(P)oop

Since I (unintentionally) took a year hiatus from this blog, I might as well come back with a bang. So, poop it is!

I deal with a lot of poop during my 3-hour volunteer shift at the zoo each week. If I worked mid-day, perhaps I'd do more with enrichment or training or even diet prep for the following day ... but I'm there in the morning, and a night's worth of poop is there waiting for me. Depending on the area I'm assigned to, my "good morning" from the animals is either unsightly and pervasive (ducks) or disturbingly aromatic (river otters). Mountain goats are the most polite poopers, sprinkling their dry, dainty pellets into neat little piles. Let us not discuss bear poop. Ever.

Unicorn poop, far more lovely than any zoo animal poop I am likely to encounter

This past year has been exceptionally busy. My husband has asked me to consider stepping back from my volunteer commitment in an effort to reduce my stress level. But it's strangely therapeutic, hosing down poop. (If only I could get the same sense of satisfaction from cleaning my own house!) 

Cleaning up zoo animal poop also brings a sense of adventure: Can I maneuver this hilly, rocky terrain as nimbly as the goats? Is today the day I fall into the beaver pond instead of crossing safely over the waterfall? Will I deftly clean up the ringtail exhibit without one of them perching in a branch above me and christening my head? It can also make for great comedy: Tilly, our river otter mom, in an effort to teach her son Ziggy the poop dance, would inadvertently poop directly on him as he moved in for close examination. And always, within inches of the exhibit window, to the delight and disgust of zoo visitors.

Plus, poop can just plain be interesting. It can tell us about digestion, bacteria, gastrointestinal parasites, viral diseases, and other medical conditions, such as pregnancy. How do you know which poop is Tilly's if she shares an exhibit with two other otters? Simple: add something like glitter or blue food dye to her meat. Her poop becomes undeniably hers, and can be collected and tested for hormonal changes which potentially indicate pregnancy.

So, poop can be very telling. And the fact that I'm blogging about it might also be telling ... but I'll leave it at that and share this Osaka Aquarium otter poop dance video in closing. You're welcome!