I glance down to find myself looking into the wide, yellow eyes of a ring-tailed lemur who had climbed his way up my leg in anticipation at the site of the carrot in my hand. We walk through greenery to a small river, walking along the edge. Eventually, we come to a clearing, and I look up to see luscious greenery everywhere, accented by the sound of running rivers and birds chirping. Next thing I know, at the site of our presence, ring-tailed lemurs surround us in seconds. My eyes widen in anticipation and surprise, and I truly believe I have never smiled more in my life. Instantaneously, the lemurs are climbing up my legs in search of food. In this moment, I noticed things I never have before. Lemurs are extremely lightweight; I could barely feel them on my legs. They have extremely sharp teeth and their fingers reminded me of spider legs, for they were hairy and thin, exactly like a tarantula. I could feel tears start to well up in my eyes as I was hit with the reality of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. To this day, I continue to get emotional when I think about this experience, whether it be extreme elation or tears of joy. It was my first day of camp ever, and I was partaking in Busch Gardens Tampa Zookeeping 101 program. Upon …show more content…
My entire life I have known that I have an undeniable love for animals. It wasn’t until this moment that I truly realized the opportunities awaiting me. I was struck with the realization that if people are able to experience wildlife up close as I was able to, they will truly be inspired by their beauty and want to protect the beautiful creatures that call our planet home. I know this to be true, for I have experienced this myself. This connection with the lemurs made them all that more important to me. I was truly struck by the beauty of their existence. Nothing is more powerful, and nothing is more motivational than the first connection you share with wild