Jeff the Zoo Guy’s Blog

After a long and crazy 5 month process, my family and I are now settled in Montana.  Thank you to everyone who helped us through  the journey.  I must say, Montana is incredible.  Wide open spaces, insane wildlife and sheer beauty are a few ways I can describe it.  So far, things here have been great.  The house we moved into is situated on 20 acres.  It backs up to a river, so you can imagine the animals we see.  In the last two weeks we have seen herds of deer, fox, Eagles and even a moose, all in our front yard.  It really is a dream come true.  I can’t wait until we see a bear! 

As for the job, so far so good.  I officially take over as Director at the first of the year.  At this point, I am busy getting to know the animals and planning for our big move.  The Nature center I lead recently bought new land to move to.  A huge portion of my job will be to raise the funds needed to make the transition to the new land.  So I have been spending a lot of time drawing up plans of how I want the center to be laid out.  It is really exciting.  It is all in my court.  Intimidating, but darn exciting.  I am also excited to start a real training plan for the animals.  It is something they have never had, and I assure you, training is very enriching for animals.  The students include a bobcat, wolf, several birds of prey and a magpie once owned by Ted Turner.  Once I get going at work, I will restart my television adventures.  I miss that so bad!  I have contacted the stations in Billings and two of them are interested in doing a segment, so that’s great!

I did have one bad thing happen.  I got to experience icy roads to the fullest!  A guy in front of me went to turn, and as I slowed down, I hit a patch of ice.  I had the choice to hit the guy’s car, or veer into a ditch of snow.  I chose the ditch.  A $75 tow and screwed up alignment later, my car is back home.  Welcome to Montana!!  Keep an eye in the Nature center’s website, www.beartoothnaturecenter.org.  I hope to have control of it soon and make it much more entertaining!  See you all soon!

Jeff the Zoo Guy 

Boy, has it been a huge two months here in Tampa.  My family and I have made a huge decision and decided to take an adventure out west.  So we are selling the house, packing up and heading out.  As hard as it was to say goodbye, I resigned from Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo.  I accepted a postion however, at a great Nature Center in the quaint mountain town of Red Lodge Montana.  The center is called the Beartooth Nature Center and houses native Montana Wildlife that can no longer survive out in the wild.  I am excited to say I have accepted the Executive Director position here, and can’t wait to get started.  We are looking to build a new facility on some new land we own, so this position will help to spearhead that task.  If you have never heard of this place, look it up!  It’s so cool, and we need all the help that we can get!  Check out Beartoothnaturecenter.org.  The website needs some updating, but for now, it will show you what we are all about.

So until December, before we officially move, I am commuting back and forth between Red Lodge and Tampa, so busy times are ahead.   The people in town here and everyone affiliated with the center are incredible and very welcoming.  A great place to call home.  Speaking of home, things back in Tampa have been tough the past week.  It started on the weekend when I had to say bye to the zoo, the animals, and the staff.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do.  The people I work with there mean the world to me.  I will miss them dearly, more than they will know.   In particular, my partner in crime for the psat 8 years, Melinda.  I don’t think I will ever find a work partner like her again.  Melinda, you will be missed.  And the animals, oh the animals.  The emotions there are unexplainable.  Later in the week, I had a horrible reaction to the flu shot, got side swiped by a school bus and had to rush my baby to the doctor because he was horribly sick.  Then I had to say bye to my love as I headed to Montana, leaving her with the sick baby.  This all climaxed with the scariest, bumpiest plane ride I have ever been on.  AHH!  Too much!  December cannot come fast enough.  So I am now in Montana, starting the job, and so far things are looking great.  So keep checking back for more updates to this on going adventure…….or maybe I should say drama!

I just returned from a great visit up north to see my wife and I’s parents.  It was the first time my son went up to grandma and grandpa’s house!  It was also the first time he flew!  I must say, I am so lucky that I have such a great baby.  He did so good on the trip.  It was great to see how excited everyone was to see him.  He loved the attention too.  Hard to believe he is now 4 months old!  He ate his first cereal yesterday and rolled over for the first time too!  He’s growing so fast.  He made his first tv debut.  I took him on our local CBS station to talk about the human animal.   A fun spin on my weekly segment.  Being an animal trainer is beneficial when raising a kid.   Patience, routines and consistancy are all things kids love.  So far so good!

On the zoo front, things have been crazy.  My Animal Ambassador Department has always been a part of the Education Department, but that all changed last week when we transferred to the animal department.  I think it will be a good move and allow us to grow.  We want to help the zoo become an important part of the City of Tampa.  With the proper resources, I think our department can make that happen.  We continue to bring in some great animals.  We just got an awesome two toed sloth.  We named her Agnus and she is a 3 year old female.  What an incredible animal.  I can’t wait to take her to schools to let kids see something they may never see again.  Seeing a sloth in person is pretty remarkable, especially at close proximity.  I also got a rock Hyrax.  It is a small rodent looking animal that is related to the manatee and elephant.  She’s pretty cute, but mean as all be!  She bee lines for your hand when she sees you and sinks her teeth firmly in your skin!  Ouch!  My Bald Eagle I’ve been training is doing great.  We took her off grounds for the first time the other day.  She was nervous, but I was pleased with how she did.  If I could just get her over her fear of random objects like wheelchairs, flowing coats and cameras…………Ah Eagles……..

 Jeff

Wow!  It has been so long since I wrote!  It has been a roller coaster the last few months.  First and foremost, I have to say, being a dad is incredible!  I never really thought I was going to have kids, but now that I do, I cannot imagine myself without one!  I find myself getting so excited to come home from work to see my little guy.  He is growing so fast and I must say, he’s a great baby!  He is sleeping great and never really cries.  I’ve heard we are extremely lucky.  Alright!!

On a sad note, we lost our beloved pug Poncho, pictured above.  This guy was one of our favorite dogs and he will be missed.  He was rescued from Pug Rescue of Florida several years ago.  My wife Sarah and I love adopting the older pugs that are often looked over.  We like to give them a nice home to retire at.  We get them knowing that their life may be limited, but it’s worth it to us.  Poncho lived a great life with us.  He traveled with us, welcomed the baby and always greeted us with a great howl.  Things seem much quieter now that he is gone

On the zoo front, we are just rying to get through the summer.  The outreach program has exploded, so we have been off grounds everyday doing school programs.  We just brought in a beautiful new two toed sloth.  She is a large female and I can’t wait to start working with her.  We also brought in a Rock Hyrax, which is a small rodent like animal that is related to the manatee.  Wierd, I know!  On top of that, we adopted a crow who lost a wing in an accident.  He should be fun to train since they are so smart.  My young Bald Eagle is doing unbelievable.  She is flying nice 100 foot flights and is in the beginning stages of crate training.  I am so impressed with how well she is doing.  There is nothing cooler than seeing her fly.  Quite impressive.  See you soon!

Jeff

Phew!  It has been so long since I have written, but being busy is an understatement!  First off, I took an incredible trip to Amsterdam.  I went there to attend a bird training conference for the zoo.  The conference was great.   I met so many new people from Europe and learned some amazing new training techniques.  Over there, they have fewer rules in regards to the birds they can utilize for education, so I was able to see some amazing species.  The conference was hosted by a bird park called Avifauna.  They had an incredible collection of birds from humming birds to Stellar Sea Eagles, (pictured above).  The hotel was situated right in the park, so it was incredible waking up to the sounds of crowned cranes and Nicobar pigeons.  Throughout the week on our free time we ventured out to the city.  I must say, Amsterdam is an incredible place.  Not much is banned there, and it lives up to its reputation!  I loved the history too.  I did go to the Ann Frank house which was very sobering, but a great experience.  The week ended with a 2 day 4 zoo tour throughout the Netherlands and Germany.  I was blown away by the zoos we saw.  The most memorable was the Koln Zoo in Germany.  They had the most unbelievable elephant nighthouse I have ever seen.  It was large enough to house 30 elephants if needed.  When you walked into it, it was like a palace. A lake, waterfall, wooden ceilings, it was unreal. Quite an experience!

My other great adventure is the arrival of my son!  Holy cow, what a moment.  He was 7lbs 14 oz and 22 inches long.  He has the feet of 4 month old!  He is absolutley amazing.  My wife had to be rushed in for an emergency c section which was a bit scary.  Everytime she would push, the baby’s heart rate would drop.  Once they got him out, he had a few issues with blood sugar, but quickly made a recovery.  He is doing great now, eating and pooping like a champ!  It is such a thrill having him around.  Not  much sleep, but it’s worth it!!

 Jeff

I often talk about how fortunate I am to do what I do.  That is clear everyday when I go to work and see my incredible animals.  But that point really hits home when I get to go on a manatee release.  At the zoo where I work, one of the great things we do is rehab sick, injured and orphaned manatees.  We get them in, help them recover and then hopefully send them back into the wild.  This past week, we were able to get a young manatee back out.  In 2005, we recieved a fraile, near death manatee that we estimated to be only a few days old.  After several tense days, the baby, dubbed “Muddy Baron”, started to accept a bottle. Two years later, that  tiny baby is up and over 700 pounds.  His great weight gain and sassy behavior won him a pass back out to the wild.  Because he is a”naive” manatee, meaning he has never been in the wild, he was fitted with a radio transmitter so we can track him over the next few years.  I had a film crew there to tape the release for a future show we are working on.  We rented a boat and were able to go out into the bay and see Baron released.  I love seeing manatees swim off after spending several years with us at the zoo.  This manatee program really is a class act!

I went up to Gainsville today to speak at the University of Florida.  I spoke at a public speaking lecture and talked about interpretation with live animals.  My Condor came along.  He’s always a crowd pleaser!  Tomorrow, I’m taking my staff on a team building day.  We are going tree climbing.  It’s a really fun process where they strap you in harnesses and you can pull yourself in and out of the tree.  Should be fun.  It’s a great way to end a hectic week!  I then get to go home and pack for my huge trip to Amsterdam.  I leave Monday.  AHHHHH!

Jeff

Happy love day!  I must say, I’ve never been a huge fan of Valentine’s day.  My wife and I never really do much to celebrate it, but 3 years ago, my love of the day changed.  That is when I co-created a new event for the zoo called Wild at Heart.  It is an awesome event where couples, or singles, come to learn all about love and sex in the animal world.  Along the tour, guests are treated to a progressive dinner.  They get appetizers, salads, dinner, deserts and even an open bar.  These eats are placed along an exclusive path throughout the zoo.  At each stop, my staff and I have animal encounters and tell stories about animal behavior.  I love this night, since I can say just about anything I need to to get the point across.  I can say things I’m not aloud to say the rest of the year!  It’s great!  I talk about size, amounts, styles, etc, etc.  You need to come with an open mind, but I assure you, you won’t be disappointed!

Jeff the love guy

Phew! 

It’s been some month.  Sometimes I think I’m too busy!  Ah, why complain though, it’s fun stuff!  I have some exciting news.  Nighthawk Entertainment, my production company, ( www.nighthawk-ent.com), has been hired to produce a television show!  I will go into further detail when everything is set in stone.  I am thrilled though, since this has been a long time dream and goal of mine.  And yes, the show will revolve around animals and I will be hosting it.  Talk about a dream come true.  I am also so lucky to have a great crew to help make this happen.  Keep posted for more details.  Good stuff.

Things have been hectic at the zoo latley.  My bird of prey building is being renovated.  Excellent, yes, easy, no!  In order for this to happen, I have to take out all of my birds, 20 in total.  So I have to play musical chairs, (birds in this case), to find places to put my birds during construction.  Tough thing is though, birds of prey hate change.  Any change they encounter has dire consequences for my training.  So sure enough, I have had fly offs all week! Don’t worry though, all the birds have come back.  On the positive side, my building looks fantastic.  It was in need of some upgrades!  I also have been eagerly awaiting the completion of a new enclosure for my New Guinea Singing Dog.  And finally, it’s done!  The dog, Buca, loves it.  I am also getting another singing dog, so Buca can have a buddy.  My Bald Eagle is beating her foot infection, so I am slowly getting her back on a training program.  And the best news of the week?  After an extensive  exercise plan and diet, my 900 pound pig, lost 100 pounds!!  Quite a milestone!  Congrats Arnold!

On the family front, the baby is coming along very wel.  All looks great.  My  wife looks stunning as ever.  Getting a little sore, but overall, doing well.  We had a great surprise this week when her students and their parents threw her a surprise shower.  They cleared our registry!  Unreal.  We now have everything we need for the baby.  We feel so fortunate to have such a great circle of friends and family.  We are truly a lucky couple.

See you soon!

Jeff

I came to work the other day to find I had some new babies.  Naked Mole Rats!!  I have a colony of 14 and after Sunday, that colony turned into 33.  Yes that’s right, the mother had 19 babies!  That’s a record for our zoo.  Mole rats are so cool since they live the social lives of bees.  They have a queen, soliders and workers.  When the babies were born, the workers immediately took them and cleaned them.  It was so amazing to see them all work together.  Be sure to check out my video of them under jeff the zoo guy on You Tube.

We made it back from our trip up north safe and sound.   We were able to see so much snow!!  I miss it, but I don’t miss those cold temperatures.  The morning we left it was a frigid 5 degrees.  Brrrr.  It’s official, I am heading to Amsterdam in March for a bird training conference.  It’s an annual conference and this is the first year it is outside of North America.  I’m so excited to go check out Holland.  We are scheduled to tour six european zoo and we are going to go to an international raptor breeding center.  It should be an amazing experience.  This conference is a great place to meet contacts and learn new training, presentation and animal husbandry technniques.  I aways come back from this conference pumped up!!  Until next time…..

Jeff

Happy New Year everyone!  I am writing from the cold state of Michigan.  I am on a nice Christmas vacation with my dog and wife to see family up north.  We spent half of it in Cleveland and the other half in Essexville Michigan.  It has been a great trip!   In Cleveland, we had a great Christmas with my family.  It’s the first time in a long time we were all together.  We received a lot of great stuff, especially for the baby.  Later in the week, we all went to the house where the movie Christmas Story was filmed.  For those of you who know the movie, you know how cool it would be to see the house in person.  It was awesome!  The picture above is my wife and I posing in front of that infamous leg lamp, with the gleam of electric sex.  After that we spent some time in downtown Cleveland, had some lunch with my brother and sister in law and then said our goodbyes

 Our next stop was Michigan to see Sarah’s parents.  On the drive up, we encountered one of those great northern snowstorms and ended up with 4 inches.  It was fun for us to see the snow though, so we weren’t too upset.  The next day we had our baby shower.  We had a great turnout.  That is going to be one spoiled baby!  A great party followed and now we are all having some relaxing downtime.  We did go to the bay and see some Bald Eagles today, always a bonus in my book!  We are planning on heading back to Florida on Wed.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate giving us a nice drive home!  See you then and be safe tonight!!

Zoo Guy