Africa, Animals, & Action

Once again this weekend I worked in Africa with the lions, giraffes, and tortoises. I won't bore you anymore with the details of the cleaning I do each week, but trust me, there was a lot of it! I found out some sad news today, Jackie, the keeper in Africa that I usually work with, got a new job in Phoenix and will be leaving Greenville in a few weeks. I was obviously pretty bummed when she told me the news, but I'm also really excited for the opportunities that Arizona will bring her!

We did some fun things today while working in Africa. We put some paint on Bubba's (the tortoise) foot and made a footprint on a canvas for Jackie to keep as a souvenir. We also met with a family for a private giraffe feeding, and afterwards Jackie took some more pictures of me feeding the giraffes! This was a blast, as it always is, and the picture of me feeding Walter is even the new background on my phone! There was also some orangutan fun in the mix when we had Chelsea help us paint a canvas. It was an action packed day between the cleaning, preparing diets, and working on the special projects, but it made the time pass quickly and the day way more fun.

I'll keep you updated on the changes going on throughout the zoo as there is a keeper transition and some animals come and go. One thing I've learned by interning at the Greenville Zoo is that the zoo world is an ever-changing place. People and animals are constantly coming and going and there's not much that stays constant for too long. It makes for an exciting job, but it also makes for some tough goodbyes. I'm glad that I am getting this experience and learning these types of lessons, because it is helping me prepare for a career in the field.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to let me know in the comments section below. Until next time, stay wild!

Returning to the Zoo

After a nice, relaxing Winter Break at home in Pennsylvania with my family, I returned back to the Zoo on a chilly Sunday morning to see all the animals and zookeepers again. I was very happy to be back and even more excited to get back to working with the animals again. It was really nice to say hello to everyone and see how excited all the keepers were to have me back interning with them again!

I worked in Africa once again this week, and got to spend time with my favorite lions, giraffes, tortoises, and vultures. It was a pretty slow day since it was so cold, so we spent a lot of the morning waiting until it was warm enough to let the animals outside for the day. I did the typical cleaning in Africa, got to watch Kiko's training session, and gave the giraffes snacks in the middle of the day.

During lunch, one of the keepers called me "one of the best interns" which I loved to hear. I really enjoy going to the zoo and working with the keepers and animals and I'm glad to know that the feeling is reciprocated. I also got a great letter of recommendation from Keith, the General Curator of the zoo, so that I can use it for internships this summer. Working at the zoo has been one of the best experiences I have had during college, and I am looking forward to a spring semester filled with lots of fun "tails" to share with all of you!