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!
Insects evoke a sense of disgust, or even fear, for a lot of us, myself included. Just thinking about them tends to give me the creepy-crawlies. Maybe it has been evolutionarily hardwired into my brain, or maybe it’s all the legs. Whatever the reason, these feelings have prevented me from getting anywhere near insects, much less bothering to learn more about them. It wasn’t until meeting Ms. Ester Chang that my perceptions about these creatures began to change. Now, I see them for the both fascinating and important animals they are, which was exactly Ms. Chang’s goal.
On Wednesday, we were given the pleasure to meet Ms. Chang, a Senior Keeper working in the Entomology Department at the San Diego Zoo. Walking into the Insect House, we found her chatting away with some of the other visitors, likely telling them about the captivating insects on display. The insect house features mainly tropical and exotic insects. In Ms. Chang’s mind, the bigger and showier the insect the better. The Entomology Department tries to make the exhibits as aesthetically pleasing as possible in order to give visitors to the Insect House a good experience. Ms. Chang realizes not everyone shares her love of insects, and therefore, believes the philosophy behind the Insect House is to help individuals develop an appreciation and realize the importance of different kinds of bugs. Ultimately, Ms. Chang hopes to get rid of their “yuck” mentalities.
Ms. Chang has been fascinated by bugs since her childhood. As a kid, she would often venture outside, lifting rocks and logs to see the critters underneath. Despite this love, she never imagined having a career in such a field. An American Literature major at UC Berkeley, she chose to minor in Entomology solely because she thought it would be interesting. Unable to distance herself from her true calling, Ms. Chang took the opportunity to work as an intern in the San Francisco Zoo’s Insect Zoo, which would end up being her first of many experiences working with insects.
After gaining hands-on experience, Ms. Chang went back to school to receive her masters in Museum Studies at San Francisco State University. It was her experience in insect-keeping and educational background that enabled Ms. Chang to fully embrace her insect-interests and acquire her position in the San Diego Zoo’s Entomology Department.
Now, a typical day for Ms. Chang consists mainly of feeding, cleaning up after the various insects in the insect house, beekeeping, and educating the public through daily presentations. Behind the scenes however, she participates in one of the Zoo’s efforts to save one of our local pollinators, the Quino checkerspot butterfly. Working in conjunction with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Zoo is trying to expand the territory of this beautiful butterfly that was once a common sight in southern California. According to Ms. Chang, caring for these insects is hard but rewarding work. Unlike the tightly regimented jobs of other keepers, being an insect keeper requires a lot of trial and error. Little is known about most of the species in the exhibit, so simply finding out their likes and dislikes is a challenge within itself. However, these posed challenges are Ms. Chang’s favorite part of her job. Who would have known Kenny the coconut crab liked popcorn?
However, for all you budding entomologists out there, there are some challenges to consider. Insects don’t know when it is Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve. They need to be fed and cared for every day. Considering this, it makes sense why this job’s hours might be tough for some. Additionally, you don’t get weekends and holidays off. Yet, the rewards reaped seem to greatly outweigh the negatives, especially when one has a passion such as Ms. Chang’s.
The San Diego Zoo’s Insect House truly is a fascinating place, and if ever given the chance, I encourage you all to venture inside, explore, and maybe even talk to Ms. Chang. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed after learning about the complex lives of leafcutter ants, or the cloning abilities of some stick insects, despite any preconceived notions you may have about these critters.
Olivia, Career Team
Week Two, Fall Session 2018
