First Zoo Negara Volunteer WorkLast year we organize a volunteer work activity at Zoo Negara with the Leo Club of KDU, PJ. (Click on the above link if you couldn't remember) It was fun and we vowed to do it again, so this time we went with Leos from Leo Club of SMK Jinjang North and host of other guests.
On the morning of 1st November, we arrived at the zoo at around 8.30am. Hastily we were organized into groups of 5 and sent to our assigned sections. For the 5 of us, we were put to the giraffe/elephant section (Much to Leo Jia Yi delight considering her love for the elephant). Like last year, the zoo personnel warned us that work has to be done and only after we complete the work that they would allow us to 'play' with the animals.
No problem.
Our first task was to clean elephant poo and urine.
Alright, to be honest it wasn't that bad as they were almost odourless (Good diet they have ;-) ). And equally bearable was giraffe poo, although much smaller in size obviously. Whilst we were cleaning the giraffe's compound, the animals were instructed to stand at a corner. Yet once in a while, a giraffe or 2 would show their playful nature by charging towards us and back. They may look sexy, but it's when you stand next to it that you realize how tall it is and how intimidating it could be. Still, we kept on with our work and soon got them done.
Next, the zookeeper had to feed the giraffes. Giraffes with their awful long necks needs their food to be tied to their chin level, as bending down to the ground hurts them (Try bending your own neck all the way down for a short while). So we tied the fresh leaves into a bundle and the zookeeper tied them to the gate. Too zookeeper allowed us to feed the animals, so we took the opportunity to do so.
After the break at 10am, we were given real work. This time we had to help clear the bush that is behind the elephant performing ring (Now defunct due to complaints from animal rights parties). The back compound must have been left alone for years and apparently the day before there were other volunteers who helped to clear the first part. We were suppose to clear the second part. It was tiring and we took the rest of the day (with lunch in between) chopping the grass, pull out the weeds and carrying them to the dumping ground. Although it seemed never ending, by 3pm in the afternoon we managed to clear up a large part of the compound. It was tiring and certainly not what we expected.Of course, what came after the hard work makes the entire day worth it. We were told to clean ourselves up. Then the zookeeper handed us some bananas to be fed to the elephant. He even offered them to us and ate some to show that they are indeed edible:
We had a great time playing with elephant and she seemed happy to be given the bananas. We then took a group photo but it seems that she couldn't sit still, as you could see below. After that, we spent some time feeding the giraffes, before saying our goodbyes to the elephant/giraffe zookeepers.
As we ended earlier, we paid a visit to our friends who are in the rats/mice section. They had interesting task to do where they had to replaced the bedding of the mice. Leo Anh was pretty good at catching the mice by the tails (Trust me, it's not an easy feat!) and putting them in the temporary box while they clean the boxes.
As they wrapped up, we gathered with the other Leos and took a group photo. Shortly we said our goodbyes as we left before the rain starts to pour.
Roar!
By Leo Eong Xien
