Week 9 - Last Week

This was the last week of my internship.  I worked 5 days this week instead of the usual 4 to make up for missing a day last week.  Thursday was interesting because we had 5 total interns and one keeper, so most of the normal routine was done early.  We all watched the keeper do training with the black lemurs in the morning, and got done with everything else so it was a pretty relaxing and easy going day.  Friday was normal, and on Saturday, in the morning I got to help my keeper with feeding the western pond turtles that the zoo is raising as part of a recovery program.  On Sunday, we had our intern behind the scenes tour in the morning with otters before they were sent outside for the day, and our intern class on animal capture and restraint in the afternoon.  Also in the afternoon, I got to get a behind the scenes with the elephants and learn about them and see some of the behaviors the elephants are trained to do to help the keepers to care for them.  I also got to hand-feed one elephant some bananas.  Monday was my last day.  I spent most of the morning watching the cats outside to make sure they didn't go where they weren't supposed to.  In the afternoon, I got to go feed the squirrel monkeys snails that I had picked up from the lemur exhibit that morning.  It was a very fun experience watching the monkeys rubbing the snails on things and trying to get the snail out of its shell.  A little bit later in the afternoon I got to do some goat training with one of the pygmy goats, Ashes, she is a very smart goat and learns new behaviors very quickly.  After that I helped to close up and that was the end of my last day at the Oakland Zoo.  I very much enjoyed my internship here and will miss it greatly.

Ring Tailed Lemur soaking up some sun

Ring Tailed Lemurs getting a drink right after I gave them fresh water

Ashes, the pygmy goat I did training with

Week 8

This week was normal other than that I did not work on Friday because I was not feeling well.  On Saturday, I helped weigh the rabbits, since they have a new diet and the keeper wanted to check their current weight before starting it.  I also got to feed the lemurs meal-worms, which they really enjoyed, including the blue-eyed black lemurs who didn't use to like them at all.  The intern class on Sunday was about more training this week and was more in depth about different parts.  Our tour this week was of tortoises.  On Monday morning I got to help out with some lemur training.  I also spent a lot of time Monday morning and afternoon doing lemur observations. 

Ring tail lemur relaxing

ring tail lemur sleeping up on a platform

Scarlet resting after a long day

Week 7

This was an interesting week.  On Friday, my whole day was spent following my keeper around timing him doing all the daily jobs on the string.  This was because it is wanted to know how long it takes the keepers to do everything.  So I didn't get to do any actual work on this day but what I was doing was still very important.  Saturday was back to a normal routine day, as was Sunday.  The intern class this week was about training and we got a do a little bit of goat training and then had a tour of one of the aviarys at the zoo.  Monday, we wound up with a lemur not feeling well.  I cut up some extra watermelon for him and then sat with him outside, keeping an eye on him, while the keeper went to get a crate to bring him inside.  I found out later that day that the vets did not find anything seriously wrong with him. 

Jason, the guinea hog, cooling off in the mud

                                      

Ring Tail Lemur looking for food

Paulie, the pot bellied pig, resting in the shade

Week 6

This week was again mostly normal.  The cats are now allowed out almost everyday to roam around, but have to have someone keeping an eye on them making sure they do not go by gators or pigs.  If they do, they are picked up and carried back to their room and placed there as a reset, the intent being that they will learn if they go past certain points they will have to start all over again making it a waste of their energy.  Sunday was the intern class again, and this week it was about enrichment and during the class we all designed small enrichment items that we could give to an animal of our choosing if we wanted, I made mine for the lemurs.  We also had a behind the scenes tour of part of String 8, the hyena, vervet monkey, and meerkat nighthouses.  The keeper called these animals into their nighthouses while we were there so that we could see them.  On Monday I did more lemur observations for my intern project.

Billy, complaining about having to be inside for the night.

Ring tail lemur with enrichment I made at intern class

Ring tail lemur with enrichment I made at intern class