Working at a zoo is the dream for many people, even if it is just a small zoo.

What would you do if you worked at the front desk of a zoo and you were not only mistreated by the staff yourself, but also found that they were mistreating the animals?

That is what happened to the young lady in this story, so when she got fired for helping the animals, she found a small but effective way to get back at them.

Let’s see what she did.

Keys? What keys

When i was 19 I used to work for this small road side zoo. Think dirt paths and chicken wire holding back literal monkeys!

It happened to be really close to one of the largest and most popular zoos in my country which made this zoo very quiet.

I was hired as front reception and customer service, the first face you see. If I’m anything I’m ‘bubbly’ and they basically hired me on the spot.

The owner of the zoo came in one day a few weeks after I started and struck up a conversation. In a round about way, he found out I’m disabled and seemed very shocked since its an invisible illness.

Why would they care if she had a disability like this?

This was the beginning of the end I just didn’t know it yet.

Unfortunately for them, I was incredibly good at my job. Customers were happy, office was clean and I was finished with the work they gave me with half my day empty and boring.

The head zoo keeper was young, short, attractive and had a temperature that could rival Regina from mean girls.

I tried asking for my responsibilities with a back ground in art i offered my skills and knowledge in other areas just to fill my day and was met with a screaming almost 30 something man on his tip toes spitting in my face that I needed to sit down shut up and smile for the customers.

So I did. That was until the incident.

People get birds as pets without realizing how much work they are.

One day, a friend of the owners drops in with this pair of birds as a surrender. This cute little white cockatiel and a blue Indian ringneck.

I own a bird and so when they put them in an old cage next to the office I was very excited. I wasn’t to feed them but I was allowed to talk to them.

The days went by and the ringneck became very wild and unhappy, the poor little white bird was getting really sick.

I tried telling the keepers that the seed was wet and the birds had no dry space when it rain, they didn’t have toys or company and they weren’t doing well.

I was met with violent screaming.

The Head zoo keeper had me pinned to a wall and I was so afraid he was going to hit me for suggesting his level of care wasn’t good enough that I burst into tears and ran back to the office.

These ‘zookeepers’ are heartless.

I called the owners sobbing that he’d done that and she reassured me everything would be fine and to have a drink of water calm down and finish the rest of my day.

By the afternoon, one of the other keepers was sent up to the office and popped his head in to see if I was ok. Apparently he was sent to ‘snap the neck of the birds’ because euthanasia was to expensive for surrendered animals.

I was unbelievably upset and this keeper patted my shoulder (he was a massive introvert and this meant a lot) trying to calm me down. He said he didn’t like it as much as I did but he had to do his job or he might get fired.

I asked him what they told him to do exactly and he said “when I get back up there, there better not be any birds.”

So, I asked can I take them then?

At least he was willing to let her take the birds.

He said, “as long as they aren’t here I did my job,” and smirked as he walked out of the office.

So, there I am smuggling birds in my shirt to my car. The sick little white one tucked up holding onto my bra all snuggled close and this blue fire cracker practicing for the next bull riding competition.

I disinfected a spare cage i had at home and put them in our sunroom to free fly. I was hand feeding the little white bird with the medication the vet gave me and giving her some pats when I got an email.

The owner had sent an email stating ‘Due to your I’ll health and unhappiness, you are no longer needed and your contract is terminated. ‘

I would get an attorney for sure.

That’s when it hit me.

Shed been trying to find something, anything, to fire me for besides just being disabled with an invisible illness. Me being upset that I was verbally abused, physically assaulted, and upset that they were going to inhumanity kill animals was worth firing ME over.

So, I’m not proud of it, but I ghosted them. They didn’t give me common decency, so they weren’t worth my efforts.

For weeks and weeks I’d get emails asking for my keys to the zoo. Asking if I got the email.

I just let the emails sit there.

Finally, the owner called after a month and angrily asked for me to return my keys.

I calmly said I put them in the mail box the day she fired me and hung up.

I bet they searched for hours.

I knew they were so unorganized that no one but me checked the mail box to the office. It had been a month and to her knowledge they could of been anywhere by now. I hope they had to change all the locks to that office and it was a mild inconvenience that really grated on them.

I got a lot of joy watching those little birds play with that big chain of keys i hung in their bird room right up until I found them a foster home where they would be cared for well.

The little white bird was very healthy and happy when we parted ways but I’d never visit that zoo again.

They should really be reported to the authorities.

They feed their dead zoo animals to their baboons, they collected the branched and grass for their enclosures from private farm land and have been run off peoples property so often that staff had to be made aware they could get shot.

And most importantly why would I want to support that horrible place when I can pop up the road to this amazing zoo run by a legends legacy.

Its a small and petty thing, but still revenge in my opinion. I wish i could of done more honestly.

Sometimes it is the simplest things that can bring the most satisfaction. Well done.

Let’s see what the people in the comments on Reddit have to say about it.

Yes, this was an awesome little detail.

This would be a good place to start.

That other zoo may be able to help.

Yes, she should report them to the authorities.

This commenter says the zoo needs to be shut down.

These zookeepers are animals and need to be stopped.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.