Expecting the unexpected

July 2, 2019

Enjoy the sound of chainsaws at 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning? Well, neither do we, but sometimes it has to be done. 

Around 4 p.m. on Friday, June 28, a large limb fell off an oak tree and into the peccary exhibit, located inside the Zoo in the Hollow. 

“The branch made a loud ‘crack’ when it broke,” said Shalanda Walker, the Duty Park Manager that afternoon. “You could hear it, and staff started reporting on the radio that part of a tree had fallen on top of one of the exhibit fences.”

There were no injuries – people or animals. Our collared peccary (a piglike mammal from North, Central and South America) was unharmed, but with a compromised exhibit, Happy Hollow staff jumped into action. 

“The exhibits are designed to keep our animals and people safe, but an important part of our work is always being prepared for the unexpected,” said Zoo Manager, Kevin Hertell. “It’s a given when working with wildlife, and the safety of our guests, animals and staff are the top priority. I was very proud of the quick response from our teams in this situation. 

As staff worked together to clear guests out of the Zoo in the Hollow, the animal care team jumped into action. The peccary’s trainers and care team quickly and calmly convinced her to willingly enter her crate (with help from a few of her favorite treats) to transport her to a secure enclosure. 

She was transported safely to her temporary home outside Doc’s Critter Care building, and zookeepers were somewhat tickled by her reaction to the move. “It was like she had arrived at the resort,” said Zoo Curator Heather. After being released from her transport crate, she marched right over to investigate the fresh straw bedding, and then happily started eating her dinner. Normal appetite is a good indicator of an animal’s stress levels, so this was a relief for her caregivers. 

“It was a bit more excitement than we had anticipated for a Friday afternoon, but sometimes you can’t predict mother nature,” said General Manager, Shannon Heimer. “As a city owned and operated facility through the Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, we have access to a number of emergency resources – including arborists.” 

As guests were assisted and our peccary was being cared for, the operations management team called upon an emergency maintenance and arborist team to assess the tree, and damage to the exhibit. 

The trees at Happy Hollow are regularly assessed, monitored and maintained by professional arborists, sometimes known as tree surgeons. It was not until after the branch fell that arborists discovered damage to the tree that was not visible from the ground during previous inspections. It was determined that the remaining oak tree needed to be removed.

The following day, a crew of arborists began removal of the large oak and their work continued through Tuesday, July 2. During this time, several animals were taken off exhibit – including the primates, parrots and fennec foxes to help reduce stress from the noise.

“We know every experience matters, so it’s never fun when you have to partially close the zoo,” said Zoo Manager Kevin, “We thank every Happy Hollow member and guest for the continued support during the closures. It had to be done to keep the animals safe and comfortable while the rest of the tree was removed.”