A Career in Conservation?
A few weeks ago I took one of the best trips of my
life. Living in a swing state, I was
being bombarded by election calls, ads and mailings and needed to get
away. I tried to decide between going to
New England and going to California. As
it turns out, Hurricane Sandy was about to swing through, so fortunately I
chose to go to California.
I had a VIP experience at the San Diego Zoo. I went to the Veterinary hospital there and
saw a mountain lion named Koya (one of the few indigenous species at the zoo)
get a root canal. I saw some of the
fantastic, innovative tools that vets there use to help treat animals. The hospital houses SIX pathologists and I
heard about some innovative techniques used in turtle physical therapy. I got up close to tigers and leopards, and
fed and petted elephants, giraffes, meerkats and 23-year-old blind sea lion
named Jake. Beyond the thrill of all
that, I learned so much. For instance,
elephants like raisins, polar bears like grapes (and are incredibly smart) and
flamingos get their pink color from their consumption of shrimp and other crustaceans.
I have always loved zoos and aquariums. I watch Nature religiously and even went to
the Berlin Zoo on my honeymoon (to see Knute the polar bear). I guess my dream job would be to be a
zookeeper. Being around animals, not at
a desk, and educating others about conservation would be a dream for sure. So after my visit to the zoo, I thought about
how I might achieve that dream. I went
to the Denver Zoo website, to see about volunteering or internships. Much to my surprise and joy, I discovered a
Master’s program for working professionals.
I can get my Master’s in Zoology while still working at the Center for
Bioethics. Having graduate degrees in both education and zoology will prime me
for my dream job.
Zookeeper/conservationist/animal advocate.
It only took 2 weeks, but I completed my application. Essays and information submitted,
transcripts sent, and letters of
recommendation submitted. In March of
2013, they will be interviewing candidates for admission. This time of year usually fliess by, but I
have a feeling it will be slow going as I wait to hear if I am on the path to
moving towards my dream job.
What would be better still?
For me to get on the Daily Show and be interviewed by Jon Stewart as
conservationist.
