Zookeeper Stories

Latest Episodes:

Episode 22 – Brad SoRelle Jan 01, 2019

Show notes

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, Brad is working on a Professional Science Master’s Degree in Zoo, Aquarium and Animal Shelter Management at Colorado State University. In addition to talking about his zookeeping journey, we also discuss some research he is working on involving the public’s perception of carcass feeding carnivores in a managed care setting. I can’t wait to hear the results of his work!

As always, I need guests! If you are in the animal care field in any capacity and would like to share your story please feel free to reach out to me on twitter or email. Please rate and review the show on iTunes and Stitcher. It helps me reach a larger audience.

Twitter: @MattPriceFF

Email: zookeeperstories@gmail.com

Episode 21 – Jordan Veasley Jul 13, 2018

Show notes

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 to his current role and what the future holds for him. Please follow him on Instagram and check out everything he does.

If you are an animal care professional and would like to share your story please contact me on twitter @MPricer

Episode 20 – Josh Courteau Apr 11, 2018

Show notes

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 the scenes in the zoo industry. If you love animals and technology this might be the kind of job you are looking for.

Some of the stats that Josh threw out were slightly off and he wanted me to make sure you guys got the correct numbers so here they are:

~1,100 zoos and aquariums in over 93 countries managing >10,000,000 animals current and historic representing 22,000 species. Every day, 15,000 keepers, curators, vets have access to ~82,000,000 medical records and ~222,000,000 husbandry records. More on ZIMS, our Teaching Partnerships and more: http://training.species360.org/LearnZIMS/

You can follow Josh on twitter @thesciencerules

Episode 19 – Jim Sanford Mar 19, 2018

Show notes

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 animal care professional and would like to tell your story on the podcast, please reach out to me on twitter or email

Twitter: @MPricer

Email: zookeeperstories@gmail.com

Episode 18 – Rebecca Jahns Feb 20, 2018

Show notes

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 Jan 16, 2018

Show notes

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 or via email zookeeperstories@gmail.com

Episode 16 – Ashley Roberts’ Australian Keeper Exchange Jun 12, 2017

Show notes

http://ffpodcasts.com/zookeeper/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Zookeeper-Stories-E16-Ashley-Roberts-Keeper-Exchange-Recap.mp3

Episode 15 – Blaine Peluso-Miller Apr 08, 2017

Show notes

Episode 15 – Blaine Peluso-Miller

Episode 14 – Becky Wolf Apr 08, 2017

Show notes

Episode 14 – Becky Wolf

Episode 13 – Monika Zabinskas Part 2 Apr 08, 2017