Update from Indonesia on the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Annual Conference

By Dina Bredahl and Tracey Gazibara

Batu Mblein Quarantine Center 

After 34 hours of traveling, we arrived in Medan, Indonesia on Sunday morning, November 10.  Our reason for traveling halfway around the world was to attend the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) annual conference along with over 600 delegates from countries all over the world.

Before beginning the conference on Tuesday, we were able to meet with Dr. Ian Singleton with Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) and visit Batu Mbelin quarantine center where nearly 50 orangutans are being cared for. Many of the orangutans have been confiscated, as they were being held illegally as pets. We were excited to hear that several of the orangutans would be on their way to be re-released into the wild next week.

Dina, Darrel Webber and Tracey at the RSPO.

Our goal for this conference was to interact with other stakeholders to further our work with palm oil sustainability.  The keynote address given by Professor Tim Benton was titled The Challenge of Food Security in 2050: Can we do it sustainably?  It was a detailed look at global climate change, population growth projections and how agriculture and deforestation now will affect our future dramatically.  It was very apparent that the success of the RSPO is critical on many levels. 

Group session at the RSPO conference.  

The format of this conference was quite unconventional -- open space technology was used to encourage anyone to take ‘ownership’ of an issue they cared about and invite any and all interested attendees to join the conversation.  We facilitated a discussion called ‘How can zoos positively transform the market?’ along with others from San Diego Zoo, Zoos Victoria and the Zoological Society of London.  We were happy to have representatives from the growers’ stakeholder group participate in our session to learn more about their needs.  We also joined in on other great topic discussions as well, and really learned a lot about the perspectives of others during this process.

Voting on resolutions at the RSPO.

We are getting ready for the next leg of our travels, which includes visiting Besitang and Bukit Lawang to see RSPO certified and non-certified plantations, a reforestation site and a successful eco-tourism location where we hope to see orangutans. A representative from OIC (Orangutan Information Centre) will be our guide.  We will be traveling with Adam Ringler of San Diego Zoo and Jacquie O’Brien of Zoos Victoria. 

Training a Herd of Giraffes

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is well-known for our giraffe herd. People are excited to feed the docile giants face to face – currently there are 19 roaming the Zoo’s African Rift Valley. Everyday at 2 p.m., guests can also take a front-row seat to watch our giraffe training program in action.

Cooperative husbandry training helps animal keepers care for the giraffes. This may seem like technical “zoo-speak,” but basically it means that our animals are trained to be willing participants in their own care. This willing participation means safer and less stressful procedures for both humans and animals. Much of this training is focused on hoof work, because just like fingernails, hooves grow. It is important that they get trimmed regularly.

“In zoos, eighty percent of giraffe anesthesia is done to address foot problems,” Dr. Liza Dadone, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Head Veterinarian, said. “Anesthetizing a giraffe is dangerous. The animal training that the keepers are doing is taking out the need for that high-risk anesthesia for our herd.” 

In March, animal keepers chose two giraffes to start foot training, Lakish and Mahali. They were presented with a sturdy wooden box and were given voice commands (left or right). As the giraffes learned to place a foot on the box, they were then given a second command, “touch.” Animal keepers would then touch their foot. Eventually, the giraffes’ training progressed to the point where they would present their foot on the box, curl their foot up and hold it in that position, while a farrier (hoof specialist) trimmed it. Currently 12 of our 19 giraffes present their feet for regular farrier work, x-rays or laser therapy.

“It’s truly amazing how far we’ve come in just a short amount of time,” Amy Schilz, Head Giraffe/Lion Animal Keeper, said. “A number of people are really surprised at how smart giraffes are, and how quickly we can cooperatively capture husbandry behaviors.”

In addition to hoof work, the animal keepers also work with the giraffes on shifting, targeting their nose to a tennis ball, cooperative blood draws, neck stretches and standing still on a scale. One female, Msitu, is even trained to allow keepers to conduct an ultrasound test on her. This is how the veterinary team and keepers knew she was pregnant with our newest giraffe calf, Emy, born on August 1.

“All of our giraffes are given the opportunity to train,” Amy said. “Even Emy, who is only two months old, has started target training.”

All of the giraffes are trained with positive reinforcement – meaning when a giraffe chooses to participate in training they are rewarded with giraffe crackers and other healthy giraffe treats. If they don’t want to participate that day, they can choose to simply walk away. Amy also explained that each giraffe has a different training regimen and that each giraffe responds to different cues, verbals and techniques.

“It’s like a puzzle,” Amy said. “That is the fun part for me, figuring out what each giraffe is going to respond to.”

In addition to cooperative husbandry behaviors, the three giraffe animal keepers work on capturing some of the giraffes natural behaviors (like sticking their tounge out or bowing for water) on a training cue. Next time you are at the Zoo, check out our giraffe herd’s positive reinforcment training  in African Rift Valley.

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