(P)umpkins, Porcupines, and Pachyderms

Halloween is one of the best times of the year for enrichment at the zoo! All the animals seem to love their pumpkins, and in different ways ... from the river otters who take their baby pumpkins on underwater play dates, to the annual Squishing of the Squash performed by the elephants (a 1,316.5 pound pumpkin named "Gourdzilla" was this year's victim). 

Enjoy all the pictures below, copied from the Oregon Zoo's Facebook page (have you "liked" it yet?).

But first: as much as I love these pictures, I love this video of a pumpkin-loving porcupine the most: Watch (and listen to!) Teddy the Talking Porcupine. He loooooves his pumpkin!

Happy Howloween, everyone!

Squash. Squished.

Pumpkin mask for our masked De Brazza's monkeys.

Happy Halloween AND Happy Birthday to our tigers!

Black bear. Orange pumpkin.

The pumpkin didn't stand a chance against Zuri.

 This pumpkin is about to be polar-verized.

(B)azinga!

Meet Bazinga, the Oregon Zoo's new veiled chameleon:

Photo from the Oregon Zoo

Isn't it gorgeous? That tail! Those colors! That ... shark fin on its head? You can see Bazinga in the Predators of the Serengeti exhibit, across from the dwarf mongoose enclosure.

I was hoping that this captivating creating was going to become part of our programs animals collection; the kids at ZooSnooze would be very impressed! However, a little cursory research has shown that handling can be very stressful for chameleons. Handlers must move slowly, use caution, and keep handling to a minimum. Ultimately, stress on an animal can lead to a shorter life ... and since, well, kids tend to move neither slowly nor cautiously ... Bazinga would probably soon be Bazin-gone.

You can find veiled chameleons close to home (think Petco, but only if you are an experienced handler), but they are primarily native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. (Am I the only one who cannot hear "Yemen" without thinking of Chandler in Friends?)

Watch: Chandler Goes To Yemen

And while we're speaking of sitcoms, I Googled "Bazinga" to find out its meaning. According to UrbanDictionary.com, "Bazinga" is:

A catchy phrase to accompany your clever pranks, as popularized by Sheldon Cooper (The Big Bang Theory).
"I just replaced your toothpaste with denture cream. Bazinga!"

Photo from Flickr.com

Which I suppose is better than some of the other definitions provided on the site:

Bazingas

1. The inverse of bazongas
2. Female breasts of smaller proportions

"I prefer girls with bazingas over girls with bazongas."

Bazinga

People have started using this term to disguise the use of weed. (Have they really?)

"Let's Bazinga tonight!!" "Who wants to Bazinga??"

Bazinga

The word that should be used when something is so legit it is indescribable but by this word.

"Bazinga, girl - you sure can make a peanut butter sandwich."

"Holy bazinga -  i just farted and it smelled like lucky charms."

But more on point, here are links to the Oregonian's article introducing this remarkable reptile, and to the Oregon Zoo's fun fact sheet.

And less on point, yet absolutely necessary in closing:

 Watch: Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon"

(B)reak Dancing Gorilla

Take 40 seconds to fit some unexpected fun into your day today. Okay, 80 seconds ... 40 to watch this video, and 40 to do your own thing. Work it!

Calgary Zoo. Where it's at.

Click here to enjoy the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNKyG4C2VlA

(N)ational Zoo Keeper Week

It's National Zoo Keeper Week! During this third week of July, if you can, plan a trip to the zoo and keep your eyes open for the elusive zoo keeper. These rare and exotic creatures serve not just as animal care givers, but also as educators and wildlife ambassadors. Keepers enjoy treats too - so be sure to treat them to a "thank you"!

A real proper "thank you".

If you enjoy your local zoo, please let the keepers know that you appreciate the work they do keeping your favorite animals healthy and enriched. Remember also their work on a global scale, preserving wildlife and protecting vanishing habitats.

For Portland locals, here's a link telling more about the species recovery, conservation, and research that the Oregon Zoo keepers are actively part of:

http://www.oregonzoo.org/conserve

(B)ig Cats Like Boxes Too

 Cats like boxes.

It's a purr-fect fit.

Big cats like boxes too. Big boxes. Check out this cute "CNN Distraction" video (below). No news - just cuteness.

Big Cats and Boxes

(F)ocus

Must. Stay. Focused.

This is why I have put off going back to school for so many years: six weeks into this ten week term, I was bored silly with my classes. Now, I've got two weeks (plus finals) to go, and each day I feel more like, "I'll never make it!" and less like, "The light is at the end of the tunnel!"

With focus like that, it's no wonder I've been afraid to commit to a career.

But I lasted five years at my last job, and that longevity tricked me into thinking I'd matured enough to make a commitment. The truth of the matter is that I was most likely just lulled into complacency. Once the sleeping beast within me awoke, I have felt nothing but impatience.

Can't. Get there. Fast enough.

Granted,  my current courses aren't terribly stimulating. Next term, I am taking a five-credit chemistry class in five weeks. It should be good and challenging ... and over before I hit my six-week threshold. It will also be an excellent predictor of how I might feel - and fare - taking classes specific to zoo animal management next fall. More so than, say, the keyboarding classes I have yet to take to fulfill my current degree. The very thought of that makes me feel like:

Doggone, that's depressing.

So why am I torturing myself? This is a step in the right direction. This degree will give me extra points on my application to the zoo animal management program I hope to start in September 2014; it's a competitive process with few openings, so I'm doing everything I can to better my application. So I take these classes. And I work at the shelter. And I volunteer at the zoo. And I think about networking, and look for training and certification opportunities, and blog ...

... and by doing these six million things, I keep my focus.

(S)nake Handling

I went to my reptile handling course this morning. This did not happen:

Maybe next time.

 Thankfully, neither did this:

Hopefully never.

There was a biting incident, but it didn't involve me, or a snake. Just a tiny little box turtle who wasn't happy about getting her nails trimmed, so she brought an intern to his knees until the keeper stuck the turtle and the intern's hand under cold water. Once we realized no blood was drawn, it was fairly hilarious.

My own handling experience was far less dramatic, but it made an impact on me nonetheless. It was a small thing: for an hour and a half, I rehearsed taking snakes, lizards, turtles, and tortoises out of their enclosures; I practiced handling and showing techniques; and I learned the ins and outs of transporting the reptiles (pillow cases, coolers, newspaper, hot water bottles, and towels). But it was a big thing: I did something I've never done before. Something I was simultaneously afraid and excited to do. Something I'm clumsy at now, but I know I will improve. And more than that: I have the confidence that I will be good at it.

There are days when I miss going to a comfortable office job, Monday through Friday, and having free time to do with as I wish. And then there are days like today, when I get a glimpse of the future I'm working so hard for.

And a sassy box turtle showing us how much bite she has in her beak ... the crazy sensation of a snake's tongue tickling my skin ... the crazier sensation of feeling the incredible musculature of a larger snake ... the small scratches on my wrist serving as evidence of holding a blue-tongued skink ... these things keep me focused and motivated.

(R)eptile Training

On Friday morning, I will be getting "reptile trained" at the Oregon Zoo. It's just one of the many opportunities that volunteers can choose to participate in at the zoo, but one of the few that provides hands-on animal experience.

Aw, cute little smiley lizard! (bearded dragon?)

 

I received my reptile book full of facts, stories, and photos of the not-so-furry friends who reside at the zoo (the ones I will be allowed to touch, that is). I've completed my observations, and I've mastered demonstrating the zoo's two-fingered petting technique. (One is poking, more than two is hitting.) I'm officially on the calendar for the 17th as a real live handler, which means I'm about to become a woman in demand.

The zoo offers this wonderful, after-hours experience called ZooSnooze. ZooSnooze features tours of the zoo's exhibits, animal kitchen, and Veterinary Medical Center, in addition to zookeeper training games, inquiry sessions, and hands-on animal activities. (< That's me.) Groups stay overnight at the zoo, with programs starting at 5 p.m. and running until 9 a.m. the following morning. Adults, this isn't just for kids!

This is the busy season for ZooSnooze ... and for some reason, volunteers aren't clamoring for the opportunities to pick up snakes, lizards, and tortoises. (I know, right?!?) Thus, my almost-assured impending popularity. 

Ronda rocking reptiles. I'm ready!

(B)log

I'm not a zoo keeper ... yet. I hope to be one someday, and the intent of this blog is to record my journey and celebrate my arrival. It's not step A, or even step B. There's been no "A, B, C" or "1, 2, 3" that has gotten me to this point. But I'll get to all that in a future post.

Any advice, encouragement, or insight you'd like to offer along the way, I will gladly accept!

Welcome to my blog.
-R