In April 2006, the Zoo New England family lost a cherished family member when former zookeeper Jonathan Gilmour passed away suddenly at age 29. From the time he was a young boy, Jonathan displayed a love of animals. This passion never left as he entered adulthood and dedicated himself to a career centered on the animals he so loved.

To learn more about Jonathan Gilmour and read one of his poems, click here.

To honor Jonathan and his commitment to the welfare of animals, the Jonathan Gilmour Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in 2006. The fund was established by Zoo New England with the generous financial support and volunteer leadership from the Gilmour family. The funds raised will be awarded to Zoo New England employees of longer than one year who present animal-care related projects before a committee.

Please join me in congratulating the winners of the 2011 Gilmour Scholarship Awards. This year’s group, with the largest number of winners, brings the total of winners to 20! This is a remarkable accomplishment for the first five years of a scholarship! David and Peggy Gilmour have worked very hard to offer this wonderful opportunity to all the employees at ZNE.



This years Fourth Annual Jonathan Gilmour Memorial Scholarship Fund Ride and Walk will take place on May 7th in Hollis, New Hampshire. Be sure to spread the word to friends and family. The annual Gilmour Scholarship Reception on May 19th. Please come and celebrate good friend and colleague’s lasting contributions to the Zoos.


If you would like to support my fundraising efforts, please go to: http://www.zoonewengland.org//jef


This Year’s Winners are:

Nikki Smith – will receive a scholarship for her participation in the AZA’s Conservation Education course this past February.

Rebecca King Clayman – will receive a scholarship to attend the annual conference of American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

Pearl Yusuf – will receive a scholarship for her to participate in the AZA Equid TAG (Taxonomic Advisory Group) meeting, as well as other meetings and presenations, at the AZA Midyear meeting this past March.

Victoria Bram and Helen Phan – Both will receive scholarships to attend 2011 AZA Annual Conference and the many Membership lectures and panel discussions that are scheduled.

Amanda Kamradt – will receive a scholarship to attend the American Association of Zoo Keepers 38th National Conference and present at both the Bowling for Rhinos (BFR) Panel Discussion and the Polar Bears International (PBI) Leadership Workshop.

Susan Bartlett – will receive a scholarship to attend an endoscopy workshop offered at the Veterinary College at the University of Georgia.

Jessica Honeywell – will receive a scholarship to attend the annual Association of Zoo Veterinary Technicians Conference for 2011 in Albuquerque, NM.

Colleen Donovan – will receive a scholarship to assist with a project to develop and sustain the long-term conservation of Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. The project is run through Global Vision International and will have a variety of objectives including establishing the impact of jaguar predation on marine turtle populations.



These are great projects, and I can't wait to see the presentations these conservationists bring back to the zoo! I hope to learn a lot from the great experiences my fellow zoo employees have because of this scholarship.

Thank you so much to those of you who have already donated. Please consider even a very small donation, just to help move me toward my goal, I really appreciate it. This is some great work that's being done, and it is really helpful for conservation and animal care causes. If you have any questions about any of the projects described above, just ask me, and I will talk to the winners and find out whatever you would like to know.

A freeze frame (buffering...) from this video:

Shaggy mane mushrooms at Stone Zoo. They pop up like this and then...


As they release their spores they deliquesce into black liquid.

The entryway to the Zoo Hospital/Security/Facilities offices.

My neighbor Pat picks mulberries down at the town parking lot.


Runner up:



A visitor at my office window.

This saltwater crocodile puts up with a lot of abuse.
(see also: http://urbpan.livejournal.com/656074.html)

First of all, thanks so much for your donations! I'm sorry I had to post a nagging followup to the first post, but I was getting nervous. Our fund raising is going quite well!

Second, Dan is still rocking in his chair as I type this. Right about now he should be doing storytelling for the kids, which, considering his sleep-deprived state when I saw him at 3 in the morning, should be entertaining. If you are in the area, you should go in to the zoo and see him. It's a nice day in Boston, and it's plenty warm in the Tropical Forest exhibit. They scatter food for the gorillas at 2 p.m. (which is when Dan gets to get out of the chair for good).

If you can't make it, here are some pictures of the event as I saw it:


2 p.m. yesterday, Dan begins to rock.

( Read more... )

Dan McLaughlin, President of the New England chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) and a Senior Zookeeper at Franklin Park Zoo, will rock in a rocking chair for 24 hours to raise awareness about ape conservation. Dan will rock in front of the gorilla exhibit and will talk about ape conservation and answer questions from the public.

In addition to raising awareness about ape conservation, the New England AAZK chapter also hopes to raise money to support the Association of Zoos and Aquariums new Ape Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) Conservation Initiative. Visitors will be able to make contributions at the event. AZA's Ape TAG Conservation Initiative will be comprised of different zoological institutions and other zoo-related groups who will commit to paying yearly dues, which will support wild ape conservation programs. The ape family includes bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, gibbons, orangutans and siamangs. In the wild, apes face a host of deadly threats including illegal hunting, habitat loss as a result of mining, logging and agricultural conversion, disease and the pet trade.

On January 9, he will read animal-related stories at 11:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to excite the next generation of conservationists.

Come down to Franklin Park Zoo's Tropical Forest between the hours of 2pm and 4pm on January 8th and between 10am and 2pm on January 9th to see Dan and show your support!

I’ll be the first to admit this is a strange fund raiser. As I told Dan, since he’s throwing himself out there, I’ll support him. It is a very important charity. Even as the zoo struggles financially, the zookeepers are committed to wildlife conservation, and it only seems right to support the taxon we belong to. Our closest relatives are some of the most endangered animals in the world.

I will accept pledges here, via paypal, and write a check combining them all (along with my donation) to contribute. Please consider giving any amount toward this worthy cause.

If you prefer to donate by check, please send it to Zoo New England c/o Dan McLaughlin AAZK, One Franklin Park Road, Boston, MA 02121. Checks can be made out to New England Chapter of AAZK.

On Friday I’ll get some pictures of Dan as he begins rocking, and then I’ll come back on Saturday to see what’s left of him and photograph that as well.

GOOD LUCK DAN!

Event description from yelp, which I totally stole.

Event description from the Zoo’s website.

Who is AAZK New England?

What is the Ape TAG?

Conservation issues that apes face>