June 14, 2010 @ 7:47 am
Wildly Familiar
Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Museum, Sioux Falls, SD (34)
His name was Oliver. Darker skinned with a hint of white here and there. Rather short, but quick on his feet and willing to please in just about any way necessary. A man of few words, far more concerned with gentle nods of approval and soft sounds of encouragement. I’m not certain, but pretty sure R.J. has some real competition. I may have just found my new main squeeze. If you haven’t figured out just yet, my new love is none other than penguin extraordinaire, Oliver, a key player at the Great Plains Zoo in South Dakota. I don’t know just how, but clearly the stars were aligned, the clouds had separated, and it was my day. I’d finally come toe to toe with my true love, my soul mate…the penguin.
~Just for fun: When R.J. and I first started dating he told me a story about some family friends. The parents had recently taken their young boy to SeaWorld. At some point during the day, he was separated from his parents. Obviously, panic struck the great lands (and waters) of SeaWorld, and the park was closed down, visitors ushered out as staff members searched under rocks and between waterfalls to find the boy. Eventually, he was spotted fraternizing with the penguins in their ice hut heaven, after being reprimanded from leaving the sight of his parents, the family left for their hotel. The boy was immediately sent to the bathroom to clean up before bed. With the door cracked, barely showing the light from the other side, unusual noises, splashes even, crept from the small room. Quietly the parents pushed the door inward, and there, with water flying through the air, dripping down the walls, was their child and his new penguin friend. Much to their surprise, the small boy had secretly smuggled out the penguin in his now evidence-ridden knapsack. The penguin was rushed back to SeaWorld pretty immediately, and I’m assuming lived the rest of his days plunging, sliding and waddling around.~
Now I don’t like to play favorites with my volunteer experiences, but I must say, this one was particularly special. Each year the zoo plans an enrichment day for all of the animals. I’d never heard of anything like it before, but basically it’s a day focusing solely on providing entertainment for the rhinos, the monkeys…all the animals living at the zoo. So we would be creating an animal out of edible art supplies that would eventually end up in the cage of its predator. I mean is there anything more up my alley? I’m here to tell you, the answer is no. This was beyond yummy…
So here we were (R.J. was riding passenger’s side today) deciding on the perfect animal to be clobbered as it unfortunately fell prey to the almighty food chain. Normally it’s pretty difficult for me to face the reality of the casualties of nature, but today would be harmless. No real bodies, no ears missing…things were lookin’ up!
The surprises just kept comin’ in. Apparently, these zoo animals love the junk-food delicacies created with the human touch. I’m not referring to the sausage links or the hamburger patties…I’m talking about the Kool-Aid powders and the instant oatmeals. I’m not so sure how they were originally introduced to such random tastes, but they were, and the word around the street was they couldn’t get enough.
So in front of us sat the containers of peanut butter, the bags full of oatmeal and the small paper packets of grape, strawberry and lemon-lime Kool-Aid I don’t think I’d seen since my backyard lemonade stand days. There were bottles of paint, boxes galore, rafia… staring at us, waiting to be poured, cut…created into an outstanding piece of art. The antelope was the mammal of choice, and though it would soon be torn to shreds by the almighty cheetah, we were determined to make this the best antelope possible.
Our first concern was the body, so R.J. grabbed this huge square box (never mind that the actual shape of a body is round, unless of course you’re Spongebob or one of those Letter People from my kindergarten class at Eastside Elementary. Work with what you got, right?). Anyhow, our square body was in need of a head, so the obvious choice would be another box, only this time smaller. While R.J. located the perfect legs, I concentrated on recreating the beautifully sculpted horns. With empty egg cartons, I cut through the paper separating each cup from the other. Then, with the rafia, I strung each cup to the next, forming lengthy horns with plenty of curve.
In the meantime, poor R.J. is over in the corner, struggling with his boxes, tryin’ to think outside the box (hahaha…that’s funny). Obviously, everything had to be 100 percent edible for the animals…no tape, no staples. So there he was, sewing boxes together with a really big needle and some super duper string.
Eventually we’d constructed this antelope, and with the exception of the legs constantly stretching toward the four different corners of the room, and the horns never feeling at one with their body (the Elmer’s Glue was about as effective as Brittany after she married Kevin), things were looking pretty amazing I must say. So it was finally time to add the pizazz. Mixing brown paint with creamy peanut butter, our square body came to life. The thick paste smeared from edge to edge as the smells of our childhood surfaced once again. Clumps of moist oatmeal became the ruffled fur, and the air filled with remnants of grape powder as I poured the envelopes into the paint filled bowls. From toes to nose, every inch of our man/woman made antelope was fruity, grainy and buttery. And to boot, on the actual day of enrichment, a hole would be cut in the butox of our antelope and fresh meat would be stuffed in, giving the cheetah even more fun. I tell ya’, there’s nothing better than having your artwork stuffed with loads of raw meat…totally worth the trip to South Dakota 
!
Before leaving we strolled along the concrete paths. The trees swayed above us as the quacks and caws sounded not too far away. The monkeys came to bid us adieu. Swinging from branch to branch, mommy, daddy and baby peered through the bars, reaching for our hands, but touching my heart. It’s amazing how insightful these animals are, so similar to the human race…and yet so many continue to question the value of our animal friends.
I wish we lived in a world where these animals were able to roam wildly, free from captivity in their native lands…some close by, some so very far away. Unfortunately, many value their tusks, their furs, the hunt…rather than for their natural beauty…the eloquent black lines complementing the white stripes, the swift move of the legs running across a vacant field, the flap of a wing flying against the sun. Though my wishes have yet to be granted, these animals do tread safely, free from harm, but on slightly smaller plains .
