If you live anywhere in the Greater
Cincinnati area, there's no doubt that the Cincinnati Zoo is on your
radar. Perhaps you spent time there as a child at birthday parties,
educational programs, or braved a night amongst the animals during
one of their zoo overnights. Maybe the Cincinnati Zoo is your
favorite way to celebrate the holiday season with a trip to the
Festival of Lights. Or the zoo might just be your go-to local spot
for a day of fun. The zoo is a different place to different people in
the area, but to Megan O'Keefe, the Cincinnati Zoo is where her
childhood dream of having a career working with animals came true.
O'Keefe, a 2003 graduate of Highlands
High School, is a Manatee Springs Animal Keeper at the Cincinnati
Zoo. She gave us an inside look into the life of a zookeeper. For
O'Keefe, her job is two-fold. There is the care and training of the
animals, and also interacting and educating the zoo's visitors. “My
job description basically entails taking care of the animals, and all
aspects surrounding that. It's a little bit different for each
department, obviously, since different animals have different needs
and different ways to care for them. There's also a public aspect to
being a zookeeper. Not only do you take care of the animals, but
you're also responsible for educating the public that comes through
your building. We also do keeper talks and animal encounters, and
things like that,” said O'Keefe.