The AAAS STEMTalks is an interview series aiming to inspire youth by connecting them to real-life scientists and showcasing their incredible diversity of STEM careers.

Our STEMTalk video and other STEM fun activities can be found here.

GET TO KNOW SUSAN

Occupation: Zoo Keeper
Institution: Memphis Zoo
Exhibit: China

Susan Petrunio is a Zookeeper with the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee. She holds bachelor degrees in Wildlife Science and Journalism, both from Auburn University. Prior to becoming a zookeeper, Susan worked as a journalist for seven years at The Opelika-Auburn News. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and dog, as well as binge-watching true crime documentaries.

1. What do you do for work?

I am a zookeeper for giant pandas, two species of monkeys (Francois langur and Sulawesi macaques), Père David’s deer, and a variety of Asian waterfowl, songbirds, and pheasants. My job is to take care of the animals’ needs daily — including cleaning, feeding, training, and enrichment.

2. When did you first become interested in your field?

I wanted to be a vet when I was little and always had an interest in animals. I earned a degree in wildlife science, but then went back to school to for a degree in journalism. After working for years at a newspaper, I finally decided it was time to get back into animal work. I have been a keeper for 10 years now!

3. What is your favorite part of being a keeper?

My favorite part of the job is interacting with our animals and zoo guests. I love training new behaviors and giving the animals enrichment that challenges and entertains them; but, I also love educating our guests about these animals and how the guests can help them.

4. What is a typical day like for you as a keeper?

A typical day as a keeper is that we never have a typical day! There’s always something new or different each day. But a “typical day” starts with setting up the day exhibits, where the animals will be during the day, which includes putting out their diet and daily enrichment to stimulate natural behaviors. For example, our pandas are given a problem-solving puzzle feeder to solve for a treat. Before most of our animals go to their day exhibits, we usually conduct training sessions. Then we clean their night-houses, pick up enrichment, old food, and lots of poo! We also have a daily keeper chat with the park guests. In the afternoon, when we have some free time, we build new enrichment or do some extra cleaning. Finally, we prepare the night-houses for the animals to come back in for close. This includes setting up more enrichment and food.

As you noticed, food is a common thread. With the pandas, in particular, we monitor them throughout the day and feed them as needed. A panda needs to consume 20 to 40 pounds of bamboo each day to get all its nutrients. They spend 10 to 16 hours a day foraging and eating!

5. Do you have any advice for young people interested in science today?

Usually for zookeeping, you need to start early getting as much animal experience as you can. So volunteering at animal shelters or local zoos and start learning. Zookeeping is a highly competitive field, so it is important to get a head start! That being said, I came to zookeeping later in my life. I was hired as a seasonal employee in the education department for the summer, and I learned as much as I could about all of the animals. I also performed any job that was asked of me at the zoo, including kids camps, birthday parties, and special events. During all of these jobs, the most important thing I did was get to know everyone! Networking is big in this field because the zookeeping world is small.

6. What do you do with all that panda poo?

Giant pandas are property of China, so we are required to report on the health and well-being of each bear. The Memphis Zoo is home to two pandas, “Ya Ya” and “Le Le,” who have been in the collection since April 2003. Ya Ya, the female, was born August 3, 2000, in Beijing, China. Her name means beautiful little girl. Le Le, the male, was born July 18, 1998, in Changquing, China. His name, pronounced “luh luh,” means happy happy. Memphis Zoo is one of three zoos in the US that have leased pandas from China.

One of the major things our colleagues in China care about is fecal output. Every day we collect and weigh all the poo from their night-houses and day exhibits. That number is recorded on our husbandry sheets and is sent to China each month.

Fun facts about panda poo: It looks just like a shredded bamboo stick or shredded leaves, depending on what part of the plant they’ve been eating. And, it actually smells like bamboo scented candles!

To Learn More:

• Discover the world’s famous giant panda ex-situ conservation base, scientific research and breeding base, public education base, and educational tourism base, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

• Explore how scientists are studying panda poop. Scientists studying the microbial community in the panda’s gastrointestinal tract gain a better understanding of panda nutrition, which could help improve the health and reproduction of this endangered species.

• Follow Ya Ya and Le Le on the Panda Web Cam at the Memphis Zoo.