I work at Utah's Hogle Zoo - an incredible zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.  I love it.  Some days like today I wake up completely overwhelmed with how lucky I am.  I'm part of the Visual Arts and Visitor Experience Department.  There is an entire department in our zoo devoted to your experience as a guest.  Just think about that for a second.  As an Eco-Explorer, my job is to teach you about animals and inspire you to care about them.  My ultimate goal is to show you what you can do to help save these animals.  It doesn't matter where you are in the park:  I've got some info for you.  I'll tell you all about who's who and what we are doing to save them here at the zoo and with organizations in the wild.

Love Elephants & Rhinos?  Check out the International Elephant and Rhino Foundations.  Learn about poaching and how it is the number one threat to these magnificent animals. Make donations and be a conscious consumer so that these animals are never harmed by your purchases.  How about the cats of the Asian Highlands like the Amur Leopard and Tiger or the Snow Leopard?  We work with the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance and the Snow Leopard Trust to protect these endangered animals.  We have some of the best breeding programs for these species and are an active contributor to their Species Survival Plans.  What about Polar Bears?  Rizzo is a favorite here and we are trained by Polar Bears International to teach you about the plight of vanishing polar ice and the simple things you can do to help save the ice and the polar bears that call it home.  We make donations to the Marine Mammal Care Center  and the Marine Mammal Center in California - the two organizations that rescued and rehabilitated our California Sea Lions Rocky & Maverick after being injured in the wild.  We also work with the Niassa Lion Project - a great group promoting coexistence in Africa with the kings of the Savannah.

But my love for my job doesn't end simply with what I do and what I get to teach.  It extends to the people I work with.  I love them.  My fellow Eco-Explorers amaze me with their enthusiasm for conservation and their love for people.  They are like a second family to me.  Sometimes I get to listen to them teach and am amazed with their teaching ability and can't wait to use some of their techniques the next time I get to teach you.  My boss is an incredible woman with a passion for interpretation and conservation who has been paving the way for climate change interpretation around the country.

I also get to work with the keepers at the zoo.  They gave my study group at veterinary school some amazing experiences when we came during spring break. One of them is trying to help me land an internship with a veterinarian at a marine mark and has taught us some basics in training our seals.  Another of them is also a veterinary technician who gave me a bunch of books before starting veterinary school.  I worked with another one as a lifeguard when we were younger and we still joke about using the others towels - even if it does confuse the rest of the keepers.  Another keeper has worked to help another Eco get internships at other facilities.  And yet another keeper has given me experiences with our animals that I will never forget. I didn't get to mention all of them here, but all of them truly have inspired me.  Their backgrounds are varied and impressive.  Their knowledge and care for conservation is vast and inspiring.  I'm a better person every day I get to work with them.

Sometimes I also get to work with the veterinarians and veterinary technicians at the zoo.  They are an incredible team that has been so encouraging in my pursuit of veterinary education and my pursuit of working in zoos and aquaria.  I light up every time I hear the hospital calling on the radio and every time I see them in the park.  They are the veterinarians I most want to be like.

I hope this give you a taste of what is like to work at a zoo.  It's all about the animals - that's what has brought us all here and why we all work tirelessly for their conservation, care, and protection.  But it is also about the people.  Zoos have some of the best people in the world - people that are qualified and capable of doing anything they want to but that choose to work here because they want to make a difference.

So go to the zoo.  There are people there ready to make your day.  There are people there to show you how to make a difference.  There are people there making a difference for this world like no where else. But you won't find people anywhere else that care more for animals and conservation than those who staff zoos and aquaria. So find your nearest accredited zoo or aquarium and go today.  I promise you'll love it.