And even though many did not want to bring up this issue, for it serves as a disrespect to his family, many from the papers have brought up past issues/ incidents in the Singapore Zoo, even to the extend of locating the emergency buttons in the zoo.
I don't think this is fair...
Then not long after, about a week later, another article came about in the papers. But this time, it was not set in Singapore, but in China.
Apparently a 20 year old guy, thought that pandas were so cute and cuddly, and decided to climb into the pandas' pen to cuddle up to Yang Yang, ignoring the signs that were clearly stating to not go beyond the fences for their own safety.
Scared by the sudden intrusion of the stranger, Yang Yang bit him on his arms and legs. But fortunately for this chap, he managed to survive with having to stay a couple of days in the hospital.
Now as humans, all we do is push the blame to other people, or in this case, to the animals. But let's just bring on the Panda case, shall we?
Now, who in the right mind would want to climb into a panda's pen, a wild animal's pen, to go and hug it?
Obviously, the animal would be startled and scared. And the first instinct (after all, it is a wild animal) is to protect their territory and defend itself, in this case, to attack the man.
So how can we blame the animals when it's the stupidity of humans, that cause them to attack these people? Had you not gone in to hug the panda, this case would not have even surfaced at all, would it?
Why should the animal involved in these cases, be euthanized just because we were the ones who invaded their territory?
And just when we all thought that this issue was over, there comes another incident. But unlike the first two, the settings is in Berlin.
Now what is going on? I think that the animals are the ones who need to be protected from their psychotic fans. Don't you think so?
I won't be surprised if more and more people attempt to enter enclosures/pens of the animals, because after all, we are the "monkey see, monkey do" type of species, are we not?
Just look at the trends of the suicide attempts at the MRT stations. It's as hot as the craze for Bubble Tea back then.
Have you ever spent a few days so engrossed in your work, that you failed to realize what day or date it was?
The past two weeks had me thinking through about a lot of things. And as I reminisced the past, I became more and more worried about the future; worried about how quickly time can pass without any realization at all.
Have you ever had the feeling where you wanted to shut yourself out from the world, or just to have a break, but the moment you take a seat, you have to heave yourself up to scatter to the next destination because there was no time?
The past few days working in the zoo was one of the best and worst times of my life. But as weird as it may sound, I quit the job. My family members were really shocked and till today, have been asking me to think it over. My colleagues in the zoo have asked me to not give up too, and found it really weird for me to quit on the evaluation day because they knew I had all my scripts down.
But the reason why I quit was not because I was nervous, or stressed about the scripts. In fact, it was thanks to the scripts that I managed to learn and know so much about the animals. Well, the actual reason to why I quit was because I lost passion for hosting.
Being in the zoo gave me so much time to get to know all the staffs and animals better. And I must admit that I do envy the animals a lot, for they have the best people to take care of them; their devoted keepers. The reason why I have so much respect for the keepers is not only because they take care, clean their dens and feed the animals, but because they actually spend more time in the zoo,than with their families. In fact, all the keepers would stay overnight if their animals are sick or going to give birth. Can you imagine the number of hours they put in for these animals?
Being in the zoo also gave me time to see how the zoo was run, and how the token feeders (my job) did their job. That was where it struck me, and hard. See, the more I familiarized with the zoo, the more I wanted to do something for the animals and it's not merely talking about them, I wanted more action. Don't get me wrong, token feeders are in fact one of the most important people in the zoo, because they are actually the voice for the animals. But I guess after two weeks at the zoo, I couldn't stand the same routine done over and over again. I must say, that all the show presenters are excellent in what they do, and memorizing script isn't that easy you know. But for me, I don't think I can stay still long enough, to do the many scripts day after day. I'm not saying it's boring, it's more like, not my cup of tea. Over the past two weeks, I realized that hosting afterall wasn't my taste and as always, I still do prefer teaching.
But the animals and their keepers have indeed left a very deep mark in my heart, so I'll most probably be a volunteer there, or at the SPCA, where I would indeed get a chance to help the animals in need.
Many said that my decision was a hasty one, and some said that I was dumb to quit from a high paying job. Well, I wouldn't want to lie and say that money doesn't matter, because it does. But like what Mr Raymond Huang always say, nothing's worth doing if you ain't got the heart for it. And just like this job, I love the animals more and more each day, but as the days go by, I lose the heart for hosting.
Well, that means I'm pretty much jobless right now. It's a confusing kind of feeling you know. i want to work because it's better than being at home doing nothing. Besides earning cash during the holidays is better than bumming around, and not helping your parents with the household "crisis". But at the same time, I want to treasure my youth! And hang out with friends and catch up on the good old times.
Oh well, what's done is done. I'm still going for interviews and stuff, but if I really don't feel like it, I'd probably just help my mum out in her holiday kids programme. So friends, if you want to meet up, I'm just a call away!
Oh yah, now that I'm jobless, this gives me more time to blog! hahah.
Was called by my boss last night, and was informed that all four of us OJTs were getting offs! But it does not mean that it is all play and no work, because we have to present all 12 scripts to her by Monday! Luckily I am in token 3, because the token 1 feeders actually have 18 scripts. So that makes me pretty fortunate to be in token 3.
Well, the past few days on the zoo has been rather fruitful. I got to meet more colourful personalities. And also watch how the presentors worked under pressure when there was no soundman and when they slipped wrong information of the animals.
I don't know about the rest, but the shows have been making my days more and more sian. I'm not saying the shows are sian, but watching them over and over again, makes everything so... expected. But I must applaud the presentors who made the shows possible. I mean I've been working for less than two weeks, and I'm pretty bored by the usual routine already. And yet, they who have been working for many many years, always show up and present with so much magnificence, and twinkles in their eyes, never failing to grab the attention of the audience.
Well, I am sure that it's pretty boring for me to rattle on and on about my work in the Zoo right? So, I'll end this post with a short quiz that I got tagged. I love quizzes not only because they help to take up time, but also because they let you think of things that you often never question yourself about. So here goes:
Tagged by: MUS-FI-RAWR!
1) What's your 10 most Favourite Foods. · Sushi · Lasagne · I know it sounds gross, but I love Escargots (Tried it at a French Restaurant in Malaysia. Hahah) · Tacos (I do miss Taco Bell Alot) · Takoyaki (I'm addicted to the ones sold near my home, at Admiratly MRT station) · Terikyaki Chicken (I like the ones sold at TakaShimaya) · Cream Puffs from Papa Beard · Cheesecake from DeliFrance · StingRay Sambal Goreng from Changi Village · Are chocolates counted?
2) 10 things I love Doing. · Carrying my dog around the house like a baby · Nudging my brother's head (the one with the dread locks) · Reading books by Mitch Albom and other famous people's autobiographies · Making fun of my mum when she mispronounces words and does funny actions · Laughing at the exaggerated Indian Films · Watching the Noose and America's Funniest Home videos · Laughing, ALOT · Creating random conversations of people (Whom I do not know) who are talking · Heading Outdoors · Sitting in my school's canteen(back then) and do nothing but eat Apollo and crap with the staggerized people.
3) 5 things I love doing when I'm EMO. · Being near the sea, watching and listening to the waves and breeze. It's really soothing. · Sleeping · Zoning Out · Pull a long face · Drawing
4) 5 things I love doing when I'm happy. · Laughing a lot, and sometimes for no apparent reason · Creating Lame jokes and stuff to do · Smile to myself as I recall the stuff that made me happy · Heading outdoors or engage in sports ·Sing to myself, in my room. Hahah
5) 5 things I wish to happen · For my mum to stop worrying about us kids · All 3 of us kids help in supporting the family, so that we enjoy and bond as one · All the killings and cruel abuses of animals to stop. I want to start an Animal Home. · I want to start an Orphanage for kids too · Lastly, I want to have decent grades for my O'levels
6) 5 types of a person of another gender I adore
I don't adore anyone right now. So I'll just give the things I observe and like, in a guy whom I don't know yet. It's like a first impressions?
· I have this nasty habit of looking at three things when I look at a guy. The first is his hair. · The second is his clothes · And the last is his shoes · But all that's not important because I'd prefer someone who can talk and listen, someone who is active. · Someone who really knows how to impress a girl, and that's definitely not by the expensive treats. 7) My 5 most addicted playlist
Well, as the title pretty much suggests, today is my very first off day from working at the zoo for 7 days straight. Despite having the ups and downs, as I walked past the gates of the Zoo for the last time (maybe?) yesterday, many thoughts popped into my head. I was in a dilemma; relieved that after 7 days of work, I finally had a break. But at the same time, I was sad, because I may never be working here again. 7 days was just enough to make me want more and be part of the family in the zoo.
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.
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.
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.
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.
