Walking like a lion! And my box arrived!

Day 16.

This morning we woke up the lions. They go first since they are at the beginning of the drive-thru portion of the park. We don't want any guests missing seeing the lions! We always wake them and check that they are okay, then go into their empty pens to look for trash and spread enrichment. Today's enrichment: chicken strips! haha! The grass is long in one of the pens, so while I was walking through I felt like I could be a stalking lion! ROAR! I also thought it was cool to walk in the same path they created through the long grass. :) While they waited on us to finish their pen checks, they got impatient and started carroling! It was so cool, as always. We let each couple into their separate pens- Tau was hesitating walking through the door, so Sarabi came back through it and bit and pulled him by the mane! He didn't like that and roared at her, but she is the boss!

After lions we go to let the Brown Bears out. Today I helped clean the empty pens and spread enrichment (produce, nuts, odd donated food items like cheesy rice). Erin was left to clean the hut by herself while I went to clean the lion hut by MYself. I got about 1/2 done before I had to meet Angela for a Lion 101 encounter. It was only 2 people and they didn't take a lot of pics or ask a lot of questions. They seemed a little uninterested. Maybe they just don't like talking so much..?

Next we picked up some GIANT fruitsicles from QB. These are the ones we made in buckets yesterday. :) We took the Brown Bears' theirs and tossed them over the fences for them. I tossed Victors to him, and then Claire's to her. Claire & Russel were sitting on a hill, so when Erin & I tried to toss their GIANT fruitsicles, they both came rolling back down the hill to us! I actually did this three times! I let Angela throw it for me so that Claire could have it. LOL! Claire had been so cute sitting and waiting patiently while I attempted and failed to throw it to her. What a cutie!

It was LUNCHTIME after that, and there was a special potluck put on by all the docents! Angela & I piled up different foods on two plates each and stuffed ourselves! It was so good! I also had a piece of angel food cake with chocolate icing- ooooh so good!

After such a satisfying meal I went back to finish cleaning the lion hut. I must say I am very good at cleaning the huts. Very proud of myself. Then it was time to prepare the bear and lion dinners. Erin had already done most of the work, but Angela & I helped finish and then took the Black Bears' dinner out to them. We started by throwing the "adults" (Ricky, Little Boy, Little Girl) food over the fences to them. I had Ricky's. When I went to toss the meat over it caught on the barbed wire!! I knocked it off with a broom stick, but then it fell right on a "hot" wire! UGH! Ricky knows not to go near those, so he just stared at it longingly. The yard they are in is able to be divided off, so we did that and I went into the half that the meat was stuck in and kicked it off the hot wire with my rubber boot! Ricky enjoyed the meat when I finally got it to him. :) Angela & I took the others' (Donna, Takoda, Chochmo) food down to them in the backyards. While they waited for us to throw their meals over, Takoda & Chochmo were climbing the fences as if in a competition. Chochmo jumped up and climbed, Takoda looked at him and did the same. Sillies.

It was closing time then, so we went back to put the lions to bed and give them their dinners. Angela let me open and close the proper guillotine doors to get each lion into their separate rooms. Most of those are SO HARD to pull down! My hands were a little sore from it, so Angela had to help me with a couple. She's used to doing them. :)

Last, but not least, we went to put the Brown Bears to bed and give them dinner. Erin had already set all their dinners up in their rooms and also had let the girls in already, so they were almost done and I watched Russel biting the remains of fruit off of an opened melon. I got the job of opening the guillotine door for the boys to come in. The Bear hut ones aren't hard since you just crank a handle. The boys were very good and came in pretty quickly. Once they're finally inside they LOVE looking at what goodies they have to eat and what toys we brought in for them that day. One toy was a cinder block with the meat tucked in the open square hole- two of the boys stuck their noses in to try and get the meat out, but had to finally roll it over to achieve success. :)

That was all for today. Erin had shut all the park gates for us already. I had to use the restroom though, so I was actually the last person out of the park! That being so, my duty was to close the road gate that leads up to the park. Kinda cool.

Okay, bye for now!

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P.S. (by Susan)
Ashley received a box from home today. It contained many things, but the most important item was her new EVO cell phone. Nick had set it to switch her number over to that device as soon as he knew the box had arrived. Before she finished work for the day, her old phone that was on her was shut off! We had no way to tell her.

She went to the library after work to try to reach Nick, and had a hard time staying connected with their WiFi, so she gave up there. She drove to McDonald's to use their signal. And sat for too long with her car off and lights on, so her car battery died. An employee jumped it for her. :)

She finally discovered the code to unlock the new phone (thanks to Ryan Osinski!), and got back to her dorm. What a long exhausting day! She now has 2 days off, which she surely needs!