That Tracks, A Lincoln Park Zoo Podcast

That Tracks: The Science of Animal Happiness

How do you know if an animal you see at the zoo is thriving? Welfare scientist Jason explains. 0:00 Introduction 0:27 What is animal welfare? 0:49 How Lincoln Park Zoo monitors animal behavior 2:55 Why feeding behaviors are central to welfare science 3:32 Introducing the Zoo Monitor app 4:25 Zoo Monitor's global growth 5:20 The large-scale giraffe study 7:38 Balancing population data with individual welfare 9:30 Measuring welfare in understudied species 11:57 Monitoring nocturnal animals overnight 13:30 Welfare, wellbeing, and care: what's the difference? 15:44 How keepers and scientists work together 18:45 The future of welfare science 20:46 The naked mole rat dig pit experiment 23:17 Jason outside the zoo

That Tracks: Wildlife Also Call Cities Home

Why does understanding urban wildlife matter? Ecologist Seth explains.   0:40 What is an urban wildlife ecologist?  1:25 The Urban Wildlife Institute   2:15 Gathering data on urban wildlife   2:55 Understanding urban wildlife data   3:30 Surprising urban wildlife findings   4:15 Why are there coyotes in Chicago?  5:22 Chicago Rathole  7:15 Urban wildlife stories throughout the world  9:15 Improving cities for wildlife  10:40 Chicago Wildlife Coexistence Plan  12:20 Why is urban wildlife important?   14:15 Biodiversity in Chicago   15:35 Researching rats in cities  18:30 Future of urban ecology   20:00 How to life wildlife-friendly  22:50 Black-crowned night herons in Chicago  24:40 How research improves over time  25:50 Why is studying animal behavior important?  27:00 All about Seth

That Tracks: Horticulture is an Art and Science

How does the zoo care for thousands of plant species? Horticulturist Katrina explains! 0:35 Being an accredited botanic garden  2:49 Importance of tree canopies  3:50 Collaboration at the zoo 5:20 Taking care of plants in a zoo setting 6:20 Curating 49 acres of plants 8:30 Geographical hardiness zones explained 10:25 Seasonality and caring for plants 12:20 Planning for the future 14:40 Plants with different functions 16:20 How to be wildlife-friendly at home 18:00 Plants provide food for animals 19:30 The significance of being a free botanic garden  21:50 The past and future of horticulture 24:00 Beautiful gardens at the zoo 24:45 Learn more about Katrina

That Tracks: Animal Care is Built on Trust

What is it like being a zookeeper? Keepers Cruz and Brittany explain!    0:22 Meet Brittany and Cruz  1:00 They journey to becoming a keeper  3:35 Education is key to being a keeper  4:20 A day in the life of a keeper  6:30 Different care for different species  9:30 How animals respond to keepers  12:40 Trusting the animals  16:10 Grieving animals   21:10 Collaboration across teams  22:55 Favorite animal stories   24:50 How animals communicate  27:30 Get to know Brittany and Cruzanne

That Tracks: Veterinary Care is Complex

How does one care for hundreds of animals representing dozens of species? Lincoln Park Zoo’s lead veterinarian, Dr. Kathryn, explains! 1:04 Dr. Kathryn’s background 1:30 The path to be a veterinarian 3:33 The breadth of veterinary work 5:20 Being flexible for different situations 6:35 Modeling to treat various species 11:00 Preventative exams 13:50 The future of veterinary medicine 17:05 Blood banking for great apes 22:10 Lincoln Park Zoo veterinary residency program 25:45 Who is Dr. Kathryn?