Day 5.
This morning I went to wake up the Brown Bears again. Angela (keeper in training) and Erin (new intern also) and I went together. We picked up food at QB (the food place) then up to the brown bear exhibit. Before letting the bears out we wanted to clean their yards and throw their breakfast out. I got to do the girls' outer yard, while Angela & Erin did the boys' inner yard. It was SO COOL walking around the whole yard that the huge Alaskan Coastal Brown Bears do!! HAHA! I walked the whole thing looking for any debris from previous days (this yard cleanup is not daily). The girls only had one paper that a guest must have thrown in or lost out their car window. Then I tossed out their breakfast- donuts, lettuce, peaches, plums, and walnuts.
Erin & I then went into the bear hut to wake the bears all up and let the boys out first. Angela had their tunnel open so they could go through to their inner yard. Once they were securely over there we let the girls out into their outer yard.
Today we are painting the hut in places that look bad. (The AZA inspector comes every 5 years and happens to be coming next week to Wildlife Safari! So we are trying to make it look very nice!) We painted for a bit, then there was a Bear Encounter with a bus full of little kids around 5 or 6. Angela did the talking and Erin & I took pics. The kids got to throw used boxes (from crakers, poptarts, etc) with peaches inside, to the bears. They gave some to both the boys and the girls. :) After that we went back to painting for a bit.
Today we are painting the hut in places that look bad. (The AZA inspector comes every 5 years and happens to be coming next week to Wildlife Safari! So we are trying to make it look very nice!) We painted for a bit, then there was a Bear Encounter with a bus full of little kids around 5 or 6. Angela did the talking and Erin & I took pics. The kids got to throw used boxes (from crakers, poptarts, etc) with peaches inside, to the bears. They gave some to both the boys and the girls. :) After that we went back to painting for a bit.
Angela then took us to the Black Bear exhibit to throw out some walnuts in each of their yards for "enrichment". Throwing walnuts is pretty fun! I do a softball toss so that they make it over any high fences and also they scatter better after flying so high. :) Pretty fun to do. :D Then we went into the little house pen in the middle and cleaned, and I took pics from there cuz the bears are so close from that point!
Erin & I were dropped off at the entrance to pick up guests who were going on a Lion Encounter. We walked them around the front and into the lion area where Angela & Valerie (one of the main Carnivore people) were waiting. The two of us stood back while Angela did the presentation and Valerie had the lion do behaviors for treats.
LUNCH TIME! I ate again with other employees/interns. :) I just listened to them talk to each other while I ate my healthy meal of carrot, kale, bread, cheese, blueberries. yum!
After lunch, guess what we went back to? .......................painting the Brown Bear hut! There is still more to do tomorrow too. heh. We also cleaned the rooms for the bears, and spread out their dinners.
After that Angela & I went to "wash the dishes" (clean the buckets that food was carried in). After about an hour, we had to do another Lion Encounter. Since I'd never taken guests alone to walk to the lion area, Angela walked with me. But that meant she couldn't drive the truck up and we had to carry the large bucket of meat together around to the lion area! It was just a couple doing the Encounter, and the guy offered to help carry the container, but we didn't want him to. :) Once there, we just showed them how we bring the lions in for dinner and bedtime. Keeno was called in first, but Natasha, his mate, wouldn't respond, so he was sent back out and THEN she came in! The guests got to push the meals through the chutes before each lion got into their own rooms. Keeno, Natasha, and Sarabi had their meat in paper dog food bags to give them a "challenge". Tau has hereditary stomach trouble, so he can't have a bag.
Angela & I were left there to let the guests watch for as long as they wanted. The lions ate, then two times they did a "chorus" where they roar back and forth. One time all 4 lions were doing it and the second time only the males did it. :)
Once the guests had their fill, Angela & I went to fill out the daily report in the office. While we were there, one of the cheetah people asked for help putting the tigers up! ("Cheetahs" do both the cheetahs AND tigers.) So Angela & I got to respond to that! YAY!
We drove up to the tiger area, waited for the very last car of the day to pass through, then went down to the tiger house. Angela let me put the meat into their rooms before each was called in. There are 2 and they are bro & sis. I forget what their names are tho....
And that was it- we closed and locked the gates to the park!
bye for now...
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