Because I'm a slacker: Weeks 5 and 6

So, I just realized that I never did an entry for the week of June 13-19 so I will combine that week with the current week of June 19-26.

Last week I got to work with the Giraffes, Bo and Mac. When doing this routine I am also obligated to participate in the three giraffe encounters that the zoo sets up. This is a chance for the public to come out and feed the giraffes at 11, 1, and 3, everyday (needless to say bo and mac eat a lot of crackers) I also got to participate in a training session! This was very cool, especially after having taken an animal training course at Unity College. They, like my class, use the method of operant conditioning, which is always a positive experience for both trainer and animal. Whenever Lisa would use her clicker I would give Bo a reward (carrots!). We were training him to walk into a shoot that is to be used for medical purposes. He walks through it just fine when both ends are open, but when one is closed he won't go in there. He has already worked on target training, putting his face up to a tennis ball on a stick, but Lisa wants him to now touch his chest to the ball and guide him this way, that way instead of just stretching his head into the shoot, he will walk in.

Holy thunderstorms/tornadoes! All week, tornado warning after tornado warning, thunderstorm after thunderstorm, RAIN RAIN RAIN!!! It has been crazy weather I tell you!

This week I got to shadow the vet, Steve. While shadowing him I observed some orangutan training (open mouth, target hands, expose shoulder, toes, etc.), bat checkups, and he also drew blood from one of the alpacas. It was Steve's birthday earlier in the week and I guess everyone wore fake mustaches; there were some left over so I took the liberty of wearing one the rest of the day since I was going to be working with him.

This week I had to fill out two incident sheets. It's true, my clutsiness has finally shown itself to my coworkers. First I cut my finger while chopping sweet potatoes, and then the very next day (today in fact!) I got kicked by an alpaca. I know it was out of spite, those alpacas are in for revenge! I had to catch said alpaca and hold him still while Angie administered some medication. Mr. Alpaca didn't like this. When it was over I turned around to walk away, and he kicked me right in the leg! jerk face.

Week 4: Rhinos are just like puppies...

With huge horns that can puncture your face.

- Kianga

This week I was on routine 4r; it consisted of the rhinos, zebras, and storks. Because these animals are housed in the large barn on the far end of the zoo, we were able to be lazy and ride in the cart whenever we needed to go elsewhere, 'cause we're cool like that. The mornings started out in the yard raking and shoveling, and then moved indoors where we continued to rake and shovel, but most importantly disinfect. That's right, we once again find ourselves scrubbing. However I did get quite a break on dish duty, I was barely in the main building, and cleaning up after rhinos is a time consuming task.

We also had a bit of giraffe drama. The Giraffes, Bo and Mac, are housed in the same building but are on a different routine; however the keeper ran into a bit of a problem with Mr. Bo. They had just put in mulch on the ground outside to fill in a worn down path, and Bo wasn't too sure about the strange new stuff on the ground. After trying to coax him out with wheat crisps and sweet potatoes we decided just to leave him be; when he was hungry or thirsty enough he would walk out there on his own...and he did, it only took the majority of the day to do so.

The coolest thing to happen this week was being able to feed the Rhinos their supplemented bread. In order to feed them you have to stick your whole hand in their mouths! then they use their top lip to grab it and shove it farther into their mouths so they can chew it. They are very strong; it was an amazing experience.

We just got a new zebra to accompany the older zebra T.J. The Zebras and Rhinos share an exhibit, but they can't be out at the same time due to a lack of space and the fact that the rhinos are black rhinos, meaning they tend to be a bit more aggressive than white rhinos. There are two black rhinos: Timu the female (who is currently in estrus) and Kianga the male.

During lunch we also took the zoo dog Sheila for walks, it was nice to have a relaxing walk instead of the usual fast paced rush from destination to destination, plus we got to see Sheila have fun chasing all the geese.

Next week I switch from 4r to 4g, the giraffe and Watusi :D

Week Three: The Undertaker's got nothing on me!

I did a combination of everything I've done so far this week: Routine 3, the aviary, and Routine 5, all crammed into two days. When doing the aviary, one is also in charge of the farm a.k.a the petting zoo animals (goats, sheep, and a zebu). It was a quiet Thursday afternoon, well as quiet as 13 school groups can be, when I was sent upon a task like none other before! Giving the farm animals their dewormer. It was myself and another intern Kate that marched into battle, with nothing but 24 syringes and our trusty rubber boots. It was muddy, it was exciting, we both got pooped on, and it was so worth it. It was probably one of the most fun things I have done yet; chasing sheep just may become a new hobby...or not ;) But really who needs a herding dog when you've got two enthusiastic interns to do the work?!

When that was all over it was back to selling seed sticks, this time I was sheltered from the fiery death of the sun under a bamboo hut, and had fellow intern Shane for company, that is until I was snatched away by Sandy to assist her with Routine 3.

The next day I was back on routine 5 with Angie, and my favorite penguins. It was also hay delivery day! which meant unloading and stacking many many MANY bails of hay into the barn. We finished a tad early so I had some special arts and crafts time in which I used to make more seed sticks!

Next week it's on to the Rhinos! Routine 4R