Volunteer
Information
St.
Augustine Wild Reserve
Updated July 25, 2007
Always
keep the main compound gate closed. If an animal should escape, the
perimeter gate ensures that our animals will not make their way out to
the road. Additionally, no dogs are allowed in the compound.
Do NOT put your hands into the animal cages. The animals may act
friendly, but they are not familiar with you; once you enter their
territory by putting your hands into the cages, you run the risk of
possible injury. This is not a petting zoo. Once you have been a
volunteer for several months, I will allow you to handle some of the
animals, with my permission, providing you are over 18 years of age.
Individuals under the age of 18 are not permitted to pet the adult
exotic animals. Never place your fingers in their mouths. This should be
common sense, but I see people doing this frequently. It would take
about one second for a tiger or cougar to snip off your finger and
swallow it. When visiting with an animal, pet its back or rump only.
Do not tease the animals. If you approach Mufasa the lion or any of the
tigers and they growl at you, please back off. Do not run along the
fence with them, or crouch down and invite an attack. Do not let them
jump up on the fence. Back away if any of the cats jump up onto the
fence. If you allow these animals to jump up on the fence, and if they
are taken from their cages later for walks, they may take their
newly-learned bad habits out their trainer and cause an injury. It is
improper animal handling to allow tigers and other large felids to stand
on their hind legs in the presence of their trainer, inside of the cage
or out, unless you’re in the circus, which we’re not. Not only does
this cause stress on their joints, resulting in possible dysplasia, but
it encourages them to jump on humans. Treat them with respect, and they
will be safe to handle.
Never get near the lemur cages. All lemurs will bite. Additionally, the
transmission of tetanus, influenza and tuberculosis is great between
humans and lemurs, since they are primates, too. Never pet Julien,
Rafiki or Pandora (the lemurs), even though he may act friendly. Please
do not ever feed the lemurs! I have found ferns and other plants in
their cages that were not placed there by me. There are many toxic
plants in Florida. No one is to feed the lemurs except the owner of the
compound.
Animal behavior. Observe the animals daily. Watch for signs of lethargy.
If a normally-active animal suddenly looks distressed, tell me
immediately. Don't be afraid to tell me if you think an animal looks
injured or ill. Especially watch for worms in the stool. You may see
spaghetti-like worms (called ascarids, or round worms) in the stool. Or,
you may notice a rice-like worm on the anus of an animal. This is a
proglottid, or segment, of a tapeworm and is filled with tapeworm eggs.
Tell me immediately. Animals are routinely wormed for hookworms and
round worms, but I only worm for tapeworms once a year. So please inform
me if you see such parasites. Also, blood in the stool can be a sign of
parasites, as is diarrhea. Again, notify me immediately.
If any of the animals appear thinner than normal, please notify me
immediately and I will increase their food portions. We do not withhold
food from our animals. They are fed very well and are not allowed to ever
go hungry or lose weight. A well-fed, well-muscled animal will recover
quickly, should an illness arise.
When removing food bowls left from the night before, inform me if the
bowl is licked clean. This usually means that the animal is not getting
enough to eat. There should always be some food left over. Any leftover
food should be tossed onto the debris pile behind the lemurs.
CHECKING THE ENCLOSURES:
This vitally-important task must be done daily to ensure the
security of the fences. It is also an ideal opportunity to observe all
of the animals and learn to recognize each one and their idiosyncrasies.
Ensure that the fencing is not torn, has not come loose from the posts,
does not show any signs of metal fatigue, rust, teeth marks or possible
tugging by the animals. Check to make sure the locks on the cages are
secure. Watch for any bolts or loose chain link which may be sticking
into the cage; this could injure the animals.
Try to vary your routine. Do the rounds at different times each day and
don't always go around in the same direction, since the light and angle
by which you see the fence can effect what is visible. Check all of the
enclosures thoroughly. When feeding the animals with guillotines, look
at least twice to make sure that the guillotine is DOWN before you feed
the animal. Many zookeepers have been killed by ignoring this important
rule. Additionally, do not forget to raise the guillotine after feeding
so that the animal can eat. I have noticed on several occasions that
individuals have left Jade in her lockout all night without food.
Check all water containers. The buckets, which are clipped onto the
sides, must always be filled. The bigger buckets or troughs in the pens
should be changed daily, if dirty. Do not simply fill up these buckets;
the wolves especially jump into them and get them muddy. Be sure to turn
off spigots when you're done watering and keep the hoses away
from the cages so the animals can’t get to them. When filling the
large tiger tubs, stay at the cage until the large tub is 3/4 full. Do
NOT leave the area and allow the tub to overflow, which floods the
cage and wastes water. When algae grows in the water receptacles, scrub
it out with steel wool or other available scrubbers. Always check water
level. If the water isn't clear, change it. If it has algae growing in
it, scrub it out. If it's not full, fill it. NEVER insert the hose into
the cage, because the animals will grab it, chew it up, and possibly
break the riser and spigot, or ingest the hosing and suffer internal
injury.
Some of the animal cages can be cleaned safely by novices (servals,
bobcat, foxes). There are several cages equipped with guillotine lock
out systems, whereby the keeper can safely shift the animal into a
secure area, while the main cage area is cleaned. This will prevent any
contact with the animal. Follow previous rules when shifting animals
from one side of their cage to the next. Always watch the guillotine and
make sure it’s down before entering a cage.
Check the commissary after food preparation. Use soap/bleach on tables
and cutting boards for sterilization. Any food that is left out to thaw
must be securely covered to prevent fly contamination. All bowls must be
thoroughly washed with soapy water, inside and out. Rinse well, since I
have soft water, which makes it more difficult to wash off the soap.
Soap residue can cause gastric upset in many of the more sensitive
animals.
Please keep the feeding area clean at all times. If you see bowls filled
with soapy water, please wash them and place them on the drying racks.
Check all freezers and refrigerators. If there is blood on the doors or
inside of the appliances, clean them. Keep the commissary swept clean
and the door closed.
There is a portable restroom just outside of the main compound gate,
complete with a sink. You may also wash your hands by the commissary in
the portable wash tub.
ADDITIONAL RULES AT THE SANCTUARY:
I want all of you to know how much I appreciate the help and hard
work that all volunteers provide to the sanctuary; I simply could not
have such a neat and clean operation without this assistance. However,
there are a few requests I would like to make of all of future
volunteers.
1. Clean up any mess you make. Toss all trash
into trash cans located just outside my front gate. On Saturdays, the
trash cans and flattened boxes must be taken to the street so that the
trash men can pick it up on Monday morning. Make sure the cans never
weigh over 40 pounds, or the trash men won’t pick them up. If you see
any paper, cans, etc. lying around, please pick them up and keep the
compound neat and clean.
2.
The St. Augustine Wild Reserve is a private animal compound. Please do
not bring pets, family or friends when you come to do work, unless
you've cleared this request with me, and only if these visitors plan to
work when they arrive. I will not allow guests to simply wander about
the compound and take photographs. If they wish to do this, they can
sign up for a tour and pay the $20 fee. Everyone visiting for the
first time must sign a volunteer waiver before going near any animal
cages. Guests especially are NOT allowed to touch any of the
animals. If I see this occurring, it will be grounds for dismissal of
both the guests and the volunteer. I must abide by all state and federal
regulations, or my licensing will be in jeopardy. Again, this is not a
petting zoo. No children should be allowed to volunteer, for liability
reasons. Individuals must be over 16 years of age to volunteer.
3.
CELL
PHONE: Please leave your cell phones turned OFF when inside of the
compound. Not only is the ringing and talking on the phone a
distraction, it is annoying to guests on tours. Using the cell phone, or
waiting for a call, can result in accidents, such as opening a cage door
before the guillotine has dropped.
Additionally, it should go without saying that alcohol and drug usage at
the Sanctuary will not be tolerated. If you want to drink alcohol, then
stay outside of the main gate leading into the animal compound. You will
not be permitted inside the animal compound after drinking. Drugs are
not tolerated on this property at any time.
Please help the St. Augustine Wild Reserve remain the only
professional exotic animal sanctuary in North Florida. Your help
is appreciated!
