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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventure here on the Zoo’s website!
This week, the interns met with Peter Gilson, a keeper for the San Diego Zoo’s Herpetology Department. Herpetology lumps two classes of animals together; reptiles and amphibians. Reptiles are scaly, dry and lay hard-shelled eggs, while amphibians lay soft-shelled eggs and have soft skin with a layer of mucus that is essential for breathing. Mr. Gilson has been working at the Zoo for almost nine years now. He went to school at Point Loma Nazarene University, and studied environmental science and communications. These chosen fields have helped him better understand the environment and how to better communicate with people throughout his years at the Zoo.
A job as a herpetology keeper takes a lot of ingenuity. To provide clean water for the amphibians, they’ve installed a custom filtration system. The chemicals and minerals often present in tap water can cause harm to their skin. Additionally, the keepers developed their own system to safely raise the tadpoles. They made a set of small tanks of water that they could move the tadpoles through as they got older. When keepers feel as if the tadpoles are almost ready to fully transform, they move them to the development tank, which is half water, half gravel. If the tadpoles don’t get out of the water soon enough, they might drown as their gills turn into lungs.
To be honest, I was amazed by all the extra special care that goes into keeping amphibians and reptiles healthy. Keepers have to be able to keep count of frogs that could be smaller than an inch. They have to watch for geckos that not only look, but feel like moss on trees. In order to tell the difference between animals, keepers use scientific names instead of common names because one species could have more than one common name. In order to check for stress, keepers look out for certain indicators. They watch for weight loss, which can be hard to track in an animal that weighs five grams. They check for lethargy, which is a lack of energy. Unfortunately, reptiles and amphibians aren’t always the most energetic. Keepers watch for decreases in appetite, event though most of these animals don’t eat everyday; some snakes only eat once or twice a month! It’s a good thing that keepers know their animal friends so well. Additionally, for keepers, communication between coworkers is essential to avoid potentially dangerous situations. If they aren’t able to tell their co-workers something they’ve seen from the day or something that needs to happen when they’re not in house.
It takes a lot of skill and hard work to take care of animals like amphibians and reptiles. Keepers carefully manage the animals for their well-being and protect them from environmental harms. Imagine the struggles that these animals go through in the wild. They face habitat degradation like deforestation, as well as hunting and pollution. So what’s the key to friendly frogs? In order to help reptiles and amphibians, clean local waterways and don’t try to collect wild animals. The key to keeping happy frogs is to keep their native habitats preserved and undisturbed.
Ahmad, Career Team
Week Five, Winter 2016
This week, the interns met with Peter Gilson, a keeper for the San Diego Zoo’s Herpetology Department. Herpetology lumps two classes of animals together; reptiles and amphibians. Reptiles are scaly, dry and lay hard-shelled eggs, while amphibians lay soft-shelled eggs and have soft skin with a layer of mucus that is essential for breathing. Mr. Gilson has been working at the Zoo for almost nine years now. He went to school at Point Loma Nazarene University, and studied environmental science and communications. These chosen fields have helped him better understand the environment and how to better communicate with people throughout his years at the Zoo.
A job as a herpetology keeper takes a lot of ingenuity. To provide clean water for the amphibians, they’ve installed a custom filtration system. The chemicals and minerals often present in tap water can cause harm to their skin. Additionally, the keepers developed their own system to safely raise the tadpoles. They made a set of small tanks of water that they could move the tadpoles through as they got older. When keepers feel as if the tadpoles are almost ready to fully transform, they move them to the development tank, which is half water, half gravel. If the tadpoles don’t get out of the water soon enough, they might drown as their gills turn into lungs.
To be honest, I was amazed by all the extra special care that goes into keeping amphibians and reptiles healthy. Keepers have to be able to keep count of frogs that could be smaller than an inch. They have to watch for geckos that not only look, but feel like moss on trees. In order to tell the difference between animals, keepers use scientific names instead of common names because one species could have more than one common name. In order to check for stress, keepers look out for certain indicators. They watch for weight loss, which can be hard to track in an animal that weighs five grams. They check for lethargy, which is a lack of energy. Unfortunately, reptiles and amphibians aren’t always the most energetic. Keepers watch for decreases in appetite, event though most of these animals don’t eat everyday; some snakes only eat once or twice a month! It’s a good thing that keepers know their animal friends so well. Additionally, for keepers, communication between coworkers is essential to avoid potentially dangerous situations. If they aren’t able to tell their co-workers something they’ve seen from the day or something that needs to happen when they’re not in house.
It takes a lot of skill and hard work to take care of animals like amphibians and reptiles. Keepers carefully manage the animals for their well-being and protect them from environmental harms. Imagine the struggles that these animals go through in the wild. They face habitat degradation like deforestation, as well as hunting and pollution. So what’s the key to friendly frogs? In order to help reptiles and amphibians, clean local waterways and don’t try to collect wild animals. The key to keeping happy frogs is to keep their native habitats preserved and undisturbed.
Ahmad, Career Team
Week Five, Winter 2016
