Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

As a child, my parents were always taking me to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. It felt like the biggest, most amazing place on earth to tiny me. I was and am absolutely fascinated by animals of all varieties. As curious as I am about people's motives (generally, and as a writer), I have the same interest in animal behavior. I want to know the 'why' of things.

As a teenager, I spent my summers volunteering with the Zoo Crew. I'd ride my bicycle early to work in the mornings, enter with confidence through a side gate, and lie with the red and western grey kangaroos for their morning sunbathe. I was already studying animal biology and behavior in high school, and I brought that knowledge to work with me. My supervisors and the keepers took note, and I will forever be grateful for their mentorship. The experience I gained as a volunteer was incredible, from specialized animal handling to detailed animal enrichment. My first year was 2000, when the Australian Adventure exhibit opened. I was part of the volunteer launch team, hosting story time, performing puppet shows and face painting, and appearing in character costumes. It was a brutal summer; some of those activities were discontinued due to the overwhelming heat. Once established, I supervised the barnyard animals and petting zoo activities, performed animal handling shows, and assisted the keepers as needed. By the time I aged out of the Zoo Crew program, I was treated as an authority within the exhibit.

My time as a volunteer also allowed me opportunities to interact with animals elsewhere in the zoo. One of my favorite experiences was playing fetch with black rhino baby Azizi in 2001. She loved chasing that red rubber dog toy!

I still love visiting the zoo, but the Australian Adventure exhibit feels bittersweet. The majority of the animals I worked with are no longer there. The barnyard goats that I trained have all grown up and moved on. The kangaroos I interacted with were selected for breeding programs and shipped out. The emu with whom I used to race lived out its life. Entering the exhibit feels like stepping back in time for me, but it's missing all the cohorts that made that part of my life so enjoyable.

You can see more photos from the zoo in my Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (2010) album.