Need connections

Today was training day 2 at the zoo for the volunteering position.


We went around to all the areas we may work in and talked with the staff about what all is needed while we are helping them.


This included the giraffe feeding area.  We are helping guests feed Caesar the male giraffe while they are there.  The female giraffe Angel is older and has arthritis issues in her ankles so she cant make it down the hill to come eat from visitors.  This involves using acacia browse (small branches) as treats for them.  Each person can pay $2 for a browse piece.  We just have to make sure no one tries to touch him.  I took a couple pictures of him.

Then we went to the camel rides area where we talked with the owner/handler about his camels.  He has 1 dromedary camel (the kind with 1 hump) and 2 Bactrian camels (the kind with 2 humps).  While he talked to us about them we watched as the dromedary camel knocked over his water bucket, took the lid off a trashcan, put the trashcan over the fence with his mouth and then started chewing on a hose.  It was fun to watch even if he was being destructive.  After talking with the owner for a while we had lunch.


After that we went to the kidzone area where they have the goat contact area.  They have 3 species of goats: the Anglo-Nubian, Pygmy, and Nigerian Dwarf goats.  We saw what all was done in the contact yard including cleaning, telling the guests the rules before coming into the contact yard, and helping guests leave.


Also I learned that the job I interviewed for they chose people that had previously worked at the zoo even though they had no previous animal experience.....basically I need connections at the zoo because I have a lot more experience than they wanted.  Ugh life....