Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal. To meet the Interns, read the Intern Profiles.

Each morning the workday of the field keepers at the Wild Animal Park begins promptly at 6 a.m. with an all-staff meeting to organize the day. Food for the animals in each enclosure is determined by the nutritionists based on the needs of the animals, but it is  picked up by the keepers on the way out to the field.

Like all of the other animal care staff we have encountered, these keepers feed and check up on each of the animals under their care. This can be a challenging job because every animal in the exhibit must be accounted for. Did I mention that the exhibits at the Wild Animal Park are huge? It can be difficult to identify sick animals as they avoid showing signs of illness in order to avoid the attention of predators. Each animal has an ear tag and a system of ear notches so the staff can tell one little brown animal from the next. Keepers maintain detailed records for every animal in the enclosures. These records include daily accounts of individual animals and are compiled in a “Red Book.” Every enclosure in the Zoo and Park has one. It’s an old-fashioned way to communicate, but keepers read through the records at the beginning of the day and record what happened with their animals at the end of each shift so that everyone stays well informed.  

This is a high-energy and exciting job with a lot of hands-on time with the animals. In order to work as a keeper, you must have a large amount of hands-on experience with animals. Tammy Batson began as a student of veterinary medicine at University of California, Davis, but soon realized that it was not her calling. She became an exotic animal trainer, working first at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and then at the San Diego Zoo as a tour bus driver. This taught her many things about animals that she had not previously learned and opened up new opportunities with the Zoological Society of San Diego. Getting as much experience with animals as possible, both domestic and exotic, and to receive as much education as possible is her personal recommendation. After spending a few hours in the back of a keeper truck, I understand why Ms. Batson (and our driver/animal keeper Torrey) have so much love and enthusiasm for their jobs. 

-Ariel, Zoo InternQuest, Animal Careers Team 

Inter-species Enrichment
The extra-large exhibits at the Wild Animal Park allows for a new flexibility in captive populations. The vast amount of space can house larger numbers of animals, and multiple males can even coexist in the same enclosure. This happens because each male is able to stake out territory, thus preventing serious violent conflict. This situation places animals in a relatively stress-free environment, where they have the space to roam freely.  Extra space also relieves any strain put on the Park due to reproduction, giving more species the opportunity to breed. This is obvious at the Wild Animal Park, which has had an astounding number of births over its 35 years of existence.

Multi-species exhibits also provide a form of enrichment for both animals and people. In a naturalistic environment, animals can develop social hierarchies and can interact with other animals from their place of origin. This preserves natural instincts and encourages normal behaviors. It also adds new variables to behavioral studies, as biologists can observe a species’ social characteristics among its own group as well as its interactions with different animals.

This atmosphere increases the public’s awareness of conservation, as more people can appreciate wildlife in a natural setting. And, in the spirit of the “Real World” theme of this blog, it’s fair to say that in the real world, most people will not take a safari trip to Africa. When they come to the Wild Animal Park, this experience is as close as they can come to seeing animals in the wild. In a sense, it redefines the meaning of the word “zoo” and it humbles us all as we view the beauty of the natural world. 

-Megan, Zoo Internquest, Real World Team,  

Rhinos of All Kinds, Oh!
Our last week as interns turned out to be very exciting! After hopping into the back of a pickup truck, sitting on some hay bales, we drove out into some of the large animal enclosures at the Wild Animal Park. This reminded me of my African safari last summer, except with a lot more rhinos. In Africa, I was lucky to view one rhino sitting alone in the middle of Ngorongoro Crater, while at the Park, they were running all over the place and even bumping against our truck. Turns out that the Wild Animal Park has the largest population of captive rhinos in the world!
 
We encountered endangered white and Indian rhinos as well as black rhinos, which are critically endangered. The breeding program at the Park is amazing. When the number of southern white rhinos in the wild fell below 2,000, there were 50 of them being raised in San Diego. This captive breeding program is so effective that in the case of the Indian rhino, the keepers must separate the dominant male from the females in order to limit the number of babies they produce.
 
This is vastly important to wildlife conservation because if the number of wild rhinos drops to critically low levels, then the Wild Animal Park will be able to reintroduce their rhinos back into the wild to augment the declines. Also, by allowing the public to view these amazing animals, the Park is spreading the message that rhinos are endangered and that they need our help in order to stop poaching in the wild. reintroduce their rhinos back into the wild to augment the declines. Also by allowing the public to view these amazing animals, the Park is spreading the message that rhinos are endangered and that they need our help in order to stop poaching in the wild. 

- Sarah, Zoo InternQuest, Conservation Team

 

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