Interview with a Zoo Keeper by Leo

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Hi.

This is Leo. Recently, I was able to interview my mom’s friend’s brother who is a zoo keeper. He’s also married to a zoo keeper. His name is Eric and he’s the Tulsa Zoo Large Mammal Keeper and his wife works with the penguins!

This interview is perfect because we’ve been reading ANIMAL books in the {Virtual} Family Book Club. Have you heard of Steve Jenkins? His books are great if you like animals and if you want to be a zoo keeper. I hope you like my interview with a zoo keeper!!

Table of Contents

Questions about working in a zoo:

Have you always wanted to work in a zoo?

I wanted to be in sports or wild life photographer when I was little.

What did you study in college?

I Have a Bachelors in Environmental Science and a Double Minor in Art & Chemistry

What zoos have you worked in?

I have worked for FossilRim Wildlife Center in Texas and The Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma.

Do you have more herbivores or carnivores?

We have more Herbivores than Carnivores at the zoo

This is a GREAT book about zoo animals and friendship!

Questions about the Tulsa Zoo:

What is the name of your zoo?

Tulsa Zoo.

Do you have a gorilla in your zoo?

There are no gorillas at our zoo.

This is a fun book about a zoo keeper and a gorilla!

What is the smartest animal in your zoo?

Our Smartest Animals are probably the Chimps, Elephants and Sea Lions.

How many animals are in your zoo?

Tulsa Zoo has over 2,500 animals

How many veterinarians do you have at your zoo?

We have 2 vets at our zoo and 2 vet techs

Image by Eric Tulsa Zoo Large Mammal Keeper

Questions about African hoof stock:

What is African hoof stock?

African Hoof stock is just a term for hooved animals that are found in Africa.

How do you feed giraffes?

We feed the Giraffe with grain bins or hay racks that are mounted really high in the air.

Where do you keep the giraffes?

The Giraffe are kept in a very large yard that has access to a barn with really tall doors.

Have you always wanted to work with giraffes?

I wanted to work with Rhinos and this job lets me work with both =)

Image by Eric Tulsa Zoo Large Mammal Keeper

Do you have names for the giraffes?

We have 2 Giraffe who are both girls, their names are Lexi who is 8yrs old and Pili who is 6.

Do you have pictures of the giraffes?

Image by Eric Tulsa Zoo Large Mammal Keeper

Do giraffes really have purple tongues?

Giraffe do have purple/blue tongues which the dark color helps prevent it from getting sun burned, however the very back of the tongue is a light pink color just like ours.

If you have a gazelle, do you feed them plants?

We do not have any Gazelle at our zoo.

Do giraffes heads actually come off when they bend down to drink*?

Giraffe heads do not come off when they bend down but they do have very impressive valves in their neck that limit blood flow so that when they raise it back up they do not not get light headed and dizzy.

Questions about penguins:

Do you buy fish for the penguins?

Our zoo does buy fish for the Penguins, they eat Herring, Sardines, Capelin and silver sides.

Where do you keep the penguins?

The penguins have an exhibit with a large pool and multiple areas to set up nests

What kind of penguins do you have? Do you have Emperor Penguins? Do you have Macaroni Penguins?

We have African Penguins, No Emperor or Macaroni.

How many penguins do you have? Are there any penguin babies?

There are currently 23 Penguins at the Tulsa Zoo, no babies as of this moment

Do you have names for the penguins?

All the Penguins do have names.

Image by Eric Tulsa Zoo Large Mammal Keeper

***Thank you so much for reading my interview and thank* *you to Eric for answering all of my questions!!***

~ LEO

* Note from Cait: I’m not quite sure where this one came from.

Follow Cait Fitz @ My Little Poppies’s board Leo’s Lounge at My Little Poppies on Pinterest.

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Thank you for the article, Leo! I love the information you obtained, especially all the neat info about the giraffes! I also appreciated that you asked about the vets as well as which animals are the most intelligent!

It would be helpful (if your mom allows it) to remind your readers of your current age every now and again. My son is 5 years old today and I think he would be even more interested if I could remember how old you are!

Thanks again for all the hard work you put into researching and writing this article!

Questions about working in a zoo:

Questions about the Tulsa Zoo:

Questions about African hoof stock:

Questions about penguins:

Thank you so much for reading my interview and thank you to Eric for answering all of my questions!!

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***Thank you so much for reading my interview and thank* *you to Eric for answering all of my questions!!***