Before the Curtain Goes Up

Things vary from zoo to zoo, but most keepers get to work about an hour before the gates open for the day.  Zookeepers are essential for the operation of the zoo when it's open, and since they work an 8-hour day, there's a desire to open the zoo shortly after they arrive so that the zoo can be open for as long as possible, attracting the most visitors.  What this translates to is that the facility will be open for all but a relatively brief portion of the keepers' days, a little at the beginning, and a little at the end, after closing.  

Most of the daily work has to be done, then, when the gates are open and the public present.

So what do you do with the precious amount of time you have to yourself?  What do you prioritize for the part of the day when you are free from the distractions of visitors and chaos of the public?

Not surprisingly, the animals dictate what needs to be done first in the morning.  The first priority is to check to make sure everyone is present, alive, and well - in that order.  If there is a missing animal, you definitely want to know that before you open the gates and greatly increase its options for escape.  If an animal is sick or injured, it's a lot easier to manage that early in the morning before everyone has scattered to the wind.  Catching an animal for medical treatment is never facilitated by having dozens of visitors yelling on the sidelines.  If an animal is deceased, the sooner you can get the body to the vets for analysis, the more likely they'll be able to figure out what happened.

Other animals have time-sensitive needs that mean that make them early-morning priorities.  Some species require feedings or medications to be administered early, or several times a day, so you'd want them spaced out as much as possible.  Other animals have to be enclosed in indoor holding at night, either for safety reasons or because of temperatures.  Many keepers want to get those animals out as soon as they can in the morning so that they can have the most time outdoors.  Or, if it's still a cold morning, but is going to warm up later that day, they may put those animals aside for a bit until the weather is more in their favor.  Medical procedures are often scheduled for this time, when there is more peace and quiet.

Some zoos place an emphasis on making sure that all of their animals (or at least as many as possible) can be on exhibit by the time the public comes in.  That means prioritizing animals that are worked protected contact and shifted off-exhibit while the keepers service them.  A keeper can service the lemur exhibit with the lemurs present, meaning that there's no real drawback to saving them for when the zoo is open.  In fact, cleaning and feeding that exhibit while the zoo is open is a great way for staff to simultaneously educate and engage with visitors about the animals.  For, say, chimps or tigers, though, it's not possible to safely be in the exhibit with the animals.  By cleaning those exhibits when the zoo is open, not only will visitors not see those animals at that time, but keepers will also be subjected to endless hackneyed versions of "Look at that funny animal" or "What kind of animal are you?"

That first hour or so of the day flies by fast, and I'd always felt the urge to cram as much as possible into it.  It really sets the tone for the rest of the day - if something is going to go wrong, I feel like that's the window when you find out about it.  It's also one of the only parts of the day I felt like we keepers had much control over.  Because once those gates open on a nice spring weekend, all bets are off...