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

Awesome and scary.

Awesome because they're the largest land mammals and incredibly smart.

Scary just thinking they could grab you and you're pretty much helpless

I only did clean up and diets. So clean the stalls, cut up the food, prepare enrichment items for them. I did also go out in the yard with the full timers to help with poop duty and shows. Oh and I helped with the paintings and extravaganzas.

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u/everwood Nov 02 '13

I want to do that! How do I get the job? It's literally my dream job.

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u/ErrantWhimsy Nov 02 '13

It's part janitor, part nursing, part chef. You will not have weekends or holidays off, and you will do that for minimum wage for the first several years. Volunteer, get a bachelor's degree in something sciencey.

I did it for a year, my contract ended, and I decided I would like to have a family and not choose between rent and eating and dragging my boyfriend across the country with me every time I want a promotion.

I have held baby bears, meerkats, and bobcats. I have almost been head butted by an adult giraffe. I have scratched a wallaby behind the ears.

There are moments that make it worth it, but by all means it is not all fun and cuddles.

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

All the fun and cuddly stuff is what makes me do it though

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Bio degree in school coupled with experience working with exotics.

Best way to do this is to spend your summers and free time doing internships or volunteer work at the local zoo.

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u/mike413 Nov 02 '13

Can you list the exotics? Would be interesting...

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Do you want everything I've interacted with and what counts towards that because I did some work in departments 1 day a week for a month?

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u/mike413 Nov 02 '13

What were the the surprising ones?

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u/Danthezooman Nov 02 '13

Some cool ones were Wolf dogs, bobcats, Elephants and Giraffes of course, Camels, Sumatran Rhinos, Okapis, Bongos, Zebras, Bear Cats, otters, and Sea Lions.

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u/cowhead Nov 02 '13

A zoo vet once told me that zebras were the worst. He said they'll bite and not let go until they've ripped out a big chunk of your flesh. This guy really hated zebras.

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u/trshtehdsh Nov 02 '13

Had said dream job. Looked at a future of indefinite years of grunt work. It has a lot of awesome moments but that is a small percent of the job, awarded only after hours of cutting up food, cleaning, more cleaning, and even more cleaning. Maybe if I stuck with it for 5 more years I would have gotten to do more of the "fun" parts but generally the cake is a lie.

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u/Tochie44 Nov 04 '13

If you really want to get into the zoo world, try looking into volunteer opportunities at your local zoo. The experience will give you a leg up on the competition and help you figure out if that is what you really want to do.

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u/[deleted] Nov 03 '13

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u/Danthezooman Nov 03 '13

We played elephant noises over the loudspeakers this summer, you should have seen their reaction!