Oh, so your a zookeeper eh?

So it has occurred to me that while I do work at a zoo, many people may not realize what exactly it is that I do.  My job is common in the zoo field, but not what first pops into most people’s heads when they hear about where I work.  And since it seems people are actually reading this blog (woohoo!) I thought I should probably clarify what my job entails.

I do not feed, clean, monitor, or work extensively with any of the animals.  I do not get to go in animal barns or behind the scenes without permission.  I do not get to go in with the elephants or pet the lion (nobody gets to do these things anyways, not even the zoo director for what I hope would be obvious reasons).  I don’t give shots, I don’t do vet care, and I don’t prepare animal diets. 

I am not a zookeeper.

I am an educator. 

I do get to give programs to children, school groups, adults, seniors, girl scouts and anyone else that schedules a program on zoo grounds.  I get to work with a select group of education animals and handle them during programs (chinchillas, snakes, lizards, frogs, owls, etc.) but I do not actually feed or clean these animals.  I do train these education animals.  As the Manager of Onsite Programs and Special Events I am also in charge of organizing some of the events that occur at our zoo, including our annual Earth Day celebration that sees over 1,500 visitors.  I train and mentor our Docents and other zoo volunteers.  I develop graphics for the zoo.  And I do a host of other things that crop up, such as camps, zoomobiles, distance learning, radio shows, and newspaper articles to name a few.

Some of our wonderful volunteers and I at the Denver Repository on our annual Docent trip

As a result, about 70% of my job is desk work: developing, scheduling, evaluating programs and workshops, designing graphics, planning events, and things like that.  In April and May I get really busy when field trip season hits and there is sometimes up to 15 programs in one day (I don’t do all 15 programs, praise the Lord, because we have wonderful volunteers and other staff that help).  April is also our Earth Day event which zaps all my time and energy.  About 90% of my job is indoors (for which I am very grateful when the weather is bad, but for which I am regretful when the day is gorgeous and I am locked inside). 

Zoos actually have many other jobs besides being a zookeeper.  Don’t get me wrong, zookeepers are the most common zoo job and they are so incredibly important, often working holidays, weekends, evenings, and during extreme weather conditions (hey, the animals still need to be fed and cleaned even if it is Christmas and -10 degrees outside!).  But there is also the maintenance crew, the vet staff, administrative assistance, record keepers (registrars), and of course us educators. 

All facility require individuals with different talents to work together in order to accomplish a task.  The zoo is no different.  Keepers care for the animals.  I teach.

So I hope you learned something!  Otherwise, I am not a very good teacher.

P.S.  there are lots of opportunities for educators to have experiences with other animals as well.  I have fed and touched an elephant, rubbed a lemur’s belly, fed a giraffe, viewed otter babies, lion cubs, and other new arrivals before the public, and things like that.  Today for instance I had the opportunity to watch the arrival of one of our newest animals and see our new Jaguar, Kira, up close (through a fence of course). 

All in a day’s work!

Giraffe encounter at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

Getting to meet a wallaby at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo