Emirati zookeeper Mayed Al Baloushi talks about what it takes to be caretaker of dangerous animals in Al Ain Zoo, UAE. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv/news/a-day-in-the-life-of-an-emirati-zookeeper-in-al-ain-1.1183980.
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00:00It's mealtime at the L.A. Zoo and 24-year-old Mayed Al-Balushi is feeding the cats.
00:15He's a zookeeper by day and a student by night.
00:19He attends the L.A. University where he is studying to become an accountant.
00:23His duties at the zoo include looking after a variety of carnivores, 34 sand cats, 15
00:29lions, 10 meerkats, 6 pumas, 4 serval cats, 3 tigers, a number of hyenas, leopards, and
00:37a duo of African cheetahs.
00:39He cleans the areas assigned to him and feeds the animals, work which is friends, fun, and
00:44glamorous.
00:48Mayed is one of more than 160 Emiratis working at the zoo, which is a staff strength of about
00:54500.
00:55He also looks after the critically endangered Arabian sand cats.
00:58His job doesn't involve simply throwing food at the carnivores.
01:02The meals of beef, chicks, mice, and canned food must be carefully weighed.
01:13Before and after feeding time, he steps into a pan of foam filled with antibacterial liquid.
01:18Besides keeping the feeding logs, he also works closely with a vet team in the back
01:23of house facilities where some animals and those born in captivity are kept until they
01:28can go out on exhibit.
01:30He says zookeepers are the first line of defense against potential health and injury problems.
01:35That's what happened last month when he saw one of the four serval cats, a spotted medium-sized
01:40African wildcat closely related to the Arabian caracal, with a back injury.
01:49As a boy, Al Balushi had numerous pets including snakes, spiders, dogs, and birds, and so he
01:55was eager to work at a zoo when he joined university.
01:58Mayed works mornings at the zoo and attends university classes in the afternoon.
02:03He is committed to being a zookeeper and gets a kick out of working with species that few
02:07people ever get to see up close.
02:09The best part of his job is training Chavo, a 60-kilogram South African cheetah.
02:16Today, the two are great pals, and Al Balushi has no qualms feeding Chavo by hand.
02:25This is Irish Eden Belieza for Express.
02:34Good boy!