On March 11th of 2016, Dr. Mark Irwin gave a wonderful seminar about how zoos and wildlife management have something in common: animal conservation. Dr. Irwin is the director of the Zoo Technology program at Jefferson Community College, in my hometown of Watertown, NY. When the seminar started, he asked the audience, “How many of you have ever thought about working in a zoo as a career?” I was honestly shocked that almost everyone raised their hand. I was shocked because back home, the only people that I knew were interested in zoo work were the people in my Zoo Technology class. However, I expect nothing less from Paul Smith’s students. Whether you’re into zookeeping or wildlife management, a passion for all wildlife is a must for both jobs.
Dr. Mark Irwin
Mark spoke about how zookeeping and wildlife management go hand-in-hand. He spoke of his experiences in parks and sanctuaries in Africa and Nepal, where he worked with wildlife as a veterinarian.
“Dr. Irwin did a fantastic job of illustrating how the line is blurring between ‘wild’ populations and populations that live in sanctuaries. It will be interesting to see how the zoo profession and the wildlife profession continue to merge in the future,” said Dr. Jorie Favreau. Jorie is the director of the Fisheries and Wildlife Science program here at Paul Smith’s. She teaches classes such as Animal Behavior, Techniques in Wildlife Management, and Natural History of North American Vertebrates.
I know from my own experiences in zoos that some people think of zoos as a place where animals should not be and they speak negatively of them. However, there are several species out there that were saved from extinction thanks to the efforts of zoos ( black-footed ferrets, California condors, and American bison, just to name a few). It is actually because of zoos that I am on the career path that I am on today. I attended zoo camp at the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park in my hometown of Watertown when I was eight years old. I attended the camp for a week and we learned about different animals and how they survive in the wild. We also made enrichment experiences for the zoo animals, and occasionally got to hide their dinners in their enclosure so they would have to forage for it. It was because of this experience that animals became my true passion.
Zoo Tech student from JCC target training an otter at the Stone Zoo
As students in the Fisheries and Wildlife Science program, many of us want to do conservation work, but there may be times where we can’t do it alone. Zoos are able to help us because their biggest goal is to save animal species from extinction.
I am from Watertown, NY where I attended Jefferson Community College (JCC). I received my degree in Animal Management (now known as Zoo Technology) in May of 2014. I stayed at JCC for another year and earned my Math/Science degree in July of 2015. In August of 2015, I began my education at Paul Smith’s College where I am working toward my bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Science. I have had a passion for animals since I attended Zoo Camp at the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park in Watertown when I was eight years old. Here I am 13 years later and animals are still a big part of my life. I hope to work later as a wildlife biologist focusing on animal populations and behaviors, along with conservation.