body temperature when they are tranquilized.
“If you are a little tipsy it is harder to get your bearings, and we want to make sure the animals do not stumble,” she said.
Bickert said the birds from Oklahoma City Zoo flew in on a commercial Delta flight in separate crates without drugs in their system.
“We always try to over plan,” she said. “We plan for the worst and hope for the best.”
The Phoenix Zoo ships the majority of their animals during the fall and spring because the weather is bearable for the animals.
“Other zoos are concerned about low temperatures in the winter, and Phoenix is concerned with high temperatures in the summer making spring and fall the ideal weather for travel,” Bickert said.
When the animals arrive from their journey zoo staff welcomes them with a mandatory 30-day quarantine period, Bickert said.
Hatwood said during these 30 days animal keepers and veterinarians test for diseases, parasites and illnesses and they monitor the animal’s health and behavior.
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Talk of Arizona
19
January 2014