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 adventure here on the Zoo’s website!
The San Diego Zoo has been inspiring its young visitors to pursue careers in zoology since long before we joined the InternQuest program. Ms. Torrey Pillsbury, a Senior Mammal Keeper we met last Wednesday at the Safari Park, was one of these visitors. After every Sunday school, she and her family would go to the Zoo to observe its vast collection of animals. She never imagined that she would one day be responsible for the animals of another menagerie that was, at the time, being constructed just a couple miles north of the Zoo.
Upon our arrival at the Safari Park, Ms. Pillsbury first gave us a quick tour of the staff offices. The keepers at both the Zoo and the Park keep up-to-date records on every individual animal under their care that describe its number of offspring, its medical history, and the significance of its markings. While the job does involve some paperwork, Ms. Pillsbury spends as little time as possible working in her office. Once we were able to see what the rest of her position entails, I couldn’t blame her.
As we rode out to the Safari Park in a caravan, Ms. Pillsbury told us her history as a zookeeper. Her first work experience was at the Phoenix Zoo, where she took care of primates and reptiles. She began working there when she was 19 years old after spending a couple of years in college, but she advised us to continue going to school. According to her, possessing a college degree demonstrates more than just knowledge; to potential employers like the Safari Park, it also shows dedication to a field of study. Even without one, she had to work hard to get to where she is now.
We soon found ourselves on a safari of our own, exploring the African Plains section of the Park. Ms. Pillsbury brought dozens of leaf-eater biscuits, apple slices, and acacia leaves for us to dish out to the hungry animals that approached the caravan. Though her favorite animal, the Somali wild ass, is not a part of the main exhibit, she nevertheless had much to say about the species we encountered. A greater one-horned rhino named Bohpu was especially receptive of the carrots that she had in her possession. Watching her feed Bohpu, I was struck by how dedicated she was to providing the mammals at the Park with care.
When we asked if there were any negative aspects of her job, Ms. Pillsbury expressed that she dislikes having to wake up at 3 AM and working when it rains or is really hot outside. Otherwise, however, she loves doing what she does. In the time since she first joined the Safari Park, she has learned much about endangered species from around the world, and being able to help the cause by looking after the members of these species is immensely gratifying.
As if to prove her point, several of the Park’s giraffes then wandered over to the caravan, enticed by the delicious acacia leaves we had plucked from their branches. I wouldn’t have described a giraffe as “tenacious” before Wednesday, but the feeling of having a giraffe aggressively wrap its tongue around my hand to reach the leafy center is not one that I’ll soon forget. Watching the other interns try their hands at feeding, I inexplicably felt a sense of renewed hope in the future. It was thanks to the work of Ms. Pillsbury and the rest of the Park’s keepers that we were able to witness the grandeur of these giraffes so close to home. They reminded me that the environment continues to be biodiverse, and that there are people around the world who are determined to keep it that way.
The field of zoology has evolved much over the years, but the goal of conservation has remained the same throughout. Throughout my time with InternQuest, I’ve learned how San Diego Zoo Global functions as an organization by meeting people from several of its various departments. Yet keepers like Ms. Pillsbury still play a vital role in upholding the organization’s primary purpose: tending to the animals at the Zoo and the Safari Park. Getting the chance to witness conservation in action for the past few weeks has been an absolute pleasure, and it excites me that, at some point in the future, I might just end up contributing to the cause of conservation alongside Ms. Pillsbury, Ms. Chang, and the rest of San Diego Zoo Global.
Sunwoo, Careers Team
Week Six, Fall Session 2017
