Bird is the Word

Haley Wasserman

Year:Senior

Hometown: Medina, OH

Internship: Avian Care

Location: Toledo Zoo and Aquarium

My internship in the avian department at the Toledo Zoo is flying by! I started in May and have been having so much fun that I cannot believe it is halfway over. A lot has happened in the short time I have been interning, and I am learning so much through hands-on experience.

While I follow a routine each day, something that I love about working in a zoo is that no two days are the same! The length of my internship is split into thirds: each third I switch which keepers I am helping around the department to make sure I get a well-rounded understanding of what it is like to be a bird keeper. For the first third of my internship, I helped three keepers in the bird house, which is a large public building with aviaries (some of which are walk-through) and an amazing array of bird species. The best way to learn is through action, so the keepers spared no time putting me to work! As each day passed, I was more confident in what I was doing and more independent from the keepers I was helping.

I spend my mornings each day cleaning exhibits, placing diets and getting a head count on birds in each exhibit to make sure all birds have been accounted for and are healthy. The birdhouse is home to several mammals including a koala, so it is a big help to the keepers that I can go in and work on aviaries while they do the same for the mammals in the morning. Each morning, I work on the walk-through aviaries first to make sure they are clean before the Zoo opens to the public at 10 a.m.. One of the walk-through aviaries is interactive, allowing guests to feed parakeets from treat sticks. Besides parakeets, this exhibit is home to several different finch species, small parrots, quails, ducks, plovers and even Victoria Crowned Pigeons. I love watching how all of the species coexist in this exhibit!

 One of my favorite things about my internship is that everything I am tasked with doing is what the keepers are asked to do daily. That means I get to experience all aspects of being a keeper, not just the glamorous tasks! It helps in understanding what it is like to be a zookeeper in every essence. I make diets, wash and sanitize dishes, help to feed trap birds for physical observations, and scrub and clean exhibits. I enjoy that no tasks are specific to being an intern, as it has given me a great perspective on what goes on behind the scenes in a zoo.

The next rotation I am starting is in the Avian Breeding Center with keepers Julie and Staci. I am excited to do daily care in there with all of the breeding pairs of endangered birds, and, of course, the baby birds! A Cinereous Vulture chick was recently hatched, and I am looking forward to watching him grow and develop over the next few weeks. More updates to come soon!