Not a barber but a "nanny", revealing the "magical job" of zoo keepers

Not long ago, a lion with bangs became a hot topic. Many netizens were amused by the lion's new look, changing from a traditional afro to bangs. Some netizens also expressed doubts: "Did the bangs come from the keeper?" The zoo responded: The bangs come from the high humidity in Guangzhou, which makes the hair droop, and the staff generally do not dare to cut the lion's hair casually.

Although the reason for the lion's "hairstyle change" has been found, the discussion about animals and keepers has not stopped. Do keepers give animals a haircut? What is the daily work of animal keepers looking after lions, tigers and other beasts? As the closest humans to animals, what are the warm moments between them and the animals they take care of? As an animal keeper, a job that many people yearn for, what special insights have they gained? Let's take a look at the stories of keepers at Beijing Wildlife Park.

At a glance, the zoo in June is full of trees, green grass, chirping birds, and animals in different exhibition areas guarding their own areas, either lazing around or playing around. The warmth and beauty of summer are everywhere. For tourists, the zoo during the day is familiar to everyone. But as keepers who take care of animals day and night, what exclusive experiences and observations do they have outside the perspective of tourists?

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Wild animal keeper: No contact principle, lions and tigers are not "big cats"

At nine o'clock in the morning, when tourists walked into the Beijing Wildlife Park one after another, the "four brothers and sisters" in the lion, tiger and dog exhibition area were lazily lying on the ground and taking a nap, while the animal keeper Hu Zhenglin had been busy for a long time.

▲In the lion-tiger-dog exhibition area of ​​Beijing Wildlife Park, "Little Dog" is playing with a white lion (Photo by Lü Bingxin)

"Lion, Tiger and Dog" is a unique family combination in Beijing Wildlife Park - consisting of a white lion, two Siberian tigers and a dog. Animal keeper Hu Zhenglin told reporters that the mothers of the white lion and Siberian tiger gave birth for the first time and did not know how to take care of their babies, so they found a "dog mother" who had just given birth to be the "mother" of the lion and tiger cubs. As they grew up, the four little ones gradually became good brothers and sisters. After the "dog mother" left, the "four brothers and sisters" still lived in harmony and love.

"Why do lions and tigers look listless? Are they sick?" a child asked curiously. Hu Zhenglin, a keeper at the lion, tiger and dog exhibition area, said that many tourists asked similar questions during their visit, but in fact, it was because tigers and lions are nocturnal animals. "This characteristic determines that they are like this during the day. Visitors may worry about the health of the animals, but our keepers can tell whether they are in normal condition with just a quick look."

"We have been busy feeding them, cleaning, checking the animal houses and disinfecting the environment early in the morning." Hu Zhenglin added that the job of a keeper is not just what everyone imagines. It is not just about feeding the animals and being a "poop shoveler". The keeper is also responsible for cleaning, observing and recording the animal's condition, nutritional status, deworming, enrichment, etc. Each of these tasks is related to the healthy growth of the animals.

Since taking care of the four siblings of the "lion-tiger-dog" seven years ago, Hu Zhenglin's "feeding log" has piled up thicker and thicker on his desk. "Observe their feeding status, feces, urine, and whether they are wilting, not active, walking on the side, or not socializing, etc. If there are any abnormalities, we will work with veterinarians to treat them together." Hu Zhenglin told reporters that not long ago, the white lion's toe nail grew into the flesh, and now they are working with veterinarians to treat it.

"But usually, the keepers adopt the principle of no contact with wild animals such as lions and tigers, including feeding them through the feeding port." Hu Zhenglin introduced that lions and tigers are not "big cats", and their true face is ferocious and violent. "If you have heard their roars, you will know how shocking and terrifying it is."

In the eyes of many people, raising lions and tigers is a very "cool" thing, but in Hu Zhenglin's opinion, as a qualified wild animal keeper, he needs to be always vigilant and pay attention to every detail. Sometimes, he would repeatedly check whether the door of the animal house is locked, "as if I have obsessive-compulsive disorder, I am afraid it is not locked."

In order to ensure the safety of the keepers, in addition to Hu Zhenglin, there is another keepers jointly responsible for taking care of the "lion-tiger dog". The two supervise each other during work. "No one can do anything alone, and nothing can be sloppy. As long as you improve your self-protection awareness and safety awareness, and then follow the operating procedures, rules and regulations, there will be no problem."

Although one must be extremely careful when interacting with large beasts, the daily interactions have helped Hu Zhenglin develop a tacit understanding with them. "They also have feelings for him. If you call their names, they will come over."

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Super Dad: A two-way relationship with animals that heals people’s hearts

In addition to the "lion, tiger and dog" exhibition area, the Beijing Wildlife Park also has a group of very "out-of-the-box" star animals - a family of chimpanzees.

"My eldest brother Ke Yi and my second brother Ou Kai are now in the rare animal museum. My third sister Rui Li is in the cute kindergarten, and there are also newly born chimpanzees such as Gu De, Taya, Xiao Ba, and Xiao Jiu..." As a fan of these small animals, Zhang Min knows them all. In order to see more of them, Zhang Min often stays in the live broadcast room of Beijing Wildlife Park. "They look very cute, and I feel relieved and healed." In order to express their love and care for them, fans often send them all kinds of small toys.

▲The baby gorilla's crib is full of toys (Photo courtesy of Beijing Wildlife Park)

But in fact, it is not only the cute animals that attract fans' attention, but also the pure and deep feelings between the animals and their keepers. When seeing the keepers taking good care of Ou Kai, Zhang Min said, "That kind of feeling sometimes reminds me of my own parents."

Yang Yong, the animal keeper who took care of Ou Kai, told reporters that Ou Kai was very weak when he was born and could not grow and survive in the natural environment. The only thing waiting for him was natural elimination, so he had to be raised artificially. At that time, the little guy's body temperature was low, and the only way to help him grow and develop was to use the environment to warm him up. Even in the incubator, his growth was very bumpy.

In order to take care of Ou Kai, Yang Yong took meticulous care of him day and night, feeding him every two hours, monitoring his body temperature and heart rate at least three times a day, and also monitoring his weight and bowel movements. "After more than three months of working day and night like this, the little guy is finally as healthy as other little gorillas..." Yang Yong sighed.

When Ou Kai was three years old, he was transferred from the Cute Baby Kindergarten to the Rare Animal Museum. In order to accompany Ou Kai, Yang Yong also moved his workplace to the Rare Animal Museum.

"Ou Kai is very clingy. When he sees me, he hugs my thighs and won't let me go. I hadn't seen Ou Kai for a week because of the epidemic. When we met again, Ou Kai hugged me and was very close to me." The breeder Yang Yong said, "I miss him in my heart, and he also misses me. This kind of relationship is wonderful, and it is also my greatest pleasure as a breeder."

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Mengbao Kindergarten Keeper: Facing the separation and growing up with animals and zoos

There is not only joy in the zoo, but also farewell scenes. The chimpanzees in the Mengbao Kindergarten usually graduate at around three years old, after which they will be sent to the rare animal pavilion.

"I brought up Keyi since she was a child. When she just left Mengbao Kindergarten, I often went to see her. When Keyi saw me, she started to scream and was very excited. And because she missed the life in kindergarten, she didn't like to eat when she first went there." said Jin Zhaohui, the keeper of Mengbao Kindergarten.

▲ Jin Zhaohui, a keeper at Mengbao Kindergarten, is feeding the baby gorilla (Photo by Lü Bingxin)

"Parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run." Because he was worried about affecting Ke Yi's mood, in order to cultivate Ke Yi's adaptability and let her get used to life away from the nursery keepers as soon as possible, Jin Chaohui endured a long time to visit Ke Yi. "Now it's okay. Ke Yi has lived there for nearly two years."

The animals gradually leave the zoo as they grow up, and new lives are born one after another. New cubs are constantly sent to the "Cute Baby Kindergarten" for artificial care. Currently, Jin Chaohui is taking care of chimpanzee babies aged four, five, six, and seven months, as well as two tiger cubs that are more than one month old.

▲The little tiger in Mengbao Kindergarten (Photo courtesy of Beijing Wildlife Park)

"Taking care of small animals is quite similar to taking care of children. Watching them grow up little by little, having their own friends, and growing up healthy and happy, I feel that my hard work has paid off, and it's very gratifying," said Jin Chaohui.

In fact, from the establishment of the London Zoological Society in 1826, which was the place for collecting and displaying animals, to the development of the predecessor of today's London Zoo, modern zoo keepers and zoos have been thinking about how to make animals live happier and more comfortably. Hiroshi Abe, the author of the famous book "The Life and Death of Zoos" and an animal painter, worked as a keeper at Asahiyama Zoo in Japan for 25 years. During his 25 years as a keeper, Asahiyama Zoo went from being on the verge of closure to regaining its vitality. What made it legendary was the joint efforts of the keepers and the zoo - establishing a new model of contact between people and animals, thinking for them from the perspective of animals, and seeking welfare for animals.

"Our park has also been enriching animals, and everything is changing for the better," said Hu Zhenglin, a keeper at the lion, tiger and dog exhibition area. "Enrichment" refers to a series of measures taken to enrich the lives of wild animals, meet their physiological and psychological needs, and encourage them to exhibit more natural behaviors, mainly including environmental enrichment, food enrichment, sensory enrichment, cognitive enrichment, and social enrichment.

"When I first came, many facilities were not yet complete. But now we have built a new water area in the exhibition area because tigers like to swim and play in the water. In the hot summer, we have installed a sprinkler system all around to prevent heatstroke and reduce temperature. In the winter, we lay electric grass for the animals to lie on to keep warm. We also beautify the ground environment and recently built a new wooden path..." said Hu Zhenglin.

▲In the live broadcast room of Beijing Wildlife Park, people often leave messages saying they want to be animal keepers

"Frankly speaking, it is not easy to become a good animal keeper." Faced with ordinary people's curiosity and yearning for the keeper's job, Hu Zhenglin, Yang Yong and Jin Chaohui said that raising animals is actually a very hard job. In addition to having certain professional knowledge, loving animals and having a sense of responsibility are also necessary conditions. Only in this way can one experience the joy of accompanying and growing up with animals.

Written by reporter Lv Bingxin Photo and text editor: Chen Yongjie

New Media Editor/Lv Bingxin

Produced by: Science Central Kitchen

Produced by: Beijing Science and Technology News | Beijing Science and Technology Media