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 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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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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Excellent question, Jade, and so sorry for the delay in answering!
Fairy penguins primarily eat fish, squid and krill in the wild, so this diet can be replicated fairly easy in a zoo environment. An adult penguin generally consumes between 5.5 and 8.5 ounces of food per day, and zoos often rotate through a variety of low-fat fish and high-fat fish, as well as squid and krill when available. Multi-vitamins are also often provided, as well as vitamin E and thiamin supplements.
Hand-feeding is generally recommended with these animals, as individuals tend to compete for diets, and it is very difficult to monitor consumption otherwise. Feeding time is also a great opportunity for training and enrichment!
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Hi Lydia, and so sorry for the delay in my response. With any animal, zookeepers are responsible for providing a safe and secure environment, mental and physical stimulation, a healthy diet, proper veterinary care, and opportunities for the animal to engage in natural behaviors like digging, swimming, nesting, etc. For pandas, this would include providing a habitat similar to their natural habitat, environmental enrichment specifically designed to solicit problem solving and natural responses, and a well-balanced diet that replicates the nutritional needs the animal would receive in the wild.
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Are you instructed to "push" certain menu items that are at risk of going bad?
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Do you think there's a chance the US reinstates the draft?
Hi DJ, this is such a broad question that I would recommend actually researching this elsewhere. I wouldn't even know where to start--except to say we should always think about the big picture when we make decisions that affect the entire planet. Best of luck to you!
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Hi Taite! This definitely varies quite a lot from university to university, not just country to country. However, in general, the education you receive will translate fairly easily from place to place, as you will be studying broad concepts like chemistry, biology, psychology, etc. You will learn about the specific practices of each animal care facility further down the line when you begin your internships and such.
Best of luck to you!
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Hi Milan, you are typically not hired to be an animal trainer unless you have a cohesive understanding of the principles of animal training as well as experience working with animals. (These could be domestic or exotic animals, but exotic experience is always a plus.) Most animal trainers begin their careers by volunteering in zoos, aquariums or vet hospitals while they are in school, and then they become interns and/or apprentices before finally working their way up to becoming animal trainers after they graduate.
Once they finally become trainers, they still typically shadow other trainers while they get used to their specific animals. Then, slowly but surely, they begin their own training sessions.
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