The Zookeeper
“What’s your favorite animal?”
As I document in my memoir, Lessons from the Zoo, Ten Animals That Changed My Life,
that is the second question I get after people ask me what I did for a living before I retired. I have been trying to answer it for over fifty years—first as a zookeeper, then as a zoo curator, and now as a retired zoo director. I have always answered it in the moment, which means the answer has not always been the same. I have, at times, said the elephant was my favorite animal because of some unique experiences I had with them early in my career. I answered hoofed stock when I remembered the astonishing variety of giraffes, zebras, and their kin that I came to know at Busch Gardens in the 1970s. I also loved the gorillas and polar bears that made an early impression on my career. But, at the end of the day, I’m not sure I have a favorite. It would be like trying to choose a favorite grandchild. I love them all.
I grew up roaming the woods of St. Petersburg, Florida, at a time when the Gulf Coast had wooded areas to roam. I can’t think of any defining moments from my childhood that would have predicted the course of my career. We had dogs, and I did love being in the woods, but I was not that child who was always bringing home critters. I did study biology at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. Somehow, that’s all it took—that and a chance visit to the zoo in Atlanta in the Spring of 1970.
I must have had a restless spirit because I moved from zoo to zoo, often in spectacular fashion. My first job, for example, came after I gave up the final year of a full-ride college basketball scholarship in Georgia to work as a zookeeper in Tampa. Busch Gardens introduced me to elephants, apes, big cats, and an array of hoofed animals while I pursued my degree in zoology at the University of South Florida.
After two years in Tampa, I landed a position as a senior zookeeper at a new zoo that was being built in Toronto. I arrived in Canada in September 1973—a sunburned Florida cracker ready to face my first Canadian winter without any proper clothing. I was one of a few Americans on a team of zookeepers from Canada, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, and other parts of the world. I doubt there has ever been a more talented, diverse, and eccentric group of zookeepers assembled anywhere on the planet. We endured primitive working conditions, low pay, harsh winters, and injuries from wild animals. But the results, at least from my vantage point a half century later, were entirely worth it.
During my career, I had an impact on the lives of countless animals at seven different zoos. And they had an impact on my life, as well. So, back to the question, “What is my favorite animal?” I can’t name just one, but I can think of ten that are on the short-list. They are in my memoir, and I will be giving away 5 copies of Lessons from the Zoo, Ten Animals That Changed My Life in honor of National Zookeeper Week. Details are on my website: https://jdporterbooks.com/.
