Sunday, May 26, 2013

Experiences

Hey Everybody,

So my first two days have been fun. I have encountered so many animals that I thought I would have never get the chance to work with. They are all amazing! Jackie and Kibbles, the otters never let me down with their cuteness. The cleaning is tough work, but it makes it all worth it in the end. So far, I like doing the animal's nutrition and diets for them. I get jealous of all the fruit they get to have. Also, since I am not a very good making food, this is helping me learn the ropes of how to prepare food haha. Hopefully this counts. Something interesting that I have observed this week was how critical it is to keep sanitation between all of the rooms, down to each species being dealt with their own way. When working with primates, we have to wear face shields to cover our eyes and a medical mask to cover our nose and mouth so we don't transfer diseases from one primate room to another since humans are so closely related. We also have to change our shoes a lot and step into sanitation pads so we don't "walk in" other diseases from other rooms. Procedures have to be taken very seriously in sanitation and aseptic techniques when working with primates. So far, the most intense event to be cautious around is the Howler monkeys. You are OK to work with them, but until you take a full out shower, you cannot visit other primate rooms. However, if you go to a different primate room, then to room that has Howlers, that is OK. Hopefully I can keep all these special tasks straight! Below is a picture of me on my first day and I thought I would throw up a cool picture I took while I toured the zoo yesterday!


Thursday, May 23, 2013

Day 1: Lied Jungle

The first day on the job was so much fun. I have learned a lot already. The first thing I learned was to make sure that I am aware of my surroundings. My new friends, Jackie, the otter and her boyfriend (forgot his name), and Lucky, the howler monkey, see my long hair as something fun to play with. Luckily, they were nice to me and just only had curiosity to get to know me. I let them have their fun. I then cleaned out their cages that they rotate between the display (to the public) and the underground. This is lot of work in a very humid place. However, they helped the time go by trying to engage in conversations with me. I have yet to learn their language. As I clean their cages, I had to clear out all of the yucky stuff, spray down with soap and bleach, and rinse out the cages. In some areas, I had to throw down some mulch. My favorite task of the day was when I was cleaning one of the displays. The monkeys in that display were not as curious to get to know me but didn't mind me either. As people walked by, the people I pointed out where the monkeys were hiding. Sometimes in front of little kids, I acted like a monkey would which made them smile. This made my day. I hope to have fun like this all summer! Keep up with me as I post every week and super cool  events!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The day is here! I am now in Omaha living in a house that well, I'll say could pass for Tarzan's house. I met a few of my housemates and they all seem nice. Crossing the bridge from Iowa to Nebraska was really cool as I was greeted by the Omaha Zoo sign right away. I can't wait to see what the rest of this summer has in store!