On this page, you find a small selection of the images I captured during the 3 years I worked for the Camera Club of Philadelphia Zoo. I was reluctant to take that job at first, because, at the time, I was not a big fan of zoos. I’d rather see an animal happy and free in its natural habitat, than behind fences and bars. But gradually I came to see how big the love and dedication of zoo staff and in particular the animal keepers are for their precious charges.
I also came to better understand the problems they are sometimes faced with. We all assume that the animal keepers and carers have a warm heart for their proteges. That they may even ‘oh’ and ‘ah’, like we do, when we see, for instance, a snow leopard baby or a new filly in the zebra enclosure. And they do. But they also learn to never forget that they are fundamentally dealing with wild animals. One keeper told me that this is not easy. “You get attached to ‘your’ animals, for sure!” But that same keeper also told me that one of the fatal injuries he experienced was with an old hand who forgot about this credo. He was trampled to death by an angry male zebra in the time of the year the females are in heat and the males are not in the best of moods! He simply started looking at the zebras he cared for as friends, rather than wild animals.
Simularly, staff and management hate to be confronted with members of the public who wish to not abide by safety rules. I have witnessed several incidents of that nature myself. Parents who watch their phones rather than their children – who decide to climb the fences and fall into an enclosure. Guess who ultimately pays for that? The animals! You have probably heard stories yourself. So, when you visit a Zoo, do me a favour and stick to the rules and keep everybody safe and alive…
Once you become part of the Zoo-crew, whether as a photographer or an animal keeper or an administrative staff member, you start looking at zoos and their residents in a different way. You see the many efforts that are developed to enrich the life of the animals in the zoo. Everybody realises that the animals would rather be free and probably be happier outside of the zoo boundaries. But the enrichment programs are a big help in being true to their nature. Hiding food for predators for instance. The animals absolutely know that this is going on and, as far as I was able to tell, ‘look forward’ to the hunt. I have huge appreciation for all zoo staff! And I was proud to be a part of them for a few years.
Red shank douc langur
