i've been committing most weekends for the zoo docent (latin: to teach ) course held in the singapore zoo for the past 3 months. exams (mcq and short response!!!) are due this sun...need to know everything about rainforests and out of desperation, even dug out my niece's pictorial encyclopedia (for children!) for some good old-fashioned knowledge-chomping. it's been donkey-years since i took my last exam...and the skills are all lost...fancy teaching students how to manage their own stress and now, fumbling on my own...the zoo invested big-time on us
volunteers and i'm thrilled to be able to conduct my own guiding walks and live-specimen handling sessions (mostly giant stick insects and caterpillars (yes, i conquered my phobia for walking prickly marshmellows) for visitors. the archer-fish are for taking too.just ask for free live crickets from the keepers..i'll be manning the mangrove tank soon! i thoroughly enjoy getting behind the scenes to be in close contact with rare and endangered species which would otherwise be out of bounds to all vistors. for example, i learnt that these giant aldabra tortoises do grunt and hiss when pissed and are not to be trifled with...but that what's they hope for. except for one temperamental female (ahem) the ones i fed enjoy having their patted, or their necks scratched when they eat. shocking to know they were almost hunted for extinction by early explorers enroute to africa during early 19th century.
we dabbled in insect preservation last week...csi on a mini scale. thank God i took on a scorpion where there was less goo to extract from its thorax. my mates at the other end had to pull out unlaid eggs from a giant tree nymph which smelled like a cold blend of sour poo, over-riped durian and crushed gecko faeces. the sharp scent of yesteryears punctured the air in the form of unspeakable milky substances that oozed from insertions made on soft swollen abdomens...the smell of entomology was tremendous. everyone wanted to stay away from the hissing cockroaches of madagascar...we learn to breathe on ozone-friendly air fresheners that day.
still, the awesome sight of a mounted rhinocerous bettle in flight made the effort all worthwhile...i didn't fix this, of course. this giant is one of the strongest bugs in the animal kingdom able to lift " up to 80 times its own weight...equivalent to a human carrying 80 cars...." more truths lie ready to be unpacked in the weeks ahead...people, come visit if u happen stroll by on a weekend !
