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