National Zookeepers Week Observed at Zoo Atlanta
7-20-10
Atlanta’s wildest workforce joins the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) in observing National Zookeepers Week from July 18 to July 24. Annually observed during the third week of July by AAZK, a nonprofit organization with chapters throughout the U.S., the week highlights the dedication and achievements of zoo and aquarium professionals nationwide.
“National Zookeepers Week is a great opportunity for us to recognize our amazing and talented animal care professionals, who deserve the honor every day of the year,” said Raymond King, President and CEO. “Our keepers are devoted to the care of our animals here at the Zoo, but they’re also role models who set significant professional standards for their colleagues throughout the zoological community.”
Whether by weighing giant pandas, devising enrichment toys for gorillas, training big cats to accept voluntary vaccinations or carefully feeding venomous snakes, Zoo Atlanta’s keepers report to work every morning committed to making a difference in more than 1,000 lives. Roughly one third of the Zoo’s full-time employees are animal care staff working in four primary departments: Birds and Program Animals; Herpetology (reptiles and amphibians); Mammals; and Primates. The Zoo’s keepers bring a collective 300 years of experience to the care and training of more than 200 individual species. The organization’s longest-running zookeeper, Bernie Gregory, Lead Keeper of Primates, has worked at Zoo Atlanta since 1979.
The zookeepers’ profession is one that has diversified dramatically over the past 20 years. Once considered a menial job that rarely exceeded basic duties such as feeding and cleaning, zoological animal care is now a highly competitive profession demanding education, experience and specialized training. In 2007, the Atlanta City Council issued a special proclamation recognizing the contributions of the Zoo’s keepers, and since that time, the institution has continued to build a reputation as a source of talent for the national zoological community. Today, Zoo Atlanta staff members are responsible for more than 45 percent of worldwide publications on gorilla behavior; have published internationally recognized behavioral research on giant pandas; and have ranked among the nation’s first zoological professionals to study and respond to the problem of global amphibian decline.
