Sammy

There are many reasons why I love living in Orlando and working for Disney. But Yesterday was a very unique day that most people will never get to experience.

Most people don't exactly know what it is I do as an Educational Presenter. I have many responsibilities which include: teaching about a variety of different insect species (tarantulas, scorpions and even dung beetles) in the morning, running the kids discovery club which teach kids about different animals through games and activities, and acting out scripted presentations throughout the day. Each responsibility has its own positives and negatives and every once in awhile I do get a little down on the repetitive nature of my job. There are however those days in which I have a really great day that recharges my spirit so to speak.

Once a month part of my job is to attend different seminars that relate to different fields in zoology and animal sciences. Yesterday I attended the Zoo Keeping seminar which was to discuss what keepers do day to day and how to get into the field. I have to admit that my career interest weren't exactly into the meeting but it was a change of pace to the normal day. But after the slideshow and the questions they droped the bomb. We were going to go out and see the Rhino barn. Thats right backstage visiting the area where the White Rhinos were taken care of. Very cool stuff. But that wasn't it as the tour was wrapping up our keeper showed us Sammy the rhino, a 35 year old male rhino who was hungry for a treat. Not only did I get to see this amazing animal up close but was able to pet him and pat him down. I couldn't believe it. As a education and history major this was not exactly something I was ever expecting post college, but it was an incredible experience that I will never forget.