Gnat In My Lipgloss

Today was one of the coolest days of my life! Every hygiene class has to come up with a project to do as a class to replace a final test. Usually classes do something like go to a childcare facility or a nursing home and clean teeth. Our class wanted to do something really cool. We all decided that we would like to clean an animals teeth. At first we considered bringing our own pets into a vet's office and clean their teeth. We were all really excited about it, until our class president came up with something even better! She made a call to the Dickerson Park Zoo and asked if our class could participate in the dental cleaning of a zoo animal. The Zoo staff was kind enough to allow us to do this!

So, today, we all packed into our cars and headed to the zoo. The zoo vet, Dr. Wilson, was doing annual physicals on the zoo's two female South American Maned Wolves. These wolves are endangered species that can only be found in the wild in South America. They do not look like your typical timber wolf, but really resemble an extremely large fox. They have huge ears and very long black legs. They also have black hair on their neck, which is where they get the name Maned Wolf. These wolves are also known for their distinctive smell, which some people say smells like cannabis (or pot). They are extremely shy animals, but they are absolutely gorgeous!

We arrived at the zoo and discovered that several news stations had got wind of the project and came by to take pictures and interview people. We had to split our class into two groups in order to fit everyone in the examining room. I was in the first group to go in. My immediate thought upon seeing Rayna (the wolf) was how large she was. All the pictures I had seen of these wolves made them look very small. But these guys are quite big. I would say they are probably the size of a Great Dane. I also was struck by how big and beautiful her ears were. She was lying on a the exam table and had been intubated, so a machine was breathing for her. We were able to watch and ask questions as Dr. Wilson completed her examination. At the end we were able to look into her mouth and take a peek at her teeth. I was amazed to find that she had the exact same number of teeth that humans do! I expected canines to have different kinds of teeth and to have more than us, but they are the same. Of course, they look differently, but they are still classified as molars, premolars, canines and incisors.

I was able to clean the first tooth! We had an ultrasonic (a dental machine that vibrates and sprays water to blast of tarter) to help us clean her teeth. I jumped right in and cleaned her first molar. It was the craziest thing to sit right next to a wild animal, to be able to pet her and actually have my hands in her mouth. I know that I will probably never get the chance to do something like this again. We cleaned her teeth and then were given a last chance to pet her before she woke up. She was so soft and amazingly clean. Her teeth and gums were in great health. Dr. Wilson did a wonderful job; you could tell she really cares about the animals she is in charge of.

After the cleaning we were able to walk around the zoo (free of charge!). We visited the giraffes, including the 2 month old baby giraffe. He was so cute! I've added a picture of him at the bottom. We loved the little tuft of hair he had on his head! Then we went on to see the cheetas, hippo, lions, monkeys and several other unique animals. We also were able to see the new baby bear that has not been seen by the public yet. He was several months old, but was really anxious after his move here. We couldn't get too close, but were able to watch him run and play in his pen. This was just one of the funnest days I've ever had! Such a great time with such great friends! I'll remember it forever!