A Day In the Life of A Snake Farm Mammal Keeper
12/8/2009
Snooze. Snooze. Snooze. CAFFINE!
This morning the sun was barely peaking over the horizon when I pulled into the parking lot of Animal World & Snake Farm. As I unlocked the gate I was greeted by the daily morning call of the kookaburra, announcing the start of another day. The kookaburras were quickly drowned out by the park's roosters and while most of the animals slowly started to stretch and wake up, some of the nocturnal animals, like the porcupines and kinkajous, headed to bed.
I checked in, grabbed a walkie-talkie, checked the keeper log for important information and messages and as I began morning rounds in the park, I made a list of the things I needed to do today, in addition to the daily routine. Rake leaves and weedeat. Add gravel to the pedestrian path. Add another mineral block to the cattle pen. Replace the sign for the warthog.
Once all the animals and exhibits were checked on, I loaded up my cart with all the morning feed for the animals in my section. As I served breakfast and cleaned water bowls, I jotted down a few notes for later. A couple of the sows in the petting zoo were getting mighty round- expect a couple litters of piglets in the next few weeks. The hyenas are more vocal than usual- check into breeding season. The spider monkeys have left over food from the day before again- re evaluate diet. Chester, the goat, will need a hoof trim soon.
After raking and cleaning the exhibits and paths, the other keepers and I did a 'walk-around' to double check that the park was ready to open to the public and we then opened the doors in welcomed the first of the day's visitors.
Mmm, breakfast tacos. A very important part of a zookeeper's day.
After break, I prepared the produce portion of the mammal’s diets and ordered more fruits and veggies for the rest of the week. I loaded up my cart again and stopped to talk to some visitors as they watched me feed the capybaras their favorite treat, romaine lettuce. I had originally thought that after romaine, their next favorite was apples, but Rico, the male, was really interested in the sweet potato today. I gave the lemurs a few extra grapes today, since they did so well with shifting in and out of their exhibit.
As I ate my lunch, I watched the Mountain Coatimundi searching for the fruit and veggies I had hidden in their exhibit. James, the male, seemed convinced that I had buried everything and was busy digging as fast as he could- he reminded me of Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel. Luckily, since coatis are known diggers, their exhibit has a concrete bottom under the several feet of dirt substrate, so dig as he may, there is no chance he will accidentally dig out of the enclosure. Looks like I'll need to bring a shovel in there tomorrow to fill in all his holes again. He didn't find the produce in the substrate, but did find an earthworm and happily slurped that up. After exhorting himself, James climbed up to his favorite spot into the hammock next to his girlfriend and snuggled in for a nap. Ohh, to be a coati- they know how to relax!
Back to work! The other keepers and I worked as a team to complete the projects for the day and raked up the leaves around the mongoose, added gravel to the path near the Hyacinth Macaws, and weedeated (what is the proper term for that task??) the wolf exhibit. We also gave the longhorns a new mineral block and hung a new sign for the Warthog and White-necked Raven.
Once again I loaded up the cart with feed and as I fed out the afternoon diets and gave my section fresh water, I began making my list of projects for tomorrow. I also sprayed a vanilla scent in the corner of the primate exhibits and recorded the results of the enrichment. The Bonnet Macaques seemed curious about the new smell but were hesitant and did not approach the area for 15 minutes. The Ring-tailed Lemurs were rubbing their bodies through the scent and waving their tails, dispersing the smell.
Then back to the kitchen to clean up and put dishes away. Someone did my section's dishes for me- lucky day! Guess it will be my turn tomorrow. We headed back out to the park to do p.m. rounds and check the animals and exhibits before leaving for the day.
After rounds, I recorded my observations and notes in the keeper communication log, so that all the staff would be informed and we can keep track of changes and important information, returned the walkie-talkie and once the rest of the staff was ready to go, we locked up for the night as the sun was setting.
Ahhh, hot shower! It takes a little steam to loosen some of the dirt I collect during the day. I spent the rest of the evening flipping between Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel and caught the tail end of Snake Farm's episode of Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, "Snake Wrangler" and wished Mike was around every time we cleaned out the gator pond. After dinner, I checked my favorite websites for new enrichment ideas for the animals at the park and found a diagram to make a hanging feeder for monkeys that looked promising.
Man, that mattress is looking mighty comfy. I just need to set my alarm, make sure I know where the snooze button is, and I'm off to bed and ready for another day in the life of a zookeeper again tomorrow.
Life is good.
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8/5/2009
Part time Animal Keeper Position
Animal World and Snake Farm is seeking a responsible adult to join our small, but dedicated team. Job duties and requirements may include a combination of mammal, bird and reptile husbandry (feeding, cleaning, etc.), animal observations and record keeping, enrichment and training, diet preparation, exhibit design and renovations, custodial duties, park maintenance, lifting a minimum of 50lbs, physical labor, and gift shop and register responsibilities. Exotic or zoo experience is preferred.
This part time position is available for a morning or afternoon/evening shift consisting of approximately 25-30 hours per week.
Please submit resume to info@exoticanimalworld.com or Animal World and Snake Farm, 5640 1-35 South, New Braunfels, Tx 78218, or in person between 10am and 4pm.
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Feelin' Hot! Hot! Hot!
7/13/2009
Humans are not the only ones that search for a way to cool off when the temperature rises. At Animal World & Snake Farm the mercury has been rising and staff members are spending those hot afternoons making sure all the animals have an appropriate way to cool themselves.
In the reptile house, things are pretty straight forward. You’ll find snakes lounging in their water bowls and caimans cooling off with an afternoon swim. Air conditioners are also in the process of being installed so we can regulate the building’s temperature more accurately. While the A/C feels wonderful after walking around the park outside, most of the cold-bloodied animals prefer to be around 85F, so you won’t need to worry about bringing a sweater.
Outside, we’re offering the mammals and birds a variety of ways to keep cool. You may notice a lot of the mammals, like the llamas, lemurs, hyenas and many others, laying on their back with their feet in the air. The fur on their bellies is usually thinner and less dense than the rest of their body, so they go ‘belly up’ to catch the breeze and keep from overheating. Some animals, such as red deer and warthogs, love to wallow in mud, so we create puddles for them. A lot of the birds like to take baths, so they have misters. Yesterday I made puddles for the spider monkeys to play in. I wasn’t sure what they would do, but they surprised me by stomping in the puddles, smacking their hands in the puddles, and splashing each other. When they were finished playing, they rested on the cool, wet ground before heading back to their perches and rope swings.
One of my favorite ways to help keep the animals cool is by offering ice treats. Monkeys receive ice cubes in their water bowls, and believe me, they don’t stay there. Just as soon as I has put a handful of ice cubes in Malcolm’s (Bonnet Macaque) water bowl, he was busy taking them out and trying to fit as many as possible in his cheek pouches. We’ve also been making ice blocks with fruit or vegetables frozen inside, depending on the animal’s diet, for some of the larger animals. Punchie, the African Crested Porcupine, spent a good portion of his day trying to remove a piece of zucchini from an ice block and when he finally achieved his goal, he laid down next to was left of his mini iceberg and relaxed in the cool puddle.
And how is the staff staying cool? We like ice treats, too! My favorite is a lemon water ice or an ice cream cone (with sprinkles, of course) from the Marco Polo concession stand. A most delicious way to cool off!
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Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!
5/29/2009
It certainly has warmed up here in New Braunfels over the last month, and that means the crocodiles and alligators are hungry!
Join us every Sunday at 3pm (during the summer) for the
Crocodile and Alligator Show and Feeding. You'll be introduced Sam, the biggest gator in our park, and Sam Jr, who's growing so fast, he's likely to steal that claim from his dad one of these years. You'll learn about the most powerful jaws in the world and get to witness those jaws in action, while you watch each of the crocodilids in the pond being hand fed.
Guests often wonder why we only do the croc and gator show in the summer. Its just too darn cold in the winter! The crocodiles are moved indoors where we can keep a controlled and appropriate temperature for the cold-blood reptiles. And the gators? They don't eat at all during the winter months. Since they are cold-blooded, they rely on the air temperature around them for heat and digestion. Although some days are warm, the temperatures aren't consistent enough for the gators to have the energy to eat and be able to metabolize their food item before it spoils in their gut.
See you on Sunday!
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