Routines

Now that I have completed my third week of gorilla keeper training I have fallen into a comfortable routine. Bike to work, keeper meeting at 8, medicate the 'rillas, rake yard, distribute breakfast, let them out, clean indoor enclosures, lunch, distribute dinner, let'em back in. Routines are indeed comfortable but Roseann says they can be dangerous. Gorillas are massive and much stronger than they look; to make a mistake could cost more than you're willing to pay.



Some routines are good: Always check the padlocks when you shut an enclosure door and again before letting the gorillas in; always count the gorillas as they leave for the yard. Roseann says that she once thought that they were all outside and very nearly entered the indoor enclosure with a snoozing gorilla. To allow these habits to ingrain themselves is positive.



However, routines can also lull one into a thoughtless process that could lead to mistakes. Gorillas are tricky creatures and are almost never where you think they are once you turn your head away. I have learned not to assume that Harry isn't lurking around a corner where he wasn't two seconds ago; waiting to lunge out and surprise me.



Not stopping to think about what you are doing before you do it can cost the gorillas too. Every day as we let the gorillas back in for their dinner I give Zakula a banana. She is slower than the rest and I want to make sure she gets enough to eat. Roseann told me from the beginning to not allow the silverbacks to see the girls getting an extra treat and I have religiously followed this rule. This evening however I let my guard down and did not hide the banana behind my back as the apes trouped in. They all filed past me and Zakula paused near the bars for her snack. Just before I was able to give Zak the banana, Harry lunged out of nowhere and tackled poor old Zakula. Zak began screaming and snarling as Harry roughed her up which alerted Mrithi to the disturbance. Mrithi's philosophy is that if someone is getting pounded on, it is going to be he that does the pounding. Very soon Mrithi bounded into the room and was on top of Harry. More screaming; more gorilla fighting; it was a terrible sight to behold, and all over a banana that I didn't hide behind my back!



Gorilla fights can be a serious thing. Someone is bound to get hurt and I have seen some pretty serious looking wounds already in my short time here. Mrithi received a bite wound that made my head swim: perhaps three inches deep and open very wide. It was a slash that would have meant the Emergency Room for us and sure death for a smaller creature. Mrithi however seemed fairly unconcerned; only giving it an occasional lick. I was sure that Roseann was going to have him darted and sutured at once but she said that she was going to allow him to care for it himself. I was astounded at how fast he healed: in less than a week it was closed completely.



Here is the internship log that I have been keeping since I started to show you what I have been up to in the 64 hours that I have put in.
Zoo Internship Log

8-30-10

8 hrs

Picked up gnawed bones and dead snake from painted dog exhibit
Raked and distributed the gorilla’s breakfast in the outdoor yard
Cleaned the gorilla’s six indoor off-exhibit enclosures
Observed the gorillas outdoors
Fed the gorillas their lunch from the rooftop
Distributed fresh hay and dinner in the gorilla’s off-exhibit enclosures
Began the process of learning the gorilla’s names and faces


8-31-10

8 hrs

Raked and distributed the gorilla’s breakfast in the outdoor yard
Gave pain meds to Lola, the mandrill, while Roseann distracted the male, with grapes
Fed the spectacled and black bears grapes and peanuts
Cleaned the gorilla’s six indoor off-exhibit enclosures
Observed the gorillas outdoors
Kneaded vitamins into meat and fed painted dogs
Distracted Johnny, the mandrill, with grapes while Roseann attempted to lure Lola into her nighttime enclosure
Distributed the gorilla’s dinner


9-5-10

8 hrs

Prepared medicated beverages and birth-control grapes, and distributed them to the appropriate gorillas
Raked and distributed the gorilla’s breakfast in the outdoor yard
Cleaned enclosures and fed a pair of goats, a pair of Sicilian donkeys, and a pair of armadillos in quarantine
Cleaned the gorilla’s six indoor off-exhibit enclosures
Observed the gorillas outdoors
Fed bones to the painted dogs
Fed black and white ruffed lemurs, ring-tailed lemur, cotton-topped tamerins, howler monkeys, and saki monkeys
Fed the gorillas their lunch from the rooftop
Distracted orangutans with corn and juice so that veterinarians could treat another orangutan
Distributed fresh hay and dinner in the gorilla’s off-exhibit enclosures
Gave a colobus monkey a grape with diabetic medicine in it


9-6-10

8 hrs

Prepared and distributed meds
Raked and distributed the gorilla’s breakfast in the outdoor yard
Cleaned the gorilla’s six indoor off-exhibit enclosures
Observed the gorillas outdoors
Walked the zoo grounds
Played with a young orangutan
Fed the gorillas their lunch from the rooftop
Attempted to coax the mandrills into their off-exhibit enclosure
Distributed dinner in the gorilla’s off-exhibit enclosure


9-7-10

8 hrs

Prepared and distributed meds
Raked and distributed the gorilla’s breakfast in the outdoor yard
Raked and cleaned the entire gorilla moat
Cleaned enclosures for and fed donkeys, goats, and armadillos in quarantine
Cleaned the painted dog feeding area
Cleaned the gorilla’s six indoor off-exhibit enclosures
Distracted the male mandrill with grapes and carrots while the female received her meds
Fed the gorillas their lunch from the rooftop
Fed the painted dogs
Walked the zoo grounds
Searched the nearby woods for mulberry for the gorillas
Distributed dinner in the gorilla’s off-exhibit enclosure


9-12-10

8 hrs

Prepared and distributed meds
Raked and distributed the gorilla’s breakfast in the outdoor yard
Cleaned the gorilla’s six indoor off-exhibit enclosures
Observed the gorillas on exhibit
Distributed dinner in the gorilla’s off-exhibit enclosure


9-13-10

8 hrs

Prepared and distributed meds
Raked and distributed the gorilla’s breakfast in the outdoor yard
Cleaned enclosures for and fed goats in quarantine
Cleaned the gorilla’s six indoor off-exhibit enclosures
Observed the gorillas on exhibit
Took pictures of the primate house for a presentation for new docents
Fed the male rhino
Distributed dinner in the gorilla’s off-exhibit enclosure


9-14-10

8 hrs

Prepared and distributed meds
Raked and distributed the gorilla’s breakfast in the outdoor yard
Cleaned the gorilla’s six indoor off-exhibit enclosures
Observed the gorillas on exhibit
Administered the gorilla’s lunch
Prepared and distributed fruit juice ice cubes to the gorillas
Distributed dinner in the gorilla’s off-exhibit enclosure