The first question people ask when they find out I work at the Houston Zoo is “What animals do you work with?” Of course, I work in education with the visitors, not the animals. But most people still want to know about working in a zoo even when they find out I don’t pick up poop for a living.
Anna from the horticulture department hard at work.
A lot of people don’t realize that there are so many other jobs in the zoo besides the zoo keepers. Just like any business, a zoo requires a lot of people to make it work. Think about your last trip to the zoo. You might have purchased a ticket and went through one of our gates. You may have checked our “Plan Your Day” kiosk for the list of Meet the Keeper Talks. After looking at some animals, you might have purchased a beverage or a snack, and thrown your trash away. Perhaps you admired our lovely landscaping, watched your kids play in the water play area, and attended one of the Zooper Challenges around lunch time. After catching the afternoon sea lion show, your child needed first aid for a scraped knee. You stopped by the gift shop on your way out to pick up a souvenir.
Just in that visit, you directly benefited from 10 different departments within the zoo. Admissions let you in the gate, graphics created the kiosk, our food vendor sold you a snack, grounds staff emptied the trash can, horticulture tended the plants, water quality kept the water play area running, education staff presented the Zooper Challenge, animal staff trained the sea lions, rangers provided first aid, and gift shop staff helped you find the perfect t-shirt.
Scanning tickets at the main entrance.
That’s not to mention the other, more “behind-the-scenes” departments like conservation, facilities, marketing, IT, special events, accounting, human resources, and the commissary. The staff in these departments might not see an animal OR a zoo visitor in the course of a typical day, but without their tireless efforts, the zoo would fall apart.
There are a total of 32 departments in the zoo. Including our vet clinic, only 8 of them are animal sections. So the next time you meet someone who works at the zoo, feel free to ask what animals she works with. But don’t be surprised if she does something other than animal care. Her job is just as important to keeping our zoo Naturally Wild.
Leigh
