Summary of Slashing through limits – Zoo Atlanta:
Zoo Atlanta is a research powerhouse, ranking as the seventh most productive AZA institution for research. They collaborate with various organizations, including universities, zoos, and conservation organizations. Dr. Joseph Mendelson, a renowned expert in Herpetology, leads these partnerships. He shared an anecdote about finding a new frog species while his Jeep was immobilized during a storm in Mexico. The zoo follows a paradigm when considering research projects, focusing on the benefits, potential animal harm, and financial feasibility. They have been involved in projects such as saving Panamanian golden frogs from extinction by studying and breeding them and participating in a cardiovascular study of Komodo dragons to learn about their unique heart pumps. Zoo Atlanta’s research efforts have contributed to over 300 scientific papers and aim to advance the welfare of animals and wildlife.
Zoo Atlanta is part of a thriving community. Behind the animals and the team members you see on the grounds, there is a team of researchers dedicated to advancing the welfare of animals in zoological and wild settings. Despite being a geographically smaller zoo, Zoo Atlanta is a research powerhouse. A 2017 study quantifying the contributions of zoos and aquariums to peer-reviewed scientific research found us to be the seventh most productive AZA institution for research.
Our success arises from our partnerships with governmental and collegiate organizations. We collaborate most often with Emory and Georgia Tech. However, some of our most famous projects were with other institutions, including international zoos, universities, conservation organizations, Atlanta Botanical Garden, and UC San Francisco (Mendelson, 2023).
Heading these partnerships is Dr. Joseph Mendelson, one of the foremost experts in Herpetology. When he isn’t teaching students or monitoring animals challenged by their latest puzzles, he is sharing stories. Most famous are his “immobilized jeep” stories. I recently sat down with Joe to listen to his experiences.
“I was looking for this frog,” Joe begins. “I saw this preserved frog in a museum and thought it might be a new species. So, I headed to Mexico to find one. I looked forever. No frog. We heard a storm coming, and I just knew we had to get away from our site. We didn’t. The roads washed away, and the ground opened into a sinkhole, swallowing our Jeep. I got out and sat on the Jeep, wondering how to escape this mess. Just then, I noticed a small frog passing by.”
“No,” I said. ”That frog couldn’t be…”
“Yes,” he said, smiling. “I call that frog my guardian frog, and yes, it was a new species. I gave it a scientific name that translates to ‘guardian forest toad.'”
Next, Joe described his process for considering proposed projects. First, he identifies the benefits of the study. Would the study advance our understanding of an animal’s traits? Would the findings of the study help solve pressing environmental, societal, or medical issues? By illustrating an animal’s importance, Zoo Atlanta drives further interest in a species’ survival. Then he asks if the study would hurt the animal. If the answer is no, he moves forward to the last question: Is this project financially feasible?
Using this paradigm, Zoo Atlanta, along with many other zoos and the Atlanta Botanical Garden, helped prevent the extinction of Panamanian golden frogs. An unknown pathogen was wiping out the Central American frogs. Zoo Atlanta researchers and their colleagues set out to study the overall problem affecting the species. Through globalization, they determined the culprit to be an invasive fungus from Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asian frogs are unaffected by the fungus as they have a special skin that deters fungal infection. Since Central American frogs lack this adaptation and don’t have that special skin, they are at high risk of infection. Researchers determined the frogs couldn’t be saved, and drastic action was needed. The team brought back many frogs to their institutions, including Zoo Atlanta, and established a conservation-breeding facility in Panama. These frogs became the “founders” of an assurance population while we waited for the disease to run its course in their native range. Inspired by the collaborative efforts to save this species, Zoo Atlanta co-led efforts to create Amphibian Ark, an IUCN organization that supports and informs global captive breeding efforts for amphibian conservation (Mendelson, 2023).
This paradigm also helped Zoo Atlanta support a cardiovascular study involving Komodo dragons. Cardio-geneticist Dr. Benoit Bruneau at UC San Francisco knew that lizards have only a three-chambered heart, making their cardiovascular system similar to that of humans with heart valve defects. Despite this defect, lizards can still engage in feats of strength and stamina with one another. Bruneau was interested in learning about lizard genetics to identify the reason behind their surprising strength, hoping he could better help his heart patients. He wondered if he could have some blood samples from Slasher (1992-2013), the iconic Komodo dragon at Zoo Atlanta (Mendelson, 2023).
Bruneau submitted the proposal to the Zoo Atlanta Scientific Research Committee for consideration and potential approval. Dr. Joe considered his request. Would the study help us learn more about Komodo dragons or provide findings that could benefit society? Yes. Connecting lizard research to heart research would provide more reasons to save the lizards and help us learn more about them. Would the study hurt the Komodo dragon? No, Joe reasoned. Our Vet Team could take extra blood drops during Slasher’s annual health check-up. Finally, was it financially feasible? Yes. He told the doctor he would have to wait until Slasher’s next annual blood test, but then, yes, Zoo Atlanta could help him out (Mendelson, 2023).
Nine years later, the results of the study came through. It turns out that Komodo dragons have a special gene enabling oxygen-rich blood to be pumped out quickly so it doesn’t mix with the oxygen-poor blood. In short, they have a special heart pump. The lizards also have enhanced mitochondria, a tiny “factory” in our cells that creates energy for us (Claiborn & Langelier, 2019). Dr. Bruneau’s team hopes their findings will help doctors one day prevent or treat incurable heart diseases (Lind et al., 2019). And Slasher? Well, Slasher remains the story’s hero, oblivious that his heartfelt donation might one day help the hearts of others.
There are hundreds more examples of Zoo Atlanta participating in innovative research. Our team has contributed to over 300 scientific papers! By keeping those three questions in mind, each time Zoo Atlanta embarks on a research journey, we create opportunities to defy the boundaries that limit us and wildlife.
Sources:
Claiborn, K. & Langelier, J. (2019, July 29). Dragon Heart. Gladstone Institutes. https://gladstone.org/news/dragon-heart
Lind, A. L., Lai, Y. Y. Y., Mostovoy, Y., Holloway, A. K., Iannucci, A., Mak, A. C. Y., Fondi, M., Orlandini, V., Eckalbar, W. L., Milan, M., Rovatsos, M., Kichigin, I. G., Makunin, A. I., Johnson Pokorná, M., Altmanová, M., Trifonov, V. A., Schijlen, E., Kratochvíl, L., Fani, R., Velenský, P., … Bruneau, B. G. (2019). The genome of the Komodo dragon reveals adaptations in monitor lizards’ cardiovascular and chemosensory systems. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 3(8), 1241–1252. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0945-8
Mendelson, J. (2023, March 31). Zoo Atlanta. Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
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