The Animal Groupie: Super Fan or Super Pain?

I got this awesome email the other day from a trainer who had a great idea on this week's blog topic.  She was interested in exploring the Groupie Factor.  More specifically, what IS a "Groupie", and what distinguishes them from a "Super Fan" (as she eloquently worded it)?  

Arguably the best Super Fan.

If you're scratching your head while reading this post, let me elaborate.

At some point, most people who love dolphins discover their local and/or favorite marine mammal facility.  They learn as much as they can about the dolphins living there.  Because of their love for all things dolphin, but they aren't able to actually work directly with them, they try to get involved in the animals' lives as much as they can.   There are entire internet forums dedicated to groups of dolphins, from genealogy to personality to "who has the best relationship".  Some people find fun, enriching things to do at underwater viewing windows.  Others form relationships with trainers or educators at the facility.

I did this to some extent, when I was in high school.  As you can all relate, I love animals.  The relationships I've forged with animals (humans included) are the most important thing to me.  And there is something really, really special about building trust between you and another being who cannot speak; it is a raw, social bond that requires a lot of time, mutual understanding, and unconditional love.  I think most aspiring marine mammal trainers (myself included) are really mesmerized and desperately want that same relationship with a dolphin.  You can't get this unless you become a trainer, so what to do until then?

The Red Hind: A grouper groupie.

The moment an aspiring trainer and/or dolphin lover realizes that this may be possible without getting the job, that's when things get interesting.  And hence, the inspiration for the trainer who wrote to me about the topic of this blog.  

Let's first talk about what it means to be labeled a Groupie in the trainer world.  My email pal had a couple of things to say about this:

"One dynamic I ran into was the Groupie vs Trainer struggle. Until I started working...first as an educator and now as a [trainer], I was never aware of the VENOM with which some staff members talked about the 'groupies'."  

"I was not aware that this was going on, and wasn’t aware of how notorious they could be amongst the zoo staff. From then on I was pretty terrified of being even remotely associated with these individuals them due to the aforementioned 'career suicide' factor. I just like taking photos, and I do it a lot, but I was and still am so afraid to be lumped in with that particular brand of enthusiast. Being called a Groupie at SeaWorld is like being called a Commie during the Cold War. It’s a black mark. " 

If any of you classify yourselves as Groupie (or are afraid you're classified as one), just take a deep breath.  And if you are a trainer who is squirming in your seat because you know what it is like to handle Groupies and some of the negative aspects they bring to the job, you go ahead and take a breath, too.  That's why this blog is here!

I wasn't aware, when I was playing with dolphins at the windows of the Brookfield Zoo or SeaWorld, that it wasn't a good thing to be identified as a Groupie.  I'd never even heard of that term.  I had friends who spent hours on Dolphin IDs, which made me think I was behind the eight ball of becoming a trainer.  Logically, it made sense to me that to really impress future employers, I should probably know their animals.  They'd probably be REALLY impressed if I knew even MORE than that, like their birthdays, their personalities...and maybe if I had a genuine relationship with one of the animals, they'd see the merit in hiring me.

Iiiii know every dolphin's birthday

Oh man, how wrong I was. 

But this isn't just an issue about Groupies.  There is another side to this story, and that's how trainers tend to deal with these people as a whole.  In general, and I'm not saying this to upset anyone, I'm just being honest, trainers are not very tolerant of people who try to know everything there is to know about the animals under their care.  Sometimes, totally normal guests get the brunt of trainer hyper-Groupie sensitization. 

"I’ve seen plenty of zoo staff members be flat-out MEAN to these 'super fans'. For every trainer, educator, or keeper who calmly explains to these people why their behavior is obnoxious or even harmful, there’s another who just unloads on a guest with little provocation. "

Okay, so what's going on here?  Why are Groupies driving trainers crazy, and why are trainers fed up with the Groupies?  

The first and main reason?  The extreme Groupies.  And here I will refer to the aforementioned quote where my email trainer friend used the term "super fan".  I love that.    Herein, "Super Fan" and "Groupie" are differentiated by several extremely critical characteristics.

Super Fan

Look at these happy fans! Go team!

* Love animals

* Have a genuine interest in animal training

* Want to forge relationships with the animals they are passionate about

* Mean well

* Acquire information for own personal knowledge

* Listen thoughtfully to the experts, even if they are hearing something they
   don't want to

* Respectful of trainers and other guests

Groupie

I KNOW WHERE THE BASEBALL PLAYERS LIVE

* Love the idea of having a dolphin like them

* Acquire information to lord over other people to show their superiority

* Ask questions with the intention of showing off, or knowing they will publish it
   regardless of sensitivity

* May have good intentions, but do not think about placing others' needs before
   their own

* Take over underwater viewing windows without thought of other guests

* Refer to an animal as "their" animal, or "my baby" or some other possessive
   phrase

Get the difference?  There are a lot.  And they are significant.

Super Fans are passionate people.  Sometimes, they make mistakes.  I am one of those people, I was corrected, and here I am with a successful marine mammal training career in a management position no doubt.  We are all misguided and benefit from some compassionate realignment, because those of us who are truly passionate would never do something to knowingly compromise an animal's well-being, no matter how indirectly.

We just want to help some animals

But here's the thing, I understand where the trainers are coming from.  Because the Groupie category has truly hyper-sensitized us.  

"The groupies, unlike regulars, take everything they do to an extreme. They make custom t-shirts with the name of their favorite animal on it, try WAY too hard to grovel to the animal trainers, bring duffel bags full of toys to the underwater viewing areas, ask trainers invasive and not-so-tactful questions about the animals (which they then race to be the first to post online), they know every animal’s family tree back to the 1970s, they attempt to elicit trained behaviors from the animals, refer to the various creatures as 'their baby', and they attend summer camp every year and make it their job to one-up the counselors. They have a lot of knowledge, and they like to make sure everyone within a 25 foot radius hears ALL about it. Trainers and keepers don’t trust them because they dig for information to share with their e-friends. Plenty of sensitive information has been spread around because these (generally young) people can’t respect things they’ve been told in confidence."

OMG OMG OMG [insert orca name here] LOVES ME

If you're not in this field, you may ask, "What's the big deal about sharing information with the world? What's so sensitive or secret that you can't share it with the public?  What do you have to hide?"

Well, speaking for the four facilities I've worked at, nothing.  But the reason to keep some things under wraps is not some clandestine, evil corporate conspiracy that all zookeepers maintain.  Sometimes, facilities keep pregnancies as proprietary.  Why?  Because some facilities get a lot of scrutiny if the birth is not successful.  No matter what the reason, even if it is 100% natural, we will get bombarded by email, Facebook, newspaper, and in-person comments about it.   Yes, we get sensitive people who express condolences for the mother, or curious well-meaning questions.  Those are always welcomed, even if the questions are tough ones.  But we also get a lot of really awful, awful statements made.   Last year, we were told by a woman that she hoped our dolphins all died, babies included, because they'd be happier dead than at our facility.  

Are you kidding me?!

The last thing an animal care staff needs to deal with is fielding absolutely uneducated and socially unintelligent comments while we try to focus on what's most important: the animals.  This goes for animal deaths, as well.   When an animal dies of complications related old age, we still get comments like, "Finally, this animal is free."  It shows no respect to the trainers or the animals who knew and loved the deceased.  

Other totally mundane details also get completely twisted around depending on who shares them.  Training methods, or what the animals are learning, or what husbandry samples we are getting....all of this information in the "wrong" hands can get spun into an impressive amount of tripe.  It's a bell that can't be unrung, in some cases.  

For example, I was visiting a dear friend of mine who works with elephants.  While I was waiting for her, I sat outside the elephant yard and watched the animals alongside a few other guests.  I watched three adult elephants and two calves explore their area; I had no idea what was going on, and didn't really know who was who, but it was fun to just watch them interact. 

Who doesn't love a baby elephant? The answer is no one.  Unless you're a jerk.

Then I heard a woman start to very confidently tell all of us standing around her what we were seeing.  She explained that the zoo had mixed the adult male in with the babies, and she didn't know why that was happening, because the male could easily kill the calves.  She said, "My close friend who works with these animals told me this introduction would be happening, but not like this.  Something must have happened.  I can't believe they are doing it like this."

She completely freaked out the rest of the guests, who now thought they were going to watch two baby elephants get murdered.  

When my friend arrived, I pulled her aside and told her what I'd overheard.  She handled the situation very professionally and politely, explaining to the guests the very thoughtful and careful process of introducing the animals.  I asked her in private where this woman had heard the information; let's just say she didn't have any friends in the zoo keeping department.  Who knows where she overheard this stuff.  What matters is how she handled it.

So, Super Fans and Groupies alike, do you see what you're up against here?  We are proud of our professions and our animals.  We do want to share information, and help those of you who want to dedicate your lives to the care and well-being of animals in human care AND in the wild.  But we are a little sensitive to those of you who try to Know It All.

"This perpetuates an awful us vs. them mentality. I’ve seen decent and perfectly-sane regulars stop coming to the parks or start avoiding exhibits they used to love because of these off-putting interactions. For example, I almost never visit the Dolphin Cove exhibit anymore because it became such a negative space. Literally being seen there more than once in a blue moon would earn you the fatal mark of the GROUPIE even if all you do is stand there and take photos."

"I have plenty of examples of being on the other side of this, like when two girls pretty much took over an entire panel of Shamu underwater viewing for “their” play session and became overly possessive when regular guests wanted to get a photo with the whales. It got to the point I had to step in, and they called me a bitch. Or when a CMA groupie tried to straight-up take the observation clip board out of my hands because she NEEDED to know how Winter was doing." 

WINTERRRRRRR

Here are a few tips for any animal lovers who have identified with being a Super Fan or Groupie:

1) These animals are not yours.  They are not mine.  They are not the zookeepers or trainers'. They are their own.  They choose with whom they bond...and in many cases, that will be their caregivers.  Not because you suck, or we are better, but because we spend our lives with them.  Time and effort CULTIVATE relationship.  It's not something to covet; it's something to motivate you to find your own journey into the zookeeper realm.  And if you do form a bond with an animal outside of this context at a zoo or aquarium, remember that is a two-way street.  They are not YOUR baby.  Possessiveness is not a trait of a true animal trainer.

2) If you earn a trainer or keeper's trust, keep it.  There are reasons that all go back to the animals' well-being for why things are publicly announced or why they are not.  Sharing it with the internet not only puts a black mark on your name, but it hurts animals.  Stop. 

3) If you ever catch yourself taking over an underwater viewing area, or ANY animal viewing area for that matter, show some decency.  Let other guests be apart of the experience.  If a trainer, docent, educator, or keeper asks you to stop or to slow your roll, respect and abide them.  They are not there to ruin your day, they are advocating for the animals and the other guests who are there to learn about the animals the same way you are. 

4) You may know a lot, but you don't hold a candle to the keepers.  If you think you do, you're headed down the wrong path.  It's okay.  You aren't supposed to know as much, because you aren't doing the job 40 to 60 hours a week.  It'll be your turn though, if you keep the animals first, your ego second, and work really hard.

Leggo of it

So for those of you who play with dolphins at windows, or who can identify every giraffe at your local zoo, don't panic.  It's okay you're doing that, as long as you're respectful and not disruptive.  It's okay if you have trainer friends, if you respect that relationship.  I have several friends who are not trainers who I'd consider great Super Fans.  It is not career suicide to have passion and enjoy the time you spend with animals.

Lastly, I also have a message for us trainers.

We have to remember that FIRST and FOREMOST, it is rarely okay to be rude or mean to someone visiting our facilities.  They could be the most annoying Groupie you know...but guess what?  They are still human beings.  They do not deserve to be treated like garbage.  We can be stern, we can ask them to leave if they are causing serious disruption to our animals and guests...but that isn't to embarrass them.  It's to protect and advocate for our animals; the only reason we are doing the job we do.

You'll reach a lot more people that way.  And it's the right thing to do.

Second, remember that many of us were once Super Fans who wanted the same things: to work with animals every day.  If you weren't like that, at least try to see it from their perspective.  We'd rather have passionate, loving people in this job than people who want to clock in and clock out, right?  Passionate people are hard workers who shovel poop, sort fish, and narrate endless shows for the love of the animals.  

Third, a curious guest is not a detractor.  Your facility can choose its level of info-sharing.  I've worked at both very close-lipped and very open places and have seen the pros and cons to each.  I personally prefer a more transparent approach, but that's just my preference.  No matter how proprietary your job is, curious guests are curious guests.  Don't break the rules of your facility, but don't be rude.  Don't treat them like hostile people.  Again, they are human beings.  And most of the time, they are just interested.  Handling them like they are annoying the life out of you can turn them into a detractor.   

We are all Super Fans!

I LOVE MY JOOOOOOOOOOB

The Only Thing That Disgusts Animal Trainers

Animal trainers and caretakers are a weird sort, aren't we?   Like, think about it.  We have some really weird habits that make perfect sense to us, but cause outsiders to scratch their heads.  For example, we wash our hands BEFORE (and after) we use the restroom.  Because let's face it, you've got some unholy stuff on your hands and that needs to be taken care of before you answer nature's call.

Before and after bathroom activities

We also eat like it's our last day on Earth.  Seriously.  Is this a trait we have that, in some weird genotypic way, makes us destined for a life catering to the needs of animals?  Or is it something we just develop, because we are on our feet eight to ten hours a day (or more!) and are super active/worrying all the time?

ME TOO

  

Side note: If you need your refrigerator or pantry cleaned out, bring all contents to your local zoo or aquarium and place in a communal animal care staff area.  Poof! GONE.  Milk a little sour? We won't notice.*

But one of the weirdest things about animal care professionals is that while we are totally comfortable with basically any bodily function or fluid an animal can produce, there is one really seemingly stupid thing that totally grosses us out.  What is it? Let's explore this further.

Is it poop?  

No. We spend an impressive amount of time talking about poop.  I always chuckle when my non-animal care friends talk about how when they became parents, they became obsessed with their child's crap.   It's always shared in a jovial-slash-grossed out way that's like, "Ha ha, I never knew I'd be so into what my kid's poop looks like! You know?? Isn't that so weird?"

And the animal trainers are like, "I can tell you what the last 98 bowel movements of our cockatoos looked like in vivid detail with a giant smile on my face, as I recall how beautifully separated the urates, feces, and urine were."

Glorious!

Up until a few years ago, most of my animal training experience was with dolphins.  While there isn't a lot of poop-scooping  happening with those guys, we have the exclusive pleasure of being in the water while the dolphins do their number 2.  It dissipates quickly, and the water movement in the habitats pulls it away just as fast, but that doesn't mean that sometimes a little dolphin turdlet doesn't dingleberry itself to your wetsuit.  Or, ha ha, in my case one time, to my whistle.  The part I blow on.  And I didn't realize it until I blew into it.  Oh god that was one of the worst things ever.

But now I work with the poop masters of the marine animal world: sea lions and otters.  Oh, let's not forget about the penguins.  If poo was gold, I could easily own property on every planet in our galaxy and supply each place with gold-plated toilet paper.

In every room.  Even if it's not a bathroom.

Animal trainers rarely get disgusted by poop, even if it's on them.  The only time I've seen people freak out is if the poo gets in their mouth (understandable) or if a passing bird craps on their head or face.  But usually, we laugh after the initial disgust.  Otherwise, poop is a very normal thing.  In fact, it becomes kind of fun to clean up.  You feel so accomplished when the habitat is all spic and span; there are times I'm disappointed when the sea lions haven't made a poop mural on the floor because I just like cleaning a good mess.

Oh yeah, good morning Cat!

How about...blood?  Nope!

We're also pretty unfazed by the sight of blood.  Many of us train our animals for voluntary husbandry behaviors.  That includes taking voluntary blood samples.  And sometimes, you get a little blood on you.  It happens.  Usually it's after the sample is collected and you're putting it into a vacutainer or onto a slide.  We are well-versed in the risks of zoonotic disease transfer (and in some species, this risk is virtually zero) and know how to handle this and take it seriously.  But I haven't seen anyone pass out or vom at the sight of a little blood.

We're happy to get a few of these!

Oh! Oh! I know! We're all disgusted by stomach juice! 

Nah, that ain't no thing.  Dolphin trainers have another fun experience dealing with an animal who cannot breathe through their mouth and therefore have no gag reflex; we can get gastric samples without causing any discomfort to the dolphin.  Gastric samples can tell you a lot about their G.I. and overall health; it is a critical tool for preventative medicine in cetaceans.  As long as the dolphins are trained for the behavior, it is one of the simplest husbandry behaviors a dolphin can learn; they swallow fish much larger in circumference than the tubes we use to collect the samples.  

But uh, sometimes it's not so comfortable for the trainers.  Sometimes, the dolphins volunteer their own sample....up and out of the tube.  Like, into your face.  Steaming hot gastric juice in your face may sound disgusting, and oh, it is.  But usually we just laugh this out.  Once, I saw it go into someone's mouth, and no one really laughed then.  In fact, I think that individual deserves a moment of silence.

#dontdrinkgastricsamples

But other than getting it directly into your mouth, dolphin trainers deal with gastric fluid like it's water.  The mucousy saliva that dolphins have is often another fun souvenir of the gastric sample behavior, which gets on your hands and clothes and remains there until some heavy-duty washing occurs.  And still, the trainers deal with it unaffected.

Are animal caretakers horrified of worms?  Noooope.

How about people who work with animals in rescues and shelters?  If you think BMs by themselves are fair game for normal conversation, let's talk about what happens when they come with worms.  Most of those rescue animals have intestinal parasites who wink and wave at you from the copious amounts of poop you find in their enclosures.  When I volunteered at a dog shelter, I quickly acclimated to the sight of wriggling worms in dogs' poop when they came in.   The types of critters marine animal rescuers see on sea turtles, dolphins, whales, pinnipeds and sea birds would leave most people traumatized for decades, but the dedicated caretakers deal with it like it's just another day in the office.

Happy worms!

Okay, so animal trainers aren't freaked out by blood, poop, gastric fluid, or worms.  What else are they not scared of?

Need I mention what we tend to feed most of our animals?  If your animals are herbivorous, maybe your food isn't as gross as others, but you guys definitely win in the poop category.  But animals who eat animals...oh god.  Yeah, marine mammal trainers have to handle hundreds to thousands of pounds of fish a day.  It's totally normal for me to find a fish eyeball, long separated from its unfortunate owner, stuck to my arm.  Sometimes, fat from really oily fish congeals and stubbornly sticks to your skin, your hair, your soul.  Nothing except a butane torch can get that stuff off.  But hey, it's part of the job.

Some of you deal with huge amounts of raw meat, including organs.  I helped one of my friends prep food for big cats.  I think I handled about five horse livers that day.   Still another one of my coworkers spends his time skinning dead rats for his caimans.  People who work with rehab marine mammals have to disable live fish in order to ensure their patients can feed themselves after long bouts of being hand fed for medical reasons.  It's not that this doesn't make any of us feel sad or grossed out initially, but we still do it without a second thought because it is for a greater good for another animal.

The fact is, there is virtually nothing that grosses an animal caretaker out.  

Except one thing.

What on earth could possibly skeeve out a zookeeper?  They are hip-deep in crappola, get body fluids on them all day, have a daily macabre food prep experience, and smell the worst all the time.  But something that brings most animal care professionals right to their news.

(I APOLOGIZE FOR THE FOLLOWING GRAPHIC PHOTOS)

Hair.

Actual hair in our work shower.

Human hair.

!! WHAT

Human hair in big, wet clumps.  In a drain.  In a shower.  On the floor.  Oh GOD I'm dry-heaving just thinking about it.

OH GOD DON'T LOOK AT ITTTTT

Especially in the marine mammal field, where we are wet much of the day, our hair falls out.  It falls out onto the floor where it remains and collects.  It collects and collects in our bathrooms and locker rooms because no one wants to pick it up.  The thought of touching wet, human hair makes us all want to jump off a cliff.

I watched someone take 6 metric tons of paper towels, wrap them protectively around their hand in a giant mitten, and attempt to pick up a medium-sized human hair clump.  They refused to look at it.  They closed their mouth and held their breath, and tried to get all the hair in their thick and totally non-dexterous paper towel contraption.  It took about nineteen times longer than had they just grabbed with with their hand, but none of us judged her.  It was DISGUSTING.  BLAHHHHH

lasdkgvoiausdgliuasdgliu

I heard a story one time of a group of extremely competitive interns at a facility who promoted cutthroat competitiveness that involved a human hair ball.  Whichever intern chose to clean up the slimy hair from the drain WITH THEIR BARE HANDS was the "best."  Oh my god.  I'd never do that to any of my interns.

Why is human hair, which really has no disease or anything that can hurt us, so horrific to us?  The thing is I HAVE NO IDEA.  I've cleaned up sea lion hair and otter fur clumps with no issue.  Whatever, who cares.  But three strands of wet human hair and....I am in the fetal position.

There's got to be an evolutionary and psychological explanation for this.  It is not just animal trainers who think wet human hair is awful.  Some of the most disturbing scary movies use wet hair to freak us out.  

Case in point: The Ring.  Samara, that hair has to go.

So there you have it: the animal trainer kryptonite.  Just set giant clumps of human hair in a shower drain and you'll have them all at your mercy.   

Now cleanse your retinas with this adorable sea lion poop picture and experience sweet visual and mental relief.

Look what I made for you!

________
* Until a little later

A Big Thanks From Us To You

We dids it.

We the otters who Cat knows taked over the Middle Flipper.  We are so clevers.  We has fingers that can type on the computer box.  We can google image search.  We has hands that can open doors.  See, we don't always destroys stuff. 

Here I is.  Pippin. That's me.

Don't be mad at us.  Because we dids it for good reasons.  Such as the american human thing on Thursday called THANKSGIVING. 

We founds this in google "thanksgiving" but we don't get it.  Why does the dog have otter handses.  

We knows about the Thanksgiving.  Everybody says what they are thankful for which is really neat.  The problem is the humans always tell themselves and us about what they are thankful for.  We try to tell them back but they never understand us.  So we has a plan.

We sneaked out every night and did some trips around the country.  The humans they leave our place at 4:47.   Me (Pippin), I stands on Luna's back and gets the doors open.  Emerald whines "what if they finds out" but she comes along with us anyways.  She likes the car rides.  We takes the night guy's motorcycle and go to different places at night.  Even the airport.  You think it's impossible?  That is okay.  If you are too silly to believe us then that's probably why we never gets catched!

Understimates us? that's your mistake. Not ours.

What did we do on our adventures?  We were like news reporters.  We went to different zoos and different aquariums.  We asked the animals WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR.

Some of the animals were skeptical.  Mostly the dolphins.  They are kind of snobby.  They did not believe we otters could deliver their message.  They said YOU CANNOT SPEAK TO THE HUMANS.

We said WE CAN WE CAN TYPE ON A COMPUTER WITH OUR NIMBLE FINGERS

They said WHAT IS A COMPUTER

And that took up a lot of time to explains it but they understood eventually.   

Dolphins think they knows everything.

So after lots of months we now have the top five things the animals are thankful for.  You guys works hard all day.  You deserves it.

Number One

omg we are gonna find that fluffy thing and shreds it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE MAID SERVICE.  

We did not know what MAID SERVICE was but luckily the dolphins explained it.  

We are grateful for our clean homes. You do it every day.  You never forget about us.  Every day, you make sure we have a clean home.  Thank yous.

Number Two

Beholds.  Tilapia.

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOU MAKING OUR FOOD.  

We eats a lot of it.  You always gives us the best quality food.  We see you come in real early.  Even before the sun comes up.  You go into the kitchen and a few hours later, out comes all our food.  You smell like our food.  Every day, you do this.  Every day, you make sure we get the best.  We knows it.

Number Three

:o)

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOU BEING THERE FOR US.  

When we do not feel good.  When we have a baby.  You are there.  You look tired sometimes.  Some of us, we like to take naps.  The sea lions and otters do not understand how humans can go so many hours without sleeping.  How do you do it?  But we see you help us.  Even when it is dark.  Even when it is cold.  Even when you cannot sleep.  We know you care about making us feel better.  Even when it is not us who is sick or had the baby.  We see you care for one of our own and know it is because you love us all.

Number Four

Here you go.

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE TOYS AND STUFF.  

We loves the toys.  And the funny things you do.  The smells you put in our house.  The food in the ice.  The food that is still alive.  The food that is in the ball with holes.  You make the day funner with the toys and silly stuff.   We like the soft places you make for some of us to sleep.  We like the neat things at the windows to watch.  

Number Five

That's a nice penguin.

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOU ALWAYS LOVING US.  

When it is cold outside or it is raining, you humans are still doing all the things for us.  You have no blubber.  You do not have a thick fur coat.  You have weird skins you take on and off.  They look wrong for keeping you warm.  But you still play with us, clean our house, teach us things, and make sure we are happy and healthy. 
In some places the animals live inside.  They thank you humans for still taking care of them when there is real bad weather outsides.  When it is not okay for other humans to be going to places.  You come in and spend the night, just to make sure we get what we need.  
And also, we are not always wanting to play.  No matter what we do, you still love us.  We could be real difficult.  We could do no shows.  No interactions.  We will not go where you want us to go.  We will hide toys and never bring them back.  Stuff like that.  But you still love us.  You never get mad.  


All of the dolphins, seals, sea lions, walruses, otters, birds, elephants, snakes, fishes, apes n monkeys, hoofstooks, big cats, wolfs, dogs, horses, invertebrateses, amphibianses, oh all the animals, those are the things they are thankful for.  They say THANK YOU all the time but you do not understands it when they says it.  Now you know.

As for us otters, me Emerald and Luna, we have our own list.  Here we go

1.  Thank you for cleaning our house even though you never puts the towels where we
     wants them

2.  Thank you for feeding us every day but please no thank you on the cat food can we
      just have tilapia instead

3.  Thank you for giving us things to dismantle, it is fun to destroy destroy destroy

4.  Thank you for the rocks and things that we can carry around.  They fit perfectly into
     the drain

5.  Thank you for the tummy rubs, well from me and Emerald.  Luna says thank you for    
     not touching her.  She thinks tummy rubs are creepy.

It taked me five days to write this.  Because I have to touch each key one at a time with my tiny hands.  But you are worths it.  We knows you are thankful for us.  Now you knows we are thankful for you.

happy thanksgiving

love,
pippin and all the otters, on behalf of all the animals you knows and loves

Some Animals Have Picky Eating Habits...and These Guys Are No Exception

There is this hilarious thing floating around the Internetz about toddlers' weird eating habits.  If you haven't seen it, you can check it out here.  But basically, it is photo after photo of grumpy-looking young'uns and a brief, quippy description of their quirky nourishment conundrums.

I don't blame you, kid.

I laughed at it not only because it was funny, but because I feel like I deal with that on a daily basis with the animals under my care.  Any of us in the zoological field can relate to this, I think.   What's kind of bizarre about the fact that many animals are as picky of eaters as human toddlers is that one of the criticisms of zoos and aquariums (especially those of us who train our animals) is that the animals are coerced to do things solely because of food.   That is, the animal does something he/she wouldn't normally want to do because he or she is so hungry, they'll do anything to get fed.

I know a few animals who will do just about anything for snacks.  But they are not as common as the animals who are either more interested in the other stuff of training/animal care (like relationship, toys, tactile, etc), or the ones who are just downright weird in their eating habits.  In some cases, it ain't easy to feed a picky animal. 

Animals are just as varied in their personalities and eating habits as are humans; some of it is innate, and some of it is learned (from their conspecifics or humans caring for them).   Whether picky, normal, or downright bizarre in their chosen fare, animals are nary the same in their dietary choices.

But enough of the serious stuff, let's get to the funnies.  Here are some examples of odd eaters I have had the pleasure of knowing.

Picky eaters are one of life's little joys when you care for someone else, human or non-human.  I think it's a fun way to peer into the animal's personality or history, or at the very least it's a good way to get to know him or her as you work through it.  Some pickiness is quirky, while others require immediate attention.  But to feed an animal is not as simple as placing a bowl, or dangling a fish right in front of a hungry face.  In many cases, it requires a lot of knowledge and patience to adequately serve our animal friends.

What say you, good readers! Do you have any funny weirdo-animal eating anecdotes?  Share!