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!
Awe, thank you so much for sharing this clip! I had never seen it before, and it was wonderful. I particular loved it when the apes hugged when they finally ventured out into the yard. So emotional!
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Hi Elena, I hate to admit it, but I know almost nothing about marine invertebrates like jellyfish, starfish, crustaceans and anemones. I know they're awesome; just don't ask me how their biological processes work! ;)
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Hi Belle! Cats will typically display very different behaviors when they are playing versus when they are fighting. When they are playing, their posture is quite relaxed and "loose," while fight posture is typically very tense, with pinned ears and coiled muscles. Also, cat fights are typically very short and VERY vocal, with lots of hissing, howling and screaming--generally followed by the loser's hasty retreat. Cat wrestling matches are usually fairly quiet, and the wrestling may go on for several minutes with short breaks in between for the animals to regroup and "catch their breath." Hope this helps!
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Dogs definitely have a great sense of smell, but you're right. There are many other members of the animal kingdom whose senses of smell is just as good, if not better. Therefore, trainability is certainly a huge factor in our decision to use dogs as service animals.
Some other powerful sniffers are horses, cows, mice, rats and opossums (just to name a few). And the reputed best sniffer in the world is the African elephant. Definitely don't want those tramping down the airport security lines!
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Hi Animal_lover! Animals do not have the same rights people do, but they do have rights. You can learn more about the rights of animals in human care by visiting the websites for their governing bodies. The two organizations most animals in American zoos and aquariums fall under are the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (https://www.aza.org) and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums (http://www.ammpa.org).
Also, I believe it is a risk factor to let people feed animals in human care unless these activities are strictly monitored. In almost all zoos and aquariums where patrons are given the opportunity to feed the animals, these portions are rationed out and provided as enrichment to the animals--not as the entirety of their diets. Once these "treats" have run out, they won't be provided again until the next day.
I hope this is helpful, and have a wonderful day!
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Hi Emma! This is definitely the Catch-22 of animal training, but the good news is that almost all zoos will accept internship experience for this. The majority of internships are seasonal, unpaid and 40+ hours per week, so they are definitely a big time/financial commitment. However, they are often the foot in the door you need to later snag a paid position--whether at that particular zoo or elsewhere. Many places even actively recruit their interns at the end of their internships if they have openings. Definitely worth the temporary sacrifice if you can swing it!
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Hi Erica! ANY of those majors would be a great foundation for a career in zookeeping, so I would suggest choosing the one that personally interests you the most. Best of luck to you!
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