Week 54: Let's Get Rolling!

Lots of new developments in classes. I'm in the outreach group going to a juvenile detention center, and we've booked the show! The planning process is slowly beginning for that. I've started training my animals with their behaviors and it's slow going with Bwana, but Mau is picking it up quickly, as I expected. Our vet class gave us an interesting lecture about how to deal with death in our professional lives since it's something we're likely going to be encountering somewhat often. We got some zoo days assigned, and I've got one next week already! Resume class is going strong and it's really good to hear these prospectives from the animal world of job hunting. It's also helping with the setting up of projects. I've got some letters to write already! And on a super up note, we got permission to use the trucks again!
I've joined the spring spec. script committee, and we are flying full throttle to get this thing done. We are now working on a tactful way to whittle down the numbers in the committee from 11 to about 4. Can you imagine writing dialogue with 11 people? I know, it's ridiculous. I think that's my week. So much going on, it's hard to keep it all straight!

Week 53: Semester 4; Second Years!

Our classes started this week and they are going to be really awesome and keep me very busy again this semester. Here is my normal break-down:
Wildlife Education 4/Lab: This is our long awaited out-reach class. That means that instead of the usual kids paying up and coming here for a show, we go to them. We do nine free shows for a few lucky places that range from your average schools to the Ronald McDonald house and a juvenille detention center. I'm really looking forward to seeing how all this goes. In addition, towards the end we also start a bit on a few Spring Spec. plannings and we do the script reveal.
Animal Training 2/Lab: This is a continuation of last semester's training course. This semester we focus on training husbandry behaviors (this means things that allow the animal to assist in its own care, i.e. crating, medical procedures, etc.). For the lab I'm going to train Bwana (turaco) to crate and Mau (pig) to desensitize to ear manipulation and possibly move it forward to a blood draw from the ear vein. This is the class that our big Davis field trip occurs for.
Elementary Vet Procedures 1/Lab: This is taught by our vet. Here we will be learning about the ethical and emotional issues of treating animals, as well as actually discuss diseases and husbandry related issues in the field. We also have a big paper to write as though we were invited to present at a conference on a topic of our choosing. In the lab we will be working with our own zoo animals and assisting in their care, as well as doing some more formal things like dissections.
Second Year #1 Zoo Work Skills: The catch-all class it always is for everything we do at the zoo that doesn't fall under another class.
Zoo Days 2: Same as the summer. We have three zoo days in LA and two in Santa Barbara.
Professional Resumes: This is taught by our primate person (also the projects person). She is very savvy at how to set us up for job success in the real world and this is basically a class where she begins to give us those helpful hints. We will all work on and build resumes and cover letters to use once we graduate. This class is only half the semester and the other half it will continue with interview skills (I'll fill you in on that when it starts).
So, that's my super-busy schedule! Also, it was the hubby's b-day this week, and we celebrated the heck out of it! My buddy cooked us dinner and a cake for him! On Saturday, we went to Marina Del Rey to visit my uncle who I've recently found out has moved here. Now I have more relatives around and they all want to come see the zoo! Always nice to be able to share my really cool life with a few more people who appreciate the animal world!

Week 52: Semester 3 = Over

Yea! The summer finally ended! I'm an official second year! We have first years! It's all been pretty crazy this week. It was orientation week, but I don't feel like I'm very oriented for my new semester. I've learned mabye 5 first year's names and I'm really not sure what my class schedule looks like next week. Projects are closing in and just around the corner, and still, no one has any clue where they are going to be unless they are going to the marine mammals conference (FYI, this is not me). My buddy is really cool and we are likely to hang out frequently. My roommate is also awesome still as I've gotten to know her better. Been a little lonely without the hubby around, but I've also been fairly busy and exhausted all week too, so it all works out. My turnovers are going well and I'm almost finished with all of them. We start feeding the new ones this week, so that means so long to all my old semester assignments. They will be missed (well, most of them...)! Classes start next week, then we'll see what this whole crazy semester will really be like.

Week 51: VACATION!

Yea! I spent the week in Chicago with my family. Very relaxing, very nice. Found out we got our eagle back ups, and I also got assigned to Boo, one of our mountain coati sisters. I contributed to scientific research (and was paid for it), babysat, and watched a lot of hulu. Suckily, I got a 24 hour bug on Thursday night, so Friday was totally ruined and my flight home wasn't so much fun either. Came home to our new room mate, who seems to be pretty awesome! It's good to be back now and see my kitties again. Sadly, have to wait another week to see the hubby...

Week 50: Bye Bye Baxter

It's been a fairly eventful week prior to my vacation. We got our new training assignments for the fall. I got Bwana (white-cheeked turaco, pictured previously) and Maureen (or Mau, a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, pictured below). I'm pretty excited about both of them. In the fall, we train husbandry behaviors, which means behaviors that allow the animal to participate in its own care (vet procedures, crating, shifiting, etc.). We are starting turn overs now, so I'm learning these two new animals, and I'm teaching others about Kissu, Nuez, and Chance. So far, no one is on Nova, but there will be someone. I've asked for extras too, so I should have one more animal added hopefully.

I had my training final this week, and it went OK. I got a 95% with Benji. I actually changed his behavior to be a "stick 'em up", and he's actually really close to finishing that. Kissu got me an 85%, but I'm OK with that. The tough thing is that you never really know if you got that grade because the animal just isn't progressing and it's their "fault", or if that means Gary thinks you should have done more and the animal should have been farther along. Ah well. I'm pleased; still get an A!

Now, the sad thing. Baxter, our last Yucatan mini pig, was put down on Wednesday. He was super old and having extreme joint pain (basically no cartilage left...). It was sad to see him go, but not unexpected or overly sad to me. He was pictured in previous posts if you don't remember.