I arrived at the zoo nice and early, and the sun was actually shining which contrasted to the rest of my wintry shifts. Always a highlight of mine is working at animal encounters and see the delight and fear of the children as they see all the different/and in some case foreign animals. Julia, one of the awesome keepers, was teaching me to train the pigeons in a crowd lull, when we noticed a… pigeon with string caught around its feet. I persisted to catch the bird, despite it continuing to fly up to the tree. However, intuitively, a pigeon can not resist seed. Finally I got it down again and caught it, the poor bird very distressed. Julia quickly wrapped him up in a towel, however the string was knotted and wrapped too tight to help. We ended up heading down to the vets anyway and I had incredible immersion with veterinary practise. Once there, the vet let me help and taught me skills in order to hold the bird. I was fully immersed in the procedure, and had incredible exposure to this veterinary practise that previously had been hidden behind glass windows. We released the now free pigeon back outside. Although it was just for a pigeon, I am passionate about helping all creatures, and the exposure to the vet really cemented my passion and desire to pursue that career path.

Kristen

YATZ Member