By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS Jan 9, 2010 First, the Trainers It’s a sunny morning in Folsom and something odd is happening at the Folsom Zoo.  Zookeepers and staff are waving their arms, flailing their legs, and balancing in weird positions. No, they’re not there to entertain the animals. They’re playing the training game. The game where two people collude to train a third person to... [Read more]

Day 4 of my trip to Indonesia (Sept 2009) Dolphin Encounter Today we went dolphin watching at Lovina beach in Bali; I give the trip mixed reviews. First, we had to ride out further than expected to get to deeper waters in hopes of seeing dolphins. This was actually okay because we enjoyed the ride and the scenery. But instead of seeing the horizon or having a postcard view of the coast we saw a brown... [Read more]

Sophia’s Indonesia Trip, Day 3 (Sept 2009) Hornbill Impressive Hornbills On day 3 of my Indonesia vacation and our first day on Bali, we stop and visit Bird Park. The park has the standard variety of parrots, most of which are also present at other zoos.  But they have a large collection of hornbills, which most other zoos do not. These large birds form monogamous pairs and live in tree holes... [Read more]

Sophia Yin, DVM   April 12, 2009 There are two different types of elephants, Asian and African. Up until my visit to Have Trunk Will Travel, I could never tell the difference. But Kari Johnson gave me a fool-proof method. Now I can’t believe I couldn’t distinguish between the two in the past. Asian elephants have a humped back whereas African elephants have a sway back. You probably also notice... [Read more]

Sophia Yin, DVM Rabbits can be cuddly and cute but require specialized care. Potential adopters should consider all of the behavioral and health issues involved in caring for a rabbit before making a decision. Twas the week after Easter And all through the house A bunny was stirring All quiet like a mouse It tasted the carpet It marked the new couch It left little green presents Which made Dad a... [Read more]

By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS  March 27, 2009 I went through the picture in my head. Chicken number one climbs up the ladder onto a one-foot-wide platform, makes a 180-degree turn and tightropes across a narrow bridge to a second platform, where it pecks a tethered ping-pong ball, sending the ball in an arc around its post. The chicken then turns 180 degrees and negotiates a second ladder back down to ground... [Read more]

Sophia Yin, DVM, MS   March 25, 2009 J.P. plays with a barrel Have you ever wondered how Show Biz elephants are trained and housed and how they spend a typical day? Last week I found out when I visited an AZA (American Zoos and Aquariums) certified elephant training and conservation facility called Have Trunk Will Travel. Elephants from HTWT have starred in many movies and T.V. shows such as Operation... [Read more]