Tracy is currently working in the Quarantine facility. When animals first arrive at the zoo, they are placed in quaranteen for approximately 30 days to ensure they are healthy before introducing them into the zoo population. In addition, sick animals are isolated here to reduce the risk of their condition spreading to other animals. When we visited, a Crested Wood Partridge was in residence because she had developed a fungus.
With my attention focused on the partridge, Tracy said we could feed the bird and handed me what looked like a peanut. However, when I grabbed it, the soft texture told me my assumption was wrong. When it moved in my hand, I looked down and saw what looked like a grub. It was a Wax Worm. The Wax Worm is actually a caterpillar that turns into a non-descript blackish/grey moth. If you've ever seen "maggots" on TV or in the movies you're actually seeing Wax Worms.
A Giant African Millipede was also in quarentine, hanging out until the end of his 30-day arrival quarantine. The millipede, unlike his centipede counterpart, is not poisonous. A millipede has two legs per side per ring whereas a centipede has one leg per side per ring. Tracy let us hold the millipede (who was still only a youth). When she took him back, his multitude of legs stuck to our hands like velcro.
