A Grunt and Loving It
I’m at the sanctuary 2-3 times a week these days and having an awesome time. About a month ago or so I was seriously considering moving up in the ranks. It just felt so natural.
Then we decided to go to Georgia for a weekend. And to Chicago/Eagle River for a week. In between, I will be in Costa Rica.
Whether the feeling would be valid of self-inflicted, I would worry about how it would look to accept the priviledges of a higher volunteer level and then skip town. After wrestling with the idea for a week or so, I decided I am very happy just being grunt. I’ll do what I’m told and leave when I’m done.
Perhaps I would feel different if I weren’t allowed to conduct tours. I’ve done 2 adult tours, 3 children’s tours, and 1 tour for emotional disturbed teenagers in the past week. I don’t think I’d ever want to be a full-fledged teacher, but the tours are educational and it is both fun and amazing to help people learn about these animals.
Another thing is that I have worked back up to doing enrichment. I was granted time yesterday and walked around with an intern handing out spice bags and liver-cicles. (Scent is important to cats in the wild so spices interest them. And a liver-cicle is, well, pureed liver frozen in a cup. Yum.) It reminded me so much of why I do this. These animals rely on humans for everything. They are reminded of this when they eat, when they shit, and when they hurt. Enrichment is a time for the animal to just be an animal.
These pictures are not from that, but from an early morning while I was waiting for a tour to come. It’s hard to get pictures because there is little time for anyone to just wander; we’re always working and the work is never done. But I snuck to my car when I saw these photo opportunities.
Leopard, mid-yawn. He came to us after his owner, a small road-side zoo operator, died.
Tiger. She was a rescue from the exotic animal market, a pet. I believe she was almost 3 months when the owners realized she was too big and dangerous. She’ll live to be around 20.
Not wild animals, but too cute to not share.
Very cute. All of you.
what a lovely day.
jealousy abounds.