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Kendall Harris
on a zoo of a summer
THIS PAST SUMMER I SPENT TWO MONTHS AS
an intern at the Oakland Zoo, in California’s Bay Area. I
had the opportunity to work with some fascinating
animals such as giraffe, eland, Aldabra tortoises and
alligators. A typical day involved a lot of physical work
such as cleaning exhibits and night houses, and setting up
feed. e most rewarding part of the day was helping
with animal training and medical procedures, during
which I was able to work with some of the best animal
trainers in the country as well as some truly amazing and
passionate veterinarians. e giraffe were definitely the
most enjoyable animals to assist with in training. We had
one giraffe named Benghazi, who would become very
pushy when there was food around, and would go so far
as to pull a bucket into the exhibit by grabbing it with his
tongue. To teach him to get out of our personal space, the
trainers taught him to move his head back past the barrier
when our hands were on our hips, and he learned this
signal very quickly. To be able to achieve that level of
communication with so many different animals (to my
surprise even the tortoises were very fast learners) was
definitely the most satisfying aspect of my time.
As a final project at the zoo, I designed a moving feeder
system for the giraffe that encourages them to walk
around more as they eat. It was great being able to build
enrichment devices for the animals and watch them learn
how to use it. e internship certainly encouraged my
goal to become a veterinarian, and has made me want to
specialize in exotics/zoo animals. As a biology major, I
found that it was very important to gain this experience
outside of the classroom and lab, and to be able to
immerse myself in the field that I’ve spent so much time
working towards.
Kendall is majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry.
She’s active on the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association
team, Riding Council and the pre-vet club.
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