My New Home: How a summer internship at the Los Angeles Zoo changed my life

To me, the Zoo looked empty. Behind the scenes people have been working for hours, feeding animals, cleaning habitats, and numerous other tasks. In 60 short minutes this bare space would be occupied by lined-up, excited visitors.   

It was 9:00 am, and an hour before the Los Angeles Zoo opened to the public. I shuffled to the only open ticket window and proudly declared that today was my first day and asked, “would you be so kind as to let me in?” I spoke clearly, hiding my nervousness to start work and even greater anxiety that these were my first steps on zoo grounds. 

My new mentor, Rachel Helfing met me at the gates. She would later become my North Star. We walked just a few paces to meet Ziggy, a seal, who was busy swimming laps, but would occasionally breach the surface as if to say “welcome new friend.” 

Rachel and Ziggy became the first new faces to greet me, but theirs, along with many others, soon became familiar. Each day I came to the Zoo, I became more grateful that the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability’s Environmental Communications Internship allowed me to see the L.A. Zoo as my summer home. 

As a journalism major and cinematic arts minor, I have a passion for storytelling, but I’ve struggled to feel how this skill can contribute to saving our planet. Climate change has been a conversation my whole life and I want to be part of the solution. In my courses, I’ve learned more about the difference science communication can make. Now, as my internship comes to an end, I feel lucky to have spent the summer as a changemaker. 

Many internships might gloat at not being your “average coffee run” position, but how many of them allow you to give insight on the types of projects you’re interested in and build a portfolio for your future career? And, that work is fulfilling and promotes environmental equity and conservation. Not sold yet? Does a regular lunch date with a two-toed sloth named Charlie up the ante? 

My main duty was to document the Los Angeles Zoo’s Paid Internship Program (PIP). These interns (‘PIP-terns’ as they are often called at the Zoo) are all students over the age of 18 who reside in the City of Los Angeles and identify with a community that’s been historically excluded from zoos and conservation fields.  

Zoo and aquarium positions are often unpaid and given to those who benefit from systemic advantages. The L.A. Zoo created PIP as part of their equity work to help stop exclusion in these fields. There are 20 interns split between two areas of interest: conservation and learning and engagement. 

This is the second year of PIP and I was lucky enough to be the first Wrigley Institute Environmental Communications intern at the L.A. Zoo. I enjoyed filming and taking pictures of general Zoo content, creating a capstone video on the ‘PIP-terns,’ writing for different Zoo publications, and other public relations tasks. 

The capstone video on PIP will live on the L.A. Zoo’s website and gave me an opportunity to practice my skills in cinematography, interviewing, filmmaking, and editing. This video became a main project for me. It allowed me to grow closer to the Zoo and ‘PIP-terns.’ I loved being able to highlight such an important program. 

Outside of my duties as the intern for the interns, I also worked on highlighting other efforts at the L.A. Zoo. One of my favorite projects was writing a blog post about the Roti Island snake-necked turtle and taking pictures for the article.

For my appointment with the curator, we sped off on a golf cart using the perimeter road, which surrounds the outside of the Zoo. This secret road felt like a privilege, most visitors wouldn’t even know of its existence. Soon, we would enter a building, marked with a bright orange sign that read: “REPTILES.”

Inside, a skull and crossbones marked snakes and other cold blooded creatures. My golf cart chauffeur and the L.A. Zoo’s Curator of Reptiles & Amphibian, Ian Recchio, explained which animals were new to the Zoo, part of different conservation efforts, or other reasons they were in the holding area. We walked through warm rooms, humid areas, and every temperature you can imagine, until we made it to the celebrity of the day: the Roti Island snake-necked turtle.

I had previously interviewed Recchio for a blog post on these critically endangered turtles to highlight the Zoo’s work with the Species Survival Plan (SSP) program. I was lucky enough to be one of the few people who have seen these animals, let alone photograph them. 

At the L.A. Zoo, I was able to do things that I never thought possible. I worked on tasks that I loved doing, while furthering my career as a science communicator. I met so many friendly faces and felt excited everyday as I passed through the Zoo gates. 

I came to love my first deep breath of the day. The Zoo was mine. I got excited for what the day  could bring. I had an hour before I would encounter a child seeing their favorite animal for the first time, a visitor becoming passionate about conservation, or witnessing  a ‘PIP-tern’ grow in their field as I grew in mine. Each day at the Los Angeles Zoo, anything is possible.