Abbie Arvanites \u201916 was among the first to learn that Walter and Autumn were expecting a new baby. And she was thrilled to get the inside scoop.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur class found out before the news was released to the public,\u201d said Arvanites, a sociology<\/a> major from Spartanburg. \u201cIt was exciting to feel a part of the Greenville Zoo community by having that knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n The baby Masai giraffe was nearly 158 pounds and was just over six feet long when he was born on February 2, 2016. He\u2019s now known throughout the Upstate as Tatu, meaning \u201cthird child\u201d in Swahili.<\/p>\n Spending time with zoo babies and their parents was just one of the special experiences that eight Furman students enjoyed as part of SOC 470, a new qualitative methods seminar last fall on \u201cThe Sociology of Zookeeping.\u201d<\/p>\n The seminar, taught by Associate Professor of Sociology Ken Kolb, Ph.D., began with readings by sociologists and other scholars which discussed zoos in today\u2019s society and then provided students with a chance to conduct fieldwork behind the scenes through a unique partnership with the Greenville Zoo.<\/p>\n The Greenville Zoo, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and operated by the City of Greenville, attracts 300,000 visitors each year. The 14-acre facility features wildlife from around the world, including orangutans, giraffes, monkeys, and giant tortoises.<\/p>\n \u201cZoos offer a window into what we think about animals, nature, and even ourselves,\u201d said Kolb, adding that he wanted students to see zoos, not just as entertainment or recreation, but from the perspective of those who work inside them.<\/p>\n Furman students spent at least four sessions shadowing zookeepers and learning from their years of experience as keepers carried out their day-to-day tasks.<\/p>\n \u201cThe zookeepers have a tremendous responsibility keeping the animals in their charge happy and healthy,\u201d said Keith Gilchrist, general curator of the Greenville Zoo. \u201cThey need to have knowledge of multiple species\u2019 natural histories, be able to build positive relationship with the animals (and humans), and have a working knowledge of basic maintenance and horticulture. Most of all, a good keeper should be driven to do whatever it takes to make sure the animals get the very best of care.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think most people have a romanticized idea of what zookeepers do, and it was a good opportunity to let people see exactly what\u2019s involved and how much the zoo keepers do on a daily basis, rain or shine,\u201d said Gilchrist.<\/p>\n Feeding and training the animals, cleaning cages and exhibits, interacting with the public, and filling out paperwork were among the activities students observed. In their discussions with students, zookeepers also discussed the importance of the zoo\u2019s role in encouraging conservation.<\/p>\n After completing field notes, interviews and personal research, students wrote 15- to 20-page papers for their final projects.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the mornings, the keepers were usually cleaning the cages\u2026 In the afternoons, keepers often worked on training with the animals, and I observed how necessary it was to be patient and calm,\u201d said Hannah Wheeler \u201916, a sustainability science<\/a> and sociology<\/a> major from Clarendon Hills, Ill. \u201cSometimes the animals were great, and sometimes they were not. The keepers seemed to understand that every training session could bring unforeseen challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir jobs require a lot of diligence and there are many repetitive activities,\u201d said Wheeler. \u201cI grew to have a lot of respect for the zookeepers. It isn\u2019t easy work!\u201d<\/p>\n Kelly Pusch \u201916, a sociology major from Summerfield, N.C., began working part-time in the concession stand and gift shop at the zoo last year and has continued to work there, even after the class was completed.<\/p>\n As part of her research, Pusch interviewed five different zookeepers who painted what she called \u201ca diverse and unique picture of their lives and careers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cZookeepers are very under-appreciated. All of them have years of experience and education, and no one sees that when a keeper is shoveling poop,\u201d said Pusch. \u201cPeople don\u2019t see the bonds that the keepers have with the animals. They want to ensure all the animals live in healthy environments.\u201d<\/p>\n Arvanites, who plans a career as an epidemiologist, said she would definitely recommend the course to future students.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst and foremost, the subject matter is unique and zoos are enchanting places to be, but also conducting qualitative research is a refreshing and organic way for me to understand and create a theory as to how or why society\u2014or a particular aspect of society\u2014exists,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Abbie Arvanites \u201916 was among the first to learn that Walter and Autumn were expecting a new baby. And she was thrilled to get the inside scoop. \u201cOur class found […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":265,"featured_media":15803,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,17,18,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-department-page","category-centers-and-institutes","category-shi-institute-for-sustainable-communities","category-sociology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4376"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4376\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33272,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4376\/revisions\/33272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}