Interview with Lorraine Spence – Tygerberg Zoo, Endangered Wildlife Reproduction Center
Lorraine Spence, the Zoo Director, holds me up to chat about the park. However, before coming to greet me, she stops at one of the enclosures, chats with a small antelope, and gives it a head massage. She informs me that the zoo is currently undergoing a number of exciting changes, including the creation of new signage for the enclosures.
“We used to hire a teacher to give educational tours of the zoo,” she explains, “however, we couldn’t have her during the ‘off season’ months.”
The new signs will help provide the public with educational knowledge about the animals and species at the zoo. They are also currently moving animals while tearing down enclosures and creating new ones. When she is asked when the new changes will be complete, Lorraine laughs.
“Never!” she exclaims “Maintenance is never done, it’s continuous progress. Only maintenance phases are done, this one I hope I’ve done before peak season starts.”
Tygerberg Zoo has been very successful in its breeding achievements over the years. A couple of years ago her tigers had cubs, which I remembered very well and I asked Lorraine what had happened to them. She told me that they grew up and were sold to another facility. Tigers are solitary animals, so he couldn’t keep them at the zoo.
She is currently looking for homes for her raccoon pups. All movements of endangered animals and their offspring are kept tracked through a program called ISIS. ISIS is a nonprofit organization that maintains computer information systems used by the world zoological community. ISIS members use the basic biological information (age, sex, relationship, place of birth, circumstance of death, etc.) collected in the ISIS system to manage genetic and demographic programs for their animal collections.
Lorraine tells me that she is requesting a particular Chinese marmoset for the zoo, but she doesn’t want to share too many details about her request until it has arrived, however she is very excited.
She says that only happy animals breed, so special care must be taken with each individual species regarding their diet, enclosure, and habitat. Each employee is trained on which animals receive which feeds and when. It also trades and trades certain species with other animal facilities in the Western Cape to ensure the zoo stays fresh and new for frequent visitors.
They are also involved in many investigations and programs both in South Africa and internationally. Lorraine tells a wonderful story about one of her storks having a radio transmitter attached to its leg to document her migration route for a research program. Unfortunately, on the way home, the stork stopped and was arrested as a possible terrorist due to her transmitter. Even after a phone call to the police to explain the situation, the bird remained imprisoned for quite some time.
While there are plenty of animal facilities in the Western Cape for monkeys, birds, lions and cheetahs, Tygerberg Zoo is truly one of a kind, offering a variety of species ranging from reptiles to birds, from hornbills to leopards and marmosets. al gorilla They need local, national and international support to continue their good work.
