Kent « Animal Department

Posts Tagged ‘Kent’

by Kimberly Lawson, Keeper

I'm extremely excited to be working at the Museum since October 2010. My favorite part of this job- besides working with the animals- is listening to all of the Keeper stories, I hear a new one each day. In my spare time I enjoy hiking, belly dancing, and vegan cooking.

I work Sunday through Thursday. I can be found mostly behind the scenes or training the Ring Tail Lemurs.

Tags: Aaron, emergency drill, Kent, kimberly, lemur tracking, Sarah

Lemur Tracking Drill

May 15th, 2013

We recently had a Lemur Tracking Drill. Sherry informed us that two “lemurs” were hidden around campus and we had an hour to find them. Off we went…

Me, Sarah, Kent, and Aaron begin Lemur tracking

Sarah picking up a strong signal behind the Donkey/Goat yard

Aaron went into the woods between alpaca and pigs to see what he could pick up on his tracker

Duck was curious about Aaron in the woods

As was Max

We then decided to go out to the parking lot since our signal was pointing us in that direction.

Quickly there after, we found the first lemur in a tree.

The first lemur was found in a tree

After feeling successful about finding the first lemur so quickly we decided to split up at the boardwalk. Sarah and I headed to Explore the Wild and Aaron and Kent headed to Catch the Wind. Shortly there after, the guys radioed us to meet them at the Into the Mist exhibit. Kent had spotted the second lemur on top of an umbrella!

With both lemurs found we headed back to the building

Successful Tracking

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Kent looks thrilled about getting cuddled by Aaron.

Posted by Ranger Ro

8:41 pm on May 16, 2013

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by Sherry Samuels, Director

I've been at the Museum sooooo long - longer than many of our interns have been alive. I do a little bit of everything as part of my job: care for the animals, work with the keepers and other staff, spend time with guests. Lucky me!

I spend a lot of time behind-the-scenes, or here after hours, but if you really want to see me, you'll have to sign-up for a behind-the-scenes program.

Tags: Aaron, Bugsy, Jill, keepers, Kent, kimberly, Sarah, Sherry

Giving me Grief

March 16th, 2013

After our department meeting on Thursday I got a lot of lip from the keepers about the crappy pictures I take of them and then post on the blog. Forever, they now live with ruined lives because the only photos out there of them are poor and ugly. Obviously, I disagree, but we took some new photos right after the meeting. Here you go:

Kimberly approved this photo.

I hope Sarah approves of this photo!

A close up of Bugsy sleeping (he did not approve of this photo).

There was a much better one of Jill, but she didn’t want me to post it. I assume she is fine with this photo!

And Finally, there is nothing better than an “Aaron hugging Kent” photo:

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Kent’s expression in the hugging photos are priceless.

Posted by Leslie

8:59 am on March 18, 2013
I’ll approve of Bugsy’s photo for him. He looks like a gummy bear with long ears. Anything that adorable deserves to be shared with the rest of the world.

My photo’s not so bad, either.

Posted by Sarah

12:29 pm on March 18, 2013
I want you to post the other one of Jill

Posted by kimberly

12:57 pm on March 18, 2013
Am I the only one that noticed the stellar picture of Marilyn in the background or Kimberly’s photo? That one deserves and award!

Posted by Sarah

9:11 pm on April 21, 2013
Director Comment :
Shhh…
(next time I will crop the photo so we don’t see Marilyn’s tongue sticking out!)

Posted by Sherry Samuels

7:10 am on April 22, 2013

Do owls drink water?

February 15th, 2013

While closing one night I saw a barred owl standing in the water and pondered, What is that owl doing? A few moments later I watched as the owl took several drinks of water. I snapped some pictures with my phone and shared them with Keeper Kent who says he’s never seen an owl drink water before. Kent has been a keeper here for a long time so if he hasn’t seen owls drink then most of our readers haven’t either. In fact owls get most of the moisture they need from the prey they eat, so this is a rare sight. Enjoy the pictures below.

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Director Comment :
Which owl is that? I’m glad s/he is standing with her/his “good side” to the camera.

Posted by Sherry Samuels

8:32 am on February 15, 2013
If you come in at 7am you can see at least one of them drinking on most mornings. 1 Wing will also often play with the mulch in the mornings throwing it all over the place!

Posted by Katy

9:35 am on February 16, 2013
I believe it is 1 wing. Katy that sounds fun to watch.

Posted by kimberly

3:46 pm on February 18, 2013

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by Sarah Van de Berg, Keeper

I've been at the museum since 2010. I love to read and learn; it's rare that a day goes by at work when I'm not suppressing the urge to spew out something cool I just learned to my coworkers. In my spare time, I play the 'cello, snuggle my dog and reminisce about snowmen and Nor'easters.

I work Sunday through Thursday. You can find me raking the Farmyard in the morning or training the donkey and dwarf goats in the afternoon.

Tags: bird, duck, flight, Katy, Kent, Sarah, Scout, wings

Trimming Duck’s Wings

February 13th, 2013

Have you ever wandered into the farmyard and asked yourself, “Why doesn’t the duck simply fly away?”

There are three answers:

1. He does, sometimes. As you can see here in an older post.

2. He seasonally has wing feathers trimmed to help keep him down on the ground.

3. At nearly 11 pounds, he’s a little bit too chubby to really get off the ground.

In the early spring and fall, Ducky molts (loses) his old feathers and grows a nice new set in. This would prepare him for long, seasonal migration flights, if he were a wild duck. These young feathers, called ‘blood’ or ‘pin’ feathers, have a great blood supply and birds need to be handled carefully when they’re coming in. Once the pin feathers grow out completely into flight feathers, we can safely trim them back to keep our duck grounded.

Keeper Kent holds Ducky snugly with Duck’s feet tucked into his arm to keep Katy safe from his claws. Kent is also extending Duck’s right wing in this photo

Keeper Katy extends Duck’s left wing and counts the feathers to be trimmed.

With rounded bandage scissors, Keeper Katy starts to trim away feathers

You can see the small gap the missing feathers are creating in Duck’s wing, this is what stops him from flying.

Kent and Katy place Ducky down onto a scale for weighing. The rubber bowl gives his feet traction so he doesn’t slide off the metal scale.

Trimming feathers might look a little rough, but it doesn’t seem to bother our duck very much.

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do you need to do both wings?

Posted by bette fredrickson

12:45 pm on April 17, 2013
Yes, Bette, we do trim both wings. If we only did one wing, our duck would be very off balance if he were to hop up onto a higher surface and try to flutter back down to the ground. With only one wing trimmed, he might spin or crash to the ground, but with both done, it takes him only 2 or 3 attempts before he figures out how to descend from higher ground safely.

Posted by Sarah

9:18 pm on April 21, 2013

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by Kimberly Lawson, Keeper

I work Sunday through Thursday. I can be found mostly behind the scenes or training the Ring Tail Lemurs.

Tags: Carolina Wildlife, Explore the Wild, farm yard, Keeper Programs, Kent, kimberly, reptiles

Animal Programs

January 28th, 2013

The Animal Department does several programs a week.

We have a daily 2pm Explore the Wild Keeper Talk, which changes between Bears, Wolves, and Lemurs each week. At these programs we talk to visitors about our animals, wild animals, what kind of food they eat, or any other specifics you’d like to know.

We also have a Farm Yard Program at 4:30pm all days but Thursday. At these programs we close the Farm Yard which includes feeding the animals and shutting down the barns, here you can ask Keepers questions and even help feed hay to a couple animals.

And a special Reptile Program on Thursday’s at 4pm in Carolina Wildlife. At this program we talk about our exhibit reptiles or any you have questions about and we feed our snakes and alligators.

Keeper Kent doing the 4pm Thurs Reptile Program

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by Kimberly Lawson, Keeper

I work Sunday through Thursday. I can be found mostly behind the scenes or training the Ring Tail Lemurs.

Tags: Henry, Jill, Katy, Kent, kimberly, Sarah, Scale, Sherry, weighing, woodchuck

Henry the Great

January 10th, 2013

Henry is our resident Woodchuck in Carolina Wildlife. Below are pictures of him getting some exercise time on the Keeper Hall. Keeper Katy found it a great opportunity to get him on the scale. We weigh our animals on schedules, some may be once a week, some may be once a month. In addition, anytime we have an opportunity to weigh an animal -we take it! Keeping a good record of animal weights is very important and can help decide diet changes or even bring up health concerns. Henry weighs a whooping 5.96 kg that translates to 13.11 lbs.

Keepers Katy, Jill, Kent, and Sarah and Mr. Henry the Woodchuck

Henry on the scale

So cute!

Sherry took advantage of Henry’s good mood and got a scratch in

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Be on the lookout for Henry’s 2013 Super Bowl prediction.

Posted by Jill

5:17 pm on January 10, 2013

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by Sarah Van de Berg, Keeper

I work Sunday through Thursday. You can find me raking the Farmyard in the morning or training the donkey and dwarf goats in the afternoon.

Tags: Aaron, Accession, Jessi, Jill, Katy, Kent, kimberly, Marilyn, Sarah, Sherry

Concurrent Accession

December 31st, 2012

“Accession” is a word the zoological world uses to mean, “adding to.” It’s the term applied to newly acquired individuals to a museum/zoo/aquarium’s collection. We don’t have a large turnover in our collection at the museum. Every year we lose some animals due to old age, health problems, or transfers to other institutions and we gain a couple, but our collection stays at about the same number.

Because we don’t take in new animals very often, I found it interesting to learn that the animal keepers here each have a sort of “buddy animal” that joined the animal department at roughly the same time they did.

Sherry and Ursula (Fall 1991)

Kent (Summer 1996) and 2 American Robins (Winter 1997)

Marilyn and Chummix (Fall 2003)

Katy and Virginia (Spring 2005)

Jill and Scout (Fall 2005)

Me and Robin Owl (Summer 2010)

Kimberly and Ladybelle (Fall 2010)

Aaron and Jaybird (Spring 2011)

Jessi and the baby Pine Snakes (Summer 2012)

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Director Comment :
I love this post Sarah!
FYI- Ursula and I arrived at the Museum in the Fall 1991.

Posted by Sherry Samuels

12:18 pm on December 31, 2012
Great post, I love that Marilyn looks like she’s about to attack Chummix

Posted by Kimberly

1:33 pm on December 31, 2012
Keeper Comment :
All fixed, thanks!

Posted by Sarah Van de Berg

2:16 pm on December 31, 2012
2013 for me is about enjoying the ‘moment’ whether that moment is truly a moment or a whole day long; “smell the roses” so-to-speak.

Posted by Laura H

2:40 pm on January 7, 2013
Keeper Comment :
Very cool Sarah! I’m really pleased that my buddy animal is Chummix because I really love that goat and I enjoyed being his trainer.

Posted by Marilyn Johnson

3:50 pm on January 8, 2013

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by Jill Brown, Keeper

I have worked in the animal department for about 5 years. Some of my favorites include ferrets and birds. I am also known for my weird obsession with things relevant to the 80's.

I work Tuesday-Saturday and can be seen training our pigs on occasion.

Tags: Aaron, hugs, International hug Kent day, Jill, Kent

International Hug Kent Day

September 27th, 2012

As you read this I am in New York for the AAZK conference. Sadly, I will miss International Hug Kent Day.That’s right everybody, it’s Keeper Kent’s special day. Last year this tradition was started by Aaron who decided Kent needed a hug. So, make it a point to hug Kent today or make sure to give him a belated one if you miss it this year. He may go into the fetal position when you try, but he gets over it quickly.

Kent looks real excited for his hugs

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Hug, hug Kent….lol

Posted by Mike

11:54 am on September 27, 2012

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by Sherry Samuels, Director

I spend a lot of time behind-the-scenes, or here after hours, but if you really want to see me, you'll have to sign-up for a behind-the-scenes program.

Tags: Jill, Katy, Kent, kimberly, Marilyn, QuikPost, Quiz, Sherry

QuikPost: Yet Again, Another Quiz

August 13th, 2011

I was doing a program recently for a Summer Camp group and one of the kids asked “what’s it like to work with all the animals“.

I asked Jill, Katy, Kimberly, and Marilyn to respond. Guess who said which comment: (Kent took the quiz and got everything right).

It’s Awesome, the best job ever
It’s pretty cool
It’s wonderful
It’s a lotta lotta lotta work.

All the answers describe accurately what it’s like to care for all the animals. Kent would have added “it’s sweaty” to the mix.

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1. Kimberly
2. Marilyn
3. Katy
4. Jill

Posted by Leslie

8:48 am on August 15, 2011
1. Marilyn
2. Jill
3. Kimberly
4. Katy

Posted by Meredith

12:14 pm on August 15, 2011
I know I know I know! But I can’t say because I was there.

Posted by Marilyn

12:31 pm on August 15, 2011
Marilyn,
Can you be bribed……….?

Posted by DJ

3:41 pm on August 15, 2011
Always DJ!!

Posted by Marilyn

4:31 pm on August 15, 2011
1. Kimberly
2. Katy
3. Marilyn
4. Jill

Posted by Colet

10:57 am on August 16, 2011
Director Comment :
YAY COLET!!!! See me for a fabulous prize.

Posted by Sherry Samuels

12:57 pm on August 16, 2011
Can I get a prize for getting every single one wrong?

Posted by Meredith

11:42 am on August 17, 2011
Director Comment :
you bet Meredith- it’s hard to get everything wrong!

Posted by Sherry Samuels

1:35 pm on August 17, 2011

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by Sherry Samuels, Director

I spend a lot of time behind-the-scenes, or here after hours, but if you really want to see me, you'll have to sign-up for a behind-the-scenes program.

Tags: Jean, Kent, kimberly, Sherry, veterinary care

Last week’s medical procedures

May 21st, 2011

A rough week it was:

May 13: X-rays for Jean, one of our Farmyard rabbits. She was found in the morning with her leg not quite right. We got her checked out by our vet, and x-rays indicated some dislocated metacarpals. After consulting with a surgeon, we decided to let her rest and see how things would progress (resting still in progress).

Jean on bedrest after dislocating some bones in her foot.

May 23: Heart “zapping” (as we call it) for Kent. Kent’s been mostly out the past month, but returned and was doing so well that his cardiologist said it was time to “zap his heart back” to its normal rhythm.

May 24: Root canal for Kimberly- or maybe it was a tooth pull. Kimberly has been out the past two Tuesdays having major work done on her mouth.

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Can I help zappppppp Kent—lol

Posted by Mike

4:13 pm on May 23, 2011
I thought about starting my very own weblog too but I’m just too lazy so, I guess I am going to just have to preserve checking yours out.

Posted by Jess Penfold

9:05 pm on June 6, 2011

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