Labor day.....i did exactly that....labored

I worked on a national holiday....like I will for the rest of my career.  The zoo was PACKED today.  


I did 2 animal encounters in the morning: 1 being in the entry gift shop since it was too cool to be outside with a snake and then 1 in the reptile house.


Ok people going to an outside venue.....say such as a zoo.  CHECK THE WEATHER!!!!
In 3 days we have gone from 100+ degree heat to storming to 60 degree weather.  Being in the gift shop shows how many of you do not come prepared...yesterday we had a run on ponchos and umbrellas...today was long sleeve shirts and jackets.  I am sure you are happy paying around 40 dollars for a sweatshirt that says cincinnati zoo on it....especially when you are a 40 year old man.  Come prepared please people.  Im sure the zoo loves to buy you things because of your unpreparedness but seriously.


Another thing: birds bite...thats all


I worked in the Lorikeet area for an hour and a half and then switched to the goat yard for another hour and a half.  I saw so many people in Lorikeets today it was a little overwhelming....I also got elbowed in the back....thank you kid by the way for then shoving me out of the way to get to a bird.  Sometimes it shocks me how rude people can be.


In goat yard I had a 10 year old come up to me and tell me that his family had put a quarter in the goat feeder and all they got was dust.  I looked and one of the feeders was empty....ok if I can see its empty from across the yard....couldnt they see it was empty?????  Apparently not so I had to go get him goat feed to alleviate the problem....but seriously are people that unobservant or maybe they were legally blind...thats right the entire family.


Also children surprise me......for instance I told a child he had to wait until we closed the exit gate to come into the goat yard so what does he do?  He starts to climb over the fence.....yes yes he did.  I swear I thought we had the animals inside the yard....little did I know the goats behaved better than children.

Chinese Alligator