Weather

Tuesday was scary. I shook the entire night, I’d like to say it’s entirely due to left over adrenaline but I know it’s not true. I left for my tour at 4 o’clock and there were some very ominous looking clouds coming quickly. I heard Emily, our supervisor, radio to ask Katie (working in gift shop) to check the weather. Katie said that the radar didn’t show any sign of bad weather, so we continued on like normal. On my tour I had some panicky guests asking if we were going to get rained on and I said that there is a chance and if it starts to rain, we will hurry back. Sure enough, about half way through the tour the clouds were square on top of us and it slowly started to rain. We speed walked the rest of the tour and at the end heard a radio call from Emily to start feeding now and get it done. She it started to pour on us as we were feeding and then the hail came. Gobstopper size hail! It was crazy, and it hurt! Once we got around towards the end of feeding, Katie and I were completely soaked and started hearing radio calls. One was from the other Katie in gift shop saying that there were warnings for severe weather. We continued feeding but informed the guests watching feeding about the weather. 5 minutes later Katie radioed about more severe weather, hail and a tornado watch. The there were a series of radioing static something about tornado, but Katie and I could not hear it. We were feeding 600 lb cats during hail under a tin overhang. All of a sudden I see staff running through the compound and Emily shouting on the radio to get out of the habitat field and get the guests and ourselves inside. Everyone scattered and ran for inside. Katie and I ran around to make sure all the cat’s den doors were open and headed for the giftshop. Apparently there was a tornado warning, which means a tornado has been sighted in the area.  Sure enough there were three touchdowns in Clifty, a town about 5 miles away. We all watched out the window at the terrifying funnel clouds. It was absolute silence in the giftshop for a long time. All I could think about was the fact that there are 120 big cats sitting outside behind, for which I could do nothing about. The cell ended up passing us 5 miles south, so we watched it travel slowly past us and went home.

The next day wasn’t really much better, creepy solid dark gray sky all day with lots of thunder and lightening. More tornado watches, but just the watch not a warning. As I was cleaning the storm started getting really bad, the thunder was so loud you could feel the building shake. Those tremendous cracking noises from the thunder was bad enough but then the lightening started to get worse. Good five to ten second streaks. It started to hit close around the refuge so we decided to go inside for a moment and as we were walking it the lightening hit on the compound, so close we could hear the sizzle after. The well got hit so the water is out for a while. I can definitely say I have experienced the southern weather.

The past three days we have gotten calls from farmers who had some of their livestock hit by lightening. When an animal like that in the area dies, who has not been give any medications or been sick, the farmer can bring it to the refuge to feed out to the cats. So Thursday we got a 30 year old horse that had died of old age, Friday we got another horse that had been hit my lightening and yesterday we got a cow that had also been hit by lightening. I must say, the first time I had to help with the butcher was a little alarming. I’m not squeamish or anything but it is a pretty intense process. All of the animals were at least over 700lbs. It was something I had to deal with, process and get over quickly though because it happens a lot and it is really great for the cats. We have had a lot so far this internship, I think previously we have received a hog, several deer and a donkey. Somehow it was always on my gift shop day or on my day off so this week was the first time I have had to butcher. I guess you can say that I worked a hard days work since I came home covered in sweat, blood, poop and mud. Ah the life of working for animals, gotta love it.

Today is Easter! With some of the worst storming yet. The past four days, the weather site has had alerts and warnings of severe weather all day but today it had a red band around today and tomorrow saying severe weather. I have never seen rain like this and for so long. It has been raining for three days and is supposed to storm until Wednesday. Right now we have flash flood warnings and the King river is overflowing. This was not part of the deal when I had my interview!!!

I am on lunch now and when we go back we are going to feed early because the worst of it is supposed to start at 3. Going to feed out cow today. The cats do really enjoy butcher days because it means fresh meat. You can almost picture them in the wild seeing a lion with a big cow leg in their mouth. Circle of life.