Recapping My Experience at the Zoo!!

I know it has been awhile since I have promised to start my blog back up but that's life for you it gets in the way sometimes! Anyways I hope you continue to stick around and read about my crazy adventures...

2 years ago when I had the privilege to work at my local zoo I never thought it would be something that I would take on and really enjoy. Being in the Education Department allowed me to combine my love of animals and kids. I established a lot of goals for myself during my time there and I successfully met each one of them. I also learned a lot about myself in that time period as well. I learned that no matter how nice someone may seem you may not always be able to trust them because they only care about themselves. Although I learned that the hard way it taught me to persevere and surround myself with people who care about me and have my best interest at heart. I also learned that sometimes you just have to face your fears. I told myself I was going to hold a snake by the end of my time there and I actually held 2! I will say I prefer holding tree snake species to ground snake species because the tree snake species just hang out and chill while the ground snake ones are all over the place!

A few other thoughts that I took away...
- Walkie Talkies are super cool and they're even better when you have a nickname or get to say super fun phrases like "Go for Rigg" or "Rodger 10/4."
- I do not like taking care of chickens. Although they are cute they are very grumpy and do not like to go back in their pen. I became and expert chicken wrangler and let me tell you those ladies are fast!
-Barn Owls rock except you have to be super quick and place their food just so. Always clean on top of their houses too because that is where they hide their food. *YUCK*
- Bobcats can be super cuddly and Silver Foxes can be extra silly
-Smooth Sided Toads have a special place in my heart!
-You never know when and where you will meet one of your best friends.
-Zoo Keepers are often silly, knowledgeable, and very caring people
-Befriend the Sheriff Officers and the Maintenance Staff and Security Guards that work there because you never know when you will need them for something and they will always have your back in any situation.
-You will own so much khaki you will not know what to do with it all!
-Get yourself a super comfortable and supportive pair of sneakers

Aside from all the silly things I learned perhaps the most important lesson for me was engaging with children and seeing the wonder in their eyes when they a neat animal fact or get to get up close to an animal for the first time. During the programs we held I could see the smiles stretch across their faces and I loved any chance I got at answering any question they had.

When my time came to a close I was super sad to leave but I came away with some amazing memories, pictures, and stories to tell.

I got to feed the giraffes almost everyday!!!!! 

Taking Selfies with a giraffe is not an easy task! 

I kinda made friends with a cow (not really she was terrifying but I just tried to keep the peace with her to save myself from getting a nasty headbutt from that large noodle of hers)

One of the snakes I held (she was a Mexican Rosy Boa which is the smallest of the boas and is a ground snake species) she was moving all the over the place. It was really weird to feel her muscles moving in my hands hence the look of panic on my face. Holding her lasted for a 5 seconds. 

I also got to hold and alligator on my last day at the zoo! It was awesome! I also thought it was neat that he inflated himself like a balloon to appear bigger than what he really is.  His name was Jeffrey and he was dropped off on the front steps of the Zoo Office as a hatchling in a cooler.

Some of the peacocks at the zoo. The standard colored ones are all named Gerald and the piebald one is named Halfsie but I decided Juan Pablo was a more fitting name for him.

 This is Muddflapp. He is a smooth sided toad and one of the oldest animals in the zoo during the time these pictures were snapped he was 16 years old, to my knowledge he is still kicking at a whopping 19! He quickly became my favorite animal in the Education department. He was the first animal I learned how to handle. He was very picky when eating with some of the other girls but I always felt accomplished that I could get him to eat!

(Photo Credit to Sarah)

Juniper the bobcat I got to take care of she was super sweet!

Miss Brynn our Silver Fox. Clearly she was the star of the department and had enough sass to make sure we never forgot it. She was so much fun to take care of and play with. FUN FACT: Foxes urine smells like a skunk. Each fox has their own distinct scent. When they want to save food they will dig a hole and bury their food and then urinate ontop of it when it covered back up, this allows them to locate it again and keep other animals away from it!
(Photo Credit to Katie)

 Below are just some more snap shots of the animals and some of the people I met!

Lexington the Lion! 

A Grant's Zebra...I believe this is the male Sarge!

Rocky the Tiger. Rocky has since passed away! Rest in Peace! 

Mork and Annie the River Otters. FUN FACT: Only Sea Otters hold hands so they do not drift away from each other when they are sleeping!

Tank-Lin! (Photo Credit to Katie)

When you just know you are a super handsome bird!!

This is Hugo. She is currently the oldest Barn Owl in Captivity! She is in her 20s and still as sassy as ever! 

The amazing ladies I got to work with!

 I hope you all enjoyed my recap of my time at the zoo. This is just a glimpse at some of the things I got to do. Working with the kids, volunteers, staff, and animals was an amazing experience. I would have loved to stayed working there, sadly it was not in the cards for me. I continue to use the knowledge and skills that I have gained during my time in my current job! If you are ever in Cape May, New Jersey and are looking for something to do I highly suggest you check out the Cape May County Park & Zoo!!! It will be an experience you won't want to miss! 

Stop the Roller Coaster I want to get off...

So what have I been doing for the last 2 years you ask??? More like what have I not been doing! Last time I posted I had just started working at the Cape May County Zoo in their education department's zoo camp. Long story short they asked me to stay on for the full 6 month position and it was awesome! I did accomplish ALL of my goals! I held 2 snakes (pictures will be posted at a later date for those of you who don't believe me!!!!) Like I said it was a great experience and I was sad to see it end but it was time for me to move on...although one of the BEST things to come out of that experience was that I met one of my very best friends there and I CANNOT wait to be in her wedding next month!!! I am so glad we just looked at each other and were like "yeah we're best friends now!"Anyways after that experience I found myself back at the daycare...I was a maternity sub but it did not happen the way I was told it was going to but that's an entirely different story. I worked at that place off and one for almost 10 years and let me tell you as much as I LOVED the kids going to work everyday was not fun for me at all! I could not wait to leave that place at the end of the day and I was counting down the hours until I could go home as soon as I got there each day! Not very fun for a job. Thankfully my dream job (well the stepping stone to eventually achieve my dream job) opened up and I applied.

After a phone interview, an in person interview, and a presentation I GOT THE JOB!!!! It was even more special to me because the job was in my home county! So I started there last October it was a learning curve for me because I now had to be the 4-H Staff member instead of the 4-H member but I have accomplished a lot. I survived my first fair no problem and I have taken on some new leadership roles within the state. I am excited to see what the next year has in store for me. I have even started pursuing my Master's Degree so that I may continue on and achieve my dreams of becoming a 4-H Agent someday.

The past year has been pretty crazy I have gone through a roller coaster of emotions and ups and downs long the way and I have wanted to get off a couple of times but I am glad I stayed on! I am on my way to Making the Best Better One Day at a Time!

I am back...for real this time!

The last time I posted something on my blog was about 2 years ago!!! I thought I was going to keep up with it then but life got in the way and it did not happen. As I was reading through my old blog posts for inspiration for one of my graduate classes a light bulb went off in my head. I was trying too hard on what to write about and that is why I hit a dead end before. What does that mean? From here on out my blog is going to be fun things...different things I have learned along the way in the past few years since I was in college, the fun things I do, the antics that go on in the world of 4-H, funny stories, basically it is just going to be what happens in my life and what I learn from it! Blogging is a great way to document things and ideas and look back on them in the future. If no one reads it that's okay I am doing it for myself! So if you are a reader of my blog THANK YOU!!!

Alright people buckle up it's going to be a bumpy ride....