Day 65 - my time is running out!

Day 65.

This morning we went to Lions together. I've missed putting them out for a few days, so I was happy to be asked to let Tau & Sarabi out into their pen. When I opened the way for Tau he turned left down the hallway, which was the wrong way. When he figured it out, he couldn't turn around since he's so big, so he just reversed all the way down the hallway! Beep Beep Beep! I was left there to clean the hut alone. While I was rinsing out Natasha's room, which is right next to "Hut Tree Pen" where Tau & Sarabi were, Tau came to watch me. He's so curious. :) I've gotten really efficient at cleaning the huts, so I was finished by 9:30. Angela asked me to meet up at QB to help get midday snacks for the Black Bears. On the drive there I saw 3 of the Emus running in a line. It was so cute. I also spotted the male Nilgai! I've never noticed him before. The rest of the Nilgai we have are females.

Once we picked the midday for the Black Bears (hide burritos and fruitsicles), we went together to give it out. When we parked there we saw a hawk fly overhead! It was pretty cool. There were a lot of chores to get done, so we put the young ones (Donna, Takoda, Chochmo) into the hut so we could pick up the yards and clean one of their pools. Another chore was to check the hotwire. I took the tester out and got readings on the adults' yards, but did not get any reading in the younger ones' yards! Oh NOOO! We called maintenance to have them come look at it. George came out and we left him there to work while we went to go do a Big Bear encounter. I drove the giraffe truck, which I enjoy. The steering wheel is so big and turns smoothly. On the way to Brown Bears we got to point out the baby Zebra AND the baby Eland to the guests! :) The baby Zebra was confirmed to be a girl so was finally named- Amara. The baby Eland is now hanging out more with its herd instead of being hidden, so maybe they will be able to sex and name it soon.

There were a bunch of small children on this Big Bear encounter, which is always fun. They love throwing the apples & pears out to the Bears. I did the training for this, so just sat back afterward and encouraged the kids while they threw the fruit. We drove the guests back up to the entrance and, even though they'd just gotten apples & pears, we threw out frozen melons for their midday snack.

Lunchtime! Amanda (Cheetah intern), Michelle (Cheetah keeper), Benji (vet), and Avery (vet student and Cheetah helper for the day) were all there at the same time. That was nice. ^_^

After a relaxing lunch, we went to meet maintenance back out at the Black Bear exhibit. Takoda & Donna were snuggling in a cave and Chochmo was sitting right outside it awkwardly. haha. The 3 younger ones were locked back up inside the hut so we could get into the yards again. Maintenance wanted to check all the wires all the way around and look for any shorts. They did find what was wrong, but I don't know exactly what it was. In any case, they fixed it! Yay!

It was time for another Big Bear encounter. We saw the babies again on the drive! haha. So cute! I trained again. Afterward, we didn't have any guests for a Lion 101 encounter, so we relaxed and cooled off in the office for a bit. It was SUCH a hot day! Angela did some work on the computer while I went to get her some water. She said I didn't have to, but I reminded her that I'm her intern- hahaha.

Matt was off making all of the Bear dinners, so we started our journey to go help him when we came across Sarah, who was driving the other direction. Angela asked if she needed any help with Cheetah stuff since we were ahead of schedule. They did have one thing we could do- WALK ELLIE! Right away I said "I'LL DO IT!!" I got into her truck so they could take me to get Ellie. First though, they were going to throw bloodsicles to the Cheetahs and Tigers. I got to help with that, which was pretty fun! You have to make sure the Cheetahs SEE the bloodsicle fly though cuz their sense of smell is not so good. Sillies. They all crouched to lick at their bloodsicles. The Tigers both got red lips.

Finally we went to get Ellie! I got about 40 minutes to walk her. I took off my shoes and socks and t-shirt (I had a tank underneath) and rolled up my pant legs. It was so hot and it always gets really hot when walking Ellie, so this was very nice. We walked along a path in the grass for a while. On rocky parts, I leaned on her a little so my feet wouldn't get too poked. She was very accommodating about it. heh. I didn't have time to relax with her at the river, but we still went that direction. There was some tall, soft, green grass, so I sat with her there for about 5 minutes. It was very relaxing for both of us. ^_^

At about 5 o'clock I took her back to her pen, then took a car to go clear the park and close gates. When I reached the Brown Bear hut I helped let them in. I stayed in the hut to open the doors for them while Angela & Matt operated the outside guillotines. The Bears all came in pretty quickly- good Bears! Matt & I finished closing the rest of the gates, and that was it! I also got a surprise in the office- the Cheetahs had finished my 2 requested paintings. Hurray! ^_^

Bye for now...

Day 64 - Wasps!

Day 64.

Back from my trip. :) It's always sad coming home from a fun trip, and I'm also leaving the internship soon, so this was a very sad morning for me. I cried a little in front of Amanda (who'd also gone on the trip), but she didn't mind cuz she understood. She said it was nice that I loved the internship so much to cry over it when I leave. :)

Angela had all three of us interns today: Rayna, Matt, & I. Rayna & I went to pick up morning enrichment for the Bears & Lions, then met up with Angela & Matt at the Lion hut. They had already checked the fencelines, so Rayna & I started on a project- getting rid of wasp nests!!! There were TONS of them around the roof of the hut. Rayna sprayed and I just held the ladder for her and hid from the spray and falling wasps. One fell on her shirt and got her in the arm, so I let her wear my hoodie for protection- she's slightly allergic to stings! We got most of the nests down while Angela was letting the Lions into their pens.

We then made our way to Brown Bears to let them out. First we woke them up. :) I said hello to the girls who were already pacing around, then went to see the snuggly boys. They were as cute as ever! Still sleepy. They had a bit more time to relax though. We all went outside to clean their yards and throw out their enrichment breakfasts. The cove cave was demolished by maintenance. :( I'm sure the Bears will dig new caves though. Once the yards were ready I was sent into the hut to release the Bears! They all ran out right away and enjoyed their chicken breakfasts. (ew.)

Rayna & Matt stayed to clean the hut; Angela & I went to finish off the wasp nests at the Lion hut. While we were in the back area pens, Tau came up the the fenceline to see what we were doing. :) He's so curious. I sat near the fence and took a pic with him. hehe. We ran over to QB to make up some midday enrichment for all of the Bears. We decided on peanut butter in boxes and some little fruitsicles. The peanut butter smelled SO GOOD! I also got to blow some bubbles for Donna- she's the only one who really likes them. They kept blowing back at my own face though. A few of them blew at her and she sniffed them, but she could already smell the peanut butter box beside me so I just threw it in for her. :)

Angela & I took a group to do a Big Bear encounter. I got to do the training while she talked. Victor & Mak did very well! Oso didn't come over since he was still working on this morning's chicken...

Lunchtime!!! It was good, but sometimes an hour seems too long to sit there at the tables. I was also getting sad again, so wanted to go ahead and do more work. Angela suggested going to look at the kittens who were staying in Desiree's trailer. I told her that was a good idea since kittens bring happiness. :) Also, when I was driving to give Bear Tower a break, I called Benji the vet and made a date, so that made me happy too! ^_^ He'll also hang out with Nick & I, when Nick comes to get me, which will be fun!

After my stint in Bear Tower, I worked on preparing Bear dinners with Angela. I had to unwrap a bunch of donated meats. We were so fast- such a good team, she and I. A Lion 101 encounter was next. I picked up the people and started the presentation - telling them about Tau & Sarabi. Angela met up with me and trained while I distracted. It's always fun to distract. Whenever I sit down to get another meat chunk, the Lion lays down, and it's like we're hanging out together sitting side by side. :) After we dropped the group back off at the entrance, we went to hurry and feed the Black Bears (I'd already set up the Brown hut earlier with dinners). I had to also scrub one of the pools and pick up poo in their hut. My glove broke during this......... O.O It was okay though, because I was going to QB next to wash dishes, so I could scrub the poo off very well too!

I finished the dishes, cut some meat chunks for tomorrow's Lion encounters, prepared a bucket for tomorrow's Big Bear encounter, and sat to wait on a ride. It took a little while as we had a Lion/Bear Feed, and the others were showing the guests the Lions being put up and fed. Finally, Amanda came and picked me up and we closed some gates. We also had to go turn off the waters at Black Bears from when I'd scrubbed the pools earlier. Then we waited for the guests to enjoy the Brown Bears and take pics before we could close the rest of the gates behind them.We enjoyed the baby Zebra while we waited. ^_^

That was it for the work day! A very nice day- I kept busy (thanks to Angela), so didn't get sad.......until nighttime! boohoo. I'll miss this place and the people.I still have 5 days left though.

Bye for now...

Day 58 - Time with Ellie, a camel rescue, prepping chickens

Day 58.

Today was the same group: Angela, Matt, Rayna, & I. We all went to wake up the Lions together first. Today's enrichment was chicken! Tau & Sarabi are okay enough with sharing food now, so they can also have meat chunks hidden throughout their pen. :) So I took their chicken breast bits and found areas to hide them. I used a stick to lift one into a tree. hehe. While we were still in the pens the Lions did some caroling. It's always so cool to hear, no matter if you're in the hut with them where it echoes off the walls or if you are on the other side of the park just listening to the distant sound of them. We let them out and then watched to see if Tau & Sarabi would find any chicken. Sarabi sniffed the ground below the one I'd hidden in the tree. It had fallen there before I put it back into the tree. She didn't realize where it was, but I bet they found it later. We did see Tau stand up onto a tree and reach for another piece I'd put between the trunk split.

It was time to do the Brown Bears next. We went into the yards to clean and throw out breakfast, and also sprayed some perfume for today. I was spraying it in the inner yard for the girls and Rayna was in the outer yard, so I decided to toss the perfume bottles over to her (they were plastic). Well, she missed it and the cap came off when it hit the ground. We found it, but instead of doing that with the second one, I decided to shimmy under the hotwire fence! There was enough room for me and it was actually fun. Angela was scared for me, but the shock wouldn't have been bad anyway. haha. I went to look at the pond cave again. Still secure and Russel had dug out more space inside. I saw Claire in there today too, widening it. Maintenance came to check it out earlier in the morning and decided that they would have to break it down in a couple days. :( I feel bad since they worked so hard on it and Bears love dens, but they will always make another one. We also want to make sure they don't end up digging out of the yard on accident or that a cave crumbles in on them.

When we went in to wake up the Bears, Claire was upside-down with her legs all in the air. haha! So cute! The boys were all cuddling, as usual- little teddy bears. After we let them all out into their yards, Rayna & I stayed to clean. We finished in 40 minutes- a record!

Our next task was something I do not like.. we got 19 live chickens donated for the animals. I will just say that my job was only to hold a lid on a bin until the bodies stopped running around. I am not required to do any more than that and I don't even look at the event happening. I did look while they were alive though, and they were very pretty chickens- some were black & white striped. :)

After that, I solemnly washed some dishes. Angela, Rayna, & I then headed to Brown Bears and then Black Bears to throw out midday enrichments. On today's menu: tater tots! Russel seemed to like them a lot. Claire was busy digging out more of her pond cave. The boys also enjoyed them! Then the Black Bears got tots and cashews, which they liked too. :) Ricky likes everything- haha.

Lunchtime was with some other people out at a Mexican restaurant. It was pretty good! And nice to have an outing together.

After lunch, I had the hardest job of the whole day! You will not believe what I had to do! .............WALK ELLIE! YAAAAY! I walked into the office and Sarah asked if I minded going with Matt to walk Ellie. My eyes got joyfully large and I unhesitatingly said YES! And she said we could take a whole hour! Woohoo! Matt wasn't so into having to hike for an hour, but he enjoyed himself anyway. I was so excited, I walked at a fast, happy, skippy pace. We were told about a trail on a hill, but ended up just at a water tower. I decided to just go to the river instead. We walked down a hill to get to the road that would lead us there- it happened to be full of stickers! They got all in my socks, but I just took those off. Nothing could ruin my happy mood! Once we arrived at the river, Ellie just walked along the shore. I went to set an alarm for when we'd need to head back, and Matt offered to hold the leash while I did. He walked Ellie around a bit, following her back up the path. I knew we had extra time though, so I just sat near the river and waited for them to come back down to it, which they did. I wanted to play in the river with Ellie, but since Matt had the leash, I decided to just enjoy the river myself. I took my shoes off and walked on some rocks that jutted out and went to sit on one, put my feet in the water, and watch it flow. It was very relaxing and peaceful. Matt came out onto the rocks too and sat while Ellie walked in the water for a while. We got to stay that way for some pleasant minutes. My alarm started going off, so I put my shoes back on and called Ellie, and the three of us walked back towards the park. Halfway there Matt gave me the leash again. Ellie & I walked fast and unknowingly left Matt behind. We made it back to her pen and I put her in and said goodbye for now.

Matt was there when I started walking back to the office. He was sent to go pick up apples while I was tasked to pick up guests for a Big Bear. It was just one couple. Matt did the presentation and the talking. I just stood in the back of the truck with the guests and commented on how cute the Bears were. The lady LOVED throwing the apples out to them. Her husband enjoyed it too, she was just more vocal about it. :) I drove them back to the entrance and took a small break before having to pick up more guests for the next encounter- a Lion 101. The same couple was going on it, and another family with 3 small kids. As we drove through "Africa" I spotted the baby Eland!! I pointed it out to the guests and said how lucky they were as usually the adults will hide their babies. I took a few pics, but they were high on the hill, so the baby only looked like a dot in the pics. Oh well. :) I did a bit of the presentation at Lions, but Angela offered up more facts to fill the time.

With the encounters finished, we started driving towards QB to do some dishes, but saw a bunch of park staff trying to pull one of the camels out of a ravine! She lays on sand near there and must have rolled down into it! Some guests saw her there and reported it. This was near the Elephant pen, and George could see it and hear the camel noises, so he was stamping around, trumpeting, flapping his big ears, and throwing logs. The Elephant keepers moved him to another part of the yard so he'd calm down. When I arrived, everyone was already set up with ropes and harnesses. She took a while to go on the safest path as she kept resisting the direction everyone was trying to pull her in. She did move a little bit that way, but became so exhausted that she collapsed and sat in the water for a bit. Finally they got a couple harnesses around her abdomen and pulled her gently up the hill by a bulldozer strapped to the harnesses. Once she was on flat ground she quickly got up. The people cautiously took everything off of her and she wandered off down the road- but one harness was still hanging over her back. The Ungulate staff drove out to her and one fed her a couple carrots while the other quickly grabbed the harness. Success! She seemed to calm down quite a bit too. Angela & I passed by her later and she seemed to be perfectly fine. ^_^ Hurray!

It was getting late, so Angela & I quickly went to Lions to let them in and feed them. We said goodnight to the sweet Lions, then went to close gates. Along the way there were some Aoudad in the road! They look like rams. They are elusive and usually hiding in the foresty area, but here they were in the road! I definitely took some pictures of this momentous occasion! haha. We also saw the baby Eland, which Angela had never seen. The view was far and it was laying down, so she could only see that it was a smaller speck than the adults- but still exclaimed how cute it was!

Our last thing to do was help out the Cheetah keeper by opening a water bucket in Topaz's pen. She was hissing at us as we approached, but we didn't have to be too near, and our chore was finished quickly. That was the end of such an eventful work day!

Bye for now...

57 - It's so peaceful, listening to the big cats.

Day 57.

Angela and all 3 of us interns today- Matt, Rayna, & I. Tau was up and playing with his metal keg- batting it around and watching it roll. :) We went out into the pens and I walked one of the fencelines and also spread out meat chunks! Tau & Sarabi don't fight much over food anymore, so they can have this kind of enrichment now! I climbed a tree to hide one- hehe. Quart called while I was in the pen and the Lions started caroling! She got to hear it over the phone! I let Tau out and he stopped to sniff a chicken that Natasha got last night for dinner- she didn't eat much of it. He couldn't reach it since it was in her room, so he just tried to claw under the chain-link fence. Finally they went out.

We went to let Brown Bears out next. The Grizzly boys were snuggling again. :) They are so cute! Oso came over for some love, then went back to his spot and plopped down again- he's not a morning bear! Matt & I walked the boys yard to clean it and throw out breakfast for them. The girls have been digging another cave! Actually I think it's mostly Claire. It is in the pond though, like a cove cave. We went in to check it out- don't want it to crumble in on them! The roof was pretty solid, just one little hole in the top- like a skylight. I also went into the tunnels that the bears cross through, under the road. haha. Took a pic of myself, too!

Rayna & I went back to clean the Lion hut. On the way there I saw the baby Guanaco, Carmella, nursing! Cleaning the Lion hut was very messy with feathers from chickens that they got last night. ew. After cleaning I went to QB alone to prepare all of the Bear meals. I did it pretty fast and efficiently, although my fingers got so cold from unwrapping so many frozen meat packages. Rayna came to pick me up and we gave the Brown Bears midday enrichments: boxes with teriyaki sauce and boxes with Italian dressing. They like getting boxes to sniff and tear. While driving to lunch there were Bison in the road (common) and a little baby one too! cute! I also glimpsed the baby Zebra at a feeder with some of its herd.

After lunch we discovered that one of us was to sit in Cheetah Lodge for the rest of the day. Rayna volunteered because she used to intern with Cheetahs and loves talking about them with people that pass by. But I love Tower/Lodge shifts and she had taken my Lion one a couple days earlier. So I ended up getting it! YAY! I walked up the hill to get there. Ellie was there! Sometimes she is leashed up there for a break. I pet her and brushed her and threw a toy to her which she ignored and just relaxed near her. I sat on the porch of the Lodge for a little bit with Ellie beside me. Haha- sitting on a porch with a dog sleeping next to me while watching Cheetahs! Ellie slept in the sun for a little bit. Hermano the Cheetah was in the pen in front of the Lodge. He was walking around a lot so the cars that passed by got a good view. One vehicle to pass was a freight truck! No cargo on back. It looked like maybe a father and daughter. Maybe a trucker who stopped in for a wildlife adventure while on the road with his daughter. At 4:25 Ellie was picked up by the Cheetah intern to go for a walk and then to her pen for the night. boohoo... I read my book for the rest of the shift. When the Cheetahs were being fed I heard the Tigers chuffing- I guess they knew it was nearing dinner time. I heard the Lions all carol FIVE TIMES! ^_^ I stood outside on the veranda one of the times and just thought how cool it was to be sitting here in the beautiful surroundings, looking at Cheetahs and listening to Lions roar in the distance.

Bye for now...

Day 56. My animals are amazing. :)

Day 56.

Valerie, Matt, Rayna, & I went to wake up the Lions. Keeno stretched and wiggled his toes. haha. I walked the fenceline of one pen and Quart called me. I kept checking the fence while talking to her and at one point the Lions started roaring, so she got to hear it! :) We also put out Rhea eggs for enrichment. I was told to poke a hole in them to entice Keeno & Natasha, so I found a small rock and cracked them. Valerie had each of us let a Lion out, so I went to let Tau out first. One guillotine is next to Sarabi's window and she jumps up and claws and growls when we grab it. So she did this to me and when she did she splattered pee on me from her paws! EWW!

I took the yellow truck (standard!) to Browns with Matt and we walked the perimeter, but this time on the inside of the fence. Bison were nearby so it would have been dangerous outside. We waited for Claire & Russel to come through their tunnel and gave them their Rhea eggs, then waited for the boys to give them theirs. Victor came right over and sniffed at me and sat waiting for his egg, but I wanted to wait for Mak & Oso so I could throw them all at once. Victor went back into the beginning of the yard to get them, and as they all walked over they were in a little single file line. hehe. :)

Once they were out, Matt & I stayed to clean the hut- I did the spraying and rinsing. Then we went to the Lion hut to finish cleaning it from where Rayna had stopped. Before heading to lunch we went to QB to pick out some midday for the Black Bears and give it to them. I decided on bloodsicles and berries. They all pretty much ignored the bloodsicles, but looooved the berries. :) Little sweethearts.

We took our lunch break then, and about halfway through, the Lawrence's showed up! I had been reading my book and suddenly there was a hand on mine, and it was Kathy! They were taking some acquaintances through the park. I got to sit and talk for a little bit and enjoyed their company.

Afterwards I was sent on my own to do a few things. I drove the Bronco (also standard). At QB I made all the Bear meals, then I went to Blacks to throw out their meals to them. Ricky, Little Boy, & Little Girl all go for the meat first. :) Then I went to the Brown Bear hut to set up their rooms with their dinners. After that, guess what? There were dirty dishes to wash! Matt was still at QB so he helped me.

We waited there for Rayna and then all left to go do a Lion 101 encounter. There were about 20 people, I think. We had the Giraffe truck and also a van. I drove the van with 8 guests in it. A little girl, about 6, sat in the front seat and talked to me the whole drive to Lions. She was cute- showing me her nails and saying she could take on a Lion. haha. Rayna did the training while Matt & I did the presentation. The people seemed very interested in what I was saying and asking questions. :) Keeno came down to do some training too! That's always nice so the people can see him regally walk down towards them.

I got a little relaxing time after that. ahhh. Valerie had left and Angela was coming. We filled out the daily log and waited for Angela to arrive. When she did, she took Rayna to feed the Lions and put them in. Matt & I waited a bit more and then met up with some guests at 5:15 for a Bear Feed. It was a family- parents and two little kids. The girl was maybe 6 and the boy was around 8. Very sweet and polite kids. We told the family to bring their car to the entrance and follow us to the Bear hut. The Rhinos were grazing in the grass so they slowed down there to take a picture. :) At the hut we led them upstairs and let the kids ring the dinner bell as we called in the Grizzly boys. They took a few minutes to answer, but came wandering over the hill. Once Angela met us there, we let the girls in also, then led the family downstairs to go watch them eat for a while. They loved it and noted how much bigger the Bears are up close! :)

After that, Matt & I led them out and then we were done!

Bye for now...

Day 55 - Working with the Ungulates

Day 55.

Today I got to work with the Ungulate department! (that is hoofed animals). I shadowed Anthony all day. He's very nice and Mu, Daddy, Ian, Jacob, & Alex met him when we fed Hodari the Giraffe. :) The shift was 6:30-3:30. Nice! Just a regular 8 hour work day! haha! This shift is called the "Drive-thru shift" in which we drive-thru everywhere and count all of the animals to make sure they're all accounted for and alive and well, and put hay and pellets in all the feeders for them. :)

Anthony said most important first job is to feed the Rhinos and Giraffes. We drove out and saw them conveniently at a feeder, so we stopped there. I stayed in the truck and Anthony carefully got out and dumped prepared buckets into bowls for them. Jack, the male, is nice, but you still have to be careful. Anthony can touch his horn, head, and front half of his body. He's working to be able to touch the back feet since they need filing! Taryn, the female, is aggressive, but Anthony is working with her (she's about 16 and only in the last year has somebody tried working free-contact with her). He poured her food in the bowl carefully while telling her "easy", then touched her horn a bit. He told me noone has ever seen him touch Taryn before, so it was special for me to witness. :)

We headed to feed the Giraffes next. They are kept in a barn overnight for safety (plus Hodari sneaks into other 'lands') I've never seen the Giraffe barn, it was cool. The Giraffes looked so big inside it, compared to being in the great outdoors! They each have their own section fenced off with the large fencing used for Elephant barns. The breakfast buckets were prepared first, then Anthony announced he was opening the door so the Giraffes wouldn't get startled. Mate was first. he was looking through our tiny human-sized door and drooling. Anthony did the same thing with each of them- held the bucket up to eat from while he touched their necks and front legs with a target stick. This gets them used to being touched so that blood-draws are easier if needed. Mate, then Kipande, then JT, then Hodari. They all did so well! Anthony was surprised that he didn't have any trouble from any of them- he said sometimes they don't cooperate very well- and told me I must be good luck since all 4 Giraffes were so good AND he'd been able to touch Taryn the Rhino earlier (he doesn't always get to).

Our next job was to drive through and count all of the animals. We started counting when we'd fed the Rhinos, so they were accounted for already, and Ostriches. I got to see the baby Zebra quite a few times today too! We counted the Eland, but didn't see the new baby! We'd have to look harder next time around. In "America" I finally saw more than 3 Udad (not sure on the spelling)! There are 18 of them, I think, so we looked out and found them all. We drove into "Asia" and counted the many herds there, but would have to go back to count the Sika Deer (they were all clumped up laying down) and Rhea (spread out!). We took a break next and while we were sitting there....

"Ungulates to Safari Base, we have a Code 1- Cheetah in Asia! Repeat, a Code 1- Cheetah in Asia!" Anthony & I both got big eyes and looked at each other, then ran to the truck. He went back into the office for a gun which is protocol when a dangerous animal is out of its enclosure. There was a team of people with guns just in case. We drove out, I was sandwiched between Anthony and a girl from Village. There were also others that responded: a van from Elephants, J who helps with everything, Benji the vet, us, and Patches (main Ungulate lady) in another truck. And of course the Cheetah people were all up in the Cheetah pen area. That area is right next to Asia and it turns out the Cheetah must have climbed up and squeezed through the barbed wire! So we were all sitting there, watching the Cheetah run along the Cheetah pens fenceline, attacking another Cheetah who was in the pen. I didn't see it, but apparently they were both bloody on the mouth from attacking each other. Superficial wounds though. The Cheetah keepers all walked with rakes along the fenceline towards the Cheetah to lure him that direction. Patches came from the other direction to scare him away, and someone was near the pen we wanted him in to assure he got there. That was actually Benji's truck there, which the animals are all scared of because he's a vet. I saw the White Fallow Deer and Nilgai all running away when they saw it! Poor things. So while we sat in the truck waiting for the Cheetah to be led to his pen, the Rhea were all casually walking around as if no predator was nearby. :) They never have to worry about that, so they are oblivious. But then the Cheetahs don't know how to hunt, so I guess the animals are still relatively safe anyway. They finally got him into the pen and cleared the Code 1. :) I think it was Hulets, who was one of the nicer Cheetahs and easier to work with. He didn't give the humans any trouble. Afterward Anthony was saying he'd seen the Cheetah on the fenceline but assumed it was inside the fence. It's hard to tell sometimes! Patches saw that too, but then Hulets had moved down the hill a little and she knew for sure that he was out! I saw maintenance over there later securing the fence.

WHEW! We took a short break after that.

Patches asked us to come and help her let out 3 of the Giraffes. JT was first, then Hodari chased him into the proper section and followed him out, then Mate was let out and had to be sprayed with water so he'd go into the proper section too. Kipande stayed in the little yard for the day- sometimes the others pick on him since he's smaller and younger (only 4 years old). Once they were out we went to fill all the feeders. An Emu came over to my car door while we had stepped out of the truck. Anthony came and waved him away for me, but said Emus are nothing to worry about. The 2 camels came over when we filled the next feeder. I got out to take pics while Anthony poured pellets in. The female camel is a little aggressive, so I was careful as I walked back around the truck to get in.

Next feeder, the Sika Deer and Nilgai came to see us. The Sika Deer did a squeaky noise which they are known for. I'd never heard it before, and it sounded like the alien squeak toys from Toy Story. The next feeder was the one for the ducks and swan. It's on a pulley rope in the middle, so Anthony had to pull it in to check the food level- which was good. A few of the feeders didn't have any visitors when we filled them.

Once we got to "Africa" Desi was waiting at a feeder! Anthony kept an eye on him while he got out to pour pellets. Desi was just hungry so didn't make any moves. The Watusi Cattle must have heard the sound or smelled the food because they were all coming over in a line, kicking up dust. I didn't see them walking over but suddenly there were Zebra in the feeder too! This is the closest I'd seen one! ^_^ Only 5 feet from me!! I didn't see the baby though.

At the America feeders the Bison and Elk will sometimes make it hard for Anthony to fill the troughs, but I was a good luck charm again and none of them came by when he was out of the truck. At one, the Llamas were all standing there watching us while hay was placed in there. It was funny- just standing there staring at us. Anthony said they had faces only a mother could love. haha. I took a few pics of them- it was so cute and funny to have them standing there so still. We filled another small trough and one Bison came up the hill to eat- turned out it was a pregnant one! I though it was good that she was a bit separate from the herd so she could get enough to eat. Anthony said they will separate a bit when it's almost time to give birth! :) Since other feeders were filled, the Bison herd had vacated the last one we needed to fill- so we were safe! I took pics of myself down in the ravine where this last feeder was.

Our feeding job was done, so we went to refill everything we'd used, starting with the hay bales. I lifted a couple, but mostly just stood by while Anthony did everything. heh. There wasn't really much I could do except lift a few things for him. We had a little time, so we went over to look for the baby Eland again. Anthony used binoculars and even got out and walked up the hill where other Eland were, but we couldn't find it. There were Watusi Cattle, Zebra, and other Eland there and they ran when Anthony got close- the baby Zebra was so fast! I was told that Eland sometimes stash their babies somewhere for a while to keep them safe, so not to worry too much.

It was almost lunch time, but Patches had me cut some carrots for the Hay Ride first. Lunch was uneventful, but there was a Code 1 debriefing after that, which I saw the beginning of. They were discussing what took place and everything. I couldn't stay since I needed to help David (Ungulate keeper) do a Hay Ride encounter. I didn't really help much since I couldn't do the presentation, but it was nice to see again. The Sika Deer were as cute as ever. :) We drove over to the Hippo too, to see if he'd come out to do a few training tricks. David called to him for several minutes and tried enticing him with lettuce and a melon. Blippo (yes, that's his name) just rolled a couple times and swam near, but never came out. Poo. It was okay for me though, because earlier I gasped about him being out of the pond and Anthony drove over so I could get a picture- and he even got out and had Blippo open his mouth for a pic. :) The people enjoyed Blippo rolling around though, so it was still a good encounter.

Once we returned I found Anthony getting ready to do a Giraffe Feeding encounter, so I joined him. He found Hodari and let the people feed him, but he got to the bucket early on and didn't stay very long since the food was gone. That encounter was a bit boring to me since I was in the truck cab and didn't see much except Hodari's torso.

The shift was almost over. We only had to go restock the truck with food for tomorrow's "Drive-thru shift" person, refill the Rhino food cans at the Boma (house), and then go home! I felt weird leaving so early, but it was also nice! :)

At home I sat in my comfy new recliner that Ian & Daddy helped move to my room, and relaxed before going to dinner and the local community college play "Peter Pan". The Lawrence's said I should see it as the Captain Hook was effeminate and AMAZING! :) A nice Shabbat going to see a play. Shabbat Shalom.

Bye for now...

54 Days! Mak is a "sleepy" bear...

Day 54.

It was Sarah (main Carnivore lady), Valerie (keeper), & I today. We went straight to Lions to quickly let them out. We did walk the fencelines first and put out some Rhea eggs for enrichment. They did some carroling while they waited. When we were letting them out, Keeno rubbed on the door by me. :) Tau was the last to be let out and I operated the closing guillotine. I was holding it open for him and he walked out, but then stopped with his tail tip still under the door! I slowly put it down so it'd touch his tail and he'd move it, but he didn't! I just had to keep waiting until about 5 whole minutes later he moved again! SHEESH! We did a very quick cleaning job after that, then headed to Bears for...

A Brown Bear knock-down! It's time for them to have physicals done (every 3 years). On the drive over to their hut I saw Tibetan Yaks on right, then White Fallow Deer on left, then Sika deer on right, then Rhea on left. haha! The girls (Russel & Claire) needed to go out, so we spread their breakfast quickly- I smeared peanut butter on rocks and logs- then let them out. Russel found one of the peanut butter spots and licked it several times. We did a quick cleaning job of the girls' rooms.

Someone operated a guillotine to separate one boy from the others. It ended up being Mak. My job was to comfort Victor & Oso with berries so they wouldn't get too stressed about being separated (since they are "brother bears"). When the vet team arrived I operated the guillotine that everyone would go out of to get Mak onto the truck bed. The truck was driven into the yard and backed up to the door to be ready. After Mak was darted he didn't make too much noise- he didn't know it was coming. I kept an eye on him as he lost consciousness. He was getting sleepy and didn't know why. I kept telling him it would be okay and he could go to sleep. He wobbled a bit and then sat down, and finally laid down and slowly blinked his eyes, then fell asleep. His mouth was open and his lips looked so cute. The vets put a catheter in and checked his vitals, then moved him onto the truck. Once they drove away, Valerie & I let the other boys into the yard and threw some bread out to them for breakfast. They weren't too interested, and kept pacing around the outside of the hut, sniffing.

We arrived at the clinic after everything was all set up inside with Mak. I got to pet him a bit, hug and kiss his back, and hold his paws. Angela came in for this procedure, and she was measuring his pads and claws to see how much he'd grown since his last physical. The vets were feeling all over to check him. We usually have an encounter to do at 11, but on procedure days we cancel those. BUUUT, Jungle Jamie hadn't heard of the cancellation, so signed up 14 people for a Big Bear! We couldn't do that since one of the Bears was unavailable, but we offered to do a Lion 101. Sarah had me go out with Rayna (also came in just for the Bear procedure) to do it ourselves. Neither of us had ever trained the Lions before, but I'd seen it done several times, so I was okay with it. We picked up the guests, drove out to the Lion loop and Rayna did the presentation while I trained. Tau came up right away, then Sarabi joined us too. They both did very well and so did I! Keeno didn't come down, but looked majestic sitting under the round shade of a tree. :)

When we finished and returned to the clinic, it was almost time to take Mak back to his hut. I waited in the truck bed and helped lift him onto it (holding the stretcher), then I got to ride with him too. I sat a bit squished next to his back, holding onto him to steady myself as we drove bumpily to his hut. I helped to lift him off the truck, but going into the hut the door was too small and many of us couldn't make it through and had to let go of our portion of the stretcher. They handled it though, and got him settled in his room. Angela offered to stay and watch him while Sarah, Valerie & I went to take our lunch breaks. I ate pretty quickly though because I finally got to have a shift watching one of our animals wake up! I brought my book and read aloud so Mak could hear too. When I did this for my dogs, they always seemed to like it- maybe a steady voice soothes them- so I thought it'd be nice for him too. I paused a couple times to go look at his face and call his name to see if he'd move a little. He had been blinking a bit and smacking his lips, and once when I called him he moved his ear and picked up his head a tiny bit. He also kept shifting his back legs every now and then. Mostly he stayed asleep all day. I guess the Bears take a LOT longer than the Lions to come out of anesthesia!

I was given a list of tasks to do all alone, starting at 3 o'clock. First was a Big Bear encounter. I picked up the bucket of donuts & apples from QB, then drove the people out in the giraffe truck. I told the guests all about all of our Brown Bears, and that we had one MIA since he was sleeping in the hut. Usually while we make the introductions the Bears start coming over because they know it's Big Bear time. WELL, they DIDN'T! I called and called them and clicked at them, but nobody made a move to come over. The guests and I laughed about it and talked about how we can't force them to do anything, and they are sometimes lazy, and maybe they weren't in the mood for donuts. :) I was getting desperate and threw a couple donut pieces to them where they were sleeping under their shade structure. They sniffed, but didn't get up. I finally threw one more piece and it landed right next to Victor's head! He ate it and looked at us, then finally meandered over! YAY! But then......... walked away! NOOO! I actually said "NOOOO" too. haha. The people all laughed about it too. Our time was running out so I apologized about not getting a Big Bear out of them, but gave them the bucket of apples to throw out. They threw some to the girls and Russel swam out to eat them. They threw some to the boys and after several apples had landed, they finally got up and ate them! The guests and I talked some more and giggled at how cute Russel was in the water. Then a little girl, about 8, asked if maybe Oso (who was in front of us eating apples) would maybe do a Big Bear now that he'd gotten up. I told her I could try it again once he'd finished his apples. So we waited, I got my bucket of donut chunks, then asked him to do Big Bear............ he didn't. There was one more apple, but I'd gotten it from near the fenceline and decided to ask him for Big Bear with the apple. It WORKED!!!! HAHAHA! The people were happy they finally got to see it. :) Time was out, but I felt bad that we spent the first half doing nothing, so I went over a little and got both boys to do Big Bears for donuts, FINALLY! I think the guests really liked the drama of the whole thing too. :) I returned them to the entrance, then went to check on Mak really quick before doing a Lion 101 encounter. He looked okay and just stayed asleep. He was breathing good tho.

I picked up the guests for the Lion encounter- 2 families who had been on the Big Bear one. :) I love when this happens as I feel like I have some sort of comraderie with them now. I feel more comfortable. I learned that Tau & Sarabi no longer need one or the other distracted since their food aggression with each other had lessened. I had them each do some training tricks while I talked, and noticed that Sarabi was being submissive to Tau! I had gone over to have her do a trick and Tau looked at her, and she ducked and squinted her eyes! I was amazed! I guess he is going to become the dominant one after all- as it should be with Lions! Good boy! He's finally stood up for himself. May help with the breeding too.

Once that ended, I met up with Sarah & Valerie to do a Lion/Bear Feed. It was grandparents and 2 of their grandsons who were teenagers and shy. We walked them over to the Lion hut and let them push meat through the chutes and watch the Lions come in. They got to hear 2 roaring episodes. :) Then we drove out to the Bear hut to let the Bears in and watch them eat. We looked at Mak first, who was still sleeping, and told the guests about what happened to him today and that he was just recovering. We let his 'brothers' in and instead of going right to the food, they sniffed around at all the scents left by the vets and sniffed at the door that Mak was behind. Victor started banging on the door and digging and the ground. He and Oso sniffed and sniffed at the door and tore at the boxes their food was in, but didnt' eat any of it. They were just being destructive to show their feelings of irritation at being separated from Mak. It made me sad for them. And Mak sat up in his room to sniff at the door too. He stood and walked at one point, but was so wobbly that he laid back down to sleep. They will all be together tomorrow though. Poor little Grizzlies.

The girls were let in with no fuss and enjoyed their meals thoroughly! The guests took lots of pictures in front of the rooms and took a long time watching them. They also felt bad for the boys, but we all knew they'd be fine. We said goodnight and headed out to close the gates. On the drive I asked about a baby Eland I'd seen earlier! Valerie said it was born yesterday! Aug 4, 2010. :) Not sure who will name it or when we will find the name out tho. I think I spotted the baby Zebra too. :) Bethany has a list of names narrowed down, so we should find out soon!

I stayed in the Cheetah Lodge until the last car pulled through (saw Hermano (Cheetah) laying in his yard), then went to help bring the Tigers in for dinner and bed. Leah was being affectionate and rubbing on the gates at us. I think they said it's because it's breeding season and she gets lovey-dovey. :)

That was the last thing of the night. WHEW!

Bye for now...