Zookeeper Stories Feed

Episode 22 – Brad SoRelle | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 52:48

Just a quick heads up about the audio quality in this episode. Brad and I had some internet connection issues (mostly me) that caused the audio to jump and skip in a few spots. I’ve cleaned it up as best I can but wanted you to be aware. In this episode, I speak with Brad SoRelle who is not currently a zookeeper but has been in the past and will be in the future. Currently, […]

Episode 21 – Jordan Veasley | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 55:29

I speak with Jordan Veasley, a zookeeper at the Woodland Park Zoo. I came across Jordan when one of his youtube videos was retweeted onto my twitter timeline. This episode starts with a discussion about this video. We chat about a specific incident that happened to him while working as a keeper, why there aren’t more African American zookeepers and how Jordan hopes to help make this career colorblind. We also talk about Jordan’s journey […]

Episode 20 – Josh Courteau | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:03:35

I speak with Josh Courteau, Training manager and LearnZims Teaching Partnership Coordinator at Species 360. We talk about the importance of ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System) to the zoo industry and how they have been helping zoos behind the scenes since 1974. This isn’t the kind of guest we normally have on this show as he doesn’t work directly with animals, but I thought it would be great to have on someone who works behind […]

Episode 19 – Jim Sanford | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 46:06

I speak with Jim Sanford of the Minnesota Zoo. We discuss his journey from college student, to intern, to multiple zookeeper positions before settling back home in Minnesota. This is the story of a zookeeper who knew exactly what he wanted to do for a living and went out and achieved his goal. You can follow Jim @jimthezookeeper on twitter if you’d like to get in touch with him. As always, if you are an […]

Episode 18 – Rebecca Jahns | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 44:46

We tell the story of Rebecca Jahns, bird keeper at an AZA-accredited zoo in Wisconsin. She talks about her relationship with a professor in college, multiple internships, and the difficult decision to leave a hard-earned position to get married.

Episode 17 – Corbin Maxey | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:12:25

In the return of ZKS, I have animal expert and handler Corbin Maxey on the show. He has been on shows like Jay Leno, Martha Stewart, The Today Show, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. Please check out Corbin on twitter @CorbinMaxey and on his website https://corbinmaxey.com/ Here’s the documentary we talked about on the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q50nlTu7958 If you’d like to be a guest on Zookeeper Stories, please reach out to me @MPricer on twitter […]

Episode 16 – Ashley Roberts’ Australian Keeper Exchange | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 35:21