I was a zookeeper at National Zoo. AMA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you ever met Terry, Bindi, or Robert Irwin?

Nope. I do really like Bindi, though. She seems like a very smart, kind, and overall good person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Easter Monday was a bit scary. We were told to absolutely not confront anyone under any circumstances, even if an animal was in danger.

Why Easter Monday in particular?

There is gang activity. People have been shot.

Why do gangs pick Easter Monday? I mean, it's not like a lot of them are big followers of Easter right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Easter Monday was a bit scary. We were told to absolutely not confront anyone under any circumstances, even if an animal was in danger.

Why Easter Monday in particular?

There is gang activity. People have been shot.

Why do gangs pick Easter Monday? I mean, it's not like a lot of them are big followers of Easter right?

I'm inclined to think that MS-13, for example is. Salvadoran in origin, so fundamentally Catholic. But I could be wrong, just conjecture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you or have you also owned pets? If so what kinds?
How do you feel about pet ownership and pet trade in general, esp for exotic animals like birds snakes lizards tigers etc?

Yea, I grew up with tons of animals. For most of my life I had anywhere from 1-2 dozen pets at any given moment.

Right now we just have a couple dogs and small rodents. I would like more, but with little kids, pets are a LOT. In 5 years or so I'd love to move to a farm and have more animals.

I don't think most people should own exotic animals because they just can't care for them properly. Pet birds are treated horribly, they're intelligent & social animals that most people keep solo in tiny cages with nothing for them to do. Snakes are kept in tanks so small they can't stretch out fully. Most animals are rehomed multiple times or neglected until they die. I've known people with big cats like tigers and lions, and they're kept in tiny cages. There's a guy who lives in Arlington - I think he's an attorney - and he has an entire basement crammed full of animals, including lemurs, large birds kept in small cages, and I believe a falcon that is tied up and never actually flown (if you don't know, when it comes to falconry, birds need to be flown for several HOURS per day. Keeping them tied up in a basement is highly unethical).

I don't think these people are bad (except maybe attorney guy, collecting/hoarding is just plain unethical and everyone should know better), I just think people have no idea what it takes to properly care for a parrot or iguana. I do think there should be some sort of licensing requirement with required coursework. And things like tigers or primates - no way. Nobody should have them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this is very interesting and I hope you're still answering.

I've noticed that most of the zookeepers are younger and I assume they switch careers at some point for all the reasons you stated. What types of jobs do zookeepers typically move on to? It seems like such a specific set of job skills that wouldn't transfer easily to other careers.

Do most zookeepers focus on working with one type of animal? Like do the bird keepers only get the job after interning as bird keepers or can someone who volunteered with elephants switch to working with seals? Are there certain animal keeper jobs that are the most in demand? Like does everyone want to work with the pandas?

What I really want to know is are there certain zookeeper personality types that tend to work with different animals? Like do the lion keeper jobs attract the Joe Exotic/Carol Baskin types vs. the panda keeper jobs?

Ooooo good questions!

Most of the women leave after they have kids. I did. It's just too hard to do with kids. A lot become SAHMs - we have a strong drive to caretake. But it can be totally random what we do later on. I do freelance work, which I never would have thought I'd do 15 years ago. My best friend from my zoo days is now a park ranger. My H wasn't a zookeeper, but he did wildlife rehabilitation and is now an environmental scientist. Vet techs and dog/cat rescue also happen. Some go on to get graduate degrees and do research.

Most focus on one type of animal. I have a little bit of experience with everything, but specialized in a couple types. It's WAY easier to get a job if you have a specialty. You can switch after getting job, especially if you become friends with the people in that department.

Big mammals are the most in demand. Elephants, sea lions, carnivores, primates, etc.

Funnily enough, most keepers think pandas are overrated. They're basically like dogs. They're also a lot smaller up close than you'd think.

Yes! There are definitely personality types. Reptile people are like reptiles - a bit weird, can go all day without seeing other people and be fine. Primate people are social. Bird people are quirky and kind of misfits. The people who want to work with the big animals tend to have big personalities. Absolutely, there are the guys like Joe Exotic who want to show off how bad@$$ they are with the big animals. I have a friend like that, he wrestles alligators because he thinks it makes him look cool or whatever.

Interesting! What were some of the good parts of working at the zoo? Do you miss it? Would you have liked to stay there if the job was more flexible? What was it like to be in the zoo before/after hours? I think that would be so cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, this is very interesting and I hope you're still answering.

I've noticed that most of the zookeepers are younger and I assume they switch careers at some point for all the reasons you stated. What types of jobs do zookeepers typically move on to? It seems like such a specific set of job skills that wouldn't transfer easily to other careers.

Do most zookeepers focus on working with one type of animal? Like do the bird keepers only get the job after interning as bird keepers or can someone who volunteered with elephants switch to working with seals? Are there certain animal keeper jobs that are the most in demand? Like does everyone want to work with the pandas?

What I really want to know is are there certain zookeeper personality types that tend to work with different animals? Like do the lion keeper jobs attract the Joe Exotic/Carol Baskin types vs. the panda keeper jobs?

Ooooo good questions!

Most of the women leave after they have kids. I did. It's just too hard to do with kids. A lot become SAHMs - we have a strong drive to caretake. But it can be totally random what we do later on. I do freelance work, which I never would have thought I'd do 15 years ago. My best friend from my zoo days is now a park ranger. My H wasn't a zookeeper, but he did wildlife rehabilitation and is now an environmental scientist. Vet techs and dog/cat rescue also happen. Some go on to get graduate degrees and do research.

Most focus on one type of animal. I have a little bit of experience with everything, but specialized in a couple types. It's WAY easier to get a job if you have a specialty. You can switch after getting job, especially if you become friends with the people in that department.

Big mammals are the most in demand. Elephants, sea lions, carnivores, primates, etc.

Funnily enough, most keepers think pandas are overrated. They're basically like dogs. They're also a lot smaller up close than you'd think.

Yes! There are definitely personality types. Reptile people are like reptiles - a bit weird, can go all day without seeing other people and be fine. Primate people are social. Bird people are quirky and kind of misfits. The people who want to work with the big animals tend to have big personalities. Absolutely, there are the guys like Joe Exotic who want to show off how bad@$$ they are with the big animals. I have a friend like that, he wrestles alligators because he thinks it makes him look cool or whatever.

Interesting! What were some of the good parts of working at the zoo? Do you miss it? Would you have liked to stay there if the job was more flexible? What was it like to be in the zoo before/after hours? I think that would be so cool.

The baby animals were the best part. But also knowing I was making a difference - in improving animals’ quality of life, in helping inspire kids, and in doing direct conservation work.

I miss it a LOT. Now I live in a city without a zoo, so unless I open my own, it’s no longer an option for me.

It can be a bit spooky before/after hours. At a zoo I worked at in Texas, there was a local mountain lion that would go in at night, so if you got in early enough you’d sometimes see it. I’m sure i walked right by it multiple times in the morning, they are practically invisible.

And you always wonder if an animal escaped overnight and is lying in wait to attack. But it’s also cool walking around when no one else is there - the animals sometimes behave in completely different ways.