Tùng is an animal keeper at Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens, where he is responsible for a group of small-sized carnivores in the cat family (Felidae). The largest animals under his care are the leopards, while the smallest are the jungle cats. Every day, Tùng moves swiftly from one enclosure to another, cleaning the facilities, preparing food, and keeping a close eye on the health and well-being of the animals in his care.
Members of the cat family are generally more active at night and spend much of the daytime resting. To avoid disturbing them, Tùng carries out his work with great care and gentleness. Although the enclosure doors are made of heavy metal and exposed to sun and rain, they make hardly a sound, thanks to Tùng's regular maintenance and lubrication. Even the faintest squeak is nowhere to be heard.
The animals have also become accustomed to Tùng's daily routine. They barely pay attention as he scrubs their food and water bowls, cleans the meat hooks, sweeps and washes the floors, or wipes down the glass panels. At the end of his cleaning routine, Tùng always takes time to climb up to the balcony, a resting area designed for the animals. From there, he carefully observes his cats, checking their eyes, noses, coats, skin, and breathing to make sure everything is normal.
More than once, this meticulous observation has allowed Tùng to detect early signs of unusual behavior or health problems. This, in turn, gives the veterinary team an opportunity to diagnose and treat the animals at an early stage.
Despite their relatively small size, members of the cat family are extremely dangerous animals. Along with their sharp teeth, they possess powerful claws and can bite and scratch fiercely when defending themselves. The strength of a leopard is particularly formidable. In the wild, leopards are capable of taking down prey up to three times their own body weight and easily dragging their kills into trees to hide them.
Yet with Tùng, these formidable predators can seem almost like oversized domestic cats. They purr softly, press their heads against the wire mesh, rub themselves back and forth against it, and gently swish their tails, expressing their affection toward their familiar keeper.
Even so, Tùng is not permitted to have direct physical contact with these dangerous animals, in accordance with safety regulations. The animals and their keeper are always separated by a metal barrier between the outdoor enclosure and the holding area.
A Home Designed for Wild Instincts
The enclosures for the cat family at Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens are divided into two main areas: the outdoor enclosure and the holding area.
The holding area provides shelter from rain and a place for the animals to rest. It can also be used to restrict the animals' movement when they need to undergo veterinary examinations or treatment, or when animals need to be separated or introduced to one another.
The outdoor enclosure, meanwhile, is spacious, open, and filled with natural light. Branches, logs, and rocks are arranged throughout the area to recreate aspects of the animals' natural habitat and encourage them to express their innate wild behaviors.
Tùng often hides food in different places or hangs it high above the ground to encourage his "lazy cats" to move around and stay active.
Preparing their meals is also a time-consuming part of his work. At around 2:00 p.m., Tùng collects meat, fish, eggs, mice, crickets, and other food items from the animal kitchen, depending on each animal's daily diet.
Back at the enclosures, he takes out a small scale, knife, and cutting board and carefully weighs each type of food according to the dietary requirements of every individual animal. This ensures that each animal receives an appropriate and balanced portion, preventing some from becoming underweight while others become overweight.
Once the portions have been prepared, the food is placed into the trays and feeding containers that Tùng washed earlier in the morning. He then brings the meals into the enclosures for the animals to enjoy.
The Quiet Joy of Being a Keeper
Tùng enjoys sitting and watching the animals eat. It is part of his job, but it is also his way of enjoying the fruits of his work.
Watching a leopard leap through the air and clamp its jaws around a piece of meat hanging above the ground, seeing a reluctant jungle cat circle around and sniff at tree hollows and rocks in search of hidden pieces of food, or watching them pounce on crickets scattering across the enclosure, Tùng feels completely at ease.
For him, these simple moments are deeply rewarding. As he watches the animals actively explore, hunt, and enjoy their meals, he feels as though all the fatigue accumulated throughout the day simply melts away.
