Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

Who you gonna’ call when your addax hits a wall? Veterinarians! Or, in our case, one certain veterinarian, Deena Brenner, DVM. Dr. Brenner’s duties at the Paul Harter Veterinary Medical Center at the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park include diagnosing, hospitalizing, and revitalizing injured animals. The first step is noticing the symptoms of an injured animal and deciding what needs to be done for it. This information usually comes in from the keepers, who see their animals daily and notice changes in their behavior or their looks. Then the animal is brought into the veterinary facilities where it is treated and given its own quarters to recuperate. This procedure involves many of the same processes that you would go through if you went to the hospital: running lab tests, and, if necessary, more complex procedures like anesthesia, taking radiographs, and surgery. Needless to say, this is not a job for the squeamish or those with trypanophobia (the fear of needles or injections). However, this is a job for those who want to work for the betterment of the many magnificent animals with which we live.

It does take a lot of work and determination to reach the esteemed position of Wild Animal Park veterinary resident. Dr. Brenner, in particular, is in her third year of paid residency, which includes a rotation at the Wild Animal Park and SeaWorld in addition to work at the University of California, Davis in cooperation with the Sacramento Zoo and the San Diego Zoo. Other steps in her journey to become an exotic animal veterinarian included an internship at Purdue University and before that she worked at the Philadelphia Zoo. Dr. Brenner attended veterinary school at North Carolina State University, one of less than 25 veterinary schools in the U.S. Though this job is very involved and takes many years of schooling, the end reward pays off exponentially compared to the effort put forth.

As we entered Hunte Amphitheater at the San Diego Zoo, the center stage, surrounded by a small moat, was dotted with stands and scratching posts. Immediately, without having to look at our agenda, I knew where we were: the Behavior Operations Department. From a small building behind a row of conifers, Susan Patch walked toward us and sat on the rail before us. Beginning by describing her desire to be with and work with animals, she told us that her interest began at the age of 14, which started her on the path to be an exotic animal trainer. Before her broad education (2003 graduate of University of California, Davis, graduate of Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program) and exciting career path, Ms. Patch was a local high school student, just like us. Ms. Patch graduated from La Jolla High School in 1999 and had been part of the Zoo InternQuest program before she attended UC Davis. Attaining a bachelor’s degree in animal science with a focus in animal behavior, she learned about animal digestion, reproduction, body systems, and many other animal functions. Like Sunni Robertson, a Zoo educator and tour guide we met earlier in our internship, Ms. Patch attended Moorpark College where she was educated in animal training and management, basic vet care, and animal shows and presentations. “The programs at Moorpark were intensive,” Susan had stated, “but very rewarding.”

Here, at the San Diego Zoo, Susan Patch has been a part of the Behavior Operations Department for two years, and doesn’t intend on leaving any time soon. To our delight, she wanted to show us the skills she was telling us about, and she planned on bringing out a couple of showstoppers. With only a clicker and side-bag of food, Susan had a serval perform a series of “natural behaviors” such as sitting, post scratching, and jumping. And could this feline jump! Jumping at a height of about six feet at the sound of the clicker, the serval positioned itself on a stand, where it was rewarded with a small bit of food from its regular diet. Susan used a method of “variable schedule of reinforcement,” where the animal wouldn’t be fed for every behavior it demonstrated when she asked. This allows the animal to behave without having to expect a reward, and by doing so it becomes more natural.

Telling us about the tools of the trade of an animal trainer, “The target,” Susan says, “is the most useful, but the clicker makes it all possible.” To train an animal, the first step is to get their attention. By clicking or moving your hand in the animal’s field of vision, you help them realize that you will be giving them signals. Capturing a certain behavior, or vocalization, is the second step. If an animal does something the trainer wants the animal to achieve, the trainer will click and reward that behavior. Trainers will continue this until an action is performed correctly, and hopefully the animal will catch on.

Training is not reserved for just shows anymore, but it can be useful for the daily care of animals done by the keepers. Susan Patch recommends learning training techniques if you want to be a keeper. Training allows keepers to signal animals in situations that occur on a daily basis, so keepers can take better care of their animals. As examples, keepers need animals to transfer from their enclosures to off-exhibit areas so the keeper can go in to clean, or they would want animals to present a certain part of their bodies for examinations. To work with exotic animals in the Behavior Operations Department, a bachelor’s or associate’s degree is required. Susan Patch has had six years of education! The route to exotic animal training starts in animal science, and courses in psychology can help you understand behavior, but schooling alone will not get you the cool job that Susan has. As an insider’s hint, Susan said that Moorpark College is a good ticket!

Jake and Tawni, Animal Careers Team

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