The people who keep a zoo running, and how to become one of them.
Zoo vets treat hundreds of species, from frogs to elephants. Much of the work is prevention: yearly exams, vaccines, dental care, X-rays and blood tests. Animals are trained to offer a paw, open a mouth or step on a scale so checks need no sedation. Zoo vets often hold a board certification from the American College of Zoological Medicine.
A zoo kitchen prepares diets by weight for every animal every day: produce, fish, hay, browse (fresh-cut branches) and formulated pellets. Nutritionists adjust for age, season, pregnancy and health; overweight is a common zoo problem, so treats used in training come out of the daily ration.
A keeper's day starts with a count and a look at each animal: eating, walking, breathing, droppings. Then cleaning, feeding, training sessions, enrichment, records and talks for visitors. Keepers know their animals as individuals; that knowledge is the zoo's early-warning system.
Every animal has a record: birth, parents, moves, medical history. Studbook keepers hold the family tree of a whole species across many zoos and recommend which animals should breed. The first international studbook, for the European bison, was begun in 1932.
Plants make habitats, shade, privacy and food. Zoo gardeners grow browse for leaf-eaters and must check that every plant in reach of an animal is safe for it.
Many zoos send staff and money to field projects: radio-collaring lions, protecting sea-turtle nests, restoring scrub for the Florida scrub-jay. The best zoo is also a base for work far from its gates.
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