What its like to work with large animals

Thursday, August 21, 2008

For most people, animals like elephants and rhinoceroses are always safely behind a thick wall of glass. For Andrew Stallard, the only thing separating him from these massive creatures is a few meters of open plain.

Stallard is a senior mammal keeper at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. He spends his days feeding, caring for and cleaning up after animals such as giraffes, elephants and black rhinos. The park is “free contact,” which means there is nothing separating Stallard from these animals.

Stallard says two things he watches carefully are an animal’s behavior and its immediate surroundings. A docile rhinoceros could easily be spooked by other animals or an approaching vehicle, and Stallard says even though these animals appear slow and cumbersome, they can move very quickly. “These are animals that could kill you quickly and without effort,” he says.

Stallard says his job is difficult, but it does have its perks. The park breeds its animals to keep up zoo populations. Stallard says seeing a successful birth is very rewarding. He says the park often returns animals to the wild as well, and such successes remind him why he does his job. “Those are very rewarding times,” Stallard says.

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