I have three more days left of working before I move back home. Here, I am going to take some time to answer a few of the reflection questions given out by the school. 1. My expectations going into this internship was that I would learn a lot about reptiles and their natural histories. I also hoped to become more well versed in animal care and public education. 2. The Animal Care Program at Shaver's Creek was the most beneficial thing for me before starting at Reptiland. I hope to take some of the zoos animal care ideas and bring them back to Shavers. 3. A transferrable skill I learned was the importance of good communication and training. 4. Working with the gators really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. The biggest challenge I encountered was trying to figure out everything at once and manage my stress. 5. I would like to further develop my natural history knowledge. 6. After this experience, I have begun to question what I want to do as a career. I do not like zoo work
Today I did my first Croc Talk/Feeding. I went into the pit for the first time with our zoological manager to teach me how to train with them. The first American Alligator is Rocky who is 35 years old and 600 lbs. The female is Adrienne and is 40 years old weighing 250 lbs. I was very intimidated at first, but it ended up being fun. I still need more training to master the commands and work with our albino gator Sirphis. My favorite thing about them is when the two girls bellow to each other back and forth. The gators only get fed on the weekends and during the summer because in the winter they enter brumation.