Zoologist

Zoologists and wildlife biologists study animals and other wildlife and how they interact with their ecosystems. They study the physical characteristics of animals, animal behaviors, and the impacts humans have on wildlife and natural habitats.

Gary Clarke and lion biting his butt!

Photo courtesy of Gary Clarke.

Interview | Curator

Mark Rosenthal

Marks zoo career started at Lincoln Park Children’s Zoo in 1967, continuing as an animal keeper then zoologist. In 1975 he became Curator of Mammals. In 2003 he retired as Curator of Large Mammals. He is also the author of "Ark in the Park", the History of Lincoln Park Zoo.Watch the full Interview

4:01:47

Interview | General Curator

Brad Andrews

Brad Andrews an animal keeper at Marineland of the Pacific as well as the Chief Zoological Officer responsible for all animal programs in SeaWorld and Busch Gardens Parks. Watch the full Interview

3:54:46

Interview | General Curator

Mike Sulak

Mike Sulak began his career in zoos working in the Farm-In-The-Zoo at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. He soon fell in love with the profession and would go on to be a zoologist at the Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, Indiana, where he would serve as interim director for a time. In 1979, Sulak was recruited by director Saul Kitchener to be a curator at the San Francisco Zoo and would spend most of his career there.Watch the full Interview

5:11:01

Interview | Director

Christian R. Schmidt

Dr. Christian Schmidt obtained his Ph.D. on Behavior of a Zoo Group of Collared Peccaries at University of Zurich. He worked under the supervision of the famous Prof. Dr. Heini Hediger, animal psychologist and founder of scientific zoo biology.Watch the full Interview

5:06:23

In Memoriam

Jan 1, 1928 - May 18, 2014

Interview | Veterinarian

Murray E. Fowler

The first patient that Dr. Murray Fowler treated as a veterinarian was a camel, and that was on the set of a movie called The Ten Commandments which was directed by the famous C.B. DeMille.Watch the full Interview

4:16:49

In Memoriam

Apr 9, 1930 - May 8, 2019

Interview | Zoologist

Jim Fowler

Jim started his career with animals at John Hamlet’s Birds of Prey in Florida as a trainer and lecturer. Stints in Africa and South America studying the Harpy eagle gave him invaluable field experience.Watch the full Interview

5:14:17

In Memoriam

Mar 23, 1930 - Jul 27, 2017

Interview | Director

George Rabb

Despite running Brookfield Zoo, one of the Chicago area's top tourist attractions, for decades and even living in a house on zoo grounds, George Rabb was probably better known in the international zoo and conservation communities than he was locally.Watch the full Interview

4:45:44

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