Image
Image
Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and the Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s Website!
Snakes, lizards, and crocodiles… not everybody’s cup of tea
During our second week at the San Diego Zoo, my fellow interns and I had the extraordinary opportunity to meet with Senior Reptile Keeper, Rachael Walton. Here we learned about her passion for reptiles of all species, and the important role she plays in their daily lives.
Being an avid animal lover, Ms. Walton had always dreamed of one day being able to work with and care for animals, reptiles specifically, as a profession. She explains that she had once worked as a vet technician in an animal emergency clinic. However, during the summer, Ms. Walton worked as a summer camp intern for the San Diego Zoo’s Education Department. Through this job, Ms. Walton hoped to gain even more hands on experience working with reptiles to one day pursue a career working as a reptile keeper. In addition to working at the Zoo and a vet clinic, she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at San Diego State University. Upon earning her degree, Ms. Walton began an internship at the San Diego Natural History Museum, where she learned through field experience how to properly identify different types of venom. Little did she know at the time, but this experience would come in handy as a reptile keeper for the San Diego Zoo.
Given that the Zoo houses various venomous species of reptiles, the reptile keepers all go through the process of CPR and First Aid training. Though an incident has not occurred yet while Ms. Walton has worked for the Reptile Department, mandatory meetings and drills take place so all staff are ready if and when a venomous bite does occur. The San Diego Zoo is one of the few places in the United States that is known as a designated anti-venom bank, housing numerous anti-venom serums.
With there being over 1600 reptiles housed at the Zoo, it takes a team to care for each individual. Ms. Walton informed us that even though so many animals are housed in the reptile house, only 25% of them are displayed in the exhibits. Many of the Zoo’s snakes, turtles, and other critters are rotated between exhibits and the enclosures within the corridors of the reptile house. If the individual was not transferred from other zoos or hatched at the San Diego Zoo, some of the reptiles come from confiscations at airports, border checks, or shipping ports. Many species are facing the extinction due to the effect that humans have had on their habitats or the smuggling of said species. Unfortunately, humans play an immense roll on the destruction of habitats and species’ wild populations including the golden coin pond turtle. This species was almost wiped off the planet due to the popular rumor spread during the 1980’s that these animals could be used as a cure for cancer. Through numerous organizations and programs such as the Turtle Survival Alliance, Species Survival Plan, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, these animals have a fighting chance at survival.
Ms. Walton explains that her job entails a variety of duties including the feeding, cleaning, and occasional training of around 200 reptiles in the Zoo Reptile House daily. Outside of direct care of these animals, she plays a key role in the public education. Her favorite part of her job is knowing that she is creating an impact on the conservation and preservation of multiple endangered species.
Ms. Walton adds that she believes that she could spend the rest of her life working with these animals. She admires the diversity amongst these cold-blooded animals. She gave us the chance to experience this connection, as she passed a baby Madagascar Spider turtle to each of the interns. We were able to catch a glimpse to the extraordinary career of Ms. Walton.
As someone who is not a particular fan of snakes and scaly things, Ms. Walton made me a believer that these animals are in fact very important to the world that we live in. It is our duty to ensure the survival of these many endangered species. The Zoo’s many efforts to conserve these animals continue to hep put a stop to the rising number of endangered animals.
Conner, Careers Team
Week Two, Winter Session 2018
Snakes, lizards, and crocodiles… not everybody’s cup of tea
During our second week at the San Diego Zoo, my fellow interns and I had the extraordinary opportunity to meet with Senior Reptile Keeper, Rachael Walton. Here we learned about her passion for reptiles of all species, and the important role she plays in their daily lives.
Being an avid animal lover, Ms. Walton had always dreamed of one day being able to work with and care for animals, reptiles specifically, as a profession. She explains that she had once worked as a vet technician in an animal emergency clinic. However, during the summer, Ms. Walton worked as a summer camp intern for the San Diego Zoo’s Education Department. Through this job, Ms. Walton hoped to gain even more hands on experience working with reptiles to one day pursue a career working as a reptile keeper. In addition to working at the Zoo and a vet clinic, she earned her bachelor’s degree in biology at San Diego State University. Upon earning her degree, Ms. Walton began an internship at the San Diego Natural History Museum, where she learned through field experience how to properly identify different types of venom. Little did she know at the time, but this experience would come in handy as a reptile keeper for the San Diego Zoo.
Given that the Zoo houses various venomous species of reptiles, the reptile keepers all go through the process of CPR and First Aid training. Though an incident has not occurred yet while Ms. Walton has worked for the Reptile Department, mandatory meetings and drills take place so all staff are ready if and when a venomous bite does occur. The San Diego Zoo is one of the few places in the United States that is known as a designated anti-venom bank, housing numerous anti-venom serums.
With there being over 1600 reptiles housed at the Zoo, it takes a team to care for each individual. Ms. Walton informed us that even though so many animals are housed in the reptile house, only 25% of them are displayed in the exhibits. Many of the Zoo’s snakes, turtles, and other critters are rotated between exhibits and the enclosures within the corridors of the reptile house. If the individual was not transferred from other zoos or hatched at the San Diego Zoo, some of the reptiles come from confiscations at airports, border checks, or shipping ports. Many species are facing the extinction due to the effect that humans have had on their habitats or the smuggling of said species. Unfortunately, humans play an immense roll on the destruction of habitats and species’ wild populations including the golden coin pond turtle. This species was almost wiped off the planet due to the popular rumor spread during the 1980’s that these animals could be used as a cure for cancer. Through numerous organizations and programs such as the Turtle Survival Alliance, Species Survival Plan, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, these animals have a fighting chance at survival.
Ms. Walton explains that her job entails a variety of duties including the feeding, cleaning, and occasional training of around 200 reptiles in the Zoo Reptile House daily. Outside of direct care of these animals, she plays a key role in the public education. Her favorite part of her job is knowing that she is creating an impact on the conservation and preservation of multiple endangered species.
Ms. Walton adds that she believes that she could spend the rest of her life working with these animals. She admires the diversity amongst these cold-blooded animals. She gave us the chance to experience this connection, as she passed a baby Madagascar Spider turtle to each of the interns. We were able to catch a glimpse to the extraordinary career of Ms. Walton.
As someone who is not a particular fan of snakes and scaly things, Ms. Walton made me a believer that these animals are in fact very important to the world that we live in. It is our duty to ensure the survival of these many endangered species. The Zoo’s many efforts to conserve these animals continue to hep put a stop to the rising number of endangered animals.
Conner, Careers Team
Week Two, Winter Session 2018
