Ask a zookeeper (2 Viewers)

[SlaX]

This has really turned into a very interesting thread.

 

[Sheriff Bart]

What's the weirdest thing you've seen a zoo patron do? How about the dumbest question anyone has asked you...outside of this thread?

Weirdest: Adults sitting their toddlers on railings overlooking a dangerous animal exhibit. People throwing those snap-pop things at the meerkats. That one really pissed me off.dumbest question: "Are those giraffe\zebra\gazelle eggs?" - visitor pointing at an ostrich nest full of dummy eggs.

You better have answered yes

 

[perry147]

Given the choice that you could come back reincarnated as one animal at your zoo, what would it be?

 

[B-Deep]

What's the weirdest thing you've seen a zoo patron do? How about the dumbest question anyone has asked you...outside of this thread?

Weirdest: Adults sitting their toddlers on railings overlooking a dangerous animal exhibit. People throwing those snap-pop things at the meerkats. That one really pissed me off.dumbest question: "Are those giraffe\zebra\gazelle eggs?" - visitor pointing at an ostrich nest full of dummy eggs.

You better have answered yes

related questionis it against some zookeepers oath to lie to really stupid people just for fun?

this cold be a deal breaker on me quitting my job to become a zookeeper

 

[valence]

How did you start and then progress your career?

I started off as an intern right after college at the San Francisco zoo making $7. I did that for a year and then became and on-call as needed keeper at that zoo, while also working full-time at the Coyote Point Museum in San Mateo, CA and as a Lead trainer\teacher at a company called Tree Frog Treks. I did all of those things for about five years when Disney called and recruited me to come train animals for one of their shows at the Animal Kingdom in Orlando, FL. I did that for a few years, but I got sick of Orlando and wanted to come back to the west coast. I've been at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle for two years now. I love it here.For those looking to get into the field, the best advice I can give you is to volunteer at a zo and see if you like it. Many zoos hire keepers directly from their volunteer staff. It may take awhile, but if you prove your worth, you will be recognized.Another option is to attend one of the two accredited zookeeping schools. Moor Park in California or Santa Fe in Gainsville Florida. I believe they are two year programs.

I would have thought there would be more formal training, interesting.Without getting too personal, lets say someone's kid is interested in animals, is this the sort of job they can make a good living at, or is it more of a deal with financial stress to do what you love type job?

There is more formal training involved for working what we call "strings" or animals that are grouped together for a certain daily routine. You aren't allowed to just work somewhere, you have to be trained on each string. Some take longer than others. For instance, It takes a good 2-3 months minimum before they let you work gorillas by yourself.The job definitely falls under the "do what you love" side of the argument. I'm not going to lie, the first three years or so were rough. Right out of college I started making $7 an hour while my friends were getting jobs in the computer field starting at 60k a year. That said, I am comfortable now. I probably won't ever make six figures unless I go on the zoo management track, but I make plenty to support my lifestyle.I don't have any kids (or want any). I don't own a house in Seattle (by choice), but I do own a condo in Orlando. There are definitely zoos that pay more than others. Zoos in larger cities like Seattle, San Francisco, New York etc, pay significantly more than a zoo in say Kansas or Wisconsin.I do think it takes someone that really loves it. Kind of like being a teacher in that regard. If you don't love it, you probably aren't going to make it.

 

[valence]

Ever watch the monkeys do it?

And did you ever take along a female zookeeper to watch them?

I have observed the behavior with a female keeper. I'd say 75% or so of zookeepers are females. Unfortunately, most are really old or unattractive.

Most?So pics of the few that are young and hot?

I've always wanted to date a zoo keeper.

None accessible to me at the moment, but I'll see what I can do the next time I work. Keep in mind that even the young and hot ones aren't wearing makeup and heels while scooping poo.

 

[TLEF316]

None accessible to me at the moment, but I'll see what I can do the next time I work. Keep in mind that even the young and hot ones aren't wearing makeup and heels while scooping poo.

short khaki shorts with work boots?matching shirt with the top button somewhat open?Any sort of hat?This is important.

 

[fasteddie_21]

Any scary moments you've had w/ any of the animals?

 

[valence]

What one species do you wish your zoo would add?

I would love to work with Okapi. They are super expensive and rare though.

Why the attraction to okapi? Do they do tricks?

They aren't super intelligent, but they are the only living relative of the giraffe. They were discovered in 1901 so we still don't know a lot about the wild population. They only live in a small section of the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo.I just find them fascinating.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Joan Embery used to hot on Johnny Carson.

 

[TLEF316]

by the way, if you ever get to work with big cat cubs, i am insanely jealous.

I've seen specials on TV when they raise tiger or cheetah cubs and it looks like just about the most fun and adorable thing ever.

I would quit my job if i could raise big cat cubs full time. Seriously.

 

[valence]

I was once told that when an animal dies at the zoo, they feed the carcass to the lions, hyenas, etc. Any truth to that?It seems a lot more efficient then trying to bury an elephant.

Just a myth. 99% of the time a necropsy is done and then the remains are either preserved or incinerated. I haven't been a part of a elephant necropsy, but I did help out with the one for a giraffe that we euthanized in November. Pretty interesting (but gruesome) stuff.

 

[perry147]

Given the choice that you could come back reincarnated as one animal at your zoo, what would it be?

Please answer mine.

 

[valence]

ALWAYS have wondered and my sons' have asked before. What do you guys do with all the animal poop and where does it go? Burn it? Giant toilet? Compost it? Other? Does the poop just lay in the exhibit? Is there a storage shed of poop?Poop poop poop.

great question.most of it gets composted. We have a "ZooDoo" program at our zoo where we compost it and turn it into topsoil. Twice a year we have a big event where the public can come and buy it for their gardens and farms and such. It's a pretty decent money maker.For carnivore (bears, cats) and primates, it has to be specially treated then is disposed of in city sewage.

 

[spOOfy]

I was once told that when an animal dies at the zoo, they feed the carcass to the lions, hyenas, etc. Any truth to that?It seems a lot more efficient then trying to bury an elephant.

Just a myth. 99% of the time a necropsy is done and then the remains are either preserved or incinerated. I haven't been a part of a elephant necropsy, but I did help out with the one for a giraffe that we euthanized in November. Pretty interesting (but gruesome) stuff.

Hold your okapi, buddy, he'll get to you in due time...

 

[wazoo11]

Is is true that if you run in a zig zag like way from an alligator or croc, that it can't catch you?

 

[valence]

How many zookeepers are needed for a zoo?

Depends on the size of the animal collection.

What's the title of the person who runs the whole zoo? Where is zookeeper on the org chart? Do you have departments based on kinds of animals and zookeepers work in certain departments or do you work the whole zoo?

Zoos are structured in a million different ways. All of the ones that I have worked for have been different. Usually the head of the financial side is just the President or Zoo Director. On the animal side of things there is usually a General Curator who oversees the other Curators (Curator of mammals, birds etc.) Sometimes there are middle managers called Collection Managers or Zoological Managers or something like that. There are also things like directors of marketing and development and fundraising. There's always a facilities and maintenance staff, a grounds (janitorial) staff and usually a horticulture staff as well.Zoo keepers are actually a very small part of the zoo. I think we have somewhere around 45-50 keepers on a staff of 300 (450 in the peak season may - sept). Keepers are the rock stars of the zoo though. We have a job shadowing program and keepers are always the ones chosen.All in all, it's a very diverse workforce. Lots of different educational and job skill backgrounds come together to make a zoo what it is.I generally work on the "East team" which consists of the Savana (giraffes, zebras, oryx and other ungulates), Gorillas, Orangs, small primates, bears, and big cats. I do work other areas though depending on who is sick or on vacation etc.

 

[valence]

I was once told that when an animal dies at the zoo, they feed the carcass to the lions, hyenas, etc. Any truth to that?It seems a lot more efficient then trying to bury an elephant.

good one!if not, why not? Health reasons, or just because it would be disturbing to the public?

both.

 

[valence]

How are most zoo animals acquired? Bred in the zoo? Born in other zoos and purchased? Captured in the wild and purchased? Are they usually purchased as babies so they can be somewhat trained or do you also purchase adults?

great question.There is a database of all the zoos that are AZA members where animals that are available are listed. Sometimes they get purchased. Sometimes they are traded, Sometimes they are "loaned". Most AZA accredited zoos participate in Species Survival Plans (SSPs) for certain animals. SSPs are committees in charge of the breeding for a particular animal. The SSPs look at animal genetics and determine the best genetic matches for breeding to ensure that the gene pool stays healthy. Based on SSP recommendations animals are moved around zoos according to who is breeding and which animals are best matched from a genetic standpoint.Now that doesn't always work out. Just because the genetics match up doesn't always mean that the two animals will be interested enough in each other to have a successful birth.For the most part animals are not taken out of the wild anymore. It is obviously frowned upon. If you are at an AZA zoo then it is unlikely that any of the megafauna are wild caught unless they are so old that they predate that standard. For instance we have two wild caught gorillas that are 46 years old. Obviously things were different back then.Sometimes you get an animal like a polar bear that is wild caught for another reason. We had one at the SF zoo that kept coming into a village. She was knocked down and taken back into the wild three times, but kept coming back to the same village. Obviously you can't have a polar bear trouncing around your small village so it was relocated to our zoo.

 

[That Little Voice]

Do you believe in Creation or Evolution? I know not mutually exclusive but are you a Noah's Ark kinda guy?

Thanks for the thread, Diego.

 

[B-Deep]

will you adpot me and/or become my life partner?

your job is way cool

 

[McJose]

There was this guy once that was on "Win Ben Stein's Money". They asked a question about the okapi but the guy bricked and said 'kudu' instead. Fortunately Ben Stein didn't even know what an okapi was so the guy didn't feel bad about sayig the wrong name.

 

[valence]

Do you ever just think everyone would be better off if the animals were left in the wild instead where they belong?

In most cases yes. I believe that education is a crucial part of what zoos do today. If zoos don't have a strong education program to teach the public about the animals then they are not doing their job. If you aren't going to educate about your animals then your animals would be better off in the wild or some sort of sanctuary with minimal human contact.This of course is impossible with many animals that are imprinted or hand raised and could not possibly survive in the wild on its own. This is the case with most zoo animals these days.

 

[valence]

Any of the animals ever kill each other? Maybe one animal gets out of its enclosure/room/cell and takes out another or wanders the wrong way and ends up the victim?

More often than you would think. Especially in primates. You have to be very careful introducing animals to each other it's a slow process. Example: we got a new male silverback gorilla last March and he still hasn't been fully integrated into the troop.

 

[valence]

How many times have you been tricked into sucking the venom out of a "snake bite"?

never. I know better.

 

[valence]

Do you ever just think everyone would be better off if the animals were left in the wild instead where they belong?

How would we be able to study these animals if they weren't in the zoo?

studies of wild animals are far more fruitful than studies on captive animals depending on what the goal of the study is. Captive animals behave differently from wild animals.

 

[valence]

if you got like 12 of your zooo friends together and created a forum to just answer these questions, i'd waste a lot of time there

hmmm. maybe I just found my million dollar idea.

 

[valence]

This has really turned into a very interesting thread.

thanks It was either going to go well or bomb horribly. glad it worked out.

 

[That Little Voice]

Meanwhile, the Manning or Brees debate is killing over at zooguys.com right now.

 

[valence]

Given the choice that you could come back reincarnated as one animal at your zoo, what would it be?

I don't believe in reincarnation, but I'd have to say that big cats have it pretty good. Sleep 20+ hours a day and never have to hunt for their food.

 

[valence]

What's the weirdest thing you've seen a zoo patron do? How about the dumbest question anyone has asked you...outside of this thread?

Weirdest: Adults sitting their toddlers on railings overlooking a dangerous animal exhibit. People throwing those snap-pop things at the meerkats. That one really pissed me off.dumbest question: "Are those giraffe\zebra\gazelle eggs?" - visitor pointing at an ostrich nest full of dummy eggs.

You better have answered yes

related questionis it against some zookeepers oath to lie to really stupid people just for fun?

this cold be a deal breaker on me quitting my job to become a zookeeper

there is no hard fast rule, but obviously spreading misinformation goes against what we try to do at zoos. that said, if I'm really cranky I've been known to mess with people.

 

[valence]

None accessible to me at the moment, but I'll see what I can do the next time I work. Keep in mind that even the young and hot ones aren't wearing makeup and heels while scooping poo.

short khaki shorts with work boots?matching shirt with the top button somewhat open?Any sort of hat?This is important.

Our "uniform" consists of a blue staff polo shirt and whatever work pants\shorts we want to wear. hats are optional. As part of the union contract we get allowances for boots and other work attire.

 

[McJose]

Do you ever just think everyone would be better off if the animals were left in the wild instead where they belong?

How would we be able to study these animals if they weren't in the zoo?

studies of wild animals are far more fruitful than studies on captive animals depending on what the goal of the study is. Captive animals behave differently from wild animals.

Good point. Although I don't feel like going all the way to Kenya to watch lions lay around all day.

 

[B-Deep]

How far have you ever gone with someone at the zoo, in the standard first,second, third base scale.

Ever gotten busy in an empty enclosure after close?

and are Platypuses as f'd up as they seem

 

[GroveDiesel]

What's the most dangerous animal to work with?

Dangerous is a relative term. any of the usual dangerous animals like big cats, bears, elephants, gorillas etc can be dangerous if you screw up (ie left a lock off a door) or someone else screwed up and didn't tell you, but little things like venemous snakes and insects and hurt you pretty bad too if you aren't paying attention to what you are doing.

I'm sorry, the answer we were looking for was Man. Man, is the most dangerous animal. Thanks for playing though, we have some lovely parting gifts for you.

 

[McJose]

Is there anything funnier than a mule wearing a straw hat with holes cut out for the mule's ears?

 

[valence]

Any scary moments you've had w/ any of the animals?

quite a few. most of them come when you get so comfortable with a routine that you stop doing things like double checking locks or focusing 100% on working the animal during training or husbandry excercises.Near the end of my internship I got a little too comfortable with working our steer. I went in to put his halter on and was talking to a guest at the same time. Oscar decided that was the day he was going to buck and he threw me to the ground and stood over me with his giant horns pointed right at me. It was fairly terrifying.another time a keeper left the bushmaster (highly venomous snake) cage unlocked and the door open. I could have been seriously hurt on that one also.

 

[B-Deep]

Is there anything funnier than a mule wearing a straw hat with holes cut out for the mule's ears?

the only thing i can think of, is if you add a monkey in a wedding dress to his back

 

[Lehigh98]

What's the most dangerous animal to work with?

Alaskan Crab Fishermen

 

[valence]

by the way, if you ever get to work with big cat cubs, i am insanely jealous. I've seen specials on TV when they raise tiger or cheetah cubs and it looks like just about the most fun and adorable thing ever. I would quit my job if i could raise big cat cubs full time. Seriously.

I haven't raised them per say as I don't work cats often, but I have held/cuddled/bottle fed lion, tiger, ocelot, polar bear, orang, gorilla, chimp, babies. It is a lot more fun than a person should be allowed to have at "work".A friend of mine works for MGM in vegas at the lion exhibit. He has a great job.

 

[valence]

Is is true that if you run in a zig zag like way from an alligator or croc, that it can't catch you?

I haven't worked with adult alligators or crocs, but I can't imagine this working. They are faster on land than you think. In the water you don't have much of a chance if they really want to eat you.

 

[valence]

Do you believe in Creation or Evolution? I know not mutually exclusive but are you a Noah's Ark kinda guy?Thanks for the thread, Diego.

Evolution. I consider myself a scientist.you're welcome Dora.

 

[valence]

will you adpot me and/or become my life partner?your job is way cool

I have a girlfriend and don't want any kids or dependents. sorry. i'll let you feed the giraffe though if you ever find yourself in Seattle.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Is there anything funnier than a mule wearing a straw hat with holes cut out for the mule's ears?

the only thing i can think of, is if you add a monkey in a wedding dress to his back

you just gave them an idea

 

[spOOfy]

Do you believe in Creation or Evolution? I know not mutually exclusive but are you a Noah's Ark kinda guy?

Thanks for the thread, Diego.

Evolution. I consider myself a scientist.you're welcome Dora.

 

[Harry Manback]

Is there anything funnier than a mule wearing a straw hat with holes cut out for the mule's ears?

the only thing i can think of, is if you add a monkey in a wedding dress to his back

holy ####### ####!

 

[valence]

Do you ever just think everyone would be better off if the animals were left in the wild instead where they belong?

How would we be able to study these animals if they weren't in the zoo?

studies of wild animals are far more fruitful than studies on captive animals depending on what the goal of the study is. Captive animals behave differently from wild animals.

Good point. Although I don't feel like going all the way to Kenya to watch lions lay around all day.

haha. touche.I haven't been yet, but I do want to go someday. A friend of mine went on a night safari last year and witnessed a pride of lions take down some gazelles.

 

[Uwe Blab]

What animal does the best/worst in captivity, in regards to quality of life. Just wondering when we go to the zoo which animals I should feel the most sorry for and which animals have truly got it good compared to their natural habitat. The elephants and rhinos always look depressed and miserable to me.

On the other hand, I'd like to smack the smug smile of those penguins' beaked face.

 

[B-Deep]

Is there anything funnier than a mule wearing a straw hat with holes cut out for the mule's ears?

the only thing i can think of, is if you add a monkey in a wedding dress to his back

you just gave them an idea

 

[General Malaise]

Ever watch the monkeys do it?

I have seen several species of primates engage in mating behaviors.

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