Video: Zookeeper For A Day!
Roamin' with Jerome
The first time I ever went to Busch Gardens was December 1980 when I went with my Mom and Dad during one of our famous driving vacations…this time during Christmas break. I grew up in Illinois where it is cold and gray through most of the winter so it was great to be in Florida, ANYWHERE in Florida, if only for a few days. The “cool” winter time temperatures in the 60s still felt like a tropical paradise to a young, frozen Midwesterner.
Busch Gardens! I had only seen it on TV commercials with the dramatic narration and music and I can still remember. The ads started with an African drum beat and then and exotic voice began: “Dawn…on the Serengeti plain…” Wow, was this place real?
Nearly thirty years later the park may have a new parent company, (who DOESN’T have a new parent company nowadays?) but it is still every bit as exciting with each return trip. The only ride I can actually remember from my youth was the monorail, which stopped at a station long enough for my parents to enjoy a complimentary beverage and a sub sandwich. Sure, there are a lot more rides now (my daughter and I cannot get enough of Shiekra) but the real heart and soul of the park is still the exotic animals. As you would imagine, there is lot of work that goes into taking care of dozens of animals and providing a huge natural habitat for them like they would find on the Serengeti plain. (Cue drum music)
I began my own personal adventure by cleaning an anteater's cage, and then taking care of a Warthog's business after he also took care of business. Wow, these animals all have really AGGRESSIVE digestive systems. I guess you have to have when you eat most of your meals off the ground. So the next time you blithely stroll past a live animal on display, just remember that there is a staff of people devoted to keeping their areas clean and livable, and the animals properly fed...it's a BIG job! Some of these animals eat pound after pound of food each and every day. In fact, there is a substantial portion of their daily nutrition that has to be prepared by hand. If you think cooking for your family is a pain, I invite you to prepare a few pounds of sliced carrots for Forest the Rhino and open a few dozen cans of Marmoset Chow made with meat and meat by-products. If you think canned dog food is disgusting, ladle yourself a heaping helping of this stuff and give thanks that you only get to enjoy the marmoset and don't have to feed the marmoset!
As you may have gathered, I gained new respect for the profession of "zookeeper." It certainly is not the most glamorous job, but based on my conversations with the staff at Busch Gardens, there is nothing else they'd rather do...you should be glad!
Busch Gardens! I had only seen it on TV commercials with the dramatic narration and music and I can still remember. The ads started with an African drum beat and then and exotic voice began: “Dawn…on the Serengeti plain…” Wow, was this place real?
Nearly thirty years later the park may have a new parent company, (who DOESN’T have a new parent company nowadays?) but it is still every bit as exciting with each return trip. The only ride I can actually remember from my youth was the monorail, which stopped at a station long enough for my parents to enjoy a complimentary beverage and a sub sandwich. Sure, there are a lot more rides now (my daughter and I cannot get enough of Shiekra) but the real heart and soul of the park is still the exotic animals. As you would imagine, there is lot of work that goes into taking care of dozens of animals and providing a huge natural habitat for them like they would find on the Serengeti plain. (Cue drum music)
I began my own personal adventure by cleaning an anteater's cage, and then taking care of a Warthog's business after he also took care of business. Wow, these animals all have really AGGRESSIVE digestive systems. I guess you have to have when you eat most of your meals off the ground. So the next time you blithely stroll past a live animal on display, just remember that there is a staff of people devoted to keeping their areas clean and livable, and the animals properly fed...it's a BIG job! Some of these animals eat pound after pound of food each and every day. In fact, there is a substantial portion of their daily nutrition that has to be prepared by hand. If you think cooking for your family is a pain, I invite you to prepare a few pounds of sliced carrots for Forest the Rhino and open a few dozen cans of Marmoset Chow made with meat and meat by-products. If you think canned dog food is disgusting, ladle yourself a heaping helping of this stuff and give thanks that you only get to enjoy the marmoset and don't have to feed the marmoset!
As you may have gathered, I gained new respect for the profession of "zookeeper." It certainly is not the most glamorous job, but based on my conversations with the staff at Busch Gardens, there is nothing else they'd rather do...you should be glad!