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