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!

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

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!

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!

"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!

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!

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!