The year was 1990. I was a skinny 19 year old kid back then. School days finally over. Instead of enrolling myself into some universities or colleges, I ended up working as a zookeeper. And so my encounter with the wild kind begins from that day.
I was assigned to the Hoof Animal Section which among others housed the Gaur, Serow, Hog Deer, Zebra, Eland, Gnu and Barking Deer. There were only the two of us, namely myself and a senior supervisor, Encik Musa .
We were put in charged manning the enclosures and looking after the animals in that section. Ten enclosures all together plus a lot more ground to cover if the other staffs decided to take their annual leaves or call in sick for the day. And if that’s the case, I get the chance to look after White and Black Rhinos, Nile and Pygmy Hippos, Sambar Deer, Asiatic Elephants, Giraffe and few dozen others odd and even toed ungulates.
It was a tough and challenging job. Rain or shine, my daily routine involved feeding the animals, cleaning up the enclosures and making sure the animals under my care are all in good health. That’s what we call animal husbandry. Oh! Did I mention to you it smells too and I’ve also been attacked numerous times by an angry female Hog Deer trying to protect its newly born fawn. (Sigh! My lucky t-shirt got ripped pretty good)
Don’t get me wrong. I did enjoy my stint as a zookeeper. In fact being a wildlife enthusiast makes me love my work so much. I do miss the good old days back then where I had the chance patting the tiger cub or taking the afternoon walk with a herd of Dromedary Camel. The memorable experience was worth it all. And what next, a zoo volunteer perhaps…you never know.
