Christmas Morning at the Zoo

"Twas the morning of Christmas and all through the zoo,

The keepers were bustling with too much to do."

That's as far as I've gotten, so far.  I've been a bit too busy for writing poetry.  In fact, the morning of December 25th every year becomes a frantic effort to see how quickly I can fulfill my morning animal care and get on with the holiday, while at the same time not neglecting or shirking any animal's needs or comforts.  It's a time for being extra careful and cautious, as no one wants their quick Christmas run in to be confounded with, say, an animal escape that takes three hours to recapture, or some similar misfortune.

To that end, I usually spend the evening of December 24th every year doing the Bob Cratchett routine - make sure all the pools are clean, all of the feed bins topped off, extra enrichment provided, and all in all doing such a thorough job that there will (theoretically) be that much less work to do on the day itself.  Does it always work out?  No - with the end result that I'll have put in a marathon day on the 24th, followed by a crazy sprint on the 25th.  As long as the animals are all cared for and I get out the door at a reasonable time on Christmas, I suppose it's all fine.

Merry Christmas, especially to those who worked for their animals today!