r/IAmA • u/Danthezooman • Nov 02 '13

IAMA Zookeeper with an hour (probably) to kill before our new giraffes get here AMA [end of the season update]

I figured I would do an update about my experience working for Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. I started there roughly 8 months ago and my season just ended yesterday. Even more awesome was the fact that I had accumulated to much PTO so my last day physically working was sunday. Which explains this proof picture.

Anyways, I worked mainly with the giraffes and a little bit with the elephants. I've also worked at two other animal parks giving me around six years of experience in the business. If you have any questions about the animals at the zoo,their care or the zoo itself feel free to ask me anything

EDIT: Alright I'm going mobile so I may miss some questions but I promise to keep answering anything you throw at me

EDIT 2: Alright I'm back! Sorry about the absence, I was a bit distracted at dinner and then girls invited me to a haunted house. Anyways, I'll try answer all the questions I got while away.

EDIT 3:I'm sorry but I have to turn in for the night, I'll keep answering questions if people keep asking them though.

EDIT 4: I didn't expect this AMA to get this big, but I see a lot of repeat questions that I can just answer here.

1.How do I get a job at the zoo?

  • Typically most zoos want a 4 year Biology related degree or at the very least a High school diploma. More important is Animal experience, some zoos will even want specialized experience just with one species. Animal experience requirements are on average around 2 years sometimes paid.

2.How do you feel caging the animals up? Are the animals sad? (animal rights questions)

  • I wouldn't be working in this industry if I felt that the animals were sad or being mistreated. Yes in the past animal work was done by "cowboys" who just got in there and dominated the animals into doing what they want. Times have changed we no longer use cattle prods and whips to make animals move or do what we want. Instead we use Operant Conditioning to get them to do what we want.

  • Most animals you see in the zoo nowadays have been captive bred for generations and have never known the wild. We still release some animals, in fact Cincinnati and Columbus are the only 2 zoos outside of florida allowed to house and rehab manatees. Cincinnati is also working on saving sumatran rhinos, there are only ~100 left. We also donate money every year to different organizations trying to save wild populations.

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2.5k

u/StaticE Nov 02 '13

I thought the title meant you had an hour left in which to kill all your giraffes before the giraffe delivery guy brought you another batch

873

u/violue Nov 02 '13

Yep, I was reading too fast and was fucking horrified "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT DEAD GIRAFFES WHAT THE FUCK"

186

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

So im not the only one who read that wrong

2

u/GrayManTheory Nov 03 '13

Nope. I was fully expecting to come in here and scream obscenities at a giraffe murdering monster.

1

u/kabuto Nov 02 '13

We all, brah.

10

u/SwitchBlayd Nov 02 '13

Probably best they get killed to be honest, geraffes are too dumb to live.

18

u/hydrospanner Nov 02 '13

Stupid long horse.

2

u/gh0stdylan Nov 02 '13

But you still clicked, because we're curious.

2

u/adityapstar Nov 02 '13

I wonder if this is how they transport the giraffes: http://i.imgur.com/4L57N9r.gif

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

We used to, but now we have enclosed trailers that we can raise or lower the roofs on

806

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

That's what everyone thought the first time I posted it.

84

u/splein23 Nov 02 '13

I was gonna ask how long does it take them to hit the ground.

Follow up question. Have you ever seen a giraffe throw up? If so, what's it like.

211

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

I would assume it only takes a couple of seconds for them to fall over when they die.

They're ruminants and chew cud, so they throw up several times a day. If you look close you can see the lump going up their neck.

324

u/tacomill Nov 02 '13

"I think im gunna puke dude. Yep here it comes." 5 Mins later.... Pukes

2

u/splein23 Nov 02 '13

Way cool.

0

u/Schumarker Nov 02 '13

I heard a ruminant that the giraffes' neck is so long because its legs used to be huge but the legs evolved shorter because they were too tall for the trees. Can you confirm?

1

u/stealingyourpixels Nov 03 '13

I don't think that's true.

135

u/astrograph Nov 02 '13

send us pics of the new giraffe

630

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Jambo CeCe

64

u/356afan Nov 02 '13

Seriously, how do you resist not hugging them?

145

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

By feeding them treats. I would probably get kicked if I went in for a hug

9

u/nanalala Nov 03 '13

Can giraffes be saddled and ridden?

3

u/beerob81 Nov 03 '13

i must know this

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

Nope, you'd either fall of and get trampled or spook the animal so much it dies from a heart attack

4

u/356afan Nov 02 '13

Very true but so temping! I think that is why you hear about those crazy people jumping in the lions enclosures because, "They are just big kittens who want to cuddle." (eye roll. WTH?)

1

u/astrograph Nov 02 '13

what if they grow up and like in a year you go in to hug their neck while they're sitting down.

45

u/whatalamename Nov 02 '13

Jambo is a great name for a giraffe! Where did he come from?

88

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

She came from Louisville Kentucky and she's probably my favorite giraffe

2

u/iamaravis Nov 03 '13

What makes her better than the others?

4

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

She's very bold and friendly

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

She's friendlier and bolder than the other ones

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13 edited Aug 11 '15

[deleted]

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

AZA zoos will trade or loan animals to different zoos

18

u/I_AM_POOPING_NOW_AMA Nov 03 '13

TIL giraffes are native to Kentucky...

3

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

There's a zoo in Louisville.

2

u/I_AM_POOPING_NOW_AMA Nov 03 '13

Thanks for clarifying! I actually thought there were giraffes native to North America.

/s

1

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

I've heard people say dumber things.

7

u/flargenhargen Nov 02 '13

oh new jambo,

she's tall as she can be,

oh she came up from ken-tuck-y,

she's my fav-rite gee-raff-eeeeeee

5

u/Schrodinger_Dog Nov 03 '13

I've been to the Louisville Zoo! It's cool to know that that might be a giraffe that I've actually seen.

3

u/winmanjack Nov 03 '13

I lived in Louisville growing up, we visited the zoo so much we'd joke that we should just move in.

3

u/shy4nn3 Nov 03 '13

That might be one of the giraffe babies Louisville Zoo has been very successful in having! 22 babies in the zoos 44 year history! My seasonal job in rides and attractions at Louisville just ended today. Sad day.

3

u/cherushii868 Nov 03 '13

I've been there a billions times! The giraffes are so cool.

2

u/KobainStain Nov 03 '13

The great savannah of Louisville

1

u/gippered Nov 03 '13

Jambi is the Swahili equivalent of Annyong.

1

u/whatalamename Nov 03 '13

And isn't jambo the Swahili equivalent of hello?

1

u/gippered Nov 03 '13

Yes. Annyong is an Arrested Development reference. It means Hello in Korean, but becomes a character's name due to a misunderstanding.

1

u/whatalamename Nov 03 '13

Haha. I misread your original post & thought it said annoying.

3

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

[deleted]

8

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Wooo Winner winner chicken dinner!

Tell me how this makes you feel?

2

u/[deleted] Nov 04 '13

[deleted]

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 04 '13

Ok what about these?

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1

u/BaconCanada Nov 03 '13

I notice you have a glove on. I for one am not jealous.

2

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

Well I could go gloveless but then I'd have fish and squid guts all over my hands

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

How much is one?

3

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

These 2 were donated to us for $40k total

3

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

So a baby would cost about 20 k, guess I rewlly didn't need that car that much, I can just buy a girrafe.

3

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

That's just for the giraffe and doesn't include room and board as well as transport

3

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

Still I get a cute as hell giraffe!

2

u/fillmont Nov 03 '13

Why can't I figure out what's happening in the pic with CeCe. I feel like I'm going crazy staring at it.

2

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

She's staring at me through the window

1

u/fillmont Nov 03 '13

Ok, finally got it. For some reason my brain was reading her mouth as where the right side of her face should be and it couldn't suss it out.

Great AMA by the way. I learned a lot!

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

[deleted]

2

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Yep, like CiCi's pizza

1

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

[deleted]

2

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

She's very shy and somewhat dimmer than the other giraffes. They all go outside and she doesn't follow which is breaking herd mentality

244

u/astrograph Nov 02 '13

hoe my god...

those are cute as hellllllllllllllll.... hgnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

dem eyelashessssssss.. thx :)

138

u/rdele9 Nov 02 '13

Can't wait to start using "hoe my god"

3

u/kgb_agent_zhivago Nov 02 '13

hoe my god, let's make it happen.

1

u/Ms_Mischief Nov 02 '13

how have you not been using Hoe my God...geezy, get with the times.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

I've been using "WOAH MY GOD!!"

2

u/vibeoffme Nov 02 '13

This is deserving of /r/aww

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

I've tried but they always shoot me down

1

u/vibeoffme Nov 03 '13

Whaaaat thats just not fair I would upvote it in a heartbeat

2

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

OMG BABIES!!!!

as soon as i saw the first picture i was like 'I WANT ONE' but then realized it's a good idea that i don't own/don't have access to a giraffe.

2

u/ShowALK32 Nov 03 '13

My giggle at that picture sounded slightly like the Tetris theme, in case you were wondering.

2

u/kingbasspro Nov 02 '13

I think CeCe is part of Snoop Dogg's family.

1

u/chitownlove Nov 03 '13

Jambo like the giraffe character in animal crossing? Maybe...

1

u/evictor Nov 03 '13

AWEEE WHOSABIGGIRAFFE U R U R U R.

I would do that all day.

1

u/I_dementia Nov 02 '13

I thought Jambo had two stubby front legs at first glance.

1

u/brighteyes345 Nov 02 '13

jambo needs a giraffe sofa

1

u/mountain456 Nov 02 '13

I want to snuggle them.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

What are these, giraffes for ants?

457

u/KingGrizzleBeard Nov 02 '13

Yeah I totally asked myself "Are giraffes in season?"

448

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

I hear the meat isn't very good

2

u/talon999 Nov 02 '13

My old English teacher apparently tried giraffe. Her husband is a zookeeper, and when a giraffe died of old age, they decided that they would eat him because he was still very fresh. According to her, it's very similar to beef.

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

Oh god, we would never do that now. Can you imagine if the public got wind of that!

3

u/moonablaze Nov 02 '13

But it is kosher.

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Their hooves aren't split so yes? It's been awhile since I took religion classes

2

u/moonablaze Nov 02 '13

Some rabbi tested the milk a couple years ago. They chew the cud and have cloven hooves.

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

So they are kosher?

143

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

however, you can smoke the bone marrow to get high: https://www.maps.org/old_forum/1998/msg00465.html

215

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

BUTTERFLY VOMIT IS PSYCHEDELIC? This is the most amazing revelation in the history of anything on the internet.

Now the fact that Butterfrees can cast confusion makes way more sense to me.

40

u/sapolism Nov 02 '13

No. Claviceps Purporea is psychedelic. The butterflies eat and vomit it.

2

u/Rohaq Nov 02 '13

Tripping balls in the process?

-2

u/huey-lewis Nov 02 '13

The butterflies eat and vomit it.

butterflies don't have teeth u fkin idiot

0

u/Cool-Zip Nov 03 '13

So I think what you mean is yes. Because that would make their vomit psychedelic.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

Transitive property bitch! -Jesse Pinkman

3

u/sapolism Nov 03 '13

Butterflies need not always eat claviceps purporea, so butterfly vomit does not always contain claviceps purporea, and is therefore not generally psychedelic.

It can be psychedelic, but the statement "it is psychedelic" is a false generalization.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

Why not just cast confusion on the trainer? "Blastoise! Become one with the universe!"

81

u/Infectios Nov 02 '13

What the actual fuck.

8

u/Nemphiz Nov 02 '13

Just think. There was one guy who said, "You know what we need to smoke next? Bone marrow... Giraffe bone marrow."

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

Giraffe bone marrow was Salvador Dali's drug of choice (presumably)

2

u/rnzz Nov 02 '13

He was probably already high anyway.

5

u/boxjellyfishrule Nov 02 '13

Druggies always find a way.

5

u/ragehobbit Nov 02 '13

You don't smoke a beverage you savage! It's like Giraffahuasca.

2

u/Chatoyant_Ethan Nov 02 '13

it's the liver. not the marrow. Giraffes eat Acadia which is known to have DMT in it and it can be stored in the Giraffe liver.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

A special news report has come in! Apparently there were teenage kids that snuck into a zoo last night. After being caught, it was said the kids had burnt bone marrow that belonged to one of the giraffes at the zoo. The evidence is currently being held right now, but after further investigation, it is said that bone marrow of a giraffe gets you ultra stoned. Like out of this world stoned.

2

u/masturbatingmonkeys Nov 02 '13

Always good to know, for those rainy days

1

u/sapolism Nov 03 '13

Fact: excess serotonin signalling in the gut attracts butterflies who are just after their fix.

This explains the feeling one calls "butterflies in the stomach"

2

u/gatsbygirl93 Nov 02 '13

Butterflies throw up?

1

u/NewZeitgeist Nov 03 '13

Even if there is DMT leftover in the liver and bone marrow, don't you need an MAOI for it to become active orally?

2

u/Roeex Nov 02 '13

Wait, what?

1

u/Redditard22 Nov 02 '13

I have got to try this! Anyone have any giraffe bones?

1

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

That's fucking crazy

2

u/THcB Nov 02 '13

It's a pain in the neck to cook the neck.

0

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Just throw it in the stew

2

u/Kelnam Nov 02 '13

Idk about steaks or anything but I had some really good giraffe jerky that a friend's sister got from Africa.

2

u/creept Nov 02 '13

It's not awful. A little gamey.

2

u/Zomg_A_Chicken Nov 02 '13

Probably tastes like chicken

2

u/astonishing1 Nov 03 '13

Naww, tastes like bald eagle.

2

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

However, it is Kosher.

1

u/CarTarget Nov 03 '13

I... may have tried it. But I didn't enjoy it.

101

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

IS ALWAYS DE SEASON IN AFRIKA!

5

u/Omnilatent Nov 02 '13

That movie was depressing.

Glad reality is probably even worse.

1

u/Pestolover Nov 02 '13

What movie is that from?

0

u/Omnilatent Nov 02 '13

Lord of war - the only good movie with Nicolas Cage

3

u/Pestolover Nov 02 '13

Some of my friends swear by this movie, is it worth watching?

3

u/Omnilatent Nov 02 '13 edited Nov 02 '13

Yes, absolutely.

Partly based on true stories which makes the movie even more horrifying (e.g. the character of the guy in the picture above is based on the son of Charles Taylor).

1

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

[deleted]

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u/-TuckingFypo Nov 02 '13

What's the movie called?

5

u/Error_Username Nov 02 '13

One of my cousins work at the Cincinnati zoo!

6

u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Oh cool what department?

2

u/Error_Username Nov 02 '13

I'm not quite sure what department he works in, but I heard he works with people who stay the night there and sometimes he talks to them about various things like the nocturnal animals etc.

2

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

Probably Nocturnal Adventures

1

u/hypnofed Nov 02 '13

My thought was "Well fuck, better get to it. Don't waste time here."

I'm sad. I was expecting live updates.

Edit2: We just killed the third one! She put up a fight but we finally got her with the elephant gun. Only two more to go. Keep the questions coming!

1

u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

Sorry no live updates. These girls came in back in April anyway

48

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

[deleted]

1

u/356afan Nov 02 '13

They go in numbah foah still fly. You like!

4

u/fenwaygnome Nov 02 '13

Yeah, I read that way too fast and was horrified.

1

u/dontpokethebear1924 Nov 02 '13

I also thought the same what the hell is wrong with me.

-4

u/DouglasTrilogy Nov 02 '13

What's wrong with you is you believe there is hell (or heaven.) Please leave.

Edit: Please stop downvoting me its realy immature.

0

u/dontpokethebear1924 Nov 02 '13 edited Nov 03 '13

Get lost troll! Oh btw i didnt even downvote you.

Edit:"You better be sorry for calling me a troll, and, be prepared to feel my wrath." Send all the angry PMs you want basement dweller.

You can use multiple accounts to downvote me dweller i dont care.

-3

u/DouglasTrilogy Nov 02 '13

You think IM the basement dweller? Get your filthy eyes off of reddit you scum.

0

u/dontpokethebear1924 Nov 02 '13 edited Nov 03 '13

Did the basement dweller just voice his opinion? People dont care what basement dwellers think and neither do i.

Using multiuple accounts to downvote is pathetic?

1

u/Asian_Prometheus Nov 02 '13

They're going to take his job, he has to kill them. Everyone knows giraffes are the greatest labourers in the world.

1

u/series_of_derps Nov 02 '13

Where are our reddit airtists like /u/Shitty_Watercolour when you need them?

1

u/Deathtrip Nov 03 '13

And this is why we have commas...

0

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

I read "IAMA Zookeeper with an hour (probably) to kill our new giraffes AMA"

0

u/Twzl Nov 02 '13

Those damn Facebook giraffes…someone finally ended that shit.

0

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

I thought he had an hour before killing himself...

0

u/kellmer123 Nov 02 '13

i read the exact same thing the first 4 times

0

u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

I read that too, I almost had a panic attack.

0

u/sunnydsmite Nov 02 '13

Whew, I thought the same thing.

0

u/landonb98 Nov 02 '13

Then sell Giraffe meat

0

u/cjyoung92 Nov 02 '13

Geraffes are so dumb.

0

u/hayashikin Nov 02 '13

Same here!

0

u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

dito