Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Did I Miss My Calling in Life?

I've been watching more on Animal Planet lately and I've been wondering if I chose the wrong profession. After seeing how much fun they have at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo and the devotion of the zookeepers in The Little Zoo That Could (which is on right before Meerkat Manor), I want to be a zookeeper!

I would love being able to care for wild animals and teach people about them. Of course, I'd be heartbroken when they died or had to move to other zoos, but what a privilege it would be to be one of the lucky people who get to be close to wild animals.

Imagine getting to feed/pet/care for wolves, coyotes, lions, tiger, bears, otters, penguins, meerkats, etc. The critters seem very attached to their human family, too, like dogs and cats but bigger and more dangerous. Like the critters we saw in the Traverse City zoo, they are used to human companionship.

I wonder if zoos need volunteers, what kind of training you need to care for wild animals, and where you might get it?

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