Random header image... Refresh for more!

Category — Keeper’s Komments

Sea Lions, Otters & Bears – Oh My! – Meet Lisa Potter

by Michelle Curley

Lisa works on “target” training with Callie the sea lion
Lisa Potter attended summer classes at the Zoo when she was eight years old, continued to enjoy Zoo programs while in elementary school and became a Junior Zoologist as a teenager. She volunteered at the Children’s Zoo while in high school, worked there during the summer while in college, and got hired as a full-time Zookeeper when Jungle Trails opened in ’93.  She worked in Jungle Trails for about a year and a half, and then spent 13 years in the Primate Center.
Today Lisa is a senior keeper and works with bears, sea lions and all the animals in Wolf Woods.  “I actually like working with the sea lions the best.  They’re very smart and fun to train and interact with, and our two sea lions are very good animals,” said Lisa.   Her typical day consists of cleaning and feeding, training and operant conditioning, and jumping in to help with whatever needs attention!  The “bear line” keepers maintain the filtration systems for the sea lion and polar bear pools, so some of their work is facility maintenance.
Lisa rewards Callie with a fish
Lisa is proud of training our sea lions to roll over onto their backs so their stomach areas can be checked.  ”I taught our male sea lion, Duke, a couple of years ago, first in the water, which he picked up fairly quickly.  It took a lot longer for him to figure out how to do the same behavior on land, but the day he did it was so neat to see his “light bulb” moment.”  Callie, the female sea lion (see photos)  just learned to do it last week!  “She’s younger and very smart, and picked it up a lot faster.”  Megan-Kate Colwell, our Animal Training expert, helped teach Callie that behavior.
When Lisa is not at the Zoo, she likes to hike with her dogs, read and go to Reds games.
Look for Lisa at the Sea Lion animal encounter, which happens daily at 9:45 and 1:45 until Labor Day.

July 22, 2011   3 Comments

Zookeeper Stephanie Carr is Living Her Dream!

by Michelle Curley

Stephanie Carr has known that she wanted to work with animals, especially primates, since she was a young girl.  Growing up in Dayton, OH, she made frequent trips to the Cincinnati Zoo with her family. On one of those Zoo visits, Stephanie declared that she was going to be a Zookeeper some day. In fact, she was standing close to the spot where she is now throwing a celery snack to the gorillas (see photo above) when she made that statement!

After graduating from Wright State University, with a degree in Biology and a minor in psychology, Stephanie came to the Cincinnati Zoo in 2005 to do an internship in Manatee Springs.  She did two years of training in Jungle Trails before landing her dream job as a primate keeper in Gorilla World.

Stephanie enjoys the daily challenges that primates, especially gorillas, offer. “Gorillas are such intelligent animals. Working with them requires creativity, especially when planning enrichment exercises.  They won’t get too excited about a ball, which would keep some animals occupied all day long!”

Two-year-old gorilla Bakari is her favorite animal because of his rambunctious nature. Bakari’s mother, Muke, suffered from a severe sinus infection after Bakari was born and almost died.  Keepers, including Stephanie, and a team of medical professionals worked together to nurse Muke back to health.  That emotional experience, and the joy of the positive outcome, is one she’ll never forget.

Thank you Stephanie for all your hard work and dedication!

July 22, 2011   3 Comments

Hermit Teagarden – Zoo Employee for 45 Years

by Michelle Curley

Hermit Teagarden began his career at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1966.  During his 45 years here, he has worked in almost every part of the Zoo and with all sorts of animals, including elephants, lions, birds, nocturnal animals, deer, reptiles and amphibians.  He feels most at home and comfortable working with reptiles.

Herm shares his love of snakes with visitors

Hermit’s typical work day starts at Manatee Springs, where he cares for the reptiles housed in that building.  These include palmetto scrubs, anoles, water moccasins and other reptiles that can be found in Florida.  He then makes his way over to the reptile house to open the exhibit, feed the reptiles and clean.  Most reptiles eat rodents, but the size of the specimen and the interval between feedings varies.  The Burmese python, for example, gets a 3-5 lb. rabbit (thawed from frozen) every other week.  He always make sure there’s a good crowd in the exhibit for this feeding. It’s fascinating to watch.

At home, Hermit has six snakes and also enjoys feeding the deer, raccoons, wild turkeys and other animals that live on his property.

He just returned from an extended trip to India. He travels as much as possible, India and California being his favorite destinations.

July 21, 2011   2 Comments

← Previous EntriesNext Entries →