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.

Koalas, kookaburras, and kangaroos, oh my! You don’t have to book a flight to Sydney to see these amazing Australian creatures, but you’ll feel like you’re down under at the San Diego Zoo, home to two species of kangaroo, Matilda the laughing kookaburra, and the largest koala population outside of Australia. We met all three on a behind-the-scenes tour thanks to Educator Guide Rachelle Marcon, a woman with an incredible job and an incredible amount of knowledge.

Ms. Marcon began her career at the Zoo during her years as a college student at San Diego State University, eagerly participating in the many summer camp programs offered by the Zoo. Thus began the start of an amazing career at the Zoo, where, Ms. Marcon laughs, “You never know what’s going to happen.” In addition to giving private tours of the Zoo, Ms. Marcon is also involved in a variety of educational programs designed to provide what she calls “community outreach”. She educates students about green practices, provides animal-people encounters at local retirement homes, and hosts a number of other events with the experience gained from ten years of classroom teaching.

As we strolled past each exhibit, Ms. Marcon recited facts about the different species: their names, origins, food preferences, and other fun tidbits. Who knew that koalas sleep nearly 20 hours each day?! The droopy eyelids and lengthy yawns that greeted us at the koala bedrooms quickly confirmed this fact as we watched the sleepy marsupials snuggle amidst clumps of leaves. Though koalas (above) feed solely on eucalyptus leaves, they never tire of them, and the keepers make sure to give them fresh cuts of a variety of species everyday. You’d think that with such a manicured diet these guys would be bright and bouncy! However, it turns out that the leaves make for a low-energy diet (try eating nothing but leaves sometime and see how bouncy you feel), so the koalas have to sleep most of the day to conserve what few calories they get from their preferred diet. Whether awake or snoozing though, these fuzzy critters always maintain a high level of cuteness!

Claire, Careers Team

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