Day Ten

Today was a different day, slightly. I was with the small compound again (oh boy, do I love these precious animals!). I was the only intern working with the small compound lead, Thomas. He was actually an intern in the fall last year, then continued as a volunteer. Now he is very experienced with the smaller animals and volunteers as a small compound lead.

On the day of my work interview, I was assigned to Carolyn, but worked was with Thomas for the majority that day. He is a really nice person and knows how to interact with me and the animals. We were in the area with the binturongs, genets, kinkajous, and lemurs (among others) and I enjoyed the level of trust that he had in me. He would unlock the enclosures of the animals I was allowed to be in with (the genets and kinkajous) then go off to clean his own enclosures. When I finished I would head back to where we left the food cart, and Tom would meet me there to unlock something else or shift the animals so I could enter.

I was just thinking about the fact that not many visitors get to see the genets and kinkajous, since they are both nocturnal species. Let me begin by stating how ridiculously adorable they are.

Genets, while considered feliforms (related to cats), are closely related to the mongoose. The majority of genets have spotted bodies, long banded tails, and small heads with large ears. Similar to cats, if they can fit their head through an opening, their body will fit as well. They are very agile creatures and great climbers. They are the only viverrids (their "family" - it is a taxonomic rank to determine how species are related) to be able to stand on two legs. When I researched the viverrid family, I discovered that they are also related to the binturong (of which we have several).

At the Center, we have three genets: Frick, Frack, and Little Guy. When we enter their enclosures to clean, we are also expected to check on the genets to make sure that they are okay. We have to be able to see their bodies to see if there are any wounds, bumps, or bites. This is probably my favorite part of cleaning both the genets' and kinkajous' habitats, seeing their bleary tired little eyes gazing back at me with contempt.

Frack Genet
Photo courtesy of Jesse Anderson

Frack Genet
Photo courtesy of Jesse Anderson

Kinkajous are native to the rainforest and are closely related to the raccoon, ringtail cat, and coatis. They have large eyes and small ears. Their legs feature five-toed paws with claws. Their coat is woolly with a undercoat.

We have three kinkajous at the Center: Abigail, Aleco, and Raul. All three are nocturnal and are rarely seen during the day. Similar to the genets, we are required to check on the kinkajous. They like to burrow in their blankets, so we need to encourage them to get up so we can move the blankets and inspect their bodies. I always got the impression that the kinkajous were secretly plotting their revenge every time I urged one to move.

Aleco Kinkajou
Photo courtesy of Abbie Cooke

Both genets and kinkajous are carnivores, which means that they eat meat. However, our critters also enjoy fruits and vegetables. Their bowls usually look like fancy little salads (give me a minute as I add "sous chef for genets, binturongs, kinkajous and lemurs" to my resume). When I prep their diets in the morning, I usually add more fruits and vegetables but I still add a couple slices of chicken to the bowls.

If you're curious and want to see them out and about, please consider signing up for a Twilight Tour! Children need to be twelve and up, but many of our animals are more active in the evenings and nights, especially in the summers when it is exponentially cooler at twilight.