The Idealism of Keepers

I wasn't really sure why at first, but the silly facebook comments (no, the one I shared wasn't the only one) about the new pandas at the San Diego Zoo got under my skin.  There was something unsettling about it to me, which I kept going back to pick at.  I'd seen similar comments on historical and travel facebook pages before, but seeing it in a zoo context was troubling.  After a while, I settled on a reason.  It was representative of a new mindset which we see too much of these days - snide, cynical, mistrustful, and unwilling to believe in anything... even that which should be settled fact (such as, say, the realness of giant pandas).  Even seen in the kindest of lights - deliberate trolling by someone who just wants to get a rise out of people - it's a symptom of a greater cultural problem.

Which is why, during National Zookeeper Week, I am reminded about what it is that I admire so much about zookeepers.  It isn't just their dedication and commitment, but it's their idealism.  Really, I'd say it's mostly the idealism, because, as jaded or world-weary as zoo staff sometimes like to pretend to be (if only so we don't seem too geeky), the idealism is what drives people.  There's the belief that what we do is important, and it's worth doing.  There's also the belief that the work can be done well, and, in fact, can be done better than it has in the past, which leads to a constant push for improvement and progress.  When I look at where standards of animal care were when I first started working in the field many years ago and where we are now, I'm blown away at how all of the incremental changes have piled up, building on one another, to make lasting improvements to animal welfare and conservation.

Being an idealist isn't easy.  It's especially hard when you work with conservation and animals.  On the macro scale you're confronted with the ongoing extinction crisis and society's overall indifference to the plight of wild animals.  On the micro level, caring for your own animals is a task often fraught with setback, hardship, and heartache.  When you're a zookeeper, unlike a pet owner or a hobby farmer, you're triumphs and tragedies aren't yours alone to bear - they play out in the public, dissected on the news, and subject to the slings and arrows of anyone who can tweet or post.  I'm amazed at how many people I've seen express the opinion that the work we do in zoos and aquariums is pointless, and why bother?  I'm even more amazed at how the vast majority of keepers don't give up.

There's still a lot of progress to be made in this profession - including with how frontline animal care staff are compensated and supported (which no NZKW pizza party or ice cream treats or celebratory social media posts will compensate for).  But I like to think that we'll continue to get there.  That's the kind of optimism that keeps the zoo field moving forward.