Jake Belair has been working as a zookeeper at the Nashville Zoo since 2015, but he always knew he wanted to work with animals — he was just 13 years old when he began his career as a volunteer at the Akron Zoo.
“I've always loved animals — I used to want to be a farmer when I was really young but grew out of that,” he says. “When I started volunteering at the Akron Zoo, I got to help facilitate guest interactions with tide pool animals at the "Touch Tank” — this really sparked something in me. I really love helping connect people with animals, and sharing a conservation message while I do that!”
Jake is the face you see during the zoo’s fun “Take a Break with Jake” animal videos and over the years he’s built up quite a following on Twitter and Instagram by sharing pictures of his day-to-day work. It’s hard not to feel a little envious watching him spend time with clouded leopard cubs and introducing people to rare animals like Andre, the zoo’s tamandua. But what’s zookeeper life really like?
He took a break from leading a parade of flamingos and being the climbing toy for the zoo’s binturongs to answer a few questions about his animals, their, ahem, messier qualities and what makes Nashville Zoo so special.
Jake with Petrie the green aracari
What's one of your favorite things about your job? It really is rewarding to train an animal to demonstrate natural behaviors in front of people — birds flying overhead, cats jumping, sloths climbing, etc. Seeing peoples' faces light up when they see the animals in our shows at the zoo is so fun. We aren't training tricks or gimmicks — we are just giving the animals an opportunity to exhibit species-appropriate behaviors in a venue where we can provide behavioral context, natural history info, and fun!
A few weeks ago you Tweeted a video of a vulture chick and I had no idea they were so cute! I have always found vultures to be kind of gross, for obvious reasons, but that little baby changed my mind. Do you hear that kind of feedback a lot? Yes! We are in the extremely fortunate position of being exposed to a huge diversity of species at the Nashville Zoo, and I love being able to share the lesser-loved creatures with the masses! It's fun to experience folks' reactions to animals they previously didn't like or had an aversion to. Usually, opinions can be swayed when we explain why animals are the way they are or provide insight into the life of the individual animal. Every species is an important piece of our Earth's ecosystem — we don't have to love every single animal out there, but we can certainly find appreciation for what they do!
Do you have any favorite zoo friends? Or is it impossible to choose? Oh gosh, it's hard, mostly because I have a lot of favorites. If I had to pick a top 5, right this second, here they are in order:
Some people believe zoos are dangerous or harmful to animals, and some zoos are. I know the Nashville Zoo has AZA accreditation. Why is that important and how does that make Nashville Zoo different than so many others? Absolutely, just like with grocery stores, or mechanic shops, or anything — there are good zoos and bad zoos. AZA accreditation is helpful in choosing a zoo to visit because there are stringent standards that the zoos must adhere to, ranging from animal care to education to financial responsibility. AZA-accredited zoos also do tremendous work for the conservation of species around the globe. For example, your visit to the Nashville Zoo directly supports our conservation work — our Head Start program in Nashville with hellbenders and snapping turtles, our work in South America with the giant anteater highway project and our assistance with the Cheetah Conservation Fund, to name a few!
Being a zookeeper really seems like a dream job — you get to hang out with cute and funny animals all day! But so much more goes into it, I'm sure. Are there any aspects to your job that most people don't realize? (I'd imagine a lot of poop! Ha!) Oh my lord, so much poop! Also, lots of scrubbing, hosing, creating behavioral enrichment devices to stimulate our animals, preparing diets and training. It is so much physical and emotional work — definitely not for the faint of heart.
Unrelated to animals, you also love to bake and you are often posting delicious results on your Twitter account. Do you have a favorite baked good in Nashville? Hands down anything from Fox's Donut Den!! So tasty.
Goofy question, but do you ever get to make (animal-safe) treats for the zoo animals? Ha! I've never tried, because I'm selfish and only want to make treats that I can eat.
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