Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary Day One.

Day One.

Everyone was a little unsettled about the showers run by the heating system. Also known as turn the showers on an hour before you take one so you can have water above 50 degrees. Then we all decided we were grateful to at least have showers! Otherwise, Austin is a great city. On Sunday, we were able to walk around and enjoy South Austin with out a lot of foot traffic. Katie Stites and I have decided to go to Grad School in Austin and live with Jordan and Julia. Our free day was very relaxing, and it really allowed our group to grow closer and more comfortable with each other. We have a great group dynamic.

The drive from our housing in South Austin, to our Site, which is, I don't know, somewhere else in Austin, was a very interesting drive. In about 20 minutes of highway, we traveled from the homeless Mecca of Texas, through Hipster Village Paradise, to a highway, with low income housing right next to upper middle class residences. It is very obvious that Austin is very segregated as far as monetary class is concerned, and also geographically. It is very interesting the difference twenty miles can make.

The Austin Zoo and Animal Sanctuary is on what seems to be back roads, and fairly unmarked. The 501 c3 Non-For Profit organization used to be “Happy Day Ranch,” a goat farm. When approaching, we saw one building painted lime green with neon blue trim, and were greeted by a one eyed cat named tangerine and a peacock on the front porch. It was a pretty eventful greeting. We were met by two women, Toni and Kris. Toni proceeded to give us a long-winded tour including about 1000 facts about every animal at the zoo (all 300), including every rooster, chicken, and guinea hen. All of the animals are affectionately named, and Toni knows all of them. Even Shiva the Tarantula. Toni then passed us off to Kris, and the work began.

We ate our lunch in the D.C., or the reptile house, where it was warm. We were unfortunately plagued with chilly weather and rain, however were fortunate enough to escape the conditions for lunch and to wash animal dishes. We started the day off as expected, scooping horse and donkey poop. We also put hay bedding down for most of the out door animals and farm animals, because they aren’t used to the cold in Austin. My encounter with an Emu was strange, and I’m not looking forward to my next one. Emu’s are the closest things to dinosaurs I’ve ever met/seen, and they make this noise that sounds like a thunderstorm with out opening their mouths. Let me spend time with big cats before I pluck an Emu’s feather. But that is beside the point, except for the point about Emu’s being really terrifying.

Through out the day Toni and Kris had been receiving updates over their high-tech walkie talkies regarding a creature named Tom. Tom, whatever he was, wasn’t doing so well. Everyone was very concerned about Tom and his well being, and I was beginning to wonder if Tom was a human or something. Turns out Tom is a turkey. All of the peacocks and farm birds roam around the Zoo, and Tom was a left over from the goat farm and the previous owners. When I was finally able to meet Tom, I was so touched. In any normal farm situation, Tom would probably have been long gone, or taken to the butcher. But not at this Zoo. Tom was inside the heated building, with his own corner section, blocked off from the rest of the creatures in the Education Building, which is actually just a building to store random animals and birds in when it gets cold. Tom had a gaggle of caretakers, and I didn’t even care when they asked me to wipe the turkey poop off of the wall and mop it off the floor. Tom even wore turkey socks to keep the lesions in his feet from becoming infected. Tom had a saline solution drip to stay hydrated, and was given medication about once an hour. I had seen tigers, bears, lions, emu, fox, wolf/dog hybrids, ponies, donkeys and spider monkeys, among others, all day long, and Tom the turkey made the biggest impression on me of the day. I was astounded at how much care was being given to this old turkey, who had a name and a story and people who loved and cared about him just as much as the tigers and black bears. Everyone made sure Tom was comfortable, with a pillow to lie on, and towels lining the floor to keep him warm and clean. Every creature at this Zoo is an equal, no matter the shape, the size, or the color. The people who work and volunteer here care for the animals in such a genuine way, I cannot explain it in words. Tom the turkey touched my heart today, and I can’t wait to go back tomorrow.

My friend, Tom.

Over and Out.

Kait Perry