Meet the Animals!

So to start off, I should probably introduce myself. For safety's sake, I will simply have myself known as D.W. I volunteer at a zoo in Winston, Oregon known as Wildlife Safari. They are one of the leaders in cheetah breeding in the US, with 173 cheetah cubs (and counting!) under their belts. I am in the Education Department, where we have many interesting members. For reference, I have two bosses mainly. There is the Director of Education, Leila. Then there is the Second in Command (I forget her official title), Julianne. Both are very nice, and funny! Now, for the animals!

First, we have Arthur. 

Arthur here is a Argentine Red Tegu. He is dirt old, about 14 years in human years. That is really, really old for tegus. From his nose to the tip of his tail, I would say he is about 3-4 feet long. The tail that he currently has is the tail that he originally hatched with. Those big lumps that you see on his face are his cheeks. They are nothing more than rolls of pure fat, meant for attracting the ladies. Attractive, right? People always want to poke his cheeks. Seriously. Anyways, these guys aren't listed on the ICUN red list, but that might not necessarily mean anything. Leila told me that they are commonly poached for their skin, to make leather goods. I can see that, his coloration is gorgeous, especially after he has just finished shedding. It is legal to keep one of these fellows as a pet in Oregon, but only if it is captive bred. You literally have to have proof ready at all times that your tegu was captive bred.

Next up, we have Bell.

Bell was what we know as a Blue and Gold Macaw, also called a Blue and Yellow Macaw. A mouthful, am I right? On January 21, 2015, Bell passed away. Results from tests ran indicated that she was perfectly healthy, as a 9 year old parrot should. But the autopsy revealed an abnormal liver, not unlike a human's when they were alcoholic. Strange much? Either way, she is in a better place now. Blue & Gold Macaws are listed as Least Concern on the ICUN red list, and are commonly kept as pets. I can easily see why, given their bright colors and ability to talk. However, most people do not realize that these birds live 70-80 years, and are a lifetime commitment. They require lots of fresh veggies and fruits to stay healthy, and things to chew on too. They can cause a lot of damage to furniture. They also needs lots of toys and attention. These guys have the intelligence of a 4-5 year old human. So they require just as much attention and playtime. If they don't get it, it can lead to aggressive or destructive behaviors, or even plucking! Not fun.

Ophelia

Ophelia is a black rabbit, obviously. If you asked me what kind she was, I wouldn't be able to answer. All I know is that she was supposed to be a meat rabbit, and on somebody's dinner plate. 

Brandi

Brandi is what is commonly known as the Russian Tortoise. These guys are about cheeseburger size, and live 50-60 years on average. They are commonly found in central Asia. Brandi was somebody's pet, but was not properly cared for. Her shell is more fragile than it should because of this. Like Blue & Gold Macaws, these guys are of Least Concern on the ICUN red list.

Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches

We have a colony of these guys. We keep the males and females separated. They are of Least Concern on the ICUN red list.

Coco & Swiper

These guys are ferrets, if you haven't figured it out yet. Coco is the one on top, with the black. Swiper is the bottom one, curled up. He is an albino. These two are not brother/sister, but they act like it. They were given to us after being kept as pets and not cared for properly. Coco recently had a surgery to remove a chronic wart growth on one toe that kept coming back. She is fully recovered, however.

Millie

Millie is a Nubian Goat, and an absolute sweetheart. She and one other goat are the only survivors out of an entire herd. The story is that the herd was in the mountains when they were attacked by a cougar. All but Millie and one other died. Millie fought off the cougar while the other goat hid. She and that other goat are best buds now, and are in the Petting Zoo section with our other goats in Village.

Huckleberry

Huckleberry is a Barred Rock chicken. She has started to lay eggs, and loves people food. She is worse than my dog when it comes to begging. Seriously. We got her from the DC Co-Op. She also loves to run around outside and find things that only a chicken would find delicious.

J.R.

J.R. is what is commonly known as a Ball Python. They are of Least Concern on the ICUN Red List, and average 3-4 feet long. I'd say this lovable snake is 3.5 feet long. However, J.R. is blind and all scarred up. Why? Owner ignorance. His past owner, before we got him, had tried to "help" him shed. This pulled off the specialized scales over his eyes, making his eyes pop out of the sockets and rendering him blind. He has scars because he was fed live mice. Bad idea. If the snake isn't hungry when you put the mouse in, it won't eat. But the mouse will get hungry, and try to eat the snake. What's more, even if the mouse is eaten, it will probably try to fight back. J.R. has a condition that commonly occurs to these guys called Mouth Rot.

Kermit

Kermit is the other goat that survived the cougar attack.

Madrone

Madrone is a Red-Tailed Boa. He is about 7 feet long, and weighs 25-30 pounds on average. He is just a big lump of love, however. 

Kotori

Kotori is a Western Screech Owl (excuse the terrible picture). She is missing half of one of her wing. I was told that while hunting, she was hit by a truck. They tried to salvage the wing, but the damage was too much and had to be amputated. So, now we have her. She hates everyone, by the way. These guys are of Least Concern.

Shakespeare

Shakespeare was a rescue from the local shelter. I have no idea what kind of rabbit he is, or anything. He is best friends with our other rabbit, Ophelia.

Shrek

Shrek is our Cane Toad. He doesn't really do anything interesting. They are of Least Concern.

Indian Walking Sticks

We have a colony of Indian Walking sticks, and one Australian Walking Stick.

Ponderosa & Willow

You can't really tell, but there are two snakes in that picture. Ponderosa and Willow. Brother and sister, bred and hatched at Wildlife Safari. Both are 3-4 feet long at the moment. Like Madrone, they are Red-Tailed Boas. Just babies. 

We also have an American Badger, named Bandit. 

He hibernates during the winter, but is awake during Spring, Summer, and Fall. During the months that he is awake, we try to take him for daily walks. If we don't, he tends to get a little grumpy. Badger was a pet before we got him. That is about all I know about him, though.

We also have a Striped Skunk, named Thistle.

Thistle came to us from a lady who had her as a pet. Thistle was 8 pounds overweight, and the woman bragged about dying her pink and washing her with whitening shampoo. What's worse, she didn't feed poor Thistle a proper diet! She got dehydrated veggies most of the time, with cat food. She is doing much better now.

Another member of the Education Family is a Patagonian Mara, or Cavy, named Paddy!

Paddy was a pet before we got her, and hand raised. When she was weaned, she was weaned the same way a bummer lamb is, so she loves to suckle on fingers. She is an absolute sweetheart, wanting nothing more than to spend time with people and get love and pets. And suckle on fingers, of course. She makes a variety of sounds, many of which sound like guinea pigs. 

Finally, we have Dumbledore. He is a Chinchilla!

Chinchillas have such dense fur, that they can't get wet. If they did, they would never dry out. Instead, mold and bacteria would start to grow. So in order to keep clean, they take dust baths.