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 Favre, I definitely believe that--first and foremost--wild animals belong in the wild. However, some people don't realize this, but the animals in accredited zoos in the United States are all there because they have been deemed "unreleasable" by an objective, third-party organization like the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service or the Department of Fish & Game. This means they have been evaluated for their probability of survival in the wild, and the decision has been made that they most likely won't make it on their own.
There are many variables to this, but the determinations seem to generally fall into one (or more) of the following reasons: they suffer from a permanent injury (blindness, an amputated wing, etc.), they have become accustomed to human handouts (problem bears in national parks, etc.), or they were orphaned at an early age or born in a zoo environment and never learned how to survive in an uncontrolled environment.
Decisions like this are never made lightly, and the welfare of the animal is always the highest priority. And once the decision is made for an animal to stay in human care, a comprehensive environmental enrichment plan is developed to ensure the animal receives the best care, training and environmental stimulation possible.
It's not the wild, obviously, but it's the very best we can do. And if those animals can serve as "ambassadors for their species" to hopefully inspire visitors to care enough about their wild counterparts to practice conservation, I believe this is a very important mission, too.
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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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Hi Jim. Wolves are generally carnivores, and they specialize in hunting cooperatively to bring down large prey like moose, caribou, elk and deer. They will also regularly ingest smaller prey like rodents and rabbits, and they have even been known to scavenge--often caching food and coming back for it later.
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Hi Lynnski, and thanks so much for your question. Zookeeping is a very rewarding and unique career, but be forewarned that it also involves very long hours and relatively low pay. The good news is that the vast majority of people who become zookeepers do so for the right reason--because they love it and can't see themselves doing anything else. However, the compensation and long hours do require a lifestyle sacrifice, so make sure you weigh this cost when deciding if this career is right for you.
Your animals don't care if it's day or night, raining or snowing, a weekend or a holiday. They still need to eat, and they still need medical attention. Sometimes this means you have to miss holiday dinners, stay overnight, stand in freezing pools for hours, or run right into a disaster like an earthquake or a hurricane while everyone else is running out.
The upside: you get to build a bond with an animal most people only dream of ever seeing in real life. And some of your animals begin looking forward to seeing you almost as much as you look forward to seeing them. That kind of compensation can't really be quantified. ;)
As far as your question about starting your career, I would recommend looking at this article from the American Association of Zookeepers: "So, You Want to Be a Zoo Keeper, Trainer, or an Aquarist?" (http://aazk.org/wp-content/uploads/keeper_information.pdf).
If zookeeping still feels like a good fit for you, I would encourage you to check out the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Job Listing page: http://www.aza.org/joblistings/
Best of luck!
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Hi Natasha! Are you wondering about the methods for restraining a wild dolphin during a capture and release, or were you wondering more about a procedure with a dolphin in human care? I'm happy to help once I know a little more!
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Hi Hannah! I can't speak for all zoos, but in my experience, Curator positions were typically earned by zookeepers who received the necessary education (masters degrees are a huge plus!), put in their time "on-the-ground" and then worked their way up the chain of command to this role. The amount of hands-on time varies between zoos, but Curators typically spend most of their time on administrative and supervisory work. They also offer the "final say" on many decisions.
If you are interested in this role, I would recommend doing your research and then going for it! These positions are SUPER competitive, but if this is what you know you want to do, that will help you focus all your efforts on it while you are in school.
Best of luck to you!
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Hi Kelsie! Repetitive behaviors like pacing are easy ones to watch for in penguins. Changes in appetite are usually fairly prevalent as well, and many penguins will actually pluck their own feathers (usually from their bellies) when they are stressed.
Hope this is helpful!
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