- Zoos: A Historical Perspective from Smithsonian Institution Libraries
The National Zoological Park is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
AZA
Sean C. Royals, Elephant keeper
Elephant House
What do you do? What are your main responsibilities?
My duties include maintaining the Asain elephant collection at the National Zoo.
How long have you worked with animals?
Sixteen years, but grew up on a small family farm with a dog kennel.
How did you get started?
I started as an education specialist at a smaller zoo in northwest Florida as a part-time job during my freshman year in college. I did educational presentations for the public both at the Zoo and at locations in the surrounding communities. I moved to full-time animal care staff after two and a half years and worked with a wide variety of animals but primarily with elephants.
How long have you worked at the National Zoo?
Seven years.
What do you like most about your job?
Working with the animals and educating the public about animals and issues involving animal conservation.
What do you like least?
Early mornings and hot, humid days.
What is a typical day like for you?
There are always two elephant keepers working together, here is a typical day for us:
| 6:30 | Check on all the elephants, and feed them. Perform training sessions with Shanthi and Kandula. Clean enclosures, yards, and pools. |
| 8:15 | Bathe Ambika and Shanthi, and feed them. |
| 9:55 | Perform foot care. |
| 10 | Conduct a bath demo, bathe and feed Kandula while the visitors watch. |
| 11 | Perform a training demo, work with, and feed Ambika. |
| 11:30 | Perform training sessions, and feed Shanthi and Kandula. |
| 12 | Put all three elephants together and supervise their interactions to ensure the calf's safety. Feed them and provide enrichment. |
| 1 | Perform one more training session per elephant. |
| 3 | Rake yards, bleach pools, clean moats, etc. |
Once a week, we weigh all the elephants and collect blood and urine samples.
Of course, a day is rarely typical and there is a long list of other projects!
What's the most interesting thing about the animals you work with?
Their intelligence and distinctive individual personalities.
