I had to break this into two posts.
Anyone who has worked in a zoo certainly has a story or two to tell. Some good, some bad. Some you either can believe or not. By the way, if any of the quotes had a curse word in it, I dashed out the letters so that you would know it was a curse word without knowing which one. I wanted to make sure the quotes were word for word, but have to take some protection with the swearing involved
33. Mr. Wallaby
-Escaped animals at the zoo often are a sight to behold. Depending on the animal in question, some think it adds a new level of excitement into an otherwise drab day admiring animals and learning about conservation / preservation efforts in their natural habitat. One zoo employee noted "I worked in the zoo's restaurant. The one thing that even low-level cashiers learned was the 'Mr. Wallaby' code. The manager on duty in each department carried a walkie-talkie, and if an animal ever escaped, the code to announce its location was 'Mr. Wallaby, please meet Mr. [escaped animal] at [animal's location].' I kinda hoped we'd have one with a small, harmless animal that would be easy to catch again, just to see the excitement. Making chicken salad sandwiches all day got a little monotonous."
34. Alrighty Then...
-Zoos ask a lot of its employees. You have get pretty down and dirty taking care of these creatures. Whether it be feeding them, cleaning their waste matter, assisting in the birth process and more. One zookeeper noted "Aquariums have captive breeding programs for some of the dolphins and whales, but they are too difficult to transport for mating. So they have to use artificial insemination. Which requires semen samples from whales. Which means that it's someone's job to give handj--s to dolphins and whales in order to collect the sperm. It's part of the animal's training, and the whales will roll over and present their genitals on command."
35. Just Smile and Wave, Boys...
-People always think penguins are innocent and adorable. Those familiar with the animated film Madagascar will often start quoting the penguins from that movie, who think they're a military regiment mounting an assault. No one really knows what they're like in real life, apart from the zookeepers who care for them. One zookeeper noted "Don't be fooled by the penguin enclosure. They are just as sneaky as other animals, especially when it comes to feeding time."
36. Let the Games Begin
-Almost every zoo has one or two areas that are more fun or simply better to work in than others. Choosing the right department or area to work in can make it or break it for some people. One zookeeper stated "You might not think it, but the aquarium part of any zoo is kind of where all the fun happens. The maintenance is pretty straight forward, so the workers just have fun all day."
37. Dietary Needs
-It's natural for all animals to have specific dietary needs to ensure they get the maximum amount of health and nutrition each day. Some people are horrified by what animals eat. One zookeeper noted "The big cats eat horse eat and the toads get fed 'pinkies' which are baby mice right after they are born."
38. Do It for the Animals
-It takes a certain passion to work with animals. You must be passionate about the individuals in your care. You and the other zookeepers are making sure these beautiful creatures live a long, happy, healthy life and also educate others about the preservation / conservation efforts being made to conserve these creatures in their natural habitats. Sometimes, the pay and benefits are meager, but the people caring for these animals overlook that. One zookeeper said "Zoo work is like a lot of not for profit work. You do it for the love not the money. Love doesn't pay the bills so not everyone lasts long. The ones that do are usually a little kook."
39. We're All Friends Here
-Smells are the first thing people notice when going to the zoo. It's not just the fresh smell of flowers or fresh hay being around. It's also the smell of animal dung. Each animal has its own specific care and, often, smells. One zookeeper noted "Zookeepers can only stand to hang out with zookeepers of the same animal because of the smell. No matter how much you scrub or change, the smell clings. Primate keepers smell like they haven't bathed in a decade, snake keepers smell cloyingly unnervingly, and sealion people make you gag from the fish smell."
40. Be Kind to the Animals
-This is a rule people need to adhere by. Why be cruel to the animals? They can't help themselves. It's truly heartbreaking and disturbing when I hear some case of animal cruelty. This case just goes beyond disturbing; the people responsible should be in jail! One zookeeper, sadly, noted "My mom worked at a zoo when I was a kid and there were some things that were kept under wraps. For one, a hyena escaped once and they had to track it down. Also, a pack of dogs got into the zoo and killed most of the wallabies. The worst story was that a group of teenagers broke in in the 80s and pulled the legs off of the flamingos. That one always really bothered me."
-If my sister ever read that, she might burst into full hysterics. She loves and I mean LOVES and ADORES flamingos. So much so that she got a tattoo of two of them against a setting sun on her back. She cried hard when the news ran a story of a flamingo at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida named Pinky the Dancing Flamingo getting killed by a drunken guest. This guest broke Pinky's neck and charges were filed. A few years later, this same individual was killed in a hit and run accident. My sister says that is karma working. She's convinced Pinky got her justice. She said that man got what he deserved. When I take my sister to Busch Gardens in Tampa, I'm going to see if we can pay our respects to Pinky by laying flowers down or some such thing. They also have face to beak encounters, where you can pet and feed flamingos. My sister is going to self-combust at this thought of touching a flamingo or even feeding a flamingo.
41. Aww, Tigger in Real Life
-Escape drills are deadly serious in zoos. You have a lot of dangerous animals in zoos that, if they escape, could cause pandemonium of the highest order. Zookeepers often do escape drills but at the same time, have a little fun with it. One zookeeper noted "Escape drills used to be hilarious. Generally have to go on early or stay late to chase after some non existent escapee, or in one case a guy pretending to be a tiger. He dressed up as Tigger from Winnie the Pooh."
42. Safety Isn't a Joke
-It's always good for zoos to be prepared for emergencies. Zookeepers go to extreme lengths to ensure not only the safety of the public, but also the safety of the animals in their care. One zoo employee noted "Partner was a zookeeper in Dallas. Safety protocols for when a large, dangerous animal escapes its enclosure dictate that you lock yourself in whatever room you can get to quickest and grab the nearest weapon, which, for most zookeepers, was a broom or rake for cleaning up animal poop."
43. The Bucket Man
-Animals are interesting. They can develop love for inanimate objects. They amuse us with their goofy ways. They are beautiful to admire. One zookeeper had a particularly interesting experience with a turtle, which they note here. "I worked with large tortoises. We had these 5-gallon buckets for cleaning the poop out of enclosures and other buckets for feeding them fresh grass we cut. The first day on the job I took both buckets into the pen and started by dumping out the grass. Then I went around to collect poop. I heard this awful loud grunting and something breaking. One of the 300 lb males tried to bang the bucket in front of visitors and flattened it. He would even follow me around just in case I might leave more innocent buckets unattended."
44. Drama All the Time
-While the saying goes "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", there's a new twist on that. "Hell hath no fury like a zookeeper scorned". It's hard to imagine any kind of drama in a place where everyone is working towards the same goal - the conservation / preservation of animals, including endangered species. And also educating those who visit on these fine animals. One zookeeper had their eyes opened to the concept of drama in a zoo. "I worked in two completely different departments (elephants and neonates), but the drama between keepers was insane in both. Like, attempted murder level insane."
45. Karens Here to Ruin the Fun
-People think they know everything. People tend to think they don't have to follow rules. People like this are often referred to, strangely, as a "Karen", whatever that means. This is one of those names for uppity, arrogant know it alls who think they know everything and luckily, get informed on their misdeeds. Sometimes their "informing" of misdeeds goes horribly wrong. One zookeeper notes how one ignorant idiot could put not only their own lives at stake, but the lives of other zoo guests at stake because they think they know better. This zookeeper said "I used to work at a large zoo, and management started doing monthly dangerous animal escape drills. Someone would run around in a lion onesie and we'd have to react as if one of the large animals had escaped. You have to tell the nearby guests to get inside only once. If, after that, they refuse to follow you indoors (the protocol was to hole up in the large activity center buildings), you're to leave them there, go inside yourself, and lock the doors. It makes sense because people can be very stupid and you don't want to risk everyone's lives because of one Karen."
46. Keep It on the DL (Down Low)
-Imagine coming face to face with an animal that could easily relieve you of your life. Pretty scary right? That's a risk that zookeepers face on a daily basis. But, luckily, those zookeepers know how to handle those animals. Zoos have safety protocols in place for those situations. One zookeeper said "If any animals escapes before the zoo opens to the public, the zoo is supposed to shut down completely for the day. Often, though, smaller zoos can't afford to lose a day open to the public, so if some specific types of animals escape (such as reptiles or small animals), they will just stay open while having keepers look for the animal...I remember hearing from coworkers that they listened to our boss and opened even though a small but somewhat venomous snake was on the loose."
47. Gentle Creatures
-Some zoo creatures have been unfairly given a bad reputation. It's hard for people to look and find the good in these animals. One zookeeper noted "I once worked with big cats and they're more gentle than you might think. Sure, they are very violent, but there were days when it felt like we understood each other as creatures. It was awesome."
48. Rain, Rain Go Away
-Rain often ruins a good day at the zoo. Like people, animals don't like the rain. And, also like people, animals don't always like being out in the rain. In terms of the circle of life at the zoo, the animals and zookeepers are top rulers. Customers are at the bottom. Customer opinion is invalid, irrelevant. One zookeeper vents their frustration at people expecting animals to be out in the rain. "Whenever animals wouldn't want to come out of their enclosures due to bad weather or whatever, customers would get so angry at us. It's like, hello, we can't do anything about this..."
49. Tranquilize, Capture
-Jaguars are fast animals, like cheetahs. One zookeeper thought they were cute and also remembered they were wild animals. "Lions and tigers are typically on the "tranq and capture" list, but a jaguar the size of a golden retriever is KoS. The zoo I was with, the 2 jags were the only animal on site that were on the shoot to kill list. Even the silverback on the tranq list first. Jags will kill for sport, and if they escape they will claim an area as their own, then hunt and kill anyone in that area they perceive as a threat (to them, or their food). All those videos of jags rubbing their paws on the glass near children? They weren't hungry, the kids just look fun to kill to the jag."
50. Sea Star Attack
-A lot of love and money goes into maintaining the proper environs in aquariums. Each creature in that aquarium has its own specific dietary and environmental needs. One thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong, as noted by one zoo employee. "So we had a touch tank called "Edge of the Sea" like most aquariums. One day, this little kid took a sea star out of the tank, and put it in his pocket. Then he ran away. I was working the exhibit alone. A field trip came right up after the sea star was taken. I quickly grabbed the microphone and told everyone not to touch anything for a moment. I ran to the next exhibit and greeted the kids mother. I told her what happened and she asked him to give back the animal. Out of nowhere, the kid takes a f----ing bite out of the sea star, spits it out and says "yuck" and then whips the rest of the animal against the wall. I grabbed the body and leg. Sea Stars grow back from both. They survived."
51. The Right to Protest
-Everyone has a passion for something. One zoo employee noted that a woman felt like she had nothing to lose. "One time I was working at a museum with a live animal exhibit and a protester covered herself in animal blood. She tried to run into the building and got clotheslined by a security guard."
52. The Tortoise and the Hare
-Rules are in place for a reason. They ensure everyone has a good time and is also safe. There are people who will ignore the rules but then complain about the consequences of their actions. They believe in deny until you die. One zoo employee notes "Had a guy try to pick up our African Spurred Tortoise (about 100lbs) that we let roam freely to show his kid he could do it, and got p---ed when I told him to put the tortoise down. Oh, and he called back later complaining that picking up the tortoise injured his back."
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53. Just a Way of Life
-Animals are unpredictable. So are people. So it's no surprise that animals can surprise us at every opportunity. One zoo employee noted "I saw a mom screaming at a zookeeper because a monkey pooped in front of their kid." If you have to go, you have to go. Just another day in the life of an animal. Most kids and some immature adults think it's hilarious to watch animals go to the bathroom. Some people are just ridiculous
54. A Surprising Turn of Events
-Don't ever assume that when you visit an aquarium or zoo housing animals of all sizes that you'll be constantly safe. Sometimes things happen that are out of the controlled hands of zookeepers or aquarium employees. One zoo employee remembers "Was at a local zoo for their annual beer fest a few years back...The bobcat got out and they ran around and grabbed all the zoo guests and made us go into one of the indoor exhibits shortly after this event started. We had to stay put for over an hour until they were able to catch it and put it back. I figured some drunk person thought it would be a good idea to try to let it out, but the zoo claimed afterwards that it had nothing to do with the event and was just an accident."
55. Don't Push The Chimps' Buttons
-Taking kids to the zoo is often exhausting. You have to keep them all together and not lose a kid or two. You have to keep them fed. But, what happens when older kids start causing trouble? One zookeeper was definitely on the side of the chimps in one case. "Used to work at a zoo teaching summer camps. Many of the chimps were rescues from shows and weren't very wild or shy, so would sit close to the edge of the enclosure near visitors. A couple teens were tossing rocks at them, and one chimp scooped one up that landed close by and just whipped it back. Guess what animal had better aim and can throw a h--- of a lot harder than a 14 year old? Yep. Thankfully this was in the early 90s before people sued for everything."
56. May I Offer You Some Honey?
-We all are glued to screens, whether they be phone screens or television screens. You start to get confused about what's real and what's not. Most would think adults know what's real and what's not and tell their kids that. Not so much. One zoo employee witnessed first hand the confusion adults can spread to their kids. "I work at an ecology center, so similar to a zoo and I once saw three grown men try to feed the black bears honey (one of them is named Pooh). Now, the bears were clearly hibernating, so I don't know what their goal was. All they did was get honey all over their hands and got kicked out."
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| This is the creature you have to worry about most when on the hiking trails just outside of downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee. They do have black bears down there. If you see baby black bears, start worrying. Mama or Papa black bear is around |
57. Silly, But Adorable
-Animals are silly, but cute. That's why we love them. They can do stuff that just makes us smile and brightens our day. One zookeeper had an ear-to-ear smiling moment, which they state here. "Our pufferfish got wedged in a tiny hole and required divers to go in to the big tank and save him. Silly, clumsy animal, seriously clumsy. Cute, but graceless."
58. You're Free
-Some people have very strong opinions about zoos. Some feel these animals should be free to roam. The problem is that they are so used to being hand fed that they would never survive a day in their actual, natural habitats. Some feel that with animals living in zoos, they can educate the public on their species and promote conservation / preservation, especially on endangered species. Some zoos just don't seem to look after the animals as they should. One zoo employee noted "I had to do community service at the zoo when I was 16. While I was there I grew attached to this raccoon that would let me come in the cage and feed it. So as the summer went by I'd give it extra treats. On my last day there I thought to myself "you know what, screw zoos" and let him out of his cage. As this was taking place, unannounced to me, the zoo manager was walking up behind me. He only gave me credit for half my hours worked from the whole summer. So I spent the fall redoing them at the museum. Worth it though."
59. Hello, Sun
-People think animals and monkeys are similar in nature. As you see these creatures more often, those similarities come to the front. As noted by one zoo employee. "Worked grounds at the Oakland Zoo - besides crazy human stuff, the coolest crazy thing was coming in at 5ish am and seeing this certain siamang (big gibbon I think) at the top of the tree singing and pointing like he was greeting the sun. I saw him do this several times." This is one of those special moments that zookeeper will cherish forever
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60. What Did You Think Was Going to Happen?
-Have you ever walked past an exhibit at a zoo or museum and thought to yourself "Why would anyone have this set up?" These exhibits have interactive parts where the public can interact. This can often backfire as people are bound to screw it up and not listen to the rules. A good example can be found here, from the words of one person. "Not a zookeeper, but I was at this huge aquarium last weekend and they had one of those exhibits where you can put your fingers in and let a manta ray swim around. This dumb woman next to me had a manta ray swim right near her and she grabbed its fin with her thumb and forefinger and dragged it closer so her kid could touch it. The ray flipped the f--- out and splashed her and her kid in the face."
61. Let's Trade
-Let's face it-animals out-intelligence humans without question of doubt. Animals are smarter. We can learn a thing or two from animals. Animals don't judge other animals by the color of their pelt or their stripes or spots. Animals know right from wrong, most of the time. Animals also know how to work humans to get what they want. One person noted "My friend works with the chimpanzees at my local zoo. The leader of the chimpanzee herd was actually raised for his first year in the zoo directors home, growing up with his children so he's crazy smart. One day my friend lost her keys while tending to the chimps, and she noticed this chimp had them. She asked to have them back, but he signalled he wanted a banana as a trade-off. So she got him one, and he proceeded to take ONE key off the key chain and give it back to her. Around 20 bananas later, she had all her keys back." Clearly this is evidence that animals know what they're doing and they know how to work the system.
62. Kids, Are You Ready?
-Kids are easily entertained and satisfied. They seem to throw fits over the smallest things. They're usually okay with differences. One person notes "Back in my zookeeping days, I had a big class of 4-6 year olds who I was giving a tour of the rhino exhibit to when our big male backed up to the fence and marked them all with his nasty pheromonous urine. They thought it was hilarious!"
63. Secrets of the Zoo
-Most if not all would assume those caring for animals actually do care for the animals. That any mistake that comes up, they would assume responsibility if it was their fault. Not all zoos operate like that. Some people cover up THEIR OWN MISTAKES for the sake of guests and $$$. One zoo employee notes "The zoo I worked for had a white tiger, and was quite famous for it. One day the zoo announced the tiger had died of 'natural causes'. Whilst working there a few years after he died, I was told by a keeper that there was actually a problem with the electric fencing in his enclosure that the zoo managers refused to pay to get fixed, thinking it would be fine. He was electrocuted to death a few weeks after they found the problem. They covered the whole thing up by saying they weren't sure how he died, but that he was old. It's still a zoo secret to this day."
64. The Killer Octopus Strikes Again
-Maintaining a zoo is a very high responsibility. You have all of these animals in your care that require special diets, special environments and more, that simulates their natural habitat. There are a lot of things to consider when working at or maintaining a zoo. One person noted "One of my friends used to work at a zoo where the operators couldn't figure out why the sharks in the mixed species tank kept turning up dead so they set up a couple cameras and it turned out there was an f---ing psycho octopus just killing for fun. Hiding between rocks, waiting, and then just strangling them to death."
65. Don't Annoy the Camels
-There's nothing wrong with getting up close and personal with the animals. For a lot of people, it's a once in a lifetime experience to be up close with an animal you love and adore and respect. But there is something to keep in mind-yes, these are animals under the care of zookeepers, but also keep in mind they are wild animals. They still have their wild animal instincts about them. There's a fine line between face to face encounter and complete disaster. When it comes to camels, that line is covered with whatever it is that camels spit out. One zoo employee noted "Our camels will spit if you p--- them off, and it's not saliva like most people would think. You really, really, really, really don't want to upset our camels if you have any plans the rest of the week, please and thank you!" [camel spit is actually vomit]
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