The Life of a Zookeeper

So today was my second day on the job as a giraffe zookeeper.  To be honest, the first day wore me out so much that I didn't feel like blogging when I turned in.  Oh and I lost my hot water too so I probably wasn't in the right state of mind to write one anyways.  The schedule is intense, but it has been an amazing couple days.  

Tonight I'll talk about one of my jobs: giraffe enrichment.  Enrichment is basically a toy, puzzle, or object that gives the giraffes something to do so they are stimulated and not just standing all day.  There is very little research on enrichment, and a lot of the objects we use were designed by our own zookeeper.  Often we use jugs or pvc piping with holes in them that the giraffes can stick their tongues in to get food.  One puzzle form of this is a pvc pipe that the giraffe must tilt to get the food out of it.  Today we used a flavored block of ice that the giraffes could lick during the day.  We also hung up browse, or branches of trees, for the herd to eat; this simulates the eating habits of a giraffe in the wild.  The enrichment requires a lot of hoisting and climbing to get it to the level of the giraffe!  I am actually interested in the enrichment of the giraffe and will be doing a little research on it throughout my month here.  

Here are a couple pics of what enrichment looks like.  I will get some pics of the enrichment we use soon.

  

I also got to help out with training today, which was awesome.  I helped the keeper train the giraffe to give blood and also to receive chiropractic adjustments! It was so so so cool. The giraffe Kahlid experienced whip lash in his travels from the Oakland Zoo to here, resulting in a crooked neck, so he receives adjustments to realign it--this has been a major success.  

So with only a toaster oven and a microwave here, I have to be a little creative with my meals.  Here is what I ate tonight:

(2 Tuna melts w/ avocado + an avocado/tomato salad) Just call me Guy Fieri.  

More to come.  Night.