I was thankful that this job made it an eye-opener for me. Because it not only exposed me to the working world, but I also got a chance to see the many types of people around. I even made fantastic friends, not only with the staffs there, but also with the OJTs: Nicolas and Joanna who were property agents, Nicholas who is 20 plus, and has a passion for his percussion and church.
I also had a great time in husbandry, despite being the slowest. But I think I did manage to improve my speed over the couple of days. I realized that all it took was to set my mind to it.
The staffs in the zoo were an excellent bunch of people, who were always there for you, and willing to share information with you. They were very serious in their job, but they also joked around every once in a while. Because of them, I have a whole lot of greater respect for all the staffs in the zoo. I learned a lot about the animals through them, and also saw how they had so much respect for the animals, and vice versa.
But one thing I regret the most was, to set the impression that I was the quiet one. Back in school, I was titled the "Laughing Machine" in class. People had to shut me up, and stay clear of me whenever they had sweets. But as usual, I have the nasty habit of observing people more , and thus seldom open up to people unless I feel comfortable around them.
I did not have much confidence when I was an OJT in the zoo, so I seldom opened up to the people around me. Except for Nicolas, who was partnered with me then. Yesterday was the last day, and Joanna, Nicolas and I sat around to talk. Surprising enough, they brought up points that I did not know of. They had the impression that I was very quiet and dainty. But Nicolas actually said that after the few days that he was with me, he realized that I COULD REALLY TALK. Hahah.
But it was only him. The rest, especially the staffs, still think that I am quiet and stuff like that. So we'll see.
Yesterday's evaluation was a so called "Judgement Day" for us. It did not go really well for me. I had the entire scripts down, but when I presented, it was mere regurgitation, which was bad, because they'd rather put a tape recorder there. I was so engrossed in memorising the scripts that I seemed emotionless, which was again bad, because no one would want to listen to some boring person. Not only was I emotionless, but I was rattling away like a speeding train, which was again bad. Hahah. And last, I was loud and clear, which may also be bad, for they would hear every single thing I said, thus I had to be very careful in the choice of words.
Well, I am still waiting for them to call me. If I don't get the job, I would never be disheartened, because this job actually gave me an opportunity to realized how much of a passion these people had for the animals. And passion and experience was all that I was looking for in a job. Not money.
Oh, and while I was an OJT there, I actually got a chance to see a manatee give birth! The baby manatee is really cute. And if you happen to head to the zoo, go to the SPLASH! amphitheater to catch a glimpse of the baby manatee.
For that 7 days there, I got to see most of the animals there. I can't really remember some of them, but I'll try my best. Let me educate (Cheh.. hahah) you on some of the animals that I learned about. And so, here are some of the animals:
Aprilla the elephant. How to spot her? Well, she has pink pigmentation around her neck and ankles. And she's the youngest elephant there. She's really adorable.
Gambir the elephant. How to spot her? Her trunk has a whole stretch of pink pigmentation. She's the most playful elephant there, and her art work is seen as Chinese Calligraphy.
Janti the Elephant. How to spot her? She's the biggest and the oldest elephant there. Now what's unique about her is that she is seen as a future matriarch because she was seen running in to settle the disputes amongst the other elephants.
Smoky the dog. He can be found in the Animal Friendly Show. I think he is a Collie mix. He appears unique because one of his eyes is Grey, while the other in brown. But this dog was actually sold to the zoo because he had anxiety problems. He was afraid of thunder, and practically everything else. I got a chance to touch him, but he was pretty afraid. I did not know him well, but it was like love at first sight. Thankfully for him, he had a best friend there, who is a German Shepard. The reason why the German Shepard is here, is because he was born with genes of flaws.
There are definitely more animals that I am in love with, like the 6 months old White Rhino Baboo.
Did you know :
- That all 5 species (Sumatrans, Javans, Black, Indian and White) Rhinos are on the brink of extinction because their horns are used to treat illnesses? Their horns are actually made of Keratine, just like our fingernails and hair? Thus they contain no healing properties. So stop buying Rhino Horns to treat your illnesses!
- A group of Rhino is also known as a Crash of Rhinos
- Rhinos have poor eyesight but excellent sense of hearing and smell.
- Ears of Rhinos are able to rotate 180 degrees in the direction to where the sound is coming from
- Rhinos seem indestructible, but they actually have very sensitive skin, which is prone to sunburns and insect bites.
The orang utans who actually share 97% of our human DNA (the baby Ah Seng is really cute).
The adorable cotton top Tamarins who looked like they had mohawks. They are actually really small, like the size of two of your fists placed atop each other.
Click Here to View Cotton Top Tamarins
Then there are the adorable Asian Small-Clawed Otters. They can be found near the Treetop Trail. They make the cutest sounds ever!
Click Here to View Asian Small-clawed Otters
Heard the squeaking noises? Yeap, those are the sounds that these otters make. Unless you smell it for yourself, you would not believe me when I say that these adorable animals actually give off a pungent smell. Now this is because they are territorial, and they mark the areas from the secretion secreted from their anal glands.
Then there are the Black and White Colobus Monkeys. They have a black coat of fur, but have a white tail. Right in the Singapore zoo, we actually have a baby colobus Monkey, and it is all white! hahah, only a few months later will it then start growing its fur.
Click Here to View Black & White Colubus Monkey
Click Here to View Black & White Colubus Monkey and baby
And the Saki Monkeys!
Click Here to View Saki Money
The one that you are viewing is the Male, while the female has a greyish brown coat of fur.
Last but not least, the polar Bears!
We have Sheba who is 31 years old. She joined the Singapore Zoo in 1978 when she was only 2 years old. Her birthday is on Valentine's Day. She is always sun tanning on the boulders in the enclosure.
We also have Inuka, her son. Inuka in Eskimo Language actually means "Silent Stalker". He is a very special bear not only to the Singapore Zoo, but to Singapore itself. Why? Because he is the very first polar bear to be born in the Tropics, right in the Singapore Zoo. His birthday is on 26th December and was born in 1990.
Inuka is 1.8m tall, and weighs 550kg. However, a full grown polar bear can grow up to 3m tall, and weigh over a 1000kg!
But did you know that when Inuka was born, he actually weighed 450g? How he actually grew so big and strong is because of his mummy's milk. Human's milk contains 4% fats. But Polar Bear's milk contains 48% of fat!
Polar Bears have black skin. And their fur coat is NOT white. It is actually transparent. The reason why we see it as white on TV is because of the snow that reflects on the fur.
Polar Bears are from the North Pole, and you might be thinking : the water confirm very cold one. But, the water in the enclosure is actually at room temperature. However there is a den which the polar bears have excess to, which is at a comfortable 16 degrees Celsius.
In the wild, polar bears feed on Seals. But in the Singapore Zoo, they are given a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and meat. In fact, Inuka's favourite food is Frozen Watermelon.
These are just some of the animals that I learned about. There are obviously more animals to learn. But I must say, the animal, or rather fish that I like the most, is the token feeding session of the Giant Arapaimas.
The first time the fish "jumps" up to take the small fish from the stick, never fails to crack me up. Because everyone will get the shock of their lives, going "woah". Small kids will cry, girls will scream and others will put their hands near the heart at the chest, because they were shocked.
Arapaimas are the largest scaled freshwater fish in the world. They can grow up to 4.5m long, and weigh a hefty 200kg. Another feature that distinguises this fish is the presence of a bony tongue.
Click Here to View Giant Arapaima
In the Singapore Zoo, we have 3 giant Arapaimas, with the largest coming in at 2m long, and weighing almost 120kg.
They can be found in the Amazon Basin and only during high tide, can also be found in flooded forests, swamps and upstream in the creeks.
Only during low tide do they lay their eggs in nests in the hollows of the mud, of the floodplains.
They feed mainly on other species of fish. And are the top freshwater predators. However, if there are any low flying birds or animals, they would of course, consume them!
But despite all these, Arapaimas are on the brink of extinction because they are sought after for their meat, scales and bones. They are also kept as illegal pets.
End of tour!
Loves.
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