2 Weeks

Only 2 weeks left?! Where has the time gone? It doesn't feel like my time here is up yet, but it's definitely coming to an end. I am looking forward to MSQ but I'll miss the belugas and seals.

Today we celebrated the seals' 4th birthday! We froze ice toys, got snow, jello and ice cubs and put it in a little kid sandbox and let them have at it. I think it was a little overwhelming for them, but they seemed to enjoy it a little, with the push of the trainers. My days seem to be flying by... I love being at work, everyone is awesome and although it's a lot of cleaning and hard work, it is definitely worth it. Like I've been saying, we get to have our own whales more and more. Recently, they've just handed us buckets and followed them out to the platforms to help do a session, or gate, or just feed. Today I got to have Beethoven and Qinu during a BFIP. The trainer pointed the whale at me and told me I could only do point follows and hand targets as a way to keep the whale engaged while she timed me for 1 minute to see how well I could do. So 1 minute came and went and after a few minutes I had to send a whale to the ledge. But she said that I had good energy with the whale and did some different things that you don't think about normally doing that changes things up for the whales. We've also been given more behaviors to do with the whales when we get them for sessions, which is awesome! Here's a few pictures from today:

 

28 Days Left!

I've realized that I am horrible at keeping up with a blog, but I've been busy lately. This past week and the one before it have been the best weeks I've had during my internship. The trainers have been letting us (more and more) have a whale to ourselves during a session. We're basically given a bucket (more than likely Beethoven's bucket) and we're able to feed and do our given behaviors with him during the session. We have trainers watching us, but they're not on the same platform and most of the time also have a whale of their own. I feel like I'm becoming more and more of a trainer, which is obviously more of a indication that I'm going towards the correct goal. It's such an exciting and very hard to describe feeling. I get nervous right before we step down to feed, but I feel so comfortable as soon as the whale stations up right in front of me. I can honestly say this has been the best experience in my life.

 

I've also accepted another internship after GAQ. I will be interning at Miami Seaquarium for the summer and it's a PAID internship! I couldn't be more happy! I start there on May 1 and am looking forward to it. Which leaves about 28 days left in Atlanta, 18 of those being at GAQ. I am very sad I'll be leaving the whales, trainers, interns, and this place that I have come to love but I realize that the more experience you get at different places makes you a more rounded person. I have learned a lot from the trainers whether it be training or just life along with so much that I have learned from my co-interns.

 

This past weekend, my mom and I did the Beluga & Friends Interactive Program and my mom LOVED it. Here are some pictures:

 

 



T-6 Weeks!

I can't believe I only have 6 more weeks here at the Georgia Aquarium. Saying that I have enjoyed my time here is an understatement. I have no words to describe my experience. I remember 6 months ago I was talking to my parents about how noone wanted me for internships and I wasn't ever goto get any experience... and here I am, third internship with still more facilities interested in me! It feels awesome to be wanted by places and definitely an amazing confidence boost, I've never felt so sure and proud of myself than I do right now and I know it's only going to get better from here. I haven't written in a while, but not much more new things have gone on.

 

I dove with the whale sharks and manta rays in Ocean Voyager while my friends were here from Michigan and that was an awesome experience! The manta rays really like the bubbles that come from your regulator while you're breathing and they like to swim down as close as they can get so we ended up laying on the bottom of the tank with the rays swimming inches from us. I definitely recommend doing this!

 

 

We've also been able to be doing more with the belugas and seals! We've been able to feed our own whales, give the whales behaviors to do, hold all 3 seals at once and I was even "given" behaviors I can do with the whales! Getting to do behaviors with the whales is the best part, you are in charge of the whale and reinforcing when the behavior is done correctly and even point bridging!

 

I hate even thinking of leaving this place. It has made such an impact along with the people!

About Halfway!

This past week started off with the flu, So I missed work on Tuesday and Wednesday making it a 3 day week. I finally got better after spending 4 days at my mom's in Tennessee and missing 2 days of work! Everything at the aquarium is finally back to normal and we're back to our normal routine. This week was the best week I've had, and no its not because it was only a 3 day week. This week I got to have a whale station in front me! I had a whale to myself! The senior trainer told us that we would be starting to do training with the whales. To start off, we have to have the whales get used to us so we start off by having the whales station up in front of us while we just slowly feed them. The day after I did that I got to do the same thing except ask the whale for different behaviors with SD's and then bridge the whale, which means I actually got to train a whale, by myself, of course with the trainers watching though! I cannot even explain the excitement I felt at that moment or even how it felt. I guess it would be comparable to a little kid finally being able to ride a bike after months of practicing or nailing the audition and getting the part you wanted or even how a little kid feels on christmas morning looking at all the presents under the tree. It was the best feeling in the world and it just made me further realize that I am on the right path and going the right way in life. I have fallen more and more in love with this career and I cannot wait to be done with school and finally get a job that will let me further my career and finally become a marine mammal trainer.

As much as I miss my friends back in Orlando, I've made so many new friends here in Atlanta along with falling in love with the Georgia Aquarium, the animals that occupy it and the trainers that take care of the wonderful animals. I hope to someday end up here again even if its just a stepping stone or making this my career home. I am not looking forward to the end of this internship for many reasons, but I am excited for the experiences I will have by the end of this!

Hectic 2 Weeks!

So I've been so busy that I haven't had time to write down everything that's been going on. Although it's a lot and I so much want to talk about it, but I feel as though I am not allowed to say anything, as of yet... The schedule that I am normally on is all wishy washy. It's nice to have a little bit of a different day but I definitely prefer a schedule I am used to.

 

Although I cannot say anything about what has been going on, what I can say is that the trainers at GAQ are amazing and love their animals basically more than their own lives. Working here for the past month and 2 weeks has really shown me how much love that one animal can have from so many people. I have grown to love these animals, although I've already had love, it's more of a deep bonding love. I understand more about belugas, through observation, training and just asking a bunch of questions. I take every opportunity I can to learn as much as I can about them. I already knew they were social animals, just like dolphins, although until you see it first hand, you don't really realize HOW social. They bond together and when something is going on with one of them, they all seem to be together in it and I love that about them.

 

With everything that has been going on, we (as interns) haven't been able to see much training in the sessions, it's been a lot of helping the trainers where ever we are needed, but I've also seen a lot that I wouldn't have thought I would have and for that I am very grateful.

Here's to hoping things slow down again!

Also, I'm signed up to dive with the Whale Sharks March 4! Nothing explains how excited I am!!! :)

 

Reply to Anonymous:

This is by far the best internship I've had. Learning and hands-on wise. I live with a roommate that is another intern at GAQ, we got together by an email that the trainer put us all on to communicate with one another. We split rent, which includes water & garbage services, we pay for eletric, cable & internet and then we also rent furniture. I spend give or take about $1000 a month (not including gas, grocheries & others). We live about 15 mins away from the aquarium and I have my own car down here. The aquarium did not help us find housing, we had to find it ourselves. We get (I think) 15% off at the gift shop & sharp shooter along with tickets into the aquarium, we don't get friends & family in free. I would say probably by the end of the internship about $5000. And as far as I am aware and from when I applied, there is no GPA requirements!! I hope this helped, and if you have any other questions, feel free to ask!! & Good luck with getting in!!

One Month In

I cannot believe it has already been a month! I love it so much here in Atlanta and I'm sad to realize that a month has already come and gone. I hate thinking about leaving even though I still have another few months, it just doesn't seem long enough... Weekends go by fast with weeks going by even faster. My 5 days at the aquarium each week go by in the blink of an eye.

 

This past week has been pretty good. We're being able to do more and more with each passing week. We've been able to do some SD's ( an SD is basically a hand signal that is added in when you are teaching a behavior), help feed out their diet, and choose some of what to do during a session. I've been learning a lot about how training is done, from the beginning of a behavior to the end of one and what exactly all the terminology means. I've read the book "Dont Shoot The Dog", which is a training book and helps explain training and different terms. It helped put perspective on training and also helped me understand more, but being able to see everything put into action makes it make that much more sense and its more fun!

 

I've also come to the conclusion that I think I would much rather work at Georgia Aquarium then end up at SeaWorld. I've truly fallen in love with this place and I could see myself working there. I've also realized that as much as I have wanted to work with dolphins since I was little that they are starting to lose more and more space in my heart. Beluga's just have so much personality and it makes training them, working with them and even working around them fun! I can't see how I could love working with dolphins more than Beluga's. Although I feel that way, I wouldn't ever say "I don't want to work with them" because I would, but I know that working with them is NOT where I want to end up.

 

I took some pictures of the Beluga's from above the water... I hope you enjoy as much as I do :)

 

This is Qinu. She's a 4 year old female beluga, the youngest at the Georgia Aquarium and my absolute favorite. To me, she's got the most personality and seems to be the most curious and everything.

 

 

This is Beethoven. He is the largest male at Georgia Aquarium being about 13 feet long and 1700lbs. He is my second favorite because he's very smart and seems to listen to the trainers the most and also has an extensive behavior background.

 

 

This is Grayson. He is a 5 year old male. He is a little special and takes a while to learn behaviors but he's still cute!

 

 

Last but not least, Maris. The oldest female at 11 feet long (the top whale above Beethoven). She was a mother last May but lost the calf a few days after being bored. She's very skittish but still very smart.

 

 

 

Third Week - Goin' Strong!

Over the weekend, my mom came to visit me and I got to take her to the aquarium! She was really only interested in the whale sharks and the belugas. So we sat in front of the whale shark tank for about 15 minutes and volunteer comes over and asks if we would like to see the whale shark tank from above and of course we said yes, So he took us upstairs and told us about the tank and we got to see the top. It was really cool (I got to go up there during my orientation) and my mom loved it and asked tons of questions. After we got done with that we went and sat in front of the beluga tank and watched the belugas for (I kid you not) an hour. I got to tell her all about the four belugas and how they have different personalities and she asked a few questions about how they are trained and what kind of behaviors they do. I even talked her into doing a Beluga Whale & Friends Interaction Program (BFIP) the next time she comes to visit me! I had a lot of fun showing her around the aquarium and talking to her about the animals. We also went shopping and blah blah blah... haha.

 

Here's a few pictures from the aquarium:

 

 

 

So its only the third day of my third week but I felt that I needed to blog today about everything. Yesterday, Brittany and I got to get in the water, twice, for the mock BFIP and Id say it was a pretty awesome day! We got to pet the whales, give them behaviors to do and feed them. The only thing that Im not so hot about is the fact that the water is so cold! The belugas are from the arctic so they have to keep the water at a chilly level for the belugas  to live, so its at 58 degrees. And most of you know how easily cold I get and how cold my hands are all the time. But when you're in the water face to face with a beluga, the water is barely even noticeable.

Many people don't realize how much work it is to be a keeper/trainer of any animal. Like I said, the job itself is 90% cleaning and 10% animal interaction/feeding/anything else. I knew this before going into this internship so it's no suprise to me. Being a trainer, your day is more repetetive than anything. Someone wanting to go in this field should have/gain the personality that doesn't have to have constant change. You have a set schedule to follow everyday, and most of the time that schedule doesn't change (unless of course for unforseeable events or some kind of procedure for the animal). That being said, every training session is always different. You may have a different animal or train a different behavior or not get the right reaction to the behavior you asked them for. This sounds a little boring probably, but it's not something I ever really realized until actually working in the field.

 

Before I actually came to do this internship in Georgia, I was very scared and nervous as to how I would ACTUALLY feel about wanting to be a trainer. I was afraid I wasn't going to love it like I thought I would, and if I didn't love it then where I would go after that. I can now say, with full confidence that I would LOVE to be a marine mammal trainer. I had an idea before of what it consisted of, but I had only done a few programs at SeaWorld that they offer and it of course isn't the same as actually working WITH them. I'm very happy that I got the chance to come here and have this experience. I am very thankful to my parents (for one) that they support me financially and also my dream of becoming a marine mammal trainer, for the Florida Aquarium and Audubon Zoo for giving me previous experience in working with animals and knowledge of what it takes to work with animals and of course for the Georgia Aquarium for giving me a chance and seeing something in me and selecting me as an intern. I love it here.

Mid Second Week!

So, it's only halfway through my second week, but so much has happened already within the first few days! My roommate/co-intern, Brittany and I got to go into the Beluga Whale tank and do a Beluga & Friends Program! That's where guests go into the water with a trainer and stand on a ledge and the trainer has the whales do different behaviors and the guests get to help the trainer with the hand signals, interact, pet and feed the whales. I've done this program at SeaWorld back in Orlando, and I all I can say is that Georgia knows where it's at! I had an awesome time at SeaWorld in Orlando, but here at GAQ, the program is more intimate. Like I said, guests get to actually stand in the water, face to face on the whale's level. At SW we were only kneeling on a ledge. We got to do it both days. The reason we got to do it was because they wanted to get the whales more comfortable doing it. It was a lot of fun and we're looking forward to doing it again! GAQ has four Beluga Whales and 3 Harbor Seals. The names of the Belugas are Beethoven, Maris, Grayson and Qinu and the Seals are Cerberus, Floyd and Rose. Beethoven and Maris are the older of the Belugas and Qinu and Grayson as the younger ones. My favorite is Qinu. She is very vocal, as are all Belugas but she's even more vocal than the others. We walk in and start doing morning tasks, or walk by her, or clean the acrylics and she's got her head out of the water looking at you and starts clicking. It's the cutest thing in the world and she's very nosey. She also LOVES tongue rubs. A tongue rub is a secondary reinforcer, food being a primary. She's always got a ton of energy and she's very smart; the trainers told me that she picks up on behaviors very fast. As for the Seals, we haven't done much with them but my favorite is Cerb because he's chubby!

It's not all fun and games though. 90% of our day is doing food prep; looking over the fish, making sure there is no fish without eyes, or lacerations or guts falling out, we have to throw those fish out, and cleaning buckets along with cleaning period (acrylics, floors, fridge, kitchen, buckets, bathrooms and anything else that needs to be done). The other 10% is training sessions. It may seem like a lot of boring-ness and cleaning but to be able to see these whales 5 days a week is the best feeling ever. I LOVE what I am doing here and I am so very thankful that I got the chance to be here, it's life changing and I wouldn't change it for the world.

I am in Love with what I do. I can't wait to make it a career.

 

These are from when we got to go into the Beluga Whale tank!

 

Here are a few pictures from my Beluga Whale Interaction Program at SW Orlando from back in November 2011!

 

 

First Week!

So as you all know, I accepted an intern position at the Georgia Aquarium, working with the Beluga Whales and Harbor Seals. You also know that I am in LOVE with Belugas and couldn't be more excited to be working with them, so I've put together this blog to track my time here in Atlanta...

 

So I just finished my first week of interning and all I can say is that the Georgia Aquarium is amazing! The exhibits are so big and beautiful! Especially the Whale Shark tank! But anyways, working up on deck with the Belugas and Seals is awesome! I haven't gotten to do much with them yet because I just started and still have much to learn. Basically my day goes as this: Come in, put up dry dive gear, prep food for the first feed/training session (most every time they feed is a training session), watch training session or clean the deck or get water samples from beluga tank, penguin tank, Asian small clawed otter tank, sea otter tank and holding tanks, then clean the buckets from the feed/training session, clean up anything on the task list, prep food for the second feed, watch session, clean buckets, then we have a department meeting with penguin, sea otter, and ASCO (Asian small clawed otter) and talk about what has gone on that morning with animals or any problems, then prep food for the third feed which is a Beluga and Friends Interaction Program where guests have paid to do a program with the Belugas for 30 mins, its a cute little session where they get in the water, meet the belugas up close and personal and get to feed them, pet them, and do some behaviors, if no one has signed up for it, then other interns and I get in for a mock program or they do a session and one intern gets to watch while the other cleans, then we wash buckets from that session and then its lunch time, from 12-1. After lunch we prep food for the fourth feed, watch the session or clean and then clean buckets after session, then we prep food for the last feed which is another Beluga and Friends Program, so the intern that watched the session the first time, now cleans and the other intern gets to watch, then we clean buckets, clean up the "kitchen area" and close out for the day. It sounds pretty uneventful and a lot of cleaning (which it is) but being able to watch and be apart of the training sessions is amazing and more than I can ask for. I am excited for what the aquarium has to hold and I am looking forward to being able to do more with the whales and seals.