Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering about people's opinion on which zoo in the country has the best reptile exhibit/s. I am studying to be a zoologist with a concentration in herpetology and want to start thinking about where I'm going to go when I finish.

Thanks A Lot

the sandiego zoo has a good exibit. another idea, you could start your own reptile zoo.
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jake

my addiction:
0.0.2 normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
1.0 amelenistic corn snake (zyklon)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)

I am not sure of your age or where you are at in your academic career so the following is written for someone who has yet to enter the work force or upper education. I am a career fireman by profession as well as a graduate student in Political Science. Herpetology is an academic hobby for me. The following is somewhat generic for any professional and competitive career field. I have known a few zoo keepers and museum people and I think I am in the ball park with my recommendations. I hope I have included some useful advice and I believe I have hit on some good points to ponder.

If you are wanting to be a zoo keeper you are probably entering a field with relatively limited opportunities. To get into the field you will need to take a job where ever one presents itself. The better zoos are going to hire experienced keepers from smaller zoos and facilities etc. If you make a career of it you could easily change facilities multiple times. I understand many zoo keepers work short careers then go onto other professions because pay and benefits are low at zoos. You may want to consider other herpetological related careers as well. If field work and research is your goal then do you really want to spend the bulk of your career cleaning cages and other such chores? If you want to do both then ultimately you want to be at a zoo in a geographic area that will facilitate your interests. For example, is the local weather suitable for breeding large tortoises in outdoor enclosures?

One career goal you may want to think about is working your way towards a position with a good zoo but a so-so reptile house and then promote and develop it to make the herp collection a stellar program. Personally I think that would be a cool challenge. Remember Carl Kaufield of the Staten Island Zoo? He was a long time ago but I think his career is an interesting model (defiantly read his books). This will be hard as you will have limited budgets and location may be a problem. It is a lot easier for the San Diego Zoo to have a large stellar reptile program than it would be for a zoo in N Dakota. If you want to be a reptile curator you may want to consider having some background and education in business administration and personnel management. I have no doubt that curator jobs are few and far between and the competition for them is high. As a curator you would be administrating budgets, records, and programs as well as supervising other employees. Start investigating the success factors of reptile curators and keepers. Make a list of these factors and develop them. Little things will make a big difference. Example: A good keeper must be able to give talks and lectures. Have you considered joining Toast Masters or some other avenue to get training and experience in public speaking? Get related experience when and wherever you can.

CONSIDER THIS: Some zoos and museums may offer internships and part time jobs. You will make little or no money but the experience and networking opportunities may prove invaluable. If you can do this between semesters then do it. You will also learn if being a keeper of a large collection is really for you. Many herpetologists would not be interested in zoo keeping while others love it. Back in the 1980’s I had a friend who worked a temporary keepers job at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum for a few months and enjoyed the experience. Draft a professional letter to inquire about internships and summer jobs and how to apply for them. Send it to every zoo you can conceivably work at. I think in person or phone inquiries are ok at this stage. Get yourself a professional resume and cover letter. Use proper business formats and guidelines. Use your professors as references if you can. Always keep an updated copy of this on your computer ready to go and include it with any applications you can. I would dress and conduct myself as if applying for any professional position. If they conduct interviews or oral boards do not go, even for a part time job or internship, looking or acting like the "Crocodile Hunter". In most career fire departments if you go to an oral board (interview)without wearing a good suit and tie it is an automatic failure even though you would never wear a suit on the job. Show that you have a professional respect for yourself, the job and the place you wish to work.

DEFINATLY seek out people in the profession you want to pursue and tap them for information, help and advice.

BOTTOM LINE: Take the job you can get and make it the job you want. Even if you move on to another zoo or facility you have at least increased your professionalism and reputation, as well as left higher standards behind you.

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Randy Hallman

Thank you very much for the advice, I copied it to my computer so I can go back to it for reference. I still havent decided what I want to do yet. I really want to work with animals and I keep that in my mind, but we will see what works out. I think my ideal job would to be a wildlife photographer (although I know that is no easier to do well in than zookeeping) I am going to keep an open mind, but I know I never want to wear a suit and tie to work every day and wake up every morning saying "da*n I have to go to work".
Thanks Again
Kirby

I can sympathize with your "I don't want to wear a suit and dread work every day attitude," but I'll put in another plug for reality. We live in a difficult and often tedious world, and sometimes we have to do unpleasant things on a regular basis in order to make a living. I'm fortunate in that I haven't had to wear a suit since my last interview in 1999. (I work as an engineer in a petrochemical plant and am strictly a "technical track" guy.) However, I have to suggest that you not dismiss a somewhat boring job that will provide the money to sustain a family and hobbies.

If you're going to pursue the type of work that you have in mind, I agre with everything that Mr. Hallman advised in the previous post. All of his advice was great, and you should consider it strongly.

My other advice is to get as flexible a bachelor's degree as you can get and specialize at the master's level. My bachelor's degree is in Materials Engineering and my first master's degree is in Metals Science and Engineering. With that combination, I'm a great corrosion and materials engineer. Unfortunately, the corrosion and materials engineering field is small. When there's a downturn in the engineering field and companies cut people, sometimes there are just no available jobs in my field. I've been through that situation already.

If I were advising someone going into engineering, I'd advise that he get a bachelor's degree in one of the "big 4" of the engineering degrees. Those are mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, or civil engineering. If this person wanted to specialize in materials, he should get a master's degree in materials. The strength of this strategy is that if he is without work and can't find anything for a materials engineer, he can at least apply for jobs in whatever his original field was.

I don't know what the most flexible degree is in your field as you'd define it most broadly, but I'd advise you to get that degree. Get the degree that will qualify you for the most jobs and the jobs most likely to have demand for the longest time. With that degree, you'll have the most flexibility to take care of yourself when times are tough. There's nothing more depressing than to have highly specialized training into which you've invested your whole life and to find that there is absolutely no demand for that work.

If you end up doing work that isn't exactly what you want but is still in the general field of zoology, you might consider volunteering at a nature center or park somewhere. There's a city park near me that has a nice little reptile collection. The pay for those who work there isn't great, so there's a bit of turnover in the people who care for those animals. That turnover would be a tremendous opportunity for someone with zoological training and some patience. Someone who showed an interest and gave the hours as a volunteer would acquire quite a bit of influence in that kind of group. You might not have tremendous authority on paper, but ultimately, you might end up calling all of the shots on how they house, display, and care for their reptiles. Obviously, it wouldn't be as nice as making a good living running the show, but it might be very satisfying while allowing you to earn a good living elsewhere.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

That depends on what you mean by "best". I think one of the neatest looking reptile houses in the country is the new one at the Waco Zoo in Waco, Texas. If you are ever in Waco, TX, it is certainly worth a visit. Even the floor is cool!

Lots of zoos aren't as cool looking, but they have good collections.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

I haven't been to enough zoos to make good comparisons. However, I used to visit the Oklahoma City Zoo in the early 90's, and I always enjoyed their collection.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.