Posts Tagged ‘Meet the Staff’

Jun
08

Meet the Staff – Tricia Webster

Posted by in Featured,Meet the Staff

When you visit the Zoo, it is very easy to identify a member of our staff. The Houston Zoo employees (and volunteers!) make ourselves as visible as possible so that guests can recognize us. This allows us to be accessible to our wonderful guests, and provide the best experience possible.

What you may not know is that behind the scenes, we have many employees and volunteers who work extremely hard to keep the Zoo operating at such a high level. Recently, I was lucky enough to spend some time with Tricia, who is the Registrar here at the Houston Zoo.

I think there are some who might have some misconceptions about what a registrar does. Could you clear up that confusion for us?

Being a Registrar is not just about “pushing papers.”  There are a myriad of responsibilities that all directly relate back into maintaining the highest standards in data quality and recordkeeping for our animal collection.

 

This certainly seems like a pretty rare position. How many Zoo registrars are there outside of the Houston Zoo?

There are 168 as of June 2012 (professional and associate members)

 

With all of the responsibilities associated with your position, is there one area that you spend the most time on?  

We read and edit twelve to thirteen Keeper Daily Reports(DRs), which takes up the majority of our day.  We want to enter as much information from the DRs into our database called Animal Records Keeping System(ARKS) so that the staff will be able utilize it to check trends in the health and well-being of our animal collection. A close second is the preparing of the animal transaction proposals. When Curators turn the animal transaction proposals in for approval by our head veterinarian and VP, we have to check and review the local, state and federal websites to ensure that the Houston Zoo is legally compliant when we are sending and receiving animals.

 

That sounds pretty extensive!  What sort of experience must you have to do this sort of work?

I think it is very important to have a strong and varied animal background. I received my Bachelor of Science from Cornell University with a degree in Animal Science in 1994.  I worked as a zookeeper for 4 years at the Bronx Zoo and 5 years at Disney’s Animal Kingdom as an opening team cast member.  When a new position was created for Assistant Registrar (I was the first!) at Disney in 2003, I knew that was a job I would also enjoy since I liked doing the editing and recordkeeping of our hoofstock and waterfowl collection at the time.  To me, actually working with animals gave me a much better understanding of how to manage their records. I worked mostly with mammals, so when I arrived at Houston Zoo, it was a great opportunity to learn even more since the Birds and Herpetology collection here are quite large.

 

What is your favorite part of being a registrar at the Houston Zoo? 

I learn so much when I get to travel to the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and ZRA (Zoological Registrars Association) conferences. The ability to network with colleagues really helps me to learn more and keep up with the changing trends in the zoo and aquarium industry.  Presentations given at the conferences provide valuable information on U.S. Fish and Wildlife federal permit regulations, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) federal permit regulations, electronic records management, records retention, disaster preparedness, accreditation, and USDA updates. ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System) is also being discussed continuously since it is the web-based real-time global database system that will be replacing ARKS at some future date. I am extremely fortunate that Houston Zoo has allowed my Assistant Registrar Joann Thomas-Watson and I the opportunity to travel so that we can take what we have learned at the conferences and apply it directly to our records management here.

 

It sounds like you have a lot of stories. Anything interesting that you want to share?

A very important day at the zoo for me personally was October 14, 2010.  I had been working on getting the permit paperwork prepped for our Southern white rhinoceros shipment since 2007!! There were so many different parameters that had to be taken into account when receiving CITES II animals internationally.  It involved a lot of coordination with the broker, the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) agency at Bush Intercontinental Airport, the customs office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, our facilities and commissary staff; this list is by no means exhaustive.  It was pretty amazing to actually witness the plane landing with our “precious cargo” and getting to be involved with all the logistics of the shipment from 6 AM to 9:45 PM.

 

Also,

I am a member of a group called Hippolotofus (website is hippos.com). We are a group of people (~1100 members) who just love hippos and travel all over the U.S. to just look at hippos in zoos/aquariums and share stories of our hippo collection. Currently I have about 450 hippos and I started collecting in 1998. Hippos are my favorite animal, and I had the distinct pleasure of working with them for 5 years.

My other obsession? For those who have seen the Registrar office, it is adorned with twilight paraphernalia!! Audiobooks, books, posters, jewelry, magnets, stickers, keychains, buttons, figurines, you name it we got it!! If anyone needs to know any trivia about the twilight series, please feel free to stop by. Joann and I are experts on it!! I hope to one day meet Stephenie Meyer (author of the twilight books) and have her sign the gazillion items in our collection :)

 

A big thank you to Tricia for spending time with me. Be on the lookout for more staff interviews!

Tags: , ,
May
21

Meet the Staff – Phyllis Pietrucha-Mays

Posted by in Meet the Staff

When you visit the Zoo, it is very easy to identify a member of our staff. The Houston Zoo employees (and volunteers!) make ourselves as visible as possible so that guests can recognize us. This allows us to be accessible to our wonderful guests, and provide the best experience possible.

What you may not know is that behind the scenes, we have many employees and volunteers who work extremely hard to keep the Zoo operating at a high level. Recently, I was lucky enough to spend some time with Phyllis, who is the Commissary Supervisor here at the Houston Zoo.

Phyllis, we know your job title, but what do you actually DO?

I supervise the daily activities of the Zoo commissary. That involves overseeing ordering, storage, and preparation of animal feed and nutritional supplies.

There are a lot of animals here! How long does it take to prepare all that food?

Starting at 5 am, the first four hours are the busiest in the kitchen. We are working mostly with assorted fruits and vegetables, making our diets to the order of our specialized cookbooks.

How many other people help with all this work?

We have six total animal keepers, three of which are senior keepers. Each one works four days in the kitchen, and one day on the dock delivering animal food. The kitchen has three stations which are rotated on a daily basis so we all become familiarized with the ever changing diets. We have three different “cookbooks” that we follow. These change on a daily basis due to new acquisitions of animals, special health concerns, and animal pregnancies.

What is the most difficult part of all of this?

The most difficult part is probably juggling the constant changes. There is a lot of maintenance work to make sure the food is prepared correctly. After the food is prepared and ready, we also must schedule and deliver the right food to the right place at the right time.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

I love the early hours. We work from 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 365 days a year. Yep, 365. Even though the Zoo is closed on Christmas day, all of the animals need to be fed. Although I don’t get to participate in this much anymore, I used to love delivering food to all the animal sections. The experience of hearing the birds, elephants, lions, and other animals begin to wake up is just so exciting!


With every animal in the Zoo, it just seems like so much food! Do you have any fun facts?

I would bet most people don’t know that our three rhinos eat an average of 400 bales of hay a year. Due to last year’s drought, hay alone became quite an expense. The cost for only our rhinos last year was approximately $5,000.

What else can you tell me about the incredibly important work you do?

We have the same food safety as you would find in a restaurant. We also share the same worries about temperature, sanitation, keeping meat separate from veggies, etc. However, unlike restaurant preparation, we work with a wide variety of foods including live insects(crickets, meal worms) rodents, assorted types of fish, produce, grain, and hays. Our Zoo commissary is state of the art and amazing to see in action!

A big THANKS to Phyllis for letting me interview her. Stay tuned for more interviews with our great staff!

Tags: , , , , , , ,
May
03

Meet the Staff – Kirsten Ufer

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Meet the Staff

When you visit the Zoo, it is very easy to identify a member of our staff. The Houston Zoo employees (and volunteers!) make ourselves as visible as possible so that guests can recognize us. This allows us to be accessible to our wonderful guests, and provide the best experience possible.

What you may not know is that behind the scenes, we have many employees and volunteers who work extremely hard to help the Zoo improve day by day. Recently, I got to sit down with Kirsten Ufer, the Creative Director for the Houston Zoo, and learn all about her incredible work at the Zoo.

 

Kirsten, what the heck does a Creative Director do?

Basically, what I do as Creative Director is to oversee the graphic design and photography departments. We help communicate messages visually – whether it is through designing a logo, a brochure, a sign, etc…  Much like a trained chef has the ability to make food look more appetizing by the way it is presented, we put all the pieces together to make a message more compelling through our design.

 

What’s the most fun part of your job?

The animals! It’s amazing to be right here with the animals and get to design things that pertain to them, as well as conservation efforts. This is definitely a unique setting for anyone!

 

It sounds like you’ve had some interesting projects. Do you have a favorite?

There are so many projects that have been amazing to be a part of, it’s hard to choose just one – so I have narrowed it down to three. ;)

 

1. The first of my favorites is a poster/educational packet that went out to 3rd graders around the Houston Area, dealing with conservation efforts in water and wetland areas.

It was fun to collaborate with both the Education and Conservation departments to create a piece that would go outside of the Zoo to impact children in the greater Houston Area – and teach them how they can be a part of conservation efforts at home.

 

2.  Another favorite project to be a part of was the redesign of the food kiosk in the Children’s Zoo. The kiosk was in very bad shape and was drab and just wasn’t bringing in a lot of sales, so the Zoo wanted to give it a “face-lift.” Since it’s located in the Children’s Zoo, I really wanted to give it a fun-zany “Nickelodeon” feel – and incorporate kids – and make it look like they were having fun and enjoying the food. So fortunately for me, the Zoo was open to incorporating my crazy design – and as a result food sales have increased!

 

3. My third favorite is a new interactive sign for the Sea Lion area. Our department was challenged with the task of creating an interactive sign to explain the impact that pollution has on marine life. One of our very own sea lions, Astro, was greatly affected by marine debris, as he was found entangled in it, leaving a scar where it wrapped around his neck. So the issue is near and dear to us, and an important conservation message for us to get across. So our two designers, Tricia Logston and Megan Conkin, and I collaborated on this design, and Megan put it all together in this beautiful drawing. We are still in the development phases and hope to have the sign complete and installed within the year.

 

What sort of challenges do you face in your department?

Our constant challenge is to make sure we are effectively communicating the Zoo’s message in a fresh, innovative way, while also upholding high standards of past successes.

A challenge for our photographer would be trying to capture a person’s ideas for a photo and being able to capture them in a photograph with the animals who sometimes have their own agenda :) .

 

Would our guests recognize anything that you and your team have worked on around the Zoo?

We have designed everything from the visitor guides and signage to banners and kiosk posters to the kiosks themselves – so the visitors are really inundated with our work from the moment they enter Zoo grounds!

Thanks Kirsten! Stay tuned for more from our amazing staff!

Tags: , , , , , ,
Dec
10

Meet the Staff: Erica Lemon

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Featured,Meet the Staff

Hometown: Houston, TX

Department/Title & Description: Ranger – Ranger/Guest Services – we help zoo guests and learn about animals

Quote – “It wasn’t worth it if you didn’t work hard for it.  – My mom

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?: I worked two months in Guest Service Relations manning the Dinosaur exhibit and have been with the Rangers six months now

Favorite animal: Jaguars are my favorite but I find all of our animals interesting!

Special interests/hobbies: I work hard and then I like to go home and relax

What made you want to work at a zoo?: I like being around people but I find office work too boring.  Everyday is different and you get to meet lots of different people. 

Education/training: I had law enforcement training in High school.  I am waiting to be certified to get more confident in helping people. 

Advice to anyone wanting to enter the your field:  Do it!  It is a lot of fun.  The heat doesn’t bother me.  So, if you don’t mind working in the rain or shine, apply online!

Something you want people to know about your job: Our team is really strong.  They are very welcoming and make you feel comfortable. 

 

 

Tags: , , , , ,
Nov
23

Meet the Staff: Alissa Fuhrman

Posted by in African Forest,Behind the Scenes,Chimpanzees,Featured,Meet the Staff,Wortham World of Primates

Hometown: Livermore, CA

Section: Primates-I mostly work in Chimps right now.

Quote: “If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it.” Willy Wonka

Special interests/hobbies: I’m a member of a Drum and Bugle Corps.  I play the French horn and the Mellophone.  I also have 5 fresh water fish tanks at home.

Favorite animal: Amelia, a De Brazza’s Guenon; she is really cute.  Penda, a Swamp Monkey; she has a great personality.  Kerchak, a Red-capped Mangabey; he can be aggressive and unpredictable but I’ve taught him some fun behaviors that kind of off-set his personality.

Animals you train: Mangabeys, Red-tailed guenons, Swamp Monkeys, De Brazza’s Guenon, Chimpanzees

How long have you been in the animal care field?  I was a volunteer/intern beginning in 1997 at the Charles Paddock Zoo and the Oakland Zoo.  I have been a keeper here at the Houston Zoo since 2001.

What made you want to be a zookeeper? Animals are cool and can be easier to relate to than people sometimes.  In Junior High I wanted to work at Seaworld and work with marine mammals.

What is your previous education/training? I have a Bachelors of Science in Animal Science with a concentration in Zoo and Exotics from California Polytechnic State University.

What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field? Volunteer and be well rounded. You need to know how to work with tools and be creative.  Work on making fun toys for your dog, similar to how we enrich animals here at the zoo.  You should also read “Don’t Shoot the Dog” by Karen Pryor to learn more about animal training.

What is your favorite animal story?
Naku, our Swamp Monkey, loves his pool. He likes to take things from the yard and soak them in the pool.  We decided to put grass sod in the yard for greenery and give them something else to walk on.  The day we put the sod in, Naku decided to take each sheet and drag it to the pool.  80 squares of grass was in the water.  He had fun that day.

Tags: , , , , ,
Nov
07

Meet the Staff: Carlos Contreras

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Featured,Meet the Staff

Hometown: Born in Mexico but raised in Houston

Department/Title & Description: Ranger – Provide first aid, provide information about the zoo, and help with lost children.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?: Worked in concessions for the first 4 years at the Houston zoo and have been working for 3 years with the Rangers ever since

Favorite animal: Monkeys and Jonathan the Lion

Special interests/hobbies: Going to the gym and playing with kids

What made you want to work at a zoo?: I love to talk to guests and tell them about our animals

Previous related jobs: Worked in catering at hotels

Education/training: Certified Interpretive Guide and First Aid/CPR trained

Advice to anyone wanting to enter the your field:  Houston Zoo, Inc. is a great company to work for and they are great to their employees.  Get your High school diploma and practice great guest service! 

Something you want people to know about yourself: I’m a really nice guy.  I’ll be here to help you with anything. 

Favorite Story about work or home: I was working in Macaw café and was wearing a decorated hat with animals on it.  A child came by and started banging on the glass and waving at me.  I thought is strange because he kept pointing at his own head.  His teacher explained that he wanted my hat.  I handed over my hat to the kid and it made him so happy that he was running and jumping all around.  It was nice because that made his whole day!

Tags: , , , , ,
Sep
11

Meet the Staff: Angie Pyle

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Carnivores: Spots, Stripes and Sharp Teeth!,Featured,Meet the Staff

 

Angie and Jonathan

Hometown:  Huntsville, TX

Department:  Carnivore Keeper

Quote:   “Go big or go home”

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo?:  8 years total. I spent 4 years in the Children’s Zoo and 4 years with Carnivores.

Favorite animal:  Lion

Animals I train:  Jonathan (Lion), Nimue (Lion), Kan Balam (Jaguar), Kiburi (cheetah), and I’m a second on the Maned wolves.

Training Fun Facts: Jonathan is very challenging because he is not food motivated at all! Kan Balam is very fun and smart. You can teach a new behavior very easily.

Favorite Story: One day while giving our Tiger keeper chat presentation, we lowered the door to find a night heron in the exhibit on the platform where the tigers usually participate.  I had just told the crowd how tigers are top predators and very dangerous.  At that time we had two males, Jammu and Pandu, on exhibit.  When they came around the corner for the keeper chat, they were startled to find the night heron.  The night heron spread its wings and squawked at the tigers.  Our two 275 lb. tiger males proceeded to tuck tail and run towards their back area.  Luckily we were able to shift both tigers inside and save the night heron.

Special interests/hobbies:  Wake boarding – use to do this for a living, camping, hiking, anything outdoors!

What made you want to work at a zoo?:  Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to work at a zoo. It involves two things I enjoy the most, working with animals and being outside.

Education/training:  Bachelors degree in Animal Science from Sam Houston State

Advice to anyone wanting to enter the your field:  Volunteer as soon as you are able! That is the best way to get your foot in the door and make sure that this is what you want to do. Volunteering in different departments also helps you to choose what area you are most interested in.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Sep
04

Meet the Staff: Tammy Buhrmester

Posted by in Behind the Scenes,Featured,Meet the Staff,Primates

Tammy in front of our Orangutan exhibit

Tammy in front of our Orangutan exhibit

Tammy Buhrmester
Hometown: Watseka, Illinois
Section: Zookeeper/Primates
Quote: “All social change comes from the passion of individuals.”

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? 

I have worked at the Houston Zoo since September 2002.  I will be celebrating my 8th anniversary this year.
Special Interests/ Hobbies: Cooking, baking, traveling, and reading.

Favorite Animal:  I can’t say that I have a favorite animal.  I am interested in all types of species.  If I had to pick the animal I enjoy to work with the most within my department, it would be the orangutans and babirusa.    

What is your education, training, and previous institution(s) you attended before coming to the Houston Zoo? 

I attended Southern Illinois University and received a B.S. in Zoology.  While attending college, I worked as a veterinary technician and volunteered at a wildlife sanctuary.  I also spent a semester working at the Vivarium research lab and I participated in a 12-week internship at Brookfield Zoo’s Tropic World primate habitat.

What made you want to become a zookeeper?

I was very fortunate to have parents that appreciated nature and animals.  I connected with animals at the age of 8, participating in 4-H Club activities and showing rabbits, goats, horses, and hogs.  I had the wonderful opportunity to visit many zoos in my childhood.

How would you describe your job duties? 

I would describe my job duties as physical but rewarding.  I spend my time in the morning cleaning exhibits and the night house where the primates stay when they are not on exhibit.  I spend the afternoon training them for husbandry procedures, painting for enrichment, writing information about their day for their records, feeding all the animals that I am responsible for, making fun snacks for them (popsicles), participating in meetings, walking around and talking to zoo guests about the primates in our collection and preparing their night houses for them to come into at the end of the day.

What is a typical day like working in the primates? 

 There is no typical day in primates.  I have the opportunity to work with different species of Primates everyday.  Each animal have different needs, diets, and personalities. 

What sort of advice would you give to anyone wanting to enter the zoo field?

I would advise anyone interested in the zoo field to get involved as soon as they can.  You can start by coming to zoo camp and seeing what the zoo is all about.  Volunteering is one of the best ways to get experience.  I would recommend any volunteer to be prepared to sweat, get dirty, and handle things that you normally would not be exposed to.  When entering the zoo field, be prepared to start in a department that may not be your first choice – getting your foot in the door is the best way to get to your dream job.

Something you want people to know about yourself or your position at the zoo: I served as co-coordinator for the Houston Zoo’s Pongos Helping Pongos orangutan conservation project.  The auction of paintings created by the Zoo’s orangutans, other primates and elephants has raised more than $150,000 for orangutan and elephant conservation in Indonesia. 

Interesting Facts: I have taken care of three generations of orangutans in two zoos.  I am one of the few people that have seen and taken a picture of a wild Cape Pangolin in Kenya.  They are not normally observed in the wild because they sleep during the day and move at night.

What is your favorite animal story? 

One of my favorite animal stories would entail the wonderful addition of our first baby Babirusa.  When Remley came to us she was less than a year old.  She was adorable and won the hearts of everyone on their first glance of her.  She joined our older male Babirusa at that time.  They became pals and she looked up to him for knowledge and how to act like a pig.  Unfortunately, he passed soon after she came and we had to wait over one year for a new companion for her.  Jambi came to us in December 2007 and it was love at first sight for these two cute pigs and five months later we had a bouncing baby girl named Hadiah.  Hadiah was born in May 2008 and she came into this world weighing less than a pound.  Just like her mother she was admired by all from the first glance of her tiny little body.  I had the honor of watching her grow, discover the world, play with her mom, taking her first swim while mom watched very cautiously and becoming a fine young lady.  I was lucky to accompany her to San Antonio this past April and I hear every so often that she is doing great.  We will hopefully get news one day that she will be a mother.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Older Posts »