"I guess I was like a lot of kids -- and adults," says Duncan Bourne, an
animal care supervisor. "I knew I enjoyed domestic animals and always had
pets, including gerbils and tortoises. I knew I wanted to get involved with
animals all my life."
Talk to any zookeeper and this is the common thread linking them: a deep
and abiding love of animals, the small and large, the domestic and the exotic.
Born in England, Bourne lived in Australia for a few years before coming
to North America. His zoo experience outside of North America included a stint
at a wild animal park in Bristol, England, dealing with small European and
British animals (such as spiny hedgehogs), and then a job at the Jersey Zoo.
Don Adams is a zookeeper, manager of operations and curator of a zoological
center. Adams is a one-man dynamo, working all over the park in just about
every capacity. In fact, depending on what time of day it is, he might be
the cashier and the janitor.
When he was younger, Adams loved animals and wanted to be a bird expert,
studying aviculture. His life took a dramatic turn when, surprisingly, he
became a policeman. But even when he was a cop, he says, he "always got the
animal-related jobs."
One day, Adams answered an ad looking to fill a position at the SPCA. Then
he became a local manager for SPCA operations. Having retired from the police
force, Adams must have gained a reputation in the "animal world," because
he was asked to design an aviary.
Shortly after that project, the zoo in Tacoma, Washington, asked Adams
to design a new area in the park.
After retiring for two years of rest and relaxation, Adams was coaxed out
of retirement by the owners of a game farm, now the zoological center where
he works.
This tourist attraction had been purchased in its entirety by new immigrants
-- who believed they were buying a company that manufactured games -- and
they needed Adams's expertise to revamp the park.
"It was a total disaster," he says. "The owners had no idea when they bought
it what they were getting into. But the park is where it is today because
of a real commitment by the owners and a lot of hard work. We have gone from
earning $90,000 two years ago to earning $200,000 last year.
"The zoo business is probably the worst job I have ever had for conditions,"
says Adams. "You're cleaning up manure droppings all day long, seven
days a week. You have people who are against you, who don't like the
whole idea of what you're doing, and they make their intentions known.
And it's the poorest paid job in the country. But you do it because you
want to do it, not because you have to do it."
Louise Hill is a general curator for a zoological park in Virginia. She
describes a zookeeper's day in simple terms.
"The day starts by checking on the animals, making sure they're all
alive and well. Then there's feeding and cleaning. That takes up the
morning. In the afternoon, you might have meetings to go to or special projects
to work on. Then it's time for the afternoon feedings, and by then it's
time for closing up."
Even with this bare-bones description, there is plenty of room for variation.
"No two days are the same," says Hill.
While she agrees that no one is going to get rich working as a keeper,
Hill knows that the people working in zoos aren't there for the money.
The highs and lows of the job offer their own kinds of rewards.
"The downside of the job is having to work in rain, snow or in heat," she
says. "It's a job you have 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. You have
to take care of your animals.
"But there are a lot of rewards. There are animals being born, there are
new species coming into the zoo. Just making sure and knowing that all your
animals are happy and healthy is great."