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 again, Bulldogs! It often takes an animal a little while to adjust to its new environment, so zookeepers are very patient. They also take great care to make the environment as "interesting" as possible so the animal has many opportunities for mental and physical stimulation.
If it seems like an animal isn't responding well to its environment, they will work hard to adapt their behavioral management plans to provide new opportunities for the animal. They may even combine certain species together (if possible) to provide companionship if the animal is the only one of its kind.
If these methods still don't work, zoos may begin to consider transferring the animal to another facility where they think it may be more successful. They won't rest until they find a solution!
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Hi again, CAT! The sky is practically the limit with enrichment--as long as the items used are found to be safe. Depending on the species, you can use balls, boxes, buckets, containers, empty kegs, ropes, nets, bells, newspaper, treats... The list goes on and on. If you are looking for ideas, Disney's Animal Programs has a great website with species-specific suggestions: http://www.animalenrichment.org
Undesirable behavior is typically addressed through training--though this varies greatly, depending on the specific behavior. Effectiveness measures also vary greatly depending on the species and the specific goals of each enrichment plan. Is there a specific species and enrichment item you are wondering about?
Hope this is helpful!
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Hi Alexa! I have never worked at Animal Kingdom before, but I can certainly do my best to answer your questions. Please send them to lisaannokane(at)outlook(dot)com, and I will get them back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!
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Hi Kidbear! I have interacted with orphaned brown bear cubs without barriers or sedatives, but I have never interacted with adult bears or big cats without these safety precautions. All of my facilities have always had strict procedures in place to minimize accidents and injuries, so these types of interactions were never allowed.
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This obviously varies quite a bit from animal to animal, but our typical tools of the trade are treats, kennels, hand nets of various sizes, animal control nets, mesh nets, poles, squeeze cages, fog horns, fire extinguishers, tranquilizer darts, and even firearms for the most serious circumstances.
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Hi Chris! Wolves are interesting mammals, as they are relatively monogamous within their pack structure. Females only go into heat once a year, and this typically lasts a few weeks. During this time, the female and her chosen male will often mate several times, and they will also spend most of their non-mating time together. Once mating season is over, the female wolf will turn much of her attention to her pregnancy--and to preparing a den for her litter's arrival.
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Although this sounds like the classic Catch-22, it is actually quite possible to fulfill this requirement if you begin your zoo career by working as an intern. Almost every zoo offers an internship program--most during the summer, some during other seasons--and these internships are often a critical first step in paving your way into a zoo career.
The bad news: most internships are unpaid, and they are almost always full-time, so you may have to work a night job or rely on student loans or your savings for awhile. The good news: your possibilities will expand exponentially once you have completed an internship or two. (Although zoos LOVE to see vet experience, many of them won't even consider you until you have seen what happens "behind the curtain" at their facilities.)
I HIGHLY recommend the Job Listings page provided by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (http://www.aza.org/joblistings/). You can search specifically for internships, and the page is updated almost every day. A goldmine for future zookeepers!
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