Take Your Desk to the Zoo

Dina Signorelli Bredahl '95
Biology Major
Lead Keeper of Primates & Conservation
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs, Colo.

Learning a New Career Direction

"While in the pre-vet program at CSB and SJU, I started searching for an internship at a vet clinic. Then I saw a posting for an internship at the Minnesota Zoo. It was not exactly what I was looking for, but I figured any animal experience was better than nothing. I interviewed for and was selected to work with the Northern Trail staff at the Minnesota Zoo (an unpaid, 40-hour per week commitment for three months).

"My main duties involved bottle-raising pronghorn calves, as well as caribou, musk ox and camel offspring. It was very challenging (especially since I was working 30 hours per week at a pizza place) but so rewarding! I was very naive going into the experience, but the zookeepers were such wonderful people to work with, they were very patient, and they obviously loved their jobs."

Learning a New Passion

"The internship was a bittersweet experience for me, and I learned a lot about the emotional side of animal keeping. We lost some of the babies we were raising (mostly to respiratory infections) and that was extremely difficult. The reality of the job was not what I had first imagined. There is so much more hard, physical labor, detailed paperwork records concerning the animals, professionalism and communication skills--with both zoo staff and public visitors--than I had believed. It was a challenging, multi-faceted career option, where no two days would ever be the same."

Learning a New Way of Zookeeping

"As a zookeeper at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ), I was asked to sit in on a brainstorming session concerning a new direction the zoo might be taking with a future exhibit. It was completely enlightening! In the past I had truly enjoyed the occasional encounter with zoo guests, but I had always felt like my number one priority was taking care of the animals--to the point that indifference toward most zoo guests was the norm.

"This is how most zookeepers felt--that they would speak at a scheduled animal talk, but otherwise they could kind of ignore the zoo guests unless they were asked a specific question. Over the past couple of years we have re-defined what it is to be an animal keeper at CMZ.

"It is now in the job description for animal keepers to initiate at least one defining moment every day. This means that the keepers make efforts to involve zoo guests in experiences that they will hopefully remember for the rest of their lives. It only takes five minutes out of an animal keeper's day to have a child scrub the elephant's feet, or hide treats around the gorilla enclosure, or throw crickets to the meerkats, but those experiences will hopefully make a lasting impression, and a true connection.

"Through this process, I have developed some valuable leadership skills. By brainstorming with the keepers, we were able to come up with many ideas on how to involve zoo guests and create defining moments. The excitement was contagious, and now this special interaction is considered a fun part of the day for most animal keepers at CMZ. For me, nothing is more rewarding than seeing a little kid get giddy with joy during an animal encounter!"

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