May 5, 2011
Our new tiger Damai had her quarantine physical this morning. All new animals that come to the Zoo must be quarantined for 30 days. This is to give any “bugs” that the animal may have picked up in its travels a chance to incubate and cause symptoms so that we could treat the illness before it could be spread to the animals that are already here. About halfway through this 30-day period the veterinarians will examine the quarantined animal and assess its health. Everything went very smoothly this morning. So far, so good!
As I am sure you have gathered already, our trip to San Diego to get a new tiger was successful. Karen and I flew out to California courtesy of United Airlines, which supports the National Zoo. We really appreciate it! Karen brought her GPS device so we had no problem finding our hotel and soon we were sampling a local delicacy, the In ’N’ Out burger.
Early next morning we headed over to the San Diego Safari Park to meet Damai for the first time. She was staying at the zoo's vet hospital after her pre-shipment exam and was quite nervous in her strange surroundings. We decided that it would be easier on Damai if we left her alone. She had a big day coming up and we didn’t want to cause her any unnecessary stress.
We spent the rest of that day meeting the keepers and animals at the Safari Park. It was great!! Even though we go to the zoo every day, keepers can’t think of anything they would rather do than visit somebody else’s zoo, meet the keepers there, and talk about animals. And the next day we did it again, only this time at the San Diego Zoo. The Safari Park and the San Diego Zoo are world famous, and rightfully so. Two entirely different animal experiences and I can’t recommend them highly enough.
At last the big day arrived. Karen and I met the folks from the Safari Park at the airport at 4:30 in the morning. Damai had been settled into her transport crate the night before so that she would be comfortable with it and ready to go. Once at the FedEx terminal, Damai’s crate was secured to a large metal pallet using a cargo net and packing straps. She remained quiet and watchful throughout the process. She was then loaded onto the airplane and the pallet was secured. FedEx carries quite a lot of animals and its experience moving everything from chickens to kori bustards, from race horses to tigers, really showed and everything went smoothly and efficiently. In no time we were air born. Karen and I rode in jump seats just a few feet away from Damai and we had smooth air all the way to the FedEx hub in Memphis.
We had to wait for a few hours in Memphis for our flight to Dulles so Damai was gently unloaded and transported to a large sorting warehouse. Either Karen or I remained with her at all times, and she seemed quite relaxed. We gave her some water through a hole in the side of the transport crate into a dish that was built into the crate. The crate had lots of holes for ventilation, but was still solid enough to make Damai feel that she was safe and protected. We kept an eye on her and at one point she was lying all the way on her side and appeared to be sleeping!
When it was time to get on the plane for the second leg of our trip, the FedEx people once again handled everything beautifully. Damai felt that one of the handlers was a little too close to her crate and let him know in no uncertain terms. She had had a pretty long day at this point, so it was certainly understandable if she was a little cranky, and no one took it personally.
In just a couple of hours we were landing at Dulles International Airport with Zoo staff waiting with a truck to take Damai to her new home. The timing was just right, with daylight left for the drive but after rush hour traffic. Dusk was falling when we all arrived at the Great Cats building. Steve and his crew from facilities management were on hand to unload Damai from the truck and secure her crate in place in the building so that she could be safely transferred to her new quarters in quarantine. This team has loaded and unloaded many animals on and off of trucks here at the zoo and their experience showed. In no time at all Damai was checking out her new digs. She was cautious of course but looked everything over and settled in quickly. She even ate some dinner just minutes after leaving her travel crate!
Obviously the folks at San Diego Safari Park had done a great job raising her. We have seen with our tiger cubs in the past that each animal has its own distinct personality. Damai probably is calm by nature, but every time the keepers in San Diego gave her a new toy, or trained for a new behavior they helped to build her confidence. “New” is scary for tigers as well as people. But each new experience makes the next one a little less frightening.
We learn how to walk and it’s overwhelming. When we learn how to ride a bike it’s a little bit scary, but also very exciting. By the time you’re learning how to drive the exciting part starts to outweigh the scary part. At least for the new driver, maybe not for her parents.
Anyway, every new challenge that Damai met and conquered in her first two years in California made it possible for her to get into a crate and:
- Take her first truck ride
- Be carried on a forklift
- Take her first plane ride
- Take her second plane ride
- More forklifts and trucks
- Get wheeled into a strange building filled with the scents of strange tigers and lions
All in one day!! And then walk into a new place with people she doesn’t know and say, “Yeah, I could eat something”.
She is a very impressive girl and has earned our respect. And so have the keepers in San Diego, as well as our gratitude.
 Read the previous entry. |
Read about Damai and see photos  |
