Zoo InternQuest is a career exploration program for high school students. For more information see the Zoo InternQuest Journals. For more photos see the Zoo InternQuest Photo Journal.

Getting kissed by a sea lion is uniquely interesting, that much is for sure. There are at least three sensations that accompany the experience. For instance, when it was my turn to get kissed by Cabo the sea lion I felt: excitement, intimidation, and surprise. I was excited because I had been given a privilege only a select few have ever received. The intimidation factor was of course because of the fact that Cabo weighs at least three times as much as I do. Plus, even with his extensive training he is still a wild animal. Then, when Cabo finally leaned over and touched his face to my cheek, I almost jumped when I felt his wet whiskers tickle my face. All in all it was a fantastic experience.

Today we went on a behind the scenes tour of the Wegeforth Bowl where the animal ambassadors are kept and where their trainers work. Our guides were Animal Training Manager, Kristi Dovich, and Animal Trainer, Heidi Moomaw. Our tour began with Ms. Moomaw who showed us where the enclosures of the various animal ambassadors were. I quickly chimed in and asked her what kind of education a person would need to become one of the Zoo’s animal trainers and she gladly responded that most of the trainers had Bachelor’s degrees in fields relating to animal sciences or zoology. She also explained that most of her fellow trainers had attended exotic animal training programs in order to gain the needed experience working with the potentially dangerous animals that the Zoo animal training staff works with on a daily basis.

All of the animal ambassadors showed at least some interest in our group. Jezebel the Harris hawk squawked in adamant protest over our presence in her domain. However, once we moved past the borders of her enclosure, she seemed more than satisfied that we would not return and resumed preening her feathers. Unlike Jezebel, most of the other ambassadors ranged from indifferent to happy with our presence and the attention that we gave them. For instance, Montana the New Guinea singing dog was more than happy to howl with us and wag her tail when we told her how beautiful she was. However, Ms. Moomaw explained that even cute, sweet-looking Montana demanded our respect. She explained that when she and one of the wolf ambassadors were together on stage, it was short, sweet Montana who took charge over the much larger wolf. All of this seemed to only endear us to Montana even more.

As we ended our day I couldn’t help but feel proud to have seen so many important animals. They and their trainers have a great responsibility in bringing the messages of their species to the public. One major thing that my experience in InternQuest has taught me is that spreading the word about conservation is one of the best ways to change the view of our world for the better. Every day the animal training staff and the animal ambassadors of the Wegeforth Bowl go out and teach the message of conservation to the masses. Now I want to go spread the word!

Stephen, Careers Team

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