IAmA janitor at the Jacksonville Zoo. I am responsible for cleaning behind the scenes with keepers, and the administration. AMA

Man, I heckin' love the Jax Zoo. Anyway, what is the craziest thing you've seen while working at the zoo?

I would have to say the day green mamba escaped from his exhibit. A GREEN MAMBA. He ended up in a tree outside, while giving everyone a heart attack.

Hahha, wow. How long ago was this?

If I'm correct it was a couple of years ago. From what my boss told me

While awaiting proof: Have you ever been able to pet or love on any of the animals?? If so how was it?

The only animals that we can really get close with are the goats, chinchillas, macaws, rabbits, short tailed opossums, and a variety of other smaller animals.

I definitely love being around the goats, they are very goofy, and loving.

Have you ever noticed the huge package on an animal and just felt shame?

If you ever saw a tapir's penis in person, you'd be disappointed. I mean we all know that elephants are hung. So that didn't surprise me.

Here you go

Warning: massive tapir penis

Yes. Yes, imagine that spraying the glass in front of you.

How does it feel to be part of the city with the worst team in the NFL?

Being born and raised in Jacksonville, I can proudly say that the Jaguars have a horrible team and horrible management. Luckily I'm not a fan of the NFL. So I don't have to deal with the disappointment from them.

On another note, do you have Jaguars in Jacksonville? If so, how are they?

We do! We have five jaguars, Zenta, Zassi, Onca are the females. Khan(about three months old) and Tuco are the males.

We recently had two of them pass away, one from unknown causes and the other from old age.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/435299/Adorable-jaguar-cub-makes-his-official-debut

Those are some pictures of the cub! Isn't he adorable?

We joke when the game is due to come on "spoiler alert. Jax loses" yea...not a fan.

Yeah, my parents were born and raised in S. Fla so they are Miami fans. So I grew up loving the Dolphins, but now can never find the time to watch the NFL.

Which shit smells the worst, also are there worse smells than shit?

Definitely elephant shit, without a doubt. We have a complete compost facility right near our storage building which smells horrible in the morning, especially with the heat.

Believe it or not, gorillas have very bad body order. The kind that you can smell even when they are up for the night.

I love the Jax Zoo! I have a membership here so I go quite often. It is always so clean so thank you! :) Are you excited for the new Tiger exhibit? What do you know about it? I haven't heard that much.

Thank you for supporting us!

As far as the tigers, I know the exhibit is coming along as planned. Buttttt there are some other exciting stuff that I will PM you :)

I was just there last weekend! I fed a giraffe for two dollars!

I get to feed them whenever I stop by up there! When I finish my work I like to go stand up there and just watch them walk around or try and eat the branches off of the palm trees!

What made you decide to work in a zoo?

What has been the most surprising aspect of working in the zoo? Something that you totally didn't expect when you started.

Nothing in particular made me want to work in a zoo, other than it seeming like a fun environment.

The most surprising thing for me was the blatant disrespect from fellow employees. Simply because I am the janitor they feel it is okay to trash common areas that I am in charge of cleaning, and no one has any respect for anything unless it is their own.

Aw that's got to be really annoying. Sorry to hear that :( You know, I originally wanted to ask if the zoo was clique-y. Some reason I just had in my head the cafeteria scene in Mean Girls applied to zoo departments. Guess I sort of got my answer there.

It is very much cliquey. The keepers typically stick together, I've even seen them go as far as to only sitting with people from their own areas(mammals, herpetology, birds.) Then horticulture stays to them self for the most part, education people stick together, and then facilities(which I'm apart of) stays together.

But since I'm responsible for cleaning all of the areas that everyone visits I talk with everyone, except the keepers. Simply because the keepers are second on the totem pole around here.

Worst human customer interaction story?

Well I have visible tattoos, and I've had a couple dads walk pass me and tell their kids "and this is why you go to school."

But funny enough I am going to school right now to become an elementary school teacher. Plus I'm only 20 years old!!

That's horrible, people can be such assholes. Good luck with school, awesome aspiration!

They very much can!

Thank you so much, I just want to be able to make a difference in someone's life, and what a better time then when they are young?

"and this is why you go to school."

Didn't I see that exact story on /r/AdviceAnimals a couple of days ago?

I think so, this the ignorance that some people have towards people who are working what would be considered a job for the poor.

Hey! Was just at the Jax zoo the other week. Thanks for all the hard work there. It is a smallish zoo, been to zoos all over the world - from southern CA to Australia. Jax is neat. Mention to the admins that they should start a wallaby pet/feed program. Wallabies and roos are in Aussie parks, golf courses, zoos, fauna parks and roam about freely with no problems. It would be a great fund raising attraction for the zoo!

I definitely will tell them! The wallabies are very sweet and love to come up close to the gate.

Yep. They were wonderful when I still lived in Australia. The grey's too. They have the giraffe feeding and the sting ray petting/feeding pool. Wallabies would be brilliant. Great to have another local on here.

I know with the tigers coming next year all of the focus is going towards that, but I will definitely try bringing that up to the head of the animal programs.

Any funny or disgusting animal stories that you could share?

Do you have any moral qualms about being in the zoo business?

I've been told that a few of the maintenance workers have had gorilla feces so hard at them that it packed into their ears.

I've stepped in some peacock feces, and even gotten them on my hand not realizing what it was.

And no, the morality of the zoo business doesn't have any play on my emotions.

What about the penguins? Any stories about them that you could share?

Actually, the penguin keeper told me this a couple of weeks ago.

The penguins shed their fur once a year in a process called molting, where their old feathers come off in patches as the new ones grow underneath. He said that in order for them to survive they must store extra fat, which causes them to become very grumpy, and irritable. It is very funny/weird to see a penguin the has started molting, but also interesting.

http://imgur.com/BcrZGBH That is what a molting penguin looks like!

Thats disgusting. I bet they smell. Any idea what they taste like?

"If it's possible to imagine a piece of beef, odiferous cod fish and a canvas-backed duck roasted together in a pot, with blood and cod-liver oil for sauce, the illustration would be complete"

source

Their night house just smells like fish. Soooo they probably smell like fish.

Favourite animal of your zoo?

My favorite animal was Salsa, our melanistic jaguar. But, unfortunately she passed away two weeks ago. :(

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/rss/article/331371/3/Jacksonville-zoo-Black-jaguar-Salsa-has-died

Darn. What a shame, she looked great. Do they know how she died yet?

I've been talking to the vets and curator and they are still running test.

What is the protocol if an animal was to get out of its cage/area? Also, have you had any scary experiences while working there?

The person who witnesses the animal escaping would radio everyone and let them know we have a code red(faster, bigger, dangerous animals) or a code yellow( small less dangerous animals). We then block off the exits to the zoo in every direction with vehicles.

We have a task force with lethal and non-lethal ways of taking down the animals. Since I have been here only one animal has gotten out, and that was a kudo. He kind of just walked along the back road and was trying to find something to eat.

Scariest thing I have experienced is being here late at night with all the lights off. Right now we have a Halloween event which goes until about 10. So once everyone leaves, we turn the lights out and it gets DARK. we have wild cats and raccoons and opossums that roam the zoo which have startled me.

Also having a rattlesnake by my car was pretty frightening.

kudo

I think you mean Kudu, yes? If no, wtf is a Kudo?

Yes, I did mean Kudu.

Thank you auto-correct and trying to work at the same time.

WHY HAS NO ONE ASKED FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE RATTLESNAKE IN THE CAR?!?!?!?!?!?

Haha, I'm not sure why!!

It wasn't in my car, but it was right next to my drivers side tire. I wouldn't have seen it because I was staying late that night, and there are no lights on that side of the lot. My coworker say it as he was leaving and then called security to come get me because I was pressure washing and couldn't hear anything.

At first I didn't believe them, but then three other people told me about it. So they shooed the snake away and I moved my car under the light by the time clock, that way when I got off I was right there by it.

The snake was about 6 feet long, and was confirmed to be a female. We have found a couple of offspring roaming in the zoo recently. O.O

nopenopenope

haha I think my coworker has video of it, I will have to ask him tomorrow.

I believe I know you based on your proof... Any way, my question is how does your job compare to any previous jobs you've had. Btw. Kudos to you for doing this ama.

Yes, yes you do know who this is.

Working at RaceTrac definitely helped me improve my detail cleaning and attention to detail.

I also did the same kind of work at an apartment complex, as my first job. So I was already aware of what I was getting myself into before I even started.

Word. Haha. I have another question, how's the saxophone playing going? Or was it tuba. I don't remember.

Haha, it was both. Since I'm working all the time I haven't had time for any bands, so I haven't really played since I graduated.

After hours do the animals display any weird/interesting behavior?

Our lions love to start roaring after everyone is out. We also have a pair of siamangs that love to sing to each other.

Kinda like this: http://youtu.be/Q7IuE0tGVzc

So how much more do you know about flora and fauna since working there?

I have learned more about the animals from being in the park and listening to the guides and keepers.

We have an amazing horticulture department, and some pretty cool gardens. I don't know too much about the plants, but I ask anytime I get curious.

What animals according to you behave most strangely or funny?

We have two wolves, a male and female, and the female beats up the male so bad he has to go to out on ground hospital because of his wounds.

Our funniest animals are the squirrel monkeys, kangaroos, and penguins. Just because they are all so goofy.

What do you do when one of animals get wild like this female wolf?

They separate the two, and then after a while slowly reintroduce them back into the same exhibit. The two wolves were separated for about 4 months at one point in order to give them the chance to call down and not hurt each other.

Were there incidents when a animal which got will attacked or tried to attack people?

Not that I know of, our exhibits have certain requirements in order to protect guest and keepers.

Any interesting poop stories?

From humans or animals?

both

Humans: Someone shit on their hand I presume, and smeared it all over the walls and mirrors. Guess who cleaned that one up.

Animals: Our peacocks roam the zoo freely, so their shit ends up everywhere. The gorillas throw shit at people who are walking through their night house. The elephants shit in big piles, that we turn into compost and sell.

Yeeee^aaaahhhh

I used to live in Jacksonville as a kid and the zoo was my favorite place. The exhibits always looked clean and animals happy. What is your opinion of the exhibit habitats? Are the animals well taken care of? I'm always afraid of enjoying a place and then finding out bad things happen behind the scenes.

The animals are definitely well taken care of, and everyone that works with them seems to make sure nothing happens.

I personally believe that the animals shouldn't be kept in such small enclosures. Just imagine if you were let out into the backyard every morning and only to be brought back in at night. You can go no other place, just in and out. That's really the one thing I do not like about zoos.

But other than that I try to strive for perfection when it comes to cleaning. Of course we slack off but we still get everything done.

What's the best time to see the most awake animals?

First thing in the morning when they are put out, so when the zoo opens.

And then in the afternoon before they are put up for the night.

Which animals are your favorites?

My personal favorite was Salsa, the jaguar who passed away about a week ago from unknown causes.

I also really love watching the bonobos, simply because they are so much like humans! Plus, the babies are cute!

See! http://imgur.com/JPgpkUe

Hey, I'm from jacksonville too (Orange Park)! To be honest, I hate the Jacksonville Zoo. The animals always seem depressed or not active.

The animals are not really ever active. The best time to see them active is first thing in the morning, or in the afternoon before closing.

Plus most of these animals are not used to the absurd heat of Florida.

That is the one thing that disappointed me when I used to come out to the zoo as well.

I suppose, what do rhinos do? Are they ever agressive over there?

Not to aggressive. We have a male and female who have this big open field. They share it with an ostrich, and a family of kudus.

They kind of just walk around all day eating hay, alfalfa, and other enrichment foods.

Unless they are sleeping.

Have you ever had any animals activists protesting at the zoo?

No, though the only time I have seen the activist in Jacksonville was at the circus that comes to town.

So, You really know your shit, don't you?

I guess you could say I....

(•_•)

( •_•)>⌐■-■

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Handle shit well.

Hey, i havent been to jax, but hopefully in the future. Do you guus have hippos, if so, what do they do?

We do not have any hippos! But we have rhinos, which are kinda the same? Right?RIGHT?

Hypothetical situation, if all the animals in the zoo broke loose, which animal would be prioritized as first to be found and captured?(I always thought it was the polar bear lol)

With the animals at our zoo, it would probably be the two big cats (jaguars and lions) then cheetahs, elephants, the venomous snakes, giraffes, and then everything else.

A rhino and a ostrich? How does that even work?

Well the rhinos are herbivores so they don't bother the ostrich at all. The ostrich keeps to himself, and likes to stare people down.

How long have you been working at the Zoo? I went there years ago.

I have been working at the zoo 8 months as of the 23rd. It honestly feels as if I have been there for years. Everyone in my department has been at the zoo for extended periods of time, me having the least amount of time, my boss just hit a year, then we have a guy at 5 years, a lady at 9 years, a guy at 10 years, and finally one guy who has been there for 42 YEARS!!

Jax has a great zoo! Don't come watch our football team, go to the zoo!

Anyways what is the most exciting project in the works right now?

Yes, the zoo is awesome!

The most exciting thing hapening at the moment would be Spooktacular, which has 5 more nights this week.

Also, of course, is the tiger exhibit that is currently being built, and the arrival of tigers to the zoo!

The Murray Hill Community Garden appreciates all the "zoo poo" compost! We've heard the zoo won't be offering it anymore once a big new exhibit opens up because they'll need it for all the landscaping. Is that true?

Not that I am aware of. Our horticulture staff is off on the weekends so I can ask them in the morning when they get in.

What do you look forward to the most every day at work?

Definitely the fun and crazy stuff me and my coworkers get into, and our fun conversations.

Are there any animals you have grown to be particularly fond of?

When I was stationed inside the zoo I found myself always going to the Bonobo overlook and watching the babies running around.

Have you ever seen one of the zoo-keepers treat an animal in a certain way that made you angry?

No, I haven't. Nothing that would make me angry, but may be upsetting to others.