It’s with great sadness that I start adding to the blog
again. I was recently inspired to write and had a whole different story
started. That will have to come later.
It’s any zookeeper’s (or barn or stable hand’s) worst
nightmare. An electrical fire started in
a light fixture and spread through the ceiling of the primate barn at a nearby
zoo. Twenty-eight animals died of smoke
inhalation. The whole thing strikes so
many different nerves in me. As a zookeeper
I feel the pain, as someone that worked in that very barn with some of those
same animals (even if it was 20+ years ago) I feel a lot of the pain and also
as someone with an organization with a separate building full of animals I feel
the pain. But there is one particular
animal that has caused the greatest upset for me.
I was at work when one of my coworkers asked if I heard
about the fire. I immediately went to get my phone to find about 6 messages. I
opened the article and somewhere in the very first paragraph it stated that
among the animals deceased were the chimps. I cried out “Oh, god, Rosie!” I started shaking and crying so badly that I
couldn’t see the rest to read it. Her
name was not listed specifically but I knew instantly. I immediately felt like
part of me had just died. It’s a very
weird feeling that I could not begin to explain to anyone. Perhaps it’s as
basic as the fact that she really did have part of me in her, after all she did
swallow the finger.
There was also an unspoken bond between Rosie and me. Nothing
like the flirting she did with the guys.
She would watch me. I often would wonder what she was thinking when she
did. Nigel and I were there to help a
bird last year and walked around some.
Nigel pointed out that a chimp had been watching me very intently for
some time. I turned and of course it was her with her eyes locked on my every
move. It was a very cool and creepy experience at the same time but that’s how
she was with me. Not only would I never
forget but apparently she hadn't either.
I have had to force myself to stay off Facebook. Many comments are so hateful and that adds to
my emotional overload. I know that this
particular zoo is not perfect (but nothing is) and some decisions had been made
in the past that I would not do, but one thing I can tell you is that there are
a lot of good people there working hard and doing the best they can with the
limited resources they have. No one deserves
something like this and I would gladly do anything I can to help. What’s best for the animals is and has always
been my motivation. Why sit behind your computers and complain? People should
get off their arses and do something to make things better.
They had a memorial this afternoon. The names of each of the animals were called
out as flowers were placed along the grave.
I caught myself off guard; when Rosie’s name was called out I started
crying all over again. I loved to hate
that girl and hated to love her. RIP
Rosie and all of your friends.