Giraffe EarthCam

Something I have neglected to mention until now is that the Greenville Zoo has a unique feature in which people can watch the giraffes online through Giraffe webcams they have set up in the paddock and in their barn! It's a live stream, so you're seeing things as they're happening with the giraffes! It's a really cool feature, and a lot of fun to watch the giraffes interact with one another and go about their lives. The specific reason I want to point this out to all of you is that I came across myself on the giraffe cam! It seems that someone took a snapshot of me while I was feeding Kiko yesterday afternoon, and now it's posted online!

These are photos from the Giraffe Cam of me feeding Kiko yesterday!

If you want to check out the webcam (or watch me the next time I'm working), just follow this link: EarthCam. Enjoy keeping up with the giraffes (and maybe me)!

Last Day Before the Holidays

Today was the official end of my "internship" at the zoo, as the semester is coming to a close and I will be heading back to Pennsylvania after finals this week. However, as I previously mentioned, I'm staying on with the Greenville zoo team when I return in January, and will continue to volunteer with the animal department, and I could not be more excited about the opportunity to return.

For my last day of the semester, I worked in Africa (how fitting, my favorite). My day consisted of the typical duties, cleaning, feeding, and helping care for the animals. However, as with each week, I gained even more independence this week. I cleaned the entire giraffe barn by myself and prepared the afternoon diet for them, which is something I've never done completely by myself before. It's nice being in Africa and working with Jackie, because she completely trusts me to get all the work done. So basically, today I did most of the typical cleaning and feeding activities, while she worked on some special projects, like raking leaves out of the vulture exhibit.

I said goodbye to everyone until January. I spent some time with the lions, got to feed Autumn a special snack in the morning, and wished the keepers a happy holiday! I'm going to miss all the animals and the wonderful people who work at the zoo over break, but it's nice to know that I'll be back soon enough.

For those of you following along on this journey, thank you so much for taking time to follow my adventures as a zoo intern. This has by far been one of the biggest adventures of my life, and the amount of knowledge and experience I have gained is truly invaluable. I'm so looking forward to continue to grow as an intern with the zoo and to learn more about the animals there and the future of the zoo. I want to point out some special links to check out if you want more information on the Greenville Zoo or zoos in general. I also took some pictures of the animals I've been working with from online so you can "put a face to the name!"

Greenville Zoo --> The Greenville Zoo's Official Website
Association of Zoos & Aquarium --> Check out the AZA website for more information about zoos and aquariums and the requirements to become AZA certified
Information for People Interested in Zookeeping --> I've found this document helpful in exploring zookeeping as a career

Thanks for following along with my "tails," and stay tuned for more coming soon! I hope everyone has a happy holiday season and a wonderful start to the new year!

Chuma:

http://www.greenvillezoo.com/assets/img/Lion-Hunt.png

Bubba:

http://www.rentalcarmomma.com/images/greenville/greenville.jpg

Autumn & Kiko:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicuprqtO7ljCI_7ap3i7xtRbAi3DE0Fz7Adh4RFdr0CF7ty2wQG0eqDgQamch_MQa5xYO3pnFozJWN2ymnKVa1rdKlwgnKmCsAog18VCveWih4cD0RlG7qkmi9rzNDt887_Ks_ASBovO9R/s1600/5-27-10+(3).JPG

Bob:

https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/t31.0-8/s960x960/1780004_10152824458045295_6765161730496381834_o.jpg

Hope:

https://scontent-a-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10429378_10152763944275295_6669478360266824078_n.jpg?oh=329fa2b5706bbe4c9492b4e7257947bb&oe=55031B89

Selma:

http://www.greenvillesc.gov/gis/images/Zoo/spider-monkey.jpg

Saying Goodbye to Bob

When I came into the zoo Sunday morning, I was informed right away that Greg, the keeper for Asia, had already called me to work with him that morning. I quickly learned that on Saturday, the day before, the zoo had hosted a going away party for Bob, the Sumatran orangutan who is leaving for the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon on Wednesday morning. As I mentioned in my last post, we had been working on creating a cardboard airplane for him to sit in/play with during the party, but I was shocked when I saw the exhibit in the morning and saw not only the (destroyed) airplane, but many painted cardboard boxes, dozens of rolls of streamers, and a huge blanket with a message painted for Bob on it. The keepers all chuckled at me and wished me "good luck" cleaning the exhibit up before the zoo officially opened in the morning. Fortunately, it wasn't too bad to get all the cleaning done! I ended up filling two huge trash-bags full of party materials, but it only took me over an hour to get the whole exhibit clean and ready for the orangutans for the day. And, I really didn't mind doing it, especially since I know that Bob enjoyed his party the day before. It was also a plus that I got to work in Asia, since I had the opportunity to say goodbye to Bob before he leaves on his plane Wednesday morning and meets his new girlfriend in Oregon. 

After finishing the tedious task of cleaning the orangutan exhibit, I helped out with cleaning their den, feeding the hornbills, and doing the dishes and laundry for the entire Asia area. After cleaning up after Bob's party, it was actually a pretty slow day. I carried a lot of timber and bamboo to the stock pile, helped out a little bit in the kitchen, and got to talk to a lot of the keepers and have some "down-time" during the afternoon. 

At the end of the day, I had the opportunity to speak to Keith, the General Curator of the Greenville Zoo about my future with the zoo and about my midterm evaluation. I had previously spoken to him about this, but I wanted to follow up with him, especially since next Sunday is the official last day of my "internship." However, I asked him if he and the zookeepers would allow me to stay on and continue volunteering at the zoo again in the spring semester, and he agreed enthusiastically! I was excited that he was so eager to have me back, because I consider that to be a compliment to my work ethic and ability to get along with the keepers. He also gave me my midterm evaluation, in which he had nothing but nice things to say! It was both a relief and reassurance to know that I am valued and appreciated at the zoo, and that they look forward to continuing to work with me in the future!

I wanted to take this time to comment on how much I am learning through this internship experience. Not only have I gained an understanding of the field of zookeeping, but I've learned a lot about specific species and their behaviors both in captivity and the wild, I've learned about conservation issues the zoo community is facing, and I've learned about the "politics" of zookeeping including working with the Association for Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to obtain certification (or recertification) and working with species breeding programs to trade animals with other zoos. Zookeeping is a lot more than just feeding and cleaning up after the animals, and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to continue learning about this ever-changing and growing field!

Rainy Days

It was a rainy, cold, dreary day at the Greenville Zoo, but that didn't stop the keepers and I from having some fun with the animals! The morning started out like any other; I went to Asia with Greg to start cleaning exhibits and feeding animals. I worked in the hornbills exhibit, cleaned the orangutan den, and learned how to do laundry for the animals. I definitely am not as comfortable is Asia as I am in other parts of the zoo, so it was nice to get some more experience working there this morning. I cleaned the orangutan den while they were still inside (in a separate area, of course), which was a difficult task, because orangutans are so curious that I had to be extra careful during the cleaning process. I left the trash bag I was using too close to their side and the next thing I knew they were sticking their hands through the fence and trying to grab the bag! Luckily, I grabbed it away in time, but it definitely made me very aware of how close I was to them and how careful I had to be while cleaning in such close proximity to animals.

After the morning cleaning was done (and I was thoroughly soaked from the rain), the afternoon got interesting. Afternoons at the zoo are usually reserved for special projects, training, etc., but when it's raining, the animals and the keepers both don't want to be outside, so we have to occupy ourselves with inside projects. Luckily for me, I got to help with some extra fun projects today. Bob, the youngest orangutan in the family, is leaving the zoo in the next few weeks to go to Portland, Oregon. He's going to be part of a breeding pair there, which is great news for him and for the species, but obviously sad for the Greenville Zoo family to have to say goodbye. To help say goodbye to Bob, the keepers are working on making him an airplane out of cardboard for him to play with (it's good enrichment!) in his final days in Greenville. I got to help paint the plane today and work on the tail of it, which was really fun, and different from anything else I had done at the zoo previously. After working on the plane, a few keepers and myself went down to the orangutan den. Since it was too cold for them to go outside today, we wanted to make extra sure that they got some good enrichment so they didn't get too bored in their den, so we brought canvases down with us and did some painting with the orangutans! Basically, there's a special brush the zoo has that the orangs can grab a hold of through the fence and we put paint on the end of the brush, and then they move the brush around and make brush strokes on a blank canvas to create some cool art! It was a lot of fun for me and the other keepers and the orangutans, particularly Chelsea, loved painting! I really appreciate how the zoo staff goes above and beyond at all times with their animal care, and even manage to make things fun for themselves in the process!

The zoo closed a little bit early today since attendance was so low due to the weather, so I finished the day by helping close Africa. I raked the giraffe stalls, helped prepare their evening diets, and then helped bring the lions in to their dens. Because today was such a strange, slow day, I got to bond with a lot of the keepers, which was something I really enjoyed. Every week I feel more and more comfortable at the zoo and with the people there, and I am glad that the feelings are being reciprocated!

Stay tuned for more tails from my zoo internship, but until next time, have a wild day!

Happy Birthday Walter!

Today was a special day at the zoo, because our oldest male giraffe, Walter, turned 9! There were some birthday celebrations that we had in place for Walter, and it made it an all around fun day. I was lucky enough to work in Africa again, so I could witness and partake in the celebrations!

My morning was spent cleaning the Africa exhibits and dens. I did the entire lion and tortoise exhibits by myself, and did a large portion of the giraffe exhibit and barn. It was tiring, but we got a lot done in the morning, which made the afternoon better! Additionally, we got to take some time to watch the lions and their enrichment in the morning. We built them a leaf pile and sprayed cinnamon on it to see how they would react. Chuma loved it! He was rolling around in the leaves and laying in them. He loved it so much that he passed out for an hour and a half just laying in his leaf pile! It's great when the keepers can find enrichment that the animals truly enjoy, and it make their experience that much better.

The afternoon was actually kind of slow because we had gotten so much done in the morning. We celebrated Walter's birthday by bringing bamboo and mulberry around to the front of the exhibit and feeding the giraffes so that the public could get an up close look! I loved doing that, because I got nice and close to the animals and I got to make the guests happy! I even took some pictures for people and answered a few questions about the giraffes. We then observed some giraffe behavior and lion behavior before heading back to do some more work. Then, we went to the lemur exhibit to do some training with them. Once again, I got to be the distractor, so I was feeding the lemurs raisins to keep them out of the way!

Walter enjoying his birthday bamboo

Happy Birthday, Walter!

Towards the end of the afternoon, I helped finish the paperwork for enrichment that I had started last week. The keeper was so grateful, and I was glad to help (especially since I'm a decent typist). Finally, at the end of the day, I went up to help feed and get the animals inside. Since we had some extra time before we could take the animals in, I got to take some pictures feeding the giraffes! Unfortunately, I can't post them on social media, but for any of you who know me personally, I would love to show them to you at some point! It was definitely the highlight of my day.

Finally, we fed the lions, brought them in, and then brought the giraffes inside. I even got to talk to Keith (the general curator of the zoo) about staying on for next semester, and he said that I could stay for as long as I liked! I really enjoy my time at the zoo, and I'm so happy to be able to be a part of such a wonderful organization.

Oh, and Happy 9th Birthday Walter!

Monday at the Zoo

Today being my fall break, I was a little uneasy about going back to the zoo. When I woke up at 6:45 this morning, I was tired and not in the mood to drive 45 minutes to the zoo again this morning. Luckily for me, I had an amazing time today and I was able to have so many new experiences!

I worked in primate row with Jackie today. This was the first thing different about coming in on a Monday, because usually when I work with Jackie, it's in Africa! However, with different days of the week come different keepers at the zoo locations, so I jumped at the chance to work with Jackie in a new location. 

It was an interesting morning. We had lots of cleaning to do on primate row, including bleaching all of the dens. Thankfully, our cleaning was split up by some animal observation time, because we got to give the primate pumpkins today! We put their morning diets in pumpkins and got to watch to see how they interacted with the pumpkins. This was great enrichment for the animals and great fun for us! After finishing up on primate row, we headed to the education building. 

In the ed building, in addition to cleaning exhibits, we also got to weigh all of the animals! This was great because I got to interact with them. I held, moved, and weighed birds, turtles, and skinks! I also got to pet the chinchilla and kinkajou while Jackie weighed them. I love any and all animal interaction I get, and I appreciate the fact that the keepers trust me enough to allow me to handle the animals. 

The best part of the day happened in the afternoon when we went to weigh the lemurs. There are 4 lemurs, and it can be a difficult task to get weights on all of them since they all want attention and snacks (they get food rewards to stay on the scale). So, today, my job was the distracter! I got to distract the other three lemurs while Jackie weighed the fourth one. Essentially, I got to hand-feed lemurs raisins for ten minutes, so needless to say, I was thrilled. They were so cute and gentle when I put the food in their mouths!

I'm so glad that I came in to the zoo for an extra day this week. I got so much animal interaction and had an overall great day. I'm thankful to the staff at the Greenville Zoo for trusting me and allowing me to help care for the animals and I'm thankful for this amazing experience! I can't wait to share next week's "tails" with all of you! Until then, stay wild!

The Paperwork Side of Zookeeping

Many of the zookeepers often warn me that you can't be afraid to do paperwork if you go into the zookeeping field. Today, I got a first hand experience at some of the kinds of paperwork you do at the zoo, and it definitely is a lot to handle!

My morning started off in Asia, where I helped clean some exhibits and do morning diet prep. Since the weather has finally fully changed to fall weather, there were some unusual things that had to happen since some of the animals can't be let outside if the weather is too cold. For example, we had to delay letting out the hornbills and orangutans because the temperature wasn't going up fast enough to let them into their exhibits. Fun fact: a lot of the animals at the zoo hate the cold! I watched so many of them huddle into sunny spots in their exhibits to soak up the warmth. I guess that's the problem with living in South Carolina; it's really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter!

After Asia, I went to Primate Row to help finish the cleaning. Because it's fall, there are so many leaves in all of the exhibits, so it takes at least an additional 30 minutes to clean the exhibits because there are so many leaves to get out. I cleaned the spider monkey exhibit, put out their food, and then cleaned some dens until it was lunch time.

After lunch, Dindy, the primate row keeper asked me to help her with some typing and paperwork type things on the computer. I typed up a diet sheet to save for future use, and then began working on enrichment sheets for the education building animals. Basically, I had to go through and make calendars for each month of 2015 and put the different types of enrichment each animal should get for each day. The cool part was that I got to decide which enrichment activities went on which day! That made the work a little less tedious and a little more fun. I did the paperwork for the rest of the afternoon, until it was time to leave. To give you an idea of how long it is, I only got through 2 months (after the diet sheet), and I'm a fast typer! However, it was a nice change of pace for me to do the enrichment calendars, and I especially didn't mind since it was so cold outside! I'm actually very pleased that I got to do some paperwork, because I really want to get the full "zookeeper experience" while I'm interning at the Zoo, and I know that paperwork is a big part of it!

I'm going back to the zoo tomorrow morning because it's my fall break, so I don't have classes! I'm excited because I have never been to the zoo on any other day than Sunday, so I will get to meet some new keepers and have some new experiences tomorrow. 

First day in Asia

This week was an especially great week at the Greenville Zoo. First, I got to start off my morning in Africa, which if you haven't guessed by now, is my favorite area of the zoo to work in. I'm currently doing the tortoises all by myself and doing the entire lions enclosure alone too. I have so much autonomy in Africa and I feel confident that I can do the jobs asked of me. I also got to help with Kiko's training session again, as well as help weigh the other two giraffes. Additionally, I got to watch another lion training session, which was really fun!

After my morning in Africa I got to go to Asia for the first time! I was excited to go to a new place in the zoo and learn about different animals and their care. I started off by cleaning the orangutan den, and then went in to help clean the red panda enclosure. Asia is really cool, because not only are there orangutans, leopards, red pandas, horn bills, Prevost squirrels, and gibbons, but you can actually go into the enclosure with the squirrels, horn bills, and red pandas! I loved getting up close and personal with the animals. I fed the hornbills grapes right from my hand and when I was putting the squirrel's diet in their enclosure, the one jumped on top of me! In my afternoon at Asia, I got to watch an orangutan training session (they're super smart) and learn about many different species from the keeper, Ben, I was working with. We talked about the leopards and how fast and aggressive they are, and about how the male orangs don't develop their cheekpads until after they are the only dominant male in the area (thus, Bob, the youngest orang in the family, won't develop his cheekpads and grow in size until he is put in another zoo where he can be the dominant male). It was a really interesting afternoon and I especially enjoyed my conversations with Ben and learning more about the animals.

This afternoon was also the last weekend of Boo in the Zoo, so for the majority of my afternoon, I helped by setting up candy stations, assisting volunteers, and watching hundreds of little kids walk around the zoo in costume. The keepers and I played a game of who could spot the most Elsa dresses from the movie Frozen, which was a particularly amusing way to pass the time. I feel like each week I get closer to the keepers and I'm enjoying my conversations and time with them. It's great to feel more connected now, and I'm looking forward to further building these connections.

All in all, it was another great day at the zoo. I've been learning so much and having a great time in the process, so really, I can't ask for anything more than that! Stay tuned for more tails from a zoo intern next week!

Boo in the Zoo

This week was definitely an interesting one since the Greenville Zoo is in the middle of putting on its annual Halloween event: Boo in the Zoo. To summarize, Boo in the Zoo is an event where people buy special tickets to come trick or treating in the zoo. Little kids wear costumes, there are decorations all throughout the landscape, and there are volunteers and staff members handing out candy and special treats along the way. And, to make it extra special, the animals stay out later so that you can trick or treat while watching some animals!

Because Boo in the Zoo was this week, the schedule for the day was a little different. I started out my morning in Africa, where I did the tortoise and lion exhibits by myself, and then proceeded to help with the giraffe yarn and barn. Around 10, I left Africa and headed to Primate Row, where I worked on my timing with cleaning. Dindy, the keeper, challenged me to finish cleaning the spider monkey exhibit in 30-40 minutes, and I'm pleased to say that I finished at 35 minutes! Now that I've been at primate row a few times, I'm getting more comfortable with the cleaning and tasks and I'm learning new tricks that make cleaning quicker and easier! After finishing primates, I went up to the education building where I helped finish cleaning some bird enclosures. The highlight of the day was for sure when I got to hold the ball python while the keeper cleaned his enclosure! As I've been saying, I love any animal contact I can get, so holding the snake for a few minutes made me very happy.

After lunch, it was time to shut down the zoo and then get ready to reopen for Boo in the Zoo. The zoo closed at 3 today, so we had to get everyone out, clear the entire zoo, set up the tables, candy, etc. for the event, AND feed the animals their PM diets. It was a crazy hour, but we got it all done and at 4:00 sharp the gates opened and tons of children and their families rushed into the zoo to get candy and visit the animals. It was cute to watch all of the little kids, and it was crazy to see a whole other side of the zoo away from animal care. I found myself using my "Disney" skills, as I kept two-finger pointing to the guests, calling the little girls princesses, and being attentive to the needs of everyone. I guess it's just instinctual for me now to turn on my customer service skills when around the public, and hey, I'm not complaining!

All in all, it was a good day. I didn't get as much animal contact because of the weird schedule, but Boo in the Zoo was fun. It's interesting to watch how everyone from the zoo works together. The keepers, education team, sales team, concession team, and maintenance team all worked together to get the zoo set up for the special event, and I think that's something you wouldn't see in many other zoos. I like how the Greenville Zoo staff all know and care for one another and help each other out whenever possible. I'm definitely feeling more at home there and am more comfortable around the staff, animals, and the zoo itself.

For more info on Boo in the Zoo: http://www.greenvillezoo.com/pages/events.aspx

"Floating" around the Zoo

Despite the storms, rain, and cold weather, today was one of my better days at the zoo. I actually ended up "floating" around the zoo, meaning I didn't stay in only one area, but helped wherever was needed. I started my morning in Africa (which I love more and more every time), and raked the giraffe yard and took care of the tortoises (by myself, again!). Then, it was time for a training session with Kiko, the giraffe, which I got to be a huge part of today! Now, Kiko's training is focused on getting him more and more ready for any medical procedures that may need to be done. My role in the training session was to keep his attention by feeding him biscuits! He loved them, and I loved being able to play such an active role in his training session! I also was able to witness a lion training session this morning which was really cool, because I love the lions and their crazy personalities! I love the fact that I'm getting to watch and experience so many training opportunities because training is something I'm finding myself very interested in and passionate about. It's so important to train animals in the zoo because it makes it much easier and safer to perform medical procedures!

After Kiko's training session, I headed down to primate row to help clean some exhibits. I cleaned the colobus monkey exhibit and even got complimented on what a good job I did. I still need to work on how quickly I can clean, because now I'm at the point where I can either do a good, thorough job, or a decent, quick job, and I need to be able to do a good, quick job! I'm sure it will come in time and with practice though. After primate row I headed back up to Africa where I finished some cleaning in the giraffe barn and then it was time for lunch already! The morning flew by, which I think goes to show that time does fly if you're having fun!

The afternoon was even more awesome than the morning (which was a great morning!) We did some odd projects like preparing for Boo in the Zoo, which is a Halloween Event that the zoo does every fall. Then, around 2, a group of three students from Wofford University came to the zoo to shoot a photo documentary of a day in the life of a keeper. Luckily for us, we got to show them around the zoo and tell them what we do every day. It was a really awesome experience for me too, since I got to witness a orangutan training session and visit the clinic, both of which was my first time doing! And, I got to be in a lot of pictures that I'm sure will end up nicely in some Wofford homework assignment... Anyway, it was an awesome, and really cool afternoon, and I got to share some of my experiences with others, which is really what this whole blog is about anyway!

Finally, to end the day we did some dishes and final cleaning, then I got to go to South America to witness the ocelots being weighed. Unfortunately, they didn't want to cooperate, so we couldn't get their weights, but it was really cool to see them (they're beautiful cats), and I had never been to the South America area before, so it was nice to get to another part of the zoo!

I really enjoyed my day today. The weather was awful and I was soaked and so dirty, but it was probably the best day I've had so far. I love all the responsibility I'm being given and I'm enjoying getting to branch out and do different tasks and learn about different animals and areas of the zoo! Please keep checking back to hear all about my "tails" at the Greenville Zoo!

Working in a Zoo: The Good, The Bad, & The Dirty

Instead of giving you a play by play of my day, I decided to make this post about working in the zoo in general, and what kinds of things I have come to expect during my internship thus far. And, don't worry, I'll be sure to squeeze some details about my day in here too!

So, as I'm sure most of you have guessed by now, there are so many good things about being a zoo intern! Helping with training is one of my personal favorites, as well as diet preparation and feeding (mostly because the animals are so excited to see me). I also love the fact that I get to be surrounded by animals all day. It's amazing to be doing something and just look up and see a lion, a spider monkey, or an exotic bird just sitting right next to you. I've also been able to start working on building some connections. I find that I love talking with the keepers, because they are the ones who know all the nitty gritty details about the zookeeping world. They've given me advice as to how to get into the field, what kinds of things I should expect on a daily basis, and the different journeys that landed them jobs at the Greenville Zoo. Just today I was talking to one of the keepers about the differences between being a specific animal keeper (ex: just a giraffe keeper) versus working with a variety of animals. I learned that it's basically personal preference; neither is more "advanced" than the other and one will not affect the ability for you to get a job somewhere else. Mostly, the larger zoos have more staff and therefore more individualized keeping, and the smaller zoos have keepers who care for a variety of animals. I also really enjoy being outside (when it's decent weather) and getting some fresh air. Today I had to opportunity to do some animal observations with the spider monkeys. One of the monkeys (Jasmine) needed a fecal sample done to test for a parasite, so I was on "poop patrol" and basically had to watch her until she pooped, at which point I had to call the vet tech and keeper to come down so we could retrieve the sample. Glamorous? No. Fun? Yes - who wouldn't want to spend a half hour watching spider monkeys run around and play??

Okay, so yes, obviously there are some not so great things about being a zoo intern. In my opinion, the positives significantly outweigh the negatives, but I don't want to sugarcoat the job for you either: it's a lot of hard work. You're working outside almost all day, no matter what the weather is like: rain, sun, snow, ice, heavy winds - you name it, zookeepers have to work in it. Today was the first chilly day since I started my internship and it definitely was a rude awakening for me. I'm going to have to start layering before heading to work! Secondly, there's not a lot of guidance when it comes to zookeeping. You have to learn a lot of the skills yourself, and you have to pace yourself when it comes to getting all of your work done. There's a lot of heavy lifting involved and a lot of climbing on unsteady terrain and through the woods, bushes, etc. It's definitely not your every day office job!

Finally, there's the dirty, and by the dirty, I mean the cleaning. I spend the majority of my days at the zoo cleaning. I clean exhibits, dens, dishes, crates, walls - you name it, I clean it. And during this cleaning, it's not just a little scrubbing, it's getting lots and lots of poop and saliva and chewed up food and all of that fun stuff away from the animals and their belongings. So yes, I do clean up poop, and I do it quite frequently! I really don't mind the cleaning too much. Obviously, it's not my favorite part of the job, but to get through it I just think of how much the animals appreciate getting a nice clean enclosure every day!

Of course, I have to end with another positive note about my internship, and that is the ability to work with a variety of animals. This week I worked on primate row again, which obviously was with the primates, but I also got to help with some education building animals today too! I helped clean the enclosures and feed the armadillo, turtles, and sun conures (birds). I also got to watch the vet tech do some routine nail and feather clipping, which was really cool. Honestly, the best part of the internship thus far is that every day is entirely different. There's one thing that the zoo keeping field guarantees, and that is that you will never be bored! There's always tons to do and the animals are always presenting new challenges. It's a lot of hard work to care for so many animals, but I'm finding it to be very rewarding.

I'll end this post with an amusing picture that's actually hanging in the keeper room. It helps put things into perspective: yes, we do awesome things, but we actually do a lot of dirty work too!

Source: http://www.whatidos.com/whatidos/209.jpg

Back to Africa

This week at the zoo I was lucky enough to go back to Africa for work. This time I worked with Ben in Africa, and I had an awesome week! I think because I know the routine in Africa so much better now, it's easier for me to jump in and help and get the work done efficiently. Plus, I just love the amount of animal contact I get in Africa.

I got to handle the entire tortoise exhibit by myself today! Although it's not really a big job, it's nice to know that I am now trusted enough to go into an animal exhibit and get all the work done. Plus, I always love to see my favorite tortoise, Bubba, and give him a little pat on the head.  I also helped with training Kiko (the giraffe) today, which is the first time I've been able to actually participate in the training process! It was awesome to see how much progress Kiko has been making and it was so nice to be able to be a part of the process. Additionally, I got to feed the lions today (which is basically just dumping their food in their den, but still, cool!) and prepare the entire giraffe diet for the afternoon. I honestly loved being so independent and knowing what to do and how to do it.

An interesting thing I noticed today is that keepers each do things so differently. The same things get done, but the order and process are totally different, depending on the keeper! I think this is an interesting observation, and it makes me feel better about my work because I'm learning that there is no one right way to do things. The important thing is that the work gets done, and gets done well, and not how it was done.

On a final, exciting note, the keepers started to remember my name this week! I know this is kind of a trivial thing, but I was so happy to hear people calling me by name, because it means that they care enough to learn and remember it! I've been having a great time in this past month at the zoo, and I'm looking forward to the future!

1st Week at Primate Row

Today was my first time venturing away from Africa and working in a different area of the zoo, more specifically, Primate Row. There are three types of primates on primate row, colobus monkeys, black and white ruffed lemurs, and black headed spider monkeys. The colobus's are a family of 5, while there are 4 lemurs and 3 spider monkeys. It was interesting for me to venture out and begin caring for different types of animals and to see how they all differ from one another.

One major difference about taking care of the animals on primate row is that I needed to suit up before I began my cleaning for the day. By "suit up" I mean I had to wear boot covers, glasses, rubber gloves, and a face mask before I could enter an exhibit and clean. This is because humans and primates are so closely related that we can transmit diseases back and forth to one another. I had never considered this before, but after reading about infections that can be passed between humans and primates during my lunch break (required reading to work there), I was shocked to know how much we can transmit and how careful we have to be when working around primates.

While cleaning, I was definitely "on display" to the general public. I had so many people walk by me during my cleaning and stop and watch me clean or make jokes about how "I was a funny looking monkey" or how it was "the zookeeper exhibit." Some parents took the more informational approach and told their kids that "I was cleaning the monkeys room just like they cleaned their rooms." Either way, it was a strange and different experience, because all of my cleaning in Africa was done behind the scenes. One thing I will say is that if you think you have a clever comment about someone cleaning an exhibit, just remember that you're probably not the only one to say something that day!

Another thing that was different about today was that I didn't have as much animal contact. I did a lot of cleaning (as usual), but the animals weren't really around while I was cleaning their enclosures or dens. I did find the spider monkeys amusing though because they kept reaching through their fencing and trying to grab onto me whenever I walked by. They were so cute! The keeper I was working with today, Dindy, talked to me about how even though the primates are cute and small, they can bite, scratch, and really hurt you so it's always important to stay alert and never be in the enclosure with them.

After all my cleaning was finished in the morning, I started working with a bunch of the keepers on a different kind of project. We are currently rebuilding the colobus exhibit from scratch, so I got to help with that this afternoon! The keepers had already cut down trees and put them up in the exhibit, so today we were doing more finalizing things. We worked on hanging a net and rope in the exhibit to stimulate the monkeys and keep them entertained. I even got up on the ladder and nailed some of the netting into place! It's pretty cool that I can now say that I helped to build part of the new colobus monkey exhibit at the Greenville Zoo!

The keeper of primate row is also responsible for taking care of the animals in the education building. While I didn't get to do much with these animals today, I'm hoping to get more experience with them another week! I did get to help close up the building and give the primates their morning and afternoon meals! I also helped close the zoo today, meaning that we basically have to do a walk-through to make sure that no one else is in the zoo before we close.

At the end of the day I was filthy and tired, but I would definitely say it was another day well-spent. I've really been enjoying my time at the zoo and I feel incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to get such great experience during a college internship.

Week Two

After my first day at the zoo went so well, I was eager to get back this week and do more work and feel more comfortable around the animals, the people, and the job itself. When I checked in with the keepers in the morning, I found out I would be working with Jackie in Africa again. A lot of the tasks I did this week were the same as the previous week: cleaning the lions enclosure, cleaning giraffe barns, scooping poop, watching training sessions, etc., but I also got some more responsibility this week as well! I was given a radio to keep with me so that I could be left alone to do some of the cleaning. I also got to prepare the giraffes afternoon diets and allow full access to the giraffe in the barn after I finished cleaning (which basically means opening barn doors). I also got to sit in on some meetings this week regarding animal training with the orangutans.

It was awesome to be given some more responsibility and to know that I was gaining the trust of the keepers. I was really working hard this week on taking initiative on the job. I didn't want to wait to be told to do something, I asked if it needed to be done or just jumped in and started working without being told to do so. Now that I feel more comfortable at the zoo and with my job requirements, it was easier for me to figure out what things needed to be done and what I could help with.

Another awesome happening this week was that I got to see how much Kiko (the giraffe) improved on his training from last week! As I mentioned before, Kiko is being trained to stand still in an enclosed area so that blood can be drawn from him by vet techs. Last week the training was a long, and at times frustrating process because Kiko really didn't want to cooperate. This week's morning session was slightly better, but I could see that Kiko was rebelling in terms of not wanting to repeat the actions. However, the afternoon session was amazing! Kiko looked like a pro and he was doing things without even having to be told to do so. I was shocked to see how much progress he had made from last week, and even from that morning! It goes to show that repetition and positive reinforcement can go a long way in terms of animal training.

On a slightly unrelated note, the weather was perfect to work in, and it made a big difference in terms of my working conditions and animal behavior! For one thing, I was way less hot and sweaty while performing my cleaning since the high temperature was 73 and it was cloudy and misty all day. Secondly, I could tell that the animals loved the weather! It was really the first cooler day we've had in South Carolina, and the animals were soaking up every second of the cool weather. The lions, who usually sleep the majority of the day, were up and playing for several hours in the morning. They were even entertaining the guests watching them! The giraffes were way more cooperative about shifting in and out of the barn, and the tortoises were up and more active than the previous week.

Finally, I started to feel way more comfortable around the keepers, particularly Jackie, with whom I've been working with for the past two weeks. I had some conversations with them about family, past work experience, and their journey to the Greenville Zoo, which was really helpful to me to hear how other people have achieved their "dream job". It's crazy how everyone can take a different journey but still end up in the same place. I also learned that I will be rotating throughout the different sections of the zoo, which I am really excited about. I've loved working in Africa, but I'm excited by the prospect of getting to work with new animals and learning about a variety of species.

So, in case you couldn't tell, week 2 was another success! Being with these exotic animals all day and getting to learn so much from the keepers really makes the early morning grogginess and the 40 minute drive worth it. I'm so excited to return next week and see what new "tails" I have to share with you!

First Day on the Job

I showed up at the Greenville Zoo bright and early Sunday morning. I was a little uneasy, as I had no idea where I was supposed to meet the keepers, what exactly my day would entail, or what kinds of jobs I would be doing. Luckily, my uneasiness was soon put to rest as I met one of the keepers right away, who then introduced me to the general curator. I followed the general curator into the keeper room, where I was introduced to the rest of the keepers and thrown right into the day's work. It was determined that I would be helping out in Africa for the day - which delighted me to no end. I'd never been to the zoo before, but I figured that the animals they had in Africa had to be at least somewhat exciting! My prediction was correct, as I shortly learned that working in Africa for the day meant helping with the tortoises, vultures, giraffes, and lions! Not only 30 minutes into my day and I was already beyond thrilled.

I worked in Africa with Jackie, one of the keepers at the zoo. Our day began by paying the tortoises a visit. We cleaned their enclosure, made sure they had plenty of water for the day, and even pet the male tortoise on the head for a while (he's very friendly and likes attention!). Then, we headed over to the lions' enclosure. I actually had a tingle run down my spine when I walked up and realized I was right next to an actual lion! I've never been that close to a big cat in my entire life. I cleaned the glass in their exhibit and then learned how to refill their water pool. Then, it was time to pay the giraffes a visit and clean their exhibit. Fun fact: giraffes poop a lot! I cleaned up the whole area (which took a decent amount of time) and made sure it was ready for the giraffes for the day.

Finally, it was time to actually let the animals into their exhibits for the day! Watching the lions enter their exhibit was so exciting. Chuma, one of the lion brothers was a little reluctant to enter the exhibit at first, so we had to coax him out. During our "coaxing" Chuma had apparently had enough of us as he looked right at me and let out a huge "ROAR" literally inches away from my face. I actually jumped when he roared, it scared the living daylights out of me! It just goes to show that these animals all have unique personalities and characteristics that make them just as individual as you and me!

It was then time to let the giraffes out into their exhibit. The giraffes are a family, Walter and Autumn are the parents to two year old Kiko. Right now, the giraffes are being displayed separately, so Walter and Kiko go out together in the morning and Autumn goes out in the afternoon. Kiko is so precious because he's so full of energy and excited about the littlest things. I could actually see him light up when we walked inside in the morning!

Next, we headed over to the vulture exhibit. The vultures are three girls who are very energetic and playful. We cleaned their exhibit while they were in there and gave them their food for the day, which was entertaining because they kept hopping away from us!

The rest of the day consisted of a lot of cleaning. I cleaned the entire lions enclosure by myself and one of the giraffe stalls! I was really nervous about doing this because Jackie explained to me that a lot of keepers are really particular about the way their cleaning is done, so I wanted to make sure I did a really good job and it was something she would not only approve of, but be impressed by! I also was lucky enough to observe a training session in the afternoon with Kiko, the baby giraffe. He is getting trained to stay still so that veterinarians can draw blood from him. It's definitely a long and at times frustrating process, but I could already see Kiko improving by the end of his session!

Jackie was also nice enough to give me a brief tour of the zoo during the day. I got to see orangutans, lemurs, the reptile building, leopards, red pandas, ocelots, and so many more beautiful and amazing animals.

Finally, at the end of the day I got to help prepare the diets for the animals at night. It's interesting to see what the different animals get fed, and which animal gets what kind of food. Even the diets are so unique to every individual - it's refreshing to see the amount of care and attention that goes into making sure every animal has what it needs, and more! I even got to feed Walter a post-dinner snack of kale right from my hands!

My first day at the zoo was beyond incredible. It was 8 hours of hard, manual labor (I came out with scratches, bug bites, and pouring sweat), but the fact that I was exposed to so much animal interaction in just one day was completely amazing. I am already so thankful to the Greenville Zoo for such an awesome experience, and I can't wait to see what the future holds with this internship. I'm excited to get to know the other animals of the zoo, to learn the ins and outs of animal care and training, and to grow as both a person and a conservation biology major.

Please continue to follow me on my journey through my zoo internship! This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm so excited to share all my "tails" with you!

Welcome

Hi everyone, and welcome to my blog - "Tails" of a Zoo Intern! My name is Megan and I am a current junior at Clemson University in South Carolina. I was fortunate enough to be chosen as the Greenville Zoo's Animal Department Intern for the Fall of 2014, and I decided that I wanted to share my experience with all of you.

For those of you who know me, you may be familiar with my other blog Megan's Disney Dream (shameless self-promotion, I know). I loved my blogging experience during my Disney College Program last semester so I am continuing the blogging trend and writing a blog for my animal department internship this semester! I'm doing this for two reasons: 1 - I am a person who loves to do research, and I had such a hard time finding zoo intern blogs online, so I'm hoping to spread the word about zoo internships through this blog, and 2 - so that I can remember this incredible experience and hopefully share some stories with family and friends along the way! I'm also hoping to shed some light on zoos and all of the care and hard work that goes into operating and maintaining an AZA accredited facility.

So please, sit back, relax, and join me on this incredible journey through the life of a zoo intern. Our adventure awaits!