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Otto started his life at about 100 pounds, and at one year old he is over 1000 pounds. Our animal staff reported that there was a period of his first year when he was gaining five pounds a day! Otto’s main horn, a tiny bump at birth, is now prominently poking up above his mouth at 5 inches in length.

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Let me know if this sounds familiar. The eldest daughter of your family has organized a holiday event. It used to be mom’s Job, but since she’s gotten older, the eldest daughter has become the glue that holds the family together. Everyone is there and the place feels warm and familiar, but admittedly a little loud. It seems no conversation can be just between two family members, everyone has something to say. Uncle Ted doesn’t like Cousin Zach’s new girlfriend, but ultimately it doesn’t matter since the hostess says she’s wonderful and that’s really who she needs to impress. Your little cousin tries to reach for a roll before dinner only for him to be caught and reprimanded by the eldest, causing a whole scene. Yep, this is the holidays. And if this sounds familiar you may have much in common with the red ruffed lemur!

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Trumpeter hornbills are found in Southeast Africa and live in forests and woodlands. In the wild, they eat a variety of fruits, figs, and sometimes insects. At Safari West, our trumpeters are fed fruits and vegetables such as apples, yams, and grapes (their favorite treat is papaya!), and a pellet specifically made for birds with soft bills.

Their conservation status listed by the IUCN is currently Least Concern. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) is a global network that combines the knowledge and resources of thousands of member organizations and experts. The IUCN manages the Red List: an indicator of overall biodiversity health, with categories ranging from Least Concern to Extinct.

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Shaggy, Striped Appearance

The smallest species of hyena, striped hyenas get their name from the black markings on their sides similar to a tiger’s stripes. Perhaps even more remarkable is the shaggy hair that covers almost all of their body. Striped hyenas have the ability to raise this crest of hair to appear much larger than they actually are. This serves as a defense mechanism when they feel threatened. While it is commonly assumed hyenas are related to dogs, their closest relatives are actually mongooses and meerkats.

A Wide Range

Striped hyenas are one of the few mammals found at Safari West whose native range extends outside of Africa. While they overlap with spotted hyenas in eastern Africa, their range extends north through northern Africa, and into the Middle East and India. In fact, they are one of the only carnivores that can be found living alongside lions in one part of their range, and tigers in another. Striped hyenas are no match to the larger and more powerful spotted hyenas and African lions so they tend to avoid the open plains they call home. They will often give up their food to spotted hyenas. Instead, striped hyenas favor woodlands and arid wastelands. Compared to other predators, striped hyenas can easily adapt to harsh conditions such as semideserts.

A Scavenger’s Life

Striped hyenas are primarily scavengers and will often eat mammal carcasses left over by lions, tigers, cheetahs, sloth bears and leopards. They have strong jaws adapted to crushing parts of the body other predators will not eat such as the hooves, horns, teeth and shallow bones. They can even eat entire bones in one bite! Unlike spotted hyenas, striped hyenas will usually hunt by themselves. Consequentially, they have less success taking down their own prey since they hunt alone. Luckily for them, as omnivores, they can also make a meal of fruits and vegetables like melons, cucumbers, and peaches. This has caused problems as they have developed a reputation for stealing these crops from farmers.

Not So Social

It is hard to completely understand the social structure of striped hyenas as they generally only leave their dens at night. For a long time, scientists believed striped hyenas to be strictly solitary since they forage alone. However, recent studies have found that they live in small clans in some areas. Unlike spotted hyenas, striped hyenas are monogamous animals who mate for life. Both males and females will establish the den and raise cubs. The male will even give the female food when she is giving birth to the cubs.

Not Your Typical Laughing Hyena

In contrast to the loud, “laughing” spotted hyenas, striped hyenas are usually mute. The only exception is the occasional chattering or howling sound. The only time striped hyenas will “laugh” is when they feel extremely frightened. In these circumstances, they will make a rapid, high-pitched chattering sound to show alarm. It is not a happy sound for them despite what popular culture might have you believe.

The Stigma of Striped Hyenas

As with all hyena species, mythology and folklore have been unkind to striped hyenas. Middle Eastern literature and folklore often use striped hyenas as symbols of treachery and stupidity. These stories have led to hyenas being feared and stigmatized in popular culture. This stigma extends into their African range as well. In Tanzania, for instance, some cultures claim witches use hyenas as mounts!

Human-wildlife conflict has also been an issue. Although striped hyenas rarely attack humans, they are often implicated in the killing of livestock and stealing crops. This has led to persecution and poisonings by farmers. As a consequence, farmers falsely see striped hyenas as grave robbers.

Near Threatened

Scientists estimate only 4,000 to 5,000 striped hyenas remain. They are listed as Near Threatened. Striped hyenas live in endangered isolated populations throughout much of their range. Persecution by humans, shortage of carrion, illegal hunting for their skins and habitat loss all threaten striped hyenas. Fortunately, Safari West is working with conservation partners to help protect the habitats and range of striped hyenas. Among its partners are the Sahara Conservation Fund and Lion Landscapes in Tanzania (the southern extremity of the striped hyena’s range.)

Why is this relevant to Sonoma County?

While we don’t have any wild striped hyenas in Sonoma County, we do have coyotes. Just as Tanzanians need to learn how to live alongside predators, so do we. We often mistakingly regard coyotes as a nuisance even when there is no evidence of damage or harm. Locals sometimes persecute these coyotes because of this misunderstanding. There are a number of ways you can proactively avoid conflict with coyotes and live harmoniously with them. One is to not let your pets run loose as, whether you know it or not, coyotes are probably around. Also, getting rid of food and water sources from your backyard is a simple but effective way to keep coyotes out of your yard. These simple but important actions enable Californians to live alongside coyotes just as African and Asian cultures can coexist with striped hyenas.

Striped hyenas are among the most mysterious and misunderstood but fascinating and magnificent creatures in the animal kingdom. Reserve a stay with us to meet them face to face at right here at Safari West!

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Perhaps the most intimidating creature at Safari West might be the ostrich (Struthio camelus). While birds in general aren’t generally considered particularly frightening, there are exceptions. Surely some of you have had a regrettable pond-side encounter with a swan, or run afoul of a flock of geese. I myself was once ambushed by turkeys while walking home from the grocery store. I lost a half-gallon of milk and twelve perfectly good eggs that day.

Imagine that same tenacity and fierceness in a bird even bigger, stronger, and more confident. Your average ostrich ranges between 6 and 9 feet tall when fully grown, and weighs in excess of 200 pounds. These enormous birds boast incredibly strong legs that can propel that heavy body across the ground at 40 miles per hour. If fleeing doesn’t work, those same legs provide a terrifying defensive tool. One that’s been known to deter or even kill lions.

Luckily for us, though they should certainly be treated with respect, ostriches aren’t all that aggressive. Here at Safari West, our three ostrich ladies are best known for their inquisitive natures, inspecting and pecking at nearly every truck to come through. Enormous and curious in equal measure, these birds are always highlights of a classic safari tour.

Life on the Fringe

Ostriches have long thrived in the more arid expanses of subsaharan Africa. Their ability to survive almost exclusively on the water found in their food makes them well adapted for such an environment. On top of this, the birds will eat just about anything that catches their interest. Though their primary diet consists of grasses and other plants, they will happily munch on bugs, rodents, lizards, and even the occasional small tortoise.

This informal attitude when it comes to food reflects in their mating behavior as well. Males typically try to accumulate a small harem of 5 or so hens, but within this grouping, they only pair-bond with one. This major hen and her male will incubate a nest, but that nest might be made up of some 15 to 60 eggs. Welcome to the amazing world of “dump nesting”. This mixed collection of eggs come from the major hen, the minor hens, and possibly even from other females just passing through the area.

Why so many eggs? Dump nesting behavior seems to follow the “safety in numbers” philosophy of survival. While adult ostriches rarely face predation, baby ostriches have a tougher time. Most won’t make it through their first year. The theory then, is that more chicks in the brood make it more likely yours will survive to adulthood.

Endangered or Not?

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently classifies ostriches as a species of Least Concern. Like humans, rats, and dogs, they appear to be doing just fine. That classification fails to take in the whole story however. While the ostrich thrives in many areas of Africa, in the Sahelo-Saharan region of north Africa, populations are in steep decline. This thin band of dry scrubland and sand sits right along the southern border of the vast Sahara desert. It is a tough place to eke out a living at the best of times and unfortunately home to far too many now endangered species*.

Known as the north African or red-necked ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus), the birds from this region look a little different than those at Safari West. Ours have a more blue or gray hue to their skin. Currently science considers the red-necked ostrich a subspecies of ostrich, rather than a different species altogether. Were they to be reclassified as a distinct species, they’d almost certainly be considered endangered. The red-necked ostrich once ranged from coast-to-coast throughout the Sahara and Sahel, from Mauritania to  the Red Sea. These days, the birds survive only in a few isolated pockets.

Introducing the Sahara Conservation Fund

One such fragmentary population struggles on in southern Niger. Our friends at the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) have made this small population the subject of a new and ambitious project. Trendsetters in the world of conservation, SCF focus their efforts not so much on any individual species, but on a specific ecosystem. In this case, the Sahelo-Saharan region of north Africa.

In the last half-century, ostrich in this region have disappeared at an alarming rate, largely due to hunting for meat and feathers. Ostrich also struggle with habitat lost to human development. SCF’s strategy on this conservation front revolves around three principles:

1. Protecting the remaining population.
2. Captive breeding and bolstering of the population.
3. Reintroduction of the animals into secured areas.

To aid with the breed and release aspect of this strategy, SCF has enlisted the aid of Stephen Gold at the Wildlife Conservation Network. With his expertise and assistance they’ve begun constructing a remote breeding facility made up of shipping containers and a solar array. Self-reliant and suitably rugged, this cutting-edge incubation facility should be online by the next ostrich breeding season.

March of the Ostrich

Critical work like this goes on all across the globe, and we at Safari West try to help as best we can. We don’t breed ostrich, since their overall population remains strong. Instead we keep them so our guests can experience these phenomenal creatures up close and personal. As we teach about the species and their endangered populations in north Africa, we also send conservation dollars to SCF and WCN. This money finances some of the critical work on the ground.

Come visit Safari West to see these majestic animals for yourself. Impressive, amusing, and even a little intimidating, nothing in the world is quite like an ostrich. Learn all about the many phenomenal features that make ostrich so unique, and then consider making a donation to conservation. Whether to SCF, WCN, or directly to our own Safari West Wildlife Foundation, any money you provide helps in the global fight for conservation.

*Within the Safari West collection, Sahelo-Saharan species include the ostrich, sulcata tortoise, fennec fox, vulnerable Aoudad, critically endangered addax, and extinct in the wild scimitar horned oryx.

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On December 4th, please join Safari West in celebrating the 7th annual International Cheetah Day. We, and our fellow AZA institutions, celebrate this annual event to bring attention to a truly unique animal. Famous for its blistering speed, the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is also Africa’s most endangered large cat. Once upon a time, nearly 100,000 cheetahs stalked their prey across much of Africa as well as into the Middle East and India. These days fewer than 7,000 remain, scattered across some 29 geographically isolated populations.

Fierce and Phenomenal

The remaining cheetahs are no less spectacular for their scarcity. Though nowhere near as large as lions or tigers, cheetahs still present an impressive silhouette. Most tip the scales at somewhere between 100 to 120 pounds once they’ve reached their adult weight, and they stand taller than many large-breed dogs. Like their large African cousin—the leopard—cheetahs have fur spattered with black spots. What makes them easy to identify however, are their long, lean bodies, small heads, and impressively long legs.

These features grant cheetahs their most famous, and impressive ability: the cheetah sprint. Well known as the fastest runners on the planet, a cheetah on the hunt can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour or more. Though they cannot maintain this heart-pounding pace for long, at such speeds, long chases are rarely necessary.

The Struggle for Survival

With such an impressive resume, how is it that cheetahs find themselves struggling for survival in our modern world? Several factors explain the unfortunate situation, some naturally occurring and others man-made. For one, cheetahs face stiff competition on the African plain. Solo hunters, they must often defend their prizes from groups of lions or hyenas. Outsized and outnumbered, cheetahs lose a surprising amount of hard won food in these conflicts. One way to combat this problem comes from hunting during the day, when most other predators sleep. Among the famously nocturnal cats, the diurnal cheetah is quite the oddity.

Another problem cheetahs face appears at the genetic level. Some 12,000 years ago, cheetahs experienced a population bottleneck. For reasons not well understood, the species declined and nearly went extinct. Though they survived this ancestral struggle, the small number of surviving animals resulted in a lack of genetic diversity in today’s population. One problem that results from such long-term inbreeding comes in the form of high infant mortality.

Mankind and the Modern World

Of course, lions, hyenas, and low genetic diversity are old problems and some that cheetahs have been contending with for millennia. Mankind presents a newer challenge. Though our species and that of the cheetah have also coexisted for many thousands of years, our relationship is one in constant flux. The advent of modern industry, urban sprawl, and the unprecedented human population explosion have converged to make life very tough for today’s cheetah.

In general terms, cheetahs in Africa experience many of the same trouble as wolves in America. Both predatory species travel widely and can cross any number of boundary lines, both physical and political. Both species struggle with the need to navigate roadways and the dangerous vehicles traveling upon them. Most critically of all, both species will substitute domesticated prey for their more typical wild targets when their land becomes cultivated.

Just as happens here in America, shepherds and ranchers in Africa tend not to look kindly on cheetahs consuming their livestock. Trappings, poisoning, and the shooting of cheetahs as pest animals is unfortunately far too common.

Education and Outreach to the Rescue

The two largest populations for cheetahs can be found in the South African nations of Namibia and Botswana respectively. Luckily, both countries are home to amazing conservation organizations working to address these issues. Both the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia, and Cheetah Conservation Botswana have ongoing relationships with Safari West. Some key features focused on by both organizations are habitat restoration and human-cheetah conflict resolution.

An amazingly useful practice promoted by both agencies is to provide livestock guarding dogs to local farmers and ranchers. These dogs do the same job in Africa that they do throughout much of the westernized world. Their presence among a flock of sheep or goats goes a long way toward deterring predation by cheetahs. Without this conflict, the farmers have no reason to go after the cheetahs.

The Fight Goes on

Promising though this work is, we’re still a long ways from declaring victory in the fight to protect cheetahs. On this International Cheetah Day, please consider joining the fight on the side of survival. Study up on cheetahs and what makes them so special and, if you’re able, consider making a donation to one of the organizations working to protect them. We fully endorse both the organizations mentioned above and if you don’t want to have to choose between them, consider a donation to the Safari West Wildlife Foundation instead. The foundation not only supports both agencies, but also utilizes such donations to continue to refine our own education and conservation programming right here in Sonoma County.

Happy International Cheetah Day everybody!

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A Rainbow on the Plain

The Serengeti. This savanna, famous for its massive mammals—the lions and leopards, the elephants, the vast herds of wildebeest—also hosts a variety of birds. Among them, the Fischer’s lovebird (Agapornis fischeri). These tiny parrots, plumed in brilliant rainbow colors, look as though they’d be more at home in a rainforest than an open plain. Yet here they gather, all the same, glittering in flocks of green, gold, and scarlet.

They roost in the plains, gathering in small flocks on the scattered trees and shrubs. As birds who feed mostly on grass seeds and small fruits, these lonely trees offer a perfect home base from which to forage. While feeding, these small flocks can sometimes merge into groups of a hundred or more. This behavior, coupled with their fondness for crop-grains like millet and maize has led some farmers to consider the birds pests.

While persecution from farmers does impact the birds, it’s their beauty, rather than their appetite that gets them in the most trouble. Since the 1970’s, this beautiful and personable bird has been a popular pet. Wild specimens have been captured and brought into the global pet trade in astonishing numbers. The IUCN classifies the Fischer’s lovebird as Near Threatened largely because of the predations of the pet trade.

Near Threatened marks the earliest stage of species endangerment and is cause for concern. Thankfully the home country of Fischer’s lovebirds, Tanzania, has put a stop to trapping and export. While it could restart at any time, for the moment the threat appears mitigated. We will have to keep a close eye on wild populations to see if this protection allows them to rebound to their former glory.

What a Lovely Pair of Parrots

Fischer’s lovebirds are monogamous and appear to mate for life. While not all that uncommon among birds, lovebirds famously take it to an egregious level. Mated lovebirds not only spent nearly all their time together, they spend nearly all their time touching. They also preen one another constantly and nibble on each other’s beaks; an act that looks an awful lot like kissing. Once mated, these birds are basically inseparable (fun fact: in French, the birds are known as Insepérable de Fischer).

Before a Fischer’s lovebird can enjoy a lifetime of mated bliss, it must find a partner and win their affections. To do this, male lovebirds do a neat little side-shuffle, bobbing their heads and singing to a nearby female. If the lady is impressed, she settles in to watch the show. The male continues his head-bobbing as he sidles up to her and then, in the ultimate romantic gesture, he regurgitates into her mouth.

Once mated, the pair finds a nice cavity in a tree or rock pile and builds a nest inside it. In this cozy little cavern, the female lays three to eight eggs and defends them aggressively. While we don’t know much about how often these amorous birds breed, it can happen up to twice per year. Since baby lovebirds become fully independent in less than six weeks, that leaves plenty of time for the parents to establish a new brood.

Lovebird Lagoon

The next time you visit Safari West, be sure to visit our flock of Fischer’s lovebirds. You’ll find them in one of the aviaries beside the Lemur Pond. If you happen to overlook their busy chirping, you’ll certainly notice their rainbow plumage. Add a little amour to your life and reserve a visit to our Fischer’s lovebirds today!

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