At the Zoo

Prompt: If you earned the same salary and were treated with the same respect no matter what you chose, what would be your dream job and why?

I wake up in the morning to the sound of chirping birds and chattering monkeys. I roll out of bed, put on my work clothes, grab a quick breakfast, and head out the door towards the San Francisco Zoo, only a short walk away from my house. I’m greeted at the gates of my second home by several peacocks and nod hello to the zookeepers as I make my way towards my office. The simple plaque on the door reads, “Veterinarian”.

I love this zoo. Ever since fifth grade, I wanted to be a vet. Interest in smaller pets (growing up, I always had a dog) gradually turned to larger, more exotic animals. I love spending time with animals. Though it breaks my heart to see them ill or hurt, it makes me so happy to help them and watch them get better. Fortunately, the animals here are generally very healthy. During my free time, I like to go on rounds around the exhibits, saying hello to my favourite patients. As the only full time vet here, most of the animals know me and are comfortable with my presence, having been treated at least one time or another. Today is a quiet day. I finish up with some paperwork, and head out to the exhibits.

First, I go over to the sea lion pool to greet Silent Knight and Henry. It never ceases to amaze me to watch the two companions, both completely blind, play together in the pool. I spent much of my time watching, caring for and studying them when they first showed up. Both had had experienced traumatic situations that cost them their eyesight, and, after spending some time in the Marine Mammal Center, had come to live at the zoo. Though it had taken a little longer for them to become accustomed to the pool and their lack of eyesight, now the two sea lions can rush towards a fish so fast you’d never know they couldn’t see. I laugh as they speed towards me from the other side of the pool and stick their snouts into my hands, trying to eat their fish while figuring out which pleasant person has come to give them food. Henry gives a bark of approval after swallowing his treat, and dives back into the water. Silent Knight follows closely behind.

Next, I go to see the chimpanzees. They approach cautiously, clinging to branches, as I enter their caged home. It’s a little saddening to see their living quarters so limited, but it was good to have had some say in how big to make all the exhibits, so that the animals would be comfortable. Today, I come with a salutary bunch of mini bananas. The chimps here know me the best; I came here almost every day this past year, doing the first half of my research project on chimps in and out of captivity. Working with these animals was much more exciting than my earlier job in a lab, where I spent much of my time pipetting my specimens from test tube to petri dish. I spend a little time playing with the chimps. The bananas were also a form of thank you. Soon, I’ll be packing up and going on leave for a year, traveling around Africa to study the chimpanzees there. A small chimp, who I spend much time with due to complications during birth, is happy to try to climb up my back to reach a leaf that’s fallen into my ponytail. I pull him off and give him a quick hug before returning him to a waiting relative. I had named the chimp Kanzi, and, as a sort of side experiment, had tried to teach him the lexigram language that had made his namesake famous. It made me proud when he began consistently pointing to his name when he heard it, a few months after I started working with him. Now, as a two year old chimp, he had a vocabulary of almost 100 words. The bright little guy was definitely my favourite. I would miss him during my year away, but I was still extremely excited for my upcoming trip to Africa.

For the rest of the day, I wander among the various exhibits, checking up on the different animals, making sure they’re all feeling well. The little wonders and achievements of the creatures are what keep me here. It makes me feel like a parent watching a growing child: the newborn giraffe taking her first wobbly steps; the little polar bear finally reaching the meat at the center of the ice cube; the snake that nearly got killed by a car now coiled up contently around a thick tree branch. Watching all these amazing creatures, it’s like living in a dream.