Happy National Zookeeper Week from ZANE!

Dear ZANE members and partners,

Happy National Zookeeper Week to all animal care professionals everywhere. Today we celebrate the passion, knowledge, hard work, sensitivity and keen insight keepers bring to their work and how it makes providing optimal wellbeing to the animals in our care and helping protect animals in the wild possible. 

While my practical experience as a keeper is very limited, I have gotten to work alongside so many brilliant keepers and many of the very best ones I’ve known are openly neurodivergent. I’ve noticed a few common threads that might explain why. For one, they often more intensely throw themselves into understanding their animals and learning all they can about them. Second, they tend to see patterns others don’t and think about different ways of doing things. Lastly but most profoundly, the neurodivergent keepers I know have strong non-negotiables when it comes to animals thriving in zoos and won’t compromise for anything else. 

Yes, sometimes neurodivergent keepers need some extra help- they might need a scrunchy to keep track of their keys or an ear piece to hear their radio. However, I know the obstacles are a small inconvenience next to the immense value they bring and I have seen neurodivergent keepers soar under supportive and empathetic managers. Our goal with ZANE is to help build understanding between all staff to ensure this is always the case. Thank you neurodivergent keepers and their allies for making our profession better. 

Sincerely, 

Grayson Ponti 

Executive Director 

ZANE- Zoos and Aquariums for a Neurodiverse Ecosystem