People often get any job they can at the San Diego Zoo, then apply for keeper openings. Being on hand, one can prove oneself as a good worker. The Zoo has a good loan program, whereby people can apply to work for a few months in another department. This allows an opportunity to become known within the animal care departments.

For myself, I have a bachelor of science in zoology, had worked in other zoos, and also had done field research in Africa. Once I got a keeper job at the Zoo, I was fortunate to do a four-month loan at the conservation research facility at the Wild Animal Park where the cheetahs are bred. Eventually, a full-time opening occurred at that facility. That enabled me to work for about 15 years with carnivores — mostly cheetahs, but also dholes and stripped hyenas. I then worked with the lions and tigers out in the main part of the Park. But I had wanted to return to the Zoo, and a carnivore opening came up at just the right time.

Best wishes with your plans!

I know it’s a bit off-topic, but something’s been bugging me for a while – although snows are my favorite cats, the SDZ website lists clouded leopards as also being somewhere in the zoo. I’ve never been able to find them and any zoo staff I’ve asked either doesn’t know or tells me there aren’t any. I’m not sure if you would know (since your specialty seems to be only through Big Cat Trail), but where is that elusive clouded leopard?

Moderator’s note: We have three clouded leopards at the Zoo, but they are all off exhibit at this time.

Lynx: Stolli (male) & Skyy (female)

Mountain lions: Yakima (male), but we call him Kima, & Koyama (female), but we call her Koya

North Chinese leopard: Jama (male)

Jaguar: Orson (male)

I have a request. I would love to know the names of the other cats. I know all of them except the Lynx, Mountain Lions and Leopard. I would greatly appreciate someone letting me know their names because when I visit the park I love to call the animal by their name rather than just “here, kitty, kitty”. Thanks again for the wonderful blog. Appreciate the wonderful work you all do for these beautiful animals.

Beyond simple designation of exhibit dimensions, it is the quality of the space that allows us to better meet the specific needs of an animal. This is where enrichment teams with exhibit design as we work to provide daily variety for the animals as well as to reflect their natural surroundings. This perspective leads us to consider many factors. What does the animal’s natural habitat offer that we can recreate within an exhibit? Does the area take into account specialized locomotor, resting, or hiding adaptations? Is there sufficient diversity within the exhibit so the animal can display normal territorial instincts? Where applicable, are critical temperature, humidity, and photo period requirements met? How can we make the animals comfortable in their exhibit? Can we make them work harder for their food by distributing it around the exhibit? How can we stimulate play behavior? Can we release a toy or food items remotely, so that they never know when something new may arrive in their area and surprises are not associated with the presence of a keeper? Is a puzzle feeder an option for a particular species? What happens when we offer a new substrate, such as sand or mulch, or alter the branches in the exhibit? These are just some of the questions we consider.

So how do these questions work on the ground? The current snow leopard exhibit may be old, but the designers did a good job. For example, the hillside exhibit is well-suited to this species. Snow leopards frequent steep terrain, often chasing prey down a 45° incline. Their natural terrain includes rocky overhangs and shallow caves. These areas provide shelter and also a good location to urine-spray because the mark is somewhat protected from the elements and the animal’s advertisement remains present for a longer time. Indeed, one sees this behavior daily in watching where Everett, in particular, marks his exhibit. They are excellent jumpers and have opportunities for this behavior in their exhibit. It’s impressive to see Anna jump up onto the back wall while carrying a large bone or beef shank. They spend a lot of time above the tree line, and so a more barren look to the exhibit is appropriate. There are rocks and high vantage points from which to watch the world go by.

As for enrichment, they show a stronger response to fresh scents as opposed to objects such as a ball or antlers. Because their reaction to a scent may include nibbling the items, such as a sprig of mint, or rubbing their head on it, having a clean hard surface on which to present scents avoids their ingesting dirt. As we search of other enrichment options that they might enjoy, possible modifications could be made to the exhibit, if needed.

One question to ask: if the exhibit were bigger, to what extent would the animals use the increased space? In the case of the snow leopards, they follow the pattern of most cats in that they spend much of their time resting. They do use their exhibit as a territory, doing periodic patrols and marking certain features, and they sometimes move fast for a while, thereby getting exercise. In the wild, they would cover more ground, but that’s because they must look for food and mates; things readily available here.