Junior Zookeeping and Enrichment
Animals and people are very similar: most of them enjoy food, entertainment, and being able to trust. All of these are provided for our residents at the Houston Zoo by our zookeepers—both the experienced and the ones who are still in training! However, every animal is different, so they need their own, tailored enrichment to keep them engaged every day! The Houston Zoo’s animals are provided with daily enrichment, human-grade food, and training for voluntary vet work. The love and care that zookeepers and Junior Zookeepers, or JZ for short, put into tending for each Zoo resident is well worth appreciating.
Junior Zookeeper Santi worked in the Zoo’s Bird Department. His favorite animal from this department is the Malagasy sacred ibis Babaka, as she was hand-raised and is very curious. Santi helped the zookeepers craft many activities and enrichment forms for the Zoo’s feathered residents.
- Enrichment: Birds love different cups of substrate (such as shavings, mulch, and wet sand) to dig through, paper chains to tear apart, and ball-and-tube puzzles.
- Favorite treats: Blackberries, blueberries, grapes, and mealworms
Santi said, “The bird team deserves more appreciation. They have so many individual animals, and the amount of work that the bird team does with cleaning and getting healthy diets for them every day is crazy. The walk in aviaries provide such a different opportunity that is so unique to birds, especially because birds are so ubiquitous. They do so much work, and they deserve a lot of appreciation, because they just have the sheer number of animals and the amount of care and love they put into them is amazing.”
Ethan was a Hoofstock Junior Zookeeper whose favorite department animal is Kwame the okapi. Kwame enjoys licking keepers and then sticking his tongue into his nose to smell them better. Ethan prepared diets and enrichment for the animals every morning alongside the Hoofstock zookeepers.
- Enrichment: Puzzle feeders, chalk activities, bubbles, hose misting, stocked termite mounds, and scatter feeding
- Favorite treats: Fruit popsicles, corn, cantaloupe, mealworms, peanut butter, avocado, and occasional ants (for the anteaters of course!)
Ethan explains, “Hoofstock is a lot more diverse than you think. It includes reptiles, birds, anteaters, and other animals. It also has a lot of baby animals and new residents arriving from other zoos. Hoofstock is just so unique and diverse because it’s not the same thing every day. Last week I did giraffes for 4 days in a row and it was something different every day. There is, it’s not a single routine. It never gets boring and it’s so much fun!”
Dustin worked as a Wildlife Connections Junior Zookeeper, and his favorite animals were the North American river otters Ravioli and Belle. During his time as Junior Zookeeper, he helped assemble enrichment each day.
- Enrichment: Plastic balls with holes to get food, paper bags, and soccer balls for the otters to chase around!
- Favorite treats: Sweet potatoes and whole fish
Dustin added, “[Wildlife Connections is] just such an amazing team of diversely qualified people who can handle pretty much any animal that is given to them. And they have large carnivores like the giant river otters, the ambassador animals that they literally handle, the primates who have their own side of rules, and the birds and reptiles. They’re very adaptable, ready to take on anything, and they’re eager to show everybody about it (thanks to the ambassadors). They’re the connections people, so I think that’s pretty cool.”
William was an Elephant Junior Zookeeper over the summer. His favorite animal during this time was Methai, the Asian elephant herd’s matriach. These huge creatures also get their daily enrichment from both the Junior and official zookeepers.
- Enrichment: Giant plastic balls, empty gas cans, strawberry scent, and painting on cardboard
- Favorite treats: Watermelon, oranges, apples, cantaloupes, and bread for training
William commented, “Even though it can get hot sometimes, Elephant JZ is really fun. You get to work with the amazing elephants we have at the Zoo. The staff is really amazing as well! They are all super passionate about the elephants, and they really love to teach you. They all work super hard to make sure our elephants are safe and healthy, getting all their daily nutrition and exercises, like yoga and baths. It’s really fun to see how the keeper staff have bonded with specific elephants and how they have a deep connection and understanding. So I would say if anyone wants to apply to Elephants, it’s a really amazing opportunity that I don’t think you can get anywhere else.”
Hollis, a Carnivore Junior Zookeeper, enjoyed helping out with the cheetahs Dash and Dinari the most during her time as JZ. She assisted with organizing enrichment and diets.
- Enrichment: Puzzle feeders, scatter feeding, paper to tear up, frozen vegetables and blood popsicles, and training with diluted goat’s milk
- Favorite treats: Fish and berries
Hollis wants you to know, “It’s the most amazing experience I’ve ever had.” She said, “I learned so much—not just about the animals but also about how the Zoo runs and the complexities of being a zookeeper. It gave me a greater appreciation for all the work the keepers do and I would highly recommend anyone take the opportunity if they were offered it.”
Overall, Junior Zookeeping is a great place to learn about Zoo life, care for animals, and gain experience that lasts a lifetime. Thanks to the keepers—both Junior and experienced—our animals are able to have an amazing quality of life and stay healthy through the countless hours of enrichment and training provided for them. Our Junior Zookeepers also want to give you a message: Join JZ!
This blog was written by members of Houston Zoo’s Zoo Crew Teens, Isis Yang and Nora Ramesha. Through hands-on conservation projects, wildlife education, and community service, Zoo Crew teens learn how their actions can help save animals in the wild. To learn more about Zoo Crew and Houston Zoo Teen Programs, visit Houston Zoo Teen Programs.
