Page 36 - Gateways 2024_Spring flip_Neat

B ro o k f i e ld Z o o M e m o ri e s
Brookfield Zoo Memories continued

“Brookfield Zoo

runs in our family!”

•BLA INE R A DA

Brookfield Zoo has been a part of my life for more than
50 years and my first experiences there are perhaps the
most memorable. I would have been 6 to 7 years old.
My mother worked at the Zoo from 1967 to 1971. She was
one of the first female keepers and held various positions,
starting in the Children’s Zoo. She moved to the bookstore
when it first opened, then was a lab assistant in the Animal
Hospital, and a keeper in the Aquatic Bird House.
I spent a lot of time at the old Seven Seas,
which was located on the opposite side of the Zoo from
where it is now. I’m still friends with some of the keepers
who did the dolphin shows and worked with Olga the
walrus (she was quite a character and always a crowd-
pleaser). My early and frequent exposure to animals and
their caretakers gave me an appreciation for the animal
world and the importance of zoos.
Many years later, my wife and I were both “The long purple tongues
docents from 1987 to 1996. At that time, docents not made them giggle.”
only interacted with visitors in various places in the park,
but we also taught children’s classes and worked at many of •MEGA N PHILLIPS
the special events. We loved volunteering and only stopped
because we eventually had two young children and May 4, 2023—My kids (2 and 5) fed the giraffes with
scheduling volunteer time became too difficult. their grandma. They still talk about it all the time!
Our two children worked summers at the Seven The long purple tongues made them giggle. Their eyes
Seas gift shop for many years—an interesting coincidence lit up with wonder and amazement at these gentle giants
given that’s where I spent much of my time as a child. I being so near to them. A priceless memory!
guess you can say that Brookfield Zoo runs in our family!

36 GATEWAYS | BROOKFIELD ZOO MEMORIES