Being a zoo keeper surrounded by animals is a career that many people are curious about and yearn for, but dealing with wild animals on a daily basis can bring many challenges to this job.
Juliana So, a Chinese -Canadian woman, has been a zookeeper at the Toronto Zoo for a long time.
“A typical day in the Zookeeper’s world is, we come over here, because the animals are totally depended on us, we take care of them, making sure they are ok, we check on them, making sure that they are all accounted for, we start from giving them breakfast and medications, if needed,” said So.
“We spend time to do enrichment, make sure the day is not boring, the rest of the day we do a lot of observation, then we make sure the end of the day they got their dinner and tuck them to bed,” she added.
In addition to primate species, So is more drawn to herps, amphibians and reptiles; these creatures are always misrepresented and misunderstood because of their scaly and scary appearances.
So emphasized that being a zookeeper is a great opportunity for a lifelong learning process, which requires patience and continuing education, yet the most challenging task is to learn each animals’ personality traits.
The Toronto Zoo has always been a pioneer in promoting plans and initiatives to preserve the endangered species, Juliana encouraged more aspiring zookeepers to devote their love and passions, raising public awareness and enhancing the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
