Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
On this afternoon, we went to go see the Zoo’s grocery store, or more formally known as the Zoo’s Forage Department. More specifically, we spoke to Ms. Deborah Lowe, Supervisor of Nutritional Services and Dr. Katie Kerr, Associate Nutritionist who took us on a tour through the Forage Warehouse. We were able to see where the produce, meat, grain, hay, dairy, and live feed (insects) are stored for the Zoo’s entire collection. Each food group in stored in a different section of the building so there is no risk of cross-contamination. Along with learning about Ms. Lowe’s and Dr. Kerr’s daily routines, we also got a firsthand look into why they chose their respective careers.
A typical day for the forage team involves waking up early! Every day, Ms. Lowe and her team arrives at work with enough time to prepare and deliver the food to various parts of the Zoo by 6:00am, so keepers have their produce and meat waiting for them upon their arrival. Since cross-contamination is a big concern for nutritionists and nutrition staff, different food preparation happens on different days. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday produce is prepared, and on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday meat is prepared. Even more so, meat normally needs time to defrost so it actually goes to the animals around a week after it was sorted and prepared. If any individual animal needs medication, Dr. Kerr determines which treat is most appropriate for the animal, and Ms. Lowe and her team ready the ingredients to be sent to the keepers to safely and effectively administer the medication. Often times, Dr. Kerr and her team has to be creative. Animals can frequently tell when medication is hidden in their food, so they have to use treats that are too delicious to refuse- like chucky peanut butter! What makes zoo nutrition so difficult and tricky is that sometimes Dr. Kerr must formulate a completely new diet for an animal. This could be because that animal has never been housed in managed care, and she must replicate their wild diet to the best of her ability. Often times, in order to have an animal’s diet have the proper nutrients, she must take into account the weight of an animal, similar animals to the species diets, and what the animal would eat in the wild.
When Ms. Lowe was younger, she did not know she wanted to work at the San Diego Zoo in Nutrition Services. She said when she was around our age, she participated in a program just like InternQuest. Ms. Lowe went to college and ended up earning a degree in general biology. Upon completion of the program, a position in the Building and Grounds Department opened up at the Zoo. Over time, Ms. Lowe found herself working in Nutrition Services, where she has been for the almost 31 years! If she was not working at the Forage Warehouse, Ms. Lowe said she would want to be a physical therapist. She loves sports and in her free time, she enjoys coaching volleyball.
Dr. Kerr didn’t realize she was interested in nutrition until her senior year in college. She advised those looking into a career in nutrition or biology in general to go out and find available internships. These internships will allow you to gain all of the necessary hands-on experience in order to be successful as a zoo nutritionist. Additionally, this experience will you to stand out as a candidate when it comes time to apply for jobs! Even though zoo nutrition does not have many open positions throughout the country, it is important to always be networking. By networking, you can meet professionals already established in their fields, and gain their insight into how they were able to be successful in their careers.
Seeing and touring the many different locations throughout the Forage Warehouse was truly eye opening! It was amazing to see how much time and effort goes into formulating and preparing all of the different diets for every animal throughout the Zoo. While at first I was not too interested in zoo nutrition, after meeting both Ms. Lowe and Dr. Kerr, I have a newfound interest in animal nutrition.
Tara, Career Team
Week Four, Fall Session 2017
