zoo director
Where did you go to college?
I went
to the University of Delaware.
How long have you worked at
the Zoo?
24
years
Do you plan to stay at the
zoo for the rest of your life?
Yes, because
I like my job.
Do the same people take care
of the same animals every day?
No. We have
a schedule so the animal keepers don't have the same animal every day.
Who decides the animals' diet?
A zoo nutritionist
from the Philadelphia Zoo helps us develop the diets for the animals.
How much do the animals eat?
It depends on what kind of animal it is. The
animal keepers weigh out the animals' food, depending what the nutritionist
recommends. The tiger eats 13-15 pounds of beef a day. It eats a lot because
it is a 400 pound animal.
How many meals do the animals get?
Each animal gets two meals a day. The monkeys
get one big meal in the morning. Then they get a small meal in the afternoon.
The other animals get a small meal in the morning and a bigger meal in
the afternoon.
When an animal gets sick who
takes care of them?
We have a
verterinarian from the University of Pennsylvania on call if they get sick.
The verterinarian's name is Lin Klein. She also does routine physicals
on the animals.
How can you tell if the animal
is sick?
If the
animal does not eat, that is one way we can tell. Another way is if they
act strangely.
Which animals have to come inside during the winter?
Most of our birds, except for the macaws and
the black-headed caiques, stay outside. The monkeys and the reptiles stay
inside. Some of the animals need heat lights when it starts to get cool
in the fall until they are brought inside for the winter. But animals
like the tigers don't need heat lights because of their thick fur. Many
of our animals need more food for the cold months.
What is your favorite animal?
My favorite animal is the cougar.
interviewed by Anthony