaccination, which is still a trial vaccination, but it has helped zoo animals, especially high-risk animals such as cats and non-human primates,” explained Santos. “So we started that vaccination process of making sure that we were able to get on priority, vaccinate the high-risk animals, and then as we do annual workups on our animals we will then also vaccinate them with the SARS CoV-2.”
Santos goes on to explain what goes into vaccinating a zoo animal and how some have grown to accept vaccinations willingly, able to present appropriate body parts on command.
