Ms. Wilson-Pastore attended Long Beach State University and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in biology and an emphasis in animal behavior. After receiving her degree, she worked for one year at the Santa Ana Zoo, where she had spent a semester volunteering for free watching and recording the behaviors of animals in a new mixed-species exhibit. Although she was working with animals, Ms. Wilson-Pastore had set her mind to working at the San Diego Zoo. She started out in a temporary summer job as an educator guide at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. Since that was a temporary job, when the summer ended she had to find a job to keep paying the bills. She actually worked in the title insurance business for a few years, in the meantime applying for any and all animal-related jobs at the Zoo. She joined the San Diego Zoo’s Education Department and then worked her way into the Behavior Department and her dream job. That job was to personally work with animals (like the red kangaroo we met!) and train them. Working with animals, she told us, fulfils her because she is a voice for the animals. She has the job of her dreams, and her happiness shows!

- Elizabeth, Zoo InternQuest, Animal Careers Team

Positive Rewards

Animal trainer Britta Wilson-Pastore works exclusively with animal ambassadors. These animals appear in a variety of educational shows at the Zoo, make appearances at events at the Zoo, and sometimes visit schools. To be an animal ambassador, the animals are carefully trained using positive reinforcement to be comfortable around people and to respond to cues from their trainers. Food, toys and encouragement are all types of positive reinforcement, and an animal receives these treats upon completing a required task. Positive reinforcement can also be used in the daily lives of regular people who share their homes with domestic animals. Dog training, for example, uses many of the same key ideas. By giving your pet the skills that it needs, you are averting any type of conflict due to unwanted behavior on the animal’s part.

Of course, communicating specific actions to the animal can be tricky, so the trainers and the animals practice daily. I guess you should to if training your pet. Practice makes perfect! Trainers use a device called a clicker to bridge the time between action and reward. The clicking noise is followed shortly by a treat, so animals begin to recognize what they have done correctly and then repeat the behavior in order to be rewarded again. This type of interaction builds the trust that is necessary for a working relationship between a wild animal and a trainer. Training also allows animals to learn and remain motivated, which is extremely important for encouraging mental stimulation. This, in turn, creates a better environment for both the animal and for the people. From here, you can build a lasting and functioning friendship with your four-legged friend.

Who knew that giving your dog treats could be so beneficial!

-Megan, Zoo InternQuest, Real World Team

A “Show” of Support for Animals

The animals Ms. Wilson-Pastore and the other trainers in her team work with not only get trained to demonstrate natural behaviors on cue, but also get to flaunt their stuff at the two 20-minute shows the San Diego Zoo has daily.

In terms of conservation, says Ms. Wilson-Pastore, these 40 minutes are the most important of the day. She explained to us that the shows are to educate the public about the animals. Seeing the various animals in a closer and more personal setting than in the animal enclosures can create a bond between the guests and the animals. People who see the shows will learn more about the animals and will, in turn, care about what happens to them. In order for someone to care about a cause like conservation of animals and their habitats, you have to know about it. The animal shows at the San Diego Zoo bring people and wild animals together in a way that allows them to connect with the conservation messages. It is an experience they will not soon forget.

For instance, you might learn, as we did, that a binturong is a medium-sized black mammal that eats mainly fruit and lives in Southeast Asia. Ms. Wilson-Pastore brought out Bap Rang, her special binturong friend, to meet us. We fed Bap Rang fruit and posed for a picture with her on our laps. Talk about connecting with the animals! It was downright comical when she got up close and personal to sniff our ears and faces. It was surprising to me how coarse her hair was, and that she also smelled like popcorn! (We learned later that binturongs often smell like buttered popcorn.) After my close up encounter with Bap Rang, I know that I will care about binturongs and what happens to their species in the wild. And this is the ultimate goal of the animal shows, to have the public find out about the unique animals of the Earth and to take an interest in their future as well as our own.

-A.J., Zoo InternQuest, Conservation Team

We actually conducted an experiment designed to find hormone levels from animal feces! First, we had to play a little game of “Who Dung It?” in which the researchers challenged us to identify which animal was the source of each of five different fecal samples. Then, we took some feces, smashed it up, strained it, and diluted it. It was then ready to be tested for hormones. Some of the reasons scientists test the animals’ hormone levels are to look for patterns within a species or in an individual animal over time, or to determine if an animal is ready to mate.

It is important to know about animals’ hormone levels in order to manage them properly. When testing the hormone levels of a female to determine if she is receptive for mating, the results can determine if it is OK to place animals in an exhibit together. In some species, the animals will not tolerate being around each other if the timing isn’t right. Knowing the hormone levels of an animal like a clouded leopard can protect her and her mate from potential injury. Working together with the animal care staff, the work of the reproductive physiology team leads to further insight into the secrets of the animals that inhabit the earth’s ecosystems.

-Hayley, Zoo InternQuest, Real World Team

Sperms+Egg=Reproductive Physiology

At our second stop we met Dr. Barbara Durrant. She explained to us the processes necessary to freeze and unfreeze sperm and egg cells to be stored in the Frozen Zoo. Different cell types have different temperatures at which they must be frozen in order to remain viable.

Working as research technicians, we unfroze some sperm and examined them under a microscope. We then ran a mobility and dead/alive test. Much to my surprise, the mobility test that I performed is done entirely with no chemicals, or computers. Instead, everything is done by a human. Using a small calculating device, we counted the moving and non-moving sperm. The sperm sample that we looked at was not very mobile. So to “perk” up the sperm, Dr. Durrant administered pure caffeine, which promptly whipped them into action.

Most of the staff we met had Bachelor’s degrees in biology, biochemistry, or physiology. The heads of the divisions and the post-doctoral fellows have doctorate degrees (Ph.Ds). It was suggested that to enter this field, you do a lot of volunteering in places where you can get hands-on work. This is how most of them got their starts in the field. This field is not for the fecal squeamish, but because they do not need to draw blood to test for hormone levels anymore, it’s perfect for the blood squeamish!

-Ariel, Zoo InternQuest, Animal Career Team

Where Have all the Bears Gone?

One researcher, Dr. Tom Spady, spoke about populations of the world’s eight bear species. Dr. Spady specifically studies the American black bear in order to better understand the other species of bears. The black bear has a stable population in America, allowing Dr. Spady and his crew the opportunity to study the reproduction of this bear species as a model for other endangered bear species such as pandas and sun bears. Unfortunately, six of the world’s eight bear species are either endangered or threatened.

Recently, Dr. Spady visited South Dakota where he studied the “relationship between serum leptin, body weight, and body fat in semi-free ranging male black bears” across different seasons. Leptin is a protein hormone that regulates the energy intake of the body. He compared leptin and adiposity levels (body fat) to characterize the reproductive tendencies of the bears. This project was developed in order to find a way to actively stimulate the reproduction of bears in captivity. Understanding the relationship between the leptin levels and the amount of fat ties to nutrition management in the bears in captivity and can result in better breeding success.

This work demonstrates how the CRES staff working in a lab and in the field are helping with the conservation of bear species throughout the world. Panda bears are the most critically endangered bears in the world, and due to fragmentation across their habitat, inbreeding and reduced reproduction are common occurrences. Sun bears are also endangered due to habitat loss from logging, farming, poaching, and the pet trade. By researching the reproductive physiology of the black bear, we can better support the captive population of other bears to keep the population strong.

-Sarah, Zoo InternQuest, Conservation Team

Gaylene Thomas has worked at the Zoo for over 20 years. This was always her lifelong dream. Her first job at the Zoo was in a food stand and later as an admissions clerk. But she wanted to work directly with the animals. For that reason, she went to Mesa Community College and received her associate’s degree as a registered veterinary technician. Her degree opened many doors of opportunity. Since receiving her degree she has worked directly with animals in various areas of the Zoo, from birds to bears.
Currently, Gaylene does not have a fixed job because there is so much variation in what needs to get done from day to day. She is responsible for the staff in the animal areas that include the large carnivores such as bears, various primates, pandas, and polar bears. Sometimes she works with the animals, other times she trains keepers or helps design exhibits or helps coordinate animal moves to different zoos. She sometimes gives tours to interns, or supports the efforts of a hearing study for polar bears. She gets to do different jobs every single day, but she convinced us that you can get a job working with animals, if that is what you want to do. Thank you, Ms. Thomas, for convincing us that if you want it bad enough, you can find a way!

Elizabeth, Zoo InternQuest, Animal Careers Team