August 2, 2024 • 24 mins
With two new giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo, there is a need for a lot of bamboo! The Horticulture team plays a big role in keeping much of the wildlife at the Zoo well-fed, and that includes the giant pandas. In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Adam Graves, director of horticulture for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. How does this team keep up with our giant pandas’ demand for this fast-growing plant? How many kinds of bamboo are there? Tune in to hear more about bamboo and some of the other plants grown at the Zoo, including one of the rarest in the world.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hi, I'm Rick Schwartz.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
When us see this world, I'm Marco Wentz.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Welcome to Amazing Wildlife, where we explore unique stories of
wildlife from around the world and uncover fascinating animal facts.
This podcast is a production of iHeartRadio's Ruby Studio and
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation organization
which oversees the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Okay, Rick, we wrapped up our last episode with a
teas about branch and out on the potanical side of
the Zoo. So get ready, amigo, because I am totally
ready to add some plant power to this episode of
Amazing Wildlife.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Right on, Marco.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park are well known
for their wildlife. Of course, it lives at each location,
but a lot of the wildlife care and feeding of
that wildlife would not be able to happen without our
amazing horticulture department.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
And in case our listeners didn't know, the plants create
a big part of the whole experience. Our horticulture depart
or the whole team as they're known by, does an
amazing job at creating many ecosystems from all around the world.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Oh, that's true, from the outback of Australia to the
rainforest of Africa and even the Galapagos Islands. The plants
create the ecosystem you're visiting at the zoo or safari park.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, like we learned about in our Koala episode and
their specialized diet of eucalyptus, our whore team plays a
big role in helping to keep many of the wildlife
species eating well.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Exactly Marco, and today we're heading to the zoo to
find out how our horticulture department finds a way to
make sure two giant pandas that eat bamboo twelve hours a.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Day have all the bamboo that they need.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Can you imagine eating like twelve hours a day. That's
a whole lot of bamboo, It.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Really is, especially when you consider the fact that one
giant panda will consume anywhere from thirty to sixty five
pounds of bamboo in one day.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Now, I definitely need to find out how the hor
team keeps up with that demand for.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
All that bamboo. Then it's time to head to the zoo. Marco.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
I am Adam Graves. I am the director of Horticulture
at the San Diego Zoo.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Adam, thank you so much for taking the time to
speak with us today. I know Mark and I have
been very excited to finally get an episode of horticulture.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Let's talk about plants.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Exactly, but we're kind of species specific here on this
particular episode because there's certain very popular, well known giant panda.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Species has come to live at the San Diego.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Zoo and we had this great episode with Megan Owen
telling us about how they're still specialized for eating bamboo. Now,
having worked here for as long as we have, we
know we grow our bamboo here, but I would love
to hear from you just to kick it off.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
What does it take.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
For our horticulture department to keep our giant pandas well fed?
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Oh man, that's a huge question. First of all, it
takes a village. It takes both campuses, which I think
most people don't realize, So the zoo and Safari Park
Zoo and the Safari Park. Yeah, that's correct. So we
have a couple of different elements that really go into it.
So the first thing is our brows team. We have
about twelve people currently between both campuses Zoo and Safari
park that are just dedicated on farming food for the animals.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
And I want to end up real quick a browse team.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
So that comes from the term brows, which comes from
animals brows on these things in the wild. We take
plant trimmings and offer.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Them as brows for the animals. That's kind of a
way to sum it up.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yes, that's the browse team is basically the team responsible for,
as you said, harvesting all this. You may different delicious
species from hibiscus and bamboo, and even you look just
for the koalas.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Yeah, that's exactly right. And the qualas are a perfect
example because you look at some of these animals that
have such specific dietary needs and you realize that they
have to have a plant companion that goes right with them.
So if you want to have koalas and you want
to do conservation work with koalas, you have to have eucalyptus.
And just like with giant pandas, if you want to
have giant pandas that are healthy and happy that are
(03:46):
going to be able to contribute to a conservation mission,
you have to have bamboo one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
And you know, all the wild left care teams. You know,
much respect to you for the horticulture teams at the
park and the zoo by the way, you do really
really amazing work. And the brows team, I have to
say you guys early in the morning they have the
biggest smile on their faces when they say that the
sun is rising and they're you know, in the bamboo
forest there at the Safari Park, collecting what they need
to do or whatever the idem may be. But it's
really a central role. So it's really great they're able
(04:12):
to offer that for a wildlife.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Oh, they're super passionate about what they do. They know
that there are going to be a cornerstone of the
nutritional program here at the zoo end up at the
Safari Park. But I just know from personal experience being
out there in the bamboo groves or in the eucalyptus field,
it's a very special role to be playing within the
organization and sometimes it's a little an unsung hero a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
I agree, Yeah, I know that's where we're stoked to
be able to talk about this in particular bamboo or
can I was just talking about it. It's grass, right,
I mean, for someone who doesn't know anything about bamboo.
Can you describe it to that listener for us?
Speaker 4 (04:45):
Oh, of course, I mean it's a fascinating plant. Like
you said, it's a grass, so that if you think
about it, you think about your traditional bamboo forests, you
see these huge canes which are called calms, shooting up
out of the ground. But really it's one big organism
that's connected underground, and they're connected with all these structures
called rhizomes. And so if you compare these huge bamboo
stands that you think of when you think of your
(05:05):
classical bamboo in your mind's eye, compare it to the
lawn that you see outside, and you see all these
little blades of grass, exact same structure connected underground through
a series of rhizomes. So you can pretend like you're
an insect standing out in these bamboo groves with huge
blades of grass shooting up all around you. But physiologically
it is the same organism.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
But a great image too, right the connection of its series.
It's like a little community of all these different individuals
together right in this little ball here underneath the earth.
And then we see all these beautiful socks growing and
there's quite a few around the zoo here right, Oh,
my dad, we're behind the Africa Rocks area here. Yes,
we're hearing a lot. There may be some hornbills. You
might hear some kids laughing right now, and these your
creuz around the zoo. We're seeing a lot of variety
(05:44):
of different plant species, a certain variety of bamboo that
live here at the San Diego Zoo. Can you bring
up a few flor sure?
Speaker 4 (05:49):
So, Actually, we have about one hundred and thirty species
of bamboo here, one hundred and thirty right here on
the zoo property between the zoo and stuff Park. It
is an accredited collection that we have here is one
of our botanical collections because we are a botanic garden,
so we do that. And so some of the really
amazing species that we have are the black asper bamboo.
It's also called a dragon bamboo over.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
In Tiger Baboo.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Yeah, it's an amazing one. You can't miss it because
in habitat it'll grow up to about one hundred and
twenty feet tall. Here it only gets to about eighty
feet tall at about six to eight inches in diameter.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Where is that exactly?
Speaker 4 (06:22):
So it's over on Tiger River over by the upper
tiger viewing area, So if you want to go over there,
you cannot miss it. You walk by and we'll see
some large bamboos and then wham, that big one will
just hitch you right there and it's just arching up,
taller than all of the trees around it. It's really
pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
It's amazing to think that's a grass.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
It gives me such a vibe. There's something about like
when it's early in the morning where they're at Tiger
Trail at the Safari Park or that tiger area that
you mentioned here at the San Diego Zoo, and when
all the sounds die down you hear the stalks each other.
It's definitely a vibe too. And that's actually something I
wanted to ask you too, because we all have our
certain areas we love to just take a moment in Zen.
There's a lot of fun places at this the flightlines, Afari,
(07:01):
our tours all over the park in the zoo, but
like for instance, fer and Canyon for me at the Zoo,
that's a place just to connect and vibe out a
little bit. Right You being the individual that you already
have a particular spot at the zoo that you love.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Ooh, my favorite is actually Africa Rocks. Oh yeah, it's
a beautiful, beautiful corridor. You just walk down the whole
area and it does the best job of I think,
combining the animal experience and the plant experience and all
of that ecosystem level storytelling and just an amazing way.
And I know that all of our staff, both wildlife
care and horticulture just do an amazing job to make
sure the animals are happy and healthy and the plants
(07:34):
are just showing off their best.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
I want to jump in and ask more about the
horticulture team and more details, but first I.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Have to ask.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
I know, with koalas, they prefer just like the first
six to eight inches of the freshly grown, but we
offer up the whole piece of browse for them. I
know you're not a pandamic care specialist, but as someone
who delivers this is there like, you know, hey, we
need certain level of this fresh growth for them.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
They prefer that.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
And then also, are there a particular species of bamboo?
Since we have over one hundred and somebody said are
there particular species they like?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Or they just eat it all?
Speaker 4 (08:05):
So very good questions, very complicated questions. We're always working
really closely with Wildlife Care to try to better understand
how to feed these animals, and in a lot of ways,
it's kind of a moving target. We know a lot,
we've learned a lot because we've done this for decades,
but there's always more to learn. So one of the
things that we've seen about both pandas in Kualas is
that they have seasonal preference. So we know that there's
(08:26):
going to be times of the year where the pandas
prefer to eat the young, really tender, calm, the new
shoots basically the new blades of grass that are coming
up out of the ground. Other times of the year,
they're really going to prefer to have the leaves, or
sometimes they may even eat a stalk of the plant.
So understanding those relationships has been really critical and making
sure that we can provide them the best food source
nutritionally and behaviorally as possible. So in terms of favorite species,
(08:50):
we do have quite a bit of philostak use species,
that's the botanical term. The common names are generally golden
bamboos or timber bamboos. Those are ones that we farm
up at the Spark and we have also represented here
on San Diego Zoo grounds, So those are the ones
that actually provide the volume of the brows for the pandace.
So those six acres that we have up at the
Safari Park, that is really the bread and butter of
(09:11):
that whole program. Wow, and in general they really seem
to enjoy it. So we also have to have the
brows team going out there and very carefully selecting which
looks the best, which has the right age or the maturity,
trying to better understand which one has the best level
of carbohydrates and starches and protein. So we work really
closely with the nutrition staff to do quarterly testing on
these resources to see where each of the species that
(09:34):
we offer falls within that spectrum. There's a lot that
goes into.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
It that is so cool that you mentioned that.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
I love, love the science behind it.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
We're not just cutting bamboo and throwing it at them.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
There's work where you're testing the quality of nutrition within
each species where it's growing, and all that with our
nutrition team where they're going to take it and break
it down protein, stars as carbohydrates, all of that to
make sure they're getting the best. And that's just like
the whole next level of all the work the heart
does I know they's skill set is. It's not just
a matter of we're going to go in and water
plants and pick weeds. You are working with so many
(10:07):
different teams wildlife care staff, nutrition staff, scientists, everything else
to make sure that not only are these plants healthy
for our animals and look great and amazing for our guests,
but then also to make sure you're delivering the highest
nutritional value to those animals from that browse team.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
That is so awesome now right, I'm thinking like the
kids listening right now, like you guys, these men and
women there knee deep in dirt, the covered mud, or
maybe they're sweat and they're climbing trees, and they're such
a big smile on their faces. And you guys do
so much work. I mean, in my past experience with
the bird team, everything from even nesting material for a
lot of a bird species, and I would work with
hort individuals who knew the right flower, the right leaf
(10:45):
that this particular bird species wild like, and you communicate,
you know, the cooperation of it is great. There's something
I want to talk really cooked with bamboo that some
people kind of forget as well, you know, that not
only for food for an amazing while that they we
have like the black and white mammal.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Right, what was that even?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
We got all yeah, pan giant, But not only that,
but the communities of the world that benefit from bamboo,
right guess. I mean I was just reading it from
our website here are sezy left explorers hate for our kids.
There's really cool information that not only for food for animals,
what people use bamboo to make for instance, musical instruments, furniture, paper, food, medicine, fuel.
There's even a homa here that Thomas Edison guys even
(11:22):
use bamboo to make a filament for a light bulb.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I mean, how wild is that?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Does all the many uses of bamboo, right, I think
that's pretty great. What a unique interesting grass.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Well, I think it's incorrect me if I'm wrong, Adam.
I think it's being looked at as such a great
resource because it grows so quickly. It's something that's a
resource for humans that can be replenished quickly because of
how fast it grows. I mean I remember hearing a
rumor like you can almost see how long it's it's
grown within a day.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Is that a particular species of bamboo or is it.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Yeah, I mean it's very fast growing plant no matter
which species you're looking at. But there are some that
can grow several inches in a day, where it's almost
growing so fast that if you stay there for a
few minutes, you will be able to see it grow
a few millimeters, which is amazing in the plant world
to see something grow that quickly. Yeah, and going back
to your early point of how many uses bamboo has
around the world, we have multiple uses here at the
(12:07):
San Diego Zoo too, where a lot of the bamboo
that does not fit for animal consumption or is too big,
or is just being trimmed out of our landscape that
can be pieced up and put together by our volunteers
for enrichment puzzle boxes for all sorts of other inhabitat
uses with animals that can really benefit from it. So
we're trying to use every single one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
I remember the volunteers and the whole team they made
me this amazing bamboo puzzle piece for the Toco too
can I was taking care of at the time. So yes,
one hundred percent so of the uses for bamboo.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
So we've talked about the different species of bamboo. We
talked about how there's seasonal desires for the pandas and
nutritional needs, et cetera. One thing has always amazed me,
and I think you can probably tell me if I
should or should not be amazed, is when I see
a giant panda take a stock of bamboo, place it
in its mouth and just.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Crack it like a pretzel stick. The bamboo I've worked
with when I was a wildlfecare specialist, I know.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
That's pretty hard to bend, break, and or even cut through.
As someone who works with bamboo extensively like you have
in your team, does are you impressed by that or
is it just me?
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Oh, I'm definitely impressed by that. I mean, you can
talk to the wildlife care staff and they will tell
you that pandas have evolved these huge, enormous, powerful jaws
for just that purpose because bamboo is such a tough
plan to work with. In fact, there's some studies that
there are species of bamboo that have tensile strength that's
stronger than mild steel, which is pretty amazing and it
also shows why bamboo is used in a lot of
(13:29):
building building scaffolds or lattices. So for an animal to
be able to eat that as their primary food source.
That just blows me away. So, yes, you're right to
be amazing.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Enough, that's crazy. That's just amazing to me.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Now jumping back to where we're in the conversation about
ThePort team about all you guys do, and you had
mentioned Africa rocks and one of the things I really
love about how that experience takes place is you are
transformed not just because of the animals you're seeing, but
the ecosystems you're walking through, which it works created because
of all the different plants, different species from different regions
(14:05):
that match that ecosystem specifically. I would love to learn
more about what does the research for the WHOK team
look like to be able to go, Okay, we're gonna
build out a habitat with more leopards. We're gonna build
out this habitat with these birds in this avia. We're
gonna build out this area down here.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
With the fusa and the lemurs.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
What's that look like for your team to go Okay,
we're going to get these plants or find these plants
or source them out or what does that all entail?
Speaker 4 (14:30):
It entails a ton of work and a lot of
work with partners, you know, not just internal partners here,
although that's a big part of it, working with the
other departments like the Bird Department or the Reptile Department
or the Mammal department, but also working with a lot
of our conservation partners out in their natural geographic range. So,
for example, the hummingbird aviary over in the new base camp,
(14:51):
if you look at that, a ton of research went
into that, not just in our team but with the
Bird department team to make sure that we're putting in
plants that are going to be appropriate for humming birds,
that have the right color, the right flower structure, that's
going to be regionally appropriate to where hummingbirds, at least
the species that were in that habit hat are originally from.
So really a lot of intentionality goes into procuring and
(15:12):
placing plants in there and then trying to keep them
alive because of the animal impacts, right, because animals are
just doing their thing, which is what they should be doing,
but sometimes that can be a difficult balance to keep
in a small habitat.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Yeah, smaller space like that for the plants, because in
the wild there would be more diversity of the plants
would have more space, the birds woud be going from
different plants different plant versus having the same plants to
go to all over the time.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
So you never know with this critters, right. I remember
the Hoar team creating this vibrant rainforest ecosystem for our
castow areas and a young yara, she had a favorite
plant that she it was like your kicking tree. Unfortunately,
and by the end of the year that poor palm
didn't survive her. But we worked really hard at them.
But yeah, kudas to that. You guys are such a
cool job of it.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
And yeah, it's really important to us to try to
create an environment that's going to be really reflective of
what the animals would see natural environment, not just for
the animals, although that's a really big part of it,
but also for the visitors so that they can see,
oh wow, this is what this ecosystem is supposed to
look like, and it involves plants, animals, all of these
really special interactions. This is something worth conserving, This is
(16:14):
something we're saving, and also maybe be able to see
some behavior that's going to be really unique to these
animals and plants working together. So it's a very important
part of the process for us.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
And on that note, then I definitely want to mention
or have you mentioned, we're a botanical garden. We're not
just a zoosum plants. This is an actual botanical garden
and we have quite a few endangered species of plants
here as well.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Is that correct, Oh, that's correct.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
Yeah, we are an in credited botanic garden. We have
several special collections as well, so special collections of plants
like acacias, aloes, orchids, palms, and as an institution with
over one hundred years of history, we have some really
old growth plants and trees here, including, like you said,
some of the rarest in the world, some that are
extinct in the wild. So we have a couple of
(16:56):
psycads that are over in Africa rocks, one of which
has been extinct in the wild since nineteen sixteen. Wow,
that's the woods psycad. You can see it over there.
It has a sign and every other representation of that
in the world is a clone of that one individual.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Say that one more time for a lezzabi me gooseies
say that again.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Say that again.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
That's crazy.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
So there's a plant that is now extinct in the wild.
It's been extinct in the wild since nineteen sixteen, and
it is the only genetic representation of that plant that exists,
and every other individual that you see here or anywhere
else is a clone of that particular individual.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
In fact, it's often been called the loneliest plant in
the world.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Oh, I think we need to talk about that lonely
plan or even early in the year we reference the
ilula as well. Right, So it's incredible the work you're doing,
and conservation wise, of course, food for the panas and
all these are the amazing species like to talk in
as an example, but I want to talk about the
vibes too. I want guests to know, like when you
walk into a space, I see guests take a deep
(17:55):
breath and they look around and their heartbeat slows down
a little bit, and they're enjoying the atmosphere and they
see the wildlife there. But everyone take a moment and
look around and appreciate that the plants, they're creating this
wonderful environment for you wherever you go, whether it be
the walk about area. Of course, our wonderful, beautiful giant
pan is are going to be showcased later in the year.
But you guys, you create this really amazing experience for everyone.
(18:15):
So I just can't stop thinking, you guys, you're so
great at everything that you do.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Oh, that's very kind of you. And I know you
mentioned Fern Canyon earlier. A lot of people mentioned that
Fern Canyon is just their favorite part of the zoos. Yeah,
and there's no animals when you ask it, what's your
favorite animal? And for and canyon that's not a habitat,
it's just a place. It gives you a sense of place,
a sense of feeling, and it just allows you to
breathe a little bit clear, breathe a little bit deeper.
The air feels better in there. It's nice and shady
(18:40):
on a hot day. It's just an amazing sense of
being transported to another place, someplace that you wouldn't expect
to be able to find in San Diego, right.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
In the middle downtown Sandego, exact right.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Yes, And it means so much, especially our school programs
that we do. We have one called plant to see
it and it's inner city kids that come in and
I've taken them to the different areas and when you
see their faces line up and to know like we've
all created all of us together, these wonderful experiences for
kids that maybe in their personal time or in life,
they won't be able to experience these things out in
China or maybe or Africa, but they can come to
the zoo right or the Safari park and the experience
(19:12):
all these amazing things, from giant pande to all these
various beautiful species of bamboo that you were referencing.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
Yeah, no, I agree. The more that we can expose
people to the beauty and the diversity of wildlife of
all kinds plants and animals, people, not just school children,
but everybody takes a little bit of that home with
them at the end of the day.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
And you know, with Marco mentioning the school children and
a lot of our audience being families and kids, if
there's someone out there right now going I want to
do that with plants. I want to support wildlife because
I love plants. What would be the path someone would
want to take to either come work in the horticulture
department of the Sandego Zoo or any other zoological or
botanical facility. What does that look like to get started
in this business.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Well, first of all, you definitely need to have a
very strong education in either horticulture or plant conservation or
basic biology because they are very complex living worganisms, and
there's a lot more plants out there than animals, so
there's a lot of room for specialization. I think at
last count there was about maybe six thousand and some
change mammal species all around the world. Well, there's hundreds
(20:12):
and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, once you've counted
the unexplored and undiscovered plant species to be able to
dig into. So that's a big part of it. But
really passion is probably the biggest thing. If you love plants,
just love plants and do your own research, do everything
you can just to get hands on experience with working
with plants because that's invaluable. And talk to other people
(20:34):
that are big plant lovers because it's really a very
strong network, very supportive network of people that really get
drawn into that discipline of biology.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Sort of like the bamboo raizooms everyone's connected to exactly.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Well, Adam, thank you so much for your time. I
really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Super enlightening to learn about all the things about the bamboo.
But then just the strengths and the heart of the
horticulture team.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
Thank you enough, thank you plant power right, thanks, thank
you both appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
So we came here to learn more about the bamboo
that has grown for the giant pandas to eat.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
But wow, we learned so much more.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
I know, I mean, I kind of feel like we
just scratched the surface of the amazing world of horticulture.
But you know, I gotta admit I had no idea
that the browse team in the horticulture department sends samples
of bamboo to the nutrition team for testing.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
No, I'm right there with you, Marco.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I mean, I knew our horticulture team worked in conjunction
with many other departments, like the wildlife care staff and
the planning and architecture teams, even for habitat design, but
I didn't know they had worked so closely with the
nutrition team as well. I mean, to test bamboo to
make sure the pandas are getting the best of the best.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
That's so cool, I know.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
And I'm still fascinated about the fact that there are
over one hundred and thirty different species of bamboo between
the two locations. Yeah, that's wild. And there are so
many more plant species and just bamboo that they take
care of.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I know that you and I already knew that the
San Diego Zoo is a fire park registered botanical gardens,
but I'm glad Adam mentioned that for our listeners, and
I also knew that we have endangered plants too. But
I have to admit when Adam mentioned the woodside cat
that is extinct in the wild, it really put things
into perspective.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Oh, I know exactly how you feel about that. I mean,
the diversity of plants at the zoo and Safari Park
from all over the world, it's really something special. But
to know that there are some that are no longer
in the wild, it's really sad. It makes me wonder,
you know, what kind of world they'll be for my
nieces and nephews in the future. But you know, when
we talk about endangered species, we also need to talk
about the importance, the abundance and the preservation of the
(22:34):
plant world.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Yeah, it goes back to the importance of understanding the
needs of a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Plants, animals, and
people all do so much better when the ecosystems are healthy.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Exactly, I mean It really is all connected, just like
Megan said in our Giant Panda.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Episode, and again in this episode.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
We see how everything is connected from the plant side
of things as well.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
You know, I bet we could.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Do another episode about a completely different species of wildlife
and still find the importance of the connection with other
wildlife and plans.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Oh yeah, we are you thinking about another species that
is specialized in eating a specific plant?
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Not exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Be sure to subscribe and tune into our next episode,
in which we learn more about the one species of
big cat that takes pride in living in a social group.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Marcolette and I'm Rick Schwartz. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
For more information about the San Diego Zoo and San
Diego Zoo Safari Park, go to SDZWA dot org. Amazing
Wildlife is a production of iHeartRadio. Our supervising producers are
Nikia Swinton and Dylan Fagan, and our sound designers are
Sierra Spreen and Matt Russell. For more shows from iHeartRadio,
check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
(23:50):
listen to your favorite shows.
Hi, I'm Rick Schwartz.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
When us see this world, I'm Marco Wentz.
Speaker 3 (00:08):
Welcome to Amazing Wildlife, where we explore unique stories of
wildlife from around the world and uncover fascinating animal facts.
This podcast is a production of iHeartRadio's Ruby Studio and
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, an international nonprofit conservation organization
which oversees the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Okay, Rick, we wrapped up our last episode with a
teas about branch and out on the potanical side of
the Zoo. So get ready, amigo, because I am totally
ready to add some plant power to this episode of
Amazing Wildlife.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
Right on, Marco.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
The San Diego Zoo and Safari Park are well known
for their wildlife. Of course, it lives at each location,
but a lot of the wildlife care and feeding of
that wildlife would not be able to happen without our
amazing horticulture department.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
And in case our listeners didn't know, the plants create
a big part of the whole experience. Our horticulture depart
or the whole team as they're known by, does an
amazing job at creating many ecosystems from all around the world.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Oh, that's true, from the outback of Australia to the
rainforest of Africa and even the Galapagos Islands. The plants
create the ecosystem you're visiting at the zoo or safari park.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, like we learned about in our Koala episode and
their specialized diet of eucalyptus, our whore team plays a
big role in helping to keep many of the wildlife
species eating well.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Exactly Marco, and today we're heading to the zoo to
find out how our horticulture department finds a way to
make sure two giant pandas that eat bamboo twelve hours a.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Day have all the bamboo that they need.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Can you imagine eating like twelve hours a day. That's
a whole lot of bamboo, It.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Really is, especially when you consider the fact that one
giant panda will consume anywhere from thirty to sixty five
pounds of bamboo in one day.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Now, I definitely need to find out how the hor
team keeps up with that demand for.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
All that bamboo. Then it's time to head to the zoo. Marco.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
I am Adam Graves. I am the director of Horticulture
at the San Diego Zoo.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Adam, thank you so much for taking the time to
speak with us today. I know Mark and I have
been very excited to finally get an episode of horticulture.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Let's talk about plants.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Exactly, but we're kind of species specific here on this
particular episode because there's certain very popular, well known giant panda.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Species has come to live at the San Diego.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Zoo and we had this great episode with Megan Owen
telling us about how they're still specialized for eating bamboo. Now,
having worked here for as long as we have, we
know we grow our bamboo here, but I would love
to hear from you just to kick it off.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
What does it take.
Speaker 3 (02:39):
For our horticulture department to keep our giant pandas well fed?
Speaker 4 (02:42):
Oh man, that's a huge question. First of all, it
takes a village. It takes both campuses, which I think
most people don't realize, So the zoo and Safari Park
Zoo and the Safari Park. Yeah, that's correct. So we
have a couple of different elements that really go into it.
So the first thing is our brows team. We have
about twelve people currently between both campuses Zoo and Safari
park that are just dedicated on farming food for the animals.
Speaker 1 (03:05):
And I want to end up real quick a browse team.
Speaker 3 (03:07):
So that comes from the term brows, which comes from
animals brows on these things in the wild. We take
plant trimmings and offer.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Them as brows for the animals. That's kind of a
way to sum it up.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yes, that's the browse team is basically the team responsible for,
as you said, harvesting all this. You may different delicious
species from hibiscus and bamboo, and even you look just
for the koalas.
Speaker 4 (03:26):
Yeah, that's exactly right. And the qualas are a perfect
example because you look at some of these animals that
have such specific dietary needs and you realize that they
have to have a plant companion that goes right with them.
So if you want to have koalas and you want
to do conservation work with koalas, you have to have eucalyptus.
And just like with giant pandas, if you want to
have giant pandas that are healthy and happy that are
(03:46):
going to be able to contribute to a conservation mission,
you have to have bamboo one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
And you know, all the wild left care teams. You know,
much respect to you for the horticulture teams at the
park and the zoo by the way, you do really
really amazing work. And the brows team, I have to
say you guys early in the morning they have the
biggest smile on their faces when they say that the
sun is rising and they're you know, in the bamboo
forest there at the Safari Park, collecting what they need
to do or whatever the idem may be. But it's
really a central role. So it's really great they're able
(04:12):
to offer that for a wildlife.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
Oh, they're super passionate about what they do. They know
that there are going to be a cornerstone of the
nutritional program here at the zoo end up at the
Safari Park. But I just know from personal experience being
out there in the bamboo groves or in the eucalyptus field,
it's a very special role to be playing within the
organization and sometimes it's a little an unsung hero a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (04:34):
I agree, Yeah, I know that's where we're stoked to
be able to talk about this in particular bamboo or
can I was just talking about it. It's grass, right,
I mean, for someone who doesn't know anything about bamboo.
Can you describe it to that listener for us?
Speaker 4 (04:45):
Oh, of course, I mean it's a fascinating plant. Like
you said, it's a grass, so that if you think
about it, you think about your traditional bamboo forests, you
see these huge canes which are called calms, shooting up
out of the ground. But really it's one big organism
that's connected underground, and they're connected with all these structures
called rhizomes. And so if you compare these huge bamboo
stands that you think of when you think of your
(05:05):
classical bamboo in your mind's eye, compare it to the
lawn that you see outside, and you see all these
little blades of grass, exact same structure connected underground through
a series of rhizomes. So you can pretend like you're
an insect standing out in these bamboo groves with huge
blades of grass shooting up all around you. But physiologically
it is the same organism.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
But a great image too, right the connection of its series.
It's like a little community of all these different individuals
together right in this little ball here underneath the earth.
And then we see all these beautiful socks growing and
there's quite a few around the zoo here right, Oh,
my dad, we're behind the Africa Rocks area here. Yes,
we're hearing a lot. There may be some hornbills. You
might hear some kids laughing right now, and these your
creuz around the zoo. We're seeing a lot of variety
(05:44):
of different plant species, a certain variety of bamboo that
live here at the San Diego Zoo. Can you bring
up a few flor sure?
Speaker 4 (05:49):
So, Actually, we have about one hundred and thirty species
of bamboo here, one hundred and thirty right here on
the zoo property between the zoo and stuff Park. It
is an accredited collection that we have here is one
of our botanical collections because we are a botanic garden,
so we do that. And so some of the really
amazing species that we have are the black asper bamboo.
It's also called a dragon bamboo over.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
In Tiger Baboo.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Yeah, it's an amazing one. You can't miss it because
in habitat it'll grow up to about one hundred and
twenty feet tall. Here it only gets to about eighty
feet tall at about six to eight inches in diameter.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
Where is that exactly?
Speaker 4 (06:22):
So it's over on Tiger River over by the upper
tiger viewing area, So if you want to go over there,
you cannot miss it. You walk by and we'll see
some large bamboos and then wham, that big one will
just hitch you right there and it's just arching up,
taller than all of the trees around it. It's really
pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
It's amazing to think that's a grass.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
It gives me such a vibe. There's something about like
when it's early in the morning where they're at Tiger
Trail at the Safari Park or that tiger area that
you mentioned here at the San Diego Zoo, and when
all the sounds die down you hear the stalks each other.
It's definitely a vibe too. And that's actually something I
wanted to ask you too, because we all have our
certain areas we love to just take a moment in Zen.
There's a lot of fun places at this the flightlines, Afari,
(07:01):
our tours all over the park in the zoo, but
like for instance, fer and Canyon for me at the Zoo,
that's a place just to connect and vibe out a
little bit. Right You being the individual that you already
have a particular spot at the zoo that you love.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Ooh, my favorite is actually Africa Rocks. Oh yeah, it's
a beautiful, beautiful corridor. You just walk down the whole
area and it does the best job of I think,
combining the animal experience and the plant experience and all
of that ecosystem level storytelling and just an amazing way.
And I know that all of our staff, both wildlife
care and horticulture just do an amazing job to make
sure the animals are happy and healthy and the plants
(07:34):
are just showing off their best.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
I want to jump in and ask more about the
horticulture team and more details, but first I.
Speaker 1 (07:39):
Have to ask.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
I know, with koalas, they prefer just like the first
six to eight inches of the freshly grown, but we
offer up the whole piece of browse for them. I
know you're not a pandamic care specialist, but as someone
who delivers this is there like, you know, hey, we
need certain level of this fresh growth for them.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
They prefer that.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
And then also, are there a particular species of bamboo?
Since we have over one hundred and somebody said are
there particular species they like?
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Or they just eat it all?
Speaker 4 (08:05):
So very good questions, very complicated questions. We're always working
really closely with Wildlife Care to try to better understand
how to feed these animals, and in a lot of ways,
it's kind of a moving target. We know a lot,
we've learned a lot because we've done this for decades,
but there's always more to learn. So one of the
things that we've seen about both pandas in Kualas is
that they have seasonal preference. So we know that there's
(08:26):
going to be times of the year where the pandas
prefer to eat the young, really tender, calm, the new
shoots basically the new blades of grass that are coming
up out of the ground. Other times of the year,
they're really going to prefer to have the leaves, or
sometimes they may even eat a stalk of the plant.
So understanding those relationships has been really critical and making
sure that we can provide them the best food source
nutritionally and behaviorally as possible. So in terms of favorite species,
(08:50):
we do have quite a bit of philostak use species,
that's the botanical term. The common names are generally golden
bamboos or timber bamboos. Those are ones that we farm
up at the Spark and we have also represented here
on San Diego Zoo grounds, So those are the ones
that actually provide the volume of the brows for the pandace.
So those six acres that we have up at the
Safari Park, that is really the bread and butter of
(09:11):
that whole program. Wow, and in general they really seem
to enjoy it. So we also have to have the
brows team going out there and very carefully selecting which
looks the best, which has the right age or the maturity,
trying to better understand which one has the best level
of carbohydrates and starches and protein. So we work really
closely with the nutrition staff to do quarterly testing on
these resources to see where each of the species that
(09:34):
we offer falls within that spectrum. There's a lot that
goes into.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
It that is so cool that you mentioned that.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
I love, love the science behind it.
Speaker 4 (09:42):
We're not just cutting bamboo and throwing it at them.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
There's work where you're testing the quality of nutrition within
each species where it's growing, and all that with our
nutrition team where they're going to take it and break
it down protein, stars as carbohydrates, all of that to
make sure they're getting the best. And that's just like
the whole next level of all the work the heart
does I know they's skill set is. It's not just
a matter of we're going to go in and water
plants and pick weeds. You are working with so many
(10:07):
different teams wildlife care staff, nutrition staff, scientists, everything else
to make sure that not only are these plants healthy
for our animals and look great and amazing for our guests,
but then also to make sure you're delivering the highest
nutritional value to those animals from that browse team.
Speaker 2 (10:23):
That is so awesome now right, I'm thinking like the
kids listening right now, like you guys, these men and
women there knee deep in dirt, the covered mud, or
maybe they're sweat and they're climbing trees, and they're such
a big smile on their faces. And you guys do
so much work. I mean, in my past experience with
the bird team, everything from even nesting material for a
lot of a bird species, and I would work with
hort individuals who knew the right flower, the right leaf
(10:45):
that this particular bird species wild like, and you communicate,
you know, the cooperation of it is great. There's something
I want to talk really cooked with bamboo that some
people kind of forget as well, you know, that not
only for food for an amazing while that they we
have like the black and white mammal.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Right, what was that even?
Speaker 2 (11:00):
We got all yeah, pan giant, But not only that,
but the communities of the world that benefit from bamboo,
right guess. I mean I was just reading it from
our website here are sezy left explorers hate for our kids.
There's really cool information that not only for food for animals,
what people use bamboo to make for instance, musical instruments, furniture, paper, food, medicine, fuel.
There's even a homa here that Thomas Edison guys even
(11:22):
use bamboo to make a filament for a light bulb.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
I mean, how wild is that?
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Does all the many uses of bamboo, right, I think
that's pretty great. What a unique interesting grass.
Speaker 3 (11:30):
Well, I think it's incorrect me if I'm wrong, Adam.
I think it's being looked at as such a great
resource because it grows so quickly. It's something that's a
resource for humans that can be replenished quickly because of
how fast it grows. I mean I remember hearing a
rumor like you can almost see how long it's it's
grown within a day.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Is that a particular species of bamboo or is it.
Speaker 4 (11:46):
Yeah, I mean it's very fast growing plant no matter
which species you're looking at. But there are some that
can grow several inches in a day, where it's almost
growing so fast that if you stay there for a
few minutes, you will be able to see it grow
a few millimeters, which is amazing in the plant world
to see something grow that quickly. Yeah, and going back
to your early point of how many uses bamboo has
around the world, we have multiple uses here at the
(12:07):
San Diego Zoo too, where a lot of the bamboo
that does not fit for animal consumption or is too big,
or is just being trimmed out of our landscape that
can be pieced up and put together by our volunteers
for enrichment puzzle boxes for all sorts of other inhabitat
uses with animals that can really benefit from it. So
we're trying to use every single one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
I remember the volunteers and the whole team they made
me this amazing bamboo puzzle piece for the Toco too
can I was taking care of at the time. So yes,
one hundred percent so of the uses for bamboo.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
So we've talked about the different species of bamboo. We
talked about how there's seasonal desires for the pandas and
nutritional needs, et cetera. One thing has always amazed me,
and I think you can probably tell me if I
should or should not be amazed, is when I see
a giant panda take a stock of bamboo, place it
in its mouth and just.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Crack it like a pretzel stick. The bamboo I've worked
with when I was a wildlfecare specialist, I know.
Speaker 3 (12:58):
That's pretty hard to bend, break, and or even cut through.
As someone who works with bamboo extensively like you have
in your team, does are you impressed by that or
is it just me?
Speaker 4 (13:07):
Oh, I'm definitely impressed by that. I mean, you can
talk to the wildlife care staff and they will tell
you that pandas have evolved these huge, enormous, powerful jaws
for just that purpose because bamboo is such a tough
plan to work with. In fact, there's some studies that
there are species of bamboo that have tensile strength that's
stronger than mild steel, which is pretty amazing and it
also shows why bamboo is used in a lot of
(13:29):
building building scaffolds or lattices. So for an animal to
be able to eat that as their primary food source.
That just blows me away. So, yes, you're right to
be amazing.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
Enough, that's crazy. That's just amazing to me.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
Now jumping back to where we're in the conversation about
ThePort team about all you guys do, and you had
mentioned Africa rocks and one of the things I really
love about how that experience takes place is you are
transformed not just because of the animals you're seeing, but
the ecosystems you're walking through, which it works created because
of all the different plants, different species from different regions
(14:05):
that match that ecosystem specifically. I would love to learn
more about what does the research for the WHOK team
look like to be able to go, Okay, we're gonna
build out a habitat with more leopards. We're gonna build
out this habitat with these birds in this avia. We're
gonna build out this area down here.
Speaker 1 (14:21):
With the fusa and the lemurs.
Speaker 3 (14:23):
What's that look like for your team to go Okay,
we're going to get these plants or find these plants
or source them out or what does that all entail?
Speaker 4 (14:30):
It entails a ton of work and a lot of
work with partners, you know, not just internal partners here,
although that's a big part of it, working with the
other departments like the Bird Department or the Reptile Department
or the Mammal department, but also working with a lot
of our conservation partners out in their natural geographic range. So,
for example, the hummingbird aviary over in the new base camp,
(14:51):
if you look at that, a ton of research went
into that, not just in our team but with the
Bird department team to make sure that we're putting in
plants that are going to be appropriate for humming birds,
that have the right color, the right flower structure, that's
going to be regionally appropriate to where hummingbirds, at least
the species that were in that habit hat are originally from.
So really a lot of intentionality goes into procuring and
(15:12):
placing plants in there and then trying to keep them
alive because of the animal impacts, right, because animals are
just doing their thing, which is what they should be doing,
but sometimes that can be a difficult balance to keep
in a small habitat.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
Yeah, smaller space like that for the plants, because in
the wild there would be more diversity of the plants
would have more space, the birds woud be going from
different plants different plant versus having the same plants to
go to all over the time.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
So you never know with this critters, right. I remember
the Hoar team creating this vibrant rainforest ecosystem for our
castow areas and a young yara, she had a favorite
plant that she it was like your kicking tree. Unfortunately,
and by the end of the year that poor palm
didn't survive her. But we worked really hard at them.
But yeah, kudas to that. You guys are such a
cool job of it.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (15:54):
And yeah, it's really important to us to try to
create an environment that's going to be really reflective of
what the animals would see natural environment, not just for
the animals, although that's a really big part of it,
but also for the visitors so that they can see,
oh wow, this is what this ecosystem is supposed to
look like, and it involves plants, animals, all of these
really special interactions. This is something worth conserving, This is
(16:14):
something we're saving, and also maybe be able to see
some behavior that's going to be really unique to these
animals and plants working together. So it's a very important
part of the process for us.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
And on that note, then I definitely want to mention
or have you mentioned, we're a botanical garden. We're not
just a zoosum plants. This is an actual botanical garden
and we have quite a few endangered species of plants
here as well.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Is that correct, Oh, that's correct.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
Yeah, we are an in credited botanic garden. We have
several special collections as well, so special collections of plants
like acacias, aloes, orchids, palms, and as an institution with
over one hundred years of history, we have some really
old growth plants and trees here, including, like you said,
some of the rarest in the world, some that are
extinct in the wild. So we have a couple of
(16:56):
psycads that are over in Africa rocks, one of which
has been extinct in the wild since nineteen sixteen. Wow,
that's the woods psycad. You can see it over there.
It has a sign and every other representation of that
in the world is a clone of that one individual.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Say that one more time for a lezzabi me gooseies
say that again.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Say that again.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
That's crazy.
Speaker 4 (17:17):
So there's a plant that is now extinct in the wild.
It's been extinct in the wild since nineteen sixteen, and
it is the only genetic representation of that plant that exists,
and every other individual that you see here or anywhere
else is a clone of that particular individual.
Speaker 1 (17:31):
Wow.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
In fact, it's often been called the loneliest plant in
the world.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
Oh, I think we need to talk about that lonely
plan or even early in the year we reference the
ilula as well. Right, So it's incredible the work you're doing,
and conservation wise, of course, food for the panas and
all these are the amazing species like to talk in
as an example, but I want to talk about the
vibes too. I want guests to know, like when you
walk into a space, I see guests take a deep
(17:55):
breath and they look around and their heartbeat slows down
a little bit, and they're enjoying the atmosphere and they
see the wildlife there. But everyone take a moment and
look around and appreciate that the plants, they're creating this
wonderful environment for you wherever you go, whether it be
the walk about area. Of course, our wonderful, beautiful giant
pan is are going to be showcased later in the year.
But you guys, you create this really amazing experience for everyone.
(18:15):
So I just can't stop thinking, you guys, you're so
great at everything that you do.
Speaker 4 (18:18):
Oh, that's very kind of you. And I know you
mentioned Fern Canyon earlier. A lot of people mentioned that
Fern Canyon is just their favorite part of the zoos. Yeah,
and there's no animals when you ask it, what's your
favorite animal? And for and canyon that's not a habitat,
it's just a place. It gives you a sense of place,
a sense of feeling, and it just allows you to
breathe a little bit clear, breathe a little bit deeper.
The air feels better in there. It's nice and shady
(18:40):
on a hot day. It's just an amazing sense of
being transported to another place, someplace that you wouldn't expect
to be able to find in San Diego, right.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
In the middle downtown Sandego, exact right.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Yes, And it means so much, especially our school programs
that we do. We have one called plant to see
it and it's inner city kids that come in and
I've taken them to the different areas and when you
see their faces line up and to know like we've
all created all of us together, these wonderful experiences for
kids that maybe in their personal time or in life,
they won't be able to experience these things out in
China or maybe or Africa, but they can come to
the zoo right or the Safari park and the experience
(19:12):
all these amazing things, from giant pande to all these
various beautiful species of bamboo that you were referencing.
Speaker 4 (19:18):
Yeah, no, I agree. The more that we can expose
people to the beauty and the diversity of wildlife of
all kinds plants and animals, people, not just school children,
but everybody takes a little bit of that home with
them at the end of the day.
Speaker 1 (19:29):
Yeah exactly.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
And you know, with Marco mentioning the school children and
a lot of our audience being families and kids, if
there's someone out there right now going I want to
do that with plants. I want to support wildlife because
I love plants. What would be the path someone would
want to take to either come work in the horticulture
department of the Sandego Zoo or any other zoological or
botanical facility. What does that look like to get started
in this business.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Well, first of all, you definitely need to have a
very strong education in either horticulture or plant conservation or
basic biology because they are very complex living worganisms, and
there's a lot more plants out there than animals, so
there's a lot of room for specialization. I think at
last count there was about maybe six thousand and some
change mammal species all around the world. Well, there's hundreds
(20:12):
and hundreds of thousands, if not millions, once you've counted
the unexplored and undiscovered plant species to be able to
dig into. So that's a big part of it. But
really passion is probably the biggest thing. If you love plants,
just love plants and do your own research, do everything
you can just to get hands on experience with working
with plants because that's invaluable. And talk to other people
(20:34):
that are big plant lovers because it's really a very
strong network, very supportive network of people that really get
drawn into that discipline of biology.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Sort of like the bamboo raizooms everyone's connected to exactly.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Well, Adam, thank you so much for your time. I
really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (20:50):
Super enlightening to learn about all the things about the bamboo.
But then just the strengths and the heart of the
horticulture team.
Speaker 4 (20:56):
Thank you enough, thank you plant power right, thanks, thank
you both appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
So we came here to learn more about the bamboo
that has grown for the giant pandas to eat.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
But wow, we learned so much more.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
I know, I mean, I kind of feel like we
just scratched the surface of the amazing world of horticulture.
But you know, I gotta admit I had no idea
that the browse team in the horticulture department sends samples
of bamboo to the nutrition team for testing.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
No, I'm right there with you, Marco.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
I mean, I knew our horticulture team worked in conjunction
with many other departments, like the wildlife care staff and
the planning and architecture teams, even for habitat design, but
I didn't know they had worked so closely with the
nutrition team as well. I mean, to test bamboo to
make sure the pandas are getting the best of the best.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
That's so cool, I know.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
And I'm still fascinated about the fact that there are
over one hundred and thirty different species of bamboo between
the two locations. Yeah, that's wild. And there are so
many more plant species and just bamboo that they take
care of.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (21:56):
I know that you and I already knew that the
San Diego Zoo is a fire park registered botanical gardens,
but I'm glad Adam mentioned that for our listeners, and
I also knew that we have endangered plants too. But
I have to admit when Adam mentioned the woodside cat
that is extinct in the wild, it really put things
into perspective.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Oh, I know exactly how you feel about that. I mean,
the diversity of plants at the zoo and Safari Park
from all over the world, it's really something special. But
to know that there are some that are no longer
in the wild, it's really sad. It makes me wonder,
you know, what kind of world they'll be for my
nieces and nephews in the future. But you know, when
we talk about endangered species, we also need to talk
about the importance, the abundance and the preservation of the
(22:34):
plant world.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Yeah, it goes back to the importance of understanding the
needs of a healthy and balanced ecosystem. Plants, animals, and
people all do so much better when the ecosystems are healthy.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Exactly, I mean It really is all connected, just like
Megan said in our Giant Panda.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Episode, and again in this episode.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
We see how everything is connected from the plant side
of things as well.
Speaker 1 (22:54):
You know, I bet we could.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
Do another episode about a completely different species of wildlife
and still find the importance of the connection with other
wildlife and plans.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
Oh yeah, we are you thinking about another species that
is specialized in eating a specific plant?
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Not exactly.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Be sure to subscribe and tune into our next episode,
in which we learn more about the one species of
big cat that takes pride in living in a social group.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Marcolette and I'm Rick Schwartz. Thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
For more information about the San Diego Zoo and San
Diego Zoo Safari Park, go to SDZWA dot org. Amazing
Wildlife is a production of iHeartRadio. Our supervising producers are
Nikia Swinton and Dylan Fagan, and our sound designers are
Sierra Spreen and Matt Russell. For more shows from iHeartRadio,
check out the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
(23:50):
listen to your favorite shows.
Hosts And Creators
Rick Schwartz
Marco Wendt
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