Here's a few of mine:
So we have a porcupine named Irwin who is an education animal which means he's unreleaseable and socialized. Well the first time I was cleaning his enclosure they told me that he would just sit on his log and not bother me because he doesn't like most people. Well as soon as I went in he came right up to me and was sniffing my face and tried to climb on my back and head. And I was so excited because i'm like wow he really likes me! And then I went in again later and he tried to eat my hair and I realized he just thought I was a giant walking carrot
(Carrots are his favorite food and my hair is orange)Another time I got outsmarted by squirrels. So there are these outdoor enclosures that lock from the outside so if you shut them while cleaning them you lock yourself in. But they also tell you not to let the animals escape. And squirrels are crazy. So I was cleaning their enclosure and of course one of them darts for the door and I panic and shut it. Great. So I use my walkie Talkie to try to get help but no one hears me for like 20 minutes. To her credit she managed not to laugh as she released me from the squirrel pen
There was a crow in the same type of enclosure with a broken wing that literally hopped over my head (from a branch) to escape. I darted after him and he hopped down this hill that is covered in trees and bushes and we danced around for like 10 mins before i finally caught him. Then he decided to bite me a few times which was painful because they have really strong beaks. I untangled us from the bushes and marched back to the enclosure and tossed him back in like "Gah featherbrain why don't you sit in here for a while and think about what you've done." *Squawkes back angrily*
There was a time I found a baby opossum curled up with a hawk in it's nest. I still have no idea how it crossed a hallway, went through two doors, and entered the hawk's cage. Luckily the hawk had a head injury and didn't try to eat it.
My friend and I took Clover, the skunk education animal, out for a walk one time. She had a pocket full of mealies (which is her favorite treat) and Clover sniffed them out right away and started chasing my friend and trying to climb her leg and biting her pocket to get to the mealies. And of course I was videotaping it and she was like "Steph help!" and i'm like "Yeah sure, one sec I want to get this on video
. She was fine lolFun patients:
There's a squirrel that developed slowly mentally (another intern told me he has squirrel down syndrome but Idk if that's true) and his siblings were picking on him. So now he's kept in one of the staff's offices and his name is flapjack and hes goofy and sweet.
They have a one-eyed owl named Abe Winkin. Just let that sink in.
I also have pictures if anyone wants to see some!
