Idea #1: Zookeeper

Essential Question: What is it like, to be a zookeeper at one of the largest zoos in the world? What are the relationships between zoo animals and their keepers and what role do zoos play in the world of conservation?

This project would entail me accepting a position as a zookeeper at the Bronx Zoo Children’s Zoo or The Central Park Zoo Children’s Zoo. I would experience the life of a zookeeper first hand and would be able to learn how zoo animals are cared for. It would be a direct hands-on experience as I would be considered a zookeeper and would be responsible for caring for multiple types of animals. This project is experiential learning at its finest and given the fact that I would be new to the field, I would most likely spend a lot of my time shadowing senior keepers until I am capable of completing all of the various tasks on my own. As there is a bit of a higher chance of me working at the Bronx Zoo, I have devised a contingency plan to meet the internship requirements of senior project.  In the event that the Central Park Zoo is limited (from a staffing perspective) because of its size, then I would spend the majority of my time at the Bronx Zoo (most likely shadowing a senior keeper. On my off days, I would use photography to document my experiences, animals, and potentially visitor interaction with certain animals.

The feasibility of this project is a little unknown simply due to COVID-19 but I have several connections within both the Central Park and Bronx Zoo that can help make this happen. This is a position that I was actually offered the day the quarantine began but due to obvious COVID reasons couldn’t accept. I spoke with one of the hiring managers, Chris Johnson, in late August and he told me to call him near the spring season to discuss potentially bringing me on board. On top of that, my supervisor at the Central Park Zoo said to call her around this time to discuss the possibility of becoming a keeper at the Central Park Zoo. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, whether or not The Central Park Zoo is willing to take on new staff is unknown given its size. When it comes to the Bronx Zoo, I will be 18 at the time that the senior project begins which makes it substantially easier to bring me on as an essential worker. I intend on reaching out to both of my connections very soon to get more information on the availability of the positions, but I know that both zoos are a little short-staffed at the moment so I think that there’s a real chance of me being brought on to at least one of the two. None the less both would be an excellent experience that matches well with my intended college major of Biology with a concentration in Ecology, Animal Behavior, and the environment.