Today was my last day as a level 1 intern at Big Cat Rescue and it was a perfect finale to an amazing experience!

I handed out enrichment, gave a tour, backed up a feeding tour (led by the wonderful Rebecca), got signed off on my last certification, received a very nice thank you card for a private tour and, most of all, said a “farewell for now” to my favorite cats Sabre, Pharaoh, Pretender and many others. I have a hunch that this will not be my last visit 😉

I am going to miss:

• My morning commute on the golf cart
• The sunset over the lake
• Giving tours and inspiring people
• Hearing Joseph roar
• Pretender coming to say hi when I clean
• The adorable cuteness that is Bongo
• Mary Ann’s excited run through the grasses
• Rambo’s “wow”
• Sabre’s belly flip
• Jumanji’s beautiful black shiny coat (I call him the rockstar of the big cats)
• Cleaning the front section with Pharaoh, Windstar and Raindance
• The laughter, camaraderie and silliness of us interns
• Getting stuff done together as a team
• Number seven!!!
• The “meowzels” Ricky, Ticky and Tavi
• Being part of something much bigger than myself and contributing to a meaningful cause
• Singing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” while scrubbing the floor in food prep with bleach water
• My blue intern shirt
• The view out of our window into the vacation rotation enclosure

I am not going to miss:

• The AC being either too cold or completely off
• Wearing the same slightly wet sneakers every single day
• The permanent bend in may hair due to wearing it in a ponytail every day
• Constantly being worried about getting too much sun
• Being a nag around the house and asking people to clean their dishes
• Mulch
• Tossing garbage into an overfull container while holding my breath
• The surprise of a cockroach jumping at me when opening the cupboard in the “spider bathroom”
• Mosquito bites, scratches, bruises and ringworm
• The (not so) subtle smell of sulphur as I turn on the water faucet
• Bad reality TV that some of my housemates seem to like 😉