Last Day :(

When I arrived at the Zoo, I headed over to the Forest Aviary and changed out the food bowls. By now I think I could prepare diets with my eyes closed, but I don't, cause that would be weird. As I was taking out the food, I talked to the visitors again and bribed the birds over to the visitors using a mealworm so they could take pictures. I kinda feel bad for the worms because the birds toy with them before they eat them. They throw them around, give them the illusion of escape, and then eat them.

While we were preparing the diets, Sherry explained different facts about birds to me. One of the topics she discussed was how birds breathe. They do not breathe like humans. Birds have lungs and air sacs and when they breathe in, the air does not just travel to and from the lungs. The air travels from the mouth/nose to the lungs and from there they go to the air sacs that are interconnected to the lungs. This process allows air to be constantly in the lungs, allowing for longer flight.
Sherry also gave me the random fact that duck's feet do not freeze because of something called a "countercurrent" blood flow. The blood that is warmed travels to the feet, but unlike humans, the warm blood warms the cold blood that is traveling back up to the body. So there is never really any cold blood in a ducks body. So there's your random tidbit of the day.

She also told me more facts about feathers. She explained to me that there is actually a vein in the feather that provides the blood that allows the feather to grow. Once the feather has stopped growing, the tip of the feather closes and the blood flow stops. Also along the "hair" of the feather are tiny barbs that hold the feather hairs together. So when the birds preen their feathers, they are helping getting the barbs to hook back onto the feathers. They're getting all pretty for their close up.

Bugsy

One thing that surprised me the most during my time at the zoo was that birds have major personalities. They get embarrassed, happy, sad, and they mess with you. One of the birds with the biggest personalities was the Blue-Bellied Roller, Bugsy. Bugsy always tries to steal my headband and paper towels. Today he was perched on a branch right in front of me and I noticed that every time I moved my head, he would move his. I had great fun with that one, until Sherry gave me a odd look. Also it's funny because whenever I see a bird trip, I also see them look around to see if anyone noticed (which is also what I do).
We headed back to Barn 8, where I got to witness the courting ritual of the Kori Buster. It was one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. The Kori Buster puffs out the feathers on it's neck and lifts up it's tail. The oddest thing though, is the sound. It makes a sound that sounds like someone with their bass in their car turned all the way up is driving by.

Kori Buster during Courting Ritual 

I think in the end, my favorite birds were the White Headed Whistling Ducks and the Lovebird. The Ducks were so funny when I was putting out their food. They would nip at my jeans and whistle at me as loud as they could until I put their food down. The lovebird would keep me company while I was preparing the food. I know I was really losing it when I started having a conversation with him...
Since we finished the bird's food so early, Sherry decided to take me down to the brand new Safari Exhibit. She took me around and told me what she knew about the elephants, giraffes, ostriches, lions, and cheetahs. What I liked most about the exhibit is how you were level with the giraffes head and how scared the kids were of the giraffes tongue. After our tour, we headed back to Barn 8 and I said my goodbyes to everyone. It was sad and they told me to come back any time and hopefully that will happen!

Forest Aviary

After my day officially ended, Olivia and I got a behind the scenes tour of the elephant exhibit by Olivia's mentor. It was AMAZING! We were two feet away from a giant elephant. We witnessed the zookeepers training the elephants to lift their feet up to the cage so they could wash them. They also showed off the elephants skills with her backing up, opening her mouth, and lifting her trunk with just the zookeepers asking her to. The zookeeper that was giving the tour told us that the heaviest elephant they have, Ginny, is over 10,000 pounds! She also

 told us that baby elephants weigh around 250 pounds, small right? Just kidding, can you imagine giving birth to that?! Adult elephants eat around 250 to 300 pounds a day! (Weight Watchers would not approve). The zookeepers told us that they train the elephants to make giving them shots easier (by leaning against the cage) because the needle has to be huge because the elephant skin is around an inch thick! She also explained to us that just like how humans are right or left handed, elephants are left and right tusked. They use the dominant tusk to scratch trees, spear naughty humans that go past the fence, brake branches, and other stuff. The dominant tusk is usually the more worn down one. The elephant's tusks are just part of their teeth and whenever they loose one completely, they can never grow it back.
I LOVED my internship at the zoo! I wish I could continue it. This internship has given me the thought of becoming a zookeeper in the future and I would love to work with animals in any job I have in the future. I mean, how cool would that be? I extremely recommend interning, volunteering, or just visiting the zoo whenever you can.

BYE!