Zoo habitats of the Patas Monkey and the Shoebill Stork

1. Personal Zoo Habitat
Project
By: Emily Cunningham

2.  Erythrocebus Patas
 As you are starting this new job, you must
be informed about the over all care for
the Patas Monkey.
◦ Nutrition – For their diet, the patas monkey will
usually eat fruits, flowers and leaves. As a
treat, lettuce is given to them every two days.
It usually drinks two to three times a day
during the dry season and regularly on regular
days.
Patas Monkey

3. ◦ Handicap Accessibility – Everyone should be
able to visit each exhibit, no matter if a
disability is present or not. In order for
everyone to be able to visit this exotic
animal, you must make sure that the ramp
leading up to the glass of the exhibit is
completely unblocked at all times. You must
also make sure that people who lack disabilities
are not using the ramp just so they can get a
better view of the animal.
Patas Monkey

4. ◦ Severe Weather Protection – The patas
monkey is usually used to a dry, warm
climate, as in a savanna. When big storms
approach the zoo habitat, you must make sure
that the animals are inside their substitute
habitat until the storm passes. This procedure
must also be performed in the winter when
temperatures drop drastically.
Patas Monkey

5. ◦ Safe Public Viewing – For the safety of the
public, the employee must make sure that no
children are climbing on the hand rails, the
glass has no cracks that could potentially
shatter the entire sheet, and that only a certain
number of people are in the viewing area at a
time. Also, the handicap ramp must be clear at
all times to ensure premium safety for every
visitor.
Patas Monkey

6. ◦ Maintenance – To make sure the animal has
high quality living space, multiple tasks need to
be performed weekly to ensure their quality of
life. The habitat is equipped with a small
pond, wide spaces for the monkeys to
roam, logs for them to sit and play on, and a
tall tree-like structure so they get the feel of
their natural woodlands habitat. It also includes
white plastic tubes for the animals to play
with, which should be checked for natural
chemicals obtained in the plastic each month.
Patas Monkey

7. ◦ Medical Treatment – For the patas
monkey, even though they are used to a warm
climate, must be tested and treated for heat
exhaustion weekly. Because of the extreme
temperatures that occur in Houston, it is
required that this be done no matter what the
animal is used to. The animal must also be
weighed monthly to make sure that they are
gaining their proper nutrition. Also, because
some insects live on monkey’s skin, they must
be tested for potential diseases that the insects
could carry.
Patas Monkey

8.  Balaeniceps rex
 As you finish your job with the Patas
monkey, you must move on to the
Shoebill Stork. Here are the things you
need to know:
◦ Nutrition – The stork normally feeds in muddy
waters, preying on fish frogs and small reptiles.
You must check the murky pond in their habitat
and make sure the supply of food is efficient
with what the bird needs daily.
Shoebill Stork

9. ◦ Handicap Accessibility – As I addressed in the
Patas Monkey instructions, everyone should be
able to visit every exhibit. For the stork’s
exhibit, there is a separate cut out for people in
wheelchairs and with different disabilities. If
there are no people with handicaps at the
exhibit at different times of the day, this
section must stay roped off until a person
comes along that needs to use that section.
You must make sure that people are not taking
advantage of this section just so they can get a
better view of the animal.
Shoebill Stork

10. ◦ Severe Weather Protection – This unique bird
can be found in east Africa in large swamps
from Sudan to Zambia. These birds are used to
good amounts of rainfall, so that is not as big
of an issue as cold weather. Africa is
subjectively warm, so dramatic drops in the
temperature will strongly affect the bird. They
must be removed from their outside
habitat, and placed into their warm, covered
inside habitat, to give them the most
comfortable living arrangements.
Shoebill Stork

11. ◦ Safe Public Viewing – For the safety of the
animal and humans, you must supervise that
children are not climbing on the cage that
surrounds the birds habitat. They could
potentially fall, and the large creature climbing
on the cage will create havoc for the bird. You
should also look out for children kicking and or
shaking the cage. Also playing into havoc, loud
noises are not to be made while admiring this
exhibit. It will scare the animal and make them
feel very uncomfortable in their already un-
natural habitat.
Shoebill Stork

12. ◦ Maintenance – Because this animal is from
Africa, you must make sure that they have
every natural element possible so they feel
right at home. You should try to avoid cutting
the tall grass because that is what they are
used to in the real world. Also, even though the
small pond is supposed to be murky, you must
replace the water monthly to ensure that no
diseases from insects contaminate the water.
Shoebill Stork

13. ◦ Medical Treatment – For the shoebill
stork, they are already used to the warm
climates due to the fact that they are from
Africa. So heat exhaustion will not be an issue
here. But, since they are from such a diseased
environment, they must be tested before they
can be brought to the U.S. Their weight must
be checked weekly to make sure that they are
getting the proper nutrition. Their nutrition can
also be tested through the urine and feces of
the animal.
Shoebill Stork