One of my favorite family excursions when I was a boy was our many Sunday afternoon family visits to the Harry C. Trexler Trexler Game Preserve, now the Lehigh Valley Zoo, Schnecksville.

My parents always found the time to schedule visits to the preserve during the warm season months when it was open to the public. It was a very economical outing. We usually finished the afternoon by visiting the Lil-Le-Hi Trout Nursery, along Fish Hatchery Road at Little Lehigh Creek, Allentown.

One of the favorite parts of the trip was driving across the stream at the preserve in our 1939 Plymouth. My dad would say, "Well, it's time to rinse off the tires and the running boards."

We would all hang out of the widows, watching the waves spread out from the tires as we traveled across the concrete ford. I loved seeing the bison, elk, palomino horses and deer.

The bison herd at the game preserve was instrumental in reestablishing nearly-extinct bison herds in the western United States.

One thing I never really thought about until recently was what happens to the baby animals and how the animal population in nature preserves and zoos is controlled.

Historically, it was an easy solution. If a zoo or preserve had too many animals, they were sent to another zoo, private exotic animal dealer or game parks, such as in Texas where people with deep pockets could pay to shoot zebra, bison, bull elk or other zoo animal species.

Since most visitors to zoos and preserves wanted to see the cuddly baby animals, many venues bred cute babies and euthanized young animals once they lost their endearing loveable appearances. Also, most venues had limited space.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) brought about change in these tactics. Public indignation and concerns about the disposal of surplus animals led to ethical regulations and controls.

According to Dr. Jay Kirkpatrick, Director of the Science and Conservation Center, Montana Zoo, Billings, Mont., "This problem did not go away. First, zoos have limited space. Second, they like to display male animals as well as females because the males' big antlers and manes draw public attention.

"They also like to display social animals with both females and males, in order to maintain some semblance of normal social behaviors. They can't neuter these animals because, one, it would extinguish the very behaviors that they want the animals to display, and, two, some of the animals are rare and endangered. Zoos may want to breed these animals at a later time."

Contraception of zoo animals was introduced around 1975, using steroid implants. This practice triggered a rapid expansion of contraception in zoos. The steroid implant method involved capturing the animals and sedating them before inserting the implants.

Unfortunately, there were serious problems with some of the steroid-based contraceptives. These problems called for an efficient collection of safe and systematic data.

This led to the AZA'S Contraceptive Advisory Group (CAG), which is charged with finding new contraceptive approaches, as well as training staff in the proper use of new methods. A large data base tracks contraceptive information. The CAG is based at the St. Louis Zoo. Kirkpatrick is a member of the CAG.

Kirkpatrick and his associates had a tool for ungulates (animals with hooves) that was safer and more easily applied, using a dart. The animals did not have to be captured. This method lessened injuries to animals and staff.

Kirkpatrick and his associates initially began working at the zoo in Cologne, Germany, and then at the Bronx Zoo, New York. Their expertise, success stories and contraceptive knowledge is in demand at zoos from Australia to Israel.

Animals at accredited zoos are no longer euthanized nor can they be sent off to non-accredited locations like hunting parks or exotic animal dealers.

That's the way I see it!

Email comments and questions to: bbbcole@ enter.net. To schedule programs, hikes and birthday parties, call 610-767-4043.

All Rights Reserved

&Copy; 2012 Bud Cole