What made you want to become a zoo keeper; was there a particular experience that helped you make this decision?

I do not remember a single defining moment where I decided I wanted to work with animals. I’ve always wanted to work with animals, the desire just got stronger as I got older. I really got serious about my goal to work with animals after I met my husband, who is in the same profession.

What was the craziest thing that has ever happened to you at Gatorland?

I can think of quite a few things! A recent event is when we introduced our cracker cattle to their new exhibit and the feisty male jumped out of the exhibit and we had to chase him around Gatorlands’ back pasture all day.

What is your favorite animal at Gatorland and why?

Some of our younger goats: Monday, Rosalie and Emmett. Also, Poncho a macaw is a favorite of mine.

If you had a choice to travel anywhere in the world to study animals, where would you go and what animal would you study?

I would love to study crocodilians in South and Central America. Any type of marine life, especially marine mammals or cephalopods would be great to study. I’d love to make a difference for the many imperiled animals in all parts of Asia.

What is the best part of working here at Gatorland?

Gatorland is awesome because it is in a natural setting. While working I often see Osprey fishing and Roseate Spoonbills flying overhead. There are so many rare, wonderful and completely natural things to see here that you can’t see at any other park.

Have you ever had any close calls working with alligators or any other animal here at Gatorland?

How to answer this without getting into any trouble… I really haven’t had any close calls that were enough to scare me. Just the typical bird and reptile bite. I’ve been charged at a few times by a pregnant cow. Other than that, nothing too exciting has happened.

What made you decide to work with alligators?

I’ve always liked alligators but I wanted to work at Gatorland so I could work with animals in general. During my employment here I’ve really gained a love and understanding of alligators and all other crocodilians. They are all so extremely misunderstood and it is one of my goals to change that.

What kind of pets do you have at home?

I have several fish, a Cockatiel and two cats named Feles and Feral. Feral was actually found in our swamp walk. After several attempts to shred our hands with his claws he finally agreed to live with us.

What kind of hobbies do you have?

Drawing, writing, painting, scrapbooking, sewing, playing piano, bass, guitar, bird watching, hiking, swimming, traveling and volunteering. I love to learn. Right now I am trying to learn Spanish, French, Chinese, Latvian and Italian.

Do you have any special talents?

I guess I would say that I pick up music easily. My hand-eye coordination is good so I’m pretty good at sports if I try.

Do you have someone who inspired you to get in to this field?

My husband. I’ve always loved animals but he’s always had an absolute passion for them and he’s passed that on to me. I was actually going to be an automotive technician. I just wish he would have inspired me before I spent all that money on automotive school!

What made you want to become a zoo keeper; was there a particular experience that helped you make this decision?

I have always loved animals and had hundreds of dinosaur toys. I always knew that I would do something with wildlife but nothing in particular pushed me into zookeeping. But, my wife did pretty much write my resume and made me go for this job.

What was the craziest thing that has ever happened to you at Gatorland?

Catching our five Cuban crocodiles. For those of you who don’t know, Cuban crocs are probably the most dangerous crocodilians to keep and many zoos won’t take them. We needed to catch them and draw blood for breeding purposes.

What is your favorite animal at Gatorland and why?

Our “Big EDB”, the largest Eastern Diamond Back rattlesnake we have. He is around 5.5 ft long ,with his sheds reaching 6 ft. Also, I have only heard him rattle once; he is mean looking but has never struck at me, except when I’m feeding.

If you had a choice to travel anywhere in the world to study animals, where would you go and what animal would you study?

India, they have it all. Tigers, crocodiles (Mugger and Saltie), cobras, elephants, all kinds of ecosystems and cool cultures. However, I don’t like Indian food. That may be a problem!

What is the best part of working here at Gatorland?

Getting close to the animals, hands down! Catching the Cuban Crocodiles for blood tests, medicating a rattlesnake, or training our Asian Water Monitors… can’t get any better than that. Also, I don’t have to wear a suit and tie!

Have you ever had any close calls working with alligators or any other animal here at Gatorland?

We all do, working with crocodilians and venomous snakes (animals in general) you get bit, stung, constricted, kicked, and stepped on. No fingers lost yet!

What made you decide to work with alligators?

They get 15 ft long, 1000 lbs, can exert over 2,000 lbs per square inch of crushing power and can be invisible in 3 ft of water. They are wonderful animals and they need our help. Alligators are a great crocodilian to start with and I hope to breed endangered crocs one day.

What kind of pets do you have at home?

Two cats (adopted), one bird (rescued), one fish and a daughter. Our one cat “Feral”, I actually caught in a swamp here at work, he was a thin kitten with a limp. He’s nice and fat now!

What kind of hobbies do you have?

I like to read, learn more about animals, play video games and spend time with my wife and kid. As a family we love to go to the beach and get attacked by wildlife.

Do you have any special talents?

I can hold my breath for over a minute, other than that I am pretty boring. Well, even holding one’s breath is boring.

Do you have someone who inspired you to get in to this field?

Not any one in particular, but Steve Irwin was a hero for animal conservation. My family has supported me through everything and my wife, Megan, pushed me to work in this field.

What made you want to become a zoo keeper; was there a particular experience that helped you make this decision?

Since I was a child I have wanted to work with animals. The hard part for me was deciding what exactly I wanted to do with animals. I’ve found that a zoo keeper gets to do a little bit of everything… one minute I am feeding alligators and the next I get to train a Black Bear.

What was the craziest thing that has ever happened to you at Gatorland?

One time we were moving some alligators to a new pool when I slipped and fell face first into the pool of gators. I couldn’t get my footing to get out so my coworker had to pull me out of the pool. It was pretty scary at the time, but once I was out and safe, we couldn’t stop laughing! Good thing it was a hot day ’cause I was dripping wet from head to toe.