Trunkline Magazine (Louisville Zoo) March 2019 | Page 7

Bill McMahan with Africa / Giraffe
staff including (right to left) keeper
Silvia Zirkelbach, Butch Haft, Virginia
Crossett, Frank Bullock (the Louisville
Zoo's first keeper) and Candy
McMahan — Candy and Bill married
after they met at the Louisville Zoo.
taking care of the future residents
of the HerpAquarium, a collection
of animals like snakes, frogs, and
lots of fresh water species of fish
that were temporarily housed in an
off-site facility near Illinois Avenue.
Bill was also assisting in building and
outfitting the HerpAquarium. It was
during this period that Bill put forth
his idea of bringing Cuban crocodiles
to the Louisville Zoo. “When we first
started coming up with ideas for the
HerpAquarium, I really wanted to
include Cuban crocs. They are rare in
Zoos and even rarer in the wild. They
are living fossils, like many crocs
— but under much more duress. I
thought it was a dynamic species to
feature. Director John Walczak, cura-
tor at the time, was fantastic and
said, ‘let’s do it.’ Shortly after, we got
a letter from another zoo cautioning
us against working with the species.
They are aggressive reptiles. After it
was all said and done though, that
zoo became one of our most vocal
supporters.”
The Cuban Crocodile Species Sur-
vival Plan (SSP) was the first SSP that
the Louisville Zoo initiated and led.
SSPs serve to protect the genetic
diversity of animals in managed
environments and safeguard species
in the wild. “It was the first time
that the Louisville Zoo worked in
situ, in the home range of a species,
in another country for the conser-
vation of an animal.” Bill said. He
describes visits to Cuba that would
make most of us cringe — wad-
ing through sweltering swamps
amongst the snakes, crocs and the
biting flies — but were exciting for
Bill and his fellow conservationists.
The SSP also included educational
outreach within Cuba through a
community-wide Cuban Crocodile
Festival on the Island of Youth – an
important effort to shore up local
support for the species. Former Edu-
cation Curator Marcelle Gianelloni,
who was born in Cuba, joined Bill
in this mission to help the species.
Bill was recently recognized by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
for his 25 years of leadership and
dedication to the Cuban Crocodile
Species Survival Program.
Bill’s other proud moments
include spearheading the Louisville
Zoo’s very first ecological study
of native Kentucky wildlife. This
involved the use of radiotelemetry,
tracking and monitoring timber
rattlesnakes for 5 years in Bern-
heim Forest. “Before that time,”
Bill shared, “people didn’t know if
timber rattlesnakes hibernated like
northern snakes in large aggre-
gations, or solitary like southern
snakes. We found out that in Ken-
tucky, they go to separate places to
hibernate.” Also participating in this
ecological study was keeper Mike
Jones and representatives from
Bernheim Forest and the Kentucky
Department of Fish and Wildlife
Resources. Information from the
study is currently being used for a
timber rattlesnake conservation ac-
tion plan.
And of course, you can’t mention
Bill’s “snakey” milestones without
mentioning that it was the Louisville
Zoo’s HerpAquarium staff, under
Bill’s leadership, that first discovered
that the world’s largest snake, the
reticulated python, is capable of
parthenogenesis or virgin birth.
The Louisville Zoo certainly would
not be the same without Bill. His
pioneering spirit and passion for
animals in need are Bill’s legacy to
the Louisville Zoo and to wildlife
everywhere. When you visit the
Louisville Zoo, be sure to include
stops at the HerpAquarium and
the Islands to see the Cuban crocs,
snakes, reptiles and amphibians —
and learn about their unique fea-
tures, contributions and challenges.
If you stop by the Cuban crocodile
exhibit in the Islands, you can even
see where it all began for Bill: the
exhibit’s title “The Last of the Ruling
Reptiles” bears the same title as
the book that inspired Bill’s lifelong
dedication to wildlife.
Did you know?
AZA Standards
are continually
evaluated and
enhanced to
provide the very
best animal welfare
and safety. These stan-
dards have changed dramati-
cally over the decades leading
to providing animals more
enrichment, more self-directed
choice and advanced preven-
tative health care through op-
erant conditioning, allowing
keepers to remain in protected
contact (with a barrier in be-
tween) during everyday care.)
Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Spring 2019 • 7