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| Amilia Suzanous in her natural habitat. |
Suzi’s time at the zoo is almost up. Despite my noble
ambition I have not kept up with her adventures as I intended. Fear not I have
one more post before the Amilia Suzanous is seen no more.
Most of her time is spent in the “petting zoo” area. They no
longer have the one eyed pony that I remember, but there’s an assortment of
rabbits, a guinea pig, a hen and an actual pig that likes to nibble on your
shoes that you can pet all for the crazy cost of $1. (Come on people the zoo
itself is like $3. Talk about a cheap entertainment.)
Working at the zoo is never boring; first there are the
other volunteers, mostly high school students looking to get volunteer hours, with
a smattering of adults who just like working at the zoo. Then there are the
employees, many of whom apparently double dip and also work at the Fresno zoo. The
two groups have created a summer camaraderie of good natured teasing and messing
with each other that comes with youthful high spirits and hours of working
together.
In addition to the petting zoo Suzi has cleaned cages, measured
meals, fed animals, dredged bathrooms (I don’t think they didn’t realize what
they were unleashing), and gotten muddy head-to-toe transplanting flowers.
She did however resist the urge to startle patrons and clearly announced her presence
in the tall stems whenever anyone got close.
There was even an incident where a woman was escorted off
the premises, like I said, never a dull moment.
But the best part of Suzi working at the zoo, are the
stories she tells about the animals as you take the tour. Each cage has a tale
to go with it. For example the tortoises
are surprisingly picky and will snub their food if it’s not the vegetable of
their choice.
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| Melon, the eyes say it all. |
Melon, one of the emu’s has a creepy way of coming up behind you
and looking over your shoulder while cleaning the cage.
And of course the UC Merced mascot Boomer (a bobcat) resides at the zoo.
(UCM is my current employer ergo this important to know.)
If you want a personalized tour that includes names and
stories of the animals, or just want to watch a small pig try to eat your toes,
take this Monday/Tuesday off and visit Suzi at the Merced Zoo.
