Ending Things With a Slobber
Posted at 4:47 pm November 18, 2008 by ReginaZoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.
Our last day at the Wild Animal Park (WAP) was a real treat. We got to ride out on the back of a keeper truck with the guidance of keepers Michele Gaffney and Torrey Pillsbury. Yes you read right, a keeper truck! Not the photo caravans where you sit comfortably on benches, but a keeper truck where, much to the dismay of my fellow intern who wore shorts, we got to sit on bales of hay.
As I tried to find a position that was optimal for picture taking, Ms. Pillsbury told us about the tagging system that they did with the animals. Instead of notches, the animals are marked with tags. Tagging on the ears can count up to 400. Sometimes, the tag will fall out but you can still see what number they are by the hole that the tag left. Keepers log all this info down to track the animals.
When it came time to feed the rhinos, we had a heck of a time getting close to them. At first, they were very skittish and would not come close to the truck. But after about thirty minutes of chasing them around in the truck and bribing them with apples, they sauntered on over.
Oddly enough, a baby rhino is one of the cutest things that we had ever seen. Just seeing him pad around in his little armor was hilarious. As his mother ate the apples that we offered her, the baby was content with sucking on the bumper of the truck
What better way to end things than to go full circle? On our first day out, we fed the giraffes with Rachelle Marcon and now here we are on Week 6 feeding the giraffes at the WAP. Things were a bit different this time though, we were at their level. Well, almost. It was truly amazing to be able to look into those big eyes of theirs. It was almost enough for us not to mind the fact that we got acacia dribble all over us.
Regina, Photography Team
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November 23rd, 2008 at 6:48 pm
My name is Dana, and I was part of the Zoo InternQuest earlier this year, Jan-Mar. (HI MAGGIE HI KATHY!!!) I just wanted to pop by and leave a comment cuz I remember constantly looking for comments and no getting any :[ Anyway, I remember petting the Rhinos and Giraffes. Soo much fun! Their tongues are hugeeee. And those Rhinos, big animals…..So, even though your internship is coming to an end, take advantage of every moment. I miss being there so much! I want to come back. Have fun guys!
Dana