Larry is one of our Lead Keepers in the department and he’s been working here about 2.5 years. Besides doing all the things that Keepers do, he is responsible for our new computerized record keeping system. He’s got it up and running and has worked closely with Keeper Katy getting the animal health records computerized. We stole Larry away from the world of academia. Prior to working with us, he taught an animal behavior course at UNC-Chapel Hill. He alsoRead more
Posts tagged: #keepers
Squirrels hoard acorns, and Kristen hoards our holiday candy…
But at least she has nicer teeth. Actually, hoarding acorns has been difficult for squirrels this winter due to an acorn shortage. You can click here to read more about it.Read more
Big delivery!
One of the staple foods in our bears’ diets is omnivore chow. Having four black bears, with three still young and growing, imagine how much chow they can eat! In the fall when they are bulking up for winter, they eat 36 pounds of chow a day along with lots of fruits, vegetables and nuts! This means we get our omnivore chow in bulk… specifically 155 bags at a time. Last week our shipment came in, and there were 4Read more
If you love something, set it free
About a month ago, we noticed a new resident in the farmyard at the museum. After some encouragement from Animal keepers with food and calming voices, Keeper Cassidy was able to snag our new visitor. This was no ordinary pigeon as evidenced by his ankle jewelry. Keepers Jill and Katy were able to trace his or her registration numbers at a racing pigeon website and find out that our new resident was a racing pigeon that left Danville, Virginia enRead more
EnrichBits: Keeper Enrichment
EnrichBits: A monthly look at animal enrichment Ok, enough about animal enrichment. It’s time to talk about keeper enrichment!! The idea is the same– animal keepers with choice and changes in their routines are happier creatures! Sherry gives all of us keepers opportunities to change up our routines now and again by giving us the chance to get off museum grounds (or at least out of the animal department area) and do something a little different.Jill, Katy, Erin, and CassidyRead more
Our weekly meeting
Every Thursday at 2:00pm, we gather into our quaint little office and have our Animal Department meeting. This is time for Sherry and all of the keepers to sit down and discuss the week’s events and what is happening in the department. It is a great way to keep everyone updated on important information about our animals’ health and well-being, their diets and enclosures, new enrichment ideas and other things going on inside the department. For instance, some of theRead more