My time at White Oak

Name: Madison MacElrevey
Class Year: Senior
Hometown: Lewes, Delaware
Internship: White Oak Conservation Center
Location: Yulee, Florida

Greetings from White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, Florida. My name is Madison MacElrevey, and I am a senior Zoo and Conservation Science major. White Oak is located on the Florida-Georgia border, accessed by a seven-mile drive down a dirt road. I am living on site, which is very nice, at the Animal Science Building. Many of the other interns also live here, and it has been a lot of fun getting to know everyone. And, my neighbors are rhinos.  

I am interning in the East department at White Oak, which includes Dama Gazelle, Eastern Bongo, Gerenuk, Nile Lechwe, Lesser Kudu, Roan Antelope, Slender-horned Gazelle, Cape Buffalo, Okapi, Giraffe, and a Babirusa pig. It was a little overwhelming my first day, because I knew I would have to learn the routine for all of these animals. Luckily, the department splits up into three areas for the daily routines, including large antelope, small antelope, and Okapi-Giraffe. It took a few days for me to understand how to get around. All of the enclosures are very large, so the keepers drive between them when feeding and cleaning. While there is no such thing as an “average” day, a typical schedule begins with a morning meeting. I really like how the morning meetings at White Oak are conducted because the different sections get together to discuss tasks that were completed the day before and are to be completed that day. Then, we go out to check on all of the animals. We count them and look for any that are acting abnormally, far from the rest of the herd or are not walking normally. The rest of the morning usually includes cleaning and feeding the animals, along with any medical procedures or medications. In the afternoon, we collect browse from the property to give to the browsing animals, recount and walk the pens of animals that are expecting to give birth soon and complete tasks around the property. There is not a landscaping crew, so the keepers are responsible for things such as lawn mowing, picking up fallen limbs, and adding dirt to areas in pens that have washed away.   

Some limbs from a fallen tree in one of the enclosures

Using a leaf blower to clear the hay off the giraffe slab

Hannah (another intern) and I giving the giraffe their hay

On my first day, I assisted in applying a topical dewormer to the roan antelope. We had to first sort the roan to receive medication, and then get them into a chute to apply the liquid dewormer. Roan antelope are large and potentially dangerous. I slightly questioned what I had gotten myself into with this internship, but the staff are very helpful, know what they are doing, and always prioritize our safety first.

Since my experience with the roan, I have had the opportunity to assist in many other procedures that involved the restraint of animals. The blanket technique is often used here and includes walking towards the animal with a blanket held on the corners by two people and the other corners on the ground, this provides a visual "wall" to the animals. As you get closer, usually the animal will lay down. Then you cover it with the blanket, which allows it to feel more secure. I have used this technique on several of the gerenuk to give them copper, which is used as a dewormer, a kudu, to give her oral dietary supplements, and dama for regular check-up exams.

Cutting two days worth of produce for all of the giraffe, okapi, and babirusa

We also used this technique to restrain several animals for special procedures. One of the dama had tendons in her foot that the vets and keepers believed were very weak, which was causing her to walk with a limp, so they decided to put casts on her legs. I assisted in blanketing the dama, and then the vets gave her anesthetizing medication, before taking her to the animal hospital. This was the first procedure I was involved in, and I was amazed at how well all of the keepers and vet staff worked together to accomplish the task in the least amount of time possible. I was given the task of holding the head of the dama while she was under anesthesia. It is very important to keep their heads higher than their bodies and pointed down so that their saliva can drain properly.

Another procedure I have experienced is three artificial inseminations for gerenuk. I expected this to take a lot longer than it did. From entering to restrain the animals until we were done with the three AIs, it was about fifteen minutes. I was given the blanket and sent into the barn with another intern to restrain the animals. I was excited, but also nervous, that the keepers trust me enough to allow me to do these things.

So far, my time at White Oak has been filled with a lot of dirt, poop, and sweat, but also many great hands-on learning opportunities. The staff here is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the animals they work with, and I am excited to continue learning and make more lifelong memories.

A bongo

Dama gazelle