This is Cashmere; she is a female red panda at Miller Park Zoo, where I worked as an animal care intern. My project was to socialize the pandas and get them comfortable with zookeeper interactions. Zo..
This is Cashmere; she is a female red panda at Miller Park Zoo, where I worked as an animal care intern. My project was to socialize the pandas and get them comfortable with zookeeper interactions. Zoos need the animals to be comfortable and not under stress when keepers clean, feed, or even provide medical care. I worked on socialization by spending time in the exhibit, attempting to hand feed, and even talking to the pandas to get them comfortable with our voices and presence. It was an amazing opportunity and rewarding experience to see the animals relax around me and ultimately take food from me (even stepping on my hand in the process a few times). This photograph shows Cashmere comfortable, close to me, and still as I take her portrait.
