LisaAnnOKane
Tampa, FL
Female, 32
During my zookeeping and environmental education career, I have interacted and worked with a variety of animals, including brown bears, wolverines, red foxes, moose, camels, mountain goats, dolphins, sea lions, raccoons, porcupines, snakes, raptors and ravens. I am also a young adult author, and my debut novel ESSENCE was released in June 2014 by Strange Chemistry Books. Ask me anything!
Hi Carly! These two endeavors definitely go hand in hand, as many zoos and aquariums participate in rehabilitation programs in addition to husbandry programs. I know I have personally been fortunate enough to assist in the rescues, rehabs and releases of many animals, including: California sea lions, harbor seals, northern fur seals, elephant seals, green sea turtles, Kemp's ridley sea turtles, raccoons, squirrels, songbirds, raptors, and moose.
Volunteering at rehab centers is also a great way to gain hands-on animal experience--which will help pave your way into a paying zookeeper job. This is how I got my start!
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Hi Max. This question is almost impossible to answer, as the problems vary widely between species. Some common problems, however, are poaching, habitat loss, deforestation, pollution, climate change... I would recommend researching specific species for more informaiton. Best of luck to you.
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Hi Jade! A zookeeper can monitor his/her animals' eating habits in many ways. One is to carefully portion and weigh the diet before it is given to the animal and then compare this to the weight of the leftover food the zookeeper collects the next day. Another is to station someone (usually a volunteer or intern) outside the enclosure and takes notes while observing the animal's feeding behavior. A third (expensive) option is to install a video monitoring system and review the footage. Hope that helps!
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Hi Julia, and thanks for the great question. Zoos are regulated by so many federal and state laws that I find it incredibly difficult to keep track of all of them. (Thank goodness I have never worked in a position where I was required to!) Several federal statutes are applicable to zoos: the Animal Welfare Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Lacey Act, and many other species-specific statutes--like the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act, etc. In addition, every state has its own set of governing laws, and these sometimes vary quite a bit. The USDA is the primary enforcer of the Animal Welfare Act, and its representatives schedule planned and surprise code enforcement visits throughout the year to ensure each zoo lives up to its standards. It is certainly quite a process!
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Zookeeper and Animal Trainer
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I'm glad my answer was helpful, and sixteen is actually the perfect age to begin getting hands-on animal experience. I would highly recommend volunteering at your local zoo if you have one; teen volunteers often help with camps, man the petting zoo, take tickets, answer guest questions, etc. It may not be the most glamorous job ever, but you will gain invaluable experience, and you will begin to understand how the behind-the-scenes portions of the zoo operate.
(If there are no zoos in your area, you can also gain relevent experience at animal shelters, horse stables, vet offices, etc.)
If you like what you see and decide you would like to pursue zookeeping as a career, I would highly recommend enrolling in college and majoring in a life science of some sort: biology, psychology, environmental science, etc. Once you are enrolled in school, you can begin applying for summer zoo internships. Most are unpaid, and they are a huge time commitment, but they are the best way to pave your way into full-time employment once you graduate.
Best of luck to you, and please let me know if you have any more questions!
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Hi Zach, and so sorry for the delay in my response. Yes, many animals can be flown from one facility to another. This is often the safest and most reliable option, as we want to get animals out of potentially stressful situations--like travel--as quickly as we possibly can. Trainers just have to work very closely with their animals to prepare them for their journey, and trainers and medical staff have to make the journey with them to monitor them and make sure they remain stable and as comfortable and relaxed as possible.
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I'm sickened. I'm honestly sickened by this entire situation.
I will preface this answer by saying this is MY opinion, not the opinion of any particular organization or groups of organizations. I will also say I know nothing about this situation except for what I have learned on Discovery News and other various news websites. It is entirely possible I have missed something important. For that reason, I plead ignorance and will try to keep my answer as concise and factual as possible.
In MY opinion, natural breeding in this zoo should never be allowed if the end result is always intended to be what happened to Marius. Other methods like sterilization or gender-grouped enclosures should be considered instead. Or, if natural breeding is allowed to occur, the offspring should be euthanized humanely shortly after birth. There is no reason (I know of) that this giraffe should have been allowed to live eighteen months if the zoo was always planning on putting it down like this.
Secondly, I don't know much about the laws that would have prevented this zoo from selling Marius, but it seems to me this giraffe had many options besides being put down. And to be shot in the head and chopped up in front of GUESTS... This is the part that breaks my heart the most. There is absolutely NO REASON an act this significant should be treated with this much callousness and disregard for the value of life. To me, this feels like a slap in the face to everyone who loved and supported this animal. I know I will never personally support this zoo.
Again, let me just say one more time this is 100% my opinion, and it is only based on the news I have been given. It is entirely possible I have gotten something wrong, but I still doubt I will ever be able to forgive this public act of violence and disrespect.
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