DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - It takes a lot of science, math and technology to keep the animals at a zoo healthy and comfortable. Between providing medications, maintaining diets and ensuring an exhibit is a close match to their natural habitat, the job requires a lot of hard work.
At the Scovill Zoo, one of those zookeepers is Madison Schoenfeld. She helps maintain the penguin and red panda exhibits. One of the primary pieces of technology she uses is a scale, weighing both food and the animals.
"Not only do we weigh out food to feed the animals each day, we also weigh the animals at least once a week," Schoenfeld said. "Right now, I have a baby penguin and I am weighing it every day."
She collects data on the baby's daily weight and compares it to the typical growth of that breed of penguin. She also makes charts for the baby's growth, so they have a comparison for other babies born at the zoo in the future.
Schoenfeld is also in charge of maintaining the penguin exhibit. She has to make sure elements of the space match their natural habitat.
"We swirl the strip in and take it out and look at them against the comparison to make sure the levels are where we want them to be," Schoenfeld said, while completing a pH test on the water in the penguin exhibit.
Schoenfeld also uses expensive equipment to maintain levels in the tank and ensure there are no bacteria or any other harmful elements.
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