Home Sweet Home Homeschool Web Activity December 2013 Houston Zoo

Home Sweet Home  In the most recent edition of “Homeschool Happenings”, we learned about how animals find shelter and what they need in their habitats  Let us delve a little deeper into how the Houston Zoo ensures that our animals truly have a place they can call “home sweet home”.

First Things First  Before you can begin building a suitable home for an animal, you must first determine what animals need  Remember: animals get all their needs from their habitat. They can’t jump in a car and zoom to the store for supplies!

First Things First  What do animals need?  All animals need:  Food  Water  Shelter  Space

Know Your Tenant  After you have identified the things that all animals need, it is time to look more closely at the specific species you will be building a home for  Is it a desert animal? Does the animal thrive in the cold? What does the animal eat? Must the animal always be near water? These are just some of the many things that must be taken into account.

The Basics  When designing exhibits at the Houston Zoo, we must take into account how we are going to supply the animals with the food and fresh water they need every day.  More often than not, this is a bit more complicated than setting out a bowl of food and water.

The Basics  The exhibits at the Houston Zoo must be designed in such a way that allows the keepers to stay safe while placing food and water for the animals  Most of our exhibits have off-exhibit holding areas. This means that the keepers have the ability to bring the animals inside and close a door. After the door is secured, the keepers may go out on the exhibit and safely place fresh food and water. Once the keepers are out of the exhibit and safe, the door is opened and the animals may come out and investigate the yummy food.

Protection from the Elements  As well as having access to food and water, the animals must also have access to shelter in their enclosures  This needs to be an area that allows the animal to get out of the rain, get relief from the sun, and even take a moment away from public view

Protection from the Elements  “Shelter” can take different forms depending on the species of the animal. Zoo designers must know a great deal about their animals in order to provide the appropriate shelter for that species.  For example, the shelter the zoo might provide for a tortoise might look drastically different than the shelter they would provide for a red crowned crane.

Give Me Space!  The Houston Zoo must also take into account the space requirements their animals need  As you can imagine, the space requirements for an elephant are slightly different than that of a mole rat!

Give Me Space!  In addition to the space requirements that different animals need in relation to area, the zoo must also consider space requirement in relation to population density  While some animals must be kept solitary, others thrive in group settings

All in a Day’s Work…  As you can see, it is hard work ensuring all the animals that call the Houston Zoo home have everything they need in their exhibits!

Not Just the Zoo  You don’t have to be a keeper at the Houston Zoo to make wonderful habitats for animals  Do you have a pet at home? Perhaps a dog, a cat, or a fish? These animals need the same 4 things in their habitats at your home that the Zoo animals need in their exhibits.

Not just the Zoo!  Even the urban wildlife that live around our homes, schools, and neighborhoods need suitable habitats.

Your turn!  With cold weather upon us, the animals who are our neighbors can find it difficult to find shelter, food, and water at times.  You can help!

Your turn!  With an adult, use the directions and build your very own habitat for wildlife!  When you are ready to place your nest box, you can help wildlife even further by ensuring a water source and a food source is near. Perhaps you can hang a bird feeder, place a bird bath, or even plant some native shrubs that would provide food and shelter!