Behind the Scenes of Animal Habitat Maintenance

November 7, 2024

Written by Senior Zookeeper Melissa Young

When Happy Hollow needed to close the jaguar and red panda habitats for several months for routine construction, the Zoo team knew there was an opportunity to do even more. Larger projects on habitats often require the animals to be temporarily moved to a different space, which provides levels of access to the habitat that are not possible when then animal is present, even in their off-habitat night house. Taking every advantage of this opportunity, a collaboration between the Zoo and Maintenance teams resulted in upgrades to the interior of the habitats while an outside construction company took care of the replacement of the exterior poles and netting. Read on to learn about the new habitat features that Sophia the jaguar and Will Smith the red panda are now enjoying. 

Working on the Maintenance team at Happy Hollow necessitates a specialized set of knowledge and skills to work in and around the animal habitats in a way that is safe for both animals and staff. Some animals are very sensitive to loud and/or sudden noises, often requiring the Maintenance team to be creative with the tools they use. The construction of “furniture” for animal habitats is also unique, with its own set of rules to ensure the structures can safely and effectively be used within the habitats and by the animals. And as always, communication is key. 

During this recent construction period, one priority was building up a behind-the-scenes area of the red panda habitat, known as the Zen Yard. The Zen Yard is utilized by animal care staff if the red panda needs to be off habitat for any reason. It connects to a different portion of the night house than the main yard and allows Will to still have access to an outdoor area when he cannot use the main yard for any reason. For this project, in consultation with the Zoo team, the Maintenance team removed aging material from the space and constructed a brand-new series of platforms and ramps around a tree in the center. With the construction of this new “tree house,” Will can once again have access to the Zen Yard when needed for husbandry, or just as a change of scenery, and can explore even more if it than before. 

The other priority of this construction project was the jaguar habitat, which currently houses 21-year-old jaguar Sophia. Big cats do not live much longer than house cats, so Sophia’s 21 years make her quite elderly. With many of Happy Hollow’s animal residents exceeding their average lifespans like Sophia, the animal care team is always on the lookout for changes in behavior that may indicate a need for changes in the animal’s habitat. For example, as animals get older, they can develop arthritis and mobility challenges just like humans. In Sophia’s case, her care team observed that she was having some difficulty jumping up and down from her favorite places to lounge and that she was not sunbathing in her favorite tree as often, a location that could be a particularly difficult jump for an elderly jaguar.  

Happy Hollow is dedicated to the care and wellbeing of resident animals throughout their entire lives, so the animal care staff put their heads together to brainstorm ways they could assist Sophia in utilizing her favorite places again. They determined that a great way to make Sophia’s habitat more accessible for an elderly cat would be to install ramps and steps up to her favorite places. To make this a reality, The Maintenance crew salvaged redwood logs to create sturdy, long lasting ramps and steps up to Sophia’s favorite high-up lounging spots. Jaguars are not dainty animals, so the quality and stability of the habitat additions was paramount. The maintenance team located appropriate-sized logs, trimmed them as needed (including cutting 10 foot logs in half lengthwise to create the ramp pieces- not an easy feat!), and installed them in the habitat. The actual installation of the new pieces in the habitat was achieved within two days once the preparation was complete, and both the Zoo and Maintenance teams were excited to see what Sophia would think of her new additions. 

After a thorough test of the ramps and steps and a walkthrough of the habitat to ensure it was free from hazards and safety concerns, Sophia was given access to her habitat with the new furniture. She explored all the new ramps and steps immediately, utilizing them as the Zoo and Maintenance teams had envisioned. She has regularly been seen lounging and sunbathing in her favorite tree again. Next time you visit Happy Hollow, if you can’t spot Sophia, look up in the tree in the middle of her habitat and you just might see her taking a cat nap and catching some rays!