Chris has been volunteering with us for four summers. Kristen met him and thought he would be a great addition to our summer team. We get almost 300 hours from him each year.Chris will do anything we ask him to do, although doing dishes is not his most favorite thing. He’s a good sport though, because the keepers tease him about hating to wash dishes and he just laughs with them. Most of the time he helps us inside, caringRead more
Posts tagged: #spotlight
Spotlight: Marilyn Johnson
This is Keeper Marilyn. Marilyn started working in the animal department almost 6 years ago. She started working 10 hours each week, and worked herself into a full time job after about 9 months. (On the right she is trying to get a weight on an opossum). Marilyn’s attention to detail is outstanding. She loves to learn and is always thinking of innovative things for the animals. If you need someone to help you don’t even have to ask, she’llRead more
Spotlight: Kristie Mozzachio, DVM
To the right is our pig, Squealer, and Dr. Kristie Mozzachio. She is a pot bellied pig specialist, operating a mobile veterinary service that caters exclusively to pot-bellied pigs. This is a part-time gig for her. Currently, she works as a toxicologic pathologist. This means she spends most of her time looking through a microscope. She looks at slides of tissues from animals, trying to identify any abnormalities. Pigs are her passion though. She is the veterinary advisor for NAPPARead more
Spotlight: Uli Hartmond
Uli has been the director of our Butterfly House & Insectarium for the past six years. He and his five staff and 20 volunteers handle anything that has to do with making Magic Wings and the Insectarium beautiful. His job is a lot like mine: he has to mange the budget, coordinate staff, interact with guests, and step in whenever the horticulturalists and entomologists need a hand.Uli, like Keeper Larry, has spent many years in the world of academia. HeRead more
Spotlight: Will Waddell
This is Will Waddell. Will is an important person to me (and others too) because he is a big-guy in the world of red wolves. Will is based in Tacoma, Washington at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. He is the Red Wolf SSP Coordinator. Species Survival Plans (SSPs) are programs that take a particular species in peril (typically animals endangered or threatend in the wild) and manage the entire population as one group. Breeding and conservation tend to beRead more
Spotlight: Larry Boles
Larry is one of our Lead Keepers in the department and he’s been working here about 2.5 years. Besides doing all the things that Keepers do, he is responsible for our new computerized record keeping system. He’s got it up and running and has worked closely with Keeper Katy getting the animal health records computerized. We stole Larry away from the world of academia. Prior to working with us, he taught an animal behavior course at UNC-Chapel Hill. He alsoRead more