Day 33.
Today it was just Valerie & I. I enjoy these days because I am left alone to do chores, which I enjoy the alone time and also I think I learn more by having to do it by myself. :) I realized today how much I know and am becoming good at.
Valerie's family was also visiting, so her brother shadowed her all day and her parents came by in the morning and at closing time. We all went to wake up the lions together. Everything was normal, all the lions laying in their same spots as usual (Keeno standing and waiting, Natasha still resting in her corner, Sarabi on her bed but alert and ready to go out, and Tau laying next to his door looking curious and still a bit tired.) I went into the pens to check all of the fencelines and to spread enrichment (curry powder & garlic powder). Once all of that was good, her parents went in to get another look and the lions all started roaring! :) Then Valerie let them all out in their specific sequences. Tau was last to be let out. He was standing in his room waiting, holding his bowling pin in his mouth (that was the toy he was given last night- it changes daily). Valerie asked him if he wanted to take it out with him, and he answered by carrying it as he walked out. :) He stopped in the last room though and started playing with it! I couldn't see very much since her family was having such fun watching, but I heard him batting it around and I saw a few glimpses of him from my vantage point. He played for about 15 minutes! Valerie didn't want to force him out since he was just having fun, so we all just waited and watched. He was exactly like a house cat playing. hehe. After about 10 min, Sarabi got impatient in the yard and came back in to get him- she burst in, leaping into the room after him and he jumped back a bit frightened. She growled at him, then walked out hoping he'd follow. She intimidates him, but he still wanted to play, so he just kept an eye on her while he played a few minutes longer. Finally he picked up the toy to go out, but then he dropped it to the floor right before he got outside. Oh well- he has toys out there too. :) Plus they actually sleep most of the day under the trees in the shade. Occasionally he & Sarabi will wrestle, or stalk some birds, but mostly sleep. (Keeno & Natasha have always been sleeping when I watch from Lion Tower.)
Next was the Brown Bears turn. We woke them up to check on them, then I was left in the hut to let them out myself. The boys are let out first so they'll cross through the tunnel onto their "island", then the girls can go on the outer ring yard. Well, the boys took a very long time exploring around the section of outer yard before they finally crossed through the tunnel. YAWN! After they were all outside, I was left to clean the hut.
I was going to make all of the Bear dinners next, but our fruit was in the freezer and all frozen together, so we had to set it outside to thaw while we took an early lunch. After that I got a nice break by going to Lion tower for 30 min to let the volunteer have her lunch break. There was a giraffe nearby eating the leaves of a tree and scratching his neck on the trunk of it. He was pretty close to the Lion area, so we had to keep watch just in case we need to shut the gates, but he stayed at that tree for hours. :) I also saw two finches land near me, one with food in its mouth, before quickly flying away. There could be a nest on the roof of the Tower cuz I heard a lot of chirping- or maybe it's just a "Peewee hangout"! When I looked at the lions they were just sleeping, but for one minute Sarabi was up and stalking a bird. She moved SOO SLOWLY, moving one foot at a time in very slow motion. When she pounced, she didn't catch anything, but I saw a bird fly away.
Then I met up with a Cheetah intern to go clean the Lion hut together. She'd never done any work with our department before, but since it was just spraying out the hut (I did the scrubbing) she was fine. :) I think Valerie did a couple encounters by herself while I was doing the cleaning. We parted ways, and I met up with Valerie at QB to finish the dinners that we had started on before lunch. The fruit was still pretty frozen, but her brother was chiseling them apart so we could feed the bears! I was sent on my own with all of the bear dinner buckets and set up the Brown Bears' dinners in their hut, then stopped by the Black Bear exhibit to throw their dinners over the fences to them. Donna is now with Takoda & Chochmo, being pretty nice (Chochmo is cautious around her), so they all three have access to both large backyards now. :)
It was getting late, so we met up with Valerie's parents again to go put the Lions in their hut and feed them. Nobody wanted to put the meat through the chutes, so Valerie just did it. The Lions did their nightly carrolling, then we left to go put the Brown Bears to bed too. I closed gates on the way and met up with everyone at the hut. Valerie had me stay in there to let each Bear in, while she maneuvered all of the hotwires and guillotines outside accordingly. The Grizzly boys took forever again to get into their hut! We finally figured out why they wouldn't come in! We always have fans blowing to dry the floors after we clean, and maintenance got us some new heavy duty ones (really nice!). Well they are louder and the Grizzly boys are scared of them! So when two of them finally entered the hut they bolted right back out when they saw the fan! Valerie figured out their fear and turned the fans off so they'd come in. We did turn them back on though, cuz they need to get used to them- we also want to keep the hut cool in the summer heat! They exited the room the fan blows in (their food room) but we figured they'd get over it in a couple hours (at least) and go eat later. :)
While I drove to finish closing gates I saw Eland and Watusi Cattle herds enjoying the light of dusk while eating the grass- how very peaceful they looked. When I passed the rhinos, the sun was just so, and all I could see of them was silhouettes.
That was all for today- busy with just two of us, but still one of my favorite days as it was somehow relaxing. :)
Bye for now...
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