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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 experiences online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
This week, interns went on a safari adventure through the plains of Africa and the depths of Asia. Well…sort of! Interns met up with Senior Mammal Keepers Ms. Torrey Pillsbury and Mr. Roger Petersen at the Safari Park. The unforgettable experience of driving around inside the enclosures gave interns the unique opportunity to see exotic animals, such as giraffes and rhinos, up close in all their glory.
Even though Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Peterson have been working at the Safari park for over twenty years, they still need to arrive at work by 6 in the morning. They first must check in at the office, and read previous keeper’s notes by reading the “red book.” These logs give Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Peterson important information regarding observations of the animals, as well as if there are any newborns out on the field the day before. After some brief office work, their adventure begins! Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen drive big trucks through the enclosures to feed the animals, which serve as a buffer between the keepers and the animals. In addition to making sure that all the animal’s nutritional needs are being met, the keepers explained that they must also count each animal. You may wonder if it is even possible for one person to count hundreds of similarly looking moving animals? This daunting task is made possible through the animal identification system of ear notches and tags. Through this technique, each animal is given a unique notch and colored tag that corresponds to a specific number. As result of this system the keeper’s job of counting the animals from a distance is made much easier.
After giving us a briefing in their office on the importance of record keeping and the animal identification system, the real fun began as we hopped onto the caravan eager to start our safari adventure! Sprawled on the floor of the caravan were big leafy branches. Ms. Pillsbury explained that these were acacia leaves, and instructed us to pluck the leaves from the branches. As interns concentrated on seeing who could put the greatest amount of acacia leaves into the bucket, Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen explained that the animals at the Safari Park can be bred and raised to go to other zoos, such as Disney’s Animals Kingdom. However, Ms. Pillsbury assured that the Safari Park’s mission is in conservation, and that breeding can also build the dwindling numbers of endangered exotic species. Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen further explained that for endangered species, living at the Safari Park can sometimes be their only option as there is little to no safe habitat for them left in the wild.
With each enclosure, and at every new turn, interns were gasping at how up-close and personal we were to the animals, such as a grazing baby rhino and her mother, the graceful long-necked giraffes and the excited hoof stock. A favorite animal of the day was a huge rhino named Bhopu, who amazed interns with his size as he emerged from the pond’s water. The caravan stopped to give interns the unique opportunity to feed apples to another tough-skinned rhino. All the interns agreed that the way the rhino extended its upper lip to grab the apple and then slowly chew was very cute and interesting! The caravan then moved on to see some hoof stock, and Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen challenged interns to see if they could identify the correct notch and tag color of a specific animal. After a few tries, interns guessed correctly, but it gave us a taste of how hard the keeper’s job of counting each animal every morning must be.
As the caravan traveled through the African enclosure, the plucked acacia leaves began to make much more sense as interns realized that we would be able to feed the giraffes! The giraffes from the Savanna’s of Africa knew that treats were coming as the caravan neared, and by the time we stopped there were two giraffes waiting to be fed! They were very playful and would nudge interns or lick them with their black tongues if they were not given leaves fast enough. It was incredible to be inches away from the giraffes, and see how gorgeous these mammals are. The experience made us even more passionate about conservation, in order to save beautiful endangered species like the giraffe from extinction.
Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen explained that even though they have to wake up and go to bed early, and normally do not get holidays off, they still love their job. They stressed to interns the importance of exploring topics you are interested in, and allowing that passion to drive you to a career you love. Also, if you wish to work at the Zoo or Safari Park, you must acquire as much experience as possible, in order to be considered as a strong applicant. Look for summer job opportunities at the Zoo or Safari Park while in school, that can help you make connections and boost your resume when you are ready to apply for a part or full-time job.
Emma, Real World
Week Six, Fall Session 2016
This week, interns went on a safari adventure through the plains of Africa and the depths of Asia. Well…sort of! Interns met up with Senior Mammal Keepers Ms. Torrey Pillsbury and Mr. Roger Petersen at the Safari Park. The unforgettable experience of driving around inside the enclosures gave interns the unique opportunity to see exotic animals, such as giraffes and rhinos, up close in all their glory.
Even though Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Peterson have been working at the Safari park for over twenty years, they still need to arrive at work by 6 in the morning. They first must check in at the office, and read previous keeper’s notes by reading the “red book.” These logs give Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Peterson important information regarding observations of the animals, as well as if there are any newborns out on the field the day before. After some brief office work, their adventure begins! Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen drive big trucks through the enclosures to feed the animals, which serve as a buffer between the keepers and the animals. In addition to making sure that all the animal’s nutritional needs are being met, the keepers explained that they must also count each animal. You may wonder if it is even possible for one person to count hundreds of similarly looking moving animals? This daunting task is made possible through the animal identification system of ear notches and tags. Through this technique, each animal is given a unique notch and colored tag that corresponds to a specific number. As result of this system the keeper’s job of counting the animals from a distance is made much easier.
After giving us a briefing in their office on the importance of record keeping and the animal identification system, the real fun began as we hopped onto the caravan eager to start our safari adventure! Sprawled on the floor of the caravan were big leafy branches. Ms. Pillsbury explained that these were acacia leaves, and instructed us to pluck the leaves from the branches. As interns concentrated on seeing who could put the greatest amount of acacia leaves into the bucket, Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen explained that the animals at the Safari Park can be bred and raised to go to other zoos, such as Disney’s Animals Kingdom. However, Ms. Pillsbury assured that the Safari Park’s mission is in conservation, and that breeding can also build the dwindling numbers of endangered exotic species. Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen further explained that for endangered species, living at the Safari Park can sometimes be their only option as there is little to no safe habitat for them left in the wild.
With each enclosure, and at every new turn, interns were gasping at how up-close and personal we were to the animals, such as a grazing baby rhino and her mother, the graceful long-necked giraffes and the excited hoof stock. A favorite animal of the day was a huge rhino named Bhopu, who amazed interns with his size as he emerged from the pond’s water. The caravan stopped to give interns the unique opportunity to feed apples to another tough-skinned rhino. All the interns agreed that the way the rhino extended its upper lip to grab the apple and then slowly chew was very cute and interesting! The caravan then moved on to see some hoof stock, and Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen challenged interns to see if they could identify the correct notch and tag color of a specific animal. After a few tries, interns guessed correctly, but it gave us a taste of how hard the keeper’s job of counting each animal every morning must be.
As the caravan traveled through the African enclosure, the plucked acacia leaves began to make much more sense as interns realized that we would be able to feed the giraffes! The giraffes from the Savanna’s of Africa knew that treats were coming as the caravan neared, and by the time we stopped there were two giraffes waiting to be fed! They were very playful and would nudge interns or lick them with their black tongues if they were not given leaves fast enough. It was incredible to be inches away from the giraffes, and see how gorgeous these mammals are. The experience made us even more passionate about conservation, in order to save beautiful endangered species like the giraffe from extinction.
Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Petersen explained that even though they have to wake up and go to bed early, and normally do not get holidays off, they still love their job. They stressed to interns the importance of exploring topics you are interested in, and allowing that passion to drive you to a career you love. Also, if you wish to work at the Zoo or Safari Park, you must acquire as much experience as possible, in order to be considered as a strong applicant. Look for summer job opportunities at the Zoo or Safari Park while in school, that can help you make connections and boost your resume when you are ready to apply for a part or full-time job.
Emma, Real World
Week Six, Fall Session 2016
