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.

Todd Schmidt, herpetologist extraordinaire, met us behind the Reptile House at the San Diego Zoo for an exciting lesson in reptile care and management. After spending five years at the Brookfield Zoo, Mr. Schmidt now works at the San Diego Zoo with the Herpetology Department, which includes both amphibians and reptiles. Because the reptile, or herpetology, department is so special, the members of this particular sect “get their hands in all of it,” he said.

Ecstatic about his work, Mr. Schmidt occupies his time doing veterinary care, field research, data acquisition, and, of course, spending his days with the animals he loves, especially the snakes. Even though a college-level education is required to do what Mr. Schmidt does, some reptile keepers have a master’s degree, which helps in the task of data acquisition. One goal of the department is the successful reproduction of both endangered and common reptile species, but another part of the reptile keepers’ job is to travel around the world, learning and sharing techniques that help the Zoo produce healthy offspring.

When you think of the Herpetology Department, you think of poisonous snakes and animals that are really dangerous. Well, you can find those kinds of specimens in the Reptile House, but you can rest assured that it is one of the safest departments in the entire Zoo. Of course, accidents do happen, but there is help available in the form of first aid and number-coded antivenom. To prevent accidents from happening, keepers like Todd Schmidt have a variety of apparatus on hand. “We use a lot of remote tools,” Mr. Schmidt said, “and our heads.” For large, mostly venomous snakes, the use of long metal poles with curved hooks on the ends allow keepers to safely pick snakes up from the ground or pull them down from trees. After hooked, they go into a plastic container, about the size of an everyday trashcan! If a snake or other reptile is too big for the container, they will first be placed in a collapsible bag and are then transferred to the plastic container. Similar to the hooks, keepers will also use spring-released tongs that allow keepers to get a good grip on the animal without endangering the animal or being in harm’s way. Mr. Schmidt and the keepers in the Reptile House know how to keep their distance, even when it comes to medical procedures.

Believing that I had a large amount of knowledge about reptiles behind me, I never knew that they could be trained! “We train a lot of animals,” Mr. Schmidt said, “including the snakes.” Using the taipan as an example, some reptiles have been trained to go into a box, with the hopes of being rewarded with food. In the box, keepers are able to anesthetize them for surgery or transportation, desensitize them, or inject them with medication. I thought I knew everything about reptiles! I guess spending time at the Zoo’s Reptile House can really inform you on a thing or two that you might not have known about reptiles before!

Tawni - Animal Careers Team

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