CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens is celebrating National Zookeeper Week, recognizing its 50 full-time zookeepers and 138 employees who help with its animals.
"People think of people that work in zoos in totally different ways," said Shae Miller, the zoo's wild encounters manager. "Some people think that it's like 'The Crocodile Hunter' every day, which a lot of it is that you're coming in and working really hard, but you also get to have a relationship with animals that's really special."
Miller manages experiences like the Roo Valley walk-through with kangaroos, the goat petty zoo, and the Giraffe Ridge feeding experience. She started volunteering with the zoo in 2016, and has about a decade of experience there and in a couple of other facilities.
As Miller walked WCPO through the giraffe habitat, getting it ready for the day's guests, she helped some summer interns and pointed out the zoo's program with Cincinnati Public Schools, called the Cincinnati Zoo Academy.
"There are a lot of different pathways that people take into the zoo," she said. "If you're a junior or senior at Cincinnati Public Schools, you can actually come to high school here on zoo property ... most people go the more traditional route which is to go to college and get some kind of a science degree and then do an internship here."
A day in the life of a zookeeper in the giraffe habitat can vary greatly — chopping lettuce for the guest encounters, trimming hooves, cleaning up waste and creating enrichment activities for the animals.
Miller's interest in zookeeping started at a young age, with visits to the Akron Zoo.
"I didn't think this was something that was possible," Miller said. "I thought this was like saying you wanted to be a race car driver or something like that."
Miller described the zookeeper's role as a lot of science — and a lot of passion.
"I want to make sure that, for generations, these animals are still around," said Miller. "I come in every day hoping that at least one kid or one person, they care a little bit ... because of what they got here at the zoo."
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