Amanda Sibert
Class of 2019
Harrisburg, PA
Elephant care team intern
Reid Park Zoo, Tucson, Arizona
Over the past 10 weeks, I had the opportunity of a lifetime interning at the Reid Park Zoo, primarily with the elephant team. Working five days a week from 6am to 3pm never have been as wonderful as they have been with this team. Since my first day, every one of them were inviting, knowledgeable, and helped me adjust to being across the country in the dry heat of Arizona.
Days would consist of cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. Don’t get me wrong, this may seem daunting, but this internship truly showed what an elephant care taker does on a daily basis. Starting the day, I would gather hay wheel barrels for the herd while the elephants would be shifted into the barn so the team could clean the yards. As one of the interns with the team, my raking and shoveling skills skyrocketed and I have definitely gained some upper body strength. Once the two yards were cleaned, each elephant received a health check. Being able to observe these health checks, foot work, and training was incredible to see the bond between pachyderm and trainer. While this may seem routine, every day was different for the team and the elephants, to keep everyone on their toes and change up training sessions. With watching so much training, you have the opportunity to witness the bonds the team has with the herd and you can’t help but smile and know that they all truly enjoy what they do for a living. Reid Park’s elephant team uses positive reinforcement training and bridges with a whistle, similar to some marine mammal training. Over my 10 weeks here, I have learned how important timing is when training, and each staff member has shared countless experiences, knowledge, and advice to me about training and what I can take with me in my future career.
Throughout the day, various types of training sessions are done with the elephants and various team members. Short training sessions along different sections of the habitat, shower sessions to cool the herd off and so much more are included in training. These training activities allow a change in pace and routine for the day and help the elephants become comfortable with actions that are useful for their vet checks and daily health. Along with the training, some days the team needs browse for the elephants. Browse, tree limbs and branches, is one of the largest components of the herds’ diet. I will sometimes get to tag along and help pick up or cut browse at surrounding parks and establishments that donate to the zoo. When it comes to food for the herd, there are many ways to present and prepare their diets. Whether it is creating unique ways of presenting their food in popsicles or nets to promote foraging, or even hanging food and putting some in pellet balls to promote activity and patience to receive their food; the team tries to change things up for the herd. Enrichment is another key aspect to stimulate species specific behavior within zoos. The many ways of presenting food just touches the surface of all of the enrichment that is used. For Reid Park’s elephant team, they are constantly thinking of new and exciting projects to work on for the herd. During my time at with the team, they have created firehose braids, hay nets and so much more that the elephants enjoy whenever these novel items are presented to them.
This summer will be one to remember for the rest of my life. I have learned so much about the field I want to pursue a career in along with learning so much about myself, met some pretty incredible people, and have had gained experiences that will help me grow in the future. Through the 100 degree weather, constant sunshine, the start of monsoon season, and the always gorgeous view of being surrounded by mountains, Tucson and Reid Park Zoo have given me an experience I will never forget.
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