One of the very best things about being an animal keeper is that the possibility for the unexpected is always there.  An animal may do something completely random and wonderfully funny, or you may learn something you never thought possible.  Even your daily routine may be interrupted by something new and fun.  This is what has been happening recently over at the bear pool.  We have a new pump system on it to keep the waterfall flowing and now one of the animal departments jobs is to check the filter baskets a few times each day and make sure they are clear.  Not a problem at all!

Now usually that is pretty much an uneventful but necessary task.  But right before Christmas I kept getting a very pleasant surprise.  I had company upon doing my filter duties.  After shutting down the main pump so nothing got sucked into it when I removed the baskets, I went to the bear pool baskets and lo and behold… there was a very nice sized bullfrog just lazing about in it without a care in the world!  Of course I gently picked him up to make sure he wasn’t injured (and to say hello), and he was quite calm in my hands.  I looked him over and he was just fine.  As I went back to cleaning my baskets, he jumped past me and back into the pool.

The next time I went to clean the baskets later in the day, there he was again.  And probably for the next week or two he would just randomly show up to say hi.  He even visited when other keepers went down to clean the baskets.  And eventually, he even showed up with friends.  One day there were two bullfrogs in there and another had three!

Just goes to show you, when you work outside or with animals, things are never dull!  🙂