Hi everyone! The last few weeks have been very busy! My responsibilities at the Zoo have increased since I've been there for several weekends now. Also, I have found new fun activities to do in Pittsburgh when I visit for the internship. First, one of the largest responsibilities of the internship is being involved in the Conservation Education department's Amphitheater shows. In the past, my role was to handle animals while staff members provided facts about the animals or ran the rest of the show. I then advanced to give animal facts on my own, such as when I talked about the gulf coast box turtle that I mentioned in an earlier blog. Last weekend, however, I was ready to lead my own show! We have a general script to memorize beforehand and follow, but otherwise I was on my own! I did this on Father's Day, so there was a sizeable crowd there to watch the show. I was proud of myself and my speaking ability since I have struggled with public speaking in the past. While the shows are a main part of the internship, animal handling practice and lessons are another part. I had the opportunity to handle turtles, snakes, cockroaches, fire skinks, tenrecs, and an armadillo early on in my internship. More recently, I was taught how to handle a fennec fox, chinchillas, a duck, a tarantula, and even an American kestrel! Some of these animals require multiple training sessions before I am officially allowed to handle them on my own, but I am certainly making progress! Finally, besides interning during the day, I have found new fun things to do in Pittsburgh. My dad and sister visited with me last weekend, and we decided to go to a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game. Since June is Pride Month, they were having a special Pride Night at the game. It was really fun! I had never been to a major league baseball game before, so it was a new experience. Overall, I'm looking forward to what the next few weeks bring!
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Hi everyone! This week during my wild summer, I thought I would outline one of my interning days to show how I intern and have other fun during my time in Pittsburgh. This time, my parents drove down with me since they also had a business meeting and dinner on Saturday night.
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