Knoxville Zoo Volunteering - Madagascar Tree Boa and Ploughshare Tortoises

8:50 am - 12:17 p.m

Today was my first day back at the Knoxville Zoo herpetology department since May 2012, when I left for the Caribbean to work with Leatherback Sea Turtles at Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. 

Along with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, my involvement with the herpetology department had fallen by the wayside as I "adjusted" to full-time graduate school work and curriculum.

In the 7 months since I stopped volunteering at the Zoo, there are quite a few changes evident.  The first is that Khalise, the Komodo Dragon, is now on public display.  Last winter, I had helped acclimate Khalise to her new enclosure, formerly occupied by Buttercup, a large reticulated python on loan to the Knoxville Zoo.

A smaller monitor lizard is part of the collection, bred in captivity by another facility.  In addition, there is a new stock tank with a theft proof welded wire enclosure top. Warranting this specially constructed enclosure, the zoo has acquired wild-caught, critically endangered ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) from Madagascar confiscated from the illegal pet trade market in Hong Kong by the Turtle Survival Alliance.  Along with new fencing and a security camera on the outdoor enclosure for these animals, the extra security isn't overkill; it's because these animals are the rarest tortoises in the world, so they are highly sought after for the pet trade. In fact, these animals can sell for as much as $60,000 on the black market.

Along with Zoo Atlanta, the Knoxville zoo was selected to house the rare species due to a high success rate with captive breeding of tortoises including the Indian Star Tortoise   Flat Tailed Tortoise, and lead keeper Michael Ogle frequently travels to Madagascar for conservation conferences.  In their native land, tortoises are heavily persecuted as bush meat for a growing population that places survival over a conservation ethic.  Also, mining interests and the need for cooking charcoal has driven wide-spread deforestation and habitat loss.  As a result, it is within reason to expect that there are more tortoises in captivity than in the wild.     

Speaking of Madagascar, I got to handle a Madagascar tree boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis) today.  That's was pretty cool.  I cleaned the snake's enclosure and supplied a new substrate of 2/3 cypress mulch to 1/3 spaghnum moss.  I was impressed by how muscular the animal was - this is the first time I've handled a good sized constrictor.  Every part of the animal's body is a powerful muscle - to the tip of its tail, which was quite prehensile.  The snake I handled was greyish-green in color, similar in my estimation to the color of a grey treefrog here in the U.S., or perhaps more like the spring peeper.  Here is a picture: http://www.arkive.org/madagascar-tree-boa/sanzinia-madagascariensis/image-G126160.html

According to Arkive.org, the greyish green color means the animal the Knoxville Zoo has is of a heritage from the eastern part of Madagascar.  I know there are some objections to keeping animals of low conservation concern in captivity, however it is a good educational tool for someone from East Tennessee to see an animal from an island nation in the Indian Ocean.

2012-12-27 Butterfly Sweep, No Gi

Assume close guard position with training partner.  Practitioner will be on bottom.

1. Reach forward to gain control of opponent's neck.  Establish a firm hook at the base of the opponent's head, and pull down.
2. with free left hand, control the opponent's bicep, pushing forward.
3. Hip escape outwards, straightening left leg flush against the mat and pulling right leg around from behind and flush against the opponent's chest.  Maintain a nearly vertical position with this leg.
4. If necessary, hip escape further, with an objective of placing your right foot inside the opponent's thigh, hooking your right foot into the space behind your training partner's knee.
5. place the left foot on the outside of the opponent's knee, forming the "butterfly" and controlling the movement of that knee.
6. Sit up towards the left, bracing with your left arm.
7. Kick with your right leg and push forward to flip the opponent.  Continue the kick with your left leg on the ground as if intending to do a cartwheel, of course maintaining weight on opponent.

Sweep complete.

2012-12-27 Take Down, No Gi

Set up is two opponents facing each other while standing.

Training partner has hand on your left shoulder, arm fully extended, as if blocking your advance.

1. Use your left shoulder to sweep your training partner's hand off of your shoulder area.  Accomplish this with a sweep as if you were trying to swat a fly with your shoulder: round your shoulder back to break the opponent's hold, then suddenly sweep forward and downward, trapping the opponent's hand with your upper torso.

2.  Concurrently, focusing on the same arm you have swept down with your torso, control the opponent's hand by grabbing with your right hand in an underhand grip. 

3. With your free left hand, reach through the space between the opponent's controlled arm and torso toward your own wrist, and grasp it with an overhand grip.

4. Force the opponent's arm in toward their own body, bending it naturally at the elbow, while simultaneously pulling down to break the opponent's posture; concurrently

5. Be sure that your head is placed against the opponent's body, aligned inside, not outside (do not place head between opponent's arm and torso; rather, place it against the opponent's rib cage).

6. Release the grip and grap the opponent's leg, as far down as possible, below the calf muscle and above the ankle.

7. With a firm grip on the opponent's leg, pull it upwards between your legs, and secure the leg with your own legs, while driving forward to cause the opponent to fall.

Pass, Half Guard, 2012-12-15

1. Begin in half guard (assuming right knee bent, left leg holding right foot in crook of left leg).
2. Break posture of opponent with deep collar grip on right of opponent's kneck, with right hand,
4. Pull opponent down towards yourself and gain control of opponent with left hand, reaching across

3. Place left foot inside the opponent's stance and force the foot outwards.

 the back of the opponent towards the opposite shoulder and securing a grip on the material
5.releast collar grip from right hand and use free right arm to post with elbow on the mat.
6. Maintaining secure grip with legs, twist your own torso up and control the opponent's back.

Pass 2012-12-26

Pass.

1. Begin in full guard.

2. place right hand firmly into solar plexus

3. place left hand with firm grip against opponent's hip

4. move right knee back slightly for wide position.

5. move left foot fully back and plant out of reach of opponent

6. With left elbow lodged against opponent's right thigh/knee, lean slightly to the left.

7. Continuing to apply pressure with elbow, transition to moving opponent's right thigh/knee loose and down towards the ground with left hand to break guard.

8. With opponent's thigh/knee flush against the ground, move right elbow down against the opponent's hip to apply pressure and pin the opponent against the ground to provide support while moving your own right knee to trap the opponent's right leg against the ground.

9. Capture the opponent's free right arm and pull across the opponent's body, controlling it under the right arm and prevent the opponent from blocking your pass with that arm

10. Swing your own left leg up towards the opponent's head while pivoting your right knee; maintain constant pressure on opponent.    

Take-Down 2012-12-26

Take Down.

1. Grasp right collar with right hand; concurrently

2. Grasp left sleeve at elbow, tight grip; next

3. raising left hand and concurrently pulling down on right collar, turn "steering wheel" 

4. release grips and grasp lower left leg of opponent while placing head and shoulder against inside of chest

5. grip opponent's leg between your own legs

6. with opponent leg tightly controlled, and right foot stationary, sweep left foot in semi-circle backwards while pressing down on knee with shoulder.