The Marine Biology Association hosted an event Thursday night on career opportunities in zoos and aquariums with the CEO of the Toledo Zoo as a guest speaker.
Nick Gordon, a junior, has volunteered at the Toledo Zoo for eight years and worked there for two. Gordon works as a part-time zookeeper and hopes to work with reptiles and amphibians as a herpetology curator after graduation. He said he loves everything about his job, including his boss Jeff Sailer, Toledo Zoo’s CEO.
“I think he’s really taking the zoo in the right direction, a very beneficial direction,” Gordon said. “He’s a great guy to work with, he’s very personable and he has a hands-on touch with the animals.”
With a full lecture hall of students, Sailer began his presentation of careers in the zoo world by saying in order to be successful in the field, a person must make sure they have career goals and to prepare.
“Zoo careers can be very fulfilling,” Sailer said.
Among some of the career paths zoo’s offer are conversation programs, animal reproduction, veterinarian sciences and education programs. Anyone can become a volunteer and there are opportunities for entry level jobs as well, such as cleaning cages, feeding and observing animals, Sailer said.
“I’ll tell you, a lot of the entry level positions are very basic,” Sailer said.
Sailer received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Ball State University and his master’s at the University of Florida. He has worked at the Miami Metro Zoo as a curator of birds and has held the position as a general curator and director for the Central Park Zoo in New York City. If you want to progress in the zoo world, you’re going to have to be prepared to move around, Sailer said.
“Being successful in the zoo world is all about networking and connections,” Sailer said. “Sometimes you just have to be persistent.”
The marine and reptile labs in the Life Sciences Building on campus provides hands-on experience and is valuable to students, Sailer said.
“This is a really neat campus,” he said. “If I had known about this as a kid, this is where I would’ve wanted to go to school.”
Senior Jayme Weglarski and Marine Biology Association president said Sailer enjoyed the facilities in the building and wanted to give a talk to students after visiting the University in November.
“It seems like he really wants to help students out to get experience in zoos,” Weglarski said.
Sailer also told students interested in working for zoos and aquariums that they must be prepared for anything.
During hurricane season while working in Miami in 2005, Sailer said he had to move all of the flamingos into the bathroom of the zoo. Having celebrities visit the Central Park Zoo was a common occurrence, he added, including the president of Mongolia.
“It’s been a lot of fun, I wouldn’t pick anything else,” Sailer said. “Everyday is different, it’s what I really enjoy.”
