An Elephant Keepers Daughter- A tribute to my Dad

I grew up with a pretty unique child hood experiences.  While others had their pet goldfish, our house was filled with animals. Frogs, Toads, guppies, tetra's, hamsters, rabbits, dog, cats, 36 mice, in a 10 gallon aquarium, and the occasional snake that found its way into an aquarium.  When we were not cleaning up after animals at home, we loved to spend time at the Zoo.

My dad at the beginning of his 30+ year career at the Zoo

 My dad was an elephant keeper much of my life growing up.  While others listened to their dad's talk about the day at the office, I got to hear about elephant paintings, poop, and the like...I even had the pleasure of being one the the first kids to have a sleep over in the Elephant house, swim in the Elephant bath, and sleep beside giraffe's looking down at me all night long....you see Giraffe's only sleep a few hours everyday...so I spent the night under watchful eyes, listening to Hippo's farting.  I grew up watching Big cats, monkeys, and so many other species being taken care of at the Zoo hospital.  I learned at a very young age, that love for animals is healing and not always classy or fun, but the importance of caring and learning to or fall in love with creatures big and small.  I experienced handling snakes, watching reptiles be fed, and even watching my dad brood alligators in an incubator, and raise fruit flies.  I fed Elephants and even rode with my dad on their backs.  I loved them.  One of the Elephants was born around my birthday,  I was so excited to see this beautiful little thing running around, and found it really wasn't so little.  I loved watching my dad with his elephants, talking to them,  patting them, and giving them a bath, and toe nail trimming, and giving them their vitamins....(The size of small football) and just loving them, as if they were his beloved pet.  He gave much of his life to these beautiful creatures.

Nail trimming and cleaning

Morning exercises

 I spent as much time as I could with my dad, when I was little and the Elephants, and enjoyed showing off that, that guy in the enclosure was in fact my dad.  I remember one time we went to the Zoo on a Sunday, which was rare for our family, my dad was in his Sunday best.  And we went into the "kitchen" where the keepers put all the elephants snacks, and other essentials,  and the elephants could reach their truck around the bars, and one of the 4 elephants at the time reached her trunk around to get a treat that us kids were feeding them, and at that moment my dad was talking to another keeper, and all of a sudden the Elephant sneezed...covering my dad from head to toe in Elephant snot.  Like I said, I had a unique childhood.  My Dad worked hard, and was devoted to the Animals under his care.  I was and Am proud of my dad. A few years back my dad was attacked by one of his beloved elephants, it left him with multiple injuries, she could have killed him. He was pretty beat up,  but he still went back to work with them, He amazed me.   He taught me so much, about the zoo, all the creatures he could name and knew their latin names too.  I also spent a lot of time with my dad, out away from the zoo, in nature,  hunting, fishing, exploring, and he was always teaching.  Teaching me how to shoot a gun, how to hunt efficiently and effectively, so any animal you shoot doesn't suffer, and you only take what you need, with the permits you have.  Taking a life, is not something to be a just a thrill.  It has stuck with me all my life.   These days my dad has since traded his career for retirement and his gun for a camera, and has taken some pretty incredible pictures. Mostly of you guess it...Animals.  Even gaining some credit with National geographic, for his work.  

Morning salute.

Growing up, my dad was  a zoo keeper by day, organist, carpenter,  avid gardener, daddy, teacher,  creator by night and weekends.  I grew up constantly learning about the world around me.  I experienced a bear face to face with my Dad, he helped get us to safety. But it is a pretty awe inspiring to be 6 feet from a mother grizzly and her two cubs who went shooting up the tree behind her, and live to tell about it.  My dad loved the animals and he taught us how to care for animals, and care about animals as well.  I always knew that I was going to marry a farmer because I loved to be around animals.  I loved to be far away from the city, and to be in the country.  I love to go camping, and I love my camera too. 

A baby caribou 1986

 There was a time when my dad and I lost touch with each other.  We both missed out on some exciting things in our lives for a number of years, and we deeply hurt each other along the road.   Today I am writing this as a tribute and a testament that forgiveness free's the heart and lets you see past for what it is, and look to the future.  I had a pretty amazing childhood, with so many very unique experiences.  I treasure those memories, and I am blessed to call him my dad.  The elephant keeper, and animal enthusiast, lover of all things bright and beautiful, fisherman, grandpa, and my friend.  I love my dad.  I could not imagine my child hood being anything more then it was. I will always be an Elephant keepers daughter, even though you can take the elephants away, you can't take the Elephants out of the keeper.  The other day, my dad had a phone video chat with an old friend, one of the elephants now at an Elephant sanctuary in Washington state, and they recognized his voice right away. So many be you can't take the keeper out of an elephant either.

Feeding time.

Blessings,

A zoo keepers daughter

Deeds K