Trunkline Magazine (Louisville Zoo) June 2018 - Page 23

having all kinds of fun. They love Titan very much.” Though his condition is rare and requires vigilant care, Titan, mean- while, continues being a superstar without realizing how special he is. He goes on morning newscasts, runs, jumps, and greets his fans in Boma. He occasionally gets a treat of sugarless gelatin. He has no idea anything is wrong—which is exactly what his keepers intend. Titan’s specialized care is just another day for the dedicated keeper and veterinary staff at the Zoo, charged with looking after almost 1,200 ani- mals — from annual checkups for gorillas, cortisol tracking for bears, teeth cleaning for tigers, all the way to insulin injections for a goat. “We treat Titan, a domestic goat, with the same high quality of care that we do with any of the Zoo’s threat- ened and endangered species,” said Dr. Gyimesi. Wild, domestic, big or small, the Louisville Zoo protects them all. Be sure to stop by Boma on your next visit to see this special animal ambassador and the other friendly goats at the Louisville Zoo. BOMA VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT V so much that her new goal is to olunteers are the heart eventually become a zoo keeper. of your Louisville Zoo. As the season kicks into high Once she completes high school, she plans to pursue animal stud- gear, our volunteers step ies in college, hoping her major up and offer their time, energy and and experience volunteering at the care to more than 850,000 guests and over 1,200 animals that call the Zoo will prepare her for a possible career as a zoo keeper. When asked Louisville Zoo home. Learn more which animal she would like to care about one of our wonderful young for in the future, she mentioned the volunteers, Heather Davis. Zoo’s big African cats. Meanwhile, Heather is a 16-year-old Central High School student who will be she enjoys looking after the Zoo’s goats, especially goat Neville — a spending her fourth summer distinctive fellow with a introducing guests to cute goatish underbite the friendly residents “I come back and a tendency to of our Boma African to Boma every drool. Heather shared, Petting Zoo. year because I feel “I come back to Boma With three cats like I have more every year because I and a dog at home feel like I have more and a volunteer posi- to learn.” to learn,” She also really tion at the Zoo, Heather enjoys her co-workers. “Ev- is obviously a big animal eryone makes me feel appreciated lover. She wanted to be a veterinar- and thanks me for my help. I feel ian from a young age. In fact, she is in the veterinary magnet program like the work I do is important and makes a difference for the animals at Central High School now. and for our community.” After Heather became a Zoo Be sure to stop by the Boma volunteer at age 13, she loved it Volunteer Heather Davis African Petting Zoo and say hello to Heather! There are 245 teens volunteering at the Zoo each year. Volunteering is an important part of building community-mindedness and instilling responsibility in grow- ing young adults. This year’s teen application period has ended but those interested for 2019 can apply January through March 1. Visit LouisvilleZoo.org/volunteer for more information about our volunteer opportunities for teens and adults or contact Diane Taylor at [email protected] Did You Know When we began construction for Boma Petting Zoo, we really wanted to bring to life the culture and surroundings of a Maasai boma in Kenya. A traditional boma includes several daub and wattle dwell- ings encircled by a fence of thorny bushes. During the day, the Maasai people of bring their livestock outside of the fence to graze. At night, they bring them back inside to keep them safe. This was the inspiration for our exhibit. The thatched roofs on our Boma area and the African Outpost were created by South African artisans who worked several months with us to create the thatching. Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Summer 2018 • 23