Almost to the Finish Line

With less than a month at the zoo to go, I have a lot of things to get ready for. Packing for school, getting paperwork out of the way, getting my last hurrahs in with friends before I move. It's so weird to think I've been in St. Louis for nearly a year. It had never been my intention to stay this long, but I'm glad I did. Working at the zoo has been amazing! 

With so much time dedicated to my Interpreter's job with the education department I haven't had nearly so much time to go into the lab. This may not be entirely bad since I've found I'm coming down with a bit of senioritis I suppose...I find myself increasingly resistant to do fox videos, asking for other projects to complete instead. It's just as well, it may be time for me to move on anyhow. 

The Stingray exhibit is a phenomenal success and has been a ton of fun to work. Talking on a microphone for 3 hours can get a bit old but it definitely beats working fast food or some other menial job. I've been super fortunate to be a part of both the Research and Education departments at the zoo. By far my favorite Stingray is the baby cownose, Stewart. I need to get a picture of him! 

But what on earth am I going to do with this blog when I leave? I'm not really sure yet. I'm hoping to get a job at the Lowry Park zoo in Tampa, or at least try to volunteer, so maybe it'll transition nicely.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to taking more pictures, going on some intern tours (went on a Carnivore tour which included a back-area tour of the Big Cats! Standing two feet away from two Amur Tigers is pretty intimidating) and just kicking back and enjoying whatever comes next in the 3 weeks I have left. 

By the way, when we were down with the tigers, we were close enough to hear them chuff. One was taking a bath and washing his enormous paw. Despite their intimidating size, they were still horribly adorable. It was super hot the day we went on this tour, so all the tigers were seeking shade or playing in their pool. 

In other news, the littlest Asian elephant, Jade, was finally introduced to the rest of the herd permanently. Seeing one baby elephant is cute, but TWO in one exhibit is just...well....twice as cute. Jade and Mahlia can be seen from time to time making little hay hats. On the super hot heat advisory days, the elephants have been playing in their water. It's a shame I don't have any pictures. 

Finally, the Equid herds have been separated. Having watched the foals grow up over the fall and winter, it's been tough to see them get so big. Soon the mares will breed again (hopefully) and the cycle will continue, with some new interns falling in love with the new babies. The things we do for conservation.