The Daily News

Do you remember the 1995 movie “Jumanji,” and starred Robin Williams? The story was about two kids who found a magic board game unleashing real adventure in their livingroom, complete with stampeding elephants and man-eating plants. The only way to end the danger was to finish the game.

Well, no offense to the Screen Actors Guild, but nothing is as scary as zookeeper nightmares. It is true. Everyone who works at the zoo takes their work very seriously and somehow that creeps into our REM stage of sleep, creating all kinds of adventure.

Go ahead and ask a zookeeper sometime. They will tell you tales from their slumber that range from forgetting a gate lock to letting all the animals out in a raging stampede.

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One keeper told me about a dream where Tom told him to take his daschund into the tiger exhibit to provide enrichment for these cats. Another keeper said that in her dream she brought about a dozen guinea pigs to my office because all of their wheels were stuck. She added that I repaired them with a screwdriver, patted each on their head and off they went.

Just Tuesday one of our keepers told me that she had a terrible nightmare about one of our snakes, named Spot. In her dream, he didn’t like her anymore. So when she came to work she found time on her break to cuddle with the snake to ensure he was still affectionate.

Yes, I am talking about confident, intelligent and dependable adults. They are also very passionate, and that’s what happens when you care so much for the critters you spend time with every day. Our subconscious plays tricks on us which sometimes ends up very comical.

In early January, I had surgery to remove a growth on my neck. At first my doctor thought it to be a swollen lymph node caused by raising Niko on my head and shoulders. Because it had not gone away after some time, there was concern and doctors found it necessary to remove. Well, needless to say I did not like the fact that Niko was being “blamed.” I am very defensive that way.

As it turned out, I was very fortunate and everything is fine. My husband received good news from the surgeon and relayed the message to me when I was still very groggy from anaesthesia. I do not recall any of this, but apparently I said, “You need to go down to the zoo and tell Niko that it isn’t his fault and you must do it right away.”

Tom said that I repeated myself quite a few times, ensuring that my monkey son know the facts. When he told me this later I had no problem believing him, because I can imagine my mind thinking just that at the time. I have to believe that if we set up a zoo keepers' blog nationwide, we would hear about some really wild dreams.

Until then, happy slumber.

Just a reminder, memberships for 2010 are now available. Call 642-8709 or visit www.chahinkapazoo.com.

KATHY DIEKMAN is the director at Chahinkapa Zoo in Wahpeton.

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