Elmwood Park Zoo Celebrates Its First National Zoo Keeper Week

The Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown celebrated its first National Zoo Keeper Week this past week with community education and their very own zoo keeper ‘Olympics,’ where guests watched their local zoo keepers show off their skills.

National Zoo Keeper Week, created by the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK), is a yearly event that is meant to celebrate zoos and aquariums, as well as the professionals who care for the animals housed within them, according to AAZK.

“It’s just a really fun way to celebrate being a zoo keeper,” said Elmwood zoo keeper Cat Clauson, who organized the local events.  “It’s a job that many people don’t know exists.”

Elmwood treated guests to festivities on July 22 and July 24.  The ‘Olympics’ were held on the 22nd, where zoo guests watched keepers do a water bucket relay, and hay bale toss, and a water hose wrangling, where the keepers raced each other to unwind twisty hoses.

The zoo also provided small bales of hay for children to toss, as well as a station where the kids could dress like a zoo keeper.  Guests were also able to create enrichment feeders for some of the animals, such as knotty paper balls that the zoo’s parrots could pick apart like a puzzle.  There was the “spot the scat” table where zoo keepers showed guests how animal feces can be used to gauge an animal’s health.

Zoo keepers set up a table on the 24th where keepers handed out buttons featuring their endangered Chacoan peccary, and fielded questions from guests. 

According to head zoo keeper Stephanie Stadnik, it was nice to be able to show guests what it was really like to be a zoo keeper.  “It’s not always about picking up poop,” she said, smiling.

Elmwood’s AAZK chapter actively participates in fundraising events for Elmwood, as well as vulnerable animals outside of their zoo, said Clauson.  They recently participated in the national AAZK Bowling for Rhinos program, where they invited corporate and individual sponsors to come out of a night of bowling and fundraising that netted about $3,500 for rhino conservation.

The zoo is actively developing its exhibits, and a new squirrel monkey exhibit is planned to open soon.

There are more events planned, such as the July 28 Independence Blue Cross Free Day for Norristown Residents, where Norristown residents with a valid ID can have free admission.  Children can play on a giant, inflatable soccer field and hobnob with a Philadelphia Union member, such as goaltender Chris Konopka.

For more information about Elmwood Park Zoo, click here.