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A gharial gets fed a rainbow trout on Aug. 8, 2024, at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)
” data-medium-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Zoo_CamiloDiaz3163-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Zoo_CamiloDiaz3163-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1″ tabindex=”0″ role=”button”>Crocodiles crawl toward the shore of their enclosure, chomping their jaws as Zac Foster drops rainbow trout into their mouths. While it seems like a daunting task, Foster is a seasoned zoo employee.Foster is the ectotherms supervisor at the Fort Worth Zoo, taking care of cold-blooded animals. His role includes overseeing the ectotherm zookeepers, closely monitoring the animals and taking care of the gharial hatchlings. He is one of the many hands behind the scenes who helps lead the zoo’s animal conservation program.“Fort Worth Zoo is pretty great in how many conservation programs we support and are actively participating in — and in our department alone with the ectotherms,” Foster said.Ectotherms supervisor Zac Foster feeds a rainbow trout to a gharial on Aug. 8, 2024, at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)The Fort Worth Zoo is a member of around 18 conservation projects and houses 78 endangered species. Among the endangered species Fort Worth Zoo works with are the Puerto Rican crested toads, Texas horned lizards, Texas kangaroo rats and Louisiana pine snakes.“We are helping maintain a healthy population of animals in captivity and making sure that we’re keeping these animals around for future generations,” Foster said.One animal in particular has brought attention to the zoo’s success with endangered species: the gharial, a crocodile species that grows up to 20 feet long and features a narrow, elongated snout, with its sharp teeth peeking out from the side.The gharial is a difficult species to reproduce in captivity outside of their native habitats in northern India and Nepal. The Fort Worth Zoo is the only North American institution that has produced gharial offspring two years in a row, Foster said.Zac Foster, ectotherms supervisor at the Fort Worth Zoo, holds a young gharial Aug. 8, 2024. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)Karen St. John, the supervisor of reptiles, is part of the team that reproduces gharials. She spends her time in the incubation room, waiting patiently for hatchlings to emerge from their eggs, St. John said.“When it is close to their time to hatch, someone will be looking at them constantly,” St. John said. “One time, I was getting ready to go home with my backpack packed and came into the room and saw a little face.”The gharials usually lay eggs during the first week of April. On average, they incubate for anywhere between 67 and 93 days, St. John said.Karen St. John, the supervisor of reptiles, explains the reptile egg incubation process Aug. 8, 2024, at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)The temperature at which the eggs incubate determines the sex of the gharial. The zoo keeps temperatures between 87 and 91 degrees, St. John said.“The pattern is that middle incubation temperatures of 88 to 90 degrees are supposed to give you boys and extremely low and high temperatures will give you girls,” St. John said.Marcos Avalos, left, and Zac Foster, right, prepare rainbow trout to feed gharial Aug. 8, 2024, at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)Zookeeper Marcos Avalos takes care of the gharials’ habitat. He ensures the reptiles’ home is clean and maintained well. Avalos ensures the plants in the exhibits stay alive in the hot summer months.As for feeding the animals, it can be meticulous and frustrating at times, he said.“We go through training with species for their feeding. A lot of patience and positive reinforcement is needed,” Avalos said.Gharials are trained to swim toward their assigned colored cone placed on the beach of their habitat. They are each fed a single fish from a bucket. A zookeeper uses long grabbers as they must remain at the shoreline. Zookeepers teach the crocodile the routine using clickers and a food reward system.“They are very smart and also respond to their names,” Avalos said.Lindsay LaCroix, an ectotherm zookeeper, waits for a gharial to approach their designated cone Aug. 8, 2024, at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Camilo Diaz | Fort Worth Report)Georgie London is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at georgie.london@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.