14 Rattled Zookeepers Share The Craziest Things They've Seen Animals Do

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mattstaff
Jan 25, 2019 5:00 PM EST

These zookeepers experienced some alarmingly close brushes with unexpectedly dangerous animals. Whatever you might see in an animal's appearance is just that; it's what's taking place in the brain that occupies their skull, you need be wary of. With no way to understand animals on a verbal level, we've gotta fall back on our crazy thing called an animal instinct. 

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  • 01
    Text - Wrathchilde 21h I would bring the chimps treats each week. once brought a bag full of lychee, which they thought was only "meh" but the keepers loved them. Surprised me, since I thought they would go nuts for them so I picked a whole tree's worth. One day I bring a dozen kiwi, and it was clear they had never seen them before. Watching them peel the kiwi so delicately with their lips was amazing. Also, given watermelon, they will eat it all the way through to the skin. I'm talking all the
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 02
    Text - mattsh123 16h Ex zookeeper here, I remember once there was a period of a few days where one of the chimps had this stick and was spending hours at a time just rubbing it on the ground. Some of the keepers tried to give it other toys to play with etc but it wasn't interested. Anyway, long story short, was sharpening the stick and then tried to stab a keeper through the bars of their indoor part of their enclosure
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 03
    Text - HarmoniousJ 18h I worked at a private zoo for a while and the weirdest was probably the female baboon rescue we had. She was very well tempered but she would beckon new workers over to her cage with a gesture and if you had anything in your hand, she'd reach out and rip it from you then throw it off the steep hill behind her enclosure.
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 04
    Text - alknuty 19h I'm a zookeeper! I work in a small department with lots of random animals that we take on programs to show guests. In our department, cages are made of mesh, so the animals can sometimes be housed next to each other where they can reach each other and interact. One time, the beaver was housed next to the tamanduas (lesser ant eaters), and we went over and saw the tamanduas licking the beaver ALL OVER! By the time the beaver went back to his own enclosure he was soaking wet wit
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 05
    Text - iliketodrawcats 19h Volunteer (former), not keeper. I liked to show up early before my shift to watch the big cats get let out into their space. One morning, one of the lionesses was already out and she was sitting there, like the famous NY library lions, only with a Calvin face. Her tongue was hanging out and her eyes were squinched up. I asked the lead cat keeper what the deal was. "Oh, she ate a skunk yesterday, so we decided it'd be a good idea to let her stay outside overnight instea
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 06
    Text - hey_its_me_S 1d I work at an aquarium, not a zookeeper though We have one male sea otter who likes to play with his dick right in front of the glass in the most prominent spot. His dick is bright red and he just strokes it and nibbles at it in front of everybody. Every damn day. I'm the one who stands by the exhibit, so I'm the one who has to field all the awkward questions.
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 07
    Text - Larmes-du-soleil 1d I was a zookeeper and worked in animal care in various capacities for a long time. One of the weirdest things I've seen is when a reptile "drops" their tail. It's only happened to me once with a Lemon gecko I was transferring from one terrarium to another. I had a poor grip on him and as he was wiggling loose I desperately grabbed on to his tail which he promptly dropped and I was left holding a dismembered, writhing tail while the gecko escaped. Also, two of the lions
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 08
    Text - BigScaryLizard 19h Not a zookeeper but primatologist. During my masters I did a study on spontaneous tool use in captive baboons. The weird bit? They were flossing. Literally flossing with hair and broom bristles like we do with toothpicks and...well dental floss. You can Google 'Flossing Baboons' and you'll pretty quickly get a photo of Georgia
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 09
    Text - juniko_shop S 1d Not a zookeeper, but a few years ago we were vising the Berlin zoo and some kids that were in our group were really fascinated by the chimpanzees. After a few minutes of making faces and trying to get the chimps attention - one of the kids shows the monkey his middle finger. The chimp responded with lifting both its arms and showing the kid TWO middle fingers. Check mate, kid.
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 10
    Text - TheOriginalRisen 14h Super late, but actual Zookeeper. I was once charged by a very large male Sulcata Tortoise who apparently thought I got a little too close to his female. Fortunately I was able to step over the foot high fence in time so that I was viciously mauled. Our tortoises are characters. I've also had to flip the male over by myself, who mind you, is on the upper end of his life span and about as big as they get, because he got a little too frisky with the female and fell off.
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 11
    Text - Vyzantinist 15h My first 'proper' job, between high school and college was at a Zoo (South Lakes Wild Animal Park, in England). My favorite animal to work with was the babirusa; we only had one and he used to 'escort' me around the perimeter of his enclosure whenever I was in the area. If I stopped, he'd stop, if I walked backward he would turn around and follow. He would crazily wag his tail and make, what I assumed to be, 'happy' snorts. He seemed to genuinely enjoy seeing me, and when
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 12
    Text - NotASeaOtter.13h My river otter has learned how to open the door to her habitat. A guest got a video of her pushing a fake rock over to the door, climb up on top of it, and start jiggling the door handle with her paws. Otter see, otter do! We make extra sure that door is locked now, hahaha.
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 13
    Text - ivebeen_there 22h I'm a zookeeper! We had a lone, male Marabou stork that found a water bottle, picked it up and put it in his nest, then proceeded to incubate it for a while. He got mad when we eventually had to take it away from him I've seen adult giraffe attempt to nurse from lactating females and seem peeved when she wouldn't let them. I've seen a Nyala get a whole square of sod skewered upside down on his horns that eventually slid down and completely covered one of his eyes. He act
    via u/KingDoggo173
  • 14
    Text - bob_yelram 6h I worked in a lorikeet exhibit for 4 years. We had a red back chattering lory that really liked hangin out on my shoulder for most of my shift. The weird part is she liked to lick my ears. Not reallu sure why. She wasn't looking for ear wax or anuthing, i think she just liked the texture. Also had a dusky lorikeet who would crawl to the back of my neck inside my jacket hood in the winter, or he would crawl underneath my sweater and stick his head out at the neck, just under
    via u/KingDoggo173

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