I work Thursday through Monday, with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. On Thursdays I work with Jason and the 20 cheetahs here at Fossil Rim. Every other day, I work with the wolves and coatis in the Intensive Management Area (IMA).
I begin my day at the carnivore kitchen which is attached to the center's vet clinic. It's a very small kitchen with a fridge, a sink, and just enough room for the animals' diets and enrichment items. In here we prepare the food for the animals and keep record of important stuff, such as how much each animal did not eat, any medical problems, or just anything unusual that may have happened throughout the day. Each day a daily log sheet needs to be filled out with this information on it. Some animals also need medication and this is where we prepare it.
This is Pia, a female maned wolf.
Most of my animals eat dog kibble. When you think about it, wolves and dogs are very closely related so it makes sense. They get Purina lamb and rice kibble. The maned wolves eat kibble but also get a bunch of fruits and veggies in their diets because they are omnivores. The coatis are also omnivores and eat a bunch of stuff like fruits, eggs, peanuts, and chicks. Once the morning diets are completed, I feed the animals. I go into the pens with the maned wolves, red wolves, and coatis. The Mexican grey wolves can be more aggressive, so I do not go into their pen alone. Though they can be dangerous if cornered, the maned and red wolves are much more scared of humans than anything and are not aggressive. The coatis love human interaction and I've already had them climb up my legs and onto my shoulders. They are fun but they stink.
A coati eating its diet.
After feeding time, I need to pickup poop in the yards. The maned wolf is pretty smelly and needs to be cleaned up daily. The red wolves' should probably be picked up every other day. The same with the Mexican greys. Once pickup is done, it's time to do dishes and by the time those are done, it's almost lunch time.
The afternoon is reserved for projects and random chores, which may include cleaning out wolf pools, yard work in the animals' yards, and enrichment. The maned wolves and the coatis both get a PM diet as well, so that is usually prepared and delivered to the animals between 4 and 5, before the end of the day.
A cheetah. I love these cats.
So far, I have only worked with my supervisors, Kristen and Jason. Tomorrow I start working on my own and I will continue to work alone for 4 days out my work week. This is VERY rare for an internship and I think I will become much more confident in my work because of the independence this place provides their interns. I have yet to really work with the cheetahs (that starts next week), so I am really excited to get started with them. So far, I'm having a good time. It's nice that I already know the staff and I don't have to go through that awkward stage where I don't know anybody.
Let's hope my first week working alone goes alright.
On a sidenote: I was mentioned on the Cheetah Conservation Fund website a few weeks ago: Click Here to Read the Article.
No comments:
Post a Comment