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News Bites continued
Creating Future Memories
The Chicago Zoological Society was built upon
two generous charitable gifts, creating a legacy that
has helped sustain us even to this day. In 1919,
Edith Rockefeller McCormick donated 83 acres to
the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, with
the vision of building a large zoological park with
modern construction and open enclosures similar
to those she had enjoyed in Europe. And in 1933,
the George F. Getz family provided much of the
foundation of the early zoo through their gift of
330 animals from their private collection.
Thanks to their generosity and foresight, when
the gates opened in 1934, Brookfield Zoo presented
a diverse collection of animals in cutting-edge,
naturalistic exhibits, making us an enviable example
of a modern zoo.
Edith Rockefeller McCormick’s vision
didn’t end with the opening of the zoo’s gates.
Even today, the Society continues to inspire
visitors from around the world through our
leading role in education, conservation, and
dedication to animal care and compassion.
Today, donors who wish to make a difference
for future generations can follow in McCormick’s
footsteps and create their own legacy by joining the
Edith Rockefeller McCormick Society.
Donors at every level can create a lasting legacy
through any qualified estate vehicle, ranging
from bequests to gift annuities. You can support
the highest-quality animal care, expand popular
education programs that reach far beyond our gates,
develop state-of-the-art exhibits, and strengthen the
future of conservation.
For more information, email
EdithRockefellerMcCormickSociety@czs.org
or call (708) 688-8174.
12 GATEWAYS | NEWS BITES
In-Network Care
WELFARE How do you know if a gorilla isn’t feeling well or
if a giraffe has a sore hoof? Typically, the best way
for animal care specialists to assess an animal’s
condition is to monitor behavior and watch for any sudden or
unexpected changes. But even the most seasoned eye can miss
subtle changes in behavior.
The Chicago Zoological Society came up with a solution
for that. In 2013, the Society released WelfareTrakTM, an online
program that tracks animal care specialists’ assessments of
animal welfare.
With WelfareTrakTM, animal care specialists fill out weekly
surveys for individual animals, answering a range of questions
that reflect their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
They can also mark significant events in an animal’s day that
have the potential to affect health and behavior. On different
days, different staff members fill out the surveys, so the team
really gets an objective look at how
well an animal is thriving. They
regularly review this data and
make any necessary tweaks to
the animal’s care routine.
We aren’t the only ones using this, either. Eight internationally
accredited facilities are monitoring 17 different species of
mammals, birds, and reptiles with WelfareTrakTM, and the
feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. As more and more
data is entered into the system, the more useful it will become,
as well—users can look at all the data entered for a certain
species and see if their individual animal’s behavior is lining up
with species trends.
Left: Animal care specialists observe the animals in their care throughout the week.
Right: Animal care specialists fill out weekly surveys for each of the animals they monitor
using WelfareTrakTM.