Featured Staff Member: Miriam DeSiena, Keeper, Zoological Services
September 4th, 2007
What made you want to become a zoo keeper; was there a particular experience that helped you make this decision?
As a child I would watch Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” and I was always fascinated by what they did. I always wanted to be one of those people.
What was the craziest thing that has ever happened to you at Gatorland?
I have been working at Gatorland for six years and lots of things have happened to me, but, the craziest would have to be when a guest made the comment that our Llama was not a Llama, but an Emu. True story!
What is your favorite animal at Gatorland and why?
I truly love all the animals that I work with but one of my favorites would have to be the Crested Peking Ducks. Over the years I have incubated and hatched out over a dozen of them at work and at home. As ducklings, they “quack me up”!
If you had a choice to travel anywhere in the world to study animals, where would you go and what animal would you study?
The world if full of amazing places and strange and fascinating animals; one of those places is Sulawesi. I would love to study and photograph the large fruit bats living there.
What is the best part of working here at Gatorland?
For me it would have to be meeting all the different kinds of people from all the different parts of the world. I get to talk to everyone, ask where they come from and learn a little about them; it’s great!
Have you ever had any close calls working with alligators or any other animal here at Gatorland?
Yes! When you work with animals of any kind you run the risk of having close calls. Ask any Zoo Keeper and the answer is almost always the same. It’s part of our job. Personally, I have probably been bitten more times by birds than any other animals combined.
What made you decide to work with alligators?
Nothing in particular; I wanted to work with animals in general and Gatorland happens to be home to more alligators than any other animals.
What kind of pets do you have at home?
At the moment, none! I keep plenty of animals here at work. In the past I’ve kept dogs, snakes, rodents of one kind or another, Iguanas, and of course, ducks.
What kind of hobbies do you have?
I love arts and crafts, painting and photography.
Do you have any special talents?
I can speak two languages fluently and I can understand a little Italian and Portuguese.
Do you have someone who inspired you to get in to this field?
A lot of great naturalists inspired me to learn more about the different animals I like. Marlon Perkings and Jacques Cousteau are just two of the many I would watch on television. Recently I had the honor of meeting Jack Hannah, another one of my favorites!