- In the past at zoos, women were hired primarily to work in the animal nurseries. In 1967, Joan Embry was the first woman to come to the forefront as an animal keeper.
- Today, 85 percent of zoo keepers are women.
- 85 percent of zoo keepers have college degrees
- Although a majority of zoo keepers are women, they still only represent a minority in zoo management teams, today.
The first highlighted program is the Zoo Experience, a brand new opportunity for young Big Bear women, that will promote creative learning for girls in STEM fields outside the classroom in an internship-style, one-week summer program at the Big Bear Alpine Zoo.
Four young women in 11th grade from Big Bear and Chautaugue High Schools, will be selected for the Zoo Experience, which will take place from July 16th - 20th, 2018.
Each day, the students will work with zookeepers on passive and active animal stewardship skills, learn animal behaviors, be exposed to dietary guidelines for animals, animal husbandry and methods that elicit natural animal behavior.
Each student will also select their favorite zoo animal and become an expert on that animal. They will use the physical objects in a Bio Box, such as bones, fur, paw prints, claws and talons, to demonstrate and explain the specific characteristics of their chosen animal, and share this information with the Zoo visitors on the last day of their internship.
At the end of each day, the students will write a summary of what they learned and experienced, highlighting what they found to be the most amazing, exciting or surprising. They will use their own photographs, taken that day, to illustrate their essays. Their essays and photographs will be shared on this blog, each day.
The Zoo Experience is a collaborative model led by The American Association of University Women, Big Bear Valley Branch, in coordination with The Bear Valley Unified School District, the Big Bear Alpine Zoo, students, parents and the community.
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