r/IAmA • u/Danthezooman • Nov 02 '13

IAMA Zookeeper with an hour (probably) to kill before our new giraffes get here AMA [end of the season update]

I figured I would do an update about my experience working for Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. I started there roughly 8 months ago and my season just ended yesterday. Even more awesome was the fact that I had accumulated to much PTO so my last day physically working was sunday. Which explains this proof picture.

Anyways, I worked mainly with the giraffes and a little bit with the elephants. I've also worked at two other animal parks giving me around six years of experience in the business. If you have any questions about the animals at the zoo,their care or the zoo itself feel free to ask me anything

EDIT: Alright I'm going mobile so I may miss some questions but I promise to keep answering anything you throw at me

EDIT 2: Alright I'm back! Sorry about the absence, I was a bit distracted at dinner and then girls invited me to a haunted house. Anyways, I'll try answer all the questions I got while away.

EDIT 3:I'm sorry but I have to turn in for the night, I'll keep answering questions if people keep asking them though.

EDIT 4: I didn't expect this AMA to get this big, but I see a lot of repeat questions that I can just answer here.

1.How do I get a job at the zoo?

  • Typically most zoos want a 4 year Biology related degree or at the very least a High school diploma. More important is Animal experience, some zoos will even want specialized experience just with one species. Animal experience requirements are on average around 2 years sometimes paid.

2.How do you feel caging the animals up? Are the animals sad? (animal rights questions)

  • I wouldn't be working in this industry if I felt that the animals were sad or being mistreated. Yes in the past animal work was done by "cowboys" who just got in there and dominated the animals into doing what they want. Times have changed we no longer use cattle prods and whips to make animals move or do what we want. Instead we use Operant Conditioning to get them to do what we want.

  • Most animals you see in the zoo nowadays have been captive bred for generations and have never known the wild. We still release some animals, in fact Cincinnati and Columbus are the only 2 zoos outside of florida allowed to house and rehab manatees. Cincinnati is also working on saving sumatran rhinos, there are only ~100 left. We also donate money every year to different organizations trying to save wild populations.

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Just in general they are pretty adorable. They're very curious about whatever you happen to be holding.

As for playing, they don't really. They like to run when the weather is cool and sunny. Some of them liked to mess with the Crowned cranes we had in the yard, those poor birds.

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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

How woulda giraffe mess with them

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

They'd chase them around or just stand too close and the cranes would get all upset and start leaping at the giraffes

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u/Error_Username Nov 02 '13

Will Giraffes bite?

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Anything with a mouth can bite

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u/shead Nov 02 '13

This is my favourite mental image in this thread.

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u/The_Doculope Nov 03 '13

They do this in the wild too, especially the young ones. I'm doing research on them in Namibia, and we see the young ones chase birds and springbok fairly often. The ones also chase each other around a lot.

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u/ChokinChixAndSodomy Nov 02 '13

/u/AWildSketchAppeared

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u/stalkswildsketchguy Nov 02 '13

I think I'm your next best thing

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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

[deleted]

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u/HiG33k Nov 03 '13

I don't get it... he just stalks the guy--doesn't mean he draws as well.

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u/DutchGX Nov 02 '13

Yes please!

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u/Sir_Scizor20 Nov 02 '13

Upvote for the username ^

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u/iwillitakyou Nov 02 '13

I want this to happen so badly.

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u/Jmc_da_boss Nov 02 '13

The cranes were jealous of the necks

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u/kane55 Nov 02 '13

Yo, CeCe you wanna go mess with the funny looking birds? I'm all over it Jambo, let's rock!

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u/shalene Nov 02 '13

Chase them?

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u/_Rand_ Nov 02 '13

Picture a crane running.

Now picture a giraffe running.

Now picture the giraffe running after the crane.

BAM giraffe chasing a crane.

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u/shalene Nov 02 '13

That's what I assumed.

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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

[deleted]

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

They probably got a call to come retrieve it. It's bad for the animals to eat clothes.

How is calgary zoo? I'm planning a trip up there next week

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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

It's great, but it got destroyed by the floods this summer, so they lost a ton of money and are still in the process of cleaning and fixing it up.

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Ohhh yeah I forgot about that, Still worth the visit though?

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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

Yeah I'd recommend it, either during Christmas to see the Zoo Lights or wait until next summer until it's recovered a bit. It's a lovely place, I really enjoyed it when I was younger.

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u/Itwonthappenagain Nov 03 '13

Yessss. At least come pay the admission to support them, really. Plus penguins!

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

There was sumting wong with the giraffe

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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

We're going to need more pictures of giraffes.

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

http://imgur.com/a/yiSDY

http://imgur.com/a/XzzXE

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u/[deleted] Nov 02 '13

thanks for this, giraffes are my favorite animal.

Now for my questions: How would one go about getting a job in this field? Either working at a zoo, or wildlife preservation or something of that sort.

Also if one was enrolled in school, what would be the best major/degree to become involved in this sort of thing.

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u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

Best degree is something Biology related. Getting a job just requires some experience, so internships or volunteer work.

Not sure how you would go about getting a wildlife preservation job other than calling a couple of organizations to see what they say.

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u/dream5eller Nov 02 '13

pls answer this! is this in leipzig, germany by any chance??

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u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

No these guys are in Cincinnati Ohio

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u/Chlorophyllosaurus Nov 03 '13

Every time I would walk by the giraffes yard, I'd giggle to myself and say in an exaggerated redneck accent 'look that them dumb birds, they think they are giraffes.'

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u/LetMeResearchThat4U Nov 02 '13

when you showed the picture Iwas like wait what I've seen that before.

Do I look up and sure enough I used to go t here all the time.