Sunday, November 20, 2005

Woohoo! Zoo!

My teammate Jackie works in the education department at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Since I hadn't been there yet and she wanted some overtime hours, she took me on a private, behind-the-scenes zoo tour! It was so neat! I got to see tree frogs and millipedes and chincillas and giraffes, everything! I learned about the mating habits of gorillas. For example, usually there is a group of female gorillas with one grayback male. When the boy babies are old enough, the alpha male kicks him out and makes him find his own family. But the Pittsburgh grayback has a brother who he didn't kick out. The brother just tags along, never mates, and hangs out. His name is Harry. He pounded his chest while I was there today.

And then we saw elephants. Elephants are really awesome because the matriarch is the leader of each herd. She bosses all the men around. So they have to keep the male elephant, Jack, in a separate pen or he'll try to mate with the babies.

And then Jackie told me I could totally work as a zoo camp teacher at the zoo this summer. Teaching experience, elephants, walking distance of home...what a perfect summer job! And to think Destiny almost had me convinced to waitress!

6 comments:

ninny said...

maybe you could get married at the zoo....

Katy said...

People DOOOO get married at the zoo! You can rent out the aquarium or the ape house for receptions. Jackie told me all about it. Perhaps a cute little monkey could officiate and the octopus could play the piano...

ninny said...

the penguins wouldn't need tuxedos

PeaceLoveMath said...

this is beginning to sound like a children's song from a rafi tape or something. "the octopus could play piano...the penguins won't need tuxedos...the monkey can officiate..." tee hee.

Jane said...

I would definitely come to a wedding at the zoo. We might not be able to tell who lives in the zoo and who are some of the wilder relatives, though.

ninny said...

sami could have her painted elephant...max and reno could carry the rings...