Life with Dylan

Category: Zoo Keeper Week

  • How One Boy Made Lots of Zoo Keepers Smile

    National Zoo Keeper Week is celebrated every year as a way to honor the thousands of animal care professionals who dedicate their lives to animal care, conservation, and education. In the past, Dylan and I have each written open thank you letters to our zookeeper friends, but this year Dylan wanted to do something more. He wanted to be able to thank them all in person and let each zookeeper know how much he appreciated everything that they were doing for the animals.

    Wow, this would require lots of brainstorming and some creativity on my part. Dylan wanted to actually give them something. How could we possibly thank all of the zookeepers in person and give them a token of appreciation?  Dylan had some great ideas, but I needed to fine tune them and figure out a way to keep the cost down. Thanks to Pinterest I found my answers and we started making some little gifts.

    With mailing labels and washi tape that I had at home, we made some cute labels that we could attach to individual size m&m bags. In no time at all we had 75 gifts for zookeepers – and all for under $10.

    Now the trick was getting the candy to the zookeepers. I knew we would see a few here and there, but often the keepers are behind the scenes.

    Ironically, my friend Nicki let me know that there was an ice cream social planned for all the zookeepers on the same day we were planning on being at the San Diego Zoo. This was our lucky day!

    When we first arrived at the zoo, we had a plan to visit some places we knew keepers would be. First stop was the Children’s Zoo. The reaction I witnessed from one keeper when Dylan handed her the small bag of m&m’s was priceless. She then proceeded to take us around her area, making sure that we saw each zookeeper working that day.

    Soon after, another friend who was not working that day shared a Facebook post with me via twitter. It said, “So a young boy, probably 10 or 11, came to my area of the zoo and passed out personal size m&m’s to all the keepers. There was a note that said happy national zookeeper week and thank you for all you do. It’s amazing how something so small can cause such a big impact!! It just made me realize that we are making an impact on people. I love my job!!!”  I almost started crying right then and there.

    I also found out that one of the zookeepers has a picture of her and Dylan on her locker as a reminder that she is making a difference. There were several more posts like this that I saw when I got home and some Instagram pics as well. This was not the reaction I expected.

    After handing out a few more, it was time to crash the ice cream social. This was something I will never forget, nor will Dylan. He was in a room filled with zookeepers and all eyes were on him. Dylan was with “his people” and the smile on his face was just as bright as the smiles on their faces.

    Nicki walked Dylan around to each table and introduced him to the zookeepers. She told them about his philanthropy work and how he wanted to be a zookeeper at the San Diego Zoo when he was older. Some recognized him and gave handshakes or hugs, others simply appreciated the gift and smiled.

    Aside from thanking the keepers, Dylan had the opportunity to meet some people face to face that he only knew through email. Meeting Aimee (a tiger keeper) and seeing Julian again may have been the highlight of this event for Dylan. The ice cream social was put on by the San Diego American Association of Zoo Keepers and they shared a lovely post about Dylan with some pictures on their Facebook page too.

    Overall, the day was a success and we accomplished our mission of thanking as many zookeepers as possible in person. Seeing the smiles of so many zookeepers was awesome, but to be honest, it saddened me that they were so shocked by his small gift. These men and women work hard, and not in cushy offices, but out in the heat and rain, to care for the animals that we often take for granted. It made me realize that thanks need to be given more often. Dylan’s wish to thank zookeepers taught both of us a valuable lesson – It really is the thought that counts and not the gift itself.

    Thank you to all of the wonderful zookeepers for doing what you love!

  • Dylan’s Thank You Letter to all the Zoo Keepers

    Today kicks of the start of National Zoo Keeper Week. Over the past year we have had the pleasure of meeting many zoo keepers and are proud to call them our friends. It is difficult to thank all of them in person, so Dylan wanted to write an open thank you letter to all our zoo keeper friends.

    Dear Zoo Keepers,

    Thank you for all the things you do for the animals. Thank you for being the voice of the animals. You feed them and you help them when they are sick or in need.

    To Jonnie, thank you for helping all the rhinos. The great park you work at has had many rhino births and I really liked reading about your experience with Mili’s birth.  You have helped so many animals, especially the ungulates.

    To Julian, thank you for taking me behind the scenes to see where Connor and Christopher live and for introducing me to Danai. I learned a lot about what a tiger keeper does.

    To Peter, thank you for teaching me about the monarch butterflies during Garden Festival at the San Diego Zoo. You are really lucky to work with Sonny and I hope one day that I can tour the reptile house with you. I think it’s really cool that we both want to work with Zookeeper Rick.

    To Katrina, thank you for taking me behind the exhibit and letting me see Mek when we visited the Fresno Zoo. Your zoo might not be as big as the San Diego Zoo, but Mek seems really happy to be back with Paca.

    To Rick, where do I start, you help so many different animals and help bring awareness to the world about conservation. You help animals big and small – from a tiny endangered butterfly to a big African elephant. Thank you for taking so many animal ambassadors on television and showing the world how amazing these animals are. You are my hero and you inspire me to keep doing more for the animals and conservation. Like you and Dr. Harry Wegeforth, I do it for the animals.

    There wouldn’t be zoos without zoo keepers and the world wouldn’t be the place it is today without zoos teaching people about animals and conservation.

    Thank you zoo keepers for all you do.

    Dylan Fryer

    Created by AAZK, Inc, National Zoo Keeper Week is celebrated each year beginning on the third Sunday in July. During the week, zoos nationwide honor animal care professionals and the work they do in animal care, conservation, and education. There are approximately 6,000 animal care professionals in the United States.


    The American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK)a non-profit volunteer organization made up of professional zookeepers and other interested persons dedicated to professional animal care and conservation. The mission of AAZK is to advance excellence in the zoo keeping profession, foster effective communication beneficial to animal care, support deserving conservation projects, and promote the preservation of our natural resources and animal life. For more information, visit

  • It’s National Zoo Keeper Week!

    There are many national appreciation weeks for various professions, but this one is special to me for more than one reason. The obvious is that Dylan and I visit the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park on what some may call a regular basis – we actually consider them our second homes. Many of the keepers we know by name and they have become our friends. We look forward to seeing them almost as much as seeing the animals (many of which we also know by name).

    The other reason this week is so special to me is that my son wants to be a Zookeeper. He wants to be just like the people he admires – and yes, he wants to pick up animal poop! Most people don’t know what a Zookeeper really does and I think our friend Zookeeper Rick said it best in a recent Facebook post.

    What is a Zookeeper?

    Zookeepers are caretakers. Zookeepers are house keeping. Zookeepers are chefs. Zookeepers are educators. Zookeepers are construction workers. Zookeepers are gardeners. Zookeepers are parents to animals in need of a mom or dad. Zookeepers are the voice for those who don’t speak our language. Zookeepers are nurses. Zookeepers are friends to other species. Zookeepers are advocates for conservation. Zookeepers are scientists. Zookeepers are behaviorist. – Rick Schwartz

    I know Zookeepers arrive to work hours before the zoo even opens and even though we don’t always see them, they are working hard behind the scenes. Sometimes they work late into the night preparing a PowerPoint presentation or writing a research paper for a publication – they help promote conservation and teach us things that help us understand the bigger picture. 

    For me, the most special thing about Zookeepers is the time they take to talk to the people visiting the zoos. Zookeepers truly love their jobs and have a passion for sharing that love with others.


    When was the last time you thanked a Zookeeper?