training is fun

Today is already the fourth day of my practical here at UWL.. I remember askin the previous batches of vet students abt wat they did here.. and all gav the same boring answer, "Be prepared to wash tanks! wash wash wash tanks n nothing else everyday!" Perhaps my group is lucky i gues.. wash tank? naeh.. besides brushing the penguin n seal floor, not even once.. except for ting.. even tat happened only once, which was when we needed to change the penguin's pond water. otherwise.. we're just preparing food.. asking questions.. picking up leaves.. walking up n down stares.. n wat i liked best in UWL is the rich resource of ORIGINAL marine-related books! omg.. they're so interesting.. hav i not been tired, exhausted n got sleepy easily.. i assure u that i definitely would have finished at least 10 books there!

Talking abt the exhibits..There were many animals here, besides the underwater creatures (all sorts of fishes... name freshwater (u got it!), salt water (u got it too!).. wt else?) anyway,there were also birds, reptiles, amphibians, marmosets… and many more.. the Rockhopper Penguins I guess, being the most expensive creature here.. they’re so cute. in my eyes, I see them as evolved ducks with enlarged chicken beaks+ some black n white dyed feathers.. perhaps to help them camouflage better in the poles..excellent at diving + jumpin (juz like dolphins!) n best of all, not afraid of mankind!

We hand feed d penguins twice a day with Mackerel fish.. squids..The experience was funny. Once we enter the tank with the feed, they quickly hop, hop hopped towards us! presumably tat's y they're called rockhopper, despite the long, old-lookin yellow "eye brows". then you’ll see them poking their heads to near you (just like dogs) urging you to put the fish into their mouth. You’l gawk at how they try their best to grip the fish from your hand, then look up straight into the sky, gloop gloop gloop.. inch by inch they swallow the fish down their throat. Hmm… I guess the esophagus muscles must be extremely strong n powerful. ;) ting kept exclaiming,"i can never imagine myself swallowing 5 fishes at 1 go!!" again n again.. i heard him exclaimin with the same excitement, eyes almost bulging out.. hehe..

Trainees cant feed the 3 harbour seals thr, coz unlike the penguins, they’re very nervous creatures. They eat only from ppl who they’re familiar with. Once, my fren ZiShiong went into the seal tank to watch the keepers feed. Once the mama seal noticed his head poking out from the acrylic rocks in the tank, she refused to surface to be fed! instead she spied n spied on... until ZiShiong finali went out.

tis is UWL!! ;)
poor chicken,locked w anaconda. Whoosh!

beautiful mandarin ducks, yin yang.

me feedin suspicious marmosets

selectin healthy fish for penguins

ZiShion, Junita feedin penguins

Foong feedin cutie otter

helo mR diveR

largest Freshwater fish, arapaima

while visitin UWL, look up anywhere.. ur bein observed.

ladies' quarters..
PUFFER FISH landing at Pantai Cenang!!!!! tis is a poisonous fish..careful of the durian-like thorns.. they sting!
young men having fun with beach-futsal.. ouch! d ball actuali hit me!