Page 9 - Gateways 2018 Spring

PROGRAMS Growing the PRIDE Nicor Gas employees participating in one of CZSU’s staff development programs.
Animal life is the draw at Brookfield Zoo, but it’s human
resources that make it possible to protect animal life daily toward results, acting to achieve institutional outcomes. We are
around the globe. At the Chicago Zoological Society, we hire and retain continuously seeking ways to innovate and improve. We embrace
the best talent who are deeply committed to our conservation ethics. and value the differences and commonalities in our diversity. And
we bring enthusiasm, energy, and passion to our everyday work lives.
To ensure a work culture that attracts the best employees around,
we have developed CZS University (or CZSU, as it is known internally). They can also receive training to keep staff knowledgeable in
This overarching program encompasses many initiatives that, together, the latest methods for performing their jobs, or training to increase
help keep our staff engaged in our mission of connecting people the capacity and capabilities of supervisors and managers at all
with wildlife and nature. levels. For more information to share with your organization, contact
(708) 688-8459.
CZSU has been so successful for our own staff development
initiatives that we are now beginning to take all of it out of house
and offer it to other organizations. Nicor Gas and Walgreens have
invited us to bring our staff development programming to their staff
development processes. From these pilot programs, we will gather
feedback, conduct assessments, then develop a model to share
with the world.

Outside organizations may choose from a variety of options. They
might select PRIDE training (PRIDE is an acronym that covers our five
core values: people, resources, innovation, diversity, and enthusiasm).
As people, we are working as one team to fulfill our mission. We work

Guaranteeing a Bird’s Eye View

SCIENCE “Is this normal?” It’s one of the first questions researchers ask when

documenting an animal’s health or behavior. When it comes to the health
or behavior of Humboldt penguins, it’s a question that the Chicago
Zoological Society’s conservation program in Punta San Juan, Peru, can help answer.
This program gives our researchers access to wild populations of Humboldt penguins,
among other animals. Studying these animals in their natural habitat helps inform a better
understanding of some baseline parameters about them.
Society staff members recently published a paper on one of these parameters in the
Association of Avian Veterinarians’ Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery. They collected
and analyzed data on ocular (eye) pressures in wild penguins, something that has gone
largely unstudied in wild bird populations. Increased intraocular pressure can be related
to cataract development, a problem found in geriatric penguins, just like elderly people.
Society veterinarians had previously studied this in penguins at the zoo, but this new
research allows them to compare how zoo penguins’ eyes change compared to the eyes of
wild birds.
Now, if a geriatric penguin at Brookfield Zoo begins developing cataracts, medical staff
will have a better tool to monitor their progression and effects, as well as to help make a
decision on whether cataract-removal surgery would be indicated.
This research will not only help our staff take better care of our own penguins, but will
also allow zoos around the country to make more informed decisions for their birds.

BROOKFIELD ZOO | SPRING 2018 9