Kiwanis of Lufkin, TX
Project No. 9 - Sloth/Agouti/Marmoset Exhibit - 1998
Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus didactylus
Placid and harmless by nature, the two-toed sloth can, when provoked, slash an enemy repeatedly with its long claws inflicting deep injuries. Normally slow and deliberate in most of their movements, these animals spend much of their lives hanging upside down in jungle trees of Central and Eastern South America where they feed on a variety of leaves and buds. The body temperature of these mammals fluctuates between 76 and 96 degrees Fahrenheit, an unusual situation in animals that normally maintain a constant body temperature.
Cotton-Top Tamarin
Saguinus oedipus
Due to widespread habitat destruction, these Tamarins rank among the most endangered of the South American primates. They are social and roam the treetops in small groups where they feed on fruit and insects. Twins are usually born and the father, brothers and sisters carry the young, the mother carries them only to nurse them. This tamarin gets its name from the white strip of hair on top of its head.
Common Agouti
Dasyprocta cristata
This Central American rodent is found in the thick brush of forests where it makes its nest in hollow logs or shallow burrows. When alarmed they raise their hair on their rumps, give a barking call to warn others, and thump the ground with their hind feet. They can also jump straight up 7 feet in the air from a standstill and use their remarkable speed to escape predators. They feed on fruits and vegetables and various plants in the wild and they mate for life. Their numbers are declining in the wild due to hunting and deforestation.
This year, based on previous experience, it was decided not to schedule work on Sunday but only on Saturday mornings and afternoons and to create a work period for retirees on Thursday afternoons. As work progressed into the hot summer period, this schedule was changed to the morning hours on Thursday.
Fred Jacobs & Sam Pirtle Bill
Morgan
B.Innerarity & C. Henley
Work was started on April 2, 1999 and completed on September 5, 1999. The original project concept called for completion in approximately 4 weeks and consisted of a 12' by 12' cage 10' high sitting on the ground and to be constructed of heavy mesh wire supported by 4" by 4" posts. This would be adjacent to the present indoor sloth exhibit, the back wall to be covered with cement, molded and painted to simulate rock. A decorative fence and viewing area were to be constructed. Plants and shrubs would then be planted.
Gordon Henley-Ward Burke
Richard Thompson, Wilton Killam, Fred Preston
Mike Evans -Shawna Rouse Celia Falzone
B. B. Stanfield
It was decided to add a pool to the exhibit. To get sufficient elevation to drain the pool to the existing drain next to the otter exhibit, which was fifty feet away, it was necessary to raise the base of the exhibit approximately 1'. This necessitated extra cement work as well as extensive work in digging for and laying the drainage pipe. Plumbing for filling the pool with water was also needed.
Charles Harris Mike Cotton
& David Lively
Charlotte Henley
As the weather became hotter, it became increasingly difficult to get volunteers for the project, particularly on Saturday afternoons. As a result, the project took five months to complete. This turned out to be our largest project to date. Thirty- three Kiwanians participated and worked a total of 534 man- hours.
Finished Exhibit
This year, those who worked 8 hours or more on the project were given a "Zoo Crew" T- shirt. Charlotte Henley designed the T-shirt logo. Shirts were presented to 20 Kiwanians at a regular meeting in September.
Left to Right:Mike Cotton, Wilton Killam, Fred Preston, David Lively, Sam Griffin Jr., Jim Head, Fred Jacobs, Gordon Henley, David Smith, Larry Sparks, Becky Innerarity, David Wideman, Dr. Bob Garrett, Richard Thompson and Mike Miller. Not pictured, Charlotte Henley, Bill Morgan, Sam Pirtle, Morgan Butler, Mike Evans and Dave Herring.
The cost of the project was $2717.76. It was suggested and approved by the board to present a check to the city for $2750.00. It was also decided to allot the balance of the budgeted zoo money ($750.00) plus an additional $250.00 to the proposed hippopotamus exhibit. David Lively, President of Kiwanis, presented a check for $2750.00 to Mayor Bronaugh and Gordon Henley, Zoo Director, as well as a check for $1000.00 to Cynthia Tayloe, President of "Friends of the Zoo". This was done on Saturday, September 29, 1999, at a dedication at the site of the exhibit.
L to R: Fred Jacobs, Celia Falzone (Curator), Cynthia
Tayloe (President of Friends of the Zoo), Charlotte Henley (Dir. of Education), Gordon
Henley (Zoo Director), David Lively (Pres. of Kiwanis), Mayor Bronaugh, Joe Havard and
Ward Burke.
The Gipson Funeral Home donated the bronze plaque for this exhibit. Kiwanian Wayne Roberson was responsible for this.
The project is attractive and is an asset to the zoo. The Lufkin Kiwanis Club has donated a total of $29922 for zoo projects since 1989 and its members have worked a total of 2997 man-hours. Kiwanians can be proud of this accomplishment.
Original 4/26/99
Last updated 10/18/2000
Page by F. Jacobs
and F. Preston