FFA

For further reference, FFA stands for The Fund For Animals Wildlife Center in Ramona! It's where I spend a lot of my time on Mondays. And seeing as today was Monday, that is where I was!

My day started off helping clean the bobcat enclosures, we have one large one in the front, where the most people-unfriendly bobs live, and then five smaller runs with two or three in each farther back on the property.

The bob in the tree above is Harley, he doesn't bother anyone, yet he definitely doesn't trust me either! While I walk around his enclosure to clean his water and collect his food buckets he keeps a very close eye on me, shifting his position in the tree as I circle around him. This is where I find him almost every time which then creates confusion for me the days he is switching it up! :)

This is Hannah the Hippo! She is a pigmy hippo that was rescued from someones backyard. She is a total sweetheart. Today I went to visit her with one of the other volunteers and we gave her hay cubes (a special treat!) As you can see from the photos, she will open her mouth wide in hopes of receiving them! We gave her a few but then she followed us all the way around her enclosure looking for more! :)

Once I stopped spoiling Hannah I decided to go visit the med-center. This is a hawk we're babysitting for another facility while the owner is out of town! He kept me company while I cleaned the crates that had recently been in use! (He's in the crate to the right!) 

We also have several peacocks that roam the property, here was one showing me his best side as I walked by to clean some dishes I had collected from enclosures!

The two pictures above are of Girlfriend. She heard me coming to the enclosure today since I had the crumpled up paper as an enrichment toy! She patiently waited at the gate until I opened up to give it to her, she immediately began tearing at it!

After watching her a bit, Pepper Belly decided she wanted to join in!

This is Kruger, he's one of our biggest bobs, but also one of the silliest and friendliest! Although be warned, he will mark his territory if you are a new comer (believe me, I know!) 

Although I was too busy playing with him than to get a picture, I also played with Achmed today, Kruger's housemate! Achmed LOVES water, so I often take the hose and spray it watching him run around! :) One of my fellow volunteers was video taping it though, so I will try to get that and post it in a few days!

I saw Chewy for the first time in his new enclosure today! We recently moved him and he had been doing an impressive job of hiding out lately, but he decided to come say hi today! :)

While walking back to the front of the property I was cut off by another one of our peacocks:)

While we have a large colony of feral cats at the center, I don't spend much time with them since I am listed under "Wildlife Volunteer." However, today they needed a project done in the cat enclosure that only a tiny person could fit into! I was happy to help, since I love when my height is a helping rather than hindering factor! I do enjoy seeing all the cats as well. :)

I had to climb on the roof of their shelters and use hooks to chain a fence along the top so that they can't get up on them for a few weeks. It is their favorite place to go so I did feel bad, but we have to start their yearly physical exams and it's very hard to get them down once they are up there!

As you can see, since they all ran from the roof I was on and onto the one in the adjoining run! 

My day was full of excitement and variation, as it usually is and I can't wait to get back up there next week!