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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 adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
When Ms. Kim Weibel was little, she would watch Joan Embery on late night shows, and immediately knew this was her dream job. Ms. Weibel contacted Ms. Embery’s assistant and was told to get involved in working with animals in a hands on manner and public speaking-- and over the coming years, she did just that.
After college, Ms. Weibel got a job in what is now the Education Department at the San Diego Zoo. After a brief stint with the Zoo’s Education Department, she quickly realized, she wanted to work more hands on with animals as a keeper. With this goal in mind, Ms. Weibel took a job at the Safari Park working as a keeper in the expansive field exhibits. Realizing that this career would be physically taxing, she decided to change career paths yet again, and went on to study spotted hyenas in the field in Kenya for two years. When she returned, she decided she wanted to work with animals as a keeper again, and applied for a position working in the Zoo’s Nursery, known today as the Neonatal Assisted Care Unit or NACU.
The NACU team aims to give assisted care from birth to weaning for baby mammals that may need some extra help after birth. This can mean a variety of different things including proper enclosures, equipment and supplies, a flexible staff, detailed records, and thinking ahead. The NACU is a division of the Veterinary Sciences Department at the Zoo meaning that the NACU keepers are often providing more than just basic husbandry care. This care can include round the clock feeding and monitoring. This care can also mean that Ms. Weibel and her coworkers need to facilitate reintroductions to family groups or herds for the babies in their care. More specifically, the importance of the NACU is that it cares for the needs of the animals, such as a possible injury or infection at birth, maternal neglect, maternal death, or if the mother has an inadequate milk supply.
Ms. Weibel’s job requires many different and specialized skills, which she learned on the job. From day to day, her routine includes many feedings, morning weights which help her track how much food to give each animal, and taking temperatures to monitor health. She also conducts many bottle feedings throughout the day. She administers medications if needed and cleans, washes, and sterilizes feeding equipment. Ms. Weibel makes formulas by hand, and keeps records on everything from the animal’s behavior to body weight.
For these bottle -feedings, she must make the formula for each species. The process of bottle-feeding is tedious because every detail must be correct. First of all, each species needs a different nipple size for the bottle. The different nipple sizes match the shape of an animal’s mouth, or can mimic the mother’s nipple. Additionally, the right size hole in the nipple is crucial because if it is too big it can cause aspiration. Aspiration is when a baby accidentally inhales formula into the lungs, which can lead to deadly pneumonia. After the correct bottle is chosen, Ms. Weibel must create the correct formula through careful calculations. These calculations include finding the gastric capacity, percentage of body weight per day, and the formula recipe for each individual species. Using these calculations, Ms. Weibel is able to feed each individual baby the correct amount of formula.
Once the baby has a set routine with bottle feeding, Ms Weibel and her colleagues will begin the reintroduction process. Reintroductions to the baby’s family or herd can be challenging part of Ms. Weibel’s job. As Ms. Weibel mentioned, reintroductions take time. These reintroductions include various steps to ensure the baby is comfortable in its enclosure. More often than not, the first step contains the use of visual screens. These screens allow the rest of the group to see and get comfortable with the new baby, but also gives the baby the security of having its own space in the exhibit. The next step would comprise of a creep. A creep is a pen that is too small for the adults to enter, but is big enough for the baby to come and go as they please. Lastly, the use of an introduction cage would be used. If the baby is not accepted back into their group, it becomes more difficult. In that case, Ms. Weibel or one of her coworkers could try using a surrogate, in which another adult animal would take care of the baby as their own.
If you’re interested in Ms. Weibel’s career, she suggests earning a degree, being comfortable with math, and getting hands-on experience with animals! Make sure to keep up with the baby animals at the Zoo, because Ms. Weibel is the one helping make sure they succeed.
McKinna, Careers Team
Week Three, Fall Session 2018
When Ms. Kim Weibel was little, she would watch Joan Embery on late night shows, and immediately knew this was her dream job. Ms. Weibel contacted Ms. Embery’s assistant and was told to get involved in working with animals in a hands on manner and public speaking-- and over the coming years, she did just that.
After college, Ms. Weibel got a job in what is now the Education Department at the San Diego Zoo. After a brief stint with the Zoo’s Education Department, she quickly realized, she wanted to work more hands on with animals as a keeper. With this goal in mind, Ms. Weibel took a job at the Safari Park working as a keeper in the expansive field exhibits. Realizing that this career would be physically taxing, she decided to change career paths yet again, and went on to study spotted hyenas in the field in Kenya for two years. When she returned, she decided she wanted to work with animals as a keeper again, and applied for a position working in the Zoo’s Nursery, known today as the Neonatal Assisted Care Unit or NACU.
The NACU team aims to give assisted care from birth to weaning for baby mammals that may need some extra help after birth. This can mean a variety of different things including proper enclosures, equipment and supplies, a flexible staff, detailed records, and thinking ahead. The NACU is a division of the Veterinary Sciences Department at the Zoo meaning that the NACU keepers are often providing more than just basic husbandry care. This care can include round the clock feeding and monitoring. This care can also mean that Ms. Weibel and her coworkers need to facilitate reintroductions to family groups or herds for the babies in their care. More specifically, the importance of the NACU is that it cares for the needs of the animals, such as a possible injury or infection at birth, maternal neglect, maternal death, or if the mother has an inadequate milk supply.
Ms. Weibel’s job requires many different and specialized skills, which she learned on the job. From day to day, her routine includes many feedings, morning weights which help her track how much food to give each animal, and taking temperatures to monitor health. She also conducts many bottle feedings throughout the day. She administers medications if needed and cleans, washes, and sterilizes feeding equipment. Ms. Weibel makes formulas by hand, and keeps records on everything from the animal’s behavior to body weight.
For these bottle -feedings, she must make the formula for each species. The process of bottle-feeding is tedious because every detail must be correct. First of all, each species needs a different nipple size for the bottle. The different nipple sizes match the shape of an animal’s mouth, or can mimic the mother’s nipple. Additionally, the right size hole in the nipple is crucial because if it is too big it can cause aspiration. Aspiration is when a baby accidentally inhales formula into the lungs, which can lead to deadly pneumonia. After the correct bottle is chosen, Ms. Weibel must create the correct formula through careful calculations. These calculations include finding the gastric capacity, percentage of body weight per day, and the formula recipe for each individual species. Using these calculations, Ms. Weibel is able to feed each individual baby the correct amount of formula.
Once the baby has a set routine with bottle feeding, Ms Weibel and her colleagues will begin the reintroduction process. Reintroductions to the baby’s family or herd can be challenging part of Ms. Weibel’s job. As Ms. Weibel mentioned, reintroductions take time. These reintroductions include various steps to ensure the baby is comfortable in its enclosure. More often than not, the first step contains the use of visual screens. These screens allow the rest of the group to see and get comfortable with the new baby, but also gives the baby the security of having its own space in the exhibit. The next step would comprise of a creep. A creep is a pen that is too small for the adults to enter, but is big enough for the baby to come and go as they please. Lastly, the use of an introduction cage would be used. If the baby is not accepted back into their group, it becomes more difficult. In that case, Ms. Weibel or one of her coworkers could try using a surrogate, in which another adult animal would take care of the baby as their own.
If you’re interested in Ms. Weibel’s career, she suggests earning a degree, being comfortable with math, and getting hands-on experience with animals! Make sure to keep up with the baby animals at the Zoo, because Ms. Weibel is the one helping make sure they succeed.
McKinna, Careers Team
Week Three, Fall Session 2018
