A giraffe conspiracy

This poster describes today perfectly; the giraffes were just plain ornery today.  Many refused to go outside or to be shifted to their stalls.  Some even spit out lettuce treats!  But, aside from that, training actually went pretty well.  We worked with two giraffes to train them to allow blood to be drawn; there seemed to be progress made in this, according to Allison, which was really rewarding.

The enrichment used for the herd today was really fun--bubbles!  We blew bubbles into their exhibit and watched them react to this novelty.  Some were really intrigued by them and others ran away when the bubbles came too close.  I was able to contribute to the enrichment today too:

This is a kong toy with banana smeared on it (if you look right, you are staring directly at a giraffe's butt).  I took one look at my bananas this morning, which were getting past ripe, and decided I could either try to eat all of them quickly or donate them to someone who would enjoy them a little more--the giraffes!   

Today we also had a giraffe weigh-in.  I knew my wrestling skills would come in handy somehow in this internship and this was it.  I recorded the weights from the scale and was amazed at just how large these animals are. One weighed in at 1,850 lbs, and that is equivalent to about 7 heavy weight wrestlers. 

Everyone, meet Mahali.  He is the man.  He has been on sand recently because he has had some hoof issues, but he is getting better.

I spent this afternoon hanging out with the Amur Tiger, Grom.  His name means "thunder" in Slovic languages.  

He kept jumping in the water and playing with his drum; I have some video footage of it and will get it uploaded soon.  

Tonight I ventured farther from my apartment than usual.  I noticed that a couple snow leopards were stalking me as far as they could in their enclosures.  I visited Grom again and climbed the tower that overlooks the whole zoo.  The city lights below were a sight to behold.  

In the day.

From the tower at night.  

Another day gone.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Good night.