An amethystine python writhes captivatingly in its enclosure, as if being charmed.

Mr. Schmidt explains the importance of having multiple antidotes on hand in the herpetology lab.

Beware! Mr. Schmidt bravely restrains a snapping turtle.

Intern Clark buddies up with a very friendly Galapagos tortoise.

Intern Leslie is fascinated by the stoic nature of this Galapagos tortoise.

A Barbary sheep is relaxing in its comfortable and familiar environment.

Interns Leslie and Tawni becoming quite comfortable with the target practice pig.

Animal trainer Susan Patch handles a resident red-tailed hawk.

The graceful serval shows off its climbing skills and training

Zoo intern Clark attempts to undergo animal training, with little success.

Genetics analysis has become more important in the world of conservation. Based on genetic comparisons of individual lorises that looked different, a new species, the Bengal loris, was recently named because it was different enough genetically from other slow lorises. Lena, the loris shown here, came to the Zoo in the 1980s and is one of the oldest animals in the population.

The Zoo InternQuest participants take a parting shot, posing in front of the building that was the original home of the Zoo’s hospital and then became the CRES facility. In 2004, the new state-of-the-art Beckman Center for Conservation Research was completed at the Wild Animal Park campus.

This rhino and her baby are wallowing in a mud hole on the East African plains at the Wild Animal Park.

The interns find it amusing that each species of animal gathers in cliques, reminiscent of high school life.

Lauren, a Photo Team member, demonstrates the rhinoceros poop-sifting technique. This was done by dumping a freeze-dried sample into a mesh funnel and grinding it so that the powdered droppings, which contain hormones, fall through and the grass and other thick matter stay on top.

Marika and Keesha, conservation team members, are performing a tritiated radioimmunoassay to isolate the progesterone hormone, which helps the endocrinology team determine if an animal is pregnant.

Intern Melissa is standing in front of a stack of nutritionally complete feed. The San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park nutritionists buy many types of food: fish, fruit, meat, insects, vegetables, bones, and even dog and cat food.

Hay is more than just food for the hoofed stock; it is also used as bedding for the gorillas. It comes in three different types: grass hay, Bermuda, and alfalfa. Each variety contains different levels of proteins that help the animals stay healthy.