- Zoos: A Historical Perspective from Smithsonian Institution Libraries
The National Zoological Park is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
AZA
Amanda Bania, Keeper
Great Ape House
How did you become interested in animals and becoming a keeper?
Like many of my colleagues, I have had a love of animals since I was young. My family always had small companion animals, but it wasn’t until I started riding and training horses as a teenager that I really started to consider a career in animal care. I spent a great deal of time at the barn exercising young horses, and learning each of their personalities and needs. In retrospect, it was this experience that led me to consider animal cognition and began to teach me how to manage animals on their terms rather than my own.
What made you interested in the animals you work with?
In my sophomore year of college at Ohio State University, I took an elective class called “The Psychology of Monkeys and Apes” that piqued my interest. The professor of the class, Sally Boysen, was also the director of the Ohio State University Chimpanzee Center (which I had no idea existed until then).
I began volunteering at the center the following fall and was shortly given the task of caring for and entertaining two baby chimpanzees who were removed from biomedical labs. I changed diapers, wrestled, played, and went for walks in the nearby woods with them. When I wasn’t wrapped up in chimp-duty, I learned about ape cognition and the amazing research that was being done at the center. I often credit (or “blame”) those two characters, Harper and Emma, for changing my life and my career goals forever.
What’s your typical day like?
Anyone who works with animals can tell you that there is no such thing! While there are routine duties that are done every day—such as cleaning enclosures, feeding, and general husbandry—it is all of the other extras that make the job exciting.
At the Great Ape House, we work with intelligent animals that have minds of their own and strong opinions about what they would like to do or not do on any given day. Maintaining flexibility in the routine allows the apes to make choices and exercise some control over their environment, even if it is not necessarily in line with our “plan.” There are always surprises, good and bad, that shape our day and how we care for the animals.
Can you give some examples of how a typical day changed quickly to an atypical one?
Yes! On the day that Mandara, one of our female gorillas, gave birth to her newest daughter I was working as the gorilla keeper. While the keeper staff had been awaiting her delivery for months, she surprised us by having her baby in the middle of the afternoon.
Gorillas typically give birth overnight when it is quiet and they can have a bit of privacy. On the day that Mandara delivered, she showed no signs of labor such as restlessness, discomfort, or pacing. It was easily a day like any other until I walked back to begin feeding the gorillas their afternoon diet and heard a tiny squeal coming from the enclosure. I had a moment of shock when I saw Mandara sitting in front of me holding an infant that she had given birth to just minutes before.
I monitored the pair for a minute and then calmly called the curator on the radio. A few minutes later, I called for the other keeper in the building to come back to see her, and prepared myself for a long night ahead.
What's the most interesting thing about the animals you work with?
Each of the apes I work with has a unique personality. Getting to know them and forming a relationship with them is the most interesting and rewarding part of my job by far. I also have a great interest in ape cognition, which is what led me to work at the National Zoo. Watching the apes learn, think, and solve problems is fascinating. While working with visiting researchers and designing my own cognitive experiments is exciting, it is watching the gorillas and orangutans comprehend a novel task that I find so amazingly interesting.
What is one thing you think most people do not know (or understand) about the job of an animal keeper?
Zookeeping has evolved so much over the past several decades. A keeper’s job goes far beyond scooping poop! There is so much that goes on behind the scenes that the public does not always see.
We do lots of behavioral training, using positive reinforcement techniques, which allows us to do our jobs better and reduce the stress on the animals. Keepers are involved in environmental enrichment, cognitive research, public education, conservation issues, and exhibit design to name a few types of activities.
Animal keepers at the National Zoo are required to have a bachelor’s degree and many have a master’s or Ph.D. The staff here are an educated and passionate group of people who strive to make the lives of animals better.
How do you incorporate each animal's natural habitat and behaviors into its daily routine?
An animal’s natural behavior is incorporated into its daily routine in so many ways. Exhibits are designed to allow for species-appropriate behavior. Our nutritionists ensure that animal diets are as similar to a wild diet as possible, while meeting the same dietary needs. Most of all, keepers are responsible for providing enrichment for the animals on a daily basis.
Enrichment is meant to stimulate and challenge an animal as well as encourage it to behave in a species-typical way. One of the greatest challenges in working with intelligent primates is providing them with objects and challenges that are exciting and novel, as well as combat boredom. At the Great Ape House we are constantly creating and researching new items and puzzles to interest the animals. On any given day a visitor can see several different new things that the apes have to play with, solve, or do.
How do you continuously expand your knowledge about each animal?
In my downtime I read, read, read. I like to keep up with current articles about primate cognition, enrichment, and management. Primatology is a small niche, and I am able to reach out to colleagues around the world to get advice and share experiences. I also like to regularly attend conferences to help expand my knowledge in my area of expertise, and meet new people.
