As if the life of a Zookeeper was fulfilling enough I also work a part time job. Yes it's sad that I have to work another job, but even though us Keepers work with some dangerous animals we are more often than not grossly underpaid. So in order to pay the bills and not be living paycheck to paycheck I have taken on another job.
The job I have is in retail, it's actually at a company I've been employed at for just under 5 years now, so I was able to transfer to the branch out here when I moved. Worked out well for me since I have tenure at this company I have earned a semi decent pay rate and I came in fully trained so the transition was pretty easy. What's sad is that just as I moved out here and got set up at this new store the company announced it was closing a bunch of it's less than ideal stores. This company has some major fiscal challenges since the economy sucks. Of course my new store was one of those chosen to close. Figures. Now as we head into August the clock is ticking down for my store.
We've been liquidating our merchandise since early June so at this point there isn't much left. Watching the changes in the store was something though. It's just odd to see empty shelves and fixtures when we've been trained to keep things as full as possible. The store would normally have merchandise from floor to ceiling, so it's weird to see entire rooms empty and now blocked off to consolidate the remaining merchandise. They've even begun to sell the fixtures themselves. I suppose if I wanted an endcap for whatever reason I now know how much it's valued at. Some stuff is being shipped off to other stores that aren't closing, but most of it is being sold off. It's been an interesting process and I'll admit I'll be sad when the door finally close and the hammer falls. Not just because I will lose that 2nd source of income, but it will be the end of an era for me. After being with the company for so long I guess I'll miss it. I know some of you are groaning right now and saying "yeah right" but seriously I will miss it, but not out of loyalty to the company. I haven't forgotten all the times I've been screwed over by them, but I'll miss the fact that no other PT job will pay me as much as I was earning there and now I have to start over and be trained in something else. I was hoping that this store wouldn't close and I could just do my thing for awhile.
So now I begin the search for a new PT job that will be flexible regarding my Zoo schedule. I suppose I could go to our competitor where it'd basically be the same thing just a different store, but rumor has it they aren't doing so hot either, and maybe it's just time to do something different. It's been an interesting ride though. I've learned a lot of useless information during my time there and made some good friends too, so as bittersweet as the ending will be it wasn't so bad.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Bob the Builder
I've been meaning to blog about this for awhile now but time and motivation has escaped me until now. It was distinct pleasure awhile ago at work to play "Bob the Builder" It began with the start of breeding season for our Peacocks or rather laying season. We began to find eggs in the barn which normally would be met with glee but sadly these eggs had obviously been laid when the Peahens were up in the rafters of the barn and they had splatted onto the barn floor. If you've ever had to clean up a broken egg that had dried onto a floor then you'll know how frustrating it can be. Had to get the Pressure Washer to get it all. It was one thing to make sure you knew where you were walking in the Peacock barn so you didn't get pooped on but now we had to watch out for falling eggs?!
The thought was to construct a couple nest boxes to see if given a more ideal place to lay their eggs if the Peahens would stop dropping them onto the barn floor. That task fell to me since it was my area. Ok so after some thought and consensus from another Keeper, I set off for Maintenance to see what I could knock together. With the help of the shop guys I soon had lumber cut and was in the process of assembling 2 nest boxes. We even found some paint so they'd look a little nicer and sorta be sealed to keep them from rotting too fast. Thankfully I had interns to work on the basic feeding and cleaning of my animals while I played carpenter.
Installing the 2 nest boxes was a learning experience. Seemed like a relatively simple process: Screw box into barn wall, attach angle support to box, then screw support into wall. Turned out to me more involved than that. Lots of pre-drilling and fighting with half stripped screws along with the dilemma of how to hold up the box as well as screw it in all by myself. Ingenuity prevailed and after much ado and maybe just a lil bit of cursing they were up and ready for business or at least that was the hope. It would be my luck that I'd do all that work and the Peahens would still "scramble" eggs on the barn floor.
Happily the morning after I installed the 2 boxes I found an egg in one and none on the barn floor. Huzzah! I was a proud Peacock at the success of my efforts. I was sharing the news with everyone all day. I'm sure I annoyed a few people since I just wouldn't shut up about it. Too bad I was excited and proud that something I spent so much time on actually worked out. I had earned my moment of "Go Me" and I was taking it. A few mornings later we found a couple eggs back on the barn floor, so maybe it was not a total success after all. The thing was where the eggs were on the floor. They weren't in the middle of the barn like before but right next to the boxes so someone either missed the box or maybe the females were fighting for the boxes. I had made 2 and we have 3 females so maybe making a 3rd box would solve the problem. Back to the shop I went.
This time I was allowed to use the big scary power tools to cut the lumber I needed instead of having the shop guys do it for me. Not sure if they trusted me enough to not cut my hand off or maybe they were too busy with other projects and didn't have time to cut the wood for me. I like to think they trusted me, so that's what we're sticking with. It was fun to use the Radial Arm Saw. My dad has one so I knew the basics of how to use it, but just never actually used it. I even figured out how to turn it so I could cut my 45 degree angle support piece. YEA! The Table Saw still freaks me out a bit, but I can use it just fine. Constantly checked on where my thumbs were while pushing the plywood toward the blade so I didn't cut them off, but that's probably a good thing. So for nest box #3 it was all me! Cut, Build, Paint and Install, I did it all. So now we had 1 box for each Peahen. Now we'd have to wait and see if any more eggs would get scrambled.
Long story short it worked and before long we had quite a few eggs in one of the boxes with only a rare random egg on the floor. I think maybe one of the juvenile females is the culprit of that. She might be too young to fully know what to do with her eggs, or maybe she's just not the smartest bird in the flock. The last egg count ended at 6 but there could be more that we don't know of. After a certain # of eggs have been laid the Peahen will begin sitting on them to begin incubating them, so once this started we didn't want to scare her off the nest so we just left her alone. As a matter of fact any day now those eggs should be hatching. They incubate for about 28 days so soon we'll have Peafowl Chicks. Can't say I've ever seen a newly hatched Peahen/Peacock but soon I'll get to assuming the eggs were all viable.
I'm excited that the nest boxes I built were actually used. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling all over. Also nice to know that I can use the power saws when I need to and not have to wait for one of the shop guys to do it for me. Another exciting chapter in the life of a Zookeeper.
The thought was to construct a couple nest boxes to see if given a more ideal place to lay their eggs if the Peahens would stop dropping them onto the barn floor. That task fell to me since it was my area. Ok so after some thought and consensus from another Keeper, I set off for Maintenance to see what I could knock together. With the help of the shop guys I soon had lumber cut and was in the process of assembling 2 nest boxes. We even found some paint so they'd look a little nicer and sorta be sealed to keep them from rotting too fast. Thankfully I had interns to work on the basic feeding and cleaning of my animals while I played carpenter.
Installing the 2 nest boxes was a learning experience. Seemed like a relatively simple process: Screw box into barn wall, attach angle support to box, then screw support into wall. Turned out to me more involved than that. Lots of pre-drilling and fighting with half stripped screws along with the dilemma of how to hold up the box as well as screw it in all by myself. Ingenuity prevailed and after much ado and maybe just a lil bit of cursing they were up and ready for business or at least that was the hope. It would be my luck that I'd do all that work and the Peahens would still "scramble" eggs on the barn floor.
Happily the morning after I installed the 2 boxes I found an egg in one and none on the barn floor. Huzzah! I was a proud Peacock at the success of my efforts. I was sharing the news with everyone all day. I'm sure I annoyed a few people since I just wouldn't shut up about it. Too bad I was excited and proud that something I spent so much time on actually worked out. I had earned my moment of "Go Me" and I was taking it. A few mornings later we found a couple eggs back on the barn floor, so maybe it was not a total success after all. The thing was where the eggs were on the floor. They weren't in the middle of the barn like before but right next to the boxes so someone either missed the box or maybe the females were fighting for the boxes. I had made 2 and we have 3 females so maybe making a 3rd box would solve the problem. Back to the shop I went.
This time I was allowed to use the big scary power tools to cut the lumber I needed instead of having the shop guys do it for me. Not sure if they trusted me enough to not cut my hand off or maybe they were too busy with other projects and didn't have time to cut the wood for me. I like to think they trusted me, so that's what we're sticking with. It was fun to use the Radial Arm Saw. My dad has one so I knew the basics of how to use it, but just never actually used it. I even figured out how to turn it so I could cut my 45 degree angle support piece. YEA! The Table Saw still freaks me out a bit, but I can use it just fine. Constantly checked on where my thumbs were while pushing the plywood toward the blade so I didn't cut them off, but that's probably a good thing. So for nest box #3 it was all me! Cut, Build, Paint and Install, I did it all. So now we had 1 box for each Peahen. Now we'd have to wait and see if any more eggs would get scrambled.
Long story short it worked and before long we had quite a few eggs in one of the boxes with only a rare random egg on the floor. I think maybe one of the juvenile females is the culprit of that. She might be too young to fully know what to do with her eggs, or maybe she's just not the smartest bird in the flock. The last egg count ended at 6 but there could be more that we don't know of. After a certain # of eggs have been laid the Peahen will begin sitting on them to begin incubating them, so once this started we didn't want to scare her off the nest so we just left her alone. As a matter of fact any day now those eggs should be hatching. They incubate for about 28 days so soon we'll have Peafowl Chicks. Can't say I've ever seen a newly hatched Peahen/Peacock but soon I'll get to assuming the eggs were all viable.
I'm excited that the nest boxes I built were actually used. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling all over. Also nice to know that I can use the power saws when I need to and not have to wait for one of the shop guys to do it for me. Another exciting chapter in the life of a Zookeeper.
Dark Wizard
Just saw a preview online for the new Harry Potter movie "The Half Blood Prince" and wow! Definitely darker than the other movies but then again the story line leads us down that path so it makes sense. Anyone who has read the books knows that things get really dark and not so fairy tale fantasy land-ish towards the end. I'm excited for it. I wasn't sure if WB planned on doing movies of all the books or if they were done after "Order of the Phoenix". The ending of that movie seemed to me like a decent place to just leave off, so I wasn't sure if that was the plan since that ending could go either way. I'm glad they are continuing and I'm excited for November when the movie comes out. There haven't been too many movies I've been uber interested in seeing lately. A fair few I'd go see but none that have me running out on my days off to catch a cheap matinee. Ok part of that is cuz I'm dirt poor but that's besides the point.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
National Zookeeper Week!
July 20th-26th is National Zookeeper Week!
Finally a special week dedicated to all of us who are underpaid, overworked, and most of the time are dirty, but wouldn't trade it for the world. So let all those Keepers out there know you appreciate their hard work and dedication. Have you hugged a Keeper today?
Finally a special week dedicated to all of us who are underpaid, overworked, and most of the time are dirty, but wouldn't trade it for the world. So let all those Keepers out there know you appreciate their hard work and dedication. Have you hugged a Keeper today?
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Thoughts
Found this while doing some organizing. No idea where I got it from. I clipped out of somewhere but the lil scrap of paper it's printed on left me no clues as to it's origin. Wish I could take credit for writing it but I didn't and wouldn't feel right about taking credit for someone else's work. Anyway enjoy!
Then again...everyone has a photographic memory-some just don't have film....Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine....Do you get lost in thought and find it unfamiliar territory? Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it....Do you sometimes feel like you're diagonally parked in a parallel universe? You have the right to remain silent, anything you say will be misquoted and used against you...Do you wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges? There's no future in time travel....Do you sometimes open your mouth only to change whichever foot is currently in there...and finally, for the computer minded: Multi-tasking-screwing up several things at once.
Then again...everyone has a photographic memory-some just don't have film....Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine....Do you get lost in thought and find it unfamiliar territory? Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it....Do you sometimes feel like you're diagonally parked in a parallel universe? You have the right to remain silent, anything you say will be misquoted and used against you...Do you wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges? There's no future in time travel....Do you sometimes open your mouth only to change whichever foot is currently in there...and finally, for the computer minded: Multi-tasking-screwing up several things at once.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A Bit of a Downer (Updated)
Some of you may have already read this posting, for those who have and commented back to me via e-mail I thank you for your advice and support. The more I thought about this posting after initially typing it the more I wanted to sign on and change if not delete it. It's not that I regret posting it or fear a backlash should a coworker read it. Instead I just began feeling like it was a lil too whiny, and granted I have the right but those who know me know that I'm not big on whining. That and I didn't fully explain what I was feeling. I attribute that to being somewhat tipsy when typing. So I've edited, added, and changed this posting to be a better reflection of me while still venting my feelings on this topic. Yes for those of you who will say I'm doing this just to save some face after a drunk posting you're partially right too, happy? ;)
So today was my day off. My only one for the week since I've been working OT at the Zoo and as many hours as I can handle at my other job. Got some stuff done today that needed to be done which was good. Still lots more to do but I guess it'll have to wait until I get another free moment.
I had some actual fun today or rather tonight. A bunch of us Zoo people went out for a night on the town. Granted I was left out of the loop regarding plans since I was not at work today but I checked in and found out I was more than fashionably late, but I still made it to the party.
Tonight was fun, real fun in fact since I allowed myself to indulge with a few more drinks than usual. It's been a hard week so a little fun was in order. We all drank a bit and danced whilst bar hopping. Those who know me know that I do love to dance though I never claim to know how, but I get out there and move none-the-less. What bothered me that night was the perceived distance between my coworkers and myself. I saw it as having something to do with being openly gay. I'm sure some of you have been out with a group of friends drinking and dancing and have bumped and grinded on a friend just for fun. Maybe you haven't, if that's the case then stop reading this post cuz you won't understand. Not to say that there wasnt' grinding, there was but most of the time I had to initiate it. Again not a problem really but seeing others in the group all up on each other and not me made me wonder why that was so.
I know that not everyone in the world is ok with being around gay people. I've had my share of bad experiences with people who just can't let me live my life in peace because I'm gay. I suppose I had hoped that my coworkers wouldn't fall into that category, but if they aren't comfortable around me there's not much I can do. I've always wondered though when I compliment a friend/coworker what they read into it. It's always been something I've been cautious about around new friends until they get to know me and can tell that I'm just paying them a compliment and nothing more. If I say to someone, "that's a nice shirt on you" or "you have really pretty eyes" it doesn't translate to "I want you" or anything like that it's just a compliment. Everytime though I wonder about unintentionally offending someone. It's a sad fact of my reality.
Do they think I'll get the wrong impression if they dance with me? I wouldn't think anything of it at all just friends having some fun, but there are people out there that think because I'm gay that I'm attracted to any and all women. Are they attracted to all men cuz they're straight? Doubt it. They have a "type" that they like and prefer over others, so why is that idea not carried over? Just because I like women doesn't mean I don't have tastes and preferences. If they feel uncomfortable I suppose I can understand that, but it doesn't make me feel any less sad when they can bump and grind on just about anyone else but me. It's unfortunate that one aspect of my life might be creating this distance. To me it's a small part of who I am but to some it's much bigger. I won't deny or hide who I am for anyone, but it's not like I flaunt it either. I don't go around saying, "Hi! my name is ____ and I'm a lesbian and your name is?"
I'll not deny that I'm jealous of the comfort they all seem to have with each other. Truth be told I'm lonely. I'm hudreds of miles away from friends and family. I'm working a lot at 2 jobs out here so I've had little time to make friends outside of work so I guess I'm feeling threatened by this perceived distance. I say perceived cuz this could all just be in my head, and maybe I'm making too much outta this but it's bugging me and I gotta vent here. Maybe I'm trying to hard. I won't argue it. I would hope not but feeling so isolated out here I just might not realize how hard I might be trying. I'm pretty independent but it's nice to be part of a group too. To go out and have fun, but I guess I'm not feeling that currently and I'm scared. Yes I said it I'm scared. As much fun as my job is it's still a bit freaky to be so far removed from everything and everyone I know. Not being included in something as seemingly trivial as dancing is a bigger deal to me right now.
I dunno maybe I'm just frustrated at my dry spell or I guess at this point it's more of a drought. I need to look into finding a gay bar in town or if there isn't one in town then nearby where I won't have to worry about what messages I'm sending when dancing. The only person that was all up on my ass tonight was some guy which of course did nothing for me but I had some fun with it just because. I don't even think he was truly interested in me I think he was trying to get to a friend of mine but I was cock blocking him. heh heh ;)
Hell I'm not even sure what I'm saying anymore. I'm rambling, even more than usual probably cuz I'm slightly intoxicated at the moment. Hurray drunk Blogging! Will I remember this in the morning? We'll see. The point is I was a lil bummed that my coworkers will dance all up on each other and not on me cuz I'm gay and that bums me out. Or at least that's how it seemed. I don't want to make unfounded accusations but that's how I saw it and it made me sad.
Kinda like family weddings. I hate those. I'm not allowed to bring a date unless it's a guy, so basically for all of them I've been solo. Regardless of whether I was dating someone at the time or not. It's just a crappy situation that I hate being stuck in, but it's either that or my parents disown me or something. It's a stupid double standard which I had hoped was just limited to family functions but as I saw tonight I guess not. The whole thing put a damper on my night. Bummer
Still a good time was had. As far as I know everyone got home safely and I'm guessing only a few of us will be less than chipper come the morning and the start of a new work day. I'll put myself in that category. Definitely a coffee morning tomorrow or technically today since it's now after midnight. It's always good to vent but it does suck to be reminded that no matter how well I fit in with my new coworkers I'm still very different in a way that might make them uncomfortable aroud me and that sucks a lil bit.
So today was my day off. My only one for the week since I've been working OT at the Zoo and as many hours as I can handle at my other job. Got some stuff done today that needed to be done which was good. Still lots more to do but I guess it'll have to wait until I get another free moment.
I had some actual fun today or rather tonight. A bunch of us Zoo people went out for a night on the town. Granted I was left out of the loop regarding plans since I was not at work today but I checked in and found out I was more than fashionably late, but I still made it to the party.
Tonight was fun, real fun in fact since I allowed myself to indulge with a few more drinks than usual. It's been a hard week so a little fun was in order. We all drank a bit and danced whilst bar hopping. Those who know me know that I do love to dance though I never claim to know how, but I get out there and move none-the-less. What bothered me that night was the perceived distance between my coworkers and myself. I saw it as having something to do with being openly gay. I'm sure some of you have been out with a group of friends drinking and dancing and have bumped and grinded on a friend just for fun. Maybe you haven't, if that's the case then stop reading this post cuz you won't understand. Not to say that there wasnt' grinding, there was but most of the time I had to initiate it. Again not a problem really but seeing others in the group all up on each other and not me made me wonder why that was so.
I know that not everyone in the world is ok with being around gay people. I've had my share of bad experiences with people who just can't let me live my life in peace because I'm gay. I suppose I had hoped that my coworkers wouldn't fall into that category, but if they aren't comfortable around me there's not much I can do. I've always wondered though when I compliment a friend/coworker what they read into it. It's always been something I've been cautious about around new friends until they get to know me and can tell that I'm just paying them a compliment and nothing more. If I say to someone, "that's a nice shirt on you" or "you have really pretty eyes" it doesn't translate to "I want you" or anything like that it's just a compliment. Everytime though I wonder about unintentionally offending someone. It's a sad fact of my reality.
Do they think I'll get the wrong impression if they dance with me? I wouldn't think anything of it at all just friends having some fun, but there are people out there that think because I'm gay that I'm attracted to any and all women. Are they attracted to all men cuz they're straight? Doubt it. They have a "type" that they like and prefer over others, so why is that idea not carried over? Just because I like women doesn't mean I don't have tastes and preferences. If they feel uncomfortable I suppose I can understand that, but it doesn't make me feel any less sad when they can bump and grind on just about anyone else but me. It's unfortunate that one aspect of my life might be creating this distance. To me it's a small part of who I am but to some it's much bigger. I won't deny or hide who I am for anyone, but it's not like I flaunt it either. I don't go around saying, "Hi! my name is ____ and I'm a lesbian and your name is?"
I'll not deny that I'm jealous of the comfort they all seem to have with each other. Truth be told I'm lonely. I'm hudreds of miles away from friends and family. I'm working a lot at 2 jobs out here so I've had little time to make friends outside of work so I guess I'm feeling threatened by this perceived distance. I say perceived cuz this could all just be in my head, and maybe I'm making too much outta this but it's bugging me and I gotta vent here. Maybe I'm trying to hard. I won't argue it. I would hope not but feeling so isolated out here I just might not realize how hard I might be trying. I'm pretty independent but it's nice to be part of a group too. To go out and have fun, but I guess I'm not feeling that currently and I'm scared. Yes I said it I'm scared. As much fun as my job is it's still a bit freaky to be so far removed from everything and everyone I know. Not being included in something as seemingly trivial as dancing is a bigger deal to me right now.
I dunno maybe I'm just frustrated at my dry spell or I guess at this point it's more of a drought. I need to look into finding a gay bar in town or if there isn't one in town then nearby where I won't have to worry about what messages I'm sending when dancing. The only person that was all up on my ass tonight was some guy which of course did nothing for me but I had some fun with it just because. I don't even think he was truly interested in me I think he was trying to get to a friend of mine but I was cock blocking him. heh heh ;)
Hell I'm not even sure what I'm saying anymore. I'm rambling, even more than usual probably cuz I'm slightly intoxicated at the moment. Hurray drunk Blogging! Will I remember this in the morning? We'll see. The point is I was a lil bummed that my coworkers will dance all up on each other and not on me cuz I'm gay and that bums me out. Or at least that's how it seemed. I don't want to make unfounded accusations but that's how I saw it and it made me sad.
Kinda like family weddings. I hate those. I'm not allowed to bring a date unless it's a guy, so basically for all of them I've been solo. Regardless of whether I was dating someone at the time or not. It's just a crappy situation that I hate being stuck in, but it's either that or my parents disown me or something. It's a stupid double standard which I had hoped was just limited to family functions but as I saw tonight I guess not. The whole thing put a damper on my night. Bummer
Still a good time was had. As far as I know everyone got home safely and I'm guessing only a few of us will be less than chipper come the morning and the start of a new work day. I'll put myself in that category. Definitely a coffee morning tomorrow or technically today since it's now after midnight. It's always good to vent but it does suck to be reminded that no matter how well I fit in with my new coworkers I'm still very different in a way that might make them uncomfortable aroud me and that sucks a lil bit.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
A view of our future?
So I went and saw the movie WALL-E today. It was a cute flick, though with very little spoken dialogue it seemed to lack something. Perhaps it's just that I'm used to lots of talking and plot divulging during movies, but it was still an enjoyable film. I'm always up for the latest Pixar flick. They do great work. Seeing the movie did make me think for a moment is that future portrayed in the film really that far off? It's no secret the human race is destroying this planet. As a species we suck rocks. We've completely taken ourselves out of the "survival of the fittest" equation. Without all our technology most of us humans wouldn't be here. I myself would have died in some accident or been taken by a predator. I've got poor eyesight without the aid of my contacts, and apparently now some of my hearing is gone. My left ear is basically deaf, so according to Darwin I'd not be "fit" to pass on my genes. Lots of us humans are overweight and lazy relying too much on technology to fix our problems. It would not surprise me when the day comes when humans kill off all life on Earth. When that day comes I won't feel sorry for the human race. Nope we brought it on our selves and should *finally* pay the price for our actions. No, the only things I'll feel sorry for will be the plants and animals that we mercilessly killed in our own pursuits of luxury.
As a Zookeeper I am frequently asked about my feelings of captive animals. The answer is not as simple as one would think. Sure I'd love to not need Zoos, but then I'd also be out of a job that I do love very much. I am ok with animals being in captivity, hell if some animals weren't in captivity they'd be extinct or close to. Pollution and human encroachment on their habitats among other factors have driven some species to be found only in captivity. That is a sad realization. I feel it's important to not only show the rich diversity of the planet but to also educate future generations about the animals plight at our own hand in the hope that they will become part of the solution. The problem cannot be fixed at this point we've grown too big, but we can stop it from getting worse. I'm against taking animals from the wild to be put into a Zoo or to become someones designer pet. Most Zoo animals now are captive breed either in house at that Zoo or as part of a breeding project. These animals are more accustomed to human contact and fair better in captivity with human caretakers.
There is nothing good or right about someone owning a wild animal as a pet. I've seen too many documentaries and shows about people with too much money buying a Tiger cub on the black market to have as a status symbol. These people have no idea what goes into raising a Tiger. It's not like a house cat where you can put down some food and be done wit it. Most of the time they don't realize how large the animal is going to become when it's grown. When they realize that they don't know what to do so of course the animal suffers. People that buy exotic snakes not knowing that it's going to grow to 20 feet think for some reason that they can just let the snake go and it'll be fine. It's a tropical snake from S. America oh yeah it'll do fine in the nearby woods in NY state or wherever.
We like to think that humans are the top species, but the ignorance of some of us only reinforces my doubts of that claim. Granted most of us humans are decent, intelligent people who would research any pet they are considering before buying it. It's that other percentage who apparently have never had to take responsibility in their lives that tarnish the species as a whole.
If we have any hope to avoid the future that was depicted in WALL-E we need to wake up and take a lil responsibility. There will always be those who don't care so the rest of us who do will have to pick up a little slack so those lazy idiots don't bring us all down.
Who knew a Disney/Pixar flick would have aroused all that right? Well most of this rant has been in my head for awhile but seeing what happened to Earth in that movie and knowing that that could actually happen stirred it all up. Still a cute movie and worth seeing.
As a Zookeeper I am frequently asked about my feelings of captive animals. The answer is not as simple as one would think. Sure I'd love to not need Zoos, but then I'd also be out of a job that I do love very much. I am ok with animals being in captivity, hell if some animals weren't in captivity they'd be extinct or close to. Pollution and human encroachment on their habitats among other factors have driven some species to be found only in captivity. That is a sad realization. I feel it's important to not only show the rich diversity of the planet but to also educate future generations about the animals plight at our own hand in the hope that they will become part of the solution. The problem cannot be fixed at this point we've grown too big, but we can stop it from getting worse. I'm against taking animals from the wild to be put into a Zoo or to become someones designer pet. Most Zoo animals now are captive breed either in house at that Zoo or as part of a breeding project. These animals are more accustomed to human contact and fair better in captivity with human caretakers.
There is nothing good or right about someone owning a wild animal as a pet. I've seen too many documentaries and shows about people with too much money buying a Tiger cub on the black market to have as a status symbol. These people have no idea what goes into raising a Tiger. It's not like a house cat where you can put down some food and be done wit it. Most of the time they don't realize how large the animal is going to become when it's grown. When they realize that they don't know what to do so of course the animal suffers. People that buy exotic snakes not knowing that it's going to grow to 20 feet think for some reason that they can just let the snake go and it'll be fine. It's a tropical snake from S. America oh yeah it'll do fine in the nearby woods in NY state or wherever.
We like to think that humans are the top species, but the ignorance of some of us only reinforces my doubts of that claim. Granted most of us humans are decent, intelligent people who would research any pet they are considering before buying it. It's that other percentage who apparently have never had to take responsibility in their lives that tarnish the species as a whole.
If we have any hope to avoid the future that was depicted in WALL-E we need to wake up and take a lil responsibility. There will always be those who don't care so the rest of us who do will have to pick up a little slack so those lazy idiots don't bring us all down.
Who knew a Disney/Pixar flick would have aroused all that right? Well most of this rant has been in my head for awhile but seeing what happened to Earth in that movie and knowing that that could actually happen stirred it all up. Still a cute movie and worth seeing.
Spring Blooms
Here's a couple of pics I'm proud to say I took.
This is one of our Waterlily's at the Zoo.
I'm most proud of this shot. Go me!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
My Zoo
Ok so it's been awhile since I've posted anything but time gets away from me. I've been working 6 days a week at the zoo since well pretty much since I was hired so my free time is limited. Love the overtime so I'll take all I can get to pay off the costs of moving out here. The down side is I have only one day to myself and sometimes that just isn't enough. Not to mention the fact I work a second job, but that's another story. Lots of things have happened since I moved out here 2 months ago, but I haven't had the time or motivation to type them out. I'm gonna try now to cover at least a couple of them but we'll see how it goes.
First the skinny on my new Zoo. I work at the Utica Zoo here in lovely scenic Utica NY. It's not the largest all inclusive Zoo in the world. It's no Brookfield Zoo (I'm originally from Chicago) but it's pretty nifty all the same. I work in the Children's Zoo/Asian Realm section of the Zoo where I work with mostly hoofstock animals (that's animals with hooves on their feet for those who don't know) like Goats (Tennessee Fainting, Nigerian Dwarf and African Pygmy), Llamas, a Donkey, a Bactrian Camel, Jacob's Sheep, a Collared Peccary (pig), and a Muntjac (tiny deer like animal). I also work with quite a few birds both big and small, from our Screech Owl all the up to our Emu, with just about everyone in between. Some are Raptors (Birds of Prey) Harris and Red-Tailed Hawks, Barn and Great Horned Owls, & an American Kestrel. Others are not: Peacocks & Peahens, Ducks (various species), Golden & Reeve's Pheasants, and a Black Crowned Night Heron. I've also got a bunch of different turtle species in my area. No fish, but I have California Sea Lions, Flemish Giant Rabbits, Parma Wallabies, and a Cat. Not too shabby for one section of the Zoo.
There are 2 other sections of the Zoo: Core and North Trek. Well really 3 if you count Diet Preparation/Quarantine, but visitors can't go there. Most of the large Carnivores i.e. Tigers, Mexican Wolves, Boar etc are in North Trek. Core has the Primates and the Reptiles and Amphibians, so all in all we have a decent collection for being a medium size Zoo. I'll work on getting some pics posted soon. I have to get them off my camera first.
My fellow Keepers are all really cool. I fit in well with them. Almost too well it seems. It was scary how easily I meshed with them. Just proves that they are just as sick and twisted as I am, but don't let that scare you off of visiting us. As long as you realize that yes we may bite (usually only when asked but if provoked...) so be careful but by all means feed us. We like our animals respond well to Positive Reinforcement Training. Want us to do something? Offer to buy Pizza and Beer and we're on it. I guess most people are aren't they? Well now you know the scientific term for it.
Eventually I'll get trained in all of the different areas of the Zoo but for now I'm running things down in Children's Zoo. It's a lot of raking though currently with Interns I don't do as much which is a nice break, but we also have most of the Zoo's current babies. We have baby goats and baby rabbits currently with more kid goats on the way. So while my area may not have all the cool exotics I have the babies. Who can resist a baby animal? If you can you have no heart and should die a horrible slow death. Ok maybe not but you're weird.
There's lots to do in a day at my Zoo, hey that rhymed! Lots more than what I was doing at my old Zoo. Much love for my old Zoo back in Chicagoland but it can't compare to the opportunities here. You could almost put my old Zoo into the space that the Children's Zoo takes up. It was a shock to see how big my area was. The first few days while I was being trained I kept thinking "I'm supposed to do all this in one day?! By myself?!" Even still I don't miss "walking the path" at my old Zoo functioning more as a security guard than a Keeper. Sorry Randy it had to be said. So this move was an upgrade for sure even our Keeper car that we use to haul stuff around our areas is bigger than what I was used to. If you're reading this Randy or any of the PPZ Zew Croo, My new Keeper Car could kick your Keeper Car's ass! Yes Randy even yours. Bring it on! The first time I drove the Keeper Car I liked having some power and speed.
So that's the skinny on my new Zoo. Pics to come just as soon as I find my camera cord. Still have a random box or two left to unpack. It must be in there somewhere.
First the skinny on my new Zoo. I work at the Utica Zoo here in lovely scenic Utica NY. It's not the largest all inclusive Zoo in the world. It's no Brookfield Zoo (I'm originally from Chicago) but it's pretty nifty all the same. I work in the Children's Zoo/Asian Realm section of the Zoo where I work with mostly hoofstock animals (that's animals with hooves on their feet for those who don't know) like Goats (Tennessee Fainting, Nigerian Dwarf and African Pygmy), Llamas, a Donkey, a Bactrian Camel, Jacob's Sheep, a Collared Peccary (pig), and a Muntjac (tiny deer like animal). I also work with quite a few birds both big and small, from our Screech Owl all the up to our Emu, with just about everyone in between. Some are Raptors (Birds of Prey) Harris and Red-Tailed Hawks, Barn and Great Horned Owls, & an American Kestrel. Others are not: Peacocks & Peahens, Ducks (various species), Golden & Reeve's Pheasants, and a Black Crowned Night Heron. I've also got a bunch of different turtle species in my area. No fish, but I have California Sea Lions, Flemish Giant Rabbits, Parma Wallabies, and a Cat. Not too shabby for one section of the Zoo.
There are 2 other sections of the Zoo: Core and North Trek. Well really 3 if you count Diet Preparation/Quarantine, but visitors can't go there. Most of the large Carnivores i.e. Tigers, Mexican Wolves, Boar etc are in North Trek. Core has the Primates and the Reptiles and Amphibians, so all in all we have a decent collection for being a medium size Zoo. I'll work on getting some pics posted soon. I have to get them off my camera first.
My fellow Keepers are all really cool. I fit in well with them. Almost too well it seems. It was scary how easily I meshed with them. Just proves that they are just as sick and twisted as I am, but don't let that scare you off of visiting us. As long as you realize that yes we may bite (usually only when asked but if provoked...) so be careful but by all means feed us. We like our animals respond well to Positive Reinforcement Training. Want us to do something? Offer to buy Pizza and Beer and we're on it. I guess most people are aren't they? Well now you know the scientific term for it.
Eventually I'll get trained in all of the different areas of the Zoo but for now I'm running things down in Children's Zoo. It's a lot of raking though currently with Interns I don't do as much which is a nice break, but we also have most of the Zoo's current babies. We have baby goats and baby rabbits currently with more kid goats on the way. So while my area may not have all the cool exotics I have the babies. Who can resist a baby animal? If you can you have no heart and should die a horrible slow death. Ok maybe not but you're weird.
There's lots to do in a day at my Zoo, hey that rhymed! Lots more than what I was doing at my old Zoo. Much love for my old Zoo back in Chicagoland but it can't compare to the opportunities here. You could almost put my old Zoo into the space that the Children's Zoo takes up. It was a shock to see how big my area was. The first few days while I was being trained I kept thinking "I'm supposed to do all this in one day?! By myself?!" Even still I don't miss "walking the path" at my old Zoo functioning more as a security guard than a Keeper. Sorry Randy it had to be said. So this move was an upgrade for sure even our Keeper car that we use to haul stuff around our areas is bigger than what I was used to. If you're reading this Randy or any of the PPZ Zew Croo, My new Keeper Car could kick your Keeper Car's ass! Yes Randy even yours. Bring it on! The first time I drove the Keeper Car I liked having some power and speed.
So that's the skinny on my new Zoo. Pics to come just as soon as I find my camera cord. Still have a random box or two left to unpack. It must be in there somewhere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
