"The course of true love never did run smooth."
- William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, Scene 1
I’m going to talk for a minute about a boy and girl… it’s
only the girl I know, and she’s the one who told the story to me.
Once, at a rather small US zoo, there were two keepers on
the staff who started dating, and, as such things will sometimes go, proceeded
to fall in love. The only problem was
that their zoo had a “no-dating” policy for employees. As a result, the girl took a job at a
different zoo, the closest she could find but still a few hours away. She and her beau took turns driving to see
each other on their days off. Then, the
boy got a job at yet another zoo, this one in the opposite direction. The mutual drives, now much longer,
continued.
Two lessons I gleaned from this story. One, I love it how it didn’t occur to either
of the keepers to find a non-zoo job so they could stay together in the same
city. Two, it goes to show – dating is
hard enough, but dating for zookeepers has its own challenges.
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First, as I was reminded by the story above, location can be
a pain. Zookeeping is a very
location-based job – it certainly isn’t something you can work from home with… at
least not usually. Granted, most towns
have a zoo or aquarium, but getting a job at that particular institution can be
difficult, especially if an employee is specialized (elephant keeper, marine
mammal trainer, amphibian keeper etc) and there aren’t any openings in your
field. Getting a job, or getting
promoted, often involves moving, sometimes across the country. This, of course, puts a strain on any
relationship.
Scheduling can be a pain, too. Many zookeepers work weekends, which can make
it hard to go out on Friday or Saturday night (not that many don’t). The need to work on holidays can put you in
the difficult spot of having to bail on Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws,
or spend a romantic Christmas morning together.
Money is a hassle. Unless your significant other is
unemployed or works minimum-wage part-time, you probably won’t be the
breadwinner in your relationship.
Dinners, movie tickets, vacations… they’re all aspects of dating which
become a little more challenging on a zookeeper salary.
The passion factor kicks in also. Zookeepers and aquarists tend to be super
passionate about their animals, sometimes to the exclusion of other things…
like other people. Like many professions
that involve caring for living things, some zookeepers give all of their
emotion and affection to their charges, leaving them kind of burned out for
other relationships.
Oh, and sometimes we come home smelling bad and with poop
stuff on the bottom of our boots. Only
sometimes, I mean…
With so much seeming to go against us as dateable material,
it’s not surprising that lots of zookeepers date… zookeepers. After all, we tend to have a lot in
common. At the very least, it’s great to
have conversations with people who understand who we are and what we do, and
who tend not to view us as complete weirdoes.
That being said, dating at work is… problematic in many cases, even when
in those situations where it is not forbidden.
From personal observations, it tends to work best at larger institutions
with people who do not work directly together
I’ve dabbled with dating coworkers, and have watched
coworkers date each other. In the end
I’ve have found it to be a load of trouble.
I’ve spent the last few years dating someone who is not
affiliated with a zoo or aquarium. She
puts up with a fair bit of nonsense from me.
I come home too tired to go out. Vacations
are few and far between, and it’s been years since we went to visit her family
together. When we do on vacation, I
inevitably find a way to sneak a zoo or aquarium in. And, I have been informed gently on more than
one occasion, my socks after a day of work are classifiable as biochemical
weapons.
Despite this, I like to think there have been a few perks my
job has been able to offer. She’s gotten
to meet a lot of cool animals up close and personal, either while visiting me
at work or when we’ve gone together to visit a friend at another zoo. She’s gotten to help me hand-raise the odd
baby animal. At the very least, I’m a
useful conversation piece.
At any rate, for whatever reason she decides to put up with
me, stinky socks and all. And for that I
consider myself pretty darn lucky.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
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