Soon its back to AK

Well my fellow Texans, and all others in the lower 48, it is about 1 week till I will be walking down this road to work again.  I will be both excited and sad to leave the lower 48.  On the one hand I will miss my family and friends, walking to get groceries, basking in the sun, and simply being able to wear shorts without getting frostbite.  However, I am excited to jump back into action and work with the animals again.  Just 2 days after I get back we began our education programs again.  I know this is going to be a busier year for me since word about our FREE education programs in schools is spreading. 

Meanwhile......

The past 3 weeks have been busy.  I have traveled to 2 different states all in one week.  First I went to Lake Charles, Louisiana.  I attended college at McNeese State University where I received my Biology degree.  I wanted to visit some friends, coaches, and even my landlords that I rented an apartment from during college.  I always enjoy my visits to Louisiana.  It is NEVER a boring state to be in.

Just hours after I got back from Louisiana we packed up the car and headed to Arkansas.  I was born in Arkansas so I still have a lot of family there.  My brother also attends college there.  We wanted to visit him and his wife. 

My Grandmother lives on a farm in Vilonia,Arkansas.  I always enjoy staying at her house.  It is very relaxing and beautiful there,  This picture below is an old barn that is used as shelter for a few horses. 

Back in Alaska Doug Lindstrand sent me a photo of what our barns are looking like after some heavy snowfall these past couple of weeks.

 

 One of the lucky horses to live on my grandmothers farm.

Can you guess what this interesting looking animal is on the left?

 This is a Zedonk.  Part zebra and part donkey makes this character a very popular attraction when visiting searcy, arkansas.  Most of the locals know about this little guy.  My brother wanted to introduce my mother and I to him. 

Before we headed out I wanted to get a quick snapshot with my grandmother.

One adventure I was sure to check off my to do list while visiting texas was visit the Houston Zoo.  I worked two summers here as a volunteer keeper aide.  I basically followed a zoo keeper around all day and helped in any chores they needed done.  These 2 summers were when I really found my passion to work with animals in life. 

I was kid-sitting (baby sitting but I can't say they are babies anymore) and decided what a better way to spend a saturday with 2 kids. 

One of the first animals we visited were the Asian Elephants.  This young baby and its mother were getting hay from this box hanging up.  This is a similar contraption that we use for the bear cubs to play with while getting their food.  It is another way to keep the animals thinking and staying active. 

No, this is not Adonis....this is Liberty.  She is also a permanent resident at the zoo due to a gunshot wound. 

Hey Adonis...need a girlfriend?

These two were the most photogenic animals at the zoo yesterday.  This is a 10 month old baby orangutan named Aurora.  Cheyenne is the surrogate mother that she is clinging to.  Aurora was born to an orangutan named Kelly.  However, cheyenne is taking care of her. 

The houston zoo has a new Africa exhibit that I was really excited to see.  I love giraffes!  When I mentioned to this giraffe how cold it was in alaska it was speechless.....he even dropped his jaw in awe!

 These last 3 pictures were also sent by Doug Lindstrand.  He has been keeping me posted on what the center looks like right now.  I feel cold just looking at these next pictures!

 Goodnight lower 48, and Hawaii
ErIn

Happy New Year

 Happy New Year!  It has been 11 months since I started my adventure in Alaska.  I am still visiting family in Texas; but I have still managed to find some animals in Texas to play with.  These 3 dogs on the left are some friends of mine.  Christmas day I dog sat these three.  Thor is the Black lab in the front.  Duke is the dog on the back right.  Sadie is on the left. 





When it came to bed time Duke seemed to think he could use my bed!

 Before I took the internship in Alaska I was an intern at TGR Exotics in Spring,Texas.  It is basically I privately owned zoo.  In order to apply for the internship in Alaska they wanted the applicant to have some training experience.  Fortunately, I was training a camel named "Cookie" at the time.  Cookie seemed to remember me...or she was just not a fan of my camera. 

 I was very excited to return to TGR and visit the animals again.  I was also excited to meet the new animals.










Here is one of the newest additions to TGR.  I have never worked with a Water Buffalo before.  This is "Buffy".  She was so sweet.  She is basically just a big puppy dog.  She loves people and when you scratch her she lays down. 

 Also, another new addition was Walter.  Any ideas what Walter is...I will give you a hint.  He is in the movie the Lion King.  He has a friend named Timon.  Walter is a Warthog!  He is only 4 months old.  I can't imagine how crazy he is going to be when he is fully grown!

This is "creature".  Do you know what creature is?  They come from Africa.  They are very good diggers....Aardvark!  Creature was sleeping.  They are nocturnal animals so I imagine he is very active at night time.   

 Scarlet AKA Scar was one of my favorite animals that I was able to work with while at TGR.  Scar is a Binturong.  They are sometimes called bearcats.  Yes they do exist.  They are found in asia.  Scar was an attention hog.  She is very vocal when she wants to be let out of her enclosure.  I was able to hold her for a short time until she decided to hide under Creatures bed.  Binturongs have a very unique smell.  They smell like popcorn or fritos.  No really!  If you ever get within smelling distance of one you will understand.  They also spend most of their lives in tress.  Their tails are what helps them balance in trees.  Scar had her tail wrapped around my neck to help herself balance. 

You can see here just how important their tails are for balance.

Ahhhhh another 2 animals I missed working with. 
Meet Clairece and Lector.  I know...their names are awesome.  These 2 are called African Crested Porcupines.  They look a bit different than Snickers from alaska don't they.  They have a few differences in their adaptions.  For example, these are found in Africa.  Also, you may notice that their quills are much longer and thicker than Snickers'.  However, their quills do not have barbed ends like Snickers does. 

This animal is also another type of rodent.  In fact this is the largest rodent in the world.  Thay are called capybaras.  They are found in South America. 

And que the Darth Vador theme music.....THOR!!!! One of the only animals that has not really taking a liking to me.  Thor is a Kune Kune pig.  They originate from New Zealand. 

 Buffy is very photogenic.  I had to stop by and say bye to her before I headed home. 

Goodnight lower 48, .......upper 2 in this case.....
ErIn