Jen D'Amato and her husband in San Juan.
Chances are you've heard about the hard work and dedication it takes to be a zookeeper. But how much do you know about the work that goes on behind the scenes to prepare food for an entire zoo's worth of animals?
In today's interview, animal nutrition manager Jen D'Amato shares how she and her team keep the Oregon Zoo's furry, scaly and other friends well-fed.
Before we get to the present, let's talk about the past: what brought you, Jen D'Amato, here to Metro?
Well, I always wanted to work with exotic species. I have dogs and cats, but I always wanted to work with tigers and stuff like that. Like so many people who work with animals, I originally thought I wanted to be a vet, but when I learned about animal nutrition, I decided I loved the idea of intervening early and being proactive to promote animal health.
My degree is in comparative nutrition. A comparative nutritionist works to design diets for wildlife, especially exotic species, by extrapolating from domestic and pet animals – which we know a lot about – to arrive at a good estimation of what they eat.
I worked in nutrition at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for just under five years prior to joining Metro, but I had previously interned at the Oregon Zoo as an undergrad in 2006 and had volunteered here in 2013. So, when this job was posted, I got excited because I wanted to come back to Oregon, and I happened to be at a point in my career where I was ready to move on and move up.
What does an animal nutritionist do, exactly? What does an average day look like for your team?
Anything an animal eats, my team is involved with. Together, we make diets for every single animal at the zoo, except the insects, 365 days a year. We have four full-time animal nutrition technicians who do the day-to-day stuff: chopping vegetables, receiving inventory and rotating stock. It's very physical work. And they're completely dedicated to what they do – during the ice storm this past winter, my team still found ways to get to the zoo to make sure that the animals got fed.
My personal role is to provide technical expertise as a nutritionist. If we have a new species or one with very specific nutritional needs, I design their diet. I also work with the animal welfare team to check on the ongoing health of animals. If there's a nutritional or dietary component to an animal's illness, I may be brought in to adjust their diet.
What sort of things do you have to think about when putting together a meal plan for an animal? Where do you source the food?
The first thing I think about is sourcing – we make some of it here, actually. The zoo has a small farm where the horticulture team grows some of the animals' food. We also work with zoo-specific vendors who provide a lot of what we use and local vendors who supply fresh produce – a bunch of local restaurants get their produce from the same place we do! All of the produce we use at the zoo is human-grade.
Which animal has the most challenging diet to accommodate?
Fish stocks are really sensitive to climate change, so seafood-eating animals can be really challenging. I have to plan their diets farther in advance and have more contingency plans for them. Their diets aren't inherently harder to service, but the supply chain makes them harder for now.
On the other hand, some animals are just really picky. Our little sloth loves fruit, but she's supposed to eat more greens and veggies, so we've been painstakingly trying to sneak more greens into her diet. Elephants take up the most food. Most of our hay goes to the elephants, so the sheer quantity is a lot to handle.
What's the best thing about working at a zoo? Why is it important work?
All of us who work here are dedicated to maximizing the well-being of the animals in our care. I feel passionate about teaching people about these animals, and so do my colleagues.
It's really hard to convince someone to protect a species or ecosystem they've never seen and don't have any connection to. Zoos can help build that connection. I grew up in upstate New York, so the only time I saw animals was when I visited somewhere like the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester – and it made such a huge impression on me that I ended up working here.