Ask a zookeeper (2 Viewers)

[Andrew74]

Which animal smells the worst? And not their dung. Just their natural scent.

Carnivores like Tigers and Lions are pretty foul. It smells like death in those indoor holding areas.

Is that because they are in small areas? Seems that would be a big disadvantage to smell so rank in the wild.

 

[Andrew74]

What is the oddest diet/dietary requirements a certain animal has?

I'm not sure what you mean by odd. animals eat pretty much what you would expect them to + some sort of grain supplement for the herbivores.Lions really like pork chops (raw of course)

Do you get/have to feed any of the animals live food (prey)? Not including crickets or fish I mean.Like do you ever just put a goat or baby pig or whatever into pen with the hyenas or lions?

Zoos could charge double on days like this.

 

[valence]

Do you ever stop and look at all of the animals and wonder what they would taste like barbecued? Do you have a company barbecue?

Some of them. I'm pretty sure that gorilla and lion would taste terrible, but I bet giraffe and gazelle are pretty tasty.We do have a staff barbecue at the end of the summer season.

I understand you don't want to compromise what is obviously an awesome job, but what does panda taste like? If you "don't know," you can answer with a *wink*.

I have heard Panda tastes like rainbows and sunshine *wink*

 

[valence]

OP - Do you work at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle?Been there a couple times with my daughter, definitely a great day out.

that's the one.

 

[valence]

Have you ever seen inter-species harmony like this?

we have several multi-species exhibits

 

[Fennis]

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

"you're going to die."

 

[valence]

How much does the average elephant turd weigh?Have any of the primates ever got their necks hung up in the necks?Who gets to brush the hippo's teeth?

1. I'd guess 5-10 lbs per pile. I've never actually weighed one. I'll ask the elephant keepers and get back to you.2. I think you were maybe drunk or otherwise intoxicated as you wrote this one because I don't know how a neck gets caught up in a neck3. The Hippo keeper or vet.

 

[george]

If you could open your own zoo, what 3 animals would you start with? Why?

If you had to live with a zoo animal at the zoo for a year which one would you choose? What about in you own home?

Have you ever got to name any animals? Which ones and how did you pick?

Throw some zookeeper lingo at us. What are some cool terms used at zoos that mean something else outside a zoo?

 

[Fennis]

I knew a zookeeper who cared for the naked mole rats. I got a "backstage tour" of the naked mole rats.

Do you give backstage tours?

 

[valence]

I have two very important questions. 1. If one were inclined to steal a penguin from the zoo, what would be the best way to go about doing it? 2. Upon taking the penguin home, would it need to be kept in a refrigeratror?

1. I will not be an accomplice to these shenanigans.2. no. a lot of penguins even live where it doesn't snow.

Would it be possible to take a Mommy and Daddy penguin home and start a new penguin family?What's the deal with Tim Treadwell?Does your zoo have any Ligers?

1. Unlikely. Penguins have to find their mates. Unless of course you happened to kidnap a mated pair then yes it would be possible. I would not recommend it. Penguins are meaner and a lot less fun then you think.2. Some people are just crazy.3. No. Ligers and Tigons are an abomination and offer no genetic benefit. Plus the other animals make fun of them.

 

[valence]

What is the oddest diet/dietary requirements a certain animal has?

I'm not sure what you mean by odd. animals eat pretty much what you would expect them to + some sort of grain supplement for the herbivores.Lions really like pork chops (raw of course)

Do you get/have to feed any of the animals live food (prey)? Not including crickets or fish I mean.Like do you ever just put a goat or baby pig or whatever into pen with the hyenas or lions?

Never. the public would not enjoy that. We already have PETA and other protesters at he zoo every week. Could you imagine the fallout from something like that?

 

[valence]

Which animal smells the worst? And not their dung. Just their natural scent.

Carnivores like Tigers and Lions are pretty foul. It smells like death in those indoor holding areas.

Is that because they are in small areas? Seems that would be a big disadvantage to smell so rank in the wild.

That may be possible but honestly lions and tigers don't worry about anything other than Man ####### with them in the wild. I have to go to my "job" now. I'll catch up on the rest of the questions tonight after "work".

 

[BRONG]

Just found this, can't wait to check it out a little later....

 

[Flying V]

Do the animals seem irritated that you've been ignoring them to post in the FFA for the past two days?

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Female Zookeepers. What's the story there? Are they freaky? Do they respond to displays and then make vocalizations during? Give us the dirt.

 

[Andrew74]

As a follow up:lets say an army of tigers, chimps, gorillas, wolverines, locust, screw worms, and honey badgers rode in on the back of blue whales and tried to assault an island defended by great white sharks, crocodiles, leopards, anacondas, boars, porcupines and lambs.What would the probable outcome be?

Very interesting thread.I think the first group slaughters the second group. I don't think there is anyway to stop the Blue Whale landing craft. They will take some hits from the sharks but still be able to deliver. Once the group got past the crocs on the beach, it would be over.

I agree. The tigers themselves could take out everything in the second group (save the shark).

 

[Andrew74]

So how much does the zoo spend a day feeding the animals?

What's your normal day like? I am guessing you have assigned animals to take care of?

 

[gianmarco]

Have you ever raced a cheetah? If so, who won?

 

[valence]

If you could open your own zoo, what 3 animals would you start with? Why?If you had to live with a zoo animal at the zoo for a year which one would you choose? What about in you own home?Have you ever got to name any animals? Which ones and how did you pick?Throw some zookeeper lingo at us. What are some cool terms used at zoos that mean something else outside a zoo?

1.) This is assuming unlimited funds and availability of said animals, but if I was building a new zoo from the ground up and had to start with only three animals I would go with giant pandas, gorillas, and giraffes.Giant pandas bring in a lot of visitors and visitors = money that can be used to build state of the art facilities and expand the zoo. Gorillas are an animal that visitors can spend a lot of time watching without getting bored. Giraffes because having an animal that the public can feed and interact with is key to getting return visits from the public. I could go with something like a petting zoo here too, but giraffes are more exciting to the public even though they are really just 18' tall cows.2. Do I have to live in the same space with it? if so I'm going with something like a lemur or even a domestic like a horse or cow. If I had to bring one home I'd pick something small like a snake or other reptile3. BAR = Bright, Alert, Responsive. It's used a lot in our daily keeper reports. S.P.I.D.E.R is an acronym for writing animal training programs. ZIMS is a new worldwide zoo animal information database that is going online later this year. does that suffice?

 

[valence]

I knew a zookeeper who cared for the naked mole rats. I got a "backstage tour" of the naked mole rats.Do you give backstage tours?

yes we do. mostly for donors or VIPs and such, but we are also allowed to bring friends and family behind the scenes as well. We also do a silent auction every year where behind the scenes tours are auctioned off to the highes bidder.

 

[valence]

Do the animals seem irritated that you've been ignoring them to post in the FFA for the past two days?

No, what I do with my days off or on my lunch breaks are none of their business.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

I would like to hear an "Oh My God, that did not just happen moment " story in each of the following three areas:

1) An animal displaying intelligence that shocked you

2) An animal displaying physical ability/agility that shocked you

3) An animal displaying empathy that shocked you

thanks, and again, just a great thread.

 

[valence]

Female Zookeepers. What's the story there? Are they freaky? Do they respond to displays and then make vocalizations during? Give us the dirt.

Most are a little strange. You have to be a little weird to do what we do for a living. I have not found them to be any more or less freaky than other women in general. They are generally more caring and willing to please though.Sorry to disappoint you.

 

[valence]

As a follow up:lets say an army of tigers, chimps, gorillas, wolverines, locust, screw worms, and honey badgers rode in on the back of blue whales and tried to assault an island defended by great white sharks, crocodiles, leopards, anacondas, boars, porcupines and lambs.What would the probable outcome be?

Very interesting thread.I think the first group slaughters the second group. I don't think there is anyway to stop the Blue Whale landing craft. They will take some hits from the sharks but still be able to deliver. Once the group got past the crocs on the beach, it would be over.

I agree. The tigers themselves could take out everything in the second group (save the shark).

Only if the chimps can keep everything together. I can imagine that the tigers may get a little anxious riding on and with a bunch of prey animals. I could easily see anarchy here.

 

[valence]

So how much does the zoo spend a day feeding the animals?What's your normal day like? I am guessing you have assigned animals to take care of?

No idea on the $ figure, but it's quite a lot. I believe our operating budget for the year is around $30 million and we are just a medium sized zoo. The really big ones are in the hundreds of millions.Depends what area I'm working in, but it always starts with checking on all the animals as soon I get in - usually betwen 7 and 7:30 am. After that diets are prepared and fed out while doing any medicating or other medical care for sick or injured animals. Volunteers will arrive somewhere between 8 and 9 if we are lucky enough to have any help that day. After breakfasts are fed then we start the cleaning routine. This usually takes 2-3 hours depending on what area you are working and how many keepers and volunteers are present. Once a week disinfection days add another hour or so to that time.After lunch we usually have time for projects, training and enrichment, but sometimes meetings get in the way of that. Closing time is 4pm in the offseason and I usually leave for the day somewhere between 4 and 5. Unless of course there is an after hours donor tour which could keep me here as late as 8 or 9pm.

 

[valence]

Have you ever raced a cheetah? If so, who won?

never, but I'm sure the cheetah has this in the bag. Some zoos do cheetah speed tests as an educational show. We don't have cheetahs, but if we did it would be something I would like to do.

 

[RebelINS]

What was your favorite animal growing up?

Did you always think you'd work with animals or did it just kind of fall into place?

You talked earlier about loving to work with birds of prey. Is there a particular type of bird you haven't worked with that you'd really like to get the chance with?

 

[Harry Manback]

I would like to hear an "Oh My God, that did not just happen moment " story in each of the following three areas:1) An animal displaying intelligence that shocked you2) An animal displaying physical ability/agility that shocked you3) An animal displaying empathy that shocked youthanks, and again, just a great thread.

AWESOME questions.Very interested in these answers.

 

[MC Gusto]

I've always been intrigued by birds of prey. Can you talk a little more about the bond that is formed b/t a bird and it's handler? It seems like they're such independent animals. What is it that makes them so loyal?

 

[gianmarco]

Have you ever raced a cheetah? If so, who won?

never, but I'm sure the cheetah has this in the bag. Some zoos do cheetah speed tests as an educational show. We don't have cheetahs, but if we did it would be something I would like to do.

The educational show or actually race it? Btw, GREAT thread.

 

[Harry Manback]

I've always been intrigued by birds of prey. Can you talk a little more about the bond that is formed b/t a bird and it's handler? It seems like they're such independent animals. What is it that makes them so loyal?

I always think of the book The Hatchet/The River and his pet Peregrine.

 

[valence]

I would like to hear an "Oh My God, that did not just happen moment " story in each of the following three areas:

1) An animal displaying intelligence that shocked you

2) An animal displaying physical ability/agility that shocked you

3) An animal displaying empathy that shocked you

thanks, and again, just a great thread.

1.) I'll go with Malayan Tapirs for this one. I've only been working with these guys for the last two years since I've been at WPZ, but they have become one of my absolute favorites. Hoofstock in general are not considered to be extremely intelligent, but tapirs, or at least our tapirs seem to have some problem solving ability. Last fall when the leaves had pretty much all fallen off the trees, I witnessed it first hand. Mama tapir (Kelang) was stretching up to reach a branch that still had quite a few fresh leaves left, but the branch was just out of reach of her amazing mini-trunk like proboscis. She called a few times to baby tapir (Rindang) and Rindang (who was really a juvenile but we still call her baby) came over to investigate the situation. Keland sat down on her hind legs kind of like a dog sits. Rindang proceeded to prop her 700lb body up on Kelangs back and got just enough extra height to bring down the branch for them both to share. I couldn't believe it, but team tapir displayed a level of intelligence that I and their other keepers had not thought possible.2. One of scariest ones happened just last year when we got in our new male silverback gorilla Leonel. It was my first day working gorillas in quite some time and it was the first time meeting Leo. He has had a history of abuse with men so he wasn't so happy to meet me. As soon as I entered his area he charged the mesh separating me and him and hit it so hard that it left a 400 lb gorilla sized dent in some heavy gauge mesh. The female keepers promptly shifted him out of the area and facilities was called to immediately install a much much stronger barrier between him and the keeper staff.

3. I'll go with gorillas again on this one. Often times, a first time mother will reject their infants. In these cases the baby gorilla is often hand raised until it can take care of itself. We always try to find a surrogate mother for them. Usually an older female that has had experience raising babies. It always amazes me the level of compassion often shown to the baby who is not their own. That happened with our oldest gorilla Nina and one of our nine year olds named Akenji. Akenji's mother rejected her for whatever reason, but Nina stepped in and raised her and today they have one of the strongest bonds of any two of our gorillas.

 

[rabidfireweasel]

I would like to hear an "Oh My God, that did not just happen moment " story in each of the following three areas:

1) An animal displaying intelligence that shocked you

2) An animal displaying physical ability/agility that shocked you

3) An animal displaying empathy that shocked you

thanks, and again, just a great thread.

1.) I'll go with Malayan Tapirs for this one. I've only been working with these guys for the last two years since I've been at WPZ, but they have become one of my absolute favorites. Hoofstock in general are not considered to be extremely intelligent, but tapirs, or at least our tapirs seem to have some problem solving ability. Last fall when the leaves had pretty much all fallen off the trees, I witnessed it first hand. Mama tapir (Kelang) was stretching up to reach a branch that still had quite a few fresh leaves left, but the branch was just out of reach of her amazing mini-trunk like proboscis. She called a few times to baby tapir (Rindang) and Rindang (who was really a juvenile but we still call her baby) came over to investigate the situation. Keland sat down on her hind legs kind of like a dog sits. Rindang proceeded to prop her 700lb body up on Kelangs back and got just enough extra height to bring down the branch for them both to share. I couldn't believe it, but team tapir displayed a level of intelligence that I and their other keepers had not thought possible.2. One of scariest ones happened just last year when we got in our new male silverback gorilla Leonel. It was my first day working gorillas in quite some time and it was the first time meeting Leo. He has had a history of abuse with men so he wasn't so happy to meet me. As soon as I entered his area he charged the mesh separating me and him and hit it so hard that it left a 400 lb gorilla sized dent in some heavy gauge mesh. The female keepers promptly shifted him out of the area and facilities was called to immediately install a much much stronger barrier between him and the keeper staff.

3. I'll go with gorillas again on this one. Often times, a first time mother will reject their infants. In these cases the baby gorilla is often hand raised until it can take care of itself. We always try to find a surrogate mother for them. Usually an older female that has had experience raising babies. It always amazes me the level of compassion often shown to the baby who is not their own. That happened with our oldest gorilla Nina and one of our nine year olds named Akenji. Akenji's mother rejected her for whatever reason, but Nina stepped in and raised her and today they have one of the strongest bonds of any two of our gorillas.

awesome thought reply!

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Female Zookeepers. What's the story there? Are they freaky? Do they respond to displays and then make vocalizations during? Give us the dirt.

Most are a little strange. You have to be a little weird to do what we do for a living. I have not found them to be any more or less freaky than other women in general. They are generally more caring and willing to please though.Sorry to disappoint you.

Not at all displeased learning they are willing to please.How is the money realitive to the median income in the area you live in?On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? I'm a lawyer, I'd rate mine a 3.

 

[valence]

What was your favorite animal growing up?

Did you always think you'd work with animals or did it just kind of fall into place?

You talked earlier about loving to work with birds of prey. Is there a particular type of bird you haven't worked with that you'd really like to get the chance with?

Growing up I was way into whales and sharks - still am, but I haven't worked with marine mammals or sharks in a zoo\aquarium setting. However, I am an avid scuba diver and have dove (and continue to dive) with many species of sharks and marine mammals.As a kid I was a human sponge and read everything about animals that I could get my hands on. In my teenage years I had many pets lizards, small rodents, dogs, birds, invertebrates, etc. Despite all this enthusiasm for them I took a different road in college and actually started out as a chemical engineering major. After learning that I was not as good at high level calculus and physics as I thought I was I moved over to a life science degree. Toward the end of college was when I started focusing more toward trying to care and educate about animals professionally.

Honestly though I got really lucky. I was in the right place at the right time and my first internship kind of fell into my lap. My first job at the zoo was teaching zoo summer camp and the camp director mentioned my name to the Children's zoo curator and it kind of took off from there after that internship. It doesn't happen that easy for most people unfortunately. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment, and determination to get to where I am now. I passed up several much higher paying jobs after college and even several years after college. I've always placed having a job that you love higher than one you hate but are making a ton of money. I think it's because of how much I love my job that I have been successful.

I'd love to work with a Bateleur Eagle and do more work with eagles in general. I haven't worked birds of prey since I moved to Seattle though. I do miss it.

 

[RebelINS]

I'd love to work with a Bateleur Eagle and do more work with eagles in general. I haven't worked birds of prey since I moved to Seattle though. I do miss it.

Man, that's a cool looking bird.

 

[valence]

I've always been intrigued by birds of prey. Can you talk a little more about the bond that is formed b/t a bird and it's handler? It seems like they're such independent animals. What is it that makes them so loyal?

The bond between a Falconer and his bird is one based off mutual respect. Traditionally Falconers use their birds to hunt. After a successful kill the bird and the falconer share the meal so in a sense they rely on each other for sustinance. One reason almost every zoo has a Harris' Hawk is because of this previous fact. Harris' Hawks are unique in that they will work together with other Harris' Hawks to take down larger prey and share the kill. They make great Falconer birds because they handler in a sense becomes a member of the pack. Instead of hunting with other birds, they hunt with the handler.It's a tough road though. a bird of prey must go through a period of being "manned down" where they learn to take food from the handler(s), get comfortable on the glove and eventually get to a point where the bird can reliably fly untethered and return to the glove. This transition can take a long time and is different for every bird.Obviously in a zoo setting we aren't doing hunting with the birds, but the ones that can fly are used in an education show where they get to fly and show off their skills with a lure. Unfortunately, many of the birds we get in zoos are rehabs that were shot, or hit by a car or had some other injury that prevents them from flying.

 

[valence]

Female Zookeepers. What's the story there? Are they freaky? Do they respond to displays and then make vocalizations during? Give us the dirt.

Most are a little strange. You have to be a little weird to do what we do for a living. I have not found them to be any more or less freaky than other women in general. They are generally more caring and willing to please though.Sorry to disappoint you.

Not at all displeased learning they are willing to please.How is the money realitive to the median income in the area you live in?On a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your job satisfaction? I'm a lawyer, I'd rate mine a 3.

I make about $25 an hour which is probably right in the middle or a little lower. I haven't specifically looked at median income numbers for Seattle. Keep in mind though that this zoo is one of the highest paid in the country and that I've been doing it for ten years to get to that point. Starting pay is much, much lower.I'd put job satisfaction at a 8 or 9 depending on the day and area I'm working. Sorry to hear that your's is so low. I almost applied to law school for environmental law. Glad I didn't

 

[valence]

back to work. I'll try to answer some more tonight.

Serious question though: do you think people would be interested reading a book full of real zookeeper stories?

 

[HERBERT THE HIPPO]

If you could open your own zoo, what 3 animals would you start with? Why?

If you had to live with a zoo animal at the zoo for a year which one would you choose? What about in you own home?

Have you ever got to name any animals? Which ones and how did you pick?

Throw some zookeeper lingo at us. What are some cool terms used at zoos that mean something else outside a zoo?

1.) This is assuming unlimited funds and availability of said animals, but if I was building a new zoo from the ground up and had to start with only three animals I would go with giant pandas, gorillas, and giraffes.Giant pandas bring in a lot of visitors and visitors = money that can be used to build state of the art facilities and expand the zoo. Gorillas are an animal that visitors can spend a lot of time watching without getting bored. Giraffes because having an animal that the public can feed and interact with is key to getting return visits from the public. I could go with something like a petting zoo here too, but giraffes are more exciting to the public even though they are really just 18' tall cows.

2. Do I have to live in the same space with it? if so I'm going with something like a lemur or even a domestic like a horse or cow. If I had to bring one home I'd pick something small like a snake or other reptile

3. BAR = Bright, Alert, Responsive. It's used a lot in our daily keeper reports. S.P.I.D.E.R is an acronym for writing animal training programs. ZIMS is a new worldwide zoo animal information database that is going online later this year. does that suffice?

No hippo? Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.......I would start a zoo with:

1. Hippo

2. White Tiger

3. Giraffe

How do you like my choices?

 

[ACE]

Best. Thread. Ever.

I have always been curious: a lot of people (usually those who are unfaithful in their own relationships) that monogamy is unnatural. I know that there are a number of cases of animals mating for life with one partner though. Are there any noteworthy examples of monogamy amongst zoo animals that you've either witnessed firsthand or heard anecdotal evidence of?

Thanks for doing this.

 

[ACE]

Serious question though: do you think people would be interested reading a book full of real zookeeper stories?

Obviously. I find this stuff extremely interesting.

 

[HERBERT THE HIPPO]

Is Stanley Livingston your idol?

 

[HERBERT THE HIPPO]

How much wood would a Woodchuck chuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

 

[HERBERT THE HIPPO]

Can a woodchuck actually chuck wood?

 

[HERBERT THE HIPPO]

Have you ever worked with Manatee's, they have a bunch of them in the Tampa zoo.

 

[gianmarco]

If you could open your own zoo, what 3 animals would you start with? Why?

If you had to live with a zoo animal at the zoo for a year which one would you choose? What about in you own home?

Have you ever got to name any animals? Which ones and how did you pick?

Throw some zookeeper lingo at us. What are some cool terms used at zoos that mean something else outside a zoo?

1.) This is assuming unlimited funds and availability of said animals, but if I was building a new zoo from the ground up and had to start with only three animals I would go with giant pandas, gorillas, and giraffes.Giant pandas bring in a lot of visitors and visitors = money that can be used to build state of the art facilities and expand the zoo. Gorillas are an animal that visitors can spend a lot of time watching without getting bored. Giraffes because having an animal that the public can feed and interact with is key to getting return visits from the public. I could go with something like a petting zoo here too, but giraffes are more exciting to the public even though they are really just 18' tall cows.

2. Do I have to live in the same space with it? if so I'm going with something like a lemur or even a domestic like a horse or cow. If I had to bring one home I'd pick something small like a snake or other reptile

3. BAR = Bright, Alert, Responsive. It's used a lot in our daily keeper reports. S.P.I.D.E.R is an acronym for writing animal training programs. ZIMS is a new worldwide zoo animal information database that is going online later this year. does that suffice?

No hippo? Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet.......I would start a zoo with:

1. Hippo

2. White Tiger

3. Giraffe

How do you like my choices?

I'm no zookeeper but I think he likes your 3rd choice.

 

[grapeape]

Serious question, did you ever play the arcade game "Zoo Keeper" in the 80s? It was one of my favorites.

 

[Harry Manback]

back to work. I'll try to answer some more tonight.Serious question though: do you think people would be interested reading a book full of real zookeeper stories?

Absolutely.A behind the scenes insight into the lives of animals people pay money to simply catch a glimpse at...definitely.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Last time I was at the zoo, a tiger squirted at me. Is this normal or was the tiger that impressed by my beauty?