Name: Amber
Schooling: BS in Biology and BA in Communications from ASU
Official Title: Elephant Keeper
How long have you been with the Zoo? One year
1. Which department do you work for in the Zoo? Living Collections, Elephant Trail
2. What is the first thing you do when you get to the Zoo in the morning? The first thing I do when I get to the zoo in the morning, is grab the elephant diets and load up our cart. Then the elephant team heads down to the barn, and that’s where we still almost all day.
3. Who is your favorite elephant to care for? What is her personality like? Reba, Indu, and Sheena are all my favorite! They’re a great mix of ladies to care for and I appreciate and adore their different gleaming personalities. Their range of shyness, sweetness, and rambunctiousness makes everyday challenging and fun.
4. If you had to trade places with any of the elephants, which would it be and why? If I had to trade places with any of the elephants, I would choose Indu because she has a lot of fun banging on things and making different noises. She’ll bang on the drum handcrafted for her, or scrape her foot on some rocks to make a funny sound. It’s always interesting to see what she’ll become fascinated with next!
5. What has been your favorite memory working at the Zoo? There have been a ton of memorable moments since I started just a year ago. The big moments that stick out in my mind revolve around catching the elephants just having fun! Like catching Reba enjoying her pool, or secretly watching Sheena come out of her shell and throw the inner tube around.
